DECEMBER EVENT PT 1

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DECEMBER EVENT PT 1

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→ 12/3 Lockdown

The wind picks up at midnight, flowing through the streets but softened by the snowflakes that drift down from the sky. Over the full hour of Lockdown, the snowfall dampens the wind and makes it harder to follow the stream than before, blowing out from the forest and towards the center of town where a snowdrift builds up against the shut doors of the hospital's main entrance. Defeat the Daitengu, and the next dungeon appears the month after... During Lockdown, black blobs of Shadows continue to seep out of the hospital, shrine, lake, and school, but with the third Daitengu defeated, the wind doesn't howl as strongly and the snowfall is light, leaving the town dusted with snow the next morning that easily melts by mid-day. The town is cold, quiet, and still, almost as if holding its breath, but perhaps it's an illusion created by the townspeople staying indoors to keep out of the cold, and that everybody who had arrived from the alternate Hirajiro has been spirited away overnight, gone without fanfare by the time the wind dies down at the end of Lockdown. The only thing left behind is a complete deck of tarot cards with no duplicates, neatly stacked and set by the entrance of the honden, with a heavy stone on top to keep the cards from blowing away in the wind.

With the wind picking up around the shrine, a slow, deep ringing can be heard from a large bell that has been tied up above the offertory box with a thick rope, swinging with the wind; the offertory box itself is emptied of gemstones at the beginning of the month, but will slowly fill back up if the Persona users continue to donate the stones dropped by defeated Shadows, with the understanding that any boon they receive comes with strengthening the Kotengu as well. As if called by the toll of the bell, it seems like all of the crows in town have congregated around the shrine for the winter, perched on the rooftops, lit stone lanterns, and even the torii, all peering down at whoever enters the shrine and keeping an eye on them all the while they stand on sacred land. Although the crows seem unbothered by the ringing bell, the resident fox skitters away whenever it hears the noise, although it will always return when the wind dies down, or if the bell is otherwise bound and still. The sign that's supposed to contain the shrine deity's name still lacks the name, but this time, the sign is painted over with solid black, the paint layered on so thickly, you can see where the trails of paint are pulled to the bottom of the sign, under which dry spots of black paint can be seen before covered by the dusting of snow.

Near the path leading from the shrine to the castle, a large area of trees has been demolished in a vaguely serpentine shape, the trees lying splintered and fallen but far enough to pose no danger to the castle. Unlike the shrine, there are little to no crows that hang around the structure, the same two stories with the broken stairs up to the incomplete third floor becoming hazardous to climb with the falling snow and the wind that blows through the open windows of the second floor, making the castle howl. The throne sports a new cushion and a thick woollen blanket draped over the back of it, but with the ofuda door containing just the same two as before, the castle remains stuck in time, and the night goes on.

→ 12/3 - 1/2 Town events

It snows on and off over the next few days, getting steadily colder as the month progresses. While the snow is powdery and easy to clear, there's a lot of it that piles right back up by the end of the day, creating a constant demand for help shoveling the roads around the neighborhoods and marketplace to keep them clear, although the Persona users will have to keep the path to the castle and shrine clear on their own, as none of the townspeople are concerned about the forest in general. In town, all the extra snow initially gets pushed towards the center to dump into the lake, but after the lake freezes over after the first week of the month, the excess snow gets piled into a large hill and packed down to be perfect for sledding, with makeshift sleds ranging from laundry baskets to trash can lids left lying around for people to grab and slide— and pray they don't veer off course and crash straight through the ice covering the lake. A Persona may be able to thicken the ice and make it safer to skate on, but in the meanwhile, people will just have to watch out for the spots where the ice is thin and easily broken. Please don't fall in, unless it's near midnight and you fall straight into a random floor of the lake dungeon.

Strings of plain white Christmas lights adorn the trees in town and around the outskirts where it borders the forest, leaving the entire town lit with a soft glow after sundown. Throughout town, the decorations are similarly subtle, with fancier decorations seen in storefronts rather than people's homes, and instead of a single Christmas tree towering over the town, a set of four smaller trees line the back of a large stage set on the lakefront across the school building, which has made its appearance for summer festivals in the past. Surrounding the stage are many stalls that make up a holiday craft market that will be open all month. For a small fee, anybody can purchase a spot at the craft market to sell their own crafts, most of which are intended to be decorations for people's homes or to be given as gifts for Christmas and the New Year. Among the crafts are traditional gifts like knit scarves and sweaters, as well as clay figurines, beaded crafts, painted plates, and any manner of handmade items people have to offer. Although the main focus of the market is for crafts, there are also stalls selling refreshments such as hot chocolate and baked goods.

On the stage itself, each of the four trees is topped with a bird-like angel painted in soft reds, blacks, and golds, and rather than lights and ornaments, the trees have emas hung on the branches, with wishes written on the small wooden plaques. While emas are traditionally hung at a shrine for the kami to receive them, the emas here are for the community to offer and receive: for every wish you hang up, you're encouraged to take at least one other ema and fulfill that wish in return. Some of the wishes are very general, such as asking people to do good deeds to make the world a better place, wishing for the exams at school to be a little easier next year, or hoping everybody in the hospital will get better. Other wishes are more personal, such as wanting to learn a new skill, receive a certain toy, or help cleaning out a basement, and these personal wishes contain the person's name and contact information to indicate who to report to grant the wish. Not all wishes can be granted directly, but the effort put towards them still counts. There is no payment or other incentives to fulfill multiple wishes other than good karma, which will surely be returned to you in the new year.

→ MOD NOTES

⬥ Each character may make one free ema wish in the top-level below and the mods will reply with how the wish is fulfilled. Note that personal wishes will be signed for everybody to see, and while ICly all wishes will be fulfilled by the townspeople and not the Kotengu, for this first wish, a crow will occasionally swoop down and take an ema, so you guys can get your stat boosts and skill upgrades.
⬥ Additional ema wishes may be made for every thread reported that involves fulfilling one of the townspeople's wishes and must have a minimum of 5 comments from you. There is no limit to how many ema wishes that can be made, but all threads are due by 1/3/2020 when January's dungeon log goes up. These extra wishes will be fulfilled by the townspeople, so they might not know what to do with wishes like "+1 to all stats." You are still welcome to try, though, and they will do their best.
⬥ Part 2 of December's event will go up on 12/15 to encompass Christmas, New Years, and tragedy.
⬥ This month, the full moon occurs on 12/11 - 12/13. While Personas are stronger around the time of the full moon, they are more difficult to control and may behave strangely and disobey orders around these dates. This is an optional mechanic.

Comments

[reveilation]

[ A cat without a name is something that cannot stand. Kido reaches out to take Rago, but instead of hugging him, she sort of keeps holding him out to hang limply as she stares up at the sky trying to come up with a cute name. It was going to be Neko-chan, but that's not good enough... Daifuku is round and cute and sweet, with a dark filling. It'd make her hungry, though. Maybe she should go with a more traditional name. Like Suki, or Aiko. Aiko... ] Anko-chan. [ Hello, Rago, you are now red bean paste. ]

[cicadashell]

[Jiro laughs at that name. From "eater of the sun" to "red bean paste". How far Rago has fallen.]

That's a great name!

[Rago kneeds the air in front of him. Put him down or hold him properly.]

Why don't we find Anko-chan some cream or something and get you a hot chocolate.

[He will make up for leaving Kido when she was freaking out and turning invisible.]

[reveilation]

[ "Eater of the sun" is a stupid name, and Kido likes red bean paste, so this is a much better name and she'll call him that from now on even after she grows up again. At least she takes pity on Rago now, holding him close and beaming over the top of his head, because she got praised and she has a cute cat in her arms and since she gave the cat a name, that means she partially owns it or something. A good day. ] Yeah! [ She is not going to drink hot chocolate given to her by a stranger. But as long as it means she can hold onto the cat, she'll follow the stranger around and spend his money. ]

[cicadashell]

[Rago is appeased for the moment, settling himself against Kido and waiting for the day to end.

Jiro doesn't care if she actually has any hot chocolate, just as long as Kido's not wandering around by herself or crying. He'll take her to the craft market, and if she does want something, she can pick it out herself and it won't be suspicious or tainted.]

