Event || Window of Opportunity

[melodiesmods]

Characters: All Heroes of Light.
Where: Aqures Ixen - Everywhere
When: September 25th - From 12:30 to 22:30.
Summary: Heroes of Light will relive the same ten hours over and over again until they find a solution. This may be a blow to what's left of their sanity, but that's also a window of opportunity! The OOC Post is here for more information! It's not too late to sign-up, anyone can still jump right into the event! However, your vote for the total number of loops will not be taken into account any more.

Speaking of which-- Votes are in and this time displacement madness will be solved after 191 loops. Practically speaking, this means characters going through every single loop will live 2 months, 2 weeks, 3 days and 14 hours in the span of half a day. Hopefully they won't mind the food for the day, the clothes they're wearing or what they were doing when the loop started, because that's what they'll be stuck with until the end. There are some events described below, but there will be no NPC replies. Feel free to partake in these events and of course, make your own!

Warning: Too many time loops may be bad for your mental health.

The Flence Salesman
— All Day Long —
There is a salesman from Flence in the city, and he is going for every person he sees in the streets. Adults, children or elders, humans or tarutarus, it doesn't matter to him so long as he can make money! He will try to sell to the characters specialties from Flence and some crystals at absolutely awful prices, but he's open to negotiations and beyond that, he's extremely persistent. Normally, nobody would care about this, but given the salesman isn't be aware of the loop, he'll keep doing the same things over and over again... Hopefully he won't see your characters, otherwise he might just bother them for every single loop.


Moogle Demonstration for the Future of Mognet
— 12:30 => 16:00 —
For a surprise one-day long strike, the Moogles are demonstrating! There are roughly 800 Moogles together (250 according to the government, 5000 according to the striking Moogles) in the demonstration, all singing slogans and some even holding placards with "More Gil and Less Work" or "Give us Kupo Nuts" signs.

They started at 10:00 and left from the 09th District, but they will go throughout every district and explain what their protest is about. They'll finish at 16:00 and will be back to the 09th District to eat Kupo Nuts and drink Chocobo Milk together.


Biggs' Grand Return
— 14:00 => 22:30 —
After a month spent in the hospital, Biggs is finally back! He leave the Hospital at 14:00 and head straight for the Castle of Aqures Ixen. Noticeably he still has a broken and bandaged arm, but he'll pretend to be totally fine and for that matter, he will be as rude and as unfriendly as ever. He will spend most of the day in the Castle, but will go in Palitutu's Lab by 19:00 to meet with Cid. Among other things, he will side-eye everyone and will accidentally splash Cid's coffee on a Hero of Light working there (or on a Moogle, should the Hero have the good sense to avoid Biggs next loop).


Renovation of the Blitzball Stadium
— 15:30 => 20:00 —
The repairs are going steadily and today, a special dome from Trano Golsaucia is being transported and placed on the Blitzball Stadium, brand new and much more modern than what Aqures Ixen used to have! On the downside however, the airship bringing the dome and the work being done on the stadium are all very, very noisy. So noisy that everyone in a two-district radius will be bothered by it.

Under normal circumstances it would have been only for a short time and easilly bearable, but here it will happen for every single loop.


Have You Heard of the Heroes of Light?
— All Day Long —
Throughout the day, a few people are going to go and knock on every doors in the city, to talk about a most fascinating topic: the Heroes of Light! They will speak about how it is said the Heroes of Light are in Crystallis and how they managed to defeat the empire without difficulties back during the attack! Then they will go on and ask for a contribution (hear: money) to help the Heroes of Light in their cause. Of course, these people are dishonest and the money will go into their own pockets, as they don't believe in the Heroes of Light to begin with.

And of course, they'll go knock on doors during every single loop!


The Accident
— 22:29 => 22:30 —
The one minute that started it all. Who is the imbecile who committed the mistake on Palitutu's computer? Is this a Moogle or a Hero of Light, maybe Cid or Biggs? Whoever it is, after the first time, at 22:29 the program will start again on its own and will activate the loop right at 22:30, sending everything back to 12:30. The characters may try to run more programs to block the computer, cut the energy source or even bomb the building if they so wish...

