Asteroid 276: Conclusion

[savmods]

Who: Everyone visiting the asteroid
When: April 30, day to late night
Where: Asteroid 276, Thisavrou
Warnings: Disturbing imagery, nightmares (?), descriptions of blood and vomiting.

event log

Over the past month, relations with Asteroid 276 have transpired peacefully. Many visitors observed the self-proclaimed recluse of improvement. Some spoke with the Greeter. Some pursued modifications. Some shared stories of their lives. No effort was made to breach the commune's privacy, harm its inhabitants, or break its rules. In turn, the asteroid's inhabitants provided examples of their work.

As a result of your actions, negotiations are successful.

Asteroid 276 is to become a long-term trade partner of Thisavrou. Its universal signature will be saved on file, with trade representatives visiting every quarter-cycle. They will bring a steady supply of resources and requests, and the commune will turn their skills to any of the problems that face the twin planets, whether in curing plagues or helping individuals.

To celebrate this alliance, a gathering is held in the welcome wing of the asteroid. All who participated in the assessment are invited, and if some might find the lack of bar brawls disappointing, certainly the meal can't be faulted. With a full month to refine their produce to the preferences of visitors, the commune offers tables full of dishes to suit a wide array of palates and digestive tracts. The vegetables and meats may not come from the sources you're used to, but they certainly taste close enough-- taste better.

Mild intoxicants are available for those who choose to partake, and crowds of researchers proudly show off some of their projects around the edges of the room. A near-transparent insect flits up and down on gossamer-thin wings, appearing almost to teleport with its speed. A limbless expanse of furred green membrane encases a sick rodent... only to expel it moments later, with all trace of disease gone. The creators prefer to show rather than tell, but the Greeter makes her rounds around the room: to explain to the curious and draw out the shy. And most of all, to express her gratitude.

"Centuries of isolation. Millennia of fear. And you have given us a chance to move forward."

"Truly, I cannot thank you enough."

The night ends. All parties return home. There's a hum to the Ingress, a strange bout of nausea, but it passes quickly enough. So does your ride across the EN-Line. All guests, even those who partook lightly, will find a sleepy fullness settling upon them. Perhaps you sleep?

Certainly, you dream.

You dream of a wide emptiness, a place with neither up nor down but joy and kin and kindness all around. You dream of poisonous fury, of vengeance and loss so complete that you could scream forever and not vent a fraction of the pain. Of blood, blood, blood, thick enough to paint your skin and hide. You have to. You want to. You rip it from them gleefully, but there's so, so much you find yourself drowning. It's filling your lungs, surging up through your throat--

(Some of you may dream of slightly more.)

Wherever your dream takes you, it ends with nausea. With retching. You come to consciousness to find your body already reacting: you're outside, upright, purging the contents of your stomach over the nearest balcony or into a trash chute. The world is still twisting before your eyes, and it may take a moment for reality to settle. A moment longer to realize you're not the only one outside. Maybe you take some time to talk. Maybe (eventually) you realize you need to go clean up the mess.

There is no mess.

Maybe you dreamed it?

Still, the hunger in your belly persists-- for days, in some cases. And with it, an odd quiet, an emptiness in the back of your skull. Like waiting for an echo that won't come. Thisavrou's physicians can find no symptoms worse than mild indigestion, and only those who work around the Ingress are likely to hear the other strange occurrence of that night. The rumors are unsubstantiated--wild, and those who chatter too openly about them on shift are encouraged to take some time off. Still, the words carry: Asteroid 276 is gone.

What that means? Interpretations vary. Feel free to do some research, or come up with your own.

[[ooc: Check out the OOC post if you have questions! More information, especially on the dream portions, will be inside.]]

Comments

Asriel Dreemurr | ota

[pleasereset]

[The Gathering]



[Asriel hadn't been given much time between the gathering Asteroid 276 had set up, and Asriel's recovery after his genetic surgery. Much of it felt like a blur - he was poked, prodded, and asked questions, but overall he didn't seem to be in any danger.

He was given a drink, and then fell asleep. And when he woke up, he was in a bed feeling exhausted. His tail was longer now, looking more like a lion's tail than a goat's. And Asriel had wasted no time playing with it a little. His legs were stronger now too - supposedly. That's what they told him, but other than some tingling he didn't feel that different.

But he's helping himself to food. Because that's a good reason for being here, right?]

Everything looks so good... I feel like I could eat all of it right now.

[Kauto, Region 5 - Outside his house]



[By the time Asriel gets home, he's feeling incredibly tired and a little sick. It made sense - Asriel had just gone through genetic surgery that made his legs stronger, and replaces his short, stubby tail with a longer, lion-like one instead. It was still hard to get used to, his legs still felt a little tingly and he found himself jumping a little at the sight of his new tail twitching out of the corner of his eye.

But there'd been food, and of course he ate too much. And by the time he left, it was already getting late. It takes almost no effort for him to fall asleep once he curls up in bed, and by the time he thinks he should at least turn on a light because the room is starting to feel too dark and suffocating, he's already drifted off.

But this time, his dreams are different. He dreams of blood - too much of it, staining his face and fur and drowning him. He dreams of a figure in the middle of a sea, sneering at him coldly as he desperately tries to call out to it. He dreams he's melting, he's melting and he's dying and he's turning to dust-

Asriel wakes up screaming. Or he tries, but he feels so sick upon waking up that he stumbles out of bed and staggers outside into the yard. There's nothing he can throw up, but he feels something come out. Something raw and painful, and by the time it stops there's nothing he's thrown up and he's laying on his side in the grass while panting.

He's dizzy, and it takes a while longer before he even realizes he wandered outside.]

Your sad uncle is here

[mttbrandlegs]

[There's a few downsides to being a sleepless individual, and one of them is that you are keenly aware of your surroundings at all hours of the day, especially night. Because night is when people should be sleeping.

The screaming he wasn't sure of, because even living next door to the kids didn't afford him godlike hearing; the walls were a bit better at soundproofing than that. however, once he hears the sound of a child outside, his curiosity is piqued. It's probably Chara, being obnoxious again. He's sure of it, in fact, until he hears the sound of retching.

At that point, it didn't matter who it was, he wasn't going to let them suffer.

His door opens, and he glances out with a hint of worry on his face. Upon realizing its Asriel, he couldn't be at the boy's side fast enough.]

Asriel!! Asriel, sweetheart, are you alright?!

[Mettaton had thought he heard Asriel vomiting but...there's nothing?]

hi sad uncle

[pleasereset]

[There's no signs that Asriel threw anything up, just him curling in on himself as the waves of nausea hit hard and fast. The world around him is blurry, and it's Mettaton's voice that starts to bring him back to his senses.]

Met... Mettaton...

[It's hard to talk without wanting to throw up again, but it's not like he's got anything to throw up anyway.]

I don't... feel good...

h A HA HEYY BROBRO

[inconsequence]

[Waking in a blur of fingers tangling into sheets, heart thudding sickeningly in their chest cavity, cold sweat slicking their hair to their forehead and the back of their neck and pooling in their sheets and pillows - that is nothing new. They have never slept well, not before the Fall nor after it, and it's always an incomprehensible smear of thoughts that jar them awake with a startling hypnic jerk, and it is never gentle.

It is never gentle, and it is, on occasion, loud. Loud enough to ache, and to wake everyone in the house, in the vicinity.

Which is why it takes them several moments to register that the sounds of distress aren't stemming from them, but rather from Asriel. Asriel, whose tail they catch ghosting out from between the door with a flick of the tuft at its end, that ridiculous thing they cannot simply love because it is not and never will be - him.

Their palms are as clammy as the rest of them, the spots beneath their eyes bruised dark and purple from a chronic lack of sleep, and the grass is cool underfoot. The hot stench of bile, the soup of yellowed stomach acid or whatever monsters possess as their equivalent, burns in the air with each breath.

Their footsteps rustle the ground, though they cannot be certain Asriel hears them over the frantic rapidity of his breathing.]

Asriel?

[pleasereset]

[Asriel looks more like a sickly animal, curled up on the grass and mostly unmoving aside from the weak flicking of his new tail. There's a glassy look to his eyes, and for several seconds it looks like he doesn't even recognize Chara.

But soon, they get an answer.]

Chara...?

[The voice that comes out of him is soft, and he's fighting back another wave of nausea.]

I... I feel sick...

[That's pretty obvious, but Asriel is having trouble grasping what's actually wrong with him.]

party

[coldhardy]

[It's a little goat child... how adorable! And it... he?... seems thrilled to be at the party, circling the food table with as much interest as Elsa is herself. She moves delicately, has excellent, demure table manners, but she doesn't disguise the fact that she finds the menu delightful.]

You can't eat all of it at once! [Her smile is happy and indulgent, and her tone becomes a little more conspiratorial.] What do you want to try first?

[lavelly]

[ 01. party all night | asteroid 276 ]

[A party? With free alcohol? Don't mind if he does. Even if the drinks are pretty weak.

He tries his damnedest, though, and he manages to get well and properly sloshed as the night goes on. For anybody who's met him before, he probably looks like he's having the most fun they've ever seen him; it's a combination of the drink and pure awe that the people of the asteroid were actually able to pull off their miracle and restore his arm, which hasn't worn off more than a week later.

He's probably not looking where he's going, and is likely to trip and spill whatever he's drinking on you as look at you. Even trying to pick a fight about it won't sour his mood, though. He's actually happy for the first time in a while, and it seems like nothing can go wrong.]

[ 02. unsubtle dramatic irony | ingress complex ]

[Lavellan's inebriated enough upon returning to the complex that he elects to just pass out there, rather than make the rest of the trip home to Kauto 3. It's not his first time sleeping someplace strange, and he doesn't care much if people around him thinks he's a squatter. He's so drunk he barely remembers getting there, anyway.

He slips unconscious, tucked under a bench somewhere. Then the nightmare happens.

When he comes back to himself he's bent over a planter, emptying all the contents of his stomach and then some. It takes several minutes, and then all he can do is lean his forehead against the cool ceramic, sweat pooling in the pit of his neck and his eyes streaming. He's had bad nights before, but this... this is rough.

It takes him too long to notice the sound of approaching footsteps. When they're too close to ignore he heaves his head up to make eye contact and try to flash his best I've-made-a-terrible-mistake smile.]

What do you suppose they put in that wine?

[ 03. iris.mp3 | closed to solas ]

[Lavellan decides to walk back to the house, like an idiot. He needs the time to clear his head, but about halfway there realizes what a bad idea it was. Too late now.

The sun is on the rise by the time he finally makes it there, and he has no idea what to tell Solas; he's back far later than he said he'd be, and he's really not in the mood for scrutiny. Not to mention aching and bone tired. The best he can hope for is that Solas is still asleep, and he can slip in quietly enough to pass out for a few hours before he has to answer any questions.

It's too bad the hinges on the front door squeak so badly.]

[ 04. choose your own adventure ]

(If you have another idea or worked something else out with me! Feel free to run into him on his walk of shame back to Kauto as well.)

[dirth]

[ The problem is that Solas has been struggling to sleep more and more of late. It's the distance from the Fade, being away from his plans, his path, being trapped away from the spirits and friends that were his own, and it's beginning to wear him down ever so slightly. He's not quite on the brink of exhausted but he is getting there, frustrated and uncertain with himself.

When Neriel comes home Solas is awake, tucked in a corner with some sort of light to help him, reading some new fiction from the library not too far away. He frowns when he hears the door squeak open and he shifts, turning his head to look out at the other man.

It's late but, really, he has no right to comment, does he? ]

Good evening.

[lavelly]

[With how exhausted he is, Lavellan doesn't notice Solas is already there until he speaks, and he can't hide a startled jerk as he fumbles with the door.

There's not much he can do to hide the pallor of his skin, the lingering sweat, the shakiness, but he turns his head and tries anyway. The nightmare still lurks in the back of his mind, as if he'd just had it, as if it hadn't been hours since he'd found himself suddenly awake and heaving into a planter.

Nothing, it had said to him. As if he was an insect.

He shudders at the memory and fails to keep his voice even.]

I, well--good morning. I'm surprised you're still up. [His voice cracks, but if he presses forward, maybe Solas will allow the change in topic.]

Bad night?

[brokencode]

[Angel hadn't intended to stop at the Ingress Complex. After the complex procedure, followed by the debrief with the Greeter, Angel had wanted to go straight home and sleep off whatever it was she was feeling. By some chance, she'd bumped into Lavellan, and in her growing stupor, opted to stay with him instead.]

