Day 8: Morning

Morning: 6:00am - 12:00noon

[ IRL Timeframe: February 10th, 2020 - February ~~19th~~ 26th, 2020 ]

After the events of Day 7 and the chaos that it brought, the heroes have learned a number of things that most of them still aren't sure they're ready to know. What will they do with their knowledge? How will they share it with each other? How will--

At about 6AM, everyone receives a text from Garrot. Anyone who saw him the evening before may be surprised to see him forming complete sentences and, uh, threatening everyone? Is he okay? Anyone brave enough to want to text him back?

What a great start to the day, an early text. But that's... surprisingly the only shake-up? It's eerily calm.

The Protector had been knocked out to sea by the Wizard, spawning a number of serious worried conversations on social media. Is he okay? Was he dead? Is it time to panic? There were plenty of memes, too. Like the wizard in the foreground with sunglasses, a golf club, and a wide smile with the protector in the background and the words "time to go golfing" memed accross the image. At least some people were still in a joking mood.

The Wizard, too, had a collection of social media posts about her current circumstances. The overall opinion was that she was way scarier than before, was she a terminator? Wizardinator?

To make matters worse, Sxicq was missing. The hashtag #childlookout was trending with almost hourly updates of the island. Sxicq didn't make themselves difficult to find, which meant that spotting them even from distant photos or drone snaps was pretty straightforward. But there was no sign of their characteristic glow or disruptions anywhere. No bigfoot-esque sightings in the back of other photos. No panic that they were eating entire restaurants' stocks of food.

Nothing.

Talk about a calm before the storm, especially since Eight had alluded to several of the heroes that there was still going to be a fight today.

It turns out to be another opportunity for the heroes to collect themselves, gather information, and get themselves on stable ground. It's warmer today, and there are passing waves of light rain all over the island. Little drizzle showers that stick around just long enough to make you seek shelter, but not so long that you wonder when it'll let up. The sun dares to peek through every now and then, occasionally at the same time as the drizzling rain.

Eighth Morning Event: None.

The Weather
Light rain.
68°F / 20°C
A gentle breeze.

Prompts:

6:00am The Text, All Cities: "Mandatory medical exams today at 8AM at Far Haven General. The front desk will see you're escorted. You will be frisked, multiple times. Hospital staff says no weapons, no chaos. We can't piss them off.

That means nobody gets their animal companions, since some of you are idiots. They'll be left at the front door before going off on a guided tour. If you or yours don't cooperate, it will be assumed that you want to harm the Princess and you will die.

See you then!"

At about 6AM, everyone receives that text from Garrot. Anyone who saw him the evening before may be surprised to see him forming complete sentences and, uh, threatening everyone? Is he okay? Anyone brave enough to want to text him back?

8:08am Eight, All Cities: Anyone who decides they're going to text Eight to make a plan will find that he doesn't answer any of his texts until 8:08am. He replies to everyone all at once, at exactly 8:08 and 8 seconds. Whether your hero sent one text at 6am, or eight texts between 6 and 8am, all the answers come at exactly the same time. If anyone asks to go to the garden, they'll be deposited on the landing pad in the garden... at 8:08am. Predictable.

9:00am The Wizard, The Garden: The Wizard can be found in the vegetable section of the garden for any heroes who go looking for her. She's tending to the plants, picking weeds, watering the beds, and preparing new sprouts to grow in the empty spaces.

?:00am Anywhere, All Cities: Surely your character has to be getting up to something this morning, somewhere. This is a general catchall post for any threads among heroes that occurs. Whatever your character is getting up to, however they're preparing, or however they're coping. This is the place for it. Eight said there was going to be a fight this afternoon, after all, so there's something on the horizon at least!

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: February 2020

[ IRL Timeframe: February 1st - February 29th, 2020 ]

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Garrot scoffs as Gyre reveals knowing absolutely nothing about this critical piece of information. Of course the guy who the Protector tried to kill twice hasn't asked about ways to be utterly disarmed. Of course.

"Ask the monsters, then." It's a dismissive suggestion, one he clearly doesn't intend on doing himself. "I haven't felt anything, but I'll talk to the Wizard. She'll know more, and she wouldn't want to lie about this." Then his eyes dart to the others in the room, and that's not where he wants to leave this. So he has a momentary lapse into that non-violent confidence he so often exudes.

"In the meantime, don't even get near him." It sounds like he's giving, ew, medical advice. "He didn't even have to touch me to give me that boost."

Gyre recoils in surprise at how nasty Garrot just sounded, his nose wrinkling in distaste. It only gets worse as the man starts giving them commands, his skin prickling. His hands tighten into fists, and he exhales furiously through his nose.

"I will. I'll ask her too," he says firmly, flicking his eyes over Garrot's body almost as dismissively as he had just a moment ago. "I'll probably have more luck than you." He seen the way this dude yells at her, and he knows he wouldn't have the patience for it after a week.

