come_sailaway | Welcome To The Village

Entry tags:

Welcome To The Village

Who: Everyone who was signed-up for the excursion
What: The Village December Excursion
When: Dec 1st - Dec 23rd
Where: The Village
Warnings: Involuntary capture and confinement including immobilization and restraints, violence, injury, maiming, possibility of death, torture, coercion, gaslighting, mind control, drugging, scientific experiments, and extremely inaccurate depictions of mental health facilities/hospitals, among other potentially triggering themes. Please mark all threads appropriately.

"Good morning, good morning, good morning!" A voice that sounds very similar to Friday's chirps over a loudspeaker outside your character's home. Yes, their home.

Overnight, all the passengers who signed up for this excursion have been transported to their very own personal cottages. They will awake in a bed that is familiar to them. While this home of theirs does not necessarily have to resemble the place they were born or raised, it will be a perfect replica of a place they truly thought of as their home, down to the most minute details.

The cottages are self-contained, the size of a large studio apartment so, in some cases, they may only resemble the bedroom and living room of a person's home with a shrunken-down kitchenette and bathroom adjoined. But the heirlooms of their past are here. A favorite doll? A treasured family portrait? Trinkets you have long forgotten about? All of them will be here, somehow. (All except for weapons, that is.) They are indistinguishable from the real item, down to the molecule.

After that wake-up call, the voice continues on to express that the weather will be warm and sunny, with no rain forecasted. A brass band concert is announced, to start at noon on the lawn next to the living chess set. And once that bit of news is wrapped up, lively marching band music will begin to play. And it will continue to play. All day. From every speaker...including the ones hidden in their home.

Welcome to Your Village

It only gets stranger from here. Characters may be dismayed to find that they are without any of their original clothes or belongings. They awake in conservative button-up pajamas. The closet in their home is full of the latest Village Fashion to choose from. Everything is The Village label brand, including the tin cans of food that stock the kitchen and any of the groceries you could get at the General Store.

Your ship phone rings. When you answer it, you will be greeted, once again, by the voice of Friday. "Your number, please? Of course, you have a number. Look at your badge." If they look down at their chest, they will discover a small round number badge has been pinned to their pajamas. Was that there before? It bears the symbol of a Penny-farthing Bicycle, with a number in the spokes. This is their number.

"No names here," the voice of Friday chides, "Only numbers. Number 2 would like a word with you at the Green Dome. He requests you come for breakfast. Thank you!" Before they can protest further, the line goes dead.

Some Notes:

No matter how many times your character tries to take off and disregard their number badge, they will always find it re-attached to their clothes again the moment they look away and look back.

Your characters still have their phones but now they can only make calls instead of sending texts. They also do not take or store photographs anymore.

If your character destroys or damages anything in their home, or in The Village it will instantly repair the way things used to on the Serena Eterna.

The noise from the speakers can be muffled by covering it with pillows or other creative items, but cannot be stopped entirely. (Sorry Phil)

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"I really must insist."

In the distance comes the distant roar of a Rover. The sound is rapidly getting louder.

"I can have you both carried or you can walk there with me yourselves. Which will it be?"

Steve's already had one encounter with a Rover. He's not looking for another over something so stupid.

Hands still up, he shrugs. "Okay, okay. Jesus. I'll walk."

She blinks at him, seemingly more bemused than put off. "Oh, very well. I admit I can't see why the location should be privileged information, but -- you do have farms? And manufactories, and people to work them? Of course here there's magic to take care of some details, but in the original village ... surely your goods weren't all imported?"

Her voice goes just a little -- not sharper exactly, but more focused. "Surely this place produces something, Master Two?"

Steve might not be looking for an encounter with a Rover, but she's been wondering what her teeth can do to one. She shifts, the giant hound exploding onto the grass almost as suddenly as the cottage had gone up in flames.

I don't think so, Kevin. She snarls.

"Lets go, Number 13," Says Number 2, clapping a hand on Steve's shoulder.

