EVENT & TDM 029

[sticksandbonesmods]

WAKE UP

A house springs up in Aldric’s Grove one day. That comes with the usual tidings of autumn — the leaves change colour, the air gets colder, pumpkins and squash start growing out of the sides of buildings and damaging rooftops, and people emerge out of caskets in square graves that have yet to be covered.

…

Yeah, all of that is normal. You may find that people here before you are willing to help pull you out of your grave, if you ask nicely enough. Maybe they’ll even tell you that you aren’t dead! Yet.

But don’t worry about that. Let’s worry about the house, which is inhabited by the dead — specifically a family of skeletons, who wave everyone, new arrival and old citizen, within their walls. A cloth sign hanging on the awning outside reads “BONE-JANGLES HAUZ! COM IN GET FUD”. The Bone-Jangles are a family of eight — Mr. Bone-Jangles himself wearing a sheet ghost costume for Halloween, Ms. Bone-Jangles wearing a pumpkin hat and an apron as she sets food from your homeworld on the table, and their six skeleton children (“children” may be generous, as these are full-sized adult skeletons, but is your baby not your baby no matter how old they may be?) are wearing various animal costumes. Bees, wolves, cats, the sort.

If you just crawled out of a grave, they permit you to use their shower before dinner. The water pressure is a touch too low, and the soap is several hundred years old, but it’ll get the dirt off.

You return to dinner with the skeleton family and several other Grove residents who came for the party, and despite the oddness of the situation, it’s a lovely time. At the end of the night, before everyone plans to head off to Roseroot — a city to the north, just over the mountains, which you are hopefully informed of by your peers before they all ditch you here to go on vacation — Mr. Bone-Jangles hands you a bag of microwave popcorn and an oversized chocolate bar. Trick-or-Treat!

A note attached to the inside of the chocolate bar wrapper reads in Ms. Bone-Jangles’ curly handwriting: “Be cautious on your journey tomorrow morning.”

You go to sleep holding the well-wishes close to your chest.

…WAKE UP?

What do you last remember?

You were somewhere. Not here. Not within this city. Were you at home? With your friends? At the bar, the cafe, one of the churches, the General Store? The Bone-Jangles’ house? …How did you get here?

…that’s right. The truck. A truck had barrelled through the woods a week ago, with two people stumbling out of it and telling you they could get you out of here. The truck was small, though — at most, it could fit six of you, and that was assuming all six of you packed light for the journey. You talked with who you were journeying alongside as you rode in the bed of the truck, while two others in the vehicle proper got to talk to the drivers. The ride had been bumpy, the car travelling at a medium clip through rough terrain. At one point, the car’s driver had shouted that those of you in the back should “hold on tight” and floored it, nearly jiggling someone next to you out of the back seat as you approached the mountains.

You did not remember the mountains being so close to the Grove. Weren’t they much farther away? You remember the—

The…

…

You’re in Roseroot! The truck comes and goes throughout the day, dropping people off before it turns around and heads out again. Some of your peers who were particularly fast or could fly might have opted to simply follow alongside the truck. Maybe if you can find one of them, they can help you bring your stuff further into the city? Where are you going to live from here, speaking of? In a house? A mansion? A hole-in-the-wall restaurant? You feel like you’re missing something as you wander the beautifully-paved streets on foot. You remembered to pack your toothbrush, right? A change of clothes?

The thought of “someone” comes to your mind, but the silhouette is blurry. A person nearby you asks if you remember two gargoyles with purple skin, and a shadowy woman with her turtle, and a kindly shopkeeper with salt-and-pepper hair, that they think they might’ve left behind in the Grove. You shake your head.

You would remember people like that.

THE CITY OF ROSES

Roseroot is a beautiful city, truly. Every building is beautifully designed, roses of all colors and sizes growing from the ground floor to window boxes to special trellises and even on the rooftops. It's almost overwhelming. A river flows through it, framed with stone sidewalks and curved wooden bridges. Warm streetlights line every few yards, illuminating it even in the dark. Museums and theaters can be found all over, and there's even an aquarium! … It's only got water and plants, but it's there. Truly, this is what one might expect from an affluent city dedicated to flowers and scholarly pursuits!

