deercountry | There's still cobwebs in the corners

Entry tags:

There's still cobwebs in the corners

Who: Fern

laminae and open.
What: Event and non-event starters for the month.
When: Throughout September.
Where: Around Trench.

Content Warnings: Lich trauma, war, children involved in war, murder, violence, bug omen, body horror.

River of Regrets (Throughout September)

[The last thing Fern remembers doing is picking up one of those feathers, and a whirl of even more feathers as those ravens descended. He's unceremoniously dropped into a boat and, looking like a terrified cat with his sharpened teeth and slitted eyes, looks around frantically, forming a grass sword in one hand. Thorns shoot up along his arms until he realizes he isn't being attacked, and they sink back down into his grass as he starts to relax.

Where is he now? That was like something out of Deerington and even though this new place seems to have sunlight piercing through the clouds he doesn't like it. Scowling, he leans over one side of the boat, then the other to get a good look around, in the process rocking it dangerously. Sorry boatmate, he doesn't care that much.]

What the flip was that?

Bloodsport (Throughout September)

[It really only takes a small push to get Fern diving back into his love of fighting. Any excuse to fight is, in his opinion, a good one, and so when he hears about Bloodsport and The Gate he immediately heads over there. A good distraction from the stresses of settling in is what he needs, and what better way to distract himself than fighting some poor sucker? The locals even seem pumped for it so hey, maybe this city just has a very healthy appreciation for fighting like he does. Nothing wrong with that.

It doesn't take him long to find himself down in the arena. There might be a Sleeper opposite to him, or maybe it's himself, another Sleeper, and a large monster looming over them - it doesn't matter to him. He look raring to go.]

This is gonna be sick!

Moonflower - Voices (Partway through September)

[It's been a long, long month. Between Luz and Varian's increasingly frantic behaviour, cephalopod trauma, and being forced to talk about regrets he'd like to keep shut away, Fern hasn't been getting much in the way of sleep. What little he was getting decreased even further with the start of those voice and those feelings invading his head. They scare him, even though he's been through this song and dance before. An invasion of foreign thoughts and feelings in his mind, ones that don't feel like his own even though they always were - it's like it's happening all over again, though this time his mind has settled on the idea that it isn't his own mind causing it all.

Oh no, it has to be something much, much worse.

He knows the Lich has been able to get into people's minds. He knows there should be a Lich hand out there in this world, lurking somewhere. It's clear who the culprit is.

When he has the time he wanders through Trench, looking for any signs of a giant monster claw hand skittering around, but there's nothing. That doesn't stop him though - if anything, that makes him even more stubborn and even when he should be stopping and resting he keeps going. He can be found throughout the city - Cellar Door, Prufrock, Willfill Machine, Gaze - and when he sees someone who looks worth approaching, he walks on up, one hand held against his head. He's abandoned his grass hat today in favour of someone more Trench-appropriate, his extraordinary long, flower-filled hair tied back into an elaborate braid. It's a very impressive braid, though those with a knack for flora will notice most of them are of the toxic variety - death caps, poison fire coral, nightshade, oleander, water hemlock, and others.]

Hey, you haven't seen a big claw hand around, have you? Yellow fur? Looks like it got cut off someone?

Moonflower - Death Song (End of September)

[By the time the end of the month rolls around Fern is officially having a bad time. The noise and feelings have gotten louder, much louder. Or maybe he's just been worn down so much by everything that's gone on that it feels worse than it actually is? He isn't sure. It doesn't matter. It's too loud in his head and it keeps on going, even when he tries to sleep, until the end of the month, when the cacophony hits its crescendo with one very beautiful, very long, very painful song of death.

On the upside, this confirms to him that whatever is going on with head isn't being caused by the Lich. He's realizing with a sudden horror that all that noise is coming from other plants, even though he has been distinctly aware of his inability to communicate with them since his time back in Ooo. Apparently this world has seen to it to correct that small matter, and here he is, getting to listen to dozens upon dozens (hundreds?) of flowers dying together. What a great start to a new world.

He's outside when it comes, having been wandering around looking for the Lich. The operatic song flowers straight into his head and Fern reflexively winces covering his ears and trying to block it out. But it's too much, and there are too many of them, and he just wants it all to stop -

Any unfortunate passers-by might be getting bowled over by one of the half-dozen thorny vines snaking out of Fern's body and attacking anything in his vicinity. He doesn't notice what they're doing, or the additional thorns and spines and more toxic flora shooting up all over himself. Even the roots in his legs are reaching out, trying to break through the cobblestone to get at the earth underneath. His whole body is shifting to something more pointed, something less human, and something that looks a lot more hostile. Sleepers from Deerington might recognize the shift from back in the town, though it was rare and only happened when there was too much going on in his head to handle.

Looks like Trench can be just as rough.]

Date Time - For Varian (Early September)

[A date in a new world seems like a fantastic idea. Not only will they get to explore their surroundings, but it has to be a good distraction for Varian. There's nothing more attention-grabbing than exploration, and in the alchemist's case getting a hold of more alchemy supplies. It's a perfect plan and absolutely nothing can go wrong!

Nevermind the main reason they're going on this date is because Fern's increasing worry about Varian's mental state. He had thought that coming to a new world in one piece would mean things would be okay, that they'd be okay. Seeing Varian grow increasingly anxious and agitated, leaving half-finished science experiments everywhere, not sleeping....

It's concerning. It's hugely concerning. The longer this goes on the more useless Fern feels. He should be able to do something, help his boyfriend through the trouble he's having, but nothing seems to be working. He's desperately hoping this does, somehow.

Once Fern is ready to go he heads downstairs to Varian's lab, poking his head in.]

Ready to go? You got your list of stuff you need?

Bloodsports - For Flynn (During September)

[Unlike probably a lot of Sleepers, Fern is loving his time in the arena. It feels like a way to get all his energy out, a familiar way that he's sorely missed since arriving in Trench. There's been a lot - Luz and Varian's sudden change in behaviour, the poor soil, the lack of sunlight, the creeping paranoia - that have been getting to him, so having the chance to punch a few monsters to an adoring crowd is a wonderful form of escapism.

It's even better when he has someone to fight alongside, and like, two dozen times better when that person is a fellow knight. Fern doesn't know Flynn very well but the guy seems really cool. Older, obviously has the knight thing down, and in Fern's eyes that's more than enough for him to like him. So getting to hang out with the guy, getting to defeat a monster with the guy, that's the perfect afternoon for him.

The downside is that by the time they kill the creature - some weird hydra monstrosity - Fern is more than a little keyed up than a regular person. The cheering crowd is faltering a little as it becomes apparent that his fanged teeth and serpentine, glowy eyes, and thorns that have risen up on his arms and legs aren't going away anytime soon. It looks too close to Corruption for their liking, though Fern is entirely clueless.

Nope, he just looks super pumped as he waves his bloodied battle axe at the dead creature.]

Hah hah! Take that, ya donk!

Killing crab monsters - For Yuri (During September)

[Fern knows what it's like to lose someone close, he knows what it feels like to lose that person and feel so helpless, so angry about it that the only answer that seems reasonable is violence. He sort of gets why Yuri texted him about not going after Maul (even though a small part in his mind is still insisting the guy deserves it), and he gets why Yuri is trying to fill that hole by fighting crab monsters. It isn't the same, but he hopes the guy could find at least a little bit of satisfaction in cutting them down.

And honestly, it's a nice afternoon for him. It's cold and rainy and he's pretty sure sand is getting in between his grass blades, but this is a great way to get out the pent-up stress that's been building up in him all month. Trench hasn't been the easiest world to transition to, so getting back to something familiar (and destructive) is a relief. Between the two of them, by the time they've finished clearing a few caves out they've acquired more than enough crab monster meat to feed a small army.

Fern is actually pretty tired. His body is looking a tiny bit more loose and ragged, and he's covered in crab monster blood and gore, but hey, that's part of the fun. With that last crab dead he starts trying to flick blood off his grass sword.]

This has been really fun, dude.

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[Fern shakes his head hard at her question. The answer is a very plain no, he hasn't actually seen the Lich's hand with his own two eyes, but when it comes to the Lich that doesn't mean much. That jerk's whole thing is being sneaky, and in a big city like this there's probably tons of places where a hand could hide.

But he can see how that might not be very persuasive to someone who's never dealt with him before, and he wants Ange to take him seriously. This is a potentially life-threatening matter, and she deserves to be safe.]

No. No, I haven't seen it, but - I know he's here. [He sounds so, so sure of this.] He's gotta be, he fell through a portal leading out to the multiverse, so there's a Lich out there for every world.

For.. every world?

[ It feels like a weird story, but then again, what has her life been up to this point except for weird stories? And it's Fern, he's her friend, she doesn't want to doubt him.

It puts her into the weird position where two very conflicting feelings are both tugging at her, and Ange awkwardly rubs her arm a little as she tries to think of what to do here. ]

Well, I guess we can look for it together, if you want.. [ That's better than leaving Fern to deal by himself with something that's got him so worked up, right? ] I'm just surprised. I don't think I've ever heard you mention that thing back in Deerington.

[Guilt overtakes his expression, and he nods. Yeah, every world. That multiverse portal had been incredibly powerful.

Thankfully, getting help to hunt down the hand sounds so, so reassuring. More eyes means a higher chance of finding him, even if it also means potentially putting Ange in direct danger. That part he doesn't like, but she's tough, and the threat of what could happen if the Lich finds a source of power here is infinitely more dangerous.

So he nods, then grits his teeth as he looks away.]

Because... because it was my fault. Back when I was the Grass Sword, I chopped off the Lich's hand. If I hadn't done that it wouldn't have fallen into the multiverse portal.

[It's something he had been desperate to keep quiet. Most people wouldn't be too happy learning that you've gone and basically doomed their whole universe.]

[ That's a reason that would make sense as to why Fern hadn't mentioned it before.

So Ange decides to do what she ought to do here - trust her friend when it comes to this, rather than assuming that this might just be a case of paranoia. Wouldn't she want someone else to do the same for her, if their roles were swapped around right now?

There's a brief pause where she considers all of that, but then she just shakes her head. ]

Don't feel bad about it. What's done is done. Besides, if it really is here and we can find it, then you can end it once and for all, right? [ Then the entire problem will be solved. ]

[It's easily one of his biggest screw-ups ever, and he wasn't even Fern at the time. He doubts that would stop anyone from being upset with him about it - and rightfully so. The Grass Sword may have done it, but that thing is part of him now. It's part of his past, something that will always be part of him no matter how much he'd like to bury it.

So he's grateful that Ange isn't angry, even though the guilt is still eating at him. She should be angry, she has every right to be.]

Y... yeah. Maybe. Finn's the one who always defeated him, not me. The one time I tried I just messed it up.

...

[ It's easy to see that this is weighing on Fern pretty badly. Probably since he's taking it as his personal responsibility, following what he said a moment ago, and maybe now there's some worry mixed in as well about whether or not he can do it. ]

Of course you can take care of it. [ She doesn't let her voice falter in the slightest. Instead Ange shakes her head, looking convinced. ] I've seen you handle plenty of things. I know you're strong, Fern.

[ There's no doubt about that in her mind. ]

We're going to find this thing and take care of it, and then you can sleep a little more soundly.

[In his mind it's absolutely his responsibility to fix what he messed up, even though he isn't the least bit sure he can do it. Chances are the Lich will just kill him, but he needs to try anyway.

He glances over at Ange, grateful for the support.]

... Thanks.

[He's still skeptical about being able to do anything, but this helps. Having someone around and not being alone to deal with this helps.]

C'mon, there's still a lot of the city I haven't covered.

[He's going to start heading in the direction of Prufrock. That seems like a good place where a giant monster hand could hide, what with the higher rate of corruption and beasthood going on.]

[ She just follows him. Does it seem exactly safe to head in this direction? Not necessarily, but then again.. they are chasing some sort of monster hand.

It's not exactly like there's a whole lot of safety involved to begin with. ]

.. this definitely seems like a place where it's better to stick together. [ She'll admit to that much, at least - so with that in mind, she's rather glad that Fern is taking her along, rather than going by himself. ] It feels like everyone is watching us.

[ Does Ange realise that's just paranoia? Of course not. ]

[As they make their way to that district Fern will be taking them down sketchy, narrow alleyways, poking around in random dark corners, and generally just trying to look in the kinds of places where someone of a questionable nature may hide. It's safe, it's super safe.]

You feel it too? I don't like it. It's like we're getting made fun of.

[Like something is stalking them for the fun of it, and they're just stumbling around blindly hoping to run into whatever it is.]

Or something more serious than that.

[ Not that Ange likes being made fun of, but.. really, after her many years at school, she's kind of used to that now. It's much worse if there's anything out there to harm them, even aside from that hand that Fern is trying to hunt down here.

Ange sucks in a breath, and then her hands start glowing, making glowing butterflies of golden light stream forth from them. They float in the air around them, not thick enough to be a cloud, but there's quite a few of them all the same. They light up alleyways Fern tries to look in, but otherwise mostly keep close to hovering around them. ]

They'll help us keep an eye out. [ In case there is something stalking them.

Because it sure feels like it. ]

[She's got a point, and he glances over when the glowing starts. Butterflies aren't Fern's favourite thing ever, but at least these ones are obviously Ange's and have nothing to do with himself (or Finn). When she explains what they're for, he blinks and nods.]

Dude, that's a good idea. Here....

[He concentrates a little, and some familiar black smoke floats out of his body before forming into a white and pink orchid mantis perching on his shoulder. She chirps and wiggles a foreleg at Ange in greeting.]

Our Omens might be able to help, too.

[ At least the butterflies are still under Ange's control, thankfully. If he looks uncomfortable even for a moment when one flies slightly too close to him, it'll move away instinctively, considering they know that Ange wouldn't want to make Fern feel that way.

Not that Ange is paying them much mind. She's instead staring at the Omen as it forms, eyes widening slightly when she realises just what form Fern's Omen takes on.

Oh. Oh. Now that's weird and cute enough to banish all paranoid thoughts from her mind, if not just for a moment. ]

That's your Omen?

[ She sounds surprised, but if Fern looks over at Ange, she's definitely smiling at the little attempt to wave. ]

[He's immediately embarrassed, though trying to push through it because having more sets of eyes is really useful when something is stalking them. He'll just have to deal with the butterflies and the mantis. It's fine, it's all fine.]

Yeahhhh. Blodeuwedd. [Glob that name is such a mouthful.]

At least she's not a spider?

[His Omen gives him a sharp hiss as a scolding for that, before flying a short distance over to some nearby fencing. Rude.]

[ The name sure is something else, though Ange doesn't have much time to think on that. Instead her brain is drawn towards the other thing he says, and the reaction from the Omen in turn. The smile turns a little softer around the edges, partially sympathetic. ]

Are bugs that hard for you to deal with? [ She's assuming bugs are the problem, anyway, considering the mantis and now the spider mention..

And that makes Ange glance at her butterflies for a moment before looking back at Fern. ]

I can make them disappear, if that's better. [ Even if it'll make their search more of a pain. ]

[Fern is loathe to talk about this, but this is Ange and he should be open with her.]

Spiders aren't... great. They remind me of - um. That octopus-thing. [Yanno, the grass octopus-spider-monster that makes up half his head. Fun times. The rest of this isn't any easier to discuss, and certainly no less ridiculous.]

And the butterflies remind me of Finn. That was my first mortal life, y'know? I went from weird cosmic eldritch comet to butterfly.

[Huzzah, weird cosmic bullshit. He shrugs.]

It's okay, I'd rather have more eyes than not. If we lost the Lich because of me I'd never forgive myself.

[ Ange frowns, seeming to think. It's a difficult balance to strike here, especially since she also doesn't want Fern to think she's babying him. She knows that he's capable of a lot, after all, but shouldn't everyone at least deserve a little bit of comfort?

Especially since he's already so worked up over this whole lich hand deal.

So she snaps her fingers, not making all of them disappear, but still a bunch of them. Just so there's at least less around of them than a moment ago. Maybe every little bit helps. ]

Don't worry. We'll find it.

