Bang Up To The Elephant

[polymods]

✖ VICTORIA'S SECRET

Ⅰ. ARRIVAL
You can read all about your character's arrival in the game lore.
The fog that has blanketed the city for a month finally lifts a little - there are days with actual sunshine now! Not many, and the sky is still frequently thick with smog, but every so often light pours through the holes in the clouds. The river that flows from the sea into the city still smells foul, but maybe you’re starting to get used to it.

Walk the cobbled streets and you will find that the city is crowded and filthy, but full of merchants, pubs, and theatres. Vast wealth and extreme poverty exist side by side.

In the center of the sprawling city is a temple with towering gothic spires and huge stained glass windows depicting all manner of beings that might be gods or angels or monsters. You could look for hours and still be finding new figures plucked straight from books of myth and religion. Inside, the main chamber has a grand vaulted ceiling, and dozens of pews line the aisle up to the altar, which is oddly anticlimactic compared to the lavish surroundings: just a plain stone table with a lit oil lamp in the centre. Two hallways branch off on either side of the room: one leads to private baths and a communal kitchen, the other to monastic style chambers with thin beds. Not the most comfortable place to stay, but it’ll do in a pinch!

The High Temple has also reappeared at the edge of the city, with its considerably more comfortable lodgings.

Alternatively you can venture into the city and find yourself some other lodging - every Traveler has been supplied with some pocket money. Just be careful that it isn’t stolen by some street urchin. Travelers can also find an era-appropriate outfit that will fit them perfectly laid in the first sleeping chamber they visit.

Notes:
1. The High Temple and anything you may have stored there is available to all characters this month.

2. Please remember to mark threads appropriately with Content Warnings when necessary.

3. The city greatly resembles Victorian London, and the technology and general way of life is all of that era. Feel free to explore the city! These prompts are a jumping off point - how they affect your character and their development is up to you.

4. Most food is safe to eat, and is consumable by non-human entities. Most. Some of it’s going to be pretty gross or cooked improperly, so be careful.

5. The people in the city are normal humans unless otherwise indicated. Killing them is possible and will affect the colour grading of your Scrywatch depending on the situation.

6. Have fun!

---

Ⅱ. COME UNDONE
CW: dead bodies, archeological graverobbing.
Somehow, some way, you find yourself with an invitation card:

Lord Trewlaney at Home: the Unwrapping of
THE JEWEL OF THE SEVEN STARS!
Half-past Eight
Unwrapping? How saucy! Or perhaps you have an inkling of exactly what that means.

The invitation gets you entry to a well kept home on the more well-to-do side of the city. There are plenty of servants circulating with food and drink of which you are welcome to partake. Society’s elite chatter and mingle all around you; maybe you fit in, and maybe you don’t.

Regardless, you don’t have to wait very long for the main event. The host of this little soiree - presumably Lord Trewlaney himself, a little man with a weak chin and an impressive mustache - stands at the front of the room and holds his hands aloft.

“Ladies and gentleman,” he says in a clear voice. “BEHOLD! We shall now commence with the unwrapping of this, a fine example of Egyptian mummification, who was once called the Jewel of the Seven Stars!”

A wheeled table is brought forward, covered in a purple velvet cloth. Dramatically, Lord Trewlaney flings it back to reveal a body wrapped in ancient linen bandages. The crowd sighs, and Trewlaney’s eyes scan the crowd.

“Ah, you there!” he cries, pointing at you. Or maybe the person beside you.

“You folk there! Here, come up, my friends! You may have the honour of being a part of history!”

The crowd pushes you and your companion forward with excited murmurs. Soon enough the two of you are beside the mummy, and Trewlaney is handing you a pair of scissors. Up close the body smells of cinnamon and something else, something familiar.

“Reveal its face!” he urges you. And so, you cut.

Much to your surprise what is revealed is not a desiccated corpse, but your own likeness. Before you have time to react the mummy sits up and turns to face the audience, who oohs and ahhs.

The mummy’s lips part and it speaks. What does it say? Something extremely revealing; in plain terms, the mummy reveals something an aspect of yourself that you would rather have kept hidden.

Oh dear! You can shut yourself up, of course, but before you do maybe you ought to consider that interfering with a mummy was considered a surefire way to fall under a curse…

Notes:
1. What is revealed can of course be of any degree of seriousness. Murder? Or do you just secretly enjoy RomComs?

2. Shut the mummy up before it has its say and you will suffer the Mummy’s Curse: bad luck that will plague you for the rest of the month!

---

Ⅲ. IMAGINARIUM
The sign above the door simply reads Cabinet of Curiosities. How intriguing! And at the very least you can get out of the chill.

Inside there are dozens of wooden cases with glass fronts, each filled with shelves of all manner of objects. Some look expensive and exotic, while others are almost painfully mundane. There are taxidermied animals, wet specimens, fossils, glass eyes, rocks and crystals, pottery, statuettes… There’s a little of everything.

As you peer amongst the stuffed ducks and fossilized plants, you’ll spot something familiar. It’s an object that you recognise as personally significant whether because it’s from your life back home, or because it’s symbolic. It represents a dream or a hope you have for the future.

If you take the object out of the cabinet for a closer look, you and whoever happens to be standing nearby will instantly be transported to a hazy vision of what that lovely dream is. It won’t last forever - indeed, maybe only a moment. Depending on what that hoped for future is, you might have some explaining to do.

Notes:
1. All futures are something hoped for. They may be completely unrealistic and bittersweet, but they are something wanted and not feared.

---

Ⅳ. GARDENS
CW: mind altering substances.
If there’s one spot within the city where you might be able to find some refuge from the dank scent of ocean rot and the sour smell of body odour, then it’s going to be the Gardens. A jewel toward the west side of the city, you will find a greenhouse containing all manner of tropical plants, and a rose garden with over a 100 different types available for you to enjoy.

But why stop there? There are also areas where you can stop and have tea with a friend. They even have those little sandwiches with the crust cut off! They have cucumber, egg, and cream cheese. Each of these has a different effect: cucumber sandwiches will provide a mild sense of euphoria, while the egg will give you a lot of energy (and maybe some gas). Cream cheese will make you very relaxed and prone to oversharing. There are also perfectly regular cakes and biscuits available, as well.

Maybe you’re feeling a bit more somber. In the northeast end of the park there is a secret pet cemetery with over 300 tiny tombstones paying tribute to the tragic losses of many much-loved pets. The area is disused, overgrown with ivy and ferns. Sitting there evokes a sense of peace.

Prefer to see some living wildlife? Fear not, the park seems to attract several different types of songbirds which makes it a hotspot for birdwatching. There are binoculars available to use for that purpose. Or you could use them to peer into the city’s seamy underbelly. Just don’t get isolated and weird about it.

Sometimes I can still hear his voice...

Network · Logs · OOC · Memes · Plurk

Comments

David Alleyne | Marvel-616 | OTA

[helpdesk_hero]

IA. Shopping - Market

David Alleyne was stressed. This often led to one truly singular solution for him, cooking. Others often benefitted from this given he often made more than enough for him to eat. This stress solution often had two stages though. The first of which was the reason for David's travel to the market. The man moved confidently between stalls with a bag over his shoulder, stopping here and there and haggling for bits of produce and seasonings. Was he blowing most of his allowance on this? Yes. Did David care? No. He knew how to get by.

Visually he didn't fit in amid the markets though. The brightly colored vest he wore with a very warmly colored brown suit went far to make him noticable. Which of course had drawn the attention of a pick pocket, intent on what they assumed would be a heavy purse. In fact, that pick pocket was making for David at that moment.

And David? He was cluelessly evaluating a mound of turnips.


Ib. Communal Cooking - High Temple

Food acquired and pocket not picked, David returned to the High Temple for the second stage of plan 'stop stressing out so much'. And that meant cooking. Already he'd taken over a corner of the communal kitchen, busy monitoring a sauce every few moments while also working on chopping vegetables.

Catching sight of motion he called out without checking who it was. The most important part of cooking was having someone to try it out, or so he thought.

"Come here and tell me what you think of this sauce," he called out. Hopefully they would help him figure out if something was missing.


III. Imaginarium

There was something alluring about considering just what people considered weird enough to keep in a place like this. David had visited Scotland once, Edinburugh, and seen an old museum that was a curio collection like this one, and memories of it had compelled David inside to investigate. And so he had moved slowly through the space, looking and considering and even cringing at some of the selections.

What really gave him pause, though, was one cabinet filled with strange pictures. Pictures of ghosts, pictures of 'unnatural' births, pictures of strange phenomenon. And among them all...

"What in the world?" David said, looking at the collection in the cabinet. A picture in black and white, but still less grainy than the others. A picture from his own time, more or less, framed in a lovely silver frame.

A picture he'd seen at the Boneyard before. Of his boss and his boss's husband.

"This doesn't seem physically possible. I mean, I've seen this, at the very least it should be color."


IV. Gardens

Gardens, even ones as dour as this one truly ended up being, reminded David of home. So of course, now that the sun was out a bit, he had made his way to seek one out. There was value to being reminded of Krakoa after all, of the happy things he missed so much. Of Trevor and movie nights and Akihiro welcoming his new friends, and learning from Rachel. It was good to remember home and how it made him feel, when it didn't make him feel bad.

So for a time he walked through the green house, and throuhg hte roses, and through any other place he could. But when someone offered him tea and David found it was affordable, he agreed and was happy to see a little table set for a delightful meal. He could cheat on his diet for an afternoon. The little tea cakes were a delight, and he had one before moving on to select a cream cheese sandwich.

Only then, once he'd downed a mouthful, did he see another person. He smiled and waved them over.

"There is more on this table than I could possibly finish alone. Would you join me?"

III

[speed_of_snark]

Jean-Paul, peering into a cabinet containing a "Fiji Mermaid" looks over. "Hn? What is it? What did you find?"

[helpdesk_hero]

"Your wedding picture," David answered. "But black and white. Well, more black and white."

Yes, he made a funny. And David reaches out to pick the frame up. And the place around them... changes. It's like mist rolling over and around them, until it clears and there's David standing there, not in the clothes he'd previously been wearing, or even holding the frame anymore. Instead he was in what could only be seen as a proper tuxedo, black with gold accenting. In his hands are a very classy pair of gold cufflinks that he'd apparently been affixing. And on his hand, a ring.

On his left hand, third finger, a ring.

The cabinet before him had turned into a mirror, and David could see himself in it, as much as he could see the reflection of Jean-Paul, in a similar but less 'look at me I'm the center of attention' suit, complete with a yellow flower in his lapel.

All of it pointed to one sort of thing.

"What's going on?" David asked, looking around in disbelief.

[speed_of_snark]

Jean-Paul is first shocked by the fact that his wedding photo would be there at all, and then immediately concerned: this place rarely let them have a memory without it somehow turning into a nightmarish life lesson. So when the store changed into somewhere else, he prepared himself for the worst.

But as it turned out, it wasn't about him at all.

"I think," Jean-Paul said, looking at David carefully. "That you just got married."

[helpdesk_hero]

Well, this may or may not be a nightmarish life lesson. He was looking at Jean-Paul and he looked like he didn't believe it at all. This wasn't... This couldn't be happening. And in his freak out he focused only on the thing that struck him as wrong.

"Actually I think I'm about to get married. And... That's impossible."

[speed_of_snark]

Jean-Paul notes David's obvious panic with some bemusement.

"Right, sorry. About to. David, pray, why is that impossible? You're not morally opposed, are you?"

[helpdesk_hero]

"Jean-Paul, what if Hawks walks in and sees this!?" he says, voice cracking a little with distress. Because, well, this would be hilariously awkward to explain to a guy he's only just dating. "Because trust me, Tommy isn't the marriage type, so this wouldn't be for him."

He doesn't know how to explain that this was something he wanted, in his heart of hearts, but he didn't think he could have it.

[speed_of_snark]

Jean-Paul, now actually concerned, squeezes David's shoulder. "David, calm down," he says. "I don't think this is the sort of thing people just wander into."

He looks back at the fantasy David, who looks happy in a way the real one rarely does.

"You started dating, then?"

[helpdesk_hero]

"Yes?" David said, sorta awkwardly because yea, it's a weird situation okay? And he more than half expects Jean-Paul to judge him.

David had someone back home after all.

The illusion began to fade and David sighed.

"You disappointed in me?"

1A

[threeterparker]

Peter's never had an allowance before. Not even when he was really young, still living with his parents. So with money in his pocket and a whole market full of things to buy, he's sort of at a loss for what to do with it. In the end, he winds up people watching more than anything. Which is how he notices David, standing out from the crowd in a brightly colored suit. And he notices who else has noticed David, and is sneaking up to slip fingers into that suit and steal his pocket change.

Peter isn't fast enough to make it to David before the thief can pick his pockets, but he is sneaky enough to trail the thief afterwards, "accidentally" bump into him, and slip his hand into the man's coat pocket, stealing back what was just stolen. He apologizes profusely, then makes his way back to the produce stall where he had last seen David.

"Hey," he greets him with a smile and a wave, before pulling out the pouch of stolen money. "I think you dropped this."

[helpdesk_hero]

The thing was that David had been well aware of the attention his presence had been garnering, and he had been defending himself in a subtle way. Of course Peter, having to be a hero and gentleman, comes over and holds out the pouch of money and David smiled as he took it back.

"Thank you. A bait pouch is best when you don't actually lose it," he told the other, taking the soft bag filled with light pebbles and putting it back into his pocket. His real pouch of money had been secured up his sleeve after all.

"You do this a lot? Save people from thieves?"

[threeterparker]

Peter chuckles, looking somewhat impressed. "A bait pouch... Good thinking." Never having had any money to get stolen, Peter isn't as well versed in the ways of avoiding theft.

He waves a dismissive hand and gives a half shrug, smiling. "It sort of comes with the territory of being your friendly neighborhood... You know."

As weird as it is to know that David already knows his secret identity, Peter still doesn't feel comfortable admitting it out in the open, in a crowded market like this.

[helpdesk_hero]

"Thanks. I know too many thieves to not do it," David answered. But he was happy with it. Though friendly neighborhood makes David smile. Yes, he knows.

"I suppose you're a friendly, neighborhood person that could stand to eat something, yes?"

[threeterparker]

Peter smiles back. "Always." Heightened metabolism meant that Peter needed to consume more calories to maintain his energy levels. And his energy levels were always high.

"Do you cook on every island you go to? Or am I just special?"

[helpdesk_hero]

"I do. Cooking relaxes me," David answered as he turned back and selected a turnip at last. "It helps soothe away the stress. Guess I got in the habit from living around speedsters so much. Or maybe from my dad."

[threeterparker]

"'Speedsters'..." The term is unfamiliar to Peter, but he thinks he can infer from context. "That's people with super speed?"

Man, there really are so many different superpowers a person can have.

[helpdesk_hero]

"Bingo," David said as he paid for his purchase. "Jean-Paul, he's here and you might meet him, can just about match the speed of light. In theory he's even faster, but he admits doing so would be very destructive."

So this was something he didn't expect Peter to get, even if it was something that could affect him.

IB

[unkindled_madness]

It's rare to see Sephiroth at the High Temple. He doesn't care for the unease it inspires in him. But given the nature of the islands, and the temples especially, he makes a point of a monthly inspection after its reappearance, to see if anything has changed.

Very warranted this time-- for the lockers, not David's cooking. That's already confusing, somehow.

"...why does my opinion matter?" It's not his food.

[helpdesk_hero]

"Because there's food to be had and I'm sharing, so tell me if it tastes like something you'd eat," David said, sounding only very slightly frustrated by that. Come on, man, work with him. "I think it needs more salt, tell me what you think."

[unkindled_madness]

Sephiroth does at least approach to look doubtfully into the pot.

"Is anyone else aware that you intend to feed them?"

[helpdesk_hero]

"Not really, but I don't care," David answered, because he needed to get this stress out. "If they don't want it, there are homeless people who will eat."

And that is needed if nothing else.

[unkindled_madness]

"I see." He absolutely doesn't. Surely the recipient matters.

"...what are you making?"

[helpdesk_hero]

"This is going to be a light soup that is a variation on a ratatouille. I'm also doing some roasted game hens, stuffed with olives and fruit."

What? He likes complicated.

[unkindled_madness]

Sephiroth is not familiar with ratatouille so he'll go with 'light soup.' It seems to be vegetable-based.

"It seems like a lot of effort for food."

[helpdesk_hero]

"It's how I relax," David countered. "And I need to relax."