☆ 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

[mirrortide]

[Someone who calls themselves a monster, despite what Lorenz thinks. And he clearly thinks the world of her.

Lapis... She thinks she can understand. Not so much why it would be indecent, but at the very least, as someone who has been, and remains in this persons situation, Lapis can understand just how much she must appreciate him. It's the same way she feels about Peridot, in a way.

And though Lapis does hesitate the moment his arm is offered at first, though she does initially reach forward to flinch back, she does take it in the end. Takes the strange comfort that he provides.

It's always amazing just how much physical contact can really do for someone. How she feels a little bit- grounded from it.]

Peridot was helping with the fires too. Maybe they really are together. [She nods, though she really hopes for Lorenz sake it's not true. Something terrible has happened to Peridot. She wouldn't just disappear like this if given the choice..]

I'm not really sure where to begin looking on foot, though.

[bergamotrose]

[Given how Lapis faced thousands of years of imprisonment and likely other forms of abuse, the fact that she took his arm at all was an impressive feat. Lorenz held his position, quietly drawing comfort from Lapis' presence as she did his.

Touch was a sense that he rarely indulged, but it was always so worth it when he dared to breach the edge of standard rules of politeness.

Relaxing his shoulders, his back, he listened to Lapis and offered a understanding nod. Whatever had taken Marianne had to have put up a fight; delicate though she seemed, he had witnessed her rend soldiers and beasts with a firm burst of the magic born of her faith.]

I am not certain where to begin either. Marianne would have gone to where ever the animals needed help, and she was fond of them all.

[mirrortide]

I think Peridot would have gone to help the people first... But... [Animals too, but Lapis thinks she'd have gone for the people first?]

I'm not sure where she'd be, we kind of split up to cover more area to help people. [Though obviously she didn't help enough.]

Maybe stables for the animals? That's where humans keep a lot of them, right?

[As for people, well. They're everywhere.]

[bergamotrose]

....Marianne and I did the same.

[They worked well together, but their strengths were in different areas. Additionally, as a Faun he couldn't help but work his utmost on diminishing the blaze-- something about his nature had changed in such a subtle but problematic way.]

The stables are a good idea. Marianne is fond of horses... in some ways, they're rather alike.

[Strong, elegant, and so, so easy to spook.]

Let us go there, Lapis. But, please tell me. Are you holding up all right with this?

[There was a certain tension with Lapis that he didn't ordinarily see, akin almost to that of Marianne during her most nervous moments. He had seen what Marianne could accomplished when her boundaries were pushed hard enough, and he found himself wondering what Lapis would do under similar circumstances.]

[mirrortide]

[Are stables just for horses? Lapis would like to ask, but it doesn't really feel like the right time or place. She doesn't feel like she'd remember it with how her mind is racing anyway.

His question throws her for a loop, and her grip on his arm tightens marginally.]

I guess? I mean, I've never really been good with change like this, so. [Especially with the uncomfortable feeling that's settled itself into her chest.] And with Peridot gone, I don't really have anyone I know here. [And it's so awkward on her own in the house.] Well, there's Pumpkin, but she can't really talk.

[bergamotrose]

... that isn't entirely true.

[Lorenz said carefully, already searching out the best way to the stables as they spoke.]

Though I'm not from your Earth, you can always have my ear.

[mirrortide]

[She's quiet for a moment, mulling over his words in her head. It's hard to consider, but it's kind of true, isn't it? If she thinks about it, Lapis is fairly certain she could consider him a friend.

Which would make him her third, after Steven and Connie.]

Thanks. I really appreciate it. Even if you probably wouldn't really get the whole Gem stuff. [Which is fair, because she doesn't really get the whole human stuff either.]

[bergamotrose]

You probably wouldn't get all of my problems either. Your Earth sounds like it's vastly different from the land I come from.

[But, that was all right with him. Their differences had so far posed no problem for them. Just having her there by his side was more than enough reason for Lorenz to draw upon that well of calm he held within.

There was enough chaos around. Someone needed to keep a clear head, and it may as well be him.]

[mirrortide]

[It helps. It really helps her, seeing him at least reasonably calm. It gives her hope that maybe Peridot is alright, despite the awful feeling in her chest. It eases her anxiety just enough to let her think instead of shutting down.

