Event Log: Fourth Wall, Part One

[hadrielmods]

Who: Everyone in the city + Fourth Wall visitors!
What: Part one of the fourth wall event, hosted by Fear, Confusion, and Delight!
Where: All around the city
When: October 24th-November 1st
Warnings: Visitors from other worlds!

If you're not from around here, you may be wondering what's going on. You've woken up out of the blue in the colosseum, or near a temple, or in one of the numerous other locations in the city. You're somewhere underground and it's dark, cold, and maybe a little unnerving.

Luckily, shortly after your arrival, the road below your feet begins to light up in a gentle, warm glow. The light points you in a set direction and, if you choose to travel that way, will lead you toward the center of the city, where there is a large gathering of others who are lost here like you, people who might know their way around a bit more, and even some of the gods who rule this place.

There are lights strung up on poles throughout the large clearing, casting a comforting glow onto the tables beneath them. The tables are abundant with lots of food that looks simply delicious- though, none of it tastes quite like it should. The tarts taste like green beans, the mashed potatoes like cheesecake, and the chocolate seems oddly reminiscent of steak. In addition, there are decorations artfully placed around the meeting point. If you see them moving, don't worry- that's probably just your imagination.

Also distributed along the tables are shot glasses, filled with a sludgy, yellow substance. If you're brave enough to consume them, they taste strongly of mint and will give you a much needed energy boost, circumventing the need to eat or sleep for a full 24 hours! After that, however, everything hits you all at once, so use them wisely. Some of you may remember these shots from our How Delightful event earlier this year!

In addition to all of the above, there are also party poppers strewn around the area. Each popper can jet out some strange objects- glitter bombs, seashells, plastic dinosaurs, maybe a live lizard or two- so be careful! Feel free to use your discretion on these, but remember to keep it small!
_

Of course, you can always not travel that way. The rest of the city has plenty of places to explore- maybe you'd like to stumble in our Silent Hill zone, have a quick look around the alien orchard, or check out any of the god temples that can inspire their chosen emotion. Be careful not to get lost in the tunnels leading away from the cave- none of them can actually move you above ground, but you may run into a few monsters on the way.

For those of you who have been with us awhile, please bear with the gods while they try to adjust around these new folks! Join in on the festivities if you like, or try to orient as many of the others as you can. Start a community outreach program, start a fight club, introduce your parents to your weird cave girlfriend- nobody's judging!

Well. Some of us might be.
_

Enjoy the fourth wall event at Hadriel! Once you're settled in feel free to explore the rest of the city! Find a house, find a new monster, or simply scavenge for supplies.

Fourth wall characters do not enter with phones so they cannot reach the network- however, if you'd like to handwave that they somehow got ahold of Mello's Newcomer guide to avoid the 'where am I/what is this' sort of questions, then feel free!

Good luck, and enjoy your stay in Hadriel!

► This log covers October 24th-November 1st.
► Feel free to make your own logs as well! Fourth wall characters will not have posting access, so grab an in-game friend if you wanted to do anything separate from the main log.
► Fourth wall characters will be in the city for at least one week, though they can stay for longer. The party will go on throughout the entire week, thanks to Delight's boundless energy!
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!

Comments

[mismanagement]

"I am not lying. There's little point lying to a Force-user."

Regardless of any supposed or real mind-reading powers, they tended to find out and take offense. The Inquisitor certainly had.

Maketh turns away, watching the party. Scanning the crowd in case she needs to interfere, or call the guardsmen to do so.

"But it hardly matters here. You'll learn that soon enough."

[thelastpadawan]

"Hey," Kanan starts forward again when Maketh pulls away, walking over to stand beside her, reaching out to take her shoulder.

"Hang on. How do you know all this?"

[mismanagement]

Maketh recoils with a hiss, dropping a hand to the sword at her belt in warning. "Do not touch me!"

Maybe she can't match him in combat, but she can damn well cut him if need be.

She glares, but doesn't attack. "It was told to me. Strange things happen in this place. You meet people from different times. Some from after the fall of the Empire."

[thelastpadawan]

He retracts his hand, brow creasing in apology, and steps back. Right. Enemies.

"And you trusted them?"

[mismanagement]

At least he knows when to retreat. Not entirely an idiot, then. Maketh huffs, one hand still on her sword. "Of course I didn't trust him. But his uniform did not lie."

[thelastpadawan]

"That's not much to go on." Kanan says seriously. "We used to steal uniforms from you guys all the time." Hell, half his wardrobe seemed to be stormtrooper-related these days.

[mismanagement]

Maketh gives him a nasty look. She's not simple. "He wore a variation of the Imperial crest on his uniform and had a general's mark. And I--knew a relative of his, at the Academy. Brendol Hux. Apparently he managed to spawn. The general had his foolish hair."

[thelastpadawan]

He whistled low.

"A variation. And hair too? Wow. In a galaxy this small, I don't know how it could be anyone else."

Sorry, Maketh, Kanan had a ridiculous sarcasm streak in him.

[mismanagement]

Urg. That man. Maketh briefly entertains the notion of punching him, but dismisses the thought. She will be professional, she will do her duty. "The information was verified," she snaps. "I have means at my disposal."

She doesn't feel like telling him about the dream she shared with General Hux. Truthfully she'd rather forget it happened in the first place.

[thelastpadawan]

Maketh wouldn't be the first Imperial Kanan's purposely dug under to irritate. Come to think of it, it might actually be becoming a bit of a specialty of his.

