Event Twenty-One

[awashmods]

Sometimes I feel happy, Sometimes I feel sad. Sometimes I feel curious, Sometimes I feel mad. Sometimes I feel silly, Sometimes I feel surprised. How many feelings, Do I have inside?

t's another regular, normal day in the Town. There's absolutely nothing to show that anything could possibly be wrong; the birds are chirping, the sky is bright, and everything is absolutely, entirely wrong. This time, though? The problem is internal. Slowly, bit by bit, people are going to stop feeling entirely like themselves -- or maybe even stop feeling at all. And suddenly that nice, bright day doesn't seem quite so nice and not quite so bright any longer after all. Welcome to Awash's Twenty-First event log, everyone! Further information on this event can be found here at the OOC post. You are welcome to make your own logs and posts for this event! If there are any questions, please ask them here. Thank you!

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[espritdecorpse]

[ He throws his arms wide. ]

Lan Zhan! Your esteemed housemate. He's steady, righteous, and serious! Whether the sword or guqin, he's talented, strong, and capable! Not only that, he's a beauty not seen in a century. Eyes translucent like glass, skin like white jade... tall with the elegance of a scholar and aura of an immortal!

[ He puts his hands on his hips. ]

I'm not sure he's the type to like anybody, but if you'd like I can put a good word in for you! There's no harm trying!

[witchual]

It helps that his spirited statements are lifting her up, bit by bit. Divulging dramatic details always gets her attention.

"So did you defeat the king who killed 'em with kindness, or some naughty successor of his?" This time, her smile is coy. If he's being sincere, she's hardly in a position to judge. "They do say the ones who show their opponents mercy can be the most dangerous of all. But I get the impression that you had a beautifully brutal monopoly over the battle."

[artorian]

[ That's about the most casual form of address she can expect of him, so by god she'll take it. She settles next to him, her gauntlets plinking together as she rests her hands on her lap. Since she's decidedly not acting as a king at the moment, she sits with her knees politely together rather than apart in the righteous manspread of royalty. ]

Wonderful.

[ She looks out high over the lake. It would be a nicer scene if it wasn't frozen, but alas...

Now, what should they talk about? Round Table talk is out of the question. As is Britain, the Holy Grail, singularities, or any kind of topic that could potentially lead to Tristan getting depressed again.

Which leaves............ ??? ]

I have been thinking that we could use more chickens.

[superioritis]

With a low hum, Berkut glances at the harbor. Apology accepted; not that it was necessary. He's aware that he goaded Tristan, so he sees no reason to make it bigger than it has to be.

"I would have questioned your silence if you had kept it. Is the rest of your memory intact?"

[witchual]

[ What a depressing, pithy statement. So unlike the Sierra Magilou has seen so far, and so much like Magilou herself. Something like understanding, or maybe even empathy, blooms in the empty void where Magilou's feelings are supposed to be, settling right near her mirrored impressions of how Sierra is feeling. ]

Heh. Funny, that's exactly the line I would have given you. I guess misery truly does love company.

[ Equally self-deprecating words in turn, with a hint of her ever-familiar apathy. It's more obvious when she can't muster up a cheery facade to keep her walls from crumbling, the bricks falling bit-by-bit.

She follows Sierra without much hesitation, the string slack between them as she sits on the surprisingly well-made pew. It feels a sin to say anything while sitting here, but Magilou is exactly the sort of person to break the church-sanctioned norms, so once they're seated, she clears her throat and speaks in a quiet voice. ]

I'm surprised you picked this place. You mentioned you weren't a living soul. And all the non-living souls I know are pretty big fans of eschewing regular prayer.

[witchual]

Most people seem to flinch away from the forest, but you've got no fear, huh?

[ She's completely used to fighting monsters, so she just lets him lead her there. She doesn't really have the forethought today to care if something terrible happens. ]

I haven't gone too deep in this forest before, but the worst thing anything out there can do is maim us. No biggie.

[ She shrugs, like it isn't really that big a deal. If she had her emotions, maybe she could pass it off as a joke, but it probably just falls flat instead. ]

[espritdecorpse]

Anything?

[ What a dangerous offer, he thinks to himself gleefully. He twirls a lock of red hair around his finger. ]

It's a been a while since I last tasted your lips.

[ Watching the man sputter and blush.... this will be really entertaining! ]

[shizun]

[ He wants to growl under his breath. ]

Don't have any! [ Right, at the moment, I can act however I like because that's the sort of situation that we're in right now. ] It's in my right to decline your decline, too. [ What am I? Fucking five? Calm down. ]

You need not forget these things. I will compromise and ask that you add this to it. [ Going slow and steady to help you!! But it's time to push it into turbo while I have the chance to do it! ] I am not saying I am above you in status, but merely that I am someone who will watch over you. Can you not accept that, at least?

[ He's throwing everything he can!! ]

[espritdecorpse]

Ah... haha. Of course I am, hahahaha!

[ He lets go of Shen Qingqiu, sitting back and rubbing the back of his head, whilst glancing off to one side. ]

That's not quite what I'm getting at. What I mean is, I've been wondering if these strong "bonds" that we're always being encouraged to form with one another, could it all be something like an enchantment, luring us in and making us want to stay here.

[espritdecorpse]

[ HIs eyes drift over to watch Lan Wangji as he works to pick up the rest of his papers and brushes. A thought occurs to him... ]

You have very nice hands, Lan Zhan! Such long, slender fingers! When you reach for things, it looks quite elegant!

[ ...because, shamelessly, he's bereft of a filter. ]

But right, yes. Dragons. That's what I mean, exactly. In fact, anything relating to malevolent energy, you're better off just leaving to me!

[artorian]

[ ... Saber is speechless. Truly speechless. Her soul is leaving her. Her crops are withering. The sun is drifting away from her sky and exiting the solar system. There is nothing to say, only emotion to feel.

And that emotion is incomprehension. She looks at Wuxian like he hasn't noticed that he's just taken an arrow to the head. ]

No.

[passio]

[ perfectly fine, he says, more relaxed in front of dextera than he’s ever been. it’s nice. he wishes they could continue like this—but it’s also the kind of thing he knows better than to push or try to control outside this serendipitous moment. ]

Hmm.

[ dextera considers that, and then answers berkut’s amusement with a cautious smile of his own. it’s not exactly happy. ]

That would be nice. That’s all I need.

1/4

[espritdecorpse]

[ Pressed down against the floor with Pyra above him, her hand against his chest glowing unnaturally hot, he slowly begins to realize what she's about to do. His eyes widen... ]

[espritdecorpse]

[ ...and his expression crumbles.

As he lay in his room for a week after Pyra had "died" in his heart, when all hope and color had faded out of his world, he often thought to himself exactly this: that his existence was cursed. How many people had suffered and died because of him? Arrogance, anger, or misplaced kindheartedness, it was all the same. No matter what he did or said, no matter how much he tried to protect others, he was only ever able to bring disaster and chaos.

He deserves this. Pyra almost lost her life for him. It's fitting that she kills him. His eyes lid. The light in his eyes dims... ]

[espritdecorpse]

[ ...when it occurs to him just then, that Pyra is almost certainly acting under the influence of malevolent magical energy. She's the one cursed, quite literally. The other enchantments affecting this village and its inhabitants have usually broken after a few days. If, when Pyra returns to her old self, she remembers this...

No, he can't do that to her! ]

[espritdecorpse]

[ Smiling helplessly, he lifts his free arm up, to loop around her neck in an embrace, on purpose to draw her further down, nearer to him. ]

Losing everything, and having nothing to lose, they aren't the same thing. I'd rather the former; it means I had something, once.

[ Softly: ]

My love for you, pretty sister. It isn't a mistake.

[artorian]

[ As if responding to Magilou's proximity, the toy rabbit twitches its wooden whiskers and flicks its ears. It's a mechanical toy through and through, but it begins to delicately hop toward her as if drawn. If she does nothing, it'll keep hopping until it can make its way onto her lap as if asking to be doted on.

Satisfied with the growing fire in the stove, Saber turns to watch Magilou and the rabbit from the kitchen. ]

A clever toy, is it not? It is charged with spiritual energy, so it gravitates toward anything that possesses it.

[wordsinthesoul]

Ah… I'm not so sure about that. I've found fingers incredibly important. And they certainly help you play. [will that help? He's not sure.]

[noholdsbard]

[ He shakes his head. He wants to disagree, but thinks the better of it. ]

Well then, if you insist, I would have you sit with me and help me compose another song. I have had a great deal of trouble finding the right word to rhyme with “harbor”…

[alittlespicy]

[ He doesn't know that. And he's lacking his sadness, or he would be saddened by her statement, but he's not.

On the other hand, he shakes his head. ]

Never know what future will bring. Next life, or a thousand lives later, they might do something utterly good.

Everyone can find a better path.

[noholdsbard]

“Alas, a man such as that cannot be reasoned with. He was a bit of a bully, after all.” He pouts; understatement of the year, that.

“But he was, in his own way, a good and strong knight. He fought with valor and died an honorable death.” Unfortunately, the thought of this and what came after does dampen his mood some, and his shoulders slump.

“Ah…I cannot say that many men of that age were as fortunate.”

[noholdsbard]

[ Thank you for not making him think of ye olde codpieces in these trying times. ]

Chickens?

[ You win, Saber. That does snap him out of his melancholy because…why? Did the spirit of Tamamo Cat possess her somehow? What do chickens even have to do with the Holy Grail, Britain, and all the other stuff that they usually talk about?

Cautiously, he adds: ]

Why this sudden preoccupation over livestock?

[ He recalls a time when his good friend Tonbokiri had suddenly obsessed with horses. What if she’s succumbed to the same thing?! ]

[alittlespicy]

[ WangJi's hand stops moving for a moment, and his eyes flick to Wei Ying's face, and his ears heat up but ...

So does his heart.

The tension returns, a little, at that conclusion. ]

Not everything left to you. Want to help. Might not be able to think that way always, but. [ He swallows, mouth a little dry as he remembers his words to Elder brother. ]

I would stand by your side and lend you strength. [ Quiet. Earnest. Certain. ]

[noholdsbard]

“It appears to be.” But how can he really tell, though? “It is a small comfort, but I suppose I have little choice in the matter.”

[noholdsbard]

Indeed?

[ What an odd way of putting it…but then, he’d known Wuxian to be quite the poet! And a jester, besides, so Tristan can’t help but chuckle lightly at it. ]

I do not imagine that it would be a terribly exciting experience.

[ In fact, it makes him a little sad to think about, recalling the time he had kissed Wuxian out of necessity. Even though that turned out to be all a lie… ]