hadriel_logs | Intro Log: Eat Your Veggies

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Intro Log: Eat Your Veggies

Who: New arrivals and everyone else!
What: The intro log for January
Where: The colosseum and all around the city.
When: January 10th-16th
Warnings: Luscious greenery and confused newbies

As has become tradition within the good (well, okay) city of Hadriel, new arrivals will awake on the floor of the half-destroyed colosseum. Confused and disoriented, you may be wondering where you are and what you're doing there. Don't worry! Someone will probably tell you sooner or later, as long as you get out of the colosseum alive.

Oh, right. About that. Along with the poor, innocent, vulnerable new arrivals are a number of other new friends! Well, maybe less 'friends' than 'horrifying monsters', but are you really going to be picky? Wandering the arena are Shambling Mounds. These creatures are large, unattractive piles of vaguely humanoid-shaped vegetation. They hit hard, they can take a lot of damage, and if you're really unlucky they might manage to engulf you with their weird plant bodies. If that happens, you'd better try to get free fast - otherwise they'll just walk off with you stuck inside and kill you later at their leisure.

The Door appears to have cast a wide net for 'plant monsters', and while Shambling Mounds are the only ones that can actually hurt you, it's managed to pull in a number of smaller, less dangerous carnivorous plants. Some of them are even kind of cute! So if you were looking for a pet venus flytrap or a new pitcher plant, you're in luck. Scattered around the colosseum are carnivorous potted plants, just waiting to find a new home.

Make a new plant friend, or get eaten by one, or run screaming! Whatever you choose to do, once you find your way out of the colosseum there's plenty of other distractions. Feel free to go explore the rest of the city! Find a house, a new monster, a project to help with, or simply scavenge for supplies. Good luck, and enjoy your stay in Hadriel!

► This log covers January 10th-16th.
► Feel free to make your own logs as well!
► All characters arrive with phones that have network communication and the newbie guide installed.
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!

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▍▍▍▍ I. COLISEUM

[ She feels it before her eyes open: feels the distance between herself and the realities of Silent Hill, a gap that spans so far. She snaps to, on her feet in an instant, though she wavers unsteadily. Her head feels as if it might split open, memories rushing in. She'd barely had time to recover from merging with Alessa, and now this? Again?

The monsters are background noise as she moves through the coliseum, her only purpose to get out of danger so she can process the oncoming waves of new information (and reprocess the old).

A shambling mound approaches, readying to attack or devour, and with little warning, it bursts aflame. Sharon doesn't even spare it a glance as she continues, limping forward, gripping her left bicep.

Maybe you might want to follow the girl who sets shit on fire and at least appears to know where to go? It can't be that bad of a plan. ]

▍▍▍▍II. PATH NEAR CLINIC

[ For those who last saw Sharon, there can be no denying that something has changed—that something is very different about the youth. For one, her dark hair is gone, returned to a mostly brassy blonde with dark roots just peeking. She stands out like a sore thumb with her bright orange hoodie and white leather vest, though both show signs of wear and damage; the shoulder of the vest is shredded and her chest is a smear of old blood, a pink ribbed stain. She stumbles along the path towards the clinic, each step heavier than the last.

She's exhausted, the events from home having physically drained her and the shambling mounds just took what little was left. She pushes forward until she physically can't, and then she slowly sinks to the ground, resting at the edge of the path.

Her head pounds and every heartbeat makes it worse. Hadriel. She's in Hadriel. She's been in Hadriel. She's left it, however briefly, and now she's back.

Fuck.

Fuck.

She pulls her knees up to her chest, letting her eyes slide shut. She just needs to process this all, breathe in deeply, and maybe pass out. ]

[The orange hoodie is hard to miss, a bright beacon against the relative gloom of the rest of the landscape. Mello isn't looking for her - doesn't know she's been missing - but she's impossible to overlook, as is the fact that her hair is different.

He's been here long enough to know that things aren't always what they seem, and that people come and go without warning. She may not be Sharon. She may be Sharon, just not the one who knows him. But whoever she is, she looks to be in pretty rough shape, and he won't know who she is for sure until he confirms it himself. He steps off the path toward her hesitantly, alert for even the smallest sign of danger.]

Sharon?

[And just in case this is a trick of some kind, his sunglasses - ridiculous plastic things with slats where the lenses should be - are staying on.]

