raiamods: (Default)
raiamods ([personal profile] raiamods) wrote in [community profile] ethyraia2021-05-21 04:56 pm
Entry tags:

◣ 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!.

sunmon: (Default)

[personal profile] sunmon 2021-05-24 05:09 am (UTC)(link)
[ no.

no, this isn't how it's supposed to go. he's supposed to lie. spin a pretty web that keeps her small and complacent and in some little box so that he can use her later. that's the picture that baghra painted. he isn't supposed to tell the truth. he isn't supposed to admit his withholding.

alina stops dead in the midst of the hallway. a few people bump into them, though she lets go of aleksander's arm to let him continue on as she becomes a rock in a stream. her jaw is slack, her brow furrowed. the confusion is the most real thing she's given him since that night, even if she points it in the wrong direction.
]

What?
swordjock: (12)

[personal profile] swordjock 2021-05-24 05:11 am (UTC)(link)
[ When Cal jumps up, Adora assumes he's about to join her in the fight, and confusion is written all over her face when he instead attempts to placate her. ]

Buddy? [ She half laughs, half scoffs in sheer disbelief; staff still raised in preparation for another strike. ] Trust me, that thing is no one's buddy. There's already a self destruct mechanism armed, just waiting for you to get close—

[ A pregnant pause hangs in the air, broken only by Adora's sudden, sharp intake of breath. ]

Oh. Ohhh. [ She lowers her staff, glancing around the room to make sure nobody else followed her lead in attacking the droid. Fortunately, it looks like she was the only one stupid (and paranoid) enough to do more than just gawk, and she follows Cal's gaze to where BD-1 is picking himself back up. ] I'm sorry, I thought... nevermind. It... uh, he, isn't damaged, is he?
capt_childe: (Default)

[personal profile] capt_childe 2021-05-24 05:11 am (UTC)(link)
"No one has answered our distress call because our long-range systems array was destroyed in our crash. We've done extensive incident reports on what happened — none of which I'm going to make an outsider privy to, before you ask," she adds, her tone quite dry, "which cleared all our personnel from any wrongdoing. We got hit by an electrical disturbance in space, it killed our systems, we got roped in by the gravity well of an uncharted planet." It was textbook, and she's still fucking mad about it. There were a thousand things they could have done differently, but they had no way of knowing. The disturbance didn't show up on any of their instruments. She isn't going to fault her people for not looking for something they had no idea existed in the first place.

"If you think you can get the Adamant back into space without ultraluminal thrusters to get eighty hundred and nine metric tonnes off the ground, without enough of an engineering corps to rebuild it before the acid rain eats what progress you've made, and with barely enough supplies to keep ourselves fit, you can be my guest. I'll gladly sing your accolades after you've got us all back to Earth." She speaks coolly, but there's real anger simmering under there that this upstart boy would come in and start interrogating her in ways that question the skill and smarts of a group just trying to survive. "The Adamant is a tilted wreck, getting worse every time the acid rain comes around. It's also a mass grave for nearly twenty-five thousand souls. We had our reasons for leaving."
capt_childe: (Default)

[personal profile] capt_childe 2021-05-24 05:13 am (UTC)(link)
Does he need a minute? She supposes being brought to an unknown world by means of a mysterious egg would give even the stoutest of hearts a run for their money. "All right, Banshee, where are you from?"
figlia_morbida: ([inner universe])

[personal profile] figlia_morbida 2021-05-24 05:16 am (UTC)(link)
[Okay, he's the highly practical sort. She can't fault him for that...

Just like he doesn't seem to fault her for her guilty conscience either. So far, at least. She feels a little embarrassed for presuming right away, but she shrugs a shoulder to shake off the feeling.
]

I wasn't saying that.

[Whether she likes it or not, these supplies all used to belong to someone who's dead now. Clothes were far more noticeable, certainly, but she supposes the difference doesn't matter. Those people are dead, their remains as scattered as their belongings, and there's no covering up that reality.]

