hadriel_logs | Does anybody know a way that a body could get away?

Entry tags:

Does anybody know a way that a body could get away?

Who: Glacius and you! Open and closed starters for all your needs, so come on in!
What: June catch-all log for Glacius for the purpose of pursuing existing CR or establishing new relations.
Where: Various locations in the city, specified in the starters.
When: The beginning of June.
Warnings: N/A, will update as the need arises.

Shopping District - OPEN

Glacius is on a mission today, one that happens to be bringing him towards the center of the city--a more frequently populated area where he rarely travels due to his reclusive nature. He doesn't like drawing attention to himself--even for a non-human, he's particularly exotic-- but he knows he can't remain on the fringes of society forever, despite his fear that people might jump to assumptions around him. Still, if the sight of a massive ice alien walking down the streets isn't enough to turn the heads of Hadriel's more "normal" inhabitants, the fact that he's dragging the heavy carcass of some unfortunate cave-dwelling monster in the street behind him as he moves towards the shopping district probably isn't helping.

He doesn't yet understand how the shops work. No one had been around when he'd visited them to try and find supplies to care for the fireflies when they filled the cavern, so he had taken supplies from them since there had been no other option... but that felt odd to the alien. He didn't want to be a thief and he didn't want to steal, and he'd heard that people in the city often traded for the meat and pelts of monsters in the cave, so he planned to return later with something that he could use to trade for what he took. That explains the massive body he's dragging with him now; it's much larger than him, burly and powerfully built and covered in thick shaggy fur, and yet there doesn't appear to be a spot of damage on Glacius for his efforts.

He's aware that the sight of one massive creature dragging the dead body of another might draw attention at best or be cause for alarm or fearful self-defense at worst, so he's trying to get his done as quickly as possible. Hopefully if someone does come up to him, it will be either to trade, to point him in the right direction, or maybe just to explain why this attempt might be slightly misguided.

Park - CLOSED to Cecily

Sometimes when Glacius has time to himself he comes to the park. It's big enough that he can usually find space to himself, the sound of running water is peaceful--if not slightly strange to a being that hails from a world where most of the water is frozen--and the shade of the large trees is nice and cool. Usually it's the perfect place for him to go when he wants to get away from the city, but doesn't want to be quite as far out or at as much risk as he might be if he was sticking to the system of caves.

... Usually. Lately this place has come to host some dark, troubling memories: it's the place where his will was subverted by Rage and he was turned against an innocent woman. Even now, he still remembers the pain on her face as he attacked her clear as day, and the upwelling of guilt and remorse is still strong enough that the peaceful alien feels as though he might choke on it. He shouldn't be here... but he so desperately makes things right, and so there's a part of him that hopes he might find Cecily back here one day. So he visits the park regularly and simply sits on that bench, forcing himself to endure the memories as he waits.

He hasn't seen her since, but he doesn't know what else to do. In fact, he's not even sure what he will do if she comes across him. She hadn't seemed particularly angry at him right after the attack, but he'd be surprised if she hadn't grown to scorn him in the time that had passed. Makers knew he was certainly horrified and upset enough with himself, and the spikes that protrude from his hip are still showing signs of the damage that he enraged husband had dealt to him when it was his turn to be targeted. Whatever she deems necessary, the alien has already decided--even if it comes down to punishment, to recompense. That is the cost for inciting harm upon an innocent.

Spires- CLOSED to Nick

After receiving a message from Nick Valentine in his inbox--which was Glacius' first time learning of that function of the device, in fact--the two had conversed, and the synth had managed to do something that no one else in the city of Hadriel had: he'd gotten the location of the ice alien's current living space. For all this time, Glacius has still been keeping close to the caves due to his wariness of the human inhabitants of Hadriel, and his need for space and privacy. Rage's games in which the city's inhabitants had been reduced to assassins and targets had only exacerbated this, and the guilt he was suffering since has also made showing his face around the city feel less and less appealing.

Nick was at least understanding, and had managed to coax the alien into trying to find a more suitable living space. Glacius knew that his stay in the caves could last, it probably shouldn't; it was just a temporary location he'd picked out when he didn't realize just how long he'd be trapped in Hadriel. It was a patch job over something that needed more thorough work; it was uncivilized, unbecoming. It was also unsafe--even with his considerable combat prowess, the sheer amount of monsters in the winding tunnels was no small threat, and knowing he could get attacked at any time forced him to keep one eye open, making it hard to get decent rest.

So the synth had agreed to help him find a new place to reside, somewhere that struck a good balance for the alien--somewhere a little more comfortable and easily accessible without being too close to the more populated areas of the city, allowing his sense of privacy to stay intact. If Glacius could get more explanation on how things worked in the city in the process, that would be a bonus. He's waiting by the bridge over the southeast region of the river that leads to one of the beaten roads, green eyes scanning his surroundings for Nick.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Cecily, yes," she repeats, nodding. "And... I'm sorry, I'm not sure I caught your name."

Maybe she had, and she'd certainly heard talk of the icy creature, but, then, there are a lot of other people and creatures in Hadriel. Other captives whose lives and stories can seem just as otherworldly even if their appearance is human. If she's heard Glacius' name, and she thinks she must have, at least once, it's mixed in among the others.

"Sorry," she says quickly, with a faintly sheepish smile, "I've never been very good with names."

That will happen when your cause has as many people as the Inquisition does and they all know your name. It's unsettling, to say the least.

"I... appreciate you reaching out like this, even if you didn't have to," she speaks again, looking more serious, but no less earnest. "The gods mean to turn us against each other so often that... I think it would be easy to let them. To blame each other and to never admit our own wrongs." There's a pause, a breath, a hesitation. "I'm only glad that I was able to help by speaking with you. That I wasn't armed myself at the time. I... left my weapons, that day, to try and stop myself going after my own target, as they - we - were meant to be. So... that I wasn't in your position, bearing down on another captive, is only by chance."

He seems about the least violent resident of their caves, if she's being honest, and in complete contrariness to his appearance. Never judge a book, and all that.

She didn't catch his name because Glacius does not often give it out on first meetings unless pressed, so it's really no fault of hers. The ice alien doesn't seem the least bit offended by her asking him now, either. "My name is Glacius."

The other topic is a more serious one, and the galactic marshal goes quiet again as he listens to her. When she's done, he gives a light frown. "I... know what you mean. Truth be told, past experiences that I have had with humanity had not been encouraging... I suppose there was a part of me that was expecting this to be similar. And I am glad that you were able to speak with me, too. If I had grievously injured you, or worse..." Glacius pauses now, shudders and drops his head. "...Well, that is a possibility I do not even want to think about. Nothing would have been able to absolve me of such a horrific sin. It makes me all the more relieved that you and I are able to put Rage's game behind us peacefully."

"Glacius." She repeats, nodding firmly. "It's nice to officially meet you, then."

And to not be on the end of an attack. Cecily smiles more easily now, despite the subject, glad to feel as if she's at least made another ally in this bleak palce.

"Humanity is shit," she confirms, laughing, "but sometimes they - we - surprise you. In this case, I'm more like to be prejudiced against the gods than anything. They aren't human or anything else, as far as I'm concerned; they're only raw emotion given physical form. They don't care for us at all."

More than that, they actively try to take from, hurt, kill their captives. They've more than earned the label 'enemy' (at least, most of them have).

"Consider it put behind us," Cecily agrees, straightening up. "I'm glad we were able to do this. Really, I should have reached out earlier, so... thank you for your trust and your graciousness."

Glacius blinks, surprised by Cecily's blunt assessment of her own people--he can't imagine saying that about his own, given the intense loyalty he has to them. Was humanity usually that terrible to each other and those around them that this was a common perception? Or had she simply suffered in her past, been exposed to great cruelty just like he was...?

Well, it's certainly not his place to ask that. The ice alien hates to seem like he's attempting to be nosy, and such a question is far too personal for a first proper meeting. Mutually bemoaning the gods, on the other hand-- now that seems like some good common ground to stand on.

"I am of a similar mindset. They claim that they are not responsible for bringing us here, and that they are attempting to find a way to send us home. But if that was truly their goal, they would not have to resort to such abhorrent methods. Their attempts... they cause pain, suffering, and torment, all just in the name of garnering power! It is awful." He doesn't understand how some people can feel grateful to them, just for providing basic living necessities in what is a glorified prison.

At least Cecily manages to put the conversation back on a more pleasant track. The ice alien straightens as well, his frustration ebbing away, replaced with a tentative smile. "I am glad, as well. My mind feels... lighter now, knowing that you have your forgiveness. And you needn't blame yourself for needing time; what happened was awful, and I respect other's need of space. As for thanking me, well... I feel like it should be the other way around. You are the gracious one, to pardon me for what happened and do what you could. You clearly have a good heart. If you need anything, do not hesitate to contact me; you have one of those little... personal communication devices, yes?"

"Exactly," Cecily stresses, relieved to hear a sympathetic voice that rings with her own. "If they actually wanted to help us leave, they'd do it. They're gods. I don't think most of them care about anything but gaining power and restoring the others, no matter what they say. They may seem to be warring, but I think it's more likely that it's all a front to have us throw our support behind one or the other. If they seem divisive, they're less suspicious as a group."

So she thinks. But, really... if they are gods, they should be able to return everyone to their homes. If they aren't, then they can be defeated, just like any other would-be god.

"Nobody's called me 'gracious' before: I ought to have it embroidered onto a pillow." The Inquisitor grins up at him, then, laughing lightly. "And I promise you that my heart is dark and black and not at all deserving of your praise."

She's clearly joking, though, or so she thinks. Cecily shifts her weight, crossing her arms over her chest.

"The same to you, then," she says, nodding at Glacius. "I'm not... particularly good with them, yet, but I'll at least try and answer if you send a message for me."

Glacius still is not completely convinced that they actually are gods, at least as he understands the term... but he has to concede that the beings that oversee Hadriel have much more power than was initially expecting. Moreover, he's not going to argue semantics when he and Cecily are in agreement on the important points. The gods are not to be trusted, not to be sympathized with--not until they make good on all of their vague promises about freeing the beings that have been brought to this underground city.

"I have seen what corruption looks like when it sinks its claws into humanity. Trust me, you are far from that," the ice alien responds, not quite seeming to pick up on the joke. "And I sympathize. The devices barely even fit in my palm!" They also do not seem to be configured with his unique double-thumbed hands in mind. "It makes typing quite a pain, some times. But for you, I will endure it."

... Alright, now he seems to be attempting a joke. It's... really not his strong suit, but at least he's making an effort!

He compliments and praises her despite knowing her and all her flaws, but... maybe it's for the best. His vision of humanity at large shouldn't be tainted on her behalf. As such, the Inquisitor chuckles faintly, dropping her gaze, changing the subject.

"I'm sure it doesn't," she agrees, again sounding more lighthearted, nodding up at his icy hands. "And I appreciate your sacrifice, noble ser.

Oh, she catches his attempt at a joke and smiles more broadly as a result. If they were chummier, she might try and nudge him, but for now, she isn't sure how he would take that. Customs, personal space, and all.

"Look at you, having a go at it," Cecily tease lightly. "They should have made each one for our individual needs and varying hand sizes."

She's very perceptive; giving Glacius space is always on the safer side, given how important it is to him culturally. While a simple nudge isn't enough to get him to scorn her after she's been so understanding, it is perhaps better to wait on physical contact until they've gotten to know one another a little bit better--and until he's got a better understanding of all the various ways humans initiate said contact.

Now the ice alien rumbles out a low chuckle, pleased at her playing along. "Yes, they should have. If they truly are gods,then such a thing should be an easy feat, no? Perhaps they are just lazy."

"Maybe 'lazy' is just another of the gods. He'll be resurrected and we'll all just lie around and wait to be killed."

Oh, wait, they're already doing that. Less cynical, Cecily.

"Who knows what they are, really," the Inquisitor sighs heavily, crossing her arms. "If they can do things like that for us, then they just don't want to. It isn't as if they care about us at all. We're only energy sources for them."

"I agree. I have heard some people suggest that we should be grateful for them for providing us with food and supplies while we are trapped here, but... these are just hand outs to make our prison seem more liveable, so that they may continue to feed off our emotions. They are not doing it out of kindness. I've also heard it said that they are trying to figure out how to operate the Door so that they may send us all back, but I have a hard time believing it. Why would they bother to return useful tools?"

Glacius huffs a sigh, rubbing at his forehead. He's heard a lot of conflicting information ever since coming to this place--about the gods, about the Door, and everything in between--and often times their overseers are so enigmatic that it's hard to tell what the truth even is. It doesn't seem like he's likely to find out any time soon, either. "Nothing that I've heard of this place makes much sense, and I do not think those that would keep us in this place are likely to give us straight answers. But one day... no matter what... I want to find my way out of here, and get back to my people."

