EVENT 30

[sticksandbonesmods]

I CALL MYSELF A SHELL

A USED UP BULLET CASING

The air is cold, the sky dreary. Ever since your return to Aldric’s Grove, the chill in the air is as bitter and sharp as a knife. The scent of stew from the General Store’s windows is comforting, almost as much as the teas Ydalir is handing out if you pass by her tent. Nene puts baskets of her fresh produce on every doorstep or before the doors of people’s rooms in the inn, and Evan and Rillian join her sometimes, the two also handing out sweaters or cloaks. It’s not going to be as bad as last year, but a bitter winter is coming. It’s best to be prepared, isn’t it?

As the winter approaches, plantimals busy themselves to prepare as best they can, too. Pinecone squirrels harvest away nuts while one by one birds move as close to warmth as they can — and that may well just be Sehul and Aurora’s domains. The river water is clear as ever and even colder, with only the blessed trees and bushes still flowering and bearing fruit.

Yet nothing prepares anyone for the green mist, knee-high at the lowest, waist-high at the highest. It smells earthy and grassy, almost floral like a garden,and it pours out of the research hall.

There’s a chill in the air. Something… strange is happening, yet again.

THE AFTERMATH OF SOMETHING LETHAL

The mist is not the only thing that follows. In your homes, walking around the slowly rebuilding town, resting in the inn — all over, there are ghosts, and they all look painfully familiar. After all… it's not every day you get to see your face without a mirror.

Ghosts of the former residents of the Grove have followed where the mist flows, fragments of history that are part of you given form. Some look pristine, like they’d simply gotten up and got dressed like any normal day. Others look bloodied and wounded, clearly killed and still persisting. None seem bothered by their state — if anything, the lot are curious about the changes that have been made to the Grove, or about you.

Of course they know you. They know your pains, the life you’ve lived, they’re part of you after all… though some ghosts know the full extent better than others. You must have something you want to say, don’t you? Or… maybe you’re approached by the ghost of another soul, with something else in mind.

AN ECHO OF INFLICTED EVIL

cw: a brief instance of animal death

Within the heart of it all stands a woman almost eight feet tall, maybe more. There is an unearthly glow to her green eyes, and she wears a black gown that looks like it’s meant for a funeral and a garden party in the same day. Draped in her arm is a basket as she talks to various blooms, and occasionally she may… pluck at a passing by animal, placing a silvery light within the basket as the animal comes to a stop and finds its final rest.

She looks at each resident of the Grove as she walks, poking and pulling at things that cannot be seen — from the air, from the buildings, from you-

And then she keeps on walking, pausing only at the fog barrier.

“... What a troubling scene this sets. And the rot in the roots… beastly, isn’t it? What a shame that I cannot be here in full to set this straight.” She hums thoughtfully, before finally she stops and sits down.

“Come along now, then. I’m sure you all have questions.”

So, will you talk to Morrigan the Lady Death?

... SO COMES SNOW AFTER FIRE ...

With talking to Morrigan comes a task: close the door once more. Once this is done, the Grove settles again, a blanket of quiet settling over the little village finally. Time passes, and once the first snow starts to fall, Heimr calls everyone to the inn. White snowdrops are painted along the banisters, the door frames and windows, and warm spices and savory smells waft through the air.

Renard is dishing up different plates as you come in, and he smiles radiantly with a wave. Later on he might show off some of his creations, or hand you an instrument.

Music flows through the dining room as Ydalir feeds the fire, and some of Callisto’s meads and wines — flavored or simple honey — eventually turn up on the table. It’s nice not to be alone, right?

Unfortunately it might be ruined when Heimr sets out what looks to be a deck for UNO. And a stack of other board games. But UNO is the killer, here. UNO may just ruin your carefully-crafted friendships with everyone here. …please don’t let it do that. You’ve already been through so much together, and there’s so much more to come.

Spark Notes

summary

A USED UP BULLET CASING Fall is here and winter is fast approaching. The residents of the Grove are trying to help take care of player characters after the past two months of hardships... but one night, a green mist spills out of the Research Hall.
THE AFTERMATH OF SOMETHING LETHAL All throughout the Grove, the ghosts of your past lives linger waiting to speak to you- or to the ones you love. They know your life, though the intimate details may vary, and can be touched. And linger they will! They're very curious, you know.
THE ECHO OF INFLICTED EVIL Morrigan the Death wanders the town, poking and prodding at the magics in play. Whatever she's found, however, they have decided can wait. After all, you probably have questions, don't you?
... SO COMES SNOW AFTER FIRE ... After the Door to the Afterlife has been closed- presumably by you, someone's got to do it- and Morrigan has presumably also left, Heimr decides it's time for another community meal. And this time, he brought board games! Please do not kill each other over Monopoly.

out of character

Welcome to November! Thank you very much to Jami for allowing us to use their past life plotting and location for this event, and to Aspen for helping facilitate it ICly!. This has been a long time coming, and now you get to meet another force of nature: Death!

