hadriel_logs | Event Post: Everyone Chill

Entry tags:

Event Post: Everyone Chill

Who: Everyone participating in the event!
What: The event log for Tranquility's resurrection event!
Where: All around the city
When: December 27th-January 7th
Warnings: Absolutely nothing creepy or weird at all.

The revival of Tranquility on December 27th marks a vast - if temporary, and actually completely fake - change to the city. Upon awakening that morning, the inhabitants of Hadriel will find the city changed from its usual broken-down dour cave self into a sparkling, clean, delightful island city. Instead of being surrounded by hard stone walls, the city is surrounded by warm ocean waters and soft white sand beaches.

Gentle waves lap at the shore, the sky overhead is perfect, wide and open. The spires have been replaced by shining skyscrapers, the roads are clear of rubble and paved neatly. The stores are quaint, windows no longer broken, and the items inside have changed too. Instead of simple canned goods and strange clothing, you might find delicate pastries, cool drinks, fresh fruit, and flowy summer clothes to match the city. How nice! How calming, really. Didn't everyone need a vacation? So throw on some flip-flops, grab one of the mopeds that have been provided, and enjoy yourselves!

As the days go on, though, you might notice one or two odd things. Maybe the pretty sun hat you picked up looked, for just a moment, like a grubby old baseball cap instead. Maybe that beach ball is a little heavier than it should be. Maybe the shining wall of that skyscraper feels more like stone than glass. Maybe - just for an instant - the sky above was solid rock instead of the gentle, calming hues of the sunset.

While there is a mild compulsion toward calmness and tranquility, towards accepting the city for exactly what it seems to be, that can be ignored - and the illusion can be broken, if you choose to try. But do you really want to? Isn't that croissant much nicer than yet another can of beans? Wouldn't you rather relax at the beach than run around, trying to convince all your friends that this is just the gods getting inside their heads again in an even more creepy and all-encompassing way than usual?

Come on. Don't be a buzzkill.

► This log covers December 27th-January 7th.
► Feel free to make your own logs, as well
► Please tag headers of threads with content warnings where they apply
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!
► If you chill out so much you end up dead, please let us know here.

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"I would rather be here with you than with my troubles," he admits, his brow knitting as that rare warmth in his chest begins to dissipate. Unlike with alcohol, it is not so easily recovered. "And if this is important to you, it is, of course, important to me. You wouldn't have dealt with me earlier and put forth the monumental effort to get me out here if it wasn't."

He's still not sure how he's going to get back, but he can think on that later, too.

Fancy? Jill smirked at him at the very idea of it. She was far from fancy. Jill might've grown up a diplomat's daughter, but she was a tomboy through and through for much of her childhood. She still learned how to behave, but her choice of profession said it all.

"You're saying you'd turn down cake and a spa?" Because no one would do that.

The tug earned a laugh and she wiggled her foot a little. "You wouldn't dare." He's too nice for that, but maybe he'll surprise her.

"Well, yes... but I didn't 'deal with you' solely because I wanted something from you. It's more that I wanted something for you--peace of mind, I suppose, instead of having to feel stressed out and alone..." Glacius explains, trying to level a reassuring smile towards his friend. Of course, if he doesn't want Carlisle to feel either of those things than perhaps he should not be pressing on lost friends.

"There's nothing wrong with living in the moment.. and of course I am all too pleased to have you with me as well. So let us make the most of what we have been given, together." The alien nods, fishing around on the blanket for one of the bottles of water he'd brought down to the beach. All of the warm air is hard on his gills; despite his gelatinous operculum keeping the organs moist so respiration is possible, his voice is starting to feel a little dry and stiff in his throat, struggling to climb forth. After a moment of holding the bottle in his hand to cool its contents back down, he tilts his head to one side and splashes the water into the gills in one side of his neck, then the other. The flexible coverings of those biological vents work vigorously a few times, helping the liquid pass into his gills and airways. That's better.

"So then... would you like to come into the water with me? I need to cool off, but I don't want you leave you just sitting up here all by yourself." Of course, he by now knows how his friend tends to react to new experiences, so he holds up one hand, setting the bottle back down with the other--then, as a thought occurs to him, picks up another and offers it to Carlisle should he need a drink too. "We can take it bit by bit, of course, I'm not going to go dragging you into the deep right away."

Carlisle watches as Glacius uses the water to clean his gills -- or wet his whistle, or whatever it is he's doing -- and it occurs to him that the salt in the ocean is probably a bother to such things, especially if he's accustomed to fresh water, instead. That doesn't seem to deter the alien any though, as he immediately suggests they go for a dip.

