[intro log] we're beary pleased to meet you!

[hadrielmods]

Who: New arrivals - everybody!
What: Welcome to Hadriel. Enjoy the bears.
Where: The colosseum and all around the city.
When: October 10th-17th
Warnings: Bears, made of bear meat. Possibly bear attacks. General confusion.

You awaken on the sandy ground of the colosseum. Its half-ruined walls rise around you, stretching up to the sky - or what passes as the sky, as instead of blue sky and clouds you'll only see a rocky ceiling far above, with a bright source of light illuminating the cave.

Where are you? What are you doing here? Who are all these other people? Pressing questions, but far more pressing right now are the giant, hungry dire bears who seem to have appeared here along with you, and who are now waking up as well. And boy, do they not seem happy about it.

Once you've fought, run away, or successfully hid from the bears, you've got an entire city to explore. Sure, a lot of it is in ruins and it's totally empty, except for you, your fellow arrivals, and the bears, but there's things to be found and stuff to investigate. You can even find a house to live in if you're one of those fancy types who prefers not to sleep on the streets.

Unfortunately, one thing that can't be found at first is food. Hopefully you brought some with you or you managed to kill a bear or two, because the city is entirely empty of food until the 13th of October, when you will awaken to a gift of food on your doorsteps. Some of it might be strange-looking and alien, but hey, at least it's edible, and you didn't even have to kill anything to get it! Someone's feeling generous. After this, food and other items will be able to be found in the various stores around the city, though if you're looking for something specific, you might not have any luck.

Not long after, on the 15th, the electricity in the houses - and the rest of the restored parts of the city - will sputter to life. Hopefully you're not too near any lights or outlets when that happens, because there's a fair chance of exploding bulbs and sparks flying. At least you can turn the lights on now, though!

So now you've got food and electricity, the bears are all either dead or have fled into the caves around the city (you didn't go too far in there, right?). Things are looking up! Except for the whole 'trapped in an alien city, what the hell are we doing here' thing. But that's probably not important, right?

► This log covers October 10th-17th.
► Feel free to make your own logs, as well!
► The network will not be available until the 17th.
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!

Comments

[greywaren]

[There's a pause, and Ronan considers this. It sounds reasonable enough, but he doesn't have the physics know-how or practical knowledge to be able to problem-solve something like crossing that river without giving himself a headache and a few injuries. So, quietly, he asks:]

What would we need to be able to cross it?

[zen_en_vert]

Time. Planning. Wood, rope, reconnaissance-

[Or just a little old fashioned anger, but he isn't willing to get into that right now.]

I'd need to sit down and put some thought into it.

[greywaren]

[He frowns. Not exactly the sort of answer he was hoping for, but it makes sense.]

Maybe in a few days. Where are you holed up?

[zen_en_vert]

On the move. I met a friend from home here today, though, so I'm going to try to share a camp with him. At least for the time being.

[It'll be good. Another bare bit of wall between Bruce and the incident that he can feel lurking under his skin.]

[greywaren]

[Ronan rolls his eyes, speaking a little louder, as if Bruce didn't get the implication at first.]

I mean, where do I go to find you once I have rope and wood? Or are you not serious about this?

[zen_en_vert]

I'm telling you, I'm not sure.

[He says, patiently, because of course he's patient.]

But if you want to walk back with me I can see if we know where we're setting up tonight.

[greywaren]

[Ronan watches him for a moment, a tight spring on the verge of going off. He doesn't trust him- that much is clear- but he also doesn't want to give up on such an opportunity.

Finally, he asks:]

Do you have any food back there?

[zen_en_vert]

We've got bear meat. It's monotonous, but it's something.

[Nodding, inviting him along.]

Hope you didn't used to be a vegetarian.

[greywaren]

I have three friends. My age. We can't kill bears.

[Ronan keeps staring at him as he says it. He's not lying- he does have three friends- as much as he's testing Bruce and his hospitality, measuring the extent of his charitability. There's no clear right answer, here- an offer might mean that Ronan will see him as a liar, a refusal might mean that he respects Bruce's honesty.

Either way, it's in Bruce's hands now. Sorry that Ronan is a shitheel.]

[zen_en_vert]

Then we'd better pack you up some bear meat, or move you all closer. Steve is an army Captain, he's determined and resourceful, and he'll welcome you all and really help, if you decide you like him. If not, we send you away with food.

[Still trundling on.]

[greywaren]

[He stops walking for a moment, watches as Bruce moves away and considers the answer. Eventually, something about his demeanor just sort of gives, and Ronan nods reluctantly and steps quick to catch up with his newfound ally of sorts.]

...alright. I'll follow you, then.

[zen_en_vert]

Great.

[And he is relieved. Bruce wants him to chill, obviously, but also is already concerned about the number of young people here; the more they can bring under Steve's wing, the better, as far as he's concerned.]

Anything else happened since you arrived?

[greywaren]

[Silly Bruce, Ronan Lynch will chill the same day that Hell freezes over. He's too much of an angry, mentally-unstable teenager to do much else.]

You mean other than the bears.

[Dryly.]

I was stabbed. I found an old temple. A ghost- who I gave drugs to before so I could protect my ghost- found me while I was pissing up a wall. It's probably better to ask what hasn't fucking happened at this point.

[zen_en_vert]

Who stabbed you? Has someone seen to that?

[Is the most immediately concerning item on that list. Maybe it's just that it's a 'now' problem, while the rest of the what-the-fuck can be pushed back for later.]

[greywaren]

Some shithead. It's not bad. The sword was like- [He holds two fingers, barely a centimeter apart.] -that thick.

[And Ronan, being Ronan, has a high pain tolerance and doesn't really see this as a big deal after the fact.]

My friend put gauze on it.

[zen_en_vert]

You need to keep it clean. An infection here would be a big problem. I'm keeping an eye out for adequate medical supplies, but antibiotics-

[greywaren]

Are you some kind of doctor?

[Useful, of course- and it would explain a few things.]

[zen_en_vert]

I used to do a little medical work.

[Agreeing.]

Nothing official- just a bit of a background in biomedical research.

[greywaren]

So, no actual first aid or surgical skills, just experience with fancy equipment that we don't have here?

[Ronan is generally not a believer in pulling punches, even if he's probably wrong about something.]

[zen_en_vert]

That's not what my research is in, but luckily, I worked for a few years with human patients. I'll do in a pinch. I can sew up a stab wound, maybe take out an appendix in a pinch- but again, antibiotics.

[greywaren]

Hm.

[He reaches for his wrists, compulsively twirling at the various straps of leather he wears around them- it's a nervous tic, despite the rather innocent subject of conversation.

Now, Ronan doesn't really trust people- hell, he despises most people he meets, and thusfar, Bruce is no exception. But he's not stupid enough to spit in the face of an opportunity when he sees one, especially not when the opportunity may be the only plausible medical staff that they have in this fucking hellcave. So he swallows hard and kicks at a rock in the road, sending it crashing against one of the decrepit buildings.]

The last place I was in, my friend got ahold of some bad water. He got infected with- something. Seized and died in our arms. It wasn't pretty.

[A pause. Ronan doesn't really pretend to know the first thing about medical stuff, other than what's been done to him at the various ERs and so he really just doesn't know what's possible and what isn't. Still, it never hurts to try.]

...can you prevent stuff like that? If you had supplies?

[zen_en_vert]

Yes. And it's a good question, we don't actually know a thing about the water quality here. I assume we've all just been drinking it without asking questions, but the likelihood is that we actually shouldn't.

[Yet another element to consider.]

Supplies, and drugs. Drugs are the difficult one.

[greywaren]

Seems like it.

[And not something he's a hundred percent sure he can actually help with. Magic pills that just do things- crash you into your dreams, render you immobile- those he's seen before, those he could maybe create. But things with purpose and complex chemical compounds are a little more difficult, and he doesn't want anyone playing test subject for him.

So he kicks at the ground with a callous shrug.]

Sucks to be all of us, I guess. How far are we from your friend or whatever?

[zen_en_vert]

Ten more minutes walking, maybe, if I haven't gotten turned around. This place can be a maze when you're running helter-skelter from a bear.

[It's easy to get turned around in.]

[greywaren]

Great.

[It's sarcastic of course, but he continues to follow all the same. For better or for worse, he's pretty much in Bruce's hands for now.]