&// STILL FEEL.

[Where the Water Tastes Like Wine Starters]

@lichpaladin​ said: “ i’ve been cursed two times; once to live forever, but the second time to die. i’m dead for sure, and certainly alive. ”

“Hah! That’s–That’s a fun way to put it. Huh.” Barry can relate, more or less, on both accounts, though perhaps not in the same way as Bazhur. They are both liches, for being dead, but Barry’s ‘curse’ of eternal life is more to do with time loops.

Oh, but the more thought he gives to this, the more he’s interested in the particulars.

“Sorry, now I have to ask–D’you mean literal curses? Don’t think I’ve ever known anyone to become a lich by anything other than–well, other than their own will.”

        “ well, i suppose i was speaking more...poetically than literally, but there was a very real curse involved. the decision to become what i am now...my hand was forced by it. it wasn’t very much of a choice, i’m afraid. ” bazhur tried to give a sad laugh to lighten the dark nature of the statement, though it drifted into something closer to a sigh as he toyed with the edge of his sleeve. it suddenly felt very awkward to look at barry while he spoke about this; it made their differences as liches all the more apparent. barry was more alive through methods bazhur couldn’t really understand.

      “ there was another lich in my world that...marked me as a boy. my soul was his upon my death. he was called the ‘great devourer’ for this reason...he consumed the souls of the living in order to fuel his own power in undeath. i don’t like to think of how many actually met the fate that was meant for me. ” bazhur’s ears dipped downward again; he knew it must have been a great many people for zorander to nearly step foot in the material plane again. but there was nothing to be done at the time; bazhur had only been a frightened boy. “ i don’t believe he ever expected that i would become like him in order to fight against him. the added...’bonus’, as it were, would be that he would never claim my soul since i obviously lack the ability to truly die. ”  the concept of immortality was not as pleasing to him as it most certainly was to most others, but bazhur forced himself not to dwell on it. ( he felt like he would go mad if he did. )

     Strolling the unnatural wildlife reserve, Thranduil frequently found himself slowing to admire the odd variations to creatures he knew from the mainland. Many of the animals possessed only minor differences to those found wandering the capital island, but others wore more unsettling appearances. One such creature, a fox with six legs and a knobby tail, soon scurried past the elf in a playful and excited manner. 

He mused on the reason for such mutations evident on this peninsula, eyes following the red furred critter until it came to a stop less than a foot from a tall, shadowy figure. The animal’s tail wagged in seeming delight, causing the elf intrigue. Curious, he raised his chin and surveyed the individual, his hackles instantly raised once recognition of the fiendish appearance took hold.

        bazhur’s ears perked up at the elf’s injunction, giving off the impression of surprise and alarm. briefly, he glanced behind himself to make certain that - yes, there was nothing else there. the stranger was certainly speaking to him.

        while he always understood why people reacted in that manner ( he absolutely had the first time he had met rhaugilath ), it didn’t do much to remove the sting from the misunderstanding. cautiously, he  lifted his skeletal hands, palms outstretched, to show that he had no weapons and was -more or less- surrendering. had he been in his own world and not under the limits of spirale, that would have meant very little for a spellcasting lich - but it was hopefully a universal gesture of meaning no harm.

        “ no, i am not. ” he answered slowly, remaining unnaturally still as to not provoke the other. the half-orc cleared his throat, glancing down at the fox currently weaving between his feet with a faint smile - or the closest expression that his face would allow. “ i’m not sure what makes the creatures here so bizarre - it’s not solely reserved for the - well, wildlife reserve. i’ve seen other unusual creatures in other sections of the city, though there are certainly more here. ” then again, he had to wonder if what seemed unusual and alien to him was simply the default for spirale. stranger things had definitely taken place since his arrival.

        “ if i may, i believe you may be a bit confused? hm. no, that - that may have sounded a bit rude... ” bazhur frowned, trying to figure out how to politely inform the man that he was not some necromantic villain. “ whatever i may resemble in your realm, i believe the resemblances are only superficial. i still have my wits about me, i am not a necromancer’s puppet, nor do i desire to inflict harm on anyone. ” not that he expected the other to believe him on his word alone. “ i don’t know what manner of world you come from, but i hope that you may be able to set any previous experiences aside here? ” even bazhur had to do so upon meeting another lich here who was far outside his own expectations. 

Taako’s pretty sure he hasn’t stopped drinking since shit hit the fan. If he’s going to have trouble with his memory, he’s gonna bring it on himself; as it’s daylight now, he stumbles into the kitchen and makes himself a mimosa.

The floor of his room is littered with bottles by this point.

He’s yet to see anything of Lup or Barry; he recalls Lucretia’s plea to take care of them with an acidic tang in his mouth. Good brothers help you through frightening memory lapses; great brothers get tanked, apparently. He’s already hideously clumsy with the hobbled leg, carting around a makeshift cane as he makes his way back to the room.

(There’s a blanket fort set up; childish or no, it helps him feel better.)

He crawls in, feelin’ loosey goosey.

TO: Bazhur FROM: Taako from TV

[txt] -> hey hoy stuff [txt] -> howzit hangin [txt] -> were u rather it hangin [txt] -> somwhe r else. like w me mayhpas [txt] -> im having a party. theres a fort and evrything do youwant. to come??? [txt] -> please respond. ddsexy [txt] -> love taako [txt] -> ps if u have any good boze you should bring [txt] -> i makee drikd very profsional.

This is the perfect plan.

No one’s ever flipping shit at a party. He’s a genius.

         he wasn’t misreading between the lines, was he? it... sounded very much like taako was flirting with him and inviting him over for a drink. and he wasn’t sure how else to read that other than expressing an interest in him. hesitating for a moment ( something felt off and he couldn’t quite place what or why ), bazhur finally answered. 

To: Taako from TV From: Bazhur Tethaltra

“Oh, it’s you!” Kay’s relieved to finally run into this guy– the first time she met him it had been a little awkward. There was some crying involved, and she was worried she hurt his feelings. And although she’s a little curious about his appearance, she decides it wouldn’t be very polite to ask, especially not after the way she’d acted before.

“Um, I wanted to say sorry for last time, and…” her apology trails off, because she’s watching him mess around with the phone in his hands. Is he still figuring out how to use it, maybe? She knows how that is, it was hard for her to figure it out, too.

       “ oh! hello again, dear. ” bazhur tried to give her a smile, though it ended up nervous and awkward; his ears dipping downward, flat against his head in something resembling an apologetic gesture. it wasn’t so much that his pride had been wounded, but that he’d worried that he’d upset her. given the fact that it tended to happen to full-grown adults back in his own realm when approached by him, he wasn’t particularly hopeful that he hadn’t been the reason she’d been upset when they first encountered each other.

         her apology, however caught him off guard, and he hurried to correct her. “ oh, no, no, no -  it’s - you don’t have to apologize at all. i know it’s a bit - startling at best. ” bazhur glanced down to the phone in his hands for a moment, fingertips idly tapping at the screen with no real goal other than giving himself something else to momentarily focus on. “ i assume we’re from similar realms, yes? " she certainly looked to be a drow, and by his conversation with barry, it seemed like there were others from similar, parallels worlds to his own. “ i can’t imagine that the undead have a positive reputation in your world, either... unless you happen to be acquainted with mr. bluejeans. ” bazhur was thankful when she changed the subject.

Where the Water Tastes Like Wine is a Narrative-Adventure game about traveling, sharing stories, and surviving manifest destiny. Some quotes have been edited or paraphrased for RP purposes. Feel free to change it up to fit your muse. 2/?

“ i wasn’t one to accept death. to live beside it - that wasn’t my way. ”

“ i threw him away. i thought i loved him, but he was nothing to me. ”

“ i did not think that death could, or would touch me. before i met the devil, i was too worthless even for death. ”

“ i never feared the devil, no. he took something from me, but he gave me back something i lost, too. ”

“ when they died, it sucked the love right out of me. ”

“ i thought it would last forever. it should have. ”

“ joy? well, i think there’s more of it in the world than there was. ain’t mine to have, but it’s there. people dance more now. they smile more, i think.  ”

“ you ever wake up, already silently screaming in your head? ”

“ heaven don’t last. ”

“ do you need a soul to love? i don’t think i’m capable of it anymore. ”

“ what’s freedom to me? some say that when we end, that’s freedom. ”

“ i wish i could find comfort in the notion of death, but i know what waits for me beyond the veil. ”

“ don’t bother wishing me any luck. luck’s not in my stars. love ain’t in there, either. ”

“ sit with me - let’s talk. i don’t want to sleep tonight. ”

“ this life is a prison and sometimes i laugh because i made it. i made this whole world and now i’m trapped in it. ”

“ we were all cursed. right from the beginning. ”

“ i think i was born cursed. there was never a happy ending for me; i die alone no matter what path i took at that crossroads. ”

“ the devil doesn’t give even deals. ”

“ the devil gave me everything - but he took everything, too. ”

“ it was me. it was me who made this world. that’s all i have now, and i need you to know this; i made the world that ruined me. ”

“ there’s no running left in me. don’t weep for me. i will die here. ”

“ are we done here? i laid myself bare for you - that’s all there is to me now. ”

“ does being out here free that part of you? ”

“ i’ve met a lot of people like you on this road. there’s something you want from it, isn’t there? ”

“ i’ve been a wandering ghost for a while now, and i’ll be that way for some time to come. ”

“ it’s a fate i should have known i was in for. ”

“ sometimes i start to think: well, the world isn’t made for being happy in. not for someone like me. ”

“ i’ve seen a lot of change. everything - everyone - i thought i had is gone. ”

“ when i’m alone out here, i spend too much time inside my own head. ”

“ you know the hardest person for anyone to have faith in? it’s themselves. ”

“ what do you want from this life? do you think there’s a chance you’ll get it? ”

“ i still love him. ”

“ it takes a special kind of fool to become a poet. ”

“ writing poetry won’t make your sadness go away, nor will your problems be solved. but at least you’ll be able to look back and know how you felt. ”

“ maybe the traps i’ve fallen into are ones i made myself. ”

“ maybe what i think happened didn’t happen at all, and i’m the one who’s been a monster. ”

“ i don’t trust myself to see them and act like a decent human being. ”

“ i suppose after a while i’ll start to realize how little i can change and accept myself as seething with anger and pain. ”

“ a pity, isn’t it? to be stuck with ourselves like this. ”

“ i don’t want to be the way i am now. ”

“ looks like i’m still me and you’re still you. ”

“ it’s enough for something to exist in the past and for that to have been good. ”

“ i wanted to find what it meant to be alive. ”

“ most people go through life doing a lot of work to avoid the truth. ”

“ the past doesn’t even feel like it happened - it feels like it’s happening in every moment. in every slumber. ”

“ when your memories come back to you, do they clutch at you? at your heart? ”

“ do you know any happy stories? hopeful ones? ”

“ there’s some hope left for you, too, you know. don’t give it away too quickly. ”

“ faith? well, god and i haven’t been on speaking terms. i gave the fucker so many chances to make things right and he hasn’t followed through. ”

“ the days come and go and the terrors return. ”

“ they’ll never be able to pay back what they owe me, but i’ll always keep at ‘em. ”

“ what about you - is there something somebody owes you? ”

“ the journey - if you look at it all at once, it’ll overwhelm you. it’ll hurt your mind. if you take it day by day, then…then it won’t hurt quite so much. ”

“ they wanted someone to be proud of, and i did as they asked. ”

“ the sadness didn’t come immediately. when they died, it left me feeling like half of me was missing. ”

“ the emptiness didn’t last - it filled itself with sadness not long after. ”

“ for a moment there - just a moment - i felt better about it all, too. ”

“ the time for faith has long passed, friend. ”

“ love comes in so many forms. i love more dearly now than ever.”

“ i love more deeply than the sun and the earth. ”

“ loyalty to him is the only loyalty i don’t regret. ”

“ when everything has left you, all that remains is a peculiar peace. ”

“ the way people look at me…that’s when i miss being whole the most. ”

“ i wish i could talk about what happened the way you do. ”

“ wishes? if i had my way, i’d go back to a time before the war…but now, i have no wishes. ”