EVENT LOG: THE NIGHT WE MET

[inthenightmods]

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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Link | OTA

[sublimebeast]

[The Aurora] - OTA

[When he sees the aurora appear, Link wanders down to the harbor so that he can see the light more clearly.

Fire in the sky...

He closes his eyes and imagines the flames leaping down from the firmament to engulf his body. He imagines the colored blaze burning him to the core, cleansing him of his sins...

For a moment, he swears he can feel the heat...

Then his eyes slide open again and he feels the weight of his past on his shoulders once more. Why, he wonders, has he found himself thinking more about his past tonight? It's probably nothing.

Slowly, he turns around and wanders back to his patrol route.]

((ooc: Link can be found mostly wandering between the Bonfire Square and the harbor. Want to run into his memories or have him run into yours? Want to marvel at the ritual or the aurora? Hit me up!))

SORA. Green Opal

[sublimebeast]

"Someone's been this way before."

A large, black wolf with blue eyes and green streaks in his fur walks down an ancient stone corridor. An imp-like creature with a fractured mask sits between his shoulder blades.

"Yes," she agrees, "and he had the same Triforce Mark that you do. The 'Brave One.'"

The wolf lowers his head and glances back at the imp.

"He must be very old. Is this what the Princess meant about just showing them the Mark?"

The wolf continues forward, looking around himself with wonderment and existential uncertainty, seemingly taking in the fact that he is now walking the same steps that the Brave One had taken before him.

The wolf and the imp emerge from the ruins into a clearing where a gleaming sword sits embedded in a stone. The light shining down through the canopy of trees seems to subtly twist and focus on the blade, bathing it in a heavenly glow.

Cautiously, the wolf approaches the sword and the imp leaps from his back as the blade starts to radiate a blinding light. He snarls as the light whips through his fur and lances across his body, then throws his head back and howls as it fully engulfs him. There is an audible pop and a twisted black object is sent tumbling to the imp's feet.

She gently picks it up with her magic, letting it levitate above her fingers, and turns back to where the wolf had been.

Instead of a wolf there is a young man in green.

Link's features twist into a grimace of determination. Without words, he wraps his hands around the hilt of the sword in the stone and he pulls. The sword comes loose with ease, allowing itself to be drawn, and Link holds it aloft. Light swirls and dances along its edge as if it is finally waking from a deep sleep to enthusiastically greet an old friend.

"Whoa, now, calm down sword."

He holds the blade slightly away from him and the brilliant light subsides.

"You saved Hyrule from many calamities in the past and the time has come when you're needed again."

The blade hums in acknowledgement and he gently brings it in close again, talking to it in a hushed tone as if it were a lover.

"I can feel the spirits of many previous warriors and the blood they spilled. Spirits, join our cause, bolster my arm!"

The sword again leaps into life and glows as Link points it towards the sky. Light radiates from the blade, and seems to sink into his arm, shoulder, and chest and he moves with it like a dancer.

He swings and thrusts at the air, feeling the weight of the weapon in his hand, feeling the power rush through him and his pupils dilate as if he were riding high and a wonderful new drug.

"Hey, Link!"

The imp's voice snaps him out of his trance and he looks back at her.

"Oh, Midna... So, where should we go now?"

[arsarcanum]

[ So that's. Unsettling. To say the least. Especially when he thinks back to the sword, and realizes that he knows exactly who that one belongs to. Now he knows where it's been. And what it's like.

Sora is one hundred percent dedicated to getting these memories back to the people they belong to! They're important. Memories aren't necessarily for sharing, after all. Still, he does look a little hesitant as he waits for Link on another day at the gym, worriedly looking for him in the dim green light rather than distracting himself with his tablet. As fond as he is of Link, he's not sure how to bring this one up to him. ]

[sublimebeast]

[Link appears from between two trees, walking up the path with a warm smile.]

Hey, Sora.

[He lifts a hand in greeting.]

This aurora is something else, huh?

Hm?

[Once he's close enough he sees that the other man looks a little worried about something.]

What's wrong?

[arsarcanum]

Yeah, it's really bright. Kinda feels like the sun's back. [ Sora didn't really realize how much he'd missed the sun until now. Still, he'll, uh, plaster on a smile! This is Link. No matter how strange he got after he picked up that sword, he's his friend. ]

Nothing's wrong. I was just thinking. [ Sora shakes his head, snapping out of it. Okay, he just needs to give it back. Nothing weird about this. Really! ] I found a rock and I think it's yours? One of the, um. Memory rocks.

[sublimebeast]

[Link goes a shade paler and feels his heart skip a beat.

Ever since he heard about these stones he's been a bit worried that someone would witness something about his past. He doesn't like thinking about his earlier years at all himself and even his more recent adventures have moments that nobody need ever see.]

...Ah.

Did it...show you anything?

[arsarcanum]

Um. [ He'll take a moment to rummage in his pocket, revealing a small packet similar to the one he wrapped the Valentine's chocolate in, except in plain printer paper white. He'll look at it intently, then reach out to let Link take it. ]

You were... looking for something. As a wolf. With someone named Midna. [ He tilts his head, thinking about how he'd like to phrase this. ] I think she was... leading you? Taking care of you? Or maybe you two were taking care of each other.

[sublimebeast]

Ah.

[Well that could be any number of memories.

Link reaches out and plucks the wrapped stone from Sora's hand.]

Midna was a handful. Sorry if she freaked you out.

[He'll just assume that's why Sora seems a bit hesitant about something.]

[arsarcanum]

Midna? [ Of all the things. Sora actually smiles a little at that. ] No, no. If she's a handful, I got lots of friends who are big ol' handfuls. [ Jack Sparrow is probably a whole three or four handfuls on his own. ]

No, you two were just talking to each other. Something about a brave one? And... [ Okay! Play it casual. ] Then you guys found a sword.

[sublimebeast]

I see.

You saw me draw the Sword, huh?

[He smiles weakly, not sure why the memory would be upsetting for someone to witness. To him, it's a fond memory.]

I'm glad.

I mean, that's a good memory, at least... I have some...

[He waves a dismissive hand.]

Whatever.

[arsarcanum]

[ Oh. Hm. Sora... is not as sure about this! But it's not like he's about to kill Link's buzz. It's not like he can really put a finger on why that bothered him so much. Maybe... something about the way he smiled?

Sora puts his hands in his pockets and looks at Link, curious. ]

I'm glad that it's happy! I mean, you seemed really excited about the sword. [ But Midna definitely stopped him for some reason...? ] What was it like? You were... following in his footsteps, right? The brave one?

[sublimebeast]

That part was pretty weird.

...May I?

[Without waiting for an answer he walks over to Sora and sits beside him.]

The forest spirits let me through when they saw the Triforce. They thought I was him. The other one, I mean... Something about me finally coming back to them.

And then there were some stone guardians that also let me pass, they called me the Brave One too. They all thought I was someone else.

Part of me felt bad, like I was lying to them. But I needed the Sword.

[arsarcanum]

[ Sora will let him, he was already making room! He'll look into Link's face as he speaks, listening to every word! All he wants is to know things about his friends. ]

Lying?

[ Sora thinks about this for a second before it clicks. Yeah, of course it would feel like lying. Just like it felt like lying when he called himself Sora.

(This is not actually true. Sora never had a reason to not feel like he was Sora until he got to Beacon. Until he'd arrived in Beacon, Sora was just who he was, no arguments.

Sora still feels like the truth. He's just lost the feeling that he had any rightful ownership to the name.) ]

Do you think he would've minded? Like, the real Brave One. [ A hum. ] Do you really think the spirits minded either? Like... were they like the spirits here? I don't think they'd mind if they'd lied to you if it was for a really important reason.

[sublimebeast]

[Link's lips twitch.

He doesn't respond to the question, as his mind instead latches on to one particular phrase in all of that.]

The "real" Brave One.

[Is that what he'd implied? That he wasn't the real Brave One? He's not the man people expect him to be but he doesn't think he's any less deserving of the title than the Hero who came before him.

He has the Triforce of Courage, the Master Sword had chosen him... that makes him a Hero.

When will people take him seriously?

He's the Hero! The real one! He has to be, otherwise what is he?

His grip tightens around the wrapped opal until it's almost crushing.]

[arsarcanum]

[ ... Now that is now a reaction that Sora hadn't been expecting. (Or maybe he had? Something about the way he'd swung that sword...)

He doesn't have problems with referring to the original as the "real" Sora - after all, now that Naminé is here, he feels real enough too - but he didn't realize that Link would react quite like this. ]

Link? Hey, I'm sorry. Can you tell me what's wrong?

[sublimebeast]

Hm? Nothing...

[His grip loosens and he sags forward slightly.]

That was just a weird choice of words.

The other guy wasn't the real Brave One. He's just the one who came before me.

I'm the Hero of my time, it's my turn now--

[As the words pass his lips more anxieties about being the Brave One bubble to the surface and he looks away from Sora, feeling very ashamed of himself.]

I mean...

It was my turn.

[arsarcanum]

[ Sora looks at Link, thinking about it quietly. (His mind clicks into place at Link's assertion. Of course. That was a weird thing to say. How silly of him.)

His turn to be the wielder of the Master Sword. His turn to be the hero.

Sorry, your part's over now. Here, go play hero with this. ]

You miss home, huh. [ Where being the hero meant a lot. It opened doors. ] You must miss Midna a lot, too. [ It's just a guess, but it's a feeling Sora has. ]

[sublimebeast]

Yeah. She was a good friend.

[He looks somberly back at Sora and offers a weak smile.]

But everyone here misses people. We've all left someone behind.

[So he hopes nobody worries about him missing home. He doubts he's unique in that regard.]

[arsarcanum]

[ Sora shakes his head. ]

That doesn't mean the hurt magically goes away. You're allowed to talk about it. I mean... if we all end up thinking that we're not special enough to miss home because everyone misses home, when do we get to talk to each other about the things we care about?

[ When do they start trusting each other to do things for each other? To not hurt each other? There's only so much waiting they can do. ]

[sublimebeast]

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.]

[arsarcanum]

[ Sora looks between Link, and the toes of his boots, then back to Link. Ventus did this too, didn't he? He just let Vanitas go. How could that be okay?

How is it okay? ]

Then... you shouldn't. [ Sora looks at the toes of his own shoes. Voice wistful, but not really begrudging? If anything, it's more like Sora's reminding himself of the right thing to do. ] Just because you're allowed doesn't mean you have to. But like... you can. If you want to. [ He scratches a cheek with his finger. ] I guess that's not a hero-y thing to do, but I don't think heroes were ever supposed to be invincible? Just, you know. Brave.

[sublimebeast]

I KNOW I'M NOT INVINCIBLE!

[Link hisses.]

That's the problem!

I'm dead. They're not.

I don't want to think about what's happening to them, or to Hyrule, with no Hero around because I can't help them. I can't save them anymore.

So there's no point torturing myself over it.

[Said in the harsh tone of someone who's been torturing himself.]

CAO PI. Boulder Opal

[sublimebeast]

"Talo's a handful, but he's cute," laughs a teenage girl with short blonde hair. She has her arms around the waist of Link, who is dressed in the patterned garb of Ordon, as the two of them ride through a village on a brown mare.

Even though she's not the one at the reigns, she seems perfectly at home atop the beast.

"And Colin, Malo and Beth," she continues. "I hope we can all go fishing on your next day off."

Link smiles a smile that never reaches his eyes. "Yeah, me too. They're all cute."

The horse comes to an abrupt stop as a sound echoes from the nearby forest.

AWOOOOO...

"What is that sound?" The girl looks worriedly towards the woods.

"It's a wolf howling," Link answers. "...They're rare in Faron Woods, maybe they found some prey?"

"How scary! I guess people really shouldn't go there."

The girl leans forward against Link's shoulder and addresses the worried horse.

"But it's okay, Epona. The wolves are far away, the village is safe."

Link lowers his gaze and closes his eyes like a man trying to keep himself inside a comfortable dream.

"Safe...But if something were to happen to the village, who would protect it?"

JASON GRACE. Black Opal

[sublimebeast]

"Hello, Wolf."

An imp with a fractured mask floats inside a dungeon cell, grinning at a large black wolf with blue eyes and green streaks in his fur.

"Who are you!?" he demands.

"Such bluster. Given your situation can you really afford to take that tone with me, Wolf?"

"'Wolf'? Do you mean me?"

"Eheheh," the imp giggles in amusement. "You really don't understand, do you? There's a puddle over there, look at your reflection."

She grabs the wolf by the ear and tugs him towards the puddle, ignoring his cries of protest. Once he sees himself in the water, the wolf's annoyance is replaced by horror and he howls in confusion.

"That's me!? No! NO, IT CAN'T BE!"

"There, there," the imp pats his head.

"Don't despair, wolf. Depending on your attitude, I might be able to help."

"Help?"

The wolf gives the imp an untrusting sneer.

"Or would you rather stay four legged and bound by chains?"

The wolf balks and she continues.

"Nobody would recognize you. You'll die in this cell and rot away until all that's left is bones."

"Can you return me to normal?" the wolf fails to hide his desperation.

"Heheh...I can! ...If you promise to do whatever I say!"

At this, the wolf snarls.

"You want me to be your pet?"

"Aw, you're so proud. Just tell me your answer."

"First, tell me... Why did I become a wolf?"

The imp narrows her eyes.

"I'm not sure. What I saw was that you turned into a wolf the moment you set foot in the Twilight Realm. Normal humans who enter the Twilight Realm can't maintain their physical forms and turn into souls but you turned into a wolf. Why that is I don't know."

The wolf stares at her in confusion.

"What is the Twilight Realm? What in the world hap--"

"Too many questions, doggie!" the imp snaps. "If you obey me, I will teach you. So, what is your answer?"

The wolf huffs. "Fine."

"Good!" The imp smiles, revealing a single fang. "So, first...Sit!"

The wolf stares again. "Huh?"

"Oh, dear, disobeying already? You're supposed to be obedient. I said sit!"

"W-Why you--"

The wolf advances towards her, baring his fangs but she doesn't flinch.

"I SAID SIT, PUP!"

NAMINÉ. Crystal Opal

[sublimebeast]

"You've got another bite, Link!"

"Yahoo! It's a big one!"

Link sits at the edge of a pier, dressed in Ordon clothing, reeling in a river fish. A blonde girl, roughly his own age, cheers him on. A little boy with blond hair and worried eyes scurries forward to retrieve the fish from the hook and drops it into a bucket. A younger boy, seemingly an infant, watches unimpressed. It almost seems like nothing impresses the infant.

"What a big catch!" The girl kneels by the bucket and Link laughs. "Maybe I could make ends meet as a fisherman."

"LIIINK!"

A shrill voice shatters the air and Link looks up in time to see a dark haired young boy charging towards him in excitement.

"MAKE ME YOUR APPRENTICE!"

In his hurry he trips and lands in Link's lap. A bit behind the dark haired boy is a little girl, catching her breath.

"You were super cool rounding up the herd last night!"

The boy climbs to his feet again and clutches his fists. "I wanna ride a horse too! I'll be a ranch hand just like you!"

Link huffs in annoyance. "But with you around I'd never get any work done."

"Don't say that. Teach me!"

The boy bounces in place.

"I wanna ride a horse like you! I do!"

Link rolls his eyes and drops his chin into his hand. "Nah. Teaching's a pain."

The boy's eyes well up as if he'd been struck.

"YOU'RE A BIG JERK, LINK!"

"Don't yell!" Link scolds. "You'll scare away the fish!"

The little girl sighs at the boy. "You get too worked up over things."

The boy continues to stomp around in rage, not noticing that Link is watching the entire tantrum with genuine fondness in his eyes as he and the others start giggling.