awashlogs | Open Mingle for Post Dragon Invasion Clean Up

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Open Mingle for Post Dragon Invasion Clean Up

WHO: Everyone in Town
WHERE: All over
WHEN: After the dragons leave
WHAT: Repairing buildings, dealing with dragon corpses, freaking out about the encroaching forest, dealing with injuries, etc.
WARNINGS: Dead dragons, maybe.

The dragons sure did a number on the town, didn't they?

Buildings have been burned down (or crushed), the forest has apparently decided to play at territory invasion (again) and there are dragon cadavers around the town.

And, unfortunately, these things don't magically take care of themselves.

Thankfully, as long as everyone pitches in, clean up shouldn't be too hard!

Maybe. Assuming at least a few people know what they're doing. Except, you know, apparently the trees on the edge of town grow back the next day if destroyed.

((OOC: Just a mingle post for post event stuff! Go ahead and make your own top levels!)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

So dragons breathe water where you're from? Can't say I relate to that. Dragons are less... corporeal beings in my world, you could say. Cooking them isn't something I'm used to.

[ She does draw closer, though. She's a bit more pensive as she looks over the dragon, the shine in her eyes darkening imperceptibly. And then as soon as it appeared, it's gone, and she's back to smiling without a care in the world. She cranes her neck up to see the dragon's other side without walking over to it, but it doesn't work all that well because she's not that tall as it is. Instead, she just shrugs and turns back to him, apparently satisfied with her mediocre inspection. ]

Step one is to light a fire big enough for this thing's hide. Is cutting down the trees here possible, or will the town throw some thousand-year curse on you for it?

I can't say I'd ever met one in person before I came here--but beggars can't be choosers, as they say, and eating them seems like a perfectly efficient method of cleanup.

[Just gotta stick this meat on this stick, stoke up the little fire he's started, and see how well it burns. He looks up again at the tree question, glancing over at the too-close forest and its too-thick vegetation.]

As far as I'm aware, cutting them down is safe enough...I've cut down a few myself, at least, though admittedly I've been cursed for a while.

Hmm.

[ Thinking, thinking... She puts a hand to her chin in contemplation. The easy way out would be to cut the dragon into small parts and then roast it, but the more fun way would be to make a bigger fire and roast the dragon whole. Cutting down the trees might be too much of a risk, though, if the rumors she's been hearing about the forest encroaching in on the town is true.

In the meantime, Magilou grabs a stick of her own and holds it out. Whatever remaining pieces of hacked up dragon he's already made can be tossed on her stick. Look, she's helping! Incredible! ]

Cursed already, are you? Cursed to wander these grayscale lands forever, perhaps? Or is your curse why you ended up in this town in the first place? [ Yes, she has to be this annoying... oops. ]

[A helper! He can certainly appreciate that, picking up a couple smaller, less-bloody pieces to impale on her stick.

The foot from earlier is still lying off to the side, because now that he got the idea he really is seriously considering pickling it later.]

It could very well be how I ended up here! Though if it is then that's one of the nicer effects I've experienced so far. [Is that all the explanation she's getting? Maybe.]

Honestly, if it's timber you wish for then that shouldn't be too difficult. Unless you were hoping to help push back the forest?

[ She holds the stick tight as it turns into a kebab. Now she's holding a stick with skewered, raw meat on it, and lifts it up to inspect it closer, as though she could divine the world from it. It's... certainly meat, that's for sure. That's about all she can ascertain from it.

She's not sure how long it'll take for it to warm up or be remotely edible, but she lowers down to balance on her tiptoes and hold it out toward the fire he's started, her other hand resting on her knees. Gotta get comfortable and kill some time while it chars. ]

The forest is going to eat us alive, I presume. [ That's what she's gathered so far. With an unconcerned smile, she continues: ] For a town that just had dragons descend on it, you'd think they could go with something more flashy than an encroaching forest to swallow us up in. The maw of the beast may change, but the prey doesn't.

If this is one of the nicer effects of your curse, I shudder to speculate on your situation.

[With Xie Lian's luck either it won't want to cook or it'll be perfectly fine and he'll burn his own kebab.....]

It may very well be attempting to eat us alive...this isn't the first time it's encroached on the town, though it's the closest I've seen it get since arriving here myself. [He looks over at the trees as he speaks, wondering what it is exactly that causes them to grow as they do...but he's got company, so it's really just a short glance before he smiles back at her again.]

Is it really all that bad? While I admit I've never gotten trapped in a foreign town before, it's overall been quite a pleasant break from the usual--there's plenty of food, for one thing. [Gesturing with his stick! He may or may not be joking.]

Mm, how sad. [ Her voice, however, does not sound very sad. Instead, she sounds unaffected. But when she follows his gaze to stare at the edge of the forest, a shiver runs through her. The area around the fire is warm, but this is a chill that even flames can't thaw. ] Seems a little creepy. Well, if it eats us, it eats us. I'd like to see it try. The forest ought to be satisfied with all this dragon meat instead of the meat of innocent, pure-hearted witches!

[ Which would be her, obviously. She gestures to herself with her free hand, the other still dutifully holding the skewer out above the fire. The kebab dips a little too low in the process, though, and the topmost chunk catches on fire. Oooof course. ]

Ooh, the dragon meat didn't like that idea!

[ She's just going to spend the next few panicked seconds trying to blow it out, before she accidentally drops it and sets the entire town on fire. God. ]

[If he was eaten by a haunted forest, what would become of him? He can't help wondering. But there's another thing that has his attention, as well...]

Witches? I'm not sure I'm familiar with the term.

[Another foreign subject! There's so many around here--oh dear her meat's on fire.

Xie Lian takes this moment to glance at his own meat, which, well....a good chunk of it already seems to be approaching burnt, because he had it a little too close to the fire. Turning it around!]

--It looks like it's more susceptible to fire than either of us expected.

[ Yeah, it's definitely charred. It takes a few seconds, but she does manage to tamp down the flames with a frantic breath... And the chunk of meat is basically black now. Frowning, she brings it closer to her face. She can probably pull the burnt top layer of dragon scales off, but the last thing she wants to do is get her hands burnt by dragon scales. So for the time being, she just puts it back against the fire, letting the other parts of the meat get some cooking action. ]

So dragons here leave behind corporeal meat, and it's flammable. Spooky. I don't know whether that's a sign to eat it or a sign to leave it alone.

[ She turns her kebab back around in turn. Might as well. ]

But yes! I am a witch! A fantastic fabricator of fables! The most magnificent of magicians! If you're unfamiliar, is that because magic doesn't exist? Or are there simply none brave enough to use the term "witch"?

Better to eat it than to let it go to waste, I always say!

[But then again he's been homeless for the past 800 years or so, so his standards are maaaaaybe just a bit lower than most.

He takes a small bite out of the burnt side of his kebab before putting it back in the fire again.]

Oh, we certainly have magic where we live--though most mortal practitioners of mystical arts are called cultivators or priests. Such powers require cultivation of the spirit, after all. [A short pause.] Wouldn't a fabricator of fables simply be a storyteller? I've seen quite a few of those in my travels.

[ The mention of priests gets her to raise an eyebrow--it's a different term than she's used to hearing from the members of the abbey that use spirit artes, but it's very similar. Still, she brushes the momentary curiosity off with a wave of her free hand. ]

Yes, a storyteller! I'm both by trade, you could say. A witch, a storyteller, a comedienne all in one. That's the majesty of the mirth manufactory I manage, Magilou's Menagerie! Or... used to. My troupe is currently missing-in-action. I'll have to find others to recruit in the meantime, to spread our good name!

[ Ahem, it's a big boast to bring out while simply cooking meat over a fire. She pulls the kebab out to stare at it curiously. She's pretty sure it's done by now, but it's not like she's a dragon meat expert. Hesitantly, she takes a bite.

...It's a bit overdone. She makes a face somewhere between a grimace and annoyance. ]

There's gotta be a better way to cook this stuff.

Ah, so you're a performer! I've done street performances myself before, but it sounds like you're a real professional, is that right? [With a whole troupe and everything!

He pulls his own kebab out, blowing out the flames to take another bite. Burnt to a crisp! Just how he's used to.]

There should still be a working kitchen available to find, if you'd like to try your hand at something a little less casual--ah, now that I think of it, I wonder how dragon stir-fry would taste?

As professional as a professional can get! My Menagerie is known across the land where I'm from. To the point where amateurs believe they can profit from our name. [ K-Kind of... ] It's a difficult life to lead.

Dragon stir-fry, though. It's not the weirdest food I've ever heard of, I guess. Gruesome, perhaps, but no less surprising when you consider the cruel ways humans have devised to devour the less fortunate.

[ And yet, she still has that same smile on her face. She picks at her kebab, then stands up to her full height. ]

Show this fair maiden where the kitchen might be, and tell me about your street performances on the way!

Is it gruesome? It seems no crueler than stir-fried pork, in my opinion.

[He gets up rather more slowly than his companion, casually eating his burnt and blackened kebab as he considers what to do about this fire. Throw some dirt over it, maybe?]

Well, I think my own house may be out of the question at the moment, but we could probably find a usable kitchen in one of these other houses, if we look. Let me just put away all this uncooked meat first... [He's got a basket!]

Is your house one of the ones that the dragons used as a shooting gallery? I've seen lots of those around. No idea if my place survived or not.

[ All she does is shrug. She's only been there a couple times--she's mostly on the move, after all.

At any rate, she might as well do something if it'll get them to cookin' up a storm, so she starts to pile up the meat that's already been hacked into smaller pieces and put them in his basket. She's actually helping more!! Incredible. ]

Sadly, yes... [Their poor roof...mostly he's worried about how his roommates are gonna manage, but.

It's a tall basket! With straps on it! And with the help of his new friend (and his handy-dandy axe) he manages to get (almost) this entire dragon stuffed in there!

Okay maybe not the whole dragon but the basket sure is stuffed.]

By the way, your name is....Magilou? Is that right? [Since she mentioned a Magilou's Menagerie.] I almost forgot to introduce myself - my name is Xie Lian, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.

[He cups a fist in one hand, a traditional polite greeting--though with the basket strapped to his back he can't bring himself to bow very far.]

[ Well, at least they're not leaving a whole lot of the dragon behind. Magilou gives it one long look before turning back to the basket. Kind of incredible that it fits so much in there...

Magilou isn't one for polite greetings herself, so instead she points to herself with her index finger and a flick of her wrist. ]

Indeed! This fair maiden is indubitably, positively, and without a doubt the great mistress Magilou! Xie Lian, perhaps it's destiny that brought us here, for an as-of-yet-unknown purpose. Who knows with the whims of the fates? But for the time being, let's use this fortuitous meeting to make some real tasty dragon foods and survey the remaining kitchens of the town.

[ Maybe he could take one for his housemates. The whole house, with a working roof! She doesn't really know how housing works around here, but surely there's not a problem with that. ]

[He's got years of practice from junk-collecting, you can fit A Lot in a basket if you try hard enough.]

The whims of the fates are certainly quite mysterious! You never know when they might decide to destroy your house, for example. [As if it happens often--it does.

It does happen often.]

But yes, let's find those kitchens! I'm sure everyone will love a good meal after all that excitement.

Exactly! After all, a house destroyed is a house enjoyed.

[ He sounds awfully blasé about the house being destroyed--but then again, so does she! She knows Ruga best, even if she's only been to her place a few times, so she automatically starts that way, motioning for him to follow. A lot of the houses are dilapidated and falling apart, but there has to be at least one working kitchen among them--and if they do manage to find her place, it probably hasn't been destroyed?

Probably. ]

Your house going kablooey doesn't bother you?

[He's not sure he understands that line...but she seems cheerful enough about it, so it was probably a positive thing? He follows her regardless, not really caring where they end up.]

I can't say it's the first time I've lost a home--though admittedly it's the first time I've lost one to dragon attacks. [Yeah.] Anyway, if we can't fix it back up again, we can always find somewhere new to stay.

Can't say I've lost one to dragons before, either, but there's never a dull moment around here.

[ Hah, well, maybe they're not so different; homes seem pretty easy to lose for them both. Magilou gives a curious quirk of her eyebrows, but doesn't comment further out of fear of incriminating herself. Instead, she keeps walking toward Ruga, silent otherwise. The first house in view doesn't look like it's been lived in, nor does it look like it's been maintained well. At the very least, there's no chance of someone happening upon them while they're cooking and forcing them out or something. She walks to it, pulls the creaking door open with some force, and steps back. ]

Well... [ Her movements have kicked up some dust, making it even harder to see through the darkness, but there has to be something there. ] I wouldn't give it five stars or anything, but if the kitchen works, we can still have ourselves a cookout.

[It's true, this is a surprisingly exciting town despite how rural it appears to be. He looks around as they walk - at the destruction, at what remains, at which buildings look potentially intact enough to have a working kitchen.

After Magilou opens that door, Xie Lian steps forward to poke his head in without a single thought. Dusty sitting room here, darkened hallway there...]

The building looks fine enough, so the kitchen should be alright. [Wandering inside as he speaks.] Though I wonder if the pots and pans will still be usable?

Only one way to find out.

[ She follows him right in! Now that she's stepped inside, the main room doesn't look as dark as it first appeared, though it's difficult to say whether that's because of her eyes adjusting to the darkness or the small slivers of natural light peeking through the cracks in the wood.

The kitchen, which takes her a few moments to spot in the darkness, seems to be off to their right, so she heads that way. No sign of any pots and pans on the counter, but... ]

...Even if they are usable, how're all those huge chunks of meat gonna fit in a pot?

[Maybe it's a little of both! Xie Lian follows her into the kitchen, notes the lack of pots, and starts rummaging through cupboards instead.]

Well, there's no way for us to eat all of it in one sitting; the best plan would be to cook what we can eat, and try preserving the rest.

[Is there a carving knife in here at least?--oh there's a pot, that's good.]

Ooh, dragon meat for future late night snacks. That's the stuff of dreams and nightmares!

[ She sounds so excited about it, so don't even worry. Magilou starts to follow him and rifle through the drawers, and--yup, there's a knife. Phew, it was either that or they'd have to use his axe again, and she's not exactly jazzed about the idea of getting all bloody...

She hands the knife out to him. ]

So, the scales get shucked off first, or does that leave a nice crunch?

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