10th l o s t s o u l ~ [Action]

[illusional]

[Cheyenne was hungry.]

[It had only been a few moments since she awoke, resting in the snow and shivering, and she was already on her feet and walking. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she realized where she was. This wasn't the desert anymore. No, this place was still familiar... Luceti. But the name held no significance for her yet. Her mind was racing. For the first time in what felt like forever, she could actually think. The hunger was still unbearable, but the shift into the barrier was enough to give her some control.]

[She needed to figure out what to do before she froze to death or gave in to temptation. She didn't know why, perhaps her mind wasn't clear enough to understand, but she knew she couldn't go into the village yet. She needed to wait... but for what? Waiting wasn't going to make things better. Perhaps, if she could find just one person, she could pull herself together long enough to feed without putting them in danger?]

[But did she have the self-control to do so?]

[She was so hungry...]

--

[Much later in the evening, Cheyenne will make her way around the village in an attempt to refamiliarize herself with the setting, this time wearing her blindfold. It hasn't changed too much since she was last here, thankfully. She'll grab a few things from the item shop to bring back to her apartment before finally stopping by Seventh Heaven for dinner. Her memories of Luceti place are still coming back in bits and pieces, but at the very least, she remembers she ate here often.]

[Feel free to run into her at any point, though she'll probably be a little unresponsive until after she's eaten actual food.]

--

((ooc: Okay, so! Cheyenne here is an illusionist. Normally she's much more in control of her powers, but after a month and a half of not feeding at all, she doesn't have a very strong hold on mind right now. The powercap brought back some of her sanity, but until she can manage enough to go into the village without eating every soul in sight, she'll be wandering around the forest just outside the village. Unfortunately, she's doing so without her blindfold on, which means anyone who happens to see her is at risk for being fed on.

If you want your character to run into her in the first part, please fill this out! And keep in mind she might avoid your character in the future if they didn't already know each other from her last stay here. Basically, when someone looks into her eyes, they will be trapped in an illusion of whatever it is they fear the most. Only your character will see the illusion, and they won't be able to move until freed. If your character wears sunglasses/goggles/anything that obscures vision, or is blind, they won't be affected by illusions. And don't worry, she won't feed long enough to leave any damage to your character's soul.

And of course, she'll be completely sane for the second part!))

Comments

[goldenglasses]

[Vash had been out most of the day in the woods. He happens to have a bag with extra coats with him today as he was out looking for a couple people today. Neither of them happen to be blond, but Vash knows the back of that head. He starts to call out-]

Chey-

[-then he notices, there is something missing from the back of that head. The blindfold's knot. He looks down at the ground and dives his hand into his pocket to get out his sunglasses.]

Cheyenne! Are you alright!?

[illusional]

[She could recognize Vash a mile away with that powerful, bright soul of his, but right now, all she senses is a viable source of food. And had he not suddenly called out her name, perhaps she would have acted accordingly...]

[But no. Only in Luceti has anyone ever called out to her by name like that. It's enough to bring her back, for a moment. Long enough for her to shut her eyes tightly so she can turn around, but not quite enough for her to remember who is calling her name.]

[Her voice is flat and devoid of any emotion, save for her shivering.]

...you are not a human, are you?

[goldenglasses]

[He doesn't look up until his sunglasses are on. Remembering how they had canceled out her powers once before.

You are not a human, are you? Then, she doesn't remember Luceti.]

No, I'm not. On my home planet I'd be called a Plant.

1/3

[illusional]

Plant? How unfitting a name, given a plant is not the sort of living thing that possesses the sort of soul I am seeing here. How strange. And yet...

[Good thing those glasses are on, because she just opened her eyes.]

2/actually idk I LIED

[illusional]

[...]

[illusional]

[. . .]

/DONE

[illusional]

[.............]

[And she closes her eyes again.]

...and yet, even stranger still.

[goldenglasses]

[Vash is a little surprised at first. He had originally put his glasses on as he thought the Malnosso had left her out here without her blindfold and remembered she didn't like to feed without permission. The glasses were in case she turned at the sound of her name, but that had seemed like a direct attempt to feed.]

Ah, I suppose for some worlds it is. I don't think you remember me, but my name is Vash. You are in Luceti, a place that takes people from many different worlds and universes. You were here once before and explained to me what you are.

[The offer to let her feed hovers on his lips. He had the warnings before what her illusions could be like and it makes him hesitate. The first time they had met she had explained herself before removing her blindfold. What was the change this time? For now he'll let the information of being in another universe sink in first.]

[fabrecation]

[Luke likes wandering the forest at these times. It helps him see if there are any New Feathers stuck out here, and to just plain explore a little more.

And that's when he sees her. Wavy blonde hair... but no blindfold. That's a bad sign, but Luke just hopes that she'll keep her eyes shut, and that he'll do his best to not look if she does. But he can't help being happy to see her; he even grins as he hurries his steps.]

Cheyenne? Cheyenne! You came back!

[illusional]

[Luke's soul doesn't call out as loudly as Vash's would, but the use of her name, the name that only she knows back home, is enough to give her pause. She stops walking and nearly turns around, but stops herself. When she turns again, her eyes are closed.]

[She doesn't say anything, instead focusing on looking over his soul... so potent despite being so young. How strange.]

[And as with Vash, her voice is entire devoid of emotion.]

"Came back"?

[fabrecation]

[Luke stops a few feet away, slowly, his smile fading when she answers. She sounds... kind of creepy right now. Not that she's never been like that, but... more than usual. And... the fact that it was a question. Did that mean she didn't remember this place?

Luke makes his eyes look at something else. The tree behind her, not her, nor her eyes. It was too risky right now.]

