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sticksandbones2024-02-22 12:04 am
purevanillacookie) wrote in sticksandbones2024-02-22 12:04 am
so i'll just wander home
Who: Pure Vanilla Cookie & You
What: Pure Vanilla is familiarizing himself with his surroundings
When: Endish of February
Where: All over the Grove
Warnings: Will edit if needed but nothing so far
a) take me to church - specific for ww but open to all otherwise
b) all that wander are not lost but this sheep may be
c) baa baa white sheep asks you for help
What: Pure Vanilla is familiarizing himself with his surroundings
When: Endish of February
Where: All over the Grove
Warnings: Will edit if needed but nothing so far
a) take me to church - specific for ww but open to all otherwise
[Trying to orient himself more with the Grove, Pure Vanilla has taken to visiting the various buildings. The first place he visits is the one that calls to him most: the Church. It's quiet inside, cozy, and familiar in an unfamiliar way. It reminds him a little of the Solarium of Unity. Not quite in visuals - and most certainly not in the iconography that is completely foreign to him - but in the general feel of the place. There's a peace to it, a feeling of welcome. It sets him at ease, and he visibly relaxes.
He stops next to the pulpit, merely looking around for a moment, before a noise catches his attention and his staff glances up. Oh. While it proceeds to go through the stages of grief and attempts to curl its vines up to cover itself, Pure Vanilla smiles and tilts his head back towards the pigeons in the rafters. Are they mixed with plants? How peculiar.]
Hello there, little ones. I hope I am not disturbing you.
[Extending a hand, he waits patiently and is rewarded with a pigeon fluttering down to it. Because he's a fucking Disney princess and it's canon birds love him. Take it up with his world. The Staff glares at it like it's personally shit on it, but Pure Vanilla ignores it. Don't be mean.]
Do you live here?
[He's not expecting an answer, to be honest, but he is enjoying the bird. It's very cute.]
b) all that wander are not lost but this sheep may be
[Other than the Church, Pure Vanilla can be found in other places, studying them and getting used to them. He may be found in the Bath House, delightedly exploring this bodies waterproofing by taking a dip or two. Only to find out wool is very heavy when wet and waterproof doesn't mean unsinkable. The Therapy Office also calls to him, mostly the Library, where he can be found seated with a few books around him. Though they're mostly self-help, he's never read them before, and he's quite engrossed. He explores the School with the air of a teacher saddened by the state of it, mentally marking places he may be able to aid in refurbishing it. In fact, he may have a little pad of paper and pencil with him to make notes on it.
As promised, he can also be found at the Lab or Clinic so that the Healers there can look him over as they so desired. He will gladly offer any sort of samples that may be requested from him.
And last but not least, he can be found staring intently at the eyeball lemons at Elsword's House. Well, the staff is staring intently, Pure Vanilla looks amused and seems to be trying to convince the staff they're not going to respond to it.]
c) baa baa white sheep asks you for help
[Are sheep common in the Grove? If not, it might be quite bizarre to see a perfectly normal looking ram standing in the middle of the grove near the well. Simply standing there, stock still. Well, almost stock still, it's ears keep flicking up at every little sound. Nearby is a staff that may or may not be recognizable, laying in a puddle of water that had spilled from a drawn bucket, the eye on it frantically looking around.
Should the eye land on anyone, the sheep will twist it's ears in their direction, then turn it's head. It's eyes are open, blue and gold staring almost pleadingly at whomever approaches and it speaks.]
Help.
[Sheep sure did ask for help, do you accept this quest?]
no subject
It isn't a bother at all. I'm simply collecting samples to catalogue the level of corruption on the wildlife here. [That grasshopper has too many eyes.] It's important to study the effects over time...
Nevermind. You needed something.
[The final pin goes in, and the Liberi stands.]
Gnosis Edelweiss-Silverash. [He holds his hand out to shake.] The clinic is next door — it's likely that Doctor Add wants a blood sample, as well as to get the full range of any health conditions you may have. He's eccentric, but he isn't unkind.
[They sort of share the space — the buildings are literally squashed up against each other besides — but Gnosis' medical training isn't as extensive.]
