❪ introlog: #6 ❫ city of secrets

[natha]

You've spent the last few days on Thesa Station, taking in the knowledge that your world is no more. Now, the time to put all your survival training into practice has arrived: El Nysa needs you, and you're here to help the planet thrive. Are you ready? THE DESCENT     All refugees on the station are called to the hangar, where a large-scale teleporter awaits. Simply step onto the space between the arrays and wait; everyone will be sent down to the planet together. Before they depart, all refugees will be given a cold weather survival kit with warm clothing, rations, and bedding. The arrays build into a brilliant wash of light, creating a column that travels all the way from Thesa Station to the surface of El Nysa, teleporting the refugees to the planet on an aurora. Once on the planet's surface, refugees receive one last message from Darma. It has been a long, perilous year for you, refugees. And yet we must ask you to brave further peril. Within Nadril are the secrets to how poor Ysverai's revival was hidden from our sight and how this disaster has come to our star. Find the first refugee from beyond this planet, a man named Magda. He will not speak to us, for much has come between us, but to you… If you prove yourselves, he may be willing to answer your questions. We beseech you, for there is a veil over Nadril that hides all within from us. There may yet be more untold dangers waiting to befall this planet. For the good of all who make this world home, we ask you to lend us your aid. There is yet one more favor we would ask of you. In warding off the Storm's encroachment, the physical aspect of ourselves that you call Thesa Station was damaged. We must remain to continue repairs to El Nysa and to deal with Ysverai, but there should be suitable technology within Nadril that could be used for spare parts. If you have the chance to find it and can return it to us, it would hasten— Darma's message crackles with static, another image overlaying hers — her broadcast is cut off and replaced with another. A more sullen and alien voice takes Darma’s place, overlapping on itself in an ominous reveal. It has been a long, perilous year for you, refugees. And yet you’ve only just arrived here. To say I’m not disappointed in your… generation would be to lie, and I am nothing if not an honest creature. But I suppose these have been unusual circumstances. You must ask yourself this — are you only here as Darma's lapdogs? I can assure you, it's not worth being on the Natha's leash. With time, that will be something you'll have to learn for yourself. If you're so determined to come find Nadril, then follow the path north, and you'll find the border. What awaits you is revelation, if you're up to the challenge. A FROZEN LAND     The refugees land on a literally frozen world, both in temperature and time. Curls of icy wind hold swirls of snow aloft and an uncanny silence is broken only by the crunch of hoarfrost underfoot. Only Darma's protection allows the refugees to move through this frozen world — and movement is very necessary. Bitter cold sneaks through even the thickest clothing and without warning, a snowstorm rises: unnaturally quickly, a wall of white howls directly in the refugee's path. Bizarrely, the way back is perfectly calm; it's obvious that this storm is no product of nature. Magda's challenge becomes clear: the only way to Nadril lies through this storm. Visibility within the storm is near zero, the whiteout hiding any landmarks from view and making navigation near impossible. The only guidance refugees have is a sporadic path of faint, greenish lights, easily lost in the raging storm. Refugees need all the survival skills they practiced on Thesa Station to survive, for getting lost alone is a death sentence. Luckily, those separated from the group can happen upon guiding lights Magda has planted throughout the tundra. These blue-white sparks cause frostbite if handled recklessly, but they also serve as directional anchors, turning into ghostly flames that lead lost souls back to the path to Nadril. The trek through the storm will be no mean feat and will last for the better part of three days. By the time the refugees reach Nadril's gate, most will find themselves exhausted and running on fumes. As the snowstorm dies away and a gap in the glittering forcefield around the city opens to usher the refugees inside, it's clear that Nadril is a different beast. A WARM(?) WELCOME     I. Despite the unforgiving journey, entering Nadril is painless. Once inside, characters will be greeted by their predecessors: the original refugees who made this advanced city. They'll immediately be offered medical attention, as well as warm cider and blankets. But it's obvious that the Nadril citizens prefer higher tech to fend off the weather: they also offer wristlets and ear cuffs that that double as mittens and earmuffs by creating warm bubbles of air. The earrings also feature a few quality of life programs, such as timed alarms and thought-to-speech messaging. However, both programs are in beta stages so it's not unusual for a stray thought to accidentally slip through or an alarm to accidentally ring at an inopportune time. II. Refugees are offered free lodging in a large, crystalline building crafted from ice. Despite the coarse building material, the ice is unmelting and surprisingly well-insulated, and the beds are as warm and cozy. The rooms are, however, small. The sleeping