raiamods: (Default)
raiamods ([personal profile] raiamods) wrote in [community profile] ethyraia2021-05-21 04:56 pm
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◣ OPEN ◢ HATCHING LOG 001

WHO: All PCs
WHAT: New characters arrive on Ethyraia, get interrogated, and settle in at the basecamp.
WHEN: May 21 onward
WHERE: Basecamp Leviathan
NOTES/WARNINGS: Potential character nudity, violence, trypophobia (images) as well as light mentions of gore, alcohol and drug-use, light aphrodisiac effects (optional), and references to mass death.


HATCHING LOG 001 ❀
CONTENT WARNINGS: potential character nudity, violence, trypophobia (images) as well as light mentions of gore, alcohol and drug-use, light aphrodisiac effects (optional), and references to mass death.

Players who participated in our TDM are welcome to keep their CR and the content of those threads. Please make sure to chat this out on the OOC intro & CR meme before making assumptions. Please take your time reading the hatching and basecamp bullets, as some items have been altered or expanded.

❀ HATCHING


Congrats, you've woken up in an egg. I'm sure this is exactly how you wanted to spend your Saturday, right? There's no time to get curious and check out the other egg sacs. By the time you've fought your way out of the membranous sac, spilled electric blue goop everywhere, wiped it out of your eyes and sundry other orifices to get your bearings, you have a spear (or a gun) leveled at your face, throat, or other vital organs. Even if you might be inclined to fight, you can barely lift your arms to protest being grabbed and dragged off. Before you can even get a word in edgewise, you've been thrown into a holding cell.

Characters will not have a chance to retrieve their items at the time of the first hatching, and may not even know there is anything left in the remaining eggs.

The holding cell stinks of something sour and acidic, like rotted citrus, but you are not alone. Several other detainees sit in similar squalid confusion, dressed strangely and equally gooey. Time to make nice, ask questions... figure out what the hell is going on, and maybe do something about all that slime?

Over the next few days, a few things become clear. Despite the alien greeting, your captors speak a language that you understand, and the unpleasant circumstances are revealed to be a matter of necessity, not choice. Supplies are low, but they ensure that the new arrivals' time imprisoned is as painless as can be — they offer hot communal showers of less than three minutes, some strange starchy meal-replacement, and medical treatment to those in need. You might strike up a conversation with your new best friend in the shower over a low soap dispenser or when you realize you might need to share towels.

The cost of these luxuries comes in the form of touch-and-go interrogation by the security officers keeping tabs on the cells and supervising the shower time.

A few notes:
Your character may get pulled away for interrogation at some point. No torture, no drugs; just questioning. If you would like to thread this out, please reply to CAPT CHILDE'S top level comment! A caveat: threads will not go beyond (TEN) NPC replies, and new tag-ins will not be responded to after MAY 24.

☆ Locals will be stopping by outside the freestanding holding cells to ogle or ask questions. Are you really going to be mean to that little kid staring at you with wide eyes?

☆ Characters will be let out for bio breaks. No one has to pee in a bucket, that's just inhumane!

Attempts to escape will probably get you tasered. If your character composes a genius jailbreak, you are welcome to submit it in the MOD QUESTION comment to work out how that might go with the NPCs!

❀ EXPLORE THE BASECAMP

On the heels of a little benign interrogation, a medical inspection, and a stern talking to by Captain Childe, the survivors at Basecamp Leviathan determine one thing: you don't appear to be an active threat.

Released from the detention center after three days, you are given the run-down by the locals — you're on a planet called Ethyraia, and the people around you are survivors of the catastrophic crash of the UCSS Adamant several years prior. You, in fact, showed up on the third anniversary of the crash. Weird coincidence, huh?

The first order of the day is having a proper meal at the mess hall — some of the Adamant's survivors will be friendlier than others. They've been stranded here for years, remember? Some of them will be so desperate to talk to someone who has news of other places, and some will be giving you the cold shoulder.

You'll be fed the same as the rest of them. A plastic plate of crumbled protein of unidentifiable origin and gravy over rice with a single wilted stalk of broccoli and a cup of the worst coffee you've ever had. Maybe somebody bumps into you and spills said coffee, maybe you make it all the way to one of the long tables set out for communal eating.

Time to strike up a chat with your neighbor — maybe ask them to pass the salt?

(What do you mean, there's no salt!?)

During this time, characters will be able to return to the Central Chrysalis where they hatched. While there are no clues as to how they got there, they might find items — their own, or someone else's. Everyone is strapped for supplies, but try not to snatch up anything that isn't yours. The security officers don't look kindly on people chasing one other down the hall, trying to get back their dirty magazines.

A few notes:
☆ Feel free to help out anywhere. Every little bit of assistance you offer to the locals will raise their estimation of you. You could easily help clean dishes after the meal, help fix leaky piping or repair hammocks. You could stop by the aid station and assist with the wounded. You'll be watched closely and some of the survivors will be warier than others, but most will appreciate the opportunity to have a 'break'.

☆ If your character leaves the basecamp and wanders outside the Leviathan, they may begin to notice that what they perhaps took as a giant cave is actually an enormous dragon. Everything that seems human-made will look varying levels of worn down, patched, repaired and patched again. This is not a place of prosperity and happiness. Many people are recently injured, or have new scars or missing limbs.

☆ PCs will be warned about the acid rain and inhospitable wildlife that they'll face if they venture beyond the shade of the dragon's wings.

❀ RECRUITMENT FAIR



You've been here for a week, had a chance to show your mettle. Maybe you've demonstrated a propensity for fixing gadgets (or plumbing!) or you have the command of a natural leader and the ability to wield a gun (or a tire iron!) to great effect. Either way, the Adamant's survivors are eager to put you to work so they can have their first real 'days off' in three years! Survivors have set up their various areas in the hopes of catching your attention and (possibly!) bolster their numbers! Feel free to wander around, talk to other PCs, and get the lay of the land.

ENGINEERING CORPS

Thorkil has welded a sign to a post out front, cheerfully painted by a gaggle of children to say "WELCOME!" The children are crowded around the area, and Thorkil is telling them stories about one of his many tattoos as you approach — he has a magnificent eagle tattooed on his arm, and in a hush he is explaining how it landed on him and tried to bite him like a mosquito, and how he slapped it and it just splattered right there on his arm and he's never been able to wash it off!

The children seem mesmerized by the story (maybe you are too?) and will scatter at the story's conclusion, tugging you over to the various areas, pointing things out excitedly. What is an Ehlers-Chau sublight engine? You're about to find out whether you like it or not! Or maybe you can teach them a thing or two. Those who seem to know their stuff will be eagerly invited on board by Thorkil.

The Engineering division has salvaged its tools and scrap from the Adamant’s wreckage, so it has all of the essentials from metal mills to CNC routers to circuitry tools. A holo projector throws schematics on the wall — a drill, a few potential shelter ideas for long-term settlement, and a new communications tower.

SECURITY DIVISION

Rémi has barely deigned to participate — and seems to have done so only at the request of some of his companions. He's sitting at an unadorned table and he is cleaning a variety of weapons. He will scowl if approached, and seems openly mistrustful of your intentions should you speak to him. Questions about how a conversation with Rémi might go may be posted to the MOD QUESTIONS thread. (Note: We will not be threading Rémi, so these questions will be handwaved!)

Characters who make a positive impression on him will open up the avenue to work for the Security Division later, but he will not be extending any offers now — please allow for a realistic period of development here!

Feel free to lean into another PC's space and comment on how frosty that dude seems! You can also survey the various weapons stored in racks, help out with building spears, the usual suspects.

THEATRE

The theatre doubles as a childcare center, and many of the NPCs bustling about seem very excited and eager for the chance to talk to anyone who ventures in to visit. The theatre is bright and cheerful, paintings have been done on the walls of scenes from children's stories featuring colorful characters.

The thespians will not only try to recruit you (for acting in a play, for teaching, for script writing, for drawing on the walls or caring for children) but they will actively put you to work if they see you standing idle longer than a moment! Your character may find themselves with a paintbrush in hand, or taking part in a recital for a play (you're free to invent one, or put a new spin on an old classic! Romeo and Julio, anyone?) or building a set piece for one of the many local productions.

The Theatre doubles as the protective hub in times of need, so beyond arts education and babysitting, your character may also be tasked with shoring up those defenses, helping to fortify the walls, or other such tasks. And who knows, they may be paired off with someone else rather unexpectedly!

AID STATION

Sunya Hyacinth is the local medical doctor, fueled by coffee and spite. She doesn't have the time to recruit personally — she's flitting about the aid station seeing to the injured.

