Prepare for the #LodanRespawn2024 Existing characters may choose to be displace from/have memories of different timelines, thereby allowing returning members the option to retcon their whole character. These changes are the result of the "Unnatural Fog" plot device that is running between now and the Respawn. The plot is simple: no matter where your character is, that place is shrouded in a thick fog that suspends time, but not thoughts or memories, so even if they're repeating the same day over and over again, they continue to remember, so each time feels like a new day. For those retconning OCs; this is where new versions of themselves have the opportunity to replace the old versions. Official lore and tree updates will be announced asap
the Month of Harrowing - Brothers Grimm Masquerade Ball
Post by Thomas McGhee on Oct 20, 2015 19:25:08 GMT
Thomas wiped a small tear from his eye, he always knew Wern had it in him from the moment they met. His gusto in sweeping the young lady off of her feet surprised him still. So much so that it caused him to take a step back, caught off guard, and into Tyrell once again. He spun around only to be greeted by the slightly taller man he had ran into before. With no small hint of annoyance, "Oi laddie... yer really startin' ta push yer luck here. Ya come over ta start somethin'? 'Cause I'm more than ready fer ya, folla' me?" He took a half step into the man whilst rolling up his sleeves for a scrap, never breaking his gaze from Tyrell's.
The girl looked behind her, then back to them, and Wern smiled under his mask as she spoke, her voice, soothing and timid. Yet there was a strength in there that persisted, which Wern respected. Made his heart flutter for a moment, even, and not because of her grace, although that was part of it, but because he had done this- was able to talk to as stranger, and to say not what he should say, but what he wanted to say. And now, he wanted to dance. The beauty had not recoiled in disgust, but acknowledged him. Had even waved and smiled to him, giving him the strength that maybe he could be someone else that night. Or had that gesture even been for him? As Thomas stepped into Tyrell, pulling up his sleeves ready for a brawl, Wern looked at the raven, then back at the girl. Had she been looking at him? Had that smile and gentle wave been for that raven, thin and sleek, like the night? It didn’t matter then, as Wern stepped back to intercept the two, but perhaps, over the embers of a dying fire, it would. “Hey, hey. Don’t start something here.” Wern placed a hand on Thomas’s arm, pressing down ever gently those raised cuffs. “I’m sure he meant nothing by the gesture, and if he did.” He looked toward the raven, brow furrowed under the likeness of the bear. “It would be the time to speak.” If not for his sake, but mine, Wern thought dryly, not liking the idea of being in the middle of a duel between two giants.
What is important to me is the experience of making. I leave all my work outside and often return to watch it decay.- Andy Goldsworthy
That first comment about trying harder now got an amused eyeroll from her, and a simple "Thanks." to the compliment. Not going to snicker at that, no. If she did, at that pace her cheeks would be hurting from too much laughter by the end of the night.
Then hearing his quiet question about his arm, the redhead nodded. She wasn't about to go around claiming out loud that she could regrow people's lost limbs, and she definitely had no such ability, but she could give him the feeling of having it back again for a short while. Amon seemed to be discussing the possiblity in his own mind, and she let him do so without interruptions, until he finished with that 'Still...' and she interpreted that as him if not overly interested at least intrigued enough to try it. Sticking a last little truffle in her mouth before freeing her hand away from the plate of chocolatey heaven, she slid her fingers forward till touching the back of his gauntlet - the hand that was just covered by a piece of his costume rather than being actually made of metal. As long as she could locate the target, a spell of this branch didn't really require direct contact; but for some reason the closeness seemed to help her be more precise about it.
So long as his brain still remembered what it was like before he lost his arm and eye, she could make it work: the feeling of actual tactile sense, smooth fabric of the tablecloth over the actual table, warmth of soft flesh covering bone that stretched or accomodated according to any flexing of fingers, the chill of the evening air against exposed skin for not wearing a sleeve over it... and actually viewing things with two eyes, sense of proper depth perception. The overall feeling of being whole.
Edelweiss lifted her gaze to look at Amon and waited to see what he thought of it (and also mostly to guarantee he didn't start doing anything strange that other people could notice meanwhile that). Deceit was the first branch of magic she had mastered, and tier II had a large amount of uses... Spreading thoughts, sensations, illusions, or in this case all at once like a full-fledged hallucination. There were a few variables that she had considered about it too, like amount of Anders in the proximities and being right next to magic being used, but at the moment she could only hope his actual prosthetic wouldn't break since Deceit affected the mind and not the actual body. So whatever the actual metal limb was doing meanwhile that should be irrelevant for its effects until the cast wears off... but she couldn't guarantee it would still work while at it.
