JUMP TO MONTHLY PROMPT ↓
A TRAIN COMES INTO THE STATION.
You wake up on a train.
Your phone is buzzing. It's in your pocket, in your hand, on the seat next to you. It's a normal phone, and you're on a normal train car. One of the lights flickers, a little further down. The world is very quiet. It feels like you're right where you're meant to be. On the phone's surface is a white screen and the words—
WELCOME TO THE CITY. BEGIN ORIENTATION?
▶ NO
Please take a moment to complete your orientation.
Once you're finished, the subway doors slide open to let you out onto the train platform. To your right, the platform continues on and eventually ends; to the left is a set of stairs that will lead you up into the station itself. The platform is quiet, clean, empty—there's no one else around, and the only sounds you can hear are your own footsteps, your own breaths, and the occasional faraway sound of a creaking pipe or rush of air. The train you disembarked will stay there as long as you do, its doors still open, until you finally decide to venture up into this new locale.
As you make your way up the stairs to your left, you find yourself in the belly of City Hall station. The station is large, a sprawling underground mini-metropolis of corridors and storefronts. Here, you may find others like you, freshly-arrived city residents from other realms (or even your own). There is also a subway map, which will give you an idea of the layout of the neighborhood, and ticketing machines, which can currently only be used to buy tickets to a handful of stations located on lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 9.
If you're hungry or in need of any kind of supplies, there are plenty of storefronts inside the subway station as well—snack stands, convenience stores, restaurants, clothing stores, a pharmacy, and a variety of empty shops that may or may not have ever been in use. Everything is unlocked, and you can take whatever you need.
Characters may stay on the train platform indefinitely, and may re-board and re-disembark from the subway as many times as they like, but the train will not depart nor will the doors close. Once they go up the stairs into the train station, they may hear the train doors closing and the train departing. Another train will not arrive, no matter how long the character waits. Only once they come up the stairs into the station itself may characters encounter their fellow newly-arrived residents and take advantage of what the city has to offer.
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WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
The station is located in the city center. It has three major exits that lead to areas of interest in the district, but there are several other smaller exits that lead in other directions around the neighborhood. You are welcome to use any of them, but may find the north, southwest, and east exits to be the most welcoming.
TO THE NORTH
The northern entrance to the station leads up into the sunlight and puts you out in a brickwork plaza. There's a modest building in front of you, three or four stories of stone with a welcoming facade. There's a sign above the entryway—it says City Hall. You may be tempted to explore, if you're interested in learning more about the city and how it functions, but prepare to find yourself disappointed—the folders in the records rooms are full of empty, blank sheets of paper, and the logbooks and balance sheets are similarly devoid of information.
Immediately to the southwest of City Hall, you will find a small building that houses the tourist information center. It looks welcoming, with an inviting glass facade and a sign above the entryway announcing it as the "TOURIST CENTER." It's a humble building with a receptionist's desk on the back wall opposite the entrance, empty magazine shelves lining the side walls, and a few spinning brochure racks full of blank pamphlets. Anyone is welcome to peruse the tourist literature, though they won't offer much information, being primarily filled with pictures of the surrounding area—City Hall, the park, a statue garden, and the surprisingly heavily-featured cemetery. There are a few sentences sprinkled throughout about basic offerings of the city, such as apartment complexes and office buildings, as well as a few maps with the same limited scope as the larger version on the wall behind the receptionist's desk.
TO THE SOUTHWEST
The western exit of the station takes you up into a city park, lush and green with a very light fog still hanging about the trees. There are lampposts on the walkways and benches where you could rest, and plenty of flora, although you can neither see nor hear any signs of animal life. You walk the paths that meander idly through the verdant grass and you feel a sense of peace, some of your unease about this place easing into a pleasant calm. The air smells fresh, like it's recently rained, and you'll find the grass ever so slightly damp should you decide to take a seat.
As you make your way deeper into the park, the trees grow denser and the smell of soil and plant life grows stronger. This is the older part of the park, very nearly a forest, with ivy climbing the trunks of the trees and plants and shrubs growing riotously around their bases. As you turn a corner, you find yourself first in the statue garden, although the statues are harder to see now, choked as they are with ivy. There are many statues, some partially obscured, some fully—very few of them still stand free of the vines and clinging roots. (It doesn't feel quite as peaceful here.) If a statue's face looks a little bit familiar, you may not want to look at it too long.
Continue down the path and you will find yourself in a graveyard, one that seems centuries old. Most of the headstones are worn away by time and covered in moss, rendering them impossible to read. The few that are free of moss are blank, or bear only suggestions of names too faint to be understood. (Was that the name of—no, it couldn't have been. Could it?) Many of the headstones stand at an angle or are toppled over completely, having been subjected to either strong winds or the roots of the trees that grow up from some of the graves, spreading branches toward the sky.
TO THE EAST
The final exit of the station, to the east, puts you out on a quiet surface street. Are you hungry? Or are you paralyzed by choice? There are plenty of restaurants, offering options of almost any food you can imagine. You could try a convenience store—it's well stocked, and the items there seem free for the taking. How about a restaurant? There's no one to take your order, but when you look in the kitchen, there's something on the stove, and it's just what you've been craving. Imagine that.
A few blocks down, you come in through the lobby of a tall building and find yourself in a corporate office. The fluorescent lights are steady and unforgiving, and the cubicles and offices are empty. There are a few pieces of paper on desks, a few folders left in organizers, but everything is perfectly blank. Despite how empty and quiet the office is, it nonetheless gives you the feeling that just a few minutes ago, this place was bustling with workers going about their daily business.
You enter another building and find yourself in the lobby of an apartment complex—finally, a place to rest. The first door you try opens easily into a completely empty living room, freshly vacuumed but without a single piece of furniture. It's a nice apartment, quiet, but with a little too much echo for your taste, maybe. Still, and perhaps oddly, you have no trouble envisioning what life here would be like.
The second door you open leads to an apartment that feels lived-in. Why does it feel lived-in? It's fully furnished with items that seem to go together perfectly, true, but the feeling is more than that—the room feels like someone was just here, maybe standing right in the kitchen only moments before you swung the door open. The air is a perfectly comfortable temperature, and it somehow smells like home despite that you've never once set foot here before. The refrigerator is stocked, and the cabinets are full of spices and flatware and kitchen utensils.
As you look around the living room, you find that there are pictures in frames on the walls and some of the flat surfaces—a seascape, a field, a shot of a city park bench. In each of the photos there's something just slightly wrong with the angle, as though the photographer were aiming for a subject that can no longer be seen.
Characters are welcome to explore the district around the City Hall subway station to their heart's content. The City Hall building itself contains several floors of offices and file rooms, but none of them contain any particularly interesting information. Nonetheless, characters may wish to team up with other newcomers and try to find some hints about the nature of the city. They can also spend a while in the park, the statue garden, or the graveyard. In the blocks surrounding the station there are plenty of options for food and housing, as well as office buildings, storefronts, and alleyways to look around. There are no workers in any of the buildings, and there does not seem to be an honor system for payment, nor any consequences for taking food from the stores or setting up camp in an apartment or office building.
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IT IS THE ULTIMATE SHADOW, THE DEFEAT OF CREATION.
In one section of the newly accessible portion of the city, nestled in among normal looking residential and commercial buildings, is a wide and relatively short and industrial-looking building with no windows and only one grand set of black glass doors set into one side. Above the entrance is a neon sign that plainly states ART. with smaller letters sm added to the front in metallic paint. Hopefully, this simple signage will give passersby the impression that this is an art exhibit of some kind, with a twist.
DO NOT TOUCH THE ART…
Once stepping through the front doors, guests will be greeted with a lobby with walls covered in vertical neon lighting that pulses in a rotating rainbow, and mirrored ceilings that make the space feel surprisingly small. To one side is a bar where various cocktails await pickup. They don't have any special effects, but being a bit tipsy might help enhance the experiences waiting for you beyond. There's also a rack of bottles behind it, stocked with the typical liquors and mixers, if you'd like to play bartender for a while. Thanks to the disorienting amount of colored lighting and dark corners, it may be easy to get lost and turned around in the large building, and guests may be surprised to find that they're unable to locate the exit (or entrance) while alone.
After leaving behind the lobby and stepping into the exhibit proper, you'll find yourself walking through a central winding hallway with large rooms branching off from it in both directions at regular intervals. Some of them are more interactive than others, but all of them are dimly lit except for the "art" that guests will find themselves in the middle of, encouraged to touch and participate in creative collaboration. A few of the simpler rooms include:
Hanging ropes that will light up where touched, changing color with the amount of kinetic force applied: purple for a brush of the fingers, red for a crushing grip. These pulses of light will travel out to either end of the ropes the longer touch is applied, and considering that the room is pitch black and seemingly endless thanks to the mirrored walls, you may want to find some help in lighting up the dark.
A sunken floor filled to the brim with translucent plastic balls. This ball pit is a literal bath of color with every-changing light shining up from the floor of the ball pit and diffusing through the balls. A wall of cubbies at the room's entrance awaits belongings and shoes that are asked to be removed by a polite sign at the top of the stairs that descend into the ball pit. Be careful, for the pit is deep and it's easy to sink beneath the surface if you sit or lie down; you may see some shadows of people a ways away from you, but if you wade through the balls to their rescue, you won't find anyone tangible there.
A small theater of benches all facing the back wall that is a single large screen. The display is a moving series of lines on a black background that give the audience the sensation that the room is moving, or they themselves are traveling through the space. Atmospheric music—mostly heavy bass and noise that's been timed with the movement on the screen—hums through the room and adds to the sense of immersion.
... IT MIGHT TOUCH BACK.
One of the more interesting rooms is actually divided into three smaller rooms, each with a heavy, sound-dampening door that only has a small square window set into the top of it. Through the window, you can see that there is a red room, a green room, and a blue room. Stepping into any of them will be a different experience where guests will be entirely immersed in the color—even the window is a one-way mirror from the inside, blocking out any sights from beyond. The longer guests stay in these isolating rooms, the more disoriented they'll become, and it's entirely possible that moods will shift from the experience. Be careful stepping back out into the exhibit itself, your eyes and ears may need time to adjust.
In the green room, guests may feel like they've stepped into a concentrated and unfiltered essence of nature. The speakers play a variety of animal noises layered with leaves rustling and branches creaking as they move as well as wind, rain, and other kinds of weather. Looking at yourself, or your companions if someone stepped inside with you, you see their eyes and teeth pop clearly in the bath of green, somehow more obviously animal than ever.
In the red room, the temperature is higher than the rest of the exhibit, not uncomfortably so but noticeable all the same. Looking down at your skin, you can see more of the blemishes, the dark spots or pale scar tissue that contrasts much more starkly. From hidden speakers in the ceiling comes a mixture of sounds that are hard to place as they're so layered over one another, but the overall noise is inorganic, discordant, unsettling. It's hard to focus, let alone look at anyone else you might be sharing the room with.
In the blue room, there is almost an absence of experience. The only sound is a low, steady hum that vibrates through you as you stand and close your eyes almost on instinct. Everything gets erased in the layer of blue that covers everyone and everything in the room, skin looking almost gray from the lack of any other colors that are so often associated with life.
The last room of note is completely black and empty except for three massive umbrellas of flowers and other plants that are suspended from the tall ceiling, illuminated by lights shining on them from above. Each umbrella is about as high off the ground as the average human and varying by a few feet or so, so that it's possible to stand or crouch beneath them. Once standing in their shadows below, guests will be able to hear whispers coming from above…
These whispers tell real secrets of city residents—past, present, and future—though names are never included. The secrets are told in their own voices, though, almost like confessionals to a confidant or their pillow in the dark of night. These secrets can be positive, negative, or simple fact. Some may be shocking revelations of guilt, or shy mutterings of love, or secrets spilled as if the speaker has never thought of this part of themselves before. There is a hush throughout the room, and if guests were to whisper to each other beneath the umbrellas, conversations would not be easily overheard.
