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.

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PHASE I

[ The majority of you have probably never seen this massive suit of armor--sorry, woman? Woman. She's pretty damn tall. And wearing the armor easily, but more than all of that, which is admittedly pretty obvious, she is.

Uh.

Staring at you? More specifically, staring at some area just slightly off of you, her mismatched eyes narrowing in...? Irritation? Disapproval? Regardless-- ]

Don't move.

[ Hm. ]

PHASE II

[ Things have minorly escalated and this knight looks less than thrilled with it. Perhaps because this doesn't seem to be conducive to relaxing, as promised, and she likely expected that there was little to trust about this place, but.

For whatever reason, you pass her. Maybe you're chasing after your shadow. Maybe you're running. Maybe it's just sedate walking. Whatever it is, there's a very minuscule breeze generated by this action and she suddenly staggers, putting one hand on the wall for balance.

This is followed by a very low growl as she immediately straightens, glancing around quickly to make sure no one saw that.

... You probably saw it. ]

PHASE III

[ So it's come to this. What is this?

Well, that depends. Catch her fighting someone's shadow (maybe it's yours, maybe it's her own), using her sword to slice through a flung pillow, or if you're currently being sucked into shadow quicksand, there'll be a hand reaching for yours. ]

Catch hold!!

[ It's not a request. ]

[ ooc: also open to wildcard! ]

[The shadow she’s fighting is a tricky thing. It’s swift, and sometimes it whorls this way and that to avoid her attacks, looking more amorphous than man-shaped during these wraith-like moments. But it does eventually solidify into an inky black shape, framed a bit like someone she might recognize (or not) — even if it’s mostly a dark silhouette of that figure.

Vincent’s shadow, unlike the real thing, isn’t touting a firearm; but it’s just as quick-footed and hard to pin down as the real thing. It drops from the ceiling, then lurches forward with a very sharp, claw-tipped gauntlet and makes a careless swipe right at Barghest’s middle.]

[ Ah, yes. If she couldn't tell, then it's just a matter of it forming its gauntlet for her to fully achieve recognition. ]

I don't much care for stray dogs who bare their fangs at those stronger than them. You ought to return to your master before I drag you back myself!

[ ... Yes, she's trash-talking the shadow. Sorry, Vincent. But it swipes at her and she twists to the side, striking back with a wide swing of her blade.

It's a shadow. She doesn't think this is going to do much damage, if any, but it seems unfair to let it attack her without offering any kind of retaliation. It's much faster than she'd expected; is Vincent the same, then? ]

[I can't believe she's trash-talking Vincent's shadow. This poor dude.

The swing of her blade cleaves through the shadow, and while this does seem to make it stagger back, it reforms again in a few seconds. It doesn't reply, but from its body language alone, it seems to act a bit more animalistic than man.

Case in point: the way it circles her, as though trying to find a weak point through all that armor. It lunges again, swift, seeking to shoulder-check her straight into the wall -- a move that might not work terribly well, if she's as heavy as she looks.

(Maybe, it thinks, it just needs to be bigger-)]

[ Hello, Giant Woman in armor who seems to be struggling with her sense of balance, here is an average-sized woman in not-armor who also seems to be struggling. Sumina roams the halls with her hand clutched tightly into a bow on her blouse, feeling as if whatever is missing here has left a gaping void within her... This is no good.

Passing by the other woman does indeed seem to throw them both off-balance, and Sumina finds her side slumping onto a wall, though soon she is joined by a giant, gauntlet-wearing hand, which seems to zip past her face at eye-level before the wall. Followed by a very low growl indeed. Help.

...She definitely saw it, needless to say. ]

Um... M-My apologies, ser knight—

a. phase two

[ A little trouble with shadows isn't all that unusual for a jujutsu sorcerer, even if these are a little more spunky than what he's used to. Gojo's own shadow has detached from him but is never too far behind, ready to heckle him at any given opportunity. It's whatever — nothing the Strongest can't handle, at the very least, and he's sure that like with the ninjas, this will probably just resolve on its own, eventually. Better he use his time to keep others from getting whaled on by their shadows instead, right?

