lifeaftr | November Intro: Red Sun Rises Like an Early Warning

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November Intro: Red Sun Rises Like an Early Warning

INTRO LOG: NOVEMBER

Who: Everyone!
What: New souls arrive to the archipelago of LifeAftr
When: November 3rd and beyond
Where: Ensō
Warnings: Mark as needed!

The New Arrivals: Hold My Hand
When you wake, it will be to the lapping of waves, frothed with foam...pulling at your hair, your skin, your clothing. The sand is soft and wet beneath you, but it's several inches submerged. And the longer you stay here, the more obvious it will be that the water level of the ocean ringing this strip of island has begun to to rise, and not merely because the tide has started to come in.

And what's more? You can tell that something else about this entire situation is horribly, horribly wrong.

Perhaps you've lost some special power. Perhaps some piece of your memory is freshly and disconcertingly blank. Perhaps you've just discovered that one of your senses is missing, or that you've been rendered unable to speak, or you've been struck by a debilitating fatigue. Not only are you stranded in some unfamiliar place, stuck on a rapidly flooding beach, but you aren't even doing it in full possession of all your faculties.

For those who agreed to put themselves at a disadvantage for a stranger, these are your consequences. If you're unclear as to the handicap your character has been assigned, if any, please check your initial acceptance notice!

All new arrivals will additionally awake with knapsacks, their names stitched to the front. The contents of said knapsacks can also be found in your acceptance notices!

For All: It's a Long Way Down
The water isn't a problem for the newest arrivals, either. It seems that the waters all over Ensō have started to rise, slowly at first, and then with a steadily increasing rate. At first, you might be forgiven for assuming the tide must simply be unusually high, or maybe that the island's begun to sink. But the longer it endures, the more obvious it becomes that neither is the case.

The water has begun to rise. Something is wrong with the island itself, or the being living on it, and now there is nothing preventing the water's inexorable approach as it steadily washes over and over the mainland. In fact, if you listen closely, you might even be able to hear a peculiar sound tearing over the cold rush of the coastal wind; something akin to a desolate wailing.

Either get to high ground - and quickly - or find out what's causing this. But either way, we suggest you hurry...because there are a great deal of newly arrived, very disoriented folk on the beach that could really, really use your help.

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.

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 )

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[ Well at least he'll know where to go if things get too dangerous. Although she hoped he'd at least start to make it back when it did start getting high - wait too long and it might be too late. ]

They're a little far from here, but it's not hard to find, no. [ At least, it's not hard for her. She doesn't know about his trouble with direction.... if she had ribbons she could tie them on the trees to help guide him, but alas, she has no such things. ]

[A little far but not hard to find. Keaton takes a sharp breath through his teeth as he thinks on this. Hanging around to find treasures is really appealing. But if it's far off then there's definitely a chance he will end up lost, no matter how hard it is to get there...]

Maybe I can come back later. You know, when the water calms down... Not that I couldn't hang around if I wanted to and make my own way over, but you know. I don't want to worry you or whatever.

[There we go, he's just agreeing to go because he wants Terra to be okay. Not because he knows he'll get horribly lost.]

[ Hopefully the island doesn't really sink all the way - if it even was sinking. Think of all the treasures he'd miss out on! His justification for heading back made her smile a little, and she nodded. ]

All right, that's.. fair. Follow me. [ She started off, keeping a respectful distance between them but making sure he was close enough to not lose sight of her. ]

.. you said you were on the mountain, your home, the last time we spoke. Do you think you might have fallen and hurt yourself, and that's why everything is fuzzy...?

Of course it's fair, glad you think so. [Just to cement the fact this is more for her benefit and not his. Yup.

Keaton follows along as Terra leads the way, being careful to keep an eye on her the whole time.]

You really think I'd just fall like that? I've lived there my whole life, I know the place like the back of my hand! [Which only makes his predicament all the more aggravating.] I'm picturing home in my head right now and there's just... Nothing else coming with it. Maybe I'm thinking about this the wrong way, I don't know.

It just seems strange. When we spoke last, you had such a clear memory of your home. [ She paused. ]

Maybe it's because that was in a dream, and this isn't..? Although .. [ Well, she can't really say she knows for sure she never forgot anything on arriving to the island ..but the thought that someone may have deliberately messed with someone else's memories leaves a bad taste in her mouth. ]

I'm sorry, that ...really isn't much help. I don't know any other ways you could think of your home, either. [ Some of her memories tried leaking back to her but.. those were all nightmares and she could barely remember them when she woke. ]

Right?! I remember talking to you, or dreaming I did-- Whatever it was! And it's like only... Really specific stuff is missing. [The sound he makes seems like a cross between a sigh and a growl as Keaton purposely kicks at the ground as he walks. To say this is bugging him would be putting it lightly.]