That said, I've been here for enough time to be able to answer most questions. If you'd like to sit... [Sit... at one of the workbenches! Comfortable.] ...anywhere, so long as it isn't on a workstation, I'd be happy to help where I can. I'm afraid we want for comfortable chairs in here.
[Gnosis has a rolly chair and that's about it.]
no subject
Oh, thank you, I will be sure to visit there next. The grove and the corruption, as well as the Founder, is exactly what I wish to discuss with you. Our friend here [a small gesture to Phantom] alerted me that you are quite the authority on it.
[Pure Vanilla will indeed sit, not at all put out by the workbench, setting his staff comfortably across his knees, making sure it's out of hte way.]
Thank you! This is perfectly fine! My questions are simple, I wish to know everything possible about the Grove. As well as this corruption. What exactly does it do?
[He's studying the insects again, his eyes open for once, staring at them. Trying to see what he can on them. The corruption, anything else.]
breaks tag order to give PV the modly answers he wants; cw body horror
[He explained what he could in five minutes. He'll try to be more in-depth this time, especially because he doesn't recall explaining the effects of the corruption to Phantom in thorough detail. Not that he's corrupted and would know very much; he's trying to avoid that fate, thanks.
Anyway, cracks my mod knuckles real quick as Gnosis shuffles to grab more things from around the lab, I am too lazy to hop to the mod account so here's your mod info from Me:
Pure Vanilla opens his eyes and sees that the bugs vary. Not all of them are grasshoppers (there's one of those eye-butterflies that recently popped up, a dragonfly, etc large bugs that are easier to study). Not all of them carry corruption on them. The grasshopper has a little bit of that black rot on one of its forelimbs, but not much more than that. The butterfly is all black, the realistic eyes on its wings unmoving and staring with an uncanny glassiness at the ceiling. The dragonfly is somewhere in the middle, with its thorax and abdomen stained that black colour, but its head and wings are free. A beetle pinned nearby has none of this and shines a brilliant gold. To Pure Vanilla's Special Eyes, each corrupted insect, regardless of amount, has a soul still. Normally when things die, they lose that soul and it goes to the theoretical afterlife. Though vital signs have stopped and rigor mortis has set in for these creatures, and though they likely won't ever get up again, there is something in there, still "living". It's a bit horrifying. Their souls are only there where the corruption is, though: Pure Vanilla sees it fully on the butterfly, and only in chunks on the dragonfly/grasshopper. As for the truths in their little bug souls... there isn't much to ascertain overall. The forest writhes within each of them and whispers to him siren songs. He should join them. He should side with the Creature. He should become perfect and undying.
Removes my mod hat. Thank you for coming to my ted talk.]
Let me start with the corruption and go backwards from there. I'm sure you've noticed two faces around the Grove by now, [he comes back with another pinboard, this one full of various plants — dried flowers, leaves, the like, and actually encased by glass whereas the bugs are not because he's still pinning them,] Nene, the girl who looks like a walking wooden doll, and Elsword, the young Sankta [he's not a sankta] who has flowers growing out of the right side of his body. Those are our two "corrupted". I'm unsure as to how Nene got corrupted, but she's said in the past she has long outlived her natural lifespan due to it. Elsword has mentioned it's because a black vine grabbed and subsequently entered his body through his wrist. There may be other methods of transmission that we're unaware of at this time.
Regardless, prognosis is grim. There's no known cure that we have. The Gargoyle on the church's roof, Zahliya, can cure some forms of corruption, but he's stated in the past that his purifying flames are not strong enough to cure major forms. Several months ago, we entrusted him with the Sun Shard, which has enhanced his abilities somewhat. He may need additional artefacts to reach his full potential. In either case, those that are corrupted suffer from it — Elsword was not always a walking flower garden, and Nene almost certainly was once a human girl of flesh and blood. They hear the voice of the Creature in their minds, hallucinate, and experience chronic pain due to it. Elsword has mentioned in the past that he can't often control his right arm properly without fighting for it, as oftentimes the Creature doesn't want him to act against it.
no subject
...Silverash? [ He blinks, bringing his gaze to meet Gnosis's. There was a subtle yet genuine confusion underlying his tone, and he was even unfazed at the mention of how Doctor Add in the clinic next door would like a blood sample (which he obviously hadn't done and likely never would), although that also has something to do with his assumption that it was likely (hopefully) meant for Pure Vanilla, not him. ] I- I mean...I apologise. I have no idea what came over me...I certainly did not mean to pry or anything of that sort.
