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!.

needfully: (pic#14877857)

[personal profile] needfully 2021-06-03 01:52 am (UTC)(link)
[ He blinks, slowly, not offering a verbal response to the compliment(?). It's true enough that Bruno is, by default, interesting as well, based solely on the fact he even had powers, as Illumi is on the track to believing most of the people on this camp are complete (useless) normies. So, he's worth noting. But Illumi is not the type to voice this aloud. ]

It's normal in my family to learn it from a young age, [ Illumi deflects the implication of his specialness, slowly looking down to make eye contact with him again. ] And necessary, for my work.

[ Now, he could clarify that learning nen won't really kill you unless you truly don't know what you're doing, but he doubts it will really make a difference in the man's perception of his powers. Besides. It's probably best to keep the details vague. He is interested that a power like Bruno's can be given away, and not designed by the user themself, though.. ]  

Are you interested in me for a reason? [ The question comes bluntly, straightforwardly— but it's not accusatory. Just... weirdly forward. ] If there's something you want done, that usually requires payment.
medik: (we starve / look at one another)

[personal profile] medik 2021-06-03 02:16 am (UTC)(link)
I wouldn't either. We should see if there are any more stands of it in the area before we go.

[ Yakov does have to wonder whether they've tried to cultivate it, if this trip is because of a harvest failure. People from 2801 should have more agricultural knowledge than the ones today (well, from his "today", at least); such a thing should be easy for them, even if the plant doesn't take well to traditional farming methods.

He stares down into the ravine again with his brows lowered, then looks up, glancing first in one direction and then the other. The crevice seems to extend equally in either direction; he chooses right and continues walking along the dry ground, occasionally searching for landmarks at the top of the cliff. There's no telling how far they'll have to retrace their steps once they're up there. ]
neversmall: (Default)

[personal profile] neversmall 2021-06-03 02:16 am (UTC)(link)
[ It does make sense! Nina... doesn't so much see it, but she follows the logic. Either way, Trish gets another easy smile. ]

I'll take that as a compliment, thank you, Trish. You're a student - what were you studying?
psychometries: (014)

[personal profile] psychometries 2021-06-03 04:22 am (UTC)(link)
[ At least she seems to be acquainted with the idea of other planets. He's already met some people here who have never once left their planet, and that's because space travel isn't even an option where they come from. It's kind of weird for him to think about.

His eyebrows raise a little when he finds himself on the other end of her fork. ]


Italy? Can't say that I have. Where is it?

[ He's just sort of unthinkingly assuming it's a planet somewhere. Can't be a core world, or even inner or mid-rim—his galactic geography is pretty good, since he learned all that at the Temple, so he sure hopes he would recognize the name if it were... ]
psychometries: (084)

tbf to nina, she's right 😔 droids deserve better

[personal profile] psychometries 2021-06-03 04:43 am (UTC)(link)
[ If he said something amiss, Cal doesn't seem to notice, if only because he's glancing over his shoulder at BD-1 and quietly telling him, "Don't worry, buddy, you don't have to." Normally, he'd also pat the droid on the head too, but with his arms currently full of baby...

He looks a little surprised by the question, his head cocking slightly to the side. He's always a little surprised when people notice things about him, maybe—for so long, all he did was try to blend in, to keep his head down. He still kind of expects to be invisible. ]


Yeah, you could say that. We've been through a lot together. Beedee's saved my life more than once—right?

[ The last part is directed towards BD-1, who beep-boops cheerfully in response, making Cal chuckle. ]
psychometries: (115)

[personal profile] psychometries 2021-06-03 04:54 am (UTC)(link)
[ Honestly, Cal is just used to giving the most minimal amount of information about himself as possible, including his name... a habit borne out of living in hiding for so many years. Cal is a common enough name in his galaxy that he's probably one of tens of millions, and that's fine with him.

In any case, he takes the proffered hand and gives it a solid shake, since handshakes actually made it to a galaxy far, far away. ]


Nice to meet you.

[ Then he gestures forward, as if to say continue. ]
unfastens: (so i'm asking from above)

[personal profile] unfastens 2021-06-03 05:13 am (UTC)(link)
[ that sort of answers a lot of questions right there, whether or not Illumi had intended for it to. He's a mercenary, then, of some kind - maybe another mobster like Bruno, even, although the line between the two is blurry enough that it doesn't matter. The request is met with a short laugh. ]

Just curiosity. It's good to know who I'm going to be working with.

[ he'd like to get a finger on the pulse of as many people around here as he can, just so he knows what he's going to be dealing with. A network has to start somewhere. That said, he raises a brow. ]

... How are you expecting to get paid in a place like this?
unfastens: (catch a kiss)

[personal profile] unfastens 2021-06-03 05:49 am (UTC)(link)
[ yeah, he was considering the other options available to her when he asked - and none seemed to fit. Although, now that he thinks about it, she was pretending to be a janitor when they met. Maybe she could handle sanitation if she put her mind to it...

Well. Whatever. Something like this suits her better, he's sure. The answer seems to please him, even if he never voiced his thoughts on the matter. ]


I have a particular set of skills. Not using them to protect people is a waste. They might not trust me, but they don't have the resources to keep me on the bench for long.

[ It sounds prideful, and he is proud, to be sure, but he's really just thinking practically. These people are struggling to get by with scrap weapons and prayers. A Stand user like himself is unquestionably an asset. Trish, too, but he's hardly about to push her into more fighting. ]

Until then, it'll be odd jobs.

[ which is fine. That's how he started out in Passione, too. The value of hard work has been impressed into him since he was quite small. Despite his elegant appearance, he's not above digging latrines... ]
unfastens: (there'd be no point to us)

[personal profile] unfastens 2021-06-03 06:05 am (UTC)(link)
Are there people familiar with it?

[ the question is genuine, but he seems very skeptical. ]

Even the refugees don't seem to understand it.
fortyforged: (Yep)

[personal profile] fortyforged 2021-06-03 06:53 am (UTC)(link)
[There's a grunt at that, an acknowledgment if not as close to a laugh as Banshee might make. He gives the man a nod, gesturing.]

Be right behind you.

[Less of a chance he'd get them both lost, that way.]
needfully: (pic#14877869)

[personal profile] needfully 2021-06-03 07:26 am (UTC)(link)
I won't be, [ At least he recognizes this?? ] Not in money, anyway. Even so, I don't work for free.

[ A place to stay, information about the planet, food that he can't forage himself... that suffices for now. But it won't pay for much of his services, in his opinion. He's certainly not thinking of putting his neck on the line for the other people here without some sort of compensation above crumbly protein and a hammock, selfish as that is. It doesn't matter how dire the situation is here; Illumi won't work harder than he is compensated for, no matter what. ]

Having a give-and-take is the next best thing to being paid directly. Being able to do something for me in return— that's payment, wouldn't you say?
portolan: (w e l l l l l)

[personal profile] portolan 2021-06-03 05:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Mine as well. Pity.

[ balthier watches as others are urged to replace their clothing, wet or dirty. He's not keen to do either. he turns to the guard closest to him, aware he looks about as intimidating as a school child in his wet underwear. still, maybe he looks a little crazed, and that might be enough to get somewhere. ]

My good man, any chance we can go...run an errand outside? We promise to be good.

[ the guard grunts with no response.]

I could also make a scene in here instead.

[ he begins singing loudly and as off key as possible, a trick he picked up from an excellent pirate in Nalbina. people will always avoid their discomforts, and poor singing and possibly unstable person are at the top of the list.

A few moments later the guard is offering him a very brief trip outside to help move something heavy and catch his breath. Balthier turns back to his new acquaintence.
]

Want to join me?
portolan: (a r m s c r o s s e d)

[personal profile] portolan 2021-06-03 05:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[ he spots it now, with its down and slim towers. religious place of worship makes sense, even if it's not the kind of space he spends much time in.

the town is denser here, lots of activity and people in different garments. he's slowly noticed that, while there are accents, he hasn't heard anyone speak a language he doesn't understand. he remembers someone mentioning that in the mess hall. useful for eavesdropping, less so for avoiding being heard.

he sees Alina's demeanor relax, her eyes taking in the energy of the space, her expression lightening.
]

A fan of bustling spaces, I see. Another mark of a good pirate in the making.
spalten: (pic#14544841)

[personal profile] spalten 2021-06-03 07:46 pm (UTC)(link)
'A suitable compromise' is the key to it. We probably have differing expectations as to what that is.

[ if vidar had his way it wouldn't even be a conversation about compromise, but that's something he can't really choose. ]

Come by anytime you're free. I'd be glad to show it off; it's the only thing that's making me look impressive around here.
spalten: (pic#14544677)

[personal profile] spalten 2021-06-03 07:54 pm (UTC)(link)
I do not like vermin. Nor do I think the best of them. They live low, and they run too quick for my tastes.

[ okay, rich boy. the gaelio bauduin leapt out.

in any case vidar makes his way with cal thru the hallways. there are cobwebs and things falling from the ceiling everywhere; once, or twice, vidar has to sidestep a tangle of wires that seem to be grounded but who knows, in this state whatsoever. without so much as a map going around the adamant was an adventure and exercise in patience. BD, at least, was quite helpful than its human compatriots in finding things that they could have interest in. ]


... what do you make of this ship?
spalten: (pic#14544826)

[personal profile] spalten 2021-06-03 08:17 pm (UTC)(link)
I feel that's a lie. There's always someone waiting somewhere. If you can't come up with a name, then you're stalling.

I'll allow you your secrets, however.

[ he is a romantic, unfortunately. and vidar, formerly gaelio bauduin, will live and die a romantic if one allows him to. if that becomes a possibility. ]

There is someone waiting for me. [ rather dryly, he adds, ] ... then again, we have always been looking for each other.
spalten: (pic#14899500)

[personal profile] spalten 2021-06-03 08:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Probably.

But people learn about politics quickly in the absence of a government. However small the commune is, what they have here seems enough to keep them alive and protected.

[ he watches as rémi takes his turn talking to curious newcomers and the like. ]

If all we have to worry about is sharing resources, then the only conflict we have is against time and the planet itself ... that's more difficult than an actual foe to deal with. [ both factors none of them can control or affect very well. ]
morozova: @axisandallies (Default)

[personal profile] morozova 2021-06-03 08:31 pm (UTC)(link)
That does sound a touch excessive.

( though at the same time very like the palace attendants. he keeps still, watching her as though trying to see beyond the surface of what's being said.

but alina comes right out with what she wants. something he would appreciate more if it weren't dipping into the kind of territory he instinctively draws back from. )


I don't know where I was born. She traveled a great deal, in those days. Very likely it was one of the borders.
sunmon: (Default)

[personal profile] sunmon 2021-06-03 10:12 pm (UTC)(link)
[ alina laughs, relieved by the familiar contact. she knows she shouldn't be. she knows that nina might change her mind as soon as she finds out the truth. but alina can't allow herself any comfort in her lie with kirigan, so she needs to let herself have this. ]

Saints, you make it sound like we're going to have some kind of training schedule. [ she takes a tiny bite of what remains of her biscuit. ] I've offered to help teach the children around the theater during first shift, so no worries about me dragging you from your cot. How about I find you once they've let me loose?
sunmon: (Default)

[personal profile] sunmon 2021-06-03 10:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Don't pirates have to be interested in treasure?

[ she laughs, but there's a clear hesitation that follows as she considers her time in the little palace and what she'd seen in the grand palace. she is not, perhaps, immune to the allure of something shiny. ]
sunmon: (9)

[personal profile] sunmon 2021-06-03 10:24 pm (UTC)(link)
[ quickly, instinctively, her eyes drop and look away. she almost nicks him then, but she stops her movement quickly enough. it's the word border that does it, like she knows that most people look right at her eyes when they say it. ]

So you're not only used to luxury.

[ she lifts the razor again, this time to his cheek to clean up the line of facial hair cutting down his face. while she's not very practiced at using a hand razor, she does seem to do a good job recalling how he'd kept his beard previously, as if she had studied his face well. ]
angerberg: (pic#14132774)

[personal profile] angerberg 2021-06-03 10:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Just how many necrophages plague your country?

[ what he needs is a witcher, not a dragon. or maybe a dozen witchers. ]
angerberg: (pic#14132775)

[personal profile] angerberg 2021-06-03 10:31 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, I hope for your sake they're patient.

[ she doesn't see them leaving here quickly, unfortunately. yennefer has the kind of scope of life that makes it easy to resign herself to that. it does not appear, from what she has gathered, that anyone else among their number does. she might well be the oldest person among them. ]
northerndragon: i am glad you are here with me. (the end of all things)

[personal profile] northerndragon 2021-06-03 10:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Necrophages, I don’t know that word.

[A beat.]

The Army of the Dead is one hundred thousand strong. One king; I don’t know how many lieutenants. I’ve killed one, my friend killed one. Not so hard to kill if you have the right weapons. But we don’t have so many of those.

Fire works on most of them, so a dragon... the chance to take out as many as we can without getting into the fray... that would help. Three dragons would help more.

I never spoke of this.

[In the past, he means.]
angerberg: (Default)

[personal profile] angerberg 2021-06-03 10:36 pm (UTC)(link)
I scarcely think you'd need to speak of it. A hundred thousand undead would speak for itself.

[ anyone who wasn't aware of the threat would be an idiot. yennefer looks away from the lake to consider him again. those aren't mere monsters; that's a war. ]