sticksandbones | [OPEN] 🔪🐀

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[OPEN] 🔪🐀

Who: ~~kniferat~~ Nai & you! Probably!
What: Unfortunately, he's here
When: The worst possible time (Dec 27th)
Where: Outside in the coldest snowbank I can possibly FIND
Warnings: millions knives trigun

I. some of u act like murder is such a big deal

[Are you ever just doing cryptid shit for like a century, and then one day you close your eyes and when you open them, the fucking sand is WHITE and COLD and there are TREES? Who fucking authorized this. Where the fuck is this.

For all that Nai wonders what's going on, as you do when dropped in an unfamiliar location where the temperature has gone from "scorching hot" to "Antarctica before Earth fucking died"... he sure isn't showing that on his face. Actually, it might be hard to see his face considering his hood is up and he's sort of just. Standing there. Staring up at the inn, ominously locking eyes with a creature on the roof. Some kind of monster in the middle of nowhere, no doubt, but what.

Idle observations are going to lead him to standing here with his grippers out for FREE for quite a while, in some attempt to take stock of the situation. Human civilization (gross), creature on the roof (glowing), flora abound, what looks like a? moose? animal?, a dog, it's cold... not a human in sight yet, though. Is the place abandoned?

(No, no it's not, you have two minutes of wandering/standing/scientific observation left to do before someone comes to try to put shoes on you, buddy. And like an actual coat that isn't made of knives.)]

II. due to personal reasons i will be named an enemy of the state

[Super cool and fun facts: Apparently, whatever this place is dampens abilities. Like, severely dampens them. Suppresses them, even! Almost completely! Guess How He Found Out. Take a Wild Guess.

(The answer is that he attempted, in no uncertain terms, to cut the inn into molecules and realised he could only really wield maybe a fifth of his power, if that, and he might have also Wolverined the inn wall in frustration.)

(Sorry not sorry if you see him Wolverine-ing the wall. Nai is being 100% normal about this and it's You who is wrong.)

Fine. If he can't obliterate this place, whatever, he's going into the woods and he's going to do what everyone else has attempted this month and Try To Leave. This can only go so well for him, he's inevitably going to wake up something in the woods, but he'll be fine. He's ~~Millions~~ Fifties Knives, he's got this. (Please stop him.)]

III. card(wild)

[hi i'm so sorry for this please slap me wherever thanks]

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[You know those moments when someone goes "I have a twin" and you go "whaaaaat you have a twin omg that's so cool", the reaction here should actually be "I have an evil clone" "whaaaat you have an evil clone omg", by the way I typoed that as "evil clown" which also is accurate.

Anyway.

Nai is literally .01 seconds from cutting Mizuki's entire hand off wholesale before he has that lightbulb in his head that's like, wait, humans are useful for information and manipulating too! Maybe this guy who's glowing and has leaves in his hair is useful!

Maybe it's the fact that Mizuki is distinctly nonhuman looking that gives Nai pause. Or maybe Mizuki's just lucky he's in the "needs more info" stage. Either way, he is (quite rudely) ripping his hand away from Mizuki's. Don't touch him.]

Where is "here"?

[So, yes, he just got here. He's not answering the question as to if he's cold, you know, in his no clothing and knife snuggie. Do not perceive him.]

[ No, that's fair. He just figured, you know, brothers and all… maybe… handholding was okay…!!! But if it's not, he's going to put his hands on his umbrella instead, twisting it around idly. ]

Planet-wise? I'm not sure. [ If someone else asked, Mizuki hadn't heard it. Not that it really mattered to him regardless. It's "not Terra" and therefore literally any name under the sun doesn't mean anything to him. ] But this place specifically is Aldric's Grove. There's um… actually a lot to go over? I don't wanna overwhelm you or nothin', especially not out in the snow like this.

[This is why Nai is the Evil Twin. No handholding. Ever. At all.

"Aldric's Grove". Unknown planet. Snow. It's easy enough to intuit that he's wound up elsewhere. The how is the question worming at the back of his skull.]

You won't overwhelm me, [he says, calmly, because Tell Him Things Now,] so tell me.

[That last bit is a little more aggressive. The deep lore, please, he's waiting (drag him inside first thanks).]

[ We’ll see how long that lasts. Good luck, Nai.

The going inside thing was nonnegotiable at this point. Especially because he sees your lack of shoes, Nai!!! People pay good money to see those.

