lifeaftr | March Event: De L'autre Côté de L'eau

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March Event: De L'autre Côté de L'eau

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 )

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A - closed to Ren and Crow

[The moments after the guard goes for the child, the moments when all hell breaks loose, Seto honestly couldn't remember even if he tried. There was just panic, fear and a desperate attempt to free himself so he could get at Ren and Crow again.

It's one of the first few times that Seto can recall he was ever this scared. But it worked. Somehow they all got free. Hand-in-hand, they have no choice but to run. There are many people here, people that needed help but Seto didn't - couldn't - want to lose Ren and Crow. Not again.

His grip on their hands as they tear down the streets filled with destruction and panic is like iron. He won't let go.]

B - Closed to Lup

[Coming back here....going back to the Water was probably not the best idea Seto's ever had. But he has to make sure that neither Ren nor Crow ended up back here. He has to make sure they're safe. Even if they're on the streets still, it's better then facing the danger here.

Unfortunately, he won't get a chance to worry about it. Seto doesn't know if he slipped or if someone pushed him. All he knows is that his world tips backwards before becoming consumed in the cold Waters.

He had imagined flying, once before and had been at a real risk of dropping off of Tokyo Tower when he had been battling Shin. It was more the latter then the former as the boy dropped down into the dark abyss.

He did have a chance to look around once his sense of gravity became normal. The city underwater, the bodies. The other children who were only a little younger then Seto himself. All the people who didn't get to live because of that Law.

He presses his hands against his face and can't help but cry.

Seto knows that he should keep going. He needs to find an exit, he needs to find Ren and Crow again and make sure they're safe. But even as he forces himself to move, a sort of drowsiness begins to consume the young boy. A drowsiness that feels horribly familiar.

From the thoughts and feelings left behind of the people who fell asleep one day and never woke up again. From the second attempt at reviving the Glass Cage Project.

From the so, so quiet world that he came from.

Seto's last thoughts before his mind fades to oblivion is of Ren and Crow.]

C - Open

[He gives himself a moment of rest before getting back up.

It's not because Seto is anything special, or so he thinks. He just has something he needs to do now that Lup saved him from the Water.

Now that he's back on Enso, Seto has to find Ren, Crow and anyone else he knows and make sure they're safe. Even if it's only for a minute. He has to know.]

[Crow didn't even think twice about that poor child that the guard went after. The moment his hands were free, and then grasping Seto's, he had simply taken off running, following after him and Ren. Hell, given his own speed, normally he could run faster and near drag the two, but the time spent in captivity, away from the Mana Pool, has drained him a little.

Even so, running away is what he's good at. All that matters is that Seto and Ren, the two most important people in his life right now, and himself are able to get away, get away.]

Are they still following us?

[Crow hasn't looked back to check yet, but even if they weren't, he might still just want to keep running away. Put as much distance between them and the guards as possible.]

[Despite how heavy her eyes feel, it's hard not to be acutely aware of what's going on around her. The sound of people, the yelling, the fighting-she can't take it. She wants to get away. It's too scary. But even though she wants to run as fast as she can, she needs to slow down. Her heart's beating faster than she can remember, unable to hold back the surge of adrenaline from this terrifying moment, and it's causing 99 other concerns to be piled onto this already nightmarish situation.]

I don't know.

[Probably. More than likely. They seem to be piling everyone towards that scary water.]

[Crow is a little ahead, Ren a bit farther back. Seto's in the middle, holding on as tightly as possible. He's too scared to let go even a little bit.

Yeah, if they're caught again, those people will take them to that Water. And Seto would do everything he could to make sure that doesn't happen to either of them.]

I think so.

[It's hard to tell who's shouting is who's, but it's better to not find out. He would make sure that doesn't happen. But Seto isn't blind to what's happening to Ren.]

Ren, are you okay to keep running?

[He can carry you, if you want.]

[Crow pauses momentarily here at the corner of this street to check around the other side to make sure there's nobody there, before he turns his attention to Ren and Seto, frowning.]

What? Don't tell me you're getting tired already...

[... He doesn't know about the condition of her health yet.]

I'm okay.

[Just dying no big deal. It's fine. She tightens her grip on Seto's hand and quickly adds-]

We should hide.

[Yeah no.]

We need to get out of here.

[Seto has a feeling that they won't be able to hide forever. Kneeling down, Seto gestures for Ren to climb onto his back.]

