lifeaftr | September Intro: Knowledge is Hot Water on Wool

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September Intro: Knowledge is Hot Water on Wool

INTRO LOG: SEPTEMBER

Who: Everyone!
What: The Storyteller makes use of their first offering, and new souls arrive to the archipelago of LifeAftr
When: September 2nd
Where: Ensō...and surrounding lands
Warnings: Mark as needed!

Part I: New Arrivals
You probably didn’t last fall asleep on the warm spit of white sand that you find yourself, but nonetheless, that is where you awaken. There’s the hush of waves lapping up against the edges of the beach and the soft chill of a coastal breeze stirring at your surroundings, but the place is, all things considered, quite peaceful. The sun is merciless as it reflects across the glittering spread of seawater that surrounds you on three sides.

Three sides.

You’re on an island, if a rather small one. It can’t be much more than a mile across at the height of its length, and what’s more, it’s dotted with small, straggling outcrops of stone buildings that look as though they may have once been used for shelter of some sort or another, now weather beaten and wind-blasted. If you peer into the distance, it will rapidly become clear that you are on one small islet of a grouping of five. Battered bridges of wood-and-rope swing precariously between each one, joining them in a rough circle.

What’s more is that you aren't alone. You'll find that you have one or two companions waking on the islet alongside you, and each will discover a knapsack with their name stitched to the front, containing a paltry number of items, along with any rewards you may have accrued. There's probably a way off these islets, and a means of accessing the shadowy lump of a mainland that rears up in the distance, maybe two miles across the stretch of sea...but what is it?

We do recommend treading carefully, and not simply embarking on a poorly-advised mission to swim all the way there. A school of tiger-sharks have begun to stir up the waters surrounding the islets, hungry for fresh meat. They are at least edible - if you can succeed in taking one down, that is. If you do not, don’t worry: at least you have shelter. Very dilapidated, ruined, half-crumbled shelter that will hardly serve as protection against wind and rain, but surely that's better than no shelter at all, right?

As a final note to those who participated in the Test Drive Meme, bear in mind that those threads, if all parties involved would like, can be game canon in the form of dream-like memories involving a place very much like this one, though the layout is considerably different.

Part II: Old Souls
A floral, faintly bitter tang rings about the air of the ruined temple this morning. As you rise, you may find a familiar scene: a rabbit with snow-white fur, crouched nearby a dilapidated pillar, thumping their foot impatiently. They look to you, or perhaps they are addressing the room as a whole when they say:

"Ah. Finally. First, I must thank you for fulfilling your end of our transaction - your stories have done their job. Thus, it is time for me to fulfill mine. I've arranged something for you all. I’m aware that in many worlds there is a poor association with following white rabbits, so perhaps you would find the flowered path more enticing." The Storyteller shifts their gray tome from one paw to the other, giving a great leap across the fallen pillar. "Now, what I am about to grant you…there are procedures, of course. You must follow the instructions to begin with. And then, well - you need a place to go. You needn’t even need a name, specifically. The power will know. Simply be sure to tell it."

The rabbit sniffs and flicks an ear. "Just remember what I ask: no bathing, please. For all's sake."

And then they bound off into the darkness, disappearing just before the shadows engulf them wholly.

Indeed, where the dust-trodden ground gives way to grass, a sparse growth of white flowers have blossomed, winding wildly through the growth and leading around the temple’s exterior.

Those who find fit to follow the Storyteller's suggestion will find, first, that the path of flowers leads them to an outcropping of stone that overlooks the great cove formed by Ensō’s landmass. In the distance, just short of the ocean’s horizon, a white scatter of islets sit in the blue-jade waters. Those certainly hadn’t been there before, had they? Intrepid explorers, be patient: the path of flowers doesn't end here. In fact, it veers off cleanly in the direction of the mana pool behind the Storyteller's ruins.

Upon arriving at the pool, characters will find that the narcissus flowers have bloomed in full and prolific splendor around its edges, filling the humid air with a thick scent of bitter hay and honey. Upon a great slab of stone rising from the edge of the pool, a strange limerick seems to have been engraved:

A flower once loved above all,
The hubris of his mirror-thrall.
Were he water-lily!
Yet fate wet and pithy,
Narcissus, what a fate to befall.
No other instructions appear to have been left other than this cryptic rhyme. Should characters solve this riddle, however, they will find themselves engulfed in a flash of blinding white light, given the briefest sensation of falling…

Followed by the familiar vision of Ensō looming in the distance. Quite far out, in fact. Their surroundings have dramatically shifted from a lush jungle to an almost barren island, surrounded on its sides by four nearly identical islets. It would appear that any characters who use the mana pool have been randomly transported to one of the five islets appeared overnight. Other than a nearly identical mana pool lapping at their feet, it would seem that - aside from weather-worn, dilapidated shacks and shelters - these islands don’t have much on them at all.

Except, perhaps, new faces.

