logsinthenight | EVENT LOG: DO YOU REALIZE? PART ONE

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EVENT LOG: DO YOU REALIZE? PART ONE

EVENT LOG:
DO YOU REALIZE? PART ONE

characters: everyone.
location: Bonfire Square.
date/time: August 15-17
content: the forest spirits throw a party for the town, and the lighthouse expedition heads out to reconnect the lighthouse keeper.
warnings: violence, gore, character death

enjoy yourselves while you can.

Ain't no party like a spirit distraction party cuz a spirit distraction party has an undercurrent of terror and general gritted teeth...

But! It's a still a party, so eat, drink and be merry, right? Those few, those happy few who are planned all this did their absolute best, and though their labor is mostly finished, you can still catch them adjusting things here and there. Daylight's decor is marvelous, streamers pinned in place with the themes of stars and flowers, but you can catch Daniel's more subtle work, too: look at those flower crowns! Pop one on your head, really complete that 2014 aesthetic. They're charming, honestly, if not very slightly off-putting (because there aren't many pretty flowers that grow in moonlight). If you're not into those, Daylight's also crafted up some paper hats and bowties!

There's tables set up around the bonfire and near the church, with a great deal of food placed out. It's actually decent food—lots of breads and other baked goods thanks to Ignis, and god knows the Librarian (if no one else) seems to be keenly appreciating it. There's also a bouncy house made of parachute material and repurposed gym mats, slightly janky but very much up and active. Just make sure no one peed in there before you get in (or is that limited to ball pits). There's a gacha machine in the corner, a face-painting station (or maybe it's more like a mask over there, hmm), and even a sorting game thanks to the Postmaster General. You can even participate in Clarke's scavenger hunt! There's a sense of tension in the air, but maybe you can find it in yourself to enjoy, just a little, before the expedition heads out.

Surely nothing will go wrong for them.

•••
The scavenger hunt set up by the party planning committee runs through the whole weekend! Or, well, it's supposed to, but we'll get to part two of the event later. :)

In the meantime, they've hidden all kinds of items around town for characters and spirits alike to find! These items include:
Paper crafts made by Daylight
Baked goodies made by Ignis
Flower crowns made by Daniel
Glove balloons made by the Vendor (or, as we lovingly know them, the Ice Cream Crab)
Cheese sandwiches
Clarke's gun holster and utility belt
Ignis' driving gloves
Knitted accessories like scarves and headbands made by Rastus
Rocks from the Postmaster General's personal collection
Stamps from the library

Once your scavenger hunt list is completed, your character will receive a prize! This prize may be a delectable cake or loaf of bread baked by Ignis, getting to keep some of the less personal scavenger hunt items (you can't keep Clarke's belt but you can keep the knitted stuff from Rastus!), and even, gasp, could it be? An extra hour in the bounce house! Aren't you a lucky duck?

•••
The party is quirky, to be sure, but it more than does its job. The spirits are plenty distracted in the days leading up to the expedition, happily making nice with all of the partygoers, and it even holds their collective attention after the expedition quietly excuses themselves from the festivities on Saturday! Even though their exit is marked by a song playing in all the shops and buildings around town. Hm!

The partygoers are left to wait with bated breath as the expedition heads out, but the following plan has circulated through town so that everyone knows what to expect:

Winters' group, comprised of Rosinante, Peter, Riku, and Five will collect the cables from the church and head out for the lighthouse. Jason, Vanitas, Elden, and Hope set out behind them to serve as an extra line of defense just in case any forest spirits try to attack the lighthouse crew from behind. Elden has also offered a spell buff to both Winters and Peter, allowing them to move more easily through the forest and potentially escape the grasp of any hostile spirits. Meanwhile, the rest of the town's defenders will stay close to the party, with Sora and Ambrose maintaining the party's perimeter while Wanda and Eleven stay a little further out to maximize their range.

Then comes the lookout groups. Pikachu, Jesse, Jon, and Will will station themselves along the barbed wire fence that separates the town from the lighthouse peninsula. They'll be keeping an eye out for any forest spirit activity to let the groups beyond the fence know what to expect. The rest of the lookouts will divide into pairs—Arya and Davina as one pair, and Jo and "Dawn" as the other—and venture past the fence to bring up the rear behind the groups heading to the lighthouse.

There's a lot of wheels in motion here, so if you're more of the visual set, here's a handy map for you to reference. And, hey, there's a lot of people out past the fence, huh? But there's a lot of difficult terrain to cover and that area of the forest has been proven to be particularly deadly. All this backup can only lead to good things.

Or so we hope, anyway. Stay tuned for part two of the event to see how these ventures go!

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[As with most parties, Rosinante keeps to the outskirts, watching but not fully participating. He could argue, if anyone asked, that it's a way to keep an eye on the forest spirits. To understand them better by observing them and how they interact with people, and it wouldn't be a complete lie. But mostly it's just that he's awkward around large groups and uncomfortable being part of them sometimes. Most of the time.

To his credit, though, he's willing to make an effort. Do these creatures understand spoken words like the ones in the bar? Can they speak back? He spots one nearby and figures it's worth a test.]

Hey, you're one of the locals, right? I'm Rosinante.

[And he holds out a hand to shake, which is probably not a universal gesture at all but maybe they can learn it.]

[The creature that Rosinante has chosen to try and introduce himself to is short and squat. Or, well, it's hard to tell, really, because all that can be seen of the creature is a pair of thin arms and legs resembling the branches of a gnarled old tree, and an equally long nose. The rest of hidden inside of a rather large, oddly-shaped pumpkin. Around the nose, a mask has been attached resolutely to the vegetable. It crawls quickly over, but seems to hem and haw over what to do with the offered hand.

Finally, it reaches up with both arms, and delicately takes either side of Rosinante's hand between its pointed fingers. How...how do you do?]

[How... how extremely cute! Yes, spirit, watch a grown man in makeup try to contain his delight as the tiny little thing, barely able to reach his hand, shakes back.]

Yes! Like that. That's how we say hi.

[He squats down so the thing doesn't have to reach quite so high, and so he doesn't have to feel like he's shouting down at it.]

Do you speak? Or...

[He pulls out his tablet and opens it to the drawing program, then turns it so the creature can draw or write on its surface if it feels compelled.]

Can you write? I'd love to know more about you.

[Speak? The spirit makes a sound akin to a squeak! It seems that's the best it can do in terms of noise. When presented the tablet, it regards it with seeming uncertainty before reaching out hesitantly. It writes...it writes...!

It writes an illegible scribble.]

[Well, this won't go far, will it? But it's so cute that the little guy is trying.

That's probably kind of condescending, isn't it? Just because the forest spirit is small and squeaks doesn't mean he should think of it as cute. But he can't entirely help it, and the attempt at communication has him grinning.]

That's all right. We can try yes and no. You understand me, don't you? Nod up and down for yes, and turn side to side for no.

[The nod will be a full-body one if the creature does that, but that's fine. And obviously if it doesn't understand him here, he's not actually expecting a clear no - so he waits to see if he gets a nod or a general sense of confusion from the masked pumpkin tree.]

[Following another thoughtful pause, the creature goes back down on all fours. It bends at its joints and raises back up in a sort of push-up that effectively works as a nod. Then, for no, turns itself around in a circle!]

Was that a yes and a no? ... You don't have to answer that.

[But good, that seems like he's understood, then. He'd like to make himself comfortable so they can attempt a sort of chat, but first, he points to the table not far away with food and drinks. When he'd glanced at it earlier he saw a lot of bread but maybe he can find something there if he takes more than a second to look.]

Do you want something to eat?

[The spirit answers the question with an excited peep! It speaks more loudly than any indication of yes it could otherwise give. With that ,it all but races over toward the food table on its hands and feet, ready to feast! Getting there, though, it seems to be having a hard time perusing the selections, on account of its pumpkin-chosen body.]

[Yes! That's definitely a yes. He stands and scampers after it, tripping midway to the table and recovering quickly. He finds a chair to pull over, and holds out a hand to hoist the little tree-pumpkin up onto it so it can maybe reach the table top.]

Here, can you see from here? If not, I'll pick you up.

[And set it on top of the table, if that's the case, because why not. Anything to get on good terms with these guys.]

[The spirit allows itself to be hoisted onto the table. After sizing up its vantage point, it turns itself in a circle! No, it cannot see. :(

So it once again accepts the hand, and being placed on the table, it walks among and around the offered treats. Swip-swip-swish! It picks out one, two, three of the treats, and in a flash it's deposited them into the top of the pumpkin! Looks like the top can come off just like a jack-o-lantern.]

[Oh wow, look at that! Who needs a basket or a bag when you can just carry things in your... head? None of it is anything Rosinante wants for himself, but he's happy to help out the weird little pumpkin spirit, and offers a hand to help it down to the chair or ground, wherever it seems like it wants to go.]

There! That's better, right? Now we can talk.

[The punch, he'll have some of that for himself. He fills himself a cup - definitely the alcoholic option between the two choices, thanks Ignis for providing - and beckons for the creature to follow him to somewhere they can sit down.]

So, is this the first time you've met any of us? People who came on that ferry?

[The spirit is happy(?) enough to allow Rosinante to put it down, and follows at his loping side. At the question, it gives a series of peeps and turns itself in a circle.]

[No. It's met people here before. He scratches his chin, then sets his drink down at his side and holds his hands out, pointing to his right and his left.]

Walk toward this hand [he says, indicating his left hand] if the only people you met were these people here at this party, or my other hand if you met some of the ones that came before us.

[Winters and Will and Rastus always seem so reluctant to talk about the people who came before. Maybe this little guy will be more helpful, even if what it can say is limited to their combined senses of creativity in communication. At least it seems genuinely happy to contribute, especially now that it has pastries in its pumpkin face.]

[Looking from hand to hand with an air of near-indecision (maybe it has a hard time actually telling humans apart?), the spirit ultimately chooses the right hand.]

[Fascinating. His eyebrows raise a little, though not really in surprise so much as satisfaction. He'd been hoping for that answer, and he hunches forward in his seat a little at the creature, even more interested now in what it must know. Such a damn shame the thing can't just talk.]

Then you've been here a while, haven't you. Were they good to you guys?

[Hmm...a difficult question, and possibly a matter of opinion. Ultimately, the spirit turns itself in a circle! Peep, peep! >C ]

[Well, that's disheartening, and Rosinante frowns in sympathy. He knows from firsthand experience that not all the spirits are harmless. Has been told directly by some of those from before that they can be lethal. So if the past residents of Beacon chose to drive them all out, then it's understandable.

But it's also not right, if some of them are like this one - curious, and seemingly peaceful.]

Hm. Sorry to hear that. But I've also heard some of the forest spirits attacked the people before. It would help if we could all talk to each other better.

[Not a question, and there's no obvious answer. He frowns and sips at his punch while he thinks the problem over.]

[It certainly would be helpful. Possible? Debatable. The pumpkin spirit starts making munching noises inside of its shell. Don't mind it, it's just multi-tasking. With its free limbs, it gives an over-the-top shrug.]

[Alas, so it goes. At least the little guy is making the best of it. Coming and visiting with them even if the last people weren't kind; enjoying the food and trying to answer his yes and no questions. It's a solid effort and Rosinante appreciates it.]

I don't really want to interrogate you. Just not sure how else to talk other than the yes and no system. You want to ask me anything?

[How? He's not sure. Charades, maybe. It just seems polite to offer.]

[With a series of questioning peeps, the spirit gestures toward where others are dancing.]

They're dancing, yeah. It's fun.

[Wait. Waaait. Oh no. It's not asking him to dance, is it? Not that he doesn't enjoy it, because he genuinely does, but even with an appropriately-sized partner he's still extremely clumsy and people tend to find his attempts... disappointing at best. How would he dance with someone who barely comes up to his knee?]

Are you... asking me? I'm not... You don't want to dance with me.

[Oh, but it does. It scurries toward the dance floor, stopping only to look back at Rosinante expectantly. Apparently, it doesn't plan on taking no for an answer!]

[Oh boy. Well, in the name of diplomacy, here goes nothing. He downs the rest of the punch in his glass, stands, immediately trips and falls flat on his butt, then stands up again and goes to join the little thing, a perplexed smile on his face.]

I honestly don't know how - I suppose we can dance side by side?

[Awkward. He's become accustomed to the sort of music the other residents of Beacon seem to like - sort of swingy, jazzy stuff that's honestly pretty fun though not at all like what he learned to dance to. He's fine with making it up as he goes but it's easier after a few drinks, and he's only had the one. At his height it takes a lot more than that to feel the effects.

But. Diplomacy. That's what this is about, not his own personal entertainment, so he at least gets a toe tapping while he feels out the beat.]

[However he knows how to dance probably doesn't really matter, because it appears that this spirit's definition of dancing consists mostly of shaking and stomping its feet! And...is it singing? Those certainly are a lot of peep peeps! It's peeping with abandon!]

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EVENT LOG: DO YOU REALIZE? PART ONE

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