logsinthenight | 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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...the lights will go out, and they'll all be in the dark.

[After a quiet moment, she looks away from the boats, turning toward him.]

What will happen if there's an exit?

Depends on where it goes. Depends on if this place follows the rules water follows in my world. It might not. But most lakes have several sources, like the river over there, and they have at least one exit too. That's why they don't just get deeper forever and overflow. The water has to go somewhere. Out to another river, which might go to an ocean. We could follow it.

[But why? Well, he'll let her ask if she wonders about that, but it's a logical question to leap to. Why bother, if it's all dark, and those titanic monsters will just come to swallow the light anyway?

And if this lake doesn't follow the rules he knows so well, what then?]

[Why, indeed. She does ask--sort of.]

Do you want to leave?

Not permanently.

[He responds quickly, hoping to keep her from being too worried about that.]

Not when we clearly need to work together to survive. But I don't know what else is out there. What if there were other people here once, in other cities around the lake? What if there still are?

You think so?

[Mary wonders, but not in the same way. Not in the way that she considers there's any proper point in it.]

I don't think there's anybody out there. I think it's all just dark.

Won't know if we don't go look.

[And he's itching to be out on the water, if he's honest with himself. The darkness makes everything feel so small but he knows this world is bigger than what the tablet map shows. It has to be.]

I guess that makes these little paper boats our advance message to anyone else who might be out there. Like a "we're here too" to the rest of the world. Did you send any out?

Mm-hmm.

[Mary nods.]

A drawing for each one of my friends. I got help on folding them into boats.

[The same friends who burned her back home? Hopefully not. Hopefully she's moving past that and drawing for real friends here. He's hardly one to talk, though. He has plenty of memories caught in the past. At least he knows some of those people probably did love him. A handful he even loves in return.]

That sounds nice. A good thing to send out there. Your drawings are cute.

[Which he says earnestly, and with a grin, as he pats a hand on her shoulder.]

If there's anyone out there and they find those, I bet they'll love them.

My drawings are masterpieces!

[She corrects him with pride, her air of stony melancholy seeming to distance itself. Mary smiles, and reaches up to hold both sides of his big hand in her own small ones.]

I hope so. And then I hope they come and find us. And then we'll have more friends!

[He grins wider at her correction. Yes, yes they are. Cute masterpieces, not at all mutually exclusive.]

More friends, and more people we can learn from. Maybe they know more about this place. And hey, speaking of this place, you hear the insects, right? Have you found any yet?

[She's always so eager to run after things like rats. At least the bugs are probably harmless.]

Not yet!

[But the noises have been so pretty...like music!]

Do you think they'll be my friend?

Maybe, if you take good care of them. I think people keep crickets as pets. They're supposed to be good luck in some countries.

[Can't be too hard to take care of, right? Especially if instead of trying to keep them indoors, she just tries to befriend the ones outside. In fact, on second thought, he really doesn't want insects crawling into his clothes while he's trying to sleep, so she'd better not bring them in.]

They'll be happiest if you let them live outside though, but you can always bring them food. Oh, or play your ocarina for them.

Oh, that would be lovely! Maybe I can make them little presents, and maybe if I play music, they can dance!

[Like a little buggy parade!]

Uh, maybe. I don't think I've ever seen insects dance. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try!

[Hell, why not. This place is so strange. Dancing bugs! Could be! The idea makes him laugh just a little as he leans back on his hands.

She's lucky her childhood seems to be an imaginative, magical one. That's how kids should get to be.]

What kind of presents do you think bugs would like?

Snacks!

[She'd suggest cookies, but realizes maybe that would get them sick?]

Something that won't give them tummy aches.

Well.. Maybe if you find some bees. They eat honey, right? There's sugar, and I could show you how to make it into syrup. Or...

[What else do bugs eat? This is a head-scratcher. Flies eat dead, decaying things but that's not a very pleasant suggestion.]

Well, maybe we can pick out a few different things, and the bugs will tell us which ones they like best!

EVENT LOG: FOR EVERYTHING A REASON

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