Week 7: May 13th - May 17th

[cartesio]

Seventh Week

The tense truce that had covered Cartesio was over. The town, feeling betrayed after having given a chance to the outsiders, pushed back. Enraged, they started getting even more daring, starting to get into the tourists' only safe haven: their motel rooms. They don't manage to break in, but it's not unusual to hear thumping on the doors, someone trying to get in. The windows are almost perpetually broken, there's so much graffiti on the ground floor of the motel, both inside and outside, it's hard to know what each one is saying. Can't be anything good, that's the only thing that's certain. The lounge's furniture has been tore to pieces, the lobby only has the guestbook intact, and the planters in middle of the motel are broken, the soil and plants strewn around.

The residents of Cartesio are near their breaking point. The despair, fury, and desire to get rid of the outsiders so everyone can return to their peaceful lives, have covered the town. It won't take long before they reach their breaking point, and if they do...what will happen to the visitors?

The Sergeant's grip on the town is total, and next week is the one marked as END. It seems like there's no way out, like the Sergeant won.

But you can't lose hope. You have to remember: now that you're on your darkest hour, the only way lef to go is upwards. Things can get better, you have to make it happen!

In the lobby of the motel there's a few more brochures, and the maps have been updated once again. Don't mind that some of them have been damaged in one of the attacks on the motel.

Links

IC Rules
Guestbook
Room Assignments
Events
Locations
NPCs
Activity Check

Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday

[Welcome to the seventh week! If you want to contact the Sergeant, please post here!. Also please remember to submit your activity check!]

Comments

SUNDAY - May 13th

[cartesio]

 

EXECUTION

[cartesio]

The police station is rather ruined that morning. The Sergeant, Kino, and Bolin walk through the remains of it. The walls and doors are full of holes, everything was blasted, it's like a hurricane of fire passed through. They walk beside agents panicking and trying to salvage everything they can, they pass near the desk where Nanette is sitting, grabbing her head and staring at the table wih despair, defeated. Kino watches everything with detachment, Bolin expresses more sympathy but doesn't stop, and the Sergeant doesn't even spare a glance.

Instructions are given once they get to the basement, and both executioners are taken into the execution room. Once the Sergeant tells them to wait for a moment, he goes to get Dabi and Hawks. He returns just a few minutes later, both prisoners walking in front of him. Dabi has that typical deadpan expression, while Hawks is a bit more pensive, sneaking glances at the Sergeant every few steps, waiting for a chance to act.

"Go in. I'll bring your executioners" the Sergeant says, opening the door and letting them into the empty execution room. Dabi and Hawks enter without protest, and the Sergeant closes the door behind them, watching them from the outside through the sturdy glass walls, and walks out of sight.

The peace doesn't last long. Like it's something they agreed beforehand, Hawks dashes forward, his wings curving, a dagger-sized feather detaching, Hawks catching it in his hand without even looking at it. He lunges forward, embracing Dabi tightly, holding him close and taking a deep breath. Dabi understood immediately -- they both had to do it at the same time, quickly before the Sergeant had time to retrieve Bolin and Kino. Dabi smirked, ready to set himself in the most intense fire he could muster, blue embers flickering, covering him as a hint of what would come very soon, and got ready to feel the plunge of Hawks' feather stabbing into his back.

It was supposed to take only a few seconds, they moved so quickly the Sergeant was supposed to not even have ascended to the ground floor by the time it was all over. Hawks did it without hesitation, stabbing with the feather down.

The feather hit nothing. Dabi wasn't there anymore. Hawks was there, standing with an arm crading empty air and the other clutching the feather, and in front of him it wasn't Dabi on fire. Instead it was Kino, just a few feet away, already aiming the gun at him. Hawks blinked, processing what had just happened, cconfusion, realization, and then sadness played across his face when he realizes he and Dabi had been baited and set up to have their souls and hearts crushed one last time, just in time to hear the noise of the gunshot.

-----

Dabi hadn't agreed with Hawks to do it like this, but if he had to be executed, he preferred it to be by Hawks' hand, and he wanted to take Hawks' life by his own hand, too. The moment he felt Hawks' arms around him, he focused, letting his quirk do the job. The blue fire enveloped him, a blast of heat emanating with such strength if Hawks had been there he'd have felt it to the core of his being. The blue fire crackled, inside was Dabi, satisfied and sure this would seal the deal and their deaths would be swift.

It didn't come. The pain of being enveloped in his own fire was the only thing he felt. Hawks was gone. In his place, in front of him and surrounded by rocks emerging from the concrete floor, was Bolin.

Smirking and not showing any discomfort, Dabi moved, the fire trailing with him. To Bolin it's like facing something very familiar -- Dabi's like no firebender, his fire and strength are different, but he decides to fight the best he can nonetheless. With fluid movements, like it's a normal fight instead of an execution, Bolin slammed a foot against the floor, one of the rocks bounced up. Without missing a beat, Bolin spun on his foot, the other leg extending and not even hititng the rock itself, launching it forward, speeding through the air!

He wasn't going to let it happen without defying it. Dabi threw a fireball, hitting the rock in the air, shattering it in pieces. The dust of the rock hadn't even cleared when Bolin had already launched another, and a third one. Bolin moved his arms in an arch, more rocks sprouting from the ground, the concrete flying in pieces, the electric chair falling apart when a spire of rock speared through it! Judging that'd be enough, Dabi threw another fireball and stepped back, the fire passing through the rocks. One of them crashed right in front of Dabi, the other sailed through the air.

It was a rather large rock, almost as big as Bolin. It wasn't surprising when it hit Dabi, it pushed him against the wall, the wall cracking behind him. Rock and villain slumped onto the floor, the blue fire extinguishing underneath the rock. For a moment Bolin wasn't sure that had been enough, around him the other rocks spun and floated, ready to be thrown as well as necessary.

And just like that, it was over.

Kino wasn't sure what happened. She had just shot Hawks, she hadn't even lowered the gun when suddenly it wasn't Hawks in front of her, it was Bolin, surrounded by floating rocks. Bolin had his arms raised in the air, ready to launch the rocks, when suddenly it wasn't Dabi crushed against the wall, it was Kino. The both of them stared at each other, unsure of what happened. Once it was clear there wasn't any immediate danger, Bolin relaxed, the rocks crashing down, he was breathing heavily out of stress. Kino raised her eyebrows, impassive. Neither Hawks nor Dabi were anywhere to be seen.

"That's it" the Sergeant said from the open door of the execution room. "Well done"

Nothing to be done but leave the execution room. Without crossing words, Bolin and Kino exited, ascending the stairs up the ground floor and leaving the police station without nary a comment.

NEWSPAPER

[cartesio]

[Weather: The fog that covers the town will lift at sundown, settling onto the sky.

Our town has started to expect the violence the outsiders have shown each other, week after week, but this weekend's events were a personal blow to all of us. After finding renewed faith in a particular one of their group - Mr. Hawks - it turns out he had been planning on committing violence for longer than any of us could have imagined.

If what he said at that mockery of a trial can be trusted, he's been working with Mr. Dabi - who this reporter believes had a personal hand in burning down our beloved diner - for longer than they have even been here. The one who we put our faith in when Davis Williams was kidnapped was a liar, conspiring with an arsonist to kill two other people.

How can we even begin to trust the outsiders again?

Mr. Mason Sterling was contacted for comment, after it came out that Mr. Hawks was not the noble hero we had started to believe, but he declined to answer.]

------------

[During the night, the police station has suffered a lot of damage. It looks like it could crumble apart anytime soon.

Meanwhile, in the park...there's quite the additions to the place]

---------

[On the streets, stalls are being built, balloons and streamers are being placed all over town. The preparations for the celebrations for this week are being made]

[cartesio]

[It's almost noon when someone comes to the motel. There's someone knocking on the door!]

[robitussin]

[Hm.

Against her better judgment, she’s opening the door.]

[cartesio]

[Don't worry, Natalie. It's Nanette, and she looks mighty depressed.

Without even looking up to Natalie, she immediately starts:]

...fine. We give up. I dunno what you all were planning to do here, but clearly we're outmatched.

Can I ask for a favor?

[Or more like beg for a favor, because this is what she's here for]

[robitussin]

[After a pause of surprise:]

Sorry, I’m confused. We didn’t do anything.

[But with that out of the way...]

What favor?

[cartesio]

[She doesn't even have the fire to argue about what they did. The police station sure didn't get wrecked by itself, that's something she's sure about]

...can we at least have this week's party untouched? It's something we do every few years. We deserve at least this much.

investigation

[clearities]

[ As the only person who still remembers the events of that week before everyone else, she has to be the one to do it. She's the only one who can, after all. So as per usual, besides avoiding to watch the execution -- she's checking the new locations to see who she can find. And she especially needs to check up on the refinery, now that she knows that's there, given that there's one person that she needs to make sure is absolutely safe. Naturally, after that's said and done she's off to the flower shop once again, but this time, she seems to be getting flowers not just for those who died here, but... For those empty graves in the graveyard, which she promptly visits afterwards, making sure she can place one white lily atop every single one that she's able to. ]

[cartesio]

