TDM #1

[rhodosmods]

TDM #1: AUGUST

Jump to: Arrival · Sound and Light · Into the Fog · Waking Up to a Nightmare · The Bonfire
Summary · Questions

I. ARRIVAL

Upon arrival, characters awaken in one of the main plazas of the town, lying on the paving stones around a central fountain. It is a bright sunny day and very hot, so you'll quickly want to find some shade. A light breeze brings the scent of the sea, but there are no cries of sea birds to be heard.

The buildings of the plaza are all medieval stone construction, but they all have modern awnings and glass fronts. Tables out front display tourist wares: little plastic statuettes, postcards, t-shirts. Among these, it's easy to identify Greek lettering, Greek gods, photos of Athens and Crete. Predominant among the souvenirs are items marked with the name Rhodos.

But there are no vendors selling their wares. Even if characters wander into the shops, they are all empty as if their owners just stepped away for a moment. Lights are on, and some of the larger and nicer shops even have the whirr of air conditioning. Food stands waft the aroma of freshly grilled kebabs, and a gelato cart is cold to the touch and the ice cream inside is frosty and delicious.

The plaza where you arrive is set on a slope, and the direction of the sea breeze and the faint sound of waves against a shore indicates pretty strongly that down-slope is the direction of the sea. But looking down the slope from the main plaza, you can see an open archway in a tall stone wall, and beyond it is nothing but mist. Despite the clear sunny day in the plaza, the mist is a dense fog with barely three feet of visibility. If you enter it, you can see your own arms in front of you, but nothing beyond that. The breeze has gone still and the waves no longer sound so much like waves--the sound is warped through the mist so that it almost sounds like sobbing. After about five minutes of determined walking across what feels like flat ground with no other landmarks, you find yourself back at the archway.

Housing can easily be scavenged. Doors are unlocked and the interiors are clean and welcoming, beds freshly made, as if it is a hotel that's been prepared for you rather than anyone's personal residence. And yet, once you've settled upon a place to live, you start to find little signs that you have lived here all along. The photographs on the wall (which weren't there when you first arrived) depict you and your family and friends, even if you came from a world without photography. Upon arrival, you have only the clothing you are wearing, but within a day the closet begins to fill with familiar outfits from home, and within the first week you may find up to five of your own possessions around your new residence.

Note: Wardrobe is limited to what you can reasonably fit inside a non-walk-in apartment closet, what your character would reasonably wear and possess in canon, or what can be scavenged around town. There are two very small clothing boutiques where you can find most basics and a few cute outfits. For starting possessions two may be weapons or magical items, but you may have an additional three mundane items. All other personal items can only be obtained through regains or events.

II. SOUND AND LIGHT

The first few days in your new home are relatively uneventful. The days are hot and sunny and the nights are warm beneath a dazzling starry sky.

After not quite a week, the noises of a spectacle will lead characters to a small gate in one of the outer walls with steps leading down into the outer moat. The fog surrounding the city walls has drawn back for just this one little area, revealing an open air theater butting up against the castle wall. A path leads away from the theater on either side, but if you walk into the mist on either side you will promptly find yourself walking out of the mist on the opposite side, as if you'd circumnavigated the entire moat in just a few steps. Behind the theater is another high stone wall. Centuries of weathering has added rough footholds and handholds, but it would be a dangerous climb without equipment. Trees grow from the top of the wall, sticking limbs out of the wall of mist and clawing roots into the stones at the top, loosening them so that they're ready to slip at a touch.

The play that is projected onto the wall features shadow puppets, colored lights, and canned soundtrack special effects like the clop of horses hooves or the burst of trumpets. There is no dialogue or narration, so the story can only be roughly pieced together: there is a king and a queen, then a betrayal that leads to the king's murder. Later, the king and the queen appear again, participating in a ritual which seems to involve human sacrifice, a war and a triumphal procession, and then another betrayal and the king is murdered again.

