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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[ Aizen saw the whole thing. ]

I think it likes you.

[ He had been walking down the path and now joined him by the water. He appeared to be wearing a black outfit but perceptive individuals would recognize him as being sealed from head to toe. In truth, only his left eye, mouth, and ankles could be said to be free of them and that was because of Shunsui unlocking those particular ones. Despite all of the seals he didn't seem diminished in the least so who knew how monstrous he really was? ]

[Xie Lian was not one to judge a book by it's cover. After all, one of his very good friends was a Ghost King. A calamity with the ability to destroy the world. And they were on very good terms.

So when the strange man approached and Xie Lian looked up from his position sat in the grass, he smiled.]

Do you think so? I'd like it if it did. Maybe then it would be kind enough to leave some part of my robes dry?

[ Aizen smiled back. ]

How else would you have it show its affection, then?

[ He gazed out over the lake and found the carp. It seemed to be heading back toward them for another round. ]

By living a good life.

[The martial God cocks his head to the side and glances up at the man beside him again, a hint of amusement in his eyes.]

Do you often believe bullying your friends is a way to show affection?

[ Aizen smiles. ]

Is that what you think it's doing? How interesting.

[ Aizen easily turns that around on the man. Meanwhile, the carp comes up and...

splashes them both.

Aizen's laugh is easy and free when it comes. ]

May I?

[ He's asking if he can sit by him. ]

[In truth, he was used to being teased by friends. San Lang had been something of a bully, albeit the gentle kind that hadn't meant any harm.

When the koi popped up once again and slashed them both, Xie Lian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Now he was splashing others. Clearly he was friends with the whole world in that case.]

I think this fish is very bored and finds this all very amusing.

[Xie Lian smiled and bobbed his head in a nod.]

You may.

[ Aizen took the cue and folded his long legs underneath himself so that he was sitting a proper seiza. ]

You might be right about that.

[ The wind was blowing through the trees and with the lake in front of them, everything was very peaceful. ]

Do you think it woke up here as well?

The koi?

[Now that was a curious question, an idea he hadn't even considered before. But now he did.]

That would depend on whether you believe that you also 'woke up' here.

Which I'll admit, is a stretch of the imagination. My life before here was very real.

I agree. However, what might a fish think?

[ Aizen settles in and from somewhere in his robe produces a small bag full of breadcrumbs. It's anyone's guess where he hid it. He tosses a few into the water. ]

Do the fish think of things where you are from?

[He asks this with interest. He knew that there were spiritual creatures from his own home. Ancient creatures that had cultivated human forms. Koi, in particular, where known to become dragons if certain conditions were met.

Xie Lian looked toward the pond with a soft smile. Wondering if these were those kinds of koi. They seemed intelligent enough...]

Perhaps they're just waiting to become dragons?

[ The koi appears to snack on the breadcrumbs Aizen has tossed into the water. It's not alone either. Aizen studies the group of feeding fish as he answers. ]

No. I admit it was an idle speculation.

[ Two fish seem to discover the same breadcrumb at the same time and almost bump into each other trying to eat it. The victor moves on to other morsels and the defeated turns tail and swims away. ]

However, certain souls can resemble them. I imagine your dragons are the same.

Our dragons are spiritual creatures. Sacred. And scarce... In all my years I've never actually seen one before.

[But Xie Lian would have loved to. Even if it was just from a distance.

He leaned back on his hands and tipped his head back to gaze up at the sky, long, dark hair pooled all around him.]

... Though I know there are spells that can create dragons from the elements. And those are breathtaking to behold.

They sound remarkable.

[ Aizen tosses another handful of breadcrumbs to the hungry fish. ]

Ah. Of course. I do know one such spell.

[He watched Aizen throw more food for the fish by tilting his head when he heard the soft splishing and splashing. Xie Lian smiled as he contemplated falling back onto the grass and taking the time to relax.

But his interest was piqued a moment later. His brows rose.]

You do? Are you a cultivator?

[Funny, Xie Lian couldn't sense his Golden Core... but now that he was actually focusing, he could sense a certain spiritual power to the man unlike anything he had ever seen before.]

Mm. I was a shinigami until I evolved beyond them.

[ There is no hesitation in Aizen's response. His gaze is as blank and pitiless as the sun at this moment as well. The term might be unfamiliar but he doesn't need to know what it means because whatever that is he is above it. Some clarification is necessary though, if only to ensure the depth and richness of all that he is now isn't missed. ]

Narrow minds have sought and failed to contain me since then.

[ All the warmth has returned to him now. ]

Ah. Forgive me, I do but it would make a mess of things here.

Edited 2023-04-19 18:29 (UTC)

[Likewise that was a word spoken in a language that Xie Lian had never heard before. He didn't know what that was...however the look in the man's eyes left him feeling decidedly unsettled. To the point he slowly sat himself up straighter, his relaxed attitude giving way to a slightly more guarded one. Though his calm smile remained. It almost always did in the face of adversity, after all.

The shift in the man's mood, his words, it was not Xie Lians place to judge such things but he couldn't help feeling like this time he may due well to trust his gut.

He also had a feeling that, much like what a 'shinigami' was, Aizen wasn't entirely sure what a 'cultivator' was, given his reply.

This man was no cultivator.]

I think you've misunderstood me. But since we are from different worlds it's only to be expected. [He smiled and moved up to his feet, dusting off his robes of stray blades of grass and sighs when he sees a little green stain on his side.] Messes are so nasty to clean up, don't you think? And so easily avoided...

[ Instead of being offended, Aizen looks amused. It's in the faint upward curl of his lips. He's also still completely relaxed. ]

Perhaps we have misunderstood each other. It does tend to happen here. [ He appears to think for a moment. ] Gods of death. Shinigami maintain the balance of souls between the worlds of living and the dead. They didn't approve of my reforms.

[ That's putting it very lightly.

He tosses another handful of breadcrumbs to the waiting fish. The bag is almost empty now. Instead of looking at them though, his gaze drops to the other man's ankle and then raises slowly to his face. ]

Do forgive me for thinking I was speaking to someone similarly idealistic.

[ He smiles warmly. Either Aizen doesn't care that he unsettled him or he's trying to use it to his advantage. Whichever the case, he is taking this opening. ]

[There's a little tilt of his head and Xie Lian's eyes widen in surprise. There were Gods of many things but he hadn't heard of a God of Death before. Never heard of Gods who maintain the balance of the dead. The Ghost realm tended to regulate itself, San Lang had told him as much. As a Ghost King he had been the highest authority but there was no clear organisation. Just what he said goes. The rest was down to fate or the power of the souls whether they passed peacefully or not. Or if they would need a helping hand.

But it wasn't usually down to them to do such a thing.

Though Xie Lian had done his fair share of exorcisms over the last 800 years, after all.

Xie Lian was about to question further, until he noticed Aizen's gaze. And when he looked down it was to find that his robe had not settled as it should, and his shackle was visible. The dark mark a stark contrast to the smooth, pale skin underneath. He was quick to fix his rob, laughing nervously.]

Oh that, that's nothing to be worried about! I uh... So you're a God? I've never heard of one like you before! Though I've learned more over this last year than I have in all of my tears of walking the earth. And it's all fascinating and strange.

[ The fact the other man doesn't want to talk about whatever happened just means it is of more interest to Aizen. ]

Never? [ Aizen's eyebrows raise a fraction of an inch. He isn't actually surprised. It's just a way for him to try to draw out more information from this person. ] I haven't seen you around here before. Unless...you've been keeping out of Williamsburg.

[ Aizen tosses out the last of the breadcrumbs and crumples the empty bag into a ball. ]

[There was an amused curve of Xie Lians lips and he shook his head.]

I haven't been here long. But I usually keep to myself.

[It's usually easier that way. His bad luck would only hinder himself then.]

Welcome, then. May I ask why?

[ Aizen tucks the crumpled bag somewhere into the folds of his garments. He looks for all the world as if he's just making casual conversation and not meticulously filing away every detail. ]

[Why...? Xie Lian smiled politely as he considered just how to answer that.]

You could say that bad luck tends to follow me.

[Staying anywhere for more than a few years was usually a very bad idea and made it more likely something terrible would happen. If he didn't just walk in on it blindly in the first place.]

I'm a wanderer by nature. Collecting scrap from all over the country, where I'm from.

Oh? All your own?

[ Aizen chuckled a little. ]

In my experience, there are always those who seek to interfere with others. I wonder then if you'll find more peace here than you imagined.

[ The koi had finished feeding and were themselves dispersing to their own ends at this point. ]

What are you looking for?

[ Aizen's gaze was for the fish, but his question was for the other man. ]

Most often than not, yes.

[There had been times when he had a companion or two, someone who walked with him for a time. Never more than a few years. But those few times and few years were nothing much to the other 800 when he had spent his time alone.

Xie Lian watched the fish with a faint smile, nodding slowly. He didn't deliberately or actively seek out to interfere with others. Sometimes it just... happened. Usually without much input from himself.]

Peace. Isn't that what all beings look for? Peace. Happiness. Somewhere to belong.

[Xie Lian sounded almost wistful then, but his smile was still calm and friendly and his gaze steady as he looked out at the pond.]

Belief. It is the nature of all living things to find some being greater than themselves and place their trust in that being, following it blindly. In order to escape from the pressure of that trust, those beings seek a still greater entity in which to believe, and those greater beings too seek still greater, still stronger beings to follow. This is how all kings come to be, and this is how all gods are born.

[ Aizen fell silent. These were the exact words he once said to Shinji, and he still knew them to be true. He also knew that he would one day sit atop the heavens. It was only a matter of time, and he had that in abundance. ]

I hope you find your peace here.

TDM #1

Linlae Botanical Gardens

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