APRIL 2018 EVENT LOG

[recollecters]

EVENT

THE WIND RISES The city of Recollé. By now, several of you have probably heard of the regions just beyond the city and some of you may even plan to travel! With the world at your fingertips, there's nothing stopping you from exploring and learning about the world around you. On the other hand...well. When it rains, it pours. I. Pesgare is known for its rainy seasons and even while it storms the markets are ripe with wares, the townspeople are friendly and the little village remains profitable. However, as April continues onward the rain doesn't let up. In the early part of the month disaster strikes in the form of a tsunami. The waves crash and pull the whole city underwater, disrupting the lives of the villagers and the area at least 300 miles out including all fishing boats, islands and more. Strangely, you won't notice until you cross the appropriate nautical points, dragging you straight into the water. Upon entering this region you'll find yourself unable to breathe at first, struggling until an air bubble fits itself over your head. The need to breathe is no longer a pressing issue and it allows you to get a clear view of the village. The village itself is mostly intact and the citizens of the village have their own bubble-esque helmets helping them navigate the waters. Delighted by your presence, they'll ask for help with Pesgare's restoration process of rebuilding shops, fixing their wares and even breaking apart a dam a few miles out from the village to drain the water. Though draining will help, it will still take time for the village to dry out. However, the longer you stay under water helping out or enjoying your stay, the stranger you may begin to feel. Your might find yourself gasping for air every now and then while being in the bubble. Perhaps your throat will remain dry and parched no matter how much water you drink. Or, perhaps, you'll look down and notice the bright shiny scales popping up in patches across your skin. Do you continue to help or do you abandon ship? You may want to make your decision quickly. The more fish-like you become, the louder the sound of the sea becomes as it calls you home to drag you further into the abyss below. II. It starts out innocently enough. One day you're out in the city going about your day, and the next the earth begins to rumble and the ground near the subway splits. The tunnels underground collapse in on themselves as a large region made of chasms, caves and forges uproots itself and begins to float higher and higher into the sky right above Recollé. Anyone nearby can watch as Respatrum floats upward and they'll be able to catch the glimpses of the small fire spirits escaping their hearths, cackling all the way as they race through other parts of Respatrum and even down into Recollé. These creatures will begin to inhabit large statues of varying kinds, aircraft, and appliances such as stoves, microwaves, televisions and more. The residents of Respatrum will extend a large bronze ladder down from the region in the sky to the city to allow citizens the chance to visit and return the spirits to their rightful hearths, but that's not always easy! While the fire won't burn your hands, the spirits are mischievous and having the time of their lives. Even if you manage to coax them out of their current hiding places, they'll be more than happy to hide inside of you instead. Those possessed by fire spirits will feel warm and suddenly overconfident, brash and unruly as they do things they may not have felt brave enough to do before. The longer the spirits reside in you, however, the more likely it will be that they make themselves too comfortable. A change of heart alters your personality entirely to be more reckless and dark feathers begin to sprout as large raven-like wings appear. Though the wings will help you fly, the longer you're possessed the harder it will be purge the spirits and bring Respatrum back underground where it belongs. Items from Respatrum cannot be brought to the city of Recollé and will immediately be possessed by fire spirits to jump back up into the sky. While it's easy to bribe the spirits with games, objects and promises, purging the spirits from these objects will take work and may require you to bring all items (or yourself) to the people of Respatrum to remove the pesky creatures. III. For those of you who want to get away from it all and take a vacation to Bosuma, you're in luck! The forest is bright and luminous as usual and the weird night pollen seems to have worn off. Your emotional state seems to be free from influence and you're able to enjoy a nice relaxing stroll through nature. Strangely though when you try to leave you'll find yourself on a path you know you did not take on your way in. Your feet seem to be on autopilot as you wander further and further into the woods, away from bright flowers and happy animals and deeper into thickets of vines and marshy wetlands. Trying to backtrack leads you on a continuous loop deeper and deeper into the woods as you soon come across a bubbly swamp, lush greenery and a small stone house. As you approach the house (or even as you try to leave), you'll find yourself confused about how you got there and you may not even recognize the people you're with. Who are they? And better question, who are you? Your own name? How could you have possibly forgotten something such as that? Fear not. While you ponder your name and your mere existence, the door to the house will open and a young woman will step out. Taking pity on you, she'll give you a glance and bestow a new name on you. It may be one with some significance to you or it may be one you've never heard of before. However, with a new name and a new identity comes a price. The witch has waited quite some time for new souls to enter this part of the woods. Memories are tricky, aren't they? Surely you want your memories of your life back and not just memories of another life you may have lived. The witch is kind and benevolent enough to take you by the hand and make you a deal. Complete one task for her in three days' time and you'll return to who you once were. If not…well. You'll find out. Tasks may range from something as simple as being kind to a stranger, performing on stage, collecting half-priced Easter candy or anything that will challenge you. The witch knows your greatest fears and will push you into tasks that conflict with your comfort zones. You're free to return to the city, of course, but the countdown begins as soon as the witch seals the deal. If the task is not completed in three days time, no matter where you are in the world, you'll find yourself pulled right back to the woods to take on a new appearance. Others will have to find you in the woods and identify you, giving your true identity back and helping you reclaim your rightful memories lest you lose yourself forever. IV. Perhaps you're feeling particularly brave and take a trip to Magatus. Known for its bright, colorful lights in the sky and its wintery atmosphere, it may surprise you to find that setting foot into the region sends you straight into total darkness. A dizzying sensation hits faster than you can blink and you'll find yourself knocked unconscious. Minutes later (or perhaps hours, or maybe even days), you'll awaken thanks to the howl of a wolf nearby and find yourself in a hidden cave not far from the main town. The sky appears to be its same beautiful colors and no injuries are present. Upon closer examination, a new mark appears on your skin and seems to glow an eerie color not unlike the heart stones from February. The color may even be the same. This mark cannot be rubbed off and it glows even through layers of clothing. Asking around the village will render little answers as the townspeople acknowledge it's a mark and think nothing of it. After some time though perhaps you'll get lucky and receive the answer you're looking for. "A curse", they say, and they gesture to the forest at the base of the mountains and surrounding the town. Wandering into the forest seeking an answer, you'll find yourself growing weak and fatigued, energy fading and the mark glowing even brighter as you hear the whispers of several voices around you. Coming from the trees, you'll hear them discussing your personal failures and things you regret, things you've been running away from or things you harbor guilt over. Maybe it's a lie you told your parents, or maybe it's something much, much larger. Even when you return to the city the mark stays though it doesn't glow as bright. As you ignore the mark, or even as you puzzle out how to remove it, the mark will begin to spread over your skin as more time passes. Without breaking the curse the mark will begin to sting and act as a constant reminder that it's there, bringing forth physical ailments as well. Those who are cursed will begin to feel feverish and delirious, chills running through them and something akin to a particularly nasty case of the flu plaguing them. Nightmares begin to haunt them as well any time they close their eyes, the mark manifesting their failures into their dream-like state. Whether by word of mouth, trial and error or simply talking it out, it becomes clear that the only way to break this curse is by admitting the failures the trees have brought forth and receiving forgiveness whether that's from who you've wronged, another party involved, or yourself. As the curse is broken, the mark simply dies down and all signs disappear into your skin, leaving you free to return to Magatus without fear of infection again. V. But what about those of you who decide to stay home this month? April is the beginning of spring and that includes Spring Break for all Recollé schools. Now seems like the perfect time to kick back and relax, right? Think again. At least once a week from April 3rd until April 30th, citizens of Recollé will hear the sudden flurry of papers and impact of boxes as piles and piles of undelivered mail falls straight from the sky (missing Respatrum, somehow) and into the streets below. There are letters and care packages, orders from Amazon.com and important documents and even some "FRAGILE, PLEASE DO NOT DROP" boxes that appear in these piles. As the wind picks up, the packages begin to dance through the street and scatter around the city and you may find yourself slapped in the face by a letter addressed to a friend. A stranger's package might appear on your doorstep. As citizens begin to sort through the mail it becomes clear that these are packages sent from all over the world from outside of the city to those living in Recollé, a backlog of undelivered mail from several months ago until now. While there are no signs that the outside world is aware mail hasn't come through, the packages themselves are a bit…unusual. Seemingly normal on the outside, as you approach to pick something up some packages may take on a life of their own and transform. Envelopes will open up and reveal razorsharp teeth, shouting the contents of the letter to whomever it is addressed to. Packages will sprout legs and begin to run away to engage you in a game of tag. That pesky wind continues to be a nuisance as it blows heavily and creates a whirlwind of color and letters that trap you in place. Good luck with your spring cleaning, Recollé! You're going to need it. BONUS. While all of this is going on, the cherry blossoms are blooming, the birds are singing, and sometime on April 4th, all Retrospec users will receive a message from Zee. Jo already gave you the heads up, but we're working with some weird effects that are sweeping in as residual from other places. Kind of makes it hard to gauge just what's happening out there, but hey. At least Maury took a vacation finally. The city itself is mostly fine, but if you're heading out stay in touch as much as you can. That's the only advice I have for you at this point while we're working on tempering the storm and clearing out the effects. The RRI will be taking more volunteers for other assignments as things come up, but that's always the case. That's always going to be the case if this keeps up. Anyway…best of luck, Retrospecters. Citizens will also find as spring rolls in, small rabbit-like creatures begin popping up...and multiplying...and will be more than content to follow Retrospec users around. They love being fed and exploring, but do take care not to follow them too much! They don't always notice where they're going and could very well lead characters right out of the city and toward one of the other regions. Welcome to recolle's April's log! The prompts are simply loose guidelines for you guys to play with and make up your own fun adventures for the entire month! You may also create your own logs or inbox threads based on these prompts. For prompt 3: please do not give your characters their canonical name as their new fake name! If they do not already remember their canonical name, we ask that you come up with something else. Other characters who do not venture into the swamp will remember your character's name but they will be unable to speak it for the first three days, or until characters complete their tasks. Characters who fail and lose their identities will still have mannerisms of their former selves but will need to be identified by others to regain their true selves. For prompt 4: the curse mark can be located anywhere and spread anywhere, and it can be any sort of failure your character would personally be affected by! You are also free to play with physical ailments and nightmares as much or as little as you'd like. For prompt 5: this is only mail coming from the outside and addressed to characters in-game! This is not mail that is outgoing and after this mail will resume its usual "cannot be delivered" status. At this time, phone calls out are still unavailable. FINALLY: Each prompt is eligible for one free memory! That is to say you are able to earn up to five extra free memories if you thread all five of these prompts. For freebies to qualify, we ask that the thread that you turn in working toward each objective is a minimum of 5 comments from you and shows clear intent to work toward each prompt's goal (i.e. helping in Pesgare, rounding up fire spirits in Respatrum, regaining your name/doing your task for Bosuma, breaking your curse in Magatus, and delivering mail in Recollé). Please note that we will not accept multiple threads for multiple freebies on the same prompt. Any questions you have regarding this event may be directed to the mod comment here.

Comments

[compendiem]

[ He'd heard the voices, but he doesn't know who-- ...or maybe he should have wondered what was making all the claims, turning on his heel when the trees pipe up again, eyes scanning for a face but not finding any. ]

You don't have to worry about me. [ As if that makes it okay to bypass concern and focus on herself. As if he doesn't know that he worries her sometimes. But Minato's always had that urge to make excuses for people, to soothe things and make it so it doesn't matter, whatever they do is okay. ]

It's- it's not complaining, either. If something's bothering you, I want to know.

[imaginex]

[The trees rustle, not speaking yet but making noise as if shaking their heads, and honestly, Sakura just feels tired. Some of the shame has passed by her, to be replaced with embarrassment now. She keeps her eyes on her bow gripped tight enough between her fingers to test the wood.]

... I'm fine.

[A hiss]

Liar.

[-- But she knew that was coming, so doesn't respond besides forcing a smile] Really. Just ignore them. I... I think it's a trick? To confuse us.

[The mark on the back of her hand burns an angry red]

[compendiem]

...Alright.

[ Saying fine when you aren't is a lie Minato is very familiar with, but it's not a lie designed to deceive; rather, it's a lie for the sake of somebody else. With a sigh, Minato turns his wrist so that the tip of his bow tilts forward, and he pokes at the back of Sakura's hand, a slight frown at the light, but he can't tell the difference between curses and magic and everything in between. ]

Hold out your hand real quick? Palm up.

[imaginex]

[Minato's accepting it? Good, then she can relax an inch, steadfastly ignoring the trees that seem to twitter in annoyance. Her hand rises in immediate obedience, having no reason to hide it when she's not sure what the mark means either (oh yes, she's noticed, it itches and turns her legs to jello if she doesn't concentrate)]

... You mean this?

[compendiem]

I wasn't going to ask about that directly, but if you want to talk about it...

[ He does reach over and turn her palm so that it's facing up, though, because after that, he wraps the wire of his headphones from around the back of his neck, and deposits that in her hand. ]

In case you'd rather drown out the voices or something. ...I only have one song, and a dozen remixes of that song, though.

[imaginex]

[... Oh.

Her expression falls in surprise, wide-eyed and staring at the headphones -- because the gesture is sweet and she wasn't expecting it, and it happens before she knows it, the trees smelling weakness and honing in]

You really can't do anything without someone coming to rescue you, can you?

[Shut up shut up--]

Y-yes, I would like to listen. [Blinking rapidly, holding back any tears at the corner of her eyes.] Thank you.

[compendiem]

[ Tears don't have to fall in order to be seen. Whatever kindness Minato extends to people, it's oftentimes rare and limited to those he truly likes, but it's times like these where he doubts himself- where good intentions backfire and seem to make things worse. He lets his hands drop, feeling oddly light without the weight of his headphones on them as he mumbles a ] No problem. [ that he felt he should say but is hesitant on saying or doing anything that might give more ammunition to the trees.

It feels like anything he says or does will be used against Sakura, so what can he do... He doesn't have to do anything. There's no reason he has to make all the decisions, something he's coming to learn. ]

Sakura. What do you want to do?

[ That's initiative. And whatever she chooses, he can silently make sure that it turns out alright. ]

[imaginex]

[Light the forest on fire, frankly.

... But that's proving a point, and she doesn't think she can stomach the trees mocking her for being every bit as violent and petty as she knows herself to be. Jaw clenched, she keeps breathing and squeezing her eyes shut until the threat of a breakdown passes. By some miracle, the trees remain quiet]

... I don't know. [It probably sounds pathetic. Still, there's some truth to it. Her eyes stay glued to the headphones while the back of her left hand itches and burns.]

Get out of the forest?

[Yes, that seems like a good bet. In fact, voicing the wish gets her feet moving into a slow shuffle as she shyly peeks up at him.]

My roommate might be back in town.

[compendiem]

[ Yeah, Minato might struggle with that request, seeing as he'd spent an entire month trying to get his team to not light the entire forest of fire. It's not the first time the forest has been a source of resentment. ]

Hmm... Yeah, good idea. I don't want to stay here overnight any more than I have to. [ Although that's easier said than done, especially without the self-navigating horses Minato had relied on last time. But he'd made his way to this clearing with little getting side-tracked, so Minato turns to face the direction he'd originally come from; following his footsteps would be their best bet to getting out of the forest without getting lost. ]

Your roommate dropped you off here, and is waiting for you back home? Can't keep them waiting, then.

[imaginex]

... No.

[There's too many inconsistencies in his theory for Sakura to let slide, much as she wants to keep her head down without a word. Headphones still in hand, she'll follow him as he takes the lead.]

She didn't drop me off. We-- um.

[Before, it'd been a strange coincidence, but recalling it throws everything into a sharper perspective.] I blacked out and woke up in a cave. I don't actually know where she is.

[compendiem]

[ That's... honestly really troubling, and while Minato doesn't stop altogether, he does slow his pace considerably. ]

...Do you remember where the cave is?

[ His intentions should be clear from that question. If they'd come together, there's a possibility that her roommate might also have been taken away. Maybe the cave was too dark to see, and her roommate was still unconscious and couldn't call out to Sakura for help. But he's here now, with his bow that gives off light, and if there's somebody knocking people out and dragging bodies into caves, he needs to know. ]

[imaginex]

[The trees start whispering again, thankfully nothing that is clearly audible, but Sakura automatically stiffens in preparation of ridicule]

Yes... a little aways from the town. [The direction she points to sweeps off the beaten path, however, meaning they'll have to rough it through more trees than usual.

Sakura tries not to look as stressed out by this option as she's feeling, and merely closes her eyes as if wishing for patience when the trees begin sneering at her again.]

Coward. Coward. Coward--

... By the way, Minato-san, what are you doing here?

[Grasping at straws? Probably. But she'll take any distraction]

[compendiem]

[ The town. It gives him some direction to point his feet towards, waiting for Sakura to open her eyes again before speaking, walking a little closer so that he doesn't lose her like she'd lost her roommate.

Maybe the townspeople saw something; he holds onto that hope, sticks it in his pocket to retrieve for later. ]

I'm putting together a field guide, so I wanted to visit all these places and see what's there.

[imaginex]

Fancy that. At least one of you is useful in a pinch.

[-- A thought Sakura can't pretend she didn't have the moment Minato laid out his selfless intentions, and it's why she lets that barb fall where it may, looking worn rather than angry.

On the back of her hand, the mark starts glowing brighter]

Is this the first place you've visited?

[compendiem]

No.

[ It's a short answer, almost dismissive and he wishes it didn't sound like that, but there are things that are impossible to ignore and that glowing mark is one of them. ]

Sakura, are you okay?

[imaginex]

[Yes, it does strike her as dismissive, and if she had the energy to shrink back, she probably would've. Instead her eyes wander to Minato's face with a pale surprise]

Mm?

[She's not sure she understands where the question is coming from. Does he mean the voices? The answer should be obvious then. But she can't believe Minato would overlook the obvious, he's always been very observant in his own way]

A little tired...

[compendiem]

[ The voices aren't in his head, haunting his every thought, so he's fit to ignore them, instead focusing on Sakura's face and how she has to choose what to listen to, try to respond to everything around her, ignore this and focus on that-- it must be exhausting. Is she dealing with it okay? Her answer, indirectly, is no. ]

I can summon a horse that'll get us out of here quicker. It... requires a gun, though. And you have to trust me that what I'm doing is alright.

Me, who knows only one thing about Persona 3: OOOOOOOOOH

[imaginex]

... A gun?

[That puts some life back into her voice. Her reaction time is much quicker here, body straightening as if Minato just insisted they'd be under fire.]

... Okay.

[But she doesn't argue or let too much of her worriment show on her face. The trees called her a coward, and-- and yes, maybe that stings. Maybe she's looking for reasons to prove that she isn't, through immediate trust of something she doesn't understand.

The trees start to laugh, but she forces herself not to listen]

time for cringy fake suicide acts...

