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Post by Twillie on Jun 19, 2017 18:53:41 GMT -5
“ Long day at the cathedral today?” Ro asked Liz once she settled with the rabbit. “Long day? More like I got the rest of the day off, nothing’s going on over there,” Liz snorted, “I was right out of the doors when you texted, though, and I needed to stop at the house first, which made me late…” Ro had to turn back to her customer, so as she spoke, Liz pulled out her phone and reread their conversation, checking the timestamps just to see how much of a delay she was. She must’ve been in a bigger rush than she thought, though, because a new message notification blazed across her screen. “ Pffft.” Liz pointed her phone screen in Ro’s direction. “Are you kidding? You clearly haven’t visited enough, I’m kind of glad I work at ungodly times just so people don’t see me.” Ro’s reply had to wait again, though, when a raucous again rose from Yodel, apparently responding to a man’s distant sax playing. “ Hey can you-- oh dear-- sorry-- I’ll be right back!” “Yeesh.” Liz grimaced at Yodel’s big spill just a moment later, watching Ro fumble to fix the situation before again noticing to the younger girl with LePouf. Her grimace immediately melted as she turned to them. “Here, I can show you how to hold her if you like…” Liz catches up with Ro ( Mostly Harmless (flufflepuff) ) at her stall, but is interrupted by Yodel's sudden episode and watches from afar. She then turns to Gelquie , distracted by rabbit. |
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Post by Gelquie on Jun 19, 2017 22:48:42 GMT -5
The stallkeeper chose to address Alexis' lingering interest in the rabbit first, which brought her back to reality just in time to realize she was staring. Thankfully, the woman didn't seem to mind; in fact, she seemed friendly about it. The stallkeeper handed over the tarragon, and Alexis pulled out enough to cover the tarragon and dropped it on an empty spot on the stall. “Keep the change; thank you!” Alexis said as she put away her wallet. She took one hand to grab the tarragon before continuing to stare at the rabbit. "You can pet her, if you like,” Alexis was told. She reached forward her free hand to comply, though she her hand paused just above the rabbit's head. How hard and fast should she pet? She was fairly used to petting dogs, and they generally loved the vigorous attention, but other animals were not always so lenient. ...She supposed she'd find out. If it was too much, at least it wasn't like a cat who could claw her, right? Still, she petted the rabbit on the head as smooth as she could, though her petting still had a bit of force to it. Alexis faintly noted that the stallkeeper's attention was elsewhere, and only thought to give space for the stallkeeper to pet LePouf's head as she addressed the newcomer. She didn't seem to notice the stallkeeper finally giving her attention till she addressed her. "Thank you very much," the woman with the rabbit said. "Oh, Miss, you can pick her up too. She likes strangers a lot more than me."Alexis blinked. “Oh, really? Well...” Alexis thought for a moment. She still had one hand holding tarragon; she'd need to find a place to put it first. Maybe her bag, if she could find a way to store it without it getting crushed... Her head then whipped around at the added commotion, and Alexis then realized that there was a dog, and they were about to go say hello, in the manner only dogs do. The stallkeeper rushed to rectify the situation, and Alexis blinked, unsure of what to do. Should she try to pick up the rabbit now? Should she just wander off? Could she get away with going over to try to pet the dog too, or was the dog too distracted and excited by all the attention? The newcomer (prior to the arrival of the one bowled over by the dog) addressed her before Alexis could decide. “Here, I can show you how to hold her if you like…”Alexis blinked at the woman's outfit. She recognized her, she realized; she didn't see her very often, but her appearance was very distinct. It always made her double-take and admire the amount of effort put into it, even if it wasn't anything Alexis would ever wear. It reminded her of some of the kids in school who had similar appearances but generally kept to themselves. “Um, sure,” Alexis said, giving the rabbit a few last strokes. “Thanks. I wasn't sure how.” Before anything could happen, though, the dog-bowled newcomer came over with the stallkeeper and stared at Alexis and the rabbit. ”"Did I interrupt you, sorry, that looks tasty. Ah, hello."“Oh, thanks. I... I guess I'll find out if it is; my mom wanted it. You're not interrupting. Or... Well, I guess, but she--” Alexis gestured to the goth-looking woman “--was going to show me how to hold her. You could watch too if you wa--” Alexis jumped as her phone buzzed while playing a jaunty, upbeat tune. It was a musical number in a show that she watched, although she had downloaded the one without the lyrics because, well... what if one of the other kids who didn't like the show recognized it? She retrieved her phone from her pocket. “Oh, um, sorry. Hang on. Um, you could show me while I'm talking?” Alexis suggested to the goth woman. She didn't wait for an answer before stepping back and hitting the 'answer' button. “Hi, mom?” Alexis answered. ”Alexis, I'm in town. Where are you?” came the voice from the phone... Too loudly. Alexis winced as she realized her phone was on speaker. She must've hit it by accident. “Oh, um, hold on, speaker!” She quickly turned off speakerphone before putting the phone back to her ear, her face tinged red in embarrassment. “Sorry. Um, I'm... at some of the stalls. I just got some tarragon, like you wanted! ...Um, yeah, I can bring it over, after I'm done talking to these people, they have a--. ...Right now? ...Oh, well. Isn't anyone else helping you? ...Oh. Um, I'll come over soon. Tell me where you are. ...Okay. Okay, see you there.” Alexis hung up the phone and stuck it back into her pocket before taking off her backpack so she could find a place for the tarragon. “Um, sorry, I can't stay, mom wants me to help set something up. Thanks for showing me the rabbit, though! Er, hm, what's a good place...?” Alexis lingered in place, trying to find a good spot in her backpack for the tarragon. Alexis pays for the tarragon and witnesses all the events with Rowena ( Mostly Harmless (flufflepuff) ), Liz ( Twillie ), and Ayo ( Liou ). She's really curious about the rabbit, and tries to be gentle when petting the rabbit but doesn't really have a light touch either. She accepts Liz's offer to be shown how to hold her. Before she can commit to trying to hold the rabbit, though, she gets a phone call from her mom. The fact that it was initially on speakerphone was totally not an excuse to drop Alexis' name, nope! Her mom is calling her away to help with something. So Alexis needs to go soon, but is lingering around to try to fit the tarragon in her backpack so that her hands will be free to bike. It'll probably take her about a minute, if anyone wants to get any last interaction wrap-ups in.) |
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Post by Lizica on Jun 20, 2017 0:26:28 GMT -5
The girl with the bicycle had found tarragon and success. Hannah clapped her plant guide closed with satisfaction. "Thanks for the directions!" she called back in response. The girl waved a casual "you're welcome" gesture, and then returned her attention to the herb stall. Hannah quietly turned back to her own backpack and steeled herself. Right. So, the cathedral is just within sight, and a hotel is close by, she reminded herself, and she fit the guidebook into the bag and hoisted the whole thing back onto her shoulders once more. It made a severe clanging noise, and Hannah hoped that her cooking pan hadn't gotten dented. Every time she packed or unpacked something, the backpack seemed to make a different series of noises from before when she put it on again. It was never satisfied; it was always excruciatingly heavy. Mental pep talks always helped when refastening the backpack buckles around herself. I'm almost there! she cheered herself. Almost there! I can do this! I am a strong, independent young woman, and I can sleep in a bed tonight!Backpack quietly jangling, Hannah began the march towards the spires of the Wrighton cathedral. Her travel itinerary was on schedule so far, and it would be nice to prove as much with a photo-text to her parents. Just as the girl with the bicycle had said, across the street from the town hall was a nice-looking hotel. Fantastic. But, cathedral selfie first, real quick, and then Hannah could hopefully contentedly spend the rest of the day lounging in a hotel room enjoying running water and internet access. Even though the cathedral spires had guided her the entire way here from the market, it was its graveyard that greeted her first. It was filled with tombstones that appeared so old that many of their owners' names had been weathered away into oblivion, and taller stone monuments were draped in the delicate wet petals of their neighboring flowering trees. The rain from earlier evaporated off the stones into wisps of fog, and on a sunny day like this, the graveyard possessed an inviting sort of solemnity. And Hannah's mother had been right: The cathedral itself was pretty gorgeous. It felt impossibly tall from this angle, the feeling emphasized by two tiny bowls on the pavement below, and its sandstone architecture, while stained by decades of wear, still gave one the impression that the building had stood--and would continue to stand--imperiously and serenely for quite some time. (...At least it looked like it might be made of sandstone; what did sandstone look like, again?) The stained glass windows all looked black from the outside, but even then, the shadows of their picture outlines were clearly intricately created with care. The rose window above the great wooden doors, though-- that must have been a sight to behold from the inside. From her phone, Hannah carefully framed her shot of the cathedral, rose window at the center, white-yellow flowered tree to the side, and herself in the corner making the "V for Victory" hand symbol. She worked her face a little, making sure that no trace of exhaustion or dishevelment would be visible in her grin, and snapped the photo. She nodded in satisfaction after it was done, and she sent it off to her parents with the simple accompaniment, "Guess where I am!" Ah, good. Satisfied, Hannah tucked away her phone and made a beeline for the hotel. Mission accomplished.FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS: I have, like, zero stake in what the cathedral looks like, so if any of this doesn't sit right with you (goderators and Hi, Twillie!), just please let me know, and I'll change it! ^^ (I also imagined the white-yellow flowered tree was a yew, because yews are awesome, but whatever works for you guys works for me!) Actual summary: Hannah thanks Alexis ( Gelquie) for the directions and then heads over to the cathedral, where she admires the building and its grounds from her sightseeing perspective and snaps a selfie to send to her parents back home. Now then, hotel bound! |
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Post by Twillie on Jun 20, 2017 1:02:52 GMT -5
Liz ignored the girl's hesitation at her offer, barely even noticing her slight stare after years of seeing it before. Instead, she locked eyes with her and gave a small smile when she agreed to see a demonstration, and had just put a hand on LePouf when a new voice cut through. " Did I interrupt you, sorry, that looks tasty. Ah, hello." " Oh, thanks. I... I guess I'll find out if it is; my mom wanted it. You're not interrupting. Or... Well, I guess, but she--" Liz gave a small finger wiggle wave as the girl introduced her to the newcomer. " --was going to show me how to hold her. You could watch too if you wa--" Another interruption from the girl's phone, which she answered promptly. "What is it about today not giving us a break?" Liz joked, leaning against a hand. " Oh, um, sorry. Hang on. Um, you could show me while I'm talking?" Well, if this was going to be a visualize demonstration now, Liz tried to make sure she had eye contact with-- Alexis, it turned out-- to make sure she caught everything. Alexis appeared rather frantic in juggling talking to her, the phone, and whoever else had joined them, so Liz made do with what she had. She placed a hand near one side of LePouf's face-- she wasn't sure how she could clearly hand signal "blind spot"-- before stroking it down the rabbit's head to calm her. Once LePouf seemed willing, Liz then raised one of her hands to show Alexis, covered LePouf's eyes with it, and then tucked the other hand under the rabbit's stomach to lift her from the stall. Holding her close to her middle, Liz then moved the hand over LePouf's eyes to beneath her feet, giving her some solid ground to rest upon while in Liz's arms. As Alexis said her goodbyes to the phone, Liz had a slight rock swaying her body with the rabbit in hand, and she watched as Alexis grabbed to her bag and say, " Um, sorry, I can't stay, mom wants me to help set something up. Thanks for showing me the rabbit, though! Er, hm, what's a good place...?" She knelt to the ground with her bag and tarragon, but Liz didn't much mind as she replied, "I'd ask what exactly you're setting up if you weren't in such a rush, guess I'll just have to find you and your mom once the festival actually starts. There's a number of things I'll be looking to get." Stroking LePouf again, she added, "And no need to be nervous or worried, if you think I'm scary now I can tell you I don't bite. Hard." She gave a joking grin. "It's just like LePouf here, she went from a prey animal to letting huge things pick her up no problem. Just relax and slow down, you'll be fine." She placed LePouf back on the stall table, giving her one last stroke and saying her goodbyes to Alexis. Things continue to pop up during Liz and Alexis' ( Gelquie) conversation, but Liz still gives a demonstration on how to properly hold LePouf. Then, as Alexis says she has to go, Liz gives her sudden advice not to be too nervous, although whether this was accurate or warranted is another story. |
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Post by Birdy on Jun 20, 2017 2:29:33 GMT -5
The young, olive-skinned man adjusted the that ran across his chest, which kept the guitar strapped securely in place, as he wandered around the marketplace of Wrighton. It was almost time for the annual Spring Fair again, and that meant – among other things – music. Audo Mulligan loved music. Loved to play it, to feel the thrum of it in his veins as he expertly played each note. He lived to perform, to hear the cheers and applause of the listeners at a piece well played. It was rare for him to outright refuse a request, though sometimes had to postpone for someone if unforeseen circumstances came up, as much as he hated to do it. He’d at least try to play any instrument he could get his hands on, though he favoured the guitar; not only for its sound but also portability. (It was, after all, rather hard to walk around with a piano strapped to one’s back.) The Spring Fair, he hoped, would afford many opportunities to indulge his musical tastes, and perhaps even connect and perform with other musicians. (Speaking of, was that saxophone music in the distance?) But that wouldn’t be for a few days yet. Until then, he could acquaint himself with the town, and settle into his hotel room. (Which reminded him, he should really probably be unpacking instead of wandering the grounds of a Fair still being set up, but there would be plenty of time for that later. For now, he was content to simply browse the booths that had been set up early, and make note of others that were sure to be interesting later.) And thus Birdy continues her tradition of coming