catch-all open log!

[rebells]

Who: Anyone and everyone!
Where: On the beach, and various other places throughout the hub island
When: Day 80, and the next couple days after
Open/Closed: open log for hub shenanigans!

[This evening, someone has placed an old, rusted-over camp stove on the beach near the coven's row of huts--anyone examining it in detail will see that it's not operational at the moment, but that could potentially be changed, couldn't it? If someone was handy with mechanical things . . . .

Next to it is a crate (which, from the weight of it is empty) and pinned to that crate is a sheet of paper with a map on it, something like a much cruder, black-and-white version of this:



with the following key:

1 - crags. Contain snakes which may be poisonous. Watch out.
2 - ocean, going about one mile out from the coast.
3 - lagoon. Contains thick reeds (could be woven or shaped into tools) and frogs (edibility uncertain).
4 - abandoned campsite.
5 - orchard. Currently, trees are diseased and bare. Plant healer needed.
6 - abandoned house. A family used to live here, from the looks of it. Still contains some useful supplies.

And there should be a 7 north of base camp with the notation "graveyard. Graves unused." but the player forgot and is too lazy to go back and fix it right now. Observant individuals will note that the map looks like a more detailed version of one hanging on the door to a certain coven member's cabin, one that has a note on the bottom: "Have information? Ask for Jay."

Other than that, it's a quiet night on the hub island. We've been here for a couple days; maybe you're getting restless? Want to check out that ocean, or lagoon, or even those crags? Maybe just go door-to-door in the beach huts? Maybe you're sick of shrimp and looking for other things to eat . . . hopefully someone's got a fire going tonight, and thought to kill a boar . . . .

What are you doing tonight?]


((here or here for place descriptions))

Comments

[talim]

[ jude jumps when hibiki greets him, startled, but when he sees who it is he just sort of gives him a look as deadpan as hibiki's tone. ]

Your boyfriend just waltzed right in, too, but at least he used the door. What is it with you two?

[secrowtary]

[ Did he say YOUR BOYFRIEND ]

[secrowtary]

[ HE DID. For how long Hibiki will have to deal with the consequences of That Night? He might have broken a new record—it took exactly one second for the blush to spread across his cheeks. Who would've thought that it's possible...

It's time to conveniently skip Jude's question and change the subject. ]

I didn't know you claimed this hut.

[ Of course he didn't. ]

[talim]

[ he sure did. jude raises an eyebrow at the brief silence that follows, but instead of prying, he just replies. ]

It seemed up for grabs, and I have roommates, so... uh. Yeah.

[ this is kind of awkward. ]

[secrowtary]

Roommates? I suppose someone should be keeping an eye on you.

[ Hibiki doesn't really mean that, he's just teasing. Let's be real, it's probably the other way round and Jude's keeping an eye on his roommates. Because he's a total mom. ]

[talim]

[ and hibiki would be exactly right. ]

More like I'm keeping an eye on them...

[secrowtary]

You aren't too talkative today, are you?

[ Hibiki please consider that you kind of break into his hut with no prior warning. ]

Who are you rooming with, if I may ask?

[talim]

[ and of course, akira asked him the exact same question. peas in a pod. ]

They're still pretty new, so I doubt you've met them. Alvin and Elle. Alvin is quite a bit older than me, and Elle is just a little girl. Twin tails, backpack, carries around a white cat...

I'm babysitting Alvin more than I'm babysitting her, to be honest. She's rather independent.

[secrowtary]

[ Jude's his friend, of course he wants to know this, duh!! It doesn't have anything to do with Akira at all. ]

Quite a bit older, huh? Is he twenty-one? [ Hibiki what are you getting at. ] It's really puzzling how adult men need someone to babysit them.

[ He's having war flashbacks to his boss, don't mind him. ]

[talim]

He's twenty-six, actually. But good guess?

