hadriel_logs | INTRO LOG: A TAXING JOURNEY

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INTRO LOG: A TAXING JOURNEY

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!

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

«« the awakening of the hungry shoes »»
Uwoooh!

[ There's a loud voice that might startle you awake, if you weren't already. Jinbee is naturally loud, so he doesn't exactly keep quiet when he sees the shoes. Odd shoes! ]

I have never seen such footwear in my life! What are these!?

«« beware bug infestations »»
[ Then when he's noticed that he's not on the road with his father any more (how did he not notice right away) and he has not bothered to put on any of the tooth shoes because it's fine if he goes barefoot, right? He'll find some geta somewhere, eventually, right?

Anyway, at least his lack of wooden shoes makes his footsteps light against the hallway floor. He is not at all surprised when coming across a Taxxon (or two, or however many) because he's actually used to huge insects. ]

Don't worry, this Tsukishima Jinbee of the Insect Magistrate will protect you!

[ He says (loudly) to whoever is with him. Or maybe just in general, because he is like that. Even if you don't even look like you need protection.

He can totally defeat the bugs for you though, so you can kick back and relax if you feel like it. ]

«« accidental houseguests might make themselves known »»
[ He just can't stop being loud, this guy. He shouts in amazement at each new thing he come across. The buildings in particular, and the things in the stores, and the things in the houses.

He might be heard shouting in amazement outside any of the buildings, or he might be knocking on your door or you might not have heard him so he let himself in or.. anything, really. He's still so amazed at all these wondrous stuff that he is discovering. ]

Oooohh!! Amazing!!!

best put that down (shoes);

[There was a hook in his throat. Another buried in his side. His armor was broken, his voice crippled, his muscles dragged taut by the chains yanking him forward.

This is what he remembers.

When Koltira opens his eyes, the afterimage resonates. Sylvanas's face, enraged but smug. Her promise to him. Her assurance that she would thank him later.

But he isn't beneath the Undercity. He's somewhere else, somewhere he doesn't recognize, and he's not wearing any boots.

He sits up, staring, observing the teeth shoes strewn around him. He marks the ostensible exit, too, but he'll get to that in a minute. It's imperative that he recover his armor, and he knows it's here--he spots other, non-toothy footwear among the scattered piles.

He searches with increasing agitation, his ears twitching, his mouth a hard line. Then he sees someone--someone holding his boot.]

Give that to me.

[It's an order, and it doesn't sound friendly.]

it's you or me, buddy (taxxons);

[Koltira's seen worms of this like before. The massive jormungar of Northrend could be cousin to these monstrous insects, and he suspects they're just as amenable to company.

Koltira draws his sword as a few of the creatures skitter around him, up close to him. He doesn't actually smell like much of anything, beyond frost and sometimes scotch--usually. But he's not going to wait for them to attack, and besides--there are others here. Besides besides, he just wants to hurt something.]

Bash'a no falor talah.

[He swings his sword, its runes shimmering blood red, and cuts deeply into one Taxxon's soft underbelly. A terrible smile darkens Koltira's face as the blood flows. As the blood begins to burn.

Shrieking echoes through the halls.]

hey, listen (exploring);

[Koltira wanders the city, feeling an odd, increasing sense of unease. There's something not right about this place. Some kind of magic prickles at him, runs like fingers up and down his spine, and it's not pleasant.

He's hardly seen another soul, either, living or dead. But wait--there's someone, near the twisting spires. Koltira rushes to catch them, calling, his voice probably significantly more hostile than it should be.]

You there! Stay still.

[A. ESCORT MISSION]

[The orc wakes up, somehow barefoot. He's somewhat bothered but more grumpy than anything. And then he realizes he's in an arena and gets... well, a bit more excited.]

An arena? Is there going to be a fight? Consider yourself fortunate, then-- I'll give you a good show. Do your worst, mongrels!

[Of course, no one is going to charge him right off... but he smells something strange, besides all the humans and ... non humans who fell in around him. He's not one to sit around waiting for a fight, so he unsheathes his runeblades and stalks off towards the way out.

He's not offering to escort anyone exactly, but it might be a good idea to stay behind the very large, very strong-looking monster guy.]

[B. EXPLORING]

[After fighting his way through worms, he's not even bothered. He has a cell phone on his person but hell if you'll get him to actually figure out how to use it. He'd rather set his eyes on things personally, so here he is, out and about in the residential areas. He sticks out like a darkly-armored green thumb. Occasionally he can be seen rustling through debris to see if there's anything of note.

