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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[She catches a glimpse of white and her entire body goes tense.

It wasn't that long ago when she threw her bag at a pack of wild dogs. The memory of all the contents being strewn across the ground and her medicine missing from it all coming back to her in an instant. Memories of lying to Seto. Lying and saying everything was okay despite her heart beating so fast she almost couldn't hear her own voice and every step placing a huge burden on her body.

She thinks about how much she relies on the Storyteller-how she doesn't know if they're around to refill what's about to be lost to the ocean waters. About what she's going to do for the rest of the week, knowing that's the most time she's going to have. About how badly she messed up.

It escalates fast in her doofus mind, everything spinning towards overreaction city in 5 seconds flat. She doesn't move from her spot, unable to see where the other dogs in the pack are. She doesn't know if her movements are going to provoke them and tries to desperately scan the trees and bushes and-

the bag is in front of her. Untouched. Wet, but not ripped apart into tiny shreds like she would have thought.

And her eyes go to the dog in front of her.

Its shaking off the water from its body, soaked from head to toe. It might be an entertaining sight to anyone else, but she's uh. Pretty spooked. And when she reaches for her bag, it's at a pace a snail would consider slow, with both her beady little eyes on this pupper.]

[Amaterasu doesn't stay in the water for longer than she can tolerate. Even ankle deep is making her uncomfortable, and she raises her feet like some sort of awkward show pony as she gets back to the dry land. Blech, ugh...how can anyone tolerate that for longer than a second? Give Ammy a nice, refreshing rainstorm to wash off anyday. More natural, less sudsy and perfumey.

She sits by the sand, watching the little girl carefully, in case she goes further out into the water or so. It's pretty obvious she's very afraid of her, so Amaterasu doesn't move other than to lay down and warm her fur in the sunlight, to dry off a bit. It's still so very strange - people in Nippon would never be so spooked by her. Heck, she would have certain people run right up to her to pet her and play with her, or give her treats. It's a truly new experience, and she understand but...it's quite sad. She loves people, and wishes she didn't scare them just by being there. Truly, she is a good do--er, wolf.

Ah well, perhaps in time they'll figure it out. Amaterasu won't ever push, but she does make her body language as loose and friendly as possible - a wagging tail and happy, sleepy, doggy smile. She might even roll over onto her back to expose her tummy to wiggle in the sand and get at an itch along her spine.]

[This is weird.

This is really weird and Ren's not 100% sure how to react. Not only did a dog fetch her bag for her, it's not attacking? It's just laying there, basking in the sun like a cat. If she didn't know any better, she would think it was trying to smile at her. Tail wagging, no hunched up back or bared teeth-what's happening here? Her whole world view, turned upside down in a minute, by a dog rolling in the sand.

She can always run. She has a stick in her hand that will protect her and Drifter's special flower covered weapon in her bag. The idea of fighting scares her more than the actual dog in front of her, but what can you do. It's a backup plan, at least.

A backup because she isn't sure how her next move is going to make the animal react. She takes a couple steps backwards, eyes still on the dog, and opens her bag to dig through it. While she doesn't pull her hand out, there's the unmistakable sound of can's top being popped off. Animals 101-food makes you a friend. It works on cats, at least. This might keep the dog from using her as a chew toy, if it had any inclination to do so.

Sorry Ammy, this is her dumb way of saying thanks. She sets the can in front of her and uses her stick to push it across the sand, closer to the dog, without actually moving from her spot.

It's a can of cat food.

Bon appétit?]

[Ammy was just starting to doze off a bit - yes, she can sleep nearly anywhere, in any position - but her eyes snap open to the bizarre sound, rolling onto her side with ears pointed up and out. Wh...What in the world was that? Tilting her head, the wolf suddenly catches a harsh whiff of something very salty and almost fishy. For a moment, she believes the child is going to pull a few sardines or something from that little pack of hers, but it's...not a fish at all.

