Entry tags:
graveyard
Graveyard
the town
Welcome to Deda
So, you're dead. Sucks!
Except you might not feel dead—after what feels like a long brush with dreamless sleep, you wake up in a quaint hole: a coffin in an uncovered grave, blanketed in fog. Entombed with you are any personal items (unless they're trial evidence, sorry), and a strange feeling of... lightness? Whatever corruption was in your blood seems to have cleared away with your death, and your injuries are healed, besides any cool scars and lingering aches.
Once you make your way out, a quiet, verdant graveyard (literal) awaits you. You could take a look around the various locations, but the same fog that greeted you surrounds this place, keeping you from venturing too far outside of the town limits.
Still, you may as well get yourself situated. You're not done yet.
Except you might not feel dead—after what feels like a long brush with dreamless sleep, you wake up in a quaint hole: a coffin in an uncovered grave, blanketed in fog. Entombed with you are any personal items (unless they're trial evidence, sorry), and a strange feeling of... lightness? Whatever corruption was in your blood seems to have cleared away with your death, and your injuries are healed, besides any cool scars and lingering aches.
Once you make your way out, a quiet, verdant graveyard (literal) awaits you. You could take a look around the various locations, but the same fog that greeted you surrounds this place, keeping you from venturing too far outside of the town limits.
Still, you may as well get yourself situated. You're not done yet.
Welcome to the graveyard! Here's a quick primer:
You are dead. However, characters are healed of their critical injuries; they may keep any scars or lingering pains that you like. Additionally, they are no longer corrupted. The monstrous force inside you has subsided; this means characters will no longer have powers, etc.
● Setting ● The graveyard has the overall look and feel of a small New England town from the '90s; characters can travel any of the Graveyard Locations, fenced in by fog and forests. But the fog makes this place otherworldly, and strangely permeable. Maybe you can influence your surroundings?
● Living Watch ● Where there are screens, you can view the living side. This includes televisions at the bar, Heaven's Night, and in the apartment lobby—you may even spot a passing glimpse of them in a mirror or glass of water. Only public gatherings like mingles, trial, etc, can be seen and heard this way.
● Items ● Personal inventory transfers over to the graveyard, including items that may be stolen during trial. The only items that stay on the living side are ones that are voluntarily given away. Thursday victims will receive their items in their rooms on Sunday, after Execution. Those who arrive any other day will have their items in their grave with them.
● Injuries and Death ● Characters can still be injured and die here. While characters do not stay dead, please let the mods know if it does happen, so we can inform you of how it works.
● Audiences ● You can audience Death in person, but none of the other NPCs are currently available. You can ignore the note section and go to the apartment penthouse directly to visit, or meet him wherever.
● Effects and Events ● Weekly effects still hit the graveyard, and you may use items on the living unless otherwise noted. Mini-events will go up at the same time as their living counterparts. CYOAs are still available for our sweet deda.
● OOC Notes ● Alluding to the fact that the graveyard exists OOCly is okay, but please keep details of what it looks like, what happens here, plot, et cetera, to yourselves. Feel free to ask the mods if you're not sure about anything!
You are dead. However, characters are healed of their critical injuries; they may keep any scars or lingering pains that you like. Additionally, they are no longer corrupted. The monstrous force inside you has subsided; this means characters will no longer have powers, etc.
● Setting ● The graveyard has the overall look and feel of a small New England town from the '90s; characters can travel any of the Graveyard Locations, fenced in by fog and forests. But the fog makes this place otherworldly, and strangely permeable. Maybe you can influence your surroundings?
● Living Watch ● Where there are screens, you can view the living side. This includes televisions at the bar, Heaven's Night, and in the apartment lobby—you may even spot a passing glimpse of them in a mirror or glass of water. Only public gatherings like mingles, trial, etc, can be seen and heard this way.
