♥ June (Dianir) Event Log

[hugtopiamods]

June (Dianir) Event Log
Ainea's time has ended and now Diacht's months have arrived. Dianir marks the beginning of the hot summer months with a rise in temperature as well as humidity. With each passing day, spring gives way to summer, and the natives of Havenwell are enjoying the blue skies along with the newly expanded barrier. With the most dangerous of the beasts gone thanks to offworlder help last month, researchers and conservationists head out on occasion into the newly opened areas to continue the work of cataloguing and preserving what they can find. Some take time to study the barrier and some just seem to enjoy being outside the walls for the first time in centuries. Meanwhile, the city within seems to have calmed from Ealom's excitement, settling into its usual routine with only a few…"hiccups."

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❥ PROMPT I: Hana-hack-i

With the turning of the seasons, the weather warms up and Diacht's influence grows in strength. 'Tis the season to be honest with one another, because if you aren't, you may begin to feel a tickle in the back of your throat…

For those who have feelings repressed, secrets unaddressed, or maybe just won't confide in a friend when they're feeling depressed, the gods work in mysterious ways. Specifically, in the fact that the offworlders may find themselves coughing up flower petals. Whether petals of plantlife from Havenwell itself or another world entirely, the longer one goes without confessing their troubles or sentiments the more insistent their condition until they might even have trouble getting through a whole sentence without finding a corsage's worth stuck in their mouth. Speaking minor truths will lessen the effect a little at a time, while larger or more impactful ones will work to cure it completely.

While not painful or otherwise physically harmful, the affliction does feel awkward and very likely doesn't taste all that great. Not to mention it's going to be difficult to keep secrets when everyone can see you have a mouthful of flower.

❥ PROMPT II: Uproot of the Spirit

Those offworlders that have been present in Havenwell since the previous June may remember an outbreak of traits and desires not necessarily their own, reflecting the dominion of their associated god instead. With the return of the early summer season, so too do such urges begin to resurface--but not quite in the same fashion.

This time around, things are a bit different--adherents to one god may find themselves with any other god or gods' traits, with one or more applying at once, one and then another on different days, any multitude of combinations apart from those of the deity to which they belong. For example, one under Diacht may have the effects of Rawna one day and Ainea the next, or perhaps Ainea and Ohma both at once, but never contend with Diacht's influence. And while the previous year seemed to deal with the gods' animal natures, it seems this time things are a little different as people begin manifesting extreme versions of their gods' emotional domains.

Ohma: As the god of wisdom, Ohma's influence becomes a desperate and insistent need to exchange knowledge. The affected may ask friends and strangers all manner of questions, ranging from 'where did you get that shirt' to 'how do you like your eggs' and everything in between. In exchange, the affected also wish to share their own information on just about everything they know, whether the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow or the entire plot of a book they read that one time. They simply have to give and seek knowledge to and from whoever they can find.

Ainea: The influence of the god of compassion leads the affected to be almost aggressively kind. Complimenting every little thing those around them might say, do, wear--if it can be spoken kindly about, those under Ainea's influence will do so excessively and well past the point of obnoxious. So too might they feel a compulsion to give gifts to others--specifically, giving away the affected's own possessions. Once the effect wears off, one might even have to track down their new and old friends to get their more important things back...

Diacht: Honor and honesty being Diacht's domain, those affected by them will be incapable of lying. They will be compelled to not only speak the truth, but do so out of obligation no matter how awkward for them or the other party. Even if it means speaking a brutally honest opinion or divulging a carefully hidden secret, so long as the words are true to the affected speaker they will have the urge to share it. To tell a lie or general untruth will make them feel suddenly ill, dispelled only by speaking something truthful instead.

Rawna: Rawna's reasoning takes the forefront of their influence; anyone under their affect will be insistent upon hearing and soothing the emotional hurts of others. They are certain they need to be a listening ear or comforting shoulder to the absolute best of their abilities and beyond--that is to say, they will not only go out of their way to find others' problems, but potentially assume ones exist where they do not. Some dear friends haven't spoken in an entire day? Clearly they had a terrible fight, and it's up to Rawna's affected to fix it.

