THE THINGS I GAVE YOU.
» THE BANK — INTRODUCTORY NOTES
District 2 is open, bringing with it access to new and interesting locations—including the city's main bank branch. The bank is a large building with a stone exterior, wrought iron grating on the windows, and large, heavy metal doors that take surprisingly little effort to open, their hinges silent and well-oiled.
Early in the day on July 19, characters in the vicinity of the bank will hear first a low, metallic creaking sound from inside the building, like metal straining against metal. This is followed by the sharper noise of locks disengaging, and then the large, heavy doors on the front of the building swing open slightly, enough to let a person through.
Directly inside the doors is the bank lobby, and beyond that is the main banking floor, with elegant marble flooring and dimly lit chandeliers. It would appear that this was once the main commercial bank of the city, although it is now completely empty, with no tellers behind the counters and no cash in any of the drawers.
You may rifle through the tills and filing cabinets to your heart's content, but similar to the files in City Hall, there is no useful information to be found—all the papers are blank, or are empty forms without any personally identifying information. There are no monetary devices to be found either; this is, after all, not a city that operates on a cash system, so there are no coins or paper bills in any of the tills or, indeed, anywhere within the bank.
What you might be able to find, though, is a rack of delicate, burnished brass keys on a wall toward the back of the main banking hall. Each of these keys is attached to a stamped metal keychain bearing a name on one side and a number on the other. Some of these may be names you recognize, and some of them may not, but they are all names belonging to current residents of the city, and each key corresponds to a safety deposit box within the vault at the back of the building. Can you remember what you stored in that box for safekeeping? Maybe you had better go find out.
At the back of the main banking hall is a vault secured with a large circular metal door. The door is currently unlocked and propped open; it can be closed, but cannot be locked (intentionally, anyway) from either the inside or the outside. The vault contains row upon row of safety deposit boxes, each locked. Participating characters who are in possession of a key can open their own safety deposit box, but it is not currently possible to force open any safety deposit box that does not belong to them. After August 1, players will be able to use their safety deposit boxes to store their own belongings, and break-ins will become possible with prior player permission and appropriate consequences.
Below sections detail the safety deposit boxes for both choose-your-own-adventure players and randomized players! Please see the randomized matches for this event HERE.
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IT'S TRUE, PEOPLE TAKE THINGS BUT RARELY.
» SAFETY DEPOSIT BOXES — A SELF-GUIDED TOUR
For some of you, getting into your safety deposit box is quite straightforward.
You take your key from the rack behind the teller's counter and make your way back through the building and into the vault. It's cool inside, the temperature well-regulated and the air dry. On the walls are rows upon rows of safety deposit boxes, and it may take you a moment to find the one that corresponds to the number stamped on your key. Does that number mean anything to you? It may, or it may not.
When you find your box, it takes very little effort to open it. A slide of your key, a quick turn, and the safety deposit box's door springs open to reveal the metal container within. You remove the metal box from the wall and bring it over to the table in the center of the room, clearly placed there for this express purpose. Maybe there are others around, or maybe you're alone. Do you remember yet, what it was you put in here? Well, there's no time like the present to check.
You open the safety deposit box to find—something that shouldn't be there. It's yours, that much you're sure of, but you didn't bring it with you to the city. You reach into the box to pick it up, and the surge of memory is immediate, sending your mind back to your strongest memory associated with the item in your hand.
Then the vault door swings shut, trapping you inside with whoever else has the misfortune of sharing the vault with you right now. No matter what force you try, the door won't open again. There doesn't appear to even be a mechanism that unlocks the door from the inside, and from within several feet of metal and stone, no one on the outside will be able to hear you shout. It seems hopeless—how long can anyone last, trapped in a place like this?
Should you turn back to the open safety deposit box, you might notice a slip of paper resting on the bottom. The paper looks aged, like it's been in the box for quite some time, and in printed text it reads: "Nothing is yours. It is to use. It is to share. If you will not share it, you cannot use it."
Maybe it means you should let another hold the item you've retrieved from the box… or maybe it means you should share the weight of memory. Try to interpret the meaning in whatever way you can. But should you decide to unburden yourself, and share with someone else the weight of the item you're holding in your hands, you may find that there's a means of escape after all.
Once you free yourself from the vault, for the next several days you find yourself feeling rather honest, like you may not be able to stop yourself from confessing the truth about the item you now carry…
Characters who wish to participate in the event, but who do not wish to randomize the contents of their safety deposit boxes, can open their safety deposit boxes to find an emotionally significant item belonging to the character—player's choice as to what the item is. The only guidelines are that it should be small enough to fit reasonably in a pocket and may not have any magical or weapon properties. Similarly, players are able to choose the memories associated with the items in the safety deposit boxes. The vault door will remain closed until the characters in the vault explain to each other the significance of their items and the memory associated with them, at which point it the vault mechanisms will disengage and the door will swing open as if it had never closed to begin with. However, for the four days following the event, characters who carry their safety deposit box item on their person will feel oddly compelled to tell other characters about its significance and meaning.