To the goons he nods, "See that she finds here way to the hospital for her check-up." And he will turn his back on her, his iron grip still on Steve's shoulder to guide him away.

Before Valdis can pounce in to stop him, both of those goons will leap in front of her as fodder. But the real star is the Rover that bursts onto the scene seconds later to confront her. She will have to deal with that before she can do anything else.

Steve rolls his shoulder in Number 2's grip, testing how easy it might be to break away. He knows he won't help much in Valdis's fight but he'd rather not leave her to it by herself if he has a choice.

She's about to tear into one goon but the Rover slams into her, knocking her over. She scrambles to her paws, lashing out with her claws but they do nothing, neither do her teeth. She hadn't been expecting to actually succeed at anything, but the lack of damage to the weird thing feels insulting. It slams into her again and she feels something break, but she kicks it away. A stabbing pain in her hip, different from the pain in her chest from the Rover. Her teeth close on the arm of the goon who had stabbed her with a needle, but the rover slams into her again, snapping her neck. There's nothing after that.

"I understand."

And if they do make her attend, that's also something to learn from.

"If you ever find out who signed you up... well, it's obviously up to you. But I think you shouldn't keep to yourself. That kind of person shouldn't be trustes, ever."

around.

Helena hadn't gone to breakfast, because the idea of eating made her want to sew her own mouth shut. They could forgive her, certainly, a poor blind girl who couldn't make her way to the Green Dome in time - in a new place, a new setting, uncertain of the paths? No one comes for her, and so Helena fights the crushing panic that wants to overwhelm her. How she had collapsed to the floor, overcome at the dual relief of her room from her house back and the agony of being separated from everyone. Maybe, truly, it was all some kind of hideous dream. And then the call, and then nothing was real anymore, and the only thing she could fathom was to retreat into that place she built for herself during that unspeakable room that had drawn them in, one by one.

(She's so cold. But she has to be.)

Wandering the Village, she just...walks, mostly, with the badge reading 113 on her chest. Finds areas with beautifully perfumed flowers and sits by them, breathing in the scent and letting the chatter and sounds of the world flow over her. There's a book in her hand, usually, but she isn't really reading. Just running her fingers over the same words, over and over. When something chimes the hour, and it's been an extended time, Helena'll depart. When the numbness sets in, then is when she'll drop by the arts and crafts center, looking for something else to do with her hands, or end up near the chess lawn, brought into a game - only a pawn, since that's the easiest to manage when one can't see the board.

But sleepless nights, awake doing nothing but writing, take a toll, and eventually she has to start picking places to nap. The woods, mostly, but sometimes there's a shady nook in the Village itself she can nestle in, keep her back covered, and let the exhaustion win for a second. Though closed eyes aren't unusual for her, it's visible in the slump of her shoulders. Still, if someone comes too near, she jolts up, and pretends to go back to reading, or scribbling in her shorthand.

She's terrified, every minute of the day. But she has to survive this, somehow.

Steve could break the grip with some effort, but he may want to reconsider that after seeing Valdis go down so brutally.

"What a pity," Number 2 tuts. "Never mind. We'll have her and the house sorted out by tomorrow. Let's go."

He absolutely reconsiders after that and goes along quietly.

"If I do, it will only be metaphorically."

Her eyes widen, because that's not a voice she expected - that's Valdis, isn't it, from the ship. A woman Fever's kept a respectful distance from, what with the whole aspect of her and a goddess of destruction and the rest. Still, she'd be a fool to not pay attention to voices.

"I wish I was. Might be the start of a real adventure."

Instead she's here, making a sand pile.

"Great." He just glares. "It is my worst nightmare come true. Boredom. Tend to get into trouble when I get bored, half pint. Thanks for the chat though." Ash yawns.

around.