to the intro so late there’s no chance for interactions! \ o / Which is really her own fault but whatever. Post is (finally) done! \ o /Meet Audo Mulligan. He loves music, especially the kind he makes with his guitar. <3 It’s also noted he can play other instruments (or will at least give it a try), but favours the guitar because dragging a piano around is hard. D= He’s also hoping to get to meet some other musicians (and hears, distantly, Fionn’s (hi Celestial ) saxophone music, though doesn’t investigate, thus nixing the opportunity for a musical interaction this round. </3 He’s totally been wandering around the marketplace (with a guitar strapped to his back) this whole time, uh-huh! =o Tooootally been there during everyone’s interactions. Didn’t you see him wandering around? He was totally there, mmmyup. >.> <.< >.> <.< |
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Post by Shinko on Jun 20, 2017 4:19:26 GMT -5
Esther beamed as her mother finished up texting. "I can make music! With my fairy wand! It makes pretty music when you press the button!" Holly chuckled softly, shaking her head. "She has a little battery operated toy wand. It was a present from a friend for her last birthday. But they meant if you play any instruments sweety." "Oh," the girl pursed her lips. "Nuh-uh. Nana plays a little pipe, but I don't know how." "A panpipe," Holly clarified, glancing over her shoulder towards Rosemary, who was waving goodbye to someone on roller skates. "She uses it for our religious ceremonies. But I doubt she'd be interested in joining a band." Dunking politely sniffed at Fionn's hand, but mad no move otherwise, still sitting calmly at Holly's heel. Holly smiled towards Dion, adding, "But band or not, I do hope you enjoy the festival." |
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Post by RielCZ on Jun 20, 2017 6:00:13 GMT -5
A loose string of bunting pennants fell across Mak's head.Well, flags and banners weren't the worst things that had ever been hurled at him during a show. Mak shuddered... Far from it, frankly. "Hey, be careful!" Mak shouted to the two. "But... thanks for not dropping the audio equipment on me, at least." Check with the fair supervisor, eh? He was surely too late to get any sort of greenlight, but it was advice nonetheless. "And thanks for the info." Anyway, he wasn't about to be one of those comics flattened by a lighting fixture or a sandbag or what have you -- Mak felt slapstick was somewhat beneath his standards -- and scurried off-stage towards the market. In a largely meaningless post that mostly just replies to icon , Mak leaves the stage and heads off towards the market. IDK what round 1 will bring but eh I'll put him where everyone else is. 
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Miu
Occasional Commenter
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Post by Miu on Jun 20, 2017 6:59:09 GMT -5
—and at the edge of the town, a child with brown hair and dark eyes stepped into Wrighton. Just in time for the spring fair, she thought, lips curling into a small smile. "Seems like a great place here!" Her father grinned, a hand tousling her hair (much to her annoyance). "Lead the way then, Karen!" Her mother said nothing, but she stroked her head gently after her father was done, fingers running through her hair to return it to a semblance of tidiness. Karen reached up and grabbed the hand instead, holding it with hers while she walked. Her father pouted comically when he realised Karen is not going to reply him, shoulders hunching down and eyes glistening at her with dramatic tears ( Such a man-child, she thought with exasperated affection,) but his spirits lifted again immediately when she caved and offered him the other hand. "C’mon, Papa," she intoned. Her voice was quiet and almost monotonous but both parents could hear the underlying excitement and anticipation that tinted her words. She had a good feeling about this year’s spring fair. Maybe something would happen, something interesting perhaps. She'd just have to be there to watch it all play out. Karen Hart arrived in Wrighton with her parents |
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Post by Huntress on Jun 20, 2017 7:00:07 GMT -5
Chapter 1 Kathleen Morrigan, the top and arguably only journalist of Wrighton, stood before the Boss’ desk with the fresh final draft of the Wrighton Times in hand, beaming. The Wrighton Times was a small weekly periodical, run from a small rickety building, or more specifically from its one cramped office, mostly by Kathleen herself and the few interns they had to cover sports and advertising. It was published on Sundays or whenever there was cause for a special issue. This one was very much a special issue. The front page had one enormous headline. DOME!The Boss stared at it and at Kathleen wearily and took a swig of whiskey. “Well,” he said cautiously, “I commend you for using only one exclamation mark.” Technically, the Boss was to approve the final draft of the issue before it hit the presses. In actuality, he just let Kathleen run along with things as she saw fit, because the end result was the same with less arguing. There was still a slim possibility that Kathleen would pick up a few extra exclamation marks between here and the printing press, but that was a risk the Boss was