EVENT #10: AFFLICTION - IC POST

[abraxasmods]

Event #10 - Affliction

go to the OOC event info & plotting post

---

With tensions heavy across Abraxas and all the destruction that's happened, it's no surprise that the dark shadows which sweep over the land go unnoticed...at first.

Winds initially stir in Solvunn, where the influence of the Old Gods remains the strongest. Slowly each Herald infects Thorne and the Free Cities, as well. The Summoned are the first to feel its effects and are the most heavily impacted.

Though no one will realize it until well afterwards, Nocwich remains unaffected. After all, the Summoned don't reside there.

NOTE: This event will deal with themes of death (people and animal) and horror imagery.

Emergence

It begins sometime in mid-October, around the 18th. Not everyone will experience it at the same time. You might even believe you're spared until days afterwards when you're visited by an unusually vivid dream.

The dream starts the same for everyone: you are going somewhere, anywhere, walking to your bedroom or enjoying a stroll on the beach. You might be driving down a familiar neighborhood. Wherever you're headed, you eventually come upon a stone tablet engraved with your Arcana. Laid on the tablet are three objects:

◎ A dead moth trapped inside a wilted rose, symbolizing Koth of Festering Lands
◎ A teacup inside which sits a single nightshade berry, symbolizing Adlewyrd of Poisoned Tongues
◎ An ornate cracked hand mirror that contains no reflection, symbolizing Sannleikr of Many Faces

Make a choice. Something inside your soul will be drawn towards one of the objects. Maybe you spend hours in the dream deliberating, but sooner or later, you'll pick one of the items up. The moment you do, the other objects vanish and the chosen Herald appears before you. Where one might expect a god to seek subservience, the strange figure instead extends a friendly hand towards you - as though it's greeting you as an equal.

Whispered around you, you hear its name. Then it fades and with it the dream. You awaken.

Affliction

You go about your day as usual. That's when you realize something isn't right. Creatures and people around you behave strangely. You begin to sense that you are the cause.

Depending on your chosen Herald, you'll experience at least one of its afflictions. The effects might start small, then grow. They might rush you all at once. You can't shake what haunts you, though you can try. Spells, potions, and willpower can help keep the afflictions at bay but you won't ever be completely free.

As the afflictions seep into your mind, you start to find shadows of it following you: a dead moth here, a nightshade bloom there, a cracked mirror elsewhere. You may even wonder if it's following you in the first place. What if instead, you are the one leaving these signs behind?

Corruption

The first time you inflict your ability on someone else, you don't mean to. It might be a stranger, some unsuspecting soul, or it might be another Summoned. Regardless, the afflictions that ail you seem to spread through you into another. Someone falls down as if in the throes of an invisible death or secrets spill. You brush by someone and they're suddenly upset and confused.

The more this happens, intentionally or not, the better you feel. You may grow full of life and energy, gain a renewed strength of heart, or radiate a charm that turns heads and garners compliments. The afflictions haunting you could even start to fade or completely vanish. And if you use your newfound power deliberately? You'll feel better even faster for longer. Of course, these boons are temporary, lasting at most an hour or so. When the feeling wanes, you might miss having it.

You are not possessed. You can't control this power that spreads through you, but how you respond or behave is up to you. You could be attracted to the allure of power, enjoy the boons you are granted, or realize you can gain relief from your afflictions if you choose a victim. Not everyone will fall headfirst into the pull. Some are not easily swayed by power, some struggle to overcome their dark impulses, and others would rather endure their suffering than inflict it on someone else. But others still might succumb to temptation and turn on those around them with purpose: once, twice, multiple times. The choice you make is yours alone.

Blight

With the call of the Herald at your fingertips, the world around you twists. No one knows whether this stems from you and your newly imbued afflictions, or if the Heralds are exerting power on their own. It's for sure easier to think of what occurs as the influence of something monstrous beyond your control. No matter the cause, the earth is changed all the same.

Omens

The omens arrive shortly after the initial Summoned receive their dreams, but they don't come to every faction at once. SOLVUNN is first, being home to the Old Gods' shrines, before THORNE and the FREE CITIES follow only days afterwards. Depending on where you are, the omens will affect things a bit differently.

Solvunn

In Solvunn, the ground stirs. A desiccated hand breaks through the grass, a cloven hoof. Human or animal, they crawl forth, animated against their will. Some might attack, but most do not. At the same time, crops around the settlements begin to fail. Some chickens lay rotten eggs while cows produce spoiled milk. Any livestock that perishes overnight will surface in the mornings with empty eye sockets - pecked out by crows or gnawed on by rats. From a distance, the ocean can be seen bubbling as leviathans beneath thrash.

