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unfinishedlibrary2026-02-07 12:20 pm
libraryassistants) wrote in unfinishedlibrary2026-02-07 12:20 pm
Entry tags:
do you bare your fangs at us, sir? MOONLIT RIVALS LOG 2, SCENE 2
Who: Readers and Actors
What: The werewolves who are not sneaking into the party cause a bit of mischief... and did anybody actually agree to keep the peace tonight?
When: The night of the ball itself. [ooc timeline: Feb 6th - 19th]
Where: The city of Montica.
Content warnings: Please include any warnings in headers.
Waxing Gibbous Moon
The streets have emptied, particularly in the vampiric half of town. Most of the vampire loyalists have joined the masquerade, leaving their homes and shops unattended. Tonight is a special night - a once in a century event, and they wouldn’t miss it for the world.
Even some werewolves and neutral citizens have been enticed to attend. Jadis the Mystic has created a lotion that will disguise the scent of a werewolf; an effect that is broken by shifting, breaking the skin, or the gradual passage of time. It is not widely distributed, but rumours travel fast. The lotion is only given to any Guildulf-aligned werewolves, but… well, there’s nothing wrong with a little trade here or there. Right?
For all of the wolves in town - with the moon so close to being full, it’s natural for them to feel a bit more excitable. Energetic. Ready to take on the world. And seeing as Montica is so empty, it’s like a playground has just been opened up. The young wolves in particular are eager to take advantage of the empty streets, the sound of not-quite-mature howls breaking through the air in their excitement. There are hardly any people around to be scared if they play too rough or run too fast, and they are taking advantage of this with great enthusiasm.
In the highly-debated 'neutral' zone, some small packs of adolescent werewolves are gathering. There's banter and roughhousing, the not-quite-adults playfully shoving each-other over the invisible line where the vampire territory begins.
Some of the bravest amongst them take the challenge to dart over and brush their fingers over silver doorhandles - their yelps spurring courage and adrenaline in the others. What starts harmlessly enough quickly escalates as they urge each-other on, teenage excitement and the thrill of the moon encouraging all sorts of bad choices. The longer they go without reprimand, the more bold they become; and somewhere along the way, bulbs of garlic start winding up in places they wouldn't normally be found. (There is at least one group who is excitedly challenging each-other to leave the garlic in more and more absurd places. If they happen to sting themselves on some silver ornamentation on the way, all the better.)
Not all homes are unoccupied, though - sooner or later someone’s going to disturb someone else’s peace, and tensions are already so high. Hopefully there are some Responsible Adults around to curtail the worst of the mischief before someone’s temper is sparked.
What: The werewolves who are not sneaking into the party cause a bit of mischief... and did anybody actually agree to keep the peace tonight?
When: The night of the ball itself. [ooc timeline: Feb 6th - 19th]
Where: The city of Montica.
Content warnings: Please include any warnings in headers.
Waxing Gibbous Moon
In Town
Above the city, the Umbra Mansion stands tall. Its grand doors and windows have been opened, spilling light like a beacon. Music lilts in the air, drifting so far as to be faintly heard even in the neutral centre of the city.The streets have emptied, particularly in the vampiric half of town. Most of the vampire loyalists have joined the masquerade, leaving their homes and shops unattended. Tonight is a special night - a once in a century event, and they wouldn’t miss it for the world.
Even some werewolves and neutral citizens have been enticed to attend. Jadis the Mystic has created a lotion that will disguise the scent of a werewolf; an effect that is broken by shifting, breaking the skin, or the gradual passage of time. It is not widely distributed, but rumours travel fast. The lotion is only given to any Guildulf-aligned werewolves, but… well, there’s nothing wrong with a little trade here or there. Right?
For all of the wolves in town - with the moon so close to being full, it’s natural for them to feel a bit more excitable. Energetic. Ready to take on the world. And seeing as Montica is so empty, it’s like a playground has just been opened up. The young wolves in particular are eager to take advantage of the empty streets, the sound of not-quite-mature howls breaking through the air in their excitement. There are hardly any people around to be scared if they play too rough or run too fast, and they are taking advantage of this with great enthusiasm.
In the highly-debated 'neutral' zone, some small packs of adolescent werewolves are gathering. There's banter and roughhousing, the not-quite-adults playfully shoving each-other over the invisible line where the vampire territory begins.
Some of the bravest amongst them take the challenge to dart over and brush their fingers over silver doorhandles - their yelps spurring courage and adrenaline in the others. What starts harmlessly enough quickly escalates as they urge each-other on, teenage excitement and the thrill of the moon encouraging all sorts of bad choices. The longer they go without reprimand, the more bold they become; and somewhere along the way, bulbs of garlic start winding up in places they wouldn't normally be found. (There is at least one group who is excitedly challenging each-other to leave the garlic in more and more absurd places. If they happen to sting themselves on some silver ornamentation on the way, all the better.)
Not all homes are unoccupied, though - sooner or later someone’s going to disturb someone else’s peace, and tensions are already so high. Hopefully there are some Responsible Adults around to curtail the worst of the mischief before someone’s temper is sparked.
no subject
She has a few minor scratches and bruises, but nothing that requires immediate medical attention. Not with the creature still there, still possibly poised to strike.
