March Event: De L'autre Côté de L'eau

[lifeaftr_mods]

MARCH EVENT: DE L'AUTRE CÔTÉ DE L'EAU

Who: Everyone condemned to the Water, and those who see fit to rescue them
What: A rescue is implemented!
When:Predominantly on March 19th
Where: Ai'tuoh, and the small islet just off its coast
Warnings: Mark as needed!

Just Sing For Me All Night

It's time for your captured comrades to be recovered, and by none other than your fine selves! While the Storyteller will detail the elements of said rescue below, they very notably don't say anything about how they plan for you make it through Ai'tuoh, and then to the islet off its coast.

You have their tacit blessing to make your way there however you would like. Through stealth, through diplomacy, by salting and burning the earth...whichever you prefer. It is, as it turns out, awfully difficult to discern the innocent from the perpetrators when they all look alike.

Whatever course of action you choose, bear in mind that there will be consequences. The Storyteller will be sealing off Ai'tuoh's mana pool once everyone who has been retrieved has come through, but that doesn't mean that the island will be gone forever.

And If I Shout For You, Never Doubt

While the details of the rescue's mechanics can be found in the Storyteller's explanation below, we ask that, if your character was captured and needs to be rescued, please let us know HERE. This will make it easier for other players to account for who might be their focus, and why!

A few guidelines for each of the groups:

[ ♆ ] Group One will be predominantly busy fending away militia, who you can assume will be pouring forth to protect the Water from these intruders at a fairly concentrated rate. Most of the fighting will likely be grouped around the Water itself, leading to a risk of being forced into the Water or slipping in yourself. The militia largely fight with spears, swords, and shields, but are not above attempting to sedate you if they can get close enough, to make it easier to tip you into the Water.

[ ♆ ] Group Two will be serving as the tether, meaning they will be holding onto the thread the Storyteller has provided. This means physically remaining on our side of the abyss and holding onto the thread very tightly, as well as mentally focusing incredibly hard on the Water itself. When the thread is deposited into the Water, it will open a dark tunnel into the surface itself, leading all the way through to the other side. The Water will not take kindly to this; it will attempt to close, and exert a tremendous mental pressure upon your mind to do so. In order for this portal to remain open, your focus must be wholly devoted to keeping it open. It may feel very much like a mental game of tug-of-war, and you may very well feel a very physical tug on the thread itself as well; you must be actively concentrating on bringing everyone home.

[ ♆ ] Group Three will then have to grab hold of the thread in some way or another and not let go as they're swept into the dimension and through to the other side. As long as they remain in contact with the thread, they will be able to make their way back and be immune to the soporific effects of the strange void, as well as detect the opening the thread makes in the landscape of the netherworld on the other side of the Water. If they let go, they will lose their way and be vulnerable to the somnolent effects, and must be drawn back by someone who is still tethered.

Just remember: once you've found who needs recovering, you cannot, under any circumstances, look back at them while you guide the home.

You simply have to trust that they will follow, and that will be what leads them back to you.

Event Timeline

[ ♆ ] March 19th: Characters are taken to the Standing Water, and the rescue is facilitated
[ ♆ ] March 20th: Monthly Storytelling occurs as usual
[ ♆ ] March 31st: Ai'tuoh disappears, and anyone left on it or in the Water will suffer a death

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( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

Burning the city- Laurent is stopping him but ota who wish to join in destruction/fail to stop him

[savedbyasong]

[Out of the water Shion for a moment stood still. As if he had to take a moment to understand that he was out. He was not going to subcomb to eternal slumber. Aster had saved him and for a moment relief was all he felt.

But he stood and he saw, those of the islands fighting, pulling people out of the standing water. Brave souls throwing themselves into danger to rescue their friends. All because of this city. This city that sent its children to eternal slumber.

The fear was gone now, the panic subsided. But the anger was still there. Aster had gone back in. Gone to rescue more people. Because she was a hero. They wouldn't be able to get them all though. They wouldn't be able to rescue all those people, all those children that had been cast into the depths over years, how many years? How many years had this city been doing this while all the time it's citizens allowed it. Allowed their families to be taken. Allowed their city to be blank and colourless and without... without hope or love or hate or anything that made them human.

The anger grew but it did not boil. It was not like when he had lost control in the past. Instead it went cold. Sunk into him as deeply as the cold of the void had. Except instead of the urge to sleep there was the urge to destroy to take it all and burn it. Just like in the void Shion stopped fighting, let it wash over him. His eyes went hard and his expression grim.

