awashlogs | Event Twelve

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Event Twelve

I am a reaper whose muscles set at sundown.
All my oats are cradled.
But I am too chilled,
and too fatigued to bind them.
And I hunger.

ou know what's probably amazing? Waking up to your previously normal front door suddenly being covered by a huge, autumn-themed wreath. Or perhaps you're close enough to the center of the Town to look out your window and get an eyeful of that effigy, staring soullessly at you?

The point is, there's a festival going on! The Town's been decorated accordingly (don't trip over sudden bales of hay), and towards the center of the Town, there are all sorts of fun games, tables of food, and other amazing things set up. Go prance onto the stage, sample some of the amazing food, convince one of your friends to play one of those bobbing for apples games...

Enjoy it! There doesn't seem to be much of a catch this time.

(At least, not until you eat the food, and then you'll figure out just what that "catch" is.)

Welcome to Awash's twelfth 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!

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[ Toshinori's unexpected joke gets a sincere laugh out of Ari, too, even if it's a quiet one. The tension in his chest eases slightly. ]

> "Don't you think that's a little corny?"

[ He smiles up at Toshinori, knowing exactly what he just said. ]

> "Maybe there's something a-maize-ing at the end. Let's find out?"

[The bad jokes in return catch him off guard and he laughs even harder until he's doubled over in a bloody coughing fit.]

Beaten at my own game...! How unexpected!

[Could it be that Ari had a secret humour weapon all along?!]

> "Are you okay?"

[ Despite the obligatory worried question when Toshinori doubles over coughing from laughter, Ari is starting to feel better. It's been—a while, a definite while, since he's gotten to say anything like that. ]

> "Do you have any other ones?"

[ He asks, referring to Toshinori's jokes with a small smile. ]

I'm fine. [He waves a hand dismissively.] Let's see... This joke is from a bright young man I met here. It might not make sense to someone from your world, but I'll explain it anyway. While I was helping with carving a pumpkin, the young man carved this particular symbol on it...

[He looks around for something to help with his explanation. Spotting a fallen twig, he lets go of Ari's hand just long enough to retrieve it and draw a symbol in the dirt:

π

Then he looks up at Ari for any recognition, as if to say, Get it?]

[ Hmm. The other joke, he got immediately, but this one...

Ari studies the symbol, but it's ultimately unfamiliar to him. His friend Kisling would probably know, since he's a scientist, but Ari is just a boy from a small village. He shakes his head. ]

> "I don't know what that is. I'm sorry."

It's okay! It's a symbol used in mathematics; what it's used for isn't important. The important thing is that it's called 'pi'. So in other words...

[He draws a very simple outline of a pumpkin around the symbol.]

A 'pumpkin pi'!

[It's less funny if you have to explain every aspect of the joke, but maybe Ari will see the funny side of it anyway.]

[ As soon as Toshinori explains that the symbol is called 'pi', the joke finally clicks. Ari brightens with the realization, just as the older man finishes the punchline aloud. ]

> "Oh wow! That's really clever."

[ Whoever taught it to Toshinori must be a pretty smart guy. ]

Yes! If you ever meet a fellow called Ryo Asuka, all credit goes to him.

[He straightens up and dusts off the dirt from his hands.]

I never took you as one to see the funny side of things -- no offense! I'm glad we have the same sense of humour.

[ Ari nods. He'll keep that in mind, if he ever crosses paths with this Ryo Asuka, although starting off meeting someone with 'Hey I really liked that pumpkin pun you made that one time' might be a little awkward. Oh well. ]

> "Sorry... I guess I wasn't really thinking about funny things when I first got here."

[ He was overwhelmed, honestly. He'd already gone on a ridiculous adventure, after all, and waking up in the well in Chroma meant that his life wasn't going back to normal like he thought.

Even if there's still a lot he doesn't know about this town or why he's here, maybe he's taken comfort in the people he's met and the little daily routine he's established in Flavo. ]

> "But I'm glad too. No one usually laughs at my jokes."

