MINI EVENT: SORE LOSER

[sticksandbonesmods]

YOU WIN

Content Warning: Lightning strikes, electrocution. In the first half of the mini event, characters will be under siege by targeted lightning strikes until they attain shelter within the store or inn. Lightning strikes are nonlethal, but painful.

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VICTORY!

... But not without cost. As the handful of you scatter through the arena, tagging out prisoners or holding your ground against the jailer, some may notice the increasing pain inflicted by an unknown source the better the group does. Eventually, as time runs out, there's a frustrated screech echoing through the air and reverberating in your mind:

YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO LOSE.

Needless to say, trouble's coming. (Though, what had the Woods expected when the game was so easy? Perhaps it didn't realize how many proficient fighters it had captured.) The air is electric, crackling, before the night sky darkens considerably. There's lightning flashing- and then lightning coming down. All throughout the way home and even into the Grove, lightning strikes with loud cracks and sparks, almost like spears hurtling down with a vengeance.

The strikes, should they land, are nonlethal. But it hurts a lot- and leaves a terribly numbing sensation behind. There's enough time between strikes that you can flee, and both the general store and the inn offer salvation. Rusty stands within the doorway of the inn itself, snarling angrily at the sky, while the shopkeeper... is actually among you, carrying Caoimhe so she can avoid the forest's embrace. Now's not a great time to chat though, honestly.

Better run.

!

AFTERMATH

Hey, you got home safe! Good for you. As the last of you claims shelter, the lightning storm outside devolves into a pure thunderstorm. Rusty has joined you for shelter. Though your body is heavy and numb, there's a feeling that you still have something to do. Thankfully, a few in your number are medics, and another few can cook. Any punishments for playing too well as an individual also linger, much to your dismay. But the first night is over.

Despite the tantrum, the Woods is making do on it's promise, at least: Within every inhabited inn room is a charm made from animal bone or antler. Those who can detect magic will be able to tell: these are lucky charms, and powerful ones at that. But they can only be used once. These charms will allow one instance of changing an undesirable outcome in an event. They can only be used once, and only one character can use one per thread or mission.

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Comments

[harmacy]

[He only snaps back to reality when Elsword turns around, their eyes meeting for a split second while that embarrassing look is still plastered all over his face—

Add turns away, head spinning with vile thoughts. With one flick of his hand he summons a dozen unnecessary holoscreens to hide his face behind, catching his breath somewhere between a bestiary of Demon Realm flora and a detailed blueprint of Nasod Inspector. The one screen of Add's physical data is, mysteriously, now absent completely.]

Fever. It's just the fever. [enough of a fever to make Add, of all people, completely lose his cool... he straightens himself back up, shoving all those thoughts to the back of his skull. You're better than this, stay in control, stay calm...]

You're fine, Elsword. There are no unusual readings. I... apologize for causing any undue worry.

[please ignore how he is still hiding behind a ridiculous amount of screens, seriously, one of those is a restaurant menu from Hamel that isn't even close to relevant right now]

[simplicitas]

[...okay, something is Up with Add, and maybe it's not entirely the fever's fault. If Elsword thinks really hard, really reaches down into the muck where his emotions are trapped, he can kind of access the most distant smugness a person can feel. Something is happening with Add, it's clearly his fault, and it's nothing bad... Hm. Hm!

It's too bad a 15 is not a high enough roll with Elsword's -3 obliviousness modifier to really catch on, but something is suspicious in the sudden panic. The Add he knows rarely spooks so severely that he brings up restaurant menus and irrelevant blueprints. While Elsword can kind of understand the Demon Realm flora guide — the parasite from the forest might be similar to something there — he can't wrap his head around the logic of suddenly whipping out a restaurant they went to when they were first passing through Hamel.

Interesting.

Content with the fact that nothing has worsened in the last fifteen minutes, Elsword leans forward and taps a finger against the menu in specific.]

Are you ordering us dinner?

[Bereft of emotions is he, but not so much that he can't be a little shit where it counts.]

Is that my reward for helping with he experiment?

[harmacy]

[Just stay calm, breathe, don't think about anything weird...

Add snorts, the absurdity of this situation making it a touch easier to cope. Finally regaining enough composure to show his face, if not make eye contact... he slides the rest of the screens aside, leaving only the menu. He scrolls down the list of increasingly fancy pizzas.]