… It's just… empty. Not a single soul aside from the lot of you can be found. Businesses still provide services, but by who, and how? The answer eludes even the most curious of folk. If you choose to steal, dine and dash, break in to something, well. You can, and nothing is going to stop you. But the emptiness of it all is jarring, isn't it?

Of course it's not. This is how it's supposed to be!

As the days pass, however, the beauty begins to fade. Flowers wilt. A strange substance seems to grow out of cracks, creep up windows, grow. The beautiful sky gets darker, cloudier, drearier. A fog creeps in. And when you sleep- and you will sleep- you dream. Maybe it's the sweetest dream of your life, and maybe its a nightmare. Maybe it's something incredibly silly! What a pity that the dream doesn't stay in your head. Or stay as pleasant as your dream might have been.

Soon the fog is so thick, you can barely see the next streetlight. And you are no longer alone. But the trucks are gone, and the city borders seem to have vanished.

A PLACE YOU CANNOT LEAVE

The fog does not fade. But sometimes, you can hear something- just out of sight. The giggles of childish, cruel whispering. The sound of glass breaking, footsteps dragging across the pavement. Twisted beings born of your worst traumas shamble through the fog, lashing out, hunting, seeking, wanting. Every day the remains of Roseroot grow more dilapidated, some buildings even crumbling and collapsing while others cease existing all together. Roads vanish or twist to loop around into giant circles. Safety is growing limited, but how does one escape?

That may be on the forefront of your mind, but it's not something you can focus on- not while you're fighting off these monsters.

How does one get supplies when grocery stores are claimed by sudden bursts of an all-consuming rot? How does one sleep when those monsters could be anywhere, when one has to keep moving?

Fight on. Protect yourself. The way will show itself soon. You just have to outlast your pains made manifest.

MONSTERS ENCOUNTERED

This list will be updated as the event goes on, but feel free to pull from any monsters from our toplevel below as well in case updates are delayed!

An unholy, angel-like being found stationary in a warehouse. The top half of her body hangs down from a portal in the ceiling, and no matter which way you face, she can twist around to track you. Her wails and sobs cause hallucinations, panic attacks, dissociations, and crippling self-doubt; when characters are distracted, she will attempt to sever them with two oversized swords.

A shambling, undead, fully-armoured knight with seven swords stabbed into it, most of which through the back and one of which through the head. Each sword is engraved with words; five of them say “sacrifice”, one says “the one you loved most”, and the last says “hubris”. The knight wanders the city streets and attacks indiscriminately.

Seven assassins wrapped entirely in black robes and bandages to hide their identities. When they are being looked at, they become stationary, therefore they try to spread apart within their pack to keep most of them able to move. They move like glitchy robots with jerking and seizing limbs, yet are fast enough to slit throats in an instant, and largely stick to alleyways and tight corners to get a drop on someone.

A hand-monster called the Docent, who hides in the shadows and exacerbates negative emotions and insecurities. Even if you can't see it yet, if it's nearby, you will feel cold and miserable. Its physical form is made up of hands and if it catches you, it will add yours to the collection.

Mannequin-like people who look similar to Firefly, wearing plug suits and acting as mannequins in storefronts primarily. They will not "activate" until you come close to them, where they will be like dolls that creak and crackle and either start moving or pull themselves up off the ground to slowly chase you. They are dangerous in numbers, not as much as a single unit. They only speak if Firefly is around, saying things like "you let us die", "you didn't protect us", etc. By the end of the time in Roseroot, most will default be splayed on the ground all over looking dead, but they aren't.

The Swarm, a mass horde of diverse insectoid creatures with the sole drive to propagate and spread. They're big, and can hide invisible if they choose. They will start in small numbers, but slowly spread throughout the town during the end of their stay. They will swarm you and attack if they see you.

A young man with cat ears who has been burnt to a crisp and is still smouldering, who will wander the city and attempt to set people on fire.

A pack of small robotic bears with various weapons who run around indiscriminately and try to kill anyone they see. Despite how armed they are, they are easily defeated, but they roam in extremely large packs.

