sticksandbones | EVENT 30

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EVENT 30

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[hakuji may hope that one couldn't blame him for lifting a hand to lay upon kyojuro's. it feels much the same as his husband's, rough and calloused from dedicated training, strong and warm and meant to protect. he takes the hand in his own and removes it from his hair, lowering it to hold it between them both.]

Being "obvious" isn't always a bad thing.

[kyojuro's hand gets a gentle little squeeze before hakuji releases it. as much as he enjoys the contact, it only makes him crave more, and that isn't at all fair to kyojuro, who has been laid to the wayside by hakuji's future counterpart.]

Even though we didn't have demons to defend humanity from, the Rengoku name still carried a lot of weight in this part of the world. To my understanding, your parents traveled farther from our home so that you wouldn't grow up under the burden of that yoke.

[as for the kyojuro before him...]

You've already done your duty, Kyojuro. [he already died to protect humans from a demon.] I hope you can learn to give yourself some grace and respite.

[It's strange how even the briefest contact manages to make Kyojuro's heart ache. This time, it's for a two-fold purpose. To be held in general, while he struggles with the burdensome weight of his own name and destiny, is a pleasant little novelty. He's never opened himself up to such kindness, not when it came to bearing his vulnerabilities at least. Never mind the fact that Hakuji's hand feels human in a way that Akaza's won't ever feel.

He can't help but wonder how that regular reminder must plague his deer friend.

Ah, but... Before he can really linger on the thought, that hand is gone, and Kyojuro is left to mourn its loss. He doesn't blame Hakuji for pulling away, of course, simply wishes he might have been able to hold on for a few moments longer.]

How strange. My mother is the one who placed the weight upon me in my childhood. [There is not a hint of condemnation in that voice. He's proud of accomplishing the task set upon him. And he knows his mother had only been trying to guide him with what little time she had.]

Still. I understand what you are saying. But being here... is that not an extension of my duty? There are those weaker than myself here that I should protect. And - [His words catch in his throat.]

He would hate me if I ever said it to him, I am certain. But that includes Akaza...

Maybe... with the dire circumstances that were present in your world, she felt it necessary, and it wasn't the same here. [really, hakuji only knows as much about the version of kyojuro from earth as akaza does, and he doesn't feel it's his place to speculate too much. either way, kyojuro's love and regard for his mother is as plain as it was for hakuji's husband.]

Maybe your new challenge can be finding a balance between looking after others and yourself.

[hakuji also finds himself wishing he was still holding kyojuro's hand, if only to reassure him.]

I imagine he would react poorly at first... but I promise you, he wouldn't hate you, Kyojuro. He... [it's been difficult for hakuji to even address his doppelganger by name. but kyojuro should hear it.] Akaza idolizes you. He already considers himself weak by comparison, but that doesn't mean he won't try his damnedest to reach your level.

I am certain you are right about that. Granted such little time, she wanted to be sure I was best prepared for what would come next.

[It's still an odd thought, to imagine his mother being a living presence within his life. Certainly, he's felt her warmth all through his own journey, carried on by the promise they shared. It must have been drastically different, though, knowing she was always there to answer his questions, or to remind him that he was on the right path.

He blows out a faint laugh, mostly through his nostrils. If there was ever any doubt that Hakuji had been married to Kyojuro, it would have dissolved in that second. Of course framing it as a challenge would make it more palatable.]

Perhaps you are onto something.

[He's quiet for a moment as he digests that last statement. Akaza had only just implied as much in their most recent conversation, hadn't he? He wanted to be worthy of Kyojuro, not the other way around. But that didn't make any sense when...]

He has overcome far more than I ever could. It takes a monumental level of strength to keep going in the face of everything he has come up against. A weak man could not ever claim to accomplish that feat, and he does it every single day. [Maybe Hakuji will see something familiar in those words. Surely his husband had described the man with the same reverent tone that Kyojuro uses for Akaza in this moment.]

He is not weak for that. He possesses the same power of will that I believe young Kamado did. But still... [How does he put this into words, Kyojuro wonders.] There is a vulnerability to him, I think. He lacks the confidence to see where he excels. The world has told him that he is worthless, time and time again. It has spat upon his efforts repeatedly, until he felt his only option was to lash out in kind Faced with that same adversity once more, I worry that he might crumble.

[His gaze falls.]

With all that in mind, I feel terribly guilty for having abandoned him as I did. But it becomes a difficult line to walk, doesn't it? As much as I wish to hold him up and guide him, to be there for him, I worry that in doing so, I put my own feelings on hold. I could never be the person that expects anything in return for my kindness, but I can still admit that sharing such a close bond makes me long for more.

[After a few moments he finds himself blinking, then reaching to scratch at the back of his head. Talking to Hakuji is easier than anyone else. He is almost certain this man has seen Kyojuro at his lowest. More than that, he knows Akaza's secrets in kind. It isn't like speaking with anyone else in the Grove, where discussing his feelings and the more complicated aspects of his and Akaza's shared past might frame the other man in a negative light. There isn't a single thing Kyojuro could say that would make Hakuji think even less of Akaza than he already did.

That doesn't mean he can't feel the slightest bit guilt for taking up what is surely a limited amount of time remaining for Hakuji.]

I suppose I have rambled quite a bit, haven't I! I hope you will forgive me!

[hakuji could easily contradict some of kyojuro's statements, but after all, they're just his observations, and it wouldn't be helpful at all to shut him down. especially not when he still needs some sort of comfort, himself.]

You didn't abandon him, you just took some time and space for yourself. Like you said -- it's already hard enough, and you need to look after yourself, too. That said, I'm glad he has someone like you to support and guide him. [recalling his own vows, hakuji finds it somewhat easier to sympathize with akaza through the lens of kyojuro's affection. it seems that for as different as this kyojuro and akaza are, their relationship is still so very familiar.]

There's nothing to forgive. Really, I'm grateful for the chance to hear your thoughts.

It still feels as if I could have better approached it. [But then, Kyojuro would feel that way regardless, wouldn't he? Prioritizing himself in any capacity feels like something truly terrible. The fact that Akaza wants vulnerability from him at all feels like an impossible ask.

He'll have to work through that all somehow, though. For now, he offers a relieved smile to the man before him.]

There isn't much that could faze you, is there, Hakuji? I suspect when it comes to me, you have probably seen it all.

[Literally, even.]

Still, with so little time to share between the two of us, I would hate to be the one who does all of the talking. Surely there is something I might be able to learn from you!

Don't beat yourself up, Kyojuro. This is new territory for you both.

[hakuji gives a wry smile at his question, though.]

Oh, there's plenty. I don't know if you'd believe it, but I've got something of a temper. [he knows for a fact kyojuro would absolutely believe it.

anyway,]

... Is there? Admittedly, I'm not too good at talking about myself unprompted... Do you have any questions in particular?

[Kyojuro just sort of... shrugs that off. Accepting that he doesn't bare all of the blame, or that he's new at something doesn't seem quite right. He's always excelled at everything, after all.

In any case, though Kyojuro can imagine that Hakuji did have a temper considering what became of him, seeing him as he is now is a bit hard to believe, actually. Unfortunately, somebody missed the punching debacle. Probably for the best, especially since it does manage to draw a gentle laugh out of Kyojuro.]

I admit, all of my questions stem back to how you and I fit together. [Mostly because... if he does learn anything about Hakuji specifically, he wants it to come from Akaza. The two are most certainly different, especially as they are now, but he doesn't doubt there are a fair few commonalities. He doesn't want to risk stumbling onto anything he might otherwise treasure from his beloved companion.]

How did we meet?

[his ignorance isn't lost on hakuji, but nonetheless the elder man doesn't press the matter. even his own husband still struggles somewhat with kind of thing; it seems to be one of those things that's simply a part of a person, no matter the lifetime.

this, at least, is an easy topic.]

Our families both joined the expedition to found the Grove. I had a good few years of Soryu under my belt and a fair bit of caretaking between my dad and Koyuki when we were younger. You and your father were also on caravan defense, and your mother and brother had good experience in medicine. You can imagine we all got on well, though you in particular were definitely a lot friendlier than most people I'd ever known.

My mother...

[Even now, it's still so strange to consider his mother having lived past his own early years. Even more so to hear that she'd had such a beneficial role not only within the Grove, but within Senjuro's life as well. He makes a note to share this much with the younger boy, to tell him of all the success he'd been able to find without being a swordsman.]

No wonder our families seemed to mesh so well with one another. [Even if the portrait had been meant to commemorate their union, it was clear that their children were not the only ones who enjoyed one another's company.] You were all happy, then?

[honestly, this talk is making him even more nostalgic. it isn't just his wife waiting for him back beyond the veil, after all, but his father and in-laws as well.]

Very. The rest of your family were actually the ones who convinced you to stay in the Grove. I have a feeling they liked us as much as we liked you. And them, obviously, but you and I were particularly stubborn, remember.

[Hang on, give him a second here.]

I tried to leave?

[Yeah... that sounds like him alright.]

You did. You'd successfully guarded everyone along the expedition, helped build up part of the town... Once the Grove was stable enough, you offered to secure transportation here for my father, since he wasn't well enough for the initial journey, and then you planned to go on your way.

[hakuji gives a soft laugh, one very restrained in comparison to akaza's, but laced with affection.]

Honestly, it always scared me -- the thought of how different my life would've been if you hadn't come back. But you did.

At least I came to my senses.

[It's strange, how reversed everything seemed to be between their lives. This time, it wasn't Akaza holding back, but Kyojuro. He can't help but wonder what had changed in his mind between his departure and eventual return. At the same time, he feels the faintest trickle of hope, knowing that eventually, one of them came around.

