Luceti Valley - The First Log

[lucetimods]

Who: Everyone
What: The start of a new experiment... or is it?
When: August 2nd - August 6th
Where: Luceti itself
Summary: Luceti has become an idyllic and peaceful 50s-esque village. The first few days are just business as usual, right?
Rating: Varies with thread. Please move explicit stuff to appointments post with appropriate warnings.

August 1st had seemed like an ordinary day in Luceti. But late in the evening, for those night owls who had not turned in yet, they were witness to strange fluctuations in the barrier. Beautiful, really, almost like Luceti had received its own 'Northern Lights', even though it seemed to come from the far east, across the ocean. This ominous light show lasted for all of fifteen minutes before it ceased all together. Skimming the ocean waters, a horde of cultists entered Luceti, cloaked by darkness. Upon reaching the entrance to the tunnels, their leader stepped inside and was followed one by one by his fellow cultists. When the last had entered, the tunnel entrance closed. Across the mountains, the entrance to the tunnels in the village did the same.

Midnight passed without incident, but by three in the morning, the change suddenly came. Minds were altered, forms were changed, and buildings sprang from nowhere.

Much later, on August 2nd, morning settled on a changed village, the new mayor made his way to his mansion with his pair of adorable dobermans at either side of him. The sun shined bright. It was a good day to be a Lucetian.

Note: There will be a stand alone log for the homecoming dance. There will be another log for the second stage of the event.

Comments

[foundafamily]

[She's right, of course, and now that it's been spelled out Firo can't deny it. He knows dealing with them won't be pleasant in the least, but what actually makes him flinch is the thought of how angry Maiza and Luke will be with him. If they speak to him after this.

She's been remarkably charitable so far, so why Firo decides to act deliberately troublesome is a mystery to himself. But he's frustrated and on top of it a little scared. This is the easiest way to hide it.]

Oh, so you know? 'Cause I guess it's pretty tough livin' for you, huh?

[He gives the wallet in his hand one last look, then tosses it to her feet.]

There. And go ahead and call your damn cops--I'm not scared of any of you.

[wise_maiden]

[There's a lot she could say to that -- it nearly makes her lose her own temper -- but frankly, it's none of his business. It's another step forward to retrieve the wallet, fingers checking to see if the bills are still in place.]

Tough talk. You're just going to try again with someone else, aren't you?

[foundafamily]

[He didn't sneak any of the contents, so it should all be there.

Folding his arms over his chest, he watches her check her possessions. The sensible part of his mind knows she's being smart to make sure it's all in order. The resentful, suspicious part imagines she's doing it to show off.]

So what? You've got your stuff back, so why do you care?

[wise_maiden]

Not many people take it upon themselves to care, do they? And so ... nothing changes. How many times have you ever given a wallet back, untouched?

[foundafamily]

[He agrees wholeheartedly with her first statement. As for the rest, he misunderstands and takes it as an insult. He rolls his eyes and replies sarcastically:]

Yeah, all the world's problems would be fixed if I just left all you good citizens alone, eh?

[Oddly enough, just the night before he wound up backing off another robbery. No way is he telling her that; he doesn't want to show that much weakness.]

[wise_maiden]

That isn't what I meant. But since you brought it up, taking money in the way that you do doesn't help matters, either. It barely even helps yourself. Sure, you can get some groceries, but it's not a steady income. Nothing lasting. Just drifting from one day to the next.

[foundafamily]

[He can't deny that either so he just shrugs, shuffling his feet uncomfortably.]

It's worked fine for me so far.

[Okay, so getting him into this lovely situation isn't exactly "working fine."]

And it's not like people with a "steady income" aren't havin' trouble either. They still get screwed over by their bosses all the time. Steady doesn't mean anything if it's not enough.

[wise_maiden]

I know. It's... an unfair system all around. But ... some people do move up, and work hard, or fight to get an education. Trying for options instead of relying on the desperate, quick fixes to get them through...

It's just something to think about.

[And little does she know that while she attempts to reason with one pickpocket, there's another that lurks in the shadows, just waiting for her to be alone.]

[foundafamily]

Some people. You rich people really love your fairy tales, don't you?

[His eyes flick away from her for a moment when he thinks he sees something stirring in the darkness nearby. Another person, maybe? It's hard to tell in that light.]

[wise_maiden]

Who said it was a fairy tale? Sometimes people can change their circumstances, and it's never easy. At every stage there are new hurdles. And you learn. The strike going on? People are trying to make a difference by standing up for themselves. It's choking the lower districts... but eventually, something has to change.

