EVENT LOG: FOR EVERYTHING A REASON

[inthenightmods]

EVENT LOG:
FOR EVERYTHING A REASON

characters: everyone.
location: the harbor.
date/time: september 6-7.
content: characters and forest spirits send off paper lantern boats in honor of those who have died..
warnings: character death

a somber kind of serenity.

When you arrive at the harbor, there are already boats in the water, and the lighthouse's red beam flares in slow pulses over the lake. The moon's a bright first quarter and the stars are out in force today, all reflected on the glassy surface of the water. It's uncharacteristically calm, this weather, so take advantage.

Rastus is down at the water's edge, tending to a large mound of pebbles that looks not unlike a miniature bonfire from a distance. The stones are all ordinary, having been collected from the beach, except Rastus has enchanted them to glow with a soft, yellow light. The enchantment will only last a week, but that's ample time for this little ceremony to send off those lost over the past two months. Or to send off something less literal, perhaps.

Next to the pile of stones is an array of craft materials—just the basic supplies like paper, markers, glue, and scissors, but more than enough to accommodate everyone in attendance. A handful of forest spirits (some you may recognize from the party!) are standing nearby to assist in paper-folding or boat-crafting if you're out of your depth there. They, along with Rastus, urge you to join in. This memorial is as much about you as it is anyone we've lost, after all. The boats can look like or represent anything you like.

Releasing boats lit with pebbles out onto the water will fill you will a sense of peace. It's a somber kind of serenity, but it's a relief nonetheless, whether you're mourning the loss of a friend or letting go of some other part of yourself. You're welcome to release as many boats as you like, too. It's not like there's a shortage of rocks around here, and even if the craft materials run low, there's plenty of other stuff around town that could be used in a pinch.

The forest spirits are in attendance, as well. Some are helping with the crafting, yes, but most are taking part themselves, building their own little boats to send out over the water. Their crafting involves more of a hands-on approach: Chomping and tearing and crinkling into unique shapes and textures. They stand out from the townsfolks' designs on the beach, but once the boats drift far enough into the surf, it's impossible to tell which vessels belong to which group. Feel free to NPC your own forest spirits for this event and refer to the OOC info post if you have questions about how they might behave.

On the final night of the event, a sound starts up along the treeline, one you haven't heard in some time, perhaps. Crickets. Cicadas. Katydids and beetles and the shrill hum of a mosquito in your ear. It seems insects have returned to Beacon from... wherever they were hiding, and the night air is now vibrant with their music. No more eerie silence back in town, where the sounds of the lake are snuffed out by the trees. It sounds almost like a real forest now.

And it will stay that way after this event ends, too. Maybe you were enjoying the time away from bugs or maybe you were longing for some sign that, yes, this world was alive once, but either way, the insects are here to stay. Well, until winter, at least.

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Comments

Cao Pi | open

[pure_havoc]

[surprise! Mr. Big Shot Emperor isn't too good for this. On the contrary, his country has whole festivals dedicated to lanterns, this is right up his alley. Except that, it isn't exactly clear to him that this is a memorial thing, but if the spirits are all up in this, so will he be.]

A Do You Know What Time It Is?

[At first, Cao Pi just watches what other people are doing, what the spirits themselves are doing. It's all extremely familiar and yet the purpose doesn't quite match up. The New Year is months away on the other side of winter, so it can't be the Spring Lantern festival. It is, however, around the time of year for another festival that is most certainly not about the dead.]

It's about a week early for the Moon Festival. [he says idly to whoever is standing nearest to him.] What I wouldn't give for a moon cake right now, though.

[now that he said that out loud, god does he want moon cakes]

B Classics of Poetry

[eventually Cao Pi gives in and comes up with an idea for his lantern-boat. They're not supposed to be square you heathens, they should be round, so his becomes a cylinder of paper on its floating base. The markers are close enough to ink brushes than he can deign to be seen using one to write a phrase on the outside: may we be brought together as Chang'e and her lover in Chinese, before plopping a stone inside and setting it adrift. The Moon Festival is for lovers, after all, and right now he misses his Zhenji more than anything.

Huh. What a strange sense of relief to send that lantern away...

Whether others witness him with his boat, before or after, it may be somewhat obvious that he's present when he begins quietly singing a poem of his homeland, in his native tongue. Not one of his own, but an old classic. He's not trying to draw attention but it is, perhaps, one of few sounds around the beach at the moment.]

C The Party's Over

[Cao Pi is actually standing just inside the trees at the end of the path, observing what's left of the lanterns and whatever the spirits are still up to, when the sound begins all around him. In spite of himself he lets out an amazed gasp.]

...do you hear that?

[he might just tear up a little in joy at the sound. Crickets!! Oh blessed crickets!! Mostly though he's shocked and wants to be sure he's not going crazy.]

A

[paletteswap]

I have not been as homesick as I am right now.

[how dare you bring up moon cakes.]

[pure_havoc]

[BECAUSE THEY'RE AWESOME]

It is interesting, isn't it? That the spirits should choose this, over everything else, at this particular month.

Do you have a favorite flavor?

[paletteswap]

Lotus paste.

[Oh he's hungry now. Thanks Cao Pi.]