A phantom that specifically stalks Till, covered in blood and with several bullet wounds through various parts of his body. Characters who spend a lot of time around Till may have to watch out…

Shadows shaped like people on the walls, always watching, whispering, giggling, pointing. If one gets too close to them, they can reach out and attack like a particularly brutal child bully might- and like children, they do not know when they are going too far.

Shambling skeletons or rotting bodies dressed in strange village clothes, waiting to drag whoever they seek out into the earth.

An almost giant skeletal bird caught ablaze, trapped humans within its ribcage forming a grotesque heart. It does not fly, and molten poison drips from it.

Young men and women in a black uniform, half-gripping swords. Their footsteps sounds like bottles breaking. Soon enough they are accompanied by their killers as well.

A very tall priest in holy regalia... except his face is a mass of writhing blue tentacles of varying lengths, singing the song of the Seaborn. He shambles like he no longer remembers how legs work, swaying like a drunk almost, always wandering and reaching for his target. He sings a song of an unknown language, haunting and mesmerizing. If somehow you anger him, he will throw rocks at you... and if he gets his hands on you he will absolutely try to eat and/or assimilate you.

A monster that changes shape whenever you blink. It is normally faceless, and usually appears to look like some abomination-adjacent version of people you know.

A monster that wears clothing of a holy priest, with far, far too many arms. It "attacks" by trying to grab onto you and try to hug you almost comfortingly, while two hands strangle with rosary beads.

A creature that takes the form of something in the water- you'll never truly see what it looks like. But if you get too close to the river, something will reach out and try to drag you under.

A headless mannequin dressed in kingly finery, wielding a heavy sword. It wanders in search of one person, but will stop to kill anyone else it finds too.

An Ifrit, bleeding from a wound not unlike the ones Joshua inflicted upon Clive. It's furious. It's terrified. It will see your death done.

Shadows that, while not the most harmful things, will whisper, gossip and grab and pinch and punch and tear! They say things to characters reflecting their deepest insecurities. In short, the shadows are school bullies.

Two figures, a man and a woman, sewn together by the half. They bicker in a ghoulish language at each other, but are largely uncaring of others. When they find Zoey, they all but descend upon her, both wanting her for themselves and uncaring if they pull too hard in one direction or another. Their grip is like iron, and they're capable of tearing others in half.

A man-shaped monster whose head is a black skull. He wears a suit, tie, and gloves, and carries a rotating number of weapons- pliers, knife, scalpel, hacksaw, hammer, anything that might be used for torture, smeared with blood. Sometimes he just has a gun. He moves in an uncanny, inhuman jerk, and prefers his victims trapped and isolated. He will passively darken the area around him, turning working lights dim, and is accompanied by the sound of a power drill and his own creepy laughter.

Something dark, mostly shapeless, but the size of a large man, with bat-shaped spikes coming out of its head. Or maybe they're bat ears? He is able to shoot projectiles with deadly speed, sharp enough to gouge a hole in metal. They disappear like smoke once they've hit their mark. When faced more or less head-on, shoots a grapling hook at its victim with enough force to seriously maim, uses it to pull them close and break their bones. May appear suddenly from behind and break bones before you have a chance to react. He moves sometimes as a literal shadow, but when outside of shadow form, moves with grace and speed. Sometimes his presence is accompanied by flashbangs, smoke, and the sound of radio static or ringing in your ears. Otherwise, it is completely silent and doesn't even breathe.

A monster wearing armour and carrying tomahawk axes, with crablike appendages protruding from her abdomen that have pincer-claws. The semi-congealed gore that drips from them can be sprayed at enemies. As she talks, she claims to know "what you really are" and can absolutely back that claim up.

A brutish monster that is constantly on fire. He moves quickly enough to "blaze past" you, and likely set you on fire by proximity. Otherwise, he boasts impressive and inhuman strength.

A doll with swords through it that leaks toxic ooze as it moves around. Slow and moves around pathetically, looking as if in pain, and moving as if crying. Gives hugs instead of attacking, but the swords through it will hurt you if you let it, and the toxic ooze feels akin to acid.

