the price of immortality

[dustodust]

WHO: Guizhong and you! Open to all!
WHERE: Network, then around Brick Alley or Blue Fish Park
WHEN: Evening of January 17th...the full moon
WHAT: Guizhong's contract price needs to be paid.
WARNINGS: None anticipated.

post from: encheneer

[8:44 PM] My work has finished late. Would it be too much to ask for an escort back to my apartment near Blue Fish Park from Brick Alley?
[8:53 PM] Never mind!
[8:54 PM] I'm sure I'll be fine.

[9:06 PM] Have you ever seen such a beautiful full moon? I regret missing moonrise tonight.
[9:08 PM] I could chase after her forever.
[9:11 PM] I can reach her this time, I know I can.

fly me to the moon

[If you happen to be around Brick Alley or walking around Blue Fish Park, you might see Guizhong. She's not exactly the gentle, clever woman she usually is. Instead she seems almost ghost-like, wandering forward, stopping and staring off into the sky, spouting poetry and praise before continuing on. It'll be very evident that she's following the moon...completely disregarding anything that might stand in the way of her quest.

Try to stop her, or save her from whatever impending doom coming her way, whether it's bumping into people, wandering into traffic, or even walking off a cliff somewhere. She's not really in a great position to do any of that herself right now, and the only way to fix the situation is to block her view of the moon.]

Comments

[motiv8]

text;
[9:15 PM] Um... are you doing all right? Are you sure you don't need an escort? I just finished up my work, I can help you get home if you'd like.

action;
[Rean doesn't even know this person. So why can't he stop worrying about those weird posts?

The nerves spur him to take a detour toward Blue Fish Park. She said her apartment was near there, so if there's something out of the ordinary, he should see it there, right? He can just head from there back toward Brick Alley, and if he doesn't find anything, that means everything's worked out. Right?

...Well, about that. Someone babbling to themselves and wandering like they're possessed? That definitely stands out. And the closer he gets, the more he manage to pick up on what's being said.

He's no poetry buff, but he can figure out well enough that she's talking about the moon. This seems to be his mark, and it seems like he was right to be worried.

...Especially because she seems to be walking right toward the street and not looking at it at all.]

H-hey! Hey there! Watch where you're going...!

[He's going to start to run to catch up with her. He has a sinking feeling about all of this.]

[dustodust]

[He's not going to get an answer via text, that's for sure. And an in-person answer is also up in the air too, given how she completely ignores him and keeps walking dreamily forward.]

Thou silver deity of secret night,
Direct my footsteps through the woodland shade.

[She laughs and twirls around, as if basking in the moonlight.]

Thou conscious witness of unknown delight,
The Lover’s guardian, and the Muse’s aid!

[motiv8]

[Yeah, uh, Shakespeare or whatever that is that she's spouting is not doing her any favors in terms of not twirling into the road.

Thankfully, Rean's quick enough to manage to skid to a stop between her and the road, hoping that will deter her on her way.]

Are you listening to me?! Watch out, this isn't a safe place to be doing this...!

[A little further into the park, sure, but not right here!]

[dustodust]

[She blinks, noticing him for the first time.]

Whatever do you mean? She's watching over me, there's nothing that could do me harm now. [Guizhong steps to the side to get around him.] I'll be alright, as long as I can reach her before sunrise.

[motiv8]

[Heaven help him.]

Who is "she?"

[The moon?]

...Actually, no. It doesn't matter. Who or whatever is "watching over" you, they aren't going to protect you from oncoming traffic. Unless that's how you intend to "reach" them, and I'm not going to let you do that.

[dustodust]

Then you must help me!

[A plea from the real woman, or the manic earnestness of the possessed one, that's for Rean to decide.]

I've tried for so long but no matter what I do, I can never reach her.

[motiv8]

[Honestly, Rean doesn't know her well enough to know either way. All he does know is that being begged for help like this, for something he knows is impossible, hurts.

He has to find some other way to help her...

He takes a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves, before speaking up.]

That's because humans like us can't make it there. Not like this, anyway... I'm sorry.

[He won't let that thought linger for long, though, quickly moving on.]

But... you said on the app that you live in an apartment around here, right? Are you on an upper floor? If you are, if we get you back home, you'll be even closer to her.

un: hikari-vi

[whiteshroud]

[9:16 PM]Guizhong? You feeling ok?

[Jun won't spring into action as quickly as Rean, but he sure is concerned]

[dustodust]

[9:17 PM] Wonderful! I feel wonderful, how could I not?
[9:18 PM] The streets are lit up with her light, I should've never been frightened of walking home.

[whiteshroud]

[9:19 PM]The moon? I guess it's pretty tonight. But statistically more crimes happen on nights with full moons.

[dustodust]

[9:20 PM] And she shines to expose their sins, lighting the way for the righteous to punish evildoers.

[whiteshroud]

[There's a slight delay in his response, as reading her words triggers another quick, disorienting vision. "Evil is to be sealed away!" rings out in his head, as well as what looks like...a desolate place with monsters?

Nngh. What the hell. None of that makes sense. He pinches the bridge of his nose before focusing back on the conversation with Guizhong]

[9:24 PM] That's poetic, but I think it'd be better for you to avoid anyone doing evildoing in the first place.

[dustodust]

[9:26 PM] Perhaps it would be, yes.
[9:26 PM] I'll go to her and stay with her forevermore.

[whiteshroud]

[9:27 PM] Go to the moon?
[9:27 PM] Please don't do that. We'd miss you.

[Also you know, it's crazy. but she doesn't sound like she'd listen to that logic.]

[inutilis]

[ making his way home from a day's work sometime around nine, Abel is cutting through Blue Fish Park when he does something of a double take noticing a familiar figure from his periphery. it's Guizhong without a doubt-- and yet, she doesn't seem to respond the first time (nor the second) he calls out her name from afar, trying to get her attention. in fact, she seems so very engrossed in her task of staring upwards, moving as if possessed... dreamlike, perhaps dazed; the distant quality in her normally warm expression is... worrying, to say the least.

does she notice him calling out to her when he's jogged closer? if not, perhaps it takes him gently reaching out to seize her wrist to get her to focus on where she's about to walk right towards the water, seemingly without a care in the world. ]

--Guizhong? Are you... ah. Are you alright?

[ there's concern painted in blue eyes, and while Abel's grip is terribly gentle-- he's holding her for the moment as if afraid she simply might float away, otherwise. ]

[dustodust]

[She doesn't even startle when he touches her. Guizhong's gaze remains rapturous on the moon, and when she eventually speaks, it's with an indulgent sigh, the mist forming and dissipating in the chilly air exactly the way she might, if not for his effort to keep her grounded.]

More than alright. I'm wonderful. [The toe of her shoe teases at the edge of the lake, and the tiny motion travels out and out, the moon's reflection at the center rippling and shivering with her. Yearning.] The full moon is out, and I've never felt closer to her.

[So close, and yet still so far away. Though she doesn't tug her hand away, Guizhong takes a step away from her friend, turning her body toward the moon and the lake.]

She's waiting for me. Listening. By thy pale beams I solitary rove / To thee my tender grief confide... Oh Abel, I want to go to her side so badly. Right now.

[inutilis]

[ he's a little afraid she's under the influence of some kind of drug-- not that he had ever pinned her as the sort to indulge in such things, but... she doesn't seem herself in the least and absolutely detached from reality. this fixation on the moon, the dreamy, distant quality of her eyes...

he keeps his hold at her wrist like an anchor, both for his own peace of mind and to halt her from stepping any closer to the chilly water. ]

...It's beautiful tonight, isn't it? [ should he get her medical attention...? he's sincerely afraid there's something wrong with her. is she feverish? sick? ] Would you... come with me? Please. Look at me, Guizhong-- we'll go and get something warm to drink. There's a nice view of her atop the building at home; we can go up there if you'd like. How does that sound...?

