logsinthenight | EVENT LOG: ENTER MR SANDMAN (DEFENDERS)

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EVENT LOG: ENTER MR SANDMAN (DEFENDERS)

EVENT LOG:
ENTER MR. SANDMAN (DEFENDERS)

characters: those who signed up as defenders for the event
location: all around Beacon
date/time: november 16-29
content: the defenders attempt to drive off a spirit invasion
warnings: lots of horror! body horror, psychological horror, gore, violence, etc.. please cw all threads where appropriate! mods will do the same

in your closet, in your head.

It all happens in a matter of moments. Your friends, your companions, and even some people you aren't all that fond of; everyone who took so much as a bite of the spirits' feast suddenly collapses into a comatose heap. Which is bad enough already, but the worst, by far, is yet to come.

Before anyone can really figure out what's happened to the sleepers, the woods surrounding the town come alive with sound. Rustling, screeching, clicking, howling, and under it all, the characteristic hoots and whistles of the forest spirit tongue. But these aren't the friendly creatures that set up the banquet in the first place, and they aren't the familiar faces (or masks) from around Beacon. As they begin to emerge, bursting forth from the trees, these spirits reveal themselves as a horrifying army of terrors. And sprinkled among them, distinguishable by the emerald glint in their sockets, are the infamous "green eyes", the dangerous spirits that appeared once before.

Attempting to talk to these spirits is a moot point, made obvious by their immediate assault on anyone they get close to. They attack with claws and teeth, with limbs far stronger than they have any right to be, and the green eyes, as they are wont to do, will try to get into your head. Somehow, they seem to know what it is that scares you most, and they don't seem too hesitant to use it. It's not clear what they want— are they here to eradicate you? To frighten you? To send a message?

Whatever the case, one thing is very clear: you and everyone else, sleeping or waking, are in serious danger. Are you ready to defend Beacon?

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Is it comforting that the guy with the scary-looking metal arm would be panicking? Or does that make all of this worse? ...no, it's the former. Ellever, as a person who works in security, had felt bad at needing to take so many breaks. Then again, there's no section in any handbook for, "you caused the apocalypse, here's how to deal with it." ]

Elle Brandt. It's nice to meet you.

[ She offers the hand not clutching a knife, but she won't be offended if he doesn't shake it. Things are crazy right now. And crazy in general. ]

Does this kind of thing happen a lot?

[The Soldier doesn't take it, taking an automatic half step back out of touching range, but giving her an apologetic half-smile and a sheepish duck of their head, instead. It's not her, it's them: they're just not great at casual touching if it isn't absolutely necessary, or it isn't one of like... two people they're comfortable enough with for it.]

There have been attacks. The green-eyes are hostile, and they come out occasionally. Twice directly, at the previous feast and then when people connected Robin in the lighthouse to the network. Another time indirectly, with hallucinations. Now this.

[Notice how they didn't give a name, back, Elle?]

Not all the spirits are like this, though.

[ Ellever offers a little apologetic smile in return, dropping her hand quickly. It doesn't bother her that he doesn't give a name. He's clearly got a lot going on. ]

No, some of the spirits are kind of nice, [ she agrees. ] Maybe it's just like any group. There are assholes in all of them.

[ Then what he'd said really sinks in. ]

Wait, there was another feast?

That's my theory. I've been told the green-eyes are "nasty" to other spirits, too.

[They shrug, tilting their head little, thoughtfully.]

It was. Not like this one. Before my time, so I only know what I've heard about it. Smaller party. Only one attacker, I think. This is much more. But there are many more of us now, too.

[ Huh. Spirits being mean to other spirits. Ellever frowns, listening to his recounting of what he'd heard. ]

One attacker...

[ She raises one of her hands to rub at her face, both because she has an itch and because the sensation makes her feel more connected to what's going on. Her body, here. Not her mind, currently half back home, wondering what became of her father. Her Earth. ]

If only, huh? There seems to be an insane amount of them this time around. [ Ellever sighs. ] I just hope the... sleeping people are going to be okay.

There have been. Events.

[The Soldier frowns.]

Specific things that happen for a specific set of time. The indirect attacks last month. The gravestone that told everyone's death stories. I can't say for certain, but it's possible this is like that.

[They don't make any nervous tics, like she does, all of their attention currently focused on the conversation-- except the plates in the metal arm shift and buzz a little.]

But it may not be like that. And we will need to keep killing them until they stop.

[Or until the green-eyed spirits kill the Beacon dwellers. But they have just enough tact not to say that.]

