EVENT ∞ LOG — July 125

[thediadem]

Event ∞ Log

In the Flesh

Jump ⇅ :: Visits — First Contact — Hitchhikers — Notes

∞ Prologue ∞

It's not real, it's not real.

Somewhere in the Blocks, late at night, a young woman repeats the words over and over, fumbling with her room key. She doesn't dare look over her shoulder again, begging her hand to obey. Her fingers are stiff and smooth, and it makes each movement more difficult. Eventually, the door gives way. She stumbles into the apartment, slamming it behind her and locking several bolts.

Leaning back on the door, she lets her key ring fall to the linoleum as she holds her hand up to her face. It isn't just her fingers now. Painted plastic has taken over her entire right hand, spreading up her forearm toward a ball-jointed elbow that creaks painfully. She grabs her neck with her flesh hand, sucking in a sharp breath as she tries to steady her heart.

It's not real, it's not real...

She takes another breath, then turns on the light. The bulb flickers. Hazy light flood the room with an incessant buzz.

She freezes.

A figure stands in the opposite doorway. It doesn't move, stuck in a pose with an outstretched hand—one made of flesh and bone. Her hand.

She screams.

Info & Mechanics — NPC Forum Post — Event Interaction ::: ⇅ Top

Strange Visits

Panorama

For the first week or two of July, life goes on as usual. You have a lot on your plate—jobs, loans, rent, that creep who won't stop staring at you when you're filling up your car—and the last thing you've got time for is other people's problems. Or maybe you find room to listen, anyway? Whatever the case, it's mostly a lot of stories and pointing fingers: a shopkeeper accuses his friend of stealing from him, somebody claims their boss must've skipped town to avoid paying the employees, and a woman is frantic about her missing husband. He never goes anywhere without telling her.

If you decide to look into it, none of the incidents seem connected. After all, people frequently go missing in the Diadem, friends betray each other, and businesses often go bankrupt, leaving their workers to pick up the pieces. Funny thing, though: here and there, you swear you glimpse a figure who isn't entirely flesh. Their features are just...a bit odd. Is it your imagination? When you move in for a closer look, something gets in your way and the figure disappears.

On the other hand, you think to yourself, it's not as though everybody on this planet looks standard. If a man can have horns, why can't his skin also be a bit plasticky?

Use the Event Interaction comment any time you need specifics or some direction for an element you're engaging within the event. This can be an NPC victim your character is questioning, an aspect of the diffusion zone your character is testing, or anything along those veins. While you're encouraged to make things up on your own, too, if you're ever unsure of the results or the answers you might get, approach us there!

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First Contact

The Fringes

Inevitably, you take the risk and head back into the Fringes. It has what you need, and the bizarreness in Panorama isn't making the city feel like much of a refuge, either. Besides, long trips aren't unusual for anyone in the Diadem. As you drive, you might even find yourself reluctant to return to the city. After all, there's so much across the multitude of diffusion zones that regardless of how dangerous it can be, perhaps some part of you is attracted to the thrill of the unknown.

If the promise of loot isn't enough, a note on the Forum might be. Here, you'll scroll across a brief message from who else but the ever-eager Felix Bjurstrom, joined by his daughter, Olive "Ollie" Bjurstrom. (Looks like he's got a new phone again!) If nothing else, the investigative or curious nature in you gets you going. What if this is a piece of the puzzle you need to go home?

If you want your character to scavenge items, check how that works. The Map identifies where each Quadrant is located.

Among the Shadows — Abandoned Mall

©

In Quadrant 1, about a 10-hour drive from Panorama, a standard American shopping mall rises through the cracked and broken highway. A portion of its vast parking lot melts into the road ahead and behind. There are cars in the parking lot, each one perfectly preserved: no rust, no dust, nothing.

The mall's lights are on. The moment you step inside, you'll notice that you're not alone. Inside, shadow corpses are everywhere, frozen in time. Their bodies show no signs of distress. If you try to touch them, a dark, ashy residue coats your fingers. You see a young couple linking arms, a mother bending over to pick up her child, and a man ordering his last meal at the KFC. It's as though they all just...stopped. While eerie, whatever force swept through here is long gone.

The upside is that nobody will bother you while you look around—aside from other fluxdrifts, of course. The shops and their offerings are stuck in the 90's. Big electronics are cosmic touched, rendering them worthless, but smaller electronics like cassette tapes, CDs, and Walkmans are all viable. You can also grab clothes, snacks, and (cheap) jewelry.

And, as you pass by the store windows, you see many mannequins on display. That's normal, so you don't think twice. At least, until you swear one of them keeps moving around the store. Though its pose never changes, it almost appears to...follow you? That can't be right. You must be seeing things.

Zone Effects
Touching any of the frozen shadows will cause the victim to believe that their companion(s) have transformed into monstrous creatures. Attempts to approach you will only register as an attack rather than placating gestures, while words will sound like snarls or spoken threats. An induced panic will make it more difficult to think logically and see through the hallucination. The illusory creatures can take the form of anything that might frighten or threaten you the most.

You can break free of the illusion through a variety of methods, including your own willpower, being knocked out by your friends, or seeing/hearing something that makes you realize it isn't real. The hallucination isn't overly intense, but it can cause a bit of havoc among you and your companions...and increase the likelihood a mannequin might make contact unnoticed.

Wall of Refuge — Strange Temple

©

In Quadrant 1, about a 6-hour drive from Panorama—and on the way to the abandoned mall above—stands a geometric structure made of metal and stone. Sharp angles shoot up from the ground to form a distorted hexagon. The gateway is littered with sigils: some weathered by time, others freshly carved into the rocky surface. They glow when you drive forward, beckoning you closer. Come in, whispers an unknown compulsion in your mind. You are home.

You may succumb to the whispers for any number of reasons: sleep deprivation, desperation for a place to rest overnight, or a need to hide from raiders or dangerous creatures lurking in another nearby zone. Regardless, you give in and enter the triangular entrance. The stone gate lifts to grant you passage, revealing an effigy of a multi-limbed being. A deity? A symbol of power? Though you're unsure, you continue deeper. Your footsteps echo across the cavernous halls.

Behind you, the heavy gate slowly closes with a rumbling finality. Despite the chilly entranceway, the interior of the temple is warm and inviting. Candles line the walls. Fountains flow peacefully. You can enter one of the many rooms to find a soft bed, fresh cakes, succulent meat, and fine wine available for you. Behind a silk curtain is a steaming bath lined with soothing floral herbs and oils.

Meanwhile, throughout your explorations, you might sense a figure or a shadow in the passageway. A glimpse of shiny plastic appears oddly out of place in a temple of this kind.

Zone Effects

• If you are a believer and decide to trust the gifts bestowed upon you, then you may safely indulge. The wine will warm you up, the food will fill your belly, and you can sleep through the night. When you awaken, you can safely leave the temple refreshed. Your vehicle will be outside, untouched, as if some power within was protecting your belongings.
• If you are a heretic and doubt the offerings you've been graciously given, the gifts will begin to rot and all amenities will crumble to dust. The more your cynicism betrays you, the more the temple will take until nothing remains except the oddly textured walls bearing down on you. As you examine the surface, you realize the stone is built from a manifold of dozens—no, hundreds—of twisted bodies. Their arms are raised in reverence, piled upon each other like human bricks. Their gaping mouths are frozen in a silent scream. As for you and your companions...what fate will await the nonbeliever?

The Last Stop — Foggy Town

©

In Quadrant 4, about a 3-hour drive from Panorama, east of the currently unused train tracks, a thick mist rolls through the highway. Here, the sky darkens rapidly into night and the temperature drops. If you've traveled unprepared, presuming the heat in Panorama spreads into the Fringes, you'll find that's not so. A chill spreads into your bones and creeps up the back of your neck.

Then the ground rumbles. The tremors shake your vehicle. Maybe it even makes you lose control briefly or sends you swerving off-road, straight into the fields. And in the middle of the fog, you see it: a figure standing in the middle of the field. Behind it are a few houses, making up a tiny rural town. The houses are dilapidated, many crumbling. Supplies within are minimal, and many items are broken or spoiled.

Do you approach? Do you drive past? Merely staring for a second too long will be enough for the hitchhiker to choose you as its ride, but its appearance may not be all that keeps you in place. In the distance is another bigger shadow. A much bigger shadow. It looms in the distance without true mass or form. Within the void of its body, a searchlight sweeps over the misty town. It does not move. It simply looks while the ground shakes. Each time its light catches a glimpse of something that doesn't belong—an animal, a vehicle that drove too deep into the tall grass, a raider that went too far into town—a sonorous howl reverberates through the zone.

Then the shadow will teleport to its target and crush the intruder without mercy before retreating back to its watchful post. And the intruder is indeed crushed: any living organism caught by the Light Guardian will be flattened with a horrifying crunch of broken bones and squished organs.

Zone Effects
While the Light Guardian can't be defeated or confronted, you can outrun or hide from its sweeping beam. If you stop far enough on the side of the road, it won't notice you...but you can still watch as it mangles an unfortunate raider or traveler. Possibly, you see the spray of blood or hear the screams before you run. Perhaps you realize how easily you could've met your own gory fate.

If you've left your car and gone too deep into the town before you realize the danger, you can do one of two things: you can risk hiding in an abandoned house in the town and hope that the sunrise comes. In zones like this, the day/night cycle is unpredictable, and many places are permanently cast in darkness. Or, you can try to run back to your vehicle and pray you don't get caught.

Alternatively, you've plowed directly into the field when raiders in pursuit force you into the zone. Should fortune favor you, they'll be obliterated by the Light Guardian while you flee. The beam tracks quickly, but can only shine in one direction at a time so the key is to bob and weave.

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Hitchhikers

Anywhere

Not everyone who enters the diffusion zone will pick up a mannequin, but the possibility is there. Once you make first contact, you will gain a hitchhiker. Unlike most aspects of the diffusion zones, this one has gathered into a storm, meaning the effects will breach even normally stable and anchored strongholds like Panorama.

Some fluxdrifts will brush off your problems while a few might believe you. Others will offer solutions in their own way, including a doctor who'll pay to obtain strange plastic limbs. Not everyone will pitch in to help. The city's big, populated, and somebody on the street turning doll-like doesn't affect them (...until it does). They've got a job to get to and mouths to feed.

Unwanted Passenger

When do you first notice your passenger? At any point, really. Perhaps it goes like this:

You glance in the rearview mirror and glimpse a figure in the backseat. When you spin around, there's nobody there. Then it happens again. This time, you realize it's not a person, but a dummy. A mannequin. It's sitting upright. And is it...wearing a seatbelt? Or maybe it's thrown itself across the back bench as though somebody tossed it there, uncaring.

This time, when you look back, it's still there. You pull over and dump it on the side of the road. That's taken care of, you think. You drive some more. For a few hours or even a day or two—depending on how long you've traveled—you don't think much of it. Then suddenly, it's back. And it keeps coming back no matter how much you try to get rid of it.

Or it goes like this:

You return from a standard trip into a diffusion zone. It went pretty well, you think. You found some clothes at a creepy mall and now you're ready to get some sleep. When you open your trunk to retrieve your belongings, you notice a mannequin stuffed inside, limbs bent at odd angles. You're a little weirded out, but you decide to dump it on the street and move on.

You shower. In the bathroom mirror, the mannequin suddenly appears behind you. Over the next few days, this continues. The mannequin appears in a booth across the diner as you're eating your eggs. It's behind a shelf in the corner store. It's in your closet. Each time you check, it vanishes...but then, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it's right there in plain view. It'll even let you throw it away, burn it, anything you can think of. But it always comes back.

However it plays out, you realize that people around you do notice it...sometimes. That doesn't mean anyone will believe you that things are just that weird. Most people have better things to do. They don't know you, after all, and even if they did, well, this place does have a habit of driving people a little crazy. Witnesses casually push the mannequin aside and tell you that's a funny prank. Your regular waitress pats your shoulder and suggests you get some sleep. You're not looking well. The shopkeeper demands you take that thing before you go. He's not responsible for your junk.

But there's a small chance you run into someone who seems to be going through what you are. Unfortunately, they seem to actually have it worse and aren't making much sense. Still, you can try questioning them and see what answers you get. At least, before you lose them for good. For some of you, the victim you run into is in especially bad shape...and you have to wonder how long before you end up the same.

Trading Places

For some of you, the mannequins might not do more than be a nuisance. While that's not ideal, either, it doesn't completely upend your life. Others are less fortunate. If you're one of the latter, you'll begin to notice symptoms.

The first time it happens, you're startled to hear the mannequin speak. To begin with, its voice might be guttural and unnatural, incapable of stringing more than a few words together. Then it seems to learn. It talks in full sentences. Its voice smooths out. It starts to sound more and more like you...right down to your speech patterns and accent. As symptoms progress with varying intensity—over days or weeks—you realize with dawning horror that you're losing parts of yourself. When you wash your hands, you notice a part of your skin is smooth and shiny. The next time the mannequin appears, its previously plasticky appearance is more flesh and blood.

Eventually, the mannequin becomes independent. It shops with your money. It steals while wearing a face that looks nearly identical to yours, especially from a distance. It calls your friend and says the things you would never say out loud to them. They're thoughts you've had, sure, but you know better than to hurt your friend's feelings...except apparently, you have. And now you can't even use your own voice to explain yourself. Your leg has been getting stiff. Your joints don't bend properly.

Meanwhile, the mannequin is now striding around smoothly. Its appearance is still uncanny and odd if anyone pays attention, but at a glance, it easily passes as a part of the crowd. As its final act, it's even absorbed small bits of your abilities if you have any. Not all of them, but enough to cause trouble. Throughout everything, you cannot harm your hitchhiker. Some unknown force stops you any time you think about it. You simply can't.

Related Incidents

The impact isn't contained only to those directly affected. The hitchhikers' influence spreads through the city. For some incidents, it's difficult to trace back to the source. For others, that's a little easier. Regardless, these occurrences could help you determine how to solve your own situation. Alternatively, if you've escaped unscathed, you can still find yourself dragged into a situation involving someone else.

Return to Sender

July 11 — The Forum: An anonymous poster contributes this bit of information that might catch the eye of those affected. You can try the same method, but it's a risk going back into the diffusion zones. No one can guarantee the specific zone you found the mannequin in is still standing. Further, you have to remember where you made contact to begin with.

If you decide to try it, be sure to take a friend. The less independent the hitchhiker, the more likely it will stick to your side even as you return it home. If the assimilation has progressed too far, though, you might have to utilize methods such as duct taping inside your trunk or strapping it down with ropes. It may struggle and say vile things to you or your companion.

Victimless Burn Victims

July 14 @ 03:00 — The Pavilion (East End): A handful of troublemakers grabbed some freaky mannequins wandering the street and, in a drunken stroke of genius, set them all on fire for no reason other than that they wanted to. Not only has this resulted in damage to the corner store nearby, but Enforcers have linked the incident to four hospitalizations at roughly the same time. Doctors from Saint Margery's Hospital (located in the Blocks) report that all four individuals suffered massive shock and claim to have endured unimaginable agony as if they had been "set on fire."

Curiously, none of them bear any physical wounds and, by all accounts, are completely fine (trauma aside). Notably, all four individuals were also suffering from various stages of "joint stiffness" and "hallucinations"...which have since completely vanished. You might wonder, is this the solution? Or perhaps the better question would be, is it worth it?

The Sculptor

July 15 — The Pavilion (Medical Clinic): Around July 14 onward, word begins to spread that a Dr. Maggie Wright (who insists on being called the Sculptor, though nobody seems to heed this request) will not only do an amputation for free, she will pay you for your limb if you are boasting an "unusual trophic change to the skin, resulting in a smooth and shiny texture." All she asks is she gets to keep the sample. Her promise is that she will study it to find a more permanent cure and, if she does, she will return the limb to you for reattachment.

Some end up trusting her. You wonder, maybe she could help? Dr. Wright will happily accept you as her patient if you agree. Her methods are indeed proper and sterile: she'll put you under and provide you with plenty of pain meds. She appears to have all of the equipment required to preserve the limb, too.

If you're suspicious, you can also pay her a visit, but you won't have much luck getting her in trouble or sniffing out any evidence of nefarious deeds. Her office hasn't got anything strange, she is indeed a real surgeon, and there are testimonials from patients who've had success under her care in the past. Plus, nobody's going to her who isn't doing so voluntarily (they've signed waivers)—even if you could argue how much desperation plays into their decision. Still...the thing about her "title" is a bit weird, right?

Dr. Maggie Wright is 5'2, Caucasian with a light Northeastern accent and silver hair often worn in a bun. She's in her 50s and looks fairly good for her age. Her voice is soothing. She has intense, wide blue eyes, which some might find unnerving, but that's not necessarily her fault.

∞ Notes ∞

• Mannequin contact is not required. Not everybody who goes into the diffusion will make first contact, and many won't. Characters can explore the mall, the temple, and the foggy field without ever picking up a hitchhiker.
• The diffusion zones described are only examples. Others will exist where mannequins can be found, including grocery stores, gas stations, abandoned parks, and more. You can make up your own, but check with us if you have any questions about limitations!
• The speed and intensity of all mechanics are entirely up to you. Generally, the earlier a character makes first contact, the more severe their consequences.
• Investigating the zones or helping others are perfectly fine ways to participate! Since the hitchhikers are meant to be more insidious, it won't be strange if your character isn't in the middle of the action right away or notices things a bit late.

Questions? Ask here

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Comments

abandoned mall 💠 open

[exarched]

01 💠 Parking Lot

(( ooc; you are free to assume you traveled with him if you like! or our characters can just can run into each other ))

[ Exploring the diffusion zones has already become a high priority for G'raha given their inherently chaotic nature. He is endlessly curious, yes, but the potential connections in how things appear and disappear weighs heavily on their predicament, at least in his mind. If there are secrets to be found in not only how they arrived but how they may yet leave this place, it is worth the time and effort.

That the reported missing girl had been found at an abandoned mall with mentions of built-up cosmic energy basically seals the deal. It's time for a road trip.

Pulling into the parking lot does nothing to assuage the feeling that there is much that is off about this place. As G'raha steps out his vehicle (either with his chosen companions or beside someone else who has just arrived), he stops to survey the landscape. There are plenty of cars, which begs the question aloud-- ]

Are these all from curious adventurers such as ourselves, or...? ]

02 💠 Kentucky-Fried Nope

[ It isn't because this place apparently sells fried chicken that he decides to investigate--although that is appealing if dubious in a zone like this--but just how...life-like all these facsimiles of people seem to be. G'raha steps closer as he inspects a couple with a child, one figure pointing excitedly at the sign behind the counter while the child tries to pull themselves up onto it. ]

It really as if time itself simply...froze.