Sometimes he enters houses, too. Or apartments. If they're locked, he's not about to break in-- but he's kind of in a looting mood, so anyone else squatting there will probably be in for a start.]

[ooc: note, permissions are here if you intend on attacking him!]

Edited 2015-12-10 20:09 (UTC)

show me your teeth (shoes.)
At first, Johanna is convinced that this is simply another dream. She's lost count of the number of times she's gone to sleep and woken up in a feverish, half-real arena. Her dreams may not be wholly real, but the pounding in her chest and the fury are not. She just can't escape, can she?

It's when she notices that other people are waking up around her that Johanna becomes suspicious. There are rarely other people in her dream-arenas, much less strangers. And everything feels so real -- her senses of touch, smell, and sight are far too clear for this to be a dream.

Which means she's woken up in an arena for real this time, which is even worse. She thought she was done with this. She thought they'd overthrow the Capitol and put an end to those fucking games once and for all. Guess not. Johanna stands, quickly. She's got no time to waste being vulnerable. Her head is still shaved from the torture, and she's still in her hospital gown from when Thirteen had to sedate her. She's pale, skinny, but most of all, she's very, very angry.

"Guess you didn't have enough, huh?" she shouts at the sky. "Had to go for one more turn? Well you know what? Fuck this, and fuck you!"

She isn't going down without making some people very, very comfortable.

the very hungry...caterpillars?
Johanna's taken what little supplies she can from the dusty part of the coliseum -- namely, a pair of shoes and some rocks for throwing. She's got her axe, of course. That's a much better weapon than a couple stones, but still, it doesn't hurt to have any extra. She'll go all David-and-Goliath on an enemy if they decide to mess with her. She's done this fighting thing before, after all.

Whoever made this arena stuck some strange beasts in it, that's for sure. Those are the most disgusting worms she's ever seen. And the largest, and the ones with the biggest teeth, too. Johanna has been stepping over it while she can, but now, her way is blocked by a huge swarm of them. She can barely see the floor.

Time for death, then. She takes out her axe and starts hacking away at the Taxxons. Slimy ooze sprays everywhere: on the walls, the ceiling, even on Johanna herself. The room is filled with beast corpses, but it's not enough.

More are coming.

street smarts. (cw: drug abuse)
This place wasn't an arena, after all. The thought brings Johanna some comfort, but much. It's no better than Thirteen, really. She can't see the sky, and the trees are small, sickly things. Decaying. That's the word. It's funny, really. Johanna can't stand anything too perfect, too saccharine, but she hates this, too. She hates the rot. In some ways, it reminds her of her own condition.

Or maybe she's so angry because she hasn't had morphling in almost twenty-four hours. Ever since the training center flooded, she's been back to using and abusing it like there's no tomorrow. Johanna doesn't want to deal with withdrawal, not right now, but mostly, she doesn't want to feel like shit. She came in with a single bag on an IV she's been carrying around with her, but that'll run out soon. And she doesn't have a plan after that.

So she's walking up and down the streets, dragging her IV behind her. She's looking for a drug ring, a clinic, a stockpile -- something. The city's pretty extensive. She's got to find something somewhere, surely.

a.

[Coming awake sets all of Triela's nerves on high alert. There's dust in her waist length pigtails... Has she been here for some time? She smells the air. Something foul...

Being kidnapped scares her, in a bad way. It takes her back to a time she doesn't even properly remember or fully comprehend — but she knows that she was taken once before, and brutalized... But this time, she thinks grimly, I can protect myself. She's been granted her shotgun by her captors, at least — seems strange, but she's not going to complain — and she won't let herself be harmed.

More importantly, there's someone else she should be protecting, even above herself. She's looking for him now, concerned to the point that sweat beads on her forehead, and she feels like hyperventilating, but she has to be stronger than that.] Hilshire? [she asks the air, scanning for him, needing him.] Sir?!

[No sign.

The shoes all around make this place seem pretty screwed up, and Triela wrinkles her nose. What a freakshow... It's kind of making her jumpy. A noise spooks her and she flinches in place, whirling to the left and aiming with her shotgun at the same time. Luckily, she doesn't pull the trigger. It's just another person... Seems like several others are waking up here. Great, Triela thinks, civilians. There's no time to deal with civilians when she has to find Hilshire.

