hadriel_logs | INTRO LOG: BLACK CATS & WALKING UNDER LADDERS

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INTRO LOG: BLACK CATS & WALKING UNDER LADDERS

Who: New arrivals and everyone else!
What: The intro log for February.
Where: The colosseum and all around the city.
When: February 10th-13th
Warnings: Fresh meat, creepy moving shadows, terrible luck, the screams of your loved ones.

Welcome to Hadriel, new friends. While waking up on the ground of a broken colosseum may not be the most pleasant arrival, you can at least find comfort in the fact that there's no giant monster immediately attempting to eat you. Plenty of the people already here will tell you that they weren't quite so lucky. But - wait. Is that something moving in the shadows, or is it just your imagination?

Of course it's not just your imagination. That would be way too easy. No, arriving along with everyone this time are wraiths, vengeful spirits that enjoy darkness, shadows, and misery. On the plus side, they won't try to kill you. On the minus side, their touch chills you and saps your energy, as well as inflicting a temporary curse of awful luck. Anything that can go wrong, will, including (and especially) things that might kill you. Wraiths are subtle and sneaky, so be sure to watch your back. That shadow isn't just a shadow.

Compounding the confusion the wraiths can cause, you just might wake up to the sound of chattering voices - only to be quite alone. A small flock of jabberjays has come through the Door as well. These genetically engineered birds are capable of mimicking entire human voices and conversations - as well as screams of terror and pain. Initially only in the arena and bringing only conversations from their world, they'll soon settle throughout the city and begin to learn the voices of those living in Hadriel. Your best friend screaming bloody murder just a street over? It could be them, or it could just be one of these lovely birds. Don't let it stress you out.

Once you've escaped the colosseum, hopefully without accidentally impaling yourself on your own weapon, feel free to go explore the rest of the city! Find a house, find a new monster, or simply scavenge for supplies. Good luck, and enjoy your stay in Hadriel!

► This log covers February 10th-13th.
► Feel free to make your own logs, as well!
► 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!

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Please get behind me, Emily.

[Something is watching them, inching closer. Maketh can't sense things the way that Jedi or the Sith can, but she knows when she's being observed. Has a feeling for it. The sort of thing that comes from practice.

There's no use in panicking. It never helps. Maketh exhales slowly, and begins unhooking her belt, testing the give of the leather in her hands. It's sturdy, well made. A pathetic weapon, but it's all she has. If she gets close enough she could use it to strangle someone, or strike for the eyes. Enough to distract....whatever it is, inky and strange, just out of sight.

It hurts to shift into a defensive stance, but Maketh does it anyway. She's a pathetic excuse for a soldier right now, but she'll do her best. It's her job to protect civilians, no matter where she ends up.] Listen to me. Can you run?

[Emily is well on her way behind Maketh by the time Maketh tells her to do just that. She still remembers all too clearly what it felt like to be chased, to hold perfectly still to avoid getting killed.

So when Maketh asks her if she can run, she's caught between what she would normally do and what she knows she should do to survive wendigos.]

Yeah. [She takes a deep breath, trying go calm herself so she can think more clearly.] They can see you if you move. They'll leave us alone if we just hold still.

[All right. At least Emily can follow orders. Maketh smiles, because the gesture helps her control her voice. Make everything steady and calm. She doesn't question the information she's given; it's the closest thing to intel that Maketh has been given about the situation.] That's good, Emily. That's very good.

[Unfortunately, it's not a wendigo that's stalking them. The wraith comes slowly, grinning and smokey-black. Maketh narrows her eyes. She's heard of force-ghosts and other horrors. This reminds her of campfire stories that her parents used to tell her. She holds very, very still, as the wraith reaches out with long, ghostly fingers.

It traps her on the nose. Maketh doesn't flinch.

She just goes very, very cold.

The wraith seems to grin at her for a moment, then disappears.]

[Hahaha, no, Maketh. Emily is actually horrible at following orders. This is her allowing you to think you're in charge because you're putting yourself between Emily and the threat. In fact, Emily would tell her to stop being so patronizing, except there are monsters around, and she doesn't know you.

So Emily hides behind her and waits, watching, listening--]

Is it gone?

[It's taking all Maketh has not to drop to her knees and do something childish, like cry. She's only felt like this once before, and that was with--

No. He's not here. Therefore that man is not relevant.

Maketh swallows hard. Her teeth are chattering.] I think so.

Are you hurt?

[Emily is pretty sure that sound she hears is Maketh's teeth chattering, but she doesn't think about it too hard.]

No. [She stays still and silent for a second or two.] That's not a wendigo. What the hell else could be here?

[Though really, where is here? Emily's not sure anymore that she's on the mountain.]

