Day 4: Evening

[wizardseason]

Evening: 5:00pm - Midnight

[ IRL Timeframe: August 14th - August 28th, 2019 ]

As the sun sets on Harsen Island and the curtains close on Four's games that abducted all the heroes up into hours of entertainment, things absolutely refuse to wind down.

When the knights return, they'll be placed right where they were when they were added into the game show. The Princess, unfortunately, is the one that doesn't wind up where he was taken from. For everyone else, whether they were climbing up the mountain or existing elsewhere, it looks like all they lost is time.

And maybe a bit of patience.

Every hero that participated in Four's game show reeived a personalized 'Thank you!' card at the end of it, apparently the monster was excited about everyone participating! (Disclaimer: One knight did not receive a thank you card because he refused to participate like a big ole' jerk).

The bright, glowing blue fissures are still open throughout the ground, they haven't gone anywhere while the game show happened. All the cracks originate from the mountain up the slope from Craydon! Social media has finally confirmed that all the cracks converge on one location up the mountain: At a big glowing stone door. It's absolutely not a manmade door and it's definitely magic in some way, but why is it there now?

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The Weather

• Insects chirping all over.
• 66°F / 19°C
• A surprisingly cool sea breeze.

---

Prompts:

• ??:00pm Mountain Door, Craydon: Any heroes still climbing the mountain, or who choose to climb the mountain, can reach the glowing door. As they ascend, they'll have to endure unrelenting wind blowing right in their face the whole way. When they reach the top, send a ping saying "they've reached the door" to receive a description.


• 6:00pm Rock Sugar Tea Cafe, Bamborough: Not wanting to spend the entire evening in Craydon, the Protector has made his way via train out to Bamborough to find a cafe that serves tea. Three Princesses had come here during previous years and the experiences had been good enough that he sought to try it for himself. He'll be found sitting under an umbrella-covered table outside the cafe, sipping carefully at a nuclear-hot cup of spiced apple tea.


• 6:30pm Sushi, Far Haven: Of all the places for Ten to end up in all this, he's arrived at the conveyor belt sushi restaurant in Far Haven. Situated off to the side from the lobby of the Crossroads Hotel, the restaurant is simply named 'Sushi' and is filled with numerous tables wedged up against a slowly-progressing conveyor belt filled with plates of sushi. The entire path is in a refrigerated tube to keep the sushi safe to eat, and when a hero arrives they'll see Ten reaching in to obtain a new set of rolls. There are already ten empty plates in front of him: How many more will he eat? Social media is already taking bets on the final count!


• 7:00pm Door Crater, Craydon: It's the end. Any heroes still lingering at the door on the mountain will be treated to the biggest nightmare of all time: The door starts to emit a high-pitched tone moments before it explodes outwards. Pieces of solid stone go flying outward from the blast, and when the dust clears from the event there's still smoke billowing out from inside of the cave entrance and rising up off of the small crater that the explosion made.
  
  Just inside of the cave entrance is the figure of a child, laying slumped facedown on the ground. They're wearing nothing but tatters over their translucent cyan skin. They look as if they're made of colored glass, their hair looking very much like solid, shiny obsidian but moving as if it wasn't stone at all. Their eyes are closed where they're laying, but there's an unmistakable glow even through their closed eyelids.

---

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

??:00pm Mountain Door, Craydon:

[wizardseason]

Any heroes still climbing the mountain, or who choose to climb the mountain, can reach the glowing door. As new climbers ascend, they'll have to endure unrelenting wind blowing right in their face the whole way. When they reach the top, send a ping saying "they've reached the door" to receive a description.

[sustainer]

Well this is not where he expected to be. He was on the beach, walking away from Four, and then he blinked and now he's on the mountain. Back on the mountain. The first thing he does is look around to see if the cracks on the ground are still there. Check. Next is to see if Olivia and Luka are still with him.

Either way, catch him continuing up the mountain before too long, leaning into the wind with an arm tucked over his forehead and eyes. He came here to see where the cracks lead, and that's what he's going to do. A little weather isn't going to stop him.

[wizardseason]

When Gyre finally reaches the top of the mountain, he gets teleported back to the bottom.

Wouldn't that be terrible?

No, what Gyre really finds is the glowing door that the news reports have been producing news reports about in the news (say that ten times fast I dare you). But Gyre's definitely not the type to eat breakfast and read a newspaper in the morning filled with the news about this incredibly news-worthy glowing door.