That's all I wanted to say, anyway.

[foundafamily]

[He raises an eyebrow, though not out of disdain but genuine confusion.]

You don't really think that, do you? You don't look that stupid.

[There is some little measure of comfort in hearing someone better off who doesn't seem against the strike. That's not something he'd dare to say out loud.

Another distracted glance off into the shadows, then he looks back at her.]

Maybe you should get yourself a soapbox next time.

[wise_maiden]

[She notices those glances, though figures he's just trying to look for an easy out to the conversation. The person in the shadows is doing their best to remain out of sight.]

Maybe. [There's a half smile at that last remark, that fades.] We don't know what the reality of the results will bring, given how long it's been going on. Although we can all be sure that repercussions will be felt within all the classes, whatever happens.

[foundafamily]

[Politics isn't his forte, so he just shrugs and offers his pessimistic outlook.]

Whatever it's gonna be, it's never anything good.

[Maybe he's just paranoid, but he's now more concerned with finding out if there is another person lurking around--and why, if they are. He knows he's probably just seeing things. It still pays to check.]

...You got a friend of yours hangin' around here?

[wise_maiden]

No, I don't -- why do you ask?

[Although that allows for some suspicion on her part to surface again. Was he feigning someone being around to get a hold of her wallet anyway? They seemed to have reached an odd understanding of sorts, but -- one never could be too careful. His bitterness about the situation was all too clear.

Maybe she should have pretended that someone was around - that could have explained his preoccupation.]

[foundafamily]

[He wishes he could think of a ploy like that--it'd make his "work" a lot easier.]

I thought I saw someone. Gotta make sure you don't have anyone waitin' to jump me, don't I?

[But he knows that wouldn't make sense; if she did have someone hanging around they would have shown themselves earlier.]

You don't see anybody?

[wise_maiden]

[She turns her head in the direction of the alley to check. Was that a shadow? Maybe a cat?] ... It's hard to tell in this light.

[foundafamily]

Yeah...

[Leaving it alone isn't a chance he wants to take. Before common sense can kick in, Firo's walking over to the alley to get a closer look.]

[wise_maiden]

[And for some reason, she remains - standing where she is, when she should move, or even try to leave...

In the alley is a person prepared to strike Firo with a blunt object if he gets too close.]

[foundafamily]

[Firo's ready to spring into action if he's attacked, but he didn't consider that the mysterious thing in the shadows might have a weapon. It's a pretty big oversight on his part; he should know better.

He's about a few feet away when he realizes that, yes, there really is a person there. The sudden widening of his eyes is probably enough to tell them that he's spotted them. If they don't strike first, he'll charge at them to try and knock them off balance. If they move before he does, then the best he can do is hold his arms up to try and block.]

[wise_maiden]

What are you -

[The person swerves back toward the wall of the building at the incoming charge, with the intent to trip Firo so that they could run toward Raine if successful.]

[foundafamily]

Damn it-! Hey, watch out!

[He stumbles as the person avoids him and catches himself on his hands and knees. He scrambles to his feet to give chase--he was already annoyed and getting tripped up has only made him angry. If he can catch up to the person, he'll grab for the back of their shirt to hold them still.]

[wise_maiden]

[... There's a person coming toward her from the alley, and by the shout of the young man she had been speaking with, it wasn't anything good. For a moment she's frozen in place, watching, before it clicks to her that it's time to start running. She had changed from her high heels to more sensible flats for her walks home, at least.

But the person attempting to chase after her is quicker. Firo manages to grab the shirt, and the person swings the weapon at him in an attempt to shake him off.]

[foundafamily]

[Well, shoot, that's not how he wanted this to go. He releases them as he raises his arm to block the weapon--not the best move, but he'd rather have a really sore and bruised arm than damage to his head.

He winces and tries to kick at the person's knee, if he can reach it.]

[wise_maiden]

[Being this close together, it becomes more obvious that this would-be mugger is a male - tall, lean. Masked. The aim of the weapon is off, as he just seems to want to knock Firo down instead of unconscious, though he grunts at the kick, applying more force with his next attempted blow.

He still intends to catch his mark.]

[foundafamily]

[Firo's at a disadvantage when it comes to height, but he's still pretty quick. He manages to move out of the way before the blow can land, but he knows that he needs to get rid of that weapon. Sooner or later, the guy will get a good hit.

He feints a punch to the other guy's face, then tries to grab the hand that's holding the weapon.]