sonnestark | aefenglom sample post

( prompts drawn from the fourth wall event )

i. boaltinn

a. bonfires

[Bonfires have often evoked pleasant memories for her, and these are no different. For as strange and chaotic an experience as coming into this world has been, there is something universally comforting about a bonfire, and so she gravitates towards them shortly after arriving to investigate the Boaltinn festivities.

People of all sorts are gathered around them, witches and monsters alike, and it helps her to feel just a little less self-conscious about the stray feathers she's found mingled in with her hair and in small patches along her shoulder blades. It's said that monster transformations are meant to take some time, but the rules seem to mean little this time around— along with arrivals being out of the ordinary in and of themselves, newcomers seem to be experiencing changes at a rapid rate. It's worrisome, but for tonight, she's inclined to let herself enjoy the festivities— for awhile, at least.

She pauses near the East Bonfire, just in time to see someone else leap through the flames, and a curious smile pulls at one side of her mouth as she looks to whoever might be standing nearest to her.]

It's supposed to be cleansing, isn't it? Do you think you might try?

[Flames with the power to burn away poor relationship experiences... well, she has plenty of those. It's tempting.]

b. rose baths

[This isn't her first shared bathing experience: she had warmed up to such things during her time in Japan, and the soft scent of roses reminds her of Lucia's talent for aromatherapy, something she hadn't realized she would miss until suddenly it wasn't available to her any longer. All of this has been a great deal to process, and so the chance to unwind is a welcome one. She exhales softly as she sinks down so that the water is up to her chin, leaning back so that her head is gently resting against the edge of the bath, the heat pleasant against the sore spots where feathers have begun to grow.]

This is awfully considerate of them... do they always do this for new arrivals, or are these strictly a part of the Boaltinn festivities?

[She sort of hopes it's the former. She could get used to this.]

ii. wilde hunt

[The moons' effect on her is much stronger than she'd expected, even having been warned. When the opportunity is offered, she heads out to the area of the Wilde that has been barricaded to allow new arrivals to test their new abilities and forms without the risk of harming passers-by. There's no guarantee that they won't hurt one another in the process, but given they're all going through a difficult adjustment period, she wants to trust that they will all do their best to look out for one another.

The talk of Shades out among the trees has piqued her interest— she has yet to see one for herself, but she would like to see evidence of the Cwyld up close if she can, be able to recognize it for what it is and see its effects in person. She's left behind the games of cat-and-mouse to venture deeper into the woods themselves, sword drawn as she advances, wings now fully-developed and folded against her back. Balancing on what she thinks are shaping up to be talons isn't so different from walking in heels, and actually makes picking her way through the forest a bit easier. All things considered, though it is difficult, she's doing her best to take these changes in stride.

A low growl from within the trees ahead draws her attention, causing her gaze to narrow and the grip on her sword to tighten, but her attention is quickly drawn elsewhere— the rustling of brush somewhere to her right, the space between the trees too dark to make out if it's a Shade or another Mirrorbound approaching. Either way, her wings flare as she raises her blade, prepared to defend herself if necessary, taking up a ready battle stance.]

Show yourself.

[It may not mean much to a Shade, but another Mirrorbound would respond, she assumes.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Ann huffs a sigh. ]

Yeah, it's not exactly encouraging when no one can tell you why you're here, and it happened different than usual...

[ It would have been one thing if they showed up through the usual routine, but that their arrival was so abnormal makes her more worried than maybe it ought to. ]

...Anyway, I guess all we can do for now is go along with it. By the way, do you know what you are yet? A monster or a witch, I mean.

I don't love the idea of waiting around for answers to fall into our laps, but I suppose our hands are tied for a little bit. We're here whether we like it or not.

[She may do some legwork of her own to see what she can find out, do some digging and learn more about the city as a whole, but at the moment, the rose bath feels like the perfect way to wash some of that stress away. Not all of it, of course— aromatherapy can only do so much for things on an existential level.

She shifts a bit, craning her neck to peek over her shoulder. She can't see it very well now, with her back against the edge of the tub, but she can still feel it— that sore spot where a small patch of feathers had begun to grow.]

A monster. Apparently, some people are showing symptoms earlier than usual, too. It's not much, but... enough that there's no question about which I am. What about you?

