awashlogs | Event Seventeen.

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Event Seventeen.

I went to the wood and got it;
I sat me down to look for it
And brought it home because I couldn’t find it.

he magical vines creep ever onward, slowly infringing upon the Town. No matter how many are chopped down, no matter how many are set on fire, they keep coming even so.

And slowly, one by one, the people in the Town start to fall to the curse that they bring along with them.

Stay and tend to the cursed? Venture out into the woods to find the castle at the source of these vines?

Whatever you choose to do, you'd better decide quickly; the curse only seems to get worse and worse the longer everyone is afflicted.

Welcome to Awash's seventeenth 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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[She was exploring when she pushed open a door and found someone she recognized. She floated over, peering over his shoulder, but shooting more than one worried look at him. What makes her reach out to touch him on the shoulder, though was all the way she kept seeing things moving from the corner of her eyes.]

Hey.

[ The mirror keeps looping through that scene: a man lifting a woman in white up to sit on the donkey... and then the man lifting the little child to sit on his shoulders. The child cries out happily, kicking his legs and pulling on the man's hair and rubbing his cheeks. Together, they all walk down the narrow mountain path, the woman in white watching the two, father and son, and smiling softly. After a while, the child falls asleep, and the father places him in his mother's arms, astride the donkey...

...over and over...

...he can't stop watching...

...and the shadows begin to reach out, lengthening towards — ]

Hm?

[ He turns, startling. ]

Maiden Kaoru! I didn't see you there!

[She could see the shadows and while she keeps a hand on him she's definitely turning a little to...well, she hasn't decided but she'll think of something!

Thankfully she doesn't have to when he notices her.]

Rude. How can you not notice when a pretty girl walks into the room?

[Also she's just unceremoniously picking them both of the ground. It's not much of a defense but it makes her feel better.]

[ He doesn't answer her, his gaze having been dragged back to the mirror. A long shadow swipes at the end of his red hair ribbon and it loses color for an instant; he doesn't notice this either. And then... ]

Ack!

[ ...and then she's grabbed him, somehow, with unseen hands. He's floating in the air. It's a strange feeling, as if he's constantly about to fall. He windmills his hands and flails his legs. ]

W-what are you doing?

[He may not have noticed but she does.]

Getting out of here!

[She's going to reach for his hand. She can explain after, right? Also she's going to pick up a chair and chuck it at another long shadow reaching for them. She's not sure it works but it's worth a try anyway.]

[ The shadow phases right through the chair and keeps reaching for them—until Kaoru takes hold of Wei Wuxian's hand, and then the shadow stops and hangs back. The other shadows continue to ripple, but don't approach, as if they're waiting for something.

A second later, they all flow towards the one door to the room, and mass there. The door itself seems to disappear. ]

Ah. That's not good.

[ There are a number of windows, however, on the opposite wall, but they're all too small for a person to be able to get through. ]

[Shit shit shit shit!!!!

If a chair didn't work neither would something bigger. Can she even touch them? She threw out a hand to throw up a barrier anyway when the shadow just...stopped? She'c clutching his hand tightly. Less out of fear and more out of a determination to protect him.]

Those things were trying to steal your [Their?] colour. We can't let them touch us.

[She does see those windows...she wonders if she can make a bigger hole in the wall on that side.]

Stealing color...!

[ He holds his hand out (the one Kaoru isn't holding) and glances at it. He can't see that he's "lost color," but he'll take her word for it. He's about to comment further when she throws up her shield.

He stares for a moment....then begins to chuckle. ]

Your powers never cease to amaze.

[ And then he finds his gaze drawn back to the mirror. Now he can see a sweet-faced woman in a red dress, handing soup to a tall, gray-faced man.

...he can't look away. His grip on Kaoru's hand slackens. ]

You flatterer. I bet you say that to all the cute girls with superpowers.

[She was watching the wall of windows, considering if she should just rip it apart when she feels the grip on her hand loosens. She immediately grabbed him more tightly in response and looked over.

That damn mirror again.]

Hey! [Please don't mind her she's going to reach out to slap him with her free hand.]

[ The gray-faced man seems unsure of what to do with the bowl. Wei Wuxian can't help chuckling. ]

The dead can't eat soup, you silly—

[ Slapped! ]

Gah! What was thaaaaaat for?

