{ Player Event } What's true of all the evils in the world is true of the plague as well

[quizpersona]

Who: You. (Open to all)
Where: All over Aldrip.
What: This is the log for what we’ve been affectionately dubbing The Organ Player Plot. Various places around Aldrip are facing dangerous supernatural occurrences. It’s a scavenger hunt in some way.
Warnings: MANY SNAKES, Body Horror, Organ Trafficking, Horror Themes, Violence, and we will be updating this as we go along.



A waking scream in the darkness is the first unheard omen.

Snakes, hundreds if not thousands, slither forth from the depths of Lorentia Cave and swiftly invade Aldrip. They are the heralds of the terrible things to come, and there are no corners safe from their encroachment. The serpents come in all shape and sizes, venomous or not, and are quick to become agitated if approached. Their readiness to strike and unwillingness to back off once provoked indicates the lack of survival instinct to flee. They are on the search for what's missing, and they will put up a fight.

An invisible haze sets upon the city , filled with anguish and fury, afflicting residents as it washes through the air and buildings. Children, the elderly, and the sickly are the first to complain of ailment. Within the next few days, patients begin to flood the doors of any hospital or clinic with more serious conditions-- fevers burning from them inside out and excruciating phantom pains that make them writhe in bed.

The longer what's stolen is not returned, the worse things get. Who knows how many bodies will pile high from these plagues if nothing gets done...





ooc//
[ Dara is currently locked behind a barrier in Lorentia Cave to stave off the further spread of deadly miasma. Please retrieve a protection talisman from Seimei and retrieve what she’s lost (and hopefully return it…) !

How This Works–
To begin the search for the supernatural sources a participant can select a number that corresponds to one of the squares on the map (seen below). To go on a route head on down to the numbered top levels in the comments and reply to it. This is your character kicking off their investigation. Some routes will lead to nowhere, some to something, and others to ;)? You’ll find out.

During exploration you will receive responses from either quizpersona or cursegod. This is not an interaction with that particular character unless indicated otherwise.

This event will handwave wrap up by the 20th if no conclusion is reached before then because Dara needs her poor organs back. ]

The Map


Happy Belated Easter lol

Comments

[foxphorus]

Not if it was inconvenient.

[ He could name a few incidents in particular, but that would be dangerously close to the gossip the court loved to indulge in so much, and he has much better things to do with his time than gossip, thank you very much. ]

Though I suppose most people are never pleased with what they don't want to hear; a status and title just make it worse.

[foxphorus]

[ Oh dear, oh dear. Now here he is faced with two frightened children and no concrete good news to give them. Not that he was ever the type to sugarcoat these sorts of things in the first place, but the way he hesitates while trying to pick out the right words might not be doing their nerves any favors.

When he finally speaks again, his tone is even, but gentle. ]

I cannot promise that you won't, or at the very least feel the urge to. While some curses lay dormant once revenge has been taken on those who provoked the grudge, stronger ones may target indiscriminately, no matter the victim's relation to any guilty parties.

[ His hand shifts against Kotone's, a more obvious attempt at comfort than simply holding it for observation. ]

Every living creature has the capacity to create a curse, to become a demon. And unless we're one of the dedicated few to reach enlightenment, we fight that demon every day of our lives. I cannot tell you how best to fight your own. Only you know what can ultimately soothe it into a more manageable state.

It would do the both of you well to discuss your demons. How to anger them, to calm them, to live with them. That will be the best way to care for one another as this all plays out.

[foxphorus]

[ Congratulations, Sha-Ming, you actually caught him off guard with that. Enough for him to need a perhaps ill-advised second to stop his brush and just. Look down at him, like he'd suddenly grown two heads.

Thankfully it doesn't seem like offense was taken or anything. Once that short second is over Seimei's brush is moving again, carefully striking small characters in lines down Sha-Ming's neck, a quiet huff of amusement sneaking out before Seimei speaks again. ]

I'm just as mortal a man as you.