He gestures for Nai to follow him to the General Store, figuring that’s the best place to start if Nai wants, you know, clothes. If he follows, Mizuki will begin by prattling off about how there’s a good handful of people here from different worlds. Then he goes on to explain that, though he still isn’t sure how, this was due to something evil in the forest that’s possessing it. The fun, basic lore stuff. He’ll get into the more sit down worthy stuff when they’re inside.

And if he doesn’t follow, Mizuki is simply going to stare at Nai expectantly after taking a few steps. ]

[IT WILL LAST FOREVER HE'S NOT GONNA HOLD UR HAND MIZUKI—

We're gonna have to go into "he doesn't move until Mizuki stops to look at him" territory, but he'll trail along after that in that sort of huffy "fine whatever" way, although his face remains completely impassive. Then Mizuki can explain, and Nai will simply shove it all into his memory silently. "The forest is possessed" is such a human tale to tell. Rem used to tell them ghost stories all the time.

...

So anyway. Into the store they go, and Nai thinks to himself that this is an ostensibly normal-looking store up until he sees the shadow man at the counter.

Okay. Sure. Fine. At least it's a touch warmer in here.]

Have you seen this "evil thing in the forest"?

[That's an easy enough question, right? Because either Mizuki says "yep I saw it it's over here" and then he kills it and leaves goodbye, or he says "nope" and Nai gets to have a moment like "haha you fool, you fell for the Human Lies" because he will take any opportunity, apparently.]

Edited (MY EYCH TEE EM EL) 2023-12-27 18:35 (UTC)

[ Mizuki gives a happy wave to Heimr and looks over at Nai again before attempting to guide him up to the counter. If he doesn’t this time, it’s fine, honestly. Mizuki can just talk to him from a distance. ]

Seen? No. But it’s sort of… all of the forest? I don’t know if it has a physical form anymore…? And we hear it sometimes, too. We don’t know what it is, or ultimately what its end goals are, but… it’s likely it doesn’t have any?

[ He pats the counter excitedly. ]

I found this guy outside! He doesn’t have shoes, do you have spares?? He um…

Oh— right. I should have asked before. You wouldn’t happen to be “Nai”, would you?

( heimr is playing on his tamagotchi when they come in, a pleasant smell of oranges, apples, cinnamon and rosemary wafting through the store. he glances up and startles, because holy shit when did nai get so big- and then startles again because what in the realms is he wearing. tamagotchi goes into his pocket for now. )

I have more than that- you can bring me the tokens for it later. Do either of you need anything warm to drink?

( like he isn't already gathering a bunch of things for nai.

... does mizuki have a coat. he doesn't care if you're a jellyfish now its fucking freezing. )

["Hear it sometimes", he says. Nai thinks to ask what that could possibly mean, is it telepathic, is it just that sometimes a stick taps someone's bedroom window and they collectively go "gasp!! the monster!!", is it talking or is it simply white noise? He doesn't get a chance to ask this, because Mizuki's question blindsides him, and then the mysterious shadow man also has a question that is of significantly lower priority.

He affords a raised brow.]

I am. [And that means Vash is here — no one else is going to be calling him "Nai". Where is his wayward brother now? (He will be tackling your ass into the snow soon, buddy boy.)] And no, I don't need any food or drink. I'm nothing like Vash.

[He will subsist entirely on ~~being a weird alien~~ spite, thanks. Back to Mizuki now:]

Where is he? [Vash, he means, if that somehow was not obvious.]

[ MIZUKI DOES HAVE A COAT!!! Mom gave it to him, he's been wearing it because he loves mom- ]

I wouldn't mind a drink, thank you! I'll be sure to bring you some tokens later. I think I have some spares in my room??? [ "Shouldn't Nai be the one paying?" No. Of course not. He just got here! Mizuki doesn't want him to feel like he's already got stuff to do. Everything has to be so disorienting for him. Not everyone is as "go with the flow" as he is.

And to Nai: ] The… forest entity? I don't think it's got a "location" exactly…? [ Processing… ] Oh! Unless you mean Mister Vash? Dunno exactly, but around the Grove, for sure! I'm sure if you hang out around the inn or the store, you'll bump into him.

Miss Ydalir also has notebooks that work a bit like communication devices or everyone, if you wanted to get one of those! Mister Vash would see that, too. It's also got [ Mizuki pulls out his own notebook from his bag, flipping open to Irene's notes from the last meeting, turning it around to show Nai. ] a lot of information on the situation here, if you'd like to have a read? [ You know, while they're waiting for Heimr to get Nai some clothes, maybe?? ]

( the boys talk, and heimr shuffles in the back for a few extra things before he returns quietly, passing a mug of tea to mizuki before he looks nai over. ... ah, so that's the right size. one moment. he resumes shuffling about slowly, before he holds out a bundle with warm outfit for the weather packed inside. )

Put this on before y'head out. This cold ain't natural, so it wouldn't do to get sick just because you think yer immunse to it.

