☆ Event Log: Snatched, Part One

[faileas]

Event Log: January, Snatched - Part One

I. The Fires (14th) Though it began this month with petty vandalism, before long, things escalate. On the evening of the 14th, when many are settling down for the night, fires blaze to life simultaneously all over the city, though they seem to cluster in places that Mirrorbound and refugees frequent. Homes, businesses, market stalls, the Barracks, the Residential Districts, they could pop up anywhere, but the worst of them seem to hit different locations within the Haven. The refugees stand to lose a lot in the fires, everything they've built up since arriving here at the end of September, and Mirrorbound stand to suffer damage to the homes or businesses they've built in Aefenglom. No doubt everyone is quick to catch on, but with so many locations burning at once, help is thin on the ground. As soon as they're alerted, the Coven sends out a call to all Witches, Merrow, water-based Dragons, anyone who can manipulate water or ice to help put out the fires across town before they can spread. With the city plan so tight and buildings so close together, it's a real worry. They'll accept all hands, even those with no particular water-based talents - anybody can carry buckets, after all. Bucket brigades made up of mostly Monsters form from the River Temese out to pass water to where it's needed most. Others with fire magic or resistances are asked to search the buildings still on fire for anyone still trapped inside. On the streets, more set up stations to treat burns and smoke inhalation, and to check people over for worse injuries. It takes a couple of hours to put out the last of the flames, but thanks to quick action, no lives are confirmed lost. The City Guard is present at the sites of the fires in the hours afterward, questioning witnesses and determining the sources with both magical and Monster-ability-based methods, but as the chaos calms down, it quickly becomes clear that 1. this is a case of purposeful arson, and 2. not all witnesses are present. Maybe it's your friend, or family member, or just an acquaintance you know you saw go into their house at the end of the day, but they're conspicuously absent from the crowds gathered on the streets. Those who are Bonded to a missing person feel it first, though - a horrible sensation like a pillow over the face or a tightening in the chest, smothering their Bond to barely anything, except the very rare flicker of something, a tiny spark lost to the darkness as soon as it's felt. The sudden absence of them is like a case of phantom limb, something that should be there suddenly isn't, but yet it isn't quite an annullment or breaking of the Bond. It's still there, just muted and tamped down. It feels a little different for everyone, maybe painful or maybe just uncomfortable, or maybe, in the cases of new or less-close Bonds, it simply feels as if it never existed. Regardless, those Bonded can't be found through Bonds. It's like those loved ones have vanished, without a trace. The City Guard and Coven representatives alike will seek to make a comprehensive list of all who have gone missing, but Mirrorbound cooperation will be needed for that; they would know better than anyone, because the missing ones are all Mirrorbound or refugees.

II. The Lost Souls (14th - 20th) CW: Torture, captivity, restraints. You were spirited away in the middle of the night. Maybe you were out, or maybe you were safe in your own home, but either way, someone managed to get the drop on you. Upon waking, everything is fuzzy, until clarity returns suddenly and violently. It's possible to remember a struggle, an enchanted darkness that might have enveloped you, maybe even a glimpse of the face of the human or Witch who grabbed you, but now you're stuck in a small, stone cell, the only entrance covered in shiny new bars thick enough to hold back a rampaging Dragon. The hall beyond is also stone and dimly lit by sparse magitech lights and the soft, runic glow of spells drawn on the walls and floors. There are more cells like yours, filled with more Monsters and Witches like you. What's worse, maybe you're alone, or maybe another poor soul is trapped with you - the space isn't exactly large enough for two, but the comfort might be nice. Witches will find their magic restrained, tamped down with a spell similar to the Coven's punishment for lawbreaking. Monsters' restraints are more traditional - muzzles, chains, manacles, and particular weaknesses that differ from Monster type to Monster type, such as silver or iron, water, or the lack of water. Even if, by some small mercy, a person finds themselves with their hands free, all of the captives' Watches have been taken, along with most other belongings on them. The uncertainty of your new location doesn't last for long. It's only a matter of time before people pass through the cellblock in pairs or trios, talking to each other and ignoring the captives behind bars, checking up on the spells that line the room. Those with keen memories will realize - these are not the same people who took them in the first place. All are human, and they all share a familial resemblance - black hair, violet eyes, pointed noses, and unpleasant sneers. Over time, with observation (and what else are you going to do, while you wait for the worst?), maybe frequenters of the Coven will pick out a familiar face, a haughty, unpopular Witch named Constance Rathmore who refuses to associate with Mirrorbound in classes, or those familiar with the law might pick out a mid-ranked member of the City Guard named Godfrey Rathmore, who perhaps looks the other way when refugees are harassed. As the hours tick by, it becomes obvious that there are maybe 22 of the Rathmore family, the only ones with access to this corridor. Other voices, maybe familiar from the kidnapping, can be heard outside the main doors at times, but they never enter, and seem none the wiser as to what is actually happening. a. The Torments And what is happening? Something sinister. It's usually a different set of family members, a pair of cousins, the daughter or the son, occasionally even the matriarch and her son and daughter-in-law (who may be recognized as long-time members of Parliament). Their methods and motivations may be a bit different, but they share one thing - innate cruelty, and a hatred for those they see as a plague on Aefenglom, those harbingers of unwanted change. Sometimes they inflict pain on captives right there through the bars of the cells, with nasty spells or physical instruments, but more often, they choose a victim or two to remove from their cell, still in restraints, to take down the hall, through the heavy door at the opposite end from the entrance. The wide room at the end is a place of horrors: instruments of torture lining tables, heavy restraints, and glass jars to receive any bits or blood they might separate from the original owners, to sell on the black market. The runes on the walls and floor in this room are different as well - this is advanced, forbidden magic, practiced by the daughter Constance on brand new test subjects. When the family members have grown bored or tired themselves out, they return their current playthings to a cell - not always the same cell with the same cellmate, not always with the same restraints, but every time they ensure that it will be difficult to escape or fight back. b. The Whispers While the Rathmores do not often speak directly to captives, they speak to each other quite a bit, as do the others who occasionally pass outside the heavy door at the entrance and simply seem to serve as watchmen outside the corridor. It's easy to get snippets of conversation between the horrors. What else are you going to do, besides wait, and listen, and plot your escape? "Shame about Uncle Rodolphus. Scarred by the mist, his Black Market business raided." "None of it would have happened if they hadn't provoked Dorchacht. It was Drummond's Witch in our city who unleashed that awful gas, as retribution for what they did over there..." "...-Destabilizing a whole city like that, and there are only a hundred of them give or take. Imagine what they'll do to Aefenglom if we don't stop it." "They'll all want to leave after this, surely. We'll go for another batch in a couple of weeks, once Godfrey convinces the Guard to stop looking." "Good. Maybe Dorchacht will take them. Them and their brutal revolutionaries..." "...-Father thinks we can control them if he manages to get in touch with his contact in Dorchacht. They had that spell, you know? Like the collars, but better. Maybe then we can sell them off, make some money back to cover our losses..." "...-All this pushing for equality. The whole economy will collapse. Everyone has their place in a functioning society, right, sister?"... "...-heard from Mr. Rathmore himself they're doing magic in there. A spell to send the Mirrorbound home, and the refugees along with them." "Then why did we have to grab them like that? You'd think they'd want to leave." "The Coven wants them here, obviously. It's a power-play, there's no way they'd allow Mr. Rathmore to do this..." "...-I don't know about this, the Rathmores always seemed a little extreme-..." As a reminder: while this prompt contains a general content warning for torture, please make sure to leave decently specific content warnings in your headers for anything that may be uncomfortable for other players to stumble across. The level of torture experienced by each character is up to the individual players - please respect each other's limits!

III. The Ones Left Behind (14th - 20th) Meanwhile, out in the city, the atmosphere is a new kind of tense. The papers pick up the story pretty quickly, so before long, it seems that everyone knows about it. In the days since the fires, repairs seem to be on the backburner; the remaining refugees especially worry for their missing friends and loved ones, and the missing Mirrorbound. The graffiti stops entirely, as do nasty comments in the streets. The upper-class, when they come into contact with the remaining Mirrorbound, cannot meet their eyes, or even react with genuine sympathy, a rare few even saying in hushed murmurs that they hope they find their people. Vandalizing their property is one thing, it seems, but people simply vanishing, Bonds being smothered... that's another. Even if they don't worry for the Mirrorbound, they worry for their own safety in Aefenglom now. On the other hand, residents of the Western Residential District, primarily Monsters but including a fair few humans as well, stop by the Haven more often, bringing food and kind words, and asking after the disappearances with real concern. The City Guard is an increased presence on the streets, trying to track down witnesses who may have information, but without warrants, their hands are tied in a lot of cases. Some Mirrorbound are asked quietly by the Lead Investigator if they wouldn't mind looking into some of the sources of the fires, and trying to track down anyone who might have seen something - they can operate a little more loosely, not being bound by the same bureaucracy as the Guard. They're promised Guard and Coven cooperation and support in this. The demand for artists increases in the days after the abduction. Many of the refugees especially will seek out anyone who can draw to help them create fliers about the missing people to post around town, to raise awareness. Maybe they want to make posters of another refugee, or maybe they want posters made of particular Mirrorbound faces who helped them in the past. They're distressed, but they're pulling together as a community - and it's clear they consider all the Mirrorbound a part of it, judging from how they'll try to pull anyone in to their efforts to put the 'missing' posters up around the city. The Coven, too, is in a flurry of worry, second only to the refugees, who are missing some of their own as well. Many of the regular classes are disrupted and become impromptu Divining sessions, circles of Witches holding hands and chanting in rooms filled with incense smoke, making concentrated efforts to determine the location of their missing fellows. After all, many Mirrorbound are their classmates, and they want to see them returned safely. Anyone passing through the Coven may get pulled into one of these sessions - Witches to lend their magic to the circle, Monsters who know any of the missing to act as foci. Unfortunately, nothing concrete turns up in the fleeting visions they do get, and the backlash is immense, resulting in splitting migraines. It's magical interference for sure. Luckily, Miss Aerianna, the middle-aged Arachne caretaker to the Dreamers (who, she'll say, are currently unreachable - they're trying to suss out the missing Mirrorbound as well), is well-versed with Divination headaches, and is around distributing her supposed cure-all, which smells like swamp-water and tastes twice as bad. At least it works on the headaches. While the part of the city who wanted to see the Mirrorbound gone have quieted down some, the part of the city that welcomes them has grown louder, providing what support they can to try to find those lost souls who have vanished. The investigation briefs will be posted under location-specific headers down below! Feel free to thread underneath them with others investigating the same area, or collaborate with other teams to share information. We decided to go ahead and allow for everyone who signed up to investigate whichever area they're interested in rather than splitting characters into mod-decided teams, but we encourage working together!

Welcome to Part One of January's event, Snatched! The sign-ups thread is here - it's not too late to get involved. Only the kidnapped characters who will escape on the evening of the 20th is closed out to new sign-ups. Headers for the investigations are here. Part Two of this event will be posted on the 21st and will include the escape, rescue and bringing the perpetrators to justice.

And a note for all! If your character does anything significant during Part 1 or Part 2, we want to hear about it on the city tracker! Make sure your submissions are in by Feb. 3rd, because a special aftermath post will go up on the 4th.

Comments

cw: eye violence

[futhark]

[ A brief respite. His arm still burns with fresh pain, but at least the pressure of dirty covered boot is gone. It takes him a second more to realize he's in a cell with Archer, and that his Bonded just attacked the guard.

This brings him newfound energy, buried deep in the reservoirs he didn't know he had— there are doors. They are open and the man is on the ground. Would that be enough for them to get out? He gets back on his feet (it feels as if it was done so swiftly, but really he barely moves and is but a shadow of his normal agility)— immediately to fall over the guard, an obstacle harder to move past, it turns.

It doesn't matter. Cú's own ferocity, fueled by his Bonded feral nature moves him forward despite the pain and suffering. And as the guard yells for help and tries to shove him away, he pushes his thumb into the corner of man's eye.

Had he got enough of strength he could make it pop-out. A piece back to take. Another body part to tell Caren about. ]

Archer...Run! [ He mutters under his breath, not realizing that Archer is chained to the wall. ]

[boneofsword]

[It's just a brief respite, something that Archer is painfully aware of. He can't really do much more for his Bonded.

When Cú proves he can act out of sheer spite he almost smiles. Too bad that he's not able to move - aside from the chain leashing his collar to the wall he's shackled. Their captors made sure no one's able to escape.]

I can't—

[After the first flicker of amusement comes sharp worry. If Caster keeps fighting the punishment will be worse. Archer grits his teeth as he tries to stand up. Other guards will be here soon. When first of them enters prison cell Archer attacks him. He can't do much with hands bound behind his back, but he tries his best. All in hopes that Cú's stunt will be overlooked by guards. Archer keeps fighting wildly, but all too soon he gets knocked down. One of the guards keep the chain taut as the others hit and kick the dragon.]

more cw: eye violence

[futhark]

[ In the end, it's a meaningless, impulsive struggle. Just as his thumb manages to sink juuuust enough into the eyesocket, right enough to earn a pained howl— he gets kicked in the face by another guard. He hears Archer going wild, so another hit doesn't come immediately. They got their hands full containing him— unfortunately it is not enough for Cú to get back on his feet and leap back into the fight. There is no strength, agility and endurance he's used to, this body is almost broken even if the will isn't.

A sudden hit on the back of his head sends him on the floor again. The echoes of pain he feels, are those his or Archer's he can't tell? But once they both are subdued he can hear the distant voice above. ]

Well, well, well— looks we got each other Bonded pair

[ ...shit. No. No, no, no they cannot use that against them, they cannot! ]

cw: more violence, flaying, blood etc

[boneofsword]

[Each breath is a struggle, now that Archer is sure some of his ribs are cracked or broken. Another kick sends a fresh wave of pain, but it's only his, not an echo of Caster's. It's fine, he can endure as long as possible. Pain is something he's too familiar with and can tune out to some extent. It's how he misses whatever the guards are saying, at least until the Bonded part.

Cold dread grips him as he's forced up to his knees. Now Archer can see Cú laying on the floor, blood seeping through the rags used as bandages.]

Listen, dragon. If you want water for the Witch you have to pay with your scales. Better keep your Witch from stopping us, or you'll have to double the amount.

[Is the guard serious? Archer gets his answer when the guards move, one yanking a handfull of his hair to keep his head down, other tearing at what's left of his shirt to bare his shoulder.]

—hmph.

[—fine, as long as the guard keeps his word. It seems that he intends to— another guard fills the bowl with water, as dirty as before. Figures they're not willing to spare fresh water.

Archer doesn't even flinch when he feels sting of the blade along his back and shoulder. Apparently they're interested in scale patches near his shoulderblade. Whoever is cutting his skin knows what he's doing, making careful cuts with surprisingly steady hand.]

Don't mess it, such a nice, big patch.

[futhark]

[ Cú's eyes go wide in the dark as he realizes what is happening, what they are doing to Emiya. Another realization that hits him is that once again... there is no flash of pain, there are no feelings on his Bond. He can feel Lex, dimly, but he can't feel Emiya.

Regardless Cú lets a pained groan when the blade cuts, not because of something being shared, but because nothing is. You won't even let me share that burden with you? ]

Stop— [ Cú attempts a struggle as he feels he's being held down. It's not even there is actual strength necessary for this, only weight. With how badly abused they are, when the adrenaline rush dies down

They're doing this before his stupid stunt, he failed to get them out, and now it's Archer who pays the price ] It's my price to pay— Leave him be!

[ That's when his face gets smothered into the ground to shut him up. It's horrifying to know that they might not even be doing that from pure cruelty— there's gain, there's something valuable they can take away from Emiya.

They think its scales, but it's something much more valuable that is being taken.

He'd kill them all if he could for that. ]

[boneofsword]

[It's not the pain that hits him the worst— it's a dim feeling of pain and suffering but not a physical one. Archer's eyes widen as he realizes what exactly is going on.

Forgive me, Cú.

In his attempt to detach himself from the pain he smothered their link. Archer focuses on tentative presence, on that tiny shard of warmth and home in his chest, trying to breathe steadily aside the pain. It's not that easy, but he tries to reach out hesitantly to his Bonded. Screw the protective instincts, the urge to keep the pain away from his partner. They share everything else— closeness and pleasure, danger and trust. It's not fair to keep something away, no matter how much he wants to protect his most important person.

Cú—

The pain gets worse when scales are peeled off carefully. Archer grits his teeth but doesn't fight it, focusing on his own heartbeat— and the Bond.]

[futhark]

[ The pain, doesn't matter, really. It's the warmth, closeness, understanding and yes, that part that could be only called home. That's what they should cling to, that's what keeps them sane.

They're not alone, even in this darkest place.

Cú's pupils blowing wide, darkening his red eyes and his breath becoming more laboured are the only signs that there is a phantom pain being shared. It doesn't go unnoticed, unfortunately. The guard looks down curiously and whispers ]

Shit, it's true what they say— they must feel one another

[boneofsword]

Ugh, it's disgusting. [mutters another guard and spits on the floor. Archer ignores him, ignores anyone aside Cú. Seeing his Bonded tortured and bleeding makes him feel utterly powerless. This is the only way he can do something for him.

His shoulder burns like fire. One more cut and they're done. Before Archer takes a breath he's kicked in the back. With hands bound behind he's unable to stop himself from falling down, only twisting lightly to not hit the floor with injured shoulder. One of the guards steps on his back, forcing him into grime. Archer struggles for breath.]

Cut it some slack, we're going to be rich tonight! [laughs the first guard. Mercifully after a few moments they're gone.

Archer takes a few deep breaths to calm himself and glances towards his Bonded.]

Cú?

[futhark]

[ They go, but yet again they had taken something away from them, from Emiya. The idea that those scales belonging to this man, so full of contradictions but also warmth and kindness, are going to be sold— sold to others like them— it would be easy to fall into rage and just wish death and suffering upon them all.

It would be, if it wasn't his own fault. The impulse to defy, fight and escape overcome logic and it was his Bonded who paid the price for him. ]

Emiya. [ Cú's voice is barely a whisper but he manages to crawl towards his Bonded, despite the injuries being aggravated by the paved, dirty floor. ] Please, forgive me.

[ For a second it sounds as if he was about to break down and cry, and he knows that if he did, no one could see it in this cold dark place. But his voice grows more apathetic and calm as he continues, as he tries to shut it all down. ] I shouldn't have get you involved in this.

[boneofsword]

[Tone of his Bonded's voice makes his breath catch. Archer coughs to get his throat in working order.]

It's not your fault. [his voice is rough from all he's been through.] I won't let them hurt you. Don't expect me to ignore it, Cú.

[They're both protectors, so being protected doesn't sit well. Seeing his sacrifice is going to make his Bonded feel like his failure, Archer is aware.]

[futhark]

[ In this case, it's not just protecting— he was the fool who started this chain of events. Even if he had taken the eye of that guard it's a pointless victory that earned Emiya only suffering. That is his failure. ]

It was foolish of me, I can see where I made a mistake.

[ Steeling your heart invites a coldness of a blade into it. Something to cut all that is painful away— ah, is that how Berserker was made? Was this that particular capability of them that got reinforced there?