The more they speak, the more of a kinship she feels with Glacius. He's right; so many people are grateful to the gods, thank them for their 'aid,' and it infuriates the Inquisitor. At least one other resident is unhappy with the arrangement (though, she knows there are more).

"I don't think they mean to send us back," she agrees in a low voice, knowing that the gods in question could easily be listening in. "You said it yourself; we're tools to them, and powerful ones. Returning us makes no sense at all."

Especially if one, or all, of them are responsible for their having been drawn in in the first place.

"We'll find ways back," Cecily says firmly, looking up at the alien. "So that we can all return safely to our people."

"In the end, that is all I truly want," Glacius responds somberly. He's met some very kind beings in this city, but every time a human reacts to him with fear or confusion is another stabbing reminder of what an outsider he will always be at the end of the day. Besides, everything he's suffered in his long life up to this point has been for his people, in the hopes that he might safeguard them and the homeworld and one day return. It's a driving force in his life.

"Has anyone ever made any attempts to escape from this place? Has their ever been an organized effort?" He asks, his voice lowered. It's probably safer to discuss this sort of thing here than on the network, where anyone can listen in... but even though he's skeptical of their powers as true gods, it's hard not to imagine the beings that oversee this place listening in.

Cecily imagines that, gods or no, Hope and the others can hear them just about anywhere, but that hasn't stopped her plotting before and it won't now.

"Not exactly," she says, looking distinctly less than pleased about it. "Not that I know of, anyway. There's been talk of it, but we came through the Door, or so they say. Without access to that, I think our chances of return are slim. We need one of the gods on our side, for them to... provide their strength and information so that we can have a real chance of leaving."

She shakes her head, though, looking dubious.

"For that to happen, they would have to agree to losing their source of strength: us. Even if they did, who's to say that they wouldn't just draw in others after us? We can't let that happen. This has to end before we can leave."

That earns a low rumble from Glacius--it is a sound of deep consideration, though to someone who is less familiar with his species' unique egstures and vocalizations, it might sound a little unenthused, maybe even frustrated. He'd honestly been planning on departing the moment he won his freedom from his wretched place. He's been away from his mission for too long already, and he really doesn't care to get caught up in other species' problems... but he's already sort of done that by associating and aiding the humans in this cave, hasn't he? The alien feels a sinking feeling in his hearts, now; he can't just leave any of the people that have been so good to him in this place to be tormented and be used by the gods, and he won't be seen as callous enough to allow the possibility of such a thing happening to others in the future, either.

Such is the price of letting people in, the ice alien supposes... it certainly complicates things. But he's grateful for the friendship that he's been shown here, for the way that select few people have done what they can to ease his burdens. He has other people to look out for now, other than just himself... and it's not the first time he's offered his services to help humanity out of a mess. "Very well, Cecily... you have a point. But this will be a very difficult feat. How can we even disable the gods when they rarely show their faces--and even if they did, are they the sort of beings that could be directly fought?"

They don't know, of course. They have no idea what all what these gods are capable of, but they're certainly able to manipulate, to return the dead to life. Their power is without question... but, then, so was Corypheus', and they'd managed to end his reign.

"We'll find a way," she says quietly. "It'll be difficult, yes, but not impossible. We have the forces for it, a variety of abilities-- I think we stand a chance."

How much of a chance, though, remains to be seen.

"Someone must have seen them in person since we've arrived," Cecily muses. "They may have... a hint, or some edge that we don't. We need to ask around after it, but... quietly. Carefully."

"I will always be careful," Glacius acknowledges, "And of course I will do my best to keep these affairs clandestine. But... do you think that is truly possible? These gods have the ability to affect nearly everything in this place, including us. Surely that suggests some level of omnipresence... would it really be possible to organize something without them knowing?"

"I don't know," she admits honestly. "But I can't stand by and let this happen."

More so than she already has, having been in the caves for far too long.

"We can try," she stresses. "I'll do everything I can."

Whatever it takes, whatever that may mean for her.

"On that we are in agreement. If we are not willing to risk anything, then nothing will be accomplished... and there is very little I would not do to see my people again," Glacius replies solemnly. "Keep in touch, then. Let me know if you hear anything or have any ideas, and I will return the favor... and maybe we can finally begin to make some progress."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Does anybody know a way that a body could get away?

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject