forum "This City Smells of Smoke and Death" // OxO // Closed

Started January 19, 2023 by @ElderGod-Icefire

tune

Quinn stared at him, trying to process what this young man had just said. "You had to see it?" he demanded, shaking his head and exhaling sharply. "This isn't a place for a tourist." his gaze flicked to the smoke, to the ash and the cart of bodies, and then back to the obviously shaken man in front of him. "Do you have any idea how dangerous this is for you? Any idea how terrible a death this plague will give you?"

He wanted to shake this young man, but settled for stepping back, still staring at this out-of-towner. "That counts as a close contact. You won't be able to leave now." his voice was a little less harsh now, but still angry. "Not for a while. Not until we know you haven't caught it and aren't contagious." the Raven's were just trying to manage the plague. Keep it within the city. The forests outside of Ceridwen had been razed; there were no hiding places for anyone to run away from the city. Nowhere for a plague carrier to go. The plague stayed here, until their population was dead. It would take a long time for Ceridwen to run out of people, though.

Despite the plague, despite the danger, people were still growing up. Still getting married, still having children. Quinn had been asked to assist at two births now, and there were other Ravens who had assisted with more. He could not imagine getting married here, much less having children while knowing what could happen. He could not imagine bringing children into this city, into this semblance of life.

As the stranger continued to ask Forrest questions, his eyes flickered briefly to one of the spirits. "I have an idea," he muttered, chastened. Well, he had an idea now, at any rate. Between the gruesome corpses in the wagons and the sorrowful, empty ghosts hanging around, he didn't have to guess at the effect the plague would have on him. "It was a foolish decision; I see that now." But it wasn't one that he regretted.

So clearly this man thought Forrest was an idiot, but he supposed he couldn't exactly blame the stranger. What kind of dunce took off for a plague-infested city on a whim? Sure, he had been angry and hurt and desperately wanted to know the truth–these were his people, after all–but taking off for the city? Not the smartest move. And now he was trapped here. At least he would have time to assess the condition of the city, though. He could see if this square was just the worst of it or if the whole city was like this. Either way, he would have to talk about it with his parents. Surely if they heard a first-hand account of the tragedy here they would be moved to do something? He really hoped that he wasn't just being naïve. No one could ignore something like this. Not once they saw the true extent of it.

Forrest swallowed, trying to look braver than he felt. This had already taken a bad turn, but at least he knew the truth. He would not regret that. Now he could explain the true horror of it all and bring others to his side, help the city get aid to help manage this plague, something so that those in the city were not doomed to a terrible death. That was his mission now. Though he would have to wait like the man said; the last thing he wanted to do was bring the plague back to the castle with him. He couldn't imagine how much worse things would get in that case.

Quinn clenched his jaw for a moment. "Do you have family or friends in the city to stay with?" he asked slowly. Ceridwen didn't really have any hotels or hospitality locations open anymore. Tourists didn't come here, and anyone who did come to this city usually didn't have any good things in mind. The outer areas of the city was a prime area for criminals; policing hardly happened, since the Ravens were already spread so thin that policing the city had fallen to the wayside a long time ago. Most people were just fine, but yet. But yet.

He adjusted his mask, but did not take it off. There were herbs inside of the beak portion, in order to help with the smell of smoke and death that he dealt with so often. The scent of smoke was ever-present; in this city, that smell never went away. But the scent of the bodies, the scent of death, that one was the main thing that the herbs were there for. To block that scent, of rot and death and disease.

Forrest blinked, trying to think of anyone he might know from the city. But due to the way his parents had rarely mentioned it around him, his mind drew a blank. He couldn't think of a single name. He frowned. Well, that was bad. Perhaps there was an empty home he could stay in? The thought was not a pleasant one; he realized there would likely be ghosts filling the houses that didn't have people, and while they couldn't hurt him, the emotional effects might. It would be difficult to spend too long in a house full of only the dead. He tried not to shudder at the thought. Forrest had never been afraid of spirits, but spending his time with only spirits and no people seemed desolate.

So he flushed slightly at his own short-sightedness and glanced down at his feet. If he were at home, his parents would scold him for not keeping a regal position, but he wasn't at home. In fact, it would be probably be safer if this man didn't know his identity. He was the crown prince and only son of the king, and some people here might want to hurt him. At the very least word would spread and leak into his family's reputation. The king and queen had often made it clear that they had a reputation to uphold. It was one of the biggest slights he could make, and despite their recent greed, he didn't want to actively hurt them. That, and sneaking away actually made him feel somewhat free, since he wasn't held by pointless societal rules and etiquette. He wasn't under his parents' hand, like a child, for the time being. So he would not reveal his identity, and he didn't know anything about the city. That left only one choice: admit that he did not have a place to stay and beg for help. (More or less.)

"I do not," he admitted, scratching his cheek awkwardly. "I'm sorry."

Quinn took a deep breath, adjusting his gloves and shaking his head again. "You came here with no connections and no plan?" he asked, words slow and careful and not a little icy. "No family, no friends, no idea what to do?" how could someone really be so stupid? It wasn't as if Ceridwen's problem was hidden or unspoken. Everyone knew. It was just that no one cared. People didn't visit. People didn't help. The city had been essentially on its own for years now, struggling along with what supplies they could get, burning their dead and flying black flags from the flagpoles, stark warnings to travelers of the death that waited within the city.

He stared at Forrest for a few long, silent moments. What to do about this young man? Forrest could not be left to wander the streets alone. He would risk too much close exposure, and if he died here, his family– if he had one –would likely never know what had happened to him, and that was not something that Quinn would allow to happen to anyone. Even particularly stupid outsiders. He glanced to the cart, then to the burning pile, then back to Forrest.

"You can stay with me for now." he finally said, reluctantly. He certainly did not want to invite a complete stranger to stay in his home, but he could not have the young man stay with anyone else. The other Ravens might be willing, but then again, they might not, and he could not, in any circumstance, have this idiot staying with those who were not Immune. The disease risk would be far too high. "But you have not yet told me your name." and, he had not said his. "Mine is Quinn Careth. I'm a Raven." maybe that would mean something to the stranger, but maybe not. Quinn wasn't sure how many details of the city's current internal structure were known. Did the rest of the country know what being a Raven meant?

Forrest blinked, a bit surprised that this man was willing to harbor him. He had thought that perhaps he would find an empty house or someone else to stay with, but then again, he had no idea who out of the remaining population was infected. He also didn't know how quickly the disease spread, just that it was horribly damaging to the population and infrastructure of the city (that much was obvious even from a glance). In fact, he realized that he knew pitifully little about this place, other than the occasional rumor and what he had seen with his own eyes. He didn't even know what being a Raven meant, just had heard of their dark masks and the way they worked to help those with the plague. Or perhaps just took care of the dead? Forrest still wasn't sure. What he was sure of was how idiotically stupid he was looking right now, and how bad of a decision this had been. But at least it was helping Forrest understand the true state of things here, and it also made him wonder: what else had his parents been keeping from him? It was easy to lie to someone who was holed away on the castle grounds, who had never truly seen the outside world, who had been told that he was too fragile to venture out.

But before he could go too far down that particular line of thought, he realized that he would have to introduce himself. He wasn't sure how much news reached Ceridwen, but if this young man–Quinn–knew anything about the royal family, his name would become immediately familiar. Forrest would have to lie. However, he was bad at lying, so that would present a problem. Forrest wasn't an uncommon name, so he could at least be honest about that, making things easier on himself, but his last name would need to be fabricated. He tried to think of an idea and ended up deciding to use the last name of the guards whose son he had been friendly with when he was younger.

"I'm Forrest Thomas," he responded with a nod. "Thank you for the generous offer. I'm sorry to have caused you so much trouble." Hopefully it wouldn't last too long before Quinn deemed Forrest healthy enough to go back home, and he could confront his parents about Ceridwen and their lies, as well as how little they seemed to care about anything that didn't directly profit them in some way.

(sorry for the wait!)

Quinn exhaled faintly, taking the thanks with a quick nod. "Let's get you out of here." he glanced around the square, then headed for one of the roads leading out. "I will take you to my home. On the way there, do not touch anything, and do not approach anyone unless they are in the uniform of a Raven." he tapped his own mask as if in demonstration. He was walking rather quickly, wanting to get Forrest out of this square. No one was sure how contagious the dead were; was it safe for the living to be around them, or would the disease spread from corpse to living? No one knew, and no one dared experiment to find out.

A few roads outside of the square, they spotted a second Raven, who squinted at Forrest, then cocked their head at Quinn. "Who's this?" the Raven questioned.

"Outsider." was Quinn's answer. "I was on body duty in Findon square, and I saw him near one of the carts. Obviously he can't go home until we know he's not contagious, so I was taking him home."

"Right." the other Raven studied Forrest for a long moment, before turning back to Quinn. Like Quinn, this other Raven wore the dark clothing, the round brimmed hat, the beaked mask. But this Raven seemed older than Quinn was. Something in the faint lines by their eyes, the way they spoke, spoke of someone older than Quinn's twenty years. "Do you want me to take over Findon?"

