logsinthenight | INTRO LOG: SEPTEMBER

INTRO LOG: SEPTEMBER

characters: everyone.
location: the harbor, as well as the rest of town.
date/time: september 1-3.
content: beacon's newest batch of residents arrives on the ferry. everyone gets a special gift, courtesy of the lighthouse keeper.
warnings: n/a.

welcome to beacon.

It's dim, and the room won't stop swaying, gently rocking you back and forth. A loud sound startles you fully awake, a deep, moaning call: a foghorn. As your eyes adjust, you note faint red light streaking through the room from a tiny, round window.

You've found yourself in a private room, lying on a bed. The last things you remember are the events that led up to your death. Beside you is a folded tablet and a lantern that glows steadily with a healthy flame.

You're on a ship. And that ship is docking.

Making your way to the deck, and eventually the pier, you find only moonlight to greet you, and a dark forest beyond. There are other people here, each with their own unique lantern, and many of them look just as lost as you are. On the ferry you've just disembarked from, the speaker system begins to play a song.

In the distance, across the waters of the lake, you can see the tall silhouette of a lighthouse, its red light slowly turning.

•••

Unlike the past two months, there's not a whole lot happening down at the dock today. It's quiet, disconcertingly so, after the foghorn blows once and then twice to signal the ferry's arrival. Winters is dead, and as such there's no one around to dole out the "need to know" info for the new arrivals.

Luckily, the tablet and the town do have some resources available for playing catch up! The Keeper's recent network post is available for everyone to read, and newcomers can always check out the weekly bulletins and the records in town hall. Everyone's also welcome to get in touch with the NPCs through their inboxes, too.

But, oh! In the ferry's cargo hold is a rather large crate addressed to the Postmaster General, and inside? A bunch of ocarinas! The Postmaster General, set up at their little stall, will be passing out ocarinas (free of charge!) to everyone that happens by. Anyone who doesn't come by the stall will receive one in their mailbox.

Shortly after the ferry arrives, a new message from the Lighthouse Keeper appears on the network:

Did everyone get their ocarinas? If you didn't, check your mailbox at the post office. There's plenty to go around. The extras will be in the general store.

You can use these to communicate with the forest spirits. Their language is based on musical notes, so you have to play little songs for them. Here's a couple of basic translations that should help you guys out:

The rest of the message contains playing instructions and example audio files for the following messages:

- A friendly greeting!
- An assurance that equates to "I come in peace".
- A short melody that translates roughly to polite terms like please, thank you, and you're welcome.
- A shrill note that asks for help.

Characters can use the ocarinas to communicate these phrases to the forest spirits (and are welcome to try learning or communicating other phrases), but keep in mind that there's not much plot info to be learned from the forest spirits, at least not for right now. These ocarinas won't exactly help you translate anything the forest spirits might say back, after all.

The Lighthouse Keeper won't be responding to that network post, but she can be contacted through her inbox!

ooc.

Hey there, wonderful players, and welcome to In the Night! For this intro log, you are officially without a chaperone. Rastus is back at the bonfire, Will is characteristically elusive, and Robin is, well, you know where she's at. It's up to the veteran residents to fill in the new folks.

We're also happy to introduce the YARD SARD... The Postmaster General will be appearing in any intro logs where a player formerly in the game has ordered something through Rastus but is no longer around to claim it! These items will still come in, but since they have no owner, they'll be available for other characters to claim. It's usually a first come, first serve situation, though the Postmaster General may turn folks away for any number of weird reasons. (OOCly, it's us attempting to spread the wealth among the playerbase.)

DELIVERIES

The following packages can be found in the cargo hold:

The monthly store restock
Two silver prosthetic pieces (they aren't a perfect fit, but they work well enough) for Polnareff
A few bottles of holy water, a pouch of powdered silver, and a magic wand (the wand doesn't have the permanence spell Elden was looking for, unfortunately; instead, it will temporarily change the color of its target to either pink or blue!) for Elden
Webfluid components (about a three month's supply) for Peter
A spice rack for Davina, and one for Ignis as well, plus a little geology kit with both of their names scribbled on the package and crossed out various times. Looks like these orders got a little mixed up! Everything each of them requested (plus a little extra) can be found among these packages, but they'll have to sort out what goes where
2 cartons of cigarettes, a flintlock pistol, and 100 rounds of ammo for it (though none for the shotgun, hm!) for Rosinante
A small assortment of dreamcatchers, all with a lot of feathers for Xayah
A flash drive (on which is a very simple app for Morse code translation! this can be passed around or uploaded to the network for many users to download) for Matt
A bounce house (small and with quite a few holes that need patching, but it'll get the job done; it's deflated, but it does have a built-in fan!) for Lunafreya

If you submitted an item request last month and we've missed it here, let us know!