[izanagis]

[Whatever is causing the snakes to cower must be something they're afraid of -- thus far, they've shown no regard for anything else in their search for whatever it is they're looking for. As for whether that's a bad thing for them or not, the jury is out, for Yu. What's that saying, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend," right? He's not so optimistic that he's sure that's the case, but it's definitely a possibility.

Still. Better safe than sorry.

He backs up only by a few steps, remaining in front of his friends, but close enough that they have a solid group. At the same time, he brings Barong to the front of his mind, summoning the creature's card in order to cast Marakukaja on the three of them. It'll give them a boost in their defense if anything tries to sneak up on them.]

Stay on guard. Whatever's coming, we've got this.

[They always do.]

[bonobos]

[ sha-ming’s eyes flicker up to him, meeting his gaze in a moment of lucidity — ah, yes, the pain ebbs away… another feeling takes over entirely. there’s the warmth of proximity, a thing that lingers with every stroke of his brush.

badump, badump, badump. is that the miasma? no, it’s— ]

C’mon, you’re sellin’ yourself short… most people wouldn’t help a guy like me, yanno…

[ is this man really shooting his shot on the verge of death because he was pathetic enough to develop an impromptu crush in a fraction of a second?

yes. ]

What’s the, [ he chokes on his own breath for a moment. ] point in savin’ someone who can’t do shit for you?

[foxphorus]

You've already done something for me. [ Eyes still on his work, he nods in the direction of the organ now wrapped tight in paper talismans, ] And for the woman who's missing this lung.

I'm sure she'd prefer you alive to thank properly. In the meantime, you may consider this as my own thanks if you must.

[ Stroke by stroke, the brush is plunging deeper down Sha-Ming's neckline. If that jacket of his isn't already unzipped, Seimei might have to do it himself to get to the rest of the torso on the way to the actual bite. ]

[laserguy]

[No promises or certainties that Kotone won't harm anyone. It's hard to hear, mostly because if she harmed someone, she would take it extremely hard. He knows her. However, despite knowing that, he wants to stay by her side, even if his own life is at risk. It's possible she might be a little upset at him, but he's more than willing to just say that she would do the same in his shoes. She basically did when he was affected by that corruption.

He's not going to budge on this. He wants to be there for her.]

I'll be by her side the entire time.

[It's what he can promise right here, right now. He glances briefly at Kotone as he says that, before returning his gaze back at Seimei. He's not going to say it out loud, but they already promised to tell each other everything, even if it's stupid. Talking about their... demons shouldn't be too different, right? Even if he hasn't told her a couple of things yet--]

[grappler]

[she looks over when Caitlyn offers the knife and takes it, starting to slice through the hair too. she's going to keep going as much as she can when she realizes that she can do it like this, and that they'll actually get somewhere.

hopefully they find a way through it, or something, soon.]

Yeah, I wasn't expecting it either. What a surprise for us.

[feintofhart]

[ Ange may not be answering him, but at least she's not fighting him either, Claude thinks. There are people back home who would cuss him out for proposing such a thing, calling him craven, accusing him of thinking them craven, staunch in their belief that there is no nobler fate than dying with a sword in your hand and a spike through your belly.

Claude quite disagrees, which is why he intends to get the hell out of here as soon as it seems like an unwinnable fight, with Ange tucked underneath his arm if he has to. Heaven knows she's small enough. So he forges ahead, breath shallow, trying to keep as quiet as possible as they creep forward, try to see if there's some horrible thing lying in wait. ]

Okay, [ he breathes. ] So the magic gets stronger here. Maybe this magic was counteracting your own -- some sort of Silence spell. [ He looks at the wall he's touching, frowning as he senses nothing of his own. He only ever scraped by in his magic classes; these days, he regrets that negligence more and more.

He balls his hand into a fist and punches the wall where the magic is coming from, hard enough that for a particularly shallow, delicate wall, his hand would go clean through. ]

[emet_sulk]

[ He's silent for a little while but his eyes do flicker open again, indicating he hasn't simply fallen unconscious. It's tempting to do so though. There's a sense that he's growing distant and fatigued. ]

When we were trapped in the labyrinth, I saw iteration upon iteration of my star dying. No matter what actions I took to change the future, it all led to the same end. It wasn't until an-- old friend took the lead and showed me kindness that I found the future I sought...

[ His eyes slide shut. He's definitely starting to drift off now, exhaustion taking hold. But he leaves one final thought: ]

I will not give in to despair.

[conflictresolution]

[Silco was morbidly fascinated by the explosion of the snake, and the fact that it was both viscera and miasma. As he took less of a brunt of it, he felt a whisper of fingers around his throat but given his history of being nearly choked to death, there was a sharp inhale from him in response. He shook his head lightly to dispel the illusion, unable to discern if it was because of the light misting he received or his own past.

He indeed had full intention of retrieving the organ while Levi held the snakes at bay; there were certain risks he was willing to take when it came to being rewarded on a mission, and this happened to fit into that. Yet, he also wasn't about to make a fuss when his new little bodyguard took the full measure of risk in his stead and went for the organ. He waited nearby watching the snakes on what they would do, willing to pull Levi back from crippling harm if necessary. One didn't build loyalty expecting complete sacrifices.]

The reason we have come... excellent.

[strength_of_will]

I must be lucky then to be employed by a man who appreciates honesty and candour. But I have met people like who you describe. They're difficult to work with.

[ That's...an understatement. ]

[bulleting]

It's always something around here, isn't it?

[Caitlyn notices the difference the knives make, but the hair is still growing and returning quickly, so she picks up the pace.

If they keep this up quickly, hopefully they can at least reach the other side of the room before it's engulfed with hair again. They'll likely have to cut their way out to leave again too, the way this is looking.]

[killjoyprince]

[Something making the previously aggressive snakes nervous? Oh joy... Naoto wanted to know what the braver ones were heading to. Were they going to confront whatever it was that was approaching them?

Yu got a small nod. After Izanami, she didn't doubt they'd be alright.

Just reaching into her coat to grab her revolver and summoning Yamato...Sumeragi?]

If the snakes are connected to this Dara person, then whatever is scaring them...

[Was it connected to what had attacked Dara? She'd put that aside for now though.]

[orphne]

[Her expression falls into a cautious blankness, an expression Scott would be familiar with seeing when she doesn't know exactly which face is the right one to present in a given situation. She doesn't know about all that -- everyone has a demon? She has lots of those in her heart -- but at the core, it makes sense. If there's a curse within her, then it's up to her to control it. Manage it.

Unbidden, the memory of losing control of Thanatos comes to mind again, and she just nods as if firming her resolve. She'll have to manage it, no matter what.]

Okay, [is all she says out loud, though. Maybe Scott will let her go without discussing all this stuff, but she doubts it. He's stubborn about that kind of thing.

A beat, and then she forces a smile, though even she knows it's hardly convincing.] Maybe I'll awaken Dara-san as a Persona!

[bonobos]

...I didn't do anything, I just-- [ he can't think straight, not as the fog swarms his mind, not as everything is spinning and pulsing and hurting--

sha-ming's jaw tenses. he focuses on seimei's voice-- what a nice voice, he thinks. the kind that lulled you to sleep. ]

It's not like I could just... let her die.

[ his eyes flicker down. in this state, he doesn't think to unzip his jacket; instead he fixates on the motion of the brush and the way it soothes his skin. ]

...Why're you helping her?

[foxphorus]

[ Seimei certainly doesn't look swayed by that smile, but at least it seems like Scott is dead serious about caring for her. Good. He's intimately familiar with the type of people who insist on handling everything by themselves like it's all fine, like they're different from others and it doesn't take a toll.

Maybe the stare he gives her for a beat or two says as much. Maybe it doesn't, but eventually he'll nod. ]

Then that's settled. You may rest here a moment if you like, or return to wherever you'll be most comfortable.

[foxphorus]

[ How strange, he thinks, that this so-called community of criminals is so eager to help one another Just Because. A sense of camaraderie in shared misfortune, perhaps, but he's not holding his breath on this kind of attitude being the norm just yet. ]

You remember this is a matter of life and death for all of us, yes?

[ No bite whatsoever in that chiding, because with the amount of miasma swimming through Sha-Ming's veins it wouldn't be surprising if his mind was more than a little muddled. It's more of a reminder, matter-of-fact. ]

Regulating the energies of a world and all those living within it is one of my duties. Even if I'm not beholden to a certain office here, I intend to keep practicing them for the betterment of this place. [ A quirk of his brow, ] Regardless of all this, it needs it.

[ Just as dutifully, the ink reaches down to the site of the bite, around with a different set of characters are drawn in a circle. Finally he'll set his brush down and take a gentle hold on either side of Sha-Ming's face, his tone becoming firm again. ]

As I warned, this is going to be uncomfortable. I need you to take in as deep a breath as you can, and exhale. No matter what you feel, a tickle, a burning, pins, needles, do not stop until you've let out every last bit of breath you have.

Understood?

[heir_conditioned]

Shoto isn't sure about what Izuku is going through, but it seems like maybe it's a lot for him. So he nods his head after reading the message, patting his shoulder. A quick wipe of those tears away and Todoroki puts his hand up in a 'stay here'. The hero ices his forearm over in case he comes into contact with something too toothy for his flesh.

Pausing at the door for only a moment he steels himself and opens it to check the room, looking at the unblocked portion first.

[laserguy]

[Normally, Scott would smile or at least roll his eyes when Kotone makes a silly comment like that, but he's still so serious. He has a feeling now that making her talk about any sort of 'demon' or insecurity will be a challenge on his end, but as he told Seimei, he's going to stick by her. That's what he's here for. Being with her isn't just for when things are easy, but when stuff gets really fucking hard. They've been through a few incidents already.

At least it's obvious that she isn't really fooling anyone, if judging by the stern look the older man is sending her. You know what, he kind of likes him a little more for that--]

Kotone, what do you feel more comfortable with? [He turns his eyes towards her, wanting to see her preference in all this. He's fine with either and she's the one that's cursed, so. While waiting for her response, he strokes her hand with his thumb.]

[orphne]

[What is she supposed to say in response to that? She meets Seimei's eyes with just a hint of defiance, as if daring him to tell her not to go. That's not right though, is it? She should be grateful to for his help. Is this anger and annoyance her own, or a remnant of Dara's...?

Her hand tightens around Scott's, even as she draws back from Seimei.]

I want to go back. ["Home," she doesn't say, because she never calls anywhere "home." Scott's house is the closest thing she has now that the farmhouse is empty again.

Almost as an afterthought, like it's something she's realized she's supposed to do rather than it being a natural, reflexive motion, she dips her head into a bow.] Thanks for your help.

[bonobos]

[ he thinks on that-- it roots into his mind, even through the smog, toxic and suffocating. his eyes are wandering, shifting in saccades, and he hears the distant cry of the jungle from long ago. ]

So like... [ he swallows, trying to distract himself from the pain. ] The ecosystem -- and how if even one thing meets its end or comes to life... it affects everything else in the chain, right?

[ he doesn't take it personally. on the contrary he looks to him, genuine respect swimming within him for a change. like he didn't know people could truly be devoted in the world in that way. ]

...Are you really happy -- takin' care of everyone else like that...?

[ what a stupid question. but he can't help himself. sha-ming slips out of his jacket, unable to cope with the growing heat, breathing labored as he nods in affirmation. ]

Okay.

[ and then, before he begins-- ]

Thank you.

[melnik]

[ It is a difficult thing to see this person who has, thus far in their interactions with each other, shown nothing but grounded self-confidence forced into a position where her actions are not wholly her own. Where her own actions make her waver. Miller hears her speak under her breath as he goes to the man’s rescue, and his wrinkles deepen with his frown, turned away and unseen.

However, it is the time to act. He doesn't know for certain if they ever had a chance of saving this woman, now buried with the mutilated body of the snake beneath the ground, but either way, one person is now dead. If they have any chance of preventing another casualty or preventing the loss of their own grip on themselves, this is it.

