The Mountain Top: Grasshopper 25

[voidtreckermods]

After the strangeness of their second day on the island for some, with memories and conversations in a cave, the third day goes calmly.

At least until mid afternoon. As the day winds on into evening all of those who have been sharing memories with others will feel a pull.

A pull to climb the mountain in the north. It is a good feeling, that mountain is where you need to be. A sense of belonging, friendship, camaraderie. You don't need to be alone, just climb the mountain.

For those that climb they will find worn wooden benches spaced around the lip of the caldera in concentric circles, the centre set up like an amphitheatre. The Jema syrup spills from crevices around the edges, running down from the peak in well-worn grooves and channels.

The sun sets slowly on Jema’grethy, slowly sinking into the ocean over a period of a couple of hours. During that time pairs of Voidtreckers will feel drawn towards the syrup, to touch the surface.

When they do they will receive a memory and find themselves back in that cave once more. For those watching it is as if they are in a trance, lasting a few moments.

People feel moved at different times and so there are always people aware, sat around the mountain top. It might be that there are other friends they wish to speak to about what they see. It might be that they wish to sit silently and avoid everything, if only their friends will allow it.

But it is a place to be together nonetheless.

Comments

[springforth]

Persephone lingers in the hug, holding her body perhaps just a little too taut. She doesn't deserve this but she'll take it either way.

"It's...I talked about it, brought up more things. I upset myself."

[so_dark_a_road]

"Yes, I see what you mean. We don't know how these memories are being generated from our minds, or how exactly they are transmitted, or by whom or what. So, we don't know what sort of memories this source is likely to select."

Curufin starts to worry a bit more.

"I can think of a few parts of my life that I wouldn't want just anybody knowing about. It's almost too bad that we two weren't chosen to be memory-swap partners. We'd handle it well, if the worst parts turned up as memories."

[strawberryprotector]

"We have a Sicily in my world, as well. I've never been, but I have seen photos. It looks gorgeous, and even with the modern developments, it still has this rustic charm to it." Ichigo was sure that homesickness wasn't what had made her cry, but he wasn't going to push. She'd talk when she was ready, his sisters had trained him in that.

[laurefindil]

"As long as we don't have another mission like that last one, I'm pretty sure," he said confidently. "I'm not going to ask what the chances of that happening again are, as they then skyrocket," he said with a slight eye roll.

"Very strange. I...shared memories with Cassie Lang. Her world is very different from mine." He laughed. "She is very different from me, as well. Human, female, very young. Yet we now have a connection. I hope it does not make her ill," yes, he was worried about that. His spirit was very strong, strong as a Maiar.

[laurefindil]

"Ah. That makes sense. You felt you had that shared commonality." He nodded. "I can understand that." He wasn't going to push her to share the specifics, only what she wanted to tell him.

He escorted her down the mountain, making sure she didn't trip, as she seemed distracted by her thoughts. As they walked, he discussed his own experience with the memory share.

"I think a lot of people exposed more of themselves than they would have liked," he said. "For my own part...I have had over five millenia to come to grips with what had happened." He smiled at her. "Plus, the Valar have an excellent mental health and therapy plan for the Elves in their care."

Shall we wrap?

[mtsilver_conquor]

True.

[Never mind Eva thinks the more eyes on this the better.]

Anyway, thanks. No, go take care of yourself, 'k?

Reno | Final Fantasy VII

[theturksway]

I. Before

Reno tried to ignore the pull towards the mountain as long as possible. It was a nice feeling, gentle and caring, but that was exactly what caused his inner warning system to trigger an alarm at him. He was a Turk, paranoid and flighty by nature, and he didn't trust the inexplicable need to go somewhere to be with others no matter who they were. It set him ill at ease.

Eventually he stopped wandering around the area he'd last holed up in and glared towards the north where the mountain called out silently to him. It wasn't just getting annoying but it was almost worrisome by now. He had to go investigate the stupid trap and he hated the thought as soon as he knew it was inevitable he do it.

He was probably the one person who trudged up that mountain with a look of disdain and disgust and distrust and anger etched upon his face. No, it wasn't just the climb that had him upset. He was genuinely looking like someone pissed in his breakfast cereal. He wanted to punch something and if he hadn't left his baton on the train the other train before running off he probably would have had it out as if ready to hit something and electrify it with a full blast.

His mood didn't really change for the better once he got to the top.

II. After

He was fucking livid after the trap was set off and he came back out of cave from yet another shitty memory share. He was so pissed off at this island and the stupid fucking train that brought them here. His fists were clenched so hard his knuckles were pure snow white and his jaw hurt from the sharp set of it. His eyes were bright and dangerous and full of rage.

Reno did not want to be here. When he finally moved it was first to throw a curse at nothing in particular and then to move to kick the stupid lava that he had touched earlier that led to the last vision. That was a fucking mistake. One more fucking vision passed before his eyes and he was too angry to fully comprehend it at the moment. All he knew was that it was awful and full of more stupid shit and emotion that he didn't need in his heart or head right now.

Another part of him memorized it as easily as all things he witnessed whether he liked it or not. The part of him that made him the best at what he did, that made him the ace of the Turks. It's not that he was good at memorization but that he had worked hard at it for years so that his fellows wouldn't think him oblivious. He would consider it later.

When his own memory wasn't the most painful and upsetting thing on his mind at the moment. He hadn't wanted to relive that moment ever much less share it with some fucking stranger. It was one thing for him to brag about it like it didn't matter--another entirely for someone to have seen it and felt the emotions associated with that time of his life during the cutscene like quality of it. It fucking pissed him off--and no, he wasn't crying he was cursing into the wind again. He was kicking things, rocks and the stupid bench nearby, and avoiding the lava now. He was--

He was heading back down the mountain before anyone could stop him. He didn't want to be here. He hadn't wanted to come up in the first place, he hadn't asked for the fake camaraderie, and he sure as hell wasn't sticking around for anyone to fucking try to comfort or confront him about his raging curses at everything around him.

The redhead practically slid down the mountain. He thought about teleporting out with the emergency button but he didn't want to be on the train right now either. Fuck that piece of shit. He wanted to get lost and not be found. So he ran.

[myblueskies]

He nodded, "I don't got many memories. That was only the fourth thing I ever remembered from my life but... He's always in them. So he must... He must have been very very important."

He was very very important. His best friend. "I'll remember the others though, the one where he showed me how to keep my spirits up. That was a good memory."

He would hold it in his heart.

[myblueskies]

"No." He shook his head, "She's got a Romeo tracker though." Unfortunately it doesn't work the other way.

"I think she will be near the train or near our camp, I think she said she was going to read."

Researching things, no doubt. She liked researching a lot.

[blitzcheer]

"Then let's go to the closest, then go to the next one if she isn't there."

He says it while standing up onto his feet, before holding out a hand for Romeo to take.

"Good to you?"

[myblueskies]

"Okay sir." He nodded and reached out to take the hand that was offered, looking back over the mountain.

"I don't understand."

Anything really. Why this had happened or why they had seen things. Why it had to be so bad.

[blitzcheer]

He'll start to walk with Romeo, but only once he seems ready, isn't turned away and distracted.

"I don't get any of it either," he says regardless, whether they're moving or not. "I don't think any of us do. If it's the island or...whatever doing it."

On purpose? Because of the train? Who even knows.

"You...didn't see anything bad, did you?"

wrap?

[mtsilver_conquor]

Give her a couple of days to resettle her mind and she will.

"Exactly- and I can help with putting the questions in. I don't mind," Eva says with a firm nod but a kind smile. It's only fair she shares some of the paperwork, honestly. "And yes. I know it'll be a pain to do it all again, but I think it's only fair if we want to establish some kind of baseline of commonality."

And then she sighs. "I plan to do just that."

Or at least try to.

Okay

[loveandduty]

Take care of yourself to, okay?

[She gives her a smile and a wave, she figured she might as well wander around and see if others need a talking to.]

Re: Khary - partially OTA

[soldier_blade]

She grunted in response. "Most likely the Red Dragon paid and loaned her the RPG to kill those they've a hit on-that they wanted killed. Rocket Propelled grenades aren't easy to carry, let alone load and fire from; someone fleeing for self preservation or shelter would keep a lighter, more reliable weapon on them. As for the child, areas like require people to live in tight-nit clans or groups for survival; if she was really thinking about the child's safety she would've left her with a relative."

She appreciated him trying to emphasize with the woman, but the little she saw of his world, it was clear there were some disconnect. "In my world, the Red Dragon is a crime syndicate; a crime family; arms-dealing, blackmail, extortion, poaching, and..." She took a deep breath, the mask of professionalism slipping. "..kidnapping or smuggling of people for inter-realm slave trade."

Of course, the Black dragon did those as well, but what made it worse for the Red was how sneaky they were about it. They never went into anything guns blazing, and that's what made them trickier to find and hunt down.

"Villages like you saw are usually poor areas anyway, where life's already cheap. If someone pays your clan a sum of money and the means to kill them, even I would be hard pressed to say no."

But still, she brought her child with her; however bad things got, or how long she was away from home and missed Cassie, she would never bring her to such an assignment. Much as it tore at them, she always tried to shield her daughter away from the hardships and stress of her career.

And it's a wrap!

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin will be available, anytime she needs to talk.

"Okay, we'll work on the questions. And yes, maybe it'll be a pain, but we'll accomplish it. I think the goal of commonality is worth it."

He smiles at her. "If you find you can't sleep, go and take a dip in the hot springs and then try again. That might relax you enough."

When they separate to go in different directions, he waves cheerfully.

[laurefindil]

"Then, perhaps it was a good thing we came here. Because now you have more memories of your friend. Even if one of them was a sad memory."

[Glorfindel will keep holding Romeo until the other is done.]

[laurefindil]

"Ah! I am very interested in those, then! Please, do let me help you transplant them when we get back to the Train," Glorfindel said with a smile. He'd also snagged some plants who had been interested in travel and would be getting them settled as well.

"Do you need a hand?" Glorfindel asked. "I am from a world where hand making tools is actually an important skill set to have, as that is the only way to get them. I am not as good at a forge as Curufin or Feanor, but my woodworking is quite decent."

"Yes," Glorfindel said in a flat tone. "For preparing food." His look was a bit salty, but then he relaxed and shook his head. "You should have seen the state of those edges when I first got here. Had to take a whet stone to them all."

[laurefindil]

[He smiled at her warmly.]

Yes, yes it is.

It looks like we have some hard choices to make, too.

[hotheadwarmheart]

"Ah... yeah, that was a pretty emotional moment, wasn't it?" Lea said. "Likely for both of us, though Xion would probably say otherwise about herself."

"I didn't forget her on purpose, or just because we were separated for a long time, just so you know. The whole story would take way too long, but... let's just say there was magic involved. As soon as Xion wasn't a separate entity any more, everyone's memories of her were hidden away from them, including mine. They never entirely went away, though."

[10billionpercent]

"Glad to hear it. I didn't know what I was going to do if you didn't want them and I had nowhere to put them. Turn them into medicine I guess, but I'm hoping that by taking the plants we can grow more. I have one that I was using as a test that I don't have the roots too, so processing that one is what I'm planning on, but the other three..." He gestured at Glorfindel. "All yours."

He blinked at the question. There were many reasons not to let other people interfere with his tools when he was making them, but he wasn't the kind of guy who typically worried about that.

He offered the stone axe to Glorfindel. "Sure, I don't mind." He grinned. "My world's like that too. We've moved beyond the stone stuff into iron and steel, but there's no time for forge building on this short trip. It'll still get the job done."

Senku offered an amused snort at the tone and he nodded. "I bet, yeah, but they're not even shaped the same way to be as useful as what I've got going on here. I mean, really, it's much better for cutting vegetables. I guess if you were desperate it would work but it's hardly ideal. I cook a little bit, at least, I get the science behind the food, but I'm not nearly great at it or anything. More like...functional."

[marriedanidiot]

"Yes." She frowns. "But I think it best I not mention who. Family relations are always a sensitive topic - it may not be one that they wish to discuss in public."

They should know, considering THEIR family history.

[marriedanidiot]

"Well." She considers. "I do have ingredients enough for honey tarts. We could certainly make some for the train?"

[marriedanidiot]

Nerdanel is happy to give her all the hugs, for as long as she wants it.

"I'm sorry my dear." She murmurs gently. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

[marriedanidiot]

She smiles wryly.

"Yes, best not to make suggestions in case our captors take it seriously!"

She lifts an eyebrow. "Oh dear. With a human child? Can you block your end?"