YARD SARD

The Postmaster General is here! They've set up a little stall on the dock, and have a couple of items for... sard?

~~A carton of cigarettes~~
4 2 boxes of .45 bullets
~~A sewing kit~~

If you would like to purchase an item from the Postmaster General, you can haggle with them below!

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i. caught flat-footed on the welcome (mainly for newbies)

Already, it's time for another ferry full of newcomers, and Riku realizes with the sound of the foghorn that he isn't ready at all. Are any of them? They're still reeling from the incredible losses that came as a cost of connecting the lighthouse to the network.

Riku isn't a leader.

He's not a charismatic guy who can draw people to him, who can unite hearts like Sora can. He's not like Kairi, who can relate with almost anyone. Not like Daylight, who can light up a whole room with his effervescent personality. He isn't like Winters, with his calm, world-weary wisdom.

But he can plant himself on the end of the dock, can point newcomers to places like the Invincible, or the village over the bridge to find living quarters. He can show them where to get supplies in the General Store, or where the logbooks are kept, full of information people like them have written down about the place.

So there's this young man - certainly old enough to die for some countries, maybe not old enough to drink in them - giving directions and some curt advice, even some assistance with tablets for those struggling. Got a question? He's been here a while and seems helpful enough.

ii. second-hand hobbies (for Elden)

You know what? That "Yard Sard" isn't a bad idea.

It's not a decision easily come by, but every time he sees them - stacked up against the wall of the boat house, items requested and received, instead unused and neglected - Riku remembers their intended recipient. It knocks recklessly around in his heart, an angry bull in a china shop, and it's difficult enough to occupy a space that holds so many memories of people who aren't here anymore.

Mickey warned him. Remembering the ones you lost is good, until it becomes an obsession, a weight that drags a heart down into darkness, where it can't move forward and remains rooted in the regret of what's gone.

It's gotta go.

So he drops a moth-eaten blanket on a part of the square and puts each of these things there: a set of craft paints and brushes, three medium-sized painting canvases, a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle, as well as some other odds and ends, like an aluminum mess kit, canteen, canvas rucksack, and a hanging hammock.

Riku sits, he even tries his hand at practicing with the ocarina, his own is a blue one with a silver crescent moon and a star painted on its front (a garish hightlighter yellow one had caught his eye, but someone else claimed it first). One might find him gamely attempting to master a greeting, or the point at which he'd given up to nap, stretched out alongside the items up for the taking, his silver-haired head pillowed by his arms.

iii. is there ever enough time to say what's in our hearts? (for Mary)

Not everything on the blanket is up for grabs or instantly visible. In his own backpack there are three sketchpads and an art supply kit. These are intended for a very special little girl, and one he owes an apology to.

And a hug or two, probably. Definitely at least one trip out to get one of the crab spirit's icy treats. Riku's not even the huggy type (on account of being so reserved, make no mistake, he's touch-starved and will take all the hugs she can give), and doesn't even have a sweet tooth.

But she'd probably like it.

Or at least a message. It arrives to her tablet, an invitation to meet up in Bonfire Square.

iv. wildcard

(nothing here that works for you? hit up my journal and we can work something out!)

Elden's been trying to keep his mind off of what happened at the expedition. There had been so much death already and to have their numbers whittled down by so much? It's enough to cause worry. This place was becoming more dangerous by the passing month. Besides, what would happen to them if they died permanently here? Would their souls move on? Or would they fall to oblivion? It's too much to really think about.

It's when he's lost in these thoughts that he catches sight of the silver hair. Elden glances towards them before finally seeing who it is at the head of this shop. Had he seen this boy before? He steps towards the makeshift shop bending down towards them to look over the wares. "That's a lot of stuff you're giving away," He says aloud as he reaches out to pick up one of the jars of paints. Looking to the boy he speaks, "What would you want for these?"

And what's more, Robin said Will has something to tell everyone, something they've been holding back because it would cause distress in the newcomers. She's mentioned worrisome things like how they might run out of time related to whatever this is, and she'd have to reset the town in that case.

It's put Riku at unease, but until they learn more, he isn't sure it'd be helpful ruminating on it. Then there's Sora's request. He can't just throw himself into danger recklessly, Sora is counting on him.

He recognizes Elden, from their attempt to appease the forest spirit living in the river. The guy who put a halt to his fight with Vanitas in the Invincible after the lighthouse mission. It doesn't bother him if he's not made much of an impression, good or bad.

"Nothing," he says, "Just take it. It'll just go to waste otherwise."

It's interesting that he goes for the paints first, and he remembers how they all tried to make items to gift to the spirits. He doesn't mention that it was meant for Kairi, it feels... like it would sour the passage of these things to someone who could make use of them.

Not one to snub a friend when they want to meet up, and especially since she's been pretty anxious to see Riku again, he doesn't have to wait long before she's all but running his way with wild abandon. He does, indeed, owe her a hug, she's decided, and he doesn't even have to be the one to give it to her. She takes the initiative, barely taking the time to carefully put down her lantern before she has her arms flung around him.

For such a reserved and hands-off kind of guy, Riku needs these gestures of affection more than he lets on. She comes in like a blonde hurricane and sticks to him, and Riku palms the top of her head as he greets her in turn.

"Hi, Mary," he says, his voice soft, "Sorry I made you wait so long." Between the searching, then the mission at the lighthouse and the need to recover, he had to be away for a while.

"You doing alright?"

"It's okay." She only holds him tighter, as if she thinks maybe he'll disappear in a puff of smoke the second she lets go. "Because you came back. I'm good at waiting, but it's sad to wait for nothing." But this isn't nothing. He's right here, and he's real, and he's just the same as always.

This is already more than she's ever expected from anyone else. When people leave, they don't come back, no matter how much you wait. That's what she learned from her father.

That reminds him of the time when he first felt that connection slot into place between them, when she was terrified that whatever he may or may not witness from protecting her grave would cause him to go away. It's not lost on him, that being abandoned or left alone is a real fear for her, a recurring concern.

They're alike in that sense. Riku may sometimes need solitude, but it's not good for him in excess.

It's her sustained hug that causes him to relent and return it, "A while ago, I asked Rastus for something. I never got around to doing anything about it," he says, sliding the strap of a satchel off his shoulder, which he offers to her. It's a little heavy, on account of the sketchbooks and such inside.

"This is for you. Go on, open it."

The promise of a gift is finally enough to get her to let him go, and she takes the heavy parcel with a look of wonder on her face. "What is it?" Of course, although she asks, she wastes no time opening it to find out for herself.

And when she does, she all but screams in her excitement, jumping up and down and laughing in joy. "Riku, Riku! Are you sure? This is such a special present! I can really have all of this?"

The unbridled joy of a child receiving a gift they really like has a profound effect on Riku, if temporarily, it brightens him, his eyes seem a little more warm, just on this side of happy. It's no surprise that gift-giving can feel good, he's seen his share of holiday seasons and birthday parties, but this is-

It's special, a spot of sunshine when it's been so dark for so long. What mutes the feeling next is a pang of guilt. What right has he to feel happy when Kairi and Dawn and Gene and so many others are-

"Yeah," he says, pushing through, "And thanks for the drawing. Never been a real hero before."

Said like a guy who didn't realize his heart went to where true heroes and gods dwell, Olympus, when he died.

"But now you'll be one forever!" It's as real as it is on paper, which to her, is quite real. Mary hugs the art supplies closer to her chest, breathing in the scent of the new paper and wood and the colorful treasures held inside. For an instant, she feels completely full inside, like nothing is missing at all.

She remembers quickly that there's still the same old chasm carved into her rib cage, but doesn't let it bother her.

"I'll draw you even more pictures. I'll draw everyone pictures. I'll draw so much that the sun will come back!"

As real as it is on paper.

"Never guess it'd be so easy," Riku retorts. But the cynicism doesn't make that warmth in his smile any less sincere. Doesn't dim the laughter hinted in his exhale. There's something pure and good and genuine in a child's adoration of a gift given freely.

"If you run out of those, I'll ask for more."

It's a promise.

She's tempted to fling herself at him again, but resists, breathless with joy. "Don't forget to ask yourself for things, too, okay? If you don't, I'll get you a present myself!"

She just has to figure out what a good present would be.

At least Riku gives that comment some thought before he answers.

"Nah," he replies, "Don't think it's something Rastus can bring on the ferry," sounds fairly mysterious, if only because Riku doesn't offer any other hints, just reaches over to pull one of the coloring pencils out of the set, testing the sharpened tip just for a thing to occupy his hands.

"You know," Riku adds, "I used to know someone else who was good at drawing, too."

Everyone likes presents, so it's strange to think that he doesn't want anything. She looks up at him in confusion briefly before the expression changes to intrigue, instead. "A friend from home?"

A friend from home could have applied easily to both of his statements, and Riku's a second or two realizing it's about her.

"Yeah," he replies, "Like you, she had golden hair and blue eyes. Did you ever meet Dawn? She was very special to him."

Mary shakes her head. "No, I never met him. Was he your friend, too?"

Riku came here with so, so many friends. It's sad that they're all gone, now, she knows, but at the same time it amazes her that they exist at all. Not just one friend, but so, so many...she never thought people could have so many friends.

She never met Dawn. He feels that like a hand closing slowly around his heart; if he'd had the chance, if he'd just been given a little more time, he's sure he would have felt this same sentiment if he'd met her.

Mary's been the little sister Riku never had the chance to have.

"He..." More honestly, Dawn had been a replica of himself, a little younger, a little stronger in the Darkness that Riku had struggled to master back when he was first created. But to Riku, Dawn had become so much more. His own person, a friend, a sliver of his heart gone missing, lost in the dark.

"Something like that."

Riku looks away from her.

"Mary, did you have any brothers or sisters?"

"Oh, yes!" Which, surprisingly, hasn't much come up in conversation in her time here. The few times it has, those individuals had become lost to the town.

"I have many, many brothers and sisters, and they're all older than me. There's the Lady in Red, and the Lady in Yellow, and the Lady in Blue..."

It's not only a distraction from his own thoughts, his own grief. It's honestly been about as hard for him to dredge up something about Mary as it is to get Riku to divulge much about himself to those who don't already know something about him already.

Which...

It's why he doesn't fault her that.

"Those sound more like titles than names," he observes, thoughtfully, "...I never had siblings. Hey, would you tell me about them?"

He never had a sister or a brother, not until Dawn became Dawn, and he struggled to find a way to define what they were to each other. Something that wasn't just a copy and a "real thing".

Titles...well, she can't deny the fact that that's what they are. But those are the only names she has to call them. She pulls her legs up to her chest, thinking. "It's hard to know what to say...they're all very much alike. They helped me learn how to read, and how to speak, and they play games with me in the dark."

"Your parents didn't teach you?"

Did she never go to school? There were peculiarities about her that Riku had noticed, but he was a pretty weird kid, himself, he was a poor judge as far as normal kid stuff went. Yet there's something else about what she said that pulls at him.

They play games with me in the dark. Did she mean here? Or was she somewhere else as dark before her death?

Mary shakes her head. “I don’t have a mother, and father went away. I’ve never really met him. I just waited and waited for him to come back.” Refusing to believe that that day would never come. “My brothers and sisters didn’t understand why I wanted to learn those things. Why I want to be with father. I’m different from all of them, but I don’t know why.”

Lifting his hand from her head, he lowers it to his side, fingers curled tight into a fist. He has a certain biased point of view, but he keeps those secrets close and closed away in his heart. Riku can't help but be reminded of when they were both still so new to this world, how she had clung to him and cried, scared he would leave and never return.

"Mary," Riku says, shaking his head, "That's awful."

He understands a little better now why she had been so afraid.

"Your brothers and sisters didn't miss your father? Not at all?"

Mary looks up at Riku. She looks at him like she's trying to find something hidden there in the dark, shaded corners of his expression. She's quiet for what feels like a long time, her eyes seeming at one point to go hollow and far away. Eventually, she seems to decide how to answer his questions. "I don't know."

She looks down at her little hands as she sets them on top of her knees. "They were happy to be the way things were. The dark didn't make them feel badly. I'm the only one who wanted differently. I wanted to go outside and see the sun. I just wanted, and they didn't. They always told me that I need to stop wanting things, and that I'd be happier if I just played with them every day, forever and ever. But because I would think about father, and where he was, and how I could see him, and how I could see the whole world, I felt lonely even if they were there to keep me company."

How can you not feel alone? Always craving what you don't have, with nobody to understand. Always feeling separate, and not knowing why.

"I think I'm broken."

Wandering endlessly through paths that lead to nowhere through the dark, how can you not feel alone?

She says she thinks she's broken.

"If it's about being different," Riku says with quiet conviction, his hands curled tight at his sides, "That doesn't mean you're broken."

Can he really convince her, just saying that it's not true? Riku doesn't believe just saying it is enough, it's not convincing without some form of proof. But he... lacks something concrete he could point to, so he would have to rely on persuasion. Kairi would have known how to relate in a way that was just the right amount of vulnerable and sincere. Sora would have known without conscious awareness of how to worm his way into the deepest parts of her heart.

He would have made it easy, reaching her.

"Sometimes, people you love go away."

Riku takes her by the hands, doesn't clasp them tightly, he just lets his thumbs fall soft on the soft part between thumb and fingers.

"You're not broken for wondering why, for wishing they would come back."

INTRO LOG: SEPTEMBER

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