Intro Log: Rock This City

[hadrielmods]

Who: New arrivals and everyone else!
What: The intro log for January
Where: The colosseum and all around the city.
When: January 10th-14th
Warnings: New folks, rockin' dudes made of rock, and collectible friends!

This time, it's different.

There's no cave, no stone walls looming up around you and overhead, no stifling air or artificial light- not that you'd appreciate it, seeing as to how you've probably never been here before. And still, when you land facefirst on the dirt ground of the colosseum, you may not quite appreciate all the improvements and steps we've had to take to get here- after all, you're still surrounded by strangers in a crumbling city on an alien planet in the middle of nowhere.

Oh, and you're being attacked by Earth Elementals. These creatures are tall, between seven to ten feet, and made of solid rock, capable of punching through all the squishy bits of you- and for whatever reason, they definitely want to start punching. They're incredibly strong and, seeing as to how they're enchanted alive and have no internal organs, they're very difficult to kill.

But don't let that scare you off. For all the collectors in you, you can also find a very special array of beanie babies all scattered at the ground at your feet. Do you know that some of these things will be worth a lot of money someday? Better find the rarest one and stockpile it while you can! You might run into the rainbow crab, the platypus, or the sought-after bald eagle, or many more! Be sure to never take the tag off and never ever let anyone play with them so they don't lose value.

Once you've got your kids' college fund squared away, it's time to start exploring! 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 January 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

Curufin | OTA

[so_dark_a_road]

1. Singing and playing harp, fiddle, or reed flute.

The music will be decidedly folk, unless you persuade him to borrow somebody's guitar, and then it becomes Elvish indie rock. By the way, he loves to play with others, so if you want a duet or a trio, grab your instrument and get up there! And if you want to take the mike, he'll play backup.


2. Dancing up a storm.

But when he takes his turn on the dance floor, he likes electronic music of any genre. He twiddles the knobs and punches the buttons of the jukebox and comes up with something like this. As the lights flash red and violet and green, his black hair tosses as he moves to the beat, like a wave in an ocean of sound.


3. Getting drunk.

He wets his whistle, as mortals say, before he gets up on the stage or down on the dance floor.

But he waits till later to get falling down drunk. Catch him early if you want to have conversation. Later on, you might have to scrape him up off the bar floor and carry him home.

3. curufin wat u doing bro

[puzzlingly]

It's been so long since Atem let himself get loose like this, dancing (forced to, more like it), singing (forced too...) and drinking (not that forced), but he's... he's good, he feels great. With the Millennium Eye left back home and his normal eye beautifully being back to were it belongs, he approaches to Curufin when he spots him, leaning on him ever so slightly, like a shoulder bump of sorts (not that he reaches Curufin's shoulder, more like, his forearm), either it's that, or he is a bit drunk as well. Maybe both.

"Hey."

The bandit is robbing the bar. . . no, just kidding. XD

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin is standing at the bar, ordering another drink. His hair is disordered from all that wild dancing, his dark gray eyes are shining, and he'd be flushed from all the exertion if it weren't for the overwhelming Elvish pallor. He looks down with a smile when he feels that shoulder-bump, but he doesn't have to look all that far down. Atem is about five feet in height and Curufin is just over six feet, so Atem's head comes just up to top of the Elf's shoulder. Curufin is especially pleased to see that the Millennium Eye is elsewhere; that damned thing was not making the guy happy.

"Hello, Atem!" He smiles and nudges back, with humor and affection. "What are you drinking, and do you want another one?"

wow leave something for the poor

[puzzlingly]

"I... have no idea but, get me another." That says enough doesn't it, anyway whatever the elf gets will be fine. No but really he might be a bit past drunk. This will not end well, who is gonna carry who?

"What's up?"

Oh always! 50% of my ill-gotten goods go to the destitute. I'm a principled thief!

[so_dark_a_road]

"All right," answers Curufin, with a grin. "Be right back."

He turns back to the bartender and gets a drink for Atem, and hands it to him. He lifts his own glass. "Cheers!"

"Not much, except spending a lot of time digging ditches and shingling roofs. It's nice to pick up my musical instruments for a change. Not to mention, dance!" He sips his drink. "And yourself, Atem? How are you, and what are you up to?"

