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abraxaslogs2021-06-12 12:13 pm
abraxasmods) wrote in abraxaslogs2021-06-12 12:13 pm
Entry tags:
- !event,
- !intro log,
- !npc,
- !player event,
- abby littman; the lovers,
- abigail hobbs; the hanged man,
- achilles; the hierophant,
- adora; strength,
- adrienne peters; the empress,
- aerith gainsborough; the sun,
- alan wake; the magician,
- alhaitham; the hermit,
- alice elliot; the empress,
- alicent hightower; the tower,
- alina starkov; the hanged man,
- aloy; the hermit,
- altaïr ibn-la'ahad; the magician,
- alucard; the hierophant,
- amos burton; the lovers,
- anakin skywalker; judgement,
- anthony lockwood; the devil,
- apollo; the star,
- arthur hastings; the hanged man,
- astarion ancunín; the wheel of fortune,
- bartimaeus of uruk; the wheel of fortune,
- bay kennish; the star,
- belle; strength,
- benedikta harman; the devil,
- billy kaplan; the hanged man,
- boothill; the hierophant,
- brad bakshi; the wheel of fortune,
- brother cadfael; justice,
- bucky barnes; the hanged man,
- byleth eisner; the devil,
- caitlyn kiramman; strength,
- cal kestis; the hanged man,
- captain jack harkness; the hanged man,
- carl grimes; the empress,
- carmy berzatto; the magician,
- cassandra de rolo; strength,
- cassian andor; the tower,
- castiel; the hanged man,
- catra; the tower,
- cersei lannister; the devil,
- ches fields; the lovers,
- chris halliwell; the tower,
- cidolfus telamon; the hanged man,
- cirilla of cintra; the devil,
- claire fraser; the empress,
- claire novak; the hanged man,
- clarisse la rue; the chariot,
- clarke griffin; strength,
- claude von riegan; the wheel of fortune,
- clive rosfield; the tower,
- cloud strife; the hanged man,
- cole cassidy; the hanged man,
- commander shepard; judgement,
- coraline finch; the tower,
- courtier 6; death,
- daemon targaryen; the tower,
- daenerys targaryen; judgement,
- daisy johnson; strength,
- dan heng; the high priestess,
- dante; the devil,
- dean winchester; the lovers,
- diana prince; the empress,
- dion lesage; the emperor,
- dustin henderson; the sun,
- eddie dean; the sun,
- eddie kaspbrak; the lovers,
- eddie munson; the devil,
- edelgard von hresvelg; the emperor,
- edward teach; the devil,
- eli clark; the empress,
- elias bouchard; the wheel of fortune,
- elidibus; the high priestess,
- eliot waugh; the star,
- elrond; temperance,
- emet-selch; the emperor,
- eponine thenardier; the hanged man,
- erik lehnsherr; the hermit,
- esme frost; the hanged man,
- estinien wyrmblood; the hermit,
- ezra bridger; strength,
- fandaniel; the hanged man,
- father maxwell; the wheel of fortune,
- felix fraldarius; the magician,
- finn; strength,
- frank castle; the hermit,
- g'raha tia; the lovers,
- gabriel; the wheel of fortune,
- galadriel; the hierophant,
- gale dekarios; the lovers,
- garrus vakarian; justice,
- geralt of rivia; the hanged man,
- gideon nav; strength,
- goro; the chariot,
- haelva lueltar; the magician,
- harley quinn; the wheel of fortune,
- harrowhark nonagesimus; the magician,
- heather montgomery; the magician,
- hector; the magician,
- hendrik; death,
- henry creel; the hierophant,
- hilda goneril; the lovers,
- himeka sui; the fool,
- homelander; judgement,
- hornet; strength,
- hythlodaeus; the empress,
- inara serra; temperance,
- inej ghafa; the hierophant,
- iris black; the hanged man,
- istredd; the high priestess,
- jack frost; the fool,
- jack kline; the sun,
- jack skellington; the fool,
- jack townsend; the moon,
- jacob frye; the sun,
- jaime lannister; judgement,
- james sunderland; the hermit,
- james t. kirk; the tower,
- jaskier; the sun,
- jasper; judgement,
- jayce talis; the magician,
- jerry pascal; the sun,
- jesper fahey; the wheel of fortune,
- jessica jones; strength,
- jill warrick; death,
- jinora; the world,
- jo harvelle; strength,
- john blake; the tower,
- jolie ann harmony; justice,
- jon sims; the high priestess,
- jon snow; the emperor,
- jonathan crane; the magician,
- jonathan emmet reid; the empress,
- jordan hennessy; the moon,
- joseph kavinsky; the devil,
- joshua rosfield; death,
- julia wicker; the tower,
- julie lawry; the wheel of fortune,
