middaeg | haven't you noticed

Entry tags:

haven't you noticed

Who: Steven, Peridot, Lex, and potentially YOU!
When: Second half of May.
Where: The Haven, the Outskirts, the Outer City.
What: Steven plays music for the poor saps outside of the Bright Wall, explores the city, and also does some other things. Faerie traits begin to manifest. Sleep is disrupted. Includes some closed top levels, but also open stuff!
Warnings: Pop music.

★BUSKING PRO BONO (MAY 20+)

Power or no powers, if there's one thing Steven can bring to the table, it's the magic of music. Specifically, he's volunteered to lend his skills to the Outer City in the form of entertainment, playing his ukulele and singing his heart out while other people do tasks that could be considered more critical.

Not in his opinion, though. These people need food, and healing, and protection, but they clearly also need something to brighten their spirits. Unfortunately, his brand of otherworldly music may not be all their familiar to their ears.

Not quite comfortable enough to break out some of his newer creations, Steven has been running through a long list of Earth-based musical covers. Currently, he is performing a spirited rendition of Haven't you Noticed (I'm a Star), which seems to be drawing an equal mixture of interest and bafflement from the locals. He may have to fine-tune his set list in the future.

"Haven't you noticed that I'm a star?
I'm coming into view as the world is turning
Haven't you noticed I've made it this far?
Now everyone can see me burning~"

He finishes with a dramatic flourish, only now really turning his attention to the uncertain audience. Hm. Tough crowd. Maybe it doesn't help that after the recent full moon, he'll have developed the beginnings of glittery scales around his neck and shoulders, as well as to pink dots on his forehead that are clearly destined to be antenna.

★JUST STRAIGHT UP BUSKING (MAY 20+)

Beyond charity work, Steven can also be found around Aefenglom proper, playing music for pocket change. He can be found in a large variety of places, still playing mostly modern Earth music as well as a couple he's written himself. He's also using this as an opportunity to explore the city, now that he's feeling a bit better than when he arrived.

Also, his big pink lion is with him, playing chaperone and also giving Steven a ride. While Steven plays, Lion will happily nap nearby - though maybe that's not the best way to attract donars.

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They've been here half a month, and now real housing is opening up to them. It's nice in one sense - sharing beds with random strangers wasn't the best - but in another, it's a grim reminder of how much time has already passed.

How long are they going to be stuck here? It's a worrying question, for someone who has a lot to go back to. With nothing else to do about it, though, Steven decides to spend some time checking out where people are staying, and figuring out the layout of the Haven.

He's been feeling a bit better than when they first arrived, but still ends up riding Lion most places. After checking out the core of the of the Haven, he'll slip towards the more modest housing as well. Might as well see it all.

Human music is one of the many, many things Toby hasn't really had experience with before. If human-Controllers she's encountered on raids listened to radios, they did so covertly. A few snatches have come to her ears, and several people dropping a sing-song note in conversation - this is the first time really getting to listen to a song.

She doesn't like it, is her first thought. It doesn't have the rhythmic percussive element that's so central to her peoples' songs, and so her initial thought is that it doesn't have rhythm, but that's not quite correct, is it. Her second thought is, wait. When Steven finishes the song he'll see Toby nearby, 'dressed', if you can call it that, in a sash and an extremely tattered cloak.

"I know you, but I didn't hear your name," she says slowly. This is the first time she's met someone she saw in that odd dream.

The changes have been slow, slight enough that Lex can only suspect - but the full moon is here, and she hasn't stopped pacing. Her teeth are just slightly sharper, her senses just slightly better - it's like taking a body mod and chems running through her system all at once. She's restless, both out of nerves and something baser, more instinctual. It looks like she's in the same boat as others - not a Witch at all, but a Monster.

Honestly, she's not really surprised. Annoyed, for now, but not surprised.

She and Dogmeat are pacing up the street near the barracks when she spots Steven riding his lion. Part of her wants to just nod and keep moving, but the far more human side of her has her crossing the street to meet them instead. Lex will stop short, just in case Lion is offended by her changing scent, but she does lift a hand and wave.

"How are you feeling?" It's both a nod toward when they first met and curiosity about if Steven is changing just like she is, but at least it's polite.

Steven spent the first portion of the month feeling lethargic and out of sorts, but the closer it's gotten to the full moon, the more that feeling has started to lift. He started exploring the residential areas in the afternoon, and now that it's evening and the moons are revealing themselves, he could even go as far as saying he feels 'chipper.' It's closer to normal than he's felt in a few weeks, even if it's not quite right, either.

He hops off of Lion's back as he nears Lex, actually feeling like walking for once. His skin has felt a bit weird and powdery for a while now, and he finds himself needing to scratch the itchy portions of his neck and shoulder once again. He's been trying to imagine it's some kind of rash, but... well...

"Hi Lex!" he says, grinning. "I feel... better! Kind of weirdly better, actually. It's so bright out tonight, with the moons like that..."

That is, both present and incredibly luminous. Lex may notice that his eyes seem to glow in the moonlight, though maybe it's an optical illusion. Steven trots up to her with Lion following along patiently.

"How are you doing?" he asks.

Steven's shoulders sink a little as he notices how uninterested some people seem in his performance. He's really trying to be entertaining! Maybe this just isn't their sort of music...?

Thankfully, he's distracted from his inadequacies by Toby appearing. He immediately brightens, lifting his arm to enthusiastically wave.

"Oh! It's you!" he definitely remembers her. He's seen her in a crowd a few times since they got here, she sort of sticks out, but this is the first time they've spoken since the dream. "I'm Steven!"

She gives a little nod when he waves. Toby's careful how she moves her arms here around all these soft-skinned small aliens. When they're injured they stay injured for a long time.

"Toby," she says. She'd introduced herself in the dream, but it just seems like the thing to say. "It seems you are doing well. I'm glad to see that."

She hadn't seen him. Too small in a sea of other flat faces.

"Oh, yeah, I'm doing way better now," Steven says, batting off thoughts of how he felt earlier in the month with a note of willful denial. "Something about the full moon perked me right up... though I think I might... be kinda growing scales now."

He's probably referring to the pale, glittery colours that seem to be coming in around his neckline.

"But what can ya do, amirite?" he says, shrugging helplessly. He's trying to worry about the things he can actually control.

Steven may be shrugging it off, but Toby's not going off the cue just yet.

"You must be on your way to growing wings and antennae again," she surmises, crouching to bring herself closer to the ground. "Is it painful? Some of those forming scales and such are distressed by it."

Ooof. The idea had occurred to him, but he'd also been trying to avoid thinking about it. Toby isn't one for ignoring the obvious, though, is she?

"...You think so?" he asks, sounding a little deflated. He lowers his voice, like he isn't sure he wants the various locals to hear, even as they disperse. "I mean... I know people are saying that they are growing fur and stuff, but..."

He's not sure how he feels about fae, or being part of them. He sighs, softly.

"It doesn't hurt, it's just kind of... itchy, sometimes."

"I suspect so. It fits the available evidence." This cue, she takes, though her voice is still a low rumble. It's unlikely to be overheard at least. Passersby prefer to give her some space, which is probably better for their health anyway.

The Animorphs were all altered by Andalite technology allowing them to take the shapes of different creatures. It seems like a very different thing, though - their shapes change in a disturbing manner over the course of a few minutes, and then they are entirely that shape, and must change back or risk being trapped.

"I'm sure there are medicines that would ease the discomfort. I can ask at the Coven - it seems this world has decided I am a witch."

She's lucky, he thinks. The randomness of who gets magic powers and who gets uncomfortable transformations is a bit disheartening. He feels both helpless and imminently dysphoric.

Mostly, he still just wishes he could go home. The idea hangs heavy on his heart as Toby speaks.

"It's not that bad," he says, his anticipation showing. "It's actually really pretty in the light!" His cheeks flush a little. "Being a witch sounds really cool, though."

"You're trying, but you're not comfortable with this," she says, again not taking a cue, or taking the chance to bring up her own concerns and apprehensions. "It's entirely understandable. There is not precedent for this here. Merrow are born as merrow, and so on, from what I can tell."

Toby considers him for a moment, and then adds, "Presenting a strong face is important, but it grows hollow if worn without respite. You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to - someone should know, though. Even if it's only paper."

As the Seer for her people she gives counsel to them, though she's not the only one to listen to troubles. She talks to her parents, who might not be able to understand everything worrying her but are there, loving and faithful. If they were here, then the free Hork-Bajir would be entirely without an anchor. She can get by with a journal.

Sometimes just getting to the point may be the most effective thing with Steven, even if her directness makes him blush even more deeply. He suddenly feels very visible - even more so than when he was actively performing.

"...I just really thought we'd be home by now," he admits, with a note of reluctant anxiety. "We're still here, and if I'm changing... what if it's permanent? What if it changes other stuff about me, too?"

He felt the pull on the full moon. The feeling that his emotions weren't normal during that time is offputting.

"It might, and it may be." Toby's family history is... dark even for her canon. She's never learned the point of sugarcoating - it's only been in the past few weeks when she's even discovered that humans don't think stories featuring major injuries are good for casual conversation. "I don't know the future, not really. It could be that even if you return you will not be the Steven you left as."

She shifts a little, re-coils her tail to take her weight differently, and pulls those piercing red eyes away for a moment. "People change all the time, not always for the better. You will have to learn to manage, to adjust. The world can thrust a direction on you, but you are not helpless on the course of it."

