The Seeds of Unrest, Phase Two 🌱

[beleos]

UPROOTED

Time has not been kind thus far, and the future will be no kinder.

The slow passage of days to weeks has seen both cities increasingly ravaged by the untamed growth of the enlarging roots. Their size is enough to uproot buildings by their foundations, if not bisect them entirely where they push through unfettered. In the worst-hit areas, entire blocks are left abandoned - if even standing at all, displacing families and leaving businesses in ruins.

Cetina and Kathova have been in near constant contact with Bearers via Communion, feeding them information about which areas to focus their lifesaving efforts. Yima’s Manor and the Seat of the Tribune - despite their closeness to the Trees - have been fortified by your leaders and act as a base of operations for each respective faction. You will be able to return to either to find sanctuary from the chaos beyond, but the innumerable civilians are not so lucky.

Bearers are tasked with rescue and recovery efforts and requested to assist hands on the ground with taking refugees to temporary shelters. Survivors must be dug out of the debris. Those who are capable of healing will be enlisted to assist at hospitals and triage centers. Supplies must be gathered and harvested from areas that are collapsed and too dangerous for civilians to navigate. If you are feeling generous, you can go on search and rescue missions, as many people are considered missing in both Highstorm and Springstar. Some areas are completely cut off to regular foot traffic by the massive, winding roots bearing countless Blight-blooms. Citizens are succumbing to the Blight flower’s effects persistent from phase one with more and more frequency.

While both cities slowly succumb to a deepening catastrophe, the situation worsens.

STIRRING STORMS

As the days pass, inexplicable and unnatural weather occurrences will randomly plague both cities. They can last as long as a full day or as little as an hour before dissolving entirely.

• Flurries: this snow is tainted by the Blight, making the snowfall look like ash. Any organic matter it touches will be affected by reopening wounds, re-infection of illnesses, or re-experiencing injuries that may have healed over years ago.
• Thunderstorms: these storms carry a frigid rainfall and heavy cloud cover, making already difficult-to-navigate disaster zones harder to clear. As each thunder bellow crashes overhead, you might swear you hear a familiar voice reaching out to you in the fading rumble… one that sends a message - either from the future or past.
• Fog: dense clouds of thick, freezing fog will roll in randomly, making visibility even more precarious. In your search for survivors - or your companions, you may find yourself coming face to face with someone else, instead: a version of yourself (or a companion) from another timeline. You may also hear your own voice calling out to you from within the fog, attempting to beckon you further into the mist.
• General Note: Exposure to any of the above weather patterns will increase your Blight infection.

THE BLIGHT COMES FOR ALL

As if it were not enough to see the cities that have become your salvation at the end of the Timestream falling to collapse and ruin, the Bearers will slowly begin to realize their previous immunity to the Blight is eroding. They will begin to show symptoms of infection that increase into May’s event. ( For more information on the effects of the Blight and purification methods, please see the OOC Summary. )

Now that their last bastion - the Bearers - are just as much in harm’s way as everyone else, the populous’s efforts to formulate a temporary stop-gap solution are being rushed to completion. Time is not on anyone’s side. They will continue to work with those who have been kind enough to volunteer their resources and brilliant minds - collecting materials and attempting to figure out a way to avert their otherwise inevitable destiny.

ORDERS

Orders from your leaders will come as soon as infections among the Bearers have been confirmed.

🌙 YIMA will stress for all Zenite Bearers to prioritize their well-being and to avoid unnecessary exposure, to manage their symptoms as much as possible. They must fight for their own survival to bring in the birth of a new universe - and their lives are too precious to risk. Beyond that, she asks them to save what they can of their people and their most critical structures with the understanding that hard choices may be necessary.

🌞 CYRUS will implore all Meridian Bearers to prioritize the general population's lives and turn their efforts to save as much of Springstar as they can. He will note that Bearers have ways to help keep one another from suffering too much contagion and to coordinate their usages appropriately, to keep one another safe, and watch their backs.

ANOTHER EN-TREE-TY

The Tree of Life continues to sicken, yet - thankfully - the progression of the Blight is slow. Still, Bearers will find themselves occasionally compelled to take a moment to sit beneath its boughs and vibrant leaves, even as some begin to show signs of discoloration and rot. Any characters who sit with the Tree with the purple leaf they found on their person after phase one will find it warming to the touch, its veins laced with gold. This effect will be even more effective if taken into the cavernous roots beneath the Tree! While this may fill you with a temporary sense of calm, it doesn't seem to have any other effects... yet still, you are compelled, if not curious.

The Tree has offered you this gift for a reason. Perhaps you will find its use before long.

...As long as you - and Kenos - survive long enough to discover it.

CODING

Comments

[kinaesthesia]

[Gavial has never been very graceful about accepting help. Alright, so she’s gotten a lot better about it than she had been as a kid—spending years working alongside other doctors and medics whose whole mission is to help people who’re in the exact tough spot she was in made that kind of unavoidable—but she’s not getting into fist-fights with people who dare suggest she take it easy anymore. Yet while she’s no longer outright hostile about it, it does still leave her feeling prickly, to say the least.

Especially with how much of a mess this situation with the Blight is getting. Look, other people have it worse here. She could deal with herself once that’s sorted.

So when the approach of footsteps and a greeting hits her ears, her eyes snap open and she eyes this well-meaning—and exhausted looking—stranger with a bit of defensiveness. Man, they are all looking rough these days, aren’t they?

All the more reason for her to wave a dismissive hand at the offer, though her other hand still remains rather firmly pressed against her side.]

Nothing I’m not used to, it’s fine.

[Which, as exhausted as she feels (and probably looks), is a rather blatant lie, but that’s not going to stop her.]

We healers got our hands full, yeah? Probably just overdoing it a little [understatement] with all the running around lately…

[baltimores]

[ Her response earns a skeptical look at first, nothing I'm not used to being a set of words that spell immediate warning for him. Before all of this — well over a year ago now — he'd spent a lot of his time around the self-sacrificial type. Those who would blow off any care they needed in order to help someone else, and someone after them, and someone after them...

And, even without accounting for what Yima told them — Gavial included, he assumes — Amos had a tendency to slot into the role of trying to keep the self-sacrificial types alive. So there's a weariness to that skepticism, both physically as the Blight slowly wears on him, and the fact that he's been through this before.

It doesn't change as she diverts the subject. Calls herself a healer with far more confidence than he did, and Amos nods, leaning against the wall a little himself for support. He really isn't one to talk either, but at the same time, he isn't the one clutching any part of his body. ]

Would you think someone in your position is just overdoing it a little? Or would you tell them that they maybe actually do need help?

[ His voice is deadpan, but with a hint of amusement to it all the same. The way he doesn't quite smile, but his eyes crinkle a little — because in a way it is funny, that they're healers who are also going through it. That, and it's a little tough to bullshit someone who's become immune to it through repeated exposure, so, you know. Funny. ]

[kinaesthesia]

[Ugh, that logic. He’s not wrong, and she hates having to hear it out loud because it’s not like she doesn’t know it too. It’s just easier to ignore it when not being actually confronted about it. And she’d learned over the years to get better at gracefully accepting the help of her fellow medic operators, but that sort of thing has kind of gone out the window here without those familiar faces around. Guess another healer has stepped in to fill that void, from the look of things. Why do their types always have to be such busy-bodies? (Pot, kettle, etc.)

So she sighs, casting a long-suffering glance his way that seems to say, really, you’re pulling this card on me here?]

If one of my patients was acting like this, they’d be getting an earful from me while I forced them to sit their ass down and get some rest.

[Which, hey, conveniently this little thunderstorm is forcing her to do anyway. So, partway there already! See, she’s fine.]

Look, the thing is, time hasn’t exactly been on my side even before all this Blight nonsense started becoming a real problem. And all it’s doing is moving the timetable up, which sucks but… [She tries to play it off casually with a shrug, but the motion only agitates the ache in her side and she falters a little. Is that a touch of vulnerability creeping into her voice? Ugh, embarrassing. Embarrassing!!] All the more reason I should get as much as possible done while I still can.

