fortiscor | TDM #1

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TDM #1

"Well, good morning, Sleepy Head,"

The voice was sweet and pleasant on the ears. You open your eyes to find a smiling face looking down at you. A face that looks human enough. Two eyes, a nose and a mouth, all in the right places. But something feels off about it... "We've been waiting for you to wake. It's about time!" The nurse, for now that she's moved away you realise that she is indeed dressed how you would imagine a nurse would be dressed, continues to talk and fuss about the room. In doing this, she explains:

❝You've been asleep for such a long time! Several years ago there was an Event that caused many people to fall into deep, deep sleeps. Some woke within days or weeks of their fall, but there were some, like yourself, who have been asleep for so much longer. It's hard to tell just how long you have slept, and I fear the world you remember is very different now, but we are here to help you through your transition from Dream World to the Waking World.❞

The nurse leaves and you are left alone. You will find that even though you have been in a coma for years, you are as physically fit as you remember. Any injuries you believed you had are gone now, as if they were never there. At the foot of the bed are clothes and any items you own. Take them. Go. The urge will take you. Once you leave, you will find you can not enter the hospital again, nor can you quite remember how you got out in the first place. All you can remember is the strangely haunting nurse and her words...

Welcome to Williamsburg!

The town before you is a hodgepodge of colour and style. No two houses are exactly the same. Some made of wood, or brick or even strange metals. Some are no more than holes in the ground. But all are warm and welcoming inside and not many are inhabited. In fact you'll find that the town itself isn't that populated at all. The busiest place is Main Street. Here you will find all the shops you need.

From food to beauty and fashion and furnishings for home and garden, there is a café selling the most delicious of sweets and a pub that never closes. The Main Street is the place to be, if there is something you are lacking. And it is only a hop, skip and a jump from the Hospital and around the corner from everywhere else.

● [The Nowhere Inn] is the local watering hole where you can come and share a drink with a friend. Or, if just passing through, spend the night. Here you will be greeted by Bert, the owner and bartender. A seven foot tall bear of a man with a magnificent beard and a loud, booming voice! And a desire to one day create a cocktail that will take the world by storm. It's just a shame that not all of his little experiments hit the mark... Newcomers to the town will be offered a drink on the house. Choose wisely, as some of these drinks can often come with side effects, both good and bad.
✦ Apricot Smash: A refreshing glass of fruit squash. Made from the concentrated juice of a sour and sweet type of apricot, this is a simple and thirst quenching kind of drink. If asked nicely, this can also be made into a slushie! Anyone who tries this deliciously fruity drink will find themselves enjoying a chance to dance and/or sing at any given opportunity. (Side effect: It can cause insomnia.)
✦ Lemongrass Twilight: Made from spicy and sour lemongrass syrup, this mildly alcoholic drink is served in a tall glass with round, purple coloured balls of ice. The drink is a swirling green, yellow and purple colour. Those who try this drink will find themselves feeling very mellow and warm and more inclined to feelings of affection. (Side effect: It can cause headaches.)
✦ Mint Blast: Pale blue-green with light swirls and served in a wine glass. The drink is heavy on the mint and light on the alcohol, with even a little sprig of it resting on the rim of the glass. Drinking this will leave you feeling a chilled and shivery. A nice cuddle should soothe those chills away. (Side effect: It causes sleepiness in the drinker.)
✦ Blue Smooch: This drink is a deep blue with white, creamy foam atop. The drink smells like chocolate and tastes wonderful. It leaves the drinker feeling happy and optimistic, almost childlike. (Side effect: It is rumoured to cause truthfulness in the drinker.)
✦ Burning Wine: Pale gold with yellow-orange swirls, this mulled wine is served in a clear glass mug and tastes like cinnamon and oranges, with a hint of chili. It has a nice, warming burn as it goes down. This drink will put a fire in your belly and keep you toasty and warm through the cold nights. It may also make drinkers a little more amorous than usual. (Side effect: It can sometimes cause tingling and numbness in the extremities.)
✦ Frosted Starlight: Sapphire with silver flecks and glittering sugar around the rim of the glass. This is an intoxicating alcoholic drink that is only served in the evening and at night. The drink itself smells like coconut yet there is no coconut within the drink. The taste is almost floral, with a slight hint of grape. Those who have tried this drink often find themselves with the brief ability to touch another and see their surface thoughts. (Side effect: It can cause blackouts.)

