Day 9: Morning

[wizardseason]

Morning: 6:00am - 12:00noon

[ IRL Timeframe: June 14th - Onward, 2020 ]

When your characters check their phones, clocks, calendars, or any other timekeeping implement they'll find that the year is 00 AW, forty years before the present day. The year before the Wizard's first game was held, the year before it came down to only two knights and the Princess facing off against the Wizard. It was before all of it.

Everywhere your characters go, there are no people. Their devices will not connect to the internet outside of the island, their companions will not appear, the Wizard and Monsters will not answer, but they can text each other without difficulty.

Outside, the heroes will not be greeted with the sight of the sky from Day 3. The sky lacks the massive vortex over the center of the mountain. Honestly, it all looks fairly serene. The only thing that seems amiss is the rumbling of the ground, the constant feeling of an ongoing earthquake. There are no fractures in the ground yet, though, no splintering of the planet.

Because nothing has happened yet.

Ninth Morning Event: The Past, Pt.II

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The Weather

• Stillness.
• 48°F
• No wind.

---

Prompts:

• 6:00am The Arrival, All Cities: Gyre, Olivia, and Luka arrive flat on the ground. They wake on their backs, facing up to the stars, just outside of something that has never been on the island ever before.
  
  They're at the top of the mountain, right beside where the mysterious doors were in the current day. But right now there's a wide-open metallic stairwell. It looks unnatural, like someone copy-pasted it into place. From beneath, there's a blue glow and steam rising up from below.
  
  Guess it's time to wake up, make a plan, and walk downstairs?


• ?:00am, Unknown Location: This post will consist of one single long thread that progresses through the plot for this post. As discoveries are made, additional information will be uncovered.

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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.

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Activity Check: June 2020

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

Comments

[eutychia]

"Red?" Luka instinctively questions the unfamiliar name again, until he pieces together who she must mean only a few seconds later. "Gyre? He's, well, they're both aliens, you know - and he's grown protective of those children."

And then the Protector's voice speaks up, coldly addressing those same children as an infection and Luka grits his teeth in frustration. He listens as Olivia tries to reason with the Protector, interested in how he'll respond while thinking of how he can refute his claims.

"You call them an infection, but what if our world can't survive without them? Imagine if.... uh, the solution for a brain tumor was removing the entire brain. Like, sure, it solves the problem technically! But the person can't live without their whole brain. That's like what you're doing here."

[wizardseason]

If the Wizard acknowledges what Gyre tells them, that they can't hurt the children, they make no acknowledgement of it. At least not outwardly. But they do make a generic answer to him:

"I don't understand." They answer vaguely, what are they referring to? Because this is an anime, the camera swings back towards Luka and Olivia with the Protector.

First, Jane is having her private conversation with Luka. "That doesn't mean he should be picking fights! Pretty sure 'killed by aliens' isn't covered by our insurance!" She insists, sounding quite grumpy as she says it. She doesn't want to have to write up an injury report when they get home from this. But she doesn't get to focus long because the Protector is answering Olivia with his usual coldness.

"Things were not fine." The Protector corrects Olivia without hesitation. Her assumption that because they didn't know about the danger meant it didn't exist was entirely wrong. Jane's mouth hangs open for a moment, she got cut off before she could back Olivia up because of how fast the Protector was with responding. But when Olivia follows with that added commentary:

"Yeah, we have no idea that you're right! What if you're making it all worse!" Jane accuses, pointing up in the Protector's business as Olivia steps forward to put on the perfect concerned act. Jane knew she had a good crew for this, but even she was surprised at how good Olivia was! And Luka is chiming in with a hard-hitting comparison that Jane takes a note to give him a high-five for later. Nice one, Luka! Unfortunately for all three of them, the Protector is ready for it.

"They are comparable to worms. Before they have taken root, they are all pulled free to keep the brain intact. The longer we wait, the more holes are created." He counters Luka's example with one of his own a moment before the static starts setting in. It starts with the ears, then the eyes, then the other senses until everything is static.

And then the three heroes are deposited into individual threads that they'll start by replying to this comment. They'll have no idea what this sentence means, but someone out there will.

Olivia wakes up on her back, directly beneath a floating blue crystal that contains a child. A few feet away, the Wizard stands with a hammer in hand. Their gaze is up on the crystal, watching it. The whole while, electricity is crackling off of the crystal and making all of Olivia's hair stand on end.

Gyre wakes up on the edge of a rooftop, one hand dangling off the side of the rooftop precariously. Floating on the building opposite is a crystal with a child in it. The ground atop the building is starting to crack with blue. Behind Gyre there's a grinding sound of the head of a hammer being dragged on the stony surface of the roof as the Wizard approaches him with it.

Luka wakes up with cool, brisk air conditioning blowing in his face. He's seated at a table by a window, the window-mounted air conditioner humming away as it blasts him. But it isn't loud enough to drown out the sounds of panicked people muttering "it's coming this way!" and "get out the door!". Luka will be treated to gradually increasing and decreasing static electricity and humming as a child, encased in crystal, slowly floats around the room. Over and over again the glowing crystal bounces off of the walls, crackling and sparking each time it bounces and changes direction. There's a loud thudding step as someone large and heavy steps through the front door. Naturally, it's the Wizard arriving here.

That can't be good for anyone, especially the children!

[eutychia]

"That alien won't kill him." Luka explains with a certainty that wasn't quite earned from an outsider's perspective.

The Protector, as expected, is right on track with his dismissive excuses. He seems to have an answer for everything, even if it is an unsatisfying one. Luka's teeth remain clenched in frustration as he listens to the Protector twist his metaphor into something more suiting of his own agenda.

"But this planet-" He starts to argue before he's quickly overcome with static. And suddenly, he's somewhere else.

The transition isn't exactly pleasant. The feeling of a window-mounted A/C unit blasting him with all it's got on this already chilly morning is definitely a Thing, and he blinks a few times as the new environment settles in on him.

He doesn't have long to take it in. People around him, wherever he is, are frantic. There's a pulsating sensation of static as something moves moves about the room.

"Hey! Sxicq?" He calls out, hoping the glowing crystal fragment might react to that name.

[wizardseason]

Luka's intuition is right-on. When he calls out with that name, he'll feel everything go very still. Very calm. The crystal has stopped moving. The people exiting the cafe he's in are almost entirely vacated at this point, and there comes a voice that's more like glass being dragged through gravel than it is a voice at all. It crackles like it's having a hard time.

"What did you do?" The Wizard asks from the door, staring at the crystal but addressing Luka.

[eutychia]

It... worked? He can't say he actually expected it to, and Luka's about as confused as the Wizard must be.

"That's... their name." He says, bewilderment evident in his voice. "It's Sxicq. They're not a disease or an infection or whatever the Protector called them."

He takes a few steps forward, still hesitant and unsure of the exact layout of his surroundings.

"They just need to leave this planet. Right?" Luka asks, looking for affirmation from the glowing anomaly itself.

[wizardseason]

"They're dangerous." The Wizard answers immediately, taking a heavy-booted step into the room. As they do, the crystal starts floating away from them.

"I have to collect and bring them back." They follow, eyes still very much on the crystal but they hesitate, turning down towards Luka. How does he know the things he's saying.

"How do you know their name."

[eutychia]

"They don't want to go back, though." Luka insists, moving to put himself between the crystal and the Wizard. "And forcing them to isn't going to solve the problem. It will just make everything worse."

Luka realizes the predicament he's put himself into isn't as simply solved as he would ideally like it to be. He obviously can't change this Wizard's mind - not here, not now - and now he's standing between their hammer and its target.

"They told me it." He explains, hoping that answer will suffice.

[wizardseason]

"They have to go back." The Wizard counters, turning their argument very much into a standstill. The Wizard has the same realization that Luka does, that the situation isn't as simply solved as saying 'no, they don't wanna' and leaving it at that.

"It isn't a matter of want." But he gives a tidbit of juicy gossip that makes the Wizard pause, considering the man in front of them as they consider how to proceed.

"How are you able to speak to them."

[eutychia]

"Well, just so you know, forcing them back isn't going to save this planet from destruction." Luka huffs. "But go off."

He's surprised when the Wizard seems curious about his ability to interact with Sxicq. He considers the possibility that explaining might plant the seed of empathy in them.

"Well I don't know, exactly..." He shrugs sheepishly. "When they spoke, it was this really painful sound, but words came through - and over time I was able to understand them more."

[wizardseason]

Unfortunately for Luka, the Wizard isn't up-to-par with statements like 'but go off' so that one goes over their head. They do, at least, pick up on the sarcasm dripping off of his tone. They choose to note his words in the back of their mind to consider later, but not to respond to them for now.

"They have not spoken to me." The Wizard states, simply, before they point out the most glaring contradiction in Luka's statement.

"They have been here for only a few hours. What you are describing is unlikely to be the truth." They pause there, giving the Princess an opportunity to defend himself.

[sustainer]

Gyre is just as confused by the Wizard's statement as they seem to be, blinking at them. Blinking again as the static rises in intensity in his ears, blurring his vision until he's gone.

He opens his eyes and stares at the sky, first tensing his hand where it's draped into the open air. He remembers waking up like this once before, not really understanding where he was, his body heavy around him. It doesn't matter. He hears the scrape of the hammer on the roof tile, and he rolls over, pushing himself to hands and knees.

Once again, he places his shield in front of them, demanding their attention, "Stop!" He starts to slowly push himself to his feet, hoping they don't take his posture as a threat even as he moves to stand between them and the next roof over.

[wizardseason]

It's a good thing Gyre rolled onto the rooftop and not off the building! But when he so readily gets between the Wizard and the crystal on the other building, they stop to stare down at him. It's like they're having trouble acknowledging him or identifying him.

When their voice comes, it's closer to electrified glass being dragged through gravel than it is any kind of speech. It's understandable, but only just.

"How are you here?"

[sustainer]

His skin prickles up horribly when they speak, goose pimples washing down his arms. He starts to fold slightly as if to retreat from the screech of it, but then he forces himself to straighten. He has to stand firm so that they understand that he's not going to let them go after that kid.

He shakes his head slightly, clearing his thoughts, trying to figure out what they actually said. They're actually speaking a language he knows now. That feels like a step up from last time he saw them like this.

"I... I don't know. Sxicq wants me here to see this. You. What are you doing?"

[wizardseason]

"Who?" They answer first, taking another step closer to Gyre and his shield. If they're deliberately trying to be intimidating, standing tall over Gyre was probably an easy way to do it.

"Leave. There's work to do. It's getting away." They follow, their eyes moving from Gyre to the crystal in the distance. They've got something in mind!

After they say it, they bring a hand up to press forward against his shield as if they can just move him aside. They're strong, like a truck trying to push him away.

[sustainer]

Holy shit. He was already a little anxious when they stand up like that, their monstrous figure putting him on edge even as he reminds himself again and again that they're just the Wizard. He doesn't know who they were at this time, but he still trusts them to do the right thing.

But then they push their hand against his shield and he feels the weight of them against it, steeling himself against it, his brow furrowing in focus. He's not going to let them through. Not until he knows their intention.

"I won't let you hurt them. They need our help," he says back, strain already clear in his voice.

[wizardseason]

They push harder, fully intent on getting this little man to get out of their way. They aren't going to hurt or break him, but they need him to be anywhere that isn't right here in this moment.

"I'm bringing them back. This one and all the others." They answer, leaving it ambiguous why, before they clarify something that Gyre seems worried about that they'd figured out so far.

"Even if I wanted to harm them, they are entirely resistant to it."

[sustainer]

A shiver rushes through his body as they push even harder, his teeth grit. He can feel himself reach his old limit, the point where the shield would have shattered under their weight, but then he keeps reaching, keeps finding reserves he can use to hold them back. If the situation didn't feel quite so dire, he'd be grinning like a maniac honestly. It feels like such a tremendous success to be able to hold them back, even if he's still having to work at it.

Then they say all that and he pauses, his eyes widening a little. He opens his mouth to ask for clarification, and they offer it before he can. They don't want to hurt the kids. They couldn't anyway. He drops the shield suddenly, straightening up and looking them over.

"Where are you bringing them? I'll help," he says calmly, turning and taking a running leap across the gap to the next rooftop. He turns to look over his shoulder at them, waiting for them to catch up before he continues towards the crystal.

[wizardseason]

If the Wizard started to use magic, the situation might shift in their favor. Gyre was operating on solid ground without outside influences. What if the ground went out from under him? What if gravity stopped working? There were a myriad of things that the Wizard could employ if she wanted to turn the tables on him. But they were certain that he was strong, even if they were actively thinking about ways to fight back against that.

Fortunately he disengages and they no longer need to think about outsmarting him. They can choose to work with him, instead, but they don't really know who he is. Not yet, anyway. They follow him to the other building, walking across the gap like it was a solid pathway. They don't even hesitate as they do so, striding thoughtlessly over to him.

"Back to the mountain, where they were created." They answer, turning to follow him towards the crystal.

"One by one." They add.

[disguiseself]

[Olivia doesn't have time to argue or tell the Protector who the real worm is (him) (he's the worm) before the static sets in and she's suddenly on her back. She instinctively rolls away from the crystal, just in case it decides to fall on her, and stands up in a fluid motion.

She takes a moment to look at her surroundings before her eyes land on the Wizard, sighing when she sees she's been separated from her friends. She vaguely wonders if Jane is okay.]

Wizard? [She calls them, unsure if they go by that name at this point or if it was given to them later in time.] Don't do anything rash, yeah? You're smarter than this.

[She's not quite sure what to do as she takes in just how big the hammer is up close. She glances back at the crystal, wondering if she and the Wizard could talk to it or not... she doesn't recall it taking much more than being close to it to hear the child's voice the first time they traveled to the past. Her eyes focus on the Wizard again.] Sxicq won't hurt us, not unless you attack them.

[wizardseason]

[ The Protector will have you know that, actually, worms are the threat to this world. They're the ones eating the ground out from under us. ]

[ Fortunately he isn't here, but the Wizard and the crystal are here. The Wizard's attention turns to Olivia as she calls out, definitely listening. But then holding that hammer up defensively as Olivia says something startling-- ]

What is sxicq. [ It's... a genuine question. Said in the Wizard's past-voice which is a mix of rocks in a blender and electricity running through aluminum foil. It's an awful set of sounds that manage to create coherent words. The Wizard has no idea what that word means. Or who that person is? Fortunately the Wizard's smart enough to put pieces together, so a followup question happens a moment later. ]

Where did you learn that?

[disguiseself]

[Would telling the Wizard the whole truth about everything break time and the future? Olivia doesn't watch enough movies to be sure about that, and she's quite sure the Wizard wouldn't believe her anyway. She bites her lip, taking a moment to consider her words.]

I... we learned it from them. [She says, nodding back at the crystal.] They're the reason I'm here, to see you and... talk to you. [She takes a tentative step forward towards the Wizard, so subtle it's almost as she hasn't moved at all.]

Listen, whatever your boss says, this is not what it looks like. They aren't a disease, and if saving our planet is truly what you want, there's better ways to do it instead of destroying them. [Olivia stands tall, trying to sound confident in what she's saying.] If you don't believe me then maybe... maybe you could try talking to them yourself.

[wizardseason]

[ The Wizard watches and listens to Olivia silently, observing what she has to say as if watching her will give more answers than just listening. Perhaps it will. ]

How are you speaking to them. [ They question first, not taking their eyes off of Olivia to look at the crystal yet. ]

They were going to rupture and destroy this world. That fact is indisputable. [ They follow, explaining it as fact. ]

The threat of destruction has passed, are you implying the lingering power they possess was used to speak to you? To others? [ They shift to what Olivia said, to dig for answers. Give them the juicy deets, strange hero. ]

[disguiseself]

Well it's... hard to explain. There are a lot of things about them that are still a mystery to me but... I just know that they didn't mean for any of this to happen. They don't want any of this. So we're... trying to help them. Which helps us in turn.

I've heard them from just being near the crystals before... [Or, later in time, technically? She moves towards the crystal before slowly starting to reach out for it.] Can you hear me? [She asks it softly, brow furrowed as she gingerly places a hand on it. She's pretty sure it won't hurt her, but it wouldn't do to be taken off guard in front of the Wizard.]

[wizardseason]

[ The Wizard waits, pausing to listen to what Olivia's sharing. There were pieces starting to come together in their head, answers that were starting to form, so they decide to inquire: ]

They are conscious? [ Because they're not supposed to be. The core of a planet is supposed to just exist. Not be a living being. ]

[ But then Olivia is trying to demonstrate hearing the voice and the Wizard watches close. When Olivia's hand presses to the crystal, all her hair stands straight up, on-end, very much like she'd been electrically charged. Because she had been. Zzt. ]

Are you being harmed? [ The Wizard asks, watching her. She isn't being harmed, but they can't tell that just by looking. Explain the weird tingly buzzy sensation, Olivia! But also, somewhere in the back of her mind, there's a soft voice. But it's too far away, too quiet to hear. It's like she's standing on bottom of a dam, and there's someone at the top speaking. It's too far. It's just too far away. ]

[disguiseself]

They are. [She nods, just as she feels the electrical charge. She closes her eyes when she hears the voice, as if somehow that would help her hear it more clearly. It doesn't, of course, and her shoulders sag a little.]

It doesn't hurt, no. [She says, her eyes finding the Wizard's face. She wonders if they're asking out of scientific curiosity or worry... they are a robot after all, right? Did they always have empathy, or would they develop it in the years to come?] I can hear them now, but it's very faint... I can't make out what they're saying at all.

[She takes a moment, glancing back at the crystal with a worried frown before looking at the Wizard again.] Why, uh... why don't you try it? [She offers, tentatively extending her free hand towards the Wizard. If they take it, she'll place it on the crystal's surface just like hers is.]