songerein | second shot ⊗ open november log

Entry tags:

second shot ⊗ open november log

Who: Anyone!
Which: Open November Log
Where: Various locations in and out of town
What: A general open log with prompts that all feature dogs because I somehow could: helping chase squirrels away from the treehouses; assisting the farmers in orchards and herding; special "save Eustace from corgis quest" featuring Alice
Warnings: None

⊗ a: chasing treehouse squirrels

[The squirrels are certainly a menace for everyone living in the treehouses, and Eustace is no exception. He's been tempted to actually shoot them at this point, they've been such a disruption to his otherwise peaceful, quiet home. But they're not the only problem.

Barks and the sound of thundering paws can be heard all through the community as the fairy dogs Eustace had brought in previous start chasing the squirrels. On the one hand, they do help in driving them out. On the other hand...they are puppies and thus chaos will assuredly ensue.]

Dahlia, watch it!

[Eustace can only try and warn the young pup before she rushes up the stairs of someone's home and tries to jump at a squirrel that was taunting her. Not only will she probably surprise anyone who might be around, but she bumps into one of the tender fruits hanging from it. While it won't explode, it does threaten to fall so some quick action may be needed to either stop it or catch it without making it burst.

The other pups aren't that much better, barking and running up and down the trees, sometimes entering in homes with open doors. Yep this will be...quite the scene unless the pups are caught. They're fast little buggers, too.

Side note, the fairy dogs have names that match the flowers blossoming on their back for easier identification (from oldest to youngest): Dahlia (female), Edelweiss (Del for short; male), Iris (female), Valerian (male). They all have other flowers blooming on their coats, but those particular flowers stand out the most. The mother is named Rose.

Anyway, have fun with chaotic pups and squirrels with a side of exploding fruit.]

⊗ b: farm help

[Out on the farms, Eustace can be found in several places doing a variety of chores.

1. Clearing out pests. Out in the orchards, Eustace takes the opportunity to try and develop his abilities while dealing some of the pests...in this current situation, a mix between horned rabbits and giant insects. Although he will kill if he must, he will try to drive them away first.

Focusing on his keeping a steady and calm mind, he feels the air around him, the wind a stalwart breeze. Tapping into it, he tries to put in a bit more control and...woosh! A strong gust forms and blows away some of the large flies that were hovering around a tree.]

...A bit weak, but better than expected.

[Continuing with the calm mindset, he then focuses on the ground. He's used to creating mental and emotional walls, what about physical ones? In an attempt to trap a rabbit, he tries to raise the ground...but only succeeds in creating a small bump and just scaring it away instead.]

Hm... Practice is needed, but it's getting somewhere.

[2. Herding Livestock. With some trained farm dogs, Eustace joins a group in attempting to herd some captured Cotton Candy Sheep and fairy cows back to their corral. Of course Eustace really had just wanted to watch the dogs in action from afar...but he needs to work and this would be a good opportunity to learn some tips to help train those pesky pups. So with an experienced hound in tow and the basics in mind, he heads out. Of course it won't be easy, and a young sheep or cow will manage to slip out of the herd and run right towards another person.]

Hey, stop it before it gets too far!

[Or, you know, run over the person instead.]

⊗ c: special edition - fairy corgis (rescue eustace)

[A while back, Eustace and Alice had discovered a tree out in the forest of the Wildlands that looked like it had an entrance. They recently returned and when inspecting the tree Eustace picks up some sounds inside. Dog sounds. So perhaps against better judgment he tells Alice he's going in and when he does, a large group of corgis runs up to the door barking at them, but not stepping out. As if following some kind of impulse, Eustace is suddenly drawn in and steps inside despite Alice's warning. The corgis immediately surround him and are clearly distressed. After that, Eustace refuses to leave. Of course this could be something due to his love for dogs, but his behavior is more like someone under a trance. And now after Alice calls for help, it's up to everyone else to try and convince him to leave.

