kenoslogs | april event, phase one: seeds of unrest 🌱

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april event, phase one: seeds of unrest 🌱

THE BEGINNING

Summertime in Springstar has been on its way out, heralding the arrival of fall; winter has likewise given way to spring in Highstorm - at least, according to the calendar. Yet there is an unseasonable bite on the breeze - one growing as frigid as the mood among Meris and Zenites in their cities. Between Alenroux’s occupation and talk of ‘the Blight,’ worries have been on the lips of the citizens with increasing frequency - and with good reason. The reports of plant life dying, of objects crumbling, of people whose bodies are deteriorating are dominating the rumor mills and local papers.

Everything comes to a head early in the second half of Pelu.

After an unusual pocket of commotion in the Seat of the Tribune and the courtyard of Yima’s manor, an urgent announcement is made on behalf of both cities: both Great Trees have been quarantined, and no one is permitted in either location without clearance. New rumors spread of an ‘incident’ that saw those in the immediate vicinity of the Trees rapidly demonstrating symptoms of an illness that was becoming all too easy to identify. It had stricken with frightening speed; not long afterward…

The unrest had spread into the streets, and it wasn’t just about the Blight anymore.

Cetina and Kathova wasted no time in reaching out to the Bearers via Communion to offer them guidance from their leaders and incite them to action.

SPRINGSTAR: THE ROOT OF THE ISSUE

Day by day, changes unfold that render the city increasingly dangerous...

ROOTS:

Vine-like roots have begun to thread the streets, creeping upon and over buildings, spreading outward from the Tree in Heliopolis. Over the next two weeks, they will continue to grow in size and become more troublesome, slowly blooming ice-like leaves that radiate a sickly glow.

GROWTH: Contrary to the Blight’s normal behaviors, some people and things around clusters of vines or leaves can experience a burst of vitality, growth, and splendor as if transforming to beyond peak condition. In a normal citizen, this may result in an almost manic level of energy, reckless behaviors, and aggression. In objects, they become more durable and efficient, but dangerously so - for example, a stovetop cooks faster but burns uncontrollably hot. In plant life, this results in overgrowth that can overwhelm and choke nearby flora, objects, or even people. Then, they burn out an hour after exposure and immediately succumb to a dire state of Blighted.

CHILL: The temperatures will continue to drop throughout the next two weeks. It will be coldest where vines have clustered and outright dangerously so near where flowers have budded or bloomed in great numbers. This will force some people from their homes.

TIME POCKETS:

In seemingly random parts of the city, areas referred to as ‘time pockets’ have populated. There is no way to identify a time pocket but to stumble into one.

REGRESSION: NPC’s in these areas will appear to freeze in time once a Bearer has breached the pocket’s radius but appear normal from the outside. Time within has halted at the point the pocket manifested ( typically covering an area like a city street or inside a single large building that sees regular use ). Objects can be freely manipulated but will not fall if thrown, etc.
- The pocket cannot be left until the Bearer has achieved their objective. Attempting to exit the way they entered, they’ll run into an unseen barrier that is painful to the touch, a sensation of frigidity that travels to their Shard.
- Their goal will be to locate a past version of themselves hidden from immediate view. This past version of themselves can be from any point in their lives but must be from a moment when they felt extremely vulnerable, isolated, wounded, or fearful.
- Once finding this past version, they will feel the compulsion to either find a way to reassure their past selves somehow or kill them. Whether it is the Bearer themselves who performs these acts or another Bearer in their company does it for them, as long as their past selves are pacified enough ( to player satisfaction ) or dead, they will gain immunity to the pocket and may leave. The immediate area will remain frozen, however, and the past version will be revealed to be made of roots that will shrivel and die.
- Note: Bearers will be able to see other Bearer’s past selves, even after they have been freed. Whether the past reflections are capable of speech while functional is up to player discretion.

HIGHSTORM: THE ROOTS OF CHANGE

The snows continue to fall over the city, feeling brittle against your skin...

ROOTS:

Vine-like roots have begun to thread the streets, creeping upon and over buildings, spreading outward from the Great Tree in Yima’s manor. Over the next two weeks, they will continue to grow in size and become more troublesome, slowly blooming ice-like leaves that radiate a sickly glow.

