Day 8: Evening

[wizardseason]

Evening: 5:00pm - Midnight

[ IRL Timeframe: April 1st - April 15th, 2020 ]

The light rain has changed into a downpour, coating the island, its forests, and its people in a constant barrage of water. After the events of the afternoon, it's like it's all being washed away.

Except it isn't, because the events of the day all happened. They're all real. And social media is abuzz about the loss of Harsen Island's mountain. Now, it's all just flat. There are forests, but Craydon is no longer a mountain-side town. Instead, they have a cog train that rolls horizontally across the flat ground from the main train station and over into their very flat town in the woods. Bamborough's hillside hotels with dozens of floors higher up for an ocean view are now down with the rest of the buildings, and only the highest floors can see out over the touristy area to the water. Far Haven, in contrast, has barely changed. You can't flatten something that's already flat. The only textures left on the island are the silver humps of two ships, one near Far Haven and the other near Bamborough. There's also a hump at the center, the cave entrance, leading down into the cave where the bodies were. For anyone who goes to look, there's a new body there now.

- [1] -

The participants in the fight against "Eight" put up a valiant fight, eventually defeating it in a show of heroic justice somewhere along the tracks. In all the rain, its yellowed body is disappearing away into the ground as it washes away.

- [2] -

#childlost

Sxicq is... somewhere. The internet lost them again. Wherever they're at, it's not out on the surface of the island.

- [3] -

The monsters, meanwhile, have returned back to their home in the garden. At least, the ones who seem to live there.

Five and Six are in their rooms on the main floor with the doors open. Five is laying on her bed, tacking away on her flip phone. Six is in his room, sitting on the edge of the bed, also on his phone. If there's anyone in Four's room, it's unknown due to the closed door. Also on the main floor is the Wizard. She's casually sitting in one of the more plain of the thirteen chairs, reading an unnamed book. There's a steaming mug of cocoa on the coffee table in front of her.

On the second floor, Ten's room is the only one open. The doors for Seven, Nine, and Twelve are all shut. If anyone heads in to look for Ten, they'll find him writing in a small notebook with the title "Chef Notes" on the front.

On the top floor, Eight's door is shut but has a small "Text me" sign dangling off of the handle.

- [4] -

If anyone goes looking for the newly surfaced space ships, all they'll find is the smooth metallic surfaces of them rounding out of the terrain. If there's a way in, it's not obvious to others

The Weather

• Heavy rain.
• 59°F / 15°C
• A constant wind.

---

Prompts:

• 5:00pm Onward: Monster House, The Garden: For any heroes who are up for meeting any of the monsters, this is their opportunity. Some closed doors will have no one behind them, but the open doors are a guaranteed someone to talk to. Will they talk to the monsters, each other, or the Wizard downstairs in the sitting area?


• 5:00pm Train Station, All cities: All trains have been suspended, citing the "unknown conditions of the island's tracks" after the events of the day. No one is allowed to ride the rails, no one is allowed to go anywhere. Is your hero trapped at a train station waiting for an uber? Does another hero come to their rescue? What's the deal?


• ?:00pm General Post, Anywhere: Does your character go to investigate things around the island? Do they meet with other heroes somewhere over coffee? How are they handling being cut off from the world? Their family? Their loved ones? How do they feel seemingly being made the enemy of all people of the world?

---

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.

OOC Mortality Warning: Any hero who actively seeks out the Protector IC will be at a high risk of death in some manner. He is on the move, tread carefully!

---

Activity Check: April 2020

[ IRL Timeframe: April 1st - April 30th, 2020 ]

Comments

[wizardseason]

"Time has changed many things." She answers, agreeing with his observation first before she moves on to the second comment.

"I think he would take that as a compliment." She adds a moment before he finishes his cocoa. There's a soft bubbling sound as the mug re-fills with the choclety liquid and she finally decides to help him with his chair dilemma.

"There are other seats that are larger than that one if you prefer." There's a pause here before she moves on to his last comment.

"I agree, there are a great number of culinary items that have been worth trying. Ten wants to make many himself, too."

[eutychia]

"Well, he shouldn't. It's frustrating - not to mention boring." Luka sneers. The sound of the mug magically re-filling is a welcome one, and he's is eager to pick it back up again.

As he lifts the mug, Luka suddenly stops in his tracks as she explains the truth about chair situation.

"Oh, now why didn't you tell me that sooner?" He says, playing it off as he stands from the seat. "Or did you just like watching me struggle?"

He uses one hand to find another chair - one that feels appropriately sized. Once he's hopped chairs enough to find one suitable, he settles back in with a comfortable sigh.

"Anyway, Ten's good at cooking. The stuff he makes is pretty unusual, but I can't say it wasn't good."

[wizardseason]

"I didn't want to interrupt." She answers him, shedding light on the hopefully-true reality of why she didn't tell him sooner. She also lets Luka have his jab at the Protector. If she agrees, she doesn't reveal that.

"He's trying to learn something new every time he cooks, I think he likes cooking for everyone else the most." She adds, hoping that Ten will get the chance to cook a big meal like he absolutely wants to.

[eutychia]

"That's fair." He says, taking a long sip. "Is everything in here like that? All differently sized?"

He didn't particularly get that vibe in the kitchen the previous day, but he didn't spend much time feeling out the room or anything. If the house was laid out like that, though, it would be good to know to prevent further confusion.

"I know lot of great dishes he could make. I bet he could put a unique spin on them, what with all the exotic ingredients growing here." Luka adds excitedly. "Before the Protector went and fucked everything up, we were planning a big meal for Sxicq, actually. Do you think Ten would want to cook for them?"

[wizardseason]

"Their rooms vary, but most areas are neutrally sized." She answers, confirming his kitchen suspicions. The size of that room was pretty much the shining example of 'neutral' sized areas within the house.

"You should tell him about your requests so he has time to practice." She answers, pausing with a thoughtful 'hm' at his other commentary.

"I think he would, but someone would have to give him the idea."

[eutychia]

"Of course, I wouldn't want to just spring a job on Ten out of nowhere." Luka laughs, sipping his cocoa again. "I'd also have to get Sxicq to agree to it. They didn't want a big affair, but I got the impression they and Ten got along well enough?"

Luka's not entirely sure about that last assertion, his tone at the end rising to imply his lack of confidence and as if looking for confirmation from the Wizard.

"You're invited too, but..." He pauses, focusing on his mug for a moment. "I don't think Sxicq would be too into it."

[wizardseason]

The Wizard takes a sip of her own cocoa while she listens, considering what he'd said for several moments before she responds. She picks up on his lack of confidence in his answer and decides that he's actually fishing for a confirmation.

"I think those two will be best friends before long, they have a lot in common. I don't think Sxicq and I will be anything more than acquaintances though." She shakes her head, pausing thoughtfully before adding--

"Our history isn't the best."

[eutychia]

"Mm, yeah..." Luka sighs in commiseration. "Even if the Protector was actually the one who locked them up, the way they see it, you were both intruders who showed up one day and did that to them together."

Luka understands easily why Sxicq had good reason to be wary of the Wizard at best. After all, she was the cohort of the guy who kept them imprisoned for forty years.

"But if they're friends with Ten, I'm sure he can put in a good word for you." Luka follows up, smiling. "Sxicq is really... interesting. I think you could get along, too, eventually."

[wizardseason]

"Maybe someday." She answers, nodding as she finishes off her cocoa.

"But that can come after everything else we all have to do. It would be irresponsible to set aside what has to be done." She casually sets the idea of apologizing to Sxicq down on the ground labelled with 'a problem for future me' on top of it. Done. Not something she needs to worry about right now.

"They have support from others for now."

[eutychia]

"Right, right, of course." Luka nods along in agreement. He hadn't intended to imply that mending the Wizard's relationship with Sxicq was a priority over the current problem of their planet's imminent destruction, or the other problem of the Protector apparently hunting them all down.

"They have our support, yeah!" Luka can't speak for everyone, but does anyway, because he's Luka. "And I consider you one of us. When all the dust settles you and Sxicq can enjoy Ten's cooking together, I bet."

[wizardseason]

There's a soft liquid sloshing sound as her mug refills with cocoa and marshmallows. She gives it a slow swirl in her hand as she listens to him offer that reassurance. She has one of her own for him.

"We'll see what the future has in store for all of us, there are a lot of hopes for things to be different. All of you should shape the future of this world."

[eutychia]

"I think we're already in the process of doing that. For better or for worse." He says, though he wants to believe its for the better. After the events of today, however, his confidence has wavered a bit.

"There was something else I wanted to ask about..." He starts, setting his mug down on the table again. "Yesterday, Twelve, uh, pulled a sword out of my head? The Protector was using it to spy on us, or something... did you know about that?"

[wizardseason]

"I trust this world to all of you." She answers his first comment, watching him for now before he moves on to his other question.

"That was part of Eleven's plan, to remove the part of every Princess that was used as a vessel for the Protector." She explains, wondering which parts of that he would have questions about. But there's something more she can add:

"Four carried out the removal of his form from you, first. The sword could not be removed before that."

[eutychia]

Luka takes a moment of Loading Time to understand what the Wizard is explaining, and even then, he isn't sure he's completely figured it out. If the Wizard is still wondering which parts Luka's questioning - her answer is pretty much all of it!

"Wait... every Princess? How would that work?" He asks, his brow furrowing in confusion. "What about the Princesses who've died?"

The addition clarified things, if only slightly. Four had quite literally removed the Protector from Luka's head - that much was obvious.

"Had it always been a sword? Or did it manifest as one when he made me the weapon?"

[wizardseason]

If this were a video game, Luka would've had a buffering symbol right over his face and a look of awe while he was explaining. The Wizard probably would've magicked it into existence there for added effect, honestly. But she gives him his time to process and then gets him the answers:

"It's been a part of the eleventh day since the start, done to prepare for the end." She answers, pausing before she gets to the more morbid part of it.

"Dead or alive, it happened every year." She adds, shifting afterwards to the weapon question.

"The sword was for you specifically, it has been different for previous princesses. Yours was a personal weapon that fit your needs." She answers, watching him. If only she'd heard that he considered a flamethrower...

[eutychia]

"Ah..." Luka says quietly, reflecting on the grim revelation. "I think... maybe, that was something he'd mentioned to us early on. In so many words."

He considers asking about his past ability to tap into Sxicq's power, and if maybe that had been related to the sword, but figures Sxicq would be the only one to know much of anything about that.

Instead he decides to change the topic.

"How's Seven doing?"

[wizardseason]

There were a lot of topics Luka could bring up with Sxicq and hopefully he would. The Wizard was curious about the answers he'd get, but not curious enough to get punched through the island. So she makes a soft 'Mm' of acknowledgement before moving on to his other question.

"They're recovering. If you want to go see them, it looks like you have an escort here." She offers.

True to her word, there's a soft thud of a boot impacting the wooden floor followed by a figure standing in the door. If Luka looks their way, he might be able to get a few details. They're wearing a suit, or is it religious clothing? It's a lot of black with white accents, but there's something glowing white dangling around their neck. Their skin isn't the normal bright yellow of the other monsters, instead a slightly tanned human complexion. They've got hair, too, black that's short and well-kept. Their level their yellow eyes on Luka, looking him over before confirming the offer the Wizard had made in a deep, gravelly voice.

"Let's get upstairs with the others." They're offering a hand out for Luka to join them so they can both go join the others. Hanging in the air is the unmistakable scents of bergamot, cedar, melon, and thyme.