Residents are encouraged to meet up in the bar with friends, grab some drinks, and then head into the art exhibit. It's also a great place to meet someone new as there will be plenty of interactions happening as everyone hopefully discovers a bit of their inner child. There's no right or wrong order to exploring the rooms, but residents will not be able to find the exit without the presence of another with them—even if you came alone, you're leaving with a friend!
For the Secret Garden whispers, players are encouraged to make up something scandalous to discuss with others or even have their own character's voices whisper to them from the flowers. Please remember to discuss with other players before including any information about existing and potential characters that may affect their gameplay.
Inspiration for this location includes 9 Lights in 9 Rooms as well as Hopscotch. Title is from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?.
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WILDCARD.
The city is by no means small, and there are plenty of things for you to see. There are even some places that other residents have created! There's no rush in exploring, so feel free to take your time looking around and peering into various nooks and crannies and alleyways—and don't worry, you're not very likely to find anything peering back.
If none of the above prompts appeal, feel free to check out the Locations and Maps pages and write your own freestyle prompt using one or many of the available locations. We highly recommend checking out the Character-Run Locations as well - they might be great places for new characters to get started!
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citylogs2023-11-01 09:00 pm
no subject
Nikolai isn't sure, but he's curious to find out. ]
That's...
[ He is lost for words. Onni's description of trolls - something infected by a force that mutated them, made them mindless and inclined to eat humans - caught him by surprise. It's not the same. Nikolai is sure it's not the same as what the Darkling did to him. But it still hits too close to home. It cracks his composure, and the glossy charm is gone when he finds his voice: ]
That's so. Awful. I've never heard of a disease that could-
[ Nikolai breaks off, shaking his head. It makes sense, now, how a single disease could be cataclysmic in the way Onni described. If it is a transmissible disease that turns people into monsters who seek to infect or consume other humans - that would be fairly world-ending, wouldn't it?
At least his own affliction is not contagious. One thing he'd never thought to be grateful for. ]
And they can't be cured?
[ He phrases it as a question, but something about the way Onni had spoken... Nikolai is pretty sure he already knows the answer. He feels like his stomach has turned to lead. No hope for those poor monsters, and likely no hope for him, either. But he can't afford to think about that. Not right now.
He doesn't recognize some of the words Onni uses, but context gives him a general idea. Onni's magic comes from gods, or so Onni believes. ]
So you use your magic to - to fight these trolls?
[ A seed of an idea is planting itself, somewhere in the back of Nikolai's mind. Maybe it is a piece of luck, that Onni is the one he ran into today. If Onni has experience with holding his own against monsters... maybe... ]
no subject
It is awful.
[He frowns, thinking back to the photos he'd found at the university, of the Rash and its progression. Tries not to think about the same disease and what it had driven his sister to.]
No. There's no cure. We've been trying for 90 years to cure it, and nothing works. I think once they get to that point, the only thing to do for them is kill them and guide their spirits to Tuonela.
[He looks at the other man thoughtfully, noting that he's looking...affected. It seems he's either exceptionally empathetic or it reminds him of something that hits closer to home. That's about the extent of Onni's ability to read other people, and he's not sure which it is, compassion or familiarity.
When he asks about whether Onni uses his magic to fight the trolls, Onni frowns a little bit, thinking about the times he's used his magic to fight trolls. How useless it had been to protect his sister, despite what a show of powerful magic it was. He also remembers times in the Silent World that he'd killed monsters, with Tuuri guiding him towards the ones he could kill safely.]
Yes. Sometimes. Usually I used my magic to protect and defend the place I lived. In the Silent World, I more often used my spear or bow and arrows to take care of monsters. But I can use my magic for that...it's weak here, though, compared to home.
no subject
But Nikolai has never been one for just accepting things. No matter how insurmountable the odds, he has always believed that change could happen. Even if he had to fight and claw and toil for it his whole life. He believed that Ravka could be better.
He speaks carefully, measuring the words, not wanting to give offense. ]
In my world, there was a place called the Shadow Fold. It split my country in two, and crossings were very dangerous - the Fold was full of creatures called Volcra that were drawn to noise and light. They would kill any traveler who was careless or unlucky. For 400 years it was a scar, splitting Ravka down the middle. But it was finally destroyed. Just three years ago, someone finally found a way. I was there when it happened.
[ Nikolai gives a small shrug. He doesn't know if the same could be true for Onni and his world. If they would ever have a Sun Summoner of their own, or whatever equivalent might put an end to that horrible disease. But he does know that 90 years is not long enough to give up. ]
All I mean is... I do hope someone finds a way, someday.
[ So he is a fighter - not just with magic, but conventional weapons as well. Interesting, that he didn't mention guns. But perhaps they don't exist, in Onni's world. And this is the second time he's mentioned his magic is weaker. Nikolai wonders how a Grisha's abilities would function, here. Perhaps it is best Zoya is not here. Nikolai doesn't imagine she'd be very pleased with anything tampering with her power.
Fascinated as he is learning about Onni - what was that he'd mentioned, about guiding spirits? - Nikolai is interrupted by a rather rude growl from his stomach. He set a hand on it, an apologetic look on his face. Come to think of it... he hasn't eaten since yesterday. Zoya had interrupted him before the monster could find any prey, and now that he knows he's awake and trapped in this place he's realizing that he's actually quite famished. ]
I don't suppose you know somewhere I could buy a meal, in this place?
no subject
He listens with interest as Nikolai explains the Shadow Fold and the creatures in it. It sounds like a small slice of the Silent World in an otherwise normal world, and Onni thinks for a moment that they were lucky the Volcra couldn't escape the Fold. Couldn't get out to wreak the havoc that trolls and beasts had wreaked on the Old World. It existed for 400 years, and had only just been destroyed, finally.
For a moment, Onni tries to consider what the point of the story is. Perhaps, that things can change. That type of optimism is foreign to him, and when Nikolai states his point at the end, Onni makes a sound in his throat of acknowledgement.]
