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wildestlogs2022-03-26 02:58 am
wildestmods) wrote in wildestlogs2022-03-26 02:58 am
HOME SWEET HOME
HOME SWEET HOME
Elrond let the gang decide when to leave, providing hospitality and medical care until they're ready. When the quest calls to them and they know it'll tug them along soon, he makes sure each is fully supplied and armed with weapons of their choosing, some custom made. They each have a pack, food supplies, and extra clothing. All of them get offered sturdy boots, even those who have stranger body types like Filbo.
He gives the group four copies of a book transcribed with the prophecies that had been brought to Rivendell, to be studied and interpreted on their journey.
Those who mentioned knowledge of the One Ring are briefly pulled aside away from the guests at Elrond's Council. They're implored to keep it secret, for the knowledge of Frodo's task could lead to people trying to steal the Ring when he's on a journey to destroy it.
Crowley is also released from the dungeon, with Elrond apologizing for the Elves' caution. It's at least clear he's been shown some of the same hospitality. He's healed up, well fed, and clothed in replacement clothes just like they all are.
Elrond's final goodbye to the whole group is warm and genuine.
"Namárië. It is a word we use for greetings and goodbyes. It means 'be well.' Whether you seek to help this world or try to find a way home, it is our hope that whatever paths you tread fly beneath your feet, and whatever obstacles you face are quickly overcome."
A pause.
"It would be easy to try to make you feel that the hopes of those in this new world go with you; but such burdens should only be carried by those who choose it. The Green will not admit it, but they have done you a great wrong. If you try to only find your way home, it's justified, and I hope you do find it."
Yes, there are prophecies, but making people do something by force is wrong, and all weary travelers deserve to find their way home. After a brief time of saying any goodbyes, they get to make their way to the other side of the valley. On the other side of the pass is the castle the Green spoke about.
The castle is a Frankenstein monstrosity that seems cobbled together from many buildings and machines. The second the last of the gang piles inside, it starts moving, massive legs clanking along. But where it's going is unknown. At least that means they have time to explore, rest, and get settled.
There are many mystical objects and mysteries within. One half of the castle seems to be a strange frozen realm of faerie, with strange sights to explore. But even the warmer side of the castle has its oddities. Magic waterfalls that show memories, and a scrying pool that shows frozen images of home, locked to the times each member of the squad left theirs. There are magical doors that lead to sights beyond the imagination, strange collections and even entire small realms, some beautiful, some dangerous.
The three magical creatures, Jonald, Ronald, and Rolkien constantly get underfoot trying to get the group settled, but refuse to talk about their former master, seemingly hurt at his leaving the castle.
The castle also seems to like assigning roommates for some of the group, making it so doors only open to their assigned room anytime they try to go to a place to sleep, even teleporting to them to the room if they fall asleep elsewhere.
It's a strange place, sometimes dangerous, sometimes annoying, but at least they have even more time to rest, train, plan, and prepare. They will have a few weeks to adjust to their new normal.
Then...who knows where the road will take them.
❧ Prompts. The mods aren't doing prompts, but players can check out the page on the Moving castle for inspiration. The castle has many mysteries and oddities and absolutely anything can be behind the magical doors.
❧ Food and water. The castle seems to have an internal pressurized water supply and food is plentiful...for now. The food supply will not last forever but some food was left behind by the castle's previous occupants. There there's enough for a long break without hunting. There is some fresh food that's rotten and needs to be thrown away but whoever lived here clearly knew how to keep food prepared. There are cooking oils, flour, and sugar for bread and baked goods. There is jerky of various types of meats, dried fruit, sun-dried tomatoes, stores of nuts, jars of preserved fruit and jams (and empty jars to make more), and hard cheeses that need only a little mold cut off them to still be edible. Some of the jars have confit, meat cooked and preserved in lard, or garlic preserved in oil. A small root cellar has a few barrels of potatoes, parsnips, and onions.
It also has some barrels of beer and bottles of wine.
There are also dried herbs hanging in bundles from the kitchen ceiling, jarred pickled vegetables, and vinegar for pickling more. There are also fresh veggies the group can harvest together. The gardens will not be infinite in supplying the group but luck has it that many vegetables are ripe for harvest right now. The squad can pick juicy tomatoes, green beans, peppers, carrots, radishes, blackberries from a small thicket, squash, and plenty of zucchini. The garden does need tending to stay healthy. Aside from harvesting from it, weeds need to be pulled, beans and tomatoes need to be trellised, spoiled veggies on the ground need to be tossed away.
❧ Bathing. There is no soap other than what the Elves may have given them but there are hot baths. The water has to be heated on a fire down the hall and carried to the tubs.
❧ Weather/Atmosphere: The air outside and inside is on the warmer side. Even though the stone is cool, the cooking fires warm the air to something comfortable. The air outside in the gardens is warm and sunny, with the occasional cool breeze due to the altitude.
Closed to Tim
[He's been making an effort to stay away from people in general. Unfortunately for him Elle can track him pretty easily. He's covering up his trail for Kon, not those in the group with enhanced senses or who've trained in tracking.]
[When she does find him she makes sure to have her steps be audible and to leave him an exit route. He's probably feeling emotionally trapped enough, he doesn't need to feel physically trapped on top of that.]
Hey.
no subject
When he realizes someone’s coming, he readies the hand holding his collapsed bo. (The frozen elves were eerie and still bother him. He’s going back to that room later.)
But it’s just Elle. ]
Hey.
[ He wants to ask her if she’s feeling better, but doesn’t want to directly bring up what went out at the meeting. ]
Strangest castle I’ve ever seen. How’s your tour going?
no subject
[Elle normally would try to lead into the reason she tracked him down, but she's figured that Tim doesn't do well with leading. Up-front and direct it is.]
You doing alright? You've kinda gone MIA ever since the meeting.
[And Elle has her suspicions why, but she isn't going to bring that up to him unprompted.]
no subject
[ Ah, she’s bolder than he is. This about them both being in time-out. ]
I’m okay. I like seeing new things for myself, and I like unpacking my own thoughts about them before taking them to a group.
[ Or neatly packing them away. ]
I’m not avoiding people. It’s a big castle.
[ It’s easy to lose someone as small as Tim. ]
no subject
[Check and mate, Tim.]
And I'm not here to tell you to stop or how you should deal with your emotions. I just wanted to say...
[Here it goes.]
I know I overheard some private shit the other day. It wasn't on purpose, but I still heard it and it was still a violation of stuff that you'd probably prefer to keep to yourself. So I wanted to make sure you knew that I'm not gonna go talking to anyone or anything like that.
[A pause.]
But if you did want someone to process with, or get an outside perspective, I'm here I you want. Even if it's just to keep quiet and listen.
no subject
[ If she wasn’t here to tell him what to do, or what not to do, and she only wanted to let him know that she wouldn’t talk, then she could’ve just shown him that by being quiet about it.
Instead, she’s saying it and following it with “but you can talk to me”, and then she’ll be pissed when he doesn’t want to spill his guts to an acquaintance who’s maybe hooking up with Kon. ]
I processed it before I even got here.
no subject
Okay.
[A pause. Tim's not gonna appreciate her pushing, so decides to change the subject.]
You're, like, really good at not being followed. I probably wouldn't have been able to find you if I wasn't, you know... a cat.
We should train together. I've gotten the impression that we have similar skillsets, but there's always more to learn.
[He moves with a grace that comes with experience and conditioning. Him and his brother both. She's not sure why they've been keeping their skills under wraps, but she really wants to see what he's actually capable of and what she can learn from him.]
no subject
[ That’s the less conceited excuse. Tim reserves the more pretentious excuse just in case, because it’s better to start with something more easily identified with. ]
Do cats play hide and seek?
[ Something inside his head coughs up Catwoman, and Tim immediately regrets this banter.
(Thank god Dick isn’t here.) ]
no subject
The bo staff and stupidly good conditioning do that too?
[Don't bullshit a bullshitter, Tim.]
You could call it that. [More hunter and prey, but Elle has found that it's really fun to be stupid and dramatic in Tim's direction.]
no subject
[ Although he hasn’t been on the tennis team since sophomore year.
If Elle has whip, Tim quits. ]
How do I know you won’t cheat? You were eavesdropping on Price from at least 50 feet away.
[ Because he’s not supposed to consider that a challenge. ]
no subject
[But she absolutely could've been doing that from 50 ft.]
What, you not up for the challenge? [She teases.]
But yeah, I can try and pull back my senses. Maybe there's something around here that'll stop 'em up a little.
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I just want to make sure it’s fair. There’s a distinct advantage if you have cat senses that gets worse than he longer we’ve been away from Rivendell and actual soap.
[ Tim shows no change in expression, but there’s absolutely an a-ha moment going on. ]
I think we should take a day and explore. That way no one’s surprised by the castle, and we both have an opportunity to avoid anywhere we don’t want to go. We don’t go together so we can’t give anything away, and tomorrow night we play. If we can think of something to fix the smell issue, great.
For now, werecats first on exploring. That way you can’t keep seeing where I’ve been.
[ Tim is going to roll around the entire castle like a Timcat and cross his paths 17 times. ]
no subject
My senses aren't as sharp in Homid. Especially smell. [Here, Tim, have a potential weakness as a show of good faith. Don't make her regret it.] So let's go no Feline form.
[See? She can play nice.]
I look forward to our game of cat and mouse. [She teases.]
[If only she knew about Tim's superhero identity, she could've said cat and flying mouse.]
no subject
[ He nods and gives her a small smile. She's Kon's... friend, or whatever, and he's making an honest effort to not make waves and be pleasant. ]
I'll leave you too it. Be back in like, the bedrooms and kitchen area in like four hours? Will that work? I don't have a watch, so you'll have to let me know when you're back. Then I'll explore.
no subject
She's so fucking excited.