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

daylight vis lornlit. | original. | ota.

[sunborne]

i;; a little night music.

[ daylight can be found at the edge of the water for most of the event, his expression both thoughtful and sorrowful as he released boat after boat after boat into the waters. as he watches them drift off into the eternal night, he begins to, of all things, sing: ]

There are loved ones in your glory. / Whose dear forms you'll soon miss. / When you leave us and end your story. / Will you leave us sorrow or bliss...?

[ daylight has a surprisingly good voice for the song he sings the whole song as he continues to release boats out into the harbor's waters, watching them eventually vanish from view with a sad yet wistful expression. ]

ii;;; takes a certain clever touch.

[ daylight, at some point, ends up helping some spirits make their boats. while initially scared because of is height and size, the spirits are quick to warm up towards day when they see he's more than happy to help them out in making their own customised boats to release into the harbour.

when daylight notices someone who isn't a spirit is nearby, he perks up and raises his servo, gesturing for them to come closer if they want.

if one does opt to get close to daylight, they might see he has a pile of boats nestled next to him besides the gaggle of spirits hovering around him. his share, apparently, and, interestingly enough, they already have names written on them: auntie laura costol. uncle leeds. mr. winters. mom and dad. erin's loved ones... ]

Need help with making some boats? It looks like it's my duty right now for these fellas so I can squeeze you in if you want.

iii;;; something to remember them by.

[ it's the near end of the festival when daylight realises something terrible.

well- it must be something terrible with how he suddenly appears by someone's side, looking panicked and nervous. especially if they're about to release a boat out in the harbour or are making a boat. ]

Hey- Sorry to ask but- Can I check the paper you're using? Is it a sketch of a woman with silver hair? Black hair? Is it? Is it?

[ daylight seems almost frantic now the more he speaks, his optics wide and blanched with fear as he tried to get a good look of the paper/the boat the person happens to be holding in their hands. ]

iv;;; wildcard!!

[ want to do something else? feel free to do it here! also, you’re welcome to hit me up/plot with me via my plurk prognostic if there’s something specific you want. ]

i.

[callada]

[A singer, too! Every time he comes across Daylight, Rosinante learns something surprising and new. He pauses with a half-made boat in his hand and turns in his seat to listen, then resumes working on folding paper while the tune continues on. It's a fitting backdrop for his own slow construction project, for the sendoff of the two people he truly mourns.

When finally it seems to have come to an end, Rosinante turns to face him again and lets the finished boat with its accompanying glowing rock settle in the sand beside his crossed legs.]

That was beautiful. I didn't know you could sing.

[sunborne]

[ oh...!

daylight looks up from the waters and cranes his neck towards where he heard rosinante's voice. his winglets flutter up at the sight of a familiar face and daylight flashes a small smile at rosinante, raising a servo up to wave a greeting. ] Thanks. It's a favourite song of mine.

I- [ he takes a deep vent, tilting his helm from the side like it'll make the words easier to come out. ] I was taught singing by my family. Apparently both my parents were really good at this. I wanted to share something with them so, um, yeah.

[callada]

You must have lost them early. I'm sorry.

[It's a guess. "Apparently", he'd said - most people know their parents well enough to not have to wonder at what they were good at, or be told by others about their gifts and hobbies.

Of course, maybe it's different with robots. How do they reproduce, anyway? Hm. But he notes, too, that the lack of knowledge might be something they have in common. His mother had sung to him sometimes, he thinks, but he barely remembers her voice.]

[sunborne]

[upon hearing the apology, daylight looks up at him. there's no denying that daylight is clearly... surprised: his brow is furrowed, his frown puzzled. almost like he's not used to people saying that if they found out about the statuses of his parents.

but then he relaxes and his smile is sad but- touched yet resigned. ]

Thank you. I- I'm used to it by now. I mean- I have to be. [ he pauses, trying to figure out what he can say without making this an uncomfortable case of oversharing and to provide some proper context to not leave his friend hanging. ] They were both long gone before I was old enough to form memories of my own. Dad and than mom.

[callada]

Is that... common, where you're from?

[Might as well ask, since Daylight sounds perhaps wistful but not upset.

It's certainly not unusual where he's from, for extremely unpleasant reasons involving violence and slavery. Many children grow up with their parents, but many are orphaned. His situation is unusual for its own reasons, but not because his parents died when he was a child. That part is more common than it should be. It's why his role as a Marine protecting villages and islands of peaceful townsfolk had been so important.

But there's so much he doesn't know about Daylight's world. Maybe he'll be alright with talking about it.]

[sunborne]

Common? You mean- [ them being dead?, is something he can't bring himself to say. daylight knows it's all but a fact for his life, an unfortunate turn of events that he couldn't control and had no part of but- still-

so he ducks his helm instead, buying some time to think of how he should answer that. ] ... No. Not really. Dad's passing was an accident. He- He chose to save others over himself when something happened.

And Mom didn't have the best health. It kind of caught up with her in the end because she worked so hard to help others. [ he feels like that's the politest and the least depressing way to summarise his parents'- his parents' absence. yeah, he decides as he looks back up at rosinante and tries to smile. ] I still got to know them, at least! Stories from my aunties and uncles and archive footage and things they wrote. I got a good idea of them from that despite everything.

[callada]

I see.

[And he manages a smile to match Daylight's attitude. If the guy doesn't want to dwell on something like that, he won't force it. He's right to remember the good parts, the few things he does know of them from the rest of his family.]

I'm glad you had people like that, though. Aunts and uncles and others to tell you about them. They won't be forgotten as long as you keep those memories alive, and that's what's important, right?

[sunborne]

[ daylight nods in agreement, looking thoughtful and pleased that someone gets it. ]

Yeah. If we take the time to remember them, they're still around, in a sense. [ he frowns now, but not because of sorrow but by his own forgetfulness. he tilts his helm to the side and he looks deep in thought. as if trying to remember something important. ] Mom once said, 'The quickest way to be rid of a person is through death. The surest way is obscurity.'

[ ... ]

That's why I'm glad this festival is happening. It's sad and it hurts to do this but- [ he pauses, taking a deep breath to keep himself from getting too worked up. ] -it's important. I'm happy that we're all taking the time to say goodbye and thank you to everyone.

[ them and the spirits. daylight has seen the way the spirits have been acting throughout the activities: contrite and sad, nervous but willing to try. he's determined to show that to them in return. ]

[callada]

Yeah.

[That's all he'd ever asked for. Not to be cared for, not to be loved. Not to be looked up to, or praised for anything he had or hadn't done. Early life had taught him quickly that he was insignificant. That life was fragile, and that perhaps he didn't deserve it.

But he fought for it anyway, and he existed, and if one person remembered him then that was enough. His one selfish wish, even though he wasn't entitled to anything at all.]

I only made two boats. I don't remember my parents as well as I wish I did. But I have so much to thank them for.

[It's hard to volunteer anything about himself at all, especially anything like this. But perhaps he owes it to them.]

[sunborne]

[ daylight looks at rosinante the entire time he speaks. his expression is thoughtful and commiserating, no doubt understanding the desire to know more about the ones who brought you into the world. and really know them, too. not just their names or collection of faint memories and descriptions of what they looked like when they were still around.

he's- he's surprised rosinante offered this piece of his past to daylight, honestly. perhaps that's why day makes his impulsive but sincere offer to him after a moment's silence: ]

Would it be alright- Would it be alright if I sang a song for them? [ though he feels like he doesn't need to clarify, daylight just wants to make sure the offer is clear, feeling suddenly very shy yet determined. ] Your parents, I mean. In festivals like these back at home, when I was still on Earth with my auntie and uncle, we have songs for family that are loved and lost, remembered and rejoiced.

i. this is so soft

[equinoctials]

[ Daylight is singing. ]

...

[ Riku had built a small boat - more accurately it's a raft, on which sits a cylindrical lantern. It's a few layers of paper, actually, with one of them having large five-pointed stars cut out of them, so that the glow is brighter through them. It's simple. He's not the arts-and-crafts one of the trio of his best friends.

He aimed to make sure that at least one of the three stars he cut out of the paper is visible even if the raft bobs and rotates on the water. There's one for each of them - Sora, Kairi, and himself, but the lantern itself is not in their honor.

