SOARING HEIGHTS

disorientation.

RevelationHEIGHTS - week 2 interim with moze & welt.

"See for yourself." A hand reaching inside his coat, pulling the map that's information conflicts with the one he memorised earlier in the week, streets, names, landmarks, all changed as if someone pressed the big red cosmic reset button. Welt ponders Ezio's words, the description of the attack, searching for some semblance of familiarity in his long memory before coming up short, forcing him to move to his next point before he loses the line of thought completely. "The thumb drive? Did they take it?" It's the only proof they have of something far more sinister going on, yet the herrscher fears that was the actual target.

"Perhaps... but even then, changes in time-space leave indicators, and there's been no husks to correct the alterations..." A trailing thought, as if he's debating with some unseen force for all to hear. "Even if they were to appear, they're usually accompanied by the ticking of a clock... Ezio, think back further, before the blink, did you hear or see anything, a golden light perhaps?"

Ezio squints at the map Welt brings out. He knew that handwriting—it was ostensibly his. Yet the lay of the land was unfamiliar. Buildings are not where they're supposed to be, the streets are mislabeled and twist in all sorts of wrong directions. Was this Soaring Heights?

He inhales. He'd have to find out for himself, when he's in better shape. For now, he answers Welt's question.

"The thumb drive, from Seb? Should still be in my coat pocket somewhere. Assuming I didn't drop it."

He flicks his brow down towards his coat, which is covered in blood. Maybe you should wipe it down before using it...

"Golden light... ugh, sorry. My head's killing me." Ezio squeezes his eyes shut, "I... I don't remember. Kinda feels like my brain was cut off when that blink happened. Sorry, old man. Did you all see anything weird, though?"

disorientation.

RevelationHEIGHTS - week 2 interim with moze & welt.

with ezio finally stirring, there's nothing immediately apparent that gives them a strong lead... especially since the man seems unsure who attacked him in the first place. free hand pulls out more gauze, and then starts to blot it at forehead; "please, don't strain yourself too much mr. ezio. we'll bandage up your wound soon." foggy vision turns to welt momentarily, before he tries to think on what something weird may entail. if there was something to follow with that as a lead... it wasn't a person, at the very least.

so... did something incorporeal stab him? maybe they can at least get a better idea, if they can figure out what something weird was to ezio. "it feels like... the city has changed to some degree. is that what you mean? I can't see well enough to know for sure, but perhaps the others can attest to what seems to be going on around here. what did you experience?"

@revelation-heights @secondsovereign @taciturncorvidae.

"It's kinda hard to describe, honestly..." Ezio closes his eyes, "It felt like... there was this blink. Then everything started spinning, and I felt someone stab me. Maybe I was fighting them? I dunno... Anyways, I fell to the ground, and I think that's when I got knocked out." He sighs. His fists clench up and his jaw stiffens. "It's a lame testimony. But that's about all I can remember."

He wishes he understood more about it. But he had been alone when the incident occurred—everyone else in the bus terminal had inexplicably disappeared. They would have to rely on his unreliable memory.

"You said the city changed to some degree, though. What's changed about it?" Ezio glances up at Moze and Welt, "Is it anything bad?"

@secondsovereign @taciturncorvidae

disorientation.

RevelationHEIGHTS - week 2 interim with moze & welt.

taciturncorvidae

A Stelleron. An Emanator of IX.

Too many thoughts were swirling inside Moze's mind as Mr. Welt raddles off his theories to them. Trying to comprehend while in-between running around to get both the men supplies they needed and assistance when asked. From how it sounds, things are a lot more complicated than what they first thought.

This Frankie that Mr. Welt was talking about is harboring a Stelleron, and being the main cause to all these disappearances in town. His brows furrow with worry at their odds. The only thing he knew of a Stelleron were through reports after the fact, so his knowledge is very limited. Would they even have what it takes to take one down with their forces currently? Even the Loufu had to expend multiple different resources to successfully suppress the Arbor's influence, and they just barely managed success.

The thought over-takes his brain that has him not paying attention to what he was doing. Almost pouring half the bottle of antiseptic on a cloth if it wasn't for his sharp reflexes. He lets's out a sigh of relief before Jiaoqiu addresses him. He nods at the orders given and begins to make his way over the group. His eyes directly landing on the Emanator of IX, to get a status report of any findings they might have found while they tried to save Ezio's life. If he was nervous, he didn't show it outwardly as they converse. He just hopes that the detective will pull through. Not just for pities sake, but mostly to get some answers as to what happened here.

@revelation-heights | @spicehill | @secondsovereign

"...Shit."

Ezio's eyes slowly flutter open. His vision has yet to fully clear, but he can make out the distinct shapes of people looking down on him. He feels their presence, too—the distinct smell of medicine and antiseptic fills his nose and burns through the wound by his stomach. How long had he been out for? He groans.

"Sorry fellas, I... I dunno what happened, it—" he tries pulling himself up, only to be seized by a searing pain. He hisses, "Ugh..."

Ezio sinks back to the concrete floor. He glances up at you all, but his eyes remain unfocused. He's also sweating a lot.

"When... did you guys get here? Tell me... did something weird happen to you too?"

@spicehill @secondsovereign

#REVELATIONHeights2025: Week 2 Interim!

( Lyney, Jiaoqiu, Moze, Welt Yang, Seele, Acheron, Hook )

The trip back to the bus terminal feels rather long tonight—the streets of Soaring Heights, which you have grown familiar with during your time spent reclaiming it, seem to tumble and twist with new corners, new alleyways, and new buildings. It's a bit nauseating to go through. Has this house always been there? Has this street lamp always stood here? You don't know. You don't remember. You are forced to spend a good part of the evening making sense of your path. Eventually, you spot that familiar structure in the distance, with Ezio's bus jutting out from the entrance. What surrounds it is not as familiar, however—a rusted old sign welcomes you to an unknown city, and you realize that the road leading up to it is broken and pot-holed, far more than you recall it being. Things are seeming less and less recognizable by the moment, and whatever fears or apprehensions you may hold only hit a peak when you enter the bus terminal itself. Tala, Arjay, and Mylene are nowhere to be found. And Ezio is currently on the ground, writhing, a pool of blood gathering by his body.

What happened?

You're not sure, but things seem strange. Beyond the missing people, looking out into the horizon will give you a view of what looks like a completely different city. A different skyline, a different silhouette. Even the map Ezio gave you at the start of this week has changed. Speaking of which—he's in very rough shape. Who knows if he's going to be okay…

Week 3 will begin proper Monday, 6/23. You have from now until then to interact amongst yourselves, investigate the situation, or try and help Ezio out.

#revelationheights2025

LIVE A LITTLE MARV'

revelationheights2025 - Marvin Recruitment - mini

THE CANTEEN LOOKS LIKE IT'S SEEN BETTER DAYS, as the Duo pushes their way into the building, past all the shattered glass from the night before. The man behind the counter looks burely, scornful, like he's been here just a touch too long to care for the latest bunch of strangers to try and talk to him despite everything. Yet, Welt had promised Ezio more supplies, and more defences, that he couldn't just leave such an opportunity untouched.

"Hey, Marvin right? Listen, we're going block to block right now, taking everything back from Frankie before it's too late yaknow?" Destruction is inevitable, the humming of the little voice at the back of his head, distracting him, making him wonder if this is what Sirin's god had sounded like when it'd convinced her to do what she did, and yet he hopes this won't be nearly as complicated as it had been.

Taking a seat at the counter uninvited is intentional, a test to see just how delicately or not so delicately he'd need to handle the man before him. It's easy to play the kind and compassionate hand, and yet he holds the ace in his sleeve regardless, the shift in his personality that promises that he'll recruit the man by any means necessary, especially now that weapons and foes are in play that no civilian will be able to handle come nightfall.

"So whatcha say? Willing to help us run him out of town for good?" The sickly sweetness of his words is a test, a hope that he would not have to retort to a heavier touch to get the man to agree to help with whatever he can spare.

-> @revelation-heights

He's surprised to see people still walking in. He had all but resigned himself to a bankrupt fate the moment that he heard the explosions—but suppose food was something that was needed terribly during a time like this. The only question was if they had the coin to back it up.

Marvin leans over the counter, squinting. He knew about Frankie, of course he did, but he doesn't know this man. Never seen him around, too. He dresses up like one of those fancy office workers, but if he worked in that sort of district, he would have definitely stopped by this canteen by now. Maybe he wasn't a local—why would he be helping out, then? There's something about the cut of this guy's jib that Marvin isn't exactly keen on just yet.

"I'd be willing... if you did something to sweeten the deal a little." He taps his fingers on his metal countertop, "As much as I like this city, I still run a business, not a charity. If you're looking for someone to give you stuff for free, I'd suggest going someplace else."

As if there were many other places left.

By Inferno's Light

Acheron lets out an irritated sigh as she bandages another wound. "We expected a fight. We were ready for that, and confident in our skills. We didn't expect the gas - a weapon like that should not be here."

"We were able to search the Fight Club after we awoke," she continues, picking up the thread of the story. "Unfortunately, Frankie had the foresight to wipe his computer and take most of the physical documents with him. He could be anywhere, by now - and he likely has more of that gas."

It's a worrying thought. Anything that could successfully incapacitate the two of them might do far worse to any ordinary humans caught in it. And it was still out there, in the hands of the cruel, greedy man who'd already set the city aflame to seize power. "After that...we had to fight our way through some of the worst parts of the city to get back here. Most of our injuries came from that battle. They took our phones, so we didn't even know to come here - it was just sheer luck that we hitched a ride on the right truck. We...should really just rest, before we try to do anything more, I'm sorry."

Destruction is inevitable, that voice had spoken into her dreams while she lay in the bowels of the Fight Club, taunting her for ignoring its demands while the city burned around her. She and Welt had both suspected Frankie wasn't the true mastermind behind this; and the involvement of those strange weapons, the shadow of a voice whispering of Destruction...

A theory, an answer, dances at the edge of her mind, just out of reach. And as she settles in to rest until daylight, she finds herself dreading true sleep for an entirely different reason than usual.

@secondsovereign

"Nah, don't be sorry. That Frankie's a real piece of work. I'm just glad you're both here." He fiddles with something in his coat pocket, a lighter. He feels the urge to smoke, but when there are literal children in the vicinity, he knows he can't really. He settles instead for a tight clench of his jaw.

"But, okay, what I'm hearing is that he has some sort of super gas that's strong enough to knock you out?" Ezio shakes his head, "That doesn't sound good at all. I can't imagine what havoc that would wreak in the city."

Truthfully, he could, but his heart would not be able to take the image. It is something so obscene and grotesque, to use weapons of mass destruction against your fellow man. What person would enjoy seeing the suffering of others? But suppose that was the way of men like Frankie—inhumane, inconceivable, and indefensible.

He sighs. "D'you think this is related to the stuff you mentioned before? The stellaron... honkai..." he waves a hand, "...whatever all that stuff is. Given what I've heard and what I'm seeing now... I think it's possible for Frankie to have access to these sorts of things."

@secondsovereign

By Inferno's Light

HE SEES THE COMPUTER APPEAR TO BE WIPED... yet curiosity gets the better of him as he removes a glove and walks towards it, intending to employ the same tricks he'd once used to hack Himeko's phone twenty-five years prior. "I'm not surprised she likes you, you feel familiar to her." Laughter despite the dire situation, as his hand is placed onto the machine, eyes glowing amidst the low light as line after life of binary appears before stopping, the sequence of 0s and 1s flashing at him.

