{ 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

g̵l̶o̶w̷

i̵̗̐n̷̯̉ ̶̞̒t̷̝̃h̵͙̆e̸̩̍ ̸̢̌d̷͕̀a̷̬̕ŗ̵̐k̷̼͝n̴̨̍ȅ̶͎ş̵̈s̷̟̽

…

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

[solitarysoul]

[He shrugs.]

It's fun, something to break up the monotony of this place.

[Perfect was boring.
He rolls his eyes at the suggestion. ]

No. I'm good without hauling rocks around.

[Levi is really bad with money, so perhaps he should be looking into that instead of hanging out at the casinos but whatever.]

[melnik]

[ No, no, he knows better than to ask him if he wants to participate in that type of work... ]

I meant the reason they're bringing the rocks in. They're doing some sort of game where you can win prizes if you break them open and find one inside.

[ But now that he mentions it. ]

It would be good for you to pick up a hobby.

[solitarysoul]

Oh the geode thing? I tried one but I didn't win anything.

[He could probably try more but it didn't really seem exciting. Maybe if he had won right away.]

...I have hobbies.

[Hobbies like loitering, doing drugs, gambling and other upstanding adult things to do.]

[melnik]

[ Okay, so that's a no-go... Miller frowns skeptically, then takes a sip of his drink. ]

Oh, yeah? Like what?

[solitarysoul]

[Crap, he should have expected to be called on that.]

Um...playing cards?

[melnik]

[ The hesitation is noted, of course. ]

No, that won't do. You need to find something productive to spend your time on. Train a skill. Or at least do some regular workouts. I can help you, if you want.

[solitarysoul]

[Ugh.]

I'll think about it.

[melnik]

[ He may just be saying that to appease him, but it was still a better response than he expected. ]

Okay. Good. Well, since you're already here, how about having a drink with me?

[solitarysoul]

[He takes a seat.]

Sure, a drink sounds good.

[Hopefully Miller is paying, but he has enough to pay for a couple of drinks. Alcohol, of course, whatever the drinking age was (if there was one) in Aldrip Levi remembered being able to legally drink.]

[melnik]

[ While he's not very approving of the drug use, it would be hypocrisy at its finest for Miller of all people to treat him like he can't enjoy a few drinks. And well, honestly, it's more fun if he has company, so he's been known to pick up the tab from time to time.

Finishing what he has in his hand, he sets his glass down and begins waving a bartender over, quick with the request when they arrive. ]

Could I get a refill on the whiskey, please? And for my friend...

[ He looks to Levi, waiting for him to fill in the blank. ]

[solitarysoul]

[He thinks for a moment.]

Rum and coke.

[Or whatever cola analog existed here.
...he should probably try to steer the conversation or something, but he has no idea what to say.]

[melnik]

[ The bartender takes Miller's glass and goes off to start making their drinks. He settles further into his seat and begins taking his gloves off. ]

So, what have you been up to lately? I heard there were some strange things going on around town...

[ Which he's not sure he believes, mind you, but he wouldn't mind hearing Levi's perspective on it. ]

[solitarysoul]

Uh.

[Miller would probably assume any weird visions he's see were just the drugs, right? And give him trouble about it. He really doesn't want to deal with that.]

I guess some. People have been talking about weird objects.

[melnik]

[ It's not the most unfair assumption to make, no. ]

Objects? What does that mean?

[solitarysoul]

Um...

[How does he describe this...]

Things that don't belong, or that look or feel off. Its hard to explain.

[melnik]

[ It must be hard to explain... because that explanation makes him chuckle a little. Clearly he finds it silly. ]

Okay. Who told you about that and what did they say?

[solitarysoul]

It's just--I've heard multiple people talk about them. Weird objects that don't belong or disappear.

[melnik]

I'll have to be on the lookout for that, then. [ It doesn't clarify much, but he must have decided to accept it, because— ]

Ah! That was fast. [ Their drinks are being left at their table. ] Thank you!

[ He slides Levi's closer to him and raises his own glass. ]

Cheers. To Levi finally picking up a hobby!

[solitarysoul]

[He sighs, he guesses finding and figuring out these objects is starting to be an obsession hobby for him.

He takes the glass and raises it, rolling his eyes a bit.]

Yeah. To hobbies or whatever.

[melnik]

[ The halfhearted response gets a spirited laugh from him in return. He clinks their glasses together and then takes a swig, after which he seems to go back to the previous topic with a tad bit more sincerity. ]

Don't worry... I'm sure it's nothing. Maybe someone is just playing a stupid prank. There have been some troublemakers stealing recently, too. It could be the same culprits involved.

[solitarysoul]

[Stealing recently? The things going missing, he guesses. He's not sure that's things being stolen, given some of the missing things weren't so easy to run off with. And he'd be likely to hear about a crime spree like that from other delinquents. But who knew.]

Yeah...I guess it could be. Things get boring here, someone could have wanted to do something to spice it up or something.

[melnik]

[ He has no proof that stealing is what's actually taking place, of course... it just seems like the most obvious conclusion to make. ]

Yes, I'm sure that's it. [ And he isn't assuming Levi's involvement, but he's not stupid. He knows who he associates with. ] If you or any of your other friends are feeling bored, I'm sure we can find you something better to do. I won't ask any questions.

[solitarysoul]

It's not me. I haven't heard anything about it. Probably just a couple kids who are bored. The stuff will turn up later when they get tired of it.

[Though he's not sure it's theft going on. How would someone steal something like a baker's cookies from under her nose?]

[melnik]

Let's hope so.

[ He agrees to it quickly because he already believed he was not involved. ]

In the meantime, try not to let any of those stories worry you... That will be sorted out in time.

[solitarysoul]

Mmm.

[He swirls the liquid around in his glass before taking a drink.]

I guess. Nothing bad ever happens in Aldrip.

[Which, now that he thinks about it with the current happenings in mind, was kinda weird.]