Exploration Event: Neverwere

[lifeaftr_mods]

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

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LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

[onegreeneye]

[Hopefully, Keith will recognize the quiet voice that interrupts his nap this time.]

Hey. Mind if I sit with you?

[Ginko's stops by New Altea aren't exactly frequent, but they're pretty regular; he'll come by every few months, with cargo and stories alike, and each time Keith is one of the people he makes sure to find while he's there, even just to sit and chat for a few minutes.]

[thermalwind]

[Keith lifts his head and rubs at his eyes. The quiet voice is easily recognizable. Ginko. He stretches his arms back until his shoulder pops.]

Hey! Mm, go ahead and sit. I'm not doing anything for a while. [Council meets and discussions about anything else are many varga away. Off duty as he is, he's in a red coat that reaches his waist, with the yellow stripes on the sleeves and edged in black. It's not the short one he used to have.

Shiro had muttered ages ago that his old coat wasn't going to survive another washing. The coat had been similar enough he'd been appeased when it had been gifted in the next breath.]

So uh, how was your trip?

[onegreeneye]

[Ginko gives a small, grateful nod and sits down by Keith, setting aside the heavy pack he always carries with him. Who even knows what's in there, honestly; Keith has probably seen Ginko pull some odd stuff out of it, but he won't let snyone actually look inside.]

As good as ever - went pretty smoothly, at least, and I managed to pick up some new supplies. How're things here?

[thermalwind]

[He folds his legs under him as his drowsiness fades away. What had happened since Ginko's last visit? His brow furrows. He brightens quickly enough.] Oh they're fine.

We've brought a few more planets into the Coalition. They were on the fringes of that strange space I was talking about before.

[Keith sets his hands on his knees and smiles, it pulls at the scar on his face. Odd how he can't remember how he got it.]

We found out why space was distorted out there. We're going to take the Lions through it. They're the only thing strong enough to endure the energies we've picked up at the heart of that sector.

[onegreeneye]

Ah, nice. [He has... no idea what Keith is saying. He feels like he probably should? But he absolutely does not. That’s... kind of embarrassing, at best.]

You guys’d better be careful doing that, though. Never know what you’ll find in there.

[Defaulting to probably-unnecessary warnings for people to be careful is a great way to mask sudden confusion about terms that he should... probably know.]

[thermalwind]

Yeah, but we're taking all the precautions we can possibly take. But don't let Shiro here you talking like that. He keeps trying to lean on me to wait another week.

[He lifts a hand to thumb over the scar. When had he gotten it? He doesn't remember taking that bad a hit to his face. His mind skips over it but he rubs at it again.]

Sorry, scar bugging me. Still hurts sometimes.

[onegreeneye]

Ha. Can't say I blame him too much, but... I guess you gotta go sometime, huh.

[Shiro. He gets the feeling he should know who that is. Why doesn't he?]

Ah, that's alright. [It's an automatic reply, but... he should remember how that happened too, shouldn't he?] Uh... this might sound odd, but remind me how you got that?

[thermalwind]

[Keith blinks. He traces under his eye over the scar again. It nags at him. Some gut instinct tells him he should be a detailed event. He can't recall anything.

His voice falls to a whisper, as if saying it any louder will do something he can't take back.]

I...don't remember. Maybe I just committed a pretty bad pilot- [A jab of pain rips through his mind and sends hairline cracks out in all directions. He stops. Fingers curling. He lets out a breath.]

Probably just made some glaring mistake. Or took the hit so someone else didn't.

[onegreeneye]

[Bit by bit, concern sinks into Ginko’s expression as Keith speaks. He’d thought it seemed a little weird that he couldn’t remember hearing about how Keith got a scar like that, but Keith not being sure himself is... something else entirely.

He leans toward him a bit, making a vaguely worried sound in the back of his throat.] --Are you okay?

[thermalwind]

Y-yeah, [No. He isn't. There's something wrong with everything. Yet that feeling is fleeting, ebbing already as he drops his hand from his scar.]

Yeah I'm fine. Whatever happened seems like it was bad. It's fine now. [Keith's brow wrinkles. He's not convinced by his own words.]

