daybreakacademy | [player plot] Kagerou Daze

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[player plot] Kagerou Daze

WHO: OTA, some prompts semi-open per sign-ups
WHERE: Side A: Outlands, Side B: Daybreak
WHEN: Forward dated to May 23
WHAT: See details here
WARNINGS: Death and dying, and everything that comes along with it
NOTES: In your toplevel, please note whether you're playing on side A or side B! The plot will ICly take place from May 23-24, and players can continue to sign up throughout the month, partnered with an NPC student. Characters who do not sign up are still free to get involved with Side B prompts, so your character does NOT have to die to play with this plot. For any further questions, please direct them here. I will be NPCing Saeru and posting with

kazokun

i. dawn, 5/23, open to all
[ The faintest of tremors runs through the ground. For a campus situated in the mountains, this may be scary, but hardly unexpected— if the tremor did not come with a surge of mist, black fog hissing like steam under pressure, filtering out from cracks in the pavement just outside of Theater Lenormand.

> Investigate the source, and potentially discover more about what happened, and what to do about it. There will be people who would need the help. ]

ii. throughout 5/23, closed to side A/B
[ It happens swiftly, quietly, without fanfare. Perhaps you're just minding your own business, waking up and seeking out breakfast, yawning and sidestepping before you crash into another student passing by, when there is suddenly a knife in your side, a twist and white hot pain. Perhaps you're hurrying to class, hear the shatter of glass, and make the mistake of stopping in place to look; you don't even know what fell on you, just that it was falling fast, it was heavy, and it was deadly. Perhaps you've caught wind of the rumors by now, suspicions circulating around a certain boy who is always in the wrong place at the wrong time. Avoid the boy, they say, he's bad luck. But maybe you mean to seek him out.

> Initial deaths can be played out or handwaved; let me know here if you want Saeru in a thread, otherwise feel free to NPC them yourself! ]

iii. 5/??, Kagerou Daze, closed to side A
[ You remember dying. At least, you think you died. It's hard to tell, because in the midst of a blink, the world dissolves around you and rebuilds itself into something... familiar. Maybe not familiar by sight, but the uncanny familiarity is still there, nudging at fears and worries long buried. What happened? Is there anybody here? How do you get out...

> Create your own world and make your escape! Once your character escapes from their world, they will find on their possession a small iridescent stone. ]

iv. 5/24, Daybreak Academy, closed to side B
[ What happened? You remember... dying? There was somebody else with you, you're sure of it, but they're nowhere to be seen. It could be hard to tell for some, but thick, clotted blood or a glance at your watch may be hints that 5-10 minutes have passed since you were last aware of things. Maybe you hit your head, because there's a faint hissing sound whispering at the back of your mind, like white noise, easily ignored.

There is no immediate or glaring indication that a Snake lies dormant in you, unless you're naturally attune to such things. The new power you've been granted may also come instinctively or not, a gift from the Snake housed within you.

> Have fun with your new powers! It was worth it, watching your friends get killed, right? ]

misc, not a real prompt.
[ For Side A characters who keep the stone on them after their escape, it grows steadily hotter the closer they are to their Side B partner. Once both partners meet and touch the stone at the same time, please let me know here!

For Side B characters, a toplevel regarding the final Saeru fight will be posted sometime on 5/15, to allow for investigation and IC discussion before confronting the daemon. ]

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No. No no no. As soon as Héc even breathes the words, Peter pales, his whole body going into some kind of shock. Imelda is - he can't breathe for a moment, his vision spinning. She's so tough that's it's hard to even picture something like that happening, but - then again, he'd thought his Uncle Ben was invincible, right up until he'd returned to that alleyway and found him dying. If there's one thing Peter can't really cope with, it's the death of a parental figure. (Héc being killed is its own level of awful and he's going to freak out over that too, but for now - for now - )

"Oh god," he whispers. "Tío, I - " What can he say? What can he even say? That it wasn't Héc's fault? It kind of was, and Peter would be just as fast to blame himself if May were killed just to get at Peter. (And now that he's even had that thought, he's instantly, deeply worried about his aunt. He really can't go home now, not if it endangers May.) After a moment, he rushes forward, putting his arms around Héc and squeezing him as hard as he dares. A desperate gesture; he doesn't want to let go of Héc either. Not like he apparently has to do for Imelda...

