( november intro log )

[hownkai]

Who: Everyone
When: November 1st and on
Where: The ship and on planet
What: Exploration + new arrivals
Warnings: Please label any warnings you have on your threads

THE INFLUX

"It is not so much about beginnings and endings; it is about muddling through the middle."

The Ingress has pulled you in. Your body experiences several sensations at once: being pushed forward as if a hand is resting on your back, momentary and startling blindness, a gentle ringing in your head. You have difficulty discerning whether it is hot or cold, but where you have been prodded is noticeably warmer than the rest of you. Some may suffer from dizziness while others are perfectly fine. Once equilibrium has been reestablished, you will notice you are standing on a long platform and that the room is filled with a soft cerulean light. It's slightly humid and dark despite the glow around you, and nothing is familiar.

Welcome to Caducus Primary

Shortly after your arrival, you are met by one of the captains and any of the crew of the Moira who might have accompanied him. You are given a brief physical scan and are asked to sign a contract that states you are now part of the Moira with a specific job. This process consists of a complete work-up of medical history and current health, and afterwards, you are given your MID, a device that is integrated into your hand with only the slightest pinch. Much like the Moira's own Ingress, C-Primary's Ingress seems to be malfunctioning, and nothing can return through it. If you choose to disregard this offer, you will be detained indefinitely by the natives of Caducus Primary. (Joining the Moira is really the only choice you have.)

DESCENSION

"I am the keeper of fragile things."

From a distance, Caducus Primary doesn't look like much. The weather on the planet is extremely stable, and the vegetation is neat, almost pristine. What stands out about C-Primary, however, is the fact that there are hundreds of VERY TALL buildings packed together in many of the cities. They are elevated about the ground on what appear to be stilts and sway almost gracefully in the gentle breeze that is always present. Their stability never wavers; they don't fall down. The streets are lined with beautiful sculptures that are placed wherever light is needed. Many other designs can be found outside as well as in. This planet is rather wealthy, and the abundance of their natural resources reflect in everything. The world glitters just as glass would in the sunlight.

Native Details
● They have darker skin tones, but their hair styles and colors are all as unique as they can make them. This can be seen as influence from other travelers.
● Friendly, welcoming, and encouraging to the crew to trade with them for what they need.
● There are no visible "poor" areas.
● Calm and organized. If lost or in need of directions, they will offer to take you where you are going.
● Vey strict when it comes to rules. (Trade what you say you're going to trade.)

☄CITY PROPER

There are many things to do once on planet. In the city proper, stepping into one of the multiple shops reveals workers crafting glass figurines, jewelry, cups, and other items to your specifications. Trading is the same as on all other planets—there is no one accepted monetary unit. Yet, any unsavory cargo (such as weapons, explosives, alcohol, and drugs) will not be found anywhere in the vicinity of these areas. Other travelers have set up places outside the cities near transporter zones for these particular necessities. Trade at your discretion. At night, if you catch your reflection in a surface that isn't quite as transparent (on a sculpture, the side of a building, anything made of glass), there will be a momentary glimpse of your past or future self. A blink, and then, it will be gone.

Staying on the Moira isn't required during time spent on Caducus Primary. Visit one of its many fine hotels with its beautiful accomodations. The price is remarkably inexpensive: it's free.

( OOC: For any and all questions and to see new rank privileges, go here. Please comment to activity check to receive new ranks (if applicable)! Check THIS to see your tag. They have already been added to the comms, but you'll have to tag them onto a post before they show up in the list. )

Comments

Zam Wesell

[backsassin]

Arrival
[For a while, she really thinks she’s dead. Why wouldn’t she? She had seen the flash of the saberdart, felt the pinch in her neck, and now she can feel herself being gently pushed to some bigger beyond, outside of her comprehension.

Her thought process goes from, ’Huh, so the Mabari were right about an afterlife,’ to ’Oh fierfek, I’m going to the bad one, aren’t I?’ followed by a brief, somewhat panicked period of trying to remember the specifics about said “bad one” and exactly what she can expect for the rest of well... Eternity.

Whatever she comes up with, it doesn’t match the warm, peaceful room she finds herself in. The captain of a ship approaching her and offering her a job aboard their ship doesn’t quite fit either. By the time she steps out of that glowing room and into the open air of the planet, she’s decided that maybe, just maybe, she isn’t dead.]

Around the City, daytime
[Once she’s decided that she’s (probably) not dead, the next step is to figure out how she’s not dead. She eases into the familiar form of a human female as she thinks on it; still being alive means still having to worry about troublesome things like the fact her Clawdite form is still wanted for heresy, fraud, and murder, after all.

Maybe Jango hadn’t actually killed her? Maybe the saberdart wasn’t loaded with anything lethal, but merely something to make her seem dead, so the Jedi would leave her be. She wants it to be true so badly -- that her friend hadn’t killed her, that he hadn’t ever intended to kill her, and that this is all some misunderstanding that she’ll be laughing about when she finds him again -- but there are still parts of that story that don’t add up. For one, she’s seen him use that same weapon to take out marks before and it had definitely been as lethal as anything. It’s possible he could have replaced the poison with something else before their mission, but for all his secrecy, it still seems like something he would inform her of, especially if it was a failsafe he’d taken for her sake.

Not to mention, whatever he’d put in that saberdart, it shouldn’t have been able to make her grow back the arm the Jedi had cut off. That, above all, is what Zam can’t even begin to try and explain. The only possibility she can think of is that maybe it’s a cybernetic prosthetic. But it would have to be a near-impossibly well-made one for it to fool the body and mind of a shapeshifter.

She’s so caught up in her thoughts, that she doesn’t even notice the person headed in the opposite direction until it’s too late. She crashes right into them, stumbling back a couple of steps from the impact.]

Hey, watch it! [Brusqueness aside, it’s clear she’s a new member of the Moira crew. There’s the MID on her hand for one, and the fact that her armor doesn’t look anything like the clothes of those on Caducus Primary. And, unless your character has recently made a trip to the planet of Zolan, probably not like anything they’ve ever seen either.]

Around the City, night
[Of course she should’ve been suspicious of free accommodations at a kriffing luxury hotel -- nothing that nice ever comes without a catch. The catch comes after she’s turned out the lights in the room and is preparing to go to bed. The only illumination comes from the faint light of the city still streaming in from one of the room’s many glass panes and it is by this light that Zam sees her reflection out of the corner of her eye. Or, a version of it. Because this reflection does not show Zam how she is, alive and healthy in one of the fanciest hotel rooms she’s ever been in; instead, it shows her lying in some filthy Coruscant alleyway, one arm severed below the elbow, expression still and dead.

She whirls around to face the reflection, but just as quickly as it had appeared, it vanishes as soon as she turns her gaze towards it. She stands, scarcely breathing as she stares at the pane of glass, heart pounding against her chest. She couldn’t have died like that, so pathetically and naively, put down by someone she had trusted, like a pawn that had worn out its usefulness. But she had, hadn’t she? She can remember it, no matter how much she tries to convince herself otherwise.

She’s barely even thinking when she lashes out at the glass, only aware of her own anger, at Jango, at herself, at this stupid place for making her see what she didn’t want to. The glass shatters and when Zam pulls her hand back, it’s bleeding, blood dripping onto the glass floor beneath her feet. She takes a few steadying breaths as she looks down at her wounded hand. ’Well,’ she thinks, sardonic even now, ’At least I know it’s not a prosthetic.

She leaves the hotel quietly, set on finding her way to the “Moira” the captain had mentioned. You might see her walking through the city at night, bleeding hand held protectively against her chest. As far as she’s concerned, it doesn’t matter if she doesn’t find the shipyard where the Moira is docked -- there’s no way she’s going back to that hotel.]

Medbay and Moro Deck
[She does eventually find her way back to the Moira, and her first stop is the medbay to take care of her wounded hand. If asked about how it happened, she’ll say it was an accident -- though given the fact that the damage is exclusively to her fist and that there are actually tiny pieces of glass embedded in her skin from hitting it so hard, that seems unlikely. Whatever. Not like she thinks the medics will believe her about deathly visions in a hotel anyways.

After getting her hand taken care of, she makes her way to her quarters on Moro Deck. The plan is to go directly to her room and sleep off the crazy, painful day she’s had, but as she passes the rooms of her new crewmates, a morbid curiosity gets the better of her. She stops by a couple of rooms, easing the door open and peering inside. She glances at the faces of each of the sleepers. Are they dead like she is? And, more importantly, are there any among them that she recognizes?

If you happen to wake up and see someone peering at you from the doorway in the dark, well, sorry. At least whoever it is looks human -- if you ignore the fact that her pupils reflect what little light there is in the room like a cat’s. That’s definitely not a human thing for eyes to do.]

ooc: handwaved interactions

[backsassin]

((This is where you comment if you want a certain interaction with Zam that's too minor to warrant its own thread. For example, if you bump into her, apologize, and go on your way, or if you see her wandering around the city at night, but don't speak to her. Feel free to comment either ICly or OOCly!))

Around the city, daytime

[not_too_close]

My apologies.

[While David wouldn't say he was completely acclimated, he would say that he was quite close. The only thing holding him back was that he hadn't decided what he wanted to do here. On the Moira, in general, he just wasn't sure what he was doing. What his purpose might be. He had no desire to go home, and he still had questions that needed answered. So he stays. For now.

He grasps their shoulders, steadying them.]

That was my fault. I wasn't paying attention.

city, night

[keelahselai]

[Tali's only been in cities like this a couple of times in her life - and in one of them, everybody there was terrified she was going to steal their credit chits, so when security weren't pre-emptively interrogating her, she got a wide...wide berth.

In this city? She's being totally ignored. Actually, people are being nice. And Tali's never been one to mistrust kindness, so she's more than happy with this planet. Everything about it is gorgeous, there are no jungles, no giant worms, nothing's trying to kill her... Look, that's a novelty.

So right up until she notices the...human? She doesn't assume that much anymore...woman walking past her, Tali's pretty happy with all the aimless wandering around she's been doing on her downtime. But first it's the clothes that stand out - then the bleeding - and then the unmistakeable MID on her arm, and that's what pushes her from just considering saying something to actually hurrying over to catch her attention.] Hey - hey, what happened? Do you need any help?

[She's wearing a uniform of the Moira...and also an almost completely opaque face-mask, so she's maybe not exactly the most comforting sort of sight.]

Moro Deck

[metabee]

[ Once the initial excitement of being on another planet with aliens and getting to go on a space ship had worn off, Metabee had retreated to his designated room. He needed to think, he missed his medafighter and had to figure out a way to try at least calling him. Kid was probably worried sick.

So Metabee was still awake, sitting in on one of the upper bunks, when the door opened. In the dark his glowing green eyes stood out like lamps, narrowing with annoyance at the interruption.]

Hey! Didn't anyone ever teach you to knock?

Arrival;

[incantamentum]

[Eric himself had only recently been shoved from the medbay. He felt confused, dizzy, and most importantly of all slightly panicked. He steadied himself momentarily after stepping off the ship before sinking down and sitting on the floor directly at the exit, trying to steady himself mentally rather than simply physically.

The only bad thing is that it made him a perfect tripping point for whoever was about to exit the ship behind him. Sorry, Zam, enjoy flipping over a stranger.]

[whynotgoonmyown]

Arrival

[First there was the confusion. Even after returning to reality, if that's what it was, his brain still couldn't properly process everything going on. Sure, he was lucid enough to go through the whole physical and contract signing well enough to have some idea of what he was doing, but even the pinch of the MID being integrated to him wasn't enough to fully bring him back to reality.

It had been too much, all at once, being transported from where he was a place he was familiar with, where he had a bond with several of the people in it, and suddenly losing it all and going through a mixture of several other things...

Frankly, being indoors wasn't all that bearable, and as soon as he can, he leaves to the outdoors, even if he's sure it wouldn't help with his confusion much.

Needless to say, it doesn't. The strange place he's in just adds more things to process, more things confusing him... In an attempt to give himself time to breathe and sort his thoughts, he leans against a nearby wall and covers his face with his hands. After a few moments, he slides down until he's crouching, back still pressed against the wall.

His breathing evens out, at least, and his head stops spinning as fast.]

Daytime around the city

[Confusion, once gone, gives place to the most obvious feeling one can get when in a strange place: curiosity. He's curious about a lot of things, first of all how he got here, but he has a feeling that was something he's already been told and missed in his haze. Something to ask again later.

For now, he settles for exploring the city he's in. He'll be honest: it was both a delight to his senses and almost overwhelming. The sheer number sounds and sights, both somehow familiar and completely foreign, not to mention all the sounds that came with it... It was enough to make him a little dizzy at times.

Enough to suddenly stop pretty near the middle of the street, causing someone to bump into his back, which only doesn't make him fall thanks to his reflexes helping him steady his footing. He turns to look at the stranger, looking a bit embarrassed.]

Sorry. Got a little dizzy there.

daytime

[feck]

[ It's the firs time Cain's stepped off the Moira - technically the transporter, whatever - since he'd been dropped through that damn portal thing, and frankly, he's not impressed. The colonies have a lot more life than this, though it smells a little better, and he pushes his way through the few people gathered along the streets to get to the end, maybe make a circle and check out some of the shops tucked down another little alleyway. Except he practically slams right into some idiot instead and nearly trips over his own feet. Where had he come from?! ]

What the hell's wrong with you? [ It doesn't even matter he'd apologized. He's walking here. ]

Eric Dufosset | Original

[incantamentum]

City; daytime

[Eric was thankful for the time to get off the ship. It wasn't that he felt cooped up in there he just knew that all of it was particularly unnatural... he was a witch after all, a man well in tune with the elements. So to him, the processed air while floating in the dead of space wasn't particularly pleasant.

When he boarded this new planet though, his eyes went wide with wonder, he marvelled at how everything looked alongside the feeling of all things natural. It was different to the cities he was used to; they had tall buildings of course but none of them were quite as beautiful as the fabulous glass creations. He found himself staring upwards for a while, which anyone with a lick of sense knew was a terrible idea.

It wasn't so terrible, of course, until he walked straight into the arms of a stranger, throwing the two of them to the ground when the surprise makes him pitch forward.]

Oh, merde...

City; evening

[By the time evening came around he was just as fascinated about going into the city, it was much the same by night, still beautiful, with panes of glass that seemed to glimmer like stars. What he wanted to do though, was go shopping, after all there were many beautiful things here and the witch figured he might like a reminder from his first attempt at interplanetary travel. Trading, now that was easy, especially when he could create things of his own. He fabricated a beautiful ring for one of those glass blowers, a ring which in place of a gem held a physical square of swirling magic. It didn't take much out of him, but it was deemed a reasonable price for a beautiful creation to own himself. A beautiful sphere that could be lit internally to create rippling patterns.

It was as he left the glass shop, sphere nestled in a bag that he catches a glimpse of a scene in a mirror, it was identifiably himself, if you added around a hundred magically enriched years. An older man with white hair who stood proud in front of a crowd of people- all identifiably members of Eric's coven from the obsidian jewellery they owned. It left him grinning like a mad man as he walked the streets, seemingly smiling at all those he passed.]

