Day 7: Evening

Aftern-Evening: 3pm - Midnight

[ IRL Timeframe: January 22 - January 29, 2020. ]

After all of Seven's fights, ending in Luka taking Ten's hand as the other heroes arrive. The knights will be treated to the sight of something entirely unexplainable: Seven is wounded, laying on the asphalt with a bright white crossbow bolt sticking out of their body. They're still pouring black goop off of their body, but they appear to be wrapped in some kind of cloth tarp. Five is kneeling over them, dressed in a skin-covering assassin outfit that only reveals her five eyes peering out. In her hand is a phone, and that's really all that can be seen before she and Seven disappear into a portal in the ground.

Luka, meanwhile, is standing with Ten's hand in his and his crossbow laid on the ground and not in his hand. No matter what the arriving heroes cry out in order to get his attention, it's too late to stop him. Abruptly, the portal opens and both the Princess and Ten disappear into the ground.

Naturally, the hashtag #princessnapped is forged.

That doesn't prove to be the only hashtag to get some heavy use this evening. The #wizardfound and #robotwizard hashtags find a sudden, new reason to actively discuss what's going on.

The remaining heroes: Garrot, Gyre, Haizea, Matilda, Olivia, (and... where's Terrence?) will find that the events from earlier in the day have caught up to them. There's a crack like thunder as both the Wizard and the Protector flicker into existence and both land in the superhero pose in the center of the intersection that Luka just disappeared from.

The Protector, if possible, is looking even worse than before. He's sporting a black eye and numerous cuts on his forehead, cheeks, and arms. It looks like he's been lit on fire at least once, but even so he's holding his rapier out in anticipation of the next strike.

The Wizard, meanwhile, is finally openly visible to everyone after her absence. She looks rough. It's as if the areas where she'd been harmed have been replaced or repaired with robotics. The left side of her face is no longer bandaged, instead revealing that she now has a robotic eye with a glowing yellow ring. The cables that were visible in the video before are very clearly plugged in just behind her ear, trailing down over her shoulder and down her back beneath the robes.

And of course she's still wearing pajamas. But they look like they've seen better days, charred and ripped and shredded at every edge. In her hand, though, is a massive axe. One side of its head is a giant half-circle axe head while the other side is a heavy weight like a hammer. The entire weapon is jet black, but it has a glossy shine.

What's the worst that could happen?

The Weather
Cloudy, breezy.
48°F / 9°C
Brrr.

Prompts:

3:00pm The Garden, Unknown Location: When Luka falls through the portal with Ten, he'll become immediately aware that the monster has slipped himself closer and snuck his feet beneath Luka's to stabilize him. Despite the falling, he seems surprisingly stable in the air.

And then there's the soft crunch of grass beneath his feet and he shifts slightly, waiting for Luka to step back on his own. Wherever they are, the air is filled with the scents of wildflowers and scents that are both beautiful and entrancing in their complexity. It's clear that there are dozens, if not hundreds of flowers and plants in the immediate vicinity. There's the gentle warmth of sunlight on Luka's skin, clearly advertising that they're outside (or in a very clever indoor garden). But most calming is the gentle sounds of moving water. If Luka focuses, he'll be able to pick out that there's a small waterfall, several waterways, and multiple water features with water tumbling down over rocks. And, of course, a pool or a pond with fish gently swimming about beneath the surface.

But he'll be interrupted twice before he can lose himself. The first is Ten.

"We're here." He says, but if Luka's not shaken enough he'll realize that he doesn't hear Seven and his Seven sense isn't going wild. But the second distraction happens as Luka's phone bloops from an unknown sender with a text:

"Welcome to the Garden, Princess." The text reads... with no explanation of who or how they sent him the text. That's totally normal!

3:00pm Street Intersection, Bamborough: With the arrival of the Wizard and the Protector, it's very clear that shit is about to go down. But that absolutely isn't what the Wizard has in mind for this situation. She's the one running this game, and she isn't about to get five heroes wrapped up in her duel with the Protector. Before anyone can take an opportunity to make any attacks, and especially not the Protector, she snaps the fingers of her free hand five times.

