Intro Log: Eight Legs No Heart

[hadrielmods]

Who: New arrivals and everyone else!
What: The intro log for June.
Where: The colosseum and all around the city.
When: June 10th-15th
Warnings: Spiders. Soooo many spiders. New people. Probably swearing.

For once, the new arrivals to Hadriel will not be waking up on the cold hard ground of the colosseum. Oh, sure, you'll still awaken in the arena - but this time the Door has been kind enough to ensure that you wake up comfortably arranged in a very nice chair. Or maybe not so comfortably. Some of those look pretty awkward - hopefully you didn't wake up with a crick in your neck! And hey, feel free to try to drag some of these super cool chairs to your new homes. They're probably not cursed or anything.

As you make your way out of the arena, be careful getting to close to the walls - well, except that's the only way out, so good luck! Chilling up on there waiting to get the drop on you are Skulltulas. These funky-looking spiders have squishy underbellies, but their upper exoskeletons are hard and very difficult to break through. They really just want to nibble you a few times, and maybe suck out all of your blood. No big deal, right? Have fun!

Have you conquered your arachnophobia and managed to escape? Great! Feel free to go explore the rest of the city! Find a house, find a new monster, or simply scavenge for supplies. Good luck, and enjoy your stay in Hadriel!

► This log covers June 10th-15th.
► Feel free to make your own logs as well!
► All characters arrive with phones that have network communication.
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!

Comments

adam parrish | open

[unknowable]

[june 10th: arrival]

[Adam wakes in the grip of a strange chair, but he barely notices it. His head is swimming from the moment his eyes open, panic and shock and incredible sadness. He just came from - a moment that was awful, that could have been the end of something so important to him. People's lives in the balance. Magic.

And now he's - here? In Hadriel again?

He doesn't look great, honestly. There are scratches on his face, furrowed and bloody, left by human fingernails. There are bruises on his wrists, visible thanks to his short-sleeved t-shirt. There's a shellshocked look in his eyes, though the moment he realizes where he is he tries to hide it. He looks around himself, getting his bearings, and pushes himself to his feet. If he's here again, then maybe the others -

He rushes off, his memories of this arena vivid again. He knows the way out, he can probably avoid the monsters, he doesn't care.

He's in such a rush that he bumps into someone - more like slams, really, rudely and not gently at all.]

Oh, I'm - I'm sorry. Are you all right?

[It's rote politeness. He doesn't seem that interested in the answer.]

[june 13th: acceptance]

[So. He's back, and he's had some time to get used to that, and he's found his friends again. Things aren't great, but they could be worse. They could be a lot worse. Adam's cuts and bruises are slowly healing, he's getting back on his feet in this prison of a place. His friends are here, and this is really the first time he's managed to pry himself away from them. Not for long, but he needed to walk, and so did his dog.

He's in the park, shoes off and toes in the grass. His dog - not quite a real dog, but indistinguishable from one - is running through the trees, circling back to Adam now and then to check on him. Adam watches, quiet, trying to settle back in to being here. He's not sure how he feels about it. Not really.

The dog is not actually much more sociable than his master, but if anyone approaches, he'll run back to Adam and sit next to him, half guard dog and half comfort. That will snap Adam out of his daze, and he'll look up -]

Am I in your way?

13th

[unitas]

[ There's been a dog or two within Hadriel. Sharon knows Cullen has one, and that there might be a girl here with one, as well, but she didn't know Adam had one. At the question, she gives a shake of her head. ]

No, I was just wondering when you got a dog.

[unknowable]

Recently.

[He knows that she and Ronan have spoken, but he doesn't really know the extent of it, and Ronan usually keeps his powers secret - so Adam will be evasive rather than telling the truth, which is that Ronan pulled that dog out of Adam's dreams.]

His name's Aspen.

[unitas]

[ Her lips twitch slightly at the name. Aspen, huh? She sees what he did there. ]

He's... cute. [ That's what normal people say to people with dogs, right? ]

[unknowable]

Thanks.

[He looks amused, though he doesn't quite smile. Sharon responds to things the way he does sometimes - like you're not sure what the normal thing to say or do is, but you're giving it a good try.]

Have you ever had a pet?

[unitas]

[ It's all about trying these days, even if most of the time it fails. ]

Me? [ She laughs, as if the very idea was absurd. ] We didn't have the time, or the money for pets. We had to be ready to move at a moments notice, sometimes only able to pack a single bag. A pet would have just been left behind.

[ and, to be honest, as much as he likes to pretend to she can handle all the necessary disconnect in her life, something like that would have been too much. ]

[unknowable]

[He nods.]

We never had the money either, and I wouldn't have wanted anything to happen to it.

[It's all too easy to imagine a pet ending up the target of someone's anger, not knowing any better.]

I'm sure you had things you kept, though. Right? Something that meant something to you.

[unitas]

I had a few things, yeah, but the only thing that really mattered was my dad. [ and she would willingly give up everything to keep him safe. even her life means nothing to her if he isn't safe. ] As long as we were together, what we left behind didn't matter.

[ not the names, not the schools, not the strangers that smiled at her on the street. against her father, everything else was inconsequential. ]

[unknowable]

What's he like?

[It's a masochistic impulse, maybe, asking that. Adam's primary emotion regarding his own father is fear, but he can't help but be strangely interested in people who have good relationships with their family. What does that sort of thing feel like?]

You really care about him.

