[OTA] Feb/March events!

[claritatis]

Who: Ignis Scientia (claritatis), Julie Grigio Cabernet (redwinekindofgirl) and Nil (atravellerwithabow).
What: Top levels for the Feb and March events, as and when required.
Where: In the city, outside the city, wherever.
When: Feb/March for the duration of the Kiss Me Kill Me/Field Trip/Flu Season events.
Warnings: Nil.

((ooc: anything welcome! bring me your travellers, people being chased by monsters, anyone needing help, sandstorms, anything at all c: ))

Comments

ignis scientia.

[claritatis]

[Feb] preparations - by the motorcycles [OTA]

[claritatis]

[The hooded motorcycles are met with no small amount of interest from Ignis, who, before he decides just where he is going and with whom for this bold venture, goes to check on the means of conveyance that has been provided for them. He stands by one of the vehicles and runs a hand lightly across the roof, a half-amused smile on his face while he thinks that no one can see it. Interesting. They're clearly not built for power, but the four wheels and sturdy frame show the intent of endurance over speed. They'll do well out in the desert like this, half-shaded and not easily tipped over.

He leans inside one to examine it further, and pulls his phone out of his pocket as it buzzes, a soft huff of laughter chuffing out through the bridge of his nose when he reads the message on the screen. Back into his pocket it goes, and he straightens up again, folding his arms loosely.

Ignis has no real love for those presenting themselves as the gods of this place, and yet he finds more and more parallels between them and the Astrals the more he learns about them, and it is difficult to not feel a certain reverence for the power that they hold. The invasion of the Null had changed much, and one of those things was undoubtedly Ignis' opinion of the motivations of Hope and his ilk. It would seem that they were just as divided as any group of humans might be, and that division had almost cost them everything.]

I suppose it's for the best. [He murmurs to himself, heedless of anyone who might happen to be nearby to hear it.] Serva me, servabo te.

[lemontree]

[ She is examining the motorcycles herself when she realizes that she isn't alone. Dany lifts her brows at the sound of a voice, rising from where she had been leaning in to look at the-... whatever it is.

Each new month brings a dozen new inventions to Hadriel, and despite herself, she is curious about them all. ]

Was that another language? [ The young queen pipes up from where she stands, smiling softly. ] I had thought our tongues automatically translated for us by-... well, the gods. But, I couldn't understand what you just said.

[ Tell her, Ignis. Share your secrets. ]

I assume that it was about these - metal horses.

[ Go ahead, laugh. The Dothraki called ships 'wooden horses,' and perhaps she is just as primitive here as others consider her khalasar to be in Westeros. ]

[claritatis]

Hm.

[For Ignis, it was as easy as sliding from one language into another, but he has seen the 'translation' fail before. He smiles at Daenerys as she approaches, straightening up beside the-- what did she call it?

He doesn't laugh.]

Motorcycles. Though it is strange to see them with four wheels.

[With one hand, he beckons her closer. He doesn't need to be told that her world is not as technologically advanced as his own - he's seen it, in her memories, or enough of it to make that kind of assumption.]

And what I said, it was Old Lucian. 'Save me, and I will save you.

[lemontree]

Motorcycles. [ Another new word. She examines it with a tilt of the head, hand reaching out to brush along its frame. ] We have no such things in my world.

[ Neither Essos nor Westeros, as far as she knows. ]

Old Lucian? [ Somehow, it makes her think of High Valyrian, and she chuckles softly. ] And who do you intend to save?

[ Is it a little prayer that this motorcycle might help him safely reach his destination so that he might aid Hope? That is the aim behind these excursions, isn't it? ]

[claritatis]

We're being asked to save Hope, are we not?

[A prayer? No, more of a commentary. Ignis thinks very little of the self-styled gods on the whole, but he can see their use and how the city and those living in it would struggle without them. Hope is the one who keeps them alive, amongst other things, and without him it might as well be a slow march to inevitable death in the face of the creatures around Hadriel, and the ones that the Door brings through.

He gives a quick smile to the woman, folding his arms loosely and curling his fingers around his elbows.]

Though they do ask much of us, given the hazards we might expect to face.

[Feb] in the wilderness - open to travel group/anyone who crosses them [OTA]

[claritatis]

[Even with his experience traversing harsh and unforgiving terrain, this planet had been difficult. The days are long and relentlessly hot and the nights not long enough to get any real rest, but he tells himself that he has survived through worse and is content enough to put up the tents for shelter each time they stop.

During the day, they are usually on the move, but even with the convenience of the motorcycles they still have to rest. The cities are far apart, and it's hard to find anything like roads between them, so even with the guiding needle of the Hope-magnetised compass it can feel as if they are driving for hours and making no headway at all. When they stop, there will be a makeshift shelter for shade and, of course, something ready to eat. Ignis isn't about to skimp on the quality of his cooking just because the conditions are unfavourable.

At night, short at it is, a cheery campfire ensures that there's enough heat to get them through until the sun rises again. It's a trick to sleep, and though he manages it sometimes, he spends most of the short hours of darkness sat by the flames with his fingers tucked into the sleeves of his jacket for warmth. Should someone approach without warning or appear to be attempting to sneak up on the small camp, a faint flash of pale blue sparks around Ignis' hand will show the silhouette of a dagger suddenly clenched in his fist. Bookish he may appear, but defenceless he is not.

Open approaches are summarily offered a place by the fire, and a bowl of whatever food happens to be on the menu that night - for a small trade of their own supplies, of course.]

[othlir]

[ He'd expected that going to other cities would take a while; didn't that one post say the orbs would take a week to be ready? So Vax had been prepared to spend a while out of the city; what he hadn't expected was for the journey to a temple to extend longer than a few hours. He can see dotted lights across the landscape: probably other travelers, or bandits, if this place has any. Still, there's some safety in numbers — it can't hurt to check.

He approaches the closest fire with some trepidation, a near shadow in the dark. Hard to tell if any one person is friendly or foe, especially here; it's been some time since the last time anyone got the jump on him, but he'd rather not chance it, if he can avoid it.

So Vax will stand just out of the range of the light, wait for a few minutes to watch and see if anything odd or sketchy happens. And after a moment, he'll call out, though he still won't move into the light. ]

'lo there. It's a bit spooky out there by my lonesome; mind if I join you for a bit?

[claritatis]

[Ignis has not spent so long traversing the wilder places of his home land, and he has not spent so long in the service of the king and his son serving as a protector of the latter to not realise when he is being watched. He barely moves, but the dagger in his hand is there, ready to be used should it be necessary.

As it happens, there's no immediate need, and the voice that comes out of the shadows doesn't startle him as much as it comes as a slightly unexpected development, given how long the person had been standing there.

Nearby, other members of Ignis' group are talking, sharing food, or simply resting while the night allows them some proper sleep, and Ignis makes a small motion with his free hand to beckon Vax closer.]

Of course not. Come closer to the fire.

[The nights, short as they are, can be bitter. He would not envy anyone caught in them unawares.]

[othlir]

[ The sudden appearance of a dagger is an interesting development; Vax's eyebrows rise, the urge to grab one of his own rising, though after a moment, it doesn't look like he's got designs to use it. At least, not yet. So he resists the urge to arm himself, instead just slightly raising his arms to show empty palms as he approaches. ]

Many thanks. It seems I'm a bit more unprepared than I'd thought. I haven't camped out in..feels like years.

[ In fact, it's reminiscent of when he'd first begun adventuring, and he can't help an amused chuckle as he first sets his pack down, then takes a seat beside it. ]

I take it you do this often, then? [ A glance over at the other nearby travelers, the bespectacled man's setup. ] You're far better equipped than me, that's for sure.

[claritatis]

[Luckily enough for Vax, had Ignis a mind to use the dagger, he would have found out very quickly. He's using it as something of a deterrent to anyone who might think this small camp an easy mark, but he keeps his own counsel as to what he thinks of his new companion, for the moment.]

Had I one gil for every time I'd set up a camp much like this one, I dare say it would be a very odd coincidence. [He replies, tilting his head with a faintly amused smile.]

You surmised correctly - I'm no stranger to it.

[Feb] in another city - open to travel group/anyone who crosses them [OTA]

[claritatis]

[He shouldn't have expected the other cities they found to be like Hadriel itself (though he wonders now if that was the name of the city or the world, and makes a mental note to ask the question), but he still finds himself stunned by the state that the find the next city in. It rose in front of them, the spires like skeletons against the horizon, the lower buildings coming into view bit by bit and in no better condition. Even the temples were not untouched, and it was no mean feat to get inside Hope's once they found it, with Ignis somewhat concerned that the whole thing might come down on their heads if they took a wrong step. It isn't safe to stay with the orb, so their camp is close to the temple itself, and the city is theirs - so to speak - while they wait.

And since they have to wait, he maps out the city in the hours when only one sun blazes in the sky, returning to shelter when it grows too hot to handle. It doesn't take long to realise that there's nothing close to any supplies here, and the water is as tainted as that of Hadriel when they had first arrived, and that both of those things could cause problems.

At least once, his casual exploring gets him into trouble. A crumbling wall or an unstable floor, and he comes back to camp smudged with dust and with a few bruises, doing little more than brushing himself off and making no comment at all about how he happened by that small cut on his hairline. Just don't ask.

Ignis isn't an unfriendly sort, and if you're not in the group he's travelling with, he'll still greet you as if you are.]

but i wanna tag everything /whines

[dedikated]

( Checking the orb quickly becomes part of her morning routine, weaving through the wreckage of the temple and finding it sat there, slowly growing brighter. It's a blessed morning when the thing glows a familiar purple, eerily reminiscent of the orb which placed Hope's mark on the back of her hand all that time ago. Finally. Finally, they'll be able to leave this place, this ruined city with so many buildings that are too fragile to use the rooftops as outlooks and nothing but tainted water to refresh their supplies.

Steps are lighter as she leaves the temple, leaving the orb at the altar for the moment to find the others, and Kate narrowly avoids a cloud of rubble falling on her head as she approaches the exit that leads towards their camp. The sharp shift she has to make to dodge it, however, also manages to be a really convenient way to have her bump into Ignis.

(Convenient. And entirely coincidental.) )

Whoa—

( On the bright side, they're both dust and damage free? )

[claritatis]

[Kate seems content enough to do the checking up on the orb, though that isn't to say that Ignis doesn't go to look at it now and then. It's for curiosity's sake - a wish to understand how the magic of this place functions - and he's on his way there to examine it when she appears almost out of nowhere and walks straight into him.

His first reaction is to steady her with a hand on her shoulder, a soft 'ah' of half-surprise leaving his lips.]

No harm done.

[Then he smiles - that quietly warm smile that tends to only ever be used on her.]

Were you in a hurry?

[dedikated]

( Only for good reasons, the kind of things that put her in an obviously good mood, as illustrated by how easily Kate smiles in return. )

Not really. ( Just trying not to get crushed by falling debris, usual life on a ruined planet. ) Looks like the orb's done.

( She's not picked it up yet, just in case it needs a little longer, but the warm buzzing optimism that seems to cover even this distance from the altar certainly seems to indicate that it is, indeed, finished. )

[claritatis]

Ah. Marvellous.

[The hopeful feeling generated by this place is infectious, and Ignis has noticed it mounting for as helpless as he has been to resist it. It's a good feeling, but one that he's been careful to keep in check - too much optimism can be a dangerous thing when you're in a place like this.

He looks around her, though he can't quite see the orb through the debris they have to snake through to reach the inside of the temple.]

We should be able to start back today, in that case.

[March] 'that's my rubber ducky' [closed to Carolina]

[claritatis]

[The flash of someone else's day when he had picked up the photograph had been more intriguing than shocking. By the time he had come across it, he was most certainly not the first to discover an item that appeared to be linked to someone else.

What he's offered as a 'clue' does not serve as much of one. Hands cleaning armour, a warped and faint reflection... but should someone find a photograph of Ignis and his friends, he would want them to take care of it and return it to him. So, he pockets it, on the chance that he might eventually come across the person that it belongs to.

A luck would have it, it doesn't take terribly long at all. He finds her outside and approaches with a quiet, polite step.]

I beg your pardon. [Making no assumptions, he presents the photo, holding it up between his first and second fingers. The armour she's cleaning looks similar enough to what is in the picture for him to make the assumption.] But you wouldn't happen to know who this belongs to, would you?

[uptightness]

[She hasn't moved too much by the time that he comes across her. Carolina is meticulous in her routines, and keeping her armour in as pristine condition as she can is something that she does regularly. Considering that they don't know what will happen here, it seems like a smart idea. It may just come in useful.

She is aware of the approach of someone, although it's not like they are on a desert island. The person could be going anywhere, but as she works on a spot on her helmet, she's aware of their approach. Her eyes do rise, pausing in her cleaning, wondering what was going on. Interest in her armour again?

Yet Carolina does pause, freezing, as her eyes settle on that picture.]

...where did you get that?

[claritatis]

I came by it. From what I can see, it's happening all across the city.

[He makes no attempt to keep the picture from her, but offers it out once he's close enough that she can easily take it.

There is some interest in her armour - betrayed enough by the way his eyes subtly flick over it - but he doesn't ask about it yet. It's not what he's here for.]

If it belongs to you, I'm glad to be able to return it.