[ The voice is instantly familiar and her head snaps up, eyes immediately alert as they rest on him. There's less darkness beneath her eyes, no bruising along her cheeks, though there's bruising around her neck that indicates she's been choked at some point within the last twenty-four hours. ]

The Kanye glasses look stupid on you, Mello. [ That's his name and looking at him makes her heart feel likes it's ready to glide. She hasn't forgotten him, not a single damn thing, though the memories are a little like water and come and go and mix with other memories from long ago and recently. She would offer him a smile but she's tired, literally drained of everything left. ]

Was I gone long? [ She knows she was gone and she knows she's back but how long? She's uncertain. Two hours home and then the smashing tidal wave of a years worth of memories upon her return has unsettled her. ]

[The sudden lightness in his chest when she says his name makes him feel dizzy for a moment - it's her, the Sharon who knows him, and he can breathe a little easier knowing that. He can also take off those ridiculous sunglasses, which he does, folding them up and tucking them away in his inside jacket pocket.]

I didn't realize they had a proper name. [Yeah, that's his way of saying he has no idea who Kanye is.] They look stupid, but they're effective.

[The rest of what she says ... that's a lot more worrisome, and he frowns deeply as he steps in closer and crouches to the ground nearby, studying her appearance closely.]

I didn't know you were gone - I just saw you a few days ago. You were sent back?

[And that's perhaps the most troubling thing of all, that she'd been gone and he didn't know. He should have known.]

You're hurt.

[ No one knew she had gone and something about that satisfies her, pleased to know she was not gone long enough to give them time to mourn or give the gods relief. She always knew she needed to go back home but as time went on, she found she wanted it a little less and a little less, though she fought against that feeling; now she has no reason to.

At his statement, she smiles, releasing some puff of air that may have been the start of a chuckle. She shrugs her shoulders. ]

It's nothing I haven't recovered from before. [ She was in the same state upon her first arrival to Hadriel, though the difference in timing changes everything for her. Her soft, somewhat easy smile remains in place as she looks to him. ] I saved my dad. I saved him and killed the bitch that dare took him.

[ And scattered the remaining Order members. She knows they'll likely recoup one day, gather together and rise beneath new leadership to search her out, but that day is far off. All the pain in the world is worth that. ] It was a pretty good end to the start of a shitty birthday.

Sharon!

[Faith recognizes her at once by her eyes and the way she moves. There's a monster chasing Faith, so she dispatches it quickly -- a shot of flames from her palm to irreversibly burn it, good riddance -- and runs to Sharon at superhuman speed.]

Sharon, you're hurt! [And exhausted. Faith would love to heal her up all the way, but she needs her strength to help others now. At the very least, though, she can take care of Sharon's bigger injuries.] Here, lemme see your arm?

[If Sharon allows her, Faith will hold a hand over her arm, and a soft, glittery, golden glow will fill the space between, leeching the pain and damage away from Sharon's body and into Faith's.]

[ It takes a moment to remember Faith: the bright chipper companion to the pink-haired, stubborn Kate. Sharon waves off the concern but when Faith reaches, she'll allow Faith to leech away some of the pain; she'd wrenched her shoulder somewhere along her time within Silent Hill and it never really hit her until she'd saved her father.

None of the pain or exhaustion had hit her until then. As Faith pulls her hand away, Sharon rolls the arm, relieved; that's one less things to worry about at the moment. ]

Thanks for that, Faith. [ There can be no doubting that this is the same Sharon from before in spite of the change in hair color. ] I never thought I'd wake up in this hellhole again. [ Any mounds that try to approach them immediately catch aflame almost immediately and a sweat forms along Sharon's brow. God, she fucking hates fire. Is that why it comes to her the easiest? ]

Any idea how long I was gone? [ If Faith religiously checks her phone's list, she'd realized Sharon disappeared sometime late on the 9th, yesterday, but if not, it'd seem like she'd never left. It's not like she's around often in any case, right? ]

[Ouch, that can't have been comfortable to walk around with. The regeneration will take care of it soon, but for at least a few minutes, Faith will fewl what Sharon felt with this injury.

The question of what she's doing here gets answered before Faith even asks it.] You mean, you left?

[...and there's your answer, Sharon.

The monsters bursting into flames thing is also a surprise, because usually it's Faith who makes that happen.]

You've got fire powers too?

[Guess who doesn't know your sad and scary backstory, Sharon. :c ]

[ It was far less comfortable to receive, Leonard Wolf—or what once was Leonard Wolf—knocked her right into the rusted steel door with his huge, bulky body. How was she supposed to know bullets weren't going to kill him?

