lifeaftr | Exploration Event: Neverwere

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Exploration Event: Neverwere

EXPLORATION EVENT: NEVERWERE

Who: Everyone!
What: Your wildest dreams come true!
When: May 15th to May 18th
Where: Ziziphus, those still on Ensō...and Mu
Warnings: Mark as needed!

Then Know That My Life Was Just a Killer Dream
You can find most of the information you need in the OOC info post! In the meantime, feel free to use this log as a catch-all for your dream worlds, as well as detailing your efforts to free one another. Whether they're on Ziziphus or Ensō at the time of the dreams' capture, your character is free to access as many dreams as you like, as the interlocking mental landscape allows for that sort of crossing over apropos of nothing. And time, of course, is very fluid in dreams - many days, months, and years can transpire in a matter of mere minutes.

Will you fight your way free from Ziziphus's vines or Mu's thrall, or are you content to die in your sleep?

Remember to let us know if your character dies during this event!

Event Timeline

[ ♆ ] May 15th: The vines make their move, ensnaring characters in ideal fantasy worlds
[ ♆ ] May 17th: The Storyteller will make contact with those they can, as well as issue information and a potential solution
[ ♆ ] May 18th: Those that have not freed themselves from the vines or from Mu will suffer a death

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

How about a familiar elven vendor? One who is unsurprisingly pleased to see the Drifter darkening their door. It's...maybe a nicer set up than Taako is used to, but he's been a lot of places, he's a little hard to faze even outside of dreams. Cha boy is all smiles, this place has a good color scheme, the sun is shining, and he's about to get some sweet sweet--gearbits? Whatever, 's all good.

"What'll it be today, homie?"

Something about the hairlessness for this particular vendor's face is...odd, though they cannot say why. It occurs to them that he is nonetheless familiar. Because...they live here, and he's here, and they have always been here, so why does it halt and skid in their mind for half a second before they can issue a query in turn?

what do you have

The question seems to throw him off, but he recovers quickly enough, taking a quick visual inventory, hands on hips and expression only a little puzzled. There's definitely stuff to sell, here. Definitely. Hey, turns out you don't have to know much about something to sell it, actually. Sometimes you can just flat out lie about what something is and sell it anyway, even. Not that he'd do that here, not to Drifter. He owes them...something.

"Got, uh-- One of these. Some, some this business here." He wince-grins after shuffling through a few questionable wares one by one, bless his alien heart. "Some snacks, maybe?"

That’s...odd. He seems out of sorts, like he can’t quite remember what it is he’s meant to sell. What kind of swordmaster doesn’t know the names of their own techniques? What apothecary does not have the potions requisite to recover one’s well-being?

Snacks? They...there’s nothing objectionable, they decide at last, about snacks. Yes.

ok
do you need some time to

find them

Since he seems to be having, uh. Trouble.

Look, it's not Taako's dream, he doesn't have to be confident here, even if maybe his customer service is suffering a little for it. But Drifter is right, nothing objectionable about snacks in any reality.

"No no no! I uh-- Taako's got this. 'S all good." His reputation, whatever it is, is on the line, and he rounds up snacks with due diligence. Why didn't he lead with this, he thinks, pushing minor foodstuffs their way corralled in a little heap by his arms.

"Here, how 'bout you-- Just take your pick, you pick." That's gotta be the hiccup here, it's not Taako's job to make Drifter's shopping decisions, after all. They just started on the wrong foot, it's fine.

Something about the vendor - Taako, he said? - something about his uncertainty strikes them as odd, though they cannot rightly say how or why. Perhaps his self-assured nature made a big enough impression in the initial salutation for this to strike them as...uncharacteristic?

It's hard to say.

They settle on a packet of little pink candies, the same kind they usually carry in their cloak, and hold it up speculatively.

how many of these do you have

"Oh yeah homie, got tons of those, that's a good choice, may as well load up."

There, see? This is a real business that sells things. Even if Drifter seems dedicated to asking the hard questions. How many does he have? Where do they come from? ~~Can Taako curse a real sword?~~ It's not like he creates them, which is a thing he does, for other items. Hm.

He makes another little heap, separate from the first, of maybe half a dozen packets. This is...maybe not as much of a triumph as he's making it out to be, but you know what.

The poor man is having an off day, the Drifter surmises at last. That’s an unfortunate thing that can’t really be helped, can it? They could...what? Tip him for services poorly rendered? That’s the opposite of what one is meant to do, and whoever heard of tipping a vendor in their own place of business?

They can make his efforts worth his while, then! A decisive nod, and then:

all of them
how much

Oh wonderful, they want the dern things. Fantastic. Just as hoped. Taako ignores the vague feeling that this is some kind of, of pity purchase, and--

How much. Taako clasps his hands together in front of his chin, and considers this problem with a long-suffering stare into the distance, before settling on--

"How much?" He asks for clarification, with a strained smile.

$?

