binghua: (29)
[personal profile] binghua
[Xiao Xingchen speaks quietly wherever he has found some privacy.]

I am sure everyone in our group is wise enough to keep any information gleaned to themselves, but please keep along those lines. I, and another man - forgive me, I did not learn your name - promised to keep quiet about this in exchange for not being jailed. Of course, we agreed.

[He clears his throat.]

Earlier at breakfast the two of us were taken in and questioned by two guards and their old dog who sniffed me out. We learned they try to keep appearances that this is a respectable train where nothing illegal ever happens when, in fact, there are exchanges made under the table, perhaps literally.

This train seems to be the ideal place for more wealthy patrons to make exchanges for anything dreamed. They did not detail what those things may be, only that if they were to be stopped, then the train may lose out on a large amount of revenue. They also mentioned that this has happened in the past and the repercussions were the trains have been meddled with and hijacked, as well as those patrons just being overly aggressive.

So, in the end, they turn a, ah, blind eye to everything so as to keep operations running smoothly.

If I have forgotten anything, I am sure my co-conspirator can fill in.

[And, as quickly as he popped onto the network, Xingchen goes silent.]


[ooc: The other person is none other than Dean Winchester and tags will likely come from both him and Xingchen.]
weifinder: (quiet | this pull is astronomical)
[personal profile] weifinder
( Lo, here sits Wei Wuxian, very tired, but smiling as if he's not and managing (through the use of present soft, kind lighting) to not look anywhere near as tired as he is. He's sitting on a couch, leaning back, and dressed rather dapper, as far as his buttoned up vest indicates; his robes are in need of mending. Please bear with the weird (to him) puffy sleeves and tight sort waistcoat. )

Hello! I'm called Wei Wuxian, summoned like you, ah? Don't ask me how long. Years? Years... ( He sighs. It's pointedly theatrical in delivery, with a small shake of his head. ) As Karsa, delightful woman, has likely told you already, the way home for us lies in the gateways of this world being activated and powered long enough for us to get through. They do work. They just don't run for very long.

( He smiles, waving at the "view" finder, where his pendant sits as he records. )

These summonings across worlds have happened the last two years. The man who smooths our way east refers to himself as the Merchant; he's one of the few left living from the citadel of Ellethia. Mark the name, because they're the source of the cursed dead plaguing this world over the last decades.

We started in the citadel of Sa-Hareth, then traveled east to Taravast. From there we sailed through the remains of Ellethia. After, we arrived at Ke-Waihu village. We sailed on to Serthica, then cut across the deserts to Alem. If you're here now, that's where we just left.

( Now he holds up his hands, waggling his fingers. )

Time to talk about the undead warlords? I'll make an effort to remember their names. ( a pause. ) I'll remember most of them, and the rest of us will have to help, ah?

( He'll now count them off on his fingers. )

Unhalad, dead. The Beastmaster, dead. The Huntress, supposedly broken away from the Brotherhood. The Child, son of the Beastmaster that his wife, the Huntress, willingly sacrificed. Matthias kept the Child's survival and changed state secret from his parents. He persists. ( A wave of his hand, and he's back to counting: ) Ratkeikaku, Rathingku, Rat... the clawing one of war, left behind in Alem. Those are the named Brotherhood. Then there's Anurr, native to Sa-Hareth. Older than all the Brotherhood.

Matthias has been mentioned twice, and I'll say now he was the lead behind the project in Ellethia that led to the deathless that plague this world. He made himself known to young miss Kamala recently, though we've indirectly crossed his path before. I don't know what to properly call him, but he has control over the dead. He's a lord of the deathless.

( He claps his hands together, leaning forward a touch. Canting his head and smiling, but lacing his fingers together until his chin can rest atop them. )

I'll end with a listing of our other allies. Zenobius of impaired memory and survivor of Ellethia's disastrous research, Quicksilver Sam, former pirate captain who'd been influenced by... that was the tongue, wasn't it? Oh, there's body parts in our mysterious eastward journey, but don't worry about those quite yet. The witch Hatisse is I believe still beholden to Wrath, one of our number. She's very old, very wily. Take care. The last of our allies is an ancient scholar, but he does and doesn't always wish to be disturbed, so be kind to Asgeirr, ah? He's a gently spirited fellow.

