♥ November Event Log

[hugtopiamods]

November (Malom) Event Log
The chaos of Lasohm's invasion is still fresh in the mind, but it's over. The ugly scar of the hole in Havenwell's wall is a jarring reminder that this world is dying and nothing goes quietly into that dark night. The phantom is gone as Malom overtakes Lasohm, the weather turning colder and chillier with each passing day. Still, the city of Havenwell has all of you offworlders to thank for its survival, and the fearful citizens make sure you know just how much they appreciate you by stopping you on the street to say their thanks. Your new home still needs your help to recover from their ordeal though, so will you lend them your strength once more?

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❥ PROMPT I: Rebuilding Effort

The magic barrier over the hole that unknown monster punched through Havenwell's wall is repaired, stopping the onslaught and encouraging any other nightmares that lurk outside to move on and away, but the hole itself remains. Throughout the month of Malom, robot natives are working tirelessly to gather bricks and stone and patch the breach, but they could use some help. Work together with other offworlders and natives alike to repair the wall and be rewarded with a handsome bump to the Dora in your bank account. They need all sorts of help, from clearing away the dead bodies of the spider-like creatures for cremation, to retrieving and hauling stone for the wall, to actually slotting the heavy blocks into place to cement them back together.

Outside the barrier, now clearly visible through the hole, a storm rages on, obscuring the view of the world beyond it. Gray and black clouds whip against the invisible barrier, and occasional debris slams into it, causing the impact site to light up with silver, pink, blue, or white hues before it fades away again. It seems even without monsters, the world outside is as inhospitable as was rumored.

Work together or take a break along the base of the wall and get to know your fellow offworlders a little better. It's going to take a while before this mess is cleaned up.

❥ PROMPT II: Air Sickness

Those who worked at or were near the breach in the wall for any extended period of time will notice that, over time, it gets harder to breathe. Then they begin to feel feverish, even if they don't have flesh bodies or are immune to disease. Their bodies ache and groan and it gets harder to move about without help. Once the natives notice, they set up a recovery area away from where the breach occurred: a giant tent with cots and pillows, thick rugs and blankets to keep the chill away. Unfortunately, they don't have medicines available to treat flesh bodied people, so they're at a loss of what to do otherwise. The priests gather anyone who is ill and brings them here...which is when a curious thing occurs.

While conventional medicines and healing spells seem to have no effect on the illness, staying in contact with another person alleviates the symptoms. After a period of contact with another person or persons, the fever breaks and it's like you were never sick at all.

Return to the wall, however, and you'll notice your symptoms coming back with a vengeance after a few days. It seems that making regular trips between the wall and this recovery tent is the only way to keep working. At least it's an easy fix so long as you're not a germaphobe.

❥ PROMPT III: A Tasty(?) Reward

Toward the end of the month as the hole in the wall is completely repaired and the risk of illness declines, a message is sent to all the offworlders' communication devices. Those who choose to open it will find a very official looking message from The Havenwell Council that reads:

Greetings, Saviours of Havenwell!
We of the Havenwell Council greet you and wish to express our eternal gratitude for your valiant efforts to keep our wonderful home safe. Without you, we would not have survived this terrible onslaught. As such, we wish to express our gratitude in a more concrete form. Your emissary, Magolor, has been in contact with this venerable Council and has brought to our attention that your greatest concern is for the food available. We apologize that due to our inability to taste we have been unable to supply you with satisfactory meals.

To that end, we invite you to work with our scientists to improve upon the taste of currently available offerings from our replicators. Please come to the Northern Research Tower (map included) at any time this month to sample what our replicators can produce and give us feedback on their flavour and textures. We ask that you be as specific as possible in your criticisms so we may improve upon your general quality of life. Please feel free to bring as many friends as you wish.

May the Gods Protect You,
Havenwell Council, Community Liaisons

Those who take the invitation will arrive at the Northern Research Tower and be taken directly to the 40th floor, where a large banquet hall has been laid out. Five rectangular tables, over 5 meters long each, stretch down the room, creating aisles for people to walk down. At the far end are several high round tables, covered in white cloth, and high round stools for those who wish them. The tables are overflowing with food, much like the welcome dinner, but at each table and scattered throughout the room are scientist robots with arm bands that read "Experiment 73" in that peculiar Aellyn script you saw during your time at the Archives. They invite you to taste the foods - both raw and cooked - and to give your very honest opinions.

