The full seasonal event can be read here! Below are the main seasonal items for quick reference:
1. A thread reacting to the season's weather in some ways.
2. A thread in the part of the city your character doesn't live in!
3. A thread relating to your vocation.
Of The Season
Quote
"Tell Dr. Nate that Gale sent you, and he still owes me for the mushrooms. Except that it takes you a while to reach the clinic, and by the time you do your fever is spiking, and so instead of the requisite message you instead tell the poor soul who greets you that 'A gale'a m'shrooms sent me cus'a my hands.'" - Zephyr in Oh help me, please doctor, I'm damaged
"Hi Zeph," says Maven, offering a kind smile to her former patient. "I don't think you've been cleared for this kind of work," she chides gently, almost teasing him. She knows full well that she can't dictate what her patients do or don't do, and it speaks well of the man that he wants to be helpful in this way. Maven turns to the other woman, her smile still on her face. "I'm Maven. It's nice to meet you."
She pulls gloves from her pocket and tugs them over her fingers as Zeph voices the idea of vinegar. She wouldn't have thought of that, but hey, whatever works, right? Unfortunately, there seems to be a distinct lack of vinegar in the bathhouse, and as Dr. Tetya moves away, she looks at Zeph sympathetically. "Well, it was a good idea," she muses. "Got any others?"
Turning her attention to the salt coating the bath, Maven reaches out a hand to push and pull tentatively at the substance, making a face when it refuses to yield. "What about hot water to dissolve it?" she wondered. "Or something that we can scrape it with?"
kill your demons, kill 'em dead; in your mirror, in your bed in your heart, in your head. don't you look good in red?
Handing off some of the tools to the woman he’s joined at the pools, Sunjata offers her a bit of a brighter greeting, a soft rumbled “you’re welcome” that doesn’t wholly give away his Plate-esque accent. Though, he has heard of those up above getting demoted down here, so maybe the slight twinge to his voice wouldn’t be so strange, provided he kept the way he sounds similar to his father under wraps.
But he introduces herself and Sunjata has a brief moment where he realizes he doesn’t have a fake name when he’d made his adventures out, not thinking that anyone would want to talk to him let alone introduce themselves to him. Luckily, though, he’s already named after one of the patron saints, and it makes it quick work for him to tear apart another one that comes to mind. “Taren.” He offers without a suspicious pause, taking a moment to use the shovel to scrape away some of the mud clinging to the sides of the pool as she jumps down in the thick of it.
He doesn’t want to fall into it, but realistically, he’s very much trying to blend in right now, so as she seems to have no problem with getting into the thick of it, Sunjata continues to work around the edges to scrape before joining her in the mud bath, trying to get the mud into his own bucket on the edge.
Sunjata works around the edges of the pool before joining Iara inside the mud bath and scoops the mud out into the bucket!
hey mr. trailblazer, spare you a joint paper it's strange how the days layer, and weigh on you years later
Uldren hopes that perhaps his nose is stuffed enough that he can’t smell the petals and their terrible odor, but he still tries to keep from trying to focus on that, instead already grabbing some tools to start scraping away the stench caused from them when Ira’s voice lifts and Uldren looks over his shoulder at her with a soft smile. “Decided to join the stinky one huh?” He teases her, but wastes little time in climbing down into the mess.
Honestly it’s just so that way he can scrape things along toward the edge where Ira can mop it up, hoping that he doesn’t slip on it or get too much all over him, unsure if that smell was ever going to come out. Still, he tries to stay out of Cian’s way as well, aiming to scrape as much of it as he can to make it a quick process.
Uldren gets into the petal bath to scrape the petals toward Ira to be picked up!
questions of science, science and progress do not speak as loud as my heart
You smile crookedly at the doc, a good enough patient to look properly abashed and a bad enough one to not be particularly phased. "Nah, I'm right as rain, promise." A gloved thumbs up emphasizes the lie, and hey, maybe if you believe it hard enough it will be true.
Your third party member dips before real introductions can be made (rude). You shrug at Maven, then get down to the business of dealing with the salt. Unfortunately your initial plan is immediately squashed, which causes you to purse your lips and frown in bemusement - who doesn't have vinegar among their cleaning supplies? "Diner oughta have some," you agree good-naturedly. "Or... dunno, back home we kept a jug with our cleanin' supplies." Maybe it's a Dinalla thing. Your aunt Gayle would certainly have strong words about the preparedness of this venture, were she here.
You turn back to the salt and your companion, a thoughtful frown between your brows. "S'pose we oughta deal with the chunks first," you agree, rummaging in your work bag. "Here-" and from its depths you withdraw a hammer, mallet, chisel, goggles, and an extra pair of gloves. "Wanna have a go at the big'uns?" you offer generously, extending to Maven the hammer, gloves, and goggles, a twinkle in your gold eyes. "It'll be fun."
For your part, you take your chisel and mallet and begin to chip away at the smaller, stubborn chunks of salt, hoping to translate your craftsman's skill into the hands-on work.
Zeph gives Maven a hammer (and gloves and glasses, safety first!) to whack at the big salt, then begins to chip at the smaller crystals with a chisel
Some people would certainly find their tasks easier than others. The volunteers would find themselves either encouraged or irritated by Dr Tetya's constant commentary and shouts of support from the ledge above the baths.
In the Petal bath, Ira and Cian would find themselves able to put aside the scent; their makeshift masks likely helped. While it still wasn't pleasant, they would find that once they had gotten over the initial smell, cleaning went quickly.
Uldren, possibly because of his lack of face covering, would find that after a little while of cleaning, he had to leave or risk adding puke to the cleaning up jobs. However, thanks to the success of his two companions, the Petal bath was clean!
The Mud bath team had a challenge of dexerity, which Iara took to like a champ. She would find that while the mud was indeed very slippery, she could keep her feet rooted and secure on the bath surface beneath.
Sunjata, despite his usually dexterous body, would find it failed him: maybe he was too distracted on keeping up his new identity, or maybe he just had never dealt with Drench mud before. Whatever the reason, he'd find himself sliding one way, then the next...then landing flat on his bottom.
The Mud bath is Half clean!
At the Salt bath, certainly the one which took the most consideration before work could begin, Dr Tetya nodded at Maven's suggestion. "Oh! Hot water! Hot water, I can do!" They clapped their hands and ran off, presumably to get the aforementioned water to dissolve the salt.
It was just as well, too - for Zeph's attempts at breaking the crystals went disastrously, the structures holding firm under even the most determined hits and the swinging of the hammer making it hard to avoid cutting his hand on the sharp points.
The Salt bath is not clean. Though Dr Tetya came through, running back to the bath with a large hosepipe. "This should be piping hot! Get out of the way!" Assuming people followed this instruction, they would begin to blast at the walls and fill the bottom of the pool with hot water, helping to dissolve the crystals and make them easier to chip (rolls will be easier now).
Some still had their baths to work on, but others were done. "Anyone with nothing to do, come here! We are far from done!" called Dr Tetya once the Salt Bath was underhand. Large, burly assistants had put hefty barrels of a strangely cloudy water down in a row; the Doctor was going to each and pouring in a mysterious mixture of pellets. "This is minerals and bacteria designed to replicate the eels' habitat. We hope this and the plants will make them feel at home. It needs stirring." Large sticks by the barrels were obviously for this, and the swirly hand gesture made towards Ira, Uldren and Cian meant they were to do it.
While the barrels were being stirred, Dr Tetya measuring out cups of the pellets and pouring them in, they glanced across at their workers. "...Say, have you all experienced the epidemic? Have any friends, family? Anyone willing to come into the lab for some experiments? All above board, of course. All perfectly safe."
--
Those cleaning the Mud and Salt baths need to continue doing so and roll again. Petal Bath workers please help Dr Tetya mix the water and chat about illness while we wait for the other baths to be clean.
You said I could fly so go on then, fill my eyes with fire, I set my sails with desire
"Would break my heart to watch you suffer alone." She mumbles back to Uldren and her eyes narrow from the smirk hidden behind the collar of her shirt, and then she turns her focus to the cleaning. Fishing up whatever Uldren is bringing close enough for her to reach, letting him take the bucket away for emptying should he need to take breaks from being in the pool. Otherwise, she'll do it herself. He will receive concerned looks if he starts to seem sick from the stench, however.
The work is taxing, but thanks to her being able to sit on the edge for most of it, she still has some energy left once they are done and she can get back to her feet and zip down the collar to be able to get some air again. Standing and hanging on the mop for support, she watches with mild amusement the too excited Tetya run away and come back with the hot water, until she's called over to the barrels.
Switching the mop for a stick, she starts slowly stirring. She throws a glance towards Uldren at the question about the epidemic, as if quietly wondering if his cold is related to it, but lets him speak up about himself should he want to. "My dad was quite sick last I heard any. Don't think he'll be up for any experiments, though... I've mostly got headaches. Had some marks here an there early on, but they've mostly faded..." She pauses to force her aching lungs to take some shallow breaths as talking and breathing at the same time is almost impossible for her at the moment, then cautiously continues.
"Otherwise just other stuff that's got nothing to do with it... Unless the algae is eating holes in my lungs too." Probably unlikely, unless it was airborne as well. She had not been accidentally inhaling any bad water. "Won't let any of you poke around with it though, sorry." With having trouble making herself just going to a regular doctor already, the idea of experiments is a big fuck no in her mind.
IRA
The reader of this text has standing permission for responsible powerplay and to use physical/magical force against this character. Instant killing and permanently maiming not included.
Cian shovels away at his half of the bath, leaving the other two alone on their side of the oh so romantic flower bath. Once he gets going, he finds the work going rather smoothly and he even manages to tune out most of the supposed supportive shouts by just sinking into his own thoughts until the pool is cleaned out.
Climbing out of the pool, he takes a look around at how the others are faring. Wincing as "Taren" slips and falls into the mud, offering him a sympathetic look and then looks on with more concern as Tetya comes rushing by with the hose of hot water. Seeing everything that is coming up from the baths, he reminds himself to never visit the place ever in the future once it is open for human guests again, if they let the pools get this disgusting.
The call to come stir the barrels snaps him back out of the thoughts and he heads over, grabbing a stick of his own and starts stirring in one of the barrels. He listens to the questions, then while Ira gives her reply he considers the options for himself. Eventually, he gives a shrug.
"Sure, I can volunteer for it. Got those rashes all over. Headache too... Just generally feeling under the weather all the time." Couldn't hurt to have someone knowledgeable look it over, right? He is deciding to trust that it will indeed be perfectly safe. "What kind of experiments is it?" He realises he probably should have asked that first, but so it goes.
The reader of this text has standing permission for responsible powerplay and to use physical/magical force against this character. Instant killing and permanently maiming not included.
hey mr. trailblazer, spare you a joint paper it's strange how the days layer, and weigh on you years later
Oh, he thinks he’s fine, but he increasingly isn’t as the stench continues to linger in his nose despite the fact it’s stuffed. Or, perhaps, it just sticks in there longer, when Uldren has to break with an apologetic look to Ira and Cian, his face turning a fraction green as he gets out of it to clear his sinuses the best he can, trying his best to quietly blow his nose and clear out his lungs, before he returns with a new makeshift face covering, shooting Ira another apologetic look.
That’s about the time he hears the doctor mention something about experiencing the epidemic and he has to think hard about it, looking back at Ira as she too looks back at him and he clears his throat. He isn’t opposed to experimental treatments, not if it seemed like they could do some good and if things went worse he’d have to make sure he didn’t get himself into a contractual roundabout. “Got a cold. Dunno if it’s related but uh, if ya got tests or something I might be interested.” It’s the opposite of Ira, and he doesn’t look back to her as he offers himself up for it, instead helping Ira and Cian mix the water, focusing intently between it and the doctor.
kill your demons, kill 'em dead; in your mirror, in your bed in your heart, in your head. don't you look good in red?
For a moment he thinks he’s gotten away with it, the different name, the ability of not being sick in order to help fix this bath despite how slippery it is in here. And he thinks that the two of them make a decent team, at least enough that he can see half of the bath without the mud getting scrubbed nicely. And that’s when it falls apart – his boot catching on a clump of particularly slick mud, too lanky to actually catch himself, and he can’t help but to hit the ground hard in a pile of the mud with a surprised (and honestly, embarrassing) yelp.
“Fucking, fuck.” Sunjata grumbles, taking a moment of gathering his composure before he moves to stand again, grumpily grabbing the shovel again to scrape the mud out, wiping his hands on his pants that are already fucked from the mud anyway. Might as well not try to keep too clean when he was already basically covered in it. And he realizes very quickly that he really, really, wants nothing more than a bath to clean it off.
Sunjata curses and picks himself up and continues to shovel out the mud
Maven takes the proffered hammer and goggles, wiggling her already-gloved fingers with a wink to indicate that the gloves are not required. "Thanks," she tells @Zephyr, and has only just prepared to begin trying to chip away at the salt when Dr. Tetya returns, a hose in their hands. She moves quickly out of the way as they shout about piping hot water, and watches with some satisfaction as it sprays over the salt crystals. Hopefully, this will help the salt to dissolve and make it easier to chip away.
With the salt bath now hot and soaked, Maven clambers into the shallow, briny water, her feet growing hot in her boots from the temperature of the water. She ignores it, though, having learned early in her career how to ignore personal discomfort for the greater good. She takes the hammer, eyes a few particularly large crystals, and takes a swing - hopefully breaking off great chunks of salt as she works her way around the tub.
