shineprism | sticksandbones inbox !

[The fog swirls, coagulating furiously against the invisible barrier that keeps it from seeping into the Grove.]

( it almost feels like he shouldn't be out, but... after the day he's had, he almost feels restless. surely going to get an apple wouldn't hurt? except

there's something strange. frowning, chung pauses. )

Hello?

[Silence.

Then, the sound of slicing steel, like a blade being drawn or cutting something just as sharp as itself.

A shadow, almost barely able to be made out, heralds the arrival of something trying to get in.]

( he remembers what he's heard of other things trying to get in- and immediately wishes he'd brought the cannon with him. but, no matter. if needed, his casting is all the same. )

Who goes there?

[There's a garbled whisper, difficult to make out... and then, very softly:]

Help.

--!

( oh shit. immediately, chung is at the fog- can he pass through? )

How? I'm here!

[He cannot pass through. It coagulates like a blood clot at the point where he meets the whisper. It tries to keep whatever is on the other side in.]

Weaken the fog. ...need to get through...

... I understand, and I'll do my best. What can I do?

( he doesn't understand how the fog even WORKS but he'll do it, by god! )

[Green lights blink beyond the fog. It's difficult to hear the voice, but some words can be made out.]

...the New Moon comes... call to... Purifier, He Who is... the... Guardian.

The New Moon...

( shame that i don't want to playercest, felicity would be all over that. but!! he will tell people!! )

I promise, I'll get you out of there. Just hold on.

( what's the status of the moon bestie )

[According to the Lunar Calendar, the next New Moon is September 14th. Time is strange here... it could come sooner, or later.]

Do not call to the Mother.

( the mother...? hm. he'll have to remember that, too. )

I understand.

Chung.

[...]

Be careful. If... fog weakens too much... She will come.

...?

( did... he say his name...? he nods uselessly at the warning, but presses a hand against the barrier. )

I won't let her hurt anyone here. But... do... I know you?

[His hand is met with a slimmer one. They cannot touch through the fog, but the shadow and the feeling of a presence is strong, even if the fog protests.]

Not anymore. But you will.

I did not forget you.

( something in his heart falls and he wonders with a heavy hurt if this is what elsword feels like- he's forgotten more...? )

... I want to remember. Please...

[...

Fingertips curl against the fog.]

...not your fault.

Last I saw you... I was not truly "alive".

You were alive enough to know me, weren't you? But I don't recall anything. I'm sorry. Truly. ... I seem to have forgotten a lot as of late, but... I won't fail you.

You would not have known.

[There is a soft song:]

Give me the story; your story of protection.
The justice, the deeds, and the bravery of your stone body.
Your wings; the blankets of peace and sleep.
May I sit with you?

( chung listens, and thinks of hamel. thinks of his home and all he's given for it, all he wishes for it.

...

is that what this guardian feels? he can understandentirely. )

... Always.

[The song will feel distantly familiar to Chung, as though it's something he heard when he was a young man.

There is something warm-feeling on the other side of the fog.]

I wish there was time.

The Grove's children sang... song to me once. Before...

It's beautiful. When we can meet properly, teach it to me? Until then, wait for us. We'll definitely help you. I promise this.

[A sigh, exhaled lightly, a touch melancholy. The hand withdraws.]

Stay safe until then.

[There's a whorl of mist, and if Chung listens closely, he might hear the telltale sound of sticks and leaves crunching underfoot. After a minute, there's nothing but silence, and the lingering notes of a song long-forgotten.]

( chung lingers at the barrier for some time, just in case the figure returns. but when he finally realizes that they won't he turns around. after a moment, he looks at the apple in his hand, and returns to the river. it's with great care and conisderation that he picks a large, bright and shiny one, so much so that it glistens in the moonlight, and returns to where he had met the lights.

he crouches down and rolls it into the fog. and prays that the guardian gets it. )

[Elsword had his first therapy session a week or so ago and man, he's really feeling it. He's really feeling it which is so weird because usually his "feeling it" is very dull and diluted. It's still kind of that, but it's like when you put too much koolaid mix into a glass of water. This metaphor made more sense when I wrote it the first time whatever we're moving on,

He does that thing white moms do where they knock on your door and enter your room, hi Chung—]

Hey. [If Chung is busy no he's not.] I've been sitting on this for a bit, but...

