Event: Mirror Image

[trainmasters]

Who: everyone!
When: Day 19 evening and on
Where: outside

[As darkness falls in the jungle, an unusually chill breeze rustles through the trees. In its wake is silence, the purified fauna going quiet as if in dread.

Is it just you, or is the night darker tonight?

You may find the cause if you leave the train. Those who are caught alone outside will see the shadows grow suddenly long. The darkness coalesces into a vaguely human form, vague and faceless but radiating cold.

Before you can react the shadows surround you. Deep within, your most bitter, unpleasant feelings rise up in your chest. It's overwhelming, threatening to consume you, but just before it can it suddenly stops. The shadows recoil, dissipating into the jungle.

You're safe, but those negative feelings might be closer to the surface than usual.

Good luck, especially if you're one of the newbies just waking up.]

[NOTES: This event will OOCly end on Wednesday, but feel free to ICly push time forward as much as you like. There will be a followup post at that time, and you can schedule player-run trials any time after.

The emotional effect of this event can be as severe as you want. Your character could just be a bit grumpy, or they could find their emotions totally out of control. The effect lasts a couple of hours or until the character counters it with happier feelings.]

Comments

[desirestruth]

[That would end extremely poorly for everyone involved.]

...The geckos are still there.

[She hovers on the edge of saying something else, but instead leaves it at that, throwing the statement out like a gauntlet.

She wants to bite something. A gecko might do.]

[bad_crowmance]

[ He's still got just enough self-control on his temper to not shoot her, anyway. Crow takes a moment to consider her words, and then holsters his guns into nothingness by his hips. Don't think too hard about that. ]

In the jungle, right? ....You coming with?

[desirestruth]

It's better than the alternative.

[She considers this, huffs at the air...and growls, since she still can't smell anything.]

Try not to lose me.

[POP. Now she's a jackal. Now she can track them by scent. Good thing her collar's bright orange, isn't it?]

[bad_crowmance]

[ It's a good thing that her collar's bright orange and he's athletic enough to keep up with her as long as she isn't going faster than a human is capable of. That being said, he's also keeping his ears out for geckos or any other monsters in the area himself. ]

[desirestruth]

[Well, they'll find a gecko pretty fast. there are just...two problems. One, naeva bought her strength back but not her hand-to-hand combat, so instead of shifting back this tiny ass jackal just latched on to a gecko's leg and yanked it off a tree like the world's weirdest terrier.

Two, uh. She's a melee combatant. He's not. Please don't shoot the dog.]

[bad_crowmance]

[ At the very least, he doesn't remember how to melee fight yet.

Regardless, Crow is a really good shot, like, sniper-levels of good. He easily lands a few good shots at the gecko and neatly manages avoiding hitting her while he's doing it. It's a pretty show of skill and shots from an orbal gun don't have bullets in them so the impact isn't as bloody as it could have otherwise been. ]

[desirestruth]

[She'd have preferred bloody right now.

She does got tossed off the leg eventually, but, well. The blood from the wounds effected is starting to latch to the trees and brush, locking the gecko down in place for a finishing blow. Let's not think too hard about how this looks.]

[bad_crowmance]

[ Crow isn't thinking at all about how it looks right now, he's pulling off some sweet shooting moves. He doesn't go so far as to use his S-Craft-- the gecko isn't high enough level to bother-- but he's definitely blasting the hell out of it.

The gecko on its own isn't going to be enough to dispell the anger and frustration rolling in him, but it's at least more satisfying than a target. ]

[desirestruth]

[Well, she'll find another one in a second. But she's paused. Shifted back. And then picked up the body to sink her teeth into a vein.

Uh. Give her a second?]

[bad_crowmance]

[ Wow, that's really disturbing? His expression doesn't even flicker, but he does cock his head to one side to listen to a sound in the distance. ]

[desirestruth]

[Well, she drops the body. Tosses it aside. Spits out some of the blood with a little 'bleh'. It doesn't really help, but at least she's not so hungry.]

Tch, reptiles taste so nasty...

[naEVA THAT'S NOT COMFORTING.]

What do you hear?

[bad_crowmance]

[ He'd suggest trying to cook it, but he already knows she's willing to eat raw fish apparently so he's just not going to bother with that train of thought at all. ]

There's another one, that way.

[ He's heading in the direction of the sound regardless of whether or not she follows. ]

[desirestruth]

[She only needs the blood, Crow. But she'll follow after him regardless.

She sort of...stalks forward in her walk. Everything about her demeanor is different--leaned forward, hands still covered in blood, eyes glowing like pinpoints in the forest gloom, fingers curled as though she has claws...she does pause as they near it, though.]

...Oh, I promised to show you this, didn't I?

[Her tone's pleasant. What she does isn't, as she reaches out with her hands and violently pulls them towards her, yanking the gecko out of it's hiding place with the same force as it's blood responds to her magic.]

[bad_crowmance]

[ Crow lets out a low whistle. ]

Damn, that's impressive!

[ He genuinely is impressed, at least for a moment. ]

[desirestruth]

It's weaker than it should be...tch.

[She seems a little frustrated, by contrast, but she squeezes her hand, and the gecko's heart bursts and it collapses.]

Well, on to the next one.

[bad_crowmance]

[ He doesn't move for a moment, and his tone is still friendly, but there's a layer of ice there. ]

You know, you didn't even give me a chance to shoot at that one. It's pretty unsporting of you.

[desirestruth]

Oh...You're right. My apologies.

[It's...a genuine apology? Comes with a formal bow and everything. She wasn't even thinking about it like that, clearly.]

[bad_crowmance]

It's fine, just keep it in mind for next time okay?

[ The ice is still there, but that really can't be helped right now. ]

[desirestruth]

You don't have to lie to me, you know.

[She shrugs, though, and turns to go find the next gecko. Villageward, it seems...]

[bad_crowmance]

[ He lets the mask slip for a moment and gives her a level, even glare. ]

It's either lie to you or shoot you, pick one.

[desirestruth]

...[She turns, and just stares at him. Evenly. Emotionless. If he's slipping it seems her mask got stronger.]

I don't really care if you shoot me or not.

[bad_crowmance]

[ Okay, fine.

He lifts up his gun and unless she moves to avoid it, he's shooting her right in the shoulder. It's a deliberate aim, one meant to hurt like a bitch but since it's just a single shot and she's presumably not too many levels lower than him it's not going to be a one-hit KO. Also, no bullets but she might be glad for it this time. ]

[desirestruth]

[She does stagger, but she didn't make any move to dodge it. She does realize immediately she miscalculated--she's been shot before, but with things like spells and bows and crossbows. This is a concussive force, not piercing, and she is so much weaker now then the last time she'd been shot.

Her shoulder makes a horrific noise as it pops out of socket, and she drops to a knee, wheezing with the pain. There is a part of her that wants to retaliate, something primal and animalistic, and there is a low growl reverberating in her throat, but it quiets shortly as she tamps her instincts down under iron control.

...She waits for a few seconds for her head to stop spinning, before wrenching her shoulder back into the proper place, then stands back up.]

Did it help?

[She's not really annoyed--it hurts, but she told him it was fine, so it's fine--but if that was for nothing she'll be a bit frustrated for wasting time.]

[bad_crowmance]

[ He considers that for a moment, and then nods once. Briefly. ]

A little bit! [ He shrugs casually. ] Though I'd appreciate it if you don't push it too much.

[desirestruth]

[She just makes a kind of dismissive wave of her hand. She draws a line at even pretending to care about implicit threats, but she doesn't want to find out if her magic's faster than his draw right now, either.]

Better me then them in there. Are we finding more geckos or are we done here?