[mingle post!]

[cavedwellers]

Boy Valentine's Day was sure an adventure, wasn't it? Gosh, it's a good thing all that's over with.

Have a mingle post! If you're starting a new thread, mention where you are in the subject line. Tag each other, hang out, do whatevs.

Comments

Re: [in the cave, where sunlight filters down]

[oneeyedfish]

[Wandering into strange caves should be cause for concern, except that's pretty much normal by now. So is finding random people standing next to the sunlight that you've been heading towards like a beacon. Not bad. Maybe they have directions.]

Hi there. Sorry, I seem to be lost... do you live here?

Re: [in the cave, where sunlight filters down]

[prankster_gambit]

[Oh, look, a new guy! Hey, try not to sleep with him, Egbert.

....gosh, your conscious sure does sound like Dave right now! Which is weird since you know he'd totally be giving you high fives for sleeping with two people in one night.]

Uhm, not really, except I guess I kind of do for now! I just kind of showed up here.

Re: [in the cave, where sunlight filters down]

[oneeyedfish]

[That kind of answer actually makes you feel better, not worse -- so it's just one of those kinds of caves, which likes to collect people because it's lonely, or maybe just wants to eat them. Could be worse.]

[Come to think of it, this person might not be human either. Probably polite to tactfully put out the cigarette and not offend your hosts, if that's the case. A good smile might help too.]

Sounds familiar. I thought I was crossing a regular mountain path, but this place... doesn't look like anywhere I've been before. Have you been here for a while, or did it just happen?

Re: [in the cave, where sunlight filters down]

[prankster_gambit]

....you realize you have no idea how long you've been here! Long enough to get a boyfriend, go to a party, sleep around, and possibly lose a boyfriend! Isn't that kind of thing suppose to take a while to happen? Ugh, suddenly you wish you'd watched more rom coms. Your lack of knowledge in this area is kind of pathetic!]

Well, only for a little while! I think most of us arrived here at around the same time. You're the first person in a while, I think!

[oh wait, you're being rude!]

I'm John!

Re: [in the cave, where sunlight filters down]

[oneeyedfish]

[Us? Hm, interesting. The enthusiasm is nice; it's always positive not to deal with hostile semi-natives. You smile, keeping your hands in your pockets where other people might extend a palm in greeting, but after a moment you incline your head to make up for it.]

I'm Ginko. Nice to meet you, John. No one's... had problems leaving yet, have they? Or had anything else happen to them while they've been here?

Re: [in the cave, where sunlight filters down]

[prankster_gambit]

[Oh, things sure have happened alright You can feel your face heat up and you duck your head, hiding in your hoodie.]

Uhm, well, I mean, I don't think anyone has tried to leave yet! It's really not that bad a place! I mean, I was kind of in the middle of something important back home that I kind of need to get back but I guess there are worse places I could have landed besides here!

Re: [in the cave, where sunlight filters down]

[oneeyedfish]

[Wow, quite a reaction. Your smile widens a bit in sympathy; you're guessing it's something personal enough that you shouldn't pry. Instead, you nod along with the explanation, and run it mentally past the list of Things That Will Eat You, Things That Might Nibble, and Things That Just Drool. The 'no one has tried yet' is a strike in the danger column, but you're not passing judgement this early.]

You're right, it's not bad scenery. [laugh] Of all the places to get caught in, I suppose we both could have been trapped by something worse. Is there anything you think I should keep an eye out for?

Re: [in the cave, where sunlight filters down]

[prankster_gambit]

I've heard there are creatures around but I haven't see any yet!

[There's something a little weird about this guy. Not bad weird! You can feel a tug at your fingertips, like the Windy Thing is itching to happen.

That sure would be awkward though, so you briefly clench your hands into fists before shaking them out.]

But I bet if you run into anything, you'll be able to take care of it!

Re: [in the cave, where sunlight filters down]

[oneeyedfish]

[Creatures, hm? Mysterious creatures in a mysterious cave with mysterious people in hoodies?.... Oh good, everything's completely back to normal, then. It's a good day after all.]

[At John's declaration though, you break out into an honest laugh, glancing away briefly in sheepish self-awareness.]

Probably not. But... I'll be sure to keep an eye out for them. Come to think of it, I'm not keeping you from anything, am I? I hope I didn't intrude on your privacy out here.

Re: [in the cave, where sunlight filters down]

[prankster_gambit]

Oh!

[you kind of laugh.]

Not really. Just regular old teenage angst that I don't really want to wallow in anyway!

Re: [in the cave, where sunlight filters down]

[oneeyedfish]

[Ahhh. Teenage -- actually, since this guy is in a fairly questionable cave, it's possibly similar angst to what you went through.]

[Grinning, you start to reach reflexively for a cigarette before you stop, patting your pocket in a half-rueful motion.] It's kind of funny, how that sort of thing can follow you to the strangest places. You'd think that if you ended up in the middle of the wilderness, there'd be other things happening, right?

[After a minute, since your shoulders have begun to complain, you finally unsling the medicine cabinet and set the container down with a soft thunk. The drawers inside make a muted rattle. You retaliate by sitting on top of it.]

Did you ever hear the story about how echoes in caves actually started because people used to go there to unburden themselves of their complaints?

Re: [in the cave, where sunlight filters down]

[prankster_gambit]

[Wow. This guy is sure is cool! He's sitting on a medicine cabinet he carries on his back. It's like a pharmacy and a turtle had a baby.]

Yeah. I kind of wish one of the monsters hanging around would take a swing at me. I think I'd rather worry about that than this!

I've never heard that! Maybe I should just shout it all out.

Re: [in the cave, where sunlight filters down]

[oneeyedfish]

[Out of habit, you let your gaze start to wander, searching the cave in case there's anything else lingering about. As you do, you lean back on the tansu cabinet carefully, bracing more of your weight on your feet; the poor thing is pretty battered already.]

Mmmhm. A long time ago, caves didn't have echoes. The spirits that lived there would consume any noise that came inside, giving back only silence. People would go to caves whenever they were upset, because then they could say whatever they wanted, without it returning home.

But after a while, some of the mushi -- the spirits -- became curious, and wanted to communicate back. The only words they had were the sounds that humans gave them. But when they tried to repeat those sounds, the people became afraid, and stopped visiting the caves. The mushi became lonely, and left to try and find where they had gone, burrowing into tunnels and gorges, mountains and wells.

And that's why you hear echoes everywhere now: the mushi have spread across the world, looking for more sounds.

[You flex your feet briefly, testing the deep ache in your heels before you end up just eyeing them in resignation.]

So don't feel bad about talking to a cave if you ever have something on your mind! Something else might be happy to hear it, whatever it might be.

[You glance up at John again, and grin.]

Then again, it might just be a story. What do you think?

Re: [in the cave, where sunlight filters down]

[e_regina]

WHAT, says the queen. PISS OFF

But she's not even mad, seriously, that ruff is all soothed-down like a postcoital peacock.

IT'S A NICE CAVE INNIT

BIT FANCY AREN'T YOU

WITH A BOX AND ALL

Re: [in the cave, where sunlight filters down]

[oneeyedfish]

Oh, this box?

[Meaning, the large medicine cabinet that once you lug it around for long enough, they say that you forget it's even there! It's like it's part of you! Builds muscle! Builds scar tissue!]

[They say a lot of things, don't they.]

There are some nicer ones around. This one fell off a hill last week... but I was right behind it, at least.

Re: [in the cave, where sunlight filters down]

[e_regina]

I DID THAT ONCE

also i'm the queen

DO YOU HAVE ANY TEA IN THERE

Re: [in the cave, where sunlight filters down]

[oneeyedfish]

[You offer a smile, which actually isn't skeptical. Queens can appear wherever they want. They're queens.]

I have quite a few varieties. Do you want one for taste, or for health?

Re: [in the cave, where sunlight filters down]

[e_regina]

BUGGER HEALTH TEA THAT'S WHAT LEECHES ARE FOR

This guy, seriously. Look at that fancy hair though, you'd knight that in a split half-jiffy if it had its own boat. Rrrowr.

I FELL OFF A TOWER HOW DID YOU GET HERE

Re: [in the cave, where sunlight filters down]

[oneeyedfish]

[Right, so that's a no to the tea for business, and a yes for tea for pleasure. Best never to mix the two; it makes the steeping times a nightmare. Out of one of the medicine cabinet's drawers, you retrieve a cup, which seems to be missing its handle and saucer! The horror.]

I was making my way between villages, and thought that I'd take a nearby pass to get to my next job. But -- it's strange, I can't seem to remember what that job is. It might even be in this cave. Or in your tower. You don't remember hiring anyone recently, do you?

Re: [in the cave, where sunlight filters down]

[e_regina]

I HAVE A NAVY, says the queen, thoughtfully. I THINK.

She settles down to stay a bit and uses her inside voice.

IT WAS PROBABLY ABOUT THE ARMADA OR SOMETHING. I'M SURE YOU DID A GOOD JOB.

Re: [in the cave, where sunlight filters down]

[oneeyedfish]

[First the cup goes to the side, cushioned on a small cloth you use to keep it from chipping. Next, you start checking one drawer after another until you make a pleased, ah under your breath, and pull out two tins. When you pop the lids, the smell of spice and leaves begins to seep forth: one's a smokey Lapsang black, the other's a gunpowder green.]

[To your guest, you politely offer both tins for inspection, one in each palm.]

I really hope so! Armadas aren't typically things I come across very often.

[Armadas are a type of boat, right? Some... thing... like that. Close enough.]

Do you know much about this place?

Re: [in the cave, where sunlight filters down]

[e_regina]

FUCK-ALL she admits.

She leans forward to sniff the tins and nearly clocks her gracious host with her mighty supportasse.

THE BLACK ONE. THE OTHER ONE LOOKS LIKE HEDGE TRIMMINGS.

I THINK IT'S A DREAM OR SOMETHING. THERE USUALLY AREN'T THIS MANY DWARVES WHERE I'M FROM.

Re: [in the cave, where sunlight filters down]

[e_regina]

*tiny tiny voice*

SO DO YOU COME HERE OFTEN

Re: [in the cave, where sunlight filters down]

[oneeyedfish]

[For a single, paralyzing moment, you have a legitimate fear of losing your other eye as the queen's ruff support swoops towards you -- but thankfully, it stops short in time.]

[Black it is, then. You nod, and start preparations for heating the water, off to the side where the smoke won't bother your guest.]

A dream? That... would make a lot of sense, actually. Though I'd have to wonder -- would that mean I'm visiting you, or am I actually made from your imagination?

[At the question, you offer a thoughtful smile.] To your dream, or to mysterious caverns?

Re: [in the cave, where sunlight filters down]

[e_regina]

YOU'RE PROBABLY NOT A DREAM, she says. IF I DREAMED YOU YOU'D HAVE BIGGER PANTS.

Small pants = real. Now you know!

THOSE ARE NICE THOUGH, she admits. SO WHATEVER.