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!.

unclesam: ((31))

[personal profile] unclesam 2021-05-25 12:54 pm (UTC)(link)
The completely mundane way.

[ Sam reaches to help her. Idle hands and all that - the Aid Station always has something to do, something to keep you busy, even when no one currently needs your immediate attention. ]

Used to be pararescue. That's... hm. [ He thinks briefly on how to phrase it so he doesn't just get a blank look from her. ] Official pitch is: specially trained military units tasked with recovery and medical treatment of personnel in humanitarian crisis and combat environments. So I ain't the guy you come to with a cold, but when you get shot.
neversmall: (059)

>D

[personal profile] neversmall 2021-05-25 12:56 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Nina does not free herself.

She is very aware of the heat and the bare skin of him, but she doesn't look away from him as he does what he rarely does - fumbles. His certainty is the core of who he is; this must be something that goes deep.

She doesn't quite follow him, though she knows the water is sacred in Fjerda. She gathers enough to know he's felt he had a wish fulfilled, but she doesn't see what it was.

Quietly, looking at him, leaning just the slightest bit toward him the way a sunflower leans toward the sun: ]


Tell me?
nonscriptum: I really came in here with the wrong energy (oh wow)

[personal profile] nonscriptum 2021-05-25 01:10 pm (UTC)(link)
[ A guy spends a whole bunch of time learning about the complex security systems built into another world's infrastructure, and then that world doesn't even do him the courtesy of holding onto him, instead flinging him into yet another uncomfortable circumstance. Now, if they were asking him about the most effective way to protect their basecamp, or needed someone to sit around trying to translate an ancient alien text, he was going to be their man.

But engineering? Fuck. Nathan Drake is far more adept at breaking things than at building them, and it shows on his face.

He's therefore wildly grateful when another brick shithouse relegated to physical labor duty pushes a crate into his arms.
]

Oh, thank God.

[ He murmurs under his breath, immediately taking the out and flashing an apologetic smile at the disappointed children below, following the new directive without question. Once out of earshot: ]

...thanks. For that.
nonscriptum: human chrysalis and whatnot (hmmm cool)

[personal profile] nonscriptum 2021-05-25 01:23 pm (UTC)(link)
No...

[ He says somewhat distantly, still watching the water and idly scratching at the place on his chest where it touched him. Back in that other world, the one before, he'd have anticipated the glow. It was normal there among displaced people and something that Ian has managed to retain upon coming here, where Nate has not. Everything that came with it has been equally lost and the severing of that bond has started to eat away at him. ]

They're just...old. This place feels ancient, they've probably seen a lot.

[ Or if not seen it, then felt it. Sensed it. ]

Maybe they know why we're here.
trassel: (32.)

[personal profile] trassel 2021-05-25 01:23 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Tell her. How? This isn't something she can understand from language classes at the Little Palace. These are the nooks and crannies that only one completely immersed may see. Even if he does somehow manage to explain, it will always be strange to her. She'd been wary of it — afraid enough to try and lure him here and see for herself that his heart still beat and his body still worked like it should. ]

The water... [ Again, he fumbles. ] It knew. About me.

[ The water had delighted his toes and felt like an embrace. He'd heard of visions, sometimes, from others, when Djel spoke to them, strange dreams or spirits, but how to express that he hadn't thought he'd have the privilege? What was this, if not the spirit of life, reaching to him? ]

[ But that sentence probably doesn't make any sense to her, even if she might've heard it in perfect Ravkan. Matthias changes tracks, as he lets her hand go and puts on his shirt, to give himself something to do. Then, ]

Did you go swimming?
nonscriptum: [This Action Will Have Consequences] (you ever do something and hear the)

[personal profile] nonscriptum 2021-05-25 01:43 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It doesn't occur to Nate that there might be any elements of mental control in effect, but then, it's been about a year since he saw something similar in Hadriel. The endemic population in that world - the locals, if you will - had similar bioluminescent qualities, a similar ability to touch the inside of a person's mind. They had talked among themselves in that way, before the Null had begun to round them up and bring them to those bunker labs.

The edges of his mouth pull tightly, briefly, at a dark memory, and he sort of wishes he knew what it had seen.
]

It sort of...pulled.