13th

[whichend]

[ When the dog runs back to Adam Parrish, Arya will chase it, because that's the kind of responsible dog lover she is. She still trusts dogs more than people. She beams when she realizes who the dog belongs to. ]

You have a pup! Good. [ Arya squats next to the dog. ] You could use one, really.

[unknowable]

[He smiles when he sees her, though it's rather a weary smile. He would have missed Arya, he thinks, if he'd been able to remember this place while he was gone. Not everything here is awful.]

You think so? I'm lucky to have him.

[He pats the dog, gently, and nudges it toward Arya a bit. It inspects her carefully, sniffing at her.]

His name is Aspen.

[whichend]

[ Arya's smile fades when she finally gets a good look at Adam: more scarred and definitely wearier than when she saw him last. But that doesn't make any sense. He was definitely here a few days ago. What could have happened? Arya bites her lip, concerned, and now especially glad that Adam has a dog. ]

They make it easier to feel nice, sometimes. You could use that.

[ She extends a hand for Aspen and murmurs: ] Hello, little cousin.

[ Then back to Adam. ]

What happened?

[unknowable]

I probably could.

[Aspen is like his master - wary and careful around people. That's not a surprise, really, since he came from Adam's head. But Adam trusts Arya, and his body language makes that clear, so the dog sniffs her hand, then licks it carefully and moves forward so she can pet him if she wants.

Adam is quiet for a moment, because the answer to Arya's question is both straightforward and not at all. But he answers as best he can.]

I went back home for awhile. It seems like I was only gone for a couple days here, but - a lot happened at home.

[whichend]

[ Arya smiles when Aspen comes closer, careful not to show any teeth or look intimidating at all. Arya rarely lets herself present this gently towards people, even Adam, but for Aspen, it's almost like second nature. She strikes Aspen gently, happily. What a great dog.

Arya nods at Adam's explanation, not really knowing how it works but trusting that Adam isn't making things up. ]

I can see. You look like you've fought at least a few fights.

[ Some of them physical, but not necessarily all of them. ]

So are you well? Well enough?

[unknowable]

[He touches the scratches on his face, healing but not quite healed yet, still red and painful-looking.]

I guess I am. It's hard to say. What I left at home...

[Adam isn't sure how to explain, he isn't sure Arya even wants to hear these things. He rests a hand on Aspen's side for a moment, letting the contact comfort him.]

Gansey was dead. I hurt Ronan, and these scratches - I did them to myself. But I guess everything worked out. We're all okay, we all survived. And now I'm back here.

[whichend]

[ Somehow, Gansey dying isn't as shocking to Arya as Adam hurting Ronan. Arya has had a few conversations with Gansey, and to Arya, he's frustratingly naive. There was no way he could have survived, in the same way that Lady Arya Stark of Winterfell was always doomed to die.

Still, it must have been painful for Adam, and that's what Arya really cares about. ]

I'm sorry.

[ She says, quietly. ]

But you did a big thing by surviving. A good thing.

[unknowable]

[At home, he'd forgotten Arya. He'd forgotten all of this, everything here and all the people he met. It's strange to think about that now, especially when Arya is so earnestly saying something that, maybe, he needs to hear.

After everything that happened, Adam can't help but feel guilty. It wasn't all his fault, of course, but he hurt Ronan and he couldn't save Gansey. He nearly betrayed them all. Surviving shouldn't be an accomplishment, but it is. His life is worth something.

He smiles at Arya, not quite a happy thing but much closer than before.]

I missed you.

13th

[amos_moses]

Not at all, chief.

[Amos crouches down and grins at the dog. He digs in his pocket and offers out a piece of jerky.]

Just thought your friend might want a treat, s'all.

Hey little man.

[unknowable]

[The dog, like his master, is wary and careful with people. Like Chainsaw, it's a dream creature - more attuned to Adam than a normal animal would be, protective and devoted. It looks to Adam, and Adam places a hand on the dog's back gently and shakes his head.]

I don't remember giving you permission to feed him anything.

[And he doesn't trust Amos any more than he ever has.]

[amos_moses]

[Amos winces a little, but stays crouched there for a moment, treat in hand still offered out, and tips his head back to look up at Adam. In a wounded tone, he says, quietly:]

I wouldn't hurt him. Or any animal.

Not when I can hear 'em like I do.

[unknowable]

You can speak to people just as easily. Does that stop you from hurting them?

[Adam assumes that to Amos it's different, somehow, but it doesn't seem any different to him. Hurting people and hurting animals is all too easy for someone who's used to hurting people, and Adam has no intention of allowing anyone or anything he cares for to be hurt if he can avoid it.]

[amos_moses]

When I can. I don't like to fight.

[And this is true: Amos is a pacifist at heart. But his job is often violent, and in order to protect his life and the lives of those he cares about, he does often hurt people. But after Arya, he's quite certain Adam won't agree with him. Animals are one thing: they live simply. People are more complex, and Amos believes the world is fundamentally broken, that there can be no peace in this life.]

[unknowable]

[He puts a hand gently on Aspen's back, and the dog leans into him, loyal as a dream can be.]

He isn't going to take any food from someone I don't trust.

[amos_moses]

[Amos, ever hopeful, sets the treat on the ground before he stands up, weary resignation on his face.]

I'm sorry you don't trust me. I wish I could change that.

[unknowable]

Don't take it too personally. I don't trust very many people.

[He looks at Amos, even and calm.]

But you did do something to deserve it, in any case.