kenoslogs | The Seeds of Unrest, Phase Two 🌱

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The Seeds of Unrest, Phase Two 🌱

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Or maybe giving you a hot drink is a bad idea right now, come to think of it.

[He's half way to the kitchen space when he remembers, and thinks better of it. She hadn't even been able to drink from a flask without spilling it, and she'd be too proud to correct him on the matter.

He turns to regard her instead. She, in short, looks awful.]

You said you might've overused your hands, right? Can I take a look?

[Hayame almost protests on instinct, but the moment passes when she is reminded of her situation. Honestly, she had hoped that it would have simply passed by the time they reached his residence, but when she tries to curl her fingers behind a lower equine shoulder... they are still stiff. Slightly cold. Or perhaps just numb.

She did not wish to think what that might mean. But of course, he wants to look.]

... I did not know you were a healer.

[Defensive, she cannot help but stall.

But it's not a "no".]

I'm not. I know a bit about medicine, but that's about it.

[And it's more like dabbling in herbal remedies and antidotes. Still he takes a step toward her and offers out his hand.]

Please? I'm sure it's not the only thing bothering you. If I can help even a little, I want to.

[... She did smell something like herbs in the place. It isn't enough to make her confident, but at the same time... maybe she was simply overthinking things. Perhaps he would tell her she had torn something. Maybe he did know.

But the point remained that she was in his house. He asked respectfully enough.]

... Very well.

[He will recognize the expression on her face from that night spent in her stall. The mix of embarrassment and shame in her weakness that surfaced every time in a woman unaccustomed to touch that didn't come with rebuke or pain.

She offers her hand toward his, an inch of space between. Close enough for him to close the distance and touch, she just... can't bring herself to put it directly in his hand.]

[Claude, on the other hand, has no qualms about taking her hand in his, as usual deciding the best way to deal with her shame is to treat this contact as if it's a perfectly normal thing to do-- though he's immediately startled.]

Your hand's really cold. No wonder you were struggling. [He puts his other hand over hers as if to try to warm it up a little, but he's reminded of when their body temperatures ran unnaturally low after the Oracle defeat a few months prior. Perhaps this is similar.] Do you have any other symptoms? Fatigue, maybe...?

[Hayame is strong. It seems unlikely she'd exhaust herself just from hard work at rescuing alone.]

[So it wasn't just her imagination. Her gaze had already been looking for an excuse to flee once he took her hand, but once the other comes to cover it, more like a proper hold, she cannot fight it anymore. She looks away. As if the contents of his desk required looking at. (As if it didn't feel good, the warmth his palms offered.)]

... Fatigue, yes. Stiffness.

[Surely it was just that- that strange malaise that had settled over all of them after the Scorching Isles. Something that could be blamed on Zenith.]

But I have been working since yesterday.

[He sighs, sceptical, even as she avoids his gaze.] I don't know if overwork would do this to you. This is just a guess, but you don't think it might be the Blight? Cyrus did warn this could happen.

[But he also said there were ways to mitigate it, worrying as it is. Maybe part of her has already realised it, but as ever, was too reluctant to ask for help...?]

If it might be the Blight, then release me. You will taint yourself in turn.

[She has seen people afflicted by it in her efforts. Though she swears she had taken precaution not to touch those who were obviously suffering directly... perhaps that had not been enough.

But though a part of her might suspect... the more stubborn part of her refused.]

Jinba do not sicken when humans do. It is not supposed to happen.

So you say, but I don't think the Blight distinguishes between humans and not. Plenty of people in Springstar aren't human... The thing that seemed to give us resistance is our Shards.

[He doesn't let go of her hand; he offered to help her, and he's not about to suddenly reject her and kick her out just to avoid getting infected himself.]

How about I help purify you? If you're just tired, I figure nothing will happen, so it's worth a shot.

[The gods damned shards. Of course. It always came back to the shard she'd never asked for or wanted to be a part of her being.

... But he does not release her.]

If you purify me, you will take some of the taint into you.

[She had heard talk about it, despite how little she interacted with her fellows.]

You offered me a place to rest, not that.

[If it is the Blight... it will get worse. But who knew how long that would take.]

I didn't offer it before because I didn't realise just how much you were in rough shape. Come on, one quick little -- ritual thing? -- and then it's done.

[He squeezes her hand, and smiles at her, as if to reassure her he'll be fine. It's better than just leaving her to languish.]

I promise I'll stop bothering you after that, and you can rest. Sound good?

[There's that smile again. Thankfully she is already looking away, and cannot be affected by it directly. He cannot see front on how her lip twitches or how her jaw tightens when he squeezes her hand. As if she needs comfort, or something-]

All I wish to do is sleep in peace.

[It would be the second time she entrusted him with that, though she does not assume he would understand the value in it... she also has no plans to spell it out.

She tries to pull her hand away (even if a part of her doesn't wish to).]

Will you offer your home for it or not?

[He lets her hand go when she pulls it away, his smile not faltering even as he gives her some space.]

Yeah. Consider it your home too, for as long as you need it.

[Though it does raise the question, once again, of where she can rest, and he doesn't think her standing in a corner like before is acceptable if she's sick. He'd offer her his bed, but she'll probably worry about breaking it, like she did back at the dance. So then...]