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A CRASH-SITE IS SACRED, WE'RE FAITHFUL.
» SAFETY DEPOSIT BOXES — A JOINT VENTURE
For others of you, the contents of the safety deposit box may be considerably more disconcerting.
You also take your safety deposit box key from the rack behind the bank teller's counter and make your way back through the building and into the vault. It's cool inside, the temperature well-regulated and the air dry. On the walls are rows upon rows of safety deposit boxes, and it may take you a moment to find the one that corresponds to the number stamped on your key. Does that number mean anything to you? It may, or it may not.
When you find your box, it takes very little effort to open it. A slide of your key, a quick turn, and the safety deposit box's door springs open to reveal the metal container within. You remove the metal box from the wall and bring it over to the table in the center of the room, clearly placed there for this express purpose. Maybe there are others around, or maybe you're alone. Do you remember yet, what it was you put in here? Well, there's no time like the present to check.
You open the safety deposit box to find—wait, what is that? It certainly doesn't belong to you. Tucked inside the safety deposit box alongside the item is a slip of paper with another name on it, as well as a cryptic message: "Nothing is yours. It is to use. It is to share. If you will not share it, you cannot use it." The item isn't yours, but it does appear to belong to another resident of the city. Maybe your safety deposit boxes somehow got mixed up? It seems like it would be a good idea to find this person and return their property to them.
Whether you encounter the owner of the item in the vault or elsewhere in the city, when it comes time to hand the item over, two things happen. One—the doors are locked tight, refusing to allow either you or the item's owner out until you both understand what the item is and what it means to the other. To unburden your heart is the only way to free yourself.
And two—as the owner of the item explains its significance, you find yourself oddly captivated, resonating strongly with whatever emotion the item's owner most closely associates with it. You may not be able to see the memory that the other person describes, but you can certainly feel the emotions they felt—after all, the easiest way to unburden oneself is to share the load with another. Isn't that right?
Once you free yourself from your enthralled state, and once you have your own belongings returned to you, for the next several days you find yourself feeling rather honest, like you may not be able to stop yourself from confessing the truth about the item you now carry…
Characters who opted to randomize the contents of their safety deposit box during the plotting post, or who plotted a joint experience with another character, will open their safety deposit boxes to find a small, non-magical but emotionally significant item belonging to another player character in the city. They will need to find the owner of that item and return it to them—this can either be inside the bank vault or in another location within the city. Regardless of where the meeting takes place, the character holding the item will find themselves unable to leave until the character who owns the item explains its significance; as they do, the holder of the item will find themselves swept up in the emotional highs and lows of the memories associated with that item, allowing them to share all of the feelings, regrets, joys, griefs, and rages that the owner experiences in the telling. Additionally, for the four days following the event, characters who carry their safety deposit box item on their person will feel oddly compelled to tell other characters about its significance and meaning.
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WILDCARD.
The city is by no means small, and there are plenty of things for you to see. There's no rush in exploring, so feel free to take your time looking around and peering into various nooks and crannies and alleyways—and don't worry, you're not very likely to find anything peering back.
If none of the above prompts appeal, feel free to check out the Locations and Maps pages and write your own freestyle prompt using one or many of the available locations.
This month's event headers come from "The Things" and "The Gatherer," two poems by Brendan Constantine. The text of the paper slip comes from Ursula K. LeGuin's The Dispossessed.
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citylogs2023-07-19 08:45 pm
no subject
And along that same line of thought, he can definitely see how a kid might get the idea to investigate something like this. Especially when they have so little else to go on.
But even though he understands the idea, and doesn't think it's necessarily bad, Daniel can't help but look full on Worried Dad as he types and the phone reads out: ]
All by yourself?
[ Even if the phone can't properly convey how worried Daniel is about that thought, surely the current expression on the man's face can. It's definitely not a subtle kind of worry in his eyes and furrowed brow, even though there's thankfully nothing angry about it either. Just plain old worried. ]
no subject
honestly when was the last time a real dad looked at him with a worried dad look it's kind of refreshing tbhIzuku looks at the note and at the man and he suddenly feels a little sheepish almost like he's about to get scolded or worried over. But he understands that part too. He tries his best to look confident when he nods.]
Y-yeah. I was hoping to see if I could do it. I'm good at staying up late- most nights.
[Don't worry he's an night owl!!
But he could probably use some real company for this as much as Izuku tries to brush himself off as completely capable.]
I'm studying to be a hero so I should be able to do something like this. I can.
no subject
But whether the other means it literally or not, Izuku clearly seems serious. About that part, but also about his plan in general.
