memesinthenight | TEST DRIVE MEME #01

Entry tags:

!tdm

TEST DRIVE MEME #01

Hello and welcome to the The Next Night's test drive meme for May-June! Thanks for your interest in this GPSL! In an effort to streamline our application process and avoid future confusion between incoming and existing players, we do not have a reservation period. Applications will be judged on a first-come, first-served basis.

At this point in time, characters have not yet ICly unlocked the ability to bring in new people. However, we hope that will change in June! As soon as we set a date for applications to open, we will post an update to the OOC community as well as to plurk.

While you're here...

Take a look at our rules and faq pages to familiarize yourself with The Next Night.

Note that we will have an application cap of 20 apps for new players for this upcoming round only, and that the game has a player cap of 60. In future months we expect to limit this to 10 apps per round. An accurate count of current players will always be available on the taken page.

TDM threads can become game canon if both players wish. If the situation isn't something that could happen in-game, you're free to chalk it up to some strange hallucination, a shared dream, or other mysterious circumstance.

Threads with new arrivals must ICly take place after the mechanism for bringing in new characters has been re-enabled in order to be kept canon. We understand this makes keeping track of dates a bit tricky and may require some timey-wimey handwaving but please try to keep this in mind when deciding if a thread can be canon or not.

Note that top-leveling is not limited to new characters! If current players wish to post a starter, they are welcome to do so. They are welcome to make posts in the main comms for TDM events as well. Please note, however, that actual plot clues or happenings will not occur in TDM prompts. In addition, any threads from the TDM will be forward dated to when these mechanics are restored.

If you plan to apply, please keep in mind that we do require at least one sample thread on the application to be from our TDM (though it doesn't need to be the current TDM).

You're welcome to use the provided prompts or come up with something on your own, but we do ask that all threads take place in our game's setting.

As we no longer plan to have a bimonthly game-wide HMD meme, we will require all new applications going forward to have a HMD post somewhere on the journal and we will ask for this as part of the application process.

Thank you again, and we hope you'll choose to join us!

log prompts

EMERGENCY LANDING.

You've arrived.

Where, exactly? Well, that's quite hard to say. All around you is darkness. Even the stars above seem dimmed, as if it were possible to turn down the brightness on the sky. The only light immediately apparent is a lantern placed directly beside you. The handy-dandy tablet also provides light, but not enough to help much. Seems like you're going to have to find your way in the darkness.

Whether you find yourself in a dusted, rusted old amusement park, a spectacularly creepy abandoned orphanage, or what seems to be a museum with a very abrupt water feature in the middle of it, it's very clear you're not where you were when you closed your eyes. If you look back, what do you remember? Your death could be vivid, complete with the injuries that brought it, or a distant memory that almost seems like a dream. Either way it sticks to the back of your mind, whether you want it to or not.

And it might not be the best of ideas to worry about how you died or how you got here alone in the dark. Because turns out, maybe you aren't so alone after all. It might be a feeling, a crawl up your spine. Or sounds, bumps and wheezes and scratches hidden in the dark. Or it might be eyes, shining out in the shadows. It might be a good idea to start running, and hope you aren't the only one that found yourself stranded in this strange place.

Whatever you do, make sure you bring that lantern with you. Diverting too far from it makes you feel faint, and pushing past that feeling is not advised.

Turns out, it's not just new Beaconites that are turning up all over the place. The automated system is doing its best, but, there's some kinks to work out. The good news is, there's supplies coming into Beacon after almost two months of nothing! The bad news is, the supplies are showing up all over the place, with no rhyme or reason.

There are blankets and clothing items scattered on the dilapidated track of the Euthanasia coaster. There's a pile of food in the midst of the mostly destroyed sculpture garden, almost looking like an artistic statement on consumerism. Need some new tools? Hope you like climbing, because they seem to be precariously balanced in the branches of trees. There's a fax machine settled by the Bonfire, and nobody really knows what that's about.