But these archaic and barbaric solutions won't prevent the next loop from happening. Only hard work and scientific solutions shall prevail!

Comments

Billy, Out of the Loop

[unetoned]

1. C-01 and the route to the Hospital

Billy started off the days the same way he had since he’d gotten the job at the hospital. He rose with the sun, pulled on the blue nurse’s robes the hospital had issued him, and set about making food. He cooked like he was used to caring for children, or like he had learned to prepare meals when he was young and then had never moved on from there. Today’s lunch was carrot sticks and peanut butter sandwiches, left whole for the one he packed to bring with him, cut diagonal with the crusts trimmed off for the several he made and placed back in the ice box. He wasn’t sure which roommate ate them, but food generally seemed to disappear in their house, and Billy wasn’t sure some of the others would survive if he didn’t restock.

Preparations done, he set out and walked through the city. Already, people were bustling around. Billy sidestepped a salesman, but ran into a group of missionaries for the Heroes of Light. Billy snorted at that.

They tried to solicit money from him, which Billy secretly thought hilarious. Not that he let that show. He gave them his best stone-faced stare while declaring, “I am a devoted priest of the Ethos Church, thank you,” which was a lie. But they didn’t know that. He kept moving. His money was going to the Aqures Orphanage, a much more worthy cause than these phony collectors were representing.

2. The Hospital

As one of the newest workers at the Hospital, Billy was doing a lot more fetching of coffee and cleaning of bodily fluids than he was doing actual healing work. But he did it without complaint. Overall, he was much more professional and polite when wearing his nurse uniform than he was around the city. He used his calm yet authoritative priest voice when he addressed patients, and he listened to their complaints without even the hint of an eye roll.

Whenever he was given a break, he settled in the staff lounge with a bundle of fabric and a sewing needle, carefully stitching a satiny strip to the edge of a fleecy square of fabric. When he finished one, he tucked it away and moved on to the next square.

If some strange circumstances happened to cause an influx of patients Billy was called in from his break to help with patient intake. He took up a clipboard and called up the next person in the waiting area.

“What brings you in today?”

3. After work/open

Billy did not have any special plans that evening, so he was just going to head back to the house, unless something came up.

Hospital, Just Before Close

[damn_juicebox]

Wrapped in the scarlet cloth of the Red Mage, Rukia sat patiently, and cast another Cure spell on herself. It closed up some of the wounds temporarily, but the poison coursing through her veins caused the magic effects to wear off quicker than she liked. Her magical energy was running low, and her breathing was getting heavier and more ragged. Numerous bite marks scored her body, ripping through flesh and armor both.

Finally, her name was called. Clutching at her arm where the poison had first been inflicted, Rukia hauled herself unsteadily up to her feet, and shuffled up to Billy. She was on the verge of collapse.

She looked up at him with unfocused blue eyes, staggering, and tried to speak.

"H..."

Her lips were dry, and the word stuck in her throat. So she tried again.

"H-ham...ster..."

[unetoned]

Billy hopped over the desk that separated them and snaked an arm underneath one of Rukia's to keep her upright. He had not seen hamsters yet, but hospital training had a whole module on hamster victim care.

He was not supposed to be officially using his healing magic in the hospital until he was cleared by a doctor, but he sent a cure spell her way to tide her over until a doctor could get to her. Billy cursed the loss of his old healing magic. He could've cleared away the poison in one shot if he'd been able to tap into the Goddess' light for healing.

"Come on," he told her, helping support her as he guided her to one of the partitions with a cot. "You need to lie down until I can get a doctor to see you."

[damn_juicebox]

Rukia leaned gratefully into his offered support. It wasn't difficult for him to hold her up, given she was only 4'8" and 77 pounds. A child might have been able to do it. She glanced at him with hazy-eyed relief, inclining her head in gratitude as the spell helped her recover more of her health. If only she knew the Antidote spell.

"Ah," she made a faint noise of agreement, head bobbing as she followed along obediently and slowly. She sank onto the cot, the world tilting dizzily as she was eased onto her back. That felt a lot better.

When the loop reset, would she still bear these injuries? She hoped not, but she only had an hour or so before she found out firsthand.

