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
Post by Veronika Tallent on Feb 14, 2017 4:36:48 GMT
Lucius Thompson Veronika knocked on her friend's door, waiting for an answer. She was so restless, and she knew there was a festival going on. She could hear the romantic music and the laughter of people flirting. She, of course, was not wanting to go to the festival to flirt, but she surely didn't want to stay inside all night when there was so much activity outside. She felt like a small child an adult had told to sit still. It was simply impossible for her, knowing she could be missing out on something fun. She had dressed the part, donning a dark pink dress and using her paints to paint small red hearts on both of her cheeks. She'd brought them along in her small handbag and planned to talk Lucius into letting her paint his cheeks too. Her heels clicked on the sidewalk outside his house impatiently, though to the beat of the distant music, and she listened for approaching footsteps.
Sienna hovered on the edge of the festivities. Going to a party had seemed like a good idea earlier, but now as she stood on the outskirts she was a bit afraid. There was so much that might set her off, try as she might it was hard to fight the tremors and the fear that gripped her.
But she was still determined to get out. She’d been taking refuge in her home mostly and the guild when she could. She was still feeling a lot of guilt about her friends risking their lives to save her. That last ditch effort, she’d not really imagined she’d be rescued. And after all that had happened her dear friend had even lived.
Mingo was stationed beside and a step ahead of her, his blue eyes watching all. The former guild leader smiled as she rested a hand on the fowls head. If it hadn’t been for him she’d have never made it long enough to get rescued. Not that she wasn’t appreciative of those who’d saved her. But Mingo was her trusted companion. As she’d dressed up for the occasion so was he, sporting a smashing little top hat and a traditional bow tie. He looked dashing as always but he was a bit on high alert due to her own unstable condition. Either way she was thankful for his presence.
He wasn’t the only one though, Edel and Amon had come as well, she just hoped she could keep herself together long enough for them to have some fun. She wasn’t sure how much she’d actually enjoy herself but that was the least of her worries. The music, the smells and the people. It had been so long since she’d been in a crowd she almost didn’t know how to conduct herself.
Post by Lucius Thompson on Feb 14, 2017 7:27:49 GMT
Lucius finished getting dressed as he waited for his friend to arrive. The night was full of activity and Lucius was not one to miss out on the fun going on in Lodan. He donned his casual suit and his hat and made himself a sandwich as he waited for his friend to arrive. A few after finishing his sandwich he heard a knock at the door. Lucius walked to the door slowly. As he opened the door he saw his friend Veronika clad in a pink dress with hearts painted on her cheeks. Lucius smiled as he began to speak. "Hahaha, good evening Veronika. I must say you look adorably ridiculous with your cheek hearts." laughed Lucius. "In any case, are you ready to head to the festival?" asked Lucius.
Avatar artwork credited to the user Keri Nicole (acrookedlittletown / Veronika Tallent).
Amon never really liked crowds; they were either too noisy, too smelly, and upon occasion, too magical, causing his arm to twitch uncomfortably...or at least, he used to. He should have learned that lesson...but that was evidently one lesson he could never learn. Besides, there was now more than one reason why he was attending this event.
"...You sure you're gonna be alright...?" he called out to Sienna. The former guild leader's ordeal was nothing short of horrific, and she still bared the physical and psychological scars of her torture. Still, he couldn't help but be happy for her drive and improvement; at the same time, he couldn't help but dote and worry for her like an older brother. So needless to say, when she wanted to go to this event, it surprised him.
"Don't push yourself too hard, okay...?" In an effort to dress up a little, he had traded out his usual attire for a simple suit, and traded his usual arm out for a variant of his "normal" arm (save for the slightly suspicious bracelet that he was "wearing"), so that he looked like a completely normal person. His hair, however, remained the same, covering most of his face.
