Relief Log #2

[modaccount]

I. In The Aftermath

After the mission is complete, the new recruits are invited back to Central Command for a patch-up and celebration to let loose and socialize a little bit.

The first order of business is the patching up. Anyone who was injured is welcome to go to the Hospital, if the injuries are more serious. Everyone else, those with smaller injuries like scrapes and bruises, minor cuts or burns or abrasions, are welcome to come to the Infirmary in Central Command. There will also be attendants that tell returning new recruits that if they'd like to learn a little first aid and tend to their comrades, they can also head to the Infirmary.

In the Infirmary, anyone who's not injured but shows up will be instructed in basic first aid so they can tend to their teammates and friends. Nurses will be rotating around to check in on people and make sure nothing is more serious than it looks, but generally, the new recruits will be encouraged to tend to their teammates in order to encourage group bonding.

II. A Fine Meal

On an evening a few days after the mission is complete, all the extra-universal new arrivals will be summoned to one of the large meeting rooms in the Central Command for a feast. When they arrive in the room, it is decorated with orange and brown streamers and fall iconography - bundles of twigs and dried flowers, bundles of fragrant herbs, dried pumpkins with faces and fall scenes carved into them, and other decorations. In the center of the room there is a large table laden with delicious-looking fall foods - poultry birds so large they had to have been roasted on a spit, huge roasted portobello-style mushrooms, mashed tubers, gravy, stuffing, bean casserole, candied yams, mooncakes, boiled spicy crayfish, roast herring, various types of stews ranging from traditional stew to fish stew to mushroom stew, and tons of desserts like tarte tatin, ice cream, apple crumble, pumpkin pie, and almost any other fall food you can think of.

Characters will be invited to sit around the table and feast together, while quiet music plays in the background, facilitating conversation. Some of the rebels have volunteered to keep restocking the table as people wander in and out to sit at the table and eat in rough shifts, and these volunteers will encourage characters to share things they're thankful for, things that make their lives better. All of those things that make life worth living, that make the fight worth fighting.

On a table near the door to the room, there is a stack of beautifully cloth-wrapped bento-style boxes that characters are invited to take with them. They are told by volunteers that these boxes aren't just leftovers for later, but a necessary component of the night's test of courage. They encourage characters to take one and participate, as it's a particularly bright feather in the cap of anyone who undertakes it.

III. The Skyclad Light Show

Once the feasting throughout the late afternoon and early evening is about complete, characters will be invited out into the courtyard of the Central Command for the evening's entertainment. The courtyard is essentially a small but beautiful park, with benches, patches of grass, a few ornamental trees and gardens, and plenty of places to spread out a blanket (provided by friendly volunteers!) and watch the show. And what a show it is!

Every year around this time the Skyclad take magical lights that trail behind them, and put on a spectacular light show in the sky. Streaks of vibrant color follow each hoverboard as those riding them in the sky flip, twirl, dive, and perform other feats of hoverboard artistry for the crowd below. The show goes on for about 45 minutes, with the Skyclad twisting and twirling, drawing beautiful designs against the evening sky.

Characters who really bonded with their hoverboards and took to tricks and flips and kicks after the mission would have been invited to participate, especially if they were interested in joining the Skyclad. The Skydance, as they call it, is quite highly choreographed to avoid midair collisions, all with the goal of producing something truly beautiful and ephemeral. Try not to choke!

IV. Night of Remembrance

The final tradition of the evening is a solemn remembrance of the warriors who have fallen in the fight against the Sylphid. After the Skydance, volunteers would have set up another table of those bento boxes from earlier as well as little bags containing 5 mandarin oranges, and would brief the people in small groups about the traditional Night of Remembrance. The Night of Remembrance is a really big deal among the Witches, and is a great opportunity to prove yourself if you're looking to gain respect and rise up the ranks, as it's also partially a test of courage. The tradition involves taking leftover food from the feast to the shrine at the cemetery in the Mages Sector in order to 'prepare a feast' for the dead and honor those who have fallen, and offering oranges to the fallen along the way. The food must still be at least a little warm when it's presented to the spirits. Sounds simple, right?

Once characters who wish to participate find their way to the cemetery, they will discover a couple more volunteers with a variety of lanterns. For some reason, nothing electric, battery-powered, or at all technological will work in the cemetery, and they haven't for as long as anyone can remember. Any light source must be either very old-school or magical in nature, and texting someone for help would be completely impossible. But why would you need to call someone for help?

