songerein | This Flame That Burns Inside of Me

Entry tags:

This Flame That Burns Inside of Me | OTA

Who: Soldier: 76 & Anyone
Which: Open Log | March Catch-All
Where: Farmlands, Wildlands, room attached to The Wild Harvest
What: Helping clean up the farm lands for the farmers, falling back in to old habits of spending a lot of time out in the wildlands and visiting bees, and a flower surprise that 76 has brought back to his room that's attached to The Wild Harvest pub.
Warnings: N/A, will add as any come up

Days in the Sun
A.
[76 was no stranger to farm work, far from it; he was born and raised helping out on the arm his family owned on the outskirts of Bloomington. Wasn't a big one, but enough so that he always had farm chores to do every day growing up before and after school. Weekends, too. Always had free time with that, too.

Reason that he was more than eager to get out there, burn some of the anxious energy out of himself in cleaning up the planting fields and mend broken fences to make sure none of the cows or other grazing animals kept could get in to them that easily. Also mean shoring and patching up fencing for the fields those animals would be let out in to as well.

There was a yetox close by where he was currently working on clearing a field. Grazing on a pile of weeds he'd gathered and gave to it. Still wearing a harness, but the topless wagon it was hitched to was closer to 76, filled with other debris he'd been collecting already.]

Hope you've got multiple empty stomachs, big guy. You're goin to be eating well and burning it off today.

B.
[The yetox that was out with him was currently resting in the sun, while 76 himself had spread out some fabric to sit in the shade of the wagon itself, checking over the amount of nails he had and the condition of the hammer. Just beside him was a covered basket.]

Hey.

[Passing by? There was that gruff voice-]

If you feel like it, should sit down and relax a bit. Even if not working it's quite the walk to get out here. Got a bit of food and drink. Rest up for a minute, won't kill ya.

Shade of a Forest
[Was keeping himself far more bus than usual, more so after- well, felt like a good two months or more where he just couldn't get out here like he wanted. Given the work he was doing out by the farms? He was taking it a little more easy. Not camping out in the Wildlands as he had been, but it wasn't stopping him from re-visiting some places.

Been a while since he'd gotten a good eye on the dreamhoney bees after all.

Still would be a bit of a walk, stopping by other areas in the Wildlands between each hive he knew of.]

Should probably see what I can hunt-up to bring back to the Harvest with me.

[On occasion? A rather large dreamotion made wolf would be walking either alongside or a little ahead of 76. Blue eyes scanning the area and ears on the swivel. Sometimes there'd be two more to make it three total. Moving together as a unit and sometimes one scouting ahead if something caught attention.

Rather peaceful looking should they approach someone, at least.]

Thorns & All For A Blazing Dawn
[Once the second half of the month hits, and when not working in and around the Wild Harvest itself, 76 could be found in a room connected to the pub itself and the garden as well. The walls of windows that could be easily looked in to from either passing by or from the garden itself was blocked off by various plants in pots and some rows of very colorful jaws that acted almost like stained glass by how they were arranged; a rainbow of colors and patterns. Both the plants and filled jars gave him enough privacy, so he felt.

But he was sitting on one of the cushioned benched with a pot on the table, what almost looked like a golden rose bush with glass-like blooms and buds sat before him. A gloved hand cradling one of the blooms carefully, blue eyes narrowing as he'd taken off the tactical visor part of his mask once he'd gotten it in and sat down.]

How the hell did these come from me?

[He'd gone back out, looking for the area he'd finally been pulled free and, well. 76 had found a single rose bush, just a bit below his knee in height. Looked like it had actually grown on the trip back.]

What does this even mean.

(OOC: Feel free to hit me up/PM me if nothing here catches interest. I'll also be putting some planned threads in here throughout the month.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Color Yujin impressed by that quote. Indeed, it was accurate and appropriate. That's rarely ever the case with Sholmes. He turns his head to send a smile his friend's way.

But then comes the big issue raised by 76.]

