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

[otrazhenie]

Oh. He doesn't know. Maybe no one had explained it to him; the spirits aren't exactly a chatty bunch. But it's okay, she can help him understand.

"Back home, my friends and I did a ceremony like this," she begins, watching the water so he can process the information without her seeing any reactions. It seems like a good thing to do, to give him that space. "We had paper lanterns then that we lit so they'd float into the air. We each lit one as a memorial, to remember people we'd lost."

She looks down at her knees then, at the little stones on the ground and the edge of the water that moves so slightly. "I lit one for my parents, my aunt Jenna, all the people my friends had lost... And for myself. For everything I'd lost, and everything I could never be. And that's why I did it tonight, too. It's meant to help us heal by acknowledging that loss and trying to let it go so we can move on from it."

[worthallthis]

The Soldier listens patiently, expression edging a little into a frown, almost distressed. "I didn't know," it says finally, and though its voice is still mostly flat, it's softer. Uncertain.

Does that mean it should stop making the little boats? It doesn't have anyone to acknowledge. (Hahahahaha. Haha. Ha. Yeah, pal. Nobody at all.)

[otrazhenie]

She looks over at him then, catching the changes in his tone and expression. Leaning forward a bit to make sure he can see her, she offers him a reassuring smile and a little shake of her head.

"It's okay. It doesn't have to mean the same thing for you. If it makes you happy to do it, that's all that matters."

[worthallthis]

Happy is an overstatement. The Soldier isn't sure it knows how to feel happy. But it's been... calm. This past day or so of making little boats on each revolution around its patrol. The spirits haven't seemed to mind that it hasn't dedicated each boat to anyone.

And one of its handlers is saying it's okay. It puffs out one brief breath, almost a sigh, almost a huff, and nods. If she says it's okay, then it will keep making little boats. "I have never created anything before," it offers. "It's. New."

[otrazhenie]

Elena isn't sure she knows how to feel happy anymore. If she's even capable of it with all that she's lost. A piece of her is gone forever and all that's left is pain and emptiness. She has to find a way to exist with that.

"Do you like it?" she asks with complete openness and no clear expectation in her voice or expression. She's curious as to his answer, though she's fairly certain she knows what it will be.

[worthallthis]

Everyone's capable. Even the two of them. Just gotta re-learn it, that's all.

There was a reason the Soldier had said "new" rather than "good". It looks at her sidelong again, and says blandly, "I do not like or dislike things." It knows better than to admit to things like that, even if Elena seems like a decent, almost friendly handler.

Sorry, Elena.

[otrazhenie]

Well, that was certainly telling. Another box checked, a piece added to the puzzle of who this man was before all of this. The answer as a whole still eludes her but what she can put together is... disconcerting.

"If you don't mind it, then maybe we can find you some more things to do like this," she suggests carefully, offering an option that wouldn't require a commitment he wasn't willing to make. "Something useful but also creative. I'm sure there's something around here like that."

[worthallthis]

Clever lady. The Soldier can see what she's doing, but you know what, it finds it doesn't mind. "Performing defined tasks and acquiring news skills are both appropriate." It returns to the current task, finishing filling in the little red star with the marker. That's not a smile. But it is a bit of crinkling around the eyes.

[otrazhenie]

She's not always the most stealthy when it comes to this sort of thing, but her heart's in the right place and he seems okay with her little plan. That's a start.

A few moments of silence pass before she speaks again, something urging her to say the words aloud that she'd only written before. "Thank you again for offering to help me."

[worthallthis]

Even if she were stealthy, the Soldier hasn't been property its whole (remembered) life for nothing: it knows how to read people's intentions pretty damn well. It just has certain extremely large blind spots and a boatload of paranoia coloring its observations.

By the time she speaks again, the little square boat is almost complete, the work of careful folds and precise creases, mostly done with the right, flesh hand rather than the metal one. The Soldier answers, almost automatically, "I will perform whatever task you need. Will you need that task soon?"

[otrazhenie]

Now it's her turn to be a little afraid, for caution to color the way she holds herself and very carefully doesn't look at him. Because yes, she made the choice to share her secret with everyone here, but she can't help but worry that it will turn out to be a very bad decision.

"Yes, if that's okay," she answers hesitantly. "I've had others offer to help too, but I'm trying not to rely on one person too often. I don't want to hurt anyone."

[worthallthis]

That explains her approaching and striking up the conversation. Best finish the first task, and then help with the next one. The Soldier nods once to her, then climbs to its feet, taking the little boat and the little glowing rock to the shore to set them out on the water. It watches the paper start to drift out for a moment, and while it's still facing the water, asks simply, "What do you need?"

It's pretty sure she won't hurt it. Well, not for long, not the way she means. The Soldier fully expects this to hurt, but the Soldier heals quickly.

[otrazhenie]

She watches him move, her hands wrapped around each other in an almost twisting motion in her lap while she worried over her decision. History has proven that she doesn't always make the best choices, and there's no one here to save her now. (If she even deserves saving anymore, let alone if she truly wants it.)

"That's—" She stands quickly and shakes her head, despite his being turned away from her. "That's not why I— I can wait another day, it's fine."

That's not why she'd stopped to talk to him. Is it?

[worthallthis]

Remember those extremely large blind spots? Expecting anyone to want to be a friend with no ulterior motive is kinda one of them. It's not your fault, Elena. Your buddy's just a little fucked up.

The Soldier turns back to her, task complete and registering her sudden change of tone. It looks... a little confused. "If you're hungry now, I can help. I said that I would."

[otrazhenie]

Some part of her is doubting now whether that wasn't part of why she'd approached him after all. It would be a very Katherine thing to do, and as much as she hates admitting it, there are some traits she does share with the other woman beyond their identical appearance. It's not something she thinks to much on, but it's always there, clawing at the back of her mind.

"I know. And I am. I guess I'm just..." She crosses her arms and suddenly looks very much like the nineteen year old girl she is, despite the whole supernatural predator thing. "Scared."

[worthallthis]

Oh. That's. Unexpected. The Soldier blinks once then considers in baffled silence for a moment, trying to think of something that will help someone being afraid.

(What helps it when it's afraid? Sass.)

It says, with ultra-blandness in its tone and the most bland non-assassin-y expression it can muster, "I know, I am a little scary." It's trying to lighten the mood. Trying. It might not succeed but dammit it's trying.

[otrazhenie]

It's the sort of thing someone else might say, someone she'd cared about deeply in life. Still cares about, really. And it's enough to shake something loose enough inside for her to give him a sidelong incredulous glance. Really.

"Pretty sure I'm scarier." She somehow even manages to throw that tone right back at him with just a hint of something like a challenge mixed in for good measure.

[worthallthis]

"Maybe. But I'd be scarier if I had my rifle."

This is a dumb not-argument. But she sounds less tense. That makes it worth it.

[otrazhenie]

"And I'm scarier like this."

She says it easily enough but that nervousness comes flooding back as she lets her face shift into that of a vampire. Fangs elongating, the whites of her eyes turn red, the veins below her eyes turning black. And then she holds it there, watching him, waiting for whatever reaction may come and trying not to think about just how alone she is here.

[worthallthis]

Huh. The Soldier pauses, tilting its head just a little as if to take in the look.

(Knew a guy once with his face all red and skinless and noseless. This don't hold a fuckin' candle to that. The Soldier can't even imagine that. But it does sound worse.)

"Okay," it says after a moment of considering a good response that won't make her tense and afraid again. "But I'd be scarier if I had all my tac gear. There's a mask and goggles. Makes me look like I don't have a face." That was pretty much the point, it thinks. It doesn't even remember wearing the mask, exactly, but it knows very clearly that it's standard mission attire. Not sure why the handlers didn't make it wear that shit on the last mission.

[otrazhenie]

Suddenly, the idea of them vying for who's scariest is almost comical. What does it matter who gets the title when they're both dead and there are actual giant monsters out there waiting to destroy them.

Her face shifts back to normal and she's almost smiling as she responds, "I guess it's a good thing there aren't any werewolves here, they'd out-scare us both."

[worthallthis]

Mini-mission success. She definitely sounds better. (And sass was useful. Good job, buddy.) "I don't know what a werewolf is," the Soldier admits. It's not sure it knew what a vampire was, before her network post. "But I did still say I would feed you."

[otrazhenie]

He doesn't know what werewolves are. What kind of place did he come from where he doesn't know what those are, even just from movies or Halloween costumes? But that's not as important as the second thing he says.

Looking a bit nervous again, she explains quietly, "The only person I've fed from here is someone from back home. Or something like it anyway. I knew her family. But I haven't... from anyone who isn't used to it."

[worthallthis]

The Soldier nods. If she's only had one person help her, then she really must be hungry. The Soldier can relate, even if it can eat regular food, because it's hungry all the damn time. "Then tell me what to expect," it suggests. "What you need me to do."

[otrazhenie]

Hunger is a constant companion in Elena's life now. Hunger and grief: two burdens of her existence that she'll never be able to shake. She's simply going to have to find a way to live with it... if you can call what they're doing living.

But to start, she'll have to do this. With his help. Taking a deep breath, she nods and explains, "The bite hurts, but it isn't bad, just two small cuts. There's an odd pressure from the blood being pulled out, but I don't need much. It doesn't take long, then we just apply a bandage."