EVENT #3: THE COST OF INNOCENCE

[aionmods]

The Cost of Innocence

INVESTIGATION

As the Aions arrive in Venera, they will find the natural beauty of the city in sharp contrast to its uncomfortable aura. Though the sun still shines and flowers still bloom in a place filled with physical vibrancy and life, the air itself is impossibly still, as if wind no longer blows. You can taste the stagnancy of it when you breathe, and the pleasant sights only make that feeling of absence more haunting. The streets are mostly empty, with most of the city's residents hiding away in their homes, fearing the touch of whatever illness has caused this. That is, all the citizens besides those most affected, who wander the streets in a lifeless and painless daze.

Normally, Venera would be occupied by both Hylician and Achamite soldiers, but it quickly becomes apparent that both have abandoned the city, only guarding its furthest outskirts. Their reasons vary: the Achamite soldiers seem to take religious objection to the feeling of the city, believing it to be some trickery of the Innocent, while the Hylicians simply see it as a plague they have no interest in catching or spreading. Because of this, it will be easy for Aions of both sects to explore with little pushback from any form of law enforcement. The Kenoma will be directed into the city with warnings about the potential physical and spiritual danger while Pleroma will be able to sneak in mostly unbothered. After all, no one is eager to follow you.

Most shops and businesses are currently closed, though some uninfected individuals still nervously keep watch over their workplaces, fearing potential looting. It's difficult, but not impossible, to find people to talk to, and while the most plentiful wanderers are the infected, the reactions from those with their minds still intact will vary. Some will be eager to speak to anyone who looks like they're trying to do something about their situation, desperate for any source of outside help. If revealed you are an Aion, this may either entice them even further or cause them to retreat, as if fearing that you are somehow to blame for their plight. For those that are enticed, it will become clear that they hold onto faith that Aions are in Horos to save them, and will tell these new arrivals whatever they can without discriminating between sects.

The base level information that can be found is thus: the infection began at the same levels it has been in the rest of Horos, only for the numbers of the afflicted to rapidly accelerate upon the coming of the Innocent's Moon. Some see it as a form of divine punishment for their cooperation with the Regent, while the less cooperative citizens see it as a malady brought about by the Aions themselves, their only hope being that they will be able to clean up the mess they made. Some citizen have managed to corral their inflicted loves ones into their rooms and will be willing to introduce you; most of these individuals are past the point of conversation, and seem fully lost to whatever fantasy world they are experiencing. They are disinterested in eating or drinking and it seems like, without help, they are destined for a slow death of starvation and atrophy. That is, if their apathetic state doesn't result in a severe accident, as it has in many cases already.

Any other clues will take more dogged investigation. It will be a day or so after the majority of Aions have arrived in the city that the first signs of their own infections become clear.

HEAVENLY BODIES

The first to feel its effects will be the Innocents, Lovers, and Celebrants; like a voice has fully awakening to them, whispering of how their touch can be the cure to the others' pain. It bids them to take their fellow Aions into their loving embrace, to share this gift, as only suffering lies ahead. It expresses without words that it will be a shield for their Aion kindred, and that those that accept will become their outstretched hands to a cosmos that craves peace. Any form of physical contact with those three Legacies will either introduce or rapidly accelerate the infections experienced by the others, this effect only becoming more intense if the wielder intentionally forces the power of this strange entity into their victims.

Even without that accelerating touch, however, other Aions are not necessarily safe; the infection will still seep in, albeit more slowly. All Aions may experience a growing feeling of connection to the infected Venerans, as if the energy within them is being drawn into their their own bodies. As the Aion's symptoms worsen, the the ones suffered by the Venerans will gradually lessen, though not go away entirely. It seems that the Aions soaking up this strange power is enough to take the edge off of what is happening to the citizens: but at what cost?

Various symptoms will manifest in afflicted Aions with outcomes far more diverse and devastating than what the Veneran civilians have experienced. Visionaries, Firebrands, and Artisans will suffer the most catastrophic symptoms, the clash between their spiritual natures and that of the Innocence being the most extreme. This malady is characterized by its innate desire to quell its victims of their resistance, smothering them in artificial peace, even if it has to deprive them of their bodies and minds to do so.

It is not without treatment, however. It will gradually become apparent that feelings of intense suffering or upset are capable of purging the infection, that clash with painful reality seeming to wake them up from their trance and reduce or eliminate physical symptoms. The more intense the distress, the more effective it will be. Fortunately, this heightening of Aion spiritual energy has the added consequence of making empathic communion connections far more acute. Instead of just transmitting and receiving emotions and thoughts, Aions will find themselves more easily able to enter the delusions and memories of their kindred, drawing them out and manipulating them for this purpose. The catch is that they will only be able to access what is on the surface of the other Aion's mind.

When an infection is reduced or expelled this way, the energy causing it seems to be dispelled from the city, lowering the intensity of its ambient effects. While similar can be done to Veneran citizens to help treat them, the energy will not leave, and will either go into the Aion casting it out or return to the nebulous source of Innocence and eventually infect someone else. Something about going through the Aions specifically seems to act as a filter, as unpleasant of a way as it is to help.

IN THE SILENCE

For those unlucky enough to develop complete, or near complete, infections (IE. a full Innocence petrification) a presence will awaken within them regardless of their Legacy. It will urge them to join with it, to embrace the peace it offers, and to become the extensions of their will in this ravaged world. With an infection of this intensity, there will be little they can do but to hear its call. What exactly this would ultimately entail is unclear, but there is the sense that his entity is looking to join with you on a spiritual level. If your character becomes infected to this degree please let us know under the Committed Actions toplevel below along with the context of that transformation and whether or not they are being cured from it. You may receive some additional information in return!

QUESTIONS

What is the best way for Aions to travel to Venera?
The quickest travel paths are for Kenoma to take a boat from Achamoth, which will take about a day, and for Pleroma to teleport to the Celebrant's shrine and take either a carriage or river boat to the city (there are offshoot rivers not marked on the setting map). The riverboats would be the faster option option of the two, and would also take about a day. The carriages/delivery carts would be slower and take a couple days, but have relay access to horses and therefore could keep going overnight. Characters with flight are also able to use that, though flying right into the city might cause a bit of spectacle. Then again, none of the local law enforcement is eager to chase you at the moment.

Are Veneran civilians experiencing the same symptoms as the Aions?
Veneran civilians are only experiencing apathy/loss of self/daydreaming and maybe the loss of pigments/color for advanced cases. The more body horror orientated effects are Aion only and are being caused by their body's spiritual makeup.

Can 'cured' Aions be reinfected?
Yes! Even if cured or treated, symptoms can return or worsen again. This will keep happening until the build up of Innocence energy in Venera is entirely expunged, at which point the illness will fade away across the continent. Whether or not the Aions mere presence will be enough to trigger that is yet unknown, but it does seem to be helping lessen the effects suffered by the civilians, at least.

How long does the infection period last in Aions?
Chronologically, we are considering the infection period of the plot to last 2-3 days.

Comments

[lifespanned]

[ Even when the two of them slam to the ground, she doesn't seem all that disturbed by it— whether that's a product of her current infection and disregard for her safety, or her forceful personality, or perhaps even some ungodly mixture of the two remains impossible to tell. She even pins him down by getting her hands around his biceps, straddling his waist like they're not right in front of everyone's salads in the Venera streets. ]

I didn't think you'd get released so soon!

[ She chirps, settling her weight comfortably on top of him. ]

Now we can be together without those pesky cameras or handcuffs in the way.

[ Completely immersed in her little fantasy, whatever it's about, she fails to show any type of concern for what must be severe back pain at being shoved to the pavement like this. And, she also fails to think more deeply about how incriminating any of that sounds, as she clearly thinks the two of them are alone. No, she just glows with an expectant kind of excitement, leaning a bit more close to his face in order to ask: ]

So, did you miss me?

CW ON THIS JUST IN CASE, WHEEZES

[locumstudentesquire]

[ooc: cw here for. uh. i guess. Ryunosuke reacting to this in language adjacent to sexual harassment/assault lksmdfl just in case, please tread carefully]

[You know, he's had a lot of close calls and stressful situations in his short time here in Venera? But this one is definitely! One of the more uniquely distressing that he's gotten himself into!

Despite the color bleaching across other parts of his body (and rapidly, now that he's in contact with another infected), Ryunosuke's face is bright red. Who is this woman! Why! Is she sitting on him like that! Why does she seem to think he's some kind of criminal, WHY IS SHE TOUCHING HIS ARMS!?!

THIS IS INCREDIBLY INAPPROPRIATE!!!

Somehow he manages to get his hands working and gingerly places them at her shoulders, before forcefully pushing her up and away as far as he can physically stretch. Head turned to the side to avoid eye contact, he splutters in a very loud and flustered voice:]

Ma'am please I'm afraid you've MISTAKEN ME FOR SOMEONE ELSE--

[The ironic thing is that if Misa wasn't of a super-spreader Legacy, this would probably be distressing and embarrassing enough to cure him of his own symptoms right then and there.]

[lifespanned]

[ To his credit, she does stumble a bit when pushed, though - while any normal person might take that as a sign to buzz off, she simply bears her weight down more heavily against those hands, almost pleadingly. Her brows furrow, immediately turning on the doe-eyes to go along with. ]

This again? Didn't you get your memories back when I...?

[ Ryunosuke might be wishing that he could evaporate from his body, but Misa seems completely and wholly uninterested in addressing any of his complaints. In fact, the only reason her grip lessens a tad is from her momentary distraction over his insistence that she has the wrong person. ]

Light, come on. I'm your girlfriend? Don't you remember your own soul mate? Or maybe you need a reminder...

[ Her voices take a turn for the demure and flirty, a fluttering of her eyelashes accenting her insinuation. ]

[locumstudentesquire]

[Oh gods. This is... This is mortifying. This poor woman is going to be so embarrassed, if she gets well and can even remember this later. For right now, Ryunosuke is more than scandalized enough for the both of them.

Part of the problem is, getting violent with a lady is very extremely against his nature, and he's hesitant to use the force that would probably be required to dislodge her?? Meanwhile, the whispering voice of the contagion is getting louder in his head, urging him to stop fretting about all these meaningless things. White is slowly creeping up his neck, a wave of pinfeathers bursting from the afflicted areas moments after they bleach, like seedlings pushing up from the dirt.

Frazzled, he scrunches his eyes closed, and then yelps:]

I don't-- Have-- A girlfriend!!!

[On that 'have', he pushes up again, more insistently this time.]

And my name isn't Light! It's Ryunosuke!

[lifespanned]

[ Misa makes an undignified squawk as she's shoved back, and is successfully dislodged from him. Lucky for Ryunosuke, this also includes her falling a bit more to the side when she loses her balance, so really only a part of her leg remains draped over him. However, unluckily for him— ]

Not Light? Then why would you take advantage of my feelings like that...? You should've said something earlier!!

[ His earlier attempts to convince her of this fact obviously fell on deaf ears. Yes, it seems even the prospect of not being reunited with her boyfriend, combined with the painful shove of his hands is enough to give some considerable amount of anguish to her, which clears up some of her perception thusly. Besides, she's never done a thing wrong in her life? This is clearly the other party's fault? It's apparent she thinks this is the case, anyway. If he thought she was going to blow up in embarrassment and apologize, he's getting the exact opposite, complete with an accusatory finger pointed his way. ]

I see what you were planning to do, "Ryunosuke," if that's even really your name!

[locumstudentesquire]

[That's— Hold on, what!?]

Of course that’s my name! I— Ackkgh—

[Now that he's been (mostly) freed, he hastily scrambles out from under her leg as quickly as possible, scooting away backwards on all fours. He is showing obvious signs of the Contagion now, but now that Misa’s symptoms have cleared and Ryunosuke is still flustered as all heck, they’re starting to reverse progress, new feathers falling out and disintegrating before they’ve even finished forming.]

Miss, please, you were having some kind of hallucination due to the illness! It was never my intent to deceive you in any way!

[lifespanned]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm........

[ She draws out the sound, leering at him as if she can perceive if he's lying from sight alone. After a long, hard look, she still remains skeptical, but finally relents in her attacks on him, crossing her arms tightly over her chest instead. ]

Okay, fine, I'll think about believing you. Only because you crawled away so fast! [ And it's only think about believing, because she's feeling quite averse to admitting any fault - nothing is her fault, most of the time? That's just facts. ] And because now that I look at you, you really don't look anything like him.

[ is that an insult... it seems a bit like one, given the disappointed nature of how she says it. ]

[locumstudentesquire]

[Thank goodness he isn't particularly sensitive about his looks.

He wheezes in quiet defeat, deciding it's not worth trying to argue with her on any of those points. Some people's logic is just better left uncorrected.]

...Right. Well, I'm glad we seem to have cleared up that little misunderstanding, then.

[He struggles to his feet, wincing slightly as he does. He's... going to be totally bruised from getting flattened by this girl, isn't he...]

Are you alright, then? Your symptoms seem to have cleared, at least...

[lifespanned]

Oh, yeah, I'm okay. My knees hurt a little bit...

[ And yes, she has the audacity to look woe-is-me over it, despite the fact that Ryunosuke 100% got the shorter end of the stick after she full body tackled him like that. The infection still lingers in her, in trace amounts, yet at the moment, she seems to be lucid. Misa sighs, dusting her clothes off as she moves to stand. ]

You said your name was Ryunosuke, right? I'm Misa. I'm from Tokyo, you know. Kinda a coincidence I ran into you, isn't it?

[ She doesn't bother asking about where he's from, making her own assumptions based on his name alone, and she also feels it's only right if she introduces herself to him after getting his name in such an awkward way. Besides, it's not often she even comes across other people from plain old Earth. Might as well try to make the most of the situation. ]

[locumstudentesquire]

[Well in this case, her assumptions are 100% correct. Mostly.

Ryunosuke looks visibly shocked; just yesterday he'd met a different Aion claiming to be from Japan, and now here's another one? And not only is she from Japan...]

Wh-- Are you serious? You're from Tokyo!? I'm also from Tokyo!

[OK, yes, it's a big city, it shouldn't be THAT weird but, considering the circumstances...?]

[lifespanned]

Oh! Really? Haha, that's kinda funny.

[ Owlish blink. It shouldn't be that surprising, she guesses - Tokyo is huge, after all. But it's rare to even find someone from her country, so... ]

I'm originally from Kyoto, but I moved to Tokyo recently. So I'm not from from there, but, you know... you're the only person I've come across here from there! This is exciting. I wasn't sure I'd ever meet anyone else from home.

[locumstudentesquire]

Really? That's very odd... Just yesterday I met a Kenoma who claimed to be from Kyushu. Near Oita, he said...

[It's Gen. He's talking about Gen. Wait, sorry, "Takeda". Which is the fake name he gave to Ryunosuke, because he's a little shit.

Anyway. Seems like maybe the Kenoma just aren't very open with one another...?

Also, maybe he's crazy, but it kind of seems like a lot of Aions got pulled here from Japan...? what's up with that]