[She told herself that it was simply to keep an eye on him, but that should have entailed keeping the man from crawling underneath a bench. Instead, she relegated herself to watching over him while he slept it off, and then promptly fell asleep herself.]

[How much time passed between her passing out and waking from her nightmare, she wasn't sure. She wasn't even sure what Lavellan said, after both of them finished retching into their separate corners. She clung to her knees, blue eyes both wild and distant. Fear was etched into lines of her face, a cold sweat made her hair cling to her temples.]

Lavellan? [When she finally spoke, her voice was soft, haunted by the voice that had spoke within her head.] Tell me you are simply hungover and sick to your stomach.

[The dream was bad enough, but could easily be attributed to nothing more than a nightmare. If it was shared however... that would be less easy to explain away.]

[lavelly]

[Lavellan's head snaps up when he realizes Angel is there. He doesn't have time to process why; he barely has time for his eyes to adjust, to recognize that she's there at all. It was not a smart night for him.

Angel looks bad. As bad as he feels. The compassionate, brave thing to do is to acknowledge the real question she's asking, that Lavellan can feel hanging in the air.

The problem is that would mean he'd have to admit vulnerability, and that he just can't do. Not even for Angel's sake.]

Well, I certainly can't tell you I'm not.

boozin

[otiosity]

[Hawke didn't do jack shit on the asteroid but she's crashing the party anyway.

How can she say no to free food and booze? Plus she's been part of the crew for so long she's entitled to something by seniority, right? Yes, definitely, she answers herself, as she downs another glass of whiskey.

She's pleasantly buzzed when someone stumbles into her chest. Literally using her chest to steady themselves. It's an elf. A dalish elf, to be exact. That's curious. Very curious. Especially because most of the ones she's met are too busy being self-righteous to get sloppy. So this is fun.

She cocks an eyebrow down at him.]

I'm surprised you even managed to find anything to grip.

(☞ﾟ∀ﾟ)☞

[lavelly]

[He doesn't even realize what he's holding for about half a second and has to blearily stare at her chest as he gathers his thoughts.

Oh. He's bracing himself on someone's breasts. That's rather rude of him.]

Ah, sorry. Though you shouldn't sell yourself short.

[Then he looks up to see who he's been accidentally groping and, in the state he's in, totally forgets what Varric has told him of how much Hawke remembers.]

Oh, Hawke. Hello again. I'd heard you were here.

[Also he hasn't let go of her yet.]

02

[redshitlord]

W-whoa buddy...

[Sideswipe hasn't fallen asleep yet. Probably the only reason he hasn't gone through this kind of awful state himself. His buddy, however, is another story, and his holoform is at Lavellan's side to try and hold him up.]

[Or, at least, keep him from falling over.]

You are so not okay.

party!

[coldhardy]

[Well, it isn't as if she's never seen a real elf before. It is true that they're relatively new to her, and she's not used to seeing them -- the trolls back in Arendelle, yes, but elves are a myth! ... Aren't they? Maybe at home, but not here, and not necessarily in other places either.

Still, she's never thought that one would bump into her and spill a drink right down the front of her shimmering blue gown. How could you anticipate something like that?]

Oh!

[The drink is neither clear nor blue; it leaves a definite stain on her dress. Her big blue eyes widen even further... but her expression is one of surprise at being bumped into, not anger.]

Are you all right?

Closed to Otiosity

[neverheardofhim]

[Varric hadn't been exceptionally interested in the Asteroid. Space was still a little weird to him, and while other planets were a bit easy to adjust to, the same could not be said for a free-floating rock. He'd stay where things were slightly less likely to go tits-up.]

[Of course, Lavellan's miracle procedure piqued the dwarf's interest, and the promise of alcohol quickly sold him. He found himself traveling through the Ingress, shuffling awkwardly and uncomfortably about the party (as if he might fall off the asteroid at any given moment), and then finally settling at a seat near the bar.]

[It wasn't long until he spotted Hawke in the crowd, and he was quick to lift a hand and call her name with his usual sort of cheer. He might have been uneasy, but that wasn't anything a few drinks and a beautiful woman couldn't rectify.]

Some place, eh, Hawke? Better or worse than a Hightown party?

[otiosity]

[Hawke grins at the sound of the familiar voice and bounds over to him like an eager puppy. There was something about having Varric's attention that made her feel warm and tingly inside. Which she mostly attributed to hunger. Or intoxication.]

