estoria | « 020 ⇢ EVENT020

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« 020 ⇢ EVENT020_AIR.EXE »

Who: All characters with air as their element
When: OOC: 10/15 - 10/22 ; IC: 3/22 - 3/26
Where: Mountains! Cliffs! High places!
What: It's time for the legitimate reward -- a safe place to live for the rest of your happy, contented lives
Rating/Warning: PG-13: Some scary images, some violence. Please let the mods know if the rating goes up or the log needs to be locked!

//event020.EXE

It’s been a few days in the jungle now and hopefully you haven’t managed to die just yet – after all, the fun’s just begun.

On the seventh day of trekking the wilderness, each character who has Air in their heart will suddenly find themselves pausing in the middle of the day. Suddenly they’re able to feel the patterns of the wind in the air. A chill passes through them as a breeze will kick up.

Then without warning, they’re lifted right off the ground and cast up into the sky. At least they don’t have time to be scared as they suddenly lose consciousness after floating for a few seconds.

Don’t worry. It’ll get better. When they wake up, they hear the following message in a wispy way, carried along by the breeze itself –

It is not the correct time to be sleeping. You must awaken.

There is something that needs to be done.

You need to be the one to do it.

//SCENARIOS.EXE

PHASE I

[ day one ] Anyone here with a fear of heights? Yes? Well, that’s too bad. When air characters awaken, they’ll find themselves cast right into the mountains of Tellus. It’s rocky, the path is minimal at best and non-existent at worse, and there are screeches of something dangerous and angry calling in the distance.

Caeli demonstrates his poor sense of direction once again as characters wake up and find themselves on a mountainous ledge. There is no apparent path -– except for across a dangerous ravine that dips down to the base of the mountain. There is no end in sight when one looks down, instead only pure black depths.

The cloud waits on the other side, floating patiently. Caeli gives one instruction: “Jump.”

But try not to fall in, that would be a sad start to the trip. Thankfully, the distance across isn't really too far, and Caeli might give those who can't quite make the jump a little boost -- but you still have to be brave enough to make the jump or be left behind.

PHASE II

[ day one ] Well, one way or another, you seemed to have made it. From there, it’s just one long hike where you’re stuck following a cloud that simply doesn’t feel like responding to your calls for attention. The hours drag on and the sun sets across the horizon as you are left climbing this mountain, no end in sight.

But as you climb higher and higher, the temperature drops. The hour grows later and slowly but surely, white flecks begin to fall from the sky. Cold? Hopefully you were dressed appropriately seeing as now the thick layers of snow are building and building and building – making it harder to climb as the movement now requires trudging through three to four feet of snow.

Did you want to take a break? Have fun catching hypothermia if you do!

There's definitely not much in the way of shelter, but you can try to make something out of the scant trees remaining, or create a fire. Either way, you definitely don't want to be left behind, so don't lose sight of everyone else.

PHASE III

[ day two ] Whether you felt like standing guard or were fast asleep, a piercing screech will act in the place of an alarm clock.

All too soon, a flight of winged creatures will descend upon the mountain travelers, looking none too friendly. Caeli descends to offer helpfully, “Griffins. They were once mine.” To which, the beasts merely emit another piercing screech before baring their claws and moving to attack the party. They are fearsome creatures and will not fall until they are killed, consistently trying to get back on their feet even when injured.

If no one manages to lose an eye and the griffins are subdued, characters will find upon their fallen bodies that they have areas where tufts of fur are missing, leaving a clean injection spot. There are small machine implants at the back of their necks, beeping ominously. Each is branded with a different number identification. Caeli is nowhere to be found.

PHASE IV

[ day three ] The summit of the mountain is typically considered the most beautiful place. For those who are seeking solace, the peak of this adventure is safely above the clouds and the sun is slowly rising in the distance. Acting as a moment of peace, it is truly beautiful.

For those who do not rest so easy, there is more to be found near the top of the mountain. One run-down shack can be found, plated with steel and amenities found inside such as blankets and coats to fight off the snow.

More worryingly, there is an operating table in the middle of the room. A white cloth drapes over it, stained with red and operating instruments resting on the edges, the gleaming metal darkened with old blood. The same tufts of feathers and fur that could be found on the griffons are scattered on the floor, claw marks digging deep into the metal of the walls.

Be careful not to touch anything. If a character comes into contact with some of the blood that stains the table or the instruments, they will immediately begin to feel hints of aggression. There will be an intense need to pick fights with those around them and the feeling will not disappear until they are knocked out (or killed, but who would want that?).

Welcome to your new home.

[ Remember to apply proper warnings on threads with sensitive or inappropriate material and do let a mod know if your thread careens off into maiming or canoodling so we can lock the log. ]

//RUN.EXE

Welcome to Cerealia's October event! Please visit the OOC information here, and should you have any questions, feel free to ask them here! You can also check the FAQ for more general inquiries. This event will last for the month of October, or IC 3/15 to 3/30. This log will last from 10/15 to 10/22 or IC 3/22 to 3/26. Should this event log hit Captcha, there is an all-purpose overflow here.

There are 60 characters with the element of air.

Thank you!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

No, it's not like that.

[he shakes his head. this... this he can probably tell her without explaining too much, right?] The place where I lived before, the sky was always dark.

There was another place I went a lot... but there, it was always sunset. So I never really got to see the sun come up like this. [after a short pause, he adds:] I guess it probably sounds like kind of a weird place that way, huh.

It sounds like something from a story. [ Mary's smiling, though, bright-eyed. ] Like the ones I used to read all the time. Like a kingdom that's cursed to eternal darkness until someone arrives to bring the sun back. A place that's always sunset doesn't sound like a curse at all, though... the sky must be beautiful.

[ She closes her eyes, to try and imagine it-- and nearly sticks her hands too close to the fire, Mary don't singe your fingers. ]

I'm glad you could see the sky like this, though. A sky that's always dark doesn't seem as interesting, even if I like the stars too.

Yeah. The sunsets... those are my favorite. This is nice, but it doesn't really compare at all to that.

[in his opinion, at least. but the rest of that thought is lost when he sees mary's hands edging too close to the flame.] Whoa—be careful!

[roxas is quick to put his hand over her wrists lightly to stop her from burning herself.] It's still really hot, even if it's not strong magic...

[don't scare him like that!]

Huh--? Oh!

[ Oh, whoops, the light weight on her wrists catches her by surprise more than the realization that she almost burned herself does. Mary lifts her eyes to his face, almost guiltily. ]

S-sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I guess I'm still cold.

[ Snakes were cold-blooded, after all, even with that 3/4ths human blood running through her veins. ]

[after a moment, he'll pull his hand back, but the concern is still present on his face. at least this is doing a decent job of distracting him from his existential crisis.]

If you're that cold, you should try to find somewhere warmer to be... [not that he just wants her to up and leave, necessarily.] Can't you get a cold this way?

Maybe... but it's okay. I know what to do if I get a cold now. [ AKA wheeze and sniffle miserably and drink tea. ]

Besides, I said I'd stay with you, remember?

I know... but...

[mary, why you gotta do this!?] I don't want you to get sick because of me.

It wouldn't be your fault. [ It would be floundering in snow drifts about her height, probably. If she doesn't get sick from this whole ordeal, it'll be some minor miracle. ]

And shouldn't you be more worried about you? You could get sick, too.

I'm okay... I'm not that cold, anyway.

[he's cold, but he's been using his fire spells to keep warm when he needs it. the truth of the matter is that he probably will end up with a cold, not having his signature coat and all. but that's neither here nor there.]

We've had a long trip though, ever since we got pulled away from the city. So... try not to push yourself too much, okay?

... You know, [ softly, because maybe she's tired or speaking loudly takes too much energy, or her teeth are less likely to chatter if she speaks quietly-- ] I'm not the only one who went through all of that, Roxas.

[ Granted, between the two of them, Roxas has the better stamina. And fighting ability. And is, in general, probably the one less likely to cause concern, but. ]

I'll be careful, but this time, it's not about me. It's about you, even if you never really talk about yourself or how you're feeling, and you just worry about me instead.

[ Like now. ]

It's fine... I'm used to things like this. Things that take a lot of work, I mean.

[she's clearly colder and more tired than he is anyway, so he doesn't see much of a need to be that concerned for himself. he can handle it, but she's clearly not in a great state to be out there for long. it worries him a lot.]

Sorry. I guess... I just don't have much to say about myself. [he's not sure what to say when it comes to that, honestly. it's different than with axel and xion, who knew what he was and what it meant. even he doesn't know how he feels a lot of the time because of it.] It's not that important anyway... nothing that you have to be worried about. There's really not much to say, I don't think.

[ Sorry that your friend is a frail little pansy, Roxas!! Mary frowns, though, tugging at her blanket to move it closer to herself. She's not sure how much of that she believes, but whether it's that he doesn't have a lot to say, or just doesn't want to talk about it... she's let him know that he can. Maybe as his friend, all she can really do is be there for him, whether he needs it or not-- like how Roxas had still been waiting with ice cream, even when she hadn't been sure she'd wanted to go.

With that thought in mind, she nods decisively to herself. ]

Do you want to talk about something else, then? I can stop talking, too.

I don't mind talking.

[it'll get his mind off his dumb existential problems that he doesn't even know how to deal with, at least. well, he hopes so. there are some things he just can't really wrap his head around so long as they're on this mountain, because he needs to talk to riku.

well, actually, he needs to talk to sora, but tha's not happening anytime soon.

besides all that, he doesn't want to worry her any more than he already has, nor does he want her to feel unwelcome. she's trying hard, he knows that—even if he's not entirely sure of how to deal with someone extending this much kindness to him.]

But... I dunno what else we should talk about. [he's useless. sorry you picked a useless nobody for a friend, mary.]

When I was by myself for a long time, I used to make lists. About what I wanted to do or see, or what I'd want to share with my friends if I ever made any. [ Or how to behave in front of royalty if a prince ever got through her grandmother's magic and found her house, like they did in her stories. She won't mention that part. ]

There were questions, too. Things I'd want to ask them. Like... what do you like to do? What's your favorite color? Do you have dreams?

... That sort of thing, so we can talk about any of those, maybe.

[ Mary lived a fairly pitiful life. ]

[it's not like his life was any less pitiful, really. it's just in an entirely different way. for roxas... well, that stuff kind of makes sense, even if he's not entirely sure how to answer all of them.]

If you were by yourself for a long time... [that must have been lonely, right? but he's sure that's not the right thing to ask. so he pauses, thinking over his words before continuing.]

You wanted to ask them but... Did anyone ever ask you those things, Mary?

[ He's right, in that it was terribly lonely, and it's exactly why Mary doesn't cope well with being alone anymore-- but she blinks, staring out at the rising sun for a moment. ]

I've been asked about my favorite color before, and what I like to do... I guess no one's ever asked about my dreams, though. And I only had the birds to talk to until someone found me, anyway... so I guess, before that, no one had the chance to ask me anything.

Then...

[a short pause as he tilts his head, looking to her with a small smile.] Do you think you could tell me about them?

... Eh? You really want to know?

[ No one's really asked her before... ]

I don't think I've ever heard someone else's dreams before. Do friends... talk about things like that?

[he can't help but muse for a moment. he never really did that with axel and xion, but their situation was so different. but still... it's mary.] Even if they don't, I still want to know, I think.

I think if you're good friends [ not best friends, maybe, Roxas already has those, and she wouldn't presume-- ] you can talk about anything. So, um...

It's not really an impressive dream or anything... I used to want to meet a prince, and then I really wanted to grow up as fast as I could, since I was told that I'd be able to go outside when that happened... and then it was just to have friends, people who'd be okay with me being... well, me. [ She flashes him a smile. ] Like you, Roxas.

But now... it's still kind of scary, but there are so many things I've read about that I want to experience myself. New holidays, new places, a lot of new experiences with friends... if I'm not by myself, it shouldn't be as scary. And then I'll have seen a lot more that I never got to before.

[for a while, roxas is quiet. he listens intently to everything she says, even if he doesn't totally understand it all.]

You get to do that here too, don't you? I guess it's not all good, but this whole world has a lot of different things. [different than what he's experienced, and he's already seen a few worlds.

he doesn't mean it in any sort of way that would be meant to belittle her dreams—it's more like a curiosity. does she think she's getting to see her dreams happen this way? because it sounds like a good thing to roxas. it's more than he can hope for with his own... if he can call the things he really wants dreams.] And I bet you have a lot of friends to share it with, too.

[because it's mary, and she's really nice. of course she probably has a lot of friends, right?]

I have more friends than I ever thought I'd have. [ Mary admits this without any sort of shame or embarrassment, almost with a quiet sense of pride. ] And I've learned a lot while I was here, even if not all of it is good, like you said. But I got to make friends with a dog, and someone helped me float, and I get to see a sunrise on a mountain-- all of that is new to me, and I never want to forget any of it.

... So in a way, my dreams are coming true, just in ways I didn't think would ever happen.

[ A pause, and-- ]

If... that makes sense.

[to that, roxas can nod his head. he really is genuinely glad to hear it. mary's his friend, and a good person... she deserves to have her dreams realized. at least someone can, right?

he may just be the tiniest bit envious of that fact, but it's a sentiment he can hold back, because his thoughts about how mary feels can trump that.]

It makes sense.... I mean, I think it does, at least. But I guess it doesn't matter how it happens as long as it does, right? Then... it's a good thing.

Yeah... I think so too.

[ And he's... once again made this about her, so Mary huffs a bit. Does he really just not want to talk about himself? ]

But what about you? Do you have any dreams?

I dunno. I guess...

[it's true, he really doesn't want to talk about himself, mostly because he doesn't know how. but... he can't deflect the conversation forever, right?]

I want to live as myself... with my friends. I want to be able to see them, and eat ice cream at our usual spot. I want to go to the beach and see the sunset with them and keep promises we couldn't before.

[it's all very simple stuff. maybe the part about living as himself isn't easy to understand, but he can't and won't explain what it means—it kind of just came from his mouth before he could really stop it. everything else though, that should be enough. it's obvious though that no matter how much he tries, those people he misses are irreplaceable to him; he misses them the most, and not just because they're not on the same world right now.]

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