Whatever it is you find, it's all helpful things that the residents of town could probably use. Though, admittedly, it'd be more helpful if it were in a place it could be used. Just like cargo off the ferry, it'd be a good idea to haul all this stuff from its landing place to the store, or wherever else it might be helpful. Or for those feeling less charitable, just grab what looks good and squirrel it away. Surely nobody is around to mind that you're helping yourself to more than your fair share!

As a final warning — tread with caution. Because with everything appearing at relative random, the next place it appears could be directly above you. And nobody wants to be under a pile of building materials when it ultimately lands.

KATAKLYSMOS.

All around you are signs of a devastating flood. Debris is still washed up against trees and buildings, walls have been knocked over, roofs caved in, and there's even a massive sinkhole in the Town Hall. Sandbags and trenches decorate the salvaged buildings.

And to the forest spirits, this seems to be cause for celebration! Are they excited that everything flooded? Are they just trying to cheer people up? Is this some festive holiday they've adopted from previous Beacon residents? Hard to say. But little pop-up booths reminiscent of a street market start to take shape around town, made out of collapsed homes and downed trees. The spirits offer snacks and drinks (probably pilfered from whatever was left of the sorry supplies, so think sliced spam and Tang), and "souvenirs" of people's ruined personal belongings that had washed out of their homes.

The best part, though? Water-based activities, fun for the whole family! Yes, the spirits are running around with buckets full of water to dump on everyone! Congrats, you survived the flood, here's more water! Watch out - if they can't find buckets they might just steal your shoes or hat and fill those with water instead!

As with most forest spirit prompts, feel free to NPC them yourselves - they're of slightly above animal intelligence and will come up with inventive ways to get you soaking wet when you least expect it.

network prompts

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES.

So you've found yourself in Beacon's eternal darkness. Well done! One of the first things most do here is check out the folding tablet they arrived with. On opening it, a prompt requests that you enter a network username.

But the instant you hit "OK", the screen redirects you to a welcome app. Which seems like it should be a good thing! But whether you select that you'd like it to be read aloud or if you would rather read it yourself, it seems to be a completely glitchy, bizarre mess. Parts are barely readable, but some parts look perhaps intentionally altered. Surely this isn't how the people of Beacon intended to welcome you, right?

Once it finishes, or once you manage to close out of it (a challenge, perhaps, since finding the right button on the screen to touch is difficult - the X shifts, the screen gets covered in static, and what is that sound) the network opens, prompting you to read the latest posts or make a post of your own.

WHISPERS IN THE DARK.

It's late. Or it feels late, it's always hard to tell in Beacon. Something pulled you from sleep, or whatever you were working on. A whisper, just nearby. A familiar voice, quiet and distant, and getting increasingly louder.

After some investigation, it becomes apparent the voice is coming from the tablet. There's a cryptic post, asking simply Do you hear me? And any time that particular post is pulled up, the voices won't stop.

The voices are distinctly ones that seem familiar. Maybe someone you've met in Beacon. Maybe someone you knew before then. Maybe it's someone you shouldn't be able to hear at all, and yet, you do.

There's no chance at actual conversation, though — the voice is simply asking if it can be heard. Softly, at first. A tinge confused, in some cases. The confusion escalates and is tainted by panic, as the voice keeps calling for an answer, an acknowledgment, that seems impossible to give. Even as the voice begs to be heard, please, please just say you can hear me, even as it fades into screams of frustration or terrified tears, no amount of response seems to break through.

The comments are open — maybe you can get your answers that way?

QUICKNAV
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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[The thing in the trees ahead is massive but that's all Rosinante has been able to discern. He's out here looking for stranded new folks and hoping desperately meanwhile that he'll come across the cigarettes he tried to request in the new portal system, but so far he's been out of luck. Thankfully the pounding headaches have receded over the last couple of weeks but it doesn't make him any happier about not getting a smoke since April.

As he stalks soundlessly forward through the trees, trying to tell if the sounds ahead are coming from the long legs that move between the trunks or if there's a person there as well, the door of an old cabin shuts and the edge of it is barely illuminated in the darkness by someone's lantern. Phew. Non-spirit. He doesn't recognize the voice, but whoever that is ahead has noticed the thing in the forest as well.

