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October Event
10/02 06:12
✽ Silence lifts at six in the morning, and there is still quite a bit of time before classes start. Early risers who decide to return to school from the dorms cross the courtyard and open the double doors and—- something cold and wet drips down onto their head: old blood from the torso of a student(?) bound by rope and strung up above the doors to the courtyard, body burned black and cut in half at the waist.
The air is heavy, and the entire school smells of blood.
Hope... month...
✽ A large poster advertising the student store has been tacked up on the bulletin board. For October, store hours are now 6AM to 8PM Monday to Saturday, and noon to 4PM on Sundays. Outside of those hours, the shopkeeper is occasionally in the shop and will leave the door propped open if they are, but more often than not, the door is closed and there is no answer when knocking on the door. Laundry tokens can now be purchased at a reasonable price. The rock gacha machine is now located just outside the door so it can be played at any time. Please continue to spend your hard-eared points on plain boring normal rocks.
✽ In the dormitory, the construction paper covering the oil paintings start to soak through with blood, causing the papers to grow heavy and fall. The distorted faces in the paintings seem to be bleeding from their open wounds, the canvas wet to the touch and smelling of blood. Blood dripping down the walls and on the floor do not cause the dorms to change, nor do the splatters of blood seen on the glass over the star dormitory rooms occasionally throughout the month, as if it had rained blood in the darkness and silence of night, although no other evidence is seen elsewhere in the courtyard.
✽ The wisteria tree slowly continues to lose its petals, and the area roughly ten feet around the trunk of the tree has become completely dead and barren, leaving dry dirt underneath. Despite shedding its petals, new buds are becoming noticeable now too. The spider lilies that bloomed during the autumnal equinox remain, still covering the rest of the courtyard and extending into the forest surrounding the school. Outside, the air smells faintly metallic at all times.
✽ Occasionally throughout the month and increasing in frequency and intensity towards the end of the month, characters with 13 or more tallies will find themselves sensitive to sunlight and loud noises, prone to vertigo upon standing or turning too quickly, and suffering ice pick headaches throughout the day.
✽ Characters with 5 or less tallies will hear faint white noise during the normally silent hours of midnight to 6AM, but no other sound.
✽ The class roster on the bulletin board acknowledges class 1-D for leading the rest of the classes in rank, being the first to reach 100. All characters in first year classes and #-D classes will receive 500 merit points and will be able to exit out the front door to the school. They will be able to make it up to the front gate, but will find themselves growing lightheaded and about to pass out if they try to squeeze through the bars or climb over the gate itself. Please contact me privately if they would try to get out anyways.
✽ The void in the auditorium continues to grow, and (pending character interaction) by the end of the month will encompass the entire right wing of the first floor past the lockers, the home ec cooking room on the second floor, as well as the art club room on the third floor.
✽ In the dormitory, the construction paper covering the oil paintings start to soak through with blood, causing the papers to grow heavy and fall. The distorted faces in the paintings seem to be bleeding from their open wounds, the canvas wet to the touch and smelling of blood. Blood dripping down the walls and on the floor do not cause the dorms to change, nor do the splatters of blood seen on the glass over the star dormitory rooms occasionally throughout the month, as if it had rained blood in the darkness and silence of night, although no other evidence is seen elsewhere in the courtyard.
✽ The wisteria tree slowly continues to lose its petals, and the area roughly ten feet around the trunk of the tree has become completely dead and barren, leaving dry dirt underneath. Despite shedding its petals, new buds are becoming noticeable now too. The spider lilies that bloomed during the autumnal equinox remain, still covering the rest of the courtyard and extending into the forest surrounding the school. Outside, the air smells faintly metallic at all times.
✽ Occasionally throughout the month and increasing in frequency and intensity towards the end of the month, characters with 13 or more tallies will find themselves sensitive to sunlight and loud noises, prone to vertigo upon standing or turning too quickly, and suffering ice pick headaches throughout the day.
✽ Characters with 5 or less tallies will hear faint white noise during the normally silent hours of midnight to 6AM, but no other sound.
✽ The class roster on the bulletin board acknowledges class 1-D for leading the rest of the classes in rank, being the first to reach 100. All characters in first year classes and #-D classes will receive 500 merit points and will be able to exit out the front door to the school. They will be able to make it up to the front gate, but will find themselves growing lightheaded and about to pass out if they try to squeeze through the bars or climb over the gate itself. Please contact me privately if they would try to get out anyways.
✽ The void in the auditorium continues to grow, and (pending character interaction) by the end of the month will encompass the entire right wing of the first floor past the lockers, the home ec cooking room on the second floor, as well as the art club room on the third floor.
Exchange Program
✽ On October 11, students participating in the exchange program are given one pocket knife each and sent out the front doors, upon which they will find themselves in that canon location as if they had stepped out of any normal door in the area. For characters who visit their own canon's location, they will find all their friends and family alive and happy— except for the one person they are closest to, who will be absent. Nobody there will recognize your character or the person they are closest to, regarding both as complete strangers, as if neither have ever existed in the first place. But otherwise... think of it as canon good end, in contrast to elevator bad end.
✽ There is no bus to take them back to Yogen and they can stay as long as they'd like, even forever if they feel like it. If they wish to return to their real home, though, they would have to first return to Yogen and figure things out from there. The first time they open the pocket knife, they will find a piece of paper tucked between the blade and the handle reading "Use to return." If they use it on other people, that's the local law enforcement's business. In order to return to Yogen, perhaps remembering Natsume's presentation mentioning how they got there in the first place, they will have to use the knife on themselves, or otherwise die by happenstance or, eventually, old age. Two weeks after their return to school, they will find one additional tally on the inside of their wrist.
✽ In return, Yogen receives three exchange students: two familiar and one not.
✽ There is no bus to take them back to Yogen and they can stay as long as they'd like, even forever if they feel like it. If they wish to return to their real home, though, they would have to first return to Yogen and figure things out from there. The first time they open the pocket knife, they will find a piece of paper tucked between the blade and the handle reading "Use to return." If they use it on other people, that's the local law enforcement's business. In order to return to Yogen, perhaps remembering Natsume's presentation mentioning how they got there in the first place, they will have to use the knife on themselves, or otherwise die by happenstance or, eventually, old age. Two weeks after their return to school, they will find one additional tally on the inside of their wrist.
✽ In return, Yogen receives three exchange students: two familiar and one not.
OOC
✽ The first prompt leads into this month's mini-event, which is becoming a misnomer, maybe they should be called murder events instead.
✽ All students leaving on the exchange program will icly be gone for at least 10/11 - 10/17, although they will be able to return at any later date in October, at the player's discretion, regardless of how much time they experienced on their trip. Just like in the bad end elevator and the void school, nothing physical can be taken back from the exchange trip, but characters can at least drain their bank accounts eating good food and exploring town before coming back.
✽ The new exchange students are former npcs Kouji Seki and Chiaki Kudo, as well as a new student ???. They can be interacted with in their corresponding toplevels below, after 10/11.
✽ All students leaving on the exchange program will icly be gone for at least 10/11 - 10/17, although they will be able to return at any later date in October, at the player's discretion, regardless of how much time they experienced on their trip. Just like in the bad end elevator and the void school, nothing physical can be taken back from the exchange trip, but characters can at least drain their bank accounts eating good food and exploring town before coming back.
✽ The new exchange students are former npcs Kouji Seki and Chiaki Kudo, as well as a new student ???. They can be interacted with in their corresponding toplevels below, after 10/11.
no subject
I'll give it a shot. I think I know where the place is, just never had any reason to go in there... Hmm, no red though, huh? The art club's like that too, it's a hassle. You know what's up with that?
no subject
[when you stay with three other people, you trust their eyes to be like your own in that space.]
Just another one of this school's mysteries, in the end. But even without red, I'm confident you'll be able to make something lovely. It might even wind up being an interesting challenge...changing your creative vision.
no subject
The desk rattles for a moment as he places his hands on it and leans forward. The bottom of his boot scrapes against the floor as he pulls it back before tapping the tip of his boot against the floor with a series of small taps. ]
Hmmm... Maybe.
[ Ranger was loud and dramatic to the point of being obnoxious, but his voice lowers to something quieter now. It's far closer to the sort of tone that the average person might use when considering something for the very first time - contemplative and curious, but with a layer of disbelief tucked away underneath the surface.
Tap, tap, tap.... He manages to shake the anxiety out of it, but his voice remains unusually level, ]
Well, it's fine. Red's not really better than any color, I just like vibrant colors and patterns, stuff like that... [ There's a thoughtful little hum before he adds: ] It's the same with sounds, ain't it? Birds chirping and other nature sounds are fine, but so is the sound of rain.
[ Not that he's ever heard either of those, sans recordings and the knowledge inherent to him. ]
no subject
[she sounds fond, and looks it - a little wistful, holding onto the good memories in her heart. a little smile, calm.]
But you...you're probably the sort who'd love music, the brighter the better. Something with lots of brass instruments, so it could go "pah-pah, pah-pah, dah-ka-da-daaaaaaa", the sort that makes your heart beat with it.
no subject
But he keeps his tone light, pepped up by an exaggerated enthusiasm, ]
Ahaha! You got it in one. Yep, I like lively music... Well, I don't think I've heard much that I've disliked, though.
[ Mostly because his tastes reflect those of his creators, with just enough tweaks to feel individualized. Ranger offers a thoughtful little hum, his tone leveling a touch as he moves on, ]
But if I ever had the chance I think I'd wanna be a part of the scene you described. I bet nature's got a pretty nice soundtrack, ahaha! It must put your heart at ease to put your heart at ease to be outside in such a lively place, eh?
[ Right, it was good for people in general. There were many document benefits of spending time outside. ]
no subject
[she laughs very softly. it's a good memory to have, and she wonders - does Ranger not know that joy? if he grew up in a busy city, it's possible, but also some people here come from such strange places it's easier to assume nothing, to let the facts come as they are.]
Say...I have an idea of what we can do for fun today, provided we haven't missed all the daylight.
[standing from her seat, she carefully collects the laptop - it has to go right back where Shin keeps it.]
Trust me for a little while?
no subject
He thinks he has an idea of what she's getting at, but it nonetheless takes Ranger a few seconds to process it. This isn't the kind of conversation that he's used to. This isn't the kind of offer that should be made to someone like him. Or maybe it was? Ranger, too, was made with the intention of supporting humans. It's just one more piece of his existence that rakes at him. ]
... Huh? [ The confusion fades pretty quickly. His voice softens a little, some of the exaggerated pep ebbing as he lowers it to a conversational tone. The desk shakes again as he pushes himself off of it and stands upright. ] Sure, I don't mind. It's not like I've got anything else going on.
no subject
[standing up, she takes the laptop back to its home - thank you for your work today, Shin's laptop. and then, she guides herself to the door, pausing before she goes all the way out.]
Just follow me, then.
[she expects Ranger to follow behind her, as she goes out the workshop and down the stairs, out into the grounds. she doesn't stop in the courtyard, rather, she keeps tapping away and following a path that will lead them closer to the dorms, where the grass and spider lilies are still growing, closer to the edge of the forest that surrounds the school. and then, when they are in the midst of it, halfway between the dorms and the school and the forest, she goes off the path, and then...sits down in the grass and flowers, laying her cane beside her. gently, she pats the ground next to her.]
Come sit down, and close your eyes. That'll be the best way to listen.
no subject
Well, it would have to be good enough. He stops when she does, a few steps behind. He takes a seat next to her when prompted, one gloved hand, but he's not sure if he should accede to the latter. It was true that cutting off one sense strengthened the others as the focus shifted to them, but he wasn't so inclined as to so much as close one eye with the people he stayed around, and he trusts the company here even less for lack of any real knowledge of them.
So he doesn't agree immediately, and there is instead a soft huff of breath. But he shifts his position a little more. ]
Can't hear things properly when you're busy looking at them, huh? Okay, sure.
[ There's still a trace of uncertainty in his voice, but he seems willing enough to comply. In the end he knows it hardly matters. If he were that careless, then whatever happened would be deserved. ]
no subject
and, the real reason she asked him out here, the sweet, bright sounds of small birds chirping to each other. not as many as there might be out in a field, or somewhere in the living world, but enough to color the senses, the birdsong in drops like falling rain to gently cover them both. they aren't concerned with anything but their own little lives, and Helena is absolutely still, silent - everything simply exists right now.]
no subject
Ranger has been outside since coming here. He spent enough of it outside, but he was always busy. He was always distracting himself with one thing or another, or otherwise trying to find something to distract himself with. That was always how it was, and even moreso in a place where it seemed as though he'd lost anything and everything that justified his existence.
But he does so now, and is pleasantly surprised by the results. The sun bathing down on him is a novel sensation even now, warm and pleasant, and all the small sounds of nature that come together that blend together harmoniously. It's completely different than a recording, as he thought. It better matches the knowledge he has of such things; he knows how birds sound, how the ocean sounds, he knows the sounds and sights of places that he was never intended to visit. He knew everything that a human should know.
But he'd wanted to be human. He'd wanted to experience those things for himself. He liked the ideas of stars and constellations, birds and plants, of bustling cities and their bright lights. How lucky humans were, how fortunate, and how much he'd wanted to live that life.
But he takes this in without complaint. He thinks he should be happy, for all that he wanted it, but there's still a vacant and empty feeling. But he's not unhappy, either. It's not a bad feeling. He opens his eyes after some time, but it takes him a little while longer to say anything.
It's a nice sound, he thinks. Birds had nicer voices than humans. Simple and cheerful and full of life. He likes that sound. He ponders something for a little while longer before offering his thoughts in an uncharacteristically soft voice, ]
It's nice.
