Event: Curses!

[applesaucemod]

The twenty-seventh of August dawns bright and clear, but when your characters wake up, they will immediately notice something wrong. They've woken up the wrong size, or species, or age. Or perhaps everything seems normal until they take a bite of their apple-flavored toaster strudel, or attempt to speak, or wander into the woods, or bump into that old crone in the subway and fail to adequately apologize. However it happens, there's no getting around it: your characters are cursed, like an unfortunate out of a fairy tale.

On the bright side, many curses can be broken. Unfortunately, none of them come with user manuals, so how they might be broken isn't clear. Perhaps true love's kiss will do it, or a heroically sacrificial act, or some serious reflection followed by revelatory insight into your own soul. Or, y'know, whatever. But it's far more likely that your character will just be stuck with whatever it is until sunset, when any and all remaining curses will be broken.

[OOC: Feel free to use this post for initial reactions to whatever curse your character has found themselves suffering. Any additional posts for more specified shenanigans can go up under the 'events: curses' tag. Sunset is a little after 7:30 PM. Backdating and backtagging are the best and you should do both of those things if necessary.]

Comments

[wildmage_daine]

"Yes." Her hands, half-lifted in an automatic gesture to catch anyone who might have fallen out of her mouth, drop back into her lap. There's no need for that, anymore. "I... I guess it's over."

She probably shouldn't even be surprised. It's not so different from when all the rabbits disappeared, except for the part where it was her own self that vanished just now.

And Katniss. Peeta just lost her again. It never would have happened if he hadn't conjured her up in the first place, on purpose, but saying as much would be no help at all. Besides, he's doubtless figured that out for himself.

The room feels so empty.

"Are you...?" she starts to ask before cutting herself off. Of course he isn't.

[peeta_mellark]

Peeta gives an absentminded nod as he turns to stare once again at the spot where Katniss once stood. Of course it's over. The Katniss who wasn't Katniss, who had more than a touch of Daine to her, who had no mouth is gone. So is the other Daine, who was completely Daine. The rift never seems to torture them for too long.

This time, he only has himself to blame. Self recrimination does little to dull the ache that tightens his chest, or the lingering horror of what he created, of what he did. His hands ball into fists, the one gripping the back of his chair tightening until the knuckles turn white.

He turns his head sharply and looks Daine in the eyes. It's both easier and natural for him to focus on someone else's pain. "I'm sorry." With Daine, he hadn't known what his drawing could do, but he still caused her pain. "About the other Daine."

His gaze shifts to Effie, still huddled next to Daine, and he rises from his chair. Gently lowering himself onto bed, he gives Effie's head a careful stroke, an assurance that everything's okay. She twists her head to lick his wrist before crawling into his lap.

[wildmage_daine]

Daine shakes her head, a startled, twitching movement, as if a bug had flown into her face. It had been nice having another Daine, here, but it hadn't been... it hadn't been right. There was never supposed to be another one of her. She hasn't spent the better part of a year missing herself. And some part of her had expected her disappearance, or at least known it might happen.

It had been a happy accident, the two of her. It hadn't been something she was wanting.

Peeta sits down beside her, and that feels a bit better, like the emptiness in the room is an enemy they're facing down together and not something hanging between them. She shifts, turning towards him once Effie's relocated to his lap. "I'm sorry about Katniss," she says quietly. After a beat, she reaches out a cautious hand and lays it on his shoulder.