If you follow her, she will put you to work. Hold this stent, articulate this dislocation, take this blood pressure reading. If anyone appears to have a proficiency for this sort of work, she may inquire after credentials — and anyone who seems to have medical experience is going to immediately be handed the medic's armband, a white band with a blue cross emblazoned on it. This armband will grant any PC an extra amount of respect and trust from the Adamant's survivors — but you'd better be able to live up to it!

Feel free to treat any injured PCs, converse with other 'recruits', help pin that white and blue arm-band on... you know, anything under the sun. Some of the patients in the medical bay seem to be suffering from the adverse effects of some of the local flora — itching hives or burning pustules. One unfortunate soul seems only able to speak in limericks, which the medical staff will admit is one of the odder things they’ve seen.

SANITATION

CONTENT WARNING: DRUG REFERENCES

It's a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it! There are always latrines to be dug, pipes to be repaired, general maintenance to be done on the various sanitation systems.

A nervous-looking janitor will approach your character almost shyly, and ask if you wouldn't mind giving her a hand. If you are willing to help her (fix a pipe, dig a hole, etc), she will gradually warm up to you and seem more animated and lively and very, very grateful. Won't you please consider working with the Sanitation crew? Sure, it's not as glamorous as some of the other duties, but they're the backbone of the Basecamp and they could really use the help!

She'll even let you in on a little secret if you really butter her up or show an interest — the Sanitation Crew? Totally has a little underground greenhouse where they're growing marijuana. They're totally willing to share...

Feel free to dig latrines alongside your fellow PCs, or maybe even share a joint. It's a way to pass the time, right? PCs serving in sanitation will also have an easier time overhearing the gossip that spreads around the base, since no one looks twice at them.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

CONTENT WARNING: REFERENCES TO MASS DEATH

During their first two weeks in the basecamp, any character who stops by one of the various houses of worship (in addition to a church, a synagogue, and a mosque, there is a temple with small statues to fifteen different unfamiliar deities, many of whom seem to be from different faiths), the gymnasium, or the mess hall will come across a stand that hosts a dozen or so packages.

Wrapped in the black emergency blankets that many bring with them to and from the bunks, these packages are about one cubic foot and contain folded clothes in roughly the same sizes. The styles are all different and highly individualized. Some are luxe, some are basic, and some are clearly the undershirt (but not the proper outerwear) for uniforms of the Adamant’s crew. Warm-faced folks eagerly give out a single package to each new hatchling. Along with the clothing and blanket, hatchlings will receive basic packages containing basic toiletries — bar soap, a toothbrush, a straight razor, etc.

Come by at the wrong time, and you might see a fight break out. A young person, red-faced, shouts at the volunteers working these stands, “Those were our people! Our families! We should be the one to decide what’s done with what they left behind.”

In hushed tones, clearly trying to keep this from becoming a conflict, the lead volunteer insists, “Take it up with Captain Childe.”


A few notes:
Feel free to have your character sign on to help out with any of the listed divisions, with the exception of security.

☆ Characters may collect one (1) care package from the community outreach program. If your character intends to come back for more, please let us know in the Mod Questions thread.

☆ Feel free to ask for light NPC interactions in the MOD QUESTIONS header; we can give you a general idea of how a conversation might go! Like with the Captain Childe threads, none of these threads will be lengthy, and new tag-ins will not be responded to after MAY 24.

❀ THE DREAMING

You are standing at the edge of an immense, underground lake. Water laps at the shore, echoing in the cavern. There is a sense of peace and warmth and — welcome.

A creature emerges from the lake and approaches you. Its gills flutter, its eyes are a faint bioluminescent glow in the darkness. It reaches out to touch you — one long, elegant finger presses against your chest. It feels as if it might crack your sternum open and ferret beneath your bones as if looking, looking for something. Yet, there is no malice from it, and you feel no fear.

But the creature relents. It backs up. Bows to you once, and then turns and walks back into the water.

You stay for some time at the edge of the lake. Eventually, it seems as if another person is here with you, or perhaps they simply came into focus after being here just as long as you. Should you speak with them?

A few notes:
PCs may interact with one another in the dreams. They will be in a semi-conscious state, not wholly aware they are dreaming and not wholly under the impression of its normalcy.

☆ Your character will wake up naturally from the Dreaming, they will feel peaceful and refreshed.
The lake, if they choose to swim in it while dreaming, would be perceived as the perfect ambient temperature for them — some characters may prefer it to be warmer or colder!

