INTRO LOG: A TAXING JOURNEY

[hadrielmods]

Who: New arrivals and everyone else!
What: The intro log for December. Watch your step!
Where: The colosseum and all around the city.
When: December 10th-17th
Warnings: Taxxon-related violence, teeth shoes, general unpleasantness, mass confusion.

You wake up in the dust of the colosseum with no shoes on, regardless of the state of your feet when you arrived. There's dust covering your clothing and in your hair, but other than that, there's no signs of injury or bruising. You're also not alone- nearby, there are others, either still passed out or just waking up like you are. Feel free to take solace in that fact. Or don't- some of you aren't human, and are clearly not great people either. No offense.

To your left, there is a door in the wall of the arena, supposedly leading to the halls which will then show you to your freedom. To your right, and scattered haphazardly on the ground, are a myriad of teeth shoes. These shoes might be better than going barefoot right now, but good luck finding a matching set, let alone one that fits you.

When you do eventually try to escape, be careful. The halls are crawling with Taxxons. Large and grotesque, these caterpillar-like creatures have circular mouths and multiple rows of sharp teeth. Their sense of smell is impeccable, and they will stop at nothing to feed when they scent blood. So, you know, try to avoid stepping on anything sharp on your way out.

All done with the horrible monsters and awkward greetings? Try your hand at exploring the rest of the city! Find a house, find a new monster, or simply scavenge for supplies until your little heart is content. Good luck, and enjoy your stay in Hadriel!

► This log covers December 10th-17th.
► Feel free to make your own logs, as well!
► Characters may find their own shoes scattered around with the teeth shoes if you like.
► All characters now arrive with phones that have network communication.
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!

Comments

[vendetta]

Of course Nymeria wouldn't be familiar with that acronym, if she's from a world where prosthetic limbs are nothing more than a pipe dream. "It stands for 'as soon as possible,'" Miller explains. Thus far there's been no proof of anyone actually making their way out of this impossible city, but that could simply mean that the right escape method hasn't been found. That isn't Kaz's area of expertise so much as it's Snake's, but that won't stop him from searching for a way out all the same.

Nymeria's next question is as pointed as ever, but where it might have frightened some people, or made them falter, Miller only appears more confident. He starts toward the spire, figuring that Nymeria will follow along after him if she's that curious to hear what he has to say. He has to admit, it does help his pride to know there's at least one person in this place who wants to hear him out.

"If they came here, that would just make my life easier," he explains, talking over the tapping of his cane with each step that he takes. "The people I'm hunting, they're the kind who would prefer to hide in the shadows. Half the job is rooting them out... in a city this small, it'd be a lot harder for them to hide."

Despite his missing limbs, Kaz carries himself with determination. He doesn't seem to believe that he'd be hindered by his disabilities. He'll pull the trigger with his own hand if he has to, just like he'd helped Venom when the time had come with Skull Face.

[whichend]

People don't escape from the city, but they do disappear. Arya has heard rumors of people simply vanishing, often around the same time that others arrive. Bruce talked to the gods on the network about it, but the gods either didn't know much about it, or weren't telling the whole story. Arya guesses it's the second of the two. People are never what they seem, and everyone has secrets. Even gods. Whatever brought her, Kaz, and everyone else here is both dangerous and mysterious.

Right now, Arya is too focused on staying alive to investigate that any further.

Arya does follow Kaz, poking her head into the occasional room to make sure there isn't something sinister waiting for them. She's curious about these people who come from other worlds, and although she's starting to get a little bit used to that by now, it's still something that feels strange to her.

Arya nods. This man, she thinks understands. Sometimes revenge is inevitable, even necessary, and it would all be easier if there wasn't such a grueling hunt associated with it. Arya has a weapon ready and waiting for the men on her list, if they arrive. She just hopes it happens soon.

"Who are they?" Arya isn't afraid of them; her fight is not with these people, but it's good to know about all the sides in everybody's wars. "If I see them, I can tell you where they are." She's not going to take Kaz's revenge from him. He looks like he needs it just as badly, if not worse, than she does.

[vendetta]

There's no denying that it's a little strange for Miller to have a young girl at his heels like this. The last time he'd experienced anything like this had been with Paz, and that had all been one huge farce, a secret he'd held onto -- though he regretted that now. Maybe if he'd been more honest with Snake, he wouldn't have abandoned him so ruthlessly.

Well, there's no way to undo that now. The damage has already been done and Kaz doesn't have much space in his heart for regret. It's all filled up with righteous anger, with that lust for vengeance.

Nymeria here seems drawn to it, and maybe that's why she's still following him around. Kaz breathes out in relief when he finds that the apartment on the ground level looks to be vacant. There are three separate bedrooms, which is more than he needs, but he'll make use of the space one way or another.

He exits the third room back into the living area and then looks Nymeria over, wondering for a moment if it will be a problem for her to know where he lives. She has a fierceness about her and Miller imagines that she wouldn't hesitate to use that weapon of hers, but there's no reason for her to point it toward him. They're on the same side here, looking for the same thing if from different people.

"They're part of an organization called CIPHER. I can't give you specific names or descriptions, except for one... Zero." Just saying that name causes Miller's face to twist with anger. "I've never seen him myself, but there are pictures of him. A little dated now, but..."

He pauses, realizing that he's gotten way too close to dragging a teenage girl into his mess. "Don't worry. If he ends up here, I'll find him myself." He says the words in that same breathy tone, somewhere between rage and anticipation.

[whichend]

Arya would probably follow Kaz around even if he didn't have a matching desire for revenge. She's always been able to make friends, and if not friends, allies, fairly easily. They were always with the wrong sorts of people, of course. She could never charm another lady or a suitable bachelor. The only knights she'd ever come close to being friends with were Berric Dondarrion and the Hound, and she prefers not to think about that last man if she's able.