Anyway, it's nothing you should be sorry for. You're like one big reminder that I should know this stuff! [Which is both a blessing and a curse right now.] Maybe focusing really hard on that dream will make something happen. So, there were monkeys. [Oh god we're back to the monkeys.] They weren't half bad cooked up. [Maybe it's better to leave this memory as a dream.]

[ She's been there, Keaton. Boy has she been there. Still was there, actually. ]

So... your head doesn't hurt at all? Not even when you try to remember...? [ Probably not, if he didn't hit his head and...oh... oh NO. ]

U-um... [ Please no, Keaton. Keaton, Why. ] Is... is that so?

[Sorry Terra. Have fun dealing with him in a week from now and he's excitedly telling her he remembers now.]

It's not hurting, it's like... Nagging? Like you know there's something there but it's just not coming. Or an itch you can't scratch! [He nods to himself, that sums up the feeling well.] Wait though, don't you remember that? I had monkey, you had fish...?

[It's hard for him to tell if Terra is agreeing or if she can't remember herself. Maybe his memory is even more messed than he thought? It's difficult for him not to sound uncertain as he begins to doubt what he remembers.]

[ w h y ]

Oh... it's actually more painful, for me. [ Terra mused thoughtfully. She wishes it was just a nagging feeling, but the best she could do to deal with it was try not to think and just hope it came on its own. Hearing the doubt in his own voice though, she shook her head quickly. ]

Oh no, I do remember it. It was... [ What's a good way to put it. ] It ... had a memorable smell?

There you go, it really did smell great. I was thinking there's no way anyone could forget that. [His tail wags slowly behind him at the thought of their cooking on the beach. Were it another situation it would be going a lot faster, but he's caught on the first thing Terra said.]

A-Anyway, uh... It hurts when you remember? Where you're from and that kind of thing, yeah?

[Keaton picks up the pace so he's walking more at Terra's side rather than trailing behind, his ears dipping some out of concern.]

[ "Great" is not... the word that she would have used, but she only smiles a little at how pleased he seems. Her smile fades a little when she responds to his question next though, giving a small nod, more matter-of-fact than anything. ]

Yes, ever since I first woke. I haven't been able to remember anything but my name - everything else is just what I was told by a man I met back where I'm from. Sometimes I have dreams but.. I can't remember them. [ she just has an uneasiness lingering afterwards. ]

Yeesh, and it feels like I have it rough...

[For a moment he leaves it there, walking along quietly as he wonders where to go from here.

When an idea hits him, Keaton snaps his fingers as he tail starts wagging quickly.]

Okay Terra, here's the plan. We're gonna get our memories back! Somehow we'll make it work. [...] I mean, you know, I'll be trying to get my own back anyway so I might as help you too. [It's common sense to reward kindness with kindness after all.] If you want a hand that is. I don't mind helping.

[Despite what he's saying, his ears have perked up and his tail is whipping back and forth. It might be less that he doesn't mind helping and more he actually wants to.]

[ Oh! Well she wasn't.. she didn't say it for pity or anything. She had just wanted to explain what she meant. She watched him curiously, a soft smile playing across her face at his suggestion. Hehe, Keaton you really aren't very honest with yourself are you. ]

I don't mind at all. I'd like that very much. [ Ignis and his boys had offered the same but she's been ... well everyone's been through so much she hasn't really talked to him about her nightmares or anything. Odds are she wouldn't - her lack of memories surely took a back seat to people recovering from -DYING-, or dealing with the repercussions of accepting death penalties. ]

Thank you, Keaton. [ She ohs after that -motioning ahead of them. ] Look, there is the mana pool.

[For pity or not, he can't just stand there and hear how Terra is in pain trying to remember without offering to help somehow. Especially with how kind she's been. That would just be wrong.]

Hey it's fine! If you're hurting you can't just keep going like that. It can't be healthy! [There's a small downside of him not actually being sure how to start on trying to remember other than keeping at it. Maybe he'll get some advice and get back to her.] Anyway, let's have a look at this pool...

