Event Fourteen.

[awashmods]

Roses bloom and cease to be, But we shall the Christ-child see.

t's very, very cold. It's cold enough that you'll see your breath fog in the air before you, that goosebumps appear on your arms and legs and a chill goes up your spine. You're inside, in a huge palace with sweeping arches and rooms, but it's no real shelter from the cold -- it's just as cold inside as out. There's a throne room, a kitchen, various rooms and even a dungeon to be explored -- and outside, a frigid, frozen garden, a lake that's naturally frozen over, and miles, and miles of snow as far as the eye can see. But be careful while you explore. The snowflake soldiers are naturally dangerous, but even more dangerous than that...there's that creeping sensation of numbness going up your arm, a pang through your chest, and the slow, slow freezing from the inside out. Try not to leave any of your friends behind, okay? Even if they might look a bit too uncannily like some of the statues hanging around for decoration when they're frozen over. Welcome to Awash's fourteenth event log, everyone! Further information on this event can be found here at the OOC post. You are welcome to make your own logs for this event, but please keep in mind the lack of laptop function during this event when it comes to forum posts! If there are any questions, please ask them here. Thank you!

Comments

[pyrafect]

[ Embarrassment aside, she follows the trail of his hand up to his head and--.... oh.

She covers her mouth, but a laugh escapes her all the same. ] .....N-no, it looks like I should be the one apologizing for that.

.....I was so worried when a piece broke off, and wasn't sure where else to put it.

[pyrafect]

And it's all thanks to you.

[ She say quietly, bringing up her hands to her chest. For a moment she just stares at him, searching his face and finding comfort within it. She's already seen him cry for her before, and it's truly amazes her how much of a heart he has. He reminds her of someone, of him that had sealed her, who would also openly weep at the faintest hint of a tragedy, and she feels her chest tighten at the memory. ]

....Akira. You're making this difficult for me. [ She closes her eyes for a moment, but her smile remains. ] But in a.... good way, if that makes any sense at all.

[pyrafect]

[ There's a pause. ] .....No?

[ And then a frown.

If Pyra's heat is not effecting her, then... she wonders if there's something else to it, because Pyra had been made to feel something similar. ] Then how about this. [ She bring one of her hands away, creating a small flame in her hand. ]

[troubadamsel]

A - Baby It's Cold Outside

[If you're leaving, or just returned from exploring the outside, Maribelle can be found near the doors, arms crossed and irritable.]

There's nothing out there, I could've told you that. Stay inside, unless you want to freeze to death.

B - I Really Can't Stay

[Maribelle is without her offensive spells, so when the knights attack, she is mostly helpless...

Mostly.]

Take that, you brute!

[But apparently her healing staff can pack quite the wallop, as evidenced when she smacks one over the head with it. But after she lands the blow, she stumbles - she has a shard in her heart, and it's taking its toll on her.]

Augh... is he down...?

C - I've Got To Go Away

[Further into the week, Maribelle can be found on the throne - why not? Not like anyone else is using it. But not only is the cold warping her, but the sense of isolation and desolation all around here. She's clutching herself, murmuring something over and over again.]

They didn't bring us here to die... They didn't bring us here to die...

D - This Evening Has Been...?

[And finally... she's frozen. She can be found on the floor, laying like a pile of dirty laundry - you might even trip over her. She'd normally never be caught looking so inelegant! Something must be wrong!

Feel free to kiss/cry/etc, whatever you think will help.]

[bisection]

[ Sinistra doesn't budge. Doesn't flinch. Doesn't even look their way. If he's still breathing at all its very shallow, barely enough to move his chest.

He's almost indistinguishable from the ice statues around the castle, but he's not fully frozen yet. Still, his skin and hair are painfully cold to the touch. ]

[espritdecorpse]

[ He folds his arms and tosses his hair in a gesture of mock annoyance. The little ahoge goes boing! ]

You almost melted me!

[ On some level, he knows they have to talk about what happened. Better to do it when she's laughing. And then—something catches his eye. The crystal at her throat is glowing brilliantly, reflected in the crystalline walls of the palace. Actually, many parts of her are glowing, now that he notices. ]

Say... is that why you're so hot?