But she lowers her gun slowly.]

b.

[Civilians! Triela ends up thinking again, this time when huge, monstrous worms are blocking her exit and clearly trying to eat her. This is some sort of nightmare, or a really messed up fairy tale, right? Since when does stuff like this happen in real life? But it's definitely happening: all her senses are assaulted by the fear in this situation. Damn it!

The 'civilian' in question ends up shoved out of the way with one hand. This girl is way stronger than she looks — a human of normal strength will end up reeling backwards. Then Triela is in front of them, and she quickly takes aim — accurate aim — and fires with her shotgun. It hits one of the creature's eyes.

Now it seems pissed.]

Crap! [she hisses. Seven shots left. There are a lot of these things and only so many bullets...]

c.

[Safely out of the colosseum, Triela's still got a big problem: she can't find her handler Hilshire. She's been looking around for him for hours now instead of settling down — but how can she settle down when she needs him? And he needs her! If he's here, he could be hurt or in danger... If he's not here, those concerns still apply. Being apart from him is agony, and she's not equipped to handle this sort of stressor.

The phone she'd found on her person turns out to be useless, too. She dials Hilshire's number, but it's not just that he doesn't answer... The call doesn't even connect. She dials several desks at the SWA, too, but the same thing happens when she tries that. There's nothing... She has no idea she is, she has no idea where her handler is, and... It's scary here.

Triela looks like a lost little girl, eyes gone all big with concern and stress... Her hair is mussed and dusty, and she's barefoot. She'd probably look pitiful if not for the big shotgun slung over her shoulder. Still, even that attribute might be offset by the fact that she looks like she might start crying.]

Crap, [she mumbles, rubbing one of her eyes.] Ammunition...

No.

[ While Johanna will admit that the tooth-shoes have a nice aesthetic, the boots appear to be part of a set of armor of some kind. They look like they would provide great protection, and Johanna will take all the protection she can get. She doesn't care if these belong to someone else. She doesn't care about their safety. In an arena, you have to look out for number one.

She slips the boots on, and grins.]

Come and get it.

[ Judging from the skin and the pointy ears, Johanna is wagering that this man is from the Capitol, and the differences in his appearance are due to plastic surgery. It's so popular among the rich pricks these days. ]

Edited 2015-12-10 22:12 (UTC)

[Kerrigan doesn't live in the spires herself, but she makes frequent passes of them to keep an eye on things and look for any signs of something going wrong. The hostile tone of voice directed at her has the deadly appendages on her back lifting up slightly as she turns, but she doesn't expect a threat from anything or anyone capable of speaking intelligibly.

She folds the limbs back up again at the odd, pointy-eared being, and recalls her zergling to her side.]

I'm listening.

[ Arya hasn't seen many children here. There were two other young ones, in the early days, but Arya suspects they're dead. She hasn't seen them in over two months. She isn't surprised, though. Most children are weak.

This child looks weak, too. Their eyes are so wide; they look so lost. Arya doesn't think it's a lie -- this child has "new blood" written all over her. Arya would be quick to dismiss this girl, except there's something very, very interesting strapped to the stranger's back.

This girl is armed. Well, at least she's doing one thing right.

Arya stands at the opposite end of the street, sword drawn. She isn't close enough for melee combat, but she's prepared, should it come to that. ]

You must make your own weapons here. The gods will not give us any until they resurrect Rage.

[ She says, matter-of-fact. ]

Beyond is one of those who has awakened nearby her. He's been conscious for a while now, sitting on the ground with his dusty knees drawn up to his chest, always observing the landscape around him. He laughs at her angry skyward cry, a harsh, bitter, entirely mirthless sound.

"Not your first time either, I take it."

[The shoved civilian in question happens to be one Beyond Birthday, and while he's not exactly a normal human, he isn't quite strong or agile enough to avoid falling to the floor from the impact of the push.]

Ouch.

[He sits up, rubbing his elbow, with an expression of pure irritation directed at the girl. Clearly, this affront is more important than the fact he's just nearly missed becoming monster food. Clearly.]

Edited 2015-12-10 23:35 (UTC)

hello new friends

[ Sitting upright, he swings his helmet all around as he tries to figure out exactly where he is. He eventually comes to the conclusion that he has never been in this place but more importantly ... his feet are cold. He looks down to see that he no longer has his shoes -- or armored booties -- and wiggles his toes.

