EVENT: A Certain Confession

[joybound]

Who: everybody!
When: Day 16, evening
Where: wherever you are

[As the sun sets and the new stars come out, there's a message on the ChainChat app. The username is new -- it's not The Construct, but it also doesn't have a profile attached, and doesn't accept private messages. It appears to be some different admin account.]

★: Hi everyone. Good news and bad news here. Good first: you should find your new train car attached as of this message! You guys wanted a garden, so hopefully you'll like this one.
★: As for the bad news: we're having a bit of a problem generating positive energy, so from now on we're adjusting the whole "sparks of light" thing. Starting tomorrow, you'll only get a payout when you consciously make a decision to increase your bonds. We're talking about increasing prices, too, but... one thing at a time.
★: Sorry for the bad timing.

[There's a pause, and then a follow-up.]

★: There are some things I ought to explain now, but I'm not sure where to start. Just be aware that things might get rougher in the future. And that Trials... I might've lied a little about those.
★: I'm sorry. This wasn't supposed to happen. Please try to hang in there.

[It's not a cheerful message, but on the upside, there is in fact a new train car at the end! On the outside it looks like one of the communal cars, with a stylized flower symbol on the door. Inside, however, it's a huge greenhouse. There are several different "rooms", each about 50 feet square, aligned to different climates. It also comes with various basic gardening tools - trowels, gloves, etc -- and enough seedlings to get started growing flowers and veggies. There's always (artificial) sunshine coming down through the glass roof, and the soil in the beds never loses fertility. There are even benches here and there -- it's not only a practical facility, but a nice place to relax!

More seeds and seedlings, equipment, and decor, can be bought via the sparks shop. You may in the meantime assume any simple plants you want are provided -- but they won't be re-issued for free if you kill them!]

[OOC: You can use this toplevel to reply to the prince's chat message. He'll respond for a limited time, but you can use this opportunity to uncover some major plot info! You're also more than welcome to talk to eachother -- it's a chat room and the conversations are public. The changes to the sparks system are outlined in this OOC comm announcement. Thank you!]

Comments

THE PRINCE

[joybound]

[Respond to the chat here! I'll be tagging for a few days, so take the chance to grab this plot info update!]

[desirestruth]

naeva: i don't think i've been given an explanation to begin with for these 'trials'
naeva: but when you said 'lied' a little bit
naeva: what exactly is going on?

[joybound]

★: I told some people I didn't know who was running them.
★: I do. But this morning was wrong.

Re: THE PRINCE

[wontforbidtherain]

Cat: You shouldn't just say you lied, without explaining what you said and how it differs from the truth.
Cat: And, while we're at it, how will things get rougher in the future? Things seem rough already.

Re: THE PRINCE

[joybound]

★: Sorry. It's a lot to work up to.
★: Trials were supposed to help. I said they weren't from us, but they are. But this morning was wrong. Something happened to the person running it, and I can't fix it, so more things like that could happen again.

THE PRINCE

[ewestmarch]

E: This is the Prince?

Re: THE PRINCE

[joybound]

★: yes ma'am

[bad_crowmance]

Crow: you know, funny thing-- one of the first things I'd heard about you is that you hadn't been caught in a lie
Crow: so you think it still counts if you ADMIT you lied?

[joybound]

★: Probably not.

[bowtiedbones]

Eliza: guess what!
Eliza: it doesn't!!!!!!!!!

[nihilmancy]

Hlasoh: So we shouldn't have trusted you after all. Why should we believe anything you say from now on?

Re: THE PRINCE

[bowtiedbones]

Eliza: Start from anywhere.

Re: THE PRINCE

[crimeson]

Randy: Well that's not promising at all.

[voreaciously]

Lorelei: The kingdom from this morning's trial, was that constructed or real?

[desirestruth]

[Sorry, she only halfway read the messages before immediately heading for the new car. As it is, she's writing down inventory of the rooms before starting work on planting flowers. She seems to be currently working on a bed for roses, but she's picked out some other seeds for further beds.

She is hilariously overdressed for this and getting dirt all over herself and her fancy clothes but she is happy as a clam. Or a jackal, more accurately.]

[nihilmancy]

[Wandering the garden, idly observing which sort of plants are available.]

Two points: Those are not clothes for gardening, and when are you returning my wine?

[bowtiedbones]

Need any beds tilled? I can get you some helpers.

[are her helpers her dragonwolves, of course]

[nihilmancy]

[Hlasoh is avoiding returning to the Licorice dorm today, and has been spending most of the day restlessly wandering the cars and the purified areas surrounding the train. Currently she is standing by the side of the train, playing a slow, mournful tune on a flute as she watches the sun set.]

[bowtiedbones]

[Eliza's claimed the second floor of the clinic for a workspace again. she doesn't expect anyone to be using the pods tonight, so who's to mind if she covers the floor in chalked magic arrays and equations? it's a distraction from angry texting.



one of her new wolfish dragon skeletons is with her, but the other has wandered downstairs into the clinic proper and is nosing around curiously]

[ewestmarch]

[Emilia wanders in to restock and jumps a little when she sees the skeleton out on its own.]

Ah. Where's Eliza, hm?

[In that higher voice people use to talk to pets or babies.]

[newmodelblade]

[Having missed what happened because he was sleeping in because Licorice dorm is loud, lately, for a variety of reasons, Lucien can be found having decided to wander about both his dorm car and just about everywhere else he could find. He seems to be trying to gauge things for himself; the last time he had questions it didn't go so hot for him. Also he finally got new clothes!

Feel free to bump into him wherever.]

[desirestruth]

[Did you mean, be literally up to her elbows in dirt, coming back from the gardening car with the intention of asking senna if she can grow more flowers in senna's car?

Like. She just walked right into him, she was paying so little attention.

What a dumbass.]

[nihilmancy]

[Hlasoh hasn't been around the dorm for at least a day, except to sleep. With earplugs. She doesn't look so good- sad and exhausted and subdued, but she still approaches him.]

Ah, hello. I see at least you missed this morning's game.

[bad_crowmance]

[ You're loud ONE time and you gain a reputation. Rude.

That being said, Crow is out and about and raises a hand in greeting when he sees Lucien. ]

Yo. How you doing?

[wontforbidtherain]

What are you doing?

[Cat is taking her daily walk around the safe parts of the beach] .