aterat | Story Event

Entry tags:

Story Event - Nomes

Who; Mono and anyone! Open to all!
What; A Network Story and a Log for the event!
Where; All around Aterat!
When; Early August
Warnings; None to start, but if something comes up I will update.
Note; So I'm thinking this could provide some options. The network could be a fun chat story time, the log for after-story experience, or we could mix it up and people could reach out to Mono via the network if they come across Nomes and the log doesn't grab you. You are also totally welcome to do your own thing with Nomes if you want. Also if you want something personal written up, I’m happy to do so! My plotting post is over here

The Mystery of Nomes - Network Video - Open

[ Mono is not known for doing posts on the network on his own unless it’s strictly necessary. Not that he’s anti-social or anything, it’s just that the static feedback caused by his own abilities gets annoying and a bit hard to explain.

However, here he is with a slightly confused little scrunch of his nose. ]

Anyone ever hear of Nomes before? They’re these little things in my world, at least I think so. They’re a little smaller than me, and they got pointed hats that cover their faces… Kinda like those funny capped mushrooms you see sometimes? Or those hats they make kids wear in school when they do bad, I guess.

Um… Anyway, you see them in pictures and stuff around the pale city. But… I think I saw one once, maybe? It’s kinda fuzzy. I think it happened before a long time ago-

[ By which, the boy means a long time ago. Which is odd coming from someone who looks to only be about 12 at best now. But Mono is far older than he looks, and there are so many cycles he’s been through. ]

Back when I was exploring the hunter’s cabin, there was this little guy that hurried out of a drawer I had pulled out. It was really surprising, ‘cause of all the other stuff I saw in the cabin... So I followed it up to a different part of the attic. It made a funny almost squeaking sound. Seemed really scared, but I guess that’s fair since being little is scary sometimes and I’m bigger than them.

Its shadow was kinda weird, though. 'Cause didn’t match the shape of the nome, right? But other than that, it looked just like the picture I saw! Guess you don’t see shadows in drawn pictures unless someone draws them though, so that makes sense.

I dunno if it really happened or not, could’ve just been a dream too, I guess.

[ And the boy falls silent, tugging the brim of his cap a little lower and rubbing at an eye with a sleepy little yawn. ]

Dunno why I remembered them now… But I guess I was just thinking about stuff.

You get Nomes! And you get some Nomes! Nomes for everybody! - Log - Open

Mono hadn’t thought much beyond the weird need to share the story about the Nomes on the network. He put the tell-phone away, took a nap, and then tugged on his mail-carrier cap and grabbed the bag he used to carry the messages for work to head out the door. The boy almost misses the raspy squeak coming from somewhere in his bedroom, but maybe it’s one of the cats… They make funny sounds sometimes!

Plus, he doesn’t want to be late to the delivery service, so he glanced over his shoulder curiously but kept walking. Mono did stop long enough to grab the little lunch Ignis usually had packed on the kitchen counter before hurrying out the door for the day.

What he hadn’t expected, perhaps what no one expected, was that the day would entail far more than carrying mail. Either interrupted by texts asking more questions about the nomes for good reason, or being stopped on the street when someone recognized him and needed help with their newfound guests. “Huh? What do you mean you saw one? They aren’t here, they might not even be real in my world??” He started, but stopped when he realized this was Aterat and just about anything seemed possible here…

So colour the boy curious as he eagerly hurried to follow and see.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

What kinda items?

[ He’s curious, and has time to ask while he makes his way from the house where he lived with Nida and Ignis. Having seen so many kinds of shops and stalls in the market where people actually bought and sold things made him wonder what she might have sold. It’s so different from where he’s from. ]

Convenience store items. Gum. Cigarettes.

[At least, that was what the little box had to offer. People had to specify exactly what they wanted, but she had the sections memorized. It was literally only a cover, though people wanting legitimate cigarettes came by from time to time.]

Convenience stores… I think I know what those are, little stores that got lots of random stuff, right? I think I found gum before, it’s all weird chewy.