☆ If they duck below the water, they will see far-off glittering city lights, but no matter how they try to swim towards them they will never get any closer!

☆ If your character tries to drink the water, they might notice that for a few minutes after they wake they can hear little snippets of NPC thoughts. Weird!

☆ Every character will have a small, pale lilac mark where they were touched on the chest. It will fade over the next few days.

❀ FETCH QUEST

CONTENT WARNING: REFERENCES TO LIGHT APHRODISIAC EFFECTS

A small, perky woman corrals you somewhere near the latrines. "Hey!" she says insistently, pushing her hat back and sending a spill of inky curls askew from her forehead. "We need a hand. There's this plant we get for Sunya — the Doc? You met her yet? — it's a painkiller. Go through a shitload of that, which I'm sure is quite surprising," she says all this in a single breath, and her expression is sour despite her cheery tone.

"You any good at botany? We need another round of Starspire root. Can't harvest the ones we've got in camp, they've been a little cranky lately. You'll have to go about four kilometers due west, towards the old Adamant wreck. Just watch them — if they start to sweat, you'll need to get under cover, means the acid rain is coming. I'll upload the specs to your Comm."

Seems like you're being partnered with somebody else for the run — another person looking perhaps about as equally haggard as you, and at least as equally voluntold. Hopefully you won't run into any difficulties — how hard can retrieving one plant be?

A few notes:
☆ Feel free to have random monster encounters along the way! Don’t forget to wait for approvals on bestiary submissions before incorporating them into threads.

☆ The plants are at a high elevation, so they will exist on rocky outcroppings along a cliff-face. The landscape here is mostly high desert, which means it is full of thin, calf-high grasses, scrub plants, and non arable land polluted by dense, alkaline soil and rocks. Be creative in how you get there!

☆ Somebody gets hurt? Here, chew this root! They said it was a painkiller, right? What's the worst that could happen? (People can get a little ... flirtatious, shall we say.)

☆ Or you could go one step further and try exploring portions of the Adamant! Remember, the ship itself was built to house seventy thousand people — it's the size of a city, and it cannot be adequately explored in an afternoon! If you'd like anything specific to come of this, or if you’d like to know specifics about the Adamant’s layout, please consider submitting a plot request!.

cleaningsolutions: (Default)

sanitation

[personal profile] cleaningsolutions 2021-05-24 01:37 am (UTC)(link)
[Aside from her gray tinge and weirdly intense stare, the most notable thing about Mops and seeing her at work is that her hands are enormous, even for her general size. Her gray-bedded nails are very thick, raised even. For all that, she's very deft and dexterous.

She's been taking apart her well-worn alien shop vac methodically, piece by piece, and mostly listening to people talk rather than contributing herself. They speak a little differently from how cured humans do, even if she still hears them as speaking in Human, and that's interesting. Besides, she's more interested in what other people have to say in general.]


Is that more of that - [Doc reads her hesitation and flashes a pronunciation guide onto her monocle, the green visor over one eye.] marijuana?
trassel: (41.)

[personal profile] trassel 2021-05-24 01:45 am (UTC)(link)
It will never happen.

[ It's rare that one gets to kill two birds with one stone, and the perfect opportunity has landed in his lap only to be snatched up in a moment. So Matthias smiles, slowly, purposefully, with just this curve of mischief. ]
trassel: (37.)

[personal profile] trassel 2021-05-24 01:51 am (UTC)(link)
No, only that they are dangerous.

[ — were those rats safe to eat, actually? He's not sure he really wants to find out, but beggars can't also be choosers. ]

But they must feed on something. I'm sure that if we work together, [ realising that it could mean him and her specifically... which is weird, he quickly adds, ], all of us with the relevant skills, it will be worthwhile. We will be able to go farther and for a little longer than they have been able to.
mylawn: (hhraaghrngh)

[personal profile] mylawn 2021-05-24 01:56 am (UTC)(link)
[Ugh, don't remind him of the eggs. His face is hidden, but it's easy to imagine the cringe underneath. It’s possible that recent events were not exactly his favorite thing, but it is good to know he’s dealing with someone else who's been kidnapped (because that's what this is, a kidnapping) and not one of the locals.