[pyrafect]

--Ah. [ She blinks at him, and a hand quickly goes to cover the crystal upon her chest as if she could hide its glow. It is indeed the same one he must have seen in her mirror. ]

In a... sense.

[ She's quickly trying to turn the conversation away from it. She's such a hypocrite; crying of him and wanting to know more of him, all the while trying to shy away from revealing anything about herself. It's unfair to him, especially after this. ] I'm... sure you've noticed by now that I give off energy. [ But she will not say that she is not human. ] I--... tried to turn the output down, so as to not melt you.

[neronian]

[ Nero's own hand is thankfully warm, from the heat emanating from her sword or the physical activity of wielding it or both, and she takes Kisa's cold hand in her left. Her blade is pretty much as big as either of them, but she carries it along effortlessly.

She gasps quietly. ]

Your fingers are like ice. This will not do!

[ Not at all. Without asking for her permission or anything, she sets off down the hall, keeping an eye out for the nearest open bedroom they can barge into. ]

Have you claimed a bedroom? [ Pause. Screw it. ] Even if you haven't, it does not matter. If they have any objections to our momentary intrusion, they can direct them to me!

[organfarm]

Aaah, see, I thought of that. For once. [ After the hard work of building this trench, he’s too sleepy to be humble just yet, and Jion gives a somewhat smug (if drowsy) grin, waggling a finger. ] Those knights all have swords, right? But there’s no room in here to swing a weapon, so they’d have to stab. And they can’t kill me with just a stab, they’d have to decapitate me, and there’s no way there’s room for that. So even if one crawls in here for a fight, it’s just a matter of waiting for the stab, not letting it pull back the weapon, and using the chance to, like, bash it in the head or something.

[ He’s rambling, his tongue looser in his drowsiness, and there’s a pause before he seems to realize what Shiho said. The survival blanket crinkles loudly as he sits up a little bit. ]

Wait, you said you’re still human? So you’re, like, not totally just a regular average human?

[organfarm]

[ There’s only the briefest pause before Jion gives her a reassuring grin, puffing out his chest a bit. ]

I’ll be okay for now! I’m pretty used to cold weather, and I’m dressed pretty warmly, so!

[ He’s already fastened up the collar of his jacket and fluffed up the high neck of his sweater. And besides, she looks like she’s really not having a great time in the cold. Are her clothes that flimsy? ]

[neronian]

[ Yes, yes, praise her artistic genius!! The lion-wrestling one was originally planned to be naked before she decided to sculpt some cloth on it...a terrible loss for Akira. She nods, both in approval, basking in his praise, and in affirmation. Umu! ]

Yes! That one is based on the legend of my public strangling of a lion while nude. I would regret it deeply if I didn't take the opportunity to showcase such a glorious moment.

[lacrimose]

[Akira wipes his eyes again with the back of his sleeve, and smiles a little.]

I'm not sure I get it. But if I'm helping you, then I'm happy.

[How could he make things difficult by saving her? Didn't she want to be saved? The expression on her face said that she absolutely did, as did the relief and happiness he's seen just now. Feelings are, after all, the best things he has to go off of.]

[pyrafect]

[ She only laughs in response, wishing the melancholy would leave her with the breath. Or-- no. Not melancholy, but nostalgia, the warmth at being reminded of something she cares about. ]

I get the feeling that you're going to help a lot of people with those tears of yours.

[espritdecorpse]

[ He frowns, a little confused by all this. He'd have expected her to say, "this crystal gives off energy," but instead she said "I." Her mirror had shown that crystal only. He'd been puzzled by it at the time, but now... he's even more puzzled.

In any case, the mystery of why she was weeping over him makes a little more sense. This heat-emitting crystal is clearly important to her, and so if it was making it difficult for her to do something, or even hurting another person, of course she'd get frustrated. These were tears of frustration. This is the obvious explanation. ]

Don't worry about it!

[ His eyes light up. He's fascinated now, leaning closer to her and peering at her chest. The crystal on her chest. ]

That's really useful! What kind of energy is it?

[ He's aware of the energy as heat, but can't identify it as celestial or demonic qi. ]

[neronian]

[ That's her! She nods enthusiastically, hair curl bouncing with the movement, and she motions for him to come closer. The surrounding floor has been somewhat melted thanks to the fire, but it's not her palace, and it's persistent in its reforming, so she doesn't care. ]

Yes, it is I! Who might you be? One that I have yet to meet in the flesh, I presume.

[ She's met a few people only over the network, so far, and it's not as if she can tell one's hex color in person unless they're as...obvious as Nero herself is. ]

[trepidate]

[ If the clicks of their heels against the frozen floors didn't already alert Lupin to their presence, the clinking of their metal arms drawn tight across their chest as they shiver definitely will.

Cold, like heat, isn't a feeling Phos is familiar with, and they're largely trying to ignore it despite how overwhelmingly terrible it is by focusing on literally anything else. Right now, that means squinting at the map from just a ways behind Lupin himself. ]

How do you put up with this every season—? The weather I mean, not the scribbles.

[lacrimose]

I'll try. Do you think other people turned to ice, too?

[Now he looks worried again. He hadn't smashed his own mirror, and it hadn't occurred to him that what happened to Pyra might happen to others.]

[neronian]

[ Despite Shiho's attempts, Nero takes her snark in stride, or perhaps her snark has completely flown over her head. (It's both.) ]

I have no qualms about suffering for my art! An artist pursues beauty, and if my own form is beauty incarnate, who am I to refuse the call?

[ So...yeah. Pretty self-centered. Still, despite her protest of suffering for her art, she breathes some hot air onto her hands. ]

[troubadamsel]

Good. We don't need anyone else getting injured.

[But she offers her hand, even as Kisa stands, in case she wants balance.]

[lacrimose]

[Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, because now he frowns.]

You strangled it? Why?

[Wrestling he can get behind, he loves fighting as much as the next devil, but now he just kind of feels bad for the lion.]

ii.

[apocalypticist]

[ Ryo dutifully takes the jacket and the shirt, rolling both into tight balls before sliding them into one of the pockets on the inside of his fur coat. He's glad Akira has the foresight to remove them since he no longer has access to all the replacement shirts Ryo bought. ]

I'm coming with you, Akira. [ It's said in a firm tone that suggests he won't accept just staying there. ]

[troubadamsel]

... Ah. Impressive.

[Her tone sounds a little flat, especially compared to how they first met.]

[neronian]

[ The sudden shoulder wrap startles her, just a tad, because it reminds her of someone, but as soon as Kaoru speaks up, she relaxes. Oh, it's that adorable girl from before...how wonderful. And the praise she showers is, of course, welcome. ]

Then I must be up to 130% cuter right now!

[ She puffs her chest out. ]

Ah, but I am not merely playing in the snow. The fires in the castle are currently well-tended, I believe, so I am taking to my canvas once more!

[ Snow sculptures!! ]

[troubadamsel]

... Very well. You have my thanks.

[But her voice is listless as she says this, slowly taking the blanket to wrap it around her.]

[pyrafect]

[ Steady breaths, Pyra. It's okay, she tells herself. She doesn't have to hide.... everything from him. She trusts him that much. So slowly she lets her fingers drop from her chest, allowing him to behold the glowing crystal once more. It's steady in its luminescence, but for all of its brightness, it is quiet. The more he stares at it, the more the world may seem to be but a backdrop to its presence.

Regardless she lets him stare, for better or for worse, as she explains a bit more about it. Energy she can tell him about. The crystal itself? She definitely will be more guarded. ] It's energy. Energy in its purest state.

[ But seeing as he might not understand since she suspects he is not from any more modern time-- ] Heat, light, matter, even radiation... those are probably the ways in which you experience energy, whether it's potential or kinetic. [ She goes on to explain, keeping it simple. ] You can see the light, know heat, feel matter, experience the illness of radioactivity...

But there is more on the physical spectrum that humans cannot detect, at least not by natural means. That is what my world refers to as ether.