songerein | { a bit leafy }

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{ a bit leafy }

A BIT LEAFY

More details on everything can be found here.

I. LEAF STORM

II. INFESTATIONS

COMMENTS

I. LEAF STORM

During the first week of November, a storm of leaves will pass through town. It starts innocuous enough, with just a bluster of leaves carried in the wind that looks normal for the changing of the season. But as the days progress, there are large bursts even downpours of leaves that just fall all over town. And with this storm come strange things…

A. Leaf Monsters. As the leaves pile up and people attempt to rake and blow them away, there will be some strange movement...until it's revealed that oddly shifting pile of leaves suddenly rises up to try and attack, blasting sharp leaves and even trying to "engulf" the unexpecting, trapping them in piles of leaves. Time to deal with this sudden leaf invasion! (Note: the leaf monsters will be most active during the first week of the month and then taper off by the end of the second week. By mid-month, only a few will pop up here and there.)

🔥 Burn Burn Burn! Using any kind of wind will only disperse the leaf monster and make them split into more. They need to be destroyed completely, and the best way is through fire. Dreamotion fire especially.
🪤 Trapped. But be careful with that fire! There may be those trapped within the leaf monster itself, and burning it may hurt those inside. This is the one time using wind to disperse the leaves may be warranted, but maybe a "controlled blast" will help to keep the monster from spreading.
🐌 Animal Aid. While fire is the most effective, there are other methods—mainly through certain critters. The chickens around that statue from the Dream Board could probably help scratch and break them apart. Finding some special rainbow snails from the lake just south of town will also help as their glittery slime will not only trap the leaves, but also break them down quickly.

B. Leafever. The strange leaf storm and the leaf monsters are also bringing a strange cold-like disease, likely spread through the pollen or spores attached to the leaves. Those who get caught by the leaf monsters are most likely to catch it. Fortunately the effects are mild and only last a few days, week at most, but can be caught multiple times. There is also a cure, but it requires the same leaves that brought it.

🤧 Achoo! While having the leafever overall feels no different than a bad cold, some of the symptoms and side effects are a lot more…unusual with little consistency between individuals. Some may find themselves sneezing bubbles, others secreting slime as they sweat, and all dreamotion effects going haywire.
♨ Incense Burner. One way to help ease and lessen the effects of the leafever is to burn the leaves in a special incense burner infused with special dreamotion focused on healing and soothing emotions. A special stone must also be used, and it can only be found in the hot spring caves in Dragefjell, Dragon Island.
🍂 Leaf Sap. For the actual remedy, sap must be collected from the leaf monsters. How? Well—that's for everyone else to figure out, good luck. Maybe try squeezing the leaves? Or cook them?

C. Dryad. The most severe side effect of the leafever is the individual slowly turning more tree-like, some becoming similar to dryads. There are no serious side effects and will only last for about a day or two. In fact, those who "turn dryad" will feel healthier and livelier than usual. But it may be an interesting experience regardless.

🌲 A bit stiff. As the skin turns more bark-like and limbs become a bit more "wooden," those affected may find their movements a bit more limited at first. A bit of exercise and a gallon of water dumped on them will help loosen them up.
🌷 In tune to nature. While in this state, there will be an increased sense of awareness regarding all things plant. This includes the leaf monsters, allowing them to sense and pinpoint any that may be hiding or lurking around. There will also be a brief time where they can even control and call upon plants to do their bidding.
🍃 Big shed. When the symptom finally ends, all the leaves, branches, and bark will just fall completely off the individual and they will return completely normal without a single blemish. …And clothes. Hope this isn't happening out in public, ahem.

II. INFESTATIONS

With the changing of the seasons, all kinds of critters are either passing through on their migratory route…or burrowing in to start hibernation. Usually it's not a problem, but perhaps due to all the strange dreamotion energy flux over the past year, the creatures are behaving a little differently and getting in the way more than usual. The storm of leaves isn't helping matters, aiding in some of them to travel through. While some will appear during it, the majority will cause problems from around the second week onward.