The fatigue never lets up. She has to take breaks, pauses, and for a usually perfectly healthy person, it's inexplicable. Calling it a curse is the easiest way to conceive of it. For now, Fever has to take it easy. Calm. And the hatred that she feels for this in every fiber of her being is evident, a near permanent scowl on her face. Whether she's going through the main part of the Village, making a slow and steady lap of the place, or venturing to find the boundary of where they're allowed, she has to occasionally just stop and regain her strength. The badge on her clothes reads 17, and she can't fathom what it all means, only that it does.

There are a few things she's hunting for. Extra blankets and pillows, from those that don't need them. She needs them for a solid purpose. Beyond that, she's found at the beach often enough, the sounds of the water preferable to that of the band, or staying in the vicinity of the Green Dome and the advice bureau, trying to spot if anything unusual happens. And every now and then, visiting the cafe, knowing the coffee won't lift the drain on her and yet futilely hoping regardless.

home visit.

You'd be forgiven for thinking you stepped out of the Village entirely, when stepping over the threshold of Fever's cottage. The exterior offers no hint to the contents. Cool stone blankets the floors, the walls, clearly aged, though sections are broken off where the barest hint of greenery cracks through, antique porcelain vessels lying empty, candles that can be lit. The scent of plantlife prevents it from getting too stale, and the stone benches are as cool as the walls. Everything save the kitchenette and bathroom speaks to an absent crypt.

The large, richly decorated sarcophagus surrounded by candles is more often than not half open, but instead of a mummy, it's had pillows and blankets stuffed into it. It's certainly big enough to serve as a bed, in any case. She won't mind having people over, but she won't lie, it's not the most hospitable place.

Though sometimes, if the door is open and someone is passing, there's the definite sound of metal being dragged against stone, repetitively. And if she knows you, she'll have dropped a hint that she can fix your cooking knives being barely usable. It's neighborly, after all, to make sure everyone can cut what they need to.

"I'll be sure to find you a tennis ball to chew on." And now he's turning away.

After finding Valdis' cottage in pieces and no sign of her anywhere, he's back at the Green Dome. He'll sleep in front of the door if no one answers. There is no way he is going anywhere until he knows what happened and where she is. Standing at the door he knocks and knocks and knocks and won't stop knocking until he finds out what is going on. At least that is the plan.

After an hour of knocking, the door will finally swing open of its own accord. There's no one in the foyer to meet him but the doors leading into Number 2's inner sanctum stand open, inviting Ash in.

A shaky breath out.

Erin bites her lip and nods against Cass's forehead, the smallest little gesture. She wants to ask what to do, if Cass has a plan or an idea, but she can't bring herself to voice it. She closes her wings around the two of them and shakes, little sobs escaping her throat.

She's sorry. Cass shouldn't have to be the one to protect Erin, of all people...

[ No offense is taken. Darcy's full of weirdness and insecurity but the fact they're built like they would probably be okay in space without a space suit is not one of them. ]

The only thing I like better than property damage is vehicle damage. Lead the way.

It's a moment before she responds. There's a reason why she only revealed that someone else had signed her up after they had arrived here. She's already had to talk Sparkles - loyal, misguided Sparkles - out of permanently killing someone who had hurt her before. She'd have even less chance convincing anyone else, and with their plans for a distress call so close to fruition, the last thing they need is open conflict.

'I can warn you,' she says at last. 'If I find out. So that you don't place your trust in them.' She can do that, can't she? Even if she has to make him promise to keep it to himself.

'You should go to that breakfast, if you're going.' A deep breath. 'Safe skies, Citizen Yuuki. Tayrey out.'

When the door finally swings open he pokes only his head in and looks around. Then slowly steps the rest of the way inside. He doesn't see anyone but spots other doors that are also open.

"Hello?" Ash calls out as he steps through the interior doors.

A. Say hi to your undead stalker

Number 2 claimed there wasn't anything in his fake house other than the usual survellience, but Natsuno still feels like someone else is watching him. For the first few days he thinks that maybe he's imagining things, that it's part of the twisted game. But then he runs into her near the general store.