● [Sugar ‘n Spice Café] is a peculiar place. From the outside it looks like any other store front, but as you enter and the little bell tinkles, you will find the interior to be bright and open. Warm colours and bright lighting, and from somewhere soft music is always playing. A very modern sort of café selling a wide selection of handmade sweets and pastries as well as an espresso machine.
For the next month, if you come in for a hot drink you can have your choice of their specially made, homemade cheesecake free of charge. Subject to availability, of course.
✦ Roasted strawberries and cream cheesecake: Made with a chocolate biscuit base, sumptuous strawberries and homemade cream.
✦ Coconut cheesecake with lime and passionfruit sauce: This zesty citrus cheesecake has a buttery base, creamy coconut filling and fruity lime and passionfruit sauce.
✦ Triple choc upside-down cheesecake: The name may say upside-down, but this cake looks right side up to us! Juicy raspberries give it a fresh bite and for the chocoholics - oozing sauce.
✦ Gingernut cheesecake tart with sticky maple pears: A creamy cheesecake with high visual impact for that special dessert finale to your dinner party.

● For those looking to add a little something extra to their wardrobe, they'd be best heading to [Dreams Come True Boutique]. For the month of April the clothing store will be offering all new arrivals free vouchers for up to three new outfits of their choosing. Within reason, of course. But most all of the clothes here are decently priced with an odd array of fashions from the very old fashioned to near futuristic.

● [Linlae Botanical Gardens] resides not far from Main Street. Part of the gardens are covered, housed within a large green house, but most of the gardens are outside and easily accessed. There is much to see here, from the [Hedgemaze] with the secret gazebo at it's centre, [Hanging Gardens] and the weeping willows reaching into the waters of a large koi pond. If you're lucky you might see a large white carp, said to be 2,000 years old by the name of Etherus. Who knows how long he'd lived in that pond, but they say if you catch sight of him it's a sign of good luck. And if you manage to see him during a full moon, he may grant you a wish.
There are benches all over, places to sit and take in the peace. But don't expect much quiet, the twittering of birds is a near constant companion within these gardens.

● [A Home]. As you explore you will realise that you're going to need somewhere to stay the night. Of course you could always go to The Nowhere Inn and wait until morning, or you could just... open a door.
87% of the houses within the town of Williamsburg is vacant, and well maintained, for many years. These houses wait for someone to come and bring life into them. Inside your pocket you will find a key. If your key doesn't fit the lock, that house is occupied, so find another. When you finally open a door, you'll notice that the key has changed subtly. That key is now unique and can be used only for this house. It is yours.
Some houses come fully furnished, some might need some work. You might even be surprised to find that the house is one that looks vaguely familiar...

A Familiar View

It may have been immediate or it may take days for you to notice, but when you do...

The memories of your Dream World are coming back to you. It doesn't feel much like a dream at all. Those things that happened, those feelings you had, all seemed so real!

And then you find it.

It could be something as simple as a book, or as large as a building. You know this thing. This thing has been pulled directly from your memories, whether those memories are good or bad is entirely up to you. But there it is, as large as life, right in front of your eyes. What does this mean? Which world is real and which isn't? How did these things from that other world make it into this?
This is your chance to explore this new addition to Williamsburg. Maybe you will find the answers you seek? Or maybe you will be left with more questions. Just know that you aren't alone. It seems that almost everything in this world was pulled from another, brought here by 'others', and left here.

Maybe this new landmark, or item, leaves you with a warm feeling and questions are the last thing on your mind? Perhaps you would like to share with your friends, or even a perfect stranger, the joy that this thing brings you? Tell them your story. Share with them it's the history. Or maybe the feelings attached are feelings of anger, of horror and fear? Misery does love company, so don't go through with this trip down memory lane alone.