Clothes carry a lot of a person's image with them, that's all. Even when that person is gone.

[She gestures vaguely.]

But it wouldn't do us any good to go without, and if they want our help, I suppose it's only logical. Besides...green seems to be your color more than mine.

[Not really, actually, but he seems to like it more. There, new justification for pawning it off on him!!!!]
morozova: by @axisandallies (gk-sab3)

[personal profile] morozova 2021-05-24 05:17 am (UTC)(link)
Baghra is my mother.

( his tone sits somewhere between bashful and apologetic. )

It's not widely known, of course. Given what we are, it would be a danger for people to know of our relation. Much as I'd pity anyone that tried to harm her.
fortyforged: (Yep)

[personal profile] fortyforged 2021-05-24 05:21 am (UTC)(link)
To be fair that's part of it. He doesn't usually set foot outside of the City, let alone the Tower. There's no familiar reference points, and the treatment if not the distrustful looks is a bit unsettling. The Exo nods to himself, refocusing on the woman at the other side of the desk.

"Earth. The Last City," he replies, the latter in addendum.
sunmon: (pic#14854119)

[personal profile] sunmon 2021-05-24 05:26 am (UTC)(link)
What you ...

[ she works through it, slowly. that he's admitting she is a shadow summoner too. that he is telling her that baghra's his mother.

no. she's giving him too much credit. it's not the same as honesty. he can tell her he's ancient and terrifying, tell her that his mother has been right there at the little palace the whole time, tell her whatever he wants to except for the thing which matters most. it won't change anything. it can't.
]

What both of you are. [ she exhales slowly. a tiny sliver of her mind tries to hold onto some lesser heartbreak. she thinks of her mistrust of baghra, of all the pain she'd caused alina and marie and nadia and every other grisha, and she wonders if maybe the truth is more convenient. baghra could be the black heretic. aleksander could simply be protecting his mother, trying to correct her mistake. she'd known everything of the details of the fold's creation, she was equally eternal, she —

but alina knows these things aren't true. no matter how she tries to hold onto them. baghra is an awful, bitter, angry woman who mistreats the grisha who come to her that she claims to be helping. alina does not trust her further than she could throw her, and alina knows that she wouldn't win that fight. but she also knows that she's not the black heretic.

aleksander is.
]

So you bear all of it. Alone. [ the chapel is nearby. in view, even. it won't take much longer to get to it, to gather their allotted supplies. but alina can't make her feet move. ]
capt_childe: (Default)

[personal profile] capt_childe 2021-05-24 05:32 am (UTC)(link)
She exhales, long and even through her nose as she sets aside the latest of her peeled tubers. He's being genial enough, gentle and firm in that way she knows to associate as the approach of someone who has lacked power in their life but has grown accustomed to wielding it just the same. Yet it still angers her, less that he's questioning her command — she encourages that, keeps her on her toes — and more that he's speaking as if she hasn't considered the autonomy of her people.

"We ask when we can. Not everyone agrees, even within families. I'm of the opinion that the rights and needs of the living trump the dead, even when it's painful." Her tone is less gentle than his, but equally firm. "We respect what we can, when we can. But we don't always have the luxury."
capt_childe: (NEUTRAL)

[personal profile] capt_childe 2021-05-24 05:43 am (UTC)(link)
Christ, was she ever that young? It's like looking in a shorter, blonder mirror, and Childe would be amused if it wasn't so obnoxious. This must have been what Patel meant when he said she was a nightmare in her youth. Piss and vinegar even beneath the exhaustion.

"Not meant to be much of an interrogation room," she says back with equal amounts of cocky attitude. She isn't a young woman any more, but by God she's earned her arrogance. "And am I to congratulate you, I suppose, on your keen powers of observation? You can tell time. We're all very impressed." She leans back in her chair and takes up her cup of coffee, taking an idle sip that's barely marred by a grimace for the taste (or lack thereof.)

"We're quarantining you for health, safety and security purposes. Or do you, in your infinite wisdom and experience, suggest you're advocating for more of an open door policy for interdimensional travelers showing up in the middle of your population of vulnerable survivors of a terrible tragedy?"
capt_childe: (Default)

[personal profile] capt_childe 2021-05-24 05:50 am (UTC)(link)
Oh for pity's sake, she's tired of these upstart youths. She presses her thumb into her temple to drive off a headache that's threatening to overwhelm her. "I don't care about your ridiculous bravado, child. I'm trying to tabulate where everyone is from so I can entertain the eventual idea of getting you all home when we have something approaching time and resources. Answer me or don't."
capt_childe: (Default)

[personal profile] capt_childe 2021-05-24 05:53 am (UTC)(link)
After the variety of personalities she's dealt with today, this one is a damn relief. She looks grateful for it, too, and her expression has thawed considerably from the customary icy stoicism. "Well, what are you most interested in learning? Some things are classified, but I'll tell you what I can."
morozova: by @@axisandallies (pic#14918595)

the darkling (shadow & bone)

[personal profile] morozova 2021-05-24 07:16 am (UTC)(link)
prompts in comments! feel free to hit me up at [plurk.com profile] resurrectionist or via pm for additional plotting.
ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍɪɴɢ
ғᴇᴛᴄʜ ǫᴜᴇsᴛ
ᴛʜᴇᴀᴛʀᴇ
ᴄʜʀʏsᴀʟɪs
ᴡɪʟᴅᴄᴀʀᴅ
Edited 2021-05-24 08:00 (UTC)
morozova: [ used with permission ] (pic#14885239)

⥼ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍɪɴɢ

[personal profile] morozova 2021-05-24 08:07 am (UTC)(link)
( his first thought is of rusalye and of the women he was said to have dragged beneath the waves. a children's story, of course. fluff and fantasy. but it's enough to bring him up short, tense and wary, while he endures the creature's scrutiny.

the stag had been similarly alien. ancient in a way that stretched beyond even his understanding.

once it departs, some of the tension leaves his shoulders. )


I wonder, ( he muses aloud, crouching to study the surface of the lake, as if debating following after the creature. )

Have you ever heard the story of Sankta Ursula and the Waves?
Edited 2021-05-24 08:37 (UTC)
morozova: by @frathouse (pic#14920510)

⥼ ғᴇᴛᴄʜ ǫᴜᴇsᴛ

[personal profile] morozova 2021-05-24 08:36 am (UTC)(link)
Ⓐ - ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʟɪғғs
( it's an excuse to leave the camp. for that reason alone, he'd be happy to take up the call.

the land is hard and unfriendly. it's difficult to imagine anything at all growing here, much less something as temperamental as these plants are said to be, but eventually—possibly after an encounter or two with some of what passes for the local wildlife—they make their way to the cliffs.

the challenge, now, is in figuring out how to scale the cliff-face. perhaps it's time to look at whatever supplies you've hauled all the way from basecamp? )


Ⓑ - ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴅᴀᴍᴀɴᴛ
( the wreckage means nothing to him, ultimately, even if it's an impressive sight to behold.

after a moment, he sets a palm against the hull. )


I did not think I would see something that would put a dragon to shame, and yet, here we are.
swordjock: (216)

[personal profile] swordjock 2021-05-24 08:45 am (UTC)(link)
Health, safety, and security. It's a far cry from the Horde, where only the last would have been of any concern. In contrast to the recruits, there was no effort wasted on feeding propaganda to prisoners, making them believe they were there for any reason except to be broken and disposed of. So Childe gets points for that... and immediately loses them for her attitude problem. She's far more oblivious as to why it grates on her so much to be treated the same way she's acting.

Adora still sits up straighter to address her more formally, soldier to soldier; (former) captain to captain. With her main concern assuaged (these people clearly have nothing to do with Horde Prime), she takes the opening she's been given to talk, making sure her voice stays calm and level.