AC will be check-in for November and December before resuming regularly. September and October are the last TDM of the year, and we encourage you to reuse them as desired if current players wish to test new characters, or if new players want to break the ice! We check the TDMs regularly.

updates

Any potential updates, such as characters damaging something important or whatever else, will be put here.

submissions

❖ Questions
❖ November Plotting
❖ Past Life Plotting (Closed to Game Members)
❖ Investigations

code

Comments

[namuthing]

[Genya rolls his eyes. Doubly so considering both statements.]

All I trust is that you don't want to upset your boyfriend or whatever. So c'mon. Let's just get moving.

[bluebasketballed]

[on the one hand -- his instinct is, in fact, to beat genya into the ground, but that would only vindicate him, so... instead, akaza continues on his way to the store, and genya can either follow or stay put. either way, he's getting these fucking glasses.]

Shut up. You're wearing them, or you're not coming.

[namuthing]

[Genya rolls his eyes. He contemplates pointing out that if Akaza is gonna be a weirdo about it all, Genya can just not come. Then where would he be?

... He does not say this, of course. It's entertainment for the evening, and it gets him out of this weird ass town with its weird ass, identical looking residents. He'll take it.]

Fine. But you're paying.

[bluebasketballed]

I was offering, jackass.

[something about genya really brings out the snarky, rude delinquent in him. funny!

... once he has the second pair, he's throwing the set with fake nose and mustache attachments at genya. have fun, idiot.]

Just stick to the paths they show you. I'll be able to lead us back out.

[namuthing]

[Genya blinks at the nose and mustache in his hands. He looks up at Akaza, then back down. Likewise, the demon brings out some unquenchable form of anger in him, and he can't help himself. He grips both pieces of the glasses between his two separate hands and prepares to break the plastic in twain.

... Only for it to easily separate.

Huh.]

Very funny.

[He just assumes it's some dumb prank on Akaza's part and throws the glasses on his face. Thanks, buddy.]

You done throwing a fit now? Ready to go?

[bluebasketballed]

[akaza's shit-eating grin just spreads and spreads across his stupid fucking face the longer genya's anger builds... and falls completely when he just takes the goofy bit off of it.

... he had no idea it was an attachment. this man is stupid.]

I should drag you halfway to the mountains and ditch you.

[given how he trudges off into the damn forest with his new pair on, yes, he's ready.]

gag

[namuthing]

[namuthing]

[Genya snorts at the man's back, before trudging after. He isn't sure why the hell he agreed to any of this, especially considering Akaza's shitty little attitude, but whatever. He's here, and already has his head on a swivel. ]

So what do you want me to do, anyway? I mean, if I can't shoot 'em. Just pounce on 'em like some kind of animal?

[bluebasketballed]

[LITTLE attitude? now you're calling him SHORT?????

okay it is fucking hilarious though that genya is taller than upper three. anyway,

akaza follows a meandering path through the forest. things like animals don't really register on his compass, because they can't pose a tangible threat to him like humans and other demons. they might as well be part of the background, so it's a bit of a blind journey for now.]

That's a good idea. You could eat another one of my teeth so you could snap their necks while you're at it.

[namuthing]

[Unlike Akaza, Genya does make note of a few animals as they go. He's almost certain that they should register for the demon, but they pass them by. It doesn't make sense, if the whole purpose was to bring back supplies for the town. Nevertheless, he doesn't say anything.

However, when Akaza proposes taking a "page" out of his book? That's a different story entirely. He reaches out, grabbing a significant chunk of hair from the back of Akaza's head, and pulls back. He's already palmed the hair into his mouth before the demon can say anything.]

Not a bad idea. [He winces as some of his features begin to distort.] Only one problem. We've already passed at least three deer. Last I checked, those were pretty good sources of meat. So what are we really out here for?

[bluebasketballed]

[genya is honestly so fucking lucky that akaza is trying to cut down on human violence, or that hand would have been smacked clean off. as it stands, he whips around to shoot the kid a snarling glare that could boil water.

even as genya takes on some of his attributes, though, his face contorts with more doubt than anything.]

... For meat. [... do humans eat deer. he can't remember.]

[namuthing]

Uh huh. Meat. Venison. Y'know... deer.

[His arms cross over his chest, looking down at Akaza with every bit of skepticism he has in his body. Turns out that's a lot. He doesn't even seem to flinch at the violence the demon seems an inch away from inflicting upon him. He's almost certain he won't actually act on it.]

You gonna make me ask again?

[bluebasketballed]

[one eyebrow twitches.]

I haven't looked twice at animal meat in hundreds of years. Fucking bite me. [oh, he realizes immediately that saying that was a mistake.] Don't -- just turn your ass around and go back so we can get the damn deer.

[namuthing]

[Genya absolutely bares his teeth at Akaza.]

If that's the case, then why the hell are you the one fetching food for people.