[ He muses aloud to his companion, rubbing his chin. He does not touch any of the figures, instead squatting next to the child with an expression shifting to wistfulness. ]

There is some small solace in the thought that they may have been wholly unaware what was to befall them.

03 💠 Best Buy

[ As keen as he is to explore every ilm of this complex, the detour to the electronics store is also one of practicality. The notion that looting these diffusion zones is not only allowed but in some means necessary for survival is not lost on him. And while the historian and scholar in G'raha wishes to leave areas of interest untouched for future research, he accepts the fact that these are fleeting moments that must be taken advantage of.

So...a little bit of five-finger shopping is warranted. The technology of this world is a little different than what he's used to, but with a breadth of exposure to futuristic technologies and expertise in ancient ones, he feels he can make do.

Nevermind that he can't really. See over the aisles that he and others are walking through. And some of the tallest shelves stare down at him with no small amount of amusement. All five-fulms and two-ilms of him.

G'raha purses his lips as he looks up at what appears to be box with a screen of some sort--not unlike the "televisions" he has come to see in some rooms and buildings--heavy and...dripping. As something ominous moves behind the murky glass. ]

Pray...look at this a moment?

02

[longtooth]

[ While there hasn't been any sign of the missing girl yet, unless she's one of these shadowy figures now claimed by the force of evil that's touched this place, Fern has found plenty else to look at in this "mall."

There are items she could take back and potentially even sell, or simply supplies she could stock up on — including some additional sets of clothes. She's decided to explore the whole place first to determine what she might want to take. Even though she can dump plenty into Adrian's car, she doesn't want to overdo it either.

She isn't expecting the area of the mall that seems to sell food to have anything edible when it seems that this place hasn't functioned as intended in a long time. She's only passing through. Someone else was drawn here, though, and between his red hair and cat-like traits, she realizes that she recognizes him. He'd been at that other diffusion zone, the one with the pool, and while she'd only seen him in passing, his features had certainly stood out.

Could he be some mix between a tabaxi and a human, perhaps? She's seen stranger things.

Fern nods when he first speaks up to address her, then studies the frozen image of parents and child before expelling a sigh. ]

It seems a cold comfort. [ Whoops, bringing the mood down. ] Have you ever seen something like this...?

[ It feels like the remnant of a truly powerful spell, enough that it sends a shiver up her spine. ]

[exarched]

[ A cold comfort indeed, but a comfort nonetheless, mayhaps more for the observers than the victims of this. The fact that this is the second zone where there appear to be people, whether made of strange shadow or metal, frozen in what otherwise appear to be average moments of daily life. G'raha will readily admit that these are much more off-putting than the automations at that resort, but he does have to wonder if this is a theme that will continue.

And if so...what implications does that lead to? That if an entire zone is transported here, the people within it suffer? If that is the case, then their singular manifestations on this star are almost fortuitous.

But that is a path he does not need to travel down yet. To her question, G'raha shakes his head. ]

No. Nothing so striking as this.

[ There is a moment's pause before G'raha moves to stand, tearing his gaze away from the child and to his fellow adventurer--

--oh! His ears perk up immediately. Recognition? --No, she isn't a Miqo'te and Hyur are not the only peoples found in this place, but the amount of times someone has pointed out his own ears and tail makes him feel as if he is something of anomaly, at least on the worlds of the most recently arrived fluxers. But this? This is familiar.

It's a little exciting...and not what he should be concentrating on. ]

--and yourself? Have you encountered this before?

[longtooth]

[ That's more or less the response that Fern had been expecting, but with the variety of planes that the fluxdrifts are from, one can never be certain. It feels like this zone might be a repeat of the last one, in that it will contain far more questions than answers.

Not that she necessarily came here to solve any mysteries, but it has become a bit of a habit during her wanderings through Barovia.

She notices the way that the stranger's ears twitch up in what she thinks might be excitement, though he doesn't qualify why. If it's a reaction to her appearance, that certainly isn't what she's used to. How strange. ]

... Ah. No. [ She shakes her head, looking at the ashen faces of the family once more. ] It feels like it must be the aftermath of some truly powerful magic, or... maybe even some world-ending event. [ It casts a shadow over the entire mall, even though it appears this is a place people used to go to relax and enjoy themselves. ]

Did you come here because of the report of a missing girl?

[ The chances of finding her seem less and less likely, given what they've found here. ]

[exarched]

[ He nods, mayhaps unsurprised by her own lack of experience in this arena given that thus far, each diffusion zone has been a bit of a novelty. ]

Both scenarios are equally disconcerting.

