hadriel_logs | Intro Log: Fly, My Pretties!

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Intro Log: Fly, My Pretties!

What: The intro log for May
Where: The colosseum and all around the city.
When: May 10th-14th
Warnings: Flying monkeys! New friends! Prosthetic limbs!

Here in Hadriel, we do introductions right. That means dumping you on the ground of an old Roman-style Colosseum with a bunch of scary monsters and also a bunch of weird shit. Your monster of the day happens to be Winged Monkeys, more commonly known as flying monkeys, from the Wizard of Oz and affiliated stories!

As you may have been able to guess, these creatures can fly and they're rather intelligent- intelligent enough to wield spears and daggers as crude weapons and strong enough to pick someone right up off the ground and fly with them to a perch, where they'll... you know, stab them with their knives and stuff.

Why? We don't know. It's Hadriel.

Just in case you lose a couple of limbs in the process of escaping these critters, we've got you covered. Scattered around the newbies are prosthetic limbs for various body parts. These limbs are all fully functional, even if they look a bit... odd, so if you've lost an arm or two, or a leg, or even a pinkie finger, feel free to grab one and try to figure out how to use it!

Good job dealing with those monkeys! It's kind of a weird thing to be threatening, but clearly someone was afraid of them once. Once you're done, 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 May 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!

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[It's seconds before they're reunited again, exactly how it should be.

Taako remembers this place, of course; he remembers Lup in her body now more than he remembers her as a lich, but that doesn't change the fact that he settled into bed what feels like moments ago with the crew again; him and Barry, leaning close, Lup hovering with them despite not needing to sleep. They had won. They had finally, blissfully won, and he knows as soon as the contact hits him it couldn't be anyone else.

Of course, that doesn't stop him from losing his balance and sending both of them into a crashing heap on the floor, with just a slight yelp from Taako. Thankfully, the Krebstar lays flat to his left, and doesn't stab the living shit out of either of them. That would be a terrible reunion.

Still, he laughs as he turns himself around in her grasp, a wiggle so he can hug her back, though he just sort of ends up sideways with an arm over her head.]

Jeez, babe, magnetism much? Can't even let me keep my feet, huh?

[But gods, it is so good to feel her here, safe and warm and solid in his arms. This is what he wanted, after saving the world. This is exactly what he wanted.

He props himself up on one arm, letting the other one wrap at her neck to let fingers massage in her hair. He's here, present, and whole. The entire rest of this coliseum can fuck right off, actually, because he gives a shit about nothing else right now.]

How, uh... how long was I gone?

[Taako yelps, Lup clings to his back, and the two collapse to the dirty ground, wrapped up in each other's arms, the rest of the world just fading away. There's only Taako, the familiar feel of his body against hers, the warmth of his palm, the smell of his hair - every single little thing that makes him him, it fills her every sense and reassures Lup that he's real and not just some figment of his place.

He's here. He's back. And she can't ever let him out of her sight again.

Her brother laughs and something in her chest flutters happily, the freeness of that sound something Lup's missed hearing in him. It's been a long time since Taako's felt so relaxed in her arms, like he's lost some of the weight that's been sitting on his shoulders since she first stepped into this place. What could that mean? What happened while he was away?]

You asshole. Don't you ever leave like that again. I swear I'll straight up roast your ass.

[But he shifts, holding her close, and Lup immediately sinks into his embrace, tears soaking through his shirt, her fingers curling into his hair, his clothing, anything she can touch. She needs to feel him solidly against her, that reminder that he's real and she isn't going to have to face this place without him.]

A week. How long were you really gone?

[He knows what she means. How long was he back there?]

[Gods, he's struck by how much he loves her even more now. They were separated for so long, but he got her out, they saved the fucking world, they're legends. It's everything they ever wanted. He can't help but think in that moment back to their scrappy childhood, back to dirty hands and whispered dreams and thoughts of how good it would get that was dwarfed by what they'd truly achieved. And they lived. She lived. Anything that happens to them from here on out, he can take it. It's going to be okay.

His hand gently pets her head, leaning in at a bit of an angle to kiss her gently on the forehead. He's still propped up on one arm, so it's a bit of a stretch, but he needs it. Just to feel her close, to whisper under his breath to her calming words until she properly speaks again.]

Uhh, like... like twelve hours, honestly? Dunno where I spent the rest of that week.

[But like, it hardly matters.]

Shit got, uh... shit got really fuckin' wild back there.

[The kiss, the barest press of lips to her forehead, is grounding. It catches Lup while she's drowning in the grief of having both lost and regained him, dragging her back up to the surface for air. She'd spent the last week trying so desperately to find him, telling herself that he wasn't actually gone, refusing the truth laid out so plainly in front of her.

And now that Taako's back, she's only just realizing how lost she'd been those last seven days. It's a fraction of what her twin went through when she disappeared, but maybe the woman understands him that much better for it.]

Twelve hours? No shit?

[It's by sheer willpower alone that she finally pulls away even the slightest bit, just to let her twin up off the ground, so she can give him a quick look over. To make sure those twelve hours didn't leave him hurt. But the way Taako says the words, it has her wondering. There's a significance there, a weight she can't ignore. Did they...?]

Tell me everything.

Eeh, twelveish.

[It's not really important the time, not that she knows that yet. He wants to be more sympathetic that she lost him for a week, how scared she must have been, but he's on the high of the win and having her, physical, back in his arms. He gets up when she lets him, but doesn't break the connection, hands smoothing back hair and holding her face.

It's so rare that Taako lets himself be truly, joyfully happy. But it's written on his face, the lift in his heart, the absolute excitement to get to say these words.]

We fuckin' crushed it, babe. We won.

[He laughs, not even registering the chaos and world around him.]

Hunger's gone. Everybody's okay. We won.

[Taako smiling like this, full of hope and joy and not an ounce of his usual skepticism, is honestly the most beautiful sight Lup's ever seen.

Even while they move to stand, she keeps her twin close, let's his hands pet over her hair, her own still tangled loosely into the fabric of his shirt. The arena is chaos around them, newcomers scrambling against the mayhem they've been thrown into, trying to find their wits. But Lup and Taako only have eyes for one another, the rest of the world fading like static around them, the woman's full attention on her brother.

And then he speaks and the ground sways beneath her.

Lup's grip on her twin tightens as she teeters there in his grip, mouth parting in quiet surprise, like she wants to ask if he's joking, but the curve of his smile is already telling her everything she needs to know. For a moment, she looks shaken to her very core, eyes wet with tears while her fingers tremble against him. It's like she can't process this news, that over a hundred years of fighting are over just like that, that they finally managed to save something, to find a home after going so long without...

But the next minute she's leaping at Taako, arms coming up to wrap tightly around his neck, a kiss pressed into his cheek while her full weight crashes into him all over again.]

We did it! Holy shit, Taako! We fucking did it!

[Even if he's standing in some ratty coliseum, in a world in the middle of nowhere, this might be one of the best moments of his life.

When Lup became a lich, she asked him for the best day- an anchored memory, a happiness that would shine through everything. Even before he knew what it's purpose was for, he wondered what kind of magic could be found in that, in a beacon through the dark. But it's undeniable here- the tears that prick at her eyes, the way she flings into him with her lips on his face, the laugh he can feel escaping his own chest.

This is it. This is perfect. Getting to tell her this, getting to feel her in his arms, this is something he never wants to forget.]

Yeah we fuckin' did! We crushed it! You and Barry led this like, this crazy ass army on the ground, and Merle and Mags and I got right into the Hunger, it was ridiculous. I think I might've met the creator of like, all universes forever? At least the thing that made the Light, it was, uh, it was rad as hell!

[She presses another flurry of kisses to his face, attacking his cheeks and nose and forehead before Lup's just winding her arms around her brother and laughing, delight ringing in each note. Lup can't match his happiness, not when he was there and lived through it, saw the end of their long journey with his own two eyes. But she's over the moon, smiling brighter than she has in months, the same kind of freeness that Taako's wearing so evident in the stretch of her smile, the way she curls around him.

They fucking did it. It's over. It's actually over.

Giggling, elated, she drops her head onto his shoulder.] That last part sounds super fake, but Bar and I leading a bomb-ass army? Shit. I need - I really gotta hear everything.

[Funny how half of a day can change their entire lives around. Lup has to hear every single detail, every bit of their incredible story.

It takes all that she has, but Lup finally unfurls from around her brother, seeking out his hand, twisting her fingers around his.]

C'mon, son, let's blow this popsicle stand. Everyone's gonna bust a nut when you tell 'em.

Uh, it was super not fake, their name is Jeffandrew and they thanked me personally.

[Or like, sort of, whatever. He takes her hand, pulling himself to his feet, already moving with her towards the coliseum's edge.]

And yeah, damn right! I bet Barry's gonna cry. Like, literally everyone was there- including uh, did you know Merle has kids? Because Merle has kids. I figured this out here forever ago but it's still completely stupid to me.

[He keeps at least one of his hands curled in hers. He never wants to stop feeling it, their palms pressed together, complimentary heights and pieces that always fit.

He can't wait to go into the future with her.]

Where did you-- you fell off back here when you got out, right? When the staff snapped? Thanks for that bee tee dubs, I'm out my best fashion look.

Wow, talk about a super fake name. You are totally diggin' yourself a hole there, son.

[But Lup's beaming bright as they move towards the arena's entrance, fingers tangled up in each other, walking so close to her twin that they can't help but bump together with every step.]

No shit, you saw them for real? Like, I saw 'em in one of his dreams months ago, but I kinda figured Merle was just makin' stuff up. But they're real? Actual physical people?

[Somehow fighting and beating the Hunger seems a lot less surprising when compared to Merle having actual children who've somehow managed to stay alive this long.]

Oh man, my bad. I shoulda just stayed trapped in there forever, just so my dumbass brother could keep up with his brand. [Lup sticks out a tongue, but laughs, happiness ringing clearly in each note.] Yeah, it was, uh, after we hopped off of Lucy's moon. I jumped overboard and ended up here.

Sorry you're jel that I met like, the god of all gods. And also Merle's kids. Both are at the same level of existence, which is like full cryptid.

[God, it feels so good to be next to her. He knows his last year here should ring closer than the 12 hours or so in Faerün, but he's just so damn happy she's okay. There's a future there, a future he wants to get back to. Besides, now he gets to retell the best parts, give her the taste of this greatness they'll get back to.]

Anyway, yeah, so like-- okay, it was incredible. So we show back up in Phandolin, or like, what once was, and you say you know how we're gonna wreck this thing, and that I have to change the, uh, the circle town to match another plane. Like in Lucas' lab, to uh, to restore our connection to other planes. So I know what I'm gonna do, but it's like, fuckin' huge right? So get this- Istus, the fate goddess lady, gave me this wicked bag a while back that would open when I needed it and it opened.

[He's unlinked his hand from hers just so he can gesture with it, but he's made sure to keep their elbows crossed around each other.]

And inside was this compact mirror that linked me to this kid in another reality entirely. And I figured it out. The bag spit out my fucking stagecoach and like, stay with me here, this goddamn kid taught me how to make a taco and it. Got. Insane.

[She better be leading him by now, because he is paying no attention to where he's going.]

There was red lightning everywhere and I was beating back the Hunger left and right and then I opened the big fuckin hole to like, the Astral Plane, natch, so I reach into my magic hat and pull out Krav and he like, let out that big ghost dude from the lab to go suckerpunch one of the Judges from that shit ass statue planet. Also we made out, it was rad.

[For once, Lup just lets her twin talk, lets him lay out the full extent of his journey into the future with her, every step of the way towards something brighter and more meaningful. And, most importantly, more free.

With the Hunger gone, their entire lives changes, don't they? So many possibilities open up, so many paths they can choose to take. And all of them can be taken together from now on, no more one or the other, the future is open and free for the both of them. Lup won't ever go anywhere her twin can't go again.

Despite her teasing, it all tracks. Taking Taako down to Phandolin was exactly what she'd planned, to get him to change the black glass of the town left behind by her gauntlet, to connect with another reality. He's always held such a mastery over transmutation magic, Lup knew it wouldn't be a problem for Taako, as long as she could push him towards it again. And apparently, it had actually worked.

