☆ Event: Fright Night

[moustre]

Event Log: October, Fright Night

I. The Mist It starts in the middle of the night. As the bells chime for 3 am, a slow fog creeps across the city from all four cardinal directions, swirling low to the ground, shining purplish in the light of the twin moons. It goes without notice for a while, an oddity, easily brushed off as too much rain and the changing temperatures turning it to mist over the cobblestones. The first ones to get caught up in it are the night workers, the drunks leaving the bars, the sailors returning to their ships, anyone out on the streets when it begins. In most cases, the effects are not instantaneous - it takes a little time to sink in before… a. The Transformations Even if you don’t find yourself out on the streets in the middle of the night, the mist creeps its way into buildings through cracks and openings, until exposure is almost guaranteed for everyone in Aefenglom, and even some just outside the Bright Wall in the Outer City. Though a lucky few, Mirrorbound and citizens alike, will find themselves wholly unaffected by the substance and will retain their physical forms and their own right minds, many more find themselves bent to its whims, changing in ways that could never have been predicted. There is little rhyme or reason to what changes occur or how - some simply wake with new parts, uncomfortable, while others run from their homes, panicking as wings tear painfully out of their backs or claws burst forth from their hands. The mist does not discriminate. Humans and Witches find themselves gaining the parts of Monsters, or even creatures that live outside the Wall. Monsters gain parts that don’t match up to their species - Arachne with wings or gills, Turnskin with antlers and Merrow tails, Puca with the teeth and claws of predators or the horns of unicorns or the scales of lizards, such strange sights become more and more common as morning approaches slowly. Mirrorbound may find that they can even gain the features and mannerisms of creatures from their home worlds. It all seems to happen wholly at random. These parts may not even last; plenty of citizens lose their new additions after just hours, only to gain new ones in the meanwhile. In the dark, wee hours of the morning, the city erupts into chaos. b. Widespread Chaos There’s no chance of peace tonight. Some may be lucky enough to escape the mists or its effects somehow, but the vast majority of the city hasn’t -- and it’s telling, from the sounds of people in the streets, that no one’s particularly happy about the turn of events. Many are in pain, many are blind with panic and upset. How could this happen? What’s going on? Many of the shouts attribute blame to the Coven allowing the practice of at-times experimental magics, while others turn it into anti-Monster sentiment, claiming the Monster population wants them all to suffer the way they do. Other tinfoil-hat-ists spread their conspiracy theories loudly, laying the blame squarely on Dorchacht - retribution for the Monsters the Mirrorbound stole from their city. This is an attack, they shout! The actual truth remains to be seen, however. There are plenty who don’t care about the truth and pay little attention to the rumors. They’re opportunists at heart, and a city in chaos is good for lining pockets. Some less-affected and less-moral citizens take to the streets of the Shopping and Aristocratic districts, throwing rocks through windows, banging down doors, looting shops and the houses of the wealthy of whatever valuables they can carry with them. Even a gang of kids from one of the orphanages in the Harbor District, sporting their own mismatched new features, can be spotted roaming the city, looting stores and homes, stealing from people incapacitated in the streets. They can’t pass up an opportunity when they have so little to begin with. c. State of Emergency Parliament, in contact with the Coven, is quick to declare a state of emergency in Aefenglom. A magical announcement rings out all through the city, loud and impossible to miss. Those who can keep it together are called upon to help find some sort of order before things devolve too badly and more damage is done than can be fixed. People will get hurt if things continue like this, they could even be looking at casualties. Those who have learned healing magic are asked to report to makeshift first aid stations scattered around the city to help those dealing with more violent, bloody transformations. Anyone with prior law enforcement experience are tasked with helping contain and stop the looting and the muggings. More still are called to try and figure out some way to get rid of the mist, or reverse its effects. None of the assignments are mandatory, plenty are unable to assist as they deal with their own afflictions, but any help is greatly appreciated.