willing to take. He probably had a name, but Kathleen would’ve had to go and dig up her employment contract to remember what it was, and during her years of working for the newspaper, she always just called him Boss, as did everyone else. He was a harassed-looking, grey-haired man of vaguely indeterminate age who usually sat at his desk all day long with a bottle of single malt, having long since accepted the futility of standing in the way of Hurricane Kathleen. With all other issues, he would’ve just nodded her along, but this was a special issue for a special occasion and he was as intrigued by the issue’s actual subject matter as everyone else. “What is that thing, then?” he asked. The fair had begun the day before and taken place as usual, with no sign of anything being out of the ordinary. Today was going to be the second day of the fair, with performances lasting through the day and a big concert in the evening. Business as usual. But early that morning, long before anyone had woken up, a dome had appeared over Wrighton. There was no clue as to where it had come from or what it was for. It covered the entire town in a perfect even hemisphere, barely visible in the rising sun except for a slight shimmer in the air. It didn’t look threatening, or dangerous. In fact, it looked quite beautiful, like an enormous soap bubble that reached across the entire sky. But it was very much there. Kathleen was not at all a bad journalist. She was inquisitive, knew how to ask the right questions, and she’d spent the entire morning diligently driving around to put the newspaper together and get as much information to the townspeople as possible. You just had to accept her, uh, take on journalism along the way. “There’s really no telling,” she admitted. “There’s no obvious starting point anywhere on its perimeter, as in, no machinery that generates it, or anything like that. It goes below ground – safe to say that whatever generates it actually is below ground, but there was no way to reach it quickly. I met up with a farmer whose land the dome crosses and he’d been doing some digging at its edge. He gave up at ten feet.” The Boss ran a hand through his hair and somewhere deep inside of him, the remnants of the journalistic curiosity that once got him into the job in the first place and that he’d been doing a decent job drowning in whiskey stirred back to life. “Okay, okay, that definitely means we’ll need some follow-up issues. We’ll need to print new information as soon as we get it. Several issues a day if need be. Better get everyone in here and see if the college has some extra interns we could use – we’ll still need to cover the fair as well, if they don’t call it short altogether, but it’s not every day we get an impenetrable dome–” “It’s not impenetrable,” Kathleen pointed out quickly. “No, we tested that specifically with the farmer I talked to. We’d probably get mass panic if it was. No, it’s sort of rubbery to the touch, and if you push hard, it lets you through with a kind of broioioioioing sound.” The Boss put a hand over his eyes. “You didn’t actually put broioioioing into the newspaper.” “Of course I did. See, right here.” She turned the front page towards herself and scanned it quickly. “’…about as thick as a pane of glass, and if you push against it, it lets you pass through with a kind of broioioioioing sound.’” The Boss topped up his glass and glanced out the window. The glassy shimmer high above the ground was just barely visible in an elegant curve above the city. They’d had weird stuff happening in town for as long as anyone could remember. Kathleen had something to report every other issue, and to her credit, she wasn’t much of a sensationalist. She dug up the facts and reported them as they were. Wrighton had its fair share of odd urban legends, a supposed chupacabra, weird floating lights in the cemetery, shady figures sometimes seen in the woods… But a dome like this, appearing out of nowhere? “What’s this about cars?” he asked, pointing at the other headline on the front page. It read, CARS SUSPENDED.“Eh, well, the dome is so big that there hasn’t been any way to find out if it lets oxygen through,” Kathleen said, tapping a finely manicured fingernail against the smaller blurb of text under the heading. “The college professors are currently calculating how much oxygen we’re likely to have within the dome in the event that it doesn’t, but just in case, the city authorities have ruled that nobody is to use cars for the time being unless it’s an absolute emergency, because let’s say the dome is airproof, then we’ll be up to our eyeballs in CO before the day is up and then we’ll really have problems. It’s all in the article, you know, you could just read it.” The Boss glimpsed at the offending article, spotted the words ‘up to our eyeballs’ and slumped again. But the tiny remnant of intrigue remained stirring in him. “Best go out there and see what else you can find out,” he said. “If life has taught me anything, it’s that weird stuff like this isn’t actually the phenomenon itself.” Kathleen, who’d already turned away to get the issue to the presses, stopped short. “What is it, then?” For the first time in ages, she saw a slow grin spread on the Boss’ face. “A symptom,” he said. |
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Post by Shinko on Jun 20, 2017 7:56:33 GMT -5
"You know, you being a witch and all, one would assume this sort of thing would be right up your alley," the deputy chief remarked dryly. Holly rubbed her temple.. "I've told you before, I'm not that kind of witch," she said, watching as Dunkin sniffed along the edge of the strange, iridescent dome that had manifested around Wrighton overnight. "Little cantrips for luck, blessings, healing- that's Wiccan Craft. This? I can't begin to guess what this is." The deputy chief made a noncommittal grunt, rolling his eyes. He'd never put much stock in Holly's beliefs, and as such he frequently butted heads with the younger officer by poking and prodding at her. Opting to change the subject rather than leave herself open to more jabs, Holly said, "We need to give Dunkin a break soon- we don't want him getting nasal fatigue." "Alright," he agreed. "Give it ten more minutes, then we'll let him stop for an hour and let him rest." "Sure," she agreed. After a moment, she bit her lip. "I really don't think he's going to find anything, though." "There has to be evidence of what caused this somewhere," the deputy chief pointed out. "I know that," Holly replied hurriedly. "I do, but... I don't know. Something about this feels really strange." "Strange besides in the sense that the entire city is trapped in a soap bubble?" the deputy chief asked, the sarcasm in his voice plain. Holly sighed, her hand drifting to the pocket on the right side of her shirt. After a moment she said, "Sir, we're coming up on Main Street, right? If I'm going to give Dunkin a break, maybe I could swing my Town Tall? Play a bit of crowd control for the people I'm sure are out there and at the festival." The man frowned, folding his arms pensively. After a moment he gave a curt nod. "Fine. Just be back within the hour, we need to finish our circuit of the town." Holly nodded without comment, idly fingering the button on her pocket. As soon as she was allowed, the police woman took her dog and made a beeline away from the dome and back towards the center of town. Holly and her dog have been sniffing along the edge of the dome on the orders of her higher-ups, in the hopes that they'll find a scent trail that will lead them to some sort of clue as to what's causing this. They don't, and Holly eventually excuses herself to head towards Town Hall/The Festival Grounds. Anybody is free to come upon her either en route or at one of these locations. |
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Post by Elcie on Jun 20, 2017 9:27:45 GMT -5
The first day of the festival had gone pretty well. Anise had sold a decent number of her bags of specialty coffee, and the pastries especially had gone over well. It was rather fun, sitting at her table and meeting new people who hadn't heard of her cafe before, or who had never gotten around to going inside. It was enough to make her wonder why she'd never come to the festival before, and she'd gone to bed tired but satisfied. Today, though-- Anise was unsettled, sitting at her stall with fingers tapping restlessly on the surface. Occasionally she cast a glance upward, as if to confirm - yes, it was still there, that slight shimmer in the sky that betrayed the presence of the dome. She would have liked to believe she was imagining it, but the fact that it had made the papers made that sadly unlikely. The cats, too, were restless. She'd never seen them so skittish and bad-tempered - even the mellow tabby that liked to sit outside the cafe door was arching its back and sometimes hissing at nothing. She often took her cue from the cats - if they weren't bothered by something, it couldn't be that bad - but this, all she knew was that... this was big.She'd brought a few of her rarest teas with the sense that people might need them - a blend for luck, another that she'd found offered a certain protection - but her heart wasn't really in selling them. Instead, she kept turning over that slip of paper in her fingers. Why do I have this? And why did I remember it today? Anise's memory was never... excellent, so she wouldn't normally have been bothered by the fact that she couldn't remember where she'd gotten this. Still, something about it worried her, not least because it had been the dome which reminded her of its existence. The dome was strange, and uncanny, and a little bit frightening. It should not have been familiar. But it was.Sighing, she reached down and stroked a cat that was rubbing against her legs. At least she still had the cats with her. If they'd left, well, that would have been a bad sign. She would have liked to believe that today would be just as calm and pleasant as yesterday, but she had a deep, sinking feeling that wouldn't be true. Anise is worried about the dome, and so are the cats. After remembering a strange slip of paper with cryptic writing on it, she's taken it with her to the festival, and her mind's more on that mystery than on her stall. Perhaps someone with a similar message will notice that she has it? |
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Post by Nut on Jun 20, 2017 11:13:30 GMT -5
 ((Velia’s colors inspired by toonimated and Aster’s hastily ripped off his character sheet because the update post went up as I was drawing him and now I’m two days behind game time and I’m not sure how to catch up to where we are now <<;;; Killix please accept this in apology for the late reply)) (pretend Velia’s hair is braided in the part that’s covered by her hand <<; ) "And I'd love to see your pictures. I've lived here for as long as I can remember, and... I've never traveled outside of town before." She held out a clear plastic bag that had a seal and everything, the kind you should pay for, not get for free. And she was just offering it to him, a total stranger. What an incredibly nice person. He felt bad that he didn’t know what to say other than, “Thanks!” but he hoped his expression of relief conveyed his honest gratitude. He tested right away to see if the bag was the right size. It was; his sketchbook fit inside perfectly. Holding it up to examine the seal, he verified that it was indeed very waterproof. It even came with a hand-drawn little dragon guardian. It was probably good luck. Or maybe it was from Piximite. She had been really excited about that. He’d heard of it, but like so many other things, he had never really gotten into it... never really connected to what made people excited about it. He was always outside, observing, recording places around him without knowing or wanting to know what passed through them. But at least he had a sketchbook full of memories of what they looked like, if not what they meant. It brightened his day that she seemed interested in his pictures, though. She seemed to get so excited about everything, it was hard not to take it as encouragement. Flipping through the pages, he wondered what she thought of seeing places with different building styles, different plants, and even different colors of roofs. Since she had been so nice, he decided, he should come back and buy something from her once the fair was set up. It looked like he’d be staying longer than he intended, after all. Aster is grateful to have a bag now and decides to stay in town to support the artists I AM BEHIND AND TRYING TO CATCH UP TO PRESENT EVENTS, Velia is now finally free to seek out chattier clients and/or fellow Piximite enthusiasts. |
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Post by Celestial on Jun 20, 2017 11:17:17 GMT -5
When Fionn came down to breakfast that morning, he found Maggie sitting with a coffee in the hotel's cafe, a newspaper in her thin hands. Only when he appeared in the doorway did she look up and sigh deeply. "As if we did not have enough trouble around here," she grumbled. "It's bad enough I have to deal with you but now this dome...how am I going to get any customers around here?" "Dome?" Fionn asked as he piled bacon on to his plate. "What dome?" Maggie gave an exasperated sigh. "Some dome has appeared and covered the whole town. We cannot use cars in case we use up all the air. You can pass through it, apparently, though with a-" she squinted. " broioioioioing sound? Who writes this rubbish?" The man snorted. "Broioioioioing is a great word, Maggie!" " Of course you'd think that, of course," she folded her newspaper and tucked it into her voluminous sleeve. Standing up, she tucked her arms into them, hiding her hands from view. "Honestly, your grandmother and father were so intelligent. I often wonder what happened when you were born." She walked away, her long skirt swishing around her legs. Fionn was momentarily intrigued but nevertheless, he settled down to enjoy his food, or at least as much as he could. As he ate, he examined the strange note that he had found in his dresser that morning. It made no sense. He had no memory of writing this thing, no understanding of what it said or any idea if the handwriting was actually his. It looked like his and at the same time it did not. Maybe he was drunk when he wrote it? But he did not usually write stuff when he was drunk. Or maybe he got it off somebody when he was drunk. Yeah, that was the most likely explanation. He had gotten blackout drunk last week when there was happy hour at the pub, so he'd probably torn a piece of it from somebody else's note and completely forgotten about it. Maybe he should go find them and return it? If he even knew who it was he could return it to... That was a mystery for another time. Maybe in town he might find some clues, like someone hassling him over whatever happened last week. Weird it had not happened already but Wrighton was big, maybe they had not found him yet and the Spring Festival would bring them down. Fionn tucked the note into his pocket, went up to get his saxophone and headed out into town. Seeing where the main crowds were, he decided to park himself between the Town Hall and the main festival to make use of the large flow of people. He paused, glancing up at the dome that now covered Wrighton. Strangely, he did not feel worried at all. It actually was a little comforting, like a familiar ceiling. Yes, perhaps the threat of suffocation was a bit worrying but Maggie's newspaper said they could pass through it, so if the worst came to the worst, all they had to do was leave town for a little while until whatever it was passed? Right? The jittery mood around him did not suggest others shared his opinion. They needed a bit of cheering up. Fionn took a deep breath and began to play a happy, bouncy tune on his saxophone, trying to boost the mood a little. Fionn finds out about the dome from Maggie reading the news, and his dumb comments make her lament the fact that he is not like his family which she once knew. He eats breakfast, pondering the note he found, coming to the conclusion he must have acquired it when drunk. While he wants to find the owner, Fionn decides that it's not really possible at this time so he goes between the festival and town hall to busk. Since he's the only one who seems to feel okay about the dome, he decides to express his cheer THROUGH SONG to try to make everyone else feel better. |
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Post by Thorn on Jun 20, 2017 12:56:16 GMT -5
Annabelle Dionte, notepad in one hand and pen poised in the other, was peering into a trash can. She'd come to realise that she was...not bored exactly, but that she needed a niche to fill. Otherwise the townsfolk would think she wasn't pulling her weight! Fionn had his music, and Anise had her coffee and her cats. Holly had her dog, and also she was a police officer so that was important too...but what did Dion have? Nothing! And then the most wonderful thought occurred to her: it was probably important to know exactly what was being disposed of, right? And yet nobody seemed to be recording that! So it was the perfect opportunity for she, Annabelle Dionte, to give back to the town which had given so much to her. Or, however that saying went. She glanced up at the bubble engulfing Wrighton only briefly, before returning to her important work. People seemed to think the bubble signified something, which was definitely intriguing, but Dion wasn't one to lose her head or jump to conclusions. It would pay to wait, surely its purpose would become apparent before too long. Stand-alone post in which Dion pursues unorthodox employment opportunities, which totally wasn't inspired by her writer wandering through the local park peering into trash cans. >.>
Dion thinks little of the bubble. |
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Post by Rabbit ♠ on Jun 20, 2017 13:24:08 GMT -5
Ani rolled around in bed and yawned. She didn’t sleep well last night.She stayed up late reading about Ricardo Gacy. In hindsight, that wasn’t the best idea. Maybe the exhaustion led to the strange dream she had that might have kept her turning. Today was a new day, however. The festival was going on today. She could have fun at the festival. There was a lot to do there. She didn’t check it out yet, anyway, so it was worth a look. Ani got ready for the day. She got dressed, she brushed her hair, she put her cat ear headband in, and packed her bag. She would need some water for the day. Her camera might come in handy. And she certainly can’t forget her pen and notepad… Just as Ani grabbed her notebook, she noticed some odd papers on her desk. The local newspaper was in the middle of her desk, almost perfectly in the center. Just how did that get there? The headline got her attention. “DOME!” As well as the newspaper, there was a smaller slip of paper on top. Other than the headline of the paper, Ani couldn’t read anything. So she pulled out her glasses and read the paper. Ani couldn’t believe what she was reading. There was a dome over Wrighton? So that wasn’t a dream? There was actually a dome over Wrighton? Or was this still some sort of dream within a dream like she saw in the movies? Ani rubbed her eyes and pinched her arm. She definitely wasn’t dreaming. This was actually happening. There was a dome over Wrighton. Ani wanted to check out the dome out of morbid curiosity. And what about that slip of paper? Ani had glasses on, but she still couldn’t read what was said. Whatever was written on it was clearly in code. Ani was not very good at anything involving codes of ciphers. It appeared she didn’t have all of the code, either, seeing that a couple letters were cut off and that the margins were off. Hmm… Ricardo Gacy was pretty good at codes, though. At least if Ani remembered correctly. He often wrote letters in code to police and accomplices. Maybe she could read about what type of codes he used and see if any of them applied. Of course, the message wasn’t complete. Well, if there was one piece of paper with code, then there’s a chance that there’s more, she thought to herself. Ani packed the newspaper, the slip of paper with the code, and her book into her message bag, as well as her notepad and pen. She put her bag on her shoulder and grabbed her helmet. Biking to the festival would be a lot faster than walking. Ani nearly ran out the door and to her bike. She hopped on without hesitation and began biking. It wasn’t long before she gained speed. Now she was going to get to the festival in no time. Ani knew that for sure just as she was about to go down the hill. Ani smiled to herself as she went racing down the hill and through the streets of Wrighton, ready to search for answers. Ani didn't sleep well. She had a weird dream that the town was in a dome. Strange, huh? As she was packing, she sees the newspaper and the slip of paper. She learns that there's a dome over Wrighton and the slip of paper has an incomplete code. So she packs that stuff and goes biking to the festival to see what she can learn.
So if so you see someone biking across Wrighton like a maniac, that's probably Ani. |
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