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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Normally he likes the silence and the peace that normally accompanies it...but he also feels the strange awkwardness and tension in the air. Rather than dwell on it, he focuses on the dogs, the movements he makes definitely familiar. Even the pruning through their leafy floofs, taking out the stray withered leaves and twigs before carefully raking through to smooth it out. Considering the large pile growing next to him one might think he was raking leaves inside the tree.

Every so often the corgi he's brushing momentarily turns into one of the fairy dogs in his memory, and he begins to remember more things. Where they live, their names, the riverbank. And eventually he remembers other faces though their names escape him. A young girl riding on the cart pulling the dogs to the neighborhood. The number of people who stopped by to help take care of them as he got them situated.

Yet it's only around the tail end that he also remembers Tifa and how she was involved with them as well. However, why does it seem like it's not a great memory...

Eustace is pulled out of his thoughts when he hears the Tifa finishing up and turns just in time to see the dog hopping up excitedly. Already sensing something might happen, he immediately jumps up to try and to grab her—

But of course, one of the dogs also runs between his legs, knocking him off balance and now falling forward with her. It takes him a moment after he hits the water to pull out of the surprise daze and sit back, reaching out to try and pull her up and hoping she didn't swallow too much water.]

Tifa!

[She's clambering along with him, trying to pull herself up and reach for his hand as if she'd just been submerged in that river all over again. She manages to find it, her fingers wrapping around his wrist so that she can use it to anchor herself and allow him to pull her up out of the water, where she's immediately coughing the air back into her lungs after the surprise had knocked it out of her.

Tifa sits up on the other side of the tub and wipes the water from her eyes so that she can look across at him, checking him over for any sign of injury, the water splashing around some more as she moves closer to him. It was a pretty fast fall...]

Are you okay!?

[Meanwhile, the dogs are barking, their tails are wagging, and they're standing with their paws up at the edge of the tub staring at them, their tongues hanging out of their mouths while they look pleased with themselves.]

[If Eustace knew this had been (partially at least) on purpose he would reprimand them heavily because that was dangerous?? They could have suffered a severe injury or even died??? But fortunately as he looks over at Tifa, she seems fine if a little shaken.]

I'm fi...

[But now that the adrenaline of what just happened starts to cool, Eustace stares at her for a moment. Before he had had a look of concern, but now he seems more puzzled, as if trying to remember something. And then—]

Were we knocked into a river?

[The full details are still a bit hazy, but he starts to recall the similar sensation of how he fell forward and accidentally dragged Tifa down with him into the river, resulting in them completely drenched like this.

Except back then it had been dark and now he can more clearly see her. Good thing he's too focused on trying to remember things that he doesn't notice things.

Yet.]

[Words leave her as her heart leaps up into her throat at his question, and she freezes for a moment, staring at him bewildered. That was the exact memory she had been thinking back to in all of this commotion—whether subconsciously or not. How they had been knocked into the river in much the same way they barreled into the tub at the mercy of the dogs at their ankles, and how they both ended up soaked in the end. The only thing that's missing are the fish—

Tifa falls back in the tub, sitting and deflating with a sigh as all of the air leaves her lungs again, both in relief and in shock. Had he really remembered it too?

She finds herself staring at him for a few seconds too long before she snaps her gaze away. It's not exactly the best memory to first remember her by, but it's better than the others... Her laugh is rueful as it echoes off the walls of the bathroom.]

That really the one you remembered?

[That would be a yes to his question.]

Guess I can't really blame you. It happened a lot like this, huh?

It did help trigger it. I can't remember everything, but the memory of something knocking into me and dragging you into the river surfaced. ... ...Was there something else? I feel like we weren't alone.

[At first he had been a little alarmed when she fell back, but now he can see that she's just relieved. It allows him to relax a little, but he also wonders if he should tell her that he remembers something else about her...well, it's still a little vague..]

[They should probably get out of the tub, rather than sit in it, but Tifa's mind is too preoccupied with the fact that he's finally remembered her... even if only a little. They're getting there!]

... There was.

[Okay, now she has a proper laugh, this one more amused.]

There were the fairy dogs who knocked us in, and some singing fish that thought it might be funny to commentate with music.

...I sense that that is one part that could remain forgotten.

[Fish commentating... Nothing good would come of that for sure, but he can already heat echoes of singing.

To be fair, they both experienced quite the shock from both falling into the tub and then his sudden memory resurfacing. So it also takes a bit before Eustace realizes what Tifa being soaked really means.

Subtly, but hastily, he averts his gaze and reaches over to grab one of the few remaining dry towels and hands it over to her. Notably without looking at her directly.]

We can talk about it more later... Let's clean up for now.

Yeah... [A beat.] If you remember anything else, you can ask for details.

[At least he's kind enough to avert his gaze, especially when Tifa stands, hugging her arms around herself before taking the towel and draping it around her shoulders. Best they just pretend that there's nothing out of the ordinary.

Although... the towel won't do much to help in the immediate moments, but Tifa is climbing out anyway, and removes her shoes to drain the water out of them before setting them down.]

Any place I can make a fire around here?

[The only one ogling them both are the dogs as they watch, seemingly with interest, but who is to say....... At any rate, Eustace waits for her to get out before following after, his back towards her as dries some of himself off.]

There is a hearth out in the main room. It uses magic stones rather than fire, but all you need to do is strike them together a few times and they'll warm up like a heater.

[Which makes sense because tree. But as he's about to remove his shirt, he realizes something.

...]

...If you need to borrow clothes there should be some upstairs. Though not sure how you'd feel about using them.

[Since, you know. Dead guy.]

[She turns to him just in time to spot him about to pull up his shirt, and she quickly spins her back towards him again. Let's not have another one of those situations...]

Uhh, I think I'll be fine with just the heat.

[She wouldn't feel great about it, but if she can heat herself up, then her clothes will end up dry in no time. And at least the water was warm, and she has a thick towel to boot that she starts using to dab the water off her skin and squeeze out of her hair when it falls out of its knot.

Meanwhile, Tifa fixes one of the dogs with a stern look.]

We were already clean, you know.

[That's a lie—she's been covered in dust and fur but that's besides the point.

Anyway.]

You'll come warm up too?

[Don't mind his shirtless self— It's mostly so he can wring out his shirt and dry himself off, though it really doesn't feel that weird for him. Though perhaps out of courtesy he'll put it back on before glancing at her.]

You go ahead, I'm going to clean up here since I'm already a mess.

[Tifa would stay back and help, but in her current condition, she wouldn't be much of one. She can at least keep cleaning near the heater with a broom or a duster, but until her clothes are dry, she'd only be making a bigger mess of the bathroom.]

Alright. I'll be there if you need me...

[Or if he remembers anything and has more questions from her, more like, and the tone of her voice says as much before she's disappearing from view and heading to where he had indicated the heater was to warm up. Strike the rocks together, he'd said, right? Thankfully, it doesn't take long to start it, and she's already working on cleaning up around there while she uses it to dry herself off, looking back every now and then to see if Eustace is coming by...]

[Unfortunately, it'll be a while before Eustace heads out. He becomes engrossed in the cleanup, forgetting the awkwardness and everything that happened as he worked to wash out the brushes, the tub, and then mopping up the floor. Since he opted to work, he ended up not putting his shirt back on and instead has it out to dry. So hope she doesn't mind the brief times he comes out to fetch things to clean up with it. A few of the dogs will follow, but about half will join Tifa while the others mill about or watch Eustace from outside the doorway.

By the time he's done, he feels like he needs a shower and actually debates. There's a door...or rather a curtain... .... No, it would be too weird. Instead he'll just do a quick rinse and wash off what he can and dry off before testing his shirt, finding it a little damp but dryer than before and thus serviceable. So it's only after much time has passed that he comes out.]

Need anything to drink?

[When he does come out, she'll be seated in front of the heater, cross-legged on the immaculately clean floor, with her head down, so still that it'll look like she's sleeping. She doesn't even look up when he stops in the doorway, and it'll only be when he speaks up that she lifts her head, her voice low and tired, but soft.]

I'd say some water, but I think we've had enough of that for one day, yeah?

[There's a ghost of a smile in her voice. Tifa had spent that entire time wondering what had happened here, how they got to this world, and if... somewhere down the line, this would be something they might have to worry about happening to them. Will they be cursed to remain here forever too? Do the dogs want to go home as much as the rest of them?

Besides her glancing briefly over her shoulder, she doesn't seem to make any intent to move known.]

You were able to get dried up?

[...She really did seem odd.]

...Somewhat, at least enough to not be dripping water everywhere.

[He stares at her for a moment more before he frowns a little and walks over to her.]

Is something wrong?

[Is it from everything that's happened? Did falling into the tub pushed the final straw or...?]

Hm?

[That question takes her by surprise—she hadn’t realized just how lost in thought she had seemed until he brought it to her attention, and Tifa snaps back, only slightly, to her usual self, although there is a haunted shadow over her expression.]

I was just thinking... about the dogs, and the man that used to live here. About how they're just like us. Different worlds with no way back. If they could go back home, do you think they would? Stuff like that.

[All hypothetical questions...]

What if we end up the same?

Edited 2021-12-08 01:42 (UTC)

[He stops just a few steps short when she starts revealing her thoughts, and he can't help but feel a little unsettled by the reasonable thought process.]

...We're still tied to our original bodies, aren't we? Then it's not something to worry about.

But as for what they think...

[He looks down at the dog sitting next to him. Sure, they like them now and seem to have taken to Eustace well enough, but he can see how they will sometimes look at the door. How the younger ones will occasionally whine or the older ones go to certain spots of the tree as if waiting for something.

A trouble expression forms as he crouches down to pet the dog who licks his hand in return, that nub of a tail wiggling back and forth.]

...It is cruel, isn't it?

It is.

[That basically sums it all up pretty well, doesn't it? Whatever divine magic is keeping them here, it's unfair to the dogs. Some of them clearly want to leave, and are rightfully afraid to do so, and are just stuck here... waiting for the day that they either can leave or return home. And for how long? If what they discovered is true, then that would mean that they're bound by time as well. Stuck for an eternity, waiting...

