audio | un: yiling laozu | the day following the dragon hatching (end of august)

[weifinder]

( sounding subdued, wei wuxian speaks out on network again! really we're all tired of hearing from this guy, get him a new hobby, like knitting. those needles are great impromptu weapons! ask wen qing. don't ask wen qing.. )

Hey. For those partnered with dragons, you'll know what I mean when I say that yesterday's hatching was emotional. I felt mixed joy and dread from Lethe intense enough to bring me to tears.

I reached out to a fellow member of our group, Wrathion, in an attempt to understand why. He found their mother Aiva at a loss to explain how she felt at the time of hatching, but with the moment passed, believing her young were fine. She sensed nothing awry. Her major concern rested with her mate's injury, and her irate belief that it was caused by a Minaras scouting airship, or so her shared images conveyed. He then coaxed the new mother into allowing us near the newborns for a brief examination.

( he pauses here, then sighs. this is not the sort of thing he finds enjoyable to say. it's simply important. )

We found that the infant dragons appear alive to sight and touch. But according to my sense of death and life, they're dead. Not possessed, not puppeted, just... dead. Which is different, as the citadel makes it impossible to tell the living from the dead otherwise. The only place you can is in the Mouse House.

( a final pause, and a solemn consideration: )

I don't know that anything survived that plague years ago. This feels more and more like a mockery of life forced on the dead.

Comments

voice; un: iwannahexyouup

[incantates]

[ This was not the Shyamalan twist he was expecting to encounter today. ]

I'd also be interested to learn of what would happen if you bring the infant into the Mouse House. If you need fast and easy transport, I can open a portal for it, yourself, and any accompanying dragons or party members through. You can thank me by letting me access further knowledge to what in all the hells ever is going on in this place.

[weifinder]

( at least the plants aren't devouring them all.

... yet. )

That would be best, avoiding too many eyes on the movement too. All the information I have I'm more than happy to hand over, we've been in enough unkind places, but this... this.

( a breath in, and a long sigh out. )

I'll ask to see if Aiva will allow this. Lethe is eyeing me dubiously, but Lethe tends to do that, so I don't take that as our chances being dubious in turn.

[incantates]

Do get back to me once you know. I'd rather get to the bottom of this sooner rather than later. Although, assuming you are right, what are the chances of the plague even being fully dormant?

[ They've been living among it for a while now, and while Magnus himself is immune, he can't say the same for his mortal counterparts. They might not even be aware they're affected. ]

I suppose, if there are some still living among the dead, that could give us a better idea or if those susceptible to diseases and enchantments from our giant travel party suddenly start acting unusual.

[weifinder]

It would depend on the source. If it's from a curse, then it's dormant by circumstance, but the way the plague was spoken of, I don't think it was cursed. It sounded organic, and if anything, some of what... was it Kaneki? Yes, he's the one at the place for the dead, signs the bodies are showing relate to signs found from the plague.

Which I realise doesn't help so much, we need to speak with someone working in the medical field at the time.

( he nods, which isn't seen, so then hums agreement. )

Hah, define what acting usual is? There's been influence enough in different places to effect behaviour, best I can say is outfit us with wards for health, against curses, things of that nature. As for the rest, yes. If we can find anyone unaffected by the plague in this city, someone who never had it, that'd perhaps be a good place to start. From the sounds of things, what went wrong started then.

[incantates]

I'm familiar with Kaneki and his peculiarities. I'll pencil in pestering him with questions later, and I imagine the hospitals around here probably keep medical records. Do you know anyone currently posted in any?

[ Someone amongst their party could have been given a more useful role than what Magnus got saddled with, although it does let him visit the home of strangers easily and poke around a bit while he does. ]

I can aid with warding against it or coming up with some kind of cure once I know more about what it is and how it affects the infected. I've dealt with quite a lot of plagues and pestilences in my day.

[weifinder]

Wen Qing, in some capacity. Miss Daenerys works around the dragons, if they have comparable records she might have access to those, too.

( two women to start with, and assigned opposing halves of the citadel for what that was worth. )

I'll assist, once we know more. Other than the sort of knowing that gets passed along as common knowledge not actually common to anyone not here at the time.

( Thankfully, in time following, at least the Doctor offers up more insight into the signs and symptoms externally. )

[incantates]

If needed I'm sure I can also use a bit of magic to get into restricted areas in every hospital that isn't magically warded, though I'm not sure this world has any concept of warding out warlocks.

[ Lucky for him, as it makes snooping around a lot easier. ]

As far as the plague goes, I have also only heard bits and pieces from the locals myself, all spoken in the past tense. I doubt anyone is even aware of themselves if they are in fact dead –or are just really good at hiding it on a collective level.

[weifinder]

Probably not in the same way, but they might have wards which could trip interpreting you as something else. Or have nothing. Lao Five can use his teleportation to get into most places, for example.

( another sigh, and the unseen rubbing of his forehead. )

I don't think they know. I don't think they're allowed to know, and it hasn't slowed down the... presence of this place, the moving forward after that event. It hasn't been easy or sensible to outsiders, no, but some drive kept the citadel functioning even after that plague, and understanding that may be one of the keys.

[incantates]

They've also been eating, drinking, and sleeping regularly since then. Presumably other body functions as well, so we can't say they've suffered a traditional death.

[ It gets more and more bizarre, the deeper he thinks about it. ]

There is definitely some kind of magic keeping the strong illusion of living up, and it's powerful enough that it's persisted for years at this point. No regular mage or warlock could manage that long.

[weifinder]

Considering I'm paying more attention to it now, there are children younger than when the disease hit. So they're performing functions... and reproducing, without it falling apart so far.

( xie lian talking about it here means he's starting to look around, for real. )

It's unlikely to be sourced to a single individual at this point, I'd think. Whatever sustains this, it needs... something. Some energy of its own, I'd think. Some source that can renew in one aspect or another.

[incantates]

If the children born since then are fine, how come the dragon had such an unusual constitution? Or is it that no one has yet to examine the children that deeply?

[ He's sure there are plenty of ethical complications in someone on the outside randomly asking to examine the children here, but he has to wonder if they will show some of the same signs of death as the baby dragon. ]

[weifinder]

Same problem we've had with everyone since we arrived in the citadel. None of us sensitive to life or death energies have felt any difference. The fact I feel one when touching the dragon children is entirely new. Perhaps they resist the curse, or whatever it is, better than the humans do.

Perhaps their parents recall more of it in brief moments.

[incantates]

I suppose there is the option of getting more of the human contingent into the Mouse House if no one has already to check their living-dead status. I am not sure if that would give different results, but it's a start.

[ He's certain they can come up with some kind of story to allow it without arousing a whole lot of suspicion from the locals. ]