So he'll nod in acknowledgement of the introduction, but it seems he's not going to return the favor.
]

And you've got no idea how you got here, I take it?
neversmall: (084)

[personal profile] neversmall 2021-05-24 02:01 am (UTC)(link)
[ Nina is delighted. She laughs, leaning and tracing her hand down the edge of his coat, tugging it slightly in bits and pieces on her way down before releasing him from her touch, but not her smile. ]

Suddenly, never doesn't seem quite so far away.

[ He's stunning. Electrifying. As steady as the deep roots of a tree. And she wants him. ]
neversmall: (008)

[personal profile] neversmall 2021-05-24 02:32 am (UTC)(link)
[ ...well. Nina supposes that finding a way back would be more of a priority for Alina. And it's not a large leap to realize that she should help Alina do that, wants to help Alina do that, even. The sun summoner and the general should not be here.

Sending them back, but particularly Alina back, is important. It rises reluctantly in her priorities to make it to the top... oh... five. ]


We do have to. I'm interested in learning more about the Chrysalis they said was responsible for it, even if they weren't sure how exactly it happened. [ Her hand comes up to rub over the lilac mark on her chest and Nina shakes her head before fastening a large, silver locket around her neck. ] But that dream makes me wonder if it was quite as simple as they seemed to believe.
mylawn: (pic#10467983)

[personal profile] mylawn 2021-05-24 02:33 am (UTC)(link)
Maybe in your future.

[Because he's still wrapping his mind around not only different planets, but different versions of Earth entirely. He hasn't had much of an opportunity to dig into the history of how the survivors of the Adamant go there, but he can venture a guess that it's fairly divergent from what he knows. And what Vidar knows, too.]

Lots of reasons. Humans are good at using everything up.

[They had made strides, but things like a changing climate and humanitarian disasters were not a thing of the past. He can't imagine spending so much time and energy trying to get out of the solar system when there were still things to do back home.]
needfully: (pic#14777358)

[personal profile] needfully 2021-05-24 02:33 am (UTC)(link)
[ Illumi does not follow suit in giving that wave, but he does watch. All he's really done is watch at this booth, since he's much more interested in developing a good understanding of the type of person that runs security than trying to join it himself. He hums. ]

They've likely already lost a lot of people to not understanding the planet. [ Many lives were definitely spent just figuring out how to survive here in the hodgepodge way they're doing it now. Of that, he's certain. ] Taking new people onto this division would probably cause more of that.

[ Its true that everyone who hatched is not going to know anything about the flora and fauna, or about the geography or weather of the planet. In Illumi's mind, it makes perfect sense that these people don't want strangers who are unprepared for the environment thinking they're Hot Shit™ and getting more people killed. ]

At least, that's my theory on how they're thinking. For now.
sunmon: (pic#14873539)

[personal profile] sunmon 2021-05-24 02:38 am (UTC)(link)
Right. All of us.

[ not the two of them in particular, obviously. a ceasefire isn't the same thing as active collaboration or, saints forbid, some kind of camaraderie. she straightens up a little. ]

Well ... good luck. If I hear anything about what they've been hunting, I'll let you know. And if you need a mapmaker, you can message me. [ she fumbles for the comms device in her pocket, holding it up. ]
sunmon: (pic#14854103)

[personal profile] sunmon 2021-05-24 02:40 am (UTC)(link)
Do you think it did something to us?

[ everywhere she turns, things seem to be out of alina's control. the only time she'd ever felt powerful and in control was the night of the winter fete, right before her feet had been swept out from under her. she'd like, for once, to be in charge of herself. ]
neversmall: (114)

[personal profile] neversmall 2021-05-24 02:46 am (UTC)(link)
It's possible, I suppose. [ She begins to gather up the rest of her things, to hang the towel up to dry. Her movements are efficient, but her brows are furrowed. ] Though... in the dream, it didn't feel like it. And that wasn't what I meant, I just meant... there may be more than one factor than an ensign having an accident.

[ She suddenly glances at Alina. ]

I wonder if any of the Adament crew have ever have that dream.
trassel: (51.)

[personal profile] trassel 2021-05-24 02:46 am (UTC)(link)
[ Yeah. All of us. Because not striking first isn't the same as not striking ever, and such blatant exceptions cannot be for enemies Matthias was made to fight. It renders the past six years meaningless, all that pain for nothing, to not see them as things to destroy. His family's ghosts, surely, would not forgive him. As his broken oath whispers in his ear again. ]

[ His attention fixes on the little watch. He'd had no end of frustration with it. ]

With that. Yes.

[ — no idea how. ]
sunmon: (100)

[personal profile] sunmon 2021-05-24 02:52 am (UTC)(link)
[ he hesitates. and because he hesitates, alina tips her head just slightly. she has to wonder. it had been hard for her to adjust to, too. but she can't very well point out that he can't do it. he's already poised to hate her. ]


... Do you need my username?
sunmon: (Default)

[personal profile] sunmon 2021-05-24 02:54 am (UTC)(link)
I haven't asked. [ she shakes her head. ] I thought it must be a Grisha thing because —

[ the stag. baghra's harpy voice fills her ears, the snarling accusation that alina had nearly enabled her own enslavement with those dreams. ]

You know. [ her heart flutters. ] It's so weird.
portolan: (a r m s c r o s s e d)

[personal profile] portolan 2021-05-24 03:13 am (UTC)(link)
[ balthier hasn't heard the term "ops" before but he can put two and two together with "special." not a bad partner to have. the former is interesting. because they are here on this planet, or because he quit? ]

Won't be missing them, truth be told. How about you, what do you usually get homesick for?

[ balthier had caught the detail -- weirdest things that get you. Former Special Ops here had been away from home before too. ]
neversmall: (108)

1/2

[personal profile] neversmall 2021-05-24 03:14 am (UTC)(link)
[ ...Alina, wtf.

Look, Nina tries not to key in to the ambient 'noise' of heartbeats all around her, but she can't miss that.

Why? ]
neversmall: (101)

[personal profile] neversmall 2021-05-24 03:16 am (UTC)(link)
...have you been having weird dreams like this before coming here? [ Nina very deliberately does not say Alina's name. She's not going to trap her any more than a yes or no question already traps her.

Why does she seem so scared? ]
morozova: (pic#14888098)

[personal profile] morozova 2021-05-24 03:17 am (UTC)(link)
You have a way with them, the children.

( though given her background, perhaps this shouldn't surprise him. what does surprise him is that they are so willing to entrust the care of their children to strangers, even ones as charming as he knows alina is capable of being. )
sunmon: (Default)

[personal profile] sunmon 2021-05-24 03:20 am (UTC)(link)
It's not difficult.

[ she hunches her shoulders a bit. ]

They're like any other person. [ well, no. ] Less cruel, I think.

[ she had always been treated terribly by people at the orphanage — fellow children — but it had gotten worse as she got older, not better.

she peeks at the engineering department as they pass it. there are a few kids scrambling around trying to right thorkil's sign again after it had fallen over. alina smiles. it's genuine. she's doing better at not thinking too hard about whose arm hers are wrapped around.
]
Edited 2021-05-24 03:29 (UTC)
needfully: (pic#14879361)

[personal profile] needfully 2021-05-24 03:20 am (UTC)(link)
[ If Bruno thought Illumi was weird before, he's about to learn more about his strange personality, because Illumi really only stares as that hand is offered to him. His opinion of the man next him is, of course, a neutral one: the man clearly had some applicable skills, between the way he acts under pressure and that strange, space manipulating ability. Illumi can acknowledge that, from a removed standpoint, this person is a useful one to have around in a pinch. But a handshake?

It feels a little too personal - in a way he finds foreign. When was the last time he shook hands with someone? There's no need for two people who find each other mutually helpful to have around to shake hands, so he simply leaves Bruno hanging like a weirdo, nodding at the name as he commits it to memory. ]


I'm Illumi.

[ While he doesn't follow through with the handshake, his voice still retains an agreeable, melodious tone, while his face remains effortlessly blank. At the very least, it doesn't seem like he finds this awkward at all, considering how he makes direct eye contact with Bruno as he continues speaking. ]

Nice to officially meet you, since we might work together again sometime. Given that those scientists survived. I imagine that kind of outcome is the end goal of this division, after all.
sunmon: (Default)

[personal profile] sunmon 2021-05-24 03:24 am (UTC)(link)
[ caught.

the fact that nina calls her out on this but not the earlier thing confirms that she cannot, as it turns out, fool a heartrender. not well, anyway. but she had managed to get the comment about the kefta and the general over on her, it seemed. the fact that there was a line, and that her previous comment had slid under it, suggests to alina that she might be able to pull this off.

(narrator voice: she was incorrect. she would not be able to pull this off.)

the same could not be said, apparently, for the matter of the stag.
]

Oh. It's stupid. It's probably nothing. [ a beat. ] You know the legends of Morozova's stag? I keep seeing it. Only ... the Apparat gave me a copy of Istorii Sankt'ya. It must be that. [ on the brain, obviously. ]
cryptoherpetology: (068)

Alex Price (InCryptid)

[personal profile] cryptoherpetology 2021-05-24 03:26 am (UTC)(link)
a. Counting Crow

Since Alex can't ever go too long without doing something gross in the name of science, once it's clear that he's allowed to do so, he almost immediately heads right back to the chrysalis chamber, hoping to learn literally anything from the place. He's a cryptoherpetologist. If anything ever has called for one, it's a cave that's actually the reproductive system of a petrified dragon that's suddenly developed posthumous interspecies, interdimensional parthenogenesis.

"Well, grandma's going to love hearing about this one, for sure," he says to himself, crouching down to examine a piece of eggshell.

And then a wet (but thankfully not still slimily wet) mass of black fur and feathers slams into his midsection, making excited, squawking chirruping noises.

"Crow?!" despite having the wind out of him, Alex sounds Delighted. "Crow! Hey, buddy! I didn't know you were here! You have no idea how happy I am to see you- ok, yes, I know, you probably don't like that stuff in your fur, I'm sorry. I didn't pick this method of travel. At least you had context for it."

The animal he's talking to is a little taller than a corgi, but a little less broad. He has the hindquarters, tail and ears of something like a large-breed, long-haired cat and the wings, beak and talons of a very large raven. The sounds are somewhere in between cat and bird as well, with lots of excited trills, clicking and his trademark I'm-hungry-feed-me mewing croak sounds.

Maybe science can wait a minute or two.

b. "But I'm Not That Kind of- Oh, Alright, OK, hand me the bandages..."

Alex has a solid enough understanding of anatomy to be a halfway deecent nurse with the potential to actually be good if given enough practice and little enough failure. His stitches are fast and neat and he doesn't flinch or do much more else than wince in sympathy at the sight of some nastier wounds or symptoms.

Until he overhears something and has to do a double-take.

"Wait. What?"

Did he hear that right- the next patient's symptoms are entirely new to him.

[ ooc note; Make up some wacky space ailment maybe? Or go with the Limerick one.]

c. Dreaming of You. Literally

Alex watches in rapt, awed fascination as the creature approaches him. The feeling is strange and familiar in some way at the same time. He even finds himself curious about the pain in his chest- calmly wondering what purpose it serves and how he might communicate to this creature that he means it no harm.

But before he can even speak again, it's bowing and leaving.

He looks over, surprised to see a face he thinks he saw in passing before coming to this lake. "Huh. One of the stranger ways to say 'Hello' I've seen. How long have you been here?"

d. Wildcard me with your own prompt.

I have absolutely no tagging style preferences and will switch to match whatever you hit me with, be it brackets or prose.
Edited 2021-05-24 03:41 (UTC)
morozova: (pic#14889633)

[personal profile] morozova 2021-05-24 03:29 am (UTC)(link)
Have you?

( mildly; this surprises him far less than the fact that alina neglected to pass along this information, allowing him to believe that it was only the two of them, here. perhaps she hadn't known?

regardless, there will be words had about this later. )


Then I suppose you understand just how unfortunate our present circumstances are.

( well, beyond the obvious. )

I am glad you are safe. The little word we had, well... ( he's beginning to suspect that they aren't all from the same points in time (a bizarre situation, to say the least) and rather than exposing his lack of knowledge he lets the sentence linger, allowing her to fill in the blanks. )
trassel: (31.)

[personal profile] trassel 2021-05-24 03:37 am (UTC)(link)
You can keep thinking that.

[ He resists the urge to reach out and grasp her arm or run his own hand along it. There are too many people here, and even this much, a smile, feels brazen — drawn out of him in a flash like a magician pulls a bright cloth from a sleeve, and waves it for the crowd. ]

[ But Nina ia delighted, and he continues to smile at her, not fighting it too hard. ]

As for me, I think I will use our break wisely. Do you want some water?
morozova: (pic#14889637)

[personal profile] morozova 2021-05-24 03:37 am (UTC)(link)
Or at least more honest.

( which isn't entirely the same thing. )

How old were you, when you were brought to the orphanage? Do you remember?

( there's doubtless a report on his desk somewhere detailing all the specifics, every bit of information they have of alina starkov, but they are not in ravka and he has never been particularly adept at small talk. )