{ event 7 } A▒ E█SI▓Y ░▒▓25░9.▒░█

[expiationmods]

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY

March 11. The sun is shining, streaming in perfect sunbeams through uncovered windows. Birds and animals twitter outside, basking in trees that are verdant green and full of life. Outside, the town begins to wake, stirring to life with the sounds of ordinary everyday happenings. Footsteps, carts rolling down the road, the distant sound of friendly neighbors greeting each other.

And you–you have lived here your whole life. Or maybe you’re a visitor to this fine town. Either way, you’re a neighbor here, too.

Aldrip is having another beautiful day.

i. OUR TOWN

The town square is a bustling place to be for locals, and this week is no exception. Aldrip is a vibrant swell of activity: stores, stalls, and stands all open their doors precisely on time, welcoming the new day. Things are quiet, theoretically, while the local school is in session, but anyone playing hooky won’t get a second glance. Everything is fine! It’s too nice a day to be inside, anyway.

(Just like all the other days before, all too nice to waste.)

That being said, Aldrip is not without its own brand of nuisance. Fairies are rarely seen in town, these days, but this week, they seem to be in fine form. They can be found playing harmless tricks on people: taking things from them and moving them somewhere else, rolling carts when no one is holding onto them, mostly-unscrewing screws that hold together mechanical parts… They avoid magical pranks, for now, but these mundane tricks are such a nuisance! They even pull all of the wares out of a local vendor’s stall: dozens and dozens of colorful, patterned scarves. They had been on “deep discount,” leftovers from some “Day of Devotion” event, but the discount is about to get even deeper, on account of how dirty they are.

ii. TEMPTING FATE

A recent expedition to the Lorentia Caves uncovered a hidden gem–literally. Enterprising rock enthusiasts have brought back wheelbarrows full of round geodes, and have made a game out of cracking them open. Geodes that are green inside will get a lavish prize: a stay at a local spa or a gift card to a fancy restaurant. Purple or red inside will get a free drink at the local coffee shop, or a small gift card to use at a local shop. Brown or clear gems get nothing special–but you get to keep the rocks! They hold no special properties, but can be nice to look at and make great paper weights, and some of them almost seem to

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…

ERROR: MULTIPLE REDUNDANCIES DETECTED
RECALIBRATING
LOADING UPDATES...
PLEASE WAIT

Occasionally, very occasionally, breaking open one of these rocks causes it to crumble, becoming little more than gray ash. Static pops across the surface before it disintegrates.

ERROR: DATA CORRUPTED
PURGING CONTENT

Those who have found these ashen geodes will find that memories of them disappear just as soon as they turn away from what they’ve just seen.

.̸.̷.̵.̴.̷.̸.̸.̶.̴.̴.̸.̷.̵.̵.̷

…

Anyway.

No one quite knows where the pop-up casino came from, but it’s doing a bustling business at night. Now, this establishment is small, nowhere near the size of the one in the past, and is not nearly as expansive. Nonetheless, it helps create a thriving nightlife in town: there’s games, drinking, dancing, and all sorts of fun. Locals are encouraged to participate either by attending or working, or even performing in some way!

It’s a beautiful day in Aldrip. Just like yesterday. Just like tomorrow. Just like every day s̴h̵o̸u̶l̵d̸ ̶b̸e̵.

iii. LOST AND FOUND

You wake in a maze surrounded by fog. You have no memory of entering the maze. You have no idea which direction you might have come from. You are simply here, and there seems to be no exit above. So. The only way is forward.

You may be alone, or have company. Either way, aside from you and any other characters you may find, the maze seems empty. Without end. Without purpose.

Whatever twists and turns you take, all will eventually find themselves in the center, in their own time. There is nothing here, either, except for an overwhelming sense of aloneness. There is nothing here. There is nothing there.

There is nothing–

ERROR: REDUNDANT PROCESS FOUND
PURGING CONTENT

...

You wake up.

It’s another beautiful day in Aldrip.

Like all the days before and all the days after, your morning proceeds apace. You start your morning, you say hello to friends and neighbors. You…

… you find something unusual in an area you frequent. An item. It’s small, and somehow, it’s something you think you should know. Some will feel compelled to pick these items up. Some will feel a deep sense of unease when looking at them, and refuse to interact. Turning your back on these items will cause them to disappear. You won’t have to worry about that anymore. Not on this beautiful day.

Picking up the items causes a rush of information to flood your mind. Something like a memory plays in your head: the person in this memory looks and sounds like you. But…you don’t remember living that life, or doing those things. So how does it feel so real?

Throughout the rest of the event, these items will continue appearing. Characters are free to interact with them or ignore them as you see fit. Regaining more memories means they may regain their powers, as well, though whether they remember how to control them is another story.

These memories will feature prominently in the event poll that goes up after this, and your choice of how many memories they regain (or don’t) may have a lasting effect on your character. Not filling it out will also have an impact on them. So please make sure to fill out the poll!

iv. MISSING LINKS

As this strange memory phenomenon takes over Aldrip, other odd things begin to happen. It’s small, at first, and barely notable except that it renders Aldrip slightly less idyllic than usual. There are a few clouds in the sky. You may get caught in a passing rain shower, or maybe sleep through your alarm…

It gets worse.

The end of the month crawls ever closer, slow and steady. As it does, things begin to go missing. Small things, at first: personal possessions, the lunch left in the break room, flyers that look like maybe they were torn down in the town square. Is someone thieving? Here? In Aldrip?? You’ve never known Aldrip to have a problem with crime. Everything is so…

…

Pleasant.

Everyone becomes a suspect. It could have been your neighbor who took your wallet, or a coworker. Maybe your friend took that bracelet from the counter while you weren’t looking. But close to the end of the month, this starts getting bigger. What happened to that tree along the path you walk every day? Wasn’t there a butcher shop on the corner there? Where have all the birds gone?

ERROR: DATA LOST

Things go missing.

They keep going missing.

Why have they disappeared?

And…where have they gone?

v. THE COUNTDOWN

Sunday, March 31.

It’s raining.

It never rains like this in Aldrip.

Characters wake in the morning to anxiety twisting in the pit of their stomach, inexplicable and impossible to trace. As the day wears on, this sense of foreboding ramps up. Characters may even see significant numbers throughout the day that seem to count…down.

Twelve. Morning. How funny, to see these recurrences. Odd.

Eight. Seven. Around noon. This must be a coincidence, and yet, you cannot help but wonder if it is meaningful.

Four. Late afternoon. Wonder and curiosity are replaced by dread. Whatever is at the end of this countdown–it feels like a finality. Terrifying and unknown.

Two. Night. Those going to bed will find their sleep restless and filled with bad dreams.

UPDATES INSTALLED
RESTARTING…

One. Midnight. The clock strikes twelve, and whatever your character is doing–sleeping, waking, etc–the whole of existence seems to blink out.

(Info about what happens after this will be forthcoming in the event poll results and April’s SOTG.)

vi. WILDCARD

Go wild! We know that you all have plotted extensively for this event, so go ahead and do what you'd like with it!

♡

Comments

Sandry | Circle of Magic

[threadmage]

[ Sandry is working at a tea shop for the AU! Who owns the tea shop? Best not to think about it too much, Sandry certainly doesn't. She serves tea and cookies to anyone who comes in, and mysteriously there's never more than one group of customers at a time!

If you'd like a specific starter or to hash out any AU details feel free to message me on plurk or discord, both @ biowafers! ]


i. Ordering at the tea shop (any time during the event)

[ Sandry is behind the counter of the tea shop with her apron on. There's a case with some cookies and a chalkboard on the wall with different tea blends written on it, decorated with little flower drawings.

Maybe she's just waiting patiently for someone to walk in, or maybe she's working on her homework. Whatever the case, the door opens with a jingle and she comes to attention. ]

Hi, welcome in! Let me know if you have any questions.


ii. Baking flurry (later in the event)

[ The cookies are all gone. All of them! All of a sudden! The case is completely empty. So Sandry is in the back of the shop, baking as fast as she can. One batch in the oven while she prepares the next one.

When the door opens with a jingle there's a clatter out of view in the kitchen and she appears from the back looking somewhat harried. Her apron has floury handprints on it and she's a bit out of breath. ]

Hi! Sorry for the mess, how can I help you?


iii. New companion (later in the event)

[ Sandry is behind the counter as usual, but she's not her usual attentive self. In fact, she doesn't even notice when the door opens. Instead she has a small roll of ribbon on the counter, one end unrolled, and is dragging her finger slowly side to side in front of it. Strangely, the ribbon is following her finger while Sandry watches with a pensive look.

Suddenly she realizes that she's not alone and snatches the ribbon off the counter and shoves it into her apron pocket with a small blush, embarrassed at being caught. ]

Hi, welcome in!

[ She's clearly pretending nothing happened. ]


iv. Alone in the dark (very late in the event)

[ She really meant to be going home before this, but it just didn't happen. Now it's dark. Sure there are street lights but there's lots of dark patches between them, and sometimes a poorly placed tree is blocking it. So Sandry is running home, absolutely terrified. She can't explain why but she recently became afraid of the dark. It doesn't make any sense, but she can't deny it.

The thing with it being dark and her being in such a rush is that it's very easy to nearly run into someone. Which she nearly does! She comes to a screeching halt just before collision. ]

Sorry! I'm so sorry!

[ Should people in Aldrip be as scared as she sounds? ]

Ii

[solitarysoul]

Um.

[Whatever Levi came in for is forgotten for the moment.  She doesn't look okay.]

S-should I come back later?  Are you alright?

[threadmage]

[ Sandry glances down at her hands and then dusts them on her apron, leaving more flour streaks. ]

Oh! No, it's fine. Just doing some emergency baking. I have no clue what happened but all our cookies vanished! Just like that. I had only stepped away for a minute. I don't suppose you've seen anyone with piles of cookies?

[solitarysoul]

[He furrows his brow but shakes his head.]

No...I haven't seen anything like that.

[But he had noticed things going missing, he just wasn't sure he was comfortable telling people these things. They'd probably think he was just high or something.]

Did you have another door they could have left from?

[threadmage]

[ Sandry shakes her head. ]

There's a door in the back, but that's where I was and I didn't see anyone. And I didn't even hear the front door bells jingle! They always do.

[ She gives a small sigh. ]

It's just so strange, I wouldn't have expected something like this to happen in Aldrip.

[solitarysoul]

That's...weird. Is it just the cookies or did anything else go missing?

iii.

[memori3s]

[ Minato's here today not as an employee, but as a customer. And because he's a fellow worker, Sandry doesn't need to worry about him reporting her for slacking on the clock. Instead, he simply stands there in the doorway for a moment before taking a few steps towards the counter. ]

...what's in your pocket, Sandry?

[ Something's obviously up, given she was too distracted and automatically gave Minato a customers' welcome instead of just a casual hello. ]

[threadmage]

[ Oh, well, it's just Minato so her lack of attentiveness is fine, but it's also Minato so he knows something is up. ]

It's nothing! Just some ribbon I was using to tie up some bags of cookies.

[ While technically true it's no excuse for why she had to hide it. ]

[memori3s]

[ Hm... Is that so... ]

Oh. Okay.

[ That justification is reasonable enough, but -- ]

...where are the cookies?

[ There's not a single bag of cookies in sight. There are some arranged in the glass case, but nothing like cookies contained in decorative bags. ]

[threadmage]

[ Oops. Busted. ]

Well, I was about to do it...

[ She's a terrible liar, isn't she? This isn't working out at all. ]

Cat dirt. I wasn't. Here, look at this.

[ She pulls the ribbon out of her pocket and puts it back on the counter. As she draws her hand away one end of the ribbon moves towards her retreating hand as if it were alive. ]

I don't understand why this is happening!

[memori3s]

[ Cat what...?

Fortunately, Minato doesn't have much time to ponder Sandry's choice of swear words. Instead, he draws nearer to get a better look at the ribbon on the counter, blinking a bit as it creeps across the surface like a flat caterpillar. ]

...is it happening with other things too?

[ Maybe it's a special property of the ribbon? ]

Iv

[killjoyprince]

[Normally, Naoto would be in bed by now. She had to get up early to help open up the shop. But she couldn't sleep. So she'd gone for a walk, the cool winter air helping to clear her head. The lack of people this late a-

She backstepped when the girl almost ran into her. Her face shifting into a scowl.]

What is it?

[Grouchy.]

[threadmage]

[ Sandry feels bad, she's clearly in the wrong here and it's perfectly reasonable to be upset about it. ]

Oh, I'm really sorry. I just stayed out too late and it got dark! So I wanted to be home. You're not hurt, are you?

[ They're not under a light post so she sounds somewhat upset. ]

[killjoyprince]

[Had this been any other time, Naoto might have been more sympathetic. As it was, she had a headache, something felt strange. The fairies being a pain in the neck was just another annoyance.

As was this girl nearly bumping into her.]

That's hardly an excuse for running like that. What if there was a wall or someone slower than me?

[She'd not been hit or fallen over, she'd just had to move out the way.]

[threadmage]

[ Sandry really wishes they were under a street light, but then she'd have seen this girl and not nearly run into her. ]

You're right, I'll slow down. I'm really sorry.

[ Well, she'll slow down until she's out of sight. But she's able to say it convincingly enough, only marred by sounding quite upset still. ]

[killjoyprince]

[Naoto was still scowling. But...eh, maybe the girl just wanted to get home to her family. Naoto didn't have to worry about that. So she just sighed.]

Just be careful. It'd be bad if you twisted your ankle before you got home.

iv!

[feintofhart]

[ His profession being what it is, Claude only gets off late, and his figure staggering down the streets is a familiar sight around these parts. Usually he has a nice walk home, filling his lungs with the cold, crisp air of the night and relishing the quiet.

Tonight, however, someone comes racing towards him like a bat out of hell, and he raises both arms, looking equal parts bewildered and ready for a fight. It quickly becomes apparent a fight won't be necessary. She's just a young slip of a thing, and she sounds utterly terrified. ]

Hey, slow down! What's going on? [ He peers behind her. ] Is someone chasing you?

[threadmage]

[ Oh, Sandry recognizes who this is. They haven't talked before, but, well, lots of people know of Claude. She doesn't put any stock in rumors or the like so she doesn't have any sort of judgement on who he is as a person. ]

Oh! Hi! No, I'm not being chased. It just got dark? I didn't mean to be out late, I was trying to get home.

[feintofhart]

You're... scared of the dark?

[ He is young, Claude supposes. It's not unusual for a child to be afraid of the dark; what may be lurking out there is always far more terrifying than the reality of it. Especially here in sleepy old Aldrip, where you're more likely to run into someone chastising you for making a ruckus so late at night than you are to run into someone who means you true ill.

If he knew this girl already, he'd tease her at least a little, but he bites his tongue. It would be cruel to mock her when she's already scared. ]

Don't worry, little lady. There's nothing bad out here, except for a cranky songbird or two angry with you for disturbing their slumber. [ He glances behind him. ] You know, I think I have a spare flashlight at the bar. Want me to grab it and walk you home?

[threadmage]

[ Sandry doesn't have a good explanation for why she is, but it's the undeniable truth. But she breathes a small sigh of relief at the mention of a flashlight. ]

Yes, please, I would appreciate that. Is your bar far from here? I'll walk with you if it is.

[feintofhart]

Not terribly. But you ought to walk with me anyway. You'll feel better that way, I'm certain -- and not to worry, you've nothing to fear from me.

[ Others may beg to differ, others that Sandry herself may have heard about, but Claude's being truthful. For all of his nonsense, he's never laid a finger on someone else in his life. Or, rather, he's never laid a finger on anyone who wasn't begging for it. Helping disperse a bar fight or two is all part of the job.

Once they arrive at the bar, Claude flicks the lights on. A bar with all the lights on is always a bit eerie, he thinks; it's easier to see how bare and unpleasant and empty it is after everyone else has cleared out, the tables pushed to the sides and the chairs stacked in towers, floors properly cleaned only to be made tacky with drink again in a matter of hours. ]

I know it's behind the bar somewhere... hold on. [ As he goes digging through the equipment box, his head pops back up again over the bar to look at Sandry. ] Have you always disliked the dark? I'm surprised you don't carry a flashlight on you already.

iv

[coordinatroll]

[ She's late. Her little sister is late. Which, by itself, wouldn't be that big of a deal; it's not like she has any sort of strict curfew, and she trusts Sandry is a smart girl and wouldn't get into any trouble... but at the same time, the sun has set already and Mitama is getting more and more worried by the minute. Finally, she can't stand just waiting at home anymore, and leaves home to walk around the neighbourhood to try and see if she can find her. Maybe she can stop by the places she usually hangs out at and ask if she's around. Yeah, that sounds like a plan.

It isn't long into her venture that the problem solves itself, however, and she lets out a small squeak when the very person she's been looking for almost runs into her. ]

There you are, young lady!

[ There's a scowl on Mitama's face, which isn't a common occurrence ─ she's usually more of a cheery person, but right now, she's clearly not happy. ]

You know I don't like it when you're out after dark without giving me a heads-up... You could've messaged me to let me know where you are, at least!

[ People often laugh at her and call her overprotective when they hear about that particular trait of hers. What is there to worry about? This is Aldrip, probably the safest place in the world. Still, Mitama can't help the way she feels... ]

[threadmage]

[ Oh, this is a very safe person to almost run into. Sandry is very relieved to see her sister, even with the scolding and being in the dark. She's very patient with Mitama's protectiveness. ]

I'm sorry, Mitama. I didn't mean to be out so late. I wasn't paying attention and then it got dark...

[ Sandry gives a small shudder at that last bit. ]

[coordinatroll]

[ Oh, who is she joking? She couldn't possibly stay mad at her, even if she tried. Mitama lets out a sigh of relief, knowing that the most important thing is that nothing bad has happened to her sister. ]

Well, as long as you understand... Just, be careful next time, okay?

[ She gives the other girl a warm smile and wraps her arms around her shoulders to give her a reassuring hug. ]

Let's go home, okay? I've picked up some dinner for us on the way home!

[threadmage]

[ Sandry gives a very emphatic nod. ]

I... don't like being out in the dark. I'll be more careful next time.

[ She's never minded it before, if only she hadn't had that... bad dream. Or whatever it was. But she gives her sister a weak smile in return. Being with Mitama isn't fixing her fear of the dark, but it makes it easier. ]

That sounds great. What's for dinner?