He picked up a weapon from a fallen guard, "I'm going to destroy this city."

His voice was blank, devoid of much.

It was not difficult, he was not the only one who felt that way. He held Ignis' firey daggers in his hands as he stalked the city setting fires. This city was going to burn, it was going to pay for every crime.]

[crosslaced]

[Laurent is normally cold. Emotion does nothing in these situations; people die whether it's fair or not, regardless of if it hurts. What matters is if you're able to do something so people don't have to hurt. What matters is those who don't, people who are too often collateral to someone else's crusade. Breteau, Tarasis. The meek have nothing but blessings.

So when he calls out to Shion, cool and seemingly unarmed, it doesn't matter that they've drawn Chocobos on old walls together. He’s circling the civilian districts for one purpose and that is to beat the shit out of anyone who thinks the city is theirs to raze.]

What do you think you're doing.

[Unseen, his Soul Gem sings under the fabric of his clothes. This is your only warning.]

cw: violence from here on out

[savedbyasong]

[Shion doesn't even turn to him when he calls out to him. His whole focus is on destruction. The voice seems to come from far away and there is silence for a moment, it takes a while for it to register in Shion's mind that he is being spoken to.

It doesn't matter. Because the anger is in control.] Destroying it.

[He doesn't sound like the boy Laurent met in the chamber of Glyphs. His voice is cold. Determined.

It doesn't look like he is planning to stop]

[crosslaced]

[Hm.]

[Conversationally,] I see.

[Laurent transforms, a spear of ice materialising in his hand, and throws it at Shion’s shoulder. He's an excellent marksman; watch out, Shion.]

[savedbyasong]

[The spear makes it mark, plunging into Shion's shoulder. He staggers backwards. Cold and pain flood through him but the anger doesn't care. His arm drops, hand shaking as he tries to keep his grip on the dagger.

It is perhaps unfortunate that Shion has gotten used to pain, has trained himself to act through pain and keep going, a few years ago this might have been enough. Now his eyes just go harder, it's clear the spear has hurt him. But he doesn't seem to care.]

Leave.

[And he turns, to set another fire, with the arm that is still working fully.]

[crosslaced]

So this is how you want to do it?

[The blonde closes the gap between them, one hand grabbing Shion's dagger-holding wrist and the other grabbing the collar of his shirt. Hauling him away from his targets; eventually slamming him against a nearby wall if he can't get free. Shion should hold onto his dagger very hard if he wants to keep it.]

[savedbyasong]

[Shion tries to twist away when his wrist is grabbed but Laurent is stronger than him and Shion is indeed slammed into a wall, it knocks the breath out of him but he struggles against him. Trying to get free.

His eyes are still cold and angry, he kicks out at Laurent's legs, hand gripping the dagger tightly. His anger has shifted focus. To Laurent. Laurent who is trying to stop him from destroying this city.]

[crosslaced]

Easy.

[He normally doesn't take someone head-on like this, and he might have one or two regrets. But Laurent is a solid judge of fightability and he braces his legs against Shion’s thrashing- to put a stop to this, he loosens the grip pinning Shion against the wall to slam that elbow against his jaw. Gonna knock his head into the wall, hard.

Go to sleep, kid.]

[savedbyasong]

[As the grip is loosened Shion launches forwards, only to slammed backwards against the wall, a crack as the elbow hits his jaw and his head hits the wall. Hard.

Pain lanced through his head and he slumped downwards, losing his already precarious balance. The anger left him. Completely and at once fleeing from him as quickly as he had taken over.

Leaving Shion dazed, confused and in the middle of a fight. His legs scrabbled for purchase on the ground. The horror of what he had just done, what he was doing hit him all at once, panic, fear, disgust but so did the fact he was being attacked and he had a promise to keep.

Despite everything. He can barely see straight but he's trying to turn the dagger, to press it against Laurent's arm. Struggling with everything he had left.

Which wasn't much.]

cw bleeding, wounds

[crosslaced]

[The knife bites into his arm. Laurent lets go, but only to grab the blade- it cuts into his palm, it runs red- and blunts it with a coat of magic-formed ice.

Simultaneously Shion's getting another hit to the face.]

cw bleeding, wounds

[savedbyasong]

[He's hit backwards, into the wall again. He can taste blood in his mouth and this time he slumps downwards, too dizzy to stand anymore.

He's fighting to stay awake, to stay conscious. Panic has taken over but so has the horror of what he's done. The only thing keeping him fighting, not allowing him to give up is his promise. A hand on a glass wall. No matter what happens.

