milliways_bar | Entries tagged with wormwood

An enormous bird, bigger than the bar building and vaguely approximating the shape and coloration of a giant lumpy flamingo, appears over the lake mid-flight. Surprised by the abrupt transition, it lets out a squawk that turns into a cough, disgorging something green and comparatively small from its beak into the Caribbean inlet. It flaps its tremendous wings onward towards the mountains, reappears on the other side of the mountains with another confused squawk, and makes a few more passes over the bar grounds -- dropping something near the gardens that will keep them in fertilizer for weeks, once the horticulturally inclined patrons get it off the roof of that shed -- before finding the portal and vanishing once more.

Wormwood bobs to the surface and starts flailing uncoordinatedly around in the water, with absolutely no idea how to propel themself to the shore. Being made of wood, they're not going to sink any time soon and they're aware enough of this not to panic, but they've never learned how to swim; the waters of their world have shadowy horrors in their depths, so even floating is a new experience. A strawberry-coloured, waitrat-sized bug with black spots and a fuzzy yellow mustache floats up beside them, spits out a plume of water, and bites Wormwood on the wrist.

yinyangwizard

The plain non-denominational chapel next to the library has been transformed into a small Buddhist temple. A large statue of Amitābha Buddha sits on the altar, flanked by vases of flowers and with a small censer full of sandalwood burning before it. Some platters with fruit offerings have also been placed on the altar are four little memorial tablets: one for Wei Ying, one for Wen Ning, one for Wen Qing, and one that says simply "The Wen family," in the manner of an ancestral tablet.

The walls are hung with saffron drapery. Between the drapes and in the rafters are polished brass lanterns shaped like lotus flowers. The wooden pews are set with red cushions, on which are little paper books titled The Smaller Sukhavativyuha Sutra.

When the funeral rites are finished and the mourners return to the main bar, they will find other changes. One of the booths has been turned into a sort of small family shrine that holds the memorial tablets of the recently deceased and a brazier for burning spirit money. There is also a table where mourners can do various things to transfer merit to the deceased and help provide them with a good rebirth. A couple of large tables have been set with food and drink for the funeral guests.

[OOC: This is structured like an All Skate or party post, in which there are multiple top-level tags for different areas and activities. The ceremony in the chapel is only the beginning.]

[Tinytag: Inspector Zenigata]

[Tinytag: Wormwood]

[Tinytag: Jin Guangyao]

[Tinytag: Phoenix Wright]

[Tinytag: Jonathan Sims]

lonesome_moonflower

[ OOM: Day 11, Humid Season. ]

lonesome_moonflower

After staying overnight in the Bar and feeling much improved from their previous encounter with Clockwork Bishops and territorial spider-monkeys, Wormwood is giving themself a tour of the outdoor grounds. The lake doesn't appear to have any hippopotamoose or giant lilypads in it, which is weird to see. Occasionally they'll stop and plant a seed in the grass, then keep going in the same direction.

The tour goes off the rails when they find the Alchemy Engine by the lakeside. The first thing they do is weave themself a backpack, then they start filling it with gardening tools made from the sticks and assorted rocks in their 'pockets'. The clinky rocks make for an excellent set of garden shears and a small but solid hammer for delicately breaking things; the sharp stones were already good for axes and pickaxes, but the round machine shows them how to turn them into a shovel. The one square of spider-silk they tore off the monkeys' tree finds new life as a bug net. They look like they're having fun, revelling in the thrill of creation; maybe they'll share some sticks and rocks if another patron wants to try it.

lonesome_moonflower

[ OOM: Day 3, Temperate Season. ]

Wormwood stumbles into the bar with scorchmarks in the shape of Lichtenberg figures webbing their shoulders and radiating from a spot high on one leg, to say nothing of the series of big, splintery dents all over their bark that look an awful lot like they came from being repeatedly hit with something rounded and heavy.

This is not the Curly Tails Mud Spa, but they can work with this. Milliways' medical stock for the day is also less likely to consist entirely of mushrooms, antivenom, and coffee beans, for that matter. Wormwood shuffles over to the counter and requests honey poultices; they mash a ten-oinc piece on the counter trying to pay for the pair of honey-slathered bandages that appear, and only stop when a note appears saying 'Stop that. I won't take your money for first aid supplies, and you're scratching the finish.'

lonesome_moonflower

Wormwood barrels through the door of the Sterling Trough Deli and yanks it shut behind them, cutting off a chorus of screeching and flapping noises from outside. They lean heavily against the door for a long moment, collecting themself. Maybe if they just stay in here long enough, the city guards will take out the bats...? They have a machete in one hand that's certainly capable of slicing up one of the leathery monsters, but not without getting close enough for it to return the favour with its claws.

Eventually the plant-person looks up, and they see that while they've stepped into some kind of eatery it's not the cozy takeaway run by Ms. Melbourne and the porcine proprietor in question is nowhere to be found. In fact there's no one behind the counter at all.

This place looks a little bit familiar. Wormwood had thought it was a dream, how they walked into a Swinesbury shop and found a vast interior filled with creatures their own shape and size but made of flesh and blood like the pigs. (One of those creatures shouted in their face and thrust a weird box into their hands, but dreams are like that sometimes.) For that matter, maybe it was a dream then, but the kind of dream that comes true later. In any case, they're here now, and they might even be able to buy something to eat while they wait out the bats.

The Bar at the End of the Universe

Entries tagged with wormwood

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Funeral for the Denizens of Yiling

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First Entrance

Milliways Bar

Important Places

Comms