- jyn erso; the tower,
- kai parker; the fool,
- kaveh; the star,
- kay faraday; the fool,
- kaz brekker; the chariot,
- kell maresh; the magician,
- kelson haldane; the tower,
- kenzo tenma; the empress,
- kiryu kazuma; the tower,
- klaus hargreeves; the fool,
- koby; death,
- kol mikaelson; the hanged man,
- kyle; the hanged man,
- kylo ren; the tower,
- lan wangji; the hierophant,
- laura hawley; death,
- lenore; the lovers,
- leon belmont; the wheel of fortune,
- leonard mccoy; the lovers,
- lestat de lioncourt; judgement,
- lila bard; the fool,
- linhardt von hevring; the high priestess,
- link; strength,
- lloyd henreid; the lovers,
- loki; the devil,
- lord john grey; justice,
- louis de pointe du lac; the lovers,
- louis; death,
- lucifer; the devil,
- lucy maclean; the hierophant,
- majima goro; the hanged man,
- malyen oretsev; strength,
- marc spector; the tower,
- marianne von edmund; the hanged man,
- martin blackwood; the empress,
- marty mcfly; the hanged man,
- mat cauthon; the wheel of fortune,
- matt murdock; the tower,
- matthias helvar; the lovers,
- max mayfield; the hermit,
- merrin; strength,
- michael ralston; death,
- michael; the emperor,
- misty day; the lovers,
- morgana pendragon; the tower,
- nadine cross; the world,
- nanaue; the fool,
- natasha romanoff; the lovers,
- nathan drake; the fool,
- nebula; death,
- nero (dmc); the chariot,
- nero (drakengard); the devil,
- nicholas d. wolfwood; the lovers,
- nico di angelo; death,
- nikolai lantsov; the fool,
- norman jayden; the hermit,
- oberon; the hanged man,
- obi-wan kenobi; death,
- percy jackson; the lovers,
- peter maximoff; the devil,
- peter parker (comics); strength,
- peter parker (mcu); strength,
- petra macneary; strength,
- phoenix wright; the lovers,
- prince wilhelm; the tower,
- princess zelda; the high priestess,
- queen maeve; the hanged man,
- quentin coldwater; death,
- randall flagg; the tower,
- relena peacecraft; death,
- reno; the chariot,
- rey; the star,
- rhaenyra targaryen; the emperor,
- rhy maresh; the lovers,
- richie tozier; the hanged man,
- rinwell; the magician,
- rita farr; the star,
- river tam; the fool,
- robin buckley; the hanged man,
- rocket; the chariot,
- roland deschain; death,
- ronan lynch; the moon,
- rowena macleod; the high priestess,
- ruaidrigh mac raith; the hanged man,
- sabine; the empress,
- sam wilson; justice,
- sam winchester; the hierophant,
- samus aran; strength,
- sandor clegane; strength,
- sansa stark; the high priestess,
- sasarai; judgement,
- satoru gojo; the devil,
- sebille kaleran; the hanged man,
- sephiroth; the tower,
- shione daymore; the hermit,
- shuten-douji; the devil,
- some ovmennet; the empress,
- sophia of yaldabaoth; the world,
- stephen strange; death,
- steve harrington; the lovers,
- steve rogers; the hierophant,
- suguru geto; the hanged man,
- susan delgado; the lovers,
- sylvain gautier; the sun,
- sypha belnades; the tower,
- taylor hebert; death,
- teddy roberts; death,
- thancred waters; strength,
- thane krios; death,
- the commander (syrlya); strength,
- the darkling; death,
- the doctor; the fool,
- the medicine seller; the hierophant,
- theodore blackwell; temperance,
- thor odinson; the fool,
- tifa lockhart; the empress,
- tony stark; the magician,
- travis guidry; the chariot,
- triss merigold; the empress,
- urianger augurelt; death,
- vash the stampede; death,
- vi; the lovers,
- viktor; death,
- wanda maximoff; the hanged man,
- wei wuxian; the tower,
- wen kexing; the tower,
- will solace; the empress,
- wrench; the hanged man,
- wylan van eck; the magician,
- y'shtola rhul; the high priestess,
- yennefer of vengerberg; the chariot,
- yuffie kisaragi; the tower,
- yuri lowell; the tower,
- zagreus; the chariot,
- zelda schiff; the magician,
- zhou zishu; strength,
- zoya nazyalensky; strength
EVENT #1
EVENT #1
Welcome to our very first event! This event will be divided into two parts: one for honored guests, and one for prisoners. There are some opportunities for characters to go to the opposite group's event, so read on below and make sure to check out the accompanying OOC plotting post for extra details!
This event takes place ICly from June 14th to June 19th.
It's June, and that means the annual Summer Festival in Castle Thorne. The newcomers are causing quite a buzz and, for the first time in ten years, a representative from the increasingly independent city of Nott has agreed to attend. The representative, Lyle Vela, has a lot of political sway in Nott and the impression he takes back with him will affect whether Nott begins to repair relations with the rest of Thorne or moves even further towards independence.
But that's not all there is to do here! The residents of the city surrounding Castle Thorne are intensely curious about the newcomers and several of the events at the Summer Festival have been designed by the mages to show them off. At some point you may begin to feel more like a prized pony than an honored guest, but there are rewards and gifts and good food to be had for all, so what's the harm in showing off a little?
The festival runs all week (June 14th-19th) and the list of events are as follows:
If your character has been imprisoned but you want them to attend the Festival, an honored guest may lobby for them to stay behind and help set up. It'll be work, but they can sneak off to have a bit of fun and it won't be as difficult as what's in store for the rest of them. If you wish to have your character stay behind, please post to the OOC plotting post. Because we know that claustrophobic tunnel horror isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, there is no limit to the amount of prisoners who can stay behind.
Good news, prisoners! You get some time away from your cells in the beautiful snow-covered mountains of northern Thorne. A volunteer work opportunity has arisen, and you are all volunteers. If you do well enough at your assigned task, perhaps your prisoner status will be re-evaluated. Or perhaps your supervisor will take all the credit for themselves and throw you right back where you came from. Life's unfair sometimes! You'll at least be given a nice set of boots and heavier clothes to keep you warm.
Your task: to harvest as much crystal as you can from the burrow of a Giant Frostwurm. From June to September, the Frostwurm hibernates and is generally non-aggressive. Huge and territorial, Giant Frostwurms are only rarely encountered and are considered endangered by Thornean biologists. All known Frostwurm habitats are marked and harvested once every few years as the crystals that grow on its body are highly valuable for use in medicine and, erm, recreation although the latter is frowned upon by Thornean authorities. Don't worry, you don't have to touch the Frostwurm itself, it sheds every now and then and leaves a healthy supply of crystals in the tunnels of it burrow.
That's not to say it will be an easy task. There's a reason they're using "volunteer" prison labor, after all. The tunnels are deep and labyrinthine, and it's easy enough to get lost down there and wander in circles until you die of thirst or starvation. The crystals themselves also have a certain disorienting effect that turns hallucinogenic after prolonged exposure and, because of the Frostwurm's unique psychic properties, hallucinations can be shared between individuals. Like a contagion, spending time around someone who is hallucinating can cause it to 'catch'. These hallucinations may be pleasant or frightening, but the only cure is to get out of the tunnels and away from the crystals for a while.
Tunnel cave-ins are also a possibility, in which case you best start digging and hope you choose up. Getting too lost can result in an encounter with the Frostwurm, and while it needs to conserve energy and won't give chase, it'll bite or whip at you with its tail if you get too close. Both prisoners and supervisors are instructed not to kill the Frostwurm under any circumstances, even if it means sacrificing someone in their party. They're endangered, after all!
