Intro Log: Busy Little Bees

[hadrielmods]

Who: New arrivals and everyone else!
What: The intro log for July
Where: The colosseum and all around the city.
When: July 10th-16th
Warnings: Fun for kids of all ages!

Another day, another mysterious transportation to a strange and alien city inside a cave surrounded by monsters. Or maybe that's not normal for you? Weird! You awaken on the ground of a large arena, a stone ceiling stretching high above you. Welcome to Hadriel! Oh, but you aren't alone. That 'surrounded by monsters' bit? Yeah...

Do you hear a buzzing? Better start running now. Along with all the newbies, the Door has brought in quite a few tracker jackers. Wasps are already horrible, and these things are even worse. Bigger and much more dangerous than the insects they were genetically modified from, tracker jackers will sting anyone they think is a threat. Their stings cause extreme pain and hallucinations, and if you're stung too many times - well, that's it for you. You can try to calm them down with smoke, fight them, or just run like hell. Maybe you'll get lucky.

It's hard to fight if you don't have a weapon, though. But hey - you're in luck! Rage, who usually supplies the city with weapons, is currently gone, but the Door has provided you with some instead! That's right, you might find a sword, a gun, a bow and arrow, or an exotic foreign weapon to defend yourself with! Of course, they're all made of plastic and completely incapable of hurting anything. Have fun!

Let's hope your legs are faster than those wasps, and you survive your first few minutes in Hadriel. After you've 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 July 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!

Comments

Speakeasy Party. [OTA MINGLE]

[circumitus]

Signs posted all over the city welcome citizens both new and old to the local Speakeasy and Casino.

Upon entering, the lighting has been dimmed somewhat by a faded blue tint, allowing for a makeshift lightshow over the dancefloor by the stage area. There, people are welcome to sing or create music. Otherwise, you can expect some pre-recorded tunes to be playing from a phone hooked up to a sound system. It's all homemade or concocted together with whatever can be found in the shops, but hey, it works.

The old-fashioned bar offers a variety of drinks, both alcoholic and non, for the sober and underaged types. Juices, soda, snacks, and even some simple meals are put together at seemingly the last minute to facilitate patrons. Everything is served by Rey herself at first.

As expected, everything is free, but the owners reserve a right to cut you off if things get a little out of hand. Furthermore, no bar fights, or you will be 'kindly' asked to take it outside before it gets a little less kind.

And, considering the stature of the owner who looks like she can hurl a guy across a football field, you might want to try and play nice.

[ooc: Consider this the first official Hadriel Welcome Dance Night! Feel free to reply to this with open threads, have your characters meet, sing, dance, and be merry. For tomorrow we never know who will die.]

partaaayyyyy; OTA

[braveoff]

Drake is out scavenging when he spots one of the signs pointing to the Speakeasy, and hey, he's curious. It seems kinda besides the point of a "speakeasy" for it to advertise but he's no expert, and when he gets there... he looks around and smiles. Someone's taken care to fix this place up, unlike most of the locations in the city he's seen so far. The music setup might be cobbled together but it serves its purpose and if someone's willing to be onstage, well, Drake's a pleasant enough audience.

He crosses to the bar and waves to Rey, who does in fact look formidable. Don't worry, he's not looking to start trouble. He'd just like a drink, and to ask just what's going on here. Is it a dance night? It seems like a dance night.

Liv and Ephemera get texts with a GPS map link -- come meet him here, guys.


(( timewarping because idk when this takes place whoops just pretend none of them are injured okay ))

[requiemshark]

There's a short internal debate over whether or not he should wear armor to what's essentially a bar. Ultimately, Ephemera decides he's not going to be That Guy and comes over in regular clothes. He keeps his pistol and three knives close at hand, though. He's not an idiot.

He finds Drake pretty easily.

"Damn, son. I thought the bar got blown up. They have real alcohol?"

[braveoff]

Yeah, Drake's got a knife on him, large and sheathed at his hip -- because he's not going anywhere here unarmed and he's already returned the rifle. And carrying the axe proved unwieldy when he was scavenging. He has to figure out a good way to carry it.

When Ephemera comes in and strolls up to him Drake is sitting at the bar with a glass in front of him, which he raises in answer.

"They have real alcohol and she's not charging. Get yourself something and join me."

[requiemshark]

"I might actually like this place," Ephemera announces, grabbing a seat. Free drinks and from the looks of things, it's not moonshine. Beautiful. "Oh my god. They have tequila."

Hell yes. He's totally getting drunk.

[braveoff]

"...shots time?" He'd warn his friend not to go overboard, but let's be real, he'd carry Ephemera home if necessary. Drake owes him.

Usually he'd go for beer at a bar but the past few days called for something stronger.

[requiemshark]

"Shots," Ephemera agrees. It's been literal years since he's done them, a situation that needs to be rectified as soon as humanly possible. He gives his order and pretty soon he's got a bottle and a couple shot glasses. Real glass too, what the fuck, this is awesome. "You want in on this?"

[braveoff]

"Hell yeah I want in. Pour away."

He finishes the rum that had been in his glass and turns to face his friend a little better, waiting for the shot. He's got a pretty good alcohol tolerance -- something that's been unaffected one way or another by becoming a zombie. Don't ask him how metabolizing booze works, but it sure does.

"You drink much in prison? I was never much for hooch."

[requiemshark]

"Nah." Ephemera pours out two shots and passes Drake's over. "Pretty sure they made that stuff out of engine coolant."

And puking yourself to death is not a dignified way to go. Tequila is much better. He tips his head back and drinks.

"Goddamn, that's good."

[braveoff]

"...okay that's just toxic."

Drake picks up his shot and follows suit, and finds himself wishing for a lime but otherwise it's not bad booze. He smirks.

"Gotta say, I didn't expect anything like this here. It's actually nicer than the bar I work back home."

[requiemshark]

"Yeah. I wasn't that desperate."

He'd had plans, anyway. Things that needed to be done and didn't involve choking down somebody's makeshift booze. Ephemera turns the glass over in his hands, grinning.

"I know, right? This place is weird. Half of it's broken and the rest is like, really fucking nice."

He pours another two shots.

"You know any fancy drinks? 'cause my skills begin and end with grabbing the bottle."

[braveoff]

"I mean, I'm a bouncer not a bartender, but yeah I know plenty of drinks. Lemme see if she'll let me back there, and if they have any mixers."

A quick exchange with Rey, and Drake's circling around behind the bar. "How trashed do you feel like getting?"

[requiemshark]

"Like I just got out of prison trashed," Ephemera reports cheerfully. It's more or less accurate. "Probably not funeral trashed, though."

There's a thin line between happy drunk and sad drunk, but it's one that Ephemera tries not to cross too often. He'd rather have fun tonight, anyway.

to rey;

[hasitsthorns]

Ahem, [ comes the obnoxious clearing of her throat as she approaches. She's smiling, but nevermind how it doesn't quite reach her eyes. It never seems to these days. ]

If you thought I was joking about that dance, you are sorely mistaken. Just ask Sorrow.

[ Rose extends a hand and raises one eyebrow. Part of her won't be surprised if Rey doesn't take up the offer in the end, yet... She hopes she does. Even for how they haven't seen eye to eye, the blond had confided in her recently. She wants to thank her for that some way. ]

[circumitus]

[Ahem--?

[Oh.

[In all fairness, Rey really shouldn't find herself surprised at all. Rosie doesn't strike her as someone who would fall back on something as innocuous as a dance. It really is a trip, how they somehow managed to get here. But Rey will take what she can get, when she can.]

Not at all; was actually going to hold you to it. [Sort of.

[And with that, she does take Rosie's hand onto the dancefloor. Hey, it's an upbeat-ish song right now.]

[hasitsthorns]

[ It's been an odd series of events, she has to admit that much as well. Still. She's kind of glad for the way it all turned out thus far. This is definitely preferable to getting stabbed again, at least.

She's led easily out to the dance floor, body already subtly getting attuned to the music playing. It doesn't take much for Rose to get into the groove. Kind of comes with that musical inclination. ]

Were you now? Looking forward to dancing with me?

[ asked with a Chesire grin. A bit of teasing. She wouldn't be Rose if she didn't try to make everything a big joke. Though now Rey knows that's just a way to try and cope with everything going on. Long as she can make other people laugh, she must be doing something right. ]

[circumitus]

[Even though Rey wasn't the one getting stabbed, admittedly this is by far preferable to the alternative. Pain she can handle. Intense emotions are another story, and one she'd rather avoid if she can.]

Why not? Don't really have a regular partner anymore -- not that it mattered back then.

[Bianca didn't seem to care about that sort of thing. Doubly more obvious, if recent events taught her anything.

[Sigh. At least she has to try to keep things light, for now.]

[hasitsthorns]

I haven't had a regular partner in years now, [ she says, a bit wistfully. ] I miss salsa dancing in the southwest. Hispanic people really know how to party, it's awesome.

[ 'Starts at five' meant 'starts at eleven' and it was practically a two-day party more often than not. She'd only swung through Arizona a few times during her travels - more up on the north side of the state, with the hippie college in the mountains - but she always had fun.

Whatever Rey lacks in dancing skill, Rose more than makes up for.
She isn't just musically inclined when it comes to instruments, after all, she's got a 'groove' as they call it and utilizes it well. If nothing else, she seems to enjoying herself. ]

Sorry I'm not a more class act, like she was, but hopefully not the worst dance you've ever had.

[circumitus]

[Probably the least surprising to anyone, Rey has not been to that many parties. Prior to being stuck in this damned cave, social outings were almost unheard of. It's a particular life experience that she never thought she'd lament being deprived of, if only because she had resigned herself to the absence of such things.

[Now she knows what it's like to have such experiences, and it's no fault of her own. But still, she can't help but feel bitter for the lack of it.

[It's because of those recent experiences, however, that Rey knows how to keep in step. This is hardly her first dance now, and she's gotten used to studying her partner's moves and momentum to keep up.]

No worries -- you did fine. Thank you.

[She tries masking the somberness in her expression at the implications of Bianca that Rosie brings up, oddly more distant for someone who has lost a person as close as a partner. The situation is oddly more complicated than it has any right to be.]

[hasitsthorns]

[ Ah. Don't try to fib a fibber, Rey. Rose can tell she's hit a sensitive point, but... ]

Sorry, didn't mean to, uh. Strike a nerve there.

I mean, I get it. Not your situation exactly, but when Faith left it was... pretty tough there, for a bit. Still kind of is, sometimes.

[ She also understands the complicated, conflicting feelings attached to the loss. Part of her was glad that Faith had escaped, while another had selfishly wished she would have just stayed. ]

[circumitus]

[She shakes her head, rubbing her forehead.]

It'd be nice if this shit wasn't so damned complicated. But it is.

[Feelings. Relationships. The whole works. Maybe Rosie gets it.]

[hasitsthorns]

[ At that, Rose can't help but snort. ]

'Complicated' is like this place's tagline. Hadriel: Complicated. [ ... Actually, ] That'd probably make for a good sitcom.

[ Much better than Haven's, anyway. Haven's name in and of itself was a joke; adding 'We're all safe together' was just pouring salt into the wounds. ]

[circumitus]

[She scoffs. You have to know what the Opening Theme of a Hadriel sitcom would be like.]

Don't give the gods any ideas. They just might try to inflict something like that on us next.

[As if the "Pleasant Valley" experience wasn't just that.]

[hasitsthorns]

[ ... Okay, that's fair. ]

Yeah, right, better not make things too easy for them.

[circumitus]

[Rey has Very Valid concerns and they're not at all irrational, okok?]

Good. Last thing anyone needs is to wake up to a laugh track one day. It's bad enough our lives here is like a big fucking joke to them.