HE IS HERE

[peckishmods]

the vines have run wild

it's over

Everything is in shambles. Walls and floors torn and broken from roots and branches sprouting through. They block doors and crowd passages and pulse with sick life. The Thing sits in the center of it all, angry and starving, its trunk both still and moving in ways you catch only when it is in the corner of your vision. Branches that look less like bark and more like skin stretch in every direction, lush with shadowy leaves and dotted with bits of glowing blue. The ruined floor is littered with those little twinkling dots. Seeds. Everywhere, seeds. They hang on boughs, and rest on banisters in the upper levels. The one thing in this nightmare that doesn't radiate that awful, pervasive hunger.

The roof is gone, replaced with a writhing canopy of shadow and muck. Some parts of it are complex spiderwebs of tendrilly shapes, others solid formless movement. The only consistent thing about it is that it is terrible to behold, faintly nauseating to look at for too long. Ash rains down between gaps in its branches, and what glimpses of sky are visible are nothing but swirling gray clouds. What stars still shine are magic, man-made, floated between balconies by prom committee before the dance.

Those remaining begin to stir. Each one of you has heard Pocket's words, "Find the roots." And if you want to save your friends, your family, the holler — hell, maybe even the world — that's exactly what you're going to do.

You climb from protective cocoons of dying moss, push your way past walls of solid ice, emerging into utter destruction. Things move and make noise at the edge of your vision, but for now, at least, all is calm. What to do? Where to start?

it's ruined

Among the twinkling maple seeds are the dropped possessions of students and staff, lost when they were pulled away. A compact mirror, a cell phone, a pair of glasses, cups of punch spilling across the floor. A single red heel sits at the edge of the jagged pit that peers down into the Sorting Path. The air here is hot. Too hot. If you jump, you'll surely be boiled alive.

Though locked when everyone tried to flee, vines and roots have torn the doors to the auditorium off their hinges. The splintered remains of heavy oak doors litter the entrance halls and stairwell alcoves, leaving an open path outside. Not that you'd want to flee, by the looks of it.

A cool night breeze is the only relief from the growing heat of the auditorium, yes, but even that is tainted by the heavy scent of flowers. Outside, vines and purple flowers have exploded over every surface. They climb up lamp posts, engulf buildings whole, hang from trees. It would be beautiful if it weren't horrifying. Campus is unrecognizable.

there is no hope

Roots and vines clog the way to the Sorting Path, and most stairwells are completely obstructed by the growths of that horrible tree. Up above, something buzzes and wails, a mockery of a cicada's cry, and beyond that the twittering of birds nesting in the tree's highest branches.

Pouch coalesces in the middle of it all, a one-winged magimagicicada, weak and weary but undaunted. Resolute, if not reinvigorated. He bends down to touch a seed, and the moment his obsidian fingers light on it, a blue-white portal to somewhere else rips right through reality. A memory begins to play. Somehow, the bug seems to know what he's seeing.

She gave us what we need, the one who ran says to the gathered students, his voice in their heads as much as the air. Let's all not let her down, huh?

Find your friends. Find my siblings. It's time to fight.

but you'll keep going, won't you?

TO ELSEWHERE
| TO OUTSIDE | TO THE UPPER LEVELS | TO THE SORTING PATH |

IN THIS HUB
| ARE YOU THERE? |
| AT THE BASE OF THE TREE | A POCKET OF SAFETY |
| BACKSTAGE | THE DANCE STUDIO |

OOC POSTS
| OOC ACTION HUB | OOC CHATTER - QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS |

Comments

MEMORY: Dumpster Dive

[arisahn]

Dumbfounded, Aris takes a small step back and stares at the lock, "What the heck...?" He reaches out and turns through the first dial, cycling through the letters until it becomes obvious that it's just the alphabet. Any word. Any four-letter word. That seems a little unfair. He shakes his head as Maisy calls out her guess, turning around as he calls back, "Nuh-uh! There are only four letters and-"

He stops abruptly at the sight of the note in Maisy's hand and the circling birds. "...Woah." With his limited animal knowledge, he's fairly certain that birds only do that when something's dead. "What do they want?"

