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seasonsgreetings2023-12-15 12:08 am
seasonsmods) wrote in seasonsgreetings2023-12-15 12:08 am
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Test Drive Meme #6
Test Drive Meme #6
LOGS | NETWORK | OOC | MEMES | NAVIGATION
You arrive in an unknown space, dressed in white clothes (player choice what kind of clothes, as long as they cover everything). Whatever was happening to you before no longer happens. It's like everything was put on a pause and you were transferred away from the situation without you realizing it happened.
The space that you find yourself in is one of these four options:
An empty landscape filled with snow and ice, almost like a blank canvas.
A field with cherry blossom trees and spring flowers.
A sunny beach near an ocean that seems never ending.
A quiet forest with falling autumn leaves.
All of the spaces seem to continue endlessly. No matter where or how far you walk it almost seems like you're not moving at all. There are no animals here - just those who happened to wake up there at the same time, in the same place. Everyone is wearing the same kind of plain, white clothes.
Despite the possible rollercoaster of emotions you might be feeling, the place somehow feels familiar. Like somehow you belong there.
And it looks like you're not alone.
After half an hour has passed the surroundings change as everyone is teleported into a room with all the other new arrivals, no matter what space they woke up in. It's a large place with plenty of seats to sit in and beverages to enjoy. Medical attention is offered to those who need it and the doctors here are very prepared for any challenging situations.
Here, in this room, everyone gets an answer to where they are and why. A hologram of a man appears at the center of the room, waiting to be heard. He brings a message on behalf of the leaders of Ellipsa.
The Message [ Click to Expand ]
Hello, my name is Olwen. I'm one of the leaders of Ellipsa as it currently is. I'm also one of the four who summoned you here.
Our world is in trouble and we need your help. I apologize for tearing you away from your world and forcing you to come here but I hope you understand. The magic we used doesn't let us ask in advance, nor does it let us choose who we bring here.
This world is composed of four Seasonal Segments. All of them represent one of the seasons. They were the places we used to get our resources from, but now they're dangerous places no one should go into unless they have the power to fight back. All of them have their own sets of powerful monsters and natural catastrophes.
We used to have plenty of people here who could control the powers of the four Seasons. We called them Seasonal Power Holders. Unfortunately, due to a tragedy you can read about later, we lost almost all of them. Now only four of us remain and the world is in chaos. We have done our best to protect the world, but we need more power holders to do that.
That's where you come in.
All of you have been assigned to one of the seasons. Whatever space you were in just now is what season you represent. You will learn different skills based on the season and those skills are going to help you save this world.
These powers don't interfere with your own natural powers. They use a new energy that has formed inside of you. It's harmless to your health, but it's vital to your seasonal powers. Your own powers should still work, even if the dark energy outside the city might interfere with them.
Unfortunately bringing you here wasn't as simple as it sounds. We couldn't do anything about how to keep you anchored to this world other than making a simple spell that helps with it. That is, you need to touch someone else who is not from this world ideally at least once a day. It will help you stay in control of your powers and boost your magical energy. If you don't, the consequences aren't very good. But as long as you hold someone's hand or give someone a handshake, you should be fine.
That's all I have to say about the situation. The staff of the Research Center will give you more information about housing and other necessary things. I will, however, promise that you will be sent home once the situation becomes better. That's the least we can do.
The hologram can be viewed in private in a separate room later, should someone wish to look at it again. For now, the staff of the Research Center hands everyone their new smartphones with their small flower lucky charms (the flower is anything the player decides). They're also told that the building next door is where everyone can find a room assigned to them with some of their belongings there and possibly even any animal companions. Those concerned about their mount-sizes companions are welcomed to the stables downstairs to see if their friends are there. The mounts are allowed to stay there until you find a place more suitable for them.
In the Arrival's hall there are also several stands with information pamphlets.
First type of stand is for the local Guilds and about the benefits or joining one.
Second type of stands is for the Welcome Center that aim to show otherworlders what the world is like and help guide people in the beginning of the journey and helps in getting settled into the new world. They even have people to help if you're unfamiliar with the new phones.
