Day 8: Evening

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 ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Gyre falls into a pensive silence, glancing down at the table and then finally taking a seat across from Luka. He looks into his own bowl, considering what that means. He had learned a lot from the first trip back, though there were still questions left over from then even now. He wonders if he'll see that little child he had met the first time, if he could try to warn them about the crystal they were going to get trapped in.

He sighs faintly, taking a moment to sip from his bowl. Much as the bubbles are interesting, he's still traumatized from busting one on his fangs yesterday.

"Is there anything we should look out for? While we're there?" he asks hesitantly. If this had already happened, then he supposes there wasn't a lot of point in asking this. But maybe they could change things, if only subtly? He's really not sure. He'd rather know as much as he can before it starts, rather then fumbling through it like last time.

Luka's carefully consuming a bubble, making an effort not to explode it all over himself and the table as he thinks back to the previous experience of being thrown into the past. It was... terrifying and overwhelming, he recalls. But he knows so much more now than he did then, and he's at least been told its going to happen ahead of time.

"Can you remember all the way back to the beginning? Weren't you just a baby, then?" He asks after swallowing.

"Watch protector. See his lies." They answer, one of their eyes flicking over Gyre as they consider his question here. That was enough of an answer, because Luka is asking a very revealing question and they need to answer it before they gift this room a new black blob.

"Not baby, before me. The beginning." They reiterate, the last word gurgling into a truly awful sound as they vomit out another black tar blob onto the floor. Like the previous one, it sits there and prickles in place. It looks... awful. What a monstrous little thing.

Gyre nods, watching Seven as they eye him. He's clearly taking this directive very seriously, promising to keep an eye on that dude with his expression even if he doesn't speak up.

"When you were still with Sxicq-- gh?!" he begins his question, his voice cutting short when they vomit up another horrible little blob. He stands up suddenly, nearly knocking his chair over as if he expects this particular blob to attack him.

"You... are you alright?" he asks quickly, moving to the cupboards to grab a clear bowl and uh tip it over on top of the blob. It's not a bottle like Five had, but hopefully it'll keep it contained until he can tell someone.

"He was already lying back then, huh?" Luka asks, his tone unimpressed as he lifts another spoonful of stew carefully from his bowl. He pauses, of course, when Seven begins to expel another round of horrible sounding vomit - thankfully onto the floor and not the table, at the very least.

"It's... good, to get that all out right?" Luka's expression fades into a concerned frown at the noise. Hopefully that was the last, or close to the last, bit of Protector toxins the monster had in them? "Like a really bad hangover, or something."

Fortunately the little black blob doesn't make any moves to attack. It sits beneath the glass bowl, prickling gently, not even acknowledging that it's been trapped. Seven seems to pay it no mind, but nods in response to Gyre's inquiry if they're alright.

"Needs to be out. All of it." They answer both heroes' concerns. But then there's the other question--

"Always lying. Always." They answer, not yet returning to eating any of their soup.

Seven's not paying attention to it, but Gyre can't help but watch it, his brow furrowing. It's so disconcerting. He reaches forward with his foot and taps the bowl with the toe of his boot.

"What is it? Do you know?" he murmurs, glancing towards Seven. His eyes widen slightly after a beat as he realizes, "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want."

Luka, too, is curious how much Seven knows about what exactly the Protector was doing to them over all these years. He doubts they know much, considering how little the Protector shared in general - but it's possible they learned something just by the horrible of experience of it all.

"Yeah..." He agrees, soured on tasting any more of his soup in the moment. He places the spoon in the bowl carefully and sets it aside for now. "The more we find out the more it seems like he's a lost cause. I used to think he was actually good, can you believe that?"

Gyre's little toe push moves the bowl up against the side of the black blob and immediately it latches onto the underside of the bowl. In a matter of moments it's covering the entire internal surface of the bowl, still seemingly prickling and shifting underneath. The bowl doesn't seem to move, but there's definitely movement if the gentle rattling is any indication.

"Not talking. Ask Eleven." They answer Gyre first, two eyes turning to Luka to watch him.

"Maybe good before, never here." The add, tossing another log into the fire of evidence.