[ Not that she's as sure of that as she's sounding now, but there's nothing Ange wants to do more than reassure her friends. ]

Just having a few around should be enough to help. Besides.. [ She glances over to where Fern's Omen jumped off to. ] Your Omen can help out too, right?

[Fern looks a little uncomfortable that she's de-summoning some of the butterflies, but at the same time he really can't complain. Geez, does it ever emphasize how much of a problem he has, though. He really needs to deal with this dislike of spiders and butterflies sometime, when the Lich isn't a looming threat.]

Um, yeah. She can fly and stuff.

[And scamper up walls, because being a bug has its advantages. Blodeuwedd does that now, after hopping from the fence to a building.]

She's told me she's good at hunting stuff. I don't know, I don't know much about orchid mantises.

.. yeah, me neither.

[ This is the moment where Ange wonders if she should have bothered to actually pay attention during biology class, but it's a moot issue anyway. Not like she can change anything about it by now. ]

I think the only fact I know about mantises is that the females bite off the head of the males during pairing. [ You know, regular old cheery facts!

(Ange isn't even aware if that counts for orchid mantises as well, honestly.. Is it a general mantis thing? Is it a specific mantis thing? Who knows. This is how it shows she didn't pay true attention in class.) ]

[Well, that's some new and exciting information Fern was not aware of. He stares, for at Ange, then over at his Omen, then back at Ange.]

Seriously? My Omen's a head-eating cannibal?

[He glances over at Blodeuwedd again and she just shrugs. Wow, okay, this is certainly a thing.]

[ Maybe Ange should say that it's not like she hasn't full on checked that fact or anything, but.. well, considering the Omen's reaction, it can't hurt. That's a pretty chill reaction if it would have been a false accusation this entire time. ]

I'd say she's a strong, independent woman. [ IT'S OKAY, IT'S JUST A JOKE.. It's said in Ange's general deadpan tone, anyway. ]

I'm not even sure why our Omens take on the shape they do though. It really does seem like everyone has a different one.

Guess that definitely means she's strong, yeah.

[That's certainly one way of describing a man-eating bug. This is something Fern is going to have to wrap his head around later, whether anyone needs to be concerned about being around Blodeuwedd, and what it means for him to have a cannibalistic Omen.]

... Well, what's yours?

[Oh, he's curious now.]

[ It takes a moment before she summons her Omen. Not because she doesn't want to show Fern - really, she doesn't mind - but it's not like she's got a whole lot of experience yet in dealing with this Omen and calling it forth and all. So it takes a moment or two before the smoke escapes her as well, forming something that doesn't move to sit on her body, but instead remains in the air, taking on the shape of an eagle.

At least it's a chill eagle. It doesn't really seem interested in eating bugs. Instead it's just hanging out there in the air, idly flapping its wings as it stares at Fern and Ange. ]

That's mine. I.. didn't know they have names though.

[ See, this shows how concerned she has been with her Omen.. which is not very much at all. But look, there's a lot to suddenly adapt to in this place, okay, not everything can make the top of the list! ]

[Fern waits patiently for Ange to summon her Omen, and when she does he looks impressed. An eagle is cool, an eagle is a big, majestic bird that reminds him a little of Morrow. He's envious.]

Cool.

[Why can't his Omen be a cool eagle.]

I don't know if they always do. Varian's Omen is Ruddiger, so he had his name back in Corona. Blodeuwedd told me hers.

[So this chill eagle might just not have gotten around to telling Ange, or maybe it's too chill to have one.]

Maybe this one doesn't care then.

[ It would explain why her Omen hasn't really spoken up to her - and he seems kind of laidback too, really. He's just calmly hanging out here, like nothing is really bothering him. ]

.. sheesh, even all this stuff around Omens has got to be complicated, doesn't it? [ Them suddenly having them, the different shapes they take on, the different ways they act.. Nothing can apparently be easy in this place. ]

At least he can fly, so that makes it easier to look out for that lich.

Could be.

[Fern does try giving the eagle a small wave, though he drops his hand quickly.] It's a lot worse than the dream guides. At least we needed the dreamcatchers to summon those things. These are just... part of us.

[It's weird and uncomfortable. Shaking his head, he turns and heads down the alley.]

Right. Let's go.

There's still cobwebs in the corners

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