Hotel bar; night time

[He'd retired to his hotel in the early evening after perusing the city, thinking he'd be tired. After a short time lying on his bed though he finds himself restless... and, if he was willing to admit it to himself, rather lonely. It was strange, living this new life, knowing that the rest of the crew existed without having had the chance to meet many of them.

Its what drew him out of his room and downstairs to the hotel bar, a drink placed in front of him in the booth he was currently occupying. He finally considered his MID the black cuff that seemed to serve as some kind of communication device. He figured it out with time, at least enough to be able to broadcast a message to his fellow crew members:]

For the attention of my fellow crew members of the Moira. My name is Dr. Eric Dufosset and I seem to have found myself in the bar of the large hotel beside the sculpture ofa happy family.

If anyone would be obliged, I'd happily share a drink with one of you. It might make the adjustment period easier to swallow, having a face to become acquainted with.

I'll be here for a further few hours, mostly because I couldn't sleep. Don't feel pushed into it, if you don't want to. Just know that I am here and eager for company.

Regards,
Dr Eric Dufosset.

[The most formal 'come drink with me' mass text ever to be sent. He's resting a lot on propriety so far, what with how unfamiliar things had become. He'll be back to emotes and drunk texting in no time.]

Hotel bar; night time

[whynotgoonmyown]

[That... Was the most formal invitation for a drink he has ever seen. It alone would have been enough to convince Tyler to check it out if he wasn't already looking for some way to start getting acquainted with everyone else on the ship without having to make some introductory post on what seemed to be the place's equivalent to facebook.

He ponders asking how he'd find Eric, but after a moment he decides to just go. The way he figured, a fellow outsider probably wouldn't be too hard to spot.

And after some more time to find the hotel and the bar, he sees that he was right. So, without further ado he sits next to Eric before ordering a drink himself.]

Dr Eric Dufosset, I presume?

[Usually he wouldn't have included the Dr, but... That left an impression, ok?]

[realitywarped]

City, Daylight

[Loki stands out even here, pale and dressed in his home-garb rather than his uniform; it all looks a little archaic and very green-and-gold amongst all the glass, topped off with the customary horns. He's mostly in the markets, not terribly happy about having to pay for food for the whole ship, and indeed, makes a mental note to ask for donations the next time he thinks about it. On the other hand, it's certainly easier than getting other people to buy things for him, because given the people he seems to end up working with, Hel only knows what they'd come back with.

But he can be found bartering with a number of small shiny things from the previous planet- and if watched closely, he can probably be caught pocketing one or two small shiny things on this planet, by way of some very deft sleight of hand and a lot of distracting the shopkeeper with questions. He might also appreciate a hand carrying some of the heavier food items, even if it doesn't much look like he needs one particularly.]

Outside the City - Day

[Is Loki going to go slum for a little while? Of course he is! He is going to go find the strongest alcohol he can, and barter viciously for it. And then probably drink half of it on the spot, because he can.]

City- Night

[It's all going pretty well, until Loki catches sight of his reflection out of the corner of his eye in one of the statues. The first one is bad enough, sat under a pedestal bloody-mouthed and clutching a helm in a space, he remembers, hidden in the dot of a question mark. But that's done and the past and despite the stab of guilt and his younger self's voice in his head, he turns pale and carries on.

It's the second one that gets him. He stops, wide-eyed and something a little wild in his eyes, watching for a moment as he burns. Literally, in fact, his older self stood cackling above him. It's something he doesn't remember, which should be pretty difficult for someone who hasn't even existed for more than three years, which means- something to come, perhaps. Without even thinking he lashes out, denial and fear, trembling even though he'd deny it, and then stands in the shards of the statue he destroyed.

