citylogs | [open] welcome to the city

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[open] welcome to the city

WHO: Altria Caster (

excaliburden) & perhaps you!
WHAT: Help out a gal who just got here and is still getting used to magical city things like powdered sugar
WHERE: Across the city! Namely: a convenience store, park, subway, etc.......
WHEN: Early November
WARNINGS: N/A! Will update if necessary

a. local victorian orphan discovers convenience stores

[You're probably popping into the local convenience store for sensible reasons, like to buy a soda or to grab a few things you're missing for your dinner. Maybe for one of those hot dogs. No judgment.

Either way, you're getting interrupted by a gremlin in young woman form, who comes right up to you as soon as she makes eye contact, holding up... one of those small little packs of powdered sugar donuts.]

Have you ever tried one of these?

[She sounds awed.

There is powdered sugar around her mouth and on her fingers. She seems to have already eaten three of the five in the pack. It's a little bit like a religious experience, honestly.]

b. park break

[There's only so much walking around the city she can do before she gets tired. Even a few days in, it's still a pretty overwhelming place, and despite making many plans with many helpful people upon first arriving, she... has not acted on any of them.

So it is that even though it's either very early in the morning or very late at night, Altria can be found seated on one of the benches in the park, shoulders hunched and hands in her lap. She doesn't seem to be asleep, just... thinking very, very intently.

Of course, if she notices that someone's near, she'll immediately straighten, lifting a hand to wave--but with how deep in thought she is, it isn't hard to sneak up on her, either.]

c. subway

[Using the subway today to get across the city? That's a perfectly normal thing to do.

There's a young woman there as well, nose pressed to the window as she stares out as the train moves, even though it's, you know, underground and there's nothing to see. It's fine--she still seems amazed.

Also, if you hop back on the train a few hours later to go elsewhere, she's... still there. She might be leaning back in the seat, staring at the ceiling, or moving from seat to seat idly, or, in particularly empty times of day, sprawled along two seats at once.

Don't worry about it. Everything's fine here!]

d. wildcard

(Wanna tag in but these prompts don't work? Totally fine, hit me with whatever--or poke me over here to plot something out!)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ It's such a simple response that catches Yi Sang off guard. That's... not quite what he'd meant, but it is true. The frown on his face had been replaced with a pair of arched brows, but now it shifts into a warm smile. ]

Indeed. I suppose we are both here with one another, for the time being.

[ But eventually, they would go their separate ways, wouldn't they? So Yi Sang looks over to his company with a very serious expression now. ]

Should you require any assistance, please do not hesitate to call upon me.

[ That's what ~~friends~~ colleagues are for, isn't it? ]

[Call on him if she needs any assistance...? So he's kind and giving... openly so, warmly so.]

... Okay! Thank you... I'll remember.

[Just as she'll keep the gift he's given her safe.]

And--you can call on me too, if you ever need anything. I know you have other people here too, but...

... Ah, I mean... you have other people here, so... I suppose you already have people to call upon for things like that...

[Well. She started strong, but she lost steam part of the way there.]

[ He doesn't quite understand the issue. He may have others to call upon, but there's no reason why he shouldn't be able to add another. ]

I do not see why that should prevent me from adding another person to that circle.

[ Yi Sang is very serious about this. In fact, he's so serious that he's reaching into his pocket, withdrawing his notebook again. He fishes a pen out of that pocket as well, opening the notebook to a new page. ]

Will you share with me the items that you enjoy? I endeavor to maintain an inventory of all that is of interest to my --

[ He pauses. "Colleagues" doesn't... feel quite right anymore. It doesn't quite strike the proper nuance he seeks. In that case -- ]

My... companions. Of which you may be one of them, if you so desire.

[ ...yes, he supposes that would be the correct term after all. ]

[...? The way that he just tugs out a notebook immediately has her peering over immediately, curious despite her mild embarrassment.

Things she enjoys...?]

Oh...! Well.

[His... "companions", huh? So... she could be a companion of his. And... someone he could rely on. Even though he has friends from home. That's... a nice thought, really.]

I like chocolate! And... spending time with my companions. And lots of other things that I haven't experienced yet, I think.

[...]

Oh, but I do want to be one of your companions. If you're okay with that, then... I'm glad! ... Can I ask what you enjoy too, then?

[ It's an unnoteworthy thing, bound in aged leather and paper softened from time. But Yi Sang keeps it close, jotting down a list of everyone's favorite items ever since he'd learned the company did not maintain such information. By maintaining that list, he would know how to best lift people's spirits when conflict arose, when sparks began to fly amongst everyone --

He's not sure whether he could piece himself back together if that ever happened again.

So he nods, writing down Altria's name. Underneath, he adds "chocolate" and "spending time with one's companions." He leaves plenty of room underneath those two lines, prepared to add more to Altria's list as time wears on.

His penmanship is neat, though he's prone to leave serifs hanging onto the edge of each letter.

