hadriel_logs | Intro Log: Ugh, Talk to the Hand

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Intro Log: Ugh, Talk to the Hand

Who: New arrivals and everyone else!
What: The intro log for February
Where: The colosseum and all around the city.
When: February 10th-14th
Warnings: None

Welcome to Hadriel. Your first glimpse of your new home is maybe not the most welcome - you awaken on the floor of the colosseum, surrounded by sand and walls and... trees? Yes, trees. Along with you and the other newcomers, a number of Territorial Oaks have arrived in Hadriel. They look just like normal trees, except for those welcoming smiles - oh, and they don't like you at all. They move fast, hit hard, and if you manage to bring one down it'll go out in a large, dangerous explosion. This may have you rethinking your stance on clear-cutting.

While you're trying to avoid the trees, you might come across a few of the other things the Door has deposited in the colosseum for your (its?) entertainment. Namely, a bunch of toys that no one has played with in years. But maybe one of them will tickle your fancy?

Once you've finished indulging your 90's nostalgia, feel free to look around. 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 February 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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Talking to yourself is a sign of madness, you know.

[The voice - an odd, purring, mewling kind of voice - comes from the direction of a white cat sitting on top of a nearby half-destroyed wall. The animal watches Bucky with an unblinking, bright green gaze and gives him a moment to get his bearings before hopping gracefully down to the ground and making an approach.]

I know enough about humans to know you're going to be in trouble very soon. [It could mean anything, but at the moment, he means if the man stays out in the cold much longer. It doesn't take a genius to see the signs.]

I suppose you'd like some help.

[ bucky doesn't quite jump at the sound of the voice, but his head whirls towards it. there doesn't seem to be anyone there - but then again. is it the cat, or the wall? ]

I can think of some worse signs.

[ like not being sure whether you're talking to a cat or a wall. or trying to speak to either, really. the cat jumps down, and that seems to seal it. at least for the current conversation, he's not ready to trust that wall to stay inanimate just yet.

is he being threatened by a cat? he frowns, as his eyes track its movements. ]

That an offer? [ what he'll do with it if it is or isn't, he'll figure out when the time comes. assuming he's crazy is going to get him nowhere, fast, he'd rather work on the assumption that the rest of the world's gone mad, and deal with what's in front of him. ]

I have nothing better to do.

[It's sort of an offer. More a way for Mogget to amuse himself for a little while, but what does that matter as long as the result is the same? The small cat winds his way around Bucky's ankles, then a moment later is perched on the soldier's shoulder.

Better to not think about how easily he got up there.]

Keep going this way, then turn left.

[ bucky doesn't quite jump, but the kind of language ma would definitely not approve of does escape his lips, and he takes a step back, hand halfway up to push the damn thing off.

it's a magic cat. it talks, moving fast shouldn't really surprise him at this point. hell, it could have gone at completely normal speed and his brain could be processing it as miraculous due to its own exhaustion. no, how it got up there so fast isn't quite as troubling as its proximity to bucky's completely exposed throat. ]

What's there?

[And Mogget, perhaps predictably, is not at all bothered by the cursing or any of the body language that speaks volumes about how much he is not wanted on his chosen perch. It's just as well that he isn't intending to sink his claws into anything potentially fatal.]

Food. [He replies simply.] It isn't gourmet, but I've learned to lower my expectations in this place.

[ growing up in the great depression before shipping off to war has greatly lowered bucky's standards of what constitutes as good eating. but in this place, there is still concern as to what the content of the food might be. still, his stomach growls, interested in the concept of anything getting in there to sate his hunger.

his hand stays up, ready to try its damndest to push the thing off if it gets violent, to protect vital organs. but really, given its speed, and bucky's state - there isn't a whole lot he can do. especially if it's got more magic powers.

he may as well try to do something about his hunger. so he starts moving, keenly aware of the odd weight on his shoulder. ]

How low are we talking? [ because his are pretty low, but there are still some basic standards, like meat that has never been able to carry on a conversation. ]

Mm. You'll have to open the tins, first.

[Mogget does not appreciate tinned food, but it does seem to be the first thing that people offer when he requests that they feed him. So far, he hasn't turned anything down, though he's found a few things tasting not quite as they should.