[dustodust]

[At the command, Guizhong turns to look at him. She blinks slow, and there's the slightest crease in her brow as she takes him in, as if she weren't expecting him to be there.]

To the roof?

[She's adverse to the idea of moving away from the moon, much less going inside. Her journey is a pilgrimage, after all, and detours are sacrilege. But the roof would offer a good viewpoint of the city. It might reveal a path to her. And if not, she could just fly to the moon directly, just like the moon goddess did herself. She's is sure she can manage it this time.]

...alright, Abel. Let us go and pay homage to her from there.

[inutilis]

[ Abel, naturally, has no intention of taking her to the roof. but it's enough to get her out of the cold and perhaps stall for time to figure out what's come over her; he hopes she'll forgive him for the misdirection, but he rather ask for forgiveness than permission, presently... s-sorry, Guizhong...

so he is gently, carefully, releasing his hold on her wrist... and offering her his hand for her to take of her volition instead. ]

Mm, I think that sounds like a lovely way to spend the night. You come with me, okay...? We're going to head home.

[dustodust]

[Abel has always been a friend to her. She has no reason to doubt him, setting her hand in his without hesitation and trusting him to lead the way.

She is quiet the way back, continuing to glance over her shoulder to look at the moon. But perhaps the rational side of her is fighting back, or not looking at the moon constantly is helping her return to herself. By the time they arrive to the apartment complex, Guizhong is following him dutifully, not glancing back at all.

She is tired, though, and lightly tugs on his hand to signal him to stop.]

Abel.

[She's not sure what to say, exactly. And so she stays silent, waiting for the questions to come.]

[inutilis]

[ though Abel, normally, is the sort of man that can rattle off a disgusting amount of inane chatter at a mile a minute-- their trip is a decidedly quiet and subdued one. Guizhong may be sending the occasional longing glance over her shoulder to the moon, but in contrast... Abel's glances are sent in the direction of his companion, soft knit of concern seemingly a permanent fixture at his brow.

but there's some relief as the further they go from the park, the more she seems to become... rooted; that floaty, dream-like daze is slowly but surely lifting, though the concern in his gut does not. the pressure of a small squeeze at his hand has his footsteps immediately stalling-- ]

Oh-- yes! Yes; we're here, so--

[ she has his full attention, and he looks like he is fully prepared to Fret if it's necessary; she looks... weary. drained, maybe. to say he's worried about her would be something of an understatement... maybe she really had caught ill? ]

Are you okay...?

action

[nefilim]

[Ana has opted to flying at night, mostly because it means she can well... fly, without being bothered and having to deal with people be weird about it. It's peaceful as well, to just drift through the air and overlook everything.

It's during one of these night time flights that she spots someone by a cliff, squinting a little as they approach the edge. Her first thought is to drift away, so she doesn't have to deal with something annoying but they aren't... slowing down. They're walking towards the edge and right off it-

- And she only has time to flinch as the woman teeters over, before she flies towards the now rapidly falling woman. Luckily she's quick enough to catch her, balancing her carefully in her arms - crimson eyes blinking at her before she opens her mouth to;]

What the fuck?! Are you fucking blind, what the hell was that?!?

[Yell. Because that's the best thing to do.]

[dustodust]

Oh...!

[The sound is rapturous instead of surprised or panicked, and Guizhong's expression is vacant and dreamy to match, only glancing at Ana briefly before staring off into the sky.]

The woman from the maze. Thank you for bringing me closer to her.

[nefilim]

[Huh? Huh???]

"Her"? What are you... [Ana raises a brow at Guizhong, casting her eyes to the sky - the only thing that sticks out is the moon, bright and full, before she looks back to the woman in her arms.]

Are you talking about the moon?

[dustodust]

Oh, yes. She looks beautiful tonight, doesn't she?

[Guizhong reaches out, fingers stretching and yearning.]

Not just her. Everything looks more beautiful when she's out in her full splendor like this.