Hell, she has no idea what she has, and stands up to approach slowly and curiously, sniffing at the little metal container she pushes toward her. Her neck cranes a little and her tongue flicks out cautiously to slide against the bizarrely colored contents. Now, it's visually appalling, but the taste is unmistakable - it's fish of some sort. Like a pâté of some sort? Huh...very peculiar, but one thing's for certain, Ammy is greedily snarfing down the meal, her tongue making some loud shlorp-ing sounds as her licks the can clean, her tail wagging furiously behind her.

Congratulations, Ren, you have learned one fundamental of canines: some (especially this one)
love wet cat food.

Once finished, the wolf licks her chops and over her nose, wiping flecks of the paste off her tiny whiskers and chin, looking from the can to the child and sitting down, tail thumping against the sand as she pants hard, tongue hanging from her lower jaw. Gods, that was tasty, where did you get that?!]

You like that food?

[Which is fine, because she has more and can always whip out another if things get dicey. This little game of 'what will the dog like' is enough to keep her plastered to her spot. She's got a ton of garbage in this bag. This could last all day. She glances up again to see if there's movement around her, as if something could be hiding there. Maybe a group of malicious, violent puppies using this one as a distraction, but nothing happens. Which is so out of the norm of what she expects of this animal. It wouldn't surprise her if this little experiment backfires and she continues to keep her distance for that reason.

The water's lapping at her leg and it's apparent she'll have to move soon, but not quite yet. She shuffles through her bag again, pulling one of her awesome marbles out. Hopefully the dog is looking because she tries to demonstrate the proper marble technique by batting it between her two hands. It's difficult to manage in the sand, but it rolls.]

Don't eat this thing. It's a toy.

[Back to her trusty stick! And in the same manner as before, she pushes the marble towards the dog.

Enjoy?? Space marble?? There you go dog thing.]

[Okay, now that actually gets Ammy's attention quite a bit. Once she sees the beautiful, glass bead shining in the sand, rolling carefully towards her, she makes very sure the waters won't claim it, putting a paw next to it to keep it from being dragged away. She examines the look of it with a very critical eye, turning her head left and right.

It's lovely...like the river of heavens back home in Nippon. Ammy's eyes soften as her lips pull up at the corners into a gentle smile. Beads are special - some have holy powers, and are used in rituals and ceremonies. Even her own rosary beads are endowed with great powers to exorcise demons and other evils. Each bead is a prayer, a whisper unto the gods for protection and prosperity. This is quite the gift, and while Amaterasu doesn't bat it around like a cat, she does oh-so-gently take the marble into her mouth, careful not to dirty or scratch it too much with her sharp teeth.

In return, Ammy flicks her tail and a blot of ink suddenly appears in the water, swirling a bit in the surf before it bubbles some and a flower rises from the water and opens up beautifully. A lotus flower, which Ren is named after. Ammy nudges it with her nose and the bloom floats passively toward her feet.]

[Ren's about to call out to the dog. Tell it again that the marble's not food. But it dies on her tongue as she tries to figure out how to speak to him? her? She could read the body language of cats well enough. Could speak their language and understand what every meow meant. Dogs are a whole other ball game and she has no idea what to do to keep the dog from choking.

Except, before she can even muster up anything to say, the marble's in its mouth. Carefully. It's not trying to scarf the toy down like food and there seems to be an understanding that it's special. Maybe more than Ren gave it credit for. To her, it was a beautiful toy she had requested as a treasure to carry. The dog seems to think it as something else.

And then-]

It's a-! It's pretty!

[The only part of her world Ren could claim to love was by a broken down train station, where puddles of water had lotus blossoms that looked as if they were glowing under the bright light of the moon. It was dangerous to get there from Tokyo Tower, but worth it every time. It was beautiful. Safe. She could sing for hours and climb broken pillars under the starlight. Cats would safely gather there to play with her and-

it's where she met Seto.