Do you think... If we were to go into the cave first, they would still be here when we return? It feels rather inefficient to take it inside with us, doesn't it? [He's absolutely not saying this because he's getting cold feet about killing a deer. No. That is not what this is.]

[ Sholmes suffers a moment of brief conflict, but pragmatism and a morbid desire to witness Blue in action wins out over any pacifistic awe. ]

We needn't haul it with us, Yujin. Certainly Miss Blue can hang the carcass from a tree--well out of the reach of opportunistic scavengers. Then we may fetch and dress it on our way back.

[ He follows suit with a crouch and swaps a lens in his goggles to refract more of the low, ambient light. Whatever happens, he wants a clear view. ] I say get it over with, Mr. Seventy-Six.

Be hard to say for sure. At worst- [He kept that hand on Blue's wing, her moving in to a low crouch all the same, focused on one of the bucks already as her tail tip flicked, the feathers ruffling. She was certainly ready, waiting on a word.] -I can temporarily ice the carcass once it's been dressed to keep any bacteria from growing.

Once killed it's a race against time to keep the meat clean. Blue can stay out here and guard the iced thing and have her fill of the organs she enjoys while it hangs once you've both had you look-over.

[He pressed on that wing and let Blue go, her bolting surprisingly soundlessly as she made a sharp turn in to the trees, vanishing in to the shadows created by the leaves and limbs.

76 was able to track her movement through the visor's display, the target that fell over her moving right along with the hidden dragon.]

Now's the time to call it if you don't want to do a quick examination of one of the deer before going in to the cave. Blue'll still take one down, but it'll be her meal for the day.

[Point was? Once the dragon set in to motion, she'd have probably taken one out while they were in there.]

[Indeed, the prospect of scavengers was precisely why Yujin assumed the only alternative was to take the body with him. Hanging it from a tree is the sort of thing that hadn't occurred to him. This is why he isn't a hunter. And icing it to stop bacterial growth... Well, that's even better, which means all his reasons to object have gone out the window, just like that.

His gaze watches the dragon disappear into the trees and he knows there's no stopping it now.]

Oh... Well, if Blue will be moving in regardless, we may as well make use of the opportunity.

[ Ice the carcass? Sholmes has to wonder how. Some kind of applied refrigerant, perhaps? Ammonia? Carbon dioxide? Liquid nitrogen? What kind of world--or future--does this man come from where such a thing is a simple utility to be deployed in the field?

Once again, the more obvious (and less scientific answer) evades the detective.

For such a large creature, Sholmes can barely keep tabs on Blue. He can only hope other dragons in this dream realm are as friendly and well-trained; he never wants to find himself stalked by such a beast. ]

Have you remembered your tools, Mikotoba? [ He whispers this with eyes still trained on the unsuspecting herd. ]

I can make the field dressing quick, got a lo of practice these days.

[He'd even taught Kazuma, even if that was in the world before and using claws rather than a knife.

76 let his head move a he tracked Blue's movements, going still when the visor registered her just behind the herd in a tree above a decent sized grazing buck. None were the wiser to the predator so very close, nearly holding his own breath despite the many times he'd seen the dragon hunt now.

Was over quickly, propelling herself from the tree and hitting her target with enough speed and force that the buck likely didn't feel a thing. The only noise was the alarm from the rest of the herd as they did scatter—

His attention was caught as a few bolted not to the trees, but around the hill where the cave should have been. Why not go for the entrance...?

—Pushing back to his feet, 76 walked over to Blue and the downed buck, her standing up with a ruffle of wings and meeting the man's hand with her head. Tail flicking about like the wag of a dog's, knowing she had done well.]

You two ready to see what can be found as I go ahead and dress this thing? Sooner the organs are out the better.

[Yujin can do nothing but shake his head nimbly at Sholmes's question. He hadn't expected they would go hunting on a trip like this, let alone dissect anything. All he has with him were the essentials for a long hike and cave exploration. He has a knife, at least, but... So does 76, most likely.

When Blue hits the deer with full force, he recoils just a bit. Despite knowing it was coming, it was such a sudden, ferocious action that he couldn't stop his heart from leaping into his throat. Thankfully, the deer immediately fell still, implying instant death. That's good.

He trails after 76 with a nimble pace, his eyes on their target.]

Yes. Yes, of course. Go ahead.

A fine show of brutal efficiency! I've never seen anything like it. [ Sholmes tugs his goggles over the brim of his deerstalker and clears the distance with an eager, springing stride. Blue is offered a congratulatory pat before he leans over the downed deer. Even lying broken on the ground, the creature is still a striking sight.

A long arm swings down to pluck loose a flower, half-rumpled by the dragon's grim work. He twirls it slowly by the stem, then compares its scent against his memory of the stream water. Once satisfied, he tucks it behind his ear and pulls his bag back around to dig out a few loose sheets of paper and a nub of pencil. ]

If the two of you are quite happy to fiddle around in the innards, allow me the honor of taking dictation.

[ Maybe it will be legible. ]

[There was a knife drawn from its sheath at the back of his belt, just under his jacket. Always within reach as he kneeled down and was careful in how he moved limbs so he could get at the underside.

Broken neck made short work of the buck, and the flowers were still very much alive, vibrant. Close up it was clear how the plant-life and flora grew just like fur on the animal, very much a part of it.]

Going to mention my hands are still not normal after the Noctaere incident, just so this won't be overly alarming.

[Spoken because 76 was removing his gloves, knife-point stuck in the ground rather than keeping any hold of it. His hands were a dark black color as nails still were more claw-like than anything. A few dark blue highlights along his skin. His jacket was shrugged off as well, laying it aside and showing the discoloration went up past his forearm.

Smoothed the compression shirt he wore down a bit before he was taking up the knife from where he'd stuck it in the ground.]

This won't be the first time I've field dressed one of these, fed Kazuma a lot of their meat while I was out here with him.

[When they shared a meal, at least.

76 lifting the creature then so he could lay it on the hillside, belly-up, and head elevated and all four limbs out of the way before he started. Better for the blood to drain once he was cutting, avoiding organs. The blood, first of all, seemed to have streaks of green and blue that matched the Glowing Dawn flowers, nothing rotting about it. There was even that faint mint scent the flowers had mixed with the iron of blood.

The coloration ran through the organs and muscle of the deer as well.

He was careful as he cut loose and removed organs, setting them in a pile-]

If you don't want to keep any of those? Blue'll eat them, they're some of her favorite parts.

[Wasn't going to let any of the creature go to waste.]

[The discoloration is fascinating to Yujin. Is that the same sort of hue as the river water, or is it something else? On first glance, it's difficult to tell. Blood and water hold very different consistencies, as well as a different base color, which complicates the comparisons. He'd need samples. And then there's the organs. The meat... All of it appears affected. It leads back to the same question as earlier; is it the flowers which caused this, or is it the water which the deer would surely have been consuming their entire lives already? Yujin will voice these questions out loud, and Sholmes is free to dictate if he so wanted to do it.

Yujin isn't as packed as Sholmes, but he has a messenger bag with him all the same. Frowning, he takes out a medium-sized glass jar. He'd meant to use it for soil samples, or anything else they found in the cave, but... Well, this is perhaps more worthwhile.]

I'll take the liver. It's one of the most important filters within the body. And perhaps a kidney, if it'll fit.

[That he'll end up with blood samples as well is a given. It'll likely drain from the organs in question and fill the bottom of the jar.]

[ Sholmes scrawls some initial notes--location (𝒷𝑒𝒶𝓊𝓉𝒾𝒻𝓊𝓁 𝓌𝒶𝓉𝑒𝓇𝒻𝒶𝓁𝓁), approximate size of the deer (𝒷𝒾𝑔), manner of death (𝒶𝒸𝓊𝓉𝑒 𝒹𝓇𝒶𝑔𝑜𝓃-𝒾𝓃𝒻𝓁𝒾𝒸𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝓇𝒶𝓊𝓂𝒶)--before he's fully distracted by the grisly process.

