[if april showers bring may flowers, then july showers bring. . .?]

[sevenhorrorsmods]

Who: everyone!
When: July 31st throughout the day
Where: outside, but also wherever you want to be!
What: a general all-purpose mingle with flavor
Warnings: nada

[Today, for the first time since your arrival, dark and angry clouds gather in the sky above to block out the sun. It is sweltering outside, so when those clouds eventually open up in the early afternoon, showering everyone with cool rain, rolling thunder, and a few flashes of lightning. . . it probably feels good!]

[It seems to be normal rain, for the most part. Look at it from the wrong angle and some if it may seem to be tinted red, like blood. And sometimes, when a drop spatters against the ground, a spider lily suddenly blossoms in its place. The flower dies almost immediately upon springing to life, its petals dissolving into dust that is quickly washed away by the rest of the water]

[dwbi]

[. . . things have been awfully quiet since your arrival. It feels almost a bit like the calm before the storm, doesn't it? Are you still waiting for that other shoe to drop. . .?]

[What else are you up to today!]

Comments

[tailsofwoe]

[ . . . ]

I believe you've skipped a few important points in your explanation there.

[presgarddihellis]

You asked before how it is that I come from two different worlds?

I'm originally from China, on Earth. 201x.

But. I did what I thought was a simple Luck Enhancement Ritual from a book from the Qin and Han Dynasties.

Somehow this ended up with my getting transmigrated into the body of an unfortunate young man who'd just shot himself in the head because of a different cursed book. I ended up taking in his memories and maybe even some of his soul, so. In essence. I am both parties.

1/2

[tailsofwoe]

[ By the end of his explanation, her eyes widen slightly and her fingers twitch where they're laced together— ]

[tailsofwoe]

[ But you blink and it's gone. ]

Mm, my condolences. Such are the dangers of playing with magic you don't understand... No wonder you so adamantly warn others against dabbling with the unknown.

[presgarddihellis]

My experiences in that area are many and varied.

[said so dryly]

I've also peered one too many times directly at gods who did not appreciate that so much...

But more relevant to the current topic... back when I first was coming to understand my situation, I thought it would be just as easy to perform the same ritual and maybe it would send me back home.

Instead, it sent me to a place above a strange Gray Fog. I only later found out that this Gray Fog is, in essence, a spiritual realm. And since then, most spirits or people with that inclination have been able to sense some of its residuals on me.

[gestures to the nekomata whose ears perk up as it looks over to him again.]

Case in point.

[tailsofwoe]

[ Acknowledges the nekomata with a nod. ]

I see. And I assume this also ties back to not observing you too closely?

[presgarddihellis]

Of course, I cannot stop anyone from trying to satisfy their own curiosity.

I can only advise... it would not be a very good idea.

I am a Beyonder. A person who drank potions of a Pathway of the Divine. I'm limited here, currently, but...

[smiles pleasantly.]

[tailsofwoe]

I'm not entirely sure what any of that means, but I'll take it under advisement.

[presgarddihellis]

Drink potions, become god. If you survive.

Is the basic gist.

Of course it's far more complicated.

[tailsofwoe]

Oh dear, oh my. Then I'm currently speaking with a god?

[presgarddihellis]

[smiles]

Would that be surprising?

[tailsofwoe]

Well, yes, naturally. Most humans don't encounter gods within their lifetimes.

[presgarddihellis]

Ha.

I've told your, ah, "classmate" Mr. Puck that in this place, I am limited in my capabilities. Currently, I'm not even at a demi-god level.

[bro thinks he's demi-god at most probably.]

[tailsofwoe]

That's a shame. I was just about to ask if you could please use your godly powers to slay any enemy monsters that come for us.

[presgarddihellis]

Haa... I can give you advice on how to manage a number of them, if it helps?

[tailsofwoe]

I'll take what I can get, I suppose...

[presgarddihellis]

Now I believe it's your time to share?

[tailsofwoe]

[ A soft huff. ]

Right, that was the deal. You wanted to hear how we fared during our initial arrival?

[presgarddihellis]

If you please. I'd like to know how other groups handled that first crisis.

[tailsofwoe]

I'm not certain how enlightening you will find it, but...

[ As matter-of-factly as one can manage: ]

A voice came through the PA system asking for our names, and we tried to get around it by offering aliases. It quickly saw through the deception, and our surroundings grew significantly more ominous, tinted with red and covered in string reminiscent of spiderwebs. We were given instructions to look for a key, so we tried searching inside a doll, behind the wall clock, and behind the strings, but came up short. Each time we failed, sharp string twined itself around a part of our bodies, and in the last few moments, it cocooned our entire bodies as we faded out of consciousness.

[presgarddihellis]

... I see.

[tailsofwoe]

See? Underwhelmed.

[presgarddihellis]

Well. You did give what you said you would trade for.

So I suppose that is that.

[tailsofwoe]

... Are you sulking?

[presgarddihellis]

Flattering yourself is very unbecoming, in fact?