"That's not fair. To either of you. You're not hurting anyone, and she didn't deserve any of it, and - " And he leans his head against Héc's chest, his own heart hammering hard as tears start to well up. "Who did it? Do you know?"

Maybe there's still something he can do. They're at a magic school, after all, and he's a goddamn superhero.

He's lost so many people. He's watched so many people die since he did. The undead like him and even some of the living. But this is different. He always knew it would be different but he hadn't been braced for it. He was supposed to be gone long before Imelda even hit old age.

Peter's upon him then and it only takes him a moment more to lift himself and hug the boy back, not sure whether this counts as taking comfort or giving it. Pepita makes a disgruntled noise, squished between the too, but soon squirms to a place more comfortable. He gives her just enough space but otherwise squeezes Peter too, just as desperate, less afraid of hurting the boy.

Peter echoes so many thoughts he's already and it all just makes him gasp like the knife's being twisted in him. He doesn't want to think about their murderer because he can really only think of her, pinned, bleeding. But he tries.

"I didn't recognize them. They looked like a kid but they were strong like you and--" He stops, realization hitting. And then his voice goes firm. "No. No, Peter. I'm not losing you, don't you dare."

Sorry, Pepita, you're just gonna have to deal with these two sad people. He leans for a moment, taking comfort. Petting Pepita a little, absently. Sorry, Héctor, Peter's here to be blunt and a little dumb at the same time. That's just what you get when talking to Peter.

He leans back a little at that, looking Héc in the eyes. There's a bit of a dangerous look in his eyes - in case Héc forgot, Peter did do vigilante work before this whole school and Avengers thing. He's no Batman, but he did get into fights on the street. And he never did avenge Ben properly.

"Don't do what? Find out if there's anything we can do? Maybe that kid did something."

He has no idea what, but this is a magic school. Also:

"Besides, what're they gonna do? Kill me?"

He forgot for a second but that second is over and while he's no superhero, not even slightly able to stop Peter for a second if he tried, his look is just as firm.

It's not as if he doesn't want to find out what happened. It's not as if he doesn't want that person stopped. But there are far higher priorities here and Peter highlights it with flippancy.

"Yes, Peter! That's exactly what they're going to do! You think because you've died that you're immortal now? That's not how it works and it has never been how it works! Do you have any idea-- any idea how many people I've lost to get here, Peter? You could've been killed with that monster! This kid just killed me! Some little anti-undead weapon is all it takes, but it's certainly not the only way and especially not the only way with you. No. No, we're not doing this."

Peter's own stubborn expression falters a bit. That's - true, isn't it? An anti-undead weapon would definitely obliterate him, same as it would Héctor. But Peter has the unique disadvantage of being alive at the same time. He's tough, yeah, but he's died once, after all. And he's still mortal flesh and blood, despite the pact holding him together. If anything, he's more vulnerable now that he's dead.

He swallows a little, not quite able to meet Héctor's look. Knowing he's right, but refusing to admit it. "But we have to do something," he says. "I can't - they can't just do something like that. And maybe they know a way to bring her back."

They're here, after all. Two thoroughly dead people.

It's a disadvantage that Héctor is all too aware of. All the fragility of the living and the dead, almost as if the world sought to compensate for that impossible strength of his.

"There's no body, Peter. There's nothing-" His voice cracks. "There's nothing to bring back. Even you left something, but the cost of putting you back together... we have no idea what that was. The fact that you're not some... twisted manifestation of what you were is more than just lucky, it means the price was... it could very well be beyond anything we can pay. We don't even have our own lives to trade and it's rarely that simple. Trust me, Peter, I walked the outlands for ten years with the undead, I have seen more attempts than I ever wanted to."