[baltimores]

[ That particular glance is met with absolutely no change in expression on Amos' part: yes, really, I'm pulling this card on you. Annoying, isn't it?

At least until Gavial verbally responds, and there's the faintest twitch of his lips as she actually admits that he's right — an incredibly brief victory which, honestly, he should have expected. At first he dips his head, shutting his eyes for a second as though to reset himself before looking back up at her, just in time to catch her falter — at which point she might notice that his eyes are on her now, looking her up and down, deeply analytical. But it isn't as though he's looking for any signs of weakness; no, he's more interested in taking stock of who she actually is. What her goal here is, what lengths she'd go to to accomplish it.

He's probably silent a little too long than would be considered socially acceptable in thinking it over, something a little off about him there, before turning to rest his back against the wall proper. Use more of it for support. Keep his eyes on her as he does, head tilted to accommodate that. ]

You know we come back when we die, right? [ Simply stated, because death isn't a big deal for people like them. Yes, there's the actual trauma involved with dying, but he's... never felt that, so he can easily continue as though nothing's really the matter. ] Yeah, this sucks right now. And it sucks for the people who don't come back. But you can take your time. Probably save more people if you do.

[ It's a blunt, methodical assessment. Saving people is better than not; keeping yourself alive longer fits the exact same bill. What's the worry? ]

[kinaesthesia]

[She’s watching him much the same through that stretch of silence, evaluating that weariness of his own as he leans back, trying to puzzle out exactly what sort of guy he is.

And the answer is he’s incredibly no-nonsense about it all, which frankly is the best way to appeal to her, especially when she’s gotten it into her head to be stubborn about something. Death happens, it's inevitable. And, right, here in particular it's even less of a thing to fret about, at least for their kind.

It’s not like she hasn’t heard about the whole “reviving from death” thing. She’d be half-inclined to dismiss it as bullshit if it weren’t the sort of thing that the more senior Shard-bearers would have had plenty of time to learn the truth about already. So sure, it’s probably real and that should be a comfort. She can’t help but wonder what it would mean for an Infected Shard-bearer to die here though. Does it make a difference how you die? Would her body still be a Grade-A hazard, for however long it stuck around? At least it’s looking like she might have someone who wouldn’t balk about what she’d ask for, if it came down to that.

But still. He’s right in that it’s better in the long run if she doesn’t overwork herself here, push past things she probably shouldn’t. The answer to those questions aren’t necessary if she just avoids it in the first place. (And if she can’t, well. They can deal with it.)]

You’re real annoying, you know that?

[Being so casually right about this, and all. But it’s clear from her light tone and the grin briefly lighting up her face, as tired as it is, that it’s mostly a joke. As someone who tends to be a persistent pain in the ass herself, she can appreciate someone giving her a taste of it in return.]

But fine, fine, you win. [She sighs, crossing her arms over her chest as she gives him a side-long glance.] Maybe I could use a little help. It probably is just a result of too much contact with the Blight, though…

[At least, that's her working theory. Because if it isn't, then she really might just be shit outta luck. Can't exactly treat Oripathy here like she could back home.]

[baltimores]

[ He blinks at the idea of him being annoying — just real blunt like that, huh — before her tone registers for him, and he almost smiles in return. Almost; he's the kind of person who doesn't smile all that often, but the hints of it are there — the slight upturn of his mouth, the little crinkle to his eyes. Stoic, for the most part, but not entirely. ]

Yeah, I'm feeling that shit too. [ And boy is it fucking annoying; even though there's some good humour in his voice, it's also tired. ] Only so much we can do about that. I... Fuck, wish I'd pulled back a little earlier. Guess that storm's doing us a favour, huh.

[ By making them pull back instead. He's been trying to help his people as much as he can while heeding Yima's words — prioritize yourself — and by being as cold as he is, by feeling his body slowly decaying in reliability, he's clearly failed at that.

For a second that hint of a smile is gone, flipped more prominently into a pensive frown as he shuts his eyes. Borderline growls at himself for a second, but no, that'd be stupid. It's not that big a deal; he's still standing, and he can still help.

