W͜͏̶Ę͏E͝͠K͝͞ ̧1̵͟

[strangerpeople]

W͜͏̶Ę͏E͝͠K͝͞ ̧1̵͟

[The national council just announced the blight to the country.

There was no sugarcoating it anymore. This was a critical time. Saving all of the vines is paramount, but what does one do when the blight hits? It keeps encroaching on the grapes, day by day. Entire clusters, entire bunches, dead and rotting, while allowing the blight to spread, and the leading botanists and viticulturists cannot identify the origin or the cause. They can't even successfully isolate the culprit in their labs; it seems to disappear like air no matter the precautions taken.

It is a catastrophe that seems to be beyond science, and it will result in the complete collapse of the entire country's wine industry. Already, embargoes on this year's crop have forced other grape-growers to close shop for the year after they'd sold their previous stock; it is all too possible that no grapes might ever be grown here again if a cure cannot be found. The tourists have stopped coming. The towns have grown silent.

You, meanwhile, are devastated. With the way your business is going, it will be on the brink of bankruptcy within the year. You will soon have no choice but to close shop and let every grapevine die, let the land go fallow. There must be a cure for this, there must be. Yet everything that can go wrong is.

Then, as you watch the news, it happens. Breaking news. The blight has been found in another country.

It is a pandemic-and it is only getting worse.


-

Well. This is...what else can can anyone say? You all know the deal. You all know what situation you're in. All that is left is to figure out what you can do about it. If there's anything that can be done.

You still feel that compulsion to distrust. To know you cannot win. To know that only the hosts have your best interests in mind. It would be easy to just do all that. But would it be the right thing to do? You can't be completely sure. Indeed, nothing is certain here, except for that damned ticking sound. If only you could stop it.

But you can't stop it. It is inevitable.


There are 15 strangers in this place.]

Comments

[unwittingking]

…thanks for letting me know, I guess.

[He's not exactly wrong, it's just weird to hear it our loud.

And now a subject change 'cause both of them are probably uncomfortable!]

Do I need to trade you anything for the statue? Or can I just bring it back to my room?

[katzenpfote]

Unless you have something of mine, just take it.

... What is this paper that appears in front of our places every morning, by the way?

[unwittingking]

That might depend. I've got a rainbow feather, a spear, some tea, and an old pendant. Any sound familiar?

I think it's supposed to be a newspaper? Usually they have-well, news. Events that happened recently, whether they're small town things or big, government things. That sort of stuff.

[katzenpfote]

No, not at all. Tea would be nice, but it isn't mine.

I see. Maybe I can use it for drying this. Snake stomachs are good for spell components.

[unwittingking]

I'll get that for you, then. You might still like it.

That's kinda gross, but I'm not gonna complain about having something useful on our side.

[Magic or not, for once.]

[katzenpfote]

I'm... not much for poison, so I'd rather bury the rest of the parts or burn them so no one can try to use that part.

If my magic comes back it may help me fire an acidic arrow at something, though.

[He pats his spell component pouoh, now tucked just under his jacket.]

It's not a spell I use often, but the situation sometimes calls for it.

[unwittingking]

Yeah, plus we already have a room full of weapons. It's smart to make sure there aren't any more.

[Though there's probably other ways they could find poison, it's a good idea to get rid of the obvious option.]

Sounds like it could be helpful. If you do get the chance to use it, though, could you warn me before hand? Just in case.

[He trusts Caleb, but magic + his luck? That sounds like a surefire way to get an acidic arrow to the chest.]

[katzenpfote]

I'm very precise when I cast my spells. I do have a lot of other people fighting with me, usually.


... Poison is much easier to get away with. Just a nice dinner.

[He goes silent and the knife tips down slightly as his grip loosens. His gaze drops from King's face to somewhere around his midsection, and his expression falls into blankness.]

[unwittingking]

I'm sure you are, I just feel like, with my luck, before the arrow hits it's target, they decide to use me as a human-er, dog shield. Or they dodge and it somehow ricochets into me.

What I'm saying is that I don't trust my luck.

[Magic and his luck never mix well. Ever.

And...we're getting back to the uncomfortable topic, and now Caleb's got King worried.]

I, uh...guess? But are you feeling okay, Caleb?

[You're making him concerned...]

[katzenpfote]

[Caleb.exe has stopped working. Please reboot and try again.]

[That is to say, he's non-responsive.]

[unwittingking]

C-Caleb, you're freaking me out here.

[He's going to-very carefully-put a comforting paw on his shoulder.]

Are you okay?

[katzenpfote]

[After a noticeable delay of a few seconds he jerks and blinks rapidly before shrinking down into the collar of his jacket and going a bit red.]

... I... ah. I cannot think of the Common word for it. What is that thing... where you see and feel a memory?

[unwittingking]

[King lets out a breathe he didn't realize he'd been holding in.]

Either you remembered it, or re-lived it. I'm going to say the latter.

[katzenpfote]

Ja, the... that one. I am sorry, sometimes I cannot find the word... I speak Common fluently, but it is my second language, and I...

[Oh. He's babbling out of nervousness again. He presses his lips together firmly.]

[unwittingking]

Don't worry, it's fine. I've tried learning another language before and...it was difficult, so I get it.

[He still get confused as to how inanimate objects can be described as effeminate or masculine. Forgetting words on occasion isn't that bad.]

[katzenpfote]

So what is that word I am forgetting? I think someone on the train mentioned it to me once? I am not sure. My memory is always a bit muddled after I come out of one of those.

[unwittingking]

It not re-living...zoning out? Or...

[He sighs, this one actually annoyed.]

I hate to say it and sound like a cliché, but it could be a flashback.

[Which wouldn't be fair considering he didn't get to look up and be traumatized by memories he didn't have...]

[katzenpfote]

Ah, ja, that's the one. Danke.

[He... sets the snake aside and reaches down for a towel sitting nearby so he can wipe his hands.]

... Are you doing all right? As much as you can be here, I mean.

[unwittingking]

It's...no problem.

[And now...King's finally realized that Caleb's language sounds a bit more familiar than expected...

Eh, whatever. One world's German can be another world's Draconic, or something like that.]

About as alright as I can be, for the most part. I think I'm on good terms with...most of the people here, which good.

[Emphasis on most, though.]

[katzenpfote]

... Difficulties with the two who were fighting?

[He saw that shit, he just knew he wasn't going to be helpful.]

[unwittingking]

[King sighs and pinches the area between his eyes.]

I'm sorry, but the way Vita was acting, to someone that didn't actually know her...it was childish at best, and metaphorically screaming "I'm going to be a problem" at worst.

Not to mention her explanation just seemed off...

[Shaking his head a bit. Something was up with her, and he's not fully sure what.]

[katzenpfote]

... I know. I can deal with her, the two of us seem to be doing all right discussing magic and such.

As for Akira... eh. I do not really know how to speak to him, and he always has one of those redheads near him...

[unwittingking]

If you talk with Vita, I think I can try and talk with him. I can see both arguments, but I'm more leaning on his side, so that might help a bit.

[Plus, he's better with kids, if these incidents have taught him anything.]

It should also help that I talked with Jonathan. He seemed to be a bit more understanding, and was willing to help with the situation.

[Considering he didn't get snarked at during the meeting, he at least thinks Jonathan is doing a good job.]

[katzenpfote]

That is good. I would prefer to get along with him if possible, if only for Charlotte's sake.

[He frowns as he thinks of something.]

He really does sound like me if I did not have a Zemnian accent.

[unwittingking]

Yeah. Even if he's an alternate version of the one Charlotte knows, it'd be nice to get along with him, even without all of this.

[Just. Vaguely gesturing to where they are.]

Yeah, thought it was a bit weird, but I figured it didn't really mean much.

[Unless they're alternate reality ancestors or something. That would surprise him too much.]