Welt can only hope his synthesia beacon isn't translating the words falling from his lips, the myriad curses in myriad languages shooting towards the computer that refuses to cooperate with him. It's not clear what it's telling him, but the herrscher looks more and more affronted with every sequence of numbers that appear in the midst of their stalemate, before his voice is finally returning to English. "... Your mother was a floppy disk and your father was a roll of defective magnetic tape!" Whatever the computer said was enough to annoy him, to tempt him into pulling it's hard drives and throw it into a vat of acid, before his attention turns to the almost sniggering divine key hovering beside him.

"Laugh it up, I'm not the one it called an inferior operating system." a sigh, clasping his hand around the cane and pulling it towards him before she got any... ideas on how to retaliate against the machine hanging limply in the air. "I apologise, it seems Frankie has rubbed off on it, some of the things it said are enough to make me blush." Slowly, the Herrscher walks towards the door, before something in the corner of the room is catching his attention, walking over to the meagre stash of energy bars and money with a relieved look towards whoever took pity on him.

"Snacks and money, it wasn't a completely wasted effort at least!"

-> @flower-of-oblivion

Night falls quickly as they make their way out of the abandoned building, weapons and newfound resources in hand. The darkened streets are quiet at first, lit only by the flicker of burning buildings, the ongoing battle for the city a distant echo. And then-

[15 minutes] Acheron & Welt walk from Fight Club to Block 5 Time Remaining: 7 hours 45 min [15 minutes] Acheron & Welt fight goon in Block 5. Roll: goon 9, group 4. 5 damage to Acheron & Welt (25/30hp) Time Remaining 7 hours 30 min [15 minutes] Acheron & Welt fight goon in Block 5. Roll: goon 3, group 6. 3 damage to goon (12/15hp) Time remaining: 7 hours 15 min

-a bullet arcs out of the darkness, clipping Acheron's shoulder, as a squad of thugs charge out of an alleyway, weapons brandished. A few fall as she and Welt strike out with cane and sword, but more keep coming. She slams the nearest ones back with a blast of thunder and turns to Welt, shouting to be heard over the clamour of battle.

"We need to keep moving! If they pin us down, we're dead!"

[15 minutes] Acheron & Welt fight goon in Block 5. Roll: goon 6, group 9. 3 damage to goon (9/15hp) Time Remaining 7 hours [15 minutes] Acheron & Welt fight goon in Block 5. Roll: goon 5, group 2. 4 damage to Acheron & Welt (21/30hp) Time Remaining 6 hours 45 min

They break through the encirclement - not without taking a few more minor injuries - steal a battered old jeep with a truly concerning amount of spikes bolted to it, and start driving. The remaining thugs, predictably, give chase in their own similarly-spiky and ramshackle vehicles, and more occasionally charge out of alleyways and half-looted buildings to join the battle. Ordinarily, perhaps, these street gangs would be little challenge - but they're both still weakened from the gas, and they've been fighting for hours, and neither of them can risk unleashing their full power inside a city with innocent lives still at risk-

[15 minutes] Acheron & Welt fight goon in Block 5. Roll: goon 10, group 1. 9 damage to Acheron & Welt (12/30hp) Time Remaining 6 hours 30 min [15 minutes] Acheron & Welt fight goon in Block 5. Roll: goon 10, group 8. 2 damage to Acheron & Welt (10/30hp) Time Remaining 6 hours 15 min [15 minutes] Acheron & Welt fight goon in Block 5. Roll: goon 7, group 4. 3 damage to Acheron & Welt 7/30hp) Time Remaining 6 hours

-and then an improvised grenade hits the street beside them, the blast flipping their jeep and throwing them both clear. They crash to the ground as their pursuers skid to a stop and a small horde of thugs piles out of their cars. "Nowhere to run," the leader laughs, and raises a menacing spiked baseball bat.

