songerein | Open | November Catch-all & Dream

Entry tags:

Open | November Catch-all & Dream

Who: Trahearne and you!
Which: Open log
Where: Out and about in town all throughout the month, mostly the archives
What: Catch-all for the month! Dreamboard quests in Reverein and reliving the earlier years of his life in a dream
Warnings: The disfigured undead (zombies), ghost peppers, others to be added if they come up

> REVEREIN | LIVE LIFE WELL AND FULLY, AND WASTE NOTHING.

❋ harvest.
[ As much of a bookworm Trahearne is, he does understand that he needs to go outside every once in a while. And what better way to be outside than to make himself useful at the same time?

And so, the sylvari decides to help out with the harvest one sunny afternoon, burying himself among the thick leaves of the ripened harvest to really get in there and get all the goodies out. Nothing like some hard physical work to refresh the mind, right?

Unfortunately, however, the natural colors of his "clothes" and skin blend in quite handily with the rest of the foliage, especially at this time of year. When he feels a firm grab on the leaves that make up his skirt, he shoots upright and whirls around to look at you, bewilderment written all over his face. ]

--Oh! That's--that's me.

❋ photographs.
What a curious contraption.

[ Trahearne will not say no to something novel and interesting. After being handed the dreamotion camera, he turns it over in his hands, studying it. Questions about how it could have been created, how it works roll around in his mind, but he quickly scolds himself--what point is a test if he doesn't actually experiment with it?

He turns to the person nearest himself--that's you--and holds it up with a smile. ]

Let me take a picture of you.

❋ archives.
[ As the one who runs the archives, Trahearne is there all the time. Every day. By the time the sun rises and long after it sets. He rarely takes full days off; it's rare to find him elsewhere. Sometimes, he even brings his cat with him.

And so, if you have any sort of business at the archives, he's there, ready to help. He knows every book on every shelf, and at a healthy six-foot-two he can reach the top shelves. He's happy to tutor anyone who needs assistance putting together an entry. He's happy to talk about work, either in this life or the last. He's just happy to be here, to be honest. ]

❋ wildcard.
[ Feel free to make something else up, or find me on the discord or at unkie for a personalized starter! ]

> DREAM | THE SCHOLAR DREAMT OF A LAND RECLAIMED FROM THE DRAGON'S TOUCH.
[ In his Dream before life, Trahearne saw the dead Kingdom of Orr, a land that had been dragged out of the sea by the undead dragon Zhaitan, green and growing again. Upon awakening, he knew this was his life's mission: to purify Zhaitan's corruption and bring life back to Orr. His goal is impossible. Laughable, even. Yet the call of a Wyld Hunt is irresistible, so as much as he hates it, he spends weeks, months in the dead land alone, scrambling for any lead that might bring him closer to his goal.

He will eventually cleanse this land. He will eventually lead the forces that will fell Zhaitan, but not in this dream. Right now, that is many, many years away.

The land is devoid of life, cramped by unnaturally-shaped terrain, ruins of buildings that are mere shadows of their former grandeur. Oversized barnacles and dead coral from centuries under the ocean cling to the crumbling structures, towering over the soggy ground like otherworldly trees. Unnatrual shrieks occasionally pierce the silence, perhaps seabirds that strayed too close to the corruption. It stinks of brine, of rot and decay. The clouds above take on a sickly green hue, a reflection of the putrescence that permeates the land below. And dotting the landscape, all around, are graying, decaying corpses shambling about, looking for victims to which to spread their corruption.

This is Trahearne's life. ]

❋ research.
[ Orr sat at the bottom of the ocean for nearly two centuries--any original writing that may have existed on the island decayed or was destroyed a long, long time ago. It is exceedingly rare to find any in-tact inscriptions, much less legible ones.

So when Trahearne clambers this tower and finds what looks to be a massive stone tablet partially buried in rubble and debris, he can hardly contain his excitement. The first line peeks out from the dirt--"Darkness pays Orr a visit." Is it a poem? Epitaph? A warning of sorts? He has to know.

Except the tablet is nearly twice his size, almost five times his weight, and the rubble that obscures the rest of the inscription is cumbersome--it might even be supporting the rest of the structure at this point. Regardless, he's going to try and pull it free, whether it's a wise idea or not. ]

❋ cornered.
[ Despite how careful he tries to be, Trahearne isn't perfect, and the Risen are very good at popping up where he doesn't want them to be. He's ventured into one ruined structure, keen to map it out and determine what possible use it must have served, but the problem with grand buildings of this scale having been hidden underwater for centuries means the inside is essentially a subterranean maze, interrupted in places by tunnels filled with putrid water and rotting plant matter.