If your character has been welcomed to Thorne but you still wish to go on the Frostwurm excursion, they can volunteer to be a supervisor. There are currently 24 prisoners and they will be divided into groups of 3, so we will accept a maximum of 8 supervisors (potentially less depending on how many prisoners stay behind to help with the festival). Be aware that supervisors will be in danger as well, and they will be punished if they try to help the prisoners escape, but unlike the prisoners they will be paid for their efforts and seen as having initiative by the Thornean authorities. If you wish to be a supervisor, volunteer on our OOC plotting post.
The timeline for this part of the event is as follows:
Questions
Will there be any mod NPCing during this event?
The three visits with Lyle will be NPCed but other than that, no. Feel free to play random townies, guards, or black market sellers on your own!
Can I try to free the prisoners/can my imprisoned character break out?
Ambrose will be willing to hear cases for prisoner freedom after the event has concluded. You can try to smuggle the prisoners out of town during the festival or escape from the mountain, and prisoners can try to escape, but they will be caught and punished at this stage. Please post to the appropriate header below if you wish to have your character try!
Are the prisoners still powerless?
Yep! Don't worry, inmates, there'll be opportunities to be released for good behavior OR do a prison break soon. More details about the status of the prisoners will be released after this event.
Can my prisoner or supervisor character break away from their assigned group?
Yes, the tunnels are disorienting so individuals may wander off, especially if they are hallucinating. Feel free to interact with anyone and everyone.
What can the hallucinations entail?
Anything! They can think they're being chased, imagine a portal to a green oasis or even scenery from their own homeworld, and anything else you can come up with. They won't be real or tangible so nothing will remain of them once the affected characters are recovered (unless a special mod consequence is given...) but as stated above they can be shared between characters so everyone can see the same thing.
Can my character attend both the Summer Festival and the mission in the tunnels?
Alas, no. Both events will take the whole week, so it's one or the other!
This event takes place ICly from June 14th to June 19th.
The Summer Festival (Honored Guests)
It's June, and that means the annual Summer Festival in Castle Thorne. The newcomers are causing quite a buzz and, for the first time in ten years, a representative from the increasingly independent city of Nott has agreed to attend. The representative, Lyle Vela, has a lot of political sway in Nott and the impression he takes back with him will affect whether Nott begins to repair relations with the rest of Thorne or moves even further towards independence.
But that's not all there is to do here! The residents of the city surrounding Castle Thorne are intensely curious about the newcomers and several of the events at the Summer Festival have been designed by the mages to show them off. At some point you may begin to feel more like a prized pony than an honored guest, but there are rewards and gifts and good food to be had for all, so what's the harm in showing off a little?
The festival runs all week (June 14th-19th) and the list of events are as follows:
Sparring Contest: Honored guests will be asked to spar in front of an audience. Depending on the time of the week the fight takes place in, some guests may have some or most of their powers back, but the audience is here to see a show and just trampling your opponent in seconds won't do much for them. Try to add some spice to it: a good narrative and a close fight are much more enthralling. You may decide the winner of the fight between yourselves or ask the mods to roll for an outcome below. Prisoners who stay behind can sneak into this event but will not have their powers.At the end of the festival on June 19th, there will be a huge feast available with all manner of fancy food and some alcohol if you wish to get a little drunk. Beware, Thornean alcohol is strong! Prisoners who stayed behind to help out with the festival can easily slip in and take some food and drink for themselves.
Magic Demonstration: Show everyone what you can do and demonstrate a Thornean magic spell in front of an audience. This should be a simple beginner spell such as a smaller elemental magic spell, some minor healing, a small illusion, and so on. Feel free to decide what spell you'd like your character to perform and post to the header below so the mods can roll for your character's success when performing it in front of the audience! Regardless of success, your character can learn the chosen spell by the end of the event. Unfortunately, prisoners cannot access this event.
