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expiationlogs2023-07-13 02:36 pm
{EVENT #3} ADVERSITY 1665648.6754
| MOD NOTES: Please direct any questions to the corresponding comment below. Note that character decisions and actions taken on these prompts will affect future events, storylines, and relationships with other peoples of Expiation. You can find the OOC poll here. Please pick from the corresponding options with the appropriate character journal. If you use a personal journal or a journal not part of Expiation, your votes will not be counted. Remember that if your character did something different than what is in the prompts given, leave a comment in the OOC poll entry and link to your comment in the option made available. We will provide an IC post in exactly one week with the results of the poll that will wrap up the event. You may mingle on it if you like, but the most important purpose is to share the effects of character decisions on this event. The various prompts are, of course, optional. |
FOLLOW THE FAIRIES
On the morning of the 14th, Chosen will wake to the sound of loud clanging outside as what seems like a band of fairies has arrived to town. Most of them don’t talk, they simply stare expectantly as they float above the ground and gain the attention of the Chosen. If a character tries to speak to them, most will roll their eyes or shake their heads—some possibly using rude gestures to get their point across. They seem like they’re waiting for something, and their stubborn silence might be a problem for some of the more impatient Chosen. Characters who are nice to them might get some sass, or some eye rolling. Characters who are more impatient and try to yell, fight, or harm the fairies might find themselves… afflicted. They might not be able to hear for a while, they might not be able to see—maybe they’ll be floating in the air as if in a bubble, not able to move one way or another besides squirming and yelling at the cranky fairies. It could be a lesser affliction, too—maybe your allergies suddenly act up, or you have a massive cramp in your legs so that you can’t go anywhere. These effects don’t last long, though, only about ten or fifteen minutes. Their purpose isn’t to harm anyone, they’re just trying to tell the ruder Chosen to kindly fuck off. Other lesser status effects might happen—but the intention is never to harm, just to distract.
A larger fairy comes flying up, and the others surrounding him roll their eyes in even more exasperation than anything the Chosen would’ve gotten out of them. He sighs in an exaggerated way, before putting on what seems to be a fairy’s sort of version of a Customer Service Smile. When he speaks, he’s smiling but he sounds bored out of his mind:
The fairies behind him make a motion, almost like they’re unzipping a zipper. With a sound of tear, a hole appears in the air behind him, almost as if the scenery itself has been torn. A couple more fairies pull and stretch the tear until it’s big enough for the Chosen to walk through. If the Chosen to look through the tear, they can see that there’s a desert on the other side of it. It looks to be some kind of ruins, actually—but don’t wait too long.
Mr. Expedition isn’t too happy with hesitation.
**NPC will be available for interaction at this point!
JOURNEY TO THE DESERT
When the Chosen step through, they find themselves in the middle of some desert ruins. There’s not much on the horizon to see other than sand, and an oasis that looks like it’s off in the distance. If characters try to exit the city and go further out, they’re stopped and find themselves teleported back somehow. The fairies give a little chuckle when it happens, so maybe it was them? They can’t go further into the desert than where they’re at right now. There are stone buildings, but there are also metal remains of structures scattered around the area—just about the size of Aldrip. There’s remnants of businesses, restaurants and houses. Some are standing, and some are only remembered by a single dining room table sitting in the middle of the sand.
**NPC will be available for interaction at this point!
I. THERE'S SAND IN MY SHOES
Chosen who wander the ruins may note that it looks like some of the buildings were left in a hurry. Some of them look like people just disappeared from the inside— everything remains intact, as if nothing has been moved or taken out of the building. Plates out, covered with dust and sand, as if waiting for a lunch that’ll never come, or at the bar with liquor still in smaller shot glasses. Twinkies that have been unopened and are, somehow, inexplicably,, still good—
The remnants of the interiors are covered in thick layers of dust, but when they look inside, everything is painted. Everything is treated as a mural, from the inside walls to the outside. From religious figures, partial landscapes, and even some cartoon-looking characters—there’s a little bit of everything painted. Nothing seems to be just plain, almost as if the people who had lived there had considered everything a blank canvas. There may still be buckets of paint that characters find still hanging around, dried up from disuse, but still there. Beneath piles of rubble, the Chosen can find canvases, easels and other art supplies, most in various states of disrepair from age.
Besides paper used for art work, it doesn’t look like there’s much in the way of books or newspapers.Instead, they’re able to find something that looks almost like a smartwatch: sleek, with minimal interface, but when touched, they activate a few seconds of what looks like decayed hologram log.We have to work together! We can’t let them separate us— The hologram disappears. The Chosen can fiddle with this device and try to restore the hologram, but it just repeats the same distorted words over and over in a loop.
Besides the watches are what look like datapads that are found around the buildings as well. Touching them will cause the screen to flash in and out, almost as if there’s something wrong with their wiring. But words on a screen can be found intermittently—Those bastards, they left us THEY LEFT But wait… You feel a sudden chill down your neck. Are you being watched? Was that a shadow moving from the corner of your eye? You look, but don’t see anything. No, that’s silly. Mr. Expedition is the one watching you. Of course. That’s all it was
Of course.
II. LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED
The Chosen are a thorough bunch, aren’t they? As they continue to investigate the ruins, they’ll be able to access places like pantries, drawers, closets, and basements that are still roughly intact. Kind of. There are various things in these nooks and crannies: characters will be able to find various sundries like money, or sheer metal, or old dilapidated clothing. Jewelry boxes may still have earrings or necklaces, tool boxes may still have tools inside, things like that. A lot of it is personal, tucked away in storage, waiting for owners who have seemingly not returned. Some of it is useless junk: broken toys, half-disintegrated candy wrappers, and the like.”You might want to keep those items for later.” Mr. Expedition says this over the Chosen’s shoulder, but when they turn around, he’s gone again.
What he doesn’t warn for… are the traps. There’s tripwire, and devices on the doors to ensure that they’re not messed with. What kind of traps?
Well, they’re mostly harmless.
Most of the traps are just pranks: trap doors springing open beneath a character's feet, a loud burst of firecrackers upon opening a drawer, pie-in-the-face pranks with pie shells that have long since dried up. There is an endless variety, and nothing causes more than light bruising or startling. What will the Chosen pick up? What traps will they end up springing? Well, that's up to you.
THOSE WHO COME AT NIGHT
As Mr. Expedition mentioned earlier, there are some… people hanging around. Or are they people at all? Sometimes it can be as simple as a shadow, a trick of the light...others look as if they’re merely ghosts. Whether the Chosen try to talk to them or not, they don’t say much.
Why us?
Why why why why why
It’s nothing that really makes sense to the Chosen… so maybe it’s not that important to interact with them. Right?
As the day gets darker and it turns to night, the figures become more tangible. Their forms become clearer, now: what looks like people with strange but possibly familiar markings running along their skin. They’re probably unnerving enough, with their incoherent speech that just gets louder and louder.But they're not the only concern here: the bigger problem is that something else is becoming more tangible, too. These creatures might have been humanoid, once: they seem to have two arms, two legs, and what looks like a head…but all of them look fuzzy, almost like they're half-there, with indistinct features and black holes where their faces should be. Even if they don't have mouths…they still scream when they attack.
III. DESERT'S HAUNTED
These creatures see the fairies—and anyone who might be accompanying them—as a threat, and they react accordingly. The marked humanoids ("Oh, ew, Infected!" Mr. Expedition will hastily explain, if asked), who had barely paid attention to the visitors earlier, turn more hostile at the sound of the screams, almost as if the shadowy mutations are encouraging them to join the attack. Curiously, their markings become more prominent at the sound of the screams, as well. They all seem averse to light, which might be why Mr. Expedition has encouraged the Chosen to stay close to camp. The campfire provides refuge from all of the hostile creatures, but for those enterprising enough to try exploring at night…well, good luck."Ah, yep, there they are," Mr. Expedition ponders aloud, ducking behind a group of the Chosen. "Now, let's see. What was I supposed to tell you about them? Hmm…something about 'the attack'." And then, just like that, he's gone again.How helpful.
Chosen who attack the Ghosts will find this to be a futile effort: weapons, magic, and objects lobbed at the creatures are absorbed in the black void of their bodies. Physical attacks with fists and the like are repelled: the Chosen will find themselves thrown several feet away after trying.
The Infected, as Mr. Expedition called them, do not seem to be invulnerable. The Chosen are able to attack and push them back with weapons, magic, and physical attacks, which can prove fatal to them. When they die, their bodies disappear from the field moments after they're struck down.
Both the Ghosts and the Infected are able to hurt the Chosen, tearing at them with claws. The wounds caused by these creatures seem normal enough, but are invulnerable to magical healing, and take a strangely long time to heal…
IV. KNEW THAT'D COME IN HANDY
"Aha! I got it!" Mr. Expedition cries, reappearing over the Chosen a few minutes later. "Be nice! Remember the attack! And items have power!" He bows, as if he's made the most helpful announcement in the world, and then disappears again. So…what does that mean? And why did he wait until now to even say anything?