Daniel is quiet for a moment, pondering whether or not he could convince the kid to just go home, but.. it's not like there's not a different solution, right? Especially since Izuku seems fairly attached to this plan. ]
Then I will stay here with you. [ He writes, letting the phone read it out loud to the boy.
Sure, maybe one (1) adult who is visibly injured might not be the best company, or even particularly intimidating to any danger that might show up to threaten Izuku.. But it's better than leaving the kid all alone. Daniel wouldn't be able to bear the thought of him being out here by himself. ]
If that is alright with you.
no subject
But then he nods. Maybe it's better if he doesn't do this alone. That would also help with the anxiety he feels. He's supposed to be trying to be better at not doing things alone.]
Ah... Alright. But ... Are you sure? Are you alright to stay up all night in the condition you're in? I mean- We could probably find some tea and medicine for your throat inside the store, at least.
[How bad are the man's injuries?!]
no subject
[ At least that answer comes relatively quickly - showing that Daniel means it. Compared to any alternative, or even taking into consideration his indeed not so great physical state, he knows that he'd feel the absolute worst if he let Izuku do this all by himself.
Which means staying him is the only valid decision here. Daniel even manages to give the boy a thin smile - despite him actually looking a little tired.
Not tired enough that he can't stay out here though. ]
Do you want to go look in there? Having some tea together might be nice. I think it'll probably be a little while before it gets restocked anyway. [ Judging by the time. Sure, it's already late, but-- Daniel figures this is the kind of late where you'd still see a few people out on the streets.
If whatever is restocking the stores hasn't been noticed yet, they probably get to work even later than that. ]
no subject
But a stake out is a stake out.
Izuku reaches for the store's door handle and pulls it. Finding it open just as he had been suspecting. And while it makes him feel a little guilty to be doing something like this at all he does steel his own nerves and heads inside.
But he's sure to add,]
Ah...! My name is Izuku. Midoriya Izuku. [He smiles sheepishly.] If you don't mind me asking... Are you a father?
[Because he totally has dad vibes.]
no subject
.. even if the question seems to catch him off guard. Daniel obviously doesn't make a sound, but his facial expression says enough. His eyes widen, his eyebrows shooting upwards.
The surprise is apparently enough to forget to introduce himself in turn for a moment, instead answering with: ]
I am. How did you know?
[ Please, Daniel, like it isn't obvious.. Izuku doesn't even have to be a genius for this one, just a boy who pays attention! ]
no subject
I guess you just give off that kind of feeling. Like a worried parent?
[Izuku picks up the tea and holds it up to show Daniel.]
Will this work for your throat? We can find some medicine too, maybe.
no subject
[ Because, yeah, without some painkillers Daniel definitely wasn't going to make it through the day, especially closer to when he first showed up here in this state..
Still, it's a sweet thought on Izuku's end, and it actually makes the man the man smile just a little bit in appreciation of such a kind young heart. ]
The tea seems fine though, let's have that.
[ Because they might as well drink some tea if they have to wait it out here anyway.
And they might as well talk. Like asking: ] Izuku, are your parents here?
[ It's a general question, sure, but there's also an implication in it. A reason as to why Daniel is giving off worried parent vibes all over the places.
It's because all these kids are here without parents, and they clearly need some adult looking after them. Even if said adult is looking like a bruised wreck. ]
no subject
At the question, Izuku shakes his head.]
No, my parents aren't here. I'm ... I'm glad they aren't. I'm not sure my mother could handle something like this.
[She is a very soft soul. This situation would probably destroy her.
... And his dad?
lmao he hasn't seen his dad ever]no subject
Still, he keeps those thoughts to himself, opting to instead address something else entirely as he follows the boy through the store. ]
See? That is why I can't help but act this way, I suppose. [ 'This way' meaning 'like a dad', after all, the way Izuku himself implied.. ] I know a lot of you young people are really independent already, but it's still good to have an adult around you can rely on in case you need it. I know that if my kids were here and I wasn't, I'd hope that other adults would look out for them.
[ A slight pause, and then: ]
So if your mother can't look out for you here, then I'll help in her place. If that's alright. [ .. well, he'll still fuss, even if it's not alright. It's Daniel, after all. ]
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He nods shyly.]
I don't mind. Honestly, it makes me feel a little better knowing there are adults like you around. I've had so many questions about what we should and shouldn't be doing to try and get home and ... It's a little overwhelming sometimes.
[He genuinely admits that.]
But I... I want to be strong too. We have to be.
no subject
[ It's something Daniel doesn't even have to think about. He types it out on his phone, listening as it's read out loud by the device, practically right after Izuku says it.
Daniel has learned that being strong isn't always the most important thing, but.. if a kid has to be reassured about it, then who would he be to ignore that?
