☆ 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

[sylphid]

Yeah, you're one to talk.

[There's a level of soft amusement in her tone that wasn't there before, coupled with a light huff of laughter. His words, his own hypocrisy, the contact, and the feeling through the bond all help her to relax, tension slowly leaving her a little at a time. Having him with her now provides a feeling of relief few others can give. It's obvious why, but it still makes her pause all the same. Every time.

Fie turns her head to watch Koromaru trot over and retrieve her kit, and she smiles at him as he returns. She reaches out with her burnt arm, since Koro's on that side, and pats his head in thanks. Moving it hurts, but it's fine. He's totally worth it.

Nodding against Shinjiro, Fie sits up straight to adjust her seat in the snow. She's still close to him, space almost gone, but there's an easier angle for both of them, one where he can access her arm if he needs to and still hold on to her. The latter part is just a shameless want of hers.]

Yeah. Also some enchanted bandages. Just gotta wrap them around after putting the stuff on. Should start healing soon.

[She reaches to the blanket and releases the knot, easier with two hands than one. It falls to the snow revealing the chest, which opens after she places her hand on it. Rummaging through, she ends up with the roll of bandage, a long strip of gauze, and two small jars of ointment.]

Should be these. [And she's already opening one jar to get started.]

[hoboagogo]

[While it's short and quiet, he still laughs as she calls him out. Because it's absolutely true, and he knows it. Nearly everything he does and says is hypocrisy, and its one of the things he knows and still can't quite believe people are so willing to accept and look past. Like Fie, easily taking his shit, calling him out, but never once seeming to be put off by it.]

You know I'm shit at taking my own advice. Always have been.

[He shifts his legs from under him, adjusting to sit more comfortably on the ground- legs a bit more stretched out, rather than awkwardly cramped underneath him. Trying to sit on the ground like this is probably when its the most noticeable how much he still has to adjust to having what feels like an extra joint now.]

Yeah, I think it's the same as what you gave me. Shouldn't take long, then.

[He tugs the box closer to himself as Koromaru moves to lay down at Fie's side, fur flush against her legs to share his warmth with her.]

--Hey, relax, alright? I got it. [And with that, he'll reach over to plurk the ointment from her hand.] I know I ain't ever been a healer, but I can at least do this much. [And with that he'll scoop some on two of his fingers before setting the pot down and reaching out with his clean hand for her to lay her arm onto, gingerly dabbing some of the frigid cream onto her skin.]

Probably gonna sting some. [Said too late, as he's already applying it.] I dunno if I ever told you that I used that stuff, by the way. Worked pretty damn well.

[sylphid]

Mm, I know. It's predictable, in a weirdly comforting way right now. Frustrating most of the time, though. [Despite her words, she's at ease with the familiarity here: poking fun at his expense. Once both of them are settled, sitting in the snow, Fie stretches upward a little to place a quick kiss on his cheek in thanks. Later she'll tell him enough niceties to make him uncomfortable and embarrassed.

When he takes the container from her, Fie looks a little surprised and glances over at him, expression betraying as much. Expecting him to be there to support her is nice and constant, they've proven that to each other by now. But him taking over medical treatment, even something as simple as applying slave to her burns, has her taken aback. Even when he's already beginning, she silently ignores the sting and just... watches.

Eventually, she speaks up, voice softer than before.]

You don't have to do that.

[It's a simple statement indicating no expectation of anything beyond his just being there with her. As she says it, she's leaning against him again, feeling more relief than she would otherwise, many times over. Koromaru's contribution is no small addition, too.]

[hoboagogo]

[He only pauses for a moment as she leans in for that quick kiss- and responds to it as usual, with a dismissive noise and shaking his head slightly, that long hair falling from around his ears.]

You're distracting, you know.

[But at least he's not saying she's wrong or has bad taste or whatever other excuse he tends to come up with, instead just returning to the careful motions. While he's never been a healer, he's not exactly a stranger to patching up after fights and scuffles-- especially as a kid and a young teen, even before joining SEES and getting into real fights.

But tending to a scraped knee or a bloodied knuckle is definitely different than the burns covering her arm, and he's careful not to place too much pressure on them. It hurts enough when he just grazes a digit on the stove, or the times he'd been hit by a fire spell. He can't imagine having had something actually engulfed in a real flame.

When she finally speaks up, he lifts his head, looking confused for a moment.]

Yeah, I know. [Though he returns just as easily to it, only pausing for a moment to dab more from the small jar as he moves past her elbow to her upper arm.]

But you don't gotta do everything, even if you can. You did the hard part already in getting out. Lemme at least do this.

[sylphid]

Comes with the territory. [That's all she has to say on that subject.

His confusion has her confused in turn, at least until he acknowledges he's well aware it's not something he's required to do. The, honestly silly, realization that Shinjiro is treating her because he wants to and not out of some self imposed obligation finally dawns on Fie. Despite their current relationship and bond, it still catches her off guard when there's an innocuous moment like this, something small but so important at the same time.]

You're pretty good at it, so I won't argue.

[Not that she would. They both know-- or should-- that she's already relying on him more than she would most people, even the ones she calls friends, those from her world aside.

Her arm still hurts. A lot. The salve is helping, but it'll still hurt for a some time. Fie's able to remain still, not twitch or jerk or anything to make his job more difficult. The contact from his hold and Koro's frame help her focus on something else. As does making sure none of the bad sensations make it through her bond to anyone else.]