Hang on, I have an idea.

[He goes to disappear into his room. If she bothers to peek inside (which she might, it sounds like there's a lot of rustling and a loud thud of something being moved to the floor) she'll see him dismantling his bed to pull out the mattress, turning it on its side to drag it into the lounge.]

[Her home.

She cannot do what he offers. The only "home" she had ever known had been something she always knew was temporary, just a place she was allowed to live until her sale. That was supposed to have been her home... but it had never happened, and the place she'd almost let herself hope could be a home instead... she had ruined with her own inability to believe in a future.

She doesn't deserve a home. She can't make one here. She can't take his.

And she cannot follow him to his... his bedroom?, of all places. Bad enough they had shared one at the masquerade. But the sounds are... suspicious. And when he comes out dragging a mattress-]

What are you doing?

Setting up-- [huff puff] --a spot for you to rest. What does it look like I'm doing?

[He manages to fit the mattress through the doorway, so he leaves it propped there for a second while he rearranges some furniture enough to make room for it on the floor.]

I don't have anywhere comfortable for a jinba, so I'm-- [hrrgh pushing an armchair out of the way] --improvising the comfy.

I don't-

[She just stands there, watching him move things around, as if she has suddenly forgotten how to assist or do things herself.]

I can sleep on the floor.

[This is his house! - Is that his mattress?]

Uh, no? What kind of host would I be if I made you sleep on the floor?

[With the furniture out of the way, he pulls the mattress into a good spot against the wall where it won't get in the way, then flips it over to the floor and straightens it up.]

There. [He dusts his hands off. He's already pretty tired from helping with rescue efforts all day, but at least that's the last heavy thing he'll have to drag around today. Hopefully.] I'll get some sheets and cushions and stuff too, then it's all yours.

The mattress is enough.

[Her fingers might be stiff, but Hayame puts out her hands to try and signal that he has done enough, embarrassing her with the breadth of his hospitality. Except... She was covered in dust and grime for her rescue efforts, his mattress might need-]

One sheet is enough.

Sure thing.

[He says breezily, and goes back into the room to grab some fresh sheets and (because he's not listening) some cushions and a blanket for her. The sheet goes on the mattress, with the cushions and blanket on top.]

Done! It's all yours. [If she uses the extras or decides to be stubborn and refuse, well, that's up to her.] Now I'm going to make some tea, so go ahead and get settled.

[... That's not one sheet.

But Hayame is tired. More than being tired, she is tired of arguing with this stubborn mule of a man, in his own house. She is wearing a look... but she bites her tongue. And her lip. Before finally,]

- Thank you.

[Reluctantly, she grits it out.

But she will wait until he moves to the kitchen to ease down to her belly, not wanting him to see how much she has to struggle to do so, wincing and hissing in pain until she can find a relatively comfortable position on the mattress.]

[There's amusement behind his expression at the Look she gives him, but it softens into something more genuine when she thanks him, however reluctantly.]

You're welcome.

[Then he's off to the kitchen to boil water and prepare the tea. After a few minutes of preparation, he returns with a tray, setting it on the coffee table within easy reach for Hayame, and pouring them both a cup.]

Hope you like chamomile. It always helps me sleep, at any rate.

[In the silence of his absence, the flush of having her hand held finally cools on her cheeks, banished by the efforts it took her just to get down to her belly. If her posture looks a little bit awkward... she is trying to keep her hooves off the mattress.

But she cannot deny it feels better than the floor would have. The smell, though...

Thankfully, the tea is stronger.]

I have never heard of it.

[But she takes a cup, this time avoiding her stiff dominant hand and opting to go with the clumsier, but temporarily more reliable left. Heedless of the heat, she simply takes a sip.]

... It is pleasing enough.

[Foreign. Herbal.]

Edited 2023-05-01 17:58 (UTC)

[Claude watches her closely to make sure she's not about to spill tea and scald herself, but she seems to be managing for the time being. He sits back and waits for his own tea to cool before taking a sip.]

It's a type of flower, looks a bit like a daisy. Easy enough to grow if you know what you're doing.

[He'd picked it up easily enough, back on greenhouse duty at Garreg Mach Monastery. But a thought occurs to him, and he lets out a short, humourless laugh.]

Then again, I suppose growing anything right now is questionable at best.

[She isn't about to make the same mistake twice, especially after insisting that she was alright. Her drinking is slow and measured- she almost slips on the cup a time or two, but she doesn't end up burning herself, so. Good enough.

After what he says... she just sips. But her expression, which was already dark, grows somewhat distant. His laugh dies in the space between them, and she doesn't laugh in turn. Instead, after a long, sullen silence-]

... Do you think this will be the end of it?

Honestly? I don't know. Cyrus isn't panicking, but not panicking is his whole job.

[He knows that well enough, having been in Cyrus's position in the past. Staying calm and keeping things together as best one can, even when a solution isn't immediately in sight, is sometimes the only way forward.]

I want to believe things will work out, though. Even if people are going to suffer for longer until we get there.

STIRRING STORMS

ORDERS

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