TO THE WATERS AND THE WILD

[redlightgreenlight]

Characters: All
Date: February 7th-16th
Location: Throughout Aifaran
Situation: The Dreaming has unleashed Fairy Tales upon the city, and those sensitive to the Dreaming are playing them out.
Warnings/Rating: In Headers


Once upon a time, on a world where the planes collide, an extraordinary group of people were brought together to protect a place they didn’t call home. They waged war against a faceless enemy, and many people died, but using the power of the Third Plane, called the Dreaming, they finally defeated him. But not all was saved, for the magic that summoned them began to break down, and tears between the three planes brought new calamities, causing the Last Great Turtle to go between them in order to save his world, leaving behind only his offspring to protect the people who remained.

Over five hundred years passed, and the Planes did not calm, wreaking havoc on the world, tearing it apart and putting it back together. A coalition of peoples, all except one, came together with the now grown hatchlings to form a new nation, a nation of all shapes and sizes, all beliefs and deep magics. They learned to live with the movements of the Planes, showing great fortitude even as the heroes from other lands continued to appear and disappear, as is the nature of the Dreaming. For a time, things seemed to be at peace. But all peace is fragile, and the nation has unknown enemies far greater than those of old. Now the heroes must rise to unlock the newly woken mysteries unfolding before them.

So it began as all stories do, with heroes, a quest, and an enemy, how it ends is up to you…but until then, here is a little gift of tales and stories from your own worlds. Some roles have been reversed of course. A princess is now a prince, a king is now a queen, and since females can be thieves too, well, there’s some fun to be had. Then there’s the story about stories, a journey far away, shapeshifters, and a strange fascination with monsters and men. Maidens in towers, lost shoes, and mermaids. I have many stories, each with roles for you to play. So I hope you enjoy them. Perhaps they will offer some inspiration.

Comments

The Girl Who Would be Queen | X

[redlightgreenlight]

Waking up to find her holy blade missing from her room should have caused far more panic than it did. In fact, Valdis didn't notice at all, simply going about her day as normal. No one commented on it, not even those at the Sentry, where she always wore it unless in an interrogation. The odd feeling of being 'less' lingered throughout the day, though she thought nothing of it.

But the blade did not escape all notice, a boulder on the edge of town drew quite a bit of attention as people noticed the silver blade with a dull red gem gleaming in the sun. A few of them tried to pull the sword from the stone, only to come away with burns or extreme nausea. It clearly didn't wish to be touched by anyone, but that didn't stop a steady stream of people from trying.

[psituational]

Rumours of the dangerous blade spread, and it didn't take long for X to hear of it. Curious, he went to go see for himself -- and his blood ran cold when he recognised the hilt and the dull red gem.

Not his, though, he reminded himself. Not his. His memories of the sword went for longer than he'd been alive. It was Valdis's, and X couldn't imagine that she would have ever let go of the blade willingly. He called her immediately, opting for the immediate voice-to-voice conversation instead of leaving her a message. Especially with what happened during the storm, he needed to know right away if she was in trouble.

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis didn't recognize the number showing up on her yimo, but she answered despite being at her desk. No one would notice she was talking instead of working.

"Hello?" she raised her shoulder to keep the yimo to her ear, "This is Valdis, can I ask who is calling?"

Multi-tasking was easy enough, so she continued going over notes and the strange reports coming from the west side of the city.

A Wizard Turned Storyteller | OTA

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita had been getting a feeling - not quite a feeling, but close; it felt like the stories hidden in the world around her were swirling just beyond her fingertips.

Or maybe it was a new form of interdimensional jet lag; it wasn't impossible.

It did keep her on her toes, though, which hopefully meant she would be less likely to miss anything.

[ninjainviolet]

And possibly one of the things hard to miss is a woman looking a little bit confused as she walks down the street. Weird things have been happening to her for a few days, but nothing quite like what's happening today.

Now, keep in mind, Sheena comes from a world with magical talking beasts, but she's never had anything like this happen to her before.

She's busy looking over her shoulder when she bumps into someone. Regaining her balance, she looks over the other person, concerned.

"I am so sorry! I wasn't paying attention." She pauses. "Umm, this is going to sound like a weird question, but are there mice behind me? And are they talking?"

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita paused in her own journey, looking carefully from the scene immediately behind Sheena back to the other woman.

