[SEMI-CLOSED] Investigating What Remains

[whiteshroud]

WHO: Jun, Flins, Persephone, Wei Wuxian, Lapis, Jinwoo, Ratio, Venti
WHERE: El Nido
WHEN: Nighttime, after the October Horror Plot!
WHAT: Investigating and purifying the remains of the carnival
WARNINGS: Will add as needed! But there will be discussions of death.

[While there have been no official announcements, words of the Baron's carnival of death has been slowly getting around by word of mouth from the victims who went through the ordeal. While most wouldn't be blamed from wanting to stay far far away from El Nido for awhile, there was still the matter of what remains after the Baron's onslaught. And so, various folks, for their own reasons, have decided to investigate just that]

Comments

ARRIVAL

[whiteshroud]

[The gate to El Nido is on the beach, a bit away from the the usual popular spots (though considering it's October and nighttime, there's not many folks on the beach beyond seals). This will be a good place to gather and meet up with the other people who also decided to happen by!]

Shroud | OTA

[whiteshroud]

[Which lucky for you guys, one of those early arrivals? Is Shroud, standing there in his full uniform. He's actually been a pretty rare sight these past few months, rarely even being seen on rooftops or on many missions. And yet, the news of the Baron's acts seem to have drawn him out.

Right now, he's standing near some rocks on the beach next the gate, waiting silently for his companion to arrive. But, feel free to approach him.]

[lanternae]

Well hello there, Shroud.

[Approaching the cloaked figure is Flins, lantern in hand as he walks forward. His yellow eyes reflect off the lantern's light, giving a content glint in the dark.]

What a wondrous stroke of luck. It seems we had the same idea, albeit likely for different reasons.

[He won't question WHY Shroud is here. That part seems obvious.]

[whiteshroud]

[Shroud will lift his head when he's approached by Flins. He wasn't expecting to see Flins here, but at the same time, Flins typically appears when you don't expect him- so it's not a shocking surprise.

When he speaks, it's in that modulated voice]

Flins, a pleasure to see you again. Sorry I missed you the other day. [You know when he was running up that tower like a madman]

Here to investigate the Omatsuri Carnival?

[Because yeah he cannot picture Flins coming to El Nido for a beach vacation]

[aslowburn]

[ Some might say it is deeply unwise for Persephone to return to the place she was killed so soon after the fact. But in truth, Persephone has died, many, many times. More times than she can remember, quite literally. There is no trauma lingering here. She faced far worse traumas that she lived through than those that ended her many lives. She's not sad, she's not scared.

No, what Persephone is, is pissed. Having the absolute audacity of killing her with plants 0 her domain (HER domain!!!) has rankled her considerably. And the waiting room them put her in after? The farce of an afterlife? Absolutely unacceptable.

She knows there's likely nothing left to fight there, but on the off-chance there is, she's ready to get some revenge. But more than that, she had a job to do. There are likely souls still trapped, and it's her duty to see them through to the next world.

So, she arrives from her realm, stepping out onto the blighted beach. There are more people here than she expected - she squints them for a moment, before heading over to Shroud. ]

Quite a turn out, it seems.

[whiteshroud]

[Ah, there's his partner. Initially Jun had been hesitant to have Persephone along with this, considering how fresh this all must be. Were Persephone a human, it'd be natural for her to not want to go near this place anytime soon due to the reminders and trauma it caused.

But Persephone wasn't a human, she was a god. This event didn't traumatize her so much as insulted her. So when she insisted that she'd come along on this venture, he was quick to give up argument. If it'll make her feel better making sure this farce is dealt with by her hand, so be it.

He'll give a nod of acknowledgement as she approaches]

More than I was expecting. Seems word has traveled fast.

Kyryll Chudomirovich Flins | OTA

[lanternae]

[Another early arrival is Flins, stepping through the El Nido gate with his lantern in hand. The blue flame inside emits a soft, ethereal glow as it illuminates the dark, his yellow eyes scanning the surroundings.

After hearing what had happened regarding the Omatsuri Carnival and its crazed Baron, Flins had taken a special interest in this place. An event with so many deaths, as temporary as they were, made him want to investigate to see if any of this was related to the Wild Hunt.

He hoped he was wrong and that it was just the crazed ambitions of a madman, but Flins can't be too cautious.]

Hm. I can feel some leftover elemental residue, and the stench of death still remains.

[aslowburn]

[ He's not human. She can tell he isn't human. She doesn't know what he is, but it's clearly not human.

