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ximilialog2023-11-11 07:59 pm
- ! event log,
- ! log,
- ace attorney: phoenix wright,
- ace attorney: ryunosuke naruhodo,
- bbc sherlock: john watson,
- castlevania (netflix): alucard,
- grishaverse: the darkling,
- gundam seed/destiny: yzak jule,
- mcu: bucky barnes,
- shta: sherlock holmes,
- star wars: ahsoka tano,
- supernatural: dean winchester,
- the untamed: lan sizhui,
- the untamed: wei wuxian,
- xenoblade chronicles: noah
MISSION: THE SUN NEVER SETS ON AMARYLLIS GROVE, PART 2
● ● ● M I S S I O N 1 7 . 2
After weeks spent in the ever-sunny town of Amaryllis Grove, the Orbers are surely used to their way of life: days spent focusing on living as perfect a life as possible, regardless of how real it is, under the watchful eye of the sun and the moon.
However, some Orbers may wake up one day to find that whoever they were living with — Joel, Harley, Cain, Gabe, and others of the team who have suddenly returned to their homes — is gone… but by the evening, they have been replaced by one of the Companions, made to their exact liking, going silently about their business in perfect imitation of the one they are replacing.
Furthermore, those who were found to be on the list of names of people to be watched will one day, while at work, receive a talking-to by their superiors, giving them a warning that their behaviour has given reason for concern — each talking-to ends with similarly, too:
“The sun is always very bright leading up to the Harvest Festival.”
The day of the Harvest Festival dawns with clear skies, the autumn wind rustling the newly-turned red and gold leaves in the trees and on the streets. The Housespouses have been hard at work arranging everything for the festival, from seating arrangements, decorations, and booths for different activities. Everyone is expected to attend, and with the day being an official holiday, there is no excuse not to show up.
1.0 During the weeks leading up to the festival, neighbourhoods have been abuzz with trying all the new recipes, all in preparation for this one day: bringing their very best pies, cakes, stews and roasts for everyone to taste. Many housespouses (whether part of the association or not) are eager to show off their cooking skills, either by making as many people try their foods as possible, or by participating in some of the traditional competitions that look for the the best dish of this harvest.
However, there is plenty to do for those whose main interest in cooking lies in eating: there are games to try, like apple bobbing, and a fun take on darts where rather than aiming for the middle, the goal is to state which ring you are going to hit and receive points for accuracy. There is also a whole table for decorating gourds — and if you are very happy with your result, you can also enter the contest for the most extravagant decorating.
2.0 When the time comes for all to gather around the long tables set in the town square, each table brimming with delicious dishes, the tablecloths and centerpieces in bright oranges and reds, some of the people around the tables may cause you to be surprised: it is not just the townspeople who are invited, but also the Companions, sitting in their assigned seats silently, eerily. There are more of them than one might expect: almost every other family attending has at least one Companion among them, a family member lost and replaced. However, questions about their presence are not tolerated, and those who may try and bring undue attention to them are quickly shushed.
One might also notice that despite the beautiful weather (or perhaps because of it), the atmosphere of the festival seems tense — smiles are strained, words carefully chosen, discussion remaining on the surface level.
Overhearing the different families speaking to one another, something to note is the way they refer to their distant relatives: it seems that Mr Willowby’s cousins, living out of town, were not able to make it this year; just like Mrs Reyes’ great-aunt, who is again missing out on a wonderful festival. The more you listen, the more you notice that there are no relatives visiting from out of town… and that it seems to be a yearly occurrence.
3.0 While the general atmosphere is very genial and welcoming, a few of the Orbers — mainly, Newt, Daisy, Yzak, Ryunosuke, John and Chishiya — will find that them, along with their (fake) spouses or family, are treated almost outright coldly.
Some of the townspeople will quite simply avoid associating with them, while others will exchange a few hasty pleasantries before making an excuse and leaving them alone, glancing fearfully at the bright sun in the sky as they do so. The dishes they or their families have brought go largely untasted, and other Orbers may catch the townspeople warning them against associating with “those kinds of people” too closely — after all, best to take care of yourself, right?
When you wake up the next morning, you’ll find that Amaryllis Grove suddenly feels a little … different. The Harvest had gone seemingly without a hitch (at least for those who hadn’t wound up on the list), but the tension that remained since your arrival here seems to have grown a little more intense. It’s quiet when you step out of your house expecting to see your neighbour greeting you by the mailbox, or to be down at the end of the driveway collecting their daily paper. You note the absence of the neighbour who lives down the block who often walks this way to get to the park with her daughter.