The story repeats three times every night before shutting itself off. The first performance starts at twilight, and each repetition lasts about twenty minutes. Characters who watch it repeatedly will get the sense that it's slightly different each time, but the whole thing is complicated and confusing without any narration or dialogue to provide context, so characters will struggle to pin down how it's different. A slide projector is set up at the top of the amphitheater, with a pair of old speakers on either side of it. If slides are removed from the projector, they show only blank, uncolored plastic. If something is placed in front of the projector light, the scene is projected onto that object. The projector can be turned off, unplugged, or smashed. No matter what is done to it, as soon as no one is actively watching it, it is restored to an undamaged status and resumes playing.

After watching an entire repetition of the performance, some characters may be overcome by a fit of weeping. Tears roll down your cheeks and you can't seem to catch your breath. Despair clutches at your heart, colored by your own personal sorrows, and the weeping can only be stopped by receiving an embrace.

Others may find that the performance inspires them to reminisce. No matter how secretive you might normally be, you find yourself turning to whoever is sitting near you and telling them a story from your past, something that makes you nostalgic or regretful.

III. INTO THE FOG

CONTENT WARNING: Cruelty and violence against (monster) dogs

After the characters have been in Rhodos for about three weeks, a heavy fog rolls into town. Unlike the mist that surrounds the city, the fog smells of smoke. Visibility is reduced to a mere ten or fifteen feet.

The electricity goes out, and shops are no longer replenished. Food may still be scavenged, but the food in shops and restaurants will slowly rot and may run out. Battery operated items will continue to work as long as the batteries still have a charge. Running water inside the houses continues to work, but it is sluggish and smells stale, leaving an unpleasant film on the skin.

While out on the streets of the town, characters will begin to encounter the monster dogs of Rhodos. The sound of a dragging chain precedes them, and then the hazy outline of a dog comes into view. It's walking oddly, however, with a sort of staggering limp, and the sound of the chain is underlaid by a low, feral growl. Furless gray skin peels away in patches to reveal bloody muscle. The heavy iron collar around the neck is studded with long black screws, the ends of which pierce the skin of the neck. Hazy eyes are clouded with decomposition, and yet that doesn't seem to prevent the dog from making its way straight toward you.

The dogs are not very fast, nor very smart. They can be outpaced at a brisk walk, and they will lose track of any character who gets more than twenty feet away or behind a closed door. But they are vicious. If you get within a few feet, they will lunge at you and attempt to bite. If two or three of them manage to corner you in a blind alley, you could be in real trouble.

In addition to the dogs, characters will begin to catch glimpses of Manifestations, both their own or those of others. At first you might just catch a glimpse of them through a break in the fog, but after a day or two they can be spotted standing outside of apartment windows and staring in. In either case, they will not approach or attack characters unless you're foolish enough to get within six feet of them. Then, they will attack, and they will pursue at a fast walk until they lose track of you in the fog.

IV. WAKING UP TO A NIGHTMARE

CONTENT WARNING: Blood imagery

On the 28th, characters are awakened by the sound of their front doors being smashed in. It's your own smashing door that awakens you, but you can hear more distant sounds of destruction from the other apartments nearby.

As you scramble out of your bed, you find that the homey, quilted bedding has been soaked through with blood, and it's sagging in the middle with the outline of a human body. But before you have a chance to properly react to that horror, your Manifestation is coming through your bedroom door — more than one of them, if you were sharing that bed with anyone.

You will have to fight or dodge in order to get out of the room. Your Manifestation is out for your blood. You can do damage to it, creating deep wounds and heavy bruises, causing it to stagger and slow for a moment, but no matter how much damage you do it keeps coming for you. Sooner or later, you will need to run.

When you make it out into the streets, you'll find that the entire world has changed. Heavy darkness fills the city, and no stars are visible in the sky. A few lights glow despite the lack of electricity, but they only provide a sickly, red-tinted light. Streets are slick with something that looks like blood, and the stone walls in many places have been transformed into metal or grate. Through the grate, you can catch glimpses of black metal hooks and gory, dripping meat that looks human in origin.

There is no palatable food or water. Anything you have saved has rotted or changed unnaturally into what looks like rotting flesh or lumps of bile. Liquid has turned into blood or black water. The only mercy is that symptoms of hunger, thirst and fatigue stabilize after 24 hours and don't get any worse. Don't worry, it won't be the dehydration that kills you here.

Your Manifestation pursues you tirelessly, and the monster dogs are faster, smarter, and moving in packs. Your home is no longer safe, and staying on the streets is deadly.

V. THE BONFIRE

CONTENT WARNING: Body horror, immolation

Sooner or later, you find your way to the bonfire in the middle of the fountain square. There is no longer water in the fountain. Instead, the whole thing towers with flame, fueled by a viscous black substance in the basin.

A tall man stands by the fountain, gazing into the flames as if he is supervising. His suit is true black, fathomless black, while his skin is a dark red-black like the newly formed crust upon a lava flow. His eyes are black pools reflecting the flames. He takes no interest in any approaching characters, and will not respond to any questions. The only thing that will draw his attention to you is an attempted attack. If you try it, your blow lands, but he doesn't seem to take any damage. His head turns toward you and he considers you for a moment, as if he finds it intriguing that you would attempt such a thing. Then he returns his attention to the fire.

The dogs and the Manifestations will not pursue you into the circle of light cast by the bonfire. You can find a sort of respite here.

Time passes. It feels like days, though there is no way to mark the passage of time. The Dark Figure continues to supervise the bonfire.

At last, your attention is drawn to a sort of commotion approaching down one of the main streets that feeds into the plaza. You hear a rattling of metal, and a sort of gibbering moan. The bonfire illuminates first upon a pale, faceless figure which seems to writhe as it approaches, hovering above the paving stones. As it grows closer, you see that the figure is lashed to a square metal frame and bound with strips of barbed wire. Veiled figures on either side bear it forward, and the Dark Figure turns to watch it approach.

The figure upon the frame has no face and no mouth with which to make its agonized moans, but it continues nonetheless. It has limbs but no hands or feet, each limb ending in smooth stumps.

If no one interferes, the Handmaidens carry the frame forward and place it upon the fire.

The Handmaidens can be attacked, and hurt. They cry out indignantly at any attack, and recoil. They will not fight back, but they also will not be discouraged from their task by anything less than persistent violence.

If the pale figure on the frame is rescued by the player characters, it flails and gibbers helplessly, continuing to moan. If the pale figure is consigned to the flames, it begins to scream, and continues screaming for several minutes until the flame finally overcomes it.

In either situation, you begin to cough. Blood spills from your mouth, dribbling down your chin and spattering upon your clothing. But then the droplets begin to slither into letters, forming words that spell out your deepest guilt, in the words you yourself would use to describe it. No attempt to wipe the words away or cover them will prevent their legibility. The blood shines through whatever covers it, catching the firelight so that those around you can clearly read the words.

The Dark Figure and his Handmaidens made their exit while you were coughing. You are left alone with the other Tourists around you, your guilt, and whatever remains of the pale figure upon the frame.

SUMMARY

Arrival: August 1
Sound and Light: August 5-20
Into the Fog: August 21-27
Waking Up to a Nightmare: August 28-30
The Bonfire: August 31

Welcome to Rhodos! Going forward, events will take place in two parts. The Normal World part of the event posted on the 5th of each month, and it will be a lighter event both in terms of length and thematic content. TDMs will be bi-monthly and will feature an event element or elements for the Normal World which in-game characters may also play with on their own log posts. The sections on Fog and Nightmare worlds for the TDM will generally be the same every month, allowing players to test drive those elements if they'd like, but not including spoilers for the second part of that month's event. The second part of the event will be posted on the 20th of each month, covering events occurring through both the Fog and Nightmare cycles.

Test drive memes are considered game canon.

This won't always be the case, but for the nerds among you who are enjoying this sometimes-accurate tour of Rhodes, all location images in this TDM and housing are accurate to Rhodes.

Lastly, we are in need of mods! We're most in need of help for processing apps and activity. If we aren't able to get some additional mods, we will have to place a cap on applications, and we're hoping we won't have to do that. If you're interested, please send us a message over on the mod contact page. We've gotten the mod volunteers we needed so we should be all clear to proceed without an applications cap. Thank you to everyone who showed interest!

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Comments

Sangonomiya Kokomi ☆ Genshin Impact

[orobashi]

i. arrival

( The warmth of the sun here is different. It's intense, and though she can smell the scent of the sea on the breeze, it's faint and lacking in life. The stillness is what causes her to finally move, pushing herself up and blinking blearily around the town center. The scenery is so wildly different from the Watatsumi she knows that it feels immediately like a dream. The eerie stillness adds to that, as does the lack of any sort of company in her walk down along the shops and down the slope of the plaza itself.