Worth noting is that many of the dead are concentrated around the shrines, especially the ones deep in the woods. They're too decayed to recognize, and some might not even move from the site, as though they are waiting for the earth to take them again...or as though they once chose to give up their life at this very spot.

Summoned can assist by helping to cast spells or place warding charms around shrines, farms, and gardens to protect crops and livestock. As a commune, the Solvunnites will share their resources as much as possible and would appreciate those who might lend a hand bringing supplies, herbs, and offerings to neighbors who are lacking. The Summoned can also brew a common herbal remedy to aid any animals who have fallen ill or to help purify the well water.

Free Cities

In Libertas, the dead buried under the rubble dig themselves out. More crawl forth from graves in Cadens' cemeteries. Beasts and bandits slain in the desert wilds rise, hungry or searching for the ones who killed them. At the same time, dead fish wash up onto the shores of Aquila while birds fall dead from their perch, dropping like flies from an unknown illness. Vultures and other scavengers begin to prey upon the eyes of the dead, leaving behind hollowed-out corpses.

Worth noting is that in the Badlands, a few very old and skeletal corpses rise with a metal plate or two screwed onto their bones, which are also oddly elongated. Only one or two make their way near the city. The army is quick to dispose of them before many can notice. They will not disclose any information about this and will claim these are just monsters like anything else.

Summoned can assist by going on patrol with the soldiers to put down any risen dead. Merchant caravans are also hiring escorts for their journeys. Additionally, they can help look through any received supplies and packages to make sure the food isn't rotting or worse, use a special dissolving compound to purify the waters, and donate staple food items to refugees and the less fortunate who can't afford the rising prices.

Thorne

In Thorne, the dead emerge only from the outskirts of the castle city. Thanks to information from one of their Summoned and their recent monitoring of the Singularity, Thorne was able to act swiftly and was able to ward any royal or otherwise significant burial sites. Graves and tombs of less importance, though, will not be protected in the same way. There are fewer encounters with eyeless corpses, though some animals might appear outside the castle in such a state. Normally extravagant dishes from the Castle's kitchens use simpler ingredients as they struggle to ration their food stores.

Worth noting is that a few unexpected corpses make their way up from deep under the castle in places beyond the dungeons. These are twisted and mangled, missing limbs, heads, fingers. The castle guards are quick to dispose of them before they get too far into the rest of the castle, but one or two may be spotted.

Summoned can assist by contributing to the wards around Castle Thorne and the city, using spells to put down the dead without mangling the corpse, and taking inventory of food stores. Further, in Nott the situation is more dire for anyone who is traveling there to continue assisting with repairs following the attack. Nott will welcome help with any problems caused by the omens. It'll be clear the kingdom has neglected the city somewhat. Thorne will claim the Castle takes priority, of course, due to King and Queen residing there along with the entire royal court.

Apprehensions

Across the factions, locals are beginning to catch on that something isn't right with you, the Summoned. No one will say it outright, but there's an air of caution and wariness around you where you go. Merchants might be quick to hand you your wares so you'll leave or locals give you a bit of space when they walk by. Chatty innkeepers are more reluctant to hold lengthy conversations.

Much of the time, it may not be conscious. The natives might simply sense something off that instinctually makes them want to put some distance between them and you. The only exception? If you've chosen Sannleikr of Many Faces, you'll continue to exude your charm towards people you encounter. At least for as long as you continue to inflict that ability you've been gifted.

Displacement

Everyone responds differently while in the Horizon. You might exert better willpower over your afflictions or you might feel its effects more strongly. It all depends on the individual and their mindset. Regardless, the Heralds are only one part of the equation. There's a much bigger disturbance going on.

It could happen as soon as you enter or it might be as you're stepping over the threshold into another's domain. Whatever the case, you are suddenly not where you're supposed to be. Instead, you're in one of two places depending: transported into a domain you never meant to go into or in a foreign setting altogether.

Visitation

Whether you're the one transported or someone teleports unexpectedly into your space, the Horizon becomes unpredictable for the next little while. Rooms normally locked to strangers, areas you yourself may not even realize exists - you and your fellow Summoned continue to pop in and out despite your intentions.

The effect isn't painful, just disorienting, like missing a step you didn't see or stumbling through a door into a too-bright room. The person whose domain you've inadvertently visited might sense an unwanted presence, whether they're inside the Horizon or not, or they may be completely oblivious. This will depend on the strength of their connection to the Singularity and the Horizon.

Not to worry. You won't be trapped or anything in these cases...unless the domain you land in happens to seal from the inside. You might stumble on secrets you weren't meant to find, though, locked away in someone else's mind.

Ensnared

The less fortunate will be pulled into a space that they've never encountered before. The bizarreness of it resembles the glitchy visions that flashed through a few months ago, but rather than an image flickering by, you are now inside the space itself.

Trapped between minutes to hours, you can't use the Horizon's creation magic as normal. Attempts will falter or go sideways: trying to fly out might cause you to tumble, tools and objects are broken or not quite right, wounds don't vanish or heal completely, etc. More significantly, you can't seem to send or receive messages through your connection. Anything that manages to come through will be garbled and distorted. It's as though the place you are in is just out of the reach of your control.

Luckily, you may not be alone. Someone else may have gotten lost alongside you. They might already be there when you stumble through or they might arrive after you do. They might even fade out sooner than you, unintentionally leaving you behind.

Eventually, you'll be released back into the Horizon proper, spat out in a random place in the Horizon. While you're stuck, though, you can try to survive, explore, sit and wait it out, or make friends with your fellow trapped partner. Each area has its challenges and quirks that you'll need to deal with.

Scenes to Explore

JUSTICE ◎
FULL IMAGE

High in the clouds, these snowy peaks are as cold as they look. Giant marble hands reach out, though their sheer scale means you might not recognize them as hands from up close. You can scale the mountain, but if you try to go down, the hands will flip the mountain, which sends you tumbling to the top again.

It's up to you whether you can be injured when you fall. Maybe the snow will feel like marshmallows, or you'll break a bone on the jagged rocks. No two experiences are the same. If you have a partner, they could end up faring better than you despite being in the same place.

Conjure some warm clothes or a log cabin even if you wish - they might not manifest perfectly, but it'll be better than nothing. At least the view's fairly nice...while the sun is up. A blizzard will come through by nightfall. With it arrives a strange hovering light that entices you or your friend to follow it into the frozen darkness. What draws you out depends on you. It could be a familiar voice, an image, or a simple compulsion. If you're lucky, the person with you is unaffected and can try to stop you. Or maybe you're the one desperately chasing after the other person?

---

THE CHARIOT ◎
FULL IMAGE

From a distance, it's hard to tell if they're shipping containers or houses stacked atop each other. A gooey mess covers the ground below. Oddly, the smell isn't as unpleasant as the goo looks. It smells like bubblegum or cotton candy, artificial and sweet. When you first fall in, you might land inside one of the homes, on top of the stacked structure, or the ground. You can try to reach anyone else who's there with you, but be careful: the ooze is spreading. Climb if you must or move from room to room. If you don't keep moving, you risk getting sucked into its sticky mass.

Each block of a home is different. Some are furnished, whereas others are empty or filled with strange knickknacks. Some might even have subconscious creations spawned by you. Keep ahead of the gloopy substance, and you'll be fine, probably. Or you can try to fight it back or block its path by sealing yourself in a room or otherwise, which can slow it down significantly. Mostly, you'll have to hope you fade out before the pink mass completely consumes the landscape.

---

THE WORLD ◎
FULL IMAGE

The hazy neon glow obscures a nothingness that seems to extend forever. In the middle of the wet ground are several stacked television sets with wires plugged into nothing. Inexplicably, there's also a cat. At first, it appears perfectly normal, but keen observers will notice that its behavior is on a loop where it will walk a certain path, pause at specific intervals to lick its paws, and meow at set points. It does not acknowledge any of its intruders. You can break its loop by picking it up, at which point it'll go limp as a ragdoll. As soon as you set it down, it'll resume its actions as before.

While you can see the same images as someone else on the screens, it's also possible you'll each see something different despite being in the room together. What you see is up to you. It could be an old fuzzy movie, home videos of your childhood, trivia questions you have to answer correctly, or even a memory or vision you wouldn't want to share. Words or faces taunting you could appear between staticky flickers, or maybe your very thoughts are projected onto the screens for anyone with you to read.

Break the televisions if you want, but given a few short minutes, they'll reform between one blink and the next. Looks like you'll have to keep watching until you're released.

---

THE FOOL ◎
FULL IMAGE

Sprawling and massive, you're unlikely to recognize at first that you're trapped in a labyrinth. Stone walls rise around you, and your surroundings are pitchblack. Manifest a torch or a flashlight if you can, though these will be prone to going out at inopportune times. Escaping over the walls will only send you into another section in the maze.

As you navigate the twisting corridors, you'll encounter any variety of trials and troubles: gaps in the ground, spiked traps, haunting whispers, monsters, decaying corpses. Some of these might've formed from your mind, others might've spawned from anyone else who's trapped with you.

If you aren't alone, do your best to locate your fellow Summoned. Voices do carry and echo over the walls, and there could be landmarks that help you find each other. Finding the exit, however, is another matter. Walk and climb all you want. A way out is impossible until the Horizon chooses to set you free.

Players can pick any scenario that interests them from the four choices above. Unlike the visions from before, characters can accidentally be trapped in as many of the scenes as you want, as many times as you want. Another option is that they can stay trapped in only one scene while a variety of characters fade in and out to join them, or some combination of the two. Choose what works best for your plans.

Each scene will once again carry an associated Arcana etched somewhere inside it, which can change from person to person or instance to instance. It might be on a wall, a table, or on the ground. Characters with a stronger connection to the Horizon are likely to be trapped for longer but the extent of this is your choice and it won't ever exceed a few hours. It's also your choice whether the afflictions continue to haunt them or not. If you want characters to deal with both problems while stuck together, you're welcome to!

Generally speaking, there are no restrictions other than that they won't be able to communicate with anyone outside the area, they can't escape it until the Horizon chooses to release them, and their creation magic will go wrong just enough that it'll make things tricky.

Comments

Nadine Cross | Free Cities | Adlewyrd

[nadine_he_loves]

[Open and closed starters below! Plotting comment here.]

Cadens - Open (CW: corpse and medical stuff)

[nadine_he_loves]

Omens - Streets of Cadens

It's been a strange day. From the moment Nadine woke up, shaking away unsettlingly odd dreams, she's felt a bit off. The feeling has only grown stronger through the day, right up to the point her class on organ structure was cancelled.

Because one of the practice cadavers sat up and starting grabbing mindlessly at anything around it. Her practice cadaver, as it happened. Just as she'd been slicing into its liver. Not that it had seemed that aware of what was happening. It was only the start, it turned out, and it quickly became apparent that classes were over and done with. Immediately.

The smell of preserving fluid still clings to her as she makes her way home, her mood distracted. The rising dead isn't exactly new, though it seems a bit early for it. Perhaps an insensitive thought, but she's found herself with more of those than usual today. Just flitting thoughts that are more cutting or unfair in their tone. Maybe she should be more concerned about the unquiet dead, but the streets seem relatively fine. In this part of the city, at least.

She does take note of any other Summoned she sees on her way, and moves to approach them.

"Hey...uh, just thought you should know, there's some zombies at the medical academy. Apparently when they say 'you'll be working on fresh cadavers', they really mean the fresh part."


Adlewyrd's Influence Begins - Streets of Cadens, Mag's Inn

It's more than just one strange day.

Nadine hasn't been feeling herself since that weird dream. The zombies didn't help. But it isn't just external things, she's found herself thinking things she wouldn't normally. Or rather seriously thinking about things she wouldn't normally.

She is, overall, a reserved person. She isn't prone to indulgence or much needless spending or impulsive decisions. Overthinking things is likely one of her stronger flaws. She ponders and considers and runs through possibilities in her mind. So much of her former life still clings to her. A resistance to drinking or otherwise inebriating herself in the real world, denying the urge when it comes on her. Her reluctance to take other lovers, despite being encouraged to and explaining it away as lack of time. A need to live simply and quietly and follow all the rules laid out for her.

But it's like there's a little voice inside her head, urging her to forget all those rules. What good does it really do her? Shouldn't she be doing all she can to enjoy this life of freedom she's found? Which is how she's somehow found herself with two boutique shopping bags on her arm. For once, all on her own and without Julie at her shoulder, she'd seen something in a window and walked right inside to buy it. More than once.

When she reaches home, instead of going upstairs to her and Julie's rooms - which she just thinks of as their apartment - she finds herself giving in to an impulse again. She settles herself in the common room of the inn and orders a drink - something she never does by herself.

Why not?

omens.

[monomachy]

When she was a child, part of Diana's lessons included learning about signs from the gods, things to watch out for that could spell bounty or disaster. Dreams were the most important of those signs, though their interpretation was best left up to the oracle and priestesses. Still, it is not difficult for Diana to recognize a meaningful (perhaps prophetic) dream when one comes to her. She had stared down at the tablet engraved with the symbol of the Empress, the flower with the insect, and had known it was important. The moment her fingers touched the tablet, the wind in her dream was filled with one repeating word--or name. Koth, Koth, Koth.

A god of this world--for it could only have been a god--had appeared to her, and extended a hand. It had all been so beautiful, and grotesque, and had left her disturbed upon her waking.

So, as she often does, she had taken to the streets, walking around the city to clear her head. When Nadine approaches her with a warning, her brows furrow and she tilts her head to one side. "What is a zombie?" It's a genuine question; she's never heard the term before.

[nadine_he_loves]

"Oh!" Nadine doesn't think she's ever met anyone who didn't recognize the word. But it was probably only a matter of time, and from what Diana's told her - though it hasn't been much - the woman comes from a much different place than Nadine.