[ He’s learned a few things. It’s just taken him some time given the state of his own world to put names to things and figure out what they were meant to be like normally. ]

I bet you could find somewhere like that here, too. There’s a lot of little shops, and people actually buy stuff at them!

[ The boy looked up at the area in front of him as the coloured buildings came into sight. He makes an easy beeline for the gray building, entering the familiar space and starting towards the apartment she said she lived in. ]

I’m almost there!

That kind of store. [Yin confirms. And gum, yes, it is very chewy.]

I have not chewed gum in a long time.

[There are so many things Yin is learning, herself. Very importantly, Mono has just given her very good knowledge.]

Thank you. I will look. [Because having a job is good for a lot of reasons. In particular, having money for things.]

Good.

You’re welcome!

[ Mono is always happy to help. It seemed only right after so many people helped him when he first got here, and still continued to help him now and again! Plus… It was nice, because you got to know people better! Making his way into the door of the apartment she said she lived in. ]

I’m here, so I’m gonna hang up now! Since we can talk without the phones.

[ He awkwardly hangs up at that. He still was a bit awkward sometimes with phone manners. But she would hear a knock at the door shortly after that, the boy waiting on the other side patiently (if slightly eager to see the nome). ]

[She isn't supposed to be able to think of it, but Yin notes how well mannered Mono is. Manners seem to very important, to people who are not contracted killers, at least.]

[Yin doesn't respond, just gives a nod, so Mono is alone in the awkward tell-phone manners. When she hears the knock, Yin responds, though it might take a little while for her to answer the door and open it. She can never tell how much space a person needs, so she opens it the whole way and steps aside.]

Do we need to be quiet? Do they scare easily?

[ Mono’s preferences when it came to personal space were a bit of a work in progress. He was comfortable with people being around him, but he did still get rather anxious and kept his distance from people who were significantly tall due to the way things were in his world. Instincts were difficult to fight, after all. But standing next to Yin wasn’t hard, and she didn’t set off any of his personal warning signals. So she was good.

He wandered in, looking around the apartment curiously. It was always neat to see these places once someone moved in. He used to live in the gray building too, before he moved. He glanced up at Yin, though, considering her question carefully. ]

As long as we don’t yell and stuff, it should be okay? And we don’t try to get too close before they decide we’re friends. The one I met was really scared at first. Then it kinda decided to play a game and decided I was okay. Do you got the crackers?

[ Snacks seemed like a good way to show they were friendly. It worked pretty well for Tommy. ]

[Yin is fairly slender, moves with deliberation in every step, slowly and careful, full of grace. Yin's apartment might not look very lived in. She's accustomed to sleeping and sitting on the floor, and everything is very neat and tidy - she does not do much and remains very clean and efficient.]

[She listens to Mono's words and stay very quiet, only giving him a nod to show she understands. When he asks about the crackers, she nods again. Crackers are, thankfully, staples and easy to get. She points to her kitchen.]

On the table.

[That might be a good note for Yin - snacks are the way to go as peace offerings.]

[ Mono definitely notes how neat and tidy everything is, and he is kind of like that honestly. He tried very hard to keep the room Nida and Ignis gave him clean, not just because he didn’t want to trouble them… But also because his world was full of clutter and garbage and seeing things in a neat, orderly arrangement was nice. It made this place feel a lot different and a lot nicer than where he’d been before. ]

Great!

[ The boy responded quietly, turning and making his way over to the table to retrieve the crackers and opening them carefully. It wasn’t long before he crouched on the floor near the drawer and carefully set a couple of crackers on the lip of the drawer in reach of the nomes. Then he slid the package over to Yin with a little rustle. ]

We’ll leave a couple close enough for them to try, then we can try offering them ourselves. Tommy used candy like this with one of the one’s at the office, and they warmed up pretty fast.

[Yin, as of yet, wouldn't comprehend the need for things to be different than another place, a bad place. Her ability to consider for herself hasn't reached that level, yet. As she bonds more with Mono, though, she will care more and more to give him that - different from where he was from.]

[There's a nod of Yin's head as she feels for the package, then pulls out a couple of crackers. She places one, carefully, on the edge of the drawer, feels it, and unintentionally wiggles the offering.]

[That at least gets the Nome's attention. It perks up and approaches them, slowly.]

If this doesn't work, we can get candy.

[ Mono watched the nome curiously for a moment, before smiling as it started to approach to investigate the snacks. ]

Uh-huh, we can! But I think the crackers might just work, they seem pretty interested. They’re just cautious, is all.

[ He settled comfortably to let the creatures come to them in their own time. ]

‘Cause people that are bigger are kinda dangerous where we come from. So, it’s just better to be careful. If you don’t, you usually end up in trouble. They just haven’t had a chance to see stuffs different here.

[ Mono wondered if they were going to stay, because then they’d have more time to learn that. ]

[Yin's eyes widen - slightly - when she feels the cracker is taken from her hand. The nome scurries off to eat it in the corner of the drawer, but watches the other two, curiously while it nibbles.]

[Yin gives a nod, then settles back in a kneeling position, listening.]

Were you in danger? [Mono just sounds very familiar with what he's speaking of, and it concerns Yin. Maybe not enough to call the emotion worry, but enough she's inquiring on her own accord.]

[ Mono smiled a little as he watched the nome scurry back to it’s corner to shove the cracker up under its hat to nibble on. The other two waited a moment or two before toddling closer to the edge of the drawer to also sneak some crackers. They were so cute, and he had a feeling they’d warm up to Yin in no time.

The question gets a slight tilt of his head, nose scrunching a bit as he tries to think of a good way to answer that. Adults were always a bit… weird about his situation. He understood why now, because his world wasn’t normal. But understanding didn’t make the subject easier, because the details weren’t pretty. Especially since he knew more about his world, and himself, after his last trip back. ]

Yeah, kinda. [ Understatement. ] It’s just how stuff is there. It’s really different from this world.

[Yin will spy on the nomes later with her ghost, but she hears them, rushing forward, then retreating with their prize. She can also hear the nibbling.]

It's good. They're eating.

[At least, in Yin's case, she wasn't able to worry about Mono's situation back home, not with her emotions so muted. That didn't mean a part of her didn't have concern for her new little - was this what was called - friend. She did, but the usual upset Mono might be accustomed to won't be present.]

But you're safe here?

The world I come from is different, too. [It wasn't even the world it was ten years ago.]

Yeah, I think they’re pretty comfy in your drawer with snacks. So, I think we did good at making them happy.

[ He thinks… You can’t see their faces, but Mono presumes the fact that they were still sitting in the drawer munching away instead of running around finding somewhere else to hide was a good enough sign to assign ‘happy’ to their current situation.

It would probably be a rather unique relief that she wouldn’t react the way some people did, if he ever did slip and say a little too much around her. It happened now and again. Some adults eventually learned to keep their thoughts and confusion to themselves… But he’d still gotten cautious of how many specific details he shared rather early on in his stay here. ]

Yup, it’s a lot safer here. Some nice adults asked me to move in with them, and even the dangerous stuff isn’t too bad to deal with… At least from what I was around to see so far.

[ The boy tilted his head slightly at the follow up comment. ]

Is it?

[Once out of crackers, the nomes venture to the front of the drawer and peer out with curious little faces.]

[Yin tilts her head.] That's good. That we can make them happy. [She doesn't sound entirely convinced, as though she's still learning how these things correlate.]

[As for the details of Mono's life, Yin wouldn't be to show much emotion, she would mostly just sit there in silence and listen, let him talk, let him feel and be. Not out of a lack of concern, but her subdued emotions are all she has, for now. And even she understands the value of silent companionship. It has come to matter a lot in her current life.]

Our sky changed. The stars moved. The moon vanished. [That's all she says for now, but it's a step toward admitting the truth. Which she might share one day.]

[ Mono watched the Nomes quietly while he listened to Yin. What did that all mean? Did something warp the sky? Almost like how the signal warped his world? Hmm… The boy isn’t sure how stars move and moons vanish, but he does accept that it’s something that could happen fairly easily. ]

Does anyone know why? And where the moon went? My world’s still got one. It makes seeing at night easier, as long as it’s not all cloudy and foggy.

