cityofhex | WEEK 06

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WEEK 06

Moon phase: The first quarter moon is on Wednesday the 7th, and the moon will be nearly full on the weekend.

Weather forecast: After so many days of clouds and threatening, the freeze has arrived for the year beneath an open sky.

Ghost Bust(ers): On Tuesday, Ryoji will get a message from Autumn on the Twilight Network, letting him know that the situation involving the old man’s ghost has been resolved.

E(dda) T(ravis), Phone Home: On Wednesday evening, Corwin gets a phone call from Edda, asking if she can come over sometime on Saturday.

To Invitations: Speaking of Corwin's house, both he and Malin will be able to notice signs of something in the trees nearest the place occasionally. Whatever it is is the size of a large racoon and seems most comfortable staying in the trees, especially during daylight hours. Large claw scratches can be found in the trunks frequently.

Sparkle and Flicker: The park light displays put up throughout the end of November are now open to the public, from now until New Year's. They're drive-through-only on weekends, but on weeknights, when the goal isn't getting as many people through as possible for the park to have budget until summer boating season, it's just as likely that people will park at the nearby ice rink and walk through the well-lit sidewalks. (It helps that there's a discount for families on Tuesday and college students on Thursday, too.) Of course, off the paths, you can never be quite sure what you'll encounter…

Red like... Cherries?: While Tobias seems to have scared the 'younger' Beast off from his own Lair, it seems to have decided to hang around picking out easy targets. Those who are closer to Tobias will find themselves plagued with dreams of a blooming cherry tree throughout the week. Approaching the tree within the dream will reveal that the bark is coated with dripping blood - looking up for the source will show someone close to the viewer impaled on sharp branches, the blossoms on the other side of the body in perfect condition.

Tell me True: Various hunter channels, including Network Zero, start to get posts from someone talking about 'the truth of the city' and 'the real power here.' This isn't completely abnormal for them, given how many conspiracy theorists (right and wrong) are in such places... But what's odd is the amateur photography and exacting records of trains going around the city, and how food seems to appear from nowhere on them. Anyone wanting further information is encouraged to contact the poster by leaving a note at a certain abandoned house in the Residential District.

Cutting Loose: The local high schools are also empty for winter break, which means there's a lot more teenagers on the streets of the Residential and Sixth districts than usual. In particular, a senior in a red aquarium hoodie can be spotted skateboarding around by himself, in places you're specifically not supposed to skateboard, almost out of spite. Some of those places skirt dangerously close to Infrastructure, and even straight through it if it's outside buildings. The only place he seems unwilling to disrespect is a graveyard on the border between the two Districts, where he goes and sits in front of a headstone most afternoons to eat his small packed lunch.

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Autumn is indeed there, leaning against the side of the building and humming as she works on stitching up the side of a very worn-out looking teddy bear. She quirks her head as she listens to her Geist whisper in her hear, and looks up, smiling at Ryoji.

"Hey there! How's it going?"

"Good!" Ryoji beams back, approaching her, "I got your message. Did you guys manage to help him out?"

She grimaces a little bit, shifting uncomfortably. "Yeah... kind of. Dexter's not... as gentle about it as I'd like."

...Oh. Ryoji feels Thanatos stiffen behind him, flaring its wings out in what is a likely precursory to anger. "...What happened?" He needs to know, even if there's a decent chance he's going to have to make sure Thanatos doesn't do anything, well. Rash.

"He uh." Autumn tucks the needle into a long piece of fabric for safekeeping, folding it up and tucking it back into her bag. She brushes some of her hair away from her face before continuing. "He basically half-convinced and half-dragged the guy to a gate and made him go in. He really didn't want to, but Dexter was pretty pushy about it. I told him that he shouldn't make the guy leave if he didn't want to, but he started talking about how the guy would probably just make more trouble and get more people hurt if he didn't leave. I mean, he's not... wrong, just... yeah."

That is about the answer Ryoji was expecting, unfortunately. Thanatos also expected it, but it doesn't make it any happier about it. Its wings expand to their full size now, making him a towering monster looming behind Ryoji. Ryoji can feel it doing it, but his expression doesn't change. There is, once again, a reason it's good that Ryoji is the one most people can see. "I wish he hadn't done that," he says with a sigh, though it is a massive understatement, "I had a plan to make it easier, it just would have taken more time..." And what Dexter did is not helping the ghost find peace.

She doesn't react to Thanatos - really, if she reacted to every Geist she wouldn't be able to focus. "I know... I know. He's... got issues. I mean, not like the rest of us don't, coming back from dying and all. But he doesn't listen. He just does his own thing. I know he means well, but..."