"Corpses that move around and typically they try and kill or eat people, but these mostly just seemed...confused? Not that they seemed to be capable of feeling anything, but one kept walking into a wall and one just went in a circle...." And some couldn't walk at all, considering they were medical practice cadavers.

"It happened last year around this time, too, but those ones were angry and armed."

[monomachy]

Diana rears back a bit as he listens to Nadine's explanation, shock obvious in her expression. Stories of the restless dead are not unknown to her, but they were always confined to Hades' realm; souls who could not pay for the ferry, or who had been doomed for some other reason always wandered the Underworld. But here, on the earth?

After a moment, she collects herself, and her brows draw together. "They are just... wandering around? Do they seem to be searching for anything?" It would make sense that they were trying to return to the Underworld--if this world has such a place. It's the only thing Diana can think of at the moment.

[nadine_he_loves]

"I honestly didn't see enough to say. It was like...they were moving, but there wasn't any thinking happening. They didn't seem too aware of what was going on or where they were or anything like that."

Nadine can only shrug. They'd been ushered out very quickly, so the problem could be dealt with. How, she doesn't know, but she probably doesn't want to. It's a problem for the heads to the academy, and she'll just enjoy the surprise days off.

"But it's probably something we should be on the lookout for. It's likely it's happening other places, too."

omens

[techmaturgy]

Viktor doesn't attend the same academy as Nadine--he's been at the Grand Academy for a few months now, but academia is such that they cross paths every so often. It helps that Jayce still takes physiology classes, so she's in their orbit, tangentially, and many of the academy students intermingle on various campuses anyway.

Being here at all feels like a waste of time--an attempt to pretend things are fine when they very clearly aren't--but work doesn't stop just because the Singularity is acting up again.

(It stops because Nadine is here telling him about zombies, or something).

"Sorry, what?" He doesn't really have time for this, but she seems to find it worth sharing. "Are you in danger?"

[nadine_he_loves]

"Not anything immediate, I don't think. I've fought zombies before, but these don't seem quite as armed and dangerous as last year's. Just figured it was something people should be aware of - watch out for the walking dead."

Because it's unlikely it's only happening at the academy. There are all kinds of places where bodies might be found in Cadens, and if it's just started, it may not be widely known news yet.

"They cancelled classes while they deal with it."

[techmaturgy]

"I should hope so."

Granted, Viktor has no plans to go near any dead bodies, though from what she's saying, it might not be entirely up to him. Troubling, to say the least, and the nonchalance with which she relays this information is even more troubling, though he can't help but be slightly curious. He's still a scientist, above all other things.

"Reanimated...magically? How?"

[nadine_he_loves]

"I'm just taking a guess here, but I'm going to say magic."

What else could it be? They hadn't shambled out of some lab...well, okay, technically they had. But they were just regular cadavers.

"It wasn't like they were alive, there was no evidence of actual thought or intent. They didn't attack anyone, even though we were literally cutting into them when they...woke up. It was weird, honestly."

Compared to how Nadine is used to zombies acting, with her limited experience.

Horizon - Open

[nadine_he_loves]

Nadine's Domain

Something isn't right. Nadine's used to the sky changing with her moods, and with things as they are, the storm clouds aren't unexpected. But there's other changes. A pale yellow tint to the clouds that's never been there before. The windows along the streets of the square are dusty and dirty, the buildings themselves somehow looking faded and as though they've been lying empty for decades. There's a sickly cast to the light, like right before a thunderstorm.

Or worse.

Try as she might, she can't set it to right. The clouds stay over her little bit of New Hampshire, the light stays wrong, the windows refuse to come clean. Even her own little cottage house isn't spared, the front yard looking untended and filled with dead grass and flowers, the paint of the house worn. Inside was better, but still there was a film of dust on the furniture.

She checks every bit of her domain, from the little square with the church to the farm fields and small stretch of woods to the little red schoolhouse at the very top part of the land she calls hers. The stream running by it is brackish and thick.

What the hell is going on?


Horizon Misadventures

This...is not where Nadine intended to be. She'd meant to arrive in her own domain, but wherever this is, it's certainly nowhere familiar. Had she made some sort of mistake? Or was this just more of the madness that was taking hold of everything?

If she's lucky, it's just someone's domain that she's never seen before.

[OOC: feel free to either be stuck in any one of the four trap scenarios or have Nadine pop up in your domain!]

Horizon - Visitation | let me know if this works!!

[thearchangel]

An automatic door whooshes open in front of her. Leading into a fairly sizeable room. With really... really big guns. There's a quiet beep every so often. The low hum of massive engines and almost inaudible hiss of air through ventilation systems. Nothing in the room is terribly loud, but you couldn't really call it quiet, either.

