Safe Harbor [Cursed Night Event Prompts]

[enterthe]

Who ⬤ Ydris and OTA
What ⬤ Cursed Night Prompts
When ⬤ Days following the Cursed Night
Where ⬤ Sutoku area apartment complex
Content Warnings ⬤ Nightmarish corpse imagery, supply&food scarcity



i. I am a safe ship, harbored.

[Ydris' apartment complex might not look like the fanciest of buildings, but it sure was sturdy. The rain and nightmares hadn't yet damaged the spot and that was enough to keep them around. There were evacuation areas many preferred, but Ydris wanted to be more useful than just hunkering down. They would hunker down close to the action, providing a safe harbor for those who knew they could duck in.

For those who do, Ydris directs them to take a shower, launder their clothes, and sit for a meal. The dragon had left overs from their magnificent picnic spread and the pig they roast, but they are being notably slim in what they give to each guest. A piece of toast, an egg, a bit of shredded pork, some rice... it's not grand spread, but it will fill the belly]

I'm rationing. Who knows when this will blow over.

[if their guest looks particularly haggard, though, they'll grab a bottle of left over wine and pour them a glass of that. Sorry that all they have left is red....]

ii. Emergency Location Network

[To any who have had their fill and their rest, Ydris worries their lip as they prepare to leave.]

You're really going back out into that? [They look to their phone at the counter, before gesturing at it]

Don't you have the Ember application? If you give me your phone a moment, I can make it able to track your location out there. If you're in trouble, I could know where to send someone to rescue you. If you don't lose your phone, that is.

iii. Ashes to Embers

[The apartment building might not be as immune to the nightmare energy seeping in as Ydris might think. While Ydris and Junpei's individual studio is free of any corruption, some unlikely guest seeking shelter will discover the hallway leading to them is a gnarly sight to behold.

Stepping onto the stairwell landing for the proper floor, burning ash immediately assaults the senses. The air is thick with it, stagnant aside from a choking heat lifting the ash up from below. The nightmare of the hallway is difficult to catch one's breath in, the air thick with smoke and a spice so potent it's sure to burn the eyes and nostrils at every inhale. Taking any steps leaves bloody footprints behind, the ground beneath some manner of meat.

On all sides tower massive, onyx black ribs, pouring steam from where flesh and scales still clung. The nightmare has turned this hall into the hollowed out remains of some primordial beast's chest. The only beacon left within it's center, glowing faintly with just a few pinpricks of light. What was left of the organ is brittle and crumbling, half a damaged heart, made of solid coal...

A hand is sure to reach out from behind and grab at the guest, holding firmly as Ydris' voice cuts through the crackling of the still burning surroundings]

Hold your breath. If you can. Come on! [they'll pulling away from that center, though some might find it difficult to resist such an overwhelmingly welcoming warmth it gives off]

Comments

[enterthe]

[Ydris has a five year old daughter back home who will inhale anything if they don't tell her to take her time.

This habit with her has come strangely in handy with grown ass men. Artemy and Ryouma see fit to desperately devour what is put in front of them. Ydris will remind them it's not going to run away from their plates...]

It's quite literal where I'm from, yes. Called it Blight in it's many forms. We Dragons are supposed to hold steady against it so mortals can live safely. A shame I didn't have time yet to master that-

[they cut themself short there, not wanting to let slip just how, uh, really young they are for a supposed immortal god. They busy with some pointless organizing in the kitchen, straightening out items on the counter]

Would have come in handy about now.

[kaientai]

Mastery probably takes a really long time especially for a dragon, since you probably live for a really long time, right? I never asked Oryou-san how old she was 'cause my sister would've kicked my ass for askin', but I knew she was around for a very long time but she was still kinda young for what she is, I think.

[ leaning his chin on one hand, he pushes the food around on his plate while he talks. even if he misses oryou terribly right now, he still speaks of her fondly. it was inevitable that talk of dragons led to this, but where was he going with that..? ]

Oh. Anyway, what I meant to say is that I'd rather have somebody around who can still think outside the box a little. Being wise and mastering things is great, but I bet ya get set in your ways.

[ this is half spoken from experience since ryouma's having been around for so long as a guardian has definitely had an impact on him. he imagines it happens even more if you're supposed to live that long. ]

[enterthe]

Young for what I am is a good way to put it, yes. [catch Ydris being as nonspecific as possible. No way they'll admit they're just 25. Nope. Talking all around that, without outright lying.... maybe....]

There was a Fire Dragon before me, after all. I'm the replacement. Or, I was.

