Event Log: May, An Inauspicious Arrival

[faileas]

Event Log: May, An Inauspicious Arrival

I. Boaltinn (1st - 3rd) Boaltinn comes around again. A handful of Mirrorbound will remember the holiday from last year, but for others, it will be brand new. In both Residential Districts, bonfires burn in central locations through the night, frequented by the residents celebrating another summer come to Aefenglom. Curiously, while last year the bonfires seemed quite segregated by human or Monster, this year, there is more of a noticeable mix at each, and Mirrorbound are invited to join the games and festivities quite happily. Characters are invited to try and jump through the bonfire's flames to burn away any poor relationship experiences, be it romantic or platonic, past or present; to aid them in this, those at the Eastern Bonfire will give those participating rune-etched accessories to protect them from the fire. The city has quite a bit to offer for this holiday: shared rose baths at public bathhouses and pleasure establishments that increase feelings of friendliness and talkativeness, poles draped in ribbons meant to be danced around, wrapping a ribbon around the pole to bring good luck for the summer, food stalls whose offerings are meant to be shared, and fortune-telling set up by Divination students of the Coven, who can tell your day is going to go. To see last year's Boaltinn prompts, you can take a glance right here! Much of it, including the bonfires, baths, and entertainments will be similar this year, so feel free to use those in your top levels.

II. An Unusual Arrival (3rd on) A full year from the arrival of the first group of Mirrorbound, the 1st passes quietly, with no one showing up in the mirror-lined halls of the Looking-Glass House. Dates and times are important in most kinds of magic, and this is strange enough that some Witches of the Coven get together on the night of the 3rd to try a probing ritual, attempting to gather some kind of clues that could be useful in prying out the cottage's secrets. Boaltinn is the best time for such things, when the boundaries are thinner, and magic is stronger. Those who are awake that night at 3 am might notice a pulse of harmless silvery light that spreads like ripples on water throughout the whole city, originating at the Looking-Glass House, but nothing further happens, and the Coven receives no answers. Well, nothing happens in the Looking-Glass House. Before long, the reports start coming in: people are emerging from mirrors, regular old mundane mirrors, all over the city. Anything with a particularly reflective surface could be an entry point for someone from another world! Inhabited homes, businesses closed and locked for the night, pools of still water in fountains or the river, these unorthodox Mirrorbound pop up anywhere and everywhere, causing chaos for the City Guard (folks aren't happy to find strangers in their bathrooms at 3 in the morning) and the Coven both. Out of nowhere, a glint of light catches your eye; your heart thunders in your ears as your body moves on its own, your mind consumed with inspecting the source. Your reflection stares back at you, just as curious from the surface - a mirror, a pool of water, your most trusted sword, something fleeting that your mind can barely remember - then ripples at your touch. If you are one of these unfortunate arrivals, it's likely a rude awakening for you, to find yourself somewhere inconvenient, somewhere other than where you've been. It only makes sense to be confused. Hopefully someone finds you and explains to you what's happened to you. Resident Mirrorbound will hear a message from Miss Nessie shortly after it begins, a call to arms: "Dears, I'm quite sorry to disturb you, but it seems your fellows are arriving elsewhere than the Looking-Glass House this month! We're trying to track them all down for the usual welcome, but we could use a hand or several! If you could just bring them by the Coven, the usual spot, that would be lovely." She'll give her usual orientation and pass out Watches, but no doubt the Mirrorbound will be more helpful in this regard, with so many arriving.