Curufin will be happy to be the designated driver. . . walker? Drunk-carrier? He doesn't promise not to do any drinking himself, but he does promise to be less drunk than then the guy he's toting!

what a good thief, should teach a thing or two to the ass thief out there

[puzzlingly]

"You play!?" He must have missed that! "Curufin is there something you cannot do?"

He says with a goofy smile, before sipping his own drink, he has no idea what he's drinking anymore but, it's good.

"Me? No, no, let's not talk about me, I'm just here to forget where the heck I am. It's been a couple of terrible months, you know? I'm so... done with everything." Well, that summarizes it all, at least he cannot be any more honest than that today, which is a tiny bit worrying on its own, but who cares, right? He might or not remember what he speaks, it depends on how much more he drinks, really.

"It's a shame you weren't around for the parties after the ceremonies back home, they weren't so bad. There was always so much wine, Curufin, and food! I don't know you but I miss the good food already. This place sucks." He wants a burger!

There's an ass-thief around? Curufin would shove his teeth down his throat! LMFAO

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin laughs. "I wish there were nothing I could not do!"

The goofy smile speaks well for the house's liquor. The Speakeasy serves only the best!

"Okay, good enough. Everybody gets to forget about themselves sometimes. Hey, I know; it has been a pretty wild ride these last months. I'm sorry you were caught in the crossfire." Atem doesn't have to be any more honest than this today. Even if it's worrying, he gets to take a break.

Curufin lifts his glass again and drains half of it, and then just holds it in his hand, watching the play of the light in the amber-colored liquid.

"It is a shame. We never really knew the next chapter of our little story. Did the reformed bandit really join the Pharaoh's entourage? Did they have smashing parties with lovely food and delicious wine, and a chance to create something important that would help Atem's people? Oh well. Maybe we can go back someday!"

"But yes, I'm afraid the food here mostly sucks. Though you should come to the Elfhouses for dinner sometime. We manage to make the food taste like real food! It must be Elvish magic." Another smile.

ROFLMAO

[puzzlingly]

"Aren't you one humble elf? And, I guess you could say that." Though, he was in that crossfire because he wanted to.

"You should teach me something tho, it gets boring around here." He says right before downing half of his drink, that's how bad it is.

"Oh, well we can always say that... The reformed bandit helped the Pharaoh big time! He helped keep peace and eventually he even was offered a captain position! But he said no because he's a free spirit. Or something like that, I don't know." Sounds like him, huh?

"Right, I never thanked you for the food you delivered back then, you know? Thank you. It was amazing. And I'll definitely take you up on your offer." He sips his drink now, before he seems to think of something all sudden. "Do you know what burgers are, Curufin?"

[so_dark_a_road]

"Humble Elf, that's a good one. " He smiles. And he does know Atem chose to get involved. The young man is a brave man, and he has strong feelings regarding what is the right thing to do.

"Sure, what would you like to learn?" He's got lots of skills. And he'd tell Atem he's drinking too fast -- but teaching moderation is not really his forte!

"You're probably right, that's probably exactly what happened." Sounds exactly like him! "Maybe besides being a smith and a soldier, he was a sort of freelance negotiator? I guess that's what free spirits do when they become socially responsible."

"Heh. I wasn't expecting thanks. But I'm glad you enjoyed the food. The cookies weren't mine, they were my friend Sansa Stark's, but the rest was whatever I thought would be good for alleviating the boredom of recovery. And good, we'll arrange for dinner at the Elfhouse!" He sips, too. Can't fall behind when others are getting drunk. "Yes, actually, I know about burgers. Not from my world, but from listening to some of Rey's customers talking about food. Burgers seem to have been a favorite in many universes. And in yours, too?"

Wait a minute, burgers in ancient Egypt? But of course, Curufin doesn't know anything about Atem's foray into the modern world.

[puzzlingly]

"It's called sarcasm, my friend. You're everything but humble." Was there something like good sarcasm? He's not sure what he's even saying, really.

"I don't know, what do you think you teach me?" Oh wait, but... "You're a smith here too?" This is news to him!

"But, yeah, my partner loves burgers, I think that rubbed on me." That is a little vague, he cannot read minds anymore! "But if you and your elf friends can make something taste like that, you should put a restaurant or something, you'd always have clients." Like the fire pit, but better.

