Luceti Valley - The Second Log

[lucetimods]

Who: Everyone
What: The second part of the experiment. Things begin to unravel.
When: August 7th - August 10th
Where: Luceti itself
Summary: Check out the mod post for more. This covers Day 6-9!
Rating: Varies with thread. Please move explicit stuff to appointments post with appropriate warnings.

Luceti Valley continued in its own merry little way. The rich got richer, the poor got poorer. A new tax hike had ensured increasing animosity between both groups, despite the protests of the every charitable Lord Mayor. But on the sixth day, something happens and people begin to notice things are unusual. Idle thoughts that if thought about too much is bound to get you a visit to the police station for an hour or so. Or worse, it may just get you committed.

Meanwhile, the asylum continues to gain more and more patients. Those that are trapped there will find escaping difficult, but there may be more to this place than they first assumed...

On the tenth, battle breaks out across Luceti Valley. People begin to exhibit powers and abilities they didn't know they had. The police begin rounding up these people to lock up. If they resist, its bound to come to blows. Even though no one has regained their memories of their true self yet, it becomes apparent that some trickery is afoot, even if they might not know the source or why.


Note: This is the second log! There will be a third and final event log for the aftermath. There will also be two separate logs specifically for finding John and defeating Zompano. For those of you that signed up, we'll be randomizing the results and replying to the selected characters later tonight. In the meantime, keep enjoying the event! If you have questions, direct them here.

Comments

[tsunderebunny]

[A slow, steady awareness of something inherently wrong crept upon him early on the sixth day, and it progressively grew and grew in such a subtle way that Barnaby didn't notice the strange feeling until much later. What felt like a normal, happy life was suddenly viewed through an antique glass that has marbled over the years. What was normal? What wasn't normal?

He needed to know.

His curiosity got him in trouble, and he is absent for much of the following day. When he does finally appear in his home later that evening, he's not quite the same...

No one else was either. After the frightening start of the eighth day drove his half forgotten suspicious back into the open, Barnaby couldn't stand still and watch the rest of the town struggle with the current affairs.

Affairs that were constantly changing. The ninth day started with a crash. Literally. He didn't know how it happened, but there were moments where he simply didn't know his strength. Noises were louder, lights were brighter, glasses would accidentally break in his hands...

It only lasted for a short duration, thankfully, but he wondered if he could possibly put this strength to use. It was only right, only just that he use this power to to use. Their city, no matter how strange it was becoming, needed protection. Why shouldn't he try to help?]

9th

[neversurrender]

[Steve doesn't know how this day got so out of hand. All he knows is that suddenly there is fighting in the streets and everything is spiraling out of his control. A few days ago he'd been living a nice, ordinary life, and now he's fighting against enemies he doesn't know with memories that he's sure aren't his own.

He's almost grateful for the battle as it works to keep his mind off those other matters that he really doesn't want to consider. He's just finished off one of the cultists when spots another cultist being launched in his direction. He ducks as the cultist soars over his head and then glances up in the direction they came from.]

Barnaby? [He sounds hesitant. They had never been particularly close, but with the state his mind is in it's jarring to see someone he's known for years suddenly seem like a stranger. And that strength. How could he have...?]

9th

[tsunderebunny]

[A swift, hard sidekick launched the cop above the few civilians in the street and threw him into a building, smashing the brick wall under the weight of the man and the sheer force of the blow. Breathless from the exertion, Barnaby righted his stance and regarded the other man with eyes that weren't his normal green but a strange, luminescent blue while the others scattered in shock. He removed his glasses-- he didn't need them, and gently tucked them into his breast pocket while he focused on filtering out the sound to lock on the words spoken.]

Steve.

[It wasn't a question, but a statement of what was real. They were strangers, he knew it in his heart, but he knew that the man's name was Steve.

But the sensory stimulus was distracting, and his eyes locked onto a movement just beyond Steve...]

Duck!

[He leapt into action, literally, and lashed out at the policeman's head without emotion or remorse. Barnaby was acting on instinct that he barely recognized, and decided to deal with the fallout later.

The cop wasn't going to go down so easy.]

9th

[neversurrender]

[If his sudden strength wasn't enough to surprise Steve, then the strange glowing blue that colored his eyes would have. It's beginning to sink in that there's a chance he doesn't really know any of the people he's surrounded himself with. Some feel slightly more familiar than others. But then there are ones like Barnaby and...Kakashi, who don't seem familiar at all. It's confusing.]

Yeah...[So he recognizes him. Or at least remembers his name at least. But before he can say anything else he feels the presence of something behind him right as Barnaby shouts for him to duck. With reflexes he's not sure he ever had before, he throws himself to the ground right as the other man leaps into action.]

9th

[tsunderebunny]

[His foot connected with the policeman's shoulder with a blade-like accuracy that astounded Barnaby, but he had no time to think. It was a precious grace that Steve listened, because he would receive no assistance from Barnaby at that point. He locked eyes with his enemy for a heartbeat that for an eternity, absorbing every detail that he could.

The cop's breathing and pulse felt as wrong to Barnaby as the fanatical look in his eyes. This wasn't a human...

No time to think. The cop grabbed Barnaby by the ankle and threw him away with the strength and relentless force of a bear.

Directly at Steve.]

9th

[neversurrender]

[Steve had just slowly made it to his feet when the cop got the drop on Barnaby. He's still not completely sure what's going on, but he can tell who the bad guys are. That much was clear. He begins inching close to the two, intent on giving Barnaby a hand, when the man in question comes hurtling towards him.

It's a split decision he needs to make; either catch Barnaby and give the cop a chance to gain the upper hand, or let him fall and go after the cop.

He chooses to catch him. It might give them the disadvantage but at least this way he doesn't have to worry about Barnaby getting as hurt. The other man lands on him full force, sending them both to the ground. As the cop takes his opening, Steve uses his fast reflexes to roll Barnaby off of him and to get to his feet. He lands a punch on the cop that has the enemy stumbling back.]

9th

[tsunderebunny]

[Barnaby grunted upon impact with Steve and the concete that came seconds after. The strength the man exhibited stunned him, clouded his focus as he struggled to catch his breath. There were no injuries as far as he could tell.

He only needed a moment to right himself in time to watch Steve strike the cop with impressive ease. Barnaby moved immediately afterward, his speed matching his strength as he wheeled around quick enough to follow up Steve's action with a kick that sent their enemy to the ground.

He stood there, mind reeling and trying to breathe.

What was that...?]

Day 6

[windandrain]

[Blearily, Saori tugged Yuuna along behind her as she made her way to Barnaby's house. She needed to talk to her brother, see him and know that everything was right with the world. Because she had the sneaking suspicion that things were not. She had difficulty with memory, and whenever she'd seen a photo of Barnaby that morning it'd just felt...wrong...somehow. Like he didn't fit.

And that was enough to have her questioning things, because Barnaby was her brother and that was all there was too it.

When she reaches the house she actually bangs on the door rather than knocking, her voice mildly panicky]

Barnaby? Barnaby are you home!?

Day 6

[tsunderebunny]

[No one else was home at that point in the day. Kakashi had already gone off to school, and Barnaby was barely dressed for the day. His blond curls were still in a disarray from having rolled out of bed recently-- he had slept in, his dreams edged in floating sparks from an unseen fire and stupid old man in a mask whose eyes glowed a strange but oddly familiar blue.

He tugged a shirt on and batted Pakkun, Bisuke, and Akino away as he cracked the door open.]

Saori. Yuuna. What's wrong?

[The panic in her tone worried him, and he immediately opened the door to let both her and Yuuna in.]

[sun_showers]

There's...something we need to talk about, Barnaby. We don't really understand what's going on, but... [She sighs, leaving it at that. Probably best to be discussed sitting down. She walks inside, then turning and waiting for the other two to follow and hopefully head to the living room to sit down for a nice chat.]

[windandrain]

Yes, it's...well, it's urgent and sensitive.

[She steps inside and leads the way into the living room. Yes, she agrees, it's time for a sit down chat.]

Please, let's...all sit. If that's okay.

[tsunderebunny]

If it's urgent and sensitive...

[and it was. Neither of them had ever lied to him or given him reason not to trust them.]

That might be a good idea.

[He sighed and took a seat, motioning for the other two to follow.]

[sun_showers]

[She takes a seat herself when she enters, her head finding a palm as she sits and leans on her leg.]

So...[She shifts nervously as she tries to find the words she'd like to use to start-] Saori and I noticed something odd this morning, and it's really bothering us about well, everything. Everything about all of this.

[She takes her arms and spreads them wide, indicating something more than maybe a small problem that might exist between the three of them. Something much more serious.]

[Day 9]

[linefacingforever]

[Yu still didn't know how he got through the week. Everything was wrong; what started as an uneasy feeling grew into fact. This wasn't his life, this wasn't his place, but it was so close to what he felt was reality that he was supposed to know that it left him confused and paranoid...]

[And on top of it, he had an extreme need to help these people. It was hard to miss the police everywhere, gathering up people that weren't behaving "normally". He was a bit scared, worried that the slightest wrong movement would peg him as abnormal and he'd get arrested. Yu swallowed, trying not to look at all suspicious as he passed by a group of police huddled together, watching everyone. Nope, nothing wrong here... just a normal high school student.]

[He managed to get around the corner before he let out a breath. The cops weren't looking at him, and the only person that was around was some blonde guy with glasses.]

[...perfect time for one of those damn headache he'd been having lately to pop up.]

[He let out a pained noise, stumbling as he pressed a hand to his forehead, feeling sick. No, not right now...]

[Day 9]

[tsunderebunny]

[Barnaby touched the young man on the shoulder the moment he started reeling. Although they were strangers, Barnaby wasn't about to let anyone get taken by the police if he could help it. A small phrase flitted through his mind--

'As long as there are lives to save...'

Another followed, as if an echo:

'As long as there are points to earn...'

He didn't know where they came from, but that didn't matter.]

Let's go.

[linefacingforever]

[Yu jumped as he felt hands on him, afraid that the police had turned around, had noticed him behaving oddly, and were going to drag him away like so many others. It was just the man he had caught a glimpse of before, however, and for a moment he almost didn't want to trust him, but something... some instinct told him that it was okay, that this person meant well.]

Thanks.

[tsunderebunny]

[A small nod in reply.]

Don't mention it.

[He was no Hero...

Barnaby led the young man through an alleyway and onto the next street, just around the corner from Town Hall but also just out of sight. There was a small cafe nearby. Barnaby led him there.]

[linefacingforever]

[Yu was able to support himself by the time they got out of the alleyway, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. His head still hurt, like something was begging to be unleashed, but it was slowly ebbing away.]

I appreciate the help.

[The past few days had been hell for him. An outstretched hand, even from a stranger, was a welcome thing.]

[tsunderebunny]

Please. Don't mention it.

[He didn't want the gratitude. Not when it was simply the best course of action.

Barnaby sat down and motioned for the stranger to join him.]

You just looked unwell, and the police...

[There were gaps in his memory. Did he have to say it?]

Day 8

[fantheflame]

[Something wasn't right, and Sasuke had been sure of this for nearly two full days now. This whole place wasn't right. He'd thought of saying something, of questioning, but along with the unsettling feeling of wrongness, an intense paranoia he'd never known before had crept up into Sasuke's chest, and he simply went through the appropriate motions, and observed. He wanted to skip school. He didn't. He wanted to give a shot to skipping town (though something told him he'd be chased immediately by his friends and god what would Itachi think?), but he didn't. But his senses were open. Intensely, bizarrely open.]

[He shouldn't have even noticed something off on his way home from school, but he noticed, stilling his steps on his usual path cutting through the park. And he turns, then, eyes scanning the brush and benches and trees around him. He doesn't know what's off but something is and he can just tell.]

Is someone there?

Day 8

[tsunderebunny]

I was wondering when you would notice me.

[Barnaby stepped into the light, now making it fully clear that he was tailing Sasuke-- and had been since Hinata ran to his home in tears. Although his focus was scattered between the veritable flow of details that he was noticing in his everyday life and his growing obsession for the truth, he just couldn't let his irritation over Hinata's tears go.

Perhaps it was his brotherly instinct to protect her. Perhaps it was a sign of something more.]

[fantheflame]

[Sasuke began to respond, but the words failed on his lips. He wanted to say you're the Hyuuga twins' brother, but that just seemed. Wrong. On several levels. Hinata and Neji aren't twins, instinct told him. This isn't a Hyuuga, it added. Nothing here is right, it finished. He swallowed. More little whispers that made him sure he was losing it - or this world was. He wasn't all too sure which.]

What do you want?

[He settled for that instead, even if he had a pretty decent idea. It didn't twist his mouth to say it, at the least.]

[tsunderebunny]

[Hyuuga or not. Brother or not. For the moment, Barnaby still saw them as such. He wanted to believe it with all of his heart, since the very thought of this family and these memories being false tied his nerves and clouded his mind with uncertainty.

He didn't want it to be true.]

I just want to know what you were thinking a few days ago.

[With Neji. and Hinata. His tone was kept even by his will alone, but there was a steel underneath it that wouldn't bend easily.]

[fantheflame]

[The frown deepened at the corners of Sasuke's mouth, but he didn't otherwise move. He should probably have been worried, being confronted like this while alone and unseen, but for some reason he just... wasn't.]

[Though he did feel a little more indignant than he was entirely used to.]

I was thinking we wouldn't get caught. [Truth and nothing but.] It wasn't like that was the first time.

[tsunderebunny]

[His eyes narrowed in suspicion, uncommonly irritated by this lack of information. The possible confrontation meant nothing to Barnaby, but being lied to?

How many lies were there?]

Oh? Is this a common occurance?