BD to 5/8 & Locked to Apprentices (No Merlin/Hades/Kingdom Spirits)

[strangeandunusual]

Hi, everyone. I know most of you have met me, but to new folks who haven't? Hi, I'm Lydia Deetz, one of the Princesses here. And since it's my duty to help heal the Kingdoms, I figured we need to all have a talk.

Dreamfinder, the Kingdom Spirit that's supposed to help protect Main Street from the Corrosion, is officially missing. I haven't been able to get hold of him, and the watchmaker in the shop under his apartment hasn't seen him for weeks. I'm pretty sure at this point that it's the reason the Train Station was able to be taken over by Corrosion.. A few of us have been gathering whatever information we could, and I know those of you who went to the train station might have some things worth sharing, too. So I've set up a meeting space in the Graven Image Gallery so we can all share what we know, and come up with a plan. Maybe a couple of search parties and a couple of investigative ones. I know a lot of you are better leaders, better strategists, better a lot of things. That's why I want us to all talk about this together. MT had suggested a while ago that we were the reason people are so upset, and I"m beginning to think she might be right, but ... it's not the only thing we need to fix. And we need to talk about it.

The Gallery is next to the coffee shop, inside the mausoleum in the flower garden. I'll post a little map here on the 3M once I close this message, and I'll meet everyone who wants to come at 8 PM.

Comments

[strangeandunusual]

Hey. You'd be surprised ... we're all from different places, so everyone has something they can teach each other. Give yourself a little more credit. You already sound like you're good at strategy, from what you were asking me at the party. And we need people like that just as much as we need people who have experience.

And you're not the only one who's still hung up on home stuff, either. I have a few different friends who are. If you ever need to talk about it, I don't know how much help I'd be, but I'd at least be happy to listen.... just like my friends at home did when I wasn't happy with how things were going.

[connie_maheswaran]

[Connie was taken aback a little, then had to chuckle at herself. Here she was, trying to help out other people because of what had happened back home and she still hadn't really talked about some of her own things. There were definitely things she knew she had to resolve too: after what happened with Steven, the dreams about that fateful encounter with White Diamond brought back those nightmares. She'd had a devil of a time covering them up from her parents too, because how would you explain you saw your best friend almost murdered? There was no way she could explain that to her own parents, let alone Lydia].

I had experience seeing former war veterans doing what they do best, and I'm a bit of a task master myself. It's probably to my social detriment, but I like to read a lot, so I like to formulate plans for things that might be. I remember I'd read this book about living off the land that I absorbed for when I was on a mission back home, but on the field it was a bit different. I know why the mirror chose me, I'm just trying to get back into the habit again.

[She looked down] But I do have...things that I probably need to talk about, one day soon. I don't want to freak out my roommate if I have a nightmare, because mine can get pretty vivid.

[strangeandunusual]

So you've ... been in battles. [Lydia was good enough at reading between the lines by now, and no longer as surprised as she would have once been at the concept of people her age having been involved in wars or on the outskirts of them]

I know what you mean about things being different than what they're like when you read them, though. The Kingdoms have been like that for me. [she gave her new friend a lopsided, embarrassed, but commisserating smile] Lots of people have nightmares here, I think. It doesn't make them any less scary, but ... you're not alone in it. ... I think you're gonna be okay here, Connie, I really do.

[connie_maheswaran]

Oh yes. I've had a few of them, some with things much, MUCH bigger and stronger than me. Courage isn't something that comes naturally to me, but after some time, I earned it along the way.

[Nothing said "courageous" more than leaping at an ear long dictator with only a sword].

The Kingdoms? You mean, what, the surrounding areas outside of here? What are they like?

[Why hadn't she wondered that before]?

I do too, eventually. The nightmares are something I carry from home anyway, and I think if I can talk to someone about it without feeling intimidated, it'll make things easier.

[She hoped anyway. The less dreams she had about Steven almost dying or turning into a huge monster, the better].

[strangeandunusual]

I've only seen two so far: the jungle, and the Blue Bayou. The jungle is gorgeous, and really thick, and always warm... and there's a huge abandoned temple ruin in the middle of it. Off on one side of it there's a big, tall plateau where you can see the edges of the other Kingdoms from the top, but most of them have been so affected by the Corrosion that you can't tell it apart. It all just looks like a big black tangle of shadows. If you follow the river out of the Jungle, though, you get to the Bayou, and ...

[she gave a deep, wistful sigh] Once we've cleared it out, I really want to move there. All the houses are old, with big wrought iron raised balconies, and drooping Spanish Moss trees, like something out of an Anne Rice book. And don't even get me started about how gorgeous Gracey Manor is. Here, I'll show you ...

[as if she'd just remembered what the mirrors were capable of, she paused and tapped at the screen for a few moments. Connie would get one, two, three, four attachments in rapid succession.]

[connie_maheswaran]

WOW. I mean, I know I'm supposed to pretend I don't care and all, teenage aloofness, but this is SO COOL. I've always dreamed of walking through an abandoned temple and seeing what was left behind, how the people in it lived, what booby traps might be waiting there, the architecture. It sounds so interesting!

[And now she saw the Blue Bayou and her eyes were agog with wonder].

Those look so antiquated! There must be so many stories within the walls, all this history and thought and care into making sure everything looks like that! No wonder you want to live there!

But you say that the corrosions is still rampant in some of those parts?

[strangeandunusual]

Aloofness is only for the stuff everyone else thinks you should care about, not the stuff you really do. [Lydia grinned - she should know, she'd cornered the market] The temple is still there, if you ever want to go. The Corrosion's been cleared out, so it's totally safe. It'd probably actually be a great place to practice. ... But yeah, it's also the only place we've really cleaned out. Some of the streets in the Bayou are okay, but most of it is all still pretty dangerous. You can tell when the Corrosion gets thicker, because it starts to get dark, no matter what time of day it is. The first time it happened to me, in the middle of the jungle? Ugh, it was so creepy. And not in the fun way, either, like ... you could just feel how wrong it was...

[connie_maheswaran]

[Well if anyone would know that, she imagined, it was Lydia. Connie was sure he hadn't seen Lydia's look before except maybe something like that worn by Sadie during her performances].

To train?! Yes, please! I want someplace bigger than our training grounds. I feel like I could be doing more, and I really want to while I'm here.

[Connie nodded, taking note of this. THIS was something Connie was sure she needed to know, because what would happen if she went on a mission]

How long ago was that?

[strangeandunusual]

We'll make it happen, then. Maybe we can see if anyone else new wants to join us.

[of course, it would have to wait until after the search parties had returned and the situation at the train station was resolved, but it wasn't as though either of them could see into the future]

Clearing the temple, you mean? Uhhhmmm .... right around Christmas. And it's May, so. It's been a while. I think the Bayou's bigger than the jungle, it's been taking longer to clear out. I guess we won't know until we get out there and see...

[connie_maheswaran]

Great! I already did have someone named Scorpia who said she'd be up for a training session. She looks pretty buff too, so I'm sure she'll give me a heck of a workout!

[Or even beat her as far as Connie knew, but who was to say? Of course, Scorpia had been here longer so her magic was bound to make her pretty formidable...]

Right, that makes sense. It sounds like if there's any real progress, we'd need to really be up to speed with this world's magic as well as with our own abilities anyway.

[strangeandunusual]

Exactly! ... And oh, I love Scorpia, she's great! Really strong, and nice, and she's always offering to help people whenever she can. I helped make her some clothes that fit over her claws, so she'd have more to wear than what she came through the mirror in. In trade, she gives me mini corndogs from the cart she works at sometimes for lunch.

[she grins] I've learned how to fight with a dagger a bit, too, so if you want to practice with me you can. I don't know if I'd be much of a challenge for someone who's fought with gem rebels."

[connie_maheswaran]

Oh, so she is as sweet as she sounds? That's good! I kind of thought that was the case! Oh, so she really is like a scorpion like that? I didn't want to judge in case it was just a cosplay or something. That's just something that happens in my world. Aw, corndogs! I don't think I've had one of those in awhile! Not since back with Amethyst, actually.

[Connie coughed] Oh, I could show you a few things with a dagger, but I'll admit I'm more versed with swords. The reach of it is more familiar since I kind of adjust how I move my body with my weapon. A dagger is limited, but you can still do a lot of damage with it.

[strangeandunusual]

[Lydia grinned when Connie got so enthusiastic about the corn dogs, then even more when she defended the capabilities of the humble dagger]

Exactly! If the Corroded get too close I can wound them a little, which distracts them enough for me to get a safe distance away and use my purifying magic... Or, if I'm out of Sparks, someone else usually has my back. People have learned to make some really great teams since I arrived, and most of us are great at helping new people join in and learn.

[connie_maheswaran]

[Connie realized she was all over the place with her replies, but she was starting to at least find some solace in some of the things that were actually really good about this place]!

I'm actually thinking that was why I was chosen. Back home, I was a fighter, but more of a protector of my friend who was, to put it mildly, something like you as a princess: he's a healer, and more likely to try to mend something rather than power through it.

[Jasper nonwithstanding].

But I think I'll probably be well suited to protecting anyway. So sure, I'll give you some pointers with the dagger!

Ok with tying this one up?

[strangeandunusual]

Thanks, Connie. For now, I should probably start getting the gallery ready. I'll see you at the meeting, okay?

Sure!

[connie_maheswaran]

I'll be there!