acatalepsy_logs | ( the sickness: phase two )

( the sickness: phase two )

I ▫ main	IV ▫ premise			XI ▫ applications	XIV ▫ activity
II ▫ logs	V ▫ rules	VII ▫ bestiary	IX ▫ canon updates	XII ▫ taken	XV ▫ drop/hiatus
III ▫ ooc	VI ▫ faq	VIII ▫ setting	X ▫ mods	XIII ▫ reserves	XVI ▫ players

the sickness ends.

the temple.

The Temple, shortly after Astoria's burst of energy, is in a constant state of growth. Trees are bursting into existence from seeds in mere seconds, flowers are growing wherever magic lands . . . and the Temple is abruptly a-buzz with energy, magic crackling throughout the air. You may find a tree in your house, or flowers suddenly growing along the walls, or plants wiggling their way through the stone walls of the buildings of the Temple. All of a sudden, the place looks very overgrown.

The Forest of the Fey seems to be responding in kind, too. Sprites are exceptionally active, darting out of the Forest and into the Temple with increasingly regularity, playing basic little tricks on the members of the Circle they can find. Flower crowns are made at an alarming rate, and there might be a few fruit-food fights that break out with the sudden abundance of peaches and apples that appear on the grounds. Learn how to duck!

With the magic comes the sudden fluctuation of energy: canon powers flicker on and off, as do the powers granted by Astoria. You feel more like yourself, you suddenly have access to energies you did not have previously in the Temple However, it's a double-edged sword -- it is not constant, and it may be more trouble than its worth.

And, remember: the Sickness is not fading immediately. If you make it to Stage 3, then you're stuck with sensory deprivation for at least another week or two. Sorry, friends.

lake dona.

Lake Dona is a massive body of water, stretching outward for so far that it almost seems like an ocean until you see that the water is fresh. It is surrounded by long, leafy trees that dip into the water and has a variety of ancient ruins scattered around it -- weathered stones set into circles at seemingly even intervals, old buildings that seem to mirror the Temple in construct.

In addition to the ruins, there are a network of caverns tucked along the water’s edge, just underneath the surface on the western side of Lake Dona, that appear to go underground into murky darkness. The actual entrance to these caverns seem to be underwater, seemingly guarded by merfolk, but poking around may seem to be more trouble than its worth.

There is plenty of wildlife to be found within the lake itself, ranging from freshwater mermaids who would rather you stay the hell out of their backyard to a rather large and suspiciously friendly plesiosaurus-like creature (some would say that she prefers to be called Nessie) that seems intent on checking out who you are. The lake teems with odd-looking fish, most of which seem to be okay to eat, and plenty of plant life! But who knows what lurks in the depths below . . . that giant sea-monster looking thing has to be eating something.
PROMPT IDEAS: Here are some prompt ideas for this new area! However, don't feel limited to such ideas! Feel free to fish, to explore, to swim, to poke around . . . it's always possible Astoria may check in on your character, too, once she is feeling better! ;)

1.) The Great Pumpkin The overgrowth of plants have caused a massive growth spurt in a lot of the trees, including the fruit trees that sprinkle themselves throughout the Temple. However, the fruit themselves seems to be growing at a rather . . . alarming rate, resulting in a few pumpkin-looking squash growing to the size of small boulders in the fields. Hope you have a lot of spare time on your hands to make a hell of a lot of Temple-pie, because these squash aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

2.) Food Fight!: Those damn sprites are at it again, and are collecting fruit off the ground and throwing it at people. Fight back, organize, and conquer! Or not. It's probably better to just not.

3.) Part Of Your World: The mermaids within Lake Dona are a suspicious lot, and they don't take kindly to strangers stomping through their territory. However, they are receptive to music, so if you are so musically inclined, they will definitely be more inclined to be a little more playful than territorial. If you aren't? Have fun getting tossed into the lake head-first by a bunch of pissed off mermaids who want you to get the hell of their lawn. They don't take kindly to your type around here.

4.) Nessie: Within Lake Dona is a massive plesiosaurus-type creature which seems to be . . . oddly friendly? It seems to pop up at the most inconvenient of times. Are you sitting on the edge of the lake enjoying the water? Enjoy a massive ass dinosaur sticking its impressively long neck out of the lake to check you out and also scare the bejesus out of you. That being said, Nessie is an extraordinarily friendly being, and will even give you laps around the lake if you ask nicely!

5.) Caverns: The caverns within the lake are dark, deep, and menacing The merfolk inform you that you cannot go there -- no one can, but the merfolk sure seem to be keeping a careful eye out on it. Testing the boundaries indicates a weird magical field around the entrance of the cave, that works like a bit of a forcefield. Weird, right?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

No, I’ve got it.

[ Once he’s certain that Sumo is safe on the ground and out of harms way, he lets his end of the rope drop to the ground, letting it pile somewhere off to Hank’s side. He works his own way down from there, retracing his steps. He hops down the last bit of the way, landing alongside the rope. ]

Is he all right?

[ It doesn’t seem like Sumo is hurt, but just to be sure. ]

Oh yeah, he's fine.

[Hank's sitting on the ground by this point, Arenvald's rope coiled beside him. He watches Sumo go over to the guy, sniffing at his feet and then, tail starting to wag, moving to sniff at Arenvald's hands.]

Probably a little hungry, but he seems okay. I wasn't sure if he even remembered being up there, but he definitely remembers you were petting him.

[He smiles crookedly at his dog, sounding rueful, looking fond.]

That's the kinda thing he's not gonna forget. Fair warning. He's gonna expect it now.

That’s certainly not the worst expectation I’ve ever had to deal with.

[ He will gladly oblige Sumo, kneeling to pet him some more. To the dog, he says, ]

You’re very brave, you know that? You took that trip to the ground very well.

[Sumo's tail starts wagging a little harder and he steps in to get even closer to Arenvald and Arenvald's hands. Hank watches a second, still smiling faintly, before looking away and flopping back hard onto the grass. This kind of explains the moment of jealousy earlier; it's only that Hank's not really there watching that he minds. Maybe his subconscious wants to chaperone.]

Maybe he just knew you'd get him. This's the second time you've saved my dog, you know.

[Ish. The first time Sumo might have been fine, but it hadn't felt like he was fine. As far as Hank's concerned, that counts.]

I don't think the first time counts as “saving”. All I did was track him down.

[ Sumo is getting so many pets and scritches right now. Arenvald's never had a dog of his own – most of his childhood was spent fighting with strays for scraps, so to have a dog this big and this friendly practically crawling into his lap is a welcome change. ]

Um. How have you been, by the way? I'm sorry things have been so awful since you got here.

[ He's talking to Hank, not the dog. ]

[Hank raises his eyebrows, but the guy's trying to be sympathetic, so he doesn't get as sarcastic as a part of him wants to.]

Well, being sick as hell was fun, and then between the hallucinations and not being able to feel, uh, a single thing, I'm considering upgrading my review of this place from 'dream vacation getaway' to 'living nightmare'. How about you? Been having a good time?

Been better.

[ He gives a small laugh, something edging on sarcastic. Being ill is never fun, no matter the circumstances, but that fever brought things to the surface that Arenvald would have preferred to keep buried ].

I don’t really think “dream” to “nightmare” is much of an upgrade, though.

Yeah well, it's all weird, unreal bullshit, isn't it?

[Hank eyes him, looking almost wary. That laugh almost sounded sarcastic, which doesn't jive with his idea of this guy, and he wonders how much further he could take the topic of 'wow this place sure is shitty' before Arenvald tells him to suck it up again. Better not risk it, since they're kinda sorta almost getting along, maybe.]

So I guess witch what's-her-name will just have to deal with fancy temple retreat getting a couple bad reviews.

Mayhap for you. I’m used to a certain degree of magic and the things that can come from that.

[ At least no one has summoned a god or anything like that. Inconvenient though they may be, he’d consider the trees to be pretty tame. ]

I’m fairly certain you’re not the only one who doesn’t like it here. I’m not overly fond of having been snatched away from home, either. I’m just trying to make the best of it.

