Day 5: Evening

Evening: 5:00pm until Midnight

[ IRL Timeframe: October 15th - ~~October 23rd~~ October 31st, 2019 ]

Evening is calm, evening is serene, evening is-- a time for everyone to catch up with all the nonsense that just happened today. For anyone checking social media, there are a number of significant events that went down to catch up on:

Gyre's head straight-up fell fucking off. Somehow he's not dead.
Gyre and Luka fought each other.
Gyre punched Luka in the face.
Terrence posted a Photoshop Phriday contest on the Hopeful Hearts homepage in the morning, when the Wizard was KO'd. It's finally gone viral.
Two hospital rooms are out of commission due to the floor collapsing.
The hospital's main lobby is inaccessible via the main doors, good thing the side doors work.
Rory is missing. Where did the Tiger knight go? Social media fears the worst.
The child teleported off of the pier, leaving anyone with them behind as they boarded a tourist boat. If the side is to be believed, it's headed back to Bamborough, but with the child at the helm where would it be going?

That's... quite a bit of bad stuff. Thankfully most of the afternoon events are still ongoing, so there's plenty of opportunities for the heroes to unwind in each others' company. The evil-allured knights get their own chance once they fall asleep for the night.

The Weather
Birds are chirping again.
59°F / 15°C
It shouldn't be this chilly?

Prompts:

5:00pm Onward: Hospital, Far Haven: After the rooms were destroyed and the lobby floor was ripped up, the Hospital is hardly in tip-top shape. Any heroes can drop by to try to gather clues with others, to try to help pick up the place, or of course drop by to get medical attention.

Most Evening Times: Gyre's Camp, Forest between Craydon and Bamborough: Gyre can be found in his camp for most of the evening. It's taking up a little clearing in the trees and it's extremely nicely kept even at first glance. There's a fire pit dug into the ground, and lined with rows of gently polished rocks. There are three delicately carved wooden figures sitting on the rocks, one per rock. There's a little boar, a curved antler that very nearly looks real and uh a wizard hat.

Off to the side, there's a canvas tent that's just barely big enough for a Gyre-sized bedroll and his emptied backpack. It's been zipped shut except for a couple inches opening left at the top. There's a little pile of chopped wood beside the tent, and a bowl filled with a dark purple dye and a few folds of leather. In front of the tent is a boot with the sole coming off, partially unsewn.

Across from the fire, there's a rack set up with one cleaned rabbit? skin, and a deer skin hung on a pole to dry. The deer's skull has been set on a pike up high to bleach the bones.

At least one person has promised to visit, but will he even after their fight? But perhaps he won't be the only one to drop by tonight.

5:00pm Onward: Unlimited Tacos, Bamborough: Even after the rails are fixed in Bamborough, the unlimited taco deal didn't come to an end. If the princess or any knight drops by, they won't even have to ask because there are free tacos for the rest of the day! Any hero may show up and sit down to dine on tacos of all types and flavors. Unfortunately this taco shop only specializes in flour-shell options, but their flavors are on point! Dine in with your fellow heroes and discuss all the nonsense that's been happening... and it's only day five.

5:00pm Onward: Free Drinks, Far Haven: If your hero is just tired of everything having to be So Much All The Time, they can drop by one of Far Haven's brightest night life bars called "Reach". They're offering free drinks all night to celebrate the Wizard getting put in the hospital. Things are looking pretty easy for the team this year! The special drink being offered is the "Wizard Bomb" which drops a blue shot into a bubbly red drink. It's pretty tasty and, best of all, free! Which heroes will find each other here before the night crowd shows up? Sun's going down fast!

5:00pm Onward: Free Admission Meditation, Craydon: Heroes need to take a moment to breathe, and one of the locals in Craydon has realized that. They've offered any hero a free meditation session in their garden room. Incense will be lit, hot towels will be offered, and the gentle serene environment of their garden room (complete with the carefully-combed and designed zen sand pit) will make sure any stress just melts away. Does your hero run across someone else while walking in or leaving? The Wizard can be found sitting outside, staring up at the sky, for the rest of the evening.