With a thump of his hand on his chest he releases the calm. The guy's on edge and he'd like to keep his head attached to his body. He calls out from some distance behind, but keeps his eyes fixed on where he last saw that enormous spirit - an antler, maybe, an appendage, something had blocked out a star for a moment.]

Back away from that thing slowly. Come over here. I don't know if it's dangerous, but you probably don't want to find out.

[ there's movement in the trees, and whatever is there is larger than law thought — huge, really, but its size is of no importance... what matters is what it can do.

only, it doesn't seem to be doing anything, so far. he considers moving closer to see what it is (and by now, he's deemed it an it, because there is no answer to his words, no reaction) and then using shambles to get himself away from its range if needed, when there's a voice.

how the hell did he miss that, someone approaching him?

and more importantly, the voice —

no, he tells himself immediately, smothering the thought before it has a chance to form. how stupid. it's this place, fucking with his head.

slowly, he turns, only to speak to the direction of the voice, his eyes not leaving the treeline. ]

On the contrary. Isn't knowing what you're up against the first form of defense? [ there's a mocking lilt to his voice, one that says two things at once: don't tell me what to do, and I'm not afraid. ]

There's a time and place. Now is neither.

[For so very many reasons, but he can explain later once this guy drops it. Right now he's more concerned with getting the newcomer out of a situation that could quickly turn lethal, and also sparing the spirit and therefore helping to maintain the small amount of trust they have earned with the ones that live in town. Those out here in the forest are wild and unpredictable, in any case.

Rosinante is mostly watching the movement in the darkness as well, but he spares a moment to reach for his lantern and pull off its disguise. He pockets the prism and the lantern switches from looking like a rough, dimly-glowing stone to the Marine ship lantern, which sheds a lot more light. Got to show him where to retreat to, after all.

He himself will look a little different from how Law last saw him, for he's wearing a handmade dark blue coat that looks like someone sewed extra material onto in order to make it fit him. He still wears boldly-patterned makeup, but experimenting with different designs here in Beacon has him with yellow and orange patterns on his cheek that might be some abstract representation of sunlight. The hat, though, that hasn't changed at all.

Speaking of hats, the light from this new guy's lantern illuminates his silhouette just well enough where it's placed that he squints at that fuzzy cap. Thanks to Pluto and her Night Market, he's actually seen Law's most recent bounty posters, but the light ahead and a history of hallucinations here in this awful place has him unsure how many of the details he can make out are just invented by his mind, or are instead pure coincidence. It's just a fuzzy hat. Probably lots of people have those.]

How bo — [ —ring, he starts to say, except the extra light gets him to turn his gaze from the trees to the man speaking to him, and suddenly the word is cut in half, like he's forgotten what he was about to say, or forgotten he was saying anything at all in the first place.

for a moment that seems to stretch on for seconds, law stares.

then, ]

No.

[ the only reason his lantern hasn't crashed to the ground is that his hand is gripping onto it so hard his knuckles seem pure white, the tattoos a glaring contrast. ]

No. I — what kind of a hallucination is this? Who is doing this? [ he's doing a damn good job of sounding somehow both anguished and furious at once, his free hand gripping kikoku's hilt to stop it from trembling. it — this... it's cora-san, that much is clear, but why does he look different? if someone is doing this, wouldn't they do it based on his memories?

law has no fucking idea what's going on at all. which is why he points his hand at cora and declares, ] You're not real.

[ and in a move that is entirely instinctual and supremely idiotic, he promptly turns on his heels, marches up the two steps he'd made down the stairs, and slams the door behind him.

if he can't see the hallucination, maybe it'll go away. right?

... right? ]

Edited 2020-06-09 17:23 (UTC)

[Meanwhile, Rosinante stops moving entirely, then crouches down, feeling extremely unsteady and not in the usual way. What -

What just happened? What is he seeing? Is this a hallucination? But those don't react this way, they don't - the last time he'd -

There had been more than just a glimpse, just now. The movement, the light from both lanterns, had shown plenty that is now recognizable. The hat, the face, the paired earrings, the reaction, all of it is Law based on what little he knows of his world's future. But the last time he saw this version of him, of the boy now a grown man, it had been at the hands of his green-eyed captors who twisted that face and turned it against him.

If only he had haki, maybe this would make more sense. Maybe he could tell if that was a real person, if any of that had really happened just now. And what if he is real? There's only one reason anyone arrives here, after all.

The moment feels like a year before he shakes himself out of it. He might not have haki but he has his own stubborn willpower anyway and he needs to know if this is real or not, because if it isn't then he needs to get out of here. Being alone in the woods with a green-eyed forest spirit is the worst possible scenario.

And if he's not hallucinating...]

Law?

[Boy does he wish that had come out sounding a lot more confident. That might not have even made it through the thin walls of that shack. He takes a breath and stands, then cautiously heads to that very closed door and tries again, clearer this time.]

Law? Is that really you?

[ meanwhile, law leans his back against the door and slowly slides down on the floor, letting his forehead fall against his knees with a soft thud.

when he hears his name being called out, he —

he wants to cry, to yell, to cut the entire forest in half —

but most of all, he wants to believe. he wants the voice to be real. and it... it's a person, that much he can tell, not a figment of his imagination. but hope hadn't been a part of his vocabulary for a long time (only recently did it force its way back, with another bright grin and a crew known for miracles) and he isn't one to trust, not now, not ever.

go away, he wants to say, because if he lets himself hope, he's not sure he can bear the eventual disappointment.

instead, he exhales and says, steadier than he feels, ]

Prove me you're not someone else pretending. Tell me something only he would know.

[ even that is not foolproof, but he's already ascertained no one is doing this based on his memories. so at least getting an answer that no one in the family would have known means there's a higher chance of this really being — ]

[If this is a hallucination, it's the most realistic one he's encountered, and he hates that he's still doubting but it's the only way he can protect himself against the things this place throws at him.

Besides. Law can't be dead. Law is supposed to live a long, successful life, even if he's learned it's the life of a pirate. It's an expression of freedom, isn't it? And that's all he ever wanted for the boy.

This feels a little too familiar, too, doesn't it? They're separated by a piece of wood. He rests a hand against it and wills himself to hold back the surge of emotion long enough to get the words out. The tremble in his voice betrays him anyway.]

I still have that scar you gave me, right through my back. I lied to cover for you. I never told anyone. And - the last time we spoke. It was like this, but you were so much smaller and I... I'm so sorry, Law. I just wanted you to get out of there alive.

[He swallows hard. The last half sort of tumbled out and he clamps his mouth shut. There's too much that needs to be said and he can't say it through a closed door or he'll find himself crying alone in the darkness with nothing but wishful thoughts and illusions on the other side, and probably something lurking in the trees waiting to tear his limbs off his body.]

[ he listens in silence, so like the last time he saw cora, and he's half-certain even if he were to say something nothing would be heard, that he could scream and shout and no one would hear a thing.

slowly, he presses his palm against his eyes. it does nothing to help — thirteen years of holding back every single feeling that wasn't his drive for revenge, of pushing down the pain and the loss, and tears finally gather at the corners of his eyes.

he doesn't even try to wipe them away, just biting down on his lip until he can respond in a voice that doesn't break, ]

... Cora-san.

[ he draws a shaky breath, swallowing down what threatened to become a sob. it's... this... it's real. no one else would know that. no one else would know that.

instead of relief, instead of a real response, instead of opening the door, he blurts out what he thinks immediately when cora speaks of the last time they saw each other, what he's thought all these years: ]

It — it wasn't worth it. You dying, just so that I —

[ more breaths, more tears that stain his cheeks. ] — it wasn't worth it. [ I wasn't worth it, he means, and perhaps that's clear enough. ]

[The nickname hits him. Nobody has called him that in nearly a year, of course - nobody here knows the name Corazón. He doesn't talk about himself and most don't try to press for details. Hearing that familiar way Law always shortened it, but in the voice of an adult, is surreal.

