cuddlecity | EVENT: THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE.

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EVENT: THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE.

This just in: water is wet. You already knew that, though, didn't you? So smart, so wise — and yet, here you are, in a city that's somehow managed to displace an entire group of people with one tiny drop of a shovel. One might assume that flooding a set of recently inhabited buildings and stopping a brand new construction project would be enough damage done for one accidental swing of a shovel, but you know what they say about making assumptions. The fact is, there's always more to the story... and it has been raining quite a bit lately. In fact, it's been raining nonstop for the past few days.

If you've been wondering why, wonder no longer. At precisely noon, a chime can be heard all around the city. Its tinny vibrations are impossible to miss, and those who have been around the block might recognize it from a long-ago treasure hunt — it's an all-call, a broadcast sent simultaneously over local television & radio stations as well as citizens' personal CuddlePhones, containing a message from Volunteer Coordinators Flora & Cornelius.

Like your favorite weather reporters, they've come out to the center of the action to report live on the recent happenings within the city — most notably the curiously shimmering rainfall and its potential impact on those who are exposed to it. It's Flora who delivers the bulk of the message, clearly reading off of a teleprompter in her slight twang, and looking quite confused by the entire ordeal. Also, she's drenched, the rain pouring down on her which she tries desperately to smile through, undeterred.

"The city's scientific community, after much research, has concluded that the pipes affected by the — er, puncture under the building site were filled with water typically filtered by the Energem. Due to the recent, totally innocuous, tooootally nothing to be concerned about fissure — oopsie-daisy, I wasn't supposed to say that — it appears that some of the Energem's magic has also leeched into the water during the fil-ter-ing pro-cess.

While the flooding has now thankfully subsided and the standing water has receded back into the underground reservoirs, it appears the affected water has at least partially been absorbed into the atmosphere, where it is being released in particularly ... enthusiastic rain showers. The rain itself seems to be affecting those who come into contact with it, making them less resistant to unfiltered communication or confessions. Did y'all know that I'm not a natural blonde? It's true! Ahem. Anyways! The current hy-po-thesis, while not yet confirmed by the city administration — well that's silly, we're the city administration! — is the Energem's intention to foster intimate connections has imbued the rain with, um, encouraging properties."

Finally done, Flora offers an friendly, reassuring smile. A voice can be heard clearly from behind the camera, male, and most definitely Cornelius: "Good job, darling! Except you sounded terrible. — I mean! I didn't mean that! I don't know why I said that. Hey, Flora? Do you think we maybe should've brought umbrellas before we —" And then the feed cuts off abruptly. Huh. What did she say about a fissure again? Could that have been a result of the recent earthquake?

Before anyone has too much time to overthink, the chime once again echoes out into the city. This time, it's a text bulletin from an account simply named THE CITY OF CADELLE. Fancy.

The city administration and local scientific community have advised that it may be in your best interest to remain indoor until this weather pattern subsides.

Naturally, such an advisory might make it difficult to attempt moving back in to the recently re-opened Welcome District, so hotel accommodations will be extended for the time being. In addition, complimentary umbrellas, raincoats, wellies, and galoshes will be available for pick-up at City Hall, should you have a need to venture out in this weather.

What will you do? Among the many, there are a few options to consider:

▸ You could decide to continue on, business as usual. It's just rain, isn't it? A little water never hurt anyone, and besides, you've got nothing to hide. If the Energem wants honesty, well, by golly, that's what it's going to get.

▸ You might prefer to be prepared — gather your umbrella and your wellies and trudge on, soldier. Try as you might to stay dry, a few drops might hit you here and there, but you're not panicked. You shower, you brush your teeth; what's a few raindrops on top of that?

▸ You might want to investigate! Collect samples of rainwater, and try your best not to be exposed to it too much in the process. The University's chemistry and life sciences departments are paying handsomely for well-preserved samples of this unique weather event, and while you'll have to battle the elements to get there, the monetary reward might be worth it for you. Or the satisfaction of contributing to scientific exploration, if that's more your thing. Either way!

