tushanshu_logs | [EVENT | FOURTH WALL] THE DREAMING'S FLATULENCE

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[EVENT | FOURTH WALL] THE DREAMING'S FLATULENCE | APRIL 15-30

Characters: ALL and plus ones. (Yes, fourth-wall characters, that means you.)
Date: April 15-30 2016 (2017 in-game)
Location: Mod-posted comment starters are for the immediate aftermath of the odd explosion which starts the event, but this log can also be used for anywhere in the setting anytime between April 15-30.
Situation: The College went BOOM. Weird people began appearing randomly in the city. After that, other buildings went BOOM even though nothing actually exploded besides the College. After that, scattered buildings developed spontaneous structural damage overnight. Could these events be related? You be the judge.
Warnings/Rating: Add warnings in subject headers as needed.

The morning of April 15th dawns cold, but clear. There isn't a cloud in the sky, the sun's barely risen, and in general the kedan are going about their daily lives - opening shops, heading to work, leading kirin through the city streets. In particular, there's a small but steady stream of people moving in and out of the College.

Then, without warning, a section of the College implodes.

During the following few days, an influx of strange Foreigners appear, seemingly dropped randomly by the Dreaming throughout Keeliai. Someone might end up in a canal, or on a rooftop. Someone else might find themselves flying through the air to land heavily in a disused alley. Someone might wake up in the corner of a kirin stable. A few might even land in Hatal on the mainland, and feel a curious draw leading them back towards the turtle. They arrive in the same unexpected manner as normal Foreigners; the only differences are the sheer amount of people arriving at once, and that none of the newcomers seem to possess any soul gems.

Also during the next few days, kedan and Foreigner alike might be startled by an exact replica of that thunderous boom from the College explosion echoing around Keeliai. This only occurs for about a week, but it occurs regularly, and the source of these strange echoes is impossible to trace.

Once the explosion echoes stop, investigators might notice that specific and exact sections of structural damage from the College appear on other buildings in Keeliai without any obvious cause. These cases of spontaneous long-term damage continue all the way through until April 30th.

Apart from those disruptions, life on the turtle is generally normal for the next two weeks - or as normal as it's possible for life to be when one lives on the back of a turtle where the most powerful gang makes the rules. No one can say for sure exactly when the strange Foreigners vanish again. Some will swear they all vanished at once; others will be equally sure they disappeared one by one over several days. One thing's for sure, however -- by the time April 30th draws to a close, not one of the strange Foreigners is left in Keeliai.

LINKS
The College | The Echoes | The Structural Damage | OOC Information post | Fourth-Wall Character Check-In

OOC
The top-level comments are for the explosion and its aftermath, but fourth-wall characters should feel free to use the rest of the post for anything within the setting! Just remember to label the top-level comment for location and date. You can also add more fourth-wall characters throughout the event at the character check-in, linked above. Please direct any questions to the OOC post.

Fourth-wall characters are also free to tag into player-posted logs and console/radio posts dated between April 15th and 30th! A quick reminder that fourth-wall characters will not have soul jewelry, and will not be able to create their own network posts or logs.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

In earlier times, Raine would have tried harder to hide it. Now, though, all she could do was offer Sheena a wistful sort of smile. "It's all right," she said. And really, it could have been much worse. In any case, Raine herself had theories on this front as well, regarding the personal suitability of the damage and its effects--

Perhaps not now.

"I believe it's something to do with the Dreaming plane," she explained as she led the way back out into the markets proper, into the sunlight and the mix of kedan. "It isn't as stable as it could be, no, but nothing catastrophic has ever occurred as a result. At most, mild inconveniences."

Absurd hope leapt in her heart when Sheena elaborated that she'd want to stay. As much as Raine loved the life she'd made here -- enough to choose to stay, when that lone choice had been given -- her home was her home, and there would always be a spot close to her heart for those friends who had been with them on the journey. "Then-- I would hope to see you again," Raine said, a little more emotion in her voice than she'd intended. "In the mean time, while you're here, I can fill you in on the city, and what's happened. I run the Healers' Guild here, but as some of my coworkers have become insistent that I learn to delegate more often, I have more free time than I did."

There would be plenty of time to catch up, in other words, or so she hoped.

"Raine..." Sheena could offer nothing else in the light of that smile and her lack of effort in trying to hide what had happened. Nothing else but the same friendship she had always given her; the silent message that she was there for her.

For the moment.