A. Bugged Trees. Those living in treehouses are going to have a bit of a time as a number of insects will be looking to find a new place to chill during winter. Specifically, their home. Those who are under the dryad effect may want to be careful of any bugs that may be attracted to them.

🪲 Giant Beetles. Some may remember these fellows from previous years. The beetles are quite friendly, but they are quite large, large enough to ride on. They can also cause some rough damage on gardens and yards, their massive size creating large holes as they burrow into the ground. However, some are really useful with their pincers, capable of pruning unwanted branches. If not chasing them away, perhaps one could use them instead? (Especially against leaf monsters.)
🐞 Ladybugs. These ladybugs are average sized (thank goodness), but they have quite the attitude. Preferring colorful and well tended flowers, they will speak their mind should they find any that are wilting. They will also drop critiques on anyone with poor etiquette and living poorly. Those who have well kept homes will have an easier time with them…and also suffer large groups coming in hosting parties in the branches.
🦗 Crickets. The crickets are of the musical sort, ready to put on a performance to try and endear themselves to receive temporary lodging. Just for a few days! Their range of music is wide, from classical to punk rock to country to jazz to even rap. And while they try to be polite, well… Sometimes music jams happen whether they should or not. Like late at night. Crickets are nocturnal after all.

B. Migration Migraines. As if dealing with bugs wasn't enough, other critters are either migrating or looking to hibernate around town. One would think the Wildlands would have plenty to offer, but some may find the easy access to food in town a bit more enjoyable.

🦡 Honeycomb Badgers. These interesting looking badgers have a honeycomb for a back. While they will dig up gardens in search of tasty flowers, they need to "shed" their honeycomb and are deliberately going to people to offer it. They are not harmed and will just reveal normal fur beneath before a new honeycomb forms.
🦒 Flying Giraffes. A flock of large winged giraffes will be flying in and roosting on various tall buildings. They act a lot like Canadian geese, so…beware.
🐻 Cotton Bears. These cute little bears look like they could be living teddy bears with how small and plush they appear. And for winter, they are looking to sleep somewhere nice, soft, and warm. Like a bed. Now they don't really care if they are occupied or not, so maybe it would be better if some dens and beds could be made for them instead.

C. Field Foes. The farms situated around the outskirts of town are preparing to harvest their fields, but there's trouble. Unless it gets sorted quick, food might be harder to come by for the winter!

🌾 Scarecrow Rebellion. Something is wrong with the scarecrows, but no one is sure what. They're either sitting in the fields not trying to shoo away the numerous wildlife that have decided to come through, or actively waving their pitchforks at the very gardeners and farmers they're supposed to help. Perhaps they feel a bit underappreciated so some word of thanks could help them get back to work. In the meantime, some help clearing out the fields of unwanted visitors, especially the crows, will be needed.
🍄 Hopped Up Hares. Among the unwanted "vermin" are some hares that have somehow gotten into some…strange green mushrooms that have made them behave a bit erratic. They're digging up tunnels, wearing carrots on their heads, and stare blankly out into the distance. Catch them and drive them away! And maybe feed them some special pellets that will help cure them of their, uh, "ailment." It's not recommended to eat the mushrooms should they be found, but if one does…well, enjoy the same dizzying, heightened experience the hares did.
🍆 Oversized Veggies. Some young "genius" thought creating a special formula mixed with dreamotion would help the crops grow larger and faster. However, it only caused the vegetables to overgrow to as large as an adult person and are now rolling dangerously through the fields. Some even get into town! Pumpkins, carrots, lettuce, corn, potatoes, cabbages—all manner of vegetables are rolling around, so stop them before they cause too much destruction.

