eachdraidh

[When the image clicks on, it shows Lumina standing in the middle of the central field of her ranch, her house in the background and a mostly empty set of stables in front of her. There is one agitated red chocobo tied to a post besides her, warking unhappily and tugging at his lead. Lumina is talking to two of her stable hands, gesturing wildly. She's bundled up in a heavy pink coat, and looks exceedingly unhappy.]

...know why they ran off, I can't talk to them! Try to catch them before they get too far!

[The locket shakes, and the imp holding it out-of-sight calls out Lumina's name, and the child spins around. She's clearly panicked.]

My chocobos are gone! Almost all of them! They just started freaking out and took off!

[As she talks, four imps and a stableman appear behind her, dragging a very unhappy looking Chaos the black chocobo towards the stables by his reins.]

If you see one, try to catch it please! [You can tell she's actually upset because she said please!] I'll come and get it but I can't chase all of them!

[There's a shout from behind her from the imps trying to pull Chaos, and Lumina turns away, then looks back at the locket.]

Just try and calm them down. I can't figure out what's wrong with them!

[And then she was running off to help and the locket clicked shut.]

[ooc: So basically, all the chocobos on this list except for Chaos and Burn have run off! They are fast birds and can defend themselves, and will be all over the region around Mair, for hundreds of miles in every direction! As far as the station after a few days!

People are welcome to find them and tell Lumina, and she'll come and fetch them! New friend cr! Or enemy cr if they try to keep them and she has to go and rescue her birds. :D]

stickseller

( A brief explination of Howard's whereabouts when everything went down. )
(The video feed clicks on, and while Howard looks tired and worn out, it could be a lot worse. There’s a bruise healing on his forehead, a cut on his cheek that’s almost disappeared thanks to a salve he was given to put on it, but in the right light you can see the light pink tightness of new skin. The smile that had been so easy going the first time he had come across the screen seems tighter now, more forced, but he’s always been one to try to maintain the façade of cool, calm and collected. He’s going to do that, now too.)

I have a couple of questions.

(He feels like maybe he should say more. Comment on the battles that occurred, that he hopes no one lost anyone close to them, but so much has already been said, and he still feels shame. He doesn’t want to be questioned of where he was and what he did.)

First of all: these fairy rings. How much is actually known about how they work? Have there ever been any ill effects caused by them? (Namely death, but he won’t say that out loud. Onto the next topic.) I want to go to the Station, and horseback just isn’t my style.

(Onto the next topic.)

I know that there are blacksmiths responsible for forging the weaponry here, and from what I understand, the metal they use comes from the dwarves. Is there any type of order form that’s used? Maybe a list of what kind of metals they have in their mines, and the corresponding prices? Or maybe in general just a list of what’s been found naturally in this place, I’ve been looking for information, but it’s been a bit of a struggle.

Lastly, to end on a high note: what do people do for fun around here? Does this place have a Vegas or Monaco or Riviera?

[private to Steve Rogers & James Barnes]

You guys make it through?

thequitecontrary

[War changes people, Mary Crawley included.

After her midnight ride from Caer Glaem the night of the jabberwock attack, she arrived a frozen mess in the land of the Elves. Nearly dead, they had taken her in and helped nurse her back to health. The whole experience had been surreal. Being in their realm made her wonder if this was what heaven was like. Everything seemed so bright, as if someone had turned the contrast up on the entire world. Whatever medicine they used on her worked, because she was as good as new within a week, feeling stronger than she had in years. They helped equip her and her horse before she set out. She owes them a great debt and she knows it.

She has since arrived in Parrais, where she knew that Anne would be, in order to seek shelter since the castle at Glaem has been damaged. Truth be told, she'd rather not go back there for a while anyway. While in the Elvenlands she had a lot of time to think and was subsequently able to act in Parrais. Mary has cut her hair, partly out of deference to the latest style back home and partly for practical reasons. She realizes that finding someone here to do her hair every day will be difficult. Mary also hasn't worn a corset since she fled Glaem and after several weeks without one, she has no plans to go back. A camisole suits her fine and again she's met with the obstacle of having no one to help her tie a corset anyway.

Congratulations. The war has successfully pushed Mary into the twentieth century.

She appears on the locket looking well-rested and back to being herself again.]

Hello to anyone who may be seeing and hearing this broadcast. I was not able to properly introduce myself last time I used this device. [Since she was fleeing on horseback through the frozen landscape.] I am Lady Mary Crawley, daughter of the Earl of Grantham. Firstly, I would like to thank the Elves for their hospitality and care after I arrived in their lands following the attack on Caer Glaem. Your generosity will not be forgotten by me. Secondly... [She pauses here for a moment, gathering exactly what she wants to say.] I wish to know if I may help in any way now that the battle is over. I'm staying in Parrais for a while so anything in this region would be well-suited. I know... a bit about farming, actually, and the running of an estate. I also have a small bit of nursing knowledge thanks to my sister and the experience of a war back home.

Please let me know of a way that I might be helpful.

[Not only has the war pushed her into the twentieth century, it might also have caused hell to freeze over. Mary's not usually the helpful type, though maybe the healing she received from the Elves is causing her to want to pay it forward. Or maybe she just doesn't want to sit around bored all day. There are only so many shops to visit and books to read. They don't even have formal dinner here. At least back at Downton she had responsibilities and tasks to complete.]

benumbing

[The locket doesn't reveal too much of where he is. What happens in Mair, stays in Mair. But it would be easy enough to guess by the sounds of coins, the laughter and shouts, that he's in some sort of gambling house. At least he's not broadcasting from the brothel, but Jack's eyes eyes are still bright and sharp from the wine that flows here, and he looks amused in a cheshire cat way. A single coin flips between his fingers.]

Well, I've certainly found a place that I like. Plenty of drink, plenty of entertainment, plenty of mystery meat. Almost dying always calls for just a little bit more living.

As for the rest of us who survived, I hope you're also settled. Recovering. War isn't game, but I doubt I have to tell anyone that now. It's more of a gamble. Higher stakes, more to lose. [He finishes his drink, waving off another before he looks back at the locket.] And I don't like to lose.

My name is Jack Benjamin. I'd like to speak to those who are familiar with the weapons of this land - swords and bows, maces. I was a soldier in my world too, but we've sort of left those things behind. And see, I want to be as effective as possible here, so that the next time they come I'll do more than just find a soft spot to poke.

[Jack lifts the coin to the lips of a lovely young woman, hoping that the kiss will bring him luck. All it brings is an imp between them, closing its mouth around the coin instead. Jack glares at it, commanding through gritted teeth.]

Spit it out.

[It does, and the coin can be heard bouncing across the table. By the way Jack looks (first surprised, then as pleased as the cat who got the cream) it landed on a prosperous spot.]

I believe I can reimburse you for a little of your time. I'd rather not owe anyone any favors.

thebreakingwave

Hello, for those of you I haven't yet met, I'm Harry.

[The video footage is of a young man with messy black hair, one bottle-green eye, and half his face silvered over with old scarring. On the damaged side, he has a red amber prosthetic in place of an eye. In the background, there's a crow that periodically peers over his shoulder.]

The queen has tasked me to talk to every one of the Unseelie and ask for a memory of solidarity, overcoming great odds, or defeating a foe. With these, she can use it to create a better, stronger defence for a rebuilt Caer Scima.

It's going to take time to do this — at the very least, a few months — so there's no hurry to meet and I've the ability to get to pretty much anywhere in the Drabwurld quickly.

[He looks down at a bit of paper that's just out of sight; seems like someone made notes before talking.]

Sharing a memory is done through magic, it doesn't hurt, I won't look at anything you don't want me to see and I'll swear to that.

How's that?

debts

I keep thinking of this story.

[ There's nothing particularly guarded about the way Natasha sounds. Lazy, maybe; a little mildly amused. ]

Once upon a time, there was a proud and warlike tsar— [ A short pause, then a correction. ] —a ruler. His name was Dadon. When he was young, he invaded and destroyed neighboring lands, taking them for his own. When he grew older Dadon wanted peace, but now his enemies sensed his weakness and it was their turn to wage war on him. He asked for help from his court magician, who gave him a golden cockerel. If any enemies approached, the bird would crow, and because the tsar was pleased he promised that he would give the magician anything he asked for.

Dadon's people lived peacefully for two years. The bird did its job whenever there was danger. One day, the golden bird cried out louder than ever before, so the man sent a great army under the command of his eldest son. Eight days passed. When the bird crowed again, his son and their army weren't back, so he sent out his younger son and another army. There was no news again for eight more days.

He was worried. The bird crowed again, so he went to go investigate this personally, with an army of his best warriors. After several days, he came across a battlefield where both armies and his two sons lay dead. At the edge of the field, he saw a tent with a woman of stunning beauty inside. Her name was—

[ A beat. ]

—you know, I don't think I remember. Her title, though, was the Queen of Shamakha. She invited him inside his tent and Dadon fell in love with her. He took her home, back to his kingdom.

When he did, the magician was waiting for him at the gates. He asked the tsar to pay for the golden bird by giving him the Queen of Shamakha. Angry with the request, Dadon hit the magician with his sword, wounding him fatally. At that moment the bird swooped down and pecked Tsar Dadon to death. And the Queen of Shamakha disappeared, as if she had never been there.

[ Natasha huffs out a laugh. ]

Sorry. Maybe that was too obvious a moral. [ And just like that, the audio abruptly ends. ]

falconkick

Hey, uh. Network. My name's Sam, for those of you I haven't gotten the chance to meet yet.

[ a small smile and a lift of his chin that both say he might genuinely like that chance to meet everyone everywhere at some point. but he's here with something serious today, so he moves right along. ]

I wanted to tell y'all something I like to keep in mind from day to day, but especially on days like the last dozen or so. I'm retired military - Air National Guard pararescue, for any of you that are familiar - but I enlisted a long time ago. Don't ask for a number, a man's gotta keep some secrets.

[ feelin' your age, wilson? his cheeky smile is short lived. ]

When I went to basic, I wasn't exactly itching for a fight, so I wasn't with the other greenies that were disappointed when we started with folding our own bed sheets. My ma raised me right, and the first time I picked up a gun, it was with all due respect to the power they were putting in my hands. I didn't wanna let all that go to my head and forget the responsibility that comes with carrying arms.

[ he purses his lips for a quiet beat, inhales shortly before continuing. ]

Wish I could say the same for the first time I shot a man. My country went to war right after I was accepted into the PJs, and when it was down to me or him, I chose him. Just - [ he makes a small pew gunshot sound, glum; ] - and that was that. I wasn't scared and I didn't feel guilty about it - and that was what stuck with me. I asked my unit, my CO, anyone that would listen. No one could tell me whether or not I was supposed to feel good about killing the "bad guys".

[ another moment's silence - half to find his next words, half out of respect for the dead. he scrubs a hand over his head. ]

Still don't really have an answer, and like I said, it's been a long time. Some days I think I might be close, and other days I ask myself "man, who do you think you're kidding?" Thing of it is - whether or not you think it's for the right reasons, taking someone else's life isn't easy, and it shouldn't be. That kinda thing stains your hands, and then you gotta decide how to live with it. For me, at least, some days are easier than others. And on the days when it's not, I keep looking for an answer.

[ finally, he gives a small, weary smile. the point of this whole thing: trying to get people to talk about it so they don't bottle it in. sam knows where he stands, and it's at the door, trying to open it for others. ]

If you've got any ideas, please, I'd love to hear 'em. Maybe we can trade a few around, see if we can't come up with something new. Either way, today's a good day.

[ dead tired, quiet, but sam still says it with a smile before signing off. ]

huntedby

[Vanessa looks tired; but of course everyone does. There are a few healing cuts along her forehead, but otherwise she looks unharmed.]

I am sure that all of you have seen the offers from the Spires for safehaven. We are here to serve you, and protect you as much as possible. I have watched the fires from Caer Scima...we will rebuild. But until then, you all have a home with us. If you need refuge, I will not turn you away. You will be safe.

And we will avenge those of us who have fallen. They will not get away with this.

[Locked to the Spires, VIA Rin's communication device]

I know things are in chaos, at the moment. But we need to try and coordinate. Pooling our resources so we do not duplicate efforts. With the fall of Caer Scima, we are the main defenses and homes for our people, now.

['Our people'. How strange it feels on her lips. But it seems she has fallen into feeling that they are kin to her quickly. After an entire life of feeling singular and apart from the world, she has found a home here. A dangerous thing. But welcoming as well.]

I have a favor to do for Saber, soon. So I will not be at my Spire. But I will still be accessible via locket.

stickseller

(For those who are online, if you will, the video feed of both courts will flicker on to the picture of a man who looks surprisingly calm all things considered. His hair is neatly combed back and parted, his clothing well put together, and there’s a borderline arrogant smile that plays at his lips. If it had taken him a half dozen times to get the locket to work correctly for him, it didn’t show on his face, but for him it was practically like magic.

It was technology that was still years away from where he was, he had only recently managed to install a telephone in his car (and promptly sold the idea for a handsome profit), but even it had been quite an ordeal, there were a dozen wires, it needed a long and thick antennae to work, and if you weren’t careful it could drain your battery in a heartbeat if you weren’t careful, but it was technology that he felt had promise. Adding the ability to view the person on the other end of the line was something he hadn’t even thought about trying, let alone making it so small and portable. Sure, he had managed to miniaturise a camera lens for a pen, but that was just for still photos. He was intrigued by it, though, a fascinating idea (one he wished he had been the one to come up with), and he didn’t hide his impression. He didn’t dare attempt to pop it open, however, lest he not be able to put it back together. While the imps had been kind to him thus far, he hadn't argued much when he'd been dragged away, he wasn’t sure how well they’d take to him breaking one of the gifts that he had been given.

For the time being he would leave it as it was, but eventually he might ask if someone knew just how they worked. Just for the sake of curiosity.)

So I take it this place doesn’t take too kindly to technology of any kind, huh? Even one as simple as a battery. (He raises his wrist to show the watch on his arm, it had stopped when he had arrived, and though it was currently useless, he couldn’t take it off. He was too used to wearing it and would feel naked without it.) Is there anywhere around here where they sell watches you wind? Or parts so I can convert this one?

(There’s a pause, he takes his hand down again and shrugs his shoulders lightly.)

Anyway. Good morning. My name is Howard Stark, and back home I was an inventor of sorts, so I’m not entirely sure why they’ve brought me here, unless it’s to update this place somehow. My company’s goal was to build a better and brighter tomorrow, and it looks like this place could use a bit of that. It’ll be like going back in time with what I have to work with, but I’m sure I can manage if that’s what’s wanted.

So, tell me a little bit about yourself, mysterious person on the other side of the magical locket. What makes you special?

Unseelie Locked

Who’s in charge of your weapons division? Back home, right before I was brought here, we had a war that ended, and I worked in weapons on the winning side. I can’t imagine that’s a coincidence.

Entries tagged with howard stark: mcu

[video] Open to both courts | Backdated to the first. CHOCOBO PANIC.

second jive ⚛ video ⚛ open to both courts (backdated to approx Feb 20)

002 ☙ [video] | OTA

video | unseelie locked

video; unseelie locked.

o1. spider | audio; both courts.

oo1 ⊕ video ⊕ both courts

[video] Locked to Unseelie

first jive ⚛ video ⚛ open to both courts

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