And so, Persephone, Goddess of Spring, Queen of the Dead, moves to stand near the young... being with a lantern. ]

There's still a lot of work to be done, it seems. [She looks his way.] What are you?

Dr. Ratio | OTA

[mediocrites]

[Dr. Ratio is standing on the beach near the arrival gate, checking over some sort of handheld scanning device, preparing a paper notebook to record measurements, and smoothing down his ruffled feathers - coming to spend some time on the other side of a warm-weather gate means that he's dressed rather unseasonably for Kaisou's October weather, and he's still shaking off the chill.

Occasionally he's casting perplexed glances at the other people from Kaisou who are starting to show up on the beach as well; he wasn't anticipating anywhere near this much company.]

[whiteshroud]

[Shroud is standing by and catches sight of Ratio, and honestly? This is one arrival that actually surprises him- enough to make him tilt his head in curiosity. He won't say anything directly-- but Ratio can probably feel his focus on him.

Why is Varian's favorite math professor here?]

Lapis Agapov | OTA

[crisantemo]

[ While Lapis tends to be a frequent visitor to El Nido for far more... relaxing reasons, today she's here due to the lingering regret and deaths that hang over the place. She's heard of what happened here, of the souls made to linger due a man unable to properly mourn their passing. Plus some information from a local graveyard cryptid made her all the more concerned -

Though it seems like she's not the only; but it's also a relief, to see more faces here. Investigating in a group is safer than going about this alone.

Currently she's by the gate on her phone and keeping people updated of what's going on - though anyone that catches her eye will get a blink, and then a quick nod of her head with a warm little smile. ]

[whiteshroud]

[Oh, there's another familiar face when it come to events with high death tolls and ghosts. Shroud from where he's standing will give her a nod and a small wave in return- like someone you regularly share a bus stop with. SUP LAPIS]

Come to investigate the spirits?

[lanternae]

I had a feeling someone was following me.

[He's joking. He has to be joking. He literally gave Lapis the location and time and walked slower than usual so that she could follow without losing sight of him. As if that was possible.]

Not that I can blame you. There's much to learn from the dead.

[Especially when it comes to how and why this happened.]

Wei Wuxian | OTA

[conseqweinces]

[It's been a busy two months. Wei Wuxian has had personal things he wanted to investigate last month with Harumasa's illness and how that barrier in Asgard was holding up. To say nothing of Kaisou's barrier and...

Corrin... no, he didn't have to think about that. It's best if he kept away from Rin'er anyway.

Given what Wei Wuxian experienced last year and the nauseating stench of Earth magic from this place, of course he would investigate. He made a mental note to check on people who were in this place that he knew... but for the moment he had work to do.

He arrived at the Gate's entrance and removed some things from a messenger bag while muttering to himself. One of those things, oddly enough, being a dark black flute.]

[whiteshroud]

[Shroud's attention is caught by the presence of one his POKEGO colleagues. Not... one of his preferred ones, but he supposes Lotus's has always had a way of poking his nose into things.]

What's the flue for?

INVESTIGATION

[whiteshroud]

[For those who came to El Nido in order to investigate and gain more information on the Baron and the Lily Incarnation ]

Lapis Agapov | OTA

[crisantemo]

a.

[ Once they've all stepped through the Gate, Lapis will get straight to what she's been meaning to do - speaking to the spirits still left wandering here, all stuck in this limbo in varying states of decay. There's... There's so many, left adrift here; so many who found their relationships breaking down and picked off one by one. Over and over and over again...

Of course they're upset, distressed - furious at Baron, even though he's been taken out. Their anger and grief lingers, but having someone to speak to seems to be helping; Lapis can be found speaking to couple of spirits, those who were once part of the same crew.

It is a difficult conversation, but eventually they seem to... come to an agreement? Some sort of peace is made behind them, and as the spirits drift away - finally content - Lapis lets herself sigh with a small sag of her shoulders. ]

b.

So... That flower was a demon.

[ At one point, Lapis has turned her attention from talking to spirits to speaking to... demons? Specifically, a hellhound that she can summon and that now sits by her side; an old friend from childhood and a good source of information on things demon-related. And from what he's telling her, this Lily Carnation was a demon of the earth element variety. Considering what it was capable of, that does make sense...

Then there's a grumbling growl from the hound, and Lapis makes a face in response. ]

"Also their vibes were rancid," I think that's pretty explanatory, with all this corruption.

[ Cue a snort from the demon. He thinks it's important to point out how much they sucked! ]

B

[whiteshroud]

[Shroud is standing by quietly, letting Lapis look into things with her. He'll make sure to stand a distance from the hellhound- more for the hellhound sake than any concern he has.

