(no subject)

[thequestgiver]

Today is the... erm.. uh...

Well, to be frank, since Old Man Sign Changer quit his job, noone's quite sure what day it is any longer. Some people think that's a good thing. A lot of good pesky things like numbered days do in a place like the Kingdom. It's not right, trying to number something as natural as the sun and the moon, after all! And besides, if noone know what day it is, noone can get angry that someone else forgot their birthday.

Or at least that's what Old Man Sign Changer said as he quit his post and went off to the bar. Been there ever since. Misses Sign Changer doesn't seem to mind either, which has set up all sorts of gossipy whispers.

So instead of the date, there's just a sign reading "time is a cloud, we're all birds and nothing matters." When asked, Ole Man Sign Changer just repeats it, gestures vaguely and repeats "Birds, I tell you. Birds."

The weather report has also given up and just says "Sun. It's always sunny, even when it's not, stop asking me!"

There's quite a lot of space on the board for other postings, signs and rude doodles. Someone should put something there before Ole Biddy starts posting her weird art up there again...


[[New arrivals, please check the "Welcome to the Kingdom!" post for your introduction illusion and Pamphlet!]]

Comments

Board Postings

[thequestgiver]

Someone has thoughtfully provided both parchment and pins for putting postings up on the board.

But no pen. Someone kept walking off with it, so now everyone has to suffer.

[finalizes]

[Someone has added quite a lot of postings to the board. It would be more mysterious who it was if she wasn't still sitting there and working on the next one.]

[finalizes]

Haw you zeen tem? Tel Safhron!

[Under this note, a cluster of other notes have been pinned.]

[finalizes]

Alfa dady!

[A drawing that shows a person with short-ish hair and glasses and another drawing of some four-legged animal (totally a wolf) accompany the words.]

[finalizes]

Unncel Khal! I ned to find him becoze he neets speshal food.

[finalizes]

Soft dady!

He is blohnd and frendli and has a leg wat tat isn't aleg.

[finalizes]

Figtee dady! And Ryo! Figti dady figts a lot so if somwon figts a lot with everywon mayby it is figty dady. Espeshli if a boy is wit him. the boy can bee a sneik or sometting else to.

[chalicejoker]

[Attached to this note is a crude drawing of a mantis and a lot of exclamation points.]

[finalizes]

[Attached to this note is another note.

It contains just a question mark in Saffron's writing, and then, in a different hand, a drawing.

The drawing is fairly abstract but still surprisingly clear, and shows a big and a small wolf who seem to be moving, and then an arrow towards a person and a mantis.]

[chalicejoker]

[There are two notes attached to this one. One of them just has a bunch of exclamation points and more crude drawings of a mantis and a vaguely human-shaped blob with a heart on its face because Ryo is not the best artist.

The other's a note in Hajime's handwriting. "Ryo and I are here."]

[finalizes]

[There is a response to the words.

The response is, in large, careful crinkly writing: "Were?" Saffron might be better at writing than Laughs, but that's a very low bar.]

[chalicejoker]

[The response says "Hero House, usually around the kitchens.

Or out trying to fight things in woods."]

[finalizes]

[A while later, Hajime's only warning will be a cheerful] FIGHTY DADDYYYYYYYYY [before a widely grinning little girl launches herself at him.

Laughs hangs back a bit, letting the cub get her tacklehug attacks out of the way before he trots over, and looking around for other familiar faces.]

[triggerhappytraitor]

At some point, there is a small crayon-drawn addition to Ryo's drawing; two red diamonds (one bigger, one smaller) and a puzzle piece in pink.

[finalizes]

[To each of those, a question mark gets added after a little while longer. The pink puzzle piece gets two, even.]

[triggerhappytraitor]

After considerable pouting, Garren spends an hour carefully drawing a picture of him, his Slammer (in his usual sage green and black get up) and Sayoko, each with the corresponding symbol drawn under them.

[finalizes]

[When Garren shows up at the message board next, Laughs and Saffron are camping out there. Actually kind of camping - or at least having a picnic.

Laughs isn't eating, but Saffron is methodically going through a bowl of sweets.]

[finalizes]

Unccel Tik-tok! He has a larch bard over his mauth.

[scarsolderthanyou]

[Here's a familiar face, Saffron. Though he doesn't look like he recognizes you. The familiar gray-skinned old man drops to a crouch in front of her.]

You all right, there, kid?

[Because that's a lot of "looking for" messages.]

[finalizes]

[She looks up from her drawing - a figure that is slowly starting to take the shape of a Raksuran - and then pushes it way entirely and jumps up to throw her arms around Stone.]

Grandpa!

[scarsolderthanyou]

[He catches her and hugs her back, because that's what you do when a small child throws themselves at you, but he looks surprised by it.]

What?

[All of his direct grandchildren are dead. And she doesn't smell (or look) like a Raksuran child. It's impossible for him to be her grandpa, and he's pretty sure he doesn't know her.]

[finalizes]

[She pauses and then doesn't let go, but pulls back a bit to look at him.

Oh.

Is he infiltrating? But he looks and smells like himself...]

...Are you not grandpa?

[scarsolderthanyou]

I'm Stone.

[For whatever that's worth here. He doesn't release her, either, since she at least seems to want to stay there for now. She may not be his, but he's not a monster. He's even a little apologetic-sounding when he explains:]

I'm pretty sure I don't have any non-Raksuran grandchildren, though.

[finalizes]

...But Stone is my grandpa. And you smell like him and look like him.

[This makes no sense.]

[scarsolderthanyou]

Then I'm probably still me, I just don't recognize you.

[Makes no sense, indeed. But it does remind him of the brief happiness he'd seen on that other groundling child who'd greeting him in his room. Garren. So he asks, hoping to maybe stir up a memory:]

What's your name?