Think you'd be able to wrap the bandage on after this? It'll be harder for me only using one hand. [There's a humorous tone to her voice. She can definitely do it if she needs to, but since he's here and sort of offering his services, she may as well check it out.]

[hoboagogo]

[While faint, their proximity helps him pick up on that confusion turned realization through the bond, and his lips curl up softly the smallest amount in response-- though he'll keep from commenting on it, for once. Not everything needs a remark, after all, and these small moments of unspoken mutual trust are far more poignant than almost anything else between them.

More than anything, he just feels like he's actually done something right in his life. Actually been there when needed, able to help, not made things worse. And so she may feel that as well- a bit of relief at her being at alright, at him actually being able to assist.

Though he'll still verbally brush it all off.]

I've just had a bit of practice. [And, really. It's not that hard a task. The enchanted balm is what's doing all the actual work.

Finished applying the balm, he looks over her arm carefully, just to make sure no spots were missed, before rubbing the excess off on his pants and gently letting go of her wrist.]

Yeah, no problem. [And he'll reach for that, starting at her palm and wrist and beginning to carefully wind the bandage as he speaks.]

You gonna come stay over after this? [Even as he works, he's looking up to the house again. It's not completely engulfed, which is great, but her room will still be inhabitable for a while, based on the condition of her arm.] I'll carry your shit. And we can pick anything up, if you need it. I don't think Louis is much on healing magic, but we can find someone who is to check up on you tomorrow, too.

[sylphid]

[The flickers of mutual and shared and resounding feelings through the bond have Fie still, easily accepting his gentle touch of help. It's soft, not what one might expect from him upon first glance. But getting used to him, getting to know him, she thinks it fits him well. He could argue and deny it all he wants, but it wouldn't change her mind. If anything, it'd only serve to amuse her.

She exhales in a huff of amusement at his dismissive comment. Only a bit of practice. Right. Judging from what she knows and how he acts, he's seen a few fights. He's admitted it before of course, but never elaborated, that's not his style. At least he knows how to tend to wounds well enough. As he takes her hand, she squeezes his, a soft gesture of thanks.]

If you don't mind. [As it is with her, whenever anything is serious: she still asks, never assumes. That will probably never change. Now her tone's a little resigned with a casual edge.] You'll help carry my shit. I can still manage some on my own. I've got enough there already, I think, so we shouldn't have to stop.

[A certain bandage pull has her wince a little, but she shakes her head.] It'll be fine. People will need to save their magic for others, too. I doubt this is the only place hit. We're careful about things. There's no way this was an accident.

[hoboagogo]

[really, he hadn't even thought of that. He'd felt the pang of panic and simply snapped into action, following the bead of their bond until arriving here-- and then there was enough to keep him busy, between the fire and Fie's injuries, and everything going on around them... but she's right. Something this big, so unexpected to them likely wasn't the result of some mistaken spell or the oven being left on.

He sits back slightly, pausing in his bandaging, to look over at the neighboring rooftops. The sky is clouded enough with the smoke of this fire that he can't immediately tell if there's more.]

I didn't think of that. You think so?

[He's willing to trust her instincts, at least. But with the way there had been increasingly ill-willed sentiments against the mirrorbound, it's not terribly unlikely.

As she flinches, the murmurs a quiet apology, continuing on until the roll is at its end, and he's careful with the way he tucks the end into the folds of fabric, ensures that it will hold.]

There. Tried not to put it too tight, in case it swells-- but I think with the magic stuff, that should be okay.

[Did burns swell, anyway? That part he's not sure about, not on this large of an area. Maybe it's different than wrapping up a sprained wrist or ankle. Regardless, he forces himself upright, balance shifting slightly as he fights to get feeling back in his legs. The thick fur over them helps when sitting in the snow, sure-- but only so much.]

There's plenty of healers to spare a spell for you. Don't act like a hero. [It's only a half-protest, though, because he knows better than to try and change her mind on certain things.

He offers his hand out for her good one, and Koromaru nuzzles his nose against her leg before standing as well, shaking the snow from his fur. There's nothing more for them to do here, after all. They don't have magic to quench the fire, and they don't have anything to gain from freezing.]

Alright. Once we get situated, we can work on figuring just what the hell happened.

[sylphid]

I don't want to, but it's definitely crossed my mind. Not something I'm gonna be able to think much on now, though. [For obvious reasons.

The apology has her shaking her head, only moving when he announces he's finished. Fie moves her arm in a hesitant circle, cringing just slightly at the feeling, but the bandage holds. She offers him a small smile of approval, lowering her arm to rest as she watches him stand, weird goat legs doing their thing.]

I'll see how it feels tomorrow. Will that get you to stop fussing right now? [Her words are only partially in jest. His care is appreciated a lot, and that's what gets her to not completely dismiss the proposal all together.

Her hand goes over to scratch Koro's head once more before taking hold of Shinjiro's and using the leverage to haul herself up, a tricky task once actually attempted. Fie stumbles forward a few steps and catches herself before completely colliding with the faun. He serves as a nice support while she steps in place to get feeling back into her feet.]

Sure. [It's absent minded, weariness starting to seep into her being once more.] Let's just... get to your house first.