Only when Yujin speaks again does he remember to jot more notes: the unique coloration of the blood and meat (𝓈𝑜 𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒻𝓁𝑜𝓌𝑒𝓇𝓈), that prevalent smell (𝓂𝒾𝓃𝓉!), and to-do's (𝒶𝓃𝒶𝓁𝓎𝓈𝑒 𝓁𝒾𝓋𝑒𝓇, 𝓀𝒾𝒹𝓃𝑒𝓎 𝓉𝒾𝓈𝓈𝓊𝑒, 𝒷𝓁𝑜𝑜𝒹. 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝓅𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝑔𝒶𝒾𝓃𝓈𝓉 𝒻𝓁𝑜𝓌𝑒𝓇𝓈 & 𝓈𝓅𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓌𝒶𝓉𝑒𝓇).

At the mention of organs, Sholmes has another empty jar at the ready--this one with hand-written label for "peanut butter" that he only had the patience to half scrape off. He scribbles "deer kidney" on the papery residue. ]

Here you are, doctor. Plenty of room.

Pass whichever jar you're using over then.

[Be it the one Sholmes offered up or not, 76 was slipping the freshly cut out liver in to it along with one of the kidneys one he managed to get a hand on it. There'd be noticeable flecks of green very similar to the type that had to be cleaned off and out of 76's own wounds the day he'd been found bleeding out.

There'd be plenty of blood collecting at the bottom of the jar for analyzing at the very least.

The rest of the offal was kept to the side, and definitely careful even before he got to the gallbladder; that was being put somewhere separately rather than risk any little puncture or tear spilling its contents anywhere-]

You're free to take the gallbladder, too, given what all it stores. Just be careful, don't really want to get that liquid on anything else, for a few reasons.

[Leave it to Sholmes to bring extra jars. Now the organs are certain to fit comfortably. As for the gallbladder, Yujin isn't about to say 'no' to that either. It's indeed a tricky one, what with the bile inside, so it will be kept nice and separate in the second jar. That way, it can't accidentally damage any of the other organs if it were to break. Yujin makes sure to slip it in with exceptional care and as he does so, his gaze lingers on the blood that stays behind on his fingers.

It's been a long time since he last had blood on his hands.

After a few seconds, he hastily wipes it off on a small scrap of cloth he'd brought along with him.]

[ Sholmes clamps his notes under one arm to take up the jar with the liver and kidney. He cleans off a few drips of blood with ... well, the pocket square Yujin had lent him on that first day, leaving it well and truly soiled. No salvaging it now!

He turns the container around, examining its contents. Vestiges of the deer's living warmth slowly heat through the glass to his fingertips. ]

Our deepest gratitude, Mr. Deer, for your invaluable contribution to science--and our dinner table!

[ He tips his hat to the remains and stashes the jar in his bag. Until they're ready to move on, he's quite content to watch Soldier 76 finish up; it's always satisfying to see a practiced hands at work, even if said hands currently look rather odd. ]

[With all of the offal removed and blood draining, 76 sticks the blade of the knife in to the ground in order to stand up and pick the deer up by the head and back of shoulders. A solid grip as he hoisted it up like that, blood draining out of it a bit easier like that-]

If either of you want a closer look at it now I can get it hung up a bit and wash off in the stream. [His head tipped-] Or if you want to leave it for now and head for the cave, I can get it hung up high and on ice for Blue to guard.

Either way, with the organs out it's safe to let sit a bit. [More so once he got it 'on ice' to help preserve it for longer.]

[The smell of blood is becoming a bit overwhelming to Yujin now, which is why he takes several step backwards once he's risen into a standing position, into fresher air. Curious; it never used to bother him this much. He must've gotten rusty over the years.]

Oh, no, feel free to hang it up high immediately. The most important clues will be in the organs, I'm certain. Anything else can be verified later, when the meat is stripped. Unless Sholmes believes there's something to be seen at this specific moment...? [He tosses a sideways glance towards his partner.]

