Event - Lullaby

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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?

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Comments

[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?? ]

[inutilis]

--TEA!!

[ this is exclaimed as he pushes himself jerkily upright with so forceful a motion that the chair goes scraping backwards and topples onto its back, his hands thrust down onto the tabletop as he stares

in DISBELIEF

at the good Sister in the kitchen. ]

H-- HEY!! Get your MITTS off of my tea-things!! I was the one preparing tea for you, you-- you... you HYPNOTIZED me or something, didn't you?! W-witchcraft?!

[septieme]

Thirteen?! Goodness. It's addiction at that point, isn't it? Did you get yourself checked with medicals? Diabetes is a serious disease, now.

[She's just blinking at him completely innocently as she seals back up the sandwich container to put it back into the fridge, as there's already a nicely arranged plate of egg sandwiches already laid out on the counter. The mugs, kettle, and his tea box are left the exact way he had before getting thoroughly sidetracked.]

I didn't touch any of your things, I just asked out of curiosity. And you know... accusing a woman of witchcraft a few hundred years ago here could easily get her killed, just what are you trying to say with that?

[inutilis]

[ well! WELL! she might not have touched anything yet, but... b-but, he is sure she was going to!! just look at her!! she was absolutely scheming, he can tell!! he can smell a schemer, and Ciel? reeks of it. absolutely deplorable. unconscionable. unforgivable.

he is stomping his way all the way back into the kitchen (with wrists still restrained, yet), before grabbing at his box of tea possessively as if she were about to callously swipe it away or something, ]

Yes, well, considering your medieval practices... maybe that isn't too far off the mark, is it?! Get out of the kitchen, would you...?! Out!! I don't know WHAT kind of mojo you worked on me, but it's worn off now and I am making this tea and you are going to relax if it's the last thing I do on God's green earth!!

[septieme]

...Oh, so having me burned at the stakes is an acceptable outcome, as long as you get to make your tea? Kicking up a big and noisy fuss in front of someone else is known to cause the opposite of relaxation, by the way. What is your goal here exactly, Father? Have me rest in peace forever?

[not lifting a finger to free him from his cheap dollar store "confinement", she just scrunches up her face to give him a more judgmental than offended look. hello what's a little tea to WITCH ACCUSATION, that kills people (a few centuries ago and not anymore, but details,)??]

[inutilis]

Yes, precisely!!

[ what is he agreeing to?? does even Abel know? he has fixated on part of her protest, but which part isn't immediately obvious. he... should probably clear that up, huh? huh. yes. ]

So! I highly suggest you go and sit your butt down in that chair [ he gestures, now, with both his hands, this looks ridiculous ] before I have you arrested for witch crimes. Witch crimes!! Go! Get on...!! Rest in peace, immediately!!

[septieme]

Ah, I see. Are you part of the Inquisition then, in some strange habit of preparing a "last meal" for the heretics you're about to burn or send to the gallows? Right after they've been so kindly permitted to dry their final cup of tea?

[Nope just crossing her arms to scowl at him like he just told her to "go die", because he basically did exactly that?? Wow. And WHO's the rude one again???]

[inutilis]

Inquisition? No, no, I wouldn't be caught dead working for that lot. Please! I have standards, Sister.

[ he has the gall to look affronted, as if she has knowingly insulted him and his mother or something. but the fact that she is NOT moving to go park her butt over at the Relaxation Table is making him all the more irate, and so... he is taking a step forward and waggling one finger at her, the other hand balled up into a fist since it's ... you know, just along for the ride, ]

Is this some kind of game to you? Are you being contrary and stubborn just to stick in my craw? Hm, Ciel? Hm?! Is that what all of this really boils down to? Because if your aim is to frustrate me out of making you this tea and seeing that you get some half-decent sleep, I hate to say it, but I am only all the more resolute!! Yes, you heard me-- it's only having the OPPOSITE affect, I assure you!!