"I am fine here, thank you," he says, though he does take the bottle. He doesn't open it just yet, instead holding onto it and wondering how much of it, too, is an illusion. "I believe simply looking at the water will suffice for now. All of it out there, just... going. On and on. Can't swim, again. Maybe I shouldn't risk it."

"You already know that I will not force you to do anything you do not want to do," Glacius replies, "But... well, I can teach you, if you'd like. It seems to me that not learning to swim is the greater risk, what with all the bodies of water in the city. It's a very practical survival skill, and you never know when you might need it... and besides, learning would a good way to take your mind off of everything else going on right now, would it not?"

He pauses, cast a quick glance over his shoulder to the impossibly tall spires, their tops hidden in a cloudline that had never been present in the cave before. He thinks about how much of this hallucination is real, and what may be lurking in the water. His mind may be off his missing friends, but it will simply be on other things.

"I- I believe I will stick to the shallows for now, if that's all right," he says finally. He doesn't want to be a complete disappointment though, so he does get to his feet to at least wade in. He slides out of his sandals, but finds he doesn't like he feeling of bare sand against his feet any better, so back on they go.

"Yes, that is alright," Glacius nods, simply happy that the clergyman isn't letting his nerves completely get the better of him in this regard. Maybe after he wades a little bit, he will see that it isn't so bad...

The ice alien rises to his feet, glaring dubiously at the hot sands that lay between him and his refreshingly cool destination. Maybe he's just psyching himself up, because after those few moments of a stare-down he suddenly moves, crossing the beach in long, loping strides. Glacius has never been the sort of creature to outright run unless circumstances are really very dire, but his long legs means that he's still able to cover distances fairly quickly... so before the heated grains underneath his feet can cause him any real pain, he's already standing ankle-deep in gently lapping waves.

The ice alien draws a breath, then turns to make sure Carlisle is managing alright. When the clergyman draws near, he extends one long limb towards him, palm up in an offering of support should the loose terrain prove troublesome... but also to keep him bolstered as he nears the surf. "Don't worry... I've been swimming out in these waters for days now, and have seen signs of nothing treacherous. I promise you it is safe." And Carlisle knows how Glacius and his people are about lying!

As Glacius makes it to the water, Carlisle is still edging himself over there, finally coming to a stop just where the waves lap at the shore. They reach toward him as the water sweeps to and from the beach, pulling the sand along with it as it recedes.

"Right," he answers Glacius noncommittally, apprehension building on his face the longer he looks at the water and thinks about it pulling him in, then pulling him down, down, down. It goes so far out, disappears into the horizon—

"Nothing treacherous," he utters, a nervous smile pulling at the corner of his mouth, then fading almost immediately. How far out could it pull him? How deep does it go? And when he cannot see the bottom, is there one at all, or does it simply drop into a darkened abyss?

His eyes dart to Glacius, who is doing his best to make Carlisle feel welcomed in the water, and yet, he struggles to move. When he does, it is a single step. The water is cool against his feet, but doesn't drag him under.

Yet, at least. "I did it," he mutters, the trepidation still written across him. "Good. That's good for today. Maybe forever."

But he did get that far, and in his mind, that counts for something, as it's more than his usual effort when he's battling his own unease.

Edited 2016-12-31 06:20 (UTC)

[Jo is starting to feel the same way. Clothes in the cave aren't very varied.]

It sounds nice, right? Sunshine.

[Even if it's fake.]

Shrug.

"Roads paved with shiny happy people holding hands."

Rey, no. No, Rey. You are not allowed to reference R.E.M. and you do not get to make jokes about music that's over 160 years old you are a grandma know your place goddammit.

Honestly, asking Alphys about fashion is asking for trouble, considering she's been known to wear the same lab coat every day and have exactly one formal dress. She's doing her best to expand her repertoire with the new offerings from the island, but... gosh. These are terrible. She's holding a dress that seems like it might fit, except it's an electric neon green covered in brown zig-zag patterns, and she responds without thinking about the fact that she has no idea who's talking to her.

"I d-don't know, really, maybe they thought, uhm, it'd fit the aesthetic or something? But in that case I don't think, uhm, they have a g-good idea of color palettes." It's only then she actually looks up, sees who's talking, and the blush that overtakes her face is probably obvious, one part from embarrassment at reacting to a stranger and one part oh no he's hot.

