auroraexpress | Origin Star Finale: Session 2

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Origin Star Finale: Session 2

Who: explorers
When: Day 54, noon
Where: The Final Island

[At nearly noon, Thyme's airship returns from the island with the first session's explorers. Everyone receives a chain message:

Time for round two. If you want to go, gather up.

Those who wish to go looking for the second totem can now board the airship. It waits around 20 minutes -- long enough for a quick break for those who are going twice in a row -- but then heads off again with its new crew. Along the way, everyone gets a lecture:]

Okay, for everyone who missed it the last time, here are the rules:

You're not looking for a monster to beat up. You're looking for a totem, that you'll have to deactivate by showing positive emotions. Any creatures you meet on the way can also be beaten with good feelings. Some can be killed, but that's not purifying the soul, so try to avoid it.

[When you arrive, it's at a damp sea cave. The airship hovers over the water, leaving you access to the only viable ground -- a narrow, salt-crusted stairway leading up into a tower.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Having made it past the birds, you travel a delicate staircase around the outside of the tower. With a deathly drop below you and no rail, your steps must be careful, as bits of mossy stone crumble at the edges.

Reach the top, and you're on the tower roof. Surrounded in parapets carved with feathers and stars, it seems there was once a fountain and garden up here. Now though there's just a basin, in which grows one single, huge lily.

When you look at it, it tilts its face towards you and screams.]

GO AWAY!

[She may have just crawled up those stairs on hands and knees because she's not ashamed to do it and it's more stability.]

[And now there's a talking flower.]

....why do you want to be alone?

You're all awful! I don't need anyone anymore!

[It's a very upset flower, but doesn't seem to be actually trying to hurt you.]

[ well, this sure is happening and Inaba is overhearing this and absolutely trying to respond with calm and softness to contrast the upset and loudness of the flower ]

Awful?

[ definitely quirking a brow at that ]

And what exactly did any of us do to warrant a comment like that?

[ she's making an attempt to be understanding here because ???

flower, please. ]

EVERYONE is awful. I tried to believe in them, and look what they did! Fighting and being cruel all the time...

[ aaaaand here's where she's going to pinch the bridge of her nose, sighing as her gaze lowers a bit. ]

I can see that.

But that doesn't mean that we're all like that-- well, I can say that I'm at least not like that. Not all the time.

[ there's warmth in her words, but she follows it up with-- ]

But I guess just saying that won't help you. Instead, let me throw this question at you. Did you try to do something about it? About all the fighting. . . the cruelty? Belief can only get you so far, after all.

I tried! But Father sold everything to Those People, and almost no one believed me! Only Briar... only Briar... and then Father--

[The flower begins to wail, the fury and sadness of a real person, amplified by Malice.]

[ there's definitely a mixture of emotions written all over Inaba's face. a lot of pity and empathy; she still keeps her distance, trying to keep her politeness as she closes her eyes, trying to mull it all over in her head before responding, still keeping her calm, even tone. ]

'Almost', though. You said there was one person at least, though, didn't you? Someone named 'Briar'.

[ she is this close to making a joke about Sleeping Beauty considering that they're a flower. . . and 'Briar Rose' is A Thing but she does not. ]

That means that there's someone that believes you. Even if the rest of the world didn't-- there was someone that stook by your side. But can you tell me more? It's okay if you don't want to, but. . . I want to understand. If I can understand, then I can believe you.

There's not! He was the only one, and he's gone! I just know Father did it... All for greed! All for money! If we grew old, wouldn't we become monsters, too?!

It's only right the darkness came!

[ god.

she sympathizes with this flower, she really does. she's seen it so goddamn often - time and again, adults doing stupid, terrible, selfish things and it almost makes her anger boil. . .

but she shakes it off. ]

Did you ask him, though? Was it truly all simply for money? If you didn't say anything, or ask, all you're doing is making assumptions.

And you know what that means.

[ she is a proper 17 year old, clearly. ]

But. . . to answer your question, 'growing old' isn't equivalent to 'becoming a monster'. Age doesn't matter in that context. It's what you do that does. Deciding to make the right choice, or the wrong one. The reasoning behind your decisions. Because we all make mistakes.

That's just normal.

We recover from those mistakes, though. And try to break through them, learn from them, improve. Become better.

Even if people are cruel. . . it doesn't mean we have to be.

[ she knows too well about that cruelty.

the treatment of the Foundation of 6350s wasn't exactly stellar. she was disposable, in the worst kind of way, when she arrived in that world. so she knows about how people can do things like that under 'good' pretenses. so she knows a lot about how multi-faceted things can be. even if she doesn't speak of those things aloud. ]

I don't WANT to be better anymore! I just want to be left ALONE!

[The flower is hysterical. It's had a hard time.]

[ sounds like it.

maybe she should take a. . . very different approach here. ]

And what do you think being left alone will accomplish, huh? You're just going to wallow in your tears? That won't bring anyone back! That won't help anyone-- and honestly, do you really believe that doing this is worth what happened to everyone?

To your friend?

[ she does realize that this MIGHT antagonize the flower, but sometimes you gotta play the role of a villain in order to get things into their thick skull because simply empathizing with them and trying to help won't work. ]

[--Well that's rude!! But it does seem to work a bit!]

