❪ event ❫ khalo? can you hear me?

[natha]

In normal circumstances, this would have been near the time in which you're called upon to greet the newly awakened. Unfortunately, I speak to you to inform that we must postpone that — there is trouble on your horizon. What, I cannot see for sure. We shall continue to monitor the situation, however — we - ... we — [feed cuts off.] OLYMPIAN PRESERVATION     The city of Olympia is preparing the send-off of its most prized artifact: the heart of the ancient dragon, Ysverai. In doing this, they've transformed the palace court into an exhibition detailing the centuries-old war between Wyver and Olympia. Sculptures of Nithor the Exalted and his men and women in clean, white marble, while their armors are polished in perfect gold. Among Nithor are the sculptures of stallions in all shapes and sizes that also aided in the great war. Further in the exhibition, one may also find other artifacts of much older weaponry, rusted by its time in the earth, and items found from a time when humans feared the dragons. The Royal Guard has increased its numbers in wake of such a public event, particularly because the heart will be in display also. The heart is not what one might expect it to be: about the size of an average human, the heart's core is surrounded in stone, a red glow emitting from its still beating core. If that were not unsettling enough, one might also find that lingering around this particular exhibit will have undue affects on one's inhibitions. You'll notice your heart has fallen into sync with the organ, and your more selfish desires will come forth. Things that have long been buried will rise up and place you in a state of unease, encouraging paranoia about your companions intentions. Allow it to fester, and one will carry this feeling with them long after you've left the scene. It's probably a good thing this is leaving Olympia — perhaps it's a source of so much conflict you've endured. It's easy to become mesmerized by all the historical artifacts that are present in Olympia's exhibition. Some even seem mystical or, like Ysverai’s heart, to hold unspeakable powers. Others are just a little eerie. Either way, Olympia prides itself in its generosity and their grand displays, and so refugees are urged to learn more about their artifacts by spending the night in Palace Court. Though, someone should probably mention that there are rumors of strange, almost occult things happening around these relics at night. People speak of armored soldiers casting shadows that have the ability to walk on their own, or gemstones that catch the moonlight in a certain way and show you visions. But those are just silly ghost stories, right? TALL TALES OF KHALO VILLAGE     Because of Khalo's proximity to Wyver, it's no surprise that they would catch wind of the peace talks between Wyver and Olympia. In response, for the first time in centuries, Khalo Village has willingly granted passage to outsiders — but visitors will immediately find out that one cannot just simply walk into the village. Visitors will need to inhale the smoke of a fyrra herb in order to enter the premises without falling into slumber. Khalo is notably different than what refugees are used to. Visitors, specifically refugees, will find that they are exceedingly accommodating. The Khali are very intrigued by the outsiders, thus they're treated with much respect and given instant access to some of the best lounges and fyrra the village has to offer. In exchange, the village is interested in hearing about your journey thus far. Whether it be through a conversation with another individual or the Khali themselves, they'll very likely to have been eavesdropping and recording the tales of their exploits. Why, exactly? Perhaps it will not be immediately clear, but if you happened upon a venasou, a tamed Khali creature, it may have guided you to their Enchanted Library. Upon entering the library, visitors will notice that it is quite the happening place — but not because it's occupied by the Khali, but because there seems to be an assembly of magical quills seemingly writing on their own. The quills are mostly undisturbed by the intrusion and will not stop writing even if parchment is taken from it; it will simply produce another piece of paper and continue its tales. If you happen to read the parchment, you may notice that there is a daunting similarity between your story and the ones being written here. Tales of Thesa birthing new races and sending them from the sky, for example, are very popular in Khalo Village. They mark July 15th as the day in which the Moon Goddess, Thesa, created more people in her image and brought them to El Nysa as saviors. The coincidences don't end there: specifics about your home world might be found in the writings if you search deeply enough — but it's not without its exaggerations. These stories are given all sorts of poetic and literary forms, from short stories to limericks, biographies to something similar to haiku. If asked, the Khali will inform visitors that the enchanted library has access to vague parts of your memories, and thus it is duty-bound to record. The Khali have not seen stories as strange as the ones being made by refugees, which is largely why they are interested in them. NOTE: This is entirely optional! You may make up your own "stories" (fanfiction) and it could be as accurate or inaccurate, or as serious or silly as you'd like. While tales of the Thesa's descendants are still being written, visitors of the Enchanted Library might find intrigue in the more complete works — KING AND KIN. If one is willing to delve deep, they may also find parts of Wyver's past that have been removed from their own archives. These pages will recount the tales of Shanrian and Rasyc. Though a lot of the narrative seems to divide at certain points in the story, it becomes obvious with some quick reading that Rasyc is not only the son of Shanrian, but that he glorifies the Wyver of old, more bloodthirsty and brutal than it is today. Unlike his father, he does not take kindly to Olympia and the threat they will always pose for their people. He has not forgotten Olympia's past sins and he believes that, in his foolish quest for peace, the king has gone soft and no longer possesses the real will to fight. His present voice in affairs of state is not a loud one, as he chooses to speak in whispers and move in the dead of silence. In these quiet murmurings, he boasts of his unwavering belief in the power and dignity of his people. Of how they should all return to what they once were — the kingdom, its citizens, and naturally the father who he had once admired greatly. Though perhaps it can be argued that any estranged son would wish the same. It's difficult to pinpoint what becomes political and what is and always will be more personal for him. But, it hardly matters. It's clear that Rasyc will stop at nothing to achieve his objectives, even if it means never returning to place he calls home. Even if it means turning his back on his own father, Shanrian, King of Wyver... DRAGONFIRE. While