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

"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?"

Luka's thinking about Nine and her relationship with food as the three of them exit the house. Well, if she couldn't taste it made perfect sense to view food as simply a nutritional necessity. He can't imagine not being able to taste food - but plenty of people can't imagine not being able to see, and he manages just fine without that. So Nine must be much the same, he thinks.

Gyre's question brings him back to the present moment quickly. He's curious to know the answer too, as well as many more answers that Eleven might have. But after he pauses for Eleven to address Gyre's questions, Luka's is perhaps one much less pressing.

"What is that thing you wear on your chest?" He asks, vaguely pointing to the glowing object.

Eleven stays walking with Luka, even as Gyre rushes out into the open air. If they were privy to his thoughts about Nine, they'd be able to offer some insights about his perspective here and just how right it was.

But there are three questions, all equally pressing, in need of answering. So they go in order, casually answering even as they guide the princess and knight along the pathways in the direction of the waterfront benches.

"My efforts at the mountain were successful thanks to the assistance of Eight and Sxicq." They answer simply, leaving it open in case Gyre has more specific questions.

"I have several phones." They follow, unable to hide a little smile as they answer. They're clearly joking a bit with this answer, and it's audible in their tone too.

"And this... serves many purposes. At its simplest, it maintains my current form." They explain a bit, leaving it at that for now. There's plenty of time to talk about more but they don't want to bore these two by going on about it.

Gyre falls into line with them as they move towards the lake, recognizing the path almost immediately. He uh doesn't understand what the joke is when they mention their multiple phones, so he just offers his out to them.

"Give me your, uh, your phone number. Whichever one you use the most," he says firmly, not particularly interested in having a conversation about this! He just wants to be able to talk to them if he needs to!

"Why didn't you do that to the mountain before this year? Did you need Sxicq?"

As Eleven goes through their questions, answering each one, Luka's gaze stays firmly on their mysterious glowing trinket. The answers to Gyre's questions don't particularly surprise Luka - if they'd had issues on the mountain, he suspects they would have heard of them by now.

"Your current form?" Luka asks when Eleven addresses his question. His thoughts wander back to the previous night, when Gyre had explained, in so many words, the purpose of his own magic pendant. "Is this not your natural state?"

Edited 2020-05-14 03:34 (UTC)

When Gyre completely doesn't engage with their phone joke, they decide to let it rest. Apparently they're not very good at humor after all. They hold out a hand, poking against his phone with a finger. It makes a soft chime sound and he now has a new contact on his phone just waiting to be contacted.

"If we had done it earlier, we would have been found out. The curtain couldn't be pulled back until we were ready to act." They explain, turning then to Luka and his further questions.

"It isn't. But I hope it will be, when the dust finally settles." They answer, a note of longing in their voice.

Gyre looks at his phone and his new contact for a moment, a question flickering across his face. Don't you normally have to tap a bunch to put your phone number in? He has no idea. He's never done it, and he doesn't care about it enough to ask. Having the contact is enough for him.

So he turns his attention to Eleven again, his eyes going to the shining necklace that Luka is talking about. A disguise? They sounded like they wanted it to be their true form though. Strange.

"Wouldn't it have been better to be found out? If the world knew about you, then maybe things could have been different?" he asks, fully assuming that he doesn't have all the information here. He's really just looking for the full picture, not intending to accuse them of anything.

Luka spends a moment taking in the new information. He hasn't the slightest inkling what Eleven's current form even is, besides the vague shape of their silhouette and their approximate height. He wonders what their true form is like, and waffles on whether or not asking about it would be a faux pas.

"I hope it will be, too." He says. If Eleven wanted to appear in whatever way they did now, Luka hopes they can achieve that. "Why do you need to use magic to change your form, though?"

He's interested in the answer to Gyre's question as well - the phrasing Eleven had answered with seemed oddly particular and raised more than a few questions.

Gyre's assumption is correct that normal phone numbers are entered by tapping a bunch of times. But since no one is going to call it out, Gyre's going to be woefully ignorant. It'll just get dropped.

Especially since now the conversation was shifting away from it.

"We saw the results of trying that." They start to explain, pausing as they consider the weight of what they're saying.

"This has a chance to keep the most people alive by the end." They continue, turning to Luka as he follows up with another question.

"It is effortless to maintain my form like this. So long as I have the crystal, I remain disguised."

Gyre pauses there, listening curiously as Luka asks his question. He can't help looking over and eyeing Eleven's form for a moment, wondering what's underneath the disguise as well. More importantly, his thoughts swirl around the strange way they phrased that. They talk about events as if they have some ability to see every possibility. That combined with Seven's certainty make him wonder if they have some perfect vision of what's to come.

"You saw? What do you mean?" he murmurs, his brow furrowing as he hopes for some decent explanation for once.

That wasn't exactly what Luka was getting at, though it was a perfectly serviceable answer to his question. He's feeling too nosy and curious to let it pass though, so he tries to rephrase it in a way that's more specific.

"Is there... something wrong with your undisguised form, though?" He asks carefully, clearly choosing words as he speaks. It still comes out sounding kinda bad though, and he cringes accordingly.

The Weather

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