▸ You may, however, not want a thing to do with it. Stay home — or in your new home-away-from-home, if that's where you're at — and more importantly, stay dry.

The city hopes that all of its citizens do try their best to stay dry and therefore unaffected by any unintended effects of this quite unseasonal rainfall.

Isn't this fun? Characters splashing about in shining, shimmering ~~splendor~~ puddles, getting soaked to the bone with magical rain that makes people want to spill all their secrets? Or perhaps avoiding it all by staying inside with a warm cup of hot chocolate and their favorite book. Of course, it's one thing to have rain that makes you truthful... but quite another to assume the rain just disappears. Any fourth grader will tell you that's not quite how things work.

You see, there's this fancy thing called the water cycle, where rainfall finds its way into groundwater sources, which are then filtered and utilized for city water supplies, which then feeds into all sorts of water-dependent utilities inside. Places like a shower, or perhaps a sink where people brush their teeth, or the tap water used to make coffee in the morning or to boil on the stove... the sky is the metaphorical limit here.

Feel free to get creative — maybe your character doesn't want to heed the city's warning, and continues on business as usual. Maybe they've already been exposed to enough rainwater to feel particularly chatty. Maybe they hole themselves up inside their room, but continued exposure to water via their daily two-hour bath or excessive showering habits (hey, we're not judging, maybe they're part mermaid) has lent its magic anyway.

Of course, you always have the ability to opt-out of any event, including this one. While the rain's effects are certainly encouraging, no one is ever forced to tell the truth — resistance might give someone a bit of a headache, or a queasy stomach, but characters will not drop dead or find themselves grievously ill unless you particularly want them to! (Please don't kill your character.)

Citizens may also respond to Flora and Cornelius's network post! Yes, it's true, we've got Cuddle City NPCs out and ready for action at long last. While they may wait until they return to the office to respond, feel free to speak with them via text, video, or audio and they'll be happy to chat. Simply respond to THIS COMMENT for a little interaction from Cuddle City's favorite (and only) Volunteer Representatives!

As always, your mod team is here for you with answers to any questions you might have, whether related specifically to this event or the game in general. If you have any further questions specific to this event, we encourage you to ask away on our QUESTIONS COMMENT here in this post. If you have general questions, or prefer a more private venue, our GENERAL INBOX (and SCREENED INBOX) is always available for you. In addition, if you've got an idea for a future event, feel free to drop us a line at our EVENTS SUGGESTION POST.

We hope you have fun out there — good, old fashioned, honest fun!

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"I was, too. I was taught that it was dangerous," he agrees, clarifying more pointedly his own beliefs from growing up. When one grows up a werewolf in a town full of werewolf hunters, it makes sense to be raised to fear standing out could cost one their life. It kept them safe as a pack for a long time, the whole blending in thing. "I think it's not so bad right now, though."

He smiles a little and shrugs, looking an amused brand of apologetic. "Just a little. That's okay, though, it just means you've got an adjustment period. I've been here a few months, now. It took me a while, too. Mostly because I spent so many years in self-imposed isolation that this whole being social thing is harder than it looks."

And there he goes again, following his statement with a roll of his eyes because yeah, he hadn't meant to say that, either, but there it is. They're fast approaching knowing more about one another than any two people who've just met ever should. Derek scratches his temple and sighs. "Do you want to get some coffee? Maybe getting out of the rain would help."

Jyn can't hide the surprise in her expression - that is such a familiar sentiment, and she wasn't expecting anyone to have any little bit of understanding when it comes to the circumstances she's been able to survive. "Yes - yes! And that it was best to ... keep your head down, not to stand out. I kept moving, tried not to make any scenes. Didn't always work, but I've managed so far."

And that is way more than she felt comfortable sharing, but now that it was out in the open, there's no taking it back. At least there's other aspects of the conversation to concentrate on, before she inadvertently shares a little too much, as if she hasn't already. "People - they're a mystery. I'm far more used to my own company, too. For what it's worth, I think you're doing alright - this isn't awful."