Third type of the stands is for The In Touch Support Group that is led by the Otherwordly Ambassador, Kamisato Ayato. The pamphlets have contact information for businesses looking to help Otherworlders. They also focus more on the lore of the World and what they have discovered so far, as well as a guide on what to think about when preparing to venture out to the Segments.
Once you get your smartphone and necessary information, you're urged to go out and find your apartment. After that whatever you want to do is up to you.
Part 3
The building next door is where everyone can find their new apartments. As you enter, you're told by a friendly native that for the first two months you can live anywhere rent-free and five meals a day are paid for you. After that they get a monthly payment that helps with some of their living expenses, but otherwise they have to have a job to support themselves.
All of the apartments are comfortable, two bedroom apartments with all necessary utilities. They are also completely soundproof. Sometimes the magic system, however, does glitch and you might find yourself rooming with a stranger. This is not the intention and the staff will immediately prepare you your own room if you ask them. But maybe having a roommate isn't all that bad?
In the Arrival's hall there are also several stands with information pamphlets.
First type of stand is for the local Guilds and about the benefits or joining one.
Second type of stands is for the Welcome Center that aim to show otherworlders what the world is like and help guide people in the beginning of the journey and helps in getting settled into the new world. They even have people to help if you're unfamiliar with the new phones.
Third type of the stands is for The In Touch Support Group that is led by the Otherwordly Ambassador, Kamisato Ayato. The pamphlets have contact information for businesses looking to help Otherworlders. They also focus more on the lore of the World and what they have discovered so far, as well as a guide on what to think about when preparing to venture out to the Segments.
Once you get your smartphone and necessary information, you're urged to go out and find your apartment. After that whatever you want to do is up to you.
The building next door is where everyone can find their new apartments. As you enter, you're told by a friendly native that for the first two months you can live anywhere rent-free and five meals a day are paid for you. After that they get a monthly payment that helps with some of their living expenses, but otherwise they have to have a job to support themselves.
All of the apartments are comfortable, two bedroom apartments with all necessary utilities. They are also completely soundproof. Sometimes the magic system, however, does glitch and you might find yourself rooming with a stranger. This is not the intention and the staff will immediately prepare you your own room if you ask them. But maybe having a roommate isn't all that bad?
The whole city of Nightwake has completely gotten into holiday season. Christmas exists in Ellipsa, but it's just a celebration of winter spirits and a chance to exchange presents with your loved ones. Things like Santa Claus do exist, but they're not as important in Ellipsa traditions. The most important thing about Christmas, for Ellipsa natives, is being together with someone you truly care about and watching the Christmas lights.
Due to the holiday spirit, some of the cleaning related machines have started cleaning on their own, especially in the Starter Apartment Building. It's not weird to see a roomba entering an apartment through someone's dog door or a vacuum cleaner to knock on the door to enter. Natives will tell anyone wondering what's going on that this is perfectly normal and they should just let them do their job.
Some machines are, however, a little too eager and will try to clean even people, unless they've been to the shower that day.
Any items lost during the cleaning frenzy can be found from the Lost and Found of the Research Center - or they're potentially returned to the wrong apartment completely.
Along with holiday decorations different sized and shaped mistletoes have appeared all around the city. A good part of them are actually just normal mistletoes that you can just ignore and continue, but some of them are magical plants.
Mistletoes will use various methods to trap someone under them. Some grow vines to grab the person (magically infused, very difficult to break), some form a barrier around them that allows another to walk in but no one to walk out. There are even methods still unknown (make your own)! So it's definitely recommended that people use caution when passing a mistletoe.
The regular way of getting out of a mistletoe's hold is to kiss someone. Even platonic kisses count, so there's no need to force oneself to do mouth to mouth action. Another less known method - that the natives will tell people about - is to dance a little dance for the mistletoe; there's usually enough room inside a barrier, or the vines are loose enough, to let someone dance!
Another type of mistletoe is a roaming mistletoe that stubbornly follows someone who very much wants to kiss someone, but for some reason won't. The mistletoe will be waiting for them when they walk outside or appear out of nowhere when the person is talking to someone. It can only be chased away by actually kissing the person they want to, so even kissing a random person doesn't help this one.