I. LEAF STORM

II. INFESTATIONS

COMMENTS

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Admittedly, Heizou is used to working cases alone. He's also used to them more or less coming to him rather than the other way around, but- that's neither here nor there. At the moment he's been led out to this place in the wilds, staring at this tree hollow with his head tilted curiously to one side and his hands on his hips.

And somewhere along the way, he happened to pick up this exuberant new companion. Not that Heizou minds necessarily. And besides, Yato is... actually kind of fun. In an odd way.

He mirrors that smile when it's turned on him, giving him an enthusiastic nod.]

Of course! Shall we go ahead and get right to it, then~?

[After his encounter with the candy corn golem last month, Yato is very pleased to have found someone with which to share this adventure. Two heads are often better than one, and two bodies means more targets for any dangerous opponents they may stumble across in their pursuit of the clothing bandit.

After a quick peek in the tree to make sure there's nothing creepy hiding right at the entrance, he nods back.]

Alright! Let's do this thing!!

[With that he scrambles into the hollow, bonking his head in his enthusiasm with a quiet ow as he starts down the tunnel. Maybe they should have brought a flashlight or something with them, just in case... Oh well, no use worrying about it now.]

[He'd been planning on taking the lead when it came to going into the hollow, but Yato's beaten him to with sheer enthusiasm. Not something Heizou sees very often, but he's not one to judge, even when he hears the other hit his head on the way in. It just makes Heizou chuckle a little, being sure to avoid doing the same as he follows along.]

Careful now~

[At least if he's not in front, that means he gets some warning if they should end up having to fight something. Plus, Yato seems like a perfectly capable fighter. That's one less thing for Heizou to worry about!]

You said it was a jacket that they took from you, yes?

[By Yato's estimate, it simply makes more sense for him to go first: he's a god, so it takes a lot to harm him and he's immune to some stuff, like falls from a certain height. That and he wants his jacket back, dammit! It's part of his carefully crafted image and it'd look weird if he wore anything else with the tracksuit pants.]

I gotcha.

[He almost nods in response to the question but the bump on his head reminds him not to get too over excited.]

Yeah, they took my jersey, the bastards! It matches the rest of what I wear perfectly, and I customized it to boot. So I have to find it. Did they take something from you as well?

[Now on a downward slope, he grunts a bit while trying to make sure he doesn't slip. Guess they'll be heading underground soon. Not his favorite location, but he'll deal with it.]

[Heizou just smiles a little at that - not that Yato can see it or anything, but that petulance really is just kind of... weirdly endearing. All this for a jersey... It's not the kind of stolen item case he usually sees, but an item of sentiment is still an item of sentiment.]

No, nothing's been taken from me- [This time. Yet.] -but I couldn't just let our nimble culprit get away with this little crime spree~ Though knowing this place, I'm sure it's just a matter of time.

[And with this downward slope and judging by the way the tunnel walls feel under his fingers-]

If it makes you feel any better, they almost certainly weren't targeting you and your jacket specifically.

[Normally Yato could brush off most slights against him after a while. He's not one to hold grudges, after all. But nobody, nobody messes with his clothes and gets away with it. Especially when he's already had to get himself a new sweatsuit already. He's not even sure if they'd have anything similar available here, so that makes it extra precious.]

Count yourself lucky, then. Though I appreciate the help even if you were planning on doing it on your own. Many hands make light work, after all.

[Whether that applies to this case remains to be seen. Coming to an edge, Yato stops, peering over before sliding out into a fairly large cavernous room.]

Not really. They've still incurred the wrath of Yatogami, and I'm going to let them have it when we find them!

[Heizou just hums lightly to himself at that comment. "Many hands make light work," huh? It sounds so nice in theory, but he's very rarely been able to confirm that for himself. Even here, where his reputation can't possibly precede him.

And- Yatogami? How interesting~]

Well then... Humor me, if you would. What sort of criminal do you expect us to find at the end of this tunnel? A dangerous warrior with a love for jerseys? An entire gang of ruffians looking to make a quick buck?