He does get up to walk over to see what shoes are actually present. Because it looks like whoever took his shoes is willing to leave lots and lots of other shoes. He picks them up to turn them over a few times. ] Ah! [ Caboose immediately drops them. ] I'm sorry, sir. I didn't realize that you were down there. I was just looking for some shoes. You have a nice smile and white teeth. Could you tell me how to get my teeth that white?

[ It is about this time that the assault rifle tucked under his arm speaks: ] Captain Caboose, those are shoes.

hello i am lost

[ After talking to a few shoes, he does eventually wander out into what appears to be a city. He doesn't recognize this city, either. ] Hey. Did everyone send me on a mission and not tell me? That must mean that they think that I'm the best. I'm so good that they didn't even send me with information. [ Lightly patting the side of his rifle, he praises Freckles. ]

Who's a good boy? Who's a good boy? Who is a good boy that gets to go on a super secret mission that is even a secret to me! You! You are. And now we are outside and uh ... we should ... [ There is a slight buzzing sound before the rifle once more speaks: ] Seek a temporary headquarters before exploring the area more. [ Caboose stares ahead. There is an audible pause from the rifle. ] We should attempt to find a house to rest in.

Yeah, I'm getting kind of sleepy. I guess it's two P-M naptime!

[Wait, wait, that's not her microwave beeping.

Z peeks into her living room, frowning at her... guest.]

Um... who are you and what are you doing in my apartment?

[Because if you need shelter, you're fine, but at least say hello, you know? Z likes sharing and all.]

01. ARRIVAL [closed to Big Boss]
Miller doesn't remember falling asleep.

He'd been on Mother Base (because frankly, he didn't leave it much these days; he was of more use providing support than working out in the field), coordinating new jobs and checking on the men while the Boss was out. Morale had been low lately, not necessarily because of anything they'd done wrong, but because of what had happened with the English strain. First the quarantine platform, then Eli's last stand which had gotten way too many kids killed—a lot of the men were taking it hard.

Kaz did what he always did: he got back to work.

But when he opens his eyes now, it's through the haze of disorientation. His aviators aren't on, and it takes some frantic groping through sand (sand?) before he finds them.

Once they're back in place, Kaz pushes himself up to sit and finds that he's in the center of some kind of arena. It looks like the Colosseum in Rome, except without the tourists... and there are other bodies scattered around him. Living bodies, but none of them are people he recognizes. He's obviously nowhere near Mother Base, but he has no memory of being taken anywhere, of even being apprehended—

He still has his cane and his artificial leg, that much he can be thankful for, but for some reason they've taken his shoes. With a grunt and the help of his cane, Kaz slowly but surely gets to his feet, the peg of his fake leg digging into the sand. Sand which looks to be periodically splattered with bloodstains, he can't help but notice. He only needs one shoe, and so he grabs the first one that isn't completely strange and pulls it on.

Given that he has no idea where he is and he's out in the open, exposed like an easy mark, Kaz makes no attempt to talk to the other people who are slowly waking up. What he needs to do is get away from this place to somewhere more protected and then figure out what's happened.

With cane in hand, he hobbles his way over to the single door that's available to him, which leads to some interior hallways. That's a little better, at least, but it's dim and nothing he's seeing is jogging any memories. CIPHER has to be behind this. They hadn't been able to get to the Boss the way they'd wanted, so they'd decided to come after him instead, because he was the easier target. Well, he sure as hell isn't going to go down without a fight. He'll make them regret the assumption that he'll be easy pickings.

As Kaz approaches a corner, he hears a series of noises, squelching and clicking sounds that give him immediate pause. Whatever that is, it doesn't sound good, but there's no other way out and he isn't going back the way he came. Taking a moment to steel himself, he sets his cane against the nearest wall and then grabs for his gun. With only one arm, this might prove tricky, but he presses himself up against the wall and then moves forward step by excruciating step.

Once close enough, he rounds it as quickly and smoothly as he can (which isn't very), and is faced with...

There's really no other word for it. It's a monster. A giant insect with more limbs than anything that large should have.

"What the hell?" Kaz barks, lifting his arm to shoot at the thing as he tries to back away without tripping over himself. If the bullets don't do any good, he'll have no choice but to run, and that isn't anywhere close to his strong suit.

