discedo_ooc | Teatime Plot!

Thought you've seen everything, have you, Discedo? It's only natural in a place that draws in inhabitants of every variety from a multitude of worlds. Luckily it's only been people and the occasional monster. Not such a bad balance. Who knows what could happen if things went a little awry? Why, it might

drive you

absolutely

mad.

Starting March 14th, characters will hear this melody playing faintly at random intervals. Efforts to find the source will prove fruitless. It seems to be coming from everywhere. Since the music will fade in and out for three days straight, they'd best hope that it won't get stuck in their heads.

On the third day at 8am the music will play continuously over and over for the next hour (8 to 9 am). Curious characters (and those so fed up with the constant tunes that they just want to make it stop) will finally be able to follow it to a source. As they step close to their destinations, the music will get louder and louder until it's unmistakable that yes, this is where it's coming from. This applies to all three cities: in Dissimulo this will be Green's House, in Discedo this will be the Hospital, in Spero the Main Building of the University.

Enter the buildings and they'll come to a small, ornate door imbedded in the wall, low to the ground and growing faintly around the edges. Peer in and they'll only see darkness. Curious. Characters may have to hunch over or even get on their hands and knees to crawl through, but when they reach the other side…

It's party time. By party, I of course mean a tea party.

Characters will find themselves in a lush garden filled with so many varieties of brightly colored flora that it looks a little more chaotic than serene. But that shouldn't deter them from enjoying the assortments of teas, jams, and tasty snacks laid out on a table at the garden's center. Maybe your character will only enjoy it when they finally shut off that freaking music. In the middle of all the cups is a music box that's playing the song; close the lid and they'll finally find sweet silence. (Best hope that another character didn't enjoy the music and open it back up, though! Hey man, it's a good song.)

It's strangely empty for a party, though. Aside from the other characters that have already arrived, somehow all seemingly by the same door, the only person there is that weird ginger scientist ~~Emma Stone~~ Evan. She's easy to spot since she's wearing yet another appropriately ridiculous hat. Before you ask her any questions, you might want to take a good long look at the entertainment:

Around the garden unseen projectors will be playing silent scenes with subtitles. On the North end of the garden, the videos will be projected onto a white picket fence, the West onto the broad trunk of a giant oak tree, and the South onto the door everyone came through, which now strangely appears to be double the size of a normal door. Huh.

[ North scene ]

"They found it..."

You might recognize the face of Kevin as he appears on screen, horrified at the data on a large computer. It's written in a complicated coding, but whatever it does say has clearly startled the man as he backs up. The chair pushes away and a better view of the room is shown.

Sure enough, your "Scientists" are in view. Jay, Jacqueline, Whazza and Kain. Evan is the only one absent. They're all wearing their own nervous expressions as Kevin waves his hands urgently at them. "Did you hear me? They're going to be here any minute!"

"What, here?" Kain takes a look around the room before settling her eyes on Jay. "Can't we just fight them off? We need that machine!"

Oddly enough, Jay doesn't speak up, instead looking off to the side. His hands are on his hips and he's looking serious. Kevin is busy scoffing at Kain's suggestion. "W-what are you, crazy?! They outnumber us! Half of them are insane, and we've been experimenting on them this whole time-- I don't think they're just going to step aside if we wave a few weapons around!"

Jacqueline, though looking pretty worried herself, steps in with a comment. "We don't have time to be arguing like this. What are we going to do?"

"We get out of here." Jay finally speaks up, lifting one hand to try and gesture for them all to calm down. "They'll wreck the machine, but it's a lost cause now. This whole thing is just--! ...Just ruined. Come on, just follow me, and everything will go better this time. We'll..."

The clip seems to fade off there, repeating the last couple of seconds in loop for a while before cutting off completely.

[ West Scene ]

The reel shows the Discedo of days passed. The only thing recognizable about it are the familiar buildings, which seem to be in even more disrepair than they are now. Not even weeds grow in this apocalyptic city. No monsters stalk through the shadow. For all appearances, Discedo is the quintessential dusty, scorched, crumbling vision of the apocalypse.

