Day 3: Evening

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.

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

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!

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

《Koskenkorvan, born and raised! My oldest is Amarosian though, so I tried to get better with the language years ago to connect with her when she was younger. She didn't care.》

Of course, they get along fine enough now, duh.

《Have you ever even been to Koskenkorva? You don't seem like you'd like the cold much.》

Garrot has his days where he hates the cold up in the north, and he lives there! He also doesn't think Gyre would like wearing a bunch of layers, funny as the idea is to imagine.

Whoops, he didn't expect the conversation to go here. He should've, he's realizing, but now they're here. It takes him a second to figure out how to say he's been there without admitting he was sent there to kill Koskenkorvans. That he died there.

《I didn't. I was stationed there for a few years. The weather is bad.》

He tilts his head, scrolling up to the previous comment. Maybe he can get Garrot talking about his kids instead.

《Is it the same for your other children? You learned their languages for them?》

《Not really. Miri made me want to get BETTER at Amarosian, the boys are Koskenkorvan like me, and Ursula was real young when I got her.》

But of course, he has to pivot back around to that other topic, the one that got dangled by a single word.

《Stationed? You were a soldier?》

Garrot cannot imagine any other thing that would involve being stationed anywhere, and it never explicitly came up before. Probably because they spend a lot of time bickering.

Fuck. Well, he'll have to remember that for future phrasing purposes. For now though, he chews his lip and wonders how to change the subject again.

《I was. It's one of the ways I learned to fight.》

《Are your kids okay? I heard they announced we were all dead.》

《I messaged everyone after I got my bearings, and I'm gonna call them on the train. They're fine now.》

The fact that the heroes ended up on beaches, all together, made it hard for his kids to believe he was seriously hurt. Not exactly the sort of death anyone would expect Garrot to have. But, as much as Gyre wants to change the subject, Garrot... does not.

《That explains why you don't like being ordered around. My mom was in the military, so I can almost relate.》

You absolutely can not relate, Garrot, these are two separate environments. Points for effort, maybe?

Yeah, Gyre eyes the message for several beats trying not to boil over in frothing rage at the idea that this man has any idea what it's like to be a soldier. He grits his teeth, holds his breath for a second, and gives up on trying to change the subject for now.

《I was disgusted by the violence of your institutions long before I was a soldier. A parent's chastising is nothing in comparison.》

Hierarchies are inherently violent to him, and he truly despises every single one he's had to deal with in his time, from school to the military.

《An old soldier taught me military combat, too!》 Can you hear Garrot whining like a kicked puppy that wants to be interesting and relevant, Gyre? 《But okay fine they're not the same, I was just trying to relate.》

There's a few moments of pause from the otherwise text-chatty Garrot, and then a message pings back up on the screen.

《Is there anything you actually like about life outside wild elf lands?》

He can hear the whine, yes, and in that moment of pause, he begins to text back.

《Our lives are very different. We don't need to relate to work together.》

And right as he hits send the other text comes in. It startles him a little, and he sighs faintly. He does give it some thought at least? He really wracks his brain for something, and finally responds after a minute or two.

《Not much. I've met a few people who are decent enough. I read a good book or two. Everything else just makes me want to go back where it's quiet. Doesn't all this ever just exhaust you?》

Garrot is. Not happy with this response. In fact, it makes him sad. Very sad.

《Of course it does. That's when I go home, or just take my family to our cabin way up north for a break.》 It's not until after he hits send that he remembers Gyre's got some kind of sore spot about his own relatives.

《My "partner" is kinda the same way. Sometimes he's just gone for a week, alone in nature SOMEWHERE. Then he comes back with a new trophy for his wall and a ton of meat.》

Yeah, he definitely eyes that first message for a bit. He could believe that any one of these people would try to rub his nose in his family situation once they learned of it, but it seems just a tad too cruel for Garrot. The man is an insensitive idiot often, but he seems to mean well most of the time. He gives the message the most charitable read he can, but he's ready to snag this partner gossip as soon as it's offered.

《That sounds right. I often wonder if you all only like this because you've built up a tolerance for it. Sounds like he doesn't have quite the callus for it that you do.》

He rereads the message and this time his eyes land on a word he missed the first time. He tilts his head, curious.

《What do you mean by trophy?》

《I mean, I definitely don't have much of a tolerance for nature. I'd go crazy if I had to spend more than a few days in the woods!》

Garrot has absolutely gone stir-crazy in the woods before. Not his proudest moments. Now he just brings a few books. And a backup phone battery.

《You know like heads mounted on walls, taxidermy, rugs, keychains...

He made me a fuzzy cloak once!》

A few moments later, Garrot's sent over a picture someone took of him, easily over a decade younger. Naturally, he's wearing a cloak made of a heavily furred, slightly blood-spattered mammal. The upper jaw and neck serve as the hood, and the forepaws have strings installed so he can tighten it around him like a hug.

Knight Garrot has never looked close to as happy as he does in this single photo. There might even be a tear in his eye.

Edited 2019-07-09 20:36 (UTC)

《But that's not natural.
Buildings don't grow up out of the ground. Nature does. People belong in nature. I used to think cities were the entire reason your societies are so sick.》

He's about to continue when the picture pops up. It takes him a second to realize what's happening, and then he spends awhile squinting and processing what this picture is. It makes his chest hurt to see how happy Garrot is here, but then he's examining the skin and the text. Wrinkling his nose. How unpleasant.

《Why is there blood still on it? Andwhy would he put a head on a wall? Doesn't it smell bad?》

《The blood was paint to make me think it was authentic, and it totally worked. The heads are like... bragging? A collection? I think it's creepy. And they don't smell because he either uses the body as the basis for an artificial model and then he wraps the skin around it OR he flash-freezes them and there's no moisture and it doesn't rot, like beef jerky. It's absolutely the grossest thing that Sly does with his time.》

Garrot may or may not have train-of-thought rambled his way through that. In fact, his guy's tendency to invite the Monkey Knight over solely to help him remove the carcass of a giant monster from a freezer is... well, it's super creepy and Garrot doesn't want to dwell on it. He'll deal with people, not beasts, thank you very much.

So instead, he shifts back to nature and society.

《But some buildings are made out of natural products and some coexist with nature! Plus, plants creep up all the time and the rats are huge, so nature adapts!》 Garrot's absolutely trying to plead with stubborn, grumpy Gyre to see the bright side. Or maybe it's just, what's the word, rationalizations? He's a city slicker, he's way out of his element, and definitely not nervously trying to overcompensate...

《Remind me to show you some pictures of my old monastery when we hang out again, they're nice.》

《How grotesque. There's good meat on the head.》

His mouth twists slightly when this poor city slicker tries to rationalize things to him. He actually shakes his head slightly, sighing at this man.

《I didn't say anything about buildings. It's cities that are the problem. A little grass between the cement is not the same as a forest. You must know that, right? That's why you're offering your monastery over whatever city you live in?》

《Really? I'm more of an ass man myself. But Sly could explain it better.》

Honestly, Garrot's just trying to make jokes and mostly steer away from talking about taxidermy. So gross, so creepy, such soulless eyes.

《I offered the monastery because they're surrounded by nature and enjoy meditation and stuff. You'd probably like them. I didn't offer up my city because it's cold and loud and bright, which is the opposite of the woods you've lived in.》

Garrot is, of course, trying to appeal to what Gyre knows, rather than drag him kicking and screaming out of his comfort zone. But, there's a joke that needs to be made.

《You should be glad cities attract so many people, otherwise you'd never get any peace and quiet!》

Now see this joke would've gone over his head in Common, but he's way more proficient in Amarosian, and he actually smirks lightly at his screen. Is Garrot flirting with him?

《The ass is sweet but thighs are more to my taste.》

Is he still talking about things he eats? Did he pick up the flirt Garrot laid down? Who knows! Gyre is certainly curious how he'll respond. God knows he was called a weird cannibal a couple times forty years ago, and he has no idea how times have changed.