Making sure Tomoya was settled, Sheena followed Raine, looking around when they stepped out into the city. "You mentioned 'Dreaming' before? Is all this some kind of a dream? An illusion?" They had encountered something like that before, and if this was the same thing... She just might change her mind about wanting to stay here. She gave her friend a wry look. "I wouldn't exactly call being dropped out of the sky a mild inconvenience, you know."

Although Sheena had been trapped in the place she had been all that time, the life she had made for herself there had made it easy to push it to the side. But not even that was enough to convince her to stay; not when those she cared about were hurt or made to suffer. What she hadn't told Raine was that Atia was going to send all of them away soon; she hadn't wanted to get her hopes up.

But just by admitting that she'd want to stay here, the ninja had done so anyway. She could hear it in her voice. Wanting things to work out that way, the ninja smiled and said, "I hope so, too." She had taken only a few steps after that before stopping and staring at her friend. She wasn't surprised that Raine ran the Healers' Guild, but of something else. "Raine, that's great! But how in the name of Mizuho did they ever get you to delegate?" She paused, knowing what Raine was driving at.

"All right, where or what first?" If she was here only a short time, she was going to make the most of it.

Picking up again, despite the years they each had gained-- yes, it wouldn't be that hard.

"It isn't a dream, not really," Raine explained as they went, picking through the busy marketplace. "There are several planes of existence here. Life and Death are fairly self-explanatory-- that's where we are now, the plane of Life. Neighboring and overlaying is the Dreaming, which can be accessed directly with certain special methods. I mentioned we were trapped for about a year, correct? Something about the process used to retrieve us contributed to a change in the state of those planes, but no one is quite certain what yet." And for someone usually so committed to understanding the nature of the world, that says something about either her busyness or the subtlety of what changed, or both. "As for minor inconveniences, what I meant is more on the lines of small items shifting a short distance. You're an anomaly."

Congratulations, Sheena.

"I'm not that bad," Raine protested, half-heartedly, at the crack about delegation. "I was presented with logical arguments, on multiple fronts, with which I eventually concurred. And the opportunity to resume some of the research that's fallen by the wayside is a welcome one."

Honestly. "The apartment first," she said thoughtfully. "So you'll know where it is. Solomon will likely still be out, but introducing the two of you can wait in any case. Apart from that, the Midnight Hotel is a useful place to know, as well as a safe one, and it has entrances in all sectors. And there's the Guild, of course. I should fill you in on the factions, as well; unfortunately, it's become something of a political minefield."

In Sheena's case, it wasn't just because there was a Raine on Atia, but because she never forgot about her friends and thought about them often. Yes, that included Zelos.

Keeping in step with Raine, Sheena tried to follow what the mage was saying, nodding at some points, and furrowing her brows in others. Life and Death were easy to figure out. But Dreaming? That one was going to take some time. "What happened when all of you were trapped in there? Were you able to do anything?" The fact that Raine wasn't too focused on learning what had happened really didn't trouble the ninja. She knew her friend well enough that she hadn't forgotten about it; she probably just hadn't found the clue she needed.

Besides, the head of the Healers' Guild? Yeah. Busy.

She shot her friend a wry look over the "anomaly" comment. "Gee, thanks, Raine," she said in a matching tone. "Something I always wanted to be." She was joking, of course.

"And yes, you are," Sheena countered. They all were, as a matter-of-fact. "So, which logical argument won? The fact that the Healers' Guild would be useless if she needed its members' help?" Of course, she had to roll her eyes. "Raine, I don't think they argued for you to delegate at the Guild so you can lose yourself in research." She gave her friend a concerned look. "Promise me you'll work with others there, too."

It really wasn't a request. More of a command. Or was it a plea? Hard to tell.

"All right," Sheena said, a smile forming. "So, who's Solomon, Raine?" she asked with a lilt in her voice. A boyfriend? A husband? "Hmmm?" Oh, wait, she was talking about other things. "The Midnight Hotel? Is it in the center of the sectors? Or in the city?" For a moment, she stared before facepalming.

"Great. Just what I needed to fall into. Another battle for power."

"It was much like a dream," Raine said wryly. "If a waking one. I'm sure time passed, but it seemed like a week at most, rather than a year. And it was shared, as well: I was able to show some of my friends a dream of Iselia. It was shaped more from memory than fact, as dreams are."