[ He explains, thumbing at the spot on his chest for a moment before his hand falls. ]

Not sure what it was looking for.
nonscriptum: buckled? tray table stowed away? seat in the upright position? (how ya doin' back there?)

[personal profile] nonscriptum 2021-05-25 01:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Uh-huh...

[ Nate mumbles distractedly, adding one last bit of important marginalia to his illustration of the plant.

It isn't just the starspire. It's the terrain, a small map, a few notes about what else seems to be growing out here and the conditions, commentary on the various landmarks they passed on their way out here.

It takes him a moment to realize she's leaning over his shoulder and so he clears his throat, tucking the pencil back into the little book and sliding it into his bag with an apologetic grimace. Right, time to stop crouching over the flora like a nineteenth century botanist. Stand up, address the nice - if slightly impatient - lady with the giant spear.
]

Old habit. [ He stoops to pick up their basket. ] And digital is kind of...ephemeral, you know? Or having all your physical resources in one place is dangerous, I mean- look at the library of Alexandria.
arnaults: (007)

[personal profile] arnaults 2021-05-25 02:30 pm (UTC)(link)
[ she laughs, sounding a little abashed. ] I'm not sure about all that. Music might keep people entertained, but it doesn't keep them fed or healthy.

[ dorothea takes a seat next to the other woman, looking out over the stage. ] It's nice that they have something like this for the children, though. A theater is a good place to stay out of harm's way. [ even in the worst of times, at least these kids are getting taken care of. ]
morozova: [ used with permission ] (pic#14852797)

[personal profile] morozova 2021-05-25 03:10 pm (UTC)(link)
I doubt they'd allow it even if I were so inclined. ( he isn't, but he can recognize the value in appearing just the right amount of useful. )

Who knows what strange habits I might impart while their backs are turned?
morozova: [ used with permission ] (pic#14854841)

[personal profile] morozova 2021-05-25 04:15 pm (UTC)(link)
( for a moment aleksander goes very still.

he's largely perfected the ability to not react to provocation, but there's something in the off-handed casualness of the remark that stings. like he was just another man. another otkazat'sya nobody.

then, drawing a hand across his jaw, as if he's only just now realizing how utterly unkempt he's become. the moment stretches a hair too long, then he nods: )
I'll be sure to make good use of it.

( to alina: ) Shall we depart? Or would you like to — ( a flick of his fingers toward the rest of the room. an invitation to linger a little longer if she's inclined. )
fortyforged: (Yep)

[personal profile] fortyforged 2021-05-25 04:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Unaware of the translation...or is it cultural differences? Banshee lowers his hand as he tilts his head, thinking.

"Home," he says. After being in the City for so long that's at least one thing that's sunk in, if mostly for general place and the area he's come to use as vendor space. There's plenty of times that he still gets turned around. "And weapons." He pats the scout rifle at his hip.
sunmon: (pic#14850612)

[personal profile] sunmon 2021-05-25 05:11 pm (UTC)(link)
[ the long, tense silence suggests the insult without him ever needing to say it. alina, on the other hand, is sheepish. she makes herself small and grateful, ducking her head and thanking the volunteer. she turns into kirigan's side, keeping close as she starts back towards the door.

in her own silence, she contemplates her response. her new instinct is to placate him, to try to dial back the tension, but what would the alina starkov back at the little palace have said? she'd push her luck.
]

She's right you know. You are looking a little scruffy.

[ alina holds the bundle against her chest, but unties it so she can pick through the contents lightly. the printed text is unfamiliar, but she can draw a few conclusions about the bottles of hygiene products. there's one chalky brick that confuses her, and the packaging is made of some material she doesn't recognize, but they're supplies she's grateful for nonetheless.

it looks like idle sifting, but the truth is that she doesn't want to look at him while she ribs him. she might have to smile if she did.
]
morozova: @axisandallies (gk-sab32)

[personal profile] morozova 2021-05-25 06:46 pm (UTC)(link)
( a slow, feline blink.

it takes him a moment to realize she's joking. another to pick over his meager selection of answers to find something satisfying. )


I've had other concerns. Though I suppose I should be grateful for the fact that I won't have to look like a leshiy for the foreseeable future.
sunmon: (Default)

[personal profile] sunmon 2021-05-25 07:33 pm (UTC)(link)
What other concerns? [ she scoffs. ] Shouldn't you be free of responsibilities, without the Second Army to worry about?

[ he can't very well work on the stag or ways to expand the fold from here. there is no war effort. no shu han.

she does, however, study his face now. they're not walking anywhere in particular. wandering, really, and alina as a result cants towards following his lead because she is focused instead on trying to ascertain whether or not he knows about matthias helvar and kaz brekker.
]
cryptoherpetology: (Default)

Re: dreaming

[personal profile] cryptoherpetology 2021-05-25 08:50 pm (UTC)(link)
This is when Alex starts to realize he isn't sure how long he's been here. He wades a few feet deeper into the water, feeling it pass between his fingers without even a hint of acid burn.

"I'm not sure we're really here. Physically, I mean." He frowns, looking down at his chest where the pain is fading away. His cousin Sarah's telepathic contact was always stronger with skin contact- maybe this was some equivalent to that. Or maybe it was more like a snake flicking its' tongue at him- trying to decide whether or not he was food. At least he's used to feeling edible- maybe that says something about his life choices, he isn't sure. "This feels like the platonic ideal of a type of environment than a real place." A pause, more thought. "I think I remember going to bed. Huh. Lucid dreaming. Wonder if this has happened to any of the crew, or if it's just for the egg gang."
cryptoherpetology: (Default)

[personal profile] cryptoherpetology 2021-05-25 09:01 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Alex nods along, really wishing he had a notebook with him. He tucks his own parcel under his arm with only a slight pang of guilt about taking something from the dead. His dead Aunt Rose would have lectures for him about inviting unfriendly ghosts into his life this way, but he'll have an easier time dealing with hypothetical ghosts than with hypothermia or gum disease by refusing the charity.
Refusing would make him stand out, too, and even in a world where he doesn't have to hide, drawing attention to himself still goes against his nature.

Ian's description of his powers answers more questions, new ones springing up in their place like gray hairs. He can't settle on a question, but there's a thought that occurs to him that he can't help but voice.]


I wonder what the process would like if you manipulated something under an electron microscope.
cryptoherpetology: (002)

[personal profile] cryptoherpetology 2021-05-25 09:14 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Alex nods, relieved. And he does have to agree with Mattias about the people here. Hearing that there are already enough people, he's reassured... slightly. He begins to give this even more thought, telegraphed by the way he adjusts his glasses and scratches at his jaw while mulling his words over. ]

I'm a zoologist- a scientist who studies animals. [ Since he's found there are a lot of people from worlds with very different ideas of scientific fields, he's taken to using as simple language as he can manage. Which isn't admittedly always as simple as he needs to speak- his fondness for ten-cent words is a habit that probably won't ever fade entirely. ] I can help you identify just what is and isn't going to be safe for anyone to eat- which is probably one of the more important starting points for planning a hunting trip. [ Accidentally poisoning everyone would... probably not go over well, he figures. And there's no telling what pufferfish-like defenses things on this world have evolved to avoid being eaten. ]
fossils: (Default)

closed @natasha

[personal profile] fossils 2021-05-25 09:27 pm (UTC)(link)
Got your umbrella?

[ They plan on taking a longer walk than the cliffs.

His tone is wry, lighter than it's been with the others. Natasha's the only one of his friends that he doesn't (apparently) screw over in the future, as far as he's been able to tell. Or read, which from her —

Ninety nine percent of the time he's only gonna know what she chooses to give up.

It's been a while since they worked together just the two of them, anyway.

He's got one retractable Wakandan shield strapped to his right arm, the other given away. A pack slung around his shoulder, meager supplies for the outing they're supposed to be going on. ]
Edited 2021-05-25 21:27 (UTC)
wittingly: (sᴏᴀᴋᴇᴅ ɪɴ ʙʟᴇᴀᴄʜ)

[personal profile] wittingly 2021-05-25 09:36 pm (UTC)(link)
I would sell my body for an electron microscope.

( He laments in an exhale. It might have been something he could've done in New Amsterdam if he thought of it then. Missed opportunities, hindsight is 20/20. They'd been so focused on the source, exploring the effect in its own right wasn't a priority.

Pause.

Engineering brain kicking in--
)

I wonder if I could make one...

( As is sometimes the case with people who overthink things and get carried away, it doesn't occur to him that he could probably just check with the labs at Basecamp Leviathan. Probably 50/50 odds they had some on board the Adamant. )
fossils: (pic#7801354)

[personal profile] fossils 2021-05-25 09:53 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He knows and appreciates him for it. It's why they got on right from the start.

The move has Steve's mouth pulling into a lopsided grin, amused as a warmth builds beneath his sternum to watch Sam's expression. To see this part that's less of a burden passed on. The joy of movement, sticking the landing. Shared.

Fades a bit when Sam throws the shield back with that question, his brow furrowing in thought. His catch isn't anywhere near as acrobatic. He lets the shield come at his chest, seizing it in both hands before it hits him, and without a budge in his stance. Holds it there, frowning at it. ]


Makes it seem more believable that they brought us here back accident.

[ The strain on supplies, he means. And the mistrust.

But yeah, he's not happy to be burden on these people either, whatever the circumstances. They're gonna have to let them pull their weight eventually. ]


She's a busy woman. Haven't caught her yet. [ Aside from the interrogation. He flips the shield in his hands once, twice- ] You?

[ on the third flip it goes higher, he uses the extra time in the air to spin around and kick it when it's level with his upper chest ]
fortyforged: (huh)

[personal profile] fortyforged 2021-05-25 10:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Not really here? There's just the slightest hint of confusion that colors the Exo's expression somehow, for all that facial movement is limited. He looks down at himself, flexing metal fingers.

"Could've fooled me," he notes. But then there is something strange about it all. His fingers probed the spot where the creature had touched him, still wondering if that had been real.

As Alex speaks again, Banshee looks back over to where the man has wandered further into the water. He stoops, dipping a hand into the lake as he mulls upon those observations. "Huh..." He's not sure he understands what a platonic ideal of some envirement would be. The suggestion that they're dreaming however has him lift his head thoughtfully.

"A dream..." Strange. "Seen anyone else?"
neversmall: (009)

[personal profile] neversmall 2021-05-25 11:09 pm (UTC)(link)
[ A coat fancy enough to rival his? ...a kefta, perhaps? Saints, was there another Grisha here? She'd have to find her, but 'dark hair', no name, is not a lot to go on. Still, Grisha tend to be a... sort. She'd find her.

First things first, though. Nina's eyes crinkle up in appreciation of his consideration, checking in with her - a fast learner, this one. Quick on the draw. She'll remember that.

Frankly: ]
If you've supplies, you're doing a sight better than I am. No, let's go now. Besides, I've apparently got a country-woman to track down. Better to do that after I see if I can find my own fancy coat.
neversmall: (006)

[personal profile] neversmall 2021-05-25 11:20 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Nina doesn't pull away from Alina, although the contact makes it so she can't help but hear her heartbeat more than anyone else's, and it leaves them both more vulnerable than she would normally like. The camp, however, is safer for Grisha than most places in their world, which is a genuinely pathetic statement. Nina understands the kind of power simple contact can have, the way it builds a bridge. She's in the bridge-building business.

She nods and waves to a few people she recognizes as they walk. She feels a bit of a weight as she talks about this, keeping her voice for Alina's ears, but her tone is light enough. It's simple history. ]


I've been on the field since I was fifteen, a full soldier at sixteen. [ Heartrenders don't really get to wile away their time in the Little Palace, doing research. She'd been needed on the front, and that was where she went. ] About two years ago, I started running more specialized missions. My last one was in Kerch.
neversmall: (055)

[personal profile] neversmall 2021-05-25 11:25 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Nina gamely shifts over the bandages between them and reaches beneath the table to nudge out a chair so he can join her at the narrow table.

Her brow furrows as she listens, giving him her attention. ]


It sounds like you're describing a specialized field medic. And you're a soldier as well?
ulfrkysst: (fold fold har har)

iiia. because that is what i'm here for

[personal profile] ulfrkysst 2021-05-25 11:29 pm (UTC)(link)
[There are too many wolves in this place.

Eivor has returned to the Central Chrysalis because of another wolf; Matthias had found his own companion in the eggs, and so Eivor returned to look for Sýnin. But she wasn't expecting to see a second one, and one that is larger than any she's ever seen.]


Vargr, [she hisses, as she catches sight of it bounding toward a man, and she reaches for the bow that is not on her back. She swears again and grabs her axe instead, ready to throw --]

Your pet?