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

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[ That soft reply is all that Caleb needs. With a smile, he steps forward, closing the distance and wrapping his arms around Luca. The hug is tight and firm and warm, and while Caleb is just as tall and lanky as Joshua - perhaps a bit thinner, somehow, beneath his layers - his scent is different. Like a library full of old books.

He doesn't keep the embrace long. Just long enough that he feels Luca can draw some comfort from it. Only then does he step away, smiling and finding Luca's hands with his own. ]

There we are. Is that better?

[It is, as it turns out, all Luca could possibly need, just as it is, in many ways, distant from what he wants. Given his resemblance to Clive, he might have hoped that embrace would evoke such memories. When it doesn't, Luca almost feels... relieved. The spell on him breaks reminding him of just what matters to him.

Not that Luca doesn't enjoy the embrace. In the same vein that it severs Luca's reminiscence of the past, it fills him with a longing for the future. A world in which Joshua can spend his days immersed in books and smell just like this.

When Luca steps back, he seems more... steady than ever. He offers a gentle smile to Caleb.]

Thank you for indulging me. I suspect my counterpart must be quite lucky to be in your good graces.

[ Oblivious to Luca's thoughts on the matter, Caleb simply nods, giving Luca's hands a gentle squeeze before letting them go. The thought of Luca's counterpart makes him flush, a familiar pink along the edges of his ears. ]

Maybe. We have not been together long, but I do try my best. He has been over for dinner, at least, and we have gone on two proper dates.

[ He is not counting the rest of the time they spend together, of course. Which is a lot. ]

But I am there for him as much as I can be. I want to make sure that he is happy. He deserves it.

"Properly courting" one another, I presume?

[Luca speaks it with no small amount of amusement, even as his own cheeks warm. That sounded like them, focusing on taking things slow. It's good to know some things have not changed.]

From what I understand, our lives were very different back then. [Which... while he's thinking about it.] Our fathers... do they approve?

[It's a very leading question, he knows this.]

Ah. I guess you could call it that.

[ He says it with a charming little laugh, and he scratches his cheek, flushing just a bit more. It's strange, recounting this when it still feels so fresh to him, but he doesn't mind. ]

They do. At least, I know my father does, and my mother. I think yours does, too. I certainly hope he does.

He does.

[That much he can assure Caleb of. Luca may not know everything there is to know about that particular iteration of Cyrus. He can conclude, based off of the spirit in the bar, however, that they were largely similar men. Thus, there is only one thing Cyrus could ever disapprove of, and only jokingly so.

That particular aspect will not be voiced to Caleb, however. Or anyone, for that matter. Just thinking of it makes Luca's ears warm.]

My father, as I know him, only ever wanted me to be happy. And knowing you as I do, he would not be disappointed.

[ The absolute confidence with which Luca says that makes Caleb pause where he stands, eyebrows lifting in surprise. It doesn't do any favors for that flush, of course. ]

O-oh.

[ But it's not a negative reaction. Just a surprised one, and pleasantly so. After a couple of seconds, surprise gives way to shy laughter, and he adverts his eyes. ]

Well, I'm glad to hear it. I'd been worried. I am only a librarian, after all. A-and the telegraph operator, of course.

[Different though Caleb is from Joshua, the way they both get flustered is familiar. It warms Luca's chest in the same way, just as it pulls at his inner desire to be an absolute gremlin. He bites it back for Caleb's sake, at the very least.]

You could be a fishmonger, for all my father would care. He did not want for power or status, but instead the happiness of his own family. [He could get into the details, the sorry past of one Cyrus Aurelius and how the family used to be. But there's no sense in sullying the conversation.]

Besides, I used to quite enjoy reading. Maybe the version of me that you know still does. It would be a remarkable match, if that were the case.

Well, we did meet at the library. Or outside of it, but I guess that's close enough.

[ Maybe there's something to it. Maybe Luca is right. Caleb smiles, nodding, clasping his hands together behind his back. ]

I'm glad that we could find each other in another life, too. We can live out the life we should have been able to have.

Then it sounds perfect. There is no need to worry.

[Ah, but, Caleb's words do give him pause. He glances toward the Forest, expression wavering. His lips pull down into a frown.]

I do hope that is true. I am sure you are aware of how the Forest continues its tricks. It has already robbed loved ones from us once.

[ Caleb's own expression sober a bit at that. He, too, glances toward the Forest, eyes temporarily darkening with the memory of... something. ]

I am all too aware.

[ That may be why he hasn't seen Jacob yet, either. If Joshua and Luca's Clive was stolen from this place... He closes his eyes, shaking his head, then turns back to Luca. ]

But that makes your meeting an even brighter light in the darkness, does it not? Please, enjoy it for all that it's worth, in spite of the Forest.

I... intend to. I will not let this place rob me of appiness again.

[Even if they are taking things slow, it's by their own choices. Whatever happens will happen of it's own accord. It feels better this way. Less like they have to rush on one hand, or abide by the concept of virtue and propriety on the other.]

I only hope that in whatever afterlife you have found yourselves in, that you have the same sort of opportunities.

... good.

[ He says it with a smile, and a sigh of relief. It's good to know they won't squander this opportunity. ]

I do not know if there is anything for us. But we are you, aren't we? You are our hope, if nothing else.

Ah, no pressure though, yes?

[He says it with a bit of a smile. It is a little intimidating, to think of Caleb and the others placing their hope in both himself and the others. Especially considering how terribly he has failed in the past, but...]

I will do what I can to make you proud.

[ To that, Caleb laughs, soft and warm. ]

No pressure, of course.

[ But there really is no pressure. He has a good feeling. They will be fine even without him asking them to do their best to enjoy it. ]

Thank you. I believe in you, I truly do. Live your happiness. That is all I ask.

I... will do my best.

[And maybe, courtesy of Caleb's encouragement, he feels the slightest bit more confident in his ability to do so.]

I ought not keep you. I am sure there are plenty of people you wish to see. Or if nothing else, plenty you wish to learn?

[He can't help himself. He winks.]

Ah.

[ Well, that certainly sets him on the back foot. Caleb blinks, cheeks flushing. It isn't just the wink, but the implication that comes with it that makes him feel warm suddenly.

He lifts a hand, rubbing the back of his neck and laughing softly as he angles his eyes toward the ground. ]

Well. Perhaps. We will see where the day takes us, I suppose.

Make the most of it.

[If Luca is meant to carry on Caleb's hope, then it's only fair to ask something in return, right?]

I know not what your afterlife has looked like, but you deserve the opportunity to live your life as you wished it, one last time. The Grove may have changed, but it is still a kind place. Any one of us would be willing to accommodate you.]

[ It's not an offer that Caleb was expecting, and frankly, it hits him like a brick to the chest. He feels his breath catch in his throat, an ache bleeding out through his extremities, and there's a stinging behind his eyes that he tries desperately to hold at bay. ]

I... Thank you, truly. I did not expect such hospitality, but all the same, I appreciate it so much. If this place feels kind enough to let me have another day, I will seek someone out.

[ Because he can't trust the magic of this place to allow it. But oh, can he hope. ]

[The impact of Luca's words, simple though they were, is not lost on him. His head tilts slightly, and though he had been intending to leave things as they were, he cannot bring himself to immediately depart. His brows draw together, concern writ upon them.]

Caleb...? Is something wrong?

[He is part of Joshua. It only makes sense that he might worry.]

No. No, I'm fine.

[ The answer comes quickly, but not out of upset. Caleb takes a deep, steadying breath, closing his eyes as he rubs at the back of his wrist. Of course Luca would catch this. ]

It's just... It was over so fast. There were signs, feelings, but when it came down to it, it all happened so quickly. To be given a chance to live even just part of another day... It's a good feeling. More than I could have asked for.

[Oh, how his heart aches at that answer. Luca cannot help himself — he reaches out and wraps the fingers of both hands around Caleb's own — or at least does his best. He isn't sure if his touch reaches, or if the other man is fully corporeal.

One way or another, he hopes the gesture shines through.]

Then I hope you are able to enjoy this to the fullest, my friend. You, of all souls, deserves it. [Luca offers a tender, reassuring smile.] If you find you need to do something with that time, the Watchtower will be open to you. I assume you harbor the same distaste for carrots as Joshua does?

[ It does reach. It's a bit dulled, like a layer of cloth is between them, but it reaches. Caleb lifts his head, locking eyes with Luca for a moment, then smiles. It's soft, but it's there all the same. ]

Thank you. I would love that.

[ He grips Luca's hands firmly, pressure and warmth taking over for actual tactile sensation. ]

Carrots have never been my favorite. They taste too much like dirt and soap for my liking.

Then it shall be a plan. Whenever you need it, you will find refuge with me.

[And with another wink, he adds:]

I already make a habit of removing carrots, thanks to your counterpart. You needn't worry.

[ Caleb lets out a laugh in a puff of air. ]

You are perfect for him, truly. What a kindness.

[ With that, he lets go of Luca's hands, taking a step back. The edges of his sleeves catch between his palms and fingers, and he lifts one hand to push his glasses up his nose. ]

I'll find you later, then. Thank you so much for your hospitality.

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unheiring - 2025-11-19 22:36 (UTC) - Expand

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