Shadows are, by their definition, a lack of anything, however, and so his cursed technique, which relies on the manipulation of space and matter, doesn't work on them. But again — it's fine. He loves an opportunity to think outside the box, and figure out how to send them packing.

If he encounters someone in distress from their shadow, he will teleport behind the shadow and lift a hand to cover where their eyes would be. ]

Hah. Gotcha.

[ From behind him, his own shadow (which appears to be leaning back against the wall with his arms behind his head) chimes in with a helpful, "Don't tell me you actually think that's going to do anything." ]

— Ehh, just ignore him. We're not on speaking terms at the moment.

b. phase three

[ As it turns out, ignoring his shadow wasn't really the winning solution he wanted it to be.

His condition only worsens as the week goes on, and he can be found taking frequent breaks in hallways and around the hotel as he tries to get around without his shadow. You might even find him floating around in the zerograv of floor 24.

Eventually, when his shadow catches up with him again, he no longer has the strength to fight back against it, but as it attempts to tug him into the depths of a shadowy whirlpool, he at least manages to, like, grab onto the leg of a chair or a vase or something. He's fighting back as much as his sapped strength allows him to, okay. ]

Ugh...this is the worst. Do you have any idea how uncool I look right now? Just — hold still so I can hit you with this.

[ "Would you even have the heart to kill me again? Satoru?"

Gojo freezes. That...isn't his voice, but it's one he knows by heart. ]

c. wildcard

[ Not feeling either of the above prompts? Hit me with something else! I'm open to any kind of shadow business, either as the rescuer or the rescued! ]

[demon? Demon??? She's so huge and that suit of armor just screams some sort of Extra demon--

But.

Well.

Ringo's instincts tell her to listen to the very large woman, and so she does, freezing in place.]

[ She does, indeed, find him floating around in the zerograv of floor 24, and most fortuitously so— she arrives just as he reunites with his shadow, which seems like a fitting resolution to this entire chaotic affair with everyone's shadows separating over this past week, but when the shadow instead behaves like a void ready to engulf its owner, Sumina pushes off of the various architectural features of their hallway to propel herself in his and his shadow's direction. ]

That voice—?

[ It doesn't sound... like his? She shakes her head. It doesn't matter what the voice sounds like. It matters that the sound of it has rendered Gojo seemingly paralyzed. It really is a blessing that weightlessness is as far as the hallway goes as far as imitating wildspace, which allows Sumina to draw in a deep breath and then shout, louder than she has ever sounded before: ]

Satoru! Don't listen to it!

[ No, he's never seen her before, but he sure does love to see a woman who could crush him as soon as look at him.

Though the way she's currently looking at him is a bit startling, and he freezes in place. ]

Erm. Everything alright?

[ Winter has not fared much better than Gojo throughout this whole mess, but for a mercy, someone was able to pull him out of his own shadow when he needed the help. Now armed with the knowledge of how this is supposed to work on some level, he's taken to patrolling the halls when he can, in case he finds someone else in a similarly sticky situation.

Of all the people in all the hotel, though, he didn't expect to find Gojo in this sort of sticky situation. Nor did he expect to hear a completely different voice coming out of that shadow's mouth. They're getting crafty now, are they? ]

It's playing games with your head, my friend.

[ Winter says, closing the distance between them with sure, quick steps. Starlight and darkness are beginning to gather in the palm of his hand. ]

I. wardrobe malfunction (phase I)

[ Perhaps it starts as a hard tug on your hair, or your shoelaces getting untied. A sleeve getting cut off? An accessory stolen? Any and all of the above, the maid is there watching the (mostly) harmless prank be pulled by your shadow. She lets out a quiet tsk sound, raising a hand to shield whatever part of you is being terrorized. ]

Now, that is no way to treat someone.

[ Briefly, she'll meet your eyes with a kind smile, before looking back to the offending shadow. ]

Shall we go over our manners?

[ She speaks to your shadow the way one would talk to a young child who is acting out — gently, but firmly. In her mind, these shadows are something like restless spirits... bored, and longing for attention. They don't deserve derision, at least not yet.. Perhaps all they need is for someone to talk to them. It's why she makes no further effort to stop the prank — will your shadow keep acting out? Switch targets instead? ✨WYD??✨ ]

II. FINISH THEM (phase II/III)

[ As the week progresses, it becomes more and more obvious that reuniting people with their shadows is to everyone's benefit. While she would much rather just wait and let things settle... she's open to collaborating, when it comes to cornering these apparitions, especially once the weakness from their absence becomes noticeable. For a while now, the two of you have been on the tail of your shadow and hers — and the chase has led you to a floor ironically themed after a restaurant kitchen. ]

Where could they be...?

[ But oh no, what's that? As soon as they walk fully into the room, the shadows ambush them from behind with nary a sound. In a blink of an eye, she gets a knife plunged in her back, and a pan gets swung hard at the back of your head, Tangled™ style. Better do something quick!! ]

III. sneepy (phase III)

[ Look, sometimes, you haven't felt the human emotion of Tired in so long. It's actually... almost kind of nice? To feel like if she closed her eyes, she might drift off into sleep for the first time in hundreds of years? Where would this shadow take her, anyway? Would it matter? They remind her of the house, so the thought crosses her mind that she's just being whisked away from the hotel to return to where she belongs. It'll be fine.

By the time her shadow begins pulling her under into the abyss, its antics have worn her down enough that she's really just getting dragged into her shadow by foot from where she's laying on the floor. On closer inspection, she doesn't even appear conscious. somebody wake this bitch up before it's too late!! ]

IV. wildcard

( always down to wildcard too, if you have something specific in mind!! :^) )

[ She is, unfortunately, as heavy as she looks. She is, however, missing her shadow, so her balance is not the most ideal at the moment, so what happens is a bit of a compromise. She doesn't hit the wall but she does stumble a bit.

She won't be able to banish it like this, not when she can't quite dispel it entirely, but she's not about to make it easier for this thing, either. ]

[ Human? ... No, not entirely, it seems, from a closer look at her, which might possibly be kind of scary when it looks as though this woman who is comfortably over six feet tall looks like she's glowering at her.

She pauses, then lowers her hand, taking a few seconds to straighten to her no-less-intimidating height. ]

Unless that was intentional, that was not your doing.

[ Wow? Calling her Extra? Rude. In the brackets where she can't hear it, no less!

But she does stand there, glaring at... again, it's not exactly Ringo, but. ]

Do shadows tend to move independently in this place?

[ Ringo isn't moving, now that she can confirm it, so why-- ]

The shadows have been moving somewhat rebelliously, which is not something I tend to associate with a shadow. I thought it might perhaps be my imagination, which is why I asked you to halt so I could confirm it for myself.

[ That was not a request, Barghest. ]

[A stumble is good, but not good enough. Not for how violent this shadow feels, how much it wants to tear into an enemy just for the sake of it. No, she's too big for it to do any damage looking like this, but this shadow is a reflection of Vincent himself, and it has a few borrowed tricks up its figurative sleeves.

It hunches over, and its frame seems to grow... bigger. The contoured lines of its dark silhouette swell and bulge, almost like it were shifting form into something else. Two huge horns start to protrude from its head--

The sound of a gunshot. A bullet fires out, slamming through the shadow's head, and the form temporarily reels back. Vincent himself stands farther down the corridor, leaning most of his weight against the wall. Weakened, but certainly not weak enough to not have fired his weapon, its muzzle smoking.]

Over here.

[That's... his blasted shadow. He can try to deal with it.]

[ There hadn't been much fight left in him to give, and even with his hand still clutched around the mouth of a vase, he's now heedless to stop the shadow from pulling him in deeper. Tch, cheap tactic, using his voice against him like that. It cuts to his core, as it always does.

That's why he's here in the first place, isn't it? Figures he wouldn't be able to escape it, even at this hotel —

Sumina's voice cuts through the lethargic fog weighing him down. Don't listen to it. Don't listen to it.

Satoru. ]

Ngh — Mina-chan?

[ His eyes snap wide, searching for her, even half submerged with his shadow's arms around his middle. ]

Can — can you believe this guy? Using dirty tricks...

[ "Lying to your friends again? Is that all you ever do anymore?" ]

[ Yes, he's clearly going to do great at dealing with it while he's half-slumped against a wall. Barghest is still processing how the shadow itself had begun to warp its shape, the horns she had seen--

If this was Vincent's Shadow, does that mean this pale twig of a man wrapped in a curtain is capable of...

