thisavrou_log | december event log

Entry tags:

december event log

Who: Everyone
When: December 1st and on
Where: The Midway Hub.
What: With the Moira destroyed, the crew travel to the center of the Hub.
Warnings: Potential violence. Lots and lots and lots of walking. Please label your content

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the outer gate
"Open up, and let them in."

The Moira is no more.

With the damage done to the ship due to the timeslip, all that remains is a burning wreckage and parts to be taken—if the crew can find anything in the pieces. Recovery and headcounts are the main objective for the first several hours of being planetside, and once things have settled just enough, Captain Ira calls for a meeting and addresses those who are able in person to explain the situation. He draws a rough map of the area and explains where he believes they are - according to the terrain - and where they must go. For anyone who’s listening, he describes things like an “Outer Gate”, an “Inner Gate” and “gate sectors”. Believing this to be the best course of action, all crew are asked to explore and gather what they think they’ll need to make the long journey towards the central point of the Hub. Because the MIDs are no longer working due to the lack of a network, the Captains distribute a newer tech called the TAB. It serves the same functions as the MID but is lighter, slimmer, and has the ability to stick to any surface.

WELCOME TO THE MIDWAY HUB

Now that the smoke from the crash has cleared, and injured crew have been tended to, the Captains get everyone ready for departure by explaining what they know of the Hub. Almost stone-like, the creators built a domed workspace in the largest solid space on the planet they could find. Gates are the only way inside, and anyone who catches a glimpse of the compound will see that parts of the dome are cracked. Yet, everything still appears to be relatively intact. The Midway Hub’s terrain is very rocky and difficult to walk on at times. Below the surface is a honeycomb of intermittently dense and brittle stone that makes travel difficult due to the unpredictable nature of what lies beneath the crew’s feet. Those who can develop the tech from what’s left of the debris might be able to create something to determine which route is the safest. Ships and small crafts can be used to fly, but landing is a problem—rocks jut up in sharp peaks and the clearer spots can't handle their weight. Vegetation is sparse, consisting of twisted dark gray thistles that have sprung up from cracks in the rock and burn when in direct contact with skin, and what could be considered small animals here can be seen scurrying away the closer crew get to them.

☄ WEEK ONE

Crew are asked to hook cryo beds together and to use any appropriate vehicles that can be made or fashioned to fit the terrain to carry injured crew on the journey to the center of the Hub. Supplies are gathered, and the Captains, as well as any crew who want to, give the Moira a proper sendoff, heads bowed as they say goodbye to what’s been their home. Traveling starts out slowly, a line of a hundred-plus crew members making their way slowly forward. Stops are frequent, but camping for rest only occurs at night. Crew are assigned watch shifts, fires are built, injured tended to, and those who are able are asked to explore nearby caves and hunt for food.

Something akin to deer, though striped and only to be found in pairs, can be stumbled across at night. Throngs of dark purple mammels begin to follow the Moirans on their trip as well. They are friendly, curious, and eat the thistle. Meet the intelligent, watchful predators that aren’t easily scared away and follow the crew from a distance as if waiting to pounce. The thistle can be eaten, but only if cooked first, and those who sample the chewy plant raw will experience a burning sensation in their throat that doesn’t go away until the cooked version is consumed. During the first week, water can’t be found.

Anyone who does hunt, gather, or explore should make sure to that their TABS are on and it’s suggested that nobody goes alone.

Nearing the end of the first week, an Ingress can be spotted close by that crew can explore. If anyone dares to go inside, they will find the texture of the ground and surrounding walls to be rather soft. If inspected closely, crew will discover that what they originally thought to be rock is actually a living organism that’s fed off the energy of the Ingress it’s attached itself to. It’s not harmful and squishy to the touch. If pressed hard enough, it secretes a turquoise liquid with the consistency of water that might make a good substitute for that very thing.

☄ WEEK TWO

When crew finally pass through the sector gates, a strange sensation encompasses them, and a depowering of sorts goes into effect. The creators put in security measures meant to put all visitors on equal footing as well as to protect themselves from harm. All crew will essentially have the strength and abilities of the average human. An unforeseen issue, this causes Captain Thán to slip into a coma as he is no longer able to continue to recover at a steady pace, and with the loss of the former Captain’s abilities, crew can no longer be brought back if they die. For the first time, all Moirans are subject to permanent death.

