Turboheaven: Euphausia

[smokeandglasses]

No meme rn because Metaphor is sitting on my desktop waiting for me to play it

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Week 0, Monday

[smokeandglasses]

[Are you ready for a beach episode?

Luckily it doesn't involve swimsuits, because Ali is wearing his usual grey suit but with the jacket and shoes removed and his hems rolled up to avoid getting wet. He will just wade in up to his ankles, thanks.]

It's been a while since I've gone to the beach...beautiful, isn't it?

[trifocal]

[ eupha is also out here fully dressed on the beach because what is beachwear. ]

It is! It reminds me of home... Perhaps my prayers were answered?

[smokeandglasses]

Maybe. My country is more mountainous, so I can't say if this is like 'home' for me or not. Maybe a place with snowy mountaintops will be next stop for the train.

[He didn't have many chances to go to the beach in life though, so he'll enjoy wading in the waters with his feet. Even if it's going to be a mess to clean the sand off later, he's enjoying it for now.]

[trifocal]

Oh, I do hope so! I'm not good with the cold, but I think it would be exciting to see a lot of snow all at once.

[smokeandglasses]

[Not so good with the cold...]

Truthfully I'm not either. But where I'm from we have warm clothes and plenty of fires to sit by. And it makes for a perfect temperature in summer, I don't think it's ever been more than 21 degrees.

[It has, more recently, but he's nostalgic for the past.]

[trifocal]

That's summer weather for you? [ a small laugh. ] I wish that I could experience it. With the summers where I am from, we thank God for any day below 40.

[ when your weird fantasy canon does actually use celius... ]

[smokeandglasses]

[He makes a face upon hearing that number.]

That's closer to a reasonable temperature for a sauna. I would dread living through an entire season of it. I'll stick to colder winters and milder summers.

Week 1, Monday

[trifocal]

[ It's morning!! It's winter!! Eupha is out in her normal cloak, looking at the Christmas scenery. She is observing the big Christmas tree in town. ]

Do the people here make offerings to this tree...? What an interesting custom!

[smokeandglasses]

[Eugh, cold. As soon as he enters the town square he is grabbing a thick coat to pull on. Winter has never been his best time.]

It seems so. I'm not sure why you would make offerings to a tree though, unless the tree is sentient or something.

[trifocal]

Well, people make offerings in all kinds of ways. Perhaps there is a god of trees and greenery who is honoured in this way?

[smokeandglasses]

It's possible, I suppose. It's nothing like what we do back home though.

[trifocal]

What sort of spiritual practices do you have, where you come from?

[smokeandglasses]

Most of ours are based on the changing seasons, though we do have one in spring for the founding of the country, one in the winter for the new year, and one in the summer for the first king's birthday. There is no country-sponsored religion, but people of various religions celebrate their holy days in addition to those days.

[trifocal]

Your country has people who practice various religions? ... Do they... get along?

[smokeandglasses]

Well enough. There's always going to be friction between religions, but there weren't any wars or anything.

[trifocal]

Oh, I see... It does sound a bit more peaceful than my world, in that respect.

Week 1, Sunday

[trifocal]

[ out in the garden, ali might notice a peculiar smell. if he looks to see the source, he'll find Eupha sitting in a clearing in the garden, candles and incense burning on a small altar before her. her two lower eyes are closed, with just the third one staring forward, and she is perfectly still.

her chao is also sitting serenely beside her.

if he's too polite to interrupt her, good news! she stirs first, opening her eyes and looking over to see him. ]

... Oh, good day. Out for a walk?

[smokeandglasses]

[He is indeed too polite to interrupt, so he'll wait for her to finish what she's doing.]

Yeah. I needed to do something today.

[After all of that, he needs to keep busy, or else his mind will drive himself crazy.]

[trifocal]

I can certainly understand. The last few days have been... stressful, to say the least.

Meditating helps, I think, though I am sure it's not for everyone.

[smokeandglasses]

Meditating? I don't think I've tried that before. What does it do?

[trifocal]

It's a method of clearing your mind and focusing your thoughts. It helps to bring down your stress and anxiety.

If you're interested, I could teach you how.

[smokeandglasses]

It couldn't hurt to try, right?

[He has lived with so much stress his entire life, but maybe clearing his mind is all he needs. He'll try anything once.]

So I should sit down like you are, right?

[trifocal]

Yes.

[ she gestures for him to join her on the ground, just beside her. ]

Try to sit comfortably, close your eyes, and focus on your breathing.

[smokeandglasses]

[He plops down on the ground next to her, crossing his legs and trying to find a comfortable way to sit.

Then he closes his eyes and tries to steady his breathing.]

Like this?

[trifocal]

Yes. If your mind starts to wander, try to bring your attention back to your breathing.

[ she'll close her eyes too, but she'll try to stay aware of her surroundings, to see if he's actually relaxing. ]