logsinthenight | but the party don't stop no [open]

Entry tags:

but the party don't stop no [open]

characters: Sora, Link, Naminé (ft. Daylight), Misty, Rosinante, Midge, and you!
location: Just (waves hand at all of Beacon) THere
date/time: Roughly from the 1st up until the 20th of February
content: This is the official Sora Gives Your Character a Valentine In Person post. Please note that if your character doesn't tag in on D or E but you just want to assume that your character got some chocolate cheerfully shoved into their hands without participating in this post, handwave away!
warnings: Again, low self-esteem, but HIGH joie de vivre! Will match tag format!

[ A: Gymnasium; Closed to Link ]

[ Sora would be spending the equivalent of a full afternoon, evening, and night in Beacon's gym what with training with Javert, then more training with the soldier (who is now Soldat but sometimes habits are hard to break, okay), then waiting around outside in the snow because he's so excited to see if Link shows up or not for more fencing practice! It's not a hassle to Sora, though; he really does do much better in life when he has people to meet. Like Link! He comes around enough to make Sora feel good about seeing him regularly. He's gotten so used to watching his lantern appear from the night that even a hint of light in the dark at this time of day is pretty Pavlovian at this point. Light is knowing when you'll see your friends again, he's pretty sure.

Anyway, he's just swinging his legs on this conveniently located seating area near the gymnasium's entrance, waiting for Link to show up. He'll be messing with something on his tablet, focused intently, but he'll pop his head up every so often to make sure he doesn't miss his pal coming. You there, Link? It's him, Sora! ]

[ B: Village; Closed to Naminé and Daylight ]

Okay, so we're looking for a really tall guy - REAAAAALLY tall - and he's got shiny metal armor on, and it's all yellow!

[ Today is a Thursday - some Thursday - and Sora's very excitedly chatting away while he walks Naminé to Day's to begin Spirit Day. If Naminé wants to make new friends, this seems like a good place to do it! ]

Wait, have you met Daylight yet, Naminé? Is this gonna be like the soldier in the church again? [ He's not exactly displeased with the idea! He just likes being able to surprise people, okay? ]

[ C: Bonfire Cabin; Closed to Misty ]

I still say we should do an icebreaker.

[ Now that Sora's wrangled Misty in on his awesome idea to make a B&B for people who are way too confused by literally dying not an hour ago to even think about housing, he's decided to start by taking all of the stale sheets and linens in this cabin next to the bonfire and stacking them all up before giving the place a good top to bottom cleanse. They'll probably add some beds and even some bunk bed style housing later on ~~and yes, they'll HGTV style add a WHOLE! NEW! WING~~, but his main goal until March is to make sure they're ready for lost newcomers on the next ferry and any medical emergencies they might have. (There might be welcome snacks in the works. You never know.) ]

Pick your group meeting poison. Do you like... word association? 20 questions? One of those getting to know you scavenger hunts? [ He frowns while stripping this pillow. ] I guess that'd be pretty hard with just two people. We got the magic thing in common, though! That's a start.

[ D: All over on Valentine's Day; Open ]

[ Nope, you don't get a warning besides perhaps the sound of crunch crunch crunching footsteps in the snow and maybe the light of his star shaped lantern in the distance. He's there. He's been there all along. Or he's trotting up to catch up to you no matter where you're headed on this fine Valentine's Day. And he has a packet of two or three heart-shaped chocolates that he will shove right into your hands. (Or at least he'll try! If his recipient is a little less willing, he is 100% down for just chatting their wall down. Or just chatting. Sora really likes them already.) ]

Happy Valentine's Day! Hope you're having a good one! [ Explanations? None. Context? Don't need it. Friendliness? Maximum. ]

[ E: Landmark; Open to Landmark Residents ]

[ Second verse, same as the first! Although these will be a little less intrusive. They're just a packet of chocolates hanging on every doorknob of the Landmark, tied with some festive pink and red ribbon, the ends curled with a pair of scissors. (The Concierge is excellent at their job and would not tell Sora which rooms are occupied, so he cut the knot and made enough chocolate for everyone in the building to have a bit.)