Deceit II casted once. 3 Level II casts remaining.
As the spell began to take hold, Amon's arm made a small spazam before going limp. So she was using Deceit huh? Well, the first time he didn't know about it, and the second time he let it happen. He should really test out how to fight it at some point...ah well. He trusted her, so might as well let it run its cour-
Amon blinked. It was disorientating at first, but...
He closed his right eye. Yeah...he could see out of his left eye. He did a quick, subtle glance around before realizing another change: his right arm was human, a mirror of his left. He flexed the fingers for a bit before finally looking up at Edel with a small expression of wonder. Queens she was beautiful.
Slowly, he moved his right arm to caress her face. For one second, just prior to the spell running out, he could feel the warmth of her skin, the softness of her cheek.
Then the sensation was gone.
The image of the right arm disappeared, and the left side of his vision went dark. Amon gasped a bit, closing his eye and bowing his head.
One with the machine.
He still had his right eye and left arm.
No regrets.
After collecting his thoughts, he blinked his eye a couple of times, looking at his mechanical arm as he willed for it to move again. A couple of seconds later, it became operational again.
"...Thanks," he said, flexing his mechanical arm and looking up at her. "...Odd how you don't really miss it until you're reminded that it's gone..."
"...Still...no regrets..."
In those first moments, Edelweiss distracted herself by just observing Amon's reactions. The blinking and glancing around and even slightly dazed look were normal (and maybe a bit expected too), and if she was being frank with herself that was actually quite cute to watch. Then he looked back at her with such a wonder-stroke face that a smile grew on her lips even though sadly she couldn't see his imaginary arm caressing her cheek.
But then he suddenly gasped with eye closed and leaned forward, and Edelweiss almost bolted from her seat to check if he was okay. That little voice in her head warning that would call too much attention was what stopped her from doing just that, but she still reached out to hold his hand tighter instead of just her fingertips touching that costume gauntlet. "Are you alright?" Had it been painful? Deceit wasn't supposed to hurt... at least not unless she had given a suggestion like 'You're in pain' or similar, which she obviously did not. But maybe she had failed to consider something about his prosthetic limb could actually harm him from magic exposure?
His response included thanks though, and he didn't sound sarcastic on her ears, so that might have been just natural disorientation when the spell ended. "You're welcome." Her worry was soothed for the most part although she still couldn't help but look back at him with a bit of an apologetic smile when he mentioned not missing things till being reminded they're gone. She had a similar feeling towards (not) dreaming at night. "Sorry it only lasts this much..."
"All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." - John Dalberg-Acton
"No no...it's fine..." Amon replied, continuing to get his arm moving again. "Don't need to worry," he continued with a grin, not all too upset at her tightened grip on his hand.
He waited for a bit before continuing to speak.
"So...other than eating sweets and magic tricks, how else would you like to spend this fine evening?"
"I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible! And when I leave, you will finally understand why storms are named after people!" - Taryn, Nerf This
Amon blinked. He had observed dancers a number of times before, but never actually danced himself...much less with a partner.
"Well, first time for everything," he said, popping in one more strawberry before getting up and readjusting his hand to better hold Edel's hand.
"Shall we, m'lady?"
"I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible! And when I leave, you will finally understand why storms are named after people!" - Taryn, Nerf This
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Oct 21, 2015 5:53:32 GMT
So he was a first-timer with dancing... well, on a second thought Edelweiss had to admit that wasn't much of a surprise since Amon had already proved not to be much fond of parties (or overall festive social gatherings). But it could be fun. The last time she had been in at the Queen's Garden, she had been stuck dancing in the lead role for each and every tune played, so at least regarding Balls there would be a new factor in for herself too.
And while they both walked towards the border of the dance floor, she made a mental note that if Amon has any propension to accidentally step on her feet, she'd simply pay attention to keep her feet out of the way.
"All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." - John Dalberg-Acton
Post by Tyrell O'Callaghan on Oct 21, 2015 7:33:20 GMT
A shy smile tugged at Tyrell's lips when Clairee waved and his eyes hooked onto her mouth to see what she had said since he could not hear her. Of course, his attention was quickly interrupted by the man that yet again bumped into him causing him to stumble back. Despite that Thomas' mask did not cover much of his face, the thick mustache covered almost all of his mouth making it impossible to read his lips and now Tyrell felt panicked in seeing him roll up his sleeves. It wasn't that he couldn't fight. He could well enough but he didn't want to. The feathers of his wings bristled slightly as he shrunk backwards, eyes flicking quickly between the man, Wern, and Clairee though when he looked to Clairee it was pleadingly. "I-I... don't hear. Don't understand," he murmured though the music most likely drowned him out. Despite that, as he spoke, his hands gestured in a jerky fashion toward his ears and then he started moving his hands in a rhythmic motion. For those that would understand such movements, he was signing his apologies and he had not meant to interrupt but only saw a friend he recognized. Again, he shrunk away from the three and nearly bumped into another. Leaving his wings out had been a mistake in such a large crowd.
