If it were the real me and you | OPEN

[lupusxylem]

Who: Wolfwood and YOU!
What: Wolfwood schedules a cult book burning and invites everyone
When: March 10th
Where: The Church
Warnings: Relevant info for this event can be found here, general warnings for: monster attack which could lead to blood/gore/etc in threads, please tag accordingly! Will update as needed



Netbook | Morning

Hey everyone, it's me Wolfwood. Nicholas D. Wolfwood if you're new.

So, here's the deal. The church I bought has a problem. It came with a bunch of religious texts inside of it, and while that's...you know. What you'd expect in a church, these ones are like

super fuckin culty.

Not exactly what I asked for. Not that I asked for them at all. I keep trying to get rid of them but they keep showing up again later so

Basically Im gonna be burning them again this evening if anybody wants to come to the bonfire, or help me in getting rid of them cause theres a shit ton. Bring marshmallows or whatever, I dont care.

and before someone comes preaching to me about burning books, again: its cult propaganda bullshit. read it for yourself if you dont believe me
just make sure you chuck it in the fire afterwards or ill do it myself.

Church | Evening

[Should you choose to come to the Church later that evening for whatever reason, you'll find the Priest himself already hard at work setting up a pyre in the yard just outside of it. (Just look for the massive bound cross propped up nearby, you can't miss it.) With the way he loads up the firepit he's created with kindling, it's clear he's already had to do this once before. It's a bit tricky to find anything dry given that the snow is still on the ground in a lot of places, but he's making do with what he's got. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Beyond getting the fire going, there's a matter of getting the aforementioned books out of the church. It's just as Wolfwood described, should you grow curious and crack one open. They're very religious, but strangely...plant focused. Like it's a religion that revolves around the Forest itself, almost. Definitely nothing orthodox about this, that's for sure. There are quite a number of them to take care of as they've all refilled the church pews since the last time he did this.

Or, perhaps you're just here because you think bonfires are cool and want to simply enjoy yourself for a change. The Forest seems to have had its fun with the animal race given that everyone's back to normal at this point, so really, why not kick back and enjoy the warmth of the flames while it isn't sub-zero temperatures outside anymore?

Feel free to mingle...or don't. Perhaps the distant unease in the atmosphere is enough to stop you.]

Comments

ii. at the church/around the bonfire

[bloodyopus]

[ Phantom doesn't exactly want to be here, either. After he'd satisfied his curiosity by looking at some of the aforementioned texts earlier (before they were later burned this evening, of course), and after he had greeted the priest...he returned to the church later that evening for two things.

One, to spectate and observe. Not merely the burning of the texts, but also the others; those poor, unfortunate souls who was in the same boat as he. Some of them are already quite familiar to him, while the rest...not so much.

Two, it was to his chagrin that his little friend, the grey catlike being with a white flower sprouting from his left ear (that the Feline had taken to call Raoul) and a couple other...plantlike characteristics, had gone missing. He had searched for him in the inn and around the Grove's perimeters (keeping a fair distance from the fog wall, of course), but he couldn't find him.

In the end, he found himself here — lingering on the edge of this odd 'festival', one that belongs to Wolfwood and the other residents.

Not alone, apparently. He would have tried using his shadow Arts to conceal himself, but by now, he was aware that it's futile. For some unknown reason, it won't work when he was around others in the Grove.

...Perhaps he should have worn his cloak of the night instead. Or at least his own black cloak, which he left in his room at inn. He frankly felt rather naked without it.

Instead, he glanced at the blond, noticing the forced smiles, but especially the fact that he kept his hand on his hip, fingers just barely brushing his holstered gun. ]

...You seem to be on your guard. [ He offered, quietly, from Vash's side. Perhaps he wasn't there a moment ago. No matter. Phantom is here now. ] That is good. It's much better if we keep our wits about us.

[ Vash wasn't the only one who didn't part with his weapon. The dark-haired man hardly ever part with his knives, too — they sat inside their respective sheaths, strapped to the side of his thigh. His own fingers unconsciously brush the handle of the nearest one as he spoke. ]

We never know where the night might take us, after all, and the shadows of the trees...looks heavier than it was before. Can you see them?

[oleaeuropaea]

[Vash isn't so bothered about having his posture read so easily. For once, he isn't even trying to put on an act. If he's lucky, the others will see his stance and think twice about participating. He might not have been able to convince Wolfwood to stand down, but at least he can dissuade others from showing up.]

Some of us have to keep our eyes open, right? [It isn't meant to disparage anyone actually enjoying themselves. Lord only knew that they needed it. And if him being on guard meant the peace would last, so be it.

He doesn't like that someone else is confirming his fear, however. Especially when he talks like that. The ambiguity makes the hair on the back of his neck prickle.]

Can't say I've seen it. But I also can't say I'm surprised. [He pats the gun against his hip once.] We'll be ready for it, though.

[bloodyopus]

[ After a closer observation (since the Feline was good at reading body language, being a former stage actor), Phantom could catch the gist of what the blond was actually trying to do. Combined with his verbal response, it certainly serves as confirmation of the other man's true intention.

...Though, despite his unease, he neither judges Wolfwood for his actions nor does he tried to dissuade others from participating in the burning. As a recent arrival, he felt that it wasn't his place, even if the...notion about past lives were true. Even so...that doesn't mean he feels any less uneasy, in addition to his general anxiety about being in a place with so many people like this. What if something happens again — no, what if he accidentally lost control, and gave in to the VOICE and its commands? Even now, it was taunting and mocking him in his mind, telling him that he was such a coward. Look at all these potential audience members, Lucian. Aren't you going to grace them with the beauty of your voice?

He tries to shake it off. The presence of the other helps. He might not know Vash yet personally - at least not in their current incarnation, perhaps - but he could tell that the blond has a certain warmth about him that he found himself naturally gravitating towards, much like Pure Vanilla.

Even if it was currently rather obscured, either by the same uneasiness that was creeping into his own heart, or...something else entirely. Phantom nods. ]

And our ears sharp. [ He understood. He hadn't seen nor dealt with a direct threat firsthand from the Forest, but...he wasn't an idiot. He had read some of those texts before they were burned. That, combined with what he knew about the entity so far made his skin itch, as if thousand of insects had crept up underneath it in the dead of night. Once again, he nods. When he offered his response, his voice was quieter than before. ] I hope so. The spirits of the dead...they are rather restless. Perhaps that, too, is a warning.

[ He didn't tell Vash to try to relax and enjoy the night. They were plainly two peas in a pod. Instead, he said: ]

...I was originally about to ask if you saw a certain companion of mine. But I suppose not. Perhaps he had returned to the embrace of the Forest, since he was never mine to begin with, merely something borrowed.

[oleaeuropaea]

[This man is new, and Vash himself hasn't had the chance to meet him. Nevertheless, as his gaze continues to sweep over him, he begins to pick up the tiny details. Whether or not his physique shows it, it's clear that he's at least thinks himself capable. For now, Vash is willing to believe that much. Maybe it's because he shares the Plant's sentiment and discomfort, or perhaps it's something more. Either way, there's no sign of skepticism in his posture.]

I wasn't aware the spirits were acting up. Not exactly something that makes you feel good about the course of the evening, though. [He tries and fails to inject a layer of humor into his voice.]

But we don't need to dwell on that, right? [Especially if they're of a similar mind.] What's this about a companion?

[bloodyopus]

[ It was, truthfully, rather the other way around: while his physique shows that he was certainly capable of dispatching whatever threat that the Forest might throw their way, the state of his mind...well, despite how quietly self-assured he might have sounded, that was, in actuality, an act.

Because in truth, Phantom wasn't entirely certain if he could deal with that doom that they were possibly inviting with this event, once it manifested itself beyond a mere shadow cast upon their gathering.

Even so, he was trying to believe that. And...it was most certainly easier to do so - to fool himself into believing - with a likeminded person by his side. ]

...Ah. My apologies. It was...an old habit of mine. [ He could tell the failed attempt at humour, although he...was bad at comforting others. Thus, the Feline simply sent the other a knowing glance, perhaps a little awkwardly so. ] Although most people tend to take my words as a metaphor. But...I apologise if it makes you feel even more uneasy.

[ At least he tried, and the apologies were sincere. He nodded at what Vash said next. ]

Yes. Well...he is a small, catlike animal. I could draw him for you, if I have another piece of paper with me other than that notebook — erm, the one we used to communicate with each other. Let me try to describe him for you... [ He's not very good with words, unless he's putting on an act — for example, being 'Phantom' instead of Lucian. ]

...He's about this large. [ He makes a vague gesture with his hands: a small animal, as he'd stated, as large as a grown, average cat. ] Has a...white flower growing from one of his ears, and his gray fur felt a little bit more like moss than a cat's. He smells a bit like mushrooms, too. Usually, he would climb to my shoulder and tag along ever since he broke into my room in the inn, but tonight...well, I could not find him.

[ Not that he had a bad feeling about it or anything. Perhaps the little guy was simply bored. ]

He is called Raoul. At least, I have taken to call him that. Have you, perhaps, seen him?

[oleaeuropaea]

You mean one of the Plantimals?

[That was what they were called, right? The small creatures that incorporated the organic parts of the forest? He'd seen a few here and there, attracted to spaces like the high eaves of the Church and other such places. He'd seen a lot, but he can't recall having seen one specifically like that.

Which means he gives Phantom the most guilty of guilty dog looks. As if it's somehow his fault.]

Afraid I haven't really seen much. Though I haven't really had a mind for tiny things.

[His brain is focused on the bigger picture. The bigger, flaming picture of book burning and oppressive shadows closing in. Vash finds himself chewing on his lip idly. He cranes his neck as if to search the trees for said missing cat creature but...]

I can keep an eye out. But I... don't think I can promise much, tonight.