II. Damage Control The chaos of the first night dies down somewhat by noon the next day. The air of forgiveness and cleaning up for the new year that was present at the beginning of the month is gone as the violet mist still spreads, wreaking havoc with the citizens of Aefenglom. Human citizens take it worse than the Monster half of the city, but one of the side-effects hits the Monster community harder. It quickly becomes apparent that the effects of this never-before-seen magic are not only physical. Fights break out over anything from minor slights to things worth fighting about, blossoming from a few thrown punches to all-out brawls that spill into the streets. Anger and agitation increase in most affected citizens, and you can cut the tension in the air with a knife. Relief efforts have to be redirected. Some can keep it together just enough to go about their daily lives as best they can with their new ‘additions’, but others rapidly start to lose their minds in ferality, even those with strong Witch-Monster Bonds. Miss Nessie is quick to whip the Coven into action to help preserve the peace as much as possible. There isn’t enough room to contain so many feral citizens, but they try to make do. All available Mirrorbound, Witch and Monster, who are able and want to help contain the people of Aefenglom or each other are taught a simple knock-out spell, or given slips of paper enchanted with the same, to literally knock some sense into the ferals. It won’t hurt them in the long term, but it will give them a time-out and help pull their minds out of their pits of animal instinct. Plenty of citizens will be thankful for this. That doesn’t mean everyone is happy to see the Mirrorbound around town. They may notice that they get more scowls while they’re out and about, more whispers and dirty looks. They come from humans the most, but especially the wealthier people of the city, dealing with their own share of terrible transformations, who mutter under their breaths words like, “Knew they would bring trouble with them. Knew it right from the start.” Known Mirrorbound may find themselves being kicked out of higher class shops in the Shopping District, or even spit on in the streets. Poorer citizens, especially Monsters, see things differently, however: they’ve seen the refugees from Dorchacht, they know what was done for some of their kind. They’ll admit that the Mirrorbound have brought trouble with them, but a little trouble isn’t always a bad thing - sometimes you’ve got to shake things up and disturb the status quo. Though they’re dealing with bizarre changes and an increased risk of going feral, they have faith that the Mirrorbound will help solve this problem. Of course, this difference in opinion just means both sides argue louder and fight harder.

III. The Refugees For those who’d found themselves rehomed, mostly Monsters and what few Witches came with, this is not what they had expected from a “full moon”. They’d been warned that certain urges would be stronger, that magic could wax and wane like the moons themselves, but this? This rampant disorder, the odd turning present in so many citizens and Mirrorbound alike, the Coven and Parliament’s bid on attempting some sort of damage control--? Is this what they left Dorchacht for, from one far too controlling city to one that didn’t seem to have any control at all? They aren’t in chains, at least. They can choose their Bonds if they’d like one. But it’s put them on edge enough that some linger by the docks, both wanting to leave to someplace “safe” in their eyes and wishing to stay. The latter wins out in most cases, seeking to help the Mirrorbound as they were helped themselves, though they may be suffering from the mists themselves... oddly, they seem to be more aware of themselves in a way that the natives are not, likely learned behavior leftover from Dorchacht to keep themselves in check; the compulsion spell had only helped compulsion, after all, there’d been a genuine want to remain secure and safe in their minds even with the situation as it was. Unfortunately, there’s plenty of locals who see the refugees as part of the problem -- before the Mirrorbound, before Dorchacht, Aefenglom had been fine, and in continuing these thoughts, they’re not... the friendliest to outsiders. Some are more likely to retaliate violently with new-found additions to their physiology and skillset when the refugees attempt to help, with whispers, conspiracy theories, and nasty rumors all the while spreading at a rapid pace. As bad as Dorchacht had been, maybe they had a point about the strange, suggestive magic used across the city. Maybe it’s something Aefenglom should look into too, during the fuller moons, should this be the beginning of something worse as the new year rises at the end of the month. But hopefully -- and this is the hope of all -- it simply remains a one-off, freak happening at the end of the year, and they pray the new one fares better.

IV. The Aftermath Thanks to quite a bit of Mirrorbound assistance, the city is still largely in one piece by the end of the day after the full moons. The mist, an unstable alchemical compound, eventually breaks down into nothing after a day or so, and the effects all fade or reverse, leaving everyone in their normal bodies and feeling clear-headed as the moons start to wane again. There are issues of property damage, stolen goods, and political discord to deal with, but the hardest to handle is perhaps the guilt of those who went feral and attacked their friends and loved ones. Samuin preparations continue with an unusual gloom hung over the city as clean-up and reparations commence. While before, though, humans and Monsters could often be found on the bridge over the River Temese, making amends with one another, the activity almost entirely ceases, leaving the bridge empty most days from now until Samuin.

Welcome to October's event log! This event takes place ICly on the 12th, 13th, and 14th. The Questions thread can be found HERE! Please help us and other players out by putting the subject(s) of your questions in your header! Investigation briefs will be going out soon on the OOC Sign Ups thread to the teams who were chosen by RNG, so keep an eye out for that. And as always, while we do encourage you to use this log, you can feel free to thread things out on your own log or elsewhere.

Comments

[betweenduskanddawn]

[Corrin didn't relax immediately, studying the woman for a handful of seconds before she lowered the tip of her own sword towards the ground. She didn't sheath it, not quite yet, but she at least lowered her guard a little bit.]

...Thanks, I think. [Eh, she'd take a compliment like that, at least. A quick glance behind her at the people she'd gotten in front of, with a gesture of her head, to urge them to take off.]

Hopefully they won't risk looting again. Not if they think they'll run into you.

[She said as she looked back.]

[belligerentwarrior]

[Once, as far as Fang was concerned.]

Don't know if I'd bathe you.

[There's humor in her voice, though. She starts to relax again, though a part of her mind won't stop prickling about the danger.]

Let me get this right. The least you can do is pet the lady that tried to break your arm, ask her about her troubles, and go outta your way to hand wash her. [Another chuckle.] Not sure if I wanna know what the most you can do is.

[sing_for_me]

Considering what I tried to do to you, I’m surprised you didn’t break it.

[ Once was more than enough for Alex, and to not have been punished for what she did? Of course she was grateful. ]

I don’t think you’d trust me to not drown you in a bathtub anyway.

[ She does return the joke, moving away from the heavier statement. ]

w o w

[hoboagogo]

['Talk to me' she says. The most simple request in the world, and so of course it makes his mind go instantly blank-- or, rather, swarming with everything that had happened, everything he doesn't want to put to words, or to voice. She wants him to talk to fill the gap between them, to make it easier for her to pay attention despite the blood soaking her scarf, tugging at her consciousness.

She'd threatened to have Elliot chase him, but really, despite his urge to flee, he knows he wouldn't. Not with her hurt and injured and exhausted like this.

An exhaled huff, and he tilts his head back to rest against the wall behind them, brows furrowing as he scans the misty night sky above them, moons hanging so thick in the sky. Just talk. That's it.]

About--? Hell, I dunno.

[And with his heartrate finally easing down, he's more aware of the burning ache in his own arm, where the knife is sticking out and weighing it down-- but he's felt worse. Maybe not lived through worse, but definitely felt it. This sucks, but he can still breath, he can still feel, he'll make it on through.

He doesn't want to ask her if she thinks Elliot will make it here okay. Or if this return to sanity is only temporary. Or-- anything pressing or important, despite how much he wants to know the answers. But it would be so stupid to just talk about something inane and meaningless. But maybe he's just thinking too much, still in his own mental shock and trying to sort it all through.]

Maybe talk about how much shit Elliot's gonna give us. [Not completely off topic-- but. Light enough, hopefully?]

He's always gotta swoop in and put people back together, huh. First he's gotta deal with your harpy friend losing it, now this....

[inlikethebrume]

-!?

[She yelps when she feels herself being lifted off the ground and Mira knows taking her sword out is not an option when it comes to nicer people. That's why immediately before he does anything else rather stupid, she brings one hand to his face, smacking him in the nose.]

Either you set me down right now or I will make you do it! And trust me, you do not want that second option.

[weirdnecro]

[Maybe sometime they'll go shopping. She's not a big fashionista, but there would be a delight in just stripping him bit by bit...

Hoo. She couldn't blame her bonds for her friskiness; she just wanted to enjoy some of Eren's carnal attentions. Then again, every time she thought of him telling her she was free...

Mercy. ]

That depends.

[She tilts her head up at him, trying not to chuckle. Looked like he was trying to give her incentive to take off her bralette already. Sneaky dragon. Though they both knew what he was doing.]

How much of a chance will there be of one of us sneaking a taste if the panties come off?

[High. Pretty high. She might even encourage him to go for more then a taste.]

[long_live_the_queen]

[The pain Kaede had been expecting didn't materialize, at least not in the way she thought. Teeth didn't clamp down on her throat and choke off her windpipe, jaws didn't crush her arm. Claws did pull long lacerations into her shoulder, though, and Kaede snarled as she twisted away to escape.

But escape she did, with nothing snarling right after her. Fang had gone quiet, and untangling from the Turnskin's limbs was all Kaede needed to do before she could roll to her feet and finally get a look.

Well. That answered whether or not they still worked. Fang was alive, yes, just out. Really out.

The Coven Witch hadn't specified how long the seals would last, though. After a few moments of getting her breath back, Kaede circled the Turnskin slowly, until she was at an angle where her injuries were less visible. The Chimera lowered her head, and waited another cautious minute.]

Fang. Get up.

[Her voice still echoed, but it almost sounded like Kaede's this time.]

[belligerentwarrior]

[Joking is good, and Fang would grin if she could. Aside from the rare flash of stubbornness, the other woman had been so... timid. The jests were the most relaxed Fang's seen her.]

[She tenses, but only briefly, as the merrow's hands pass by a particularly sensitive scrape on her side.]

It's funny you think I've got a tub large enough to drown me in. [Tall people problems.]

[Fang begins to be breathe a soft, lazy growl on each exhale—the closest a jaguar can get to purring.]

[lightblooming]

[ She scowls then, her wings pressing together. ]

The real monsters are the ones encouraging violence.

[sing_for_me]

[ Fang could thank the moon for that. But also herself. Alex felt somewhat comfortable around her.

Alex stops when Fang tenses, watching her when she relaxes again. ]

You need bandages...

[ As reluctant as she was to even suggest leaving, what with how comfortable they were. ]

[long_live_the_queen]

[Zack took the bait; Kaede reared up, tearing the seal off of her shoulder. And getting her antlers out of the way of his face, letting Zack in closer--close enough for her to act.

But he was faster than she'd expected, and made actual contact first--lifting her off her feet entirely. Kaede's forelimb shot forwards before he pinned it, smashing the seal against his chest. Another fragment of calm left her mind with it, so it must have still had some charge.

...of course, that didn't stop the rest of his momentum from slamming her into the ground, back first. There was just as much force here as when he'd smashed their heads together, and the air rushed out of her lungs as stars clouded Kaede's vision.

The impact jarred more of her changed form loose, splitting it away in ragged, shadowy pieces. Like fragments of broken ceramic, with each one flaking away to reveal feather and skin beneath--Kaede's humanoid form beneath the trailing shadows.]

[showsnopiety]

All right, way more. We can think of-

[Her breath catches, and she squirms in his grip. Whoops, the nips were well received. Seemed she had a weakness for this, especially under the full moon.]

-a plan.

[She does sound breathless, but she's not pulling away either. It's been too long, and even without the spiced drink, they have a certain chemistry she can't deny.]

There was a lot of cleaning up, and trying not to get pulled into some sudden undermining nonsense of Nessie Bell. It seemed too well timed with the trip.

[showsnopiety]

[Oh no, if it hadn't been for Ignis, she would be stubbornly alone and likely had some incidents due to going feral.

For now though she was just going to go through the stinging without whining about it.]

Mostly around medical alchemy. But then, I've a background when it comes to nursing and the like so-it makes some sense.

You're not asking for lessons, are you?

[Her voice briefly turned wry as she peered up at him.]

I suppose there could be weirder things you could be asking for. Like a date.

[She's teasing him, even while he's cleaning her wounds.]

[belligerentwarrior]

They stopped bleedin' a while ago. I'll live. Just scratches.

[Not like they could stay here long, anyway. The chill of the water'd make her hypothermic eventually.]

[long_live_the_queen]

[Kaede's ears flicked at that information; Chandra hadn't mentioned how the...process of being a Planeswalker worked before. Kaede simply assumed it was something she was born with, the same way Kaede was born a diclonius but hadn't realized it.]

Like that, yes. [Ish.] I didn't know what I...was, for years.

[partnerinheels]

[Lucky for him and, unbeknownst to the turnskin, lucky for her as well. Near everyone she's run into thus far has been in a similar state of feral aggression, and while her encounters should have worn her down by this point thanks to their vigor and number, Sheva finds that she continues to burn with that feral energy.

The need to claim and therefore protect the familiar man encroaching on her territory fuels her onward, padding behind him through shadows and past unworthy distractions. Her focus remains on him. To her, he smells just delightful, and there are moments where she can't quite decide whether or not to eat him. He probably tastes even better than he smells.

In the end, it's the shiny reflections of light off his metal arm that compel her to attack, pupils eclipsing her eyes as she suddenly sprints towards him and tackles him, teeth and claws aimed aggressively at that arm she enjoys so much.]

[sing_for_me]

Doesn’t meant they can’t get worse.

[ And yes, while Alex could stay here all night, Fang couldn’t. She carefully lifts Fang back on to land, then pulls herself up as well. ]

Where do you live?

[weirdnecro]

[It'd be fun to talk about Magi but-this wasn't a way to go about it. Hearing that, she tilted her head, her eyes narrowing slightly.]

Are you saying they wanted to keep your body pure?

[It sounded as if they wanted to make him a ritual sacrifice. Not just vanity. She understood how there were cultures against marking the body but-it almost sounded as if his body wasn't his own.

But she could be reading too into it.]

I'll bet you your wand that you'll see some difference in the next two months.

[belligerentwarrior]

[Fang grumbles after she's set back on land. She'd just gotten used to the weightlessness of floating; gravity was unpleasant again.]

[She shakes a little of the water off, then start's picking at the enchanted papers tucked under bangles. Right. She'll probably have to get new ones.]

Haven. Been staying with a Witch called Ursula in the apartments.

[Fang runs a paw-hand along her tail, squeezing more water out.]

[weirdnecro]

[She didn't blame him for his nerves. That'd been a close call for him, and it took more then a few moments to recover from that, especially after getting things pelted at him.]

They could have, but they didn't. I've had to deal with groups before.

[And against dangerous magical people like himself. She tsked him, and moved to come closer, offering a hand.]

I'm fine. If you don't mind-I'd like to see to the gash on your head. Head wounds are messy to deal with.

[sing_for_me]

Okay, then.

[ She scoots over to slip her arms under Fang again, then spreads her wings wide. It takes a strong flaps, but she does eventually get them hovering over the ground. ]

[belligerentwarrior]

[That Fang wasn't expecting. She tenses again, coiling like a spring ready to claw her way from the merrow's grasp; but then her mind seizes control from the reflexive reaction, and the turnskin gives a delighted laugh.]

Oh, it's been ages since I've flown.

[sporelett]

[Wow, they’re really going at it. Abrupt appearance aside, she’s actually glad that Steak decided to show up with his friend―he’s dinner and a show all in one. Not that she’s particularly hungry for beef. It’s just extremely satisfying to see someone else giving him a hard time.]

Kaneka Nyskie, at your service!

[She gives Steak’s trenchant companion a smile and a bow like the practised entertainer she is, deciding to err on the side of civility if for no other reason than to get Steak’s goat.]

Acrobat, thief, performer, and erstwhile magician.

[hearthebell]

[Yes; he's suffering. His fingers move up the SQUIP's neck, feeling for a pulse point as he swallows nothing and imagines a full-bodied, delicious wash of sustenance pouring down his throat that's too dry, too wanting.

His eyes are half-closed, heavy-lidded, considering with no small amount of outright lust for the SQUIP's body on multiple levels. It's human, yes, but it goes beyond that. So far beyond it.

His will is fast flagging, but maybe it was never resolute in the first place. He knew that the SQUIP would offer this, just as powerfully as the SQUIP can sense what it costs him to resist it.]

Then... help me...

[He gives the SQUIP a choice in the matter, on a rough surface level. The first part of it that gets near L's mouth will be what those fangs sink into.]

[chainveil]

[ Just a scratch. Just a minuscule little thing that's become the focus of her entire world, at least for the moment. Is this what that damned Voldaren woman felt at one of her parties? The decidedly opulent overture of class as they feast on the blood of the living? Shadowy manors fit Liliana as much as they fit the native vampires of Innistrad. But there was one key difference--Liliana controlled dead, they were death.

At least, until now.

But her conceptual difficulties with the fact that she was no longer Death's Majesty pale in comparison to the surge of desire that shoots through her. The woman doesn't pull away and she isn't sure how long she can keep up the charade. ]

Shh.

[ She intends the hush to be soothing, but it's sharper than she might otherwise be. She lifts Gwen's forearm closer to her face, pretending to inspect the wound.

It's too dangerously close.

She can't resist--she brings her lips close enough to taste. Checking the wound for infection. Clearly...

Just her lips. A gentle press of her lips are warmer than the rest of her body as what blood she does have rushes to them in excitement. Liliana can feel her fangs growing longer in her mouth, but her lips smear the fresh blood across the other woman's skin. ]