quarters house two people, and are some cross between an igloo and a capsule hotel. Though built for efficiency over comfort, all rooms are also outfitted with the latest Nadril AI, RoboAlfred, or Ralf for short. This helpful program is installed in practically all the furnishings: the closet tells guests to bundle up, the bathroom sink reminds them to brush their teeth, and the mirror offers helpful fashion tips. Ralf's personality matrix still needs polish, though: it may very well insult your clothes and passively-aggressively question your lifestyle choices for the entire stay. III. Though not as advanced as Thesa Station, the colony has technology far beyond the rest of the continent, such as rudimentary AIs and mechanical transportation. Nadril's skyline is a point of pride — refugees can take a (literal) lightrail that gives an aerial view of the colony, which is hewn almost entirely from ice and rock. Despite its tech, Nadril is much more sparsely populated than Olympia and Wyver, and its residents stay near a central hub: a Natha refugee drop ship, Central, which has crashed and long embedded itself into the earth. Central is similar to an older, smaller, grounded model of Thesa Station, in functional order with round-the-clock solar power. Within Central are lounges similar to ones on the Station, though many of the damaged areas have been converted. They include repair stations, different wings dedicated to science, botany, astrology, and mechanics, and a research and history facility, which has a smattering of technology from planets beyond El Nysa — including your own. The staff here don't mind if anything is sampled and studied, but objects cannot be taken from the labs. IV. On the outskirts of the central hub, many will find several curious looking bots with insect-like wings perched about high traffic walkways. Simply passing the bots will cause a dizzying flash before a series of photos print out. Upon closer inspection, people will find that these images reflect stills taken from their home worlds as they remember it. Unfortunately, these photos only last a couple of hours at best. At that time, they will revert back to regular pictures of the refugees. People will be encouraged to share these images of their worlds. The residents of Nadril comprehend the value of remembering one's origins, and will be pleased to see that people still hold memories of old homes close to them. RECREATION IN NADRIL     I. Small, mechanical creatures scampering through the city are a common sight. Ask anyone, and they’ll tell you that they come from a shop called Paws About Town. They’re very useful, as companions, gophers, and couriers (though the more mischievous will note that they’re just small enough to keep tabs on people without being noticed). Premade robotic pets are available on display inside the shop. They come in all shapes, but small sizes; one may be able to find robots that even look like miniature creatures from their homeworld. These are a part of a new, highly customizable line with programmable personalities. Customers have the chance to take pets for a one-day trial run. Those who don’t know how to program may want to enlist more knowledgeable aid, but the pets come with instructional pamphlets for basic personality traits such as obedience, helpfulness, playfulness, and bloodthirst. For returns, the switch to wipe the robot's personality to a blank slate is on the back of its neck, right between a switch to invert all traits, and a switch to have them learn by observing. Try not to press the wrong switch — you might wind up with a pet with a mind of its own! II. A. The Frosty Tap Cantina is a thriving hub of activity, but one of the major draws is the self-service bar: molecular mixology is wildly popular here. Playing with drink compositions can be a game in and of itself, and newcomers to the cantina will find that the bartender — a cheerful woman with lilac skin and three eyes — is always happy to give them a few tips on how to use the wide array of tools within reach of the barstools. All manner of drinks are possible — from glowing, layered cocktails, to clear drinks with colored, spherical bubbles and vividly-colored shots that give off their own smoke. There's a nightly contest in the cantina for the most creative drink created by a team — this may be as good a time as any to partner up with someone and see what can you come up with. Winner gets all their drinks for the night free! And, hey, even if you don't win, you get to drink whatever you make. The well-lubricated patrons of the bar are eager to challenge anyone nearby to a different sort of drinking game… Just how well can you hold your liquor? B. Holo-screens in the cantina are nearly always broadcasting some match or another of a game that looks very much like hockey, albeit played with sticks that light up and a puck that changes shape from time to time. Colonists here merely refer to the game as "the sport," and one of their favored pastimes is betting. However, they don't use currency — they wager dares. Nadril colonists are a tough, weathered lot, and they prefer to speak with actions over silver. Colonists will urge the refugees to take part as well. Common dares range from the ridiculous (lead a sing-a-long, attempt to make someone with a poker face smile) to the suggestive (kiss the person in the cantina you find most attractive, strip off a piece of clothing), to the outright reckless (venture out into the snow for a certain amount of time, and no one will judge if you find some company to keep warm). The colonists are unfazed by even the most insane or tawdry of dares — but you'll certainly be called a killjoy for refusing too often! Why not grab a friend and give it a whirl, or challenge a rival to a dare yourself? THE MISSION     I. On the outskirts of Nadril is the communications tower of the old refugees. This is where Magda resides, monitoring Nadril's technological protections, the extent of the Natha’s influence, and running his own personal projects for El Nysa’s technological advancement. It is isolated, filled with research labs and relics of the past refugees who have come to El Nysa — a living mausoleum of worlds swallowed up by the Storm whose peoples have refused to forget where they came from. Crew photos line the walls of the tower: pictures of alien families and friends, the refugees who came to Nadril before you. Each group of photos gradually becomes smaller in number, and the most recent of the pictures are from half a century ago. Magda's picture can be found among the first group of refugees, an unusually small cluster of photos dating back centuries in El Nysa's past. I have been on this planet for nearly two centuries. Life has come, evolved, and collided in an ever expanding culture. But Darma fears interference, and made this place a prison, with she our warden, stifling the growth of the creatures native to this world rather than encouraging them to flourish. She sent you here for answers in her stead because she knows I'll spurn her, and after seeing what that fool Raysc has wrought, I'll give you them — not for Darma's sake, but because I trust after all the Natha have done to you, you'll understand my decision. Mistakes were made, and I won't hide them. You've made it here so there's some mettle to you, and unlike the Orbiters, I'm not interested in hiding the secrets of the dangers we face. I gave Raysc what he needed to keep his actions hidden from Darma's eyes — what he needed to advance the primitive magics the Natha had doomed him to. It was old Natha tech, Darma's very own used against her. Hilarious, isn't it? Raysc learned of Nadril, and like you, braved the snow to find his way here. He proved his worth and his determination, and he spoke of a brighter future, El Nysa coming into its own, its people realizing their true potential, unhindered by the shackles that had been put upon them. I believed him. He had vision — or so I thought. In truth, he was a fool. A madman. He wasted the opportunity I gave him on his petty vengeance. But not everyone on this planet is such an idiot. Surely you lot aren't. The Natha are hiding things from us — about the Storm, about everything. And here in Nadril, we're going to find all those secrets. What's it going to be? Will you help us, or are you going to stay obedient dogs on Darma's leash? Magda isn't too talkative yet; after all, the new flock of refugees may just be here as eyes and ears for the Orbiters. But what he has said leaves you with plenty to talk about, and if you can earn his trust by helping out around Nadril, he doubtless has a great deal more to reveal. II. Central isn't the only Natha ship that made its way to El Nysa — another, crashed just outside Nadril's borders, is little more than a junk heap. It's here that you'll find the spare parts Darma asked you to retrieve for Thesa Station. What remains of the ship's hull serves as a windbreak, and snow has built up against it, turning the piles of old Natha tech inside into something of a snowy morass. Holes in the deck offer would-be scavengers passage to the ship's innards, barely illuminated with flickering lights — the tech is old, but hardy enough to withstand a crash landing, the severe weather, and the passage of centuries. Deep in the wreck are the remains of living quarters, research labs, VR arenas, mecha bays, cafeterias, and a host of other rooms, many of which may seem familiar from Thesa Station, albeit with a decidedly older feel to what remains of the smooth curves and sleek surfaces of the Natha architecture. Most of the ship's systems are damaged and the technology is nonfunctional, but that just means there's plenty of spare parts to be found. The wreck isn't in the best shape, its structural integrity damaged, and the drifting snow threatens to block off exit routes. Be careful while exploring and be sure to bring a partner. As it turns out, Darma isn't the only one interested in the wreck — Magda is also eager to get his hands on Natha technology. In his own way of taking some responsibility for Raysc, he's asking scavengers to bring him parts, muttering about seeing what he can do about Ysverai's curse. Bring him anything that looks useful, and he may have a chance to succeed, though whether he'll be more effective than the Natha Orbiters is up for debate... FINAL OOC NOTES     An AC-eligible thread with a new character as a participant for 2 NADRIL REP POINTS may be submitted from this log. SUBMIT THE THREAD HERE BY AUGUST 5TH, 11:59 PM EST. As always, feel free to create your own prompts and explore the Nadril location page! There are a variety of activities made available, including fishing and cave exploration! Please direct questions to the questions thread below! Thank you! QUICK NAV premise ● faq ● lore ● map ● npcs taken ● atp/emp ● application ● rep/acp calendar ● hiatus/drops ● modbox [ FULL NAVIGATION ] elnysa nysalogs nysaisles nysaooc elnyan

Comments

[stargatemedic]

"It's nice to meet you," she says, noting the seriousness of Ren's expression and looking around the room for a moment. "I'm not sure they're assigned."

If they are, she may very well be in the wrong one. She's just stopped, having taken off her wristlets and earmuffs, unsure if they can be trusted. Having spent time in the military, she's never specifically roomed with a man before, so she's not sure if Ren is assigning himself to the room with her and she pauses.

"Are you staying in this room as well?"

[shashka]

If you're not careful, I might have worse ones.

[ sometimes, Ocelot doesn't lack for self-awareness. perhaps that was how he broke the men he interrogated in Afghanistan: through awful English puns. ]

Sounds like a plan. You seem to have a good idea of what you're doing. I'll help you out with some of the more modern tech, but otherwise, I think I might just be able to trust your expertise.

[ let's. do. this. ]

[dontgiveabuckland]

[Cam blinks. Oh right, there's probably rules to this contest.]

Ah, it's fine. We'll get both of your names at the end?

[Or something? He hasn't fully thought this con through yet. He finally looks from the drink, to the person he's talking to,]

...You seem a little small for this place.

[It's hard to get a good look at her, with the hood and bandages, but she's probably the shortest person he's met on El Nysa.]

[flask]

[Nott's hand comes straight to her mouth, covering it tightly. Did she say something out loud? She keeps her hand covering her mouth to make sure she keeps silent, but then she suddenly realizes that the raccoon talked. Like, from its mouth.

Okay, maybe this is a Kiri situation. Maybe this is a raccoon person. That changes things quite a bit. Nott doesn't eat people, even ones that look particularly delicious.

She shifts a little behind the rubble she's hidden herself among, starting to decide this is probably a bad plan and maybe she should leave, but she flubs it and trips over some metal nonsense scattered behind her, coming to the ground hard with a crash and a shrill yelp.

Fuck.]

[pullsheavendown]

[The other photos are pretty...kind of weird, but pretty. He briefly wonders how the upside-down pool would even work before the girl asks a question he's not sure how to answer.]

That's...sort of complicated. [His slow in their sorting as he thinks about it.] I'm not sure I have a real home...but that's where I'd like it be, if I did.

And these, are they were you come from?

[shashka]

Something like that.

[ of course, most of the places he went, weren't exactly serving the world's "finest", but he's made do. ] Call me stereotypical, but I've always enjoyed a good Moskovskaya vodka.

[ not that he looks or sounds particularly Russian, he supposes, with his American Western-inspired wardrobe, and slight southern flair to his voice. even so, the GRU-issued boots might be a clear enough hint to anyone who happens to know what sort of things to look for. ]

What about you?

reyes | overwatch

[gravemistake]

i. a frozen land

[Gabriel’s barely had enough time to process all this—the displacement, the Storm, the strange state of his friends—before he’s being ushered planetside, and without any real leverage in the situation (or even allies), all he can really do is go along with things. The cold is not his favorite, to say the least, but it’s preferable to being cooped up on a space station. He secures his gear and heads out into the cold.

