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

[comelately]

[ now that gets him to look up again. Brow furrowing, he scowls. ]

What the hell are you on about?

[ give up what - the race? Gyro? He has no idea, and can't think of anything else, but both possibilities piss him off. No way is he giving up on either one after coming this far. ]

We're halfway across the country, and you're telling me to quit now? That better have been one of your bad jokes.

[ but if it is, Johnny's not laughing. This is serious to him - and for "Gyro" to bring up his condition like that only to tell him to give up makes him mad. ]

[lockedon]

[ He can feel Johnny's ire slowly building, passive acceptance morphing into a more active resistance. Good. ]

That's exactly what I'm telling you.

[ All of his jokes are notoriously bad but for once he isn't trying to be (horribly) funny. There's no humor in his voice, no thinly veiled sarcasm, only a cold unwavering belief that everything he says is true. ]

Give it up. This race. Whatever dreams you had before. They're impossible for you now.

[ Even his dream for mobility might not be achievable depending on just how powerful they are as Aions, but at least the possibility is there if he can just manage to free himself from the contagion's clutches. ]

[comelately]

[ smh if he'd led with bad jokes maybe johnny would be a kenoma right now...

instead, he's exactly one thing right now: pissed off. It's not the first time he's cursed his condition; it might be the first time he's cursed it specifically because he wants to sock Gyro in the face. His teeth clench, and the wiry muscles in his arms tense, but with him on the ground and "Gyro" standing, there's nothing he can do but glare.

Well, that, and shout. ]

You trying to fucking pick a fight? It's not impossible! Even if it is, I'm doing it anyway! Even if - if you don't think I can! [ he feels a lump in his throat. ] If you think I can't do it, just go ahead and ditch me already!

[ I thought we were partners. This betrayal hurts more than the last one - and even if Gyro says it's just a joke, the words aren't something Johnny will forget so easily. (They were supposed to do this together, damn it! Why does it always end like this?!) But before the last syllable's left his tongue, the world around him starts to fall apart faster than the one inside him; Valkyrie and Slow Dancer are gone from his sight, and the scenery's gone fuzzy. Suddenly, Gyro's face is unfamiliar, and then familiar again, but not his own, and Johnny chokes out a startled gasp. For the first time in this conversation, it looks like he's realizing who's in front of him. ]

-- w-what the fuck?! You -- but--!

[lockedon]

[ Eustace takes the shouting without flinching, gaze impassive as he waits out the words being thrown at him. It's not the first time anyone has protested the validity of the harsh words out of his mouth and he's sure it won't be the last. Better for him to be painted as the villain, especially when it's a role he's already used to playing.

Thankfully, it doesn't seem like he'll have to push too much further than this, the forest around them fuzzing and the horses winking out of existence like a pair of dying stars. Johnny looks confused; Eustace doesn't give him any time to recover. ]

This isn't Illinois or Wisconsin or wherever you thought you were. And you won't be able to help either yourself or your friend Gyro [ because he remembers that name from back in the shrine, yelled out over and over again ] if you sit here and cling to some false daydream.

[ Maybe it had stemmed from a true memory, but nothing about whatever illusion they'd been in previously had been real. ]

Or have you forgotten what you said at the shrine already?

[ About his best friend waiting for him. ]

[comelately]

[ once the illusion starts falling apart, it collapses very quickly. After all, Johnny is a Firebrand - inherently opposed to these visions. As hard as the Innocence has fought to take him, he fights back in equal measure once he regains his senses and begins to remember what's going on. There's a part of him that doesn't want to leave. He's only human, and on top of that, he's a coward, afraid to hurt; the comfort of the familiar sights and sounds is real, even if none of the sights and sounds themselves are. But the part of him that rails against this fake reality and yearns for freedom is ten times stronger.

Still, it's not easy. For one thing, the hurt and anger he'd felt in that moment were as real as the comfort, and his limbs are still quivering with the emotion. For another, the moment the blinders come off and he remembers where he really is and what's actually happening to him, the pain in his head comes screaming back as the Innocence plague violently tries one last time to tear him back down. His hands fly to the sides of his head, and he grits his teeth hard enough that he might have bitten off his tongue. ]

Urgh...!! Fuck - fuck you!

[ he's yelling, but it's not really clear if it's actually directed at Eustace specifically. The delusion in Johnny's mind has dissipated; they're back in Venera, like before. The feathers that had been dotting his skin are starting to wilt, too. He's hunched over now, breathing heavily as he tries to wait out the pain, and one of them falls quietly to the grass he sits on, tinged slightly with blood. ]

[lockedon]

[ He doesn't say anything in reply or in defense of himself, opting instead to wait out the flare of anger directed his way. There might have been kinder ways to drag Johnny out from the grip of the infection lodged in his body, but Eustace has never been good at showing kindness at a moment's notice and especially not towards a near stranger.

Still, his heart isn't completely frozen over and he can feel a small twinge of sympathy for the boy, enough to unsling his small back and dig through it for a small waterskin, which he hands out to Johnny, still hunched over on the grass. ]

Here.

[ It would make more sense to leave now with the worst of the contagion fought off, but Eustace has never done anything in half-measures. It's all or nothing, which means he's going to stick around until the rest of the sickly feathers fall out and Johnny's breathing evens back out. ]

[comelately]

[ it doesn't take that long - not for the illness to go away, but for Johnny to decide he's not laying around in pain anymore, even if he's still shedding tufts of down. It would be nice if he could just lay there; he feels like he actually did spend the whole day horseback riding, he's so exhausted. His head hurts, and his skin hurts in little points all over where the feathers emerged and are now falling out. More than anything, his heart hurts - and he wishes it didn't, because it's pathetic, but he's a pathetic guy, he knows. If he could have made that real, he would have. He misses Gyro. He doesn't like being alone. He'd gotten used to it, but having someone around again made him remember how much he'd rather not be.

But it always ends this way - he only gains things so he can lose them down the line. He knows this. All that's left to do is to deal with it. That was fake; none of it mattered, and he should forget about it, and by god, he's trying, even if the unshed tears in his eyes suggest otherwise as he evens his breathing and tries to push himself again.

Now that he looks, he can see that the guy with him is the same guy who saw him in the cave - Eustace. A Kenoma. And, knowing what he knows now, he only glances briefly at the waterskin before proceeding to ignore the offer. He's thirsty, but it's not worth the chance of brainwashing, is it? ]

... Why's it always you? [ his voice is hoarse. ]

[lockedon]

[ Buddy, it's literally only been two times? Two points does not a correlation make.

He isn't endlessly kind like Abel or patient like Ernesto, so when his offer goes ignored Eustace simply pulls his arm back and tucks the waterskin back into his bag. There's literally no reason for him to keep offering his aid at this point. Johnny's loss. ]

I'll be sure to leave you in a pool of your own blood then, the next time I come across you.

[ The words are acerbic, irritable in both delivery and tone, his flattening momentarily against his head. It's not as though he had expected any sort of thanks for the time and effort he'd put in trying to drag Johnny free of the grip the Innocence had on him, but to be treated like some sort of unpleasant and unwanted visitor...

Well, fine. Disdain and dislike from others is familiar enough to him by now. ]

Is it all out of your system?

[ The disease, or whatever the guy wants to call it. ]

[comelately]

[ the irritation in Eustace's voice goes mostly ignored, too; he doesn't know why the guy's acting all offended when he just chewed him out while he was sick, and plus, they're on opposite sides. Johnny seems less disdainful and more disoriented, at least. He's vulnerable right now, and he knows it, and he very much dislikes it. A few more blinks, and any lingering traces of Gyro are gone from his savior's image. ]

I don't know - I've been half out of my mind all day. I don't know.

[ he hopes it's gone, but who knows, really? Is it even a real disease? Talking with Gray made him think it's some kind of spiritual burden, and lord knows Johnny's bad at shaking those off. ]

... Why'd you help me again? [ a beat. ] That's what you were tryin' to do, isn't it? Help.

[ he could have just killed Johnny and taken his shard easily. Dokja made him sound like enough of a villain for it, certainly. ]

[lockedon]

[ The question doesn't faze him, Eustace barely reacting past a slow blink of his eyes. The worst of his annoyance has faded, replaced once again by his everpresent tiredness. ]

Because contrary to what other people [ Dokja ] may have told you, I don't enjoy killing people or watching them die.

[ Rather loathes it, in fact, despite how often he's done it in the past. All he wants is a bit of peace and quiet and to be able to do as he likes, but it seems peace is in short supply around these parts. ]

I'm here to figure out what's going on with this city and to help the people who have been afflicted. That includes you.

[ For better or for worse.

Since it looks like Johnny's still more shaky than not, Eustace ambles over to the small bench in one corner of the garden and takes a seat, leaning back and letting his gaze wander. Clearly he's planning on sticking around for a bit. ]

[comelately]

[ sounds like a load of bull if he's on the side that wants to let the world end -- but he's in no position to argue, nor is he in the mood to do so. It doesn't matter, anyway. None of this matters as long as it delivers him back to what does. The real thing, not that dream he was having. How the hell did he ever mistake this guy for Gyro, anyway? As he pulls an errant quill from where it's stuck slightly beneath the collar of his shirt, he supposes it answers his question. This sickness is no joke.

