tornheart | APPLE ORCHARDS AND TORN DREAMS [OPEN]

Entry tags:

APPLE ORCHARDS AND TORN DREAMS [OPEN]

Who: Open Log (All)
Where: Around the city (one prompt at the Green Valley school
Summary: Welcome Ceremonies, Dreams, Stirring a shadow hornet's nest. No big deal.
Warnings: N/A

"Are you ready my black lambs? Let's get to work..."

Apple Picking (General Prompt)

As September begins, the apple orchards of Greenfield Valley school are bursting with thousands of apples of various flavors and colors. There's even an experimental breed that's blue!

Those who have been attending the school know that this means a few important things. The first (and most important of course) is that it means that fall vacation is coming in just a few weeks (despite school having started just a few weeks ago), the second is that the school's menu is going to have a high number of apple-themed dishes until winter, and finally, the opening ceremonies.

The opening ceremonies are - well - one would consider them mostly boring for typical schools. And truth be told, Green Valley is not an exception. A single camera posed at the school's main gymnasium, a large podium in the center. For those who can't be physically there, the school's televisions all synchronized to a live broadcast as does the audio feeds. You can't quite escape it. Yet most people don't - after all it's one of the rare times of the year where the principal appears to wish students good fortune.

The person who stands in the front, Ms Michelle Andersen, is the very definition of an ice queen. Her face is perhaps locked forever into an emotionless stare. Bright blonde hair with blue eyes, both contract to her orange and black outfit.

Behind her, three men, the vice principals, who tend to play the good cops to her bad cop routine and insist that most students call them by their first names unless something really bad has happened; Norman (the most average man on campus that no one would know who he was if it wasn't for his name tag), Jeremy (the tallest staff member standing at over 195cm, thin, a bit of a lisp but he always means well), and Felix (possibly the hairiest man on campus as far as the rumors go, muscular, and a black beard that matches his scowling face when he isn't laughing - which is usually all the time. In fact, he's holding back himself from doing so when Ms. Andersen speaks.)

The presentation is short, as the Principal wishes all the students a great year, gives a bit of data on the number of students (they are up 300 new students from last year), the number of important guests that have passed, then as quickly as she was there, she leaves, explaining that there are additional meetings and events she will explain in greatest detail in the upcoming months.

Afterwards the students are treated to the vice principals singing a welcome song (it goes as well as one would expect it to go), telling the students that they are free to pick as many apples as they want as long as they all get eaten, but everyone is limited to two of the new apples and report to the hospital wards if any of them feel anything unusual after eating them. Just in case.

When the ceremonies are done, students and staff can return to their day...although some of the staff can be heard commenting that the Principal seemed even more...cold this year. Of course asking them for details would just cause them to shoo anyone away and pretend they didn't say anything.

[OOC: Players are welcome to speak to themselves or go have some apples. It's a general school mingling prompt! Additionally, it will be possible to email the vice principals during that week should the characters want to talk with them or ask school questions. Typical school stuff.]

Sound the Rebellion

(Special Prompt for the Unawakened, Monday the 4th)
The school's opening ceremonies aside, the Unawakened’s Monday was rather...strange. The night was plagued with restlessness as they heard the voice of someone laughing. Waking up feeling 'odd', although that differed between all of then - some would feel sick, others have a headache, or some just deciding that wearing a piece of clothing they haven't wanted to worn would look great right now. Perhaps they got a few comments from their relatives about how strange they were acting that day, or a worried glance if they felt sick. It might get dismissed with a wave of a hand.

After all, how can you explain that when they sometimes look upwards, they hear the sound of a child laughing and briefly see a symbol above their heads? Or that this somehow feels...fine?

Maybe in their new state of mind, they might not even notice the people that keep following them around...

Better than a GPS

(Awakened prompt, Monday 4th, day and night.)
"Alright Lambs, time to get to work."

Luci's voice echoed in their phone, laughing. Was he doing a peace sign?

"There's only a few but they'll be useful. I want you to find them and see what you can do. Who knows! Maybe you might be better at this than me, although I doubt it heh heh heh…Now remember what I said! You have to get them to fall asleep...but there's no real rules for that!"