Well, the drinks are a bit weak. But no one's broken out into a horrible off key ballad that causes a fight. So it's a toss up.

Shiro | open + closed

[shiro2hero]

A) PARTY | OPEN
[This is not really his idea of a good time. It's too formal. He feels under-dressed, even in his armor. Something about this just feels... weird. Maybe it's the display of what they can do.]

[Or maybe it just hits too close to other dreams he's had recently.]

[For the most part, he keeps off to one side, watching the goings on. Not entirely participating in all of the bits and pieces. Not really eating much, either. But that's more because this is Shiro and parties are off-putting to him than anything else.]

[Please approach him.]



B) NIGHT @ LION HOUSE | CLOSED TO LION HOUSE RESIDENTS / FRIENDS
[Given as Shiro didn't actually go through with any sort of mods, or shake hands with the Greeter or anything, the dream passes relatively abruptly. And... he isn't sure if this is his usual nightmare or not.]

[There's more blood than usual. More vague shapes and less purple. A lot less purple. Fewer yellow eyes, too.]

[Regardless, anyone living in the house is probably privy to louder than usual Shiro yelling. Unusually loud. Accompanied by choking sounds.]

[Eventually, the sound of running feet. A bathroom door slamming. The sound of retching. And that's where he'll stay, dazed and more than a little out of it, until someone trails after him.]


C) NIGHT POST DREAM ADVENTURE | WILDCARD | OPEN
[Something is wrong here. Very, very wrong. So, naturally, after managing to scrape himself back together, he makes his way out onto the street, attempting to assist anyone he might run into.]

[Bump into him at your leisure.]

B OBVIOUSLY

[pidge_out]

[Pidge's room is just close enough to Shiro's that the yelling is what wakes her from her own usual light, fitful sleep. At first through the haze of sleep she's not sure it's real. But it strikes her a moment later that it's Shiro she's hearing, which is enough to get her more awake. She's already on her feet and heading for the door when she hears the rest of it; the running, the door, the unmistakable sounds that follow.

Her eyes are wide with concern as she hurries down the hall after him, knocking on the bathroom door to alert Shiro to her presence.]

Shiro? Are you okay in there?

Sideswipe | OTA

[redshitlord]

1) PARTY | OPEN
[Sideswipe doesn't really feel up to partying. But he figured he'd give it a try. More holoform practice, right? More chance to make himself look and act more like a normal human being for a while. Just a while.]

[And besides, his holoform doesn't always look like it's as unhappy as he is. So why not?]

[He'll be in the form of a lanky, redheaded human. With eyes a shade too bright of blue to be normal.]


2) NIGHT AFTER | OPEN
[And then, later, in the form of a tall, bright red robot, charging, screeching, through the streets of R1. Panicking. Clearly panicking. It's not a good day to be Sideswipe. Or night, as it were.]

[Hope you don't get caught underfoot!]


3) WILDCARD
[Hit me with your best shot]

Party!

[coldhardy]

[This guy looks like he's not having fun. Elsa herself isn't sure about having fun... she's happy to be at the party, but her enjoyment of things tends to be relatively quiet, standing alone and smiling and humming along with any music that's playing.

Still, she passes him with a skewer of "chocolate"-covered fruit in her hand, then doubles back.]

This is quite a party, isn't it? Have you tried the... well, I don't think it's really chocolate, but here! It's delicious.

[And with that, she holds out the handle of the little skewer, so he can take it and eat the fruit. She can get more.]

Elsa ❄ OTA

[coldhardy]

❄PARTY❄

[Elsa had first visited the asteroid quietly and privately, offering a snip from her hair and a scrape from the inside of her cheek. Once she understood what they meant by genetics -- what's common in a family, what you inherit from your parents -- she began to doubt that they'd find anything related to her powers by looking into the material they were asking for. Her powers are magic, a random gift, not something that came from either of her parents. But on the off chance that the source is somehow in her biology, maybe they'll find it there. That would be interesting to know.

Later, it seems polite to return for the party -- without the tiny animal that had followed her home after her first visit. It's been her constant companion, but surely it will be all right for a few hours alone? She can look into its status at the party, maybe, but she'd rather not relinquish it if she doesn't have to.

She stays at the periphery of the party for a while, but eventually is drawn in.

