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

Mettaton...?

[His name is slurred, but Asriel's getting a little more coherent. His eyes close when Mettaton presses his hand up against his cheek, but there's no fever.

It's hard to wake up though. Just like those times where he's stayed up way too late - only this feels a lot worse. More like someone's trying to hold his eyelids shut, and his whole body feels like it has a ton of bricks attached to it. Needless to say, he doesn't move around too much aside from craning his neck to get a better look at Mettaton.]

I'm so sleepy... I think something bit me but I didn't see it...

You could say that. It was actually a trap, you must have stepped on some manner of pressure plate that activated it.

[He reaches down, pulling up the blowdart and showing it to Asriel. If he could even see it.]

It seems the trap was meant to tranquilize, not kill. Otherwise you'd be...

[Mettaton doesn't finish his sentence. He's too concerned to do such a thing. Besides, who wants to hear 'otherwise you'd be much sicker than this, I think'.]

...Point being, it's time to wake up. I'll bring you back to camp, and we will see if there is anything the medically inclined can do for you, alright?

[He can see it for the most part, as a look on confusion spreads across his face. The houses were booby trapped...?]

... Is everything on this dumb planet gonna be a trap or something that wants to kill us.

[Well he's awake enough to be bitter about it.]

I-I think I can stand up.

[He can't without some help, but he doesn't know that yet.]

Well. It wasn't meant to kill.

[That's all Mettaton says on the subject, before straightening up. He takes hold of Asriel's upper body, setting him on his feet just to let him test his legs.

Because he doesn't believe that Asriel can just...walk immediately.]

Try and walk.

[Well, he doesn't fall forward immediately. But he moves his leg forward, but his steps are far too wobbly. There's a grunt of frustration as he struggles to hold himself up, trying as best as he can to show that he's okay.

But it becomes obvious that if Mettaton wasn't holding him up right now, he'd be face down on the floor.]

I - I can't do it.

[He sounds far more upset with himself than he should.]

[Mettaton gives a sympathetic half-smile, hoisting Asriel up over his head. Then he pauses.]

Then I suppose I'll just have to give you a ride. There's nothing wrong with it, honey, unless you feel uncomfortable?

[Asriel settles against Mettaton, and now there's a small goat attached to his shoulders. His frustration is still there, but it starts to fade into exhaustion.]

No, it's not uncomfortable...

[It actually makes him feel a lot taller, and he wish he wasn't so out of it so that he could actually enjoy it more.]

Thanks for carrying me. I'm sorry, I should've been more cautious about trying to go inside.

[Mettaton isn't the only one who can apologize a lot.]

There's no need to be sorry, we're...friends, aren't we? I'll always support you. Besides, we can't know the catch on every single planet, can we?

[Mettaton lets Asriel settle, then when it feels as if he's got a good hold, the robot's arms fall to his sides again. He...well, he missed doing this. All the time he spent avoiding everyone was for a reason and yet Mettaton hated being alone.]

Just, ah. Mind the scarf, won't you?

[Perhaps it wasn't noticeable before, but Mettaton's been wearing Papyrus' scarf ever since they crash-landed. He figured it was safest to keep it on his person at all times, and sticking it inside the PacDisc felt so impersonal.]

[Asriel's missed Mettaton too. It was hard not to go to him immediately after nearly trashing his own disk in a fit of recklessness and despair, but he was too ashamed to show his face. Not after seeing the reaction Frisk had, and especially not after Mettaton had told him how sad he'd be if he wasn't around anymore.

Mettaton was hurt enough. The last thing he wanted was to add to that pain.

When he points out the scarf, Asriel knows who it belongs to. It's a little tattered from use, but he'd know that scarf from anywhere. It's enough of a reminder that Asriel misses Papyrus almost immediately, but instead of saying anything he just gives a small smile instead.]

Don't worry, I'll protect it as long as I'm up here.

Edited 2016-12-05 00:05 (UTC)

Thank you, sweetheart. I know I can always trust you.

[Mettaton starts walking, the rough terrain crunching beneath his boots. He and Asriel haven't spoken in a while--Mettaton honestly doesn't know where to start.

...Perhaps he should ask about the disk, it looked as if had received some level of damage. Hopefully that didn't mean anything bad, especially with something called an identity disk.]

So...how have you been doing? I noticed your disk has some cracks in it--is there no one who can fix it? It isn't...hurting you, is it?

[Asriel stiffens at the question, but of course Mettaton was going to see the damage he did to his disk.]

No, I'm okay! I haven't noticed anything weird... um, maybe Rinzler or Clu would know how to fix it? But I haven't seen them around.

[And he kind of doesn't want to. Especially Rinzler. He definitely doesn't want to have this conversation with Rinzler on how it was broken.]

[The stiffening is a little dubious, but Mettaton doesn't pry. He's satisfied that Asriel is experiencing no ill effects.

...He really missed the kid, despite knowing that as soon as they reach camp, he'll be trying to worm away again.]

As long as you are alright, then that is what is important. I'd offer to send either of them your way should I cross their paths, but I'm not familiar with Rinzler or Clu. I really ought to be better about the crew, especially since...we're all traveling in groups, not split off by walls.

[On the topic of Rinzler and Clu, Asriel gladly latches on. Anything to keep him from being the center of this topic.]

Well, Rinzler's the one who taught me how to pilot! And... I got this disk from his world too, when we had the chance to visit each other's worlds and stuff. He's the one who's taught me how to use it too! He doesn't talk much, 'cept on the MID sometimes. But he's gotten me out of a lot of dangerous situations - he even fought some slavers on the Outpost and took 'em down like it was nothing!

[There's a tiny bit of admiration in Asriel's voice. He really does think Rinzler is cool.]

And Clu fixed my disk before, back when I was turning into glass... he's really smart. I could trust him with my life if I had to!

[Well, maybe not. But when your disk was programmed to think Clu was the best guy ever, that's been Asriel's opinion of him.]

Oho, I had wondered about that! I never really got to ask where you'd gotten the disk from. I'm glad that you have such excellent friends to show you new skills, Asriel, and I'll have to thank Rinzler for helping you in such a poor situation.

[You know. Like Mettaton tries to, while at the same time neglecting his friends for three entire weeks. What a guy, right?]

Seems to me that you have some technologically oriented friends there. For the better, that disk seems to be an important part of your biology now.

Yeah! It was actually kind of scary how I got it. Everyone from Rinzler's world uses these things for fighting. But they have everything about you on them too. I wish I understood it a little better than I do, because you're right... it's a part of me now.

[And he almost destroyed it, taking himself with it. It seemed so strange, being able to physically hold something that could destroy or rewrite you in an instant.]

It's... so weird how important it is. And I can't get rid of it either, not that I think I'd want to.

I wonder if it will disappear when we go home? If not, then...well, it's definitely a conversation starter.

[It's probably for the better that Asriel hasn't brought that up yet, because Mettaton probably wouldn't take it well.]

So, are you starting to feel better yet? Not that I'm in a rush to set you down, far from it!

[Mettaton might not have his usual stamina, but Asriel isn't too heavy. This is fine. More than that, it's familiar and nice to be hanging out with Asriel again, and perhaps he's walking a little slower than normal in order to prolong that moment.

It begs the question of why, for which there's a very complicated answer which culminates into the inevitability that he'll be distancing himself again.]

I think so. I can feel my legs a little more now.

[He'd offer to walk again, but he's starting to like it up here. All this talk about his disk has left an uncomfortable knot in his stomach. It's worry, it's a nagging feeling that he should tell Mettaton what's going on. If he could see all of Asriel's history in the window of a ship, how easy would it be for him to find out what he did a couple weeks ago?

But... he didn't want Mettaton to stop being friends with him either.

I'm the end, he knows what he needs to do.]

Mettaton, there's something I need to tell you. About why my disk has a crack in it.