[ He's clearly abashed for blurting that out, interrupting the flow of Gnosis and Pure Vanilla's important conversation, and he clears his throat. ]
Please do not mind me. Carry on. I think I shall take you up on that offer, thank you— [ He meant his colleague's offer to sit, and he sent a slight nod in Gnosis's direction, before he moves to sit, although he was still listening. Even so...something caught his attention. This time, it wasn't Gnosis's discreet disclosure of his relationship status, but...the pinned insects. Specifically, the half-corrupted grasshopper and dragonfly; the corrupted butterfly; and the brilliant, uncorrupted beetle. Phantom's eyes widens slightly, and something twists in his stomach. His ears was twitching lightly; obviously, he was disturbed by what he saw, especially in combination with Gnosis's elaboration regarding the Forest's corruption. He had seen much worse things than dead insects being pinned and on display as specimens, but... ] —Oh.
[ Those last two syllables was but a soft exhalation, and he glanced at the new pinboard that Gnosis had brought them, before he looked away. His expression was inscrutable. After all, where there are still souls, that means there are spirits, which he could see. And if he's allowed to see them - if those insects still have them - then that is what he will be disturbed by. If he's not allowed to see them, or if the insects only have their souls (or its twisted remains) but not proper ghosts/spirits or fragments of those, then Phantom...would simply feel something. Something twisted, as if there were insects crawling inside the pit of his stomach. ]
...Gnosis. My apologies for interrupting, and to you also, Pure Vanilla, but— [ He briefly directed his gaze towards Pure Vanilla, slightly apologetic, before he turned it towards Gnosis. ] —Are you, perhaps, in any way familiar with legends concerning the Ursus tundra, or Sami? ...This corruption...it reminded me a little of those terrifying legends.
[ He shudders, and looked away. ] My apologies, I feel as if I was going to be sick if I have to continue looking at...that. Spirits, omens, or...the twisted remnants of those unfortunate creatures' souls. I shall take my seat instead. And I would like to know if you know anything about Aldric, too. In addition to...our past lives here. I have enlightened Pure Vanilla on this fact, as well. [ That being said, he took his seat on a workbench in the corner afterwards, all while avoiding looking at any of the pinboards. ]
no subject
And the whispers. The soft song. The call. Were his mind not made of sterner stuff, it would be mesmerizing. Instead he shuts it out, focuses on what he sees. He won't touch anything, won't disturb Gnosis' work, but he will gently tilt his head here or there to get a better look.
The letter of White Lily acting strangely comes to mind. Possession?
His ears flick towards Gnosis as the man begins to speak and he listens attentively, frowning thoughtfully as he absorbs the information. To the soft Oh from their companion, Pure Vanilla will glance his way with his Staff and notice he's looking at the insects as well. Yes, he might be able to see or sense them as well, he says he can see the spirits. It gets a little nod of understanding from Pure Vanilla, and he will let Phantom speak first.
Then he will speak up, his voice soft.]
Do not apologize, my friend, you interrupted nothing. I see them as well. Souls cling to the corruption, settling into the dead bodies as much as the rot itself. That goes against the very natural law... Souls should not inhabit that which has no life, and these are very clearly dead.
[He settles back, closing his eyes so he doesn't accidentally intrude on the other two, his hand resting in his palm.]
It stands to reason Nene and Elsword both have souls clinging to their corruption then, which would explain Nene's longevity [His own Souljam operates a little similarly, being made of pure life powder.] and Elsword's fight with his corrupted arm. Is this similar to what you mentioned, my friend? [He has no idea what Sami is for instance. And he will ah softly as Phantom reminds him of his reason for coming too.]
Yes, anything you may know, I would gladly listen to.
no subject
How horrifying. [Thanks, Forest!] I have a small amount of knowledge containing the legends in Sami, yes, though not as much as I would like. They are an infohazard, and shouldn't be shared, which I understand.
[HOWEVER. Bring him Typhon he has questions for her.]
