Event Thirteen.

[awashmods]

To love a human face was to discover The cracks of paint and varnish on the brow; Soon to distrust all impulses of flesh That strews its sawdust on the chamber floor, While at the window peer two crones Who once were Juliet and Jessica.

t's a regular morning here in the Town. The sun isn't shining at all, snow is falling like crazy, and...there may be the sounds of shouts coming from the well, thoroughly muffled. Okay, so it's not a regular morning at all, but you'd better go help those people! The newcomers are here again. Of course, once you get to the well, you'll notice that there's actually no real help you can offer -- it's totally frozen over. As for the newcomers, well... hopefully being suddenly dumped into freezing cold water in the middle of November in a dark, damp well is your idea of a good time, because that's your life now! And that's not even taking into account the mirrors in everyone's homes that are about to wake up and start chattering... Welcome to Awash's thirteenth event log, everyone! Further information on this event can be found here at the OOC post. Please keep in mind that while this is a general event log, it is also an intro log; be sure to pay plenty of attention to our newcomers! If there are any questions, please ask them here. Thank you!

Comments

[bakedapple]

[Link squints and shuts one eye tightly as he senses a hand feeling around his face, but he doesn't flinch or pull away. The skin-on-skin contact is a small source of warmth.]

...uh, you found me. [Despite their circumstances, he can't help but laugh. He holds tight to the wall with one hand so he can use the other to grab the wrist of the hand touching him.] There you are. Wh-Where are we? Who are you?

[regrede]

Hahaha. I’m good at getting quietly into places. Leave your window unlocked and I can fly right in.

[ who wouldn’t love a midnight visit from sierra, after all! ]

It will be harder to privately follow through on your service, though…

[izanyagi]

I appreciate it. Ahh! [Important things to do first.] I'm Yu Narukami, thank you for having me inside your home.

[bakedapple]

Wh-What? You need it at least as much as I do. [Link shakes his head, despite another chill going through his body. He wouldn't take another's warm clothes in a situation like this. He's a soldier and a servant. Helping the others in the well comes first.]

I appreciate the offer, but... let's both help them out, and then we can find someplace warm afterwards. [Without waiting for an answer, he turns and calls down into the well to start climbing. After a moment, he looks over his shoulder and motions to the stranger to join him.] I'm Link.

[appraiser]

Here I am~

[ The laugh settles Ryoji, relieved that this stranger isn't too upset about almost going blind, and he steps in as close as he can so that they can better see each other. There's not much light to be found all the way down here, is there? Especially with the sunlight barely being able to diffuse through the thick layer of ice up above. ]

My name is Ryoji Mochizuki, and we are inside of a well.

[ He states it matter of factly, as if it isn't his first time being stuck at the bottom of a well. It isn't. ]

There should be a basket somewhere, that they use to draw up water. We should try to find that.

[bakedapple]

Link is almost too stunned to hear an affirmative response to his question to believe it. He blinks at the man for a moment, mouth agape, before jumping to his feet.

"You do?! Really?" he stammers. "Is she safe? Where is she? How do you know her?"

[allweather]

[his room is on the second floor! not that he doubts her ability to somehow get up there, but still.]

You hardly need to announce to anyone else what you're doing. I hardly need either of them giving me well-intentioned concerned looks...

[it is actually only okay when reim does that.]

[doublecrowss]

[ It takes Akechi a moment to pull himself out of his trance-- isn't Ryoji acting a little too casual for someone who has been missing for so long?

Unless... he hasn't realized it yet? ]

Yes, this does look like your hex code. [ Eventually, he does inspect the laptop, and while everything else seems to be fine, it's true this isn't the same place Ryoji used to live in. ] They must have assigned you to a different house this time around...

[ A pause, as he considers whether or not he should bring it up. ]

You have been absent for several months, after all.

[appraiser]

[ Not even all those nights Pharos had woken him up to chatter about the end of the world and phases of the moon? That's generous, although those were particularly precious times for Pharos— Ryoji- whose only times were with Minato.

Again, Minato's words confuse him, but he can tell that Minato's trying his best to get them out, and Ryoji is ever patient. ]

Take your time. Whatever it is you want to say, I'll be here to listen.

[theshowsover]

[Overnight...? Hasn't it been months...?]

Nothing different from the usual. A few people have made it further in than we got before, but they usually come out missing some color.

[And some emotions. Those two go hand in hand here.]

[neronian]

[ Of course she's dead. All of her comrades are dead, spirits from history and mythology come to the aid of humanity. His concern is what piques the most interest in her. Nero's expression softens into a smile. ]

Your kindness is much appreciated, but do not concern yourself, I am all right. I have been dead for many, many years.

[ She won't say for how long, because the less of a pinpoint people have on her true name, the better. She is not...exactly ashamed of it, but she'd rather not deal with "hey are you the dead ancient Roman emperor??? Did you really fiddle while Rome burned???" right off the bat. Thankfully, she's already picked up that this town and the citizens aren't exactly normal ones, much like the random civilians in most Singularities they visited, so she doesn't have much of a problem explaining a bit about what her deal is. ]

Such is our lot as Heroic Spirits called from the past, our deeds acknowledged long after our deaths.

II

[queenofminiskirts]

[She's not cold but that's just because her her uniform was capable of temperature regulation (don't ask how that works with a skirt that short. Just don't question it. And she feels the snowball hit her back but her uniform is also water proof so it doesn't do much. But she turns around, first looking curious before she grins.]

