OPEN POST: THE ANNIVERSARY

[gentleidealist]

THE ANNIVERSARY

[It's been exactly two years since Mithos took over Paradisa. That's two years of delightful massacres, scaring people into the Dead Zone, and manipulating former friends with the ageless face of a Kharlan hero. Two years of your character struggling to hold onto life as they know it while under the shadow of a fearsome ruler from another world. Two years of scraping to get by, cowering in the Dead Zone, waiting for a chance to go home or a death that Paradisa can't-- won't-- give.

There is nothing planned for today, though there are a few whimsical sort of changes that Mithos called for. The angels are on security detail as usual, policing the grounds; however, Mithos and his closest subordinates may be stepping outside. There is a grand feast set up in the ballroom... but angels don't eat, so it's really just for show. The place has the air of a graveyard party where even the dead decide not to attend.

There is an undercurrent of anxiety tonight, a breath held in anticipation. Something is about to happen, and even the insects are quiet.]

CASTLE GROUNDS
INSIDE THE WALLS
THRONE ROOM
BASEMENT
THE OUTSKIRTS
TOWN
DANY'S CAVE
DEAD ZONE SETTLEMENT
THE FOREST

[ooc: HUGE OPEN MINGLING POST for characters who either reside in the castle as angelic little zombies, or people who are returning for whatever reason. Please don't threadjack something without notifying the muns in advance!

You are free to make your own sections if you'd like and I'll add them to this post :)]

Comments

THE OUTSKIRTS

[angelzombies]

[Eventually, everyone must retreat. There is a decisive line where the patrols stop and the forest begins. It's too difficult to simply plow through, and Mithos has lost many search parties within the trees while trying to recover his sister.

There are still animals lurking within the forest, and perhaps some shelter. It's only safe to stay here until the next hacking and burning, or the next Seraph visit-- whichever comes first.]

[someoneto_carry]

[Zoe is up in the treeline, hidden away from sight due to the wonders of stealth. There's no doubt about it, whoever is running the castle now is out of their gorram minds. No one sane would go near that place]

[However it's hard to deny the food looks mighty tempting. So there she is, trying to get a lay of the land and figuring it out if it's worth the risk]

[optimystic]

[it's a miracle that Maya has gotten good enough at climbing trees to keep up with Zoe. True, she's not as comfortable up here as she is on the ground, but the safety of being hidden is reason enough to stay up in the lofty branches whenever possible.

And, of course, when Zoe mentioned that she would scout out what was going on in the city, Maya insisted that she come along.]

So... what do you think?

[someoneto_carry]

[There's a bit of a pause before she speaks]

Honestly? They're fong luh.

[optimystic]

Zoe.... [there's a little whine in her voice. She's gotten better at some of your random Chinese phrases, but she still doesn't know the language]

[whichwayyoulean]

[The Once-ler, ever the best at keeping somewhere safe, is leaning on the tree, looking in the general direction of the castle, a frown on his face. Another year of cowering in the shadows, getting their friends back in fragmented pieces.

It wasn't fair. He sighs, taking a drag of his cigar, before heading off towards the town. As unsafe as the place was, he needed supplies, and at least with the celebrations, he can get them without too much trouble]

[mors]

[It might be debatable if Once-ler has actually spoken to this guy. He didn't seem to be in the Castle too long before shit went to hell (that people know of), and he didn't actually leave the town until several months after that. He doesn't even stay at the settlement all that regularly, though that comes and goes.

But here he is anyway, falling into step beside Once-ler. Hey, at least he didn't appear out of nowhere.]

Those cause cancer, you know.

[whichwayyoulean]

[That's probably a good thing, or he would have ended up with an axe to his head. Still, the Once-ler rolls his eyes in response, he doesn't even know what that IS, but Zelos has harked on about his lungs plenty]

Then whatever that is might get me before I'm killed or turned into an angel.

[mors]

[Trying to axe death is not the best idea, Once-ler! Though he would totally deserve it if he had pulled a dick move like that. It only took him three-and-a-half years, but he finally figured out that appearing out of nowhere bothers people, so he tries not to be too alarming these days.]

It's a disease. It fills your body with black sludge.

[It isn't entirely a medically accurate description, but it's what it always looked like to him.]

You aren't going in alone, are you? It's a bad day for it.

[whistles_the_blues]

[Once-ler may notice he's being followed by Break Man. While He preferred to keep to himself since the take over, Once-ler had helped him in the past. He'd make sure that Once-ler got to town and back in one piece.]

[whichwayyoulean]

[The Once-ler wasn't expecting to be followed. The axe suddenly buried near Break Man's head should be evidence of that. He relaxes, alebit a little, when he notices his follower]

You shouldn't sneak up on people like that you know.

[whistles_the_blues]

[He doesn't flinch at the Ax. A single red orb lights up in his visor and follows it as flies past him, it promptly shuts off after though.]

You shouldn't be going out there by yourself.

[Yeah he's going to avoid the topic of what he should or shouldn't be doing. He does what he wants, at least to a degree.]

( CLOSED TO BUNNY )

[wolfchild]

[ Meat for Drogon. Instead of three small dragons to feed, she now has to find enough for one big one.

Arya would have preferred the three.

Nymeria sniffs the ground ahead. They haven't yet found anything, but that's not so surprising. With the amount of predators around, prey is scarce. She has no fear of them; she's only frustrated it makes feeding her own so much harder. Arya twists her bracelet around her wrist. A bad habit, she knows, and one she gets scolded for every time she's caught doing it. Around and around she twists it as they walk.

