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EVENT

REVERTED.
"Every moment is a fresh beginning." - T. S. Eliot

Happy July, Retrospecters. Can you believe it's been nearly a year since the city was under attack and several of you were pulled and lost in Unreality? Time sure does fly, doesn't it? But don't fret. It seems as though the city is in for a real vacation this time...rest easy.

THE BEGINNING
Recollé has been fully restored thanks to the effort of the citizens working to paint the city back to life and breaking down the layers separating the city from most of its non-Retrospec users. The sky is painted multiple colors (a permanent fixture, it seems) and some buildings and plants are extraordinary but everything appears to be in solid, functional condition. All buildings are where they should be. The roads are safe. And everyone around you appears to be preparing for one of two celebrations...

THE 4TH OF JULY
With the 4th of July tomorrow, citizens of Recollé are preparing for their own celebration. Much like last year, the city will be preparing with a large gathering at Peach Beach, food trucks aplenty, discounts at several stores in Tisse and Enprise, and of course at 9pm sharp the beautiful and historical fireworks display will begin. Street vendors sell glowsticks and lemonade as everyone gathers to watch the show in the sky.

This year, however, while the fireworks display still shows events of the city's history citizens may recognize a few new scenes added to the show. As they look up into the sky they'll notice scenes depicting several of the events that have happened over the last year ranging from the Retrospec bingo games to the nightmare fog to the mistletoe bats and more. This year will also include scenery and displays from the four regions around the city. Perhaps you recognize these events a little too well. Care to share the tale with your neighbor?

TANABATA
It seems as though this week is a non-stop celebration though. As the 4th of July ends, several members of the city are hard at work in preparation for Tanabata. Celebrated on Saturday, July 7th this year, residents are hard at work decorating areas in Tribunal Terrace and Chata with massive colorful streamers and moving in several bamboo plants. Stalls are set up and prepared and carnival games line the sidewalks for citizens to play.

On the evening of the 7th, all are invited to attend the celebration and try Japanese cuisine, play a few games, and most importantly write a wish on a colored sheet of paper to hang on one of the bamboo trees.

No matter how citizens choose to celebrate at this festival, for anyone who makes a wish and hangs it on the tree they will soon receive a Retrospec ticket in their mailbox. While your wish may take time to be granted, good fortune is upon you and a free gift has been provided.

THE NPCS
NPCs are back in the city and all is well. They are unaware of the layers they were caught between but they are grateful and happy to see you again! Professors will be lenient of students whose finals have been delayed, employers will inquire about your vacation time, and your friends and family may constantly badger you for time and attention. Isn't that nice?

In addition, citizens of the city may now place calls to members outside of the city for up to five minutes. While that pesky growling problem still appears at the tail end of all conversations, citizens will be able to reach out to anyone in the world and speak for that length of time. Let's just hope your loved ones aren't too bothered by the previous radio silence.

THE DREAMS
What was that about resting easy? Perhaps you won't be able to as well as you'd like. Though everything appears to be fine, the moment you close your eyes beginning on July 3rd, you may find yourself plagued by strange, unusual dreams. As you dream you'll find yourself experiencing everything from wild scenarios set in space or on a pirate ship to everyday, mundane interactions. Your dreams will reflect who you are, but...maybe in a different light. Perhaps your siblings aren't related to you in your dreams, or perhaps your hair is a different color. Maybe you find yourself dreaming about a whole different lifestyle than the one you currently possess. Why, you could even be one of the lucky ones and dream about those memories you've been receiving since you've joined the app.

Then again, you'll also find that you aren't dreaming alone. When you look, you may find that someone has joined you. It's easy to move in dreams and intrude on other people's dreams. You may choose to watch the scene play out or find yourself able to change scenarios within these dreams. Some of you will recognize what is and isn't real, but...what is real anymore? Aren't you curious what it all means?

The moment you awake, however, these dreams will fade away and simply be dreams.

THE QUESTS
If you're looking for a way to pass the time and bring a little adventure to your life, a new feature on the Retrospec app is the quest hotline! By submitting a request, Retrospec will generate a new task for you to accomplish either in the city or around one of the four regions. While Retrospec cannot claim that all tasks will be exciting, all tasks given are important to the functionality of the city.

Or perhaps you're interested in exploring Mementos or Tartarus...? Just what are these new places anyway? Strange.

Happy questing!

THE REGIONS
Travel is available once more for the regions outside of the city, though do watch out for the common monsters that still linger between districts. It will take three hours by boat southward to Pesgare, an hour underground eastward to Respatrum, two hours west via horseback to Bosuma and seven hours via driving north to Magatus. Depending on where you travel though you may find some surprises waiting for you.

Fishing season is at its prime in Pesgare and it's the perfect place for a seaside getaway this summer. The region remains untouched and stable, and the economy is thriving once more thanks to the repairs after their tsunami and the work of Retrospec users.

In Respatrum, the workers in the mines don't seem to mind the heat and continue crafting and creating. Anyone who ventures into these parts will be put to work, but may be rewarded with small tokens and hospitality from the natives of this region.

Bosuma, however, is a little different. The Swamp Witch is nowhere to be found though the forest is alit with bright, blooming flowers, strange multicolored animals and friendly natives from a nearby village in the woods. Monsters lurk the deeper parts of the woods, but one would actively have to go looking for them.

But should one linger in this region for too long, they may soon discover that they'll start to see things...not just things, but people. Vivid, life-like forms of people you've seen in your memories will appear before you even if you're unaware of who they are. They seem to beckon you to come closer, happy to see you and encouraging you to explore the forest further. Some of these forms may engage in combat if the relationship you remember is a hostile one. Should you follow or fight them, however, you will soon find yourself lost in the woods and it may take days to return to the city. Do keep sight of what's real, won't you?

Finally, over in Magatus, for anyone who has ventured there before they may be expecting the snowy mountains and ski lodge. However, it's summer! Snow isn't fit for the summer and as residents approach the region they'll come to find that the ice-capped mountains have been replaced with cliffs, sand dunes and a desert-esque climate. The iced-over lake is now perfect for swimming and further exploration will lead you to a path in the mountains that's the perfect height for cliff-jumping into waters below. This is the perfect region for you outdoorsy, camping types. Just be careful of the scorpions and rattlesnakes out there.

THE CITY
It's summer vacation everywhere. How are you spending your days? Maybe it isn't such a bad idea to listen to Joanne and plan your days with fun and exciting ventures. Parties and meetings and spending time with your friends...it sounds nice, doesn't it? Even if some of you may notice your friends seem...off.

The city is peaceful. Everything seems to be calm and safe, so much that you may not even notice the difference at first. It all begins in mid-July though. One moment you're sitting in a café and the next you realize you're wearing an apron and you feel as though you should be working behind the counter. One moment you're sitting in your bedroom and the next you look up and notice that the items on your wall have changed. These little hallucinations are minimal and only last a few moments, but they will begin to increase as the month goes on and leading straight into August.

But hey. It's probably nothing to worry about.

Welcome to

recolle's July log! The information above provides loose guidelines of things occurring this month, so please feel free to make your own prompts based on these. You are also free to create your own logs and inbox threads.

Regarding Tanabata! If you would like to claim a free 10-20 point item, please head to the regains page and submit as normal! Please indicate that it is a Tanabata freebie.

Characters are free to travel to one of the four regions this month (Pesgare, Respatrum, Bosuma, Magatus), but keep in mind the effects/changes as listed above.

As a reminder, you may qualify for an additional freebie this month by threading out a dream sequence with at least one person experiencing a new AU! This thread must be at least five consecutive comments from you.

Any questions you have regarding this event may be directed to the mod comment here. Be sure to review the mods' question thread on the plotting post for important information as well!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

...

[There's utter complete silence for a good few moments as she stares at him, rather dumbfounded by the fact that he actually thought that he could beat her up. And then she finds herself laughing rather hard from the whole thing. She's sorry, she can't help it.]

Wahahaha! You actually.... you actually thought you could win? Is that why you're not taking my offer? Boy, you're a thousand years too early to be thinking that! But if you won't take it, I guess you'll have to accept your loss.

[He flushes an even brighter red, but for once, it's not out of embarrassment. It's almost like a hedgehog prickling, the way he bristles at her laugh, his common sense getting shoved aside by his already battered pride.]