( He's also a ghost, which is specifically what he isn't sharing. His jests are hilarious, he knows. He smiles broader, staring at the pendant through which anyone watching this will feel as if he's staring through to meet their gaze. )

I welcome questions. I welcome everyone else to offer answers. My memory, as some will say, isn't the most trustworthy thing.

( ooc: please use this as a information sharing post and threadjack away, wei wuxian will not be able to answer everything alone, nor does he want to! )
valeas: (☾ d u r a r e)
[personal profile] valeas
( Emilia di Carlo has seen better days, by the look of her. Her battle leathers are torn, soot and cuts still on her face — but she doesn't give in to the exhaustion just yet, nor the bile in her throat. First, she addresses the people of Alem, dignified and resolute. )

Prince Haiva sacrificed himself and leaves his sister, the young Cle-Florens, spared.

I was witness.

( A pause, then, as she allows that to sink in. )

Hell is sealed.

You fought with valor so others might live. I'm glad to have fought beside you, and will remember your fallen just the same.

If you've yet to evacuate, the time is now. Hassir awaits.
downswing: (〇)
[personal profile] downswing




A child failed in Ke-Waihu. Again, in Serthica.

Here, young Princess Cle-Florens, convinced of duty as sacrifice. We cannot abandon.

Elsewise: beware the Wards, the Gut's Bind. Death wanders.

If you have come possessed or hell-tainted, speak.

eternallywandering: (兄弟 [brother])
[personal profile] eternallywandering
[Guess who else has had...an update? And a bear to celebrate it, apparently! Zishu laughs and pats the big bear on the back before addressing anyone watching.]

Though he wants to be the subject of this broadcast, I have to deny him that.

[Oh no, sad bear face!]

For those who know me or have helped me in the past, first of all - thank you. From here on, unless I do something supremely stupid, I won't hold anyone back. I have achieved immortality in my world; I am no longer sick.

[The bear has wandered off, knocking things over things in his room. Zishu smirks.]

Your audience loves you, don't worry.

[OOC: This is just a curious juvenile bear; not precious Ourhsson.]
binghua: (29)
[personal profile] binghua
[So...maybe it takes a few moments for the device to focus on its subject. And definitely maybe that subject is not entirely in frame or centered or anything. We're not dealing with someone who has an, ah, eye for cinematography. Or two eyes.

Look, it's Xingchen. It's Xingchen who has thrust an arm out as if this is his first time taking an ancient fantasy Chinese selfie except in the dim light it quickly becomes apparent that something here is not quite right.

He's in bed. Or what might be left of it considering the sudden and additional weight under which he finds himself.

My, what a big and white and fluffy and...breathing? blanket he has!

But then he huffy out a breath to blow his black hair out of his face enough to speak. Right. There's a man here!]


Ah...I think I found the bear. Or did it find me?

[Despite, or perhaps because of, the ridiculous situation, Xingchen starts to chuckle, but then the bear blanket starts to snuffle and squirm a little, turning his laughter into a bit of a wheeze. The bear is quite big and heavy, after all.

Xingchen manages to free his other hand by some miracle and gently pats the creature's side, lowering his already strained voice.]


Yes, yes, my apologies. You must be very tired.
scrapgege: (009-05)
[personal profile] scrapgege
[The sound that starts up is that of some loud sniffing and snuffling, and Xie Lian's voice is a little muffled at first.]

Oh, wow, have you been following us all this time? I didn't expect to see you there! Does that mean your master is around too?

[That.... would be a feat, but who knows. Anurr has some interest in monitoring their progress, after all. They're basically taking down his competition.

More shuffling around, and definitely the sound of something breaking, maybe some dish.]


Listen, I think this house is probably a bit too small for you. Not that I'm not happy to see you, but really, you should be outside no nononononono don't eat that!!!!

[The sounds of loud mastication covers everything for a while, and then a sound that is not unlike a low, threatening growl, because, well that's exactly what it is.

When Xie Lian's voice is next heard, it clearly sounds like he's running.]


I told you not to eat that!!!
balancedwire: (Maybe Like This Instead?)
[personal profile] balancedwire
It looks like my A-Fei is nowhere to be found and I've searched everywhere. Which I'm sure, and hope, it means that she's back home with her cousins and the children there. There was a lot that we'd been through. So, if you don't see her around it's because she's no longer here.

[ Something that he, himself, does not really like but he knows there was nothing he could actively do about it. ]
hatejakku: (oh this is a good part)
[personal profile] hatejakku
[ The feed clicks on to reveal Finn and The Doctor, probably an unlikely duo to find on the network at this hour. The former doesn’t give anyone time to speculate, though, and just jumps right into it. ]

Ma'am Mariol contacted a few of us. She said that Serthica is pumping some sort of gas into the Mouse House, something that makes people slow and tired. She's convinced it has to do with heating, but she also told us it happened before, right after the coal sickness.

After our conversation, I went down there to investigate the composition of the gas and its source. All that we know for now is that it contains many of the sedative and memory loss ingredients discovered recently by those in our group, Caitlyn and Vi.

Everyone's okay for the moment - well, I use that term loosely - but how long that lasts, we can't be sure.


[ He's also worried about his little buddy, Gavroche, who was unusually skittish and reluctant to explain why. He's put a pin in that for later. ]

Not the easiest, going back and forth there and getting through customs, but I'll plan to visit with them again in a day or two, make sure they're still well. [ Checking in over the pendants isn't satisfactory enough for him. He'd be going back and forth more frequently if he could, but he has to operate within the limitations of their present situation, which frustrates him, to say the least. ]

Some of us had spoken previously about organizing efforts to help their situation down there, but that was before we realized what they're doing to them. Everything's changed now.

[ Finn, who’s been watching and chewing on his bottom lip, jumps back in. ]

They need our help. For one, we have to find the source of this gas leak. Whether it’s intentional or not, whatever the gas is, it needs to be stopped.

Second-... Well, I’d like to get her and the kids out of there and bring them to Minaras but that’s going to take more money than the Doctor and I have. Hard to say it’s really safer up here, but I think pooling money together for this could be worth it, anyway, if for nothing else than to just improve their situation once we handle the gas.

If anyone has spare change or more ideas, we’d appreciate it.


[ ooc: Finn's red, The Doctor's blue ]
eternallywandering: (❂ impenetrable)
[personal profile] eternallywandering
[He sits before a mirror, smoothing his hair into a tight top-knot. His expression is cold. Blank. A bottle of something strong - liquor most likely - sits on the table before him, half-full. Pushing himself onto his feet, Zishu rises and takes another, smaller, bottle from his robes, downing the contents in one swig.]

Welcome to all of the new faces. I must ask, shamefully, if any healers have arrived since my last request?

My name is Zhou Zishu and should you find yourself in danger, please feel free to call upon me. I will not fail you.
makemeasong: (𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢)
[personal profile] makemeasong
[ Clara's sitting as privately as it's going to get in the Mouse House, still a little breathless. Not from exertion, but from realizing she might've heard something she shouldn't. She can't know for sure, but her gut tells her it's important. Her first instinct is to find the Doctor and tell him, but she'd done the first thing he'd asked her not to and wandered off. As always.

In need of semi-fresh air, she'd waited until he was busy talking to someone else before quickly excusing herself, walking away before the Doctor could protest. She'd walked a few blocks toward the ports when she'd overheard a small group talking about a person named Cain. The way the apparent co-workers tensed and glared at her when spotted, made her feel as if the complaining hadn't been meant to be heard by anyone, not just her. Back inside, she's decided to share what she overheard when she doesn't spot the Doctor right away. Whipping out her new device she takes a minute or two to understand how it works before her face pops up on the screen. ]


Hullo, I'm Clara. Met some of you during the [ Her free hand waves around vaguely. ] events. I'm not sure what is and isn't important here, but a talking fox told me I needed to make tea to get out of a murder house, so who am I to decide what everyone should or shouldn't know?

[ Either someone tells her not to worry about it, or she's given out something everyone needs to know. She should really wait for the Doctor, but there's no going back now that she's announced it. ]

Went outside and overheard two people talking about someone named Cain do..brick? [ She can't quite remember how it was pronounced, but hopefully, she's close enough. ] They've done something to make an employer angry enough to hit an employee after getting off the phone with Cain. Something about an offer involving parts and grease for Minaras and Eidris. There was more, but I'm not sure if this means anything or not. The people talking about it got pretty upset when they saw me, so I thought it might be worth mentioning.

[ There's a pause as she decides to wrap things up. ]

In case none of this matters, quick question. If you've met the Doctor, what was your first impression, please? [ There's a quick, cheeky and teasing smile that suggests knowing him before the video ends. ]
descendency: (09)
[personal profile] descendency
[ the video feed flicks on to a young man's grim, steel-eyed gaze. he strikes as a man who might be more attractive were he not so severe and dour, a natural softness to his features that does not take easily to his fury. rosy lips pulled taut in displeasure, he stares out as though scrutinizing an audience he has not yet gathered, who yet remains unseen. ]

It's Gabriel.

[ he states his own name with distaste, as though he would rather be doing anything but giving his name to these circumstances and that much is the plain truth of the matter. ]

I require the statuses of Beitang Moran [ insufferable know it all ], Wei Wuxian [ insufferable busybody ], and Five [ insufferable ].

As for the rest of you, would someone like to kindly tell me where the fuck we are and what the hell we're doing here?
downswing: (endgame)
[personal profile] downswing


( 'lo, from the depths of the Mouse House, post-Unwinding: )

If... this were no dream. The child of the rains, bearing a vulpine mask. 'Hyang-Won' and his pale protector.

He is remembered? He did not appear as the other manifestations.

Though we have retrieves ourselves, we cannot abandon a child to nightmares.



( Guilt is strong among exorcists. )

reparo: (legilimens)
[personal profile] reparo
Since we find ourselves in a new location, and seem to have picked up some, maybe some introductions are due. I'm Hermione Granger, and I'm from England. I'm currently assigned the role of a tax collector, it's going great. [Sarcasm.] I'm sure it'll be fine - I was a modiste in Taravast, for heaven's sake...

[Quickly, a smile! Nervous, but a smile.]

What else - oh, I'm also a witch. [Which reminds her!] I'm going to start brewing potions again, since the ground isn't being rocked from side to side by the sea and the sea monster... Supplies are limited, and alternatives to the ingredients that I normally use can be weak on the ground, so I can't brew as many as I'd like. I'd ask that we all exercise some caution and not need them as much until I can get the reserves back up.

[There is a pause, as she opens her mouth to say I also don't like being treated like a child, because-] Huh. I...don't know how old I am.

[A frown, and she seems to forget that she's recording herself now, lost in her own musings:] Let's see, it was May when I come from, but was it the same month here? [To the screen, to her audience, the question:] Does this world even work in twelve months in a year? Seasons? It was quite crisp when I woke up in Taravast for the first time, maybe autumn? [And she pales.] Oh, gods, it's been almost a year...

[A shallow inhale - I want to go back home, we just ended a war, I need to see my friends, I need to grieve my friends, I need to - and a very shaky exhale. She cuts the feed off.]
eternallywandering: (聰明的 [clever])
[personal profile] eternallywandering
Is anyone missing home? I didn't think I would. Oh I miss parts, of course, but on the whole, I wasn't happy there.

[Or so he tells himself. He had almost been content before his silly soulmate "died". That had soured everything.]

I take it those of us who are weak will be about as welcome on land as we were on water. If you would feel safer, I can give you a disguise. I just need a few materials.

[He is seriously considering just going for that...beggar...look. Standing out is a problem for many reasons. He would rather pretend he is drunk than chronically dying.]
weifinder: (headache | won't you come in)
[personal profile] weifinder
I've been whistling while I work, and I have yet to find any response whatsoever. Which is to say, ( he continues, almost at a laconic drawl: ) to any and all of my fellow ragtag members of the eastward bound Merchant's caravan with a gift for detecting life, death, or anything of the spirit: have you felt anything?

( he freely admits to how unnerving it is to him to have no reaction, no response whatsoever, when he reaches out to find the resentful energies that have been throughout all of this world they've wandered since his arrival, well over a year before. )

Because I, for one, can't find a damn thing.
weifinder: (focus | here stands a man)
[personal profile] weifinder
( he starts this recording from the crows nest of the Queen or the Pariah, his pendant hooked around the mast so it records him, bow slung over his shoulder. the quiver at his back has one arrow, and he nods to the camera, indicating toward the overcast sky. )

Take care when shooting, if you do. The amulets the priests have given us draw on our energies significantly.

( that said, he unslings the bow, turning and pulling the arrow out of the quiver to string it in a smooth motion. wei wuxian pulls back, taking aim at the skies, at the concept of where the sun hides behind the muddied clouds. pulls the bow taunt as the wind teases his hair, whips it and his ribbon behind him, making this man with his serious, focussed expression an icon of what he was once: a warrior.

pulling back, the bow bending, bending, his arms steady, his gaze on that hidden light in the sky. calm and steady breathing, and a tension that is near palpable before he finally releases, the snap of the bowstring and the whistle of the arrow taking flight stabbing through the pendant's audio transmission. he watches, wind still tossing his hair to a mess around him. only when there's enough time that he's ostensibly watched where the arrow has come back down to the sea does he turn to the pendant again. he's breathing more heavily than one shot arrow explains.
)

Two more things. One, the dead who boarded their deceased's ships within the heart of the crossing were acting in ways that sound familiar. They were decaying dead men who moved and spoke, some aware, some animal in awareness. A number had a dark, tar-like liquid stitching together their wounds. Feels like there's a mirror and its magics at the heart of this. Possibly a smaller one onboard the Pariah right now.

( he reslings the bow over his shoulder, and now, allows himself to smile a touch. )

The second, most important one is going to get loud. Most of you will want to cover your ears.

( his brief smile fades as he inhales, turning to the side, which would mean facing toward the prow of the ship, and cups his hands around his mouth. calls out in a strong, clear, carrying voice that's impossible to ignore over the pendants: )

Lan Zhan! I love you! The only marriage I ever wanted to mimic was my parents' marriage. Do you understand? I married you because I love you, not because you'd married me first! I want to walk every path in life side by side with you! Only you!

( ... and he's lowering his hands, panting a bit from that effort. )
reparo: (o: exit)
[personal profile] reparo
[She switches on the video function of her device knowingly this time, as she climbs the stairs to a relatively quiet deck. It's daylight, and the moment she steps foot outside, she flinches; not that she believes in divination, but those fucking fortune fish were right.]

Ugh. Sun. [She squints and shields her eyes with one hand.]

Hello - I hear there are people who've newly joined our journey due east. I'd say welcome, but the circumstances of us meeting for the first time will never be better. Take it from experience. [The way she scrunches her nose here has little to do with the sun glinting in her eyes and more with the experience of circumstances.]

Anyway. My name's Hermione Granger, I come from a world where the planet I inhabit is called Earth, and the country I come from is called England. [A pause.] I am also a witch. It's not a thing we broadcast in my world, what with the rules about secrecy and not wanting non-magical users to know witches exist, but I figure when in Rome...

[ANYWAY 2.0] Tell me about yourselves. [She goes to turn the video off in wait, but it still catches the last mutter:] Bloody hell, I need a hat.

[ooc; NOTE ON TIMING: backdate this to before the plot rolls start, please.]
silverneedles: (Default)
[personal profile] silverneedles
[ The video opens with Wen Qing, dressed in trousers and a ruffled white shirt, looking fairly annoyed. She holds up an orange. ] This is an orange. There are barrels of them in the hold. Eat them. You don't need to have one daily, but make sure you're eating one every few days.

[ She glances away, mouthing something to someone just out of video range, and then she looks back to the communication device, flipping it around. Standing there is a sailor, unwashed and grimy. He's holding up a tooth, still bloody, and grinning proudly. This isn't the first tooth he's lost; most of them are gone, and his gums are bloody. Wen Qing continues over the camera. ]

This gentleman is a fine example of what will happen should you forget to eat them. [ The "do not forget to eat them" is heavily implied. She flips the device back, still frowning. ]

As Miss Eda mentioned, the sailors seem afraid of women so none of them will listen to me about the oranges. Someone pass on the message to them.
eternallywandering: (希望 [wish])
[personal profile] eternallywandering
I never knew being sick would work in my favor. [Guess who is rooming in a private cabin with the ladies?] I sleep with one eye open in case the crew decides to throw me overboard.

[He is trying so very hard to find the humor in...everything. He is also drinking any and all alcohol he can find. Shhh. It's fine.]

Daozhang Xingchen, if you can see this, please respond. Actually...

Anyone who stood in the way of the volcano, I want to talk with you.

Cheers. [He lifts a bottle.]

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