Happy Naberus! [Party post]

[labrathor]

There's a chill in the air and a distant howl, and the sun is nowhere to be seen. On the outskirts of the Plaza, grinning faces carved into squashes tempt passersby to follow their lighted path, leading visitors down twists and turns through darkened streets, fog swirling around their feet. Did you already pass this way before? Are you going in circles, lost forever? Doubling back on yourself will lead to much the same result. And you don't remember when or how, but your clothes have somehow become a costume - whether funny, horrific, or downright bizarre.

Eventually, you find yourself in a small street carnival, tucked away far beyond the beaten path. Lights and lanterns run the length of a darkened street, the smells of fried and baked treats in the air, a light haze of smoke gathering under the awnings of food stalls. Beyond the food stalls, a haunted house beckons the brave to venture into its dark, cramped corridors, the sounds of distant screams coming from deep within. To the other side, a mountain of pumpkins waits to be carved, scoops and wicked-looking knives laid out on a tall table. Further still, wooden washtubs full of dark red wine host a small flotilla of apples to be bobbed, leaving all participants with deep red stains running down their necks from trying.

But before you can investigate the many wonders this strange little celebration has to offer, you must first be confronted by the host.

What looks for all the world like a fleshy flower writhes in the entryway to the festival, already towering over most visitors at fifteen feet high. But then that flower opens, unfolding into the form of an even larger young woman, bloody handprints painted on her exposed skin and shards of glass seemingly jammed directly into her head, and papercraft severed limbs hang in a necklace around her throat. She grins at you with unrestrained glee. "Couldn't resist, right? This is the happiest time of the entire year! Happy Naberus! You do know what that is? The Orokin festival of death, darkness, and deviance." She peers down at those in her presence. "We're all equal on Naberus night now, under our masks. Who's to know who's powerful and who isn't?"

She straightens up and laughs, waving her arms towards the carnival behind her. "Don't say I didn't warn you!"



[ooc: Happy Naberus, Nexus-goers! This is a party post, so feel free to tag around under the activity tags or just with each other! And remember, everyone must have a costume to participate! You can make it as mundane or as terrifying as you like. If you are open to spooky and/or horrifying events happening to your character, please also contact me through DMs here or to Ael on Discord so we can plan it together beforehand. The horror side of this event is opt-in, and threads containing such content should be tagged in the subject line.]

Comments

[armornomore]

"I'm afraid I don't really understand text messaging. My world isn't as advanced as here." He shrugged, though knowing it was a way to communicate, he got that when he arrived.

When Al saw the 'ghost' he almost yelped. "Yeah, there are some people who can change living things, but... I refuse to." He shook his head as the thought of a dog crossed his memory, he couldn't remember why that was so important, but he knew he was usually sad and angry when that vision woke him in the middle of the night.

"Hello Hax." He would have smiled if he had a face that showed more emotions. "I can fix broken things too, but I thought this was a better example. My brother and I are better with metals, everything else I need a circle for."

[spacetaser]

"Ah, greetings!"

Hax's shell casing spun as he drifted to the side in thought at Al's words. "Hm...I suppose changing living organisms fall dangerously close to unethical territory." The Ghost mused. Or at least unethical as living organisms of flesh saw it. Perhaps such a thing could also be helpful. Especially in the case of medicine and healing. He didn't have enough data to really form an opinion but respected Al's choice nonetheless.

Widget had chuckled a little at Al's reaction to Hax suddenly appearing. She reached over and picked up the metal rose, admiring it. "It's a really neat gift. Is this something you had to learn, or were you born with the ability?"

[armornomore]

"It's forbidden, at least when it comes to humans. Even though to make a person... The materials only costs pocket change."

He shudders slightly though at his own words. "The backlash though, the government isn't who made it wrong, it goes wrong." He rubs his arm a moment. "It's why I was originally stuck in this form." He sighed.

"My brother and I learned it from reading father's old books. He was really gifted too, so in our case it was probably passed down, though there are others that learn it. It's something that takes years to master."

[spacetaser]

Hax made a small blip sound, apparently just as surprised at this information as Widget was. It was then she understood what Al meant when he said he tried to bring back his Mom; and how he ended up in this form previously. "Oh..." She murmured with a nod.

"Still very impressive." She said finally. "To learn it like that." She spread her hands. "We Guardians are risen by our Ghosts without memory of our past lives, with the ability to channel and use the Light as a weapon to protect humanity. So I can understand training to master strange powers."

After a moment, she raised her gloved hands to untie the dark screen concealing her face and push her hood back. This revealed not a human face, but a robotic one with humanoid features. Bright teal eyes flickered as she looked at him and the faceplates shifted subtly into a shy expression. "This is why you drew my eye in the first place."

[armornomore]

"It feels strange still. Though I am relieved that it is temporary." He rubbed the back of his head. He thinks a moment.

"I understand not having all your memories. It can be... disorientating at times," He remembers meeting a few of the people he had made friends with after he had gotten his body back, and seeing the sadness in their faces when he didn't remember them.

"So, you are more like an automaton? Sorry if that is a rude comparison, but, they are probably the closest thing I have to reference." He really didn't want to be rude!

[spacetaser]

"Yeah it really can." Widget agreed, in regards to losing memories. "I learned to trust Hax pretty early on when I was first raised. I was in enemy territory with no idea what was going on." She chuckled. "Thankfully I made it all right." Some new Guardians weren't always so lucky.

She waved a hand, not offended in the least at Al's question. "No, not rude at all!" She reassured. "I'm what's called an Exomind. Or Exo for short. Basically I'm a human mind, that was transferred into a synthetic body. Exo's were created hundreds of years ago during the Golden Age, though I have no memory of that time or why I became an Exo."

"I found her on Mars." Hax spoke up. "In the ruins of a Golden Age settlement named Freehold."

[armornomore]

He listened, breathing a small sigh of relief that he hadn't said something rude at least. "Exo.. I'll remember that."

"There's life on Mars?" He knew about the planets at least, his world may not be that advanced, but they knew some things off their little globe, even if there were no manmade things out there yet. And he had been spending a lot of time in the library here. "I'll have to read up on that in the library."

He made a mental note to look up Freehold.