I suppose you're right. I know they'll keep trying to cure it, and eventually, maybe someone will. But I doubt it'll be in my lifetime, so what's the point in hoping too much for it right now?
[A wry sort of expression, and he shrugs his shoulders. The truth is, Onni doesn't like something tampering with his power either. Severing his connection to the gods, either through distance or some other form of power. He hates it, frankly. But there's nothing to be done about that either.
It's then that he hears Nikolai's stomach growl, and makes a little 'hn' of something like amusement.]
I could cook you something. Stew or something like that, over the fire. Or there are restaurants here, where there's prepared food in the kitchens but no one to cook it. I haven't tried that type yet, because I worry it could be contaminated or have strange effects. There are also grocery stores and such that we could go to, for ingredients. Take your pick, I can show you where they are.
no subject
Hope can be a useful tool in the right hands.
[ He says it casually, but the words are anything but. It's a little admission - that he is not necessarily someone who is inherently hopeful, but that he's someone who thinks a great deal about how hope can be used to achieve a desired effect. Nikolai doesn't often let it slip, this instrumental way he has of thinking.
Nikolai isn't picky, and a stew sounds perfectly good to him. But if Onni cooks for him now, he'll be no better off when it comes time to find food for himself the next day. So he says: ]
If you show me where the stores are, I'd be delighted to help you cook a meal. Though... I'm afraid I have nothing got to pay with.
[ The king didn't exactly walk around the palace with money in his pockets - and besides, whatever powers had brought him here had snatched him up from his bedroom. He's lucky he even arrived with shoes! ]
no subject
It's interesting, though, how he says that hope can be an interesting tool.]
Oh? A tool?
[It sounds like a technique for manipulating people, the way he says it, and Onni regards Nikolai for a moment with his head tilted to the side, considering him in a slightly new light.]
Ah, yes. There's no need to pay. Nothing here costs money.
[He shrugs.]
You can just take things. They come back, after a few days.
[With that, Onni starts walking toward the big grocery store he frequents, his mouth already watering as he considers trying something new from the 'snack' aisles. Being here, he's already acquiring a taste for new and unique sweets.]
no subject
There are some people who will keep on fighting to the bitter end, even knowing that the odds are stacked against them, because they are committed. But in my experience, a lot of people aren't like that. Most people. They need hope in order to keep them going, when things are difficult. They need someone to tell them a story with a happy ending, or else they'll give up.
[ Nikolai looks away from Onni, down at his hands. Nikolai loves people. He loves getting to know them, learning them like puzzle boxes. He likes meeting people from far-off lands and common people from the heart of Ravka. But he also understands people, very well. He knows how his people would react, for instance, if they found out about his affliction. The superstition. The fear. The disgust and hate.
His voice is lower as he adds, still staring at his scarred and black-stained fingers: ]
Without hope, people turn on each other. They target whoever they see as weak or different and are cruel to them in order to feel powerful. If people don't have hope, they will chose what's familiar and easy instead of what is right. So... yes. Giving them hope can be a tool. Even if it is sometimes more than half a lie.
[ He looks up finally, his hazel eyes on Onni, assessing. Gauging his reaction. Would he understand?
Nikolai gets to his feet, following in the direction that Onni leads. Now that he knows this place is not a dream, he pays much more attention to where he's going. He points out various things on the way there, asking their function. The idea that this place does not run on money is so absurd to him that he can't entirely process it right away.
The store is both similar and dissimilar to the markets that Nikolai is used to. Some things - mostly the fruits, vegetables, and staples like bread and rice - are familiar to him. But many other things are incomprehensible. He holds up one strange package, asking with incredulity: ]
This is food?
no subject
Onni's eyes follow Nikolai's to his hands and for the first time he notices the scars and discolouration there. Wonders about it, and what it might have to do with the statue that had resembled a messed up monstrous version of the man in front of him. He doesn't ask, though, not yet, doesn't feel like he knows Nikolai well enough to pry on that level. Not yet. He finds himself inclined to get to know Nikolai, though, which is unique in and of itself.]
I see. It sounds like you're a leader, back home where you come from.
[An observation stated without much emotion one way or another. Leaders are useful. Onni himself is not a leader, and he knows it, though he's not exactly a follower either. He's something else, a lone wolf, someone who keeps his own counsel and follows his own rules. He wonders what Nikolai would make of a person like that.
As they move through the city, Onni answers Nikolai's questions as best he can. Some of his answers are a guess, and he makes sure to make it clear to the other man when he is just guessing. The idea that the place doesn't run on money is counter to his expectations too, but maybe a little less surprising. There had been a lot of barter and exchange rather than use of money in his little village.
When they get to the store, Onni picks up one of the handy baskets near the entrance and puts it over his arm.]
What do you want to eat?
[Best to know that before wandering aimlessly, though Onni finds his steps directing him to the snack aisle before long. When Nikolai shows him the bag and asks if it's food, Onni's brow raises.]
I think so. If it's food, it'll have one of these on it...
[He picks up another of the bags and turns it, pointing to the nutrition information box on the back.]
That's something I learned recently.
[A pause, as he reads the description of the food in the bag, and then he puts one into the basket, picking up another to open it.]
Let's try it. If it's in this aisle, it's bound to taste good.
no subject
But just hearing him speak, Onni said he sounded like a leader. A pleasant warmth spreads through Nikolai's chest. He could tell Onni, now. It's a good opportunity to do so. Not mentioning that he's a king will indeed be close to a lie of omission. At the same time... Nikolai finds that he wants to go on like this. Just a while longer.
So, with a hint of humor in his voice, he says: ]
Something like that.
[ At the store, Nikolai copies Onni and takes a basket, tucking it into the crook of his elbow. He finds himself drawn to the displays of fruits and vegetables. After a moment's meditation, he starts picking up one of everything he's never seen before and tucking it into the basket. ]
I'm not going to know which of these are good until I try them.
