Intro Log: Don't Wake Tonberry

[hadrielmods]

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: Cute monsters, a way to pass the time, and plenty of newbies!

Waking up in Hadriel certainly has its down sides, but if this weird murdercave city is good at one thing, it's keeping people entertained. As you awaken on the hard ground of the colosseum, you might see a rectangular cardboard box lying near you. Ignore it for now, as you get your bearings, but if you get bored? Well, you'll find these exciting and unique board games will keep you entertained!

But how could you possibly get bored, when there are plenty of cute monsters around to keep you company? Sharing the colosseum with all the new arrivals are Tonberries. In addition to their natural cuteness defense, they also carry very large knives. They're slow-moving and look innocent and even friendly, but be careful - one strike from that knife and you'll be a bloody mess. They won't attack unless you get too close, but who doesn't want to hug a Tonberry? And of course, if you attack, they'll counter with extreme prejudice.

Managed to resist the urge to hug a Tonberry? Safely escaped from the clutches of the colosseum, new board game in tow? Awesome! 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 September 10th-13th.
► 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

[furthered]

Why can’t we leave?

[Curtis steps closer, eyes narrowed in quiet, polite observation. He’s not surprised that she’s so kind, he knows people can be, but it’s not a way he’s used to being treated.]

Only if you have enough to spare.

[He wouldn’t take anything that she might need to survive.]

Is everyone as nice as you are?

[It’s his own way of complimenting her, thanking her too. Curtis doesn’t know what to make of all the people here. So far, he hasn’t met anyone that is unkind or openly selfish, or anyone that wants to separate them all into different sections and control them.]

[lineare]

I don't really know, yet. But I'm going to find out why.

[ Jean's also surprised that he's so thoughtful even when she knows he must be starving. Jean's not normally one to reach out so readily, but there are so many people here from so many different worlds that it's difficult not to want to learn more about them, to quietly take them in and absorb their stories. She's still coming into herself, learning about her powers and gifts -- but she could never stand by and watch while someone needed help.

There's something in his reaction to her that makes it even more bittersweet -- as if there's no one who's extended a hand to him like this before. And she knows; there really isn't, not in a long time. She tries to tune out of his memories, but there's a lump in her throat at all he -- and his friends, his fellow passengers have suffered. She's seen glimpses, scraps of thought flickering through, but it's enough. ]

[ She reaches for the plate she'd already prepared a sandwich from, and gives it to him. His compliment makes her ears warm, and she shakes her head. ] People are usually quite kind here. I don't know if I'd call me that. [ Then, awkwardly, a small, wry smile tugging at her lips. She doesn't know if she's that nice; she's a hazard to other people, for one. ] You're pretty nice, too, yourself. Tuck in, I can always make more.

[furthered]

[They have that in common. Curtis doesn't think he's nice either, doesn't think he's a good man, but here's a woman sharing what she has with someone she doesn't know. There doesn't appear to be a motive behind it. If that doesn't make her nice, then he doesn't know what nice is.]

I would.

[He wasn't trying to embarrass her. It's been a long time since he's complimented anyone, so he's probably gone overboard. Curtis takes the plate with the sandwich, holding it in his hand too long, setting it on the counter near her. There's a deeper, more base side of himself, that wants to curl up and eat it fast, keep anyone from getting at it, and that lingering urge winds him. It's not polite. It's not fun.]

Will you eat with me?

[He's not sure he can do this on his own. Simple as it is.]

[lineare]

Ah.

[ Jean's startled by that question -- sometimes being a telepath doesn't mean you're a fortune teller -- because usually people avoided her, or the other way around. But he doesn't know who and what she is, right? So maybe it'll be nice to keep it up a little more before she eventually tells him, because he deserves the right to keep away if he wants.

Curtis' freedom is a hard-won, bitter thing, and she's positive he hasn't actually seen food like this before; how it must be difficult to restrain that primal hunger, that zero-sum game where it's either you or that other fellow.

Imagine living a life that way. She knows that flash of base desire even if she doesn't quite understand it -- and she makes her own, then another, before she draws a seat and settles by him. ]

Yes, of course. [ Another ham and cheese sandwich, carefully set on his plate, as she bites into her own. ] I added mayonnaise instead of butter. A little family secret.

[furthered]

Is your family here?

[In hindsight, it’s probably rude to ask something like that. They’ve just met and she doesn’t owe him any of her personal story. Curtis lifts the sandwich and takes a bite, eyes falling shut and a sigh slipping out. It was real. Real food. Bread and meat and cheese and mayonnaise instead of butter.]

You don’t have to tell me.

[He takes another bite; his hands shake as he forces himself to go slow. Curtis doesn’t want to make himself sick or to shove it all in at once. His eyes flick up, brows scrunched and mouth pinched. It’s been a long time since he’s worried about what other people think when they see him, and while he might not care in general, he kind of worries about it with her right now.]

We can talk about what you want.