The direwolf freezes. Her ears prick forward. Arya stops where she is. She cannot hear anything. But that doesn't mean anything. She always hears or smells the animals before Nymeria does, but Nymeria is always aware of angels before she is. Arya reaches for Nymeria, slipping into the direwolf's body with the ease of a hand in a well-worn glove.

Of all the things she expected to see, a massive stricken-looking rabbit was not one of them. ]

here comes the PAIN

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

[Bunnymund had been keeping away from all the main groups, and had surprised himself in how easily he found it was to slip into those old habits. Back when Pitch wiped out the Pookas, he'd locked himself in the Warren, away from the world and stayed there until Katherine and North foisted him out, dragged him into the real world and showed him what it was to have friends again.

For all the good that has done him here. He failed, plain and simple. To make matters worse, he couldn't even attack the one responsible for this. After all, Mithos was still a child, and even for one such as him, he couldn't break the oath Manny swore him under.

We will guard with our lives their hopes and dreams.

How can you protect one child when it results in harming another? There was no way to win. And so he's remained away, not broken, no, because Hope can never break. Not for good.

But certainly bruised. He turns his head at the direwolf, pulling out a boomerang, ready to attack...before recognising her]

Nymeria?

[wolfchild]

[ The name jerks her out. Arya steps back. The leaves she steps on rustle. Nymeria bares her fangs.

How does it know Nymeria's name?

Arya racks her brain. She would remember a talking rabbit she's sure. Now she can hear him where before she couldn't.

A loss? Do those still happen? Is it someone she knew once in a different life?

Her hand closes around Needle just in case. ]

Stand down!

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

[At the sound of her voice, Bunny feels a weight in his chest. It couldn't be. They took her, he knew they had. To fail to save her, of all the children in the castle, hurt the most.

...And there she was, standing there. It's out of shock, more than choice that he lowers his weapon. How was this even possible?]

I... Arya? [His mouth opens and closes, searching for words, the direwolf forgotten] Little Brumby, is that you?

[heal_theworld]

[The aforementioned sister is currently sitting up in a tree a bit away from the tree line, though she can see the city and the castle easily with her angel sight.]

Two years... it seems like forever.

[But at least she was free now. And the patrols had been stepped up, but the angels weren't exactly good at finding her. They stumbled through the forest, lost, and hacked and burned the trees, but she always sensed them coming and drew back, farther than they would travel.

She almost wants to go into town to try to get some of the food but she knows she can't risk it. Not without someone else. So it's back to foraging for food again or maybe waiting until someone who knew she was out here to bring her something.]

[bustered]

[Did someone call for someone familiar? Because Zack's in the forest tonight too, not too far from the boundaries of what he'd consider 'safe.' He's watching, listening, waiting; creeping close enough to the castle to make a wish is still one of the best ways to get supplies, but it is not at all without risk. Almost everything they do these days has its risk, truth be told; it comes down more to minimizing the risks and being able to save your own skin.

And raiding, sometimes. Or trading in little tidbits of information, pieces seemingly genuine enough, but aren't enough to give Mithos' forces any sort of advantage. That game is growing more and more deadly though, and Zack's starting to suspect there might be a price on his head. He doesn't care; he's been a wanted man before. If his actions lead him to Cloud or Angeal, then everything is worth it.

A boot scrapes over a stone; a moment's inattentiveness to his surroundings has a raven screaming from a tree branch at him. It's just a bird, just one bird but that's one bird too many, Zack thinks. He melts back to the forest, running at an angle to the tree line; it's not entirely quiet at first, not until the Silence materia in his bracer is activated. Only then does he slow, footsteps careful and remaining senses as alert as they can be with the magical shroud.

He's not aware of anyone else in this section of the woods, much less the lithe woman perched in the trees a quarter mile ahead.]

[heal_theworld]

[Martel doesn't actually hear him coming because of his materia, but she hears the bird startle, turning to peer back into the forest. It's pretty dark and she's looking through the trees, so she still doesn't see him.]

Strange... I don't sense any angels...

[Unless they've gotten smarter. She quickly falls quiet, breathing shallowly. Even though she knows that if they were behind her, they've already found her and were closing in.]

[whichwayyoulean]

And they're throwing their little 'look at us, we're so great' party.

[Of course he's skulking around the forest. He does have a backpack with him though, headed towards the town. He glances up at her in her tree-y vantage spot]

Isn't it a little close to town here for you to be?

[heal_theworld]

Not right now. All the angels are at that party.

[With all that delicious food...]

Anyway, couldn't I ask the same of you?

[whichwayyoulean]

Good for them.

[He shakes his head]

It's as good a time as anyway to get supplies from town. [He pauses, rummaging through his backback, before tossing her up a smaller bag] But hey, I bring the gift of food.

[whistles_the_blues]

[Break Man had been wandering along through the forest as he usually did when he spotted Martel. He was careful with his approach and didn't say a word, instead he whistled four tones five notes; the start of the tune he made up himself, the one he played when they first met.]

[heal_theworld]

[She startled when she heard the tune, but then whistled it back, smiling.]

[whistles_the_blues]

[He nods simply in return. It was impossible to tell whether he was smiling or not with the helmet he's got on. He takes a few steps closer to the tree and looks up to her.]

Hm. Last person I expected to see.