realmofstories | Character Introduction Log: May 2020

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Character Introduction Log: May 2020

Intro Log: May 2020—

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Greetings and welcome to the intro log for Forgotten Tales! There are no hard and fast rules here. Just include your Character, canon, and essence in the subject line and post away! Network prompts are allowed in the intro log, so feel free to put one in.

In terms of timeline, the intro log can span over several days, so don't feel as if everything has to happen all at once. You are also free to post your own logs at any time, and can even take these prompts for them!

§ prompts.

¶ I. Adjusting to a New Life. Even after being told by the Storyteller about everything, there's still a lot to learn. There's also the satchel and journal to investigate, and figuring out where they live. The Index itself is a large, vast city inhabited by a large variety of characters from numerous stories. Because of this, there is no uniform style to the city. One street could look like a normal street plucked out of a Victorian, English fairy tale and then the very next is made of candy. It makes for an interesting mishmash of cultures that somehow manages to get along. Most of the time, at least.

A. Brushing Up on the Lore. Perhaps a trip to the Grand Library to read up on the essence's stories wouldn't be such a bad idea. It might help give the Aspect some ideas as to what they can do. But you know, it would be their luck to have a large tome dedicated to their stories way high up on a top shelf. And the ladder is rusty. Might need some help.
B. Magic Journals. For those of the modern era, needing to write is going to be an interesting exercise. But after reading the instructions, maybe they want to reach out, see who else is out there. Or troll people with dumb doodles.
C. Watch What You're Doing! Testing out a new spell or weapon? Great! Just be mindful of the surroundings—this is all new and no one has thought to create a special training area for everyone (yet). And while most of the locals are happy and hopeful about their potential heroes, broken windows or almost burning one of them won't go over too well.
D. House Hunting. Among the items found in the satchel is a set of keys. These keys will magically lead their new owner to the house they will be living in for as long as they are in the Realm of Stories. The home will be styled to fit the essence and the location will also be fitting of that essence. It could be within the main city of the Index, outside of town, underwater, in the air—anywhere! Now if only the keys didn't take their own through...interesting, winding routes. Like through a random bakery or down someone's chimney. Who knows, maybe they will want to come back and visit the stores for clothing and other housewares.

¶ II. Rabbit Season, Duck Season. There are two new cafes that have opened up: Hare de Lune Teahouse and Bistro de Saison de Canards. The Hare's owners hail from the Book of Kaguya and wish to spread the joy of eating their local treats with the bonus of having a cute, fluffy rabbit as a dining companion. Canards, however, are more local and are competing against them with their own special delicacies focused on duck and eggs. A fierce competition is brewing between the two, and hair and feathers may end up flying before the day's out.

A. Hare de Lune Teahouse. The inside of Hare de Lune's is brightly colored (almost a bit too bright and chaotic), but the perfectly brewed teas and beautifully crafted wagashi served are surprisingly elegant, adding a note of serenity to the riotous surroundings. … At least at first. After eating certain cakes or drinking certain teas, patrons will suddenly find themselves either suddenly growing or shrinking in size. The effects only last at most ten minutes, but it's still a bizarre change that sends many in a panic. Could the Canards across the street have sabotaged their food!?
B. A Hareful of Trouble. Not only that, but even the cafe's rabbits are acting strangely. While most are still docile and enjoy a nice warm lap, others are acting rambunctious and are attacking cafe patrons. It gets worse when a few nibble on a few of the size-changing cakes. If they grow in size, they become a more dangerous threat while those that shrink make it harder to find. The owners don't want the rabbits to be harmed, however, so great care is needed to try and catch or calm them down! Perhaps a big carrot will help? Or figure out which size-changing food will reverse the effect—and hopefully not make it worse.
C. We Ducked Up. Bistro de Saison de Canards has gone all out to be as fancy as possible in every way. Duck-shaped flower arrangements and topiaries, ice sculpture ducks enchanted to "swim" in the center of the tables and quack pleasantly, linen napkins folded like swans, menus inexplicably also folded into a duck shape (good luck trying to re-fold them), and very pretentiously named dishes which… might have concerning amounts of duck eggs and rabbit meat in them. To help attract customers, they are hiring volunteers to be their mascot who must wear a special costume and try to draw anyone who is heading towards Hare de Lune to their side instead. Unfortunately, sometimes the mascots are a bit too zealous, and one even tries to steal a rabbit! Perhaps it's someone working for Hare trying to sabotage Canards? Whether trying to have a meal, roped into being a mascot, or a witness to the ridiculous actions, it's a chaotic mess. (Was that a small flock of ducks that just waddled out onto the street with a chef chasing after them?)