1. Warning Shot. Upon entering the clearing surrounding the tree, a bolt of lightning will suddenly strike the ground just inches before them. Looking up, they will find Eustace glaring down at them before aiming his gun at them, electricity crackling around the barrel.]

Leave. That was your only warning.

[Anyone is free to try and fight back, but Eustace will remain up in the tree and will never set foot outside of it. It's actually bad if he does, but...well, better to try and see what happens.

2. Memory Loss. It will become immediately clear that Eustace has no memory of his own life or about Songerein. But a "little bird" will appear and give a helpful hint: Eustace needs to recover his memories and he will be able to leave. Talking to him and trying to remind him of either something from his personal life or just Songerein will help as he won't even remember the dream world they are currently in, believing they are somewhere else. Finding a certain flower and making Eustace drink the nectar will also help clear his mind.

3. Beware the Corgis. It should be noted that Alice is the "gateway" to let people inside as she's currently the only one Eustace and the corgis "trust." So it can be assumed those who enter the house got approved by Alice. A group of seven corgis from old to adolescent will immediately "greet" and be wary, grumbling at the "visitor." They look like Pembroke corgis, but are unique with their leafy neck floofs. The interior of the tree itself is larger on the inside than the outside with a large open floor concept like a rustic cottage. There are spiral stairs that lead up to the second floor where a small bedroom and further up leads the various perches Eustace positions himself. The corgis will guard the bottom of the stairs and they are fierce. They may be short and long flufflebutts but they are heavy and can body slam anyone to the ground and know how to bite. Nipping ankles will be common.

The corgis will be very protective of Eustace and will not let him leave. Should anyone try to shove him out, bad things will happen and the corgis will freak out. Finally, should anyone try to harm the corgis, not only will they feel the wrath of Eustace and get shot with lightning, they will also be forcibly flung out of the tree and land far away deep in the forest. The corgis cannot leave, and will resist any attempts. They will also be stopped as if there is an invisible barrier.

4. Endear to the Corgis. It is possible to gain their trust, though it will be difficult. The corgis are distressed and while there appears to be a good stock of fresh food and they are not malnourished, they look as if they haven't seen a brush in months, perhaps years. Who knows when they last had a bath. So much hair everywhere... Finding the treat box might get their attention and a good brushing session to rid them of dust, old leaves on their neck floods, and excess hair will do wonders to calm them. Tidying up the place in general will help improve the mood as well. This may also help loosen the enchantment on Eustace, who will be watching and assisting, moving about as if he's always lived there.

Alice also has a toplevel that features other relevant tasks for this endeavor that also provides clues as to what the heck is going on. There is a sad story behind all this.]

⊗ d: wildcard

[Always up for anything else! Feel free to hit me up on discord or on

laenavesse for any other plotting.]

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Yeah, me neither...

[There's a harsher edge to Tifa's voice at the new photos, and she takes one of them between her fingers, carefully so that it doesn't turn to dust, and lifts it to the light for a better look. This is... odd.]

Were people riding them like chocobos? They're so... [Her gaze moves down to the dogs on the ground, all of them staring right back up at her.] Small. Fae, maybe...

[That's the only explanation that she can think of, but the words die away in a breath. What else in this world is even smaller than they are? Some of the fae probably could, but that doesn't explain why some of it looks more like armour. If only the dogs could confirm or deny their theories... The other option is one far less thrilling and one she isn't going to give voice to, but she'd like to believe that their "guardian" wouldn't have used them to fight.

She sighs.]

You said that you felt there was more you needed to protect. What was it?

[Maybe going back down through Eustace's memories will help them find something...]

Chocobos? [Even without memories that's a term he's not really familiar with. Doesn't she mean like horses? But... Hm.

His line of thinking is similar to hers, and he continues to slowly flip through the pages to see if there's anything that might give them a clue.]

That... I don't know. However it was so strong that I was willing to kill anyone who got too close without permission.

[He just glances at her for a moment as she knows all too well how aggressive and hostile he had been.]

But given that the dogs are capable of fighting or at least defending themselves, I don't think it's just them. Perhaps there's something about the tree itself... And that could also be an answer to why they are here. It's a large group after all. Not many would keep so many as pets that wasn't an entire family litter.