[ jude laughs. it must be surprising. he really does look after alvin, though, and alvin looks after him, too, in his own unconventional way. they've been through so much together. he can't imagine life without alvin by his side. ]

[secrowtary]

[ If you don't think that twenty-one is old then you passed this test, Jude. ]

How have you met, though? Or should I ask for how long have you been babysitting him? Two weeks?

[ Still not realizing that Alvin is from Jude's world, oops. ]

[talim]

Over a year, actually.

[ that should make it obvious enough. ]

He's... from back home. A close friend.

[secrowtary]

Oh. So you're not alone anymore.

[ Hibiki doesn't say it, but...he's glad. Jude doesn't seem to be the type to enjoy being lonely, so there's that. ]

A close friend... [ It's his time to take revenge for what happened before. ] So that's how it is.

[talim]

[ honestly? as grateful as he is for the friends he's made here, hibiki included, he's glad, too. sometimes, you can be surrounded by people and still feel lonely. jude isn't immune to that.

he raises an eyebrow, confusion written plain on his face. ]

... What's that supposed to mean?

[secrowtary]

You tell me.

[ Hibiki it's rude to barge in someone's hut and then try to get dirt on them, don't you know that. ]

Unless there's someone else.

[talim]

Someone... else... ?

[ jude sqints. he really, really doesn't get it. at all. ]

No, there's... Alvin is Alvin. I have plenty of close friends, but there's no replacement.

[ jude you're digging yourself yet another hole here. ]

[secrowtary]

[ This answer must be satisfying enough for Hibiki because he lets poor Jude off the hook and gives him a sly smile. ]

I understand.

[ He might not be good at this whole interpersonal relationships thing, but even Hibiki has a few people who are irreplaceable. ]

Just make sure that Elle won't see.

[talim]

[ ????? ]

Hibiki, I have no idea what you're getting at here, but last I checked I don't think I have anything to hide from Elle...

[secrowtary]

So you haven't gotten that far yet. Maybe it's for the best.

[ Wow, Hibiki. Since when holding hands with someone gives you the title of a Relationships Expert??? ]

By the way, what do you think of Akira?

1/2

[talim]

That far...

[ jude shakes his head. ]

I don't think I'll ever quite understand you.

2/2

[talim]

He didn't blush when I called him Akki.

[ jude frowns, but he doesn't mean it. there's a pause as he thinks over how to respond. ]

... but he's a good guy. I'd like to think we can be friends. You two are a good fit, that's for sure.

[secrowtary]

Maybe Alvin will help you with that. Or maybe someone else beats him to it.

[ Heh. ]

He didn't? [ There goes his evil plan on making Akira blush by proxy. ] Interesting. Maybe he's already resistant to Akki...

[ Wait, did he really say that out loud. Yeah. Uh. This is awkward. And what Jude has just said about the two of them being a good fit isn't helping.

There's a long pause on Hibiki's side as he anxiously fixes his collar. ]

... Do you really think so?

[talim]

[ if anything, jude is just relieved to change the subject and get the focus off him. ]

I really do. It seems like you guys just really gel together. Same twisted sense of humor and everything.

[ that wasn't an insult. really. ]

It's hard to explain, but... I can just tell, you know? I'm sure you guys make each other really happy, and that's all that matters, right?

[secrowtary]

[ Don't worry Jude, Hibiki will pick up that subject again soon enough. ]

Same twisted sense of humor, you say... [ He raises his eyebrows. Well. It might be true, all things considered. ]

Don't go saying things like that so casually.

[ Making each other happy and all that. Instead of going for a cheek pinch, Hibiki takes a deep sigh, looking at his feet. It's another pause and it's clear that he's meaning to say something, but it takes him a long while to actually start talking. ]

I'm...worried that I might ruin it one day.

[ Not just his relationship with Akira, but with everyone basically. ]

[talim]

[ jude's smile quickly fades, eyebrows knit in concern. ]

Why would you think that? It's clear to me that Akira cares about you, and he doesn't seem the type to turn his back on the people he cares about.

[ all the teasing aside, they did have a little bit of a heart to heart. jude can tell. ]