tornheart | AWAKENING

Entry tags:

AWAKENING

Who: Everyone
When: Midnight, June 6th
Where: Green Valley Orchids
What: It is time.

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

The subway stop near the orchards was not the type of place that most people liked to be when darkness fell. The orchards near the school were set up almost like a public park, which wasn’t so bad in and of itself, but it’s also the area where over half of the murders happened before the curfew was first put in place. It was a place people didn't go unless absolutely necessary and most had started taking alternate routes to avoid the stop. As one of the first subway stations built in the city, its architecture didn't really mesh with those that came after it. It had jagged corners where the smell of wet earth lingered, making it unpleasant even for those brave enough to continue to use it, and there had even been talk of closing it permanently once routes and nearby stations had been revamped to be better able to take care of the traffic.

Due to this, it only has the bare-bones of a shelter, fallen into disrepair as the curfew was enforced city-wide, and a couple of night guards, (probably already asleep due to the lack of activity they’re expecting), so characters arriving there will be mostly unnoticed. For a place that had such a bad history, most people rightfully avoid it.

For most of them it will be their first meeting with each other. There will be a bit of time to talk before their phones display a zero. Plenty of time to talk about what they suspect and what might just happen...and that horrible vision they had shared. Then there’s that countdown on their phones...ticking away the last few minutes.

ZERO UNTIL MIDNIGHT

The lights go out when the countdown ends. The lack of sound is, for lack of better word, worrying. Very soon, only the light of the phones serves as makeshift flashlights for the small group. But soon, even as words get displayed, a deep male voice echoes, which could be much more worrying.

FINALLY! Ahahahahah! Ahhh, damn does it feel nice to be able to speak and not
just write. Hey lambs, are you all ready?

Considering the choice of words, that might be Luci.

It's time. Can you feel your heartbeats increasing? Your mind about to explode? Questions swirling in your mind? Just make sure you don't go alone. Groups are
best, go all together and you'll never find the answers.

The voice laughs again.

Not that you have much of a choice at this point! Have fun, give them hell, and tell
them I sent you! I'll be taking care of that pesky guard problem for you.
...Let's go for a night stroll."

Communication ends just as abruptly as it started. No time to back down now, as the door where the guards are staying is quickly locked on its own before the subway system itself appears to be taken over by a virus that flashes on every available screen. With a click, the locked doors to the outside are swung open.

A voice in your mind warns you this might be the biggest mistake you'll be making in your entire life...and yet your heart feels like it's going to burst from your body from the joy you feel...

AWAKENING

It begins with a scream nearby. The same noise that they heard during the vision. The trees begin to turn grey as the sounds of hundred of creatures moving can be heard from all sides. The application opens, displaying them all in real time.

The group is surrounded.

By all logic, they should be running, but their legs feel bolted to the ground. They can't move.

The creatures begin to get closer. The trees start to rot nearby.

Breathing begins to increase. The sound of voices and memories quickly flashing before their eyes that might cause some to clutch at their head...exactly the same thing that the man had been doing back in the vision. If they look down at their hands, they will see them fading, see-through.

Yet for them, something is different. Just as the creatures are about to attack, they stop. A vision of the Velvet Room flashes before the eyes of those gathered as the two attendants silently nod. Then a return to reality as a light of color pierces the night from their hearts. A single voice can be heard, drowning out anything they might be hearing.

The time is now. I am thou, thou art I! Your mind is trapped, but I can set your soul free! My other self, will you die, or fight back?

Accept me for who I am! Forge this contract by letting go of your fears! Revolt against this world, and TEAR OUT YOUR HEART!

It laughs and fades, as time quickly returns to this world. There's only a few seconds to react before it all goes to hell. A faded hand to reach into your chest.

The choice is yours. Death...or Awakening.

THE BATTLE IN APPLE GROVE

It’s a feeling unlike they have ever felt. Never have their bodies been so alive. Their minds fill with lost memories, their bodies adapting into tools to defeat the creatures before them.

Defeat...destroy...unlock the skills of your heart and show them what it means
to cross you."

The voice is encouraging, almost. To those with navigator skills, the voice speaks up once more as well.

Lead them into battle. Hone their skills into true annihilation!"

It’s time to reclaim the night.

[OOC: For the purpose of this battle, the shadows all have 1HP and are strong against nothing. That means any attack will be able to kill them, weapons and guns included. For this log only, CHARACTERS WILL NOT BE ABLE TO COMBINE SPELLS, as knowledge of this will be unlocked later on. There are about a HUNDRED shadows to be defeated, so there are as many needed for your characters to enjoy killing off. You are free to NPC them and to create situations and close calls.

An OOC PLANNING POST can be used to ask questions or to form teams.]

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[John had been hanging away from the bulk of the crowd as well. It's weird, he's obviously talked to many of these people online, but there's something different about meeting them in person. It could be that and it could also just be the circumstances of the meeting itself. John approaches Haruka when he spots him across the way. He doesn't have nearly the number of supplies, preferring to stick to an easier load--though the backpack on his shoulder looks pretty full.

He stops, a few feet away still.]

Hey, Haruka. I have something for you.

[It's far enough away from the rest here that John's footsteps are pretty obvious, even before he speaks up, but it still takes a moment before Haruka lowers the shears he's been staring at a little too hard and looks up. He blinks, like somehow he hadn't expected John to be standing there despite all of the above.

It takes another moment or two for him to register the backpack, the fact that John is probably being blocked by the sheer amount of stuff he's somehow acquired in between forgetting his shoes and forgetting how he got here, and... he lets go of the shears with one hand. It looks a little difficult, like he's been gripping it for dear life the whole time he's been here.]

John... Sorry again. [he's already apologizing, remembering that he should, before he actually remembers what the apology is for -- there's another pause while he reorients] Something?

Edited 2017-06-05 05:21 (UTC)

Don't apologize. It was...pretty crazy so I can't really blame you. If I hadn't seen your posts first, I probably would have done about the same thin.

[John wondered how Lenka had reacted -- aside from the forum post. His grip on the garden shears revealed a little bit about how scared he must of been. Somehow that was more comforting than any false bravado. John was suddenly reminded of two boys hiding behind bleachers to avoid a gang of bullies, making a joint decision to run out and face them together. He never thought they'd be having to make that decision again--although this was far more serious. Now they wouldn't just be getting bloody noses and being shoved in a trash can. They could...

John swallowed, shaking his head and reaching into his bag.]

Y-yeah. It's not much, but I figured with all that happened in might be good to have before this all goes down.

[From his backpack he produces a clear, plastic baggy. The contents are a little smooshed from the traveling, but they are still recognizable as a few beignets from the cafe and a few of the sugar cookies they made using the Christmas cookie cutters: two angels frosted green and white, a star, and a Christmas tree that they'd made blue for no reason. He holds this out to Haruka.]

I didn't have time to make your favorite...but I figured these are just as good. Sorry they're a little squished, it was kinda hard to transport them properly.

... John.

[That's all the reaction Haruka manages for a long moment, staring blankly at what's been offered to him like he'd forgotten what cookies or beignets were, like they were the first and only baked goods he'd ever seen in his life. It might have been comical, if not for where they are, what they're about to do. And his throat's suddenly closed, there's a brief tremor in his shoulders.

Outwardly, he manages to get to his feet, his legs are somehow steady after being curled against the damp subway walls for who knows how long, and gingerly reach out to take the present. It's far from the first time John's shared his baking, or his snacks, but...

Inwardly, something furious and terrible and strange finally shuts up a little, for the first time tonight since that vision drove him out of his bed and his home and all the way here without letting him think. It feels like he can finally breathe a little -- after three weeks of holding his breath every time his phone chimes, pretending he doesn't see too many things every time he closes his eyes, gripping at daily life like the gardening shears he's failed to put down.

They baked these. They're in this together, somehow. He's hungry.]

They're good. They're always good. [his voice is a little shaky, but he manages the words this time, even if they turn out a little nonsensical] Beignets are magic, I think.

[They've established the power of beignets and baked goods as a remedy to all kinds of problems for years now, but if he's going to stop making sense altogether, he's going to do it with feeling.]

[John stands there, feeling a little awkward. He hadn't thought much of it at the time, grab a snack for the road...but he'd be lying if he claimed it was completely without thought. Sure, he had food for some others, but that particular bag had been put together special and they both knew it. And he did it because he was scared...he didn't know what was going to happen. But he COULD control this much, and so he went for it.

Once Haruka actually speaks, John manages a weak, but sincere smile. It's really hard to smile at the moment, as he can't help but keep thinking about what is going to happen in only a matter of minutes...but at least they're going into it together.]

Yeah--yeah they are.

[For a moment Haruka is at a loss what to do next -- what do you say or do with a close friend when both of you (and countless others, too many others) might die, and you have no earthly clue what's going to happen even if you don't? -- so they just stand there frozen in tableau for a little longer. At length, though, he shakes himself; he can't keep zoning out like this, they're readying for an attack any moment.

He hadn't thought of anything but getting here in time and more-or-less ready, though he's obviously overlooked a few things. Even looking back at what he remembers of the night so far, he can acknowledge that just having the strange phone app has been something of a boon. He has his shoes, the right clothing, his supplies, and... He's no good at forging a smile or a joke under duress, never has been, so it's a good thing John has that covered; what he can do, though, is pull the mess of tonight back under some semblance of control for what time they have left. He motions for John to join him sitting against the wall of the subway, and then starts unwrapping the baked goods.]

Did you eat yet? We can share these. [And to be perfectly honest, doing something ridiculously mundane right now seems good -- they're going to need the fuel. In between digging through the bag for the green and white cookies, he points out a few things in his stash.] I think some of these are useless. But Ryann gave me molotovs, and we made a few bombs. You should take some.

[And he has the shears. But at the very least he's going to make sure those he knows and can find are properly armed, if he can't do anything else. He can fight, he thinks, even if he doesn't know what he's fighting or how; the only solid foundation he has is that he's willing to stand in the way of those things until time runs out.]

[The silence falls and with it John feels his own mind start to race again. After throwing up earlier and the network posts, he'd been trying to bury it all: his doubts, his worries, and his fears. If he kept moving forward, if he kept talking and dealing with other people, he wouldn't have time to focus on his own issues with all of this. But that silence...John hopes Haruka doesn't notice his hands shaking again, he zips up his backpack and joins him on the wall.]

No...though I'm not sure if my stomach's settled enough for sweets. [He says, even as he grabs one of the beignets from the bag. He watches as Haruka goes through his supplies: moltovs and bombs. They really are going to get themselves killed. His eyes drift back to the pastry in his hand, frowning.] From beignets to bombs, huh? Are we...no, I guess we really are doing this.

[He wonders if this is how that girl felt in that first vision he had. Despite the weeks that have passed, he still remembers that brief flash clearly and, somehow, it seems to have grown clearer in his mind. A girl looking towards a building and realizing there's no more time...that she's going to fight and she isn't coming back. John feels a lump form in his throat, how does he know that? It's just a hunch, but it feels so true. She isn't coming back and after tonight he might not be either.

John shoves the beignet in his mouth, turning away to maybe cover up the fact there are tears falling down his face now. Is it for what's to come or what's already happened? Did all that stuff already happen?]

Oh. Sorry, I didn't really bring water...

[He hadn't thought about the visceral effects of the vision beyond the need to stop it -- it hasn't occurred to him so far that his reaction is strange, as though the literal dismembering and devouring of human beings was something he simply had to take in, swallow down without choking on the memory or the nightmares -- so he isn't prepared at all to help deal with it.

It's too bad he doesn't have Ryann's water tanks (though he's not sure those are drinkable), and they're not at the point where he's going to offer plant mister water to wash things down regardless of what happens next. Still, it's a little worrying to see John stuffing himself with beignets like they'll never see them again (even if that is a real possibility), and Haruka is actually leaning over to caution him not to choke when he catches a glimpse of his face and freezes.

He hasn't been able to get his thoughts to cooperate beyond a stormy focus on the upcoming fight for most of the night, but he's a little calmer now, and it isn't so much surprise as self-recrimination that makes him hesitate. He needs to see things through. If he can't help his friends, he can't help anyone.

Finally, Haruka simply completes the motion he started, bumping his shoulder against John's and then settling more of his weight in, until they're almost leaning back to back. There's not a lot of concrete things he could do or say to make this better right now, even if he opens his mouth several times to try and ends up just putting more cookie in it every time. Instead, he waits: for John to talk if he needs to, for their combined living warmth to drive back the chill of what they've seen, for the long, long night to end.]

[John manages to force down the beignet, he feels Haruka looking at him, but he doesn't want to bring it up. He does, however, take comfort when Haruka's weight is added to his shoulder. It's real and tangible--something to focus on. John takes a breath, the beignet settling in his stomach. The timer is steadily counting down, but they still have enough time for this.

He lets it out, raising a hand to wipe the tears away. He'll be fine. He has to be fine. He isn't the only one here and he certainly can't be the only one freaking out about all of this.]

No matter what...from this point on it's together, okay?

[It's reassuring for Haruka too, for all that he means it as a clumsy attempt at comfort, because it lets him know for a fact that John is there and settles him back a little more into himself. Haruka Sorazawa. Not whatever demon or destroyer they seem to want him to be, whatever fierce anger lives in his skin and tries to drive him deeper and deeper into this.

John is far from the only one freaking out; his is just the kind that manifests in a way that can be more or less understood and untangled from whatever is happening to all of them. Which is somehow comforting in its own morbid way when the whole of tonight feels like one long hallucination. It's a little different to have someone here with him in the midst of it, even if they can't wake up.

So Haruka thinks for a moment that he should point out it's always been a fight together, even when they didn't know it was each other -- but even if earlier tonight is a blur it still happened, so instead he picks up the blue tree cookie and breaks it into halves, hands one over.]

Okay. No matter what.

[The promise is a strangely heavy weight, but he welcomes it.]

[John accepts the cookie and the promise. He feels like something has shifted--and not necessarily in a bad way. True, a part of him knew that Haruka would be there for him, but to hear him actually say it aloud and to seal it over a cookie. It's silly and yet...well it kind of sums up a lot of their friendship over the years.

John doesn't force this treat down. This is something to savor. This moment, shoulder to shoulder with his friend and sharing something as simple as a blue Christmas tree made out of season. It's his turn to fall silent as he relishes this.]

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AWAKENING

1. Finale (Since we already have Eligor teamup thread planned)

yosh

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