The room's occupant isn't immediately visible, either. Though, he is audible.

"- absolutely."

A female voice answers, a bit distorted by the communicator: "Creepiest thing we fought?"

"The Thorian. Your turn."

Garrus sounds amused. Teasing. Like this is an old back and forth between himself and the other speaker. And the longer this goes on, the clearer it is that's the case.

"I'm going with the rachni."

"The queen?"

"No, the little ones. They look like spiders and they scuttle right toward you."

His voice is pure amusement. The kind of an older sibling getting the drop on the younger one. "I thought you liked it when things got up close and personal."

"Not when it's spiders."

Their voices fall silent then. And if Nadine steps in a little more, she'll be able to see the turian in question, in a corner, typing away at a console. He hasn't noticed his visitor yet.

[nadine_he_loves]

What is this place?

It's definitely not where she was trying to go. Nadine hesitates, unsure, not wanting to interrupt or startle anyone. But...she knows one of those voices. That's something. So it stands to reason this is likely Garrus' domain. She's never seen it before, but this certainly looks like where you'd find an alien.

Walking forward a little bit, she clears her throat loudly, not wanting to seem like she's sneaking around or anything.

Or that she'd been trying to eavesdrop.

[thearchangel]

The voice-clearing in the quiet after the conversation startles him. It's not Shepard. She would have made a comment on Tali and spiders. She also wouldn't have cleared her throat. This is, after all, technically a part of her ship, even if it's the space Garrus carved out for his own.

So when he turns, and spots Nadine of all people, he actually drops the glowing pad he'd been holding, mandibles peeled back off his jaw in surprise.

"I uh." A glance at the door, then at her. "Didn't think it was open."

Did people just wander into peoples' spaces? Was that how this place worked?

[nadine_he_loves]

"I honestly don't know how I got here."

Nadine spreads her hands helplessly in an apologetic gesture.

"I meant to pop up in my domain, not yours. I...wouldn't even know how to get to yours." She's never been here before. Even with her motorcycle, she doesn't just go galivanting through other people's domains. Just the ones around hers that she knows and knows she's welcome in. And occasionally passing through others on her way to Geralt's or Dean's.

"I'm sorry to intrude, I really don't know what happened. I...guess I was distracted?"

For Jaskier

[nadine_he_loves]

The dead are rising. There's something foul in the city. Some madness is slipping among them. Nadine hasn't been spared. She hasn't missed the two or three nightshade blooms popping up amongst the other flowers in her window box garden over the last two days. Or that she hasn't been making what she'd consider the best of decisions of late.

But as far as everything happening, some impulse shopping and snide comments aren't that bad. And maybe she's had a few more glasses of wine than she normally does, but why not? The world's going crazy, again, and there's a laundry list of things for her to be worried about. She can sit in the kitchen in her shift and have wine. And a joint. What else is she going to do, pace and fret about Julie? There's nothing she can do.

But the silence in the apartment is grating on her, and that little voice is urging her to do something about it. Why not? She's lonely and unsettled and she wants to feel better. It's a simple message she sends Jaskier, hastily scrawled on the tabletop with condensation from her glass.

"Come over?"

[cointosser]

He can only truly focus on one crisis at a time. At first, it is simply that he has been placed in charge of untrained hounds. A small crisis: work with them, train them, and help Libertas in this small, small way. And then after that: the work with Alucard to begin further preservation of Libertas' art, if it's possible. It is important. But then:

The waters in the Free Cities, rare as they all, grow befouled. When Jaskier goes to the market, he notes that certain ingredients, certain herbs he picked without much thought dwindle, and then, they leave the markets altogether.

It's hardly anything in the face of war. But then his flowers and herbs in their boxes at the window begin dying. No matter how often he waters them, or changes their pots, or clips the dead leaves.

And replacing them, a plant he knows well after his travels with Geralt: nightshade.

He simply lets it grow. And he goes to the markets, pausing next to a younger girl -- one of Cadens' orphans, perhaps -- her fingers rubbing together as she eyes an entire loaf of bread. Jaskier smiles, leaning next to her. I'll give him a bit of a talk. Her wide eyes move to his, guilty, caught. But he doesn't stop smiling as he stands back up. Shouldn't we all have what we want?

Jaskier can't pinpoint why he says it, or why to her, but as he watches that girl grab the loaf and run so fast the baker doesn't yet notice, he can't help but feel this lovely, warm swell in his chest.

It is later Nadine's words spill across his book, where he's been indulging in a very explicit sketch for the fun of it, several bottles of opened wine sitting on his bedside table. He sits up immediately.

"Of course I'm coming. Be there soon."

