westwhere | open | oh it's a mad, mad world, i'm drowning in

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open | oh it's a mad, mad world, i'm drowning in

WHO: Anyone wanting to find lamp oil, other oils, and the Remembrance's new hideout.
WHEN: After the TDM event! Before the next game event.
WHERE: In the Mouse House.
WHAT: In the spirit of adventurers the worlds wide, people go hunting for more lamp oil, only to find... dark water barrels, and the Remembrance's attempts to establish itself again.
WARNINGS: They're trying to make those womb walls again at the base; there's a potential at all times for violence; language potentially explicit.

You can find plot information or ask questions here! Keeping it simple, but here's a vague timeline of some possibilities:

Meeting outside the orphanage and searching through abandoned homes and businesses for lamp oil. Or sneaking into not so abandoned places and making off with some supplies.

Discovering a series of seemingly abandoned warehouses, and finding a means inside, with light. Much of what's there is junk. Be amazed by what you find.

In at least one warehouse there's large barrels! Which might be oil! These turn out to be dark water when opened.

Within minutes of the dark water barrel discovery, members of the Remembrance enter from an underground walkway, and confront the people by the barrels. Playact as part of the movement ("wake up!"), or else prepare to run.

If you played like you were part of the movement, be drafted into helping cart the black water barrels to the new safe-house, where it's apparent the black water's being used to recreate the womb walls of the former Remembrance headquarters. Or you might be tasked with chasing after one of your fellows who failed their acting chops.

If you failed to play along with the Remembrance, run, run, as fast as you can, and try not to get lost in the warren of paths. Or end up meeting a Rodent Of Unusual Size, which may or may not be wearing a paper crown.

Find a way back to the orphanage with whatever spoils of the day you managed to keep your hands on. Share information. The Remembrance is rebuilding, just as weird womb wally as before.

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( He shivers, lips pulling back from his teeth momentarily, before he smooths his expression out. )

The island you all were leaving when we were on the ships with the pirates.

( He hardly meant to leave you hanging, Izumi, but also he has no idea he left you hanging. In fact would prefer to be back in that space instead of antsy and anxious, as he's inching toward now. )

Wasn't there something of it down deep, at the trenches, where we sailed? The mermaids spoke of it? Or the dead sailors, come back to lust after our lives. Hideous. As bad as that island we stopped at, the one with nothing on it that breathed air. Now there's these, the sack dolls, they're worse than the walking dead, who at least had the decency to be born of two living souls, not forced magic.

[He understands that the black water and womb room and all that stuff is messed up, so Licyn being upset about it makes sense, but he does seem to be even more bothered by it than Kanesada would expect. He catches up to him and clasps his shoulder, hoping to offer some little bit of comfort or grounding.]

Breathe, Licyn.

[Take a second. Don't get ahead of yourself.]

There might have been. Honestly, if we've already seen it in more than one place, this whole world probably has some form of it. They could be getting it from anywhere. Which isn't comforting, I know.

( the hand on his shoulder merits a twitch, then the redirection of his attention to izumi in whole. he doesn't blink at first, but he does listen, slowing down the pull of air in his lungs to breathe deeper, more fully, let his heart beat as it will into less flight-ready motion. )

Everything has a source. Those barrels mean the same thing, even if we don't know where. Even magic can't come from nothing.

( mostly. like he knows. he lifts a hand, running it through his hair, up to the knot of his queue at the back of his head. he sighs, letting his eyes close even as they continue walking. slits them back open to offer izumi a crooked smile. )

This world is far from comforting. Same as home. You find what comfort you can within it, isn't that the way, love?

[Kanesada doesn't let his hand linger, pulling it away as soon as he feels Licyn's little reaction. He crosses his arms instead, just waiting and listening as they walk.]

Mn. I've found it's usually the little things that get you by. Friends. Drink. Poetry. Whatever you can find in it. The world outside of all that is usually pretty neutral on you, on what happens to you.

[He glances over at Licyn, pleased to see some of his personality come back.]

Listen. I'll be real. I'm not always the smartest guy. I prefer solving situations headfirst, not necessarily thinking about 'em real hard. But there's so many of us here that someone's bound to be way more clever. Someone might've heard something we haven't. We just gotta tell 'em what we saw and see what comes of it. At the very least, we won't have to shoulder it by ourselves.

[He gently bumps against Licyn.]

Yeah?

