recollecters: (Default)
Recollé Mods ([personal profile] recollecters) wrote in [community profile] recolle2019-03-07 05:41 pm

March 2019 Event Log

EVENT
CONTENT WARNINGS:
Some mild animal violence (Prompt 2), grotesque monsters (Prompt 3), rabid animals (Prompt 4)
Prologue.
The liaison has made plenty of preparations and stability measures to ensure that those traveling onward will be safe. With about a week to pack and prepare, users will find that there's a stroke of luck as they begin hunting and gathering. There isn't a shortage of supplies, and anything they could think of they may possibly need for their missions outside of the city will appear right within reach.

As promised, it's the morning of the seventh that a map appears on the Retrospec app. The first map depicts the city itself and shows a starred point at the Recollé Zoo and Aquarium. There are two more points at the Atrium and at the Recollé Art Museum, though these are marked with question marks. Not long after, a new text will come through.

Portal should be good to go. Same with the map. If you can make it back to the portal while you're down there you'll transport right back to where you left. I'll see about opening a second one, but the map only goes so far. You're going to have to explore a bit to fill in the rest. We're looking at an abandoned research camp by the ocean. We're also looking for a factory in the mountains, so keep your eyes peeled. You're diving right into what was his territory, so hard to say what traps and monsters are down there. Stay sharp.

Rescue ops, buses will go out periodically. Don't worry, they'll be driving themselves. Head into the region, sweep the area, make sure ALL citizens are out. There should be about 500 of them left by my count.

Oh and…I don't know what's going on in town but might be worth looking into, too. Let me know your findings.

I'll be in touch.


Pick your poison, Retrospecters. There's a lot of things going on suddenly.
I.
Several of you may be brave enough to dive right through the portal pinpointed at the zoo, a silver door that gleams against the brickstone building leading into the facility. It doesn't seem to catch the attention of the average citizen, but it's easily recognizable to those who have prepared themselves in the previous months. This time, however, instead of opening the door and falling down through endless darkness, citizens who venture onward will find themselves on a slippery slope leading down a sharp, icy winding path right. The journey itself takes about ten minutes, and the longer you slide the more you'll find other ice banisters to jump and dodge over. You may find others sliding along with you and you'll have to work together to break apart large chunks of frosted debris before you crash right into it. Keep your senses sharp and your reflexes sharper.

Despite the hairpin turns and the slick ride all the way down, all users will eventually find themselves in the sixth layer and landing in a large pile of snow. The map on your device lights up revealing three different paths. The first path leads straight ahead, the path to the west appears to lead to an ocean and the path to the east leads to the mountains. Looking down, users will find several pairs of footprints leading in these three directions as though they aren't the first to arrive. They'll have to pick for themselves...

For the adventurers who walk the straight and narrow path, the snow become thicker and deeper, making travel difficult to proceed through. The winds pick up and the chill in the air sinks straight down into your bones. It's hard to see anything as you walk, but for those who concentrate on the ground rather than what's ahead they'll come to find that out of the corner of their eye they'll see the shift of the snow.

Closer examination leads users to sense that the snow continues to shift and turn as something lurks beneath it, pushing snow out of the way to try and bury the users walking through. Whatever's out there is determined to head for the east and the west, hunting down whoever chose to wander down those paths. The snow begins to act as quicksand, sucking you in slowly and pulling you under the frosted layers of ice. For those strong enough or clever enough to get through the snow, you'll find what appears to be a crystalized cave that's cracked in the center as hundreds of ice creatures pour out through the opening and dive into the snow to begin their hunt. Their intent is to stop anyone from straying too far toward the east and the west and they'll do anything they can to knock explorers off their feet.