And that still won't stop her from worrying and wondering if the more time they spend here, the more likely they are to end up just like them. Not bound to a certain place, but to this world, like an endless dream they can never wake up from...

Tifa tries to shake off those dark thoughts and having that same dog wander up next to her helps with that as she boops her on the nose.]

When you get your memories, and... when you can leave... [She looks up at him, her eyes fierce with resolve.] I want to help. You'll figure out a way.

[Eustace stares at her for a few moments, noting her expression and her words. There's an odd warming feeling in hearing her wanting to help, but something also bothers him.]

...Why are you trying so hard?

[He ends up voicing his thought aloud as he continues to stare at her.]

To help not only the dogs but me as well.

[He understands they know each other, but since his memories are still incomplete, he can only base it from what he has. And so far they aren't really great, so he ends up frowning a little puzzled.]

[She rises to her feet then, brushing the dust off her skirt.]

You're a friend. And that's just what we do.

[We being her and Eustace. Even though she can't quite put her finger on why it matters so damn much to her and considering all of the things they had been through up until then, in Camelot and Reverein both, she knows that there's one common thread between them all—that they're helping each other in one way or another, whether it's her doing it or him, and whether they realized it at the time or not.

It's just what they do but putting all that into words feels strange when she thinks about it, and although she keeps it to herself, the tone of her voice and the way she looks at him so reassuringly silently conveys it.]

I also can't sit back when I know that there's someone who needs help. The dogs, too. They can't do it themselves, so they're going to need all the help they can get.

["You're just a good friend, that's all."

Her voice saying similar words echo in his mind as he stares at her for a moment. What she says make sense, but he can't help but feel...strange. There is definitely familiarity between them, but why does he feel like something feels off? Without all of his memories he would think they were close but somehow it doesn't feel that way. Eustace opens his mouth to ask more questions when their voices come to mind.

"What's with all the questions?"

"You say you know me from a world and time I have no memory of. Regardless of how you think of me, to me you are nothing more than a stranger. Why wouldn't I ask questions?

You should have expected it if you really know me well enough."

"Never said I knew you well.

I have just as many questions as you do, and not a whole lot of answers, so we on the same page now?"

"It's clear that this is all pointless."

Almost like watching a spliced recording he sees snippets of the early memory, can see and recall the frustrated feelings at the time.

He had lost his memory before? When they met again? And then he thinks of the memory of the river, feeling as if they were linked and he recalls something else—it wasn't the first time. Someone else—a monkey brat—had shoved him in.

".......I will only say this once. Whatever is between me and that woman is my business alone. There's no point in telling you anything because it doesn't matter. Judge me however you want, but I have my own reasons."

"Yeah, and I totally get that. But whatever those reasons are still doesn't mean you just get to make people cry like that when you don't know them any better...

So, you're gonna apologize to her, and you're gonna mean it, okay? It's really that simple. If you let her explain again or whatever, that's your choice."

"I don't need you telling me what I need to do."

SPLASH!!

By now the silence from his end has stretched out for a while, his brows furrowed as he looks deep in thought. More memories begin to surface and piece together and he feels a little less like he's watching someone else's life and more like his own, each piece falling into their proper place. There's still more, but he now has up to the river at least, and although he can't quite remember everything past when they got dunked he knows he apologized to her and had felt some guilt.

...]

...It's strange.

[He mutters the words as he half frowns, as if trying to figure out an incongruity.]

[She waits patiently again, when she can see that he's trying to sort through more memories. Which ones, she wonders...? It's hard to tell, but she doesn't press nor push, only standing and watching as his expression shifts and his frown deepens, her own gentle and understanding. It does look like it's getting easier for him to handle the onslaughts of memories that come and go, which is a good sign, but it's such a small comfort that she isn't going to hold her breath on it.

And when he speaks, Tifa tilts her head, closing the distance between them by a single step.]

What is?

[The only thing she can really do right now is prod him to talk his thoughts and feelings through—to voice them with the hope that it will slowly allow him to regain himself more.

Another step, but she stops there. Quietly, she huffs a laugh.]

A lot of this is, to be honest.

[He has so many questions, and with his memories still incomplete he still feels uncertain about things. The conflicting feeling of familiarity and uncertainty bothers him, and now that it seems he can handle it, he decides he should start asking.

Starting with what is most likely going to be an uncomfortable question.]

This isn't the first time this happened between us... I've forgotten you before.

[She nods, although it deflates her a little.]

Yeah... you have. Still don't remember everything, to be honest.

[Even if he were to get all of his memories of Songerein back, he'd still be missing an even bigger piece of their friendship... or whatever this is, but if he recalls that, then it's likely that Eustace already knows.]

But it's fine. None of it was your fault. You know that, right?

[A small sigh as he runs a hand through his hair in mild frustration.]

Doesn't make it any less irritating. I want to know what happened but I don't want you to waste time retelling everything if I can remember it all on my own.

[Especially since it might not be a pleasant talk for her. He can already see the toll his current condition is taking on her.]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject