logsinthenight | EVENT LOG: THE NIGHT WE MET

EVENT LOG: THE NIGHT WE MET

characters: everyone.
location: the path from downtown beacon to the harbor; all over town.
date/time: february 16-21.
content: the forest spirits send off their friends to join the aurora. memory opals drop from the eerie green lights above.
warnings: n/a.

i had all and then most of you, some and now none of you.

For most of the day on February 16, all of the town's forest spirits can be found along the stretch of road between downtown and the harbor, clearly setting up for, uh, something. They're piling snow onto the pathway, creating a miles long sled trail that starts outside the Landmark Inn and ends at the very end of the harbor's dock. Not only that, but the forest spirits are also not super willing to explain what they're up to! They're busy, you lantern-havers.

By the time evening rolls around, the spirits have set up wooden railings alongside the snowy path, as well as a warming tent, hot chocolate booth, and announcer stand outside of the Landmark. Oh, and a starting banner for the race! It's dogsled time!

Throughout the event, Beacon's downtown and harbor areas will be completely overrun with forest spirits, all there to bear witness to this holiday celebration—this holiday is for them, though, not you weirdos with your naked faces. Point is, none of the spirits will be hostile at this time! They're more interested in interacting with each other than with Beacon's residents, though if pressed, a kind spirit might be willing to explain what's going on:

The aurora arrives in Beacon for about a week each year, and the forest spirits believe it to be "friends in the sky". The lights are old friends of theirs, it seems! And each night while the aurora shines above the town, the forest spirits send off a handful of friends to join the aurora! The spirits ready to join the aurora build sleds of their own and assemble mighty sled teams, sometimes comprised of dog spirits and sometimes... other stuff. Then, when the aurora is at its peak in the wee hours of the night, the sled teams will ride off one by one, racing down the snow-covered path all the way down to the harbor, where they'll finally rocket off the dock and out over the lake, picking up more and more speed as each team gallops wildly over the water before arcing up into the sky. Once the spirits are barely a speck, they'll hit the aurora and burst into a shower of light. Beautiful stuff!

See, since the aurora is made of light, forest spirits launched into it are killed on impact! Isn't that wonderful! The forest spirits seem to think so! What is death to a dead thing!

All of this information can be learned through handwaved/played-led interactions with the forest spirits during the event. They'll all be focused on saying goodbye to their friends and cheering them on as they stream through the sky, but they're happy to welcome lantern-havers to join in the celebrations. The hot chocolate is free and only tastes a little bit like mud, so. Enjoy!

•••
For the entire duration of the event, the aurora will dance in beautiful silence overhead, lighting up the whole town with its eerie green glow. Every so often, handfuls of opals will rain down like meteorites from the lights above, and these opals each contain the memory of someone currently in Beacon! They can be found all over town, landing on paths and atop buildings and maybe even rocketing straight through your ceiling to crash into your living room. Perhaps a forest spirit decided to hide some shiny rocks in your cereal box or under your pillow... Better hope the Postmaster General doesn't find your opals before you do, though. That spirits sure does love their rocks. Point is, who knows where the opals might turn up?

On that note, if you signed up for a random event, we'll be RNGing characters to receive these random events throughout the event! The event may happen in response to a toplevel on this event log, or we might turn up in your IC inbox... 👀 These events will be entirely random, meaning we could dole out any number of them at any time, so it'll be a fun surprise for all of us.

If you missed signups and would still like to toss your name in the ring, go right ahead! Signups will remain open throughout the event, though we can't promise everyone who signs up will get something.

And finally... Each day, we'll post a list of the forest spirits joining the aurora! What, did you want to know in advance? The forest spirits have never been a particularly organized bunch, so they're winging this—which means more surprises for you. :)

Enjoy the races and the lights and the opals, residents of Beacon, and remember: WHAT IS DEATH TO A DEAD THING!

QUICKNAV
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It sure did feel real, Maes Hughes. Sora does understand the explanation and even why Maes is so chill about this in his head, but his heart? Oh, good lord, is it still troubled. (That's getting better, though! As long as Maes isn't mad at him, this too shall pass.)

"Oh." Sora thinks about it. That makes sense! Okay.

It takes him another hot second, and then he's actually sinking into a crouch, putting his hands on his face because wow, it was really that obvious, huh? "Thanks. I think. I really thought I was die." A Sigh. "Maybe I am gonna die? How could you call me out like that, Mr. Hughes?" And his head will pop out his his hands, and boy does he look miserable. "Does that make me a bad person? Or like, stupid?"

Then it seems I have good timing.

[He'll leave Kuai to judge if this memory is terrible or not. To him, it was just confusing. He pulls out his toolbox and sets it on the ground, then scoops out the opal with a spoon and passes it over.]

Terrible isn't quite what I'd call it, but I do have a lot of questions.

[Meanwhile, he eyes that little paper envelope, and holds out his other hand to take it.]

[[ ooc: OH SHIT LET'S BE TOYS ]]

The weirdest, huh? [ Sora's plenty distracted! He's been hunting for these particular memories for a while, he really needs this search to pan out well. ] Let's see. Might be the one where we went to the past? Everything was black and white, it was like being stuck in one of those old cartoons back in the 20s. We were all in black and white too! [ He looks up briefly and grins at Jason before returning to his search. ] I can actually show you that one, I think. Rosinante gave me that one back, but I haven't been able to check it yet.

There was also one where I wasn't able to talk outside a certain tower? And everything I did sounded like a musical instrument going off. It was like being inside a painting made of music, but there was nothing to explain it. No disguises there though, it was just me.

[[ ooc: rubs my hands like a bridge troll... let it come ]]

Sora's eyes widen. Okay, three more questions created. "Okay, was Hades, like, super evil back where you're from? Nico doesn't seem like a bad dude, just grumpy. Is it like how I remember a different Herc? Did he ever get used to the hugs? I hope he did, he seemed like he could use some cheering up."

Sora pauses when he notices Jason hasn't followed him, turns back. And, uh, look, Sora doesn't mean to be nosy or pushy or anything, but he does bite the inside of his cheek trying to think of what to say that doesn't sound, uh. Intrusive? Is that the word? He doesn't know. He's spent so much of his life drowning in other people's memories that he doesn't really know where the normal boundaries are anymore. Best to be careful.

"Thalia was there. And, um, another guy. Leo. You were talking about, um. How you two were related." And now Sora's looking down at the ground, trying not to do something entirely too extra like start crying or something. "It was. Not great. I'm sorry." For intruding? For the entire situation? For, like, all of the stupid unfair stuff Jason had to do to be, like, a normal person after losing his memories? Yeah, kind of all of that.

[ day looks sympathetic when he learns of molly's issues. that's rough, buddy. ]

If you want, I can be on the lookout for them. It's the least I can do for you, buddy. [ day looks over at the bag, listening to the way they're rolling about. ] Do yours look anything in particular? [ hopefully they do.

day's opals, unfortunately, look a lot like the opals of this world so trying to find his has been a headache and a half. ]

Just talking about this and it brings back memories. Maybe that's the whole point of this, of pieces of them all dropping down around their ears and some day soon, Quentin is going to sit down and log the ones he's seen himself.

To see if there's something that connects them, either the people he found or the memories themselves.

Not today, though, because Vanitas is still looking... strange. Or, he's not sneering or twisting his mouth in to something closer to a snarl than a smile. He's not really doing much of anything.

Except ask really weird questions about-- love. About Alice, and Quentin misses her, of course he does. They made up just before going to the Seam. Just a day before he died so yeah, that hurts.

Watching Eliot, this Eliot, go about his business like they hadn't lived a life together once. That hurt on a completely different scale. His face falls, just before he takes a deep breath.

"Not all the time."

Quentin shrugs. "The times when it doesn't hurt makes it all worth it."

"Ehh...kinda both?" This is accompanied by an iffy hand.

Riku's not wrong there, Prompto would definitely rather be at home playing video games or on a farm taking care of chocobos--both of which he sorely misses.

"It was sorta dangerous to begin with because we were in the middle of a war. That's what the trip was for, for a wedding...for the friend I mentioned. He's around here somewhere, you might know him. Noctis? Anyway, the wedding was never a thing because absolutely everything went wrong and we had to go fight things and claim ancestral weapons."

That's about 5% of the whole story, but he's sure Riku doesn't want to hear ~~the entire plot of FFXV~~ their life stories, so.

Nuh-uh. I remember lots of color. [ Tons. Too much color, sometimes! ]

It was kind of weird? My friends were there before - actually, it was way back in the past for them - but... I don't really remember why they didn't remember that things were like that? Maybe it was normal for them? [ He stares at the pocket he put the opal into and shakes his head. ] I'm sorry, I don't remember a lot about this one. Like, I'd actually ask you? You'd probably know way more than I do now.[ He shakes his head. ]

I think it's better if we just talked about something else. If you start talking about the river, I'll start getting echoes in a train, and then you'd be talking to yourself. That's not cool.

Yeah! I do! I bet they can find somewhere to put them!

[Even if that somewhere is their stomach. She won't judge. It'll be a part of them forever!]

No matter where they go, they'll know that we care, and that we're happy we got to meet them! Can I see your drawings? I can show you mine, too!

Will has spent most of his time during the aurora being away from the crowds. He doesn't like people at the best of times, and this isn't the best of times. He's still shaking off the... incident in the forest, just another thing tossed onto the pile of reasons he never sleeps. He'd much rather be out on the ore dock, watching the lights slither gently across the sky.

But eventually he gets hungry, and he isn't keeping food out on the dock with him. So against his better judgment, he heads back into town. Not to the Invincible, though, it's bound to be full of activity. Instead he makes his way to the village, to the little house he's claimed for himself. With most people off watching the races, he thinks it'll be a quiet, uneventful in-and-out. But of course there's someone out here. He just hopes, vainly, that they don't want anything.

"Around" is perhaps a bit subjective, but it's not like he's out in the woods. Or up at the museum, like last time he wanted to avoid everyone. Still, there's a definite span of a few minutes where Will considers saying "no".

He had hoped that, somehow, either none of his own memories would be scattered around, or that they'd fall somewhere that no one would find them. He's sure there would be some that most people would find incredibly boring: long hours spent staring at chemical formulas and data readings, trying to orchestrate the tiniest of adjustments, which then have to be compensated for with several more. Maybe there would be memories of school, of reading endless articles and writing several theses.

But then there's always a chance that something else might be out there. Something he doesn't really want to see, but wants other people to see even less. He does a lot of work maintaining the image of someone without attachments, good or bad. He'd hate to have it ruined by a stupid rock.

So as much as he'd prefer to spend more time under the twisting aurora, he makes himself get up and start moving.

I'll be back home shortly.

He knows better than to ask any questions about the thing over the network. The fewer people who know about this, the better. He'll wait until he meets Rosinante at the cabin.

Yeah! [ of course, he'll want to talk about his boyfriend. he seems super excited by the prospect because, well, emer is his boyfriend. ]

His name is Emergency Aid, the Chainbreaker, but his friends can call him Emer and I can call him Ems! [ because they're together. daylight takes a moment to preen over that bit of information, happy he and emer have a thing.

daylight happily gestures as he speaks, becoming more and more animated while gushing about someone he clearly loves a lot. even with everything that's happened during the week, daylight's faith and love for emer hasn't changed. not a bit. ] He's one of the medical officers on the Lornful Light and is the medic of our fireteam. He's super good at it too! One of the best medics we have on the starship.

He's really nice once you get to know him and super funny in, like, a dry wit sort of way. Always focused on his job when he's on a task but he knows when to enjoy himself.

I think you two would have gotten along great. He's serious but not, um, Nightbreak-serious or aloof like Dialup could be, from time to time. He was one of the first new faces I met when I joined the Lornful Light and he really made an impression on me! [ er- the awkward meeting in the training room aside, day couldn't help but notice how confident and smart emer was whenever day hung out at the medical bay. ]

He looks fairly okay, and he smiles lightly at Sora's own cheer. Both of them are so good at this.

"I knew it would." And knew it would be better off with someone else; he's rather glad Molly didn't have to die because of him again.

But Sora's rummaging gets a mild frown, curious more than anything else, and his smile doesn't disappear. "I seem to recall that pretty okay. What about it?"

The graves?

( yes, he remembers those and while he hadn't been too keen on people seeing how he died, he'd gotten past it, gotten over it. now, it's apparently happening again. )

You saw how I died?

( he reaches to take the paper covered opal carefully. )

[ the smile is returned, mirroring sarissa's grimness as she nods again. she'd figured, based on the man's resemblance and how he'd referred to her mother, but it's not like she'd grown up with a traditional family. ]

He sure seemed it. [ there's sympathy in her tone, but no pity. she is sorry, both that it's something she'd lived through and that she'd witnessed it, the latter mostly because it's no one else's business and she's sure it's something she'd rather bury than have others see. ] I hope you both got free of him.

[ the last part feels maybe a little too personal, considering their first and only interaction prior to this had been down and dirty sparring outside of the inn. but she means it, for whatever it's worth. ]

Mm...

[He looks down at the toes of his boots, eyes narrowing slightly.]

I don't really want to talk about them.

My friends, I mean.

[It still hurts too much. He feels like they're the ones that are gone and it's strange to think they're still around. He's gone. He's mourning his own demise.]

Sorry, pal, if it was all the same, Soldat would rather not be here, either. They track Ingram to his cabin and meet him outside before he has a chance to go in. Feeling like an absolute idiot for still being afraid even after the memory, even knowing Ingram is not that kind of doctor, they still stay out of immediate reach and set the opal on the porch rail, wrapped securely in fabric so the guy can't activate it accidentally if he doesn't want to. "This is yours."

"Kid. You're crying." Surely he can tell. Even Soldat, who cries at so much stupid shit, can at least tell what's happening when they do. They hesitate a second, then pull out an actual honest-to-god handkerchief-- well, okay, it's a carefully hemmed square of lightweight fabric with a quiet pattern on it, it's a homemade handkerchief, but it's still recognizable-- to offer him. "You miss your sister. Yeah?"

"Yeah." Time to get moving, then. Soldat gives Sora's shoulder a little pat, then pushes back to their feet. They're a bit more focused on the actual patrol, as much because it's a Thing That Should Be Done as because of potential danger. Patrol is part of their schedule, and the schedule must be kept to. Brain trouble does not count as enough of an emergency to put that aside.

So once Sora is on his feet, too, they head back outside, hands tucked into their coat pockets. They comment, a little cautiously lest it bring about strong emotion, "You had a lot of friends, before."

[A shrug. Sure, some people tend to vocalize everything they feel.]

I doubt anywhere here really knows the answer. These opals wash up on land like dolphin ossicles, and they exist whether you take them with you or not. [He inspects the silver sheen on his opal.] Of course, things you find on the beach don't literally hold memories. I thought those were supposed to be rare. And hold memories you lost.

The ghosts are still going to be there. They're just going to move into a different house.

[Literal ghosts exist in his world. They have claimed a very nice decrepit castle for themselves just north of the village.]

"Finding me at the Invincible for my lunch hour, or meeting me along my patrol route, would probably be best." Soldat is a bit wary of the network, and prefers not to put tactical information on it. Even in inboxes, they're cautious, and keep to the superficial or personal. The sole exception was once to show off their new rifle.

The other question hasn't been forgotten, though. What would they do. Soldat considers a moment. "I don't know," they say, which probably dodges the question, but it's still true. "Normally those kind of decisions aren't something they would leave up to me. I generally follow orders, I don't issue them, unless it's a matter of immediate battle commands or first aid."

"Minimus Ambus. Cybertronian." The sudden awareness of his posture took hold, and he readjusted his back, just to be sure he was standing straight. The side of him used to being Ultra Magnus told hims to hold his fists to his side. A holdover from his era of confidence.

"Duly appointed enforcer of the Tyrest Accord. Solider of the Autobot army. Current, or former, depending on how you few our position in Beacon, captain of the Lost Light."

Guess he'd better hustle - good thing he has a long stride.

Don't rush. I'll meet you there but it'll take me a couple hours from here.

Maybe there's somewhere closer they could meet, but Will's cabin is awfully convenient for privacy, and he knows the guy will want some of that after seeing this. Just in case, though, he stops in at The Invincible on the way back anyway and picks up the bottle of whiskey Maes had gifted him over the holidays. Doesn't seem worth saving for a celebration - there isn't much to celebrate here. Instead he'll offer to share it with someone who might need a good drink after this particular memory.

Eventually he arrives at the cabin, cigarette in his mouth and hands in his pockets to keep the chill off. Any day winter wants to quit, he'll be ready for it.

They were. [Of course they were. Dominus and Rewind were in love. They fought against prevailing thought at the time and grew close. Anyone would be happy.] I lived elsewhere in the city at the time, which accounts for the few visits.

[Dominus was busy. He had better things to do than to entertain his brother.]

He's gone now. No need to console me, I accepted this hundreds of thousands of years ago. Rewind has a new conjunx endura, and he's happy.

[Otherwise, Daylight would ask about his feelings, and that would make everything awkward and uncomfortable.]

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EVENT LOG: THE NIGHT WE MET

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