"Er, yeah," she said. And then, at a sudden burst of confidence she added, "Now, what can I do to help? they're not bothering you, are they?"

Even if they weren't 'talking beasts', Nita could probably reprimand them if they weren't attending to their duties properly... and her mind quietly whirled about as the preposterousness of that thought hit her.

A Hundred-Year Nap | Valdis

[upshore]

Hooray. Shopping time. Miles tries to avoid shopping as much as possible, because he feels like it's a waste of time. It's not like he cooks, because he's still chilling at the Dreaming Bridge like a delinquent college student, but he does need to have some reasonably shelf-stable food to eat without giving it much thought as he works on a story.

An Arybar brushes past him, knocking him off-balance, and as Miles turns to swear at him, he stumbles backwards and scratches his arm on something. When he regains his balance, he glances at it - a spinning wheel. The wound's annoying, but not too much bother; the nanites will take care of it in about a minute. He looks from the scratch to the spinning wheel again, its spindle unusually sharp.

"Okay, who left this here? It's kind of dangerou--" His eyes suddenly roll back in his head and he collapses, darkness claiming him.

[redlightgreenlight]

It was an odd day when Valdis was assigned to patrol, even odder because she'd had words with the head detective about a case he was pursuing. A case she disagreed with. Still, getting out of the Sentry headquarters and wandering the city after the storm gave her precious insights to how the rebuilding was going. A call for the Sentry caught her and her partner's attention, and since they were the closest patrol, the two of them responded within moments.

"Stand back, please," the crowd parted before her, which still freaked her out a bit, but it had to be a lingering effect of the last story, "What happened?"

She paused, staring at the man on the ground with a blanket under his head. She glanced up at the spinning wheel, then back down. She knew this story.

"Oh, God," her tone implied that this was not a request for aid, but rather a form of swearing, something she rarely did in English. It took her several seconds to recover enough to demand help taking him to the White Sage Clinic. She was going to find another way to fix this if she had to pass the gates of Death to do it.

i like how she immediately assumes that this one's for her lol

[upshore]

No matter what, Miles doesn't wake or even stir when he's handled. It's like he's somewhere between 'comatose' and 'dead'. There's not even any nanite activity, which would have awoken him by now, purging whatever drug had been introduced to his system. The scratch hasn't healed.

Her partner Rikkan and a couple of other helpful bystanders provide assistance in taking him to the clinic, and he's admitted almost immediately.

When his vitals are checked, they're consistent with someone in a coma. His heartbeat is slow but steady, and he's breathing on his own.

What isn't normal, however, is the fact that a few minutes after he's been examined, brambles begin to rise up from the floor around his bed. Not many - not yet - but they're definitely there, and growing.

The Little Squidmaid | OTA

[squidiot]

Kai has had quite enough of water. After the drowned building last month and Sheena and Undine saving her tentacles, she's resolved to stay on high ground and far away from any type of water. She doesn't even want to drink anything, but does anyway when she feels herself getting dry.

One morning she wakes up from dreams about the sea, yawns, and swings her legs out of bed. Time for breakfast. Her knees give way suddenly and she falls over. Scowling, she pushes herself to her feet, and flops down again.

"Come on, legs!" she says. "I'm not that hungry!" She looks back at them, and pales. Instead of legs, she's got an emerald-green fish tail. "Ugh!" Not a usual shape for her, not even when she's messing with her friends back home. "Stop messing around!" She focuses on getting her legs back instead of this weird shapeshifting trick her brain's pulling on her from her dreams. Her legs stubbornly stay as a fish tail.

That's when she starts yelling. "Come on! Work! I don't need this inking stuff today!"

... When should the Sam-ness kick in for Nita, you think?

[unfavorableinstigation]

The yelling, in turn, woke Nita up. If Kai had mentioned the dreams, she might have found the water theme ironic. As it was:

"Uhhh, Kai? Hold on, let me-"

Nita fumbled for her Manual as she made for Kai's bed.

"What's going on?"

In terms of spontaneous shape change, this was a first.

Whenever!

[squidiot]

"I don't know!" Kai says, frustrated, and tries to change her legs back. Nothing doing; all that happens is that her fish tail flops around. She closes her eyes and tries to change shape into a squid, but it doesn't work. "Now I'm half a fish! I'm so sick of water!" She sounds a little nervous aside from being frustrated. I can't go in the water!

