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

[deusrexmachina]

[Rex slows and descends as he enters the Foreigner housing area of the Water Sector, and it isn't long before he picks up on the faint notes being played from somewhere nearby. Following the sound, he ends up at roughly roof level, soon drawn toward a familiar blue light.]

Hey, Saint Walker.

[As he greets the Blue Lantern, Rex slows to a halt on the roof and builds down, the hover board vanishing.]

Taking a little time out after getting moved into your new digs?

[burnseternal]

You could say that, yes. I must say that I prefer being out-of-doors.

[A preference that's not respected by their current situation, or so it seems. They have been told to at least attempt to stay close to their soul-lanterns in their idle hours, and though that is a practice that Saint Walker isn't entirely keen on following, it is one he'll be following nevertheless.]

And yourself, Rex? How have you been?

[deusrexmachina]

[Walking over, Rex sits down a few feet away from Saint Walker so they're side by side. Granted, Walker didn't exactly invite the kid to join him, but Rex figures if there's a problem with that, something will be said.]

Been better, really.

[His tone is a bit grumpy.]

I didn't mind the move since I'd rather have shared space with other people. I'm not the sort of guy who likes being by himself all the time. But this whole souls in lanterns, thing? It's really bothering me.

[burnseternal]

[In all honesty, the mere existence of the soul lanterns is something that unsettles Saint Walker down to his bones.

Before he was a Blue Lantern, before he had so much as stepped foot upon another planet, many could have said that his world was a small one; he filled his days surrounded by those that populated his village, his wife, his children, his family. His world had been far from small, however, holy book forever at his side, and well equipped with the knowledge that he was simply one figure in a grand universe.

His holy book is gone now, but its teachings remain. It is... wrong, to see something as small and large and wonderful as the soul objectified and hung from the ceiling as if it were no more than a trinket to be eventually cast aside, the immaterial made material in the most destructive of ways.

Now, he chooses not to air his own private thoughts, and instead decides to hear what Rex has to say instead.]

What about it bothers you? [He asks, expectation and judgment alike absent in his tone.]

[deusrexmachina]

Tch, it might be easier to ask what doesn't bother me about it all.

[It's impossible to keep the aggravation out of his tone. Frowning, eyes narrowing, Rex leans back on both hands and scrapes the heel of one boot against the rooftop, grinding it back and forth. While it's typical for him to have trouble sitting still for long, his fidgeting in this case is likely due more to pent up anger.]

A person's soul is supposed to be their essence, right? Or at least that's what I've always heard. If that's true, it's even more important than someone's memories and, as is, I'm not a big fan of having those messed with, either. Totally speaking from experience, there.

Anyway, nobody asked me or anyone else around here if yanking our souls out and shoving them in a bunch of flimsy lanterns was okay. Aside from the whole deal being a major case of personal violation, our souls aren't all that safe hanging around like pieces of interior decor!

[burnseternal]

It is a violation of the highest order, [Saint Walker agrees, voice grave. While he wishes that he could reassure the young man in some other way, they must engage with the truth as it stands; their very beings have been tampered with, and it is as just a cause as any to feel angry at.]

A violation, [he says, thoughtfully,] that has evidently been going on from the very beginning.

[deusrexmachina]

Yeah, apparently.

[Rex digs his heel down harder against the roof in frustration before finally stopping and shrugging his shoulders up, clearly sulking about all of this.]

And seeing as how I've only been here a few months and I'm this ticked about it? I can't imagine how mad some of the other people around here are. People who've been here for a year or more.

This kind of thing... It makes it harder to fight a war for people who lie and steal from you, you know? Well, lie, steal and use what they stole to anchor you here. Just makes some of the other stuff I've heard about how we get here seem even more messed up.

[burnseternal]

Ah, but that is the crux of the matter, is it not?

[Saint Walker diverts his gaze from Rex to look across the skyline, filled with the silhouettes of houses filled with the silhouettes of people great and small. He plucks the strings on the instrument in his lap, letting the notes ring out.]

The immoral actions of the few do not change the nature of our enemy, and they do not change the nature of our friends. Look out onto the distance. What is it that you see?