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

[nobugs]

[His smile brightens at the success. He had almost expected a different result, but luckily this was not the case. He pats it carefully.] It might be. Would you like to try it again? You have to make sure it is still before you mount it. [Ah, right, she had mentioned her height might be an issue as well.] If you want to, I could give you some support.

[damn_juicebox]

[She's already getting one leg up as if she were about to split herself in half, grappling for the pommel of the saddle. For someone who's taken a lot of spills, she sure is eager to try again. When he offers his help, Rukia turns her head to stare at him. Then she puts her extended foot back on the ground.]

Please. Thank you.

[Rukia definitely isn't too proud to accept a hand up, if he's not too proud to offer it.]

[nobugs]

[Her small stature really made it look like she was climbing a mountain rather than a bird - or a birdlike creature. Anyways, Kija was happy to help if she didn't mind. He places his hands on her waist to lift her up a little.] Will this be alright?

[damn_juicebox]

[Well that was unexpected. Rukia's knees go up, elbows at her sides as she's momentarily stunned. She was thinking more along the lines of getting a boost, but...yes, this works just fine. She reaches for the saddle, and has a much easier time getting her leg over the contraption to settle herself in.]

[Maybe they should have given her a smaller bird, rather than a super tame one. Pleased that she's at least situated, she smiles at Kija and grasps the reins.]

Ah! This is more like it.

[...They're not going anywhere.]

What causes it to move forward?

[The chocobo, meanwhile, is waiting for either of them to speak the magic word: 'Go.' Whether it's intentional or incidental, it knows that's the one to wait for before it's allowed to start running.]

[nobugs]

[It is the traditional way of doing it - as far as he knew. At least she seemed to have a firm hold onto chocobo right now, which was probably already infinitely better than just falling from it all the time.

The fact that she seemed happy with it made him smile, too.]

That is a good question. Usually you gently squeeze your calves into the sides when it is a horse. I am not sure if it works this way with a bird-like creature.

[damn_juicebox]

It may.

[She looks at the chocobo in front of her, and hesitates. She'd rather not get thrown again. There has to be a way to make it walk, and not run at lightning speed.]

What brings you out this way, Kija? Did you intend to go anywh--

[GO! THE HUMAN SAID GO! IT IS TIME TO GO! With a happy chirp, the chocobo sticks its head forward, unfurls its wings, and BOLTS. Rukia throws her arms around the bird's neck, clinging for dear life.]

[nobugs]

[There was probably no way to describe the expression on Kija's face when he sees how the chocobo is running away - even before he got any chance to answer or for her to finish the question.] Hold on! [And he starts running after her.]

[damn_juicebox]

[Good luck outrunning a chocobo! That one sure looks happy to be stretching its legs. Rukia sure doesn't look happy.]

Eeeyaaaaahhhh!

[One arm holds tight as the other flounders for the reins that flap out of reach. Wretched bird! She will learn to ride you!]

[But what's this? There's another chocobo out in the field just minding its own business, scratching at the ground with one of its taloned feet before shaking out its feathers.]

[nobugs]

[The free chocobo sure looked tempting, with the way it just happened to be out there, but... There was a moment of serious consideration if it was really wise to get on it if neither of them really knew how to stop it (or get it going, for that matter). Still, as he watches her, it felt like there was not much of a choice and he tries to draw the attention of the chocobo to him by patting it first before he tries to climb on it. What had she asked him?] She asked me if I intended to go any- whoa! [And then it starts running, and he tries to maneuver it into Rukia's direction, with decent success, at least] Rukia!

[damn_juicebox]

[She looks back over her shoulder, and sees that Kija is struggling to ride a chocobo on his own. He's doing much better than she is, but even so, it looks like he's having troubles.]

W-what are you doing?! If you can't ride it, don't come after me! Fool!

[She yells because she worries; there's no real bite to her protests. But when Rukia looks forward again, she sees that her mount is heading straight for the fence. And it's not slowing down. Is it going to jump? Brake suddenly?! She doesn't know! If she has to guess, she'd choose that it's going to abruptly stop, so she braces herself for such an event and prays she chose correctly.]

[She chose incorrectly.]

[The bird takes a flying leap with its long legs, exhilarated with the rush of the wind. Time. Slows. Down.]

[Then the chocobo's feet hit the ground, and Rukia just keeps going, flung yet again. No! Foolish bird, why did you do that!?]

[nobugs]

[He would probably let out an indignant reaction towards the fool-comment if they had time for this, but right now, they had greater troubles than this. She was right, he had not much of an idea what he was doing here, but he definitely didn't want to just sit back. Perhaps that was one of his bad parts, considering how often he ended up making the situation even worse than it was. Kija's reaction is much the same when the fence comes up before he attempts to get close to her again. Considering they both had no idea how to stop them, there were only two options - trying to get her on the chocobo he was riding - which seemed like a difficult task to do, especially without his claw - or tackle them both off the chocobos. It seemed to be the more reasonable option somehow. It probably isn't.] Don't hold onto it too strongly!

[damn_juicebox]

[Too late. She's soaring...soaring through the sky... Rukia braces herself for the inevitable impact with the ground. But somehow, through some strange stroke of luck...she manages to land on her chocobo as it zigzags back. Did it do that on purpose? She doesn't know. On the down side, she's slung over the saddle sideways on her stomach like a sack of potatoes. And she looks royally confused as to how this even happened.]

O...okay?!

[The plains are relatively open, at least. She has time to try getting herself upright so long as it isn't planning on making any more leaps like that.]

[nobugs]

[That was one kind of a stunt but it also meant they needed to stop this as fast as possible. He tries to direct the chocobo even nearer to get as close as possible to her. Alright, this was probably going to be his only chance. Trying to save his master from a riding horse was nothing the village had taught him, but at least they had assumed he would be a man of average built. Rukia was, like his real master, a girl of rather small built. He jumps to the side, taking her with him as he is wrapping his arms around her shoulders and tries as best as he could to direct their fall so that he would land on his back. Needless to say, this had been a very painful effort.]

[damn_juicebox]

Oof--!

[Rukia never even sees it coming. One moment she's halfway up out of the saddle, the next she's airborne, caught in Kija's arms. They hit the grass, Rukia flinching at the impact, until they come to a halt. What did he just do...?]

[Shielded in his protective grasp, Rukia is unhurt. She raises herself a little, one fist clutching the front of his shirt.]

Kija! Oi, Kija!

[Is he hurt? Rukia's gaze sweeps over him sharply for injuries. That was so reckless! What if he hurt himself badly over something like that? There's a desperate and worried edge to her voice as she gives him a gentle shake.]

Kija!

[nobugs]

[Reckless would probably be Kija's second name if he had one. Still, shortly after he processes that Rukia had been calling his name, Kija lets out a pained groan - his back did hurt and this entire situation seemed very ungraceful for someone who was one of the four legendary dragons. Not that this title mattered a lot here right now and thankfully certain people hadn't watched this stunt. He can feel the smaller figure upon him moving and he opens his eyes to look at her. At least she didn't seem to have been too hurt by the whole thing. He tries to sit up somewhat, one arm still wrapped around her shoulders. He does flush a little at the rather close proximity so he averts his eyes a little.] Are you alright?

[damn_juicebox]

!! A... A-As you see.

[Even she can't fail to recognize the awkwardness of the situation, given that he's still holding her. Hmph! Fool! The red on her face doesn't exactly lend credibility to her worried rants and anger.]

Worry more for yourself!

[She can tell he's not doing great, so she doesn't ask if he's hurt. Instead she just frowns, putting her hands on his chest.]

Cure.

[nobugs]

[He sighs in relief - and let go of her now rather quickly. How embarrassing! How inappropriate! It must have been quite embarrassing for a young lady like her as well. He lifts a hand to appease her.] It is quite alright. I am always prepared to risk my life for my master. [He smiles.] And for my comrades as well. [They shared the same fate, after all. He looks a bit confused at her next action, but he can quickly feel how his back was getting much better.] Rukia, are you one of those who can use healing magic?

[damn_juicebox]

[Young... He has no idea. But she supposes she can't argue against his courage. But their friendship has been brief; he shouldn't be so hasty to give his life for hers.]

I have access only to the one spell for now. With training, I will gain access to others.

[But it means she needs to spam the use of this relatively weak spell, and measure her magical consumption carefully.]

I still cannot approve of endangering yourself. ...But I thank you.

[nobugs]

[He really hasn't if they were honest. How could he? His best bet would be to think she was like one of his "brothers", but he hadn't known particular facts about him either.]

Ah, then you are new to the job? It is still amazing. There is no magic like that in my world.

[He had already assured her that it was fine. She seemed to worry too much. It had been his choice to do this.]

You are welcome. I suppose the next time we should properly learn how to ride a chocobo before we mount one.

[damn_juicebox]

[If it becomes necessary to inform him of her age, she likely will. It isn't as if she's ashamed of it, she just assumes people already know that a shinigami is likely to be several decades old, if not centuries.]

That would be wise. However, you seemed to take to the task quite easily.

[She's a little envious, but very impressed.]

Perhaps I will dedicate my studies to this task for the next several loops until I am competent.

[nobugs]

[He hasn't really thought about it that much, even if it makes sense. Physical appearances can be deceiving.]

It is probably mostly because I have some experience riding an animal.

[That seemed like an interesting idea. Though that also lit his battle spirits a little.]

Perhaps we can have a race some when?

[damn_juicebox]

A race?!

[At first Rukia boggles at Kija. Then the corners of her eyes tighten as a strangled noise escape the back of her mouth. Then suddenly she can't help herself. She's laughing. Even after that ordeal, he remains optimistic and confident. Most people would swear off chocobos entirely! Rukia shakes her head, still chuckling.]

Very well. I would be honored.

[A mischievous smirk appears.]

But I will win.

1/2

[nobugs]

[Now he is baffled at her laughter. Was that what he had been saying this amusing?] What is so funny?

2/2

[nobugs]

[Though he calms down when she agrees to the race. Good, it was a good motivation for both of them to hone their skills when they would be needed. It was nice, in a way, back in his village he did not have someone to train with someone in this kind of way. He returns the smirk.] Of course I have no intention of losing either.

[damn_juicebox]

Well. Not many would be so eager to get back in the saddle after an experience like that. And here you are, suggesting not just a return, but a race. You have courage and determination.

[Rukia stands to her feet, reaching out with both hands to take his wrist and help him rise too.]

I look forward to seeing what you can do. Kija.