Down the Rabbit Hole

It starts with something small shifting around you. Maybe it’s a door or window, but as you walk down the street things take a turn for the bizarre. It’s far too late to escape by the time you notice the buildings themselves bleeding into the sky or folding back onto themselves.

You are stuck in The Corridor now.

And you appear to be alone. Or are you? As the buildings creak in protest you seem to hear footsteps. Is that a fellow waylaid traveler?

Before you can determine the direction of the sounds, one thing becomes clear to you: these homes and businesses, all that brick and mortar, seem to be closing in on you…

It is a gradual squeeze but you can tell that if you don’t get out of there you’ll eventually be crushed. As you explore this place where time and gravity seem to have lost all meaning and your senses may even betray you, you search for a way out or an end to this madness and that is when you finally realize that the buildings are taking shape according to your will. The more you panic, the more claustrophobic and chaotic things become. But if you remain calm and focus your attention you find you can tame the buildings back into their original shapes and places. Of course, it helps if you have a partner.

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[The sudden appearance of steel gets a nasty grin from Grimmjow as he was forced back a step, mostly because he was taken by surprise by that strength.

He's ready for it the next time, and when Sephiroth swings at him, he blocks easily, this time not being driven back.]

That all you got?

[ Sephiroth is used to fighting down to his enemies. He starts slow and builds in momentum and strength. Otherwise, no one would last against him. He brings that attitude and style with him here and so rather than rising to the bait, he brings his next swing down harder for this reason. It's a sharp and fast movement designed to disengage them so that Sephiroth can gain some distance and therefore advantage. ]

[Grimmjow's steel meets his, and his grin widens. Yeah, he was hoping for a good fight. He doesn't even mind that Sephiroth wants a little distance between them.

Once they're apart, he releases his sword with one hand, holding the palm up towards him, and energy starts to gather with the telltale sound of a cero, like reality ripping.

Aizen hasn't told him not to use it here, after all.]

[ Sephiroth sees that and, paradoxically to most, leans into it. There is no fear to him as he both brings Masamune to block and readies his mastered Firaga to cast. He will meet that cero head on with fire and steel and if Grimmjow isn't expecting it, will burst through the attack and surprise him with one of his own.

Sephiroth might just maybe be beginning to enjoy himself a little. ]

[Grimmjow has pretty much the same idea. As soon as the Cero is released, he's following behind, swinging his sword and fully intending to charge through the explosion to clash with Sephiroth.

He does, at least, realize it's very likely Sephiroth is doing the same thing. He lets out a laugh when he feels steel meet steel. This is delightful.]

[ It's been a while since Sephiroth was able to cut loose even this much and it feels good. He doesn't mind putting even more of his strength into the next blow or moving ever faster. He keeps this up for several rounds of steel clashing against steel and by the end of it Sephiroth is smiling. ]

[The longer they fight, the more Grimmjow is letting loose, too. Confident now that Sephiroth won't just lie down and die, his reiatsu flares up and out, strikes getting stronger.

Then, after a particularly strong clash, he backs off and takes some space for himself, grinning wildly as he holds his sword out.]

GRIND, PANTERA!

[He rakes his claws down the flat of his blade, and wind kicks up around him, picking up enough dirt to conceal him as he takes on his Released form.

When the dust settles, he flashes a wide grin.]

Let's play.

[And then he pounces. He doesn't have a sword anymore, but those claws are nothing to scoff at.]

[ Sephiroth stops in his tracks to watch that display. He's never witnessed anything quite like it and the thought excites him. ]

Yes. Let's.

[ Sephiroth lunges forward, sword clashing against those sharp claws. Then he pivots and jumps and takes to the air. He swings Masamune down in a swift and brutal strike and follows this immediately by casting Firaga down the blade.