Qítiān Dàshèng | OTA, Pepper, X

[wrathfulkhan]

[1. Power Pole]
It's the staff that catches Gene's eye. He's looking for more sparring weapons for the dojo, and especially quarterstaves, since one of them broke on a training dummy. The kedan who'd done it had apologized profusely, and Gene had reassured her not only that it was perfectly all right, but that he was proud of her powerful swing.

This one won't be broken so easily. It appears to be made of iron, and it'll be useful for teaching the more advanced students to wield a real weapon if they so choose. The Castian warns him that it's extremely heavy, which Gene shrugs off. He'll be able to carry it; he's stronger than he looks.

When he lifts it with no problem, the Castian merchant gapes and exclaims that he must be very strong, since she could barely lift it herself. She's no willowy lady, either; she's heavily-muscled from a lifetime at sea. Gene looks at her, a little concerned. "You're not pulling my leg, are you?"

"No - here, let me show you." He passes the staff back to her, and it's clear that she's struggling with the weight. "I think it wants to be with you."

Gene takes the staff back, and it feels no different to him than any other metal staff he's ever held. It's only then that he notices that there are gold bands around each end of the staff.

You have got to be kidding me.

"This would be a lot easier to carry if it was smaller," he says, and as soon as the words are out of his mouth the staff shrinks to the size of a needle. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me."

[2. Broken Crown | Pepper]
Gene is sitting on the couch in the townhouse, staring with interest at the circlet he picked up in the market. The needle-sized staff is sitting next to it, as innocently as a magic staff can.

"This had better not be what I think it is."

[3. The Pilgrim's Progress | X]
Gene's not excited about this at all. In fact, he absolutely hates it. He'd loved the tale of Sun Wukong as a child, and fantasized about being as powerful as the Monkey King in order to defeat Zhang and bring his mother back, but he'd never actually wanted to be Sun Wukong. The Monkey King didn't do things the way Gene would, more bold and brash than Gene's measured, careful approach.

He's leaning against the wall in the dojo, eyes raised to the sky, the needle-sized staff tucked behind his ear. "What did I do to deserve this?" A lot, Gene. You have done a lot.

Gene we need to talk about your choices in jewelry

[lasergrenades]

As promised, Gene has been spending time at the townhouse with Pepper so that she's not alone. Tony, too, when he extricates himself from whatever his latest construction project is - it'll be good for his business, but someday he's going to have to learn how to take it a little bit easier. When pigs fly, maybe.

She's feeling marginally more energetic today and up to making tea herself, so she's the one carrying mugs of tea to the living room where Gene is settled. There is also a small plate of cookies balanced a little precariously on one arm, but she manages to put the mugs and plate down without spilling or breaking anything.

"Well, what do you think it is? Something from home?"

absolutely not

[wrathfulkhan]

"I'm pretty sure I know what it is," Gene says, picking up the mug closest to him, "and you're sort of on the mark."

He prods it with his free hand, like it's a snake and will bite him. "Are you familiar at all with the legend of the Monkey King? I wouldn't be surprised if you're not. Western education tends to focus on Greek and Roman myths."

The Pilgrim's Progress

[psituational]

There are a number of decisions X makes that morning that, if you asked him why he made them, he'd be completely unable to explain. The first is that he leaves his apartment without the coat he laid out the night before, tailored for and given to him by the Fool. The second is that he buys an outfit in the market that could best be described as the robes of a Buddhist monk, and puts them on. The third is that he goes to the dojo, a place he's never found himself outside of his fighting lessons with Valdis.

The result is that he's standing in the middle of the dojo, looking very regal and peaceful, and yet also completely and utterly confused.

Gene is there, however, and draws X's attention when he speaks. X, happy to latch onto something that actually makes a bit of sense, walks over to join him. "What did you do to deserve what?" X asks, leaning against the wall beside him.

[wrathfulkhan]

Gene's a little annoyed in general, so it takes him a second to come out of his stewing and realize that he's being addressed. When he looks up and sees X, though, a bit of confusion passes across his face, followed almost immediately by despair.

"Please tell me that you normally dress like that," he says, which is a weird way to begin a conversation.

Contractually Obligated Ham | Open + Valdis

[annihilist]

OPEN - Yes, it's That Van Helsing Film

Devin doesn't really dress up. With the exception of the masquerade, he wears plain and comfortable clothing that helps him disappear into a crowd. Getting noticed got you killed, so everything is dull colors and practicality.