tales of the Thesa's descendants are still being written, visitors to the Enchanted Library might find intrigue in the more complete works. In particular, tales of Ysverai, the last of Wyver's great high dragons. Ysverai is most commonly known for being slain by Olympia’s past king and legendary hero, Nithor, but here in Khalo he is depicted in another light. Ysverai is known to the Khali people as a wise being, old as the first inhabitants that walked El Nysa. The creature spoke in the common tongue to the early settlers, guiding them to refuge when his kin began to dominate the land at the cost of its own isolation. It ultimately becomes a tale of sacrifice, for its stand with Nithor became a testament against the Olympian Empire's long reaching influence. At the bottom, there is a quotation: Your hearts will fill with greed and malice the moment my own stops beating. Take care in the Eye of the Storm. Find strength in one another, before it is too late. It seems to end there. Refugees are naturally allowed to question the natives. However, keep in mind that many of their replies will seem more like speculation than fact. But maybe that can be fun too? If you have no interest in the library and the tales they've woven, feel free to explore any of the other areas of interest. Khalo Village is thrilled to be open for you all. THOSE THAT SEEK PEACE, AND THOSE THAT SEEK --     The morning of the 20th is marked by fairly dismal weather. The sky is overcast and a downpour seems imminent. Regardless of the poor forecast, those who signed up to assist in this mission will be required to come early in order to receive their briefing. Members of Group A: ▸ Jon Snow (song_of_ice) ▸ Daenerys Targaryen (dorzalta) ▸ Loras Tyrell (triplerose) ▸ Terra (earthy) ▸ Alisaie Leveilleur (adelphoi) ▸ Solider: 76 (personalwar) ▸ Ardyn Izunia (daemonized) ▸ Mai(maipokerface) ▸ Olivier Armstrong (wallsofbriggs) ▸ Atsushi Nakajima (gekkajuu) Members of Group B: ▸ Kale (kaleorbekaled) ▸ Diana Prince (wondie) ▸ Pheonix Wright (objectionattourney) ▸ Revolver Ocelot (shashka) ▸ Frederick (pebblestone) ▸ John Sheppard (impavid ▸ Ianto Jones (torchwoodteaboy) ▸ Lena Oxton (quevarly) ▸ Allura (quintessent) Due to the rain, members of Group A will have to immediately stop by the checkpoint at the East Watchtower. Additionally, the Royal Guard and Knightryders are well-prepared with extra cloaks for those who may require it. They also will provide basic refreshments such as water and bread. People are encouraged to take what they need prior to their departure on this mission. The checkpoints are a bit far between, after all. Members of the envoy will also be encouraged to utilize this time to become familiar with one another. Maybe some introductions are in order? You never know who will end up having your back... For both groups, the paths will be relatively straightforward with evenly spaced checkpoints along the way. The only issue seems to be the downpour, really. The rain is unforgiving and the roads easily become unstable and increasingly difficult for the carriage to be drawn through. Hence, there may be more than one occasion where you will be expected to lend a hand in prying out its wheels from a particularly pesky (and muddy) pothole. Or perhaps you will be called upon by a fellow guard to assist in getting a particularly stubborn creature out of the path ahead of you. Seems like it may be a longer journey than you expected. Dirtier, too. While weathering the conditions may have been a bit tiring, this journey isn't too bad, right? Well, maybe not. GROUP A. Once the carriage gets through the worst of the terrain and finally manages to depart from the watchtower, it won't be long until the group is met with a physical roadblock. A large tree trunk will be set down the center of the road, acting as a blockade. But, before the group can react or begin crafting a plan around this obstruction, the carriage will be attacked without warning. At first, it's unclear where the attack comes from or from whom, but you don't have the leisure to deliberate this. You hear one of your fellow guards mention something about bandits frequenting these parts, but maybe there's more to it? Either way, your task is clear: protect the artifact, Nithor's skull, and fight the bandits off. You'll be encouraged to try and capture them so that they may later be turned and questioned by the authorities. GROUP B. With clear motives to restock and collect a few more materials for the carriage, it's evident that the envoy will appear restless to arrive at the second checkpoint. However, despite their unspoken delight at seeing the South Outpost from a distance, it's clear something has gone awry. There will be several hooded figures awaiting them right where the mud path meets the cobblestone of the Outpost's road. Soon, several more of these figures will come to flank them from both sides. While they seem like bandits, at least from their physical appearance, there is something far more polished in their movements. They will be attacking the envoy in concise, practiced formations. For those who are more perceptive, it becomes obvious that they are moving around and acting as decoy to one central figure. This member is likely the "leader" of their group, but no matter how one may try to close the distance between themselves and this mysterious leader, someone will constantly get in the way of that. The fighting also seems to act as a distraction since by the time everything is cleared up... only two things are missing. The leader of this group of bandits and more importantly — Ysverai's heart. NOTE: Those RNG'd to thread out the capture and questioning of the bandits will have starters below. For everyone else that signed up, you will still have the opportunity to capture the assailants even though they were not selected to thread the interrogation; you are free to make up your NPCs with the same basic guideline: they will not reveal their motive or their organization. You may turn them in to authorities (Wyver or Olympia or otherwise) or find creative ways to get rid of them. FINAL OOC NOTE     To reiterate: you may use this log as a general mingle for everything from the May Outline, including all Khalo Village activities. In other words, your top-levels don't necessarily have to be related to the prompts written here. An AC-eligible thread in which your character participates in anything mentioned in the May Outline and/or Khalo Village location page may be submitted for 2 REP POINT FOR EITHER OLYMPIA OR WYVER. SUBMIT THE THREAD FOR OLYMPIA OR WYVER HERE OR HERE RESPECTIVELY BY June 10th 11:59 PM EST. For those who participated in this month's plot-related portion, to receive IC recognition for it, a summary of the thread must be submitted HERE by June 8th 11:59 PM EST. Please direct all queries to the question thread below. Thank you, and have fun! QUICK NAV premise ● faq ● lore ● map ● npcs ● bestiary taken ● atp/emp ● application ● rep/acp ● quest bulletin calendar ● hiatus/drops ● modbox [ FULL NAVIGATION ] elnysa nysalogs nysaisles nysaooc elnyan

Comments

soldier: 76 | overwatch | ota

[personalwar]

I. KHALO VILLAGE

a. library
[ 76 does what he can to avoid the questioning of the Khali people, not particularly interested in telling them his life story or even about the time he's spent here on El Nysa. He can understand why they're curious, if they've been isolated for so long, but that had also been their choice. He wants to see what this village has to offer, though, and so after dodging enough of the inquisitive Khali, he makes it to the library.

He's expecting to find more of the Khali here, hard at work or organizing their impressive collection, but instead he's met by quills that seem to be writing on their own. 76 stalks up to one, snatching the paper away to give it a read.

The neat writing speaks of offerings sent down by Thesa, about people created in the image of the goddess that so much of El Nysa's worships. 76 frowns to himself, before crumpling up the paper and tossing it aside. The quill seems undeterred by this; it just manifests a new piece of paper to continue writing.

When he hears someone coming up behind him, 76 turns around and heaves out a weary breath. ]

There's a lot to go through here. I could use the help.

[ This is a treasure trove of possible new information, about this planet and its history. It's not something he can just ignore. ]

b. taming fields
[ Since arriving in Khalo, 76 has seen signs that there's wildlife here that he hasn't seen anywhere else in El Nysa. He doesn't know if the translucent, jellyfish like things that are floating around are some sort of sacred beast, but they seem peaceful enough. When his exploring takes him to the outskirts of the village where there's a large open area, that's when he finds the Mossleys and Eighrei.

He approaches with care, not sure what might set them off or make them aggressive. Despite 76's intimidating nature, he knows how to handle animals, and so it isn't long before he's gotten close to a Mossley, who is friendly enough to nudge up against him, sniffing in interest. He doesn't try to detach any of its flowers, not sure whether or not that would hurt it.

He sees that some of the Khali are riding the Eighrei, but when he makes an attempt to mount one, it snorts at him and aims to kick at his chest. 76 is able to jump back quickly enough to avoid any damage, but he knows better than to make another attempt.

He sighs and rubs at the back of his neck. ]

Maybe they don't like humans.

II. TRANSPORTING THE SKULL (GROUP A)

a. pre-departure
[ While everyone had been hoping for clear weather for the journey, the Knightryders came prepared, so that's something. As one of the refugees who's also a member of the Ryders, 76 is tasked with bridging the gap, as a pile of cloaks is dumped into his arms and he's told to distribute them.

That's fine by him. He doesn't know a good number of the other refugees who've been picked for this job personally, and it's a good chance to at least exchange names before they get moving. He's not the most social person (hence not knowing a lot of them), but it's good to learn who'll be watching your back when you're undertaking a mission like this.

Because you'd better believe he's expecting some sort of trouble on this trip.