So, opening his eyes and turning to face Gavial properly — shoulder still to the wall, but really facing her now — he reverts back to being annoying. Or casual. Whichever one it was. ]

Well, if you got any cuts or scrapes or broken bones, I can heal those pretty much instantly. Anything else, and I'm useless. [ It isn't even self-deprecation, just plain fact — that's it, those are his limits. ] Unless it is just Blight shit. You really think that's it, you just took on more of it?

[ Because if she's worse off than him — if the way she's winced where he hasn't is any indication — then maybe he won't be as useless as previously declared. ]

[kinaesthesia]

[The thunderstorm really is proving to be a blessing in disguise, even if Gavial hadn’t really been too cognizant of it until after the fact. It is good for getting her to slow down enough to look out for herself—especially with the nudging of Mr. Healer over here. Truth be told, she found Yima’s orders to be kind of grating when word trickled down to her after she’d finally harmonized. Wasn’t the whole perk of this Shard-bearer thing supposed to be that you could handle a whole lot more than regular folks? Oughta put that endurance to use.

But still. Overworking too much isn’t going to do anyone any good. That much she can’t argue against, especially after this little pep talk. Seems like they both really needed the break. She looks contemplative for a moment, turning that question of his over in her head. Yeah, she figures that it might not have been a problem if not for the Blight, but…]

If I’m being real, I think this, [she starts pulling up her shirt on the side she’d been clutching, cold in the air be damned,] is just because the Blight’s making an illness of mine act up.

[Back home, showing this off willy-nilly to regular folks is generally a bad idea, though Gavial rarely ever gave much of a shit about it. Let people see it; if they decided to be an asshole about it, she could always just kick their ass. So what he’ll get a look at is a few glossy black crystals sticking out of her side, the most prominent of which has a simple little croc tattoo around it. Just beneath that is another pretty similar-looking one, long and slender—her actual Shard. (That had been one annoying discovery, that’s for sure.)

So yeah, stones sticking out of people’s skin isn’t exactly an odd sight around these parts, though seeing more than one probably is. She knows it probably needs an explanation, if only a cursory one.]

Crystals are a symptom of some shit I’ve got going on, and they can hurt like hell sometimes. Thing is, they hadn’t bothered me at all since I ended up here, which is pretty uncharacteristic. Not until now, after taking on too much Blight.

[Thus, her assumption of it being the cause. Thus, her getting a little too in her own head about what it means for her longevity here.]

Back home, we usually got specialized painkillers and suppressants to deal with it. Here? [She shrugs.] Healing Arts can help, sometimes.

[baltimores]

[ Amos' eyebrows go up almost in time with her shirt. Well, he shouldn't be surprised; that's what you do when you have a wound that needs healing. You show it to someone else. Maybe it's more the part where she's admitting to an issue in the bluntest way possible.

An issue like nothing he's ever seen before, because of course he's gonna look if she's offering. He leans down a little to get a closer look, outstretching his hand for support against the wall rather than his entire body. At first glance he'd have thought it was some kind of shard disease — something fragmented and weird, like a soul not entirely whole or some shit — but it's not like he's ever heard of anything like that here before, so, that probably isn't it. It's probably something she came over here with, and that makes her worries about getting as much done as possible make a hell of a lot more sense now.

Would it even kill her properly here, or just make life annoying? Either way. ]

Shit, guess the Blight really is fucking with you in more ways than one. Probably a good thing that at least the weather's making you take a break then, huh. [ See? Yima knew what she was talking about. She pretty much always does.

But, effortlessly moving on from that, ] I dunno if you'd need suppressants so much here, but then again, I don't know what terminal diseases are supposed to mean for people like us. If they mean anything. I mean, painkillers, yeah, definitely, but...

[ That's something else entirely, isn't it? Amos gives a huff as he rightens himself, leans back against the wall. Very gracelessly slides down it, because fuck it, he's tired, he's gonna at least sit.

