hadriel_logs | Intro Log: Puddle Jumpers

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Intro Log: Puddle Jumpers

Who: New arrivals and everyone else!
What: The intro log for September
Where: The colosseum and all around the city.
When: September 10th-13th
Warnings: Fresh meat, lots of rain and angry ogres

If the rain on your face isn't enough to wake you up in the colosseum, maybe the thundering footsteps and- well, thunder- is. The first thing that you may notice is that it's incredibly wet around here, with winds that could knock you over if you aren't careful and thunder that brings with it a torrent of constant rainfall.

That's all fine though, because the gods saw fit to help you out on your way in and now everyone will be waking up wearing a rain coat! These coats are a little odd, and some of them are downright silly, but we trust that you'll make do. Of course, a few of the raincoats have additional sleeves, neck holes, and entirely too many buttons as well- but hey, it's the best we could do.

Wait, what was that about thundering footsteps? Oh right, as you're navigating your new fashion choices, there are some monsters afoot who will want nothing more than to grind you into a pulp and eat you- well, if you're organic, that is. If you're not organic, then they still want to grind you to a pulp, but maybe not so much the eating part.

Ogres are from many fantasy stories, but these in particular are from the Dragon Age series. With incredible strength and stamina and massive horns, fangs, and a bloodlust for violence, these monsters won't stop until everyone around them is a blood smear on the ground. They're also not too happy about this rainfall either, so be careful not to slip in the puddles as you run away from them!

Once you've splashed around a bit, feel free to run off into the stormy abyss of our islands. 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 September 10th-13th.
► 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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[Kyna is on her way out of one of the spires when she spots what seems like a very familiar figure, and she pulls up short. It takes her a second to parse what she's seeing fully—she never thought she'd see him again. She thought he'd gone home and met whatever horrible end had been waiting for him.]

Ephemera?

[she laughs] Not usually, but boy was I worried about it this time! And no, not really. It's usually cloudy and dreary and sometimes it drizzles, but this? This is new.

[and her voice is decidedly wry]

Okay, good. But, y'know, if you have any questions..? [she shakes her head no] Can't say that I do. I do know he's in charge of the Guard, though. I've seen his posts on the network.

I'm fine, he just -- [ Ephemera waves his hand vaguely. Pell patched him up and then he had other shit to do. He hums to himself, then pulls Drake into him. He's stripped down to his waist and sore and Drake looks like he's been through nine rounds of shit, but Ephemera doesn't care. Wet, bloody, whatever. It feels good just be close. The gods can't fuck this up. Everything else is fair game but not them. ] Hey.

[ Fuck, it's good to hold him. Ephemera bumps their foreheads together gently. ]

Think I blinked home for bit. It sucked.

[Connor is, at first, not entirely surprised by the sound of the door opening; it was left unlocked for a reason, since he shares the apartment with Maeve, and so he expects it's her entering. Since he's not paying close attention to his surroundings at the moment, running an internal scan to make sure everything's still doing okay after the incident with the lightning a few days ago, any knocking is mentally brushed off at the sound of the storm.

But everything seems fine, and he's ready to head back to the arena to see if anyone needs help there, but by the time he's made it to his bedroom door he realizes the sound of whoever is in the house absolutely doesn't match Maeve. It's someone else, and so Connor draws his gun and continues to creep forward until he can step out into the living room, gun raised toward whoever is intruding.

He doesn't lower it when he hears the reassurances or has a chance to really see what the person looks like, but his LED--visible on his right temple, as he was not expecting anyone but Maeve to be seeing him at the moment--flickers from a steady blue to a processing yellow and then back. That is... Definitely not a human, which earns the person a few points in their favor automatically, but nowhere near enough for him to just accept them being in his house.]

Who are you?

Don't worry about it.

[ Ephemera likes kids, most of the time. He's not very good with them, but Hadriel is fun like that. Makes you confront all the shit that was supposed to be buried. He inhales, letting the nicotine settle in his lungs. ]

Queen, huh? Shit. Guess you moved up in the world.

Introduction
[ Red Blood Cell, or simply AE-3803, knows that she is quite directionally challenged. Trying to find the lungs and winding up in the kidneys? Check. Mistaking a vein for an artery? Also check. Walking into the lymph ducts while trying to find a capillary? Check, check, check. But suddenly waking up in a different place than the one she had gone to sleep just moments ago? That's a new one. Although... given her history, she doesn't think that such a situation would be too strange for someone like her.

That is, until she sees what sort of arena she's in.

The ruins of the coliseum tower over her like the skyscrapers of the liver, and she blinks back when the rain falls upon her cheeks, running down her skin as she cranes her neck to look all the way up the structure. Squinting through the mist and water doesn't help her, however, as the worn stone pillars and bleak greyness of the rain obscure enough of what's beyond them. Just what is this place? Which organ?

As soon as she decides that it's best to explore, another shadow looms over her. And this time, it's one of the ogres. ] ....Eh? [ And that ogre, foul and bestial and terrifying, raises an arm high up above, its fist perhaps thrice the size of her head. Muscles bulge ugly with tension and power, and it slams it down with the ferocity of a tiger. ] EHHHHHH?!

[ She dodges-- thankfully-- but while she is quick on her feet, anyone with a keen warrior's eye would easily be able to tell her narrow miss is only due to luck. The ground breaks from the impact of the hit, and pebbles scattering like glass into the air. ]

N-no way-- [ She manages to utter before scrambling to her feet, pushing herself up off the muddy ground. She is not a fighter, not at all. And right now she knows that if she stays in one place, she will be killed. ]

A: Ogres
[ Oh, look, you just so happen to be nearby as she's running away form one, two... five ogres. Hooray! ]

B--- Bacteria!!

Giant bacteria, I don't know what kind-- but they're, they're...! [ She's struggling to catch her breath, clutching to the handle of the wheeled cart she pushes that still reads "O₂" on the box. AE-3803 looks to whomever it is in front of her, eyes wide and desperate. Oh, sure, your character may appear strange to her. But then again she hasn't met every type of cell in the human body before. For all she knows, you're an astrocyte! (Or for you distinctly non-human-looking folks, let's say her vision of you is obscured by the rain until she gets close.) ] We gotta get out of here, this place is infected...!

B: You Can Be a Hero!
[ Between fight and flight, she is programmed for flight and only that. The world is made for the strong, and while in the human body she was fortunate enough to have the communal protection of the immune cells and all of their power, that's not the same case here. She doesn't know who is a cell and who is not a cell, or-- worse, who might be a bacteria or infected by a virus because everyone looks so different, no one is wearing a uniform, there is an actual sky and no skin, it's raining, what is happening, what is going on?!

BOOM goes the club of one of those ogres, right next to the wall she had been hiding behind, and she ducks and covers her ears before rolling to the side. Her head is pounding with the reverberations of the cacophonic shatter, and she whimpers before looking around her for-- anything, anyone, that might help her.

Save her from a death blow? ] ---AAah!

C: Exploring the City
[ And when she eventually gets out of the coliseum and away from any (immediate) danger, she will be just. Staring hollowly for a few moments out into the wild rainstorm before looking around.

Oh, hey, you just happen to be where she's walking. At which point she will ask pleasantly enough: ] So, um, which way to the lungs?

[ It hasn't quite settled in that she isn't in the human body. That, or she's actively denying it. ]

D: Groceries
[ Holy fucking shit fuck she takes everything back about how terrible a place this is. Because all of this junk food in the stores? All of this sugar?

It is glorious.

Practically drooling despite being covered in mud and soaked through, she will turn to whomever happens to be near the food. ] ...We can't live here, can we?

[ Meaning, living next to all the candy. Someone should probably tell her that she should try to get into dry clothes, but. Priorities. ]

E: Obligatory Knocking Into You
[ She will be packing up as much sugar as she can in her two arms and placing more upon the box labeled CO₂ she's pushing. Only problem is that those sweets are piled high. High enough to obscure her vision. Which means she may be knocking into you. ] O-oh! [ Comes her voice from behind the cart, peeking out from the side.

A few of the packages of candy topple off the top. ] Which she will suddenly be diving for to catch. Yep, into the mud she goes once more. ] Phew, saved it--....

[ And then she'll be slooowly looking up from the ground at your character, blinking. If you didn't dodge, you're probably covered in mud now as well. ] O-oh, I'm.... [ And now she's back on her feet, arms flailing. ] I didn't mean to do that!!

F: Breaking and Entering
[ Look at you, all comfortable in your apartment and/or house! It's nice to be sheltered from the cold rain, huh?

Well not anymore! Have a red blood cell crash in from a window and falling right onto the floor, glass, mud, blood, and all. ] There-- there was a-- a... a bacteria....! Er, I mean monster....! In the fog....!

[ Looks like she had wandered into the Silent Hill area, saw one creature, and noped right the fuck out. Doesn't matter how far you live from it, doesn't matter that she crossed an island or two. She's there now and pointing towards the window as if the monster might still be chasing her. Surprise, it's not, but she had never bothered to look back to check to see if it was still pursuing. ]

G: Wildcard
[ Got something in mind for Red Blood Cell? She can be found wandering in a penguin poncho, covered head to toe in mud of course, just about anywhere while pushing her crate of carbon dioxide. Hit me up via PM or

drinksteapots! ]

Pretty much.

[ Ephemera gives her a vague wave. He's been briefed on the situation, though somehow it hasn't quite set in. It's quite possible he's in shock, or something. That can happen, can't it? You hear something so completely unexpected that your brain just spazzes out and refuses to process the information. Or something. He's probably going to freak out in a bit.

In the meantime, he's smoking in the rain and all things considered, pretty calm about the whole mess. ]

Took a trip home.

[ Drake doesn't argue it, doesn't insist on dragging the healer back to double check or pull away to examine the packing himself -- he just goes, holding on just a little too tight. He'll be relieved soon, right now he's still overwhelmed by a half dozen other things and is struggling to sort through them.

It'll be better when they're back home and he can actually let his guard down but for now he'll rest their foreheads together and focus on keeping his breathing steady. ]

Obviously. I was worried I'd never see you again, I-- it was more than a blink, you were gone awhile.

[ Slow breaths. Maybe they shouldn't have this conversation here, but. ]

It sucked a lot.

[ Kettara wrinkles her nose. ]

Have you seen any furs? All I've found are things like this. I don't think it'll be much use.

[ The rain has her worried. If it gets any colder, she'll need to take precautions to make sure she doesn't get sick. ]

All right. But may I say that I'm glad to see you again?

[he was fine with her. and that is an odd thing about Hadriel. one she's encountered more than once. she'd like to say that it made her better, stronger but perhaps she's not the best judge of that]

I did! Not that it lasted long. My goodmother murdered me out of jealousy and her lust for power.

["Pretty much"? Kyna laughs, mostly from pure relief, then throws her arms around him and squeezes as tight as she can.]

Oh my god, you're such an asshole.

[she shakes her head no and chooses not to mention that the use of real fur is unheard of in her culture]

No, I haven't. The clothing options this place gives us are ridiculous. Definitely not suited for this kind of weather.

[she's in her Legion uniform, so she'll be fine, but it doesn't look as though her companion is dressed for the weather. she starts digging through the piles of clothes, looking for sweaters or coats that might fit]

If we're lucky, we'll find something better in one of these piles.

[ Even with the rain, the strange flying contraption hasn't exactly been subtle about its doings. Kettara first noticed it during her exploration of the island and has been tracking it for a while in her ghost wolf form. Almost nothing about this place makes sense and though the elements are present, they don't respond to her with words. Or at least not with words that Kettara knows. The rain might conceal her in this form, but it doesn't offer her any wisdom. The spirits of water are hauntingly quiet.

The metal contraption, however, is not.

At first she thinks it's some sort of gnomish weapon, scouting the area from above. The thought heartens her, for a gnomish contraption means a gnomish enemy must be close at hand, and Kettara believes fully in the clarifying abilities of a good, brutal fight. She follows it for a while, until it finally dips toward the ground and settles.

To her disappointment, it's not a contraption. Not gnomish, either. It's that creature she encountered earlier, the one who called himself Starscream.

Kettara runs up along side him in ghost wolf form for a moment, before popping back to her regular body. ]

What is energon?

[ Starscream has been roaming around too but it's obvious that he can't find shelter due to his size. He's all but given up when he sees the cords and obvious looking inhuman caricature standing in the random house's doorway. He'll roll his eyes before waving DiMA off. ]

No need to worry about that. I've seen far worse. After the creatures we encountered upon arrival I doubt you have much to worry about in terms of making your...intentions known. [ Though his wings will shift behind him as taps a long claw against his chin. He wasn't expecting to find another clearly robotic life form like himself here. He's no Cybertronian but Starscream will try to make nice anyway. ]

Why is your current form in such disrepair? [ He might come off like an ass, sorry, but he is genuinely curious. ]

I--what?

[ Something isn't fitting with this moment. The way Drake holds him, the way he looked coming into the clinic. Ephemera exhales. Squeezes Drake's hand hard. Focus. Work with what you know. ]

Fuck it. I don't care. You're here.

[ He cups Drake's cheek with his free hand, gentle and sure. ]

You're here. Everything else, that can wait.

[ Ephemera gives her a little smile. ]

I'll take it. I don't get that one too often.

[ It's still strange to him that he's got people here who care. Not his family, no, but people that he's come to care for. Drake, Kyna, Lup, even - impossibly - Washington. ]

Well, shit. Sorry to hear it.

[ He exhales, watching the nicotine cloud billow. ]

Makes you feel any better, I got offed back home too. Hail of bullets.

[ Ephemera grunts, holding the cigarette up so she won't get hit by the ashes. ]

Ow. Watch the ribs.

[ It's said gently, though, and Ephemera loops an arm around her waist without hesitation. ]

I take it you missed me.

No. [ Kettara glances back to the door briefly. She's durable, more so than most humans, but near constant rain doesn't bode well for anything. Worse, the elements have been unwilling to answer all but her smallest summons. They grant her their power, but not their wisdom. None of them have spoken to her since she arrived, nor offered any clues toward the nature of the weather. ]

Perhaps. Can anyone here tan leather? I could bring one of those creatures back. Perhaps its hide would be suitable.

[ She eyes the piles of assorted clothing dubiously. ]

I don't think this fabric is any good. [ Not that she knows anything about sewing or clothes, but... ] Do you recognize any of it? Anything that might be useful?

Yeah, it doesn't matter. [ It does, but not right now. ] You're back.

[ He's back at just the right time, Drake thinks, he was losing his grip a bit. And somehow that tracks: right when he most needs him, Ephemera's there. Just like before. The stretch in between was some kind of cosmic glitch, what he's done in that time can be explained later. ]

Do you have to stay here? To be monitored or whatever? Or can I drag you home...? I kept the apartment, it's on this island.

[she gives him a warm smile in return]

Truly?

[she'd meant to look him up after she went back to being and adult and regrets that she hadn't as she'd heard he vanished not too long afterwards. perhaps now she can make up for lost time?]

I was sorry that it was allowed to happen in the first place.

[it's strangely pretty with the background of the rain]

I'm terribly sorry to hear that. [and she is] I suppose if this place is good for anything, it's second chances.

Nope. It was like a vacation.

[She gives him another tight squeeze and then finally lets go.]

Are you okay?

[that would be a worrying development]

None that I'm aware of, but it wouldn't hurt to ask? There are people here skilled at all kinds of things, so why not tanning leather?

[she's managed to unearth what looks like an overcoat that might fit. the color and cut are horrendous, but she supposes that in this weather, beggars can't be choosers]

Here. [Tinya offers the coat to her] This might fit?

[ Ephemera grins a little and messes up her hair with his free hand. Just because he can. ]

Yeah. Probably. It's been a really long day.

[ He pauses. Exhales slowly. ]

Yeah, uh. Wasn't so good, back home. Wasn't so good for Drake when I was gone, either.

Goddamn right I am.

[ He stays close, just touching Drake. Holding him. The closeness feels dangerously important, something that has to be maintained or else something will slip. Ephemera breathes. Squeezes Drake's hand again.

They're all right. They're both here. ]

Nah. Pell fixed the worst of it. I'm good.

[ He pauses. ]

Wait. Island? What island?

Not really. I'm not so good with people.

[ Ephemera runs a hand through his hair, nodding. He's feeling pretty zen about the whole thing, which is probably a sign that his freakout will be delayed but pretty fucking awful once it finally comes around. ]

You got a point there. Never thought I'd want something like that, but here we are. Guess it beats being dead.

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Intro Log: Puddle Jumpers

spires!

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shelter becasue this will go well

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Red Blood Cell | Cells at Work

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Wandering

shelter

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