Shit.

02. HOUSE HUNTING [open]
Kaz doesn't regret splitting away from Snake. He doesn't need his help, even if he's been established here for a month now and might be able to answer his questions. Kaz couldn't care less about that. There are other people here, so he'll get information from them. He refuses to go crawling back when he'd been cast aside like a stray dog.

He has to prove that he can survive in this bizarre place on his own, and the first step in doing that is finding somewhere to live. Kaz's journey through the city is slow-going, his body already protesting the strain he's putting on it by traveling such long distances, but he grits his teeth through the soreness.

By sheer determination alone, he's reached the apartment buildings that are actually intact. Architecturally, nothing in this city looks anything like what Kaz knows from Earth, but it's taking some time to wrap his head around the idea that they're in another world ruled by gods. The spire before him is no different, and he stares up at it, wondering what the protocol is for getting himself an apartment.

It doesn't look like there's anyone in charge, or some kind of landlord to negotiate with, but the idea that he can just stroll in and pick a room for himself is beyond him. Kaz takes a look around and then spots a stranger heading down the road toward him.

"Hey. Do you know if there's anyone around in charge of this..." He pauses and gestures to the spire with his cane. "Building?"

03. SCAVENGING [open]
It's not a pill that Kaz swallows easily, this idea that he's trapped in this strange place for the unforeseen future. Whatever his feelings about Big Boss, though, there's one thing he does have to admit: if there was a way out of here, he would have found it by now. Until now, Kaz hadn't realized there was such a thing as a cage that could keep Snake prisoner (unless a coma counted, and in a way it did). Hadriel had proved that theory wrong.

Now that he's got somewhere to stay, the next move is to make sure that he's got what he needs to survive in the long term. Kaz isn't used to gathering resources himself, he usually has other people who take care of that for him, but Diamond Dogs doesn't exist here. (Everything he built, taken from him again.) So he'll handle this himself, peg leg and all.

Once he makes it to the storefronts, Kaz first finds himself a backpack. He can only carry so much at once, which means that these scavenging trips will have to be a routine thing. Frustrating, to say the least, but he's too stubborn to ask anyone else for help, even if his missing arm makes the entire process take twice as long.

Nonetheless, Kaz makes his way through the rubble of the store, using his cane to sift through debris in search of edible food or clothing that would fit.

[ OOC note: While this top comment is in prose, I'm more than happy to thread with brackets/action tags! ]

Edited 2015-12-11 02:59 (UTC)

[a: attack of the giant centipedes]

[The shoes are weird. The shoes are really weird, and losing his own shoes was just as weird. Josh was rather uncertain about them at first, but when it came down to it, wandering around a freaky cave barefoot seemed like a slightly more awful prospect than wandering around a creepy cave with weird tooth shoes on. So he is wearing them. He's not entirely sure they aren't going to end up eating his feet - or, what, liquefying them or something? - but he's decided to take the chance.

Besides. This probably isn't real. Things have been kind of weird lately as it is, so maybe he's hallucinating or something. He's gotta find the way out of here and figure out where the lodge is, or what's going on, or whatever. Josh has things to do, he has plans to set in motion, and he was on his way to do that when suddenly he turned up here.

He's caught up in his own disordered thoughts, so when he turns a corner in one of the hallways he doesn't quite realize what he's looking at at first. Then he does, and he pinwheels back.]

What the hell?

[But hey, no way is that real. Giant freaky centipede monster? No way. So Josh laughs, then, and shakes his head.]

Hey, man! You got me good. Where's the camera? You can come out now.

[b: these mean streets]

[Josh has come to the conclusion that even if this isn't real (and it probably isn't, come on, let's get serious here), he's going to have to treat it as if it is. There's weird monsters, tooth shoes (which actually are pretty comfortable), a crazy cave with crazy buildings in it, and he's just got to - figure things out. It's not easy, though. Part of him is still thinking it's some kind of prank. A more significant part of him is thinking that he really has finally gone totally batshit, and he's hallucinating it all. But he wouldn't be aware of it if he were, right?

Maybe he shouldn't have stopped taking his meds. It had seemed so obviously the right decision at the time.

But whatever it is that's causing this, he has to treat it like it's real, just in case it is. Just in case he really might get eaten by giant centipedes.

