Jade Curtiss (
fonomena) wrote in
come_sailaway2023-03-03 03:12 pm
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[open] climb the long stairs to the thin air
Who: Jade Curtiss, the npc guests in his memories, and you!
What: Memory sharing time!!
When: Throughout March
Where: Anywhere and everywhere, as memory rifts are apparently apt to do. The memories themselves are snapshots of various locales in the world of Auldrant. There is also one open prompt of Jade in Tauva between the bouts of memory nonsense.
Warnings: There's a handful, this guy was a nasty one back in the day. Check under the cut for specifics!
Notes: Actual prompts will be in the comments. The body of this post covers ooc details and warnings. As always, I default to brackets but can match prose if desired
Plot post with preliminary ideas is here. It's never too late to check this out or comment to it, if want to hash out something before diving in :) Alternatively, contacting me on plurk at
rainbell or on discord at rainbell#7712 are also perfectly fine!
Notes and warnings listed by prompt below. Unless requested otherwise, inhuman and outlandish characters will probably be regarded with according confusion; at best, rationalizations along the lines of foreign travelers/illusory artes/costumes may be made, and at worst your character may be mistaken for a monster and potentially addressed aggressively. In general, being too disruptively out of place on the whole can be dangerous in the more military contexts. Let me know if help is needed navigating such aspects.
Unless otherwise stated in the notes, Sail!Jade can be available to accompany characters into most of these memories if desired, especially Prompt F! Either at the start, or as a later arrival to the scene as a possible assist. Leave a note or contact me if you'd like to have him!
Prompt A;
Warnings: Possible death (both of at least one npc and potentially player characters), possible violence against children & descriptions of injuries
Notes: This prompt carries one of the higher chances of character death! Heavily dependent upon how visitors proceed. If you'd like to either actively pursue dying or completely avoid it, feel free to contact me and let me know! Sail!Jade company unavailable, unless planned beforehand.
Prompt B;
Warnings: Potential descriptions of deliberate harm to (monstrous) animals & dissection
Prompt C;
Warnings: None
Notes: Sail!Jade unavailable here.
Prompt D;
Warnings: Manipulation of corpses, (also probably manipulation of a Very Unfortunately Not-Corpse NPC Person), probable mentions of gore. There's gonna be at least one war crime here folks.
Notes: Some potential of player character death here, depending on how they conduct themselves in front of tense Malkuth soldiers in a warzone.
Prompt E;
Warnings: Human experimentation, according potential for mentions/actions of vivisection and research subject death. That's right, it's Even More War Crimes!
Notes: Since it's less a battlefield and more a classified lab academy setting, too-disruptive visitors are more liable to be arrested than killed! Probably. Ideally.
Prompt F;
Warnings: None!no more war crimes thank goodness
Prompt G;
Notes: An open non-memshare prompt that can be dated anytime further into March! Good for potential commiseration as this memory stuff gets slowly more and more out of hand....
What: Memory sharing time!!
When: Throughout March
Where: Anywhere and everywhere, as memory rifts are apparently apt to do. The memories themselves are snapshots of various locales in the world of Auldrant. There is also one open prompt of Jade in Tauva between the bouts of memory nonsense.
Warnings: There's a handful, this guy was a nasty one back in the day. Check under the cut for specifics!
Notes: Actual prompts will be in the comments. The body of this post covers ooc details and warnings. As always, I default to brackets but can match prose if desired
Plot post with preliminary ideas is here. It's never too late to check this out or comment to it, if want to hash out something before diving in :) Alternatively, contacting me on plurk at
Notes and warnings listed by prompt below. Unless requested otherwise, inhuman and outlandish characters will probably be regarded with according confusion; at best, rationalizations along the lines of foreign travelers/illusory artes/costumes may be made, and at worst your character may be mistaken for a monster and potentially addressed aggressively. In general, being too disruptively out of place on the whole can be dangerous in the more military contexts. Let me know if help is needed navigating such aspects.
Unless otherwise stated in the notes, Sail!Jade can be available to accompany characters into most of these memories if desired, especially Prompt F! Either at the start, or as a later arrival to the scene as a possible assist. Leave a note or contact me if you'd like to have him!
Prompt A;
Warnings: Possible death (both of at least one npc and potentially player characters), possible violence against children & descriptions of injuries
Notes: This prompt carries one of the higher chances of character death! Heavily dependent upon how visitors proceed. If you'd like to either actively pursue dying or completely avoid it, feel free to contact me and let me know! Sail!Jade company unavailable, unless planned beforehand.
Prompt B;
Warnings: Potential descriptions of deliberate harm to (monstrous) animals & dissection
Prompt C;
Warnings: None
Notes: Sail!Jade unavailable here.
Prompt D;
Warnings: Manipulation of corpses, (also probably manipulation of a Very Unfortunately Not-Corpse NPC Person), probable mentions of gore. There's gonna be at least one war crime here folks.
Notes: Some potential of player character death here, depending on how they conduct themselves in front of tense Malkuth soldiers in a warzone.
Prompt E;
Warnings: Human experimentation, according potential for mentions/actions of vivisection and research subject death. That's right, it's Even More War Crimes!
Notes: Since it's less a battlefield and more a classified lab academy setting, too-disruptive visitors are more liable to be arrested than killed! Probably. Ideally.
Prompt F;
Warnings: None!
Prompt G;
Notes: An open non-memshare prompt that can be dated anytime further into March! Good for potential commiseration as this memory stuff gets slowly more and more out of hand....
no subject
The crack spits out Fio into the snow and immediately, she stands up, rubbing her arms, shivering. She's very underdressed for the winter season. Judith is with her as well, levitating nearby. Very lucky that the bear doesn't have to worry about the cold! Reaching up, she snatches the toy from midair, to cuddle against her chest as some form of warmth. ]
...What's that noise? I think there's someone else here, Judy!
[ And she starts to walk through the snow, in the direction of the voice. ]
no subject
Two strangely giant wolves already lay unmoving in the snow. But there's still a third one on its feet, snarling--and there's a young boy as well, who looks to be about the same age as Fio himself. There's a large bag with a strap slung over one of his shoulders, and he stands in the center of the clearing, a hand upraised at the wolf monster before him...not a trace of fear on his features. Surprise, perhaps, when the monster suddenly jerks its head to one side, ears angling in the direction of Fio's approaching steps--
Which is just the distraction the boy needs, so this works just as well.] Grant mine enemies a final rest--Flame Burst!
[A peal of ringing sound fills the air as fifth fonons gather over the monster; a split-second later they burst into life with a great gout of flame. The monster shrieks, collapsing as the fire tears through it. But the flames are smokeless, and quickly flicker away once their target's immobile.
The boy lowers his hand, but doesn't move from where he stands, staring into the trees in the direction of Fio's presence. He can't quite see her just yet, but...]
Who's there?
no subject
Then the pieces fall into place when he's within her line of vision. She recognizes him. But this scenario that they're in, is different from the one she dreamed about. ]
Um... hello. [ "Mister Specs" wouldn't be an appropriate name to be using as a form of address, for this younger version of Jade. And she should just act like it's their first meeting anyway. Since it is. ] What were you doing? Were you in danger?
no subject
Fio steps out from behind the trees. The sight of someone quite this harmless-looking is a startling thing, in the pause that Jade takes to blink and stare at her, clearly not quite expecting a small girl with a stuffed toy to be the source of a new noise emerging from the woods.
Asking questions, too, in the slightly unsettled pause that falls. Jade's glance drops down briefly to the monster corpse directly in front of him, and then back up to the girl.]
Danger...not really. Monsters aren't very strong in this part of the forest, since it's close to town. [Stated with a flat sort of bent; not an answer of arrogance, but one of fact, at least as far as this boy's seemingly concerned. He draws a couple steps forward, less to approach Fio and more to approach the scorched monster body; pausing beside it, he's reaching to tug open the bag at his side. Though this particular motion is habitual enough that he can cast another speculative look Fio's way while digging around in it.] I'm going to dissect these now. ...What are you doing here?
no subject
She never did have the opportunity to ask Jade for any further details about his childhood. Even after making the connection on her own that some of the memories that she has seen belong to him, she was never interested in digging deeper in a painful memory. Only happy enough that they're friends in the present time. (And the only time she felt most interested in snooping around for answers, was to seek out the shadowy friend with fiery eyes that managed to make contact with her.)
But right now, it is a little different. When she's able to interact with a younger version of him... ]
I'm... uh... [ She fidgets uncomfortably. ] I was out for a walk! [ Totally believable. (Not.) A pause, as she recalls the woman in her dream. ] Does... your professor know you're out here?
no subject
You're not dressed for a walk. And this isn't a very good place to be walking, either.
[If anything, most of the smaller children in town find the prospect of wandering this far into the outskirts a frightening thing, any ambitions of lone exploration generally firmly squashed by parents' firm tales of the bitter conditions and dangerous monsters beyond. While there are a handful of exceptions to those children--naturally--Jade also knows who those exceptions are quite well, and this girl...is not one of them. ...Actually, she doesn't look familiar at all, which is...odd...
Hm. These thoughts are idly pushed back and forth in his head, as he finds what he was digging around for in his bag, and pulls out--a scalpel, as it turns out, its blade shining even in the overcast lighting of the clearing as he nonchalantly opens the protective case around it. "You're a bad liar too," is what he's about to add upon looking back up to Fio, but--
She's retaliating with a question of her own, before he can, and this one is clearly quite startling. Jade stiffens a bit where he's standing, the nonchalance of his expression finally wavering a bit as he blinks.]
--N-no, she doesn't. [Nobody knows he's out here doing this right now, actually, save...for Saphir, who he'd shooed away at the edge of town. So, then--?] She...shouldn't. Who--did she send you out here?
no subject
She catches a glimpse of the blade, letting out a faint gasp. Please, not in front of her... ]
...Y-yes! [ She answers shakily, stamping a foot in the snow in an attempt to appear tough. ] She did. So maybe you should stop bullying these monsters!
[ Lying to him continues to be a struggle. Judging from his response though, his professor is still alive. That accident she saw has yet to occur. And she begins to wonder if this is an event that she can prevent. It was a while back when she experienced it, but she can still vaguely recall the woman's appearance. Perhaps she can go to the town and try to track her down.
Like a good girl, she will tell on him. ]
no subject
Yet...the demand is still, a bit annoyingly, difficult to dismiss all the same. Because the fact remains that this girl actually did mention the Professor first, and that indicates she must know of her somehow. Apparently she seems to know that Jade is a student of hers at the very least, too, to levy this particular (pretty effective) threat against him here. Which means.
That whether the Professor really did send her out or not, there's still the prospect that this girl probably will try to tell on him if she gets back to town on her own...
Jade narrows his eyes at her for a long moment, and an impression of annoyance does pass across his features. But then that moment is past, and his expression settles back into more of an ambivalence.]
I don't think you can bully something that's already dead. I'm also not bullying anything right now anyway. This was supposed to be for research, you know. [With a sigh, he closes the case back around the scalpel.] ...Well, at this sort of temperature, the bodies should stay preserved for awhile unless other monsters come by and try to eat them... [Maybe he'll still be able to come back for them later, if the day doesn't get too late...
The case is dropped back into his bag. And then, readjusting the strap of it over his shoulder, Jade straightens to face Fio fully, before starting towards her and visibly sizing her up anew with a slight frown.]
...How old are you?
no subject
I'm eight.
[ Since a couple of months ago. Standing straight, puffing out her chest a bit. Look at how tough and grown up she is. Yet she can't stop shivering, reaching over to rub the opposite arm with a hand. She probably looks a little younger still, having not gained any inches to her height after her birthday party. ]
Don't bully anything anymore. It's dangerous research! Or else... or else, she's- [ A pause. ] Someone close to you is gonna get really hurt someday!
[ Or killed, which she knows for certain. Fio doesn't want to say it. But maybe she will have to tell him that depressing truth if it seems like he's going to continue with his cruel research. ]
no subject
Which is. Strange, to say the least. Certainly grounds enough to earn her another long and staring sort of look, as he treads his way up the slope out of the clearing and draws beside her.]
...Do you say things like this to every person you meet for the first time?
[Tone and expression now sit somewhere between dubious and distinctly unimpressed. (As if Fio's the strange one for being this fussed, while he--the child who was just about to start slicing some dead monster bodies open--is the paragon of normalcy here.....) ...Granted. Much as he'd never admit it aloud, he does find this giving him the slightest bit of pause in his head, if only to wonder...who in the world Fio might mean by "she". Surely not--the Professor--?]
Well...anyway. We're going back to town now. Follow me and try not to fall behind, so you don't get lost again.
[--A slight shake of his head, as if casting away something rather bothersome. Jade starts moving again, into the treeline this time.]
...I haven't seen you around before. Did your family just move here?
no subject
[ And this younger version of Jade might be the second ever "bully" that she's tried to speak up against in her life. (The first is Vance.) Best to follow him on the way back when she doesn't know the directions to the nearest town. She would rather not engage into unnecessary fights with whatever other dangers might be lurking in the forest, even if she might have powers now that allow her to be capable of combat.
As he heads off, there's a brief panic that sets in, that completely replaces the tough expression that she's been putting on. She finally starts moving again herself, as if worried that he would completely leave her behind. Hurried steps crunch through the snow as she tags along a short ways behind him. She shivers, occasionally lifting up a hand to blow warm air onto it.]