He's right. They're backed against the edge of an overpass, with cars occasionally speeding by below, gangsters and city police locked in deadly chases. But that might, in itself, be an opportunity. Acheron locks eyes with Welt, listening out...then, at just the right moment, grabs his hand and leaps-

[15 minutes] Acheron & Welt fight goon in Block 5. Roll: goon 7, group 4. 3 damage to Acheron & Welt 4/30hp) Time Remaining 5 hours 45 min [15 minutes] Acheron & Welt walk from Block 5 to Block 2 Time Remaining: 5 hours 30 min

The thugs cry out in surprise as they leap down, landing hard on the back of a truck. A few more bullets fly past them, and she takes another glancing hit - but the truck quickly carries them away from the bridge, away from the crowd baying for their blood. By the time it slows enough to jump off, they've reached a quieter part of the city at long last.

[15 minutes] Acheron & Welt walk from Block 2 to Block 1 Time Remaining: 5 hours 15 min [15 minutes] Acheron & Welt walk from Block 1 to Bus Station Time Remaining: 5 hours

Neither of them have much energy for speaking as they stagger through the war-torn streets, leaning on each other for support. By some stroke of luck, they've found themselves back near the bus terminal. Light pours out of the windows, and city police and a makeshift citizen militia patrol the surrounding streets. They're directed to a room further into the terminal, and Acheron helps an exhausted Welt into a seat before collapsing into one herself, her other hand still tightly gripping her sword.

She keeps her eyes squeezed shut against the bright lights, but she recognises the familiar cry of shock, the footsteps rapidly approaching. "Eizo...what happened? Where are the others? Did...did Frankie get them too?"

@revelation-heights

It isn't a quiet night, that's for damn sure. The Heights locals that had taken refuge here—the mother, her son, and the young girl—keep the air vaguely filled with their chatter. Ezio meanwhile has been pacing about the garage for hours now, keeping an eye out for anything that might threaten their little safe haven. He's been checking his phone periodically, about every minute or so. The man is not normally so restless, but tonight, he feels himself caught on edge. There is too much to worry about, and too little hope to have solutions for all of them.

Thankfully, one of his worries releases itself—the arrival of Welt and Acheron might have been enough to bring him to his knees.

"You two! Where the hell have you been?!"

Ezio runs up to them, breathless himself. They certainly look like they could be doing better—Welt seemed ragdollish, limp, and Acheron looked exhausted. Seeing them now, he can make a pretty educated guess as to where they were, actually...

"Look, when I said you could pay a visit to the fight club, I didn't mean you could pick a fight with them!"

He shakes his head and sighs. "Whatever. To answer your question: the city's under siege. Likely the work of good ol' Frankie, though I have no idea what his real plan seems to be aside from wrecking the city."

"And the others are fine—you didn't see them on the way here? They're busy clearing the streets of thugs." He stuffs his hands in his pockets, "But that's enough of that. Tell me: what happened to you?"

@secondsovereign

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLE-

GH Revelation 2025 (mini) | jiaoqiu, moze, and seele -- take back the city (seb recruitment)

"Tea... right, it's good to have tea. Come in... then."

Sebastian is not quite the gracious host that his wife was, but he tries, oh Aeons does he try. He leads them past the empty boxes, past the aisles, and to a small seating area by the back. He doesn't know where the kettle is, so he takes a few mugs, fills them with water, and microwaves them instead.

"Okay. So you want me to give you supplies? Am I getting that right?" He glances around the shop. The shelves are still relatively full of merchandise—because he blacked out the windows, people seem to have assumed it closed. He could spare a few, though he's not sure what help junk food and frozen deli meats could give to a guerilla force.

The microwave dings. He goes to grab the mugs, and sets them on the table. Then, he goes to take a few tea leaf packets from the shelf by the counter—mm, Anita always did like ginger—and puts them beside the mugs of hot water.

"That... that works. There's plenty of stuff in the stockroom that I haven't organized yet. If you guys wanna dig through that, I'll let you keep what you need. Can I ask how exactly you guys are gonna take back the city, though? Not to sound rude but... it looks pretty bad downtown. I'm not sure that this will help."

taciturncorvidae

Moze hums at Sebastian. Understanding his doubt in their current dire circumstance. Stalking the shelves and grabbing anything that could benefit them in the long run. Food, clothes, first aid, whatever can they might need in the near future. He pauses in his shopping for a second, not wanting to leave his question unanswered, he halfway turns to Sebastian in a dramatic fashion.

"We're going to be moving throughout the city, taking down the thugs that took advantage of the situation. We have more friends throughout the city doing the same thing as well to cover more ground." Moze says, saying his peace, before returning to grabbing items, knowing his teammates could fill in any of the blanks the gentleman asked for.

@revelation-heights ! @spicehill ! @dream-of-butterflies !

"Oh... so you're going to fight..."

There is a slight dip to his voice as he says that, the volume going from quiet to quieter, as though buckling beneath the weight of this city's new gravity. Of course such violent things can only be ended by similar violence, but the realization clearly sobers Sebastian up. Sebastian, who had been so intent on wasting his life away in this store that was too big for him to run. Sebastian, who up until a few days ago, had not seen any more reason to fight for his own life—much less anyone else's.

"I'm not really a fan of violence but Soaring Heights... it's home. And it's tough to see home like this..." He glances out his shop window. The chaos has yet to arrive at this part of town, but he's seen the smoke that wilts the blues of the sky—he can picture clearly what the rest of the city looks like.

He unclips a carabiner from his pant's belt loop, and takes out a key. He places this in the middle of the table.

"So you have my support. This is the key to the stockroom. Well, the extra key... Take what you need, whenever you need it, just be sure to lock it afterwards."

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLE-

GH Revelation 2025 (mini) | jiaoqiu, moze, and seele -- take back the city (seb recruitment)

Sebastian really doesn't want to go out.

It had taken him a while to remove those boxes from his window, to finally let the light back into his life. Then the city promptly began falling apart. Whatever efforts he had thrown into trying to live again had been wasted—such is life. Sometimes, you take a step forward only to be sent back to the beginning. He really doesn't want to go out. He really doesn't want to go out.

But he imagines what Anita would do, if she were here. He can see her running to the door, throwing it wide open, and ushering these people in. She would put the kettle on the stove and sit them down. And she would smile at them—yes, she would have definitely smiled despite everything.

So he takes a deep breath. He goes up from his counter, past the aisles and freezers and empty boxes. And he opens the door and goes out.

"Hello Seele. You... said you're with Ezio?" He asks, his voice rather quiet. Ezio... of course. If there was anyone who was going to try and save the city, it'd be him. "Okay, uh. How can I help you? Should I let you in? Should I... make you tea?"

the young woman who'd seemed like someone important to little hook takes the lead in breaking the ice with the shopkeeper --- upon hearing his confusion with how to respond to them, jiaoqiu clears his throat. "sebastian --- how nice to meet you. I'm jiaoqiu, and this is moze," he gestures to the young man next to him who'd just looked through an empty shop and found quite a few resources for them. "considering this shop you're running... I think we could get the most help from you by bolstering our supplies. perhaps we can spare a little time helping around your shop... we also have some supplies to spare for now, if that will help you get back on your feet. do you think that would help you enough, so that you would be able to help us in turn...?"

a head tilt --- he can just barely make out a few shadows of shelves in this shop in the daylight, but... maybe what they just found in the abandoned shop could help out here, too. then, a smile as he turns back in the direction he'd heard the man talking in. "tea does sound nice too, though." even if it'd just taste like hot water.

@taciturncorvidae @revelation-heights.

"Tea... right, it's good to have tea. Come in... then."