He glances away from the tea that's in the middle of being brewed, instead smiling a little at Izuku. ]
Staking out a store like this is a really brave and bold idea. It's not just something anyone would do. You're doing great already. [ Really, if he had just taken along anyone else so he wasn't doing it by himself, Daniel would have given the plan an A+. It's the only thing that's missing from a protective adult's point of view. ]
But if you have worries about this place, or ideas about how to get home, you can always ask me or talk to me about it.
no subject
So, getting those words does make Izuku feel a little better. He's been so tied up in his own head that it's hard to sort things out alone, sometimes.]
T-thanks. I hope I am. As a hero in training, I have to be able to think my way out of these sorts of situations as best I can, ne?
[He nods quietly.]
If I find anything I'll be sure to ask for help. It does make all of this feel less lonely.
no subject
.. but is Izuku also giving Daniel an entirely new thing to worry about here?
He sure is, apparently. Because one little thing he mentioned doesn't slip the man's attention. ]
A hero in training?
[ Suspicious.. Suspicious enough to rouse an old man's worry about a kid!! ]
What do you mean by that?
no subject
He nods sheepishly but there is something about Izuku that says he's proud to say so.]
Ah...! In my world, I'm a student at a school that trains students to become professional heroes one day. We're a lot like police and military put together, helping protect cities from threats or providing search and rescue. Things like that.
no subject
[ Yes, Daniel sure sees. It's not even like he can't wrap his head around the concept, since it's a little more understandable when Izuku compares it to the police or the military - they sure have academies for that too, after all. So maybe in a different world where odd powers really exist, there could be a place like that, but for people with those abilities..?
It's what it sounds like. A little strange, but understandable, Daniel supposes.
And yet there's still something that bothers the man. Enough that he seems to be contemplating the information for a few moments, but then his fingers are already moving across the keys of his phone again to write on. ]
Aren't you a little too young for that though?
[ Daniel is pretty sure no one Izuku's age would be allowed at a police academy or a military academy where Daniel comes from. And with good reason-- he's still so young, after all. He shouldn't be subjected to that. ]
no subject
I'm seventeen? Is that... too young to train for something like that?
[He's been dreaming of this life for his entire life! So he feels very proud of himself. And blessed too. That he can be a part of something like being a student at his school. Being able to train and learn to protect everyone and everything that he loves.]
I guess I might seem young but I ... I've been working hard for as long as I can remember. And I want to keep doing that too.
no subject
Daniel looks down for a moment. He's getting the idea that the place Izuku comes from is just Like That, really. It's something about the way the kid talks about it - like it really is normal, even though it's clear as day to Daniel that it isn't.
He isn't sure how to feel about it. A little worried, maybe.
A little sad. ]
No, I believe you. You seem like a hard worker.
[ He tries to give the other a small, but encouraging smile at that, despite his worry. ]
But it must also be hard at times, right? [ To.. put it mildly..
But he knows that it's not like Izuku is just going to be shaken right out of something he must have believed his whole life, so Daniel is trying to be gentle and delicate about this, not wanting to hurt the poor kid's feelings. ]
no subject
I ... I guess it is. Sometimes.
[Izuku actually does nod at Daniel's question. He hasn't really talked to many people about how hard it is sometimes. The only other person who might kind of understand that sentiment is probably Katsuki. But he can't really talk to him about stuff like that.]
Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like if I did end up going to a different school or if I didn't have my quirk. It's not often I get to do ...ahh... high school kid stuff. I think.
[He smiles nonetheless.]
But I have been lucky to be where I am. I wouldn't change it for the world.
no subject
[ After typing that and having his phone read it out, Daniel is moving over towards the tea-- getting it ready and into cups now it seems like it's been heated up enough. It leaves him quiet for a moment, obviously using his hands for something else and his throat still unusable, but then he does continue once he's done, leaving two cups of steaming tea on the counter. ]
While we are stuck here anyway, I mean. I think it is very good that you are trying to look into this place and trying to find out more, but I don't think it would be a bad idea for you to find some friends your own age here and see if you can do some fun regular teenager stuff with them.
Doesn't that sound nice?
no subject
It does sound nice.
[Izuku ducks his head down slightly and nods. It would be nice to just make some friends and do regular teenage stuff. The hard part for Izuku is that he's so hyperfocused on problems sometimes that being stuck here like this really makes him spiral in other ways. Like he has to solve these problems first and foremost and everything else has to wait.
But maybe Daniel is right. Of course, he is.]
I guess in between staking out convenience stores I could try to find some more friends my age.
[He laughs sheepishly.
For the most part, the two of them won't find anything of note in the convenience store late into the night. Even the items that they use don't get restoked in the blink of an eye. It seems it's only when they leave or there is no one around that things magically refill... What a mystery.]