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

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[unfastens]

PHASE 1/2:

-- Watch out!

[ are you also here to enjoy a fresh pizza from the legendary Pizza Floor? Perhaps you are too distracted by delicious pizza smells to heed the warning called? Either way, think fast: a football-sized hole opens up out of nowhere right beneath your character's feet, seemingly timed just so to make them trip and spill their food, fall right into a member of the wait staff, or some other high school bully-level prank.

Early in the week, it's restricted to just that: pranks. However, later in the week, his shadow's behavior takes a decidedly more sadistic turn. Anyone visiting the beach floor may suddenly find themselves being shoved towards jagged rocks, pointy seashell shards, and particularly large waves by a shadow that constantly seems to be a minute ahead of the man who cast it. ]

PHASE 3:

[ As much as he might be used to long hours staking out areas or keeping watch for enemies, he's never had to do so while actively being drained of strength. Old habits die hard; weak as he might feel, he'd resolved to catch his shadow before it caused any serious trouble, and so he'd pressed on through the exhaustion. By the end of the week, his search finally bears fruit - technically. It's more like the shadow finds him. And by that point, he's weakened enough that he can barely fight back.

Which leads to the current situation: Bucciarati, halfway sunken into the ground in a floor of the hotel that looks like some kind of endless swimming pool. Not only is he waist-deep in his own shadow, he's about chest-deep in the shallow water, too. However, he's still hanging on - somewhat literally. All that's keeping him from being tugged down into the darkness is his Stand, Sticky Fingers, which has one hand, still barely connected to its arm by a long zipper, desperately clutching a beam along the ceiling. Its other arm is around Bucciarati, who's holding on rather weakly.

(If your character is acquainted with the supernatural, anyway. If they have zero acquaintance with magic, then his Stand's invisible, and this scene is at least twice as weird.) ]

... Pull me out, [ he croaks. Demandingly, even, as much as one can be demanding while this enervated. ]

Phase 2

[warmaid]

[The beach floor is a place where Kokomi is commonly found, given her affinity for the ocean and the fact that her room is on that floor. With all of the weirdness of the shadows going on, she is currently taking a walk along the shoreline and trying to ignore the dark figure that's following her.

(Luckily, her own shadow hasn't escalated beyond phase one just yet, contenting itself with lethargically following her around and occasionally trying to drag her away when there are too many people around.)

The called out warning is what alerts her that something is amiss, although it doesn't come quickly enough to prevent her from being shoved by a much-taller shadow out into the waves. She's quickly engulfed in the water, and if not for her Vision she'd be in danger of drowning then and there.

Her own shadow is no help at all. It sits down on the beach and just watches. Thanks for nothing.]

[unfastens]

[ he has no idea that she has any kind of power; all he sees is a woman getting shoved into the ocean and swiftly getting pulled out by a receding wave. ]

Shit.

[ his shadow is already escaping the scene of the crime, though it does pause to look amused (as much as a shadow can look amused) before darting off down the coast. If its intention was to distract Bruno, it worked: he lets it go, instead running towards and jumping into the surf for a rescue. Fortunately, the weather is fine today - as it usually is - and so the water isn't too rough; unfortunately, it's still somewhat hard to see in the water, and all he has to go on is a vague idea of where she got shoved in. ]

[warmaid]

[What follows after Kokomi hits the water is several moments of disorientation. She flails a bit in instinctive panic despite the fact that drowning is not an immediate danger, and in doing so only makes her inability to orient herself that much worse. While the seas around her aren't rough, she's disturbed enough water that her own visibility is quite poor.

She only flails for a few moments, however. Being someone so well acquainted with the ocean means that she knows that panic will only bring doom--Vision or no Vision. She forces herself to still, and in doing so she thinks she can make out a figure not too far from where she's fallen in.]

[unfastens]

[ despite his looks, the man can swim. His father would've been a fool to take his son out on the boat without teaching him how, and those lessons are far from forgotten. The slight sting of the saltwater in his eyes fades into familiar soon enough, and the ever-sunny clime means it's not hard to pick her out once he manages to find the place where she sunk. Determined, he pushes through the waves until he's close enough to grab her, at which point he snags her by the arm and drags her up to the surface with him. It's a bit rough, but he's prizing efficiency here!!

Even after breaching the surface, he doesn't say anything, instead focusing on swimming them both back to shore. Honestly, he doesn't know if she's still conscious, from the way she was just hanging there... ]

phase i

[encoffins]

[He's not... really a pizza guy. Just look at him. He doesn't even know what's legendary about the Pizza Floor. But Vincent needs to fall back into the habit of eating after waking from such a long sleep back home, and food is food. The scent of freshly baked (pizza) pie isn't bad, besides.

So, hilariously, this vampire-esque dressed man is looking for a place to sit, holding a box of pizza in one hand and a fountain drink in the other. This visual comedy will continue to ratchet up in hilarity(?) when a hole opens up beneath his feet, and his leg goes through up to his knee.

Instinct kicks in. He falls to one knee--the one still present and on solid ground--and splays his fingers beneath the pizza box so that it doesn't go flying. He succeeds in that, but he's far less successful in holding onto his drink, which goes flying out of his hands and spills all across the floor.]

https://i.imgur.com/R6GTcDu.png

[unfastens]

[ at least the pizza (and Vincent, I guess) is safe. He'd been holding his breath without realizing; when Vincent comes to a stop with nothing worse than a spilled drink to show for it, he releases it in a long-suffering sigh, rubbing his temples. ]

Sorry. I'm having trouble with my shadow. [ everyone is, presumably, but he still feels the need to apologize. For the time being, he ignores the spilled soda, instead walking over to Vincent and offering a hand. ] Are you all right?

[encoffins]

[He glances up as the other approaches, brow only slightly knitted. This is inconvenient, but not quite crossing the threshold into embarrassing for a man like Vincent. Despite his sad, spilled drink.

He nods, then reaches up to grasp his hand with his own gauntleted one, heaving himself up. Still balancing the pizza.]

I'm fine. ...Is this place always like this?

[unfastens]

Hard to say. I've only been here for a month.

[ pulling Vincent up before letting him go. If he's at all put off by Vincent's odd appearance, he doesn't show it. ]

My understanding is that the hotel itself is a magical entity. [ he pauses as he spots a staff member, flagging them down briefly. ] Excuse me, we need a towel. -- So things "like this" will probably keep happening.

phase 3

[survivaltricks]

[by now, Akira has had a few confrontations with his own shadow, though. . . he's been lucky enough that they've been nothing more than minor scuffles, and he was spared the frightening horror of falling into said shadow like a man falling into the abyss. so when he sees poor Bucciarati sinking into the floor like it is made of quick sand (stand and all still visible, because you know, Persona powers), he can't help the way his heart leaps into his throat]

[THIS SEEMS. . . BAD? THIS IS DEFINITELY BAD!1]

Hey--!

[honestly, Bucciarati doesn't need to tell him twice. the entire floor may be covered in water, but Akira is splashing through it, what looks to be blue tongues of flame dancing around his fingers and wrists as he does so]

Hold on!

[and then that fire bursts into a wild tornado as a demonic winged creature appears, reaching out to grasp at the nearest part of Bucciarati that it can to pull him free]

[unfastens]

[ damn akira pulling out his ultimate form for this...

and it comes as a surprise to both Bucciarati and his Stand (and probably his shadow, too) that it actually works, after he's spent hours here feebly trying to yank himself up. Perhaps this is some kind of heavy-handed metaphor for relying on others more. He would have rather gotten such a tepid piece of advice from a fortune cookie, thanks.

Luckily, once he's uprooted, he comes out easily, landing on his hands and knees with a small splash in the shallow water. The shadow comes with him, but in a much more natural way, sticking below him the way a shadow should once he's on solid ground again. Sticky Fingers remains cautiously holding onto the ceiling with its one unzipped arm and onto Bruno's jacket with the other. It's easier to see now that its form is hazy and ethereal, as if it's not entirely there -- due to Bruno's weakness, no doubt -- but it offers no other insights into its nature, and says nothing other than a concerned-sounding ari. ]

Ugh... [ a heavy breath. ] T -- thank you.

[survivaltricks]

[Satanael doesn't linger long once Bruno is freed, vanishing back into ether with a swirl of blue flame. the fire coalesces around Akira's face, forming a white mask that rests naturally on his features. and with that finished. . . he crouches next to Bruno, one hand resting against his shoulder]

What the hell. . .

[these shadows are more dangerous than he thought!]

Are you okay?

[unfastens]

Yeah... I owe you.

[ he shakes his head slightly, trying to get his bearings. The exhaustion is still present, but he can feel it starting to ebb away - or he thinks he can, anyway. He's usually running on some level of tired to begin with. Finally, he lifts his head, and without the shadow both distracting him and sapping his energy, he gets a better look at his savior. ]

... You're the kid who was sleeping in his curry.

[ that first impression is permanent, apparently...... meanwhile, his Stand finally lets go of the support beam, its arm reeling back into its socket with the sound of a jacket being zipped up. It still doesn't fade away. Bruno's not fully convinced the shadow's gone for good. ]

phase i

[hexensabbat]

[Ringo absolutely is here to enjoy the legendary pizza on the pizza floor. She loves pizza! Amazing invention.




Unfortunately, she absolutely is also not expecting a hole to open up beneath her, so she stumbles, pizza flying out of her hands. There goes the box! It's flying! And flyyyying... and landing with an unfortunate splat.

She winces.]

Oooh, that sounded bad.

[unfastens]

[ the pizza box flies majestically through the air - so majestically, in fact, that the force of that splat squirts out a slice onto Bruno's foot. His fancy shoes... ]

...

[ it's fine. ]

Sorry. I'll get you another one.

[hexensabbat]

[Oh... his fancy shoes.......

Ringo is just peering behind her, looking for what she tripped on (huh??? There's nothing there?), before she glances back over at him with an amused tilt of her head.]

It's all good. It's not like it cost me anything.



Also, wait. It wasn't even your fault.

[unfastens]

[ he shakes his head firmly. ]

It's my shadow. That makes it my responsibility. [ although... as she said, it's not like it cost her anything. He pauses, thinking. ] We'll call it an IOU.

phase 2!

[fixtures]

[ It's not been too long since she's seen the beach — but visiting it here is a welcome treat, anyways. It's her first time taking a look at this floor, after hearing about it from others. And just when she's enjoying the sights and sounds of the calm waves, she's getting shoved right into a cliff wall of jagged rocks to her left side. This is what she gets for staying in the shade....

She's not strong by any means, so the push does what it intended — she slams into the sharp surface, her temple and shoulder taking the brunt of the impact. Yet, she makes no sound of pain, nothing other than a surprised gasp. ]

Oh, dear...

[ When she leans away from the cliff wall, her pale hand goes to her temple, threading through strands of dark hair there. Strangely... not a drop of blood seems to drip from her head, despite allegedly sustaining a wound. And her first order of business is to warn the man nearby, not tend to herself: ]

Be wary — this shadow is feeling a bit rebellious.

[unfastens]

[ bleeding or not, she definitely just slammed her head into a rock, and he's cracked enough skulls to know that the damage doesn't have to be visible to be serious. At least she's still moving and speaking normally. If she's actually seriously injured, he doesn't have any means of helping her immediately - Sticky Fingers isn't much use as a healing Stand outside of reattaching things - but he's sure there must be an infirmary in the building somewhere. It is a hotel. ]

I know - it's mine, [ he says as he comes to a stop, looking her over very swiftly as the wrinkle in his brow deepens. The idea that she's trying to warn him about her own shadow doesn't cross his mind. ] Where did you get hit? Show me.

[ no room for disagreement, lady! ]

[fixtures]

[ In response to his swift, authoritative concern, she seems utterly at peace — when her eyes lift to meet his as he approaches, there's not a trance of strain in her expression. For the moment, it seems both their shadows are waiting for the next opportunity to play a prank, receding to where they belong... ]

Oh? You may take a look, if you wish. But you needn't worry, my dear.

[ One of her hands raises to pull aside her dark bangs, showing the unmarred skin of her temple. She gets the sense he might not believe that she's fine unless he sees it for himself, so she's more than happy to comply. If he reaches out to touch anywhere near the impact site, he'll find her skin is chilled to an unnatural extent. ]

i have lost this tag twice PLEASE let me tag maidchan

[unfastens]

[ there's nothing there, no matter how intently he looks. It's as if she never even touched the rock face. But he knows what he saw, and he trusts his eyes. Something strange is happening - maybe she's a Stand user and was able to deflect the damage somehow. Seeing as he has only spoken to her through the phone, he's not yet aware this is the mysterious "headmaid" ... ]

You've got a hard head.

[ spoken in that plain way of his. Still, his brow is furrowed. ]

phase 3, bc u know i had to

[riproduzione]

[ Traversal in the hotel is odd, it feels easy to get lost even though by rights it shouldn't be. The floor he's on opens up in front of him, water glistening and catching the light. It would look nice, peaceful almost, if he ignored how strangely eerie it is in its existence. Well, that and the sight of what unfolds ahead, already pushing him forward and into the water itself, soaking into the hems of his trousers. His eyes trace over the line of the zipper from the beam to Sticky Fingers, and then along towards the man in the middle of the shadow, looking worse for wear, no doubt from the events of the week.

He's still here. ]

Bucciarati—!

[ Anxiety lances through him, and he picks up his pace, rushing as best as he's able with the water hindering his movements and splashing up around him, causing ripples in the otherwise still water. ]

multi-track threading YEAHHHH

[unfastens]

[ by this point, he's barely hanging onto consciousness, the shadow having sapped almost all of his energy over the course of the past week - but the familiar voice urges whatever part of him is still fighting to concentrate, and as his eyes refocus on the person coming towards him, they suddenly widen. ]

Abbacchio?

[ How ironic that Bucciarati finds him as soon as he's unable to actually continue looking. After so long, he'd begun to believe the other man had simply passed on, or whatever might happen to them if they decided to leave the place; that brought its own set of regrets, but it was Abbacchio's choice to speak with him again or not, and it was better to imagine he was gone than to keep searching for him fruitlessly. But no: he was here, somewhere, and (unsurprisingly, for a guy with a Stand like his) his timing is impeccable.

Unfortunately, the brief lapse in concentration makes his own Stand weaken for a moment, and the shadow jerks him in slightly deeper with a splash. The water rises up his torso a little higher, and the cold steals away even more of his energy - but, dammit, he's not about to give up right in front of one of his men. Gritting his teeth, he struggles against the dark tendrils, desperately trying to yank one of his arms back out of the void. ]

its been......... ONE WEEK (sowry)

[riproduzione]

[ When Bucciarati calls out, his voice doesn't carry nearly as much as he'd have expected it to, and that alone is what has him calling Moody Blues out. While the water continues to soak into his clothes and splash up around him, slowing him down, Moody Blues appears a little ahead of him, already moving in the direction of Bucciarati, the water seemingly doing little to impede their route.

His Stand reaches Bucciarati in no time at all, but without much to work with, the best they're able to do is grasp onto Bucciarati's bicep in an attempt to keep him from sinking even deeper into the shadow, maybe apply some leverage so that the arm itself can be freed from the shadows coalescing beneath the water. When Abbacchio reaches them, he practically slides to a stop in the water, dropping to his knees so they're at eye level. ]

We're getting you out of here.

[ He says it with such conviction, there's no chance in hell he's leaving here without Bucciarati — either they walk out together or they both get consumed by the shadow, and he's not allowing himself to think about that possibility for a second. With some finagling, and with Moody Blues moving around to stand behind Bucciarati, he's able to hook an arm under Bucciarati's, ignoring the icy cold that immediately chills his skin as he does. Over his shoulder, he looks towards Sticky Fingers, then back. ]

You've got enough left in you for this, surely?

[ It comes out almost like a taunt, trying to goad Bucciarati into expending what little strength he has left, because as much as he wishes he could, he doesn't think he can manage from this angle alone. ]

i forgive u

[unfastens]

[ It still feels miraculous to see Abbacchio just walk up to him - once again, he's come back from oblivion. He vaguely thinks that it's ironic that Abbacchio would come to save his life when Bucciarati had failed to do the same, but he's tired enough that it slips from his mind's eye and back into his unconscious at once. This isn't the time for pointless self-flagellation; he has to fight.

While he doesn't do much more than grunt in response, Sticky Fingers seems slightly more alert, looking over at both Moody Blues when it arrives, and then at Abbacchio when he turns to it; it utters an ari! in place of a reply from its master, redoubling its efforts to tug him out, feeble though they may be.

The shadow feels less like a separate entity tugging on Bruno and more like a drain at the bottom of the pool, forcefully trying to suck him down through gravity. The additional effort from Abbacchio and his Stand adds just enough balance to their side for Bruno to yank his other arm free from the darkness. Immediately, he grabs onto Abbacchio's shoulder, instead, gripping as tightly as he can. There's still some fight left in him, after all. ]

A little more...