Steven wraps his arms around himself, not really enjoying the thought. He knows about personal agency, he knows he's not completely helpless, but he just really didn't want this. He has so many things to be doing back home.

"I know..." he says, unhappily. "I just thought I was finally going to get a break. I miss my family... and they must be so worried about us..."

He starts tearing up, saying it. Really, it's something he's been holding back almost every day.

Edited 2019-05-28 03:54 (UTC)

At some point during the night of the full moon, things start getting more excitable. The deeper into the night it gets, the more wired Steven feels, and when it comes down to it, he can't really remember the circumstances of going to sleep. Only that things were kind of weird, and at once point he presumably ended up in bed.

It turns out that Peridot was also in bed, because as Steven gradually finds himself stirring in the pre-sunrise hours, he's snuggled up close against her. It's actually pretty nice to wake up to, the strange energy of the night before making him feel extra disorientate and sleepy.

He doesn't quite notice any of the other changes, or the thin glittery powder he's left on the bedsheets - and all over Peridot.

Edited 2019-05-28 21:55 (UTC)

Toby's never actually seen someone on the edge of weeping, let alone over it. Her eyes just aren't built that way. She's read about it at least and surmises that's what's happening, so she doesn't ask if he's sustained some dreadful injury.

She tries to make her voice gentler, and tries gingerly reaching out to lay a long ape-like hand on his shoulder. "It's not fair, to you or them. I know."

Better not say that the world doesn't care what's fair, that sometimes someone takes away something immense and leaves nothing in trade and there's nothing that can be done to correct it.

It could be that the reason he's stirring is because Peridot is. Sleeping off the odd feeling she'd laid down with turns out to be a bust; she's awake again now, groggy and just as tense as before.

She staggers to her feet, a hand on her forehead, letting Steven slump over into the spot where she was just laying. She fails to notice the glitter for now; she's too preoccupied with the dull but persistent pain that is currently surrounding her gem.

Steven mumbles sleepily as Peridot gets up, taking a moment before his eyes flutter open. It's still dark out, he notes, though his own eyes cast a glimmer across the bed. They're glowing.

He's slept off a bit of the brain fuzz he'd been feeling before, but his drowsiness makes up for it. He shifts more obviously, getting ready to go after her if need be.

"Peridot...?" he asks. He sounds a bit like he wants her to come back to bed mostly because the cuddling they were just doing was pretty sweet.

"IIII... I don't... Feel right," Peridot creaks, waving him off weakly. She breaks off there, sucking in a breath, exclaiming wordlessly in confusion and alarm as something hard jabs the hand she has to her forehead. The poke is accompanied by another stab of pain from her head. She has never felt anything like this before, and though the the pain is more just annoying rather than agonizing, the unfamiliarity triggers an anxiety in her that strikes her right through the gut.

Steven is confused, to say the least. Maybe more moon stuff is happening? He starts to sit up more completely, wondering if she's hurt, somehow. He pushes towards the side of the bed she left from.

"Wait - what happened? Are you okay?" Peridot is not necessarily known for being restrained about her whining, but he's concerned regardless.

Steven sniffles and nods, wordlessly accepting the comfort. He knows there's nothing anybody else can do about it, at least not yet. It's just more of an enduring problem then he was hoping for. He rubs his eyes, wiping away tears.

"How... How are you doing?" he asks, apparently wanting to redirect the subject. "Is everyone treating you okay?"

All right, that apparently tears also come out of the nose is not something books talk about. That looks unpleasant and gross. Why do humans ooze so much.

There are ways to comfort Hork-Bajir children of loosely this size and these proportions, but this is not a month-old child of her people, and treating him like one would probably be counterproductive and get ooze on her. Toby nods and withdraws her hand.

"Well enough," she says, because her problems are her own. Still she has to add, darkly, "It will be worse on Earth, if my side wins the war. Most of these people think I'm something they understand and already respect."

"No! I-- Steven, I think--"

Unbidden, her mind returns to a conversation she had with Iramaat a few weeks ago, and her metaphorical blood runs cold as she draws a conclusion from that. She turns to look at Steven, eyes as big as saucers. She gulps.

"I think I might be dying!"

She is completely unaware of the nubs of horns that have appeared on either side of her gem.

It's okay, Toby. Steven cries more than average.

"Why would it be worse?" Steven says, like he might know what she means, but as if he still would like to hear more. "Because humans aren't use to you, there?"

The Gems haven't always gotten along perfectly with humans, but it hasn't been that bad, has it? Then again, they look a lot more human than Toby does.

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haven't you noticed

★CLOSED TO LEX (AROUND MAY 15TH)

pro bono

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★CLOSED TO PERIDOT (FULL MOON)

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