Well, it wouldn't be a test of courage without a little danger, right? On this night, every year, the spirits in the cemetery are stirred up and come back into the land of the living. Yes, ghosts do really exist. The ghosts have a variety of temperaments - some of the ghosts are very pleasant and will chat with people for a while before accepting their orange, some are playful and mischievous and will play pranks on people coming into the cemetery (these pranks are sometimes harmless and sometimes very not-harmless), and others are angry and resentful at being dead and won't hesitate to viciously attack interlopers. Some of the more unfriendly ghosts can be calmed down with pleasantries and shows of respect, but others cannot be and will continue to attack interlopers until offered one of the oranges that they've brought.

There are two types of lanterns available: traditional lamps that are simply a candle in a glass bell that can be easily carried with a ring on the top, and magic lamps that attract spirits and appear as a glowing blue-green orb floating in a glass bell fitted with a ring for portability. People carrying traditional lamps are seen as quite brave, but those who take a magical lamp are absolute legends.

Participants will need to take a bento, some oranges, and a lantern of either variety, present the oranges to various ghosts as they make their way to a shrine on the other side of the cemetery, where they will set out the food from the bento as beautifully as possible...and don't let that food get cold, or your offering will be worthless - who wants congealed gravy and soggy stuffing?! At the shrine, they will find an assortment of delicate beaded charms attached to the branches of a large weeping willow tree. These are protected by magic, and can only be taken by someone who's completed the tradition. They will light up a different color depending on what kind of lantern the participant is carrying. These charms will provide a one-time magical boon to whoever takes them.

Characters carrying traditional lanterns will find their charms lighting up orange and these charms will, when used through the calling of a keyword by either Heba or Tian characters, summon the spirits of the dead in an area with a radius of around 50 feet to attack an enemy or group of enemies. The keyword can be set simply by speaking it to the charm. This charm can be offered to another person as a gift or kept for the character's own use, and can be used only once. If the charm has been gifted to someone, it will turn red, but will still be functional.

Characters carrying magical lanterns will find their charms lighting up blue and these charms will, when carried on a character's person, provide one resurrection from death without the loss of memory that usually comes as a side effect of resurrections. This charm can be offered to another person as a gift or kept for the character's own use, and can be used only once. If the charm has been gifted to someone, it will turn purple, but will still be functional.

Regardless of which charms are given, characters are encouraged to show them off as evidence of having participated in the Night of Remembrance. Anyone who is gifted one of these charms should be grateful, they are regarded as high-value gifts to be given only to someone you care about a great deal. Many people, regardless of whether they've earned the charms themselves or been gifted them, will attach them to their network devices to show them off.

NAVIGATION

Comments

Codi | OC | OTA

[maskedtyrant]

I. Infirmary

Codi's first stop after the mission is the infirmary. Unlike last time, it's not necessarily because she needs medical assistance - although her tattered, bloodied clothes and developing bruises would suggest otherwise. In fact, doing time with medical professionals in the camp is a requirement of her healing magic classes. Something about understanding how bodies work in order to mend them or whatever, Codi didn't pay too much attention at the time and is continuing to not care very much now. She'd picked up healing magic to avoid doing stuff like this.

Unfortunately she's completely tapped out on magic reserves and she recognizes a few of her instructors mingling at the periphery, so there's no choice but to try. At least there are others here that are probably more knowledgeable that she can cheat off of. Codi walks up to the first such person she can find and, trying to be as subtle as possible, leans around them to see who they're working on.

"Need any help?" she offers casually.

III. Dinner and a Show (but mostly the show)

Codi picks a nice spot in the center of the courtyard to set up her blanket and bento box, with the intent of taking notes on the show - or rather, which of her teammates decide to participate in it and how well they do. It's a fine goal and an excellent distraction from thinking about all the other shit that's happened to her today.

However, a combination of that shit, plus magic fatigue, plus her rapidly developing food coma, all work together to undermine her plans. Two minutes into the show and Codi is out cold on her back, twitching in a deep sleep.

IV. Ghosts | CW: Injury

Thankfully someone either wakes her up or she wakes up on her own in time for the main event. It's not something Codi was expecting to happen, but once she learns about it, there's nothing that can stop her from participating. This mission did not go according to plan for many reasons, leaving her ego fractured into many little shards that keep jabbing her whenever she thinks about them; so what better way to mend it than to do something reckless, impressive, and rewarded with a powerful magical device that she can show off to everyone she meets? The world Codi comes from has 'ghosts' and they don't scare her. They don't even accept fruit as bargaining chips! Comparatively speaking, this should be a walk in the park.

And it is...for a little bit. Codi's magic lantern does attract quite a few spirits, and she's quite casual about making conversation with those that linger after she hands them an orange. It's the logistics that end up biting her: There are simply too many ghosts. No matter how stingy she is about it, Codi runs out of fruit.

Now she's making a mad dash for the shrine, sprinting down the narrow path as best she can while also limping from a stab wound to the back of her leg. The culprit is following close behind in the form of an especially irate ghost, brandishing the top foot of a spear in one hand and the broken shaft of it in the other. And, like a lost flock of sheep, a gaggle of mostly curious spirits floats further back in her wake. Codi has no idea if any of them will also object to her lack of oranges and she has no intention of finding out.

IV Ghosts

[tarisian_cathar]

She hadn't had the time to start the tradition before things went awry for Codi. She'd have a hard time not feeling what was happening - the sudden tide of dark energy was unmistakable.

Codi's first indication that she has an unexpected ally will be when the ghost pursuing her seems to stagger a bit - the spear seeming to catch in mid air. And there is Juhani, hand extended, teeth gritted.

"Quickly!" she says, lightsaber ignited in the other hand. Time to slow things down however she can - not like she can do much to kill a ghost, surely.

[maskedtyrant]

In her blind, panicked run, Codi barely registers that the ghost hot on her heels is being delayed by something - not until Juhani calls for her specifically. She stumbles to a stop for just long enough to look and verify what's happening.

Then, without a second thought, Codi takes that advice.

"Thanks!!" she yells breathlessly over her shoulder, and bolts. The shrine is only a hundred feet or so further up the path; an arduous journey for Codi on her injured leg and with her screaming muscles, but at least it's quick. She'll be back for Juhani momentarily.

[tarisian_cathar]

Who will be falling back herself, because the ghost is a powerful thing, and even with her holding back its physical weapon, it remains slowly advancing.

And she's not at all sure she can attack the ghost directly.

[maskedtyrant]

Codi doesn't even stop to see if Juhani is succeeding in keeping the ghost away, or if she's in any danger herself - the woman told her to be quick, so, no one can fault her for following directions. She nearly runs into the shrine when she reaches its clearing, both in her rush and because one leg's stopping power is much less than the other, slams down her bento box, opens it to check that the food inside is still somewhat warm. Codi nearly melts on the spot with relief when she realizes that it is, but manages a small victory dance anyway, truncated when her leg collapses underneath her. That's really starting to become a problem, actually. There's a lot of blood.

Dully, Codi stumbles back to her feet with the intent of finding a new path back to camp that doesn't run her into her previous gaggle of ghosts, when she hears the distinct sound of footsteps and angry spirit noises from the way she came. Juhani. It would be very un-hero-like to leave behind someone that just saved her skin, wouldn't it? Thinking quickly, Codi looks over her surroundings for anything of use - a weapon, a distraction, anything - when her eyes settle on a bundle of oranges left as an offering to the shrine by someone else.

Surely the person who left those won't miss them, right? It's a victimless crime as far as Codi is concerned. She swipes one and limp-dashes back down the path, holding her magic lantern out in one hand and the orange extended in the other.

"I've got your dumb fruit!" she yells ahead of her. "Come and get it you picky bastard!"

[tarisian_cathar]

For her part, she keeps stepping back, step after step - teeth gritted in concentration, sharp canines visible. The ghost advances, dragging its weapon along by sheer will and all of its strength. She turns her head as she senses Codi's approach - and the ghost turns it attention to her.

This can either go very well or very bad.

[maskedtyrant]

As it turns out, the ghosts don't seem to have any scruples about where their fruit comes from - an orange is an orange to them. Their spear-wielding friend is no different. It turns fully to face Codi, sluggish from Juhani's Force restraints, and the weapon in its hand jerks in the effort to lift it.

Codi staggers to a stop, shoulders heaving with each sucking gasp. She already knows that she can't just throw the orange at this thing and call it a day; the ghosts have to be negotiated with. At least that's something she's good at. All she has to do is rein in her temper, just for a few minutes.

"...Okay!" Codi holds up a hand in surrender while the other, gripping the orange, supports her against a nearby tree. "You got me! I trespassed on your land without the right payment, I understand that this has offended you. A warrior such as yourself deserves more respect."

She passes the orange to her outstretched hand, then jerks her head at Juhani.

"My companion is a warrior like yourself," Codi continues. "She fights to protect others, just like you fought to protect your friends - your family. We're part of that family now. Juhani, please let them go."

[tarisian_cathar]

Well, she'll have to see where this goes. She nods, releasing her effort and control.

Now she'll see just how sincere Cody is - and what the spirits make of it.

[maskedtyrant]

Remarkably, the ghost does not immediately charge at Codi with the spear again; it seems that the promise of an orange and her switch to formality has smoothed things over enough to at least stall any further violence. Instead it walks - floats, though its feet go through the motions of walking anyway - towards her, weapon at its side, and stops a mere breath in front of her. It's nearly two heads taller than Codi is, yet she manages to straighten her back and lift her chin to confidently meet its judging gaze.

"I'm grateful for your trust and forgiveness," she says smoothly. "Please accept this gift as an apology. I sincerely hope that we'll be able to meet again in more favorable circumstances next year."

The orange, still extended outward, is plucked from Codi's grip by an ethereal hand; then it and the ghost fizzle away into the thick air of the forest.

And Codi's composure breaks. "--Motherfucking bastard!" she blurts, slumping forward. "Hope that picky sonofabitch gets that orange stuck up their--"

She attempts a step towards Juhani, but her injured leg has also finally had enough. Codi stutter-steps and collapses in a heap with a yelp.

[tarisian_cathar]

Juhani quickly moves to her side, tsking a bit.

"That was unnecessary, but done well. Aside from the lack of sincerity." She shook her head.

"Let me see your leg," she says, more business-like.

[maskedtyrant]

Codi huffs a breathless, wry laugh. "What would you rather I said?" she asks, wincing as she rolls into a slightly more dignified position on her elbows. Her injured leg is held awkwardly in front, the fabric of her pants soaked red from mid-thigh down to her calf. The fact that the color has drained from her face and she's broken into a cold sweat says that this is probably too much blood for her to be losing right now. "'Please take this orange so you won't stab me again'? These things appreciate decorum more than honesty, Juhani - I'm just giving them what they want."

[tarisian_cathar]

"I would rather that you actually gain the wisdom you spoke aloud," she replied, taking the leg in hand. A retractable claw emerges as she cuts the length of it, opening the fabric to reveal the wound.

"Now, be silent and stay still," she admonishes, holding a hand over the wound. She closes her eyes, taking a few breaths - and letting what she knows of Force Healing do its work. She's no expert, and frankly if the wound were much worse it would be beyond her abilities.

But the energy would become visible, arcing wisps of white energy roiling around the leg - and bit by bit, the wound begins to close. The effort on Juhani's face is clear, breathing heavily. But the bleeding will cease before she does, falling back on her elbows, chest heaving and clearly a bit dizzy.

[maskedtyrant]

Codi's face falls in genuine distress. My pants! She really ought to invest in some Mending spell training for all the clothes she goes through during missions, and outside of them, apparently - it's starting to become kind of expensive.

But at least she listens. Or maybe she's just too tired to keep arguing; either way, Codi obediently shuts up and holds still, watching Juhani work with unsteady eyes. It feels...weird. Not painful, like she expects it to be, but kind of tingly and itchy. Generally getting cured with magic just brings the 'itchy' part of that equation. It also usually does more than just close up the wound; when Juhani finishes up, Codi still feels incredibly dizzy and cold from blood loss. They're both left on their elbows and panting in the dirt for several moments.

"...Thanks for that," Codi murmurs breathlessly. It is genuine, which is a rarity for her, but she at least has the presence of mind to recognize that she normally doesn't bleed so badly from wounds like this, and that if she had tried to continue as normal, she probably would've bled out on the way back to the start. Juhani being there was more than just a stroke of luck. "Force stuff?"

I. Infirmary

[nitashix]

"Perhaps 'yer the one who be needin' help," Jack blurted out, uninvited, behind Codi. The pirate greeted the woman with a wide grin, flashing his golden pirate teeth, his left hand holding on to his broken hoverboard.

The pirate was lucky to get back with very few injuries, marked with a single band aid that decorated his left cheek and a few gauzes that wrapped his left arm.

oh nooo DW ate my reply and I didn't notice!!

[maskedtyrant]

Codi blinks a couple of times. It would be difficult for her not to place that voice with a name, and combined with the sheer brazenness of what he's saying, she doesn't even need to turn around to see the expression on his face. Maybe the one she's envisioning is a little more smug than what Jack's actually wearing, but her reply probably wouldn't change much regardless.

"You have any suggestions, Jack?" she asks, still looking straight ahead. The smile she flashes the back wall turns ever so slightly menacing.

no worries. Just had to randomly tag for AC.

[nitashix]

“Yohoho! Or perhaps I’m mistaken! Ye’ still looked lively as ye’ were!,” he laughed heartily, but gradually faded into awkwardness. For a few moment, silence reigned between the two until Jack finally broke it with a series of rasping coughs.