Enjoy the food, help them improve the flavours, and walk the room to talk with the others who have come. Those who participate will receive a small synthetic fruit basket to take home with them on their first visit. Feel free to come back as often as you like, however! Each time, they'll be changing and adjusting the food available so your first and last visit may be very different. Perhaps that strawberry actually even tastes sweet, finally.

❥ PROMPT IV: A Virtual Spa

The VR cafes are uncharacteristically quiet while the rebuilding effort goes on, but there are still those who come to plug in to unwind after a day of intensive labor. And what better way to unwind than with a hot bath, right? Since the people of Havenwell can't actually submerge themselves in water, they're doing the next best thing: going to a virtual hot spring. There are several types to choose from and despite being digital, their calming and soothing effects on the body seem very real. Choose from:

• The Classic Outdoors: a rock lined hot spring with natural rock floors and steamy mineral infused waters nestled in the mountains. All around you is beautiful greenery like a sweeping pine and low fragrant bushes. The serene air and the calm forest is only occasionally broken by the sound of a wooden pipe thudding hollowly against a rock at a steady interval or the sound of birdsong off in the trees. The relaxing atmosphere is enough to set even the tightest wound nerves at ease.
  
  
• The Marbled Columns: white and painted marble columns lead to a series of different shaped baths with statues of the gods pouring water into them. Each bath has a different healing property, which is clearly marked with a plaque at the rim of each: good for your circulation, your bones, your aches and pains, even acne and metabolic rate. The columns support a beautiful open ceiling that shows the perfectly blue sky overhead dotted with the occasional cloud.
  
  
• The Steamy Sauna: though seemingly austere in their white tile and deep blue bath basins, the air here is thick and steamy and the baths are deep with hand-rails leading down steps to help you enter. All around the basins are stone or wooden benches with towels laid down for those who wish to simply sit and let the warm air open their lungs. If you get too hot? Grab a bucketful of cold water from one of the freestanding tubs and douse yourself to get a shock and cool off.
  
  
• The Milk-and-Honey: a beautifully tiled bath with a large shallow rectangular basin. The surrounding walls and ceilings have blue, white, and gold geometric designs laid out with loving care in pleasant designs that ease the mind. The bath water here is filled with a concoction of milk and honey to soothe and smooth the skin, filling the air with a pleasing sweet scent. The effects of these baths on a person's skin is said to make them glow from the inside out for at least a day after bathing.
  
  
• The Theme Park: the first thing to greet you is the comically oversized bottle of red wine tipped to pour a continuous stream of red liquid into the large crystalline bath basin. The smell of wine is heavy but pleasant in the air and the crystalline basin is round and shaped like a wine glass. Climb up the glass steps and give yourself a good old soak in the red water. You might even find that taking a dip here gives you a heady happiness that lasts all day. And if it feels like you're a little drunk while there? That has to be your imagination! ...Maybe.

Hot springs are great to experience with friends to deepen that feeling of skinship you have with each other, and several Havenwell natives are doing just that. But what about those who don't have a friend to log in with? Don't worry! The game will randomly select another player from this or another facility and match you together. Isn't that nice? We're sure it is! Who doesn't want to talk to someone else while naked, right?

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This event will run from November 14th to the 31st. Click on each prompt's title to see the text. If you have any questions, feel free to direct them to the FAQ or to the Mod Question thread here.

Comments

[yaoyoroshka]

[Seeing him struggle, Momo's quick to place a supporting hand on his back as he moves to sit up. Usually, she'd be lecturing him by now about overworking himself (again), yet looking around to see all the other people curled up in their cots, it seems overworking isn't the sole cause of this. It's as if a sickness is catching on...

Soon he finishes drinking up, so Momo places a hand on his forehead just to check again. Judging from how her frown deepens, it's evident he's still running a temperature.

She eases him back to laying down again, arranging his blanket for him to keep warm.]

Is it not possible to regulate your body heat to combat the symptoms?

[thermoregulate]

I—

[ It actually takes him several moments for him to respond, as if there's a heavy fog over his thoughts. ]

Sometimes. I've tried, though, and nothing has helped.

[ He's honestly long accustomed to having a varied temperature in general, all things considered. So it isn't especially the fever which has him so fatigued and ill.

Before Momo can fully draw away again, he gently catches her wrist. ]

. . . Can you stay? Having you with me might help me to better relax.

[yaoyoroshka]

[Her features soften at the request as she leans forward a bit, free hand brushing back and stroking his hair in what she hopes was a comforting enough gesture. Despite the situation though, she does let out a small chuckle.]

Of course I will. I think we've established by now that you're not allowed to leave my sight whenever you're sick.

