recession | scawwy ✦ karlach cliffgate

Let's hopefully not get to that point?

[ WHAT A LIFE. Survival situation at its finest. Here we areee Drisking, Maine. Did you know the USA/Americas are so fucked up in his world. Maine doesn't exist, where are we. ]

We seem to be following a more or less similar pattern to the previous week... but comparatively more quaint.

[ Urban but with a lot of woods... except more camp-y. ]

[they both said what the fuck is maine. main what.]

This is less familiar, but it's not so bad. Any place with trees I'm pretty okay with. [peering around...] Ocean again, though! And I've got all my fingers this time!

I could really do with less of them...

[ No!!! No more camping!!!!! It's like his biggest point of interaction with Astarion. Just complaining about camping. ]

Ah, yes. Now you can splash around to your heart's content.

[ Like she didn't last time?? ]

[there's an absent thought of spend time in the Hells and all you want is green that crosses her mind, but she doesn't linger on it.

anyway, splashing!! she can do it even MORE. her tail jingles around excitedly.]

I really like this pier thing. The games, and the big wheel, and the fact that the ocean is all around. It reminds me of home - not because we really had anything like it, but just... the energy of a festival.

[ She's free to enjoy it as much as she desires, he's just tired of camping.

Unfortunately there's a bit of a dour, general vibe at the mention of a festival. So many things have been ruined for Daan, truly. It's nothing like super concise other than just a general fleeting thought of negativity. ]

Sure, yeah. It looks nice. The food actually smells pretty decent here.

[ Prehevil had a carnival of sorts on its east end, I think... maybe if we'd gone there, then... ]

[that's valid, everything in daan's world sucks and is awful so she's not exactly surprised by the dour thoughts.]

Doesn't it? We ought to try some of it. Maybe you'll find a favorite. [she peers at the booths, trying to see what's available.

and then, glancing over at him:] ... Then?

[she does not realize this was a thought or she might not have asked,]

I'll be impressed if I end up with a favourite after so short a time.

[ It's not impossible though but find out. ]

...? Then what?

[a beat.]

About the... oh. Was that not an outside thought.

...Ah.

[ He's still not used to this being a whole thing. The fact that he also has three ranks in Rher now and is now therefore aware that he can read thoughts helps. ]

It was not.

...

It's not important anyway, it's not like things will change.

[she does look sheepish, at least.]

Sorry.

[...]

Maybe things in the past won't change, but the future can. I know you know that, I'm just - you know.

[ ...It won't, though. ]

Yeah, I do. Still figuring out where we're headed from here.

[frowning...]

Yeah. [her tail swishes back and forth. worried, you worry me, be safe - disjointed and distant.]

Maybe I ought to harass Famine a bit more for answers. See if we can get us a real direction to go in.

Have you gotten anything?

[ No answers... what am I even doing here? I couldn't find what I was looking for in Prehevil. I'm just counting down days until rock bottom, aren't I... ]

Miss Mitaka told me about something interesting. Those Thursday ventures people split off to -- have you seen some of the odd trinkets they've come back with? Apparently, she's caught wind that they might be components of some kind of ritual...

I'm not very good at asking the right questions, I guess. I said I wanted to help and they said I was doing as much as I can, which is not... what I wanted to hear.

[she folds her arms.]

... I haven't seen any trinkets at all. [not smart enough to be involved, just the muscle, like always.] Heard a bit about a ritual, though. Suguru told me a bit about something he heard.

...

I don't know which ones are the relevant ones. But the ones in the first week came back with burlap dolls. Miss Banner had a jar with teeth and a... fairy in it, and Lavi had a tongue in a box. I don't know what everyone brought back, but these items did strike me as strange, and appropriately occultish, let's say...

I don't know where Miss Mitaka heard it from, but the idea of them being components for some kind of ritual... it makes sense with what little themes we have to work with.

What did Mr. Geto say?

Don't think Rondo and Mathis got anything, but.

[she pats herself down, looking for something, and then offers him a paper.

caution, for the ritual is not without its troubles. The god we seek to bring into our realm might still be a fledgling. A newborn. It needs to be protected and the steps to bring it into the realm completed perfectly, else it just become just as mortal as those who brought it into the world.]

... Might be able to fuck it up.

Right, yeah.

[ It's been a while since he'd seen this one. He fishes out and sorts through a couple of sheets of paper again, looking through them... and handing one over back to her. ]

What about this one?

—ter what happened today, I don't think you could call this place safe by any stretch of the imagination. We've seen it react now in nearly a hostile way to our presence, and I don't know how long we can stay. Even so, the fact that it exists at all is beyond my expectation.

I suspect some of them want to reach out and make contact with the others, to ease their grief. I understand. But on the other hand, the cult realizing that this place exists—that there might be any space, no matter how small, that they cannot observe—would be catastrophic. What little safety and advantage we do have would be forfeit, and the cult is likely to wipe the slate clean and start over. And in truth, I have no proof that there's a way back.

So, is it worth hoping that they can keep a secret? Perhaps it is cruel, but I want to err on the side of caution.

[she reads through it, and there's a faint little soldier that he'll hear but she doesn't say.

a nod. she's seen this - but every time she reads it, it gives her a little bit more hope.]

Might be what those bits are for, even. A way back.

Great.

[ Repockets this memo then. ]

...It'd be nice if that were it, wouldn't it.

It'd be nice.

[she says, softer.]

I think it'd be nice for both of us to have something nice to think about.

[ Is it nice? ]

...Sure. Any answer... any clear path forward would really be nice around now.

[ But he's said that for. Weeks. ]

[silence for a moment, as she looks over towards the ocean.]

Well. We haven't got one yet, but I'm working on it, and I know you are, too. [firmly. maybe a little aggressively. like she'll make it true.] And until then, until we've got something, I want to try to live. Not just survive.

...Sure.

[ Working on it might be a bit generous, given he's got nothing to work with but. It's very 'here's where I would put our plan, if we had one' energy. He just looks out at the ocean 2 with its quiet waves. ]

That sounds like a plan.

[yeah she's got fuck-all as well, but this is her self-appointed job and she will die trying to make it work.]

Okay.

[she takes a deep breath.]

So - in that, let's go do something fun. See if we can find some good food, and then put our feet in the ocean, and have a good fucking day, yeah? Just one, if we can manage.

...

I have to go walk in the water?

[ He ended up not walking in the water at all during island time. Actually he has not wandered into the water in any location. ]

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