"That's great." He says, picking up a cupcake to bite into it. "Maybe we'll run into each other and I can check it out for myself. In the meantime, where does a guy go to get work around here? Or a place to live? Seeing as how, according to you, I'll be hanging around here for the foreseeable future?"

He could always ask Ahsoka, when he ran into her, but the thing is, he much enjoyed making the former minister help him out. It was a welcome change from all the running.

[mismanagement]

Stars, she hopes not. Maketh tightens her mouth into a thin line. "Go out past the perimeter and you'll find something worth killing. And there are open apartments. The gods provide food. They need us alive or we're no use at all."

[thelastpadawan]

"Yeah? In return for what?" Kanan looked skeptical about the idea of there being gods around here, but he'd have to see for himself. Despite not knowing Maketh all that well, he had a feeling she wasn't the religious type.

[mismanagement]

Maketh shrugs, meeting his eyes briefly. There's no use in lying to him. "They like to think themselves kind. It amuses them. But when they get hungry, they'll do whatever is required to feed themselves. Poison our food, trap us in nightmares. Bury people alive, then give everyone remains the coordinates - all so we feel hope at saving a few."

sorry about being slow on this!

[thelastpadawan]

This...all sounded like the voice of experience talking. And while Kanan didn't like any Imperial, he wasn't the kind of guy who'd wish pain and suffering on others.

He exhales, looking a little...sad at it all. Eesh.

"So you've basically been tortured, is what you're saying."

[mismanagement]

Bully for him. Maketh just gives him a thin glare. His presence here is complicating things. It would be easier for her if he hadn't come and part of her wants to blame him for this conversation, for everything it's dragged to the surface.

"Your grasp of the obvious is truly astonishing."

It's easy to blame things on him, with that foolish grin of his. Even when it's not currently in use.

[thelastpadawan]

Kanan rolls his shoulders, and tries not to take offense. Things are always going to be....prickly, between them, but at least she doesn't seem interested in actively shooting him.

"Yeah. I've got that gift." Refusing to kowtow to sarcastic meanness might be the thing that helped him deal with teenage recluses for so long.

But he can see the minister's not going to respond well to sympathy or pity. So the Jedi takes a more...proactive stance. This might be someone he didn't trust, but torture was torture, and a Jedi stood up for what was right.

"Hey, I'll make you a deal; you show me where I can find a place to live around here, I don't care where, and I'll...agree to help you protect this city." It rubbed him the wrong way to be taking orders from her, but Kanan placated himself by agreeing that this would be a trial period. If she started on about things he didn't like, he'd leave. Simple as that.

[mismanagement]

Maketh eyes him for a moment, then nods. "Agreed."

If she were in a better mood, she might have even offered to show him the bar. Perhaps another time, if her opinion of him softens. It feels unlikely. But the fact remains that Kanan is a Jedi, or the closest thing to it these days, and she's not in a position to make that kind of enemy without cause.

[thelastpadawan]

Progress! Back to grinning again, he extends an elbow out to her to take.

"Then lead on, Minister."

[mismanagement]

[Urg. Maketh will not be doing that. She eyes his arm with distaste and then, quite deliberately, moves out of range.]

You think you're charming, don't you?

[Still, she inclines her head toward the Spires.]

This way.

[thelastpadawan]

I have my moments.

[He smirks, lowering his arm but catches up to walk beside her, amiable as ever[

So, uh. I don't think I ever asked this, but what's your first name? You know mine, and I don't know, if we're going to be neighbors maybe we ought to be a little more friendly to one another, right?

[mismanagement]

[That actually makes her pause. He doesn't know?] Are you telling me the rebels failed to gather basic intelligence about the Imperial command structure?

[He has to be joking. Right?

No, of course he's not. As if this whole thing wasn't ridiculous enough already. Maketh sighs.]

My name is Maketh. Is there anything else you wish to know, before I lose what little remains of my patience?

[thelastpadawan]

[This only earns a casual shrug in return. They might have it in reports somewhere, but he never much bothered with the unimportant details of the mission; getting in and out safely was more his priority. Not as if he wants to talk much about the rebels with an Imp, though]

Maketh. Nice to meet you.

[Not especially, but it was good to start out again on the right foot. And if it got her to stop calling him Jedi, Rebel, or Fool...]

You a Lothal native or did you end up getting assigned there?

[King of questions and curiosity, is Kanan]

[mismanagement]

[Maketh grimaces. This conversation is distasteful on multiple levels. There had been a moment or two where it had been amusing, when she'd gotten to insult Kanan, get him riled up, but those moments have since passed. Honesty is required now. She hopes he's not clever when it comes to questions.]

I was born there. My parents were farmers.

[Stubborn and stuck in their poverty. She'd wanted none of that for herself. It was her father's stubbornness that had gotten Maketh to the Imperial Academy and her mother's bad temper that had soured the relationship. Both her parents are long dead. All she has left is her mother's suit of damaged armor.]

[thelastpadawan]

[This is...something of a surprise to Kanan. First, because he'd been under the impression that Imperial officers sprang up ready-made from holes in the ground, but also because he didn't really expect an honest, open answer to the question]

Farmers?

Must've been like night and day, where you were and where you come from..

[mismanagement]

[Of course it is. Maketh sneers, more of a warning to him than actual disgust. Her parents had chosen that life, both of them running, and they'd chosen to settle in a desert. Of course it went wrong.] I preferred not starving, you see. It was a simple choice.