❥ PROMPT III: 'Cause I'd Get A Thousand Hugs

Yet another indication that the world is recovering is the reappearance of the Fairy Lights. As the weather turns warmer, these beautiful little insects take to the air for their mating dances at night, dimly and softly glowing like Earth's fireflies or lightning bugs. These tiny little bugs float through the air, flitting about as their bodies pulse with light. The Fairy Lights come in a multitude of colors from red to purple, turning the night into soft rainbows of light. They make their triumphant reappearance in two locations: the botanical gardens and the green belt that grew up where the old wall used to be. Their beautiful displays start once the sun goes down and stop at sunrise, and natives are delighting in their return by taking walks among them.

If offworlders follow suit, they'll notice that the Fairy Lights are attracted to those who come in pairs or more, especially those who engage in sustained positive contact with each other while among them. The Fairy Lights seem to enjoy it when people are touching and will land upon them, one of each color until a rainbow has formed - usually in a crown around the head. Once the rainbow crown of Fairy Lights is complete, that character will feel a pleasant calmness and a feeling of peace and happiness wash over them. For as long as you and your partner(s) are in contact, the Fairy Lights will stay and so will the peace they confer. Once contact is broken, one by one the little insects will fly away, off to find a new perch.

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This event will run from June 15 to June 30th. Click on each prompt's title to see the text. If you have any questions, feel free to direct them to the FAQ or to the Mod Question thread. You can also use the Havenwell Status page or the General Plotting Comment to give you other ideas for original prompts!

Comments

[hedgehogsdilemma]

Oh, are those more petals...? There we go. He's getting closer to the root of the problem, it seems.

"Sorry," he offers softly, reflexively - he doesn't want to trouble her like this, not exactly, but maybe the problem can be addressed if he knows what precisely is bothering her. From that, it sounds like a matter of feeling homesick, he thinks, which... nothing he can really do about that, other than let her talk about it. That could be enough. "We just want to make sure you're taking care of yourself. If you ever need to take a break, or just talk about things, both Kaito and I are more than willing to help."

[daikonrose]

Talking about homesickness would have been perfect, Kyoko thinks--surely enough material there to fill a nice long walk and satisfy Shinji. It would be easy to avoid stray thoughts of certain boys. But just as she's gearing up to talk more about her bosses at Darumaya, Shinji comes in with that line about him and Kaito.

It's stupid, she thinks. Usually something like this wouldn't unravel her so easily--and even if it did, she'd be able to hide it no problem, keep the conversation going without a hitch. But something is off today, even beyond the flowers she just can't stop coughing up--it's a flood of gardenias and yellow roses that she has to stop everything for this time, turning away from Shinji as she buckles over. There's just something about even hearing Kaito's name, especially from Shinji's mouth, especially when he talks so plainly about the two of them as a set pair....

Something is wrong with her.

[hedgehogsdilemma]

Oh. Oh no.

The goal had been to nail down what was causing Kyoko so much distress that she felt the need to dodge the two boys so often, but Shinji couldn't tell what had triggered that deluge. He hadn't explicitly mentioned anything about her home just now, but he's not sure that he touched on any particularly sensitive topic either. Had his guesses just been that off?

Regardless, he stops short, a feeling of panic rising in the pit of his stomach as he gingerly lays a hand on Kyoko's back. Maybe it will help quell those petals? Maybe it will just help ease that physical reaction. It feels like the right thing to be doing, either way.

"I'm sorry," he insists yet again, obvious worry in his voice. "Kyoko, is there anything I can do to help you?"

[daikonrose]

With the touch to her back, Kyoko stiffens, but doesn't manage to draw away immediately as another cloud of white and yellow feels the need to wrack her body. Squinting through faintly wet eyes at the mess she's made, she can't help think--ah, she really is disgusting, isn't she?

Whatever pangs she might have felt for Kaito up until now, Kyoko's never even entertained the thought of telling Shinji about them. In fact, she's been firm from the start that keeping it to herself is the only morally-sound option. Her feelings might be wrong, but they can't hurt anyone else if she doesn't let them out, so she never would--the easiest, most obvious decision there could ever be.

