auroraexpress | EVENT: A Certain Confession

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!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

★: Regrettably, I'll have to drink with my longsuffering friends.

Crow: lemme know if you change your mind

★: I will.

Crow: I'll count on it~

naeva: go drink with the commoners, prince
naeva: aren't we supposed to be making friends

★: I'd love to, but since the only thing aside from you guys that isn't corrupted is my castle, I'm a little limited.

naeva: the amount the details of your life feel familiar to me is extremely alarming

★: Then don't bully me!

naeva: i am bullying you because it's familiar, young man.

["Young man"...]

★: Didn't you just say you're not my mother?

naeva: I'm not
naeva: but you seem and speak as someone in their youth?

[I am over 100 I will grandma the fuck out of you cardamom]

★: I'm 21!

naeva: and I'm 104.
naeva: young man.

Edited 2019-03-21 06:12 (UTC)

★: This is where I should respect your experience if you're so familiar with my problems, huh? But I don't want to now!

naeva: I'm sure that will work out fine
naeva: I certainly didn't have to do anything awful and painful trying to stop an old corrupting curse that threatened the life of an entire world
naeva: and I'm sure I wouldn't have wished for someone who'd done it before, either
naeva: good luck, kid.

[Well.

What does He say to that? He's at a loss. There are just... a lot of feelings involved.]

★: I'm not the one who has to endure the worst. It's good luck to YOU.

naeva: there's very little that could happen here that's worse than what I've already lived through
naeva: the worst is yet to come for you.
naeva: even if we succeed, I promise you that.

★: It's not. The worst part is already done.

naeva: I know you believe that
naeva: and I know what you've done is...tremendous.
naeva: but it will always get worse, before the work is done.

★: You can't say that.
★: I watched the universe go dark in a matter of days. My mother died to protect this castle, and my father is a monster wailing outside the doors. Almost everyone I ever knew is gone, and the only thing holding Malice back from what's left is my own good feelings. Even if I tore my soul to shreds, it wouldn't be worse than that!
★: If you tell me it will, I'll just have a harder time keeping my hopes up. So don't!

Crow: friendly reminder, booze still available

★: I have my own!

(no subject)

bad_crowmance - 2019-03-21 07:20 (UTC) - Expand

Hlasoh: Can confirm, it solves problems.

[it is a few minutes before she responds. She had to take a while to think about this.]
naeva: it is not my intention to destroy your hope.
naeva: only to impress upon you this--
naeva: hope and happiness...don't grow alone in the cold.
naeva: I...
naeva: I know that very well.
naeva: even if it's only one or two people
naeva: even if it's only for a little bit
naeva: you must let people help you.
naeva: sorrow will come again like rain, but
naeva: if you're not alone, the storm will break. moonlight comes shining through once more.
naeva: you must not try to do everything yourself.

[There's a strange moment -- not a response from the chat, but a sudden heaviness in the atmosphere. It's something profound and eerie, but it goes away after just a half-beat.

It takes a long time to get a response.]

★: I'm not alone. We'd all be dead if I was.

desirestruth - 2019-03-21 07:30 (UTC) - Expand

joybound - 2019-03-21 07:33 (UTC) - Expand

desirestruth - 2019-03-21 07:34 (UTC) - Expand

joybound - 2019-03-21 07:38 (UTC) - Expand