[Hmm. He poses an interesting question. It would behoove them to know more about their targets before they attack, but other than any clues they might garner on the way in, he's not sure how they could gain that information. Nobody in town seemed to know who - or what - was stealing the laundry.]

Not the first one. They've stolen more than one type of clothing. The second seems unlikely also, since who would they sell it back to but those they stole it from? Too risky.

No, I'm think it's some kind of kleptomaniac that likes fabric. But to take this much in such a short span of time... It can't be an individual.

[But an organized group of thieves operating in such a manner? Even more unlikely still.] Could it be some kind of creatures...?

[He says nothing while Yato talks through his thoughts, waiting to see where it will all take him. At least until he reaches that final thought, at which point Heizou chuckles and snaps his fingers enthusiastically.]

Bingo~ That's the same conclusion I've arrived at!

Feel these walls. No human-made tool would leave a texture like this as it cut into soil and stone. This tunnel itself is barely tall enough for us to pass through, and has hardly been in a direct line from the its entrance to this point. Not to mention the fact that thefts like this, at least in this dream world, are usually perpetrated by a group of "local" creatures- [He says that in air-quotes because he's honestly not sure how accurate a descriptor that is.] -or a similarly magical in nature population. How else could it be performed so swiftly, and right under everyone's noses?

[Speaking of-- Heizou definitely no longer has his shirt on. So. Case in point.]

Which then leads me to wonder... What would such a benevolent god such as yourself do to our little criminals when we find them?

[Upon reaching the heart of the matter and having his thoughts confirmed by Heizou, Yato nods. At least now they have some idea of what they'll be up against, even if it's still a broad category. He also does as instructed, feeling the walls with a hum of acknowledgement. Looks like they're on the right trail after all.]

Everything you say makes perfect sense when we put it all together. All that leaves us to do is see if we can't determined what type of creatures we're dealing with before we stumble upon their lair so we can be prepared to tackle them. Given that they seem to be subterranean they could be susceptible to light. I know my jacket was taken from me in the middle of the night while I slept.

[The miserable finks! Least they could do is face him while he was wearing it. As for his plans once they get a hold of them? Well...]

Divine retribution. A swift asskicking should suffice in making them give back our clothes. Seeing as how you've now joined the ranks of their victims.

[He gestures toward Heizou's now missing shirt with a smirk.]

[Oho, there's a brilliant serious side to this god, too! Heizou's smile grows a little, pleased to see that they're on the same page. More or less, anyway.

Especially now that Heizou's shirt is gone. With his attention having been brought to that particular fact, he just looks down at himself with a soft chuckle.]

Huh. I thought it suddenly got a little drafty~ They're quicker than I expected.

[Probably smaller, too, if they were able to whisk his clothes right off of his back without him even noticing. This might be tricky.]

And something tells me we're a lot closer to their den than we may have thought.

What I wanna know is how they manage to get it off when we're wearing the damn things. It's not like we're being wrestled out of them. It's as if one moment they're there and then the next--

[He stops as he feels a breeze blow by his knees, sending a shiver up his back. Glancing down, he finds that not only has he been relieved of his precious jacket, but now the matching pants have gone, too.]

ALRIGHT! That does it! No more mister nice god! An asskicking is too good for these things, I'm gonna roast them alive when I get my hands on them!

[More determined than ever, he starts stalking down the corridor in a huff, now only wearing his t-shirt, boxers, and boots. They better hurry if they don't want to be fighting in the buff.]

Let's go get these bastards, Heizou!

[Heizou can't help but chuckle softly when Yato reacts that way. It's a completely fair reaction so it's not like he's judging... But he still thinks it's fun to watch. Plus all of this will make things a little easier for Heizou; he's always been more of a fan of solving the mystery than apprehending the responsible parties, so he'll happily leave the punishing to Yato.

