Field Mission 6: A Day in Thay, Part 1

[balancemod]

oh man best of luck out there dudes NAVIGATION Click here for the RNG thread! Ready or not, rested or not, it's time to get moving, Reclaimers. You've got a very, very long day ahead of you. And another one. And another one. And, you get the joke. Early Friday morning, with the Director there to see them off, the Reclaimers load up into the Bureau's transportation orbs for the sixth time since this whole ordeal began, and make their way to about a mile or two outside of Thay. It's important to try to stick to the story, at least — that you're all visitors from a faraway school, here to spend some time with the students and faculty of Boarbumps. As much as Lucretia would have liked to join you, she can't. None of the other leading members of the Bureau of Balance can. Whoever enters Thay, after all, is entering a bubble, after all. A time trap. Nobody will be able to leave until the Relic, the Lamp of Undoing, is either retrieved or destroyed. Someone needs to be able to continue if you all can't. 1. SEVEN O'CLOCK ALREADY As we noted in the OOC post, prompts on this log will be a quick few sentences of specific things happening during each hour. It's expected that Reclaimers will be seeing all of these events multiple times! So feel free to play with them as you see fit. If you're not sure if something you want to do would warrant a roll, please ask us in the RNG thread. ○ The Reclaimers have arrived in Thay, much to the curiosity of the highly intelligent, occasionally highly ... suspicious ... residents. Nevertheless, they recognize you as visiting, esteemed students, and, though perhaps still suspicious, welcome you into their fold. Also, as a note: Every time the relic is used, time is reset to this moment. ○ Boarbumps Academy for the Magically Inclined opens its doors to the Reclaimers. This is your first opening to explore the school — afternoon classes begin in an hour. ○ Rainer Arunsun, The Regent of Thay and Highest of the Hermetic Order of Red Wizards, can be seen watching the new arrivals by the entrance to the Red Keep. It's difficult to discern any emotion on her face. Shortly before 1 p.m., she retreats back inside. ○ Afternoon classes at Boarbumps begin, starting with a lecture on the magical circuits of the common toad. If you happen to sit in on this one, as a visitor from another school, you may be asked to assist in the dissection. You will be heckled by the rest of the class as deemed fit. ○ Erinne and Adriel can be seen within the hallways of Boarbumps arguing in a very heated manner. Some... less than choice words are exchanged between the two before one, or both of them take their wands out and begin throwing magic missiles at each other. No one knows why the fight starts, but the two have had bad blood before, and this isn't the first quarrel to happen at Boarbumps between them. A staff member arrives on the scene and is accidentally paralyzed by a misfire. ○ The town proper, surrounding the Red Keep, is open for a farmer's market. A bountiful harvest of goods are on display, but in particular, Thay is known for its amazing quality of medicinal herbs and magical reagants, many of which are rare without travel to the area. The merchants typically shoo students off, unless they have a hall pass provided to them by the faculty to retrieve something of import for class. ○ The second afternoon class at Boarbumps begins. Are you three or four time loops in and in desperate need of a nap? This class, The History of Boarbumps, is for you. You will be treated to a long and droning lecture about how the students attending during Boarbumps' very first semester banded together to stop a particularly plucky troll. Which you'd think would be an interesting tale. It is not. ○ Someone's enchanted several books at the library to begin rattling and shaking from the shelves themselves. All over the racks, spines pop out from their homes and fall to the ground, magically lift up and return to some other, non-Dewey decimal approved locale. Other books begin dancing — yes, you've read this correctly — dancing on the tables. Leon would be going into cardiac arrest at the moment, but it looks like someone's playing a prank in here. Again. This librarian looks far less tilted by this. It must be a somewhat normal afternoon for her. ○ Over in the center of town, music, a single violin playing a mournful tune, begins to play. It's unclear where exactly it's coming from. ○ The third and final afternoon class at Boarbumps — Fighting with Fire — begins. The professor, known to be slightly more unorthodox in her teaching methods, will recruit any Reclaimer who happens to be there to defend themselves from the students' incoming fireball spells. The potency of the fireballs themselves range from the tickle of a candle, to that one time you ate a ghost pepper, to one particularly fiery spell that might actually hurt you. ○ There's a scream in the girls' bathroom on the 3rd floor of Boarbumps. Anyone who enters realizes, very quickly, that no one is actually in there. Apparently, this particular lavatory is haunted. ○ Szass Astrosz dips class to go visit the local shrines within the town of Thay. He's been known to skip class before, so his departure from the halls of Boarbumps is rather nondescript. He spends time there praying quietly to his god. ○ There's a slight catastrophe over in the Town Square. That is to say, a giant spider seems to have escaped from Boarbumps and is terrorizing the vendors, to everyone's surprise. Subdue or dispatch it, it's up to you. ○ There's a scheduled council meeting to take place within the Red Keep, a usual weekly affair where Rainer, Casariel, Onerion, Gromph, and the rest meet to discuss matters of the town. Today's is canceled, as Gromph is called out to take care of the arachnid chaos currently convening around the Town Square. ○ Someone places a standing mirror around the corner of Boarbumps. If you happen to stand in front of it, it doesn't show your reflection — rather, it shows the person that you desire most. The mirror is gone by 5 p.m. ○ Cleanup of whatever damage the spider did is underway. In the meantime, the faculty of Boarbumps and the Hermetic Order of Red Wizards invite the Reclaimers to a small dinner in one of the public meeting rooms at the Red Keep. Every member of the Red Wizards are present, aside from Onerion Wyvernspur and Brian Darling. ○ The shops around the town of Thay begin to close for the evening. People are somewhere between annoyed and blase — the spider escaping was new enough, but weird Magic Things are, as you can imagine, pretty commonplace. ○ Over at The Sleepy Willow, cozy, fluffy pillows are arranged on the floor around a large fireplace. The owners will also serve you dinner, if you decide to skip the meal at The Red Keep. This may be one of the only peaceful moments you have to study everything that you've learned thus far. ○ No matter where you are in Thay, you'll feel the ground rumble underneath your feet. The residents largely pass it off as an earthquake, but will note that they have become much more frequent lately. ○ Towards the latter half of the hour, the rumbling within the school grounds causes several of the animal cages used in Onerion's Wondrous Beasts class to come unfastened as they begin to escape. Shortly thereafter, various beasts of all shapes and sizes are set free and begin running for freedom. None of them seem intent on hurting students, but they look to make an exit out of town in the quickest way possible. ○ Droves of the skeletal undead that are used around town seem to freeze in place, no longer retaining their animation. Whatever they're holding currently falls to the floor. Whatever task they're working on comes to a halt. No one understands why that is, but even the best necromancers around town can't seem to wake them back up. ○ With a sudden loud roar, the ground of the town square suddenly begins to split. People, shops, and everything else begin to drop into the chasm, despite the Red Wizards, and everyone else's, attempts to save them. ○ In the last split second you remember, if you happen to look down in the chasm, you'll notice a pair of bright, glowing eyes. Whatever exactly is down there begins to claw its way to the surface. ○ And then, just as suddenly, your vision turns white, and you're briefly overtaken by dizziness. When the haze clears, you are standing at the entrance to Thay. The sun hangs directly overhead in the sky. You have returned to 12 p.m. 2. OOC: A SPECIAL SHOUTOUT You are welcome to keep track of how your character experiences these time loops as much or as little as you're comfortable with — we'll also be tracking what you all are doing! Our Minato player Kel came up with some extremely snazzy coding if you would like to track how each loop plays out for your character more closely. Thank you, Kel! Of course, this is completely optional. Keep up with as much as you'd like, have fun as you see fit, and we hope you enjoy this mission! blurb code by photosynthesis