Feel free to just take the chocolate and run, but there's also a note that says to stop by room 301 if there are any questions (or food allergies - he'll do trades!). One can also catch him in the act of hanging the chocolates at each door, or checking out the bulletin board he's taking care of for Jason, or walking into the night to do his patrols. It's like, whatever. He'll even open with a friendly nod if his eyes happen to catch someone else's. Everyone's a friend he just hasn't talked to yet, after all. ]

[ F: Tavern (Outside); Closed to Rosinante ]

[ This is day five-ish of Sora trying his level best to get into the Invincible to try and fix things! And failing! Sora knows he was technically the instigator of the fight (or he thinks he's much more responsible for the mess, at least), which is why he is still doing the equivalent of standing outside of the establishment and holding up a boombox at 2 am (except with whistling instead of sad 80s rock ballads). He just doesn't want to force his way in if the spirits are not having it. He will keep whistling apologies every so often for like another hour or so, though.

Rosinante, it's been a few days since the lanterns have gone back to normal. Have the repairs gone well? Does he need help? ]

[ G: Invincible (Kitchen); Closed to Midge ]

[ So Midge. Hey! It's been a few weeks. Maybe like two? Three? It's the day after the Night Market sinks back into the lake, anyhow. Sora's been fairly busy for the past few weeks what with moving to the Landmark and the lanterns and everything that happened after the ferry arrived and all, but apologizing to Midge for the lantern stuff has been on his mind the entire time. Among... other things. Phew, have things happened since the last time they met.

Here he is, though. Cautiously opening the door like the first day he was in town, in the same sort of timid voice he had back then. He's not assuming anything! He thinks they might need to start back at square one. ]

Hey. Midge? Are you here?

[ H: Wildcard! ]

[ If we have been planning to have stuff happen OR if you have ideas, please feel free to DM me so I can give you a starter! My plurk is

mawiles for any additional planning needed. ]

[[ ooc: chocolate flavor reference for those so inclined! ]]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Well, Rosinante certainly became familiar with some of that wind magic. And whatever those exploding bubbles were. But good to know there's a lot more in his arsenal. He nods along, listening, and takes note also that Sora can do some healing. Aziraphale and Crowley had both mentioned their healing abilities seemed a little lesser here than at home - though maybe in Crowley's case it was about the same and just less than Aziraphale's due to being a demon. He prefers to stick with actual medical doctors for his own care, but it's good to know the full set of options here. Injuries are not rare.]

You're not the first to mention your magic doesn't work the same here as it did at home. Must be something about dying. Takes some of the power out of you. Hell, I'm not sure I'm as physically strong here as I used to be. Either that or some of these spirits are just damn tough.

Magic, though, no. Don't have that at home. Some people are pretty extraordinary with what they can do, but it's not magical.

[ Sora nods, accepting that smoothly. He has yet to get any of his missing spells, although he hasn't really sought out any magicians or wizards to help him try. Always something better to do. Effectively, his situation is just like anyone else's, except probably even more tenuous. ]

Huh. Was that an extraordinary thing you could do? Your strength? [ No comment about fighting spirits, though. Sora hasn't fought one yet, and at this point he's not sure if he wants to. He's met too many as people now, so he's stuck thinking of them as individuals until something changes his mind. ]

Not really. No more than anyone else with a military background. Just comes with training and practice.

[But it's still a valid question. Some people are extraordinary because of a devil fruit; others have mastered various sorts of haki. Others are just remarkably strong, fast, clever, talented beyond the normal range for a human or fishman or giant, or whatever sort of person, because they've worked so hard to excel.

Rosinante isn't any of that. He's confident in his skills, but he has a niche fruit, and here he goes hitting his own thumb again with the hammer, wincing as he jerks his hand away and drops the nail. This time, his thumbnail is definitely bleeding.]

[ Training and practice, huh. Sora's about to ask what kind of training gets you all kinds of expectant about one's odds against things like monsters, not to mention superpowered teenagers, but the hit to his thumb immediately redirects his attention. Without really thinking about it, his eyebrows pinch in a frown and he glows a faint green around his edges. Man, he doesn't care if it's just a little blood! Two times in a row has gotta hurt, at least. ]

Should I, um. [ He shakes his head. ] Let me help. Please, I'm not gonna use magic for anything else today. Promise. Or, uh, do you have a magic allergy or something?

[ Has Rosinante been doing repairs like this this entire time? On his own, banging up his own fingers? Sora is sort of wondering why Rosinante hasn't gone and fractured anything, or is at least very good at not making it obvious. Or is all this clumsiness because he has an audience? Would it have been better for him to work on his own? Man, Sora's just worried now. ]

What? No, I don't.

[He has a look at his hand with a sigh, tries to shake the pain off, then decides he's probably best off just holding his hand out toward Sora. Go on, magic healer boy, have at it if it makes you happy. Bleeding at least does suggest it's serious enough where he doesn't mind someone trying to fix things, and he's certainly curious about other people's abilities.]