This cannot be a trap. He won't let it be. If it was, the door would open, and he would be lured into whatever monstrous thing's den awaits. All he can hear instead is poor Law who has just arrived and doesn't know who or what is real here and it's breaking his heart. Of course it was worth it, Law got so many more years than he would have and he would do everything again if he had to in order to ensure that.

He chokes back his own sob but tears are rolling down his cheeks anyway.]

Can I come in?

[Please?]

[ it's such a simple question, and yet for a moment, law is paralyzed. he never once thought this would happen — but now that it is, he knows with absolute clarity that everything he's done, everything he lived for... it's not what cora would have wanted.

and the thought that he might have disappointed him, the thought of looking at him and telling him it took him thirteen years to free dressrosa and even then it wasn't really him who did it —

don't try to find reasons for somebody's love, says the former fleet admiral's voice in his head, and law moves away from the door before he's even realized it. ]

... yeah.

[ because, in the end... it doesn't matter if cora is angry with him, or disappointed, or any number of things. because he's here.

(he doesn't get off the floor, only moving back enough to let the door open. he does, however, brush his sleeve over his face, quickly rubbing over his eyes.) ]

[If this is the third way he dies here, if there's some horrible monster on the other side full of teeth and claws, if this is just a lure for the far larger one still lurking behind them both to catch him off-guard, then to hell with this place but he's going to take the risk. Has to.

There's no hesitation this time as he takes the doorknob and pushes it open. He barely fits in this old cabin; has to duck as always just to feel like he won't scrape the top of the door and give himself yet another headache. But now that he's inside, he's not sure what to do again. The room is flooded with the light from their lanterns, and that's reassuring - he's able to get a good look at Law, now a grown man, though his vision is blurry with tears.

With a shove, he closes the door; with a snap of his fingers, he shields them both from the sounds of the outside world (and really, to keep anyone from listening in). And then he does the only thing he can handle doing right now, which is to collapse down on his knees and pull Law into an abrupt and very firm hug and start sobbing into his hat. Sorry in advance for the makeup smudges.]

You're real, aren't you?

[He whispers it once he can manage words. Illusions aren't tangible. This is real. Law is here. It should be a relief to reunite with him but he can't stop the realization that this means Law is dead.

But at least they have each other again.]

[ as soon as the door opens, law looks up, stares without blinking as though scared that if he does, cora will be gone — still afraid to trust what he's seeing and feeling.

but then cora is right there, tugging him into a hug, and law doesn't even think of his aversion to hugs in general, instead gripping cora's coat and holding onto him like a drowning man. ]

... that should be my line, [ he manages eventually, and isn't this funny? he'd told doflamingo that the only way he'd perform the perennial youth operation was if he'd bring cora back to life... but really, it seems the only thing he had to do to see him again was die.

he does, however, nod as an answer; a wordless yes this is real, in the case cora needs the confirmation.

and there are so many things he wants to say, to ask, to know — but one above all of them. even if he's still ashamed of how long it took him — ]

Cora-san... Dressrosa is free.

[Here in Beacon, Rosinante has almost entirely shunned contact. It's too hard to let anyone get to know him well enough to even feel comfortable with things like closeness and hugging, but too many deaths since then have marked him and the dents in his lantern have manifested in physical form. Even through Rosinante's clothing, Law may notice how his ribs feel like they protrude too far, as if he is clutching onto a skeleton and not a man.

Right now, Rosinante doesn't care. He presses his face against into the soft spotted cap, and gives a shaky sigh as he tries to get his breathing and his tears under control. Gives up on that pretty quickly, but pulls back a little anyway so he can have a better look at Law and give him a reassuring and very watery smile. The announcement itself isn't news to him for he saw as much in the papers, but those never tell the real story, only the version fit for public consumption. He wants to hear everything, wants to get to know Law as he is now, wants to know every wonderful thing he got to experience in those extra years of life that they both fought so hard for.]