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin laughs appreciatively. It is certainly true that he is not humble! And he loves sarcasm, good or bad. Though he'd consider that Atem's sarcasm is good -- he uses it to point to truths, not to attack people.

"Yes, I'm a smith here, too. I was one in my own world, just as my father was, and my son Celebrimbor is as well. And I can teach anything I know. It just depends on if you're interested in any of it. I'm about nine kinds of craftsman -- metalsmith, jeweler, stone mason, carpenter, architect, mechanic. And I know weapons, of course -- sword, bow, spear, and now these modern weapons as well." He smiles. "What else? -- oh, I sing and play several instruments, and I dance." Grin. Dancing lessons, anyone?

Cooking is not his most stunning skill, but he's competent.

"If your partner likes burgers, and you do too, we could cook some at the firepit. I'm guessing they'd taste good grilled. But we'd have to figure out which tunnel creature tastes most like a cow. And then I could go hunting for one."

The idea of an Elvish restaurant is an entertaining one! "Can you imagine me as a restauranteur?"

3

[dedikated]

Thankfully for Kate, she catches him before the stage show starts, still nursing her first drink, hair that's long faded to blonde tossed over one shoulder as she catches sight of Curufin and slips through the crowd of people to find a spot next to him.

"Haven't seen you in a while."

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin is holding his own first drink in his hand. He turns to see Kate making her way through the crowd and hailing him, and he gives her a big grin.

"It has been a while, hasn't it, Kate? How have you been?"

[dedikated]

"Busy." Tone drier than the desert their city is currently situated in, because that is the understatement of the century, what with rebuilding two headquarters and Henry's current plans for the archers and trying to have some sort of life outside of it all.

Thank god for the Speakeasy. Tonight it's something of a saving grace in a busy day. Days The Door opens are always worse than usual, but there's still more work to be done on the clinic before it's completely ready to go and giant rock monsters rolling around inside the Colosseum.

That's fun.

"You?"

[so_dark_a_road]

"I would think you'd be busy, what with the Clinic rebuilding and all. But I'm glad you're taking a break from overwork. The Speakeasy is always good for that."

"And me, I'm doing lots of ditch-digging and construction. You may not have seen me at the new Clinic or the new Guard HQ, up on top of the scaffolding hammering nails, since I've been working mainly the twilight and dark hours. But if you haven't, I guess that's a good thing -- that means you're going home to sleep or else you're coming here to drink." He smiles. He heartily approves of either choice.

"Otherwise, my life is less complicated than it was at the outset of our little war with the Null. My lover Yukari foreswore his pledge to those disgusting droids and fought on our side instead of theirs. He got hurt and went to the hotsprings Clinic site, but he's out of there now and recovering well. And my family all came through it unscathed. Well, mostly unscathed. . . "

His face sobers a bit. "My elder brother Maedhros has fallen into a deep sleep, and we can't wake him. But he's breathing; he looks like he's dreaming; and I don't think he's going to remain asleep forever. I think it's just some Hadriel nonsense, some little gods' trick, and it'll pass in time." He hopes.

[dedikated]

She has been avoiding the rebuilding when the sun begins to set, because the cold is a bitch and she's found better ways to keep warm than simply working herself to the bone. Said better ways happen to be six feet tall with a gaze that could light a fire, no match needed, but we digress. Curufin's story is an involved one, enough to keep Kate's mind off her own news, with several people whose names she isn't entirely familiar with. Thankfully, someone has the sense to explain their relations while telling the story, so she catches up pretty quickly.

And the news of his brother brings a frown to her face, equal parts concern and some old memory that wants to come forward.

"Sure you don't want someone to take a look at him?" That's her first suggestion. If none of her staff has done so already, she can send one his way. The second takes a drink, a moment to try and dredge up parts of her last time in Hadriel.

She thinks she remembers this before.

"Happened to a friend, I think. ... He speak to the gods before this happened?" That's what Faith did. Begged them to let her help somehow.

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin would most heartily agree that Kate's method of keeping warm is a better way! Besides, he wouldn't want her to work her fingers to the bone -- she does that all day, every day.

"I suspect my brother Maglor simply asked our cousin Elrond to come and attend Maedhros. Elrond is a remarkable healer himself. Our family tends to keep things in-house, as long as we can. But thanks for the offer -- if he doesn't wake soon, I'll see that word gets to you, and you can send somebody. If Elrond doesn't succeed, maybe somebody else could."