And that means finding somewhere safe to stay. Right now, Josh is just sort of - wandering. Actually, he's totally lost, considering the only landmark he's really familiar with is the colosseum. But the streets aren't totally empty, so when he sees someone else, he doesn't hesitate.]

Hey. Think you could help me out?

From a distance, Arya thinks this man is a corpse. Or a revived corpse. Where she comes from, one does not lose an arm and a leg and survive. The exception, of course, was the Lightning Lord, who rose up even after his skull was bashed in. Perhaps this man has been exposed to a similar kind of magic. He moves slower than Beric Dondarrion, however, as if he's not quite healed. That's different.

So it's curiosity more than anything else that drives Arya to actually approach the man. It's not something she does often -- she has a blanket mistrust of all males over the age of thirteen. It's a survival mechanism, and some days, she wishes she'd developed it earlier. She's got her sword out, ready for a fight if it comes to it, but something tells her she can take this man even without Needle's help. That thought gives her a slight bit of comfort.

Once she's close enough to see him properly, she gives him a cold, analytical stare-down before responding. She's checking for weaknesses (those are obvious), strengths, and any clues to his identity. She doesn't think she knows him, but the glasses make her deeply uncomfortable. She doesn't trust people if she can't see their face.

"No one is in charge," she responds, flatly. "If you're looking for shelter, this can suffice." She shrugs. "I've never been in it myself, though. If I were you, I'd scout it out first. Check for bears." It's sound advice. She's curious to see what the man will do with it.

shoe sale

[ It's not terribly odd to wake upon the ground. Is that not how he was before he died? Crawling across the sand in order to just be able to touch Urick once more? To feel his heat pressed against his palm? He opens his eyes to look about the colosseum. The architecture is something that he recalls, but he also recalls death. This does not appear to be the Land of the Gods. This does not appear to be the place in which they will walk among those that brought such disaster to the living world. I expected more flames.

The trouble comes when he sees that he is without shoes. He breathes out a sigh before he gets up to look among the shoes already present. His head tilts slightly at the sight of teeth beneath but it is only for a few moments. Eventually, he locates one pump but is troubled that he cannot find its match. He would rather hate to start his journey of ... whatever this is ... lopsided. ]

You? Would you help me find the pair to this one?

Homeward bound the less than sane journey.

[ He's surprised the teeth hold him so well as he walks. He would have thought they might break and shatter as he continues on with them. Truly, they are far more reliable than his other heels. Yaha smiles to himself, but it is a brief smile. It does not feel as though he is alive -- yet he feels the bitter taste of life as he breathes in. His magic -- his everything -- feels drained and weak. He cannot manipulate everything as he would like. He cannot force the minds of those who look at him to stand so that he may take out some of his ugly aggression upon them. ]

It may be the first time that we have lived alone, children. [ Yaha appears as though he is speaking to himself as he walks the streets. He tilts his head slightly toward the ground as he listens to the murmured responses in his ear. Hurt... hurt... kill? His children's vocabulary is awful and he cannot help but sigh. They can feel his desire for bloodshed but it would be too dangerous to do anything now. So, they search. They search for a place that they can rest ... and for supplies to sink their teeth into.

Meat... meat. Red and wet. Living? Suffering? The elf starts to laugh -- it's a melodious sound that is coupled with a small spin around in a circle. His precious ones. His dears who have so few thoughts. He will find them meat. He will find himself something delicious. Perhaps, it will be the same thing. ] Humans are the same no matter what world we go to, isn't that right, children? Find the one that shall protect us from the chill and the emptiness of this world. That is what our task should be ... and hopefully, there is a house with it.

[ And hopefully, the person has enough meat on their bones to keep all their stomachs full. ]

[ This kid looks dumb as a bed of rocks, Johanna's decided. That works in her favor, though: dumb kids are easy to manipulate. Especially the guys. Messing with them was always her favorite. She may not be in peak condition now, but Johanna's still got plenty of borderline-flirtatious sass left in her. ]

I dunno, [ She says, coy. ] Can I?

Think you might have to be a little more specific. We're all forced into some kind of mindfuck here, man.

One's a fluke, two's coincidence, three's a pattern. After Rainier had suggested keeping an eye on the arena for any other newcomers, John had camped out there a couple days here and there. It was mostly out of curiosity, just to have something else to do that wasn't surviving. He hadn't been entirely sure that another round of captives would appear, had actually almost given up on the prospect, but part of him knew. Their overlords were entities that fed off of hope and fear, as weird as that still was to admit, and only a fool would think they wouldn't purposefully pull in more 'resources'.

The point is, when there's suddenly a commotion stirring up at the coliseum, John isn't surprised. In fact, he willingly jumps into danger, missing that thrill he always got when smack-dab in enemy territory.

After getting out of the coliseum, the old soldier finds weaving his way back into it to be infinitely easier. Granted, navigating the corridors in the near-darkness, with only his lighter to provide any illumination, is still a feat. Thankfully, he's still got plenty of bullets left, six in his gun and another two clips on his belt. All he can do is hope it's enough against whatever slimy monstrosity is scuttling around this time.

That's when he hears the distinct sound of a gun firing and the squeal of whatever the round hits. His goal had been to make his way back to the center arena, lead whatever poor bastards that had been pulled in away to safety, but this took precendence. Whoever was on the other end of that gun was about to be in serious trouble. John follows the echo of the noise, counting a few more rounds being squeezed off, until he's faced with the back of some grotesque creature and--.

Kaz.

The urge to call out to him is strong, strong enough that it makes him falter for a few moments, before John recomposes himself. And dives straight at the monster's head, driving his knife into the back of it and splitting it clean open.

The first bullet seems to do some damage, sticking in the creature's smooth skin as it screeches in pain, but Miller won't assume that's good enough. Not with something this large. He aims the gun lower, firing more rounds into areas that he can only hope are its vital spots, but he's really only guessing. He's seen some hellish things in his days, people turned into mindless husks by parasites, but this is on an entirely different level.

Could CIPHER have bio-engineered a monster like this? Is this their personal little testing area, set up just for him? But no, there were those other people who'd woken up with him. He doesn't have the time to think about it now. He's shot the enormous insect enough that he can only hope that it'll be slowed down, which means he's going to have to try and maneuver around it and make a break for it.

Miller is bracing himself to do just that when the monstrosity splits in two from the head down, its top portion cut cleanly in half. Kaz's breath catches in his throat. Matters had already been bad enough, but now he's going to have to deal with whatever was strong enough to dispatch that thing in one blow.

The monster falls, revealing the figure that had come up behind it.

Kaz stares.

It takes a few seconds to actually register. His first thought is that he's seeing things, that his phantoms are haunting him even when he's awake. This face (this one, which isn't scarred or marred with shrapnel) is one he hasn't seen for ten years. It can't be him.

But there he stands, just as Kaz remembers him, covered in that monster's blood and clutching tight onto his knife. The title, Boss, almost spills out of his mouth, pure habit and some sort of yearning that's quickly replaced with anger and betrayal, those more comfortable sentiments. This man is not his Boss, not anymore. He gave up that title when he'd decided to abandon their entire mission, to abandon him.

As always, his aviators hide most of Kaz's expression, but his mouth had been hanging open until he claps it shut, grinding his teeth together. "What the hell are you doing here?" He might have expected Venom to get dragged into this mess with him—they've been through plenty of messes together at this point. But Big Boss? As far as Kaz is concerned, they're done, and this unbelievable situation doesn't change that.

They're getting bigger, is all Boss thinks when he goes to wipe his knife clean on his pants. The blood is warm on his face, on his hands, but it doesn't have that copper scent. He doesn't have anything on him to wipe it off except his own shirt, so he doesn't bother. A flick of his thumb relights his silver Zippo, illuminating the area once more and giving John a chance to see his friend once more.

The missing arm is nothing new. Keeping off the grid and putting his phantom center on the world stage had meant no contact with Diamond Dogs whatsoever, meaning he couldn't get information about them in any direct way. Everything he had learned about them had come from word-of-mouth reports from on the field, random mercenaries John had shared drinks with or worked with. Kaz, with his overflowing well of pride, flaunted his weakness as a symbol. Everyone knew about the Diamond Dogs' 'crazy, armless XO'.

The leg, though, that's new. And it presents a very real problem, considering their situation. John wonders how it happened, where, when, but this isn't the time for questions. Later, after they've managed to get out alive.

"The same reason you're here, I'm guessing," John replies, almost hesistantly. At the sound of the pure anger in Kaz's voice, confusion races through him. Though it's technically been nine years since they've last spoken to each other, John still struggles with time displacement. He feels as if it's only been six months since that helicopter crash. When this whole plan had been sprung into motion, John hadn't been able to say goodbye, or anything, to Miller. He's actually happy to see him, despite the fact that John would never wish his friend to fall into this hellhole, but Miller is... Well, pissed, is the word. "Are you alright?"