She still does wish that any of the other Crystal Gems were here too, but Lorenz is enough for the moment.]

I mean, I didn't really see that much of the Earth I was from either. Or... I guess it was more that I wasn't paying attention. [Especially when the rebel army attacked...] I've seen a few shows about past human life on Earth, though. [Though she would have been in the mirror while it had been going on.]

[bergamotrose]

[Seeing Lapis try to connect despite her circumstances was heartening, and Lorenz found himself smiling at her words. She made a big deal about the differences between Humans and Gems, but Lorenz was seeing that their core values were the same:

No one wanted to be alone.]

The details matter little, Lapis. Having you is enough.

[He took a breath, uncertainty gripping him briefly before he continued. A part of him worried for what Lapis would say to his proposal... but he would never know unless he tried.]

Should the worst happen for whatever reason and you find yourself too unbalanced while we look for your Peridot... please. I would like you to know that I would gladly forge a Bond with you should you need it.

apparently i had to word vomit

[mirrortide]

[It's sort of funny, how things work. When Lorenz says that, when he says that having her is enough, it gives her pause. He's not like Steven when he talks to her. And he's not like Connie or Greg, both of who she's had limited interactions with, but their really the only humans she knows in any sort of capacity.

It's so glaringly obvious that she knows so little about humans, despite living on Earth in a human city, watching human entertainment. It's pretty obvious that despite that, he's the human she's closest too.

So when he offers that, she has to pause. Has to consider how Peridot herself had treated bonds, and then now how Lorenz is treating them. Utterly different. They mean different things to different people, and maybe that's the best sort of epiphany she could have.

And maybe she's a little selfish for it. For considering it. What would Peridot think? Would she be mad? Or would she get that there's an aching discomfort in her body with Peridot missing, understand the need Lapis has to try to fill it.]

I... [She hesitates, looks flighty for a moment, eyes cast around at the city instead of at Lorenz for a moment, even her grip on him weakens.] Would it be alright? Monsters are... supposed to help witches, right? Help their magic out?

[She says, slightly strained as she wars with herself over it.]

oh my god it's beautiful.

[bergamotrose]

And Witches help the Monsters by helping them stay balanced.

[He explained patiently, squeezing her hand gently in reassurance when he saw the nervousness in her eyes.]

It's a give and take, like any good partnership. But, if you feel this is too much, you do not have to accept. There's no reason for you to do anything that makes you uncomfortable.

[While partnering with someone he trusted well enough, like how he trusted Lapis, would be beneficial to him in the long run-- especially as they gathered their resources and tensions ran high-- he wasn't going to pressure someone who looked ready to snap in two over the matter.

If they were to be partners, they needed to be equals. Anything less was unacceptable.]

enjoy it for it is a rare and precious vomit, like that of a whale

[mirrortide]

[She's trying very hard to consider things rationally, to not let her emotions overtake her as they always do in times like this. She's prone to snap decisions, she knows it better than anyone.

She's also only half listening. She knows about how witches also help monsters. Peridot had told her as much.

Peridot, a precious person to her, though saying as much out loud isn't something she thinks she can bring herself to do just yet. Peridot, who is missing, who brings an equal ache to her chest, and not just the one residing there now with her disappearance.

Lapis has to find her. There's no other choice.

Even if it might be strange, being emotionally connected to a human like that.]

I'll do it. It'll help both of us find the people we care about, right? That's more important. And we both need someone like that right now.

[She's trying hard not to think about the situation she'd had with Jasper, an outstretched hand, even if the circumstances are different here. There's still enough similarities that it does set her on edge, just a little.]

[bergamotrose]

[He hadn't expected Lapis to respond so quickly and sincerely-- particularly with such a torn, distraught expression in her eyes. Lorenz, feeling put on the spot by Lapis directness, wrapped both of his hands around her's and dropped his gaze to the ground.]

....It is important, but equally important is your sense of well being.

[There was far too much at stake for the both of them to have there be any question about their intentions or their consent.]

You don't need to respond right away... but please think about it. Regardless of the circumstances I would love to partner with you, but not if it makes you feel any less safe.

