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!.

spalten: (pic#14544839)

[personal profile] spalten 2021-06-01 02:19 pm (UTC)(link)
[ vidar shrugs. ] Pilots are reckless and short-lived. Captains are a different breed entirely.

When the two align, it's a bit more interesting. But I've been on both sides, I prefer being a pilot.

I am trained with mobile suits. Mine happens to be for space warfare. [ he looks at the surroundings and sighs. ] I'm not confident in how well I'd be able to take care of it here, but I'll make do. Find ... friends, probably.

[ and by 'friends' he means mechanics and ... the like. ]
cryptoherpetology: (070)

[personal profile] cryptoherpetology 2021-06-01 02:31 pm (UTC)(link)
His name is Crow, and he can hunt more meat than he has on his bones- and what he does have would be questionable at best, given his diet. [ Obligate carnivores and carrion eaters are not largely bred as food sources for a reason. Crow perks his head up when he hears his name, ears twitching forward and back in rhythm with the conversation. He seems to know when he's being talked about. ]

I have him trained both as a scout and to collect and hand over field samples, and he has to be kept inside back home to protect the local wildlife as it is. And, speaking from experience, he's pretty great at harrying larger predators, especially ones limited to the ground. I've always figured it's rude to eat anything that's saved my life on more than one occasion— especially given the time it takes to train an animal as smart as his species is. [ There's a glint of almost scheming intelligence to the griffin's large feline eyes, enhanced by the almost thoughtful way he has his foreclaws folded neatly over each other. His large, sharp beaked muzzle might be immobile, but it's not hard to imagine this animal smirking as he ducks his head down to idly groom a spot under his wing. ]
cryptoherpetology: (001)

[personal profile] cryptoherpetology 2021-06-01 02:48 pm (UTC)(link)
If it's from seeing Jaws at too young of an age, I'd offer to point out all the scientific inaccuracies, but I don't want to get your hopes up about anything capable of living in the water here not living up to unrealistic portrayals of Earth's marine life.
[ He gives him a sympathetic look. Alex has never had any trouble being on or in the water, but at this point everyone here knows the feeling of being out of their element well. ]

And there's no law stating that you have to be your own test sailor. Though doing both would entitle you to a pretty sweet number when we inevitably all get stir-crazy enough for sea shanties to catch on. [ Being the 'bye to build the boat and the one to sail her and all. Also, man did his time in the SCA rub off on his music taste. ]
wittingly: (Tʀʏ ᴛʜɪs ᴛʀɪᴄᴋ ᴀɴᴅ sᴘɪɴ ɪᴛ)

[personal profile] wittingly 2021-06-01 02:55 pm (UTC)(link)
( His lips scrunch up a little at Jaws -- he wasn't actually worried about that until now, and he's suddenly aware just how likely it is an alien megalodon exists in the nearest body of water. )

The sea shanties are pretty tempting.

( Muses a man who has an MP3 player in his pocket. Correction, an engineer that has been to the future, still carrying an MP3 player. )

But no, the last time I was on a boat was on this trip to Antarctica and I'm pretty sure I puked, like, the entire way. Nonstop. In front of two people I was sleeping with. Kind of ruined the experience for me, you know? But maybe a good shanty would've pulled it out of a nosedive, who's to say?
fortyforged: (wait a minute)

[personal profile] fortyforged 2021-06-01 04:42 pm (UTC)(link)
Fighting on the homefront was a messy business because you had nowhere else to go, and a lot of people who weren't soldiers suddenly put in danger. The last time the City had been attacked directly hadn't been all that long ago, a few years compared to the centuries back with the Twilight Gap. Marks of the Red War still scar their home, and while buildings could be replaced, the people they'd lost couldn't.

Banshee turns away from the security booth, not even sure why he'd been standing there, for a brief moment wondering where his worktable was. He looks down at his empty hands, then glances up at John again with the vague impression that he'd just remembered they were in conversation.

"Gunsmith. Got a lot of fighting out there. Guardians need reliable weapons."
portolan: (g r i m a c e)

[personal profile] portolan 2021-06-01 06:11 pm (UTC)(link)
[ a hazy memory hangs at the edge of Balthier's mind: a glowing light, a pool of water, a man wringing his hands, apologizing, something about his fault. but if Balthier tries to interrogate the memory any furthere, all he gets is a searing headache and nausea. he doesn't know if it's from whatever happened to bring him here, or the immense surge of Mist as Fran tried to shield them from the Bahamut's fiery end.

at first he thought maybe it was that Mist and the Ocurria Venat's final attempt to keep a hold on the grand plans of the gods, but with thirty others here, most of whom seem from other worlds entirely, it seems unlikely that the Mist is the culprit, or at least the only one. There weren't even stories of this, and traveling the skies and sands, he'd heard most of the stories.
]

They do seem to have a process, don't they.

Did you happen to catch...there was a man, when I first fought out of the egg. Ash? Ashle? [ a throb as he tries to remember.

the guards usher them away from the shower as the next batch comes in. Balthier strips all but his undergarments as they speak, wringing out the excess water and patting down his body before trying to transfer some of the moisture from clothing to towel. the air in general feels dry and crisp, so he's not wildly worried about mold. takes to dry the vest first, as it's the least happy in water.
]
portolan: (c h e e r y)

[personal profile] portolan 2021-06-01 06:14 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Balthier has a hazy memory of a bright light, a pool of water, and a man trying to apologize if he leads them away. He'd spoken to someone in the showers of it briefly, but hadn't gathered much information. If he thinks too hard about it, his head throbs, even now after food and recovery. ]

Oh? And what is said suspected source?

[ they're probably halfway back to the chrysalis now. Balthier has been determined to go for sometime, but as they approach, he can feel some tightness in his chest, the kind he always gets before a job he's not 100% certain he can pull off. ]
portolan: (c h e e r y)

[personal profile] portolan 2021-06-01 06:36 pm (UTC)(link)
[ he considers the bite in her voice, the tensing of her posture. ]

Fair enough.

So where is this theater? [ he actually hasn't ventured to this part of the settlement yet. he spent most of the week out collecting herbs and helping contribute to maps -- busy work, to keep his mind free. he stayed back today to rest a sore hip and help with medical. ]
fossils: (pic#8295157)

[personal profile] fossils 2021-06-01 06:45 pm (UTC)(link)
[ His gaze lifts to watch Sam, taking in a long breath and feeling his shoulders slump on the exhale as he tells him this part.

Is that how he would do it? Leave Sam out of the discussion like that. Where Bucky wouldn't protest about him getting his chance maybe, maybe if he thought Sam would try to stop him from doing something stupid, he'd blindside him with the first part but...

That's a reach. And one no more fair to Sam than what he decides to do.

He wants to believe he's a better friend than that.

Wants to believe he's not that selfish.

Can't imagine what happens in those five years that changes that.

He pushes the guilt down, buries it. That's not what Sam needs. His mouth forms a thin line, then his expression softens again with sudden realization. Partner. ]


He's missing time too.
Edited 2021-06-01 18:48 (UTC)
neversmall: (079)

[personal profile] neversmall 2021-06-01 06:55 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Nina shifts her weight to her back foot and smiles a little, her gaze flicking from between him to the shelter of the dragon's wings, the sturdy wall, the creeping night shadows. ]

Very nice, [ she approves and then settles beside him, careful to take the side that allows him to draw easily if need be. They will, at least, have plenty of warning as Trassel doesn't settle beside her, but in front of them. Matthias' shoulder is tempting, and Nina's resistance to such temptation is criminally low after such separation and such a long day, and she rests her head against his shoulder. ]

Let's see your strange watch.
cleaningsolutions: (I think I’m both)

[personal profile] cleaningsolutions 2021-06-01 07:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Abyss. Depths. Implosion point. [Shrill three-note whistle - yes, all of these things she's saying are mostly whistled, even if they mostly come across as saying words deadpan.] Wastewater.

[Your pronunciation is terrible. It's like if you fired pressurized air through a glove with a hole in it, Doc says, privately and unhelpfully.]

That's too bad. I should try and figure out a way to rig this back in place. Without using more glue. That's just a bad idea... Maybe heavy tape...
neversmall: (139)

[personal profile] neversmall 2021-06-01 07:28 pm (UTC)(link)
[ ...oh now that's a lot to unpack. Nina doesn't feel that Alina's been dishonest from her - far from it - but this rings to her like the most true thing Alina's said to her besides I'm the sun summoner and that bit about the letter not coming from her friend.

She very much wants to ask why do you feel trapped?, but she has a feeling the other girl will just say that it's because she's stuck here, and Nina doesn't want to invite that kind of awkward half-truths between them. Trust, true trust, is as precious as breath and it isn't earned through a few conversations and shared biscuits. It's built, slowly, brick by brick, tested and proved when someone catches you when they could let go.

She flips her biscuit lightly between her fingers. ]


That depends on the person and the purpose. There are some ways I'd go about winning people over that I'd never entertain here, because it would work for the short term but would only be harmful long term. I can't help but look at being here as an opportunity - the people here have no prejudices against Grisha. They don't care about our war, they just want to live to the next day. That makes me want to be as genuine with them as I can be just to see what happens. It's not this place, but it's the freedom in this place we've been fighting for. [ And you're just going to walk away from that, Nina? For Matthias... yes, she will. Not that their showing up here left her much choice. ] That doesn't mean I haven't been carefully cultivating what I show, and when, and to who - but everything I'm showing them is real. It's rather freeing, actually. And somewhat terrifying.

[ She turns her gaze from the horizon to meet Alina's. Her gaze is even and observant, but not sharp or cutting. She's making the choice to move beyond perspective to equip Alina with a tool - she hopes it helps. ] So if you're feeling trapped, use that. People want to help and want to feel like their help is well-received. There's no faster way to get someone to trust you than to ask them for something small and have them give it to you. It makes them feel like you owe them, and that makes them comfortable and inclined to protect their investment.
unclesam: ((92))

[personal profile] unclesam 2021-06-01 07:42 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah. Yeah, you could say that. Little bit.

[ And it's that which almost does Sam in. And it shows perhaps, in the sharp intake of breath, in the way his eyes fog over wet. He doesn't cry, just swallows wet and heavy, and that must be familiar to Steve. Sam doesn't open up to people easily, but they've lived in each other's pockets for two years. PTSD haunts them all, and there were nights when Sam woke up with Riley's name stuck in his throat. He wears his grief in dark and private moments.

That grief has grown, and Sam's drowning in it like quicksand.

Natasha died on a faraway planet to bring them all back. No body, no funeral, nothing. Sam just went from seeing her every day for two years, living with her, working with her, trusting her, to her being gone. They laid Tony Stark to rest, there are memorials for him, tributes and documentaries, and Natasha's name is on nobody's lips. Sam sees her falling sometimes, when he dreams of Riley. RPG fire in the nightsky over the desert, like fireworks that Sam and Riley were weaving through, except then Riley went up in flames and smokes, and the last thing Sam ever heard from him was this soft 'Sam, I...' before he fell, burning and dying, Icarus made reality, and there wasn't enough left to scrape off the red rocks to send back home. So sometimes in his dreams, it's Natasha instead, and he fails to catch her all the same.

Sam could lay Steve to rest, at least, in his own way. Put the shield down with his armor in the museum, like a flag draped over a coffin, an attempt to honor and remember and pay tribute. Sam can't blame Steve for not seeing all the ways in which Sam was falling apart over losing both his closest friends and partners in one fell swoop, his life otherwise in shambles after two years as a fugitive and then five years dead. Sam's always been good at hiding his pain.

Except right now, for just a moment, the reminder that Bucky is here and yet Sam still lost him, too... it hits him hard out of nowhere. The last thing Sam remembers is the sunset over Delacroix, and the presence of his best friend, of his partner, a balm on all his aches that he pretends he doesn't have, because finally he's not quite as alone in the crowd anymore... except here, the last thing Bucky remembers is both of them yelling at each other in the world's most unprofessional therapy session - but what was Sam gonna do, leave Bucky alone with a woman who's friendly with Walker, who feels comfortable calling Bucky an asset? Hell no. Last thing Bucky remembers about where they're at is promising each other they'd part ways after this mission. It's not beyond rebuilding - but it's a loss all the same, and it hurts in ways Sam can't begin to explain to Steve. The burden of the present rests once again on Sam's shoulders alone.

And he cannot explain any of this to Steve, because Natasha doesn't want Steve to know, and Natasha's wishes deserve to be respected. So Sam has a gag order on the details of his grief.