SACRIFICIAL: [ CW: self-harm ] Where the roots snake and gather throughout the city, NPC’s in several locations are falling victim to the quiet, slow pulse of the flowers and their buds. They will sit and stare at the flowers for hours, unblinkingly, as their body begins to succumb to the Blight. If they are disturbed in any way - a loud noise, an attempt to move their person, etc - they will calmly look up from their worship and crack off a piece of their brittle body before returning to their reverie.

In order to save them, a pair (or more) of Bearers must sneak up on the NPC - one using a pacifying spell given by one of the faction leaders while the other crushes the flower. If the NPC is not pacified before the flower is crushed, they will become hysterical and the Blight will rapidly consume them, causing them to perish. If they are pacified and the flower is not crushed, the spell will wear off within ten seconds with the same result.

CHILL: The temperatures will continue to drop throughout the next two weeks. It will be coldest where vines have clustered and outright dangerously so near where flowers have budded or bloomed in great numbers. This will force some people from their homes.

TIME POCKETS:

In seemingly random parts of the city, areas referred to as ‘time pockets’ have populated. There is no way to identify a time pocket but to stumble into one.

REFLECTIONS: NPC’s in these pockets are moving in surreal blurs, pieces of them moving forward as others move backward, some changing as if time were rapidly passing as others remain frozen still. The Bearers’ surroundings are distorted as if reflecting multiple realities simultaneously.
- Their goal will be to locate a tall standing mirror situated alone in the center of the time pocket’s radius. The Bearer who first touches their reflection ( henceforth called “mirror-Bearer” ) will cause the world inside the pocket to suddenly stop, reflecting a comforting environment they have fond or pleasant associations with. The mirror will be gone.

Something or someone the mirror-Bearer highly values, deeply misses, or sees as imperative to their character, goals, or desires will be present. If they make contact with this object or person, the Time Pocket loops and sends them back to searching for the mirror - but they will have no memory of this occurring. Their partner, however, will recall everything.

Both Bearers will be released if five loops occur without the mirror-Bearer being stopped from causing the loop or if the mirror-Bearer is stopped from reaching their goal for five minutes ( willingly or otherwise ). The longer they refuse to make contact with this object or person, the more tempting and dire the need becomes inside of them.

Once the Bearers are released, the Time Pocket disappears. If they manage to avoid contact with the temptation inside the Pocket, the roots and flowers in this area will be withered and dying, buying the NPC’s and buildings in this location some time. Otherwise, they will be thriving and dangerously blooming.

Note: the mirror will not respond to the non-mirror-Bearer once it has been touched the first time.

ENTREE-TING HELP

The Tree of Life is in danger, and you know it. Both Yima and Cyrus have directed all Bearers who might listen to increase visitation to the Tree and monitor it for signs of the Blight - of its leaves changing color, of any frostbitten bark, of its roots withering.

And then, during a moment in which you find your mind at ease, at rest... you dream, even if dreaming is unnatural for you. You dream of yourself sitting beneath the massive bows of the Tree's breadth, at peace. The perpetual dawn's glow warms your skin in a way that seeps into your bones, leaving you certain you are safe from harm. The Tree reaches out, and though it cannot speak to you in words, you feel it is trying to convey a message: one of urgency. One of plea.

But you cannot understand...

Soon, the branches of the Tree are reaching out to others. You cannot see them, but you know they're there; a spiritual tether connects your Shards together, bringing you all into a place of wordless unity. And once your fellows have been summoned, you know what you are here for.

You feel it rather than see it: some meager, barely-there brush of something cold in the warmth of the island's comfort. The Tree is already infected, and the clock is running down for all of you.

When you wake to yourself, a feeling of dread not entirely your own will chase you, and you will find a single violet leaf in your hand.

MISC NOTES

Bearers start with immunity to the Blight. They will not succumb to the effects of the Blight even if they handle the vines and flowers directly without precautions or care.
The above effects will occur in small clusters and are not yet spread city-wide during phase one. The escalation of frequency characters will come across problematic clusters or Time Pockets will be slow building.
For context, it takes about a month from infection to death or dissolution for the average person or object to succumb to the Blight. By the 21st, it will be three days to a week.
Bearers will be directed by Cetina or Kathova to make efforts to protect the civilians and investigate the manifesting changes around both cities. Both factions are working on their own methods to attempt to counteract the Blight, but neither has produced a failsafe solution.
The roots will remain mostly outdoors, for the most part, these first two weeks.
Tensions will slowly ramp up in Alenroux, and there are checkpoints for any non-PC visitors to screen for signs of infection.
Player characters who die inside the Time Pockets are dead and need their Shards brought to the Tree of Life for revival.
HAVE FUN!! ♥

CODING

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ closed starters, hmu if you want to do anything with link <3 ]

Edited 2023-04-11 13:54 (UTC)

[ The pavement is cold. So cold, Link thinks to himself, as he slumps on his knees in the middle of the road. Is it from the increasingly cold weather, or is this some effect of time being stopped? Movement is heat, and stillness is cold, and he's never been anywhere more still than the inside of these "pockets" are.

This isn't the first one he's stumbled into. Link already knows how this has to go. But... he's tired. Both literally, physically... but metaphorically, too. Every time, he's had to find the same past version of himself. Every time, he has resorted to... to putting it out of its misery.

He knows he has to get up. If he doesn't find his double, he'll be stuck in here. And it's cold. No person can survive in one of these cursed bubbles forever.

With a deep, heavy, anguished sigh, Link slowly gets up. He shakes out his arms and legs, trying to psyche himself up, before the cold forces him to cross his arms and stave off a shiver. ]

Hello? Is anyone else in here? [ The chill makes it hard to yell as loud as he might otherwise be able to, but he tries. ] Helloooo...!

(voryn hears and responds to link's call. it's surprising but more than that, it's new; trapped as they are in these pockets of suspended time, nothing has changed or can change. something that counters the monotony is welcome before the next inevitable bout of chaos, and he seeks the voice with a singular focus.

keen ears give him a direction to walk in, soon spotting the source down the empty street.)

And what have we here?

(dark-skinned and red-eyed, voryn strikes a foreboding figure as he approaches seemingly unbothered by the cold. fronts are put up by those who cannot afford to be weak, and it is clear that he is of that kind. the sword in his hand is as slick as his clothes are damp, wearing bloody blooms at his chest and thighs. if someone were to cradle a dying body against theirs, they would come away with these same stains.)

Move around a bit so that I might examine you. I have not seen anyone for some time, so I do not trust your presence here, (he explains, severe in manner—especially when he raises his blade in a point.) Following that, give me your name, Aspect, and the faction you're an adherent of.

[ The oppressive stillness is interrupted by the tiniest hint of movement, far down the street. Link squints at it, and the hint turns into a silhouette, and then the visage of a man, briskly walking towards him. He's certain he's never seen this man before. He remembers everyone he meets with pointed ears, because he always asks every one of them whether they're from Hyrule. Nobody has said yes yet.

This man, though... the closer he gets, the more obvious it is that he is not Hylian. Dark-skinned Hylians are uncommon but not unheard of, but... not even red-eyed Sheikah have red eyes like this.

The stranger thrusts the end of his blade in his direction. Between that and his clearly bloodstained clothes, Link takes a large step backwards and narrows his eyes. Sword and shield hang heavily from his back, but he does not draw either. Not yet. ]

...I'm Link. I'm one of the Meridian. [ And, tipping his head to the side, he shows the stranger the white tattoo of the Savant on his neck, below his pointed pierced ear. ] ...I mean you no harm.

("meridian" is spoken in a familiar tone of voice and voryn quickly lowers his sword. in the time it takes link to finish speaking, his entire demeanour has shifted, still proud and guarded but becoming looser, comfortable despite the cold.

so, the one who needed those arrows was a mer—an elf. one of his kind.)

Sera Link. I recognize you from what you say, (he says, eyes falling where link would like him to look. the savant tattoo on his neck inspires voryn to show his own, sheathing his blade to tug up the length of his sleeve. the gear lies like a cuff around his upper forearm.)

I am Lord Voryn Dagoth, the one who sold you enchanted arrows. My retainer, Louis, served you well, I hope; he is worthless around wood and so I was wary when asking him to take care of my business.

Edited 2023-04-21 00:27 (UTC)

[ As he starts to listen to the man's words, he feels that familiar itch in his head. And although it takes him a moment to recognize it for what it is — that's quite an unusual manifestation of his Aspect symbol — his suspicion is confirmed quickly. Not only that, but... it's him. The magician who enchanted the fire arrows currently sitting in his quiver, warm to the touch, among his normal supply of regular arrows.