Yeah... This is Luceti. You were here before. You don't remember?

[illusional]

I believe I would know what it is I remember and what it is I do not. After all, I would be the one needing to remember it, and only I know what I am capable of remembering.

[She takes an unsteady step closer, opening her eyes.] Unless I forgot.

[But she's not making any effort to jump into his line of vision... yet. Best be careful not to let your eyes wander, Luke.]

[fabrecation]

[He's doing a good job so far. His eyes very nearly stray, but he squints them and keeps them on the tree instead. He can see the whites of her eyes, and that is not a good thing. He remembers from long ago her telling him that he should never look into her eyes. It's why she has the blindfold...

The blindfold.]

That sometimes happens to people when they come here...

[He's slowly taking off the haramaki Miyabi got him the Christmas before last. It's not the best substitute, but... Maybe he can get it around her eyes.]

My name is Luke. You told me not to look into your eyes once.

[consultmybooks]

[...Giles knows you.

It takes several seconds for him to remember how, and by that point he's already walking towards the blindfolded blond child. Honestly, the first couple of weeks of the year are always, always the worst time to try and find any sort of place to be alone. You never know where the New Feathers might turn up.

...but, this is his job, and she is evidently freezing.]

...Cheyenne?

[action]

[illusional]

[Cheyenne wasn't as close to Giles as she had been to some of the other villagers, so his soul approaching isn't immediately recognized. But calling her name is enough to make her stop. She'll even close her eyes before turning around, though it's taking quite a bit of will-power to do so. And she's not actually wearing her blindfold right now.]

[Her voice is completely devoid of emotion when she speaks. Even more so than usual, which for her is really saying something.]

...how do you know that name?

Re: [action]

[consultmybooks]

[...she isn't wearing her blindfold, is she?

No. No she is not. But she should be. Oh dear lord, she should be.]

I...

[Oh, god. How do you even explain this? He doesn't know. He's out of practice. Rachel was a long time ago. The threat of her gaze suddenly makes it hard to think straight.]

...d-do you know where you are?

[action]

[illusional]

No. I don't know where I am. But do you know where you are?

[She takes a step closer. There's something very strange about her demeanor right now. She's walking on her feet in an unsteady manner, and clearly not only because of the cold. Even her voice sounds more distant and disconnected than usual, as though she weren't really thinking about what she was saying.]

[Her voice remains blank, but a strange grin begins to spread across her face.]

Do you know? I wonder. He knew where he was. And he knew what I am. Do you know what I am, too?

Re: [action]

[consultmybooks]

[Each step closer is matched by a step back.]

Yes, I know where you are.

And I know what you are. For a while, I was what you are.

It was horrible.

[action]

[folklorist]

[ Helios knows this time of the month and keeping an eye out on several people since they've either been taken or have gone missing...well Helios is out and about more than usual. New feathers are going to start trickling in...and so it's one of his jobs to make sure they're alright especially in this weather.

He'll stumble upon Cheyenne, regarding her with a confused and worried look before hurrying over. A New Feather out here alone? Definitely not a good sign by any stretch of the word. ] Miss? Do you need some help? Th-there's a town not too far away.

[action]

[illusional]

[Cheyenne doesn't recognize that soul. It's not an eleman... is it human? Yes. And it feels powerful. The hunger feels as though it could burn right through her, and it takes everything she has to resist turning around right now and tearing that soul out of him.]

[No. No, no, no, this wasn't right. She needed to get a hold herself. She needed to hold onto what little sanity she still possessed...!]

[The town. He could lead her to the town.]

[But she could get there on her own, couldn't she?]

[And he might know what she is. He might be like that one, Luke. If he leaves, will he warn the others? No, Luke might have already done that. This could be her only chance. This could be her last chance.]

[She was so hungry...]

I don't suppose... that I am one in need of help right now.

[action]

[folklorist]

[ Helios stops dead at those words. Something wasn't right...

He'll take another tentative step forward. ]

Is th-there someone else then? I-I could call for help if that's what is needed. It's alright if you, you don't trust me. It's always a bit...hard to do so when you first arrive.

[ He'll take another few steps forward only a few feet away from Cheyenne now. He wasn't just going to leave her here out in the forest despite the cryptic words she just spoke. ]

[Action]

[concasse]

[Seventh Heaven, you say? Then Sanji is in for a surprise when he steps out of the kitchen. A good thing he has no food on hand - he might have dropped it at the familiar sight]

Cheyenne-chan?!

[Action]

[illusional]

[Oh. It's Sanji. Perhaps if she were in better spirits, she might have attempted to at least look happy to see him. Is she happy to see him? Maybe. She thinks so. It kind of feels like happiness.]

[But she's still rather mixed up from everything that happened earlier. She even has a (poorly) bandaged cut on her cheek from when Noel shoved her away from Luke. Not to mention the fact that she very nearly froze to death on top of nearly starving to death in the desert prior to arriving.]

[But none of that shows. She keeps her face angled towards the ground, even though she's plenty capable of seeing him through the blindfold.]

Hello, Sanji.

[Action]

[concasse]

[With such a lackluster response, Sanji is taken aback - until everything Cheyenne is and what that implies comes rushing back to him. And then, there's deep relief and guilt intermingling in his gut.]

You're back! [Brushing over how bad that could be, he approaches her on reflex] Are you okay? Do you need anything?

[Action]

[illusional]

[Aaand she takes a step back on similar reflex. Just as a reminder. She's caused enough terror today without having to add more badtouch negative feelings to the occasion.]

Something to eat. [Even for Cheyenne, that's a little more bland than usual. Her personality hasn't quite turned back on yet. Though after a second, she does remember to tack on--] Please.