Event - Lullaby

[apocalypsehowmods]

↬ Main Navigation

Lullaby

➥ For You Never Shut Your Eye

(cw: supernaturally-induced sleep/fatigue, supernaturally-induced sleep disorders/somniloquy, needles/injections)

The line between waking and sleep is beginning to blur. People will find themselves sleeping far too much, but it never feels like enough. The music is growing more prevalent and persistent throughout town. The effect is still weaker within the building, but as October wears on, more and more people are affected and ADI staff are more intent than ever to find the source and also figure out how to block the effects. Characters will find themselves conscripted (between Halloween Party preparations) into assisting with building or testing anti-music and sleep devices along or with helping to try to track down the source of the music.

For those helping to build and test devices, there is an R&D lab in the basement levels of ADI that will be available. Devices native staff have been able to devise include:

• Headphones that play different frequencies to try to cancel out the sound of the singing.
  
• An armband that periodically stabs a small needle into the arm with a small dosage of adrenaline.
  
• Headbands set to a constant low vibration.

The efficacy of all of these devices is… questionable, but perhaps others may have their own expertise to lend to the efforts, attempting something on a broader scale than just personal protection devices.

For those helping to track the source of the music, finding it seems to be impossible, but there is a definite pattern that characters will note as the days pass. The epicenters of the music are moving, migrating out of the graveyards and converging on ADI Headquarters. As this goes on, the building will become less and less of a safe haven, the music penetrating its walls and affecting the staff there more heavily. You might find yourself having to help a neighbor who's fallen asleep while working. Or you might not even be able to fully tell they've fallen asleep as they sleepwalk and talk almost like they're actually still conscious. Even those who have never been prone to sleepwalking and talking may find themselves affected and… far more open with what they say when in the unguarded state of semi-unconsciousness.

➥ Till the Sun Is In the Sky

(cw: supernaturally-induced sleep/fatigue, thanatophobia, character death, death by poisoning, blood, choking, emetophobia, death by crushing)

By the 25th, some people may find waking up to be a challenge in and of itself. But they do manage to wake up. Seemingly. Perhaps the day is much like any other, heading to ADI or out around the city, grabbing coffee and- something is wrong. Something is very wrong. That cup of coffee you just drank had tasted a little different than usual. A touch of almond to it? It hits you that your throat is burning, bile and blood rising up and choking you as you hack and gasp and vomit. Your legs grow weak, you're losing control of everything, falling, dying.

And then you wake up.

Just a nightmare. Just a bizarre and horrible nightmare. You head out and… is this home? You're home! Or maybe… wait, this doesn't seem right. Have you gone somewhere else? Some things might be familiar, memories intertwined and mixing with fantastical elements, some your own, some not. You notice people you recognize, ones who might be as confused as you are. This isn't where they should be and they remember dying, too. Or seeing you die or someone else. It doesn't make sense, but somehow, they remember they had a dream they shared last night. And then something falls from above and nearly crushes you or your partner. Or maybe it does crush them, and you're suddenly looking at a dead body as the world and this nightmare that feels so very real becomes more and more hostile. Maybe something falls on you.

And then you 'wake up.'

➥ When the Blazing Sun Is Gone

(cw: supernaturally-induced sleep/fatigue, thanatophobia, character death, body horror, detailed description of painful physical transformation, description of the loss and regrowth of teeth, violence, mental status alterations, temporary power-loss, spiders)

Even with people dropping left and right thanks to the odd sleep effect taking hold, ADI staff are hellbent that their Halloween party will not be completely ruined. And on the 28th (a little before the actual holiday), everyone wakes up. Or… seems to. For those trapped in dreams, it will seem very much that they've woken up, the music has stopped, and they can actually carry on. For a few days, it even seems like things are normal. The party on the 31st is a blow-out bash. The entire first floor of ADI HQ has been transformed with decorations. The canteen is serving festive food and has set up a dance floor with holiday-appropriate music playing. Some of the offices feature additional activities, including party games like bobbing for apples in a trough that's been brought in, a guess this gross food booth, and more general party games. For a quieter time, there are also areas set up with board games and card games to play. And for some extra fun spooks a mini-haunted maze has been set up with faux spiders and webs, along with other goofy-looking monster creatures.

It's around 9 PM when the music and lights suddenly cut out. There's nothing for several seconds. Then, a voice begins to sing, filling the halls of ADI. It's a young girl's voice.