For the Awakened, the symbols above the Unawakeneds’ heads will be as clear as day - Luci will even go so far as play little musical tunes when the characters are close by or distract them using electronics. "Come on! Stop wasting time and do something!"

For the Unawakened who have a relative, it will be somewhat easy. It is the others that will be a pain. Maybe that's why Luci asked for help. Or maybe he just wanted to see his 'lambs' struggle. "Get them to bed! It's not that hard! If you have trouble, just show them the program I've put into your phone and toaster! Or knock them with your toaster first if you want, I don't care! Just go in teams when you go after them, got it?"

It's obvious that 'sleeping' as far as Luci is concerned, is when someone is unconscious - he seems to almost want someone to knock an Unawakened out and then drag him into a room and let themselves go to sleep.

Once the task is done, and the place is secure, the characters will have to do the same. While the hypnotic wheel from the program is the easiest way, there's no hard rule about knocking oneself out either.

MINDJACK
Once the characters get inside, they'll be in the person's mind and dreams. Eddan's memories are predominant, and the unawakened will be standing there wandering around. It will be up to the Awakened to peel back the fabric of reality, much like curtains and show them the true memories of their past...

But beware. Shadows lurk here, and transforming will be necessarily. And if a character dies in someone else's dream...they might never wake up. So be careful...

The main mission is to showcase the person a few memories. Give them an idea that something might be amiss...it can be a little or a lot. Just be careful that the more memories, the stronger the shadows become... When both are done and awaken, ten minutes will have passed. Perhaps it will be time for question afterwards.

[OOC:The Unawakened characters need to be isolated for the program to run, and so do the players, so half the 'fun' will be setting up the traps so that the characters will be alone.

Awakened might decide to have someone stand on guard while the others go to sleep with the Unawakened, or just all stupidly go together, or find an area where they won't be disturbed - everything is up to you.

The dreamscape can be anything the Unawakened desires! It could be good memories of their time in Eddan or bad memories, a mixture of both, or just silly dreams. Whatever it is, the Awakened will need to 'peel' those memories away - for example showing them that their mother was someone else in their other life, or even directing the person to a mirror so that they can see their true selves. But for each memory - both good or bad, shadows will start to attack both the Unawakened and Awakened. Be careful and let the mods know if a mission goes REALLY bad.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I wouldn't expect a rabbit to understand.

[he's seen the inside of your fridge, Kit. you have absolutely no room to be judging anyone for their culinary tastes.

to underscore what a hypocrite he was, Vincent finds enough energy within himself to send a pillow hurtling right towards the other boy's head. it's pretty impressive aim when you consider how inebriated he currently is.]

I think you mean a...

[...pillow!

Kit didn't have time to react, looking up only as the fluffy object was an inch from his face — and then it struck with a merciless plushness. Tumbling over backwards and landing on his backside with a grunt, he stared down at the offending object as it fell into his lap. If he hadn't had those drinks he could have caught it without any problem. And still managed to finish putting on his shoes, too.]

This is a poor way to thank someone who is going out of his way to bring you barbecue.

[at least Vincent's laughing? and because of those selfsame drinks, the sound is bright and innocent even if the cause most certainly isn't. he even props himself up a little off the couch so that he can grin unrepentantly at the other boy.]

We both know you're only doing it to save the rest of your groceries.

[don't even pretend otherwise, Kit. neither of them are drunk enough to believe that.]

[This was about far more than his groceries. He was doing it to save face. How would he explain bringing Vincent to the barbecue? Who would he even tell people the other boy was when he wasn't even supposed to know his name yet? This way killed two birds with one stone. They could eat and sober up, and Kit's own food stores wouldn't be further diminished.

Unless Vincent decided to clean him out in the time it took him to go down the barbecue and come back.

The thought caused Kit to sigh as he finished getting his shoes on and pushed himself back to his feet. The pillow was tossed back across the room so that it would land on Vincent's legs or abdomen, but if it bopped him in the face instead, Kit wouldn't complain.]

I won't be gone long.

[And with that he opened the door and slipped out into the bustling hallway...]

[the pillow catches the corner of his face, at the very least. it's enough to muffle whatever his retort was, although it can be safely assumed it was something snarky. thankfully the other boy is gone before he finds the inclination to repeat himself.

whenever Kit returns, he'll find that his fears were partially warranted. at least two more vegetable cartons have suspiciously gone missing, and the second case of beer has magically moved itself from the fridge to the coffee table alongside its depleted brother. a single fresh can sits next to it, opened but otherwise untouched.

and there, on the couch, lies the explanation for it. between the liquor and their relentless battle earlier, retrieving the additional beer had proved too costly of an expenditure of energy for Vincent. he'd nodded off sometime between opening the can and his companion's arrival, chest rising and falling in the gentle doze of the intoxicated.

he couldn't be sleeping particularly deeply, not with half his body dangling awkwardly off the couch, but somehow he appeared comfortable enough. maybe he wasn't just boasting when he'd said he could sleep anywhere.]

[By the time that Kit returned, the fresh air alone had done wonders to sober him. However, he was not energized by the crowd he'd had to endure to fetch Vincent and him something to eat. There had been far too much going on at once, and too many people demanding his attention for one reason or another. Between colleagues from class and various clubs wanting to speak with him, he'd wound up more tired by the time his dorm door was shut behind him than when he'd left through it.

Taking a couple paper plates of food to the table, he didn't even notice Vincent asleep at first. It was the strange silence in the shared living area that tipped him off before anything else, the absence of his companion's snide and stabbing sense of humor. Upon closer inspection...he realized the other boy had actually passed out.

Kit thought to leave him like that, but seeing the other case of beer open on the table, he reconsidered. If he was sick, it would be better if he was propped up and not flat on his back. And so, after making his way around the armchair and into the living area, and after plucking up the pillow that had been thrown earlier, he wandered to Vincent's side and leaned down to help him into a more comfortable position. Lifting both of his feet onto the sofa and supporting Vincent's neck with one hand before sliding a pillow carefully behind his head with the other.]

[it's a very thoughtful gesture, and one that Vincent almost immediately ruins by grabbing onto the other boy's arm and preventing him from making any sort of escape. at present it's almost impossible to tell if this is a sleepy reflex or a conscious effort, but the end result is the same: his grip is quite strong.

this was what Kit got for trying to make sure his ungrateful guest was vaguely comfortable and didn't potential die in a puddle of his own vomit.]

[Why that little...!

Kit had half a mind to just dump Vincent off the couch and be done with it.

What was he, anyway? A human or some kind of savage koala???

Exhaling heavily, he worked to extricate his arm without disturbing Vincent's head too much, but with tugging out of the question, he was left to try and pry the other boy's fingers off of him one-by-one.]

[that really doesn't seem to be working too well, given that every finger he pries up finds its way back to its original perch as soon as he starts working on the next digit. as if to underscore the futility of his attempts, his other hand comes up to latch on as well...

maybe Kit should steal that untouched beer on the table. it seems like he could certainly use it right now.]

[He would steal that beer and pour it on Vincent if he could reach it, but from his current position, trapped halfway leaning over the other boy, everything that could be remotely useful for prying himself free was just out of reach.

The beer case. The beer can. Even the television remote control...

But if he was willing to go that far, why not just use his free hand as damage control? Probably for the same reason he didn't really want to wrench his arm loose. Not only would it wake the other boy up, but his hands were still quite sore from earlier. If he was going to retaliate with violence, it would be better issued through the form of an object that wouldn't hurt him when he beat it across the top of Vincent's head.

Which wasn't an option at present, leaving Kit with little else to do but squish in next to Vincent on the edge of the couch and sit.

Why was this the thanks he got for trying to be nice?]

[it certainly was. as was Vincent snuggling up against him, apparently perfectly content to leave things exactly the way that they were now that he had sleepily (one would hope) gotten what he wanted.

the only good news here is that between the awkward positioning and the smell of cooked meat wafting through the dorm he likely won't be able to remain dozing for very long. the temptation was too great. but for the meantime...he was more than comfortable.]