She'd never particularly worried if keeping such an important thing from a dear friend was a betrayal in itself, contrary to her honest nature. She'd never felt even a little conflicted about it, not until today.

Arms curling around her middle, she shakes her head feverishly. "This kind of thing--it's not that bad." Why is her skin tingling? "Don't say sorry."

[hedgehogsdilemma]

He's the one goading this reaction out of her on purpose, shouldn't apologizing be the natural course of action? He won't do it again right away, but he does rub small, careful circles against her back instead. Easy, now.

"I'm worried about you," both him and Kaito are! But right now, he's the only one here, so it's his responsibility to make sure she's okay. "Even if you say it isn't bad, this is..." he casts a quick glance down to the puddle of petals at her feet, "This is a lot"

[daikonrose]

It really is a lot, isn't it? Just like she's a lot. Kyoko can't even argue.

A hand pressed to her mouth, Kyoko takes a breath, and then a careful step forward, away from Shinji's kind touch.

"It--it's not like I'm sick for real," she insists, taking this moment free of flowers to get as much reassurance out as she can. "This kind of thing--it always ends eventually, right? I can bear with it until then, so...."

[hedgehogsdilemma]

As she pulls back, Shinji's hand hangs in the air for a long moment before he curls it up and lets it drop to his side. All right, that had been a bad move on his part. He'll keep his hands to himself for now.

"You shouldn't have to suffer through it, though." Not if there was some kind of way to ease the symptoms, or even just get rid of the affliction altogether. "Whatever's on your mind... is it really that hard to talk about it?"

[daikonrose]

"Yes," the answer comes swift and sure, but then she feels the need to soften the blow. Her arms curl tighter around her midsection as she fights the urge to fidget. "It's not even important at all, and it would only cause trouble. A completely useless and unwelcome topic that nobody needs."

[hedgehogsdilemma]

Oh wow, that sure was a confident, quick answer. He frowns a little, even as she elaborates - actually, especially because of that elaboration. How useless can it really be if it's causing her so much pain? If it's so awful, so unwelcome and troublesome, he should tread carefully with how he replies.

"I know it's selfish of me to ask more if it's that bad, but..." Wouldn't she be firm if the situation was reversed -- hadn't she been firm about hearing out something absolutely terrible and unwelcome from him? Just recently, even? "We're friends, so I'll listen no matter how awful it might be. I want to help you."

[daikonrose]

"It's because we're friends!" Kyoko shoots back a little too easily, before biting her lip. That slip is rewarded with a smidge more bodily comfort; she feels less of a need to dig her nails into her skin, but she could kick herself instead.

"And it's... not something that can be helped anyway," she goes on more carefully. "It's the kind of problem that just creates more as soon as you let it see the light of day, so... just don't worry."

[hedgehogsdilemma]

That... doesn't clear much up, but it does kind of narrow things down at least a bit.

"I can't just not worry," not after seeing how bad of a shape she's in now. But that first statement, because they're friends... hmm. "Are you worried that it might jeopardize our friendship...?"

It's not, like, the most outlandish thing she could say. He knows well how friendships can be surprisingly delicate things, even if he would like to imagine it couldn't possibly be something that earth-shattering.

[daikonrose]

Ah, she's done it now. For a moment, Kyoko just looks at Shinji, tense and miserable.

But if she's already let him figure out this much, well... maybe the best option is to just go with it. Admitting this is still better than getting to the heart of the matter. This would be easier to salvage, right? And maybe it'll be enough to dissuade Shinji from asking any more.

"... There's no way it wouldn't. Even if you didn't hate me for it... nothing would be the same anymore." Kyoko swallows thickly, but both the cough and the jitters have been soothed for now. "I... don't wanna do anything that would hurt you, and I don't want anything to change, so... can't you let me be selfish this time?"

[hedgehogsdilemma]

Whether she meant for it to be clear or not, there's a lot that can be inferred from just that deflection if Shinji spins it just right. Something that could put so much strain on what they've built, something that he might hate her for. That could hurt him. That could hurt the both of them.

He can't quite bring himself to meet that tense gaze for long with that information to comb through, and he drops his focus down to the ground for a moment to try and make sense of it with an anxious squeeze of his hand. How... how could he have been oblivious to something this intense? Is it something he did? Or something about her? Would it be right to let things continue as they are if she's so miserable for it? He can sympathize with not wanting to mess with something that feels raw but tolerable, something that might heal if left alone, but seeing her like this...

It sucks. This really sucks.

"I don't want to upset you," he says carefully, finally meeting her eyes once more. "But if it's eating you up this much, I don't want to pretend like that isn't happening, either."

[daikonrose]

He doesn't want to upset her. Kyoko has to close her eyes, taking in a shaky breath. Ah. This must be her divine punishment for forbidden desires, right? It's finally here. Not the flowers, not the anxious restlessness, but this.

"Shinji," she says after a moment, voice low, and nowhere near as steady as she'd like it. Coward that she is, she can't look at him even after she opens her eyes, casting her gaze off to the side instead.

"It's not your fault, but to be honest, sympathy from you is what hurts the most right now."

[hedgehogsdilemma]

She can say it's not his fault, but that doesn't mean Shinji's not the one hurting her right now, despite all of his careful efforts to avoid just that outcome. That shouldn't be as surprising as it is, he thinks. This is just how people are - how he is - getting closer to people always had a risk of being a painful experience but this... feels like it kind of snuck up on him. Maybe he could have been even more careful, more vigilant, maybe he should have just backed off when that first wave of petals hit after he offered to listen to her problems.

If nothing else, it kind of puts that stilted feeling he got from that 'yay~' at the beginning of this adventure into a different perspective. This outcome, with his company, is something she was trying to avoid, but she hasn't wanted to hurt his feelings in the process.

There's an unpleasant tickle in the back of his throat, but he does his best to pay it no mind, clenching his jaw shut for just a moment to try and bite back another apology. Instead, he goes with, "I see." Don't worry about not meeting his eyes, he really wouldn't be able to bring himself to do the same right now anyway. "Would it... be better for you if I left you alone?"

[daikonrose]

She really is the worst, huh.

The worst actress, the worst friend, the worst person. Hurting Shinji is the one thing she wanted to avoid the most, and now look. Certainly, it has to be less grievous than the alternative, but... no, she should have managed to do better somehow.

Arms still wrapped tightly around her midsection even without the need to resist clawing at herself, Kyoko's head dips. "Mm. Maybe so." There's surely nothing she can do to stop hurting him, and... it's not like what she said wasn't true, either.

"Sorry, but it looks like I've gotta be selfish about this for real." Whether he wants to let her or not.

[hedgehogsdilemma]

Under other circumstances, he'd take that 'maybe so' for the kind of answer with some room for him to get his foot back in the door, but right now... he just feels awful. He's doing something to hurt her, and he can't even do anything to ease her worries. He's not sure there's anything more he could say that wouldn't make the whole situation worse, even just abandoning her and running away feels like the absolute wrong thing to do.

But if that's all she can ask him to do, and he doesn't have any better alternatives... then that's that.

"Okay," he says softly, bringing his hand up to cover his mouth as he does. No petals escaping from him just yet. "I'll give you some space, Kyoko."

[daikonrose]

"I'll... see you later," Kyoko promises, but her voice is so thick that she knows any further apologies are just going to get stuck. Maybe that's for the best right now, since everything she says makes it worse.

So, still holding stomach as if it's possible to keep herself from falling apart that way, she turns to trudge away with quick, heavy steps.

[hedgehogsdilemma]

What a bitter parting. Shinji watches as she turns to leave, feeling frozen to the spot for another moment until he's sure he can turn heel and run off back toward the house without drawing her attention. She didn't need to hear him bolting off, nor did she need to hear any of those coughs or see those thin orange or stringy red petals floating out of his mouth.

Hopefully he can get this all under control and figure out what to do with the information he's been given by the time they do see each other again.