I can so--! And I can easily prove it, too!

[It's blurted out, rather hastily, and he has to reign himself in just a little.]

But you know as well as I do that you have the unfair advantage here. You're forcing me to accept the loss.

Is it really an unfair advantage, boy? I don't offer things that guarantee my own loss.

[She continues to laugh in a rather amused tone, resting a hand on her hip.]

If you really don't want to accept it, then fight me.

[And as she laughs, he just burns all the more, silently praying for patience.]

You're my boss. [He says the words slowly, through gritted teeth, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.] Even if you made the offer for me to fight you, you can easily fire me after and claim I attacked you instead.

So I refuse. I'm not going to be stuck like this, but I'm not accepting the offer, either.

[Xiaolang it doesn't...............work like that..........]

Do I honestly seem to be the type of person who would do such a thing? I find it rather amusing when people go up against me. It shows them their strength of will.

[In fact, it shows when she finds herself laughing in another hint of amusement.]

Or are you simply a coward? I thought boys were the type not to run away from a challenge. Guess I was wrong.

[He huffs as she counters his point, crossing his arms and holding his tongue. He only started here a few weeks ago-- how could he know what sort of person she'd be? Not that she seemed to be that kind of type, but he's not about to trust anyone who's pushing him to wear a dress.

But that coward comment digs deeper than expected, and he's a fiber away from snapping. She was goading him. She was goading him, and yet--]

I'm not a COWARD. I'm just not stupid!

[Except this is getting really stupid, so FIGHT HER OR DON'T ALREADY XIAOLANG, GOD]

I don't know. You're looking a little bit of both right now.

[Mio is having fun. She's having fun, which is why she's still smiling in spite of his anger.]

[And there it is-- there was that final snap, and before he knows it, he's dashing towards her, reaching out to make a grab for her arm. He's no shonen hero, so he's not blindingly fast, but he's still fairly quick for a boy his age... although admittedly, the dress makes it easier for him to move, too. Not that he'd say that to Mio, though!!

There's a number of ways he could take her down-- electricity, a blast of wind, a well-aimed hit to the stomach-- but he was keeping the fight fair, despite his anger. Using extreme methods and potentially causing serious injury to his boss over a matter like this was a dick move, after all.]

[Of course, while she's aware of the things that he could possibly do to her, experience is the one that will most likely win out in the end, if only because she had seen this coming.

Easily sidestepping his movements, with a single movement of her hand, she gracefully takes out her sword, keeping it in its sheath and quickly puts herself in an offensive stance as she aims the tip of her sword, still in its protective covering right at his neck.]

If this were a real fight, I would have had your head, boy.

[That was a move that could have been broadcasted a mile away on his end, and the distaste of Mio dodging the move so easily is clear upon his face. He glares at the sword, pointed so precariously at one of his vital points, before shooting the look back at her.]

If this were a real fight, I wouldn't be using hand-to-hand combat.

[His tone is dry and clipped, and that's the only warning he'll give before his hand snaps up and grabs onto the sheath of the sword. Using it as leverage, he swings his feet out, aiming his legs at Mio's for a sweeping kick, hoping that the move and the more restricting nature of her kimono would topple her. It wasn't a move he'd try if it was actually uncovered, but he'd also probably have his own sword out to counter it if it was.]

That's true.

[Maybe it was a rather obvious move, but of course that was simply a test to see if he would take things laying down and submit or if he would actually fight. But while he might think that with the kimono she's wearing that there's things that she wouldn't be able to do, but--

She's used to fighting with this kimono.

She's had at least twenty years worth of experience actually fighting real people, hence why there's no flicker of hesitation when she sees the glare, knowing that if he's like that, he's going to react. So she needs to predict what's going to happen next, so it isn't as if Mio would let her guard down even for a second. When he sees him grab her sword, it's easy to put two plus two together, so while she might have to play defensively for a bit, that isn't an issue. She might not be able to kick like this, but dodging is fine.

Although she finds it pretty difficult to come with a comeback... although she does laugh a little heartily when she lands back on her feet like a cat.]

Wahahaha! I haven't had a proper workout in ages!

[It's obvious Mio has the edge here-- Xiaolang may have youth and stubbornness in his side, but the most experience he's had in fighting people has been in martial arts matches. He's never had a reason to apply it to real situations prior to this, and he wasn't the sort of boy who would fight others for the fun of it. There's no way in hell he'd be able to go toe to toe with a yakuza boss like her, at least not without an edge of his own.

But he wanted to fight fair ~~even if this may have been anything but~~, and so he sticks to his fists and feet, though the temptation to summon his own sword was strong. There's a grunt of frustration as she dances back from his kick (of course she knew how to maneuver in that thing, OF COURSE SHE DID), his hand on her sword getting dragged down as she moves away from him. He's too busy thinking of new tactics to use to volley back her remark, though a blunt comment about her age was just waiting to be unleashed when given the chance. If her main advantage was her sword, then that was what had to go first.

Taking advantage of his hand's lowered position on the weapon, he aims a high kick at the sheath itself, aiming to knock it out of both of their hands in one fell swoop. Maybe with that out of the way, he had a fighting chance. ~~But probably not~~]

[There were many people who were after her life due to her positio, which is why she had to fight quite often. Even though she might have had a bodyguard, there were times where her bodyguard wasn't going to be with her since he had... other things to do.

But while she couldn't stop him from knocking the sword out of her hands, enough to surprise her, she definitely isn't helpless.]

Not bad, not bad...

[As amused as she was, she can't help but snort a bit as she shifts her stance; it's something decisively different from her last stance, but there's definitely something about that's practiced.]

[~~Not!Kasai, do a better job looking after your charge~~

He's a little surprised himself that such a move worked, and he almost smiles a little in pride, thanks to that and her comment. But it's clear Mio had more up her sleeve, and while he couldn't quite place her stance, he wasn't about to underestimate her again. Any martial art would be hard in a kimono, but she had a tendency of proving him wrong about these things...

He shifts into a defensive stance himself, keeping an eye out for any perceived holes in her defenses, before rushing forward to make a grab at one of her legs. Easier said than done, of course, because... well, the kimono and all, but he had to give it a shot.]

[Of course she was praising him for being just a little smart, but she's fairly certain that she could defeat him nevertheless. It's right then and there where she manages to keep her stance low. Of course, she doesn't mind if he comes to her, if only because the martial art that she's doing relies on the close combat to begin with.

Which is why she's depending on him to strike her first, so she can dodge it and catch him off guard.

That's why when he moves in, Mio immediately does a quick side step before stomping forward with her dominant foot, making a loud clattering sound - of course, it's this movement that's meant to intimidate, but at the same time she's preparing in the same second her next moment as she goes right on ahead to give him a rather well trained elbow strike.]

[And this is where their experience truly shines through-- had Xiaolang been a more seasoned fighter, or scrapped more on the streets than a dojo, he'd ignore her intimidation tactics and try to block her strike. But, unfortunately, he wasn't, and he falls into her trap hook, line, and sinker. He stumbles back for a moment when she pounds the ground with her foot, startled by the noise, leaving himself wide open for her next attack.

The hit connects with his side, and he lets out a pained grunt of surprise as he topples over. Did she actually just hit him? He was trying his best not to hurt her, to take her down in the least painful way possible, and for what? To get hurt in return? If that was the way she was going to fight, then maybe he should start making things fair...

But before he can follow up on that line of thinking, a loud clatter echoes from the cafe outside the office, followed by a shrill wail, and his head snaps up in surprise.]

W-- What in the world...?

[Her fighting style deals with aiming towards the weak points, so she can't help it. Well, that and she was doing it to actually teach him a point, too. But it's when the sound of the clatter that's heard outside the office causes her to stop, still in midstance for a second, not even remotely shocked before she sighs, a little frustrated as she walks on over to grab her sword.]

Wait here. Looks like there's something going on outside and since they're interrupting a very important conversation, they're going to get it.

T-This isn't a conversation...!

[He manages to bite that out in a frustrated hiss, attempting to sit up despite the throb of pain in his side. Nothing was broken or damaged, thankfully, but it was going to hurt like a bitch for a few hours.