Comments

Sayori ♥ OTA (unless otherwise specified)

[hxppythxughts]

[This is a catch-all for prompts! I'll be adding new ones below this as the loops progress and more stuff happens. If you'd like to plot something feel free to hit me up on Discord or at ceesawaseesaw!]

bubble drop ♥ closed to Sans, Natsuki, Yuri

[hxppythxughts]

[Monika had filled her in on Natsuki finding out about the Yuri issue not too long before this new assignment. Sayori hasn't said anything to either of them about it, of course, but she's keenly aware of it as she introduces Sans to Yuri and Natsuki so they can all file into the bubble. And though it's taking up a lot of real estate in her mind, she finds some room to hope that Monika found a nice group to bubble down with.

They've got plenty of time to chat, though, so they might as well.]

[parfaitgirl]

[ There's a bit of an awkward silence as they start to descend. This is Sayori's friend, and GOD it's weird that she's friends with a straight up skeleton. But it feels so uncomfortable to just sit there quietly that Natsuki kind of scrambles to make conversation with the first thing that comes to mind. ]

So, um, how long have you been a skeleton?

[ ... She immediately regrets letting that come out of her mouth. ]

[quiescis]

[Honestly, Yuri is a bit concerned why they're travelling without Monika. And she wants to ask Natsuki why she isn't coming with them. But her questions are caught in her throat. Sayori is here and she hasn't forgotten the awkward conversation she had with Natsuki about the girl.

Everything is so confusing. ... Just look at them. Sitting with an actual skeleton.

Yuri shifts quietly, giving Natsuki a gentle nudge as if to say Please don't offend him...! But she is staring a little bit too.]

beginning of any loop ♥ 1 response per loop! [CW: unreality, light emetophobia]

[hxppythxughts]

[Though Sayori has been buzzing about with worry since they were briefed on this mission, the personal connection to the wrongness of the situation has been somewhat lacking. This anxious buzz has been solely on behalf of her friends, the people she loves who she knows will be shaken to their very core by the nature of this Relic.

7 PM comes. The earth beneath them shakes. Sayori spreads her feet and plants them in the stabilising stance Wash has taught her, but it does little to prevent her from stumbling as the world shudders and the ground in the town square opens up like the unhinged maw of a snake.

Then in a flash, it's over.

At noon, she stands amongst her fellow Reclaimers, being carefully welcomed into Thay. For a moment, it feels normal. And then, slowly, she begins to recognize the words, sinks into the overwhelming disorientation of deja vu.

The memory of a gut-wrenching electronic heartbeat creeps out from the recesses of her mind and begins to drown out the words of the people that surround her. She blinks rapidly, trying to shake off the out-of-body vibe, but when she opens her eyes to take them all in again—

Their faces are Rolands—their faces are Sayoris—Rolands, Sayoris, Rolands, the crunching metal pulse of a program coming to life, the press of something in her throat—

Her face sickly green and dampened with a cold sweat, Sayori doubles over and gags dryly into her hands cupped in front of her mouth, hoping that she won't see tar, praying that she won't see a controller.

And as a friend approaches, she shakes her head and tries to wave it all off with one hand, but she's afraid to try and speak while this nauseous.

...unfortunately, something similar happens at the beginning of every new loop. Like a bad reaction to a dish that once gave you food poisoning, the sensations from Roland's nightmare resurface every time they're flung back.

The second time, Sayori doesn't look nearly as panicked about the occurrence, but still pretty out of sorts.

The third and fourth times, she tries to be smart—tries to grab hold of whoever's standing next to her and steady herself that way.

There's no surprise left in her expression by the fifth time, just weariness as she closes her eyes and sees if cutting out the visual stimulation will help.

And she actually starts to look a little put out by it on the sixth go and onwards.

Time travel is a nightmare, actually.]

reset 1

[ribticklers]

[Sans handles the reset with practiced ease--which is to say he hates it, but even if he feels like his soul has knotted itself up, none of his unease shows in his stance or his expression--not that much ever shows in his expression.

More importantly--and a distraction from his own thoughts on the situation--he can hear Sayori gagging. He doesn't like that he recognizes that sound, and in the back of his mind he can see her clawing at her neck all over again.

He doesn't say anything immediately, not until she starts waving him off. Not that he leaves.]

You think you could handle some water?

[hxppythxughts]

[Ignoring her attempts to communicate that this isn't a big deal! She's rubbing off on him.

Her hand falls limp once she realizes it's Sans, anyway, and she tries to process his question through the overwhelming echo of that awful— beating— noise—

Her shoulders heave again as her stomach squeezes, but she takes a deep breath through her nose and nods slowly, her other hand still pressed to her mouth.]

loop #4

[wrightingwrongs]

[They're encroaching on 21 hours of Thay, now. Phoenix is tired - he took a nap at some point during Loop 3, and he's still trying to get his bearings. Time travel was exhausting, and he can feel the weariness start to tug at him-

Wait, no, that tugging feeling, that's not his own exhaustion, that's someone gripping onto the sleeve of his jacket. It doesn't take him a moment to look down and find a familiar face.]

H-Hey, are you going to be okay? Can you talk? [He doesn't shout it, he doesn't want anyone else to see. Which, is some considerable forethought from him, all things considered. But he's here, and he's making sure Sayori has a better grip on him as she steadies herself because she does not look good.]

[hxppythxughts]

[Can you talk is a good question! One that Sayori does not really know the answer to. By now she was expecting the feeling, and the memory of the tinny pulsing doesn't seem so all-consuming, but she still feels really nauseous.

