logsinthenight | EVENT LOG: HUNGER AND THIRST

Entry tags:

EVENT LOG: HUNGER AND THIRST

characters: everyone.
location: around beacon.
date/time: september 19-30.
content: some new friends - or enemies? - seek offerings, and offer something in return
warnings: memories may involve violence, death, grotesque body horror. please cw as appropriate.

pining for the things i could have been.

Recently, the forest spirits have been agitated. The crooners, those that remain, chatter noisily and strut with purpose. The lunch lady hunches over their station and holds claws to their face, miming peering through dense brush. The skunk judge murmurs about the ones from the countryside. Word has passed beyond the reaches of Beacon's light - there are people in town, and they are mostly good this time. These lantern-bearers have lasted longer than most. They may even want to help.

Seems these spirits will have to see these people with their own eyes, and test those rumors themselves.

For the first two prompts below, please feel free to NPC spirits yourselves. However, if you prefer, you may post your toplevel under the MOD-CONTROLLED SPIRITS header and we will do our best to drop in and out with interactions as time permits. These are not intended to be one-on-one threads with spirits written by the mods, and you will likely not always want to wait for a mod reply at every step and may find yourself doing some minor NPCing all the same, but we will do our best to keep up with you and your thread partners who tag in!

In that header, please specify whether you want a friendly or antagonistic spirit, or if you want a surprise, you can always say "surprise me!"

ALL MY JOYS.

You come home to find spirits in your wardrobe, with socks on their hands and pants tied in daisy chains from wall to wall. Abruptly they squeak and dive for cover, or crash through windows in their attempts to escape. They steal things that are yours, only for you to find them days later, floating in the lake or buried in the greenhouse. Can you chase them down alone? Maybe you need some help.

Not all spirits are so troublesome. Maybe you turn up at The Landmark kitchen to find that one spirit has already gotten the coffee pot started - well, except it has poured instant cheese powder from a box of easy mac into the pot. But at least it's trying to help! Maybe you can show it how the machine works. Others wind up at Solis's labs where they thumb rapidly through books and peck at computer keys, and more than one takes samples from the shelves and shoves them in your face. Did you need this alien foot in a jar? No?

A pack of roving... branches? crawls around town. They have no mouths with which to speak, but instead vibrate and clack their many tangled limbs together. They grow in number and size, making a thicket of live wood that bars you from a doorway, completely fills up a section of the tunnels under the town - or makes an impromptu and convenient bridge, if you think that climbing on someone's limbs is appropriate. Is it?

Largely these spirits seem neutral, even benign. Confused. They might ask for your help, or try their best but they struggle to communicate even more than the usual forest spirits do. They have no sense of what your personal space is, though, and more than one will reach for a lantern to bring it closer and investigate. Awfully uncomfortable, so what are you going to do about it?

ALL MY GRIEF.

At any moment, the above interactions can go south fast if you meet the wrong spirit. The one who took your lantern? Decides to run off with it, leaving you gasping for air and with very few options if you are to survive. The branches constrict and crush you, or drop you suddenly in the river. Are they here to harm you, or just to test your limits?

Others will be malevolent no matter what. The scrapyard dog snarls and pulls at its chain as it watches the thing that stalks and hunts. A small herd of soft, wooly spirits crouch low to the ground, whimper and pant as if sick or starving, only to turn on you with vicious teeth once you seem invested in assisting. Better hope you have someone nearby who can help you fend them off. Or is it better to try to distract them and make an escape? Will they be convinced to stand down, or will they wear your face as a new mask?

ALL MY BONES.

You are directed by the local spirits to the dense curtain of trees where torchlight fades to darkness. The ones you are familiar with hang back, but nod for you to continue ahead alone, or with a friend or two if you prefer. The more people who go together, the stronger the connection - as indicated by the spirits grabbing at your hands and linking them together, and giving a very serious nod. Bring your offerings whether they be food, stories, gifts, or memories of your own, and hope they are sufficient. Place them on the forest floor, or hold them out to the air. The new spirits will find you, they promise; this is not a trick. Make yourselves comfortable on the damp, mossy ground and wait for the sound of footsteps in the leaf litter.

For this prompt, you are welcome to describe your arrival to the site if you like, but all that is required is a comment with the names of the people involved, and the offerings you bring. Characters can make multiple offerings and visit multiple spirits as many times as they wish.

Afterward, a spirit will lead you back to Bonfire Square and encourage you to tell others what you've learned from your new guests. No fair keeping the goods to yourself alone!

LEFT IN THE LONG NIGHT.