But he makes no move to leave, even though the commotion out there sounds frantic (his guess is that one of the clumsier waitresses dropped something on the wrong person for once), waiting until the ache subsided in his side and for Mio to deal with her business. He was usually good at recovering from strikes in practice, but something about this got him good.]

[While it may be true that this was hardly a conversation at all, to Mio it was still something between someone she was working with and she wasn't really all that fond of interruptions. And you know it's rather serious when she's put the sword over her shoulder with ease.

Just.

Just give her a moment as she deals with it-- of course, it's obvious that she's angry when you can pretty much hear her yelling from outside in a rather frustrated fashion for about a minute or two before she comes back, sighing and looking a little more calm now. But she's still annoyed.]

Ah, geez, I hate interruptions... [Her office has a mini-fridge so she's going ahead and opening it to get herself a can of beer to drink without any reservations.] Sometimes running a restaurant is so much worse than dealing with the mafia folks back home.

[...and she decides to slump on her chair.]

Anyway, I'm pretty sure I didn't strike you that hard but I'm also pretty sure I made my point.

[Yep, he can definitely hear the yelling echoing from the open door, and despite being engaged in an physical brawl with her just a few moments before, this was somehow even scarier. So when Mio returns, he's going to be perched upon a chair, back as straight as he can get it but still keeping a careful hand where she struck. He can't help but eye her as she grabs the beer, and he all but blanches as she casually mentions her 'connections'. Should she really be telling him this?]

The mafia folks...?

[That stunned expression morphs into something of a scowl, though, hating to admit she did, in fact, have him beat. Try as he might, he wasn't able to get her to budge, and she had gotten him pretty good (even if the hit wasn't all that hard).]

... fine.

[He gets up, still looking a bit stubborn, but resolved nonetheless.]

I'll admit my defeat. I'll wear this... thing. They need the help out there badly, anyway.

[And he makes his way towards the door, but not before glancing over his shoulder at Mio.]

But only this time around.

[Does she actually care about mentioning that? No, not really. Which is why she's so carefree about he reply, waving her hand rather flippantly.]

That's right, the mafia. The mafia.

[But that isn't really an explanation to his potential questions in the slightest bit, though. But when he finally goes to the door and starts to head out-- she can't help but smile, just a little.]

Thank you.

[REPEATING IT DOESN'T MAKE IT ANY BETTER, MIO?? Though now Xiaolang's juuust a little bit suspicious about how NPC!Tomoyo got her connections to this place to begin with, but that's something he'd probably ask her later. Probably.

He catches the sight of her smile right before he leaves, and his cheeks flush, just a little, tsun to the very end of these things.]

... y-yeah.

[And with that, he scurries out the door, to get the rest of the god forsaken outfit on, and to finally start his shift (whatever he has left of it, anyway). The day continues on without further incident until closing time, when Xiaolang slinks back into the office, dress in hand. He's back in his normal clothing, a button-up shirt and capris ~~because July is too hot for sweater vests~~, and places the dress unceremoniously upon Mio's desk, holding back the muscle that threatened to twitch in his cheek.]

Please burn this before I do.

[Because while no one harassed him, thankfully, there were one too many girls who squealed over how cute 'Meishao' was for his tastes. It was bad enough enduring that with his sisters, but while he was trying to work...]

I'm not gonna burn it.

[Mio immediately frowns, although she will take that dress from her desk and put it into one of the drawers she has for storage.]

I can utilize it for later, and the costume's way too cute to just... burn it! Anyway, thanks for the hard work as always. It seems that after the whole ruckus earlier, things seemed to be pretty easy. Just as it should be.

[He huffs at her refusal to burn the outfit and crosses his arms, but makes no other move as she places the dress away for safekeeping.]

Then at least keep it out of my sight so I never have to see it again.

[But her thanks for his hard work does get his face to tinge slightly pink, despite his grumbling, and his posture eases just slightly.]

... mm.

Are you locking up soon? I think most of the other employees left already.

... Yeah. I should be finishing up here soon. You can go on ahead without me, if you'd like. This old woman here can handle herself just fine, after all.

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me just going 'fuck it' with the icon this time

look, it's cool, I have like one martial arts icon

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