So whether or not he knows one of the refugees, he walks up to them and shoves a cloak their way. He's already wearing one himself, the hood pulled up to shield him at least a little from the rain. Which might look kind of odd, given that he's wearing his visor still. ]

Here. It's better than nothing.

b. pesky potholes
[ Now that they've been traveling for a while, 76 almost wishes that the task of transporting the skull to Olympia could have been limited to just a few people. While he understands the need for extra security and protection, it also means that they're moving a lot slower over the muddy roads, and the carriage gets that much more difficult to maneuver. If it had just been a handful of people on horseback, they could have been a lot more subtle, taking backroads to avoid detection.

There's no point in dwelling on it now, though. The situation is that the carriage's back wheels have gotten stuck in a pothole, and no matter how the horses pull, it isn't coming free. They're going to need to lift it out, and 76 knows all too well when he's the right person for a job. ]

I've got it.

[ He pushes past to walk up to the back end of the carriage, then crouches down in the mud to take hold. It looks like he's intending to lift it free all on his own. ]

III. WILDCARD

[ Anything else you'd like to do? Go for it! You can PM me or hit me up at demonology for plotting. ]

[daemonized]

[It is easy enough to avoid the body of the fallen guardsman, a quick step over him as his boots make contact with damp ground, Ardyn's grin wide and his focus squarely on the bandit before him. It becomes obvious what his focus is, with only a moment of keen observation -- he is going for the skull, and something in Ardyn's chest bursts with excitement. How novel, that this man thinks that he can outrun him.

But he needn't even use his magic, he needn't even warp close to him to catch up. The smashing of glass and the skull is exposed, but hesitation blossoms in his target, and it is just enough for him to close the gap -- the sword he holds in his hand is gleaming in grey sunlight.

Ardyn leaps forward, blade flashing. A kick at the back of the bandit's knee is all that he does right now, for he figures skewering him in too might be too hasty, if he wants to harvest a few answers from this man.]

What's the hurry? Stop and chat a while.

[willrevile]

It could be a cylindrical or circular core, producing light or heat, usually generating some kind of sound - regardless of whether or not humans can hear it. Usually in containment of some kind, in a chamber or room with a cleared space around it before another room buffering it where the interaction controls are.

[ Jim thinks that's the best ballpark description he's going to be able to give without starting to draw diagrams; the basic parameters cover warp cores to old Romulan hyperdrives and 20th century space station engines. It's a solid pattern. But-- ]

If it's magic, I have no clue. Probably glowing, that shit loves to glow.

[ Thanks, Jim. ]

[apricitous]

[ He considers for a moment and Jim may watch his vision go very distant. After a moment, he tilts his head and tilts his head in one direction, his ear towards it. Then he closes his eyes, takes a breath and breathes out. ]

I have an idea? There's something that makes it sort of... foggy. To sense through.

Linneus Teahouse | OTA

[inaurare]

Khalo? Is it me you're looking for?

[A - 'pon the left-hand side]
[The Fyrra is... new. Smoking anything is new for Linneus, but while it does make him cough and splutter a bit, the experience... is not actually unpleasant.

At least at first.

It hits him about a third of the way into the walk to the village, a slight, buzzing haziness in his head and mind, but he tries not to pay it any attention. After all, there is so much strange, beautiful scenery to take in. Outside of a stop along the way to rest their legs, there is no opportunity to pause to sketch, to leave the path briefly for flowers and leaves to press, lest he hold up the group.

But the more he walks, the worse it gets. Perhaps the colours are brighter than usual, and more plentiful - so many, too many - too many to take in properly. Looking away, even following his own feet, seems to just make his disorientation worse. Has his vision always jogged like that with every step...? Since when has the movement of his legs reverberated through his body so? Oh, he has to sit down...

And it is about this moment thankfully, blessedly, the guides lead the group to a small rest area. It might just be a few rocks and logs in the shade, but Linneus is quite happy to take the moment to gather himself. He should get some water from his pack or something but for the time being Linneus is slumped uncharacteristically, elbows resting on his knees, his head hanging while he tries to will his vision to settle.]


[B - now in technicolour]
[but a little rest has him right as rain and ready to explore; perhaps backtracking to the forests again with his sketchbook and watercolours to draw out some of the strange things growing there.

Looking, but not touching - he knows better than to go around poking strange plants when he's by himself, he's seen others run afoul of that mistake before. It is certainly reassuring to know that the brightness of the colours was not a mere trick of his mind, but he has to mix and re-mix his colours to try to get them just right and he is absorbed in the task, settled against a tree, seated on the mossy ground.

He is only here for a short time - best to record as much as he can.]


[C - wildcard (NSFW possible)]
[the rest of his stay is filled with trying to absorb as much of the new area as he can - visiting the museums, or discussing his studies with the locals to learn the correct names and properties of the plants he found... picking - and perhaps even partaking - of the fyrra again, albeit with trusted company and in the more comfortable environment of the parlours.

It is, after all, local custom.]

wildcards in space !

[braidedwonder]

[ The Natha had once asked Duo not to take his gundam back and forth to space too often once he'd been given back his mobile suit. But.. then again. The Natha were also no where to be found right now. After he and Jim's little text discussion and outing himself for keeping mum on his mobile suit to someone who didn't really care in the first place, Duo had decided to say screw it, climbing in to the cockpit of his gundam and starting up the systems, making sure everything is still running to spec with the Natha gone -

( An unlikely side effect, but if they can bring a massive, sky scraper sized mobile suit back from 'The Storm' - he isn't sure just how deep that magic or whatever the fuck you wanted to call it went.)

- well, it just made sense to make sure. Once he's sure everything is good and the cloaking fires up, Duo readies the suit for a space trip, causing a bit of commotion again within the tree tops as the rockets fire off to propel him back in to space. Still cloaked Duo finds the space station, lurking around for a moment to make sure they aren't being targeted from the outside. Once their relative safety for the moment is assured, he patches through to Jim's communicator. ]

Yo, Jim, you guys alright in there?

B

[thetaintedsorrow]

[Chuuya himself has been exploring the village for most of his visit, but he does venture out into the forest again to do a little nature walk, and surprisingly enough he spots Linneus leaning up against a tree and mixing what look to be watercolor paints. Chuuya doesn’t bother quieting his footsteps with his ability like he normally would, making his presence known as he approaches Linneus with a grin.]

Heya. Didn’t know you liked to paint.

[inaurare]

I... dabble.

[it was an occasional hobby before, but he's able to devote a little more time to it these days - and while it would be good to stretch himself (and he tries), botanical studies are good to fall back on, as well as helpful for work. Good for his hands as well; there was a dip in the quality of his painting after the kidnapping, while he was healing, while his hands were clumsy. But he has tried not to be deterred.

He is a little shy of showing, never mind showing off, though he does offer Chuuya a look at the page - he has one of the plants sketched, but the opposite page he'd left for notes has rather more colour swatches on it than blank space for writing]

I can't seem to mix these colours. Perhaps they're too vivid for my paints?

a.

[beatupgrass]

[Honestly, the library is the last place Rocket wanted to be- he's hyper intelligent and doesn't mind reading and researching, but this is so... archaic. That being said, he did come for the same reason that 76 did (more information means safety), but he was sort of hoping these drugged out little bastards were somehow hiding the secret technology all along.]

You mean to tell me that we're gonna have to go through all this crap on our own the slow way?

Diana Cavendish | OTA

[fiendennor]

[A: The Library]

[Of course the first place Diana goes upon entering an incredibly fascinating new place is the library. Of course it is. The library isn't any less interesting, and she wanders around, paying careful attention to the enchanted quills. They're not dissimilar to things that existed back at Luna Nova, but seeing them here is intriguing, and she tries to work out how the magic functions.

She takes a look at one of the pages, and her eyes go wide.] ...and they restored the World Tree?

I... how is this possible? [That sure is what she and Akko did, right there, on the page.]

[B: Baths]

[When in Rome...

Diana isn't going full native, no. She's a little too self-conscious for that, and even seeing other people walk around fully naked makes her blush. But she is trying to respect the people's customs as best she can.

She's opted for a compromise. She walks around with a towel wrapped around her chest, only otherwise wearing a bikini bottom. When she slides into the water, she leaves the towel on the shore. It's fine to go topless as long as she stays below the water, really.

Honestly, she feels self-conscious about feeling self-conscious, but she's making an effort.] It's interesting, their custom... much of their society revolves around this pond, from what I can see.

Do you think it's always been here? [She asks the nearest person who doesn't look like they're from around here. Which is you.]

[B-2]

[All of the above happens, except at the end of her bath, Diana goes to where she left her towel.

And it's not there.

Perhaps someone stole it? (Perhaps you stole it?) Perhaps someone thought it was theirs and walked off? Either way, she's in a bind. So you'll see a young woman with fair hair, keeping in the water up to her neck, looking rather distressed.] Ah-- excuse me! Would you happen to have, er, something I can drape over myself?

[C: Accommodations (Open to NSFW, women only)]

[The lodgings here are beautiful, she can't help but think, and for once, Diana genuinely allows herself to relax, to be a little hedonistic and indulgent as she lounges back on the colorful, silken pillows that line the various rooms in the inn.

One of their hosts brings by a tall device that resembles a hookah on a wheeled table.] This is... the special fyrra you'd mentioned earlier? [She says, to the host; they'd discussed the fragrant substance necessary to enter the city earlier, and Diana had expressed interest.] Thank you for bringing this by.

[It's lit by the host who then walks away, and she takes the long hose and puts the pipe in her mouth, hesitantly inhaling the fragrant smoke.

She immediately starts coughing.] Oh-- that's more-- it's hotter than I'd-- give me a moment, please! [She says between her coughs, holding the hose out for you to take, if you'd like.]

(ooc: Prior CR only for NSFW options, please!)

[natha]

Unfortunately, he will not be able to! With technopathy, he will only find corrupted sound bytes that barely resemble any of the Natha's voices. They will all be undecipherable.

[willrevile]

Hey.

[ At least the network's still up. For now. ]

Yeah, no change from when we last spoke. Haven't turned up anything that even looks like an answer. No sign of a conflict, they're just gone.

[ Nothing else he can do besides do more rounds and try to look closer, seeing as they can't use the transporters more than once in 24 hours-- supposedly. But he's not interested in pushing limits without the Natha around, just in case these rules are in place out of necessity. ]

[impavid]

That's spooky though, I WILL TAKE IT.

You Watanabe | OTA

[ayes]

[A: Skyball]

[Okay. Okay, this sport is so cool. You watches from the stands, enraptured, as the competitors dart through the air, tossing, running, and kicking the ball to each other as best they can. It's really neat, and when offered the chance to participate herself, even her diminished mood can't make her turn it down.

Flight is amazing, and You spends some time just zipping around the arena seeing how it feels to fly-- like swimming, except faster and you don't need to hold your breath-- before she's kindly asked to, you know, participate in the game.] Oh, right, sure!

So... so I fly over there, and you throw it to me? Is that the rule? [She picks things up quickly.

And critically, she seems to have completely forgotten her malaise.]

[B: Hookah (NSFW possible)]

[Distracting herself with athletics and sports is one way to cope.

Distracting herself with substances is another.

It's nice, to be like this. Her mind feels like it's floating away on a gentle sense of euphoria, and You nestles deep into the pillows of the lounge, holding the smoking pipe out for anyone who wants to hit it next.] So, like...

...when you think about it, isn't the sky, just like... an ocean without water?

[She doesn't do this a lot, so it's hitting her hard.]

(ooc: Can be the sexy fyrra or the regular type! PM or plurk me if you want to do a NSFW scene, ideally with people she knows well.)

[willrevile]

An idea is outstanding. Lead the way.

[ Will they be able to get there? Probably not, says the other side of the 4th wall, but let's go anyway. Jim continues his periodic investigation and mental note-taking as the proceed, and once stops them to take a look out a window and photograph the angle of them vs the planet. ]

I took measurements before beaming up, [ he says by way of an explanation. In another hour or so he'll take another measurement, see how much of a change there is, and be able to tell if their orbit is unstable. ]

Richie Tozier | Khalo/Olympia/Thesa | OTA

[summertimeblues]

i) THESA - LIGHTS OUT

[The sudden break in the broadcast puts his heart in a bind. He sits and replays it twice, dread mounting. Paces. Snatches himself a small flask, still swishing with scotch, and the knife Steve got him for Christmas. Too small to stick much anything but a rat, but better than nothing. The idea of walking around with a chef knife, poised like he's Norman Bates in his mother's nightgown, doesn't sit too well with him.

Besides, any blade would be a moot point if his fears are realized now.

He teleports to the station immediately. Lights are flickering. The speakers keep iterating the same shit on repeat. "We shall continue to monitor the situation, however —" He takes a deep breath and beelines for Stasis.

Oh sweet Lordy, if there is a God let His wonders be known now, and keep everything sleeping.]


ii) OLYMPIA

a) Be Still My Beating Heart

[The exhibit is something to behold. Richie takes his time at each stand, moving in silence. The heart itself, fabled and glowing as if with pride in its own power, holds his gaze like a flickering flame. He stands, stupefied. The fine hairs at the back of his neck rise. There's that eerie sensation of being watched.

He catches your eye, startled and uncharacteristically wordless.]

b) Night at the Museum

[The locals were all so gung ho about their old trinkets and curios. And Richie, who was trying his best to learn and adapt as best as an old fart could, wanted to know more about this world he was cursed to live in. So in spite of feeling like he was playing at being fourteen and all too green again, he opts to spend the night at the exhibit.

Ignorance isn't bliss, but buddy, knowledge don't let nobody sleep at night. Case in point: here he is, jolting awake from his sleep by an unearthly whisper. Something something...the words were gone. But he'd heard it. Richie turns to the sleeping bag next to his.]

Hey — did you hear that?


iii) KHALO VILLAGE

a) Honey I Shrunk the DJ

[Expecting a smooth trek in when he'd already had to blow a joint just to pass the borders was, as he feared, an exercise in futility. As if the mushrooms at Murkwell Hollow weren't bad enough, he takes a wrong step and squishes some blooming purple offshoot underfoot. One minute he's regular, jiving at five foot nine.

The next he's squeaked down to an inch high and tumbling off that soggy violet fungal mess, landing in the grasses with the world's tiniest yelp.]

WHAT THE FUCK?!

b-i) Tall Tall Tales

[He'd been a little skinchy with the details of his time here. Not much of it was pleasant, after all, but he'd been affable as possible when getting grilled by a fairy person. (His initial balking had toned down some, he just had to remember Gamora and Rocket and Koltira — he had met stranger folk and everything would be a-okay.)

But getting to the library had him thinking it was all for naught. The moving quills held his attention hostage for a good ten minutes. Then he'd wandered a bit. Cosmic coincidences could never cease, for a tome he pulls out on a whim (freshly printed, too) spills open to a page with a ballad running along one side and a grim wood-cut illustration on the other. Seven children with their backs to the viewer stand dwarfed at the bottom, the silhouettes of thatched houses and trees (wrong details, wrong era, just like how the kids are dressed like Olympian tykes), all of which are engulfed in the shadow of the wicked djinn above. The face is painted in all the wrong ways, and the costume is jester-like with diamonds painting the sleeves and a jingle-belled cap sitting atop its head. But the smile is the same, shark-toothed and bright even rendered in ink.

Richie blanches at the sight. Starts murmuring the words.]

Beneath a town in the Valley of Maine
There lives a daemon, called by no name.
The folks above never have to think twice
With the gift of a year long sacrifice...

b-ii) Sing Me the Song of Your People

[Or perhaps the story he picks up is your own. Maybe you catch him reading a limerick from over his shoulder, or he could be holding up the book and comparing the illustration against the real thing from across the room.]

Oh — is this one you? Snoopy little fuckers, aren't they?

c) Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (Gen OTA + Possible NSFW for previous CR age 29+ only)

[He'd really gone done a terrible rabbit hole, picking up smoking again. First came the smokes, which was right before the apocalypse. Then came the weed after. Then there came the pills and the lines after the resurrection, though Richie has stayed his hand there soon after. Sorted himself mostly out, settled back into his usual discomfort instead of seeking absolute oblivion.

The stuff they offer here is kinder. It goes down sweetly, plumes out in pleasing clouds. He takes a puff before offering a round to the chum next to him, grin already going lazy as he sinks into the plush pillows.]

Feels a bit like Morocco. I've missed shishah, it's been ages since I've done the lounge stint like this.


iv) WILDCARD

((If there's anything else you'd like, hit me with a surprise prompt or pm me to discuss things!))

[summertimeblues]

If one stays overnight at the exhibition, what sort of visions would they be having exactly?

Rocket | ota

[beatupgrass]

ｉ． ＴＡＬＬ ＴＡＬＥＳ

[A person wandering through the library may overhear a drawling, heavily-accented voice speaking to seemingly no one, and were they to investigate, they'd find Rocket sprawled on a chair, dictating to a hastily writing quill.]

Okay, but make sure you spell that right, okay? I need the full brunt of how stupid this guy's name was on paper. T-A-S-E-R-F-A-C-E.

[For those of you who thought Rocket was going to let that die... You really don't know him. But that story seems to be finished and he stretches his arms over his head, clearly enjoying the hell out of this. ] Okay, one more.


ｉｉ． ＨＡＬＦ－ＰＲＩＣＥ ＦＬＹＩＮＧ

[A hundred silver for a short term flying potion? That's cute, but he doubts the Khal are going to be making a ton of money like that. As for Rocket, he has a better way of making money off their poor business skills.

He still has one extra aero-rig from when Ermes duplicated him a few to give to his friends, and it's that little disc he's passing from hand to hand as he sits in a tree casually, looking for disappointed passers-by as they stare up at the higher levels of the village.]

Hey. You wanna see the top of this place? Play a little skyball for half the price and none of the embarrassment?


ｉｉｉ． ＧＩＡＮＴ ＴＲＥＥＳ

[Rocket spends most of the day goofing off and making quick money, and he's about to retire to his accommodations for an evenings rest when he notices the two tree guardians moving about the village. He's instantly struck dumb by the sight of them, having never seen two of them at once, much less having never seen one that wasn't Groot.

Well, besides Manley, but that bastard doesn't count.

There's a weirdly nostalgic part of him that wants to get up on one's shoulder and ride for a bit, just to remember, but that's ridiculous and stupid and he is neither of those things... But he sure did take several pointed steps towards them, and then promptly try and turn around and walk away.

Oh hi, random bystander who probably observed all of this.]


ｉｖ． ＷＩＬＤＣＡＲＤ

[Available for any prompts you may want to toss at me except for the NSFW options, unless your definition of NSFW is "Give Rocket a fucking bath." You can PM me if you want a custom starter for something or catch me on plurk at tricksterwind]

i!

[summertimeblues]

You're actually giving it the details?

[That sudden shadow to the side of you is Richie Tozier, sidling up at the always peculiar sight of the talking raccoon. Add another point to the tally of its strangeness: the willingness to share his story. None of these fluttering quills had asked permission, after all. They just went on scribbling whether you liked it or not.]

iii- a i can't believe we tagged each other at the same time

[beatupgrass]

[You know who the worst person to catch you when you're an inch tall is?

The current shortest guy in El Nysa.

Rocket has keen eyes and better hearing, and has lived in the area long enough not to tussle with the plantlife too much, so while he keeps a wide berth, he still hears that sound and immediately stops, not quite realizing the source.]

Oh no, I remember this shit from week one. Not today, shithole planet. Not today.

I wonder...

[araearyrha]

[Akko takes the hose and looks toward Diana unsure if she should try it or not after that coughing fit. Sure she'd used it earlier to get into the city, but this was different. Still, she's not about to let Diana think she's just some kid.

She takes a puff from the pipe, trying to take less than Diana did if only to keep from coughing herself. It doesn't help.]

It [cough, cough] smells nice at least.

John Sheppard | Semi-Open (Group B) & (Thesa Station)

[impavid]

THESA STATION (OTA)

This is not good.

Seeing the station the way it is makes John's skin prickle. Ominous messages are bad enough, but ominous messages combined with flickering power and a deserted ship make his heart speed up uneasily. The Station never really responded to him properly when he first turned up, but there's always a chance it... might, now. Anything is worth trying, even if he's on a time limit. Which is more important? Getting this place running, or the exchange? John has no idea, no doubt the Natha would know -- but they're not here.

He's doing laps of the ship: the mess hall, the hangers, the stasis pods, anywhere he might find someone or some kind of answer and muttering uneasily under his breath.

"Come on, come on you gotta help me out here! I don't know how any of this works!"

As far as anyone might be able to tell, he's either talking to himself or the walls of the ship. If he's expecting an answer or not is a toss up -- but, every so often John steps in front of a screen and squints at it pleadingly. After a moment, an undecipherable piece of audio plays to him. He bangs the wall in agitation, braces his hands against it and takes a slow breath. Rodney. Why didn't they wake up Rodney? Rodney was better at this. Rodney would know what to do.

Group B
i)
John is no stranger to terrible weather, nor to escort missions. He's focused, tactical, and carries himself with the air of someone who knows what they're doing.

At the same time, though, he has an oddly casual and irreverent air in conversation once they get started. If you didn't know him, you might not be sure he's taking this seriously -- although close attention would spot that his eyes are always tracking their surroundings.

If you do know him, you're probably more aware that he's just like this all the time.

He chooses to walk beside the carriage, since the roads are wet and slow going anyway, which means he can stop and dig out the wheels whenever it gets stuck.

Unsticking wheels is a two person job, though.

He's wrapped up reasonably warm, and the cloaks are coated to keep most of the water off, but he's still got water running onto his face and neck and hands. Finishing up he straightens, turns to whoever is at the back of he carriage this time.

"All right," he yells, hoping they can hear over the rain. "Push on three! Ready?"

His hands move to the side of the carriage to help move it.

"One..."

Hopefully you're strong enough to help push.

ii)

Hooded figures in the road are never a good sign.

At first, John has some distant hope that maybe their welcoming party at the outpost just mixed up the 'heroic attire' handbook with 'ominous villain'. That any moment they'd pull down the hoods and set off some streamers, break out some beer and cupcakes.

It doesn't happen. It doesn't happen and they've clearly walked into a trap, and he doesn't even have a gun. What he wouldn't give for a gun.

"Protect the carriage!"

Just in case anyone had any ideas of doing anything else. He draws the blade he has on him and slams himself bodily into a bandit lunging for someone nearby, glances quickly to make sure they're unhurt before moving to engage another.

[ ooc; if you prefer to switch to brackets I'll match ]

[impavid]

Sorry, different question that just occurred to me!

When ICly is the Natha broadcast/does the station go empty? I can't spot which week it is on the outline.

[nineteenfortyfive]

No. Any instruction has always been brief, or we've had to figure it out ourselves.

[Her view is skewed with the people she's surrounded herself with, but she has a feeling most refugees are unfamiliar with that sort of technology, much like herself.]

No matter what's happened, the pods have always been safe, at least.

Obv we are meant to be

[summertimeblues]

[He could have used some of those keen senses ten seconds ago. Why was fate always so cruel?

He recognizes that voice straight away. It's a booming bray now to his tiny ears. Richie rolls over in the grass and hits a pebble that would reach his waist if he stood up straight.

He can't comprehend this, even now. Looking up at the trees has turned the canopy into a dizzying Escher nightmare. Leaves and branches press into infinity.

Cold fear grips him tight. He hollers. What was its name? Oh fuck him, what was it?]

FOCKET! No — shit, ROCKET!! ROCKET CAN YOU HEAR ME?