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

Last time you what? Tried to go outside?

[Does he... really not remember what it did to him? Better that way, maybe, but still especially concerning. Had it really been that bad that his mind had just blocked it out completely?]

Yes. The pain was so intense I can't remember what happened exactly.

[ ... ]

That's what happened. You were in a lot of pain, and...

[Not to mention the way he started to disappear, or whatever that was. If she hadn't gotten him back inside, who knows how that might have ended...

She contemplates, for a moment, whether she should tell him that, but... with the way she feels her frown deepen, he can likely already read that there was more than just the pain. That, and he at least deserves to know before he tries to step outside again.]

You started... I don't know. Disappearing? I'm not sure what happened, but I got you back inside before I could find out.

Disappear...

[He frowns as he gazes back towards the door, but more in the directions where the remains had been found just outside it. They don't have their corporeal bodies here. Rather than death was his connection to this world almost severed? Or was it something else? And why when he hadn't been exposed to the spell for that long...

...

Regardless, it's concerning.]

We'll only have to see for ourselves. At worst I won't die but instead my connection to this world is broken and I return to mine.

[Something lodges itself in the back of Tifa's throat and tightens in her chest at that, and visibly so with how her entire body tenses in that moment. Why would the idea of anyone returning to their worlds be something to make her feel so... sad? And why him, specifically? It's not as if, in their time together here, they've grown that much closer, but... maybe that was why? Maybe Tifa had wanted a chance to reconcile with their mismatched memories before then?

But that's a selfish thing to ask for...

So, she nods.]

If things start to get bad, you could always come back inside, too.

[To help the corgis!!!]

[He notices her tensing, but he doesn't think too deeply on it. The idea alone would make anyone nervous—or excited if they wanted to leave this place. He's personally ambivalent, but...]

Of course. I don't plan on leaving so abruptly and with unfinished business left.

[He then stares at his hand, curling his fingers as if flexing them, envisioning the spell still holding him back before he stands.]

Let's go ahead and try. This feeling won't go away anytime soon and it may be better if we do it now.

[Tifa immediately moves to his side then, her arm wrapping around his and pulling herself close, as if letting him go then will be what causes him to disappear. Her grip is tight, obvious that she won't be freeing him, even should he ask.]

Okay, but... if it happens again, then we're coming back inside.

[...??? ??? ?????

He isn't sure what he is expecting, but Tifa grabbing tightly to his arm is not it. So he stares at her in some surprise, more so at the intensity of her hold than the action itself.]

...At least wait until I'm at the door.

[He sort of gets what she's doing but this is going to make walking a hassle if she clings to his side like this!!]

Edited 2021-12-15 06:46 (UTC)

[It's fine—they can walk perfectly fine just like this, but Tifa isn't going to let go, no matter how much he protests. Not this time. The only thing that might impede them are the dogs that are whining at their feet now, clearly worried over what they're about to do...]

Let's just... get this over with, okay?

[She sounds more afraid of what might happen than he does, with the way her voice shakes, or how her fingers clutch his arm tighter...]

If you're going to do it, then let's go.

[Standing around is only making her more nervous. More importantly, how is he not more afraid!?]

[How can he when he has someone else this afraid for him? Which...is honestly strange for him. He's had people worry about him before, but not to this extent and it makes him feel a little uncomfortable. Why should she care so much if he disappears? It didn't sound like they had that close of a relationship... Or is it just the idea of someone disappearing before her eyes no matter who it is? It's not like he would die, just return to his world...

The dogs gathering around them don't help him, either. At least he can understand that they don't want to lose someone else even if he hasn't made that deep of a bond with them. But they're simpler... Is she like them, maybe? Immediately the memory of her when she was a werewolf followed by when she transformed into a pup comes to mind and he immediately has to glance away because he remembers how adorable she had been. Dammit.

So rather than protest any further, he just swallows the sigh and makes a sound of acknowledgment before stepping to the door. The dogs are quick to follow and whine when they stop short, front paws hopping in unease as their barks grow louder. Eustace ignores them and steels himself, ignoring the pull to step back and steps forward through the door instead.

By now it's later in the afternoon, but the air that fills his lungs is so refreshing, freeing...and spurs more memories to return. He looks in the direction where he and Alice had come through, the once blurred memory now more clear as he recalls more of what happened. And although he can feel the presence of the remains behind him, he keeps his back to them, knowing they'll be an unnecessary trigger and he can't let that happen yet.

Although he feels...wary and a force trying to pull him back, it's significantly less painful than it was before. At most he feels something like an odd prick every now and then, but for the most part...]

...So far I feel fine.

Edited 2021-12-16 01:59 (UTC)

[The longer they stand outside, the looser Tifa's arm will become. Slowly but surely, she begins to let up, but not enough that she'll free him completely from the grip her arm has on his. She watches him carefully, eyes fixed on his expression, and she can sense those odd pricks on his memory when they happen, the air around him growing strangely tense with each passing moment that it makes her stomach turn over from nerves.

But nothing like what she saw before is happening, so... she takes half a step back, her fingers now curled around his arm, still holding onto something, and trying to keep him grounded while the dogs continue to whine on the other side of the door. She offers them a reassuring nod before turning back to Eustace.]

No headaches?

...Only minor, nothing as intense as before. I can now clearly remember the day Alice and I first discovered this place and this morning, and it feels like my memory is backtracking and spreading out from there.

[He still keeps his back to the tree, not wanting to ruin whatever focus he has right now.]

Let's keep walking further, try to get past the clearing. I can feel the spell still tied to me like a chain, so perhaps if we stretch it out far enough it'll break.

[Unlike him, Tifa does look back at the tree, and to the dogs at the door, all of their eyes switching to look at her as she smiles back before helping to urge Eustace forward.]

... Okay, but if you start feeling anything else, we're turning back around.

[There will be no disappearing on her watch.

Step by step, she'll walk with him, still clinging on as the sound from the dogs gets further and further away, her gaze never once leaving his face, watching for even the smallest signs of change...]

[The sound of the dogs barking and whines do pull at him, stronger than the spell that still tries to bind him, but he resists. He has to. If he falters now he might not be able to do this again. So his expression remains rigid, teeth clenching occasionally as he continues to walk forward.

Strangely enough, having Tifa there to hold onto him like some long of anchor or lifeline helps give him another focus. Another reminder that what's next to him and the memories shared between them are real. Not the ones from the tree.

But as they near the edge of the clearing, as if trying one last desperate attempt the spell strengthens. Like a warning flash, he feels a strong heat wear through him, a loud thrumming in his mind as he gasps and staggers, a hand going to his head as the pain pierces through him. He half wonders if its the tree itself that's responsible for trying to bring him back, as I'd trying to tell him that he's safer there inside.

But he knows that's a lie.

Forcing an eye open be can see flecks of light rising from his arms, as giving the illusion of him disappearing or breaking apart. But unlike the original guardian, his time was never frozen.

So he turns to Tifa and orders in a low, strained voice.]

Pull me out.

[It probably doesn't make much sense, but he means pull him out of the area.]

[Panic sets in immediately, and he'll feel her hands gripping his arms tighter than ever, her own voice muttering a chant of denials when the specks of light come from his arms. It's happening again, and Tifa doesn't know what to do besides force him back to the tree... even when she knows that it would only set them several steps in the wrong direction. Still, she's about to do as much when he asks her to do the opposite of that.

Her wide eyes go to the tree where the dogs are barking, and then to the edge of the clearing, and then back down to him. She wants to ask if he's sure, especially when they don't know what will happen to him, her mind picturing the remains outside of the tree again to serve as a reminder of what happened to the last man who tried, and...

No. If she's going to be there for him, then she needs to stop being so hesitant and afraid. If she's going to help him, then Tifa needs to be brave too.

Steeling herself and taking him by the hand, she forces him forward with her, pulling him to the trees that surround them without a word, and will only stop when he does.]

[Each step becomes more agonizing and he has to wonder if he's making the wrong decision, that it really would be better to return to the tree to regain his strength and try again later. And the dogs... Their crying grates at him and for a feverish moment he turns around, yanking his arm from Tifa's grasp.]

No, wait—

[Is he talking to himself or Tifa?

But before he can try to bolt back, or before Tifa can try in case she also thinks he needs to go back, the oldest corgi suddenly jumps to the front of the group, coming as close as they ever have to the door, and barks loudly and harshly. It's not a bark to try and pull them back—it's aggressive, with low growls as if to ward them away.

It's enough to startle Eustace to see such hostility, but if Tifa looks closely, the dog looks momentarily sad, its ears lowering as it looks between the two before making eye contact with Tifa. It then barks again almost commanding.

Get him out! the message seems to say and Tifa might even hear something like a voice before there's more barking, now joined by the others as if realizing what their leader is trying to do.]

[The aggressive barks startle Tifa too. They had all been so calm in the hours leading up, and this is not the sound of a dog that's sad or angry to see their owner leave. This is the sound of a dog that doesn't want him here and is trying to chase him away.

She becomes even more sure when she hears that whisper of a voice in between the growls, and even when he pulls back, Tifa grabs onto him again, threading her fingers between his to secure her grip before she's pulling him away from the tree and the dogs. She understands now. They understand now. If he can recall his memories before they were wiped, then he'd be the only person in this damned dreamscape that could help them, and she isn't going to let him sully that with his hesitation.]

No, let's go.

[Her voice is just as firm, and she breaks into a run into the trees, dragging him along behind her before he can change his mind.]

But—

[Why were they trying to drive him away? Why does he feel such an intense wave of sadness along with an urgency to run away? It's only thanks to Tifa's strong grip and his hesitation that he stumbles and ends up being pulled back into the trees, the cleared grass changing to thicker brush as the tree and the dogs become more distant.]

No, I'm not supposed to leave them!

[—Is that his voice filled with panic desperation? Are those really his thoughts, filled with grief and regret? Or it someone else's? It's all a painful mess as he suddenly tries to fight it back, digging in his heels to try and feel himself. Yet at the same time another part of him is fighting to continue moving forward, to get out of this trap that keeps trying to suck him back in.

And to make matters worse, the environment around them begins to react to his tumultuous emotions, dark clouds rolling in with thunder as cold wind kicks up around them. Even the ground seems to tremble, small, thin branches snapping and falling to the ground.

Yet they're close. So close. Ahead Tifa might see the vision of an owl flying past, a shimmer of light as if to illuminate the boundary they need to cross before it disappears.]

[She spots it up ahead—the strange shimmering that she isn't sure she should trust or be wary of... not to mention the owl being there, which doesn't help her nerves much. Still, they've come this far, and she isn't going to let him turn back, no matter how desperate and unlike him he sounds. It puts her on edge, just how much fear is in his voice, and he says one thing and then something completely different from that that she no longer knows what part of him to believe...

But Tifa's going to trust in her own instincts instead, and hers tell her to press on to the light in the trees, in spite of what the ground is doing, and she can't tell whether it's him, or her, or something else that's causing it. No, keep going—her shoes thunder against the earth, snapping and kicking up twigs as she goes, until she has the momentum to do what she should have done earlier.]

I'm sorry...!

[With Eustace's hand in hers, she reels around in a swift motion and takes his wrist in both of her hands. And with the speed that she has now, she uses it to send him flying forward, in the direction of where she'd spotted the image of an owl, brief as it was. She might as well have thrown him with the amount of strength she puts behind it, but they won't be separated for long.

Tifa herself leaps after him, managing to catch up just in time to help break his fall when her arms wrap around him and they tumble to the ground, rolling and skidding along the dirt until they come to a stop with her beneath him.]

[The throw catches him completely off guard, and for a brief moment the memory of that horrid Halloween night returns before it's broken by a tearing sensation as he passes through the invisible boundary. He wouldn't have noticed she caught him, the pain he feels is as much if not more than if he had just crashed into the ground face first. But mercifully, it's brief.

At first he's clutching onto her, hands digging into her sides as he gasps for air. The ground still trembles beneath them, the air shaking as lightning flashes above. Yet just as suddenly as it started, with each deep breath he takes the more he feels...normal. As if a giant weight had been lifted from him. And yet...there's also a weird emptiness as well.

Because his mind had been torn this way and that he's still taking some time to fully sort it out, but when he looks down at Tifa, he realizes his vision is blurry.]

...What...

[It's only then that he realizes tears had formed and had fallen during that manic episode and he's too stunned to fully comprehend it.]

[She only lays there beneath him, dirt clinging to her skin and her hair, as she holds on until she's sure that he's okay—and even then, Tifa doesn't let go just yet. Especially not when she blinks against the tears that fall on her lashes as he looks down at her, the sight of them glistening in his eyes only making her tighten her arms around him.]

It's okay. You're okay.

[She hopes. That's what she's going to tell him and herself at any rate.

Tifa realizes in the time that she's known him that she's never seen him so... vulnerable. The rush of everything that had happened, and an onslaught of memories one after another couldn't have been easy, and she wonders if it's a feeling of being overwhelmed, or something she can't quite comprehend. Not that it mattered... Through it all, she knows that she doesn't want to let go until she knows that whatever it is has faded, dirt and twigs be damned.

There's something of a protective instinct that takes over her too. The same kind that did when she was fighting for her life against him while she fought for his, not unlike his need to protect and help the dogs. Tighter still, her arms become, and she buries her face into his shoulder to close her eyes, her own tears of relief forming in their corners.]

[Her actions pull him from his stupor, the feeling of her arms tightening around him and burying her face into his shoulder startling him.]

No, this isn't—

[He doesn't know why he's crying, but he doesn't think it's him or his own feelings... He thinks?? Really it's hard for him to think straight with so many things still happening, but now he's realizing she's crying—

Primals what the hell kind of mess is this.

With a long, shuddering sigh Eustace just closes his eyes and gives up. He's beyond exhausted, more mentally than physically, but he pushes himself back enough so he can at least move off her before pulling her up so he can hug her to him.]

...It's fine now.

[His pulling her in comes as a surprise, a small gasp escaping her when she feels her body slump against his, the weight of their earlier fight now bearing down on her. He'd never been so... physically open with her like this—with anyone, she wonders?—but she isn't going to turn away from it. If he needs any form of comfort after all that, which she can only assume he does, she will readily give it.

With only a nod in response, Tifa returns the embrace, using his shirt to wipe the tears in her eyes away, and to hide the odd heat that finds its way into her cheeks. This is new for her. For... them? She's having a hard time recalling some of the memories from Camelot right now, so she'll just remain in the moment a little longer, for as long as he needs her.

Arms tighten around him again.]

How are you feeling?

[He's doing it less for himself and more for her—or so he thought—but he ends up realizing he might need it as well. Reminder of what's real and what isn't. It's been an emotional ride for the both of them for various reasons, so they both need this moment to collect themselves.]

It's...still overwhelming, but it's gone. I don't feel the pull of the spell anymore.

[There's a small pause before he continues.]

...I'm sorry I put you through all of that. I owe you.

[As he looks down at her, he does feel...a little awkward, but it's overshadowed by the fact that without Tifa's help who knows how long it would have taken to get his memories back. Someone else could have done just as well, like Gran. But it was Tifa, someone he hasn't known that long, who managed to work her way in. And as he briefly recalls it all, he really did put her through a lot. A wave of regret and gratitude washes over him, as well as...well he's not sure. He's never had someone have to or even needed to fight for him so hard before.

This really was the first time in a long time that he had been completely vulnerable and needed someone's help.]

[She slams a fist against his shoulder, her own shaking with a soft, gentle laugh against his chest before she finally sits up straight to look at him.]

You remembered. That's enough.

[Meaning that she doesn't think he owes her anything. He's been through a lot, and honestly? She's just grateful that she could help him get through it, and if he thinks he needs to repay her in any way, then that would be payment enough.

Tifa frees Eustace from her hug and extends a hand to him instead, her other one pushing herself up off the ground so that she can help him up.]

If you really wanna do something, then find a way to help those dogs.

second shot ⊗ open november log

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