Chosen that are able to think quickly may remember his words from earlier about holding onto some of the personal items they found in the ruins. They might also remember how some of their ranks had been Branded before, and how selfless acts helped them overcome those struggles. The Infected may stand down when they're held back from hurting others, or given a possession that someone found earlier. If given a personal item—any personal item—from the ruins, they pause their fighting, their faces going blank for a few moments. The markings begin to face, and they collapse on the ground. they're still alive, but unconscious.
The Ghosts are more formidable. They don't have the same reaction to the personal items, but they seem to be strongly affected by acts of protection. Witnessing the Chosen exhibiting these acts of kindness is what ultimately gets a Ghost to stop in its tracks. These creatures are too far gone to revert to a humanoid form, though—if their tastes are met, they simply fade away.
THOSE WHO STAYED BEHIND
We get it, not everyone trusts fairies. Those who choose not to go on the expedition to the ruins might find things eerily quiet in Aldrip. There are a few fairies who stay behind and continue to coax the ground back to life, of course—and just as before, they encourage the Chosen to help them do so.
But if they're paying attention, the Chosen might notice that something is amiss. Parts of signs on buildings have blinked out of existence. Some of the local residents of Aldrip act as if they're lagging. Some even flicker in and out of existence…but that's fine, right? Nothing to worry about.
Right?
V. IT'S NOT A BUG, IT'S A FEATURE
For those who have stayed behind, there's plenty of work to do in Aldrip and the surrounds. Buildings still sit in disrepair after the last event—haven't the locals been working on that? no? what have they been doing all this time?—and decayed wood and underbrush need to be removed from Pessiria Forest.
Now would be a great time to begin working on building up new things, too: plenty of Chosen have been talking about building homes or dorms to ease the pressure on the Inn, and some of the locals still whisper concerns about what happens if refrigeration fails again. Do they have enough crops to feed everyone, after that giant monster withered so much of the area? Where are you going to put all that debris, anyway? And what about the paths between towns that still lie in disrepair?
Unfortunately, the Chosen are almost entirely on their own for this. The people of Aldrip seem particularly helpless in the face of change, and some even seem to freeze up at the thought of helping out…wait. Are they actually frozen? They're not blinking. Or moving. …Oh, they're fine now.
This is fine!
VI. FUCK IT, WE BALL (WILDCARD)
Just because there’s not a prompt for it doesn’t mean that your character’s actions aren’t acceptable. If you wish to do anything that hasn’t been directly addressed by the prompts, leave a message for the mod team to say what your character would do. If you choose to go down this path, note it as a comment on the OOC poll when it goes up, and leave a link to your threads so that we can take all actions into consideration for the next State of the Game.
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She can't help but huff a quiet almost-laugh at his proposal to shoot the sky, tossing him a quick smile.] Yeah, I don't think that'll help the way we want. But as long as we stick together, we'll be okay.
I just wish I knew why I can't switch to a different Persona.
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[He acknowledges with a slight grimace. Before meeting up with Kotone, he has been using his powers to defend himself, but it didn't feel as good?? Not that he wants to die or let those infected guys get to him, but guess it's easier to justify attacking others when he's defending his friends.
Just. Blast their legs next time. Yeah.]
Huh? You mean you can't switch to Thanatos or anyone else? [Scott glances slightly at her while they walk.] This world in general is hard for people that can use Personas, right? Maybe this desert has a weird... air or something like that.
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I can't, [she confirms. If she had a free hand, it would be on her heart.] It's like... a revolver got jammed after I summoned Sandalphon, if that makes sense.
[She tries to walk a little faster as they approach a door, taking a moment to listen to anything that might be on the other side before using the butt of her naginata to shove it open and glance inside. No Shinji.
But she blinks at him with a little surprise. He'd picked up on that?]
How'd you know? Was someone complaining to you...? [Goro. Was it Goro being dramatic as always.]
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[Scott... sort of understands the metaphor, but he gets what she's saying and that's what matters. She can only use Sandalphon for one reason or another, meaning, she only has access to healing and that light spell. It's something to keep in mind, even though she shouldn't be pushing herself in the first place. However, arguing about that particular issue has long sailed.
He peers inside as well, but nothing but the abandoned rooms of this isolated town. He can feel his doubts growing, but he wisely keeps them to himself as they make their way to the next door. At least nothing's attacked them yet, so it could be worse.]
Oh, uh, yeah. [Akechi has complained about it to him before and okay, he hasn't 100% confirmed that he's a Persona user, but Scott's pretty sure at this point. Kind of like fully believing that he uses a Persona until proven otherwise.] You need certain conditions for you to use a Persona.
[...] Also, the other kids at TWATS, they don't have trouble using their powers here. Figured it's something that affects you... and Akechi.
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Also ah, it was Goro who was complaining. Figures. For someone who pretends he's so cool and above-it-all, he really does love to complain. She bites her lip when the next room is empty, too, squeezing her fingers against his arm in frustration that she doesn't voice.]
Yeah. The others seem way more bothered about it than I am. Like... my Personas are important to me, they're part of me, but you've seen what I have to use to summon them. So it's not like it's ever really that easy to do.
[After all, every use of the Evoker is a physical reminder that they will die. Maybe not this encounter, but eventually, everyone does.]
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[Stupid pretty boy smartass can't always get one over him!! If the situation wasn't so serious, Scott would be cackling and celebrating this piece of information, but for now, he settles for a small smirk... that only lasts a few seconds. It's a little hard to keep up that sort of prideful feeling when Kotone is upset and injured next to him. Not to mention that the next revealed door just opens to another abandoned household with no Shinji in sight.]
I get it, I mean, sort of. [Since he doesn't use a Persona or anything like that.] My powers are a part of me, but... I guess I wouldn't be too upset if I could only use them sometimes. But there's probably mutants out there that would take it a lot harder.
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[Now isn't the time! And Goro will tear her a new one if he finds out that she told Scott about his Persona, however inadvertently. But she doesn't comment any further than that, just tired. Why do her friends have to keep secrets from her other friends, anyway? It's exhausting.
Not as exhausting as continuing to search these houses, though. After yet another one turns up empty, she squeezes his shoulder hard enough in helpless frustration that he'll be able to feel the press of her fingernails. Realizing she's doing it, she quickly relaxes that grip, even as her other hand tightens around her naginata as if to make up for it.]
I don't think he's going to be in one of the houses, [she admits finally. If he's anywhere, he might be in the ranks of the Infected, and that's a terrifying thought in and of itself.] I can look on my own, if you want.
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[Don't worry, he totally won't tell on her! Even though Akechi will probably figure it out on his own... it's fine, it's a future problem. Maybe. He might not even care! Scott doesn't really get why he's being such a jackass about it in the first place, but also it's Akechi. Who knows what's going on in his head? Besides pissing people off.
But thoughts about the now confirmed Persona user drift away, as empty house after empty house starts dampening his energy. He didn't have much hope to begin with and even Scott can tell that Kotone is starting to get upset. The press against his shoulder is apparent enough.]
Are you kidding me? [He looks at her with a baffled expression.] There's no way I'm letting you search on your own. You're still injured and I said that I was going to help. Not about to go back on that.
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There's a part of her, not a small part, that wants to hit something to see if that will make her feel better, but she already knows it won't. Grinding through Tartarus after the first time they'd almost lost Shinji hadn't helped at all; it had just worn her out. And Scott is relying on her to be a leader, right?]
Thanks, Scott. You're a really good guy.
[She takes a deep breath through her nose and forces herself to bury her frustration beneath an attempt at a smile as she straightens her back. She has to keep it together.]
I think... we need to see if he's among the Infected. If anyone we recognize is out there.
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[He's not sure if he can count Shinji as a friend and he's not a member of TWAT club, so Scott can't really pull out the whole 'duties of club president' stick. So, guess admitting that he kind of cares is the only thing he can do. Totally man enough to do that!! Just this once.
But any flimsy confidence seems to tamper off when she mentions the Infected, his body obviously tensing under hers as he thinks about those mindless, but human--humanoid creatures. People. He feels his breath become clogged in his throat at that thought, along with a familiar panicked feeling from earlier returning, and Scott's not entirely sure how effective he is pushing everything down when he finally responds to her.
In a slightly strained voice:]
Do you think he's possibly turned into one of them.....?
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She doesn't miss the way he tenses, but it's his voice more than anything that catches her attention as she stops and glances up at him.]
I don't know. But the people here remind me of what happened in Aldrip. You know, like what happened to me. Aragaki-senpai had disappeared into the woods during that, so I just... have to know.
