☆TRACK IX: LIKE A GHOST

[interdimanagers]

Who: Everyone!
What: The ghosts are back, and they've brought you some FEELS.
When: April 18th-21st.
Where: Predominantly outside of the label HQ walls. Occasionally inside, too.
Warnings: The usual.

“'Cause the world might do me in. It's alright 'cause I'm with friends. Guess I'm giving up again... It doesn't matter.” ☆LIKE A GHOST The spirits that have walked the halls of the label towers for months now have returned once again - and while the last time they appeared they were pleading for your help, this time they are here to offer their aid in return. All four ghosts will be trying to find all musicians and rescuers aligned to their spiritual emotion in order to bestow some sweet spectral gifts open them. Some of you may have met them already, some of you may have not. While in the past their identities were a mystery, in their last encounter with the labels it was shown that they are in fact the spirits of the late Crescendolls, a former Virgo band that claims to have been murdered by Lesedi Santiago. Though most will still be unaware of this, they may have a chance to ask questions today. These are the four naked alien spirits who will be visiting, and the emotion they align to: ► Duty: Brave, dedicated, and willful, Arpegius is the lead guitarist and the sort of guy who will fight you or for you for all the right reasons. He's street smart enough to know how to choose his battles. ► Passion: Young, boisterous, and a little bit crass, Baryl is the drummer of the band and as compassionate as he is rowdy when he slows down enough to be. ► Hope: Inspired, intelligent, and chill, Octave is the keyboardist and lead singer. He's the most mature of the group and was also the oldest - before they all died, anyway. Still, he manages to be proactive about his ghostly status. ► Love: Quiet, mysterious, and surprisingly capable of being a badass, Stella is the basist of the group. From the outside she may appear to be almost stereotypically demure, but there is an emotional strength inside that not many get to see. ☆THE GIFTS They will not be able to spend much time with each person, nor will they be inclined to go near the HQs if they can avoid it. But they will be able to communicate with each person briefly if they share an alignment, in order to give them one of the following gift, of which every character in the game may pick one. ► Knowledge: You can ask your ghost a question about the in-game situation (they don't know anything about your home life so don't ask them about that) and they'll answer with any information they've gathered as an invisible ghost witness or go seek it out for you. ► Strength: The ghost will leave part of their power with you, in the form of a burst of spiritual strength you can access at a moment of your choice. Generally speaking this will manifest in a manner similar to an "adrenaline rush" or "last effort" energy boost where your character's physical strength or abilities increase 50% - 100% for a short period of time. The more powerful the boost the shorter time it will last. It works even better if, at the moment of its triggering, you are deeply in tune with the emotion you and the ghost represents. ► Healing: Your ghost will attempt to heal you physically or emotionally - this isn't the best for severe physical wounds, but it is very good for unlocking mental blocks or helping you get past trauma in order to pursue the greater good. This can be used for a large memory regain or to sooth any kind of mental trauma that is holding your character back. Effectiveness varies from person to person, but the treatment will be focused around enhancing the emotional alignment shared between the ghost and you. EDIT: Healing can be given to someone else immediately, but can't be stored like Strength and Protection can, unless you work out something specific with your ghost. ► Protection: Much like the strength boon, this is a power left with you by the ghost that can be triggered at a future moment. Instead of enhancing your abilities however, it will act as a physical or mental defense against one potentially deadly assault. This gift can also be transferred to another person at the recipient's request. The ghosts will be you their magic ghost dust, promise that they will be watching and protecting you where they can, and then be on their way. However, those who helped rescue them during the In Reaching Out plot will get something a little bit extra. (IE, those who participated in the Ghost Quest plot.) They'll both get their immediate pick of one of the above boons as well as: ► Spirit Summon: Your aligned spirit will give each Ghost Quest participant the ability to summon them for direct aid on one occasion, in the form of a small ectoplasmic token. Their arrival can be used for anything they are capable of pulling off with their ghost magics that they don't find morally objectionable. Basically, a ghost will appear and help you out when you need it. Choose wisely. Along with all these gifts, each ghost will be bolstering the emotional aspect you share. Love alignment people will feel strengthened by the power of their love, Hopes will feel increasingly hopeful and capable, and etc. This is not something that will make them behave destructively - it is a positive blessing speaking to the strongest sides of their patron emotion. Keep in mind that these spirits do have wills of their own, and being rude or dismissive towards them will result in them passing you by. Boons will only go towards those that seem like they will be using them for good intent. ADDITIONAL NOTE: During and after this event, musicians will be able to regain memories of their capture as well the occasional flash of their initial programming! “Had me feeling like a ghost, And that's what I hate the most. Guess I'm giving up again... This time I might just disappear.”

