hotelcaelum | Event Log #002

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Event Log #002

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Shit.

A vigorous shadow? It's definitely that, and now it's a problematic one. On his suggestion, now she's deep within the grasp of the inky void of shadow, and Vincent can't help but curse under his breath, his jaw going taut as he dashes forward to close the space between them.

He's fast, thank Gaia. Fast enough to reach his own arm into the darkness and try to grab at hers, assuming he can find purchase. His other actually holsters his weapon and braces his palm flat against the wall, pushing, trying to wrench her out.]

Barghest!

[ She can't hear him call for her. She can't hear anything as soon as her shadow envelops her, but thankfully, Barghest can still feel, and as he reaches for her arm, she grips back. Her strength is hardly what it was, not right now, but there's contact there and her struggles increase as she tries to use her hold on Vincent's arm to pull more of herself out.

Of course, the shadow is also fighting this, so it may be up to Vincent's own strength instead of Barghest's, this time around. ]

[Vincent's own strength, you say. Vincent, whose strength stats in the game are only higher than Aerith's in the party--

Anyway. He will give it his damnedest, all the same. It does help that he can brace himself against the wall, using it as true anchor point to push from, perhaps giving him a boost that he wouldn't have had before.

Hell, he's even going to push the flat of his boot against the wall, too; a comedic sight were the circumstances not so harrowing, part of him grasping into a shadow, the other half of his body pushing against the corridor to pry her out.

He's trying really hard, basically.]

[ He sure is, bless him. She still can't see this, so thankfully, no one's here to find amusement in his struggles at the moment (not that she would be laughing, regardless) but between his efforts and hers, the shadow weakens just a bit more, allowing more of Barghest to reemerge. Like Venus being born from the sea except instead of a naked lady adorned in her own hair, it's an armor-clad lady not-so-gracefully floundering halfway out. ]

Almost--!

[ And there. Vincent manages, Barghest thrashes, and the shadow releases her to let her stagger all the way out. There may be a collision. Ideally not. ]

[Oh, you know there's going to be a collision. Even when Barghest emerges, or maybe especially because she emerges, Vincent doesn't stop trying to yank her out. And so, when victory is finally achieved for the both of them, that doesn't stop the momentum -- she comes floundering out and right into him, smacking him with enough force that he just staggers back and lands on the floor, with his back to the ground with a grunt.

SURELY BARGHEST WILL NOT LAND ON TOP OF HIM RIGHT-]

[ You do know what happens when you say SURELY, right--

Yeah. Barghest, in all her armored, 120 kg glory--is landing on top of him, in all his... not that much weight.

She is, at least, cognizant enough to realize that's a terrible place for him to be right now, so swiftly pushes herself up enough to free him and land on her hands and knees beside him. She glances behind her, but the shadow has settled amicably and remains as it was before. Of course. ]

--Are you harmed??

[ Next important topic, then! HAS SHE CRUSHED THE LIFE FROM YOUR LUNGS, TWIGGY MAN? ]

[H-he lives. By some manner of miracle, she has not flattened him outright.

Though to be fair, it's not the worst he's been through, either, and at least he could brace himself for impact when she landed on him, tossing up his forearms so is ribs don't bear the brunt of the impact. And she's off of him quickly enough to where it doesn't matter too much, either way; Vincent sits up, eyes darting about for the shadow.]

Still... alive.

[Maybe a bruise or two underneath all these layers, but nothing that won't heal up. He spots her shadow on the ground, acting as a normal shadow should, and the tension in his shoulders loosens.]

And you? Feeling back to normal?

More normal than before, if nothing else. [ She has to wait a bit, to consider the change, but she can at least feel some energy trickling back. Or perhaps it's just that it no longer feels as though she's losing energy and stamina by the second. ]

I'll be fine. You have my thanks for your timely assistance.

[ She does not say "I honestly didn't think you'd be strong enough to help," even though she most certainly is thinking it. Instead-- ]

You also have my apologies for underestimating your capabilities initially.

[Vincent nods at her affirmation of feeling... more normal, which is about what happened to him. The slow return of energy. As long as her shadow remains acting as it should, he's fairly sure they've seen the last of it causing trouble for now -- at least, as long as the hotel doesn't send anything else surprising their way.

But as for the thanks and apology, he seems to wave it away vaguely with a gauntleted hand.]

You don't need to apologize. For a moment, I thought you might actually be lost in your shadow.

[In other words, he might've helped, but it was two seconds away from not going as well as it did.]

Similarly, I had the same thought.

... I would be a poor excuse of a knight to be defeated so soundly not long after arrival, of course. [ With a heavy sigh. ]

I'll need to maintain a more vigilant attitude, it seems. This hotel is not as harmless as they might have implied.

Of course it wouldn't be so easy. Guess they want us to-

[He might as well rise into a stand, the material of his clothing shifting as he does so. He offers her a hand up; though he'll hardly be offended if she doesn't require it.]

-work for our "wish." That said, I shouldn't have to rely on a gun or my magic on vacation.

[...He should have just stayed asleep in his coffin.]

It's best to always be prepared. Even on a vacation, something could happen without warning simply because of unforeseen circumstances. [ Not just the nature of this place, she means.

But she takes his hand briefly; she doesn't require it, but it's a good way to test if her strength is coming back and sure enough, she can rise to her own feet without needing to make use of his assistance. ]

[Up she goes, then, not needing his help at all. Vincent drops his hand, letting his arms disappear into his cloak as it settles at his shoulders again.]

I'd still like to think our hosts have some explaining to do.

Indeed.

It would be appreciated if they'd do so without violence.

[ BUT IF SHE MUST-- ]

[She's got more fire to her than Vincent, who just feels Tired at the prospect of more violence being thrown into the mix, and so soon after his arrival. In the end, he just lets out a sigh.]

Might be wishful thinking. Still, I'll be better prepared the next time there's trouble. Especially if I can use my magic.

[Which he could not against her shadow. Apparently, based on her advice.]

Yes... well, regardless, what we fight next will ideally be a little less... attached to us.

[ In some way, shape, or form. ]

How is your Magic Resistance, actually?

Magic resistance…? I’d rather not be struck by magic at all, but…

[It’s highest in the party. And though Vincent certainly doesn’t think in meta video game stats, this is just instinctually known to him—]

I can take a hit if I have to. Probably several. Why?

In a fight, I can slowly drain an opponent's life force if their Magic Resistance is too low. I can't say for certain that it wouldn't be a risk for an ally, so I wanted to verify that you wouldn't be in danger.

[ It's not something she likes to admit, but she so rarely fights beside those she has to consider it being a risk for. ]

[She can drain an opponent's life force? That's certainly detrimental to an opponent, but perhaps moreso to an ally if it actually applied.]

I didn't feel... drained just now, when we fought your shadow. I'm probably fine.

[A beat.]

Is that what you meant when you said your shadow would devour magic? You can do the same?

That's correct. In a way, devouring magic and things like lightning make me stronger, but I'd prefer to not make use of it here. I doubt I'd need to.

Could I use magic to make you stronger if I was an ally?

[Just out of curiosity. Doesn't hurt to be prepared, even if she'd prefer for it to be a last resort.]

... As in, feeding it purposely to me?

[ She gives him a very cautious stare. ]

[Stares back, assessing.]

Only as a last resort since you said you'd prefer not to. Just weighing my options.

I have plenty of magic at my disposal, that's all.

I see.

[ Barghest is silent for a moment, considering this. ]

It's a possibility, but I'd advise against it unless we had no further options available to us. This hotel doesn't strike me as the kind of place that will legitimately try to kill us, but we can keep it in mind.

I would rather not cause inconveniences.

[And he's silent, too, just for a moment. He doesn't believe she owes him a full explanation, but there's a critical piece of information he's missing here.]

Of course not. But I don't understand. How is making you stronger an "inconvenience?"

Event Log #002

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