[uptightness]

[She hasn't exactly been paying attention at the moment, going through her usual routine. Had it been some big problem, she doesn't doubt that someone would have interrupted her training session or her clean up thereafter.

It is a moment before she does place her gear down and reach out, taking it with a delicateness that she doesn't usually apply.]

It- it belonged to someone I knew. I found it not that long ago, where he used to live. He's not here though.

[Which is why the surprise.

Her gaze does shift up, contemplation on her features.]

How- you've seen the armor before?

[Around town, so to speak? Quite a few people seem to know Wash, although they have just settled in here not that long ago. Then again, perhaps they have been observed.]

[claritatis]

I've seen it.

[It's difficult to miss, and he's seen it more than once in the more recent waves of arrivals while he's been monitoring the coliseum as part of the Guard. Different colours, but the style is always easy to place. They're usually the ones who don't need any help getting out of the situation they've suddenly found themselves in.

Ignis shifts his weight from one foot to the other, making a small gesture to the photograph.]

These items have been dropping all over Hadriel, in the vicinity of people they don't belong to. Picking them up would seem to provoke a brief vision through the eyes of the owner. [He pauses, just to let that sink in, then adds-]

That was how I found you here. Not that you made it easy for me.

[March] 'that's my rubber ducky' [closed to Carlisle]

[claritatis]

[He knows it shouldn't be there the moment he sees it in the apartment, and eyes the mantle with a certain level of wariness that he only allows out because there's no one else around to see it. The last time he found something that didn't belong to him, it came along with a vision that allowed him to quickly reunite it with its owner, but who knows what touching one of these items could show him?

There are some things a person just doesn't want to see.

It looks familiar, however, and he walks around it several times without moving it from its spot draped over the back of a chair in the living room. It looks... very much like the thing that Carlisle was wearing when he and Kate came across him during the Null invasion.

Ignis risks it. His fingertips brush across the hair on the head of the mantle and he's greeted with a brief, thankfully entirely innocent flash of a pair of hands with black ink under the fingernails. Whoever they belong to appears to be engaged in... gardening? He draws his hand back with a soft hiss of breath through his teeth.

Definitely Carlisle.

And with that fact assured, he sends the man a quick message.]

Carlisle, I believe I have something of yours.

[tongueamok]

[When Carlisle gets that message, his dread is palpable. Something of his? From the city, or like he found something of Kate's? What could it be if it's the latter? And what did he see when he touched it?

At first, he's not sure which is the more nauseating thought, but he quickly decides that the prospect of what Ignis could have seen upon contact is definitely worse. He has an estate full of things that are technically his back home; why the gods would choose to bring in any of his books or trivial trappings is beyond him, but Ignis must have identified it as his through his vision... and that's a thought that makes Carlisle distinctly uncomfortable. Did he see a glimpse into his dreams? His journal as he wrote that morning? His conversation with Rabbit? Or something more... salacious?

He forces himself to swallow the knot in his throat so he can at least message Ignis back. Perhaps that will quell his nerves, however painful the answers to his questions may be when he gets them.]

I see.

[Good start. After what vision he was given with Kate's pictures, Carlisle knows he should, at the very least, attempt to be cordial to her current beau, however terrible the idea of such a courtship may be in his eyes.]

I will be at my home shortly, if you wouldn't mind meeting me there.

[They should... probably talk.]

[claritatis]

It's acceptable. I'll see you there.

[And the quantifier of 'shortly' gives Ignis a little time to figure out how he's going to move the thing without touching it again. Not because he doesn't want to get another flash of Carlisle's day - which, granted, he would rather not - but because he simply... does not want to touch it.

Eventually, he succeeds in carefully folding the thing inside a sheet and taking that, under the perfectly acceptable guise of not wanting it to be damaged on the trip, to Carlisle's apartment.

Assuming the man is already there, he knocks gently, balancing the mantle in one arm with a certain reverence reserved for items which do not belong anywhere near him and that he does not know the potential delicacy of.]

[tongueamok]

[Having rushed back to his apartment immediately because he did not want to be beaten there (how embarrassing, given he picked the location and said he'd be home 'shortly,') Carlisle is indeed home and waiting for Ignis' arrival. He pulls in a breath to settle his usual nervousness before opening the door, putting on as much of a casual air as he can muster.]

Ignis.

[He steps aside to let the other man in. The den behind him doesn't look too out of place, despite who he lives with; it is, however, far colder than the rest of the building. He eyes the sheet, wondering what on earth could be in there.]

I admit that I was not expecting anyone to find anything of mine. I had hoped that, perhaps, the gods would keep their hands to themselves when it comes to our possessions.