The Black Market: Castle Thorne is much less secure during open festivals than it is during the rest of the year, so it's no surprise that some shady characters have managed to sneak in. They're trading potions and magical items, and luckily enough for the penniless newcomers, they're interested in things other than money. They may ask for some blood, saliva, or the chance to perform a spell on the hapless newcomer. Prisoners are welcome in the black market. Please post to the header below to see what item your character gets from the event (and what spell they'll be subjected to if you choose that option).
Visit with the Representative: Near the end of the Festival, three honored guests will be chosen to have one-on-one audiences with Lyle Vela in the hopes of impressing him. Ambrose hasn't had the time to get to know each guest individually yet, so he's asked that they choose the three candidates among themselves. If you wish you have your character volunteer for this position, please make a case for their suitability under the header below! If your character is not running for this position, have them vote for another character. Prisoners who stay behind may vote as well.
If your character has been imprisoned but you want them to attend the Festival, an honored guest may lobby for them to stay behind and help set up. It'll be work, but they can sneak off to have a bit of fun and it won't be as difficult as what's in store for the rest of them. If you wish to have your character stay behind, please post to the OOC plotting post. Because we know that claustrophobic tunnel horror isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, there is no limit to the amount of prisoners who can stay behind.
In the Tunnels (Prisoners)
Good news, prisoners! You get some time away from your cells in the beautiful snow-covered mountains of northern Thorne. A volunteer work opportunity has arisen, and you are all volunteers. If you do well enough at your assigned task, perhaps your prisoner status will be re-evaluated. Or perhaps your supervisor will take all the credit for themselves and throw you right back where you came from. Life's unfair sometimes! You'll at least be given a nice set of boots and heavier clothes to keep you warm.
Your task: to harvest as much crystal as you can from the burrow of a Giant Frostwurm. From June to September, the Frostwurm hibernates and is generally non-aggressive. Huge and territorial, Giant Frostwurms are only rarely encountered and are considered endangered by Thornean biologists. All known Frostwurm habitats are marked and harvested once every few years as the crystals that grow on its body are highly valuable for use in medicine and, erm, recreation although the latter is frowned upon by Thornean authorities. Don't worry, you don't have to touch the Frostwurm itself, it sheds every now and then and leaves a healthy supply of crystals in the tunnels of it burrow.
That's not to say it will be an easy task. There's a reason they're using "volunteer" prison labor, after all. The tunnels are deep and labyrinthine, and it's easy enough to get lost down there and wander in circles until you die of thirst or starvation. The crystals themselves also have a certain disorienting effect that turns hallucinogenic after prolonged exposure and, because of the Frostwurm's unique psychic properties, hallucinations can be shared between individuals. Like a contagion, spending time around someone who is hallucinating can cause it to 'catch'. These hallucinations may be pleasant or frightening, but the only cure is to get out of the tunnels and away from the crystals for a while.
Tunnel cave-ins are also a possibility, in which case you best start digging and hope you choose up. Getting too lost can result in an encounter with the Frostwurm, and while it needs to conserve energy and won't give chase, it'll bite or whip at you with its tail if you get too close. Both prisoners and supervisors are instructed not to kill the Frostwurm under any circumstances, even if it means sacrificing someone in their party. They're endangered, after all!
If your character has been welcomed to Thorne but you still wish to go on the Frostwurm excursion, they can volunteer to be a supervisor. There are currently 24 prisoners and they will be divided into groups of 3, so we will accept a maximum of 8 supervisors (potentially less depending on how many prisoners stay behind to help with the festival). Be aware that supervisors will be in danger as well, and they will be punished if they try to help the prisoners escape, but unlike the prisoners they will be paid for their efforts and seen as having initiative by the Thornean authorities. If you wish to be a supervisor, volunteer on our OOC plotting post.
The timeline for this part of the event is as follows:
June 14th: Prisoners will be led from their cells in chains to a Thornean fast-travel portal (a glowing circle of neon light) that will take them about a mile away from the Frostwurm's burrow. It's cold and the air is thin, so they'll be given the rest of the day to rest and acclimate before being sent inside.Please visit the accompanying OOC plotting post to choose your team of three, and a supervisor if your group has one (groups without PC supervisors will be sent off on their own with no NPC supervisor). This event is designed to have some element of risk to it (but no one will die, don't worry!) so while you can plan what happens to your characters out with your group if you like, we also encourage you to post an action or two to our IC Consequences header below and leave it up to chance. Who knows, something awesome might happen.