[reveilation]

[ It's going to be a very long day. Possibly two days, if Kido can get away with cat-napping. She's probably too short to properly see what's on a lot of the tables so she spends a lot of her time there standing up on the tips of her toes while grasping the edge of the tables to peer over the edge and see what people are selling. Food isn't as interesting to her as toys— little knitted stuffed animals with bows and little hats and those sorts of things. She points at a knitted black cat with a pink bow tied around its neck. ] Look, it's Anko-chan...!

[cicadashell]

[She may get away with cat-napping, and that's why Jiro dies in the dungeon the next day...

As long as Kido's exploring the tables, she's not getting attacked by crabs or any other animals with knives or swords or baseball bats. This will do. He'll buy the little knit cat for her. Jiro scratches Rago behind the ears as he hands the toy to Kido.]

Anko-chan's missing a pretty bow, isn't she?

[Rago glares. Maybe he just doesn't show up to the dungeon crawl because he's pissed.]

[reveilation]

[ If Rago ditches and dooms Jiro to die so Kido can get cat number 42, it's worth the price. Kido, at least, looks really happy to have the knit cat and the real cat in her arms, shifting Rago a little so she can hold them both comfortably and press the knit cat's face up against his as a way of saying hello or something. Cats do this. ] Yeah...! Is anybody selling bows? It has to be pink. And glittery. [ Jingly bells and lace optional, but if it's any combination of pink and something else, it will be Kido approved. Maybe they can also buy Rago a cat sweater. ]

[cicadashell]

[Rago lets out a soft growl as the knit cat is shoved in his face. He tries to cover it up with more purring.]

I'm sure we can find something.

[A few tables down, someone is indeed selling bows in several colors. Three shades of pink, and one with glitter. Jackpot. Rago will have a huge collection of pink accessories when they're done.]

[reveilation]

[ Growling and purring are sort of the same thing, and Kido can't tell the difference anyways. It's not like she's paying much attention to the happiness of the cat in her arms when she's on a mission to find pink bows. Jiro should also stop wasting his money on what's ultimately a joke on Rago, but Kido doesn't pay much attention to that either, because she had just come from living in a mansion with a murder dad and servants that bought her literally any toy or clothes or anything she ever asked for, so these are the same sorts of requests that she'd make. Three bows obtained, she holds Rago back out for Jiro to take. ] Hold her for me. I want to tie the bow.

[cicadashell]

[Jiro has a lot of money to waste, because Terry is a dick and gave half of Jiro's offered contribution to the house back to him. Anything Rago won't actually use will be given to Kido for her own cats later. Or she can re-gift them to Toki and Kuroko.

Jiro takes Rago and holds him low enough that it will be easier for Kido to tie one of the bows. He snickers while Rago makes a pitiful soft mew.]

I think she likes it.

[reveilation]

[ Keep it for food... Kido, at least, is of the opinion that Terry should have kept the money if people gave it to him and be grateful for it, so she would have no qualms with taking money and putting it towards the house or the people living in it. Little Kido smiles at Rago and pats him on the head after the bow is tied loosely around his neck, in a messy way that little kids tie bows that'll easily be pulled loose by the time the day is over. But instead of taking Rago back right away, she takes another bow, and ties this one around Jiro's wrist. The third is supposed to go around her own wrist, but one end of the ribbon keeps slipping when she tries to do it with one hand, so she ends up handing it to Jiro and taking Rago back, holding her hand out for Jiro to help tie it for her. They're matchy. ]

[cicadashell]

[This has backfired. Rago makes a weird noise, holding back laughter. At least he's a "cat" and can pretend he has no control over his dignity. Jiro dies a little inside as Kido ties the ribbon around his wrist. When she changes back again, they will never speak of this day.

Jiro ties an awkward bow for her, the loops a little too long to look nice. But he's never tied a bow besides his shoelaces.]

[reveilation]

[ Same. Nothing from these three days happened as far as Kido is concerned, and she will tear off the arm of anybody who tries to say otherwise. It's an awkward bow on her wrist but Kido give it a solemn nod of approval anyways, because the important part is matching pink. With both cats in her arms again, she gives Rago a kiss on the forehead because she can, and then also gives the knit cat a kiss so it doesn't feel left out. These are her cats now. ] Anko-chan's hungry. Let's go find cream. And fish. And anpan. [ The last one's for her. ]

[cicadashell]

[Rago scowls at the kiss, but Kido quickly makes up for it by suggesting fish.