[ Except that there does not appear to be a helpful customer service worker behind this counter, unlike the role Thomas had filled prior. And the automations at that resort had their humanity question from the offset, at least in his mind. These feel as if they were unmistakably human and alive at one point, though G'raha realizes that may be a heavy bias on his part. ]

I did, [ he admits, with a somewhat sorrowful expression. ] And out of curiosity. But this...does not bode well for our wayward friend.

[ A pause as he thinks, bringing a hand to his chin. ]

...If you were a child in such a place, where other than in search of food and snacks would you venture?

[longtooth]

[ Bothersome as it might be to realize that they'll likely never know what truly happened to the people here, Fern also knows that obsessing over it isn't going to do any good. They should focus on the missing girl, the only person here (other than storm chasers and people like them) who might still be alive in this mall.

If they could save at least one person, that might be worth something.

Despite the situation not boding well, as the stranger says, it doesn't seem like he's ready to give up on the girl just yet either. Fern finds herself feeling much the same, even if her expectations are managed.

And it helps — when she has someone who can carry the hope for her. ]

I suppose... a toy shop?

[ Blinsky and his toy shop immediately come to mind, but given the fate he suffered and her fault in it, she shoves that thought away as quickly as it came.

She tilts her head toward the stranger. He seems friendly enough, so she poses the question: ] ... Shall we look for one?

[exarched]

[ Hope is all they have sometimes and it is always worth fighting for. Curious as he is and as much as he would like to study this phenomenon, it is true that the living are the priority.

The mention of a toy shop makes G'raha's ears perk up again and he nods with a light smile. ]

An excellent idea. To my understanding, facilities such as these should cater to all members of a family in ways of commerce. [ A pause. ] Unless...you are already familiar?

[ He has to remember that while some of the things here may be new to him, they certainly aren't for many others.

G'raha takes a few steps closer and extends his hand towards the not-quite-a-miqo'te woman. ]

I am G'raha Tia. By your leave, Miss...?

[longtooth]

[ Fern shakes her head when he questions her familiarity with this place. She takes another look around, and while they're currently surrounded by food stalls of a sort, she's already gathered that this indoor market is truly massive. ]

I have never seen anything quite like this, no. We have markets where I'm from, but nothing on this scale... or housed fully indoors.

[ Perhaps both of them are similarly new to this, then? That's fine by her. She's felt an easier kinship with those who are also baffled by the strange concepts the Diadem has to offer, served up as normal (and they are, to some).

She blinks down at his hand for just a few seconds. She's not used to such formal means of introduction, but she nods and takes his hand to briefly shake it. ]

I am Fern. Then have you also not been here long, G'raha Tia?

[ Once she draws her hand back, she begins to lead them through the food court, on the lookout for anything that might be a toy shop. ]

03 worst buy

[hexcurse]

[ From where he'd been staring up the shelves on the other end of the aisle, Jayce cautiously approaches when called. There's a pack slung over his shoulder, presumably supplies, and a hammer in one hand. The brace over his left leg clinks lightly as he walks over and glances at the screen with a deep frown, shaking his head. ]

That's not the only one. At least half the electronic devices here seem to be... corrupted.

[ Cosmic residue, he'd heard it called before? It's strange that it seems to specifically target electronics of a certain size. And unnerving, given the situation he arrived from back home - the similarities feel stark to him right now, whether they truly are or not. ]

[exarched]

[ The other man definitely appears as if he has come prepared, which is something to be glad for. Though G'raha does not assume an immediate camaraderie amongst those gathered at this facility, he does think he can learn from how others are handling it. What items they deem to be important, what areas are of the greatest interest.

Though the leg brace does not go without notice, G'raha doesn't stare. He is too polite for that and this television is too...goopy. ]

Odd, given that there are others directly next to it that don't show the same signs...

[ G'raha reaches out as if to try and touch it--like he can reach it--but pauses, then pulls his hand back, thinking better of it. ]

At least half?

[ He repeats, glancing to the taller man. ]

Do you think it's spreading from machine to machine?

[ Or is something else affecting only specific ones? ]

[hexcurse]

[ Jayce shakes his head:]

I don't know. By what I've seen so far? The larger the item, the more likely it is to be affected. [ He scans the other televisions on the shelves. ] Maybe over time... I could see more electronics becoming affected as the diffusion zone breaks down...

[ He's half musing to himself. The only way to prove that theory would be to remain in this place for an extended period of time. As curious as both Jayce and Viktor are about these zones, he can't see them remaining here very long.

Jayce doesn't want to remain here very long, despite the time it took to drive to this area. ]

[exarched]

The large ones, specifically? How passing strange.

[ Curious--why would size be a factor? Does whatever this affliction is need a larger surface area to take effect? G'raha brings a hand to his chin as he considers. ]

Have you been here long? I arrived only bells ago, myself, though I did notice a similar look of sickness in the signs above some of the food stalls.

[ Mayhap the other man has a greater experience with these things, if his theories are based on continued observation. ]

[hexcurse]

[ Bells? ]

Not that long - maybe an hour? I was hoping to break down some of this stuff for parts but...

[ He gives a dubious look at the gooey television. If he had access to a lab, equipment, he might have liked to take some samples. Get a closer look at what's breaking down inside these machines.

As it stands, he's just another scavenger. ]

[exarched]

[ G'raha nods. It's a good plan--make use of the resources as they present themselves. At the end of the day, they should all be following that example. G'raha does plan to grab a few things himself, though he has admittedly been very preoccupied with all this discovery. ]

Do you think that it would be possible to...contain any samples of this?

[ Since they are appearing inside these televisions--but will they stay that way? ]

Given the nature of these places, we know it won't last long.

[hexcurse]

[ Jayce glances at the television again as some shadow seems to move within the murky liquid, in and out of sight.

He makes a face, but acquiesces. ]

It's worth testing. [ What will happen when removing the tainted substance. Probably. ] I have tools for getting one open. We'll just need a solid container...

[ Since he's heard the same from the storm chasers about the mercurial nature of items retrieved from these zones. He wishes they took better documentation of their findings, or had any organization. Most of what he hears he finds he has to take with a grain of salt. ]

01!

[foretells]

[ Ah, now that's a familiar shock of red hair. Sciel's roaming the parking lot as well, having only arrived some time ago, but has been texting back and forth with her little group. She looks over as he wanders closer, and he'll spot her sitting on the hood of her car, surveying the scene before her as well. ]

They have to be, yeah? But I didn't see so many of us on the road.

[ Which means they were either here when things drifted in, like a kind of window dressing, or... ]

Maybe it's from the people who were out here when it disappeared. Or...appeared for the first time?

[ She isn't certain how that works still. There's a furrow to her brow despite the ever-present, calm smile. It's a reflex of expression, honestly, and nothing else. Within, there's a stir of concern. ]

We should see if anyone's around and needs help. Maybe they were trapped, like that girl on the radio.

[exarched]

[ He is glad to see a familiar face across the sea of vinyl and metal that makes the parking lot.

That was his thought as well, understanding as he is that not everyone may take the road directly. But is still a surprising amount to be here en masse and it still be so...quiet. Nearly "dead", save the pair of them. ]

It is eerie, to say the least. I'm not sure which option I prefer.

[ Neither, really.

But to Sciel's suggestion, G'raha nods readily, expression determined in that way he gets when he has a new goal before him. ]

That could certainly explain why there are so many vehicles left as well. As such, I would be glad to have company.

[ Just in case he needs to make it official. And though she may not need it, he does extend a hand to help her off her car because that's the right thing to do. ]

Have you heard any updates? I don't believe she's been found yet.

[foretells]

[ There's a smile as he offers her a hand, and while she takes it, she slides right off on her own. What a gentleman! ]

I haven't heard anything just yet. So we should keep an eye out for her as well. They didn't give a description but one girl shouldn't be hard to spot in... [ Gestures! ] ...all of this.

[ Assuming that there's no one else. That's going to be the tricky part. Trickier, still, is how large the building is. Sciel's never seen a mall in her life, and just looking at it gives her the impression that it'll be quite a bit to comb through, especially if there are any others. It's possible this is going to be a rescue mission for multiple people if anyone's still around.

But hey, that's why they're there. She starts to walk, lingering so he can keep at her side. ]

Let's take a look. The building's so large... I wonder if there are directions. Someone told me a mall is like a congregation of stores.

[ A marketplace, she's guessing, but all under one roof instead of lining the streets. ]

[exarched]

[ In some respects, G'raha does hope that the myriad of vehicles before them aren't all just for show. There had been a few other out on the road and it does seem like these diffusion zones are bound to draw in explorers and opportunists alike, missing children aside. The more out on the look, the better. ]

I hope you're right.

[ He motions to the mall itself as he trots over to walk at Sciel's side. ]

I was told much the same, though I am afraid I underestimated the size of this place. I had been expecting something more akin to a shopping promenade rather than a singular, admittedly enormous, structure.

[ Best that way to secure goods and withstand weather, perhaps? But it is good to know that Sciel is equally unfamiliar.

Luckily for the both of them, after they work their way through the maze of abandoned cars, there is a directory posted on the outside. A very long directory. G'raha's eyes widen, brows raising. ]

Twelve...there are a...healthy variety of options, aren't there?

[foretells]

That's what I was thinking, incidentally. Like a kind of town square.

[ And it still could be, just an internal one. But once they get to the directory, she frowns, eyes similarly wide. She steps closer and uses her fingers to wipe some of what looks to be dried moisture on the glass, a bit of dirt. ]

Bloody... Trying to find a little girl in this many shops is going to take hours.

[ And while they have the time, this feels like a much more tremendous undertaking than wandering around a market and checking hiding spaces. There are even sections for the store types. Multiple shops for food in the food court, at least ten types of clothing stores. An arcade. Two confectionaries. A couple of electronic stores, though one specifies it's for 'games'.

She sets a hand on her hip, then looks his way. ]

Let's head in and see what we can find. Though, if I was a young one...I'm probably looking for the exits anyway, or finding something to eat.

[ If it's functioning somehow, at least. She wonders if there are any workers in there too, though she doubts it. ]

[exarched]

[ Hours seems accurate, but while they may have the time, does this child? He frowns, his ears dropping a bit as he folds his arms and scans the available options. If they weren't appropriately categorized, G'raha would have no idea what some of these shops were for. Something about "Super Supplements" sounds inherently suspicious.

At Sciel's suggestion, G'raha looks towards her and nods. ]

I agree. If not escape, then food seems the most likely option, both for energy and for comfort.

[ And if he looks into the map... G'raha unfolds his arms and traces his finger across the dirty surface to the center of the map where the text for "Food Court" is barely legible. ]

And it seems to be centrally located. Mayhaps it will give us a lay of the land?

[ So to speak. He makes a move towards the large glass doors, but pointedly waits for Sciel before pulling one of them open. And while the entrance way is unsurprisingly lined with a few shops--a tea shop, something called "Radioshack"--the corridor opens up to a vast and wide, multistory thoroughfare.

As impressive as it is, it's the shadowy silhouettes of people dotted about that really draws the eye. There's an immediate sense of unease, for the shadows don't move--they stay completely still, with no solid persons to cast them. ]

What...what is this?

1.

[retrievalist]

[ Eliot shuts and locks the door behind himself. ] Don't remember seeing all that many cars on the road here. [ And besides, there's something about them that doesn't sit right with him. Bit too pristine for a ten-hour drive ] Strangely quiet here too. Think the answer to your question is 'or'.

[ He stretches, neck and spine cracking, muscles loosening. It's not that he imagined searching for a missing kid in a diffusion zone would be a walk in the park but this is the kind of feeling he gets just before a mission goes south and he can't say he's a fan. ]

That's a lot of mall to search. Hopefully they got a floor plan or something inside.

[exarched]

[ G'raha let's out a small huff of a sigh. Or, indeed. It really is the eerie quietness of the place that is the most unsettling--from what he understands, it should be quite the opposite. ]

Tell me more about these "malls"?

[ He asks as they move away from the car. ]

They are meant to be central hubs of social activity and commerce, correct?

[ G'raha is realizing that there are functions of this world that align more commonly with Eliot's star than his own, making the other man a wealth of knowledge he might not have foreseen. ]

[retrievalist]

Pretty much. [ he's not gonna lie, he's pretty charmed by the way G'raha is asking about it and is smiling a little as he explains ] Cram as many stores as you can in one area and people don't have to drive all over the place to do their shopping. They can buy groceries and clothes and, I dunno, a new frying pan all at the same place. Then they started adding restaurants and movie theatres and arcades and it also became a social hub too.

[ And honestly, this place looks like it was lifted straight out of the midwest. He doesn't know why the thought weirds him out so much; it makes sense that if they can grab him then they can grab other stuff from his world but still. Doesn't feel right. ]

Do they not have stuff like that back on your star?

[ With so many cars in the lot, it's a bit of a walk from his car to the entrance. Eliot peers into the other cars as they go by, sees a jacket left on the back seat here, a drink left in the holder there. Normal, like the owners just stepped out. Eliot eyes the mall again, bad feeling starting to grow. ]

[exarched]

[ It is valuable information, even if they were not on the lookout for a small child lost in this complex of sorts. G'raha is ever curious about the wider universe! ]

I see. [ Though, if he were really thinking about it, mayhaps it would be almost comical if someone were asking him to explain the finer details of the aetheryte plaza. But that's neither here nor there. ] A shame that we're making this trip under such circumstances. I would like to see one in its peak.

[ G'raha does pause to take a look into the cars as well, following Eliot's lead. They looked far from wholly unused--if anything, it seemed as if someone had only just parked and gone inside themselves. Would they really find this many people inside that massive building? ]

Crowded markets and shopping promenade are common in the largest cities, certainly. Though they are not oft all situated under one grand roof in such numbers.