When he’s on a mission, Gabriel becomes laser-focused, and this is no exception. He doesn’t exactly want to take responsibility for anyone else, but as long as they’re traveling with a group, he wants to appear cooperative, at the very least.

Still, he stays on the fringes, commenting gruffly if anyone looks like they’re having trouble in the blinding snowstorm. It’s for your own good.]

You’re gonna get lost if you can’t keep up.

[He seems fairly dismissive of the fact that not everyone has extensive survival training and/or is a super soldier. Them’s the breaks.]

ii. warm welcome

[His interest lies in the Central—knowing full well that both the Orbiters and Magda are likely unreliable narrators, he makes his way to the wreckage of the drop ship, looking to form his own opinion on the matter. Having been on the station since his arrival, Gabriel has no real idea of the lack of technology in Wyver and Olympia, and therefore doesn’t really seem surprised by anything aboard the ruins of the ship.

He explores it methodically, combing through what he can in the labs and generally trying to be as discreet as possible. Most of it doesn’t concern him, though he does spend a not insignificant amount of time browsing through what history he can find, aiming to put everything in context.

Gabriel does his fair share of sneaking around, as well, trying to find areas a little more off the beaten path. It’s hard not to fall back on his training in times like this, which means prowling through all of the labs with caution. He’s nearly impossible to get the jump on, and if you try to approach him, you might just find him leveling a gun at you in warning, not looking up from what he’s doing.

This might be how he says hello.]

iii. the cantina

[It’s difficult for Gabriel to get drunk, given his enhancements, but he figures if anything’s going to do it, it’s going to be alien liquor. Even if the drinks end up having no effect, he knows better than most that a bar is the best place to pick up leads and gossip and intel.

To that end, he mostly keeps to himself, watching and listening. Anyone who tries to drag him into a drinking contest or sports wager is answered with a rebuke. If anyone presses, he’s quick to stand, looking entirely like he’s about three seconds away from starting a bar fight.

He has enough sense not to, however, always returning to his seat. Possibly ordering another drink. Possibly regarding every subsequent concoction with some kind of suspicion before he slams it back. Maybe this time he'll feel it.]

iv. mission

[Despite his general distaste for helping either Darma or Magda, Gabriel knows he’s going to go stir crazy without something to do. Might as well dig deeper, and see if he comes up with anything interesting while exploring the ruins of the second ship. He finds it likely that he’ll get more out of poking around something that went wrong, rather than spending all his time in what might be a carefully-curated relic. The wreck is untamed, and possibly dangerous, which makes it interesting.

The age of the ship and its similarity to what he’s already seen has him on edge. It seems fairly obvious now that the Orbiters have been at this for a while, which doesn’t sit well with him.

So he goes deeper, despite the inherent dangers of the spelunk. It seems that, on some level, he’s aware of the dangers, enough to call out to anyone he might run into who has made it as far as he has.]

Shouldn’t be down here.

[He’s allowed, though. He’s an expert. Despite the warning, however, his tone of voice makes it clear that he doesn't really care what kind of danger you want to put yourself in.]

v. wildcard

[I’ll do whatever you want. Hit me up on plurk at whitticus.]

a warm(?) welcome

[personalwar]

[ The people of Nadril haven't hesitated to offer them a place to stay, though 76 has to wonder when that sense of hospitality might falter. He can expect other refugees to be more accepting of them than the natives, at least, but he has to wonder if staying in this city long-term is even an option for them. With the rest of the planet frozen in time (while this place is only frozen in ice), there's no telling how long their stay will be.

He doesn't plan to get settled or make himself at home, but it is worth getting a lay of the land, and he may as well start with the building they'll be living in. It's as he's moving down the hall, lined with other cramped rooms like the one he's been assigned, that he hears an argument taking place.