Look out and be attentive! These creatures can be stopped via physical combat, fire, traps and more. And if you're ambitious enough…? Let's see what you can do about that cave. Ready to be the first line of defense? Don't freeze up.
II.
The west-bound path seems less snowy and slippery, allowing for users to travel pretty efficiently. The temperature continues to drop and it appears that while the snow is thinner here the chill is enough to keep the area frozen around it. It almost seems like smooth sailing from there, actually, as travelers approach an arctic expanse of land covered in patches of ice and bordering an ocean. Floating in the center of the ocean on a few ice caps are three different buildings of varying sizes and shapes, drifting aimlessly but never straying too far from the shore. Everything seems peaceful and quiet…

…maybe a little too quiet? The silence is extraordinary and while the area appears clear, you aren't alone. As you look out toward the ocean, a whale breeches the surface and lets out a low, long call. As you stand still, a shadow zips in front one of the houses, immediately engulfing the whale and devouring it before your eyes as it drags the mammal back under the surface. Despite how much you look, the shadows are nowhere to be found. An owl hoots in the distance, and another creature appears before the owl, too, is silenced.

A glance at your map will prove that this is, in fact, where you're destined to go and that this must be the research camp that must be explored and dismantled. Wisps of darkness linger around the buildings but the distinct lack of other signs of life may be worrying. The creatures will appear for those who draw attention to themselves, anything that makes a noise or very fast, sudden movements. Wooden bridges connect these three buildings to the shore and to one another, allowing travelers to cross the ocean and reach them…but do be wary of the wood. It's old and rotted and places of the bridge may snap beneath your feet and sink you straight into the frigid water. Don't scream.

Getting to the buildings can be the easy part for those who take it slow or find alternate means of travel such as digging through the snow and unearthing boats. It's exploring the buildings that will be difficult. Cabinets are bound to creak, floorboards will waver and slip and doors will fall off of the hinges. Sounds will be amplified and draw the attention of the shadow-y creatures, but those who are quick enough to dodge or can sense that they're coming will have enough time to hide. Be quiet; the sound will alert them to your location as they're on the prowl.

Working together, those on the research side of things will find several items including medical journals, charts, and reports by a Dr. James Halliday. Some members of the city may very well recall that name. Vials similar to those found in the hospital under the city of Recollé are frozen in chunks of ice and will have to be whittled out for safe keeping without alerting the creatures that circle the buildings. There are no electronics here, but there's an old radio for communications, clawed to pieces by something or other.

Outside of the buildings one can hear the snarling and braying of animals fighting off the creatures that find them. It's loud enough to serve as a distraction, but don't get too comfortable. If you're loud enough, the creatures will change direction and slither back into the building, tendril-esque limbs wrapping around you to begin trying to pull you apart and drag you under.

You can try to scare them off with a counter-noise or distract them another way…but you better be fast. They won't take no for an answer once they've found their prey.

The research facilities may stay standing, but your mission is to get in and out as quickly and quietly as possible with as many resources as you can. How far will you go?
III.
Maybe you're up for a true rugged adventure instead and head east toward the mountain range that stretches high into a dark, inky sky. These snow-capped peaks are nestled closely together, forcing adventurers to walk on narrow paths and stick together, climb to new ledges and push onward into the heart of the mountain range. There is a high risk of falling the higher you climb. You may wish to anchor yourself just in case.

As you climb higher, it becomes clear that there's a flat surface at the top that's supported by the mountains themselves. A gray, iced over building sits in the center and smoke billows out of the chimneys in little wispy curls. Signs of activity? It's strange to think that perhaps you aren't as alone as you thought.

Don't blink. The ice disappears the closer you get and the doors are wedged open with an abandoned, broken dog sled. Unidentifiable bones and remains of a research party can be found buried in the snow around this space and the longer you stand in one spot the stronger you'll feel the vibrations of the earth beneath you. Off in the distance, a loud rush of snow begins to fall, an avalanche sliding its way downward to somewhere below.

The sound of electric drills and machinery echo inside the factory, and as you enter the building it's hard to pinpoint which direction the sound is coming from. It seems to bounce off of every wall, and though the building is dimly lit navigation is complicated without an additional light source. If you were smart and packed a flashlight or a lantern of some kind, the path before you lights up. The factory walls are covered in a dark red substance, ancient hieroglyphs marked into the surface depicting scenes of ruin. It will take several attempts to find all of the hieroglyphs around the building, but putting them together and comparing notes visitors may realize they tell a story of an equally ancient race that inhabited this planet, taking it for their own to begin creating a new race of genetically enhanced human beings. As more of the pictures are discovered under thick layers of dust and sheets of ice, an increasing sense of paranoia settles in. The light you've obtained begins to flicker just a little, and it's with a sense of dawning dread that you realize you're not alone. This story tells a tale of the city of Recollé, but it isn't finished yet.

The grinding mechanical noises grow louder as the walls shift closer together. The hieroglyphs begin to imprint themselves on the back of your eyelids, on your hands, anywhere you look they seem to follow you to tell the story of elders that have a different plan and a method of hybrid creation.

Whether it's by skill or by luck, if you stay in the factory long enough you'll come across the source of the grinding equipment. In the center of the room is a large structure made of ice and metal, creaking and groaning as cranes and drills continue to put it together. At its full height it rises up several stories, and as your footsteps echo in the factory every single eye opens to fixate on you. Designed to reflect every thought, action and task, this creature will feed upon your paranoia and your identity to reflect itself to your companions and turn you against one another. Negative emotions will be amplified, and the more fear that's felt the harder it will be to break the surface of your thoughts and fight back.

A bit of exploring will reveal there are two smaller forms of this creation as well acting as back-ups to begin processing every bit of who you are to create a new set of data. The room lights up, binary scrolling over the walls and depictions of your life events rapidly flying by.

Another machine to collect data? You know what to do by now. Find a way to help one another focus and work on destroying the machine eye by eye and bit by bit. The whole facility will have to go, but you may wish to clear the area first and ensure you aren't missing bits of the story.

And let's not forget…you'll still have to find your way back down the mountain trails with the avalanches following you. Best of luck.
IV.
For those with a different set of skills in mind, the region of Magatus will need you. The seven hour trip is long and draining, but a new bus leaves every three days to take parties to the area and drop them off. This time, however, the buses won't leave until they're at full capacity.

How lucky.

The northern lights above the region are no longer the beautiful purple-green haze that they were, but rather they begin to flake apart as gray bleeds into the sky. Fish begin to appear in the lake's surface, floating belly-up dead as the water gently ripples below them. The howling of wolves is louder than usual, anguished and worried. The usual resident wolf of the area, Magnus, is nowhere to be seen, however.

The residents of Magatus are hard-pressed to speak to anyone despite having a good trade system set up with the city of Recollé. They'll be more likely to tell visiting citizens to mind their own business or even approach with threats of violence. They will have to be convinced that something is coming and that they must evacuate immediately, though each person is different. Some will come quietly if there's a hint of danger while others will have to see physical proof to fully understand. The little town accounts for several hundreds of people, but not all of them. Some of you will have to brave the mountains here, too, to warn those who live in total isolation.

While many of you may be working on negotiations and helping residents of Magatus pack their belongings and load onto the buses, those who delve further into the mountains should stick together. While the wolves bay and snarl, it's bears, raccoons and deer that residents should look out for. With glowing red eyes and white foam drizzling from their mouths, the bears and raccoons rush for an attack to block anyone from climbing up the mountain ridge to the houses there. Deer charge, antlers down and aimed to gouge anyone who gets too close. It'll take a team of combatants to fight off these monstrous creatures and get to the houses above. Should you earn a scratch or a bite, the wound will quickly turn black and begin to scab over as primal instincts begin to set in. The ability to speak and form cohesive thoughts will begin to lessen the longer the wound goes untreated…but it's a long way back. If you can rescue some of the villagers in the mountains, they will have a vaccination to help, but that's if you can get to them first.

As time goes on and more people begin to evacuate, the rest of the region should begin to realize there's a problem. Help them close their shops, gather their cherished belongings and prepare for a long trip back to the city. They'll need people to help them stay calm in these trying times as the sky continues to fragment and filter out above and snow begins to fall.

But the journey's not over. It's a long way back to the city, and as buses begin to roll out onto the road a snowstorm settles in. Winds whip and roar as the buses shake, and some of you may need to jump in and manually maneuver the vehicles to safety. Road blockages and whiteouts will occur, leaving you to navigate yourself home. Hail will pelt the windows and the roof and the windshield wipers can't clear away the sleet fast enough. But if you can find a way to communicate with one another, you'll stand a better chance following each other on the way home and bringing these people to safety.

But can you work together? Don't hesitate to phone a friend.
INTERLUDE.
But what about the city itself? Never fear, for spring is here! The city has seen the last of its snow and the sun makes its presence known again. New life begins to appear as flowers bloom and birds sing. Creativity is in the air, and as March settles in citizens of all kinds will begin to notice two large domes now encompass the entrance to the Atrium and the Recollé Art Museum.

Shall we see what the fuss is about?
V.
For those of you who choose to head to the art museum, it seems that a new display has opened! "Modern Living" depicts life in the city of Recollé with art pieces and sculptures inspired by buildings and famous figureheads of the city including the police chief, the fire department, and Mayor Mayer. It's a fairly small display but it's the pride of the city for now.

While you're here though, perhaps you should check out the rest of the museum. When was the last time you really took a look at the art on display? Have you ever stopped to appreciate that gorgeous Van Gogh painting or the marble bust of Julius Caesar? With several replicas of the most famous works of art hanging from the walls and on the floor in display cases it's hard not to want to take a closer look.

However, something strange seems to be afoot. Wasn't the Mona Lisa looking the other way? Why did the pair in that copy of American Gothic suddenly switch places? And better yet…why is the Girl with the Pearl Earring standing ten feet to your left just out of her frame? Everywhere you look the art pieces begin to take on a life of their own, crawling their way out of their frames the moment you aren't looking and slipping out of the museum into the city. It's called Modern Living, isn't it? These pieces wish to be on display everywhere and explore life outside of the box and will stop at nothing to get their way. Mythical creatures will soar through the Starry Night as the Persistence of Memory warps the Birth of Venus near Peach Beach. The longer they remain out and about, the more the city begins to change around you as it attempts to adapt to the influx of culture and life.

You may find that you don't want to send these pieces back right away, actually. Some of them are quite talkative and may even befriend some people! Others, however, seem to want to find replacements so they may spend more time outside of the museum, capturing an unwitting suspect to drag back toward their frames and lock them away. That's unfortunate, isn't it?

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. While the art wishes to imitate you, perhaps it's time for you to imitate the art and convince them just why they're needed back at the museum…and if that doesn't work? Good luck rounding everyone up. You'll have to frame them for their crimes and put them back where they belong.
VI.
Not an art person? Don't sweat it. The Atrium is proud to present the city's Battle of the Bands contest, set for the last weekend in March. Sign-ups are open until the day of the show but the city's hard at work preparing for the big event. New equipment is purchased and tested, the stage is cleaned up and polished, and the lights…

…wait, what happened to the lights? Electricians and employees alike can't seem to figure out why the light source isn't kicking in at the Atrium, and even flipping the breakers doesn't seem to be cutting it. The area's pitch black and the back-up generator seems to be dead. As the date of the contest gets closer, employees grow more desperate and are prone to grabbing anyone off the street to beg for their help.

"Hey, can you help us out? We can't seem to find the problem."

What can you do about it? Maybe nothing, but maybe you're the type who's just curious enough or kind-hearted enough to agree to check things out. As you enter the concert venue, the darkness makes it harder than ever to navigate where you're going. It's dark and still but as you take another step further a high-pitched, scratching sort of noise can be heard from the rafters. Shining a flashlight or your cell phone light up above will reveal a large leathery wing darting out of sight, claws grazing the wood.

That's not good, is it? Gather around, Retrospecters. Looks like you found the problem. It's a high climb up above, and fighting in the dark isn't ideal, but if you're brave enough you can swing yourself up on the catwalk and come face to face with a skeletal bat-like creature. A crackling, electric sound seems to come from the monster itself, and it's only when someone lands the first hit that a bit of light disperses and returns to one of the bulbs in the ceiling. The creature's fast and crafty and will shock anyone that gets to close. It's hard to keep up and the bat's willing to absorb as much of the light as possible. If you can figure out a way to trap it you can bring it down to ground level and go to town. As the light fades from the creature itself it shrinks smaller and smaller until it's the size of a fruit bat, a tiny spark that can be disposed of in its own way. It'll try to fight back and may even shock you again, but at this size it's not so bad.

…too bad there's more than one of them, a total of five lurking around that continually take over once one bat's been defeated. Looks like you've got your work cut out for you, doesn't it? How enlightening.
NOTES.
Welcome to [community profile] recolle's March event log!

You can claim four freebies on this log!
-Players may claim one freebie for a thread confronting an art piece. This must be at least 5 comments from you.
-Players may claim one freebie tackling the electricity problem in the concert hall. This must be at least 5 comments from you.
-Players may claim one freebie for a thread on the second log exploring an area in the Mythos layer of Magatus (prompts 1-3). This must be at least 5 comments from you.
-Players may claim one freebie for helping with the evacuation of Magatus.


Please see the mod reporting thread below to report how your character is doing! Did they take out one of the bats? Have they rescued twenty people from Magatus? Are they infected by one of the animals in the mountains? This is for tracking and also to determine how Magatus is doing by the check-in point (3/17) and will help determine the address of the second Retrospec post.

Finally, 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 additional information as well!
jurai: (77)

[personal profile] jurai 2019-03-09 04:41 am (UTC)(link)
He sure does. Don't let his cup ramen fool you.

[He taps the side of his bowl in thought.]

It could've been when he was staying with me during the fire...if not, a weekend or two after that.

He definitely made it for me when my info got leaked on Retrospec, that was the first time he made it sparkle.
thisloveisjustice: (Default)

[personal profile] thisloveisjustice 2019-03-09 04:48 am (UTC)(link)
Li-Na is in the mood for some face kicking. Thx~

Another question. Would the research party in prompt III have left anything interesting or useful behind?

You know, other than their bones

Why do you do this to Tatsuo?
Edited 2019-03-09 04:50 (UTC)
sleepingknight: ([Hurt] like we'll be separated)

III-B

[personal profile] sleepingknight 2019-03-09 05:57 am (UTC)(link)
She's got such a bad feeling about this, and the temptation is strong to just start swatting at those creatures with the sword at her waist. She knows she can do it, she has the strength, the speed, the skill now. Her hand is already hovering at the ready to pull it free from its sheath.

"Hey- What are you doing?"
sleepingknight: ([Surprise] for who I truly am)

V

[personal profile] sleepingknight 2019-03-09 06:17 am (UTC)(link)
Yuuki wasn't even here to check out the art, really. She was just minding her own business! Shades over her eyes to conceal the red, cute pompom hat to hide the ears, her disguise is truly amazing.

And then a dancing statue dances its way out the doors and Yuuki realizes immediately that her "normal" day is once again being infected with Vanderwheele shenanigans. She jumps back and out of the way out of instinct, but just give her a second and she'll realize she should probably give chase.

"Whoa!"
sleepingknight: ([Curious] that accepts me)

Pre-prelude

[personal profile] sleepingknight 2019-03-09 06:24 am (UTC)(link)
[It takes a while for her to realize what the older woman is doing.

She spends some time at first peering over curiously. This does nothing to sate it. Eventually, she tugs her hat on all the more firmly over her long, elfish ears and walks on over, trying to see what's going on from Ahmi's point of view. She leans this way and that, looking upwards at Ahmi's hands at first, until she catches sight of the sky behind them.

Needless to say, the river of stars above them are not what she expected from this.
]

Whoa! --Wait. You can do stuff to the stars?
standalonehuman: (TogusaConcerned2)

Re: III-B

[personal profile] standalonehuman 2019-03-09 06:29 am (UTC)(link)
Togusa does stop when Tatsuo voices his objection, but he doesn't take off the dummy barrier. "It's not just a computer. If we could just pop in a flash drive, I'd be all for it. In a way, this thing is a living organism, I don't see any other way to get the data back off of it."

He looks at Tatsuo cautiously. "I know it's a risk, but for the reward, isn't this possibly worth it?"

His eyes keep getting drawn away, to the flits of movement on the walls, the lines of code interspersed with their lives. For a second, the images match, twin images of Mariko looking down on the both of them, as interpreted through how they see her. An intense, but still somehow distant caring, from Togusa.
standalonehuman: (TogusaTalk2)

Re: III-B

[personal profile] standalonehuman 2019-03-09 06:32 am (UTC)(link)
It feels odd that, in the end, it's the young lady he doesn't know that ends up alone with Togusa. He holds up a hand, trying to calm her down.

"It's, well, it's simple and it's complicated at the same time." But he will make the time to explain what he's doing. "I want the program that this thing is running. Zee, the liason that we have left from Retrospec, he thinks that there's a way to change what happens to us at the end of Retrospec's process."

"Because that's always been the question, hasn't it?" Togusa doesn't need to know who he's dealing with, they all have the same few questions around them. "Is this other person going to completely replace me?"
thisloveisjustice: (Default)

[personal profile] thisloveisjustice 2019-03-09 07:30 am (UTC)(link)
III-A
After climbing the mountain, Tatsuo is going to need a few minutes before he ventures inside the factory. He is very much in shape, and very much athletic, but that used muscles is ways that he's not used to.

As he catches his breath, he starts kicking through some of the snow drifts, looking to see if there is anything useful under the snow. He's spotted the dog sledge wedged into the door, which means other people have been here before. They left the sled behind, maybe they left something else be... hind...

He looks down at what his boot has just uncovered.

That's a bone.

Tatsuo lets out a weak laugh.

Oh yeah, this is off to a great start.


III-B
Between the bones and the bloody hieroglyphs, Tatsuo is so on edge he could probably slice a tomato with ease. So it take absolutely all of his strength not to scream (in frustration) when they finally locate the edlrich horror at the center of the facility.

Instead, he grits his teeth and digs his hand into his pack for one of the grenades he's brought along. This things is way too big for his guns. But even though he's trying not to look directly at it, because why would you ever look at something that has that many eyes, it still manages to catch his gaze and latch on to his mind.

What the fuck is he even doing here? He's not equipped for this sort of situation! He might as well just let this thing eat him, before he becomes a liability to everyone else.

Tatsuo slowly slumps to the ground, his hand still tucked in his pack.

[ooc: enjoy Tatsuo's feelings of frustration, paranoia, and fear, b/c wtf is this thing]


V
After having quite enough of the sixth layer under Magatus, Tatsuo decides to relax for a bit. Maybe take his dog for a walk in the park. The weather has started to get nice, which is a welcome change from how ridiculously cold it was in Magatus.

As he tossing a ball for Yujirou to play with, he can't help but notice there are quite a few unfamiliar dogs he's not seen before. Who also don't seem to be there with any particular person...

He's debating whether he needs to start checking for collars and tags when a white dog with a long blue ribbon tied to its collar trots up to him.

"Hello," Tatsuo says as he bends down to pet the dog. "Is your owner around?"

Yujirou seems to thing there's something off with this dog though. As he shoves himself in front of Tatsuo's legs to sniff curiously at this dog, his tail wags much slower than it normally would at the prospect of meeting a new friend.


wildcard

[want to do something else with Tatsuo? hmu @ [plurk.com profile] anacrusis]
thesettingsun: smile (I won't ride along in your helicopter)

[personal profile] thesettingsun 2019-03-09 01:17 pm (UTC)(link)
For prompt V, if we have a (completely mundane) painting as an item regain, could that also decide to come to life? Or is it museum exhibits only?

shuji knew this self portrait was cursed
fiddlestick: (ahaha)

[personal profile] fiddlestick 2019-03-09 02:39 pm (UTC)(link)
[he might be chin-handsing as he listens to Crow. What? It's cute]

Oh yeah, I remember those leaks...what a pain. That was sweet of him to cook for you though. I'll have to ask him about it sometime.
usurpers: (Default)

iii, except i winged it extra

[personal profile] usurpers 2019-03-09 04:46 pm (UTC)(link)
[ the monsterous, sickly eye tower, whatever it was— it would take plenty of visits to deconstruct and destroy. eren went on one of those, and he was more than content with going with crow this time.

he's been wading off alone, and. we couldn't have that. eren wouldn't allow it when he sees it, anyway.

luckily, there's not too much left to break off on this trip once they reach those mountain tops, only some eyes and gears that stand tons higher than a person could usually reach, clinging to what’s left of their structure. their flashlights flicker, the thoughts return to haunt them.

monster, monster, monster— you’d hurt anyone and everyone to get what you want.

that’s true, eren replies to his thoughts in silence.

selfish.

he is— for a good cause, he likes to believe. their data begins to align, the negativity sets and threatens to make him turn on his friend with violent words, again, but that’s something he wasn’t going to do. it’s just vanderweele, trying to deter them. because he has nothing else he can do to them.

mass murderer. war criminal. liar. rogue. all those children, those families. your own friends— you’ll just do it all again if you had to, and you’d blame it on circumstances. you’ll throw lives away to let the people you think are worth it to live.

you’re no better than vanderweele himself.


except, we’re all that way, is the fighting thought that saves him. that, and raising his voice high above his shoulder as he stabs an eye with the tip of his maneuver gear blade, hanging from the walls and up high, before cutting it down. the structure clanks. ]


Watermelon.

[ that’s the way he found that they could focus: name the oreo flavors. he dead serious. ]
hauntedsavior: (caught a glimpse of the ending)

[personal profile] hauntedsavior 2019-03-09 05:20 pm (UTC)(link)
She hasn't figured out what that second word means yet, but the first one is pretty easy to deduce from context clues. She's flown before, of course, so it's not a new sensation, but it still stirs a feeling in her chest that she hasn't felt for too long. It distracts her enough to find her footing again, and she talks extremely quietly, just barely avoiding getting up in Pen's face about it.

"How the hell did you get here without—" and she gestures, a more conservative splay of her hand, out towards the last place she saw some of these monsters patrolling.
motiv8: (r6)

[personal profile] motiv8 2019-03-09 05:22 pm (UTC)(link)
And that's different from you rushing in here alone how, exactly? [A quick disapproving glance before going back to checking him over.] And, well, you're not wrong, but that's...

[He sighs, frustrated, before turning serious eyes to Crow. The fire that's sparked to life in them now isn't something Crow would find unfamiliar, but has it ever been turned at him like this before?]

"Thinking a little too hard," and that's enough to have you curled up in a corner gripping your bangs like your head's about to explode?

[Yeah, he's having none of this.]

Don't lie to me, Crow. Not now.
jurai: (91)

[personal profile] jurai 2019-03-09 06:07 pm (UTC)(link)
[Crow would have caved eventually, but Rean's new sense of purpose and those firey eyes only bring him down that much quicker. If only Rean actually knew how much power he had with his strong will...

Found out, Crow's eyes try to look away, but it's futile at this point. Fingers cling to that coat a little tighter, biting his lip as the voices in his head scream at him.

All you are to him is a lie.]


You probably don't hear 'em then...

[It's said softly, more to himself as he closes his eyes.]

Memories are fun when they match up with who you are in this life, you know? Elliot and I doing the concert together, you and me doing everything together...seemed like 'fate', you know?

[His smile turns sad, head hanging down a little.]

Then I heard a voice, my voice, say something that changed everything. "Go finish your speech in hell", and a gunshot that shook me so bad I tackled you to the pavement. Remember that?

Since then, a whole other side of my memories kept coming back and..."C" became more and more a person than just a figment.

[He waves his hand. The details of that can be discussed some other time. Wasn't important.]

I know Elliot's right and it doesn't affect me here. I'm not that easily swayed. ...But if Elliot and you align with your past's personalities so closely, ya can't help but wonder if I've got something just as nasty below the surface of mine.

