hadriel_logs | Event Log: End of Arc 2

Entry tags:

Event Log: End of Arc 2

Who: All characters
What: The event log for the End of Arc 2
Where: All over the city
When: November 25th-December 12th
Warnings: A full-scale battle, including character death, NPC death, and various other ways to suffer

It was bound to happen. The Null warned you, after all, and this has been building for awhile - and now it's here. First comes the initial attack, the agents of the Null attacking Hope's temple. Then, an SOS, warning the city of what's happened: a betrayal, and Hope being injured. Luckily for everyone, thanks to the actions of his guards Hope survives the attack. Unluckily, his attacker, the goddess Delight, escapes and lets the Null in.

Flooding into the cave, the Null will attack anyone who they believe is resisting them. They'll destroy buildings and deploy dangerous crowd control weapons, in addition to their sheer strength and speed. Confusion empties the monsters in the tunnels into the city, to help distract the Null. Some gods fight, others provide safe havens, but everyone is in danger.

After about a week and a half of the attack, Fear summons enough power to teleport the city. This stops any new Null from arriving through the tunnels, but the remaining Null must be hunted down and destroyed, or else they'll signal their location to the rest of their species. The danger will lessen as Null are taken out, but things won't really be safe until Fear moves the city again, so don't get too comfortable.

What will you do? Run and hide? Fight? Help the fighters? Turn on the gods yourself? Whatever you do, it's time to make a decision.

► This log covers November 25th-December 12th.
► 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 get taken out by the Null, please let us know here.

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[One of the first things Lance will likely learn about the alien living among them: Glacius and his people are very literal. Hence his confusion at the previous question; with all the Null running around and their affinity for laser cutters, he'd assumed it was fairly obvious what had happened to him. Framing his question more directly seems to help, and the alien's subsequent response is more focused as a result.]

Hurt badly enough to slow me down, but not enough to stop me. At least... not for some time. [Blood loss will be an issue eventually, but his threshold for that is much higher than a human's thanks to his binary vascular system, and freezing over the wound is slowing some of the bleeding.] I do not know what you can do to help, but we can't stay here. Not when our foes our so numerous... and not when... I promised I would help to look out for you.

[The otherworldly being seems to struggling more and more against pain and tiredness the longer he talks, but that thought catches up to him belatedly, and it seems to firm up his resolve. Now he finally picks himself up, rising to his feet as his ice armor groans and cracks, shards of it falling to the ground as he moves-- but his focus remains on the human. So congratulations, Lance, you suddenly have a big and powerful ice in your corner.] You and Rosen are friends, I assume?

Edited 2017-11-29 03:31 (UTC)

[Lance can handle literal once he realizes that's the way to go because Brennan's the same way, so he fortunately has a lot of practice. But right now he's mostly distracted by the utter lack of confidence he has in Glacius' assurance that he's okay for the moment; he absolutely doesn't look okay.

But he also can't argue that they need to get out of the open, and he glances around quickly to look for an abandoned building that might safe. His attention snaps back to Glacius a moment later, however, at the comment about protecting him; the question that follows actually answers a question of Lance's own, and he's not super pleased by it. That isn't Glacius' fault, and Lance isn't upset with him, but he's still silent several seconds and presses his lips together in annoyance.

But this is not the time for that; he can argue about not needing anyone to look out for him later. Right now they need to not get caught by any Null, which means focusing on what's important.]

Yes.

[He answers the question simply, before moving on.]

It looks like the shop to our left is mostly intact. We can at least get out of the open.

[Glacius lifts his head, spends a moment scanning the building Lance has suggested, then nods. He's tired enough that he'd agree to go pretty much anywhere so long as it seems safe, and since he's cleared the Null out of the immediate area, that's fairly assured. As a plus--the shop hasn't sustained enough damage to the point where it seems like it could collapse, as Lance has noted. He'll take it.

What he doesn't notice is the human's irritation, but then his attention is divided, what with the disaster currently transpiring and his various painful wounds. He can feel the fissures in his armor spreading the more he moves, announced by subtle cracks with each heavy, tired step he takes.] I recognize your voice. You reached out to me on our personal communication devices some time ago. I probably should have sought you out sooner in order to properly honor my promise to Rosen, but... I can do so now. Once we've rested for a bit I will personally see you back to safety. What are you even doing out with all of... this... going on?

[Lance keeps a careful watch on their surroundings in case any more Null might appear from somewhere while they're moving to the shop, but Glacius indeed seems to have cleared out any of the beings within sight. That's one problem taken care of, at least.

He waits until they're inside to respond to Glacius' words, which is for the best since he needs a moment to make sure he doesn't respond in a way that will be insulting to Glacius. It's not Glacius' fault, after all.]

While I appreciate the sentiment and concern, I don't need to be protected or escorted anywhere. I'm out here because I'm capable of dealing with the Null and I can be a lot more helpful doing that than I would be at one of the new Clinic locations.

[And he doesn't want to really hang out at one of the gods' locations anyway. It feels like the right thing to do to be out trying to protect people, rather than staying inside somewhere relatively safe, especially when there are a lot of actual doctors capable of helping people with medical issues.

Speaking of--]

However, I think it might be best if you visited one. Whether or not your injuries are going to be a problem immediately, making them worse won't help.

[And the more injured he is the more likely he'll make a mistake during a fight, too.]

[That stops Glacius, who turns to look at Lance in utter confusion.] What do you mean, you "don't need to be protected or escorted"? Are you not aware of what is happening around us? Everyone needs that. We all need to be looking out for each other, otherwise the chance of ending up as just another casualty multiples exponentially. What happens if you are alone and you run into a group of them, or one shapeshifted into some unknown, much more deadly form?

[The alien continues as he tosses his head, shrugging his wounded shoulder forward; thankfully the ice he's sealed over it obscures and refracts the grisliest of the details, but it's still not pretty by any stretch of the imagination.] I was with a friend when this wound that you are so concerned over happened. If she had not been there to cover me, there's no telling how much worse things would have gotten. I know you humans have a fondness for belligerence, but you should respect the efforts of your friend; he only wants to look out for you. It's not an insult.

[He isn't really expecting such a response, and once he gets over a brief feeling of astonishment his eyes narrow a little and his defenses raise. He knows this is absolutely not the time to be arguing, and it's not going to help either of them, but he's frustrated and tired and willing himself to be calm and even-tempered is incredibly difficult right now.

So although he waits for Glacius to finish, and his tone is restrained when he responds, his words are less carefully chosen or neutral.]

I would appreciate it if you don't lecture me about the situation. I'm entirely capable of understanding it.

[And that said--]

I don't have a problem working with others as a team, but that's a vastly different arrangement than is implied by what you said. But either way, what I said still stands, especially since I don't intend to go back to 'safety' and you don't seem to be in a condition to be doing a lot of fighting at the moment.

[All the other problems aside, he has exactly zero intention of letting someone who's already injured be in more danger just to put himself in less.]

[They're in the same boat, then; Glacius is absolutely not in the mood for what he perceives as humanity's usual resistance to reasoning. He's just a bit more naturally inclined to maintain his cool demeanor, but after everything it's been through, even he's starting to be worn a little thin. He narrows his eyes, his one remaining mandible clicking.] Are you really? You and so many other humans seem to think it's so glamorous and bold to go running off on your own, shirking the help of others. Well, for years of my life as I've operated among you, both on earth and in this cave, working alone was my only option-- and it only served to run me ragged. Your species doesn't even seem to understand what a blessing it is to still be among your own, who will look out for you just because of what you are; you have someone so dedicated to your safety, yet you mock the very word itself with your intonations.

[The alien pulls his shoulder back now, stepping away.] Regardless, I honor my word to said friend. If you're not going back then I must remain with you until you are ready; this injury can only been seen to once the fighting is all over, as it will take days to heal and I cannot leave my friends and loved ones to deal with this on their own for so long.

[The part of Lance that is empathetic and attuned to other people's thoughts and feelings is immediately concerned by the some of the things that Glacius is saying, because it's easy to read into them and notice issues that probably should be discussed and addressed. But the part of Lance that's secretive and distrusting and has reason to be is just getting more and more angry and frustrated as this conversation goes on, and he has an argument ready for every little point Glacius brings up.

But he can't--or rather won't--explain any of that, so instead ends up clenching his jaw and just glaring back at Glacius as he continues. The last few comments, though, specifically the one regarding staying with him until he's ready to go back, abruptly shuts off all the more intense manifestations of his emotions, and he instead just feels suddenly somewhat distant.]

Right, so my opinion in this doesn't matter, apparently.

[It's right on the line between cold and almost childishly flippant, which probably would make sense if he bothered to think about the psychological implications of it. But as it is he doesn't care to do so, instead crossing his arms defensively and glaring at a shelving unit like this is all its fault.]

[... Ah. Hm. Glacius isn't sure what's more surprising, the sudden stonewalling of the conversation or Lance's switch from impassioned--if not stubborn, but he supposes they have that in common--to childish, petulant rebuttals. Either way, it's so different from what had been happening just a moment before that he feels like he's been forcibly ejected from the situation, and... that helps, oddly.

So the alien turns back with a heavy sigh, leaning down slightly to put himself closer to eye level with Lance.] Perhaps we should back up a few steps. There's no call to be arguing when we both want the same thing: to help each other, albeit in different ways. I hope you'll forgive me; as one might expect, pain and stress have left me somewhat irritable. My wounds have plagued me for days, and... I know my partner is probably wearing himself thin, healing people who have been too eager to put themselves in danger. He's a good-hearted man; he would never turn someone away, even if...

[But the alien trails off there as he realizes that part isn't his place to comment on. That's somewhat removed from the issue at hand, anyways.] ... Well, hopefully you understand. And I also hope that you understand that I cannot in good conscience leave you alone in all of this, and I would feel that way whether or not I had made that promise to Rosen. It's not about what you are or aren't capable of, it's about exercising even the barest of decency... so if you're not going to fall back, what are you going to do?

[Lance is quiet while Glacius speaks, shifting his gaze to make eye contact instead of staring at the while, and although his arms still crossed they're slowly losing some tension as he listens. He's still upset with the situation and the conversation up to this point, but the explanation helps calm hm enough that he can try to look at this more objectively.

So he nods, a little, at least to show he understands and is willing to listen, and he makes another mental note about what Glacius says about his partner. He doesn't know who it is, but worrying about someone you care for definitely adds tot he stress of the current situation, and so does being injured, so both factors--as well as the rest of what Glacius says--dampens Lance's anger with him specifically.

He continues to be silent a few more seconds after Glacius finishes, deciding how to respond, before choosing to answer the question first.]

In my world, in addition to being a psychologist, I'm an FBI agent; the FBI is basically like a governmental police force, and the division I work in handles major, usually violent crimes. So I thought I'd be more useful being out in the city helping with the fight than I would be just waiting in one of the new clinic locations, especially since I'm not a medical doctor.

[And so that's what he plans to continue doing; he's more qualified than a lot of people to be out helping with the fight, and he's armed on top of that. It's the right thing to do to be helping in this way, so that others might not have to; that's one of the things that made him so upset, and now that he's calmer he carefully tries to explain that a bit more clearly.]

I understand you're just... Doing the same thing, in trying to help. But I find it frustrating that there are people here who are children, or adults that legitimately can't defend themselves, and yet instead of focusing on them I end up being treated as though I'm not only incapable of defending myself, but entirely unable to even decide whether I want or need help.

[Which, instead of coming across as caring and concern for his well-being, both feels incredibly insulting and makes him paranoidly question why anyone here would care that much to begin with. He knows the latter concern is more a problem on his side of things than a real issue, but it's very difficult not to come to the former conclusion based on just the facts.]

And I mean that in general, not just you specifically. I'm not angry that you want to help, but patronizing is the most positive word I could choose for how it comes across when it's decided for me that I need help and I'm overruled on being able to refuse it.

[He's not a child, and some bitter part of him wonders--unfairly, he knows, because it isn't Glacius or Rosen or anyone else here's fault what happened--where all these people who want to help were when he actually was a child and truly needed it.]

It doesn't help that you're also clearly injured, and I'm not. In this situation, it seems a lot more like you should be the one going somewhere safe, which is truthfully what I'd like to happen.

[For the same reason as Glacius is concerned about him; it's the right thing to do, and honestly just--to use Glacius' own words--the barest of decency.]

[Even though his mind really could be in a dozen different places right now with everything going on, the tired warrior listens, his one intact mandible clicking quietly as he digests everything. This seems like it's going to be a difficult situation to navigate, which is frustrating because he and the human's goals are more or less aligned. He lifts his head slightly after thinking it over.] While I am glad to hear that you are at least experienced with and equipped for dangerous situations... the dire straits in which we find ourselves are a step removed from what either of us are used to. War is different from peacekeeping and bringing criminals to justice... and if I could hazard a guess, I'd say that most your expertise in those regards was limited to humans. These... "Null" are something else entirely, and they outnumber us greatly even in groups. If we are trying to work through our tensions by openly stating problems that we have with how the other is approaching the situation-- [which is what he and his people prefer, as even though it can lead to unpleasant feelings in the moment, it usually encourages working through them--] then I would say it is naive at best for you to be stubbornly refusing the help that is being offered to you.

[And he wouldn't be so gracious if he knew that the only reason Lance is able to use his non-injured state as leverage here is because of healing that he received from from the alien's partner. It's the very definition of taking advantage of a gift, and given that Glacius is one of the only beings who knows just how precious that gift is, it'd bring up a whole other level of problems with the human's risk-taking. He has enough as is, but also at least has the sense to realize they're butting up on similar issues.] Of course, I am sure my own stubbornness in regards to your request is equal in measure. I do appreciate your concern--truly--and acknowledge that it would be simpler if I could just fall back, but... I am sorry, I cannot... not yet. In my culture, it is the duty of the warrior to suffer so that others do not have to. If there is fighting to be done, I must answer the call. The many before the few... only when this threat has been dealt with can I rest in good conscience.

[And, really, he's expending what energy he has to deal with said threat on this conversation, so he tries to get to the point.] So... perhaps... something of a negotiation, then? We both want to fight, and neither of us want to fall back. So we work together to clear out some of these Null, and then after that, we both go to our own respective places to recuperate. We both get something that we want and something that we don't. Does... that seem agreeable to you..?

[Lance definitely prefers the 'state what's bothering you and work it out' method, at least in theory; he tends to advise it for other people, and pretend like he's doing it himself, but not actually explain anything personal. He's even aware that he's somewhat hypocritical about it, but that still isn't enough to outweigh the reasons why he chooses to be.

He has arguments at the ready for Glacius' points, some of which he finds frustratingly annoying and some he understands but just doesn't agree with, but the suggested compromise gives him something else to focus on. Okay, he can work with this, and he somehow feels like continuing their previous line of conversation is not going to get either of them anywhere except more tired.]

That's acceptable, yes.

[And deals with resolving both things he was most concerned about or took most issue with: Glacius doing at least something for his injuries, and Lance getting out of being followed around by a babysitter. Perfect. It isn't too difficult to agree to resting for a bit himself, either; he could definitely use it, and he knows there's a line where exhaustion will tip him over into genuinely being reckless if he continues.

He's concerned that Glacius is over that line, and shouldn't be fighting at all, but with great effort he refrains from saying that or asking if he's alright to deal with more Null. He doubts it'll go over well, and the compromise is probably the best either of them is going to get, so he might as well not mess that up.]

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Event Log: End of Arc 2

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