[unetoned]

Billy flagged one of the hospital moogles to notify the doctor of a hamster patient. Then he went to Rukia's side and helped her get settled.

"Your name, please," he prompted her as he took one of her wrists to check her pulse. It was a little weak, but not dangerously so.

[damn_juicebox]

"Rukia Kuchiki." She could manage her name easily enough. Rukia surrendered her wrist without a protest, trusting in the young doctor's skill. Being savaged as a human didn't hurt any worse or less than being savaged as a shinigami, she'd discovered.

She furrowed her brow, frowning at the ceiling. Her battle had been shameful. To lose to such a tiny creature...

"...It was so cute..." It just wasn't right.

[unetoned]

Billy nodded absently, murmuring approval as he checked her eyes for dilation.

"Your name is very cute, Ms. Kuchiki. Can you tell me what day it is?"

He reached for a clipboard to jot down the information he'd collected so far. A senior nurse came in with a vial of antidote, which she poured into a little medicine cup for Rukia to sip.

1

[dragonflame]

Bloom was always awake early and started the day with a good meal and some exercise. When that was over she started to walk, heading off to start her daily patrol. With each step she looked around, she could see that people seemed to be what she assumed they were bothering him since the guy kept on walking.

So she figured she might as well stop them and to let the guy continue on his walk in peace. "If he said no, then he said no. Please stop bothering him." As she said the words she could see them backing off a bit before she looked at the guy. "Want me to walk with you, so people will leave you alone?"

[unetoned]

Billy gave the newcomer a confused look. He'd been fine on his own. The missionaries weren't anything he couldn't handle. Was having a pretty girl walking with him supposed to make people notice them less?

"I can take care of myself," he said, not wanting her to think he wasn't tough or capable, just because he was a teenager...or a white mage...or whatever other reason. But he also didn't want to be rude, not to a perfectly nice lady who wanted to help him.

"But I can walk with you if you want company. My name's Billy," he offered.

[dragonflame]

"If you say you can, I won't, but I'm just doing my job as a law enforcement officer. Bugging people while not against the law could turn into something with them." She wasn't sure if it would get worse, but given the way they were bugging people she couldn't say they weren't going to just to get money out of them.

"I'm Bloom, or since I'm currently working Lieutenant Bloom." She knew it wasn't long now until she could get another promotion to the next stage, but she knew it would be a while before that was possible.

[unetoned]

Billy blinked at her. He should not have been surprised; his friend from back home, Elly, was a cute redheaded girl who was also a high-ranking military officer. There was no reason Bloom could not be a police lieutenant. Billy just hadn't expected it.

"Oh. Um, ok, then. Is this normal, having solicitors on the streets, Lieutenant?" She seemed to think they could be a potential threat.

[dragonflame]

"I haven't seen them around before, so not really. I think today is the first times I've seen them anyway." She wondered if they were using what was going on with the post war as a reason to do this, which actually made the whole thing pretty disgusting in her eyes.

"They shouldn't bother people anyway not after what's happened. They should focus there efforts elsewhere."

[unetoned]

Billy shrugged at that. "Some people will always try to take advantage of others, no matter what the situation is. It's just a sad reality."

The only think that could really be done about it was trying to always help others, to counteract those types.

1. C-01 and the route to the Hospital

[whereishe]

Yuna over heard Billy's declaration and she couldn't help but be curious. She's been stuck in what appeared to be a time loop so she didn't think that there was anything to loose when it came to asking him about it. The idea of being a priest of a church interested and frightened her.

She wanted to know what it was like in other worlds and she couldn't help but think a little bit of Baralia.

"Ethos Church. I haven't heard of it." She walked along side Billy keeping her pace steady. "Do you mind telling me about it?"

[unetoned]

Billy stopped walking and studied the newcomer for a moment. Deciding she was not asking about it to mock him, he resumed walking.

"If you want. I...I wasn't entirely truthful back there. I'm not actually a priest anymore. The Ethos Church..."

He paused. "Do you have a church?" he asked. He wasn't sure if talking about the phony Ethos Church would be easier or harder if this newcomer had some sort of faith, but he still wanted to know before he went any further.

