Event Log: Speak Your Truth

[hadrielmods]

Who: Everyone in the city
What: The event log for the Speak Your Truth
Where: All over the city
When: April 3rd-April 9th
Warnings: None

There's a secret burning in your chest. It's hot behind your ribcage, and you need to let it out or else it might consume you- but who would you tell? Who could even begin to understand what you need to say? Your closest friend? Your significant other? Maybe even someone you don't get along with very well? It's hard to know who to trust and who will even understand, but in a strange way, neither of those things seem to matter- all you can think of is what will cause someone the most pain.

Maybe you're trying to get it out in the open so you can put it behind you. Maybe you just need to come clean because the guilt is eating you alive. Maybe you just really want to hurt someone- regardless of the reason, you're aching to tell someone else your darkest secrets.

Will they understand? There's only one way to find out, and it won't be pleasant for either party involved. Good luck, Hadriel!

► This log covers April 3rd-April 9th.
► 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 your secret gets a bit bloody, please let us know here.

Comments

[braveoff]

Yeah it was gross and sandy and we just had to deal, for a long time. That was right after the first Null attack, Hope was too hurt to sustain the city when we moved. He couldn't even--

[ --feed Drake, but he bites that back sharply and takes another drink. Tinya doesn't need to know about what happened to him in all that mess. He can resist the urge to tell her, it certainly wouldn't go over well. ]

Everything else? You mean... [ He gestures to his throat, moving his hand to imply that things are just coming out without their permission. ] I'm feeling that too.

[unphase]

[she sighs] The first Null attack. I--I don't know what I can do if or when the second comes. I've been studying magic, trying to learn as much as I can, but my power is purely defensive. It won't do a thing against the Null. [a pause] And Hope couldn't even what?

[too late, she grew up as a diplomat's daughter, trained from birth to notice even the most offhand remark.

she nods] Yeah. It's just. Stuff I don't wanna talk about. Except that I do and it's sprocking with my head.

[braveoff]

[ Drake looks stricken for a moment, like he doesn't know how to answer because there's a secret threatening to tumblr out... he decides to temper it, picking his words carefully rather than blurting. It's a great effort. ]

He couldn't manage my condition.

[ Hmm... that didn't really help the desire to blurt, but hopefully the conversation can move on from there and he won't feel this need to tell Tinya things he really shouldn't be telling anyone. The gods need to stop revealing his shit. ]

What uh... what kind of magic are you learning?

[unphase]

[she definitely notices that. and it makes her feel awful. the parts of her that are purely political wants to know what his condition is and the parts of her that's been raised to be a lady, to not pry are warring within her.

in the end, she compromises]

...what is your condition? [hurriedly] You don't have to answer if you don't want to.

[she'll do her best to respect his wishes, either way. but this thing . . . it has her wanting to poke at anthills, to lift up the stones to see what lies beneath]

Harlan had me learning Acid Splash. He says that's a good one to use against the Null. I'm hoping that he'll have enough time to help me make a focus so I can learn stronger spells.

[braveoff]

[ He does want to, is the thing, at least right now. He wants to confess to everyone he comes across, which is both nothing like him and extremely dangerous. But Tinya... he can trust Tinya. And maybe if he gives in this once, it'll be easier to fight it with people he can't trust. Drake takes a deep breath, lets it out slowly. ]

I'm hoping it won't be an issue soon, that I can ask to be cured even though it's more dangerous for me to be human again. But I uh... [ And that was a secret in and of itself. Shit. ] I don't want you to get the wrong idea.

[ They're going to have to circle back to talk of magic, sorry Tinya. Acid splash sounds cool, though! ]

[unphase]

[whatever he shares with her will be held in strictest confidence. she's an ace at keeping secrets. she's been keeping two big ones, one since the moment she arrived here and one since the thing with the soulmates. she waits patiently for him to prepare himself to say whatever it is he needs to say]

...why would it be more dangerous for you to be human? Are you from another planet? [a pause] And what would be the wrong idea?

[that's fine, they have plenty of time for her issues]

[braveoff]

[ Holy crap this event is dangerous. Drake just wants to answer all her questions, lay out the past two years or so of his life and it feels like once the floodgates open he won't be able to close them again. But he's forging ahead anyway, even if he's lowering his voice so no one but Tinya can hear. ]

I'm pretty hard to hurt as I am right now. I should probably start from the beginning -- no, I'm from Earth, but back home I got infected with a virus that... mutates you, in certain ways. And there's kind of a huge stigma about it even here, I've kept it as quiet as possible so they don't come for me with torches and pitchforks, if you know what I mean.

[unphase]

[once she notices that he's keeping his voice low, she does the same.

a small frown line forms between her brows] Torches and pitchforks? Like you're some kind of Frankenstein monster? I would like to think that people here would know better.

[braveoff]

Yeah, just like that. [ And at this point the compulsion is overwhelming, so he just tells himself it's Tinya and he has nothing to worry about. Right? ] I'm a zombie.

[ Drake exhales heavily, that horrible pressure to spit it out lifting as soon as the words are out. ]

...hopefully not for much longer, but please don't tell anyone anyway. We've had people here who're fighting apocalypse situations, it's just. Not a good thing to get out.

[unphase]

Oh. What do you do about--you must have an arrangement with an alien, don't you? Is that why you went missing for a while when they weren't here?

[she smiles reassuringly and reaches over to pat his shoulder]

Don't worry. I won't tell anyone. It's not really any of their business, is it?

[braveoff]

Yeah, Hope handles it. I've actually had to go missing like that... three times. Each incident has been more dangerous than the time before, so I think I'm done? I don't think it's worth being stronger and faster, even if we're about to be attacked again. I'd been telling myself that I was staying this way to protect people better but maybe I'm just a liability.

[ He swirls the contents of his glass, thoughtful, clueless something else is about to slip out. ]

Besides, maybe if I'm human I can go somewhere else after this.

[unphase]

[she meets his eyes and speaks seriously] You're not just a liability. You're smart and brave and trustworthy. But if you want to become human again, you should. You should do what makes you happy.

[she takes sip from her gin and tonic and bites back secrets of her own]

You should! You and your boyfriend, you should come to the 30th century. It's really nice there, I promise.

[braveoff]

...thank you for saying that, Tinya. And maybe we can put that on the table... but you'd have to help us with documents and shit, I wouldn't know anybody in your world.

[ He grins a little, feeling better even though he just accidentally admitted more than he intended to. Whoops. Well, maybe Tinya didn't extrapolate the dead part. He can redirect, maybe, they were talking about something else about her before. Time to circle back. ]

So you're learning magic?

[unphase]

It's no problem at all, I'd love to have you there! [and she winks] And what's the good of being an ambassador's daughter if I can't take advantage of its perks. I can get you guys paperwork, help you find jobs, all of that stuff.

[assuming she isn't dead. she might be. probably is. but she's biting that back as hard as she can]

Yeah. Stuff Harlan says will help against the Null. I'm hoping we'll have enough time for me to make a focus and learn more powerful magic soon.

[braveoff]

I'll tell him we've got another option, then.

[ Drake has no idea what she's holding back, but at least they'd have it in common? ]

I hope so too. We need all the advantages we can get... you'll have to show off sometime, I'm curious about magic.

(cw: underage)

[unphase]

Good. Good! I'd miss you when I go back home.

[the possibility of her death. and a love affair no one would understand]

I know Ray of Frost, Acid Splash, and Message. That one might come in handy for coordinating attacks since we wouldn't have to be close to be able to speak to each other.

[braveoff]

You would?

[ Drake looks surprised at that, even as he parses the spell list. It does all sound useful. ]

It might not be safe to use the network, either. Smart thinking.

[unphase]

Of course I would! We're friends, aren't we?

[and she has such a hopeful look on her face, he better not say no]

Thanks! I've been really kind of wracking my brains to figure out ways I can help. I'm no damsel in distress.

[braveoff]

[ Okay he can't help but smile at that, and nod. ]

Yeah, we're friends. And you're no damsel, that's for sure. What does making a focus take?

[unphase]

[she grins back happily at him]

Good. I'm so glad! And thanks. My boyfriend back home never quite got that.

A lot of attention and time. I know it's not really supposed to be something with a lot of sentimental value, but I can't help wanting to go with my touchstone. I wear it all the time [she gestures to a gold brooch with a large garnet about the size of her fist pinned to the bodice of her sundress] and it belonged to my grandmother.