At least it means nothing that was said to him was real. Not said by someone who matters to him, at least. Eustace is largely a stranger, and he's accustomed to letting them down. Being let down by them, too. Johnny responds with a small 'huh,' neither positive nor negative - just an acknowledgement that he heard him. He doesn't know what to say about that. He doesn't really want to thank Eustace for telling him that his dream is impossible. ]

Lucky me... [ he shifts, trying to pull himself up into a taller sitting position so he can figure out where his wheelchair went. ] You figure it out yet?

[lockedon]

If I had, you wouldn't be picking feathers out of your skin.

[ So no, as frustrating as it is to have to give that answer. Not a single person he's been in touch with has uncovered any new clue either, leaving them all largely where they started.

He isn't watching Johnny directly, eyes and ears alert for other stimuli: the front door of the house swinging open as the residents return, or a movement in the bushes signaling company. But even if he's not directly paying attention to Johnny, it's hard to miss the way he pushes himself upright, head slowly turning. ]

Calling for someone to come pick you up?

[comelately]

... Fair enough.

[ luckily for both of them, it seems the residents are nowhere to be found - perhaps they fled the plague, or perhaps they were victims of it. In contrast to Eustace, Johnny isn't concerned about them at all; ironic, considering their alignments, but here they are. The question has him confused briefly - part of him, still sluggish from the dream, immediately thinks no, I'm waiting for my friend to get back - but he shakes his head in response after a moment. ]

No one's looking for me. [ a beat ] I'm trying to find my chair.

[ he's sure as hell not crawling his way back home, even if he didn't feel like shit. ]

[lockedon]

[ No one's looking for me.

That's a very assured response, a little surprising given what little he knows of the Pleroma so far. (Overly caring, usually optimistic...surely one of them would have taken to this kid sooner or later.) And though he accepts Johnny's statement for what it is, an assurance that they won't be interrupted, Eustace doesn't lower his guard in the slightest.

He does, however, get back up, opting for a higher vantage point so he can better scan for this mysterious chair. ]

That it over there?

[ There's something toppled over behind one corner of the house, parts of it poking out from behind. It could be a collapsed shed for all he knows. ]

[comelately]

[ it's second nature. No one looks for him, other than Gyro, who they have established is very much not here. People have been nice to him, sure, but he didn't really tell anyone he was going to Venera, too, and he doesn't expect those he's run into to concern themselves with his wellbeing. Why should they? It's weird enough that Eustace did, of all people...

He can't complain, though. He's not so cynical that he'll reject good fortune when it visits him unexpectedly, even if it worries him. Johnny follows Eustace's line of sight as best he can, but he is distinctly lacking a good vantage point; he can't tell exactly what it is, either. ]

Guess I'll see... [ with a sigh, he starts pulling himself with his hands and crawling towards the corner - and while he's used enough to this mode of locomotion that it's not as awkward to perform, it sure as hell isn't graceful to look at. There's some lingering resentment that Eustace, once again, is here to see him at his lowest. He tries to dispel some of his humiliation by continuing to talk. ] I owe you twice now.

[lockedon]

You don't owe me anything.

[ The answer comes out easily, without hesitation. He's not the kind of guy to count favors owed so he cash in on them later. Everything he does he does because he wants to, not because he expects any sort of repayment for his deeds, good or bad.

Watching Johnny crawl across the grass is.....honestly kind of sad, a flicker of pity sparking up inside him and prompting him to move forward. (Though he's pretty sure Johnny might punch him in the throat if he knew he was being pitied.) Long legs means he gets there quicker, and it's not long before he's flipping the thing upright and wheeling it out.

It is, in fact, Johnny's chair. ]

Here.

[ This should be everything, right? Now they can truly both go their separate ways and never have to see each other again (until the Regent tells the Kenoma to go smoke out the Pleroma). ]

[comelately]

Hey, what--!

[ he would indeed punch him in the throat. In fact, he kind of looks like he wants to punch him in the throat already - he doesn't need to be a mind reader to understand why Eustace is doing this for him. Johnny calls out when Eustace passes him, sounding angry, but, of course, Eustace easily beats him there. Once again, he'll find Johnny has no gratitude to give him. Instead, he scowls. ]

I don't need your help for every little damn thing.

[ Was all of this just pity? If it's been pity the entire time, Johnny almost wishes Eustace hadn't helped him in the first place. Almost. His desire to survive is stronger - just barely - than his bruised pride. Defiantly, he grabs the chair, then proceeds to pull himself up into it with his upper body strength alone. ]

[lockedon]

[ Gratitude is overrated anyway.

But also, gods, this kid is such a whiny little brat. He really should have left him to rot in the garden. Unfortunately he can't take back his actions now - and he still would have done the same, even knowing of the outcome - but he can at least bring all of this to an end sooner rather than later.

Which basically entails turning around and just walking off without another word, leaving Johnny's protest to dissipate in the air between them. Congrats, he got his wish, now he's free to do as he wants all on his own. ]