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.]

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... [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 ]

Yeah.

Yeah, that sure was a thing.

Hayseed, I'm gonna have weird dreams now.

[She looks down at the body.] Maybe. I dunno how long I can carry her, so probably better to have back up with.

Well, I'm not that strong myself, but I'll help with as much as I can. Plus I can probably check up on her in case she has any external injuries or anything. I'm well versed in first aid.

We should do that before we move her then. She does have a lot of blood.

Right.

We'll have to check her breathing and make sure that she stays that way. As I check her, she needs to be in a comfortable position so I can check the pulse and see if she has any pale, cool or moist skin.

Then we might have to strip her down briefly to check for any external injuries. . .

. . . while making sure that none of the guys walk in on that because I will absolutely kick them in the nuts if they do.

Why would....

Is this another 'humans have a thing about clothes' again?

[But already working on the comfortable position, making sure the wings aren't bunched up under her while she lays her on her side.]

Yep.

'Human decency' would be the term, but also I am pretty sure that even if sleeping beauty over there was awake, she probably wouldn't want the guys to see her. . . y'know. I don't have the proper materials to help with her injuries, though, but I can at least check for them and be aware of anything wrong going on.

Well. 'Anything wrong' that isn't magical in nature.

I might know. Crow tried to explain it. It's still confusing.

It should be possible to put something together to make it back down. As long as we get her alive to the healing pods, that's the most important bit.

At least her wings seem to be moving properly, so nothing there should be broken.

It might be confusing, but a lot of us are used to it, I guess.

If I have to, I can probably use some of the fabric of my outfit. But that's only on the off chance that it's really bad.

We can use mine. Not like I care and I'm usually not in it anyway.

[ tosses a thumbs up ]

Now let's see what we got here, then!

[ gonna go ahead and check the physical body, is the pulse okay, is she cold to the skin or feels weird to the touch, any other notable things? ]

[Apparently she is TOTALLY FINE, except for mysterious sleeping thing.]

How's she look?

She seems to be okay, at least.

[ there's a heavy sigh of relief as her shoulders seem to relax ]

[She sighs in relief.] At least there's that.

Come on. We should get Lily back to the train.

[Getting to her feet.]

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dereban - 2020-01-07 06:14 (UTC) - Expand

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daydreamshimmer - 2020-01-07 08:00 (UTC) - Expand

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Origin Star Finale: Session 2

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