— 02 / open / will there ever be an end?

[morns]

🧙 WHO: Kate & OPEN
⚔️️ WHAT: Some quest / TDM shenanigans (Library, Sync Magic) & a lot of terrible coping mechanisms.
🕒 WHEN: Throughout the month
🗺️ WHERE: Various spots
⚠️ WARNINGS: Disordered drinking, possibly more. Will update as needed.


— in the library.
↪ closed to Louis.

( honestly, Kate thinks this talk about something being hidden in the library is probably just someone looking into things too hard. who really cares how shelves are arranged or what symbols are etched into them?

it's like some people have never seen graffiti before.

but whatever. it's something to do, and she's not the only person — uh, if you can call this dude a person — who thinks that. and while going into a job like this as a team has risks, it also has benefits. like another set of eyes to keep watch as they crouch atop the shelves, surveying the room as best they can in the dark. )

The hell do they think we're going to find, anyway?

( it's. a library. )

— sync magic; pair up.
↪ open to two threads.

( relaxing?

well, this won't be easy. but as she enters the tent, it begins to hum with the din of background conversations, the hustle and bustle of people which makes it easier to believe she's somewhere crowded and busy instead of in an empty little tent.

there's way too much incense going on, though. but at least it's warm enough to slip out of the cloak she's been bundled up in pretty much ever since she arrived. and now the only question is... how does she pass the time with nothing to occupy her but fake noises of a non-existent crowd?

well, whoever walks in will be treated to Kate, mid stretch session, in the process of drawing her foot up to meet the back of her head.

fancy joining in? )

— sync magic; chill out.
↪ open to anyone.

( after a couple of attempts to practice this synchronised magic, Kate is ready to leave. ready to get back to her usual day, without the need for others.

at least, that's the plan until she actually finds herself alone, and things grow restless. the silence deafening, the empty space around her cold, and there is a bonfire there. one which looks warm and unlike anything she's seen before.

so... what's the harm? it doesn't seem like she's the only person drawn to it, either, as a generous crowd has already formed around it. )

That what all fires look like here?

( sorry, rando, she's just gonna ask you a question without any attempt at introduction. or, perhaps, instead, you'll find her stretching her legs out in front of her and drawing them back up repeatedly, running her palms over her thighs as though trying to quell an urge she hasn't satisfied. some need for contact which is best serviced by herself for herself, right?

maybe not, but she isn't going to figure that out alone. )

— barhopping.
↪ open throughout the month.

( she'd be lying to say she's slept fine since the illusions in the cave. lying if she said she didn't see the life seeping out of her brother's eyes, the gradual shift of his flesh into stone. the image lingers at the back of her mind, the probability of a future that weighs her heart heavy with worry.

it's all too easy to make the wrong choices. to trust the wrong person and let them get too close. or simply to be overpowered. and sure, Marc is strong and tall and a detective, he's hardly the first person most would think of as "at risk" for ingesting bootleg Hepatestryl, but stranger things have happened. like her arrival in this place, for one. her familiar, for another.

(a woman who heralds death. surely that can't be an omen?)

but there's one way to numb her mind to those thoughts, to draw across them with white noise — drinking. drinking and the idle hum of strangers talking about things she doesn't care about.

which is why, throughout the month, her semi-regular visits of bars in the city becomes a near nightly ritual, where she pulls up a seat and alternates shots and beer until her body prickles with the effects and it becomes easier to gesture to anyone nearby and ask; )

Want a drink?

( c'mon, she's still got several rounds to go before she wakes up hungover. )

— wildcard.

( want to do something else? feel free to write your own starter or message me at isanghae / isanghae#8071! )

Comments

Wildcard

[whatsamada]

[All Ken wanted to do was take a walk around the place with his Koromaru. Ever since he gotten his dog back, Ken was making sure he spent as much time as he could with him. It was the only thing that reminded him of his home after he spent so long being homesick and away from his teammates. However, in the middle of his walk, that's when the dog started barking at someone nearby.]

Hm? What is it, Koromaru?

[The boy said before his dog guided his owner to a body lying on the ground. What will Kate do once she feels Koromaru trying to nudge her awake?]

[morns]

( ugh.

where the hell is she?

and why does it smell like grass?

Kate blinks, the chill of the winter and a wet nose shocking her out of... well. it isn't sleep. more like unconsciousness, really. a deep, dark nothingness which enveloped her in the earliest hours of the morning, when dawn was breaking and she was wandering the city with the hum of alcohol thick in her veins.

how the hell did she get down here though, and... )

Whose dog's this...?

( her words come out mushy, slurred with exhaustion and dehydration, a headache already forming at her temples as she pushes herself over and comes face to face with cursed sunlight. )

[whatsamada]

[As Koromaru kept on sniffling Kate, he let out a bark to tell his owner that there was someone nearby. Without another moment to lose, Ken immediately rushed over to see someone on the ground.]

Excuse me, are you okay? [He said before attempting to give her hand out to her.] Please let me know if you can hear me.

[He said softly before looking back at his dog. He didn't know what happened but whatever it was, it seemed to be serious if she passed out like that.]

[morns]

( ugh... she's just going to give up trying to piece together what happened. she thinks she might have been taking a walk after the bar to clear her head, or a presumed shortcut? no idea on that one. but, given that she immediately feels how loose one of her shoes is as she tries to push herself up — knocking away the offered hand in the process — it seems likely that explains why this was the stopping point. )

...c'n hear you. ( how could she not, he's echoingly loud when her head is banging like this. )

Fuck... Y'got aspirin?

[whatsamada]

[Now that Ken got a better look at her, wasn't she that woman he talked to a while back? The moment she struggled to get up, he immediately went to hold her steady to her knees. He didn't know what happened but the least he could do was to get her somewhere safe.]

Um...no but I think we need to have you sit down somewhere. Or at least, just until you're well enough to go back home.

barhopping

[colchismagecraft]

[This...rather suspicious looking cloaked woman had taken a seat by the bar, later on in the month. It had been a long couple of weeks, and she too thought something alcoholic would make it all a bit easier to manage.]

...Do they have any decent wine?

[It sounded like the stranger asking was doing worse off than Caster herself, though, and she couldn't help but wonder how much she'd drunk so far.]

[morns]

( it's a fancy cloak, that's for sure. she's not about to get used to the fashion here any time soon — surely something like that is annoying more than it is useful. but whatever. better someone to drink with than a night of trying to distract herself by eavesdropping on random conversations until the bartender kicks her out. )

Can't say I've tried. ( so... let's pull the bartender in! ) Oi, what wine would you recommend?

[colchismagecraft]

[She'd come to regret the huge cloak come summer, but at least in wintertime it was proving useful in keeping the rain and cold out.

The bartender came up with a few suggestions - and although Caster seemed a little disappointed they didn't have anything from closer to home, she seemed satisfied enough with the taste to order a glass.

She'd certainly be surprised if this stranger was serious about paying for her - and if so, Caster would give her a surprised 'thank you', before continuing: ]

...you've had a long month too, I take it?

@ me: where the hell did i put this tag

[morns]

( summer's still a long way off, and Kate's still taking advantage of the winter cloak offered by this place when they arrived. it's not as convenient for running about as a proper jacket, but it more than suffices for the hours she doesn't spend exercising.

and it seems Kate is perfectly serious about paying for this stranger's drinks as she whips out her phone and pays the bartender without thinking. why not? she offered, and she's looking for the distraction. )

All months're long. ( that's not an answer, but perhaps the fact that she's unwilling to answer is the answer. ) What brought you here?

( whether this person decides to talk about their long month, or just why they wandered into this bar is irrelevant to Kate. the most important thing is that it isn't a conversation about her. )

Did you check behind the sofa? It's usually behind the sofa :)

[colchismagecraft]

Oh- thank you.

[Well, she hadn't been expecting to have her wine paid for. That was kind of her.]

...I figured some decent wine might improve my mood after the amount of nonsense I've had to deal with.

You?

[She wouldn't press if Kate changed the subject and avoided talking about herself, but it was only polite to ask.]

library go!

[disasdeer]

They probably think we'll find something suspicious.

[ Whatever that potentially means. He's not fully sure that they'll find anything. It seems interesting enough to him, at least. But he was more or less fascinated by the idea of what appeared to be an easy job. He may have been wrong to assume it would be. ]

It could be nothing, though.

[ He doesn't really know in this place. He typically likes to work alone, but given the climbing and searching, two eyes are better than one. ]

So far, I only really see books.

[morns]

( but what? given the fact they're stuck like a couple of particularly stubborn pet birds, out of reach on the top of a bookshelf, when did anyone get the time to make things suspect here?

... except the librarians themselves, she supposes. )

Ugh— ( the light the night patrol carries peeks out from the end of a bookcase a few feet away, and that's too close for comfort. ) Let's move.

( quietly, but quickly, and somehow jumping to the next shelf? what part of this is easy? )

[disasdeer]

[ Louis thinks they may not find anything, and if they do, well - surprise. He's not here to prove something is sketchy, he's only here to investigate. He shifts his weight, careful to not make any sounds, and he starts moving. He's pretty light on his feet, with good reason, so getting around without making noise is easy.

That is when she jumps to the next shelf. Well - he's going to try. So, he shifts his weight and leaps, less gracefully to the next one. He makes it, and even if he hadn't - he'd never make excuses for himself, anyway. He's as quiet as he can possibly be. ]

If it's nothing. It's nothing.

[ That's fine to him. ]

[morns]

( maybe they won't, but the phrase "no smoke without fire" has largely proven true in Kate's life, and so things like this leave a particular itch in the recesses of her brain. is she missing something? it seems absurd to make use of a place like this, but perhaps the absurdity is what makes it so plausible?

maybe she should just leave those thoughts for another time and concentrate on what she can do now. hypothesising was always Marc's strong suit, after all.

and she just turns her attention back to her partner in time to see him barely make it. yikes. that could be a problem. )

You sure?

( hm. there's gotta be a way to minimise that problem from occurring, right? )

[disasdeer]

Yeah, I'm sure.

[ Why was she - oh? The jump, huh. Yeah, it wasn't exactly a very solid jump, was it? Maybe he should be more careful about hopping across spaces after all. He's sure that his clunking about would eventually give them away. He shifts, tugging up his right pant leg to show his prosthetic. That does explain the jump, at least. ]

I'm a little slower. I'll be careful, though.

[ He wouldn't spoil this for someone else. He drops his pant leg. ]

chill out

[intrapid]

[ He doesn't say it out loud, but the look Karma gives her clearly says, "What?" He keeps both hands in his pocket, shoulders hunched and closed off but leaning back at the same time, like he can't decide how to conduct himself in front of people at the moment and so he's decided to just hold himself together. Nonchalantly. ]

I dunno. Do you want to set some things on fire and compare?

[ It'll be a fun little experiment, come on. ]

[morns]

( what? it's a legitimate question. she doesn't think she's seen any fire here yet. )

Sure. Why not?

( Katherine, no. )

[intrapid]

[ Katherine, yes. ]

No reason why not! Here, turn out your pockets- we can start with whatever you have on hand.

[morns]

( her pockets? Kate raises a brow at the request, running her hands over her trousers where said pockets lie, flat as a board against her hips. )

Don't carry owt. ( shrug, well. except her phone, but even she isn't about to suggest they burn that. ) Let's find summat.

( there's plenty of little things around here, right? )

[intrapid]

[ Plenty of little, flammable things, sure. It wouldn't really do to go out to the marketplace to find things to set on fire, let alone waste money paying for things that are just going to be set on fire, so Karma digs around his own pockets to see if there's anything he would be willing to spare.

He pulls out a chocolate wrapper wrapped around a popsicle stick, a little vial of sparkling dust, three cinnabar paper bush flowers pressed between the folds of a sheet of paper, a handful of star shaped nuts, and a bundle of dried bluegrass.

Somebody's been busy running errands all day. ]

These should work fine, shouldn't they? Haha, I wonder if the dust will work like flour and combust in midair?

barhopping (Nyuu)

[scarredhorns]

[One of the bars that Kate visits happens to be in the lounge (or tavern as they still called it) where Nyuu and Lucy work as singers. Tonight, though, it's Nyuu who's in control, dressed in green along with a simple circlet. Something nice but not too fancy since she doesn't have much gold for extra luxuries yet. The song she's singing right now is calm and not over-the-top lively, perfect for a calm night at the bar. Once she's finished, she bows to the crowd and their light applause before heading over to the bar. The seat she takes happens to be the one right next to Kate.

She blinks in surprise when the question is directed to her.]

Oh, it's alright. I can pay for my own. I don't want to be a burden.

[Nyuu is polite, so she has to decline first before she can accept someone's generosity.]

yesss that song <3

[morns]

( there's very much an atmosphere in this city, one which continues to feel even stranger every time she pays for something with her phone or simply browses the network.

it's all very dissonant in her mind, as the only thing that stuck in her head from school was people back then didn't have the things we did.

but that's besides the point, because if this girl wants to pay her own way? )

... Alright. Pull up a chair.

( she's not going to insist that she has to pay. those kinds of exchanges are stupid and pointless, in Kate's opinion. )

<3

[scarredhorns]

Sure, I wouldn't say no to some company.

[She makes herself comfortable in her seat, giving a little bow of her head in greeting.]

I'm Nyuu, a singer for this tavern, though I'm not a native. I'm one of the people pulled in from another world.

[One of the bar staff asks Nyuu what she would like and she orders a virgin mojito.]

[morns]

( hm, could have fooled her. then again, it's not as though they can buy modern looking clothes here.

(yet. she's still waiting to hear about that person who makes clothes starting up shop.) )

Kate. Also pulled in. ( if that's what they wanna call it, but she's pretty sure that's obvious by the fact that she's in the same clothes she arrived in — jeans, a t-shirt and a hoodie — as she tries to be as often as possible.

(she's not exactly a fan of the local clothing, if that's not clear.) )

Beer. ( and, speaking of; ) That all you're having?

Apologies for the delay! On hiatus this month.

[scarredhorns]

Pleased to meet you, Kate-san. And, [sheepish laughter] yes. I don't really drink. I, ah... tend to do embarrassing things when I get drunk.

[Her cheeks tint as pink as her hair with that confession, even though she didn't really say anything specific about what those "embarrassing things" are. It's not just that, but if she gets drunk enough, she could switch to Lucy. Not as much of a problem as it was when they first left home, now that Lucy's mellowed out a little, but still inconvenient.]