CW/TW: Hanahaki Disease
Some of the mistletoes have a less pleasant effect (they're extremely rare). Those caught under one of them and who have something they need to confess to someone (may it be romantic or platonic) will be inflicted with the Hanahaki disease. They will be coughing up flowers that have started to grow inside them due to the secrets they're hiding. It's a painfully slow process.
Best way to cure the disease is to confess whatever it is they have on their heart. After that the flowers will start to disappear and everything can return to normal.
Other methods are getting a spring power holder to lift the disease off them, make a potion out of the hanahaki flowers and flaming ginger roots (found from the Summer Segment, near the Temple of Life) or surgically removing the source. All of these methods, however, will make the person lose all of their emotions for the next 24 hours.
During the winter holidays there's plenty to do in the city. Various workshops have been set up in every district. The goal of these workshops is to make all districts look as close to Christmas as possible, even the ones that are in the middle of summer. They're looking for creative ways to celebrate the festival and are always looking for help to make their wishes come true.
All the districts also have an ice rink built to them. They're magical, so even the heat of Solarpeak won't melt them. Skating in one of these ice rinks will make different colors appear around the skater. All the colors are somehow related to the skater and make beautiful art in the air (e.g. rainbows, whirlpools, flowers, animals). These colors don't have any other magical properties and will fade away after a while.
Those who skate together will find their colors mixing together. The more balanced the color mix is, the better relationship they have. This works even if there are more than two skaters having fun together. Those who are in love with each other will find their colors intertwining together into different kind of lines and ribbons.
It's a common rumor that if the colors turn into gold, silver or platinum instead of just mixing together, the couple skating is destined to be together.
If a relationship is rocky or either one of them has doubts about the other, the colors may completely disappear when they're close together in the rink. The colors will return again once some distance has been taken.
Christmas is largely a holiday for families and couples. That's why all the natives are excited to hear that there will be a Wedding for two otherworlders soon. That's why a lot of shops are doing promotions for any couples that enter them (even sometimes mistaken two friends as a couple). They're also excitedly making different wedding themed charms that will make the person dream about their dream wedding when it's put under a pillow (or if they don't have a dream wedding, they will dream otherwise pleasant dreams).
It's a great tradition to kiss under a Christmas tree. Those who do this will find a present appearing next to them. This present will have a pair of lockets that have pictures of each other in them. The locket will vibrate and the pictures will change its expression any time the person has an emotional crisis.
Those who are loners, or just don't have anyone to call their own, will be able to enjoy the holidays in their own special cabins filled with familiar scents and colors, located on any districts. They are, of course, welcome to invite friends over to enjoy it as well - and if one thing leads to another, that's a very good bonus.
Another important day to celebrate is the start of the New year. These celebrations, as well as the winter holiday ones, tend to continue far into January, as the natives find the atmosphere soothing and a great way to start an entirely new year.
Most important new year tradition is the Fireworks show. Booths have been set up for people to create their own fireworks. These fireworks will explode in the skies with the chosen colors and shapes (a picture, some text, anything really). All the person has to do is create the design they want and choose their colors. These fireworks will be sent to the skies on midnight when the year changes.
Those who create fireworks will receive a blessing for the new year that will let them regain one item from home/a previous world (works like a normal, non-magical regain would). Those who don't know what they want will be able to receive a random item that has been in their possession at any point. This item will appear near wherever they happen to be when the fireworks are set off, so after midnight in the new year.
Of course, there's plenty of food and drinks to go around everywhere, and most of them are even free. Some may even find their favorite dish among the various dishes available.
- Mistletoes (at least a good chunk of them) and all the Ice Rinks will be available until the end of January. Mistletoes are hard to control so not all of them can be taken down easily - and the ice rinks are just fun to have around. Some other traditions can also be still done during January, even if they might not be as powerful after New Year.
- Sawyer, the Autumn Guild Leader, is still missing, so the atmosphere around the Autumn Guild is a less cheerful one, unfortunately.
- Ask your questions related to the TDM here.
- The TDM is available only to friends of the mods and their friends. If you want to play in the TDM, please leave a note here to inform us who invited you over. We will get to you as soon as possible.