Link's eyebrows raise softly. ]

Yes — yes, he was fine. [ Louis has been one of the stranger people he's met in Kenos so far, and that's saying a lot, considering the diversity of people here, but... he was perfectly polite.

But, if they talk about Louis, they ought to do it later. Link's eyes dart down to Voryn's clothing. That is a lot of blood. ]

Are you...

[ The question trails off, but it is clear through the open line of communion between them that he doesn't know whether to be worried for his health or cautious for whatever violence he might attempt. ]

I shall pass along your praise, although he could have done better than "fine." (perpetually a hardass on servants.

and the everyday people of springstar, apparently, judging by his surprised reaction and subsequent honesty with regard to the blood. voryn's brow knits, a hand raising to stop the train of thought before it becomes unwieldy.)

You're mistaken, sera; I am uninjured. Mad civilians attacked me and unfortunately, I was forced to dispatch them. (voryn's sword cuts through the air by his side, blood sluicing from its tip onto the ground in an arc.) Pity. My magicks could not slow their Blight affliction, and I could not restrain them. I shall weep for their deaths.

(link is given a once-over, then his eyes avert elsewhere. they must find the core of this time pocket, kill whatever lies within, and escape this madness. not that outside of it looks any better.)

We must be on our way, however. Are you able to continue? You look frigid.

[ By the end of it all, as Voryn is asking about Link's strength, the shorter elf is staring at him with a subdued but still visibly shocked expression. Had his ears deceived him? Had he just... admitted to killing civilians? Blighted civilians, yes, and Link understands that, but... to speak of having committed such acts with such detachment... Perhaps it is just his way of doing things, he thinks to himself, perhaps this just the poise of a Lord, but...

His eyes move down to the floor and the speckled stripe of blood drawn by the sweep of his blade. Even as desensitized as he is to blood, the sight makes him feel vaguely sick. ]

You're right. We need to get out of here... [ He looks back up at Voryn, his expression having stiffened back into calm neutrality. ] I'm fine. I'm cold, but I'll be fine.

(link's look of surprise isn't missed, not by a diplomat trained to read far subtler emotions. it isn't understood, however; murder is common in resdayn. when attacked, self-defence is encouraged and celebrated.

voryn ignores the incongruent feeling and walks in the direction he came from.)

Tell me if it becomes unbearable. I can make you resistant to frost, but it does not last long. While I could continue casting it on you, I do not wish to waste magicka. (another example of blunt language, a side effect of the automatic translation from ald chimeris to kenos' common tongue. his actions don't match up, extending an arm in a polite gesture as though trying to bring link into his fold.) A flame, perhaps, would be welcome. Come close while we walk on.

[ There is a strained pause. Link's eyes are drawn towards the gesture, open and inviting. He does not consider his blunt manner of speech, on its own, to be particularly strange or awkward. If anything, Voryn's formality feels right, feels familiar... sort of comfortable. It's like things are slipping back into the impression he first had of him: a respectable, learned noble who should be regarded with respect.

Although he steps forward to walk beside him, Link is having a hard time looking at him the same way now. Especially with Voryn's robes drenched in blood and the glint of his sword dulled by a thin, sticky layer of hemoglobin. ]

When you introduced yourself to me, you said you were a Lord. Won't you tell me more about your position? Your... house, as we'd call it in Hyrule.

[ The matter of this pocket's chilly temperature is completely skipped. Link is an old man, but he has the body of a hearty young soldier. He can handle some discomfort from the cold. ]

We too call them Houses, (voryn says, surprised. link, elven in appearance, hails from a world that shares commonalities with his own. he becomes far more animated in speech and in gesture.) My ancestors formed House Dagoth, which became an unmatched political power. It is now recognized as a Great House, one of six whose heads preside over First Council. This is governing body of Resdayn, the province in which I live.

(the pocket becomes increasingly distorted while he speaks of home. cobblestone streets glitch into stretches of flat, metamorphic rock. the ground warps further, uneven and impossible to walk over, but their feet and legs seem to pass through the hallucinatory images without struggle.

though it obviously comes from voryn's mind, he does not seem to notice.)

My duties are many. I served the King directly as his most faithful liegeman, however, and I... (forcing his sentence to die in his throat, he switches gears:) What House are you from? What is your standing within it?