[ Another monster, huh? That's been the case for just about everyone that Ann has met so far. Is that the norm? Are there more monsters than witches? She had kind of just assumed there would be an equal amount of both, but maybe she's wrong about that.

In any case: ]

A witch. It's been the same way for me...I'm able to use a little bit of magic sooner than I normally would. Or that's what they told me, at least.

[ Her expression turns a bit sheepish. ]

Mostly...I've been using it on accident, and then I need a power nap afterwards.

Have you ever been able to use any kind of magic before now?

[It seems a question worth asking. She'd had access to magic before her own arrival here, but now it seems to be gone completely, the crests she carried to facilitate it no longer functioning— even beyond that, some of her own inherent abilities have been failing her.]

I suppose like anything else, it's going to take practice to get a handle on it. I'm not surprised to hear it's tiring... I'm exhausted, too, and I've only seen a few small changes so far.

[ This is normally the sort of question that Ann would shy away from, because she hasn't decided whether or not she should bring up anything related to the Metaverse here, even if magic is a lot more commonplace. But what does she have to worry about? It's somehow so much easier to consider talking about it now. That should be a red flag itself, but it isn't, somehow. ]

Sort of, but it was nothing like the magic that's used here. This kind of magic was only in movies and books back where I'm from.

[ But she's at least had exposure to the Very Weird, and had been pretty convinced this was part of the Metaverse until it was abundantly clear that it wasn't. ]

What about you?

[She nods easily, as though there's nothing at all out of the ordinary about Ann's answer. Really, given where they are, there's no reason to be surprised by much of anything at this point, and she's no stranger to magic, herself.]

Only a little, and most of it wasn't my own. We have crests that allow people who might not be able to otherwise to use spells, but I've known people with natural abilities of their own, too. It's like night and day, but still, nothing quite like what we see here. At least the idea of it isn't completely foreign to you?

[That has to count for something, right?]

[ It does count for something. If Ann had found herself in this place before all the Phantom Thieves stuff started happening, she would have freaked out way more than she already did. Which is saying something, because her first few hours here, weren't exactly...awesome. ]

Yeah, you're right. After fighting monsters inside of a person's cognition, this place seems almost normal in comparison.

[ ...Oops. Oh, well, it's probably fine. She can't seem to summon any reason to worry about what she just admitted to. ]

Sounds like we both know at least a some magic. It's the little things, right?

Inside their... cognition?

[Ann might be prepared to move past that, but Karin can't let it go by without saying something. She's not even sure what that could possibly mean, but clearly this girl has had some Experiences despite her youth.

She catches some of her hair starting to fall loose and shifts carefully to put it back into place with the hopes of keeping it dry, managing to stay mostly covered by the bath in the process.]

The little things, right... every little bit helps. All things considered, I'm feeling a lot more calm about this whole situation than I thought I would.

[Maybe she's just hard to surprise at this point.]

[ She has certainly had some Experiences, and maybe a quiet voice in the back of Ann's mind is kicking her for letting that slip to a total stranger, but it's very easy to ignore that voice right now. It's kind of nice to talk about it with someone who doesn't have any stakes in the Phantom Thieves, too. ]

Yeah, a cognitive world created by their distorted desires. After seeing something like that, I'm feeling pretty calm about all this, too. Even if we still had something important to do back home...

[ If what she's told is true, they can finish that whenever this place is done with them. Still, she's eager to get back and take down Shido and end his corruption once and for all. (If only she knew...) ]

Might as well make the most of things while we're here. Rose baths included.

A cognitive world... I see.

[Her voice trails off a little, thoughtful. It doesn't mean much to her without context, but she's seen enough strange things of her own to take it on faith. It makes her think of the Graveyard, the one with all of the doors that lead to different places, including a castle— all of that had been inside Yuri's soul. A cognitive world couldn't be so different.

She slips just a bit lower beneath the water, exhaling. She's amazed that it's still warm, but grateful that the bath seems to have some staying power. It's a treat, after everything they've been through upon arrival.]

You know, I think you're right. There's no point in throwing blame around or trying to resist or deny our situation. Some people might think that shows strength, but I think real strength is making the most of the opportunities we're given, even when it seems almost impossible to do so.

aefenglom sample post | monster (harpy)

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