A shambling amalgam of corpses and heads much akin to the Cramped Casket that pulls itself with its many arms across the ground. It easily spans around 12 feet tall. At the very front of it of it is the upper half of a young boy. It attacks by slamming itself into the ground where you stand, and is otherwise silent... unless you are Elsword, in which case it asks, "why didn't you save me?"

A monster that looks like a pirate that's on fire. Permanently. To most, it only appears to be leaving scorched earth in its wake. To Mizuki, it looks like everything around it is burning. It attacks with a cutlass, and otherwise looks mostly humanoid.

An ambling monstrosity that easily towers any house and building. It moves slowly, and seems as if it's "sliced" down the middle, with two "heads" and a mangled body. One arm carries a harpoon, one arm carries a kitchen cleaver. They mutter conflicting questions that, if you answer, you'll be contradicting the other. "Should we go left?" "Should we go right?" asked simultaneously, so answering "yes" would be answering both. Things like that. To kill it, you have to pick a head to cut off, and if you choose wrong, it instantly grows back and you'll have to try again.

A small, cute puppet with a circle of knifes protruding from its neck. It constantly cries and attacks by trashing around like a child. It doesn't even seem to be aiming for anything specifically, but its thrashing is so wild and erratic the knives in its neck are bound to hit you anyway if you don't put distance between the two of you.

An angel with wings and a halo of light that towers around 10-12 feet tall. It's head is replaced with a bouquet of flowers and it's hands are fused together in a constant prayer.Everywhere it walks, it leaves flowers behind, but they wilt and decay and rot within seconds and stay as a stain upon the land. It attacks by summoning blades of light from the ground under your feet. If you listen closely, you can hear soft singing.

A cloaked being with black crystals growing out of it who floats along the ground. It freezes anything it touches solid in blackened ice, and a trail of said ice follows after it. The air becomes frigid when it is close by.

A loud, ravenous monster that is majority mouth with waaay too many teeth. More dog-like than human shaped. Does not have eyes and thus cannot see, but can hear a pen drop. While it will bite to kill, it plays with its food. Lashes with claws and attempts to do anything it can to hurt you as much as possible before you break.

A mass of black crystals, the shape appears to be in that of Faust. Its arm is replaced with that of a crossbow. Its bolts are enough to shatter concrete. Despite being made of stone, it is very fast.

A monster that takes the shape of prey animals, starting off as smaller ones, then becoming larger ones as it stalks you. It does not necessarily attack, keeping a distance. But the more it watches, the more starved for food you feel. You haven't eaten in a while, have you? Are you hungry? Are you going to die because you can't eat? Aren't you just a waste of space if can't kill something to feed yourself? Killing it won't be easy, as it is fast, but if you do manage to, it will fall to the ground immediately as rotten, disgusting mass of meat that is not safely edible. The monster will spawn in again as it's smaller form all over again if not eaten.

A small army of husk-like creatures. They're just so hungry. Won't you help them? Won't you feed them? They appear like demons, with the stronger ones looking like some of Mystery's old friends...

A large, train-sized worm patterned in purple stripes. They have four eyes above their gator-like mouths which are full of sharp teeth. Their backs are ridged with green shark fins. Sandworms burrow through the ground at alarming speeds and feast on the dead along anything else they can catch. They aren't picky.

Spark Notes

summary

WAKE UP: Good morning! It's autumn! New arrivals are crawling out of graves, Mr. Bone-Jangles has invited everyone to his house, and everyone is having a nice little family Halloween get-together.
…WAKE UP?: Do you remember your old life? The people you left behind? ...of course not! You barely remember the truck ride over here! Welcome to Roseroot! Enjoy your vacation!
THE CITY OF ROSES: Roseroot is a beautiful, empty city. It's clearly a wealthy place, connected with nature, but you lot are the only ones there. ... That's how it's supposed to be, of course. But something forces you into sleep, and when you dream something awakens. ... Now that it's awake, something is making the city rot.
A PLACE YOU CANNOT LEAVE: The city is falling apart, rotting, vanishing and looping into itself and you are not alone. Monsters born from your trauma are out to hunt you down. Thankfully, they can be killed. You just have to keep fighting, even as places of rest and food dwindle rapidly.

out of character

Hello everyone! Welcome to our October TDM. This is a reminder that TDMs are considered game canon. This is our last TDM of 2025! November-December will be check-in AC and we will be back to our regular schedule with a TDM in January 2026. If there are questions, please hit up the toplevels below.

updates

None yet! Important updates about how characters interact with the log and change the course of events will be placed here.

submissions

❖ Questions
❖ October Plotting
❖ Past Life Plotting (Closed to Game Members)
❖ Investigations

code

Comments

[chickenchoicejudy]

It's totally what you said.