( licyn's brows climb a touch, and he sighs, not quite scoffing, not quite amused. he does bump back into the taller man in return. )

Who says I want to shoulder any of it at all? Aside from being targeted because of our companions having the subtlety of cats in heat.

( he's even passingly fond of said companions, in the way people say, good dog, but also don't want to clean up after any of said dog's messes. )

So threatening possessiveness was a headfirst solution? Well played.

Well, you're not gonna dump it all on me and run. No, no, we're in this together, now.

[Licyn is still a little shaken up, obviously, and Kanesada can respect that, but he's not going to dwell on it if he doesn't have to. He would hesitate to call this a companionable walk back, but it's comfortable enough.

Except when their shenanigans are brought up again. His steps falter as he almost trips for a second.

Kanesada doesn't even notice the pout that overcomes his face again. Or the way he grumbles his response.]

Shut up. You didn't give me many options.

Watch me.

( Though he smiles, making it unclear if that means anything in particular.

The rest is him noting the faltering, the pouting, the grumbling, and he does smile then, shaking his head. )

I gave you a simpler play than the one you improvised. Gags are wonderful tools, for what it's worth, though it's often appealing to ask a partner to try and hold it in, or swallow their sounds with well timed kisses. Anyway, it was obvious he wouldn't have wanted to say yes regardless of having the time, he was more annoyed than curious, and slightly jealous, but I think more of me than you.

Don't you dare.

[Will Kanesada have to literally run after this guy at some point? He'll do it. He can go for quite a while. He's taller than Licyn, too. Probably has longer legs? That has to count for something.

His patience should be counted for something, as well, as he takes in Licyn's explanation, even though this is definitely not his area of expertise.]

Mn. I guess that makes sense.

[He can't help but wonder if Hijikata was into stuff like that. He knows more about what was said about his efforts on making people talk instead of keeping them quiet, but that's a completely different subject, and not at all sexy.]

Well.

[He, on the other hand, fits the sexy subject just fine, thank you very much. Kanesada straightens up and tosses some of his stray hair over his shoulder.]

I can't blame him. You've seen me.

[So humble.]

Oh, love, I dare.

( right now it mostly means let sleeping dogs lie, and not just marching in and making a muck of it (or laughing) as it was last time. not that he would care if the consequences didn't brush up against him, but, alas.

they did.

then here is this tall, handsome man making words like that, and licyn finds himself chuckling. )

Not nearly enough, love. Let me know if you care to change that.

( he winks up at him, smile a touch sultry. this is much nicer ground to cover and think about. )

If my butt gets thrown into the fire, I'm draggin' you in with me. I'm a team player like that.

[That's not what being a team player means at all.

He takes a turn down another street full of dilapidated houses, peeking into broken windows when he can. He hasn't forgotten their original goal in this outing. With a snort, though, he turns back to Licyn and gestures toward his face.]

What, you've already gotten your fill of this? My feelings are hurt.

That's not team playing, that's refusing to go down alone.

( which he sounds mildly amused over, but also: no. don't do anything stupid, izumi, and neither will he!

licyn, who could be using his nose more effectively, simply isn't right now. he's unsettled by what had happened, and not yet... recovered from it. so yes, flirtations are resuming. )

What can I say? I enjoy admiring people in full. Preferably at leisure, and at length.

We're partners in crime. Maybe just one crime, but still partners in it. Don't abandon me like this.

["This" hypothetical situation, since Licyn is, obviously, still around right this second.

The building they pass is dark inside and he looks through the broken glass hard, trying to decipher anything from the mess on the floor. Except it's so dust-covered at this point that anything worth taking has probably long been pilfered. It seems like the remaining shelves are barren, too.]

And if I told you I'm worth the wait?

What, you think we're pack, now? You'd hardly handle that, love, very few can.

( it's a tease, and amusement, because in no way has he had anyone attempt to be pack, and he doesn't expect anyone to be. he keeps himself as grounded and sane as he can with what he already does.

it has to be enough until he gets back to rillin. there's no other choice. )

Nothing in there smells right. Unless you like dust and rat droppings.

( he says as izumi looks into the hovel, as if this is how everyone should be diagnosing a situation offhand: by smell. )

If you told me you're worth the wait, I'd tell you I'm worth finding your way to whenever you're done waiting. I don't pine. ( he grins. ) Or spend time courting the unwilling. It's hardly honourable, don't you think?

( since he's never been one to hold out offers of longterm relationships. why would he set people up for expectations he can only fail to meet? )

Hm? Pack?

[He thinks he gets what that's supposed to mean, but he's not entirely confident. Licyn...has a peculiar way of speaking in the first place, so it's probably best to not make assumptions, not if he doesn't want to look like an idiot.

But he tilts his head to the side at the mention of what that particular building smells like inside before leaning in again to breathe in deeply. Sure, it doesn't smell great in there, but he can really only describe it as musky. Nothing he can pinpoint.

He looks at Licyn for a moment.]

How can you smell all that? And what does lamp oil even smell like, anyway? I didn't think it really had, like, much of a fragrance.

[Truly, such mysteries arise.

He moves on from that building since it's been deemed a lost cause in their quest.]

Maybe you'll see me again. Depends on if you actually leave me high and dry one day.

[Will Kanesada hang this over Licyn's head forever? Possibly.]

Consent is definitely important. So...yeah. You get some points for not being a jerk.

Depends on the kind. This is a bit pungent. Smells oily. Are you nose deaf?

( asked with a quirked brow. )

I've heard of it, but I don't think I've ever witnessed it personally.

( because he knows humans definitely react to kerosine, which, surprise, is something they do distill from crude oil back home. along with others, in a divergent sort of industry that hasn't managed to land them in clockwork land.

he snorts at the rest, rolling his shoulders and heading onward, breathing in the air and finding nothing useful at first on it. )

Admirably, I don't do things for points. Your opinions are noted, and your own.

There's some sort of oil, probably in a lamp, down that way. Or some small amount spilled when someone was transferring it.

( he gestures to the left, heading down the narrow alley carved between collapsing abodes. )

I'm nose...normal?

[What even is this conversation turning into?]

I can smell just fine, just not as intense as you, apparently.

[He follows Licyn once again, or perhaps more aptly, Licyn's nose.]

Like, this whole city is just...a real bummer for the senses, honestly, but it really does smell like straight up pollution. It's hot and steamy, so kinda wet. Musty in certain places, like that house. Even when Minaras is topside and exposed to actual air, it's not like you can really smell it, right? Man, I miss fresh air. I'd even take the sea air again over all this. Ke-Waihu and the island was basically a vacation.

If the oil you smell was spilled, then it's not like we can just scoop it all back up. Let's hope for the best.

Pollution?

( the term means nothing to him, so he lifts a brow when glancing at izumi. )

It smells like a shitty city, with extra strange chemical and metal smells most don't have. Then again we're missing a tanners, that's another one no one wants to be around. Knackers either.

( he nods toward a door, stepping up to the frame of it where stairs have collapsed, from rot and whatever else. more rot? he smells the fungal core of it, not the rot of the corpses in the morgue. something more usual to what he considers rot to be.

then he's pushing through a swollen door, dragging across the floor, his shoulder and weight the lever to get them inside. water damage is evident throughout, the floor boards showing mushrooms sprouting, but at about hip height, everything looks intact. including a lamp with oil. the top of the lamp is shattered, but the core holding the oil? intact.

its the wick, heavy with oil, that produced the scent he tracked. he indicates toward it with a flat smile. )

There we are.

I think it's more likely to happen when you have a boom in industry, like, with factories and stuff like that. It's when things like smoke or other chemicals get sent into the air and make it...dirty, you can say. It doesn't necessarily smell really strong all the time, but if you're in a big city where all those things are happening and then you go out to the country or somewhere way less populated, then you can definitely notice the difference in air quality.

[Licyn's target stinks. Literally. It's not the worse place Kanesada's smelled - he's had to muck out the stables back home and sometimes he wonders what those horses have been eating - but it's not pleasant, either. He doesn't say it aloud, but he can't wait to get back out where he can breathe a little better.

But this house also has what they've been looking for. Not a ton of it, but it's lamp oil.]

Nice. At least we're not going back empty-handed.

Grand, is that something most the citadels have made you suffer?

( Pollution sounds terrible, thanks.

He holds out the lamp, or what's intact of it, to Izumi. Then promptly heads outside again. )

Can't believe the searing barrels in the warehouse were all dark water. They smelled like oil once, you know? Once those barrels had held oil.

Not that I know of. Ke-Waihu wasn't like this at all.

[He takes the lamp and frowns, suddenly missing the wheelbarrow he spent all that time looking for. But he had to abandon it when they found the Remembrance. Rude!]

Whatever the hell they're doing, they obviously got rid of actually useful stuff. Assholes.

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