"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 Dakota Cicatrice on Feb 14, 2017 7:51:33 GMT
Dakota was not normally one for festivals as he preferred the dark quiet of his own room but he decided that maybe he could find something to satiate his boredom. It had been over two weeks since his last kill and he was growing restless inside his apartment. Donning his average attire of a suit, pants and no shoes, Dakota headed out into the theater district when she noticed a young woman being harassed by the vendors. They were vultures during these times, and the young lady was very clearly of some money. Dakota decided he could do with a small bit of heckling towards the vendors, and maybe, just maybe this rich girl had somebody she disliked and some coin to spare. Dakota walked up behind the girl glaring at the vendors with his colorless eyes. "Pardon me gentlemen, but I'm quite sure this young lady has said she doesn't need to see your products." he said in his normal calm tone. Dakota reached his hand down to the holster where his pistol was kept. "I think it would be wise to listen to her, wouldn't you agree?" he asked glaring directly towards their eyes.
Post by Veronika Tallent on Feb 14, 2017 16:06:08 GMT
'Ridiculous.' Ouch. Veronika frowned at Lucius. "'Adorable,' I'll take, but ridiculous? Hm. And I was going to ask you if you wanted to be 'adorably ridiculous' with me." She chose to ask anyway, aware he was probably just teasing, as it was his nature. "Would you like some painted hearts on your cheeks too? It's the perfect occasion, after all, and there's no harm in a little fun."
With his inquiry about whether she was ready to leave for the festival, she answered excitedly, "yep!" She took a fistful of the fabric of his sleeve and exclaimed with a squeal and a bright smile, "Come on!" As they walked, she babbled happily. "Think of all the pastries they'll have! And the music, can you hear it? Isn't it beautiful? I think I smell something being barbecued, maybe? I can't wait to laugh at all of the mushy couples, talking about how their lovers 'paint their soul with the likeness of sunsets.'" She clasped her hands to her heart dramatically, and sighed mockingly, ending her scene with a giggle. She paused, then, remembering her manners. Her hands folded gravely in front of her and with an attempted serious expression (though there was still a small hint of a smile), she proceeded to correct herself. "Oh, no, no. I will not laugh at anyone, that is terribly rude. I'm very sorry about my behavior. But, still."
She remembered, she'd purposefully placed an extra flower in the flower crown atop her head, and pulled it out, handing it to him. "Oh, here, I brought this for you, by the way. Do with it what you will. I am assuming there will be flowers everywhere, and I wouldn't want you to feel left out. Though, I'm sure you wouldn't have, for you have a pretty flower walking right next to you." She was teasing, of course, and laughed at her ridiculous statement.
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Feb 14, 2017 17:33:50 GMT
[Theater District, 1 hour ago]
"Is it really ok for me to be here?" "You already are anyway, mom." Edelweiss replied with an eyeroll, not fully sure whether to be amused or not. Despite the hesitant-sounding question, Rose was obviously excited to be there, both because of the colorful festivities that were starting and that she had not been a part of for so long, and also due to her daughter having 'asked her to do something important'. "Just have fun and keep an eye on them, alright? I still have to go meet Amon and we'll go pick Sienna afterwards." And she believed Rose would be fine left in charge of something that simple. How hard could it be to take care of the guild's younglings in her absence, afterall? It was very alike to her mother's actual job, even - and most of those children already watched over themselves on their own.
[Theater District, present time]
The crowds didn't bother Edelweiss, and in fact her guild in particular thrived on them, although they also didn't bring as much enthusiasm from her as they once did - blame on the stressful times they were all living in... plus the amount of side glances and double takes from strangers grating on her senses. Those were a good reminder of (one of the reasons) why she usually walked around in business suits instead - for holidays when she wanted to dress up more she tended to just ignore the looks and had fun nonetheless, but given the two people who currently with her it wasn't as easily ignorable. Oh well, it wasn't all that bad. Plus it was interesting (and new) to see Amon in anything other than his constant yellow shirt and baggy brown pants, and hopefully the fact that everyone was all dolled up as well would call some attention away from Sienna too, helping to detract that 'deer in the headlights' anxiety that now seemed to afflict her.