As the French Femme Fatale Feline frolicked with the goose and the cat, she caught sight of a small commotion kicking off, with a large bushy faced man, and a winged man who looked quite distressed. A sibilant smile spread across her face before she shimmied her way on over, using her leg to lift the cat from the floor and with a quick hurried apology, the feline flew towards the bushy man, looking quite perplexed at suddenly being airborne now. The goose followed suit after the cat. Solanna smiled and giggled as she sidled up alongside the winged man, and tried to interlock her arms with his own.
"Now now boys, tonight's not a night for fights. It's a night for frights and fun and frolicking!" she declared, looking up at Tyrell and giving him a wink before she looked at the bushy faced man. "Play nice with the kitty now. He's been my dance partner this evening and he's been very polite about it. Didn't scratch me once. The goose as well has been quite pleasant. Plus, I think they belong to someone else here." she said with a shrug before looking around then back up to Tyrell. "So mon chéri, shall we have a dance ourselves, or would you prefer to try and relax some with a drink or two? Or are you perhaps looking for a friend tonight?"
Post by Victoria Adler on Oct 21, 2015 17:41:59 GMT
The nixie brightened upon site of her companions face, "Kalum! The charming fellow from the cafe! I thought I recognized you, nice to see you again." A bit of an embarrassed blush lit her face at his observant comment as she let out a short laugh, "Yes, it is a bit of a bad habit of mine to be direct in my speech." Her face colored even more for an entirely different reason at his compliment and she tried not to look too pleased but failed, "Thank you, I'm a Nixe from The Nixie of the Mill-Pond fairy tale. The make-up took a bit of time as did the hair so I am pleased my hard work payed off. Though - I admit - this is not the warmest of costumes. Where is your costume from?"
She was late. Very late. But she had a reason for this late arrival. She wasn't supposed to be here. In fact, everyone at HQ had specifically told her not to go to the Ball.
But Gladys really wanted to come to the event. So, she waited until well into the night to approach the place, skirting around people who were already on their way home from the event. She shouldn't be recognizable with her costume, but even then, she was still worried she might be recognized. She were here just to see the sights and experience the wonders that came with an event hosted by the Queen herself! There was no way she'd miss this.
He arms were strapped to her sides, which made walking a little difficult, but it was a part of her costume. Bandages that were painted to look bloody were tied over her mouth and one of her eyes, leaving only one exposed to the rest of the world. While the girl didn't actually lose her tongue or eyes in the story, she was meant to. And it helped disguise the timid guard as well. The story being referenced is that of the The Girl Without Hands (<-link) and Gladys hoped it was something not being worn by many other guests here. As for her interactions, she hoped there would be very VERY few of them.
“Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Do not bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” ―William Faulkner
Post by Stephen Leland on Oct 22, 2015 20:54:39 GMT
Odd, instead of doing what he expected - which was to tease or even laugh at his reaction - she actually looked fairly contrite about the whole situation. Seeing her behave this way mollified him enough so that he could consider her actions without anger clouding his judgement. Why did she feel the need to take off his mask in the first place? Had she merely been trying to provoke him? No, she would most likely not act so hesitant now if that was her original intention. Did she honestly remove his mask just to see his face? That seemed a bit hard to believe but it was the only logical answer he could come up with. Honestly, he did not know whether to be pleased, nervous, or confused about this information.
Then she removed her own mask, surprising him yet again. The makeup and henna she had hidden underneath was simple but pleasing to the eye, making him briefly wonder as to why she had put make-up on in the first place since it would be seen by no one. Ah well, women were strange. She held his gaze for a moment then looked away and started the dance again which he picked up, silently watching her with a calculating look. What was she thinking? The workings of her mind were always a mystery to him and the annoying thing was that he honestly wanted to know what she thought about sometimes.
For example, naught but a few moments ago she had been poking fun at him but now she refused to even look him in the eye. What changed? Well, his mask was off now and so was hers. It was not like they had no experience being with one another bare faced before but something about tonight was different. The setting maybe? Or the time or atmosphere or event? Whatever it was something about tonight was unlike the other times. If he was going to be truthful with himself, he felt more comfortable without his mask now since she removed hers - which he would have done so himself anyways but somehow it felt more meaningful that she had taken it off herself.