Either way, it means he's in a lighter mood then he might otherwise be for these last couple texts. While he truly doesn't understand Garrot's need to defend his gross, nasty city, he's at least taking it more charitably then he might otherwise.

《I'd take a more populated wild for a little less suffering. The world is vaster then your cities make it seem.》

There's a literal cackle of mirth and whimsy as Gyre picks up on the joke. Nobody else can hear it, but. You know. It's a good distraction. No more taxidermy, no more creepy animal centerpieces.

《Not everyone wants to leave what they know. You seem to like your woods just fine, you know? Plus if people spread out more, wouldn't they use more resources over more space?》

Garrot knows that a perk of denser populations is that it's easier for more people to get access to more things. He's also not any kind of economist or anthropologist or anything like that so he's really winging it. The Monkey Knight doesn't want to ruin the fun rhythm they have going, so instead...

《Okay but can we talk about breasts? There's just so much to sink your teeth into!》

Not even Garrot knows if they're talking about body parts or cuts of meat anymore.

There is a long pause here! Gyre spends awhile talking into his phone, and getting frustrated and backing out. Unfortunately the rhythm is going to be interrupted at least a little bit as he comes to term with the fact that this conversation isn't going to go anywhere. He's not an economist or an anthropologist either, and he knows better then most wild elves that he's talking about an ideal that most of these people will never see. If he could snap his fingers and change everything for them, he would. But he can't, and despite his hatred for cities, he'd rather see them actually fully house their population first before he starts demanding they return to nature where they should be.

This is to say, he lets that thread go for now, and after several minutes, he finally responds.

《Not always my favorite, but I've had a nice pair or two in my time.》

On one hand, Garrot counts this as a win, because Gyre didn't respond. On the other, it's a long wait, and he's more than a little nervous about having to do an apology song and dance tour. He's not trying to be a jerk, he just... doesn't... get it? Or, that is to say, he gets what Gyre's kind of getting at, but his brain just can't shift far enough into his pal's perspective here. At least this time, he's earnestly trying.

So he breathes a long and deep sigh of relief when Gyre responds. Garrot dodged taxidermy, Gyre dodged the relationship between societies and nature. Considering they're kind of figuring out each other's boundaries as they go, this isn't as bad as it could be! So Garrot is proud of them both.

《Gotta find the right ones, buddy! Maybe we can go shopping sometime?》

Honestly, the thoughts of taking Gyre into a market to buy a bunch of meat or taking him to a populated place to window shop the attractive people is... great. Entertainment with bonding and all that good stuff. That said, he isn't going to completely forget that abrupt pause, or how being honest helped him out with Gyre the night before.

《And I'm sorry if I pissed you off with what I said. I wasn't trying to be mean.》

It's almost like Garrot can more easily slip out of his boisterous bravado when he's not in-person.

He is shocked! Garrot shocked him! In a good way for once. He was still deep in his thoughts, pondering what he could've said, or should've said, instead of just dropping the conversation. It means he doesn't even look at his phone again until Garrot has sent that second text.

He's impressed, and he smiles thoughtfully at the message. Honesty helps, even if it's an unnecessary apology.

《I'm not mad. You're wrong, but I don't have the words to explain the sickness I see in all of you. And there are worse things to be wrong about then wanting to live where you were born.》
《Anyway, why shop when you can hunt?》

Edited 2019-07-19 19:23 (UTC)

《Not calling it a sickness is probably a great fucking start.》

Someone hit a nerve. Looks like Gyre couldn't find the words but he sure picked a bad one!

《I mean, you make it sound like there's something inherently wrong with people because you don't like them! I heal people for a living, and you can't change who someone is or what they want as easily as you can fight diseases that kill people all over the world. You don't want people to tell you what to do, but you have NO problem being an ass to other people because they don't live how you want them to.》

There's a minute or so of radio silence, and then-

《The word you want is "phenomenon," as in "shitty phenomenon."

And you shop for things you can't get normally, like seafood or spices. You spice your food, right?

Edited 2019-07-23 15:38 (UTC)

He rolls his eyes at the first message, immediately frustrated again. That little glimmer of hope that maybe they could have a regular ass conversation if they just dropped this is dashed against the rocks. He wasn't even mad! Why is Garrot mad now that he's not!

《And you have a problem taking general statements personally. You're a healer so you should know that sickness isn't inherent. It has nothing to do with not liking you all. As individuals, most of you are fine, but you also let people go cold and hungry on the street before you let them into empty houses, and that is a disease that kills people all over the world》

Hopefully Garrot can hear his grit teeth in all that. He can't believe this man dragged it back to this, and he's even more incredulous when he tries to pull it back the other way to talking about shopping. And correcting his word choice. Ugh!!!

《Whatever word you want to use for it doesn't matter to me. It's grotesque. Do you want to chastise me, or do you want to know about my taste in food?》

Edited 2019-07-24 00:06 (UTC)

Hoo boy, this conversation. Gyre isn't the only one gritting his teeth. None of this is working at all! Almost every conversation between them has melted down like this. Miri told him to be honest a few days ago, so after many minutes...

《You said you didn't have the words to describe this in Amarosian, which isn't either of our native languages. The word you used was offensive and I didn't think it was SEVERE enough for this grotesque phenomenon that my side of the world struggles with like a bunch of IDIOTS. I agree, it's fucking stupid!

I want to be your friend, Gyre. To get to know each other, where we came from, our food. Hell, I'd love to cook some Wild Elf/Koskenkorvan fusion dinner! But our conversations feel like a minefield and it SUCKS! One of us gets angry or I say something stupid or you get grouchy because you hate how my society works and things fall apart.

What do you wanna do about it?》

Garrot misses the moments where they can flirt aggressively and shoot the shit in a crowded bar and talk about kids. Bickering is exhausting, spending energy that'd better be spent meditating and training for the next day. So he has some Ideas, even if Gyre doesn't.

And if the olive branch doesn't work, then fuck it.

This fuckin guy...

Garrot actually manages to surprise him completely again. A good surprise. Mostly good. He doesn't really like the question at the end there like he needs to change, but that whole first paragraph actually impresses him. He sits back and stares at his phone for awhile, reaching up to fix his glasses so he can be certain he's reading this right.

He is, and he learns two things in this moment. Garrot wants to be his friend even if he has to force it, and he should probably start giving this dude the benefit of the doubt. At least sometimes. A little more often then he has so far. Honesty has, once again, recovered the conversation in Gyre's eyes at least.

《I think I. I think I misunderstood. I'm used to you all being so defensive, I assumed. I won't use that word if you prefer. I'm not sure what else I can do though. I can't just not be angry when I'm angry, and I don't expect that from you either》

This is an entirely genuine text! Hopefully that comes across despite it being a text. Hopefully he makes his tone clearer by offering this a moment later.

《We don't usually cook our food. Sometimes during winter, but not the way you do.》

The fact that stubborn Gyre, who has apologized for nothing, admits he misunderstood is enough to send Garrot into a cackling fit that the wild elf might hear across the island! It's great for Garrot to see that Gyre can be reasoned with despite all that anger, and the shift invigorates his willingness to tippety-tap on that keyboard.

《How about when we're angry about something that DOESN'T have to do with us or with fighting monsters on this island, we call it Bullshit? You think it's Bullshit that we cluster up and build cities without nature, and I think it's Bullshit that if you're not in a city, it's harder to get good medical care. Like a code word for when we wanna be angry about stuff we can't just DO something about!》

If nothing else, Garrot would be less inclined to try to dig into everything he's told for more information if he knows Gyre's just letting off steam. And if they synchronize their Bullshit, well, that could be fun!

《I gotta know what I'm working with here. You don't do fruits or sweets, so what DO you eat? Meat? Fish? Bread? And how can you cook food differently? Isn't it just fire and heat?》

The Weather

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