The streets are devoid of all life with the exception of two women. They're probably not familiar to the majority of viewers. Others will instantly recognize them as two of the original scientists.

Thunder rumbles in the distance.

The first one chews almost neurotically at her nails. Her eyes are unfocused as she speaks to her companion in a cracked whisper.

"Our solitude ends tomorrow."

"Already?" the second replies. She gracefully sidesteps a pile of rubble then bats at the other's hand. "Quit that. You'll chew your fingers right off."

The first drops her hand. Her fingers continue twitching. "Ace wants it on now. Now now now. Phineas agreed. Drawing worlds together will only put strain on the ties that hold them in place and stretch them until they snap. Snap like ligaments."

"Unravelling this universe to save a broken world. Shaking the foundation of all others to pluck a little life from them. Oh how selfish we are," the second muses. She doesn't sound too sorry. The other makes a frantic whining noise as she resumes chewing on her fingernails. One of them starts to bleed.

The first asks, "Have you taken your medicine today, Greenie?"

Green shakes her head. The other scientist, known by later inhabitants as Lolita, bats at her hand again.

"What if it gets beyond our control? What if everything falls apart?" Green whispers.

Lolita arches an eyebrow. It looks like she's about to answer, but then the reel cuts out.

[ South Scene ]

The room is bland and barely furnished. Three men dressed in something resembling military gear and armed with assault rifles stand by a bolted door. They look uncomfortable. Strangely, the source of their nervousness appears to be a man and woman seated a table that's cluttered with folders and papers.

For those who recognize Grendel and Holden, the heavily armed men have quite a few reasons to be anxious. Neither is paying them any particular mind; all of their attention is focused on the papers in front of them.

"At the end of the world," Holden says, looking amused, "One hardly expects to find this sort of innovation. A shame. This could've been the beginning of a whole new era if not for that pesky little plague."

There is no sympathy in his eyes as he mentions the apocalypse. Grendel frowns, but doesn't comment. Instead she slides him another file.

"Intelligence says that the ranks of these elite Discedeans have hit a low point," she says.

"So we won't be the worst thing to happen to them?" he says.

Grendel ignores him and presses on. "And the remaining 'scientists' are in decline themselves. I can't imagine so few can handle the machinery on their own, let alone manage a micro-society of… imported goods. As we can prove our own competence at operating the technology, infiltration should go smoothly. Trust, however..."

Holden grins. "A funny thing, if Accidians and Discedeans went around trusting one another. I think we can manage quite well without."

"Possibly," she says. "…Likely."

A look of contemplation crosses over Holden's face. Running over a strategy, several other options, and then some, no doubt. He's silent for a long moment.

Then he draws out a coin and holds it up to Grendel.

"Call it."

"Tails," Grendel says immediately.

"Heads."

The coin is flipped. Caught. Slapped onto the back of Holden's other hand and held there. Slowly he lifts his palm to peek, only enough for himself and Grendel to see, but still shielding the results from the audience.

He grins.

"Let the games begin."

Well that was weird.

After an hour a bowl of mints labeled EAT ME will appear on the table. Eat one and you'll have the most drug laden experience of your life, but you'll most certainly wake up in Fortuna. In one piece no less! Don't eat one and well, you get to stay there, alone, until you cave. Enjoy that solitude. (The moral of the story is GO AHEAD AND DO DRUGS, KIDS!)

Things will finally return to normal on March 16th. The doors are gone, no music plays, and it seems precarious balance has been restored. Even better, all characters who participate will find a teacup of the style of the player's choosing on their person upon waking up. They'll always have a memento of their acid trips.

A log will go up on March 16th so that characters can feel free to log and plot with one another and even talk to Evan! As usual, any questions/comments/concerns can be brought up here in the comments or through the usual contact methods.