Day 3: Evening

[wizardseason]

Evening: 5:00pm - Midnight

[ IRL Timeframe: June 16th to June 26th July 3rd, 2019 ]

No matter when the heroes defeated their monsters, or when the sixth monster was defeated and there were none left, everyone will be treated to an unfortunately familiar feeling. The world of the past will fade, slowly at first but gradually increasing in pace until they pass out to blackness.

Everyone will wake up on a beach, and not a beach in the town their residence is in. Looks like everyone will need to take the train back home or go for a really, really long walk.

More unsettling than that is that every hero will either have a decent suntan or a mild sunburn. Social media is abuzz with comments about the island "going still" and the knights "dead on the beaches". There are reports that all twelve knights and the princess were all defeated at the same time and left on the beaches as an advertisement that the world was over this year.

Naturally, the heroes will realize that they are not, in fact, dead. Better do some damage control, there. Anyone who tried to make any recordings in the past will find that the files are corrupted and unavailable. Looks like whatever happened is going to... stay in the past.

The heroes who are due for an evening visit in the Princess' Dream Citadel or in The Wizard's House will arrive there the moment they sleep.

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The Weather

• Warmer than yesterday.
• 77°F / 25°C
• Everyone's in a bit of a panic!

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Prompts:

• 05:00pm Beach Wake-up Call: Every hero will wake up laying on the wet sand of the beach. There's waves gently lapping at them, waking them up slowly from their abrupt return from the past. Everyone will feel a little groggy and their clothes will be uncomfortably crusted in sand. Here's to hoping that saltwater and sand will wash out? Make sure to remove the little crabs that have started crawling over you!


• 5:00pm, Craydon: The residents of Craydon are all safely at home up the mountain by now. The only people still lingering around the Craydon beaches are fishermen working to prepare for their sunset runs. The offshore cages aren't going to empty themselves, after all! Fortunately this means they have, and can offer, blankets and hot drinks while they're heading out. It's not much, but they're here to help. At least the heroes are hopefully not alone?


• 5:00pm, Bamborough: The residents of Bamborough are really just the locals, concerned for the future of the world and of the heroes. Instead of waking up alone, they'll find little boxes of dry towels and bottled water beside them. Looks like the residents were pretty sure they were going to wake up at some point because they've left little kits to help them wake up with. It's not much, but it's better than nothing. The boardwalks of Bamborough are empty, with not a single soul out and about. The local shops, though, are pretty much business as usual. They'll immediately bustle in excitement when the heroes show themselves. Also: Free showers near the beach boardwalks! Better get all that crusty sand cleaned off.


• 5:00pm, Far Haven: The city of Far Haven is simultaneously the most cold and impersonal and the most immediately helpful. Each hero in Far Haven will wake up with a little walkie talkie beside them. If they pick it up and reach out, they'll be immediately told to come to the Far Haven hospital for immediate medical assistance. Once there, they'll be offered a free shower, water, hydration, a medical checkup, and a free coupon for the Craydon hot springs. There are even little kits set out for the knights in other towns. But... there's no one to bring them to the other towns, whoops. Guess they're carry-out only?


• 5:35pm onward, Train station(s): The train has a pretty reliable schedule for the evening, ending in Far Haven at 11:25pm. One way or another, the train is going to be how your hero makes their way back home to sleep for the night. Will the ride be uneventful, or will it be spent with others?
  
  • Bamborough: 6:45pm, 8:30pm, 10:15pm.
  • Craydon: 7:20pm, 9:05pm, 10:50pm.
  • Far Haven: 6:10pm, 7:55pm, 9:40pm, 11:25pm.


• 6:00pm, Bamborough: In the outdoor seating area of Slyder's Wizard Sliders, a Wizard-themed burger restaurant in the most touristy area of Bamborough near the waterfront, the Wizard herself is seated at one of the tables under a big umbrella. Despite the big umbrella, she's still wearing her massive hat: Double shade from the setting sun. Sitting on the table is a small wizard-themed drink with little lightning bolts sticking out of the blue liquid.


• 8:00pm, Far Haven: Social media is quick to add the #wizardsighting hashtag to posts made by officers at the police station in Far Haven. The Wizard is seated up on the rooftop ledge of the police station, legs dangling over the third floor edge, surrounded by fireflies sparkling in the night. All a hero has to do is tell an officer they'd like to go up to talk to the Wizard and they'll be escorted to the elevator to the roof. Up you go, heroes!
  

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Procedure:

Reply to the appropriate toplevel comments for events below. Indicate if a post is a private conversation with "Private" in the subject otherwise all threads should be open to interaction with others. Plan OOCly how you'd like to toss everyone around.

Comments

[eutychia]

The statement leaves Luka taken aback. He's still as his thoughts race, processing the information. Would the Protector really kill him, in those circumstances? Is she even telling the truth? The Protector did say she would try to manipulate him, this could just be part of that.

"He.... he wants to save the earth." Luka says, finally. "The loop we're 'trapped' in is the only way to do that. A person who tried to change that would be someone aligned with you, someone who wants to kill him."

[wizardseason]

The Wizard doesn't rush him through his thoughts, and she doesn't interrupt him as he works through the impossible scenario she's saddled him with. Nothing quite like offering up information that would break his worldview. Or at least make him question it.

"Most of them were with him." She answers, shifting back to look out on the streets below. It's obvious in her voice that her characteristic smirk is nowhere to be found right now.

"He made up his mind about what has to be done." She lets out a long breath. Does she even need to breathe? Has she been breathing this whole time? It doesn't matter, but she's thinking about what does matter.

"When he asks, tell him I threatened to kill you early."

[eutychia]

"Ugh," Luka clenches a fist in frustration. "Why do you both have to be so... vague all the time! Why is the Protector so adamant about this method?! And why would I want to tell him you said that?!"