Trahearne should know better than this, and curiosity is coming dangerously close to killing the sylvari. He stands with his back against the wall in this little pocket of air, the only passages in or out are filled with water. Risen stagger out from the water, clawing at the ground to try and tear Trahearne apart. ]

S-stay back! [ He brandishes his scepter, though he knows it isn't much of a threat. His own necromantic minions stand before him to guard him. ] You will rue the day you crossed my path!

[ Despite what he says, the fear is evident in his eyes. The Risen are everywhere, and there are so many of them. If only he weren't alone... ]

❋ respite.
[ Nighttime in Orr is dark. With no real settlements for miles in any direction, the veil of night that falls over the island is thick, impermeable. The only dot of light is the small fire Trahearne has going--he's perched himself atop a crumbling stone structure, just large enough for two people to sit side by side. Not that anyone will come to join him, of course. He's alone in Orr, as he has always been, and he sits with his knees to his chest, as though trying to shrink himself from the Risen's view.

There is a little pot bubbling over the fire. Cooking inside are asparagus, truffles, and ghost peppers--what he always eats. It's all that really grows around here. The oysters and fish are nowhere near safe enough to be consumed.

Absently, Trahearne reaches into his pack and takes a bite out of one of his ghost peppers. He doesn't even flinch. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Trahearne shakes his head. It's still amazing how polite everyone here is, to even have someone like his new conversation partner who even clarifies that he isn't interested in insulting him. A single Tyrian could have more colorful "nicknames" for him than the number of times he has been insulted in Songerein for being sylvari. ]

No offence taken.

[ His quiet utterance is quickly overshadowed by his brightening expression at the mention of a familiar name. ]

I do! Seventy-Six is kind, and an excellent chef, I agree. You and I have similar skill, it seems. And personally, given the choice, I would much rather eat at the Wild Harvest than my own paltry cooking.

[ ... ]

Not to insult your cooking, of course. Your grilled dolyak could be heavenly, for all I know.

Yeah. I feel the same way. If he's willing to make me a meal, I'm happy to take him up on it.

[Nier laughs. It's a little rough, just like him, right around the edges, but filled with a warmth that's undeniably him.]

I have no idea what a dolyak is, but I'm gonna let you know now that anything I cook isn't anything special. It's edible, but maybe just barely. He's been trying to give me some pointers— [76, he means.] —and I keep them in mind, but I just don't have a taste for flavours the way he does. He's also a lot more committed to it than I am.

[ Trahearne can't help but chuckle a bit at Nier's admittance. That sounds familiar. ]

I could have said the exact same thing. I take it most of your cooking has been for survival, then.

[ Making available ingredients edible. That sounds like him. ]

It's that commitment that keeps the rest of us happy, I'd say. We're lucky to have someone like him willing to cook and feed the rest of us.

[ Everyone has a role in the community--someone has to make food. It may as well be someone who enjoys doing it, too. ]

That’s right. [He confirms it without even a moment’s hesitance.] Never really needed to do it for much else.

[He doubts 76 ever really needed to do anything else with it either. If anything, he’s probably just done it because he enjoys it. Other people benefit, which is a bonus, and while Nier would say 76 is the type to be that altruistic, it probably is centred around being something pleasant to do and not purely obligation.]

We are pretty lucky. It’s a good thing doing that kind of thing makes him happy. Can’t imagine he’d be forcing himself to do it otherwise. Should find a better way to thank him for everything he does.

[ That's the beauty of a community like this one--people naturally gravitate towards their strengths, what they know best, and they eventually fill specific niches. And in 76's case, it so happens to be that the good man fills a role that all residents of Reverein can appreciate. Trahearne momentarily feels a bit silly at the thought, knowing his skills and specialty fall squarely in a category not wholly necessary for survival, but he hopes it serves others somehow.

Anyway, this is about 76. ]

We should. [ It's only fair. ] Cooking, and cooking well is not easy. I admit I don't know him all that well--but it sounds like you do. You must know a thing or two about what he might appreciate.

Huh, does it seem that way?

[Nier’s not sure he knows him well, by any means. Nier seems to know of people. He knows he’s close enough to know the man’s real name. He tries not to ask too much about his past, though he’s willing to hazard a guess that he knows a hell of a lot more about 76 than the other way around.

…The only person who probably knows him particularly well is Kainé. Nier has continuously been very careful about keeping information to himself. What would be the point in talking about it anyway?]

Maybe. Not sure what he’d like, though. Anything I think he would he’d probably just be able to do himself. He’s stupidly self-sufficient. Kind of hard to find a thing to do when he can basically do it all, you know?

[He laughs.]