Sometimes for the better... sometimes not.

He eyes the man's hand, ready and waiting to shove him (not recommended, really) and simply butts the top of his head against it.

If you're going to pet him, just get on with it.]

Think I can swing that.

[ that doesn't sound so bad to bucky, not one bit. tinned translates in his mind to - there's a chance it isn't spoiled, and that's already an improvement.

bucky almost jerks away when the cat? (is that really a cat? is this some kind of whacky experiment gone wrong?) starts nuzzling his hand. his body takes inventory, looking for sources of pain, an injury, trying to catalog this intrusion.

it's nothing. it's...petting? that's somehow the most bizarre and most normal part of his day, all rolled into one, and he instinctively falls into it, stroking the fur uncertainly.

did he imagine the whole conversation? it's suddenly acting like a real cat. ]

How do you talk?

[Good. Mogget purrs as he's given the attention he's looking for, though how he continues to balance on Bucky's shoulder in the meantime is certainly beyond the means of any ordinary cat.]

I've wondered the same thing about humans.

[Just how do they talk, when their brains are so limited..?]

But if you really need an explanation, 'by magic' will have to suffice.

Guess that's fair.

[ he's not really sure if it is, or if it's a logical thing to say, but that seems to be what comes out. he wants to say there's no such thing as magic but given the day he's had - well.

this is some wacky science. ]

Got a name? [ he really isn't certain what would be stranger - calling this thing on his shoulder by some stereotypical kitty name like fluffy or a serious person name. either way, 'cat' isn't really gonna do it since he's not strictly convinced that that's what it is. ]

I have many, but you can call me Mogget.

[When he's satisfied with the amount of petting he's been given, he settles back down and balances himself expertly on Bucky's shoulder while the man walks. There are many reasons he prefers to be here, and the best of them is for the sake of being just that little bit warmer.

'Cat' is only accurate as far as visual descriptions go.]

I suppose I should ask yours as well.

Got a couple but you can call me Barnes.

[ he doesn't really use 'james' all too often and he isn't really feeling like giving the friends and family nickname to the creature he's still not sure isn't going to murder him, so last name will do. ]

So what are you? Cursed? [ sounds absurd but then again, is it any more absurd than a talking cat? ]

[Not to worry, Bucky. If he was going to murder you, you'd be dead.

But 'Barnes' it is, and he's heard stranger names given to humans before, so doesn't bat an eye at the moniker. To the question, though, he softly scoffs.]

As you'd best understand it. [It is as good as explanation as any, without going too much into is own past.]

You know, you don't need to be so tense. I'm not planning on hurting you.

[ that's only mildly reassuring.

to bucky's ears, that's not an explanation at all. it's a riddle, at best, one his mind is way too exhausted and overwhelmed to even try and solve. ]

Would you tell me if you were? [ would he trust the answer? no, the answer is no, he's having a very hard time trusting anything right now, but he also doesn't seem to have a single choice of action, so. ]

No. But you wouldn't need to worry about it if I was.

[It's about as honest as he's going to get about that topic. If he wanted to cause harm, he'd be doing it, and he's afforded more freedom here with the lack of any Abhorsen to give him any attention at all that he has no doubt he could do some damage if he wished.

At the moment, he seems happy enough to simply purr beside the man's ear.]

Turn right here.

[ that sounds suspiciously like he should be extremely worried. not that it changes anything, because that's his current state anyway; he's not relaxing anytime soon. but he also doesn't see a point in continuing to aggravate the - thing - sitting right by his neck, so he drops the subject.

he turns right. ]

How big's this place?

Big enough.

[A little dull, if Mogget is being entirely honest, but he's not really one to roam and the size of Hadriel suits him just fine.]

But not as densely inhabited as one might expect. You should read the guide as soon as you can.

There's a guide?

[ well that's handy, if a little disturbing. ]

Where might I find it?

On the devices they give to us.

[Ah, but this man won't have one of those yet. Mogget makes a low sound of thought.]

I would demonstrate, but I'm sure you understand I have no way to carry mine around. No pockets.

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Intro Log: Ugh, Talk to the Hand

b. if you didn't think you were losing your mind before....

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