[ Usually people aren't listening whenever he does show his sense of humor, or they're quick to write him off because it doesn't suit their ego. ~~Thanks, Stan.~~ ]

You're not alone, there. I doubt many people were in a laughing mood, when they first arrived.

[Except All Might was, if only because his role as a hero is to laugh and make others feel better. Still!]

But I'm sure you have plenty of jokes! Don't hesitate to fire them at me whenever you think of them, kid. [EVEN BAD JOKES ARE GOOD JOKES...]

[ Ari nods. The first few weeks were definitely tough, probably for a lot of people.

But Toshinori's hand warmly enveloping his own is a reminder that good things have come out of arriving in Chroma as well. The boy smiles. ]

> "Just let me know if you feel corn-ered, since I can't promise they'll all be maize of gold."

[A dry chuckle, as he leads them over to the maze. The maize maze.]

You're a natural at this, aren't you? [Bad puns, that is.]

[ Maybe it's because his own world is so silly, but he does seem to have a knack for it. ]

> "I'll try not to do it too much."

[ He's feeling a lot better, compared to earlier, but maybe it's okay to keep holding Toshinori's hand for now. They just reached the maze, after all. ]

> "Wow, it's really tall, isn't it?"

[It's totally okay to keep holding his hand, and Toshinori is certainly tolerating it without complaint.]

It is, isn't it? Even I can't cheat and peek over the top.

[Unless he jumped really high, but then... What would be the point in the maze? And the cat would be out of the bag for his Quirk, besides.]

We should decide on whether we should try to head left or right and hug the wall along that direction.

[ Toshinori is pretty tall, too, so the fact that it's even taller than him is impressive.

Ari nods. That plan makes sense. ]

> "I did that once too, when I got lost in the World Library."

[ He gestures. ]

> "Maybe we should try left first?"

Left is fine with me.

[What's the worst that can happen, after all? It fortunately seems to be a regular maze with no spooky surprises lurking for them, too, even if Toshinori has quickly learned to expect anything in this place. It's even kind of peaceful, getting away from the bustle of the festival for a bit.]

Kid... Back there, I know it was the food making you act that way... But I hope you're doing okay.

[In general, he means. Since he figured the food probably incited a feeling already there, there has to be a reason Ari feels so attached to him.]

[ It's definitely quieter, once they truly enter the maze. Ari hadn't even noticed the background bustle of the festival until they stepped away from it, but it's nice to have a break from the festivities.

If there's one upside about being here in Chroma, instead of back in his home world, it's that there's no risk of random ghosts attacking them through the maze walls. ]

> "Oh... sorry about that... I'm feeling mostly better now? But that was weird."

[ He's not used to thinking much about his feelings, so the way they suddenly surged up and became all he could think about had caught him off-guard. ]

> "I guess... um."

[ Ari tends to just say whatever's on his mind, even if that means rambling a little, but now he hesitates. ]

[All Might watches his reaction closely, speaking up only when Ari seems to hesitate.]

You guess...?

[A verbal nudge for him to continue, along with a squeeze of his hand. If he's willing, that is. It's just the two of them out in this maze, after all, so he hopes he feels comfortable enough to speak his mind.]

[ The squeeze encourages him to continue. ]

> "If I try to think about why..."

[ This time his pause is thoughtful, rather than hesitant. Toshinori is right to suspect that there was a kernel of truth at the core of Ari's reaction, even if he would never normally fall apart in such a way. ]

> "Um, do you remember when you went into the woods and you... faded? Your color came back later, and I'm glad, but I wasn't able to do anything."

[ That alone doesn't explain everything, so he tries again, this time starting from a different point. He's not very good at explaining things concisely, especially when it involves his feelings. ]

> "When I got here, I felt so lost. I'd just finally gone home after a long journey, and instead of everything going back to normal, I ended up here. I didn't know anybody, either. No one's heard of my world. So I felt... alone, I guess. But then I found out that I was supposed to go to a certain place, and that turned out to be the same place you were supposed to go to, too."

[ The way they met might've been a little odd—Toshinori rushing to hide from Shouto, then later failing to even notice Ari was there—but ultimately it made a positive impact on him. Toshinori chose to stay, giving Ari an anchor in this strange town with its strange happenings. ]

> "I've never really been on my own before. So I was glad you stayed. I wanted to pay you back, somehow, but I'm not really good at anything. I don't really know what I can do that would be any help. So I guess, if I had to think about why I got upset like that, maybe it's because I'm still sorry there was nothing I could do for you."

[ The boy smiles sheepishly. It's kind of dumb, maybe... but it's the only reason he can think of. ]

Young Ari...

[Toshinori's expression is grave. Ari feels bad for not being able to help him, even though Toshinori's decision to go into the forest was entirely a risk he took on himself.

This is why he keeps himself away from other people. He can't help but want to do things, take risks, even at his own expense. And the people who come to care about him, however briefly they've known each other, wind up getting hurt when he disregards their feelings of care and worry. Isn't it easier if they're not in the picture at all?

Of course, he can't tell him that much. It would be too cruel. He's already taken responsibility for Ari upon himself, and he can't just turn his back on that now, can he? So perhaps he should try being a little more honest with him, instead.

He stops walking, and lets go of his hand.]

Kid, I wasn't exactly truthful when I said I just went for a walk. Me and a few others wanted to see how far we could go in the forest, and that was the result. So... Don't feel too bad for me, okay? I knew the risks. It's not your responsibility to fix whatever I bring on myself.

[ Ari stops as well, turning to look up at him when Toshinori admits the truth behind the 'walk' he took that day. ]

> "You were trying to learn more about this place, right? Since no one really knows why we're here or where 'here' is."

[ Rather than upset, or even surprise, Ari's response to the reveal is one of understanding. He himself asked as many people as he could, the first few weeks he spent in Chroma, about this town and their purpose here, only to gradually realize that no one had any answers. So he can't blame Toshinori for trying to do something about that. If the forest is impassable, then they're all stuck here until they can figure a different way out.

When Toshinori tells him that it's not his responsibility to fix the older man's problems, the boy nods slowly. He knows it's not. Arguably, there isn't even the excuse that they came from the same world. Ari has no obligation to involve himself in Toshinori's circumstances. And yet... ]

> "Sometimes bad things happen. Sometimes it's because something you did, or sometimes bad things happen for no good reason at all. But I think it's easier to get through bad things if you don't try to do everything on your own. People can do some really amazing things when they work together, even if the odds are against them."

[ Ari gestures, sheepishly. ]

> "I mean, you didn't go into the woods alone, right? So you shouldn't have to go through the rest alone, either. At least, that's what I think."

[He's not even mad at him for hiding the truth? He lets out a huff of disbelief, and, after a few moments of consternation, ruffles Ari's hair.]

Helping people even where it's not asked for... You're definitely hero material, young Ari.

[How could he possibly discourage something like that? He can't. So he'll just have to accept Ari's (unasked for) help.]

[ Ari isn't mad. This isn't a case where he is merely hiding his frustration or disappointment, either; one look into his expressive green eyes would wash any doubts to the contrary. Although of course he would prefer to be kept in the loop, he seems willing to accept that Toshinori had his reasons for concealing the purpose behind his trip without berating the older man for lying.

The boy smiles, embarrassed by the unexpected praise. He was only speaking from the heart. ]

> "Well, that's just what I think."

[ Toshinori is stuck with him, probably. ]

You have a good point... Though while we're on the subject of working together, let's keep trying to get through this maze, shall we?

[He looks apologetic for sidetracking them, beginning to walk again.]

Just don't involve yourself with me too much if I mess up. It's fine if you want to help, but no one should pay for my mistakes.

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Event Twelve

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