“Err…I could help ye’ with that lad if ye’ tell me what to do,” he offered suddenly, hoping to redeem himself from his tactless greeting.

[maskedtyrant]

Codi lets Jack stew on that one, punctuating the awkward silence with a glance behind her and a sharply raised eyebrow. But any chance of that changing to venom goes away when he offers to help.

"Sure!" she chirps with a pleasant smile, waving him over to join her by the bed. This is not the outcome Codi was hoping for - pairing up with someone she could mooch knowledge off of would be her preferred - but at least Jack is continuing to follow her lead, and attempting to be useful to boot. "If I give you some gauze, could you help me wrap some of his cuts? It's easier with two sets of hands."

[nitashix]

Jack returned the smile with a wide grin. As awkward or inappropriate as it was, that’s just how the pirate was used to. Nevertheless, Codi got him all ears.

“Of course! Ye’ just tie it like a rope, aye?,” he responded promptly in a fool’s confidence, something which Codi might have been used to - or not. Though it might have helped that he immediately gestured his hand to ask for the gauze.

[maskedtyrant]

Codi barely hesitates. "Exactly," she reassures, handing Jack a roll of gauze from her first-aid kit. There's no further thought given to whether or not he's actually qualified to do this - once that bandage left her hands, Codi has determined that she is no longer culpable for his actions. She grabs a set of scissors and takes a step back to give Jack some space. "I'll cut the ends when you're done."

[nitashix]

Jack’s grin never left his face, to the point that it got too awkward to let go. His eyes then darted between the gauze in his hand and the lad whom Cody was tending to, momentarily catching peaks at the other patients. The ritual went on for a while, before he decided to finally apply the gauze, oblivious of the patient’s wince and soft grunt.

“Done,” he concluded, facing Codi once again, as he held the uncut end of the gauze.

[maskedtyrant]

Good enough. "Nice work!" Codi says brightly. She cuts the end of the gauze, ignoring the quiet, pleading looks of their patient in favor of following Jack's gaze around the room. He seems...curious. Which, of course, makes Codi curious.

"You ever done stuff like this before, Jack?" she asks, tone is conversational rather than accusatory.

[nitashix]

“Errr…watched Bernard a couple of times,” the pirate responded casually as he indulged one satisfactory look at his work. “Ah! The man’s our cook an’ physician on board,” he continued, to fill the information gap that he created. His confidence continued to echo in voice as well as in his unspoken gestures.

“And how about ye’?,” he asked while his eyes committed at their patient’s wounds, applying more bandages where he thought they were needed. Oddly enough, his current role seemed to have caught his interest by a lot. Such irony that a battle thirsty pirate would find interest in medicine but spontaneity was part of Jack’s personality after all.

[maskedtyrant]

Codi nods along, letting Jack take the initiative on patching their patient up. It makes sense to her that a crew of combat-ready individuals would include someone that practices some form of medicine; neglecting such duties would lead to rapid and inevitable deterioration of resources--people. Of course she means people. It's the main reason why she was so determined to have an entire medical branch of her company when she took it over, and a big reason for why she picked up a basic healing spell now that she's here.

Speaking of. "Oh, lots," Codi insists, lying cleanly through her teeth. She transitions to telling the truth seamlessly. "Mostly as a part of my healing magic classes - you know, to keep us informed in case we're low on mana or something."

[nitashix]

“Shiver me timbers! They ‘ave classes ‘ere! D’ya think they ‘ave one fer drivin’ this thing?,” the pirate exclaimed, while ending in an inquisitive tone as he pointed at the broken hoverboard that he previously placed at his feet.

“Aw!” Unfortunately for the patient, Jack’s sudden switch of attention unintentionally resulted in a slightly tighter bandage.

“Ah, me apologies!,” the temporary pirate medic quickly responded in a surprising apologetic tone, while proceeding to loosen his work.

[maskedtyrant]

Codi is starting to get a feel for the kind of person Jack is, so his sudden outburst doesn't catch her as off-guard as it could have done. She flinches just a fraction but recovers quickly, placing her hand delicately over her mouth to suppress a giggle.

"Jack, please--focus," she says, trying not to sound too entertained at their patient's expense. Codi waits patiently for Jack to rework his bandages before answering his question. "They have classes for mages. Tian mages. I attend them regularly to learn spells."

There's a pause as the words I'm sure you can find some for hoverboards if you look sit on her tongue, but Codi stops herself short. There's an opportunity here. She closes her eyes, smiling wide.

"There are other classes for more general applications, too - sparring and such," she continues. "I could probably get you in touch with someone that can tutor you on how to use those hoverboards, if you'd like?"