[To match, he implies wordlessly.]
jurai: (85)

[personal profile] jurai 2019-03-09 06:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Heh, we'll have to get together after it's all over. When's the last time we all hung out?

[At least he's in higher spirits.]

...Did you read mine?

[It's not accusatory, he genuinely wants to know.]
fiddlestick: (elliot110)

[personal profile] fiddlestick 2019-03-09 07:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Not since we explored the sixth layer, at least. So count me in!

[Crow talking about hanging out again!! He is so not going to look this gift horse in the mouth]

Um...

Some of it? Sorry. I got it sent to me, and I read it until I realized what it was.

I stopped after that though!
motiv8: (⚔️ 30)

[personal profile] motiv8 2019-03-09 07:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Hear what...?

[Rean hasn't actually connected the way his brain is screaming negativity at him with this place, or considered that Crow might be hearing the same. At this point, with everything that's happened, it's so easy to chalk it up to stress.

But Crow is talking, and Rean goes quiet to listen to him.]


...yeah, I remember. [A shaking breath.] ...more than just that. I remembered the whole thing after talking to Elliot. Couldn't tell you how I saw it, but it was as if we were right up there beside you when you shot Chancellor Osborne through the heart.

[And it's hard to come to grips with that, even now. It's hard to imagine Crow, now or then, the man who's always had a bright smile and friendly advice to share with his precious underclassman, having the resolve to kill a man in cold blood.

Being able to so effortlessly lie to him and string him along.

But the memory is too clear to be something he's imagined. It's hard, but he has to accept it, whether he wants to or not.]


Just... wish I actually remembered why. I know I asked you, back then, but that's where my memory ends.

[And it's hard not to let his own gaze drift at that, nervously. Still...]

...I can't pretend I haven't been wondering the same. [He needs to just be honest with him. It kills him to admit this, but he has to, or they're never going to move forward.] Because even now, I know you want to keep me out. You laugh and lie and push me away from the places you're hurting. And I want to trust you, Crow. I do.

But if you could lie to me so easily then, if you keep pushing me away now... how can I know what else you're hiding from me?

[He looks up at Crow, now, imploring. Tell him there's nothing, Crow. Tell him the past is the past and things are different, now. Tell him that the mocking voices are wrong when they jeer at him that he's doomed to lose you all over again, that this, too, will be for nothing.]
jurai: (♥️ | 33)

[personal profile] jurai 2019-03-09 07:50 pm (UTC)(link)
[The truth that comes out of Rean isn't surprising. Hell, it's a relief, and Crow's lips curl into a small, if sad smile. Rean's voicing all his own fears right in front of him, and the voices that scream in his head slowly start to fade.

There's no sense in them being there if they're out in the open, after all.]


There's nothing you don't know that I haven't already told you, as far as this life goes.

It's just...

[He can't even believe he's saying this so easily. But between the machine and Rean's determination, not even the ice around his heart can stand up to it.

Are you going to lie again?

Crow shakes that thought out of his head, his gaze more steady this time.]


Everyone leaves, Rean. My parents, Pops, Astrid... They're just...gone. And when those memories came up, the first thing I thought was--

"If they find out I'm the traitor, they'll leave too"

It's why I hid it. Stupid, when you think about it, cause you'd end up remembering too.

[A puff of frosty smoke escapes his shaky breath.]

You got me, I was scared. Scared shitless, Rean.
jurai: (77)

[personal profile] jurai 2019-03-09 08:02 pm (UTC)(link)
[YES. THEY CAN WATCH MOVIES AND EAT JUNK FOOD.

Crow's eyes soften a bit.]


I appreciate that. But...

[This is a big step for Crow, and the nerves show on his face as he stirs that chowder.]

You shared your past with us, right? About time you knew mine.
fiddlestick: (elliot119)

[personal profile] fiddlestick 2019-03-09 08:09 pm (UTC)(link)
[Oh...oh this is a moment isn't it? Elliot sits up a little]

Oh, well...some of my past, anyway. The part that relates to fire.

But if you wanna tell me, I'm all ears.

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