Event Three.

[awashmods]

I come at night, and in the day. I'm always there, do what you may. You may think that I hate the light, Because it is what gives you your sight. But truthfully in light I trust, Because for me it is a must. Left or right, or down below I'll follow you, fast or slow. You really can't escape from me, So tell me now, what I may be.

t's always with you. Your friendly shadow, always following you, step by step. There's nothing wrong with that, right? That could never, ever go wrong... The Town's starting to look better, the situation is starting to improve bit by bit -- there's a bit more color to be found. But it seems as though the characters' adventurousness has stirred up something that may have been better left alone, and that's caused a change in something very close to home. Because amidst all of this optimistic color restoration, something's lurking, right behind everyone's every single step -- and as the day dawns and everyone begins to bustle about, some mischief is finally, properly afoot. It might be better to stay by the light this week. Welcome to Awash's second event log, everyone! Further information on this event can be found here at the OOC post. You are welcome to start your own posts or logs for this event as well. If there are any questions, please ask them here. Thank you!

Comments

b

[windeity]

[While John's been busying himself fighting his shadow on and off, he hasn't always had luck keeping track of it. It's why his shadow was able to sneak up on him and why it held a large rock in its hands. It's the combination of the rock falling and Guren stabbing the ground that gets him to turn around and he just kind of raises an eyebrow.]

Hey. Um. Did the ground offend you recently or...?

[swordfucker]

Yeah. It's going around trying to off dumb kids.

[Hey friend. He's as attempted cool guy as always, eyes staring cold and murderous into the ground as he pulls his sword out. There's a type of shadow that seems to leak from his sword in that motion, but it's gone just as quickly.]

See this? [His foot steps over the rock on the ground, hoping to keep it in place in case any mischievous shadows come back to play.] I didn't feel like seeing what your shadow planned on doing with it.

[windeity]

[Excuse??? Okay so maybe he can't exactly be that offended about being called a dumb kid, all things considered, but he opens his mouth to protest before Guren continues John's attention flickers from the sword to the rock. John's shadow lurks but for now it seems to behave...for now.]

Oh. [An exasperated statement.] I mean I can probably guess, but thanks. I have been fighting with it on and off and I almost hit someone else with a broken table leg so. [Shut up, John.] Thanks.

Yours isn't bothering you, too, is it?

[swordfucker]

[Don't take it personally, John. It's an affectionate statement, coming from Guren. He's eyeing that shadow, leaving his sword out and in his hand, but he's listening to John all the while.]

How did you manage that? [He sighs, and holds up his other hand.] Nevermind, I don't want to know. My shadow is screwing with me as much as anyone else's. It's better to pair up with people right now.

[windeity]

[He opens his mouth to explain but yeah, okay, probably best not to go into it.]

I agree with that. Having somebody watching your back...figuratively and literally in this case, is probably going to help us a lot. At least until we have a better way to combat the shadows. Hitting them obviously doesn't work.

[swordfucker]

Not unless you have a weapon like mine.

[Yay, demons and magic!] Were you heading to see a friend? If that's the case, I can walk you there. Even a short distance can mean being hit in the head by a big rock or not.

[He stares down at it, and kicks it off to the side while he's thinking about it. Be gone, rock.]

[windeity]

Just because of how your sword is, right? [It's a seemingly rhetorical question but he remembers the brief mention of a demon sword. His own weapons are magical-ish so he's a little perplexed on the whole thing, but whatever.

Adios, rock. But he nods and sort of gestures in the vague direction of Ruga.]

I have a couple of people I really should be checking on because they are both kind of idiots who wouldn't watch out for their own shadows, I think. I know where one of them lives and I'm hoping he knows where the other is.

[swordfucker]

Yeah, the demon's energy works, so it's not completely physical.

[He thinks that's the gist of it, at least. But he nods at the answer, gesturing to John.] Then let's head to the one you do know. I'll walk you there, like I said.

[windeity]

Can't say I am not a little jealous of that. [Granted there's absolutely zero hostility in his tone and he sounds more curious than anything. But he turns to walk to head that way.]

I'm not even sure if the jackass is going to be home. He likes to wander a lot and it is way harder to keep track of people here than it was at home. [And his shadow follows, flitting about and keeping up with John as he moves.]

[swordfucker]

Who is it that we're looking for first?

[He mentions home, so he wonders if it's Dave, or if someone else they know is here. But it could be someone here, with home just mentioned for the sake of whatever ease he had back there looking for people.]