[ Yujin's unusual behavior hasn't gone unnoticed. Is it squeamishness? How many human autopsies has this man performed? What's one deer to a seasoned forensic pathologist?

Rather than ask about it outright, Sholmes steps up beside Mikotoba, arms akimbo as he gives the scene a last once-over. ]

No, you're quite right, professor. The most telling information will come from a proper tissue analysis. [ He nods to 76. ] We really should move along.

[ He stuffs his rumpled notes into a pocket. ] However, these precautions against scavengers do give rise to another thought: Mr. Seventy-Six, have you observed these physiological traits manifest further along the food chain? In predators or carrion feeders? ... Humans?

Take a breather, this will take me a moment.

[Rather than say either one of them pointedly, even as his head tipped a bit towards Yujin as he spoke, 76 let it be addressed towards Sholmes as well. Blue was taking up her parts of the offal as a snack quietly as he was eyeing the trees to find one that could support the buck's body best-

Pausing a moment as his head turned towards Sholmes.] Can't say that I have, unless a Noctaere counts- and even then that was, uh. Me. I'll go in to a bit more detail in a second.

[76 was hauling the buck over his shoulders, back legs in one hand and front in the other, the inside already a bit frosty to prevent blood dripping as he- well.

The man practically took a bit of a run before he was leaping up in to the tree after a bit of mental calculation. Freeing one hand from the buck to better scale before he was securing it in the tree, a hand moving over to freeze it, leaving enough chill in the air around it to keep it like that.

Dropped back down to move towards the water right next to them to wash his hands and the knife used clean.]

The streaks you see in my hair are, from what I can guess given the color, what's left from the Glowing Dawn growing on and in me. Seem to glow brighter in response to the flowers, like matching them. [It was awkward, a bit weird but- well, didn't change the fact it had happened. Gotten more information on what had been going on with his Noctaere form and all.

Standing straight and drying his hands off on his pants after shaking off as much water as he could, pulling gloves back on as his head lifted, walking back towards both Sholmes and Yujin.]

Otherwise? No, can't say I've seen thee flowers on any predators or scavengers. Some of the boar out here have them, though.

[No no, Yujin will be fine. Several nosefuls of fresh air later, his stomach has settled right back down. Perhaps his breakfast hadn't gone down too well and it's left him extra sensitive to smells. Yes, that must be it.

He watches in amazement as 76 scales the tree so very easily to string the buck up. Marvelous acrobatics. But before he knows it, 76 is back on the ground and washing his hands. The man's words both answer some questions, and end up raising many more.]

Hmmm... What about younglings? Have you come across any fawns with these flowers? Something to indicate whether or not they were born like this?

[ Sholmes has never witnessed such a feat of human athleticism. Not to mention, the effortless method 76 uses to chill the carcass still defies all logic. That blasted magic again, surely! It's becoming increasingly irritating to his scientific sensibilities, but the only sign of this is a slight squint to his eyes.

He nods approvingly at Yujin's question, and adds his own follow-up to Soldier's response, trying to ignore the wet sounds of the dragon enjoying her morbid treat. ] It seems a bit antithetical for such things to flourish on a nightmare-afflicted creature, given their restorative properties.

[ Sholmes paces along the stream bank, then rakes his eyes over the surrounding forest, spying a few deer timidly peering through the distant foliage. ] To clarify: you consumed these creatures while in your Noctaere state?

The young have greenery growing on them, but I only notice blooms once they reach a certain age- around when they start using their spots, speaking of the deer. [He'd taken the time to watch the various herds, take note of their number and of course the rate at which they seem to reproduce.

It was peaceful, but even he'd been curious when he'd come across the ones that carried Glowing Dawns on them and realized their importance. The ones that had other flora on them seemed to be about the same- though it did at times depend on what plant or flower it was.]

