lifeaftr | October Aftermath: Crystal Clear

Who: All!
What: You're back, for better or worse. Time to recover.
When: Backdated to the 24th and beyond.
Where: The Monkey Compound, Islets, etc.
Warnings: Mark as you go.

No matter where you are on the morning of the 24th, things will very abruptly go dark.

Unless you're dead. In which case, things are already dark. And you do not see this.

For the rest of you, however, the Storyteller appears only briefly. Gone is their seemingly indifferent nature; as the rabbit hops too and throe, the pages of their tome flick back and forth in an erratic pattern, stopping on a blank page for only a moment, before continuing on. Despite the pages always turning in the one direction, there seems to be no end to them, not at all.

"I'll keep this brief, for the moment. All of you have now been removed from the caverns below," A haggard sigh- and a reluctant addition. "Those of you still alive.

"Your efforts have allowed me access to what lies below. I have sealed off the entrances- from now, the responsibility of cleaning up the mess is upon me."

And that appears to be it. Darkness returns, along with the sensation of lying upon the sand. Birds call out from the jungle, joining the rhythmic shift of the waves. No matter where you were on the island; underground, or above, you awaken upon the shoreline near the Storyteller's temple, along with the rest of the survivors.

"For what it is worth, I am truly sorry."

[[If you have yet to do so, make sure you confirm your character's death here!]]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Alive, despite the risks...heh, that's a thing these two share. Alive, despite it all - despite how often they risk their mortality to fate and chance. For others, mostly, so that they may have a chance at a better future.

Thankfully, the wolf was lucky not to witness death within the caverns, though the creatures therein were enough of a symbol of the other world than anything else. Just like her first coming - thrust into a place so riddled with darkness and death that it felt like a cursed zone all over again. She cannot purify that space, and must leave the confines of that place to her sibling god. It...hurts. It hurts her to know what befell the people before them. The people now, who had to suffer such a fate. She cannot possibly imagine what sort of pain they had to endure...before they succumbed.

Frankly, she does not want to think long on it.

The woman catches Amaterasu's attention far before she's spotted, and Ammy was actually making her way over. The distant look upon the woman's face prior was indicative of a sort of hollowness that comes with grief, with death. And she's come to find that even the act of petting a dog can take a person away from that dark place. She trots over, tail and ears up, a smile on her face and tongue hanging from her jaw. Everything about her body language screams 'friendly', and Ammy even wags her tail pleasantly.

Need some company there, madam?]

[It occurs to Shepard that it has been a very long time since she's seen a real flesh-and-blood dog. She had a robotic one back on the ship but it didn't do much other than walk a bit and scan things around the ship. The last time she was one was probably when she was back on Earth. The memory hangs heavy in her chest as she reaches out to the canine.]

Aren't you friendly!

[She pets her gently, ruffling her fur a bit. As she does, inquisitive fingers thread through the hair and she peers closer, inspecting.]

I don't see any injuries on you... you didn't get into any trouble in those caves, did ya?

[She has no idea if this dog has been here awhile or not but all the same she feels for cuts or aberrations in her body. She's not too extensive; she's no vet. She watches the dog's body language to try and gauge if whatever she is doing is too much.]

[The fluffing is greatly appreciated, and Ammy all but flops right next to Shepard once she gets a thorough rubbing. Fingers dig and sift through her fur and the wolf turns her head to lick at and playfully (and gently!) gnaw her hand and wrist. As soon as Ammy realizes the woman is actually checking her over, however, she stands quite still and lets her inspect her.

There's small nicks and cuts on her that have long since healed, but nothing overly deep and ugly looking. Usual wilderness scuffs that any creature like her would have. What's really bizarre is that she doesn't have any fleas or ticks - other than some dirt, sand, and bits of leaves and bark, Ammy's fur is relatively clean. I mean, she still needs a bath (don't tell her that), or a thorough brushing, but she's actually pretty clean and in good shape.]

[The dog's playful nipping and flopping brings a smile to her face. It's been a very long time since she's had such a nice experience with an animal and it makes her miss her space hamster, just a bit. Though when the dog stays still to let her continue checking her over, Shepard lets out a small "hm".]

You're a smart pup.

[The dog doesn't act nor feel deeply injured. Small little cuts here and there dot their fur and Shepard kind of nods to herself, even as she attempts to brush out some of the sand and leaves hidden in there.]

How did you get here to this island?

[Ammy's tail wags a little at the comment - honestly, it's not one she gets too often in Nippon; usually, it's the exact opposite of how dumb and clueless her expression looks. Hecking rude, if you ask her....the change is much appreciated. She turns her head and makes and attempt to smooch the woman's face this time around, in thanks for the nice little comment. She'll even hold back on the slobber, too - how generous.

Yawning, and only making a complaint once or twice with a tangle of her fur is pulled a bit, Ammy lets Shepard do as she light, pulling back once she's finished and giving herself a thorough, and reflexive shake. Yawning a bit, the wolf licks over her nose and then points her head back towards the mana pool when the question is posed to her.

Same as everyone else.]

[A happy dog means a happy heart and Shepard's smile grows by a watt. She is, alas, too slow to stop the dog kiss and she sputters a bit. Feel lucky, Shepard, that it wasn't too slimy.]

Hm. So you were also mysteriously plucked from whatever world you're from and brought here.

[She shakes her head.]

No offense, but why would it bring a dog here? That throws my theories out the window.

[It feels a little weird to be speaking to a dog like they're a person but at this point she has been... extremely intelligent in responding to what she says. It's a little suspect. Perhaps her theories aren't dashed after all.]

[Ammy twitches her ears, but otherwise doesn't say much to Shepard's comment about why an island would need or take a dog. Her lips curl up at their corners into a smile, and she pants softly - a small gleam in her eye. Why indeed, hm? There certainly wouldn't be any reason to take a dog from its home...unless the dog--erm, wolf is a lot more than what she appears, heh heh...

But then again, there's also the question being posed of, why were any of us brought here? Children, simple people with no otherworldly powers or abilities - mortals to Amaterasu, civilians in Shepard's eyes - picked up from their homes with seemingly no need. They all came for some unknown reason, so perhaps...they are meant to fulfill something? Each piece fitting into it's place, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant they may be? A tapestry is not woven with one thread, and a good story never involves just one character.]

[Shepard wishes fervently that she could understand this dog on the same level she could understand another human being. There's something about the glint in its eyes and the curl of her lips that makes her wonder.]

Hm. I'm glad you look relatively fed though. I'd hate for you to starve while here.

[There's plenty of people on this island who Shepard wants to keep from starving and she's happy to add this pup to it too.]

October Aftermath: Crystal Clear

excuse u, you're now stuck here forever in my arms. resistance is futile.

oh my.... how utterly disasterous... to be trapped in your arms....

a cruel fate. rip in pieces.

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