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« 006 ⇢ event006.exe »

Who: CERES & you
When: OOC - 11/25-12/02 ; IC - 10/09-10/12
Where: Cerealia & Pleasure District
What: Event log
Rating/Warning: PG-13 | possibly nsfw (please let us know if you need this rating changed)

//event006.EXE

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa-bot underneath the Mistletoe

It's the morning of October 9th when you feel it. At first, it's a gentle rumble. Then, the ground begins to quake harder as a transparent shield erupts from the perimeter of the colony. Those fortunate enough to be standing outdoors will get a glimpse of it as it slowly closes around the colony, forming a glass dome that keeps everything enclosed inside. It may spark your curiosity. It may even cause a bit of fear and anxiety, but other than that, the day remains the same. Plain. Neutral. A little too quiet.

That's when the cold sneaks up on you, little by little. You may notice yourself shivering and in need of a warm blanket. It's just a little breeze, right? You might close the windows in your apartment or throw on a sweater. But the cold doesn't stop there. The temperature begins to plummet gradually by the hour, and you notice frost appearing on all visible surfaces. Machines start to malfunction and grow stiff all over. The wind knocks over a few post boxes and signs. Your skin goes numb in places. Shrinkage happens for those who have things that shrink.

All in all, it's an unpleasant experience, and the trains are shut down, leaving most of the colony's citizens with limited transportation. However, a figure appears in a dimly corner of the station to brighten your day. He has a blanket laid out with snow globes placed on top, some plain, some rose-tinted. They're all for sale for a meager 25 credits. Since he can't speak, he lets his boom box do the talking for him, letting out a familiar song.

"♬~ Oh the weather outside is frightful
But the fire is so delightful
And since we've no place to go
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

It doesn't show signs of stopping
And I've bought some corn for popping
The lights are turned way down low
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!~♬"

//SCENARIOS.EXE

PHASE I

[ xxxx ] The cold is starting to set into your bones, a sharp pain emanating from the way it seems to burrow under your flesh. No amount of jackets, parkas, and sweaters offer relief as the temperature plummets by the hour. The streets are paved with ice everywhere, and snow is rapidly falling from the ceiling of the dome. Will you play in it? Will you settle by the fire with a warm beverage? Will you and your ill-prepared body be subjected to the slow madness promised by hypothermia? It might seem bearable at first, but nothing is ever that simple or easy in Cerealia.

Of course, for those who wish to brave the weather, come see the snow globe salesman in Cerealia's train station. He'll show you a few wonders that linger behind the glass.

PHASE II

[ xxxx ] Just as the cold starts to reach its most unbearable temperatures, a single haven lies in the Pleasure District at Cerealia's famous virtual Fantasy Hub. Whispers will pass from lips to lips, moving quickly across the colony about the warmest place to be. Your character is welcome to investigate for themselves and set aside their embarrassment for a little bit of reprieve.

The robot staff will be more than welcoming, offering you compliments, cookies, and hot chocolate. The three great C's! They will let everyone linger about the lounge and encourage them to pair up and try out a bit of the technology. They might even find a little something to smile about after. The robots will be promising customers a lovely boost of warmth just for subjecting themselves to a world of their own desires.

PHASE III

[ xxxx ] For those brave enough to venture into their virtual fantasies, you'll be lead into a private booth where no one else will be able to bother you. A headset will be available for you and any companions of choice. Feel free to put it on and check it out. You'll be prompted to type in or verbally explain your fantasy before watching the world being built before your eyes until you're completely immersed in your ideal world. You are welcome to roam around and enjoy for as long as you wish but do remember you're on the clock and that there are other customers waiting. Oh and do try and clean up the booth after use!

PHASE IV

[ xxxx ] It's day four. The cold has reached its lowest, most unbearable point. Those who took a trip into their own fantasies or the fantasy of others are now free to revel in the warmth (and in their own embarrassment and shame). Congratulations! For those who avoided it, prepare to feel numb in places and to possibly lose a finger or two. The CERES medical facility will do their best to stick you back together or keep you from death. The suffering will continue until the very last second when Julius Vincere, CERES' CEO, will appear on all screens and billboards to announce that the climate problems have been fixed at last.

Just like that, the dome will open once more, and the temperature will return to normal. With that comes another set of apologies same as before. How much are you willing to put up with his bullshit?

BONUS

[ whyo'clock ] They're cute. They're cuddly. They're also being sold at a CYbuddy shop near you, provided that snow hasn't blocked the door from opening. They're seemingly harmless and innocent until you take your eyes off of them. That's when they'll scuttle to your underwear drawer and slowly and surreptitiously start stealing pairs of it to hide in a super secret stash so it can sell your unmentionables in an elaborate robot underwear smuggling ring. Prepare to brave the cold without underwear.

[ Remember to apply proper warnings on threads with trigger-y 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 latest event post. For your convenience, we have compiled a post detailing what's going on right here and feel free to consult the FAQ if needed. Please leave any lingering questions in the OOC post, and we'll answer them as soon as we can.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ that's fine with Zara, because of course he knows where the pleasure district is... even if he didn't, he's sure he could hear and smell it from several blocks away before he saw it. Ick. In any case, he takes the lead without prompting.

Hopefully, this is actually profitable and not just another embarrassing memory for the two of them. After a few moments of silence, Zara pipes up again. ]

Your country is called England? What is it like?

[ Oh. Smalltalk. This is an area that Ciel struggles with, since he's ultimately just an awkward kid. Ordering people around and acting in pursuit of his goals is one thing, but when it comes to interacting people on a normal level? That's much more difficult. The question makes him pause, but only because he's not even sure how to answer. It's why it's such a bad one when it comes... ]

Er... Rainy? I don't know. I've lived there my whole life, so it's hard to describe.

[ it's faintly surprising that Ciel is awkward, since most nobles are trained to socialize, but -- Zara had already been told the reason why, he supposes. Fortunately, he's patient, and merely smiles to himself as he continues to walk. ]

Then you haven't traveled outside the country? [ well, that's not so unusual for an earl... ] To be honest, I haven't, either. I hope the rain isn't too dreary.

Well, I have, but it's always for business.

[ Zara is clearly better at smalltalk than Ciel, since Ciel is already much more at ease as the topic shifts to business. Truly, he's a boy that acts much, much older than he appears. ]

I don't usually have time to go sightseeing, but I wouldn't anyways. I'm too busy for such things.

[ he tries... ]

My, my... An earl's work is never done, hm? [ he seems amused about just how old Ciel sounds. there's no way around it - he sounds like a middle-aged banker or something. ] My master is always working on something, himself. Lately, the people that live on his lands have been getting restless, so there's much work to be done in easing their fears...

[ or there would be if they hadn't, like, gotten his daughter arrested ]

[ Ciel looks to Zara, at least interested by this turn in conversation, since it's a very old duty of a nobleman to be concerned about such a thing, so far as he's concerned. ]

I suppose not, but it's nothing like that. All of my concerns are business and social politics, of which I strongly prefer the former... But I guess it's better than having to deal with people like that.

[ ciel i've got news for you, zara is very old ]

Really? You're lucky. Calming an unhappy mob of villagers is no easy task... [ a small sigh. Not that he was worrying about that anymore. ] But I won't bore you with those details. What sort of business does your house do? I'm curious.

[ and "phantomhive" doesn't really provide any hints. Unless he has a ghostly apiary. ]

[ He looks mildly impressed as Zara explains, but Zara has at least earned enough of Ciel's respect that he doesn't rudely pry. He simply nods, then answers the question easily. ]

The majority of our work is in a confectionery and toy company, though I've expanded the reach of our company into food production and general trading, though they're still new ventures. The confectionery is still the largest of our branches, so most of the work revolves around managing that, and I establish new contracts where I see opportunity.

[ He waves a hand lightly and dismissively, like this is perfectly normal, especially for someone of his age. He's definitely an intelligent child, if nothing else and seemingly especially suited to business. ]

We do work with the royal family on request as well, which is where our title comes from, but that's not as regular. When Her Majesty asks something of us, it's our duty to provide, but she only asks for us when she needs us, naturally.

[ that is... also not what he was expecting. Usually the answers are more along the lines of "iron" or "cattle." But confections and toys...? Those are well in the realm of merchants and traders, not earls. With mild disbelief, he looks over at Ciel. ]

... Those are unusual resources for an earl to control. I'm quite surprised. [ maybe he only owns a small piece of land with a confectioner's guild on it or something like that? He's trying to think of reasons. If that were true, though, then why would he be close to the royal family? ]

My own household works... worked with the royal family, as well, though, so I understand those duties. Is your queen a human?

[ That gets him to laugh, and he nods, since he knows it well, and he's pleased that someone acknowledges it. ]

It is, isn't it? I don't know as much about it personally, since what our family did shifted before I was even born. It was more my predecessor's work.

[ Which might stick out as an odd way to refer to who is presumably Ciel's father, but it's at least nothing like Nekouji style takeovers. He just purposefully creates distance from the death of his family, even in small ways like this, and especially with his father. ]

But the world has changed a lot in the past century where I'm from. The future is in business, not in titles. [ He nods, quite assured of that, since in his time, he definitely has every reason to be absolutely assured of it. The aristocracy was hardly gone, but as business increased, it was clear that power had already started shifting, and the previous heads of the family had realized that. It was just Ciel's place to capitalize on it now. And yet, despite that very business-minded way of things, when he speaks about the Queen, it's still with the utmost respect. ]

She is, yes. Queen Victoria has been the sole ruler of England for decades now, so my family has served her loyally for generations now as well. The fact that she's ruled so long is likely proof enough, but she is a very wise ruler.

[ as Zara had been suspecting, Ciel's world was similar to his, but markedly different in some aspects - more than just being filled with Huma alone. He has a difficult time imagining a world where the merchantry hold all the power.

(In a sense, would that put him in a high position, seeing as he sells his work? Now that's really difficult to imagine.)

But he has no reason to doubt it, so he simply nods with a muffled noise of interest, one hand reaching up to rub some warmth into one of his flattened ears. ]

I see. I'm glad to hear that she's a fine ruler. [ sometimes having all the power concentrated in one bloodline can be a problem. But he won't mention that - it's not appropriate. ] It's difficult to imagine a Huma queen, though... Our Weblin has been ruled by cat kings for a long, long time.

[ Ah. Ciel's expression immediately twists into displeasure despite himself, but it's not so much hatred (that's reserved for Sebastian) as an expression as if he had just smelled something particularly unpleasant. ]

Of course it's cats.

[ He murmurs that first, and he's suddenly very glad that there are no such people here, for one, but also that Sebastian isn't here to be a complete imbecile in their presence. ]

Do they... [ He's curious despite himself, though he pauses to phrase the question carefully ] Are they good rulers?

[ there are so, so many ways he could answer this question. Logically, there's only one answer: no, they're not. They're tyrannical psychopaths with a taste for blood that made his skin crawl, and the things they did to their own people for the sake of settling personal grievances were unforgivable. They'd stolen away his master, spat on the name of the people who saved his life, and destroyed his people.

And yet, for a moment, Zara hesitates anyways; the fear of speaking out against them in public didn't fade easily. A man of his position shouldn't dare say a word. But things had gone beyond matters of propriety with them. ]

... To be perfectly frank, Earl Phantomhive, our current king is one of the worst men I've ever had the misfortune of meeting.

[ Ciel's childish displeasure over the cats is quickly forgotten, and his frown solidifies. It's less innocent in its displeasure, and for a moment, he looks at Zara curiously as if appraising his expression and mannerisms carefully.

In one sense, Ciel has been lucky. In terms of a political climate, he's grown up in an extremely stable one, and his history lessons have taught him that he's lucky for that. England was peaceful now, since Queen Victoria's reign came with prosperity, especially for the Phantomhive household, but... He knows that's not always the case. It seems distant to him, so he can't sympathize completely, but he can imagine how much more difficult it would be to live under the thumb of a ruler that wasn't so benevolent. ]

...I see. [ There's a pause, as he considers what to say, but he shakes his head before he elaborates simply. ] I appreciate the candor. I won't say a word of it.

[ He is respectful and sensitive of the weight of such words, after all. ]

I won't trouble you to say any more, regardless.

That's appreciated. It's a long story, in any case.

[ and perhaps difficult to explain, since it involved a lot of Weblin's racial history, as well. Not that he has doubts Ciel would be able to understand it - he's a clever boy. ]

However... Some may disagree with me, but I would say his being Kyasshi has nothing to do with it. So I suppose the real answer to your question is that they make decent rulers, provided they're decent people.

[ as is the case with all kings. Zara has every reason to loathe the cats for what they did to his family and to the Rabbits, but he likes to consider himself more intelligent than that. He's not like Mejojo. ]

Edited 2014-12-24 09:18 (UTC)

[ He nods understandingly, since with how Zara had elaborated, he knows his bias sounds silly and petty. He won't elaborate with how their association with someone else helped to sour his opinion, but at least the very basic explanation was good enough. ]

Mm, all people are like that, at least, so I'm not surprised.

[ Ciel sighs, then shakes his head. ]

I'm allergic to cats, which is why I dislike them.

Allergic? Really?

[ his eyebrows raise, and he actually seems amused by the idea. Allergies like that are pretty rare in Weblin for obvious reasons. It was difficult to survive in a medieval society filled to the brim with cats and dogs if you could hardly breathe around them.

Zara feels like he might be allergic to the twin princes. ]

Well, I'm glad that it's cats and not rabbits.

Oh... Right. I suppose that sounds ridiculous to you.

[ Ciel hums lowly and thoughtfully, since he knows that it would be strange to be allergic to a person. Still, he shakes his head before he glances at the rabbit ears on Zara's head before he ends up just glancing away almost bashfully. ]

...They are real, right? You can really hear through them?

[ that sounds even sillier than being allergic to cats; Zara can't help but chuckle. He nods, smiling wryly. ]

One hundred percent real, yes. I haven't got any other ears to hear through.

[ it was almost like dealing with a child... well. A smaller child. One who hadn't been exposed to much of the world yet. Trying to elucidate the issue further, he continues. ]

Some might say this isn't my "true" form. I am a real rabbit, although I wouldn't say that either form is "truer" than the other. Most people in my country spend all their time in their human shape, myself included.

[ The idea at least gets Ciel's expression to bloom with a more childlike curiosity, and it's much more suited to his face than the grumpy, serious ones that are usually there. ]

Really? That's... Well, it's fascinating, honestly. There's nothing of the sort where I'm from.

[ Well, probably. He has a feeling that Sebastian could probably do something similar if Ciel instructed him to, but he'd rather not think about that. ]

[ but tiny annoying crow!sebastian, ciel ]

Is it? It's a banal part of everyday life for me... I suppose the Huma have historically been intrigued by us. [ in truth, Zara would be interested in studying the origins of Weblin's race more, since it's all cloaked in shadow - and it does seem unusual to him that such a myriad of species could all come to have similar forms and a unified culture. However, he'd already chosen the path of medicine in his life. ]

I'm sure your world has plenty of things mine doesn't in turn.

[ excalibur.png ]

I am sure that is the case.

[ Ciel nods, surprisingly confident in that idea, but that's only because he's encountered the idea of different worlds already. He hadn't met someone yet who had an experience similar to his own enough for him to guess they may be from the same place, after all. ]

But I suppose the difference are likely just as banal to me. There's certainly no one else but humans, at the very least.

So I've heard. I must admit that a world without strife between species sounds peaceful to me, but I know that you undoubtedly find other things to war over.

[ he doesn't mean it as a slight against humans - it's just the nature of people. Even within the Huma, there are differences, whether it be physical, political, social; as long as there are differences between men, there will be conflict.

They're growing closer to the pleasure district; the unusual pink-flowered trees are a clear sign. Zara doesn't feel any warmer. Then again, it was supposedly just a single store that had heat in it... ]

Please stay close by, Earl Phantomhive. [ he doesn't want you to get whisked away in a skeevy part of town... ]

[ Ciel nods solemnly, since it's certainly the case, and he opens his mouth to respond, but then Zara gives his warning. He's surprised that Zara gives that gentle warning, but he just makes a soft, grumpy sound of approval. At that point, he just speaks more gently than he had been planning, but still to the first point Zara had mentioned. ]

...We do. There are always wars going on, but England isn't involved in any directly, at the moment. [ He shrugs, then speaks to what Zara had been thinking. ] That's just people, isn't it? There's always something to fight over.

[ with a faintly judgemental air, he nods - not judging Ciel, but civilization, mostly. War had taken so much from him, and still threatened to take even more. Zara is tired of it. ]

Exactly right. War is a terrible thing, and yet we can't seem to get enough of it. Supposedly, it's even our reason for being here.

[ a tired little sigh. ]

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