hadriel_logs | Intro Log: Welcome to Your New Home

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Intro Log: Welcome to Your New Home

Who: New arrivals and everyone else!
What: The intro log for December
Where: The colosseum and all around the city.
When: December 10th-12th
Warnings: New folks, fire everywhere, and there are still killer robots on the loose

As far too many others have in the past, you wake up on the sandy ground of the colosseum, the stone ceiling of the cave stretching high overhead. But this is probably the first time this has happened to you - and even if it isn't, things are even more chaotic than usual right now. You've come at a weird time, friend.

The first thing you might see when you wake up is a salamander, or maybe a lot of salamanders. These amphibious creatures may be kind of cute, they're also incredibly flammable. Anything that brushes up against them has a very good chance of lighting on fire, so keep your distance, and make sure all your stuff keeps its distance too. Oh, and maybe keep them from crawling into the city to light that on fire, too. And in case that isn't enough warmth for you, you can also find a collection of different socks scattered around the arena. So that's... nice.

Of course, you've come at a remarkably bad time. A whole army of evil AI robot creatures recently attacked the city, and all you newcomers have arrived just as the attack is winding down. Does that mean you're not in too much danger? Of course not! There are still Null running around, and while they will ignore you if you ignore them, the second you attack them or deliberately get in their way they'll turn on you too. On top of that, the city itself has been devastated by the attack, with buildings destroyed and people killed. Welcome to Hadriel, let's hope no one tries to use you as a distraction while you're confused and frightened.

Once things calm down, the city's going to be on a different world - but you'll still have a life to live. You can 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 December 10th-12th.
► 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!

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No. [ Particularly not when 'hope' will only make them stronger. ] We must come together and plan, not throw ourselves at them one by one. Without a united front, we have no chance at all. Together... we may.

[ "May." It isn't ma definite thing, not by a long shot. ]

Oh. Uhm... y-yeah.

[That was... really wise, wow.]

You, uhm, seem like you've dealt with this before. Sorry it's, uh, not b-better here, or anything.

Girl spends the few moments that the other woman gawks, to take care that nothing is singed. She's bent over checking her boots when the woman speaks and the tone makes her straighten slowly, glancing up with a slightly pity.

"I don't got a lotta answers. Sorry," she says and actually sounds like she feels a little bad. "Dd you find a little machine when you woke up here? Like this?"

Girl fishes a phone from her bag, holding it up between them.

"Somebody wrote up a big thing on these. It kinda explains some stuff. We all got nabbed and we're stuck here because some wannabe gods want to eat our emotions. No one knows how to leave. People just come and go. That's the short of it."

"A machine-" A phone? She doesn't have -- but, then, she's suddenly aware of a light weight in her pants pocket that she hadn't really registered, and she produces a similar small phone, which she stares down in confusion.

"I--wait, wait, what are you talking about?

Gods? Emotions??"

[ She doesn't look pleased. She's used to working to her own plan, not being part of a team. But she knows that this lady is right, and nods. ]

It's good to know others want to fight too, instead of just settle down here.

It's the smallest of concessions, but Lup reaches out to give the other woman an encouraging pat on the back, before she's off, taking Alana with her, weaving through the backstreets of Hadriel in search of the nearest safe house. It's only by virtue of her sharp hearing and her knowledge of the roads in this place that they manage to avoid combat, but the elf always keeps a spell ready at her fingertips and tongue, just in case something attempts to take them by surprise.

It only takes them a few minutes to arrive. Delight's Temple is full of people, all scared and restless, hiding out in the safety the building provides while the war rages right outside of these four walls. When they step inside and Lup's made eye contact with her family to assure them of her own safety, she turns back to Alana, lips pressed into a thoughtful line. "You'll be good here. Not sure what else I can do for you, but if you have any questions..."

Girl nods, trying to be encouraging, when the phone is produced. Her own is pushed back into her bag. The smile that starts on her face, another attempt at encouragement, drops at the sound of near-panic confusion.

She lets out a long breath.

"Some people here think they're gods. They can take emotions, apparently, and they brought us here 'cause they feel all sorts of entitled to ours." Girl doesn't try to keep her disgust with the 'gods' from her voice. "I can't really figure out if they don't have the power to send us back or they're just holdin' us hostage. Either way, they're why we're stuck and why everything 'round here happens."

Of course. I cannot speak for the others, but I am no captive or slave. I will not sit idly and wait for rescue.

[ As if. ]

It's probably not all that surprising that Alana cannot make heads or tails of anything this girl is telling her. Between staring bewildered at her and at the phone in her own hands, Alana is just speechless for a moment.

This can't be real, right? It's probably a shitty prank. Or a weirdly specific and realistic dream? Right??

"This can't be happening. That's not--" Not possible, she wants to say. There's a lot of weird shit in the universe, but emotion-eating gods? C'mon, now!

"I don't know who or what put you to this, but--I really can't stay here. I need to go back home."

Alana follows Lup the whole way, silent, quick on her feet but clumsy all the same.

