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

[endgames]

[From what he knows of her, he could agree with that.]

The answer is different person to person. In your case? [He eyes the clock.] It's the truths you don't want to admit to yourself. Reality isn't glamorous.

[generalflirt]

Wouldn't I want to be glamorous?

[Oh well ]

[endgames]

You want to be happy more. And loved.

[generalflirt]

That's cold.

[No, it's just accurate. So much so he feels himself tearing up some, in spite of himself. The impact of that is... pretty strong]

[endgames]

Am I wrong?

[generalflirt]

Are you ever, boss?

1/2

[endgames]

I don't know anymore.

[Because Shikamaru Harukawa was. A lot. He had too much pride to look for truths in such things, even when answers were staring him in the face. He worked too much to maintain friendships he hadn't had since grade school.

Actually, maybe that last one is true even of Nara Shikamaru, hm? He's never had to work at a friendship as he has here, with Katara and indeed Masaomi...]

[endgames]

[Which has always been worth it to him. Still is now. He reaches out to put a hand on Masaomi's shoulder.]

If you chase after glamor in a fantasy, you'll always be standing still in reality. You can't find happiness that way.

[generalflirt]

[Yeah, yeah, yeah... everyone says stuff like that. He sighs a little and leans forward, breathing hard out of his nose]

I hear that.

[endgames]

Someday I hope you'll believe it. Not that I'm expecting it soon.

[He rubs a hand over his face, drained.]

But that's a different puzzle in itself... Just work on what you think you need, for now.

[generalflirt]

You should really work on a little censorship for that tongue but... yeah. Yeah. [He sighs]

Right.

[He really shouldn't be this annoyed at him]

[endgames]

Right. Not used to breaking out diplomacy with my friends, but okay.

[He keeps his hand on his forehead, fingers partially obscuring his face. There's other things he wants to say. He doesn't like this wall between them. Wants to help more... wants to help himself.

Wants to die, because even though he knows better, he feels like he's lost everything.

But he'll get over that. Right?]

...when do you leave?

[generalflirt]

I signed up already - but probably within the next day or two.

[ He says this with a frown. the diplomacy thing just annoys him even more, actually. But he'll be there ]

[endgames]

Mm. [Silence follows. Listening to the sounds in the background, the sound of the second hand ticking on the clock can be made out. He counts out six before breathing slowly through the nose and standing up, the chair scraping against the floor behind him.]

Do what's good for you. [Repeating himself somewhat, spacelike. He puts his hands in his pockets and starts sliding around the table.] I hope it helps you straighten things out for yourself... Aa. There's dinner at the apartment, if you don't get something for yourself.

[generalflirt]

[...Jeez. He's feels bad and he feels annoyed all at once - which makes Linda over there look between the two of them ago. And he sighs before shrugging it off]

Yeah, I hear that.

[endgames]

Good. [He edges towards the door, opening it with a foot.] Don't forget to lock up before you leave.

[And he's gone.]