"Bye-bye, bye-bye,
Quickly you will die,
On the morning will be frost,
And you’ll go to the graveyard, the graveyard.

Grandfather will come there, too,
And he will bring the coffin.
Grandmother will come along,
Her tears, they will not soften.
Mama sings the prayer song, then,
And falls down on her knees.
Daddy takes you to the grave,
No one can hear his pleas.

Bye-bye, bye-bye,
Quickly you will die,
On the morning will be frost,
And you’ll go to the graveyard, the graveyard.

As the last notes of the song fade away, all hell breaks loose. Those who had been wearing particular sorts of costumes, ones that are more monstrous in nature, may find themselves transforming, growing, twisting, shifting. It's not a clean change, but a violent, agonizing one that cracks bones, tears and reshapes muscles and tendons, pushes out teeth to make room for new ones. Those transformed will find themselves compelled to chase, to hunt, to kill anyone they can get their claws, teeth, or other appendages on.

For those who stay themselves, it's not just their transformed friends who pose a danger, but the decorations they've set up, as well. Those fake giant spiders and webs? They're no longer fake. Neither are any of the other demonic little creatures. The goal of everything in ADI and even outside for those who manage to make it out the doors, is to remind you how very, very mortal you are. Those typically possessed of fantastic abilities will find that they have been sapped away. There's no calling on magic or innate abilities. You are mortal and you are going to die like everything mortal does.

In the chaos, characters will catch glimpses of a young girl flitting amongst the chaos, seeming unperturbed by it all. Trying to catch up to her or speak to her is fruitless, but she's there, and she's humming that song from before.

➥ When He Nothing Shines Upon

(cw: supernaturally-induced fatigue/malaise, thanatophobia)

Those who are killed at the party will find themselves waking up wherever they actually fell asleep a few hours or even days ago. If your character was one of the lucky few who somehow managed to escape the effect, you'll notice people waking up all over ADI HQ and elsewhere. There are no signs of damage on the bodies, but those who died in the dreams will find themselves feeling incredibly weak and generally ill for several hours to several days after the experience.

The music has actually stopped, and this time, it would seem you've actually woken up. Depending on how long you were passed out for, that may be a more unpleasant experience for some than others. There's a message posted from a random ADI employee's phone a few days later to the network:

Mr. S was right. This was fun! I'll have to come back next year to play with you. - Ava, the Lullaby Girl

P.S. Sorry for stealing your phone, horsegirl67. But I wanted to say, hi. C:

Unfortunately, there are no further messages and attempts to respond to the message will receive no reply for now.

But... fortunately…? All of the Halloween preparations are still up, and there's a festive party to attend if anyone actually feels keen on trying it in real life. Pam Ruan, the main organizer is bloody-minded about it now and will have her God damn Halloween party, but those who work themselves up to attend out of festive spirit or morbid curiosity will find it a distinctly muted affair that breaks early in the evening.

Happy Halloween, Gloucester!

➥ Mod Notes

• GENERAL - Players are welcome to play NPCs for themselves when they are needed in a thread. If you need more information on general behavior for these types of NPCs, please feel free to ask! In general, the information provided in the prompt should be sufficient and you're welcome to make up any details beyond that for your specific scene. The Lullaby Girl (Ava) can be seen throughout character dreams, but they will not be able to interact with her during this event. They will either wake up or simply find that the physics of the dream are warped and she cannot be reached or there's a sheet of glass between her and the character or whatnot.
  
  
• FOR YOU NEVER SHUT YOUR EYE (15-24 October) - Characters are welcome to develop their own devices for attempting to stop the music. Characters will have modern day technology available to them along with a few slightly more advanced electronics and tools. Please do not go too out there. This isn't Tony Stark's array of tools and the like. But characters can create additional devices to test within reason. Some of them may be more or less effective, but with how sporadic the effect is, it might be difficult to tell what's actually working or not. There can also be negative side-effects from devices, if you'd like to play those out. Characters with the appropriate magical charge may also attempt to supernaturally block the music, but this will not be condoned or facilitated by ADI. Characters searching for the source of the music will not be able to find it, just discover that it is moving. For characters who are sleep-talking, they may find themselves unusually honest. They may or may not recall conversations with other characters and all that they told them.
  
  
• TILL THE SUN IS IN THE SKY (25-27 October) - Characters will experience repeated nightmares of dying in a shared dreamscape. They will remember every time that they die in the dreams. Feel free to get as creative and gruesome with this as you would like. These are dreams and fantastical situations that might not actually happen (e.g., a robot showing up and shooting a laser through your character) may occur. Players are welcome to introduce elements of their memories into the nightmares and mix those memories around between characters who might wind up in a dream together. Please ensure all top-levels are appropriately tagged for any and all content warnings. Add content warnings as you go along, if needed. Dying in the dreams will trigger the sense of waking up. This can be a fake wake-up or characters might actually wake for a short while and find others passed out around them.
  
  
• WHEN THE BLAZING SUN IS GONE (28-31 October) - Again, this will be a shared dreamscape where characters will be under the illusion (at first) that all has returned to normal. For those who investigate, everything seems to be real, nothing too off, excepting the night of the Halloween party. Once the Lullaby Girl finishes her song, characters who are dressed in costumes that depict animals or other monstrous creatures may find themselves transformed into their costumes. Transformed characters may gain powers for the duration of this prompt/event related to their monstrous forms without mod approval. Go wild, kill your friends and neighbors, and generally trash everything around you. The decorations that come to life will be attempting to murder all characters, transformed or not. If characters escape into the city, they will find all of the festive decorations out there have come to life and want to kill them, as well. Death is unavoidable for this particular prompt, but it can be something swift and painless or something drawn out and horrible at player discretion. It is the only way to actually wake a character fully. Players also have the option of keeping their characters awake. They will not experience the shared dreamscape and will just be stuck with a lot of unconscious people around them for the duration of this portion of the event.
  
  
• WHEN HE NOTHING SHINES UPON (31 October) - Ava, the Lullaby Girl, cannot be contacted or immediately located, but she will be available in future plots for interactions with characters. There is no immediate information regarding who Mr. S. is. Players may have the general sleep/death malaise last for a minimum of two hours and a maximum of three days. Regular medications for the flu can ameliorate some of the symptoms, but they will ultimately clear up on their own. Characters may wake up in whatever state players would like. Feel free to play out the effects of them having been slumped in a corridor for three days without food or water. It's going to be a bad time all around. Those who attend the real Halloween party will be thanked profusely by Pam and showered with candy. At least they'll get a few HR brownie points?

↬ Main Navigation

Comments

[septieme]

[yeah ok focus on the "unlucky" part and not at all the "no restraint" one,]

Every night? Goodness. How many gallons of tea do you put away every day, Father? [he's really out there being British about that, huh...

...]

Oh, alright, I suppose half a teaspoonful wouldn't hurt. [Along with a small slump of her shoulders, as if she's making some sort of concession.] Along with some of those leftover egg sandwiches, maybe?

[A sugar overdose doesn't sound productive at this hour, as inhuman as someone gets with sugar around here. She's sauntering back to the fridge in any case, where were the sandwiches again...]

[inutilis]

[ yes exactly 'unlucky' haha yes, what? was anything else said? no? great!! glad they are on the same page 😊

but she gets about two steps in before Abel is abruptly turning from the kettle and flailing a dishcloth in violent gesture to halt-- ]

Excuse me, where do you think you're going?! Didn't I tell you to sit...?! Go! Sit down! I'll bring it to you when the tea is done...!

[ ...........he is Serious, ]

[septieme]

[...

(Of course this man is using a kettle instead of the hot water dispenser that they totally have in offices in 2021 AD... That is--)

She leans her head back and lightly frowns up at him, forced to draw her eyes up when a sudden lanky beanpole is blocking her way to the fridge. He really has a whole 30cm over her... Or a full foot, smh Americans and their special snowflake imperial system no one else uses in the rest of world]

I'm just getting the food, since you're preparing the tea. I remember which box the sandwiches were in, I put them away myself.

[......is he really going to be buttheaded about this

are they going to be at an Impasse]

[inutilis]

[ why yes,

yes he is, he absolutely is! he is doubling down on Being a Butthead, in fact-- putting hands on his hips and leaning down at her admonishingly. which he can do, because he is Tall. ha!! ]

I said I would handle it, didn't I...? The only thing I expect you to handle is putting yourself in a chair and relaxing, got it?! Let's go; out with you! I'll bring you everything when it's ready. Go on! Sit down and take a load off for a while, for goodness' sake...!

[septieme]

[It is EXTREMELY rude to use his height to be (more) condescending (than he already is), and while she is forced to lean even MORE back to be less admonishingly talked down upon, she is absolutely not taking any steps back. Let him flail the dishcloth while she crosses her arms and deepen her upward pout scowl, then! 😤]

It's just a few sandwiches, Father. I can plate that by myself. I insist, please get out of the way and stop wasting both our time. Wouldn't it serve your ends too, the quicker we both get everything done?

[He can't just order her around like a dog or something, excuse him??]

[inutilis]

[ oh, great. now they're having a PETULANT-OFF, this is the peak of maturity happening in this kitchen rn,

...and he is not backing down in the least, either?? in fact, when she leans back he is simply leaning further in to compensate-- ]

Out of the way...!? Pardon me, Sister, but who works in the canteen? I believe it's me, thank you~! Please get out of here. Employees only. Shoo.

[ he is literally making shoo gestures, ]

[septieme]

[Good thing it's late and most other sane people employees have gone home... Are they the only two idiots left? They just may be (hopefully),

Ok fine she is absolutely NOT bending backwards completely for this noodle, so she's simply maintaining her lean that... admittedly looks not ENTIRELY safe, but she's staying steady!]

And Security has clearance to override other departments' functions, shall we deem it necessary. [Do they actually? Worth double checking, because it is entirely within the realm of possibility that she just made that up on the spot. Was he aware she's security also, actually? Well if he didn't before, he does now! Just details between colleagues nbd] Are you that eager to commit obstruction, Abel Nightroad?

[oh

oh boy

there comes not just the family name, but also the full name. You know what happens when they call you by your full name...]

[inutilis]

[ wow how is she doing that?? bending back like that without falling...? kind of impressive, actually. she would be so good at limbo?? weird???? he is marveling a little internally while externally maintaining absolute AFFRONT and INDIGNATION at her refusal to cow beneath his overwhelming and commanding presence!!!! (he cannot intimidate flies,) ]

S-- security?! Since when do you work for Security--

[ flustered?? more indignant?? somehow, yes, he is more indignant and going a bit pink in the face, ]

Obstruction?! --And did you just use my full name?! That is-- absolutely unfair, th... that is unfair! Don't you know that's against company policy?!

[ apparently she isn't the only one bsing now,

and he is l... leaning forward even further???? how far can she go? is he just morbidly curious, now? perhaps. perhaps he is. perhaps he just wants to see. ]

[septieme]

[She's flexible, not that he knows if he never gets close to the training facilities in the basement and that's not her problem tbh?? Alas despite having ZERO threatening presence, he is still LANKY and casts a long shadow. He could probably cover her entirely if he fell... maybe, what a scary thought tbh]

Since before you got here, actually. We work directly towards everyone's safety and well-being, so you should listen to what Security asks you to do like any other law-abiding citizen would. [Totally not confusing the role with that of the police officer's, nope siree]

...Are you looking to force my hand, mister Nightroad?

[She's leaning towards the side to dodge him, still quite steady and upright on her feet despite the angle she's twisted her upper body into. OBNOXIOUS... Who? yes,]

[inutilis]

[ do NOT call him mister, he is NOT a mister Nightroad, he does NOT like that,

and he does not like that she is dodging him, too?? rude?? all of this is unacceptable tbh. well!! now he is going to lean to the side to accommodate for her lean to the side, wow sure is a good thing he isn't clumsy and prone to accident or else she might find out about that Scary Thought soon haha, yeah, sure is great that would never happen, ]

Please, are you trying to make me out to be some kind of... delinquent because I expect you to sit down and wait for tea and sandwiches?! Fine! Fine! You know what?! Take me to jail, officer, I dare you!! Do it. Go ahead~! Book me for my crimes~! I will not bow in the face of injustice...!

[ he is jutting his wrists out toward her face, CHALLENGING HER to restrain him with the clickety-clacks. ...cuffs. he is waiting for cuffs, perhaps he too is confusing the role of police officer and security, ]

[septieme]

[well SHE does not like being obstructed on her way to the fridge, so that evens things out??

WOW. ok she'll be leaning the OTHER way then, this time towards the sink and counters. he's really determined to stay in her face AND way tonight, she's only spitting when she accused him of obstructing??]

You've been a criminal since the day we met in case you've forgotten, Abel Nightroad. Theft and murder, you really have no shame, do you? [got that right THAT IS--] Very well. You've left me with no choice.