"Yu - Number 14!"

Megumi Shimizu is still a reaninated corpse, yet now she can walk in broad daylight - a little adjusment for the good of the Village. She's had a lot of time to get over Natsuno, but seeing him here, living and breathing - well, she just can't help herself! Having mistaken Natsuno's stare for being pleasantly surprised, she takes a step towards him.

"Do you like the Village so far? I can show you around, if - "

"No." Natsuno's voice has ice in it. No, hell no, absolutely no, no fucking way. "Stay away from me."

"Huh?" She stops in her tracks, confused. Why does he sound so hostile?? It can't be the whole killing his best friend, right, it was like AGES ago! "But I just - "

"Stay away," he snaps and turns, scanning his surroundings. "Hey, you!"

Yes, YOU. Whoever it is, Natsuno grabs them by the arm and starts leading them away. "Just the person I was looking for."

Just go with it, he needs to get away from the red-eyed girl who is absolutely behind him, desperately trying to hold conversation. "Please, Yu - Number 14, you don't want to be umutual...!"

B. Insert Police lyrics here

She's everywhere.

Megumi has clearly upped her stalking game since their Sotoba days, because Natsuno swears he can feel her hungry stare on him all the damn time. The only quiet times are at night past curfew. Yet even then, he spends entire nights looking at the closed window, wondering if he's imagining steps outside, knowing that going out to check will only have goons deployed to drag him back inside.

As the days go by, he becomes more on edge during the day. He's looking over his shoulder or staring at shadows, searching for the pair of red eyes that was there just a second ago, didn't you see? Sometimes he even snaps at passengers, both heckles and hand raised until he realizes who it is.

"...Sorry. Thought you were someone else."

C. It's fine till someone gets hurt (cw: violence)

Being told to fuck off only encouraged Megumi. Natsuno never talked to her back home, so they're making progress! Surely he'll come around. She wouldn't stop trying to talk to him, making infuriatingly empty small talk peppered with hushed warnings about how it's best to play along.

So eventually he decides to be mutual and ran the kitchen knife through her throat.

Unfortunately, she still has her regeneration, and Natsuno doesn't have time to improvise a stake before the goons show up. First they run the knife through his throat, so he knows and it feels and can be properly remorseful. Two of them hold him up as the wound knits itself back together (slowly, much slower than it should, it hurts so much) and the third pulls out a cross. Every instinct is screaming at him to run away from the it, but all he can do is struggle futily and make horrified gurgling sounds as they force him to look at cross from up close.

They don't stop until his eyes roll back in their sockets and he passes out from fear. Sorry if they dropped his unconsious body in your path.

( with the plans for the caper-slash-rescue-mission-slash-intel-gathering-thing pretty much laid out, steve is feeling antsy. it's not that he doesn't believe they can pull it off — he absolutely does. he has experience, after all. it's more that he feels like they could do with some more recon work before attempting the actual plan. he hadn't seen much of anything when he'd rushed the town hall and immediately died. he's not even certain the town hall is the building they should be targeting, for that matter.

that's how he and arthur end up on a stroll through the village. nothing to see here, boys. just two guys on a walk in their matching striped shirts. )

So, uh... no one's described this place to you yet? ( it's the only way he can think to subtly say "i can tell you which buildings look like fronts for something else." )

"I will," Darcy corrects.

"It has to be voluntary. There will always be people who don't go, and that's fine. It's why we have the roster. This isn't acceptable."

Even if he doesn't have the stomach for outright violence at the moment, he always has the stomach to tear someone's head off verbally.

"Mm. If only everyone agreed with that," and if only Tayrey could follow that thought to its conclusion.

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Page 35 of 133

Welcome To The Village

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Good place to wrap?

part 2, ota.

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fever, part 2 ota.

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Re: THE GREEN DOME

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sure! <3

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Natsuno (+guest star NPC), OTA

for arthur

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