[ Trahearne chuckles lightly in turn. He's absolutely right. 76 has a network, a lay of the land, a handle on all these fantastical creatures, and is even a fantastic chef. Since when could there be anything Trahearne could do to help him? If his new harvest friend doesn't know, then it's unlikely Trahearne will. ]

I'm inclined to agree. I suppose I'll set aside that idea for now.

[ There must be something else, but he can think about it another time.

He straightens himself as he sits. Time to prod because he's still curious. ]

Who is it you live with?

Hm? Oh, uh.

[Nier lifts a hand and poises it at his chin with some thought. She probably won't care if he says it, but it's not like he knows for sure. She's private in her own way. And honestly, he has no idea if she talks about him. If she does, then he has no idea what she would say.

Given the recent days... He doesn't even know where they stand with one another.]

Name's Kainé. Not sure if you know her. White hair. Guess she can be a bit mouthy when she wants to be, but she means well. Hard to miss her if you know her.

[ Trahearne's gaze drifts briefly in thought. Yes, he has heard that name somewhere before. It's been a while, but he feels like-- ]

Oh! Yes. I have met her. [ He looks back at Nier with a smile. ] We met once. She was rather... [ What is the word. ] ...intense.

[ Even though he had been purposefully made to be more cowardly at the time, he feels like he would be just as intimidated by her if he saw her again now. ]

Give her my regards the next time you see her.

[ A beat. ]

My name is Trahearne, by the way.

[A small laugh escapes from Nier. Intense. That’s probably the nicest way he’s heard someone describe her. He’ll have to go to her later and let her know that she’s still making a good impression on the others.]

I can do that. And you’re right. She’s a bit intense. Probably more so for people who aren’t expecting that. She can be a little abrasive, I guess.

[Although he sort of likes that about her. She knows what she wants and she’s fiercely loyal. He couldn’t ask for anything more from a friend or someone he considers family, at the very least.]

Trahearne, eh. [He tries not to butcher it in the gruff gravel of his voice.] Good to have a name that goes with the face. I’m Nier, though I guess ‘old man’ works just as well. A few people call me that here. Call me whatever you want.

[ Well. She didn't do anything bad to him, per se, and they did share the extremely embarrassing experience of linking arms and singing and dancing, so...she's in his good book. They share an awful secret, at least.

Trahearne smiles, and gives him a dip of the head accompanied by a good-natured chuckle. ]

Then well met, old man. [ There's something about Nier that tells Trahearne he'd fit right in on Tyria. That's possibly because there are a good handful of friends back home he'd refer to as "old man"... It's a bit nostalgic, in a way. ] And likewise. Though we met seasons ago, this feels more like the true beginning of our friendship.

[ They are friends now. ]

[Nier snorts out a laugh. Trahearne says it so easily. And maybe Nier is just a really easy-going guy, but it's not taken him long to determine that he likes this walking, talking plant.]

Friendship, huh. Yeah. You've got me there.

[It does kind of feel that way. Friendships are formed over sometimes the most simple of things. Sometimes it is adversity. Sometimes it is merely in gardening.]

Hard to believe that flower festival was some time ago, though, isn't it? Sometimes doesn't feel like much time has passed here at all, but maybe that's just me.

[ There is plenty of friendship and joy to be found in the simple act of digging things up from the dirt.

When Nier affirms their friendship, Trahearne absently begins collecting the vegetables he'd harvested earlier, placing them in neat piles. ]

There are some days I feel as though I arrived yesterday. [ He looks up at Nier, neutral smile on his face. ] And sometimes I feel as though I've already spent a lifetime here.

[ He chuckles at the thought. ] I suppose our perception of time can't be trusted in a dream world.

Yup.

[Nier could resonate with that deeply. It's the same for him, of course. Some days it feels like he's just arrived all over again. Some days it feels like he's completely forgotten what time is even like.]

For a long time, I wasn't keepin' track, honestly. Tried to when I first arrived because of the moon— [He pauses for just a moment before explaining.] —somethin' we don't have back home. So watching the day turn to night and back to day took some adjusting. I guess when I got used to it, I stopped counting, so I forgot how long I'd been here. Even now, I can't put a number on it.

[But maybe Nier is just so laid-back that the passage of time didn't matter to him. What was time to a man like him?]

[ Trahearne gives a hum of intrigue when Nier brings that up. He's heard about all sorts of worlds thus far, but this? This is a first. For a moment, he studies Nier before tilting his head quizzically. ]

Your home doesn't have night? That's...fascinating, if you don't mind me saying. [ It seems to be such a given. When else were sylvari supposed to glow? How else were sylvari supposed to determine personality without Cycles?! ] Seeing the moon and the stars and the darkness must have been bewildering.

Uh. No. Books talked about their being a nigh cycle once, but some pretty serious stuff happened and eventually it just wasn’t a thing anymore.

