Existence was a funny thing. It came and went and sometimes it came again. In one breath, Resin was dying and in the next, she was standing in the great hall of the castle, her singular golden eye looking into the crackling fire in the massive hearth. She didn't breathe because there was no need. Her body was still as mountains. Still as the very walls of the castle. From one of the large windows, moonlight filtered in, the combined lights from the sky sphere and the fireplace rendering the specter nearly invisible. The fae's blocky skull moved and she looked down at her thick, powerful legs. She was transparent. Not at all there. As she look down, Resin noted droplets falling onto the stone. The liquid looked like molten gold and appeared to be much more tangible than she was. Interesting. Turning her head towards the doorway, the ash and obsidian fae's ears swiveled, catching the sound of moving paws. There was someone moving past the open doors. She waited to see who it might be. How long had she been gone? Time was a funny thing now. Were all of the wolves of The Hallows dead? All of the wolves that she knew? Her lover? Her children? Glancing again towards the fire, she was glad to at least see that some of her teachings had been carried along. A fire would always burn in the hearth. Always. "Resin"

Emile still wasn't eating properly, that much was visible on his frame, the way his pelt hung from him, shabby and uncared for. He moved mostly at night still, though what was night and what wasn't was all but indiscernible now... Still he wasn't not eating and tonight the hunger pangs were strong enough that for now he would give in to his basic need. It was that that drew him through the halls, he pushed his way into the dinning hall, dull forest green gaze passing over the hearth where he did not see the ghost that stood there, the golden liquid that marked the stone missed by him. His paws were heavy, along with his heart. Emile felt even more lost than he ever had. His pack and family were sick, dying around him and Emile felt useless, unable to do anything to help them. He paused as he nearly passed by a pillar that had grown it's own glowing stone outcropping, fireflies billowing around it and Emile wondered, not for the first time, how they were related to the sickness around him, for that that were connected was certain but he was still unable to cure anything. Useless.



Speech

Art by Rivaah

Just as she was wondering who might have been outside of the hall, the wolf in question pushed inside. Resin recognized his face and watched with concern as Emile's neglected frame walked by, unseeing. Surely she wasn't invisible... Could he hear her at least? The boy stopped, staring at a clump of crystals and fireflies and Resin moved silently up beside him. Her golden gaze narrowed as she stared at the crystals. They weren't unknown to her. Melding her memories of her living life and of her time of death, things were still a little fuzzy. She did know that the glow and the fireflies weren't just here in the land of the living. It was concerning. More golden droplets spattered the floor at her paws and the hulking phantom turned her lone eye to fall upon the dejected looking boy. "Emile," she spoke aloud, ears shifting as she caught her own ethereal tones reverberating off of the stone walls. "What's happened to you?" She asked, adjusting her gravelly tones for the space and proximity. "Resin"

Emile's ear flicked as a light pattering sound reached him and his turned his attention towards the sound, golden droplets of something hitting the ground and he frowned, why did it look so much like the fluids that oozed from the faces and wounds of the infected? He tried to trace it as it got closer, jumping when a voice suddenly echoed off the walls, achingly familiar. For a moment he pushed it off as just another voice, but as he peered at the golden droplets something shifted, he could just make out a figure, nearly invisible in the dark but as he traced it up he knew, even if he couldn't see her exactly Resin was here... Somehow. "R-r-r-esin? He asked, though he knew the answer.

Emile shook his head. "Ssssssso much." He said, barely above a whisper, but he forced himself to lift his voice and push back the feelings of pain so deep in his heart. "Bbbbbbbut things got-t-t-t-t weird afffffter... Aaaaaand so many-many-many-many wolves are sssssssick, and I can't do-do-do-do anything!" He shook his head, trying to shake the tears welling at the corners of his eyes. What if his father didn't make it? He wasn't sure what meager resolve he had would hold. "Iiiiiiit's all these th-th-th-thing's fault!" A sudden feeling of anger went over him and he kicked at the crystal which pulsed brighter for a moment but otherwise remained unmoving, unfeeling. Unhelping.



Speech

Art by Rivaah

Inspecting him more closely, Resin noted just how much of a mess the boy was. He was thin, his fur unkempt, his eyes somewhat sunken and dull. He hadn't been caring for himself, but why? Before she'd begun to lose her mind, she remembered the striped child being withdrawn and sullen. The loss of his mother and sister had struck him deeply and it seemed that he was never able to really cope with that loss. She didn't know that her own death had added to that well of sadness within him, but it wouldn't have changed her message. Emile voiced his concerns about the crystals and the sickness that had taken hold of so many. He felt helpless against it and, truthfully, he was. They all were. Even she was infected. The dead were held to the same standards as the living as far as this curse went. The molten gold continued its ceaseless course down her cheek. "There are some things in life that you will never have any power over, Emile. One of those things is death; loss." She could feel the sadness, the tension, the anxiety pouring off of the boy. "Every day, every moment that you stay alone, you're one step closer to death. You're wasting the time that could and should be spent with those that you love." Reaching out as though to embrace the boy, the apparitions thick foreleg went straight through his emaciated form. A look of sadness washed over her features before she sat her paw back down. "Savor your time here. Make every moment count. Every day of life is one step closer to the end. Don't reach your end filled with regrets, Emile." Perhaps she was saying too much, but Resin didn't know how much time she had here. "There is strength within you. You just have to find it. I believe in you, boy." She assured him, the corners of her maw lifting in a sparse, but rare smile. "Resin"

Emile stared sullenly down at the crystal as Resin spoke. He knew her words were sensible but it didn't dull the pain it brought him. He wanted so badly to just stop wasting away, to stop hating himself, to stop thinking about his own death. But it had wormed it's way into his brain and he was struggling to dislodge it. Just barely perceptible movement caught his eye but nothing followed, no contact, Resin wasn't really there. Though there was proof of her she was just as distant to him as he was to his family.

He couldn't stop the tears as Resin spoke, watching as they fell silently to the floor, a few rolling off the edges of the crystal. He wanted to believe he was as strong as Resin seemed to insinuate but he wasn't sure he could. He shook his head. "I jjjjjust want to-to sttttttop hurting." Himself and others. His voice was barely above a whisper. "I jjjjjust want to-to-to-to help." He said louder, putting a paw on the crystal again.

"Every...one misses y-y-y-you." He said, wanting to draw attention off himself, he felt to awkward and hated the focus being on him. "Bbbbbbowen made it backkkkk." For all he felt about his once friend the boy knew her being back was good, and happy. Though bittersweet for she had also lost the chance to mourn her mother.



Speech

Art by Rivaah

Resin

You are allowed to temporarily exist again, that in itself should be enough for you...

Firefly Shoppe- Emile

You have been infected with strain 3 of the Ooze.

Your attention blurs and refocuses. It feels as if you are in a dream as you find yourself alone in the mist. Fireflies gather and light the way to a table with a figure waiting behind it. On the table lay three items, with their prices beside them. "Choose w̶̢̧͉̥̻̟͈͙̽̉̆̿̈͒͋̓̇̍͌̇̎͠͝ì̵̢̝̄͐́͆̓̚ṣ̶̛͙̟͎̤̞̤͎̹̙̭̪͔̓̐̾̂͆̄͆͌̈̈́̏̚͜͝͠ȩ̴͔̱̗̜̾̉̀̓̀͆͛̊̂̍̕̚̚̚ͅl̵̢̦̲̼̠̖̜̺̮̜̺͋̈́y̴̧̨̧̪̗̥̘͇̾͑͗͜͠, and only choose o̷͕̭̊̃̌̊̏̀ņ̸̼͚͉͔̒͐̊e̵̮̯͛̔̀̑͜," the figure says, looming over the table as his eyes seem to peer into your soul. Are they... moving? "If you can afford it, that is. Beware, however, for there are many d̷̡̯͉̎̊̈́͐͠á̴̬̪̣̝̞̅̀̈́̄ṉ̸̢̠̤̹̥̙̜͋͆̚g̷̛͍̹̣̬̙͖̝̘̃̈e̷͓͕̖͓̝̤̿͐͐͜͠ŗ̵̤͚͔̟̹̳̽̒͝ş̸̛͓͔̩̥̦͛̊̈̾̐̒̓ ̴̺͔̃̇̆ahead." He does not seem like he's in the negotiating mood...