And, looking up at her now, ] Haven't found any magic that'll tackle that without solving the problem entirely. I mean, there're probably hardcore drugs, but. [ A loose gesture at the building they've all been huddled into, waiting for the storm to pass; a place very much not set up for triage or anything, really. ] Don't think you're gonna find any here.

[ A beat. ]

If the place we get to has some you should take some. If not, fuck it. Wanna get a drink after?

[ Or several? You know, to drown out the pain, replace it with something at least kinda fun. ]

[kinaesthesia]

[Yeah, that’s about the reaction she expected, but at least now maybe he kinda gets where she’s coming from with this whole thing. And hell, it was worth a shot to finally tell someone here about it—so far only Flamebringer and maybe Tequila knew, neither of which had worked with her in Medical—and maybe see if any of the folks from other worlds knew some stronger stuff. Maybe she’d bug Dr. Tousaing about it later, once this mess blows over. Seems like it might be right up their alley.

But she’s quick to drop her shirt back down the moment Amos is done taking a look because, fuck, it is cold. She nods along as he speaks, feeling just as in the dark about whatever the hell this might mean in the long-term as he is. As long as she puts her focus on helping out with the Blight research, she can probably at least figure out if it’s the sole cause or not, once it’s dealt with.

For now, she’s just gotta deal. She sighs and follows suit after Amos slides on down to take a seat on the ground, carefully shifting the small supply bag around her waist so it’s not in the way. If they’re gonna be stuck here a while, then yeah, no point in standing around. She shrugs as she leans back against the wall.]

Eh, like I said, not something I haven’t dealt with before. Just gotta ride it out for a bit. So yeah, guess I don’t really have any room to complain about being forced to take a break now.

[And she’s not so sure she wants to resort to drugs just for the sake of it, mostly because she’s gotta keep a clear head to get her work done. (Workaholic, her? Ha!) As long as it doesn’t get worse, it shouldn’t be a problem though.

She tries and fails to fight off a shiver, frowning as she pulls her tail up onto her lap and letting it curl up close around her in response. She’s built for hot and humid rain forests, not this freezing cold nonsense.]

But sure, grabbing a drink later doesn’t sound half bad though. Definitely a more entertaining way to take a break than getting stuck sitting around like now.

[A brief pause as golden eyes take a quick look around the largely quiet interior of the building before turning back to him.]

I’m Gavial, by the way. Probably an embarrassing way to make a first impression, huh?

[Can you tell she doesn’t like letting people get a glimpse of her being vulnerable?]

[baltimores]

Amos. And nah, I've seen worse. Your pants are still on, for one thing. And ain't like anyone is shooting at you.

[ His reply is as conversational as ever as he takes her question at face value. Whether she actually is embarrassed, is trying to deflect or what, it doesn't make a difference to him — fact is, it's not an embarrassing first impression. Not by his standards; not by anyone's, he would think. Sometimes people are just in pain, which.

He huffs out an exhale as he shifts to properly rest his back against the wall and turn his head to face her again, a slight loll to it from exhaustion, from weakness. Despite that though, he can still carry on talking as though nothing is really out of the norm. If this is their norm now then, shit, they're just going to have to deal with it anyway, aren't they? ]

I've gotten shot through the leg before bad enough I needed people I barely knew to help get me from Point A to Point B, let alone reset and patch the thing up. Sometimes your body just gives out on you; it happens. Anyone who thinks less of someone for that either hasn't had it happen to them or is fucking nuts to begin with. So by my books you're doing great.

[ His speech is so simple it can't be anything but sincere, and even though he doesn't smile, there is an air of general friendliness to him. They're just two colleagues shooting the shit, and yes it'd be better to be doing that over drinks without something ravaging their city and the people in it, but eh, what are you gonna do?

The only thing he really can, at the moment: keep talking. ]

I'll come find you whenever we're done at the triage centre. You know, whenever we get there. Shift work ain't gonna go on forever.

[ Is that a hint of teasing to his voice... You gotta clock out at some point, Gavial. He can enforce it if he's gotta. ]

Now that you say it, though, don't think I've really seen you around before. You new to Highstorm? [ A beat, a sigh. ] Hell of a time to end up here, huh.