logsinthenight | INTRO LOG: JULY

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

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

( The sound of his voice as he breathes her name is so different than the last time she had heard him say it. The last time had been in desperation, panic settling over him as he realized that Xemnas had her in his grasps. She remembers the weight of her anguish at that moment, that she would be so easily caught off guard and at the mercy of someone else yet again. Sora's expression had been the last thing she remembered seeing before slipping into that portal, which must have been something similar to her own. After all, fate seems to have a strange affinity for bringing them together and pulling them apart again.

But this is different. It's a strange sort of feeling that squeezes at Kairi's heart, a myriad of emotions existing all at once within her. Relief, knowing that he isn't here alone. Joy at being able to feel Sora's warmth, to hear him say her name one more time. Dread, because if he is here, it can't mean that anything good happened. Fear of the unknown, of how long they would be given with one another this time. Would they be torn apart again?

All of it is pushed back in favor of simply living in the moment. Kairi closes her eyes, basking in the warmth of his arms around her, the familiar scent of his skin, and the thrum of his heart, as well as her own, pounding against their chests. Everything is still for what feels like an eternity, a comfortable silence settling between them. But it doesn't last long. Kairi can't help herself as she leans back just a bit, enough to look up at him and catch a glimpse of his face while still keeping her arms wrapped around him. )

I should have known you'd follow me here, too.

( Why? Because wherever they go, they're always together. )

[There's always been a kind of certainty between them- not even just between him and Kairi, but between all three of them. As many legends and stories as there are around the infamous paopu fruit back home, they'd found each other without it's magic the first time, and seen through all kinds of strange twists and turns the second. Was it enough to just have the intention? He'd never questioned how possible it would be to find Kairi and Riku, no matter how many worlds were out there and how long it would take- but he's come to understand that he isn't alone in that feeling either. They've all been reaching out for each other. They've been reaching out the whole time, trusting that they'd all reach back.

He wouldn't say that it changed. But instead- that he wanted to prove just how much it wouldn't. There was a time when Sora didn't have the words, so he'd settled on going into the secret place and drawing there; a promise not just to her, but to himself. But of course it was Kairi, in the end, that beat him to it. She was right to say it would be their toughest fight yet, and she was right to worry about the stakes.

Maybe it really was like the connection between Herc and Meg, or like Will and Elizabeth. Maybe sharing that fruit had really just been a symbol- the same way his drawing had been. His heart already knew.

He can feel her lean backwards just a little, feels the small pull in his arms that doesn't say that she's trying to get loose or draw away, but that she's trying to shift. To look maybe. Sora's eyes stay closed. They're so near one another that he can feel the rise and fall of her chest like it's happening inside him. Every time they've been like this before something terrible was going on- she was losing her heart, or he'd been a heartless. Sora wouldn't say that he's afraid, but he's not sure he's ready to let go yet. It doesn't keep him from laughing, a small, puffed exhale. The corners of his mouth go up at the edges. Not for one more second, he'd said.]

Guess I'm getting pretty predictable, huh?

( The magic of the paopu is something that Kairi wants to believe in, which is why she had given it to Sora in the first place. But the connection that the three of them share has a magic all of its own, tying them together with bonds that neither Darkness nor Light could break. No matter how far away they might wander from one another, they will always return. It's why this reunion isn't completely unexpected. Of course it would be Sora who ran after her, even if it is the afterlife or another world. Where one goes, the others follow, eventually.

Kairi takes a moment to let her eyes scan over the features of his face, warmth blooming within her chest. This is the face of the boy she loves, grateful that she's able to look at him and see this sort of expression, compared to the last moment she remembers him. She lingers in silence for a moment longer before replacing her face against the side of his neck, her own eyes falling closed as she takes in the familiar scent once again. Her hair brushes against her own face and Sora, undoubtedly tickling him a bit in the process, but she can't seem to care. Drawing away from him seems like an impossibility.

I'm home.

The comment causes her to chuckle softly, the sound soft and her breath warm against his skin. Predictable? Maybe he is. But it's something that she finds terribly endearing. But instead of confirming this, she simply shakes her head and speaks to him again, her voice muffled, given her position. )

No. You're perfect.

[It's not the kind of thing she's ever said to him before- not because she says the opposite, but because this has always been something they've moved around. Being this close to Kairi, showing her the feelings he's carried all this time, that it took him so long to really understand- it was meant for Someday.

Someday when this is all over.
Someday when they can finally go back home.
Someday when they're all sprawled out under the same swaying trees and same lazy sun.

But here they are, and despite everything that's happened- the sharp and swift ache of losing her, the shallower, duller ache knowing that finding her wouldn't be the same as being with her. And it's warm. A warmth they've created, that they've nurtured- that endures all the way out here where there isn't anymore light at all.]

I'm sorry Kairi.

[It's easier to say like this- not because he can't see her face, but because when they're this close it's as if everything in his heart feels crystal clear. Like he can see righht through it.]

I know this isn't what you wanted.

( For as long as she can remember, Kairi has been chasing his back. Sometimes, it's nearly within reach, others so far ahead she can barely keep up. It feels as though their path is one of never ending partings and reunions, yet she can't help but keep hope that this time will be the time when they can stay together. And in that moment, with Sora's arms wrapped around her, all of the worry and doubt crumble away, leaving behind only the feeling of warmth and raw affection. This, being there with him, is right. This is everything.

His words prompt her to shake her head gently, her hair brushing against him once again. It's not surprising in the least that Sora is apologizing to her. He takes the weight of the world onto his own shoulders, and in turn, feels responsible for everything. Nothing that happened to her is his fault. The blame rests squarely on her own shoulders. Still, it isn't the time for hashing out who the blame belongs to. Instead, Kairi speaks up again to him, her voice soft and filled with warmth. )

Well, no. I'd rather both of us be back home.

( She pauses for a moment, then continues. )

But...If we have to be here, I'm glad we're together.

( Because, to Kairi, a world without Sora isn't one worth living in. And now that he's there, she feels as though there's nothing they can't overcome. It's just the sort of feeling that Sora inspires in others, especially his two closest friends. The three of them live and breathe for the sake of the others, so it's no wonder that being together, even in a world of darkness, feels right. )

INTRO LOG: JULY

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