[HUB ISLAND | IT'S NOT HALLOW BUT I'M FEELING WEENIE]

[spellbindmods]

Who: All coven members
Where: Coven base camp, around the island
When: Day It's Not Halloween, What Do You Mean
Open/Closed: Open to (h)All(oween)

Tonight is a night like any other. There's no calendar with no holiday...but some tiny events seem to line up with a coincidental, theoretical holiday. A ▢ The hub island is quite large, which means there's still a lot of unexplored territories. Were you there when the pumpkins were discovered? Why were they discovered? Who is roaming around in the forest in the middle of the night like some wild animal in order to stumble upon these pumpkins??? All good questions, all with no answers. The important thing is that in the central part of the island, a fast growing gourd plant has taken over a lot of the trees in the area. The long, thick vines have choked out a lot of trees, with bumpy green pumpkin-type plants growing along them and hanging fatly from the trunks. Inside are fragrant seeds and a milk-like substance that's sweet. They're all very thick and squatty, making them good for soup. For carving? Well, you can try! B ▢ As a pre-celebratory gesture, Brie has brought out a festive little chest. If you happen to complete your Bonus AC, you're welcome to your customized dagger right now, complete with your name inscribed on the hilt. Everyone can take stuff from the chest, though. Inside are hundreds of pieces of candy -- some are pretty well preserved, but others have that weird ass grey separated stuff that happens to chocolate after a while. What kind of candy? If you can dream it, it's probably in there. Just only take a couple pieces or Brie might stab you. C ▢ ...Actually, she doesn't really have time to stab you. Brie is quietly taking people aside and showing people this little map she's found. Well, it appears to be a map. The outline on the paper is roughly the same shape and size as the island, scaled down, and it's covered in tiny red dots, scattered throughout the landscape. She's got a hunch that these dots mean something -- buried treasure. She's only one person, and there are tens of dots on this map. Her price for letting you in on this little venture is half of whatever you find...or at least access to it. She's digging up holes on her own...here's a shovel, go dig for yourself! D ▢ What can you find located in the group? Honestly, the item variety is wide and expansive. Most of the items are small tins, containing a piece of paper with a small story (more on this later, huhuhu), clipped photograph and little item -- these are up to your discretion! However, despite the island being absent of magic, these tins all seem to have an enchantment or hex placed upon them. The effects are varied. Some tins fill up with a black, inky tar-like substance that won't stop pouring out. Some tins act like vacuums and attempt to suck your arm into a black hole they contain. Others will emit a disgusting smell, begin screaming...and these are just a few of the weird wonders they contain. The verdict? These appear to be time capsules that are unhappy they were lifted from the ground too early! (OOC: The tins are the size of those Danish butter cookie tins we all use as sewing kits; you know what I mean.) E ▢ Some lucky coven members actually get something better than a broken toy. Others contain tons of cold coins, beautiful antiques (like compacts, compasses and pocket telescopes. Stuff like that)!. Are you lucky enough to dig up actual treasure? (OOC: Want to test your luck? See if your character finds an actually worthwhile find when you reply to this thread.) F ▢ Those with the cursed items will eventually find that midnight strikes and the carriage has become a pumpkin...well, sort of. At midnight, all of the cursed artifacts (not those nice shiny ones) become potatoes. That's good news in its own right -- potatoes are a food! But it's sort of disappoint and very starchy.

Comments

b!

[meritedly]

[ some people would be elated at the benevolence of their captors. some people even like candy. but yamato? he is most certainly not among that list. there's a skeptical gaze strewn across his features as he plucks a piece of candy from the chest and raises it in the air to further inspect it. ]

So nothing useful.

[ a scoff and he's literally tossing the candy aside. not even back into the chest. how wasteful! ]

Tch. It's all yours. [ he says to you! as if you want all that candy? ]

[rebells]

[He catches it between two fingers and unwraps it before popping it into his mouth. Mmm, chocolate.]

Why, thank you.

[meritedly]

[ why is anyone elated over sweets. he just doesn't quite get it. there's nothing special about these chocolates. they're so mundane. ]

Are you certain it's not poisoned?

[ and always a skeptic. ]

[rebells]

[He doesn't seem bothered. His mouth twitches.]

I'm not certain, but it wouldn't make much sense for her to poison us at this point. Plus, there's always Genette or Madoka.

[meritedly]

Who?

[ he's at least familiar with genette at this point but his inadequacy in networking is showing. the amount of people he's met is dismal. ]

A poison would put any person in a desperate and cooperative state of mind. I would not discount it so quickly.

