INTRO LOG: JULY

[inthenightmods]

INTRO LOG: JULY
IT'S HAPPENING AGAIN

characters: everyone.
location: the harbor, as well as the rest of town.
date/time: july 1-3.
content: beacon's newest batch of residents arrives on the ferry. winters, will, and rastus introduce themselves and explain the situation.
warnings: n/a.

welcome to beacon.

It's dim, and the room won't stop swaying, gently rocking you back and forth. A loud sound startles you fully awake, a deep, moaning call: a foghorn. As your eyes adjust, you note faint red light streaking through the room from a tiny, round window.

You've found yourself in a private room, lying on a bed. The last things you remember are the events that led up to your death. Beside you is a folded tablet and a lantern that glows steadily with a healthy flame.

You're on a ship. And that ship is docking.

Making your way to the deck, and eventually the pier, you find only moonlight to greet you, and a dark forest beyond. There are other people here, each with their own unique lantern, and many of them look just as lost as you are. On the ferry you've just disembarked from, the speaker system begins to play a song.

In the distance, across the waters of the lake, you can see the tall silhouette of a lighthouse, its red light slowly turning.

•••
Winters and Will are waiting for you on the beach. Winters flags you down from where he's standing atop a large rock, surveying the gathering crowd. Will stands next to him, though he's monkeying with his tablet and looks rather bored. He barely looks up as Winters speaks:

"First thing's first: I'm sorry you're here. There's no easy way to break this news, so let's just get it over with, hm? You're dead. Or, ah, you've died. Call this the afterlife if you want, or don't if that ain't your thing, but point is, you're here 'cause you died. Those are the facts.

This world's dead, too. You've noticed by now it's pretty dark, yeah? That's 'cause there's no life here, not anymore. And that lantern you've got? That's your life, so to speak. The flame goes out, you die, and vice versa. Keep it close. Should be easy enough to remember on account of how the sun don't rise. You'll need something to see by.

This place is called Beacon, and that's Lake Red Jacket. Town's 'bout a mile down the road, and we've got a bonfire there, but that's the only other light you'll see in this place. Save for the moon and all, though the sky won't do you much good out in the woods. I'll let Rastus explain the bonfire to y'all.

Ah, right. I'm Ben Winters—Winters'll do—and this here's Will Ingr— What? For christ's sake, Dr. Will Ingram. Likes to think he's the brains of the operation, as you can see. If you've got questions about these tablets, he's your guy. Rastus tends to the fire, and you'll find him in town. He's married to his job in a way. And you may never've seen a person like him back wherever you came from, but don't make a big fuss over it. He's a nice fellow. Mind your manners.

The three of us are leftovers from past resets. We came here on that ferry just like you, but it's just us left now. 'Sides the Lighthouse Keeper, but it'll be a bit before you get to meet her. She's got control over the town, see, and if she ain't satisfied with a group's performance, they get the axe. Town gets reset. If she pulls a reset on you folks, a couple of you might end up like me and Will here, giving this speech to the next crop."

The red beam of the lighthouse pulses over the group, over the trees. Winters glances up to watch it swing out over the bay.

"But don't hold it against her. Ain't her fault we're in this mess, and we've all got a job to do, including you.

For now, concentrate on accepting your lot, yeah? We're here to answer your questions, but we ain't gonna tell you all there is to know just yet. Some things are best learned on your own, and some of it we just don't want to saddle you with yet. There's a limit to how long we can stay here safely, that's true, but thing is, we do got time. Time enough to play this smart. Do better than the folks before us did. Settle in, make peace, explore a bit if you're up for it. Use these first couple weeks to come to grips. You ain't gonna be any good to the town if you don't sort yourself out before worrying about what comes next.

So listen up: You're dead. You died. Whatever your old life was, it's done now. None of us can go back, so all we've got is forward. Welcome to Beacon. Could be worse, yeah?"

ooc.

Hey there, wonderful players, and welcome to In the Night! For this intro log, all three NPCs will be available for chatting with, whether your character wants to make casual conversation or ask questions about all this. The headers on each NPC toplevel are there for easy reference as to what each of them are responsible for, but you're welcome to go to any NPC for whatever reason. You're welcome to assume your character has overheard any NPC conversation to learn more about the game. After the NPC threads have died down, we'll compile the info learned ICly and add it to the game history page. If your character would contribute something specific to the game history records, let us know!

DELIVERIES

The following packages can be found in the cargo hold:

• The monthly store restock

QUICKNAV
comms	|	network • logs • memes • ooc
pages	|	rules • faq • taken • mod contact • player contact • calendar • setting • exploration • item requests • full nav

Comments

[replicates]

I guess I should've expected that from you.

[ there's an undercurrent of something softer beneath his dry tone, a sort of fondness that generally comes up when one is dealing with someone like sora. it's a sort of tone that riku would use, and maybe that just proves sora's point: despite the years that have passed since riku and sora moved on from the castle, despite how much of a failure he'd been, they still understand each other to some degree. he still remembers, even now.

the boathouse takes shape in front of them bit by bit, until it rises from the sand like something from a pop-up book. sora's steps slow and so do his, as he meets his gaze; in his mind he sees a younger face: rounder, a little shorter, the same clear blue eyes that seem to glow in the moonlight. something in his chest aches —

"who cares if someone created you?
you are you and nobody else. you have your own heart inside you.
those feelings and memories are yours and yours alone. they're special!"

he swallows and turns his gaze to the boathouse instead. ]

They're all I have left.

[dualikey]

That's not true either.

[There's a time when a reply like that would have bite to it- the insistance that he be heard, that the truth should cut through everything else, that it should be the only thing that matters. But the more he's seen of the worlds and of the people in it? The more he's come to realize that he can't really save anyone. People have their own experiences and they make their own choices. This Riku will have to decide for himself what the truth is. He'll have to decide what matters most, and what's worth hanging onto.

The best he can do is be here to remind him that things aren't as black and white as they seem.

The boathouse is a clear and distinct shape now, the promise of a destination and in it's own way, signaling the end of their conversation. Someone else is inside, he can see the light of a lantern flickering within and while he doesn't know yet if it's Riku or Kairi, this feels like the kind of thing that they'll only talk about with each other. Not a secret, but.

Sora watches him watch the building, like he isn't looking at it so much as he's looking through it. And instead of bringing them both to the end, he reaches out and takes Riku's hand.]

You have friends here with you.

You were never alone.

[replicates]

[ things are never so simple as black and white; he's learned that the hard way in his time at the castle. and the same could be said here as well, where nothing is what it really seems, where things that should be familiar really aren't. but that's the thing, isn't it? even that isn't absolute — where do riku's memories end and his start?

he looks at the boathouse, seeing it and through it until sora's fingers touch his, and then the rest of his hand. he blinks and looks at him, as if he just remembered where he is. ]

Are they mine? [ he glances down at their joined hands and folds his fingers over sora's, brushing his thumb lightly over the rise of his knuckles. ] Or Riku's?

[ he lets go of sora's hand, hefting the blanket higher on his shoulder as he continues his steps to the boat house. ]