Though... roasting magical creatures alive doesn't sound appealing either.]

Take it easy there, my dear Yato. Let's focus on retrieving all the stolen items first, okay? We can punish them afterward!

Yeah, yeah. I hear ya. Can't go around attacking them too much until I find my jersey, after all.

[For his part, Yato prefers being the man of action, so this does indeed work out quiet well.

And springing into action, he starts down the path again, leading them past clothes scattered here and there. Gradually the individual articles of clothing begin to pile up, first in small bunches, then in larger piles, finally in huge heaps, before culminating in mounds that are almost as big as they are.

While in contrast, he loses his shirt somewhere along the way. Go fucking figure. At this point he isn't even surprised, just annoyed at the gall these things have.]

[At least Yato's not past the point of being reasoned with. Heizou's well aware of how stubbornly gods can stick to some of their whims. This is nice. He can work with this.

The amount of clothes they come across on their path is incredibly impressive. Heizou tries to take note of what he can see strewn about everywhere at first, thinking only about how to get everything back to their respective owners... But as soon as it starts to get overwhelming, he starts to realize that they're just going to have to tell everyone where to go to find their stolen clothes.

And yes, somehow both Heizou and Yato are still losing their clothes. Yet another impressive feat, considering the fact that Heizou had been in his full Inazuman attire. He's down to his shorts, the fishnet gloves on his hands, and the rope around his waist bearing his Vision.

He stops to stare at one of the larger piles, head tilting in thought.]

So strange... They're not really doing anything with them. Just piling them up on top of each other. I don't even see signs of anything burrowing into the clothing for warmth.

[There are certainly times when Yato can be stubborn and petulant, but he tries to take his work seriously, even in this dream world.

Unless there's some wider opening leading from another path, it's going to be a long haul to get all these clothes out. The thieves seem to have made off with every type of article under the sun, from shoes to dresses to cloaks. Aside from returning them all, the real question is just how the hell they're going to find their own belongings amongst the mountains of fabric.

Or perhaps the real real question is how they're being stripped as they're walking along. Nothing's touched them so far as he knows, he hasn't sensed anything, so how...?]

It must be some kind of magic or curse that's taking our clothes off us. There's nothing in here with us yet.

[As they come up to a particularly large pile, Yato surveys it with exasperation. They can't even make use of the crap they stole? Then what even's the point?! Are they just some practical jokers, or are they really kleptomaniac critters?]

I guess that's in that we won't have to wash everything once we get it out, but damn man, all this effort and for what? Some kind of weird, perverted collection?

[Like he has room to talk.]

There's definitely some kind of dreamotion magic at work here. How else would they be able to do this without us feeling a thing, or seeing where they've put our clothes?

[He reaches out to tug at one of the articles of clothing with a thoughtful frown. He doesn't quite try to pull it free of the little mountain it's become a part of, though. It's more about checking for any kind of reaction from somewhere in their environment, his eyes searching the darkened area while he rubs the fabric idly between two fingers.]

I don't sense anything, but our thieves must be here with us somewhere... Are you particularly practiced in any kind of advanced magic? If our clothes are vanishing off of us as part of a spell that's been placed specifically on this area, there should be some way to counter it, right?

That makes sense. Somehow I didn't think about the creatures here being capable of using dreamotion abilities, but it makes sense in hindsight when they're native to this world. I suppose that means the best counter to it would be another type of dreamotion.

[For his part, Yato's begun scouring the piles in search of his missing jersey, or hell, any of his clothes. They must be here somewhere, hopefully on top of the piles given they were just stolen. He pauses at a pair of striped lady's panties, eyeing them before chucking them back on the pile. Huh.]

Regrettably not. All magic is beyond me - what I do is cut things. [Not very god-like, he knows, but that's just the nature of his existence.] How about you? Any natural magic abilities or skill with dreamotion magic? Otherwise we really may have to settle this in our underwear.

[He circles around another pile, scanning it... until he trips over his socked feet. His boots have gone missing now.] You little shits--! I really like those shoes, dammit!

[Heizou lets out something of an exasperated sigh. What good is knowing a potential solution to a problem when you don't have the means to try it out?]

Unfortunately, I've yet to get accustomed to using the dreamotion magic here, so this... This is a bit far beyond me. [A lot beyond him.] I have some influence over the wind and air, but that won't be helpful to us here--

[And when Yato curses out like that... Heizou finds that he's lost one of his gloves at the same time.]

...Man alive, this really is quite impressive. Maybe they'll show themselves once we've lost everything we can lose. Or maybe- [There's suddenly a spark of mischief in his eyes.] -we have to make a bigger mess of their hoard~

Guess that means magic is right out. Should've figured that'd be too easy for them to let us have it.

[He sighs as well, chucking a few articles of clothing over his shoulder.]

Impressively annoying, that's for sure! Well, I don't want to wait around to see if they'll crawl out of the woodwork once we're completely defenseless. I say we trash the place! [He goes to roll up his sleeves only to remember that they have his precious jersey and so grumbles.] With extreme prejudice. You on board?

[Glancing at Heizou, he grins, then promptly uses his foot to kick a pile of laundry over, scattering it all over the floor of the cave.]

[Heizou smirks a little, making his way over to another tower of clothes while Yato knocks that one down. He lets out an overly dramatic, put upon sigh, looking for all the world like he's pouting about being told what to do. Even though he's still pretty quick to clench his fist and rear it back, already starting to concentrate a glowing flurry of wind and energy around it.]

I don't usually like having to resort to getting physical, but... In this case I guess I just have to make an exception~

[When he throws that punch the whole stack of clothes seems to explode under the force of it, the burst of air sending everything scattering around the cavern. Nothing's damaged at least, but it does look a bit like a tornado struck where all those clothes used to be.]

[Watching as the other pile gets blown away by the force of Heizou's impressive abilities, he lets out a whoop and upends another stack himself, letting it cascade down like a landslide. It feels damn good to let his frustration out in a productive manner. ...well, he'll pretend it's productive.]

Woohoo! That's the way! Betcha this will get our thieving twerps to come out!

[It does seem to be having some effect, as there comes a scuffling sound from nearby although Yato doesn't see anything just yet. He goes still, waving a hand at Heizou.]

Psst. Hey! Did you hear something?

[Heizou manages to get a few more piles knocked down before Yato calls for him to stop. And for all his fake pouting, he is actually having a lot of fun doing it. There really is nothing quite like having a moment to just cut loose and go a little wild. It's not like this is hurting anyone, after all.

Except maybe for the feelings of their thieves.

He does stop to listen at Yato's behest, head tilting while he tries to pinpoint where the sound is coming from. Wherever it's coming from, it's definitely getting closer and closer.]

...It sounds like our idea worked. I hope you're ready for this~

[It's almost a little disappointing that their chance at wrecking havoc is over so soon, but in the end their goal is more important than having fun. He wants his clothes back, dammit!

Having stopped to listen, Yato summons a pair of dreamotion blades that glow faintly as he turns his head this way and that, searching out the source of the noise. It seems to be coming from slightly deeper in, if his guess is right. Either they're approaching the nest or the creatures are coming to them.

He nods to Heizou to confirm that he is indeed ready to tackle whatever comes their way before starting to move forward to the next area.]

Ready whenever you are. Let's do this thing!

Meeting them in the middle, are we?

[He huffs out a little laugh before following Yato. He's still not a fan of having to resort to brute force, but in the company of a god who's probably more than capable of dealing with a sticky-fingered creature like the one they're probably up against... Well, he probably won't have to do much. That suits Heizou just fine.

He'll lend a hand if he needs to, though. He wouldn't leave his companion hanging.]

I'm right behind you~

Catfish Couturiers

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