awashlogs | Event Ten.

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Event Ten.

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ The door slams, and here they are— two seemingly disparate people in one room. Momo's positioned himself on a chair in the corner of the room, wet shoes and shirt laid out on the floor where he hopes they'll dry out in the next few hours.

He feels a little awkward being caught like this, sitting with his chin resting on the back of this decrepit wooden half-chair, but. Oh well. ]

—Hey! Don't worry about it, my bad for making a mess already...!

[ Here he goes, getting up to pick up his clothes. ] It's been A Day [ emphasis on those words ], huh?

...Please put that back on.

[The shirt, she means. Does she realize it's still wet? A mystery.]

I feel like that's a serious understatement, but sure. It's been a day, let's go with that. So you just showed up here today, too?

[ It's definitely his bad; an apologetic half-laugh, and he's slipping that wet shirt back on, still wrinkled and rumpled thanks to the Great Wellventure.

His hands go up in mock-surrender, but his smile stays. ]

Yup! I'm a newbie through and through... so let's figure things out together! [ As if it's that easy, as if things are ever that easy. ] You can be Sherlock Holmes, and I'll be your Watson.

[She pauses, as though she's trying to figure out the source of his cheerfulness, and takes a few steps into the house as she does.]

That's a really weird comparison, and I'm good. Thanks, though.

[She says that just as easily, even if it's a decidedly ruder thing to say than what he offered. Her next words are just as blunt.]

Who are you?

[ He's used to blunt— comfortable with it, really, thanks to a certain someone from his homeworld who used to weaponize his words without ill intent. The brushoff is similarly familiar, so he doesn't respond with anything more than a vague hum and a little scrape of chair legs across scratched flooring. Offering her the seat, as he moves his way across the room. ]

Me? I'm— [ a little beat here, as if he has to think about it. ] —ah, I guess you wouldn't have heard of 'Re:vale' if you're not from my world, huh? You can just call me 'Momo'! All of my friends do.

[ Hands on his hips, mock-proud. He gentles into something less obnoxious a moment later. ]

I'm a Scorpio, I'm 5 foot 8, and I'm not a dangerous person. What about you?

[Even as he stands up, she doesn't make a move towards the chair, even if she glances at it. Quickly, as an aside:]

I don't need to sit, it's fine.

[Once that's established, she listens to the rest of what he says, bemused. In turn, something about his demeanor reminds her of someone, but even the person he brings to mind wasn't quite so exuberant upon their first meeting.]

Nope, never heard of it. And... Momo. Got it. Uh, my name is Natalie? My sign and how tall I am don't really matter. [There's a short pause, before she finally verbalizes what strikes her as odd about this.] Why are you, like... happy? We just got kidnapped and now we're stuck here.

[ Ah, the Big Question. His answer is almost immediate, and with conviction. ]

Haha, don't get me wrong— I'm plenty scared and uncertain. This is all pretty extreme, after all.

[ A grown-ass man, saying that he's scared... he doesn't look ashamed of his admission, regardless. ]

But if I start counting all the things that make me unhappy, I'll lose sight of everything that's good about this situation, you know? For example... [ he points an index towards the ceiling. ] ...Good thing No. 1: I have a roommate! I feel much less lonely now.

[For a moment, she seems less confused now that he's admitted he's frightened as well, but it's replaced quickly with a different kind of confusion. Something about him considering her a positive part of this situation so quickly, and saying it so plainly...

Well, the obvious solution (to her, at least) is to meet his optimism with a shake of her head and disapproval in her tone.]

I could be a horrible roommate, you know. I could leave huge messes all over the house for weeks at a time and be loud when you're trying to sleep and eat your leftovers without asking.

[ A beat, and he genuinely laughs. Head tipped, eyes narrowed. ]

And I'll probably snore, eat a lot of junk food, and definitely sing too loud in the shower.

[ Do they even have a functioning shower? He's not sure, but he'll warn her anyway. ]

So we can fight about it and make up and get to know each other better. Bad habits are just another way for us to be honest, right?

I'm excited already! It's nice to meet you, Natalie.

...I said I could do those things, not that I'm going to do those things. I'm not, so please don't sing really loud in the shower. [A beat.] Unless you actually know how to sing, then do whatever.

[If there is actually a shower here, which she also isn't sure about at all. She looks uncertain about everything else he says as she answers, voice flat.]

...Right.

[That's probably as close to 'it's nice to meet you, too' as he'll get, at least right now.]

Haha, I actually sing and dance for a living! But I'll try to keep it down.

[ He puts an index finger up to his lips, as if he's just shared a grave secret. It's public knowledge in his world that he's a celebrity, but he figures that it's not important enough to talk about here. ]

Call me out anytime if something I do bugs you!

[It's hard to tell whether she's showing genuine interest or simply that some of her surliness has faded away, but all the same, there's absolutely a shift in her demeanor. He's unlocked her Inner Nerd.]

Yeah? What kind of music do you perform?

[ The fact that Natalie seems to want to continue with the topic of music is heartening; he narrows his eyes, genuinely pleased by this turn of events. ]

Well, I'm an idol! It's a pretty big thing where I'm from, but I guess the kind of music we play is pop music...?

[ He hums a few bars of one of his unit's songs; it's upbeat, a quintessential dance tune. ]

My duo partner writes all of our songs, and I perform them with him.

[It's not a term she's heard before, but based on the small sample he gives, she assumes it's similar to a pop star. It might not be the kind of music she's most familiar, but, well...]

At least it's not jazz, I guess.

[Her sworn enemy.]

How'd you get into it? Music, I mean.

[ What did jazz ever do you you, Natalie!!!! Momo laughs a little, but he answers her question with breezy honesty. ]

It's gonna sound cliche, but it saved my life. I used to play soccer, but I got injured— music gave me something new to love!

[ A tip of his head. ]

What about you?

...It's a little cliche. But, how did you get injured?

[Somehow, even though it's a forward question about a topic that she imagines might be painful for him to discuss, there's a light tone of concern in it as well.

As for his question, she just gives a small shrug.]

I'm a classical pianist. I've been doing it since I can remember.

[ It's obvious that he doesn't mind, even if he doesn't go into the topic in too much detail. With his shoulderblades to the wall, he sticks out one leg as punctuation. ]

That's also another cliche, sorry. I hurt my leg during a game, so I had to give up on going pro.

[ A bittersweet memory, but one that he's thankful for. Again, he waves it away. ]

Classical piano, though! Like Mozart and Liszt? That's amazing, I wonder if we can find you a piano around here...

Why are you apologizing for getting hurt in a cliche way...? [...] Either way, you can still dance and stuff? I mean, I guess that's way different from soccer, but...

[She doesn't end the sentence with 'that's good', but the sentiment is implied in her tone. There's a nod at his next words.]

Yeah, exactly like that. But - I kind of doubt it? This doesn't seem like the kind of place that would have a piano. Anyways, it's not a big deal if there's not.

[ Oh, he thinks. She's kind!

To her first question, he responds by lifting himself up off of the wall and doing a surprisingly agile spin on his heels. Ta-da. ]

Dancing isn't a contact sport, so I'm fine. If we ever have to really run somewhere, I can even carry you on my back and sprint!

[ A thumbs-up, even if he gentles a bit at the rest of her words. ]

But, really? You're not gonna miss making music?

Um, you really don't have to do that. Actually, let me put it another way, never do that.

[Just laying the ground rules for any possible emergency that requires sprinting, as one does. She looks towards the ground, and while she's not quite nonchalant, she's clearly trying to play off his concern.]

I'm pretty sure there are way more important things to be thinking about right now, you know? It's not a big deal, I'll live.

[ "Never do that", she says, while Momo files Natalie under "people to help in event of a fire." He's pushy like that; he knows he's selfish, when push comes to shove.

So he doesn't respond to that first bit (he's cheating, he knows), and instead, taps a forefinger against his chin. Contemplative. ]

Well, that's true— we have to figure out what to do here, and how to survive! That's definitely important.

But it would be pretty terrible if the only thing we were concerned about was how to live day by day, you know? ...I guess that's a pretty lackadaisical thing to say, but I believe it.

[There's a moment of frustration on her face, but it's directed at the idea more than at him. She doesn't like the way that notion seems distasteful, the sharp, ingrained swell of shame at the concept of putting her own needs or interests front and center like that.

Of course, that emotion remains all the same, and it makes her shake her head, more forceful than it needs to be. There's a tension in her voice that wasn't present a moment ago.]

That's not... [A sigh.] You don't have to say stuff like that, okay? I said I was fine, so I'm fine. I'd know better than you what would be terrible for me.

[ Momo plays dumb, but he can sense the shift in her posture, the piano-wire tension that cuts through the room at his insistence. So he backs off, smile still omnipresent. ]

—Okay. As long as you take care of yourself! I'll be keeping an eye on you.

[ Hands to his hips, leaning forward in mock-sternness. He doesn't play that role very well, so he breaks into a light half-chuckle. ]

But if I ever do find a piano around here, I'm gonna make you do a duet with me!

[A pause, and then, finally:]

You don't have to do that. I can take care of myself.

[It's said more gently than her last words, but there's still a bluntness to it. Regardless, she shakes her head.]

Where exactly do you think you're going to find one?

[ He lets that first part sit, for later; again, he's too obstinate to say that he won't care, because that would be a lie.

The rest, though??? ]

Well, I think I spotted a church somewhere in the town... and maybe a native here in the past had one in their house? I mean...

...Piano keys are black and white, so they'd fit right in with the mood of this place!

[ momo no ]

Event Ten.

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