Event Log: That's My Rubber Ducky

[hadrielmods]

Who: All characters participating in the event
What: The event log for the That's My Rubber Ducky event
Where: All over the city!
When: March 14th-19th
Warnings: Probably none?

Good morning! It's another fine sunny day in Hadriel, and what's more, there's a good chance that you've woken up with something new and interesting in your possession - something you've never seen before. Something, in fact, that doesn't even belong to you. That's right, the Door is acting up again and it seems to be pulling things from everyone's world and dropping them into the laps (and homes) of strangers.

When you touch whatever it is you've found, you'll get a brief glimpse through the eyes of the person it belongs to, a glimpse of whatever they're doing at that exact moment. Maybe you'll see them eating breakfast, or walking through the streets of Hadriel, or checking out their own sweet ass in the mirror. That last one might be the best, because then you'll immediately know who this strange striped hoodie or weird book or priceless artifact belongs to. Otherwise, you're just gonna have to try to figure out from context, so - good luck with that!

And of course, you might also catch on to the fact that if things are arriving for lots of other people, something also might have arrived for you. Maybe you should search the city until you find it? Or you can hang out at home and hope whoever has it finds you. Your choice! Well, as long as it isn't something super cool that they'll want to keep. That would be awkward.

► This log covers March 14th-19th.
► 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 someone gets really mad about you ending up with their favorite hoodie, please let us know here.

Comments

Elena Fisher | assorted closed prompts

[storyseeker]

taako taco;

[Elena tries to stay aware of changes to the city they've come to call home, or close enough to one. At worst, they herald the latest event that could mean a lousy time for all of them. At best...well, good things happen sometimes, don't they?

So it hasn't escaped her notice that things are showing up around Hadriel. Things that weren't there before. Things that belong to people. But not for her, apparently, or so it seems. Ah well. Elena shrugs, goes looking for something to climb and doesn't give it a second thought.]

nathan drake;

[Okay, so she was wrong.

It takes Elena a little while to really believe what's shown up. It should be in a million pieces on the rocks of an uncharted island, never to be seen again, much less broadcast. But here it is, battery pack fully charged and everything. Of course she has to find Nate immediately, a grin more or less glued to her face when she finds him.]

Heeeeey. Guess what I have.

samuel drake;

[The journal doesn't look like much. Worn white cover, no title. Old. It looks like something that was absentmindedly set aside and forgotten about, and Elena picks it up without much more thought than that—mild curiosity, if anything.

As soon as she gets a look at its contents, she knows who it belongs to. She doesn't need a brief glance through Sam's eyes, somewhere else in the city, but it does prompt her to go to him, not Nate.

There was a time that she hated Sir Francis Drake, or what he meant for her marriage. That had faded with time and the understanding that Nate's obsession had stemmed from something bigger than Drake. Henry Avery was never even on her radar. In the end, it doesn't matter; she goes to find her brother-in-law all the same.]

Hey, I've been looking for you.

[seekingmyfortune]

[There aren't many places one has to go to to find Samuel Drake. He usually spends his time lounging about in his place or hanging around the Speakeasy and looking for some over-confident players eager to part with their chips. When he's really feeling antsy (which is becoming more and more often the emptier his pack of cigarettes gets), he can be found by the mopeds, getting ready to take one out for a ride.

It's just as he's about to leave his place that he almost runs right into her, mind occupied with how much he needs to go for a walk rather than expecting to see his sister-in-law in front of him. His eyebrows shoot up, unlit, but already used, cigarette hanging in his mouth as he stares at her for a brief second as his brain catches up to his vision.]

Oh, yeah?

[Comes the somewhat muffled response. He grabs the cigarette between two of his fingers, bringing his hands up in a mock surrender.]

Whatever it is, I plead the fifth.

[storyseeker]

[Apparently she's caught him in the midst of deep thinking, or something like that. Elena shoots him a brief finger-gun in response to his surrender and lets out a snort-huff of laughter.]

Somehow I doubt you stick around to plead anything if you can help it.