● Items ● Personal inventory transfers over to the graveyard, including items that may be stolen during trial. The only items that stay on the living side are ones that are voluntarily given away. Thursday victims will receive their items in their rooms on Sunday, after Execution. Those who arrive any other day will have their items in their grave with them.
● Injuries and Death ● Characters can still be injured and die here. While characters do not stay dead, please let the mods know if it does happen, so we can inform you of how it works.
● Audiences ● You can audience Death in person, but none of the other NPCs are currently available. You can ignore the note section and go to the apartment penthouse directly to visit, or meet him wherever.
● Effects and Events ● Weekly effects still hit the graveyard, and you may use items on the living unless otherwise noted. Mini-events will go up at the same time as their living counterparts. CYOAs are still available for our sweet deda.
● OOC Notes ● Alluding to the fact that the graveyard exists OOCly is okay, but please keep details of what it looks like, what happens here, plot, et cetera, to yourselves. Feel free to ask the mods if you're not sure about anything!
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neither of them should look back, it's not great out there in the frenzy of scavenging birds descending on a body. but it's fine. even if they aren't real (which, who can say for sure), they're dead anyway.
so, they can move along. back inside the house, the atmosphere is tremendously bad. the sound of flies intensifies; from aventurine's perspective, they've descended on a new meal in the kitchen, an arm sticking out limply from the sink, wearing a familiar gold bracer.
nona, meanwhile, can realize that she isn't carrying anything. aventurine has the key, the axe, her wrist—and she left someone outside, to be taken by the equivalent of sea vultures. if she wants people to live, she's already failed. actually, she's a killer—that's why she's here? the hand at her wrist will literally start to burn, like salt and rust burns through metal. maybe she deserves to be alone.
actually you know what she can see the arm too if she likes, it looks like the stuff that this dude wears woah weird ]
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He inhales sharply as he lets go of the axe to slap a hand over his mouth instead, that sick feeling in his stomach intensifying and threatening to lurch itself up his throat. He can't look away fast enough as his mind starts collapsing in on itself. No matter how many times he tells himself that this is just a trick, that there's no way Ratio of all people could be here, it's like he can't be convinced.
A distant part of him thinks that yeah, he's finally lost it. This was going to happen eventually. ]
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but when aventurine's grip begins to burn against her, she yanks her hand away with a scream. her gaze is torn, between her wrist and the arm in the sink, nausea swimming in her head.
weakly,]
Aventurine...?
[she isn't sure why she calls out for him. a plea, an inquiry of concern, an accusation?]
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aventurine, you're hurting her.
the flies buzz, and the smell in the kitchen is frankly getting to be unbearable. a mix of rotting fish and something else entirely. the birds outside are still in a frenzy, keeping them from leaving again. it is an absolute attack on the senses, between pain for nona and the building dread in aventurine and the stench and noise and sickly-thick air.
by the way, not far from nona is a small kitchen knife on the counter. it looks a little bloody, but perfectly useable. just in case she wanted to grab it. you don't know what's out there, behind that locked door. ]
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Which is why he looks back at Nona with visible confusion when she yanks her hand away. ]
Nona, what—?
[ Only to look away again because he catches another glimpse of that arm and its bracer. The smell consumes the entirety of the kitchen in an instant, and Aventurine can't stay here. He's got a key burning a hole in his pocket, and that's what he desperately tries to focus on as he reaches his limit and hurries out of this nightmare, back to the bedroom.
The locked door, the locked door, the locked door. It's a mantra repeating in his head, trying to keep all other thoughts out. Oh, and the axe gets abandoned in the kitchen too, yippee. ]
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but likewise, she's reaching her limits for staying in the kitchen so she rushes after aventurine, to the bedroom.]
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the bedroom feels smaller than before—more cramped. it's meant to house two people, but the beds are almost pressed together side by side now, and the photos from before are all torn down, books scattered in disarray. but there are no bodies in this room at least, and the sensory overload is less intense; it is an uneasy calm.
the door awaits. the key they've acquired will work, but that scrimshaw is really burning a hole in aventurine's pocket now, and the knife nona is holding is a comfort. they can open the door—it leads into the tall hollow of the lighthouse itself.
when they're ready, they can proceed. ]
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All the while, he feels like he's having a battle inside of his head, but he ignores it as best as he can. Scrimshaw in his pocket, save him. Save him, scrimshaw in his pocket.
Once he makes sure Nona is with him, he'll proceed into the lighthouse. ]
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but she nods at aventurine; she's ready to proceed further, whatever awaits.]
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when they enter, it's quite dark, but they can see a light at the top—as though someone has left the door to the actual lantern open. the light leaks downward enough that they can see their way.
otherwise, it is, predictably, a vertical climb. there is a spiraling staircase that winds up the perimeter of the room, creaking and made of metal. it's not incredibly wide, so if they stand side by side, they'll have to make room for each other. alternatively, one will have to walk behind the other.
but the lantern room is the only place they haven't scoured yet. there is the infuriating drip of water coming from somewhere. aventurine will REALLY want to gaze upon the scrimshaw. nona hears a whisper, echoing gently inside the ribs of this lighthouse, a low murmur. it's hard to make out, but it sounds familiar. sounds like home, coming from above. ]
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He promises not to attack her from behind (unless?)... ]
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she will wait.]
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nona sees none of this, since she's waiting and observing. it looks like aventurine is just holding a sharpened whale tooth. for her, she hears something up the stairs. behind her. something grips her ankle like fingers might, and it burns. maybe it would be easier, if she had the scrimshaw instead, but for now she just has the horrors to keep her company. ]
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Wow, the scrimshaw really is saving him. Aventurine stares at it, mesmerized as his murky thoughts become clear. Strength blooms in both his heart and mind, and he tightens his fingers around the whale tooth as he finally begins to ascend the stairs.
Scrimshaw be with him. Nona, no idea what's happening with you, though. ]
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nona can follow him to investigate the noise, though she doesn't have to go far. there is a distant scream, then it gets closer, and closer, until it whizzes right past her ear and lands on the ground below with a sickening thud.
whoops! another body. another nona, actually. one who has been pushed off the staircase from above. it feels like a bad dream, or a premonition. the knife in her hand is a comfortable, grounding weight while another body falls. and another. one nona crashes into the railing, grabbing at the real nona's cloak in pained sobs and desperation, and everywhere her hands touch, it burns.
everything they've experienced so far crescendos as they near the summit—they're close now, but who knows what's waiting for them there. ]
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Nona seems to be keeping it together, so why can't he? He can't even look up anymore, too affected by what this strange lighthouse is trying to throw at him. He flinches away from the burning touches of these apparitions, the cries seeping into his mind, and he quickens his pace. ]
We're— [ His voice is a rasp, and Aventurine halts his speaking in an attempt to keep his voice from trembling but fails to do so. ] We're almost there, Nona.
[ Encouragement for her. Encouragement for him. ]
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I'm sorry.
[for what? not being able to do anything to help them? that they led miserable lives knowing there would be no reward at the end, motivated solely by their love for the world?
it's all nona can do to hold onto that same feeling, even though the horrors are so fckin real right now!!]
... Yeah. [a deep breath] We are.
[almost there.]
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the nona that clings briefly to the railing and to her—her expression changes at the whisper apology. from pained and scared to just... resigned. there is nothing left in her expression as she falls away, down the lighthouse, down into the pile of bodies collecting there. she lets go without so much as a farewell, only leaving the cursed burns on the one nona that's left.
aventurine can cling to his sanity as they ascend, even when a hand grabs at his leg, pleading for him to look. the scrimshaw is his only source of reprieve—maybe because he's too weak to stand up to the horrors on his own. it helps, at least, even if it means ignoring the anguish and death of his friends.
but in the end, no matter the difficulty, they arrive at the summit, where there is a lantern, full of bright, nearly blinding light. the source of the light is some sort of small-ish object, like a stone. similar to the tomes on wednesdays, it feels as though this object is what you've traveled this way for, but there is no promise that it's anything worthwhile.