[septieme]

[So he's confirming that the Inquisition exists where he comes from, when she just said it more as a joke and because she could... Interesting. Suppose it does check out with his self-claimed vocation from back home, the Church must be influential if there's a bona fide Inquisition faction for him to comment about. And where there's the Inquisition, there's heretics; he did ask about witches too, just earlier. Curious, and even more so that he has a negative reaction towards them! Wonder why, 🤔]

I'm not so bored as to try to get you to do anything, Father. Goodness knows you simply seem to inflict yourself upon others. [Practically scoffed out, but since he's still... well, being himself, she'll just duck aside to pick up the waiting plate of egg sandwiches and bring them to a nearby table.]

Oh no, please keep shouting, you're well on your way to ensure that I stay wide awake until we make it back to the apartment complex, and maybe even well after. If you take much longer though, I may just go ahead and make myself a cup of Chai with the hot water dispenser and tea bags they have stored in those tin cans over there instead.

[And tin cans containing nothing but tea bags they have! The choices seem to include earl grey, green, peppermint, ginger, to name a few. The office is decently well stocked, ngl.]

[inutilis]

[ Abel is hot on her heels as she makes a retreat for the table, but... he seems to realize about three steps in that his goal requires staying in the kitchen. r-right, right!! tea. tea. that is what he was doing!! (he knew that.)

so he spins mid-pace instead, trotting back to the counter to fetch the kettle and the mugs... which is quite an awkward affair when one is still diligently handcuffed by such sturdy and immovable binds. this is terribly inconvenient... but Abel is merely grumbling under his breath as he pours hot water into the awaiting ADI-issue mugs, ]

--Will you stop pressuring me?! This whole affair would've been well and truly done with by now if you hadn't insisted on making everything FAR more difficult than it needed to be!!

[ the fault for this fiasco rests on her shoulders and her shoulders alone, naturally,

.....naturally, ]

I will, however, admit Chai is delicious. But we are NOT having Chai, so get over it.

[septieme]

[...

well carry on]

Performance anxiety, Father? Perhaps it is you who need to retire early.

[She's just gonna sit down at the table with the sandwiches and start fidgeting with a napkin. ...Could probably inhale a piece of sandwiches before he's done? ...Hmm 🤔]

Of course Chai is delicious, it's spiced with cinnamon.

[and anything spiced is S+++, in case he forgot about a certain FattyDingDong conversation on the bus...]

[inutilis]

...Are you partial to cinnamon?

[ the way she said that so matter-of-factly, as if it were just common knowledge... oh, yes, he does recall that conversation quite clearly, thank you!! vividly, in fact. it was rather

c-cute... how could he ever let it slip his mind??

anyway, regardless their back and forth about ????, he is bringing over two steaming mugs of Sleepytime alongside packets of sugar and cream, dumping the whole lot on the table and then

standing there

with his hands awkwardly jutted out in her face. ]

By the way, Officer, could you please release me if you're not booking me? This is getting quite tiresome on my hands.

[septieme]

It's not exactly spicy, no, but it is a spice, commonly used in sweets too to boot. Is there any justifiable reason to not like cinnamon?

[She answers him like 'duh', isn't that just obvious fact to everyone? And then he's at the table too, has put down the steaming mugs, dumped the packets of sugar and cream, and catches her smack middle in the process of egg sandwich chewing.

...

Nodding wordlessly, she proceeds to shift towards him and undo the plastic dollar store chains around his wrists, while studiously ignoring his gaze and chewing away her food in silence. ...just multitasking, nothing to see here,

but yes, his cuffs will be undone before she's swallowed, would be rude to eat and talk at the same time after all. There, that wasn't too bad right]

[inutilis]

Oh, no! Not a single justifiable reason I could think of, personally. Cinnamon is truly delightful~!

[ why does he say it with such sarcasm when he actually means it?? who knows, maybe he's just being Uppity. regardless, as soon as his hands are freed... Abel is rubbing at his wrists and flopping to sit wearily in a chair beside her, reaching for one of the mugs and a sandwich without further ado. ]

You know, I'm beginning to wonder about you, Officer Sister. [ great, she has a Nickname, now, ] Are you really affiliated with the church...? You didn't really just pull that habit out of nowhere, did you.

[septieme]

Right? Right.

[ok mister contrarian]

Thank you for the tea.

[She's giving a small bow and clasping her hands together almost as if in prayer anyway, because unlike him she has MANNERS, but doesn't visibly or audibly proceed to actually utter any. Definitely not exercising religious partaking here, nope...

...

Sip. Mm, not bad.

...

Oh right he's still there and being obnoxious he's saying things,]

You insisted that I attend the Halloween party as a nun, so I did. What more is there to it?

[this is a "strategy" he recognizes, isn't it 🤔]

[inutilis]

Oh! Now her manners reappear.

[ don't mind him just petulantly Mumbling things under his breath as he begins setting to work pouring an obscene amount of sugar packets into his tea mug. multi-tasking, mmhm! just like Ciel!! look at that. ]

You realize that isn't an answer, right? And you must also realize by now that I wasn't born yesterday and am beginning to catch on to this whole deflection bit, hm...? Hm? Come now, Officer Sister~! Out with it! Are you with the clergy, back at home?

[septieme]

[...

it's rude to stare, isn't it? well she's staring anyway, because he's basically making sludge in his mug at this point... wow, what a Godless affront to tea, to tastebuds tbh, but for better or worse, her expression is staying neutral despite how much she's secretly judging...]

Goodness. Why are you so insistent on such pointless things? What would someone like me even do at the church? Do I really look like I have that much free time to you?

[...sips mug, and grabs herself another piece of sandwich,]

[inutilis]

[ is she Judging his tea sludge?? rude, honestly?? don't knock it before you try it, gosh...

obliviously, Abel is stirring his sludgy Sleepytime and taking another hefty bite of his egg sandwich with the other hand, ]

And having a perfectly prepared habit just laying around isn't pointless? That isn't a confirmation nor denial, I notice. Didn't anything teach you answering a question with a question is rude...?

[septieme]

[keep calm and continue fattydingdonging...]

Yes, because it's irrelevant to our current situation. Are you going to believe me anyway, if I say I was working undercover?

[munch munch, sip...]

[inutilis]

Undercover.

[ he is arching a brow, like

what

but now he is also undeniably and whole-heartedly... Curious. (why. why is she digging herself an even deeper hole--) ]

Ah. Undercover, of course...! Then what were you doing posing as a nun, pray tell? And what is your day job that would require nun-posing in the first place, hm? I do quite like a nice story while I drink my Sleepytime, so feel free to be thorough~!

[septieme]

That's classified intel.

[She replies nonchalantly as she swallows the sandwich she was nomming on.]

Are you just a priest, on that topic?

[inutilis]

That wasn't thorough at all. Do you know the meaning of the word, Officer? Disappointing. What good is a bedtime story if it's no story at all?

[ sighing, softly; yes, he is speaking with his mouth full unlike present (polite) company. ]

And what exactly are you insinuating...? Just a priest?! Is that not good enough for you? Not all of us are Officers, nuns, Security guards, military police, baristas, aspiring home chefs, and couriers, for your information~! Honestly, talk about over-achiever. Trying to just make the rest of us look bad, aren't you?

[septieme]

It's not a story. I don't remember promising you one, either.

[...

Her mug is at her mouth, and her hand freezes there. Now that he's laid it out like that, kinda hard to keep dodging the point, huh...]

Your confidence issues are your own problems, Father. I'm simply having trouble picturing how a priest with terrible money management who would literally eat things off the ground may be kept on the payroll, barring unique and unusual circumstances that just may be classified too, isn't that a possibility? You were asking about witches earlier also, which confirms your home world of a "far distant future" is inhabited by more than just ordinary humans. I could go on about how you seem to struggle with 2021 technology despite your background too, even the electric kettle had you amazed, did it not?

[So naturally the thing to do is deflect harder, right??]