"I mean, uhm, I d-don't know! Or, uhm, maybe they just borrowed it from, uhm, another world, or, something? I mean, uhm, I've certainly never s-seen anything like it."

To be completely fair, Alphys doesn't have what could be considered a 'style' either, considering she's been known to wear the same lab coat every single day and have really only one decent dress, but she's always been a fan of those nice patterns and soft fabrics, even if she doesn't think they'll suit her. She's been looking around longingly at the new things the Gods have given, ducking between shops and touching everything before slipping out. Alphys is distracted as she walks towards the shop Rey is in, thinking about if she might actually try something this time, when she feels something wet on her feet, looks down at the puddle, and then up towards the store.

Oh. Oh, okay. Rey is inside. Dripping wet, even!

It's a god damned miracle she does not pass out on the floor, all things considered.

Alphys stands, staring Rey's direction for a few seconds before she finally decides to actually speak to the other woman as oppose to just running away to die somewhere. "Are you, uhm, l-looking for, uh, something dry? I mean, uhm, it looks like it'd look nice. Uh. On y-you. If you wanted to wear it? Or not, uh, it's u-up to you!"

She is incredibly smooth.

[By the time they seek to bring their collection home, Frisk will understand they're fake. The seashells are too heavy for their size; and when Frisk holds a perfectly shaped conch to their ear, they can't hear the sea, like the movies told them they should. Still, they look very pretty, and even once they don't, they'll remain on Frisk's windowsill for a very long time.

The crunch of sand under tatty slippers lets them know they're not alone. Straightening, they watch Sans with a steady gaze, blinking slowly as he crouches, picks up a shell. Offers it with the sort of care used when they'd gotten into hotland for the first time; too cautious, a little slow to react, a little timid with their choices.

Maybe he thinks they'll bite him.]

...Thanks!

[Turns out, his ACTion was one of the better ones. Frisk doesn't offer much of a smile, but they're happy enough to accept his gift, placing it down with what they've already gathered- intent on arranging them by size. Or perhaps shape. Colour?

An arrangement of some kind. It seems to make them happy, whatever it is.]

Maketh blinks. "Is that a metaphor?"

Glacius' cheekbones begin to pull up--despite how it hurts, that crack is still mending--as Carlisle musters up the courage to finally step into the water. The expression quickly falls apart and is replaced by confusion, however, when the clergyman considers that quite enough. Good enough for forever? Does he not desire a new experience? How can he just close his mind so quickly??

"Well, yes that is good, but--how can you put a block on your own progress like this? You are doing so well! That first step wasn't so hard, was it..? Just think of it like that, just one step at a time." The ice alien attempts to reason with his friend, still with his hand held out to him. He wants it very clear that even if he's just managing one step further every couple of minutes, he's going to be there for each one.

"It's very easy to put a block on my own progress, I assure you," Carlisle returns, his eyes still on the water. "Blocks are good for- for holding onto when you're fairly certain the water will drag you under."

Which it hasn't yet, but it does push against his ankles, encouraging him to go further, closer to death. Though well aware Glacius is right there and ready to grab him should something go wrong, he can't help his uncertainty.

Edited 2016-12-31 18:38 (UTC)

[They smile and accept the offering. Maybe it's a decent enough peace offering. Who can tell, right? Feels too much like he's just makin' peace offerings after screwing things up yet again, and he's gotta wonder if they'll just up and forgive him every time, 'cause that's simply what they do.

He ain't sure he deserves their forgiveness.

He settles down across the sand with a bump, sitting with his hands braced behind him a fair distance away. Not so close that it seems like he's watching 'em, but not so far that they'll have to shout to be heard.]

You ever do that thing where you bury someone in the sand, all except for their head?

"I can assure you that it will not," Glacius replies evenly. Deciding to take a different tactic, he now steps up right besides Carlisle and turns him slightly so that he's staring down the shoreline. By this hour, most people have packed up and left now that the sun was just beginning its descent, but a few small groups still linger by the surf, are taking a few last laps through the ocean before they come back up onto the beach. Each one of them emerge from the sea without any struggle to surface, without any undertow trying to drag them down, without a spot of harm on their bodies.

"For days I have watched countless humans galivant about in the ocean and emerge perfectly fine, and you are just as capable as any of them, Carlisle. I know you can do this... I believe in you."

OTA

Whether or not this is a good thing, at least it's a change. And as distrustful as Cal is, he can't bring himself to worry about it too much. Which, if he thought about it would be odd, but...well, why shouldn't he take advantage of the calm, even if it was a little strange? Evidently, it didn't happen very often. And after the last little game, weren't they owed some kind of a rest?