III. The Goblin Market (All Month) Life goes on in Aefenglom, despite the addition of so many new residents. With the City Guard decidedly busy dealing with the sudden flood of break-ins (or, more accurately, break-outs?), the vendors of the Goblin Market find opportunity to set up their stalls more openly than they have since the crack-downs some months ago. They pop up all over the city, but clustered more often in the Residential Districts and the Harbor District, where there are even fewer law enforcement agents out and about to run them off. These sellers, while not as devoid of morals as those major players of the Black Market, still have very few compunctions when it comes to lying, cheating, fencing stolen goods, and misrepresenting their wares to unsuspecting buyers. It's also the place to find those things that are- not quite legal, shall we say. They won't say a word if you don't. If confronted, they are quick to pack up their things and slip away, however; they know this city and its hiding places a lot better than you do. With a brand new batch of what the natives assume are Mirrorbound, many undergoing rapid transformations into their Monster forms, many of the wares on display are potions: supposed cure-alls for aches and itches, calming draughts for the full moon restlessness, some even claim their brews can halt changes entirely! Some concoctions are meant to increase a Witch's magical ability, or decrease it, or provide them a finer control. They offer potions that they say will eliminate the need for a Bond, or temporary Bonding potions of their own that they claim are more pure, stronger, than the ones offered by the Coven. Claims are only claims, though. A few remedies for the pain of changing or some regular temporary Bonding potions can be found here and there, but for every potion that works, there are twenty more that have less than pleasant side effects. A brew that will cause everything you touch to turn to solid gold for up to an hour; a potion that will invert your sense of direction - trying to turn right will make you turn left, trying to go forward will cause you to walk backward; a potion that will remove all traction from your feet, causing you to slide around as if cobblestone are the slickest ice. Worse, some shadier vendors sell things more sinister, including a potion that gives you the appearance of being moderately to heavily infected by the Cwyld. Even if you don't drink any, the vendors are not at all careful where they're sloshing those bottles around, trying to show them off, and they all activate on skin contact.

IV. A Wilde Hunt (7th - 22nd) All Mirrorbound, temporary or not, are likely to feel it. Monsters are always affected by the full moons, but this month, it is more. Stronger. Instincts rise to the surface as the Sisters emerge full and visible in the night sky, and for many Mirrorbound, they are undergoing rapid transformations into whatever type of Monster they are meant to be. Curiously, the natives get along like they usually do, noticing nothing out of the norm, other than the increased agitation and restlessness from Mirrorbound Monsters. Monsters' aggression fades when the Sisters start to wane, but as the new moons approach on the 22nd, Mirrorbound Witches will notice their magical reserves overfilling, and will find themselves stricken with the overwhelming urge to use it, until casting spells, pushing one's magical limits, is almost a compulsion. Those who are not in proper Witch-Monster Bonds will feel it even stronger, with no stabilizing magic to consume (for Monsters) or avenues to expend magic (for Witches) other than casting spells. (For those who are interested, the Coven does offer temporary Bonding potions which can be used to help alleviate the effects somewhat.) The Coven Witches notice the signs, and they take decisive action on the morning of the 6th, the day before the full moons. So many Mirrorbound, likely to be so heavily affected by the lunar cycle this month, many of them coming into new features and abilities at a breakneck pace, only spells danger for the city. They barricade off a massive chunk of Wilde outside Aefenglom, largely free of Cwyld and totally bereft of farms, homes, and Wilder outposts. They invite anyone who feels the effects of the moons too strongly to control to come out for a Hunt. The hunting grounds will be open nightly to anyone who needs to work off restless energy or overflowing magic; all participants will be warned that their safety cannot be guaranteed from others, but they won't be able to harm bystanders out here. The woods are thick, with the river cutting through them, and full of wildlife. There is room to run and chase prey, or room to play with your developing magic. Play cat and mouse with your friends or Bondmates, or stalk a stranger. If playing games isn't your thing, there is something else to hunt out here as well. With the deep Wilde entering into Winter, this patch of land so close to the city is much warmer, and fearsome Shades have emerged to search for prey. These were once living beings, Monsters, Witches, or animals, who have been overtaken by Cwyld infection long ago, leaving them dead but for the infection, white-eyed and seeking out sources of magic to consume and infect. Anything could become a Shade, but the most common out right now are the ferocious remains of bears, wolves, and nomadic Arachne and Turnskins. If not killed, these Shades threaten the people of the Outer City, when they inevitably escape the barricade. Careful to limit your contact, though; anyone infected upon their return to the gates will be escorted straight to the infirmary.

Welcome to May's Fourth Wall event, An Inauspicious Arrival! The comms are now open to comments from all registered users and will be until June 1st. Current players, if you don't want fourth wall characters tagging your posts, just say so in your text. Fourth wall characters can use this post for their own network top-levels, or this post for log top levels. This event is game canon; threads from this fourth wall can be used as application samples later and current players may use these threads for AC. As always, be courteous to each other! Let the mod team know if there are any problems and we will handle things.

As always, please direct your questions to this thread!

Comments

[twilightskey]

[Roxas isn't completely versed in dog-speak, but maybe it's the mix of the wolf's cleverness and his own transformations helping things out a little. He hums and looks at the map.]

Are you curious about my world? Well, it's a place called Twilight Town. Have you heard of it?

iii. wildcard

[unholey]

[There's smoke in the air. It lingers, day and night, a hazy veil between the city and the sky. There's no getting away from it. And there's no getting away from the message Buccellati sent him. Let's have lunch, followed by an address and a time; no different than any of the other countless requests Buccellati made for his time over the three years they spent together, building his influence and expanding his territory.

As if nothing was wrong. As if nothing has changed between them.]

[Time passes. He fills the hours, somehow-- he doesn't really remember how, in this exact moment-- and arrives fifteen minutes early. He finds an empty table; orders a pot of tea and the house special without even looking at what it is. He has a book. It's a text of alchemical plants and their applications. He's read it before. But staring down at the page, waiting for Buccellati to arrive, it all seems unfamiliar. His heart hammers in his ears, drowning out the murmur of conversation around him, overfast; his nerves say to run, but he's already here. Anyway, he can't leave without paying.

He can't run from his own decision. It's already been made; can't be changed. He has to face it. Face Buccellati. If he ran away now, he could never forgive himself.]

[nodyinteam]

[He'll take that awkward arm pat! It's okay, he'll be fine, he's just feeling a lot of emotions right now. But it's passing at least, especially as she talks about the events.]

Of course, sports are always better than pure violence! Rugby's a good, solid choice. I'm glad you got to experience it! And bulldog... that's a general game that involves tagging others, isn't it? Not bad, not bad at all! [As he talks, and calms down his emotions, he starts moving and tying his ribbon around the pole.]

[ruinedempire]

Is that so? Well, you certainly lead a rather exciting life. I almost feel like a disappointment now.

[Despite his comment, his smile doesn't waver, like he's fully amused by everything that's going on. Oh, it certainly is a bit worrying to find himself in a new area, but now isn't the time to fear the unknown. Besides, the more he hears about this strange place, the more intrigue he becomes. If there's one thing he can say already, he certainly won't be bored.

He slowly lowers his gun, although Rufus doesn't holster it-- always good to have a precaution after all.]

A magical system. [Rufus seems to accept that bit easily enough. If people are coming here via mirrors, magic is certainly the easiest explanation for it. As such, he definitely plans on learning more about the magic here, especially since materia doesn't seem involved with any of this. Even if the system involved with his arrival isn't magic, it is still worth looking into.]

In other words, my arrival along with several others have been expected, just not entirely in this manner. A little chaos thrown into a practiced system.

[gale_arc]

[ Okay, so. Kor having a hard time explaining things, he can handle. Kor leading him somewhere that can offer him answers, pretty okay. But that advice? ]

Relax?

[ Not quite what he wanted to hear.

Hisui's lips curl back into a furious snarl, his teeth sharpened and his pupils narrowed to cat-like slits. He can't believe what he just heard come out of this idiot's mouth. How can Kor be so damn calm about this?! ]

In case you forgot, we're up to our necks in trouble back home! We're all wanted criminals! I've got a sister to look after, dammit! You think just because you lucked out and didn't get turned into some freakish monster means you can tell me to relax?!