June 15th-18th: Down in the tunnels with you! Characters are sent into the tunnels and can experience any of the effects listed above. If your party makes it out after sunset they'll be permitted to sleep in a tent, if they're lost then they will sleep in the tunnels. On the 18th, anyone who comes out alive will not have to go back in and the supply of crystals will be counted.
June 19th: Today would be the day of the Summer Festival, if they were back at Castle Thorne, but their captors aren't completely merciless. The prisoners and supervisors will be marched back to the fast-travel portal, where a small feast has been set up for them. It isn't as glamorous as what's back in Thorne, but it's the best meal the prisoners have been served since they arrived. And, as a bonus, the guards might slip you some alcohol if you did a good job in collecting the crystals.
Will there be any mod NPCing during this event?
The three visits with Lyle will be NPCed but other than that, no. Feel free to play random townies, guards, or black market sellers on your own!
Can I try to free the prisoners/can my imprisoned character break out?
Ambrose will be willing to hear cases for prisoner freedom after the event has concluded. You can try to smuggle the prisoners out of town during the festival or escape from the mountain, and prisoners can try to escape, but they will be caught and punished at this stage. Please post to the appropriate header below if you wish to have your character try!
Are the prisoners still powerless?
Yep! Don't worry, inmates, there'll be opportunities to be released for good behavior OR do a prison break soon. More details about the status of the prisoners will be released after this event.
Can my prisoner or supervisor character break away from their assigned group?
Yes, the tunnels are disorienting so individuals may wander off, especially if they are hallucinating. Feel free to interact with anyone and everyone.
What can the hallucinations entail?
Anything! They can think they're being chased, imagine a portal to a green oasis or even scenery from their own homeworld, and anything else you can come up with. They won't be real or tangible so nothing will remain of them once the affected characters are recovered (unless a special mod consequence is given...) but as stated above they can be shared between characters so everyone can see the same thing.
Can my character attend both the Summer Festival and the mission in the tunnels?
Alas, no. Both events will take the whole week, so it's one or the other!
go to the OOC plotting post
no subject
What kind of ships go up in the sky?
[She gives him a suspicious look.]
You ain't tryin' to play jokes on me, are ye?
no subject
So to meet someone who can't even fathom the concept, one that's always been with him — it makes him stop. Pause. Look back down at Susan like... he doesn't know. This is just weird, to try to explain this, something that's never had to be explained. ]
Nope. Why would anyone do that?
[ It's a real question; makes no sense to him. What would that accomplish?
He looks back upwards. Beyond the atmosphere, not that that's evident. He's just gotten used to that now; the sky's a visual barrier, nothing more. ]
Spaceships. You know. Going past the sky. Leaving the planet.
[ Has absolutely no idea where he is relative to the rest of the galaxy — if he's even still in the Milky Way, and wouldn't that be a trip — but shit, it'd be nice to get back up there now, even if just on principle. ]
no subject
[She says it matter-of-factly, as if it explains everything. In a sense, it does - explains, at least, why she thinks it's possible that he's only joking. He wouldn't be the first person who's said something crazy to test her, and certainly not the first one she's seen do it to someone else.]
[But he doesn't seem to be joking or testing her. He seems absolutely serious, and it's baffling.]
[She follows his gaze up again, squinting, as if she could see past the dazzling blue to whatever he thinks lies beyond. Does anything lie beyond it? She's never given much thought to the question. There's the sky, and the sun, and the stars fixed there at night, and that's all one needs to know, for all the troubles and all the joys that have ever mattered in her life have been on the ground.]
...What's planet? [Then, quickly shaking her head:] Never mind it. This talkin' ain't gonna get the job done, is it?
no subject
He glances back down at her, the way she's looking up at the sky. No clue how to read her expression, though. Just. She's looking up. And at least doesn't think he's trying to be an asshole anymore. Though... the idea of having to explain a planet to someone...
Yeah, no. Probably not here. That's... starting from a level he can't comprehend. How different are their worlds, he can't help but think, as unimportant as it is right now. So instead, Amos turns his attention back to the tunnel's entrance, shoulders his pickaxe. ]
Nope.
[ Not that he's intending to get any job done, really, not when working for assholes. Just do the bare minimum: get some crystals and don't die along the way.
He takes his first steps into the tunnel, tries to ignore the chill he feels about the whole thing. The way it feels like the ground is ready to swallow them up. The way that once they leave the entrance's light, the only sense of direction they'll have will be what they create themselves. It's fucked up. If it was man-made, it'd be easy enough. But it's not. And that might end up being a problem after all. ]
Gotta say, though, not exactly keen on getting any job done, place like this.
no subject
[And, besides...]
Beats sitting in a cell watching the hours run by. [She shrugs.] I'm just glad to have aught that feels like a real job of work, truly. Never knew it'd be so exhausting to sit about and rest all day.
no subject
But he hasn't, and he finds he can't really dispute anything Susan says. Not really. ]
I guess. Both options suck, though.
[ Plus you're probably less likely to die or get lost or whatever from wandering around caves created by a giant worm. But she's got a point about actually doing something. At least it stops you from thinking about... well, fuck. About wherever your mind wanders to, shithole like this. He's trying not to think about it.
A few more steps in, less daylight coming in. That's the tradeoff, huh. Not sure if it's a great one. He doesn't look back, but does call out to her, ] You like this kind of work?
[ It's a real question. He's perfectly happy doing manual labour when it's something he actually chose to do. Might not hate it as much if the people he's with can tolerate it, too. ]
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Though it don't smell that way. [There's a faint smell to the air here, dank and clammy. It makes her think faintly of root cellars, but without the warmer earthiness.]
It'll get us warm, anyroad. And it might make me get proper sleep, for once.
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He wrinkles his nose at her comment about the smell. It is different. Kinda strong, to him, since it's so different from what he's used to. ]
Yeah, not used to this kind of smell. Guess it makes the whole thing more real. You smell something like this in space, you think the air recyclers are malfunctioning. No recyclers here.
[ The tradeoff is the novelty of not having to worry about their air supply running out. Unless there's a cave-in or something and they end up trapped in a pocket of air, one without technology to handle it. But that's a future problem, if it even comes up.
Hadn't even thought about having to sleep in the tunnels. Another future problem, except it is going to come up. Amos stops walking; natural daylight gone by now, that weird ball of light that's supposed to follow each of them, be their own personal light source all that's left. It's kinda creepy. He's pretty sure he doesn't like it. ]
Dunno if it'll be possible to get a real night's sleep down here.
[ He gets what she means. Actually work, actually tire yourself out. But the whole situation is just... bad, and he can feel it starting to gnaw on him. It's going to become a problem for him sooner or later, he can tell.
Amos looks at the way the light catches the wall of the tunnel beside him, the extra glint from what must be a crystal. Good a place as any to mark where they are, he figures. Wall seems stable enough, so he drives his pickaxe into it, creating a hole; pries the crystal out from it along the way. Picks it up and gives it nothing more than a passing glance before dropping it in his sack. Sure. Alright. There's one. ]
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[She ducks past him, swinging her own shovel off her shoulder, and drives it into the wall three times, replacing his mark with a very rough arrow, pointing back towards the entrance.]
[She looks at him, oddly defensive, as if expecting him to question or criticise.]
If we got however many people down here doin' the same as us, seems like we should make sure they're marks that mean summat.
[Because, again, now she's thinking about being down here a long time. About being lost. About how easily, in the dark, a pit in the wall could disappear. How easily a person could get turned around.]
[She suppresses a shudder. Dying in fire was bad enough. Freezing to death in a cave - or meeting this creature they're picking up after - honestly sounds worse.]
What's it like? Space?
[It's something to talk about. Something that's not where they are and how scared (they?) she is.]
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Turns back to the section of tunnel they're in, the light glinting off of enough crystals that they're in a decent enough place to just. Work here, apparently. He goes about it slowly, because it's something to do, but not something he actually wants to do.
Doesn't look back at her as he answers; figures his voice carries well enough on its own. ]
Big and empty as all fuck. Most of the time there's nothing near you. Real easy to not get found if you don't wanna be.