It's been so long since Sephiroth had to try to beat anyone that he's beginning to lose himself in the sheer joy of the fight. ]

[He laughs like a maniac, his speed and strength suddenly much higher, and he meets that sword strike head-on. He catches the sword, grinning as he pushes back, only to find himself staring down a ball of fire.

He doesn't move until it hits him, snarling as he pushes against Masamune and then jumps away. Instead of giving Sephiroth a few seconds to regroup, he instead lifts an arm, pointing his elbow in Sephiroth's direction and firing of five 'darts'.]

Garra de la Pantera!

[He's moving again even before they land, assuming that Sephiroth will either dodge them, or manage to withstand the explosions.

He might have forgotten they were fighting in a city, so the collateral damage is... not insignificant.]

[ The fact that it's a close thing that Sephiroth manages to dodge all of those is what prompts Sephiroth to finally cut loose and go all out. He pays no attention to the destruction those cause or to anything else around them. There is only this. He doesn't realize it but he hasn't stopped smiling

There's no fancy announcement to his next move, but it is one of his signatures. He simply prepares Octaslash or to stab his opponent like a shish kebab eight times. ]

[Grimmjow is ready for the attack, but it's fast, almost faster than him. He manages to dodge most of it, but at least one glancing blow lands, slicing his side open.

Still, that doesn't seem to deter him as he puts some distance between them. His hand goes to the wound and his grin only seems to get wider. There's that ripping sound of a Cero forming again, and his manic laughter as it does.

When his hand comes up, it's consumed in blue flame, and he braces his arm against the other, as if this blue light is an unwieldy canon about to fire.]

GRAN REY CERO!

[And then he lets it loose, haphazard and shifting this way and that but always, generally speaking, heading towards the same point. Like this energy was a living, breathing thing.

At this point, it's hard to tell who Grimmjow is even fighting. Sephiroth? Maybe. The world itself, through sheer destruction? Well... that's his Aspect.]

[ It's too strong, too fast, much too fast. Sephiroth has time to throw up Masamune before he is engulfed and if his sword wasn't legendary and if he himself wasn't who he is, he's sure he would be dead. Instead, Sephiroth emerges from that in just his pants and even those are tattered. His jacket and all of his armor are gone save for his vambraces. His flesh is singed, parts of it smoking, and his right arm is burned to a crisp. He forehead is freely bleeding.

Sephiroth touches the blood. He looks at it and distantly he feels pain but beyond that, much, much more than that what he feels is a burgeoning excitement bordering on obsession. No one has ever injured him like this.

And he

laughs.

Sephiroth dives back into it with his right arm dangling uselessly at his side. He could cure himself, but why when this is so much better? He wants to see what he is capable of and here might finally be someone who can show him his limits.

Sephiroth grabs what he assumes is a vehicle and slings it at the other man. He follows right behind it, ready to slice through the thing himself if Grimmjow doesn't and then blast him with Firaga if his blade doesn't first connect. ]

[Grimmjow doesn't have a sword in this form, just his claws... and they're really not big enough to carve through a car without using his strongest attack. Sephiroth hasn't earned that yet -- only Ichigo has.

So when Sephiroth cuts through the car himself, he finds himself confronting an empty space. Grimmjow had backed off a few yards, and under the cover of metal cutting through metal, he's powered up another Gran Rey Cero.

This one is weaker because there's less time for it to build energy, but it's still violent as it goes off.

And backfires a little, too, tossing Grimmjow back with the unexpected fluctuation from firing it off early, and he disappears into a nearby building, leaving behind a large hole.]

[ Sephiroth quickly flips behind a piece of the vehicle to shield himself and then he is pursuing Grimmjow. He slashes Masamune midair a few times, this or the energy from it slicing the building to ribbons. It's the sword that can cut through anything and cut it does. ]

[Grimmjow is just getting to his feet when Sephiroth reaches him, snarling and looking very much like he just blew himself up -- because that's exactly what he did.

In fact, he's reverted to his previous form, blood all over his tattered uniform as he raises his sword to meet Sephiroth's with a snarl. He's angry now, mostly at himself for that misfire, and he's about to take it out on his opponent.

He's weaker than he was a few moments before, but twice as vicious as he tries to smash Sephiroth with his sword the way Sephiroth was smashing his way through the building a second ago.]

I'm gonna fuckin' eat you!

[ Sephiroth put a lot into that last attack or maybe everything is finally catching up to him. His right arm hangs at his side. There is blood on his teeth and he's covered in burns. Worst of all, his hair might actually be tangled in places. So while he meets Grimmjow blow for blow, he doesn't overwhelm him. In fact, he seems to be slowing down with him. Maybe even starting to pant a little.

Still. Still. Sephiroth has a mouth on him. ]

Is that the best you could do?

[Grimmjow sneers, slamming his Pantera against Masamune with technique more suited to a baseball bat than a blade.]

You're one to fuckin' talk, you gonna use that arm or should I just cut it off for you?

[His next swing aims at said arm, fully intending to actually lop it off if Sephiroth is really that weak.]

I'm not done until I'm fuckin' dead. Do I look dead to you?

[Probably not the wisest question for a Hollow to ask, considering that he is, technically, dead. Many times over, in fact.]

[ Sephiroth's eyes are gleaming. He twists to the side and swats down Pantera with Masamune. ]

Yes. You just don't know it yet.

[ He turns Masamune and brings it up to gut him. ]

[Grimmjow lets out a bark of laughter as he blocks the blow aimed for his gut, grinning wildly.]

You really don't get it, do you? You're fightin' a ghost.

[He steps into sonido, drops himself above and behind Sephiroth, throwing his whole body behind an attempted killing blow.]

[ Sephiroth dodges it. Barely. The sword skims his naked side, drawing a line of red across his skin as it does so. Sephiroth is quick to pivot and faster still to move. Now he is behind Grimmjow and swinging right for his neck in an attempt to decapitate him. ]

You're no different than any other monster I've killed.

[ He is, thankfully, but Sephiroth finds he also enjoys taunting him.

Does he finally have someone worthy enough to be called a rival? Is that what this means? ]

[Grimmjow laughs as he follows Sephiroth's movement, sword swinging up to block. He does it midair, and the force of the blow slams him towards the ground. He rolls as he lands, coming to a stop several feet away, and already getting back to his feet.

He was exhausted, sweat dripping, shoulders hunched. It wouldn't be long before he dropped, but he was going to keep fighting right up until that happened.]

You keep tellin' yourself that, asshole.

[It sounds downright affectionate, the way he says it. He hasn't had a fight this good since Ichigo last kicked his ass. He'd missed it.]

[ Sephiroth holds Masamune out to the side, long and still ready for action despite the slight tremor to his hand. He's never been this worn down except in training when he was much, much younger and that had been against an AI designed specifically to learn from and adapt to him. This is entirely different.

Sephiroth feels free somehow so he smirks and stalks closer. His gaze is all for the other man. ]

Oh, I will.

[ And he charges. He has enough energy to go for a little while longer but that seems like a waste so he puts it all into this one attack. ]

[Grimmjow snarls, straightening up as Sephiroth comes closer, pulling his sword up with one hand to defend against the attack while he gathers up the energy for a Cero. He doesn't have the strength left for a Gran Rey Cero, but he can see that Sephiroth is almost at his limits.

He releases it as their blades meet, damaging himself in the process but not caring. When the smoke clears, he's still standing there with both his hands back on the blade and panting heavily.

It lasts for a few seconds before his sword tips, falls almost in slow motion from his hands. His body follows, crumpling to the ground next to Pantera.]

[ The blowback from that scorches Sephiroth through their clashed blades. He doesn't feel it though, or much of anything anymore. Sephiroth falls almost in tandem with the other man, landing just to his side. Masamune phases out of existence once more along with his consciousness.

His last thought, remarkably, is that he is completely satisfied. ]

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TDM #1

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one-winged angel begins to play

Lmfao

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i get the joke now lmao

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