During this week of travel, broken ingress machines and parts will be found scattered among the rocks, and new crew will come through. Unfortunately, these Ingresses aren’t in good shape, and anyone coming through will be in varying states of distress—some physical and some mental. New individuals will either have suffered an age slip, growing older or younger than their original body, some form of body transformation (perhaps that shiny thing they were wearing is now part of them somehow), or an extreme weakness they had never been subjected to before arriving on the Midway Hub. The new people will be offered to join their group, once found, and seasoned crew will be asked to explain to them where they are going and what they know.

The rest of the week will be a mix of greeting the new arrivals and continuing to travel to the center of the Hub. The closer they get, the less frequently they’ll see animals, and more caves will begin to pop up.

☄ WEEK THREE

Entering the third week of travel, settlements and houses begin to crop up and are prime areas for exploration and general supplies. Those who go inside may find items that have been left behind and evidence showing that those of varying species and cultures lived in the homes. Some appeared to have been scientists while others were explorers, but all living quarters are deserted. Crew who are less lucky in their search might come away with no fresh supplies, and others might walk into traps or safeguards left behind by previous tenants; these come in many forms, from mild paralysis to temporary unconsciousness. As there are more residences, there are also more caves. The entrances vary in size, and light sources will be needed to explore. Once inside, crew can find purple underwater streams, which can be consumed, and glowing surfaces. When crew drink the water, it temporarily restores powers, a few minutes tops, and then, extreme lethargy settles in for a couple of hours.

Further into the cave systems, crew will come across these lovely creatures that are attracted to sound and track through scent. They are highly dangerous and attack simply to feed. Killing them, though, is surprisingly simple as they are just as vulnerable and weak as everyone else. They are vicious in demeanor but only as strong as an average human.

The closer to the Inner Gate crew get, the less homes, wildlife, and more caves there will be.

☄ WEEK FOUR

The Captains, aware that the crew is exhausted, stop and make camp for the first few days. Someone mentions that it’s the holidays where they’re from, and the Captains do their best to throw a party. Set up at the base of a cave, tents are built and fires roar. Soft music is played in the form of guitar, thank you Ira, and Cúrre brings out some legumes that taste like cherries when roasted. There isn’t much in the way of decorations, but crew are encouraged to dig through their pac-discs and contribute to the festivities.

After a brief respite, crew learn that the entrances to Gate A and Gate B are inside one of the caves but any signs or markings have long since worn away or been destroyed. Groups are split, TABS are synced, and crew explore carefully until an entrance is found. Crew discover Gate A first, and all crew are contacted to gather there. The Captains will remain at the cave entrance until all crew are accounted for, and then, they’ll enter through the gate together.

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Hawke had been avoiding Varric. Which was strange, Varric was never someone she avoided. But Varric had given her some hints about her future that had been less than pleasant. And Hawke always fled from unpleasant things. But she comes back to him. Like a desire to return home after a long trip.

She drops down next to him and leans her head against his shoulder, listening to his voice but not his words.]

Some things never change, hm? Always spreading rumors about me.

[What was going through Hawke's head, the dwarf didn't claim to know. He was a clever man, noticed the kinds of things that other people didn't. And it wasn't hard to miss the fact that somehow, for some reason, Hawke always managed to put herself somewhere Varric wasn't.]

[He tried to tell himself that it didn't matter, not really. She was alive, and he could tell that much from afar. Much as he would have loved to have gotten a drink with her (unfortunately impossible, given the current situation) or talked with her through the long nights, he was content to give her space. Sure, maybe he pressed his ear a little tighter to the stone, just to make sure she was staying safe, but other than that, he could content himself to his stories.]

[But that didn't mean there wasn't a certain amount of longing in his eyes whenever he spotted her from afar. It wasn't how he pictured their reunion going -- talking about her breasts was fine, normal even, but the rift between them? That part didn't feel right.]