When he arrives, he's brought an opened bottle of rum with him, and he's left his doublet behind in favor of a buttoned shirt with a neckline that falls low enough to show coils of chest hair. There doesn't seem much point in dressing up in his doublets or his coats or his cloaks.

He knocks on Nadine's door, leaning against the doorframe. He lights up once she arrives as he always does when he sees her. "What is it today, dear heart? Do you need another study partner for the night?"

[nadine_he_loves]

Nadine has a glass of wine in her hand already, and the heavy scent of herbal smoke comes with her to the door. She isn't exactly dressed, either, currently wrapped in one of her long sleeve and ankle-length silk robes - a new one, more ornate than usual, with gold colored embroidery along it.

"Mmm, I probably should be studying, but...classes are cancelled for now while they deal with the whole walking-corpse problem. I can put it off."

She steps back from the door to let him in. It's obvious her own window boxes have been suffering the same malady, brown shriveled leaves among the green and newly grown nightshade peeking out from the rest. Evidence of Nadine's own evening is also apparent, a half smoked joint smoldering in an ashtray on the table, the bottle of wine already open and half empty.

"I just didn't want to be alone. I don't know, I feel...restless, sort of. But I also don't want to do anything. I could be doing dozens of things - studying, organizing notes, cleaning the dishes, making supplies...but I don't want to do any of it so I'm not."

It doesn't look like she's interrupted him with her request. Or maybe she had, and that's why he looks so particularly rakish and ready to grace the cover of a romance novel. Either way, she likes the look.

[cointosser]

Oh. Once the door opens, it's quite clear that she's already been spending the night doing more than studying. The almost sour smell of the herb, and the sweeter of wine -- or that might just be rum still on his tongue, which he can't say is a terrible mix quite yet.

"You know, I find it rather encouraging for both of us that we are able to relax, in some form, with the walking dead stumbling around town," he comments, following her inside. He makes a movement as if he's going to take off his coat and hang it, merely muscle memory, and ends up only patting over his shirt with one hand, still bejeweled with rings (new, slightly garish ones, if Nadine would notice.) "Last time I was an utter wreck, and almost died, but -- oh, I did save a man's life. That was encouraging."

It is very much not out of the ordinary for Jaskier to begin pattering about anything that comes to mind, and as the week upon which the anniversary of their meeting falls, it is even easier for his mind to linger on last year's Eiftide.

He leans in to give her an embrace, nudging a horn gently with his nose. "It sounds like you simply do not want to work; a feeling which I fully endorse. Then, perhaps, we should do something fun instead."

[nadine_he_loves]

"Well, these walking corpses aren't as big a problem as last year. It was pretty startling when my practice cadaver sat up mid-dissection, though." But it hadn't been violent or dangerous. It just wouldn't stay still. And Nadine doesn't mind the suspension of classes for the time being. It's sort of nice, having the free time. Maybe that's why she finds herself so restless and averse to being productive. How often does she have the opportunity to just do nothing of importance? Of course it's appealing.

"But you're right. I really just don't want to work. I don't want to plenty of times, but I still do. Why not just...not, for a change?"

Corpses aren't trying to break down the door. And whatever blight is affecting plants doesn't seem to be in the city water. She's vaguely worried, of course, something's going on. But it's nothing she can do anything about, and nothing seems to be an imminent threat. Why just sit around worrying about things? The world won't end because she has a fun night. Not anymore.

She'd rather lean into Jaskier's arms and tuck herself against him, enjoying the familiar feel and scent of him.

"I'm guessing you have something in mind?"

For Dean - NSFW Themes

[nadine_he_loves]

As the days pass, the affliction that's taken hold of Nadine only grows. It should be alarming, really. A few impulse buys and mildly kinky sex have graduated to closing the clinic for an afternoon despite having nothing else to do, to drinking multiple glasses of wine when the mood strikes, and of course there's what happened in the desert. But it feels good, in some terrible way.

She doesn't realize that all the time she spends with Jaskier is only making her own afflictions stronger. Both touched by the same force, they simply encourage one another's curse to deepen and strengthen, each urging the other to further indulgence and temptation.

Which is why Nadine finds herself where she is. Until now, whatever thoughts she'd had in this direction were fleeting, vague things. Despite the nature of her and Jaskier's relationship, she hasn't seriously considered taking many other lovers. In the entire year they've had something between them, she's slept with one other person once. A myriad of reasons and excuses keeps her from venturing too far from familiar beds. But she's noticed people. There is no shortage of attractive adults among the Summoned of Cadens. And over the last few days that noticing has turned to something more tangible. And specifically focused, the urge coming and going until it refused to leave her mind. Until it was spinning half-conceived fantasies and playing out memories of flexing muscles and that charming little smile.

