Day 7: Morning

Morning: 6:00am - 12:00noon

[ IRL Timeframe: December 18th, 2019 - January ~~1st~~ 8th, 2020 ]

After the events of Day 6, every single one of the heroes will know that five of their fellow heroes are no longer with them. Six of the monsters have been dealt with(?). The world is halfway to being saved(?). The unknown child, Sxicq, walks the island now. The Protector and the Wizard are--

The Wizard is missing. Courtesy of the #WheresTheWizard hashtag, it's clear that even social media can't get tabs on her. They've located Sxicq, Ten, Five, Six, and even the Protector. But the Wizard's location is a mystery. Maybe the Wizard-aligned knights were able to meet with her overnight? But no one knows who they are (well, clever heroes may have identified one), so it's anyone's guess.

It's a remarkably quiet morning, though, serving as an opportunity for the heroes to collect themselves.

Seventh Morning Event: Craydon: The Funeral.

The Weather
Solemn.
64°F / 18°C
The air is still.

Prompts:

6:00am The Funeral, Craydon: Five and Ten are the easiest to find this morning. They're in Craydon's small cemetary, holding a quiet conversation over an urn surrounded by flowers. Six is nearby, seated beneath a willow tree, hat and sunglasses obscuring his eyes. Locals are, for the most part, keeping their distance. But every so often, someone approaches to add a flower to the pile around the urn. Monster or not, no one is cruel enough to disrupt anyone in mourning.

8:30am Hospital, Far Haven: Sxicq is easy to find, not that they could be anything but easy to spot, in the hospital lobby. Social media is abuzz as doctors, nurses, and patients all start complaining that the hospital has seen enough this year. They don't need the lobby detonated again. But Sxicq is just sitting, cross-legged, in the center of the hospital lobby. Their eyes are closed and they're glowing softly. To anyone who stays for more than a few moments, they'll see the damage from previous days starting to glow as it mends itself. It's not fast, but it's progress.

9:00am International Cabin of Crepes, Bamborough: The Protector is slightly harder to find, but he's made it known that he's meeting with Luka, Olivia, and the knight they've chosen to invite. He has a private room in the breakfast establishment, a table in a room where the doors can be closed. Others can find him and talk to him here, but he's here on business. Anyone who spots him, though, won't be able to miss that he looks rough. He has a black eye, a busted lip, numerous cuts and burns over the visible parts of his skin, and it looks like some of his hair was ripped out. But it looks like he's done his best to clean up a little, it just looks like he's recovering from some kind of an accident. How did that happen?

10:00am Everywhere, All Cities: The welcome van from the first night is back, and this time it's received a fresh coat of paint on the sides: It's now the funnel cake van. Throughout the morning, the drivers are speeding around all three towns and pulling up beside any and every hero they can. If they see two heroes together? Free funnel cakes for both! Does your hero get caught funnel-handed with another hero this morning? Hope you both have a sweet tooth!

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: December 2019

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I'm glad you came out on top, too..." Luka nods. "But what's this business in the mountain you've got today? We were just there. Don't recommend it, personally."

It was a curious tidbit the Protector had glossed over. 'Unfinished business' was suspiciously vague, and Luka couldn't let it pass unquestioned -- not that he expected much in the way of an explanation. He notes it as something to mention to Gyre later.

"If it's a big deal, maybe we could go with you, help you out?" There's a hint of childlike eagerness in his voice eroding away the reserved deference. But then, like someone who just quietly farted in the middle of a packed conference room, Garrot's back to playing composed. "It would give us more time to talk. About why we're here, sir."

But then he does actually stiffen up. The reason they're here is kind of a big deal. Magical boons and ~~slaying~~ defeating monsters and saving the world. It's funny, but he had sort of shoved away the gravity of the situation until now, when he finally met the person responsible for, well, Protecting the world. And Garrot might just want to hang out with him for as long as possible...

"No." The Protector's answer comes without emotion, without any hint of his thoughts on the matter. But he isn't going to just end it there.

"The matter of why you are here is simple. The mountain, however, is anything but." He sips his tea again.

"If I were to bring the two of you with me, we would be leaving the remaining six to die." He states simply, as if it's fact.

"I will not permit that blood to be spilled." He clarifies, settling his cup down before turning to Luka.

"You have chosen the Monkey knight to receive this power?" He questions, seeking a final confirmation.

"Yes." Luka replies diligently. "He's truly the only possible choice. Olivia and I agreed on it."

He's disappointed by the Protector's outright rejection of Garrot's proposition. If it were true that it would leave the rest of them to die though, it couldn't be helped.

"Be careful in the mountain, then, since you'll be alone. It didn't feel particularly welcoming."

"Nothing in the mountain can harm me." He answers, confidently, before he turns to Garrot.

"Very well. The power is yours." He states, simply, waving a hand in Garrot's direction. The air around everyone in the room crackles with magic, it feels like everything is prickling. Both Garrot and Luka will get goosebumps, their hair will stand on end, every movement will make the fabric of their clothes crackle.

Garrot receives: The Protector's Blessing (Lv. 1):
- Knight Weapon Level Up: Two weapons can now be provided and wielded!
- Knight Power Level Up: It's easier to do cool magic!
- Princess Link: There's always a gut feeling of where the Princess is at any given time.

Luka receives: Monkey Sense (Lv. 1):
- Monkey Link: There's always a gut feeling of where Garrot is at any given time.

It's a shame there's no handy UI over their heads that would just tell them that. Instead they both just have a weird feeling.

Edited 2020-01-05 06:34 (UTC)

Garrot kind of jumps a bit as the Protector just waves a hand and sends the room a-crackling with magical energy. The movement makes his clothing crackle, which makes him move a bit more until suddenly he's standing up, not exactly excited about this weird feeling or any of this. The whole thing was so sudden and without fanfare or even his input, and that doesn't really sit well with him. Fuck being stodgy and respectful.

"H-hey, I wasn't ready!" Garrot shivers a bit, really not feeling the magic that's making his already aggressive hair into an absolute disaster area. He's glad Luka can't see it, actually, because he looks ridiculous on top of the violated look on his face. "I was gonna ask you some questions before you just went and did it." Garrot even goes so far as to scowl a bit, looking right at Luka.

"Your Princess is terrible at sales, you know that?"

Luka was almost as unprepared as Garrot was for the Protector's sudden buff. He tenses upright in his seat, knocking his near-emptied mug over on the table as the magic passes through him.

"Ugh, did it have to be... like that?" He mutters, trying to shake off the clingy static feeling. This wasn't the first time Luka had magical forces thrust upon him, and as such he's less perturbed by its intrusive nature than he is by the fact that its messing with his clothes and hair.

"Hey! What is that supposed to mean?" He retorts in Garrot's direction. Luka would consider himself a fine salesman. He's offended.

If the Protector has any feeling about the two of them being caught off guard by his actions, he doesn't show it. Instead he waves a hand in the air, dismissing the crackling and allowing both of them to return to their pre-crackled state.

"You are to use this power for the good of the world." He states, simply.

"Thwart any remaining plans that the Wizard has set in motion. I have no doubt that she has left traps and plots to tangle us all in." He follows, finally shifting so he can address Garrot's comment.

"It is fortunate for us, then, that the Princess is skilled at fighting the Wizard rather than excelling at sales."

Edited 2020-01-05 17:02 (UTC)

"But you just said she's dead." Garrot raises an eyebrow at the incongruity there, and he crosses his arms, clearly unimpressed.

"I'll take care of the other Knights." The Monkey Knight was pretty sure he could handle most of them in a fight before, but now? It might be the most confident he's sounded since the first day! Plus, he's already been up in everyone's business anyway. On the other hand...

"The monsters are different this year. Any of them gonna be more daring now that she's dead?" He's saying that last bit for himself, if anything. Garrot's aware that Ten's been out and about for longer than usual, but there are more monsters they know nothing about.

"I DO excel at sales!" Luka huffs. Correcting this odd assumption took momentary precedence over anything else. "I believe I'm the only one in the room with a platinum record, unless one of you are hiding something from me."

He settles back into his chair, arms folded.

"Just because she's dead doesn't necessarily mean she's no longer got any cards up her sleeve, you know?" Luka clarifies. "Maybe her dying was the lynch pin to something else. We've still got to be careful."

"The Princess is correct. She could have prepared any number of surprises before her demise. As I stated, we will need to find the plans she has left behind and thwart them." The Protector explains, lifting his tea again and giving it a small swirl in his grasp. A moment later, steam rises out of it as it fills with a new batch of tea.

He moves on to Garrot's comment, ignoring Luka's wounded sales pride.

"The monsters have nothing to hold them back. Know that they will not hesitate to kill any of us." He pauses, his tone shifting to one of cold suspicion.

"Especially monsters who appeal to empathy."

Garrot will remember that.

That's more fake answers. Monsters have been talking since the fourth, all appealing to empathy and humanity with games and conversations. He's spoken with them and they have, time and again, hesitated to kill him and the others when they easily could've gone on an offensive. There's no point in trying to get information from him.

"Got it." His body tenses a bit, and he matches the man's cold tone with a ruthless chill of his own. "I was hoping to knock Twelve's head off its shoulders and then rip the Wizard's throat out of her neck. The others are just in the way." He even smirks a bit, reveling in decades worth of revenge fantasies. The only ally who saw Garrot's rage was Zafika, but they're dead, and he's in it with Luka now, so...

"Thanks to you," Garrot looks to the Protector with a little glint in his eye, "Twelve gets everything it deserves and more." Hope you like seeing the Monkey Knight be vicious and cruel, Luka, because you might be seeing a lot more of it...

Edited 2020-01-05 21:49 (UTC)

Luka frowns in his seat. He thinks back to Ten, Six, even Five. None of them had really tried to kill him, though they easily could have. Luka himself had been more underhanded than any of them. But there was always the chance that they could turn on you, and letting your guard down is never a good idea.

"Yeah. And if for some reason Garrot doesn't finish them off I'll be there to put this shiny new crossbow to use." Despite his words, Luka doesn't sound particularly eager.

The Protector keeps his stern gaze on Garrot even as he begins talking about defeating the twelfth. He only waits until Luka chimes in too that he turns towards him and nods.

"The crossbow will strike your enemies true." He begins, narrowing his eyes at Garrot.

"I trust that we will not be betrayed. I do not wish this crossbow to be used against a knight." He says, calmly looking over the teacup in his hands.

"Do not disappoint me, Garrot Murtakor."

Garrot's gaze doesn't falter, not even as the Protector goes from granting power to thinly-veiled threats. He crosses his arms as the other man speaks, but he doesn't even flinch at the final remark. The Protector either doesn't know or doesn't care who he's dealing with here, and it's offensive... to more than Garrot's pride. He's the only one Luka and Olivia trusted with this, and yet the Protector wholly refuses to trust him. But it helps something click.

"Don't worry..." Then he... smiles? Warm, comforting even. Garrot is being wholly sincere, shifting from bloodlust to peace. The Monkey Knight is calm, assured, as if he'd offer a cordial handshake under less threat-laced circumstances.

"Saving the world is in my blood." And now Garrot waits, seeing whether the Protector even knows who his father was. In the end, honoring the memory of his departed father is what matters, not inflating the ego of a grumpy old man.

Oh, Garrot.

Never meet your heroes.

"Hruggahul Murtakhor." The Protector answers, casually, taking a sip of tea before he continues.

"It will take little for you to eclipse his actions."

At first, there's a glimmer of hope as Garrot hears his father's name come out of the Protector's mouth. He knows him, remembers him enough to get his name right, and then-

"You-" Garrot stops himself, restrains his outburst despite wide eyes and bared fangs. His hands ball into fists so tight that his claws pierce the skin of his palms, and his jaw is so tight it could snap bones. But he takes a deep breath in, a deep breath out. This is not the time to go berserk and get yourself killed, Garrot. It's time to get answers.

"So what did he do?" The words are snarled through grit teeth, but his jaw loosens enough that his next statement is absolutely clear. "How were you disappointed by a pacifist who survived until the final monster?"

The Protector isn't surprised to see Garrot's emotional reaction, but he's satisfied that he's kept his emotions under control. It's too simple to rile people like him up, and the Protector has seen many like him.

"He put others at risk and died." He answers, calmly taking another sip of his tea.

"I expect better from you." He adds, setting the tea cup down after he says it, leveling a calm stare onto Garrot to search him for his emotions in this moment.

Garrot's lucky he's had years of experience in a monastery and the boardroom and as a doctor and as a father in keeping himself in check. In fact, the most his body does is an eyebrow twitches ever so gently as the Protector sips his tea. It's one of those involuntary ones, because the majority of the doctor's focus is on ~~controlling~~ locking down as many of his muscles as possible. It's impossible to trust the Protector's words given that they go against everything Garrot knew about his father, everything he'd ever heard. He needs to know more. Later. Somehow.

But he nods. What else can he do to survive and find those answers, if not force civility?

"Watch yourself on that mountain. It's tricky." The words are stern, business-like, a match of cautioning "encouragement" to what he was given. There's nothing more for him to say.

The tension in the air is palpable, and Luka’s discomfort increases with each passing moment. He wishes he still had some coffee to conveniently distract himself with. The mood of the meeting turning so suddenly has set him on edge and the need to try to defuse the situation in any capacity overtakes him.

“Uh. Yeah. Be safe. We need you in one piece.” He manages, continuing off of Garrot’s words of caution to the Protector.

“Your father was an incredible knight. Everyone who stood against the Wizard has been. You’ll be too.” Luka tries to translate the Protector’s cold detachment into something more palatable as he reaches to place a reassuring hand on Garrot’s shoulder. “I think that’s what he meant to say.”

His last words carry a particular tone - one intended to not so subtly inform the Protector that he should back away from this topic for now.

The Protector sits, unfazed, finishing the last few sips of his tea.

"Thank you for the reminder. Our business has concluded, and I intend to return before sunset." He states, calmly, standing from the table.

"Keep yourself free of harm, Princess. Monkey knight."

And unless they move to stop him, he's making his way to the door to open it and leave. If he's affected by the tense mood in the room, he certainly doesn't seem like it.

Garrot obviously does not make any movements to stop the Protector. In fact, aside from a slight shift in his eyes towards Luka at his disaster-defusing words, the Monkey Knight stays entirely fixated on his new, uh, business partner. That fixation holds well after he leaves their private room at the establishment and for a good few seconds after. There's a tense, labored sort of rise and fall to Garrot's chest with each of his deep, powerful breaths. But after one particularly long, deep sigh, he finally shifts his focus to Luka.

"Wow." The word comes out the edge of the sigh, as if the entire encounter winded him more than an intense (by his standards) workout. "I... am so sorry." That's hardly the way he expected that conversation to go, and he was so crass with Luka about the Protector's information before, and... it's all he can really say right now.

Poor guy's a bit shellshocked now that the adrenaline's wearing off.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Day 7: Morning

Morning: 6:00am - 12:00noon

The Weather

Prompts:

Procedure:

Activity Check: December 2019

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