hadriel_logs | Event Log: Party Royale

Entry tags:

Event Log: Party Royale

Who: All characters participating in the event
What: The event log for the Party Royale event
Where: All over the city!
When: September 22nd-29th
Warnings: Paintball, loss of consciousness, and partying!

As is par for the course in Hadriel, at some point throughout the day- waking up, making breakfast, doing laundry- you find an item. This isn't just any item though, it's a tried and true paintball gun, shining and just waiting to be picked up. This gun never runs out of ammunition, never malfunctions, and almost always hits the target that you're aiming at, so say hello to your new best friend for the next week.

Touching or picking up the gun will fill you with a competitive surge, which will likely increase when you find the note that's left with it, saying nothing more than be the last one standing. With instructions like that, how could you lose?

Well, you could lose if someone else shoots you. But never fear, there's a plan for that too! Even if you embrace the throes of unconsciousness, the gods have got your back and will eventually teleport you into a grand party where prizes will be handed out based on how long you survived. Awesome! At this party is also the traditional copious amounts of food and drink, as well as everyone's favorite goddess Delight and everyone's slightly-less-favorite goddess Rage!

Happy paintballing, and may the odds be ever in your favor!

► This log covers September 22nd-29th.
► Feel free to make your own logs as well
► Please tag headers of threads with content warnings where they apply
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!
► If you fall and break your neck or something because you can't die in paintball, please let us know here.

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Rey doesn't need to elaborate; Nick knows. While he wouldn't set the world on fire if something happened to her, he'd be damn sure whoever did it got what was coming to them. He could tell himself all day long it was about justice, but when it comes to Rey -- to his family -- it's more than that. It's personal.

And in a lot of ways, that's the real scary part about all this: it's not the people who were being influenced by the gods who were the real danger, but those who would retaliate against them. Gods or not, some folks just want to protect their own. Nick can't say he doesn't feel that himself. On top of that, there are those who would pretend they were being controlled and use that as an excuse to get away with anything, even cold-blooded murder. Sato might not be around anymore, but there are still plenty of residents in Hadriel who Nick would keep an eye on if he could.

"Some folks haven't been around as long as we have," he returns, his eyes back on the streets ahead of them. "They don't remember the first time something like this happened."

It's times like these that makes their situation all the more dangerous. When people harbor more resentment for the gods, the more likely they are to find the alternative more appealing. If that happens, then they don't have the consolation that Hope will always be around to fix the damage his family stirs up.

Rey's shoulders stiffen, tucking inward as she jams her hands back into her pocket. She knows that the Null aren't a better option, but not everyone has the same sense to know what they're dealing with. They have shorter memories, or they haven't been around long enough to get it.

"We just can't afford to get comfortable anymore... if that was ever possible in the first place." Rey was never comfortable with the idea of death and resurrection, even as someone who has died many times herself; there's always that chance that this life will be the last. "Just because something hasn't happened before doesn't mean that it's not probable. If something happens to Hope, then all this casual talk about people not staying dead is moot, and they're just risking lives for no reason."

Then again, so are the gods.

Lips pursing, she mutters, "I'm happy you're still around, or I'd feel like I'm just yelling at a wall."

"I'm sure the wall would be more willing to listen than some of the folks around here," Nick replies. Rey has a point about Hope, though -- people seem real keen on using the excuse that death is only temporary in Hadriel. It's a concept that has never sat well with the old synth, neither the part where people come back from the dead, nor where the residents get complacent with the events they're put through, willingly engaging in violence because they feel that any repercussions or consequences will be negligible. There might come a day where they aren't.

And for all they know, the consequences might be permanent for someone like him, someone more manufactured than organic.

"As far as I'm concerned, I'd rather not risk that something happens to Hope in the middle of one of these things, and people are left having to live with what they've done. For all we know, he might not be able to put someone like me back together at all. I imagine I'd end up looking the same, but with my insides full of junk."

He's seen the insides of the mopeds, and he was not impressed.

At that, Rey can't help but scoff. There's some comedy to be found in people's ignorance and willingness to turn a blind eye to the dangers they're putting themselves and others into, and for nothing. "You're probably right."

Much as she hates to accept that as their reality. But that is pretty much the reality they're always dealt with, isn't it?

Nick's concern is one of Rey's as well. Not for herself, but him and those like him.

"Who knows, maybe that might be an upgrade." Strange to hear herself joke after all this time, but she has to try it sometimes. "I'm glad you managed to stay safe through that shit, at any rate. Would hate to have to go on a rampage of revenge."

Because you know she would have. Anyone with two cents to rub together in their brainpans would know this.

Nick knows that no matter how lightly Rey talks about her figurative rampage, she'd have absolutely gone on one had he been shot. It crossed his mind early on that if he went down -- or Maketh, Firo, maybe even Ellie -- that there'd be hell to pay, and the bodies wouldn't be covered in just paint.

And yet, he returns her joke with some light teasing of his own, as though that's the best they can do in a grim situation. "Just trying to save myself from a whole lot of paperwork. And probably another accusation on how useless the Guard is."

If he sounds the slightest bit bitter about that second part, it's not accidental. Rey is one of the few who understands his frustration regarding the populace's perspective of the Guard.

They never talked about it much, but never needed to. They've both seen each other on the network, quarreling with those who make such accusations against the Guard.

Fortunately, due to her connections with the more prominent members, Rey doesn't even need to claim to be among the ranks in order to defend them. Some of those people are like family to her. Damned if she'll sit quietly while their name gets smeared for no reason.

"It's a lot of headache to take on, that's for sure. The city doesn't deserve you, and the others like you who just want to help."

Instead, they get accused of being corrupt, of being tyrants and bullies for doing too much or incompetent for doing too little, despite never once claiming to be a post of authority.

"This city deserves better in a lot of ways, but despite what people think, the Guard is doing as much as we can. I've seen them do a lot of good, more than people realize. It might not bother me, but it sure bothers some of them."

The doubt of the people makes Maketh question her place; it makes Glacius wonder if it's worth it at all. It undermines those who would want to help, but think that maybe joining the organization is a waste of time or that they're incompetent. Unfortunately, being frustrated -- no matter how human a feeling it is -- doesn't help. They just have to keep doing what's right, and in this case, that'd defending those who need it, even if some of them don't deserve it.

A little criticism here and there never hurts; Rey gets enough of it as it is. But even she has her limits, as do many others among the Guard.

She folds her arms over her chest as she continues walking, shoulders stiffening with every stride.

"Probably a good thing I've kept my name officially off the record. Think some of the shit I've said and done would've reflected poorly on your guys."

Such as attacking Rosie. They might be on better terms now, surprisingly enough, but that doesn't change that she was willing to assault, maim, and murder someone on her own volition. No godly compulsion required.

Nick doesn't argue with Rey on that one -- they both know that she'd have been in trouble regarding some of the things she's said, no matter what the reason. Hell, she's been in trouble plenty as it is, but at least her heart is in the right place. Like it or not, Nick will defend that heart and all the emotion it brings until his dying breath.

Or the synthetic equivalent, of course.

"Given what we're up against, I'd say you giving us a bad reputation should be the least of our problems, especially when we've got a bunch of machines trying to get into the city."

He puts some emphasis on machines; while someone who doesn't know him as well might miss it, there is a distinct discomfort in that thought, given what he is.

Given what they know about the Null now, Rey couldn't see them and Nick as being anything remotely alike. Yes, they might share the same synthetic bodies, but they had the luxury of choosing in ways Nick had not. Emotions were nothing to them where to Nick they were everything.

"Almost makes you feel at home, does it?" Rey asks dryly, knowing the answer for both of them. Helps that they've come from crappy places.

Nick's reply is equally dry, completely devoid of any humor as his eyes settle on the ground ahead of them.

"Yeah. Maybe a little too much."

And with that, he falls quiet, the only sound that of their own footsteps on the pavement and the party far behind them. Though he's made it through the last month relatively unscathed, save for some new singes in his synthetic skin, there's still clearly a lot on Nick's mind, a lot that he sets aside because there's always something to do -- people to help, fires to put out, gods to deal with, and anything else Hadriel throws at them. Though better than he was just after their stint in the fake world, when his mind was struggling to process what was real, what was fake, and what memories were even his, he's still got plenty of troubles he'll eventually have to deal with.

Unfortunately, it's getting him to deal with them rather than worrying about other people -- Rey especially -- that's the real trick.

Sensing his unease through the deafening silence, Rey strafes close enough to take Nick's arm as they walk along the way home. It's a friendly, comforting gesture, to remind him that he's not alone in this path. After all, she's dealing with her own set of unfriendly reminders that recent events have brought on them all.

"It'll be okay," she tries softly reassuring him. "I've got a good amount of intel from both sides in this. We're not as far in the dark as we used to be."

That's one solace that Rey feels she can cling onto. The gods are being more forthcoming, and they have at least a name to the enemy.

It's more than what they had a year ago, anyway.

As Rey takes Nick's arm, his gaze flicks to her hand, then to her eyes. Nearly hidden in the dark, his own expression is subdued, and forcibly so -- there's a tightness of uncertainty in his brow, the troubles on his mind etched into his face. It's not a look he'd show just anyone, but Rey isn't just anyone. She's family, and more than that, she understands. She gets it. She knows all too well what's at stake here. It's not just the gods, and not just the city; it's not the people they've come to know, or even each other. It's their newfound way of life, something better than what they had in their own worlds.

They can't go back now, and they can't let Hadriel become what they were living in before, synthetic threat and all. They can't lose this -- they can't lose each other.

Despite his stifled apprehension, Nick offers her as grateful a smile as he can muster; it barely breaks through the stiff worry that sits at the corners of his mouth. "It's always darkest before dawn. Let's just hope this is as dark as it gets."

Even he knows the chances for that are slim, but there's always hope. There's got to be.

