[TASK] All Play and No Work? (Na'ima/Salbei)

[Eight]

PLAY WITH ME


gaia_crown [ LOCATION ]

Isla de Las Munecas, Mexico

gaia_crown [ SETTING ]

"The Isla de Las Munecas - Or Island of the Dolls - was once started by a human as a tribute to a drowned little human girl. As the years progressed, more dolls appeared on the island, and soon it became more than just a tribute to the little ones that have been lost. It is now a place of great sorrow and FEAR as honouring the dead mixes with the psychological anxiety of seeing so many human-like dolls in such a lonely, haunting place. They hang from trees, they sit in crevices. Some have been there so long that they are being engulfed by the foliage themselves, becoming part of the landscape. Broken doll parts litter the ground, some half-buried enough to make tiny porcelain fingers reach hopefully for the sky. Hundreds - perhaps thousands - of open glass eyes follow your every move as you navigate this silent, lonely island. "

gaia_crown [ MISSION ]

This island is a place to store - and grow - FEAR. Some of the dolls are just dolls, innocently placed there to honour the dead, but others have been planted on purpose as well-hidden FEAR containers. They siphon the FEAR and hold onto it, containing it in the little plastic, porcelain or fabric bodies. You will be given some dolls - ones that are empty FEAR containers - and you will have to switch them out with the full ones on the island, without getting intercepted by Hunters or dropping the doll-like container(s).

gaia_crown [ MECHANICS ]

Step One: Prep Work


• Roll a 1d4 - this is how many empty doll-shaped FEAR containers you receive at the beginning. This will also be how many chances you have to roll in step two.
  
• Example: I roll a 1d4, and get three - this means I have three fear containers to start with.

Step Two: Harvest

1 - 20 : You come across a lone Human in a dirty, torn janitor's outfit. They don't bother you or seem to notice you, and simply go about their business, hanging dolls and doll parts from trees. You notice that some of the dolls this human possesses are actually empty fear containers - what you do here is up to you. You can either leave the human be, since they are helping, or you can try to steal one of the FEAR containers for a chance to harvest more. If you choose to steal, roll a 1d6 - evens, you get 1 empty FEAR container (which will give you one more opportunity to harvest), odds you get nothing. Whether or not you let the human live is up to you as well.
21 - 40 : It starts off as a regular harvest, but something happens and you drop the full container! The doll shatters, and the FEAR escapes. You get nothing.
41 - 60 : Hunter Encounter! - You come across a lone Hunter, and they are trying to destroy the fear containers before they can be used! To stop them, you must defeat them. They have 20HP and do an auto damage of 3. If you win the battle, you gain +1 FEAR. If you lose, you simply escape before you can be dissipated.
61 - 80 : One of the dolls you walk by begins to scream - apparently, this one is so full of FEAR that it's threatening to become sentient. In order to harvest this one, you have to move fast - to cut it free from the tree, roll your regular attack dice; if you do damage, the doll stops screaming, and you gain +2 FEAR. If you miss, the doll falls from the tree and shatters, rendering the gathered fear useless.
81 - 100 : You find a human. A "ghost hunting" human, complete with cameras and all sorts of curiously beeping gadgets. Time to harvest some fresh FEAR! Scare the humans however you'd like. By the time you're finished with them, the three FEAR containers nearby are full! +3 FEAR.


• You may do this for each empty doll container you have (you rolled for these in step one!). Example: I rolled a 3 in step one, which means I can roll 1d100 a total of 3 times.
  
• Every prompt you answer will end with you hanging up a empty FEAR container doll.
  
• If you roll between 1-20, you DO lose one of your starting FEAR containers. You just have the opportunity to steal another one, which means you can roll again if you're lucky.


Step Three: Return to Base


• When you're finished on the island, simply return home with your harvested FEAR in tow!

gaia_crown [ BONUS MECHANICS ]

Please apply these bonuses based on your clan:


• Famine: Add a +1 to any gained FEAR totals while harvesting.
  
• War: Add +2 to any battle roll while on this island.
  
• Death: Gains a +1 empty FEAR container in step one.
  
• Conquest: Either add or subtract 20 from your 1d100 roll. (ie. I roll a 50 - I can either make it a 30 or a 70, and respond to one of those prompts instead.) You may do this once.

gaia_crown [ REWARDS ]

+1 Additional rp points for completion

 

[Eight]

[Step 1]

Na'ima was glad she had, for once, opted to wear shoes as she stepped onto the island and crushed a piece of porcelain under her foot. A tiny hand that had gotten in her way. She blinked, lifting her foot and then lowering it again to scrape away the bits of porcelain she had just wrecked. "Hm..I have always wondered what it is about dolls that frightens humans," she mused aloud as she made her way further into the island. Dolls as far as the eye could see and even beyond that. Broken, new, clean, dirty. All kinds.

She tapped at the nose of one, a princess doll with long blonde hair and a pretty purple dress. Na'ima tilted her head. "She is not frightening at all. In fact, she is rather adorable." Though the doll being adorable wasn't really a compliment. Na'ima swatted her away as she continued on in search of filled containers.