[whereishe]

Yuna shook her head. "I was once part of Yevon but..." Her voice trailed off as she thought back onto her faith. She had given up everything in the name of Yevon only to find that they were lying and using the summoners for their own agenda.

She didn't much care for those sorts of governments anymore. Even the Youth League and New Yevon had their own share of secrets and problems.

"Not to say I don't accept anyone who follows a faith but I follow my own path now."

[unetoned]

Billy nodded. "I joined the Ethos Church after my mother was killed by monsters. My sister and I were rescued by an 'Etone' of the Ethos Church, Bishop Stein. My father had abandoned my family years earlier, so I idolized Bishop Stein like a father and became an Etone of the Church like him."

He took a deep breath. "But it turns out, the Church was being used by our enemy's government to control the people and monitor them without anyone knowing. Bishop Stein was actually a cruel man who had released the monsters into my house to kill my mom because she'd rejected him. So everything I thought I knew, everything I placed my faith in, was a lie."

It was probably more than this poor girl wanted to know, but Billy had the tendency to overshare, once he got started. He just couldn't help it.

[whereishe]

"I'm sorry to hear that."

It seemed that she wasn't the only one with a sad story when it came to religion. "I have my own experiences with a faith I once following and I admit... it's not much better." That feeling of betrayal ran deep.

"Though it's a little complicated to explain." Her fathers life, gone, for no reason other that to satisfy the false hope of those living in Spira. She didn't know what Yevon had thought it was doing.

[unetoned]

Billy nodded. It could be hard to talk about such things, especially when faith had been so integral a part of life. But two worlds, both with religions that betrayed their faithful...

"Do you think it's like that everywhere? Are all religions fake?" Because this cult of the Heroes of Light was obviously a sham, too. Maybe he was a fool for having believed in anything.

THE HOSPITAL.

[grandsummon]

Yuna had been working overtime lately. Or perhaps, it was more accurate to say over-over-overtime. Things had been hectic at the facility for awhile now, and she hadn't had a lot of time even to catch her breath, let alone she hadn't quite caught onto the looping of time yet.

Having just come in from outside, the hood of her white mage robes was resting gently on her head, and she entered the lounge quietly, immediately headed for the sink to fetch water for tea.

It wasn't until the kettle was full and she turned around that she noticed someone else, aside from the helper moogles, sitting in the area. "Oh... hello," she greeted, pulling the hood from her head to reveal her face. "Are you... one of the new staff members?"

[unetoned]

Billy tucked his sewing away and looked up.

And blinked. It was Yuna, but she looked...different. And he had not gotten the sense that she was a healer when he'd met her in passing before.

"Ummm, yes?" he replies, not really sure if this was a joke or not.

[grandsummon]

"Ah, welcome," she didn't seem to be treating it like a joke, at least, approaching him and bowing slightly as she introduced herself. "I'm Yuna. I've been working here as a healer for..." how long was it? "a little more than a year now, I suppose." That long already...

"Have... the helper moogles shown you around? It will be so nice to have more people to help." Although many heroes stopped by, and even lent a hand in the times of extreme crisis, not many formally worked at the hospital.

[unetoned]

Well, there was obviously something weird going on, but that seemed how things went here in Crystallis. Billy decided to ignore it for now, until he had a better idea of why there were seemingly two people with the same name and face.

"Yes, I've been training this week. I'm still learning the basics, but I've gotten the tour of the facility. They don't want me to do much healing magic yet." He hoped they would let him serve as a 'doctor' soon, so he could really use his white magic skills, rather than just assisting the other healers.

[grandsummon]

"Don't worry, the time passes quickly, I remember -- before I even knew it that I was eligible for a promotion..." she trailed off, thinking back on her earlier days in Crystallis. Had it really be so long already?

"Were you... also healer in your homeworld?" She had no idea really, but that had been one of the reasons she had offered to work in this field, at least.

[unetoned]

Billy shrugged. "I was trained to use my ether for first aid in combat situations, but I was not a true doctor. Still, I can do more than they are letting me do right now."

He'd been quite capable, if he was honest. "I take it you were a healer too?" She had a peaceful aura, and Billy thought the role of a healer suited her.