¶ III. Untitled Swan Princess. It's a lovely morning in the Index… unless you happen to be the latest princess cursed by a rogue sorcerer. Unfortunately, this particular magic user was under the impression that swans are lovely, serene birds and make complacent captives. He was proven very, very wrong very quickly. Now the princess-turned-bird has a lot of anger to unleash, and quite a few acts of chaos on her to-do list.

A. Write Your Story. Apparently either the princess or her new bird brain has quite the case of kleptomania. Everyone wandering the streets today will want to keep a close eye on their valuables: lunches, keys, potion supplies, even journals and quills! As a result, some might find themselves on the receiving end of squiggly, angry beak-writing from strangers, or chasing after the thief while dodging bubble traps or ice slicks from potions dropping out of a snatched satchel!
B. Hot Fuzz Sundae. Somehow, the swan has managed to orchestrate a massive accident involving broken barrels of caramel sauce, a teddy bear parade, and a cart full of down pillows. Thankfully for anyone caught in the crossfire, the caramel is room-temperature, but now the whole intersection is covered in a sticky, fuzzy, feathery mess! Are you a passerby, a volunteer for the clean-up crew, or a stunned victim? And more importantly, is that caramel making you stick to something (or someone) else?
C. Wild Goose Chase. Finally, after hours of chaos, reports come in of the swan storming the Grand Library, stealing artifacts from the four Drafts the Aspects have restored thus far: a Jack-o-Lantern from A Hollow Christmas Carol, a bamboo sword from The Legend of Princess Kaguya, a pearl necklace from The Little Mermaid, and a rose-decorated dragon egg from A Midsummer Rose. It's up to the Aspects to stop the swan before she leaves the Library with the relics, but it won't be easy. The swan has planted rotten egg bombs all over the place, some even ready to fall on the unsuspecting. They do not smell until cracked open and are camouflaged to match their surroundings, especially the carpeting. Then there are some that are large and tick ominously once someone is within range, counting down until they explode. Either get those eggs out before they explode or somehow neutralize them, or the Grand Library will really be a mess for months to come.

¶ IV. Of Tea Leaves and Dragons. Somewhere outside the index is a newly opened nursery farm focused on raising tea dragons — special little dragons that produce leaves on various points on their bodies. Teas brewed from their leaves will reflect the temperament of these dragons, and although friendly special care must be taken for them. As they are a new addition to the Index, both the dragons and their caretakers are still learning to adjust and thus need a little extra help. These are the mains types of dragons and their teas at the nursery:

Rooibos. Active, curious dragons who tend to get into trouble. Drinking Rooibos tea will lead one to being unable to sleep or sit still.
Earl Grey. Easygoing and protective dragons, they are the largest of the group. Drinking this will lead the person wanting to be around those they care for, making sure nothing bad happens to them.
Hibiscus. Although calmer, they are willing to try new things and socialize with others. Drinking this tea will make one want to explore new places and or become more talkative about what they discover.
Ginseng. Very sensitive, these dragons can read the emotions of others and are loyal. The tea will help strengthen bonds between relationships as well as have an odd side effect of allowing one to read each other's thoughts.
Chamomile. The smallest of the dragons, they love to take long naps and just laze about, not really caring about what's going on around them. Similarly drinking their tea will make the drinker more apathetic and prone to sleep more often.