[ But a random assortment of oddly-colored fruits does not a meal make, and so he admits: ]
I have to admit, my cooking skills are... rudimentary. You mentioned stew. I would be happy to help make that?
[ Just the thought of it is enough to make his stomach growl again, and Nikolai thinks of the monster. When it had first started to emerge, he'd had a few days when he hoped that going to bed on a full stomach would be enough to keep it at bay. It had, of course, not helped one bit.
On the walk over, Onni had mentioned that there are no animals here. No farms with geese, no cows in fields. No prey for the monster to go after, apart from people. The weight of it hits him, then. Nikolai just sort of... stops, that bag of bright-colored edible fluff in one hand, his shoulders slumping.
He doesn't know what makes him decide. Maybe it's desperation, or maybe it is the impression he has gotten of Onni as they walked and spoke together. ]
Onni. There's a problem.
[ Nikolai swallows, feeling uncharacteristically small, and lost. He doesn't look up from that bag. There is a possibility, he knows, that Onni will take this news very badly. Hell, Nikolai might end up needing to run for his life. This is someone who was skilled at killing monsters, in his own world. But it's the only option Nikolai has, right now. ]
I have a problem, and I need help.
[ Nikolai feels light-headed and oddly disconnected from himself. How is he even going to begin to explain? ]
If I'm going to be stuck in this place, I'm eventually going to need to sleep. Only, the thing is... it's very important, for everyone's safety, that when I go to sleep I be... contained. Restrained, ideally, but if there is a windowless room with a very sturdy door you can barricade, that might do in a pinch.
[ Nikolai is fairly sure that if he isn't tied down, the monster will batter itself against the door and walls trying to escape, but he could deal with a few bruises. Better that than waking up over some innocent person's half-eaten corpse. ]
After we eat, could you- would you help me find somewhere safe, and- and make sure I can't get out?
no subject
Ah. Well, you'll have to tell me about it sometime.
[While Nikolai is investigating the fruits and taking one of each that he's never seen, Onni heads over to the vegetables and picks out potatoes and turnips and onions, some celery, before he goes back over to where Nikolai is still picking at the fruit. He chooses a few favourites of his own, having already done what Nikolai is doing quite some time ago. Fruit, after all, is an expensive delicacy where he's from, and one he'd wanted to try to its fullest. He selects a pineapple (a pain to peel, but perfectly sour-sweet) and grapes and oranges, putting them in the basket.]
They're worth trying. And as for the stew, sure. You can help me make it if you like. I can teach you how, too, if you want.
[He's about to open that little bag of cotton candy and try some when Nikolai seems to sober suddenly, his shoulders slumping as he says that there's a problem. That he has a problem, and he needs help. Onni listens him out and then is silent for a few moments. He tucks the open bag of candy into his cart and frowns a little at the other man.]
What happens when you sleep? Are you a werewolf or something?
[A pause, as he considers that final question, his expression tightening. He's not going to do any of those things Nikolai fears, shout or curse or threaten him or draw weapon. Nikolai seems like a reasonable man, someone with a good head on his shoulders, which is something Onni doesn't think about many people. Whatever it is, something can be figured out.]
A place where you can be restrained and contained. I can think of a few options.
cw: cannibalism
Nikolai is silent for a long time, bottom lip drawn between his teeth. He turns over the words in his mind. What he needs to say, what can be left out. How to make Onni understand that he is very dangerous in a way that won't get him killed on the spot. ]
It's a very long story. I'm not going to bore you with most of it.
[ He sets down the shiny bag and holds his hand out, fingers splayed. Nikolai turns it over in the air, looking at the scars running from his fingertips up over his knuckles and along his hand, up to the wrist. ]
A few years ago, I was infected with living darkness. It made me into a monster. I was... mindless. I could barely think or remember who I was. And it made me. Hungry.
[ Nikolai swallows, but keeps talking, merciless to himself. He ignores the crawling horror that leaves him breathless and shaky whenever he thinks about that period of his life. He can't afford the luxury of not wanting to talk about it. ]
For people, specifically. I tried to control it, but- I don't remember that time very well.
[ He isn't sure what he might have done, during that period. How many people he could have killed, and eaten. Nikolai forces himself to breathe out, slowly, eyes still locked on his scarred hands. ]
When... the person who did this to me died, I became human again. I thought I was cured. But a few months ago, the monster started coming back when I went to sleep. At first it was only every few weeks, then every week. It's every night, now. It only lasts until I wake up. But-
[ Nikolai breaks off with a desperate sort of swallowed laugh: ]
I can't be awake forever. Back home, I had a system. I had a sleeping tonic to make the monster sluggish, and steel chains to keep me in my bed, and- and a friend who would come back every morning and to let me free.
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It reminds him of trolls in the worst way possible, especially when he looks at Nikolai's hands, dark-stained and scarred. It's not the same as the lumps of flesh that trolls become, but it's certainly not exactly human. The hairs at the back of his neck stand up, but he reminds himself that this is different than the Rash. This isn't the Rash. Nikolai had been a monster, for a time, one that hunted and ate people, and the horror of that settles into Onni's soul for a moment. It looks like the horror is getting to Nikolai as well. Onni can see him shake, can hear the breathlessness in his voice.
It occurs to Onni that this can't be easy, telling someone about this. Talking about it. Explaining it to a stranger. He then goes on to explain that the affliction has been coming back when he sleeps, that every night he turns into this creature that hungers for human flesh and needs to be restrained, contained, to keep him from getting out and hurting people. Killing them.
For a few moments after Nikolai is done, he's quiet, and then he exhales, eyes sinking shut and then opening again as he looks at the other man.]
It seems you might be one of the more dangerous things here. But you're trying to mitigate the danger, and I appreciate that. I'm sure everyone would.
[A pause, while he tries to get his thoughts together, going over the precautions that Nikolai had taken when he was at home and trying to work out how to duplicate those things here.]
I think we can do it. We could ask the doctor if there's anything in the pharmacies like your sleeping tonic, we could find chains at a hardware store, and I could come to let you free in the morning.