[It could be a warping of sorts, but they still lacked answers. Yin wasn't even able to ponder it herself, and those that did just had theories. Life, of course, continued on.]

They still don't know. [All anyone seems to have in her world is speculation.]

[She's quiet for a little bit, then asks:] Tell me about yours. What does it look like? The light? It felt very soft.

[ Mono was quiet himself for a moment or two. The boy trying to think of anything that might be best left unsaid, since talking about his world and experiences had always been a bit hard around here. But Yin’s world sounded different too, even if maybe not in the same way… And the moon, he decided, was a safe enough topic compared to the world in general. ]

It’s really big and round when you can see it, kind’ve… like a big eye in the sky, I guess.

[ At least that was what it reminded him of sometimes. ]

Sometimes the light is kinda soft like you said, if there're clouds or fog… And then sometimes it’s sharp and bright? And it makes the shadows seem extra big. So, it helps with seeing stuff if you gotta be out at night, but also gives ya lots of places to hide if you want to sit for a bit and not be seen.

[ As Mono speaks, something in Yin's expression softens, like tension releases, tension she shouldn't, technically, have. She doesn't smile, can't smile, but her voice gains a note of gentleness she didn't have before. ]

I think that's how our moon used to be, too.

Is the moon here like that?

[ Mono tapped his chin, thinking about the moon here compared to the one in his world. He realized that he oddly paid slightly less attention to it these days, less necessary to utilize in the evenings since he had a safe place to sleep for the night… And he didn’t want to worry Ignis or Nida, they seemed to think sleep schedules were important.

Now, it was mostly something he admired out the window or the odd evening he was outside. ]

Yup, mostly! [ He decided, thinking back to the last night the moon had been seen. ] It’s still got a pretty soft light.

So I guess moons are mostly the same in a lot of worlds, even the ones that they aren’t in anymore, huh?

[It does sound, even to Yin, that Mono utilized the moon in his world very specifically, but she isn't sure how to discuss that. What did she have to compare it to? No, maybe assassins in her world used it much the same way, but they didn't have the disadvantages Mono had.]

[Yin gives a soft hum, something that could almost be pleased, if she was the type to emote.]

Yes. Maybe.

[She's quiet for a moment as the nomes peak out from the drawer.]

Do you...have a hobby? Or do new things now that you're in a different place? [Because she has more time now, and is thinking...what does she do now?]

[ A hobby… Mono has to think about that as he watches the nome peeking out of the drawer. Taking a moment to balance another couple of crackers on the edge for the little creature to see if it would come out and join them. ]

I dunno if I got anything people would call hobbies. [ He used to follow new people around a lot to make sure they weren’t bad or going to change when no one was looking. But he’d mostly stopped doing that these days now that he was a lot more used to the place. ] But yeah! I like to try lots of new things here. Some people taught me out to play games at the park, and um… There’s lots of really good foods to try that I never had before either.

[The nome seems to perk up at the sight of the crackers, and grabs for one to take back to it's friends. They share in the back of the shelf.]

Those can be hobbies. [Yin doesn't sound utterly convinced of what she says, though. It sounds like what she's heard of hobbies. Trying new food. Playing games.]

I - [she pauses while she tries to work herself ] have considered it's time to do new things while I'm here.

Oh, then I guess I do kinda got hobbies. [ Mono responded with a small tilt of his head. Neither of them were particularly sure of these things, but the boy was willing to accept the answer Yin gave. ]

Yeah? [ The kid perked up a bit as she continued, though. It’s been a while since he met someone who also hadn’t tried a lot of new things before, and her uncertainty made it feel like she probably hadn’t. ] I think this is a good place to try new stuff. People are pretty nice when you don’t know something well, even if they might ask questions sometimes. Is there a kind of new stuff you wanna try?

[ The kid would help if he could! He liked the idea, anyway, having been in a similar position when he arrived. ]

Story Event - Nomes

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We could wrap, because I'm thinking I want to toss her at Mono's mirror post?

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Wrap