That said, he sighs and folds his arms over his body. Much as he doesn't want anyone going near the Protector either, but he has to bring up something important here. "If you all start ignoring him, he'll be even more certain he's been betrayed. It might not be the best thing to do."

"I doubt he'll change his mind on wanting to kill me. He seemed pretty convinced." Garrot rolls his eyes with that statement, because the Protector is so difficult. And because, just to be petty, he kind of wants to get more information out of the Wizard than Gyre has.

"But I've got some... ideas for him." Selling out his fellow Knights with basic information could get him on the Protector's good side, but the doctor can't guarantee it'll get results. For all he knows, the Protector could convince people to get on his side! And that's no good.

"I'll try to talk to Sxicq, too." The words are even, confident. "They might be able to stop him from stealing anything." There are options. There's a plan. The most terrifying bit of information just got a bit more manageable, and it shows on Garrot's face.

Gyre looks decidedly grim as Garrot declares that the Protector won't forgive him. He wouldn't be surprised at all if they were all screwed, and he looks startled at the idea that there might be a solution.

"What are your ideas?" he asks quickly, leaning forward. He sounds excited? Any way to keep the rest of them away from the Protector's wrath sounds like an incredible idea. It's definitely the sort of thing that needs to get shared here while they're all present.

A bit of positive interest from Gyre is pretty meaningful, given their tendency to uh argue about almost everything. It catches Garrot off-guard, and he can't stop himself from doing some cross between a laugh and a scoff as he levels a gaze at Gyre and raises an eyebrow.

"You're gonna hate it, man." Is that... a moment of levity? All of a sudden, the Monkey Knight has a cunning little smirk. "He likes appearances and control, so he'll let his guard down if he thinks he's scared us into giving him both." He nods, then casts his gaze quickly across the rest of the room.

"Everyone trusts me. Maybe they even love me." He snorts at that, clearly showing he's not taking the latter remark seriously. "That means I know a lot about each of you. Secrets. So I, or Luka on my behalf, give him secrets." He sighs sharply, not giving anyone a chance to butt in. "Nothing deadly," he looks directly at Gyre, trying to speak in code about, uh, undead-ness, "just stuff like family and dreams and reasons why all of you want to keep the world spinning." The smirk gets wider, and he starts to lapse into that predatory malice he's been waist-deep in for the last day or so.

"Then you all fall in behind the Princess and his Protector-powered Knight and play your role. ...Whether it's a lie is up to you." That last bit was consciously added to try and appease Gyre who, as Garrot said, will probably hate this plan. "And if he's given up on anyone, they just... hide in the Garden."

And then he looks knowingly at Gyre. At least there's plant life there.

Gyre's eyebrows rise up when Garrot says he's going to hate the plan, and they stay risen for his entire speech. He looks uh unimpressed when he's done, rolling his eyes a little at that final statement.

"I'm not going to cower in the garden, no matter how lost that man thinks I am," he says as dryly as possible. He knows it's a place to retreat to if he has to, but there's still five days left. He needs to be here. He needs to be working to get them moving on the plan.

There's more important things to talk about here though, and he moves on almost immediately.

"Also no. You can't share anyone's secrets," he starts, pausing a beat after the refusal. He knows the Protector would probably eat up any hint of loyalty. The idea would be fine if it didn't come at anyone else's expense. He glances around the room, looking down at his lap. Sighing.

"Not without their permission anyway. If you have secrets to tell, ask us first before you start telling him too much."

Garrot shrugs, unbothered by Gyre's well, everything. He knew his pal would hate the idea, he said as much, so- wait what, there was a caveat to the refusal??? This clearly catches Garrot off-guard, so he just... stares for a second, trying to process. But then he's back, like he never missed a beat.

"They're hardly secrets. Like... I have kids. Some people's lives are harder if the planet's gone. Stuff he could learn in five seconds if he tried to know us." He's very casual about all this, but the fact that Gyre is giving some wiggle room is more than he had expected.

"Do you wanna know what I have in mind for you?" Yeah, he's got leverage on basically everyone. He wouldn't push this plan if he couldn't use it to "unite" the group.

Gyre's expression flattens out as Garrot immediately clarifies that he doesn't mean real secrets. He doesn't understand the plan if they're not real secrets, but he knows maybe he's missing something. Garrot is so confident this will work, he's letting himself get pulled along for now.

"The less he knows about us, the better. It might be easy to learn, but if he doesn't know it, ask before you reveal it. What's nothing to you, might be something to the person who's life it is." He sighs roughly, now that he's put his two cents out there, waving a hand at Garrot.

"Fine. An example of what you're going to tell him."

Garrot continues Not Really Reacting to Gyre's complaints about the issue. He does, however, visibly brighten when the elf is on board. Like... his eyes go wider and his ears perk up and he... starts to walk over.

"So I'll tell him that I have four kids, and the Wizard's hurt each of us. And we hate her." Garrot is absolutely casual about that, as someone influenced by years of anti-Wizard rhetoric. "And for you, Gyre..."

He's closed the distance, and given the nature of supposed secrets, he just... leans over and whispers into the elf's ear. He won't just throw Gyre's business out in the open when he wants this done respectfully.

"You're a recluse." The words are hushed, a total departure from his usual volume. This... compared to his estranged family and the part where he's dead, it's... really minor. "Being here reminds you how much you miss people." There's the faintest playful tone to his words as he continues, his attempt to push the idea that it's all just an act.

And then he leans back, a sheepishly cheeky look on his face. "Will that work?" It may be very clear he's pulling his punches with these secrets.

Edited 2020-02-18 22:39 (UTC)

Gyre recoils from his whisper almost immediately, squinting at him. He cannot believe this dude just said something so far off base. He really did think Garrot knew him better than that, though he supposes he should congratulate himself on keeping his business private the way he wanted to.

"I'm not a recluse," he says almost automatically, not bothering to hide what Garrot said in a mutual whisper. "But if that's what you want to tell him, you can."

He pauses a moment here, glancing around the room before frowning up at him. "Do you really want to offer him your kids?"

"You're totally a recluse." Garrot deftly ignores the question about his children. Offering them up sounds wrong, and it doesn't make his plan any less nerve-wracking. So he'll dig into something else!

"You live in the woods. Alone." He huffs a bit. "Isn't it normal for you?" But honestly, Gyre's go-ahead was enough encouragement. This could work. So he pivots back to his own secret, his emotions visibly straining against his face.

"I don't.... I don't really see what else I could tell him." He sighs, clearly lapsing back into a moment of burnt out exhaustion. Then a moment later, he's buried it again! "Unless... I talk about how I've been spending years developing treatments for the people fighting monsters?"

He sounds unsure. It's not really a secret or emotional leverage as a stated thing he has done that is pro-Protector. And that might not be enough.

Gyre, similarly, decides to drop all conversation about himself, answering Garrot's question with a slight eyeroll. He's alone frequently, but he knows how to stop being alone if he wants which is the opposite of a recluse, according to Gyre. Still, if that's the thing Garrot thinks will get the Protector on his side, then he won't protest. He'd rather the Protector know as little about him as possible really.

"You could tell him about your own anger without mentioning your kids," he offers after a beat, folding his arms in thought. "That plus that... that about developing treatments might be enough to sway him towards you, at least." That's the most important thing to Gyre. The person who talks to the Protector has to be able to get them on their side even if they can't sway him for anyone else.

"I... yeah." Honestly, the idea of the Protector deciding to threaten his kids seems like a great way to get two Murtakhor Monkey Knight deaths. So Gyre's suggestion gets a visible lightbulb moment as Garrot takes it and runs.

"I've spent most of my life wanting to stop her. I've devoted my career to keeping her game from causing more damage to our Knights. My father had to die because of her!" The words come naturally, but there's still an unsteady edge. Gyre wouldn't know it yet, but Garrot is grappling with the part of him that knows the Protector is to blame for his father's death and everything that's led him to this point. So he takes a breath.

"How was that?" Suddenly, Garrot looks just a little meek and sheepish. Maybe that's convincing enough?

Gyre squints up at him at the speech, feeling incredibly uncertain about it. He cares pretty deeply about the Wizard at this point, so hearing this man talk about wanting to stop her agitates the shit out of him. He actually opens his mouth to start arguing with him right as he asks how it was. It takes him a moment to realize it was a performance, and he takes a breath, trying to settle himself.

"It's... I hope it works," he finally says, shaking his head very slightly. Despite knowing it was a lie, he just can't fully settle. He shakes his head again, peering suddenly up at Garrot.

"Do you really believe that?" he offers out, a probe just to see where he stands. He's seen the way Garrot has screamed at the Wizard before, and he can't fully shake the idea that he still thinks she's a murderer.

Garrot can't avoid the head shaking, the squinting, and then... the question. So he sighs, and then shrugs.

"Maybe." The word is slow to come out, unlike most anything he says. "I... don't know what I believe right now." The words are about as honest as Garrot can manage while repressing his emotions about his father's murder.

But that's all he says, letting himself turn inward on his own horrible tempest of twisted and gnarled emotions. He's had to come to terms with a lot in just a single day, and he's still trying to process it without using drugs to cope.

"Mm," he murmurs softly. He uh can't relate, but he can tell Garrot's struggling still. He reaches up and pats him on the cheek, tilting his head slightly.

"I hope you can decide soon," he finally says. He's not sure what else he can say. He has been fairly certain of things for so long that he can't imagine still even thinking about siding with the Protector. Nothing is the way they thought it was, and the sooner they're all able to accept that, the better.

"Just be safe in the meantime."

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Day 8: Morning

Morning: 6:00am - 12:00noon

The Weather

Prompts:

Procedure:

Activity Check: February 2020

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