Empty containers: 1
Fear collected:  

[Enoh Love]

[Step 1]

"Humans fear death so much they see anything that is both still and human-life oddly unnerving." Salbei commented idly, taking this time as an opinion-teaching moment. "They expect it to start moving, and the longer it doesn't, the more unnerved they feel." He nodded sagely, lightly poking one of the realistic baby dolls.

"Plus, we used to mess with the infant humans. You know, talk through their dolls, play tricks on them...It is also a learned fear." He added coyly, picking up the same baby doll he had bothered with earlier. "Well, let's get this over with, and get back to our studies."


Fear Containers: 1
Collected FEAR:

eight

 

[Eight]

[Step 2]

She pouted while gently brushing aside some hanging vines to duck under a string of dolls in search of one that was more than just a doll. "I have never gone after their young before, not the infants, anyway.." Na'ima hummed, tilting her head a bit. Where was the challenge? They were far too easy to go after.

"Mm, yes. I would very much like to do that. I think it might be time I stop boosting Rathsvith's immune system and test my work on humans now. They are more fun." Ah! There was one. She smiled as she hung up her empty doll and carefully untangled the filled one from the tree. How lovely, it seemed fresh, too.

Doll in hand, Na'ima turned to return to Salbei's side. However, there was a snag she hadn't counted on; a tree root that came out of the ground a little more than others. The tip of her shoe caught in the small space between the root and the ground, and with Na'ima being a being of little resistance she went down before she realized what was happening. She hit the ground with a small sound of dismay, one hand coming out in front of her to catch her fall, but even as she landed her other hand came down as well..right on top of a rock. The doll smashed to pieces between her hand and the rock, and Na'ima heard the faint screams of FEAR as it escaped the doll and dissipated into nothing. Her eyes widened. Seriously? She sighed and shook her head, the palm of her other hand coming up to press against her face. She almost seemed..amused.  

[Enoh Love]

[Step 2]

"Instilling phobias in the child promises a lengthy harvesting, should the phobia stick." Sal informed her, still filling his old habit of teaching his apprentice. "Otherwise we would have a useless herd." He snerked as his apprentice fumbled and dropped her only container, but instead of saying anything, he merely stared at her, looking mighty amused complete with a wide grin.

With his empty container in hand, Salbei moved towards one of the dolls. However, before he could get to the one he had his eyes on, another one to his left started screaming. It's shrieks were pained and confused, on the threshold of life and baffled by the strange emotions that come with fuzzy, budding sentience.

Quote:

61 - 80 : One of the dolls you walk by begins to scream - apparently, this one is so full of FEAR that it's threatening to become sentient. In order to harvest this one, you have to move fast - to cut it free from the tree, roll your regular attack dice; if you do damage, the doll stops screaming, and you gain +2 FEAR. If you miss, the doll falls from the tree and shatters, rendering the gathered fear useless.

 

[Enoh Love]

[Step 2 - rolling]

Pulling a knife from within the folds of his robes, he lashed out at the string connecting the screaming doll to the tree. It cut cleanly and the doll tumbled into his hand, its screaming ceased as he refused it sentience. The knife disappeared as easy as it had appeared, and he held up his prize just enough for Na'ima to see.

"And that is how it is done. Ready to go home?"


FEAR count: 2+1(famine bonus) = 3  

[Eight]

Na'ima slowly rose to her feet, brushing dirt off her robes before holding her hands out at either side with a shrug of her shoulders. Ah, well. She tried. No one could fault her for that. At least it was only Salbei to watch her fall on her face and no one else. They likely would have to die.

The screaming got her attention and she looked to the doll Salbei was messing with, crossing her arms and watching him try and get it down. When he succeeded she gave a soft chuckle and applauded him. "How wonderful, Mentor. You never cease to find opportunities to teach me new tricks," she teased, "at least one of us will return home with something for our tiny little queen," she then sang, the corner of her mouth twitching up in a sardonic little smile. But she nodded, returning to Salbei's side. "Yes, we should perhaps try again later to bring back a larger haul...when we are ready, at least." She waved a hand dismissively at that. Na'ima was all for collecting fear from the humans, but she was busy sometimes.

FEAR count: NOTHING  

[Enoh Love]

"I live to teach, my lovely apprentice." Salbei offered a dramatic sweep of a bow, his hands extending as if meeting royalty. When he stood up, he regarded her in that same sense of amusement he carried earlier. "You have a little dirt, right here." He reached up and tapped his nose with one thin, tattooed finger. After a moment he held the FEAR doll out to her in offering.

"I have a reputation to uphold."
 

[Eight]

When bowed to she smirked, lifting her chin just slightly to look down upon her 'loyal subject' with amusement. "A mare could get used to that," she said with a chuckle. "You may rise~." Though when he rose and warned her of the dirt on her face she blinked, reaching up to rub her nose. Whether or not there had actually been dirt there to begin with hardly mattered, as a bit of dirt that had been on her fingers simply rubbed the dirt onto the side of her nose.

