EVENT: Heartless Swarm

[fatedhearts]

Things have been fairly peaceful for a while now as everyone has settled into their current lives on this new world. But one day towards late summer, that all comes to an end.

One of the portals in the sky suddenly opens again, an odd glowing light surrounding it as it ejects creature after creature. Then it closes, followed by another glowing portal elsewhere in the sky emitting the same creatures. Small and black, mostly, with odd antennae and glowing eyes. Some here will know them. The Heartless, creatures of the darkness who seek hearts. Those they attack, if they give in to the darkness in their hearts, will become Heartless themselves.

Where is a Keybearer when we need one?!

OOC INFO

Heartless can be encountered anywhere! They're pouring into Edge, the Midgar ruins, Kalm, Wutai, and everywhere else. Balamb Garden won't be spared, but if they're able to seal everything off in time and take flight, they may be safe from the majority of the creatures and be a safehouse for anyone desperate to escape them.

Anyone familiar with Heartless is encouraged to try to defeat them (or control them, if they're lucky enough to possess that ability). But they may find something else will push back if they try. Did someone deliberately send the Heartless through the portals? Who, and why? Does someone on the other side of those portals know what's happening here? And why are the portals glowing when they open? Is there any important significance in that?

(And yes, this is a very significant event that will have a deep bearing on the overall plot!)

Before anyone asks, having your character become a Heartless is probably not a good idea, given that it would be very difficult to get them back to their normal selves at this point in the game. But we welcome intense situations of Heartless trying their hardest to claim hearts before they're stopped!

The event is scheduled to run through August 10th, but backdating and backtagging is encouraged for as long as everyone wants! Post toplevels to this post or create new posts!

Comments

Re: *Briar

[4_lumps_of_thread]

"A decorated staff tells all who see it the story of our lives," she said, glancing back at where her staff rested against the wall, its brass cap dripping into graceful designs that wound around the wood from the top and up from the bottom, but not where her hands were likely to be in most forms.

"That's not the only reason," Tris said, shredding some bred in disgust. "Defend them all you want, but I don't think you should given how they treated you," she said bitterly.

Daja took a deep breath. "That is over now, you were all right then. But I have made my peace now."

"What Daj' isn't saying," Briar drawled sounding lazy but his eyes were angry, "is that for a while around when we all first met her staff had just a plain brass cap on either side."

"Briar," Sandry said gently, firmly. Her eyes were flashing with anger too, though. She rested a hand gently on his arm.

Briar shook his head. "She survived," he told their guest. "She survived, just barely, the disaster that killed her whole family. And these Traders," he nearly spat the word, "who are all so much about their community, their families,"

"Briar," Daja said sharply.

"They treated you like dirt," Tris snapped. "And you keep defending them!" she stood up abruptly. "You think because they put a fancy word on it, because they called you trangshi instead of something more widely understood in other languages that it was okay? Well I don't! And I don't have to hear you defend them against us! Not again!" she stalked from the room and back up the stairs stomping loudly as she went.

"She's not wrong," Sandry admitted softly, voice apologetic, eyes gentle and concerned.

Daja blew out through her nose heavily. "I don't want to discuss it anymore. Out loud or mentally."

"Trangshi are marked by plain caps, so the other Traders know to spit on them," Briar said.

"Briar!" Daja said. "they did not spit on me and you know it!"

"Might as well have done," he growled. "Oh, no wait, that means they would have gotten near you and then they'd have to cleanse themselves."

"It doesn't matter any more!" Daja said, shaking and clearly hurt as well as angry. "Trader Komi mark it, my debts are cleared, I'm not Trangshi anymore!"

"Yeah? And how many others will save a full caravan from a forest fire?" Briar snapped back, getting up. "You're out, but what about the others who get made Trangshi after you? But you got out so you're okay and that's all that matters? Tris has the right idea!" he stalked out the back door.

Sandry reached over to rest a comforting hand on Daja's arm, and clearly was speaking to her silently.

After a moment, Daja, clearly fighting tears stood up. "Whatever, I'm done talking about this. I'll be back in to do the washing, it is my night. I'll be in the forge till then." She left through the front door.

Sandry sighed then gave him a small apologetic nod. "I'm sorry. Even before, this was a point of contention." She got up and starteed clearing the table.

Re: *Briar

[3wingedangel]

Sephiroth was inwardly cringing as things escalated. He leaned more towards siding with the others, but he understood how complicated such situations could be.

"I apologize for causing such a problem," he said, and stood to help with the dishes.

Re: *Briar

[4_lumps_of_thread]

"Not at all your fault," Sandry assured him. "It is an old argument, but still hurts despite that," she said quietly. "They'll all cool down in time. We're all still keyed up some from the fight and worried about what it means going forward which does not help. We... spent some time apart for a while, not long ago. We're still learning who we are now that we are together again."

Re: *Briar

[3wingedangel]

"Yes. I could see the hurt on all sides," he said.

"It can be difficult, reuniting after a long time apart."