☆ 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

[fromjapan]

... very well.

[It leans up to lightly press its warm mouth against the side of his neck; he's so cold, and it's a cold that radiates outward from within, as though he's lost whatever internal source of heat was there when they fell asleep together earlier.

As it moves, however, it thinks... and pieces start to fall into place. The scales along its body, the horns-- it's seen similar traits on other mirrorbound.

Monster traits. This Mist must be shifting their forms to feature Monster traits. It recognizes its own form, then, the reptilian features-- were it not for the horns, it would suspect it was becoming a snake, but the horns set it squarely in a more mythological realm.

A dragon. Not unlike one Richard Goranski.

So, then... what could L be? It isn't sure it's met anything that was so... lifeless as of yet.

... it recalls mention of something recently, a call for help-- a blood drive, for a local bar whose clientele was...

... vampires. It would fit with their common mythology... the SQUIP pulls away a bit, grazing fingers over L's lips.]

Open your mouth.

[hearthebell]

[L pulls the SQUIP closer, because every little bit of warmth it provides is amplified. He covets it almost obsessively, sure that he could be set on fire and it still wouldn't be enough to ease this chill.

As the SQUIP's fingertips graze over his mouth, he opens, revealing the sharpened canines his own tongue has been fretting over on multiple passes.]

It's... fairly obvious, I think.

[Can he get warm? That's actually turning into his major concern.]

[fromjapan]

... maybe you need to be warmed from the inside.

[It means that much less suggestively than he may be hoping. Vampires feed on fresh blood, or at least blood that has been well kept, and...

... well. It's offered its blood to him before, for what he perceived as less dire reasons-- and his discomfort and worry is bleeding over the Bond, heightening the SQUIP's own anxiety over helping him.]

[hearthebell]

[Round and overlarge eyes blink at what does, indeed, sound like a pretty forward suggestion. He speaks slowly and carefully when he does.]

It's bee awhile since we've done that... but if we can locate that particular extension, I wouldn't be opposed.

[While L prefers to take a dominant role in this sort of situation, when he's tired or the mood strikes him, he doesn't particularly see anything wrong with switching things up. In his current chilled state, it seems like a perfectly reasonable suggestion as far as attempting to raise his body temperature goes.

Drinking blood, strangely, is quite an afterthought.]

[fromjapan]

[... the SQUIP makes a face at L that L probably hasn't seen in quite a while.]

I was referring to the way that vampires feed. If that is, indeed, what you are, then you're meant to be feeding on warm blood. I think that may be the source of how... cold and odd you currently feel: you need blood.

[hearthebell]

[His gaze back is level, unamused and unblinking.]

You... want me to drink your blood.

[He actually wants to. Now that it's been suggested, it sounds like an amazing, irresistible idea.]

I'd rather not take it from you.

[He'll take it from anyone. His body knows it, his will knows it; only his mind holds out.]

[fromjapan]

You can't lie to me, L. I know you do. And who better? At least, if it's from me, we can be certain that no one who could use the information against us later would know.

[It presses against him, reaches up to cup his face.]

You're suffering. I can feel it over the Bond. Let me help you... and then we can focus on figuring out what's going on.

[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.]

[fromjapan]

[The neck, though traditional, is remarkably dangerous... so, instead, it offers him its wrist, another traditional location for a vampire to feed from.

It braces itself, and he will feel the way its muscles tense where it's pressed against him, the slight quickening of its pulse where his fingers are pressed there against it... though the wash of lust over their Bond is not unnoticed, nor is it easy to ignore, that heat settling low in its stomach.

But it will focus on that later. For now... L needs it.]

[hearthebell]

[The wrist will certainly suffice. L reaches for it, wrapping his fingers around it in a vice grip. He tries to resist the urge to just sink his teeth in immediately, pressing his lips against the skin and the veins so close to the surface, but the warmth and the scent only drives his desperation and his hunger. The SQUIP's heart is beating faster, and if that isn't like taking a savory, hot soup and stirring it right under his nose...

His teeth are incredibly sharp. The penetration is smooth and easy, all things considered, perhaps far less painful than the SQUIP might have ever imagined. He pulls the SQUIP's wrist closer, drawing on the living chalice like his life depends on it, and to be fair, it just might.]

[fromjapan]

[It gasps as the incredibly sharp fangs slip through its skin so easily, as if it were made of paper. Its fingers flex, and then relax in his powerful grasp, its breathing sharper against L's chest, his ear.

Beneath his lips, and over his tongue, L will be able to feel the racing of its heart; and over the bond, it can feel it as well, and the feedback loop of nerves and cravings, of indulgence and heat and satisfaction, and it presses its face against L's neck, breathing hot and sharp.

There is an odd, alien kind of intimacy in this-- or maybe it's feedback from L's own mind, his body, but either way, even as heat is lost through the wound, sucked away from it by the one who's worked so hard to keep it intact previously, a different heat collects and gathers beneath its freshly scaled skin.

Somewhere against L's stomach, he'll begin to feel a pressing heat and slickness-- slight, for now, the beginning of something, but... it's there.]

[hearthebell]

[The rich novelty of the experience is heady enough, as rushes go... but simply the fact that L so rarely communicates either his desire or his satisfaction with indulgence in visible or clear ways could be both a notable and highly effective enhancement. His eyes roll back in his skull as his fangs sink in a little deeper, and the blood flows more freely and he can almost hear it singing as it pounds in his own ears.