aventurine—it's been a hard journey. everything has been so painful, and you're tired. all the terrible things in this lighthouse are behind him now, and he could just... leave. he can hold onto this scrimshaw and just leave the rest behind. it would be so much easier; if he lets the scrimshaw go, everything comes back; all the horrors it's been keeping at bay will fall right back onto his head. it has everything he wants desired in its ivory enamel, and it will help him make them a reality. he can see his sister. he can have something of his own. he can only leave with one of these objects.
nona—you have the weight of so many lives resting on yours. even after killing, even after living, there is further to go. more to save. but aventurine is in her way—he's holding onto this scrimshaw, and it's stopping you both from getting what you came here for. she will be pressed with an urge to stop him at any means possible. if she doesn't, all that sacrifice will have been for nothing.
though, alternatively...
getting the scrimshaw for herself will mean that she can escape the horrors here; that all those miserable lives might be saved, with no effort at all. she just has to get rid of him, and she can save so many people.
so, go ahead with your choices. ]
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No chance. As alluring as the shining stone in the center of the lantern may be, it hasn't been the object that's been alleviating Aventurine of all his pain and loneliness. Abandoning this scrimshaw would mean abandoning his sanity. It would mean going back to that dreaded, wretched house and everything that haunts him from within.
His grip tightens around the scrimshaw as he backs away from Nona, some part of him knowing that she means to take it. Forgotten is the journey they'd both taken to get here, how he'd helped her through the window, how she'd asked after him when his cuts had bled.
It's plain to see what his choice is. He means to keep this tooth. ]
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even if aventurine is potentially a horrible, untrustworthy person, nona doesn't really want to kill him as a first resort? sometimes you are the kind of person who believes in compassion for your worst enemies. and, in the end, no matter how painful everything might be—she's not here for herself, any more than her other incarnations chose themselves above the world.
so ultimately, her choice is AVENTURINE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD THROW AWAY YOUR TOOTH.]
Aventurine... Sorry, but I think you have to let that go. It's the only way we can move on.
[physically or, apparently, emotionally?? she grips her knife because while, again, she doesn't necessarily want to take drastic action, she'll fight you if she must, mister.]
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as for the object in the light... it represents something uncertain. there is no determinate future by choosing this path. it offers no promise of a better life, no comforts; it is, perhaps, a return to reality, and nothing better than that, and maybe not even that. it is the hope of something real, instead of illusion. the scrimshaw is delusion, but it is a kind and easy one. even for nona, she can tell it promises meaning to all the sacrifice, and success, if only she's bold enough to take it.
anyway you guys can pvp and get to a decision and call me back hehehoho ]
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No, without this, we'll never be able to leave this place. Move out of the way, Nona.
[ He's too convinced. There's not an ounce of doubt in him as his feelings toward the tooth become more and more protective. Possessive. ]
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but in the end, she is aware—the only thing that can give meaning to all of the loss is what's real. cause and effect, the consequence that follows everyone's actions. that's something she should know better than most, as the weaver of fate.
so whatever the object in the light is, they need to take it, instead of the scrimshaw. aventurine is in the way of that. especially if he might be evil and crazy and that last part isn't entirely just because nona is also a little crazy right now]
Aventurine, you know you're lying to yourself. [what have you got there, nona? a knife! aka she brandishes it.] I don't want to fight you, but I will if that's what it takes to wake you up.
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His eyes narrow as he studies Nona and the knife she's brandishing. He has the height advantage and he's no stranger to combat. The only issue is that he has no idea what her capabilities are, and that makes him cautious.
He doesn't want to hurt her, that much he knows. So if he can just get past her, get down those stairs...
Without another word, he runs toward her in an effort to catch her unaware and grab her wrist. If he can simultaneously disarm her and head straight for the stairs, all the better. ]
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