Her brows quirk at the mention of him making a taco, but Lup stays quiet and lets her brother continue, the story shifting away from the strange boy in the other world to Kravitz being dragged out of the Astral Plane to join them.]

And you two eating face was so gross that the Hunger barfed up all of the other planes an' ran off with his tail between his legs, right?

[He scoffs directly at her, bumping his hip against hers but still grinning so wide.]

Uh, more like you started runnin' cuz you couldn't kill a judge, babe. Freaked out. But uh, we all regrouped and finally found Lucretia and told her her idea was fuckin' bunk, so I figured out we should just bubble the fuckin' Hunger instead. So you and uh, Barry, and like-- fucking everyone on this planet, it was insane, went to beat back the front lines. Me, Mags, Merle, Lucretia and Davenport found the Starblaster and just sorta... flew into it?

[And there was a lot of fighting and spells and Taako being kind of horrified and almost dead for a while there, it's fine. It ended up fine.]

And y'know. Kicked ass. Took names. Mags high fived a god and we met the creator of the universe. Fuckin' rocked. You shoulda come with boysquad, we obviously did all the best shit.

Whomst?

[She can't help but jab her twin a little in the side with a pointy elbow, shooting him an accusatory stare.] Me? Freaked out? Honey, I think you musta taken a step into some weirdo alternate dimension cuz after everything we've been through? Not a chance. I'm cool as a cucumber in every scenario, thanks. That's good ol' Lup, always keepin' her head even when the whole world is coming apart at the seams.

[They move towards their home, towards their family, and Lup can't keep her eyes off of Taako's face as he speaks, soaking in the joy that shines through with every word.]

Probs, but look, clearly someone had to keep the masses from totally falling apart beneath the actual apocalypse, right? Sounds like Bar an' I kinda crushed it down below. If we woulda gone up with you, the fight would've been over waay too soon. Had to give the Hunger a fighting chance. Natch.

[He sticks a tongue out at her, obviously playful.]

Aww, you're just mad I put you on babysitting duty to go kick ass. Besides, I actually came down there to help out. Y'know, just in case. Taako, he does it all. But you guys had something at least. Be happy you got the easy work.

[He's still delighted, though, unmistakably so.]

And now it's just-- it's over. And basically nobody died. I mean, nobody important. It works out. Besides, I got to watch fuckin' Garfield throw a bomb at the Hunger, I think everything worked out pre-tty well.

[They may be walking, steps falling into perfect sync while Lup never lets her hands or eyes drift off of him, but watch the woman stick a hand down her twin's side just to tickle him mercilessly. Take that, son!!

Hearing him say it's over though? It leaves her feeling breathless. She's never going to get over hearing those words.]

I can't believe it's over. Just like that. I mean, I knew we were coming to some kinda head, there wasn't really anywhere else to go once the Hunger started crashing onto's Luce's base, but... Fuck. We really did it.

[He shrieks in laughter, smacking her hand down and looking at her indignantly for a moment before continuing.]

I mean... had to end eventually, right? There was like... after all this, it woulda sucked to just pick up and keep going. Find another cycle.

[He wonders if he could. With Angus, and Kravitz, and everything he finally had to lose.]

Woulda sucked.

Edited 2018-08-12 04:47 (UTC)

[Lup's own connection to Faerûn, to that whole plane and the people living there, the world she left burning, the world she helped to save, would always be so much less than his. Though she certainly left her mark, Taako lived within it in a way Lup hasn't been allowed yet. Taako had made a real life there, no matter how much of it he'd been missing. He'd made friends. He'd fallen in love...

But even with so little to connect her to it, the idea of losing that beautiful, vibrant world is almost paralyzing.

So Taako saying it would've sucked? Lup can definitely read between the lines there.]

Majorly.

[Nothing has ever made her more proud of her brother than him trying to save that world instead of abandoning it to be reunited with her again. Davenport had thrown out that suggestion, of them just leaving on the ship, but Taako hadn't taken the bait. She loves him so much more for it.]

Seems like a total waste considering all the work we went through to save it.

[The truth of the matter is, he couldn't. Davenport had presented it and he didn't say anything, and that should have said it all. Davenport said it and he locked eyes with Angus and Taako knew.

But he's always been familiar with home being a person. People. A family collected in pieces across time.]

Yeah, really. Hey, you were in an umbrella for 10 years for just nothing, fuck that world, right? Think we kinda broke the speedrun on that one, but like, maybe do something with that huh?

[He shrugs. But she knows.]

So now we really gotta get outta this place. There's a bigass party waiting for us back there.

[Of course she knows. If anyone were to, it would be Lup.

Leaving Hadriel, though? That's a much more tricky subject, one she isn't entirely sure of herself. Not that it's anything Lup wants to get into right now. Not when she has only just gotten Taako back. He has to know that no matter what she's going to want to be with him, wherever they do end up.]

Did you get dragged out right as the champagne started popping? That's real crappy timing, bud.

[He snorts out a small laugh.]

I mean, kinda? By the time everything was said and done everybody was sorta wiped so we all split off to sleep and talk n' stuff. You, me and Bar found a corner of the base just to talk and I guess I dozed off. But it was pretty unanimous the party was def happening, so.

[There was a lot to talk about, after all. But most of it was pushed off in favor of Taako in Barry and Lup's arms, a quiet reunion that he desperately needed to make this victory mean something.]

So we gotta get off our asses. Figure out a plan to make it back.

[It's hard to deny the warmth that spreads through her chest at hearing that. That even after so long apart, even after surviving the absolute end of the world, Lup still was able to spend her first night back cuddling with the two most important people in her life. There's honestly no other place she'd rather be than with Barry and Taako.

That makes the victory so much sweeter.

She gives her twin a small nudge in the side, smiling his way. One of her softer, warmer smiles, the kind reserved only for him and Barry.] You're really set on this, huh? On getting out of this place.

[He looks back at her, an equally rare gaze, full of love.]

We got a world on a silver platter to go home to, babe. We finally have everything we want. Hunger's gone. Everyone's okay. The whole fucking world knows our names.

[He squeezes her hand, unable to hide the excitement behind his words.]

We did it, Lup. Every promise we fucking said we would. Everything we ever said our parents would fucking regret not having when they gave us up. Fame, fortune, f--

[A steadying breath, as he catches up to himself, and he has to look away.]

A... y'know. Family.

[And for someone set adrift so long, lonely longer, he needs that. He wants it.]

Can't wait with it sittin' there without me.

[When was the last time she ever heard her twin speak with such conviction? When was the last time she ever heard him say aloud how badly he wanted something like this?

And when have either of them ever been in the position to say that they had a real family waiting for them back home?

It's enough to give the elf pause as she drags her brother forward, closer and closer to the little house they've taken over here in Hadriel. The idea of saying goodbye to the people she's grown so close to in this world hurts, especially knowing what she does about what it means to leave. That they'll lose all of their memories, how frightening that concept alone is to her after already having been forgotten once, but there's a weight to her twin's words that she just can't ignore.

They fought for that world, gave up everything and then some, and now they have a real chance to live in it. A real chance to make their very first home, to cultivate a life, to never have to run again.

And, of course, to stick it right to their parents for ever leaving them behind.

Of course Taako's right. Lup just might need a little more time to admit it.]

Can't deprive an entire world of you, huh? Now that would just be cruel.

[She doesn't need to say a thing for him to understand her perfectly. They understand one another too perfectly. Taako gets it.]

[Don't worry, Lup, they'll get to that part. Taako's riding the high of getting back to a comfort he needed for so long, which means he's not thinking about this place, the people he's grown close to. They'll find a way to kidnap them home and keep their memories and all of it. They're unstoppable. They're together. They can figure it out.]

Can't take it from us, babe.

[He gives her hand a squeeze. No choices from either or. Only them, together, into the future.]

C'mon. If I missed the party at home I'm sure as fuck not missing one here. Let's get somethin' goin', ya dig?

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restinglichface - 2018-09-16 02:03 (UTC) - Expand

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pocketspa - 2018-09-20 20:53 (UTC) - Expand

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Intro Log: Fly, My Pretties!

LMAO OFC

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