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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Well, so long as they accomplish the mission right? Naminé responds with a piped, ]

Yes...! At least, I think so.

[ There's certainly a noticeable gap developing alongside the plant as she pauses, taking a moment for her magic to recharge. (Hopefully his side's making progress too, so the thing doesn't tip over--) ]

What about you? How are things over there...?

I think I've made progress. At least, I can shift it now.

I might be getting to a point to try levering it out.

[And debating if he should use his keyblade for that. Or find something a bit better.]

[ Naminé makes a noise of thoughtful confirmation, one last attempt at shifting some of the dirt on her side, and then as that spell fades offers a contemplative, ]

Me too. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try.

[ Might save some time and effort. Taking a few steps, she leans past the side of the gargantuan foodstuff to peer at Ira. ]

Would you like me to try to help move it, or...?

[ Would she just be getting in the way? She is, after all, a twig; magic aside, she doesn't have a lot of physical strength to offer. ]

I would appreciate the help.

[Small or not, two are always better than one.]

I'm just going to look for a board or something similar. Using that will probably go smoother than a keyblade.

Okay...!

[ If she won't be in the way, then - she'll certainly try her best. Perking at his comment, she hesitates a moment before responding, hands folded together. She could also use the time to mentally prepare herself, but-- ]

I'll-- look over here, too.

[ And give a little point in the opposite direction! Two sets of eyes are better than one, right? They can cover more ground that way. ]

Call out if you find something.

[He'll search in the opposite direction of her, a little closer to one of the fences. Perhaps there's a loose board they can use, or something fallen.]

I will!

[ She has to lift her voice a bit louder than she'd usually speak for that, too, so it might sound slightly more distant than it is. Carefully picking her way around to a simple road amongst the vegetables, she considers what few options she can find.

A big stick? ... It's a pretty nice one, but probably too thin to be sturdy enough. Well, there's also a discarded rake - so she'll wander over to inspect that, although it looks a bit. Worse for wear. ]

[They have the room to try a few options, or even jerry-rig something together. Ira returns to the vegetable with a few planks of wood that might be a start to a lever. They don't seem rotted out at least.]

Any luck?

Well...

[ Carefully, she lifts up the rake first, then - after a moment's thought, the smaller stick. ]

I'm not sure how sturdy they are, but they're at least the right shape, aren't they...?

[ Could be worth a shot. ]

It's close enough to what I found.

[He holds up the plank.]

Between all of them and the earth we've loosened, I think we've at least got something.

Should we tie them together?

[ Naminé's a bit more impressed with the plank than her own finds, but-- ]

We could try that...! At least with some of the smaller things. I suppose it makes sense to have two tools, if we're both going to try to pry it out...

[ Or something like that. It seems logical to her, anyway, and she starts to murmur, ]

But what... [ Are they going to use to tie them together? Spotting the leftover remains of a dried out vine from some earlier part of the harvest, the girl bends down to tug it free. Or tries to, rather, before realizing she needs to shift both the other things in her hands to one hand. Which... only leaves her one to pull up the plant material with, but she finally manages after a yank that nearly makes her tip over the other way.

Once she steadies, she holds up the vine for his inspection. ]

Do you think this will work?

[ As cordage, that is. ]

[Ira does reach out to try and steady her before looking at the vine. He takes it, giving it a tug to test it.]

I think it might. It seems strong enough that it should hold.

I suppose we ought to find what it's attached to as well.

[ Naminé gives Ira a grateful look at the assistance, and relinquishes the vine when he reaches for it. At first she brightens at the agreement, then grows thoughtful at that last part. Head turning, she follows the vine down toward the dirt with her gaze. ]

Whatever it is, it doesn't seem to be alive anymore. But-- the vine does look like it goes that way.

[ Pointing, she indicates where the trailing end is angled toward. ]

Here's hoping.

I guess we should follow it, just in case? I'd rather not just cut it and hope for the best.

[They are on a strange dragon island, after all. Who's to say what could happen?]

[ Mouth pursing thoughtfully, she nods, considering the surrounding area. ]

That makes sense. I suppose it shouldn't be too hard to follow it to the source.

[ And since she's got way too many secondhand memories for this kind of thing-- she'll tack on a quiet, ]

If we're lucky, nothing will want to fight us.

Things have seemed peaceful so far, but just behind me should anything show up.

[He smiles, hopefully encouragingly and picks up the vine.]

Off we go then. Hopefully not too far.

[ Oh. Perhaps it was a given that Ira would try to protect her.
Naminé does straighten just a little, though, looking concerned and as if she might protest, yet-- no matter her own efforts to become stronger, he's almost definitely the more capable of the two. ]

... Okay. But... I'll do my best to help.

[ Her own smile is a bit more hesitant, and she quiets as they set off to follow the vine. Fortunately, it doesn't take too long, and it looks like the plant at the end has already been harvested. The surrounding vegetables, though, are pretty bizarre-looking - even more so than the one they were trying to pull up. Spotting them, ]

What... are those?

[ Are they even safe to eat? They look pretty gross. ]

Of course.

[He probably shouldn't presume to take the lead, but that is also one of the downsides of being thrust into leadership.

But those thoughts are set aside as he looks at the vegetables. Almost hesitant to touch them.]

I. I honestly don't know. I've never seen anything like them before...but I assume it must be some sort of dragon...food?

[ Truthfully, most of the time Naminé's perfectly content to let others guide the situation; she's never been the type to take charge so much as she is to provide support as and where it's needed. (Or at least... not to take charge openly, anyhow. She's an honest girl, but no stranger to following a convoluted route to the greater good when she deems it necessary.) Really, her only concern here is Ira's wellbeing in case of some potential threat becoming a concrete one - but he can take care of himself, she knows, and of her, too.

The lass lingers at his side with an expression of subtle disquiet, a half step behind him as if she might duck into the cover of his shadow just to hide from the vegetables, whether they can attack or not. ]

They must be, [ she agrees, albeit cautiously. She. Doesn't really want to make physical contact with any of those... things... but, ] I guess-- they're also some of the stuff we're supposed to harvest...

[ -- Oh, wait. ]

Um, but if we pick them now, it might be hard to look after both them and the big one back there. Maybe... we should finish what we started, first?

You're right, one thing at a time.

[But he'll remember this spot, and have to come back with some baskets. Or a cart. He makes a mental note of that.]

I'll cut the vine then, and we'll take that back. Then we can return for these.

Seems our work is far from done.

[ Looking slightly relieved, Naminé nods. As unappealing as the prospect of collecting those other plants is, she can hardly leave him to it all alone; perhaps they'll remain a team longer for it. ]

Okay. That sounds like a good plan.

[ With a faint exhale-- she hums in agreement. He's right; ]

I'm glad we're both able to help. This time of year must be a lot of trouble for the farmers...!

[Ira takes a moment to consider the vine, before finally making a cut. If they're coming back, it shouldn't be a problem and he'll begin to wind it around his arm.]

It must be, since they did ask for help. Though, I can only wonder if they have different techniques, being dragons and all.

[ Naminé stands patiently, looking on as he sorts out the vine. ]

Mm. There had to be years when no one was around to help... I suppose some of the dragons can be much bigger than most of us are. Maybe that'd make some things harder, but-- at least they'd be able to move the big stuff on their own.

That's true. Might explain why their vegetables are so much bigger as well.

[It puts things in perspective if nothing else.]

At least we're doing what we can.

It would...

[ Turning, she looks contemplative as she readies to head back the direction they came. ]

Although it does make us less useful. I guess it's the thought that counts...!

[ And it's not like they aren't still accomplishing things...! ]

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