Mei Mei All Day Day

It’s been several days since anyone’s heard from Meilin Lee. No entries in her journal, she hasn’t shown up at Eustace and Tifa’s café, or appeared for any of her lessons. Those who decide to finally track her down at her tree house will find the door off its hinges and thrown aside.

Inside? The interior is destroyed. There are claw marks on the walls, the windows are broken, and most of the furniture has either been torn apart or just thrown about. The stuffing from her pillows and plushies is strewn all over the floor. One of the few things unharmed is a small fish bowl holding a terrified fish from the Flower Festival, and a bouncing baby snowman trying to keep it company. The snowman can’t talk or give much in the way of clues, but neither living thing has been hurt, at least. The only other thing that was completely in-tact was a small CD-player – inside it is a CD of her favorite boyband, 4*Town, on their Australian tour.

There are ripped pages from her diary scattered about. Most of them are from happier times in Reverin, but those who inspect the pages from more recent dates – starting two months ago – will notice worrying signs within the words.

It’s been hard keeping up with all my lessons and now my new job, but I can’t let anyone know. I just have to tough it up. That’s what adults do. But I need to start coming up with better lies. I think some people are getting bothered by how tired I look.

I still can’t believe I was nominated for the Queen of the Flower Festival! It was amazing, but it also showed how many people are counting on me for my smile. They need me to be happy so they can be happy. I can’t let them know how much I’ve been crying. I can’t let anyone know.

I want to go home. I want to go home. I want to go home. I want to go home.

 
What if what's happening to Alastor is gunna happen to me? What if I start forgetting home? My parents, my friends, my life? I'm so scared. But I need to keep a straight face when I see him again. He's done so much for me. Everyone's done so much for me. I can't let them down. I don't want to disappoint them. 

Everyone says the Story Eater is gone, so why are we still here? Doesn’t this mean the story’s over? I’ve been here a year! A whole year! Three hundred and sixty-five days! I’ve missed my own birthday! I want to go home, but when I do, what about all the friends I made here? I don’t want to lose them. I’m scared what mom will think of them. I can’t have both worlds. I can’t choose between them. This isn’t fair. I can’t tell anyone. I can’t bother anyone with this. I’m so dumb. I’m so pathetic.

I want my mom. I want my dad. I want my mom. I want my dad.

I hate this. I hate this world. I hate everyone. I hate myself.

I hate myself I hate myself I hate myself I hate myselfihatemyselfihatemyselfihatemyselfihatemyself

The final entries are dark, blotted scrawls that are impossible to read.

[ OOC: Mei will not be replying to the thread.] 

Disaster

Deep in the heart of the town of Reverin, there are screams and sounds of utter destruction. People fleeing will say a giant bear is attacking the town – no, says another, it’s a giant bird! Another shouts that they must be blind, it was clearly a wolf! While no one can agree on exactly what is causing chaos, it’s clear that this creature is on a rampage and won’t stop on its own. It’s not looking for anything or trying to get at any one thing in particular – it just wants to punch, to claw, to kick, to bite, to topple, to wreck anything it can get its paws on. All that matters is wrecking anything it sees.

So, what is it? It is an eight-foot-tall animal… that, when provoked, changes into a different animal! When someone or something tries to stop it, there’s a POOF of red smoke and sparkles, and then a different creature stands there! But no matter what it turns into, it always has the same rich red hue on its fur, feathers or scales.

If anyone can get closer, the roars it makes sounds very strange… IIIIWAAAANNNNMUUUUHMAAAAAMUUUYY…

Distract

No matter how hard our heroes try, Mei can’t be stopped – she doesn’t even appear to be exhausted! What other options are there? Do they have no choice but to put her down like a rabid animal?

But that’s when someone, perhaps several of them, may remember a vital clue from her wrecked home. Almost everything in it had been destroyed… but one odd thing had been left alone, untouched and undamaged.

The CD-player, and the CD within. Why were those things the only ones she didn’t rip apart and break? Could that be important? And can our valiant heroes find a way to use that in Mei’s hour of need?

Destress

As the last notes go out, Monster Mei closes her eyes and falls to her knees. She tilts her head back, and lets out a long, mournful howl – though it may just be her singing along to the final YOUUUUUUU!

Red smoke swirls around her, this time mixed in with the black of the noctare. It swims faster and faster around her, reaching higher and higher in the sky until she’s completely lost in the smog. Then, in one dramatic clap of thunder, it blasts apart, a huge gust of wind billowing all around her. The smoke evaporates rapidly, leaving tiny sparkles in the air that flutter down but blink out of existence before reaching the ground. There where the monster once stood is now Meilin Lee, human once more.

Her eyelids flutter open, and then she heaves forward, taking huge gulps of air. She then clutches her chest in horror, eyes quick to fill with tears. Her entire body shudders, and she lets out a horrible, aching sob, crumpling in on herself.  As she breaks down, it’s hard to hear what she’s saying past her cries, but it’s not hard to hazard a guess.

“I’m… I’m sorry! I’m so, so, sorry! I’M SO SORRY!”