songerein | { something steamy }

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{ something steamy }

SOMETHING STEAMY

This log is open to everyone and doubles as a "Character Intro" for new characters who were just accepted this round. As a reminder, new characters are welcome to carry over their TDM threads backdated to the last week of October (25-31) so that they're not really "new" if players wish to do so! Starting fresh is also acceptable.

I. REVEREIN HOTPOT

With the temperatures cooling down, some locals have decided to throw a huge hotpot party along the riverbank for no real reason other than to try and cook up some good food and meet new faces. While participating restaurants and farmers are happy to provide some surplus ingredients, others are welcome to bring their own. There are plenty of grills and pots to go around, but with so many people and…unique ingredients coming in, there's bound to be a little chaos. (Thanks to Mich for the idea!)

A. Hunt for the "Legendary" Ingredient. To spice things up, a challenge has been posted before the day of the party for those who want to add some unique flavor to the meal.

Golden Truffles. There are special truffles found deep in the swamps hidden within the Wildlands that are said to taste so divine that just a small bite would make one feel as if they are floating to heaven. No it's not poisonous!! While not exactly rare in number, they are notoriously hard to find and require special pigs to sniff and dig them out. Some truffle hunters have agreed to let anyone daring to look for the truffles to borrow said pigs for the hunt. However, they can be ornery and will only cooperate if you sing a happy song to them. The swamps themselves can be filled with some mild dangers, but the pigs should guide you. Probably.
Mandragora Leaves. There is a marked field where the mandragora have taken residence. They will give up their leaves if asked nicely, but if too rough or without showing respect, they will scream and attack instead. Even then you have to take care in clipping the leaves.
Rainbow Speckled Eggs. Some wild hens that live out in the Wildlands lay rainbow speckled eggs at this time of year and they are huge! Can't miss them. They are duds and won't hatch, so they are perfect for eating. The hens themselves won't mind them taken, but the roosters that guard them are a different story. Get past them and collect the egg!

B. Food Thieves. Attracted by the delicious smell and it being time to start gathering for the winter, a few critters and even some small fae try to sneak in and snatch a few pieces for themselves. Squirrels and chipmunks in particular like to swipe any chestnuts some people are trying to roast, and the birds are diving in for any free morsel. There are a few ways to handle this, from chasing them off to trying to create a designated "food try" for the animals to take to avoid them bothering everyone else.

C. Communal Pot Surprise. While there are smaller, individual pots available for more private use, there is a larger pot that suspiciously looks like a cauldron set near the center where anyone can dump in whatever ingredient they desire—even inedible items—and produce questionable yet somehow edible results. Here are some various effects that occur:

Anything green: Chances of turning into a frog—25%. The remaining chance is just having one's hair turn green.
Sour fruit: Everything will taste like lemons for ten minutes. No amount of sugar will help until it wears off.
Candy: Everything will taste super sweet for ten minutes and 50% chance of getting a sugar rush.
Alcohol: TIME TO SING A RAUNCHY SONG WITH GREAT FERVOR but think of the children or don't.
Inedible Objects: Why would anyone throw a shoe or sock in there—the soup will turn black and empty itself so now everyone has to start over.

This is not an exhaustive list or this prompt would go on forever—so feel free to come up with other effects with whatever item your character tosses in!

D. General Mingling. There are plenty of tables and places to sit, so grab some ingredients, find a spot, and start cooking! Just remember to share and greet everyone around! Be mindful of the pots and grills as well as they can be sensitive to emotions. Get too animated and the water or fire might shoot up in temperature. But dreamotion could also help enrich flavors, so everyone is encouraged to play around. There will also be a few spicy and garnish noodle dragons flying around to help season things. Just make sure they don't get too overzealous.

II. DRAGON ISLAND

The Hot Air Balloon Station set just outside some open fields beyond town are bustling with activity as the Dragon Island (name pending) has finally opened its borders and allow outside visitors to come in and visit the island. Its main attraction of course is the hot springs resort, "Draken Springs," where everyone has received a one time free voucher to test its amenities. There are other places guests can visit near the hot springs, and by helping the nearby towns and villages, favorability will increase as well as earn extra vouchers for the hot springs. For more details on the island in general, refer to the Mod Notes.

A. Dragon Riders. There's already a task written up on the Dream Board from farmers requesting help for harvest, but there is another request to help deal with some aggressive animals that have scared off some livestock and then corral the ones that have gotten loose. The beasts are a tough, armored, armadillo-like bear whose hide is resistant to dragon flame and can be tough to fight. Dreamotion works better to strengthen physical and magical attacks. The young adolescents are giving non-dragons the privilege of riding on their backs to fly around to help first find and deal with the bears, and then herd the livestock back to their respective farms and ranches.

B. Dragon Nursery. One of the neighboring villages is taking care of many of the new hatchlings that were recovered from the previous "raid" on Reverein. Despite a month passing, some dragons are still trying to figure out who the parents are, and there is a strong suspicion that some of the eggs were never originally from the island at all, leaving many orphaned. The dragons have a very strong communal instinct when it comes to raising their young, so some have been adopted but others are still waiting to be taken as arrangements are still being made. Thus in the meantime, help is requested to do one simple task: play and help feed the young hatchlings. They are basically toddlers so it might be quite the challenge for those unprepared, especially as their own magic is still wild and out of control. Calm dreamotion will help as well as using opposing elements to help balance the magic.

C. Hot Springs: Testing the Waters. Everyone has a chance to grab a towel and test both the indoor and outdoor public springs. For more private rooms, they will need to pay up as the voucher only covers the public springs. But they will still be provided with complimentary drinks, snacks, towels, and use of the showers to clean up before and after using the springs. As for whether it's mixed, separated, covered, or bare it all…well hopefully visitors are able to decipher the signs. There are also the saunas, just be mindful of how hot it can get.

D. Hot Springs: Special Snacks. There are some unique foods that the town and resort offers for anyone to try that can be only found on the island.

Dragon's breath peppers are hot, but these won't kill anyone (the dragons are too considerate for that). This particular species is safe to consume but as the name implies, will give one fiery breath for a while. Anyone who had the kebabs from the festival might recall a similar effect.
A spiked fruit that suspiciously looks like durian has a notable stench that will carry for quite a ways, but anyone daring enough to get past it will find the fruit sweet and seeds edible once boiled and the skin peeled away. It even has a bit of a rejuvenating effect.
Dragon fruits are a nice palette cleanser especially with yogurt or ice cream. Anyone who eats it will be able to relax more easily.

E. Hot Springs: Recreation Room. There is a sizeable recreational room where any guest is free to relax and lounge in. They offer a small snack bar, some board and card games, yoga mats, billiards table, and a ping pong table. The ping pong table in particular is set a little ways from the rest as the competition can get a little heated—literally. They even had to erect magical barriers to prevent wildly charged balls from hitting others outside of the containment area.

F. Hot Springs: Peeping Toms. Even the hot springs on Dragon Island are vulnerable to unsavory characters. Although rare, there are some unwelcome guests who try to peep into the springs, and while there are security personnel and magic devices that try to catch them, some still manage to sneak in. Especially the monkeys. Descending from the higher peaks, most wild monkeys use the other pools outside of the resort for their own use, but some are attracted to the food and other amenities and make their way into the resort pools instead. Some of them are respectful and can make for great bathing company. But others are clearly not and need to be kicked out without remorse. So whether it's an uninvited or unruly guest, or a wild monkey, if caught in the act either report or feel free to handle it. Remember, even if thrown off the mountain, they will not fall to their doom, and in this case will be caught by the magic security devices.

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Neither am I!

[this time he's able to hit it back at least, seeing if a more gentle swing would catch Beat off guard.

hopefully.]

[he's just knowledgeable about freak accidents okay]

Hmm...snacks to fatten us up and some garnish? Still gonna need something to flavor us with.

[why are they even talking about this to begin with]

Or maybe they just want us to take a little vacation.

[that would be so nice...even if its unlikely.]