It takes him two hours to realize that he's wearing the black coat he bought specifically for that masquerade. It has sufficient pockets, sure, and it's light enough that even in warmer temperatures he's fine, but-- Devin is not at all certain what compelled him to wear it out today. He barely remembers putting it on.

After a little pondering produces nothing but questions, he leaves the coat hung over the back of his chair and goes about his work. Hopefully no one will see Devin as he walks home. Only walking... has turned into something a little more akin to striding.

VALDIS

Devin had asked to meet with the researcher at night. This was, presumably, because he had to work during the day rather than any aversion to sunlight (even if he'd been skirting into the shadows for days now). The Ioduan Academy wasn't yet empty, as a number of classes were held in the evening, but there weren't many people on the paths or lounging on the grass as normal. Things had been returning to a normal pattern as they moved further and further in time from the storm.

So a tall figure, well-dressed in black stalking towards the science building would probably catch someone's attention - which had to be intentional. Devin did not let himself be seen if he did not wish to be. He simply didn't care. The researcher he wanted to see specialized in biolectric-feedback, which... was interesting. When Devin had found a research paper in the course of his work, he hadn't wanted to pass it up for some reason.

I make good life decisions

[redlightgreenlight]

The strange urge to hunt compounded with the letter that had appeared on her bedside table left Valdis feeling very confused. Vampires. Apparently there was one in the city, which she knew. The hunting him down and staking him, or whatever, was definitely new. Yet it felt like he was a threat, but Valdis didn't know to whom, since he'd never been one before. The hunt however, might lead to answers. Lacking stakes and silver, Valdis brought Revelations, it would probably do the job better than anything else.

His essence was easy enough to track, all the way to the Academy. The day had faded quickly, and though the grounds still had people around, there were few. A relief if this came to a fight, though she didn't know why it would come to a fight. The dark figure crossing the grounds caught her attention instantly, almost as if he wanted to be noticed, as if he was intentionally taunting her.

Don't we both lol

[annihilist]

He knew she was out there as soon as she drew near. It wasn't uncommon to run into Valdis, but her presence here this late at night should have stuck out. Should have, but didn't. Devin was practically expecting her, like a moth to a flame.

All the same, it was enough for him to slow his pace and eventually stop altogether as the path widened to a circle. In the middle stood a commemorative statue, lit from below. There he chose to stand, gaze downward as he read the plaque. A test, or an invitation?

Whoops a curse | Zephyr | open

[spiralpatterns]

the open part;

Look, Zephyr's minding his own business. He does that quite a lot. He's very good at it.

On this occasion he's just out at the markets -- errands, the many minutia that pile up when you have your own place -- and oh, all right, the neighbors needed something and he was going to be out anyway, and he's keeping an eye out for that ball the kid down the way lost, or a near facsimile... this is minding his own business, really.

He doesn't notice what's wrong at first, only that his right arm is a little stiff. And that's normal enough, sure, he holds it wrong all the time. But then his offhanded grin feels weird, and he catches sight of himself in an ornamented mirror and his right eye is wrong, and scales, scales--

Zephyr drops his grocery basket and bolts.

(He doesn't realize this, either, that his impulse to flee isn't entirely his own; and why would he? This is straight up terrifying. Away. Away from the bonds he's made, away from-- everything.)

[ooc; for clarity's sake, by all means feel free to try to stop him! his ultimate goal is away; friendly intervention wouldn't go amiss. may need to trip him, though.]

the X part;

So after all this, Zephyr gets home and-- he finds his mind a little cloudy. Even if there had been a good conversation, the sense that he needs to get away still looms, layered over and through his own quite frankly justified fears. He's got just enough presence of mind to snag his pack and start folding a few things into it. He's careless about the mess he makes while doing so -- speed is of the essence. He has to go before he hurts anyone.

whoops a help

[psituational]

Something pulls X home. He almost tries to fight it, because he's learned all too well what mysterious pulls and confusing decisions mean in this place, and especially in the last few days, but he knows the one time he ignores it will also be the one time someone is genuinely in danger. So in the end, he gives in.

And he's very, very glad he did.

