ximilialog | MISSION: THE SUN NEVER SETS ON AMARYLLIS GROVE, PART 2

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MISSION: THE SUN NEVER SETS ON AMARYLLIS GROVE, PART 2

● ● ● M I S S I O N 1 7 . 2

THOSE AMONG YOU • HARVEST THY GOOD WILL • GOOD FENCES & GOOD NEIGHBOURS • ALL EYE ON YOU • FYI

// INTRO. Those Among You  

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Cain, Gabe, and others of the team who have suddenly returned to their homes — is gone… but by the evening, they have been replaced by one of the Companions, made to their exact liking, going silently about their business in perfect imitation of the one they are replacing.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.”

// PART I.Harvest Thy Good Will  

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?

TOP

// PART II.Good Fences & Good Neighbours  

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.

TOP

// PART III.All Eye On You  

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.”

TOP

F Y I

• The events in this log take place during the month of November.

• If you have questions about any of the prompts or the mission in general, please direct them HERE.

• And finally, your soundtrack for this log: ♪ ♪ ♪

TOP

▶ NAV

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[That's not why she's apologizing, but she doesn't further explain it either.

Daisy smiles sadly when she wipes at her cheek, assuming she's got blood on her now.]

I don't care about that.

[Daisy reaches for the dishcloth she had put on the table and folds it so there's a clean section to wipe her face again, having noticed a spot along her ear that she's missed.]

Edited 2023-12-29 00:07 (UTC)

[ no, she wouldn't care, not if she's barely cared about it getting all over her clothes already. ]

[ this time when daisy picks up where she left off, andy doesn't close her eyes. she tilts her head, just enough to make it easier, but she doesn't look away as daisy gently cleans more. it's nice to be looked after, she supposes. she doesn't always like to let people. ]

[ after a few moments of quiet - ]

Thank you.

Edited 2023-12-29 00:18 (UTC)

[Daisy smiles gently at Andy, looking at the dishcloth to see she needs to rinse it off again.]

This would probably be easier in the shower.

[She teases, but she clearly doesn't mind. Rinsing off the washcloth, she then comes back to start working on her hands.]

[ she laughs quietly under her breath. ]

Probably.

[ andy doesn't think about how easy it is to offer her arm up next, much bloodier than her face, given it dripped down the entire forearm to her hand. ]

But it's... nice. [ it doesn't feel like the right word. ] To be looked after. To have company. Your company. I mean it when I say thank you.

[Smiling sadly at her words, Daisy reaches out to cup the side of Andy's face gently.]

You're always looking out for me. It's the least I can do.

[ she leans into daisy's hand without even thinking about it, absently lifting her own hand to cover daisy's, keeping it there. ]

That's what we're supposed to do. Thank you for reminding me of that too.

[ people are supposed to look after each other. she forgot for a while, but luckily daisy has been there to prove it. ]

There's no one else I trust more to look after me here.

[Andy's words have her choking up, again. Pressing her lips together to keep from crying, she strokes Andy's cheek with her thumb.]

I-

[Her voice gets caught in her throat, lower lip trembling.]

I'm going to miss you. So much.

[ between her words, her face, and her tears, daisy has andy laughing into a little sob of her own. she lifts her other hand up, the bloody one, and curls it around daisy's face, leaning in against her forehead in tandem. ]

Stop making me cry. [ or don't, because she does not want to stop feeling how much she cares about daisy. ]

[Daisy tries to smile, but she barely manages to despite Andy teasing her. Closing her eyes when Andy presses her forehead to hers, Daisy bites the inside of her cheek.]

I wish I could.

[ she closes her eyes and just breathes in a moment, trying to memorize the feel of daisy's hand and her cheek and the touch of her forehead. her memory is shitty by default but andy really does not want to lose this. ]

I'm going to miss you too. Maybe I would take you making me cry every day to avoid that. [ a joke, one that probably falls flat. ]

Edited 2024-01-03 02:48 (UTC)

[Daisy laughs softly at that, despite the tears that are now falling down her cheeks.]

If anyone could, it's you.

[She teases back.]

I'm taking that as a compliment. [ she wants to laugh, but mostly she only manages a weak smile. her thumb sweeps over daisy's cheek, brushing the tears aside. they match, because she's definitely crying now too.