"But meaning well isn't everything." There are plenty of people who 'mean well' and do more harm than good. Ryoji sighs, ruffling his hair. "...Do you guys actually work together, or are you just friends?" Assuming they're even friends, it was a little harder to tell from Dexter's attitude. He's not sure if either answer would make him feel better- if he's not in a krewe, that's not always a good sign, but if this is with a krewe attempting to contain him...

"... Kind of both? We... um." She rubs at her wrists, swallowing thickly. "We both came back around the same time. So we both figured things out together. He'd never call us friends... but I think of him as one. We're not really part of anything formal. I know some Sin-Eaters are, and that's great. We just haven't... found people to be with, yet. And I don't think he'd ever join up, anyway."

Autumn shakes her head, trying to get her pep back. "But he's getting better, I swear! When we first came back, he never did anything his Geist wanted. And, you know. We can't do that all the time, but sometimes... anyway, they're getting along a lot better now!"

Yeah, Ryoji is not sure how much that is a good sign, but he'll try to cheer up a bit when she does. Even though his mind is very much still on what has happened. "How long ago was it for you guys?" he asks quietly. He's very well adjusted as a Sin-Eater, but he recognizes most people didn't die as young as he did the first time.

She thinks, tapping her finger to her lips. "A few months ago, I think? Yeah, about four or so. I don't know the exact date for him. It... seemed kind of rude to ask. I know it was... really violent, and he flinches whenever there's a gunshot, but I haven't pushed him. I think he knows about mine, but... I was kind of obvious about it in the beginning."

"Oh, so you're both pretty recent..." That explains some of it, but Dexter still needs to learn that he can't do that. It'll hurt more than help, in the end. This is a tricky topic, so he doesn't blame her at all for not having asked deeper questions. Even if she's 'obvious' about it, he's still a little hesitant to ask. "...Can I ask what happened with you?"

She hesitates and swallows again, pulling her elbows in a bit. She stares at the pavement, not at Ryoji, and her voice is suddenly very small and weak. "I... um. No one was home, and I... I took some of Dad's pills so my blood wouldn't clot, and I... went in the bathtub and slit my wrists. I thought it'd be... easy to clean up after me..."

Ah...

Ryoji's quiet for a moment, and even Thanatos has settled down a little bit. But he'll move a little closer to Autumn, and if she looks like she won't get upset over it, he'll give her a hug. That's... one of those things he has a lot of trouble understanding, but a boundless sympathy for all the same.

She shrugs a little into the hug, but doesn't resist. "It... it just seems silly now. I try not to let it get to me." She knows that's a lie, but it feels better to think of it that way. "Guess I wasn't ready to go, right? So I can stay and help people."

"Well... I'm glad you're here." He's not sure if that's helpful at all, but he feels like it's important for her to know about it. "...Mine was a car accident. I was ten." It doesn't feel right, not to share, even though his feels very little and very far off compared to hers.

"Oh..." She puts a hand on his, gently. "I'm sorry. But that means you've been doing this for a long time, right? So you must be really good at this! No wonder you were so good with that ghost!"

"Ah, I'm not sure about that, exactly..." Ryoji is not the best at taking compliments about his, you know. Actual abilities. "But... if you need help with anything, or just someone who knows what it's like to talk to, I can try?"

"No, no, you really are good! Maybe next time you're doing something I can tag along? If... if that's okay, I mean. I know I'm not really good at things yet..." She pulls away a little bit, rubbing the back of her neck.

But... huh. "Thanks. I - I really appreciate that. I'm... it's still weird... to think that I'm still here, some days."

Ryoji smiles at her. "Sure, if you want! I wouldn't mind at all." He... does at least know a lot about it, even if he's not always sure how helpful it is. The thing with ghosts is that none of them are ever exactly the same... just like the people they started as.

"Yeah, I know." He does, even though his circumstances were very different. "But it'll get easier after a while."

"Good! And... hm." She puts a finger to her lips, tapping it again as she examines him. "... Right. Got it!" She pulls out her phone and makes a note on it, before snapping the case closed. "I'm just going to keep on living, right? That's the least we can do. Life's too short for everyone, so we have to do what we can to make it better for people."

"Right!" That's the spirit!! "And we'll do the best we can, for us and everyone else!" That is a promise, for as much or as long as he can keep it. Life is precious, and the rights of the dead should be protected.

She holds her hand up for a high five, and a small creature blinks into view behind her. The Geist looks like it's some unholy mix of a cat and a pig, all covered in dark grey fur. It growls lightly, and Autumn giggles. "Don't be mean~."

Whoo, high five! Ryoji grins at her, and then turns his smile on the Geist. "Hello! What's your name?"

She giggles, watching her Geist shrink back. "It doesn't like talking. It's not really got a name that works in words, more like impressions... it's very animal-based, though. Domestic, but fierce."

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cw: suicide

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