“Yes, I suppose it is,” he replied thoughtfully before giving her a quick spin. “Your henna,” he started after a stretch of silence, frowning a bit as he contemplated if this question would sound stupid to her, “it does not… hurt to put on, does it?” It was a question he had considered once or twice but never really asked. Queens, it was a bit odd being able to look at her with both eyes. He certainly was not used to it.
"Please, dont!" Clairee pipped up the moment she grasped the situation. Apparently the bear was of a like mind as he tried to quell his friend. Clairee ran to Tyrell's side and stepped slightly in front of him, offering her hands up in a sign of peace. "He's deaf, he can not hear you," she answered loudly enough to be heard, but hopefully it wouldn't lead to any embarrassments or feelings of inadequacy on Tyrell's behalf. She looked between the two kind-spoken gentlemen who had complimented her colorfully moments ago. They seemed nice enough. this must all be some kind of misunderstanding.
And even that thought was interrupted by another commotion. that of an angry hissing kitten flying right at them. "flying cats?" Clairee mouthed in perplexity. Then the goose, and it squawked and flapped disdainfully. They were so disarming that she hardly noticed the woman who followed suit, and latched onto Tyrell. Clairee jumped outta her skin at the sudden proximity and separated herself from the duo. The new arrival spoke something, through thick accent and with a saucy tone. None of which Clairee could pick apart right away. She simply stared... dumbfounded, then watched the others to see what they made of it all.
Last Edit: Oct 23, 2015 1:07:49 GMT by Clairee Donya
Levi is caught by Ikuze, her yapping like an upset pup to Caitlin about dancing with Levi. And that's not gonna fly with him, so he takes her by a her hand, and pulls her in close with a smooth yank, before transfering the hand he's holding her with to his other hand, placing a finger from his free hand on top her head, and spinning her away, letting his fingers slip away from her at the last moment.
Ya' got your dance. Mostly.
Levi glides into the view of Caitlin, placing his free hand on her hips as he sways her towards the dance floor, stealing her attention away from anyone else, just as the cat had done to the goose. He smiles softly, and purrs lowly. "You look absolutely lovely tonight, darling. You smell so extravagant, such a delight!" He's been reading books, some mushy gushy romance novels. Yuck. He moves his body in small, flowing movements, pulling her along with him. "Was it you who gave me the note to show up, or do I have an admirer I need to take care of?" He huffs a laugh and places a kiss upon the crown of her forehead, before continuing his movement with her.
Cait turned around when she felt his hand slip into hers the first time, so it goes without saying that she saw the exchange between Ikuze and Levi. She raised an eyebrow at him, and allowed herself this moment to be thoroughly amused. When he returned to her and tugged her to the dancefloor with his flowery language, she gave a genuine laugh.
"Since when does his roguishness talk such nonsense, or dance for that matter? Is this how you convinced all those women to put you up for the night? Not through clever wit or saintly vows, but by clouding their thoughts on the dancefloor?" He was a good dancer, she'd give him that. Had she any idea that the frog prince was someone worth noting, she might have noted the full glass he commandeered from the punch bowl, or the way he positioned himself on the edge of the dance floor, a lion waiting to pounce. What she did notice, after a turn or two of the waltz, was the feeling of eyes burning holes in the back of her head. Others had gaped at her before... yes... but nothing so intense or deliberate as this. Her smile faltered for a moment, and she missed her next step in the dance, causing her to twist her ankle the wrong way.
She sat her glass down next to the decanter and leaned back. This was nice... like falling into a vat of marshmallow fluff. Calm, muffled, the rest of the world blocked out by the closed door to his cabin, and here they were safe inside. Safe from reality, safe from their own complicated lives. Safe from duty. Safe from context. Just. Safe. --Caitlin
So he was a first-timer with dancing... well, on a second thought Edelweiss had to admit that wasn't much of a surprise since Amon had already proved not to be much fond of parties (or overall festive social gatherings). But it could be fun. The last time she had been in at the Queen's Garden, she had been stuck dancing in the lead role for each and every tune played, so at least regarding Balls there would be a new factor in for herself too.
And while they both walked towards the border of the dance floor, she made a mental note that if Amon has any propension to accidentally step on her feet, she'd simply pay attention to keep her feet out of the way.
"Well...this shouldn't be too bad..." Amon thought as they stood near the dance floor, noting the gracefulness of the other dancers, doing his best to pick out the rhythm. As the last song ended and a new one was about to begin, he led Edel through the crowd until they found a fairly clear spot.
"I would ask if you wouldn't mind leading, but I think I already know the answer," he said with an apologetic smile.
"I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible! And when I leave, you will finally understand why storms are named after people!" - Taryn, Nerf This
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