[He takes a deep breath. This is scary. It's a lot of responsibility. But he'd destroyed the kade to keep people safe and he's not going to just ignore the safety of everyone in this place now. What if the monster eats Brook, or someone else?
No. It has to be taken care of.]
Our powers here are weakened. I hope that means that this monster is, too.
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He keeps his voice steady with effort, forcing himself to look up and meet Onni's pale blue eyes. ]
I don't want to hurt anyone. And although I'm confident we can find some way to neutralize the threat, I want you to know that... if it all fails. If things go so badly that there's truly no other option, I'd rather be put down than prey on innocent people.
[ His jaw is set, a hardness in his expression that hasn't been there up until this point. Nikolai doesn't want to die. He needs to make it back home. There are so many people relying on him. But he would rather be dead than trapped as the monster again. And Onni seems like a good option, to trust as his fail-safe. ]
That sounds like a plan of action. I'll confess, when you first told me your magic is weakened, here, I hoped... but there's only one way to find out.
[ For all he knows, there will be some sick twist of fate and the monster will be twice as strong here as it was back home. No way of knowing in advance. Nikolai hates how little he understands his own affliction. If only it were something he could study and analyze, perhaps it wouldn't terrify him so much. But all logic and experimental process seems to go out the window, when it comes to his uninvited guest.
Speaking of windows... ]
Something to make me sleep deeply, and chains, and a room with no windows.
[ Grimacing, Nikolai shrugs and admits: ]
The monster has wings and no compunctions about a little broken glass. Even though I'm the one who wakes up to all the cuts.
[ It's scary for Nikolai, too. He doesn't see any alternative, but even so... this is a man he met only a short time ago. A total stranger to him. And he's telling this man information that he has worked desperately to keep secret for years, and asking him to chain him up and leave him completely defenseless overnight. It would be so easy for Onni to just kill him once he's bound. Or to forget him and leave him like that. Or- who even knows what other nightmare scenario.
At home, it had at least been his own bedroom, in his own palace. It had been Zoya who came every night and every morning to lock him up. They had known each other for years, had fought together in the civil war. She was his trusted general, his second in command. Onni seems like a good and generous man... but people can seem to be so many things they are not.
His voice is tinged with regret as he goes on speaking: ]
I know I'm putting a lot on you by asking for this, Onni. This doesn't have to be a permanent arrangement. Just... until I get my bearings here.
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But on the subject of dying...]
I've been told death isn't permanent here, so that's something. If worst comes to worst and you can't be controlled, and I have to kill you, you'll come back. Or so I've been told. So we'll need to learn to control this, either way.
[The sinking feeling in his gut remains. Onni has never killed a person before, not someone who wasn't a troll. He's interacted with the dead, he's guided spirits home to Tuonela, but he's never killed a man, and the idea sits badly in his gut. The idea of doing it is repugnant, something he would never want to do, something he isn't sure he'd have the guts to do.
They'll have to keep this under control somehow.]
I hope it's weakened as well. It would only be fair, but this place is not exactly fair in how it treats us.
[Feeling suddenly exhausted, Onni lifts a hand and pushes it back through his hair, closing his eyes and sighing deeply. It has wings. That just makes it all the better, doesn't it?]
Alright. There are buildings with basements here, maybe a basement room would be best. And I'll ask the doctor about something to make you sleep. It might be good for you to get in touch with him as well. His name is Daan and his username is "loveless," I believe. You can find him by looking on the communication device.
[There seems to be so much to do, to think about now. They'll have to sort it out before the nighttime, before Nikolai has to sleep. Onni feels tired and there's a sick pit in his gut at the thought of all of this, what rides on it, and the dangers.]
It's fine.
[He says it a few moments after Nikolai says that he knows it's a lot to put on someone, that it doesn't have to be permanent.]
At home, I did protective and defensive spells for the place I lived. I can do a few of those as well.
cw: alcohol
Yes, a basement seems about fitting.
[ He means it to come out as darkly humorous, but it mostly just comes out dark. Nikolai feels bleak and oddly hollow, having spilled his secret. A dank underground lair is what he deserves, abomination that he is.
Nikolai masks that little surge of self-loathing by forcing a smile. He's rather good at it, even if it remains a little pained at the corners of his eyes. ]
Please, Onni, I'm already asking you for far more than I'm comfortable with. You don't need to make introductions with the doctor. I'll contact Daan and explain the situation myself. Thank you for telling me about him. For tonight, at least, alcohol will do the trick. I saw a shelf of bottles further back there. Getting blind drunk should do just as well as a tonic. It's not the healthiest tactic for every night, but once won't do any harm.
[ He feels a fraction less wretched, now that they are making actual, tangible plans. Nikolai exhales with decision, striding back to where he had seen some likely-looking bottles. The labels are surprisingly informative, and after a moment or two of searching, he chooses the one that appears to boast the highest percentage of alcohol by volume. He isn't trying to have a lovely evening, after all.
When he returns to Onni in the snack aisle, Nikolai has regained some of his animation and cheer. He tucks the bottle into the basket along with the rest and says: ]
Thank you. That is- I really- thank you. You said the hardware store is where we should look, next?
[ His excitement over trying foreign foods has dimmed somewhat, under the harsh reality of his curse and how few hours they have left before he's going to start to get sleepy. Between them they have plenty of ingredients for a stew.
Haltingly, Nikolai offers: ]
Is- is there anything else you want to know? About... all of it? I know that I didn't explain, much. But if there's anything you want to ask... I'll try to answer.
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It seems safest, and nothing more. And alright, suit yourself. I don't mind either way.
[When Nikolai talks about getting blind drunk before sleeping, he frowns a little bit, uncertain if it's the best idea but trusting Nikolai to understand his own condition better than Onni does. So he trails after him to the area where the alcohol is stored and watches as he selects the stronger one. Onni selects a pack of Finnish beer he'd been surprised to see there, and puts it in his own basket. It might be nice to take the edge off of the growing feeling of dread in his gut at this entire encounter, the prospect of having to kill someone, the prospect of there being a new and unique source of danger in the city.]
I'll have a couple drinks with you, but stay mostly sober. For now, we should go to the hardware store and then make dinner.
[Onni makes his way to the exit of the grocery store after tossing some caramel candies into his basket as well. At the entrance, he unloads his basket into the bag he carries, a sturdy canvas backpack that he found in a store. Pulling it on, he waits for Nikolai to be ready and then starts making his way to the hardware store with Nikolai in tow.]
I doubt we'll be able to find shackles or anything like that here, but there's definitely chains and padlocks, which should do for now.
[Pushing the door open, Onni makes his way through the store, peering down every aisle until he sees the big rollers with chains in varying sizes on them.]
Here we go. What size do you think is best? I don't know how strong this monster is.
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A selfish part of him is grateful, too, that Onni didn't take the offered opportunity to interrogate him further. He would've answered any questions Onni asked, as honestly and completely as he could. Yet it's a relief, to walk together, mostly in silence, down the broad and empty streets of the city. ]
No, I don't suppose shackles are an item that's in high demand. I'm sure I can make some, given the right tools. But probably not in a day.
[ Nikolai lets Onni lead the way to the section of the store with chains. He immediately goes towards the sturdiest option available, a heavy chain of dull grey metal. ]
I am hoping the monster will be weaker here, like you said. But in Ravka, my chains were reinforced with Grisha steel. As strong a metal as anyone in my world knows how to make. And still there were times when I- when it managed to get free.
[ He is unable to suppress a small shiver, doing what he can to hide it from Onni at the very least. Nikolai has no memory of how the monster had gotten free. Just last night, from his own perspective, he'd managed to break out, and he remembers none of it. Nikolai pulls at the heavy chain, seeing just how much of it is coiled around the roller. ]
We should bring as much of this as we can carry. I... don't want to take any risks.
[ He continues searching along the aisle, finding further tools that they might be able to use to fasten the chains to the walls or even the floor of whatever basement they will use. A few aisles over he locates some padlocks. ]
It's a good idea, staying mostly sober. Just in case.
[ Nikolai returns to Onni's earlier comment, voice deliberately light and conversational, as he starts to collect the items that will be needed to bind himself so securely that he won't be able to rip anyone's throat out. ]
The last time I broke free, I almost killed someone very close to me.
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As they peruse the chains and Nikolai talks about the Grisha steel and getting free, Onni frowns a little.]
It's that strong?
[Pausing, Onni heads over to a sales counter that's nearby and roots around behind it until he finds several large cloth bags, which he brings back over to the chains, and immediately starts helping Nikolai gather the chain into the bag so it can be carried more easily. Shouldering the bag, he continues alongside the other man as they gather more tools and he starts sorting through the padlocks, looking for the sturdiest looking ones he can find and dropping them into the other bag. The chains will only be as strong as the padlocks that are holding them closed.]
You said you can make shackles. Are you a blacksmith as well?
[The last bit catches his attention, and he frowns a little, pushing a hand back through his hair and contemplates that. The terror of it, how it must have made Nikolai feel to have almost killed someone he cares about a great deal. It seems almost worse than some of the things Onni has gone through, in its own way, with the lack of control. He wonders if that's how Tuuri had felt at the end - out of control, afraid of hurting the people around her. He shudders a little.]
We won't let that happen here. Even if I have to cover you in chains. I think this is all that we can get here, though, and we should eat.
[With that, he leads the way to the entrance of the store, looking back over his shoulder.]
Would you prefer something cooked over a campfire, or would you rather go into one of the apartments and use the kitchen? I can do either. I've been camping, since it seemed weird to live in a house that belonged to someone else who's gone.
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But if he tallies it up... ]
Actually, most of my escapes were times when we couldn't use the chains. I - have to travel quite a bit. For my job. And it was very important that no one got wind of what was happening to me. So, when I was away from the- from my home, I relied on sleeping tonics and friends to guard the door. But that was far from foolproof. But last time, I was in my chains, and drugged, and the thing still managed to get out.
[ He rubs at his forehead, worry clear in the lines of his face. ]
So it might be... getting stronger.
[ Nikolai grins when Onni asks if he is a blacksmith. A little of the defeat slips away from him, and there's a glimpse of a different sort of man entirely. He holds his head higher as he explains: ]
Not a blacksmith, but I have studied gunsmithing, among other things, and I'm sure a sturdy set of shackles would be considerably easier to design than a pistol.
[ It's nice, for just a moment, to talk about something good about himself. To remember he is not just a helpless victim of the monster. He's a man of many talents. ]
A campfire suits me just fine, although I do feel I need to point out that most houses belonged to someone else in the past.
[ Maybe Nikolai's perspective on the whole thing is distorted because of his background. So much of his life is weighed down by the weight of history that he has inherited. For him, the palace is full of ghosts. Ghosts of his father's crimes, of his brother's death, of the bloodshed of the civil war, of the negligence and cruelty of all the rulers who came before him. It's all haunted. He hardly even registers the oppressive weight of it anymore.
So they begin to head back to Onni's campsite, and Nikolai changes the subject, steering the conversation away from himself. ]
What sort of a place is Finland? Is it near the ocean?
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[It obviously pains Nikolai to think of the times the monster has escaped, and Onni finds he doesn't like to pain him. So he allows the topic to change when it does, to something else, something that Nikolai obviously likes more and is proud of. He listens to that, raising a brow.]
Gunsmithing? That's impressive. We had guns back home, but I didn't use them very often. Too noisy, they'll attract trolls from miles away.
[A nod.]
But you should be able to craft shackles easily then. We'll have to find somewhere you can work with them.
[When Nikolai says a campfire is fine, Onni nods and starts toward his camping spot. There's not enough foliage to start a proper fire in the city itself, so the park is the best bet.]
It's near the Baltic Sea, which is part of the ocean but sort of laid into the land, like this.
[He gestures, vaguely drawing the shape of a sea that cuts into a landmass with his hands in the air.]
