☆ 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

[sageprincess]

[The princess scrambles to her feet as she puts distance between herself and Shadow, her mind spinning through her options with the speed seven years of Impa's teaching taught her. Okay, okay, turnskin weaknesses-- silver, iron... or was that fae? No matter, she doesn't have either at hand. There were certain herbs too; she recalls nightshade can supposedly dull their senses, but she doesn't have any of that either! Would Shadow count as more chimera now, or--

... She's not being followed. Zelda tears her focus away from pure survival to look at Shadow, to really look at her, and not just at the beast she fears, and she's... suffering.

It's a trick, that trained-in survival instinct thinks. She needs to keep her distance, lest she be caught off guard yet again. But, though she was raised in the shadows, her birthright is a bleeding heart of light.]

Shadow... I-- I may be able to help you, but you will have to allow me to do so. Do you understand?

[Her muscles are still tense, her body still ready to flee at a moment's notice, but she steps forward, cautiously, hand raised in placation as she does.]

[scatmaam]

[ Shadow reached to grab a nearby table that was set against the wall, shouting as she tossed the thing to the side, not at Zelda or even really near her. It smashed to pieces against a lighting fixture, shattering it and causing megitech sparks to spray out, showering Scathach in magical embers, her chest still heaving with heavy breaths. She had to let the aggression out somehow, but she didn't dare harm Zelda any more than she had. She was prey, but she was still Zelda... ]

N-need... and outlet... Can't keep it inside...

[sageprincess]

[She flinches away, frightened as the end table and lamp both shatter to pieces under the force of Shadow's... anger? Zelda doesn't know what emotion to prescribe to the action, but she gasps regardless, holding her breath as she forces down every instinct telling her to run, run as far and as fast as you can and don't look back--]

Just...

[Her heart is beating like a rabbit's, pulse thundering in her ears, but she steps forward, hand reaching up and through Shadow's thick hair to rest at the nape of her neck. She pulls her down, pressing her forehead to the other woman's as she has seen various Bonded pairs at the Coven do on occasion, and prays to every god that might hear her that this works.]

Just breathe, all right? That is all you need do; just... focus on breathing.

[Her power is woefully limited under the light of the full moons, and she's already used a not-insignificant amount of what she had left in the scramble to avoid being torn to ribbons (or... whatever Shadow had planned for her). But the school of abjuration is not merely about protection; it also relates to healing and dispelling. The moons are the closest thing this world has to gods, as far as she's aware, and so she has no hope of dispelling their effect on Shadow's mind entirely, but... perhaps, just perhaps, if she is very lucky, she may be able to clear away some of the mist that has settled around her thoughts like a haze.

Her fingers are cool at Shadow's neck, a gentle chill that gradually works it's way up through the base of her skull to the crown of her head, like a refreshing breeze in the height of summer.

She's trembling.]

[scatmaam]

[ The coolness of her touch made her flinch, but it fought so well against the boiling fury within her. The tempering of that fire was slow, Shadow doing as she was told and focusing solely on taking deep breaths, the lunar influence in her mind shifting from screams to something well more tolerable...

But that's when she noticed Zelda trembling. And for knowing she caused it, she couldn't help but feel shame, her own hands reaching slowly, fingers shaking, to frame against the princess's jaw, holding her there with surprising tenderness. ]

You should have run... I... I would not have blamed you... [ She still should, by her reckoning, but here she was, showing more courage than Shadow had given her credit for. She'd always pegged Zelda as a woman of wisdom... and this seemed like a very foolish thing to attempt. ]

[sageprincess]

Perhaps I have drawn you close to drive a knife between your ribs.

[She offers as an alternative, breathless, but there's no real threat to it. Rather, the self-depreciating tone her words take suggests she's well aware how unwise this course of action is. It's a gamble, one played entirely off of the lancer's refusal to strike her down a second time after her escape from her clutches, and one that she knows could have ended very, very badly with even a fraction less control on Shadow's part.

Her skin is warm under Shadow's fingers, and if the situation were any less dire, she would be sure her ears would be burning red with embarrassment over how... intimate all this is. But that hardly matters right now; what matters is--]

Is this helping?

[... The truth is, she's seen enough suffering that she's been powerless to do anything about. May she be allowed this foolishness, to ease her conscience.]