[Well shit, here he was trying to avoid hearing it and hears it anyway. He huffs a breath, flopping back and letting himself fall hard onto the grass. Sumo's still having a good time hanging out with Arenvald, but Hank kind of doesn't want to look at him for a second.]

Yeah, I get it. 'Life is what you make of it.' 'You can't always do the best, but you can do your best.' 'It's not the years in your life that matter, but the life in your years.' 'Life is like a box of chocolates.' 'A penny saved is a penny earned.' All that shit. I get it. I've heard it. I get it. How many times are you going to tell me to suck it up, man? We're not all lucky enough to be like you.

[ About the time he's starting to think that mayhap they might be getting along, Hank goes off on another tirade and takes the wind clear out of his sails. He stops petting Sumo a moment to just... look at Hank. ]

I didn't mean... I was only trying to help.

Really?

[Hank lifts his head for a second to look at Arenvald with an expression of disbelief, wanting to at least try and judge how honest the guy seems.]

Cause telling me, 'oh yeah well I'm more used to magic than you and everyone hates it here so you need to just shut the fuck up and smile' that was, that's really your idea of helping?

[ He didn’t come off that hostile or pushy, did he? He’s pretty sure he didn’t, but when Hank spits all that back in his face he can’t help but think he mis-stepped somewhere. ]

That’s not what I meant by any of that. What do you want, for me to just let you roll over and be miserable?

Let me?

[Hank rolls up onto his elbow so he won't have to strain his neck staring. Because, apparently, he's going to keep staring.]

What do you wanna do, reach in my head and swap some wires around? I'm only human, that doesn't work with us. I'm miserable cause that's what's going on right now. Why do you care about how good I am at switching those pesky emotions off, anyway? You don't even know me.

You don’t have to explain to me how people work.

[ Gods damn it all. They were really on the right track, and he can’t for the life in him figure out where he went wrong. He needs to back this up, though he’s still not sure what he’s apologizing for. ]

And I’m not asking you to… to switch anything off! Look, if I was being too pushy, I apologize.

You were being kind of arrogant, actually, since we're getting it all out in the open.

[He tamps his dry tone down a little after that, though. An apology's an apology, right?]

But thanks. I appreciate it.

[ The word "arrogant" hits him like a smack in the face, though not an unkind one. More like a much needed wake-up call. Hank was right, wasn't he? Not everyone comes from a world like his, not everyone shares his mentality. He should know better. ]

I can't help but feel that every time we meet, we end up on the wrong foot. I'm sorry.

[ Much more sincerely this time. ]

[Hank purses his lips, wry, and he lets himself drop again onto his back, his voice a little closer to casual.]

Some people are just like that. Like peanut butter and pickles. I think something about you just- [He thinks about it, shrugs.] -rubs me the wrong way, you know? It happens. Probably not really your fault.

[He pauses, then sounds almost amused.]

I mean, in a general sense. You were being pretty stuck up earlier, I'm not taking that part back.

Clash of personalities, huh? [ Seems understandable, though he would like to think he's easy to get along with across the board, but he's just been proven pretty thoroughly wrong. ]

I know, I know. Lesson learned, I promise. But... be that as it may, I would still like to to get to know you.

You want- what? You- What? Why?

I mean, don't take this the wrong way. Why? What could you possibly get out of-

[Hank waves a hand in a loose, confused motion between them, looking about as surprised as he sounds.]

Because I think it's worthwhile.

[ Because he's important to Connor. Because Connor called him a good man, and he knows he wouldn't make that kind of statement lightly. ]

That's not actually an answer. We both know that, right? Do you wanna share just why you think it's worthwhile, or do I not get to know that yet?

It's reason enough, I think.

[ He doesn't want to bring Connor into this conversation, not when they've managed to more or less smooth things out. ]

It's really not, but sure. There anything in particular you've just got to know, or did you want to just keep having awkward, randomly timed conversations until something sticks?

I could do without the awkwardness, if it’s all the same to you, but I’d listen to whatever you care to tell. [ At this point, since it seems the conversation is back on track, he goes back to petting Sumo. Sorry for ignoring you buddy!! ]

Any interesting stories? Or you could tell me about where you come from.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject