theafflicted | 00

PROLOGUE

It doesn't matter where you are or what you're doing – something strange begins to happen. There's a sudden burning sensation that wraps around your right wrist and part of your forearm. If you glance at the affected area, you'll find that it's...glowing. The glow is pale blue, and it's so bright that it hurts to look at. The burn itself isn't so painful that you feel like keeling over just yet, but it does hurt nevertheless.

But before you have time to try to soothe the pain, you start to feel lightheaded, dizzy. Perhaps some of you may attribute this to any injuries you may currently be sustaining. For those who were previously unscathed, however, there's quite possibly no explanation for this other than the sudden appearance of the mysterious burn on your arm.

There is no time to mull it over, though, because it is the last thing that you see before the world suddenly fades to black.

-----

When you regain your senses, your vision is blurry; but when it starts to even out and you survey your surroundings, you find yourself sitting in a rather uncomfortable chair. Looking around you’ll see rows and rows of chairs, all facing the same way towards a desk, a podium, and an empty wall. A projector hangs from the ceiling and the lighting is bright and artificial... For some of you, it might be reminiscent of a college lecture hall. For others, you might have never seen anything like this before.

Your wrist, by the way, feels perfectly fine...though there’s now some kind of strange marking on it. It looks like a scar of some sort, and if you choose to touch it, it doesn’t feel inflamed or damaged in any way...but that doesn’t mean you don’t experience any pain. Perhaps the last thing some of you remember is a hard-fought battle, and the aches from your injuries still linger; some of you might not even remember getting hurt, and yet, your body aches like it has; for the lucky ones who feel fine, well. Pray that it lasts for a little while longer.

Because the moment someone gets hurt – emotionally or physically – there’s a small chance you’ll feel it, too. Where and who and what it’s coming from, though, is on you to figure out.

In front of you on the desk is some kind of device – a tablet, for those of you who are familiar. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be capable of doing much of anything right now, other than take photos and videos with the Camera app. There's also a translating app for those of you who need help reading some of the text around campus, as it is all in English. (Verbally, however, you can understand everyone in your own language. Tablets are also in characters' native languages.) It seems to be incredibly durable and hard to break, but you may want to be careful with it regardless.

Something shifts in your pocket (or...in your socks/shoe/what have you, if pockets aren't a thing) as you move around. Should you reach in and feel for it, you’ll find some kind of card – those who are familiar with modern technology will recognize that this is some kind of card you need to swipe. It has your name and a photo of you on one side, and the back of the card has the word "KEYCARD" on it.

There are also other people here, scattered throughout this mysterious classroom you’re in. In fact, there’re a bunch of you — 29 others, to be exact.

And now... you’re free to do whatever you want. Mostly anything, at least, given that once you step outside and explore, you’ll notice an ominous fog behind the various buildings within view. Still, this is a good time to get your bearings, check on what you have - and don’t have - and talk to the people around you until orientation starts.

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( OOC: Welcome to your Intro Log! The partner system is in effect for the Intro Log, meaning that yes, pain share is happening! For some notes regarding the partner system, your character will not know who their partner is upon arrival. It’s entirely possible that they find out now if their partner gets or is already injured, or if they can pick up on their mood. Otherwise, they’ll find out later today...!

Anyone who tries to leave campus grounds will have to enter through the fog, but no matter what, they will mysteriously wind up back onto campus grounds. And for clarification, the keycards are what characters need to gain access to their dorms!

Finally, we will have an NPC Reveal at 6pm EST today! )

FULL NAV

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ he debates how he wants to answer this, finally settling on: ]

Mine or yours?

Does it have to be "or"?

[ surely they both have things. sabo especially here. ]

...No. I guess it doesn't.

[ they do have a lot of lost time to make up for, at the very least. ]

[ at least ten years. ]

And I don't think we should have to worry about who is going "first".

You're right about that.

[ it'll come in time, right? ]

[ ...

....

sure ace was never much of a touchy-feely sort of kid when they last really hung out, it was likely due to their age and in the environment that they grew up in. touch from others usually resulted in pain but, you know, as you grow up you learn that not everyone is out there to hurt you.

he'll close the gap and take a page out of luffy's book to give ace a hug. of course it won't be all limbs and will far more normal. there's nothing wrong with hugging after all!!! also sabo is still not crying.

and in a very quiet voice: ]

I've missed you Ace.

[ as if it needed to be said (again)... ]

[ that feeling of the hug surprises him at first. he didn't expect it, even with their proximity in the bed together. his eyes go wide, but he seems to relax into it fairly quickly.

he's still riding off the emotions of his death and reunion with sabo that this hits him very hard. but it's not a bad thing. it just aches so deep inside.

his face eases into a content smile and he brings on arm to wrap around sabo as well. ]

...

I've missed you, too, Sabo.

