[DAY 1-]

[panopte]

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The night drags on.

The moon, full and bright, illuminates the world below as demons rise in indulgence of the hunt. All those who are not securely tucked away become prey, whose blood runs freely down the streets, whose screams fill the air in symphony, whose lives are snuffed out one by one as the night grows darker- but not quieter, no. Towards the far west, wind picks up in a deafening howl that tears through the forest violently enough to uproot trees, followed by a thunderous explosion atop the wall that sends large chunks of rock crashing down on parts of the immobile train, creating shockwaves felt all the way into town. Dark clouds gather overhead, smothering the moon and unleashing a downpour that continues unrelentingly until dawn, when the paltry sunlight behind the clouds is only enough to see that the rain that falls is in fact blood, thick and warm, coating the rooftops and the streets. Rivulets trickle towards the east, where they spill over the edges of the world and into the cavernous abyss of a mouth below.

Those who sleep will dream. They dream of being flat on their back, lying on hard metal, a warm breeze caressing their cheek, the faint scent of cherry blossom in the air. They dream of their bodies feeling like lead, heavy and unable to move, hardly able to breathe— and all the while in complete darkness. Whether they give in to exhaustion or struggle valiantly against it, they will eventually open their eyes to a different scene: of somebody's home before here, you and that person reliving the very last memory they had before waking up in the train just yesterday. It's a memory that culminates in darkness. Give in. Struggle. Open your eyes again and again and again, and eventually you will wake up to what you wish were just another bad dream: the unfortunate plane of existence we call reality.

It may not be a good morning, but it's morning. If characters glance at their COMP, they will see a bright number 7 on the screen that disappears as their chosen AI chimes in with a good morning greeting ("Whoa! Congrats on surviving the night, boss!" or "Yikes, you look like shit. Did you get any rest at all?"). Pulling up the map function shows fewer blue ally dots as expected, but perhaps unexpectedly, much fewer red enemy dots as well: there are very few demons to be seen, and those that are, show little interest in hunting unless they are attacked first. The forest is still and quiet, red Mandrake leaves littering the floor in abundance but the demons remain rooted underground, the Hares of Inaba huddled snug within their dens, bird demons taken roost underneath the canopy to keep out of the blood rain. The concert hall is silent today, guards at the door watchful and ready to snipe intruders. Inside the powerplant, the giant Ooze spreads lazily across the first floor, filling the space wall to wall, acid seeping underneath the front doors and burning its way outside. Indoors, outdoors, demons keep to themselves, seemingly sated.

It's almost peaceful. If you didn't know better.

The drizzle of blood tapers off over the course of Day 1, replaced by normal rain once night hits. The water that falls is clear, though bitter and metallic tasting, and the stormy weather continues for several days more. The temperature outside dips, even during the daytime, and the hunger that continues to persist (unless you're BB, who ate a Pixie, maybe) is made worse by the appearance of a hot dog stand that has been set up in front of the school building. Its existence in this place is wholly suspicious, entirely nonsensical, manifested as if out of a yandere devil summoner fever dream— and yet the mystery meat smells divine, and you are so so hungry.

"Hee-ho! Get your hot dogs here-ho! What? What kind of mee-hee-t is in it, ho? Don't worry about it, ho!"

JACK FROST

LOCATION
hot dog stand

STRENGTH
ice

WEAKNESS
fire

INFORMATION:
Jack Frost is a spirit originating from England who brings in cold weather during the winter and is responsible for the frost that forms on the windows of homes and buildings. Though it is usually friendly and innocent, it also has a mischievous personality and will freezes those it dislikes to death, smiling all the while.

SKILLS:
Mabufudyne: heavy ice damage (multi-target)
Megidolaon: mega almighty damage (multi-target)

NOTE: This demon is non-recruitable.

Can anybody resist that cute face? never mind the sales pitch. Jack Frost will operate on a barter system, though it really only seems interested in people's gemstones, or if they're willing to slaughter and bring it a Katakirauwa in exchange for a cold but still delicious hotdog dressed up in any variety of condiment. For those who muster the courage to go demon hunting to earn their meal, they will find that a single hotdog will stave off hunger for up to three days. For those who gave up their gemstone instead, K5 will be screaming at them not to do that, but also, please tell me. Maybe they'll rethink the offer, noticing that the gemstones they'd found on their person now feel slightly warm to the touch- growing warmer when in proximity to another person's gemstones, their colors more vibrant, stones faintly glowing as if with internal light.

Generous as Jack Frost is with providing dubious sustenance, it's a different story when it comes to the vending machine beside its stall. Inside are various drinks guaranteed to be cold, and include bottled water, coffee, teas, juices, blood and tears and many other questionable unlabeled liquids among its touted 100!!! varieties of beverage ("""beverage"""). Two problems: 1) there is no selection button, so you do not get to choose your drink; and 2) the machine will only take macca. Where to get macca? Figure that out yourself and earn your drink gacha.

[ Locked pending: SCHOOL investigation ]

[ Locked pending: GREENHOUSE investigation ]

[ Locked pending: HOSPITAL investigation ]

[ Locked pending: CONCERT HALL investigation ]

[ Locked pending: POWERPLANT investigation ]

OOC

»

Since I know a handful of you are still working on apps, this event log in general will be open to all players, but Investigations will be closed to current players only. See below for more information.

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On Day 1 only, wild demon encounters will be scarce and it will rain blood all day, after which the weather will transition into normal rain and demon encounters will also return to normal rates, less during the day and more frequent after dark.

»

When characters fall asleep any time in the next several days (including victims of the concert hall lullaby that will begin again starting Day 2, as well as inadvertent naps for those of you who are like lmao yeah whatever, i don't need sleep, i'm fine), they will be able to see the circumstances around other characters' canonpoints. This dream may take the form of being a bystander, or from the point of view of the character, whichever would be more fun/interesting to play.

»

Players can advance time by posting new logs set on the current or next IC date— don't be afraid to advance time as needed! Plot beats will be adjusted accordingly, and there'll be ample warning if plot necessitates a deadline or specific event date for any reason. If you have any trigger warnings, please let me know here! Comments are screened, and warnings will be listed in the log format post for player awareness.

»

As characters investigate different locations in the setting, more aspects of the game will be unlocked and will be updated in the post above. In summary, from the previous TDM event, characters have found doors sealed by barriers in the school, greenhouse, and hospital. The concert hall and powerplant are still both heavily guarded by demons that prevent thorough investigation until dealt with.

Comments

alice ota

[rimingcouplet]

a. life is but a dream for the dead (dreams)
[Snowflakes tumble lazily past the spaceport-bound train's window. Each crystal is rendered in exacting detail, so precise and so magnified in your vision that the information overload is liable to give you a headache.

But that's not even where either Alice is looking. Two pairs of eyes—one belonging to the Alice leaning against the window in an intact hoodie and one belonging to an Alice with a shredded hoodie in the corner—linger on a mountain in the distance, where you can clearly see a pack of rowdy kids snowboarding down the slope. They're having the time of their lives. Smiling, slapping each other's backs, eating shit and laughing about it.]

...amateurs.

H- [Static. A sensation of a record skipping. Time advances by six seconds instead of one.]

Not a chance.

Y- [Again. Now a ticket checker is politely tapping the shoulder of the Alice at the window.]

Time to turn on the charm. [The flickers are more rapid now, and the memory loses all coherency. At least you and the other Alice are adhering to the flow of linear time.]

What the fuck? [She sounds more incredulous than anything else.]

b. it is a fashion statement, actually (train)
[Checking out the songs on her COMP was a waste of time. Alice had been sure of that, they were probably a bunch of .mp3s of farts that Ala put on there to mess with her. Key word "had been," because curiosity eventually won out, and, well.

Finding earbuds wasn't too hard, and getting into a groove was even easier. Whoever had used this thing as a regular Neo Zune (or whatever this janky piece of crap was) before had good taste. Good enough taste, in fact, that Alice finds herself humming along as she makes her way to the train to look for new clothes- as attached as she is to that hoodie, it's definitely not protecting her from the cold weather anymore.

Good enough that she's actually singing quietly to herself as she emerges from the train's surprisingly clean bathroom stall, newly clad in black leggings and thigh-length skirt and a red plaid button-up thrown over a shirt for a band that she doesn't recognize.]

So give me all your poison
And give me all your pills
And give me all your hopeless hearts and make me ill
You're running after something that you'll never kill
If this is what you want, then fire at will...

[She gives the skirt a twirl and smiles.]

Nice.

c. hee-ho 'em high (hot dog stand)
[As it happens, Alice still has a grudge to bear against the Katakirauwa, so really getting a hot dog was a bonus on top of getting to kill one of those goddamn pigs.

As she bites into the hot dog, for a moment, she looks like she's in heaven. Then Alice realizes that she let an outward expression of enjoyment show on her face and quickly returns to her usual resting bitch face.]

...out of all the dubious hot dogs from shady vendors I've had, this one isn't half-bad, I guess, [she says, conspicuously nonchalant.]

d. wildcard
[hmu!]

wildcard

[sootprints]

[ Whenever Alice ends up in the greenhouse, Kate is there too. She's changed her clothes to something she clearly grabbed from somewhere in town. She examines some of the plants, occasionally opening up her COMP and comparing them to something on the screen, but in the end, she doesn't pick any, and instead wanders around as if looking for something more specific...

That is, until she comes across Alice. Kate stiffens for a moment, then relaxes when she realizes it's someone she already knows. ]

Oh, Alice. Did you come here to find food, or...?

[ ...or is she also here for something specific, she wonders? ]

[rimingcouplet]

[Part of why it might take a moment for Kate to recognize Alice is that she also has a new fit, although hers is a vague gesture toward emo fashion and adds a skirt and tights to the look.

While it might seem like Alice is spacing out when Kate approaches her, especially with her earbuds in, she turns and takes one out and turns to face her before she speaks up. (That keen situational awareness is another inexplicable skill that she's taking Rosie's advice to not think too hard about.)]

No. I did grab a hot dog from that shady fairy on the way here, though. Made that endless, gnawing hunger in the pit of my stomach go away if nothing else, [she says as if she didn't find the hot dog also disproportionately delicious.]

I wanted to check out the barrier here. Figure out what it has in common with the one in the hospital. [Alice frowns slightly.] ...but...

[sootprints]

[ Kate inhales sharply and she lifts her chin when Alice mentions the hunger vanishing. She hasn't said a word about it, but it's been gnawing at her, too. Could it really be fixed that way...? And if so, what are the implications of that...?

But Alice goes on to mention the barrier. A sealed room. And child-sized footprints, from what Kate heard. ]

That's what I wanted to look at, too. [ ... She starts saying, but... ]

But... what?

[rimingcouplet]

[Normally, Alice would realize her error in allowing a moment of vulnerability to peek through, deflect, and snap at Kate for even asking. But... this is Kate. It's not a perfect fit, but something about her seals up the yawning, aching hole in her heart, just a little bit.

So fine. YOU WIN, KATE, UGH,]

...I spent a lot of time in a place like this when I was a kid. [Alice lets out a world-weary sigh, as if she doesn't look like she's just a few years older than Kate.] Everywhere I look, there's another memory. They should feel happy, or bittersweet, or Giallon, [she says that name with particular disdain,] who's in a whole category of his own. But instead...

Nothing. I feel nothing. It's like it all happened to someone else.

[sootprints]

Memories with no emotional attachment? Hm...

[ She looks thoughtful at that (well, her posture. not like she has a facial expression to show.) ]

... What kind of memories are they?

[rimingcouplet]

[Alice shrugs.] Picking fruits with the rest of my family, smiling, laughing. Getting between Grauphon and Noir whenever they started going at it. Hiding from one of Giallon's sick "pranks."

Eva- Mom- playing the piano. That should hit like a punch to the gut even if nothing else does.

But it's like all of those people are strangers. The only thing I feel toward them is disdain since so many were assholes about me leaving.

...it's obvious, right? Someone's messed with all of our memories. I'm no exception. [It's still bugging her, though. Something gnawing at the edges of the gigantic hole in her brain.]

[sootprints]

[ Kate looks away from the ground, where she had been looking for footprints just before, and instead looks around the greenhouse, trying to picture it. A family like that... She's never had one herself, but she can imagine it.

It does bring back memories of her own, though... of meeting with Patrick and Ricky in a greenhouse much like this one. If only she could talk to them again now... ]

Our memories...? You're sure?

You're not the first person to mention something like that... about something missing, or not lining up right. But if I'm missing anything... I can't think of what that might be.

[rimingcouplet]

It's not like there are any glaring gaps in the story of my life. When I look at it from a distance, I can't see anything wrong with it.

[Alice looks at her hand, flexing it. Somewhere deep in her nervous system, there are memories that she can't consciously remember, ones that snap outward to save her from trouble with a steady hand whenever it hits the fan in Beelzeburg.]

But go ahead and riddle me this: how does a high school runaway like me have the nerve to look demons in the eye without so much as flinching, nevermind thinking clearly enough to come up with the kind of ridiculous plans I use to get myself out of trouble?

Something's missing.

c; hot dog stand

[enflowers]

Aw, just not half-bad? You're going to break the poor faerie's heart.

[ The hooded mage saunters up to her, also at the hot dog stand with said hot dog in one hand and staff in the other, tilting his head with a smile on his cat-scratched face. Truth be told, he was waiting to see if anyone would take the plunge before him, watching for any side or ill effects. ]

[rimingcouplet]

[BIGGEST EYEROLL]

Oh, please. If he's trying to con us out of our gems for hot dogs, I don't see any need to pull my punches. [Not that she actually means those punches in the first place, but it's the principle of the thing.

...then she sees the cat scratches on Merlin's face. Hm.]

Was that your Cait Sith that I threw last night?

[enflowers]

Maybe the economy in the demon world isn't doing too hot nowadays.

[ To be honest, he's also internally judging Jack Frost's product pricing alongside her. The Katakirauwa makes sense; that covers the materials cost. But the gemstone? A lil' strange, to say the least.

Still, the bright smile on his face remains, undeterred by her eyeroll as well as the cat scratches. ]

Bingo! Wow, courageous and perceptive!

[ By the time his contracted demon returned, the Cait Sith had nowhere else to vent its frustration about being thrown with no warning, nor the energy to do anything more than claw at things. Fortunately(?), Merlin is used to dealing with furry creatures trying to maim him on the regular. ]

[rimingcouplet]

[Merlin gets a dubious side-eye in exchange for his dubiously sincere compliment.]

If you're looking for an apology, you're not getting one. I did what I had to do. Cat-nade included. Getting scratched up by your own demon is your fault if anything.

[enflowers]

[ So very used to dubious side-eyes and doubts about his character, he lets it all roll off his back like water off of a duck's, with a smile on his face. ]

An apology? Oh, you don't have to concern yourself about that. The whole reason I sent Cait Sith there in the first place was to give you folks an opportunity to take advantage of.

[ So as far as he's concerned, it did its job. ]

I wasn't expecting you to take advantage of its presence like that, though!

[ He was expecting something like the Cait Sith firing off a Cleave or an Agi at an opportune time, not the cat-nade. ]

[rimingcouplet]

Our line was full of holes and vulnerable to encirclement. [She delivers that line that should be coming out of a field commander's mouth with all the gravitas and concern of a high schooler complaining about how awful the guy she just talked to is.] I needed to distract the horde of Katakirauwa somehow to buy the time we needed to Trafuri out, and a single Agi wouldn't have done the trick. It was the only move that made sense at the time.

I would say you can't expect a delicate maiden in the flower of her youth to pick up a stick and start swinging like that blondie—I swear, with that freakish strength of his he'd fit right in with those demon boars—but that princess held her own pretty well, so I suppose I don't have any ground to stand on. [There's a hint of bitterness and disappointment there. Even though Alice knows that anything more than that was outside her capability, there's this underlying unease that she should've been able to do more anyways.]

Did you actually want something, or did you come here just to pester me? [Merlin might notice something odd about Alice's mental energy at this point. It's like taking a big bite of a huge, double-stuffed burrito, guaranteed to be twice as filling as most other people's... but as soon as it enters your mouth, half the ingredients disappear. Still a full mouthful, but not the indulgent feast that initial "appearances" would suggest. Also when he bites down there are metallic ball bearings inside, cleverly hidden among the beans for some reason.]