He was just as desperate for himself. At first to live. Then just to escape. He wanted and wanted but it just wasn't in reach. More tears fall but he doesn't bother with them.

"There's no point in asking a murderer for a way back in any case. Peter we-- if this guy is after me... Or you... we need to leave. I promised your aunt I'd protect you and I'm not letting Coco live her life alone."

That was going to be his rebuttal - he came back from nothing and he turned out fine - but then Héctor voices what Peter himself has suspected ever since he found out he was dead. Someone paid a hell of a price to give him this kind of life again. Even with the drawbacks, it's clear that his pact is something uniquely special. And the cost ... he suspects there's a reason why no one from the Avengers has reached out to him. Why his mentor hasn't checked in even once, despite surely having known about the pact. And May ... he's certain she paid something too, but he isn't sure what.

He breathes hard for a moment, leaning against Héctor again. Mind racing, trying to do something. Anything. This can't be all they can do. Even if bringing her back is a bad idea, and fighting the person responsible is a bad idea too...

But he stiffens at what Héctor proposes. A little angry, even. "You just want to run off to Mexico?" he says, disbelieving. "And what, give up on this place? We're here for a reason too, y'know. Outside of the magic stuff."

In case Héc forgot about Nightfall.

His jaw snaps shut and he jerks back a little. Not far, but it's all clear enough that running off is exactly what he intended to do. He's never been the hero sort. Not like Peter or anyone else here.

"I- don't--" His hands go up, covering his face and muffling a noise. His body flickers. Peter's got a second to close his eyes before he shifts unwarranted. Down to bone, his hands drop and flail out. "Yes! Yes, yes, I know it's cowardly! But what do you expect me to do!? Leave my orphan daughter?! For this place?! They want to study me, Peter! I'm here because they busted me out of a morgue! You really think they thought I would be any kind of useful for stopping Nightfall? I can't do anything! Nevermind we don't even know what's going to happen to us when they stop this, but I have to presume it's going to have a lot to do with the very radiance they talk about that burns us up!"

He shoots up to standing, disentangling from Peter and making Pepita yowl to boot. But he has to. He paces, one end of the room to the other and back again, running his hands through his hair. "Okay. Okay, okay, okay. I need... I need to think. I need to..." To do something. But what? If not just running, then what?

Running got Ben killed. Running ... probably would have saved Peter's life. But that's not how he is, and it's not how he operates, even now. Even so, he pales at what Héctor says. It's also something he's thought about - how could he not? - but having it laid out bare like that, where he has to stare at it outright ... he looks away for a moment, squeezing his eyes shut.

He's quiet until Héctor pulls back. Then he sits back down on the bed next to Pepita, gently running his fingers through her fur. Not arguing, not really. Just thinking. "I thought of that too," he says after a moment. "I mean, how could I not. After I found out, I ... " Well, Héctor probably knows just as well: Peter almost flunking out of school for a hot second had been mostly due to his difficulty with spells, but a big part of it had been the sheer trauma of being dead. Wrestling with what that means, what he's supposed to do with a second life. He still doesn't have all the answers, but he thinks he has an answer at least. "I gave my life once saving the world. If I have to do it again, I will."

A boy his age shouldn't have to. Shouldn't have had to. But if he's on borrowed time, then - he may as well make it count, right?

It slows him, twisting phantom guts to hear of it. The boy found out he died. He's had to deal with a lot of terrible knowledge that comes with that. Peter trails off but he's more than capable of filling in the blanks. He saw it, after all.

But it isn't until Peter gives that "answer" that he stops in his tracks. He's glad his back is facing the boy.

"You're not going to do that." He doesn't sound firm at all. If anything it's pleading. "You can't... you can't do that. Everything that's been given to keep you alive, Peter, you can't just throw it away. There will be other heroes, there will be someone else, and I know that goes against what you stand for, but Peter there is only one of you."

What did it cost? What did they pay? It's nothing he could, he's sure, but that doesn't make this better.

"Don't sign yourself up for a sacrifice before it's even on the table, mijo, don't--" His breath catches. He doesn't turn. "I don't want to say goodbye to you too."

