{EVENT #1} ADVERSITY 131425.845119

[expiationmods]

THUS DO WE HUNGER

MOD NOTES: Welcome to the first event! Please direct any questions to the corresponding comment below. Note that characters can be involved in multiple prompts (whether you choose to thread that out or not), and that character decisions and actions taken on these prompts will affect future events, storylines, and relationships with other peoples of Expiation. In two weeks from this event, the moderator team will be posting a poll on the OOC community that will allow players to share what actions their characters took and two weeks after that, there will be an announcement made sharing said results, how those actions have impacted the state of the world, the game's story, what information can be used ICly, and so on. The various prompts are, of course, optional, so you're not required to travel to Rumpitur if you don't wish to. You're not required to help the locals or other Chosen during the food shortage. There is an option to simply not be involved, and that too can have potential repercussions on the future of the game's overarching story and other characters.

WE'RE STARVING HERE!

HOW TO REPAIR A REFRIGERATOR 101

     

Do you remember the fishing tournament where a variety of locals and Chosen alike submitted a bunch of fish for a very modest and unimpressive wooden sculpture? Well... about that...

Aldrip's refrigeration has catastrophically failed and as a result, the food stores that the locals have been keeping are now on the verge of total and utter collapse. The townspeople are in an absolute uproar. According to them, this has never happened before and though they would normally just pray to Those Who Were There for a resolution, they kind of need something immediate. Otherwise, all residents of Aldrip are facing the very real threat of starvation.

The good news is that you can help!

The more handy of the Aldrip townsfolk are going to get right to work on repairing the refrigeration units. At present, the only units that exist belong to those who are making food and providing them to the townspeople. This means people like the tavern keepers, the inn, bakers, and other miscellaneous cooks, are those who possess and control these refrigeration units. If you've got some handyman skills, put them to work, though be aware that working on repairing the technological malfunction might just be an electrifying experience. Literally.

---

THE ALTERNATIVE TO COOKING MAMA

     

There sure has been a lot of opportunities to cook, but now Aldrip needs cooks and would-be cooks like never before!

Those not necessarily good with repair work might find themselves better suited for hunting the local wildlife, whether that's on the meadowland plains or taking, yet again, a fishing pole into hand. A good deal of the meat, vegetables, and fruit that was already preserved has spoiled and will need to be replaced hastily if people want to continue eating.

With bodies going to retrieve replacement food, there's suddenly an open and demand for people who either already have experience with cooking or just really want to learn. There's no better way to learn than some truly hands-on experience. For those with some cooking in their background, even if it's simple at its best, the kitchens are free and available. You might not have your choice cuts of meat or whatever else you might be accustomed to preparing, but fortunately the dried spices and herbs aren't impacted by the food shortage. Consider making something flavourful or just really spicy. (Alphen, we're looking at you.)

If you haven't cooked before and you're one of those who's just dying to learn, pair up with a buddy in the kitchen, or fumble along. Beggars can't be choosers, after all, and we're facing a crisis. Maybe the threat of having no food will encourage people to try whatever you make, no matter how black, crispy brown it might turn out.

The more innovative and creative individuals may find a way to dry / dehydrate anything caught or harvested. Or we can just have a huge impromptu grilling adventure where people hold raw meat over fire. Your choice!

WE'RE OFF TO SEE... THE NAGA?

WE COME IN PEACE

     

Aldrip is hardly the only settlement on the continent of Expiation and though the various peoples of these settlements can often stick within their own, when times are hard and adversity encroaches on livelihood, they're not against seeking the aid of others. Some of the more well-travelled of the Aldrip locals are planning an expedition to visit Rumpitur, an impressively-sized village on a peninsula to the east of Aldrip.

They are ready and willing to take all volunteers who are interested in accompanying them to barter for food and other potentially needed supplies. The visit to Rumpitur will require travel through the Pessiria Forest, a thick veil of trees that one can be easily lost in, but if everyone's together, then it shouldn't be an issue.

Consider joining the expedition and getting to know some of Expiation's other peoples.

Rumpitur is home to a race of naga-like people with scaled features, tails, sharp teeth, and forked tongues. Their way of life is considerably more simple in comparison to some of Aldrip's fancier advancements. They are skilled combatants and a fishing people, whose diet primarily consists of seafood. In Rumpitur, one may take note of their many-in-number stone constructs, depicting a notable and perhaps significant naga.

Although they may seem intimidating at first glance and can have terse ways of speaking, they are amicable enough and will be willing to do business with Aldrip and her citizens.

---

OR MAYBE WE DON'T

     

The visit from Aldrip, which is a rare occurrence indeed, results in much confusion for the Rumpiturian people, and this may or may not be considered a blessing to those who could be more unscrupulous in nature.

Although the visit to Rumpitur is meant to be one of peace, locals of Aldrip and the Chosen alike have the opportunity to steal supplies from the people. If they choose to do this, they may find that there are no immediate repercussions for this course of action. The likelihood is that this visit has caught the Rumpiturians so off-guard that they're not expecting to be robbed. Of course, how this will impact things in the future remains to be seen...

Individuals may grab as much as they can carry, depending on what they've brought with them. The locals of Aldrip who planned this expedition provided convenient-to-carry containers that can be filled with anything retrieved from the village and her kind. Larger containers will require at least two people to carry when filled, so perhaps you're inclined to work with a partner-in-crime. Just remember that for every action, there's a consequence, even if you're not seeing it right away!

Rumpitur will not notice that they are missing inventory until well after Aldrip has left and travels back through the forest to town, so no one need fear the chasing and hissing of snakes into Pessiria.

Probably.

HOLD ONTO YOUR VALUABLES

IT'S NOT REAL... RIGHT?

     

Those who've decided to brave the forest will find on their adventure to Rumpitur that it's rather straight forward and proceeds without incident.

The sky above the trees is a difficult thing to see, blocked out by the way the evergreens stretch and imposingly tower above. At times light may scatter through various openings in branches, but it is a largely darker atmosphere, and at night requires the assistance of candlelight or related.

Travellers with the courage to make way through the forest with the others may hear occasional snaps, cracks, whispers, and more enigmatic sounds that are difficult to justify with logic. Of course, whether this is all in the head or something truly more sinister at play is up for debate. Despite the strange occurrences that one may experience, no members of the Chosen will find themselves harmed or otherwise physically disturbed initially. That said, some may later find themselves haunted by strange dreams and visions of the forest in the future if they are especially sensitive to such things.

Were those sounds real? Were you just hearing things? It's probably wisest not to investigate further. At least, maybe not now...

---

COUNT YOUR NUMBERS

     

Aldrip has a great many stories about Pessiria Forest and many of the other towns, landmarks, settlements, and people scattered across the continent. Most of these stories seem to depict folklore or a certain mythological feeling about them, implying that many of the locals don't truly believe in any of the more macabre tales. Pessiria Forest has no shortage of poetry and song that pertains to its supposedly 'holy' grounds and mysterious happenstances.

There are several alleged accounts about people having gone missing in the forest, due to how complicated it is to navigate by one's self. The more people travelling together, the safer it is purported to be.

Before leaving for Rumpitur, heads have been counted to ensure that wherever they start is also where they end up, however, for the more observant, one may find that the returning party is short of a few heads. Maybe some of them stayed behind to further the diplomatic efforts with the Rumpiturians. Maybe they're going to catch up later. Maybe they took a different pathway through the forest with some of their mates. Maybe there's something more untoward going on.

If this is brought up to the locals, the leaders of the expedition will warily make note of it and conduct their own investigation. At least, they say they will. Either way, it's suspicious no matter how you may turn it. Perhaps put heads together with another and see if you're just miscounting.

Comments

[prophylactic]

[Do any of them ever know what they're doing... It's the greatest cosmic joke of SEES, that they of all people - a bunch of misfit kids - have the potential to do the things they do and so the world at large is dependent on, well, again: a bunch of misfit kids! And their dog! Koromaru is more aware of what to do with this stuff than half of them are.

Ah well. He scoffs - yes, the Aki-secrets, thank you, if he ever manages to see him again (don't think about it) he'll tell him himself and start a fun little argument. Kotone is stress-working again, he can see it; he looks back to his filling-in-progress first, moving automatically to put fruit and sugar and and the rest into a pot.]

Just do whatever, I guess. ....I know what you mean. Our one big thing... isn't here.

[Not that he wants to find another Tartarus, or learn that the Dark Hour has taken a different form (since they'd have noticed it by now), or find Shadows lurking around every corner— but he does get it. He'd known a different shade (ha) of that feeling for ages after leaving SEES the first time; it takes so much constant effort to whittle one's life and routines back down to normal enough and contend with a more limited existence.

....And Shinjiro didn't really, ah, do that very well, all things considered. Here, at least, he is baking his anxiety away. Avoiding the rest. It's holding, for now.

But he recognizes that tension in her shoulders practically on sight, so. Here goes.]

Maybe we're not supposed to do anything. ...Heh, and that's harder than it sounds. But maybe you can relax.

[orphne]

[It's-- weird. It isn't like she hasn't felt stressed about being the leader before, she has, but it's the idea that she was supposed to finally be finished with all of it, that she could finally rest after all the stupid stuff she'd had to do over the last year -- and yet, here she is. Worried about her friends, about Aigis on the roof, about if Nyx is truly gone, if, if, if.