Well, it's not that important now. He calls to the shadow, but it's Barghest who moves to him first, whirling to face the shadow. ]

Not a very effective challenge if you can't stand up straight.

[ Way too crafty, and this particularly dirty trick is far more effective against him than it should be. He knows better, of course he does, but he also knew better in Shibuya station. That's why it stings so much, that the one who remains so close to his heart is now used against him like this, again and again.

And this time, it's being used against him by himself, in some twisted way. What a cruel joke...

It seems he's not the only one who realizes this, even if it takes Winter's voice to snap him out of his reverie, his body half-submerged in the inky darkness of the shadow's influence. ]

— Winter? Hah, aren't you a sight for sore eyes.

[ Which might sound a bit strange, given it hasn't been that long since they last spoke, but really, what Gojo means is that he's glad he's Winter and not an apparition of the man whose voice came from his shadow. ]

[These shadows were a nuisance, but dangerous ones. Amelia has been doing her best to keep an eye out for them especially as their aggression has increased in the past two days. And good thing she's constantly vigilant because she's caught the mysterious maid sinking into a shadow.

Amelia's shoes thud against the floor and she shouts out to the woman.]

Giselle!!

[The witch reaches her and squats by her side. It's her foot that's been taken hold of. She swears under her breath and not wanting to waste time spell casting (not yet), she shakes her awake by grasping her shoulders.]

Wake up! Don't just take it!!

I don’t need to stand up straight to fire my weapon.

[He says, weakened but not unmotivated to put an end to whatever is happening. He might not know how this hotel ended cleaving him away from his own shadow, but Vincent isn’t going to let it wander about attacking people if he has anything to say about it.]

Or cast magic. You need to move aside.

[The shadow straightens again, whipping its head forward to gnash its maw at the two. Barghest especially, since she’s near — now, it’s well and truly taken the form of a large, muscular beast.]

[ That unfamiliar voice cuts through again, though Sumina is paying it hardly any attention. Satoru is weighed down by a lethargy wholly unlike the one she had seen of him just a few weeks ago; this isn't a sweet spell of sleepiness bidding him to take a nap. This is dark - quite literally so - and insidious, and he is very much in danger.

Blessedly, she had taken to wearing her magical items around when all of this strangeness with their shadows started. Though she's far from capable of truly holding her own in an attack, she hopes she can still lend a helping hand. In so saying, she tugs on her gloves decisively and then snaps her fingers, causing two Mage Hands to appear, with one curling its fingers around the wrist of his hand that holds precariously onto a vase, and the other finding purchase around his other arm.

Just in time for her to arrive in earnest, as she floats over the void that threatens to swallow Gojo whole. ]

I'm not interested in what he has to say, or what he means to do.

[ She holds out her gloved hand. ]

I'm here to help my neighbor. Come on, Satoru.

[ She is, quite literally, lending a helping hand, though with the tone and meaning of his shadow's words reverberating in his head, it takes him a moment to register the hands tugging at his arms. Oh...she used that when she'd opened the door for him that one time, huh? When he brought her an espresso because he broke the espresso machine. Kind of.

...Heh. Her neighbor Satoru...in spite of himself and his current predicament, his lips twitch in a slight smile. ]

...Yeah, okay.

[ He reaches for her hand, but no sooner has she taken it than does the shadow decide to fight back once more. It seems unable to hold onto Gojo any more than it already is, its strength rather limited, but Gojo has to desire freedom for himself to escape it completely.

"Hm...so not even a friend, and merely a neighbor. I suppose you'll lie to her all you like without remorse, then!" ]

Goooooood, will you shut up?

[ The blade is brought up again, intercepting the shadow's jaws as she shoves back against the beast, flames flickering along the sword now. ]

What, concerned about hitting me? You needn't be.

[ He did not say that was why?? ]

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Event Log #002

QUESTIONS

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phase 3, shadow fight bc i choose the most dramatic option

of course you do

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ii

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i.

b for 'bayleaf this is so mean'

i.

also here for b for bayleaf is mean

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:3c

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my legacy...

phase iii

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