Go ahead. Just didn't seem worth bothering with before.

[ And boy, uh, if Rosinante has never been at the mercy of one of Sora's smiles before, he sure is now. He pops up like he's a dog and Rosinante forgot to spell the word W-A-L-K.

Without pausing, he releases the spell. They both glow green, spectral leaves and flowers surrounding them as they sink into Rosinante's skin or disappear into the air. That thumb? Fully healed. It's like it never hurt in the first place. And hey, if anything was achy or if he slept wrong on some joint last night? That's gone too. ]

It's always worth bothering with. [ Sora shrugs, studying his work. All better? ] I mean, sure, pain's survivable, but it's not like pain's fun to walk around with, either. [ Sora... sort of tilts his head? ] You said you were with the Marines, right? Were you a commanding officer?

[ That would explain the independence, at least. Sora's not really sure. For someone who was aligned with a military order, Rosinante sure does act like someone who was alone a lot. ]

[Others' magic was... a little less showy, maybe. Say a few words, do a hand gesture, something happens. All this being surrounded by foliage is like something out of a fairytale and he'd laugh if his thumb wasn't throbbing with pain -

Well, until it isn't. In fact, he feels better all over, no more sore shins from his last fall or anything.]

Yeah. [He answers absently, but this is all way more interesting than talking about his military career. He looks his hand over but there's no hint of any injury now.] That's a really useful skill you have, there. Next time we're under attack, do us all a favor and don't go running off and getting yourself killed, all right? We're always short on healers and doctors and I haven't seen anything this comprehensive yet.

[ It's very pretty! Sora's always liked it, as flashy as it is. ]

Nah, there are better healers. Gotta be. [ He looks at his hands. ] That's another one that used to be a lot stronger. If I had it back at full last week, it would have come in handy.

[ He wouldn't have ended up at Riku's cabin, bleeding all over his couch and generally feeling awful for having to exist anywhere near him. Sora was so determined to make sure Riku didn't have to look at what amounted to a bad copy of his dead best friend and he ended up bleeding at him. He's letting Riku down by existing and he's just making it worse. A disaster.

Oh, wow, he is most certainly just staring at his own hands weirdly extended amount of time. Okay, shaking that off. What was the topic, again? ]

Anyway, I'm better at being a meatshield. I'm pretty tough, I can take a punch. [ Shrug! ] And, uh, better me than someone else? If I go down, you guys would get along okay.

[Rosinante will not deny that the guy can take a hit or five. The room surrounding them is pretty plain evidence of that. So he considers it for a moment, then nods.]

Combat medic, then. That's actually an even harder role to fill. Fight where you're needed to fight, but stay with a group. Keep the others alive. We'll need to review emergency procedures now that people are living downtown. We're more spread out than ever.

[See, he does have command experience, or at least tactical training. The problem is most of the people he has to work with here aren't great at following orders. He won't force them to, this isn't military or even a militia, but the lack of discipline and the strong individuality of these people does mean they tend to scatter when they should stay a coordinated unit. Each one does what they think is best at the time and it isn't always what's best for the group as a whole.]

Fighting in a group, huh. [ Sora considers that, his expression hovering between pleased and a bit wistful. Having someone watch his back instead of having to look after himself. Having someone to look out for. Been a while. ] I think I'd like that.

[ Sora's not about to volunteer himself for any leadership positions - he's far from leader material and he knows it - but he does tilt his head a little, thinking about it. ] If you want, I can let you know about what's happening Downtown until things get more organized? I already live at the Landmark and do patrols down that way. I wanna keep that part safe since it'll be a place where a lot of new people like me are gonna end up living.

And that means it's even more at risk, since there are fewer people with experience dealing with the things here who will be over there most of the time. Should something happen, it's crucial that everyone downtown checks in with someone there as well as over the network. We've had problems losing people before and not realizing it until it's too late.

[He frowns. Every loss still hurts, even when most of them he hadn't known well. It's good that Sora is volunteering to help, he's just not convinced of how responsible he'll be if an emergency breaks out. A lot of people say they'll do something when it's peaceful, and forget those promises when there's danger in order to save themselves and their friends - or more often here, they dive in face-first, as if they can take on all of their enemies themselves.]

[ Sora winces. Yep, last week had not been great for that.

Rosinante's right to be a bit worried! Sora's a team player, but he is as willful and stubborn as any teen is. He wants what he wants and will ignore check-ins and paperwork and rules if he doesn't see the immediate point in them, which is often because his critical thinking skills are just not that great.

He doesn't do well in a bureaucracy! The crux is, however, that he's aware of this. Which is why he'll nod, but still not put himself out there. ]

I think I'm going to be helping Jason update the patrol boards, but I'm not really, um. A point person, I guess? [ It took Jason quite the pep talk to get Sora to buy into taking on even that modicum of responsibility at all. ] Believe me, that's about as much as I can do besides babysit. And, like, help run summer camp, but that's me and kids. [ He shakes his head. ] I can make sure me and Naminé and Hana check in, maybe Minato and Alisaie too, but Carmilla's just going to do what she wants, and I can't get a hold of Rhys sometimes. [ He hums. ] Maybe you can ask, uh, what's his name? One of the new guys, kind of a robot person like Day. He's on the first floor, seems to like organizing things.

Minimus? Haven't met him yet, not really, but I've seen him on the network. Yeah, that's a good idea.

[Seen him around town, too. Like Rosinante himself and Daylight, it's hard to miss someone who's that much taller than the rest. Plus, robot! But the penchant for organizing has definitely been noticed. Time to introduce himself and see how he can make Minimus useful.

After another bout of focused repair, he looks over at Sora again.]

Don't sell yourself too short, though. Managing kids is more like managing adults than you might think. Might even be harder.

[ He and Sora spent their first conversation talking about orderliness and most of the talk went completely over Sora's head! Clearly Minimus is on another plane when it comes to being structured and organized. Sora is very certain about his ability to help.

Sora blinks at Rosinante, a bit bemused. Kids? Harder than adults? ]

You think? Kids are good, though. [ Sora looks down at Rosinante's work, keeping watch just in case he accidentally bangs his thumb again. ] I mean, some of them can have huge attitudes, but that's just 'cause they don't want to admit that they feel lost and scared sometimes too. And it's okay to talk to them about those things. They want to tell the truth, and if you let them know they're safe, they start wanting to be happy. [ They start believing that things like trust and hope are real and worth trying. ]

[ Sora slowly shakes his head. ] Adults... I guess adults are the same way, but it's harder to talk to them once they feel lost and scared. If they've been alone for that long, it feels like darkness is just how the world works. And, like... [ Sora snorts. ] What do I know about the world, anyway? Maybe they're right.

[ He doesn't want things to be that way, but his second life has shown him ways where people people drown in their own darkness, in a world without Keyblades or hearts to unlock. He has no confidence in his ability to reach out to someone whose heart is so damaged that what he does seems stupid and pointless in the grand scope of things. ]

I dunno. Kids trust me 'cause they like me. Adults trust things like order, and like. Power. Confidence. I don't have any of that.

[Sora is sensitive and understanding. While Rosinante can see easily how that would translate to being good with kids, it makes him suspect he's underestimating his own ability to work with adults, as well. Most of them just need sympathy and guidance too. Adults might be more likely to follow authority, but it isn't the only way.

It's surprising to hear him admitting to a lack of confidence, but he can hear the same thing echoed in what he says before that. "What do I know about the world?" Probably more than he realizes. But Sora is confusing to him, and probably equally confused by some aspects of himself. The dual nature of his personality, combined with memory gaps resulting from that, have to make someone a little less sure of themselves.]

Don't underestimate yourself. [He shakes his head.] But - that said, it's good to recognize your strengths, too. Good to have someone around who enjoys working with kids, especially if we ever get more of them. This place is hard on them.

[Hard on all of them, really.]

[ Considering that Sora’s trying to not put Rosinante onto more of a pedestal than he already has, perhaps it’s for the best that Rosinante kept that one to himself. Desperate for approval, this one, even if he doesn’t like to think it’s true.

Sora tries his best not to underestimate or overestimate himself, but these days, he's trying to err towards caution. Better to leave that kind of thing to Rosinante or Cao Pi or other people who've been doing this leadership thing for a while. He's fine being a follower. That's what he does. ]

I keep worrying about who's keeping an eye on them. But then it's like, this isn't camp, their parents aren't here, there's no reason for them to do anything but look after themselves. [ Also, if they're dead that young, it's almost certain that the circumstances of their deaths weren't peaceful or easy. Hard to get a kid to care about anyone but themselves and their own if the world seems that dark and hopeless. ]

I just keep hoping that they have adults to rely on, but then it's like. If they don't, and if I were their age? I'd be pretty pissed off if someone was like, "Actually, you need to go to daycare now." [ He sighs. ] There's gotta be a better way than that.

I keep an eye on Mary. I'm sure I'm not alone, but we've shared a room since the first day here and I make sure she comes back and gets food and sleep daily. The others, though, I think most are a bit older than her anyway. It's not too bad for them to learn a little independence either.

[And there aren't many others. There's that one kid, Richie, right? He's seen him in passing but never spoken to him. And there's Eleven, but he usually sees her close to one or two others so she must have people helping her out. Daylight is clearly old enough to live on his own, and so is Coraline, and they share a cabin which is even better. So as far as he knows, Sora's hopes are mostly met already.]

[ That's a weight off his mind. He still worries about them, of course, but it's not like he's qualified to start teaching them or anything. Might be best to leave them to their respective guardians, if they have any. ]

Mary, huh. [ Sora smiles, looking at the wood grain on this table. ] I like her, she's a good kid. Took me to the park once to get ice cream. Didn't realize you were looking after her. That's good. [ She seems a bit sad and lonely, but Sora figures that's nothing a little friendship couldn't fix. ]

Gotta admit that it was mostly her I was thinking about. Does she go by herself places a lot?

Yeah. I don't have the heart to keep her from wandering. She's always off trying to befriend everyone and everything, including most of the spirits. I think if I tried to follow her for a day she'd wear me out.

[He smiles a little at that. Of course he worries about her - that she'll decide to go after the wrong spirit, or get lost, and he won't be there to help her. But there's absolutely no way he's going to tell her what she can and can't do. He cares about her more than anyone else here, and she loves him and thinks he's beautiful and wonderful and all sorts of things he can't quite believe. He's not going to try and keep her on a metaphorical leash. The lack of freedom would crush her.]

She knows how to reach me if she needs something, and if she's missing for too long, I'll be the first one looking for her, and she knows it. Best I can do.

Befriending everyone? Yo, right on. [ Kid after his own heart. Sora has quite a bit on his own plate, but if that's her mission, he wouldn't mind spending a couple of hours checking in on her every once in a while. She's so little! He wants to believe she's tough, but kids' hearts can break pretty easily sometimes. ]

You really trust her, don't you? [ He shakes his head. Not the "take care of this ten dollar bill" for me trust. ] Like, if you're okay with her wandering around, you know that she won't do anything too bad because she'll think of you first. That kind of trust.

Well... [He chuckles softly.]

It's more like I figure she's smart enough to work her way out of a bad situation if she gets in one. I guess I'm just lucky she hasn't decided to try and hug a green-eye. Then again, maybe that's what they need.

[But yeah. Hopefully Mary would think of him before doing something dangerous. Maybe early on she wouldn't have, but these days it seems like each rely on knowing the other is okay.]

[ Sora hasn't met a green-eye and doesn't understand on a personal level what they're like, but even so he'd probably still see the joke as it is.

He smiles. Rosinante never struck him as the type to be a caretaker, and maybe this doesn't really count, but it's still nice to know that that part of him exists. ]

Yeah? Maybe it is. No one's tried that yet, right? I think she could pull it off. [ He laughs. Well, it'd work on him, so why not them? (Let's not try it, though.) ]

I wonder if that's what we're supposed to be doing. Making friends with them. [ This is asked after a long moment of thought. Might catch both of them by surprise if Rosinante had expected the conversation to end there. ]

I think Soldat and Daylight were trying that. I know they went out to find them and try to make peace. They came back alive, so that's the biggest success we've had yet. I'd ask them if you want to know more.

[It was intriguing, though. Their results were promising, if still a little difficult to interpret. The green-eyed spirits are truly alien in their reasoning and befriending them looks very little like befriending humans. Or raksura or the other races represented here, for that matter.]

[ Okay! He likes both of them! And obviously they survived the encounter. Even if Rosinante warned Sora off pretty thoroughly from trying to engage with the green-eyed spirits, nothing is pinging off on Sora's suspicion meter, nope. ]

I'd like to try that. Wonder why they keep killing people, though. Are they scared of us?

What I remember Daylight saying is they didn't realize death was such a problem for us. They see themselves as dead and don't care if they die. Killing us was a way to communicate their frustration with us.

[They cling to life so strongly for a group of dead people - but of course they do. How can they accomplish anything if they don't? Plus, why would anyone give up an extra shot at a few good months to years of life? It's not easy life, but Rosinante sure finds himself enjoying it from time to time even if most of it is filled with work and heavy thinking. It's better than not existing at all.]

Edited (OH RIGHT THIS ISN'T A PROSE THREAD) 2020-03-12 02:53 (UTC)

but the party don't stop no [open]

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