Yi Sang shifts his attention from the paper to Altria. What does he enjoy...? ]

I...

[ It doesn't take much. So long as he's able to make those around him smile, to lift the burdens on their shoulders, that's plenty for him. It's more than enough. But Altria's question, he thinks, deserves a concrete answer. He tilts his head up to the darkening sky where the brightest stars cut through the lamplight over the pair. ]

I enjoy seeing the stars. The open sky was difficult for me to view in the past, so I never tire of witnessing them now.

[ Back then, the smog of smokestacks cast a thick shroud over the night sky. ]

[... Ah. Now there's something familiar. The stars, huh...? She tilts her head up as well, staring up at the sky and the brightest of the stars.

They're not the star she's familiar with and has been searching for, and in a way, it makes her feel bereft.

But... they are beautiful nonetheless.

And she thinks it says a great deal about him that something so simple and yet precious is what Yi Sang thinks of, when he has to come up with something he likes.]

They're really beautiful, aren't they?

[...]

Can I ask why you couldn't see them before? [Surely, it was a different reason from why she couldn't always see them.]

They are.

[ Had he never run into any of his other companions in this City, those stars would make him feel less alone. Even if it's not the same night sky that he's used to, the fact that this place has stars is comforting. ]

The District where I had once lived in was filled with factories. They were... highly productive. The facility managers frequently pushed their production loads to the maximum limit.

[ Those factories were never meant to work at such volumes. He'd done his best to design them as efficiently as possible in order to reduce work strain on the employees, but that had ended up as a justification for squeezing out more results. ]

...those factories would fill the sky with smoke, obscuring it from sight. There... were days when even the moon was not visible to us.

[ And he had played a hand in that.

...he had played a hand in many things. His heart sinks a bit at those memories. ]

[... Oh. She sees. A little like Norwich, then; factory-driven, production driven, when those who can work and produce can make a fortune, and those who can't are trampled beneath.

So much production as to choke out the stars... she can't even imagine.

What she can read, ever-so-easily, is the guilt on him. It's... a shame, she thinks, that he feels responsible for a position he was put in, for a world that follows laws that are not always so easily broken.]

... I'm sorry that you had to go through that. But I'm glad... that the stars are here for you now, even if they're different stars from back home.

I think... knowing that they're always there and can always be relied on is really comforting, you know?

[ Perhaps someday Altria would understand the extent of damage that Yi Sang's hands have caused. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Too many lives had been shattered by those who'd corrupted his work. To create things out of the desire to ease others' sufferings and to bring them joy, only to have those same items repurposed for destruction --

But right now, that is neither here nor there. Yi Sang offers Altria a sheepish look. They may have agreed to share in one another's company, but they'd only spent so long speaking with one another. Yet, here is Altria, offering her reassurances.

Again, he gazes up at the stars. They are here now. Perhaps that's what truly matters. ]

...the knowledge that they remain unchanging -- there is a certain comfort in that.

[ And then it returns to Altria, the sadness in his eyes traded away for curiosity. This girl looks to be no more than sixteen, and yet, she speaks with wisdom far beyond those years. ]

[There is. He's right about that. Her star--the star she's been following all this time--doesn't exist here. She's never felt so far away from it, and the regret gnaws at her. When she gets back, she'll finish up her task and still never truly have discovered what that star was.

... And she certainly won't find out in a place like this.

That's okay, though. Times like these, it's most important that she keeps smiling. This man has seen so much and been through so much. She doesn't know how much, exactly, but she knows he's carrying it like a burden he can't cast off.

And so...]

[... She smiles.]

Maybe we can find constellations! Even if they're not familiar stars to us, if we find constellations that keep showing up every night, then that'll be familiar in time.

And we can tell everyone else about them, too.

[ They can... find constellations? Again, Yi Sang's gaze drifts upwards to the sky. ]

Then we shall need to meet here for several nights, taking note of the shapes upon each eve's canvas.

[ He's never tried looking for new constellations before. It's an intriguing idea, and they have all the necessary tools at their disposal: their own eyes, a pen, and some paper to draw out each shape they spot in the sky.

Maybe sharing their findings would help the others feel less alone too. ]

... Oh. Is it that much work?

[Someone did not think this suggestion through before tossing it out there.... oh well! It's probably fine. He seems to know what he's doing, so they've got this covered.]

Well, that's fine. Let's meet here tomorrow night, then!

We would have to survey the skies over a period of time, as some stars may not appear consistently.

[ Fortunately, he's not fussed about the inevitable process. Engaging in a project or two will keep his mind busy in a good way.

Yi Sang nods. ]

Yes, I shall be here tomorrow night.

[ He flips his notebook to a fresh page, pen hovering just above the paper. ]

Can you see any specific shapes in the sky? Tomorrow, we shall see whether they reappear.

[Well, that's okay, she thinks. It isn't as though she has any pressing plans for so long as she is here. So... observing the night sky with him every night.

... It sounds nice.

She tips her head back to look at the stars, brow furrowed hard as she thinks and tries to connect them into parsable shapes. Finally, she lifts a gloved hand to trace a few of the stars.]

I think... that these stars all together make an anvil!

[It's a reasonably simple shape, which is probably why it wasn't hard for her to put together.]

[ Yi Sang follows the path of Altria's finger, mapping it out in his notebook. He draws small circles to denote each star Altria points out to him, then allows his pen to glide along the paper's surface. He connects them, tracing something vaguely trapezoidal atop a base.

He nods, satisfied. ]

Yes, it seems we have located one constellation tonight.

[ They will have to see if the anvil in the sky reappears tomorrow night.

Now, it's Yi Sang's turn to gaze at the sky. He studies the stars, scanning its expanse until he finds a series of stars arranged in a specific shape. And when he finds it, he lifts a hand, pointing at one of the stars. He moves his hand, drawing out something with a pair of horns and four legs. ]

I have discovered a cow.

[ Were it to materialize out of the sky, he thinks it would have bright eyes and yellow fur. ]

[A... cow?

She tilts a little to try to get a better view from his perspective as he traces out the stars, and while it takes her a moment, she figured it out eventually, nodding firmly.]

Right, right! The horns are over here, right? And this is the tip of its tail, over here.

[ He nods again, confirming Altria's observations. ]

Yes, I see. Now that you have shown me as much, it appears to have a tail.

[ Yi Sang sets to mapping out the second constellation they've found and adds the extra star for the tail. He draws a line between each star. An anvil and a cow -- a strong start, if he says so himself. ]

Constellations offer stars a name, giving life and meaning to a specific one strewn within the sea of lights.

[ He glances up at the sky again, open notebook still resting in his lap. ]

Nameless as those stars may be, they must have observed much from their posts in the sky.

[... Something about that seems to resonate with her, enough so that she's quiet for a long moment, head tilted back to stare at the stars, cheeks and the tip of her nose red from the cold.

... Give the stars a name, huh? It's true, she's never really known the names of any of the stars that matter--of the star she's been pursuing all this time.

Maybe that's why she's never found it?]

[A deep breath, and she straightens up a bit more, hands clenched into fists in front of her in determination.]

In that case, I definitely want to name as many of them as we can! Both in constellations, and just in general...

[...]

Everything should be able to have a name that it can be called by, even if only a few people know it.

[ There's a new fire in Altria's eyes. Yi Sang isn't sure what inspired her newfound determination, but if she wishes to join him in drawing and naming constellations, he is happy to have her company. ]

Then I shall spend evening here with you, until we have named each light within this sky.

[ It will be a daunting task, but it is one that someone must do. Altria is right, he thinks, that everything should have its own name.

And because Altria has done such a good job at naming her paper crane, Yi Sang turns his notebook to face. He points at the anvil, and asks: ]

What shall we name this anvil? Perhaps... a name that invokes strength?

[Perhaps it is a daunting task, but it helps to have a task at all. Altria hates to admit it to herself, of course... but the freedom of this world is overwhelming. She has always had a task, a goal, something she has to do.

And now...?

... Now, she supposes she will name the stars.

He points to the anvil, and she laughs a little.]

Oh, that one's easy!

[As if it's obvious, even though he would have no way of knowing this man, no way of even knowing he once existed.

But perhaps that is the beauty of putting his name into the stars.]

It has to be Ector's Anvil!

[ The name for the anvil comes much quicker than Altria's name for the crane. She declares its name with such confidence, leaving Yi Sang to wonder whether Altria had a specific person's anvil in mind.

Yi Sang nods and jots down Altria's assigned name at the base of the anvil-shaped constellation. ]

Were you familiar with a blacksmith from your realm?

[ Perhaps it's the same as the cow he'd spotted in the stars. Just as he'd spotted Dongrang's grown-up yellow calf in the sky, Altria could have noticed someone else's anvil suspended in the night sky. ]

[There's seeming good cheer in her expression, but she continues to stare up at the stars, so he's only able to see her face in profile. But her lips are, at the very least, curved upwards.]

Yes, I was! I just think blacksmiths are amazing...!

[She kicks her legs a little, almost idly.]

The way that they go clang and bam and then tap, tap, tap, and they've made something brand new and beautiful... isn't it wonderful?

It is. To have the ability to create something new... truly, there is nothing like it.

[ Yi Sang is no blacksmith, but Altria's question stirs old memories of his peers. He'd always enjoyed observing their work during his own breaks, watching as they fine tuned their inventions and pieced things together to create devices anew. ]

...with each creation, the creator imbues a part of themselves within their work. Perhaps one might conclude that an item is not only given shape by a blacksmith's hands, but they are also given their very own soul.

[ He misses those days sometimes. Things had been simpler then.

Yi Sang follows Altria's gaze to the skies, nostalgia shimmering in his own eyes. ]

Sometime in the future, I shall teach you how to make paper birds too.

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