[Although sometimes that doesn't end up mattering.]

But I'm not here about any high crimes or misdemeanors. I actually found something I'm pretty sure belongs to you.

[Pulling the journal out of her bag, she holds it out to him.]

[seekingmyfortune]

Well, you know, depends on the company.

[He responds as he drops his hands to his side again. He looks and feels much more at ease than the last couple times they talked. That's just what happens when you go orb hunting and actually spend the time to talk to your sister-in-law.

But whatever ease he had been feeling immediately leaves when he sees what she pulls out. It's something he would recognize anywhere. The worn white binding, the scripted C.M. etched into the front, the pages full of drawings and notes from their mother.]

Holy shit...

[Sam mutters, staring at it with wide eyes and mouth slightly agape. He flicks his cigarette to the ground before tracing a finger over his mother's initials and then carefully taking it in both hands.]

Where--how did you get this?

[storyseeker]

[Elena hadn't been able to determine how significant a find this journal might be based on a single passthrough of its contents. Going by the look on Sam's face, though, the answer is: very. Even the way he takes it in his hands, like it's as precious as his remaining cigarettes, maybe more.]

I found it—outside the hot springs, just sitting there. A lot of people's possessions have been showing up like magic lately.

[Whether it's something the gods decided to do for them or something related to the inherent weirdness of this world, she couldn't say. But she's certain people haven't been absentmindedly setting aside items they didn't remember having here.]

I sort of...had a vision that told me to bring it to you before Nate.

[A smokey vision. She'd coughed, despite lacking full sensory input.]

[seekingmyfortune]

A vision? What, like a burning bush told you to come find me?

[He jokes as he glances up at her, the incredulity of everything creeping into his tone. He looks back down at the book in his hands, opening it up and flipping through some of the pages.]

This was our mother's.

[The drawings and writings are so familiar he hardly needs to glance at them to know what they depict. He stops at the sketch of Henry Avery and the details of the Gunsway Heist, eyes skimming over the writing with eagerness and longing.]

Jesus...the amount of hours we spent going through this thing... [As if remembering someone was there with him, he steps next to her, holding the book out so she can see.] See, Avery was one of the only pirates who never got caught. I mean this guy managed one of the biggest heists in history, and no one can find him. But a guy with that much treasure in his hull? He's not exactly gonna go bury it in the sand somewhere, right? So the question is, where did he go?

[storyseeker]

[Elena chuckles a little—it does sound a little ridiculous, but she has the benefit of having heard the same has happened to other people.

This is serious, though. She starts to understand just how important it is when he identifies it. His mother's. Someone she'd never met, who'd died long before Elena met either of her sons, but who ultimately had such an indirect impact on her life.]

Sounds like quite the mystery.

[And he sounds like Nate when he's on the track of something big; she smiles, a touch of wistfulness on her face.]

Nate hasn't told me much about your mom, but he said she was a historian. A great one.

[seekingmyfortune]

Yep. She was.

[Sam says quietly, looking at a section of his mother's handwriting. The curves and loops bring back fond memories of a time before rickety floorboards, uncomfortable beds, and lessons about God. Dinners spent discussing historical figures, stories of adventure and new places that seemed like fiction.]

One of the best, or so we heard.

[The topic of their mother has never been easy. They can say that it happened long ago, that they were over it, but in reality, their tendency of avoiding the topic probably negated that. Sam looks back up at her with a small smile.]

Guess you could say it runs in the family.

[It's easier to joke. He takes a deep breath, tapping a finger on his mother's drawing of Avery's portrait.]

She was on to something great.

[storyseeker]

[It's no surprise when something like reverence creeps into Sam's voice. Anyone who loved their mother, was inspired by her, and lost her would sound the same. But it makes Elena feel a squeeze in her chest that's warm and painful at the same time.]

Maybe that runs in the family too.

[Aside from some youthful shenanigans during which Captain Elena ruled the sea (AKA the playground), she's never been much of a pirate person, so she doesn't know much about Henry Avery, but she still means it. What's ultimately on the far end of this particular quest might not even matter.]

Keep this. And share it with Nate—I'm sure it'd be like old times for you two.

DABS

[pocketspa]

[Truthfully, Taako doesn't recognize this thing when he first sees it.

Despite the technology in his world being advanced enough to build a spaceship, his world has an odd level of growth vs a 'modern' world; he picked up the phone pretty fast in Hadriel, but technically speaking, his world also doesn't have pens. It's complicated. Having collected an item of his own earlier- and having others in the house do the same- he has an idea of what's going on. Other people's stuff, which means nobody needs to know their things even showed up. Who gives a shit if he knows what it is. He wants it.

Taako makes a grab for the camera, and spends a few seconds disoriented before he's seeing through someone else's eyes. That's... fuckin' weird. Especially when the body is decidedly not his skin color, or apparent gender, or--

She passes something reflective, and he comes out of it. This is Elena's. This is a thing that belongs to the Drakes.

... Oh, they are never getting this back.

He doesn't text her until the following day, after he's had a full 24 hours to figure out how it works, command the playback, and watch literally everything.]

hhhhhhheyyyyyyy
guess what

DABS BACK

[storyseeker]

[Elena knows Taako better now than she did a few months ago, especially after crashing at his place for a little while after Nate came clean, but she doesn't have to know him well to know that his text-tone means something. Whether that something is good or not...well, time to find out.]

Chicken butt.

[pocketspa]

well
cccccccclose
real close
if you call your husband a chicken

[He’s snickering, but lets that linger for about a minute before sending over a selfie. The camera rests over his shoulder, held by one hand, and he’s sticking his tongue out and really cheesing it for the photo. He sends another text quickly after.]

and i mean
GREAT ass footage
just saying

[storyseeker]

He's very brave, thanks.

[Except, you know. When dealing with emotions. But he's getting better! Elena peers closely at the selfie. It takes her a few seconds to recognize what Taako's got—it's been something like eight years, and she's used a lot of cameras in that time.]

Wait, is that my camera? That thing's supposed to be smashed into a million pieces. You found it here?

[pocketspa]

yyyyyyupperooni
sittin in one of the shops
peoples shit is showing up left and right
almost didnt figure out it was you what with the ‘just steal someones eyes for a few seconds’ trick
but uhhh between the footage and nate not having actual tits
probably yours

[He does also vaguely recall talking about what cameras were when she arrived, considering he didn’t have a lot of experience with them before coming to Hadriel.]

[storyseeker]

Yeah, I noticed, but I figured I wasn't one of the lucky ones. Joke's on me I guess.
How long have you had it? Or should I ask when you got it, because I need to know what your voyeur score is now.
And it is mine. I was using it to record footage for my show back when we first met, but I dropped it when I nearly fell through a bridge. Can't believe it's in one piece.

[pocketspa]

hey your loss is my gain
and woah
keeping score
tsk tsk elena how much are you obsessed with how much i see of your husbands butt
sounds like youve got a worse thing than he does
told you im not touchin
just lookin
got a pretty smokin boyf myself yanno

[storyseeker]

Don't assume I'm worried about you trying to touch. I just like to have all the facts.
I've accepted it's a lost cause to stop the ogling, and also I can't blame you for it.
Can I have my camera back?

can you believe you married this idiot

[nonscriptum]

[In a resplendent show of elegance and proper etiquette Nate is sprawled on top of a rock like an ungainly lizard when Elena finds him, drawing, an apple from the orchards unceremoniously clenched in his teeth. He turns to look at her with raised eyebrows, closing the sketchbook around his pencil and setting it aside before taking a bite from today's fruit of choice.

The mischievous tone has him immediately suspicious and, swinging his legs over the edge of the boulder, Nate points at her with the apple. Whatever it is behind her back is bulky enough it requires both arms to be held.]

Is it...a picnic lunch? No- wait, uh. A neat rock. A very small car. I give up.

must be his cute butt

[storyseeker]

[It's kind of an adorable image, and she'd have been tempted to get a shot of him with the camera if it wouldn't have ruined the surprise.]

Wow, that was fast. Sure you don't want to give it one more try?

[But he'll only have another second to slip one in as she practically scampers forward, swinging the camera around from behind her so that he can get a closer look.]

Ta-da. Taako found this and finally delivered it a little while ago.

that's it, huh

[nonscriptum]

[Nate delivers a halfhearted shrug in response, because whatever it is he knows she's too excited to keep it from him for long. Elena is about as effective as he is at keeping surprises...surprises.

What she whips out from behind her back is a piece of equipment that gave them a substantial amount of grief back in El Dorado. Sully's "betrayal," footage of the pirates, of those things in the dark recesses of the old facilities...but ultimately, something that shouldn't exist anymore.]

Whoa. [Nate sits upright a little more, leaning in to see it, apple forgotten.] I thought you dropped that on the rocks?

[storyseeker]

[She can't help but giggle a little at the look on his face. It's pretty much the same one that was on hers.]

I know! It should be in a million pieces. [Unless it was sturdy enough to survive, waterproof enough to wash ashore, and is now being used by those things to make the worst home movies of all time.] But whatever power has been bringing people's stuff here snatched it out of thin air, I guess. Look, it's even got charge on the battery.

[Elena holds the small video screen between them and presses play. She hasn't watched it all herself—call her sentimental, but she wanted them to see it together.]

[nonscriptum]

[After that fall? Doubtful it managed to survive anything at all. But Nate won't look a gift camera in the mouth and he scoots closer to get a better look at it as Elena snaps the viewing screen open.

Nate is almost instantly transported back to the steam-heat of Panama, a younger version of himself talking animatedly as he pries the lead-lined coffin open. He was a little less muscular, then. A little more of an asshole.]

Jesus. Talk about a blast from the past. [Elena's footage catches his unadulterated glee upon withdrawing the journal.] How much of this is there on this thing?

[storyseeker]

[Elena laughs when his reaction mirrors the initial one she'd had. Less than a decade ago, but it feels like it happened a million years back.]

The whole thing. I checked the amount of saved footage, but I didn't want to watch it all without you. The last shot is probably something like us yelling in the distance.

[The version of Nate that's on screen looks smarmy and cocky and maddeningly hot. And she sounds professional but pissed. Some things have changed, some haven't.]

Look at you. Mr. Drake.

[She snorts at the way she'd addressed him. It almost seems comical now.]

[nonscriptum]

Mr. Drake. Oh my God.

[How did he forget most of this? The majority is sealed into his memory, into the pages of his sketchbook from the El Dorado adventure. They both look so young, not a gray hair on his head, the thrill of adventure written in every line of his face.]

...right, right, okay- sarcophagus. Then pirates. And then we-

[Plane footage, after Eddy's men failed to capture them. The video shows Sully at the controls, Nate poring over the journal, and it zooms in on both their faces before switching to a new location. Elena comments something in the background of the tape rolling, bemusement at the circumstances and the Nathan Drake from years ago replies with an arrogant answer.]

Yeah, this is coming back to me, now.

[storyseeker]

[It's funny when the footage starts skipping forward, leaving gaps of unrecorded time during which she got ditched, swore a blue streak, tracked them down and shot her way to safety with Nate. Her memories are so clear that it seems impossible every minute of that adventure wasn't captured digitally.]

All of a sudden it's like it happened yesterday, right?

[Elena grins and rests her chin on his shoulder. Ah, there's another look she remembers when she started narrating over footage when it was just the two of them in Sully's plane. Whether he had stage fright or thought she was bonkers, she wasn't sure then and still isn't. Then it's wide shots, panning, visuals she'd intended to be the background of credits or exposition.]

This would have made a great episode.

[But it's not the best for a walk down memory lane, since he'd been off by himself climbing around and trying not to get shot. She fast-forwards the footage, pressing play again when she sees him cautiously exploring the flooded city—only to see a very pointed zoom-in on his ass.]

...uh.