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLE-

GH Revelation 2025 (mini) | jiaoqiu, moze, and seele -- take back the city (seb recruitment)

As they skulk through the empty streets, Seele, Moze and Jiaoqiu find themselves outside of a shop. Ezio had mentioned a shop in the close by block, one ran by a man named Sebastian. There was uncertainty, in Seele's mind, that Sebastian would be so willing to help them in their reclamation, but she needed to at least try.

So, she gently -- but also, urgently -- knocks on the door. " Hello? Sebastian? You in there? "

Ugh, if he's not that'll be awkward. But...if he is, we have to convince him. " My name's Seele, I'm here with two others...can you help us? We're with Ezio, we're trying to help with the efforts to take back Soaring Heights. "

Her words are calm, as panic in such a moment would mean failure to convince, and failure to communicate. She looks to her comrades with a look of ' here's hoping ', as she stands outside with the two men, awaiting a response.

@taciturncorvidae @revelation-heights @spicehill

#revelationheights2025 #ghrevelation2025

Sebastian really doesn't want to go out.

So he takes a deep breath. He goes up from his counter, past the aisles and freezers and empty boxes. And he opens the door and goes out.

#REVELATIONHeights2025: Week 2 Start!

( Lyney, Jiaoqiu, Moze, Welt Yang, Seele, Acheron, Hook )

"Here's the plan..." Ezio has a large makeshift map of the city out for you guys to see. He taps his fingers on the two blocks closest to you, "From what people tell me, these two blocks are the least touched by chaos. We can start gathering strength here, then move onto the other parts of the city that have been overtaken by goons once we have enough resources." He squints his eyes. "Truth be told, I'm not sure how much of the city we can take back, but we gotta try. I dunno what these goons and their boss are planning to do once they take over the city, but I don't imagine it'll be good." He sighs. "Also, I still haven't been able to contact Welt or Acheron. My best guess is that something happened to them when they were in the fight club. Let's try and see if we can make our way to them. Though I have a feeling they'll be trying to make their way back to us, too."

Fight back!

With the bus terminal as your base of operations, you set out to reclaim the city, and reunite with Welt and Acheron. Divide yourselves into groups and set forth.

Go over the plan here. Use Ezio's map to track progress. You have until Friday, 6/20 at 11:59 PM EST for this minigame segment.

Interim interactions may be continued at this time, though it's best to prioritize responding to the thread in the minigame.

a sigh --- it's frustrating to consider that he can't make out much in the apartment, and doesn't know what tala does and doesn't have that he can recommend to take along with them under pressure like this. moze's suggestions are practical enough, though... what would be most helpful right now while she packed a few things?

after a thought, jiaoqiu takes a few cautious steps further into the room, in the direction of where he'd heard the boy's voice with his mother. then, he offers out his hand. "tala, maybe I can help him find what he wants to bring while you and uncle moze focus on grabbing some of the essentials?" in planetside borisin camps for captive foxians, all those years ago, when they needed to evacuate families in a hurry... a turn down towards arjay, and a gentle smile. "hello, arjay. while your mother looks for things... I think I have a special challenge for you. if you had to go sleep over at a friend's house for a whole week, what two or three things would you miss from here at home the most? it has to fit into a backpack, and it doesn't have to be something useful... just something you know you'd be sad without. maybe it's something like a favorite stuffed animal, or the best cup in the kitchen, or a picture of you with your mothers. can you help me do that? afterwards, when we get somewhere safe, you can show those things to all of us and share why they're special."

@revelation-heights.

#ghrevelation2025 #revelationheights2025

"Oh, that sounds perfect!" Tala says, then nods at Moze, "I think I have a first aid kit somewhere in the kitchen..."

While they acquire the goods, Arjay lingers in the middle of the den, still cramped between his cushions. He looks up at Jiaoqiu with wide brown eyes—he's never seen a man with fox ears before. He's almost entranced. The sound of Jiaoqiu's voice especially soothes him—it's very calming. So when he makes his proposal, the little boy is all for it.