It's for the other Riku, whose name became Dawn, not his first independent choice as his own person, but maybe one of the most significant. A sign. That marked him no longer a replica, a fake, a copy, but someone real and whole.

He's carrying it as Daylight finishes his song, and he approaches in the silence that follows, contemplative and quiet by his side.

He watches Daylight's boats drift away and, despite the disparity in their sizes, reaches up one hand to place it against his back. ]

this is so exciting to do ahh. /the boys./

[sunborne]

[ daylight senses someone is nearby as he sings his song, long before the hand is touching his too warm frame. his winglets flick up, an acknowledgement of rick's presence. and now there's an immediate urge to address them, to greet them but- something in him decides against it. doesn't feel right to do that right away.

so he opts to, instead, watch the boats drift off into the night, their tiny glow against the dark backdrop doing funny things to daylight's core. (maybe because it reminds him of a place from long ago. back on a base where everyone had the best intentions but the worst executions, where looking out the window and peering into books was his only glimpse of stars like these-)

at least it gives him time to draw the song to its mournful but almost hopeful close. something about the final chorus has him ducking his helm, optics flickering while he tried to get the last words out:

can the circle be unbroken,
by and by, oh, by and by?
will i one day be allowed in,
in the clear skies and by your side...? ]

...

Hey... [ daylight tries to smile at riku's presence as he turns his helm to face his friend proper but it's- it's hard. even as peace fills him, something holds him back from fully enjoying it.

he sighs and decides that, maybe, honesty is the best policy here: ] It's been the Pits' fumes lately, huh?

[equinoctials]

[ It's important to have a chance to say goodbye.
It's important to remember what's lost. To treasure the memories you shared with who has moved on ahead.

Riku's own grief in the wake of the deaths of Dawn and Kairi, of Sora's quest that carried him away from his side, even Gene was gone and as raw and as empty spaces where they all were, Riku remains rooted here, a monument to them and a beacon in his own right.

He recognizes Daylight's effort for what it is, understands how difficult it can be to smile when the reasons to dwindle. Riku does it for him, because...

It's what Sora would have done. ]

Yeah. It has.

[ His palm moves comfortingly over that too-warm chassis, though it's usually Kairi who would do this sort of thing, so gentle and so brave. Riku is more reluctant to let these gestures linger, but he likes Daylight. His eyes downcast, Riku speaks of the boat and it's lantern in the other hand. ]

...Let me send this one off. For Dawn. He would've-

I think Dawn would've liked your song.

[sunborne]

[ upon touching the chassis, riku would probably feel- a hum, is perhaps the best way to describe it. instead of where a heartbeat would lie, there's a quiet, quiet hum underneath his touch. silent but steady, present and willing. just like the support daylight shows to riku when he hears the request.

daylight says nothing at the moment, wanting to keep the moment between them as it is, and he silently extends his servo out, the palm up to reveal the paper boat that just happens to be dotted in stars across a night sky.

his optics dim in sympathy when he hears the pause in riku's words while he lets his friend take the boat to release it out in the waters. he had taken his time to design this boat but he wasn't sure why at the time, finding a strange urge to put details and care into the delicate little work he had before him. now- now he's happy that he did. he hopes this helps riku in some way. ]

... I wish I had gotten a chance to meet Dawn myself, Riku. [ his voice is soft, afraid to break the delicate thing between the pair. ] He must have been an amazing guy.

i

[knifecollecting]

[Jo follows the song up the shore to find Daylight, pausing to listen until he finishes.

She wouldn't have pegged the robot, or whatever (or whoever) she should think of him as, as someone who would sing. It's a lovely voice. One of the things she misses here is music. There's no radio, she doesn't have her jukebox.

When he quiets, she clears her throat.]

You've got a lovely voice.

[sunborne]

[ !!!

daylight looks up as his winglets perk up in surprise. upon seeing and recognising a friendly face - man, it's weird to see jo with greyish hair. - daylight relaxes and flashes her a bashful but appreciative smile. ]

Thanks, Jo. That means a lot to me. [ he looks back out into the waters, his expression becoming more wistful and thoughtful. ] Auntie Laura and Uncle Leeds helped me learn it after I begged them for months to let me take on lessons.

