Intro Log: The Joys of Composting

[hadrielmods]

Who: New arrivals and everyone else!
What: The intro log for September
Where: The colosseum and all around the city.
When: September 10th-14th
Warnings: New folks! Bugs! Weird stuff!

It's that time again! Or, well, probably the very first time for you. It's not that often that you turn up in a different world - unless it is. You awaken on the ground of a large arena, a stone ceiling stretching high above you. Welcome to Hadriel! Don't worry, you weren't the only one who woke up here. So did a bunch of other people - and so did some monsters.

Yup, crawling around being incredibly gross are quite a few Jauchekafers, large beetles that feed off chemical and biological waste from humans. When upset or alarmed, they're perfectly happy to swarm and attack people, so hopefully you didn't wake up in the middle of them. Being about two and a half feet long, their bites can do quite a bit of damage, and that's not even counting the toxicity that might be passed on from their diet!

Speaking of their diet, those beetles aren't the only trash that's washed up in Hadriel this month. While making your escape from the arena, you might stumble over a interesting table or a possibly comfy chair, or even a piece of art. A lot of it's pretty cool, but you're not gonna find anything that isn't made out of trash. But hey, maybe that's your aesthetic?

Don't get too distracted by all this trash that has been turned into treasure. After you've find your way out of the colosseum there's plenty of other distractions! Feel free to go explore the rest of the city! Find a house, a new monster, a project to help with, or simply scavenge for supplies. Good luck, and enjoy your stay in Hadriel!

► This log covers September 10th-14th.
► Feel free to make your own logs as well!
► All characters arrive with phones that have network communication and the newbie guide installed.
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!

Comments

Atem you nerd

[hot_mes]

[that gets the driest of dry looks in response]

The hell is that?

[look, he's had his nose in medical texts since he was ten, he genuinely knows nothing outside of chess and poker. He is actually pretty good at the latter.]

guilty...

[puzzlingly]

[ Aw come on! Nope, he will not give up! The reaction is as tiny bit daunting because who doesn't know about this children game? But no worries, he fishes his deck from the pocket in his duelist belt.

He gives it a bit of a melancholic stare, it's his... it's "incomplete". He knows he shouldn't think that way but--

Eh, he handles it to Law (after he grabs the first three cards from the top). ]

It's a cards game, you play with monster, trap and magic cards in order to defeat your opponent.

[hot_mes]

[not that the god cards would make any difference to him compared to the rest, but...

Law thumbs idly through the deck, gauging the pictures. So cartoony, so fantasy. Cards that aren't the basic four suits are rather unique, he's never seen anything like it before.]

Hm. Not the kind of card game I'm used to. I take it you need these special cards for it, not just anything?

[puzzlingly]

[ One can't never be too careful... ]

Skilled duellist can make a fine deck out of any type of cards. Unfortunately I only have 40 cards, which is the standard for a single deck. Maybe I can use my time to make my own cards and teach you how to play.

[ He says with a tiny shrug, but the idea is already amusing. ]

What kind of card game are you used to?

[hot_mes]

[he only raises an eyebrow a little at that idea. You do you and all that, spend your time however you like. He'd be in the library all day if he could read any of the books, after all.]

Poker, mostly. Some of my crewmates play gin and pinochle when they're bored.

[he hands the deck back without making any more faces. He really can't judge, especially since a quick glance at the card text suggests that some strategy is involved - and boy can he get into strategy.]

Not that I usually join them, I have better things to do than gamble for actual peanuts.

[puzzlingly]

Hmm, I'm familiar with poker, not so much with the others.

[ And let's face it, he'd be awesome at any of those. Atem puts away his deck carefully (way too carefully for a simple deck of children cards...) and keeps his attention back on Law. ]

What could possibly be more important than playing games with your crewmates?

[ He keeps an affable face, just a little, he might or not be joking. Eh, let's face it, he half of is and he's mocking himself a little. ]

[hot_mes]

[joking or not, Law takes it in stride, arching an eyebrow with almost visible sarcasm]

Keeping the ship on course, for one.

[it's still only a hint as to his real profession, but it's definitely a hint. He does mean nakama in the generic crew sense.]

[puzzlingly]

[ !? ]

You're a captain too?

[ Surgeon, swordsman, and now this? But not a duelist, what a shame. ]

[hot_mes]

[not a duelist, alas.

