JULY MINI EVENT - Branching Out!

[pumpkinhollow]

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.)

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

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

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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!)

♥

Comments

[cyansoldier]

In front of her, a scene hurled into motion. Red lines splinter the black-ceramic night. Trees whisper. Scream. The scream— first the creature's, then theirs. One discordant; one strangled by fear. A kid. They're only a kid. Shouldn't have kept off but then again that's what children do. Red like lightning. Like thorny branches. It grabs them, drags them, unhinges itself and reveals the abyss of its hunger.

"Kris!"

Carolina moves without pause, wrenching an arm around Kris's torso. Aims with her fancy pistol and fires a shot straight into the creature's mouth. Small chance it'll die by a single shot— no, she doesn't need it to, just needs it stupefied. A chance for Kris to run.

[heartofadreemurr]

And stagger the thing does, its grip loosening. Frantic, Kris rails violently against their assailant, flailing and kicking with a sharp cry. Their foot finds some part of this thing's body that isn't teeth, somehow, and at last they fall.

They don't stop to thank Carolina for her help, or to see what happens next. Deep within the recesses of their human soul and parts, there is the mind of an animal, activated by fear, which tells them to run. And they do. The moment their boots hit the ground, they take off full pelt into the darkness. They don't even know which way is back. It doesn't matter right now. They just have to be anywhere, anywhere that isn't here.

They run until the feeling stops chasing them, until the animal stops screaming, and collapse to the ground at the base of a tree to sob.

[cyansoldier]

Heavy forward-sag, the body like loose drapery. Curtain-shape mistaken for living revealed inanimate in the half-light. A trick. The eyes go on shining. The red tendrils twist, contract, pull inward, as if steadying itself to steal out again. Carolina doesn't wait to find out. She bolts in Kris's direction. Finds them staggering over collapsed trees and shouldering frantically through bushes, driven by a fear that removes you from the world at large. They collapse, and she slows to a trot to kneel beside them.

Then, silence. Her hand on their back. The great mass of her, squatted beside them. Unspoken promise that when they empty themselves of tears, they'll be shown the way home. (No— not home. This place isn't home. That's the problem. But now's not the time for that.)

[heartofadreemurr]

Rough sobs continue to shake Kris's body as they hug themself tightly.

The creatures out here could be anything. Why did this one have to look like Ralsei? Right when they needed him the most? Was this island just deliberately cruel or did they just have the worst luck of anyone in the universe?

Their head ducks low as their chest aches with longing and pain. This place... sucks. They're no chosen one here, no armor or sword to protect them, no enemies that can be befriended through clever shenanigans, no strength to fight enemies whose affection cannot be won. No decisive nyooom-SLAP of a well-placed Rude Buster or Soul aglow with divine power. No TV dinners or Lancer cookies or puzzles or quizzes or games. No prophecy to guide them. No Ralsei to heal or sing the danger to sleep. Just raw, hopeless fear.

Carolina takes her spot beside them, and they quiet just a bit. Their fingers find the material of her shirt sleeve, curling into the fabric. They lean into her. She feels just as steady as the pine tree at their back, and twice as dependable. She's warm.

Safe.

"S-sorry," they mumble weakly.

[cyansoldier]

"You didn't know," She murmurs. "If it were someone I recognized out there, I would have done the exact same thing."

And in doing so, would find herself ensnared in those vicious red tendrils. Torn apart between midnight teeth. Carolina knows better than to think she could resist a familiar face— York, Maine, her mother— the Director— cloaked black and drawing her in with star eyes and the promise of home.

She sighs. Her arm finds their shoulder.

"There are things here that will try to break you down, Kris. Isolate you. Convince you that fighting is hopeless, so they can swallow you up. It knows things about us— who we are and where we were taken from— and uses that to its advantage. I know you're homesick. You want your friend. But you have to be careful, too, okay? Lean on those people you do have. Like your purple friend. Susie, right?"

[heartofadreemurr]

Susie.

Right. Susie still needs them, and they still need her. They can make it home together. Back to Ralsei, and Noelle, and Mom, Dad, Asriel, back to school and classmates and childhood friends, back to Lancer, Queen, Tenna, and even stupid Rouxls Kaard. With Susie, brave and reckless and perfect as she is, Kris can do anything.

"Yeah," they mutter. "And you."

[cyansoldier]

Something inside her gently rends itself and goes warm.

"And me." Carolina elbows them playfully in the side.

"Who knows. Maybe your friend shows up. Maybe he doesn't. But you'll see him again. None of this is permanent, we've just got to get through it for now." She stands— tall as a titan, strong as a knight, soft as a friend— and reaches out her hand to them. "Together."

[heartofadreemurr]

Taking a slow breath, Kris reaches up, takes her hand, and hoists themself up by it.

Doing all this stuff with just Susie and Ralsei... it's nothing they haven't been able to achieve. But some part of them always felt a little thrown to the wolves, young as they are. Having adults around who understand what's going on, who they don't have to hide things from... it's new. It's good, they think. Someone to trust.

If Carolina doesn't let go as they walk back to camp, Kris won't either. Maybe that's a childish thing to do. But they still have a little bit longer left to be a child.