They probably won't find everything at the same place, so it's a couple stops to collect everything Kido wants. A small plastic bowl of cream, three fish wrapped in paper, and a box of anpan. There were too many comments about their matching ribbons for Jiro's liking.

There's too much to carry around, so they're going to sit on a bench. Jiro sets the cream down on the ground and unwraps the fish. Rago deserves it after all this.]

[reveilation]

[ If she doesn't see the kitty scowl, it doesn't exist. Kido's small, closed off steps become a little more open and confident, more like the usual marching she does everywhere, every time somebody mentions the ribbons they share. It's like proof she belongs somewhere again, even if it's a stranger and his cat, and she clings to the distinction no matter how flimsy. She lets Rago out of her arms once they get to the bench, and also sets the knitted cat down on the ground in front of the bowl of cream so Rago has some company down there while he eats his fish, before patting him on the head and then hopping up onto the bench to eat her bread. She's quiet for the most part, chewing slowly while she thinks about something, then looks over at Jiro. ] Is it okay if I stay?

[cicadashell]

[He's stealing one of Kido's anpan, and hopes she doesn't mind.]

Stay where?

[On the bench? Jiro isn't thinking about child Kido not knowing Hirajiro.]

[reveilation]

[ It's basically his since he bought everything, so Kido thinks of it more like she's eating his anpan, and doesn't mind. It's better than her eating everything by herself, anyways, since she'll probably only eat one out of the entire box. ] Mm... With you. [ She looks down at her feet, kicking them a little and taking another mouthful of bread so she doesn't have to talk. ]

[cicadashell]

[Fuck.]

I don't... really have a place to stay.

[He's certainly not taking Kido to the castle, but Jiro also doesn't want to take her home and deal with Terry. She probably started there, and she could... find her own way back eventually.]

[reveilation]

[ Wow. He's really going to just abandon her in the middle of town and hope for the best. ] Oh. You're homeless, like me. [ How she sees it, anyways, her "home" is this burnt down mansion filled with dead bodies that she doesn't want to return to, not the house that she woke up in and —probably stayed the entire first day playing with the cats until she tired herself out and fell asleep— but Terry's house isn't "home" to her either. ] Do you sleep on the streets? In a cardboard box in the park...? [ How do homeless people live. It's pretty cold out, so she hopes he has nicer options. ]

[cicadashell]

[A cardboard box, holy shit.]

No, it's... an abandoned building?

[Is that better? It does get cold.]

You were in a house, right? With a lot of cats and sh- stuff? You should go back there.

[reveilation]

[ Stray cats live in cardboard boxes. That's what movies tell her. Abandoned buildings may or may not be better, when the image of an abandoned building in Kido's mind is the aforementioned burnt down murder mansion of hers that's probably crawling with ghosts by now, but Jiro talking about the other house makes her frown a little. ] How do you know where I was before? [ She narrows her eyes suspiciously. This guy is a stalker. Her trust in him has fallen, but that doesn't stop her from taking another bite of the anpan that he bought for her. ]

[cicadashell]

It was a guess! There's a lot of cats around. Everyone has lots of cats.

[Jiro takes another anpan to shove in his mouth before he says something else that makes it worse.]

[reveilation]

[ Suspicious... But, whatever, Kido huffs a little and nibbles at her bread, because it's true that there's a lot of cats around. Even she can kidnap a cat very easily, and would fill her house up with them if she could. ] Other people live in that house. And there's a snake. [ And snakes are scary. She thinks she'd rather take her chances with an abandoned building or cardboard box instead of going back there, though she'll probably change her mind once it gets too cold after sundown. ]

[cicadashell]

A snake...

[Jiro only recently met Orien, and he didn't like him.]

What do you think about crows?

[They're all out by the shrine and would attack them and demand food.]

[reveilation]

Noisy. Not cute. [ Her biggest criteria is cuteness. Cats are cute because they're fluffy, but snakes and crows are not. ] Why? Do crows eat snakes? [ Is Jiro suggesting they get a crow to flush the snake out? ]