ph_logs | JULY MINI EVENT - Branching Out!

Branching Out

A cool breeze threads through the trees of Lockwood Forest as Teddy Pennyburrow and his gaggle of volunteers begin to set up the camp.

It's been a monumental occasion, receiving enough funding to the Autumn Leaves Dormitory House to give it some much-needed upgrades and expansions, but the process hasn't been without its trouble. Finding somewhere to keep the children while the construction is under way took a great deal of thought and deliberation--- after all, the Oak & Iron doesn't exactly have the space to accommodate so many displaced kids, from toddlers to teenagers--- but with some assistance from those working so closely with the House, a seasonally-appropriate consensus was reached.

What better way to pass the time and make it fun for everyone involved than to have it be a camping excursion?

Summer Camp Season

In a wide clearing within the centermost area of the woods, Mr. Pennyburrow has gathered as many volunteers as he could possibly manage to keep the children active, engaged, and most importantly, safe. Among the roles called for in his volunteer-seeking notice on the public bulletin board, Pennyburrow called help for:

➤

Teachers, to educate the children on survivalism and nature, as well as any other subjects that might be easily taught to a gaggle of children in the woods. Math might prove to be challenging, here. (Anyone aspiring to teach full-time at the Dormitory House are encouraged to join them, as with the expansions and additional funding, Pennyburrow will be looking to hire a few offworld teachers to create curriculums!)

➤

Storytellers, especially anyone with a knack for tales of mystery and terror. (Campfire for ominous lighting while telling the stories will, of course, be provided. The teenagers would be willing to settle for no less.)

➤

Foragers and cooks, especially with skill in campfire-cooking.

➤

Warriors and guards, for assistance with keeping the campsite safe from any threats that lie in the forest.

➤

General attendants, particularly anyone with a keen eye (and potentially with the ability to guide rowdy groups into games to pass the time).

Though the position is voluntary, Pennyburrow still offers a humble 100B to anyone who comes to assist. (Mod note: if your character attends the event, feel free to go ahead and add 100B to their ledger!)

♥

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Play dead Counter-threat *Uppies

"Yeah, yeah, if you say so," Kris says, smirking. "Hey, pull me up, willya? I wanna be tall with you."

"Alright—I'd say hold tight but it's basically impossible for me to drop you." Sticky hands, and all.

She reaches down to grab their hands and pull them up, adjusting her positioning on the branch on the fly to flip them both up to perch upright.

Kris throws some weight into the flip to help with momentum, plopping onto the branch in such a way that their legs dangle down. "Sick, thanks."

Share snacks Talk about camping *Say something ominous

For a long moment, Kris is quiet, enjoying the new view with the new friend. But being Soulless is surprisingly draining, and the emptiness in their chest starts to feel heavy. Their fingers clutch the branch of the tree in a white knuckle grip.

They can't tell Susie or Ralsei about this. They can't tell their mom. They can't tell Noelle. No one back home can know. But perhaps, in the confidence of a new friend, they can finally get this off their hollow chest. "...I need tell you something," Kris mutters. "But you have to promise to keep it a secret, and not to freak out."

Gwen sits in the quiet happily enough, idly re-tying her hair and letting her legs swing, until Kris speaks again. Little ominous there, bud, but there's little more than a wrinkle in her brow before she nods.

"Yeah, okay, I promise."

*Proceed

"Okay so like." Oh god, they didn't actually think about how to present this information. "I think my Soul is like. Broken. It has a mind of it's own? I-I know that sounds crazy but it talks to me and kinda controls me a little actually and has--- magic powers and crap like that, I don't even know, and I know, I know I sound like an insane person but I c-can't talk to Susie or anyone about this and I---"

Kris looks Gwen dead in the eye. Their voice lowers.

"I took it out."

What the shit.

She's not freaking out. There's a lot of implicit information there that she has next to no context for but she's not freaking out she's just— processing. Wow, they seem scared. Totally unlike the little shit (complimentary) she's seen so far.

Okay, so a Soul is an actual tangible thing in their universe. That's not the weirdest thing she's ever heard. The rest— man.

Right. Start somewhere.

"Hey, hey, you don't sound insane. Or, uh, if you sound insane, then a lot of the things I could tell people sound insane too." She turns to face them more directly. "You took it out? Are you— are you okay?"

"Not really?" Kris is definitely sweating, and not just in a "hot outside" kind of way. They look sick. "It can only be out--- for a little while. I-I don't think it wants to hurt me, it seems--- like it cares? And I think I'll die if I leave it out, s-so it can't. I can't. Just stay me. I..."

Kris takes a deep breath. "I know... I know there's nothing you can do. I know. I'm not asking. I just... wanted to tell someone. I can't stand being the only one... who knows."

"Yeah, okay, I get that. Sometimes keeping secrets literally makes you feel like you're going insane." She knows that well enough. So much of her teenage years has been about secrets that could upend her whole life. There's nothing quite so lonely as that.

God, they do look sick. They must know their limits if they've done it before, must know when to put it back, but it makes Gwen's face twist with concern anyway.

"...believe it or not I know a little bit about your life being controlled by something— else," she says, then breezes right to: "If it doesn't want to hurt you that's— something, at least. But. Shit. That's a lot to have to just to be... you."

"Yeah," Kris wheezes, wiping sweat from their brow. "I'll probably have to go get it back soon... But not for a bit longer."

Be sincere Laugh it off *Worry

"...God, I hope nobody finds it. If Susie opens my bag and sees it in there, she's gonna freak."

"I've been keeping a pretty good eye on where everyone's going. If it looks like she's gonna head that way, I can run interference."

No hesitation. Helping cover for someone is firmly within her comfort zone.

JULY MINI EVENT - Branching Out!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject