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!.

unfastens: (heaven if you sent us down)

it's out of love

[personal profile] unfastens 2021-05-28 04:33 am (UTC)(link)
[ don't be like that, Trish! He'd dance... if he had some alcohol in him, and wasn't stressed out simply by existing in this place. Not that she would know that Bruno Bucciarati actually does know how to have fun sometimes.

It's part of the reason he approached her. Not about himself or having fun, specifically; just the realization that they truly do barely know each other. He risked everything (lost about all of it, too, by his reckoning) for this girl, and he didn't even know that she liked to sing until this moment. Once again, as strange and vexing as this situation may be, he's reminded that it is very much a second chance for him; that, despite its strangeness, it's actually less perilous than the situation in which they met. ]


You're only fifteen now, aren't you?

[ also, yeah, that wasn't that long ago and he knows the basics about her. Taking the canteen back, he shifts, coming to sit next to her on the stage (leaving a respectful amount of space between them, of course), and there's a dryness in his tone that indicates he's maybe teasing, whatever that sounds like from Bucciarati. ]

In any case, you're wrong. You have a lovely voice, Trish. [ then he goes ahead and says that with his usual straight face, anyway. ] You should let Mista know. He's been looking for a karaoke partner that isn't Narancia.
northerndragon: (break the silence)

[personal profile] northerndragon 2021-05-28 04:42 am (UTC)(link)
[He shakes his head, still preoccupied with the creature, with the way it had touched him. It had glowed. It had bowed to him.

No one need bow to him here. He’s not really sure that anyone should bow to him anywhere.]


Never seen a dragon with gills.

But I didn’t know that you had seen a dragon at all. Well, apart from the one I got knocked off of. Don’t know if you saw that.
unfastens: (catch a kiss)

[personal profile] unfastens 2021-05-28 04:43 am (UTC)(link)
[ once again, weirdos think alike, as Bruno's essentially on the same page with regards to talking about his Stand. By this point, he's aware it will most likely mean nothing to anyone other than Trish (and now Illumi, he supposes) unless there's another secret user hiding out among them. That said, Illumi will probably notice him surreptitiously give the area around them a brief glance to make sure nobody's listening in regardless.

He's kind, but he's not stupid. He doesn't trust all these people blindly just because they've decided to share resources with him - and any Stand user knows that keeping their ability secret is their best defense. ]


Maybe abilities like this are present in humans from any "world," even if the name is different.

[ it seems reasonable enough, if it comes from the soul. ]

Were you born with that "nen?" I'm curious. It's obvious you're not a rookie when it comes to fighting.
trassel: (11.)

[personal profile] trassel 2021-05-28 05:00 am (UTC)(link)
[ It doesn't trouble him to be studied, so there is nothing to shrink away from or to answer with defiance. Matthias doesn't have anything to prove to Bruno, nothing that, at present, could not be settled by means of continuing their conversation. ]

You are not the first to prefer fishing. [ Just so he's aware there's Options for that too. ] Do you also prefer to be on your own?
Edited (fusses) 2021-05-28 08:13 (UTC)
psychometries: (115)

[personal profile] psychometries 2021-05-28 05:12 am (UTC)(link)
[ Well, this is probably the last time Nina gets left in charge of sets. RIP.

Cal is happy to follow her lead here, especially since she seems to know what she's doing, and so he's right behind the group of kids as they all head back over to where the sets are laid out. The baby still hasn't quite settled down, and so he bounces it a little awkwardly in his arms while he walks.

Suddenly, a small droid shoots out from behind a pile of toys and scurries after Cal, hot on his heels—not that Cal reacts much to this at all, because he's used to having BD-1 constantly around.

Instead, he addresses Nina with: ]
You're pretty good with kids.
northerndragon: Look, I do a lot of smut threads that inevitably devolve into 50 tags of conversation. I needed this. (tousled)

[personal profile] northerndragon 2021-05-28 05:39 am (UTC)(link)
[The impatience leaves his voice, once he realizes that it’s there.]

No, it’s all right.

[He hands the towel over, then looks up into Balthier’s face.]

A night flower? [He shakes his head.] No, it’s only that nobody wants staring in a place like this.
Edited (a more amusing icon tbh ) 2021-05-28 05:40 (UTC)
psychometries: (131)

[personal profile] psychometries 2021-05-28 05:55 am (UTC)(link)
[ Well. He's not heartless enough to stay mad in the face of this level of contriteness, especially since he understands her paranoia completely. Five years in hiding, constantly looking over his shoulder, have done their work on him, and he's still trying not to see everything as a potential threat.

The tension leaving his shoulders, he gently sets BD-1 on the table in front of him and says very sincerely: ]


I won't laugh.

[ As for the offering, he immediately waves it off, his expression slightly sheepish. ]

It's okay. I was, uh. [ He looks down, sees the stain on his pants, and. Sighs. It's a long-suffering sort of sigh, but also pretty resigned. ] I was mostly done. Really. And these pants have seen a lot worse.

[ His clothes appear very well-worn, darned and patched in places, so that statement might be obvious. Seriously, this is his Guild uniform, and he used to spend all day in it scrambling around junked starships covered in dirt, grime, grease, oil, and worse. ]
figlia_morbida: ([blue monday])

bullies

[personal profile] figlia_morbida 2021-05-28 06:12 am (UTC)(link)
[It's true. The day she sees Bruno having fun is the day she gets a new pair of eyes, or something.

Trish doesn't have nearly the same perception of the situation as Bruno...all she knows is that she wants to live, and they've been offered no recourse here but to integrate or just sit aside to be ordered around when the locals decide so. It's scary, it's stressful, and she's not sure what possessed her to sing until her throat hurt other than an outlet presenting itself and Trish leaping on it. It made some people smile, despite everything...so it was worth it, wasn't it?

Maybe she simply can't comprehend sitting and being paralyzed with fear anymore. Why bow your head when you can lift it and be heard?
]

I'm two weeks from turning sixteen, thank you.

[Watch out, we got a badass over here. At the mention of Mista and Narancia, Trish sort of deflates. She notably ignores the compliment, because acknowledging Bruno was paying attention is too much for her right now.]

I know Narancia liked music...but I can't picture Mista singing at all.

[She's trying to picture it, though, and she can't hide her smile. He's an idiot and yet she misses him, somehow.]

I haven't seen him or Giorno in two months, otherwise I'd be more than happy to take him on stage and crush him in front of an audience.

[She's now imagining all of them together, before Diavolo ruined it all...Bruno and Abbacchio sitting at a dim table watching Narancia and Mista belt their hearts out off-key. Giorno she can't imagine being anywhere near karaoke on purpose, so he's probably sitting awkwardly against the wall like the wallflower he is. Hah, flower. Fugo...is being angry or something, she supposes. He seems the type to know when a song is being butchered.]

It would be fun because he wouldn't care at all, would he? He'd laugh about it.
figlia_morbida: ([inner universe])

[personal profile] figlia_morbida 2021-05-28 07:35 am (UTC)(link)
[There's no poison but there's backwash in it!!! Trish will never take it now...

She regrets her refusal a little, but she will croak at Nina in defiance.
]

I think we'd be in a lot of trouble if we lost track of a single kid that way too. Absolutely not worth the trouble.

[Kids get too excited about being chased...spinning them until they're too dizzy to run is the best option.

Who is keeping track of these kids though? Some of them must be orphans. :( Trish gestures to Nina, as if to wave that thought away.
]

So...did you get dragged here too, or did you come by to see the show?

[That's a joke. They don't announce shows here, so clearly Nina must've been harried by helpful thespians.]
figlia_morbida: ([wannabe])

stand cameo lol

[personal profile] figlia_morbida 2021-05-28 07:57 am (UTC)(link)
[Anything more than staring at the food may as well be enthusiasm in Trish's eyes.

If she could see, that is. She's still blinking the spots out of her eyes when she turns to Cal, her mouth agape before she closes it, realizing how silly she probably looks. This is something out of a sci-fi flick, which aren't really her thing but she's seen enough to be familiar with the concept of robots!

She's glad her first thought is that and not Stands, actually. She can live without more of those.
]

I think I've lost my appetite anyway...

[She picks up her fork regardless, pulling her plate back to herself, only to drop her fork again.]

Trish.

[Spice Girl is staring at the tiny robot with intense fascination. Of course, Stands would recognize one another, but Spice Girl is curled over and watching the robot placidly.]

This creature moves on its own and speaks, but it's not like me...it's very tiny. What is it?

[Trish glowers at Spice Girl, but doesn't answer her Stand. She knows better than to do that in front of people. Cal likely can't see her anyway. But a conversation is a good way to explain without looking crazy, so.]

Listen, I know we're from different worlds, but it's a lot to digest. I'm sorry if I made it - him, feel bad. He just...surprised me.

[She forgives you, tiny robot...knowing that, though, she wonders:]

Did you make him?
figlia_morbida: ([comfort zone])

needle her ;DFSDLDS

[personal profile] figlia_morbida 2021-05-28 08:14 am (UTC)(link)
[Of course, as the daughter of a fashion designer and an enthusiast besides, image is...was, everything. Clothes are just another way to express someone's individuality, and to see it recycled again and again in a world like this...

She wonders how strong people's sense of self is in a place as oppressive as this.

If anything, Illumi's stance makes perfect sense with this in mind, and Trish can't begrudge him for it. She can't deny he's right, either. Her outfit won't last if it's all she wears the entire time she's here.

That said, she is surprised to hear him offer a suggestion of all things, and she blinks at him, folding her arms as she mulls this over, watching him for any sign he's perhaps joking. His expression meanwhile betrays nothing, and he's not laughing either, so he's definitely not messing with her by saying this.
]

...That's not a bad idea, actually. I think I'll take you up on that.

[She knows a little about how to do so, but supplies will be the hard part. Not that any of this is easy, so that's fine.]

It would make more sense than trying to salvage a dwindling amount of clothes. Maybe I'll teach you how to make your own too.

[Yes, this is exactly what Illumi would want, clearly.]
bestaround: (pic#14213326)

four

[personal profile] bestaround 2021-05-28 10:31 am (UTC)(link)
[ And alongside the pirate is 9S, who was likewise fortunate enough to be dragged into their new mission. For better or worse, it's no more new for him than it is for Balthier, not that he would know that. ]

You get this often?

[ Where 9S goes, meanwhile, there's a peculiar contraption that hovers silently overhead. ]
bestaround: (pic#14167999)

[personal profile] bestaround 2021-05-28 10:33 am (UTC)(link)
[ Uninviting, maybe, but 9S knows that face and that wolf, and neither were unpleasant company before. Accompanying him this time is a smaller bot that floats along behind 9S. ]

Decent enough at it, I guess. Is that what you're planning to do?
bestaround: (pic#14210981)

basecamp/redwing

[personal profile] bestaround 2021-05-28 10:34 am (UTC)(link)
[ And catch him fussing 9S does, somewhere along outside—but definitely still underneath the safety of the old dragon's corpse. Everyone has learned by now not to wander too far without preparations, no thanks to the rain that sometimes comes down. (And hey, he also has a robot companion of his own.) ]

That thing broken?
neversmall: (055)

[personal profile] neversmall 2021-05-28 01:22 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Nina listens. She hears a bit more than Alina is saying, hints of the experience Alina must have had as she grew up, half Shu, in a land where the Shu were the enemy. ]

I'm sure some of them do think that.

[ Now is when, if she was going to try to Play Alina, she'd say nothing. She'd trail off in artful, thoughtful silence and have her mark ask, open up the pathway to manipulate and sow the right seeds. Instead: ]

Although I'm not sure they have a 'home' to go to, I'm sure some of them do think of us as a drain on their resources, an unexpected difficulty. What else do you think they think about us?
trassel: (46.)

wild... card...

[personal profile] trassel 2021-05-28 01:32 pm (UTC)(link)
[ As promised, he is dutifully waiting for her outside the Aid station, Trassel sitting patiently at his side. Matthias is usually at parade rest, though sometimes she may find him with his back to the wall. ]
neversmall: (037)

[personal profile] neversmall 2021-05-28 01:42 pm (UTC)(link)
[ The workers are starting to Notice, whether Nina ends her day at the theater or by swinging back to the Aid Station. She's got the fortunate... unfortunate? ...gift of making people feel comfortable enough with her to tease.

"That tall young man is waiting for you again," said John, an Adament crew member who was currently laid up with a fractured tibia. He had an unfortunate view of the door. "He brought his wolf. Or did the wolf bring him?"

Nina has no shame at all about this, and is irritatingly delighted at the news. "Must be time for me to go," is her quick retort. "Matthias is always on time."

"Oh, always?"

Nina laughs and washes her hands quickly before going outside to beam up at Matthias.

Well, she was going to beam up at Matthias. Instead, she's nearly bowled over by Trassel, who has not seen her for over Eight Hours. Nina laughs and shifts her weight to accommodate the sudden Wolf leaning on her. ]


Hello to you too.
Edited 2021-05-28 13:47 (UTC)
arnaults: (024)

[personal profile] arnaults 2021-05-28 02:39 pm (UTC)(link)
[ she laughs a little self-consciously at that. dorothea had prided herself on her intellect once. she doesn't have much of an ego left, but it still stings to know so little. ]

I'm afraid not. I've found that where I'm from is a lot less... advanced than many of the other places people come from here.
arnaults: (010)

[personal profile] arnaults 2021-05-28 02:48 pm (UTC)(link)
I did. But... I don't know. I'm not as much of a diva as I was when I was younger. Center stage isn't all that attractive to me anymore. So I'm writing.

[ composition is more fun, and she'd only been getting started doing it when she was brought here. ] That way, if they really would like me on stage, I'll definitely know all my lines.

What did you do at home, if not acting? [ her smile widens, just a little. ] And can I convince you to act in my work?
neversmall: (003)

for Kaz

[personal profile] neversmall 2021-05-28 04:32 pm (UTC)(link)
continued from here

[ Nina crosses her arms under her chest and leans back, seeming to almost fully disarm herself now. He'd have plenty of time to see her hands move. ]


Many different things, if we were in Kerch.

[ They are, decidedly, not. The question's a bit of a clue as well -- How do you value yourself, Nina? Are you an killer? A soother? A living lie detector? A bit of skirt? It's a good question.

She wants to be moving. She has no reason to think that they're drawing attention, but if it wasn't for his cane, Nina would be suggesting they take a walk about now. She would welcome the pause to regroup, the slight synchronization that comes when two people do anything together. She doesn't want this to be something adversarial, but the two of them are trying to figure the other out -- will that make this a game, with a winner and a loser, to see who will crack first, or can they both win?

Nina decides, since inviting him on a walk or to sit down would be something layered, to give a little instead. ]


We woke up in eggs covered with goo. That has to be a rarity, even in Ketterdam. [ A quick flicker of a smile that she doubts will make an impact in those unsettlingly dark eyes, watching her and missing nothing, but she can't help herself. ] I can tell you what I might want out of an alliance, but until you tell me what you want and what you're offering, I don't see how we can come to terms.
arnaults: (035)

[personal profile] arnaults 2021-05-28 04:36 pm (UTC)(link)
[ there's something familiar about the sound of the waves hitting the shore. maybe that's why dorothea has lingered for so long, simply standing at the edge of the water.

at the other man's question, she shakes her head. ]
I don't think so. But perhaps we call it something different where I'm from. [ knights in shining armor, greedy kings, star-crossed lovers - even if their worlds are different, dorothea has found that the tropes tend to stay the same. ]
neversmall: (002)

[personal profile] neversmall 2021-05-28 05:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Nina laughs. ] I don't know about that. [ The only way she's ever acted before is when no one knew. Pretending in front of a bunch of people who knew she was pretending? ...it could be fun or it could be a horrible, vulnerable feeling. She's not sure. ] As I said, I've no stage experience. I was a soldier.

[ She looks about as likely to be a soldier as a powder puff, honestly. But she doesn't seem like she's lying. ]
arnaults: (009)

[personal profile] arnaults 2021-05-28 05:39 pm (UTC)(link)
[ no matter how she looks, dorothea wouldn't assume she's lying. after all, dorothea doesn't look very hardened herself. and yet- ] So was I.

[ she looks back at nina curiously. ] Do you like it? I mean - is it something you chose?
neversmall: (003)

[personal profile] neversmall 2021-05-28 05:54 pm (UTC)(link)
[ That's an interesting response, on many levels. Nina tilts her head slightly to the side, not bothering to hide her interest as she considers. ]

In my world, [ and what a strange transition that is! ] my country is at war on two fronts. Every Grisha born in my country serves in the Second Army. So, no, it's not something I chose. [ Continuing lightly: ] But we are fighting for the right to exist, and as I rather like living, it's something I grew accustomed to very quickly. It's going to be strange to not be a soldier. And you?
neversmall: (Default)

[personal profile] neversmall 2021-05-28 06:03 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Hatchlings. Dragon hatchlings. Saints, she hopes not. ]

Only legends of them, so far as I know. [ She glances back to the giant, somehow calcified, corpse giving them shelter. ] And none of them speak of eggs coming from a dead dragon - not that that means anything, truly. I do wonder how it died.

[ With the wings just so? That can't be a natural resting pose. It looks like it was about to take off and then just... stopped. And Nina's seen more than her share of dead things - shouldn't it have fallen? Shouldn't gravity have had its way with it? ]