songerein | open 🌠 you see the shadows

Entry tags:

open 🌠 you see the shadows

Who: Tifa Lockhart & you!
Which: Open log + interactive dream
Where: Around Reverein, Mount Nibel
What: Mount Nibel Incident dream, and a couple of dream board postings.
Warnings: N/A for now

✨ i. "the day mom died..." — interactive dream

[There's a winding, rocky path overlooking the town of Nibelheim below, but where it should be clear, the mountain the path leads up is shrouded in a fog that only grows thicker with each passing moment, with what the eyes can see morphing and twisting in and out of view, almost as if the entire landscape isn't sure what it should be. There's an unshakable sound of static in the air, and a rumbling underfoot that isn't too threatening, but it's noticeable enough that it makes itself known.

On one ledge of the path up the mountain are four children. Three boys, whose faces fade in and out of clarity, and a girl with long, dark-brown hair, all looking up at the mountain as they talk, but their words are cut out by the static.]

"Mt. Nibel is scary. Many people have—there."

"—one crosses that—alive."

[The girl turns to face them all, revealing a much younger Tifa, not a day older than nine-years.]

"How about—died? Did—pass through—?" [Tifa wanders past the boys watching her, up the path.] "I'm—"

[Two boys follow while one runs the other way, threatening to bump into any dreamwalkers as he rushes back in the direction of the town. If Tifa is followed, they'll reach a bridge that she crosses fearlessly and without a word, but like the rest of the mountain, it fades in and out of view as well. There, the two boys who remain rush off, leaving Tifa to venture up the rest of the mountain alone.

...

But they stop upon seeing someone new. Someone who might be able to help?]

"Please, you have to stop her! It's dangerous up there! We're going to go back down and get Mister Lockhart."

[And off they go together without another word.]

** ( ooc: Because Tifa doesn't remember this event in full, I fully encourage anyone to have your character influence the setting as much or as little as you'd like! )

✨ ii. freeloading reindeer

[Having done some work on the communal gardens already, Tifa's grown handy with a hammer and nails. Not that she wasn't already proficient enough, but there's a difference between fixer-uppers around a bar that she knew like the back of her hand and building wooden flowerbeds and fences, and the latter has allowed her to at least learn some proper techniques in woodworking. Hell, she's even started learning how to sand and polish, so something like this should be a piece of cake.]

There. I think that's the last of it.

[She'd been hauling wood around all morning, the large planks thrown over her shoulder before she sets them down out in the middle of the farm where there's plenty of room to build out. It's nothing but a pile of wood and a bag of tools, and whoever else has come all the way out here with her, and around them, the reindeer will be grazing and curiously watching from afar, still not sure if it's safe to approach.]

So, it was a new stable for them and a fence, right? Gotta say, biggest thing I've ever built was a flowerbed so this'll be new to me.

✨ iii. new year's noctaere

[It is a little terrifying going up against the Noctaere, especially when she knows little of what to expect upon entering the dreamscape, but Tifa was never one to sit back or sit still for very long. Not when there were threats that needed to be taken care of. She might not be the most experienced partner in the dreamscapes, with her skills in dreamotion magic leaving plenty to be desired, but she can pack a punch when needed, and it has come in helpful in a lot of cases.

That isn't to say she's completely useless at magic, but she'd prefer to let her fists and feet do the talking if it came down to it. Which it will.

And just before stumbling into the dreamscape, she looks over to whoever has volunteered for the job with her, and gives a firm nod.]

You ready?

** ( ooc: if you have a preference for the dreamscape, then please let me know in the subject line! Otherwise, I'll randomize which one we end up getting! )

✨ iv. wildcard

[None of these prompts work? You know the wildcard drill! Feel free to leave something else below, or contact me via PM or @ crystariums if you'd like to plot out something! Tifa can be frequently found at the communal gardens, at the edges of the forest training, and just in general wandering around Reverein, so she's easy to bump into. Also okay with any of the dream board postings!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[It's fine. They're fine. Probably!]

I don't think they'd appreciate us trying to line a tape measure up with them.

[She's got one in the kit somewhere, but she's not going to risk it.]

Just to get a sense for how big they are, you know? I'm sure we could figure out the rest.

[She may also secretly want to get closer to it, just to see if she can actually step right up to the reindeer and give it a pet... Don't worry, she'll be careful.]

So more like an eyeball kind of thing. Or use my arm. Something.

[It occurs to him then it'd be a bad idea if the reindeer decide to bite them and he's immediately thankful he's already removed his rings. So he'll saunter over slowly.]

Hey what's up Dasher and Dancer and whoever the other guys are in that song.

Something like that.

[The reindeer lifts its head, standing up tall and straight as Zhao makes the first move in its direction. Its hoof taps against the snow, but other than that, it makes no move towards them or away. So far, they're off to an okay start—better than what she expected.

Tifa slowly comes up beside him and waves.]

Can we borrow you for a sec? We're here to build some brand new, bigger homes for you guys and could use a little bit of help.

[It turns, slowly, to face them.]

Is it working!?

Maybe.

[Zhao is taller, at 6'1", but with the reindeer's antlers, it's got about an inch or two on him.]

We just need to figure out the space for you so you're not breaking shit with your impressive racks.