So she doesn't open her mouth yet, but she nods in the affirmative to his other question as her grip on him tightens. She'll be all right. She just...needs a few moments...]

fourth reset/loop 5

[petsthedog]

[6:59 has him breathing out a tired sigh as he waits to get snatched out of time and put back where he was seven hours ago. When his feet are on the ground again, he feels another tug entirely -- and he almost stumbles, before he catches himself. A couple blinks, and he looks down toward the source.

...Ah, she doesn't look great.]

You okay?

[hxppythxughts]

[Man, she's lucky to be standing near tall strong people for this. Her fist tightens in Shinjiro's sleeve as she takes deep breaths through her nose and closes her eyes. She tries to focus on the sound of the noises around them and not the images and sounds in her mind, but the familiarity of it all is kind of the opposite of a help.

Still, she nods, and (reasonably sure this time that it won't cause her to vomit,) adds:] Yeah, sorry.

second loop cw: emeto

[shootstyles]

[The first time they loop back, Izuku spectacularly looses his lunch in a vase that adorns the entrance hall, forcing someone to have to invent excuses about travel sickness and earning him more than a few glares.

He's never been through a timeloop trauma congo but the sensation was enough to do him in.

The second time, he manages to keep it together slightly more. When they return to where they started, he drops into a crouch and keeps his head between his knees. Someone told him it helps with motion sickness. He gags a few times but manages not to throw up. He swallows and takes deep breaths to steady himself. That's when he notices Sayori standing off a little in the distance and his mind suddenly no longer registers what he's feeling. Protecting Sayori is what matters most.

He goes over to her and gently takes her hand.]

Hey... are you okay?

[hxppythxughts]

[Sitting would be a good idea that she's not really present enough to think of, still overwhelmed by the flashback taking up all the space at the forefront of her mind. She holds one hand over her mouth and squeezes her eyes shut, her knees locked and feet held shoulder-width apart in an attempt to brace against the swaying caused by her disorientation.

She turns her sickly face towards Izuku when he grabs her free hand, opening her eyes and trying to focus her vision enough to see his face and not...something else.

Her throat feels tight. She's afraid to speak, so she nods, even though she's obviously not doing well. The real answer is in the way she squeezes his hand.]

loop #3

[janthony]

[The first loop he was with Aziraphale by accident, the second; on purpose.

The third time Aziraphale decides that they have to try and help, as if that'll make a bloody difference when this has already happened twice before. Crowley gravitates toward the younger Reclaimers, his no-nonsense heels clicking on the stones as the ground begins to rumble and split.

He doesn't recognize Sayori until she grabs his arm, her grip firm through his sharp black woolen suit, and then the ground splits open beneath them and they're falling, and he makes the mistake of looking down and sees eyes like burning coals, the first time he's noticed the eyes, and there's something under there coming up and he thinks, hysterically, he has to freeze time or they're all going to die.

And then there's a flash of light and a pull just behind his navel, just like all the times before, and they're on solid ground again.

Some time while they were starting to fall, Crowley had pulled Sayori against his side, and that's how they wind up standing now, while his heart tries valiantly to resume its normal rhythm.]

All right, girl?

[His hand rubs her shoulder before he lets go.]

loop 6

[rockymountaindie]

[ Before this, Alex had experienced this sort of situation...once. Visceral, horrible and sudden death, and then. There it is, the world back the way it was. Just right where he was standing.

Now, he hadn't actually died there. Yet, the memory's still more visceral than this reality. Time, after time, after time, it dulls, almost. Almost.


On the sixth reset, Alex's hand finds Sayori's shoulder, gently. ] Hey. You're right here. Okay?

[ It's a weird thing to murmur. But, is it really? ]

loop 1

[feytality]

[ maya may not have actually seen sayori's vision when they had tried to contact roland, but... she knew something was up back then, and she does now. and not just from the residues of the oath. ]

[ and honestly? this whole reset deal feels a little familiar, and not in a good way. ]

Let's not do that.

[ the waving her off thing, aka: what maya would have done in her situation. maya instead offers her hand for sayori to take. ]

You want to go somewhere else? Anywhere else?

[ she doesn't know if that'll help, but.... maybe it'll be a good distraction. ]

occasional odd-numbered loops ♥ OTA

[hxppythxughts]

[Wow, Sayori sure is looking attentive in this class, for someone who constantly whines about homework and studying. She's not taking notes or anything, but her eyes are bright and alert and she has a smile on her face. There is at least a notebook open in front of her, with...what may be notes in it?

But she really hasn't moved. Like...at all.

...Is she even breathing?

The answer is yes.

Under the minor illusion which she has crafted to disguse her actual form from the waist up, napping soundly while hunched over the desk.]