The sea. The sea is what calls to her in between everything, giving her hope. Small breezes laced between the blazing heat, and the occasional scent of ocean has her pressing forward without stopping to look through the vacant shops. As the sights around her grow less and less expected, she becomes more certain that this is not a dream. Mist blocks the view from the center of an archway, but the promise of waves brings her closer, stepping through it and holding an arm up to protect her own face as she moves. As expected, the mist is a thick wall that she can't see beyond, and her cautious steps forward seem to bring her nowhere closer to the sound of the waves.

And then, another step forward brings her right back to the archway she had begun at. Odd. Curious. She steps backwards, out of the mist, to behold the very same archway, and then folds her arms, one hand propped beneath her chin now. )

There's something more at play, here. ( And the ocean she was so hoping to be able to access was nowhere in sight. She turns at the sound of a stranger, be it a footstep or a breath or a word, and her eyes light up slightly in hope. )

Mm... I hate to trouble you with this, having just met, but may I borrow you?

ii. into the fog

Wait!

( A delicate hand claps over the shoulder of the next stranger who passes in front of her. Her eyes look urgent, firm, and she looks from the person to the path ahead, heavily clouded by this foul fog. It's near housing of some kind, with walls and buildings and bushes barely visible in the small distance before them. And listening carefully, there's the sound of chains occasionally highlighted by terrible, low growls. Perhaps this stranger has already noticed. Kokomi seems to be aware of that much, at least. But her fingers still curl slightly, hoping to hold their attention. She speaks softly, so as not to draw attention. )

While it may be easy to lose these poor creatures, I've seen that they may still stray off from their normal path. Causing too many to gather in one area, especially an area where so many have found temporary homes, would be dangerous.

( The dogs, gathered in one place, may gang up on someone, catch them off guard, and tear them apart. She can't bear to think of it. )

I'm in the process of guiding them away, so please wait for me to finish so as not to interrupt.

iv. wildcard

( ooc. I love all of the prompts, so if you want to do anything else, let me know and I can work something out. ♥ )

[killed]

[ If they could only reach the sea, would they be able to swim across the ocean? They might find an experienced seaman to navigate a boat, or perhaps an island just close enough to be swam to. The same might be said of a forest. It might take days, but surely there should be something on the other side.

He's tried to find those things, but to no avail. But even if he had, it's necessary to unravel the secrets of this place first, or at least to make some effort to, rather than wandering into what might be an even worse situation. That's how he justifies their confinement, the way that the world loops and brings them back where they started.

He wonders what it is that's acting as their guide. His steps are light. There's a jacket folded over one arm, but despite the sticky summer weather, he still has a red scarf loosely wrapped around his neck and hanging over his shoulders. He slows, then stops some odd feet away from her when addressed, greeting her with a warm smile. ]

Please, it's no trouble at all... How can I help you?

[orobashi]

( A grateful nod meets the stranger so willing to humor her, and her gaze turns back to the archway from which she came. The same archway which she had ventured into so eagerly, only to be lost for minutes, the sound of the ocean changing into sad cries... It tugged at her heart, and made her only more curious. Standing now, she looks like she's analyzing every bit of every thing in front of her. Eyes flicking this way and that, lips pursing slightly as she contemplates how to best word her request.

But then she has it, and with a light gesture of a dainty, gloved hand, she looks back to the man. )

I entered this archway in the hopes that I would find the ocean. It sounds closer here, doesn't it? But the more you walk along this misty pathway, the less it sounds like waves. Before I knew it, I was in this very spot once more.

I wonder if you might wander into the mist while I observe. ( A pause, and she drops her hand again, looking serious. ) I understand that we know not what could be on the other side of this, so if you'd rather, I could walk through while you observe.

My only request is that your observations be as detailed as possible.

[killed]

[ The woman before him is delicate in appearance, the type who likely belongs to some higher class than the worthless masses. But those types are either consumed by their own vices or otherwise speak softly while carrying a bit stick. Either a beautiful strength and resolve that none can compare to or a weakness that leaves them lower than dirt. If he were to guess, he would believe this one to fall into the former category; she has the drive to act where others would crumble. They need those types now. ]

No, no, it's no trouble at all... We won't learn anything here if we're not willing to take risks, and you've already taken such upon yourself.

[ The sound of the ocean is here too. It's close enough that he can see the shimmering blue sea and smell the salty air, that he can hear the waves crashing and the cries of seagulls in the sunny sky, and yet to look out one only see a murky fog and an obscured landscape. Is there a trick to it - a person, a time, an action that can make things change? There's only one way to find out. ]

I'm happy to go through and report what I see. I would only ask that you do the same... Between the two of us, we should be able to discern something about this place.

[ He looks to the archway with a small frown. If there's something on the other side, he might not come back, and so he adds, ]

Please don't wait overlong though, or follow if that happens to be the case; better to report to those who remain than chase after a lost soul. I assure you that I shall find my way out, or I shall find my way back, though I suspect it will be the latter based on your findings.

[ He trusts in his own ability to survive, and it's simple instincts that tell him that there's no escape - the instincts of one who's been trapped in a Hell with no exit once before. ]

[orobashi]

( At those last words, she closes her eyes as if in deep, deep thought, a small hum escaping her lips. A lost soul, he says? She could comment on that, address it... but she decides to stay relatively silent on the matter for the time being. )

I will analyze the situation as it progresses and make decisions that I feel are best. Rest assured, I won't simply waste away here waiting for you.

( But she's also not going to "abandon" a "lost soul" so easily. Her eyes open, and she flashes a brief smile, like her challenging statement shouldn't be argued with. )

I'll be glad to do the same after you have. As soon as you're ready, then. I'll be right here. Let's both make thorough mental notes of what we notice.

arrival

[torpour]

[she will have to excuse nehan, he's not accustomed to having fleshy human ears and... frankly, the poorer hearing that comes with human ears. in fact, it takes him several seconds to register that she's speaking to him, and a little more to understand, just because he's not used to these ears.

except his brow furrows when he looks at the girl, head tilted like a puppy in confusion, even if he's more akin to a grizzled old wolf without its fur, and needing an extra leg to stand on, given his crutch.]

... Borrow me? For what, exactly.

[he's not saying no, he just prefers to be judicious.]

[orobashi]

An investigation into this archway.

( The way she says it is so straightforward that it's almost funny. It's an archway, after all, and she realizes how it must sound. But there's a formal air to the way she speaks, a smoothness to the way she holds herself, and the mist beyond the archway almost seems to thicken from her own view. It's imaginary, that thickening— but the call, the cries of whatever had replaced the ocean waves were carved into her heart.

She needed to know more. )

The mist is disorienting, and I'm afraid that while I stepped through intending to find the ocean, I merely wound back in this same spot. I'd like to determine the threat of this mist, and gather as much information as possible.

It's like that I won't be able to pass through this mist today. However, valuable information like this could turn the tides in the future.

( Ah... Maybe she's saying a bit too much about her thought process? She looks a bit sheepish, but her head tilts inquisitively, hoping for agreement. )

Would you be willing to walk through the mist and see how you fare? Please keep in mind that I have no idea what risks lay for anyone who passes through. That I came back unharmed may be the way of things, or it may be a fluke.

[torpour]

[perhaps he would have turned her down, if she hadn't said that she already tried it for herself. he sighs, and drags a hand over his scraggly hair, hand pausing minutely at the top of his head where he lacks ears.

it makes him sigh again.]

I'll see what I can do, even if I doubt anything different would happen for me. But if I encounter something dangerous, I will need help. I have no weapons on me.

I also have to decline going into the sea, for obvious reasons. [and he raises his right hand, indicating the crutch strapped to it.]

[orobashi]

I understand. Though I'm lacking my own abilities in this strange place, I have a knowledge of the battlefield and strange terrain. I can come to your aid if necessary.

There should be no reason for you to enter the sea, if you find it.

( Though it's all she longs to do, right now. To dive into the deep and take a moment to let all of her worries sink away. Mm, but that's probably not possible right now, even if she does find the ocean, thanks to her powers being stripped from her. )

My name is Kokomi Sangonomiya. May I have your name, in case I need to call out to you?

[torpour]

Nehan. Call me Nehan.

[then he tucks his heavy coat more around his shoulders.]

I'll leave safety to you... and then later, I'll give you my findings, if there's anything there.

[nehan's being rather brave for doing this, he thinks as he picks his way across the road, pleased that the slope is easy for him to navigate and get some traction with, otherwise this would have been difficult with his crutch.

he's gone for ten minutes, and when he returns, he's slightly flushed from exertion, mouth an unhappy twist.]

Unpleasant. [not to mention his voice is a deeper rasp than before.]

[orobashi]

( Kokomi is in the same spot she had been when Nehan first departed, arms crossed and a serious look on her face. Her head lifts immediately as soon as she can see a form in the mist, and then he's there, like he'd never left. )

Interesting...

( She speaks that softly to herself before moving a few extra steps to Nehan, not wanting him to walk any further on that crutch than he already has. )

You sound troubled, certainly. If you are harmed in any way, please address that first. Otherwise, I'd like to know all that you took notice of.

ii.

[accredit]

[ while normally the thought of someone grasping onto your shoulder is one that could have easily been jarring, there's an unspoken gentle quality to it, that sort of eases him into the touch. hence, he doesn't pull away or startle, despite it. giving a sidelong glance her way, he offers her an easygoing smile.

it was clear that she was well-intentioned and what she's saying isn't completely off-base. these creatures seemed the sort to be agitated when they're running. around directionless, and more so when they were together. he supposed that's what they called pack mentality. either way, he doesn't seem to ponder on it for too long. ] You're doing that all on your own, miss? [ well, she seems serious enough for it. ]

Should I lend you a hand? Not that I don't think you can't handle it yourself. Just think it'd be a shame for me to just stand around while you do all the work. [ which would go against the principle of him being a hero and all. ]

[orobashi]

( An offer to help is both a relief and a challenge for her. After all, each life is worth so much. To have someone risk it, even for the sake of another, is a large weight to bear... And as a leader, even if not of this land, she feels responsible for those lives. She'd like to bring happiness to them.

But she understands that working alone will not be enough. Pulling her hand back now that it's done the trick, she curls her fingers loosely into her palm, resting it against her chest. )

Would you really?

( She pauses, and in her silence she's assessing him. Her eyes are firm, she gives him a look up and down, and there's always something about someone's aura when they're a fighter of some kind. Their body language, their confidence, their calmness in the face of chaos. Still... She feels a duty to speak warning. )

I would greatly appreciate it, but only if you're willing and understanding of the risks involved. I'd like to come to your aid should anything go wrong, but I'm without my usual abilities... and if possible, I'd like to avoid harming these animals, no matter how lost they are.

Of course, I understand that it may be necessary to harm them for your own safety.

( She glances down, frowning a little. )

Mmm... I can't go on like this for too long, or they'll wander further. I'm simply asking to hear that you understand what sort of situation this is. So long as you do, then I will accept your help gratefully. But before we begin, may I know your name? Mine is Kokomi.

[accredit]

[ honestly, he had always been the sort to go with the flow. maybe that's only natural considering he fully believed in the concept of fate. no, he didn't just believe in it, he was living proof that it existed. hence, he figured there was no use cowering away or pondering over options— the most crucial part was doing as he willed it. even as a servant, it's an ideal he's lived and breathed by.

this place was no exception to that rule, even without his usual abilities. what they did include, however, was his weapon. it seemed like a hollowed out version of it, but it did the trick, he supposed. as vital as a weapon was, it's the user who wields it and fuels it with passion, or so he's been an avid believer of.

except, he actually didn't bring that with him, did he? he's going to have to get used to lacking what he usually has. but, it's a note he metaphorically scribbles for later. ] I have to say it's nice to have the concern of an attractive lady, but you don't have to worry about me.