[rebells]

[He twirls a finger.]

I'm not that cooperative when I'm desperate. Still, point to you, I suppose. Anyway, Genette and Madoka are healers. Go to Genette if you have an ordinary injury or illness; Madoka's power can only be used once a day, so it should be reserved for grave situations.

[A beat.]

There's a doctor here, too. Jude. You'd like him.

[meritedly]

I see. I will keep that in mind should the need ever arise.

[ what weird powers. but all right. he's grown accustomed to not having his own frkmback home after all. at least his tone is cordial! which is a great rarity nowadays. ]

And why?

[ about jude.... what an odd thing to say. ]

[rebells]

I just have a feeling.

[In other words, he's trolling. Probably both Yamato and Jude.]

But that's rather beside the point, I suppose. How have you been faring in the coven? I hope you haven't had too much trouble adjusting.

[meritedly]

[ don't you dare troll him?! ]

It has been an adjustment, yes. I can't say it's been overly difficult, but I'm still unpleased with the way things have progressed.

[ can he go back home? please? ]

You seem rather settled.

[finagles]

[ this

is an attitude he doesn't understand ]

How generous.

[ He does - he does want it, thank you. A tall blond appears at Yamato's side to catch the tossed treat in both hands, just in time before it hits the ground. He isn't over-eager, though. He keeps his mannerisms and his disposition refined, controlled, as he appears out of nowhere to hoard candy. ]

I agree that it isn't entirely useful, but if you're just going to throw yours away...

[meritedly]

[ wow don't be rude?!

yamato quirks a brow at the tall stranger - he's seen him in passing at most - but doesn't give too much thought to it beyond that. they're all in this inopportune mess together. ]

It's too sweet. [ that's his explanation. he hasn't even tried it but he can speculate!! ]

There's no protein. [ oh okay. ]

[finagles]

[ listen he doesn't have a rude bone is his body not even remotely true but he just doesn't get it ]

It's an indulgence, is it not?

[ Lining his pockets with Yamato's contributions now... adding to his own.....stolen contributions... ]

Though, I do understand that some people simply aren't fond of sweets.

[ ??? ]

[meritedly]

[ listen he doesn't have the biggest sweet tooth but he appreciates Quality! ]

I'd rather indulge in other things.

[ it's a personal preference so he doesn't sound too put-off. instead, he continues to watch as the guy continues pilfering sweets. geez... ]

Your teeth will rot.

[finagles]

[ listen..... with all this roughing it in nature going on he doesn't know how long it'll be before he sees sweets again 😢 ]

Don't worry, I won't overdo it. These are for later.

[ Uh, as if this random kid really cares. Still, McGillis breezes past that concern and shoots Yamato a polite smile, settling down by tucking his hands behind his back. A little like a child caught in the act of stealing. ]

What sort of things do you prefer to indulge in?

[meritedly]

[ what is this conversation?

this man is strange and while he hasn't reached levels of annoyance yet, it's still a ripe possibility. so yamato will progress cautiously. wearily. people are definitly not his thing. ]

... Takoyaki. Mostly.

[ there's hesitation, as if he isn't sure he should be divulging that? it probably sounds pretty odd. ]

[finagles]

[ Hm... it only sounds odd because he has no idea what that is!

Placing a hand under his chin, he tilts his head at the young man in front of him. He's noticed him before, of course, given the housing company he keeps (not that he'll ever admit this) -- and given the fact of that company, he watches carefully for signs that Gaelio might have given him a warning or two about the man he speaks with now.

So far, none he can grab onto. More curious still.

He smiles again, encouraging against hesitation. ]

A type of food? I've never heard of it before.

[meritedly]

[ oh okay good. don't call him out. thanks kindly. ]

Yes. It is a ... type of street food in Japan.

[ even now it is odd to say. he had considered all street food, all civilian food, to be utter garbage and worthless. just filled with gluttonous carbohydrates.

but not the King of the Street takoyaki. not that! ]

I believe it is fried octopus of some variety.

yo roomie

[reckoner]

[ Examining his engraved dagger (wondering where they'd gotten the materials for the number of these he's seen distributed), Gaelio's mostly ignoring the young man, until a piece of candy gets lobbed in his direction.

Absent-minded reflex swings his arm in a lazy loop through the air, only just snatching it before impact. Gaelio glances between the candy and the dagger, debating where to stash the latter without a sheathe, then uses it to (totally unnecessarily) open the candy.

Ugh.

