04 - week four

[afflictionmods]

WEEK FOUR

Saturday comes to a close, and it’s time for some rest and recovery. Perhaps the TLC you deserve will come this week, or perhaps the nightmare will continue. It’s hard to say with things being so strange around you, from Wei Wuxian’s disappearance to the sudden addition of objects and places and creatures from your homes. Who knows what this week will bring? Nothing ordinary, that’s for sure.

You wake up on Sunday to an increase in those little glimpses you saw yesterday. What were snippets of songs, locations that might’ve seemed familiar, and creatures that were dormant, are now all alive and whole. When you go to the karaoke bar, the songs you once knew are there. Monsters and animals are alive and sentient. New business are abound. Vehicles are operable, and perhaps some of your old belongings are back, too.

However, some of these things aren’t even things that should exist outside of your dreams. They may be far too strange and unusual to be real, or just things you don't remember ever seeing. The only thing you remember about these things in particular is that they were, quite literally, in your dreams this week.

That being said, every few hours, all of these things from your homes and dreams fade out and get replaced by new sounds, places, beasts….only to maybe come back again at another time.

Well. At least there's one constant here: You’ve got a handful of new locations to look at, with the fog having spread once more, and they aren't going anywhere. There aren’t as many new places that are native to Estelline this time around, but that may be for the best, considering everything going on.


SETTING TRACKER

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

NEWSPAPER SUBMISSIONS + EDITION #1

SAGE / FLORENCE / LORELEI

MEM SHARE DETAILS

OOC NOTE

OOC: Details on this week can be found here!

Also, we have a lot of participants for the news activity from last week. Neat! Everyone who participated in some capacity will have a small polaroid camera delivered to their doorstep. There's limited film, though - 10 photos per camera. It doesn't seem like there's any extra film at this time, either.

Finally, there will not be any weekly tasks this week. You guys are going to be busy with memshare and dreamscape stuff; instead, enjoy the Estelline University Newspaper!

FULL NAV

(CODE)

Comments

[partymagician]

[ He brushes Hien's bangs out of his face. ]

You don't need to apologize. You needed some time to yourself, didn't you? I can't fault you for that.

[selfconcept]

[ Hien was about to ask how did Fai know, but then he spots the scar on his wrist. Right. Pain sharing. That must have been quite the load dumped on Fai. ]

...

[ He buries his face into Fai's lap. ]

[partymagician]

If you want to talk about it, I'll listen.

[ Since his face is buried in his lap, Fai just pets the back of Hien's head. ]

[selfconcept]

... Dunno what to talk about.

[ He says, muffled by Fai's thighs. Soft. ]

[partymagician]

[ fai's bony ass thighs— ]

Well... tell me about this tent, for starters.

[ He thinks that's a good jumping off point. ]

[selfconcept]

... Lived in it for several years.

[ Yeah. ]

It's convenient.

[partymagician]

[ He was hoping Hien would be more forthcoming with his information, but that's okay. Fai can ask more questions. ]

And those several years? How were they? Tell me about them.

[selfconcept]

[ He's too sad, so Fai will have to be more direct with questions that would poke more at him... unfortunately. ]

It was... okay. I had to protect Ren from everyone, but it was hard. He still wanted to stay in the neighborhood that hated him, because his burned house... was right there. He was a child, even by human terms.

[partymagician]

[ A young child, then. He must have had a sentimental attachment to his neighborhood... Perhaps a sensitive kid? ]

Tell me about Ren. What was he like?

[ He worries that this might be a hard question for Hien to answer, but he needs to talk about all of this.

Keeping inside won't help Hien heal. ]

cw attempted suicide, hallucinations

[selfconcept]

[ Fai is right. Hien stays quiet for a while, but eventually speaks up. ]

I found him when he tried to kill himself... by starving and freezing to death. I took him in, warmed him up... he sometimes screamed at me because he was hallucinating that I was his brother. It got better over time. He got better. Ren was... shy. He was already bullied in school because of his eyes—one blue, one red. He stopped going to school since the incident, but he still wanted to learn.

[ Wow. I wonder who that sounds like. ]

So, that book—

[ There's a heavy weight in both of their hearts. ]

...

[ Hien doesn't continue.

There are several textbooks that look similar to the one Fai got in the first week. All written in English. They're off to the side inside the tent, neatly shelved together or stacked. There's no bookcase here, after all. ]

[partymagician]

[ Ah... so Hien took him in, poured a lot of effort into helping Ren, and... things didn't end well.

And it seems like he's done this many, many times, if what Hien said while he was possessed is anything to go off of.

His fingers find their way into Hien's hair again when that heaviness settles into his chest. ]

Is something you used to teach him, right? It's safe and sound in my dresser.

[selfconcept]

... No.

[ Hien still doesn't want to lift his head. ]

He taught himself. He only asked me when he wasn't sure and there wasn't an answer book available. He said he wanted to go into psychology, particularly the brain part of it. So... I...

[ ...

His heart feels even heavier. ]

[partymagician]

What a smart kid, hmm?

[ He continues running his fingers through Hien's hair, his voice soft. ]

What did you do?

[ Continue. ]

[selfconcept]

I...

[ He hates this—he feels like he's choking up.

Hien doesn't say anything. ]

[partymagician]

[ His voice grows softer, gentler. ]

I'm listening.

[ He isn't trying to rush Hien at all, instead trying to let him know that he'll wait right here until Hien can get it out. ]

[selfconcept]

I... I got him a book. For his birthday. It was a psychology textbook meant for people his age.

[ The weight presses down harder. ]

[partymagician]

[ That sadness feels almost like it physically hurts at this point, but Fai presses on.

He's got to. ]

Did it make him happy to get that gift?

[selfconcept]

I dunno.

[ It hurts.

It really hurts. ]

He died before I could give it to him.

[partymagician]

[ Ah...

No wonder why Hien reacted that way when Fai showed him that book.

It's a good thing Fai has kept it safe. ]

Could you tell me what happened?

[selfconcept]

No.

[ Without hesitation. Fai is unfortunately shut down and it doesn't sound like Hien will budge from this stance. The heavy feeling disappears and is immediately replaced by emptiness. Hollow. The void.

aka check back after memshare ]

[partymagician]

...

[ He had a feeling Hien wouldn't. In all honesty, Fai is surprised Hien said as much as he did.

When that hollowness creeps back in, Fai lifts Hien up by his shoulders and pulls him in for a hug instead. ]

Alright. You don't need to.

[selfconcept]

[ Despite the choked up feeling earlier and wanting to cry, he can't feel himself enough to cry. The hollowness is eventually filled with warmth, covering the hole where his heart should be.

He closes his eyes. The hug feels nice and reassuring. Hien doesn't return the hug, but he rests his head against Fai's chest in a little more relaxed way. ]

[partymagician]

[ Fai gently rubs his back. He understands why Hien won't return the hug, so it doesn't bother him at all. He's promised himself he'll take care of Hien in other ways, so that's what he'll do right now. ]

Ren seemed like a lovely kid. You really love him, I can tell.

[selfconcept]

Mm...

[ He did. He really did. That's why he can't find any more words to say regarding that. ]

I'll just... try again.

[partymagician]

...

[ Fai doesn't say anything to that. He can't, because he can't encourage Hien to do something so destructive to himself and the life he wants to save.

And this isn't something Fai can lie about either. He can't just push it under the rug and pretend that Hien isn't making a poor decision by trying again. Still, Fai can't bring himself to tell Hien that it's a bad idea, that he shouldn't put himself and Ren through that pain again.

So, he stays silent. But that silence in and of itself is telling. ]