MEMORY: Dumpster Dive

[bratsquatch]

"The answer can be found in our school?" Felicity repeats, tilting her head up toward the sky in thought. Oh! she thinks, maybe it's a four letter word that can be found in the words, 'our school.' Aha!

"COOL," she says triumphantly, tipping her head back down. The others are forgiven if they don't have any idea of what she's talking about. Maybe she thinks circling birds who can write are cool??

MEMORY: Dumpster Dive

[arisahn]

Aris, admittedly, doesn't know how Felicity got from Point A to Point B with that one but he wants to trust her! He quickly turns back to the lock, putting in the C before hesitating. He bites his lip. What if they've only got one shot at this or something? He doesn't want to be responsible for locking Kirby in the dumpster forever...even if he is just a memory.

He shakes his head in frustration and looks up at the birds, calling out, "Hey! Can't you give us another hint? We can...trade or something? I've got...gum!" Do birds like gum?

MEMORY: Dumpster Dive

[dareyouto]

“What? Come onnnn. We don’t need another clue, it’s definitely COOL,” Maisy says, because she thinks Felicity might be the smartest person ever. She reaches over and puts in an O.

MEMORY: Dumpster Dive

[bratsquatch]

Okay, so maybe Felicity had some quiet small tiny doubts about her idea, but now that Maisy -- one of the coolest seniors at the school -- in onboard, Felicity is dangerously confident in her suggestion. She runs over and puts in the next O. They're doing it!

MEMORY: Dumpster Dive

[arisahn]

Now outnumbered and overwhelmed by the cheerful confidence of his peers, Aris pushes down his doubt. He glances between Maisy and Felicity before nodding adamantly (they need to know he supports them!!) and entering in the L himself.

That's definitely right! ...Right?

Re: MEMORY: Dumpster Dive

[sparrowboy]

The lock does not respond. The birds swoop closer. One starts nipping at Aris's shoe. Another bites into a piece of tinfoil on the ground.

MEMORY: Dumpster Dive

[dareyouto]

"SERIOUSLY??" Maisy exclaims. How could cool not be the answer? What are they supposed to do now? She swings her purse at a couple of the birds to fend them off before tossing a plaintive glance at Felicity. Think of something else really good, Felicity!!!

MEMORY: Dumpster Dive

[arisahn]

While part of Aris wants to jump back from that nipping bird, he stops himself. The creature's not doing anything dangerous just yet and his formal shoes can handle this. Instead, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out one of the pieces of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum!

"So...what about that trade? Got any hints for us?" he tries again, watching the bird carefully but not knowing what else to try, "I don't know if you know, but it never loses its flavor. Guaranteed!"

MEMORY: Dumpster Dive

[bratsquatch]

Well, the lock is being decided un-COOL. So much for 'first thought best thought.' She sees Maisy's look and swallows. Can't let her down... can't let her down... can't let her--

"It's OPEN," she says with a snap of her fingers, wishing it'd occurred to her earlier. Duh. Don't overthink these things. She smiles easily, but glances quickly over to the birds to see if they reacted. If she's on the correct path.

"...Right?" she asks them and then flashes her teeth menacingly.

Re: MEMORY: Dumpster Dive

[girl_in_the_moon]

The birds seem to share a glance amongst themselves. One, as if designated by the group, lands on Felicity's shoulder and starts poking her with its beak.

MEMORY: Dumpster Dive

[bratsquatch]

"Stop pecking me!" Felicity cries, and in not her proudest moment, winds up to hit the bird. Fist cocked back, her eyes suddenly go big. "PECK!" she repeats, and then forgetting herself, punches.

MEMORY: Dumpster Dive

[arisahn]

It takes a moment for Felicity’s epiphany to dawn on Aris, but when it does his eyes light up and he smiles broadly. "Oh. Oh! Yeah! Like Peckenpaugh! That has to be it!"

He starts to enter this in the lock, pauses to unwrap the gum and toss it to the helpful birds (they earned it), then proceeds to enter P E C K.

MEMORY: Dumpster Dive

[sparrowboy]

The lock clicks and the lid opens. Some birds fly away, while others peck at the gum. Kirby is frozen, half sunken in junk, his glasses falling off and his mouth open in shock. To his right are a stack of tuna cans, a foul scent emanating from the remnants of fish inside. Flies buzz and mice scurry around. A Niffler is rooting through the trash, looking for shiny things. It looks back at the group and gestures with its claws to a pizza box in the far left corner, chattering rapidly.

MEMORY: Dumpster Dive

[arisahn]

"Oh heck yeah!" Aris calls cheerfully as the lid lifts, giving Felicity a well-deserved thumbs up, "You're a genius!" The repulsive scent coming from the dumpster and the sight of the startled Kirby tumbling into the trash is quick to tone down his mirth, however, and he looks inside with obvious dismay. It's not hard to believe this happened -- people can be jerks -- but...still.

Surprised to see the Niffler still moving, he shares a brief glance with the creature before following the gestures of its claws and seeing the pizza box. "...Thanks, bud!" he says, because it feels like he ought to say something, before jogging around the outside of the dumpster to the left corner. Raising up onto his tip-toes, he attempts to reach inside and grab the box. He doesn't want to join Kirby and the Niffler in there if he doesn't have to.

Like, he really doesn't want to. Even if his suit is already beyond ruined.

MEMORY: Dumpster Dive

[sparrowboy]

The pizza box slides out of the way as Aris tugs on it. Below it are a soccer ball and basketball, dirty and punctured from Muggle children playing their sports at recess. The Niffler jabs its snout toward the balls, continuing to jabber excitedly.

MEMORY: Dumpster Dive

[dareyouto]

"Well? Go get it," Maisy says to Aris, because she is wearing a princess dress and obviously she's not going to get in the dumpster.

MEMORY: Dumpster Dive

[bratsquatch]

An open dumpster! A Niffler! Things to touch and smell!

"Me me me me me," Felicity juts in, saving Aris the temporary indignity from having to go into trash. Her dress sinks to the ground, and a raccoon with a cactus cat needle necklace crawls out from underneath. Felicicoon leaps into the trash, and, following the Niffler's advice, pounces onto the sports balls.

Aha! Victory!

Re: MEMORY: Dumpster Dive

[sparrowboy]

The Niffler squeaks louder and louder, hopping up and down, as Felicity transforms into a raccoon and jumps onto the balls. Its back claws start melting into grey gunk.

MEMORY: Dumpster Dive

[dareyouto]

"DID YOU GET IT?" Maisy asks as she peers into the dumpster. But it's looking pretty clearly like Felicity does not "got it", and Maisy reaches her arm in as far as she can to try and pull the little raccoon out of its natural (yet hostile) habitat.

MEMORY: Dumpster Dive

[arisahn]

Aris doesn't know much about Nifflers, but he's nearly positive that isn't standard Niffler behavior and he's entirely positive that the thing just played him. He throws the pizza box back into the creature's face as hard as he can (it won't hurt, but hey, it's an inconvenience, right?) and rushes back to join the others, putting himself between the girl holding the raccoon and the dumpster.

"What the heck is that?" And, more importantly, what're they supposed to do about it without their wands?

MEMORY: Dumpster Dive

[bratsquatch]

"Weee!" Felicity squeaks as she's pulled out of the dumpster, two muggle baseballs clutched in her paws.

She offers them to Aris and Maisy.

MEMORY: Dumpster Dive

[arisahn]

While Aris is reluctant to take his eyes off the dumpster, Felicity's squeaking is enough to get him to glance around. He blinks, then nods, and take the baseball. Better watch out, not-Niffler! He turns back to the dumpster and waits, watching to see what the thing is doing or becoming.

MEMORY: Dumpster Dive

[sparrowboy]

The Niffler continues to melt, beady eyes wide. "Don't throw it! Heeeelp meeee! Saaave meeee!" it squeaks before its face disappears.

MEMORY: Dumpster Dive

[bratsquatch]

The Niffler is asking the wrong person for help. Felicity doesn't have a wand, and even if she did have one, she's not sure what she would do with it. She slept through the lecture on melting Nifflers.

She suspects what they need (and maybe the Niffler needs) lies somewhere in the dumpster. She wriggles out of Maisy's grasp and dives back in, in search of something shiny.