[Maketh takes a breath to try and steady herself. It doesn't really work. So this...thing, isn't what attacked Emily in the first place? That's wonderful. Maketh doesn't like uncertainty. She lowers her hands, still holding her belt right.] A Force ghost, perhaps...I've never seen one, but...

[Focus. Maketh makes herself smile and looks back to Emily.] Do you know where we are?

[Only a day ago, Emily would've told Maketh that ghosts were bullshit, regardless of what her actual feelings might be on the subject. But now?] Goddamn.

I-- I'm not sure anymore I thought this was Blackwood Pines. The Washingtons' lodge. [People recognize those names, given the as yet unresolved disappearance of the Washington twins. Though of course, now Emily knows they're dead.]

[None of those places mean anything to Maketh. She frowns.] You're not from Lothal.

[Which probably means that Emily isn't a rebel either. Whether that's good or bad remains to be seen.]

[Really? This hasn't happened to her in a while, but it still makes Emily mad.] I'm Japanese American, and I'm from California, not-- wherever you think I'm from. God. I'm not asking you where you're from when there's monsters all around, am I?

[Some park ranger or whatever you are, Maketh.]

[Maketh gives her a confused look. Again, none of those words mean a thing to her.] I'm trying to determine whether or not there are Imperial troops nearby. Who would have weapons and possibly a shield generator.

[And who would probably shoot her on site, and probably kill Emily for good measure. Maketh has no illusions about the choices she's made. The consequences for treason have always been clear. So that's not really an option. She takes a slow breath.] I don't think there are. My communicator is...damaged, so I have no way to call for aid.

[Not that it would come as such, but she's not going to tell Emily that. Don't frighten the civilians. Sometimes they bite.]

[See, the word 'imperial' takes Emily back to history lessons, not at all what Maketh has in mind, so for a few seconds, Emily just stares at her like she's lost her mind.

It's a few seconds after Maketh has finished talking when Emily finally speaks up.]

What are you talking about. No, you know what? You can stay here and look for 'troops' from whatever stupid game you're playing. I'm going to find a way out of here.

[She rubs her arms and looks around, eyes narrowed, and starts for what looks like a good direction (which is pretty much just, where does there seem to be a light source). If Maketh wants to follow, Emily won't stop her, because while she wants to get out of here, it's also true that it's a dumb idea to be wandering around all alone when there are weird ghost things floating around.]

[Well that's just rude. Maketh huffs, remembering too late how much it hurts. Ow, ribs.] I'm trying to help you!

[Though, all things considered, Maketh isn't really in the position to give it. She debates for a moment, then follows after Emily. Lack of a better idea, really.]

[You call it rude, Emily calls it efficient. To-may-to, to-mah-to. Besides, it's not like Emily told Maketh not to follow her. That would be rude, considering Maketh took the damage from whatever that thing had been earlier.

Anyway, the farther Emily goes, the clearer it becomes that this isn't the place she thought it was. And yes, it seems she's heading for an exit, because she hears voices up ahead again-- she hears Matt cring for help--]

Matt. Shitshitshit-- I'm coming! [She glances back at Maketh, motioning for her to come with her.] That's my boyfriend. Come on, he's in trouble!

[She will run ahead if Maketh agrees. Hell, she'll run ahead even if Maketh doesn't, because it's Matt, and he made it out of the mines. Like hell is Emily going to just leave him to save himself. After all he's done for her, after wondering if he'd survived, after reflecting on how she's treated him tonight, he deserves at least to get her help.

Also, yeah, she is in fact asking ou for help after nearly ditching you, Maketh.]

[That's someone yelling for help. Maketh thins her mouth and thinks about a few choice words, though she doesn't voice them. She's hurt and unarmed, but Emily is a civilian. Maketh has a duty, no matter the dire state of her loyalties.] Behind me. Now.

[At the very least, she's another body between the threat and Emily. Maketh isn't exactly happy about playing the meat shield for anyone, but - again. Duty.

Turns out that Maketh can, in fact, still run. It hurts enough to make her want to say all manner of nasty things, but she breathes through her nose and doesn't. All she has for a weapon is the belt wrapped around her first, but she could use the sharp end of the buckle to scratch or jab, it's not nothing.

A platoon of stormtroopers would be much better, though. Or the Inquisitor in a good mood.

Shame neither are present. Maketh crouches behind a rock, the source of the yelling just beyond it. Cover, good, that's good.] Stay here.

[She fully expects Emily to do so. Maketh is the sort of person who's used to her orders being followed. Unfortunately she's not usually the one who goes to investigate screaming with no backup.

Yeah, well, things happen.

Maketh holds her hands up in a ready stance, in the vain hope that's going to matter at all, and moves in closer. Expecting a body or somebody about to become one, from the noise.

Instead, there's a--

Bird?

Well, fuck.

[Emily only half listens to Maketh. She lets Maketh pass her as they run towards the voice, and she stays behind the rock but looks over the top of it. She, too, is expecting to see Matt being attacked, or already on the ground, injured--

But it's just--]

A fucking bird.

[She stares at it for a few seconds longer, and she swears it looks right at her as it goes, Em, help me!

Oh it is on, fucker.

Emily looks around and grabs a rock off the ground, then stands up from behind the boulder, her eyes on the bird that keeps crying out to her in Matt's voice. How dare you. How dare you fuck with her like this?]

Eat shit! [she yells, and throws the rock at it.

The bird flies away before the rock hits the ground, taking its Matt-voiced cries with it. Emily, meanwhile, stays where she is, fists clenched, every breath shaky with the rage that has built up inside her. Fuck that bird. Fuck that bird. She doesn't even know if Matt is alive (he is, he is, he's got to be), and this bird just-- goddamn.]

Matt. [Her voice is quiet now, trembling, because while the anger is still there, it's tinged with an edge of desperate sadness. He'd made her feel safe by just being there on their search for help, and he'd tried to pull her up before she'd fallen into the mines. Damn. Goddamn.]

[A bird. A damned bird speaking with a human voice. A trap, of course, it must be a trap to lure them out into the open, except that no ambush comes. There's nothing but the echo. Maketh lowers her fists.] Emily--

[Of course this is when another one shows up, diving past Maketh's head. She ducks with a hiss.]

Minister! Minister Tua!

[She whirls, fully expecting to see Commandant Aresko standing there. Except that's impossible because he's dead, he was loyal to her - borderline competent, but one of hers - and he's fucking dead--]

A...a psychological tactic. It must be. Yes. Very clever.

[The bird with Aresko's voice is crying at her, reedy and sad. Maketh grits her teeth.] If you wouldn't mind, Emily, I would very much appreciate you shutting that thing up. I can't...throw anything. Right now.

I'd love to.

[She doesn't ask about why Maketh can't do it herself, or who the bird is imitating. None of that matters, because it's obvious that these animals are here to throw them off. This voice calling for Maketh is someone Maketh cares about, and even though Emily doesn't actually care about Maketh -- no offense or anything, she just doesn't know ou -- she's more than happy to throw a rock at the bird who shares a species with the one that faked Matt's voice.

She picks up another rock, this one a little bigger than the last, and flings it at the piece of shit toying with Maketh.

It flies away, and the sound of the rock hitting the ground echoes off the buildings around them.]

Don't say anything. [Emily lifts a hand to her shoulder, pressing on the bitewound. Pain shoots through it, shifting her thoughts away from the goddamned birds for just long enough that she can breathe something close to normal.] I don't want to know.

[Maketh just closes her eyes. This - this is too much - she's not supposed to be haunted, that's something Force-users suffer through and she's not one of them, has never been one of them.] Thank you for that.

[She doesn't feel like explaining who Commandant Aresko was or why hearing a dead man's voice coming from a damn bird has rattled her so much. It doesn't matter. It really doesn't.

Maketh opens her eyes slowly, focusing back on Emily.] Are you hurt?

[Emily doesn't deign the thanks with a response. She's not feeling very generous right now. Maybe, if she'd actually managed to hit one of the birds, she would be. But not like this. Not when there's still an ache in her chest because she doesn't know where Matt is, and she can't go find him. She's not on the mountain anymore, that much is certain. The wendigos could mimic people too, but the rest of the wildlife was mostly normal.

These can't be normal. They're straight out of a nightmare.

Shifting her weight, she lowers her hand and rubs her fingertips together, her skin rough with dirt and dried blood.]

No. [An obvious lie. The fur of her jacket hides the wound from plain view, but if Maketh is tall enough, she'll be able to see it if she stands nearby and looks.]

I'm getting the fuck out of here. [Exactly how is an entirely different thing, but goddamnit, she's going to try.] Come on.

[It's not a friendly-sounding invitation by any means, more like an order, but it's what Maketh gets as she starts down the street. Sure, she's a stranger, but Emily isn't keen on letting people get killed. She's a bitch, but come on.]

[That's probably not true, Maketh thinks, but doesn't push it. She saw Emily favoring her shoulder earlier. Hopefully it's not life-threatening. In truth there's not much Maketh could do for her either way. She doesn't have a med-kit with her. All the supplies she does have are scorched beyond repair. It's better to soldier on and try not to think about things that can't be fixed. Maketh takes a breath, then follows.] Stay close.

[If the best that she can be is a meat shield, then that's what Maketh will do. She's supposed to protect civilians. Maybe she failed back on Lothal, but she's going to do better here. This one isn't going to die. Emily, whatever opinion Maketh has of her manners, is going to fucking live.]

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INTRO LOG: BLACK CATS & WALKING UNDER LADDERS

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