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MARCH EVENT LOG
At midnight on March 1st, a rolling lightning storm hits Yogen. Thunder crackles, and strikes of Anvil Crawler lighting can be seen lighting up the sky; anyone paying attention to the courtyard may see the explosive strike of lightning hitting the wisteria tree. Petals scatter throughout the air and are carried off in every direction by the wind...
As the month goes on the school will start to look even more barren. As the month goes on, several students start to disappear, with rumors spreading here and there about students disappearing after entering the forest. Those rumors twist and warp, and within just a few days there are rumors of a witch in the forest. But it's not a witch, nor a ghost, or anything else, but a dream, and those who enter will find themselves reminded of such by a soothing voice, the voice of a person they're familiar with, speaking gently in their ears:
"You are dreaming... They have always led and will always lead you here... Remind yourself, this is a dream..."
The world shifts subtly. There are gravestones marking the pathway now, and before long the forest is replaced by a completely new scene. A voice reminds you once more that this is a dream, and that you have always been here. You have always been led to this place. But where is this place? It's the world of a player character. It's nothing more than a snapshot in time. It might be one that they wish to escape, or perhaps a warm memory of a time that they wish to return to, but it is always an important memory to the character.
Whichever it is, the only way is to move forward. As characters move through the memory, characters will soon notice a snake and holly tattoo that spreads over their body will be. It starts small, a clump on one's back, but will spread across all parts of a character's body. It will reach the neck and face last, killing them upon reaching the eyes. As the curse spreads, they will notice changes in the dream including hallucinations, hearing lullabies, and shades that pursue them. They will also notice increased exhaustion and lethargy.
Upon reaching the end of the memory, they will find a glowing ball of light representative of a lost student's soul. Finding the soul will lead to both characters awakening at the edge of the forest, and the character who had been dreaming will be covered with the tattoo for a brief moment before it disappears.
Those who entered the dream may hear that same voice from before that tugs at their mind as the dream fades away:
"Remind yourself, this is a dream, and soon you will awaken. But you are here, as you always have been, and as you always will be... Soon, you will wonder where you were, and each moment after, will bring you here..."
The world shifts subtly. There are gravestones marking the pathway now, and before long the forest is replaced by a completely new scene. A voice reminds you once more that this is a dream, and that you have always been here. You have always been led to this place. But where is this place? It's the world of a player character. It's nothing more than a snapshot in time. It might be one that they wish to escape, or perhaps a warm memory of a time that they wish to return to, but it is always an important memory to the character.
Whichever it is, the only way is to move forward. As characters move through the memory, characters will soon notice a snake and holly tattoo that spreads over their body will be. It starts small, a clump on one's back, but will spread across all parts of a character's body. It will reach the neck and face last, killing them upon reaching the eyes. As the curse spreads, they will notice changes in the dream including hallucinations, hearing lullabies, and shades that pursue them. They will also notice increased exhaustion and lethargy.
Upon reaching the end of the memory, they will find a glowing ball of light representative of a lost student's soul. Finding the soul will lead to both characters awakening at the edge of the forest, and the character who had been dreaming will be covered with the tattoo for a brief moment before it disappears.
Those who entered the dream may hear that same voice from before that tugs at their mind as the dream fades away:
✽ Dreams may be whoelsale memories, or they may be more akin to dreamscapes based on a person's memories or mental state.
✽ The holly pattern represents the pain of love and aches of the heart, while the snake represents the yearning for the dead that consume a person.
✽ The tattoos will be blue or red.
✽ Characters may be drawn into the forest more than once, or require multiple memories to be gone through before reappearing. In those cases, the character who had gone through the initial memory will simply wake up in the forest alone.
✽ Characters who hear the voice upon leaving the dream will be more susceptible to entering and being lost in the forest.
✽ Anyone who is not rescued by the end of the month will be found at the edge of the forest. The tattoo will cover their body and stop just short of their eyes. It will disappear within an hour, but they will be exhausted for the rest of the day.
✽ The holly pattern represents the pain of love and aches of the heart, while the snake represents the yearning for the dead that consume a person.
✽ The tattoos will be blue or red.
✽ Characters may be drawn into the forest more than once, or require multiple memories to be gone through before reappearing. In those cases, the character who had gone through the initial memory will simply wake up in the forest alone.
✽ Characters who hear the voice upon leaving the dream will be more susceptible to entering and being lost in the forest.
✽ Anyone who is not rescued by the end of the month will be found at the edge of the forest. The tattoo will cover their body and stop just short of their eyes. It will disappear within an hour, but they will be exhausted for the rest of the day.
baby noah lets go
and that's when she sees a little boy, crying his eyes out. she's almost reminded of when noah had dyed his hair pure white. but that goes away instantly, because there's a child in tears, and nene has lost confidence but who would she be if she let him stay like this?
crouching beside him, nene speaks softly. )
Hey... what's the matter?
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His cheeks and eyes are red from crying, but he sniffles and tries to compose himself.]
E-everyone hates me, [he admits softly,] and they're always hurting me when Harque's not here...
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( instinctively, nene pulls the boy- who is definitely tiny noah, oh god he is so cute but she's about to punch someone for him- into a hug. and because it's noah, she can't doubt him. his life had been cruel, too cruel.
petting his hair, she has him settle on her lap once she sits down properly. )
I'll stay with you as long I can. I'll protect you.
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W-what are you going to do? I d-don't want y-you to get hurt...
[His family can be quite mean when they want to be. Noah's terrified. Noah's always terrified.]
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( she doesn't say that she'll punch someone, because that seems like... a bad thing to say to a crying kid? especially when she knows how gentle noah really is. carefully, she wipes his eyes and cheeks with a soft handkerchief from her pocket. )
I won't get hurt though. I'm pretty tough. Mm... can you tell me your name? Mine's Nene.
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He's going to learn it himself.He lets his eyes be dabbed at and then sniffles again after his face is cleaned up.]
Noah. ...I know a good place to hide.
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( at this point, she remembers spending so much time with noah- but not why it felt so desperate at first. she remembers leaning on him, relying on him when she broke for months. even if it's a memory... even if he has no idea who she is right now. shouldn't she help him too?
also, he's just absolutely adorable. if he hand't just been crying she might be tempted to squish those mochi cheeks. so without hesitation, nene Scoops (tm) him up and smiles. )
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Noah points down a hallway that warbles and shimmers like it might not've been there previously, at least until he remembered it. If Nene walks down it, though, it's stable, moonlight slipping in through the wide-open windows.]
...what's your name?
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it feels like walking through a boundary- like there should be water at her ankles. it's quiet, eerily so. an aspect of it being a memory? or is the house just that silent? at least noah's willing to break it. )
My name is Nene. And you'll never have to worry about me hating you. I think anyone who does is stupid, honestly.
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Then you and Harque are the only ones who don't hate me.
[He declares it so confidently that it's... sad.]
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( said with the confidence of a teen girl, truly. but she can't help but hold him a little closer with a light squeeze. )
... You'll find people who do love you. Maybe not now, but someday. And they'll treasure you. But until then... Harque and I will too. No matter what.
( there's footsteps- but she doesn't think anyone is actually there. what a lonely childhood... )
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And speaking of Harque, Noah's directing Nene into a study presently. The door swings open to reveal an array of tall bookshelves, though many of the books are piled up on the floor in precarious towers. Seated at a nearby desk is a very tired looking older brother with the same stark-white hair and blue eyes, scrawling something in a notebook diligently, so much so that he barely looks up until the door shuts behind them.
Noah (very small) scrambles from Nene's grip and tugs her over to the desk.]
Harque, can we hide in here?
[He asks this like it's normal, like he's asked before. Unfortunately, there's no room under the desk for two of them, and Harque seems to realise this as he blinks tiredly up at Nene from where he's hunched over.]
"Did auntie say something again...?" [Because that's not a red flag.] "Oh, I'm sorry, are you one of the neighbourhood kids...?"
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... S-something like that. Um- Sorry for the intrusion.
( maybe if it's necessary, she could turn into a fish. but also. then she'd be defenseless in someone's memory. that sounds... bad? )
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[The dreamscape seems peaceful all of a sudden. Peaceful and calm, nothing warping or changing or out of place. Perhaps that's because of how Noah sees him, and every single moment they'd spent together. Serene and beautiful and warm. Maybe Nene will feel it too.
Harque stands and sets his quill aside, sweeping across the study to a set of curtains. When he draws them back, it doesn't reveal a window but rather a hidden area of the room with a little couch and a few toys and children's books scattered about.]
You can stay as long as you like. I do need to finish studying, though...
[The fact that this hidden area is here isn't suspicious at all, no, nothing bad has ever happened to either sibling.]
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You focus on studying. I won't be any trouble. ... Thank you.
( after a moment, she digs into her pocket... and puts a strawberry candy onto harque's desk, before she lets noah tug her along more. he really could lead her anywhere, and she'd let him. )
Come on, I'll read to you...
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At the prompting for reading, Noah immediately hands Nene a book about cats. Yes, you will read to him thank you.
He very expectantly sits on the couch and swings his legs (they do not touch the floor) and looks up at her like :)]
Do you like cats?
[Noah likes cats :)]
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( it's because she's a fish, actually, but she's not going to explain that. instead, she settles down with him and takes the book, wrapping one arm around noah affectionately. ... oh thank god she can actually read it. quietly, nene begins to read for him. )
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Cats give love bites! See? It says it!
[He taps his finger on the page. Taptap.]
Cats love you!
[This is the logic of a little kid who believes cats can do no wrong (cats cannot do wrong) (cats are infallible). From across the room, Harque can be heard laughing quietly and warmly.]
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You're right!
( they think she's tasty. but it's fine. )
Let's see, where were we...
( she reads another passage, soft and quiet because she doesn't want to interrupt harque's studying. even if it's... probably not real, she doesn't want to trouble him further. )
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Noah listens quietly, for the most part. But he's a kid and he's excited and so he's going to interject from time to time. Which means—]
I like the cat in this drawing!
[And also—]
Did you know cats wiggle their butts when they're hunting?
[Wow, spoilers?]
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( she's intimately familiar with that. ... don't look at the many bandaids on her legs, please. )
They do that because they're excited- its the thrill of hunt.
( nene giggles as she speaks, squishing noah in a one-armed hug. )
... I thiiiink it helps them stretch as they get ready to jump, too. Do you get to see cats a lot, Noah...?
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[Noah leans his head on Nene's shoulder, yawning.]
Do you have a pet?
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( she hates how despite everything, the dorms are home now, and yogen is her school. but they are. a year, no matter how much it hurt, did that. even in death, you make a life wherever you go. )
... They don't have names, so everyone calls them their own ideas.
( oh, but she sees that yawn. gently, nene pets his hair, letting the book slide down her lap a little. )
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School cats... I want school cats. I've never been to a school...
[Another yawn, and Noah just decides to make himself comfortable. He's warm and safe here, hidden from the world behind a curtain, with the sound of Harque's laughter fading into the background...
It really isn't long until he falls asleep, using her as a pillow. As he does, the dreamscape will feel light and almost bubbly, warm in ways it wasn't before, safe and secure like a hug. When Nene blinks, the dreamscape will shift and ripple, sunlight seeping in through a window and leaking underneath the drawn curtains, and when she blinks again...
There's a glowing orb in front of her face, bright and maybe a bit familiar.]
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( quietly, nene keeps petting his hair, until noah falls asleep. it may be the most peaceful she's ever seen noah- and it's as a child who minutes ago weas crying because no one but his brother loved him. ... it'd be nice, to be able to change how his life played out. push it to something kinder. but that's not possible, even here. all she can do is offer a memory a bit of comfort. she hadn't even noticed the markings, truth be told.
the orb should surprise her- but it doesn't. it's warm in it's own way. nene quietly draws it closer to her chest like a hug, and closes her eyes.
she awakens in the forest, laying alongside her most precious one. )
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