The flower was a demon...]

That'd explain the energy readings. And the Baron?

Kyryll Chudomirovich Flins | OTA

[lanternae]

[Flins was allowed first entry. A natural conclusion--he wasn't here to do any sort of purification. It just wasn't in his wheelhouse.

His role was to speak to the spirits that had been left to wander the beach in lieu of the Baron's departure. Was this simply a man consumed by grief that he stumbled upon the power to right his wrongs? Or was there something else...

So far, he doesn't find a rift in the Spirit Vein--a telling sign that the Wild Hunt had been there, but one can't be too sure. He crouches down to look at a scrap of cloth stuck to a dried out, thorned vine, peeling it off the spires on the withered remains of the plant. His face is grave, the bags under his eyes even more pronounced than normal. His lantern remains in his hand, its calm blue flames enveloping it, and yet not burning his hand in the slightest.

Another good sign. His flames would turn red if any Wild Hunt activity were to show.]

Was this the scarf you were looking for? Not to worry. I will see to it that it gets delivered to your loved ones.

Rest now. Your journey in this realm has ended, and you begin a new one.

[He closes his eyes, softly whispering to seemingly no one in particular.]

The winds awaken, the leaves whirl round...
Our cheeks are pale, our hair does flutter, our eyes burn bright as flame.
Free your heart from dreams of the living.

[That was the Lightkeeper's oath.]

HANGING OUT AT THE RESORT

[whiteshroud]

[Are you killing time while other people do their work? Do you need a break from the evil corruption? You can hang out at the resort. It's late at night, but the beach is still open as well as the bar! ]

Lapis Agapov | OTA

[crisantemo]

[ At some point during the investigation, a little...

Wisp? A little wisp made of shadow floats over to the edges of the resort, away from any spirits and patches of corruption. When the wisp spots someone though, it's Lapis' voice - softer than usual - that comes out. ]

Don't mind me, just taking a break...

[ She's just gonna park herself on this table. ]

CLEAN UP

[whiteshroud]

[Once all the investigations are done and the spirits are chatted with, it's time to clean up this mess. Persephone and Shroud will be taking the lead on this, and Shroud will be advising people keep their distance for their own safety. Still, might be worth a watch]

Persephone | OTA

[aslowburn]

[While Persephone is still very annoyed about being killed in this place (and rather irritated she didn't get to punch things to make herself feel better) but she knows she has a job to do. She has hung back while people spoke to the spirits. Her job is not to befriend them, after all. They are the dead, and she is their Queen. So she lingers in the background, letting people chat away.

But once they're done, she's ready for her work. She goes to each spirit in turn, resting a hand on their shoulder, pressing a coin into their hands- it turning spectral in the process. She's still for a moment, until her eyes glow golden- and just like that, the spirit passes on, moved towards the Underworld. There, she knows Charon will be ready for them. He'll carry them across the Styx to whatever part of the Underworld they are destined for.

And he'll probably ask them to play I Spy as he does so, but there's not much she can do about that from here.

And so she keeps going, from one spirit to the next, sending them on their way. If she notices you watching, she'll glance your way.]

I'm glad we returned. Some of these spirits have been trapped here for a very long time. It's long past it that they finally get their peace.

Shroud | OTA

[whiteshroud]

[Shroud waits until everyone finishes their investigations and as Persephone shepherds any souls off to the Underworld, standing by quietly as everyone does their work- but always watching. Even if he doesn't always speak up, he's definitely taking note of everything observed. After all, it was important to know what transpired here.

It's only when everyone else is wrapped up, does he step forward to do the work he was actually here for. He'll walk to the center of the corrupted area, observing just how much there was and how much effort he'll need to put into this. Unfortunately.... it's more than he could purify than just by himself. It'd be easier with Mikleo here, but with him all in japan... it'll have to be up to the other Spirit he has a pact with.

...Well, he'll just have to hope all their practice sessions have paid off.

He'll then give one last call of warning to anyone still in the area.]

I'm now going to invoke the power of a Spirit to assist in the Purification. While in theory this ritual should be safe to mortals... the Spirit I'm working with today is more accustomed to applying lethal levels of power to demonic corruption.

As such, just in case... consider this your warning to find refuge.

[In other words: TAKE COVER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO GET BLASTED. ]

Taking cover

[lanternae]

[Flins has more than prepared for this exact moment, taking shelter into his lantern and entrusted himself into Shroud's care.

He can be seen dangling from the man's waist belts, the blue flame inside flickering steadily.]