...is it... that obvious that I might... kind of, a little bit, have feelings for Add?

( he'd been content to spend the day reading- a bit of rest and recovery after everything that's happened. but the moment there's a knock, he sits up properly in his bed, setting the book aside.

and then he pauses.

was

was it supposed to be a secret?

chung sits there for a moment, hands pressed together as he thinks.

is it obvious? yes, incredibly. there's allowances on both their parts that they wouldn't permit literally anyone else. elsword looks at add as if the man hung the stars, the moon and the el itself. how was it supposed to be anything BUT obvious?

but he needs to handle this delicately.

gods he wishes rena was here for once- )

Well... yes. But... that isn't a bad thing.

[Elsword just sort of sighs. Chung was there in the meeting when Mizuki asked him directly why he hasn't said anything, when he came to awareness of the whole thing, but the awareness at the time was dampened by all the other things happening. Then he came to a second awareness when they were cuddling in the grass, and a third when he spoke to Mizuki about it. ~~And he's about to come to a fourth after he and Add start getting frisky at 3am but that's fine.~~

Clearly everyone else has known longer than they have, though. He comes to sit down next to his friend, staring at the wall.]

Everyone says it's obvious, and I guess that makes sense, but I still don't know how I can have feelings for someone when I don't... feel things good.

["I don't feel things good" great job.]

Well, that's just because you need practice... not everyone has to deal with the Illuminous Phenomenon, after all. I think you're doing great for how much you've gotten back.

( he sounds so proud when he says it... and he is! chung pats the spot beside him for elsword to sit, shifting so he can look better at him once he does- if he does. )

The nice thing about love is, even though it's such an important emotion, many things are capable of it. Even plants. Why do you think they grow better when you sing to them?

[Elsword plonks down. Hi Chung. :)]

Plants can love? But they don't have brains...

[dude]

( hi elsword!!! :) )

They don't, not the way we do. And yet, they know how to seek each other out, how to draw in what it needs to get food and pollination, and how to avoid danger. They grow best when they're treated with love- and that too is love. ... That's what I like to think, anyways.

Oh, I get it.

[He doesn't get it at all.]

If you love something and treat it right, it grows. That makes sense. [That explains why Chung is so nice, it's because his dad loved him :)] You know a lot about this. ...is that true for me, too? Am I supposed to get better at... [waves his hand,] feeling things like that?

[is the cure to the illuminous phenomenon friendship and support and love???]

Mhm! And that love is returned.

( though- that question stings more than he anticipated... )

I'd like to think so. With that mirror Miss Ydalir gave you... I want to believe you can overcome the illuminous phenomenon, with us by your side to help. ... No, I do believe. And you know that we'll give it our everything to make it happen.

... That too is love.

No wonder everyone in Hamel looks up to you so much. [Elsword completely flips the topic around. Get complimented bitch.] You know a lot about stuff like this, and you're good at leading, and you're just nice. I'm really glad we met... and I'm glad we're friends, too.

...and maybe it's greedy, but I'm glad you eventually joined us again in Elrianode, too. It would've sucked going on adventures without you.

( something in chung's breath hitches- guilt? anxiety? he had solidified his resolve, and yet...

had he made the right choice? he doesn't know anymore. )

... I missed you all terribly. I just wish that I'd gotten there sooner. Perhaps- perhaps I could have done more to help, then.

Don't worry about it. I know you don't remember it, and it's kinda funny that I do, but you helped us a lot in the Demon Realm.

We sorta switched roles, didn't we? Heh.

Did we? I'll have to see it through,then. ... I wonder why I don't remember, though...

sticksandbones inbox !

2:30AM.

Re: 2:30AM.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

after new moon event

Re: after new moon event

this thread is INFINITELY funnier now in hindsight-

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject