liberazoth | a garden of ghosts;

[ Sometime when everyone happens to be around the same area of the house, Keito speaks up in a chipper tone full of curiosity. ]

I was wondering... What does everyone think of Miss Makima and Mi——Adela at the meeting today?

[ Once he says that, he looks around in expectation for everyone's answers. (You can practically see his non-existent tail wagging behind him.) ]

[ vayne is. probably puttering around the house. making himself something simple to eat? playing with the phone they all got and trying to figure it out? either way he's off in his own little world, lost in thought, so he jumps a little when keito asks them all his question. ]

Why does only one of them get the 'Miss' treatment...?

Uh, well ... I guess to start, Miss Makima seems like she'd be a scary person to cross, somehow.

[ He'll at least try to match the pace after that, if it helps. ]

Because she asked!

Well, Miss Makima is an adult. [ Is that really relevant? ] But she seems friendlier to everyone here than one of the police officers I know back home.

I guess ... That doesn't mean she can't be scary when she has to do her job, though. If she has to.

[ why does that feel like a very weighty if. ah, right, it's because people... well. moving on, ]

On the other hand, Miss— ah, just Adela? [ did makima ask to be addressed as miss or did adela ask to not be called miss? ]

She sounded like she was happy? Or at least ... Like she was trying to be.

Yeah, you have a point there. [ He's pretty biased since he knows that police officer has a soft spot for him. And that his dad is a police officer, of course. ]

And that's what she said to me, yes. "It's just Adela."

[ He then tilts his head to the side, thinking. ]

Hmm... She feels a little sad to me. Maybe even wistful? I just can't quite place what it's toward, though.

Maybe a better way to put it is that it feels like she wants to be happy... [ and if she wants it, she doesn't already have it. ] It feels like she's trying to make us feel happy with being here too.

[ more than her already saying that she wants to see people happy, that is. like someone trying to build a home, whether successfully or not. ]

... They don't really seem to me like people who would have just accepted the options they had, either. Were told about? It was a little unclear.

Ah, when you put it like that...seems pretty normal to me. [ Everyone wants to be happy, but that takes different forms for everyone...which makes it hard to grasp. ]

I guess there's something they could find only here? Or would make it easier for them to get what they want.

[ There's so much to wonder about what happened to them here before the current group arrived... ]

I was wondering if there was something here they were trying to get before everyone else.

... I think that's it's probably important to remember that when the rest of their group was dying, or chose to leave, or ... whatever happened, they survived. And it sounded like they knew a lot less about what was going on then.

[ if they trust what the ladies are saying. ... if they trust them to be telling the truth. ]

That ... probably means something about the both of them. I just don't know what.

Yeah, there's definitely something there. If only there was another source besides them to ask...

[ If only they weren't possibly evil organization members... ]

I'm assuming a lot here, but I'm thinking the books and stuff around are all probably something they've seen.

Do you think they might have hidden things from us, or?

[ a secret cache of forbiddeneded books... ]

Like something physical? Maybe! If it wasn't deep down in the mines or something like that, I'd guess it'd be somewhere in that weird fog at the edge of town.

[ Hidden treasure sounds so cool! ]

They did warn us away from it pretty obviously, huh. It would be the place that makes the most sense...

[ does that make it too obvious, though? ]

Right? I know it's not good to go there unprepared, but I can't help but think of what could be there once we get far enough!

[ His eyes probably shouldn't be sparkling so much at the idea. ]

Mi- Adela just made it sound like we'd be eaten by monsters, or something like that...

[ but then surely if they group up and prepare for it, they can defend themselves as they go out further?

... the last group probably had people who thought the same thing, huh. ]

[ Oh. That wouldn't be fun. ]

Or maybe we'd need something before we can go further? If I were trying to hide something that far down, I'd probably set up a door with a lock, too. But then again, the monsters might make quick work of that. Hmm...

I wonder if we can find some sort of log from the people who lived here before...

[ 'Cause it'd sure help with the expedition planning if they had a better idea of what they need to look out for? But if they don't find one... ]

[ the apocalypse logs of environmental storytelling... where are you... ]

Maybe. No one's found anything like that yet though... right?

[ it's kind of weird how little there actually is to read in this place that isn't like, farming related. ]

I haven't heard anyone mentioning anything like that. You'd think someone might've hidden something away on at least one of the farms.

[ Don't farms have some sort of recordkeeping? ]

[ wei wuxian sprawled out all over the floor and poking at his phone because he's like trying to figure out How Texting Works ]

Eh, they're not too bad. At least they tell you some things, I'm used to people in charge saying absolutely nothing at all.

[ He nods, agreeing with that sentiment. ]

I guess the question then is if they're telling us enough? I don't people can say "yes, understood" when asked to choose between two wildly different choices like they did. There has to be more to it...

[ Something about the idea of no third choice chafes at him. ]

At least that's what I think.

What do I think?

[ Finally. The questions people should be asking. ]

They're certainly quite the lovely ladies, aren't they? Miss Makima has a stern but cool demeanor that gives her a kind of mysterious quality, whereas the darling Adela has a completely different vibe....... no less mysterious, but in a different way, y'know? Almost ethereal.

It's hard to pick a favorite, they're both so cool............

Ehh...

[ He didn't mean it like that, he swears! ]

Well, uh, I agree they both really are cool and gallant?

[ It's not really a question, but it tapers off at the end like one thanks to how flustered he is. ]

Oho, so you do have a discerning eye after all. I don't think I would've pegged you as the type.

Wait a second, what do you mean by type?

I kinda thought your head was lost in the clouds there, for a sec. Glad to see you're on solid earth like the rest of us!

[ that's not an answer. ]

I still don't get what you mean by that.

[ he's not in the girls have cooties stage but lol ]

[ lol. ]

So, which one's more your type, then? If you had to pick one.

Uhh, Adela is easier for me to talk to?

[ type??? i'm 15 years old and what is this? (he definitely has a type) ]

[ zelos goes and says these things and suddenly vayne is struck with the abrupt realization that adela might in some ways remind him a bit of someone he knows.

which is to say that zelos says the word 'ethereal,' and vayne blinks and starts looking contemplative and deeply lost in thought. ]

Edited 2024-03-05 02:15 (UTC)

[ hm. well. "contemplative and deeply lost in thought" isn't exactly on the expected list of reactions. ]

What's with the look?

[ He'll snap in front of Vayne's face if he needs to. ]

Hm-?

[ wow that sure is snapping going on in his face ]

Oh, uh. It's nothing, really. Something you said just made me think of someone I know, and realize that if Adela's like who she kind of reminds me of, she might be someone you have to be pretty careful around too...

[ ................................ hm. ]

How so?

I just know someone who's maybe not the same as Adela, but she's kind of similar. Cute but mysterious, doesn't like remembering sad things, wants to be happy with a lot of friends... [ soft and nice seeming, popular with the guys too, apparently, judging by some conversations she had with niles and zelos earlier... ]

And then before you know it, she's telling you about how the reason she likes teddy bears is because they look so cute and harmless but are actually carnivores.

[ 'the way they kill their prey and soak their fur in blood is so…' ]

Is that right...

[ :worry: ]

I'll keep that in mind. Not really interested in seeing how deep those similarities run, honestly.........

[ *ralph wiggum voice* I'm in danger ]

That might be for the best... But maybe just to be sure, you should be careful on any moonless nights.

[ surely zelos will be fine in his pickup artistry. ]

Why?

She was kind of a ghost, so her hobbies were, well ...

[ you know. ]

I mean, you probably don't have to worry about that with Adela, but.

[ was joke? ]

Y-yeah, probably not........

[ He's going to die. ]

[ anyway. here is wwx in the house and he's

drawing on the walls with big black brush ink.

luckily there was ink available or these would have been done in blood.

the drawings look like Chinese characters because they're actually talismans, or at least, they're going to be his attempts at drawing sealing wards and the like even if they don't actually work (we'll get to that when he finds out) but anyway he's keeping busy and there are now big ink streaks on the walls. ]

[ He stares for a moment, but that moment is enough to get his eyes sparkling in excitement. ]

Do you need me to get more ink? Or is it the sort of ink you have to specially make?

[ No, he's not going to ask what he's doing yet. ]

Yeah, more ink would be good - I don't think I'm running out yet, and this house isn't huge, so I think I have enough, but--

[ he's rambling which drawing the final strokes on one of the characters. all good. ]

This array doesn't need blood, thankfully!

Hehe, I can grab some anytime! [ Yeah, he's absolutely gonna skip to the store to grab some later. ]

So what do these characters mean anyway?

[ At least he thinks they're characters. ]

[ oh. he doesn't recognize them, but he can make an educated guess... ]

Are those ... Protective symbols?

Mhm, got it in one. Figured it might be a good idea to try and keep out any vengeful ghosts if they're lurking around, you never know!

Oh yeah ... A lot of people have probably died here, haven't they.

[ farm's haunted. ]

You really think they might come back for us?

[ vengeful spirits ... is this actually just a cottagecore horror movie. ]

a garden of ghosts;

day / night 0??? 1??? it's opening weekend sunday ok

vibe check time

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CRIMES part 1

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