Kaz reminds her of Berric and his men in many ways. All improbably alive, and alive for one goal only. It's that kind of motivation that lets people survive at all, Arya has found. She's got it. She says it in her prayer each and every night. It keeps her sharp and focused, and if her family wouldn't approve of what she's become (which they certainly wouldn't, she's no Stark anymore,) it can't be helped.

That's what she tells herself, anyway, since she can't bear to imagine the shame in her father's eyes if he ever learned. Or Jon's eyes.

Arya is inspecting the kitchen appliances -- what a strange toaster -- when Kaz comes back. She perks up at his return. "Zero," she repeats, acknowledging she's heard him. And she understands that he needs to be the one to kill his enemy. She wouldn't want anyone else killing Cersei, or Raff, or Ser Ilyn for her. "You will," she says. "Hadriel is small, unless you visit the tunnels. Have you seen those? There are beasts inside, I'm sure of it." She's not bothered by the tunnels. She probably should be, but instead, Arya is excited.

[vendetta]

Kaz hasn't even had the chance to take a look at the appliances, too concerned with making sure that there's a place for him to sleep. Shelter is the first point of concern, but food is a close second, and he doesn't see anything here that he can eat, even as he hobbles into the kitchen to start looking through the cabinets. With the number of other people who are stuck here, there must be a food supply somewhere. It's just a matter of finding it.

At Nymeria's question, Kaz glances over, frowning at the strange device in her hands before he shakes his head. "I've heard about them, but I haven't gone there myself. That's where all the monsters end up, right?" That's what Snake had told him, at least, and as much as they're at odds, it's not the sort of thing he would have lied about. Probably.

Miller leans himself back against the kitchen counter, mainly to take some weight off of his back. He lets out a sigh and shakes his head. "I probably won't be heading there anytime soon. It may look like I have a death wish, but I really don't." He can't die yet. He's got too many scores to settle.

[whichend]

Arya doubts that Kaz has a death wish, since she isn't entirely convinced Kaz is still alive. How does a person know if they're dead? Maybe she's dead too, killed by the Tickler or the Kindly Man without ever knowing it. Arya doesn't let those thoughts linger. They're silly, and frankly counter-productive. What does death and life really matter, anyway? All men die eventually. Someday, she will too.

Arya nods. "The monsters don't have anywhere else to go, and I don't think they are vanishing monsters. So we know there must be bears and slime monsters in the caves at least, although there's likely more."

Arya watches Kaz search the cabinets, and eventually she realizes he's looking for food. Of course. Can't survive without that. "There is food in the shops," she offers. "It just appears, and as far as we know, it's free for the taking. The gods provide it, so if you do not want to be in their debt, then you must hunt. Or fish, or make acorn paste." Arya doesn't suggest stealing. Kaz doesn't really seem like the type.

[vendetta]

It's not necessarily that Kaz would be above stealing if he were really left with no other choice, but it's not the first thing that comes to mind. Hunting is probably out of the question, but fishing is something he might be able to pull off if he can fashion the right tools and find some bait. The question is whether that's worth all the trouble when food is readily provided for them.

"Have you eaten any of the food from the shops?" he asks, figuring that if there was some kind of unexpected side effect, the people who had been here for a while would have figured it out by now.

"And as for the monsters, you can probably assume that there's giant centipedes added to those ranks now." Kaz rolls his eyes, but in reality he's still at a bit of a loss over that entire encounter. Thinking back on it feels surreal, and he'd assume this was all some bizarre dream if he didn't know better.

Still, Hadriel has done a good job thus far of making him question his sanity.

[whichend]

"Some of it." Arya doesn't eat the packaged foods, mostly because she doesn't recognize it as food more than half the time. She's definitely walked past bags of chips and cans of soda thinking that they're toys, or explosives, or something completely alien that the previous residents of this city needed for survival. She sticks with the raw fruits and breads and things like that, things she recognizes. Hadriel isn't the best place to get poisoned.

"That's not why I'm small, though." She adds, quickly. Arya isn't sure why she still looks like she's ten years old, but suspects it has something to do with eating little more than acorn paste for an extended period of time. Even now, when food is free for the taking, she doesn't take much. She doesn't know when it's going to run out, and besides, she's simply not used to eating so much anymore.

Arya nods, solemnly, not really catching that the giant centipedes comment was at least partially a joke. She's seen a lot of large, strange monsters here that centipedes wouldn't surprise her. "Do you think you can eat a centipede? I've never tried. But they seem easy enough to kill, and if the meat is good, there's no reason it should go to waste." She shrugs. "I ate the bears here, for a while, before they disappeared."

[vendetta]

In that case, it's probably safe for Miller to assume that he can eat the food that the gods provide for them. It may feel a little like giving in, but he also isn't in the best state to go hunting, so he can't turn his nose up at it either. It might seem wrong to eat from their hand and then plot against them at the same time, but survival and escape are Kaz's two primary motives at the moment.

He's not expecting Nymeria to bring up her size, unclear on what that has to do with anything. She is small, sure, but she's also young. She might have some kind of complex about it, probably because she's used to people underestimating her, but Miller has no intention of doing that.

What he wants is to get her as far from this dangerous situation as possible, but that clearly isn't an option at the moment.

When she starts in about eating the monsters, though, Kaz can't stop his eyebrows from shooting up in surprise. "You sound like an old friend of mine," he says, though there's a grimness to his tone because that all ended in one big mess. "More seriously, you'd have to make sure you could cook it and also that it wasn't anything poisonous."