Miller remembers the weight of the intense amount of radiation in the dead city, how it would make one's body heavy and head light, and the sound and sight of things that one should never fall prey to believing in started flashing and ringing in their eyes and ears. It wasn't until that day that he started to truly believe those things himself. Perhaps it was a shared delusion, a challenge set upon them by God himself. But whatever it was, to fight back, they had to face it head on.

This gives him the same feeling. Anna's life had depended on it.

And now there is Toph.

Maybe it is not truly the same, but she is someone's daughter, too; and when he thinks of this, he suddenly despises this miasma, angry that it could get inside the both of them and start to twist who they are. He is a Spartan. Demonic presences be damned.

Steeling himself and pulling the local up, securing him more firmly to his back, Miller seems to catch a second wind. He pauses to accept the placement of the talisman onto the man and then begins to speed up, turning back in the direction that they came.

His own talisman is tucked into the belt of ammunition hanging from his armor, in contact with the local's dangling arms. ]

Good call. It's okay—mine is right here. But stay close to me.

[ He cannot help the tenuous worry that creeps into his voice. ]

We need to make it back to that priest.

[fieldtrip]

[ They work well together, and this is a large part of the reason why: Toph knows when it's time to act, too, and she's not about to stop them in the middle of saving a life to pay homage to her own sorry feelings. It's a relief and another reason to respect him when Miller wordlessly allows them to stay focused on their objective, and not her mistake. ]

Okay.

[ She agrees and follows him closely in relative silence, trying to scan their surroundings to detect if more snakes are coming. Words are nice, but actions are what matter. The best thing she can do is make sure this man survives, even if that means giving up her talisman.

Even if that means her numb, tingling feet and ankles grow worse with every step, the world around her fading out like peripheral vision narrowing and narrowing until there's only what's directly ahead. Toph stubbornly persists, refusing to accommodate this weakness, but it's a long walk back and she's eventually forced to confront it when she actually stumbles over a rock.

Over a rock. She can't feel it with her senses, and she can't even feel it with her feet, she just takes a few stuttering steps to recover. ]

Miller -- [ Stay focused. Actions, not words... right. Toph's voice is softer than usual, reserved. ] I can't feel anything anymore. My feet are numb. Can I hold onto you?

[ This isn't the first time she's been literally and effectively blind at the same time -- the desert comes to mind, flying, floating in water -- but there's a cruelness to it given she's surrounded by her element. It's been removed from her more completely than it was during her memory alteration. Then, she could at least try; she could keep beating her head against that wall until it produced something.

Now, there's nothing. The world is blank and all she has are the sounds and smells, and her small hand reaching out into the air, uncharacteristically hesitant. She doesn't know where he is. ]

[melnik]

[ Life can be fleeting. This strange respite that Miller has had from the feeling of constantly facing down death has not changed the years, decades, of needing to change plans at a moment's notice. While he takes no pleasure in leaving the poor woman's body behind, they can debrief once they're out of harm's way. Though frankly, he is just relieved that Toph didn't end up like the man they're trying to save.

Which is why as they make their way back, his focus is split between making headway as fast as they can and on making sure that Toph is still close by to him. They have this out now, but who can say how long it might last? He can't stop to think about it, or god forbid to pay any mind to the physical toll it is taking on him. The latter is easier to push past, knowing it will be fine so long as they get out of this hot zone, but it is becoming more clear the further that they make it that the former is something he is not wrong to worry about.

Still, this continues for a while, the two of them both silently pressing onward while he holds his tongue. This is in no thanks to the fact that his filter is completely clogged now and the heat of his own heavy breath, together with the muggy weight of the miasma, is becoming unbearable. But with no way to address it, he lets it go. That is, until a slight shuffling sound causes him to turn back to see her stumbling.

And then, the way her voice comes out makes his breath catch in his throat, and he stops in his tracks. Unscrewing the filter with his free hand, he throws it on the ground unceremoniously, his voice more clear in his response to her. ]

Of course. I'm right here.

[ Backtracking to grab her hand in his own, he adjusts the hold of the local over his shoulder once more, and gently pulls to lead her forward. ]

There is not much further to go. Just a little more.