The woods, Tuesday, all day and night

[fh_beasties]

The stone wasn't alive but it was, in some small sense, aware.

Centuries ago, it had been hewn from the side of a mountain and inscribed with secret words by one with both magic and a deep and abiding sense of love. The words had infused it with power and, as far as a medium-sized stone can manage it anyway, a sense of determination. One might even say stubbornness.

The light of the stars in Fandom's sky had awakened it and it had a job to do.

It sent tendrils of power sliding across the island, searching out the people who lived here and more, the people who had once lived here. They were still bound, still connected, to the island, and the stone used those connections to send its power far across the multiverse.

The power didn't demand, and it didn't threaten. It was calm and subtle and warm, like a tropical breeze, sliding through people's consciousness (or trying to, in any event; Fandom seemed to have more than its fair share of those whose minds stubbornly resisted the stone's influence) to draw out the memories of those they had loved and lost, inviting them to dream.

The stone was a straightforward sort of thing, with all the imagination one would expect of a medium-sized stone, so its message was also straightforward.

If you dream them, they will come.

It was a promise.

Pleased with itself, the stone settled into its task, secure in the knowledge that it could only be found by those it managed to entice into following the power's path to touch it.

[Glee! Ehem, yes. There's OCD for those who are coming to touch the stone and for those who want to find where the heck this weird power signature/feeling is coming from or where these people are going. Not that they'll find out, but when has that ever stopped anyone?

That people in the first thread went into the woods is FB (unless otherwise marked); touching the stone is NFB.]

Comments

Touch the Stone

[fh_beasties]

For those who have been drawn here by the power of the stone. Once they've touched it, the moment they look away it will have disappeared and they won’t be able to find it again.

[If you want the fact that your character went into the woods at all to be NFB please add a note to the subject line to make it easier on the squirrels.]

Re: Touch the Stone

[notquitewright.livejournal.com]

Marcus was not a woodsman; he was a city boy, born and bred. Right now, that didn't seem to matter, and he walked through the woods like one born to them, following a path he couldn't see and a voice he couldn't hear.

If you dream them, they will come.

He should have been suspicious, angry, maybe even afraid, but he wasn't. He was calm, calmer than he'd been in a long time. When he reached the stone, it seemed the most natural thing in the world to crouch down to touch it. It was warm, glowing slightly under his hand, almost as if it was welcoming him, and Marcus couldn't help a small smile, even as the memory of his dream surfaced.

The feeling faded when he pulled his hand away. Marcus stood, shoving his hands in his pockets and glancing around. There was nothing to see, and with one last look around, he left the woods, heading back into town.

Re: Touch the Stone

[living_endless]

Didi found the stone as easily as if she'd been given a map, and left her hand on it for a long moment, as if it was some odd pet.

It was as she'd suspected, and she sat on the ground cross-legged at the base of a nearby tree to think about it.

Something like this could bring trouble. A lot of trouble, and she wasn't in a position to do more than ride out the storm with everyone else.

But ... it could also bring hope. That was in the thing's aura, as clearly as its purpose was. And, more than that, she had a feeling she couldn't stop this even if she wanted to. It was a human issue, meant for humans and not for her in any guise.

She stayed near the rock for a long moment, then set off back to the dorms with a head full of thoughts.

[OOC: Didi knowing what the rock is has been cleared; if you want to find her, go for it!]

Re: Touch the Stone

[solo_sword]

Jaina had gone out for a walk early this morning, considering it a precursor to today's training. She had no idea why she ended up in the woods. Usually this was a place for getting dragged out for a run at 0500, or when something bad happened. For some reason she just felt like she should be here.

She didn't even notice she'd been headed right toward the stone, but it seemed completely natural to do so. There was a moment of wondering if she should kneel to touch it, because she had years of paranoia for that sort of thing stored up in her brain, but she was curious by nature and she didn't feel any danger here. In fact, she felt like she should touch it.

Weird how a rock could make her feel more comforted.

Her hand lingered on it only for a moment, and then she stood straight again, letting go. And then the stone was gone, and though confused, Jaina thought it was best to maybe just walk away slowly. Today was going to be a weird one, she could tell. But she felt okay about it.

Re: Touch the Stone

[trigons_child]

Even as she mourned the loss of her mother, Raven felt the stone stir. The feelings of love and calm drew her to seek out the source, deep in the woods. The power and emotion the stone radiated allowed her to find it easily enough, and when she did, she crouched down beside it, studying it, wondering where such a marvelous thing had come from.

If you dream them, they will come.

She understood what it meant. But as tempting as it was, Raven shook her head. "I cannot," she said quietly. "My mother bars the way of my father and prevents him from invading this world. If I were to summon her here, it could allow him to be released once more, and I cannot take that risk."

Her hand hovered over the stone, almost but not quite touching it. As much as she longed to speak to her mother, even if only for a short time, it was too dangerous. She pulled her hand back and stood up. "Thank you for the offer," she said, uncertain if the stone could even hear or understand her. "But I must decline. I hope you are able to bring some joy to others here, however."

She took a few steps away, then glanced over her shoulder. The stone was gone, but not the feeling of peace and love. She took comfort in that, at least, before teleporting herself back to the dorms.

Re: Touch the Stone

[weetuskenraider]

Tahiri's slow walk from the dorms took her out to the woods, and it wasn't the first time she'd found herself out there when her thoughts were drifting towards Anakin. Ordinarily, though, the mood was darker, and the deeper she got into the woods the harder it was to shake . . . and it hadn't been quite that bad for a while now.

This time, though, the deeper she ventured into the woods the calmer and lighter she felt, until finally she was kneeling beside a stone as if she'd been looking for it even though she'd had nothing of the sort in mind. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting to feel, if anything, when she touched it, but the feeling of warmth -- of lightness, almost -- was not at all unwelcome.

Something rustled off in the distance and Tahiri turned to look, pulling her hand away . . . and looked back to wonder what exactly she was doing, kneeling here. She didn't know, but she stayed a moment longer before heading back towards the grounds.

It had been a strange start to the morning, but . . . no bad feeling about it here.

Re: Touch the Stone

[dontvotemeout]

After he woke up from his nap, Jason went for a run to try to clear his head. It had been quite a while since he'd dreamed of his mother, especially as vividly as he had this afternoon. On one hand, it had been a nice dream - they'd been back in their apartment, and she was healthy, and happier than he could remember seeing her even before she got sick. On the other hand... it wasn't like he wanted to forget about her. But thinking about losing his mother hurt. He felt guilty sometimes, at the knowledge that he missed her more than his dad, but maybe that was because his dad could still be out there somewhere, and his mother wasn't.

He found himself thinking about that more as he ran, and he was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't realize he'd veered away from his usual path until he was in the woods, at the stone. All his normal apprehension when it came to touching unfamiliar things went away, and he laid his hand on the stone to examine it.

If you dream them, they will come.

Yeah, that wasn't creepy at all, Jason thought. Still, when he pulled his hand away, he felt less upset than he had since he'd woken up. He glanced around to try to get his bearing, and when he looked back, the stone was gone. Having had his creepy fill for the day, Jason headed back to the dorms. Maybe he needed to rest again.

For those who've gone a'hunting

[fh_beasties]

For those who are tracking the power, or tracking/following those who are being drawn to touch the stone. Sadly, they're going to wind up going around in circles, as people they follow vanish from sight and trails, whether scent, physical or magical, lead them on a merry chase, but hey, it's a nice day for a walk in the woods.

Re: For those who've gone a'hunting

[glacial_queen]

Karla was not feeling the love and the warmth that the stone was projecting. She was, quite frankly, feeling frustrated and annoyed. The slight hum of power she'd been sensing all day was prickling her skin and there was a something murmuring at the edges of her attention all day.

And if that hadn't been enough of a distraction, she'd caught herself daydreaming about her parents on and off all afternoon. It was all kind of aggravating, if you asked Karla.

Re: For those who've gone a'hunting

[worsethanaunts.livejournal.com]

"Hello. Where are you?" the Doctor asked the woods or, more specifically, what was in the woods. Sonic screwdriver and UV light on hand, he headed in to wander around for a few fruitless hours of searching for something he couldn't put his finger on.

OOC

[fh_beasties]

I really want to make a Romancing the Stone joke here, but it's not quite coming together.

If you have any questions, drop me a comment here or an email (marcus.notquitewright (at) gmail.com) and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible!

Re: OOC

[weetuskenraider]

I'd be lying to say I didn't let out a tiny little squeal of joy when I saw this post on my flist when I woke up. Just sayin'.