[The forest entity doesn't have a location, aha, you fool! You've been bamboozled! Tricked by human folklore! Nai is 100% correct 100% of the time in this essay he wi—

Oh, he's being handed things. Well, it isn't like him to pass up free information about the circumstances... knowledge of the general environment and the happenings here will be useful in establishing himself. This notebook contains a veritable novel of information, so he'll be occupied for a while with this.

Then Heimr hands him clothes and Nai makes this knowing, brow-raised expression that's somewhere between "why though I don't need this" and "you're not going to let me leave without putting this on, are you". He's not grateful when he's forced to take the clothing, but rather he is Quietly, Stubbornly Acknowledging the fact that it Might be cold out there and maybe a knife snuggie is not the most weather-appropriate attire.

The knife snuggie goes bye-bye and Nai starts shrugging on clothing for the first time in... fuck. A century? Enjoy Plant body everyone he has no reason to be shy about this.]

What do I call you? [Both of you, actually. Important to learn the names of the people you will probably one day attempt to emotionally manipulate!]

[ You know, Mizuki was just about to point out how simultaneously gelatinous and pointy his coat was! It being knives is…??? Cool, but also, why so Jell-O-y, sir???

Also, please put on the shoes— ] I'm Mizuki! If you ever have any questions or need help with anything, you can always reach out to me~! I'm usually in the therapy building's lobby.

[ He WILL kidnap you for video game crimes, Nai. ]

( oh lordy why are these kids always comin' back all fucked up and either too shameless or too full of shame-

heimr politely averts his gaze regardless, packing up some extras just in case. they'll match the vibe of the current set nai has but geared more for indoor wear. )

The kids here named me Heimr. I'll answer to that or "Shopkeeper".

Anythin' else the two of you need?

[What do you mean is it fucked up to wear a knife snuggie and those knives just become part of your body in the end, explain.

Anyway, Clothed for the first time in forever...]

No. [And then, flatly:] Thank you for your assistance, Shopkeeper.

[Heimr probably remembers Nai as a little more sociable... RIP. He's turning to Mizuki now, though.]

You speak as though you've been here for some time. Where is this "therapy building"? [And on that note, where is everything fucking else. Tour him around, you funky little jellyfish.]

Oh, yes, a few months at this point. I'm not too good with time, though, so I couldn't tell you the exactly amount... Anyway, I can show you around, if you'd like? Maybe introduce you to people. [ Who knows! Maybe they'll run into Vash and he can be like "Look who I found in the Wilderness!" or something - because that wouldn't go wrong at all, clearly.

Anyway, he's going outside, so hopefully Nai follows him. He's not going to reach for his hand this time. ] So this is the general store, but right across the way here is the therapy building. There's a bunch of stuff in there if you're ever feeling stressed, or just wanna get into some games!

[ He twists around to point at the inn next door. ] And, you should have a room in here already if you don't know where to sleep for the night. Though, honestly, you could probably just sleep just about anywhere that isn't outside and I don't think anyone would complain...

[Good news, Vash will find him when he goes to knife the inn and then they'll sit in the snow for way too long and be like "hmm why are we cold". Brothers or something idk.

Nai tucks the book away into his new pockets he just acquired to read later. He'll give it back to Mizuki when he's done later on, Politely even, to show that he's grateful for the assistance.]

Is the climate of this place normally so inhospitable?

[Like, okay, the deserts get cold at night, but holy fuck this is even colder, by Nai's measure. Maybe it's the fact he was barefoot in it but still.]

I wouldn't really say it's the climate that makes this place so inhospitable so much as the corruption and constant threat of the creature wanting entertainment, [ :)! ] but it's only like this in winter. It's not so bad - you just happened to join us in the middle of the season is all.

But, if you need to warm up, Mister Zahliya and Mister N are baaaasically heating units on their own, and there's a fireplace in the inn's lobby that doesn't go out. [ It startles Mizuki whenever he goes inside, but it's fine. It's a boon for the Grove, otherwise. ] Or you're welcome to the therapy building. I hoard blankets and give great hugs, so it's pretty warm there, too~.

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closes my eyes,,

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