A. How to Bribe Your Tea Dragons. The dragon tea leaves are ripe for "plucking," and while the process is painless for the young dragons, they can still be a little ornery about it. After all, no one likes being manhandled by a stranger. One has to earn their trust, and fortunately it's not too difficult. As they are young, playing with them will go a long way in forming that needed bond. Tossing balls for either a game of catch or fetch, playing chase (the flyers are cheaters), hide and seek (they love hiding in bushes), and other similar games. Another good way is to offer them their favorite treats; fruits, veggies, and specially cooked biscuits are all part of a balanced diet, and will add some delicious notes to the final tea.
B. Harvesting Tea Leaves. Once settled in, the dragons will allow their leaves to be plucked and harvested. The process is really more like "grooming" the dragons, using special brushes to gather the loose leaves before hand plucking those that remain. First a special oil is applied to loosen the leaves and then a rake-like brush is used. It's a simple enough process, but the real problem comes from the dragons. While one person could possibly harvest a dragon on their own, they get so comfortable and cuddly while grooming that more often than not they end up pinning the holder's arms or keep butting their heads against the brushing hand which can hinder gathering the loose leaves. A second person is usually needed to either help distract the dragon or to collect the leaves.
C. Taste Testing. At the end of the day, everyone is welcome to try a taste of the finished tea. They all have different effects, and everyone can carry a small sample home with them.

¶ V. Wildcard. Make up your own prompt! Especially in regards to the festival, anything can really happen.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Yet you don't," he fought sure. They put a lot of damage in to each other, but it was still something he could always walk away from. 76 kept chasing all the same.

At least his skull was big enough he could actually move those eyes, rather than having to rely on a turn tilt of his head to look in various directions. Plenty of room for those muscles, and it was that same damn blue his eyes always were, some brief flash of yellow as his gaze narrowed to look further ahead- he had no issue seeing in the dark either. The visor was more to protect his eyes in the sunlight.

There was no answer, the man just marching on along the path, looking as if he was following something alright.

"And neither do you apparently. Unless you're taking me deep in the woods to pluck me and roast me over a fire," he said with a hoot of amusement. He invited the man to try, even if he knew that wouldn't happen. If 76 wanted him dead, this opportunity would already provide that.

He was an owl, so neck muscles were such that he could turn his head in very dramatic directions if necessary to have a good look around. He decided to give Jack's hand another peck for good measure, to remind the younger man that he would escape if he wanted to and he would hurt Jack if given the opportunity.

He allowed himself to be carried, peering about. This wasn't a part of the woods that he had yet explored, so it was best to keep his bearings.

Knew something Reaper didn't, yet again, but he wasn't going to point it out. Didn't matter at the moment, flexing his hold on Reaper as those claws dug in. A silent reminder that he hadn't crushed his body yet but very well could like this if his mind so went to it.

"You'd taste like shit, not even the dragon would eat you."

Glanced down briefly, head tilting and looking ahead, turning his trail and following after something. Following not just a scent, but a trail ran through the area.

Being so new here, Reaper had no doubt that many people knew more than he did. He was more than willing to change that, needed to know the limits and rules of this place so he could play them for his own benefits or finds ways to circumvent them entirely. That would take time

"How would you know that?" He had no doubt he tasted awful, but that didn't mean he'd take such a comment rolled over.

Everyone in this place had a house, right? Perhaps they were going there, which left open so many questions. He certainly felt more at ease in the darkness of the forest, not caring over the threat that Jack could crush him at any moment.

"Under all of those feathers you're more or less a twig. Have you ever seen a featherless owl?" No damn meat and taste like shit because of whatever the hell diet he could subsist of. Rolling with that, too.

Everyone in this place had a house, but not everyone lived in those houses; he suspected that Reaper would do something akin to what he was, but still not someone to leave space wasted. "Be more surprised if you wouldn't taste like something gone off on top of that."

"You realize I've eaten owl in the past, when it was prudent to eat," he replied coldly, adding a peck for good measure. When one was a soldier, sometimes meat was meat when behind the lines. Not ideal, but it was necessary for survival.

He had no doubt that 76 would choose to be as difficult as possible, being a bitter and stubborn old goat. At this rate, he should probably ask how many people's heads Jack had rammed into walls, since that was definitely his M.O. "We're both rotten, so don't think I'm the only one that would taste awful."

"You realize I know how bullshit of a story that is, too. How many times you told it," Not a single change in his voice, not even phased- "It was squirrel."

He tapped the side of his mask, that pitch-black visor materializing in to existence over his eyes again, pushing through a bit of knocked over brush while clamping a hand over talons. All the better to keep the asshole of an owl he was carrying from grasping at anything he passed by.