Raine laughed quietly, and shook her head. "It was pointed out that my skills are better used healing than scheduling," she said, electing to simply ignore the assertion that she was that bad. (The fact she had been told multiple times she needed a hobby had nothing to do with it.) "But-- no. I won't shut myself away with my research, if that's your concern. I don't think my friends would let me, at any rate, and it's better with a partner, or more." Ideas could be bounced back and forth, sharpened much more efficiently that way than alone.

And there she smiled, the quietly fond expression of a person in love. "That's how I came to know Solomon, in point of fact. Joint research on the nature of this world." She recognized that almost-teasing tone of Sheena's voice, but she met it mostly evenly. Mostly. "He's my fiancé; we plan to marry sometime in the next few months. As for the Hotel, it's trans-dimensional, and has widespread entrances, but only one building. It's a fascinating piece of work-- the magic involved seems to shape mana without consuming it."

Sheena made a half-shrug. She wouldn't expect anything less from something called the Dreaming. But a waking dream for that length of time? "Did sharing those memories help keep you from going crazy?" She could imagine which memories Raine shared, and the facts she wished to avoid.

And the ninja couldn't blame her one bit.

Eyebrows raised in surprise, Sheena could only stare. "You...can't schedule things? Oh come on, I find that hard to believe!" After all, she was a teacher back home. They have to do all sorts of scheduling...don't they? Her look became pointed when she mentioned her friends. "I know I wouldn't." And Sheena's methods have become pretty direct over the years. "I once dragged a friend from his research--literally--so he could take a much-needed break. And I'd do the same thing to you. That's a promise."

Oh ho. Look at that smile! Sheena knew what it meant even before Raine said anything. On impulse, she hugged her friend. Quite a few things had changed during those four years. "Oh, Raine! That's wonderful! I'm so happy for you!" It was easy for her to hide the slight pang of jealousy and pain at her friend's comment behind her happiness. Love hadn't been kind to Sheena where she had been. And her one venture into it had sent her in a dark spiral. But, when it came to her friends--when they were happy, she was always truly happy for them, and would do anything to keep them that way.

"Trans-dimensional?" she asked as she pulled away. "More than two dimensions?" Yes, she had learned a few things! At the mention of mana, the ninja looked at her friend sharply. Mana? Here? After a moment, she offered, "Well, we can renew our mana by resting or doing something else once we use it. Maybe the Hotel has a way of doing it at the same time it uses it?"

[ ooc: Sheena had a bad time in her last two years. If I app, I'll send you a PM telling you all about it, so you're not too surprised. ]

Edited 2016-05-09 16:57 (UTC)

"I suppose so," Raine said, thoughtful. "In some cases, it was an opportunity to say good-bye; in others, it was simply a chance to share something I'd never be able to otherwise, with people who are precious to me. If there had been nothing to occupy my mind, it would have been a bleak situation indeed."

She gave Sheena a wry sort of look over the topic of scheduling. "I can," she said, "but while most of the people at the Guild are capable of scheduling, not all of them are capable of using healing artes, It's a matter of the proper distribution of labor, apparently." Her mouth twitched in something like a smile at the threat to drag her away from her research. She wouldn't appreciate it at the time, of course, but the sentiment was a sweet one, and there were others who would approve of Sheena's initiative.

The hug caught her by surprise, and she made a wordless, bemused sort of a sound before relaxing into it. "...Thank you," she said, returning the embrace one-armed. This was a far cry from how Genis reacted, but then again, Genis was occasionally pyromaniacally protective. "He can be sharp, but he's a good man. I'm fortunate to have met him."

Raine didn't miss Sheena's surprised about mana, either. "If it isn't mana, it's something very close to it; close enough that it feels roughly the same, to me," she explained. "And yes, it exists across dimensions. The way it was explained to me, in his home world, the Hotel changes location periodically. Here, it simply opens into all sectors. I'll have to see if Anton will show you some of the sigils..."

[ooc; sounds good. c: you're also welcome to add me on plurk if you like, it's makaricrow. I work late tomorrow unfortunately but if you like we can pick this up in someone's journal, or hash out what happens elsewhere, or... something. we're not without recourse is what I'm getting at. either way it's been lovely <3]

"Say goodbye? To Iselia? Or to those here?" Sheena knew there was always a chance of going back home from Atia, but she had no clue about this place on a turtle. She gave her friend a reassuring smile. "Knowing you, Raine, you would have kept your mind occupied with whatever you could." Ruins, her love of ruins, the ruins she had been in...