"I am, actually." She sympathizes, in a way. Three years ago, she would have found the notion ridiculous, but while she can understand Childe's cautiousness, she's seen what treating people with kindness can do. "I know you don't have any reason to trust us, but think about things from our perspective. None of us have any idea how, or why, we came here in the first place. Honestly? I'd say we're even more confused than you are. But that doesn't make us enemies."

She's speaking for a group of dozens that she's barely talked to five of, but she's confident in her conclusions. Too confident, maybe; eager to project good where she hasn't yet seen bad. It's always been her weakness.

"Look, I'm sorry for whatever happened to you before we showed up, but keeping us locked in a cell is just a drain on your supplies. So my suggestion is that you start letting us help. Not with anything critical, but with repairs, resource acquisition, digging trenches. Things your own people can check on, and that won't pose an immediate danger if someone screws up."

Expression firm, she locks eyes with Childe, reaching out a hand across the space between them.

"If you're willing to give us a chance, then I'll answer whatever questions you have, Captain Childe."
neversmall: (079)

[personal profile] neversmall 2021-05-24 11:35 am (UTC)(link)
[ Happy to be close to him, Nina quickly ensconces herself in the place he's made for her. She rests her head for a moment on his shoulder - but only for a moment, sensing he would not be comfortable with too much so publicly. Instead she raises her head and glances around, becoming aware of a missing piece. ]

Where's Trass?
trassel: (43.)

[personal profile] trassel 2021-05-24 11:53 am (UTC)(link)
[ It's a private joy — to only make a small motion, or manage one-quarter of the way, and Nina fills the gap of the other three-quarters at once. Out here it can't be half and half, but there will be other moments; one to make up for this one. ]

[ Matthias glances towards the doors of the theatre, where not even a shadowy outline of a wolf can be seen. ]

He doesn't like it in here.

[ And read: Matthias didn't order him in anyway. Trass isn't fond of children. ]
neversmall: (101)

[personal profile] neversmall 2021-05-24 12:08 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Nina follows Matthias' glance to the doorway and - no isenulf. Her brows furrow. ]

It's too loud?

[ Matthias is warm and steady beside her; he doesn't seem too concerned, but... ]
Edited 2021-05-24 12:27 (UTC)
trassel: (51.)

[personal profile] trassel 2021-05-24 12:29 pm (UTC)(link)
[ A brisk nod. ]

And too enclosed. He's not so fond of other people.

[ One might wonder how Trass has managed previously with the other children, but he always sticks close to Matthias, and if there's too much of a crowd around them they find a way out of it. In here, there's too much shrieking, and too much want for play. ]
neversmall: (067)

[personal profile] neversmall 2021-05-24 01:06 pm (UTC)(link)
[ She makes a soft, thoughtful sound. Her gaze flickers between Matthias and the door.

She can understand not liking enclosed spaces. She's not sure how she'll fare, the next time she has to get on a ship. Her gaze returns to Matthias and she murmurs: ]


And how are you doing, in this loud, enclosed space?

[ He'd seemed content. He seems... fairly okay here. But there are still landmines between them and she isn't sure. ]
trassel: (46.)

[personal profile] trassel 2021-05-24 01:27 pm (UTC)(link)
[ They reach the table. Matthias flashes her a quick, warm smile as he hands her a bottle — her concern for him has stayed in ambush all this while, waiting for the right moment to come out into the open and be recognised. Truly, quite devious. ]

[ But he is fine. She's here. Things aren't necessarily easy or comfortable, but can be faced. ]

I'm fine, Nina.

[ He reaches out to touch her arm lightly. ]

I slept very well.
arnaults: (029)

[personal profile] arnaults 2021-05-24 01:34 pm (UTC)(link)
I sing. [ that's one hell of an understatement - but what will the title of "mittelfrank's mystical songstress" get her here? ]

And I've done some composition. But I leave the set design to the professionals. [ she laughs, soft and sweet. ] What do you do at home?