❪ introlog: #2 ❫ THE CALM. -- the overflow.

[natha]

ORIGINAL POST

You have spent the last few days on Thesa Station, taking in the knowledge that your world is no more. Perhaps you’ve made some friends (or maybe an enemy or two). Either way, you aren’t expected to spend all of your time on the Station. El Nysa needs you, after all, and you promised you’d help the planet thrive. Are you ready? Submit any AC eligible thread of participating in this log's prompts for Two (2) Olympia REP points HERE. TRAVEL LIGHT     You're really lucky, new refugee. Because of the efforts of those that came before you, your own descent into El Nysa will be quick and relatively painless. You get to reap the benefits of others' experience. Those that came before you are all well-versed in the art of teleportation now, and descending into El Nysa is simply a concentrated thought away. A teleporter has been placed in the common areas to help the new refugees descend, but for this first time, you're going to need a little guidance. You're going to need to take the hand of someone who has been on El Nysa for a while now and learn the ropes. Hold on tight, Refugee, and don't be afraid when the blinding light hits you. The actual journey will feel like a sudden whiplash— painless, but sudden, and maybe a little nauseating. Keeping your balance may be difficult, and it’s possible you might end up toppling onto your poor partner. Hopefully you’re at least thankful. You have landed in a back alley in the Residential District of Olympia. HOME SWEET HOME     Immediately, you notice that everything you've been told about El Nysa is true. There are people of all races here, and although no one bats an eye at your appearance as you enter the district, a member of the Royal Guard asks for your passport. They have a keen eye, and can tell that although you may be a new refugee to their city, they've never seen you before. Certain rumors of an outside force making preparations to do some major damage has them particularly on edge. It's a good thing the Orbiters made sure you have an Olympian passport ready to go. You present it, and with a small nod, the Guard says nothing more and slaps a patch on your chest; to your surprise, it reads: Hello! My name is ________________! I am in House #___! Are you my housemate? ... No matter how much you try, there's no removing this sticker. "It'll come off tomorrow," says the guardkeep. "Lots of refugees here, limited housing. It's an easy way to get to know the people you're living with. Though, if you ask me, why are we accepting so many foreigners when so many want to watch this city burn? Well, I don’t give the orders." If someone greets you, the message on the patch will magically change: Secretly, I _____, _____, and _____! What are yours? There's no telling how they'd known these things, but it likely has to do with Zasere. AGAIN. It may be a good idea to get situated in your new home and set down some ground rules with your roommates. There is also, of course, much of Olympia to explore. FLONA COVE     Word around the city is that one very cute and enthusiastic Olympian, You Watanabe, has been asking around earnestly for the nearest place to find some coastal fun. It didn't take long before a few locals pointed her in the direction of Flona Cove. Maybe it’s a good idea to check out the area. There are only a few more days left of summer, after all. Even if you're not the beach type, exploring a new area certainly can't hurt your understanding of El Nysa. Flona Cove is just a quick train ride away. BEACH PARTY: Chances are, you've heard about the beach party being organized by You Watanabe, whether it be from her directly or someone who knows her. A lot of careful planning has gone into it, and it looks like a great time, so why not check it out? Full speed ahead towards a great time! There's plenty of food for everyone, and plenty of watermelons that need splitting! 1. Various food vendors from around Flona Cove have agreed to offer free food for the new refugees, and they line the shoreline near the harbor, enthusiastically offering goodies such as seafood kabobs, ice cream, fresh fruit (including whole watermelons!), and hot dogs. You Watanabe herself has a grill where she’s cheerfully serving up her trademark "Niceoodles" yakisoba as well as other Japanese food like takoyaki and rice. What makes her noodles so nice? It’s obviously the cheerful smiley-face sun drawn on the omelette. In exchange, the chefs and vendors only ask that you spread the word, though most of them have buckets for donations if you want to help chip back in. After the party is all done, however, there seem to be plenty of dishes that need doing, all in a big pile. You herself is working on getting through the mountain of dishes, but maybe you could lend a hand? 2. It's just not a beach party without the traditional watermelon splitting! For those of you who don't come from modern Japan on Earth, it might be perplexing at first seeing the literal mountain of watermelons grown with the help of Keyleth, another recent Olympian. If the bat-like sticks and blindfolds next to them don’t explain the purpose, though, you might just sit back and watch as a brave competitor sets a watermelon on the sand, ties a blindfold around their eyes, and has people start yelling at them which way to go. They consider the shouts of the crowd, take a swing... and strike nothing but sand. Perhaps you can do better? There are beach activities galore. Now's the time to build the sandcastle of your dreams or play a game of beach volleyball. Maybe you're brave enough to surf the waves, or you’d just like to enjoy a swim. Mom friends who just want to lounge in the sun and read a book while working on their tan are welcome too, of course. BENEATH THE SURFACE: 1. Diving beneath the waters in Flona Cove yield a whole new world on its own. Rent a scuba suit and take a trip to explore the corals, and you may even be lucky enough to run into a playful school of dolphins. Be careful-- they tend to get carried away and will happily drag swimmers for a wild ride. 2. You might want a boat for this scuba adventure, unless you're a strong swimmer. Venture deeper into the ocean, farther away from the coast, and adventurers will find some interesting stuff. Two miles southwest of the harbor, deep, deep into the watery abyss, lies a shipwreck. Exploring through the various rooms of the ship yields a few knick-knacks here and there-- rusted spare parts, cracked tea sets... a surprisingly well-preserved pin-up painting of Koralle? The real treasure awaits for those who have the courage to swim beneath the ship's hull. Here, covered in algae and debris, lies the skeletal corpse of a winged, fanged, clawed beast. This is only a distant memory of its former glory, as nothing but bones are left, but something— something brilliant, catches your eye. Those hundreds of teeth are not bone, but a material so lustrous and pure, it nearly blinds. It will take some work, but with persistence and strength, it is possible to extract a tooth. Those that work in Simwe Institute or The Sanctuary may find it beneficial to take an extra for their boss— this is definitely something that is of interest to study. 3. Olympians love their luxury. There's nothing more luxurious than a secluded lagoon, the water at just the perfect temperature and pristine. This is one of the most sought-after spots for the natives, but when you come across it, it is completely peaceful and empty. For the tourists? Well, this place simply gets overlooked due to its distance from the main beaches. It's also relatively hidden. Soon you start feeling oddly friendly? Cupid’s Pool is also described by the people of Olympia as the touchy-feely pool. It has an inherent property that makes those who soak in it crave physical affection. Chances are you probably wanted to know this before you decided to take a dip, huh? (Please warn for threads appropriately) EARN SOME SILVER     1. While many of the locals came together to offer their hands to provide a bit of entertainment for the surge in tourism, that isn’t to state that they’re fully staffed. Have a few hours to spare? They're willing to pay for your help. Maybe you’re just the cooking champ they needed? The lifeguard who showed up just in time? Or the star salesman at their humble accessory shop so desired? 2. The man who approaches you is even offering more than most of the vendors down the street. Sure, the guy and his entourage look kind of shady, but money is money, isn't it? If you accept, he’ll shove a strange swimsuit or two your way and lead you to the dressing room. What kind of job is this? Modeling, he says. Hopefully you aren’t camera shy! Hey there, hot stuff. I like your look. Or maybe it's your... aura? Either way, I like what you're working with. How about you flaunt what you've got for some fat silver stacks? He also wants to be able to test your charm, and is willing to pay a whopping 400 silver in exchange. He may even ask you to go "talk" (did you hear him say "hit on"?) to a couple of people, and “sell” yourself. Whatever that means... Incidentally, he says he’ll give you a signal once you get a pass. Feels like forever, doesn’t it? 3. Once night begins to fall and the people gradually begin to clear out, you’ll notice something... odd. There are some shady looking people around, and maybe you’ve been hearing whispers all day about a certain "fight club." Initially, no one will tell you a time or location, but if you are persistent, your efforts will pay off. Perhaps in light of helping a vendor clear out their stall or assisting that one Olympian native in distress, they’re willing to tell you a few things about this exclusive club. They explain to you that it’s been a long-standing tradition of Olympia. Secret fight clubs. A place for people to stretch their wings and their fists. Moreover, the pay off seems to be pretty good! Though, they warn you that there are some aggressive competitors out there this time around. Things have been tough politically for a while now, and there is much unrest among the people. What better way to blow off some steam than to beat someone up and make a bit of bank! Fights are not to the death, simply until a knock out, but accidents (and "accidents") do happen. Finding the crowd of people will take some searching, even with directions. They meet along the northern coast of Flona, by following a path leading underground, well away from any civilization. Once you’re there, why not participate? You may find yourself facing off against a fellow refugee. OOC     An AC-eligible thread for 2 OLYMPIAN REP POINTS may be submitted from this log. SUBMIT THE THREAD HERE by OCTOBER 15 11:59 PM EST. In the event of CAPTCHA, we will be providing an overflow. In the event of a second CAPTCHA, players are advised to move threads to an overflow post on their character journals. These threads remain eligible for AC, AC Rewards, and REP. 1 SILVER = 1 US DOLLAR. QUICK NAV premise ● faq ● world ● map ● reputation ● npcs taken ● reserves ● application calendar ● hiatus/drops ● modbox [ FULL NAVIGATION ] elnysa nysalogs nysaisles nysaooc elnyan