The erasers she had thrown...

"So people weren't being used to their fullest potential or were in the wrong area to begin with?" She nodded. She could understand that, since the network Mizuho used relied on certain skills of each member of the village to gather and pass the information along. Seeing that smile, the ninja looked at her calmly--even as a small smile began to form. "Don't know what you're smiling about; I will drag you out of there, you know."

For a moment, Sheena feared she overstepped her bounds when the mage didn't return the hug. She had momentarily forgotten that things were a bit different with this Raine, but when her friend returned the hug, Sheena relaxed, chuckling softly. "Sorry, didn't mean to surprise you. I've learned a few things over the years." Pulling back, she held her friend by the shoulders and studied her. "You really are fortunate, Raine," she said without elaboration. But with total honesty.

As Raine explained about the Hotel, Sheena paused, trying to sense the same thing her friend did. Was there...? She wasn't sure, and if she was only going to be here a short time, she had other things to do. "So wait, it's like the Tower?" Existing in more than one place, not moving.

"And who is Anton?"

Raine hesitated over this answer, but gave it anyway. "After we had defeated the threat we were brought here to fight, we were given the choice to return home. Some of my friends took it. Some were called back later; some weren't." She didn't explicitly say that she had chosen to stay, but the implication was, she thought, relatively obvious.

"I don't doubt that you will," Raine said, perhaps a little hastily, holding up one hand. "And I'll endeavor to make sure it doesn't become necessary. I was simply thinking that you'll fit in well here." Sheena certainly could overpower her if it came down to it, and she would rather spare herself the indignity.

She was only startled, in truth: the hug was a good thing, and a welcome one. "It's all right," she said, shaking her head. There wasn't much else to do but agree with Sheena: she was exceptionally fortunate to be where she was, with the freedoms she had, even if it wasn't her home world. "The only thing more I could ask for is to see friends from home again."

And here she has that, for however long it is.

"That's an apt analogy, yes," Raine said of the Hotel, considering. "One place that exists in many places. It has a significantly better atmosphere, however. Anton Shudder is the proprietor -- he built it, and it came here with him. He's a good friend, as well. He takes the rules of the Hotel very seriously, however. No violence, at all."

Sheena tilted her head and gave her friend a soft, understanding smile. "I think I know why you chose to stay, Raine. It's nice to be accepted without question, isn't it?" She had discovered that herself. On Atia, she was just like everyone else. But is was much more than that for her friend; this place probably let her be herself without having to lie about her heritage.

"Good," the ninja said with a definitive nod. If she could keep her powers here, she'd most certainly be able to drag Raine away. "And you had better keep that promise, Raine." It was a friendly threat, and would have been followed by more if she just hadn't confused her. "I'd fit in? Why's that?" She hadn't fit in anywhere, really, her entire life--until she met Lloyd and Colette.

"Okay. I just wanted to make sure." But if she really knew why Sheena said she was fortunate... Nope. That little bit of information was going to be safely tucked away and buried. "Well, it looked like someone was listening when you asked," she said with a chuckle. "Just not too fond of the delivery service."

Oh, Raine, you get a beaming Sheena for that. The ninja still hadn't figured out that she was smarter than she thought, so she was always surprised when she got something right. Shaking her head, she looked skyward for a moment, envisioning the Tower. "I honestly think anywhere would have a better atmosphere than that place."

"The proprietor? And builder? Impressive. You mentioned sigils. Did he make those, too?" She leaned back and gave her friend an innocent look. "Now why would you want to tell me the 'no violence' rule, Raine?"

Not like she tried to punch a hole in a stone wall or anything four years ago on Atia.

"If people look at me differently, it's because I'm a Foreigner, that's all. Human, half-elf... it barely means anything, here." It had contributed to her choice, yes. Race was an absurd thing to get hung up on when the vast majority of the populace could shift their appearance at will.

"Hm... how do I put it. The people here, I find, are often good people who flourish outside of otherwise inescapable environmental factors," Raine explained, her tone slipping unconsciously closer to lecturing. "Further, a number of them have seen fit to comment on the fact that I apparently need a hobby. Which is ridiculous, since I research because it's enjoyable, not always for any specific end." And it was useful, as well. She was at this point resolutely ignoring Skulduggery's assertion that a hobby shouldn't necessarily be useful.

Perhaps someone had been listening. Raine's smile was wry. "If I can discover who's responsible for the spell's current state, I'll discuss the matter with them," she promised seriously.