[scatmaam]

[ Her heartbeat seems to still for the moment, just letting the mana flow through her veins, cool the tremendous inferno within. The heat remained, of course, as Zelda could no doubt feel it within Shadow's own touch against her, but it felt so much more tempered, her wings folding to close near them, as if to embrace the princess, hold her close within the mana's intimacy... ]

It's not gone... but it's quiet... [ The lunar presence in her mind, she meant. But in its place, several more questions came to her mind. ]

You have it within you... the courage to be a fool like this...

[sageprincess]

[It's odd. Something seems to... break, a little, inside of her with the word "courage," her eyes - close as they are to Shadow's own like this - going somewhere distant, and bit sad. It only lasts for but a moment, however; the dark shape of Shadow's wings encircling her periphery brings her back to the moment in a less than pleasant way, and she glances at them with more than a hint of wariness.]

It-- It's not courage. Call it faith, or ordinary foolishness, but...

[A part of her is still afraid, after all-- the same part that is screaming to not allow herself to be enveloped completely, to keep the option of running open for as long as possible. It causes her own wings to fluff up and stretch a little, just to keep that fraction of space open... but more of her longs to help, to alleviate Shadow's suffering in what little ways she can. With that as her focus, she takes a few deep breaths herself, recentering herself on addressing the problem at hand rather than fleeing from it.

There's just one problem, though.]

... I do not know how long this clarity will last after I take my hand away.

[It's not a proper bond; the magic she's expending isn't cycling back to her. And the full moons have weakened her reserves already.]

What would you have me do?

[scatmaam]

[ Shadow didn't miss that tension, that apprehension, a worry about both herself and what would become of Shadow if she left. Fortunately for her... the instincts within her were taking on a different form. The hunt, after all, had already come and gone, and it wasn't as if she'd hungered. She'd gotten her 'prey', had her right here with her, so close and warm, smelling intoxicatingly sweet...

No. She knew what the lunar voices wanted then. But she couldn't indulge that either, pinching her own eyes closed and letting out a shuddering breath. She had to focus... regain control. ]

I... I cannot say for certain I will be able to quiet the moons for long. But I can say I will not harm you, or Marie...

[ The hand at the nape of Zelda's neck tightened some, gripping at her hair just slightly, insistent, signaling. ]

But the beast still hungers...

[sageprincess]

[She has no context for the feeling that sends a shiver down her spine as she feels Shadow's hand in her hair. Something to the left of anxiety, as her pulse spikes and her stomach flutters and twists in unfamiliar ways, implication resting heavily upon her mind though she refuses to allow it to sink in and be contemplated.

It's too much, that's all she knows. Even if it makes her feel a little awful for thinking so, knowing Shadow's struggle to be that much worse. But she breaks from the intensity that holds onto her heart like a vice, making her chest burn with the breath she's holding by closing the last remaining distance between them, wrapping her other arm around Shadow's back in an embrace as she pushes her head to the side to rest on her shoulder.

There, no more eye contact; that should help her calm down, maybe. Probably.]

... Could you sleep through it, perhaps? I-- I could recite my notes regarding the magic theory of this world-- that is surely mind-numbing enough...

[It's... halfway a joke, but also she doesn't have very many ideas--]

[scatmaam]

[ Shadow had enough clarity to not miss those subtle changes in Zelda's expression, and what they all meant with the lingering, unspoken statements that hung in the air between them. But her suggest stuck, despite the half-seriousness of it, and Shadow was able to find something within the storm of her mind that helped her focus on a possible solution... ]

Or a lullaby...

[sageprincess]

... Or a lullaby.

[Zelda repeats, meaningfully, the idea sobering her of her anxiety quite potently. It brings with it a storm of other emotions and memories, Dorchacht and Hyrule blending together in ways she has no desire to pick apart at the moment, and though, distantly, she can hear the voice of some ancient tutor telling her that the secrets of Hyrule's Royal Family must remain exactly that, it is surprisingly simple to set those reservations aside.]

Something from my homeland, perhaps... ... Though I admit to being a better musician than a vocalist.

[That concession made, she takes a few deep breaths to steel herself, gently rubbing Shadow's back in a way she hopes is soothing...

... And so she sings.]

[scatmaam]

[ It was... remarkable, how it came back to something so simple as this. To a shared moment they had, and to what it had meant at the time to both of them. And just as Shadow's voice had reached Zelda before in a time of need... so did Zelda's, drifting as if on an ethereal, dreamy breeze into her mind, the beast within soothed by the gentleness of her tone. It only took a few bars of the song itself for her to finally begin releasing tension from herself in a significant way, eyes slowly closing and just...

Existing, in peace, in that moment, with a girl she never imagined she'd be this close to.

The idea, as it turned out, worked. ]