[All of those thoughts were blown far from his mind the second he felt her, the second her voice met his ears. He breathed a short sigh of relief, noting, albeit briefly, the normalcy of her gesture. An arm wrapped itself around Hawke's waist, a hand pressing against the space beneath her ribs. He could feel her warmth beneath the fabric of her clothes, and very nearly breathed a sigh of relief. Yes, she was standing there, head against him, voice in his ear, but the extra reminders that she (still) was alive were more than welcome.]

Speak of the desire demon herself [He let out a low, rumbling chuckle.] I was just thinking about you, did you know that?

[As he wraps his arm around her, she sniffles and scoots closer. She feels tired and out of it, like just before the flu you've caught hits you like a boulder falling from a mountain. But she's pretty sure that's not it. It's the exhaustion of all the new people. New people to protect, new people to be weary of, new people you thought you knew but perhaps now feel you might never have.

But Varric is the same. Or mostly the same. His hand is still warm and broad against her thin waist and he does the thing where he rubs her back a little before his arm snakes all the way around her body. His smell is familiar a mixture of spice, ink, and dirt.

Hawke sighs and curls up closer to him, her knees resting on against his as she tries to ignore the whole "desire demon" comment.]

I did. My ego led me right here. I knew I was the object of your undying affections.

You always did see right through me. [Varric's hand lifted, dispelling the group for the time being. He may have loved spinning idle tales, but he'd pick Hawke over that any day.]

[Of course, his bond with the Champion meant that he had a habit of picking up on her tells. The sniffle, the embrace, it all felt very unlike her. As soon as the crowd had dispersed enough to converse at least somewhat privately, Varric turned his gaze on her. The hand against her back drifted up and forward, resting beneath her chin in case she tried to look away.]

So what's crawled up your skirts, Hawke? And don't even think about pouring the lurid details of your sex life on me. I've written enough about your private life for a lifetime.

But telling you what's going on beneath my skirts is my favorite. What have I done to be denied. I have some great new ones.

[She sniffles again and slowly lets him raise her head to look at him. She feels so tired. So exhausted that she wishes he would let her put her head down. But she does her best to keep her expression neutral.]

Perhaps I'm coming down with something.

[She... probably isn't. But it's better than admitting the load of feelings swarming in her stomach.]

Probably shouldn't be listening to the tall tales of an old dwarf then. [Varric shifted in the slightest, urging himself to get up and move. If he didn't, Hawke wouldn't, and the last thing he wanted was for her to fall ill on his watch. It didn't take a fool to notice how ill-prepared they were for anything more than a paper cut or a scraped knee. He wasn't about to lose the woman again.]

[But still, he hesitated. Hawke had just come back, just settled in. For a moment, he worried that she might take after her namesake, might fly away with one wrong move.]

Surely there's somewhere more comfortable than this. Warmer, maybe? [He bit his tongue the second his words left his lips. It felt like he was asking her to leave, shooing her off just as he had the crowd.]

Tall tales.

[Hawke snickers because she is Hawke and very ridiculous. But then the laughter dies and she goes quiet again, trying to decide if Varric is shooing her away or doing his "looking after you" thing that she hates and he knows she hates it but it's part of their dynamic so she's learned to not complain that much about it.

She huffs a little.]

I like it here, thank you very much. What's on your mind, Varric? I asked you first so you have to answer.

Hey now. [He honestly tried to keep a threatening note to his voice, but his mirth was evident despite his best efforts. If anything, the taunt was just another reminder that things that things were normal, even if Varric knew better. Even with Hawke occupying most of his attention, he was painfully aware of the bleak landscape around them.]

[He shook the thoughts from his head, offering the woman a scowl in the process. Leave it to her to pick up on his troubles. He'd almost forgotten how easily she could read him.]

Just wondering how we're going to get out of this mess. [He let out a sigh. He'd crawled his way out of deeper shit, he supposed. Never mind the fact that he was only scraping at the very top of all his troubles. Hawke didn't need to trouble herself with the rest of it.] What about you? And don't even think about avoiding the question.

We've been in worse. You and I. Myself and everyone here. And I don't avoid questions, I dodge them with expert speed and reflexes.

[She can't lie to Varric. Or well she can. But it never seems to work. He can read her in a way that's both unsettling and comforting depending on what state she happens to be in. He knows her more than anyone else ever has. Or at least before she came to the Moira.

She pulls at the laces on her boots and then his, untying them just to have something to do and to be a bother. She doesn't want to talk. But if she doesn't ask the question, she might just combust from pure anxiety]

Why did you call me a demon? It seems like a strange insult. Even my lack of tits aside.

[Varric opened his mouth, to argue with her perhaps, or maybe to just scold her for unlacing his boots. If he wasn't careful, she would tie them together, and in his haste he would forget and he would find himself flat on his face. It had happened before.]

[But instead, the words caught in his throat. He glanced at Hawke, expression tightening, heart momentarily aching. This was the last thing he wanted to talk about with her. It didn't matter, not really. She had come from another time. Maybe not from a better time, her injuries considered, but... at least a time when she was alive.]

[He couldn't imagine her taking it well, either.]

It wasn't an insult, Hawke. Just... surprise. [He lifted his free hand, using it to pinch the bridge of his nose, then to brush the loose hair from his face.] Things weren't... [He drew a heavy breath.] I hadn't seen you in a long time. Enough that it felt more likely that I was being won over by a demon, rather than actually seeing you.

[Making Varric fall on his face was hilarious. She used to pretend to drop something under the kitchen table, and do it to Carver to make Bethany laugh. Carver probably started just playing along.

Hawke winds the cords around her fingers as her stomach sinks violently and begins to roll like a ship on stormy weather. She and Varric were always together. Even though she'd only known him five years, he'd become a constant in her life. Few days went by where she didn't see him. Varric and Hawke. Hawke and Varric. It just seemed right.

She leans back with a huff, pulling bravado, as she does, out of impossible places.]

You've left me? Why? What did I do? Vomit on your nice new shoes? Sneeze in your face? Steal the covers? Release a nug into your room to watch the dog chase it because I bored and not feeling well? Buy the entire city a drink on your tab?

[Varric wanted to laugh. His brain ached with the urge to let out a chuckle or two. But his chest throbbed just as bad, perhaps even worse, as her rant wore on. He wished it had been that simple, that he might have wandered away for such a simple, petty reason. Things like that were easier to recover from, he figured. He'd been sneezed and vomited on by a number of people. He might have been pissed, but he'd recovered.]

[But it wasn't a squabble that had torn them apart. It wasn't even a disagreement. It had just happened in the space of a few hours. War broke out and she went to all the places Varric never could have followed.]

[He'd wrote, but he'd learned from starting "The Tale of the Champion" that words could never capture the wry, charming nature of Hawke. Even when she was the one scrawling out notes to him, it was missing something.]

[He was missing something.]

It was nothing like that, Hawke. [His voice was quiet, devoid of its usual, charming lilt.] Don't worry about it, alright? It doesn't matter. You're here now.

[And lets be honest, most of those people were Hawke. Not on purpose but Hawke wasn't the sort to tame herself around anyone.

She shifts to look at his face. To hear that quiet voice from Varric was... alarming. She'd only heard it once before when she'd come down with a nasty bout of pneumonia and refused to go to rest or see a doctor. A move he'd accurately seen as a purposeful self-flagellation.

So she'll take her worries and put them into a little box and on a shelf in the far back of her mind. At least outwardly. For his sake.]

Oh, if I must. You know how much I love to worry. [Then a sniff.] Now? I've been here for nearly a year.

For me, Hawke. [Despite his exasperation, the ghost of a smile flickered across his lips. It disappeared just as quickly as it appeared, his thoughts of the rifts that had cropped up between them pressing tightly to his mind. A year felt like nothing compared to four years of letters and Maker only knew how many months believing she was -- ]

[It doesn't matter, he told himself, repeating the same words he had only just said to Hawke. She was there, fucking with his shoelaces, threatening to embarrass him in front of the Maker and everyone else, same as always.]

[He tightened the arm that was wrapped around her, doing what he could to remind himself of that very fact. Nothing else needed to matter for right now.]

If I let you go, are you going to run off for another week? You know that dwarves shouldn't be left alone. They tend to tell stories about things their drunken friends have done.

Oh yes, I suppose I have to think about your perspective to. That is how this works.

[IF SHE HAS TO. She wiggles a little when he squeezes her but settles down comfortably against his side. It feels nice to have that weight around her after everything that's happened. Something finally familiar, warm, and comforting.]

