[feeling homesick?]

[sevenhorrorsmods]

Who: the student body
When: October 9
Where: anywhere outside!
What: set fire to the rain
Warnings: some people might get chewed on by a fox

[On the morning of October 9th, a bright, almost ethereal glow flares from the rooftop]

[It lasts but a few seconds and can be seen from anywhere outside, as well as through the windows of the school. though it dissipates quickly, small bursts of light remain scattered in the sky, slowly floating down to the earth below. they are. . .]

[. . . small tongues of blue fire? they dance in the air like playful sprites, wiggling this way and that, inviting you closer with their whimsical shimmies. should you get too close to these sprites, you will hear a familiar voice echoing in your head. it is the voice of someone very close to you! someone you cared for. someone you once loved very, very much. someone you miss. someone you would do anything to see again]

[touch these tongues of blue flame, and that same person will appear before you, smiling with their hand extended. you will feel compelled to take it, almost as if you are in a trance. almost as if you cannot resist]

[the apparitions of your loved ones will attempt to guide you into the forest. characters who touch the flames will be reduced to a dreamlike state and compelled to follow them. this trance can be broken by another character with either a) a solid punch/stab/any kind of inflicted pain or b) a kiss. this knowledge is not known ICly, so you better get to experimenting!! if the trance is broken, the apparition will vanish in a whirlwind of blue fire with an irritated shriek, leaving nothing behind but a sense of loss and forlorn longing in the character who was affected]

[should a character's trance not be broken before they reach the woods. . . well. the apparition of their loved one will smile wickedly as it sprouts blue fox ears and three fluffy, blue tails at its back. its eyes will turn white, its teeth sharp, as its entire body shifts and morphs into a four-legged kitsune with blue fur and white-socked feet. the trance will be broken right as it attacks, as it attempts to sink teeth into its victim's neck and tear them limb from limb. whoops! looks like you got suckered into a miniboss fight!]

[the kitsune are pretty quick on their feet! they are difficult to hit, and their bites hurt, leaving an icy-hot sensation crawling across the skin at the site of the wound. they cannot be killed, but they can be injured with typical weapons (their blood oozes dark black), and they tend to balk when faced with more than one opponent. if you have a friend with you to fend them off, they are more likely to flee than not, curling up into balls of fur and popping out of existence with a bright blue spark of heat. the buddy system will be invaluable here!]

Comments

[bowtiedbones]

What is with you two—!?

[Eowyn actually frowns, turning to shoot a look at her brother for being CHILDISH, but a kiss on the hand counted for points and it counts for irritated foxes too. the fake brother shoots him a last withering look and throws his hands up before disappearing in a shriek of blue fire]

[demonvinegar]

[ he lets go of Eowyn's collar, but he'll keep her hand.

with a self-satisfied smile: ]

It seems I've upset your brother, Eowyn-guniang.

[bowtiedbones]

[The little dragon skeleton rubs her bony face against his cheek, GOOD JOB PERSONMAN! then hops across to curl up tightly around her master's shoulders, bruxxing her beak and nibbling on Eowyn's ear adoringly.

Eowyn reaches up to pet her with her other hand, the motion distracted and automatic even though her eyes are clear now. she's holding on tightly to Gehou's hand and very suddenly looks about 0.5 seconds away from crying as she stares at where her brother disappeared.]

Oh, no, that's. Thank you? It worked.

[demonvinegar]

[ oh. he made her sad.

.... he stands for a moment, just letting her hold onto his hand. unsure of what to say. unsure if there's anything he could say, here. ]

[ before finally he settles on, ]

Do you want to talk about him? Your brother.

[bowtiedbones]

[looks away from where the fox-brother, but not really focusing on anything else]

Um… Well, that’s— what he looks like. He’s nice. He’s a physical therapist, he didn’t want to be a mage, but he helps me out sometimes… He’s like, ten years older than me?

He’s not like… dead or anything.

[demonvinegar]

But you miss him terribly. ... that spirit wouldn't have used him against you if you didn't.

[bowtiedbones]

Yeah... I miss all my family a lot. I— could see them whenever I wanted. He's a really good listener.

[demonvinegar]

... when the danger has passed, would you like to show me your centipede trap?

[bowtiedbones]

[sniffles]

[nods]

You can’t call them gross though.

[demonvinegar]

[ he can't help but laugh at that, ]

I promise I won't call them gross. [ he's not his father-- ]

[bowtiedbones]

Good, because they're not. They're just really good little predators.

[demonvinegar]

[ haha... ]

Most girls I know would be scared of such things.

[bowtiedbones]

Well I think they're cool. They're like, the oldest land predator. And they're still around! That's 400 million years of centipedes.

[demonvinegar]

[ 400 million years... he's not sure if his world has even been around for that long. hm. ]

So you're catching them because you admire them?

[bowtiedbones]

Well that, but also if I get lucky and get an animal corpse, they're really good at cleaning the bones.

[demonvinegar]

[ wow. morbid. he can't help but laugh at that. ]

Your casual appreciation of such ghastly things is quite charming.

[bowtiedbones]

[giggles, she's electing to take that as 100% a full compliment]

Thank you! If you find something dead, keep me in mind.

[demonvinegar]

[ contemplates whether or not he should bring up his legs which shizun stole. surely that would be in bad taste. at least this confirms he didn't bring the legs back to kai-un. too bad for Eowyn. she might have appreciated a pair of legs. ]

I will keep you in mind. For now, we should probably head back inside and warn Kin'un and Kai-un not to venture near the woods tonight.

[bowtiedbones]

[two whole legs would have been a way better sample than the stale blood she wiped up off the floor]

That's...probably wise, yeah.

[demonvinegar]

[ what are you taking samples for gorl ]

Then let's head back. [ he'll gladly lead her away from the woods. he's concluded that he does not like these fox spirits. ]

[bowtiedbones]

[for calibration]

Okay.

[she'll follow him back, sticking close. centipedes? what centipedes? they survived 400 million years they can handle a bucket overnight]

[demonvinegar]

[ calibration for what. hello? ]

[ in any case, they can go looking for kin'un and kai-un i'm not sure if we want to fast forwards that or what. in any case luo binghe is saying No to centipede trap today. ]

[bowtiedbones]

[SURE. thankfully, the flames are still outside, so it’s not a particularly eventful walk. but the closer they get to the dorms the more quiet and subdued Eowyn gets. now she’s back in familiar settings, the stranger the incident with the fox feels.

of course her brother wasn’t here. shouldn’t she be happier that he’s not?]

Um… Gehou?

[demonvinegar]

Yes, Eowyn-guniang?

[bowtiedbones]

Thank you for protecting me.