So far the going theory is that they're why I didn't go on a rampage- I only went on the offensive if I was attacked directly in that state. [Reaper had been the one to figure that one out.] Were two different types of flowers on me, too.

[He smoothed down the sleeve of his jacket again, checking the over the gear on him -the handgun strapped and holstered at his thigh, and the knife sheathed at the small of is back once again- as he didn't want to take the pulse rifle in to the cave, but was debating removing it from Blue.]

No, but I'm not sure if I made it this far in that state, honestly. I did consume creatures corrupted by nightmare energy, but when I knowingly consumed these it was while I was out here with Kazuma after his first turning. [His head tipped to one side.] They were one of my main food sources because I was spending my time out here looking after him.

I noticed that he couldn't corrupt them as he could normal animals, and consuming their meat helped clear his head. He is who noticed the flowers were the only obvious difference in animals he could and couldn't turn, and with that in mind we tracked a herd of them to this cave.

[The wording of "blooms" catches Yujin's interest. Does that mean the flowers only begin to grow at a certain age, but the seeds of these flowers were embedded in the young fawns from birth? Something to investigate further, without a doubt. Though, he supposes the only way to really truly be certain would be to either raise these animals in captivity and track their growth, or dissect a newborn.

His gaze strays to the cave, almost absentmindedly. It's all very serene. Very quiet. He doesn't know whether to take that at face value.]

Speaking of the cave, has there been any news regarding the Ents?

[ Sholmes spies 76 taking stock of his weapons and his hand unconsciously rests on his own revolver--a .45 Webley modified to the point of being nearly unrecognizable. He only has precious few (traditional) rounds for it, but his aim is practiced enough to make each of them count.

Though ... hearing the old soldier talk about it, he does question how effective normal bullets will be against preternatural threats; it may very well be more useful to toss a few flowers in their direction. Especially if whatever they encounter used to be human. ]

Heartening, to know it might reliably subdue a person so deeply afflicted. Now, if we can devise a way to inoculate against it in the first place ... perhaps cultivate the same incorruptible state observed in the deer ...

[ As he muses, he continues to wander, thumbing the spring buds of underbrush and the tender fiddleheads unfurling from the mossy top of a fallen tree. ]

Reaper's stopped leaving skulls for me to find, so either they've not returned or- well. I don't know. I'd feel better knowing, but it's safe to assume the both of you will be alright if any of them are around at all. Still be cautious, but given past trips neither of you have any nightmare corruption clinging in such a way, right?

[For the time being? He chose to leave the pulse rifle strapped on to Blue safely. The sidearm would do well enough on top of the dreamotion he was armed with. Even still not at the top of his game, he had a few trick up his sleeve.

Turning then as he gestured for Blue to guard the tree the deer was in once she was done with her snacking. Could leave towards the cave then, heading for that waterfall once the other two were ready—]

I wish I could offer more, but I don't have memory of my own time like that, and only the behavior observed by the one who pulled me out of it. [He was sincere in that.] Last thing I clearly remember came before the turn, and that was suffocating- choking, really, on what tasted like plant matter and my own blood; a lot of pain that went beyond my own tolerance, on top of it all.

[There's a reason he wasn't sure if he died or if he'd turned before it could have killed him.]

[Oh, Yujin is more than ready to head into the cave. He doesn't have any weapons of his own on him; he wouldn't know how to handle one to begin with. Not in an effective manner, anyway. Should they run into some sort of trouble in there, he'll stay out of the way as much as possible and allow 76 to handle it. He can try to keep Sholmes within the realm of safety as well, but he knows well enough that his partner is wont to running headfirst into danger. As for nightmare corruption, he's very much clean and he doubts Sholmes has been here long enough to amass anything of note.

So he'll wander over towards the riverside again with a casual trot, eyes once again caught on the shimmering surface. He wishes he could say something useful in regards to 76's last few remarks, but... To voice the sentiment that such situations should be avoided in the future feels utterly pointless.]

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CW; field dressing a deer as vaguely as possible, w/ some descriptions for findings' sake

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