[No, not even close. But it's light and fun, unlike the rest of this.]

I wish I knew? Like. I don't remember it. Min remembers it, and only he told me so no weird...Grove stuff would. He said he remembers being on a date with me and wanting to ask me? It sounded...nice.

[It sounds so nice but that's all it is. A nice story. He doesn't even know if Min-Gi actually asked him back then, only that he was planning to.]

I dunno how he felt then but he was...nervous? Kinda too nervous. The whole thing's been weird for him, like...going from totally scared of the whole gaaaaaaaaay thing to. To knowing he wanted to ask a guy to marry him...? Or that he even COULD?

[The "whole gay thing" is said with a very specific amount of sarcasm reserved for drunken bitching. Things have been complicated in a way that definitely calls for alcohol.]

And then! Then! I fucked everything up! Luca, I fucked everything up so much...

[unheiring]

[He is pressing X to doubt so hard right now Ryan but fine! He'll shut up about it.]

I admit it's a bit hard to wrap my head around. Not what you are saying, but his continued resistance around the idea. But being that I did not share your upbringing, I suppose I am not meant to understand.

[Growing up in a place like Renova, where things like this were simply normal made it difficult for him to grasp a world like Earth. He could empathize with the struggle, but beyond that...]

How did you manage to fuck up, then? It seems like it was all but handed to you on a platter.

[chickenchoicejudy]

I kiiiiinda get it? Like. Imagine you're super allergic to bees okay? Like you can't be anywhere near bees and...and you don't want people to think you like bees because maybe they'll bring a bee near you and you might like die or something! But then you get some weeeeeird vision you used to be a bee keeper and you were with bees EVERY DAY. FOREVER. That...That would be weird! It'd be SOOOO weird and like okay maybe you aren't allergic to bees after all but what if you're wrong and you like, die from bees? Nobody wants to die from bees...

[This is a very serious metaphor he's painted here. About bees. Ryan sighs heavily though and looks into the rest of his drink.]

Anyway he...wanted to try anyway. Annnnnd...I. ....said no.

[And with that admission he drains the entire rest of his glass.]

1/2

[unheiring]

[Luca blinks one eye. And then the other.]

2/2

[unheiring]

[Yeah, he's just going to nod along. Bees. Got it. Totally.

Anyway, he has bigger fish to fry, and a drink to avoid spitting out.]

You said no?! Why would you - I -

[Luca's just going to do this.]

[chickenchoicejudy]

I KNOW! Ughhhh, Luca, I'm so fucking stupid....

[He pushes his glasses up to make space to fully drag his hands down his face. He doesn't want to be like this either! Now that Luca's had his reaction, it all tumbles out.]

He wanted to try and I was like "duuuude I don't think you're ready?" and like...he's kinda not but I didn't even give him a real chance? I could've just, just said yes and let things be good for once without screwing them up! Maybe he would've proved me wrong and figured himself out and I said no??? I said NO???? Ugh, I'm so...

[He trails off with his elbows on the counter, face in his hands, and fingers tangled in his hair. He pulls one away slowly though, so he can slide his empty glass to Luca.]

...Can I get a refill?

[Please? :(]

[unheiring]

[Okay, okay, give him a second, let him parse this all together, alongside the bees.]

So... in your metaphor, he has found out he is perhaps not as allergic as he thought he was. But he's still wary, and you do not want to be the one to... [His brows furrow.] Kill him?

[Well, that doesn't sound quite right but...]

I will be honest with you, Ryan. That sounds perfectly reasonable to me. There is nothing wrong with wanting to protect your heart — never mind the feelings of your best friend. If there is more that he needs to work through on his own, then it was rather responsible of you to be the one to acknowledge it.

Even if it probably does hurt.

[With all that said though, Luca does indeed get up and go to mix that drink while Ryan processes... all of that.]

[chickenchoicejudy]

[...Is that what he was trying to say? That doesn't seem right, but he's also not sure how to actually explain it any better. Not that he WANTS to kill him, but it's also probably not where he was trying to go there.

He looks up when Luca says it sounds reasonable though, because that also doesn't sound right, but for different reasons. He can't remember anyone calling him reasonable before. Usually the default assumption is that he isn't. Literally no one's ever thought he was responsible without him bending over backwards to prove he could be, and even then he doesn't usually stick the landing.]

He got super scared and thought I was going to like...leave him over it after everything we've been through? And I DO wanna be with him, but...

[For some reason he's glancing down at his hand, lost in a thought while Luca finishes up. Then, he sighs.]

He's never dated a guy before thought and literally all of my relationships have been suuuuuuuper bad, so I...I dunno. You don't think I was being shitty about it?

[He feels like he was, but honestly deep down he always feels like he's kind of terrible. A garbage person who sucks at being with anyone, or something.]

[unheiring]

The honest answer? I don't know.

[He can tell that Ryan is struggling, though. Being that Luca's come to consider the man a close friend, it makes Luca's heart ache. He can't help but slip a hand forward, offering it palm up. All the earlier exasperation has melted away into understanding and empathy.]

I think he was right to be scared. Whether you like it or not, you have now become a guide wire when it comes to exploring this part of himself. Without you, there is probably no point to trying in his mind. And difficult as it is for me to fathom, this was a huge leap for him. I have no doubt that he was probably hurt by the rejection.

[If Ryan has taken Luca's hand, he squeezes it here.]

But. You were protecting your own heart, too. This may be new for him, but it is not for you. And being that you know yourself best, you thought it wise to step back. No one can fault you for that.

I do not think either of you were being... shitty, from my perspective. But I do not know how Min-Gi might have seen it. [He sighs, a delicate little noise.] Maybe he is hurt. But I think you are hurt too. And thus, neither of you deserve the blame.

[chickenchoicejudy]

[Ryan does take his hand. He's always helped by reassuring touch, and with things being so weird, a hand hold means so much.]

A guide wire...

[He says this with a soft drunken awe, in a way suggesting he will mull it over later once he's nursing a hangover. It feels...big. Important? But his head is starting to swim a little bit too much to pull it apart. Asking for another drink was probably not smart, but smart decisions are for sober people who didn't just find out they were engaged to their closeted best friend in a past life.]

...I don't want it to hurt. [Him? Min? Both of them, probably. A deep, heavy sigh, and Ryan looks up at the ceiling.] Mmmaybe...you're onto something.

[Probably! Luca is very smart and good at these sorts of conversations. Even though he's a little drunk, Ryan's still starting to feel the odd discomfort that comes when he whines about any serious problems for too long, and that's a can of worms for another day. Instead, he takes a sip of his new drink and laughs - a thought's hit him belatedly.]

It's sooo funny to hear you say shitty, man.

[unheiring]

I know you don't, Ryan. No one does. [He gives that hand a tender little pat. That much, Luca can deeply empathize with. Perhaps he's never been so caught up on the same man, but he does know how it feels to fall endlessly and be hurt just as often.

(To say nothing of the aches and pains that still came up after his fight with -

With -

The thought flits from Luca's mind before he can truly grasp it).

In the end, forces himself to be satisfied with the answer Ryan gives. It's not a panacea, Luca can tell his friend is still hurting. But bashing him over the head with wisdom isn't going to help, especially when he's so far gone.

... Not that he wanted to change the subject like that. Luca gives an offended squawk.]

I - do know how to swear, you know. I am not morally opposed to it! I call my sister a whore plenty.

[chickenchoicejudy]

[Unfortunately for Luca, it's infinitely funnier when he's so offended and it just makes Ryan laugh even more into his drink.]