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[nineteenfortyfive]

[Those giant paws still feel so strange in her own now that one bends so easily. She looks down at them, then bows her head to kiss the knuckles on each. When she sits up, she does give him a genuine smile.]

I love you, James Fraser. Nothing will change that.

[And she hopes nothing will change his love for her. She knows the truth of it in her heart but each moment she doesn't find a way to tell him the truth plants doubt. He could hate her.]

I love the very soul of you.

[stripebacked]

[ That's where she's wrong. If only she knew. How much he could forgive her for. How much he could keep loving her. She could rip his still beating heart from his chest and walk over it hundreds of times and he'd forgive her. There's very little that Jamie Fraser would not forgive Claire for.

His love will never stop or feel like it's going to end. Nothing can push him away. Not even being away from her. He would never lose his love for her. Ever. ]

And I love ye, Claire. Dinnae think I can breathe sometimes when I think about ye. How much ye mean to me.

[nineteenfortyfive]

I know. I know it, Jamie. I feel the same.

[She's always been the one more reserved when it came to these sorts of things. Speaking the words, making grand speeches. It's always been him. But she tries. This is trying. He'd said he loved her first, and now it's her doing it. She hopes he'll see it, some day.]

Let's stay here for a little while.

[stripebacked]

[ He's always been aware that maybe he'd be the one doing a bit more work in a certain sense. It wasn't easy to hear that your wife had been drunk throughout your nuptials and likely wouldn't remember the day that well, but he didn't blame her. It was probably not ideal. But it seems that she's dead set on showing Jamie how she feels here. Making sure he's well aware. ]

Are ye sure, Claire? We can go home. I promise I wulnae get out of line for a single second.

[ Figuring that maybe she's worried about how he behaved on their walk. ]

[nineteenfortyfive]

I'm sure. I'm not ready to stay in the lines right now, to be honest.

[The bench creaks as she moves over, over and right onto his lap. They can't get up to much here, but she can kiss him and tip his head back, tongue slipping into his mouth.

Might as well get this out of their system.]

[stripebacked]

[ He doesn't want her thinking that's all he's after. It's not. But he has always been good at communicating with her in that manner. There's always been an unspoken energy between the two of them. Even before they were married. Something that made Jamie ache on the nights he was alone.

But she puts any sort of worry to rest. She climbs into her husbands lap and there she is. Shutting him up with a kiss. One that makes his arms come around her and hold her close. He leans up. Chasing after her lips. ]

Ye dinnae have to--[ But he kisses her again. He cannot stay away. ]

[nineteenfortyfive]

Shh.

[As much as she loves his voice, best if he doesn't talk now. She closes her eyes, focusing on him, on kissing as they've always done. Is it different? She's not sure. He's the same man and yet he isn't. Her husband, but so much less experienced. She's different woman than the one he knows.]

[stripebacked]

[ One shh is all that it takes from his wife to silence him. Especially when he knows that she means it. He's not sure really how long they'll lost in such a confined space with this Peggy and Steve. Maybe he'll start looking for work soon. Something to put towards finding a place that's big enough for the four of them if she's got her heart set on keeping them around. He will not deny his wife.

Jamie pulls her in closer. Tilting his head as his tongue finds hers. Not as tentative as he once was. He could truly kiss her for the rest of this day and be a very happy man. He hums softly against her lips. ]

[nineteenfortyfive]

[She wouldn't do this at home, kiss him so fiercely and intimately in plain view, but this isn't their home. So what if a few people give them looks as she leans into her husband and kisses him like there's no tomorrow?

Her lips leave his so she can catch her breath, and even then she's pressing soft kisses to his face.

She missed him terribly.]

[stripebacked]

[ She'd have plenty of eyes on her back home. Dougal. Angus. Rupert. Murtagh. All sorts of eyes following her if she was ever in his lap just so. Kissing him with such passion. Such intensity. It nearly melts him. She's the only lass that could ever bring a Highlander to his knees in such a manner.

Jamie breathes out when she breaks the kiss. Her lips all over his face. It's a good thing though. He enjoys it. He finds himself actually laughing. Content. Happy. His whole body feels warm.

His lips drift down to her neck where he leaves his own little kisses, but eventually he breaks with a little growl. ]

Christ, Sassenach, ye do such wonderful things to me.

[nineteenfortyfive]

[Oh, that laugh. She presses a kiss to his temple and keeps her lips there. She does wonderful things, maybe, but perhaps not so wonderful soon. Like telling him the truth.]

I plan to do this as long as you'll have me, Jamie. Until we're old and grey.

[She never spoke about the future when they just wed.]

[stripebacked]

Ye've got me, Claire, forever. I promise.

[ He knows that maybe she maybe sign up for forever when they were wed. Using it as a way to protect herself from Black Jack Randall. But he knows that he never would have strayed from her. Still will not. ]

Yer faithful servant.

[ Jamie whispers into her ear. ]

[nineteenfortyfive]

Forever. I do like the sound of that.

[She smiles and rests her cheek against his head. Her way of letting him know she's in this. Then, perhaps not so much, but after, and now, certainly.]

[stripebacked]

[ He can only hope that maybe her time here without him just made whatever her feelings were grow. That maybe she fell deeper being parted. Separate. He loves her though. He clings to her right now. She's his driftwood in the choppy ocean that was his arrival. ]

Aye. Forever. The two of us.

[ Jamie places a kiss to the underside of her jaw. ]

Can we go somewhere to eat, Claire? Just us. Keep our privacy.

[nineteenfortyfive]

[Good idea. She's not ready to share him just yet.]

There's a cafe nearby. We'll get something and find a quiet place to eat.

[stripebacked]

[ He likes the sound of that. He knows that eventually he'll have to meet this Peggy and Steve, but he doesn't want to have his time with her sacrificed. ]

Good. [ He smiles up at her. ] Ye'll be needing to get off my lap for us to make the journey.

[nineteenfortyfive]

Just a little longer. I missed you, Jamie. [This Jamie, now that she sees him again.] I can't stop looking at you.

[stripebacked]

[ He knows the feeling. He missed her as well. Every bit of her. From her very beautiful head right down to her equally as beautiful toes. He'll likely spend his entire evening watching her sleep if she manages to drift off at all. ]

I feel the same way, Sassenach. Ye're a bit like a dream almost.

[nineteenfortyfive]

You've no idea.

[He's the dream. On his lap, she wraps her arms around his massive shoulders to draw him down to her neck. Cradling him there as she slides her hand through his red curls, almost protectively.

She wishes she could keep him safe, like this, forever.

It won't last. Jamie Fraser was never meant to stay like this.]

[stripebacked]

[ The way she holds onto him leads Jamie to believe that she knows things. Or maybe they've just been separated for too long. He doesn't want to start believing bad things about his wife. That wouldn't be fair.

She pulls him in close and Jamie goes. Head resting there and breathing her in. She's intoxicating. Especially after so much distance and time. ]

Dinnae think yer looking at me, Claire.

[ He smiles. ]

[nineteenfortyfive]

Do you have eyes on the back of your head? I can see your shoulders just fine.

[She laughs softly but doesn't let him go. The last thing she wants him to see are the tears stinging her eyes. They won't fall, but they're there. Oh, her Jamie. Her poor Jamie.]

[stripebacked]

[ It was only an assumption. Holding him this close made it nearly impossible to see his face. Though he supposes if she wants to look at his shoulders she's more than welcome to do just that. He squeezes her to him just a bit tighter for her troubles. ]

Do my shoulders look braw?

[nineteenfortyfive]

[The squeeze and his comment make her laugh despite the ache in her heart. He just knows how to do it.]

Oh, yes. Always. Just like the rest of you.

[She knows she didn't compliment him overmuch in the beginning.]

[stripebacked]

[ He was just making a joke, but he does smile a bit. Accepting that. He does want to look at her though. Which is why he pulls back. Intent on getting another look at his wife after all this. He can't resist.

But her wet eyes give him pause. A frown taking over. ]

What's troubling ye, Claire? Dinnae cry.

[ He cups her cheeks. Thumbs wiping under her eyes despite the fact that they've yet to fall. ]

[nineteenfortyfive]

[Busted. She smiles still, blinking away the wet eyes.]

I'm just happy. I have you back.

[Not a complete lie. She is happy, happier than she's been in a long time.]