[ she moves to cradle daisy's face in both her hands. ]

I lose people all the time. But I'm not ready to lose you, Daisy. I don't want to.

Edited 2024-01-03 03:09 (UTC)

[Daisy's face scrunches up when Andy holds her face in her hands, the tears rolling down more rapidly now. She was barely holding it together to begin with.]

I know.

[She manages to choke out, eyes still closed in fear of opening them and breaking down completely.]

[ andy doesn't know how long she sits there, bloody and wet from two sets of tears and holding daisy's face like she's afraid to let go. in reality it's probably no more than a minute. thirty seconds, tops. ]

[ but she shifts, not letting herself overthink it. she's usually good at following instincts, but she's buried this one a while. ]

[ she tilts her head, leaning in to kiss her with a soft press of her lips to daisy's, tentative like andy so rarely is. ]

[It's the last thing Daisy's expected from Andy. Ever since their talk a year ago, she's done her best to move past all of those feelings for her.

So when Andy's lips press against hers, Daisy's brain short circuits. For a moment she does nothing, but then she's kissing her back. Until she remembers who's in the room down the hall, and she quickly pulls away. Her face flushed, she inhales sharply.]

I'm sorry. I can't-

[ it's one of the last things andy might have expected from herself. but she's riding a lot of emotions and a sense of finality she's trying to ignore. when daisy kisses her back, andy leans in to return it more wholly; her hand starts to shift, to slide along her cheek - until daisy stops. ]

[ andy stops immediately. though she pulls her head away almost in unison, she can't quite drop her hands, can't bring herself to pull away. ]

No. I'm sorry. I wasn't... I wasn't thinking. [ she wanted to, but she definitely wasn't thinking. ]

Edited 2024-01-03 03:46 (UTC)

[Licking her lower lip, Daisy breaks eye contact briefly as she frowns.]

You have Quynh and I have-

[Joric.]

Someone else.

[ she can't help the way her thumb sweeps over daisy's cheek again. ]

[ andy smiles, weak and wry but still there. she has quỳnh. quỳnh would like daisy, she thinks. she wishes they could meet, and her heart clenches. ]

We both have such shit timing, don't we?

[ she pauses. ] You deserve every single happiness. Are you happy?

[Daisy's frown turns into a sad sort of smile as she lifts her gaze to meet Andy's again.]

At this point I'd say it's almost a talent of ours. Or a curse.

[Depending on how you look at it. Her sad smile turns less sad when Andy asks if she's happy.]

I am.

[She admits. It's the first time she's even talked about her relationship with Joric to anyone. Even if she hasn't said his name.]

A cursed talent.

[ she leans in again, but only for a soft press of her forehead to daisy's. she needs it for a moment. she feels unmoored. ]

Good. I mean it, when I say you deserve that.

[Relieved that this doesn't seem to change anything between them, Daisy closes her eyes again.]

I know you do. I just wish it was permanent.

[Daisy admits softly.]

But you'll have Quynh, and that makes me happy too.

[ it does change nothing, in that her heart still hurts over the idea leaving daisy. ]

I don't know if anything is ever permanent, even though we want things to be.

[ she pauses. ] I hope I do. I'm not sure I trust the orbs so much anymore but it's still hard to shake.

[Licking her lower lip, Daisy's expression falls as she finally opens her eyes and pulls her head back before she does something stupid.]

You think this will have all been for nothing?

[Of course she shares the same worry, but she's always been desperate enough to get her mom back that she tries anyway.]

[ andy's hand hangs briefly in the air, glancing over the blood now on daisy's cheek, when they were meant to be in a clean up. ]

I don't want to say nothing. I could never regret meeting you.

But they twist our wishes all the time. It's hard not to consider that.

[ quỳnh comes back, but worse? she wouldn't be able to live with herself. ]

[Well, if she wasn't already holding back more tears, she would be after hearing Andy say she'd never regret meeting her.]

No, it wouldn't be.

[She reaches for Andy's hand and gives it a brief squeeze.]

But you're right, if all that comes out of this experience is meeting people like you...

It's worth it.

MISSION: THE SUN NEVER SETS ON AMARYLLIS GROVE, PART 2

● ● ● M I S S I O N 1 7 . 2

F Y I

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