I wonder if they know, if so there's only a few here who would see the relevance.

[pure_havoc]

[mmm staight up lotus paste no substitutions...]

You have excellent taste.

[he looks around briefly, so as not to be caught gossiping about the spirits right in front of them] It's hard to say. For all we know they picked up the idea from some past person who was here and then gone long ago, and now they just do it out of habit.

[paletteswap]

Whatever the reason it's both comforting and morose at the same time. The familiarity is pleasant, but with so few of us it's more somber than the occasion normally is.

To say nothing of the lack of festive food.

[Damn does he want mooncakes.]

[pure_havoc]

I'm getting the impression that this is less of a festival and more of a funeral.

[which isn't going to stop him from remarking on the similarities and finding familiarity - and a similar homesickness - in it but. Eh. They already know they're dead, the graves and the memorials are just making it worse]

Were you going to float a lantern?

[paletteswap]

I already have. I'm waiting for it to sink. These paper boats will not last long against the lake, I'm curious if the stones will glow once they trail to the bottom.

[Granted he could have just chucked a stone out there to find out, but it seemed somehow disrespectful.]

[pure_havoc]

Oh. What an interesting experiment. [not sarcasm! He's actually somewhat curious.] Purely for how it might look, or are you hoping that it might be enough to illuminate what's in the water?

[paletteswap]

The second one. Though it will likely also look quite serene.

Some have said not to go in the lake, and that there's something out there. Perhaps it will be revealed with enough light, even if all we see is shadows.

[pure_havoc]

[good, because if it was just for pretties he might have to judge you, Kuai]

Something. [OH BOY MORE WATER FUN] Odd, isn't it? That the water around here seems to be a barrier to our progress no matter which direction we go. Rivers that try to drown you, creatures in the lake...

[paletteswap]

Fire that doesn't catch nor properly burn. A lack of light. And then water surrounding us. It seems connected but I can't fathom how.

Yet anyway.

[pure_havoc]

Yet, indeed.

[they've gone a bit without directly talking so it's only fair that he asks] How are things, otherwise? Any interesting explorations?

A.

[primordialerebus]

[ She pauses in her frenzied folding at the mention of moon cakes of all things… god… what date is it? She reaches for her tablet and activates the screen, staring blankly for a moment at the letters and numbers.
]

Oh… it is almost time.

[ Her mind goes back to the past. Of sitting on the roof with her mother, gazing up at the moon with cheap moon cakes shared between them. A fragment of a culture both of them could barely claim anymore.

Her heart aches. ]

everybody loves mooncakes!

[pure_havoc]

[the activity drew him near, but it isn't until she speaks - and knows what he's talking about - that Cao Pi glances to have a closer look at whoever he's so casually remarking towards.

Oh no another countryman? ...woman. Countryperson.]

It is. You celebrate the same festival I do?

Re: everybody loves mooncakes!

[primordialerebus]

[ She did suspect the King Emperor dude was from some sort of China, his name being the main giveaway. But hey, alternate realities and all that so she didn't want to assume... she'll let herself assume now though. ]

Oh uh... I guess I do. Lady... [ She wracks her brain for any knowledge on the legend that goes with it. ] Floats up to the moon?

[pure_havoc]

Something like that.

[it's a well-known legend even in his earlier time. He chuckles a bit at the reduction. It still works.

Now that he looks more closely, he recognizes the figure.]

You were at the meeting, but said nothing. I noticed.

[primordialerebus]

[ Close enough is close enough in her books. She's about to return to her folding, not sure what else to say when he just casually... calls her out. Coraline winces slightly. ]

Uh... yeah. Didn't really have anything to add so...

[pure_havoc]

[nah it's all cool. His tone is light and casual, anyway]

Not everyone has to. As long as people are willing to listen and consider.

[primordialerebus]

[ She relaxes slightly at his words, glad she doesn't have to make an escape with her numerous boats. ]

Yeah... a lot of good points were definitely brought up so... thanks I guess.

[pure_havoc]

You're quite welcome.

[well, guess it's time to be Captain Obvious. Emperor Obvious maybe]

I see you're planning a lantern. Is it for someone here, or for what we're missing among the living?

[primordialerebus]

Oh uh...

[ She looks back down to her current project, silent for a moment before speaking up once more. ]

Just uh... people back home now.

[ Do they miss her as much as she misses them? She really isn't sure. ]

[pure_havoc]

[thankfully he's a good reader of people and takes the shyness at face value]

I will not pry if you do not wish it. But I am curious, since you mentioned familiarity with the Moon Festival. I have been...searching, I suppose, for people from my own country. There is something comforting about knowing you're not the only one.

[primordialerebus]

[ She looks up at him, studying his features for a moment. ]

… Maybe? I mean. My grandparents are from China, but I’m like… super white now basically. Besides food and stuff. So I don’t know if I’ll like, be much help there. The Grandmaster might be more helpful? I think I’ve seen you two talk.

[pure_havoc]

[he's grasped the translation enough by now, thanks to Kuai, he knows what China is to him. And thus, he smiles very slightly, but sincerely]

Then, at least through your grandparents, we are from the same land. I ruled it, in fact. [a small bob of his head] Cao Pi, styled Zihuan. Lord of Wei.