- Test Drive is open for current characters to make a top level as well. New characters can add TDM on their subject line to indicate they're new!
- Current characters cannot access the starting area again to meet new arrivals. They can, however, be at the Research Center when the newbies are teleported in.
- The TDM is game canon so anything in the TDM can happen for your character(s) in the game as well.
- Smut is not allowed on the TDM. You can play situations leading to it, but if the thread is turning into smut, please move it to a private space such a post in your character's journal, or a locked post in the game's log community if you decide to app!
- Check Locations: City to find more areas to explore inside the city. Every place in the districts are open.
- Similarly, Locations: Segments is useful for outdoors adventures.
- You can find monsters to encounter on Beastiary.
- FAQ has information on characters' smartphones as well as general things about the world that might be handy.
Gan Ainm | Original | Winter
[Going from a land of eternal summer to a realm of what seemed to be an endless winter was a bit jarring. A little bit. A teensy bit. The sudden change of wardrobe didn't help in the least bit either. It's such a damn whirlwind of confusion for him that at least for a time, he simply stood there in that silent white snowy void, trying to get a single thought to make a lick of sense to him. No movement, not even a flicker. Eventually though, it was the cold that forced him to budge rather than actual sense. It was nothing short of a mercy when he (and others, as he was soon to find with an almost uncomfortable measure of excitement) would suddenly find themselves elsewhere. Not a very questioning sort, apparently, the newest change didn't seem to impact him quite as much as seeing people.
There is no interest in food or drink, but then again that might make sense considering the thick, rusty red gruesome stitches keeping the deathly white specter's lips tightly shut. No he's far more interested in everyone else, apparently content to sit there and stare enraptured at literally anyone. This isn't uncomfortable, right? Totally normal, nothing to worry about here.]
2. Kissmass
Part 1
[Just let the cleaning machines do their job. This is normal, don't worry about it. Well, he was definitely letting them do their job, and he certainly wasn't worried.
He is following one vacuum cleaner in specific though, and god knows for how long he'll actually bother listening to the part where he was told to let them do their job. But it's so interesting! It's moving all on its own! Like a little person! No he's not going into apartments, don't be silly, he doesn't have permission for that. But he will be outside every single door that vacuum stops in front of, waiting patiently like an excited dog and looming like a nine foot tall crow.]
Part 1.5
[Update: he has bothered the vacuum and the consequences of his actions have arrived. The automatic cleaner is full of pitch black feathers, dead leaves and dried up flower petals, and he's been forced (against his will!!!!) to fight back. Less because of the feathers. More because all that outrageously long hair has gotten tangled up in the rug beater.
He'll be on the floor, miserably but patiently attempting to extricate his hair from the still occasionally whirring vacuum.]
Part 2
[Mistletoe! Is he aware of the tradition? Maybe! Possibly! Not that it matters because even if he was, no part of the tradition involved getting stuck in a bunch of vines. He's really tried just about everything at this point to get out, but when you've got two extra limbs and a big ol' rack of antlers, that's just one too many anchor points to fight with. It's almost comical, he looks like a deer that got stuck in a soccer goal net.
Ask for help? Well, he'll try. Someone is gonna get snagged, he's got quite a long reach after all and he doesn't want to be here all goddamn night.]
kissmas part 2
[On the one hand, Evangeline is genuinely sympathetic to the plight of people stuck underneath the mistletoe, especially those who look like they don't understand why.
On the other hand, nine foot tall with extra limbs and antlers?? Hot???
Evangeline approaches fearlessly in all of her five foot two-ness.]
I've gotta kiss you to get you loose, but you're a little tall for me to reach...
[Yes, she could just kiss his hand and that would work, but that's not as fun.]
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It took a little effort, with each vine creaking and straining against the effort, but slowly but surely he managed to pull himself downwards for her in a slow, obliging bow. It didn't look too uncomfortable, seemed like the mistletoe was in some way aware of precisely why it was being pulled on now.