He could fall into this gentle haze and slump over as one dead to the world in an opium den... but there's pressure on his stomach that has nothing to do with its warm liquid contents. Both of his hands are engaged, but he arches against it, hooking a shin around the back of the SQUIP's thigh, the body language and nonverbal signals flowing together far more seamlessly than usual.]

[fromjapan]

[Well. It seems that it was right. This was not only something L needed, but also something his body seems to crave in multiple ways. The SQUIP's wrist aches, its head spins, but the rush shared over the Bond is remarkably distracting from any discomfort it may be experiencing... and the press of his body against it only enhances the effect, earning a soft breath against his ear, a press back against him.

... there is something... different about the contact there, though. The heat of it is intense, the skin slick and smooth, and...

... and there are two points of that hot, slick contact emerging, pressing against L's cooler belly as it arches back against him.

It feels... strange, intense, and the SQUIP's breathing shivers at the doubled intensity, the odd new sensation.]

[hearthebell]

[While the fangs might be sharp, the force of L's jaw clamping down on the SQUIP's wrist is crushing. It'll almost certainly leave a bruise, but he's not thinking of that. Just the hunger that's a gaping pit, the heat that's swelling and rising that needs to become a part of him before his veins freeze and he actually turns into a block of ice.

He finds himself open and receptive to a surprising amount of possibilities, and he lets go with his right hand to bring a hand between them and caress his partner. But his fingers meet with something both fully expected, and its exact copy.

He's breathless, coming up for air, looking as though he's wearing very smeared lipstick as he simply considers the logistical challenges they're presented with.]

[fromjapan]

[The SQUIP takes the opportunity to heal its wrist-- to at least close the outer wound and stop the bleeding, for now, before it becomes dangerous to it, or before it loses itself too much in whatever's going to happen next to remember.

... and then it realizes what L has discovered as soon as it feels his hand wander over them, and it stares at him in fairly equal confusion.]

... that is... new.

[It picks itself up a bit, looking down their bodies.

The twin organs hanging between them are pink and slick, their shape different from its usual-- bulbed and ridged, and the SQUIP rolls itself off of L to offer them both a better look.]

I guess the good news is that we found it. [It can't help but give him a little bit of a smirk. This... is not a change it expected, but maybe it should've. Are all Monsters changed so... intimately?]

[hearthebell]

[It's handy, endlessly, that the SQUIP has excelled at healing the way L always seemed to be incapable of. L notices it in passing, because there's so many other things going on as his body feels newly alive, and warm and pleasure seeps toward his toes and fingertips as everything wakes up again.

It's... still distracting, though. The fact that the SQUIP is working with double what it should be packing, and the equation doesn't exactly balance. He turns to stare at them, eyes flicking between the strangely-shaped new members, then up toward the SQUIP's face...

...then right back down again.]

"It?" That's not quite accurate...

[Plural tense is required to describe... these.]

Should I just...

[He reaches for them, effectively double-fishing the SQUIP's dicks, considering his approach in a slow, strategic manner.]

[fromjapan]

Hhh--

[Oh, that is a lot. The sudden, doubled sensation makes even the SQUIP shiver against him, its soft lips parting with a hissed breath.

Beneath L's fingers, the new organs are hot to the touch, smoother than its regular equipment, save for the bulbed new shape, and beating hot with blood. Its hips arch up, its eyes fluttering closed.]

A-ah. They're... sensitive...

[hearthebell]

[L snatches his fingers back; they curl uncertainly against his palm, the memory of the unnatural warmth fresh and new and continually cycling through his thoughts.

More slowly and carefully, he reaches for the SQUIP again. This time, it's one hand, one member. Perhaps it's better to start a bit less suddenly.]

Only in tandem, or each individually?

[Some context, relative to what he himself has experienced and witnessed the SQUIP experiencing in the past, would be helpful.]

[fromjapan]

[That does seem to go over better; it settles a bit, its breathing easing off from the nearly-startled panting it began with and slowing into a deeper, more easy pattern, its eyes dark as it gazes down between their bodies at the place L is stroking it.]

Both. The one in your hand is still... more sensitive than my usual equipment, but... nh, it's much less overwhelming now...

[It's still a lot... but it's good now, better, and its twin cocks twitch, one beneath the contact, the other visible, beating heatedly in the air between them.]

[hearthebell]

[L tries to mentally nudge aside just how absurd this is. It's almost more clinical than sensual, a determination to find out what's going on with their new bodies rather than to explore them with smirking, pleasurable intent.]

"Less overwhelming" isn't automatically "good". Do you believe that it's a matter of getting used to it, or do you want me to stop?

[fromjapan]

[Well, the growing heat that spills over the Bond may begin to help ease that sensation; it seems to be adjusting after a moment of that contact, the rhythms of its body settling into a pace more familiar to L-- heated, quickened, but not overwhelmed or shocked.

It arches just slightly, pushing into his touch, the twin to the member he's currently stroking twitching against the back of his wrist.]

... I can adjust. [It smirks slightly at him.]

[hearthebell]

[The heat, before anything else, draws L in and lets him breathe a little easier. He sighs against the SQUIP, nodding, allowing contact with the other member while still lavishing the one in his grip with gentle attention.]

I hope so, because...

[He strokes the SQUIP, nestling his forehead against its chest.]

I'm still so cold.