Quinn hesitated, then nodded. "I was nearly done, but…" he glanced to Forrest again, shrugging a shoulder as he turned back to the other Raven. "You know. If oyu would be willing to finish with Findon, I would appreciate it."

The older Raven nodded. "Of course. See you later, then."

"See you. When death comes, may he take you quickly." Quinn replied, the last sentence spoke with the ease of a customary goodbye.

The other Raven laughed a little. "May he take you quickly as well." and then he started walking, heading towards the square Quinn and Forrest had just come from.

(no worries! i haven't been on much recently lol)

Forrest watched the conversation unfold, not entirely understanding what was happening, though he knew that his appearance here was clearly out of the ordinary. He could also tell that the strange words about death were some sort of goodbye. Even a customary farewell here was somber, though Forrest supposed he couldn't be surprised. A city ravaged by death as much as this one had to adapt somewhat in order for anyone to survive. He had already noticed that much.

Forrest made no comment throughout the interaction, merely taking things in and trying to learn whatever he could without intruding. As the newcomer walked away, Forrest glanced after them for a moment before looking back at Quinn. They remained silent for a little longer until his curiosity overcame him. That had always been Forrest's downfall, at least in his parents' eyes. He was a bit too curious for his own good, but that curiosity did lead to new knowledge and creativity.

"Friend of yours?" he asked, still unsure how the dynamics within the Ravens themselves worked. Maybe Quinn could help Forrest learn more about Ceridwen before he told his parents everything he had learned. This guy clearly knew a lot about the workings of Ceridwen, and Forrest could stand to listen to him about it. And possibly pry, just a little.

(lol you're good!)

"More like a coworker." Quinn replied as the two began to walk again. "He's a fellow Raven." he was silent for what felt like a while as the two walked through the nearly empty streets. "Where are you from? We don't get a lot of visitors here." that was…an understatement. Ceridwen had once been a travel hub, and now the roads that led to it were barely kept up with. This had once been one of the kingdom's shining jewels, and now it was rotting alive, dying but not yet dead, abandoned like it had never mattered.

The cobbled streets of the city, once beautiful, now were worn and cracked. Grass and flowers sprouted from the cracks between stones, and moss crept across them in other places, the green growth of a city that could no longer keep up with the work required. The houses that they passed by were all in various states of disrepair; some seemed lived-in still, whilst others were clearly abandoned, with broken windows and doors rotting off the hinges. And the smell of smoke was everpresent, no matter how far from the burning squares one was. Smoke and ash hung heavy in the air. You could almost taste it.

There was that word again. Raven. Forrest knew only what gossip had managed to travel all the way to the castle, which was to not much. Anything of substance seemed to be reserved only for meetings between his father and higher ranking nobles which Forrest only sometimes had the chance to be there for. One would think that the king would let his successor have more of a connection to the outside world, but it seemed as if the man was determined to live forever. And to shut Forrest out as long as possible. Both of his parents insisted it was for his own good and to keep his fickle health in check, but the older he got the less he believed it. He was nineteen now, for god's sake. Shouldn't his parents be preparing him for the eventuality that he would become king?

He blinked back to the present moment before that line of thinking got out of hand. That sort of the thing was the reason he had taken off under the cover of night and come all the way out to Ceridwen in the first place. He realized that the Raven had asked him a question, blinking again as he processed the words. He would have to be careful to not give anything away, but also to avoid lying too much. Forrest had never been the most skilled liar.

"Cinistrad," he blurted, saying the first city that came to mind. It was roughly the same distance away from Ceridwen as the capital city, but in the opposite direction. He had only visited once, a few years ago, and did not like the city one bit. It was not the nicest place to spend a week. But it was better than telling the truth, probably. Maybe he was being a bit paranoid that this man would put two and two together from his name and where he lived. Though surely he couldn't be the only Forrest to live there. At any rate, it was too late now to take back the lie. He supposed that he would just have to go along with it for now.

As the duo kept walking, Forrest was trying not to look at all of the spirits that roamed the city. Most of them ignored the two living humans, as ghosts tended to do. Generally they were surprised that Forrest could see and talk to them whenever he did end up doing that. He had spoken to several of the ghosts who hung about the castle, so they knew him and that he could speak with them, but these new spirits did not possess that knowledge. Some of them even looked too decrepit to hold a conversation if they wanted to. So Forrest continued to do his best to pretend that he didn't see them both so he wouldn't draw ghostly attention to himself, and so his companion would hopefully not notice either. He doubted that his ability was a common one, though perhaps in this city of death it was more common than among the nobles he was used to.

(aaah sorry for the wait!)

Quinn nodded faintly, leading Forrest finally over to a townhouse. It was an old, faded grey, with a door that had once been a beautiful, evergreen color, and now, like the house itself, had faded and worn down. The windows were together, though the glass was covered in a faint film of ash. Quinn pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked the door, opening it up. "This is my home." he said, stepping inside. "It's clean, and should be safe for you to be in." the building was small, but cozy looking. The first thing Quinn did was step over to the fireplace, adding a log to it and gently stoking the embers that had been smoldering in it so that the log would catch. An old couch sat before the fire, a coffee table between the fire and the couch with a book atop it.

The mantel above the fire held a lantern, some dried roses, and an old drawing of a family. A mother, a father, a little girl, and two boys. One older, one younger. Quinn looked over at Forrest. He still had the bird mask on, and after a moment, he reached around and pulled his hood down, then untied the mask, setting it on a table that sat near the door. Without the mask on, obscuring his face, he looked younger. It was easier to tell just how young he was, despite the ancient, haunted exhaustion in his eyes. There was a line of ash where the mask had rested on his face, and he exhaled faintly.

"I am going to take a quick shower." he said, crouching in order to unlace his boots. Once those were off, he set those down against the wall, out of the way. "I shall be back in a few minutes. You can sit down on the couch, if you like." he headed over to a set of stairs that rested against one wall, moving up them. His bedroom and the bathroom were both up there; unfortunately, he had no guest bedroom. Forrest would have to sleep on the couch, for the duration of his time here.

(no worries!)

As the two of them entered the townhouse, Forrest's eyes roamed the place, taking in the scenery therein. It seemed like a cozy little home, albeit lonely. Were the people in the drawing Quinn's family? There didn't seem to be anyone else living in the townhouse, and Forrest doubted there would be room for them (though he had heard of people who were not quite as wealthy as him living with a family crammed in a small apartment). Now that he was out in the real world, away from the castle where he had lived most of his life, he felt so dumb and small. He had never really been out on his own before, and it was already clear how much he didn't know. Especially about Ceridwen. But he wanted answers, and he wanted to express the truly dire situation of the city to his family once he got back.

As Quinn spoke up, Forrest turned to glance at him. He looked a lot less guarded without the mask, like a completely different person. He seemed less like a legend and more like a young man. Forrest blinked, nodding at the suggestion. "Thank you," he responded politely. "You have a nice home." At least his manners were something. The world of pleasantries and courtly talk was one he did actually did know how to navigate, even if he didn't like it or understand the need for it.

As Forrest glanced around the room a second time, he took note of the specters haunting the room. It was not nearly as bad as the world outside, but even this cozy little house wasn't completely free of ghosts. Forrest wondered if there was anywhere in this place that was, with its high numbers of dead and dying. The thought filled him with a hollow sadness, knowing that so many people died without being able to fulfill what they wished for in life. There were so many people with unfinished business, undelivered messages, unspoken feelings that stuck around this miserable city even after death. It was truly a horrible fate. He wasn't even sure how he would express this feeling to another living person. It was hard to speak with people who didn't have his ability about the nature of ghosts and the stories they shared with the right amount of detail and feeling that someone else with such an affinity might be able to see. But then again, Forrest had always seemed to see more of the world than his peers, though putting it all into words was extremely difficult. He was smart, sure, but getting others to understand the way he sometimes saw things was not the easiest thing for him. He would much rather talk about concrete things like facts or books, things with ideas he could better articulate until he had truly thought through the more abstract concepts to break down what he said into cohesive sentences.

(hello, I have. No excuse. I'm so sorry)

Quinn was gone for perhaps ten minutes at the most, coming back downstairs after a little bit. He now wore a green sweater and a pair of dark pants, his blond hair hanging down in damp strands. "Alright." he said quietly, studying Forrest for a long moment. He was not quite sure what to do now, if he was being honest. He did not have visitors often, if ever, and he had never had a visitor from out of the city. It had been…years since he had seen someone not from Ceridwen, and he did not know how to behave or what to say. What could he even say?

"Do you want anything to eat?" food. That was something easy and safe to talk about. Or make. He himself was slightly hungry, so he was going to make himself something either way. But it was polite to offer something to Forrest. Polite to see if the other young man wanted anything to eat. "I am going to make myself some food, if you would like some as well." he moved over towards his kitchen, opening the door to one of the cupboards and beginning to get out some ingredients. He was not going to make anything overly complicated, no, but food was food.