A kiss on the lips he imagined might be a bit uncomfortable for some though, now that he really considered it. How pleasant would it actually be to press one's lips up against the 'thread' that kept his mouth shut? Not very he was sure, and he couldn't just ask someone to bare that sensation for his sake. It was a problem easily, if only temporarily fixed; a single tap of a clawed finger against the corner of his lips would see the ruddy filament seemingly dissolve suture by suture, until only the specter's bloodless white skin was visible. Much better, he beckoned gratefully if somewhat sheepishly at her with a small smile.]
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There we go.
[Without hesitation, she kisses him. It's a chaste kiss - they are total strangers, after all - but there isn't a hint of fear or discomfort in it.]
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Now, with both hands freed, he can actually communicate, lifting both to gesture. Though the motions themselves had no connection to any modern form of sign language, their movements would still communicate the message sharp and clear; the spell a simple, but powerful one as the words wove themselves together.]
That was greatly appreciated. I apologize, for any inconvenience. You did not need to do that.
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Oh, no, no inconvenience at all! I'm always happy for the opportunity to kiss a handsome - fairy?
[It's a guess, but an informed guess. There's no hesitation or embarrassment in her words either - he's cute and she got to smooch him, A+, would kiss again.]
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Yes, I am indeed. You are very kind, to offer compliments so freely. That too, I appreciate, you need not have done that either.
Perhaps though,
[He motioned towards the mistletoe, now hanging innocently like it had been before, the liar,]
It would be prudent to remove these? Lest someone less fortunate than I stumble into one, and find themselves without a hero to kiss.
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Oh - that's not a bad idea. I don't actually know who's been hanging these up... I know it's a holiday tradition though.
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[That's... well alright he can't really judge. It's kind of funny, he'll give it that much. He'd probably think it was a little funnier if it hadn't been him, but he'd still have suggested taking them down all the same!]
It doesn't seem particularly deadly, that much I will grant it. I've certainly seen far more deadly tricks and traditions.
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[That sort of thing doesn't embarrass her at all.]
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... He can't do it.]
Well, I am sure there are some out there that would find the prospect of a kiss highly objectionable.
[Even though he does not look convinced in the slightest, but we're doing empathy as best we can right now and if he tries really hard he can at least conjure up the idea of a person who'd be like that!]
Perhaps it would be better to just wander the streets for a while until the mistletoe is gone. So that none are left trapped.
[That does, in fact, mean someone is going to be getting a kiss from him and the jury is out on whether he'll remember to apply a glamour or not. Pray for them.]
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[She would happily smooch him un-glamoured so no one else should be complaining about the help, clearly.]
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[The response comes easily and quickly. You know, as if it's normal to completely forget what you were doing the very second you left the house. Just another Tuesday afternoon?]
I was out to do something. Perhaps I was bored. Were that the case, anything would be worth spending my time doing, why not this?
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Kissmas Part 1.5
It's a lost cause, you know. Let me help.
[He unsheathes one of the shortswords at his hip... say goodbye to your long hair, Gan Ainm! Unless you can somehow communicate that that's not an acceptable option to you.]
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But uh no he didn't actually have time for any of that no please not the hair not the HAIR- He gestured frantically, before going to gather everything, vacuum included, right up into his lap, dark eyes as wide as saucers.
NO. NO. PLEASE HAVE MERCY.]
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Oh, come on. It'll grow back--
[Hold on. He stops. He recognises this face (though it looked healthier back then... for a start, there were no stitches in places they really shouldn't be in!). Yes, now that he looks closely, these tree-like antler, shining dark eyes, and soft deer-like ears are unmistakable.]
...
Oengus?
[What happened to you? The fae was so cheerful and full of innocent joy, back during his first stay on Ellipsa, playing claw machine games and rescuing weird mutant sharks from vending machines. Who the hell stitched his mouth shut?]
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Oengus, that was a name he was sure he knew... It wasn't his name, not his Name, but one of them, wasn't it? It was a name. The specter on the floor swayed faintly like an old, rotting tree, wracking his mind for any memory of the man in front of him as the look of confusion began to descend towards that of frustration, his brows furrowing as he finally released that stupid vacuum to pick at the ruddy stitches on his mouth in anxiety.