We... did. [ She answers, in hopes that it would somehow explain her strange arrival here. ] We came from far away.
no subject
Yet here Jade is--keeping his own walk just even and slow enough for Fio to catch up fairly easily, in fact, despite his mild threats of outpacing her aloud. He glances sidelong at her when she's beside him, hardly missing how she shivers and alternates between clutching her doll and blowing into her hands.
(--Like Nephry does, some nagging thing in the back of his head finally realizes--a parallel right down to the clutching of a doll. When she doesn't put on the right coat before they walk out to school in the mornings, because she still thinks her old one's prettier, but it's thinner and smaller than her newer and more sensible warmer one....)]
Far away, hmm. From Grand Chokmah, then? [Fio's answer might be vague, but fortunately, Jade reads it as nerves and nothing more. His habit of filling in details on things by himself even at this age quite conveniently fabricates the rest of Fio's fragile cover story for her.] The sailors at the port say that's pretty far south...which would explain why you aren't dressing very well for a place like Keterburg yet. Up here it's cold all the time, and it snows a lot. So everyone wears layers to prepare for this.
If you don't, and you spend too much time outside, you're going to catch "hypothermia". Do you know what that is? [A slight and frowning pause here, paired with another glance at her hands.] Are your fingers getting numb, right now?
no subject
I know what hai-pur-thur-mee-uh is!
[ And hyperthermia is... the complete opposite of hypothermia. The term is strangely said, with a bit of a pause between each syllable. No, she does not know what any of them means, except that it must have something to do with temperature. Oh no, this small Jade says big words like the older one does! She tucks her doll further under her arm, so she can free up both her hands. Putting both hands together, she continues to rub and blow air onto them. They're likely getting a bit numb...? It sure is freezing. ]
I know better now. I'll get something warmer when we get to town.
[ Some... how. She hasn't spent money in a long time and she certainly doesn't have any on her right now! ]
no subject
...Hmmmm. It really is rather annoying, these sorts of reminders--because of how hard they are to ignore. Fio continues to rub her hands and blow upon them, with an increasing frequency...and after a couple more moments eyeing these gestures--Jade's brisk steps suddenly and abruptly draw to a halt.
The pause is accompanied by an extremely put-upon sigh. Reaching up for the strap of his bag, he slings it off his shoulder and sets it on the ground. The better to reach for the buttons of his own coat, and start undoing them.]
--Town's still about ten minutes away. You're probably not going to last that long, going about this like that. ...Here, put this on--it'll be a bit big, but it should work.
[If this small girl actually did catch hypothermia out here...well, it wouldn't be his problem exactly. But the Professor would end up hearing about it, and she'd be very upset, which would certainly become his problem. Besides, it's not like he's never done this for Nephry before, so...]
You should walk faster, too, so your blood moves around more and assists in warming you up. Do you think you can do that, until we reach town?
no subject
When Jade stops, so does Fio. Ten minutes doesn't sound too long. She would have the patience to endure that much, if only the trek through the freezing cold didn't make it feel like an even longer, arduous journey. Especially with how much she's shivering, she might not make it to the full ten minutes.
Her brow lifts slightly in surprise, not expecting he would allow her to borrow his coat, after the way she's been talking to him. His extra layers should keep him warm enough until they're to the town hopefully, but she's still hesitant to take him up on the offer.
Maybe he does have kindness, deep down. Deep, deep down. Like some other people she thought of as "bullies"... ]
...What about you? You won't be too cold without your coat, will you? [ A brief visible display of worry, including her tone. She's soft. But she's quick to try switching to a tough act. ] I-I can walk fast! I can run too!
no subject
It's colder without it, but I'm still wearing more layers than you are even without it. I can make it in ten minutes. [Fio's worry is certainly visible, no matter how though she might try to act immediately afterwards. Jade is shrugging both sentiments away, unmoved, as he reaches down for his bag once more.] Running's a hassle when I'm carrying something heavy like this. So, we're going to walk fast, since you say you can. Let's go.
[As soon as Fio gets the coat on, they'll be continuing onward, pace as brisk as promised. Jade's steps are more deftly used to the snow, of course--though in the end he still never goes so far as to leave Fio entirely behind, at least...
As a result of the improved speed, they reach a break in the forest trees rather sooner than ten minutes later. Thin trunks give way to an open field of snow, and directly ahead: an entrance between a pair of low walls, marking the outer boundaries of this side of Keterburg village, rustic stone houses dotting the view beyond. More notably, though, standing near that entrance in the walls--is a new little girl who's visibly even younger than Jade is, bundled in a coat and disproportionately heavy boots, blond hair pulled up in a single ribbon. She's anxiously hugging close a makeshift sort of ragdoll in her arms, as she watches a pair of small forms emerge from the trees. Recognition of Jade sets in after another moment, and she's rushing over to them.]
