Event Log: Senses Fail

[hadrielmods]

Who: All characters participating in the event
What: The event log for the Senses Fail event
Where: All over the city
When: May 14th-May 20th
Warnings: None

You wake up on the 14th, and something is different. Maybe it's something small - you can't smell anything, or your hearing on one side seems to be on the fritz. Or it could be something large and impossible to miss - you've gone completely blind, or you seem to be missing a leg. You've lost something, and no matter what you do, you can't seem to fix it.

Will you ever get it back? Probably, but it's impossible to be sure. And even if you're thoroughly convinced that this is temporary, that still means you have to figure out how to live like this for the next week. Even small things can be huge difficulties. Your sense of taste doesn't seem that important, until you accidentally eat something that'll make you sick. And sure, maybe you can figure out how to live without one hand, but what about when you wake up three days from now and you've also lost your magic?

Do your best to keep yourself calm, but remember: it can always get worse.

► This log covers May 14th-May 20th.
► Feel free to make your own logs, as well
► Please tag headers of threads with content warnings where they apply
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!
► If your lost sense turns out to have been essential to your survival, please let us know here.

Comments

Kain Highwind | OTA

[dragonsgrasp]

[14th; on a building near you]

[Something felt deeply wrong this morning as Kain woke, and sure enough, it doesn't take long to find out what's amiss. He only has to step outside and try to jump to confirm it. He can't feel the sky or the wind like he usually does. It's as if he's been disconnected from a fundamental part of himself.]

[For the entirety of the day, Kain will be attempting to reconnect himself to his favorite element. This means he is climbing, everywhere and on top of everything, and might be encountered in a few different ways:]

[A. Glance out a window, and find him clinging desperately to the side of the building as he climbs it.]

[B. Go to one of the Gods' Temples, and find him mid-climb, struggling under the glaring sun.]

[C. Or find him standing on a roof, staring downward and pondering whether to jump.]

[15th-16th; anywhere]

[Patrolling around is getting harder, all of a sudden. Not being able to easily jump above to a better vantage point is the worst. But even worse than that is how hard it's getting to make his legs move.]

[It's so hard, in fact, that Kain basically knocks into the first person in his path, his legs giving out as he slams heavily into whoever it is. There's nothing quite like having a tall armored man fall on you, is there? Watch out, if you even have the senses for it!]

[17th; bridge]

[After a couple of days pass, Kain is getting the unsettling impression that his legs are only getting worse. Does this stop him from attempting to go out and about on his normal business? Of course not. Still, he's hobbling very slowly but stubbornly with the use of a cane at this point. His legs aren't exactly working as easily as they usually do. While he loathes that fact, there's no chance he'd be able to make it without that assistance.]

[Unfortunately, while crossing one of the bridges across the river, Kain collapses, falling right off the edge, so he's stuck clinging to the side. He's a bit panicked and has no choice but to swallow his pride and get some help, or risk falling in. Given his current state, he can't let that happen. But somehow he keeps his voice steady, not betraying the real horror going through his head.]

I- I may need... [I can't feel my legs, oh god why can't I feel them, why can't I move them?] ...some assistance.

[late 17th-20th; clinic]

[Kain is Not Happy. But he has no choice, he can't possibly function on his own at this point. That doesn't stop him from trying to get out of his bed, using his arms to more or less haul himself to a sitting position on the side of the bed.]

I'm not ill or injured, so I really shouldn't be here. Just... give me a moment, and I'll...

[He gasps and groans with the effort of trying to move legs that just won't work.]

16th

[paragonbrosca]

[Unlike Kain, there has been no steady progression with Aren and her own deprivation. She hasn't lost the use of her right arm, rather it's abruptly gone; only a stump remains of what used to be. Rather than just hyperventilate in the house, she's trying to put up a tough front while walking with Barkspawn, but it's a facade easier cracked than usual, when she only has the use of one blade and her whole fighting style is off.

All too aware of her vulnerabilities, Aren's racing mind doesn't take into account someone literally getting the drop on her until it's too late. Barkspawn perks up and yelps in alarm, but Aren only looks up just in time to see and fail to dodge the armored human hurtling towards her. Down they both go, with a pained groan and alarmed barking heard almost right after.]

[dragonsgrasp]

[Ugh... What the...!? Kain is alarmed when he falls so suddenly, not having expected that to happen. But to make matters even worse, he's fallen on top of someone, and...]

Aren? Barkspawn? Are... Are you all right?

[Damn it... He should have been trying harder, focusing harder somehow to avoid this. He's pretty disappointed in himself right now. Hastily, he rolls off to the side in order to at least get off of her. Or... tries to roll, it's kind of a tricky maneuver when one's legs don't want to function properly. He definitely can't manage to stand, at the moment.]

[paragonbrosca]

[More pained noises as Aren can finally breathe now that the person has rolled off to the side. She looks over when her eyes can focus, ignoring Barkspawn's whining at both of them for the moment.]

Kain? The hell was that about?

[She struggles to move, used to having two arms to help her up, then sighs.]

Help me up, I only have the one arm right now and it's harder than I thought. Just don't tell anyone I was this pathetic.

[dragonsgrasp]

I'm sorry, I didn't mean... Sorry.

[He finishes awkwardly, looking toward her, suddenly alarmed as he gets a better look at the arm... or where it used to be, anyway. Well. That's... not good, at all, is it? He grimaces, though, as he looks away. At the moment, he can't make his legs cooperate, but he sure does hate admitting that.]

I can imagine that it would be. But... perhaps I'd rather stay here, for the time being...

[paragonbrosca]

[...what. Her look shifts from one of frustration and embarrassment to surprised anger.]

So, a cripple asks for help and you just go 'nah, I don't fucking feel like it'? Wow, I guess I overestimated you. I didn't realize being a decent person was too much to ask.

[Barkspawn silently provides enough support so that Aren can stand up, though less easily than if she'd had assistance from someone with hands. She's about to turn away, when Barkspawn heads over to Kain and starts examining him, pausing to sniff at those legs.]

[dragonsgrasp]

[It says something about Kain that he'd rather mar his reputation and let her think he's just being a jerk, as opposed to... admitting to the truth. But he's always been willing to sacrifice his reputation, in the grand scheme. He'd done so in the war.]

I'm not a decent person. It should be obvious by now.

[But god does he feel a sharp pang of guilt. She needs his help! But he can't... quite... give it. He turns away, downcast, but then notices Barkspawn sniffing.]

Barkspawn... please... go help your mistress, she needs it more than I do.

14th + option a

[proselytise]

[ Not from out the window, but on his way to work, he happens to glance up and see-- no, no, he has to be seeing things.

A second glance.

Okay, apparently he wasn't seeing things.

He looks up, half-blinded by the sun-- ]

Did you lock yourself out?

[ Maybe he's trying to get in through a window. ]

[dragonsgrasp]

[Kain pauses in his climbing efforts to look down and see that he's being watched from below. Maybe he should have expected that he'd attract attention sooner or later. After all, it's probably... not too normal of a sight, even in a place where strange things are known to happen.]

No... no, it's nothing like that. I'm doing this intentionally.

[Because that explains so much, Kain. Really.]

[proselytise]

Good to know you aren't doing it for no reason, I guess.

[ No, it's not really normal anywhere. ]

Seriously, what are you doing?

[dragonsgrasp]

[Right, so maybe it's not such normal behavior. On a regular day, he wouldn't need to bother with climbing, though, and that's the point of annoyance here. He frowns a bit, then sighs heavily. It's not exactly easy to admit that anything is even a little bit wrong, but he ought to at least give some explanation here.]

There's something slightly amiss with my power, so... I was trying to see whether or not climbing to a higher location would help.

[proselytise]

What, uh...is your power, anyway? If it's flying, I really wouldn't recommend trying from up there.

[ If it's anything that requires him to jump from there, he wouldn't recommend it. ]

[dragonsgrasp]

[You're so very close with that guess. Kain shakes his head, though.]

Not flight, exactly, but you're close. I can jump far into the sky, high above the buildings, almost out of sight... Or I could. I can, usually. I was hoping that getting higher would encourage it to return...

16th

[vocarrah]

[Ianchus is walking in a daze when something slams into him, knocking him flat on his back and forcing the wind out of him.

It takes him way too long to recover, and his first reaction is to shove whatever it is off him, anger and frustration momentarily taking over his emotions. But that's useless, of course, he might as well be shoving a wall. And then he realizes it's not a what, it's a who.]

--Ah. Ah, are you alright?

[dragonsgrasp]

[Well, that sure wasn't one of his finer moments. Kain tries to roll aside when he's being shoved off, though that motion is kind of difficult to manage when his legs won't work properly. What a nuisance. He shakes his head, then turns that into a nod, not entirely sure how to answer at the moment.]

I'm fine... or I should be, in a moment. [Maybe. He hopes. He's really not too sure.] I apologize if I've caused you any inconvenience. Believe me, I didn't intend for that to happen.

[vocarrah]

Ianchus gives a wry smile. "I'm sure most of us didn't intend for many things to happen, the last few days. I don't hold it against you."

He frowns a little seeing how the man is struggling and reaches out, putting a hand on his forearm. "Can you move?"

If not, then they're stuck--there's no way Ianchus, in his condition, can push an armored man off himself.

Then again, glancing at the man's face there's probably worse to be pinned under.

[dragonsgrasp]

[Kain grunts, attempting to move those legs, but it's no good for now. At least he has fairly decent upper body strength. Not enough to get up, but enough to start to pull himself aside. Slowly. He has no choice but to accept any help the other man can give though.]

I'm sure it's nothing. My legs are somewhat uncooperative, but... I'm sure it will be fine in a moment. Did I cause you any harm?

[vocarrah]

No, not at all, I'm...

[And Ianchus takes a moment to wriggle himself from under Kain. It takes a bit, even with the man's help, but finally he sits up, putting a hand on Kain's shoulder.]

Your legs? Is it--

[And a wave of dizziness rushes over him, as if he's been hiking up a mountain without food and water for hours. He sways forward, putting a hand over his own eyes.]

[dragonsgrasp]

[Kain reaches out, trying to help prevent him from falling over entirely. It's clear that something is amiss.]

It's nothing. [He sighs, reluctant to admit that it's obviously not nothing. It takes him a moment to continue.] Well... Fine. It's something. But it seems I'm not alone in undergoing... whatever this is.

17th -- bridge

[so_dark_a_road]

[ Curufin is about to cross the only bridge in town that does not have railings, a dangerous omission. Ahead of him he sees Kain. . . with a cane?? The man seems to be struggling to keep on his feet, and Curufin runs to catch up with him. Just then, Kain falls over the edge and dangles, gripping the rough edges of the boards with his hands. He's going to go into the water pretty quickly if he doesn't get help.

Curufin runs to assist him. He squats and reaches down to grab Kain's wrists. ]

Can you get your feet on one of the trestles and push, and I'll lift you? If you can't move your feet, I'll still pull you up. Grip my wrists.

[dragonsgrasp]

[That's... a definite problem. Usually the feeling in his legs returns after a bit, but with how it's progressed, becoming just a little worse each time he falls... this doesn't look good. He may hate admitting to his problem, but this is kind of a precarious situation.]

I... No. I'm sorry, but it seems I... I can't move them at all.

[He grips at the other man with all the effort that he can make. Fortunately, his arm strength seems totally fine, and he'll try to use that to compensate.]

[so_dark_a_road]

No apologies! I'm going to haul you up. Hang on tight.

[ And he braces himself with his strong knees and thighs, straightens his legs, and literally hauls Kain up onto the bridge again, catching him and setting him on his feet. He keeps a shoulder near Kain in case the man needs a support. ]

Did you cane go into the water? [ He looks around to see if it's still on the planks. If it isn't, they'll figure out something else. ]

[dragonsgrasp]

[Kain does what he can tp help with this process, not liking how much he feels like dead weight. His upper body strength probably helps a little bit anyway, but once he's hauled up, well... that's a different story. Kain immediately collapses, leaning heavily against Curufin, his legs clearly not supporting him as they should be doing.]

I assume it did... but I... Right now, that's the least of my concerns. [Damn it, this can't be...] It's not returning. [Yeah, he's getting a little bit panicked here.] I still can't feel the. My legs... I can't...

[so_dark_a_road]

[ Nobody likes feeling like dead weight. But Kain's upper body strength is very great, and that makes a big difference. Curufin slings an arm around him to support him after he's up on the bridge again, seeing that Kain's legs are not working at the moment. ]

I'll find or make you another. But for now. . . you can't feel your legs? It's all right. This is some god's devilry at work, but it won't last. Let's just figure out what to do right now.

I'm strong, I can carry you. Or I can go grab a moped. Do you want to go to the Clinic? That might be best, unless you live on a ground floor and have concerned housemates.

[dragonsgrasp]

[Kain is definitely doing what he can, anyway, to try and hold himself upright. It's... not as easy as it might seem. His legs are essentially useless under him, and he realizes that if he lets go, he'll probably just collapse entirely.]

What do the gods mean by this? It started with... [He pauses a moment, loathe to explain, but he gives it a try anyway.] ...with my power no longer working. I couldn't jump like I normally do. Then my legs followed soon afterward...

I don't want to trouble you. [He lets out a long, frustrated sigh.] I live on the topmost floor of one of the spires. That's some luck, isn't it?