I haven't seen anyone I recognize among the Infected, though.
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Scott suddenly feels very ill, but he wills his legs to keep moving, even faster than before, almost like he's possessed himself. He's not sure why he wants to go out there quicker and see the Infected once more. Maybe just reassure himself that they are nothing like the situation that happened a few months ago.]
But. They could be part of the Infected. [Scott trails off, no longer looking at her, his face almost completely pale.] Yeah, let's help them, they have to be saved. They're not in control of themselves, they need help.
[He's handling this.]
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[She doesn't complain at the faster pace, forcing herself to keep up by resting more of her weight against his shoulder and half-walking, half-hopping beside him.]
Scott, are you okay? What's wrong?
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I'm fine, Kotone. [He says almost dismissively. Scott's still not really looking at her, his single-minded intent just on exploring the desert for the Infected. He's not sure what he's going to do when he finds them again, if he really finds out they're Chosen or just regular people that could still be saved. He really doesn't know. Maybe killing some of them won't be as bad if he saves some of them in return.
It doesn't work like that.]We're going to find Shinji and everything.
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Her ankle throbs painfully with the higher impact from their faster steps, but she just presses her lips together and tries to ignore it, sucking in a breath through her nose and swallowing a whimper. She's had worse before, and she'll probably have worse again.]
Okay, [is all she says, focusing her attention on the ground to make sure she doesn't trip and slow him down. Later, maybe, she can find out what started driving him with such intensity, but for now, she'll just stay with him and see what she can do to support him.] We'll work together.
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A small part of him still wants to throw up.
Scott glances at her, still unaware of the slight pain he's caused her, but eventually nods.]
Showing them an act of kindness worked last time, right? With the possessed Chosen, at least. If they're... if they're really the same, then they will be affected through the same method.
[Scott's still not sure if he feels ready, but guess focusing on this is better than nothing. Saving people is a nice thought, even if it also carries other burdens. No, don't consider that right now. Just. Think about saving them.]
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[If her voice sounds a little strained, well, don't worry about it. It's hard to think about the people here as being like how she was in Aldrip. Something in her chest squeezes tightly at the thought that these people might be possessed and just not realize that the Chosen are all here to help.
But the way he puts it reminds her of something, and she lets out a little noise at the thought.]
The stuff the fairies told us to pick up. Personal items, right? Maybe if we try offering something to them, it'll prove that we don't mean to hurt them. I have a bunch of stuff in my bag.
[Of course the alternative is what Akira did for her -- taking a killing blow to protect. She presses her lips tightly together and glances up at Scott again. Well, she's the one who can heal herself, so if it comes to it... it has to be her. As usual.]
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[Unless they're so revolted by the item, they just want to kill them in response. Scott's not really in the mood to continue that line of thought, not even in a more lighthearted manner.]
...If they don't stop though, we'll need a backup plan. [Scott closes his eyes behind his shades, trying to push through the small shudder his body makes.] It'll be easy for me to slow them down.
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[It's the spirit of the thing, she thinks. Even if it's not something of theirs, maybe it'll be enough to remind them that they're people under all of that.
She's close enough to feel the shudder and glances up at him again with a bit of a sinking feeling. Something happened -- she doesn't know what, and she isn't sure she's going to like the answer if she asks.]
Yeah. You can shoot the ground in front of them. I've been knocking them out with my naginata, but... if it doesn't work, we might have to do something else. Take a blow meant for someone else. I can heal myself, so it's okay if I get hit.
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[People die when they are killed-- Scott turns to look at with a disbelieving expression. Is she seriously suggesting that she'll take a blow for him as the 'act of kindness?' Screw that.]
What no! We're not resorting to you endangering your safety for me! [He'll take the blow if he has to, but he figures that Kotone will just protest in return.] We'll figure something else out.
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[She keeps her gaze straight ahead, even as she feels Scott looking at her. It's not a pleasant memory, seeing Thanatos' triple-pronged blade rip through Akira's flesh like it was paper, but it had jolted her out of it, at least for a while.]
But only as a last resort, okay? [In an attempt to mollify him at least. It's still a plan taking shape in her mind, but hopefully it won't be necessary. Hopefully.] If either of us gets seriously hurt, I can heal.
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A last resort that we won't... resort to. [He finishes kind of lamely, but Scott's serious about trying to find another way. He'll just think about it really hard as they press on, his face scrunched in determination despite his earlier reservations. It's fine, it's just compartmentalization.]