2020-06-20 GWTW: Eating the Light

Eating the Light

Participants: Lenore

Storyteller: Nate

Location: Elysian Park

Date and Time: June 20 2020

Summary: Slimy yet satisfying

Since the 1910s, Elysian Heights, along with a few neighbouring areas has been home to many of the counter-culture, political radicals, artists, writers, architects and filmmakers in Los Angeles. Thus while there is a bit of money here, this is a far cry from the fancy mansions of the truly rich. There's an air of creativity, chaos and freedom of expression; graffiti isn't uncommon even if it's usually of the political or artistic bent rather than gang signs

Adjacent to the neighbourhood is the green sprawl of Elysian Park, almost as big as the neighbourhood it shares a name with. As it is late, there are lights illuminating the pathways through the park, and then also off in the bushes, really visible only from above, something else gleaming with faint illumination.

Lenore was happily flying around, just doing her usual fly over of the areas when that gleaming catches her beady little eyes. She swoops down and begins a bit of a corkscrew fly down before landing not far from where she thinks that gleaming is coming from. She hops around looking for it, her head lightly tilting on occasion when she thinks she finds someone but leaves it there, continuing to hop towards that true gleaming item.

The gleaming is coming from some bushes that have grown up around a large oak tree, obscured from sight at the ground level, but for someone who is much closer to the ground than the average park-goer - like, say, a raven hopping through the grass - little chinks of light are visible now and then through the leaves.

When the birb gets close enough to make out details, it's a little.. uh, gross. Not that ravens aren't used to gross, but this appears to be the body of a poor unfortunate soul. Heavily dressed in layers and a thick coat despite the temperate Los Angeles climate, the visible skin - face, hands, a bit of one leg where a foot has been torn away by local scavengers - covered in some kind of fungus. Not proper mushrooms, more like patches of bathroom mould, except this stuff is glowing with faint bioluminescence.

Lenore begins to hop a bit faster towards those bushes. Growing more excited by the moment. Then she stops once close enough, looking over that body of the person. She continues to hop closer then, right onto the dead person's face and looks to see if the eyes were still intact.

Oh yes, the eyes are still there. Partly fungus-covered but still intact, still full of lovely aqueous humor that can be slurped down. There's an eerie sort of slant to the way the dead person looks forward, their pupils dilated as muscles relaxed in death, with faint bioluminescence ringing their irises.

Lenore offers a nod of her own head, seeming to tell herself it is alright to eat the eyes. She carefully studies over them and decides to go for the left eye first, carefully moving it around before she picks it up and begins to eat it. The texture may be off and a bit gross but knowledge and secrets of the dead make this process all the more worth it.

Mmm. Slimy but satisfying. That gooey jelly just slides down the throat much the way a juicy booger would, but no nose-gold ever gave this kind of information. Sucked down into the dead guy's last moments, the birb gets a few impressions. Hunger - so goddamned hungry. Real confusion, something about light? Reaching for a light? But the light was too bright, too strong. The last thing this eye saw was the creep of fungus over the skin of the eyeball, that faint bioluminescence blinding up-close.

Lenore processes the information before she goes for the next eyeball, thankfully able to drink both. She finds it unusual about the fungus but still wants to know more information. She spreads her wings to stretch for a moment before drinking from the right eye now. Once she has gather enough information, it is off to try and find her fellow Corax cohorts to share of her discovery.

Warmth. Feeling warm down to the bones for the first time in years. It doesn't seem to be actual bodily temperature so much as a general feeling of wellbeing. The light is comforting, whispering secrets. Bring the light. But how can you bring something out from inside? Better to let it grow on the skin until it glows bright enough.

Lenore takes a bit to adjust to the sensation before it ebbs away. She carefully picks up one of those mushrooms with her beak, making sure to not get any in her mouth before she flies off to find David.

Riiiip. There's a shudder-inducing tearing sound when a bit of skin is pulled away from one of the swollen fingers. It's a bit drippy, but there is a good half-inch or so patch of that fungus, easy enough to carry. New Content

Lenore seems satisifed with this and begins to take flight and head towards where she feels she can find David, eager to share what she found.