awashlogs | Event Seventeen.

Entry tags:

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

[The scritches cause Xie Lian to wiggle farther down into Wuxian's shirt--not as much as he might have if he weren't magically tired, but still! He's ticklish! And yet the explosion barely gets a flinch, though it did actually hurt his ears now that he's got advanced rabbit hearing.

What's with that tone of voice though? Staring up at him with big cute eyes...he bites the man's shirt again, in lieu of biting skin. Did Ruo Ye wrap itself around both his ears in that explosion? It did. They're flat against his back now.]

[ Those eyes really are big and cute— ]

Hey hey hey hey, don't bite! I'll get you some nice carrots later!

[ Alas, he can't scratch behind those nice soft ears because of Ryo Ye...

Meanwhile he gets up and carefully goes back the bramble patch, to survey the damage. A good chunk of the brambles have been blasted away, enough to see the castle rising beyond. ]

Now that's more like it! Good scouting, little bunny!

[ He whistles for his headless puppet to start pulling what's left of the vines out of the way. ]

[Wow don't just offer him carrots, he's a human! A human!! He'll take them though.

Xie Lian spares a glance towards the castle when he hears that praise, Ruo Ye having unwrapped his ears now that both the explosion and scritches are no longer a thing; but fatigue and a strangely unshakeable irritation at being treated like the rabbit he currently is make sure it's nothing more than that--a single glance. Is this bunny pouting?

Hopefully he doesn't chew a hole through the fabric.....]

[ The puppet makes pretty good headway, except that at some point it has to switch its head to the opposite arm, as its hand gets shredded. He's content to sit and watch, until....

AWOOOOOOO!

It's off in the distance, but that doesn't stop his blood from curdling. ]

Hurry! Hurry up!

[ The puppet tries to go faster, but that just makes it lose its head. It topples over. ]

Gah! Got to do everything myself. Fine. Fine!

[ He hurls a fistful of talismans at the vine. Probably he should be more careful with them, as paper isn't inexhaustible in Chroma, but he's beside himself with terror. ]

[Stuck as close to Wuxian's body as he is, it's easy to tell how agitated he gets at the sound of wolves: the anxious voice, the tensed muscles...maybe he had a bad run-in with them before? Or maybe it's because he's unarmed? Regardless, Xie Lian stops his irritated nibbling, making a conscious attempt to keep an eye out for enemies instead--though it's hard to get a good look around when you're tiny and stuffed in somebody's shirt, and the explosions from those talismans are making his ears ring.

...He flicks his bandaged ear, and Ruo Ye flies out to circle around the two of them, like a magical flying protection circle. Even if he's a useless pile of fluff, at least he's still got Ruo Ye.]

[ He was too busy cowering when Ruo Ye was strangling wolves, and so he doesn't see the flying bandage as anything that's capable of protection. Fortunately, his talismans have finally opened a hole that's juuuuust wide enough for a person....

Which is a very good thing indeed, as just then the barking and growling gets nearer. ]

No! Save me!!

[ There's no one to save him. He's got a sick rabbit in his lapels and his puppet is shredded. He's going to be eaten alive! He can't even climb a tree, they're all covered in thorny vines. The only thing he can do is race through the hole and hope he doesn't get scratched..... ]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

[ ...while screaming. ]

[Whether he gets scratched or not, at least his rabbit's safe--no the rabbit couldn't care less if he got injured or not. He's already scratched anyway, getting jostled around as his ride goes barreling through the thorns, and kind of flailing a bit with the worry he might get jostled right out onto the ground. Ruo Ye seems to have been thrown off too, freezing mid-air for a short moment before rushing to chase after the guy making off with its master.

If no wolves are actually coming then it's probably gonna try to tie him down or something, but for now! Running!!]

[ He runs and runs and runs— ]

Aaaah!

[ Until he runs into a brick wall. Well, almost. He stops just before he slams into it. And he's so beside himself, he reaches in his sleeve for a talisman to blow through the wall.

...there's a castle gate right next to the wall. The door has rotten through, so it's open. Someone please point that out to him. Ruo Ye? Bunny? Anyone? ]

[Ruo Ye does in fact choose this moment to wrap itself around Wuxian, pinning his arms to his body, and bodily drag him away from that wall. There's a perfectly good gate here! This cloth doesn't even have eyes, and it noticed that!

It's probably got some sort of magical vision senses, honestly.

...Once they're in it's also gonna use Wuxian's body to push the gate closed, and then attempt to confiscate the rabbit. Did he lose his rabbit privileges? Is that what it's saying here?]

[ He struggles against the silk ribbon, wailing desperately. ]

It’s g-g-g-g-g-going to eat me! Aaaaa! Help! H-help... help........

[ Presently however, his protestations stop and his breathing begins to calm down, as it’s clear he’s inside the gate and relatively safe. It was bad enough that he’d had to try to protect himself from the wolf, but also to be responsible for someone else.... he’d been beyond frightened for Xie Lian’s sake. Wouldn’t a wolf love to eat a little rabbit?

And then Ruo Ye goes fishing in his lapels— ]

Gah! Hahaha!

[ It feels weird, okay? And then it grabs the bunny, and although he well knows that the ribbon is Xie Lian’s magical tool, he still has enough panic in his heart that he cries: ]

Careful! Don’t drop him! Gently!

[Is it possible for a piece of cloth to look offended? Because somehow it does! as it lifts the sick and tired bunny up into the air, wrapping him gently in folds of silk, and starts floating up to where they'll be just out of Wei Wuxian's reach.

Xie Lian sneezes again, though, causing the whole cloth to freeze up for a second. If you wanna catch them, now's your chance!]

[ That sneeze. He's ill, he probably can't control his magical tool very well. He might get dropped! ]

I've got you!

[ He rushes forwards, to try to catch the (cute) little bundle. ]

[The bunny does in fact get dropped!

Though it's more of a reluctant, aimed drop than an accident. Just for appearances' sake, though, Ruo Ye drops along with him, limp as a dishrag but also conveniently falling in such a way that Xie Lian lands perfectly in Wuxian's arms. Wow! Amazing! Totally different from his usual bad luck!]

[ He catches the little bunny in his hands and cradles it for a moment, even pressing it to his heart. Fear had been thrumming through his veins, but now that he's got this soft little creature pressed against him, everything feels like it might be okay.... in a minute.

Give him another minute.

Finally, carefully, he sets the rabbit on the ground. Xie Lian is easier to carry that way, but far more vulnerable as a rabbit. Now that they're at the castle, hopefully a solution to the curse will be close at hand. ]

Would you like me to change you back?

[Xie Lian doesn't protest the hug; he can feel the man's heartbeat, still faster than it should be, though it's calming down.

Once he's on the ground though, weak as he is...he sits up at the question, waggling his front paws a bit. Change him back! He wants to be bipedal again! Even if getting carried around was kind of nice, outside of the screaming...]

[ He nods, reaching for the ring on his finger. Once more the two of them are enclosed in a flash of brilliant light. When it fades, he reaches for Xie Lian. Suppressing the urge to stroke his hair ~~and scratch behind his ears~~, he instead pats the man's shoulder, asking: ]

How are you feeling?

[There's a slight stumble when he turns back, unused to the sudden shift in size and shape. Xie Lian looks rather more noticeably worse for wear now that he's back in his human body--as usual though, he simply rights himself and tries his best to look better-off than he actually is.]

I'm...fine, for now. I can last until we find that cure, at least.....so there's no need to worry about me.

[ “There’s no need to worry about me” sounds highly suspect, and he can’t help narrowing his eyes a bit at that, particularly in light of that stumble. But the expression doesn’t last, and an instant later he’s all smiles. ]

I’ll find it, never fear. What kind of husband would I be, if I couldn’t do that much?

[ With that, he offers his arm, heading into the castle. It takes a moment for his eyes to adjust to the gloom. But after a long entranceway, everything opens up into a vast hall, encircled in multiple galleries. Staircases built as if at random rise in multiple directions, some even seeming to end in a platform opening up to — nothing. ]

This is ... hm.

Haha, well, you've definitely proven reliable so far!

[He wouldn't normally take that arm, strong as he tries to be...but he's undeniably tired, and after getting carried and kissed and patted what harm is there in leaning on Wuxian for a bit? Just a bit. A few minutes at most.

This castle looks pretty weird though, once they're actually inside....]

....I suppose we could start by finding a viable staircase?

[ He looks... and looks again at being called "reliable." It's not a word he associates with himself. ]

That's right, that's me. "Reliable." Haha!

[ He doesn't mind being leaned on. If nothing else, it's warm, here in the dead of winter in this old, drafty castle. He pats Xie Lian's hand. ]

Yes, I was thinking in terms of a records room or library. Something that might give us more information as to the nature of this place. Over there?

[ He nods towards a sturdy-looking staircase, leading up to the second floor. ]

[What's with those looks...sure, his antics are a little over-the-top, and there was that thing with the wolves, but. Aside from that! Reliable!]

That's a good idea--considering the size of this place, a records room of some sort shouldn't be out of the question.

[Xie Lian reciprocates that nod with one of his own. To the staircase! Hopefully the stairs won't break when they're halfway up or something.]

[ He heads up the stairs initially side-by-side with Xie Lian. ]

It seems all right. Just a little—

[ Just then, with a horrible groaning noise, shedding stones everywhere, the staircase jerks, twists, and splits down the middle, separating this happy couple. Wei Wuxian's immediate thought is to jump over to Xie Lian's side, but his own hemi-staircase is bucking so wildly, it's all he can do to keep from being flung off, into the air. He has no choice but to drop to his knees and hang on for dear life. ]

Wife! Hold on! I'll be right there!

[ Part of him does notice that this happened right after Xie Lian called him "reliable," but that.... has to be a coincidence. ]

[It's almost as if the castle heard them, huh? Normally Xie Lian would have tried to jump across himself, but cursed as he currently is, all he can manage to do is hold onto the railing and watch as his own side of the stairs starts acting like an escalator, pulling him farther away from the other man.

Wuxian's side sure looks lively...he cups a hand around his mouth to yell.]

Don't worry about me! Be careful not to fall off! I'll-- [he has no idea where these split staircases are leading to but] I'll find a way to get to you!

[With that he'll start climbing up on his own, hoping to maybe find the opening to the other staircase up there.]

[ On "be careful not to fall off," his staircase starts whipping back and forth. Seriously??? Fortunately, during one of its wild gyrations, it comes close to a gallery and he hops off, just barely managing to grab hold of a railing. It's old and it starts to crumble... ]

Aaah!

[ ...but with a final effort, he manages to vault himself up and over, before it gives way completely. As soon as he's off of it, his staircase stops moving, having fashioned itself into a spiral. ]

R-right.

[ He stands, straightens his robes, and grins, as if he'd meant to do that. ]

Might be safer to climb down.... I'll see you later, okay!

[ He waves, cheerfully. He'll come to get you, wife, never fear! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Event Seventeen.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject