(semi-open!)

[usurpers]

Who: eren, four, lagertha and others!
When: throughout october!
Where: various!
What: quests, other plans and possibly event prompts! all in one post for less log cluttering.
Warnings: drinking in the open prompt!



plotting comment here, for each character! if you’d like a custom top level or tag into open ones, feel free to do so, or hmu for planning!!

Comments

@ yako

[usurpers]

[ when eren isn’t helping with construction around the refugee settlement, breaks don’t seem like a wanted option for him (what are breaks, can you eat it). the shyer children tend to avoid him a little less once he’s paired with a massive panda turnskin who never acted on his own thought. they seem to be settling into painting the rejuvenated buildings once rain showers have ceased for the afternoon, working along with yako and even some of the children growing with interest.

there are capsules, buckets and trays of paint, some magically laced and others old-fashioned in the sense that they were messier than the cool and hip paint pellets that burst on harsh impact. the colors could be changed, if so desired, though for the meantime they have turquoise, hunter green, purple and cherry red. ]

Which one do you want? [ eren asks the panda, used to staying in a nearly full shift and sitting back on its rear, brows slanting and furrowing as if it’d been asked the most difficult question in its lifetime— which wasn’t untrue. trying to keep the panda calm, its fur quivering in fear of speaking for itself, eren turns to yako nearby, and coaxes her over with a dip of his head. it was the simplest of tasks that the turnskin has trouble with, but. patience. ] You’re free to choose.

[topslug]

[ Yako's own involvement in the rescue was minimal, at least directly -- most of her effort was in keeping the citizens of Dorchacht safely away from the Coven through magic suggestion and helping come up with the means to knock the opposing Coven's witches out. She still worries about Dorchacht, and what'll become of it under the Resistance: not because she thinks ill of the Resistance, but simply thinking about the task they face before them. It wouldn't be an easy thing to ask, even with all the resources in the world at their disposal.

But Yako's never been one to ponder on the what-ifs when there's work to be done right in front of her. In this case, that means contributing to seeing the refugees settled in. She's distributed her batch of enchanted bread already -- to those willing to accept it, at least, considering what they've just suffered under the hands of witches. It's a simple spell to keep one dry and warm for a few hours, even with the occasional, sudden rains that pour down overhead.

They've settled into a rhythm now, so it's easy enough to pick up on when Eren's silently calling for her attention. She looks up from where she's just armed a small child with a paintbrush and a saucer of red paint, stepping over slowly, not wanting to agitate the poor turnskin any further. She's wearing a loose cotton smock, already paint-streaked, and a bandanna to keep her hair out of her face. ]

Does it feel hard to pick? [ She asks, warmly. ] That's all right. We can try them all, if you want.

[usurpers]

[ maybe trying them all was for the best at the moment! the panda turnskin looks through all the paint buckets before them, and with an anxious nod beginning to ease, he goes for the first bucket in reach— red, just like the child’s, dipping its paws in with no brush in sight, then dragging the paint against the wall until the smears ran out of gas.

the panda looks to them, as if asking if this was all okay, and when eren nods his head, the panda resumes, this time dipping into blue. with dirty paws, and a swirl of color changes, but the panda licks its lips and continues. would just have to pull his presence farther away, gradually, to give the panda a little more autonomy. for now, he settles where he is, in a crouch, and gives the child with yako an inquisitive tongue flick. ]

A lot of them, aren’t there?

[topslug]

[ Similarly, Yako draws back to let the panda work at their own pace, but keeping an eye on the proceedings in case her assistance might be required. ]

There are. [ She agrees, looking to Eren. ] I'm a bit surprised so many of them managed to come...

[ A testament to mirrorbound resourcefulness, the Coven's generosity, or both? She hasn't decided yet. ]

Perhaps it's better than them remaining in Dorchacht, but I'm worried about how they'll handle the full moon. Most of them might not even have a memory of ever experiencing it, whether that's true or not...

[usurpers]

I thought more would stay behind with the Resistance.

[ which marks his own surprise to just how many have either decided to come here on their own, or if they were just swept along by someone else’s desperate attempt to change their situation. he didn’t do any smuggling personally, but— actions would create actions that would always have consequences. ]

—I shouldn’t be expecting them to do much, anyway. [ with what they’ve been through. that’s only what he would’ve done, or perhaps something far worse than cause distractions. ] As long as they chose to be here. [ he gives a brief glance toward the panda, and its a worried one. for a turnskin who was afraid of picking which color he preferred best, he doubts he really chose to come to aefenglom.

what was the right choice, hm? eren knew his, a life as livestock is no life at all. but problems would come for those who feel safer behind bars than under a full moon. they’ll just.

have to be articulate. ]

Do you know if they’re getting instruction?

[topslug]

[ Whether they chose to be here or not is a point of concern for Yako herself -- or if they really understood the ramifications of said choice. But some of them, like this poor panda, likely even couldn't tell them if that's the case. ]

I don't know if they are, actually. [ Her worried look matches his own, though it's gentler, more introspective. ]

I think the priority might be focused on getting them settled in first, places to call their own. [ Control is valuable when you've had it taken away from you ... but it's too bad, in a way, that they can't just move into the aristocratic district. Asking that might be a bit much, though. ]

It will be a long way to helping them recover from what they've been through, but it's a start. [ Though she knows -- and suspects Eren's of much the same mind -- that there are some things that can never heal. ]

[usurpers]

[ he mms to signal agreement. for some, yes. eren’s head dips and his tail gives a thoughtful sway behind him. oh, it was a mess. it was like a snowball going downhill. ]

I wouldn’t wait. [ the perfect moment would probably be years from now, to get everyone in the right place or even close to it. the ones beyond simple repair would need supervision from their clearer minded peers, and while it might be a lot to unload— he didn’t see a better opportunity. do today what you could do tomorrow, bring it up in conversation as they rest. do something. ] At least with the one’s in better states.

[topslug]

[ Yako nods, then cocks her head. ]

... Have you done something like this before?

[usurpers]

[ something like . . . ]

Helping refugees? [ he questions her just to be sure— it was a little specific, but he didn’t want to give her too specific of an answer if that wasn’t the case. ]

[topslug]

Helping people deal with their lives being completely turned around. [ She clarifies, broadening the topic some. Eren's been patient with the refugees, and while some of that might just be inherent to who he is as a person, there's a sense that it goes beyond that.

She doesn't really know what Eren's 'home' is like -- she's never really asked unless he's offered that information freely -- but she wonders at what it must have been like. ]

You're already thinking ahead.

[usurpers]

[ he doesn’t particularly make an effort to hide his past, but the fact that he’s quiet about it adds to making him enigmatic. when it comes up, like this— it’s like remembering something as crisp as what he did yesterday. eren is long past the days where his stomach hurled thinking of his mother, or the hot hate that remind him to wake up and move every day. today, it’s simply a part of him. ]

I’ve been one of them. A long time ago. [ he says this as he watches a child skitter by them, stepping backwards to the panda and squatting to the paint bucket. ] I haven’t been present like this, [ he’s done the opposite, in fact. he’s become the reason for collapse, caused them. ] but disasters are universal. Seen it more than twice.