I'm afraid we might be outside of their delivery range.

Sorry, my hand slipped. Ah, I really should reorganize some of these files. [you know, when your hand slips and the telepathic robots under your command open up a bunch of random junk? a classic problem.]

As for a reward... normally, you would pay a large sum of money to receive such a detailed physical assessment and treatment plan. For your exemplary behavior, I'll gladly waive that fee for you.

[simplicitas]

[A problem unique only to Add, who will have to cope with Elsword hovering over him and attempting to see the various holoscreens in detail. Where did that one that showed a medical diagram or seven go...? He swears there was one fifteen minutes ago. Add's losing all his unorganized files in the chaos here!]

Wait, [wait what's that about a fee—] you mean if I wasn't obedient, that I'd owe you money?

[Add! That's not fair!! He's your friend!!!]

What forest debt collector were you going to send after me if I couldn't pay?

[Don't look now — Elsword is tucking his arms back behind his head in a casual resting pose, but the shirt is still off and the guns are still out. Godspeed.]

[harmacy]

Oh? Do you think I wouldn't be able to collect it myself?

[He smirks, arms half-folded with one hand to his chin. Add is now trying to make eye contact, but unfortunately, the gun show just opened for business... forgive him if his eyes stray down a little. Stay professional, Add. You can do this. You're in control...]

Lucky for you, I also accept services as payment. Physical labor at your output level is hard to come by. I'm sure I'll find some use for all that stamina.

[... is that Add's medical diagram, minimized to marshmallow-scale by his knee? maybe. possibly.]

[simplicitas]

[What a thing to just say to someone, Add. That's enough to make a boy blush, if said boy weren't too busy thinking about how there's a chance he'll owe Add money and/or heavy lifting. He's 2 for 2 on oblivious.]

Yeah? And what kind of physical labour would you want? You'd definitely enjoy running me into the ground, huh.

[ < /flirting > ]

[harmacy]

[Add opens his mouth as if to answer, but he's already thinking about Elsword doing back-breaking manual labor with his shirt off. All he's been doing today is flexing, but if he was actually using all of his muscles to their fullest extent...

He laughs instead, a nervous chuckle that's a little too squeaky for his tastes. A terribly poor smokescreen to his current state. Might be feeling just... a little dizzy, probably because he's been stewing in his thoughts while magically overheated instead of like. drinking that glass of water that's been sitting there this whole time. He glances at it, pausing for just long enough for Elsword to think he might take it, then goes back to dabbing his forehead with the cloth instead.]

I said I'd waive it, didn't I? We can discuss payment plans when it becomes a necessity. For now, I'm fine without our current arrangement.

[simplicitas]

[Please, please drink your water. He got that special all for you. It had ice in it at one point, but it's half-melted by now.

More importantly (?), Elsword is sitting back on the edge of the bed now. His shirt remains off, because—]

"Our current arrangement" being me with my shirt off?

[Fascinating developments here, truly.]

Okay, sure. I can sit here all night half-undressed if you really want.

[There's that old arrogance of his, showing up when he's got .5 functioning emotions left. At least he means it?]

[harmacy]

That is not the arrangement I was referring to. [WAY too quick on the defense, he's slipping again] The experiment is already done, I never said you couldn't put it back on after. You deciding to walk around topless is unrelated to my request.

[so yeah, that's on YOU for not dressing yourself properly, and nothing to do with Add's wandering gaze. He makes a point to open up Elsword's medical holoscreen again. Hmm hmm hmmmmmmm...]

Your temperature is slightly raised... is that why you're so insistent on this? Really, Elsword. You should know better than to hide your symptoms from me.

It's not high enough to suggest an illness at this time, but make sure to get lots of rest anyway. I'm sure you've over-exerted yourself today already.

[simplicitas]

Wha... is it? Is that because I was stretching?

[No, it's because he's not immune to Add's staring, he's just passively oblivious and the dots haven't quite connected in his brain. When he finally draws a line from point A to point B, it is Over for Add. And there's also something-something stay shirtless to account for. Hm.

Either way, legitimate question on his part. Lads, is it gay to be shirtless with your undressed homie while he suffers from forest-induced heat stroke?]

I'm not trying to hide anything from you. Normally, light stretches don't affect me that much. [Oh well. He shakes his head and changes the topic.] I'll rest after you go to bed for the night, how about?