"Anywhere in particular you two want to go first?" As of now, the redhead just hoped her present company could have some fun at the festival too, since there had not been a Festival of Hearts celebration in the previous year - and even if there had been, both Amon and Sienna had been missing at the time. Watching them, Edelweiss couldn't help bu notice how Sie in particular looked extremely nervous, but that couldn't really be helped after what she went through. The redhead was already pleasantly surprised she even wanted to go out with them and see things around.
"All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." - John Dalberg-Acton
Sienna nodded a little, her eyed wide and alert, trying to see everything all at once for fear of something sinister creeping out on her. One hand was fisted tightly in her skirts as the other stroked her flamingo's neck gently. It was a balm for her mind have the bird so near after so long of being denied his presence save for brief moments. At Amon's question her head bobbed up and down once. She wasn't going to do more than she needed to. no worries there. Just being here was a challenge.
She glanced to the other two and gestured to a nearby bench before walking oer to it. Speaking was still hard. It wasn't that she had no voice but it wasn't something she liked doing right now. She sat down finally, her companion took up a spot beside her. Some strange looks were shot in their direction but she chose to ignore them in favor of looking at her friends. She wasn't smiling by any means but she wasn't frowning either as she quietly watched the people going about their time, enjoying themselves and just having fun.
"Well...I guess we can start off slowly..." Amon suggested as he led Edel to where Sienna was sitting.
"Optimally, food is rarely a bad choice..." he continued, electing to remain standing as he pondered, occasionally switching from observing Sienna's state to observing the festivities to just staring at Edel.
"You know...we could come up with a concrete plan...for example, getting some snacks, then seeing a few vendors, then checking out the dance floor before making our way back. That way, we can see everything in a timely manner," Amon suggested.
It should also allow Sienna to see everything without being overloaded, as well as keeping to a set structure may help calm her nerves.
"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 Feb 15, 2017 16:50:10 GMT
"Sounds good to me." Edelweiss nodded to Amon's suggestion with a slight smile, and then turned to give Sienna a reassuring look. She was already doing better than the redhead had expected. Defining what they'd be doing that day and where first was a pretty good plan too, and she had no issues with the course of action proposed.
"I know the cafe around the corner is offering holiday discounts; it's a quaint little place too, so shouldn't be too full. How about it? Or you'd rather just check the food stalls?" The question was open to them both, though admiterdly still directed mainly at Sienna. With how delicate her mental stability was, Edelweiss figured the best way to not tip it on the wrong side would be letting her to choose those small things in their day.
"All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." - John Dalberg-Acton
Post by Thomas "Tomcat" Thompson on Feb 15, 2017 18:12:26 GMT
Tom snickered and his grin turned sinister. With hushed tones, a slight growl within his whispers, he spoke, bending over closer and grabbing Borus lightly on the chin. "You and I both know that's not the case. You and I both know that if you were to truly serve the people, anderswelter would be treated without exclusion - without disdain. But it seems that you humans lack the capacity, or maybe the heart, to view us as fellows." He stepped back, and his voice returned to a normal, albeit fake, tone - but his smile remained. Taking the gears, he twirled them between his fingers for a few seconds before, with a clink, they crumbled into dysfunction, dead. "I guess you're smarter than you look, eh brother? I suppose I outta leave..." He said, walking backwards towards the petting zoo, keeping eye contact with the human at the booth the entire time. Once at the same level as the gate, he looked inside at the animals as they gnawed on hay or avoided relentless childrens' grasps. "It's almost as if you keep us restricted like animals - " He murmured, and swiftly, he unlatched the gate keeping the creatures inside. The creatures curious at first, poked their noses out, but within seconds saw their freedom, and trotted out into the streets of the festival. And like that, Tom was gone, as if he had become shadow itself, leaving behind only the dead gears, clattering on the brick below.
