june event.

[falsitates]

JUNE 15, 2021

The heatwave has passed and the weather has never been better. The city is full of life once again, and the streets are busy as people return outdoors to enjoy what summer has to offer. Everything appears to have returned back to normal.

For everyone, but you.

The newcomers are given an envelope that is either addressed to their current residence or placed in their belongings. There is no return address, and inside is a New York state government-issued ID. It appears to be authentic. The residents, on the other hand, receive a similar envelope, but with a SIM card. There are no other notes.

Are these your rewards?

  MISSION BOARD

Your phone vibrates.

It doesn't stop until you pick it up and when you do, it's cold. The buttons do nothing as it shuts down, unresponsive to whatever actions that you take. Then, much like last time, white lettering on a black backdrop appears.

WELCOME TO WEEK THREE.
A NEW MODULE HAS BEEN UNLOCKED.
YOU MAY CHOOSE TO IGNORE IT.
OR YOU MAY CHOOSE TO USE IT.
AUDENTES FORTUNA IUVAT

A new section has been added to the app. It reads as 'missions'. There are currently three tasks available right now.

  BEGINNINGS OF A FOREST

The barrier continues to grow in size. Vitae's outskirts are gradually, but surely, expanding, and in its new area is a sea of trees. There has never been a forest surrounding the city, yet one is unmistakably forming. It's small, extending outside for less than a quarter-mile, and asides from its sudden appearance, there's nothing unusual about it. Only trees, the barrier, and the nagging feeling that someone is watching you.

Nobody in the city seems to notice. When questioned, they claim that the forest has always been there. In fact, the city was created in the heart of a forest, and it has remained that way since its inception. None of them are aware of the fact that these trees were never there until now.

It's as though the forest has always been there.

  DECISION TIME

By the end of the day, your phone vibrates again. A new message appears.

ALLY?
BETRAY?

One of the two choices must be selected. Otherwise, you won't be able to use your phone.

Make your choice.

Comments

ii;

[chemex]

[Akira follows his line of sight, then gives Mike a brief once-over.]

Ever played cops and robbers?

[curriculumachine]

[There's a tiny irritated noise.]

... No.

[Why is this a question? Any implications of some sort of plan formation from those... code words... doesn't come through.]

I haven't got all day. Are we doing this or not?

[chemex]

[He shrugs gently, pocketing his phone. His loss,]

Sure. Have a plan of action?

[curriculumachine]

[It's a moment before he answers, meandering to the back of the van and opening the door. Inside, among assorted cleaning equipment and a possible bed/nest pile of blankets in the corner is... a cage. An angry blond raccoon gnaws at the wire and reaches her little hand out through one of the larger slots.]

Hannah.

[chemex]

[He stays where he's left until he hears the distinct sounds of a caged animal, at which point he moves slowly to peer around the corner. He looks the raccoon over, then looks at Mike, back to the raccoon. Hannah.]

...good name. [Is he meaning the raccoon is going to be their partner in crime, because that would be one of the coolest things he's ever heard, actually.]

[curriculumachine]

[Mike hates talking at length, so his explanation is slow and rambling, and missing some words here and there while he drags the cage out to set it on the sidewalk.]

The word is... she's Toly's or whatever... I got her out... behind the teahouse...

[He's back in the van for a moment to retrieve a styrofoam take-out container. Setting it in front of the cage, he flips the top open to reveal a mix of assorted food scraps that smell... a little rotten. Hannah squeals and hisses and stretches her fingers out in anticipation.]

We give her half... and then... when... she can have the rest.

[They're going to sniff Toly out and reward his backstabbing raccoon friend with food Mike collected from the Sakaki teahouse dumpster.]

[chemex]

[It's okay, Mike, you're in good company. Akira doesn't talk much all at once, either. The good news for them both in that is that he's pretty good at piecing together the suggested plan. His expression tightens only just at the rotten takeout, but he grins at Mike anyway.]

Solid. Hannah, you're gonna get some nice dumpster treats, but only if you're good.

[He looks at Mike again, frowning slightly.] ...did you name her, or did she somehow tell you her name? [Listen, he had a talking cat, he's not above anything.]

[curriculumachine]

[He hesitates for a moment, looking down at the raccoon as she tries to unlatch the cage herself.]

She... There was...

[Not quite to used to the strange things happening yet, every little oddity now stands out to him.]

She wrote it in the dirt.

[He moves his finger around like drawing lines. Hannah makes a strange noise, sort of a chuckle.]

[chemex]

[He wasn't exactly expecting Sentient Raccoon to be the answer, so he looks at Hannah and her attempts to free herself and has to consciously stay standing where he is instead of taking a small step backward. That was actually a little bit spooky.]

Cool, okay. Great. Raccoons that can write, totally normal. [Oh God she just chuckled. Cool. If he has nightmares about sentient raccoons it's Mike's fault.] We sure she's food-motivated enough to help us?

[curriculumachine]

I think so... She's in that dumpster all the time.

[So is Mike, but Akira doesn't need to know that. He waves a hand at the cage, where Hannah is now bobbling her head and being generally adorable creepy.]

You follow her and find Toly. I'll take the picture.

[Raccoon shenanigans are not for him.]

[chemex]

[He could probably smell, anyway. It's okay, Mike, he won't judge you, he lived in an attic for a year. He looks from Hannah to Mike and back, grinning crookedly and nodding. His hands slide into his pockets and he tosses his head in the general direction of where Toly had last been seen.]

How'd you know I moonlight as a trash panda? We've got this on lock.

[curriculumachine]

[He's going to take that as an affirmative. Crouching down, he opens the cage door. Hannah heads straight for the take-out container, happily grabbing bits of unidentifiable food and probably garbage, shoveling it into her mouth and chortling. Soon, she's holding up one piece, an orange rind, and looking down at the box. She places it back down, as if she knew that one rind would be more than half of the food. Scampering away from the box, she leaps at Akira to climb up to his shoulder. She's got this 'on lock'. To Toly!

Mike's just going to follow at a more-than-sedate pace and maybe be quick enough to take a picture should they actually encounter Toly. Maybe.]

[chemex]

[He doesn't even flinch, just tilting his head to allow Hannah space to settle on his shoulder, and makes off at a brisk pace however the raccoon dictates. He's careful to keep Mike in his peripheral vision at all times, but otherwise seems more interested in making it not seem like they're in cahoots.]

[You know, while taking directions from a raccoon.]

[curriculumachine]

[Hannah is vigilant, little striped tail curled around Akira's neck in a vice grip. She makes chittering noises when she thinks they're close to Toly's trail, leading him through the gravel parking spaces, down one alley, and to a rusted fire escape at the back of a tall brick building covered in ivy. Hannah hisses and... points. Her tiny hand outstretched like she's calling a home run. And there, just disappearing over the roof's edge, is a foot! As if to confirm it's Toly, something falls from the roof: a pink slip-on skate shoe, landing with a hard slap on the ground. Hannah clenches her fist. She knows that shoe.

It's only now that Mike takes his camera out of his pocket, to take a picture of said shoe.]

[chemex]

[Hannah, we gotta talk about your garbage cologne.]

[He follows her dictation easily, following the rusted fire escape to the roof and watching the shoe drop, glancing at her little clenched fist and then frowning slightly at the sound of a cellphone camera shutter. He looks over his shoulder at Mike, and grins. Maybe he'll keep his phone in his other hand, just in case.]

You good for some climbing? [He wonders if it's too late to ask Mike's name, or too early, reaching up to grab a rusted ladder rung with one hand, hoisting himself a bit off the ground before carefully raising his other to join it, giving Hannah time to compensate for the shift in her perch.]

[curriculumachine]

[Akira should absolutely keep his own phone out for photos, because Mike has a 35mm camera circa the late 1990s that he found at a thrift shop, along with boxes of expired film; and that's exactly what he's using for this excursion. It won't be until later tonight when he develops them in his darkroom (aka the bathroom) that they'll even know if the Toly photos will come out usable.]

Nh...

[It doesn't sound like a yes, but Mike leaves the shoe where it is and follows Akira and Hannah to the fire escape. Hannah scrabbles to keep her position, grabbing little fistfuls of Akira's hair and the earpiece of his glasses, unintentionally spreading her particularly lovely scent. if no mishaps occur during the climb, they'll catch sight of the roof door closing behind what appears to be a teenage boy... with one shoe.]

[chemex]

[As Akira climbs, carefully to not dislodge his little garbage clingon or break anything before Mike can climb up behind him, he's... strangely practiced. As he lands on the roof, he even crouches and stands back up with a little flourish, like maybe this isn't such a strange way for him to spend an afternoon.]

Parkour. [He steps aside to let Mike make his way up behind him, tapping the heel of one shoe against the roof and nodding toward the now-closed door inside.] Seems our escape artist is missing a shoe and headed indoors.

[curriculumachine]

[Mike has much less flair in his movements, and makes more noise, clanging footsteps, watching Akira's display of parkour with complete disinterest. But Hannah seems impressed, chuckling. Dragging himself up over the edge of the roof, he makes a an irritated noise at Akira's commentary. They'd climbed all the way up here and Toly's probably on his way down the stairwell to escape.]

Did he go down... or is he waiting for us to leave?

[If it was Mike, he'd be hiding right behind that roof door. But Toly is an unknown entity.]

[chemex]

[Akira's shoulders hitch upward in a shrug, and he takes a few steps toward the door.] Parkour I can do-- seeing through doors notsomuch. Let's follow, to whatever extent that requires.

[curriculumachine]

Okay...

[He's fine with making no decisions here. As they get closer to the door, there's a noise like an exaggerated gasp heard from within the stairwell. Toly hasn't gone far! Hannah leaps down from Akira's shoulder and tries to open the roof door herself, but it's too heavy. He's in there!]

[chemex]

[Cellphone in one hand with the camera app pulled up, Akira takes Hannah's lead and reaches out with his other hand to pull the door open with a stupid little flourish. Whether he captures Toly or not, he turns the camera front-facing and holds it at an angle to get himself and whatever is behind the door in a few rapidfire snapshots.]

[curriculumachine]

[In one of those selfies will be... a hint of a blue hood, but nothing else. He's vanished. Mike belatedly takes a photo of just Akira and Hannah in the doorway. Hannah hisses and points down the stairs. Below, somehow too far below, there are quick footsteps continuing to descend.]

[chemex]

[Akira tsks in annoyance and takes off after him, except he vaults himself directly over a few railings in an effort to catch up. Kid, you're really gonna need to work on your subtlety.]

[As he goes, he hollers over his shoulder and holds an arm out for Hannah to reclaim her spot on his shoulder if she wants.] Take the fire escape, head him off! [He isn't really sure he expects Mike to be quick enough for that, but maybe.]

[curriculumachine]

[Mike certainly doesn't run, just strolling back the way they came. Whatever. Akira can go break a leg jumping off down the stairs like that if he wants. It's none of Mike's concern. Hannah, though, is excited for the chase, and scrambles back to Akira's shoulder. Below, there's a screech and fumbling footsteps as Toly tries to outrun them.]

[chemex]

[He holds out his phone and takes a few terribly motion-blurred photos, smears of the blue hoodie always a flight or two of stairs below him, but he's gaining. Akira is little if not tenacious, and while he doesn't yeet over too many railings, he's still definitely fighting a little harder to catch up than one might assume is healthy.]

[Or smart, but. At least Hannah's having a good time?]