If things are continuing on back home, do not simply pause while we are here- [ which someone did float to Ydris as an idea, they hadn't really made that presumption themself. It's a nice thought, but seems too convenient to take full confidence in] -perhaps they'll need to make an even newer one. My daughter could one day be fit for the mantle, though I doubt she'll be as Orderly as required. Not being left with her father.

[they've both left people behind they can sound wistful over. Better than having the nightmare haunt them, Ydris supposes. They can haunt themselves.]

[kaientai]

Is that what you think is happening? I would think that would do a lot more harm than good in the great scheme of things. How many timelines and worlds would cease to exist if you just pulled people out of them? Not everyone's world revolves around them but you have to assume that's probably true in at least some cases.

[ as a person who has to deal with these kinds of problems, the thought of it is a real headache. ]

Might not even be worlds to go back to, in that case. It's a lot more likely that our coming and going won't even be missed back home. Time doesn't pass the same way everywhere and for everyone, after all. It's only been a hundred and fifty years or so since my time if I'd just gone on living there until the present day, but my job takes me to a lot of different times and places, so it's been a lot longer than that for me personally if I bothered keeping track.

[ this explanation is probably not helping when it comes to not letting on how old anyone here is. ]

So, I'm sure you'll go right back to your duties where you left off!

[enterthe]

A hundred and fifty years since your time?

[it's probably overdue to be asked, but-]

Wait, what is your... whole deal? I hadn't clocked you as some manner of immortal. [well, there's another conclusion, since reincarnation is a well understood thing on Myddvai]

Or do humans reincarnate in full where you are from? That's rare on Myddvai, human souls usually get shuffled around in the lifestream before returning renewed.

[kaientai]

Well it's—... I suppose I lose track of who I told and didn't tell...

[ and it's not like they don't have time. ]

Humans generally have a cycle, that's true, but some people end up getting removed from it for one reason or another. That's what a Heroic Spirit is. Then something happens in between with some kinda magical this and that—...

[ it's very technical, this jargon. he also takes bites of his food here in between his explanation. at least he's eating more slowly??? please trust him, the daitengu gave him rank and entrusted him with things!! he's competent! ]

...—and then ya end up with a Servant, which is what I am. Long story short, this form is made of magic. "My time" is around about the 1860s back on Earth, but I was living in a time that was much farther in the future. It's a lot of time travel nonsense, honestly!

[enterthe]

That's... certainly unique. There's nothing of the sort upon Myddvai. Some break out of the cycles, severing themselves from the lifestream entirely, but they are then immortal.

[actually, that might be worth specifying, as it's how Ydris tends to relate to states of being]

Are you considered immortal yourself?

[kaientai]

Sure, Heroic Spirits are technically immortal, I guess? If you kill a Servant, you're only destroying a magical vessel, after all. The actual Spirit still exists in the Throne of Heroes, which is sorta hard to explain, but it's a place outside the whole cycle business. I suppose the question is more whether or not you'd consider a Servant to be alive in the first place.

[ he had a lot of time on his hands sometimes to think about this stuff. sometimes you sit around and quietly have an existential crisis because you don't know what your life is anymore??? it's fine. ]

I'm an unusual case, but we're generally considered tools to be used for a purpose. We don't even retain our memories unless we're summoned in a certain way. I guess I'm lucky in that way. Better to remember too much than always be stuck constantly losing every new experience, right?

[enterthe]

Mmm, I don't know about that. There are beings on Myddvai that reincarnate entirely as themselves each life. They're known as Giants and some are even older in memory than we god dragons are.

[especially Ydris, but they won't ever call themself out like that, noooo way]

The oldest of them can be a real prick. Too burdened with the knowledge of his past mistakes.

[kaientai]

Ah, well. There's nothing for that anyway. Whatever we are now, we're the culmination of whatever we did in life that left some kind of impression on humanity. Or so I'm told.

[ more counter guardian things making it weird. ryouma has never actually been to the throne, and he doesn't get all the information automatically, so here he's just guessing. ]

A Servant will always have those memories no matter what. It's the new experiences that get wiped away every time. I ran into Izō a few times before this, and we could sort things out between us, he and I, and end on a good note. Next time I'd see him, we'd go through it all over again. I'd remember him, but he'd forget me. I'd hate that... never changing. I'm glad things are different for him now...

[ or, this is all wishful thinking at this point. ryouma has already done the deed, and the last he'd seen, izō had run off in the rain. ryouma shoves more food in his mouth, though, because at least he won't look sad. ]