And reality fractures. The way that the cracks in midair begin to fold and reflect the area and people around them, it's like the world is folding up into a trick mirror house. It's... actually exactly that. Reality twists and folds, forming reflections and containers out of the air itself until every single hero is enclosed in one. The hero in the middle of their own box, reflected on two opposite walls. But on the opposite two walls, the Wizard is visible beyond in one of them and the Protector is visible beyond in the other room. Uh. This conversation might get awkward. Worse is that they can't get distracted by their Seven senses, because no one can feel them anymore.

3:15pm To Everyone: In the middle of the earlier events, every hero in Bamborough receives a text from an unknown sender. The only one who's spared this text is Luka, because he got a text earlier. The text reads: "I can give you one teleport to anywhere today. Tell me when and to where. Don't be unreasonable!"

8:00pm Onward, Everywhere: The day is done, the events are finished. How does your character get home? Do they go home alone? Do they seek the company of their fellow heroes? Do they stay alone, or do they get a room together? Either way, it's a rough night for everyone.

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: January 2020

[ IRL Timeframe: January 1st - January 31st, 2020 ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"If we weren't working together..." Luka begins, very aware of how precarious this conversation was becoming. He's trying to carefully choose his words but everything he thinks to say sounds bad.

"You'd be trying to end the world, right? End it in such a way that the people at large would suffer. In that case, I wouldn't hesitate to use weakness against you if it meant coming out victorious."

There isn't really a charming way to tell someone you'd exploit their weaknesses if they were your enemy, apparently!

"Oh, that's not..." What he meant. He makes a slightly flustered little noise as Luka says that uh very rough thing there. He had been thinking about meeting Luka in the real world, not in the context of this game.

He hadn't specified that, of course, so he has to stew in this new thought. He might not be so manipulative about it, but if he thought someone was truly that dangerous, he'd take advantage of weakness as well. Maybe not in the same way, but he can't pretend he's superior to Luka in that regard.

"I... Of course. I want, I need for this to end with the least suffering possible. If I didn't, if anyone doesn't, then I hope we learn about it soon so that," he clears his throat awkwardly, "So that we can decide how to handle them."

"We won't have to kill them, if that's what you're afraid of." Luka replies without missing a beat. "It's the easiest solution, yeah, but not the only one."

Luka thinks about the Protector talking about 'locking up' Gyre and what that might have meant. It wasn't a pleasant notion, coming from the same person who'd sealed Sxicq away in the mountain. He quickly decides he doesn't want to dwell on it for a second longer.

"I think that's what everyone wants. I think even the Protector is convincible... we just don't have as much time as would be necessary."

"Mm, no one else will die," he says to that first bit. Murdering anyone inconvenient had not even crossed his mind, but especially not after they just saw all those bodies in that room. He can feel his chest tighten just at the thought of more bodies, his eyes burning as he holds back another round of tears.

He does sniff softly, shaking his head a little. "I want to try with him. I... he has the most to make up for, but he could do it." He sighs roughly, miserably. "He could be a real protector if he came with us, and helped us rebuild."

"Yeah..." Luka trails off, getting lost in thought. The idea of the Protector on the new planet helping everyone rebuild seemed like a far off dream. No one who was cooperating with them wanted him alive. "Did you know he keeps a journal? And he likes stargazing."

Luka proudly shares the scant few details he'd managed to get about the Protector's hobbies and personal life. It wasn't much, but he valued the small shreds of evidence that the Protector was more than just a strict, stoic Wizard-killing machine.

But Luka thinks back again to the Knight's slain bodies and the blatant wounds from the Protector's weapon over their hearts, and his attempt to humanize the man suddenly felt in poor taste.

"I need answers from him more than anything." Luka speaks up again, breaking out of his contemplation. "I want to hear how he justifies what he's done. If he wants trust, if he truly believes what he's doing is the right thing, then he has to be honest with us. That's the first step."

Gyre also joins the contemplative silence. He's... not surprised. I mean, he's a little surprised that the man keeps a journal, but journaling is something he's never understood in the first place. The idea that the Protector is just another person though? That doesn't surprise him at all. They're all people. That's the thing he's been discovering over the course of this week. No matter what they look like, or the rumors people have spreads about them, they're all just regular ass people who journal and stargaze.

It's the reason that he wants the Protector to live, even if he understands the fury leveled again him. He deserves redemption.

Gyre sighs softly when Luka gives him his plan, nodding to himself. He's nervous. He can't help being nervous, but he also thinks it's a good idea.

"Do you want me to be nearby when you do? In case he turns on you?"

"I don't know." Luka replies quickly, the small bit of hopefulness beginning to drain from his voice. "He could just end up killing us both. If there's a risk of him retaliating and killing, I'd rather it just be one of us that's lost."

His heart sunk to imagine any more bodies in the cave, but particularly Gyre's or his own.

"But I don't think he'll turn on me. I've asked if he's killed before and survived."

Gyre grits his teeth at the idea of Luka dying. He's fine if it's himself. He's died before, and much as he wants to help with this, he's had his time. But...

"But you're important. Symbolic. People will listen to you," he says, his voice insistent. "I don't know how we'll make this work without you..."

He sighs softly after that, clearly uncomfortable with this whole plan. Both are bad! But he'd rather be there then not, if only because he trusts himself to be able to defend them both. Ugh, this sucks.

"If you would prefer to go alone though, then I won't."

"Maybe..." He starts, weighing the options. "The best solution is for you stay near so if things start to go wrong, I'll signal for you."

Gyre did have a point. Losing any of the Knights would be a devastating loss, but Luka's death would be a blow to the morale of a not insignificant amount of people in the world. Then the Wizard would likely be framed for the slaying of a beloved celebrity, and that wouldn't do them any good in their quest to clear her name.

"I'll try to back off before it gets to that point, though. As much as I want the truth from him it isn't worth prying out of him if it means either, or both, of us dying."

Edited 2020-02-20 02:05 (UTC)

Gyre nods, pausing to get Luka up the last little slope of the cave. They're nearly out by now, and while it is just a straight shot out of here, he still holds on to the princess, enjoying the closeness. The topic is heavy, but it feels like they're really working together now, in step with each other.

"I'll stay in shouting distance," he confirms after a beat. "As long as you're careful, it sounds like you'll be fine. You've gotten enough experience with him to know how to deal with him."

He nods in response. Gyre's reassurance and the approaching exit out of the mountain cave raise Luka's spirits considerably. He turns his gaze forward, hoping to perhaps catch the first scents of the night air or, if he were lucky, a hint of moonlight.

"I've never wanted a hot bath and a warm bed more than right now." Luka says, sighing quietly at the comforting thought. The day had felt terribly long and exhausting and Luka's humble lodgings in Craydon seemed comparable to a luxurious five-star hotel in that moment.

He then thinks of Gyre's camp, and him sleeping on that cold, hard ground. He knew it was what the man preferred, but the concept continued to be alien to Luka.

"Will you be okay? You won't be too cold, right?" He asks, a doting concern to his voice.

Gyre watches his face when he turns towards the moonslight, and for a moment, he wonders if Luka can sense that they're close to the exit somehow. And then, whether he's anticipating it as much as Gyre is. The moment of curiosity is caught up in the conversation again, and he returns his attention to the ground, keeping them away from any weirdly shaped bits of the floor. It's nothing compared to the climb down, but he won't let the princess trip up around him if he can help it.

"I'll be okay," he answers softly, a smile in his voice. The concern makes him feel. Things. He's not sure what to do with these things, and he stays quiet for a moment as they finally step out into the air again.

He lets Luka go for the first time in a bit, stretching his arms over his head and taking a deep, satisfied breath in. It's nice to be out in the open again, and as he runs his fingers through his hair, he lets slip, "A hot bath does sound nice though."

Hot water on demand is one of the few things he envies about living the way these people do. He hates to admit this normally because he's had it held over his head before, but he feels relaxed in this moment. Or something like relaxed anyway, the weight of the day getting set aside for tomorrow's work. It's late. He's with a person he's coming to care about. If he's ever going to let his guard down, it's now.

Despite Gyre's insistence, Luka's still not entirely convinced - it sounded pretty miserable to him, and he can't imagine someone actually being comfortable like that. Even someone as accustomed to it as Gyre would be. He quickly forgets the thoughts, however, when the pair exits the cave at last.

He was happy to step away from the cave and leave all of its complications behind him, even just temporarily. Luka takes the moment to bask in the night air, and even subconsciously follows suit when he hears the other breathe in deep. He's absorbed fully in appreciation for anything that isn't that dank cavern - but Gyre's next comment draws his undivided attention.

"Well..." He smiles, folding his arms behind his back. "I heard there's a hot spring in Craydon. And it's a real shame I haven't been there. But, you know, I'm sure the bath in my room is perfectly serviceable too."

Gyre notices when he catches the princess' attention like that, turning to watch him with his hands behind his back like that. He smirks to himself, taking a few steps out and around him so he can face him more directly. He feels entirely in control of this situation, opening his mouth to invite Luka to the spring with him, and then there's that second offer.

People don't just ask people to come to their rooms, princess!! He makes a short, choked noise, flustering at the mere suggestion. He knows these rooms aren't their real private spaces. Hell, he's been in a hotel room before. He knows they're impersonal and strange. But the pure fantasy of someone like this presenting his own personal space to him makes him feel like a dumb teenager again. He's incredibly warm all of a sudden, and he looks away for a moment, pulling the collar of his shirt up around his cheeks to hide a blush from any potential onlookers. Thank all the gods that Luka can't see it. He would die again.

This is to say there's a long, weird silence here while Gyre tries to figure out what to say. The spring would be better, of course, but there's something indulgent about the other option. His voice is uh very small when he speaks up again.

"There is a spring," he offers, clearly picking his words carefully, "But the water might not be so warm when it's so uh cool out?"

"Oh, is that right?" He asks with playful skepticism. It didn't line up with what he thought he knew about hot springs, but it was also very likely that Gyre would be more knowledgeable about such a thing.

"Ahh, such a shame. I guess our only choice is my room, then." Luka shrugs, clearly playing it up to tease Gyre. He does, deep down, still want to visit the spring - it was just the kind of lowkey relaxation he'd been longing for. But the alternative doesn't disappoint him.

"I do have to warn you, though..." Luka whispers as he leans in very slightly. "It's not very big at all."

"Well, uh, getting out would be unpleasant probably," he clarifies. The water temperature stays the same, but the cold air sounds horrific after soaking for awhile. He makes a note that Luka wants to visit it though.

He can't help leaning in towards him when he starts whispering, straightening up the instant he realizes that this teasing is just going to continue apparently! Be nice!

"That's... fine," he mutters, folding his arms around himself. He takes a breath, grits his teeth for a moment, and finally gets his feet back underneath himself. He can flirt! It definitely doesn't matter that Luka invited him to his room! It's not even that big of a deal for these people, right?!

"We can get real close." He offers his arm out as he speaks, moving to start down the mountain finally.

"That does sound unpleasant. Gods know there's been enough unpleasantness tonight." Luka's tone is still full of knowing mischief as he takes Gyre's arm and they begin to descend the mountain.

He's feeling very pleased with himself as Gyre agrees to come back to his room. Luka hadn't expected it at all. Initially he thought they'd merely part ways, then that they'd perhaps visit the hot spring... it had not crossed his mind that Gyre would instead choose the intimacy of his private room, of all things.

"Oh, yes. You know, I've been wanting that since I visited your camp." He says, smirking. "But things kept getting in the way."

He's still stunned about this himself, much as he's trying to play it off. He knows that if Luka had approached it in literally any other way, he probably would have said no. Something about it had felt like a real offer though, not out of obligation but because he actually wanted him there.

This is to say, he's gone very quiet all of a sudden. He's turning this interaction over and over in his mind, trying to poke holes in it, going back and questioning it over and over again. It's not until Luka speaks up again that he's pulled back into the moment.

He makes his low, amused sound, pulling the princess suddenly even closer on their next step. "That long? You're so patient to have waited for me," he purrs, as if they both weren't up to their eyeballs in Stuff Happening these past couple days.

"I'd hate to make you wait longer," he adds thoughtfully, reaching up with his free hand to run his knuckles gently along Luka's cheek. Maybe they can warm each other up on this mountain, and then he won't have to contend with this Room Issue. That'd certainly settle the seventy years of tradition currently rising up to contest him on how far he's willing to go to kiss this man.

"Patience has never been my strong suit." He leans in closer to both Gyre when he pulls him in and to his touch as it grazes his cheek. It felt nice to be touched by someone with no reservations about who he was, and the thought of it urges Luka to quicken his pace.

He's practically pulling Gyre along as he moves, focusing mainly on reaching the bottom of the mountain. Reaching it meant the likelihood of some inconvenience tearing him away from this pleasant distraction dramatically lessened. If he could get to his room, he could shut out the rest of the world for just a little while.

Sorry, Gyre - if you want to convince Luka to stay on the mountain, you'll need to be more direct.

After how busy they've been, he's hesitant to be more direct. Luka offered his room, and he's accepted it. He would hate to demand something different now and have to wait even longer. Especially when he feels the way the man leans in to his hand.

Especially when he starts getting dragged along down the path. He wonders if Luka has memorized the ground after going up and down it these handful of times. He's still keeping an eye on it either way, trying to keep them clear of hazards.

"I can tell!" he says brightly, a laugh in his voice as he tries to pick up the pace. He's wants to keep up with him, but he's a little worried he's going to start running on this downhill. He ends up a step behind Luka, keeping their momentum in check as they hit the deepest slopes.

"Which town are we going to? Do you know the way?"

Luka was only familiar enough with the mountain's terrain to know that the beaten path didn't have any outstanding hazards. He had his mobility device, but it only did so much when its user was walking as hurriedly and purposefully as Luka was in that moment.

"Craydon. That's where I've been living." He's surprised that Gyre didn't know that already. Of course, Gyre had no reason yet to know such a thing - but Luka often forgot that not everything revolved around himself.

Gyre's next questions gives Luka pause as he second guesses himself, and he slows his pace and turns to face Gyre.

"We're heading for it, right?"

Even if Gyre had seen where Luka was living before, he likely would have forgotten which city is was. He is basically the opposite of tree blind. That is, he can't identify buildings to save his life. The three cities look the same to him once he leaves their natural surroundings.

That said, he knows the path to each quite well, and Craydon is particularly easy to find since it's nestled up in the mountains the way it is.

He doesn't slow quite as abruptly as Luka does, dragging the princess along for a couple steps before he better matches his new pace.

"We are. I wanted to make sure," he says, and he grins to himself, watching Luka's face for a beat. "Did you want to run there? You seem so eager~"

He’s immediately relieved when Gyre confirms that yes, they were heading in the direction of Craydon. Luka feels his cheeks flush when he is, correctly, called out on his eagerness to reach the city. The line between enthusiasm and desperation was a thin one, and for a moment Luka wonders which side of that line he’s leaning on.

“Aren’t you...?” He asks as he returns to his previous pace. “I’m not sure how fast I could run, but... you know, the sooner we get off this mountain, the better.”

Luka is in no way dressed or equipped to be running down this mountain, but he’s prepared to do so if Gyre would let him.

"Oh, yes," he answers automatically, a throaty purr in his voice. He leans close for a moment, suddenly pulling his arm free from Luka's and wrapping it around his back. He nearly lifts the man off his feet, spinning suddenly with him as if they were dancing and not climbing down a mountain.

"You are amazing," he says, nearly singing as he sets the man down again. It has been a long time since he's felt happy in this way, and he's nearly radiating it as he lets go of the other's back. He grabs his wrist instead, letting his grip slide down until he's holding Luka's hand.

"Let's run." He pauses a beat here, for Luka to protest or catch his breath after that little display, but assuming there's no protest, he's going to take off, pulling him behind him by his hand. He's not running as fast as he could, of course, but it's a good clip even compared the pace they had set before.

Luka was not expecting to be literally swept off his feet by this man. He feels his heart skip as he's lifted, both from surprise and the pure affection in the motion. Luka could hear praise all day and he was accustomed to being told he's amazing - but coming from Gyre it felt completely new.

He's still recovering as Gyre sets him down. It takes a moment before he registers that Gyre is actually going to run, and for the first few strides he's being pulled along while in a smitten daze.

When his mind finally catches up with his body, Luka begins laughing. First a quiet, restrained giggle that soon erupts in to full, untamed laughter as they run along. It felt freeing and reckless, like breaking some unspoken rule.

"Gyre!" He calls out between laughter and the ragged breaths of one unaccustomed to running. "You're amazing!"

The Weather

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