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Encounter Conditions
Metroplex Day, 2014 onwards
Initial Text
Tiny choking sobs echo to you between the blasts of fireworks. A bit of a crowd has gathered for the fireworks, mostly workers here, but none of them seem to be the source of sobbing.
Closer to the water's edge, you see a distressed child clinging to a woman. She's plastered on her best smile and is trying to cheer him up, but it looks like a lost cause.
Or, after returning the plush:
You run into the family you helped before. The child, despite having his plush, still seems pretty shaken.
He's trying to put on a brave face, but every time one of the fireworks goes off, he flinches visibly.
Summary of Choices
- Talk to her - info
- Talk to him - info
- Return the plush - (With waterlogged plush in your inventory) - info
- Show a roman candle - (After returning the plush, with a roman candle) - gain 20 Cheerful Candle or a collected candle
- Give him your sparkler - (After returning the plush, with an eternal sparkler) - gain returned hound plush, removes this encounter
- Charge them - Fight Ragged Woman, removes this encounter
- Leave them be - walk away
Choice Text and Results
Talk to her
She looks down at him, trying to put on a happy front but obviously exhausted. "Yeah, he's been excited for days to come out… we don't get to ride Metros often and, of course, the fireworks."
"Then the first firework goes off and he drops his doll in the drink. Now he won't stop crying."
She shakes her head, looking more tired than ever. "It'll be fine once he calms down, but the fireworks aren't helping and he refuses to leave until we find his doll."
Or, after returning the plush:
She smiles up at you. "Thanks so much for getting his doll back. He's, well, still afraid of the fireworks but wants to watch them anyway."
"He'll probably grow up liking those horrible Slender Jack movies." She clucks her tongue.
Talk to him
He sniffs once, then lets loose a torrent of words. You catch something about a monster and his best friend and the lake, but it's pretty garbled. Then he bursts into tears.
The woman tries to put on a happy face for him, translating the stream of words as "he got frightened by the fireworks and dropped his doll in the lake."
Or, after returning the plush:
He lets go of her for a moment. "Thank you," he repeats cautiously.
Then another firework goes off and he leaps back into her arms.
Return the plush
His eyes widen to an almost inhuman extent as he accepts the dripping plush and hugs it tight.
The woman ruffles his hair and asks, "what do we say?"
He puts on his best smile and chirps out a well-rehearsed "thank you!"
Show a roman candle
You show off your roman candle to his joy and amazement. Apparently it's not loud enough to startle him, but still bright enough to make him beam.
You've gained 20 duration of Cheerful Candle.
Or, with Cheerful Candle active:
You show off another roman candle to his joy and amazement. He's so excited he runs off with after it burns out.
As he runs off, you notice he dropped the remnants of the last candle you showed him. Apparently this is becoming a habit.
You found: collected candle
Give him your sparkler
You hand him your sparkler. He beams broadly and runs off, drawing something in the air… it looks like "CAR" or maybe "CHR"… his handwriting isn't very good yet. He seems to manage the whole "not burning himself too bad" trick, but she still looks pretty concerned.
He comes back, still clutching the sparkler, and sheepishly hands you his hound plush. When the next firework explodes, he runs off towards the Metros station.
She smiles and heads after him. "Looks like he figured he can bring the fireworks home with him… I'll make sure he doesn't set anything on fire."
You found: returned hound plush
(NOTE: Removes this encounter for the rest of the event.)
Charge them
As you rush them, she shoves the child towards the Metros station and draws a knife to block your path. She holds it with a practiced grip, offset by the chilling anger that pours off her in waves.
(Fight Ragged Woman)
Leave them be
Yeah, she seems to have things under control.
See Walk Away