EVENT | GUIDING LIGHT

[alderwood]

Characters: ALL!
Date: June 1st-5th, 2014
Location: Keeliai, all sectors
Situation: Following Evandau's announcement about the soul lanterns and new housing, the Foreigners are shuffled around while Malicant's agents try to complicate this as much as possible!
Warnings/Rating: Possible mentions of violence from the cultists, plus various characters' reactions to moving.

LINKS
Fire Sector | Earth Sector | Metal Sector | Water Sector | Wood Sector | Cultist Shenanigans | Speak with Eva & Celaunn | OOC Plot Post

The new Basswood Commander, Celaunn, stands watch outside of the building with one ready hand resting on the hilt of her sword while her protectorate goes inside. A prodigy of magic as she is, liberating all the Foreigners' souls right out from under Malicant has left Evastelei far more expended than any of them care to admit. She looks as tired and worn as Evandau sounded on the radio post, but she tries to cover it with good humour, much as can be mustered given the situation. Eva's sent out messages to the ones whose essence she's felt resonate for each address and upon arriving, carries the lanterns into the new units whether they're all present or not... she's a busy lady and when this is all done she might just sleep for a week.

"Couldn't rightly explain some of these set-downs," Eva says as she goes about hanging the lamps up in the central part of the house. For most of the units, this equates to the main living area, though sometimes in the kitchen or unfinished room -- the layouts on each building has variations, after all. "One of those things you just have to feel, I reckon. Never figured Evandau much for leaving new bottles of wine on the pillows after all, so this will have to do."

While she's in the buildings, she'll run her hands over the wards built into the walls, letting them light briefly with various colours of light depending on the purpose, a symbol-based language not unlike runic illuminating at her touch and then fading to invisibility again.

"Now for these," she'll continue once she's sure she has all their attentions. "These are the best I could do on short notice, what with the Creature throwing all his resource at breaking Eshai's spells. That's why none of you could get into the Throne Room few weeks back-- that was a right bold move on your parts, by the way. See if you can't talk tall and smileless up there," she jerks her head toward the front of the building to indicate Celaunn, "into learning something from it. Chilu's are too by the book."

She'll explain how the lanterns are strengthened by proximity of those whose soul they house, and the dangers of staying away from them (particularly in a Dreaming state) for too long. "You don't want the Creature coming to rip you out of here," she says, jabbing them in the chest for emphasis, a deep frown distorting the burned scar on the one side of her face. "Be something like putting your insides through a wind shearer. Don't recommend it, that's for certain. Are you paying attention? Don't be moving these anywhere. With the power of these, I can understand why Eshai wanted to keep them close but keeping them from you... well, it wasn't the only thing she and I disagreed on."

Once she's satisfied that they've got as much information as she can provide at this time, she'll remind them as Evandau did: these lanterns are their Keeliai anchors and should they be destroyed, it won't be a trip back to their worlds that they can look forward to. "Without these, I can't keep you from being lost for good," she'll add seriously. "Good luck with them."

Comments

open!

[problematical]

[ River wasn't entirely sure what to make of the whole "souls-in-lanterns" thing. She wished that Shepherd Book was here so she could ask him to quantify (talk of transcendence and the enormity of faith and suddenly there are paper lanterns, and it's not calculating in any system River knows -- and she knows them all) but he's not, so she'll do her best.

River decides that the best way to learn about who's living in what house is to knock -- or in some cases, just walk right in. ]

[iguanasolution]

[Well that

sure is a woman walking right inside his suite. He didn't want to assume, she could live there for all he knew. Still...]

Uh, Hi? Can I help you?

[problematical]

[ Tadah~ and now she was meeting people. River offers Frank her hand without preamble. ]

I'm River.

[iguanasolution]

[And Frank offers his own hand, bowing a bit out of respect- even before he realizes what he's doing. Well, at least he's got a name now.]

I'm Frank. Are you going to live here now?

[problematical]

[ She shakes it anyway, surprising strength in a waifish grip, but shakes her head at his question. ]

No, I live in Water... but not in the water.

[iguanasolution]

[He gives her a little grin] Yeah, I kind of figured. Even though I knew this man once-

[And then it clicks:] Wait, then what are you doing here? Do you know someone who lives here?

[problematical]

[ River looks pleased, like he's just answered a question instead of asking one. ]

Yes, I know you. You're Frank and I'm River... who else is here?

[iguanasolution]

Well there's- [No, wait.]

Do you seriously just walk inside people's houses like that?

[problematical]

[ She smiles calmly at him, apparently having already reached the same conclusion and being absurdly mellow about it. ]

No, I'm meeting people. It's just different than how you do it.

[iguanasolution]

And it's also kind of invading people's houses. [She seems harmless enough, or at least pacific enough. But now that their souls are literally hanging upside their heads he doesn't really think invading people's suites will be welcomed.]

How have people been reacting to you doing this?

[problematical]

But the door wasn't locked. If you want to keep something safe then you put it away in a safe place, but an open door is an open door.

[ Even, apparently, if it was closed. ]

You're the first.

[iguanasolution]

Well, welcome to my house I guess. [This is kind of surreal, but if her biggest crime is going into people's suites to meet them...

Wait. He usually wouldn't worry, he doesn't even have that many valuables, but now there's the lamps to protect.] You weren't coming here to steal or anything, right?

[problematical]

It's a good house, it has a strong feeling to it, like you do.

[ She shakes her head, not seeming to mind the accusation of possible theft. ]

Even if you took something away it would come back.

[iguanasolution]

What do you mean, a strong feeling? [He decides that'll probably get a safer answer than asking why things would come back.]

Can you feel the auras or something like that?

[problematical]

[ She wanders around the room toward the kitchen, picking up a mug from the counter and looking intently at it. ]

I listen to people and to places. They said... the others think I'm a Reader but I'm just River.

[iguanasolution]

And I'm just Frank. [Which feels a little stupid to say, but it's out before he can even stop himself.]

What does this house feel like, then? I'm curious.

[problematical]

[ Whether he thinks it's stupid or not, it gets a genuine smile from River. ]

Like a storm, with thunder.

[iguanasolution]

[He smiles to himself as if she'd made a funny joke. If only Jason were here.]

A storm that's getting ready to break, or is the storm already here? [He isn't sure why that's an important distinction, but when you come from a world of oracles and prophecies you learn to take these things seriously. Maybe too much.]

[problematical]

Rolling in. Barometric pressure is dropping, should shutter all the windows, take the laundry in off the line.

[iguanasolution]

...Is it a dangerous storm? Or one that washes everything bad away and refreshes you when it's too hot?

[problematical]

[ River takes a deep breath and holds it, as if she were the barometer, like she was testing the pressure around her. ]

It'll make things clean again, but not everyone can swim.

[iguanasolution]

[He hums, that doesn't mean anything in particular to him. He makes a mental note to write it down- like the prophecies, he thinks the meaning of this will become clear later. He just hopes it isn't too late to... teach people how to swim, apparently.]

I think I've had enough "crypticness" for now. I was going to get something to eat- do you want some? Since you're already here and all.

[problematical]

[ She really does appreciate him playing along and will be thinking of a better way to thank him later. At the offer of food however, something shifts and she seems less oracle, more hungry teenage girl. ]

Okay.