She's pretty sure cooking is supposed to be done with love. Maybe she should think more positive thoughts if Shinji is going to give these to people; she wants them to be good.]

Yeah.

[It's a soft admission, her fingers stilling for a moment before resuming her work, turning the shaggy dough around on the table to work it into something more supple. The Dark Hour isn't here, which is a good thing! Probably? At least she knew where things stood with all of that in the end. At least she had everyone in SEES, and Theo, and even Igor in his weird cryptic way to give her guidance as to what she should be doing. She doesn't even have school.

She pulls another smile to her lips and remarks lightly,] Maybe I'll just sleep all day, then! [Not. Even if she's still sometimes so tired that getting up is a struggle, the inactivity would just make her feel too sad.]

Can I ask... after you left SEES, what did you do all day...? When you weren't saving us from punks after dark, that is.

[prophylactic]

Don't sleep all day.

[Please, that would be silly. And he thinks that's just a humorous suggestion, so he delivers his "don't" with a little eye rolling and a nudge of his elbow. Don't do that! And be gentler to the dough, too, yes. That's good.

That said. What, uh, did he do after he left SEES, well. That's a great question, but unlike his lengthy pause while he thought about Having Friends, this pause is just kind of uncomfortable.]

I, uh...

[......]

Nothing good. ....A few odd jobs, so I could eat. Don't use me as an example for any of that— I messed it up too much.

[This is pure fact and he won't be talked out of its pure factualness no matter how many faces she makes at him; his time away from SEES was the worst of his life, do not recommend, do not emulate. Instead—]

Let's figure out what to do now. From the top. ....If you're not sick of me yet.

[orphne]

[She huffs through her nose and smiles at him when he nudges her with his elbow, as if to reassure him that she was joking, mostly. As she waits for him to answer, she consciously tries to keep her tension trapped in her shoulders instead of forcing it into the dough, rotating it around and around in a smooth, steady motion.

A tilt of her head when he starts speaking, enough to let him know that she's listening as she stares down at the dough and idly pokes a few holes in the top as if testing to make sure all the flour is incorporated. Her lips twist when he says he 'messed it up,' not sure if she believes that as fact, or just Shinji beating himself up again as he tends to do so often. But it answers her question, and it clearly made him uncomfortable, so she won't pursue it (this time).

It's a generous offer, one that almost makes her feel a little guilty that it's Shinji reassuring her, instead of the other way around. That's not how it's supposed to be! She's supposed to be the one people rely on, and here she is, making him do that. His last comment purses her lips into a pout, and where he'd nudged her with his elbow, she just leans sideways and lightly bonks the side of her head against his arm.]

I'm not going to get sick of you, Senpai. [Don't say you missed him, don't say you missed him, that's for Later-] I guess we'll both just have to keep doing our best, huh...?

[Maybe he'll think she's unreliable or weak, but for now, she keeps her head resting against his arm. Just for a little longer.]

[prophylactic]

[She is going to take his offers for someone to rely on and she will like them, or so help him... Or: Shinjiro is ready to Insist, he really is, because their bold and brash Leader needs a break more than she needs anything else, in his opinion - but ah. Then she leans against his arm, and he pauses in his ministrations with the bowl of filling for just a second before carrying on.

...With the other hand, so she can stay there as long as she likes without being jostled off. There's no one else here, not even other SEES members to put up a front around; that more than anything else is the motivator to just... stay like this, for a bit.]

You might. [She will not. He knows.] But... yeah. Sounds good to me.

[....The angle is not ideal for this, but he puts the mixing spoon down for a second to reach across, well, himself and pat her on the head. Just once. She's not weak; she's doing just fine.]

[orphne]

[She can feel him shift and for a moment assumes he's going to pull away at the display of weakness. Then she realizes he's just switching to mix with his other hand, and some of the tension bleeds out of her shoulders, finally. For a long few seconds she closes her eyes and just lets herself have this, telling herself that it's really more for his benefit, anyway, a kind of friendly camaraderie.

He pats her head, and she huffs a little laugh through her nose, peeking up at him a little to try to catch his expression. Not all the tension leaves her shoulders at the gesture, but a good bit of it does, like he'd lent her some of his strength just by patting her head. Just a few more seconds, then she forces herself to pull away.]

Thanks, Senpai. [It's a soft acknowledgement before she stands up straight and claps her hands together before grabbing for a rolling pin. She'd clap her own cheeks, but the evidence of flour on them hints that she'd done that earlier already and learned the hard way not to do that while baking. All her worries aren't gone, but they're repressed enough for the moment.] Alright! Let's make the best pies anyone in this town's ever had!