july event.

[falsitates]

JULY 4 ~ 15, 2021

July starts off busy.

With Independence Day approaching, city residents have been hard at work preparing for the upcoming Sunday celebrations. Vitae has always been enthusiastic about the Fourth of July and has made it a city-wide celebration every year. Although it's warned that another heatwave will sweep through the city for the first two weeks of July, everyone still works hard to ensure that they have another memorial holiday.

It's time to unwind.

  MISSION BOARD

Bzzz. Bzzz.

It's your phone. It feels like a brick of ice when you pick it up, providing welcome relief from the heat. It shuts down completely, as usual, until new white words on a black background appear.

NEW MISSIONS HAVE BEEN ADDED.
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY.
SOLAMEN MISERIS SOCIOS HABUISSE DOLORIS

True to its message, three new tasks appear under the missions module.

  FOURTH OF JULY

Despite the oppressive heat, it almost seems like everyone has gone out for the day. Many people hold barbeques or picnics in their backyards or parks, while others bars and restaurants offer day-long specials, such as free drinks or sides with meals. For those without cash or a barbeque of their own, the church provides free burgers and hotdogs to anyone who stops by their parking lot. Juice and pop are given as drinks, but occasionally, when no one is looking, the volunteer pulls out a bottle of beer from the very bottom of the ice-filled cooler. She gives a wink and puts her finger to her lips. Shhhh.


The beach also has its own free barbeque, though there is no hidden surprise of alcohol to be found. Only food and-- wait, a beach?

It first appeared in the early hours of the morning. A section of the forest has vanished at the city's very edge on the south side. In its place. a large beach is found. Although the waters stretch out as far as the eye can see, Vitae has always been a landlocked city. Where did it come from? Residents claim it's always been there, that the city built an urban beach years ago, before quickly changing the subject. It's Independence Day, man! What does it matter? Let's just have a good time!

Although packed, the beach provides enough room for everyone to find a spot and relax. The water is nice and cool and flocked with screaming kids as they splash each other. Apart from the beach's incredibly strange appearance and the concerning questions it raises, everything appears to be at peace.

Later that night, elaborate fireworks are launched in front of the city hall. Many people also light their own and with a fireworks vendor at every corner, there appears to be no end in sight. The sounds of explosions reverberate throughout the entire night and many people stay up to continue partying, celebrating as if this is the city's final Fourth of July.

  DECISION TIME

The following two weeks are quiet, everyone using up all of their energy for the Fourth of July. The city returns to normal and users of the app are left in peace.

Until the 15th.

YOU HAVE SELECTED [ALLY/BETRAY].
CHOOSE A USER.

A list appear below the message. It contains the names and photos of every person on the app. Until you select one, your phone will be unusable.

Towards the end of the day, if you still have not chosen, it stays stuck to your hand and begins to slowly overheat with an ominous timer counting down from ten minutes. It will not be able to be removed, no matter how much force you use. It will only finally let go after you have chosen a name. A new message will appear after you've made your choice.

YOU HAVE SELECTED [NAME].
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ANSWER.
PLEASE WAIT PATIENTLY UNTIL THE NEXT UPDATE.

Comments

[ehero]

are you free
i can come get you and we can go around the city or wherever else you wanna go

[whiteshroud]

Sure!
I'm moving furniture with Nier later, but I think I can spare some time.

[ehero]

ill come pick you up now :)

[ It's not hard to find Noah's house, especially considering how large it is. The motorcycle is nothing fancy but it works well so that's all that matters. He waits outside the premises, taking off his helmet and getting helmet hair. ]

[whiteshroud]

[For Judai's sake, we'll say he was staying with Noah one more day due to his apartment not being ready to move in yet. So when he hears the motorcycle drive up, he'll come outside and head over to great him]

Hey, Nice ride!

[ehero]

Thanks. Here, catch!

[ He throws a white helmet. It was a pain to carry while driving a motorcycle, but it never fell once so it's perfectly fine. ]

Where do you want to go? I'll take us wherever you want!

[whiteshroud]

[He catches! He looks at the helmet for a moment in his hands before putting it on]

How about that beach that popped up? I've heard about it, and I'm kinda curious.

[That's right it's purely mission related! And not at all because riding by a beach in a motorcycle is a classic trope]

[ehero]

Oh, yeah! All right, let's go! We can take a dip in the water too!

[ countdown has begun for the oh no ]

[whiteshroud]

Haha, sure! I'm game if you are!

[He remembered to put on his waterproof bandage on his seal mark, so there shouldn't be anything to worry about. And hey, it'll be fine]

So I just climb on the back?

[ehero]

Yeah, here.

[ With helmet still in hand, Judai goes over to the bike and swings a leg over the seat so he can sit down. He moves up a bit more forward than usual so Jun can have more room. ]

You'll sit behind me. You'd need to hold on though so you don't fall off.

[whiteshroud]

[He'll watch him, before climbing on himself in the same fashion. Slightly confused though]

Hold onto the bike? Or you?

[ehero]

Me.

[ He points at himself. ]

You can use one arm or two, and you'll have to hold onto my hips or torso.

[whiteshroud]

[WELL THEN]

Haha, well okay!

[Carefully, he'll put his hands on Judai's hips]

Like that?

[ehero]

Almost!

[ Using his free hand, He grabs onto one of Jun's and pulls it around himself. He places it against his stomach. ]

Like this, so you don't fall off if we go over a bump or I make a sharp turn.

[whiteshroud]

[Oh...that's closer than he thought. He isn't one to blush, but he probably would if he was right now.]

Oh, wow. Like that? ...Okay!

[He swallows]

Ready when you are.

[ehero]

[ Judai is shameless. He doesn't see the problem at all. ]

All right, hold on tight!

[ He puts on his helmet and turns the bike back on. Kicking back the kickstand, he revs the engine a few times to get it started. Once ready, he takes off. He decides to take the scenic route rather than just directly going to the beach. It'll be no fun if this only lasted a few minutes. He also tries not to go too fast, staying just about the speed limit or a bit over. His turns are wider and he makes sure that this isn't as terrifying as it can be. At stoplights, he'll occasionally look back to make sure that Jun hasn't, like, thrown up or something. Hopefully, without any vomit, they will arrive by the beach without any incidents. ]

[whiteshroud]

[Considering Jun is used to things like jumping off buildings and teleporting, riding a motorcycle isn't terrifying. He holds on tight, but he's clearly enjoying it, a grin on his face most of the time through the ride. No wonder people are so fond of bikes, it's a lot of fun to have such freedom.

Finally they arrive at the beach, though Jun probably could've gone longer on it. ]

Haha, you really do know how to drive!

[ehero]

[ Turning off the engine, he removes his helmet. An equally big grin is on his face. ]

I told you that I'm a good driver.

[ He is not humble when it comes to card games and operating vehicles that he have never gotten close to in the first place. ]

Did you enjoy the ride?

[whiteshroud]

[He nods, before pulling getting off the bike and pulling off his helmet]

I did! I can see why people like these things so much.

[ehero]

Let me know if you need a lift somewhere and I'll come get you.

[ ... until judai runs out of gas and he's like hm well that's unfortunate... he puts down the kickstand and dismounts the bike. He's gotta figure out what to do with these helmets so they don't get stolen but before that, he looks in awe towards the beach. ]

Man, I haven't gone to the beach in a while. This is great.

[whiteshroud]

Thanks, I might take you up on that.

[Just watch, this is going to become a cycle of Judai giving Jun his paycheck only for Jun to turn around and use that money to fill Judai's gas tank.]

Haha, this is my first time at a beach, actually.

[ehero]

[ man, jun is living it up. getting cash (minus judai's gas tank and other necessities) + free rides all the time. jealous tbh ]

What? Seriously?

[ gasp. i headcanon that judai grew up near the waters because..... boat + lots of other water activities that he likes ]

Then you gotta swim around! There's no place better than a beach to swim at!

[whiteshroud]

[Jun nods]

Mm. I never had the opportunity before.

[Morimiya is a landlocked city and where he was before that BOY. WE DON'T NEED TO GET INTO THAT]

Haha, okay! So should we head straight for the water then? I do know how to swim!

[ehero]

Yeah!

[ Judai was about to just race over and take off his shirt since he's just wearing shorts, but he stops after half a step. ]

Wait, we should find you a swimsuit.

[ It'll be scandalous for a girl to just run in with her bra and panties. Hmm, he looks around. There's normally a pavilion around. ]

[whiteshroud]

[????]

Huh? Why can't I just go in my shorts?

[ehero]

Then what are you going to do for, uh, your... top?

[ what word does he even use here ]