[The trouble with sitting was how tired Kit was himself. And with Vincent snuggling against him, somehow appearing innocent in his sleep, the temptation to close his eyes for just a moment, or maybe two, was very strong. Such that the mere thought prompted his eyelids to feel heavy and, before Kit even knew it, his weight was sagging atop Vincent, the room slowly growing dark around him.

A minute. Or maybe five minutes like this. That was all he needed...]

[or maybe more like forty-five.

drunk idiots had a habit of nodding off, and with the added warmth of another body that seemed to fit exactly right against the other, they really had no chance. it's with bleary eyes that Vincent eventually blinks awake, only half-comprehending the pleasant weight on top of him. what..?

little by little he pieces it together, although the slick state of his mind prevents him from reacting (or even feeling) as violently as he normally would have. instead he just raises an arm and firmly taps Kit several times with the flat of his palms, intending to jog him awake as well.]

[Forty-five minutes wasn't enough time at all. Kit didn't want to wake up yet. Every muscle still ached and yearned for the sleep they needed to properly recover, and while his current position wasn't the most comfortable, it was comfortably warm.

Or at least warm. The moment the body beneath him began to stir and that prodding hand attempted to jog him awake, everything that had been comfortable was gone.

He stirred, but he was reluctant to open his eyes yet. Burying his face against the other boy's shoulder, he breathed his scent in deeply before mumbling something that sounded a lot like "stay still".]

[the petulant child in Vincent had been determined to continue gently smacking him until he was completely roused...right up until the other boy pressed his face up against his shoulder. the sleep had helped slightly with the intoxication, but he was still far too impaired to even attempt restraining his emotions. with a soft 'nnn' the assaulting hand instead rests gently on his back, holding him lightly in place.

still, he couldn't help but be a little difficult. in response to the discourteous command he simply replied with a quiet mumble of his own.]

Say please.

[Whether it was because he'd already been roused too far from sleep or because he was in fact still very tired, Kit's response was a groggy and (for him) almost petulant "no." The lone word was nearly lost against Vincent's shoulder where his face was buried and showed no signs of reemerging from, certainly not after the other boy's hand had finally settled on his back.]

[that gets a tiny laugh out of Vincent, the sound no doubt vibrating against Kit as he turns to rest his head against the one so stubbornly buried in his neck. his fingers rub lazy circles on the other boy's back, more microscopic massage than anything punishing.]

Then how're you gonna pay?

[he couldn't believe that he could simply reside here for free, could he? it simply wasn't done.]

[Sighing at the gentle circles Vincent's fingers traced over his back, Kit's hand wandered to the front of the other boy's shirt and curled into the fabric.

He didn't reply.

Honestly, this was his home, he shouldn't have to pay to sleep where he wanted. Especially not after bringing back food. Which was probably getting cold. Or already cold. He could still faintly smell the barbecued meat in the air...but it wasn't quite as pleasant as Vincent's own smell. Why was that? Was he just not hungry enough?]

[perhaps Vincent's earlier avowal applied to the other boy as well: he simply wasn't hungry for that sort of thing.

he ought to push him away until his companion decided to play nice and 'pay' for the space he was taking up, but there was something so comforting about feeling him cling to his shirt that he can't find it within himself to evict him. Vincent didn't even deny him the lazy wanderings of his fingers, the very least he could do.

instead he makes some vague thoughtful sound in the back of his throat, nuzzling a little closer to Kit so that he could lose his nose in the other boy's hair. he had such a wonderfully distinctive scent - floral but earthy, as if every facet of nature were captured right here - that it almost feels like adequate payment to be allowed to coexist so close to it again.]

'll collect later.

[the words are so low they're almost entirely lost, but Vincent makes a mental note to remember for the opportune time in the future. it was important to collect one's debts, after all.]