A - [This works great in the super dull History of Boarbumps class, though you could still choose to wake her there if you wish. Maybe you do not appreciate this disrespect to history. Or maybe you also want an illusion to nap under.]

B - [However, the frog lecture...]

You, there! With the red bow.

[Uh-oh!

The Sayori illusion obviously doesn't respond as the instructor continues.] Come on up and help us with this one, won't you?

[Yeah, she's still super asleep underneath that fakey wakey smiling Sayori. Save her?]

B

[philoxenia]

[ Oh no.

Luckily, Mira is seated right next to her, and when Sayori's called on... She nudges the other girl's foot with hers while saying to the teacher, ]

Um, give her a moment, she's just... very engrossed in the lecture!

[ She hopes Sayori wakes up soon. Because she's an absolutely terrible liar, and this surely can't end well the more she attempts to cover. ]

B

[parfaitgirl]

[ Ah, jeez.

Natsuki reaches over to kick the leg of Sayori's chair, hoping it'll wake her up.

... She might have kicked a little too hard, though ... was that a crack just now? ]

[usamin17]

A
[Nana wasn’t understanding any of this lecture at all. Any time she tried to concentrate, she’d notice something unsettling in the corner of her eye. She looked around for help, since this lesson could be important for the mission.]

Ah, Sayori-chan!
[She speaks in a hushed tone, but can very clearly be heard by everybody nearby]
You look like you’re enjoying this. Are you taking any... notes...?

[Nana is very puzzled by the Sayori’s lack if movement. She must be taking notes through some form of magic?]

any loop except 1 ♥ OTA [CW: unreality]

[hxppythxughts]

[Of course Sayori is in front of the mirror. Why wouldn't she be? And she knows she shouldn't be, she knows, but.

There's something clutched in her hand. A photograph. Her with the Literature Club—Monika, Yuri, and Natsuki—and another person. In a similar uniform, but...strangely nondescript. Forgettable in a way that's difficult to put your finger on.

A boy with dark hair.

And the version of him in the mirror looks so much brighter. So much more real. At least, it does when it's not glitching apart in time to the doubts in Sayori's head. But you can't see that—all you can see is the photo, and the one person in it who hasn't shown up in service of the Bureau of Balance.

Sayori pouts at the mirror, the expression of her mouth far more shallow than the deep, conflicted sadness in her eyes.] Why is like...every magic mirror awful?

arbtrarily says loop 8 (1/3)

[snyaiper]

[Ogata had done his own nosing around for a while, but eventually word got around about the weird mirror and he had to investigate. He didn't know what to expect, but one thing he didn't expect was to see Sayori having such a bad time.]

I think that most magic things are awful, but perhaps I'm not the one to ask.
[A dry quip is a reasonable greeting, right? Just to keep things light. Ogata was wary of magic from Day 1 of arriving here and nothing has really given him a good reason to change his mind. As he approaches, this mirror doesn't seem nearly as bad as the maze in wonderland. He'd know, having helped destroy them.]

What's wrong with-

loop like.... six?

[katopissed]

[ This isn't Piper's first time seeing the mirror, but like... man, is anyone having a good time with this thing? She's not nearly as rattled by the blonde boy who shows up in her own reflection as she was last time she saw this thing, but it's still far from great. ]

I mean... I'm one for one on them, but this one's a real piece of work.

late into the loops ♥ closed to Monika

[hxppythxughts]

[She's been spending more time at the shrines since she helped Alex and Roxas in their attempts at communing with their deities of choice. Spirituality isn't something she thinks much about, really, but in a world like this where the gods seem a lot more...hands on...it's worth it to put in a little extra effort to say hi.

Plus, it's nice and quiet. It's a good place to think. To write.

Monika must have thought something similar, because this is where Sayori stumbles upon her.

She stands silently for a moment, weighing the merits of turning around and leaving before Monika notices her. But...the idea of just walking away bites into her with guilt. It'd be pretty cowardly, and she's tricked a lot of people into thinking she's strong and brave.

So she takes a deep breath, lets it out as a steadying sigh, and wanders closer to Monika. She speaks once she's within a few steps of the other girl.] Hi.

[myliteratureclub]

[ Monika barely notices Sayori approaching her at first. She's too busy writing something down in notebook. She's pressing the pen really hard against the paper for some reason too..

But when Sayori speaks up, the girl glances up at her and snaps the notebook shut. ]

Ah... hey. What's up?

[ She tries to smile, but it's pretty weak. ]