Event Log #002

[caelumstaff]

EVENT LOG number 002 The hotel humbly hopes that you're settling in well and are taking advantage of the various pleasures on offer for your stay. In Mr Bennet's opinion, things have been going quite well and he doesn't think that the guests are unhappy at all. New guests have arrived, some have left, it's all going along perfectly. So, of course, this is when the next troublesome thing pops up. SHADOWS One morning, characters will find the hotel to be a little dimmer than usual, a little more shadowy. Yet if anyone asks Mr Bennet about it, he will claim to not have noticed anything different than usual. Either way, as the characters move on with their day, they'll start to notice a few odd things start to happen. PHASE ONE: Initially, characters will notice their shadow beginning to move a little out of sync with them. Discreetly at first until eventually, their shadow takes on a life of its own, mischievously playing with characters and enjoying their newfound freedom. Very Peter Pan, and completely harmless. PHASE TWO: Now, shadows might disappear entirely, roaming the hotel to their own discretion and ignoring the characters they belong to. As the shadow takes on this free will, characters will begin to feel slightly off balance and have a hard time feeling whole without their shadow around. The shadow may become slightly aggressive as well if told they should return to their characters, fighting back in their own way from knocking things over to outright attacking other characters. It's a little hard to fight back though when your opponent is a shadow, isn't it? PHASE THREE: The shadows have become fully aggressive now, fighting anyone who tries to get them to return to their original person. Characters will find themselves feeling weak and low energy as a result of losing their shadow. Eventually, the shadows will come back to their owners but the characters will find themselves sinking into their shadow, eventually changing places entirely with their shadow. The only way to rescue a character from this fate is for another character to pull them out of their shadow forcibly. The bright side is once a character is pulled out of their shadow, it all returns to normal and their shadow is no longer sentient. These phases will last over the course of the week and it is quite alright to stay in phase one/two/three. Not all shadows will become aggressive, not all shadows will be playful. Feel free to manipulate your character's shadow in the way that's most fun for you. NAV | PREMISE | RULES | FAQ | TAKEN hotelcaelum | caelumserver | caelumooc

Comments

[likesitruff]

A Servant? No.

[ they continue to bewilder each other-- ]

What do you expect from a faerie, exactly?

[encoffins]

[...a servant? What?

A long pause.]

Someone... smaller. [help]

[likesitruff]

...

[ Her face flushes, faintly. ]

Faeries come in all sizes! I am more than an acceptable size for my clan!

i

[likesitruff]

[ Barghest, despite knowing very few people, has already grasped the situation, thanks to her own shadow running amok and also the lamentations of the other guests. And how is she meant to abandon them like this? So while swatting at the playful batting of her shadow, it's difficult to miss that this man is about to go headlong down the stairs.

Apologies for the rather rough way she flings out an arm to try and drag him back, but sometimes there's no time to truly be delicate about things.

She also, admittedly, does not look like a woman who is delicate about things. ]

[airdnd]

[ Oh... haha... Oh... haha....??

Did— Did she just hear Miss Giselle laugh? While a knife remains fully embedded into her back!? Moreover, why... isn't Sumina as surprised as she should be? Naturally, she has seen adventurers walk around with various implements stabbed into their bodies either as they enter the inn or as a result of a tavern brawl, but she hardly expected this kind of circumstance around Miss Giselle, let alone this reaction!

Sumina's gaze flicks back and forth frantically between the maid and her own shadow, who yet remains armed with a skillet. Thank her lucky stars that her barrier tattoo activated, otherwise she might be out cold by now... But the shadows will only remain stunned from Giselle's non-reaction for so long, and it's in this moment that Sumina needs to think. She doesn't really know how to fight, and especially not something like a shadow.

When her mind fails her, at least, is when reflex kicks in, honed by training that Sumina received when she was a girl. Shadow Sumina takes another swing at her target, but having anticipated another attack, its wrist finds itself thoroughly grasped by one of Sumina's hands, just in time to watch the other woman throw down a flour cloud... Still with a knife in her back, ma'am! Sumina, at least, is nothing if not easy to guide around like the NPC that she is, so she ducks under the counter's cover at once.

Still with a most-alarmed look on her face, she whispers at Giselle: ]

Miss Giselle! You're hurt!?

[ There is a bit of a question in her tone, because Giselle most certainly is not acting as if she is hurt!! ]

[airdnd]

[ Winter would, in fact, have an idea how much of a heart attack a mess like this would give Sumina, having witnessed just such a thing happening at the inn before. He has likely also seen how such an event sometimes draws out a side of Sumina that is rarely seen... the side that can get loud enough to ask (politely) that everyone stop and shut up.

Regrettably, that Sumina will not be making an appearance today.

Instead, her shadow gives a warbled tittering sound as it seems to dance out of the way of the incoming chair with a drunken sort of sway, and in the very same motion it leaps onto another table, towards the two, to kick some plates of food up at them! Watch your beautiful hair, Winter!! ]

[airdnd]

One would think that, yes... It's a bit disappointing, but at the same time... I'm starting to doubt how much the staff here has any control over what happens. Mr. Bennet doesn't even seem to be aware of what's happening right now.

[ Or else he's willfully being obtuse about it, which by her reckoning... Is so much worse, so she's giving him the benefit of doubt. ]

[icyspicy]

In some fairness, many of us are from different worlds entirely. This "Britain" of yours is just as unfamiliar to me.

[ He returns that little bow with one of his own. ]

Well, when our shadows aren't on the verge of running amok, this place boasts an extensive library. Perhaps you can fill in some of those gaps in your education, hm?

[icyspicy]

[ He can't say if he's ever seen Sumina move like that before, in a way that feels like she should tip over at any moment but instead maintains grace and poise and balance. What the hells?

She hops over to another table with starling ease, and Winter isn't quite fast enough to duck out of the way of the plates of food kicked his way. He raises an arm to protect his face, but his clothes, and yes, his lovely hair, get absolutely spattered. ]

All right, no more playing nice.

[ With that, he utters an incantation, and a mass of familiar-looking black tentacles peppered with starlight spring up from the ground. Like a kraken dragging ships under, they coil around tables and chairs, splintering wood to get the troublesome furniture out of the way.

That's a DC 17 DEX save not to get caught. Though he assumes Gojo will just. Fly over it all. ]

[icyspicy]

[ Winter's grip tightens when he feels Gojo start to falter, dark brows knitting together as he holds on. ]

Strength doesn't equate to infallibility. That's why you have other people. You balance. You connect. You help.

[ His eyes flick down from the shadow to the real Gojo. ]

If you let go of me, you're only going to prove it right.

[likesitruff]

It seems I must. It would be unthinkable to be willingly uneducated.

[ She'd be shaming her pride as a member of the Fang Clan and as a knight! ]

[likesitruff]

Then they should perhaps find another calling. But duly noted, I will view them as unreliable sources of information or aid until proven otherwise.

[ Wow. Sumina may be nice, but Barghest sure isn't gonna be. ]

[astarion]

[I'M SORRY HE'S SO MEAN... But he doesn't think this is time to be self-sacrificing, and such cutting words might work to snap her out of it. It seems to have worked, earning him a tight grip on his arms.]

In that case, then hold on tight and prove it!

[Boy howdy, he rolled a 16!! Which means that, despite his laughable strength, he gives it his all, putting his back and legs into it, and pulls her up, inch by inch, out of her shadow.

It's slow progress, but that it's progress at all is impressive for these two.]

[airdnd]

[ She doesn't need to have a clue, she thinks. Even if Satoru had been a stranger in this hallway, how could she in good conscience simply walk - or float - away without trying to help? It would simply be unconscionable, antithetical to everything she has been taught growing up as a Heartleaf.

To always be the harbor in a storm, no matter where the starry seas take you.

And what a storm this is. For such a brief window in time, Sumina thinks they might be close, very close to freeing Satoru of this predicament, but then that unfamiliar voice cuts in once more. It's not until now that Sumina truly pays it mind, beyond the fact that it sounds wholly unlike Satoru's. It is... such a soft voice, and Sumina would almost think it gentle, too, if not for all of the things it's said in the last few moments.

Her gaze slides over to Satoru's face. She has never seen him so utterly arrested... ]

Satoru—

[ Don't listen, she wants to say, but instead that inky darkness is lunging at her with a menacing speed, and her words are lost in a gasp choked out in desperation. But she doesn't let go. Her grasp with one hand only seems to grow tighter around Satoru's arm, while the other lifts to shield herself - though that hardly seems necessary, when a soft glow emanating from her chest envelops her, and the shadow's darkness glances off of her like Choso's Blood Manipulation hitting Limitless. ]

S—Satoru!

[ She calls out, this time, like a clarion bell. Wherever his mind has gone after hearing that voice again, he needs to come back, loneliness be damned. She's lonely, too, but it's not going to stop her from calling out to him.

A glanced blow doesn't stop the shadow from another onslaught either, but this time, Sumina's free hand intercepts the blow with an almost fluid grace. ]

[encoffins]

[Oh, he embarrassed her. Thankfully, any expression in response to that is covered quite fully by his high collar.]

...My experience with "faeries" is limited. I don't really have experience at all, actually, other than what I can glean from myth.

Clearly, things are different on your planet.

[likesitruff]

... That is... fair, I suppose.

[ But still. Gosh. "Smaller." ]

Faeries are, more or less, the extension of the planet. We are essentially immortal unless we are deliberately killed or if we lose our sense of purpose.

[airdnd]

[ Help... She's so right, though. ]

Actually... Perhaps you'd have better luck getting some real answers out of him, ser.

[ Is she suggesting that Barghest intimidate information out of Mr. Bennet? Maybe so. As an NPC herself, it might just work. ]

[likesitruff]

I could certainly make an attempt, but I doubt it would be that simple.

[ Imagine t-posing all problems away.

Which has more or less happened with her own men but it's fine. ]

[unliminal]

[ Does she realize what a challenge that sounds like to him?? ]

Too bad you missed the Halloween party...

[ Before he can say anything else, however, her shadow is giving him the slip, by virtue of, you know, being a shadow. ]

[encoffins]

[Yes, smaller. You know. Like those teeny tiny faeries.]

An extension of the planet. [Wait, so how old does that make her? But more importantly, is that something worth risking bodily harm to ask?

Probably not.]

So then you and your... Fang Clan, do you carry out your planet's will?

iii. i believe odette was volunteered to be quicksanded

[cardsharked]

Gimme a sec; I ain't finished just yet...!

[Odette may be caught in the shadowy quicksand coming up around her legs and threatening to pull her down below, but she's fighting tooth and nail. The problem, of course, is that it's her shadow consuming her, and her shadow is full of just as much fight. The shadow has the added advantage of not having its energy sapped.

She's exhausted and beginning to fade, but it really seems like she intends to see this struggle as far as she can before accepting the assistance being offered.]

[fixtures]

[ Being yelled at like this really brings back memories of a time long ago — though not any time she can pinpoint right in this moment. Still, the fact remains that Amelia's words cut through her easily, and she does what she can to obey, even if she has to blink her eyes rapidly and shift to hold onto the other woman more stably.

Now that reality is catching up with her, as consciousness floods her senses... isn't this all a bit shocking? She and Amelia only spoke once. And yet, she's come to her aid so fiercely... ]

Yes, I will stay awake...

[ She confirms, as properly as she can despite the circumstances. Thanks to Amelia's efforts, she really does get lifted out of the sinking shadow with haste — soon, only the bottoms of her legs are still stuck. ]

Allow me to assist — [ Since Amelia has her arms latched under her shoulders, she thinks it'll be alright if she lets go of holding on to her with one hand, reaching to gather the weight of her maid skirt and petticoat. It should reduce the drag, at the very least, allowing them to get the last bit of the way there. ]

[fixtures]

[ What a fascinating little case he has. Of course she'd been interested in it, but, as before, she knows when and where to ask questions or investigate. Everything happens so quickly, that by the time she looks over at the sound of the pan hitting something, it's a surprise that it struck his arm. Here she'd thought she'd glance over to see his last moments of life, perhaps...

It was so distracting, in fact, that she forgot entirely that she'd been attacked too. Yes, with... well, something. A knife? She can't really tell, as the sensation is so dull, and it's not as though she can turn her head to get a look at it. But through her companion's obvious panic, she gets the idea that it looks grim. ]

Oh, does it look so serious? I can hardly feel it... hehe.

[ Is she laughing at a time like this? Well, yes. She intends to help calm him down, but there's certainly room for her quiet nonchalance to come off eerie, instead. There's no twist of pain in her features — no, her smile actually looks wry, as though this whole situation is a little ironically funny to her.

With the shadows preoccupied with the case, that does give them a little bit of breathing room: ]

You needn't be afraid, my dear. [ She says, a little firmer this time. She even reaches out to grace his arm that he'd flung out with her cold touch, tugging him closer and down into the cover of the counters. ] I am alright, I assure you.

[fixtures]

[ Oh, so she's the stubborn fighter type....... ]

You are finding yourself a bit weaker due to the shadows' influence, yes?

[ It's the talk of the hotel, currently. She gives her companion a pleasant smile, keeping her hands folded neatly in front of her. ]

Now, that is no reason to push on while not in your best condition. I would be happy to escort you to somewhere you may rest for a short period, if that is what you wish.

[ She offers, thinking that it might be easier for her to accept help than ask for it. ]

[fixtures]

Oh, you needn't be afraid, my dear.... I can hardly feel a thing.

[ That certainly does not answer the question, but her whispers are soothing and calm regardless, giving the other woman her trademark smile. Does she mean that the shock of the injury has prevented her from feeling pain? Is she putting on a brave face for Sumina's sake? Or is it that she physically cannot feel it? It's hard to tell, given the cryptic nature of her answer, but the fact remains that she seems very okay with this all. ]

Rather, it is you I am concerned about... perhaps I should distract them?

[ Yes, far more important than whatever is going on with her wound. She can't really see what's going on back there, but she has to assume it looks bad. If Sumina is observant, she'll see that there's no blood running from the wound or staining her dress at all, as Giselle twists a bit to look at what's at their disposal. There's certainly a variety of things in a kitchen of this size, just across the way of their counter, not to mention several exits. The shadows, on the other hand, are waving the flour away with big swings of that same pan, whacking it on the counter once to intimidate the pair of them for good measure.

Rather than say another word, thanks to the startling sound from above, she merely gestures a hand in the direction away from herself — then pushes over a stool under the counter in the opposite direction to (hopefully) draw the shadows away from Sumina herself. ]