One way or another, we will bring them back. Please rest assured of this. However, although it may be beneficial for us to partner, I do not believe anyone in question is selfish enough to risk your own sense of well being for this.

... Please, take your time. When you can answer honestly and without fear, then we can discuss moving forward.

[mirrortide]

[With both of his hands around hers, she's more or less accepted that it's going to happen.

And then he denies her, and she's stuck reeling for a moment, trying to figure out exactly what he means by what he's saying.]

It's fine. [She urges, her second hand coming up to grip his own tightly.] Bonds make it easier to use magic, and I need that to be able to find Peridot. Don't you want to find Marianne?

[It's selfish. She's falling back into old habits. But it's so, so easy to push it aside. It's for the greater good, isn't it? It's to help.

Never mind the way she'd "helped" Steven in the past.]

I'M FALLING ASLEEP BUT TAGGING ANYWAY

[bergamotrose]

[Lorenz was taken aback by the sudden surge of rage at his gentle coaxing to just be certain that this was what she really wanted-- and he found himself briefly reminded of the girls he had to carefully see to safety after he had wooed them in the taverns near Garreg Mach.]

...Not like this, it isn't fine. [Lorenz said, opening his fingers under her's and attempting to pull away.] We do need to find our friends, I would give anything to bring Marianne back safe, but I know she wouldn't want to see me making dangerous decisions for her sake.

It's likely the same with your Peridot, if she is someone who cares about you.

[He met her gaze, concern in his eyes. He understood darkness and had walked by it's side, but this deep seated rage he saw in his friend was something difficult for him to reckon.

Then again, his rages tended to be met with a stone cold clarity, not with the fires of a thousand suns.]

If we're to do this, we need a clear head. Both of us. Rash decisions won't help anything, and may infact leave us with more problems.

its beautiful and i love it

[mirrortide]

It's fine though, isn't it? It's not like we can't get it removed later. [It's just for now. Just until they can both get the people they care about back.

She can't fathom why he's saying no.]

Wouldn't it help us more? Besides, its not like... [She has to pause, though she still trips over her words slightly.] I trust you. [And it sounds strange when she says it out loud, speaks her feelings into life.]

You're pretty much the only human I've been close to.

[bergamotrose]

[It's because of her fear. Her uncertainty.

Despite himself, Lorenz found himself chuckling at the sincerity of her words. His hands relaxed, and he leaned forward to press his forehead against her's.]

When you can say those words without such panic and desperation, I will wholeheartedly join with you. Our circumstances are indeed difficult, but we need your open hearted, unshadowed consent before we move forward.

If you have any doubts and find yourself regretful after we Bond, I may never forgive myself. And, as you know yourself, emotions are shared between us if we make this choice.

[It was why he's been so fussy about finding someone to Bond with. There was a darkness within his heart as well that he rarely shared, a darkness he kept so well hidden that few from his homeland had even deduced it's presence. There were people who depended upon him and reputations to uphold.

He didn't want to fail anyone.]

[mirrortide]

[He doesn't get it He doesn't understand, but that makes sense, doesn't it? How could a human and a gem ever really understand one another? They might be similar, but that's not enough.

He presses his head against hers, and she pulls away entirely, reclaiming space for herself and no longer allowing him in it.]

They're in danger! I know they are! [And he's talking about this nonsense about how because she's panicked and desperate that he won't help? Who cares, this is more important. Peridot is more important. Lapis' fists clench at her sides.]

I'll find them with or without you, with or without a bond!

[Though it'd likely be easier with, obviously something is stopping him when she's ready.

She turns on her heel, doesn't look back as she storms off.]

[bergamotrose]

[Her emotions were too turbulent, and Lorenz was doubtful that her judgement was sound. While her points were more than valid, at the moment Lorenz saw it as a risky venture. Had Lapis not responded with such intensity, with such depseration in her eyes, he would have moved forward.

If they had Bonded in that moment, Lorenz wasn't certain that he would be able to tolerate the whiplash.

In the near future, Lorenz resolved to help her with that unfathomable darkness if she ever deigned to speak with him again. But, for the moment...

He held fast to his lance as she stormed off, her emotions all but a palpable torrent in the already chaotic atmosphere that choked the city.]