Apparently my parents were really good at it. I wanted to share something with them.

[knifecollecting]

[She smiles softly. Daylight talks about his parents a lot, she's picked up on that. It must be interesting and hard for him to be away from what he knows.]

You look up to them a lot, don't you? [It's not a judgemental question. Lord knows Jo looks up to her father. Good parents have that effect.]

[sunborne]

[ at the question, daylight looks back at jo with a genuine smile, his spoiler flicking up in joy. though most can’t feel his em field thanks to biological differences, daylight’s field pushes with a rush of genuine love and fondness at the thought of his mom and dad. ]

Yeah. They're- They're just amazing. The way my family talks about them- [ he pauses, trying to keep himself calm. something about the event and what lead up to this is causing him to feel pretty emotional.

he rubs his optics with the back of his servo, the gesture calming him despite the fact he can't cry. ] They sounded extraordinary. They saved worlds and travelled the universe and had adventures. They even fell in love along the way.

It’s why I- It’s why I decided to risk it, you know? Go out in the stars and explore. Continue their legacy. If you have someone you love and they had something important that they left behind... It makes sense to look after it. Right?

[knifecollecting]

[Jo wonders about some of the phrases Daylight uses. But family is such a personal thing, she doesn't want to pry even if she's curious. She's used to asking questions and it's hard to stop herself.

Especially right now doesn't feel appropriate.]

Yeah. You're right. I'm glad you could do that.

[sunborne]

And you?

[ the words are out of daylight's mouth before he realises what he said. when two plus two do equal four, however, daylight immediately gets flustered and apologetic. oh wow! what a thing to ask someone! and to jo, of all people, too! she's been nothing but nice to him and this is how he-

daylight looks towards jo's direction and holds his servos up as if trying to ward off a potential hit or something, his winglets hiking up in alarm. ] I'm sorry! Sorry-! I didn't- You don't have to- You know- There's no pressure to answer or anything if you don't want to.

[ he lowers his servos, just a bit, looking more bashful than mortified as he continues to speak, ] I'm just curious, is all.

[knifecollecting]

[Jo watches his reaction instead of thinking about the question. She wonders what he's gone through in the past to garner such a commotion of fear.

She moves back to the question, thinking it over for a moment.]

It's okay. [She asks a lot of questions of people. It seems fair that they ask her questions in return. She also has no problem saying no to a question she doesn't want to answer.]

Did I look up to my parents? [She waits for a nod from him before she continues. She will answer, but she'll make sure that's what he wanted to know first.]

[sunborne]

[ after letting a second or two past, perhaps waiting to see if jo will continue on her own or not, daylight slowly nods in reply. he's more than a little relieved that this is her response.

then he settles down once more, feeling confident to speak up again: ] Yeah. That's what I meant. Do you... You know... Look up to them?

[ daylight is clearly curious- it can be seen in his expression, in the way his winglets perk up in curiosity. he's always had an interest in stories but especially of those of his friends and loved ones, what their own lives and adventures are like when he's not around. ]

[knifecollecting]

[Jo looks out over the lake, focusing on the floating lights. All her life she wanted to follow her father's footsteps. She might not have done what her mother wanted, but she wanted to make her proud too.]

My dad...he died when I was young. [She shrugs, watching a wave break gently on the sand.]

I always wanted him to be proud I was his girl. You know?

[sunborne]

Yeah... I know...

[ daylight looks sympathetic when he hears about the status of jo's dad. having never gotten to know his parents and wanting so desperately to make them proud, it's definitely something he can get behind.

he wants to give his condolences but... it doesn't feel right to do that? not now, at least.

so, instead, daylight makes this little observation instead, trying his best to recall the words of his auntie laura from all those years ago: ] Someone once told me to show love to our family, we should try to live our best life. We should live what we think is our best like, all the while knowing we can look back and not feel regret for the path we took over-all.

I think that's a good thing to keep in mind for times like these. Even now... I don't regret it.

[ hopefully. jo knows what he means by 'it' in this moment. ]