When the gossamer insect darts by her, she says,]

Oh! How charming! [And turning to the person next to her, with a touch of wonder in her tone,] Have you ever seen anything like that before?

[Or, later, she finds something like a chocolate fountain, with what she thinks are fruits to run through it, and her expression becomes happy indeed. She tries it, and eventually confides to the nearest person,]

It isn't exactly like chocolate, but it's close enough. Did you like it?

[She also finds herself more receptive to conversation as the evening wears on: when approached, she generally engages.

Later, when the dreams come and the temperature in her apartment and neighboring ones is suddenly almost too low for most people to be comfortable, she's alone.]

[retrovirion]

[ he hadn't come before the party. he was too wary and still somehow too worried about... anything. everything. connecting himself to himself still feels dangerous, and he can't quite shake it.

but that doesn't mean he's not curious enough to disregard a somewhat more open invitation. a party seems okay. parties are fine, right? parties are like. mingling and stuff. that's fine, that's casual. plus this one has aliens and science, so. he's so there. ]

Have I- no, - like that? I haven't seen anything like that. Have you?

[ he says, recovering beautifully from both the surprise of actually seeing some kind of bug teleport while he was eating some kind of not-sausage, as well as someone else actually talking to him out of the blue. ] Is that charming? That's not really the adjective I would have used.

Yori | ota

[yorisearching]

A. Ingress Complex

Yori had taken a late shift at the Ingress in order to let the people who would appreciate food go to the celebration. She tried to worry less over her suspicions. The experts had cleared everything from the asteroid as safe so far, after all. They could do a lot of harm, no denying, but maybe they didn't intend to.

When she left her assigned post and went back to her small blue apartment to rest, she'd hardly closed her eyes before the dream seized control of her. Peace for a moment like the very best joy of getting a task just right, alongside her coded sisters--and then hate and blood, so much blood sticky dark she could fall forever...

She finds herself in the hall, weakly retching even though she has no digestion and there's nothing to come up. Yori hates food with a vivid passion at the moment, and she hasn't even eaten anything for the long months since she could avoid it.


B. Kauto, R1

On realizing that her own dream is far from isolated, and hearing a worried whisper among the other Ingress techs that they can't find or speak to the asteroid at all, Yori takes a quick trip down into Kauto. She hadn't so much as touched the water; Alan-One had let them test his blood and give him whatever they chose.

She pauses beside the street to send a quick text to the programs who might worry about her own status. Maybe they will take the hint and tell her theirs.

"I was hoping to be wrong about those people," she mutters angrily to a random passing vehicle.


C. (closed to Alan Bradley)

If she'd sent Alan-One a message, either he would have claimed to be fine, or he wouldn't have answered. Neither sounds useful right now. She can't trust the User with any judgement of his own condition. He would minimize symptoms at best and be deceived at worst.

She taps briskly on the door, wondering whether Rinzler has useful tips on breaking in if Alan-One can't answer. Tron probably wouldn't appreciate the need.

"Please come to the door if you can," she calls into the modified security. Maybe Bit will hear if the User is in enough distress not to.

[alan_1]

[There’s a long delay before Alan answers the door. Even hours after awakening, he still feels shaken by the dream. Calling in sick to work hadn’t helped either; he had been told that several of his coworkers had already called in sick, and though Alan had been too afraid to ask for details, he has the awful feeling that what he experienced wasn’t an isolated incident. If it were, it could be dismissed—a terrible nightmare, but who didn’t have nightmares every once and awhile? But nobody has dreams like that, dreams so real and excruciating he can feel echoes of it hours later.

If it weren’t for Yori’s voice, Alan might’ve just kept silent and waited for whoever was at his door to leave. But after a few seconds, guilt wins out. He should at least speak to her, even if it's just to tell her that this isn't a good time.

That's the plan anyway, but when he opens the door, the expression on Yori's face stops him. She looks serious. Grave, even. Had she also…? No, that can’t be. If the dream did come from the asteroid, Alan would assume it came in the form of a drug, perhaps in the food—or, more chillingly, something they’d planted in his mind when he had been unconscious in their lab. Either way, it’s not something he’d expect to affect programs.

Though that doesn't mean she hasn't found out about it.]

Yori? Is everything alright? [He knows it’s not, but it’s better to find out what she knows before he says anything else.]