Intro Log.

[awashmods]

It's raining, it's pouring. The old man is snoring. He bumped his head and went to bed And he couldn't get up in the morning.

ou wake in knee-deep water, cold as ice and stagnant, in a space that is far too echoey and spacious. It feels like a massive cave, but looking up... there's only one small, circular opening that shows grey sky and shines any sort of light. It looks like a long trip upwards, a small cylinder with walls of brick that's just a little too high to reach, even when jumping. Getting out is probably going to be a bit of a task, especially considering the water is more than cold enough to make limbs go numb. The dark makes it impossible to see much further, but the space seems large, all filled with water, but with no other way out, stone walls the only thing for an intrepid explorer to find. Oh, and to make things even better, it's raining today. Water from below (though thankfully only like, knee-deep), and water from above... how fun. But most importantly of all... you're not alone. Welcome to Awash's second intro log, everyone! Please review the FAQ and rules before playing. New characters have all woken at the bottom of the well in the middle of the town (which seems a lot bigger on the inside, somehow), and it looks like they'll have to put in some work to get out. Thankfully, they have some friends on the outside, this time. Once out, they'll be free to explore the various locations the Town has to offer at will. Just try not to die on any of the far-too-rickety walkways. Please feel free to ask any questions here and don't forget to greet your fellow players here!

Comments

[photoshooter]

i. It could be worse, it could be--oh.

[Some people abruptly come to at the bottom of a dark, cold, wet space full of people and seek an exit. Some people provide light. Some people are proactive.

Some people release a distressed, exhausted groan and plop onto their asses, even in the freezing water, like their legs have been cut out from under them. In some people's defense, some people look like they've just been hit by a truck. The rain isn't helping some people's appearance, weighing down their hair and making them look like a sad puppy who's just been hit by a truck.

The gun in Prompto's hand vanishes with a crystal noise and a scattering of white light like petals in a breeze, and he drops his bruised face into his hands and just tries to breathe. This is a lot, and he's already clearly had more than enough today.

Still, the moment he hears anyone approach through the water, he draws in a hiss of breath and puts his hands down to scoot back towards the walls like a particularly skittish, very beat-up crab.]

Wh-who are you?

ii. sad photographer: free 2 a gud home

[Once freed of the well, Prompto takes the opportunity to slip away from all these strangers and--well, 'get his bearings' isn't entirely accurate, because how is he supposed to when everything's so strange and his capacity to absorb anything else is at about negative fifteen?

Like a missile seeking comfort instead of heat, he ends up wandering towards the more park-like spaces of Flavo. Bluo brings up bad memories, more elegant, picturesque canals that are no longer, and Ruga's bricks are a little too rough for what he wants. Flavo has cottages. Flavo has trees.

So Prompto takes shelter beneath one of them, curling up at its roots to shiver and conserve warmth, and takes stock of his waterlogged belongings. Clothes, soaked. Phone, no service. Camera...

Prompto checks over his camera with far more thorough attention than anything else, wiping it with a dry corner of his shirt before turning it on, peering through the viewfinder at his surroundings, and then, of course, most importantly...

He scrolls through his gallery, a lump in his throat. Eventually, what he sees is enough to spur him to raise his voice, tremulous as it is, and call through the rain.]

Guys? Are you here? Ignis? Gladio?

ii :(

[shotlocking]

[ In her exploration, she comes upon him. There's something about the way he looks, the way he holds himself, and the way he sounds that tugs at her heart and squeezes it painfully. So. Here's Aqua, making her way over to crouch down by where he is. ]

Hello? Do you need help?

:)

[photoshooter]

[He curls in a little smaller when she approaches, because that's just where he is today. But it's not like she looks like a Niff--she actually looks very Lucian, even if blue isn't exactly a traditional Lucian hair color. And besides, by now he knows this ain't Niflheim no more.]

Uh. ...N-nah, I'm okay.

[You know, like a liar. He's scrapes and bruises all over, his jacket does nothing to hide exactly how much shit's been kicked out of him. Breathe in, breathe shakily out. Human interaction. He's got this.]

Were you stuck in the well, too?

i

[whichcraft]

[Now that's magic that this Witch is immediately going to pay attention to — not just the fact that there's that crystal-shatter noise and light show, but because of the fact that she's pretty sure she saw gunmetal glinting off of the light before it disappeared, and she's lived in a fantasy world long enough to know that He Who Has The Gun Makes The Rules.

It's also unusual how he seems to scatter when she gets a little closer. Mostly because, well, that's the kind of reaction she'd tend to have herself, to a stranger's approach — not exactly the kind of thing she's used to coming from someone else.

But maybe what catches her interest most is the fact that this guy decided the best course of action upon arriving here is to sit the absolute fuck down, freezing water or not, and just...not give up, but sort of surrender to the oh, hell of it all, and if that's not a relatable reaction to ending up in fuck all nowhere with no warning, well.

She'd be a liar if she pretended like she didn't do that once herself, after all.]

Nobody. ...I'm not going to hurt you.

[She holds out her hand, which still has that red orb of light glowing softly in it, and bends slightly so that it better illuminates her face.]

You're going to freeze to death if you stay soaked in all this water, though.

[photoshooter]

[Red isn't a color Prompto's particularly fond of by now. The Empire, the blood on everyone's hands. The glow of Magitek in a soulless mask of a face. Prompto gulps and remains tense, though he doesn't scootch back any further.

She hasn't immediately tried to attack him, which is better than he's gotten from a stranger in a while. She's talking to him, and it doesn't sound crazy and twisted. So, not a daemon.]

H...haha. Been there, done that. ...Uh, minus the dying. I'm not, like, a zombie. Or anything.

[It's a good point, though, about the freezing. Good enough that he chews his lip for a second as he weighs his exhaustion against the memory of almost dying like that before, sighs quietly, and shakily starts to climb back up to his feet.]

Where is this? Wh, what happened?

II

[reshoot]

[Max has been wandering around Flavio as well––a feeling of safety, nature, compared to the rest of this place. There are a lot of ways to catch Max's attention, but one of the easiest is a camera. He has a camera which is––oh no he's yelling, he's lost his friends. Well, so has she. Or did her friends lose her? Does it matter? She doesn't know. She's just thinking of things instead of talking to him because she isn't sure how to approach it.

Staring.

She's staring.

Gulp.]

Hey...Are you lost too?

[photoshooter]

[Nervous photographer, meet nervous photographer. It's not like Prompto not to jump all over himself at the idea of a girl talking to him, but she's, you know. Not Ignis or Gladio. Not someone he knows. So he ducks into his shoulders a little--and maybe the bruising visible all over his arms speaks to why he might be so fearful--but answers bravely enough.]

Uh, haha, yeah. Yeah, I guess so. So you don't know where this is, either...?

1

[cupiditates]

Easy, kid.

[Says the menace with shark teeth and leather pants. He shoves a hand through his wet hair, pulling it away from his face.]

The name's Greed. And I'm here to make friends.

[photoshooter]

[Leather pants is honestly several points in Greed's favor. His is an aesthetic Prompto can get behind. Though the teeth are kind of alarming.]

Make. Friends. [...] Wait, your name is Greed?

[THAT'S NOT A NAME, says Quickboy Silver.]

II

[brightlyshines]

[Estelle had made a point to wander around, checking in with some of the new arrivals and trying to calm rattled nerves. She almost doesn't catch sight of Prompto curled up beneath the tree, but she's glad she does when she notes the trembling in his frame as she gets closer. How long had he been out here.....?]

Hey there! I haven't seen you around.

[Her voice is light and friendly as she makes her way over, an attempt to reassure as much as simply her own innate nature.]

[photoshooter]

[Oh, crap.]

Uhhh, yeah, I...

[What? He's shy? Yeah, no, he just got here but he saw that the town's small enough for everyone to know everyone. If he hasn't been here, there's no point pretending he has, that he's one of them.]

I'm, ah, new, I guess. Um, hello.

ii. noct is here buddy EVEN IF YOU'VE FORGOTTEN HIM

[nascere]

What, no me?