His lips curl in a smirk, might as well admit it. He gets such amusing reactions when he does.]

Pirate captain to be specific.

[puzzlingly]

[ Cue blinking. ]

Pirate...

[hot_mes]

Yeah.

[why, is that weird? It's the doctor thing, isn't it?]

[puzzlingly]

[ Nah, it's the pirate thing, only. General knowledge about pirates = thieves = Bakura = terrible people.

But Law helped him... He couldn't be so bad.

Right? ]

Hmm.

[ That's all he says, sorry, mate. ]

[hot_mes]

[nah, he's not bothered. If anything, this reaction interests him considerably. Everyone else around here has either been taken with the novelty or brushed it aside as something they couldn't relate to. Were they in the Grand Line, Atem's reaction would be both appropriate and typical.

For Law's part, though, he just keeps that cool smirk on.]

Not what you were expecting, I take it. At least, in a cave without any ocean, there's not much piracy to be done.

[puzzlingly]

I would certainly hope so.

[ He cannot hold the sudden iciness in his voice. He shouldn't be so condescending, he barely knows this guy, but he can't help it. ]

[hot_mes]

[it's been so long since he's brushed up against someone with such deep moral objections, it amuses Law more than it should.

He straightens up from where he's leaning to deliberately loom over the kid, hands open and palms up in the universal gesture of being unarmed, even though they've talked about powers and magic and there's no way Atem would be fooled. It has the effect of making the DEATH tattoos on his fingers even more obvious.]

Does that bother you? Are things so much more peaceful where you come from that it wouldn't even enter your mind, or do you have actual experience fighting pirates?

[he definitely doesn't believe the latter]

[puzzlingly]

[ As if he wasn't used to have people looming over him, Atem holds his stare, nearly unblinking, defiant and there is something not quite right about those eyes, they seem too old, too hard for someone so apparently young. He's seen some shit, that's for sure.

Which is why those tattoos make nothing but a bad impression on him. ]

I have experience dealing with your kind.

[ Pirates, thieves, same difference. Aw man, this was going so well. ]

[hot_mes]

[the harder Atem grows, the more smug Law turns even though he really has no right to be. It's refreshing, meeting someone who knows a pirate for what they are (more or less) and isn't blinded by the romance of it all. Anyone else might be defensive, apologetic, even offended, but Law takes it as if he deserves it and doesn't care.]

My kind. You know, that makes me wonder, because piracy seems to be one of those universal constants across the worlds. Just saying the word, everyone understands me. But you're the first one who hasn't acted like I was some kind of novelty, a clown for their entertainment.

[puzzlingly]

[ Atem is not going to lie, he doesn't like where this is going. That sardonic smirk on Law's face only reminds him of Bakura's, it's not nearly as cruel nor full of hate, but just as irreverent, it brings bad memories back. ]

Hmph, I should have know you'd feel flattered that I know what you're capable of, pirate.

[ He's definitely showing some unresolved issues there. ]

Tch, you are all the same.

[hot_mes]

[that's a whole boatload of issues there, Atem. Law's smirk only fades so that it isn't so aggressive, but at the same time, he crosses one hand over the other and clasps his wrist, leaving his hands safely in plain view]

You think so, even after I treated your injury? Reputations should be earned, not taken for granted. If I'm still worthy of contempt, let it be for something I actually do to you.

[he's not going to explain that his type of piracy is more like being an enemy of the state, that he saves people, or anything else. He's lived too long to give a single fuck what any one person thinks of him, so he isn't bothered by the attitude. Still, laying all cards (ha) out on the table, he's done nothing to earn ire except claim to be a pirate.]

[puzzlingly]

[ Say you're sorry... That's something his partner would say, wouldn't he? Damn, he hasn't been a whole day away from him and Atem is already losing it.

The Pharaoh finally looks away, apologetically, a little angry at himself, maybe, but the words do not reach his throat; that damn pride of his, it simply won't let him. He knows Law is right, and yet...

Atem, still avoiding the pirate's eyes, stands and limps towards the clinic's entrance, stopping by the door. ]

Thanks for the help.

[ And without looking back, he ventures into the streets of Hadriel. ]

[hot_mes]

[well, that's better than nothing. Law shrugs to himself, letting him go. If Atem needs further care, he'd better get himself back to that clinic. Otherwise, Law is content to leave him with his pride. It's something they have in common.]