Post-Event Blues

[lucetimods]

Who: Everybody, everybody!
What: The battle is won. Now what?
When: The eleventh, twelfth, and onward
Where: Luceti
Summary: With Zompano dead and the cultists routed, Luceti is restored. Kind of.
Rating: F for Feels

On the eleventh, things were slowly breaking down. Memories of their true lives were breaking through. The village, scarred by the battle with the cultists, began to rebuild itself. Community buildings that had vanished were returned to their rightful places. The battle dome was uncovered from the earth that had covered it. Hundreds and hundreds of fake homes slowly faded away. Paved roads gave way to trees and grass. It was an incredible sight for anyone who was willing to sit aroun and watch it happen.

Things wouldn't be easy for the villagers, though. The memories perpetuated by the last ten days would not be easily removed. The feelings and hatreds it had created would take time to conquer and remove. Perhaps, in a way, that was Zompano's nastiest trick of all. The village itself may heal from his invasion, but it would take far more than a few Shifts to fix the people left behind.

Towards the end of the day, their wings returned. Much like some of the buildings, they seemed to just reappear, as if they had never been gone. Their barcodes became visible again as a singular reminder that they were, ultimately, just the property of another entity who as a whole were not much better than Count Zompano.

By the twelfth, the village looked as though nothing had ever happened. Sure, the contents of buildings might have been messed up or destroyed during the battles, but things were otherwise as they were supposed to be. The night before, people would have had to find their old beds to go sleep in, as they no longer possessed the old ones granted to them in another life.

The village was peaceful.

Modly Note: That wraps up the event. As noted in the prose above, you have the option to play up the after effects of the event more than in other ones. While it won't have the same impact universally, the Shift was constructed in such a way that people may have difficulty shaking off the emotions they developed during the event. In effect, it was a cruel send off to Luceti so they would have to deal with the loathing and hatred that came with the less desirable parts of it. Of course, that means the feelings of familial bonds will also persist for awhile as well. It's up to you, as players, to decide how much or little to play with it!

Comments

[generalflirt]

Oh, I doubt that one.

[endgames]

People rarely talk about these things unless they're getting sappy on the journals.

[If people aren't playing it normal, he expects more runners.]

[generalflirt]

I feel like everyone goes through these things, and they talk it out with the relevant party. People are so open with their emotions here, it's silly.

[endgames]

[...well. He'd agree with the latter.]

It's usually not worth talking about, unless it was serious enough to warrant it.

[generalflirt]

Aren't you contradicting yourself?

[endgames]

No. That's the 'rarely' chunk of it.

[generalflirt]

But the implication there is people ought to talk.

[endgames]

[...maybe it is? He rubs at his temple, feeling like he's confusing himself.]

When it's important, yeah. You should always rely on the people around you. But there's a lot that people should have the sense to figure out for themselves. The problems of that world are its problems, not ours.

[generalflirt]

Eeeeh, can you really call that a "world?" In the end, it was some sort of hostile takeover.

[endgames]

[Anything gentle drains right out of his voice.]

I can and I will. Cultists or not, it wasn't me.

[generalflirt]

[...]

You're less over it than I am, Shikamaru.

[endgames]

[He gives up and pushes the rest of the ice cream carton over to Linda. She can have it if she wants. If not, at least the freezers restock themselves. It won't be a waste.]

I'm not letting it hold me back any. I'm getting back to my life, and the people I care about. If they're okay, the rest doesn't matter to me.

[That's part of why he's here, really.]

[generalflirt]

Should I say "poor Sakura-chan" to that one?

[He says this to the air, not sure why he is]

[endgames]

[There's a jerking motion in his arm, like it's about to come up. It never leaves the table, and he locks his elbow there as he turns to fix a glare on Masaomi.]

Sakura is my comrade. She's always been an important person to me.

[generalflirt]

Mmm, alright, that's fair.

[To be honest, he doesn't know too much about the other Shikamaru's circumstances to mention anything else by name]

[endgames]

[Don't bring her up again.

No. That's too sensitive. He leans back in his sight, thoughtfully drawing a line in his mind: a clearer distinction between what he would do, and what that boy would.

(because Tony was right; he wasn't a grown up, he was just a scared kid)

It's not that he detests that life, because he couldn't. But in personality, and some values, Shikamaru Harukawa is everything he's glad he never became.]

Have you talked to anyone else today?

[generalflirt]

Nope. [Blithely. He's got people he probably ought to talk to too, but he's in no way motivated to go for any of them]

[endgames]

[Okay, then that validates his point. He doesn't feel the need to say as much, but he no longer feels so baseless for being here. He hums.]

At least you got Linda.

[Something really would be wrong, if he hadn't.]

[generalflirt]

Honestly, it's more that she found me.

[Linda doesn't have a one liner for that. It's part gorging on ice cream, part that she doesn't feel like butting in here]

[endgames]

Oh.

[He doesn't have much more to say than that (something else has been validated he didn't want to be validated), and he shoots Linda a grateful look.

Less over it than you are, my foot.]

[generalflirt]

It's true, that I was really out of it those last few days. I suppose though, such is life.

[With a little cackle, even]

[endgames]

You're still out of it. You're just handling it differently.

[You're not drunk in the streets for it.]

[generalflirt]

Oh yeah? Well, maybe.

[endgames]

Not maybe. Be honest for yourself, man. What do you need?

[generalflirt]

[It's much easier to smile than to frown. But he does frown now, petting Linda more to calm his nerves than anything]

What about you?