Feeling a tad adrift? Make sure to check the Locations Page, which has details regarding the starting areas and a handy map for those who feel better with a bird's eye view!

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Once Ignis finally makes his way to the islets, he wastes no time exploring to the best of his abilities. Of course, being that he's blind in an unfamiliar area, his best is pretty limited. Still, curiosity and the need to do presses him onward. Eventually, he will find someone he knows and perhaps they can work together or at least exchange a little information.

His exploration stops when an odd, familiar silence greets him. Someone is obviously working very diligently on something, but they are doing it almost silently. It reminds Ignis so much of the Silent One he arrived on the raft with, that he can't help but approach to see if it is the same person. At the same time, he pulls out his phone, switching it on. If it is, his phone's flaky, barely working text to voice option might finally make itself worthwhile.]

Excuse me, we've met before, haven't we? On the rafts.

[...ah.]

[They recall him quite well, yes, though how he came to recognize them must be a recognition of the lack of sound rather than anything else. There is a moment in which the Drifter tilts their head to one side and then to another, momentarily wrong-footed in regards to how best to approach this.]

[He has a phone in hand. Gently, they take it from his grasp, and have to fiddle with the abundance of buttons (starkly separate from the transparent HUDs and stone buttons with which they are most familiar), until they can generate the text to speech option.]

[An absurdly flat, computerized voice issues from the small tool.]

We have.

Splendid! It seems all my senses haven't taken leave of me then.

[The wide smile that crosses Ignis' face makes it clear that he is very happy the text to voice option on his phone has cleared one barrier he's run into here. He's going to have to speak with the Storyteller about finding some way to keep it charged, though.]

I'm so pleased to have run into you again, my friend. I wasn't sure I'd get a chance to properly thank you for your assistance before. My name is Ignis. What's yours?

[He'd had so much on his mind by the time they got the raft to land, that he'd parted from his raft mates without exchanging names. It's something he plans on remedying as soon as possible.]

[They can only assume he's happy to make their acquaintance because he cannot see them, and therefore would not know he is speaking to a member of a race with skin of a vibrant blue, with eyes that peer out like black beetles from behind the swathes of cloth and beneath the gray of their helm.]

[No one would be happy to see something like them, truly.]

I am a drifter.

[Which is as close to a title as they seem willing to get.]

It was an unfair burden on your shoulders.

[On the contrary, Ignis is happy to meet them because they were kind and helpful. The advisor couldn't care less what they look like. He is puzzled by the 'name' if it can even be called that, though. It's quite the strange one, but maybe they will be willing to tell more about it later.]

Burdens by their nature are unfair, I'm afraid. We must learn to deal with them or else we will be left behind. Fortunately, as unfair as they are, they often become lighter when shared. I hope the day comes soon when I may repay the kindness you showed me.

Kindness?

[They were just...doing what they had to. Weren't they? Ensuring that he and the child did not come to harm, and helping get them both to shore. It was not something that could necessarily be helped. What sort of person would they be if they did not do the bare minimum?]

[...right?]

Yes, of course. What else would it be?

[Ignis seems surprised by the reply.]

While it's true that the only way for you to get to shore would get us there as well, you didn't pressure either of us to help you. If I had not offered to help, I suspect you would have attempted to get us all to shore without aid no matter the cost to yourself. That is the very definition of 'kindness.'

[He continues on like it's obvious. Like it's the frankest thing in the world. The Drifter hesitates for a hair longer than is typical. Inputting the line of text upon the unfamiliar device, likewise, takes a few moments more than it has prior then.]

You and the child were relatively defenseless.
It would have been cruel to abandon you.

[Ignis doesn't miss how much longer it takes the Drifter to respond and his own response is delayed in turn as he tries to figure out why it's so hard for them to understand his gratitude.]

It was also cruel that I was purposefully blinded by my enemies and yet that didn't stop them. Just because the child and I were...

[He tries to say 'defenseless' but the word sticks in his throat. He hates thinking of himself that way and yet...]

...less able doesn't mean you had to help us. In your place, there are many who would not have.

[...he makes a fair point. Some things cannot be reasoned with, and refuse to allow themselves to be.]

[Less able physically, perhaps, but they've survived here well enough - to their knowledge, no one has yet perished due to the manifold beasts that roam this place. It's easier, in many respects, to default to that conversational thread than allow Ignis to continue to treat them as though they are deserving of his praise. Of his gratitude.]

You have lasted this long.

Only because of my friends, both old and new.

[The smile that Ignis gives them then makes it clear that he considers the Drifter in the 'new friend' category. That, and also makes it clear they aren't getting away from the talk of kindness and gratitude so easily.]

No matter how much my bruised pride wishes to say I did this myself, my mind knows that is far from the truth.

[Friends.]

[They can't claim to be unfamiliar with the sensation - though the only friend who helped buoy them throughout their travels is now long gone. That is the risk you run when you give everything you are to others. Including someone who does not work to earn that kind of aid.]

[Old and new.]

[Friends.]