Grey.

But he's always been disinclined to waste food, all the more in this sort of situation, so he pops it into his mouth and chews without expression.

It's.

Pretty bad. ]

All mine?

[ After swallowing, looking at the chest, then at the oddly familiar guy. ]

I didn't know you had such authority.

you done being extra?

[meritedly]

[ what is with this guy?

it takes him a moment to place him. right. the guy he worked on that shoddy house with. worked with being a very loose verb for what they did. but after another moment of processing, yamato realizes that he's seen him before beyond that.

the dream. that weird week. right. odd. huh. ]

The pot calling the kettle black.

[ he says it cooly, as a total throwback to the dream and this man's so called authority. yep, he went there. ]

lbr probably not

[reckoner]

[ The aftertaste is pretty bad, too. He should have used his illusions to make it taste less awful, but they aren't yet so instinctive. At least this occurs to him, and it doesn't take much effort.

Rather than opting for a lingering good taste, he removes it completely. How useful is self-deception.

Then, though he actually hasn't a strong sweet tooth, and that last one had been a disappointment, he does bend to scoop more candies up. More accurate to say he liked chocolate less than another and had developed a habit of passing them over.

Which now makes it inordinately tempting to pretend to believe in actual authority and really take them all, just to deprive someone, but there are kids here. Others who might want.

It takes Gaelio a moment, while dumping those he takes into the given knapsack, to realize that his de facto housemate refers to that dream.

A smirk ghosts, a touch pinched. Remembering those dreams and what he once was, especially one, continues to cast a shadow. ]

Not really. I truly had that authority.

oh okay good

[meritedly]

[ there's a chuckle, a bit airy, and bit nostalgic, and he nods. this guy doesn't bother him, not really, and he respects those with power. those who can control and wield authority. so it's not the worst match to ever exist. ]

Then we are one in the same.

[ he says it so broadly, so vaguely, that it's more of a leading statement than anything else.

... regardless, he's going to inspect the candles and then shake his head. ]

Electricity seems to be a novel concept around here. [ or, where there is flickers of power, it's far and few in between. re: kat forgets if the mansion and bathhouse have power who knows. ]

[reckoner]

[ Given that he clearly does not have any authority here, Gaelio can infer that in his world, he'd been in some position of power. That doesn't mean anything to him (so he doesn't ask, his smirk simply lasting a moment longer). What he appreciates is that, despite the shared dream, he hasn't asked about the differences. Not that a question would have perturbed, but it speaks to a level of discretion. Or indifference.

Either or.

Having gathered much more candy than a man of twenty-eight had any right to, Gaelio straightens, now watching him with the candles.

And because "this guy" and masculine pronouns will get a bit old, he's going to start mentally regarding him as King Silver.

Yeah. ]

If you miss it, you might talk to 9S.

[ Oh. ]

Or I might. He'd had housing lights a few weeks back.

[ Their cabin might stand only by sheer wait-no-how-is-it-standing, but proper lighting would make it feel more competent. ]

[meritedly]

[ wow don't call him that? even in your head?

they really do need to get more familiar, but yamato prefers the air of unspoken indifference. it's nice not to be annoyed or constantly bugged by the person he's sharing quarters with. it's just a convenient arrangement is all. ]

9S? That is a name?

[ someone is wearing his judgmental slacks today.

anyway, a shake of his head. ]

That would seem wise. If we are to be stuck here for any period of time, it would be useful.

[ look at this civil conversation!! ]

[reckoner]

[ too late, King Silver. ]

It is for a YoRHa unit.

[ A mild and likely unhelpful explanation. It should be enough to infer inhuman. Then again, it might suggest grouping and identification without necessarily highlighting android.

King Silver can think what he wants. Gaelio almost adds, is your name better? but he's curious as to how long they can keep this going. ]

We haven't heard from Qri about the utility of those bones, but it seems safe to assume we'll be here awhile. If she only needed what a few trips would provide, Brie and Genette might have sufficed.

[ Without dragging them all here. A few trips, or many small... ]

[meritedly]

[ okay Mc Snide.

it's safe to conclude that anything involving a unit is some branch of military. of what country and mission? that he's not sure about. it didn't feel worth it to pry, at least not here and now, so he lets it go easily enough. just going to store away that information for later. ]

We have yet to hear from Qri regarding a lot of things.

[ yes this is still a point of contention for him. it's irksome and despite her so called authority? he doesn't buy it for a second. ]

The bones at least do have an intriguing backstory. [ pun not intended. ]