interstellar5555 | ☆TRACK VII: IN REACHING OUT PT. 1

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☆TRACK VII: IN REACHING OUT PT. 1

Who: Everyone in Pride and Virgo HQ.
What: Ghosts need your help.
When: The evening of January 30th, 2055
Where: Pride and Virgo HQ.
Warnings: Phantasmal violence, possibly some real violence.

“Hold your colours against the wall,
When they take everything away,
Hold your colours against the wall,
With me (soaking through)”

☆IN REACHING OUT

Starting around the 20th of January, the heavy lockdown and supervision of the musicians of both labels will begin to fade. While they still require escorts to be out and about, the guards that have been routinely stalking them around their own homes and HQs will be gradually phased out, until it is just the regular managers and security remaining. Sweet deal, right? Over a month after the hysteria of the ill-fated solstice party, things seem to be finally letting up a little. Whether because you've played nice for long enough, or whether their attentions are being directed elsewhere, it isn't clear.

Either way, this is the also the start of some increasingly familiar paranormal activity. All the way back to the first tour of this generation of musicians, members of both Pride and Virgo have found themselves haunted by strange and inexplicable happenings. Starting on the 23rd, these happenings begin to flare up again - lights switching on and off, TVs starting on their own, and even things falling off of shelves unprovoked. (These minor happenings can be made up by you and don't need to be mod designated - however, they should not be anything that would be threatening or dangerous to the characters.) For some people this will be completely new, and for others it may even be faintly nostalgic.

This will continue until the night of the 30th, when things finally seem to come into swing. The hauntings will become more pointed and explicit. The details are specific to each HQ, and there and you can make yourself open to an NPC haunting down below.

☆PRIDE RECORDS

About halfway through the evening on the 30th, Predator will begin prowling the halls of Pride HQ. At first it won't be clear for what, but after catching a few snippets of conversation (this can be handwaved) characters will have a change to realize that they are looking for the ghosts that have been causing a fuss recently. How crazy this will sound to you will probably depend on how new you are. They will actively shake down random musicians they meet for information about what they've seen the last couple days. As usual, Jenny is leading the pack, with Cass and Donny (nsfw) providing back up muscle.

Provided you lie well or tell them the truth, they will move along fairly quickly. If you start shit with them, they will probably rough you up a little. Any major confrontations with them will be handled on the companion OOC post, and a few top levels may appear over here that can be tagged into in limited amounts.

Beyond those activities, Pride members will feel various effects based on their EMOTIONAL ALIGNMENTS:

► ALL: Their connection and desire to create music will be especially heightened. They will find themselves subconsciously beginning to tap out rhythms, hum, peck at instruments, or straight up sing things even when it would otherwise be totally inappropriate. Strong emotions will cause them to want to sing and play to each other. They may also feel very strongly that they want to dance, to a particularly addictive beat that seems to emanate from the air. It may shift and change as the night goes on, but at any given moment everyone will hear the same rhythm. It sounds like particularly great percussion.

► LOVE & DUTY: They will have no extra special effects, but they will feel this urge to create music even more strongly than the rest, as it seems to be focused on them as they are not being directly targeted by any other sensations. When Hope and Passion musicians hear music made by these characters, they will feel stronger, like energy is being gifted to them.

► HOPE: Characters of this alignment will feel increasingly like they are being drawn somewhere, or like someone is calling for them, but they can't quite make out the direction it's coming from. The aspect of hope will be empowered within them, and they will find themselves unusually trusting towards the other characters, as if they only have the most optimistic outcomes in mind. Beyond this, they may feel dazed or confused by the sensations they are feeling. They may also experience strange visions, or the sensation of being another person they are not (and not just their true self this time, someone else completely).

► PASSION: Characters of passion will be targeted by the 'hauntings' much more directly than the others. More than random acts, the hauntings around them seem like someone is actively trying to communicate with them. Sometimes it will even feel like someone is trying to speak in their heads, though they won't quite be able to make it out. Passion characters who request haunting instances will get the most major effects.

☆VIRGO ENTERTAINMENT

Soon after things start to get extra weird on the 30th, Juno and a couple Virgo veterans (Anansi and a man you recognize as a popular folk artist named Brett Hogan) will start wandering the halls. They will pull individuals aside for questioning in private rooms, asking about the strange occurrences. They will not attempt to rough anyone up, but excessively resistance or attempts at violence towards them may result in characters being locked in their rooms for the rest of the night.

All three of them seem particularly hard to lie to for some reason, tonight. It's possible, but while you make the effort to do so, the words seem to be on the verge of falling out of your mouth. Juno seems to have something very particular in mind as she searches the HQ, like she can see something you can't. There will also be top levels for these guys appearing.

Beyond those activities, Pride members will feel various effects based on their EMOTIONAL ALIGNMENTS:

► ALL: Their connection and desire to create music will be especially heightened. They will find themselves subconsciously beginning to tap out rhythms, hum, peck at instruments, or straight up sing things even when it would otherwise be totally inappropriate. Strong emotions will cause them to want to sing and play to each other. They may also feel very strongly that they want to dance, to a particularly addictive tune that seems to emanate from the air. It may shift and change as the night goes on, but at any given moment everyone will hear the same song. It sounds like someone riffing expertly on a guitar.