After connecting with spirits, you are led back to the bonfire, to recover and recuperate from the joining of hearts, minds, and memories. You will find yourself weary, in a way the flames seem to help. The glow of the campfire is comforting, tempting. It might be difficult not to fall asleep or try to draw others into enjoying the comforting lull of crackling firewood along with you.

The weariness does fade, after some time around the fire. You're not the only one resting from the experience in the glow of firelight — and there's likely things you've seen to share. Ideas and memories and pieces and figments of past to fit into place like puzzle pieces. Now is a good a place as any to share it, isn't it?

Lastly, those that approach a spirit in tandem will find an unseen consequence. A link between them that isn't so easily shaken by a short stay at the fireside. Characters will find that feelings and sensations seem to move from one to the other without warning. Fear, anger, mourning, resentment, joy, love. Touching makes the link stronger, but even distance isn't enough to stop it. Did you want to share night terrors, even a mile apart? Or to taste coffee, even though you're in the middle of brushing your teeth? Well, too bad. The effects will last for two weeks, whether you like it or not.

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Cao Pi's step falters briefly. "Has it been that long...?" Thinking, thinking...yep, that much time has gone by. What a gut-punch. Have they done much? Well, that bit with the rescue at the station was definitely something. He shakes himself alert and stretches his stride to catch back up.

"All things considered, a drink and a game is all I'm capable of right now." His hand loosely resting on the pommels of his paired swords tightens a little. "I'm not a fan of putting things off but if I cannot even keep my wits long enough to protect my own lantern, I should not be attempting anything more strenuous than beating you at Go."

"We can always talk long-term plans over wine and Go, anyway. Until the wine gets the best of us. I promise to drink more that my share to keep things even."

Although it's dark and he's leading the way, the smirk is probably pretty obvious in his voice alone as he makes that last comment. Given his larger size, he does need a larger handicap - but it's also totally one of those rare moments where he's willing to make a dig at someone and joke that he's better at something than they are. Really only because he knows Cao Pi well enough by now to tease him.

Oh it be like that, huh? Cao Pi snorts quietly. "I feel like you're getting more out of my gift than I am sometimes. I can't imagine how the resupply would go if you drank that much normally."

A rustle in the leaves behind him makes him halt in his tracks and whirl around, hand on sword but not drawing yet. Their little friend is sneaking along after them, a tuft of fur can be seen waving slightly over the top of a bush. A moment's staring seems to be enough to keep it from advancing any further but now Cao Pi has to hustle to catch up again.

Though it doesn't take Rosinante too long to notice, and pauses to give Cao Pi an easier time of it. Besides, he wants to look, too.

"Wonder if spirits like wine," he says with a chuckle. "If you get it drunk, it probably can't steal anything."

Or maybe it will gain superpowers, because really who knows with these guys.

Yeah uh let's not accidentally make things worse rather than better. "I would rather not risk it," he snorts as he falls back into step with Rosinante. "They're already bothersome with their antics, I can only envision worse, not better." Though, now they've come this far without being attacked, he's getting ideas, even if his vigilance hasn't relaxed. He tips his head up to secretively suggest, "If it follows us back to town, I should like to give it something more to eat. But if it comes for our lanterns again, I cannot risk another chase."

He's been chasing spirits all week, he's tired.

"Yeah, I was thinking, if it followed that whole way it might be all right. I'd rather have it fat and happy than out stealing lanterns from people. We can show it some kindness."

And maybe risk it doing similar antics for more treats, but hopefully they learn quickly that if people die, they don't get given trail mix. That seems like a pretty basic lesson, or so he hopes.

Before too much longer, they reach the edge of the forest - the trees are just thin enough here, finally, where the glow of the bonfire and torches peek between the trunks. Thank goodness for the compass.

That would have gone much worse without the compass, Cao Pi is inwardly rather grateful that he lucked out on just who was there at the right time. He's too tired for a lot of things, including thinking up a safe way to navigate back from the depths of the forest after chasing spirits. Yet again he finds himself eternally grateful that Rosinante even exists here...

"We can pass by the shop on the way back to the Invincible. If..."

He pauses to look around. Their little shadow is still behind them, keeping the exact same distance even as they approach the return of light. Cao Pi chances it and gestures for the spirit to come closer, inviting it to join them rather than just trail them. So long as it doesn't turn on them now, it'll find him much more friendly than he was watching the pinpoint light of his lantern receding through the trees.

If... what? Rosinante almost asks, but then turns to look when Cao Pi does.

There, the fuzzy spirit eyes them cautiously and hesitates when beckoned. Which is reasonable, Rosinante figures - so while he keeps a hand on the strap that carries his lantern and supplies, the other hand turns palm out, well away from his holstered pistol.