They don't have money here, even. They just have these little golden fragments of things called gearbits that are exceptionally difficult to hunt down in the quantities necessary to purchase anything (funny how they can't remember ever leaving to find some recently), and whose value seems entirely arbitrary. What do gearbits translate to in terms of conventional money? WHO KNOWS.

Good luck!!!

Of course, $. Helpful, good clarification, Taako nods emphatically, he's defs picking up what they're putting down. It just feels like he should be setting a price in food and materials, or precious metals, or honestly like any one of quite a few different things. And yet why would he do that. Nope, he'll suss this out on his own.

"Ffffour?" He tries hopefully. It's a really good start, because he can tack on a lot of suffixes if it looks like that's a thing. -ty. -teen. -hundred. Really, masterfully done. If it's less than four, then it's just highballing for haggling purposes. This is a very solid attempt, and he feels good about it.

A cost for four can mean either four, or sixteen, depending on where he's going with this, and the Drifter - the Drifte is having difficulty counting, for whatever reason. They open a small packet at their side, trying to count through the golden fragments at their disposal.

They keep winding up with strange numbers. Ten. Then...five-point-six. Then...?

A soft rasping sound of frustration huffs from behind their mantle as they tip the entire mess onto the nearest surface, trying and failing to count out four distinct pieces for the sake of a transaction.

four?

They're stalling. Can you tell they're stalling, while they try and fail to understand why they can't count?

Taako leans over the counter like he can't help himself, peering at this process with obvious curiosity, verging into concern. At their question he retreats hurriedly like he's been caught, still very polite for Taako. Don't want to rush them, after all. Bad salesmanship probably.

Is four bad, was that the wrong answer? Is that why they seem discombobulated? The gears turning in his head are almost visible. It was going so well, why do things fall apart.

"...Maybe three? How's that treat ya?" Don't worry buddy Taako has your back.

It's not clear when this began, and the fact that this has turned into a bartering session isn't helping. Another rasp from behind the red strip of cloth covering the lower half of their face, and their dark eyes lid into hooded half-moons, uncertain and annoyed.

They're wasting his time. Hastily, they shove a handful of the golden little square-shaped fragments at the vendor, straining to keep their desperation under wraps.

you
count them?

Easy there, no need to get riled, this shop doesn't exactly seem to be doing a booming business (can they imagine doing this with someone in line behind, though? That not happening is how you know this is an ideal world) and Taako's in no hurry. He can sort this out, no problem.

Except it seems more like a problem now that there's a little pile of golden dealies staring him in the eye with incalculable malice.

"...Sure, I can do that." They don't even have like a denomination on them or anything? Or can he just not read. Is it one-to-one? He squints in determination, and just starts moving some into a different pile. How is it so hard to keep the piles separate? Shit. Disaster, try again.

Finally, he thinks he's got it, and he gestures at the little pile, displaying as little dread as possible. "That about right? Slippery little fuckers."

You know what? That's fine. They can't even confirm it to themself, the actual total they've committed to in exchange for some candies they're no longer sure they even want, but have elected to purchase anyway in the interest of being polite.

The only comfort is in that this is evidently not solely their problem, as the vendor appears to be having the same exact issue that they are.

The total in relation to the purchase looks...in no way even. But at this point, the promise of the relief in this entire disaster of an exchange being over supersedes their desire to save money.

yes
ok

thank you

This was terrible, thanks.

Now that that's over with, Taako is all smiles once more. "No problem," he chirps, scooping up little golden whatsits. Where do these go. What's he even gonna do with them. Whatever!! A victory is a victory.

"Hey, come back any time, maybe I'll have more of those. Sure you don't want anything else?"

He's bluffing, he has to be. If they actually wanted anything more, he'd be hiding under the counter.

After the nightmare that was this latest transaction, he's asking if they want anything more? The Drifter shakes their head in a flurrying jerk of rapid movement that does very little to conceal the utter desperation that Taako's offer elicits.

...

That's odd.

They can't remember him giving them his name. But - they know him, surely. They've seen him here, talked to him before. There's a familiar cast to all of this, like a well-worn sort of polished routine that's merely become spotted with holes.

not
usually like this

They think? It wouldn't make any sense if they were.

Taako isn't gonna deny a small surge of relief that they will not be embarking on another transaction. Maybe he should just close, after this.

The rest of what they say, he isn't really sure what to do with.

"Hey, everyone has bad days. You know what I always say? No reason to beat yourself up, because even if you win you lose." He shrugs, carefully unconcerned. "I mean, I probably don't know math here either." What does that mean? Who cares, just roll with it.

Math. No, they can’t say the topic interests them. Which is odd, considering...

Numbers have an abstract importance they can’t really place. Thirty-two. Sixteen. Clusters of things in groups of four. The thought diverts them enough for the Drifter to not even question the absurdity of a vendor who doesn’t know math.

They turn to leave, because that seems infinitely preferable. This entire exchange has been a befuddling disaster from start to finish.

thank you

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Exploration Event: Neverwere

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