Big brother! You were really over here...!
Nephry? [Jade, for his part, seems a bit startled by this development--namely, Nephry's presence all the way out here. He's not able to say much else, though, before Nephry closes the distance the rest of the way and promptly grabs for his sleeve.] Saphir said you went out this way...so I was waiting, and--uhm--
[The sentence stammers to a brief halt as she realizes just who it is standing next to Jade, wearing his coat. Which is to say, a face entirely unfamiliar to her. Nephry pauses, now, still clinging to Jade's arm but openly staring at Fio for a long moment with wide eyes...that are hazel, quite unlike Jade's strangely red ones.]
Ooh...what's your name?
no subject
Though she had arrived into an off-putting scene just moments ago, some of the unease being around the younger Jade gradually slips away as she traverses throughout the snow. Frigid gazes from children and adults alike are something she once experienced long ago. Hard to believe it's been about a year since then. She doubts any of the people from her hometown would spare her as something as small as a warm article of clothing, like he did...
For the remainder of the trip, she remains silent, except for her shoes crunching in the snow. There might be an occasional sound of a near accident, footsteps almost falling all over themselves... Fortunately, she manages the whole way until they see the town entrance. ]
My name is Fio. And this is Judy. [ A nod towards the plush bear tucked in her arm. They're almost a mirror of each other, both latched onto dolls. ] My... my family just moved here and we ran into your big brother outside.
[ Being a bully. ]
It's nice to meet you... [ Nephry. So this is Jade's younger sister, who would eventually become a mayor. Smart and friendly. Surely as a child, she's the same? Her expression blossoms into a smile as she comes up with the most wonderful nickname. The first time that she's ever looked happy since arriving. Hopefully, they can become friends. ] ...Nephy! I'm gonna call you Nephy.
no subject
Oh, it sounds fun like that! 'Nephy'...heehee... [Heedless of Jade's critiques, on the other hand, Nephry's overriding him with a giggle of her own, and Jade seems to give up on the remark with a glance her way and a slight huff. Eyes still wide but curiosity now blending with a slight and pleased sort of excitement, Nephry releases Jade's sleeve to reach for her doll with another hand and raise one of its little arms in a greeting.] It's nice to meet you too, Fio! You and Judy. This is Milly, she's saying hello.
Alright... [Jade interjects, vaguely exasperated. It has occurred to him he never actually asked Fio her name himself and is thus only learning it now, but--nevermind that, anyhow. More importantly--] Nephry, why did you come out over here? I know Saphir wouldn't have told you to...
[Because Saphir would always cover for Jade's experiments first and foremost, and certainly wouldn't be doing something like sending Nephry after him. Accordingly, Nephry starts a bit at the question.]
Ooh, I almost forgot! It's because, Professor's coming this way soon, to look for you...
She is? [Jade blinks from her, and then to Fio, startled and perhaps faintly chagrined in equal measures. Hmm, so Fio really was sent out after him after all...? The gears in his thoughts seem to be turning in that direction now; Nephry's opening her mouth as if to say more, but Jade continues before she can.] --I see. ...Then, I'm going home to put this away.
Huh? [It's Nephry's turn to blink at him...and then her eyes fall down to the bag at his side, and a sort of recognition seems to settle in the way her features fall a bit. (...So he'd already found monsters anyhow, it seems...)] O-okay...
Yes. ...You may as well take the new girl to the Professor's house. She's not dressed too well for outside, so she's getting cold. ...I'll be there in awhile.
[Not even waiting for a reply, Jade's promptly turning and starting down one of the paths branching from the town entrance. Nephry stares after him with a small frown, for a long moment...and then turns to Fio, with put-upon sigh heavy enough to fog the air in front of her face.]
...Jade's gonna be in trouble again...it's not good. But, let's go to Professor's house. You do look cold! D'you know where it is yet?
no subject
...Milly. Hee hee. Judy says "hello," too!
[ Seeing his surprise, a similar thought crosses her mind and she believes that Jade's finally convinced that she's already acquainted with the Professor. There is a slight sense of guilt deep down, for telling a lie. Almost like she's done a horrible crime! Trying to remain "undercover" feels like a good choice though, she thinks, at least until she can pass the warning to Nebilim. This Jade is probably going to be in trouble... but it's for his own good!
She watches with a frown as the boy heads off, her sense of unease entirely lifting when she's left alone with Nephry. ]
N-no... not yet. There's... something I need to talk to the Professor about, actually. So it'd be great if you could point the way. [ The smile returns as the other girl addresses her. ] We can race over there or something!