I'm so proud of you. I - I heard. A little bit. But I know you'll tell it better.

[There's a lot he wants to tell Law, too, about everything he's been through in his year here in Beacon. About why he can just accept that Law has come to him from a different time - over a decade can pass between them and yet here for him it was only one year. He's learned so much from this place and its people and now that Law is here he's thrilled he can share it all.

But he'll wait. There will be time for that later.]

I want to hear everything. I've wondered the whole time I was here about how you were doing. I -

[He stops himself before he can get too carried away. Let Law get a word in. And besides, just look at him! Tall, strong, not a single smudge of white on his skin. Just like the pictures, but better in every way.]

[ frankly speaking, all law cares about is that cora is alive — well, dead, but here and talking and breathing and existing. he does notice the difference in his physique, and the doctor in him files the fact away for a time when he can scan him without trouble, to make sure nothing is wrong, but for now it doesn't matter.

reluctantly (and isn't that a first), he pulls back too, letting go of the coat, ducking his head when cora smiles at him, because if he looks at that smile for too long he's going to start crying again.

not that cora's next words help much with that; law bites his lip hard enough to draw blood, to stop himself from retorting with you shouldn't be, but then the words register and — ]

How?

[ how is that possible? how could he possible know about anything that has happened in the past thirteen years? it makes no sense. but before he gives cora a chance to respond, he shakes his head and continues, ] Never mind. That's not important right now. There's a lot I want to ask too, but first...

That thing is still out there. It hasn't noticed us yet, but the longer we stay here, the worse the odds of us remaining unnoticed.

[ he wants to tell cora everything (well, not everything, definitely not everything, half of dressrosa he will never, ever speak of) and wants to get answers to all the questions swirling inside his head, but not when there's a chance something out there will attack them. not that he's not confident he could win against it... but unlike before, when he didn't see a problem with picking a fight, now it's different. he's not doing one goddamn thing that's putting cora at risk. not one. ]

Is there a place here that's safe?

Safer than here, yeah.

[Not completely, perfectly safe. But safer than this forgotten shed in the woods. They can't be heard and there's not much light that's able to escape past these walls, probably, but the spirits have sense he doesn't understand and he doesn't trust that enormous one in the trees, even if it might ignore them.

As much as he doesn't really want to let go, he has to so they can stand, so after a moment of hesitation he forces him to relax his grip and push himself to his feet. He adjusts the way his lantern hangs, making sure it's partly tucked under his coat and therefore easier to conceal quickly, then withdraws the small orange prism-like object in his coat pocket that he had removed from his lantern earlier.]

I'll show you the way back to town. There's an inn with rooms above the bar that I've been staying at and I think there are empty ones if you want.

[Or they could share, but Law's a grown adult now, he probably wants his own room, right? Probably. He would not complain about sharing but he won't assume.]

The lantern is your life. If it breaks, you die here and not everyone comes back. Here -

[He's not going to ask, because there's no debating this as far as he's concerned. Rather than attaching the prism back onto his own lantern he reaches for Law's, and the lantern shifts to take the form of a rough stone on one side, but crystalline on the other - an amethyst geode, cut in half. The light it gives off dims considerably.]

Just for now. If there's anything out there it might not see you as easily.

[ safer is about what he was expecting — when has anything been completely safe, anyway? but as long as they're away from the thing (not a person, that much law has been able to sense, but not an animal either) he's fine with wherever they go.

he, too, stands up, dusting his hands. if cora looks somewhat different in his clothing choices, now, so does law; if anything, he looks like a samurai, only his hat remaining from the usual hat-jeans-and-hoodie ensemble that he tends to wear. ]

Good, [ he responds curtly, because as much as he'd prefer his submarine, an inn will have to do. at least it's better than sleeping on the streets. he doesn't bother saying that there's no way in hell he's leaving cora by himself; from what little he's said, he's been here a while now, and probably on his own — he'd have said if anyone else was here, right? and law's not about to leave him, not now, not ever, if he has anything to say about it.

besides, he's used to his ship. there's only ever been a limited amount of space there, with all his crew around. he may like his space, but cora's an exception.

the words about his lantern have him glancing at it, eyes widening slightly as he takes in its importance. and then it's changing, due to whatever cora put on it, and law's looking up at him sharply. ]

What about yours? [ said with a slight edge to the words. and then, to reassure him, ] I'll be fine, anyway. I can get us away from anything that tries to get to us. [ ... probably. he's not tested his powers here, but if cora's work, his should too. ]

I only have the one. But I can just block the light with my coat if we have to. Besides, we're only ten minutes out from the greenhouse and once we get there it should be easy.