That frozen chill is, after all, a protective shell.

But he doesn't want to be cut off this warmth— he still tries to get closer, close enough to cup Archer's cheek in a tender caress. He could recognize this man's face from touch alone he realizes, and the wall he tried to build is broken again. What they had, what they almost build— is it all tested or is it being shattered? ]

You were hurt because of what I did. They are using... what we have against us. [ Like a weapon against one another. He can deal with physical pain just fine, but having their Bond corrupted to bring torment as if it was a weakness to exploit. There is nothing else he can say, besides his eyes sting again. ]

[boneofsword]

[There's always some kind of a mistake or a wrong choice, and sometimes it's just being in a wrong place at wrong time. Both as Mirrorbound and as those who oppose what aristocracy considers natural order.

Just how many times he's been sent to erase a similar timeline after everything's been lost?

Archer leans into the touch, presses his face into the warm hand. It's enough to warm him from inside and strenghten his resolve. It's enough to reach through the Bond and share the warmth and relief he felt at the sight of his Bonded, to know Cú is alive.]

They will try to. Just because they can't understand anything else than power and money. [he has to cough again. It's been some time since he last spoke.]

They may think they won, but we're here together and have some water.

[futhark]

[ Cú manages a short bark of laughter, it's like jailed for arson, murder, and jaywalking— one is not like the others. A raising speech followed by have some goddamned water. And yes, he knows he needs it... but right now he doesn't want to move away too soon, even if it means admitting to fear and uncertainty over their link.

This isn't who he is. ]

In a moment, bowman. Let us stay like this a moment longer. [ He'd rather take those uncomfortable feelings being shared among the kindness, than the emptiness. But he wonders if it makes him selfish. ]

[boneofsword]

[That laugh is best thing that happened since the kidnapping, and makes him close his eyes to hide the sting of tears. Archer doesn't hide his feelings, though, even the hints of uncertainty when echo carries the sound of footsteps from somewhere further away. When the sound fades he relaxes slightly and presses into a touch like a stray cat. It's been some time since the hand touching him was familiar and not meant pain.

Sharing a weakness is much harder than withstanding torture. Yet Archer doesn't shift or break the contact. He's tired, in pain, hungry, and has no idea who else the kidnappers took.]

I'm not going to protest. [a huff.] —you're warm.

[futhark]

[ The arcane fire still burns in him, a proof witches magic is only smothered, not taken away entirely. That warmth can offer a fleeting moment of comfort. It's something to take strength from.

Minutes pass, impossible to tell the flow time and Cú starts to feel his eyes close. They will also deny them rest, so getting it whenever possible is important. Conserve the energy left for the one final push— ]

[boneofsword]

Wait, don't fall asleep yet. [Archer murmurs when he notices Cú drifting to sleep.] Let's get you comfortable.

[He rolls to the side, pulls his knees to his chest and rolls back - it's the only way he can get up to his knees. Now he can shuffle closer to his Bonded. Sure, his lap is not cleaner than the floor, but softer and warm.]

Come here, Cú .

[futhark]

[ There's a full-body shudder as he's dragged out of the shallow slumber. It takes him a second or five to register what Archer is doing and when he realizes—

You old fool. Everything hurts here there is no way this can be comfortable. But what's done is done, and throwing away what is being offered freely— no, he can focus only on what he can give in return. The warmth of almost extinguished fire witch. He seeks threads of magic if just to bolster that effect as he moves closer and embraces his Bonded. ]

I won't let you go cold. [ He still remembers how bad Archer, and other Dragons react to large temperature changes. ]

[boneofsword]

[At first there's a moment of stunned silence, then a huff and quiet murmur.] Thank you.

[Archer frowns lightly, wanting to offer more than words. There is a hope that he clings to, for his Bonded and for himself. He's been listening and watching others, trying to recognize who is and who isn't imprisoned.]

Iskandar isn't here. Neither is Sokie, or lady Maria. They didn't catch everyone. I'm sure they're free and looking for us.