[ Just two words, but it's far more than he would normally offer. ]
no subject
[she's also softer than normal - quiet as she's wont to be, and then some. she doesn't want to break this spell, however it's fallen about him, and partly because for a while there were no birds to chirp, to live their lives unbothered by human worry. Helena can't make herself pretend she's back where she grew up, with long grasses and the faint scent of a garden, with trees and the humidity of summer stuck to the back of her neck and how every breeze felt like a blessing. but she can be here, in a moment. no one is asking more of either of them than to exist - no one is in pain, dying, suffering that needs be answered.
it's been a while, but she feels like she's come up for air.]
no subject
[ He waits a little longer, running through questions in his head. The questions of what could and would have been, the questions of why and what. He knows the answers to all of those questions, but not satisfied with the answers, he asks them anyway. He falls silent again for a time, eyelids closing halfway as he puzzles. He doesn't budge from his current position, holding stiller than he normally might.
But he finally glances her way. There's a soft, thoughtful sound after a time. The level tone remains when he speaks again, but there's a hint of hesitancy leaking into his voice, ]
Well, I always figured it would be. But y'know, experiencing something for yourself is always different. Can't say I ever went outside before I came here.
no subject
[she says it mildly, keeping things like pity out of her voice on purpose. her eyes open and she turns her head his direction to be polite - it made people more comfortable, she knew, if she did such things, even if it would be simpler not to.]
But now at least you can make up a little bit of your lost time. There's this, and the snow is bound to come for winter, and spring is always wonderful...it hasn't rained here yet, but if it does, you can come stand in it, and listen to it that way. We don't have too much, but at the least you're free to go where you want in these grounds. Things like that will make whatever you decide to do a little brighter, to borrow your word.
no subject
He wonders if he should feel guilty about this. He doesn't, though. Frustrated, lonely, worthless, jealous - but not guilty. He draws in a deep breath and exhales slowly. ]
Nah, this is already a lot more.
[ This world feels massive compared to his. He repeats himself slowly, a little more certainly now: ]
Yeah, that sounds nice... Hmmm, winter's next, right? Good, I've got a couple people that I wouldn't mind smacking in the back of the head with a snowball, ahaha!
[ that last bit is a joke. probably. maybe. ]
no subject
[she says it as casually as if she was promising to hand him the homework notes, as if it was the simplest thing in the world. maybe he'll be able to take even more from it than what she can show him, in how it falls, how it supposedly blankets the world in a way that looks almost pure, like clouds brought down. those aren't her words, but she keeps them close - they're what she has, to register such things.]
Does that sound all right to you, Mr. Ranger?
no subject
Yep, let's plan on that! Ahaha, I don't wanna freeze, so I guess I'll have to figure something out~ ♪
no subject
[she says this with minimal snow experience herself, but something is better than nothing, so!]
I'll have to see what I can find for myself...
no subject
Nah, it's fine. I've never seen it, but I know enough about it... Hmmm, but thawing out doesn't sound too bad either, ahaha. Ain't that what you're supposed to do? Freeze yourself out, then go warm up?
[ That was a common thing too, wasn't it? He thinks people use hot chocolate a lot too. ]
no subject
[she laughs, as if it was the simplest question in the world that she was all too happy to answer.]
Listen to me, talking as if I'm an expert, when the sort of chill we'll likely get is greater than you or I know. The important thing is that the snow will be something you've never experienced, and from there, you can do exactly as you like. Even sit down and do this again, since the birds will need to fly and sing no matter the weather.
no subject
[ He repeats the words slowly, as though giving each one careful consideration. It's not the first time in the conversation that it's been suggested, but it doesn't make it feel the complicated feelings that it shores up any easier to sort through. It's best not thought on now, though. He shifts his sitting position a little to look more directly at her. ]
... Hmmm, maybe we could build a snowman, or maybe snow rabbits... You ever done that before?
[ Since she'd already be there with him, anyway. ]
no subject
[she likes rabbits - anything soft and cuddly, really, but whatever they make together, she'll cherish it.]
no subject
[ Not that he's made either, but, that's beside the point. He knows that they're a simpler creation at least. ]
You just gotta make a oblong snowball. Then you just stick on some berries for the eyes, and bamboo leaves for the ear. Once you've got it altogether, it looks sorta like you've got a white rabbit laying in the snow. You can make a few of em and then you got a whole family~
no subject
[she sounds excited, unconsciously leaning in to prove her point.]
I don't know if we can get bamboo leaves, but we can try! I'll keep a lookout - it's a promise!
no subject
Yep, I'll see if I can't find any too! Well, it'll be fine even if we can't. Those are just the easiest, but we'll make due with whatever leaves we got here.... Hmm, what about you? There's gotta be something you wanna do, right?