So how could she not look at this flower and think of everything good in her short life. It's amazing. Something like magic, she thinks. She had no idea dogs could do this. That they were capable of anything other than snarling and biting and violently attacking everything in sight. She reaches out for it, gently touching the petals with her hands and making the blossom slowly spin in a circle.]

You can make these? Did you make them all?

[Did you make every lotus flower in the whole frickin world?]

[The bloom flutters softly, turning round in the water slowly as it bobs in the delicate surf. Each petal is soft and almost silken to the touch, and the fragrance is sweet and light. It's been removed from its stem, that was how Ammy created it, so Ren could pick it up if she so chose to take it with her - it is her gift to keep - and Ammy's tail sways slowly as she sees the delight flicker across the young girl's face. Heh heh, she had prayed the girl would like it, but this is an even better reaction than Ammy had hoped for.

A smile pulls up at the wolf'd lips, a wheezy sound - almost like a laugh, or a chuckle - escapes her as she licks droplets of salty water from her whiskers. Now that is quite a question. Origin of all that is Good, and Mother to Us All...that sounds rather intimidating, doesn't it? Rather imposing. Ammy could indeed take credit for making each little thing in this big, beautiful world, she surely has the power to create such wonders, but that's not at all true. She cannot, would not, take credit for the artful mastery of someone or something else.

No, the world is just...awesome.

So Ammy turns her head away and says nothing, though she's still smiling in a way that only dogs can manage. She can't tell the child what to think or believe, since both yes and no is true. Ammy can do and create many things that shapes the very world itself, but the world can do that on its own, too. Rain falls without her interference, flowers grow with time and care, the sun rises...]

[The problem with Ren, in most instances, is that her mind tends to wander into ridiculous territory when left unchecked. She easily makes assumptions about the way the world works and in this case, this very special case, she doesn't need a clear indication from the dog to believe they made all lotus blossoms.

And it doesn't stop there-every single flower on the island is quickly attributed to this new creature. Again, she has a hard time believing it's a dog, despite its appearance, especially when she picks up the soft flower between her hands. They had been so mean in her world and yet, this one manages to make flowers. A soft, pretty one that she holds carefully in the palm of one hand.]

Good job, Shiro.

[How about that name? Fight her. She already named a cat Shiro in her world and should probably find a way differentiate between them, but that would involve thinking ahead and she's like five years old. Shiro it is.]

Shiro's other flowers are pretty too. I saw those things-

[She presses the lotus blossom close to her chest and pulls her bag back over her shoulders before she points towards the mana pool temple. She had thought the Storyteller had created those, or maybe they had just appeared because they liked that mana pool water, but seeing this dog create flowers out of thin air makes her wonder. Maybe it was them?]

-Over there. They like that place best. This flower will be very happy there.

[SHE'S GONNA BRING THE LOTUS BLOSSOM BACK TO ITS FLOWER FAMILY. To the mana pool where everyone can see it and it can live out its long flower life. Have a family. Grow old. Retire. Ren will start a 401k program for it and protect its flowery assets in the meantime.]

[Shiro? Heh, it's not bad - white is definitely what she is (and not a castle, Ammy assumes) - but it does seem a bit lackluster. Ah well, better than some nicknames she's received over the years. Honestly, she doesn't blame the girl, just a moment ago she was after to turn tail and run away from her, so this is a pleasant gift. But oh, there is a mistake here - a misunderstanding. One thing Ammy is not is a thief, and she cannot take credit for masterful artwork when she is not the artist.

Ammy shakes her head - no, these flowers aren't her creation. Just this little one here, for now. There's also the field of grass and beautiful wildflowers where the monkey compound once was, but that was a collaborative effort. She points her nose toward where the Storyteller's temple lay, nestled in the forest, and wags her tail. The wonders of this island is theirs mostly, not hers. And she must give credit where it is due. Her fellow god deserves praise for what good they can create.

But, she would be honored that her own flower bloom alongside those made by her sibling god. It would make Amaterasu quite happy, to leave her own small mark upon this world. In fact, she may one day take Ren to the purified monkey compound, to enjoy the wildflowers there...if it all hasn't been destroyed by these rising waters. Mm...if so, Ammy will have a bit of work to do again, won't she? Perhaps the help of someone different, with a good heart, would be willing to give her a hand.]

[She might not speak canine, but a shaking head feels like a universal sign. A sign that makes her realize just how well this dog understands her. That's surprising. Even cats, though she could understand their body language and mannerisms, never seemed to fully comprehend the things she said. They reacted from her actions and on their own terms. Except for Murasaki, but he's a special case.

But this dog points its nose and shakes its head, trying to tell her things in a way she can understand. Without fear blanketing her vision, she tries to take in this animal again. She looks at the paws, white coat, fluffy tail-all tell tale signs of a dog and yet, it acts so oddly human she's not sure what to make of it.

Maybe she doesn't have to make anything out of it. It's beyond her and all she knows, all she cares about, is that they're nice. Shiro-dos is a good dog.

There's a nervous edge to her voice, still surprised by the turn of events that have led to her sitting on a beach with a lotus flower in her hand a dog by her side, but she might as well ask-]

Do you...want to go that way too? We can go-

[The word 'we' almost doesn't come out, but for all the abilities this dog has, she's not sure if they can understand 'water's rising u might drown?' They can swim, clearly. She just doesn't know for how long. The least she can do is guide them towards a safe place and what they do after that is up to them.]

Together?

[Ren can look all she wants - nothing beyond what she sees will appear to her...for now. Amaterasu simply is a white wolf, pointed ears, dark eyes, fluffy tail. There doesn't appear to be anything really special about her at all, other than her intelligence and the fact she can make flowers appear, heh. But it's fine, the wolf allows the child to ponder a moment, her lips curling up at the corners as she watches right back, observes the poor girl puzzle over what sort of being she is. She can't hep it, every human she comes across reacts in much the same fashion - it's quite hysterical trying to watch them muse over what sort of being she is.

Eventually, they'll learn. Or perhaps they won't? Either way doesn't matter very much to her. It wouldn't change the love she has for each person in any way at all.

Ammy's ears flick when the small child invites her to come along towards the temple. She wasn't exactly headed that way - Ammy never plans her outings, just lets the wind take her wherever - but she can journey with this little one to the temple. It's about nap time, she thinks. Maybe Ammy ought to check in on her sibling god as well, to try and figure out what it is that's happening.]

Wrouf.

[It's a soft sound, and the wold stands up on all fours and wags her tail, panting softly as her mouth pulls up into a pleasant smile, tongue lolling out from her lower jaw. She huffs happily a moment before bowing her head in thanks for the kind invitation - she'd love for some good company, thank you, little one. ♥]

[They understood that too? It feels weird requesting an animal to follow her like this and have it respond back in such a clear way. Cats didn't need more than a look or the occasional pat on her leg to beckon them to come with her. Sometimes they did, sometimes they didn't-they had their own cat problems to deal with. Flat out asking them to come with her, like she had now, barely elicited a response in her cat friends. They didn't understand-she had to speak their language.

Island dogs are way different than the ones scavenging around Tokyo, is all she can think. Even the bow is reminiscent of something Murasaki had done in front of her once. Something scientists and doctors did to each other. Something cats and dogs must like too.

With her bag situated against her back, flower in one hand and stick in the other, she stares at Shiro from her seated position and offers a small, quick head bow of her own. Two animals have done that, so it must mean something to them in particular. Maybe it goes beyond respect and 'thanks'. It could be an island way of saying 'woof' or 'meow'.]

Okay Shiro. You can follow me. You won't have to swim if we go this way.

[And she's up and walking towards the ruins! Let's go lil pupper. Don't get lost!!]

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November Intro: Red Sun Rises Like an Early Warning

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