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

[brokencode]

[Angel let out a breath. Both annoyance and relief mingled with one another, leaving the sound that came with her exhale devoid of any solid emotion. His answer left much to be desired, and once more she found herself lamenting his lack of seriousness. On the other hand, though, it was familiar to the girl, and that was something she needed at present.]

[Right now, her whole world felt like it had been turned upside down. Surely just an after-effect of the dream, a dream that certainly hadn't been shared with anyone else.]

[Despite the residual confusion, at least one thing was for certain...]

I... don't know how to respond to that.

[lavelly]

[Lavellan looks at her a little too long, thinking. She's clearly not okay, either, and that's too much of a coincidence for comfort. He doesn't want to make Angel part of his problems, but if that means not being able to help her either, then that's pointless.

He aims for a seemingly innocuous angle, in case it's nothing to do with his growing suspicions after all.]

I've made some poor choices is all. You look rather rough yourself. Had a nightmare?

[brokencode]

[The sensation of her heart sinking hit Angel almost immediately. That question was too pointed and too on the nose for her to continue to pretend or to make excuses. As much as she wanted to believe otherwise, her initial assumption had been correct.]

Yes. [The siren nodded, a gesture that was a touch excessive in her stupor.] I... suppose you did too, then?

[lavelly]

[Lavellan swallows, looking at the planter rather than at Angel. His worst fear, confirmed: this really is too good to be true.

He can't answer her. Instead, he just nods, and swallows thickly against another wave of nausea that threatens to rise in this throat.

After a while he finds his voice, though it's hoarse from bile and exhaustion.]

I suppose we've both made poor decisions, then.

[Because there's no way this isn't related to the asteroid. And what they both decided to go through.]

[brokencode]

[Angel, on the other hand, was not so sure. Yes, they had shared a nightmare, but they had also shared a great many things. It could have just as easily been an effect of sleeping so near the Ingress itself, or perhaps a drugged dish.]

[Mostly, though, she'd noticed what a pleasant woman the Greeter had been. Surely such a kind soul wouldn't have betrayed her. Not after everything they had discussed with each other.]

[As such, Lavellan's statement didn't make all that much sense to her.]

I... am not sure what you are saying.

[lavelly]

[Lavellan looks back up at her, eyes narrowed. He can't tell if she truly doesn't realize what he's talking about, or she's just playing dumb. Or maybe he's the one off-base, his mind making strange leaps of logic in the aftermath of alcohol and sleep deprivation and nightmare-induced nerves.

But he'd been waiting for the other shoe to drop as soon as he'd come back to his senses, after what he'd had time to process what he'd done. The timing was a little too coincidental. He's sure he's not seeing connections out of nowhere.

Fine, then. He'll take this slow. No need to alarm her if he really is wrong after all.]

What was your dream about? What was it like?

[brokencode]

[Even Lavellan's question, the brief flashes of the hellish dreamscape flitting through her the back of her mind, brought a renewed sense of fear to the woman. Shuddering, she glanced away from the man. The way her stomach churned made her wonder if she might have to relieve herself once more.]

[When she deemed that no, she wouldn't have to, Angel turned her attention back to the elf. Her mouth opened, then promptly snapped back shut. Even if she wanted to, she wouldn't know where to begin.]

Horrifying. There was... blood, viscera and... some sort of creature. It called itself Mother when I asked it.

[lavelly]

[Ah. There they are. His worse suspicions confirmed. He offers her a bitter smile, almost an apology for what he's about to tell her.

He knows very well the importance of a shared dream like this; even here, far from the Fade, it's nothing that can be dismissed. Dreams aren't just tricks of the mind, to him. Whatever just happened to both of them, it was real.]

I asked it what it wanted from me. It said, "Nothing."