"No meat."

"You do understand that I didn't spend my all of my military carrier and life with you, right?" His tone was dry and demeaning, shaking his owl head back and forth in disapproval. And he had eaten squirrel. And rabbit. And well... most animals at least once.

He screeched in displeasure for his talons being grasped, looking to snag any part of Jack's hand. Talons were stronger than beak and much better about grasping. He, of course, added a peck again.

"You're no meat? Well, that explains much."

"Are your ear holes working?" Because he had certainly said story. "You're not worth arguing with."

He knew how to hold talons, keeping them well and fairly trapped without any danger to him, and he wasn't worried about that beak or the pecking. Just leaving Reaper in silence while he was being carried. Head tilted as he peered in through a clearing, checking around a little for a few things set up before he stepped out and to the remains of a camp already broken down. Letting the hunting rifle drop on top of the pack.

Fire already put out and kicked to the point in a few hours there'd be no sign of anyone being out here at all.

"They do, but listening to you is actually painful," he replied, hooting in aggravation.

His talons flexed and strained, but he was unable to find purchase on anything but air. That didn't mean he wasn't continually try, but now that he was brought into what clearly had been a camp. He looked around, eyes blinking as he drank the details in. This was where Jack was living, huh? Suited the man.

He hooted and squirmed to try to get free of those hands.

Be moving on to another area after this, kept it difficult to find him when he didn't want to be found. Never really did want to be found most of the time, suited him just fine.

Didn't speak, just picked up some cloth he'd been using to bundle something else and wrapped Reaper up in it like an owl burrito. Securing it around him tightly, talons and all, setting him up against a log. Let him watch the rest of the camp be picked up,he hunting rifle packed away and exchanged for a much more familiar pule rifle.

Hauled the back up over a shoulder.

Despite the disadvantage, Reaper put up an owl-sized fight as he was wrapped in that cloth, hooting and screeching. He hissed once he was set down on the log, looking around this small glade where 76 had clearly made camp and now was looking to move on to a new location.

He disliked how much their training and survival skills often meant that they thought of the same avenues to avoid detection. Jack was terribly antisocial.

"Why are you dragging me around with you?"

He still didn't reply, not worth arguing with, and apparently not worth talking to.

76 made sure the pack was secure on him, hunting rifle empty and stowed in the pack, he let the pulse rife rest against his shoulder, moving about as he destroyed the last bit of evidence he'd been there at all. With that he picked up burrito Reaper and carried him just like that in his free hand.

Ducked out of the clearing, back off in to the forest. Let him figure it out.

While he wasn't enjoying himself - never did these days except in a handful of situations - he also wasn't fighting too hard to escape either. It wasn't like there wasn't opportunity, but it was worthwhile to see what Jack was up to before he flew the coop to make his own way.

He flexed his talons when he was picked up, grasping the material that he was wrapped in. He nestled in and bided his time for now, drinking in where they might be going. It wasn't as if 76 was bothering to talk to him, and that meant it was pointless to pepper with questions.

Wasn't much he could do with him here, be pointless with how things worked; there was also that inner war with what he felt and that damned thing that came with the essence wanting something else. His grip on the fabric flexed every now and again as he walked, trekking through the forest in silence and keeping away from well-worn paths.

Some complication he didn't need here, and it did make for a very silent and long trek through the darker parts of the forest again. The sounds of creatures moving out of sight,a bit of distant bird song-

"A witch that can turn in to various birds."

Reaper nibbled on the material, talons still flexing, but there was nothing he felt like doing aside from making it clear he was unhappy with his current predicament. Oh, he could remove himself from it without much issue, but where was the fun in that? He could gather information just as well cocooned in this material while Jack trudged just as well flying overhead.

The darkening forest also didn't bother him in the least. He figured there were plenty of threats out here, but he and 76 were two of those as well.

"Thank you, Commander Obvious. Glad to see the source of your massive promotion has come to light after so many years being a mystery."

"La Lechuza." Terrible accent? Yes, yes it was, but hell he at least pronounced it correctly enough, "That's who you are."