Things feel too eerily still, and as you peer up into the sky, you’ll notice that the cloud cover makes it impossible now to see the sun.
4.0 When someone screams, the first thing that may come to mind is how the last time you’d heard something so bone-chillingly devastating in this town alone was the night that Mr Myrsden had died. It’s broad daylight now, and the cry is still no less terrifying. You might decide to wait, or to hide wherever you are, or for those of you with a plethora of experience in dealing with life-ending screams, you may decide to investigate. After all, someone could be in very real trouble and they could need your help.
A small crowd has already gathered by the time you arrive, dressed in whatever you went to bed in. A woman in her plush pink robe and curlers still haphazardly rolled into her hair is lying on the asphalt in another neighbour’s arms, expression fearful and pained but still – thankfully – breathing.
“She’s just fainted, she’ll be all right,” Mr Barker says in relief, helping to sit her properly so that some of the other neighbours could tend to the fainted woman.
Within the crowd, several statements could be heard in hushed murmurs: “Said that her husband isn’t moving right,” someone says, while someone else begins, “Something feels wrong with my Betsy, too.”
There’s an air of unrest and discomfort amongst the crowd gathered at the side of the street, but at least the worst of it appears to be over. And so you’ll try to continue your life in Amaryllis Grove with the rest of your family (the Mayor has called for some volunteers to help with the clean-up from the Harvest, after all!), but you begin to notice strange things occurring throughout the day: Companions that had been programmed to follow a painstakingly careful path of activity appear to either stop moving, or begin actions on their own accord. Spouses or family members look between the overcast sky and their Companion in panic, shaking at their arms or shoulders, or tugging at their sleeves in fear. In fact, the town suddenly feels more populated than ever now as more and more people and their Companions mill into the streets in a truly unprecedented gathering, unraveling the meticulous routine they’d been living up until this point. Orbers may observe the familiar figures of Finn Mertens, Cain, and Joel Miller joining the throng. Harley Quinn and The Spot, done up in perfect likeness appear outside of their programmed routine.
And from above, even through thick cloud, the sky feels brighter somehow.
5.0 The initial shock of the Silent Companions moving out of sync wears off so long as they wander throughout town looking like they’ve lost their way. It’s easy enough to sidestep them if they cross into your path, and their former spouses and family members have largely appeared to have given into the malfunction, allowing them to meander the neighbourhood without aim. The Mayor announces that she’ll hold a town meeting for all people with a Companion this afternoon, hoping to reestablish a little order and assure comfort for the fearful and worried residents of the town. This is, after all, an unprecedented occurrence and no amount of convincing, magic or otherwise, has had an effect on the Companions out and about in town.
But then … the Silent Companions suddenly begin to move differently, the perfectly pleasant expressions carefully molded onto their faces remain unchanging as they lift their hands or quicken their pace, approaching anyone within close distance with menacing intent. They appear to stalk their targets, reaching out to close an iron-grip on a wrist or a shoulder, largely undetected except by those who recognize their faces and know them to be deceased in a former life. Orbers might find that aside from recent deaths, as well as the disappearance of some of their own crewmates, that from first glance it’s difficult to tell a Silent Companion from a living resident until their intent is made clear.
Anyone that reaches out to one of the Companions on their own, or is intercepted by one, will find that the interaction feels far more potent than ever. Mild feelings of paranoia are heightened into active and aggressive feelings of paranoia. Every negative and intrusive thought feels as though it might choke you, and the only way to stop it is to do it yourself – by whatever means necessary, even if they are violent. You might find yourself believing that your own family wants you dead and the only way to survive is to kill them before they kill you. The effects of nausea and discomfort make you immediately sick, and wanting to scratch incessantly at an itch that doesn’t exist, as if your very skin makes you deeply uncomfortable.
Cloud cover slowly begins to part now, and the bright, cheerful glow of the sun peeks through. It bathes the town in its perfectly pleasant light.
6.0 The last thing anyone can think of now is the Mayor’s town hall meeting. People begin to barricade themselves in spaces that seem devoid of a Silent Companion’s physical presence. Companions will pace hover nearby but so long as you remain out of their sightline, they don’t come directly after you. Orbers that have made friends and connections with their neighbours or any of the other townsfolk might consider sheltering together, finding an empty house or office, or seeking safety in a cellar with the windows and doors blocked off.
Of course, some of you might find that the doors to your own home are blocked off, the handle simply refusing to turn, or your keys suddenly snap in half, jamming the keyhole. Windows are locked shut as though the house itself is trying to keep you out, leaving you and your fellow crewmates exposed beneath the ever-brightening sky.
And even if you do manage to break into your own home, either by smashing the in the glass of the windows, or physically kicking the doors in, the house itself might feel as cold and unwelcoming as though it knows full well who you really are, why you’re really here, and what you’ve come to do. You feel more seen in your own living room than you do in the open street, the discomfort of being hunted and exploited wearing on you like a slippery, wet blanket. The walls feel suffocating, the food in your pantry and your fridge tastes like ash and rots within hours, and you feel as though the ceiling above you might cave in on you at any given moment just because you’re here.
The sky now has cleared completely, leaving nothing but the harsh white and golden glow of the sun hanging high above within the bright, beautiful blue overhead. The town itself is a reflection of something much darker and more chaotic, but the temperatures are warm and pleasant and there is very little shadow being cast by the sun itself as it greedily swivels around on its axis in watch.
7.0 Amaryllis Grove suddenly feels like a whole different town when compared to the Orbers' initial arrival. What had been a quiet and well-orchestrated little town without a single hitch for every perfect day of every perfect month, every cog in the machine a well-oiled one, suddenly seems to have crumbled apart. Doors, windows, and cellar entrances have been blocked off and barricaded with heavy household appliances such as refrigerators, laundry machines, and meticulously-crafted furniture. Shattered glass and broken parts of a Silent Companion that had met some partially-successful retaliation are strewn across the asphalt. Cars are left abandoned at the sides of the streets, doors hanging wide open and groceries spilling out from bags and onto the pavement. People still left stranded in the streets, locked out of their own homes, become helpless victims to their very creations, driven to madness and tortured by a familiar and well-loved face that never wears any other expression except that of perfect unfeeling neutrality.
For those that manage to make it to the town hall and the office of the Mayor, they’ll find her pacing back and forth, scrubbing at her face in deep thought. Her husband, Stuart, sits poised and tense on one end of a long chaise against one wall, watching his wife in concern. Any resident is welcome into the overly large room, of course, and luckily for the group no Companion has caught on to the location just yet. The Mayor has posted her very best magic-users at the doors, however, just in case. It isn’t going to do much more than slow them down but it’ll buy them some time to escape at least.
The Mayor, looking uncharacteristically flustered and stressed, turns to you.
“Well? I hope you’ve brought a genius idea with you, because I truly am at a loss.”
no subject
He shakes his head and holds him closer.
I don't know. He wants to say, because there isn't anywhere safe, not really.]
Back to the house. [Is what he says. At least there he can barricade them inside. It'll be easier to keep him safe there.
A stray tear falls from his eye and then another and he swipes them away.
He just wants to keep his a-Yuan safe. Why is it so hard? Why is it always so hard?]
I'm sorry. [He says quietly, sniffing as more tears fall.] I'm sorry I'm so bad at this.
no subject
he straightens slightly, exhales a slow breath, his arm still vice-like around his father, brow pinched in concern at his shifting demeanor. after the tears come, that's when sizhui hesitates, forcing them both to stop so he can address wei wuxian more proper-like.] No, no, you aren't, [comes the soft reassurance as he reaches with his other hand to help wipe the man's face.] It— it's alright, you don't have to apologize. We'll get through this. [another squeeze while he dries more tears.] Together.
Let me lead us for a little while, okay? [except he isn't going to wait for an answer, he's just going to faintly adjust his position again and start guiding them anyway. i'm here, i'll protect you.]
no subject
Wei Wuxian blinks and squeezes his eyes shut. No. Something is wrong. He doesn't want that. Does he? It's all so muddled, nothing makes sense anymore.]
A-Yuan. [His grip tightens and he looks up as they reach the house, his steps faltering at the door.] Something is wrong with me.
no subject
how lucky for them both, they reach the home even quicker than sizhui imagined, but as he moves closer toward the door, he abruptly stops, reeling back slightly whenever wei wuxian hesitates.
blinking in confusion, he turns, clenches his hand a little tighter in kind and inquires,] What do you mean?
no subject
He reaches forward and pushes the hair from Sizhui's neck. A gesture of affection, but it would be so easy to wrap his fingers around that throat and squeeze and squeeze and squeeze—
He pulls away, shakes his head.]
A-Yuan. Stay away. [His voice shakes and he covers his face with one hand again. The voices that live in the resentment inside of him have never been like this before and it's getting so hard to resist. To know why he should.]
no subject
Xian-gege... please, I want to help.
[how? sizhui isn't entirely sure, but he's never been one to abandon those important to him in their time of need and now won't be an exception.
maybe he doesn't need your help. what can you do for someone like him, anyway? his eyes squeeze shut, he shakes his head as well and raises a hand to touch the side of his head, fingertips pressing hard, shifting, then he hits his cheek with the heel of his palm like it will quiet the taunting voice ringing in his ears.]
no subject
Don't you see? This world is pain. To live is pain. He's hurting. He will always hurt unless you free him.]
I'm Sorry a-Yuan, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry...[He mumbles and as he holds his son, he lifts one hand, wrapping his fingers around Sizhui's throat in earnest and beginning to squeeze for real this time.]
It's better this way, I promise, alright?
no subject
the poor boy doesn't realize, doesn't even notice wei wuxian's other hand moving, too preoccupied with his apologizing.] It's okay, you don't have to apologize. It's okay— [and then it's around his throat, squeezing, cutting off air-flow.]
Wh...at...? N-No!
[see? you want to help him and he wants you dead! no, no, that isn't right. like he'd said before, something is wrong, something that's driven him to do this. his arm withdraws from around wei wuxian, he reaches with that hand, clenching his wrist and attempting to pull.] Stop, [he strains, yanking at his opposite hand too.] Stop—!
no subject
Wei Wuxian has lived with voices for so long, he's grown used to them, and those voices, the ones that breathe death into Chenqing, those ones are his as much as he's theirs. They ask and he delivers, and he asks and they lend him their strength. It's a twisted sort of partnership, but it is a partnership.
And those voices remember a little boy holding onto Wei Wuxian's leg, gummy smile aimed up at them. They remember long days chasing the boy around and longer nights telling him soft stories to help him sleep. They remember a-Yuan and they screech into Wei Wuxian's head, making themselves heard over the others.
Stop.
It drowns out the others for long enough for Wei Wuxian to come back to himself, long enough for him to understand. His eyes grow wide with realization and he leaps backwards. Before Sizhui can do anything else, Wei Wuxian has a knife and he's stabbed it into the hand that had wrapped around Sizhui's throat, simultaneously shocking himself and debilitating the hand he would use as a weapon against his son.
The pain grounds him and he backs up further, gritting his teeth.]
Knock me out, Sizhui. I can't be trusted.
no subject
yes. there's no doubt in this thought. if it means wei wuxian is safe, that this is what he wants, sizhui is prepared. (except he's also well-aware it isn't what he wants—) it's why he cinches his fingers tighter on wei wuxian's wrist, twists his opposite arm and yanks upward, doing everything within his power to break free despite the inky blackness that's filtering into the periphery of his vision.
he doesn't want this, he doesn't, no matter how much these voices keep saying otherwise. sizhui knows his father, knows he wouldn't ever hurt him without there being some alternative reason and, while he has no idea exactly why, he does know killing him wasn't part of the plan.
that's why when he's abruptly released, he backpedals as well, both hands moving to hold his throat as he coughs, wheezes faintly, then takes a sharp, deep inhale. which, surprisingly, is more than enough time for wei wuxian to produce a knife that he uses on himself, prompting sizhui to cry out in astonishment—
but that's all he does in response, initially, and once he's gotten his breath somewhat stabilized, he wastes no time swooping in, hooking his arms around the man and squeezing him tight.] I'm sorry, [comes through a stilted, watery breath and before anything else gets out of hand, he draws one hand up, brings it against the side of wei wuxian's neck and with the pressure and added qi, uses the blow to knock him unconscious.]
no subject
Good boy, he thinks, relief overwhelming him. Later there will be guilt and anger at himself, but now there's only relief that Sizhui is going to stop him.
He lifts his arms to return his son's embrace and then falls suddenly and quite gently into unconsciousness.]