[ He knows what it was for. He even pulls a talisman from his sleeve, as he protests. But he's still got to complain about it. ]

[Complaining is fine. Since he's pulling out a talisman she clearly doesn't need to explain properly so she'll whine right back at him.]

Because of your wandering eyes! Even though you already have a cute girl holding your hand! Don't look away again!

[She means it though. Don't look at the mirror again! Then she presses closer.]

Hey, should we break through the door or destroy the windows?

You'd hit a man for being a man? We can't help looking!

[ He lets go of his talisman. It attaches itself to the mirror, completely crazing the surface so it's opaque. He doesn't trust himself not to look, so he'll make it impossible. Not only that, but he's had enough of things in the forest stealing the faces of the people he loved. First demons, now this. ]

Well, there are thorned vines covering the outer walls, and the door is wreathed in shadow, so I say—neither. Let's blow up a wall.

[ He has another talisman ready. ]

Stop saying things that make you sound like a serial adulterer! Think of the children!

[WHAT CHILDREN?

She nods though.]

I like the way you think. If you take care of the wall, I can take care of the escape.

[It's weird, having to talk about it. She's so used to working with Shiho and Aoi who understand what she's thinking with just a look.]

[ Three talismans fly from his hand, attaching themselves to the wall and spinning around. The bricks between them crumble, opening up a hole just big enough for two people to fit through. ]

It's only adultery if we're married—heeeeey, are you asking me? Is that why you're talking about children? Is this a confession? Haha! I accept!

[ As he chatters, the shadows begin to pull away from the door, heading right for the hole. Better move fast, Kaoru! ]

[The moment the brick crumbles, Kaoru flies them through. They're going fast enough that their hair is whipping behind them but she keeps the wind away from them. She's looking ahead at where they're going (though she's sure she can keep them safe even if they run into anything.

They end up in a hallway, so it'd be easy to keep running even if the shadows chase them.

The situation is still dire but even though she has to watch where they're going she still finds the time to shoot back:] Didn't I already tell you I'm underage? And don't think I'll just marry some guy with wandering eyes!

It's fine, I'll wait for you!

[ He glances back. He'd hoped the shadows would stay to guard the mirror, but they pour out of the hole, stretching long arms towards them.

Even worse, he fancies he can see something moving in all the shadows of the hallway around them, where the ceiling meets the wall, for instance. Which means that anywhere there's a natural shadow, these things could jump out at them. ]

Light, more light. We need to go somewhere brighter.

[ At the end of the hall is a winding staircase, leading up to a many-windowed turret and down...... who knows where? ]

Are you just ignoring the part where I said I won't marry a guy with wandering eyes?

[She sees the shadows move and...oh my god.

Suddenly, it clicked. WERE THESE LIKE THE SHADOWS THAT TRIED TO KILL THEM BEFORE?!]

Damn it...have some originality! [Come up with something different, won't you!

Obviously, she's not going to choose to go down where it's probably darker! So up they go!]

Can you use anything light based?

That's the same as saying you won't marry a guy! If we have eyes, we're going to use them. Speaking of which, shut your eyes for a second.

[ He releases a talisman, which explodes below them in a fiery burst of bright corkscrew sparks. It's a left-over firework from the drunken party he'd had a few weeks ago. ]

Use them for something else! And I know plenty of guys who wouldn't do that!

[But she shuts her eyes when he tells her to. Holding her hands out in the hopes that she can protect them if they happen to run into anything.

Hopefully they'll just go right through whatever it is in the case that something like that happens.]

You know plenty of guys? Good heavens! And here you are accusing me of having wandering eyes! Ah, that’s the ceiling, by the way.

[ He tugs on her arm to get her to stop, as if he were pulling the reins on a horse. They’re at the very top of the castle turret, with a ring of windows all around. They’re above the canopy of the forest and the sun is shining, so everything is brightly lit. ]

They're co-workers and friends!

[She's only ever lived with one of them, okay!? And lived as neighbours with a connecting door to two of them but like...still. Friends and coworkers!

She stops when he tugs on her arm. She may not be able to stop as easily as Aoi but she manages to stop before they hit the ceiling. Then she opens her eyes and looks back at him, putting her free hand on her waist.]

And I'll have you know, I'm not popular with guys at all so it's definitely not like that!

[So there!]

[........wait. She's not actually happy about that at all why would she bring that up to win an argument!?]

...can you forget that last part?

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