The spirit gives another sniff and then a gargled chirp, a head bob, then arches its neck and huffs several times until - ah. A regurgitated, fully intact almond sits in the center of its tongue, now, as its mouth opens wide.

Rosinante almost laughs. "Food," he confirms, then points toward the bonfire. "Come with us."

Is that a party trick? The emperor is not amused, though he clamps down on his reaction entirely and just turns to go with it. It's better to show than tell when he can't speak the language as well as others. He eases his hand off the sword hilt and slides his elbow onto it, instead, to remove any sense of threat, and then tips his head in encouragement to get the spirit to follow them thataway, to the store.

"I'm sure they're like us, and only eat for pleasure," he notes, "but even so, let's hope this doesn't give them all the idea to raid the shop for treats. Yes, come along, now," he adds briskly to the spirit. "We will find you something much more interesting than my lantern."

"I guess we do actually need to if we don't, say, sleep," he says with a shrug. "Have you ever seen a spirit sleeping? Maybe they do need to eat?"

Or maybe they just don't need any of it. It seems likely to him that the forest spirits are so far gone they don't even need to pretend to do the things that would sustain life. Truly eating for pleasure only, along with... the other things they seem to find entertaining. The club had been eye-opening the first time he poked his head inside.

He wants to say yes, but no specific examples come immediately to mind, so Cao Pi decides not to say anything if he's not sure. Maybe Rosinante is right. "At the very least, it'll keep it occupied for a while and less prone to pranking anyone. If prank it was," he adds dubiously. No one knows why the spirits who've come from deep in the forest are so into nicking things both useful and not. As a population they're pretty obsessed with thievery in all forms.

The shop looks like a few of them have already been in to sniff around and ransack, but there are still plenty of supplies. Cao Pi knows what to look for - anything salty or sweet in the little colorful individual packages. Things he hates and refuses to eat, but everyone else loves. It won't take anything from himself and will probably be very pleasing to their guest. Win-win! Now, what will this particular furball like?

Was it a prank? Maybe it was just a way to grab their attention, like a spoiled child. In which case, it sure worked.

He stumbles his way into the shop and knocks over a shelf full of canned goods as he tries to right himself, and sighs as he sets about putting them all back into place. "There's canned peaches in syrup," he says as he discovers a few cans, and sets them up on top of the shelf. "It likes sugar."

"Not the kind you need a tool to open, I hope?" There's probably a spare can opener laying around here too, tools don't get snapped up nearly as frequently as food and clothing, but Cao Pi has fought losing battles with cans before and that's why he usually shies away from them. He has a bag of chips and a granola bar, and starts by offering them both to the spirit. If it likes sugar, then maybe...

Except the thing just throws the entire granola bar, wrapper and all, in its toothy mouth and then frowns deeply below its mask. Zihuan sighs. "You're supposed to take it out of the packet..."

"I'm sure there's a can opener somewhere," he says, then pokes his head up over the shelves as he hears the crinkle and crunching of the wrapper. Oof.

"On second thought, I don't want it trying something like that and hurting itself on the open can edges." He finishes stacking the rest of the cans back up and prowls down the row of groceries until he comes to the bottled drinks.

"What about a soda?" Orange, that seems as good as anything else, and gratefully this type of can has a tab. He cracks it open, then walks around, crouches down and hands it off.

The spirit grabs for it with both hands and chugs it, and while most of it does end up in the spirit's mouth, a whole lot of it runs out over its sharp teeth and all over the floor. That'll be a sticky mess, ugh.

Oh well, it's not going to be Cao Pi's job to clean it, so let the little guy have fun. Hopefully it's not the spirit of a young kid who's about to go rocketing off on a sugar rush after this. "I shouldn't be surprised that they like such things," he says a bit dubiously. "I don't know how modern people can drink that. I tasted one, once. I would rather stick one of your cigarettes in my mouth a second time than ever taste another."

He decides to be helpful and open the bag of chips before offering it to the spirit. Maybe because the trail mix was also in a bag, it figures that one out much more smartly than the granola. At least it's happy now, and not grabbing for lanterns. "That should be enough to let us slip away to our peace and quiet. Farewell," he adds with a nod to the spirit, even if it's not the right tongue.

Further proof that cigarettes? Not so bad. He too would rather have a smoke than a soda, but they don't make him cringe at all as badly as for Cao Pi it seems.

Chips, soda, and candy. What have they done to the poor little glutton? But it does seem content to just lie back and munch, so Rosinante nods and makes his way back out the door as carefully as he can without knocking in to anything this time.

"Wish it was that easy with all of them. Imagine handing a candy bar to a green-eyed spirit."