[Idly continuing the gesture, her eyes happen to drift at the other cots and noticed several people here and there seemingly finding more comfort in huddling up. It does give her an idea.]

Would it help you relax more if I'm... much more closer? If you moved a bit, I don't think I'll take up much space in your cot...

[thermoregulate]

Yes. That was something we mutually agreed upon.

[ No kidding. It goes both ways, however. Of course it does. Which is partly why he's smiling with a bit of amusement upon speaking those words.

The touch is already a comfort as he, too, glances around a little. ]

Mm. I don't know if I'm contagious or not, but. . .I'd really like that.

[ Shouto then shifts over on the cot, which indeed allows Momo a fair amount of space. He's already (also) offering her to slip under the rather sizeable blanket. ]

[yaoyoroshka]

Must you really say 'contagious'...

[Now her more logical side is prodding at her that this may just be a bad idea, if so. Still, she (sighs) likes him too much to quibble over things like poor word choices. She shuffles out of her shoes and settles in the space he's made for her, arranging the blanket so it covers them both well. Not that she's going to need much of it though, as she proceeds to curl up beside him anyway. At least if she makes herself small enough, it's not as noticeable should people pass by?

She then picks up the conversation where it left off.]

Besides, if whatever you have is contagious, then I would've gotten it already anyway by the mere fact that I'm here in a confined space with several other people afflicted as well.

[And here she pulls her part of the blanket completely over her head so she's completely buried in it, which muffles her next words a bit.]

So if I'm going to be sick anyway, I'd rather I'm close to you...

[thermoregulate]

[ "Realistic" is also a considerable word. — Really, though, even if it's clear that the cot is taken up by two people instead of one, others won't care. It's highly likely that some are taking the same route, anyway. ]

I think we'll be fine in the end.

[ He feels assured. There have been instances here, before, as well as in Empatheias, where ultimately everything turned out well.

Momo's subsequent actions simply leave Shouto to do similarly. He's smiling with slight, though fond amusement, even amid feeling under the weather. ]

Why are you hiding yourself away, then?

[ A bit of shifting allows him to (a bit loosely) wrap his left arm around her waist, bringing them a little closer. ]

. . . But I feel the same. This is much nicer.

[yaoyoroshka]

It's not hiding...

[That comes out so meekly even she isn't convinced with herself. The further closing of the distance is a good distraction though; she'll place her hands and lean her head against his chest now, if he doesn't mind.]

Okay, I suppose it is hiding. In a way.

To tell you the truth, I've never been with someone before, so I don't exactly know if things like these are considered inappropriate...? I think holding your hand in public is fine though! But for things like hugging... or kissing. And it's not as if there are relationship guidebooks here. I just don't want to embarrass you in case other people see.

[thermoregulate]

[ He listens in silence, letting his eyes close. Doing so allows him to further focus on simply being together with her like this. ]

It isn't as though I have, either.

[ An initial thought, which should be obvious enough. He remains quieted upon speaking again. ]

I think. . . we can make what we want of it. There's no harm in hugging, and kissing, well that's—. . . [ yet he feels even more warmth, as if blushing. ] In public, I think if it's something subtle, it isn't a bad thing.

[ More importantly, though: ] I'm not embarrassed to be seen with you; I like it. Really, we'll both be fine.

[yaoyoroshka]

[His response causes muffled laughter to issue from her.]

I've been worrying a lot about what other people would think and here you are essentially saying we should just do what we want. So reckless.

[She's kind of charmed, though. Is it possible to burrow herself closer to him? Well, she's doing it now.]

You're right, of course. It is our relationship, so its conditions should only be up to us. It's just, I... I like you. Very much so. That's why you're the last person I'd want to make uncomfortable, in case you are. So I thought I'd make the necessary adjustments. But you're not, so I suppose it's fine after all? Ah—

[Wow, suddenly it's extra warm under this blanket. Moving on.]

Are you feeling any better resting here or should we just head home? At least we have Yuki and the cats there to cheer you up.

[thermoregulate]

[ Even plainly hearing her speak of her feelings towards him, despite already knowing, is enough to stir his heart. ]

It's a much less risky side of recklessness, though.

[ He states, as if a reason or explanation is being asked of him. The truth is simple. Then, just for the moment does he (further) take advantage of their proximity (or lack thereof) to bow his head downward so he can press an easy, warm and lingering kiss to the top of hers. ]

Mm.

[ He doesn't need to think much of it. ]

It will clear up a spot for someone else. I'm feeling well enough, so we can leave.