[.....huh

he's like 90% sure she's a Disney princess in disguise or something like that at this rate.

he falls quiet though, not sure what to say as he snaps at the pig gently to get its attention. he's gotten enough of the truffles...even though he doesn't know the first thing about cooking with them.]

I'm sorry. For every good person, there's someone out there to try to ruin everything for them.

[Another novice, excelling through pure reflexes and awareness, then. She approves.]

People who rise to a challenge are a rare breed.

[... kind of a melodramatic way to describe playing a game for the first time. It seems this level of over-commitment is par for the course, though, considering how hard she strikes the ball toward the corner, another attempt to take him off-guard.]

[That Was he coddling her? Had he underestimated her that drastically? Or was this simply an attempt to lower her guard?

She assumes the former. Fine, then. She's willing to play along. She swings her paddle lazily, almost daintily, to knock the ball back gently back toward him.]

[ah...everything makes more sense now.]

I'm still trying to figure out the whole dreamotion thing myself. Would we be able to light it, or do I need to do it the boy scout way?

[admittedly, that might be the best option for him.]

[ Then she assumes incorrectly. Different situations call for different approaches, and if he doesn't know his opponent, then he doesn't know which approach to take. It's caution rather than coddling.

Her movements are watched closely--the lazy ease with which she returns the serve, clear and obvious skill though she opts to conserve it. Fine, he'll step this up a notch.

When the ball returns to his side, Asura allows it to get close without any change in stance before his arm suddenly shoots forward to send the ball flying back across the table with a loud crack from the impact with his paddle. ]

[Although definitely overwhelming, Eustace can't help but be curious about the dragons here. His only personal encounters are with Vyrn, and the occasional acknowledgment of the ancient dragons that sometimes appear in Gran's crew. Having never seen their true forms, he wouldn't have known without the intel he has. So the mix of full bodied dragons and the mix is quite interesting to see. And no matter what race, species, or creature—children will be children. So it is also a bit heartwarming to see.

Once they're ready to depart, he nods in agreement and satisfaction.]

Stay.

[They're not dogs!! ...But the dragons continue to pout and sit, their bums wiggling in impatience and disappointment.

However, just before they can actually step out, there's a commotion and one of the dragonkin limp in. It seems he's injured his leg, and while it can be healed, it will need rest so no hard labor for a few days. There's a bit of groaning because one less hand is a lot for this place.]

The air around them's starting to burn, frustration mounting and draining the cool, calming air of any moisture and relaxation. Dante's grip on his drink tightens.

"I'm not going to regret trying to help them. You want to be pissed at me for it, say I don't know what I'm doing, then I won't argue it. 'Cause I know two things: first, they're better off taking out frustrations on noctaere and shit than people in town. Second, they need someone who trusts them. If that makes me a dumbass, then I'm gonna be king dumbass. They betray my trust, you can rub it in my face until we go back home."

Dante shakes his head.

"But they need that chance."

[—Oh man. The shift is a bit surprising, but it's nothing he can't roll with. If anything, it just reminds him of himself and a few others who get into a fight or competition, and especially for himself in finding a worthy opponent... He'll have a widened smirk of his own.

With a laugh he hits back with as much speed and fervor, those flames once more returning and things literally heat up between them. It's enough to leave scorch marks when the ball hits both the paddle and the table when he hits it back and readies for her return—if she's able to hit it back.]

Don't they have those "bath salts"? I don't think they use them in here, but it's a thought.

[And then a laugh as he leans back against the wall, arms spread out.]

But a vacation, huh... Guess this entire world is like one for most people.

[...

...

Hahaha... JUST A HEADPAT (that's totally going to make him feel better right???? no)]

It's not sooo bad, how old are you? You might get a growth spurt.

Just a lot of experience and practice.

[And ep, a very easy return. He'd try to make it easier for her, but the angle well make it go a little wide to her other side.]

I can teach you a few easy tricks after this if you want.

Yeah, we'll stop whoever decided to ruin a perfectly good pot of soup, yo!

[Oh no, he's copying Beat.

