lifeaftr | 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

$?

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

Exploration Event: Neverwere

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