She's a sucker for a boyish grin.

It was a good half an hour of arguing with herself, her practical sense pitted against that oh-so-compelling voice in her head urging her to just do it. Unsurprisingly, the little voice had won and she'd put on a new dress - black, off the shoulder, the bodice a snug corset and the skirt uneven falls of black lace that show a good deal of leg - and a bit of color to her lips and eyelids. As she prepares the impulse only grows stronger and her decision feels more right.

It still feels right as she finds herself outside of Dean's door after sunset, knocking firmly. She's relatively certain he's in. And likely to be alone. She has no backup plan for if he isn't, but the idea never entered her mind.

Only one thing filled her thoughts at the moment.

[righteously]

Nadine's right — Dean's alone. For anyone who knows him well enough (not many do), it's a hefty red flag. Retreating into solitude is terrible for him, and he only does it when things are bad. If there's anybody on the planet that absolutely does not need any help feeling guilty or angry, it's Dean Winchester. So, yeah. They've been bad.

It isn't Jo's fault either, what she's been doing. That effect that radiates off of her is ambient, it's passive, she probably doesn't even realize it's her. Neither of them do. Nevertheless, it's effective at reinforcing the loneliness that's been eating him up in varying amounts since he was four years old. There has always been a hole inside him, and at times vacancy radiates an ache that eats him alive.

He used to try and fill that with sex. One-night stands at bars, more strangers than he can count, names he doesn't remember. At some point, his will and enthusiasm for that died. It felt hollow, waking up the next morning to somebody he knew he was never gonna see again.

But Nadine's not a stranger, is she? And she's not going anywhere any time soon. Maybe that's what makes the real difference.

He opens the door, hair still in damp spikes from his bath, expression grim like he fully intends to shoot down whoever it is that's come calling — except he didn't expect the person actually on the other side.

"Hey," he says, faintly surprised. A second later, he processes the rest of what he's seeing. The lips, the eyes, the dress — that impact is visible on his face, but even if it weren't, it escapes in the form of a taken aback, "Woah."

God damn, somebody's dressed to break some hearts tonight.

[nadine_he_loves]

Nadine laughs a little, Dean's reaction not surprising her.

"I can put in effort, sometimes."

But it feels good, that reaction. She knows she shouldn't enjoy it, pride and vanity are mortal sins, but it does feel good. It's another of those things she's denied herself for so long. Don't draw attention, don't stand out, don't be seen or noticed. And most certainly don't draw that kind of attention. No matter how nice it seems being looked at that way would be, being wanted.

You deserve it, her little internal voice urges her. There's nothing wrong with it. You said so yourself, sex can be a way for friends to bond and grow closer and take comfort in each other.

And anyway, he's handsome and well built and charming, and she thinks it could be easy with him. Why not find and take a lover all on her own? It occurs to her that she never really had. Jaskier had been chosen by Julie, and Julie...well, that was different. The context had been different, and it had been Jaskier who suggested Julie. Dean she chose herself. She knows him, she trusts him...and he has good hands. She'd noticed, when he'd tattooed her.

"Were you busy tonight? I just thought...it's been a rough month, I'm alone tonight and don't really feel like being alone and thought maybe you were in the same boat."

[righteously]

He's not an idiot. He can read the room here. That whole everybody's a swinger bombshell may have thrown him, but he's still about the furthest you can get from a blushing virgin.

People don't get dressed up like this and drop by somebody's room unannounced for a nice game of Monopoly and some bible study. There's intention in this.

And he shouldn't. He really shouldn't. He knows he shouldn't, that it's a bad idea for a whole host of reasons big and small. Any other night, any other time, he'd struggle through this conflict and come out the other side with an apologetic smile and a gentle, rain check?

But tonight...

Tonight, something gives. Tonight, he cracks.

And yeah, maybe he just really doesn't wanna be alone.

So he takes a half-step back to make room for her to pass by and says, "You want a drink?"

[nadine_he_loves]

It wouldn't have been that big a deal, if Dean had told her he was alright being alone tonight. It wouldn't be Nadine's first rejection. But she's glad he invites her in, and she moves through the doorway and inside.

"Yeah, sure." Why not? That seems to be the mantra these days. Why not? She's been drinking more than usual lately. Of course her 'usual' isn't much, but in a way that only highlights the difference. A drink or two a day from hardly any drinks is a marked increase.

But it won't hurt, and she gets the sense that maybe Dean is the one who needs the drink. She can't blame him, she's hardly given him any indication she had an interest. It had never been something she gave any serious consideration to, beyond a vague acknowledgement to herself that he's handsome and appealing. She just never allows those vague ideas to grow into anything else.

Until lately.

"Whatever you've got, I'm not picky."