[ That is pretty much the definition of nobility as far as Link understands it. As he marvels quietly at how similar their worlds seem to be, compared to so many of the other Shard-Bearers he's met so far —

the world around them begins to change. Link's steps slow and he turns his head left and right with contained alarm. What... what is this? Another illusion? When he looks to Voryn for some sign that he sees it too, there's no relief to be found. ]

Lord Dagoth? [ This is bad, right? This shouldn't be happening? This seems bad. As he collects himself, he catches back up to the other elf's side, but his polite demeanor has grown worried. What did he ask him again? ] I... I'm not nobility, I'm... I don't know the circumstances exactly, but my father was a member of the Royal Guard, and I followed in his footsteps. I served the Royal Family directly... [ But Link is clearly distracted as he speaks. With a huff, ] Are you seeing any of this, sir?

(a member of the royal guard, serving his nobility directly. it seems that he's met another warrior who must be held in high esteem.

before he can comment however, link draws attention to their surroundings, which only makes them splinter between a mountainous vista of a great sea separating two separate parcels of land and the inside of an active volcano. the volcano churns and shakes, causing small ruptures in its main conduit to eject magma into sills—pockets within the rock.

they stand in the centre on a long walkway that ends where a giant brass and stone construct stands, one link should find familiar. for it is mechanical and alive, still unfinished but capable of invoking the feeling of being watched. a heart lies within the confines of its bone-like ribcage near the bend of its off-white spine.)

This is... (voryn is barely able to speak, afraid of this place and what it represents. the site of his death and the site of his imprisonment.) Red Mountain. I do not understand... I know this place, but it's impossible that we find ourselves here now—

Who are you?

(like the greeting that voryn once gave link, an exact duplicate of him but with tawny skin and gold eyes, dressed more richly and in proud battle attire, raises his sword to point in their direction. the doppelganger stands directly beside the heart, having been admiring it, and he is equipped with a strange gauntlet, hammer, and dagger.

each is able to be recognized on one look as something profane and incredibly dangerous.)

You were to attend Lord Nerevar and return with him when he bade you to, (the copy speaks directly with link, ignoring voryn as a lesser being unworthy of his attention.) I cannot risk this place and these tools to deceit. Answer me now and be truthful or I shall kill you.

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bakedapple - 2023-05-15 01:11 (UTC) - Expand

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sharmat - 2023-05-19 21:52 (UTC) - Expand

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bakedapple - 2023-05-29 17:01 (UTC) - Expand

[ Link isn't prepared the first time it happens. He'd heard rumors about it, of course — bizarre moments where everything seems to stop, where the entire city goes completely silent — but with the Blight spreading and Springstar slowly starting to vibrate with barely contained panic, it is hard to know what to believe.

But looking around right now, it's impossible to deny that it's happening, right now, to him. The people around him have stopped, as if frozen by a Shiekah Slate. But, no... even this is beyond the Slate's power. Everything has stopped. The birds, the footsteps, the people clamoring for supplies from a passing Tribune cart, every distant sound that makes up the ambient background noise of the city... Everything and everyone is deathly quiet.

He doesn't know what to do. The rubber soles of his boots tap lightly on the pavement as he begins to wander the street, swiveling his head back and forth in a search for any movement at all. ]

Hello?

[ In this silence, his voice seems to loud. Even without yelling...

this time, he yells. ]

Is anyone here? Can anyone hear me?

[This is turning into one big mess.

Gavial wouldn’t be eager to admit it, but the increasing spread of the Blight and the pockets of chaos popping up around the city as the infected roots reach farther and farther from the Great Tree is getting worrying. Like, okay, worry is the normal reaction to this sort of stuff, but Gavial is typically the unflappable sort. But with the way things are ramping up, and the fact that this isn’t a problem she can just swing her fists at to solve, the longer it goes on, the worse it could get. It doesn’t help matters when anyone or anything might stumble into a pocket of frozen time completely by accident.

These time bubbles are so innocuous, it’s hard to tell where one might discover one before it’s too late. One moment there’s the buzz of a city full of worried people on the verge of panic, and the next it’s just… silence.

At least until a single voice comes ripping through the static air—a voice, Gavial realizes, that she somewhat recognizes.]

Yeah, I hear ya! Making my way over!

[No need for inside voices when a) they’re outside and b) no one else can hear them anyway.

So she turns on her heel to head in the direction Link is calling from. There’s finally a glimpse of him after bypassing a set of carts with a handful of people unloading them now locked in stasis. He provides the welcome sight of movement in this eerie, frozen landscape.

She flashes him a grin.]

You doing okay?

[ To his surprise, his desperate call is answered. He isn't sure why that surprises him — is it any more bizarre for someone to be in this frozen word with him than for him to be here alone? — but the surprise quickly fades, replaced by relief and gratitude. If the Goddess is still watching over him, then maybe this is one of Her blessings, bestowed onto him from the void he watched Hyrule descend into before eating up beneath the Tree.

...those are all thoughts for another time, of course. Almost without thinking, Link's feet start to move, eager to find the source of the voice and some solace in the process. When he spots the woman among the frozen crowd, he does not recognize her. Based on the rumors he heard about how these time pockets work, she must be a Shard-Bearer, at least. ]

I'm... I'm leagues better now.

[ After seeing her, he means. And he means it judging from his lopsided smile. Her odd features do not escape his attention — the tail, obviously, and her peculiar ears too — but there are so many strange people in Springstar that one can't get stuck on a person's unusual physical characteristics for long.

He stops once he reaches her and bends over sightly, out of breath. ]

I'm fine. I'm so thankful I'm not here alone. Miss...?

Edited (changed my mind.........) 2023-04-16 21:34 (UTC)

Gavial.

[Said with hands on her hips and another quick grin lighting up her face. But after that incredibly brief introduction, she’s distracted for a moment to give him a quick looking over as he catches his breath. The Medic Instinct is almost second nature for her at this point, but the young man seems pretty alright outside of needing a moment to collect himself. Good, good, maybe it means he hasn’t run into trouble around here yet.

The moment he straightens back up, she will give him a very hearty (and supportive, in her eyes) thump on the back.]

Yeah, I’m glad to have some company in here too. The city sure is spooky with everything frozen in place like this, isn’t it?

[She glances around at their surroundings, particularly the workers unloading their wares just off to the side. There’s definitely something haunting about people standing around, still as statues.]

[ He wasn't expecting that hearty slap on the back as he's righting himself. It's given with an unexpected amount of force, and Link has to take a half-step forward from the momentum it transfers into his body. Well, at least she's — friendly?

Wait. Something about her feels familiar. Link gazes at her for a moment. It's not accurate to say he's heard her voice before, but... ]

I know you. [ He looks her over again, taking in more of her overall presentation. ] You're... the woman with the Healing Arts. Who hadn't picked a side yet.

[If there’s one thing to be said about Gavial, it’s that she’ll never be concerned with moderating her strength. At least it’s good to see that he can roll with it. And when he looks her over and has himself a moment of recognition, it gets the gears turning in her own head as well.]

Still haven’t picked one. [Her own way of confirming the conclusion he’d drawn. She laughs, then tilts her head thoughtfully as she tries to figure out exactly who this guy is too. He does still sound kind of familiar, and if he’s one of the few she mentioned her Arts to so far…]

That must make you… Ah! The one with Meridian [a no-brainer, considering where they are] who’s got all those people depending on him back home.

[A beat.]

Y’know, don’t think I caught your name back then either.

[Funny, how you could have whole conversations with someone in each other’s heads and not even know a basic fact like that.]

[ So it is her. It might be strange, and it might be misplaced, but somehow he feels incredibly grateful to be trapped in this place with a person like her. She had struck him as, well... a capable person. Maybe that's just an assumption, but he'll cling to it for now, for the hope it's already giving him in finding their way out of this mess.

Smiling softly, he turns to face her properly and holds out his hand for a proper greeting. ]

I never did, did I? I'm Link.

[ Had she told him her name, back then? He can't remember. While he's pretty good with names, his memory isn't perfect, and —

the thought halts, cut short by a loud but distant noise. Link jerks his head instinctively in its direction. What was that? Another person, maybe, but what could have made that noise?

He glances back at the tailed woman, asking with his eyes. There's no way she didn't hear it too. ]

[She takes his hand and gives it a firm shake, a bright and boisterous smile on her face. Alright, good to have a name and a face to go with what has so far only been a voice in her head. Weird to think about, still!]

Nice to meetcha—for real, this time.

[And it’s then as she lets go that the sound echoes out to snag their attention. Gavial’s own gaze abruptly snaps to the direction it seems to be coming from, somewhere farther along this frozen street they’ve found themselves on. Guess they’re not alone here after all.

