there's always a lighthouse. there's always a beach party.

[wheremst]

[ Welcome to... a very nice beach, actually! It's very pleasant here. Carmen has set up a couple bonfires, there's some barbecues with meat to cook... and a lot of beach to hang out on! ]

Welcome to California's Pigeon Point Light Station State Park! Between Santa Cruz and San Francisco, just south of Pescadero, this lighthouse gets it's name from the Carrier Pigeon, a ship that wrecked here in 1853! ... Sorry, old habit. Go party. We have the whole place to ourselves. Most everyone here's been through something like this, or knows someone who has. And... the vending machine's bringing in some friends of yours, too.

[ It's a warm late summer night - not too hot for bonfires, but not too chilly that you need to stick by them to survive.

You've made it to the end. There are fellow survivors to meet and commiserate with, friends to meet or catch up with, and... it's over. For those of you returning, it's been about a year since the end of Round 2, and Carmen's gotten the word out to as many people as she can between trying to help this round and tracking down Round 0. If you'd like to play a hostage from the first motive, just know that they will remember it, but it's up to the player in the main round if time has passed since then or not so... it may have been a day or two ago or it may have been months! And hell with it, if you want to play a Round 0 character you suggested back in r1, come talk to us. Why not?

EDIT: Asher has gone to the trouble of making a toplevel directory for anyone intimidated by the number of pages!

Enjoy the last log of Unknown Seas! You've earned it. Love meme will come later tonight in the ooc comm. ]

Comments

[inaclearing]

I didn't even do anything!

[It comes out louder and a little more intense than he really intends. Brett immediately flinches.]

I'm sorry. Just - people keep saying that to me.

[pairtner]

Perhaps they're just glad you don't get to be 3% seaslug. It was an unavoidable part of being resurrected.

[Some took it pretty badly. Others thought it was neat]

[inaclearing]

...does it actually affect you at all?

[It's really beside the point, but Brett doesn't mind avoiding the topic!]

[pairtner]

My protective covering was made of compounds made from seaweed. Technically, it was edible. I believe in my case this is what changed -- I'll confirm once I return home.

[Aiba seems kind of pleased about this, for some reason. What can she say, she likes certain animals, haha. The thought her rubbery form now is partly seaslug is kind of neat, as far as she's concerned]

[inaclearing]

It doesn't make that much of a difference, then. You're all functionally the same as you were.

[...how the fuck does that work with Misfire - NOPE, ANYWAY]

It would've been kind of neat if you became bioluminescent.

[pairtner]

The human form I created already gets called a fluorescent shrimp. If my real self began to glow I'm sure I would never live it down.

[She's even pouting when she says that. Aiba really doesn't get how she looks like a shrimp]

[inaclearing]

...you aren't really shrimp-shaped.

[yeah he's with you there]

[pairtner]

It's good to hear someone sensible for once -- someone who finally recognizes the appearance I crafted is incredibly cute and nothing like a shrimp.

[Noooooot exactly what Brett said, Aiba, but hey, she seems glad anyway!]

[inaclearing]

[He's right that she's not shrimp-shaped! He also figures it's definitely about the size, but hey - why say that?]

...can I ask you something?

[pairtner]

Go ahead.

[Aiba nods]

[inaclearing]

...are you glad you got your memories back?

[pairtner]

Yes.

[Aiba says that immediately. After a moment, she looks out at the sea]

When I found myself in that cruise ship everyone who died was at, I was surprised to hear everybody knew I was an AI...and everyone knew how I actually looked like. At that point I believed this was my first time meeting them. To find out it wasn't was surprising and confusing.

Then I was told I...I had friends. People showed worry over me, and were far more understanding than I thought they would be. Misfire later arrived and told me I was missed. And when I heard all that, I...I wished I could remember any of it, because I felt incomplete. Like I had lost something I dearly missed. I wanted to remember everybody who I had befriended...and often wondered who was currently 'alive'. Part of the reason why I helped to make a radio with Jonathan and Yasuhiro was because I hoped it'd allow me to get in touch with you all.

Rossiu bringing me the backup was...bittersweet. I got everything I had hoped for, but I also remembered what I planned to do. Never once I considered I had killed someone. I had gotten back a lot of happiness, but also regret for my betrayal. I'm disgusted with myself, regardless of the reason I had for...that.

[.....]

I really am not the same Aiba without my memories. I always knew that, but having lost so many wonderful moments and my own sins...only then I truly understood it's far more complex and painful than I had thought. Now that I have both the good and bad back, I'm glad.

[She gets to remember the times she spent with everyone, but also has to atone for her actions. Definitely owes Forrest an apology, because she's sure he was the one hurt the most]

[inaclearing]

No one even told you?

[Geez - he gets how that would be an awkward subject, but how do you just not tell her? How did the Undertaker never say anything?]

That - well, yes. I guess that does make sense. [.....] There's a lot about this I wouldn't mind forgetting.

[pairtner]

I didn't bother to ask what happened [Having judged it could be a distraction from the tasks at hand. It was the right choice, all things considered] and the Undertaker and I didn't talk much.

[Not because he was avoiding her; they just didn't see each other in the same area often]

Will you be alright? The last two months are the sort of event that will weigh heavy on anyone's heart.

[inaclearing]

I don't know.

[.....]

Probably? I mean, it's over now - and at least Luca and Peregrine know what happened, so I'll have them. But I don't want to put it all on them. Shouldn't, with Pere, she's got her own life to worry about. [Also the Howl corpse Brett maybe arranged to get dumped on her in a few weeks' time here, oops.] I should go back to therapy. But no one would take me seriously.