More than the ocean though, there are a lot of lakes. It's strange that there are no lakes nearby, here. It feels a little unnatural, along with the lack of trees.
[It isn't long before they make it back to Onni's little campsite, well away from the cemetery and that awful tea party, and Onni starts going about stoking the embers left over in his little fire pit into a proper fire. Humming to himself, he pulls out a pot that has enough char on the bottom to show that he's been using it quite a bit, and starts pulling out the vegetables and meat he'd brought from the grocery store, sitting on a chunk of log while he stokes the fire.]
Have a seat if you like. I'm surprised Brook isn't here, but he must be exploring somewhere. He's quite energetic like that.
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He takes in the details of Onni's campsite. When Onni tells him to have a seat, Nikolai hesitates, remaining standing. ]
I'd like to help, if I can.
[ Then, because he doesn't want to appear ungrateful, he explains: ]
Never been much good at sitting still.
[ It's something of an understatement. Nikolai makes himself useful, helping to unpack the ingredients and then prepare the meal. He lets Onni take charge, working along with him, mostly in silence.
Once the pot is ready and settled over the fire, Nikolai finally sits and asks: ]
Any family back home?
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[For all that Onni sounds non-committal about Nikolai helping him, it is a point in his favour that he wants to, rather than just sitting and taking advantage of Onni's hospitality. He tilts his head when Nikolai says he's not very good at sitting still, but doesn't comment.
The time while they make the stew passes mostly in companionable silence, which is one of Onni's favourite ways to pass time, doing something with his hands and a silence that doesn't feel awkward or weird. The stew comes together easily, with all the practice that Onni has had making it over the fire, and he settles back on a log to chat while it bubbles away over the fire.
Then Nikolai asks his question.
For a moment, Onni feels a lot of things at once. Anger at being asked the question in the first place, grief at remembering all the people he's lost, a more intense and sharp grief at the loss of his sister, panic at how to answer without losing his cool. For a few moments, he's quiet, and then leans forward to stir the stew, his face expressionless.]
Yes.
[It comes out a little rough, his voice slightly hoarse.]
I have one cousin left. Lalli. He's just turned 20 this year.
cw: alcohol [ongoing from here]
It doesn't take a genius, to put it together. Nikolai might not know the details, but the shape of a tragedy is there. Onni's world sounds so harsh, with its disease and its monsters. Why hadn't Nikolai anticipated that he might be an orphan?
Apologizing for asking would only draw more attention to Onni's distress, and that doesn't seem kind. Nikolai instead does his best to smooth over the moment, keeping his eyes intent on the vegetables he is helping to prepare. ]
I don't have, really. My parents are alive but we haven't spoken in years. It's always so complicated, isn't it, with family? I asked because, well, this stew! It made me think of a story I once heard, from a palace guard, about two families that practically went to war over a disputed old book of recipes...
[ He smoothly transitions into an amusing anecdote, something to get them past the awkward moment. It's a lie, of course - that hadn't been why he asked. He'd simply wanted to know more about Onni. And, well, he'd gotten his wish. Now he knows that if he asks about family, Onni will become still and careful. Useful knowledge, though he regrets any pain he may have caused in learning it.
Once his little story is done, Nikolai lapses into silence again. They get the meal cooking, and eventually Nikolai tells Onni a little more about the different types of Grisha, about the landscape in Ravka. By the time they have eaten and cleaned up, the sun has dipped halfway behind the horizon, and Nikolai is so tired he can feel it in his bones. He hides it the best he can, hefting the bottle he'd acquired and the bag with the chains. ]
Well, as pleasant as this is, I suppose there's no putting it off any longer. If you would, kindly lead the way to my basement.
[ Nikolai is feeling grim enough as they set out that he twists the cap from the bottle and begins to drink straight from it as they walk. It burns on the way down, and he swallows most of a cough, saying with admiration: ]
Oh, that tastes like shit! I think I like it.
[ He offers it to Onni, with a quick: ]
I know, I know, you're mostly staying sober. But you should at least try it.
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Instead of drawing attention to it, he just goes on to talk about his own family, explaining that he's not in contact with his parents, something Onni can barely conceptualize as something someone would want, and then going on to tell a light-hearted story about stew. The anecdote serves to settle Onni a little, to get his mind off of what's troubling him, and he's not sure if that's what Nikolai intended or not, but the effect is good either way.
By the time they're done eating, Onni feels balanced again, and more educated on Nikolai's home. He feels ready to do what they need to do now, and almost at the same moment he was about to suggest it, Nikolai does.]
Alright, let's go. I know just the place.
[They make their way to a large apartment building he knows of that has an empty room in the basement that looks like it should've been used for storage or something. There are no windows and the walls are concrete, the door is a sturdy 'fire door' and they can easily bring a mattress for Nikolai to sleep on if he wants it.
He looks over as Nikolai sips from the bottle and makes a huff in his throat of amusement at his comment that it tastes like shit but he likes it.]
Sure, I'll try some.
[Taking the bottle, Onni pulls a swig from it and winces as it burns his throat on the way down.]
It's awful, but it'll get the job done.
[He leads the way to the building, and pushes the door open, then down to the basement and the small room he'd been thinking of.]
Here it is. Cement. The door is sturdy, I think it's meant to withstand a fire. What do you think?
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The little room is pretty much what Nikolai had been expecting, if even drearier than he'd anticipated. The walls, floor, and ceiling are all the same dull grey. The lights - fluorescent, though he doesn't know the word yet - are bright and buzz unpleasantly when he flips the switch.
His voice is rich with dark humor as he quotes: ]
Awful, but it'll get the job done.
[ Nikolai drops the bag of chains onto the floor with a clatter. He kneels and begins to haul out the heavy metal links and the tools he'd brought. ]
You said you could put up some kind of a shield. Maybe- if you don't mind, you could set that on the door, while I install these?
[ He doesn't see any way the monster could get out except by the door, so he'll feel more secure if there's an extra layer of protection there. ]
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