To... Briar...?

[The flower pauses in its fussing, holding still long enough for Solar to do her Thing...

And you successfully clear the mission. And also gain some cargo.]

... [She literally JUST HAD THIS CONVERSATION.]

Why are we awful?

Why don't you need anyone? It sounds like you did need someone, once?

I wanted to! But look what they did to our home... No one cared enough to change anything!

[She looks around at the sight of the tower.]

...what happened before? Could you tell me?

[Will slowly walk forward.]

[The flower would cry if it could! But it's a flower, so it just wails a little, waving in the sea breeze.]

We were finally learning to get along. The Air & Land, all together, like Mother & Father... But Father changed! He became so greedy. All we worked for, that our mother nation fought for, thrown away for money! Our lives--

--And then, one day...

[It can't seem to continue, then. It just goes on wailing with increasing sorrowful anger.]

Edited 2020-01-05 06:24 (UTC)

[She keeps approaching, closer and closer.]

If it's too hard to talk about, you don't have to.

If you'll let me get close, then I'll be able to understand you, okay? Then we can all find a way to help you.

[The flower continues to wail, though quieter -- it is, at least, receptive to Solar's apparent sympathy.

It won't stop her from getting closer!]

[Closer and closer.]

It'll be okay. We're here to help.

I know it can be hard to believe sometimes, but...we are.

[Gentle, soothing and reaching out to touch the flower.]

[Trying to see what just happened because honestly, it can't be any worse than horrible destruction snake that wants to eat the world.]

[NOTHING CAN GO WRONG.]

[In memories, the flower was a normal girl -- a winged person like Thyme. She had a happy family, at first -- a mother she looks just like, and a father with broad antlers the lower body or a deer. There's a few flashes of joy, but then several of the mother's decline into illness and ultimately death, without receiving the needed medicine from this Star's mother nation.

Then it all goes wrong. The father, becoming cold and harsh and bitter, suddenly throwing himself into work. The girl, left alone, gaining many friends but only confiding in one deer-boy about her age. The two of them, playing in an ancient, beautiful tower.

The father named Mayor of Origin Star. Rapidly waning supplies for the town. An increase in violence between Children of the Air (those with wings) and Children of the Land (those with deerbits). The boy, now a young man, vowing to investigate. The girl, torn between love for her father and love for her people.

Uncovered documents detailing the father's crimes -- selling resources to their mother nation's enemy country and pocketing the money. A huge fight between the father, the girl, and the boy. A coverup, doubt amongst a populace afraid to admit they've been betrayed.

The boy, found drowned in the swamps. Whispers of uprising... But then, suddenly, one day, the sun went out. Plants and animals became monsters, people tried to run, hide, fight, and were slaughtered, or simply disappeared where they stood. A few became monsters themselves, in the throws of grief and terror, including the father.

The girl, running to the top of the tower. Breaking down, feeling the darkness seep in -- then a flood of rage, grief, sorrow, loneliness, as Malice invaded, and she became... this. The darkness is overwhelming in her head, but all she really wants is for the bad things to stop.

Why couldn't they just be happy like they used to be?]

[To everyone else, it seems like nothing happened at all. Not unless they saw her eyes whiting out, but even that is brief, with her just standing there a few seconds.]

[And then she blinks, her hand pulling back as tears build in her eyes because god. Parents shouldn't do that. It's not surprising, but they shouldn't.]

[Even if she could see why he might have. Bitterness and pain for his lost wife, but then he hurt his daughter and that was an insult to the mother.]

[Can she hug a flower? If it's possible to hug a flower without hurting her, she's going to.]

I'm so sorry.

Your father should have been better.

I'm sorry you lost your friend.

[Crying for a girl who shouldn't have had to go through that only to have the end happen right after.]

You deserved so much better.

Edited 2020-01-05 07:11 (UTC)

[The flower might have gone on wailing, but Inaba shocks it into thought a bit! Holding still, it listens to Solar, and allows the hug.

The hug, it seems, is the key. The flower glows brightly, with a warm, comfortable white light. It grows, briefly, then shrinks, shifting, until...

...it reverts to the form of a young woman, maybe 17 or 18, with very long blonde hair. She's wearing a slightly tattered pink nightgown, and it and her many pale golden wings are spattered in blood and grime. She appears to be alive but unconscious, and nothing physical or magical will wake her.

Once the light has faded, all corruption is free from the Tower. It looks just like it did in her memories -- old, beautiful, covered in greenery.

You've succeeded in deactivating the totem. You may proceed back to the general event post and wait for session 3 tomorrow!]

[Oh]

[Oh, I have...an unconscious girl?!]

[She does try to wake her, but that's not working and]

[UM]

[UMMMM]

[Well, she guesses she's picking her up and gonna take her back to the ship?????]

[Gosh though, she hadn't actually expected all that to work. Like, comfort the flower girl, SURE, but all the rest...]

[Man all the rest.]

Well, that sure all happened, huh.

[ just sighing in relief because this was all A Lot ]

You don't need help with her, do you? [ because having one person do that seems a bit much ]

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