Soon, even this faded, resignation slowly taking its place. With his hands freed, he'd motion, and with their movement words formed, bright and clear as a bell.]
Forgive me. You know me, but I fear I can no longer say the same.
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...
Don't worry. I have no idea how much time has passed for you, but you were in this world before, about half a year ago, going by local time. Maybe it was another timelines' "you". We spent some time together then. My name's Toshirou Hijikata.
[Damn, getting his hair out of the vacuum cleaner is a serious struggle... he ends up picking the machine up (careful not to pull Oenus' hair).]
Let's go to your apartment. You have one assigned, right? It should have a tool box. I'll need to unscrew this thing so we can get your hair free. And once that's done, we'll find a doctor who can undo these stitches.
[Something that really gives Hijikata chills is the complete lack of blood or swelling on Oengus' lips, indicating that the thread has been in place for a good long time. How has he been eating and drinking? Why'd anyone do this to him in the first place? He can feel anger boiling inside him. How could anybody hate a sweet person like Oengus enough to do something like this to him?!]
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[He couldn't believe that one, he'd been within the grove for countless centuries now. The sword is gone though, and his shoulders relax now that his hair is no longer on the literal chopping block. Sure it would grow back, but he'd look even worse in the mean time!!!
The vacuum does not so easily give up it's prisoner though, they'll definitely need some tools to take the poor thing apart. He'd be more upset about this if it wasn't, you know, eating his goddamn hair, some things were just more important than a cute little automatic vacuum cleaner. With a sigh, he went to stand with him, looking both remorseful and apologetic.]
I do. I am very sorry for the inconvenience, Toshirou.
[He's never been to Japan, he has no idea the last name is said first, and he's going to keep calling him that until otherwise corrected! As for the remark about the stitches though, one hand immediately flies to his mouth, clamping over the fairy's stitched lips as he shakes his head.
No, and a vehement one at that, with no oncoming explanation as to why either.]
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Time works differently here. Just the other month a kid I know died and was reborn from her flower after five days, but she lived through thirty years or so in her homeworld in the meantime. She's older than me now. In any case this isn't an inconvenience!
[It's much more serious than that! Someone abused Oengus back in his homeworld, and Hijikata isn't going to stand for it. He'll get him whatever help he needs-- wait, did he just say 'No'? He stops and looks at him.]
You can't possibly want to keep your mouth stitched up. That has to feel awful. How've you even been eating?
[They really should keep moving and get that vacuum cleaner unscrewed already...]
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[What, for real? He stares at Hijikata for a moment, trying to decide whether or not the man was joking. Using a metaphor? Was this an analogy? People don't die and just come back like it's nothing, not like that anyway. He's not entirely sure what to think about that or indeed if it was even meant literally or not, and he's not really trying to disguise the confusion and curiosity either, one ear cocked with the other flicked upwards like a confused dog.]
She died and then returned home? Is that how one might leave this world?
[Well, that was kind of how death worked anyway... He nodded though, vehement.]
Food is no longer as necessary as it once was. I will not pass so easily over such a trivial matter.
[You know, eating food. A classically trivial thing! He doesn't look concerned at all though.]
I soak what can be broken apart and diluted into my drink, if I wish to taste something again. The stitches will remain, they must never be removed. It is the only way to ensure none shall meet the same fate that I have. It has been thus for centuries now, and so it shall be until I wither and return to dust.
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...
That's miserable. I don't want you to live on just soup and soggy bread water.
[It really hurts him to see Oengus like this, and while he wants to respect his wishes, it's a struggle for him to accept the situation. He's been like this for centuries. Centuries! Given that extreme time frame, he reckons that Oengus can indeed endure it for a few moments longer and resumes the task at hand, letting the fae guide him the rest of the way to his apartment. With the tool kit located, they can finally have a seat on the couch with the vacuum cleaner. As he unscrews it, he asks the main question on his mind:]
What happened to you? Please tell me. I want to understand.
[Otherwise, I won't be able to accept this.]
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[That wasn't sarcasm, he was quite serious. Food and drink had become quite unnecessary as he'd aged, something he indulged in for the sake of pleasure than necessity now. To simply put it off until Hijikata wasn't around to see it, or to never speak of the matter again, was quite easy to do! It was also not really the problem in this current situation, but the chance was pretty good that he wasn't entirely aware of that.
He guided the other man to his room, allowing him to hunt down the tool kit as he settled down on the couch, vacuum cleaner still clutched to him. He'd only offer it up when Hijikata was properly settled, watching with no small degree of fascination as the machine was dismantled.]
It was an accident.
[This moment in time he still remembered as clear and as sharp as it had happened, at least. He knew it had been an accident, he knew there was no one to blame.]
I ventured too far, too deep. I found something there, that should have never been seen. Just as rotten food causes illness, and a cough does spread disease, so too can tainted knowledge sicken those who receive it. With similarly communicable results.
[He tapped the stitches, smoothing over one rusty 'thread'. There was no hint of filaments in there, no sign of braided fabric that would denote it as actual thread. It was too smooth for that, too uncomfortably giving when he pressed a clawed finger against them, as soft as skin.]
Unbidden, I could let slip this plague; I may no longer control what words my mouth and tongue craft, and the desire to spread this blighted knowledge is all consuming. So I formed a thread that would never yield to blades or claws, and bound myself to silence.
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An accident. Forbidden knowledge that corrupted something in Oengus, forcing him to spread it across the world - had he not taken such drastic measures to suppress that effect. For a long moment, Hijikata is silent as he continues detangling and rudimentarily cleaning the long black hair.]
...
[Gradually, his hands' movements slow down as the ache in his chest gets overwhelming again. He lets go of the task, instead gently taking Oengus' face in his hands, running a thumb over one of his ears. He can't be this physical with many people without feeling apprehensive and unsure of himself, but with him, he trusts that his feelings - in this case, his sadness and sympathy - will be understood.]
I wish this hadn't happened to you. You didn't deserve to be struck by such misfortune. I'm not going to get my hopes up, but let's try to investigate our options here, alright? Maybe, just maybe, there's a way to at least make things easier on you, if not to remove this affliction.
...
[After a moment of hesitation he takes him in his arms for a hug. It's terribly rare for him to do this, too, but how fleeting is their time together? Previously, Oengus disappeared after... a month or two? Hijikata doesn't even know anymore. So he wants to hold him and provide him (or himself?) with some comfort while he still can.]
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He wasn't expecting very much from the other man aside from this, despite the offer to help cut the threads. After all, he couldn't remember a thing about him, what was there to expect? It was clear something had been here once, and the emptiness left by it's loss was painful. But it was a familiar one at this point, too accustomed was he now to staring at pictures or holding baubles and trinkets that no longer had any meaning to them. So when the other man reached to cup his face, he almost started in surprise, both ears snapping forward as he looked away from the knotted mess in the vacuum.
Ah, no he did not miss what was being communicated here, and an expression of sadness, of exhaustion, almost instantly fell across his face. What was their relationship like, he wondered? Before he'd clearly left here, and lost all memory of it? What had happened between them? A dusty, almost wheezing sigh slipped free, lifting his hands for a moment not to sign, but to clasp at the ones that rested on his face now, the fairy's skin cold to the touch in spite of the warmth of the room. Just for a moment, just to indulge in the feeling of being touched. At length, he'd have to move them away again to speak of course, which he did with resignation.]
There is no reason not to try. If nothing else, perhaps we could find a way to render the stitches no longer necessary.
[What could be the harm in it, after all? There was nothing that could be done at home, he'd accepted what was to him, an inevitability. He'd not the will nor the desire to just shoot down whatever hope Hijikata might be holding on to that this might be fixed either, there was simply no need for that. The hug was as unexpected as the touch, and while he stiffened in surprise, it was very brief. It was with noticable restraint that he went to return the embrace after a moment, the faint tremble in the fairy's arms and hands betraying just how badly he wanted to fling his arms about the other man and drag him into a crushing, desperate hug. Apparently, aside from illness, he'd also developed a sense of some goddamn decorum during his time away; the embrace was tender and warm, and most importantly gentle. As if he were trying to soothe and comfort the mortal man in return.]
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