"Look out!" she cries, unable to stop herself as it does, indeed, lunge again, right for Rin. She backs up further, closing her eyes so as not to watch the horrifying scene unfold.
CW for SecUnit on wolf violence
She won't see what happens next. But she'll hear it, the awful crunching sounds of bones being broken and wrenched out of their sockets. A high-pitched, pained whimper.
Then the sounds repeat, as SecUnit dislocates a second leg.
"I can keep going," it says. "Or you can run."
It had only broken and dislocated the Hostiles front legs. If they shift into a human, they'll still have enough limbs left to run on.
(The Hostile stops being stupid: at this point, they shift - whimper in a decidedly more human voice - and then starts running.)
"You can look now," it tells Mina.
no subject
She hears Rin's voice again, and opens her eyes as instructed. At least the beast is gone - that's all she wanted. For the creature to leave her be. She takes a deep, steadying breath.
"I thank you," she says simply. "I'm not sure what would've happened to me if you hadn't come along."
no subject
Humans usually get upset when hearing the specifics of violence that could have happened to them.
So. Instead SecUnit just awkwardly avoids that subject alltogether, and says, "You need to relocate to a secure location."
no subject
"Yes," she agrees, absentmindedly straightening her hair, smoothing down her skirt. Just for something to do with her hands, while the adrenaline is still coursing through her. Her hands may be trembling a little, with delayed reaction.
"I thought I could find my way back to the Laurelthirst, but I simply don't know the streets of this city well enough."
no subject
But there's no Trauma Treatment in the Library. The only thing it can do is keep her physically safe.
"I'll take you," it says, before turning and gesturing with its head the direction they need to go. It's been constructing a map, so it does know the way.
no subject
It's simply stated, and she only pauses, then shakes herself. Rin doesn't seem the type to offer an arm to a lady. So she gathers herself and prepares to follow - a step or two behind, so that Rin can (hopefully) stay between herself and any further danger.
no subject
It walks just ahead, leading the way while also keeping pace. It doesn't look at her.
"It's...SecUnit," it says, and then immediately regrets it. There's something awkward and tense in the way its carrying itself that has absolutely nothing to do with the hostile fauna people. "But Rin's good for Stories."
no subject
no subject
"You can call me SecUnit," it says, still walking. Still not looking at her. "Except when it'll confuse the humans."
no subject
"That is... your real name? Not Rin?"
no subject
It doesn't look at her. It keeps its head studiously turned away from her, well away from any risk of eye contact. And it doesn't intend it, but its Act Like A Human code translations something of how tense and anxious its feeling right now into its body language.
(Why did it think this was a good idea? It shouldn't have said anything. It should have just let her keep calling it 'Rin', keep thinking that it was human.
But Mina had been...nice. She deserved to know. Even if it meant she wouldn't want to be around it anymore.)
"It's what I am," it says. Still tense, still avoiding looking anywhere near her. "A Security Unit. I'm a construct."
no subject
"Does that mean someone made you?" she asks. Perhaps Rin - Sec Unit! - is something like the Bride?
no subject
That's exactly what it means. Not quite like the Bride, exactly. But...also kind of a lot like the Bride.
(Mina kept thinking that 'Rin' was strange. Maybe now she knows why, a little.)
no subject
"You're an automaton?" she asks eventually. "One crafted for... security?"
Security Unit, after all.
no subject
"Kind of. We'd call automaton bots. They're completely inorganic. Constructs have both organic and inorganic parts."
Hence, you know. The fact that SecUnit had a face. And skin. And all sorts of other very human looking bits.
no subject
"Why didn't you say so earlier?" she finds herself asking. There are so many strange people in the Library, after all, and none of them have been so secretive. Some of them are dead! Or from other planets!
no subject
And it would be clear, to anyone who even knew a thing about SecUnits, that it was not governed. (And sure, Mina clearly didn't know anything. But Mina wasn't the only person in the Library. Someone else might know. Someone else might have realised what it was.)
no subject
But it won't.
"But you protect the innocent," she says. "You keep people safe. Why would I be afraid of you?"
no subject
Without consciously choosing to do so, its arms come up to wrap around its own chest.
"A lot of humans I've known don't think that way," it says. "And...I could hurt you. You wouldn't be able to stop me. Being scared of SecUnits makes sense."
no subject
no subject
(It thinks about Mensah. Who always trusted it. Always was so sure that it was a person, and that she was safe with it.
Mina reminds it a bit of Mensah right now.)
Saying anything feels impossible right now. And Mina doesn’t have a feed device that it can tap in acknowledgment. So it just…nods.
no subject
But she does have one more thing to say.
"Thank you. For choosing to help."
Because it does choose. Over and over again.
no subject
No one ever thanked SecUnit before it met its humans. It's still not used to hearing it. It still doesn't know how it's meant to respond.)
It just nods, again, because it can't figure out anything else to do, apparently. Also the thought of actually trying to saying anything makes it feel like it would fucking combust.
When they finally arrive at the Laurelthirst, it's grateful for the distraction.
"We're here," it says. Just in case Mina missed it somehow. (Maybe she did. Sometimes humans were weird, and missed things right in front of them.)
no subject
"Thank you for escorting me. And - for confiding in me. I'm honored by your trust, and I'll try to be worthy of it."
(no subject)