[Kit obviously didn't want to consider anything of the sort. In fact, as one hand curled into the front of Vincent's shirt, the other still resting against the back of his neck where his fingers could slide into the ends of short dark hair, it seemed that for once he was far more content to act than to think at all.

Or in this case, to sleep for as long as his position would allow.

If it weren't for the light stirrings of his hair, he might have drifted off into a deeper slumber against Vincent, but there was something much too pleasant about the feeling to sleep through entirely. He lingered on the edge for some twenty minutes more, soaking in the warmth, the intoxicating smell of the wild, and the affectionate way Vincent's fingers played across the surface of his back...

...and then he sat suddenly upright, hands pulling back as if they'd been touched by fire.

What were they even doing.]

Oh. The food is probably cold.

[He should go reheat that...]

[for his part, Vincent remains in the waking sleep that many a college student would know all too well. he could easily have shuttered his eyes once more if it weren't for the extremely important tasks he was expected to continue performing. he's rewarded for his diligence in being allowed to notice, even through his inebriated haze, the way that their breathing slowly begins to sync up. it's such a pleasant feeling, their chests rising and falling in time with one another.

and then Kit practically does a tactical roll off the couch.

he grunts and makes a choked sound of alarm surprise, because without the careful angling they'd performed to make this position work the other boy is kind of heavy leaning on his diaphragm like this. he struggles to sit up, purely to try and retrieve the ability to fucking breathe.]

You left it out?

[it's the only vaguely coherent thought crossing through his mind right now, so he throws it out and hopes for the best. at least his irritation is sincere.]

It's fine, it's fine.

[How long had it been? Just a little over an hour, it seemed. Judging by the clock on the wall. And with the dorm's current temperature (which was decidedly cooler now that Kit thought about it, making him almost long for the other boy's body heat all over again) the food wouldn't have spoiled. The trip down to the quad hadn't been wasted. He hadn't suffered through incessant conversation and queries about how he'd injured his hands for nothing.

Still, to think he'd been so distracted by the other boy that he'd done something like that...no. It was the alcohol and sleep, those were to blame. Vincent had nothing to do with any of it.

Quickly picking himself up off the couch, Kit busied himself with collecting the empty beer cans off the coffee table, as well as the empty beer case, and proceed to the kitchen with them. Each was rinsed out before it was crushed and put back in the box, and after washing his hands, he put one of the plates of food into the microwave.]

[judging by the grumbles following him the entire way to the kitchen, it was clear that Kit's guest didn't believe a single word of his reassurances. taking a moment to make absolutely certain that nothing vital had been crushed by the other boy's fat ass, he slowly hauled himself off the couch at last and padded along after him.

he really needed to look into getting himself a heated blanket if he was willing to use someone like that for a little additional warmth.

there's a moment when he reaches the kitchen where Vincent considers ducking under the other teen's arm in order to position himself immediately in front of the microwave in order to pilfer the oncoming food, but the nap has cleared his head just enough to veto that idea. instead he scrambles, with much difficulty and pain, to sit on the kitchen counter and wait impatiently.

...this was the longest microwave cycle in the world.]

[Kit's focus remained steadfastly on the microwave timer and not on his companion as he struggled to find a seat on the counter. He was determined not to laugh at the scene he could see playing out in the corner of his vision, the only indication he was even remotely aware being the way he deliberately did not look at Vincent. At least, not until the microwave cycle finished, it beeped hideously at them, and he removed the plate from inside to offer to the other boy.

It was stacked with more food than the other plate that went into the microwave after, which was obviously one Kit had picked up for himself.]

I hope you're hungry. As requested, there's a little of everything.

[his balance may have been a little precarious getting up there, but there's no evidence of that now as Vincent immediately snatches the laden plate out of the other boy's hands. he makes no attempt to get down or even so much as wait, digging in before Kit can even finish his sentence.

he does at least have the consideration to look up when he answers, a third of a sausage screaming for help from his fork during the pause in his rampage.]

I told you before it's stupid to waste things, didn't I? Don't worry about it.

[hell, he'd finish off Kit's plate if he had to. free things deserved to be appreciated.]

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