At first he doesn't think much of it, but one of the voices is definitely robotic, and when he hears mentions of panels and hardware, he finds it hard to ignore whatever's going on.

He nudges the door further open, finding a young girl arguing with, well, an AI. So it looks more like she's talking to a wall, really. ]

I kinda doubt it's just gonna listen to you.

1

[shikomizue]

[In possession of a charm that keeps him warm, Takasugi trudges through the snow with no real concern. Not that he's used it yet - but when the cold seeps through his layers of clothing and into his skin, into his bones, he has an escape.

With that in mind, stopping along their long journey isn't such a dire waste of time.

Though, even if it was, he may not have been able to help himself. A voice whips on the wind, forces of darkness... give me strength!

Odd, but enough to pique his interest, he crosses the snow drift to find... a young girl. On her ass.

Really?]

Well.

Weren't you summoning something?

[shashka]

Thank god.

[ he has to admit, that his friend's powers come in handy more often than not. Ocelot certainly doesn't waste any time, pulling his scarf up, even as they go back out into the relatively cool air. Once he's relatively sure they're out of earshot, he turns to Anders. ]

Something on your mind?

[ there's definitely more than a few things on his right now, but he's never exactly been the best at talking about them first. ]

[pullsheavendown]

Um...I recognize these places.

[Most of them. Twilight Town, check. The World That Never Was, check. Another couple of photos...he glances over to see a passerby walk away. Maybe they belong to him? He shrugs. Who knows how this works?]

I used to spend a lot of time there. [He blinks as the meaning of the photos catches up to him.] Wait, how does that even work if this thing is here and our worlds are gone?

frozen land!

[diplomatie]

[ Alphinaud is absolutely not a fan of the cold, and his time in captivity a while back only soured him further to it. He's a determined boy, though, and each time he falls to his knees in the snow, he gets right back up again. Except for this time, when the storm is starting to tire him out and the flashbacks are getting to be a bit too much.

He knows he's less fond of the cold than most others, but when Connor shows up with that strange smile on his face, Alphinaud can only be confused by it. Certainly no normal person could be that unconcerned in the middle of this storm.

He declines to comment on it, though, instead taking his hand to stand up again, before letting go and tucking his hands back under his arms to make sure his fingers are safe (please don't make him go through frostbite and hypothermia again). And he keeps his composure through his shivering as best he can. ]

Y-You have my thanks, but I can walk on my own.

[ Liiiiiar. ]

[flask]

[She nods. It's amazing, when both parties of a con think they're conning the other, but Nott is pretty confident in this grift. Not that she's 100% on what the end goal is.

But then her height is taken into question, and she sputters a bit, but then quickly realizes he didn't say shit about her green skin and fangs, so maybe she's off scot-free here. She makes sure to keep her face as hidden as possible, regardless.]

That's very rude. Do you talk to all halflings like that?

their poor doggos :(

[shashka]

[ even if he was trying to learn a little more about the locals, it was always nice to see a familiar face, albeit one who looks a little more uncomfortable with the weather than him. she doesn't have to say a word for him to tell that she's questioning his skepticism. he responds in kind with a smirk. ]

Right. Should've known better than to underestimate you.

[ every time they've met, she's proven herself to be more than capable, after all. ]

We'll have to make something that will really impress them.

[ he won't ask if she's up to it. he's not "insulting" her again. ]

[shashka]

Which means that it can go both ways, can't it?

[ and while he really doesn't like the idea of this kind of tech, in the interest of trying it out... ]

You can call me "Adam", if you want to. Just don't say anything to anyone else.

[ he rarely, if ever, uses his real name. but Ammy knew him better than most people here, and she's proven herself time and again to be infinitely trustworthy. ]

oh, 100%

[reek]

[ His eyebrows knit together when he’s hit with that piece of information. He and Jamie have spoken, found common ground over the things that have happened to them, but Theon knows little more about him beyond what they share in common. He’s never mentioned his daughter, but Claire has, and it seems - and it’s beginning to hit him harder than he realized it ever could - that he knows far less about Claire than Claire knows about him. In fact, Claire knows almost everything about him that there is to tell.

He doesn’t question what Bree says, of course, but it’s hard to miss that he looks hurt. ]

My father didn’t raise me either.

[ Balon Greyjoy’s hand in raising his son had been minimal, almost nonexistent. He had been focused on his rebellion. Dagmer Cleftjaw had taught Theon practically everything he knew on the Iron Islands, and eventually the Stark household took over from there. ]

It was House Greyoy’s master-at-arms who taught me how to fish. He was a longship captain. He would take me to the best places around the islands to learn.

ii

[shikomizue]

[Takasugi is currently sprawled out on the bed, propped up lazily against the wall. Alone in his room, reaping the benefit of being a generally intolerable person, he's almost managing to relax.

Except for the AI telling him all of the complications that smoking can cause.

So far, he's tuned it out, but what he can't ignore is some sort of scraggly animal bounding straight through his room. There's no urgency to the way he sits up; taking up up the entire doorway between bathroom and bedroom, he's more intimidating than friendly or frazzled.]

Did it tell you to go shit outside?

[Vaguely, he recognizes this guy - from Mikazuki's farm? - but it doesn't bear mentioning. There were some pretty annoying people there... (@ Vane)]

I'm also doing I oops

[fisherwife]

[It's not a familiar embrace, but it's not an unwelcome one by any means. It does take her a moment of mild alarm until she figures out who it is suddenly using their body weight against her, causing her to near-stumble in the snow.]

Link? Goodness, are you alright?

[meinwaifu]

Sharing body heat would allow both of us to become warmer -- you'd hardly be stealing it from me.

[But kisses tho!! He'll let her steal as many of those as she wants.]

[Well, you know. After he takes a minute to unzip his coats (he's wearing like 5 -- no wonder he looks so buff???), pick her up, and hold her in his arms against his chest. Completely effortlessly, as usual.]

[He only has one layer on underneath it all, so she should start feeling some warmth sooner rather than later. Especially as he tugs the side of the outermost coat around her, bundling her up against him.]

There, now... how's this?

[natha]

From Central's logs, John will be able to discover that the ship landed roughly 150 years ago — after Magda's group of refugees had been sent to El Nysa. As Central is now in use as Nadril's main hub, it has been scrubbed free of most of Darma's programming, but he'll be able to find a historical archive with a few messages from her that are along a similar vein to what the current crop of refugees have received: the Natha asking refugees to help guide the Nysans and with help in dealing with the Storm. However, as Central is very much in use, too much poking around will be noticed by the people of Nadril, and particularly Magda.

The crashed ship that makes up the junk heap is largely inoperational, its systems too badly damaged for much to be retrieved. However, he'll be able to learn that the ship crashed in an unexpected meteor shower but that the full complement of its refugee crew survived the crash the landing.

For the pets, there's no need to technopath one into following Magda — John merely needs to program it to do so! Whether he can is up to his ability to tweak its personality parameters and his programming skill (or his ability to find a friend with programming skill...) but the pets are capable of learning to do tasks such as this on their own.

cordelia | fire emblem: awakening | OTA

[lancings]

I. A System Error Occurred during Event Movement

[ The igloo hotel is just about the size she'd been expecting. After sharing a barracks with the other shepherds for so long, one adjusts to limited space rather quickly, and she, thankfully, doesn't take up a lot of it. She also doesn't have much on her except all the blankets and coats they'd loaded her up with before sending her out in frigid temperatures far lower than she's used to. Her legs had practically frozen, cracked, and fallen off on the trip here, and she was worried the entire time that she'd pass out.

Far be it for her to actually pass out, and after a quick rest, Cordelia's about ready to head out and get straight to work. She'd spent long enough catching up to speed on things and internally stressing over their current situation. What's most important are the stasis units they have to protect at all costs. Even if her friends may not be awake yet, they're still alive. That's enough to motivate her as she bundles up once more.

She then takes a few steps out of the igloo before she hears a voice call out from somewhere behind her -faint and distinctly stoic: 'Oh dear, don't tell me that's what you're wearing.' Her eyes fall on the nearest person passing by as she plucks the fabric of her coat rather self-consciously. ]

What's wrong with my outfit? I thought this would be more practical and efficient for the weather than my usual uniform.


II. Rent-a-Pet

[ The whole concept of pretend-animals is a bit foreign to her, eyes agape as she watches them through the window. She could have easily been fooled, had those crowded around not said otherwise. As much as she knows she shouldn't be distracted from their main objective, she can't help but wanting to peek inside if only for a little while.

Well, no one needs her right now so Codelia makes her way into the shop and starts to look at all the different kinds of creatures. Standard kittens, puppies, small dragons, even a pegacorn of all things. It's so small and cute, nearly reminding her of a miniature Aurora. ]

I probably shouldn't… I have enough to worry about already.

[ But it's blinking its cute, beady eyes at her. How can she resist? Anyone to talk her out of it? Enable her? ]


III. Dumpster Diving (Extreme)

[ As the mission says, spare parts are needed, though Cordelia can't tell what's useful from what isn't. She's never seen a ship of this magnitude, especially one that flies by air and not sea. Normally, she'd think wood, steel, iron -those materials are what would be needed. However, this is on a whole other level, and she absently pokes at the remains, looking for anything particularly eye-catching.

Venturing further in, she finds one of the mecha bays with a few broken creatures(?) strewn about, large hulking things that are full of strangely-colored veins. Her steps bring her deeper inside to touch the cadavers, wondering how they managed not to decay after so long. No, these can't have been alive at any point.

She knocks on the metal armor and pulls at some of the veins before accidentally pressing something. The opening of a hatch hissing makes her scramble back in alarm and point her lance straight at the empty chair inside. ]

What are you? Are you still alive? It can't be…

[ Get a grip. It's obviously some kind of shell or -or perhaps a metal transport vessel like the ship all around them. Anyone at the crash site outside Nadril's borders feel free to notice the redhead having an existential crisis over broken mecha. ]


IV. Wildcard

[ Hit me up with anything else or shoot me suggestions at sakichi if you are unsure! ]

ii.

[shashka]

[ well, if it isn't his new "friend" from the simulation, sneaking around just like Ocelot is. he's not sure which of them sees the other one first, because as soon as Ocelot catches his eye, out comes the other guy's gun.

but just as quickly, Ocelot's drawn one of his own revolvers. what can he say, there's always been a certain something about having a conversation at gunpoint. ]

You know how to use that thing?

[ said with just a hint of the arrogance he'd once had in his youth. and while he'd tell himself that he wouldn't want to get into a gunfight in unfamiliar terrain, he'd really like to see more of what this guy can do. ]

Frozen

[sweetwater]

Cheryl hates every moment of this. She hates the rations, the unfashionable (but admittedly warm) clothing, the fact that she has to walk for miles every day, and to top it all off when they do get time to rest she can barely sleep and her bedding is itchy. She tries not to think about how the cold reminds her of the cold she felt when she fell into the Sweetwater River, but in the long silences that's where her thoughts keep returning to.

There's no where to go but forward, and Cheryl trudges along looking miserable. She stumbles, tripping over a snowdrift and tumbling into the icy cold. She's embarrassed, annoyed, but exhausted enough that she doesn't get up immediately. Maybe she'll just rest a moment.

mission

[shikomizue]

[His satchel already full, Takasugi is on his way out of the wreckage. It isn't a passage he takes with any care - there's no one to tell him 'no breaky', so he's doing just that. A door hanging ajar is split from its hinges, falling with a dampened thud to the snow.

White rises in plumes, and when it clears, there's a familiar face.]

Yo. Have any luck?

[He clearly did, his bag more or less spewing wires and swollen enough to reveal the cobbled pieces of metal within.]

[hellzone]

"I'm Yoshiko," she introduces herself, without thinking. Yoshiko's too wrapped up in Axel's explanation to dive into her whole Yohane schtick at the moment. Because getting eaten? That's...unexpected. She frowns a little, obviously shaken up by what Axel is saying and how he's describing things.

She's got so many questions already. But what to ask first?

"Why'd he bring a dragon back in the first place?"