Kor spots the suspect in question, seemingly stirring the pot in more ways than one. Time to confront them.]

'Scuse me!

Yeah, but those are girly things that make you smell good I think. Not taste good...like eating flowers or something.

[gross!]

Hm...maybe. It's not that bad so far, I'll give it that.

[but the shoe is always gonna drop eventually!! but being always on the run from monsters and things for four years straight will make a person paranoid.]

That just makes it make it easier to sneak in something else.

[Why is he still thinking about this—but it is kind of fun if silly.

In any case, he's worked up an "appetite" for the sake bottle next to him, so he'll reach for it to take a few sips. Aaah, now he can really relax. There's even a plate of snacks, too.]

So, new here?

It's okay, Porkloin. [Did he just name the pig? He named the pig, and after food, no less.] He was just joking around, that's all. [despite his thinly veiled views of the pig as food, his words come across as genuine and reassuring.

And now he's looking at Rokurou.]

You know, you should be glad this wasn't a powerhog!

Pork...

[...PORKLOIN??? Okay, his song was off but what kind naming is that?! Even the pig is now offended at Kor!! WHY IS IT STUCK WITH THESE TWO BOZOS—

It's grunting and squealing with great indignation it already has a cute, wonderful name!! ~~Princess Piggy~~]

What's a powerhog?

[Hmm. That smirk isn't exactly one that settles well with him. It reminds him of Mai or Todo, when they come around to talk shit to Maki and the other students at the Tokyo Branch of Jujutsu High. So he takes his time chewing his beef, then swallowing it. And when he's done, he will write down another set of words in the journal.]

Fuck around and find out.

[He's got a firm rule of not using his Cursed Speech on anyone unless it's necessary, but if this girl's really trying to see how it's done, well. He knows enough harmless commands that won't hurt anyone.]

[And it doesn't help as he shakes his head. With his hands out of his face, he was still embarrassed. And yet, he couldn't bring himself to be impolite enough to introduce himself.]

...Ken Amada. It's nice to meet you too, Della-san.

[But as he looked down at the pig, he really didn't know how to feel. But if he's going to be stuck here, it seemed like he has no choice but to admit defeat. Even his face was saying it all too!]

Maybe. Or maybe monsters like the taste of flowers.

[he's never really asked many monsters what they've liked to eat tbh.

at the question, Percy gives a little nod. also he may look a little pouty because that looks like alcohol and he'd totally like to try it.]

Kinda. I came in when that weird carnival or whatever was in town.

[Alastor snorts as Della flies up, up, and away. Honestly.]

Well, I suppose I'd better get walking.

[It's his best option for getting back to anywhere familiar, after all. Now which direction had they come from...? All those loops kind of made it hard to focus on where they'd been.]

[Well, any direction should work. Time to get walking.]

[As Bennett attracts the ire of the rooster, he runs, trying to draw it away from the nest so Link can do his thing.

At first, it's just one rooster. It starts to attack him, pecking at his head, which he shields his face with his arms from.

Then it's two roosters.

Suddenly it's four. And then eight. The number of roosters chasing and attacking Bennett seem to keep multiplying, descending on him from every position and angle imaginable, swallowing him up in a squawking cloud of feathers and beaks.]

Gyaaah! H-Help me!

[It works surprisingly well. Ralsei pauses briefly in the sweeping motions, in surprise, before hurriedly resuming it as the roosters approach with menace in their eyes. Ralsei has plenty of experience with puzzles, even if most of the ones he's familiar with involve block pushing. Or the board game kind of puzzles, those are fun, too. It's pretty great to hear that he's good at them, though! His ears heat up a little at the compliment, and he smiles broadly.]

...I'm not sure that'd work, but it's a good thought! Do you have a bag for the eggs, or anything? You can use my, um, hat, if not!

I'm fine. Just a...bad encounter with a rooster while I was helping to collect ingredients.

[He can't say he recommends it and would be content to leave the story there. And well, he supposes there have been other things.]

They can be rather vicious, it turns out.

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Page 43 of 108

{ something steamy }

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