Gyre wrinkles his nose unpleasantly as the blob covers the surface, wondering if that's going to ruin the bowl or something. Hopefully it's okay in there for now, but he does take a step back just to keep himself from messing with it any more.

"Alright, I will," he says, giving them a slight, apologetic smile. He's absolutely not going to force them to talk about this, and he retreats to the table again, picking his bowl up and taking another sip or two of it.

He has thoughts and feelings about the Protector here, but he's not going to argue for the man's redemption in front of Seven. If that man is to be redeemed at all, he needs to make sure it's as far away from them as possible.

"Eleven knows? Not Nine?" Luka inquires, moving one hand to idly drum its fingers along the side of the table. "I thought Nine was the one studying that stuff. Studying you."

It didn't matter to him which monster it actually was - they both seemed equally elusive - but the distinction caught him off guard.

"Before as in... before he even made it to the planet?" He asks with a sigh. Luka had always imagined the Protector's fall to be a slow descent, where his priorities shifted gradually over time. But Seven was making it sound not so much like a slow descent as much as a instant plummet. "In any case he doesn't seem to have any regard for bodily autonomy. Monster or human."

Edited 2020-05-10 00:17 (UTC)

Go on, Gyre, flip the bowl back over. The little black blob wants to come out. Fortunately no one is paying attention to it so it can't do anything where it's at.

It's Luka that brings the conversation back, and Seven's nearly about to drink their soup again when they have to consider the answer.

"Nine won't tell." They answer first, starting to drink down their soup before they answer the other musings he was sharing aloud.

"Before, yes, always bad here." They confirm a moment before they tilt their bowl back and empty it. Their soup is gone.

In the distance, through the open door, the faint sound of someone descending the stairs can be heard. Who's that?

Gyre watches them drain their soup, and gets a little more into trying to finish his own. If Seven is ready to go back to their room or wherever else on the ship, then he wants to be ready to move.

"She won't...? What do you mean?" he asks in between sipping at the broth. Regardless of what the answer is, his attention snaps to the door of the kitchen as he hears those footsteps approaching. Is Ten coming down now?

"Why wouldn't she?" Luka huffs. "Does she not trust us?"

Well, it isn't unimaginable that a monster wouldn't trust him, the Princess, who had previously been an undeniable threat to them. Until recently, he had even had the Protector's magic still inside him, even. But Luka thinks now that he's plenty trustable - he clearly wasn't on the Protector's side anymore.

He picks up on the sound of footsteps distantly fairly quickly, and perks up curiously wondering who the approaching stranger might be. Hopefully it wasn't Nine, and hopefully she hadn't heard that.

The figure approaching the door turns out to arrive quick enough that Seven just turns towards them and waits.

"Nine is one of few words." The gravelly voice that both Gyre and Luka have heard before explains. Eleven arrives, standing in the door and leaning one shoulder against it as they look over Gyre and Luka.

"She has also not eaten today." They add, glancing down at Seven with a small smile. Are they expecting Seven to bring the food? Are they leaving it open for Gyre or Luka to offer to bring the food? What was even happening here.

Gyre straightens up when Eleven appears in the doorway, shifting his feet as if he's going to jump up and follow them if they try to leave again. He doesn't actually leave his seat but there's a definite energy around him that says he's not going to let them escape.

He pauses there though. He has important questions for them, but now they've gone and brought up Nine. She had fainted? earlier, so if she still hasn't eaten then...

"We should bring her something," he says automatically, following Eleven's gaze over to Seven. Are they expecting something specific here?

"Oh, Eleven?" Luka's excited that it turned out to be them! He turns in the direction of their voice, eyes catching on the familiar glowing pendant again.

"I think there's some stew left." Luka adds onto Gyre's suggestion. "Unless she'd like something else?"

He rises to his feet and adjusts his clothing, making himself presentable in the presence of Eleven.

"Are you going to stick around? Seven said you had some answers for us."

Eleven acknowledges Gyre's interest in them but doesn't say anything or really react in a way that would give that away. Then he offers to bring her something and Eleven's shaking their head.

"Seven can bring her the remaining stew." Eleven explains, glancing for a moment down at Seven so they can chime in--

"Four hours. When it's cold." They explain, already rising so they can get something out of the cabinet to store stew in. They already know what Nine's going to eat the stew out of, they just need to find it here.

"I can stay while they find her." Eleven answers, staying leaned against the door for Gyre and Luka to ask questions. Alternatively...

"Or we can move somewhere more comfortable."

This exchange is baffling actually. His eyes flick from Eleven to Seven and back again, and he just has no idea where to begin.

"Isn't that a long time? Especially if she hasn't eaten all day," he says hesitantly, clearly unsure about how to even have this conversation. Should he even have this conversation? This is their family, right? They probably know how to care for each other better then he would.

He shakes his head a little, turning his attention to Eleven again. "I do have questions, a question for you. Wherever you want to talk."

"She... likes it cold?" Luka grimaces at the concept, imagining the sensory experience of stew served cold. Definitely not his style.

"Do you have a fridge here? Or maybe it can be, uh, magic'd cold faster?" He suggests with a flourish of one hand to indicate magic use. Maybe it wouldn't be the same as it naturally cooling, but it's certainly faster than waiting four hours.

"I'd rather move somewhere more comfortable." Luka butts in. The choice seemed like an obvious one to him, and he wasn't going to wait while these two deferred to each other.

Seven finally finds the container they're searching for, sliding the metallic vessel out of the cabinet. They accidentally bonk it against the cabinet on the way out, squinting at the clang it makes. But after a moment they move back over to the orbven and gently clank the edge of the metallic thermos-like vessel against the side of it.

"She can't be forced to eat." Eleven starts to answer Gyre, shifting to Luka's additional questions--

"She perceives food differently than others. If Seven is certain she will not eat for four hours, nothing will change that." They explain, glancing over towards Seven as the sound of pouring stew fills the room. There's steam rising out of the metallic vessel they're holding now as it fills.

"To the lobby, or to the garden? May I lead you, Princess?" Eleven inquires twice over, taking a step into the room to offer their arm for Luka to take. Where are they heading out to?

Gyre quirks an eyebrow at Eleven when they declare that she can't be forced to eat. Of course not. He never said she needed to be forced, just that he was worried for her. Either way, he needs to be where they are and so the second Luka makes a decisive choice, he nearly jumps to his feet. He circles around the table, pausing as Seven starts clonking their little thermos around.

"Seven," he says, watching them for a moment. "If you need help with anything, let me know. I want to help you." And then he turns to Eleven, going to their side and waiting for Luka to take their arm, or reject it.

"I prefer outside, if that's the choice."

"Outside is fine." Luka smiles as he steps up from the chair and takes Eleven's offered arm. "Neither the lobby or the garden sound quite as comfortable as I had in mind though. But the garden is nice."

Luka had imagined something like a plush sofa or one of the Protector's dream recliners that one could sink into. As far as he knew, the garden was sorely lacking in those.

"What do you mean she perceives food differently?" He asks as he slips his arm into position.

Well if Luka had asked for a comfy ~~fainting~~ couch, maybe Eleven would've had a surprising location they could've gone to. But instead they start leading Luka out of the room. They cast a glance over their shoulder at Seven to make sure they're good. They are, thankfully.

Seven gives a nod at Gyre as the heroes head out, moving back to filling the thermos vessel so they can take it to Nine. They're on a quest, now.

Eleven, meanwhile, is careful during every step out of the house. Warning Luka of the steps, guiding his hand to the guide wire on the path outside in case he wants to lead himself.

"She does not taste." He answers simply first, before clarifying further.

"To her, it is a mathematical equation. A replenishment of percentages. She will even refuse dishes that are not worth the time needed to consume them."

Gyre steps past them as they get outside, retreating out into the open air of the paths. He's been inside for way too damn long, and he takes a few big, grateful breaths, stretching his hands up over his head almost contentedly.

"Were you able to do what you wanted to do today? In the mountain?" he asks suddenly, unable to hold back now that they're here. Sure, he's curious about Nine. His experience with her was extremely strange earlier! But he also knows that they might just disappear at some point, and then he'll be back to having to find them again. He can't let that happen, and as this train of thought zooms through his head, he realizes he has a potential solution for losing them.

He tugs his phone out of the inside of his jacket, staring down at it with this disconcerted expression. Is technology really going to save him here?

"Do you have a phone?"

The Weather

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