I'm alive. That's what counts, right?

[onegreeneye]

I... suppose so. [Ginko frowns slightly, his gaze dropping to the ground for a few moments. He supposes so. But--]

Forgetting something like that seems like it might be a problem. Just-- maybe look into that, alright?

[thermalwind]

[He looks away, running his fingers over the scar again. How?]

I'll check into it. We have to have some sort of record on it. [Keith frowns his gaze dropping to his hands. His eyes narrow.]

...what else stands out to you?

[onegreeneye]

Right. [There's got to be some indication of how something like that happened, hasn't there?

He looks up again, giving Keith a questioning look.] ...Stands out, how? [He can kind of guess, but - just to make sure they're on the same page.]

[thermalwind]

Stand out as not quite right. [It’s a flicker in his mind’s eye but he has a feeling and he will chase that instinct no matter how much it hurts. He looks up at Ginko with a troubled look on his face.]

Something isn’t right. When things can’t be remembered there’s something wrong.

[onegreeneye]

[Not quite right. Ginko presses his lips together and stares out over the field, and... well, the trouble here is, he's not sure where to start. Part of him wonders if he needs to comb through everything he knows, or something like that.

Better start simple.] ...Alright. How did we meet?

[thermalwind]

[He studies Ginko's face carefully and thinks back.]

It was during a mission, [He speaks slowly, feeling the words out. As he says them he doesn't feel quite right about it.] ...we came to hold off a siege?

[A darkened night, flashes of torch light. But none of the other Paladins or the Lions. His head feels like it wants to explode. He looks around him.]

We were...fitting together defenses?

[onegreeneye]

Something... something like that. Right.

[It sounds about right, but-- Ginko presses his face into his hands, stares down at the ground between his fingers.]

Where... was it. Because I-- I'm not sure.

[thermalwind]

I don't...

[Desperation. The feel of his sword catching on flesh and carving through it. Probably says too much about him that he sees those as positive things. One nightmare felled meant another live that might live to see the end-]

...I don't know. ...I thought you looked cool? You reminded me of a fellow Galra.

[onegreeneye]

[...Okay, well. Now it's time for an embarrassing question.]

...What's... a Galra?

[Clearly, he should know this - and that realization shows in his voice.]

[thermalwind]

[He stares at him. He can't even find the words for that. Finally, he rubs at the side of his neck.]

Uh, for a start. I am. I'm half...Galra.

Most of us are purple skinned or furred, sharp teeth, yellow eyes. Claws, some of us have scales and all. We're pretty varied.

[onegreeneye]

I... parts of that sound. Familiar?

[Claws, sharp teeth, fur, scales. Very familiar.]

But I don't think I've ever-- heard that word before.

[How?]

[thermalwind]

Galra are uh, aliens. To anyone on Earth anyway. [How could he not know? That doesn't seem right. He stares again.]

What word do you hear? I mean I distinctly remember you. I was so focused on getting stuff into place and you asked how you could help.

We got the walls up faster than I'd have done it on my own. People survived that night because you helped.

[onegreeneye]

I--

[He does remember the walls. He remembers Keith asking him to help, he remembers the two of them working together, but... what word is he used to hearing?

Fur and fangs and claws--

It slips out without him really thinking about it, quiet and almost contemplative.]

...Monster. I'm... we were monsters.

[We?]

[thermalwind]

[He stares at him. His hands open and close but the word...doesn't feel right. He turns his hands over to stare at them.]

I'm definitely still Galra. ...Then I guess what we're remembering...is you're not human. [Keith lifts his head and peers at Ginko and spreads his hands.]

That's okay. You're still you. Right?

[onegreeneye]

I... I guess not. Either way.

[Ginko stares down at the grass, his brow creased. He's not human, that much is clear, but-- something about that still doesn't feel right, even if he can't pinpoint what it is.]

...Yeah. I'm... still me. I guess.

[He attempts a smile, but it's still kind of weak and shaky.]

Guess that's one mystery solved. But it doesn't answer what's going on with us.