Duuuude, that doesn't count as swearing! She's your sister! My-- [He's still snickering, and has to try again.] --I called my sisters all sorts of shit! And they did it back, 'cause that's just...it's sibling stuff! Toooootally normal stuff.

[Very normal stuff, though what's less normal is Ryan actually mentioning his siblings in front of anyone other than Min-Gi.]

[unheiring]

Cursing is still cursing, regardless of who it is directed toward!

[He cannot believe that he's being called a prude in his own bar! Well, not his bar. His proxy bar. Whatever!

Still, he does soften in the slightest when he realizes... he never knew this much about Ryan. There's actually... quite a lot he doesn't know about Ryan when he thinks about it, and isn't that such a shame? They're meant to be friends, after all.]

How many do you have? Siblings, I mean.

[chickenchoicejudy]

[He's still giggling about Luca cursing, but he's at least covering his mouth now and making a show of trying to stop. Once he manages to stop though, he looks mildly surprised at the question, as if he forgot he brought it up himself.

He has no problem answering though. He holds up an empty hand and twiddles all of his fingers, before he starts to count off of them with names.]

Nancy, Kimberly, Meeee, Zach, and Davey maaaakes five!

[So four. Four siblings. It made sense to say it this way in his head.]

[unheiring]

[Luca does his best to scowl through it but... Ryan being in even a mildly better mood is a pleasant sight. He can't help the way the corner of his mouth lifts up into the tiniest of smiles. Don't ask him about it, Ryan. Don't do it.]

Planted firmly in the middle, then? What was that like? [And just to be sure Ryan doesn't feel like he's being interrogated:] It was just my sibling and I. And given the circumstances of their arrival, we were never entirely sure who was the oldest.

[Granted, Luca assumed the big brother role pretty quickly.]

[chickenchoicejudy]

[Luca is spared, but only because Ryan's focus has slipped to the sibling conversation entirely. He's still grinning, but his words don't really match his face.]

It suuuucked! Middle's the worst. There were like...waaaay too many've us. Kimbers and Nancy were close, and Zach'n'Davey were close--

[He's making weird little hand gestures to go with it, as if his siblings were little models on the bar he could physically group together.]

--and I was over heeeere in the middle.

[Hearing Luca's side helps keep him on track though and away from the melancholy under the surface. He laughs a little, and probably doesn't ask enough questions.]

That's good though! Big siblings will tooootally hold it over your head forever. Like you can, you can call them names all you want and they can do it back but they'll always be like "Well IIII'M older so there!"

[unheiring]

You sound like you loved them all the same, though.

[If his expression is anything to go off of, at least. But perhaps that's his own bias speaking. He'd been able to, in essence, choose his sibling, and their father had loved them both unconditionally, regardless of blood ties. While he does know that not every familial relationship is a happy one, it's not the sort of thing he's lived.]

Honestly, Kiera still holds things over my head. They are taller, after all. [He winks.] Truthfully, though, she let me get away with far too much for my own good.

[chickenchoicejudy]

[Ryan nods. It feels good to nod while his head's a little wobbly.]

Yeah. It's not...like, they're not the ones who had too many kids. Y'know? And sometimes it was fun!

[He can't help but laugh when Luca winks, but it fades a little as he tries to think. It seems this is the first time he's had to think about this in a long time.]

Huh. I...don't know who's tallest anymore, actually.

[That feels sad and pathetic though, especially now that he's said it out loud and let it out into the room. Clumsily, he spins it right back to Luca.]

Sooooooooooooo, what'd they let you get away with?

[He has a mischevious smile over the top of his drink. It sounds like there's a story there! Was he a trouble maker as a kid? Did he say even WORSE curse words?]

[unheiring]

Mm. It's like that, then?

[It's... Still not something he fully understands. Families tended to be rather massive in Renova. The Aurelius family had only faltered as a result of the Phoenix's weakness and consolidation, after all. Still, he doesn't bring that much up, especially when he can see Ryan's mood beginning to falter.]

Suppose you can just assume it is you then, can't you?

[He shifts enough to nudge Ryan playfully. Stay with him, buddy.]

Beasts, we were both rather terrible. We quite enjoyed playing pranks on the council when they were busy in meetings. Our father even helped run distraction from time to time. Beyond that, though, there was quite a bit of me helping Kiera sneak out of homes after, ah... Staying too late?

[chickenchoicejudy]

[Big families are fine when there's lots of support, in places where "it takes a village" really means something. When there's only a mother and a father and the father is out of town more often than not, the mother is left alone with five mouths to feed and five kids screaming for attention, it's more of a problem. Being a good kid meant being a quiet one, one who could take care of themselves and didn't need very much. It meant gauging every problem and wondering if it was truly worth bringing up, and it meant no one really cared unless Ryan was doing something.

The nudge helps, tugging him back into the moment, and he snickers.]

I did a looooot of that...high school parties, man. My siblings were no help at all though so I'd crash with Min-Giii.

[Even if it meant "getting caught" by Min's parents, it...weirdly felt better than going home and either immediately being sold out by one of his little brothers, or worse, no one no realizing he was gone at all.]

That sounds so fun though...pranks, being little brats together. Sounds like your dad let you get away with some stuff too.

[unheiring]

Maybe it helps that we were so close in age. And that it really was only us.

[Since there seemed to be a lot of pairing up with Ryan's siblings, Luca can imagine it was easy to begin feeling left out. It's far easier to be closer to someone, when there was no other option.

Luca's expression falters in the slightest. Talking about his father grows easier the more he does it, but that initial pang never seems to go away.]

He... He did. Despite my position in life, and all the expectations that came with it, he wanted me to have a normal life. And he did not want Kiera to feel as if they were somehow less than I was. They were an Aure lius, through and through.

He was a good man.

[chickenchoicejudy]

[That would help. It isn't as though Ryan doesn't have any old memories he holds dear, but having to fight for attention and affection left its mark.

He likes listening to Luca though, even if the story is a little melancholy in parts. His elbow is propped on the bar, head resting in his hand.]

Mm. Sounds like it...sounds like Min-Gi's dad? Like, there's pressure, but...he jus'wants a good life for him. And...I dunno, I was there a lot. They're nice people.

[Min's mom and dad, he means. He's skipping from point to point a little, but one thing's clear - Min-Gi's dad is the example here and not his own. A thought bobs to the surface though, and Ryan frown trying to put it into words. There were a lot of was-es in that story...]

...Sorry.

[He clumsily reaches over and pat-pats Luca on the arm with incredible drunken sincerity. Here he is bitching about his own family and Luca's dad is probably dead? That sucks. That's terrible and sad and he wants to make better words for it but it's just not happening.]

[unheiring]

That's good. Parents like that should be the norm.

[But even Luca, for all his blissful upbringing, knows that isn't the case. His best friend, after all, had been subject to an incredible amount of pressure from her father. Her and her siblings, for that matter.

Ryan's apology is a bit surprising, though. Luca glances toward him and ultimately... just shakes his head.]

It has been a long time. If the forest did not bring it up so often, maybe I would even be over it by now. [Doubtful, but...] You have seen the spirit in the bar, right? It is... comforting to know that I can see my father from time to time now, even if he cannot respond.

[chickenchoicejudy]

[Ryan nods, but thankfully he doesn't seem to linger on that thought about good parents or bad parents. He just sips his drink and listens to Luca and nearly chokes on it when it turns into a ghost story.]

That'ssyour DAD?!

[His drunk mind is BLOWN.]

I didn't even know that was real, like...a real thing or if I jus' made it up in my head or...

[He squints at Luca a little, trying and failing to gauge this. Wait, wait a minute. He's drunk not GULL. I. BLE.]

...yooooou're not fucking with me, right? Riiiiight.....?

[unheiring]

[Grim though the topic is, Ryan almost makes it... silly. Luca has to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing at the man, knowing full well that busting up in this moment was liable to ruin any chance of convincing him. Nevertheless, the corners of Luca's mouth do turn upward in the slightest.]

I swear it. My sibling can confirm as much, if you want, but this is not the sort of thing I would lie about. [His tone is painfully earnest.] He tends to mostly hang around when Kiera and I are unavailable, but occasionally we are allowed glimpses of him.

He seems to enjoy when people cause trouble.