achates | [DAY 1-]

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[DAY 1-]

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.

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He'd rather the kid isn't here, of course. If he's back where they'd been before the train, the others from SEES are sure to pick him up and take him back to the dorm soon enough. He still needs to know for sure, though, and the young woman's observation earns only a dismissive grunt at first, before he decides he might as well hear her out.]

You got a solution to that one?

[The answer will determine whether or not he's willing to actually sit down. He's pretty sure once he does, he won't be getting up again for some time.]

I can see whether Harvey's healing is enough.

[ It's her first thought, because if he's not wounded, he's not going to go around bleeding. She doesn't know how effective the hare's ability will be when a wound doesn't look superficial even with layers of clothing concealing it.

Judging by the dark stains on his clothing, it may be more than one. ]

If it isn't, I've got bandages.

[ A patch, rather than a proper mending, would still beat bleeding all over the place, she reasons. The demons are keenly interested in their blood from what she's observed. ]

[Harvey? Is that the name of a Persona? He's never heard of her around Iwatodai, but maybe she's recently awakened? She'd need an Evoker, but maybe it's someone Strega picked up? It seems unlikely, but he's not sure what else she could mean.

He tosses around in his mind whether answers are worth it. If she is with Strega, this could easily be a trap. He'd just killed Takaya, after all. Amada isn't the only one with cause to seek revenge, now. And while that wouldn't matter to him much in other circumstances ... he can't quite kick that bucket just yet. Not until he knows the kid is safe. At length:]

...I'll take the bandages.

...Alright.

[ It's a simple acceptance, though her pale brows pinch together ever so slightly. If it's what he wants, it isn't her place to battle him over it, and it wastes their time as well. Demons could take interest in his blood or make a sudden appearance at any moment. ]

We should move somewhere dry.

[ With that thought, she casts a glance around. Sighting a house she'd found no demons in before, the Princess turns to point in its direction from beneath the shield her umbrella provides. ]

I've been in that one before, and I have water there.

[Not fighting him on it does win some points in the trust column, at least. He's still kind of disoriented and suspicious of everything, but it helps. Enough that he's willing to follow her anyway, though he doesn't go inside right off the bat -- instead settling on the steps below the awning and starting the unpleasant process of peeling off his coat and shirt.

The coat, at least, was the buttoned sort, but every muscle protests at the notion of pulling his whole shirt up over his head. He hesitates, gripping the hems -- it'd be embarrassing to ask for help with something as small as this, especially when he'd turned down the healing -- and just does it as quickly as he can, suppressing a groan through clenched teeth.

Without his shirt on, it's clear to see the two major injuries at play here. The bleeding has slowed down enough that his life is not immediately in danger, but it's clear he's not in good shape and really should be in a hospital.]

...Thanks.

You don't need to thank me.

[ When he muscles his way through removing the shirt, she doesn't protest that either. Independence is something so deeply ingrained into her that asking for help doesn't occur to her. Neither does taking action without asking, but his own wariness practically radiates off of him.

Words then. She supposes she should use words. ]

We'll use water first then.

[ Between his own blood and the bloody rain, it's best to clean his wounds before bandaging them. Having stated her intent, she closes her umbrella and sets it aside in favor of shrugging her bag off and rifling through it until she finds a fresh bottle of water, lukewarm after its journey through town with her.

The Princess uncaps it and moves right on to trickling water over bloodied skin. ]

[That's something he'd probably say if their positions were reversed too, so he doesn't press on the issue. It's awkward to linger on, anyway; he isn't typically comfortable accepting help like this, but desperate times.

He hisses once the water touches his wounds, but he settles into the sensation soon enough, no further reaction beyond the occasional twitch of his palm. The curiosity is still nagging at him, though, so after some more moments pass, he interrupts her work to ask:]

Who are you, anyway? Ain't seen you before in Iwatodai...but you got a Persona, right? Or something like it.

I don't know those words...or at least, I don't remember them. I don't remember much, not even my name.

[ She speaks calmly, almost too much so, save that she's spoken that same way all along. Her eyes remain on his wounds, intent on making sure they're clean without outright dumping the water. Doubtless it hurts — she doesn't need to make it worse. ]

You can call me Princess, or something else if you want. BB calls me Dahlia.

[ She doesn't have a strong preference, just so long as it's something she doesn't hate the sound of. ]

[Huh. He doesn't think he's ever heard of someone losing all their memories like that, at least not outside of the movies. Then again, before he awakened to the Dark Hour, he'd never heard of being able to summon a monster from your soul, either. It's not much weirder than anything else in their situation, he supposes.

'Princess' sounds more like the kind of thing some rich lady would name their purse dog than one for a person, to Shinjiro, but he can't actually be bothered to come up with his own, so.]

Princess works. You got any idea what happened to you to make you forget everything?

[It's not an obvious question in his mind; maybe she doesn't want to know. He's not sure he would, if he woke up one day in his body not sure where he was or why he felt like garbage.]

Edited 2024-10-04 08:27 (UTC)

I've just been assuming I was confined for so long I forgot.

[ It's an awfully forlorn prospect to be voiced so simply, yet it's a probability she can't really deny. She remembers she's a princess, she's certain of that, but anything else about herself is simply gone.

The chain hanging from her shackle sways when she turns to fish out the bandages, feeling that she's washed off enough blood to dress his wounds now. ]

I wanted to think something would help me remember, but no luck so far.

[ Not that any of them seem to have much in the luck departent, considering where they are. ]

[...damn, she doesn't even seem that much older than him, really. does that mean she's been locked up since she was a little kid? That's honestly depressing, even with the things Shinjiro's seen in his life and his time on the streets.]

I'd say maybe you're better off if it was like that, but this ain't exactly a nice vacation spot for makin' new ones. Hell of a way to get free, shit.

[He's not really sure what to say, but honestly ... knowing how he feels about some of the events in his own life, maybe she'd prefer he doesn't say anything at all. Probably the last thing she wants is pity of any sort. So he just sits quietly a couple minutes, letting her apply the bandages to his wounds. Probably it's not ideal to wrap them up with the bullets still inside, but trying to get them out without proper supplies is just asking to make everything worse.]

Name's Aragaki, by the way.

[ Her eyes remain on her work, carefully ensuring the bandages hold and that blood doesn't immediately soak right through them. At least, as best she can. Thus far she doesn't know whether any of the others have any particular medical expertise, but with any luck this will hold for now. ]

Aragaki. [ She repeats his name, carefully intoning it like the new vocabulary it is. ] I'll remember it.

[ The words come with a the smallest hint of wry humor. At least she has plenty of room for that memory, if nothing else. ]

Have you met any of the others yet?

Heh. I mean, 'hey asshole' works just as well.

[He grunts softly as the bandages are tied off, but holds still as she finishes up before gingerly retrieving his coat. It's gross and needs to be washed, which isn't great when you want to keep your wounds as clean as possible, but he'll be cold without it.]

Not really. How many others are there? Train was empty when I woke up.

Edited 2024-10-06 07:28 (UTC)

[ She tips her head curiously at his suggested alternative, but the moment passes. It's not something she'd call Aragaki in any case, especially since she sees no reason to, but she assumes it was some stab at humor she simply didn't get. ]

I'd estimate a couple dozen or so.

[ She moves to seat herself beside him, lifting her wrist to show him the band with her COMP. ]

You can see some of them talking, using this.

[ Including, but not limited, to some mention of "rip Minato", conveniently enough. ]

[It's ok Princess it's just some self-deprecating bullshit about not needing to put in the effort to remember him. He will not linger on it, at any rate.

Instead, he's squinting at that COMP.]

Awful considerate of these kidnappers to give us a way to talk to each other.

[he does NOT trust it, what's the catch,,]

It's a convenient way to monitor us at the same time, surely.

[ She's beating Shun'ya to the paranoid punch today, but look, the guy's got a point. The Princess can see that, much as the technology is utterly foreign to her. The AI that enable their communication and respond to them have access to all of it too, don't they? ]

It's worth looking, but I wouldn't say anything there that you don't want others to know. Whoever our captors are, I'd be stunned if they didn't read along.

[ This may be her first time with technology, but it's not her first rodeo. If there's some unseen threat looming over them using these gadgets to amass information to wield against them or devise ways of targeting them, she has no intention of making it easy. ]

Isn't that weird on its own, though? Why go through the trouble to monitor people you've snatched when you can just keep 'em locked up in one spot? What's the point of all this?

[There's always the possibility they're just a sadist, but in that case...why pick up a man that's already dying anyway? Or is it just luck of the draw?]

Edited 2024-10-07 11:54 (UTC)

None of us seem to know, but one of the AI said others came before us. That they failed. So whoever is behind this, they must want something out of it.

[ Yet they don't communicate what that something is to any of them. It doesn't seem like a very sensible approach, but then again, she's seen firsthand how people can be underinformed when being set to a task. ]

Personally, I'm more interested in getting out than whatever it is they want.

[ It can't be good for them, whatever it is. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[DAY 1-]

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heck it, waves hands on timeline

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