July 2021 - Home Sweet Home

[staymods]

Home Sweet Home

Summer is in full swing by now. The days are hot and sticky, the nights are cooler but still a bit uncomfortable. The temptation to spend the days swimming away in the waters near Rabbit Island is strong. After all, everyone has worked hard, so why not take a break? Summer is the best time to go swimming, especially during the daytime hours when you can see straight to the bottom of the shallow areas.

Much has been accomplished in the last month. The food storage building is looking much more secure, and just in time too: it won't be long before the farmland can be fully used to grow food for everyone, and you'll need a place to keep all your vegetables. Cold storage is still a ways off, but this is a good start.

The defenses have improved too. After a thorough check, the island has been verified to be troll-free, which pleases your local NPCs greatly. A safe island is a happy island, after all. And with two of the sea nets fully functional, the islands are that much safer.

Finally, repairs have been completed on one of the houses. It looks a bit too small for everyone to move into, so you'll have to figure out a way to decide who gets to live there. But with the experience of fixing up this house, further houses should be easy to repair too.

All in all, it's been a good month. Even the nighttime screaming from the Silent World seems to have disappeared for now. Hopefully the peace and quiet will last. Maybe enjoy it while you can? Things can change in an instant here, after all.

Comments

[ghoulserrand]

[Now the wonder is clear. His eyes go wide. There's awe in his voice.]

...There's radio here...?

[relictus]

[He's not sure why that would inspire wonder...]

Apparently. It's how we can contact the mainland.

[With another sigh, he steps aside.]

Since you're here anyway, you may as well come in. But only for a little while.

[It's not like this really is his personal room after all, even if he uses it to lock himself in. All that really shows he stays here is the bedroll on the floor, some neatly folded clothes and jewelry, a stack of what few books he's scrounged up so far, and a candlestick, currently unlit.]

[ghoulserrand]

Thank you...

[He steps in with the welcome as if it were a warm one. It is possible he's smiling, but who's to say? He notes the things on the floor, treasures from a lost world, but his gaze doesn't linger, instead scanning the room for that radio.]

Does it... have music...?

[It's a longshot, he knows. He doubts it will. But, even just to see it is something.]

[relictus]

Music...?

[It's definitely an old fashioned radio, though to Faust it's just Alien Technology.]

I know it needs to be set to specific frequencies for communication to work, but if it's capable of producing music, I don't know anything about that.

[ghoulserrand]

[If it's in view, he moves for it, taking a seat right there, almost daring to reach out and touch the nobs and dials. Almost.]

The old world... before.... [He waves a hand.] There were stations... frequencies... played music... all day, all night... all kinds... I remember... I remember that... in cars... and shops... restaurants... or... in neighbourhood... celebrations... everywhere...!

[He sighs.] So quiet now... Was noisy... but good...

[relictus]

[He's free to mess with it, though if he ends up annoying the mainland in the middle of the night then Faust will get annoyed too-]

...There was always someone playing music over things like this, all day and night? That sounds like an exhausting profession.

[No he has no idea how a recording works.]

[ghoulserrand]

[As if Faust isn't already annoyed. But he laughs. The noise is a raspy cracking thing.]

The people switch... shifts... Use different casettes- or, no, it was... CDs? ...Maybe vinyl... or digital... Different bands... different songs...

[relictus]

...I don't know what you're talking about. You mean different bands would switch out with each other?

[Still seems like that'd require a lot of bands, but it makes more sense than performing nonstop. So that must be what he means, yes??]

[ghoulserrand]

[Oh. Right. He glances are, searching the radio for if there are indeed any casettes or things but no such luck. He zeros in then on the books, pointing.]

Those... they hold... words... pictures... but there are things... that hold sound... recordings... Bands record songs... the recordings are on these... things... discs or tapes... the radios play the recordings... the music plays through the frequencies... make sense?

[relictus]

Record sound...?

[He could see how something like that could be potentially achieved with magic, but without it...?]

Fascinating... I never would have thought humans could create such things without relying on magic.

[ghoulserrand]

[He's definitely grinning now, even if the gaiter covers it.]

Humans are... very cool... There are many things... invented... There are even things... like movies... can play a story with... sound and pictures... and effects... like magic

[relictus]

["Cool" sounds like a phrase the Sage would use... maybe they're from a similar world. But that aside, despite what he said, he doesn't seem impressed as Teo goes on. Humans aren't cool, okay. Better get back to more important topics.]

...All of that aside, there's something I've been meaning to ask you. About your hunting. Can you not eat like a living person would?

[ghoulserrand]

[Well, so much for that grinning. He turns away and hugs his arms close to himself. He doesn't want to answer this. He doesn't want to explain and cause the man to change his mind, turn him over, or simply cut him down where he stands. He doesn't want to make Faust question his decision to let him be, even if getting rid of him is the right thing to do.

He turns his back, facing the radio.]

... Doesn't go away... always hungry... but it gets... it gets easier... next best thing... to hunt...

Don't find much... normal food... doesn't... do much for me... can't taste the same... Wasteful...

[relictus]

[His reaction isn't surprising, it's a distressing topic for him- understandably, assuming he's at all trustworthy. Still, he'd rather have straight answers than this dancing around the subject in that disjointed way of his.]

So only raw meat will ease your hunger?

[ghoulserrand]

[Slowly, reluctantly, he nods.]

More alive... the- the better... It- it tricks... whatever makes me... want...

[Once again, he feels the urge to hide himself. He doesn't this time.]

I don't think... I can starve... I don't know... but... I want to be safe, so...

[He shrugs.]

[relictus]

...

[He sighs, and if he was wearing his hat he'd tug it lower over his face, but instead he just looks to the side. He doesn't have to say directly what he seems to really be hungry for.]

How troublesome... what drives you to keep surviving, with dangerous cravings like that? Wouldn't you rather rest?

[ghoulserrand]

[Those are some good questions. He doesn't know that he has good answers. There's a voice that reminds him it's selfish. His existence directly threatens others, those still alive. But as if in response to that, and to Faust, he shakes his head.]

I don't... feel like... I'm at the end... I... I'm not a ghost... I'm not... done. I don't think... I've lived. I don't know... what I did... who I was... but I didn't...

[He lifts a hand, running it through his hair. Then he chokes out a laugh.]

I didn't live... I didn't- didn't do it right... [He turns to Faust.] If you had a chance... to fix a mistake... wouldn't you? Don't you... want to live...? [He shakes his head again.] I'm not ready... I'm not done... I'm going to... find who I am... find... someone who knew me... who... I might have loved... I'm going to live... I'm not dying... before I've lived...

[relictus]

...

[He doesn't answer his question, which can be taken as hypothetical anyway, but his expression grows briefly bitter.]

If you can't remember your past at all, what makes you so sure chasing it is worth living for? What if you find out who you were, only to realize it was better off forgotten? Would you still feel you have more to live for, in the state you're in now?

[ghoulserrand]

[His hand rises up to his heart, or rather, the pocket of his jacket that sits over the still dead thing.]

If I die... it's all over... I'll never know.

[That much, at least, seems obvious to him.]

Maybe I can change... maybe I can... be better... But... either way... life itself... seems worth living for... even now... I have nothing... so I could find... everything...! I'll rest someday... like everyone... but I'll dream of more... than blood...

[relictus]

...

[His sigh this time feels more like a concession.]

Humans live such short lives as it is, it hardly seems worth the struggle... but if you're that determined, I won't stop you.

But if you do become a danger to the people around you, I'll stop you.

[ghoulserrand]

Spoken like someone... who says he was never human...

[He's not gonna say it, but Faust sure looks human to him. He nods his head.]

It's only fair... if I attack anyone... they should live...

[relictus]

[His eyes narrow slightly, what's that supposed to mean-]

I don't know what you think it means to be a wizard, but I've never been a human.

[But now that they've come to a sort of agreement on the situation...]

Have you tried fish? Or does it need to be more warm-blooded?

[ghoulserrand]

[He shrugs.]

Don't know... how different you could be...

[But then, plenty would say he's not human himself.]

Don't know how... to fish either... not sure... if it would work... but worth a shot? Don't much... go by water... have a paper... I can't get wet...

[relictus]

[He's annoyed by that, but he reminds himself that Teo is from a world without magic. He can cut him at least some slack for not understanding.]

Unlike humans, we're attuned to the magic and spirits of the world in ways humans will never understand. We can live for thousands of years; I've lived for over four hundred myself. And when death finally sinks its grip into me, I will turn to stone... which will likely be eaten by another wizard, or used by humans to power their technology.

Humans can see us as a threat waiting to happen, or sometimes gods, or demons- or saviors. But they will never accept us living among them as equals.

[A pause as he seems lost in thought, or perhaps reminiscing, though it's hard to tell if he's bitter or melancholy.]

...I often go fishing at the lake to the west. If you want to give it a try, you could come as well. I usually end up with extra.

[ghoulserrand]

[At first he thinks, that just sounds like a magic human. A magic semi-immortal human. But, turning to stone, that catches him. That seems horrifying. He guesses it's less so if Faust is already dead... hopefully he's not awake to turn to stone.

The rest... well the rest is just sad. He speaks even quieter than usual.]

... You don't seem... so different to me. You're living here... with everyone. And... you've accepted me...

[Well, more or less. He glances awkwardly to the side.]

Er... if... I go with you... for food... it might be... gruesome...? I, uh... don't exactly... carry a fork... so to speak...