[ Sorry, Kor. But Hisui hasn't had the luxury of being trapped here for as long as you. He's not about to sit around and be patient when he's fresh out of a dangerous desert. ]

[exsoldier]

[ As if it means nothing, Kadaj (because Zack is almost positive that's who this must be) forks over the money to buy the potion. That, and then some, judging by the goblin's reaction. The vendor almost trips over himself as he clutches onto the bag of coin and then tucks it away somewhere safe on his person.

The thing is, Zack hadn't said that he wanted the potion all, or that he'd wanted Kadaj to pay for him. So for him to turn around and act like Zack should be grateful kind of rubs him the wrong way, but this entire interaction is pretty odd. Especially given that it's been all of a few seconds. ]

Huh? I didn't say you had to spend your money on me.

[ Zack stares down at the potion in his hand, then extends it to Kadaj. ]

Here, it's yours.

[ Because he still doesn't trust it. ]

[silentsavant]

[...why is he choosing to stay... This guy already seems like one of Those Types. He can already feel the regret in his bones. Soren sighs, sullen as ever, and folds up the towel as he approaches the side opposite to the one Nidai is hogging.]

My idea of a good bath is one I can take in peace. [He sets the towel on the outside and slips right in. There really wasn't anything to "see" about his naked form indecent to the human eye thanks to his scaly monster changes consuming most of his lower half, not that it matters. His serpentine tail ends up taking quite a bit of space on its own... but he keeps it tucked close to himself and only half-submerged.] Besides, I don't know what team you think we're on.

[oomfies]

[ Lottie takes her drink from him, barely even able to recognize the fact it's cold from touch alone. Which is why she's quick to stumble after him towards the front so they can remedy that. She spouts her order out with little thought, only asks for macarons and another drink.

They package the snacks pretty, pass them over the counter in a dainty little box. And as the cashier rings her order up, Lottie stutters, ]

Uh, wow.. Thank you!! Seriously. [ She definitely did not have the cash to buy anything else today so.. This is nice. Embarrassing, because you know, the beans, but nice. ] This is like super cool of you, you're just swooping in and saving my day a billion times over.

[shinkunochou]

[Honestly she assumes ‘Shijie’ is like, a name of someone. He certainly says it like it’s a name, so she doesn’t think to question it.

But speaking of names—] Oh! I— I met a Jiang Cheng! When I first arrived here... He helped me. He was very nice.

[automatized]

If you’re going to take it a day at a time, there’s no reason to suffer by yourself.

My name is Vidar. If you wish for company, I don’t mind giving you my time.

[ anyway, it’s not like he’s got anything better to do nowadays, and the cafe is a nice place to hang out. a win-win for both. ]

[risorto]

[Bruno has certainly seen his fair share of strange things that most things don't surprise him. But he would be lying if he were to try and say he isn't surprised with her ability to pull him down so smoothly at her size. Bruno doesn't allow himself to be too distracted by it and uses some of the momentum from her bringing him back down to ground-level to get himself a little more upright despite the potion's effect.]

I'd advise being careful if you're headed that way, [Bruno says with a nod of his head in the direction he came from while he grabs onto the nearby lamppost.] They're not particularly careful with their merchandise.

Grips your shoulder

[shinkunochou]

...But you called out to me, so... How could I not reply?

[Her brow furrows a bit in confusion. Even when trying to do the right thing she’d somehow been wrong? Man, people were so exhausting...

The question makes her pause and then shake her head though] No, I...I stepped out of a mirror, into some baker’s shop... But I think other people have been coming through pools and things too. It seems to be happening to a lot of us... [She sighs a little and shakes her head, mouth turned down in a frown.]

None of this looks familiar to me. I didn’t even know towns this big existed...

[curruid_coinchenn]

...I'll be sure to keep that in mind.

[ He will not hesitate if he does happen to see Kirei again, as unlikely as it seems now. Satisfied, Berserker, too, turns away without a word. What a strange place this city is... ]

[risorto]

[A direct approach, Bruno finds, always seems to work best with Fugo. It's difficult to pinpoint the exact reason why since it could be as simple as his personal preference for more logical processes or as complicated as his underlying anxieties constantly twisting things up into more complex pictures than they strictly need to be. But whatever the reason may be, the direct approach has always been the most effective. And so, it stands to reason that this is the case in this matter as well in trying to address the parting of ways that to Bruno occurred not all that long ago.]

[Because it needs to be addressed. Bruno meant what he said, of course. The decision he presented to his team was not one that he could make for any member. Each had to arrive at his own conclusion and act, and Bruno could not nor would not hold it against any of them for whatever they decided. But such a decision is never quite so straightforward and simple, especially not when there never was meant to be any particular resolution to it. Not between the two of them, in any case.]

[Bruno is not surprised to see Fugo there already. While Fugo's always been one for punctuality, he is always certain to be early rather than simply on-time when he feels something is immensely important and his mind cannot settle. And Bruno suspects by how laser-focused Fugo is on his book that he's been mulling this meeting over in his head in the intervening time from Bruno's invitation to this present moment plenty even if it wasn't consciously. As he considers the tension in Fugo's shoulders, he thinks for a moment that perhaps he shouldn't have allowed so much time to pass. But as soon as he thinks it, Bruno dismisses it. Springing something on Fugo would have been worse. He needed time to gather himself.]

[He stops near the table.]

I hope I haven't kept you waiting long.

[holybeasts]

[Maria looks sympathetic at the idea of having to adjust one's entire wardrobe.]

At least there isn't a lack of compatible clothing makers. Have you adjusted to walking with them then?

[She makes no mention of the cane of course but it is there in her thoughts. And she's quick enough to turn those thoughts to musing on her own experience.]

Mm, well. I will say balancing hasn't been an issue since they do seem large enough for my body -- the size of the hooves I mean. It's very odd to go from wearing shoes to not all at once though! And to be honest I'm not sure these sorts of legs are as sturdy as what I had before.

[That explains the leather wraps she has so tightly bound around said legs. Some rudimentary attempts at making them more sturdy?]

[exsoldier]

[ Kaede. Again, it's a name that doesn't mean anything to Zack, even though he's getting the strong sense that it should. Having done this song and dance a couple other times by now, he at least knows what to expect, but it doesn't make the process any less uncomfortable.

What he's not expecting is the way that her body poofs into a kind of dark shadow, which slides between the trees before she reforms into a solid shape again. Now that Zack has a clearer look at her, he can take in all of her features -- all of the disparate parts of her mashed together.

It's not hard to see that she's a chimera. Same as him, or so he's been told. Is he more or less looking into his future, then?

Maybe not. The Coven had told him that his stay here was temporary. Whether or not he could believe that, he wasn't sure.

He takes a few steps toward Kaede, though most of his initial wariness is now gone, in spite of her appearance. Zack's not the type to shy away from "monsters," especially not after everything he'd experience on Gaia before even coming here. If he's honest, he's a little tired of the term, but everyone uses it here. Like it's a way to refer to a species, rather than a bad word. ]

Sorry, I don't. [ He huffs out a sigh and frowns as he shakes his head. ] You're not the first person who's recognized me, either. I guess... when I was here before, I got to know a lot of people.

[ Which isn't really surprising. ]

[exsoldier]

[ While it seems like a whole lot of effort to keep an eye on a single goblin vendor given how many others around here are probably pulling the same thing, Zack isn't about to argue with this woman. They've only interacted briefly, and yet it's already clear she has a bit of a temper. Probably not the kind of person whose bad side you'd want to end up on.

Something to take the edge off. That's completely fair, but it does make Zack a little more curious about what she's going through. ]

I'm guessing you're a witch, then, right?

[ He draws his arms up behind his head as he walks, already missing the familiar weight of a sword at his back. He hasn't missed that she's got a couple. ]

I'm a monster, I guess, so I'm kinda curious what it's like for you guys in comparison.

[ Granted, he hasn't started to experience any of the harsher side effects that he's heard tell of so far. Probably just a matter of time, and he's not looking forward to it. ]

[islandhuntress]

[That voice- Her head immediately snaps to look at him, eyes wide with a barely contained mix of emotions - excitement, relief, joy and then a good dose of nervousness. What is she to him? She isn't sure what she'd do if Claude saw her as his enemy. Just the thought of it made her heart ache.

What he says doesn't even really register but his tone is obviously smugly dubious and the vendor looks annoyed. Through body language alone it's clear that Claude thinks the potion is no good and the vendor doesn't have much of a retort.]

Claude! Seeing you is giving me great joy. [The vendor is all but forgotten, much to the goblin's annoyance.] When... Are you just arriving? One of the ones the message was speaking of? [Even with the chance that they're enemies looming over her head, she can't help but practically vibrate with excitement, using all of her willpower to resist the urge to pull him into a tight hug.]

[warpspasm]

Yeah, yeah...They're a bigger target now, too, so I better watch my mouth, huh?

[ He doesn't lose focus even as he gives her a hard time. Eyes on the prize, he keeps the Shade's attention on himself. It's too distracted to even notice Scáthach flanking it. The creature roars in pain, suddenly whirling around towards its other assailant. Lancer uses this time to thrust his spear forward to cut across its haunches. ]

[zewu_jun]

[ It seems that most people that Xichen meets in Aefenglom don't like formality. Being raised by a strict noble clan, he's been thrown by this several times now, feeling more and more uncomfortable each time a new person insists that they are just a single name, no affiliation or honor to go by. After so many experiences, even Xichen has to know when to admit a little defeat. Just a little, though. ]

Ah, all right. Master... [ His voice trails off on the word. ] Geralt. Then, do you have experience with traveling to other places through magic? Where you came from, is it common to find that sort of transportation? And I hope you will forgive me for being bold and asking one more: Do you have experience with monsters?

[killuwatt]

[ They spend some more time in silence, though just sitting here together reading their own books starts to actually make the awkwardness slip away, and the silence and closeness becomes companionable, less tense. Killua flips through the information Gon told him, skimming each description. Even if the book is regarding native species, so there's not really much information on a human turning into these other beings, it's helpful to understand what they look like and how they behave.

He skips ahead a bit past the Chimera section, skimming it only briefly, before he gets too unsettled thinking of all the possible combinations and Gon.

None of these seem like good options. And it's not like they get to choose, either. They can only be aware and watch for signs.

Eventually, Killua pauses on the Puca, considering how troublesome some of these tendencies would be, especially if Gon started getting urges to trick people and make himself a nuisance. And the... hm. Increased... libido...

Killua skips to the next section, only to be met with more of the same. One of the artistic renditions of this apparent Faun creature includes a very nude and very, uh, excited specimen.

Killua slams the book shut. ]

I'm going out to grab some snacks. [ He announces, rolling off the bed. ] Don't slack off!

[freecshow]

Oh!

[Gon perks up. now that he thinks about it, he actually is kind of hungry.]]

Okay! Thanks, Killua, [he says through a smile. and once Killua's gone, Gon tries to get his focus back on track to actual Monster people, rather than the other assorted beasts native to this world (which is way less grim, so it's a fun detour).

but there isn't ...really as much information about Monster people in this book. Killua had stolen his book when Gon was in the middle of studying it!! so, Gon abandons his open book at the little desk, instead hopping onto Killua's bed. he wills himself not to think anything of it, how invasive it feels, and deciding to double down, Gon squirms out of his boots, sitting pretzel-legged.

he picks up where he left off, and when he comes across the same information that had embarrassed Killua all the way out of the room, Gon simply blinks. his cheeks pink a little at the illustration, and he rolls his eyes, then carries on to read about the other breeds. Gon's more of a...naturalist, maybe, so he's not exactly embarrassed by that kind of thing... but that would be inconvenient. better than dragging around a giant spinneret, or...well, having any buglike traits.

weird. since when did Gon feel such a type of way about bugs? what a bummer.

sighing, Gon sprawls out onto his belly with the book, squirming to get comfortable as he reads, cheek squished up from his palm. but about 15 minutes into studying, Gon's eyelids feel a little heavy. Killua's scent is all around him, and all this reading material has turned his brain into numb static. the scent is so familiar that it makes Gon curl a little, and his brows furrow briefly, feeling a somewhat indiscernible swell of bittersweet emotion from it. he tries to push through, tries to focus...

but it's not long before Gon decides to rest his cheek against the crook of his folded arm as he reads, and eventually, he straight up just nods off, eventually simply too comforted by the familiar scent.]

[killuwatt]

[ It takes Killua a bit to eventually make his way back, armed with some oranges and grapes, a couple of slices of bread and cheese, and a bottle of milk to share. Whatever he'd been able to bother people into sparing, since he still has no money of his own. The Coven feeds him and even offered him robes, but Killua refused much more than the bed and occasional meal since he didn't plan to stay here.

Now that he's realizing he won't have the luxury of actually getting home as soon as he was hoping, and especially with Gon to worry about too, Killua is starting to think he'll need to start taking on some odd jobs or something soon. But that's a problem for the future.

Currently, he's more concerned with figuring out how to deal with Gon's unexpected presence -- both the good parts and the awkward ones. And speaking of awkward, he certainly did not expect to walk back into his temporary room and find Gon curled up on his bed, asleep on top of the book he was supposed to be reading.

Killua pauses in the doorway for a moment, then gently closes the door behind him and moves to set the plates of food on the desk quietly, his gaze all the while fixed on Gon's sleeping form. He looks so relaxed, peaceful. For a few moments, Killua just stands there, lingering between the desk and the bed a few feet away. Gon's soft breathing fills the room, and Killua watches his back and shoulders slowly rise and fall in time.

It seems so simple like this. Gon asleep, guard down, the soft and pleasant silence in the little room they share. Except they don't share it. And it's not that simple. Killua stifles a sigh and finally sits on the wooden chair, unsealing the milk bottle to take a drink while it's still cold. He doesn't wake Gon. Instead, he simply opens up one of the other books and gets to work, snacking on the fruit while he reads. ]

[hallucinogem]

This is a dangerous position for Ruby to have put Emerald in. Or it would be if Emerald had any confidence in her ability to kick upward, shove her legs forward, force the dragon off and away from her. But her body is still choosing freeze, so she just lets it all happen in a display so pathetic it almost makes her sick to her stomach.

But, again, not sick enough to still her tongue. (Never mind that she's being asked to make a deal and going along with the deal is pretty hard to resist.) She narrows her eyes. "Your sister killed Cinder," she starts, "And then I ended up here. And I thought I was done with this place a few months ago, and now I'm back and I know as much as you do."

[freecshow]

[Gon is out for a bit, and then Killua returns and putters about... in total, Gon's asleep for maybe twenty minutes, a little over ten of them spent with Killua in the room. groggy and a little confused, Gon sits up.]

Mh—[his eyes widen with clarity.] Ah! Damn. Fell asleep... [ugh, schooling flashbacks. there's a little drool on his arm and cheek. he crosses his ankles pretzel, blinking as he rubs his eyes. then his mouth. oops. Gon's voice is still a little thick with sleep, but he seems to be shaking out of it pretty quickly.]

You should've woke me up, Killua... Was I out long?