This amount of beasts is almost an insult to my skills. [ he sounds confident, and his voice carries zero doubts. he's unapologetic in the boldness of his statement, but he gives a shrug just the same. sure, he didn't have his usual powers, but that's when you just wing it, right? it's never failed him yet. ]

Call me Rider. [ that always worked in a pinch. besides, some habits die hard. ]

[orobashi]

( There's a soft, polite toned laugh at the comment of her being attractive. It's like she understands a bit more of him just from that, after all, and she ignores the brief heat at her cheeks to continue. After all, more important information than that was just dropped. )

So you are a fighter of some kind, Rider. That's a relief. I would hate to trouble a civilian with a dangerous task like this, but I'm certain you can handle it splendidly.

( He can't mess up now!

Her eyes shift to the side, back to the growling, roaming beasts, and her posture changes slightly, more prepared. Bracing herself. )

I've been guiding them west. This is both to avoid the center of this town, with all of its abandoned shops, as well as the most populated buildings being used as homes, from what I can tell. Of course, they will always wander back, and traveling too far causes them to lose interest, but...

( She frowns a little. )

Mmm... I'd rather not dwell on it. Would you like to go first? I'll adapt my own strategy as needed.

[accredit]

[ it's nice to see some of the tension relieved at his comment. he's always believed a smile or some degree of good humor was imperative even on the battlefield. while the stakes of this situation are (arguably) not as severe, it's still not a bad thing to approach it with a same ideology as always. or so, achilles was firm on believing it.

whether it's the right choice or not, he supposed only time would tell. all the same, he was completely honest in his intentions of helping the young lady.

as for the how... well, he'd have to figure that out. ] Thanks for your vote of confidence. Think that'll just be enough to keep me fired up. [ even if the task seemed sort of more mundane than he was used to. ]

West, right? [ he seems to be confirming more with himself. with that, he he takes a light jog in their direction. with a loud whistle, he attempts to capture their attention as he moves as planned. despite his calls for attention, there are still naturally some dogs who approach, but straggle behind, but he supposed with the both of them at work, they would figure something out. now that he's a fair distance, he yells: ] How's this!?

[ at times like this, the telepathic link of being a servant probably helped... ]

[orobashi]

( He sure is noisy about this. Still, there's something nice about a high energy warrior, and she's quick to follow up, drawing the attention of the straggling dogs and continuing along a waving path the same way. )

That's just fine! Um... ( Yelling seems counterintuitive, though. ) Try not to attract too many more to yourself, and spread them out as you can once you're far enough. I may separate briefly from you!

( That's the last thing she wants to call out for him, eyes fixed around her as she works to keep the attention of those left behind. They're growling, snarling, still so slow moving, but so horribly miserable to look at.

It's upsetting.

Towards the end of their rough "path," she does, indeed, find the need to separate. The area is too narrow ahead, between buildings and walls and planters, and she would hate to have them all so close that they center in on Rider and attack. Mm... So, she moves to the side, the other part of a wall, working to try and get them as far as she can manage.

She's not much of a fighter herself, but... For the sake of the people who were in danger, she wants to be sure of this. )

[accredit]

[ at her words, he holds a hand by his mouth, fully prepared to yell off another casual reply, but then he remembers the rest of her words. gradually bringing his hand away from the corner of his face, he instead makes an "okay" symbol with his fingers, before he begins moving forward again.

periodically, his eyes pass towards her figure, if just to keep an eye on her. it's clear from her expression, she seemed both serious and concentrated. from the vibe he got, even against her own warnings, she seemed like a warm and thoughtful person. ... and well, he figured he'd have to really do his best to ensure her safety even more than. not that he doubts any abilities she may have, but that this is something he's personally resolved to.

he sees they've separated, but he keeps to the task of moving east. when he feels like he's moved enough, he just barely slips out of their sight and begins running back to where they separated. it's been a while, if just for how slow moving they are, but he hopes she's made it safely.

there, he waits. from what he's seen, they haven't followed him back at least. not immediately. ]

11 days late forgive me

[orobashi]

( Kokomi ends up taking longer than planned. When she finally does return, it's with a slow and confident pace, and she flashes her new acquaintance a smile. It seems that whatever did happen, she was able to get it under control. There are no dogs following her, at least not in sight. )

I have a question for you.

( Not even a hello, how did it go, hope that was easy. She's still deep in thought, and so she quickly shifts to this as she steps next to him, arms crossing, one hand at her chin. )

What did you make of the movements of those poor creatures? Was there anything of note to you?