[ Kind of part of the point for him, so he says it casually, not quite making the connection between there and here. It's different, after all. He glances around the tunnel walls as he works to free another crystal from them. ]
Nothing like this. No walls, no barriers. Just endless black with some stars light years away. [ A beat, mulling it over in his head. ] 's nice.
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[She does look up at him, even if he isn't looking at her, considering his broad back turned to her.]
It sounds...
Horrible. It sounds horrible. How'd you end up in such a place?
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Though he does pause at her assessment, considering. Is it horrible? It's just been life.
Resumes half-heartedly clearing the ice from a crystal, making it easier to free, put in his bag. ]
Friend helped me get up there. Friend and a bit of luck. [ He takes a moment, stops fucking around with the ice. Stills completely. The cadence of his voice doesn't change at all. ] I was on Earth before. Earth's worse.
[ A dead-end shithole, but who's counting. Back to digging this bit of crystal out. ]
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[But she's still nervous, and as soon as the silence falls, she can feel it pressing in - the silence, the dark, and the cold, all of them constant reminders of how alien this place is to her, how little she understands. It would be kind, mayhap, to let the subject drop and let him speak or not speak as he likes. Kindness, though, loses out to the desire to fill that empty void of silence.]
What's so bad there?
[It's genuine curiosity, too. She's pretty sure his Earth isn't the world she grew up in, and aside from the need to make sound and keep busy, there's a real wonder and interest in the worlds that her fellow-prisoners have come from. For a girl who's never been more than thirty or forty miles from her own hometown, the talk of other worlds - the good and the bad - is just irresistably intriguing.]
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Either way, though, he doesn't mind Susan's voice. She's decent enough company so far. Could be a whole lot worse. ]
It's not a good place. [ Stated matter of fact. It's not. There's no room for argument; getting off of Earth was the best thing that's ever happened to him, and he knows it. ] Too many people there. Makes it impossible to actually do anything for yourself. Everyone's just crabs in a bucket, and either you get lucky or you get used.
[ Or both. Used, then lucky — for as much as luck was even possible for him by that point. Can't exactly leave behind what being used does to you, though. ]
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[She sighs, digging her nails in under another crystal.]
That ain't about too many people. There's no more'n five hundred in Hambry, and still it's that way.
I always figured it'd be so wherever ye go. If I ever knew ye could go up past the sky, I'd've figured it'd be so there, too.
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Sure, everywhere's got its problems. [ There he goes — with a grunt, he's got the crystal out. There's another for the bag. Good enough to stop for the moment, turn back to look in Susan's direction. ] Some places more'n others.
[ Though now she's got him thinking. He's not naive; he knows while space provides its own unique challenges in comparison to Earth, societal ills remain societal ills. Can be found anywhere. He's seen it a few times, wherever he's ended up. ]
Maybe you go enough places, you get better at dealing with it.
[ Or, in his case, you just get bigger, make it so nobody wants to deal with you. Whatever works works. ]
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[She doesn't sound entirely convinced. She's looking down at the fist-sized crystal in her hand, tilting it this way and that, the frown on her face suggesting it's not really the crystal she's thinking about.]
I wouldn't know, I guess. Up to a few days ago, I'd never been further'n Seafront.
Small towns. Ye're meant to live and die in 'em, I guess.
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Yeah, I get that. Only knew the same couple blocks of Baltimore, first years of my life. Not a small town, but might as well have been. [ Another swing, a grunt on impact. ] Real fuckin' different once you leave for the first time, huh.
[ Been there, done that. Going from Baltimore to space had been about as big a culture shock as going from space to here had been, but as least he's already had practice. ]
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[A moment of quiet, her face thoughtful, and then she adds quietly:] I guess I do get it, a bit. It's nice, bein' somewhere people don't know you. Is space like that?
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[ His answer is simple, tone even, blank. That's exactly what it's like. He dislodges the crystal he's working on, drops it unceremoniously in his bag.
After another moment, ] Total fresh start isn't so bad, sometimes. I mean, I didn't need this. Would prefer to be back with my people. But sometimes it can be a good thing.
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Can't be any fucking worse than the alternative.