[And in this case, they're more generational.]

Perhaps they're also here as guardians.

[Tifa's gaze fixes on him momentarily, and when they accidentally meet eye contact, she quickly shifts it away, not wanting to seem too pointed about that. Yeah, she hasn't forgotten how hostile he was, but she'll put that behind them—for now—for the sake of the dogs, and for him.

But she finds herself staring around the tree, as if its presence is somehow so suddenly ominous after hearing those words. Something about the tree...]

You think they're trying to protect it? From what...? No one's coming down here looking to cause trouble, far as I know. I don't think anyone would try to hurt it, or the dogs.

[Not without reasonable cause. Of course, she did consider burning the entire thing down at one point, but she had reasonable cause, so...]

What makes this place so special...

It might not mean anything here in this world, but it must have meant something back in their original world. That's the only logical explanation.

[A sigh as he feels a headache coming on, looking at all the pictures putting a toll on him from having to push away the spell and focus.]

Let's keep looking... There might be something else around.

[The tree coming in with them...? That's a thought that hadn't occurred to her until now, but it's possible. Like a strange, otherworldly pocket in time and space... It doesn't make a lot of sense, but in a place like this? It seems possible.

With a nod, Tifa returns to the side table to finish dusting it off, searching through the drawers for anything else that might be useful to them. It's mostly just the odd trinket, maybe some coins, all things that she's too afraid to touch directly, so she leaves them be. It really is just a series of junk drawers with nothing useful or telling, so once she's satisfied with how clean it is, she moves on.

Bookshelves... She starts to rummage through them, pulling each one out by the spine one by one to examine each one as she dusts them off, and she tilts her head at a few, wondering what kind of language these are written in.]

You know, I've been thinking... you think the fae here would know what this is? The writing?

[Eustace thinks about it for a moment.]

...It may depend on what there is, but it's possible.

[It also hasn't occurred to him that more of his memories of being in Songerein have returned, or at least more familiar knowledge has been returning.]

I mean, we won't know what there is unless we ask, yeah? I could try taking one, but... hm.

[Will the tree even let her take a book out of here? Or will she get snapped with some kind of curse as well for trying...? Maybe it's better that she doesn't...

She snaps one of them shut after flicking through its pages, disappointed again at the lack of information available to them. There's a lot of it in these shelves, but nothing that's remotely useful to them. Too bad the enchantment didn't grant him the abilities to read and understand this foreign language.

Although there is one that catches her attention. The book's spine is without a title, unlike so many of the other ones, and she tugs it out. Will this one be written in their own language? What's even in it?

More photos fall from between the hardcovers, fluttering to the ground. It's just pictures of the dogs, same as the others. If there's one thing she's sure of, it's that this man loved them with everything he had, and that it went both ways. They all look so... happy in some of these.]

...It may be better if you don't. If me having the previous guardian's belongings is part of a trigger, then you might risk getting caught in the spell or suffer some other backlash. It's unfortunate there aren't any cameras to take pictures with.

[He'll finish tucking everything back in to place and returning it to the shelf before he hears the flutter of photographs behind him. Wordlessly he crouches down to pick up one of them, but then stops. He scans it before he looks at another one and then picks it up, comparing it.]

...When you... ...Revived me earlier. [Just going to refer to that as vaguely as possible.] Was there someone else there?

[He had been a bit out of it so he hadn't been fully aware, but he doesn't recall hearing another voice.]

[Her heart flutters in her chest, leaping up into her throat when he brings it up, and for a moment, she's afraid that he'll want to talk about... that... what happened, and how she... Ah, but okay, he's asking about another voice, and Tifa clears her throat a little too loud for her liking as she sets the book down.]

Um... could be the owl?

[That little bugger. He's still not back. Almost as if he knows that Tifa has some things to say to him when he does, so he'll just avoid the tree until she's gone...]

Besides that and the dogs, I don't think anyone else was around. The owl told me that I needed to get the lilies to help you... [Ughhh.] Said that I could brew the nectar into tea, and hasn't been back since.

[Yep if he had to erase something from his mind, that would be a pretty good candidate—okay no, by now he's long understood she was just trying to do resuscitation but still a little awkward. A little.]

Owl... Did it look like this?

[He holds up the two pictures that he picked up and points to the owl almost hidden in the backdrop as if watching the dogs playing in the forefront. And said owl will look very similar to the one Tifa saw.]

[Tifa takes one of the photos from him, lifting it to take a closer look at the background. It's hard to make out with how faded and old these are, but there's hardly a doubt.]

Yeah, that's him. Not a whole lot of other owls around here from what I've seen. The dogs didn't seem to mind him being around, so I'd think they're the same.

[She hands it back to him, her brows furrowing thoughtfully.]

You think he's got anything to do with this?

I don't know if he's the cause, especially if he tried to help you help me. But if he's part of this group, he's not unrelated and should have more answers.

[Tifa's nose wrinkles.]

He flew off before I could ask any questions. Hasn't been back since...

[And that's when Tifa looks to the door, then back at Eustace. For a moment, she considers leaving this place to look, but she recalls what had happened to Eustace when she tried to get him to leave... This would have to be something she'd have to do on her own.]

I don't know where I'd go to find him...

If he's part of this tree...then unless he's not affected by whatever enchantment is on the others, he'll likely need to remain in the tree.

[He crosses his arms in thought before he feels a tug at his leg and looks down to see one of the younger dogs with a hopeful look in its eyes before it barks.]

...But let's take care of the dogs first.

Right...

[She needs to focus, but it's hard to when they keep uncovering all of these new developments. So, she only nods firmly and picks up the dog that's been following her around, and it whines as she runs her fingers through its tangled, matted coat. Time to brush them and give them baths...

But not without a sideways glance at Eustace.

Something's... changing about him.]

Hey... [she starts slowly with a note of anticipation.] Are you... have you remembered anything yet?

[Eustace is making his way towards the cupboards that contain everything for caring the dogs and he looks over at her.

...]

...I'm not sure. I can't seem to remember anything of my personal life, but I am remembering a little more of this world. It's something of a dream world, right? Songerein?

Mm-hm.

[Although she's smiling, that ghost of sadness returns to haunt her gaze, and she lets it drop away from him and to the dog again, and she starts to pick and pluck away at the tangles in its fur to distract herself from the inevitable sinking feeling in her stomach, while the puppy whines in her arms.

How could he remember the world, and not the memories he had within it?

... ]

Well, that's a start at least.

[She shakes it off with a small laugh. Maybe it's better they don't talk about it.]

So. Where's the bath?

Edited 2021-11-29 01:11 (UTC)

[...Her expression seems off, but he doesn't say anything. He's also a bit frustrated, but he can only assume that at least remembering the truth of where he is now is, as she said, a start. Perhaps it's easier for him to regain the more superficial memories and that will help bring back the more personal ones.]

Over here.

[So he'll focus on their current task, and that's cleaning up these dogs. There's a bathroom adjacent to the kitchen with a large enough wooden tub for a person to use, but clearly made for the dogs to be used in as well. Although not modern, it does have some old piping and a removable shower head that will make it easier to use. He also finds a strange netting, but seeing how much the dogs shed... He quickly realizes it's to be placed in the drain to collect the hair, so he sets it in.

Most of the dogs seem to be okay with the idea of getting a much needed bath, but others are already making their discontent quite clear, grumbling and even plopping down on the floor just outside the door. Eustace looks at the stubborn ones while setting out the soaps, brushes, and towels, grinning a little in amusement.]

I'll work on the ones outside first, get their coats brushed out at least.

[...Though it's strange. The weird enchantment made him knowledgeable about a lot of things in the tree, but somehow the act of trying to get several dogs into a bath seems familiar in a more personal way...]