He'd been using that silence, rolling over what else he remembered of things spoken of during the quiet moments between the hell of the battlefield during the crisis. Little fragments here and there, and his own reading through various books on history; while most of it had been of battle he had stumbled across other little interesting things.

Head tilted, glancing down at the burrito Reaper. "With how much you bitch and moan due to shit that was your own choice, the one with the weeping would have been better if they were going to hit you that close."

He hissed at the pronunciation, which was probably on purpose but then again, it was something of an easy needling point when it came to Jack. It wasn't as if Jack had any need to specialize in accents or other languages when he could have them all translated instantly by technology.

"I didn't catch the garbled massacred mess you just spoke," he said, just to be petty about the whole thing. After all, he knew exactly who he was taking his essence from, and he didn't need it pointed out openly. "And who do you take after, you bitter old goat?"

He squirmed a bit in the tight covering that held him in place. "You realize La Llorona drowned her children, right? How many kids have you seen me drowning lately?"

It was so, so easy to ruffle him over that still? That was something he'd be keeping in mind for however long the both of them were to be in this place then. Some little petty something at the very least.

Still, that reaction told him he was right. At least could get an idea of what he would be up against, bringing burrito Reaper up to eye level, but no where near close enough that even if he managed to get loose would he be able to go after his masked face. "Nothing you'd likely be familiar with," and so even a name wouldn't matter yet.

An ear twitched, the sound of something in the distance- "Yet you still got my point."

He didn't consider the name of folklore to have much in the way of power over him, so what was the point of caring if 76 figured out what essence he had been forced to take on here. All this would require was practice to master these new skills that he was endowed with.

"Try me," he challenged, if he was certain 76 wouldn't bother. Information was power after all, and he had no doubt there were other ways to learn about the essence of others here. "But I can guess a few given how obstinate and ugly you are."

His head snapped to look in the direction of the sound, squirming in the material he was still wrapped in. "No, I had to listen to you butcher language."

"Not fun looking in to a mirror these days, Reyes?" He knew he'd managed to rankle the man, and it was so very satisfying after all of the attempts to get him. He could have that much here at the very least.

Ears flicked back as the noise got closer, his grip tightening on the fabric he had around Reaper as his head tipped in that direction. Eyes narrowed behind the visor and- He was tucked Burrito Reaper against his chest as he lept upwards in to the trees, narrowly missing a house trampling through, fur standing a little on end.

Well, that answered what those tracks were and- huh. So that's what carried that scent clinging to Reaper.

"Why would I aside from to make certain my belts are in proper order?" It wasn't like he was going to be styling his hair or anything, so there was no other point. Mirrors had their uses when it came to looking around corners.

Of course, he hissed when he was suddenly bundled up against Jack's chest and jumped around like he didn't have wings and couldn't just travel on his own. This was getting tedious, and he made certain to squirm about to start to get out of this fabric burrito.

"Are you actually house hunting?" What a ridiculous walking house.

A claw slipped in to that fabric, pulling it undone in one go and just dropping Reaper out of it, shaking out the bit of fabric and tucking it in to a back pocket of his pants. "I wasn't, but here that is." Leaving the owl behind as he swung through the trees at the house making a turn back when it couldn't get through the dense treeline that had been in that direction.

Even with the extra weight on his back, 76 was moving quickly, keeping from underfoot.

Once he was free, Reaper's wings snapped out to catch the air, allowing himself to take flight. He was half-minded to just leave 76 to deal with the walking house, but there was something familiar with it.

He circled over head, then dipped down to note the lit up skulls that hung from the roof. The house was old, but more importantly it was walking around on a pair of legs resembling that of an owl. That was... definitely his house. He had been looking for it on and off, but yeah, he could identify immediately that his essence and it were tied together.

The house was taking off, thundering off through the brush where it had come. Fleeing. Of course it was.

Reaper dipped down, giving chase on silent wings. "Keep up, goat."

He huffed a bit, but he'd had enough practice that he could keep up on hoof through those trees and- why the hell was he chasing after this damn thing with Reaper? He could just veer off and let them both go off in that direction, and go back about is business—

"Hey," well within earshot, more or less, "let me borrow that."

Clear enough what he meant, dry as his tone was it should have easily come off as a joke.

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