[He hurries on a bit so he can see the mana pool, glancing at the surrounding scenery and the pool of water itself.] Huh, not bad. Seems to be like the kind of place humans would like. [Bit too chill for him.] So... Do we swim in it? [Just asking!]

[ The last thing she wanted was to worry him, or anyone though. Still he makes the same point Noctis did, and ..she had until now just taken it for granted that her head hurt when she tried to remember things. But no one else seems to hurt when they deal with their memory - just her. ]

Oh.. no, actually. You take one of those petals, [ She points to one. ] And you drop it in the water - when you speak the name of where you want to go, it transports you there.

[Too late he's worried-- Not that he would admit that without making it out like he isn't really worried in the slightest. But yeah.

He follows along to where Terra is pointing, nodding along as she explains what to do when an interesting idea comes to him.]

Let's say... I wanna be transported to someplace full of treasures. Could I say that and get taken somewhere full of treasure? All the bones, all the rust and mould... [Sure the water is still coming in but look this is important. His tail is wagging quickly and everything.] Man... I'm gonna need a rag to keep my drool in check thinking of all the places I can go like this!

[ She is silent for the longest time, and surely it's because she's thinking and not that she's nauseated with the mental image that brings. ]

I.. I'm sorry, no, I don't think so. I'm not sure how it works, but you probably shouldn't ..experiment. You might end up inside of something. In the bad way. [ Please don't teleport yourself into a tree, or mud hill or something Keaton. As entertained as she was by the tail wagging, she doesn't want to get drooled on either. ]

For real? Aww... [For a moment he looks genuinely put out to hear this, his tail slowing and everything. Quickly he clears his throat.] It's not that disappointing I guess. [It is.] Wouldn't want to end up somewhere I'm not familiar with, or inside of things...

[Like say, a cave. A dark, damp cave full of bats. And dust. And-- His tail stops wagging completely as he tries to force the idea of using the mana pool for treasure hunting out of his mind.]

It definitely has to be a petal you throw in, yeah? You can't throw in other stuff. [Like say. A dust bunny. And maybe get teleported to somewhere teeming with dust bunnies as a result.]

[ At least if nothing else that tail is very telling when he's thinking about things he oughtn't! The fact that it's stopped meant he put the crazy idea out of his head -- for not at least, right? ]

I think so. I don't think using anything else would work the same way. Or at all. [ Magic is funny that way. ]

...what else would you use?

Gotcha. I was just thinking. [... His tail wags. Just a bit.] What if you threw in other stuff and it took you elsewhere. [Again it wags a little, stopping soon after.] Like a dust bunny.

[It would float on the top or sink whatever right but what if it worked and it took him to some kind of dust bunny lair-- Oh look his tail is wagging at the speed of knots again. Trying to make it stop wagging is always a losing battle.]

A .. dust bunny? [ She falls silent a moment. Well the Storyteller was a kind of bunny, but he clearly wasn't made of dust. Were dust bunnies the size of Storyteller? ... ]

Um... well you could -try- but... do you think that would be a good idea?

... Yeah? [Honestly he's the one suggesting it, of course it sounds like a good idea to him.] Buuut I get the feeling you don't. We'll just have to find out after I find some bigger, fuzzier dust bunnies. All of mine look like they drowned after coming here.

[They're all soggy and flat. It's hard to see everything that's caught up in them when they're wet. Plus the smell of saltwater kills the rich scent they had before... They're not actually bunnies Terra please don't worry.]

[ But.. but the poor little dust bunnies! She genuinely looks horrified at the thought. ]

.. Oh no..! They drowned? The poor things.. [ She... she can't be serious. ]

I'm so sorry. Were they your companions for a long time? [ Dear god she's serious. ]

[She is. Really invested in the dust bunnies huh.

Well Keaton definitely approves of concern over his treasures!! Oh look, his tail is starting to wag again.]

Yeah, it's pretty bad. They had been growing for awhile now so they weren't little or anything. Some of them were newer than the others, but they were all great you know? [...] Wanna see? [Before he can get a response he's already reaching for one of his pockets.]

[ ... D: NO SHE DOESN'T WANT TO SEE DEAD BODIES KEATON WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU. She actually lets out a small yelp and quickly turns away, covering her face with her hands. ]

No..~! Please, I don't want to see that~!

[ Gosh Terra, that distraught response is seriously disproportionate to the death of a dust bunny. Those poor little bunnies ;.; ]

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