She reached out for the doll as it was offered to her, at first confused but then entirely too amused for her own good when he explained why. Na'ima laughed, gently holding the doll to her chest and grinning at the old stallion. "Yes, yes. No one can know you are truly a useful and productive member of society. That is why you have me, to play the part of slaving apprentice and taking all of my credit," she mocked with nothing but affection. "Lead the way, Mentor. I will follow at your side with my lovely little prize in tow."  

[Enoh Love]

"I would imagine so." A mare, being treated like a Queen? To his knowledge, that was what many yearned for. It was rather amusing to him, on some base level, how most he came across always felt the same; treat them with an obvious respect, and they mostly buckle. Na'ima had been something of a long project, and one that certainly was not finished yet by any stretch of the imagination, but she was at least becoming receptive to the idea of being treated like a Queen. Continuing with his farce, Salbei rose when he was bid, looking entirely amused with himself and the situation. What was happening was adorable. She was adorable. There was certainly a reason he had kept her around for so long. Aside from her eventual work ethic, of course.

Plus, her attempt to find the dirt that may or may not have been there, actually put dirt there anyway. He said nothing, not even that she had gotten it (or in this case, potentially made it worse), and finally looked away with a small, adoring chuckle. Yes, definitely adorable.

"Indeed. My reputation was hard-earned." Salbei smiled sweetly, having quite enjoyed the various emotions that crossed her features as she processed why she was being handed the doll. "My dear, I am offended! I give credit where it is due in every case!" He mocked in return, placing his boney hand against his chest as if offended. After all, if the work was actually his, and he simply pretended it was hers, it was still his credit to take in the end. Still, she wasn't without her uses, and a great deal of the credit was, honestly, shared. Very few times did they do something that was not a joint effort. They tended to balance each other out, for better or worse.

"Great work today, my lovely apprentice. You are a credit to our society with your FEAR-gathering prowess." A too-sweet grin returned and lingered, his gaze lidding as he regarded her with what would later become sarcasm, before he turned back and headed back home, allowing her to trail after him as she so wished.

"By the way, I find it rather curious that you're so willing to give up our charming Wrath..."
 

[Eight]

Na'ima grinned again, nudging him with a bony elbow. Dramatic old stallion, as if he was truly offended by her words. "Fair enough, do not tell me you are about to cry, you old stallion. I am not entirely fit to be the shoulder one goes to in their time of need." Chuckling, she shook her head. Yes, she still remembered the days she would fret and panic when Salbei was seemingly slacking off and not doing the work expected of them as alchemists. She was glad for him loosening her up, her work was vastly improved by it. She lifted the doll, waving one of its arms at Salbei as if the doll was doing it on its own. "But I could offer this if you need to hold something."

The doll was lowered again and turned so she could look it over. She brushed its hair out of its face, pushing it back and cleaning dirt away with her thumb. He had a point, perhaps she was better off going after children than adults, though the adults could never be entirely ignored. Her grin changed, softening to a small smile behind her veil. It would certainly be something, though..to have children recall her personally from their greatest nightmares, to hear her name spoken in stories of terror and warning. It was quite the legacy, and not an entirely unpleasant one. Yes, perhaps she would reconsider her stance on children.

"Thank you, Mentor, you are far too kind," she replied gently, still preoccupied by her thoughts until Salbei spoke up again. Golden eyes slid in his direction without moving her head at first, though she did eventually raise her head to look his way while they walked.

Na'ima frowned. "You may keep him if you like, he is yours, after all. However, he has outlived his usefulness to be as a subject. He was appealing when he was strong and new, when even my strongest potions that should last several hours only lasted twenty or so minutes, however I grow concerned that he is too...used now. He is growing tired and thin, and no longer does he impress me. His weakening condition will only compromise my studies and leave me with inaccurate results. I need to move on, after all these potions are for humans, not horsemen, I should be using them. They come in all shapes, sizes, strengths, weaknesses. They are much more beneficial for what I need done." She then looked away to tug at one of the ringlet curls of the doll's hair. There was a definite pause in her words, a thoughtful look in her eyes until she continued, "besides, when he and I recently spoke he expressed interest in quitting anyway. Apparently his reasoning for allowing us to test on him is no longer a problem.." How to put it..? "He has...found his sand dunes, I suppose you can say. His happy place." Na'ima shrugged and looked down at the doll again.  

[Enoh Love]

Salbei regarded her mini rant with the same lidded eyes, but he seemed passive. He listened to her go on about their once-favourite test subject, and how things had changed, and while he could have seen where she was coming from - and had seen it, of course - he still semi disagreed with her on his usefulness.

However, her speech was passionate, and in the end he just shrugged.

"Very well, Apprentice. I will leave it to you to terminate him as you see fit." He waved a pale hand in dismissal, and he resumed his walk home.
 

[Eight]

"Yes, Mentor," came Na'ima's gentle reply before she followed quietly beside him back to the tower.