[compendiem]

[ Okay. He wants to trust her that she'll think it's okay, just like he asked her to trust him, but it's really when it's a gun that he reveals pulling aside the hem of his shirt, light catching on the silver metal barrel as he raises it to his temple, the side of his head where his bangs obscure his vision as if he doesn't want to see it either.

Don't give them time to react. is the only thing he can do to make it easier, pulling the trigger as soon as it rests against his head, and letting the blast ring out in the silence— his head recoils, blue light flashing in place of blood, and what materializes behind him is that promised horse.

Also its rider. ]

[imaginex]

[--Y'know, in this case?

Sakura would've preferred the warning.

The gun goes off and her screech of horror is covered by her hands slapped over her mouth, the girl having backed away rather than jerking forward. Even the trees have gone silent as if from shock. No point in blaming the girl for being a coward after witnessing one of her friends shoot himself in the head.

The horse goes unnoticed -- or better said that she notices it and just has a damned hard time caring, Minato is still on his feet, still standing and breathing, there isn't blood splatter painting the grass, he's alive--]

Oh god--! [She reaches out to touch him when the truth slams back into her, allowing the girl a chance to breathe: He's not dead.] You're not hurt?

[The horror actually switched her into Japanese]

[compendiem]

[ Would the warning have made anything better? He's tried it both ways, telling people and not telling them, and it's always been the same- nothing he can blame anybody for. If he were the one to see somebody bring a gun to his head, he's sure his blood would also run cold, dread creeping up the back of his skull, the urge to scream pushing out from his throat; on the other side, though, he's calm, letting the surge of power course through him and manifest in the horse trotting around the pair, the reaper staring down at the two of them. ]

I'm fine. I'm okay, see? [ He also switches to Japanese, putting his evoker away now that he doesn't have to summon anymore, and holds his hand out to Sakura to poke or whatever. Real, solid, moving, alive. ]

[imaginex]

[The urge to make him swear not to do that again, don't ever do that, is powerful, right at the tip of her tongue, and then just as quickly swallowed once she touches his hand, the proof that she's looking for. Only after that confirmation does she pull back, her fingertips touched against her forehead as if warding off a chill.

-- And then she's swaying on her feet, like a stiff wind is about to knock her over. The trees finally speak]

That's terrible.

[What she'd been thinking. What she's feeling. Things she'd never speak of. She knows exactly what they mean to say, and her head snaps up suddenly, yelling hoarsely at her surroundings]

Would you stop it--!

[compendiem]

[ Minato flinches inwardly, as if those words were directed at him. He would— and could, very easily— cut down this forest if that would make the voice stop, but before he gives into that, he has to remember why he went through the summoning process in the first place.

Pale Rider trots on over, the reaper on the horse's back extending a skeletal hand to Sakura. ]

It'll be a tight squeeze, but you get on first. I'll sit up front. Never mind the cave; I'm getting you out of here.

[imaginex]

[Her fingers had been gentle against her forehead, but now they dig into the skin of her scalp. Pain is easier to focus on. And it's the distraction she needs now that the walls are crumbling and she can feel herself on the downward spiral.

She'll try to obey Minato as best she can, however, and reaches a shaking hand to the reaper. She's not very heavy, it won't take much effort to lift her up and onto the horse's back. Though Minato will have to move quick before she topples off from a sudden lack of energy.]

[compendiem]

[ He bites at his bottom lip seeing that, rushing forward to grab her hand and keep her from falling over the other side of the horse. If only Pale Rider were a Persona who could heal... There's always the option of summoning another one in its place, just to cast a healing spell and hope it helps any, but with the way Sakura reacted to the act of summoning, he doesn't want to put her through that again if he could help him.

So, slight change of plans in the seating arrangement. He gets on in between Sakura and the Reaper, holding onto the reins and keeping her held there in place in between his arms in front of him. ]

I got you. [ Can she even hear him? He's not sure. ] You can rest if you want. I won't let you fall.