Her hand tightens around his arm; a firm reminder that she's still here. They're in this together. Even though she knows better than to fool herself into thinking that things will work themselves out in the end, she doesn't want to break that in this moment.

"Well, if not..." Her mouth tugs into a weak smile. "I'll be sure to raise hell about it."

As if she hasn't done enough of that on her own.

Rey has indeed raised a lot of hell, intentional and not -- Nick doesn't waste words reminding her, though.

"Let's see if we can't keep that from happening, at least until we know more about these Null and how they intend to run things."

Nick just hopes by then, it won't be too late.

She sighs loudly, pretending to roll her eyes in mock-petulance.

"Fine. I promise not to level the whole place until then."

It would be funnier if Rey hadn't already been close to doing that when she caused that freak fire, but shh.

"Good girl."

That escapes Nick before he can reel it in, and he realizes belatedly how that remark sounded: like something a parent would say. He kicks himself inwardly, more self-conscious about it than he'd like -- she's not a child, and not his child. That's the gods getting under his skin with that fake world of theirs, and no matter how much he insists that the love he feels for her as family is real, Nick refuses to let himself get lost in the gods' machinations. He doesn't appreciate being toyed with.

... Even if that fake world had been a kinder one, and one where he was happy. He had a life of his own, one he'd made for himself. He'd had a family.

Nick falls quiet for the rest of the walk back to their house, trying not to dwell on his thoughts. They've been far too cluttered as of late as it is.

Such a tone in Nick's voice is enough to give Rey pause, but not for the reasons he probably suspects. She never heard Lucas talk to her that way. Never heard any fatherly figure in her written and rewritten memories speak with such warmth and pride. She wasn't allowed the happiness of family.

Not until she had made one for herself. What little of it remains in her world, she's sure will survive without her as they has for most of their lives. Here, she is not only liberated from the things that bound her, but she is free to make a place for herself without the threat of a bloody past catching up with her all the time.

As Nick falls quiet, so does she, unable to shake the uneasy feeling that nags at her. How much of that is really Nick, and how much is the Nick from that faked utopia they shared? How can she be certain how she really feels?

It isn't until they're home that Rey slides away from Nick's arm to open the door. Immediately they are greeted by a noisy, scratchy meow of a three-legged cyclops cat, making his presence very known. Finally, Rey manages a quiet laugh.

"Guess we both should actually eat something."

The fact occurs to Rey that she didn't really indulge herself at the party beyond a few drinks. Didn't have the stomach for it.

Unbeknownst to either of them, Nick wonders the very same thing: how much of that concern and compassion for Rey is from him, born from their experiences in the cave, and how much is what the gods have put into his head? Did he get it started, and then they built upon it? Or was his initial reason for reaching out to her influenced in some way, as well? He's already spent decades wondering where the original Nick ends and he, the synthetic one, begins; the question of just how much of it is real comes all too easily to him.

And he doesn't like that. He doesn't like questioning the validity of his feelings for Rey, nor the truth in the love for the family he's found in this place. He doesn't like falling into the same traps he's warned people against... and most of all, he doesn't like that he actually has some fondness for those traps. He liked having something of his own, something that was his. He liked the family he had in that fake world.

But to say such things aloud is out of the question. The hypocrisy would make his blood boil if he had any.

As busy as the city keeps him -- arrivals, events, the occasional city-wide fire caused by a sneeze -- he's almost grateful for the distractions some days. They keep him busy, much like his work back in Diamond City. The biggest distraction he has at home, aside from Rey, is waiting for them when they open the door. Nick stoops for a moment to pet Tripod, trying to focus on anything that isn't his false memories, the flashes of real ones that aren't his, and the frustration he feels from both. "It's well past dinner for you. Wouldn't want you to starve, now would we?"

Whether he is talking to Rey or the cat isn't entirely clear, but he does look marginally more at ease, a smile slipping onto his face. Some of what he remembers may be manufactured, but he trusts his gut -- and his gut tells him that the affection he feels for his family is genuine.

Edited 2017-10-09 07:24 (UTC)

While Nick stops to give Tripod the affection he desperately craves, Rey makes her way into the kitchen and begins fixing up something for the two of them. Nick doesn't need to eat, but that doesn't mean she doesn't value his company during a quick meal.

"Pretty sure he'd scream our ears off before he'd allow that to happen," Rey says from behind the kitchen counter, getting out the necessities to make a simple sandwich while picking out a can of some sort of meat from the pantry. Though she herself has been reluctant to indulge in the canned meats since Rage and Fear's tampering, she doubts that a cat would have the same concern.

It isn't until she snaps open the can that Tripod flees from Nick's attention, trotting towards the kitchen before leaping onto the counter. He meows and yells and presses forward, only to be pushed back by one hand while Rey uses her other to single-handedly open up the serving of meat.

She glances over to Nick as the noisy beast chirps and cries as though it had never tasted food before. "Um. A little help?"

Like any creature of the feline persuasion, Rey has been effectively distracted from her troubles for the time being. And maybe that is a good thing.

Edited 2017-10-10 01:16 (UTC)

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Event Log: Party Royale

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