I̵̜̖͎͓͒̑̕n̸͓̗̘̫͉̗̻͐̔̿̊͆̋͝v̵̦̹̠͉̖̼̮̎̌͆ȩ̸͕̦͔̳̩̈́͜n̶͍̝̙̯̣̹̫̩͋t̶̟͈̟̲̜̙̣̋̿̓̆̅͊͝͝ŏ̶̼͊r̶̖͎̙͔̥͎͙͈̊̍͝͠y̴̧͔̭͒͆̉̕͝:

• Go fast juice- 1 /
  The liquid in this bottle is thick and dark, and has something that looks surprisingly like muscle.
  
• Fun shroom- 1 /
  An ordinary everyday mushroom that just has a little handwritten tag on it that reads “eat me”. It seems pretty risky, but it might pay off in the end. Maybe...
  
• Firefly Fone- 1 /
  It’s actually just a bunch of fireflies in the shape of a phone. Use it in any thread (and post in Maintenance) to summon the Firefly Shoppe to your location.
  

Emile blinked, his vision blurring and a buzzing growing in his head and he wiped at his eyes, horrified to find a sickly yellow fluid dripping from his ankle. Oh Gods. His vision spun and for a moment Emile felt himself wobble and then topple and- He wasn't in the hall anymore. Emile blinked against the sudden light, it had been dark for so long... Carefully, cautiously Emile followed the fireflies, his gaze falling on the floating figure and his table. He stared down at the items on the table's surface and for a moment his mind buzzed louder. Finally, silently, Emile lifted a forepaw to point at the mushroom with the tag on it, maybe if he ate it, maybe he'd finally get a breakthrough, find a cure. Do anything to be useful! As soon as it would be in his grasp the young man would scraf it down, like it was a compulsion... Like he couldn't stop himself.

-Emile is buying and eating the fun shroom-



Speech

Art by Rivaah

Firefly Shoppe- Emile

The currency was exchanged quickly, and the fun shroom handed over. Almost immediately Emile began to consume it, and in a blink of an eye the cloaked figure disappears from sight, leaving Emile to his own devices..


You gain:

• Fun shroom- An ordinary everyday mushroom that just has a little handwritten tag on it that reads “eat me”. It seems pretty risky, but it might pay off in the end. Maybe...
  

You lose:

• Currency (x1)- Used in Firefly's Shoppe, and perhaps elsewhere...
  
  

Fun Shroom

Unfun Effect

You scarf down the mushroom like it's the first morsel of food you've had in days, and at first you almost feel it do exactly what you hoped. You feel like you're on to something, like the cure's just at the tip of your tongue... and then suddenly a cascade of fireflies comes barrelling for your face, swarming your eyes as if trying to blind you. The pain is sudden and searing as they scratch and tear at your face, though you realize with a sigh of relief when they finally disperse that they didn't take your sight. Instead, one of your eyes now is surrounded by jagged scars that no one will be able to ignore.  Guess you got something special after all..

You gain:

• Eye Scarring- Jagged scars circling one of your eyes.
  

You lose:

• Fun shroom- An ordinary everyday mushroom that just has a little handwritten tag on it that reads “eat me”. It seems pretty risky, but it might pay off in the end. Maybe...