I'm glad. See, it looks as if things are getting better after all!

[...Shit, did he just say something optimistic? Wow...he feels pretty proud of that. His pride is quickly dampened by the tone Asriel had taken though. It didn't sound like that crack in the boy's disk had a good story behind it.]

You know you can tell me anything, sweetheart. What happened..?

... I tried to see what was inside it. My disk.

[His tone already sounds deeply regretful.]

I... I thought... if it had my soul inside, I could see it for myself. A-and I almost did something that I couldn't take back.

[Mettaton stops walking, and his shoulders stiffen, likely to the point where Asriel can feel it. He's not stupid, he's never been stupid. Perhaps he acted a little vapid at time, but now is not one of those times.]

You tried to break it open. Is that it?

You attempted to break something which, as far as I've seen, catalogs everything about you and docks directly to your body? That was what you tried to do?

Just to see if it had something identifiable as a soul in it?

[Asriel opens his mouth to find some kind of way to justify it - but he can't. He couldn't do it with Frisk, and now Mettaton knows what exactly he tried to do. It wasn't really about the soul in the end, was it?

There's a painfully long pause, and Asriel closes his eyes. His throat aches.]

... Yeah. I did.

[I'm sorry, is what he wants to say. But this isn't something he can easily apologize for.]

What do you think that would have proven? That you can hurt yourself? That disk doesn't hold your SOUL. That disk will never hold your SOUL, because you are a monster, and if you have a SOUL to find, it's inside your body!!

[Mettaton can't look at Asriel, but the way he angles his head up, and the way he's speaking? It's clearly indicative of how upset he is. How could Asriel ever think to do something so potentially destructive.]

And even if it did migrate to that disk, if you broke it then your SOUL would shatter, and that would have been the end of it, don't you understand?! We can't be brought back anymore!! Why would you risk it? Why would you hurt yourself like that?!

Because I'm scared!

[It's not a good excuse, and Asriel knows it's not the only reason. He's sure Mettaton knows too. But... Mettaton has also seen his timeline. While Asriel isn't sure just how much he knows, he certainly knows the connection between Asriel and Flowey.

Did he also know that if he goes back with no SOUL, he'll just turn back into a flower again?

Asriel's hands are trembling - maybe it's a good thing that Mettaton can't look back at him, but the tone of his voice tells Asriel how he's feeling right now.]

I... I tried to believe what you said, I really did! But I can't stop thinking about it. If we go home, and if for some reason my SOUL isn't there, I won't just disappear!

I'll... I'll turn back into Flowey. I'll lose everything I've ever had here, including our friendship. And the family I've got with Frisk and mom... I won't be able to feel anything anymore.

I can't... I just can't do it...

[He'd rather die.]

I'm so sorry, Mettaton...

...Fine.

[Mettaton reaches up, his arms taking hold of Asriel. He pulls the boy off his shoulders, setting him down on his feet. This time he doesn't wait to see if the kid can stand on his own, he all but drops him.]

Turn around, Asriel. Face me. Face me and tell me you're the only one who has something to lose. If you can't do that, then hit me. Hit me with your magic. We may not have much, but monsters can only express themselves with their magic. It cannot be fully locked away by some fucking portal.

Show me that I am wrong to be upset at your recklessness. Or don't. I don't care.

[The robot shrugs, and there's a coldness in his expression. If the face didn't do it, then hopefully the previous profanity would. Mettaton doesn't curse often, and never to that degree.]

But don't you dare run. Because if you make me waste my magic, I'll make you regret it. Do you understand?

And if you can't use your magic, then use your claws. Use your teeth. You still have those, don't you?

[Asriel wobbles for a second, but stands upright. It seems like the dart's effects have more or less worn off. Mettaton tells him not to run, but he doesn't have to worry about that - fear and dread has him firmly frozen in place.

Asriel shakes his head pathetically.]

I don't want to fight you.

[Please no.]

Edited 2016-12-06 05:26 (UTC)

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