So when he gets there, he'll be surprised to find that its a nine-foot tall stone door with glowing seams and no visible hinges. More importantly, there are no visible handles. The line down the center that would normally show that it's a door that'll open by swinging open into two doors is there, sometimes, and gone at other times. Is it a single giant piece of stone? Is it two pieces of stone? Or is there no actual door here and it's just glowing lines that someone painted on the rocks?

And yes, if Gyre licks it, it'll taste like rock.

[sustainer]

Gyre pauses as he comes into the clearing, looking up at the door, following the shining lines with his eyes. He expected it to be bigger honestly. All the emphasis the Wizard had placed on it, and here it was. And it was just a door.

After a few beats, he walks up to it and sets a hand on the surface of it, pushing at the stone to see if it will open.

[zafika]

Zafika leaps up when they realise that they can't see Garrot anywhere, and they make their weapon disappear before looking around and wandering just a little, in case he's somewhere nearby, but they don't dare to go too far from where they'd appeared once more. "Garrot...? Hey, Garrot...!"

Where the fuck was he, there was no way they could just, lose the Monkey Knight like this in the middle of the mountain! How could they even lose someone his size who was as loud as he was!?

They actually even climb up to a tree to get a better view, because with how tiny they are, they're not going to be able to see really that far here, especially since there are plenty of trees blocking their field of vision. "Garrot where the fuck are you..!?" they hiss to themselves, getting little bit anxious. Suddenly they can relate to what Garrot went through when he saw them explode into water, even if not fully.

6:00pm Rock Sugar Tea Cafe, Bamborough

[wizardseason]

Not wanting to spend the entire evening in Craydon, the Protector has made his way via train out to Bamborough to find a cafe that serves tea. Three Princesses had come here during previous years and the experiences had been good enough that he sought to try it for himself. He'll be found sitting under an umbrella-covered table outside the cafe, sipping carefully at a nuclear-hot cup of spiced apple tea.

[fop_lop]

"So this is going to be terribly silly if you're simply a thirsty local," Terrence prefaces while taking a seat at the same table, "but would you happen to be the Protector?" He certainly hopes so, at any rate. While there aren't many specific questions the rabbit knight has, it'll still be nice to get some straight answers for a change. Sucecq is certainly helpful enough, but there's only so much he knows, and multiple perspectives are always useful...

[wizardseason]

Terrence picked one of the few moments that Luka had stepped away from the table to get another drink, take a phone call, or use the bathroom otherwise he would've been a glaring giveaway that this was, in fact, the Protector. Social media's been surprisingly off-point with only posting pictures of Luka and omitting the Protector sitting nearby.

It's almost like they didn't realize who he was, either.

"I am." He answers, looking up from over the edge of his clear glass tea mug. The scent of spiced apples is wafting in the air, leaving no mystery to what he's drinking.

"And you're Terrence Torrence, the unaligned rabbit knight." He says it, narrowing his eyes at him to test for a reaction. Does he know Terrence isn't wizard aligned? Is he making a bold statement to catch this actually-wizard-aligned knight in a trap? His expression doesn't give away what purpose he has behind the statement, but he sure did say it.

[fop_lop]

"Not aligned officially, at any rate," he quips back, maintaining a remarkable poker face if the Protector's comment even fazed him at all.

It had certainly crossed Terrence's mind if the supernatural being knew exactly who was on what side or not. The princess and their knights, of course, but... The prospect was a large part of why he was bothering to approach the fellow at all, even if he was convinced that no answers would come of it even if the Protector did know. No, the rabbit knight had a different angle this time.

"Is that good?" he asks, idly waving a hand to indicate his host's cup. It certainly smelled good. "I haven't ordered yet and I've never been here." The one spot of common ground between all of them - Wizard, Princess, Knight, and even the Protector, evidently - was a good flavor.

[eutychia]

Luka sits at the table with the Protector, arms folded -- his expression a mix of frustration and exhaustion as a cup of jasmine tea slowly cools untouched in front of him. He's been quiet for awhile, reflecting on the chaos of the day and mourning the dramatic defeat of Four he'd planned out in his mind.

After awhile, he speaks up.

"Sooo... is this whole 'existing in the physical realm' thing new to you?"

[wizardseason]

The wafting scents of Luka's jasmine tea mixing with the Protector's apple tea make for a simultaneously delicious and overwhelming cloud around the two of them. The servers of the restaurant are used to it, though, and don't seem to mind. The Protector has been similarly quiet, lost in his thoughts, and it's only Luka's question that finally snaps him back to reality.

"It has been many years since I have walked this world." He answers, slowly lifting his tea to blow gently on it.

"I remember now why I avoided it."

[eutychia]

Luka can't help but laugh a bit. "Is it really so bad? I'd imagine spending all your time alone in that tower gets awfully lonely."

Re: 6:00pm Rock Sugar Tea Cafe, Bamborough

[silentwords]

Seth, after the disaster that was the previous day, the calamity that was this morning, the absolute nightmare that was the Game Show...
Had only managed to fall asleep for a few hours, after a mental breakdown, due to well, actual nightmares. So he honestly looked absolutely haggard.

And considering he was already sleep deprieved as all hell, he needed something to wake him up, stat. But since he hated the scent of coffee, he had to find a place that had a good selection of teas to choose from, in the end having bought a spiced black tea. He needed the caffeine in it.

And then as he's looking for a place to sit down...he spots the Protector as he passes by the table the Protector is sitting at. It takes him a while to process what he sees, but considering the attire, he's already pretty damn sure that he is in fact THE Protector. What was up with the sleep wear theme btw?

And for love of, what were the odds of running into the Protector? Why was he here in the real world anyway??? Seth thought the Protector was supposed to stay on, their own plane or whatever, which is why they communicated through the Princess.

And thus you have Seth staring at the Protector, as if he had just seen someone jump from a 10-story building's roof and survive it without a scratch.

[wizardseason]

Seth had chosen the exact correct time to happen upon the Protector. Terrence had either just left or hadn't arrived yet, and Luka was taking a moment to handle a personal matter. How convenient for Seth to have a moment alone!

The Protector is in the middle of a sip of his cup of tea as Seth stands, staring, and he's not one to just let that happen.

"If you intend to speak with me, Seth Samara the unaligned rat knight, you will need to take a seat." He says it with such confidence that it has to be true. Seth, unaligned? Or is he intending to intimidate him into admitting that he's actually an evil knight? What kind of game of knowing or not knowing is the Protector playing here?

[silentwords]

You know what...fuck it why not, this might as well happen.
So Seth sat down, and promtly took a long drink from his tea as he digged out his phone to communicate with.

"I thought you were supposed to exist on...some other plane or something and not, well, here."

[scandeled]

This is precisely the kind of place Matilda Hamilton would pick to spend time at. While the Protector may opt for outside under an umbrella, Matilda can be found inside for most of the evening, relishing the gift of air conditioning and the lack of humidity. Her hair falls in perfect delicate waves indoors, lacking the poof and frizz the humidity of the outdoors has gifted her with the past few days. Here, she’s content to sip on a tea that smells of rose petals and a hint of chocolate, to daydream her life away while she sips away at her tea, her content expression only drifting away when her eyes flicker to her phone on the table. But for the most part, she’s playing the role of the perfect, delicate young lady, and much less like a ball of disaster and energy like she normally does.

This of course, vanished on her way out, near the very end of the Protrctor’s visit— she’s spotted who is sitting out front through the window and she hurtles out of the building, as energetic as a puppy. “Oh! What peripeteia!” She declares, barely coming to a stop before the table.

[wizardseason]

For the Protector, it's hardly a surprise to see Matilda here. He knows the heroes are roaming around and encountering him at their leisure. But in this case, this was another opportunity to confront a knight about their allegiance.

"Good evening, Matilda Hamilton, the unaligned dog knight." He says in a surprisingly even voice. But his eyes lock on her, watching for any sign of a slip-up. Any sign of relief. Does he know she's unaligned and he's confirming what he knows? Or is this a trap in case she's an evil-aligned knight? Or does he have no idea one way or the other and is just grasping for straws?

Give him the details he needs.

[zafika]

See, Zafika had decided that they're going to need answers from someone, either Luka or one of the Knights that actually get to talk to the Protector. Because that's what they're used to, digging up information in whatever way available. So when they spot someone who, absolutely is not a regular citizen, sitting outside a little tea cafe, they stop in their tracks to stare. That has to be the Protector, or they're going to possibly give an innocent citizen a heart attack.

Either way, they walk over to the Protector's table, and pull a chair for themselves to sit down across from him. "You're the Protector, aren't you?" Normally, they probably would be more polite, or impressed, but they've had a long day, and they have some questions, and they will get answers to those questions, or so help them god.

[wizardseason]

"I am, and you are Zafika the evil-aligned Snake knight." The Protector answers their abrupt arrival with an even more abrupt accusation. Does he know they're an evil knight and he intends to make them cave? Does he not know at all and he's testing for a reaction? Does he think they're unaligned and he's just trying to trip them up?

No matter what his reasoning, he's looking at them over steepled fingers. He fully intends to catch how they're going to react, how they're going to take the heavy-handed move he'd just made.

6:30pm Sushi, Far Haven

[wizardseason]

Of all the places for Ten to end up in all this, he's arrived at the conveyor belt sushi restaurant in Far Haven. Situated off to the side from the lobby of the Crossroads Hotel, the restaurant is simply named 'Sushi' and is filled with numerous tables wedged up against a slowly-progressing conveyor belt filled with plates of sushi. The entire path is in a refrigerated tube to keep the sushi safe to eat, and when a hero arrives they'll see Ten reaching in to obtain a new set of rolls. There are already ten empty plates in front of him: How many more will he eat? Social media is already taking bets on the final count!

[eutychia]

Luka had scrolled upon the buzz surrounding Ten's sushi binge-ing escapades and had decided to seek him out. He had thought that Ten might be able to provide some insight into the Wizard, or perhaps Four's current location -- but admittedly, he was also just really craving some sushi.

As he enters the restaurant he asks a host for a seat next to Ten, and, upon being seated, orders a drink.

"Ten," he starts, reaching hesitantly toward the conveyor of sushi going by. Luka was more accustomed to upscale establishments with 5 star credentials and world renowned chefs. Of course, there was something animalistically appealing about grabbing your own food as you pleased and maybe that's what brought Ten here. Luka, however, found this method... complicated. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm Luka Eutychia, you know, the Princess this year."

He takes the first plate his hand reaches, committing himself to eating whatever he'd happened to get.

[wizardseason]

Ten watches Luka as he approaches, watches him order, and watches him hesitantly reach and obtain a plate of two salmon nigiri. Nice pick!

But he's smart enough to know Luka didn't intentionally pick it. He pulls forth his phone as he nudges his own plate of eel to the side. After a few moments the voice of good ole' Microsoft Sam chimes in with his answer:

"Hello Luka nice to meet you
Which sushi do you want"

7:00pm Door Crater, Craydon

[wizardseason]

It's the end. Any heroes still lingering at the door on the mountain will be treated to the biggest nightmare of all time: The door starts to emit a high-pitched tone moments before it explodes outwards. Pieces of solid stone go flying outward from the blast, and when the dust clears from the event there's still smoke billowing out from inside of the cave entrance and rising up off of the small crater that the explosion made.

Just inside of the cave entrance is the figure of a child, laying slumped facedown on the ground. They're wearing nothing but tatters over their translucent cyan skin. They look as if they're made of colored glass, their hair looking very much like solid, shiny obsidian but moving as if it wasn't stone at all. Their eyes are closed where they're laying, but there's an unmistakable glow even through their closed eyelids.

[daddykong]

Garrot isn't going to climb a mountain and deal with Four and not try and figure out this door for a while. But that high-pitched noise? Bad news bugbears. So anyone within about twenty feet of Garrot is treated to daisy-chains of clones to body-block his allies from whatever happens.

Then it fucking explodes. The force behind the blast, the flying rocks impacting into the clones' bodies, and the inevitable disconnects between clones mean that when the dust and smoke begin to settle, the original Garrot is the only one still standing. He's staggered, and his body has a bit of a wobble to it. The Monkey Knight's never felt the consequences of losing a clone instead of dismissing it, so he's... not all there. In fact, he seems to have forgotten that he was protecting people with his clones, or that those people even exist! Even if they're in his field of vision. Yikes.

There's a moment of lackadaisical mawp-ing to deal with the ringing in his ears, and a shift into a fighting stance to instinctively deal with his shaky balance. But Garrot's brain doesn't stay on that train of thought for long, because as soon as his eyes pick up on a blue child he, uh, starts clumsily walking over to them. To provide medical treatment. Except he can't really walk in a straight line. Or very quickly. And he's ignoring literally everyone else.

Maybe someone should beat him there? Or beat some sense into him.

[sustainer]

Someone does beat him there yeah. Gyre's been here all evening at this point. He wasn't going to miss this for anything, which is to say that when the high pitched noise happens, he pulls his own shield up preemptively and only catches one of Garrot's clones when it explodes in the corner of his eye. His attention is yanked towards that first before being yanked harder in the other direction. The blue catches his eye, then the fact the blue belongs to a child, and he runs to their side to begin checking them over without another thought for his monkey companion.

It's not until Garrot begins to trip over himself and nearly falls that Gyre looks at him again. He realizes something's wrong immediately, and jerks up onto his feet again, expression clearly torn between his fellow knight and the child. He stays near the kid for now, but he does flash one of his shimmering shields into place against Garrot's shoulder so he has something to lean against without falling the fuck over.

"Are you-- what's wrong?"