"Okay, uncle!" Arjay chirps. It sounds like a fun challenge. He rises to his feet, then makes for a spot behind the couch—his small stash of toys. He brings out a plush duck, and returning to Jiaoqiu, puts it in his hands. He will find that it's soft, almost like a pillow.

"Is my Duck." He says, looking at it fondly, "My mommy gave it to me so I like it very much."

That's one, then. The challenge calls for about two. So Arjay moves around again, trying to look for that precious second. He looks over his stash again—no, there's nothing here that's as good as Duck—then moves over to a small table that has some shelving near the bottom. He surveys it for a while, then finally grabs a book. He once again returns to Jiaoqiu to put it in his hands.

"Book." He says, "Is a good book. About ducks."

At this point, Tala is done picking out her essentials—she has a change of clothes for her and Arjay, a first aid kit, and some bottles of water. She has these all in her trusty tote.

"Oh, Arjay! Have you picked out what you wanna bring?"

Arjay looks down at his duck array and smiles. "Yea."

Tala smiles. "Hooray! Let Mama put them in her bag..." She goes over to grab them and put them in her bag, and as she does, she quietly tells Jiaoqiu, "Thank you."

Everything now secure, Tala takes one last look around her apartment. Her shitty, shitty apartment filled with the people she loves. She wonders when she'll get to see this again—if she would.

"Okay. I think we've got everything. We should go before the chaos starts again."

@taciturncorvidae

"hm... people get taken, but is that the same as the people who disappear? even right under your noses, inside your homes?" maybe a question that didn't need an answer, but... he shakes his head and smiles at the thought of moze's own assertion about their abilities as the group starts to slow to a stop at a building, presumably the one that tala lived in with her son. "really... the one who they probably should've been most afraid of is little hook, but it sounded like several of the thugs were reluctant to take her up on the challenge... and moze is quite formidable, too. I'm not much of a fighter myself, particularly with my vision being as poor as it is now."

he hears a door open.... sounds like it's time to head inside.

@revelation-heights.

#ghrevelation2025 #revelationheights2025

"Oh, in that case, maybe you'd make for great thugs. Um, in terms of strength. Haha..."

Tala leads them through the dim hallway, up a set of rickety stairs, and finally stops in front of a door. Her keys jingle with the noise of several keychains as she uses it to unlock the front door.

"Arjay? Arjay?"

"Mama!" You hear the whimpering noise of a young boy sound from somewhere inside the room.

"Oh, Arjay! Mama is so so sorry she left you. Were you scared? Did you hear the booms? Why didn't you turn on the lights?"

"Scary..." You hear him hiccup. Tala flicks the switch on. The fluorescent bulb flickers to life, illuminating a small and messy room. A young boy sits in the middle, surrounded by cushions that had been ripped from the sofa. Tala runs up to him, scoops him up in her arms, and rocks him back and forth to soothe him.

"Listen, Arjay, we have to leave. It's too dangerous here. We're going to be staying with..." She glances at Moze and Jiaoqiu, "with Mama's friends, okay? These are your uncles."

Arjay sticks a small hand out to the two of you. "Uncles," he repeats.

"Uncles, yes," she turns to face you both fully, "Is there anything I should bring from home? I don't have much but if I can help in any way, just let me know. Otherwise, we should definitely leave."

@taciturncorvidae

“I’m sorry to hear that, tala. do people often get taken to places, like how those men tried to do to us?” aside from what moze had said, there wasn’t much more to ask at the moment about that. he doubted they were related, the thugs seemed like the kind of people who couldn’t quietly steal someone away in their sleep. they continue walking further as they talk, though… every so often, he hears hook somewhere behind, and slows to make sure she’s still keeping up. hopefully, it wouldn’t be too much further to the mother’s apartment building.

@revelation-heights