[Could he say he understood? No. He understood that he wasn’t human and that he was a thing, a creation. The life he’d experienced was essentially made up for him. Simulated, almost.]

It was definitely an adjustment. I think I’m pretty used to it now. Maybe? Maybe. Still a little weird from time to time when there’s an actual dark that’s not the inside of a cave or something.

[ Huh. What cataclysmic event could have prevented from night falling over the land? Trahearne sits in thought for a moment, trying to think if there was ever something in Tyrian history that acted as a close comparison, or what could happen in the future to cause eternal daytime. Besides Jormag's everlasting blizzards, he thinks of nothing. ]

A world of eternal daylight. [ He says this mostly to himself. ] Well, I'm glad to hear you've survived the adjustment.

[ He smiles at Nier and begins to gather the vegetables he's picked in his arms. ] But you'll have to tell me what your world is like sometime.

[He knows it sounds kind of bonkers. Sometimes he thinks it’s perhaps for that reason, among others, that he doesn’t talk much about home. But maybe that’s going to change. Trahearne is certainly extending the invite to make that happen. And he wouldn’t necessarily say he’s a secretive sort of man.

He watches Trahearne for some moments and then he nods.]

Yeah. I can do that. Not sure you’ll find it very interesting, but I probably don’t talk about home enough. [Then, lifting a hand, Nier gestures toward him.] Need help carryin’ any of that?

Yes, please.

[ He scoots some of the tubers towards Nier for him to collect as his own arms fill up with delicious looking vegetables. The farmer is going to be happy with this. ]

What we consider mundane at home can be fantastical to another. [ He can scarcely imagine a world made up purely of humans, yet that seems to be the norm among the people he's come to know. ] You'd be surprised.

[Nier doesn't hesitate. The moment Trahearne moves them in his direction, he's bending down as he needs to in order to scoop them up into his arms.]

You're right. Seems like everyone here's got a story. When we're livin' our own lives, it doesn't seem interesting because it's ours. But when we all really get down to it, those different experiences make us interesting to others.

[Trahearne's a good case in point there. There's no ignoring how surprised he was to hear the lack of a moon in Nier's world. Or maybe that there isn't a moon, but more so that there's no day and night cycle. Quite a difference, there.]

You realise if I'm sharing stuff about my world, I'm gonna be expecting the same of you. Wouldn't mind hearing more about your people.

[ Trahearne gives an emphatic nod. Yes--that's exactly it! And that's precisely what makes living in a place like Songerein such a joy. So many worlds, so many realities he never thought possible. A lack of a day-night cycle being a prime example. As a dusk bloom, he finds it hard to imagine his people being as diverse as they were without one.

With all the veggies accounted for, Trahearne gets to his feet and slowly begins walking. ]

Of course. I'm more than happy to share. [ He smiles. ] I was first, you know. I have seen our entire history unfold before my very eyes.

[ It's too bad he won't get to see the future, though. ]

First?

[Nier repeats as he falls in stride at Trahearne's side. At first, he isn't sure what to make of it. 'First' of anything can mean... just about anything. But the way he continues, Nier finds himself wondering if this is another situation akin to Mammon.

But to see an entire history... It'd be a lot to take in. A lot to consider.]

So uh. How old does that make you?

[Is that rude? It might be a little rude.]

[ Trahearne has come to find some amusement in the reactions he gets out of this. It's understandable--if he met the first human, or the first charr, the first asura, they would be thousands upon thousands of years old. It's only reasonable that the first of a people be impossibly ancient, and the assumption is valid.

But not the sylvari. They're still setting down their roots, so to speak. Trahearne chuckles lightly. ]

Twenty-six.

[Nier imagines his expression is quite a bit transparent. Twenty-six. Is Trahearne yanking him around right now? He realises as he examines the sylvari's face, he can't tell just by looking. A gentle furrow of his brow ensues and then he concludes that perhaps the sylvari age in a different way. That would make sense, wouldn't it? He can't assume that all races age the way that humans do, and technically... Nier isn't human either.

Age might not mean a damn thing to either of them.]

That's not what I was expecting. You sure that's not like. Twenty-six thousand?

[ The thing is, sylvari don't age at all. Trahearne has looked exactly the same since the day he awakened.

Not that he has any way to know that Nier doesn't know that. His smile widens. ]

No. My people have only existed on Tyria for twenty-six years. We are very new.

[ He faces forward, a far-off look in his eyes, recalling those early days. It...was not easy. Not by a long shot. ]

Many non-sylvari remember a world in which we did not exist, but I still hope for a world where our absence is unthinkable. That may not be for years to come, but I like to think it will only take time.

[ Not that he'll be there to see it. ]

Open | November Catch-all & Dream

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