[enflowers]

[ Merlin blinks, once, twice, One would be forgiven for thinking that his momentary bewilderment was caused by Alice's explanation, expertly delivered despite her apparent youth and attitude. However, it is precisely because he chose that moment to taste the young woman's thoughts, the sensation of both fulfillment and yet not, at the tip of his tongue. The guarantee of a meal so crudely snatched away from him at the first bite. And a taste similar to metal(?), for some reason.

Scammed, in other words.

Still, he tries not to let any of his confusion about the surprise in his mental meal show. The easygoing smile remains on his face. ]

Can't a guy just want to have a pleasant chat with a fellow hot...uh, cold dog enjoyer?

[ Sure, not the best place to strike up a conversation over a meal, but it's slim pickings around here for that in Beelzeburg. ]

[rimingcouplet]

Not when he's as shady as you are, no.

[She really doesn't mince words, huh?]

...I suppose I do owe you a little bit of credit for helping us rescue Minato, though, [Alice says, although her expression looks like she's pulling out her own teeth in the process of giving this roundabout "thank you."]

B.

[nterwebz]

[ Two beats after that self-assured verdict is when it's delivered: the punctuated clap clap clap. It doesn't stop there, of course. It proceeds into an uninhibited, rapidly fired bunch of them coming from -- well, the other side of the car.

Seated atop the headrest of the isle seat furthest from the singer is one (1) Nao Mizushita, her legs not quite dangling due to their length. She's probably an innocuous enough sight, but that's not her biggest concern a the moment. ]

Encore! Encore!!

[ Is she talking about the twirl or the singing? Yes. ]

[rimingcouplet]

...huh?

[While the music still blasting in her earbuds doesn't skip a beat, Alice's heart sure does when she realized she was witnessed. Having fun. Being herself. There's no plausible deniability, no way to cover for herself with detached irony.

This is the most humiliating moment of Alice's life.

All of her brain's usual lightning-quick situational calculus screeches to a half as Alice makes a noise akin to a boiling teakettle, her face turning red.]

[nterwebz]

[ Now that is a good expression. Great even!

She's going to have some fun with this one. ]

Haa? It doesn't go like that! How about singin' a li'l louder this time? Y'know, with feeling!

[rimingcouplet]

Buh- Guh- I-

[Deflect, Alice! If she stays on the defensive, she's well and truly doomed!]

Wh- What kind of freak eavesdrops on a girl when she's clothes shopping! Or- Or clothes looting, I guess!

[nterwebz]

[ Oh, she's well and truly doomed. Nao is a zoomer, a child of the internet of all things, and a queen of sosh meed and messageboards. She doesn't bat an eye, but she does lift a finger pointedly and, with a completely straight face, says: ]

I forgot my teepee. You're the one who decided to put on a show!

[rimingcouplet]

[Alice is defenseless before Nao's onslaught. She was too busy sneaking onto trains and faking passports to partake in Online Teen Culture(tm), she has no way to retaliate against her foe.]

I wasn't putting on a s- show, I was just- it's a nice song [NOOOO SHE'S ADMITTED THAT SHE LIKES SOMETHING BACKPEDAL BACKPEDAL BACKPEDAL] but my voice isn't good enough for it to be a, a show- [WHAT IS SHE TALKING ABOUT,a WHY IS SHE BEING EMOTIONALLY HONEST, ABORT ABORT ABORT

(Alice's opinions about her voice are patently wrong, by the way. It's a little rough but lovely all the same.)]

[nterwebz]

It's good. It's a show. I said it. That's a wrap for denial! Skip stages two, three, four, and accept it.

[ Nao's feet hit the ground in the beat after her last word and she straightens only to ease into her usual slouch. ]

You're welcome! [ And isn't she just as sincere as can be. RIP, doll. ]

nao's so cute i can't stand it

[rimingcouplet]

[Alice slumps against the wall, covering her face with her hands to hide her blush. (And failing, she's as red as a tomato.)]

Sh- Shut up.... [Her words lack her usual vitriol, coming across as more a plea than anything else.

This is the most embarrassing moment of her life, and is therefore the worst day of her life, period.]