It had wrought no small amount of destruction when it crashed down; but all the same, Raine couldn't bring herself to miss the Tower, either. "It's an existing language, which he learned over time," she said, opting to bypass bringing up the Tower again. She met Sheena's innocent look with near-perfect blank-faced neutrality, perhaps a shade too innocent on her own. The number of times she'd seen Sheena and Zelos interact spoke for itself. "And as I said, Anton takes his rules very seriously, and while he's a kind man, he's also a dangerous one. There's a reason he can enforce the Hotel as neutral ground, despite the politics of the city."

For a moment, Sheena was at a loss for words. Raine had found something here that she hadn't had back home, and it left the ninja happily stunned. Finally, she found her voice. "That sounds wonderful, Raine." And appearance shifting? Just what every ninja needed.

Oh Martel, not lecture-mode, Raine. Fortunately, it really didn't last long, and Sheena was able to concentrate on what was being said. The topic she chose to reply to, however, might not really surprise her friend. "They're right. You do need a hobby other than research. Something that doesn't require thinking, so you're that much sharper when you go back to it." So there.

The ninja returned the smile with a wry one of her own--although her eyes were sincere. "Tell them I really appreciate it when you do, okay?"

That Tower and the havoc that came with it would forever be in their memories--no amount of destruction could change that. And the elves... It had been four years; had they even recovered from that yet? Taking her cue from Raine, the ninja skipped mentioning that place again and focused on the Anton. "When you say 'exisiting', do you mean old? Like the Old Language of Mizuho. Or the language Volt spoke? Or a completely different language?" She had met a few people on Atia that spoke in a foreign language.

Sheena still held her innocent look in the face of Raine's neutrality. The ninja knew how she could be--with or without Zelos around. After a moment, she shook her head. Didn't Raine trust her? "Oh come on, Raine! You don't need to say it again!" Sheesh. Then a change in demeanor.

"He has to stay neutral though, doesn't he? I mean, if the hotel is in every sector, he really has no choice, right?" She hated politics.

Sometimes -- very rarely -- Raine wore her hair up, showing ears too pointed to be human and too small to be elven. Mostly, though, she simply carried herself as though she belonged, and didn't fear.

"Something that doesn't require thinking," Raine repeated, sounding equal measures dubious and incredulous. She was willing to make the attempt, but how was she supposed to do that? She was always thinking. "Like what, I wonder."

Naturally, she progressed right to something that did require thinking. "Yes-- according to Anton, the language has been around as long as sorcerers in their world remember. It's symbolic, and there doesn't seem to be a spoken form; or, if there is, it's one lost so long ago that no one remembers it. Magic-users in that world can live several hundred years, so that seems somewhat unlikely." Still, it was possible.

She supposed she didn't have to say it again, no, but Raine did worry. "Not necessarily," she answered. "He could favor Foreigners, or he could refuse service to, for instance, the Snakes, or other gang members. Instead, Anton is steadfastly neutral. Even those he calls his brothers are as subject to his rules as anyone else. Fortunately, they're also more likely to listen."

Of course, it never was the outside appearance that mattered, but what emanted from the inside. She didn't have to live in fear of being caught and hated or executed here. And it showed. The ninja could see it in the way she carried herself.

"Right! Like collecting. Cats, foxes, wolves. Or drawing, or even painting. Something that makes you feel good that doesn't have anything to do with science or thinking." Ask Sheena. She knew what to do when it came to not thinking.

Leave it to Raine to not stop there, though. She just had to keep thinking. Well, old habits die hard, Sheena guessed. "Oh, it's a language of magic? Or...wait. A language of pictures?" Which seemed so much better than words that could be mistranslated. "And he spent how long learning it?" She paused again. "Raine, what if it had been spoken once--but not with the person's mouth? Maybe it was a telepathic language."

Okay, so she had been exposed to a few things on Atia.

Shaking her head, Sheena looked at her friend in bemusement. She could hear that capital "F". "So, even though people accept those who come here from wherever, they're still labeled, huh? Do they ever reach a point when they're not?" she'll get back to the other topic in a minute.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[EVENT | FOURTH WALL] THE DREAMING'S FLATULENCE | APRIL 15-30

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I had hoped to boomerang yesterday, but had to work. :(

work happens to the best of us, alas ;;

I know, sigh. (Maybe I'll be off tomorrow. Last day for tagging.)

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