He stops in the doorway, startled by more than one thing. The first is how Zephyr looks... different. Scaly. Animalistic, almost. There's something burned red onto his face and he's favouring his left arm while he packs. This might be because his right arm has gotten significantly bigger.

The second is that Zephyr is packing.

X stands his ground in the doorway, hands on the frame on either side, all gently and immovably placid. "No."

[spiralpatterns]

Leonne, give him patience--!

No. He has absolutely no right to be invoking the goddess's name here.

Zephyr stops for several moments, posture rigid, face turned away as though he can hide everything from X. "No, what?" he asks, as if he can't see that X is standing in the door. He gets the gist. He just thinks X is being stupid. Zephyr has to go, and he has to go right now. He shouldn't have even stopped to pack.

A Girl in Search of a Frying Pan | OTA, Pepper

[ninjainviolet]

[Let Down Your Hair: OTA]

The day starts normally for Sheena. Wake up, shower, dress (without shoes, though), have breakfast, feed the animals, but as the morning goes on, she starts to feel a pressure in her head. Not exactly a headache, but like there was a great weight being put on it.

Great, just what she needs: a pressure headache. Which really is no wonder with everything that's been going on and the lack of sleep accompanying it lately. Of course, she has nothing for a headache, and making that the first thing to do today, she steps out (still shoeless, as though it's totally normal for her) and closes the door. Or attempts to, as it decides to be difficult this morning.

Giving one final, hard yank, she manages, and takes one step before crying out in surprise as she's suddenly jerked back by the hair. She turns quickly, expecting to see a person, but finds that her own hair--which has grown considerably--is stuck in the door.

"Now, how the did that happen?"

Her tone doesn't make it clear if she's talking about the sudden hair growth or the trapping of said hair in the door--either way, she may need some help here.

[ Damsel in Distress?: Pepper ]

Oh, she's in trouble now.

After getting her hair free and finally being able to move about, Sheena had resumed her morning tasks. Normally, this would involve getting art supplies, as the dreary weather has been urging her to paint something sunny and light, but things weren't exactly plentiful in that regard.

Instead, she opted to give everyone an encouraging smile, hoping they hadn't lost their dreams in the storm and flooding as she offered them help with whatever they needed.

One person, however, didn't find too much encouragement in her smile. Instead, it made him angry.

"What're you laughing at? I oughtta wipe that smile right off your face."

Despite her attempt to be encouraging, Sheena is still Sheena, and her anger is quick to come to the surface.

"I wasn't laughing at you, you idiot! I was trying to see if you needed any help! It's called 'being friendly'! maybe you should try it some time!"

Yeah, he doesn't like that too much, either--and neither do a couple of his friends. As they start approaching her, she knows she's in trouble, but her hair makes it almost impossible for her to use the skills her Grandpa had taught her. Intending to keep them away from others, she continues backing up, letting them follow her until she feels safe enough to use her cards and not create a panic.

Suddenly, she feels a wall to her back and her hand drops down...

...on to a discarded frying pan.

"What...?" she asks, confused, as she begins to feel that this is right.

[lasergrenades]

Pepper has been simultaneously focused and very, very distracted lately. She has some cases to work on, and has been going about her duties to pursue them but a lot of her old habits from high school are back: sneaking around at night, going out alone, and generally using methods Not In The Playbook.

Her superiors would probably be more upset if she didn't manage to wrangle the bad guys by mostly-legal means anyway, but more and more the spirit of teenage vigilantism is roaring it's head. Looters and thieves are leaping on the advantage of damage from the storm to take yet more from people who have lost so much already. They're using suffering for their own gain, and she won't stand for it.

She's up on the roof scouting when she hears a disagreement beginning below, and a voice of someone she knows. Creeping to the edge, Pepper recognizes Sheena - albeit with very long hair - being backed into a wall. The redhead doesn't wait to act, reaching for her deck and her dueling gauntlet. The first card she draws is perfect, and Pepper draws on her Shadow magic with a fierce grin.

"I summon Achacha Archer, sign of attack!"

In a whirl of shadow, an armored archer appears between Sheena and the men threatening her. Immediately, the archer fires a flaming arrow at one of the men. It's a warning shot, catching clothing rather than flesh; the creature's target will suffer some slight burns, but nothing they won't recover from if they put it out quickly. The archer draws an other arrow and holds.

"Cornering a lady? You should know better," Pepper scoffs from above.