When they arrive at the temple, she just starts there, a couple of feet from the entrance, looking around at the people sheltered in there with a distraught look on her face. She could swear she has a headache, but everything is a little hazy and right now.

She can't do this again. This can't be happening. There's no way this can be happening.

"I--yeah, I'm..." Too many questions. Like they climb all over each other while trying to shoot out of Alana's mouth and she can't get any words out.

"I just... need a moment."

The disbelief isn't unexpected. Girl didn't believe it either at first. It was time that made it settle in for her. And, if she were being honest, the appearance of her friend. So Girl's prepared to be sympathetic, point the woman toward others who could explain things better and maybe make this seem a little more real. But-

"Me? I didn't do this!" Sympathy flies out the window and indignation takes its place. "I'm stuck here the same as you. The wannabe gods are the ones to blame, not me."

Alana didn't mean to offend, but there's really not a lot that she can do right now, or even understand. So there are going to be a few mistakes.

"Okay! Okay, sorry, I just--is there a way to talk to them?"

Girl frowns for a few moments, giving into the temptation to cross her arms. With her baby face and height, she looks like a pouting child. She huffs after a second passes.

"They have temples all over this place. And they talk on the phones every once and while. I haven't tried talkin' to the bastards, so you might wanna ask someone else for specifics." There's no love lost from her on the gods, but she offers a little advice to the woman anyway. "Seems the one who calls himself Hope is the most willin' to work with us. If you really need to talk to one, maybe try to find him."

The footsteps behind her pause and Lup peers behind her to find Alana frozen, looking upset and just a little lost. The corner of the elf's mouth twitches downward, tugging into the smallest of frowns. She gets it. She really does.

"Hey, take whatever time you need. You want company or a few minutes to yourself? I can pop inside if you need a couple."

"I..." She doesn't know. She's lost and upset, away from her family again. She could be mad, she is, but seeing all these other people hiding out in this place, all of the things Lup told her, the phones, the arena, everything...it's all a mess, and he doesn't know what to make of it.

"I'll--I'll be okay."

No, she won't. But she'll live.

Temples? Gods talking on phones? What the hell...

"How--do I just...go to his temple? "

"I guess?" Girl starts, shrugging. "Like I said, I haven't tried talkin' to 'em. Can't be too hard though, since some of the kids hang 'round Hope. You could ask 'round, if he's not at the temple."

"I-- can you take me these? Please?" Please. She needs to talk to them, this can't be happening, there's got to be a mistake.

"Uh." Girl stares at her awkwardly, unsure of what to say. She gives in relatively quickly, sighing and turning towards town. She figures if the woman turns out to be pulling one over on her, she can just ditch her on the way. "Yeah. I guess so."

She nods, starting towards the direction of the spires.

Lup's not much of a touchy-feely gal, especially with strangers, but her heart goes out to Alana enough that she slips close and drops an arm across the younger woman's shoulders.

She can't imagine what she'd do without any of her family around. Losing one every now and then was difficult enough, but to just be completely alone in this place? She wouldn't be handling this any better.

"C'mon, kiddo. We'll get you set up an' taken care of. I won't leave you hangin', alright? Lup's gonna take good care of you."

Alana follows closely, looking around as they go, nervously rubbing a hand over her own arm. There's something instinctive and sort of primal in looking for anything that looks remotely familiar in your surroundings, and she's experiencing it right now.

But there's nothing, and it's awful.

After a while of walking, before they get anywhere, she finally speaks. "Thank you."

Alana does appreciate the intention, she does, or at least she will once he mind settles. It isn't even just the fact that she's pulled away from her family again, but the way none of this feels real. It's all just so sudden and cruel and senseless. Part of her would think she'd be used to it by now, but most of her is busy trying to make sense of something that's just random.

"Hum, okay." She can probably be excused for sounding still lost, but she'll remember it in the future.

Girl picks her way across the rubble and sparse city, trying to ignore the hair raising feeling of being followed. The silence settles uncomfortably over her- she should say something, she thinks. But part of her is still used to being alone with just a cat for company and the words stay sparse around strangers. Her shoulders jump a little when Alana starts.

"Uh, yeah. No big deal." She glances over her shoulder, taking in the skittish form behind her. "I get it. The whole mess is pretty Costa Rica when you first get dumped here. You need a lil' direction from someone."

She points up ahead, the temple looming at the end of their path. "Just don't blame the messenger if he don't give you the answers you're lookin' for."

" 'Costa Rica'?..." Words mumbled under her breath, but she doesn't have much time to think about it before she catches sight of the temple.

It puts some renewed energy on her step, though clueless and lost as she still is. She's still not totally convinced this is completely real, but she's not waking up in her own bed, so she just has to deal with what's right in front of her right now.

"So we just, huh...go in?"

Girl stops short in the middle of the path, arms crossing her chest and lip tucked between her teeth. She shrugs one shoulder. "I guess so. Only time I've been in one was when they were usin' it as shelter after an attack. But in theory, yeah."

She gestures ahead of her. "Wanna go first?"

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Intro Log: Welcome to Your New Home

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