Comments

GIFT FROM MERIL

[interdimanagers]

Stella will be sent on Meril's behalf to offer Healing to Greg's mind and soul. She knows he must be struggling with the weight of Blanche's influence, and she promises she will do everything she can to help with it.

[panspermia]

Memories have always come so suddenly, in overwhelming and distracting flashes of insight. This one arrives smooth and even, less a vision and more something truly being recalled from his own thoughts.

The lights blind him for an instant, heart rocketing to his throat as he yells. Then there's a blur of motion, barely staying upright as they skid into sod and mud on the side of the road. He gasps for air.

Why does he let this keep happening? "Why do you always decide what's important?" Doesn't he know what he values for himself?

"Because I'm your manager, and you're just some spaced out kid." Realization burns a pit of anger in his gut. Marty doesn't care. Marty hasn't ever cared. "I'm going to take you into the city, and you're going to play, and you're going to like it." He won't. This isn't what matters. This isn't ever what has mattered. What he cares about is... "Maybe you'll even make me some money for once..."

What he cares about is people.

"Get out of my van."

"Sit down, Greg."

It's foolish, it's careless, it will ruin everything he's worked towards up to this point, it may not even get him close to her... but at least it's real.

"I said, GET OUT OF MY VAN!"

The influence of Virgo, the stress of his deal and potential betrayal, the guilt of Sans' capture... all of them have weighed heavily on Greg's psyche, rendering him too frightened and weary to think straight. There's a lot of damage to his spirit for Stella to undo.

When her boon is given, it's as though he's had blinders taken off. Knots and tangles in his thoughts are undone, revealing to him understanding of options he'd unconsciously locked out. The knowledge of what he's done, of what's happening to him and his friends, still weighs heavy and inescapable on his mind, but it no longer hangs over his eyes and hides the ways to move forward.

[nibelungvalesti]

The girl responsible came scrambling in a moment later, face uncharacteristically flushed as she tried to catch up to events she had set in motion. Frankly, the door was lucky to survive.

[panspermia]

Greg blinks at the woman. Though he hasn't changed physically, Meril can surely see he looks different--more quiet and serene than he has in months. He looks a lot closer to his age. There's a faint tug at the corner of his mouth.

"I got your gift."

[nibelungvalesti]

"And...?" Those changes shone through brilliantly, but after everything they had been through, hoping that he truly felt better, that he had been in any way healed, seemed too much to ask for.

[panspermia]

He walks to her, and takes her hands in his. "It's just what I needed." Greg is too tired to smile, but it's there, in his gentle hold on her. "I hadn't even realized."

[nibelungvalesti]

Forget hands. She flung her arms around her to pull him into a hug that, for all the strength she put into it, might do him some chiropractic good as well. "It was obvious to everyone else," she said, her voice muffled by his bod as she pressed against him.

[panspermia]

There's more than enough power in her hug to crack his back, and Greg grunts a little. It feels good. Her holding him, that is. "Yeah, I bet."

His embrace in return isn't nearly so tight, as he uses it to feel her warmth and presence. He doesn't regret for a second taking the chance to make sure she's protected. "What about you?"

[nibelungvalesti]

"Yes. I received your gift in turn." She leaned back to smile up at him, a gentle and warm smile like sunlight itself. "You should have kept it, but I know telling you that is useless."

[panspermia]

He basks in that smile, and it gives him enough strength for a smile of his own. One hand strokes at her hair, brushing it away from her face. "If I said that to you, would you have listened for even a second?"

[nibelungvalesti]

"Nothing I could have gotten would have been as precious to me as seeing your burdens eased." A selfish sentiment at the same time as it was an altruistic one. His pain had been scarring her in turn.

[panspermia]

"Yeah, well. Knowing you're protected... eases some burdens too." The fear of her being used as some sort of bargaining chip because of him... it made him sick. Yet his paranoia had only caused her more stress. Greg shakes his head with a sigh. "I'm so sorry that I've made you worry."

[nibelungvalesti]

"I worry because I care, so you should not apologize for that. Because I certainly won't stop caring." And now here he was, worrying, when for a while now she had been the strongest of all. "Besides, you give me strength."

[panspermia]

As strong as she was, it didn't give Greg any right to worry her. But his apologizing around in circles wasn't what would fix that: only resolving to move forward again.

"I thought we agreed. You're the strength, I'm the magic." He'd often joked around with lines like that. He means it now. "...Blanche is going to try something soon. I'm sure of it." That cold fury after the fight with Sans meant the worst was yet to come. Greg looks Meril in the eyes. "We'll watch each other's backs. Right?"

[oceantier]

It's an early morning by the ocean -- gray, and still a little foggy, the sun not yet burning through the clouds. Nearer to the rocks, Lapis emerges and becomes Luna, breathing in the morning chill.

The tide is out. She walks towards the water's edge, letting the water wash over her feet. Leaning down, she touches her fingers to it, letting the waves greet them as well.

There's a half-smile on her features, as though she's meeting a pet or an old friend.

[panspermia]

Greg sees Luna first, but doesn't approach quite yet. He hangs back away from the surf and watches. Idly, he wonders if he should head back to headquarters, for now. One of these days these beachside encounters will get them in trouble. Then again, they already have if he counts last time.

However, last time is the reason he decides to stay, still watching her in serene silence. Greg has the distinct feeling that a moment of peace and happiness in her is something rare to appreciate. It's a notion he can relate to.

[oceantier]

She looks up then, eyes slipping towards him, fingers still dripping sea water. Her eyes sharpen in recognition, but she maintains that same half-smile as before. "Hello."

She hopes he's gotten the phone by this point through Oscar, but doesn't mention it just in case. It's supposed to be a surprise, after all.

[panspermia]

"Hey there."

There's another moment in silence, like he doesn't want to interrupt the serenity of the moment. Then he finally lets it break, rubbing at his neck and smiling.

"I uh, I got your gift."

[oceantier]

She brightens immediately at that, like water hit with a sudden shaft of light.

"You did?"

He's smiling. That means he likes it, right?

Right?

[panspermia]

He nods, grinning wider at her clear hope.

"I really appreciate it. We haven't... talking's been hard." Greg bites at his lip. "It means a lot."

[oceantier]

He likes it. That brings the light further into her face, until she's smiling that rare, almost-full smile. Steven had liked it too. "You spoke to him?"

[panspermia]

"Yeah. A little. Texting, jokes... they're keeping us busy, but it keeps our spirits up." It's not the same as getting to see him, but... it lets him know Steven's safe.

[oceantier]

Full, happy smile then, utterly rare -- sunlight glittering off water. "I think . . . he's happier too."

[panspermia]

Even though he was fairly sure of that, it's a relief to hear it from her. "I'm glad." He hasn't gotten to actually speak with his son in person since... well, since February. "You seem happier, too."

[oceantier]

"I get to spend time with him." Her eyes fall away and her voice dips soft -- as though she's concerned that such a revelation will bother him. "I just--"

But she trails off, her smile fading. "It won't last. Now . . . or at home. But. It's nice."

It's a potential opening, if he chooses to take it.