The other woman's question answer's her own and she pulls out her phone, checking the date on it; it definitely hasn't been that long. The next question has her attention returned to Faith. ]

Uh, yeah. Who would have thought burning someone alive would unlock pyrokinesis, right? [ A small shrug (hey, it doesn't hurt, thank you, Faith). It hadn't been an ability Alessa herself had had as a child; her childhood made learning her abilities difficult and dangerous and ultimately resulted in the Order's idea of a purification ritual (one they knew she'd survive). ]

I've got others, too, just don't care to use them.

Burnin' alive?

[Faith can't help but gasp. Her frame of reference for burning is her own fire and the permanent damage it does, but even imagining normal fire, it paints an ugly picture. Sharon, sweetie, what an ugly hand life has dealt you.

But now's not the time for that. They've got to get out of here. Sharon's in danger, and so's anyone else who stays in here for very long.]

Come on, lamb, let's get you out of here. Lean on me if y'need to, yeh?

Ritual. [ She explains with the ease of someone who can detach herself from the reality of her past situations. Sometimes, it's like it happened to someone else, but maybe that's just what it means to live three lives simultaneously—there will always be some detachment for each part, despite that all three parts suffered the flames.

She waves off the need to lean on Faith, and, with a moment of brief confusion, begins to move again towards the exit. Her movement is a little slow and her attention occasionally drifts to the walls; she remembers painting Confusion's face there, in all her calculative and attractive glory. And there it still sits, among the words of Bruce Banner or whoever else decided to add to the history of the city. Who has time to even appreciate any of it when they're busy running for their lives?

As they approach the exit, Sharon slows a little more, allowing other panicked or stoic people past. ]

I'm glad I remember how to get out. [ The memories come in waves, one after another after another. There are so many that she can't help but feel some small ounce of pride at such a fact. ] You don't need to stay by my side, Faith. I'm sure there are people still in there that need someone like you.

[ Though, she appreciates the friendly, familiar face, she doesn't want to take away from what Faith's intentions there were. ]

[Oof... but Faith respects Sharon's preference for leaving rather than discussing her past. While Sharon goes at her pace, Faith watches for oncoming monsters and anyone needing emergency assistance.

They're right at the exit when Sharon speaks up again, and really... she's right. Sharon is in the clear now, knows where to go from here, what to do.

Faith nods.] Right. Keep safe, yeh? I'll see you 'round.

[She smiles, only for a second, then settles into action mode, her gaze serious and her body ready for a fight. With another nod, she heads off to find others who might need help.]

[ She doesn't feel that closeness necessary to share much more beyond the basics with Faith, and when the other woman nods to her, Sharon returns it with a brief one of her own before she watches the other woman return back towards the frantic fray.

Sharon turns away from it and begins her way towards the city, down the winding paths that lead to the clinic. She's going to go find a nice place to lie down and die now. Good luck, Faith. ]

[Ushahin is here as he is every month. Always, there is just a little hope within him that someone from his home will come. Well, this time, there is someone he recognizes amidst all the confused minds. He senses Sharon just before she lights the vegetation on fire.

He approaches her slowly and with no undue caution. She could just as easily turn that fire on him. He catches her eye, assessing her overall mental state. Physical is of little concern to him, provided she's not about to bleed out in the dirt.]

So, you have returned.

Oh, thanks for stating the obvious. [ The area near him may warm but she does not do it with any intent to harm or even warn. She is too tangled to pay much heed to what her abilities do to protect her and, if she could, she would call her protector in this moment because now is when she needs him the most.

But this is not the fog or the Otherworld and she knows she only has herself in this moment.

Physically, she's only dealing with strains and bruises and knocks to the head, but mentally, she is drowning in an ocean of memories—memories that are old and new, both fresh and antiqued with aged, with the memories of Hadriel peeking through the gaps. Her head is tangled but right now is not the time to even attempt to untangle it. She shoots a quick glare at the smoldering mound as it still attempts its approach before it slows as it turns to black ash from the inside out.

Her attention returns to Ushahin and she raises her head up high. ] Did you return just now?

[ Or are you one of the fools who waits for their loved ones? She knows better than to do that, even all brand new again. ]

[Her usual sarcasm is to be expected, so Ushahin lets it roll off of him. He'd be more worried if she seemed at all glad to see him. What disturbs him more is what he can feel bleeding out of her mind, something he doesn't even need to push into. It's coming off her in waves. Everything is all jumbled up, Alessa's and Sharon's and Hadriel all mixed in together. He could help. He knows he could. But she would likely spit in his face after all that he's done to her.]

No. I always come every month. The minds are always the same: confused, wondering where they are, and what is going on. I enjoy the consistency.

[That's what he'll use as an excuse. The Door keeps bringing more people in, even those long dead. Someday, perhaps Tanaros or Vorax will make their way to him. He still has hope, small as it is. They didn't survive a thousand years of each other's company to be parted now.]

Where have you been?

[ No one ever said Ushahin was normal, and to learn that he comes here every month for the consistency shouldn't, and isn't, much of a shock. Sharon simply gives a shake of her head, grinding her teeth as she looks away from him. The monsters were huge but they seemed easily distracted by the more moving prey. She returns her blues to him at his question, brows drawn down for a moment of confusion and then dawning realization and relief. ]

Home. I-I went home. [ And for all the pain she feels, whatever exhaustion that clings to her thanks to Claudia's touch, she's so incredibly glad she did. She saved her dad. God, she saved her dad and that's the only thing that matters in any universe.

She saved her dad. Vincent, too. They'd just been ready to leave, the fog lifting, and... Fuck. She can suffer through Hadriel and it's monsters and gods if only because she did what she had to do: she saved her dad, fuck everything else out there. ]

That leaves me with one less thing to worry about. [ And she can focus more on Hadriel and how to fix shit here than trying to force a way home. ]

[Ushahin pushes up against her mind, not enough to look through recent memories, only to feel the emotions that came with them. Exhaustion is there as well as immense relief. It's better than what he usually feels coming off of Sharon.]

Your father, he is...?

[See, he remembered Sharon mentioning him. If she was alright with being back here, that had to mean her goal to keep him safe had been met. Her motivation and reason for doing the things she had done. Such love and loyalty was impressive. No one could ever procure such emotions through force. That was genuine in its intensity and long-lasting nature.]

Safe. [ She does not like the fact that the other man remembers such an important facet of her life, likes even less that he bothers to ask of Christopher, but, at the same time, finds that she appreciates it. There are so few here who would think to ask of him. ]

I saved him, made sure the bitch that took him was dead and scattered the rest of the Order's members. [ And they were going to leave and never look back. Let The Order rot in the fog world they'd created. There's no doubt that they'll recoup one day and hunt her down but, until then, she's free of all of that. There's a warm sense of pride and accomplishment rolling off her. She did it. ]

Very good. [There's a definite note of approval in his voice. She was strong and powerful. No wonder she had saved her father.]

You have done what I never could. [It was what Ushahin had tried and failed to do in his own world. The web of the patterns he had seen had drawn in and taken, first a little here, then a little there. In the end, everyone he had cared about was dead except for him.]

[ She drops her gaze, feeling a sharp rise in sympathy towards him. She doesn't want to imagine what it would have been like to fail. Fuck, it wasn't really an option in the first place. Save her father or, in all likelihood, die. ]

Yeah, well, you know what they say about things lasting. [ They don't. She doesn't say it bitterly or sarcastically, just honestly. ]

[It hurts, even now all these months later, to know he failed so badly to protect those he loved. It is what has led him to wait for his cousins and his god each month to come through the Door. If they do show up, he will not fail them again.]

The dragons in my world have a saying. "All things must be as they are." [He shrugs. There is always a pattern at work that rules the universe. He sees it even here.]

I don't like that saying very much. [ Bluntly. ] It sounds a lot like 'fate' or 'destiny' bullshit.

[ And it's pretty clear she doesn't believe in things like that. The Order prophesized the birth of their god and, instead, they got a one-way ticket straight to nightmare land to live out the rest of their days in rent-free homes or apartments while being hunted by monsters. They said it was her destiny and she promptly told her destiny to go screw herself. ]

People have a hand in making their own fate, this is true. But there is a pattern at work, something that we don't consciously realize until we are wrapped up in it. Once that happens, there is nothing to be done as it constricts around us, and draws us in.

[He knew all too well, for he'd tried to shake the pattern off to prevent his god from dying, and everything else he cared about from being destroyed. It hadn't worked and Ushahin had been left in despair.]

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Intro Log: Eat Your Veggies

Sharon da Silva | OTA

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