7:00pm Bed & Breakfast Helping Hand, Craydon: The owner of the Helping Hand Bed & Breakfast needs a helping hand! They threw their back out after carrying a large stack of firewood in for the wood oven. Looks like they're down for the count for at least the rest of the day. Care to lend a hand, perhaps with your fellow heroes, to get things taken care of? The laundry needs to be done, more firewood has to be cut, the food has to be cooked, the guests have to be checked in and out... Who's going to do all this if they can't even get up off the ground? They're in a rough spot! Social media was kind enough to report on what happened, but now that night's falling, things have to be closed up for the night. After the events of the day, Ten can be found here helping out. Looks like he's doing a little bit of everything!

8:30pm Protector Meeting, Far Haven: After the events of the day, the Protector sought out Olivia and spoke with Luka before he handled his own evening tasks. They both received a card from him with an address on it and a request to bring one knight that they trusted along with them. The address, not strangely at all, will take them to the center of a small local park in the middle of the business district. When they arrive, the Protector will be sitting on a bench overlooking a fountain. All around him are screens that are showing the events of the day, and he appears to be reviewing what happened.

Of course, this isn't his dream space so he can be found by just about anyone at this point. But will anyone else find him? Before or during the meeting? Will they spy on the meeting or make themselves known?

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.

Activity Check: October 2019

[ IRL Timeframe: October 1st - October 31st, 2019 ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I've never been one for sitting in the dirt." He replies. "Actually, I've never even been camping. I don't know how you do this every night."

When Gyre mentions the condition of his face, Luka instinctively turns his head away.

"Oh this? I never thought I'd wear a broken nose well. A little warning would have been nice, you know. Maybe I could have softened the blow."

Gyre doesn't follow him when he looks away, letting him hide his face if he wants. Instead of insisting on staring at him, he very carefully loops a hand under his wrist and, as long as Luka doesn't pull away, draws him towards a large, flat stone a few feet away from the fire.

"There's a rock here that's pretty comfortable," he says, and he moves further away, putting space between them before he sits as well. "I don't know how you live in a city every night. At least it's quiet out here."

He sighs softly as Luka takes him up on this uh punch talk, wondering how he should go about this. Honesty is always the best policy, right? "I uh, didn't think you'd go down in one hit, honestly."

Luka allows Gyre to guide him and takes a seat on the rock. It's not preferable but it's better than sitting on the ground, he thinks. "I guess I'm just a fan of noise. And convenience." He adds.

"What were you expecting? For me to raise my sword and fight you?" His tone and demeanor change with his questions, becoming much more focused and serious. "I've never wanted that."

"Sometimes things should be hard," he says, in the briefest treaty on why convenience is bad ever said.

That said though, his tone shifts with Luka's and he folds his knees up to his chest, thinking for a long moment.

"I don't either. I... hm," he murmurs, pausing again. "I was expecting to argue it out, I suppose. There's too much information out there that only one of us knows." He huffs softly, his tone apologetic even though he's not apologizing, "What you said, it got, um, stuck in me, I guess. More then I expected it to." It got under his skin is what he means, but what are idioms.

"It was in poor taste, wasn't it?" Luka replies softly, feeling his face flush as he admits to having been in the wrong. "But isn't it true that they aren't mortal beings? What do you know about them that makes you feel so strongly for beings who are trying to end our world?"

He's impressed! He did not expect Luka to back off so quickly on that one. The princess had said it so certainly at the time, he was sure they'd have to talk about that first. Instead, he's pleasantly surprised, smiling faintly. Perhaps there's hope for them yet.

"I don't think they're trying to end it. Maybe the thing they came from was, but it's been forty years. They're just as trapped in all this as we are. As the rest of them are, the Wizard and your Protector. The companions." He trails off in that moment, staring at the little boar figurine.

He's somber and quiet as he continues, "You know, the monster today. She cried when she told me you killed her friend, same as I have when my friends have died."

“The Protector emphasized many times that they will say or do whatever it takes to get you on their side. She made me think I had killed her, too. And then I found her still very much alive, with you. How can you be so sure they aren’t just manipulating you into aiding them? Why, after so long, would they suddenly change their ways?” Luka’s words are concise and deliberate. It’s obvious this is something he’s thought over frequently.

He scoffs, his nose wrinkling in distaste. Of course the Protector would say a thing like that. It's a good thing Luka can't see this enormous eyeroll, but there's a definite dry sarcasm in his voice.

"Wouldn't you play dead if you thought someone would hunt you down otherwise? I would have. I did before I died," he says, beginning to get more insistent, "I don't think it's as much of a change as you think. Their perspective has been hidden for forty years. We've only ever heard things from the Protector's point of view, and he has an interest in being seen as a hero. I--"

He pauses for a moment, wondering if maybe this is a step too far. But it's what he's wanted since he first asked Luka to talk to the Protector on the second day. "We should share information. It'd be easier to see if either one of them is lying to us that way."

“Is that what the Wizard told you? That he wants to be seen as a hero? He’s been winning for forty years already. He’s already familiar with glory, is he not?” Luka fires back, feeling defensive. What’s so wrong with wanting to be a hero anyway? It’s a fine enough goal, Luka thinks.

“I’m interested to know all that she’s told you. But if afterwards we feel even more confused, I wouldn’t be surprised. I always felt like that talking to her.”

"Something like that," he muses softly before snorting, almost amused. "Now that I've met him, I agree. You know, with a crowd there watching, he gave a speech about how I was a traitor, like... like it was a movie for him." Not that he's seen a lot of movies, but the ones he has were filled with that sort of pointed, obvious dialogue. He can only hope Luka gets what he means.

"But when we were alone, he was going to stab me in the back rather then let that crowd see me get a doctor for you," he says, and he watches Luka's face. They can exchange information after this. He needs to know more about the Protector first.

"That sort of a man never has enough of glory," he says, a low, knowing rasp in his voice. He's met this type of person before and he them then too.

"Because he sees you as one. You attacked me, to defend a monster... naturally, he would think you're a traitor." Luka shifts uncomfortably in his seat. He doesn't deny that the Protector may have done all that, but rationalizing his actions is the best Luka can think to do. "The Protector... he doesn't consider nuances when it comes to alignment. You're with him, or you're the enemy, you know?"

"Mm," he hums softly, "Mmhm. Is that the sort of person you want to put your faith in?" His boots scrape across a couple rocks as he straightens his legs out, stretching as he considers.

"The more I learn about this, the more uh, nuanced it seems."

"The only thing I want is for the world not to end. It's more a leap of faith to trust the Wizard, don't you think? That's a risk I can't see myself taking."

Luka sighs.

"This is nothing like how I'd imagined it would be. What a fool I was."

Gyre is silent for a few moments, watching his face and considering. He doesn't know how to convince Luka that she's not a risk, or if she is, it's not as much of a risk as they've all been lead to believe. He sighs as well, honestly, mirroring the other as he slumps forward very slightly.

"Me neither. I wish I had paid more attention over the decades," he says softly, dully. He hates this actually. "I... I can't trust a man who would stab me in the back. Or one who tells his soldiers to disregard empathy in war. Has he told you that they're children?"

"The monsters?" Luka blinks. "He hasn't said that. He doesn't say much of anything, to be honest but... haven't they been around for awhile? What makes them kids?"

Luka finds this bit hard to believe. It would make sense for the Wizard to convince them all that the monsters are children. Harder to fight them that way, after all.

Here is a bit of silence while Gyre considers that question, putting it together with what Five had said earlier about even that crystal child not really being a child. He's a little more cautious this time as he backs off, "Maybe they're not kids now. So many of them look like it, and..." He assumed. He chews his lip, and returns to territory he feels like he knows better.

"But they were children. In the past, when we all heard those kids speaking up. They were the monsters, and the animals. They... I think they've grown up with only this, if they've grown up at all. Hm, Fen seems so confused all the time. They told me they're barely a year old, by their own experience."

"Did Fen tell you all of that?" Luka thinks back to the voice of the child he'd followed only three days ago. He wonders which monster or companion that might have been, should Gyre's words be true. Hopefully not Four.

Luka's face pales a bit as he considers the implications. After a moment, he shakes his head, as if trying to chase away a foul thought.

"We shouldn't be thinking of them like this. It's dangerous."

"They told me about themself. I've picked the rest up from what the others have told me. They tell the pieces of a consistent story for people who are supposed to lie about everything," he says, trying to dig into the assumptions Luka seems to have. He almost sounds amused for a moment, until the other goes and calls all this dangerous. Dangerous! He wrinkles his nose, once again wondering what the fuck the Protector has been saying these past few days.

"Why is it dangerous? The more information we have, the better equipped we are to make the best decision we can."

"They've had a long time to practice their lies, Gyre." Luka says, folding his arms across his chest. "We don't know what information is true and what isn't. I can only believe what history has told me, and what's worked in the past. And well, it's dangerous to consider them-"

Luka cuts himself off. He knows how bad it sounds.

"We might have to kill them. In that case, the less we know about them, the better."

"No," he answers immediately, and loud enough to make his throat hurt.

He clears it, rubbing at it as he continues, "Killing them is the wrong choice, according to everything I know right now, but even if we do have to kill them, it should be with the full knowledge of who and what they are. You should feel dirty when you murder someone, princess, even if you think it was necessary."

"Fine. Alright." Luka grits his teeth. Gyre has a point, as much as he doesn't want to accept it.

"What do you know about them? I know that they're abominations who shouldn't exist, that they only do because they stole the magic meant to save our planet. Their only purpose is to kill." Luka's only repeating back the Protector's words. "That's what he said."

"Princess," he says sharply, a uh nasty warning in his throat. If he hadn't just hit him a couple hours ago, he'd be tempted to again right now. His fist closes, but he stays sitting, teeth grit, his whole body tense.

"Do not discount their personhood in front of me," he clarifies that little spike of anger, taking a deep breath to steady himself. Once again, the more he hears about the Protector, the more he truly loathes the man. But that's not important for now.

"What she's told me is that there was something living in the center of the planet. When it started to wake up, her and the Protector noticed and... decided, I guess, that it was dangerous." He's still not entirely clear what they saw then that is not so certain for her now. She talks about a solution, as if allowing the child to fully awaken won't immediately kill them all anymore. He shakes his head slightly, continuing after a moment.

"They tried to seal the thing inside the planet and it went wrong. They broke it into twenty-seven pieces," he pauses to count out on his own fingers, "The monsters, the animals, the Wizard, the Protector and the child. Because of the way the spell broke, they have to play this... drama out every year, and at the end of it, the ones who survive go to a... a space, a dream space? They vote whether to continue the spell or not."

He pauses here, making sure he's got all the details he's been told for sure. "The Protector has killed all the other votes up until this year so it's always continued. This year is the last year. She says the child will force it to end one way or the other now that they're awake. She says she has a way for us to survive if we trust her." He sighs softly, clearing his throat after all those words. He thinks Luka will likely reject that last bit, that bit about having to trust her, but he can only say what he's learned at this point.

"I don't know how much of that he's told you already. But I think he's going to try to hurt the child, and if he does, I worry they won't show us any mercy at the end."

"Are you going to hit me again? I'm only telling you what I've been told, which is what you wanted to hear, right?" Luka says, turning his nose up at Gyre.

He clears his throat.

"Anyway, I've heard some of that. Some from him -- some from the Wizard. The Protector isn't big on the juicy details, unfortunately. He told me both he and the Wizard hail from the same planet, and that theirs was the first to be destroyed. That they're scientists of sorts, working to find an answer to all of this. But when they moved to save our planet, they got bound to it. That must be the spell you're talking about."

"He thinks they're going to burn themselves out, eventually, and that's why he doesn't want to end the cycle." Luka searches his thoughts. "I can't just blindly trust the Wizard. What makes you so sure about her? Did she promise everything you could want?"

He rolls his eyes at that stuck up, broken nose. If he were a crueler person, he'd reach over and squeeze it between his fingers. But as it is, Luka is right. It is what he wanted to hear even if he wishes it had been couched better first. Fuckin Protector honestly.

He listens carefully after that, chewing his lip as he continues trying to put everything together. Eventually, he scoffs, "No," and he shifts in his seat, forcing himself to his feet so he can start poking at the fire. His voice moves with him, further away and behind Luka as he goes to grab a log by his tent, and then eventually returning to his side.

"There's not much she could promise me. If it makes you feel better, I'm not completely sure about her. But what she says, it doesn't make sense if she's lying. She told us the very first day that her plan doesn't work at all unless all the knights live. If her goal is to kill us all and end the world, why did she tell us to protect everyone and make it to the end?" He shakes his head slightly, sighing. "Anyway, I'm not telling you to blindly trust her. Just don't blindly trust him either. Maybe try to talk to the monsters or, or the child without trying to hurt them."

He plunks back down in his seat all at once, laying his arms over the tops of his knees with another deeply weary sigh. "It would be easier if the two of them talked to each other. Or were just less... vague with us."

The Weather

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