EVENT LOG: GRAVES

[inthenightmods]

EVENT LOG:
GRAVES

characters: everyone.
location: Bonfire Square.
date/time: July 12-19.
content: mysterious shrines appear and bring visions of death.
warnings: likely violence and potentially gore.

time to pay your respects.

It happens when no one is looking, when most of the town is asleep and the rest are inside. A makeshift cemetery has come to Beacon, taking up residence in the middle of Bonfire Square. Each monument, shrine, and altar is dedicated to someone who now resides here, a memorial of their previous life.

Some may be drawn by curiosity, others by fear, and some may simply have to pass through this strange graveyard to get to the Bonfire itself. Whenever a person gets near, the altars beckon with a mysterious urge— an urge to approach, and an urge to leave something behind. They will feel compelled to make offerings at the various shrines, but doing so has a curious effect; it causes one to experience the death of the person whose grave they've honored.

Whether you resist the compulsion or give in willingly (or something in between), you'll also have to wrestle with the fact that a grave exists for you. Will you let your death be known, or try your best to keep it secret? Destroying it sure won't work, as it will return— with a duplicate somewhere else in town.

However you choose to deal with this, one thing is hard to ignore— this a tangible reminder of your death, and the fact that it's probably permanent.

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Comments

[evocation]

[Kyna doesn't know about the second grave yet, so she can't help there, but she knows exactly how Wash feels about this situation without needing to be told. She grabs some food from The Invincible and heads to his grave, and as she approaches, she's hit with that familiar wave of compulsion. Now that she's expecting it, it's easier to fight, but it's still an obnoxious grating need at the back of her mind as she sits beside him. Kyna sets the plate in front of him and then scoots close, resting her head on his shoulder.]

Hi.

[hardwearing]

[ Wash glances up at the sound of footsteps to see Kyna approaching from the direction of The Invincible, lantern in one hand and a plate in the other. At first he isn't certain what to expect, if she's going to try and talk him out of guarding his grave or might actually want to make an offering he'll have to talk her out of... the last thing he wants right now is an argument. Not with Kyna. But she just sets the plate down in front of him and claims his shoulder as a pillow, and Wash can feel himself uncoil a little instantly. He shifts to get his arm around her, turning his head to press his face into her hair; he can eat in a minute. ]

Thanks... you holding up okay?

[evocation]

Yeah.

[She thinks she's handling this a bit better than him, actually, but she doesn't say so. She just presses close, looping her arm around him.]

Are you okay?

[hardwearing]

I guess.

[ He wouldn't be surprised to hear that, because she'd be right. He's not handling this well at all, as used to memory sharing as he got in Hadriel. This feels more like his first event all over again, that dream share where he'd stubbornly refused to sleep for as long as possible, just to keep people out of his head. It's not something he know show to manage or avoid besides just sitting here, guarding his grave and warning everybody off. Because he can't handle people seeing, not this, not strangers and not something so raw and devastating and personal. He doesn't even want people to see the name on the headstone because it's not for them to know. None of this is. ]

I don't know if anyone came by before I found it, that's all. The not knowing isn't great.

[evocation]

Oh. Yeah, I get it.

[At least with the dream sharing back in Hadriel, you knew. Here, there's no way to, and while Kyna almost prefers not to know so she can pretend it's not happening, she knows Wash is different.]

I didn't see anything. I promise.

[hardwearing]

[ That's a relief, honestly. He doesn't want her to see her own death through his eyes. Doesn't want her to feel the crushing rush of terror and grief and self-loathing that he's, quite frankly, still dealing with himself. Wash knows Kyna doesn't blame him, and wouldn't want him to blame himself, but he does. And he doesn't know how to stop it. ]

Okay. I didn't leave anything at yours, either.

[evocation]

[She pulls away just enough to peek up at him, arm still wrapped around his middle.]

Do you want to?

[hardwearing]

[ That's difficult to answer. Yes, because there are some things he feels like he needs to know for sure. No, because it'd be horrible and a violation of her privacy and he's pretty sure she doesn't want him to see. ]

Kind of..?

[evocation]

Kind of.

[That seems like a way to downplay a "yes" to her.]

Why?

[hardwearing]

[ Ugh, Kyna, this conversation is awful!!! Wash grimaces a little, not even knowing how to explain it. What's the simplest way to put it? Maybe he can consolidate all his fears and insecurities into one statement that won't just piss her off.... ]

So I can stop imagining what it was like for you, basically.

[evocation]

[It isn't really that she's getting angry with him—it's more that she doesn't want him to use the reality of her death as more ammo to torture himself with. She doesn't know how to articulate it, though, and his answer makes her hesitate.]

You've been imagining it?

[hardwearing]

[ The reality of her death isn't as awful as what his imagination has been coming up with, Kyna. It really isn't. ]

...yeah. Seemed like a bad thing to ask questions about, though.

[evocation]

David.

[She pulls away so she can turn to face him, her hands reaching for his.]

I don't want you... I don't want you torturing yourself about it. It's not your fault.

[hardwearing]

[ Wash exhales heavily through his nose, looking and sounding incredibly tired. He does let her take his hands, though, and squeezes hers tight as if to reassure himself she's real and here. ]

Have you ever tried to get yourself to stop thinking about something intentionally? It doesn't work, Kyna.

[evocation]

[She bites her lip at that, considering it, then finally seems to give in as she leans forward to rest her forehead against his.]

Are you sure it won't make everything worse?

[hardwearing]

[ As much as he really doubts it's as bad as what he's been coming up with... there's no way to be sure, unfortunately. ]

No. So I won't look if you don't want me to, but then I think I need to ask you about it.

[evocation]

Even if I tell you, won't that just let you keep imagining things?

[hardwearing]

.....maybe.

[ Look, this sucks. They're dead and sad and there's no winning, really. But there is a way he can know for certain. ]

There's no easy way out here, I'm sorry.

[evocation]

I know.

[She presses her lips against his, soft and brief.]

...you can go see. But I want to be with you when you do it.

[hardwearing]

[ Wash just stays close for a moment, then nods quietly and rests their foreheads together again. ]

I need some paper.

[evocation]

Paper?

[It takes her a split second, but then she gets it, and her lips curve into a little smile.]

Do you want me to get some so you can stay here?

[hardwearing]

Yeah, I don't want to leave it unattended too long. I can eat while you're checking the store?

[ Since she was an Excellent Girlfriend and saw fit to feed him, as well. The best, really. ]

[evocation]

[She nods, running her fingers through his hair as she stands.]

I'll be right back.

[And so she wanders off to the shops. It doesn't take very long, and when she returns she sets the paper in his lap. It's just plain white, but it's well made and sturdy enough to hold a crisp fold, at least.]

[hardwearing]

[ She gets a smile upon her return, faint but genuine. The plate she left is about half finished, but he sets it aside to pick up a sheet of paper instead. ]

The little five pointed ones are okay?

[evocation]

[She grins back, plopping down and snuggling close, trying to ignore the inescapable anxiety she's feeling.]

Yeah, of course it is.