Is that a declaration of war? If you threw the first snowball, then you won't blame me for what happens next, right?

[Because she's raising a hand and...how many snowballs is suddenly levitating in the air? Looks like at least twenty. RIP Kaminari.]

[appraiser]

Oh.

[ It comes out as a breath, barely audible, and Ryoji reaches up to touch the tips of his fingers to his lips. Akira doesn't have to mention the absence of emotions, because Ryoji remembers that very well- had been there when Akechi had left the forest just like that, quiet and grey-scale and nothing like himself that Ryoji is used to. ]

That's what happened with Akechi-kun last month, isn't it? When Ichinose-kun, him, and I went inside together... [ in... April... but whatever. maybe it's still April and it's just a very very late winter snowfall they're having right now. ]

And you're saying more people have experienced the same?

[izanyagi]

[Yu has too many unique friends to think that Ryoji is in any way too weird. He takes his hand, surprised at how it was like holding a piece of ice.]

You're already that cold?

[He takes his free hand, in an attempt to take off his coat and give it to him.]

[doublecrowss]

[ Goro-san... ah............... ] There's no need to thank me. I'm a Red, by the way-- and, really, just Akechi is fine!

[ And he's going to wave a hand in dismissal, along with a shake of his head, politely declining Yu's offer. ]

I'm quite all right, thank you. And since you're a newcomer, I should advise you to keep those to yourself. As I'm sure you'll soon realize, our resources are fairly limited, but those of us who have been here for longer have managed to find new supplies on occasion.

[ Which explains his winter gear, oddly colored as it is-- at least it's functional! ]

[appraiser]

[ It's true; Yu befriends foxes and bears, Ryoji will probably be his most normal SL. He has to protest Yu taking off his coat, though, not knowing how else to stop Yu but to grab his other hand and now he's just... holding both hands. ]

I'm alright! I believe I tend to run a little cold... but you're very warm.

[ your hands. same thing. ]

Perhaps that's why I feel that way in comparison?

2

[queenofminiskirts]

[She wasn't trying to ignore anyone, but she was a bit...distracted today (well, in general, really). So she hadn't been paying attention until the shout. She turned, looking mildly confused for a moment before smiling.

She walked over and...there's a lot of things to note here. There's her outfit which doesn't seem weather appropriate, her fire engine red hair but also the fact that it seemed to be blowing in a gentle breeze that didn't actually exist. Weird.]

Hey! [But her greeting's a lot happier and friendly.] Is there something you needed?

[scooptimistic]

I've heard of stranger [ ah, persona games ] so more than anything, it sounds really interesting! So would admission exams be more like auditions, then?

[izanyagi]

[Sorry Goro, he does this to everyone he meets. But if he wants to be addressed differently, he'll quickly adapt accordingly.] If you'd rather that, I'll take note of it, Akechi.

[He would definitely love an outfit like this (perhaps patterned with cats).]

That's fine. I'll make sure other newcomers have enough blankets as well. How do you get new supplies? Is there another town nearby past the forest?

[theshowsover]

[Last month...?

Akira starts to get the full picture now. He doesn't know what happened to Ryoji, but somehow, he was transported away, and wherever he was, it was like no time at all passed for him.

But a lot of time has passed. Hm.]

...Yeah. A few have.

[There's a pause, and he gives a small sigh.]

It's been more than a month ago, though.

[appraiser]

[ Ryoji tilts his head in confusion, almost comically in the way that he stares at Akechi and waits for clarification, because what does he mean he's been absent for several months? But nothing further is offered, and a hand finds the end of his scarf to grip and fret with in agitation. ]

That can't be right... There was no reason for me to want to forget several months.

[ It's said mostly to himself, uncertain words that he's sure Akechi won't fully understand, but for Ryoji- outside of this town, anyways- every time that he'd timeskipped, it'd been his own doing. ]

Are you sure I wasn't anywhere around this town?

[organfarm]

[ It's kind of hard not to be worried after being told she's dead, especially after catching a glimpse of the grim image in her mirror. Jion does nod and tries not to let the concern show on his face, but he's a poor liar and it still kind of comes through in his fretful expression.

At least her mention of Heroic Spirits works as a decent distraction. ] Heroic Spirits ... ?

[ He's clearly never heard the term before, but it's just cool enough that he's immediately impressed. So she's basically like a superpowered ghost, right? Awesome! There's a lot he wants to ask, but it feels rude to jump straight into an interrogation when there's still the mirror to deal with, and he manages to contain his curiosity. For now. ]

Um. Then -- you thought the mirror was another spirit? So like, another copy of you or something? Is that even possible?

ii

[queenofminiskirts]

...I'm not sure there's even anything inside. It's probably just another way this place is trying to screw with us.

[Kaoru looks at the mirror thoughtfully. Her outfit doesn't look practical in the weather but she doesn't look cold at all.]

You're better off not breaking it. It's probably a test.

iii

[theshowsover]

[Akira quickly steps back from the mirror, holding his hands palm out toward the stranger so he sees he isn't holding anything. He'd only looked over curiously when the mirror started talking, but apparently that was the wrong decision.]

Sorry.

[Will curiosity kill the cat this time...?]

[appraiser]

A month and a half...? It's a bit difficult keeping track of the days without a school schedule to adhere to.

[ Unfortunately, Akira's comment does little to show how large a scale the time Ryoji had been missing. He just thinks Akira's being pedantic /: ]