Have you been well since then?

[Giving everything you are to someone else. It's a concept that Ignis is well acquainted with. Since the age of six he's given everything to Noctis. His childhood, his hopes, his dreams, his free time, his heart, his soul. Now, even his vision. He'll never regret any of it, but at the same time, it's a little frightening to think of what little will be left should Noctis every leave his life.

It's something he's trying not to think about. Especially after his last conversation with his prince.]

I'm working on it. My physical wounds have healed, but my body is still adjusting to the lack of vision. I suspect it will take quite some time before it grows used to that.

[Yet, if he looks back to where he was, he's made great strides in a short time. It's not enough, but it's still something.]

How have you been holding up?

Alive.

[They will never stop being grateful for that, at least. They are still alive, and will continue to be until their illness overtakes them once more. All things die - and they are one of said things.]

For now.

[It occurs to them that he would not know the full extent of the sickness eating away at their lungs, rotting their body from the inside out. They cannot afford to hide it, and it is, as a bottom line, just one more thing that makes them fundamentally undesirable in terms of company.]

For now?

[Concern immediately fills both Ignis' expression and voice.]

Are you ill? Or is it that you ha-

[His voice trails off, expression paling as he is reminded that not everyone here has something to go back to. Can it be the Drifter is in the same boat as Nyx is?]

Is there anything I can do to help you? I do have some healing skills.

No cure.

[The volume of people who have offered to help, who have been unflinching in that offer, is...]

[It means they've not encountered something such as this before. That illness eating at their lungs is terminal, and thus it will not die merely because someone wishes it. It will never be that simple, no matter how much one might wish it.]

[Unfortunately.]

[They cannot communicate gentle tone via text-based speech; a touch to a shoulder might have done so, but a man who cannot see such a motion coming might not accept it as easily.]

Terminal.

[There is a slight hitch in Ignis' breathing, but otherwise he manages to keep the sudden pain hearing those words causes hidden. Why is it always the kind ones who suffer so much?

His first instinct is to say 'I'm sorry,' but he knows well how hollow those words will likely sound no matter how sincere they are.]

Are you in pain? Even if I cannot cure what ails you, perhaps I can ease its symptoms.

In what manner?

[They have not...abandoned the search for a cure, if one exists. There are certain lines they consider themself unwilling to cross in the quest for said cure, but if there is something that can be done...]

[All that even the jackal god could do, in the end, was forestall the inevitable.]

[But this is not that world any longer. No Immortal Cell chains their fate to its own.]

I have some regenerative magic. It's not the strongest nor does it last long, but it may be enough to help reverse some of the damage to your body for a while. It's one of my basic spells--something I'm quite used to casting--so it won't be a strain on me.

[He's still being cautious about how often he uses it especially since he's not sure if drawing magic from Noctis here will have any ill-effects on the prince, but this is one of those times where a little risk is worth it in his mind.]

[It may not mean much. It will be, they know from experience, a drop in a bucket - like trying to smother a fire with sprinkles of water. Not nearly enough. Even in its early stages, there is no catching it before it curls up in the chambers of their lungs and begins to fester.]

[An Immortal Cell of their very own.]

You should conserve it.

[Save it for someone who is better suited. Truly.]

[Ignis can't say he is surprised by the answer, but he is still upset to hear it. The Drifter reminds him far too much of himself, always giving and giving, never accepting anything in return.

His voice is soft and a little sad when he speaks.]

You will not, at least, let me try once before deciding it is useless?

[Again, the temptation pulls at them. He is willing, he is eager...he wishes to try. Sieglinde had not taken their denial well the first time. They cannot fault her for that; they simply could not abide by her methods.]

[It is a selfish impulse, but what creature does not want to live, would not try everything, risk everything, if it meant that they still could?]

[Another hesitation, and then, they ask.]

What does it involve?

Not much, truly. A little energy on my part and the willingness to let me try on yours. I make no grand promises, but nothing can be accomplished if it's not first tried.

[Ignis holds up a hand and pulls the healing energy up within himself. It swims beneath the surface of his skin, causing a faint glow to surround him. He holds the spell, though, unwilling to release it until he is given permission to do so.]

[...]

[Not much.]

[It does not sound invasive. That will...that will do, they should think. It won't be a problem. It will be simple, and utterly unlike the girl who would not stop prying, as though they would dare to expose any inch of their skin. It is a drifter custom, and a necessity. One they do not take lightly.]

[At long last, they nod. And remember to add, text-to-speech:]

Very well.

Thank you, my friend.

[Ignis gives them a warm smile and then allows the magic to slip away from him and toward them. At the same time, he can't help but wonder if the magic will feel the same to them as it does to the others he's used it on. Will it feel warm? Comforting? Uplifting and strengthening? Ignis hopes so. He won't forgive himself if the spell ends up hurting the Drifter somehow. Not when they are already carrying so much upon their shoulders.]

September Intro: Knowledge is Hot Water on Wool

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