[windeity]

Dave. [So yeah, Guren's correct. Given how things have gone lately he's not too keen on keeping Dave too far out of his sight for that long but he's still casual and relaxed as he goes. His shadow dips in and out of his sight though, a second-hand thought that he doesn't pay enough attention to.] It's a lot harder to talk to him or the girls when we don't have Pesterchum or anything.

[swordfucker]

Right, that guy.

[Guren sighs, rubbing the back of his head as they walk.] I don't know what Pesterchum is, but he's a pain in general. Acts like nothing's wrong in the exact way that tells you everything is. I told him to rely on you more.

[But SOMEONE doesn't LISTEN]

[windeity]

[There's an irritated sort of sigh.]

That sounds about right. [Given how things have gone here, that...matches way too closely. His shadow seems to grow a little larger as John's frustration seeps through but he still ignores it for now.] We haven't really seen or talked to each other for three years before we ended up here, but we've been friends for a really long time. As far as I know he does a lot of things on his own anyway even if we are supposed to be a team.

[swordfucker]

I get what he's thinking. He's putting too much on his own shoulders. That isn't always easy to shake someone out of.

[Like, Guren... But nevermind that. He's speaking from this experience so it's okay.] It's a little harder to be the persistence that he needs if he can dodge you that well.

[windeity]

Oh no the three years wasn't because he was dodging us, we just got separated when the universe was Scratched. [This maybe shouldn't be a conversation but here we go.] Are you training with him?

[Curious...mostly just curious about other people's assessment and what other people are doing here. And he knows that Dave's putting too much on his own shoulders and that it's going to end badly, but he doesn't really know how to fix it. And it's not on anyone else to fix for him or complain about...so...it's better to change the subject a little, maybe.]

[swordfucker]

I meant how he's dodging you here.

[Since, that seems to be the case.] He signed up for sparring and everything, but I didn't assign him to me or anything like that. He fit better with others.

[windeity]

[Oh. He just...kind of laughs nervously and shrugs.] I'll figure it out.

You did pretty well with the match-ups, actually. Ochako and Shouto have been good for practicing. Have you heard about progress from any of the others yet? [His shadow, however, decides to grow a little and loom again, apparently drawing a little extra strength from John's annoyance about the situation.]

[swordfucker]

[Ah— he's so glad to hear that, and he's about to say so and expand, but that shadow immediately draws his eye, when it's not his own. He shifts, swinging his blade and striking down at John's shadow with intensity.]

Die. [The... shadow, obviously. But he's very angry at these things. Let him dramatically say things sometimes.

The demonic power of his sword makes it fade right away, for now.]

[windeity]

[...just...blinking...Guren, you okay there???]

Thanks. [Blankly, but also just staring where his shadow was.] If it was another rock I am going to find a way to destroy my shadow myself.

[swordfucker]

It didn't do anything yet. It changed in size, and I wasn't about to let it.

[He doesn't have a temper!!! It's totally fine!!! Don't ask questions, John, it's fine.]

What were we talking about again? [He got so into it he literally forgot...]

[windeity]

[]

We were talking about you and how quick you are with your sword. [They weren't but also seriously what the fuck. It's kind of impressive.]

[swordfucker]

Haha.

[Very funny!! But it's a compliment, so he'll take it.]

I wouldn't be able to face vampires if I were any slower than this. There are a handful of ways I could move faster, too.

[windeity]

Like magic? [He's guessing here.] Why are you fighting vampires in the first place? I didn't realize they were weak to swords. I thought it was just sunl--your sword has light powers. [Duh.]

[swordfucker]

No, it doesn't.

[Flatly...] My sword has a demon. Rather than having any light powers, it's able to curse the vampires so that injuries can become more permanent, and I can kill one before it regenerates.

They have bands they wear so the sunlight doesn't hurt them, anyway. We're fighting them because ever since the catastrophe, they're only interested in killing us humans or keeping us as livestock.

[windeity]

[Close enough. They're definitely not the same thing and Guren's mentioned a demon before, but this is the first time that he's really explained it. It's why he seems to change the subject to focus on this since there are too many questions.]

Sounds about right for a monster agenda. I have never really dealt with vampires before, just imps and stuff, but if they have a cheat that allows them to exist in the sun drastic measures make sense. Where did they even come from? How does an outbreak of vampires even happen?