[ okay i lied; sabo hasn't cried this entire time by sheer willpower but once he feels ace return the hug in the capacity that he's able to, he'll finally let himself have a proper cry. it's not a gross snotty cry but one of relief? sort of. it's the kind of cry that only sabo can have. one where he stops being "chief of staff" and needs to keep up the strong face that he puts up for everyone. the kind of crying that he tries to keep to himself as much as possible. (koala knows, though; it's impossible for her not to know.)

sorry ace, but guess here will be the sure confirmation that it isn't just physical pain that they're sharing because the depths of sabo's regret will spill through. regret that feels as deep as the ocean and is mixed with sadness, grief, and anger. next to all of those emotions, though, is the feeling of utter happiness too, however it is far more fragile and faint. happiness that feels almost brittle and that even acknowledging it, would cause it to shatter.

don't...mind him as he does this for a bit. he'll try not to cry too much on ace, at least, since he's mindful of how he isn't wearing a shirt and that's even more gross. it might make things a little strange, though, with how he won't want to let go of ace either. ]

[ oh.

he doesn't mind the mess, but he didn't expect the tears. sure, he was used to luffy crying a lot, but seeing this from sabo was something very, very different. those feelings from sabo hit him so deep and he can't help but tighten his arm around sabo just a bit more.

his other hand moves to place it softly on the back of sabo's head, feeling a bit awkward doing this, not too great at being the one to comfort like this. ]

Taking after Luffy being a crybaby?

[ it's not meant to be mean, it's not even meant to stop him from crying. in fact, it's hard for him to hold back right about now with the depths of what he feels from sabo in combination of his own feelings being so, so raw. ]

[ there's some irony on how sabo was quickly able to realize that they could share physical pain but when it came to emotional distress...well... he's not going to be remembering that right now. especially with how ace just somewhat awkwardly holds him as he cries which embarrasses him but he also clings just that harder. he hadn't wanted to get his gross tears on ace but with the comment he's tempted to suddenly forget that he was being considerate.

he'd kick or pinch ace for the comment if he could but given that he can't—it takes him a bit before he's able to form words without the hiccups. and even a bit longer to have better control over his voice and even then it still sounds wet and broken. he had truly just been doing so, so well. ]

Sh, shut up...

[ a few more moments to better collect himself. the last time he cried like this was after speaking to luffy but even then those tears weren't quite the same. he was so, so thankful for luffy to be alive meanwhile here... here was someone he never thought he would be able to see again.

his best friend. his first friend. ]

[ there's a gentle sort of smile on his face as he holds sabo close like this. it's not that he's happy that sabo is in emotional distress, but the fact that it reaffirms things he was able to realize at home... it's a comfort.

with the "shut up," he can't help a little laugh. he just can't help it. ]

Make me.

[ bantering and being a little shit like the old days. it feels so painfully comfortable and right. ]

[ SMASHES THEIR MOUTHS TOGETHER. ]

[ if only but no. honestly, sabo doesn't really have a plan on how to shut ace up that doesn't involve him removing himself from ace's embrace. worse of all, he can hear the smile in ace's voice and he doesn't want to let go of that. instead he just lets himself ride out the crying until he feels like it has completely left his system. ...for the moment, anyway. (he doesn't see himself crying again after this but never say never, apparently.)

though, guess since ace keeps holding sabo close to him, he'll rub his face against ace to wipe off (smear?) his tears. ]

Jerk.

[ very elegant. ]

[ naru being comfortable showing some feral because it's w0 thread. ]

[ ew, gross. snot and tears all over him. but he's had worse before. and given the circumstances, he won't make comments about that. besides, with him teasing sabo some, ace absolutely deserves it. ]

Maybe a little.

[ nah, he won't deny it. ]

[ yeah because WHERE ARE MY OPPORTUNTIES IN RECENT WEEKS HUH.

and with ace's admission of being jerk (a little bit or not) has sabo sniffles once before huffing out a laugh. it's a very smart move for ace to not make any comment about being in worse conditions because "being dead" is certainly one condition that is just Bad.

they were...supposed to go somewhere before sabo had his moment, weren't they? (he really didn't mean to just fall to pieces like that.) but honestly, right now, all he wants to do is stay like this. not that he's going to put words to the feeling. ]

[ THEY'RE HOLDING HANDS IN ANOTHER THREAD... IT'S SOMETHING.

yeah, he might be thick, but that certainly isn't something that needs to be said right now. instead, he'll just stay with sabo like this. even if they had somewhere they were possibly going, the mood has shifted since then.

for now, this is fine with him. he won't push sabo to move. ]

[ IS IT????

and i'm putting a knife into this thread to say that while sabo won't fall asleep in ace's arms after his dramatics, he still won't want to let go for a very long time...or want to go anywhere. he probably won't want to move until he gets hungry (or ace gets hungry) then they can go around wandering at that point.

which is to also say that sabo will make ace some food as an ""apology"" for his dramatics as well. ]

00 - prologue

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