No. And I didn't run off. I have important things to do around here. People who need to see me for job duties and other such things. I'm a big deal.

Am I still teaching you about friendship after all these years? [Maybe he needed to break into children's literature. It was probably the only thing he could get the woman to focus on, anyway.]

[Varric nudged his hip against the woman, a lazy version of a playful shove. He was good with this.]

Why don't I believe that? [In all honesty, he didn't have a reason to not believe her. Even without trying, she'd always managed to make herself the center of attention. He wouldn't have been surprised if she'd managed to insert herself into the upper brass.]

[Except, he knew it was far more work and effort than Hawke would have felt with.]

No. I've made very many friends on my own. I'm good at that you know.

[She shoves him back with her own hip. Which is effective because while it my be small it's bony as hell. Take that jerk that she adores.]

Because I didn't want this position. It just sort of happened. As a joke. Which became all to real. Jokes are dangerous, Varric.

Yeah, I know. I met one of them. [Varric's conversation with Nathan had been brief, but interesting. Enough to know that Hawke had been well taken care of in the apparent year she'd spent away from him. He'd just do what he could to ignore the pang of jealousy in his chest -- there was something about a stranger enjoying her company while he mourned her that smarted just a bit.]

[Luckily for him, the feeling ebbed after just a short while. He was plenty distracted by the idea of Hawke being in power, especially by the grace of a joke.]

Now that... [Varric let out another rumbling laugh.] That sounds like a good story. What'd you do, Hawke?

Nate? Or Tony? Well, either one. Ignore what they say, they're both arseholes.

[Hawke is unfortunately oblivious to his strife. Even if she'd never admit it, she'd found contentment in her relationships here. Something rare for her.]

I didn't do anything! Tony Stark did everything by promoting me to a bullshit bodyguard position for a joke and then the captain decided to take it seriously and promote me to head of defense.

[Varric's brows rose, but he didn't pursue the thought any further. Whether or not the woman was being facetious or not, he couldn't say. Just as long as he was her favorite, or maybe even oldest asshole in the end, he'd be happy.]

So, captain of the guard then? If only Aveline could see you now. [Another chuckle, another squeeze. It was a good job for her, he thought. Even if she didn't think it, even if she hadn't seen what he had, Hawke had laid down her life time and time again. On the surface, she might have played herself as uncaring, but she didn't really follow it up in practice.]

Just as long as you're staying safe.

I never stay safe. You vastly overestimate me.

[She sniffs and then makes a dramatic face. But it falters when he squeezes her. It surprises her that she's been craving affection.]

It's nothing like that. I mostly sleep or bother Tony all day.

I was afraid you were going to say that. [He grimaced. How fitting would it be to lose her just as he got her back?]

[There certainly was no hiding his relief when she admitted that it was merely a role of being an annoyance. He didn't believe it, at least not entirely (if danger truly presented itself, Hawke would find it), but he could fake like he did.]

[Not to mention fake his way through yet another pang of jealous in the process.]

I'll have to give this Tony a piece of my mind. Occupying your attention. Bastard.

You knew I was going to say that. [A simple correction.] Unless you're into the business of underestimating me.

[Speaking of, Hawke is completely oblivious to Varric's jealousy. It's something she never imagined. She and Varric were always close. There was no one else who could ever compete. Now things have changed but Hawke herself has not.

You can try. But he'll mostly act unimpressed and like you're a bother to him because that's his thing. Also his lover just showed up so he's probably busy trying to figure out how to not damage his old man back without a bed.

I've written a book on you, Hawke. I think it's safe to say I know you better than yourself. [At least he had that over anyone else. People could read the books all they wanted, but they'd never experience Hawke at her best, at least not in the way he had.]

[He could take comfort in that.]

What kind of man can't take fooling around without a bed? [No kind of man he wanted to know. But maybe that was just the residual jealousy speaking. Still, by all accounts he was getting up in his years, but he still felt like he could have a romp on the rocky ground and be no worse for wear.]

I know. I saw it. Didn't read it though.

[She gives a shrug on both topics.]

I don't know. He wears a strange metal suit. Perhaps it makes his bones brittle.

Week 3

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