His fun wasn't over yet. Oh no, he had only been warming up. He made his way through the swarm of people, silent and unseen, as they scrambled around the animals in their wake, upset as they were. Good. Let this dreadful festival be a lesson. There is no fun to be had when only some can enjoy it.
Tom spotted a woman, a long blonde braid trailing behind her. She stood out to him, not because her appearance was anything new, but because her attitude seemed to radiate unhappiness - but it didn't seem to be because of the animal parade. Ah, maybe she was a kindred spirit. "Aye lass," he said, starting to walk next to her. "Enjoying yourself?" He said, giving her solemn smile that exemplified that he knew she was not, in fact, enjoying herself.
Personally, the brunette thought that her temper was usually kept well in line, and for good reason too, though it was true that today her patience was indeed particularly thin. Also for good reason, might she add. She supposed that in the end, Barnaby Sandsworth had never seen her truly loose her temper. Few had, but only one had since her... Change. Or perhaps rather, that had been the cause of her change. She preferred not to dwell on such things, the bitter taste of some unnameable emotion coating her tongue every time she did.
Scoffing at his comment, Vieka settled back into her chair, reaching up to pet the purring feline on her shoulder distractedly. "With the horrid event in place, i make no promises." She tutted, referring to setting something on fire. Quite frankly if she weren't trying so hard to play human, she might have just set the whole district on fire, if for no other reason than to spare her eyes of the sickening decorations and couples threatening to blind her at every turn.
'Or to save herself of trouble from trouble makers up to no good.' she thought mildly as she turned her attention to the tent entrance where a ruckus of animals could be heard, or more promptly, the people yelling about said animals. Someone's let them out it seems, Kunchen will be out for blood at this rate.
"those who know how to think need no teachers." -Mahatma Gandhi
Food, one of the few things her time in captivity had not spoiled. It was hard to ruin food, you had to eat. She'd never been able to eat as much as she'd wanted but the trauma and the abuse just dulled her appetite as time wore on making her skinnier and frailer.
So when Amon and Edel mentioned food she looked thoughtfully at them. Either out amongst the people at the stalls or in a secluded cafe. Her reluctance to be in a small space made ehr anxious about the cafe but she appreciated both of them being so understanding. She felt like such a burden.
"Ah um.. the stalls." She said after a moment or two had passed. "It's um... it's pretty o-out here." She explained. and it was. Maybe after a while they could go to the cafe, maybe if something set her off it would be a good place to hide out. She just hated that they were wasting their time on her when they should be enjoying one another.
Mingo tapped his head to her temple gently earning a fleeting smile from her and she stood up, her feathered friend hovering close by.
Amon nodded in agreement, pleased to hear Sienna speaking (a slowly increasing, yet still fairly rare occurrence).
"Alright then, food stalls it is!" he said with a smile, offering his left arm to Edel and gesturing Sienna to follow them. "I think we placed a majority of the food stalls sort of in the center...? The idea was to have people see some of the stalls on the way to the food, so we can decide on any other places we want to visit after getting something..."
"So...what are we all craving? Something fruity? Something sweet? Something salty?"
"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
Well, Borus wasn’t saying she wasn’t a coward, but well, he guess it could sound like that as well. Perhaps he had implied it. “She wouldn’t mind the walk.” Frankly, Kunchen had a tendency to walk too much. Sandsworth at one point had complained about it; “I swear I have to repair my soles each week, she walks so drat much, and don’t you know, where she goes, I have to go…” Still, with a wave, Borus bid the lady adieu. Though, the pile of cookies and snacks were not as appealing. Scratching his head, Borus looked at the mass that only shrunk a tiny bit as it settled, unsure of why the girl had left it, or what she expected him to do with it.