[That's the first time she's seen him smile like that since she got here, and Tifa finds herself staring a moment too long. She's only ever seen him with dogs like this once, in that café in Celliwig, but even then, it had felt so impersonal. Those weren't his dogs, and while these ones aren't technically his either, there's something to be said about the bond that the enchantment has implanted in all of them that makes this feel a little more real.

The fact that he's smiling at all is good, she thinks.

But Tifa breaks her gaze away, snatching it back when he talks about the dogs, and she holds the one in her arms a little tighter. It's whining still as it side-eyes the tub, but it's nothing compared to the show some of them are putting on outside the door, one of them howling as if the bath would mean its last day in this world. So dramatic, that it draws a small laugh out of her.]

Okay. This one's not so bad, so I'll get... [Tifa pauses, shifts the dog around in her hands, and lifts it up in front of her beneath its front arms.] ... her cleaned up.

[And she sets the dog down in the tub and reaches for the shower head.]

You know, I've never had to clean a dog before. [There's a faint note of uncertainty in her voice as her hand hovers over the faucet.] Should I just...

[Slowly, she turns the tap on, but with it being so old, the pressure sets off more water than she intends, spraying herself, Eustace, and a few of the dogs.]

Sorry!

[He's caught by surprise by the sudden spray of water, the dogs happy to get wet tippy tapping their paws and wagging their tails while the ones who are not whine and run away. Eustace just remains crouching where he is as he feels the water droplets before reaching for one of the towels to at least get his arms.]

It's fine. [He starts to hold the towel to her before he looks at the dog in the tub trying to hop out, already splashing water everywhere and likely soaking Tifa again. With a wry grin he pulls it back.] ...Hope you don't mind getting a bath as well.

[What is that did he just joke for the first time since they met today yes he did. Progress!?!?!]

Just use a good amount of the shampoo in the bottle and lather it all over their coat. It's a double coat, so you'll want to rub it in deep. After that just rinse it off and dry them as best you can. They shed, so don't be surprised if large amount of hair come out.

[Hence the strainer.]

[Progress!!! In spite of her hair now dripping and her clothes wet, she beams up at him before she cracks with a laugh.]

I don't mind. I could use a rinse to get all that dust off me anyway.

[The dog already in the tub won't get very far because Tifa's already scooping her back up and setting her down, not minding that it's now completely drenched her in water and covered her in the wet fur that's already started to come off. With some quiet reassurances, she sets the dog back in and this time, very carefully turns the faucet on, turning it slow until the water only starts to drip out, and then more and more until she has a steady, calm stream that she can pour over the dog.

And combing her fingers through, she can already feel the tangled tufts of her fur coming out. She gets to work with the soap, massaging it in deep into the fur, shielding herself when the pup tries to shake herself off, spraying soap and bubbles everywhere.]

How am I doing?

About as well as you can. They're probably worse than the pups...

[His voice trails and he stops from his brushing, a large pile of fluff almost half the size of the corgi it came from already forming. But Eustace sits there, his brows furrowing.

Pups?

What pups?

And when he thinks about puppies.... Why does a white blur appears as well?

So he's going to be oddly silent as he tries to parse through this strange feeling.]

[Tifa's hands almost freeze up when he says it, and even the dog has noticed the shift, looking at her with small whines that pull her attention back, and although she gets right back into the rhythm, she keeps her head turned far enough that she can watch Eustace through the corners of her eyes.

The pups...? Did he just remember the same ones she's thinking of?]

Which pups? Do you mean the ones on the riverbank?

[The questions come slowly and carefully, not wanting to trigger another one of those piercing headaches.]

I...

[He's uncertain, but if that pressing headache means anything, it must be related.]

...Did they have flowers on them?

[It takes all of Tifa's self-restraint not to shoot him with a hopeful, expectant look, and instead, she focuses on the dog in front of her, rinsing some of the soap out of its fur and only casting small glances his way.]

Yeah. Around their necks, sort of like... flowery collars...?

[Does he remember them? Clearly, it's sparked something in the banks of his memories...]

There was a mother, and her puppies. Can't remember how many, but there were more than a few down there.

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