I know little about the name which you spoke. [The words "Aldric's Grove" can be spoken freely; the name Aldric, when used to refer to the Shopkeeper, becomes garbled and unintelligible.] It's the prior name of Heimr, the Shopkeeper, and the Forest stole it at some point. The same is true of the Trader, Ydalir — she, too, had her name stolen. I believe that's why they're shadows now, but the full details elude me.
[A sigh.]
Now, I'm sure the both of you have seen the moose monster, the gargoyle, and the large fish in the river. Those are the Guardians — said to be minor deities who oversea a certain domain. The moose, Moder, oversees the non-corrupted parts of the Forest. The fish, the River Guardian, oversees the river, and is the reason we have to return the bones from the fish we gather there. From what I gather, Zahliya, the gargoyle, was artificially created by humans to guard us specifically. I've been told that offerings and prayers make them more able, in the same vein as referring to the Creature that controls the forest as a "false-god" or impostor or any other derogatory term will weaken it. As I have no evidence to suggest against this superstition at this time, I recommend listening to their words. I know little about what Moder in particular likes, but Zahliya is fond of food — specifically cheese — and singing.
[Which might be a point of contention for Phantom, but that's fine; no one has to sing to the gargoyle. Gnosis has previously clocked that the small creature gets very embarrassed when people try.]
As for our past lives, I believe the figures I mentioned were relevant then. Zahliya was merely a statue before the escape of the false-god caused him to come to life. Moder has mentioned that she was simply living in the woods and tending to nature, but that she did not often interact with mortalkind. The River Guardian is too weak to provide much information, though I do believe homage was paid to it. Notably, all of us were humans back then — we were not Feline nor Liberi nor cookie-turned-Caprinae. Some months ago, we were all given "memories" of our past lives, and they seemed normal enough. This settlement was formerly a small village, with many more buildings, and those that grew up here simply lived off the land and tried to introduce their own ways of living to the Grove. That said, some relationships as we know them can get skewed. I believe, in his past life, Mizuki had a sister, and Sesa had a different name — those sorts of anomalies consistent with religious beliefs regarding reincarnation were common enough.
[Like how his parents actually loved him in his past life. That was nice. That didn't sting at all.]
I lack the fluffier details of those events. What I do know is that the Grove was beset by tragedy when the false-god was released, and each and every single person here died. A ritual was done to force our souls to reincarnate elsewhere, though this was centuries ago. Either we spent those centuries in blissful nothingness, or there are more "past lives" from other worlds to account for. That doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, however. What does matter is that we were all unquestionably here at one point, and at another, we were within our current worlds.
[He adjusts his glasses with a finger.]
As an aside, sometimes you can find the corpses of our past lives lingering around here as though they're frozen in time. It's quite the jarring experience. I recommend exercising caution if you choose to explore beyond the Grove itself.
no subject
Absolutely so. Not only because his dear friend could see those trapped insect souls as well, but because of, well, those souls. Unlike the Cookie, he couldn't hear the whispers of the Forest (whether it was due to the fact that he wasn't corrupted in his current incarnation, the red stone amulet that he had on his person - his arrival gift - or some combination of both), but it was still enough to put him under a sufficient amount of mental and emotional distress, a trace of which was visible on his otherwise stoic visage.
For a moment, he envies his colleague - Gnosis - for lacking this sort of gift, and for his lucid acuity as well as ruthless logical determination. One could only hope to be that sort of person, that sort of man — someone who remains calm and unmoving in the face of suffering. ]
...Yes. They linger, trapped — unable to go anywhere. Is this...the true extent of the entity's power...? [ A familiar sight, isn't it? A voice in the back of his mind whispered, although not the VOICE, which was currently mocking him for his ineptitude to remain calm in the face of this 'trivial matter'. With that realisation, a cold chill touched his heart. ] It reminds me of...the Troupe's machinations. Trapping a soul is but a mere child's play to them. But...this is my first time seeing a soul caged to its withered husk.