[Looks like the streak is over, Sakura. You find nobody else new]

[clearities]

[ OKAY BUT IS REAN OKAY AT THE REFINERY

this is Important ]

[cartesio]

[He seems to be okay! Very busy and surrounded by workers that don't let her approach him, but okay nonetheless]

[clearities]

[ The important part is that he's alright -- so while she'd like to talk to him, if he's busy, she'd rather not bother. That's the important part here, in the end. ]

investigation

[marmoron]

park - morning
[He didn't get a whole lot of sleep since the folks in town have been busy smashing windows and thumping on doors."Grumpy" is a mild word for how he's feeling right now, but on the bright side he's got a neon space wolf with him that's keeping everyone at bay with a show of teeth. It's fine. It's all fine. He knew this "peace" crap wasn't going to last.

He's passing through the park as part of his usual routine, all part of the daily grind or whatever, but it's hard to miss that awfully shiny structure catching the light at every imaginable angle. And that.. whatever the heck that statue (???) is standing in front of it. He's going to figure this is all part of the festival Cartesio's got going on later this week maybe. He'll approach it to check.

And then just come to a dead stop once he realizes there's something awfully familiar about this statue. He squints, taking in each horrible detail, eyes darting from place to place like he's searching for some safe place to look on the monstrosity, but there just.... isn't one. At all. Slowly his face turns a violent shade of red; he's never felt so fucking horrified in his life?? Why. Why is this happening. Why is this his life. WHY IS HE NOSELESS AND IN A LOINCLOTH??

Glaring right at the beautifully glittering Fort Millim sign, his voice cracks as he shouts.]

All of you can stay dead! See if I care!

hangar - investigation (feel free to hop in if you wanna join!)
[Well now that it's official that he's never setting foot in the park again??? It's time to go check out what's new this week. To his more pleasant surprise, it appears to be a hangar. Being a former fighter class pilot and all, he decides he'll give the place a closer look to see what all's lying around for him to find. Who knows. Maybe he'll be able to fly something here....]

+1 investigation buddy!

[quickpersuader]

[He'll find someone else there as well.]

Cars.

[Apparently that word is the same even in Kino's world. She breathes it out in surprise and not a little eagerness, because though it isn't a motorrad, it's something.

She'll probably be disappointed. But it still warrants a look, doesn't it?]

[cartesio]

[There sure are a lot of vehicles here. None of them have any engines, and there seems to be none around here.

Are you both looking for anything specific?]

[marmoron]

You can drive a car?

[It's a mildly toned question today. Keith's likewise pretty enthused about seeing things that can be drivem/flown around. He hasn't flown in ages, Kino, it's been so hard.

He hasn't tried lifting up the hoods on one of the cars or checking out the planes just yet to know to be disappointed by how unusable they are, but he will be looking around for keys!]

[quickpersuader]

Not very well, but enough to get by in a pinch.

[Enough to bust the gasoline open and burn some evil sheep to death??

She's going to start checking out the bodies of the cars, looking for any outside indication that they are not functional and making note of any large ones that can carry a lot of passengers in particular.]

park

[protectandselfserve]

[Gant just happens to show up while Keith is looking over the statue and begins to completely lose his shit, laughing thunderously and applauding over the display.]

[marmoron]

[Gant. Gant, please. Keith is DYING here. His face is beet red and this laughter is making him want to crawl into a hole.]

Damon.

[protectandselfserve]

[okay let him... try to stop laughing...]

If it... if it helps, I would be laughing as hard if it was anyone else, hahahaha!

[marmoron]

[No... no it does not make him feel better because they do not exist in the alternate reality where this is not a statue of him, gdit.]

...I don't know what I did to deserve this.

park

[robitussin]

[When she arrives in the park, she doesn't have time to take in the statue before she notices him. She definitely sees that there's one here, but the way his voice cracks and the words he's saying mean she's looking his way before she can take in whose likeness it's in.

In short: he has a few moments to do something if he doesn't want her to notice, luckily.]

What happened?

[marmoron]

At the sound of Natalie's voice, Keith spins around immediately, his face still burning crimson.]

N-nothing!

[He doesn't splutter often, but here he is. Spluttering. The sole reason he isn't trying to cover Natalie's eyes with his hands is because seeing this horrible thing is just such an inevitability. Albeit one that he's not actually prepared for right now.]

Did you eat breakfast yet? Can we go eat breakfast.

[robitussin]

[Fortunately enough for him, his response puzzles her enough that she doesn't tear her eyes from him.]

...Not yet. Also, I guess? But - you're acting weird. What's going on?

[She's turning her head to see if there's anything amiss nearby. He might need to act fast.]