For a moment, he feels checked out and foggy, just trying not to choke on the things that sit in his throat, half-formed thoughts and names and explanation.

And then Sam clears his throat, tries to push it all back into a box inside his chest, and just says: ]


But he's here. And so are you, and Wanda, and Tasha.
dissemblance: (pic#14842253)

[personal profile] dissemblance 2021-06-01 07:49 pm (UTC)(link)
her expression is just the faintest bit wry.

What, didn't believe the red?
unfastens: (i got a taste for)

[personal profile] unfastens 2021-06-01 08:05 pm (UTC)(link)
[ she's surprisingly personable when she's not being kidnapped by the mafia and subsequently trying to kill her estranged father before he can kill her. Funny, that. He was prepared for her to be more prickly towards him, and towards the others, too, if only in conversation. ]

I see. [ he can't quite tell if that's a fond recollection or an irritated one... maybe neither. It had been a whirlwind. Regardless, at the mention, he can hear their voices, too, clear and alive in his mind, and all he can do is hope he won't forget any time soon. He won't see them again. The knowledge is always sitting in the corner of his mind like a demon at the edge of his bed; he does his best to pretend it isn't there.

He did what he could. He did what he had to. He redirects, keeps his focus on the moment at hand. ]
They've always been like that. Looking at them, you could almost forget they were gangsters. But they could laugh like that because they had the confidence to do their job.

[ Resolve, one might say. He says it all somewhat like a reminder; offhand comments about Mista's singing aside, he hears what Trish is saying and has been saying about what happened in his absence: she's cutting herself from the mob. That's the best course of action, and though he may like to reminisce about his boys, perhaps it's best if he doesn't humanize them too much. He doesn't want her to end up like Narancia. ]

I can see you have that confidence, as well. [ a beat. ] Are you going to work here?

[ the refugees certainly seem like they're expecting it. Bruno is also slightly expecting it - as always, his expectations are high - but Trish is outside of his sphere of influence somewhat. ]
unfastens: (if we could break through)

[personal profile] unfastens 2021-06-01 08:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[ getting herded around is irritating, but he knows when it's best to bow his head and blend in. The guards are listening in as they speak, now, too, he's sure. Not that it really matters: he doesn't have any important intelligence they could glean from him, unless this really is the work of an incredibly elaborate Stand. ]

A man...?

[ his forehead creases in thought, well-worn wrinkles deepening. ]

No, I don't recall... They had me at gunpoint. Whatever they were saying didn't stick. Something in that slime messed with my head.

[ at least, he's assuming it's the slime. Bucciarati's pulling his pants back on, though he leaves the shirt off, hoping it can get at least a little dryer in the meantime. Their escort service is looking keen to get them back in their cages and out of his hair, and he'd rather not return undressed. ]
fossils: (pic#8704373)

[personal profile] fossils 2021-06-01 09:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Sam...

[ Careful, low. Understanding, to the best degree he can. Frustrated for the both of them. All of them.

It's a monkey's paw.

You get what you want, but there's always a catch.

He knows what it's like to cling to at least.

At least he's alive and not under their control anymore.
At least I get them back.


It's enough. You make it enough, because that's how they keep pushing on. And stopping to think too long means sinking down that hole. Means letting these cracks show.

It's the same red-eyed sheen he's already seen on Bucky's face since they got here. Kills him, then and now.

Yeah, we're here.
But not the way you need.
]


Sam... [ Repeats his name the same way, face twisting up this time as he reaches out to touch his shoulder. ] you don't have to...

[ Do this alone. ]
fossils: (pic#8043078)

[personal profile] fossils 2021-06-01 09:13 pm (UTC)(link)
[ The corners of his eyes crinkle with his half-grin. ]

Looking for the grey.
morozova: [ used with permission ] (pic#14854864)

[personal profile] morozova 2021-06-01 09:21 pm (UTC)(link)
( she doesn't kill him.

she doesn't kill him and he's frankly surprised because some part of him had expected her to do it, to take the chance, had even resigned himself to the quick (messy) death the razor promises. but she doesn't do it ㅡ at least not yet ㅡ and he's left to reassess.

could this really be some strange second chance?

he keeps his head still, allowing her to work her way from the one side of his face to the next. )
dissemblance: (pic#14842219)

[personal profile] dissemblance 2021-06-01 09:26 pm (UTC)(link)
First you're calling me 'grandma', and now this? Careful, Rogers. This geriatric millennial can still kick your ass.

she's hip with the lingo, it's fine. she shoves him playfully, and not hard, and then as they fall back into step she gives him one of those uncanny looks askance, her head tilted faintly.

once upon a time, in a stolen chevy silverado...


You're getting better at it, you know. Misdirection. I've created a monster.
neversmall: (001)

[personal profile] neversmall 2021-06-01 09:52 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Nina is, in fact, quite splattered with paint. Somehow, she never seems to survive without getting some on her cheek and nose, but today something particularly creative had happened and there's yellow flicks all along one side of her dark hair. She doesn't appear fussed, and half dozen preteen to early teens around her painting sets seem at ease, and more or less focused on the forest they're painting... more or less.

She senses an approaching heartbeat, but she doesn't turn around until she hears John speak. ]


Oh, hello! Nice to put a face to... whatever that was? At least I can properly say it's nice to meet you now. Grab a paintbrush! We're doing the trees.

[ She gestures to a spare palate and brush and scoots over toward the middle of the giant backdrop so John can have the edge. ]
Edited 2021-06-01 21:54 (UTC)
unclesam: ((46))

[personal profile] unclesam 2021-06-01 10:03 pm (UTC)(link)
I know. But don't I?

[ Sam glances up at Steve then, wry smile pulling on his lips even as he puts his hand over Steve's. He appreciates the sentiment, even if he can't agree that this is a burden he could - or should - share. He has no right to project his needs onto past versions of them all who cannot answer for their own futures, or be asked to cater to what Sam's already gotten used to needing from them.

He was always the first one to fly in the EXO Falcon harnesses, mark 1 through 6, until they got it right with mark 7. Not to push his own career. Not because he thought himself better. But because Sam would rather find the malfunction himself than let Riley find it - and the brass wasn't unhappy to risk a black man over a white man, either.

Some things just fall into place like that.

Sam gives Steve's hand a small squeeze. ]


Don't tell Bucky how to treat me. I know you meant well, but I'm asking you not to. I'm okay, and I promise I'll hide behind Tasha if I need a break from his nonsense. Or yours.

[ He glances away briefly, then back to Steve, uncertainty giving way to a hesitant kind of mirth. He's asking Steve to let Bucky find his own way back to the relationship that this hatching nonsense robbed Sam of.

But also he's trying to find footing with Steve that's not just painful, that's a reprieve from walking over glass with each other. ]
sunmon: (12)

[personal profile] sunmon 2021-06-01 10:20 pm (UTC)(link)
At the end of this row.

[ she gestures ahead. calling it a street feels misleading when the camp is full of lean-tos and awkwardly assembled stands. it's not a real city. ]

Past the mosque, then on the right there's a little square. Though it's big enough inside, I can hardly imagine they'd need to perform outside unless they wanted to.
sunmon: (Default)

[personal profile] sunmon 2021-06-01 10:29 pm (UTC)(link)
[ alina takes this in, thinking about it. she gets that distant expression again. the one that suggests she's far away, maybe on some other star. she thinks of the razor in her hand, and how close she had been to cutting kirigan's neck with it. was this a lesson nina had learned from him? had he asked for her help only to make her more complacent with him?

she could think herself in circles on this point. instead, she takes a bite of the biscuit and buys herself some time to chew the thought over, looking at nina.
]

You're a very good heartrender, aren't you? [ like it's just occurring to her. nina is older than her, a bit — or at least she looks it. it's always hard to tell with grisha. ]
sunmon: (Default)

[personal profile] sunmon 2021-06-01 10:34 pm (UTC)(link)
How long has it been since you did this for yourself?

[ she drags the blade across his skin quite carefully. at the end of each stroke, the point digs in, but it never punctures. focusing on it helps keep her focus off of how close their faces are, how warm his skin feels against her hand. how her stomach roils when she notices that she can feel his breath. ]

My first day at the Little Palace, Genya and a handful of attendants threw me into a tub and started scrubbing me. I've been with the First Army. It's not like I'm shy around nudity. But having people bathe me— [ her nose crinkles. this is going somewhere, however. ] You're the opposite, aren't you? How long have you and Baghra lived in the Little Palace? Were you born there?