EVENT LOG: A GIRL, A BOY, AND A GRAVEYARD

[nextnightmods]

EVENT LOG:
A GIRL, A BOY, AND A GRAVEYARD

characters: everyone.
location: Helix Station; Solis Labs; Bonfire Square
date/time: February 14-22
content: Preparations are underway for what may be Beacon's final battle, while remaining forest spirits do their best to spread love and cheer. See details here.
warnings: n/a, mark threads as needed

Much remains to be done, and time is of the essence. Somewhere in the darkness to the east, Beacon's greatest threat to its remaining life moves. Will you be ready when the time comes? Will you have made time to let those around you know how much this second shot at life has meant?

helix station

Weaver bounces from group to group, checking in on people. "Anything you need help with? Let me know," she offers - whether that's a hand to hold some part you're trying to weld, or assistance operating the portal to pull in some specialty materials.

You have all the station's resources at your disposal, and backup and escape plans to make. Which is the priority, though? Is it something you even all agree on?

And what is that low, barely-audible buzzing drone? It pulses in and out of detection, settling into your skull. The station's machinery keeping the heat on and the air moving have their own constant drone, but this is different.

Feel free to address Weaver in your replies if you like. Note that any remaining spirits in the station (such as the large one wearing corpses, or any that might have turned up later) have become less-predictable and prone to lashing out in aggression when they're not trying to hide from you.

solis labs

Clara busily retrieves documents and samples as any are requested. While she doesn't know how to work a computer, she does generally understand the file system and is eager to point you to where you might read up on previous portal and lantern tests, find coordinates for worlds that might host key materials, or just enjoy some vintage poetry in the library upstairs.

A pair of badger-like spirits snuffles through the labs, eyeing you and your friends nervously. They don't seem much interested in conversation, but they will stick their noses in anything - your drinks, your sleeve, your ear if you're not careful, and their noses are cold.

If two or more people head outside together for a few minutes, they'll hear a stilted growl and a flash of green eyes in the trees - and then an attempt at a word.

h̶͈͝ẻ̴̢̛͖l̷̛̜̝̉p̴̓͝ͅ

Note that as stated on the ooc post, engaging with the green-eyed spirit carries the risk of violence and death, as always. Do so at your own risk.

stick by me and i will stick by you

There may be defenses to be built, weapons handling to teach to those few remaining who want to learn to defend themselves better, and general plans to make. When the World Eater arrives, who will be on the front lines to try and delay it while the bomb is made ready? Who will defend the rest from any spirits bent on following its instructions to slaughter every one of you? If things go south, how will you make your way to a portal to escape, and who will operate it?

Meanwhile, spirits hand out their cookies with chirps of encouragement. It's not all doom and gloom, they insist - they believe in you! And they want you all to believe in each other, to feel a little lighter and happier, if only just for a short time. The messages on their heart-shaped cookies (the whole candy heart concept didn't quite land right, it seems) are all a little odd and who knows what they do, but it all seems to be in good fun.

Feel free to decide for yourselves what the heart effects are, how long they last, if you can have more than one at a time - so long as they generally follow the ideas on the details post.

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Comments

[worthallthis]

Soldat doesn't stare. They don't. Soldat is very good at not looking at people, so of course they don't stare.

They are also, however, very good at watching people without looking directly at them, and that is some very vibrant hair. They don't even bother with a "yes" to his question, because how else would they have gold filigree on the arm, and white hair? "Yours as well, I guess," they say instead, nodding in his direction and trying not to smile.

[paletteswap]

"Indeed." He sighs, looking elsewhere because if they don't make eye-contact then they don't need to acknowledge this at all. It's fine, everything is fine.

"The first I ate didn't seem to do anything, but they were so insistent I eat another and now.. this."

At least he can't see it when he's not looking in a mirror. So in terms of things that could have happened it's pretty benign.

"It doesn't seem malicious at least. That's an nice reprieve from normal."

[worthallthis]

"No, it's not malicious. They're trying to help." Soldat can tell that much. Sometimes the spirits aren't great at figuring out what exactly helps, but they do try, and that's kind of them.

Soldat props their chin up on their newly-prettified metal hand. "There aren't that many left around. A lot of them are leaving."

[paletteswap]

"I've noticed that there's less but.. I hadn't really connected it. Do you know why?"

He figures if anyone would, it'd be Soldat who'd seemed the most interested in trying to communicate and understand the spirits. "It's something to do with the World Eater isn't it?"

[worthallthis]

"It is. The ones I asked said. They don't want to turn against us when it comes for us," Soldat says, more soberly. "We haven't won them as allies, they don't think they're strong enough to resist its call, but we've manage to keep them from being our enemies. That's something, anyway."

[paletteswap]

"Not being enemies is as much as we can hope for at this point. And more than I expected to be honest. It's a shame we can't manufacture something to help them retain their sense of self."

A pause as he thinks about it, and comes to some unpleasant conclusions. "Should we defeat the World Eater.. they'll likely all die, won't they?"

[worthallthis]

"It's possible," Soldat allows. "They all seem to think so." There's a pause, then they add, eyes on their fancy-filigree arm, "We might, too."

[paletteswap]

"We certainly may, but that's a choice we make and we knew going into this. They had no choice and we are choosing their future for them. I'm not sure they think quite like that, but it's still a responsibility we bear."

[worthallthis]

"It's what they asked for," Soldat remembers. "My friend. That's what they asked us to do. To lead them. To make the right choice." They can only hope that what is going to happen is the choice the spirits had hoped for. That it'll work.

[paletteswap]

"Did they?" Well that does make him feel slightly better about determining the future for an entire 'species' of creatures.

"Then I hope we are indeed making the right choice. For everyone."