With the slow but steady growth of the city, the demand for more grows every day — more housing, more retail storefronts available for rent, more space for businesses of every caliber and category. To create said space, the administration has begun the process of clearing a section of forestland on the southern edge of the city's boundaries. Far enough removed from the downtown area and the Welcome District, the sounds of construction should have little impact on the citizens' and volunteers' daily lives... that is, until construction is ground to an unexpected halt with the discovery of a long-forgotten glen in the woods.
The construction project is naturally put on hold while the administration begins to investigate the discovery, but in its inactivity, the space becomes a natural lure for the curious and the questioning alike. What's so special about an abandoned patch of rock and stone, or the nearby pool of softly bubbling water? As with any mystery, rumors abound as quickly as smoke from a fire, twisting and changing with each whisper from person to person. The game of telephone has never been a good way to communicate.
Some say the water is simply an extension of the city's springs and cave pools, nothing more or less than a shallow pool of water trapped by the stone walls that surround it. Others say it is a medieval mock-up of a reservoir, rain waters collected over the years and forgotten amidst tall trees and brush. Still others whisper of magical properties — waters once contained in a glorious wishing well that has since crumbled under the relentless march of time, waters that give impossible things to those that drink of it or that bathe in it or simply cup it in their hands. The rumors, much like those that visit the site, are many and varied; it can be almost impossible to know for sure which are truth and which are simply wishes.
Of course, should the allure of an unsolved mystery appeal to your inner meddling kid, there's plenty of clues to uncover and even more questions left to solve at the site.
▸ In the very center of the clearing, a pool of water gently laps at its stone surrounding. The pool itself is small, barely four feet across, but its waters are kept clean from the dirt of the forest floor by a carefully laid stone barrier, two inches tall, each piece hand cut and carefully laid in place. Though the waters are clean, they are not quite clear — looking in, it is not immediately obvious just how deep the water goes, and though brave souls who climb in will certainly float, those who attempt to dive to the bottom never quite reach their goals before the need for air pulls them back to the surface.
▸ It's clear from the smooth surfaces of the stone that surround the pool that this place was once somewhere of grave importance, though what purpose it may have served is murkier than the depths of the pool itself. Adding to the mystery are the three stone benches, surrounding the water on all but its northern boundaries. They are long and cool to the touch; the surfaces remain smooth even after untold years subjected to the mercy of nature, and still hold weight of those who may choose to sit on them.
▸ At its northern edge, where the water seems to lap most often, there is no bench to sit on. The stones here are well-worn, the faintest hint of footprints left on the surface, as if someone stood upon the surface here more than anywhere else. Just past the stone barrier rests a chest — stone as well, and obviously made with care. Its lid is heavy, though someone with exceptional strength (or a friend) may be able to slide it open, and bears what must have been something important etched on its surface. Time has not been kind here; though the letters were once legible, only a few remain so today: wishing and water being the only full words left to view.
What does it mean? Will you follow the rumors? Will you drink of the pool, or perhaps dive in? Will you, instead, dismiss it as fanciful dreaming? There are no wrong answers here, only possibly more questions to consider... and, of course, the wisdom of a well-known fairytale: be careful, dreamer, what you wish for.
Oooh, spooky! As you may have guessed, this event is our take on the popular wishing well trope. Unlike Snow White's well that offers to grant her dream of a prince who may or may not come, this pool of mystical water isn't quite so straightforward. (Is anything straightforward here?)
The wishing pool is here to grant your wishes. Or, more specifically, to try to grant them. Characters who touch the water and make a wish will find their wish (be it spoken out loud, thought only to themselves, or one lingering in the subconscious mind, unbeknownst even to them) granted within the next 72 hours — though, in most cases, the magic lingering in the water they've touched will be limited to short term effects only.
How your character chooses to engage with the water is entirely up to you! Maybe they'd like to take a hesitant sip, or they're a more brave sort who wants to drink of it until they feel sick! Perhaps they want to simply stick a hand in to test the temperature — cool, surprisingly, but not cold — or they'd like to dive in! There are no lifeguards on duty, though... so swim carefully. Stone and skulls don't often clash with good results.
Of course, we do have to warn: wishes made aren't always granted in the ways one might expect. The wishing pool is quite out of practice, and though it gets a gold star for effort, it's not usually very successful — unless, of course, your wish happens to be remarkably simple to grant! Wishing for something vague, like being happy, might result in wearing the face of a beloved storybook character or a friend of a friend rather than emotional adjustments or a sudden burst of cheer. Similarly, wishing for the knowledge to impress your date might bequeath the wisher with the knowledge of every romantic comedy known to man — while admittedly useful, it's probably not what you were hoping for.
If you have any further questions specific to this event, we encourage you to ask away on our QUESTIONS COMMENT here in this post. We're glad to give suggestions on ways your characters' wishes can come true! If you have general questions, or prefer a more private venue, our GENERAL INBOX (and SCREENED INBOX) is always available for you. In addition, if you've got an idea for a future event, feel free to drop us a line at our EVENTS SUGGESTION POST.
Have fun — we're wishing you all the best! |
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cuddlecity2018-02-17 12:14 pm
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[ She knows he doesn't think he's different, but temporary memory loss is a thing, after all. And to her, he is obviously changed. ]
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Okay, then, so we go.
[He digs out some money to pay, sliding to his feet with ease and tucking away his wallet. Whatever is happening, especially to him (if it is), then he's going to try and help figure out what it is.]
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All right. You don't - no hat, today?
[ Just making sure. Maybe, even as a modern man, he likes them still. ]
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I thought about wearing my flat cap, but it's not too sunny. I think it would've just looked silly, probably.
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I think you'd have looked dashing.
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That implies I don't look dashing all the time. That's very mean to me, Claire, I might cry.
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You're always extremely handsome.
[ She waits until they're outside to stop, though, reaching up to curl her hand around his neck, pulling him down for a kiss, feeling like she can be a little bold. ]
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Easing back after, he presses two fingers to her nose, leaning in for another kiss there.]
I didn't realize water expeditions were such a turn-on for you. Kinky.
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I guess there's still a lot you've got to learn about me and my kinks, then? [ Looking at him over her shoulder, she winks, grinning. ]
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You could've put them all in a profile and just let me swiped right, you know.
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Hmm, gotta keep you on your toes. Keep you wanting.
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[He catches her hand to keep it within his own, tangling their fingers together casually as he strolls, heading back towards the water that he'd stopped at, unable to shake the sensation that she keeps looking at him strangely, but maybe it's just that he's only noticing it for the first time.]
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Such an incorrigible flirt and flatterer. I’m sure you say that to all the girls.
[ Which, he probably does, but Claire doesn’t actually care. ]
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[Which is true, but there are little factors to this, like how he can curse up a storm in Spanish and she'll understand, or the fact that she's a nurse and can help him through some of his worse ailments, like the really terrible hangovers he can sometimes get.]
Besides, I bet you have other boys.
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Kinda.
[ And she doesn’t, really - not in the same way she and Vasquez are anyway. Which is fine by her; she might get more, some day, but it’s nothing he’s got to worry about, anyway. ]
Maybe I’ve got other girls. Ever thought about that?
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[It's not a lie, after all, because he's let his imagination drift, not just to that, but also to inviting third partners into the bedroom.]
I told you before that I've had other guys, so it should only be fair, right?
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[ clasping his hand in both of hers, Claire smiles. This is an unspoken thing between them, easy and somehow, full of trust. Vasquez is one of the few people she truly trusts, in Cadelle, and it’s earned. ]
But maybe one of these nights you should tell me about what you think about.
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[Gesturing towards where the pond is, he thinks that he can remember that he needs to take a few more turns and they'll be there. Squeezing her hand to encourage her, he knows that.]
Right now, all I was thinking about was a hot meal, but I've been told that I'm a walking stomach before.
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They keep walking, the day lovely, the snow gone and the air warmer than it’s been for what feels like forever. Claire is still wearing Vasquez’s scarf, though, even though it doesn’t smell like him at all anymore. But every time she loops it around her neck, she’s reminded of that day, and how they ended up in bed together. ]
I didn’t know you jog, by the way. I guess my schedule keeps me from seeing much of you in the mornings.
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[He says this, though, as he digs through his pockets to search for the cigarettes that he's wanting, but he can't find the hand-rolled wraps, which makes him frown. Digging out the foil packet, he figures he'll have to settle for this until he can get his special tobacco blend back.]
Has anyone told you that you work too much? Because you do.
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[ She shrugs. She’d feel useless sitting around during the day, so the clinic feels like a good thing. And she’s used to 24 hours shifts, back home, so 8 to 10 hours feel easy, to her. ]
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[He says this as they're walking to a pool of water because she thinks that he got himself in trouble by drinking from it, so maybe that's a bit of a stretch, but he still stands by it.]
Besides, who takes care of you at the end of one of your shifts?
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They probably would be okay, but she would probably die of absolute boredom, or just end up so entirely aimless she'd go crazy. Rather not risk it.
They get to the pool, and Claire steps away from Vasquez to dig into her bag, taking out an half-empty bottle of water that she empties it in the grass, before going back into her bag for gloves, snapping one on with ease, years of practice showing. ]
You do, sometimes. Still waiting to come home one day to a bath being drawn for me. And potentially you in it, ready to give me a backrub.
[ She grins, showing that she's not entirely serious about it. It's the kind of nice fantasies she has, of being drawn a bath, being carried to bed, more about comfort than sex. ]
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Darling, if you wanted a bath and a backrub, you just have to let me know the way inside and I'll be there. Maybe even make some chimichangas? My abuela's recipe is incredible.
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[ It's not like they live in a place where she risk getting robbed, after all. Crouching, she gets some of the water in her bottle, holding it up to the sunlight for a moment, trying to catch any particles or irregularities. It's a little muddy, but nothing completely out of the ordinary, either.
She closes the bottle, straightening up and turning back to Vasquez. Stepping close, she looks up with a grin. ]
You'd cook for me?
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