Edited (PHONE TAGS....) 2015-12-11 06:15 (UTC)

[ Arya has taken it upon herself to keep a kind of watch over her house at night. There are other people living in it, after all, and despite her age, Arya feels responsible for their safety. Steve and everyone else tend to see the best in people, and Arya knows that can make someone vulnerable.

Tonight, she's glad she kept watch. The green...thing doesn't get halfway through the door before a sword is thrust at his neck. ]

State your name and your allegiance, beast.

The man's calm demeanor doesn't help Johanna relax in the slightest. He's just sitting there and taking it all, as if this was some kind of game. The Games were only that in title -- no real game was so awful.

"The third. The third fucking time, and you know what? I'm sick of it."

He talks like he's been in the arena before, but Johanna doesn't recognize him as a victor. So who the hell is this kid?

"Who are you, anyway? This can't be your first time. I've never seen you before." She spits out the words like an accusation.

[ Johanna's gotta say, she really does appreciate the teeth aesthetic. It's way better than her stupid tree costumes from the other games, at any rate. It's harsh, commanding, and a little strange. Just the way she likes it. Johanna's got a thick black boot with teeth on the bottom, and she's also looking for its match. Normally, she's against doing favors for other people. It's more important to take care of number one. But this time, she figures, she might be able to get something out of it. ]

Only if you help me find a match to this one.

[ Do we have ourselves a deal, weirdo? ]

It's true that Miller's combat ability has been hindered greatly by what he's lost, but he's also aware of how people underestimate him. They seem him as weak, like a tree so thin that it's blown over by a strong wind. But no matter how many times he's knocked down, he'll always pull himself back up.

This girl looks out of place here, especially with that blade that she's wielding. Just as out of place as the kids they'd taken in had looked on Mother Base. Miller had done everything he could for them, and yet it hadn't been enough. He heaps that blame on himself. If he'd been more careful with Eli, if he hadn't wanted to go easy on him, he might not have gotten away. He'd dragged all those other kids onto that suicide mission with him...

Miller forces those thoughts from his head, focusing instead on this girl. She's unconnected to anything that happened then, but she's a symptom of the same problem. She holds that sword like she knows how to use it -- another child soldier?

She offers him a direct answer, everything logical until that last point. "Bears?" Miller echoes, frowning as he offers the spire another look. "Are those common around here?" The Boss had brought back a few to their animal conservation platform, so it's not as if Miller is unfamiliar with them. But that means he's also all too aware of the kind of damage one can do. He definitely doesn't want to be caught unawares by one.

[ Having filled a backpack to capacity with food items and changes of clothes, Miller is slowly making his way back to the apartment he's taken for himself. Said backpack is slung over the only shoulder he has left, and he's leaning heavily on his cane with each step that he takes. At least he managed to find a decent pair of boots, so his artificial leg isn't quite as obvious.

Much like Triela, Miller feels a little lost. It's not that he can't take care of himself, because he can, but he's used to having the Boss around. The man he's run into here, he doesn't count, and right now Miller would be happy enough to avoid him for the rest of his time here. (It's not practical or logical, but Kaz tends to run on gut feelings.) But as for the phantom, their lives run so close together that it's strange not to have him here. To not be doing this together.

It would be hard to miss a distraught girl wandering around with a shotgun. This is the second young girl carrying a weapon that Miller's run into in this place, and it's a pattern that understandably has him on edge. Bringing any of them here without permission is detestable, but kids?

He hobbles toward her, looking her over through his aviator glasses. ] Hey, are you all right? [ Stupid question. Snake had asked him the same thing, and Kaz had laughed in his face. ] I mean... do you need help?

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INTRO LOG: A TAXING JOURNEY

Jinbee Tsukishima | OTA

koltira deathweaver | open

Rag'kar Furykill | open!!!!!

johanna mason | the hunger games | open

triela (ota)

shoes.

exploring!

c.

shoes.

b. (appropriately enough)

michael j caboose | red vs blue

accidental houseguests

kazuhira miller | ota

Josh Washington | OTA

house hunting!

yaha | drakengard 2

b

no subject

no subject

no subject

b.

no subject

shoes.

no subject

c.