His eyes rolled back though as he hit the floor, struggling against the fact that he was losing, had lost, this fight.]

[crosslaced]

[He pulls the knife from Shion’s hand, and waits a moment. Still moving. Should’ve just killed him with one shot in the first place, this is what Laurent gets for trying out something nonlethal.

Laurent kicks him in the temple, knocking him sideways, then steps back.]

[attheclocktower]

Hey!

[ It's probably a good thing he has stepped back. Because there's a Keyblade landing where he was a split second ago. A keyblade with Aster attached to it, for that matter. And from the way the Keyblade dents the ground, it's pretty clear that blow was not going to be gentle.

Nor is the next one, where she stabilizes her stance and immediately lashes out sideways, aiming to force Laurent to back away. ]

Get the hell away from my brother!

[crosslaced]

[He considers himself hardened to the word ‘brother’. The blow is parried, another sword coming up in a burst of light and forcing Aster’s Keyblade away mid-swing.

It's merely a signaling blow, for afterwards Laurent does back up a few steps. He just watches, his eyes the disinterested blue of the Standing Water, and waits to see if Aster needs dealing with too.]

[attheclocktower]

[ It's instinctual, when her blow is parried to swing it around and try again, but the swipe hits empty air as he backs up yet again. She's angry enough, after seeing him attacking Shion so brutally, but something about the way he's standing, more than anything the look in his eyes - like he didn't even care what he just did - that makes her furious. ]

So that's it? You just beat someone up and leave them to die?

[ Because really, what would've happened, if one of the fires spread, or a native came across him, or the island disappeared? What if she hadn't been here to stop him? ]

[crosslaced]

[He was eventually going to move the boy, thus the importance for Shion to be out. Laurent's not about to risk getting stabbed over what scraps of heart he still possesses. But it's a filmsy excuse in a bad time, and weak admittances of the truth isn't his style. Why do that when you can pretend to be a bad person all along, amirite?]

Do you want me to move him?

[laurent.]

[attheclocktower]

Don't you dare touch him!

[ She holds her Keyblade in front of her - both ready to be used as a shield and as a threat to stay back. Because seriously what the hell? Even if he meant it as some show of remorse - and there was absolutely no indication of that here - it would be too little, far too late.

Not to mention his entire response is - in her eyes - rife with the kind of disinterest that makes her feel.... well, a lot of things. But condescended to, for one thing. Worthless, for another. It's also rife with missing-the-point-itis. ]

You know what I mean! Why were you hurting him?!

[ What gave him the right to do that? ]

[tomodachi]

[After having escaped with Seto and Ren when the captives had a moment to break free, Crow lost track of the former and is now running around all over the city trying to find him, stay out of sight of the guards except to maybe hit one if they do spot him after they refuse to tell him whether they saw Seto or not.

After everything they went through here, he can't afford to not do whatever it takes to find his best friend.

It isn't long before he comes across Shion, and comes to a stop here when he sees him.]

What are you doing?

[savedbyasong]

Destroying the city. [His voice sounds almost eerily calm. He doesn't stop what he is doing but he does tilt his head towards the voice. His red eyes are hard and angry.

He moves slightly, to set another fire. This city is going to burn, it is the only way to punish it.]

[tomodachi]

Ahhhh okay.

[Guess who isn't even gonna stop him there.]

I'd help, but first: you haven't seen another boy with brown hair and wearing blue clothes, have you? His name's Seto.

[savedbyasong]

[Seto was in this city? The anger does not let much through but it allows that thought to fuel it. Seto was someone who should not be hurt.

He still doesn't acknowledge Crow properly, he doesn't slow but he does speak]

No.

[tomodachi]

Damn, I was hoping someone had seen 'im--we escaped together, but then we got separated again, so...

[Crow waves his hands at his surroundings here.]

Thought maybe he was still around here somewhere.

[savedbyasong]

Maybe. Many have died. [He moves slightly to set another stall on fire, the flames from the daggers catching quickly. This city would burn and it would deserve it. For the crimes they had committed, for condemning their own children.

For hurting his friends. Seto, if he were dead he would be avenged.]

[tomodachi]

Wh--hey, Seto ain't dead. [Things may be bad right now, but Crow refuses to believe such a thing could happen to his best friend here.] Don't ever imply something like that to me again if you don't wanna get punched in the face for it.

[savedbyasong]

[The words don't seem to reach Shion, he just moves on to burn the next stall. He doesn't even seem to acknowledge that he had upset the boy or that the boy is angry.

He focuses on the fire as another stall goes up in flames.]