However, with the girl gone, so too was the one eyed man’s inhibition. As soon as the man touched him, Borus unhooked the knife from his belt. It was quick, it was slick, and one false move—one wrong false move, and soon no fingers would be touching him. But he waited. After all, this was a festival, and having EIRAL chopping off someone’s fingers was not the best idea. “Serving the people is our duty.” Borus stated, though he withheld the rest of the statement. After all, who said that Anders were people? The stranger only proved Borus’ ander theory as he picked up the gears, the grinding metal crushing to a stop. Ander. Borus straightened his back, rubbing his nose slightly as his allergies flared up once more. Yeah, he nose hadn’t lied. “Smart means little when compared to a fool.” Borus spat, a wad of spit landing into the grass next of him. “Try your trickster games somewhere else.” Borus shissed, making note of the stranger’s appearance, his face. When Borus got back to EIRAL, he would record his find. And then, then they would truly see who would be laughing. As the man backed away, Borus made sure to keep his eyes on him as well. That lone, single eye, gleaming. Something told him that he would get a call sooner or later about him. Borus hoped for the later.
Once the stranger was out of his view, Borus settled some. After all, his jurisdiction fell short once the man left his range of sight. After that, the CAEsAL bouncers and EIRAL patrollers would have to take over. Still, once all of his customers were gone, Borus reached under his desk and grabbed a swig of his drink. Although Sandsworth didn’t like drinking on the job, even he would have admitted that the interaction with the Ander had been rough. No, one swig would not be a problem. However the animals getting out would be. “Oh, hell.” Borus growled, standing up. What the hell was he to do now?
(Slightly before Tom’s renegade escape)
From Kunchen’s post, the old woman rocked on her heels, brushing the old cow as it chewed on some poor grass that had yet to be devoured. The reddish beast was gentle, and Kunchen hugged the old lass. “Strong, brave cow.” Kunchen hummed, drawing away to give it a strong ol’ pat. “Keep making Kunchen proud.” Though, the cow did the opposite as it mooed, walking away some as a girl approached. Shifting her hip, Kunchen listened to the girl’s plea, rubbing her hands on her sides as she did. Skirt not much cleaner, but, it would do. “What do you do, girl?” Kunchen inquired, squinting her eyes some to inspect her. “Or, want to do, I suppose is what Lodaners ask.” Though, before the girl could answer, there was a shriek from the crowd. Apparently someone had undone the gate? The girl perhaps? Kunchen frowned. “Oi, get back in here.” Kunchen hissed, and lo and behold, some of the animals did return. The horse, for instance, did. The sheep and the chickens, on the other hand, did not. “Borus, get the chickens! I’ll look over the booth.” Kunchen yelled, and with a pertinent “Yes Ma’am!” The man rushed forward, trying to gather the chickens. With a sigh, Kunchen let her weight fall on her good hip as she kept her eye on the booth. “Sorry, where were we lass? I lost my thoughts.” The older woman stated, crossing her arms in mild irritation, her eyes yet to leave the table. She did not worry about her fowl. After all, the ones who were loyal were loyal. The others who did not return were fools. But, hopefully most would return with the aid of Borus. Though, partially she did wish that the Vieka-girl was still outside. Maybe she could have helped as well. Oh well, there was no use in lingering on such a topic. Though, she was curious as to how the gate was undone. “Did you make sure to close the gate behind you girl?” Kunchen questioned, keeping her eyes on the booth. “If not, then no shame. Jus close, next time. If you did, then forget words. Could have been anyone— and it’s not good to judge with no audience.” Kunchen described, placing one hand on her hip. Craning his head, Sandsworth rubbed his temple, knowing that whatever was occurring outside was bound to give him a greater headache than he had currently. Though, what didn't give him a headache in this god forsaken place? Sighing, Sandsworth rubbed his head harder. “Well, your enthusiasm is as inspiring as ever.” Opening a filing cabinet by his side, he dumped some of the papers from the desk into the cabinet, locking the door shut once everything was put away. Although it wasn’t much, at least it proved as some form of barrier between curious eyes— and fiery hands- then no cabinet would give. “So, what can I do to amuse you today, Vieka, since you, nor this festival, will give me room to work this evening?” Sandsworth inquired, folding his arms as he waited for the woman's answer.
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