He tilts his head curiously as she broaches her second topic. "A friend of yours fell asleep like this? Who was it? I don't think Maedhros talks to the gods at all, though, so that's probably not it. Did your friend try to make some sort of bargain with them?"

[dedikated]

It doesn't make her entirely comfortable, but she'll leave it to them as long as that's the case. She trusts Curufin knows well enough when they'd need outside help.

So, instead, she pauses, wondering how to start this entire retelling. "You ever meet Faith? Red hair, worked for the guard? Had fire powers." She was pretty memorable, really, with her happy go lucky attitude and tendency to try and befriend everyone possible.

[so_dark_a_road]

"I remember Fatih. I am sorry she is gone. You are saying that she spoke to the gods and then fell asleep? Was it some kind of deal?"

1.

[feelslikeimspilling]

Will was fond of music, and he had enjoyed it the last time he heard Curufin sing. Honestly, Will was just hanging around, in his confused state, see if he recognized any of the newcomers. It was the Elf's singing that drew him in and made him stay longer.

Walking closer, drink in hand, Will stood there and took a sip of his spirits and offered a slight smile and tip of the head to his friend the performer. Tapping a foot lightly to the beat, closing his eyes and listening to the strings of the harp as they resonated inside of him. Music was a powerful thing, the last song Will had heard before coming here was a horrifically beautiful sonnet. This, however, this was more enjoyable.

He'd wait, clap gently so not to spill his drink and hope to compliment Curufin after the performance was over.

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin spotted Will in the audience and smiled back at him.

At the end of the song, Curufin gave the harp a last series of sweeping arpeggios and drew out the last long note in his darkly textured tenor voice, until it vibrated away into silence.

This was his last number, and so afterwards he moved his musical instruments offstage to allow the next performer to set up, and he came to say hello to friends who had come to hear him or just to enjoy the evening, Curufin being only a part of it.

"Will, it's been a while since I've seen you. How are you doing?"

[feelslikeimspilling]

As Curufin came closer and Will realized he was coming over to him, the slightly nervous, awkward feelings he normally became crippled by, started to creep up. Avoiding eye contact for any length of time and moving his body in an uncomfortable twist as he was greeted and spoken to.

"It's been forever. Or well, it felt like it- er, I mean, not that I er had been counting the days or- Not anything like that, er... Heh. It's good to see you well...I'm Will- Er well myself... shut up and drink, Will."

Giving a quick, awkward smile before gulping down a few mouthfuls of his spirits.

[so_dark_a_road]

And Curufin, having a certain level of sensitivity to other people's feelings, didn't come close enough to cross the boundaries of Will's personal space, as far as he could determine what those were. He preferred to err on the side of caution. He also knew from experience that Will wasn't comfortable with much eye contact, so he only met the man's eyes for a moment, and then he stood so that he wasn't directly facing him, but could glance sideways from time to time with a smile or a friendly expression. He had acquired a drink himself before he came over, and he sipped it, as Will was doing.

"I'm glad you're well. Thanks for coming to the concert. The musicians who play here all do it to keep this place going, and because of that, we all appreciate anybody who comes to hear us."

[feelslikeimspilling]

It took a lot for Will to venture out, especially after everything that has just happened to him. He thought it would be a good idea, get him out of the apartment, attempting social settings. As much as he's love to disagree, Will was fast succumbing to the fact that here in Hadriel, you needed others to survive.

Will took note of how Curufin was acting, his body language and the direction his head was tilted at. It was nice, made Will smile, just knowing there was no pressure to look at the Elf as he spoke with him, it was almost instantaneous relaxation.

"I er, I used to dabble in music myself but I would never be able to play for a crowd." That's right, back home in his small house in Wolftrap, Will owned a modestly sized piano. "I'm actually impressed that there are so many musicians here."

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin would second that. As the mortal poet John Donne once said, No man is an island. (Nor no woman either! . . . nor no non-binary person!) Here in Hadriel, the lone person faded away, whereas those who reached out to others tended to last a long time -- and their lives were quite frankly a lot more satisfying and meaningful.

But it was good to see Will relaxing a little as he realized there was no pressure from the Elf.

"You make music too?" Now that he hadn't realized, and he was curious. "What kind? And what instrument? Yes, it is surprising how many people have these skills and are willing to share them."