She meets Link’s gaze then, catches that unspoken question and nods. Her voice is slightly lower when she speaks.]

Last time I got stuck in one of these, there was some weird stuff going on. We should probably take a look.

[ His brow furrows. After a moment of hesitation, he says quietly, ] Last time?

[ But whatever conversation might be arising is cut short by another sharp noise. While it's still in the distance, it is noticeably closer than the first noise. And... Link recognized it, this time. A chillingly familiar sound of metal striking something decided not metal, but not something stone or wooden either. The sound of a very particular weapon colliding with the hull of a very particular line of ancient automatons.

The color drains from his face. He gives her another weighty look, saying more with his expression than he could with words. This is scaring him now. It's impossible, it should be impossible, but he heard it, plain as day. Alarmed and worried, he suddenly sprints off in the direction of the noise. As he hurriedly dodges around the people frozen mid-step in the street, he draws his bow from its spot on his back, tucked behind his Meridian army-issued shield and sword. ]

Yeah, I ended up—

[She pauses abruptly, not so much from the noise itself, but rather the reaction it seems to draw from Link. She has no idea what could be making that racket, but he clearly does—and it can’t be anything good, judging from the way he almost seems to pale the moment that realization hits him. She’s about to pivot to asking what’s got him so freaked out, but before she can so much as open her mouth, he’s taking off.

She curses under her breath, but wastes no time in running after him.]

Woah, wait up! What’s the rush?

[She’s got her eyes peeled for anything that might stand out as odd in this temporally-frozen space they’re in, sidestepping every unmoving civilian unfortunate enough to be trapped in here with them. One hand reaches back to unsheathe the knife that’s strapped to the base of her tail as she follows. Whatever it is, it's probably trouble.]

[ She shouldn't be following him. If Link's fears are true, if that noise was no hallucination, then they're both running into an extremely dangerous situation. But Link knows how to deal with said situation, having battled this particular threat dozens of times — Gavial, on the other hand, had described herself as a doctor... a medic. Capable in combat, yes, but Link is worried for her — will she know what to do? Will he have to protect her?

While he does not turn around to tell her to stay put, these worries flash through his mind as he runs. His left hand has an arrow notched as he turns a corner in the direction the noise had come from. And it's... just... another frozen street. With more frozen people, more motionless clouds of smoke above chimneys, more birds suspended in the air with wings spread wide.

Link's hurried steps slow to a stop. He does look back to Gavial now, but it's with a confused expression. She heard it too, he could tell she had. So how could this be possible?

He's about to say something more when the silence is interrupted again by an anguished cry. Down the street, partially obstructed by the crowd, is a man lying crumpled on the ground. His shoulders shiver with exertion as he tries to stand, but he can't.

It will be very obvious to them both who this is, as implausible as it is. That's Link. The same size, same body type, same color hair, in clothing not so different from the clothing he's wearing now. There's even a sword and shield scattered on the ground near his body. ]

[She follows in the wake of Link’s frantic press forward, knife held at the ready should trouble finally reveal itself. And judging from the way that he’s already got an arrow ready to go as they run, the likelihood of it is looking pretty high. Even so, Gavial doesn’t look terribly concerned about the potential of danger—in truth, the only thing she worries about is Link pushing too far ahead and getting himself into trouble before she reaches him.

But there’s ample time to catch up as they round that corner, and she meets his confused gaze with an eyebrow raised in silent question. Did they lose track of whatever it is that had spooked him?

The sudden cry from farther down the street partially answers that, at least. Her attention snaps toward it instantly, catching sight of the man on the ground who was nearly obscured by the frozen crowd. She takes a few steps forward before it hits her that she’s looking at another Link. Just like in the last weird time bubble she’d wandered into, where she had to come face-to-face with a younger version of herself. At least she’s feeling pretty certain that the Link struggling to pick himself back up won’t be spoiling for a fight with them, like her double had.

Gavial’s moving forward another few steps before she hesitates, as much as it goes against her instincts to do so; without access to her healing Arts right now, there’s not a lot she can do to help him even if she does rush in, and whatever did this to him is probably still around. So she glances back over to Link, clearly looking ready to take off again the moment he looks like he might move.]

Do you know what did this to him?

april event, phase one: seeds of unrest 🌱

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TIME POCKETS:

link 🍎 meridian, savant

for voryn

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for gavial

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