Proof that everybody just needs to eat a Snickers? Not that Zihuan knows anything about that. "If only they were so easily distracted. Perhaps we'll have to keep a last-moment strategy of launching food at an attacking force, if another shows up."

It's so much nicer here in the ever-present bonfire light, strolling through the square to the Invincible and getting set up. He'll have to run upstairs to get his Go board, in a minute, but first, are there any clean glasses at hand? "If you would be so kind as to prepare us a comfortable spot, I will fetch our treats. Both are upstairs in my room."

"Sure," he agrees, and goes to retrieve one of the pillows he keeps down here to make sitting on the floor easier. More of the tables are open these days than there used to be, which is a shame, but it's easy to find one off in the corner away from traffic between the door and stairway.

He pauses a moment at the jukebox, too, eyeing a few of the options before settling on one of his favorites. He wipes the table clean and gets a few glasses, lights a new cigarette, makes himself comfortable, and hums along while perusing the latest on the network while he waits.

It doesn't take him long at all to run up, collect the board and its little bag of stones (the nicest ones he could find around the beach) and the bottle and come back down. Cao Pi never goes around unarmed and un-armored, even and especially now, but he's grown comfortable being able to relax even while in full armor.

What he can't stop himself doing is falling back on alcohol etiquette even at a time like this - he pours one drink for Rosinante, and then sets the bottle down, expecting to be poured-for in turn as is proper. He's got a game to set up anyway, sorting the stones by color. "If I haven't said it enough in the past hour, thank you again for coming to the rescue," he murmurs. "I have never attempted to find out what it meant to step a distance away from my lantern, I took it as given and now I can say the warning was completely right."

They've done this enough where Rosinante doesn't hesitate to pour Cao Pi's drink. Sometimes he falters and knocks it over, but not today, it seems - luckily for both of them.

"You're welcome," he replies as he then has a sip from his glass. "I'm just glad I was there when it happened, and that you're all right now. Never seen a spirit steal a lantern so easily and so quickly."

But surely it does happen and others aren't lucky enough to have someone nearby. It probably accounts for some number of the lanterns they never find again.

Said lantern is now sitting right next to him where it can give light to the game board; Cao Pi privately feels like he should still have it strapped to him but he wants desperately to trust that inside the tavern is safer, that no one's going to slip past and repeat that fiasco. "I don't even know how it managed," he says warily. "I always tie it tightly, I take security seriously so as not to drop it." Perhaps the thing rolled up and bit right through the cord, with those massive teeth. What a terrible thought, that it might have taken his hand or half his hip along with it if it wasn't precise.

Anyway. He shakes his head and gestures to let his challenger go first. "At this point I feel as though I owe you my life several times over. A debt I will probably need eternity to repay, but if there is anything you need, commander, say the word."

"You really don't," he sighs, not sounding upset so much as just resigned, and as exhausted by this place as anyone else, as he places his piece. "Not several times over, not me more than anyone else here. We all work together. And you really don't need to call me 'commander' either, you know. You've never needed to, but especially these days. I haven't commanded anything in a long time."

More and more, that part of his life feels behind him. He'll always consider himself a Marine in some way, but it's less a core part of who he is now that he's been dead over a year. He's formed new connections here. New goals, new priorities. And while Law says he's fine with it, that he has accepted that's who he was when they met, it feels better to downplay it anyway for his sake. He's just Rosinante now. Or Cora-san, depending who you ask.

For a moment Cao Pi is ready to explain that it's a habit, he refers to everyone with the most appropriate title, but this moment opens up an opportunity to him. So instead, he inclines his head slightly. "Very well...Rosinante," he says gently, testing out the full name on his tongue. "In return, you have my permission to refer to me by my style name."

It probably isn't obvious that this is a high honor and a true measure of trust, the way he so plainly says it. But it is, the ultimate sign of intimacy for his people.

"Zihuan, right?" He's not exactly sure what a style name is or what the significance is, though he does immediately connect it to Law's own full name - though as far as he knows, the guy doesn't use "Water" with anyone at all, and the D in his name is another thing entirely, so it's not an exact parallel. Mostly, he knows Cao Pi sometimes introduces himself as such in formal communications, so he had taken it for something formal. Guess that wasn't entirely right.

Cao Pi nods one, and then decides to go ahead and explain anyway since...well, why not? "A style name is one's intimate name, given at adulthood," he murmurs. "Only certain people can use it, and only the bearer can allow anyone to use it. To speak it implies familiarity...closeness..."

Ahem. Is that clear enough? Of course he would just use the explanation to say kind and friendly things obliquely instead of coming right out and claiming friendship.

EVENT LOG: HUNGER AND THIRST

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