[Reindeer are smaller than horses, but the antlers do add some size to them. As he walks around carefully, taking that eyeball measure, maybe his flippant "just make it as big for a horse" might not be a bad idea.]

Ah—?

[When Zhao circles around it, the reindeer's gaze follows him, but that isn't what has Tifa almost springing forward. It stomps its back hoof and rears its head, showing off its antlers. And just when it looks like it's about to charge at Zhao for getting too close...]

Look out!

[ ...

It lunges forward and bumps the side of its body against his hips, and reveals its back, as if... does he want Zhao to ride it...?]

UHHHHH.....

[He says intelligently and even the Dreammotion behind him just forms ? in smoke and snowflakes. He's seen people ride horses before. On TV.

So he is NOT very graceful but he does eventually manage to get on the reindeer's back.]

Okay...now what?

[The reindeer rears its head and begins trotting off towards all of their things, and Tifa has to jog alongside it to keep up with its steady, if not a bit too quick, pace. Hopefully Zhao finds something to hold onto!?

And when they arrive, it grunts, and turns its head just so to peer back at Zhao, and then to the wood, and then to Tifa, as if either of them understand what it's trying to say??]

Does it... actually understand us?

[The reindeer makes a noise again, and lowers its antlers to the wood, knocking the pile over.]

You want us to measure you like this?

[Another grunt.]

Well...definitely easier than going "just by looking at you, you're obviously this long" so I appreciate the help.

[He looks VERY awkward trying to get off the reindeer without falling on his ass. But he dusts himself off and maintains his cool as though everything went fine, there was nothing wrong with what you just saw, clearly.]

How about we start measuring and get to work, yeah? Maybe after we do a good job here, I'll get experience for what I really want to build.

[No time to waste. Tifa lines up the long piece of wood with the reindeer and marks the top of it with some chalk she's kept in her pocket before setting it back down and looking around at their surroundings. There isn't a lot to work with, but this wouldn't be the first time she's done some woodwork.]

We'll need to dig around the perimeter first for a foundation. Wouldn't want this thing to come down on a windy day. You think you can get started with that, and I'll get to chopping the wood?

[There was, however, something else that piqued her interest that she asks about as she scoops up as much as she can carry into her arms.]

You looking into building something else?

Or taking something over. A bar. If I'm going to be stuck here for a while, I want to try to recreate what I have at home.

[He's strong enough, although he has a feeling he's going to very sore after all the digging he's about to do. Too bad he couldn't somehow use his Dreamotion to dig through dirt quickly or eat it or...whatever that would be less of a pain in the ass than digging a hole.]

[Once Tifa is done with the wood cutting, she'll join him in the digging, but for now, she's happy to learn more about this bar he has in mind.]

If I didn't know any better, I'd start to think we were all bartenders before coming here.

[There will be more establishments than they'll all know what to do with by the time she opens up hers! But not that it's a bad thing—the more, the merrier. Not like they'll be competing with one another for business, and it'll be nice to see what kinds of things everyone else can mix up.]

So you owned a bar back home then? What was it like?

No no, I didn't own a bar. Me and my friends lived above it. It was our place, called Survive.

I guess my thought is if I'm here, I either want to try to build it or maybe be a cook at someone else's bar...'cause I think I remember you telling me you worked at a bar too? Or owned one?

Because if you're making one yourself, I'll help you out.

[She picks up the axe that's been provided to them and looks it over. It's a bit on the rustic, old-fashioned side, but it will have to do... Hopefully her aim is good on her swings...]

That's still a way's out yet. I've got a few ideas, but nothing solid just yet.

[That, and—]

Trying to help the Wild Harvest get off the ground first anyway. Where's the fun without a little healthy competition. You know Kazuma?

Can't say that I do, but definitely can't have a place thrive without healthy competition.

[It didn't really occur to him to try to secure help for a restaurant because he's so used to doing things on his own. Or worse, not having people believe in him. But things are different now. Maybe he could give that a try? Tifa wouldn't be a bad person to work with.]

So is this us checking out other places for ideas, yeah?

[Yes he did just team himself up with you, he doesn't waste time hope you don't mind Tifa~]

[At that, she gives a laugh and straightens from her work, giving her pants a brush off.]

Could be. Although I've got some ideas of my own, but...

[It would take working with a certain someone and his dogs to make it work, and she isn't sure if he'd be all in for it... Not without some real persuasion. Maybe sometime in the future. For now, it's still fun to think about.]

Can't make any promises that I'll make it work. But don't let that stop you. I know a lot of people would love more places to pick from.

That's more than fair BUT...you seem to know what you're doing so I don't mind following your lead.

I used to run a restaurant where I was from but stuff happened. Wouldn't mind starting over from scratch.

You said your bar was 7th Heaven and mine is Survive. So maybe somewhere in the middle of heaven and just surviving, we'll find something good, yeah?

[Tifa nods with a sheepish smile as she sets the axe on her shoulder.]

I can certainly help with that, yeah.

[She grabs another piece of wood and begins to measure it against the last one she'd chopped, and brings the axe down over it, snapping it clean in half. It's far from perfect, but it'll at least be enough for their foundation.]

I mean, if you ever need tips on running a place, I'm your girl.

[Although there are definitely plenty of others that are just as capable as she is!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

open 🌠 you see the shadows

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