Hopefully, the same would prove to be true this time, too.]

Would you change any of it, knowing how it ended?

[his answer doesn't come immediately; he actually thinks about it. he could say that he wishes they'd both gotten over themselves sooner, spent more time together, but that seems almost shallow.

the smile falls into something contemplative, wistful. there is one thing hakuji had once wanted, even if he had been too scared to ever broach the subject himself. and knowing how it ended...]

As we were, no. But if everything hadn't gone to shit, if we hadn't all been doomed to die... [his voice softens.] ... I think I would've liked to raise kids with you both. I think they would have grown to be wonderful people, thanks to you two.

[There's a moment where Kyojuro's eyes widen. It is quite the thing to admit to, though he can't say he doesn't understand in a way.]

I admit, I am still too young to have considered it fully myself. [His laugh is almost sheepish.] At least not beyond the idea of duty and continuing my line. But in a time of peace such as yours?

[A faint smile spreads over his lips.]

I suspect I do not need to tell you that I have always enjoyed tending to those younger than me. Being able to grow and guide them is truly an honor. [And then he pauses, eyes narrowing.] But I must as you not to discount yourself. I suspect your strict morals, never mind your love for those you care for, would have helped guide them as well.

[kyojuro's chiding makes the corners of his lips turn up once again, and adoration twinkles in hakuji's eyes.]

I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it that time, I swear.

[some things never change. this kyojuro is much like his husband -- especially when he was younger, like this kyojuro is. which means he likely doesn't have as much consideration for himself as he does for others...]

Don't worry, I'll still answer any questions you have, but I've gotta ask -- how are you feeling?

[Well, if Hakuji has acknowledged it, Kyojuro won't continue to beat a dead horse. Instead, he rumbles out a laugh, shaking his head even as he does. He'll let it slide, but only this time, gay boy.

The question that does get asked takes him by surprise. He supposes he shouldn't be so shocked — if they were married in another life, then surely Hakuji was good at reading him. Nevertheless, it doesn't make it any more easy to talk about.]

Perfectly fine! [Said through a perfect smile.] I admit the evening gave me a bit of a shock, but things have settled amicably enough!

I can't say I blame you. [it would have shocked the shit out of him, too. still, he doesn't fully believe kyojuro when he says he's perfectly alright. it wouldn't do to interrogate him into the ground, but hakuji can try pressing once.]

Well, even though you're fine... if it turns out there is anything you wanna talk about, I don't make a habit of judging you, and I won't be around for very long to go spreading anything.

[Ah... He should have known that he would be seen through. And though he does appreciate that he has an out, there's something less... agonizing about talking to Hakuji. Probably the fact that he already knows Kyojuro so intimately.]

It has been... a long few days. And it is difficult to share as much with anyone. You know as well as I do, the role I was expected to play. To give anything less feels wrong. It is a betrayal to my very family and what they have come to expect of me.

[it's quite a relief that kyojuro takes the opportunity hakuji presents him. he really wouldn't have taken it much farther, but it still would have made him worry if the man remained cagey.

he tilts his head as he mulls these words over.]

... I can't say I speak word for word for Mom [yeah just casually dropping that because he's used to it], but I don't think she'd consider it a "betrayal" if you took some time to look after yourself the same way you do for others.

[You know, Hakuji gives such great advice, and really Kyojuro should take a moment to appreciate it but -

Nah, he's just gaping like a fish at him.]

"Mom?" [Give him a moment before he huffs.] Even I never presumed to call her as much. Mother and ma'am were best!

[Don't worry, he sounds awfully fond when he speaks.]

[ahaha. the grin hakuji gives kyojuro is positively impish.]

Maybe you forgot, Mr. Fancypants, but I'm a disrespectful little delinquent.

[the smile quickly softens into something more tender.]

Your father might have turned out very different from the man I knew, but I'd wager your brother feels the same. Obviously, I can't change your mind for you, or force you to believe anything... but maybe it's worth talking about it with the family you still have.

Ah, you're right! How could I ever forget!

[Kyojuro's laughter is warm, verging on affectionate, perhaps. He knows that there are differences between Hakuji and Akaza, knows that perhaps he should be wary of being too affectionate on his own part, lest it ever be misconstrued as trying to replace the other man.

But at the same time, this feels right in a way Kyojuro is wary to place.]

Even doing that feels... Wrong. [He makes a face, shakes his head.] But... it is still worth considering. I know that my loved ones would appreciate the effort, difficult though it may be to stomach.

[for better or worse, the warmth of kyojuro's energy is matched in hakuji's smile. it's easy for him to remember why he fell in love with kyojuro in the first place, which makes it all the harder to stop himself from reaching for the man to hold his hand or pat his shoulder. the last thing he wants is to pressure kyojuro, or make him feel as if he needs to make a choice that might put his own companion out.]

Forgive me if it isn't my place to say so, but... even if all you do is just consider it, I'm proud of you for even that.

EVENT 30

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