[They got lucky. Law arrived close enough to town where he was able to be found. Hopefully any who arrive farther out can manage to find the network with their tablets and let someone know they're here somewhere. How many will pop into existence deep in the forest and wander until something kills them, and never be retrieved? There's a dark thought. They need to work on fixing the portal as soon as they can -

But now isn't the time to worry about that. He offers Law a reassuring smile in the dim light, then gestures for him to follow before cautiously cracking the front door open and peering out.

Wherever that thing is, he can't see it now, but it's shockingly easy to lose something that big in the trees. Shame he can't feel it. Did Law learn haki? There's so much that newspaper articles just can't cover. He'll wait to disperse his sound barrier for a few more seconds to first ask:]

See anything? I can't tell if it's still here.

[ law sighs, as if to say, nothing that should be easy ever is, but he nods regardless. they can't stay here, anyway, so whether or not getting to the inn is easy or not, it doesn't really matter.

he follows cora out of the house, a faint, blue ring swirling underneath his turned palm — just in case. he could create a room without being prepared, but if this cuts his reaction time even a little, maintaining it is worth it.

at the question, law sidesteps around cora to see the treeline better, watching carefully for a moment. ]

I can't see it, but it's still there... I think. [ his observation haki is nowhere near the level of his armament haki, but at least it lets him know this much — a faint feeling of threat, still, of a presence. fainter than before, but he's not sure if that means the thing has moved away from them, or if his haki just isn't picking up on it. ]

Which way to the greenhouse?

[So cool! Whatever that ring of light is, it's from his devil fruit and he wants to know so much but he represses the surge of pride and delight for now and files it away for later, when they're not potentially facing down trouble.

The dumb grin will persist on his face, though, for at least a little while yet. He glances up at the stars to double-check the direction, in case he'd somehow gotten turned around when prowling through the woods earlier - they're not super visible here with all the branches above, but it's enough to judge by.]

East-northeast. Follow me.

[He snaps his fingers to drop the sound bubble, and the gentle sway and creak of trees in the breeze above floods back in. And then he takes a step forward and immediately crashes to the ground.

But, you know. He's fine. Just brush that one off with a grunt and get going again. Some things have clearly not changed. He flashes Law a victory sign to wordlessly prove he's all good and then presses onward, more successfully this time.]

[ it is a dumb grin, but it's a dumb grin he's missed seeing, making his only reaction to it being a slight shake of his head as law decides not to mention the fact that cora's makeup is all smudged now.

he follows, quiet and watchful, at least until cora..... crashes down, and wow, nothing's changed in that regard, huh?

he can't help it — law bites down on a chuckle, soundless, with a slight, genuine smile on his lips. he says nothing, though, and simply keeps on following cora. and if there's even the slightest indication of them needing to get away fast from their current spot, at least now he knows which direction they're supposed to go. ]

[They're lucky to have the clear sky. Rain in the dark is something he's grown to hate. But it's a little easier making his way through the woods with the dim light of his half-cloaked lantern knowing Law is with him - even if Law is very different now. They have so much to catch up on, there's so much he wants to learn, and as soon as they make it out of uncharted territory he'll feel a lot safer asking questions.

Ten minutes, it turns out, is just about right. Make it twelve before the glass panels of the greenhouse emerge from the trees, lit by the torch inside. Rosinante heads straight to it and looks around to see if Xayah or any of the other regulars are inside, but it's empty at the moment aside from the lush vegetation inside - though anything that ought to bear edible material looks like it's been picked over very thoroughly.]

Guess Xayah isn't around right now or I'd introduce you. She was trying to show me how to grow tomatoes and cabbage.

[But that's for another time. He adjusts the strap across his chest so his lantern hangs higher, rather than tucked down by his hip, letting the light shine more visibly now that they're in known territory, and leads the way around the building and onto the path heading north. Ahead, a makeshift bridge of logs and rope is just visible out in the darkness where it spans what sounds like a very hungry, rushing little river.]

How long had you been out there before I found you? Did you get a chance to look at the information on the network?

[ it's a silent, uneventful twelve minutes of walking, and as used as law is to silence after punk hazard, it's frustrating, to have to keep in all the questions he really, really wants answers to.

he simply cocks his eyebrow at the mention of tomatoes and cabbage — hah, cabbage, he feels a flash of irritation just thinking of the guy. pushing the feeling away, he files "xayah" and "gardening" under the ever-growing list of things to ask about later, for now content to follow, not letting his guard down even though it seems like they've made it to safer territory. ]

Not more than an hour, [ he says in response, not having exactly counted but certain that it can't have been long. ]

I did, but that was useless. The text kept jumping around, and parts were completely illegible. [ a sigh. ] I take it that's not how it's supposed to be.

Shit, still?

[He frowns at the darkness. This place is confusing enough for new folks who get the information they're supposed to have. It's probably even worse with that garbled mess than nothing at all.]

No, we had a big flood in the spring that trashed a lot of town. Not sure if somehow they're related, but the welcome information got corrupted at the same time. Someone will have to re-record it. It used to explain some of what's going on here. I thought of it because Xayah is from some other world than ours. Most people here are, actually. From ours it's just you and me and, uh. Some young woman named Pudding, but she doesn't know I know she's from our world.

[Seems safe enough to say that out loud. He'd see lantern light if they weren't alone, and the noise of the river helps. If only he could work out how to keep his silence bubble centered on them both while they move - but oh well.]

[ he hmms at the explanation — it's good to know it was supposed to be useful, he supposes, even if it ended up being more confusing than anything else. he did catch some parts of it, though: that they're dead, the names of some people, something about a lighthouse and world eaters, but that's about it. really, it gave him more questions than answers.

the fact that there are other worlds than theirs is intriguing, but when pudding is mentioned, law's eyes widen. ]

Pudding? [ wait, hasn't he heard that name before?

... no way, it can't be. ] Charlotte Pudding? [ what the hell. that is definitely the name of blackleg-ya's intended bride (and now he's glad he forced some kind of an explanation of the whole deal out of his allied crew), but he hadn't said anything about her being dead — maybe they didn't know? maybe big mom had killed her own daughter in anger, after the strawhats had escaped? there'd been nothing in the newspapers about it, either.

quickly, he elaborates: ]

If that is who I think it is... she'll recognize me, [ he says flatly. he may have never seen her or spoken to her, but he knows him joining the warlords gained a lot of publicity, as did the whole of dressrosa and the heart-strawhat alliance. ] Will that be a problem?

[ he doesn't care if he gets recognized — but if cora wants to keep his identity a secret... then that's what he'll strive to do, too. ]

Charlotte?

[His turn to be surprised, and he actually stops walking entirely for a second to double-check they are indeed alone, then cups his chin in his hand for a moment as he thinks, then shakes his head.

Pudding could be anyone, but he absolutely knows the name Charlotte.]

She never said her surname and it's not on the network. I don't know. It could be a coincidence. She's pale, brown hair, likes baking...

[Shit. Yeah, that's... Okay, there could be more than one Pudding in the world who likes baked goods and sweets. But.]

Should it be a problem? I don't really know her well. Maybe - hold that thought. Let me show you to where I've been staying. It's too easy to be overheard out here while we're still on the move.

landing

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i'm so sorry for this train-wreck.....

no he's good he's wonderful i love trainwrecks

good because there's more where that came from... what are emotionally healthy reactions, who knows

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