[ Not that it was any less terrifying than seeing one caged into a stage prop, for example, or a particular place. Phantom shuddered. ]
...Similar? Yes, perhaps. I could not claim much knowledge about Ursus's demons and Sami's corruption, but I have accidentally overheard some of my peers' conversations about it — at least about the Troupe's plans to go there at some point. Even so...I would not trust my memories. [ He fell quiet for a moment, gloom settles on him like a heavy fog. ] And what Gnosis said...is true. I understand that we should not talk about those demons, or their corruption. Besides...I could not claim that I know any more than he does, either.
[ He nods towards Gnosis, before he settled on his seat, listening quietly to that long infodump. Admittedly, his fingers itched just a little bit, and he wished that he had a warm drink. It would be nice if he could send his clone to make some tea, at least for himself, but he feels that it would be impolite. Thus, the Feline stayed quiet, arching an eyebrow slightly when the name 'Aldric' suddenly became garbled. ]
...He is the founder. Heimr. [ Quietly, he spoke, now wishing that he had a pen and paper to jot this down as well as some of the additional information that his coworker was currently presenting. He arched an eyebrow again when Gnosis mentioned that Zahliya, the gargoyle, is fond of singing, since yes, this was certainly a point of contention for him, but he said nothing about it. Instead, Phantom asked: ] By 'minor deities', do you mean that they are weaker than Feranmuts, or are stronger than, Gnosis? Or...are they roughly equivalent with Feranmuts? At least generally speaking, and...considering what we know about Feranmuts, of course. ...What else do you know about the entity? Any idea about what manner of creature it was, behind the curtain?
[ After he delivered his question, he sent Pure Vanilla an apologetic glance, since he realised that his friend wasn't from Terra. The talk about Sami and Ursus must have been confusing for him, in addition to Feranmuts just now. ]
My apologies, Pure Vanilla, I hope you are not lost — Feranmuts are our gods back in Terra, although their numbers have diminished and they have practically vanished in our current, modern era. While Ursus and Sami are two countries or mobile nations, specifically, although not the ones Gnosis and I are from. He hailed from Kjerag, while I hailed from Victoria.
[ That being said, he is back to listening mode once again, making mental notes in his head. Even if the VOICE is currently booing him for being boring. ]
...Are we not also 'humans'? Perhaps what you mean is that we do not have...bestial traits back then. It is to my understanding that some humans, well, lack these qualities, and they do not possess other distinctive traits either, such as a halo and wings of light like the Sankta possess, or horns and a tail, as in the case with most Sarkaz. [ A gentle correction. Even so, he is no less surprised by this revelation, since imagining himself without his ears and tail felt just as alien as...well, imagining himself as an Ægir or a Sankta, for example. They were simply part of him. Regardless of that, the Feline nodded, once more letting Gnosis continue. ] I have another question. Tell me, how did the false god, this faceless entity currently residing in and taking control of the forest, our unholy malefactor, got released in the first place? Has any of us meddled in affairs that we should not have stuck our noses into in that past life - our original life here, so to speak - or was it...an external party? Do you happen to possess this information, Gnosis?
[ It sounds like a major fuck-up either way. Easy to pinpoint that it was the cause of this entire disaster. Even so, Phantom was relatively calm as he accepted and processed all of this, until...
...Well, the corpses bit. As always, his colleague delivered it without any emotional sensitivity whatsoever, and Phantom's thoughts regarding this matter was clear on his face. Regarding Gnosis's delivery, and concerning this entire thing. ]
Bloody hell. [ Normally, he isn't one to utter profanities, especially not in front of Cookie Jesus like this, but what the fuck. What the fuck! His ears twitches, kind of more aggressively than it was when he was distressed by the sight of those corrupted and half-corrupted insects' souls. There is a subtle amount of sarcasm when he speaks again in his otherwise flat tone. ] Next you're telling me that we could see our own spirits from that life— no, wait, that is impossible since our souls are already housed by our current bodies, but I would not be surprised if the entity could mess with us in that manner.
[ Nothing surprises him anymore at this point. If Gnosis suddenly grew two heads or some amount of emotional sensitivity, he wouldn't be surprised. Preferably, it's the latter. ]
no subject
He will let the younger two discuss is back and forth, and will simply listen. There is nothing to strategize about just yet, after all, it is merely information gathering.
And he may also be learning more about these two, simply by listening to them. He will not Look at them, but their mannerisms speak volumes.]