He started wandering through the city, but it was truly inevitable that he'd end up at the beach. The whole thing was...odd, but not unenjoyable. And certainly not the sort of place he was used to. It was lovely, certainly. As much as he didn't want to trust anything about it, he simply...can't. This was certainly the mellowest he's ever been.

He even smiled as he sat down in the sand, entirely unconcerned. This was probably as good as things were going to get.

CLOSED - Pellaz

Let it never be said that Cal didn't know how to play the game. If it was a courtship he was supposed to provide, then he would make it a grand one. Although the idea of playing coy about it was certainly tempting. Perhaps the middle ground, then.

The garden wasn't that hard to find, either. Hopefully the flowers he'd left in the middle of it would draw attention. Pell's attention, in particular. Underneath the bouquet he's left a small box with a necklace inside.

Someone will have to find it eventually, right?

Edited 2016-12-31 22:12 (UTC)

The smoothest of science lizards.

Rey's eyes dart towards the owner of that shaky voice before they shift back to the dress in her hand. For some reason, Alphys looks just as starstruck as she did when they first met, or maybe that's just how she always is.

"Thank you," she just blurts instinctively, if only to try and help put Alphys' apparent tension at ease. "Am thinking of picking out something like this for someone else. Think she'd look better in these than..." She pauses. "Well, she'd look better."

It doesn't matter to Rey what Bianca wears, but she likes flashy, pretty things and Rey likes flashy and pretty things on her. Never thought to be the one to wear them herself. Outside of one special occasion, that is. But that was years ago and for an occasion. It was nice.

Even in an island paradise, a garden doesn't tend itself. And Pell is keeping to his routine despite the changes in the city, still showing up for his clinic shifts and all -- it's been peaceful but someone could have a moped accident or something. You never know. He still has a vague distrust of the whole situation as well, expecting it all to turn back into the cave at any moment. It doesn't. It's beautiful and sunny as he heads for his garden today, harvesting bag over his shoulder. He twists his hair up on top of his head and works his way through the rows with the speed of experience, weeding and picking from the ripe plants.

When he's about a third of the way through he notices the flowers near the center of the garden. Pell tilts his head in confusion and moves closer, thinking at first that they may be a new addition from the place itself. Part of the changes. But no, it's a bouquet propped up against the other stalks. He picks them up and brings them to his face, taking a deep breath. He hasn't smelled fresh flowers since Galhea. And there's something beneath; a small box. Someone's deliberately placed these things here for him, and he's pretty sure he knows who. Opening the box just confirms it... Pell smiles and laughs softly to himself. Cal. It has to be.

He sets the items carefully aside to continue his work, but when he returns to the house with the usual bag of vegetables he's wearing the necklace and holding the flowers in the crook of his arm. "Caaaaal~" he calls out, putting the bag down on the kitchen table and searching for something to hold water to put the flowers in.

You know I helped improve the TIE fighters. Gave them improved engines, hyperspace drives for longer patrols. Improved their maneuverability.

[He couldn't help but brag about the improvements that had been made to the Imperial fleet and fighters.]

I've never actually flown one, though.

[He was a terrible pilot and after the shuttle incident when he was a cadet, he vowed that it was best to let others do the actual flying.]

He had to laugh when he heard that call, but emerged on the command, only barely containing it, the grin on his face all but giving him away. Still, he could keep playing dumb about it, although both of them knew who exactly was to blame.

"Yes?" He makes a show of folding his arms over his chest and taking a few steps closer, seeing the flowers and the necklace with a raised eyebrow and an amused expression. "And what's all this then? A gift from one of your many admirers?" Another laugh. "I suppose you did want a courtship. Wherever all this came from, perhaps you should say thank you."

He reaches out though, and takes the bag from him gently.

"Here. Let me help."

So I've learned.

[It was hotter than he thought and with a frown, he was forced to concede that the hat would be a lesser indignity than getting sunburnt so the hat was replaced back on his head. He had learned his lesson the first time, painfully.]

I have no intention of trusting the gods. They seem willing to manipulate us easily enough as it is.

[ Pell stops by the bar to snag a bottle of wine to bring home, since Cal is playing at romance and all lately. But he's in no rush and when he sees Maketh he heads toward her first, an easy smile on his face. It falters a bit when he senses just how drunk she is. ]

Maketh? Are you alright?

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Page 10 of 45

Event Post: Everyone Chill

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shopping!

shops!

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Calanthe | OTA + Closed

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bar!