"I'm not planning on it," he says stubbornly. A few tears well up; he swipes at his face briefly, rubbing them away. "I don't - I don't want to --"

He can't quite say it without choking up, so he doesn't. This isn't some suicidal sense of self-sacrifice, oh no. Peter is a kid and he wants a full life, dammit. More than anything else. He hadn't realized how precious such a thing was until he found out he didn't have it in the first place, and now - well, he just wants to live. "I'm going to take care of myself," he says, his voice a little steadier. "But I know that if something happens, and it's me or somebody else, I know what decision I'm gonna make."

He doesn't want to say goodbye to Héctor either. Doesn't want to do that to Héc, doesn't want it for himself. But he knows too well the kinds of situations that demand everything from you. He hadn't wanted to die fighting Thanos, but he's accepted the fact that it might have been necessary.

Peter's voice cracks and then he turns. He goes to the boy, and as Peter finishes speaking, he kneels down. He looks up, reaches up, holding that face with boney hands. He wipes at the tears, pushes back his hair.

"...I know. Me, your Tía... we all know. Our brave boy." Who died too young and still might have to. It'll tear at his heart. Just like every dead kid he played Tío to before, and then some. And he can only pray it doesn't happen. He can't stop Peter. He wishes this boy were a little more selfish but that in itself is a selfish wish.

"I want you to avoid that as best you can. Okay? You've got to come home. See your Tía, meet my family-- our family. I want you to go after I do. When Coco's grown and you have a life to your own too." He cups Peter's cheek just a moment more, then stands. He returns to where he sat before, this time reaching out for Pepita. Unlike before, she forgives him readily. She doesn't seem to mind his bones.

"I've got to go to my daughter. Nightfall or no. This isn't just about me anymore. I've got to do it for-- for Imelda." It takes a moment before he can continue. He's only bones and still, his throat feels tight. "I can't get there on my own. And I don't want to leave you. Especially not now when you could be hurt. I'm not sure what to do."

Asking Peter to be more selfish is a double-edged sword anyway. He's not perfect - or even selfless - but he has priorities. His own safety is rarely one of them.

He takes in a shuddering breath, letting Héc wipe away those tears. And nods, slowly. When Héctor phrases it like that, it's not cowardice at all, is it? Or abandoning duty. If Imelda is really gone, then Héc's all she has left. And that ... that he understands. He wouldn't want May to get hurt trying to avenge Ben. Then he'd have no one left in the world at all.

"I - I guess I get that," he says after a moment. "She does need you." And if Héctor needs his help getting there ... he can't turn that down either, can he. He just hates to leave. Wants to do both. "Are you gonna take Pepita with you too?"

The nod is something. A small gesture but Peter's willingness to hear him out is a big reassurance on its own.

It doesn't feel less cowardly but it is the only part of this he won't be swayed on. If Peter understands that's one part of this that's easier. He bobs his head and runs his hand over Pepita's fur, really looking when Peter asks about her.

"She's smarter than just any animal," He says. "A guide for spirits, ironically enough. I suppose it's really up to her, whether she wants to go back home with me or back to the Outlands she came from." He tilts his head her way. "What do you say, Pepita? You could go back or we could see Coco." Pepita looks up, stretches, then hops from his lap. She walks to the door and sits there, only to yowl at the door. Héctor looks deeply tired.

He's still conflicted about whether he should go too, but - at least he's accepting that Héctor must go, and that maybe being an avenger isn't the right path here. It's enough to make him consider Pepita too, and ...

That. Makes him pause for a moment. He's been in a study fugue, so he's absorbed a lot of information in the last few weeks, but. Doesn't that ring a bell? Hasn't he read something about spirt guides recently. "I thought those were tied to a person," he says, a little uncertain. "And that connection's supposed to break when their anchor is dead."

Héctor blinks. "Huh? Oh, yeah they--" That connection's supposed to break when their anchor is dead.

He stares and Pepita, turns to stare back, meeting his eyes. His breath shudders out. Barely a whisper, he says, "She's still here."

He gets to his feet, starting for the door without thinking to change back, without thinking at all. She's still here. She's still alive. Somewhere, somehow. He saw her die, but he died too and he's here so she--

The realization hits Peter a few moments after it does Héctor. He sits bolt upright, staring first at Pepita and then over at Héc himself. “Really? I’m right?” He asks, a little uncertain. He thought he remembered correctly, but if Héctor agrees with him then it has to be true, right? A spark of hope quickly builds in his eyes.

“Then we’ve just gotta find her,” he says. “And maybe Pepita knows where she is.” Makes some kinda sense to him anyway.

Peter's question does actually force him to stop and think. Somewhat. "I-I don't know! But she could be! She might be, right?"

Peter might be barking up the wrong tree, asking a grieving man to provide logical certainty here as opposed to blind, desperate hope.

He only just remembers to shift as he grabs at the door. "We're going outside. Pepita, can you take us to her?"

The cat, naturally, doesn't answer, instead darting fast out ahead of them as soon as she has her opening.

Look, it's better than being depressed, or talking about sacrifices or running away or whatever. Peter scrambles to his feet instantly, moving to follow the cat.

"It's not the worst plan we've ever had," he says. "We can try, right?"

And if worse comes to worst, they're just right back where they started.

"I'm not sure if that's supposed to be reassuring, but yes, it's something."

Right back where they started but a little more crushed, perhaps. He moves fast as he can, stumbling and gritting his teeth when his one leg joint goes loose again, but with another push of his power, he turns that one to bone up to his knee, letting him move again.

Pepita leads them outside, waiting only for any doors to be opened for her. The moment she's out into open space, her form changes, growing larger, her fur going bright. It's only then that he skids to a stop and turns to Peter to say, "I don't know how to fly on her."

Pepita, meanwhile, isn't waiting for him to figure out. She grabs at the back of his shirt, hefting him up without heeding his yelp. Her head goes down and he protests, seemingly knowing what's coming, then her head swings back. He swings up into the air, over her head, and lands gracelessly sprawled on her back.

Sorry Héc. Peter has the advantage of his webs; he slings up onto a wall, does a neat backflip, and lands a lot more gracefully. He ... doesn't know how to fly on her either, but he's at least done it before. And that's something.

"So let's just let her take us wherever," he says. "It's not like we knew where we were going anyway."

He makes a face at Peter, suppressing a brief bit of jealousy. He reorients himself, trying to get a better grip. He still isn't quite so fond of riding on animals, not since that horrible attempt with the horse when he was thirteen.

Pepita doesn't need instruction. Her great wings flap and lift them from the ground. A few more strong beats and they're up, soaring into the sky above the Academy. He gets one look over the side and then grips a little tighter.

"Take us to her, Pepita," He says, more pleading than commanding. "You hanging on, Peter?" Who is he kidding? Of course he is. He's the only finding this more than a little precarious.

Sorry, Spider-Man is just a little bit more agile than you. Ditto for staying on Pepita - he doesn't seem to be having any real trouble. "No sweat. I don't have trouble sticking to things."

Héctor on the other hand... Peter gently attaches a web to Pepita's back, offering the other end of it to Héc. "Here," he says. "Hold onto this." And if he needs to web up Héctor more firmly, he can do that too.

A bit.

The moment that bit of webbing is offered he jumps for it. His fingers are stuck right in it. And only after a pause does he ask, "Is this going to come out of Pepita's fur at all?"

Not that he doesn't consider it a worthy sacrifice at the moment.

Pepita circles high above the school, scanning the ground with sharp eyes and seeking out a scent. But it's no small school and not a small town either.

"It should? I mean, it'll dissolve eventually." In like an hour, but he can dissolve it too so whatever. It might stick in the short term though, sorry Pepita.

Anyway, he looks at the ground as they fly, hoping to see any sign of Imelda. Or something. Or someone. Frowning a little as he stares down, not seeing anything yet...

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unpocoloco - 2019-05-30 08:27 (UTC) - Expand

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