If you're tired Ren I can carry you.

[A pause as he considers.]

... Okay, if you carry her Seto, then I'll lead the way and see if I can spot a good place to hide if we have to. How's that?

I'm okay. It's okay.

[Needless to say, she's been through this before, even if her current companions haven't. The last time she found herself on Seto's back, it set forth a chain reaction of Issues that she's not ready to deal with. And knowing it could easily happen again, after all the careful tiptoeing she's done to avoid it-

She needs to calm down. Take a breath, walk a bit slower, and stay with them.]

I'll follow you. I can walk.

[Seto knows Ren isn't okay by any stretch of the imagination. He isn't dumb and knows the stress was getting to her. Crow too - this place wasn't good for either of them. They needed to get out, fast.]

But--

[He's interrupted by a shout and the sound of footsteps running towards them. They were spotted.]

Run!

[Redoubling his grip on his friends' hands, Seto takes off. Time to get going!]

Damnit, how did they find us so fast?

[But yeah, no time to waste, time to run like hell again. But given Ren's condition, they might not last long like this. Is there some place that they can hide, or use to slow down their pursuers...?]

[This sucks/ She can't run that far her eyes scan the area around them.

When she sees a Good Hiding spot that might fit the three of them, she tiredly points it out-]

There?

[Let's just hide!! For a hot second!!]

[Yeah everything about this sucks so much.

Rather then taking the time to respond, Seto is going to pull the two of them in the direction Ren points out.

It's a rather harsh, sharp turn but Seto's mind is hyper focused on getting them out safe and sound and he's not paying attention to much else right now!]

The distant sound of a crying child is creepy as hell in this ghost town, but right now it's still better than the total void of movement and noise around her. Her long ears dance wildly to locate the sound and she follows, picking up her pace once it fades away, but she's close.

And then there he is, the boy, his blue coat and tousley hair easy to spot. She breathes a sigh of relief and rushes over to his side, he's asleep but only just, he can still wake up. He's got to.

"Hey, Seto? Naptime's over, sweetie, come on." She brushes the hair out of his tear-wet face and shakes his shoulder encouragingly. Briefly she scans the area around him but there's no other child close by, no Ren. She tries to ignore the sinking pit of dread in her guts and focuses on Seto. He'll know where she is, surely. "Wake up, honey. We're going home."

A long time ago, long before Seto was born, humans tried something that resulted in their own destruction.

They found a way to communicate without words, with just their thoughts and feelings. Words were apparently unnecessary. Not needed. And humans succeeded in doing this...and then they all fell asleep, never to wake up. So this world and the world that Seto was from, there were very little difference. The only differences is that the bodies have not rotted away.

And this time someone wakes up. This time someone wakes up thanks to the kindness of another that came and saved them. He can't...Seto can recognize Lup's voice but what exactly she's saying is hard to understand through his sleep-addled mind.

"Lup...?"

Is that you, or is he dreaming?

He's awfully slow to wake up, like whatever magic of this place is refusing to let him go. Well, fuck that. She takes one of his hands in hers and squeezes, still running her fingers through his hair.

"Yeah, it's Lup. I'm here. I'm gonna take you home, okay? You'll be just fine, sweetie. But you gotta get up. Can you do that?"

Waking was normally a lot easier for Seto. He's a light sleeper due to the things that could creep up on someone in the night. It was easier when PF and Sai were around but...

Well, even though there were many people around him, old habits remain the same. So it's confusing that it's taking so long to shake this sleep.

But Seto is going to get up because he remembers the last thought going through his head before he fell.

"Ren...Crow...I-I have to..."

It's a struggle, but Seto is going to claw his way back to his feet, however unsteady he may be. "Lup...Ren and C-Crow. I need to find them..."

He has to find them!

It's clear which thought is dragging him away from the claws of this unnatural sleep, which bonds, and something twists and sinks in Lup's heart even as she's helping him to his feet. He hasn't seen his friends either. Hasn't seen Ren. Probably lost track of them in the chaos and terror of being ferried here, forced into the water. Not for the first time Lup wishes she'd burned more than those bastards' boats.

But for now, she's got a drowsy worried kid to take care of. Her hands stay on his shoulders, comfortingly, but also ready to keep him from bolting if necessary. One of her hands is wrapped tightly with a red thread trailing off into the distance. That's his connection to the real world now too, she's not losing him here.

"I know, hun. I-I'm still looking for them too. But we're gonna get all you guys home, I promise. Did you see them fall into the water?"

It's obvious by the way Seto is leaning forward that he wants to bolt. That he would run deeper into this place on the off-chance that Ren and Crow were here and nothing but. But Seto still feels like falling asleep yet was far, far too awake to consider it again. It's awful, like the first few nights after his Grandpa told him why there was no one else left in the world and trying to keep them both awake because Seto was afraid they'd never wake up.

He was half right, in the end.

But Seto knows he's not getting anywhere just trying to run. "We...we ran when that lady fell." He doesn't know if Lup was there to see it or not. Seto's only thought and action was to run with Ren and Crow once the guards moved away from them. "I-I think we nearly got out, but we got separated."

That's the simplest version of things. "I came back...I wanted to make sure nobody took them h-here."

And then he too fell, although Seto can't remember if he tripped or someone pushed him. He doesn't care about himself right now though.

"Lup, we have to find them. Ren was really tired and Crow...I don't think he'd be okay in here."

There's a lot of water and he was made of metal. It wouldn't end well, to say the least.

They got separated. They almost got out and he went back into the terrifying fray to look for them. Seto hasn't been around that long, and he's mostly been sticking with Ren, so getting to know him better has been a bit slow going. But in this moment, Lup gets him 100%. The same worry and determination burns in both their hearts.

Which is gonna make this next part suck, a lot, and Lup's ears sink almost apologetically.

"We're gonna get them back. But I can only bring one of you out of the water at a time, it's-- the rabbit called it a ritual, like, rules that we have to follow for it to work. So I'm gonna lead you to the surface, and then I'll turn right back around to find Ren and Crow. And you can keep looking on the outside, make sure they're not stuck in the fighting. Okay?"

She'd really, really love to make sure he goes straight to the boat, just fucking, gets out of here, gets to safety. If he doesn't, he could get hurt, could fall in again. But she already knows it's pointless to hope he would go anywhere but the frontlines while his friends are still missing.

Again, Lup is right - Seto wouldn't leave the city until he knew that Ren and Crow were also safe. There is no other way to convince him and someone would have to tie him to the mast if they wanted to be sure he left with everyone else with his friends still missing.

And indeed his heart sinks when Lup tells him she can only take people out one at a time. He can't be bitter about it - Lup is in danger too and yet she's here too and the rabbit went through the trouble to apparently find them a way to save everyone that fell in the Water. But---

"Can you look for Ren and Crow first? I'll wait right here. I'm..." He has to ignore his own fears to say this. "I'm okay here. I'll wait right here for you."

It's far, far to loud in this place. Seto is scared of it, he wants out but if it gives Ren and Crow a better chance of getting out first, he'll take it. No matter what.

Oh boy. Oh honey. It's obvious how scared he is, rightfully so, how brave he's trying to be in spite of it and-- She'd be proud of him, if everything wasn't so horrible and he didn't deserve to not have to be brave. She wishes she could take his hand and help him look until they can all go back to the surface together, all these kids who've made their homes in her life and in her heart. But there's no place for wishes in this bleak ass nightmare, and all she can do is squeeze his shoulders.

"I'm sorry, pumpkin, but that's not how the ritual works. Once I turn around, if I look back at you, I-- you'd be lost. For real. You've got to follow me right now, okay? I promise I won't lose any time finding Ren and Crow after." She drops one of her hands and holds it out for him to take expectantly. "I'm not gonna let you get lost, so we better get going now. The sooner I get you out, the faster I can go look for the others."

He can see Lup's point. If Seto is taken out of here then she can go back in and find Ren and Crow. He's just....

If it was a matter between losing his life and the lives of Ren and Crow, Seto would give up his own without a second thought. Even if he knew it would make them both sad, Seto wanted them to live first and foremost.

But he's holding everything up. As scared as Seto was he needed to take a deep breath and get going. His hand is shaking, but he'll take Lup's hand and not let go.

"Okay....okay. They'll be safe and we can go home after. Everyone will be here again."

It may be said to himself more then anything. There's something more then just the potential of Seto's friends dying that's disturbing him, but Seto's not going to dump his fears onto Lup when she's trying so hard.

So it's time to go.

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March Event: De L'autre Côté de L'eau

Seto - two closed, one open

A

hello im late

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