It's a good idea, getting out of the rain, not only because Jyn would very much like a chance to dry off a little, but as she was beginning to learn, anything was possible, so maybe staying out of the water would help keep some things private. "Yes, please."

"I tried moving, too, but I only ever always ended up right back where I started," Derek commiserates quietly. It's weird to connect to someone on that particular sentiment, since it isn't exactly a nice one. But, on the other hand, it's also kind of nice, because if someone can understand that, then they can understand a lot of the inner workings of this particular werewolf, really.

If she's uncomfortable with the level of information she's sharing, Derek hasn't noticed because he's a little too worried about the amount of information he'd rather keep to himself that's passing through his lips without his permission. But then she says that people are a mystery and Derek can't help wondering if she says it like that because she's generalizing or because she isn't human. Likely, it's the former rather than the latter, he tells himself.

A smirk takes over his expression and his eyebrows lift with amusement. "Oh, this isn't awful? Wow, that's a good way to make a guy feel like you're completely underwhelmed," he jokes, but he's already leading her toward the nearest coffee shop, following his nose surreptitiously as he lifts his chin just a little higher. Coffee is a hard scent not to catch in the air, so it's easy enough to follow. "I think I smell a place not too far this way." ...so not what he wanted to say.

"Amazing how that works out, isn't it?", she asks, the surprise coloring her voice not at all dismayed. The circumstance that they're discussing clearly isn't ideal, and she isn't expecting anyone to understand, but he does, and that makes her feel, well - a little less alone. "The way that the more things change, the way they tend to stay the same."

Not being able to censor herself is disconcerting, to say the least, but there's no fighting it, so what she tries to concentrate on instead is being able to say things in a way that isn't quite so baldly honest. No luck thus far, but she's adamant upon continuing to try.

Of course, that train of thought derails completely when it registers that Derek is teasing her. "That's - ", she begins, and halts, cocking her head to the side before she remembers that she actually needs to follow him if she wants that drink, that chance to dry off a little, and to discover if she can keep her foot firmly out of her mouth once they're out of the rain. "I - wait, that's not what I mean! You would know if I were the least bit unhappy."

Jyn pauses, once again reaches up to brush more soaking hair out of her eyes, huffing out an offended little breath at the indignity of it all. "If anything, I'm overwhelmed. I didn't expect to meet anyone who could understand me - someone that I might actually be able to like. And I'm ... talking way too much again, aren't I? I'll - I'll shut up."

She's definitely heard the 'smelling' comment, but doesn't bother asking. She's known plenty of people (and other beings) with enhanced senses, it hardly reads as out of the ordinary. Just another day, it seems, here in Cadelle.

Edited 2017-12-20 01:40 (UTC)

She's right. The way that things are going, even with his abilities to hear and smell a lie aside, he's pretty sure that if she really didn't want him around, he'd know it. It isn't like she's able to hide it, right now. Just like if he didn't want to spend time with her, she'd know that, too. Why, really, is beyond him except that they seem to have a thing or two in common beyond their inability to shut their goddamned mouths.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment because I really want it to be a compliment," he replies and then his jaw tightens because he really could have done without the latter part of that statement and this is bordering on infuriating; the total lack of control.

Clearing his throat, Derek leads her the rest of the way and pulls open the door. The sooner they can get inside, the better, he thinks. Maybe once they're out of the rain, that'll do it. Maybe they'll have to dry off, but getting indoors is step one, either way, so he holds the door open for her and gestures her inside. "Ladies first."

The rain might be forcing the pair of them to tell truths better left unsaid, but Jyn was almost certain that if either of them want to make a quick exit, they could. It says something that despite the copious and somewhat embarrassing word vomit they're both suffering from that they haven't simply ... walked away.

After a somewhat pregnant pause during which Jyn silently begs herself not to speak, she quickly mumbles - "Good. Because I meant it as a compliment and I really wanted you to take it as a compliment, too", and then she heaves a frustrated sigh and slumps into her thin coat a little more, and doesn't dare speak again until they've reached their destination and he's pulling the door open, gesturing her to enter first.

"I can do it myself", she replies, although there's no particular heat in her tone, and a surprise lighting her eyes, as though the simple gesture has completely thrown her for a loop. "But thank you."

In spite of himself, Derek snorts in an effort not to laugh. "Wow, we're a real pair," he sighs, rolling his eyes. Neither of them appears to have a whole lot of control over the words coming out of their mouths and, worse, it doesn't seem to be showing any signs of decreasing intensity.

"I'm sure you can," he adds in response to her comment. "I'm just trying to be polite." Then, before he can stop himself, "my mother raised me to be respectful and helpful, especially to women. So I was just trying to help." And now he can't shut up, so there's that. Which is, you know, great.

Derek clears his throat as they head inside. "Anyway, you're welcome."

Just perfect. But, Jyn thought, maybe it would cut down on any embarrassment if they stuck to discussing 'safe' subjects? Once they're inside and seated and hopefully on the way to drying off, she'll make the suggestion. Until then, she'll have to grin and bear whatever leaves her lips, oversharing and all.

Now she feels a little ungrateful and a lot bratty, already anticipating just what she was going to say in response. "I've been taking care of myself since I was sixteen, so it's - difficult for me to accept assistance, even if it's offered without a reward in mind."

This time, her sigh is less harsh, and more resigned. "I really do appreciate it."

Derek's eyebrows lift at her admission. It isn't really what he'd expected to hear as to her reason for being upset by his gesture — or appearing to be if she hadn't actually been — because what he'd actually been expecting had been more along the lines of feminism in general and maybe that she'd come from a place where chivalry or, in his opinion, manners weren't as big a thing.

"I'm sorry to hear that. My sister and I were taking are of ourselves from the time I was fifteen and she was seventeen. And then she was murdered a few years later and I was on my own. So...I at least know that feeling. Having difficulty accepting help, I mean. You start to depend on yourself so much when you're on your own that you question everyone else's motives," he replies and he'd probably be more pissed off about the fact that he's sharing so much if he weren't identifying with her on a deeper level and, hopefully, at least gaining a friend out of this whole mess if nothing else. At least they have some fundamental things in common to lean on, even if those things aren't the best to share.

"You're welcome," he repeats with a small smile that borders on apologetic. This is all really awkward on both sides, but it could be worse. He's sure there's a way it could be worse, even if he doesn't want to think about how.

If only the reasons for the little outburst were that easy, or less heart-wrenching. Jyn doesn't exactly enjoy dredging up those memories, both from childhood and from very recently before her arrival in Cadelle, but here they are, right out in the open.

But before she can indulge in another round of internal self-flagellation, he's sharing a very similar story and she's torn between hurting for Derek and his losses the same way that she hurts for her own, and feeling upset and angry that someone else knows exactly how she feels, because this - this, she wouldn't wish on anyone. "Because there's always an ulterior motive", she replies, nodding her understanding, her agreement. "There's always a price to pay, even for the smallest gestures. And it's easier to depend on yourself rather than wonder what price you'll have to pay for accepting that assistance."

Jyn hates that he understands. But at the same time, she's selfishly grateful for the very same thing. Maybe in this, she doesn't have to feel quite so alone anymore.

And while she would like very much not to continue this line of conversation, she can't bite back the desire to offer - "I'm sorry. For your loss. For being a pain in your ass - and I know that I am. For all of this - ", she says, her gesture meant to encompass the entire circumstance they've found themselves in. "But I still think I'm glad to have met you, anyway."

Without missing a beat, Derek's already nodding along his understanding and muttering an affirmation before Jyn can even finish the full thought. There is always an ulterior motive. "Yeah, there always is," he agrees with a from. If there's one thing he hoped he'd never have in common with others outside of Beacon Hills, it's absolutely this; that feeling of never being able to fully trust someone right out of the gate, or sometimes even give people the benefit of the doubt without a huge amount of effort. He wouldn't wish that on an enemy, never mind a potential friend.

"You're not being a pain in my ass, though, you really aren't," he promises, giving her a small smile. "I honestly would've already left you in the dust if you were. I have a finite amount of patience for that sort of thing and I tend to have to save it for people from home so often that I've found it difficult to extend it to others these days. Trust me, I would've bailed by now."

He smiles again, a little more broadly. "I'm glad to have met you, too, however obnoxious the circumstance and upsetting the conversation." There are worse things that could be happening, after all.

He gets it. He really gets it, and all without Jyn having to go into every single painful detail. And it's comforting to know that even in this, she is not alone. She's so used to being alone - and has only recently begun to learn what it's like to have a tiny cobbled-together family all her own - but she's beginning to understand what it is to trust people again.

"I'd call you a liar", she teased, shrugging, "but, well ... ". The rain. The unfortunate side effect of being caught in it - the predilection to tell the truth, no matter how embarrassing, or incriminating, or worse. "I usually don't do this - talking to people. Because of the trust thing, of course, but also because getting attached is - it's terrifying, really, when it's so easy to lose the ones you care about."

She rolled her eyes, and shrugged, and tried to find some respite from her still wet clothing. "Maybe that's why I'm here. I can't begin to imagine that I was chosen for my particular set of skills. Doesn't seem that they'll come in handy in a place like this."

Huffing a humorless laugh, Derek nods. "Yeah, you could say it, but it wouldn't be a valid complaint right about now, however much I wish it," he replies, rolling his eyes a little and shaking his head. It's annoying, sure, but he's sort of grown used to it at this point and it's actually strangely less bothersome than it probably should feel by now. Maybe that's just because he kind of enjoys talking to her and getting to know her a little and he's willing to pay the respective price for it, so to speak.

"I don't either. Well...I didn't. I've been doing it a lot more since getting here. I don't know, I guess I just sort of trust that there's a vetting system of some kind that the city council or whatever has in place, so it feels safer to do that here than it did at home, or something. It's hard to explain without oversimplifying like that or else sounding like a paranoid idiot," he replies, shrugging a little. "But something's got to give, you know? Right? We can't keep losing everyone that matters forever, can we? Maybe that's just what I tell myself to make myself feel better, I don't know..."

And then there went the extra information he would've preferred to keep to himself.

This entire situation isn't nearly as bad as it could be. Her innermost secrets are still hers, after all, and she's found that, however unexpected, Derek can relate to her in a way that she never could have anticipated. And it does make her feel just a little less alone, and that should be something that she holds on to. Barring the whole being forced to tell the truth thing, she's kind of enjoying just talking, too, just getting to know each other, just ... making an acquaintance. That can't be a bad thing in a place like Cadelle, surely.

"It's not being paranoid to wonder why we, of all people, have been brought here. Admittedly, I haven't been here for as long as you have been, but I think it would drive us crazy trying to figure it out. That's ... what I'm telling myself, anyway, just so that I don't drive myself crazy wondering and worrying about it." She sighs, and the little knot between her brows deepens a little before she answers - "Sometimes I feel like the universe is playing some sick little game with me, taking away more and more and more in an attempt to find my breaking point. How much more can a person lose when they've already lost it all?"

That, she would have liked to keep to herself, but there's no taking it back once it's out there.

Derek shrugs a little at that. "I don't know, I think it's pretty paranoid of us. I feel like a normal person would just be grateful for the opportunity to have a wish granted for doing something as simple as being affectionate with people or helping the community, instead of questioning motives. But maybe that's just the cynical side of me showing his ugly head again, as usual," he says, jaw setting and eyes rolling at the fact that he can't even just filter himself a little bit. This has got to be the poorest first impression he's ever made on someone. It has to be.

A hand moves to scrub at his face with frustration, reflexively. It falls away and his frustration with it, replaced by sympathy, when Jyn goes on. Yeah. He knows that feeling.

"I feel like that, too, sometimes." He pauses and adds, before he can stop himself, "all the time. ...this conversation is incredibly depressing, I'm really sorry..."

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EVENT: THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE.

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