[Thus he finally gets her to take a step back, but only far enough to yank free a thin chain made out of plastic lining up the counter as spooky decoration HR must've put up for the party. Might've strangled some poor sap in Nightmareland too, hm. She wrings the cheap-looking prop once (almost a shame that they don't rattle tbh) with a decidedly stern and professional expression, before proceeding to

quite literally,

tie his kindly offered wrists up with it.

Professionally. Because it bears repeating: the knot she's weaving is very much the classic handcuff pattern, and there's no faltering nor hesitation in her movements as she executes it without batting an eyelash.

...

Is he going to let her finish, it'd take about half a minute,]

[inutilis]

[ --theft and MURDER??? he gawks, a noise of the utmost affront and insult leaving his throat as if he simply cannot believe the words that he's hearing right now (despite the fact he would absolutely be found guilty in a court of law for both crimes, considering she witnessed him her very self, ahem, details,) ]

Oh, really?! What are you charging me for, hm?! Crimes against pastry-kind...?! What happened to the statue of limitations, hm...? This is heresy, th... this is slander, I'm innocent of everything except trying to be a good and kind-hearted friend who also happens to be exceptionally misunderstood and under-appreciated, thank you~!!

[ at least he is straightening some and no longer leaning quite so oppressively into his... captor's... face, even if he is still holding his hands together as if he is well and truly bound by sturdy and unbreakable cuffs... no escape... this is his destiny; the piper has finally come calling and he has many, many sins to answer for....... take him away..........

...

what is happening, ]

Th-this is a serious miscarriage of justice!! This is an abuse of power...!! I... I'm going to be lodging a formal complaint against you to your supervisor, just you wait and see!!

[septieme]

[...he's really gonna just stand there and let her tie him up, some chick he met like 3 weeks ago in a different world entirely, currently dressed in a nun's habit, wrapping his wrists up into a handcuff knot with some dollar store Halloween decoration over donut crimes. This is happening.

...This is happening,

...]

Rambling is just wasting your breath. You're coming with me.

[Finishing the knot, she unceremoniously yanks him along as she begins making her way back towards the cafeteria tables.

How hard does she have to tug...]

[inutilis]

[ not hard at all, as it turns out?? Abel is absolutely letting a woman dressed in a nun's habit cart him away with his wrists tied by cheap ass Halloween décor as if this is a perfectly normal thing to be happening to him, honestly,

and is suitably pouting and looking like a five year old ready to throw a tantrum all the while, of course!!! ...yet. and yet. he does not attempt to extricate himself from this situation in the least,

--someone please take the kettle off the stove first-- ]

Oh, taking me to the slammer, are you? I assure you, my lawyer is going to hear ALL about this!! You won't be getting away with the blatant abuse of power, young lady!! Do you know who I am?! I work in the canteen, I'm important around here!!

[septieme]

[...is any of this even HR-OK, or would the better question be could any of this get them written up by HR,

......

and then she just brings him to one of the farther tables in the back, before pulling a chair from underneath it with one hand while tugging down on the cheap Made in China™ chain with the other for him to SIT,]

It's late, and if you keep this up, disruption of the public peace though loud noise level emission will also be added to your charges. Or are you begging to be gagged?

[and if he's already tied...

...also the kettle is electric smh THIS IS 2021 not post Apocalypse 3064 1821, it'll pop on its own alright]

[inutilis]

[ wait, the kettles here are ELECTRIC?? there are ELECTRIC KETTLES??? what kind of WIZARDRY IS THIS??? please don't ask how Abel has yet to realize this fact despite having made a considerable amount of tea since arriving here--

a-ahem. she is escorting the prisoner to be SEATED, and thus he does indeed SIT like a GOOD BOY, even if he is huffing to himself and still grumbling under his breath about being disgraced and outraged about his treatment, by a COLLEAGUE none-the-less!!! his ~chained~ wrists are resting on the table, ]

Gagged?! What is this, some kind of MEDIEVAL Inquisitory dungeon?! What, are you going to threaten me with a whipping next, Sister? I know my rights! We're in America, land of the free! Free, Ciel! Do you know what that means?!

[septieme]

[u know how most people have muscle reflexes

clearly this guy just has tech reflexes, instinctively knows how to use superior tech despite not even realizing he's no longer working with what he was used to, happens to everyone right,

...she was considering """tying""" the """""chains""""" to a nearby chair, but u kno what,]

And law breakers have the right to remain silent. [...That's not how it works, is it, she's clearly not American,] This is your final warning, Nightroad.

[sure would be funny if she really be acting and sounding like Actual Inquisition with her arms crossed and a cold look of CLEAR DISDAIN on her face as if she was looking at breathing garbage, huh]

[inutilis]

[ ................no comment,

right to remain silent, she says. ]

For your information, I don't know how to be silent.

[ he says this like so NEENER NEENER, and he would be folding his arms over his chest if he wasn't bound by these utterly unbreakable, absolutely infallible chains. just sooo tied up right now, literally. ]

Do your worst, copper.

[ ...he has been watching too much television, maybe. maybe, perhaps. --hey, wow, haha... but really though, that look of utter disdain and displeasure on her face?? that Look, the one that says dirt on the heel of her shoe is of greater value than this priest?? sure is familiar, he feels right at home now 😊 haha wow, warm fuzzies, ]

[septieme]

[ah of course, is it not every man's dream to live out the Good Cop Bad Cop arrest fantasy just like in those TV dramas? Only caveat is most men dream of doing the arresting instead of being the arrested, and without the religious Inquisitioning tint,

...

He doesn't get to finish the word "copper", before something is unceremoniously and RUDELY inserted into his facehole. Doesn't hurt when it jabs against the back of his throat tho, because it happens to be a cake pop. How, where, when??? It is a mystery. She does not say a thing. She does not wait for him either, because the moment the Deed is done, she'll be making her way back to the fridge to get those egg sandwiches they were well and truly on their way to completely forget about.

...The kettle's been quiet for a while now too huh, come to think of it,]

[inutilis]

[ WOW?? he has been LITERALLY gagged, hands habitually jerking upward to try and dislodge whatever just got stuck in his mouth when his eyes water, but--

...as soon as he tastes the RUDE intrusion, he is just sort of

bewilderedly

.......holding the stick like a placated child with a loli, content to watch Ciel go about fetching the egg sandwiches from the fridge as if this is precisely what he wanted to do all along. mmm, cake pop... what were they arguing about again? yum yum, delicious. s-so sweet~!

ah, Caterina would be truly impressed!! Ciel sure has learned how to handle a certain manchild in record time... amazing, truly amazing........ ]

[septieme]

[More like a BABY with a PACIFIER, smfh. this rly took 1 IQ in figuring out, considering she literally MET this beanpole about to stuff his face with a HALF EATEN éclair lifted off someone else's plate. shocker, that [redacted]ing a cake pop into him is all it took to shut him up...

...

She's getting on plating those egg sandwiches she said she was going to, just need to take out the right box from the fridge first. How fast does that cake pop disappear and what will he be up to after... It's one bite, he's definitely finishing it before she'll be done by the counter...]

[inutilis]

[ utterly amazing that she puzzled him out so quickly. such a complicated enigma, this man. so hard to see through. his buttons, so elusive and challenging to decipher. wonderfully done!!

Abel is indeed done with his cake pop and now twirling the stick between his teeth, peering forward in his chair to watch Ciel go about her ministrations in the kitchen. and -- for now -- he is holding his wrists, chained as they are, still on the table. you know, because he is still ~confined~ and all,

...

she has like, 20 seconds before an excitable manchild puppy priest gets bored and starts harassing her again, ]

[septieme]

[insert sugar receive obedience, she can get use to this ngl,

20 seconds... That's barely enough for her to get the sandwiches on the plate, god. What is he, some ADHD 5yo? don't]

...How much sugar do you take with your tea, yourself?

[Just gonna casually ask while her back is still to him, she got reminded since his box of Sleepytime™ is within her line of sight again, okay]

1/3

[inutilis]

[ YES,

Abel plucks the stick out of his mouth with both hands. you know. reiterating that they are still clasped very securely together at this juncture, ]

Um-- thirteen sugars please, if you would be so kind Sister! Thank you~!

[ ah, yes, tea tea tea... he is quite looking forward to tea, actually! tea. tea. ]

[inutilis]

[ ...

tea. hm.

hm, wait. wait...

wasn't there something he was supposed to be doing, just now? something he had some task he had been rather stubborn-headededly planning to see through? what was he doing again? what was it... on the tip of his tongue-- picking up something? no, no, that's not it. bringing something over?? no, not quite... agh, what was it?? ]