☆ 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.

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Towa Herschel | OTA

[overworker]

I. The Mist

a. Mornyan (Trails Household)

[Through the night, Towa slept surprisingly well. More than she normally would have. Unlike her, she sleeps through her body's natural alarm. The sun is rather bright when she does stir. There's a natural sense that something is off as she yawns awake, but nothing that stops her from going about her morning routine-- albeit with a bit more gusto as she jumps out of the bed, realizing she slept in an hour later than she intended to. But when she makes her way to the mirror; the reflection that greets her is both her own and yet not. Cat eyes stare back in shock, and ears twitch and fold back naturally as her expression shifts to horror. Her nails, normally cut short and neat have grown out to sharp, yet manageable lengths. And behind her, a tail swishes anxiously with it's hair on end.

All who share a residence with her may hear the cat-like screech as she recognizes that she is very much not still asleep.]

b. Afternyan (Out and About)

[Having had some time to come to terms with the changes, Towa is ever the type to press forward and not let things keep her down-- so she fully intends to do her best with this situation.

It takes some getting used to. Those with feathery or fishy changes may notice her eyes drawn to them in an almost predatory way. The eyes follow, in an almost trance-like state. She seems to be adjusting her stance; going low to the ground and--

Just one sudden move and they may find themselves being pounced upon, her small body doing the best it can to tackle them to the ground, pressed under her smaller predator body.

...at which point she seems to realize what she's done as it slowly sinks in, a flustered look on her face bringing with it an embarrassed apology.]

O-oh my gosh, I-I'm so so sorry!

c. Evenyan (Out and About)

[Towa normally keeps all kinds of hours with her various work. But keeping her usual schedule has been incredibly difficult for a change. Between instincts that want her to nap in the sun or chase some shiny thing or another, focus isn't her strong suit right now and it's several kinds of frustrating.]

...focus, Towa! Just need to get to the grocery store...

[Maybe she could use some help-- for better or for worse, either sticking to or breaking free from her scheduled lifestyle; whether you want to bring order or chaos to her life.]

Wildcard. Anything else not covered above can be worked out in here! Throw something at me, or plot something with me. I can do personalized starters too, for any plans!

b

[prayerwheel]

[ She's mostly puca, but her arms are pretty scaly. Merrow, she thinks? Fitting, that she'd be a water monster. She doesn't understand the puca part, though.

And yeah, she's distracted enough that Towa lands a complete strike on her. Down she goes, with a yelp. ]

My gods! [ a slight huff. she looks a little bit mad, but not nearly as much as a normal person would be for getting running-tackled by a stranger. hm ] What was that for?

[overworker]

[The mix of characteristics is so unique, that it had intrigued Towa; but even more so her feline senses. The parts of her that are merrow stir a predator drive in Towa, where the soft puca parts pull at a more playful side of her senses.

Another part of her thinks the girl herself is strikingly pretty, and she's just done something utterly careless-- that it's no wonder she's irritated with Towa's behavior.

But her nose continues to twitch curiously, even as she tries; rather unsuccessfully, to battle against her new impulses.]

I'm-- not quite sure. I'm not... used to being like, well-- this. You're not hurt though, are you? I hope I didn't cause you any harm.

[prayerwheel]

The wind's been knocked out of me, but I believe I'm fine.

[ ...is Towa going to get up, now? Laying in a tangle on the floor with someone isn't exactly her idea of a fine time, especially when she feels this frazzled.

But then again, she's not moving her herself. ]

[overworker]

[Another cat trait that Towa hasn't been able to quite shake is it's affectionate nature. While part of her knows she should probably be getting up; there's a warmth between them that's nice. And the other girl hasn't told her to move or tried to get her off, so maybe it's alright for just a moment longer...]

Thank goodness. I would have felt terrible if you'd gotten hurt because of me.

[...maybe just a little longer...]

Oh-- I don't think we've met before. My name's Towa Herschel... what's yours?

B, as discussed.

[unyieldingmarch]

[Towa...small as she is, leaping on Edelgard has mixed results. The Emperor is quick and stout, but she's fairly unprepared for being jumped at from the side. So, she goes down...rolling with the hit and snapping both of her arms up into place to capture the stranger that'd just tackled her by the sides.

She may be "down" and pressed to the ground, but the grip on Towa's sides is nothing short of iron. She doesn't squeeze down yet, instead just stares up into the other woman's face.]

...What in the world was that for?!

[She blurts out, stunned.]

[overworker]

[The tumble almost caused an upset but Towa's instincts were enough to let her come out on top-- it's certainly no natural instinct of hers, so she has to attribute it once again to the cat-like nature that's taken over her life.

But even though she may have come out on top; she is not quite simply the victor; while the other girl's grip remains firmly in place.]

It was... well, it wasn't an accident, but I didn't mean for it to happen either. I'm not doing a very good job at keeping my cat instincts under control since I got them earlier this morning and.... well I think... they thought you smelled rather nice.

[It's. An odd compliment, to be certain. And an equally odd explanation, but she seems earnest enough about her apology.]

[unyieldingmarch]

I...don't understand? You...

[Edelgard's grip doesn't lighten up, but her hands don't tighten either, which may be a small blessing. Confused, she searches the other's eyes for a better explanation, her nose wrinkling up as color comes to her cheeks.

She smells nice? That's an utterly new one for her. She does take it as a compliment, because how else could one take it? With that level of honesty and earnestness, it's hard not to take it seriously.]

...You jumped on me because I smell nice? What would you have done if I hadn't caught your waist?

[Simply, this does not happen to her. Explain.]

[overworker]

Well, I'm a cat now so... I... probably would have licked you?

[Shes familiar enough with the affectionate ways of cats. Her mind stays firmly planted on the more innocent side, because that's embarrassing enough to admit. Jumping strangers isn't like her in the slightest, lovely or not.]

Cats can be mischievous but the instincts I've had are more prone to affection than violence-- but that part may just be my own personality underneath all these sudden changes.

[showsnopiety]

Miss Towa.

[She was surprised to see her. Caren looked...well, rumbled. Things were pretty intense, one way or another, and Caren hadn't had much sleep but...other then the sleepy slow blink, she managed to walk over without too much trouble.]

This is a pleasant surprise. Everything all right...?

[Paaaaause.]

Other then the cat features.

[overworker]

Oh! Good evening Caren.

[Torn away from her tough choice for a moment, she's happy to see a familiar face.]

Ahahaha... so you noticed.

[She says, knowing full well there's no way she wouldn't notice.]

Everything's fine-- you know, except for the cat part. That part's... well. A catastrophe.

[Sometimes you just need to laugh in the face of disaster.]

[showsnopiety]

If nothing else, the scent tipped me off.

[Towa, it's as obvious as a nose on your face. And the pun...Caren pulled a pained face.]

Ah. Yes. I suppose it is. I'm glad you're not in a panic at least. I've met too many people who have been...rather inconsolable.

[overworker]

Ahaha, you got me there.

[Sorry Caren. She surrounds herself with too many idiots not to pick up a few bad jokes.]

Well... I got off pretty easy, honestly compared to others. But it was quite a shock after being here so long and never going through something like that before.

[She was initially much more of a mess. But she has a habit of pulling herself together pretty well.]

c

[mantiger]

. . . Do you need help, miss?

[ Thankfully for her, in spite of the cat ears, tail and surprising tiger limbs he doesn't have any issues in terms of instincts. Even if he probably does look strange like this. ]

[overworker]

Oh! Ahaha... Sorry, I'm just standing around like an idiot, huh?

[At least she has no problem laughing at herself, even in this situation.]

As a cat, I'm actually pretty terrible at staying focused-- I've never had this problem before. But I shouldn't let that stop me.

[Or in other words, she plans to fight it.]

[mantiger]

I wouldn't go that far. . .

[ Although she does look like she's struggling with something that's for certain. ]

I don't have that problem myself, but if you need someone to help you stay focused, I don't mind helping. Sometimes you just need another person to talk to.

[overworker]

Really? I wouldn't want to trouble you, but if you're free I would certainly enjoy the company.

[It would be a good way to hold herself accountable.]

If I brought back nothing but fish from the store I'd probably hear about it for quite a while.

a

[bad_crowmance]

[ Crow had either just woken up or he hadn't gone to bed yet-- he knows the answer, but no one else probably does. Either way, it's not long after her strident scream that there's a knock on the door and a concerned friend's voice calling out from behind it-- ]

Hey, you okay in there?

[overworker]

[There's a small bit of panicked fumbling from inside the room for a moment, mid-reply.]

I-I'm fine! Totally...

[A minute later her head pokes out from behind the cracked door and-- she's. Wearing a hat. And she's kind of squinting weird. In a horribly suspicious way.]

...fine!

[bad_crowmance]

[ "Fine," she says, sounding not fine at all. Crow shakes his head at her, giving an amused sigh. ]

Two years and you haven't gotten any better at lying, huh?

[ Though really it's one of her charm points. ]

[overworker]

[And of course he looks perfectly fine, like nothing's changed at all. That's... that's good. But that doesn't explain what's wrong with her.]

...haaaaaahhhh. Okay, I'm not fine.

[She's absolutely going to regret this.]

But if I tell you, you have to swear not to laugh.

I-b.

[thirdbeauty]

[It's impossible to mistake Natsuru, from her increasingly petite Fae stature and features, and that particular blue shade of hair. From the waist up, she hasn't changed much since the last time Towa would have seen her. It's mainly the fish tail and some subtler details that are different.

She's just lounging by a wheeled bathtub in town, dressed in only something akin to a bikini top, and looking a bit embarrassed about it. She doesn't want to ruin her normal clothes by constantly getting them wet, though, and this is pretty modest compared to some things she's worn...

She's trying not to notice people in general so much, that the sudden collision of another body pouncing her to the ground makes her shriek in surprise.]

[overworker]

[It was those fish-like qualities that drew Towa's cat instincts to Natsuru, even though she'd never intended it to end like this. Just a moment of weakness was all it took and her cat brain had it in it's mind to jump the poor girl. In the back of her mind she knew who it was-- there was no way she wouldn't recognize the girl that she was Bonded to. Even if she couldn't see it, she could feel it. But even that hadn't been enough to stop her instincts.

There's a surprisingly gentle grace to the way that Towa lands on her, the attack being intentional and all, on the cat's part. Her arms and legs hit the ground near Natsuru's body, trapping her in, while her body presses in close to try and pin her "prey" to the ground.

Which is awkward on several levels when Natsuru is wearing an (otherwise practical) bikini top.

It doesn't take Towa long to realize what she'd allowed herself to do and flush several shades of red.]

N-N-Natsuru... I'm so sorry, are you alright?!

[Even now though, her nose twitches...

Natsuru has a nice scent that appeals to her sharp, feline senses.]

[thirdbeauty]

[Natsuru lands, not too roughly, and makes another little surprised gasp at how closely the other body presses in to pin her down. In the span of that happening, she's recognized the face above her. The eyes are different, and the cat ears and flicking tail behind her are new. But she feels that recognition resonate regardless. It has to be her Bonded witch.]

Towa-san?!

[Towa's not the only one embarrassed; Natsuru's blush matches hers, if it doesn't exceed. Far from being startled at being pounced now, she's only able to think about how closely Towa is pressed up against her. And herself being almost naked while it's happening-! She shifts and squirms a little - not enough to constitute a struggle to slip away, though. She's sure Towa will let her up...]

Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Where... did you...?

[She seriously had no idea Towa was anywhere near until she recognized who pounced her!]

[overworker]

Y-yeah...

[She feels bad that she had warned her Bonded about the changes that had happened to her. They had shown up rather suddenly, but it was more the chaos that followed between Crow picking on her and then helping Elliot with his own, more difficult changes-- she'd barely had time to think about what she should be doing about herself.]

I'm sorry, I really should have told you... but it's been... pretty crazy. But because of that I didn't realize it had affected you too.

[Towa couldn't help but think she really should have checked up on her, once she knew what was going on. But then once she'd finally checked on the guild and made it outside, things were already in mass chaos.]