[ Patterns are halfway comforting, at least. Ellever listens to him recount them with a deep frown. This is what she has to look forward to, she guesses. It's like something out of one of her worst, messiest expeditions, multiplied. ]

I mean, they can't expect that we're not going to defend ourselves. Especially if they've attacked before. They have to know.

[ Breaks aside, she's not going to stop defending the people in this establishment. Even if they claw the life out of her. Even if she dies. Again. A line has to be drawn somewhere. ]

This is a capable group of people. [ Her frown lightens to something resembling a smile, directed at him. ] We can probably manage.

[At least they're both on the same page. The Soldier is absolutely defending the people here. They do snort something that's almost a laugh at the last comments, though.]

Well. Most of us are capable. The rest of us can look after the ones that aren't.

[Which reminds him, check and make sure Crowley is still inside. Just in case.]

I saw you before. Kicking the spirit outside. You are a fighter?

[ Ellever bites her lower lip. She's never thought of herself under those terms, but, well... maybe she is, compared to some of the people here. ]

I work for a security company. I'm... better with a gun than a knife, but yeah, I can take care of myself. [ She shrugs. ] Usually, I'm the one at the office, taking care of all the paperwork.

[ It's just safer that way, when you can lose control of your emotions and accidentally kill people because of it. ]

[She's strong and knows how to defend herself. Counts as a fighter. The Soldier actually looks a little skeptical at her last comment, though.]

You have that kind of strength, and you stayed inside doing paperwork?

[ She almost smiles. Almost. ]

I...

[ There's just not enough time for this explanation. Or maybe there is, but Ellever likes this guy and she's pretty sure he wouldn't even want to be in the same room with her if he knew what she was. That's been the main reason that Ellever hasn't told a single soul in Beacon. ]

...When I use my abilities, really use them, bad things happen to people around me. What I've been doing now is just... keeping under the line, I guess you'd say. [ She gestures vaguely at the corner she's in. ] That's kind of why I keep coming back here, to cool off.

[Oh. Hmm. The Soldier considers this a moment. They don't know whether she means the normal kind of bad things (like the Soldier existing too much on fear and lashing out) or the less normal kind of bad things (like Crowley making the chairs move when he's stressed). Better to ask, so they know for the future.]

What kinds of bad things?

[Sorry, Elle, they're gonna make you talk about it.]

[ People put guns to their own heads, she doesn't say. Ellever looks down at her feet, trying to figure out the proper words. The words that aren't going to make her remember anything too specific. ]

Like... if someone's up on a ladder, they'll probably slip and fall and crack their heads. Or if there's a knife out, someone will cut themselves on it accidentally. Those... kinds of bad things.

[ Her voice has quieted significantly. ]

[That prompts another pause and a considering frown. That is, indeed, a liability. (They're just going to trust that she's telling the truth and not, say, delusional; given everything else they've seen, "sudden terrible luck" is as reasonable as anything else.)]

But you can keep that under control. By taking these breaks. To cool off.

[She'd said as much, so again, going to trust her judgment.]

What is the range of the "bad things"? Have you tested it?

[ Ellever makes an indistinct noise in the back of her throat. When she was younger, Ezra had done a lot of testing. But never anything very scientific. He'd been far more concerned with her blacked-out eyes than figuring out a safety net. ]

Tested... is a big word for it. I lost control once, while defending myself, and we got news stories about some of the stuff it caused. [ Guilt leaks into her voice before she quickly takes a breath and attempts to dispel it. Finally, she looks up again. ] Seems to be a couple miles. Way more distance than I feel comfortable with.

[Ah, damn. That is a little much. If it had been a matter of even twenty or thirty feet, the Soldier's tactical mind could have worked with that. It wouldn't be fair to send her out alone one or two miles away from everyone else, from any kind of backup, just to use whatever powers she has. There are always other options.

They nod, then. And offer a last question:]

Then what can the rest of us do to help you keep control?

[It's asked with sympathy, rather than any kind of judgment. It just is what it is, and it will have to be managed. Like fear or anger, just with a more widespread result.]

Edited 2019-11-21 04:28 (UTC)

Don't worry. [ She shakes her head slightly. ] I've— I'm pretty good at managing it by now.

[ There are other thoughts on her mind, making it much harder than usual, but Ellever doesn't quite feel like sharing that part. She's gone over twenty years without an incident, something she feels pretty good about, and she hasn't slipped up yet. Even when being stabbed and clawed by the spirits, something she wouldn't have thought possible when she was a teenager. ]

We should just focus on making sure everyone's safe and this place remains... secure. [ Ellever offers a small, bright smile. ] But thanks for the concern. I really do appreciate it. I think we'll be okay if we just... make sure we're all banded together. United.

[ There's a smaller part of her that has another idea, but this idea hinges more on the length of the assault. The longer it goes on, the less likely they'll make it. They just have to hope it won't go that way. ]

[And it's not really the Soldier's nature to pry. So while they're fairly sure that's a deflection, in fact a handful of deflections, they're also not going to hassle her about it. They just nod one more time.]

There are smaller groups in other places who don't feel it's tactically sound to join with the main group. But a lot of us are here and working together. I think if this doesn't last more than a three more weeks, or so, we should be all right.

[That's when the Soldier estimates they'll run short of supplies. Of course, Crowley might get impatient and somehow doom them all in the next few days.... They offer her a (small, subdued) smile, back.]

And I'm getting pretty good at killing spirits.

[Besides, they come back if they die, and the spirits might not. They can kill the Soldier, and in a day or two it'll just come back to kill them, back. (Rather not test that, pal. Come on, Sergeant. We've died before. This might even be easier than cryofreeze. I'm not gonna old our fuckin' breath for that.)]

Sounds right.

[ There are a lot of people in the Invincible, but at least the sleepers don't appear to need much of anything. Of course, that's probably not going to be pleasant for them later; they'll wake up with dry mouths and terribly hungry.

They will wake up. Ellever desperately hopes it. ]

It's a good skill to train up. [ She gives a quiet, tentative laugh. What an absurd situation this all is. ] Apparently. I never thought I'd be saying something like that, and we've got a bunyip back home. I just really hope the spirits... get tired? Stop? Make up their minds as to what they want...

[It's not a drug, or it wouldn't still be affecting them days later. So it has to be magic, which the Soldier doesn't understand much, but which things must have an expiration date. Spells can't last forever, right? (A hundred years? Fuck, where did that come from? Sleeping... Beauty? That better be wrong.)

The Soldier shakes itself a little, out of the internal conversation, and says,]

If they don't. I will just keep killing them until there are none left.

[Matter-of-fact, if maybe a little facetious. Not quite a joke, but not as grim as "kill everything" really should sound.]

I think they know what they want. We just don't understand it. It might not even be to kill us. If they wanted to kill us, why not attack the ones who fell asleep first.

[ Her grin a bit stronger, now, than the previous attempts. But it doesn't feel right to grin in this situation, so it fades after a moment. Ellever sighs and leans back against the wall. ]

Or just kill everyone with... whatever they used on the food, and then try to kill the rest of us, too, [ she agrees. Death isn't the aim here. Or not all of it. Maybe a little death is intended. ] I'm not overly familiar with the spirits here yet, but the creatures similar to them back home have a difficult-to-follow mental logic. It's really different from how we think.

Or maybe we're not even there yet. [ Ellever shrugs. ] Maybe what they're intending is something in the future. But I hope not. I'd really like to be able to leave sometime soon.

They aren't people. Don't think like people. No. They may have a connection to the World Eaters, but not as. Servants of it. I'm sure of that. Even this may be a way to try and help us somehow.

[The Soldier considers that with a frown, then shakes their head. Even if that's true, it doesn't have a lot of hope for what comes after, future or not.]

We're dead, Elle. I don't know if there is any leaving. Even if we save this world in the two years we're allowed to try, our bodies died. Not everyone can come back from that kind of thing.

I know.

[ Ellever goes quiet, somber. That's why she's in this corner — mentally dealing with the fallout of being dead and what that means — but she won't say it. ]

I meant... here. [ An idle gesture at the walls. ] The Invincible. I don't think we're going to leave Beacon anytime soon. I... don't know if I'd want to.

[ If she goes back, she has to look Circe in the eye. And right now she'd choose getting mauled to death over that. ]

[The Soldier looks at her sidelong. There might be sympathy in their face, just a little.]

I don't want to. If it were me. Was your life a terrible one?

[It's the main reason they can think of why someone wouldn't want to go back to it, if it were possible.]

[ She looks at him, tries to imagine what kind of life he had that he doesn't want to go back to. If he hasn't offered his name, he's not going to offer that much. Ellever can respect someone who wants to keep a lid on things. ]

...it wasn't terrible. It. I don't know. It was mixed. [ Ellever lets out a slow, long sigh. ] My dad was nice. And the Moth. And my research. But there were a lot of things riding on my shoulders, you know? And sometimes it was too many things. Sometimes it just felt like...

[ Like she'd fail in the end. Surprise, surprise. Someone had forced her hand. ]

I don't know. I'll miss my dad. Otherwise, I'm probably better off here. [ She offers an attempt at a smile. ] At least I have good company.

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