[Still, he does turn right around for the deer. He is sorely tempted to shoot the thing just to spite Akaza but... he'll submit to the instincts running through his blood and wrestle it instead. Don't mind Genya, rolling across the forest floor as he tries to put a buck in a headlock.]

[bluebasketballed]

I told you, I'm a nice little demon now.

[honestly, he likes the audacity on this one. he can just never let genya know that.

yes, he's going to just stand there watching in amusement for a bit as genya abuses this poor biblically accurate deer. maybe if akaza is lucky, the thing will impale him with a prong or five and give him a real laugh.

look, he's allowed to find it funny if genya will be better in five minutes because of his temporary demon abilities.]

Are you just going to flail around, or actually kill it?

cw: blood, animal death

[namuthing]

YOU KNOW YOU COULD HELP, R-

[Genya is indeed cut off by a flailing deer head catching him in the throat. The rest of his words come out as sickly, bloody burbles as he opts to instead finally snap the buck's neck. Don't mind as he lays there, staring at the canopy of the forest and questioning literally everything up until this moment.

... Eventually he does lift a hand to flip Akaza off, though.]

[bluebasketballed]

[okay, for the first, like, three seconds it IS hilarious -- then the kid is way too still for a second, and akaza takes a step toward him... only to get flipped off. okay, yeah, he's fine, and he's getting laughed at as loud as ever.

... guess any other deer in the area are long gone.]

That's fine, take your time. You're gonna have to lug it around, though.

[namuthing]

Not even gonna help, huh? Wasn't this all your idea?

[Genya continues muttering to himself as he hefts himself out of the dirt, then pulls the deer over his shoulders. Thanks to the residual strength from Akaza, he isn't exactly struggling with the effort, but he does shoot a glare at the demon all the same.]

How many of these things do you need, anyway?

[bluebasketballed]

[akaza tilts his head, looking the carcass up and down and thinking...]

How many people do you think that one could feed? [humans definitely can't consume as much as demons, but that still doesn't mean he's any good at gauging a normal human meal. frankly, kyojuro is his only point of reference, and that man does eat like a demon.]

Two apiece, maybe?

[namuthing]

[Genya wiggles his shoulders back and forth, trying to get a feel for the weight. Akaza's estimate, though, manages to get a bark of a laugh out of him.]

Depends. In the corps? Probably. Normal humans, though? [He shakes his head. He knows a thing or two about cooking, he'd like to think.] A pound of meat can go a long way, especially when it's served with other things. Rice. Potatoes. All of that. And I'd say there's about 50 pounds of edible meat to go around here.

You probably don't need more than one or two to keep people fed for a long time to come.

[bluebasketballed]

[only fifty, on that big creature? what a waste!]

One each, then. [with genya situated, he turns back down the path and starts at a... reasonable pace for him -- that is, one an ordinary human could never hope to keep up with, but one genya should find easy, especially with his residual power.

while they search out one more prey item -- which akaza is actually keeping an eye out for, now -- he ponders genya's knowledge on this subject.]

Do you have experience butchering these? [it would make things go a little smoother, back in town. and maybe akaza would be able to learn, for helping in the future.]

[namuthing]

Seriously? Me? [Genya barks out a bitter laugh.] I take bites out of demons for fun. I don't know the first thing about properly breaking down meat. I take what I can get and go with it.

[Maybe he should have taken the time to learn, though. He could cook up a decent meal, but what good would that ever do him if he couldn't properly dress the meat.]

Maybe the guy at the trading post knows a thing or two? Or someone around town?

[bluebasketballed]

You sounded like you knew what you were talking about. Guess that's giving you too much credit.

[he can be a shithead, too, asshat!!]

Yeah, yeah, I figured the old man'd know. Maybe I just wanted to have it ready for him.

[that sounds awfully generous of him. anyway, oh look, a victim deer. akaza has never hunted an animal, but hey, a destructive death: air type punch will crush the spine of a frail creature like that just as easily as a human's.

akaza can't have genya forgetting how easily he could kill him, now.]

[namuthing]

[Genya glowers at him, but can't really do much more than that. Akaza's already flipping himself into the air or doing... whatever the hell he's doing. It's effective, but Genya won't admit that out loud. He just grumbles beneath his breath:]

At least I know more than you.

[But if Akaza thinks Genya is going to be intimidated by the display, he has another thing coming. Instead, he watches Akaza's movements, then tries to channel it into his own. The problem, though, is that while he's able to manifest some strength and ability, replicating a blood demon art one to one has never been possible.

So really he just punches at the air and hopes Akaza doesn't notice it.]

Well. That's one a piece then. Now what?

[bluebasketballed]

[oh, akaza glances over his shoulder at the rustling and absolutely smirks at genya's sad little attempt at mimicking him. in fact, the grin is still splitting his stupid, smug face by the time he reaches the deer and hauls it back over his shoulders.]

Now, we get back to town. Any complaints, smartass?