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

[therewerefifty]

[No need to ask who him is. Makie's gaze flicks sideways a moment, then back to the road. Her voice is almost as quiet.]

Do you want to?

[endgames]

Not really.

[Especially after yesterday. Still leaning his chin upon his head, he again turns to face the window.]

But if I'm going to be doing something I hate, I might as well have more than two pennies to rub together for it.

[therewerefifty]

[...

It's not that she has anything against Tony. Far from it; they live their own lives out, that's all. Time has passed. Things move on.

But.]

I'm not going to judge you for any choice you make. It's... your life. If you can live with that option, then...

...I don't know, Shikamaru. I hate that you get stuck like this at all.

[endgames]

It's the way things are. It'll get better, mom.

[He shifts a little, nervously. Stuck? Yeah... Some of that was unavoidable. Part of it he's dug his own grave for.]

[therewerefifty]

When? [She's been hearing that so often, lately. The tax hike is just another nail in denial's coffin.] You and I both know that's not true. Or at least, it won't get better in any way that's good.

[Which sounds sort of comical, actually. Her small laugh is anything but.]

[endgames]

[That's as good as telling him everything he's worked for in this last year will be fruitless. That stings more than anything else could.]

As soon as I get a new plan together. I'm not letting it get worse.

[therewerefifty]

[She realises after she's said it, of course. If you can't say anything hopeful, Makie...]

I know you won't. [You don't have a choice.] But you have so much on your plate already. It's not fair for you to get so trapped dealing with a burden that should be mine.

[endgames]

You're my mother. That's not a burden.

[therewerefifty]

That's not what I meant.

[Deep breath. It stresses her, this tax hike. Heck, it stresses everyone. But now is not the time to let it bleed into the conversation. (Deep breath, to a point-- it's a half breath, because deep breathing just causes problems in dying people. Go figure.)]

It's... I'm a mother. Your mother. It's meant to be my job to provide for you. You're not mean to provide for me until I'm old and grey and need to be spoonfed, or...something.

You have a wife, now. I want you to be happy.

[endgames]

[It's true that he wasn't expecting to have to look after her until she'd gotten along much farther in years, but... It doesn't make a difference, he decides. You can't choose when you need help.]

There's not a chance I could be happy, knowing it was at your expense. I'd regret it every day.

[He sighs. They could argue back and forth like this for an hour. Neither one of them are wrong, necessarily.]

Maybe we're going about this wrong.

[therewerefifty]

Maybe. [But they've been over this so many times. She chews on her lip. Nervous thinking habit. Life doesn't work as simply as that, she knows; casting her off certainly wouldn't make her son's life suddenly all roses.]

So what are our other options? Have you... have you asked your father about this already? [It's said quietly. But when it comes down to it...

A tax hike isn't the only thing that could go wrong with money.]

[endgames]

[Well that saves the problem about how to bring it up. He fidgets.]

I didn't ask... but he's offered. He found out what was happening.

[therewerefifty]

[The car gives a lurch at that. Makie near freezes, and automatically applies the break. Momentary hiccup. She picks up speed, instead.

Shit. That's all she needed.] How?

[endgames]

[On reflex, he holds a hand out to brace himself, gripping the arm rest on the door a little more tightly until the car gets moving again.]

We were arguing. [He wishes he could sink into the seat further.] About the hike. It just came out.

[therewerefifty]

[Dammit. He had to know eventually, but the worst way to tell him award goes to...

Her fingers clench on the steering wheel.]

So he offered you a job. Take it.

[endgames]

[He watches her closely. Ever composed, his mother is, but he knows she's angry with him. Her knuckles are impossibly white on the steering wheel; her words too clipped, and to the point.]

...Are you sure?

[therewerefifty]

It's not like life is full of good choices, is it? [Despite her best efforts, her voice is taut. Really, Tony isn't a problem. She forgave him years ago. This is a blessing. So why-- why is she getting so upset about this? Because she can't take care of her own son? Because--] If Tony wants to help, let him help. Maybe I'll get to see him be a good father for once before I die.

[...oh, that came out far more bitter than she intended.]

[endgames]

[The knife that's been in his gut for the past year twists hard once again.]

Can you stop saying you're going to die?

[therewerefifty]

Do you think if I stop bringing it up it will stop being true? [Her voice cracks on that-- and if she's lucky he'll just think his mother is being emotional. Her chest feels so tight.] Maybe it's time we just accepted that fact, you know? The sooner I--

[And her mouth snaps shut before she can finish that, because oh she knows how wrong it is to say.]

I can't help the way life has turned out, Shikamaru.

[endgames]

[The color's drained out of his face; whether out of horror or anger, it's hard to tell. Most likely it's a little of both.

He gave her so much grief growing up. It's not fair if it ends like this. And well, he doesn't trust anything he has to say right now will be smart, or not childish, so he returns to glaring out the window with his mouth in a tight line.]

[therewerefifty]

[The dead silence is just as awful, and Makie wishes they could somehow rewind back the last five minutes. It doesn't matter, does it? That Tony knows. That Shikamaru feels forced to go to him, that she can't help him herself, hurts... life was never meant to end up like this.

But neither of them chose it. She should accept that fact herself. There's... no honour in living like this.

A moment later, she wonders where that thought even came from and scowls at herself. And darts a brief glance at Shikamaru on the other side of the car.]

...

I'm not going to be mad if you take the job.

[endgames]

[Mm. He's not calmed down much, but he can try.]

That's good. It's gotta be better than taking his handouts.

[therewerefifty]

[...that's right. Now that he knows, he'd insist either way. At least this way, her son can keep some of his pride.]

He's always been that way. [Ever since...

...since Shikamaru was young...?

Her voice sounds more distant, now. Which might be an improvement; less miserable, at least.] What kind of work do you think he'll offer you?

[endgames]

Tch. A janitor at this point, if I'm lucky...

[Still bitter about the night before, though maybe starting to feel sorry about some of the things he himself said, he doesn't think much of her tone at the moment. She's not talking about dying again, so that's what's important to him. At least thus far.]

[therewerefifty]

Tell him you're worth more than that. Though Tony should know you're too smart to waste on janitorship, even if he is angry at you.

[At us.

She's still distant, though some strain has entered her voice. Something doesn't feel right, and now she's scouring her memory for things she really ought to know.]