DARK ALLIES FINALE LOG

[afterlifer]

WHO: Anyone and everyone!
WHAT: Dark Allies Finale
WHEN: March 22nd-24th
WHERE: Anywhere and everywhere in this afterlife
WARNINGS: Potential violence, loss of sense of self, fighting, cussing. If you have anything else let a mod know to add it!
SUMMARY: The Programmer and Fantoche have increased the number of shadows in order to pursue the NPC, Ai, who has been trying to hide but cannot continue to stand by and do nothing. Meanwhile, many of the afterlife's residents have been turned into NPCs.. is there a way to reason with them or get their memories back? There are 3 parts to this log!

MARCH 22: SHADOWS
Shadows are difficult to deal with, and you've just been surrounded. It seems like the number of shadows have raised up well beyond half of the NPC population. Team up, fight off the shadows, try to follow them to find the NPC first! Ai will be around throughout this log and will reveal her Guard Skill abilities in a comment here. Feel free to attempt to apprehend her.

MARCH 23: THE NORM
A few people have been turned into NPCs. The shadows seem not to bother them-- the shadows ignore them and those turned into NPCs don't even seem to see the shadows. They can see you, even if they can't remember. Try to talk some sense into them or take whatever measures you think are necessary? Try to keep them company or say goodbye because if Ai isn't turned in, there's no known way to turn them back?

MARCH 24: CAPTURED AI
Ai's identity has been revealed since the 22nd, but she's been avoiding capture up until now. Come up with a plan, decide what to do. It might be a good idea to have a meeting and talk to her. She's surprisingly cooperative. The OOC poll revealed that Ai will be kept away from Fantoche and the Programmer, so if any characters have the intent to do otherwise they will not be able to be the ones to find her. Of those who comment, on the 24th the mods will RNG one character to have successfully captured Ai and she will reply to that thread. Other characters or teams may jump in based on what you as the players have decided to do.

Comments

[knightlyrondo]

[...wait, that NPC sounded familiar. Sayaka's stopping in mid run. She had the katana with her but it didn't matter at the moment.]

Wait--weren't you the guy with the violin?

[No. This sounded too familiar.]

[violined]

Huh?

[ Kohaku, or rather not Kohaku, gives her a confused look. ]

Nah, I can't play any instrument, really. Why are you asking?

[ In his NPC state he has lost everything connecting to things that hurt him before - even the things that he loved dearly, despite the pain they caused. ]

[knightlyrondo]

Because I heard you play.

[That can't be right. She remembered him--remembered how he played. She like Kyousuke's playing better but that didn't matter.

This is also the first time she met someone who turned into a NPC that she had known before. She'd known Yurippe turned into one but she hadn't seen her since she got the katana, though.]

[violined]

[ He blinks, still startled, but also not as startled as someone confronted with a paradox should really be. The emotional range of an NPC just doesn't go as far. ]

That can't be... It'd be cool if I could do anything like that though. You're... Sayaka, right? Are you sure there's no mistake?

[knightlyrondo]

I couldn't mistake someone playing Chopin.

[She knew her composers too well for that.]

[violined]

How strange... Well, I can't help you with music. Sorry. I only listen to it, really....

[ Whenever he'll turn back, Kohaku will hate every single word he said in this conversation. So hollow, so so hollow. ]

[knightlyrondo]

I wouldn't have mistaken it!

[Now Sayaka's just getting angry. She'll force him to remember.]

[violined]

[ A part of Kohaku, somewhere deep deep inside under these layers of indifference, wants to acknowledge that yes, it's him, he's the violinist, it's his music. But there is so much pain connected to remembering that... it's so nice to not feel a thing. It's so hard to fight the overwhelming power of the program when it offers you some sort of soothing.
It's fake and the real Kohaku would know it, but he doesn't get a say anymore. ]

Maybe we should ask around for someone who can play? That person may look like me. There are a lot of students at this school after all.

[knightlyrondo]

Look and sound like you? That's a long shot!

[Her hands clench into fists. It's similar to when Kyousuke was saying that she was trying to hurt him by talking about music. He's the musician. He knows how to play. She wouldn't mistake it for anything--she wants to slap him until he remembers but she doesn't.]

[violined]

[ Kohaku scratches the back of his head, grinning crookedly. ]

You're right, it sounds really far fetched. I can't think of anything else though.

[knightlyrondo]

[She swallows. Maybe...]

Paganini. Bartok. Tchaikovsky. Schumann. Vivaldi. Do you remember any of those names?

[They all wrote pieces for the violin. She doesn't say some of the obvious ones like Beethoven, Mozart or Bach. Something that maybe even a NPC might hear of.]

[violined]

H-huh?

[ Now he looks entirely confused by her. ]

I think I know Vivaldi? Ack, I probably should have paid more attention in class. Don't short quiz me like this so suddenly!

[knightlyrondo]

[It's either quizzing him or slapping him. She's going for the gentl approach.]

Can you at least tell me what they all have in common?

[violined]

They're musicians, right?

[ So sorry, Sayaka, but he really doesn't catch your drift. ]

[knightlyrondo]

And?

[She tried. That's the story of her life.]