lucetilogs | I see the bad moon rising / I see trouble on the way

Entry tags:

I see the bad moon rising / I see trouble on the way

Who: Everyone!
What: There are these crazy masks everywhere, you see. And does the moon look strange to you?
When: The 23rd through the 30th. (If you want to backdate a thread in here to the 22nd for some reason, feel free. A separate log for the day of Halloween will go up at a later date!)
Where: Everywhere!
Summary: Things are starting to get a little spooky around here. What with masks that range from silly to creepy to downright menacing turning up everywhere, the people wearing them beginning to act strangely, and that menacing moon looking down.... why, it's starting to feel a little like Halloween.
Rating: Anywhere from G to hard R for violence, I'd imagine.

BOO!

.... ahem. Details are here! Have fun, everyone! (Oh, and please do remember to add character tags!)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[The sharpness in her name takes her by surprise.]

No. I do not. Do you think I am lying, Ion?

I don't know. Perhaps you've been spending too much time around Anise? She's good at that.

[...he's going to feel terrible when this mask comes off.]

[This just isn't like him. At least she doesn't feel the need to meet insult with sword anymore.]

Is something else wrong, Ion? Are you worried about this experiment? [It's not like him at all to speak about Anise that way.]

Worried? [He laughs. It's a strange, twisted sort of laugh.] What's there to be worried about? It's not as though half the village has lost their minds or there's some kind giant space rock coming to destroy the village...

But no. I'm feeling great.

[She is starting to be worried enough that it shows on her face.]

I'm sorry you felt ignored. But I am telling the truth - I haven't seen you in days.

[He grins his teeth and turns away. It's hard to keep arguing against what deep down you know is the truth. His voice remains icy cold.]

Fine. Perhaps you're right. Perhaps, somehow, we're both right. But that doesn't excuse everyone else, and it certainly doesn't explain anything.

Perhaps we can find more explanations, then.

[He jerks his head around and snaps, actually snaps, at her.]

Well, you haven't been very helpful thus far, have you!? I fail to see how talking to you any further could be of any benefit!

Very well, Ion. If that is how you feel, you may choose to end this conversation.

[And there isn't even a touch of coldness in her voice.]

[Nephry, you are truly a saint. With a huff, Ion turns and storms off to his room, slamming the door loudly behind him.]

[...]

[Though given a few hours, assuming Nephry is still awake, his door is going to creak back open... rather timidly, this time.]

[She is still awake. She's sitting in the living room, looking through the journal a bit, with a mug of cocoa in her free hand. The Zorro mask is still sitting beside her on the sofa.

And she looks troubled.]

[Ion slowly makes his way out into the hallway, holding the now broken-in-half Phanto Mask in his hands. But he'll linger in the doorway a moment before going into the living room. His voice is soft and gentle, just as it's supposed to be.]

Nephry?

[It takes her a minute to look up at him. ...Well, at least the mask is off.]

Did you need something, Ion? [unfortunately, she's using the same formal tone she was before - not sharp, but certainly not very affectionate either.]

[Somehow, that tone hurts more than if she were to actually snap at him.]

Nephry, I... [His gaze falls to the ground.] I don't know what to say. I have no idea what came over me before. I'm so sorry.

[She raises one eyebrow very quickly - Ion probably doesn't see it happen - and keeps her gaze steady on him, setting the journal aside.]

[It's... concerning, not to hear Nephry say anything in response. Was it not enough? He'd spoken so terribly to her... he grips the remaining pieces of the mask in his hands.]

I hadn't even realized what I did until I took this mask off. I said so many terrible things to you, and to Anise...

[He cringes a bit. He'd have to apologize to her as well... treating her so cruelly when she was clearly being influenced by an experiment; what was he thinking!?]

What did you say to Anise?

[Because she knows what you said to her. She still hasn't changed her tone. ...But she doesn't look angry.]

[His eyes stay low. He can't look her in the eyes and admit this.]

...she was wearing a dog mask earlier today. And she was under the impression that she really was a dog. [...] And I treated her like one.

[There is so much shame in his tone. He's horrified by what he did... the mask didn't break on it's own.]

Ah, yes. I saw her, too. [Well. She also puts down her cocoa, giving her two free hands instead of one.]

Come here.

[His eyes stay low, but he does as she says. He can still remember looking at her just feeling so angry. It was horrible.]

I accept your apology. [then, finally, a smile] It is an experiment. I'm sure Anise will feel the same.

[Hearing that fills him with more relief than he'll show right away. He still has to apologize to Anise, and even then, an apology won't undo all the terrible things he did and said...]

[...but it certainly helps.]

Thank you, Nephry. I hope she will, as well. Perhaps I should do something to make it up to her... I'd like to make it up to you somehow as well, if you'll let me.

[Seriously, for someone like Ion, acting like that is kind of like the worst thing he's ever done.]

[She shakes her head.]

Others have said far worse to me, and been less sorry. On purpose, at that. I knew...I hoped you didn't really mean it.

[Then she stands, using one hand to gently turn him around and lead him toward the kitchen.]

You're not cruel, Ion. If anyone knows that, it's Anise.

[Of course he didn't mean it... he could never say such words to Nephry, to anyone, and mean it. The number of people Ion has ever seriously raised his voice at could still be counted on one hand.]

[He nods, walking with Nephry into the kitchen.]

You're right. I know it was only because of this experiment, but perhaps that's why it's making me feel so terrible...

[It's not long before she puts a full mug of hot cocoa in his hands. See? All forgiven.]

As hard as it may be, if we spent all of our time feeling responsible for every experiment...we wouldn't do much else, would we?

I see the bad moon rising / I see trouble on the way

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