► HOPE & PASSION: They will have no extra special effects, but they will feel this urge to create music even more strongly than the rest, as it seems to be focused on them as they are not being directly targeted by any other sensations. When Love and Duty musicians hear music made by these characters, they will feel stronger, like energy is being gifted to them.

► LOVE: Characters of this alignment will feel increasingly like they are being drawn somewhere, or like someone is calling for them, but they can't quite make out the direction it's coming from. The aspect of love will be empowered within them, and they will find themselves unusually loving, connected, and emotionally open to others, even if this would usually be out of character. (This can also mean they are more inclined to get physically intimate, if you want to.) Beyond this, they may feel dazed or confused by the sensations they are feeling. They may also experience strange visions, or the sensation of being another person they are not (and not just their true self this time, someone else completely).

► DUTY: Characters of duty will be targeted by the 'hauntings' much more directly than the others. More than random acts, the hauntings around them seem like someone is actively trying to communicate with them. Sometimes it will even feel like someone is trying to speak in their heads, though they won't quite be able to make it out. Duty characters who request haunting instances will get the most major effects.

☆PLOT NOTE

This will be a two part event, and the second part will be posted in a few days and will only include those that choose to help the spirits. This can be discussed OOC. Any alignment can assist, though the Passions from Pride and the Duties from Virgo will be the most directly pursued because they will be the easiest for the spirits to communicate with. Realize that participating is serious business, though: there are good odds the characters will be caught eventually, and there will be consequences. Do not volunteer your characters for this plot if you don't want them to suffer potential physical or mental trauma.

“Fading gently, soaking through,
And starting not to show at all.
In reaching out and into you, 
nothing else could touch me.”

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Jamie grins uncertainly at this and starts to answer, only to pause again as though this question has him stumped. His eyes dart for a moment or two as he considers and then says, with another shrug, "Uh - y'know, whatever. Anything's good."

He settles back into the couch a little more comfortably and looks around the living area of the penthouse again. "So do you live here alone?"

Yep. Works like a charm. Artolo lets Jamie bewilder himself trying to figure out an answer while looking through the channels himself. Now what would be the perfect brain occupier while also not being in any way mentally traumatizing to Sora and B's friend...

Oh. Excellent.

As sphynxes take up the screen, Artolo sets down the remote and glances back to Jamie with a snort. "No, but everyone is flipping their shit. The whole penthouse has been... weird, lately." Haunted as dead people balls. He doesn't say that. No need to freak out the kid with how his brain is. "Oikawa, Tamara, Mai... Oh yeah, the new guy. You know any of 'em?" He's not expecting a real answer, especially not with the TV on.

"Oh man, what are those?" Like most people confronted with hairless infant cats, Jamie looks both repulsed and delighted. "They're like cat-pigs or something."

He can't remember his own bandmates' names, so Artolo's don't ring any bells, either. Considering his relationship with Oikawa, this is probably for the best. "How's it been weird? Like..." He gestures sort of vaguely at himself. "This kinda weird, or something else?"

"Buddy," Artolo says lightly, patting Jamie's shoulder, "you're just high. No one here takes drugs besides me, and only because I'm the token bandmate who makes questionable life choices." Leaning back, he gestures to the screen.

"Just tech problems. For now, just focus on the cat-pigs. Have you ever seen cat-pigs get a bath?"

"Being high isn't weird?" This is apparently news to Jamie. He looks worriedly at Artolo. "...I didn't take your drugs, did I? If I did, I'm sorry. I'll try to pay you back if you tell me what I took."

He looks back at the screen full of sphynxes. "I thought cats gave themselves baths. Don't they hate getting wet?"

This is kind of endearing. He was vaguely planning to call Sora to tell him he had his drugged out nerd, but maybe he'll hold off on it just for giggles. For right now, he just grins lopsidedly at Jamie. "S'cool, man, don't worry about it.

"And yeah, but that only works if they got fur. Now look at the screen and tell me what the cats there don't have."

Edited 2016-02-04 00:13 (UTC)

"Why don't they have fur? Someone designed them to be that way, right? That's...so weird." Regardless, he continues looking vaguely charmed by the hairless freaks on the TV.

He's quiet for a little while, watching the cats, before he turns to Artolo. "So how long does it take to stop, y'know. Being high?"

That's a good question, and one Artolo actually has to ponder for a moment. He's sure there's some historical thing, or whatever. There always is. Cat breeders are weird motherfuckers. "Mutation, probably," he finally says. "With weird shit like this, it's always a mutation." For some reason, that kind of reaches him.

Enough that he blinks when Jamie asks that question, dragging himself out of his own thoughts. "Oh, uh." Fortunately, he's a lot more knowledgeable about drugs than cats. "Like, can be two hours if you smoked, like, weed, but it might last for six. Dunno what you took, man." And then, suddenly, "Want to go get a hairless cat with me?"

"Oh. Well, I dunno what I took either, so...I guess that makes two of us."

This does not seem to disturb him nearly as much as it should, if at all. Nor does the fact that he might be in his current fucked-up state for the next two to six hours.

Jamie looks surprised at Artolo's proposal, considers, and then makes the responsible choice. "Sure! That sounds fun. Where do you get hairless cats around here?"

"Pet stores!" Probably. These seem like obnoxiously exotic cats, but whatever. Artolo pushes himself up to his feet and holds his hand out to Jamie.

"And if not those, we can always bother them about where to buy hairless cats."

Jamie accepts the hand up, even though he's not remotely unsteady on his feet - it's a nice gesture and it'd be rude to just ignore it. He looks just as game for this venture as for anything else Artolo has suggested thus far.

"I don't think I've ever been to a pet store." Like, ever, is the implication. "Are there a lot around here?"

"There are a ton around here!" Probably. Artolo went straight to an adoption place, but he's relatively sure about this. With a bit of a swagger, he starts to head out for the door again.

"I mean, Vista City is the largest city on this coast, right? There are a metric fuckton of pet stores around."

"I guess so?..." Jamie shrugs amiably and follows Artolo. "Oh - are the people you live with gonna be okay with you bringing home a cat?" Some people get kind of huffy about that sort of thing, he guesses.

"Nah, man, don't worry about it." Double checking that he does in fact have his wallet, Artolo leaves the penthouse and makes sure to take it slow so that Jamie doesn't get lost staring at a picture or something.

"I got my own apartment where I keep a bunch of cats."

It's very kind of Artolo to take Jamie's current state into consideration like that, but fortunately he's not so brain-fogged he'll be distracted by inanimate objects.

"Seriously?" Jamie asks, ambling beside Artolo. "Why don't you live there instead of sharing a place with a bunch of other people? Who takes care of all the cats and makes sure they don't fight and stuff?"

"I hired someone to watch after them when I can't," is the answer as Artolo stretches his arms in front of himself, fingers interlaced. "Don't get me wrong, I adore the hell out of the furshits, but..."

A pause, and then he decides that Jamie is probably too stoned to remember this later. "Just kinda worry about the shit my band will get up to if they're left to their own. We lost our lead not too long ago, there's a new guy... You know how it is."

Jamie doesn't, really, at least not in his current state, but he tries to follow along as best he can. "What kind of shit?" he asks, hurrying a little to keep up with Artolo's longer-legged stride. "You said they don't do drugs and stuff, so..."

He thinks for a second or two. "Do they fight with each other, or just sit around in their underwear all day, or what?"

"Nah, it's just..." He makes a vague gesture. It's hard to explain. Frankly, he kind of doesn't want to. CoT isn't the most close band, he knows that, but... still.

"Weird shit has been happening. Anyway!" Time for a topic change. "What are you gonna name your freak ass cat?"

Jamie's not too fussed by the fact that Artolo didn't actually answer his question. Either it's too complicated to explain when Jamie's all weird like this, or it wasn't that important to begin with.

Cats, however, are clearly Serious Business. "My cat? I thought it was gonna be yours!" he says with obvious surprise. "Anyway, I've never had a pet before. They look like pigs, so...I dunno, Bacon or something, maybe. What would you name it?"

"We're both getting cats," he drawls, because clearly this was obvious. It really wasn't, but no one said that Artolo followed straight paths even with people who were sober.

"And I dunno. Dick Helmet, maybe." Label this as one of many things Tamara will probably try to talk him out of because no.

That gets a scandalized laugh out of Jamie, because fucked in the head or not he's still a sixteen-year-old boy and dick jokes are hilarious.

"That's terrible! Why would you name a cat Dick Helmet? I mean, aside from the obvious." He looks a little thoughtful, then, as they reach the elevator. "D'you think I should get a cat? I dunno if I'd be allowed. I mean, what if the people I live with don't like it?" He's guessing he lives with people, anyway, since Artolo had mentioned them.

"Because I can." Obviously. Artolo raises one long leg to kick at the elevator button as they reach one and grins back to him.

"If it's a bald cat, then it can't hit off allergies, right? So it's not like there's any other reason to complain."

"I guess not." Jamie considers this. "Some people just don't like cats, though. I dunno if the people I live with are like that, but still."

The elevator chimes and the door slides open. "Hey. How come you like cats so much anyway? You must like 'em a lot if you've got a whole apartment full of 'em."

"Why?" he echoes, stepping inside the elevator. Good question. He never really thought they were his kind of thing. But-

She's short but muscular, grinning, all brilliantly sharp teeth that catch the contrasting light of the moons. Prouder than any predator, that's what she is, even as she brings in a hunt for the group, and he's complaining about one of her stupid damn purrbeast puns-

Artolo blinks himself out of the vision. "They're just cats, man, what, don't you like cats?"

Jamie blinks in surprise. "They're fine, never said I didn't like 'em. I was just thinking there must be something special about 'em if you've got so many."

He shrugs a little as the doors slide shut. "Did you have a lot of cats when you were a kid? Or wait, maybe it's the other way around and you really wanted a cat, but your parents never let you have one. Is it something like that?"

☆TRACK VII: IN REACHING OUT PT. 1

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