Event Ten.

[awashmods]

Little Willie, mean as hell, Pushed his sister in a well. Mother said, while drawing water, "My, it's hard to raise a daughter."

t's pretty dark and miserable down in the well. The cavernous area feels much larger than a well should be, bodies milling about in the darkness and knee deep, frigid water. So you're here -- and you're not alone, and the only way out appears to be the thin circle of sunlight from above, the opening of the well. (And elsewhere, in the Town, everyone's waking up to gifts of various usefulness, but hopefully they remember to check the well today even so!) What now? Welcome to Awash's tenth event log, and the intro log for this month, everyone! All new characters have found themselves waking in the well in the middle of the Town. Hopefully they can get a hand out! For more information, please go here! Meanwhile, the current characters have some new gifts. If there are any questions, please ask them here, and have fun! Thank you!

Comments

[stripedown]

[ A second nod.

Well. She'll probably transform back, and that's not going to be good in front of a man. ]

[stripedown]

[ She perks up at the second one. Wait, he knows how to find that? ]

[stripedown]

[ Well. He's right, technically, because even as her tail flicks, the tiger baaaarely shakes her head. ]

[stripedown]

[ Does she leap a little in surprise? Yep.

Okay, he might have blended in a little too well there, but-- instead of saying anything, she just stares at him, concerned.

Um. He can help? ]

[ninjanature]

It's not a bad idea.

[Sticking with friends or family. Being with trusted people. His eye shifts away from the town and to Yuu. The gaze is leveled, but watchful, studying. Sasuke is probably going to get him in trouble for being nosy. But, you know. Ninja and all.

Information is important.]

Is he like you, too? A half-demon?

[smaaaaaash]

Are you saying there are other people around town who look like me?

[He grins a bit at the joke, even if it is at his own expense, before becoming a little more serious again.]

I'd been looking for you, so I'm glad you found me. This is the place I've been assigned to... Is it okay if we talk in here for a while?

[He jerks a thumb to the cottage behind him. Hopefully no one is living there already, so they can talk in private.]

[smaaaaaash]

Friendships are extremely important to the success of a hero! I'd be half the man I am today without them!

[culpa]

Nah, it's fine. I mean, you're here, and I definitely couldn't leave you alone.

( it's said happily enough, lips spread into a grin wide enough to show the bits of strawberry left in his teeth. whatever, he's happy enough. and definitely leaving the mess of leaves on the ground when moving to walk away from guren and out of his house. )

I'll go with a friend!

[culpa]

I'm an orphan? But Guren's my family.

( no, they're not blood related. but yuu loves guren as much as he would love any blood related person. moreso, even, because guren took care of him better than any other "adult" did. )

So no, but yeah.

[uselessgoddess]

[Liquor hunting is fine. But Aqua will take some minor offense here.]

A mage? Hardly! I'm a goddess! A mage doesn't have anywhere near the power I do!

[swordfucker]

[That's fine and all, but HOLD ON—]

Hey, stupid Yuu. Where do you think you're going without cleaning up that mess?

[smaaaaaash]

[Is it safe to look... It's hard to judge when he's trying not to and also when she won't (can't?) talk, but the sound of approaching footsteps is enough to alert him to her presence.]

Ah! There you are. If you transform again, worry not! I'll make sure you don't lose your shirt.

[He smiles brightly, and adds--] We were in such a hurry I forgot to introduce myself. I am All Might, and I am here to help you!

[youwillbeunequaled]

[He bends in closer to look at the wound. Perhaps it's him, but something still seems strange about it (besides the fact that it stopped bleeding so quickly), but it does indeed seem to be fine, as the man said. He hums in appreciation, and shakes his head slightly at the apology.]

That is a fine gift of healing. But please still do take care of yourself.

[He pauses a beat, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.] You say you were made to heal quickly? Are you perhaps not human, then? [He raises a hand reassuringly as he quickly adds,] It is not a bad thing if you are not, of course. There are all types of people in this place. [He gives a sheepish smile- he's not human either, after all.]

[unghost]

[ They startle back a few steps, barely holding back at gasping aloud. There's a few beats of awkward silence after she speaks, Cairngorm still holding their saw at the ready despite having jolted back out of swinging distance. That has to be in the top 15 freakiest things they've seen since moving here. ]

You— [ They let down their saw a fraction of an angle, staring at her with an expression that's equal parts horror and confusion. ] What are you supposed to be.

[ Says the shiny crystal-fae person, but also, they're unsure if she's supposed to be something the forest like they'd assumed, or a new arrival. ]

[unghost]

I seriously doubt anyone you know is inside.

[ They're quick to be blunt about that. ]

But yes, I have to gather a certain plant, so I'm going in. Not very far, since I know exactly where to go. [ They cast a good up-down look to him, trying to assess what they can without looking too judgmental. ] I won't go any farther than that, but if you're curious about what's inside— I won't care if you follow.

[smaaaaaash]

Ah, no, it was a misunderstanding. [He shakes his head.] It's been fixed now, so no need to worry about it happening again.

[He hopes. Most people won't even take notice of him in this form, so it should be easier to avoid in future.]

[unghost]

It's... both.

[ They fold their arms loosely, casting their gaze out to the grey water in front of the two of them. ]

Not too long ago, these creatures that ate humans came up from the water and started kidnapping people. [ That's kind of a lot to say out of the blue, so they let a few beats pass before they continue. But when they do, their head tilts a fraction to the side, as if they're momentarily puzzled. ] I wouldn't know how good this water is for humans to drink, either.

[tropism]

You already did ....?

[ he killed his father? is that what he's saying, is that what he's hearing? he doesn't want to ask again. being told the first time around was bad enough and giorno can't decide how to feel about it. something like a shadow falls over his face, making him look a lot younger, a lot more vulnerable than he pretends to be; than he shows himself to be. how does one reconcile your own memories against what seems to be the truth. it seems unfair to level accusations against the dead, but if this guy is correct in what he says about his dad, was it wrong to put an end to him? despite never knowing him in the first place, despite all of his longing and want. family is a burning, odious tar settling in the marrow of his bones. he wanted to tell him: how could you, i never even had the chance to know him. just so he can hear the satisfaction of an apology, like a child denied of the thing it wants.

but he's more than that, and it's been years and years since he remembers being haruno shiobana. giorno giovanna has other preoccupations, doesn't he? he's got a gang to run and a city to protect. he's got friends in this strange town without colours, or of few colours, he's got people who're counting on him and a few responsibilities. and ever since he's arrived here he's kept himself busy studying and living so as not to give time to a lot of things that need to be paid attention to: 3 funerals, 1 apology, the way his loneliness twists and turns itself like a knife, making him seek as many people as he can in order to try and fill the gaps that he misses - a girl here, a boy there, a strange creature, fifteen different faces to fill up a body like a monster. all of that while remaining hopeful. it's a burden. it's an unfair situation that anybody in contact with giorno isn't aware of, and why should they be.

and now here is another boy like him. he could be family. how many graves? giorno is keenly aware that he'd delayed this conversation long enough but he doesn't know how to continue that rhythm, that serenity that he'd laid out in the beginning. it's hard to maintain such composure at this point, and even if he doesn't trust him yet, he can hardly ignore what he's saying. he doesn't think he's lying.

so. he tries again: ]

I don't know anything about the names Joestar, or Kujo.

And while I have my own history, it has nothing to do with your family. [ a pause. ] Or my ... bloodline. Whatever's left of it.

I can't apologize on his behalf. And I doubt you'd want to hear it from me. But I've no interests in fights, and anyway - [ giorno looks very, very exhausted. ] - I have friends to bury and promises to keep when I return. I don't want another fight. I barely have anybody left.

[queenofminiskirts]

[She laughs.] Come on, this way.

[She points and leads him towards Bluo.] And my name's Kaoru Akashi.

[youwillbeunequaled]

[He doesn't mind at all.
He is quietly happy when she at last does take his hand. He holds it gently, hoping that will reassure her.

As they walk he does his best to simply explain Chroma - how the food that doesn't have colour tastes like ash, and how people have been trying to coordinate the coloured foods so they can all eat well. How it is dangerous to go into the forest, but the Defence Force is there to help keep them all safe.

When they arrive at the library he opens the door for her.]

Here we are. For some reason, all the books are fairy tales and folk tales, but you can enjoy reading as much as you want.
Or, if you like, I could read to you... [Just, you know, the option is there...]
But please, take your time to have a look around. One thing- many people have taken the time to organize it well, so I must ask that you put things back where you find them. All right?

[queenofminiskirts]

[She couldn't help but smile even wider. And yes, it is funny in a way but more than that it's...sweet. She hadn't grown up in a family like that. Not just because her mom and sister are as open about their affections as she is but simply because her father had left when she was four and never once looked back.]

They sound like amazing people. [She notices that there's less about Sarada and what there is is less personal than what he could say about his wife. But she wasn't going to comment on that.] Sounds like you're lucky to have them.

[queenofminiskirts]

I know that. But there's a difference between not getting himself killed and taking care of himself properly.

[Why is this even an argument that they're having...? Now she's worried about Yuu too...]

Anyway, if you're going to stay with him then keep an eye on him.

[queenofminiskirts]

Do I?

[Maybe she really is misunderstanding, geez.]

Yeah! His name was Yuya-san! He disappeared from town...a while ago? [She's....losing track of time here, honestly.]

[queenofminiskirts]

Oh, I should tell you this now: avoid the forest if you can, okay? And if you have to go in, don't go too far and make sure to bring someone with you.

[She looked back for a moment.]

Do you know how to protect yourself?

[queenofminiskirts]

I'm sure they'll find us if we just wander around long enough. The things in the forest tend to do that...