lucetilogs | Post-Event Blues

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Just like the two of us, in other words.

[Given how distant Gai usually is, the fact that he fell for her so quickly was really nothing short of remarkable-- not that he's complaining. Now he understands why they refer to it as "falling" in love, because that was pretty much what happened. It was a complete nosedive right in.]

[Elizabeth gives a bit of a wincing smile and settles back into bed next to Gai--a little further off, of course, keeping things entirely PG.]

I suppose so. But it's... not like that between me and Booker. ...Obviously, I just said-- yes.

[She gives a small laugh, giving up on over-explaining.] I don't go around trusting just everybody though. You two are different.

I know.

[Despite the distance (and his own wince when the movement sends fresh pain shooting through his body), Gai reaches out to slide an arm around her anyway.]

And I'm glad for it.

[Now he smiles.]

I don't go around just trusting people either, and especially not letting them see me when I'm like this. You're the only person besides Law who I'd trust to look after me while I sleep.

[Elizabeth curls in closer to him, then looks up at her open door. There wasn't any pleasing both of them, and Gai really needed her support right now. So, for the moment, she chooses Gai. But, where sleeping is considered...]

You can stay here tonight. I'll be sure no one comes in here.

[The smile he gives her in return is tired, crooked, but utterly genuine-- a rarity from him. Booker can frown at him all he wants; as long as he's here, he's going to keep things strictly PG-rated.]

Thanks... I owe you for this.

[That's another rarity. Gai usually isn't the sort to thank anyone for anything.]

No you don't. [She smiles and starts moving his hair off of his neck.] You would do the same thing for me.

[Elizabeth drops her voice.] I'll keep Booker out of here, but I'll have to make it so he doesn't have to come in here. That means I'm spending the night someplace more accessible, alright?

Which means I'm not going to have the pleasure of your company while I sleep.

[It's a disappointing realization now that he's discovered just how much he likes sleeping with her in his arms, but one he can deal with for now.]

As difficult as it may be, I think that's a sacrifice I can make for one night for the sake of preserving the peace.

I'll stay here until I have to fall asleep. Until then, I'll be right here. Six hours and I'll be back. [She lays down with her head on his shoulder.] Sleep now, you'll have my company until I feel myself drifting off.

[Gai shifts to make himself more comfortable against the pillows, then slides his arm back around her and pulls her close. The morphine is almost fully in effect by now, dulling the pain he feels to a low ache rather than something more intense. Combined with the exhaustion that's now beginning to set in, it won't be long at all before he's out like a light.]

Think I'm going to beat you to the drifting off part...

Good, you should. [She wraps her arm around Gai's stomach and brushes his skin with her thumb. It's a small gesture, one that she can stop should a certain someone walk by and look in.]

You're an insane boy, and so you should sleep and hope when you wake up you have fewer tendencies towards dragging yourself around town.

[The laugh that escapes him now is soft, muzzy with sleep. That stroking feels nice; it's very relaxing...]

You wouldn't be the first person to call me that.

[Shibungi has given him an earful for the same thing many times over the years.]

... but it was worth it.

[Elizabeth wants to say that she's glad Gai came to rest with her, but at the same time she doesn't want to encourage Gai to hurt himself checking up on her in the future. So she stays quiet and strokes Gai with her thumb.]

I just want you to rest well.

I will if you're here with me.

[He already feels a thousand times better than he did when he first showed up on her doorstep. The morphine doesn't deserve all of the credit for that.]

[She stretches up and presses a lingering kiss to the underside of Gai's jaw.]

Then rest, sleep. I'm here, I'll never be more than a room away, I promise.

[Though at first he tries to resist, the siren song of sleep is beckoning him, and it isn't long before he shuts his eyes and nuzzles closer to her. There's a strange sort of vulnerability to him as he falls asleep like this, something few people outside of Elizabeth have ever had the chance to see.

For once, he actually looks like a teenage boy, not a soldier.]

Post-Event Blues

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