[ Noctis speaks up through the rain, calling back through the white noise when he hears his voice. Flavo is not where he usually finds himself, but after he had spotted a familiar shock of sunny blond hair, he can't help but follow, hooked on hope.

The person underneath that shock of hair is significantly less sunny, but the surge of relief that comes from him saying those names floods out the concern for the moment.

He's here. Prompto is here. It is selfishly a good thing that his best friend has somehow found his way to him -- he enjoys his time with Ignis, but the man is in a category all on his own.

He steps forward, comes closer, unable to resist and inwardly delighted that his best friend is right by his side again.

But first: ]

What're you doing under here?

[photoshooter]

[It's a good thing Prompto's sitting the way he is and his camera strap's around his neck, because as dearly as he loves it, as much as it means to him, it slips forgotten out of his numb fingers (and is caught, thankfully, by the strap and his legs) as Noctis steps under his tree. For the moment, Prompto seems to have no idea how words work. All he can do is stare.

Then something clicks and he launches himself at his best friend and wraps around him like an octopus.]

NOCT!

[Desperate, disbelieving relief. Prompto's wet and cold and aching all over but Noct is solid and warm and everything's all right in the world again.]

How--?! You're-- [Prompto pushes himself back so he can look Noct up and down, mouth open and eyes wide. He pats at Noct's chest, and cheek, and even his hair as if convincing himself that he's real, that he's really here.] How are--how did you get here? You're okay? You're not hurt?

ii.

[messianic]

[It only took seeing a small handful of waterlogged people before Minato went back to his own current home here to fetch whatever towels and blankets they had on hand. He'll go fetch them back later, so Vriska doesn't kill him. For now? These poor waterlogged people need them more than they do.

And then he wanders, to and fro, to see where he can help. It's something he can't quite help--

And when he sees Prompto, huddled there so sadly, what can he really do but wander closer, and...dump a towel over him.]

Sorry--I don't know any of those names. [Thanks for your fake name, Ignis.] But... you should dry off, before you catch something.

[photoshooter]

Wh--

[SUDDENLY, TOWEL? Okay, strange teenager, you do you. It takes Prompto a second, hands hovering in midair, before he unfreezes and gets to drying.]

Oh. Um, thank you.

[He rubs it over his head first, then his neck, coming out blond and fluffy. Drying his clothes is definitely a lost cause. Feeling a modicum more human, Prompto lifts his eyes to meet Minato's.]

Thank you, really. My name's Prompto Argentum. And you are...?

ii

[heartsteals]

[ As any gentleman thief worth his salt should do, Lupin's been spending this rainy morning helping out the poor downtrodden souls that find themselves newly kidnapped here. The event troubles him more than a little - and, honestly, he's still not sure what to make of it - but pondering what it all means can come once he's made sure nobody's wandering off into the woods or drowning in 2 feet of water at the bottom of the well.

Neither of those things would be happening in Flavo, but there are plenty of other things to suffer from in this town. Afflictions of the heart, in particular, which is what Prompto appears to be dealing with. He spots him by chance, and makes a beeline towards him when he does, extending his umbrella out over towards Prompto when he's close enough. ]

Looking for someone?

[photoshooter]

[Prompto looks startled when Lupin offers him the protection of his umbrella. Whatever else this poor kid may be, "used to the kindness of strangers" isn't one of them. He may have even started to try to get up once he noticed Lupin coming close, but he relaxes again now, slowly, still watching him but less warily.]

Oh. Yeah, but they're probably not here.

[What would the chances be of that, after all? He chuckles a little.]

Still, here's hoping, right? And thanks for the umbrella.

i

[atomicals]

[Oh, wow, that didn't look good.

Concerned, Hunk shimmies and sidles his way past the other people in the well to head toward Prompto, though he's given pause at the way he skitters back. He holds up his hands in a I come in peace gesture, not wanting to make anyone feel any worse about being in this weird uncomfortable worrying situation.

He even reaches up to pop off his helmet to tuck under one arm before crouching down (in the water in the process but that's why he has nice fancy space armour).]

Hi, my name's Hunk. And you?

ii

[parodeity]

[ if only the name ignis were familiar. or the name gladio. he'd recognize "noct", but since prompto doesn't say that dave just notices someone with a camera calling out for people. he's in flavo, walking home from the community garden, but he stops when he hears someone calling through the rain and more importantly sees the camera, coming over to stand below the tree with him.

dave's not really any drier, but he doesn't seem to mind too much. the red godtier pajamas will dry pretty fast as soon as he's home and it's not like a little wet ever hurt anyone.

maybe. ]

Hey. We don't have, like, an umbrella industry here, but I can probably direct you to a drier place to hang out unless you know where all you're assigned to stay? Which I am just assuming you do not. It's kind of a pain in the ass to figure out, honestly.

ii

[troubadamsel]

[A shadow looms over him now of... a blonde girl with a staff in her hand, eyebrow raised.]

You'll catch your death of cold out here, you realize.

ii

[hydrokinetics]

[Now this is just sad, Prompto...Percy's taken to exploring Flavo because he has a feeling he'll be spending time here despite living in Bluo and it's how he comes across a dude sitting on the ground under a tree and trying to fix...is that a camera? Huh. Okay. Either way, his approach is slow even with the hood of his sweater over his head and he walks closer.

He recognizes distress enough that it feels...pretty bad leaving him to his own devices.]

Hey dude. [Casual. He's never met the guy but it's easier to do casual and just be a little on guard.] Wouldn't it be better to get out of the rain for a while?

i

[athenite]

Breathe. [ annabeth's voice is crisp and steady even in the dark, although her neon orange t-shirt can probably be seen even here. her hair is light, too, blonde curls that maybe should belong to a princess instead of the demigod standing with her hands on her hips surveying the well. ]

I'm Annabeth Chase. You don't have any rope on you, do you?

[ she's as down to business as ever. ]

[unfatalist]

[In the words of the immortal Zak Bagans, "we're not here for continuity; we're here for darkness".

It's rare that Ignis hears his real name spoken around these parts; typically it's only Noctis that does it with any great regularity, as most of the people here still believe in good faith that his name is Tellus Argentum, as he'd told them (telled...us...) upon his arrival here. It's rare enough, in fact, that when he hears it he almost misses it, tempted to write it off as nothing, as a mistake.

But the voice calling his name is familiar, and uses his name in tandem with Gladio's.

Prompto.

He stills at once (Be careful, Iggy!) and orients in the direction of the sound, looking almost desperately for its source, and when he eventually finds it — huddled under a tree, mournfully peering at a familiar silver camera — he's on the move in a flash —

And then stops.

Ardyn had used the face of one of his friends to weasel his way past Ignis's guard once already. And there's talk of new arrivals emerging from the well, now, but who's to say that this is Prompto at all, and not a monster in disguise?

(It was raining that day in Altissia, too.)

It's possible. It's utterly possible, and that's his duty, to anticipate those possibilities and counter them. It's his job, right here and now, to gauge the possibility that Prompto is not who he holds himself out to be, and take the steps necessary to protect Noctis in the face of it. He has to consider the likelihood that Prompto isn't Prompto at all. He has to account for that.

And he does, for a good several seconds, except that what ultimately seals his opinion and, potentially, his fate, is this:

Prompto looks injured, and Prompto looks miserable. And if this is some plan of Ardyn's to lure him in and capture him again, well.

If that's the case, then Ardyn is going to succeed, because in that moment all Ignis can think is that for all that good sense would say to err on the side of suspicion and prudent caution, it would be the far greater sin to be wrong, and treat one of his own family (his only remaining family) with suspicion and distrust at a time when he clearly needs help most.]

Prompto.

[Prompto calls. And help answers.]

II D:

[missingache]

[Prompto won't be along for too long. Roxas might not be who he was calling for, but he hears the voice and feels compelled to check on whoever was making that pitiful noise. He pulls his hood back just enough to show his face as he frowns at the other.]

Are you okay?

II

[queenofminiskirts]

[Kaoru was often in Flavo to come see Shiho. Today was no exception but she stopped on her way back, when she notices someone under a tree.]

Hey! [She's running over.] Are you okay? [He's soaked...] You probably shouldn't stay out here or you'll catch a cold.