[wizardseason]

She could be more vague, but there was only so much she could say. He does ask two questions that she can answer, though, so she'll give him that much.

"He wants this planet to be saved, so he can repeat this solution again and again." She offers, before clarifying: "I know we haven't found the solution yet. It's not this."

And then there's that second question and she pauses for a moment to decide how best to phrase it...

"Because he will kill you otherwise. If you can't lie, I can actually threaten you."

[eutychia]

"And... why, exactly, will he kill me? I haven't done anything to get in the way of his plans, have I?"

Luka knows better than to believe the Wizard at face value, but the notion still sends a chill down his spine.

[wizardseason]

"You know something. Knowing a little will lead to knowing a lot." She offers, fairly vaguely but it gets her point across.

"That bit of doubt is a bit of hesitation. He'll do it when you're not expecting it, either." She warns, watching him for how he'll respond. A moment later there's a soft sipping sound and the scent of coffee wafting in the air. She's procured a mug from nowhere.

"Coffee?" She offers.

[eutychia]

Luka deliberates a moment, but decides to accept. "Sure. I like mine with milk."

"Has he ever killed a Princess or a Knight before? And why does he want to keep repeating this? Does he... enjoy it?"

[wizardseason]

There's a soft 'pop' in the air about a foot beside Luka and there's a much closer scent of coffee immediately afterward. He'll find that there's just a floating travel mug of coffee, closed so it doesn't get knocked and spilled, with the perfect blend of coffee and milk waiting for him. It may not be exactly what he gets, but it's a solid ratio of the two to be just enough to fit what he'd asked for.

"He has, and he thinks this is about endurance. If he outlasts the threat, he'll win." She explains, taking a sip before answering that last bit.

"I doubt it, he sees it more like... a duty to fulfill."

[eutychia]

"Maybe he will." Luka reaches and finds the floating mug before taking a sip. "Sheer determination is worth a lot. How do you know his method won't actually work?"

[wizardseason]

"This world isn't like a fire that's going to burn out." She takes another sip, eyeing Luka for any sign that she'd made a worthy cup of coffee for his tastes.

"It's like a bomb with a lit fuse. If it's enclosed when it goes off, the damage will be worse."

[eutychia]

"It's good, by the way. The coffee." He says, taking another sip as well while he contemplates.

"If that's true I don't get why he would insist on trying to outlast it. He must know, I'm sure. He has a plan, and it's obvious why he wouldn't tell it to you."

[wizardseason]

Success. She makes a mental tally to use that exact combination next time.

"He doesn't believe it to be true." She answers, slowly shifting where she's sitting so she can stand up. She's going to head out soon, and that meant she had to wrap the conversation up.

"I've tried to tell him, multiple times. Tried to have knights tell him. Princess. Anyone." She finishes standing and there's a soft 'pop' as her mug vanishes.

"It didn't work."

[eutychia]

"I wonder why," Luka says, rhetorically. "This all would be so much easier if you two agreed on things. I'll see what he has to say about it all tonight. Hopefully he won't decide to kill me over it."

[wizardseason]

"I hope he doesn't." She takes a step towards him, absolutely up in his personal space in this moment.

"I can replace a lot of things, but you're not one of them."

And then she's stepping to the side and walking around him, towards the Elevator. Looks like she's getting out of here.

"Coming with me?" she asks, turning slightly back towards him.

[eutychia]

"Oh, I bet you say that to all the Princesses." Luka jokes, a wry smile on his face.

Luka turns in her direction, following the sounds of her footsteps, as she leaves. "Not sure. Where are you off to?"

[wizardseason]

If she was that smooth, she'd have probably convinced the Protector by now. But when you get shot down every year for forty years, things tend to be rather grim. Oh well.

"The ocean." She answers, waiting to see if he'll follow. What's she doing there? Why's she going there? She doesn't answer that.

[eutychia]

"I love the ocean. Especially at night. Is there something going on there I should know about?" Luka rises from his seat, heading in the direction of the elevator. He doesn't know exactly if he's going to go where she's headed, but he'll try to get as much information as he can before deciding.

[wizardseason]

She waits for him to follow, at the very least she's not going to leave him on an unfamiliar roof in the center of town. Once he's closer, she resumes her stroll towards the elevator and there's a soft 'pop' as she brings a mug of hot chocolate into existence.

"Nothing, it's just relaxing." She answers, confirming that it's merely a trip based on her own interest and not core to the plot at all. Side quest unlocked!

[eutychia]

"Well, that's something we can agree on." He steps into the elevator. "Besides also wanting everyone to live. Allegedly."

[wizardseason]

"Not allegedly. Truth." She answers swiftly, joining him in the elevator and bopping the "G" button to head down. Once the doors have shut, she speaks again.

"I made a copy of this island, I'm fond of it."

[eutychia]

"Where at? And is that where you'd put... everyone, in your plans?"

[wizardseason]

"Right now it's nowhere, floating outside existence" She offers as if that explains anything. It makes sense to her, so it's at least factual.

"I could. But I don't know if they would like that." She answers as the elevator 'dings' for the first floor. She steps to the side, waiting for Luka to lead out of the elevator.

[eutychia]

"I think I've been to a place like that." Luka says, following after. "It was nice. But I don't think the worlds' population would fare well on an island this size, you're right. What's the purpose of it, then?"

[wizardseason]

"It would be cramped." She confirms, nodding as she exits the police station with Luka.

"Memories? Regrets?" She offers as an answer. The purpose? Was it those, or...

"A memorial?"

[eutychia]

"A memorial to...?" Luka leaves the sentences unfinished, expecting a response or clarification, not sure he'll actually get either. "The island is still here. We're on it."