He is Loki. Destroying things is what he does, isn't it?]

hell yeah outside the city

[feck]

[ Cain's not really looking for alcohol, but the fact that their little setup near the transporters feels more comfortable probably says something about him. Or the people of this planet. (Yeah, he's going with that.) He's good at hiding it though, wandering from each makeshift stall and eyeing whatever they've got for sale. It's how he catches sight of Loki, and Cain feels his mouth pull at the corners, an almost harsh grin as he watches him down whatever it is he's just traded for. ]

If you choke, no one's gonna help you. [ Just, you know, pointing that out. ]

gamora

[gamora]

city; day

( gamora feels ill at ease amongst the glass sculptures, less so because she's found herself transported to a different universe (been there, done that, decided that the corrupted versions of the avengers were flarking bullshit), and more so that the air of fragility the entire planet gives off. not her style. suspicion seems like too much, but considering she's been dragged here against her will (and had something of an argument with her welcoming party who didn't take 'died, and then came back' as an acceptable part of her medical history, among other things) with no way back, suspicion is the last she level towards this place and the people in it.

she keeps her hood up, and only the faint yellow glow of blank eyes from the darkness indicates there's someone with eyes in there at all. the sword on her back remains sheathed for now, however, as she stalks among the light and sculptures, at least until she reaches the market areas with the goods she recognizes.

picking up one of the guns, gamora turns it over in her hands before setting it aside -- focusing on a nice set of knives. ah, yes, this is more like it. hey, it pays to be armed in an odd universe, and gamora's one sword isn't going to cut it when she's trying to make up for the lack of the blade she had since she was young. with a nod to the vendor, gamora tosses one in her hand before whipping around and throwing it, satisfied when it buries itself with a satisfactory thunk into the supports of another stall. )

I've handled worse.

( hopefully there wasn't anyone standing in the way of the knife before she'd thrown it. )

city; night

( suspicion and paranoia were comforting emotions when the place seemed hell-bent on throwing images from her past at her. and never long enough to confirm it -- but she knows what she sees, das't it, and she sees herself. at age two, at age fifteen, with the infinity gem on her forehead, happy. it's enough to drive her mad.

which is possibly why she's found herself the equivalent of alcohol and a bar in hopes that someone will start a fight. and if no one does, well, gamora's more than willing to help throw the first punch. )

day!

[seeingscarlet]

[Not even in the city proper and someone's already (almost) thrown a knife at her. This is off to a great start.

Wanda easily yanks the knife out of the stall with a little help from her powers and strides over to lay it back on the table.]

You should be more careful with that.

[She doesn't make eye contact , so it's not clear whether the comment is directed at Gamora or the vendor.]

cain ☆ starfighter ☆ ota

[feck]

ᄃΛЯGӨ BΛΥ
[ After the disaster of the last trip onto some unknown planet they probably should have skipped out on altogether, Cain's mostly kept to himself. There's no point to being here, and even if their joke of a command has all but sucked his dick into staying, he's not interested in helping them beyond whatever he's "supposed" to do. He's not even a Navigator, and they'd stuck him up in navigation with people that should have been there. It's not really fair. Frankly, Cain's kind of skipped out on those duties too, and he's a little surprised there'd been less reprimand for that than there should have been. At least he had a better routine on the Sleipnir. The Moira, as far as he's concerned, is a cheap imitation.

He probably could have tolerated if they'd given him a working ship.

Cain stands just short of the front of the Reliant, looking up at it with a slight frown. It reminds him of what he had back "home", but he's not sentimental enough to think about it like that. There are only a few things worth missing, maybe a someone, and he snorts at his own thoughts, dismissing them with a wave of his hand before catching hold of the ladder that trails up to the cockpit. Might as well make use of some alone time. Most of the crew had probably abandoned the Moira once they'd gotten into the atmosphere. Except — Cain tilts his head, hanging off one of the rungs with a glare. ]

What're you looking at? [ Well. If they didn't leave, he'd be sure to give them an eyeful. ]

ᄃIƬΥ PЯӨPΣЯ ( ПIGΉƬ )
[ Cain's standing under one of the numerous light fixtures this place seems to have plenty of, looking at the weird shape and wondering what the hell he's even doing here. He hadn't found anything worth trading for in the shops, and most of the people in the place weren't worth the conversation. They didn't know anything--unlike the chick who'd sent that transmission over the MIDs before the ship had gotten into orbit. She'd probably have more answers, but it's unlikely he could find her even if he tried. Tch.

He shoves his hands into his pockets and turns, wandering a few steps before slamming right into someone. There's that underlying aggravation that's sparking in his blood, and he bristles like a cat. ] Watch it! [ Nope. Not even going to say sorry. ]

ЩIᄂDᄃΛЯD
[ Hit me up for whatever thing you might be interested in! Cain's also likely to be found in one of those areas selling weapons and alcohol, probably picking a fight or getting his ass handed to him by an alien. Life's so hard, poor baby. ]

cargo bay;

[forcefulgift]

[He didn't know what brought him down here, whether it was just to get some space or because his legs had walked him here. But now that he'd arrived in the cargo bay he fancied taking a look around at the various crafts they had in stock. Mostly because of the fact that he wanted to see if anything was visually as fancy as the X-Jet back home.

It was while he was snooping around that he stumbled across this asshole again, who always seemed to pop up at the wrong time and doubtlessly ended up grating on the mutant's nerves. He rolls his eyes at the question though.]

Ain't sure mate, thought it was a pumped up little bloke really... why, what am I looking at? [At this stage he plucks the crudely rolled cigarette from behind his ear and lights it, head tilted at the other man as if he was genuinely waiting for an answer.]

Jasper

[stompadour]

City – Day

She's disoriented at first, prowling the streets of the city with the tense wariness of an animal that's just been released back into the wild, waiting for some sign of the bars of its cage. At somewhere around eight feet tall, Jasper stands literally head and shoulders above most of the people thronging around the city, and between that and the feral, out-of-sorts way she carries herself most of them quietly move aside to let her pass – which is fortunate, because she isn't quite looking where she's going, instead studying the faces of passersby intently. Her piercing yellow gaze ends up lingering uncomfortably on anyone who looks even a little different from the majority of the natives, clearly searching for someone or something, and unconcerned about offending anybody in the process.


City – Night

Evening draws in and whatever she was looking for, she still hasn't found it. At least, not until she catches sight of her reflection in a shop window. A second pair of eyes stare back at her alongside her own, from a green-skinned face. Shimmering chains encircle her – their – neck. Jasper's eyes widen, and then with a furious, terrified snarl she summons her helmet and smashes it into the window. Glass shatters around her; an alarm starts to wail. Jasper takes a step back, looking wan and haunted under the visor of her helmet, but the only thing she's staring at is her own hands.


On board the Moira, the following morning

Jasper doesn't sleep, and with the whole of the night to reflect on her situation she's begun to pull herself together. She's still pretty on-edge, but she's no longer spending every second waiting for the other shoe to drop. And despite the relief that comes with realising that she's finally alone, she's not happy with her situation. Once she's finally mentally gotten her bearings, she heads straight for the Moira, although she's gotten turned around enough that it takes a little while for her to make her way there.

Once transported on board, she bustles forward with an authoritative stride despite having literally no idea where she is. She seizes the first person she sees by the shirt or shirt-equivalent, or at least tries to – she might even haul them off the ground to her own eye level in her impatience.

"Who's in charge here?" she demands.


(Feel free to drop me a line if you'd like something else from Jasper – also I'll match tense if you want to tag with brackets instead, it's all cool)

ON THE SHIP

[forwardmomentum]

After a few months on the Moira, Miles has become accustomed to expecting the unexpected. Not a difficult adjustment in the long run, although regrettably for him it'd come with a few lessons the hard way. It's been a month and change since his initial injuries on the last planet they visited, but his arm's still in a sling and his cracked ribs still make it a little painful to breathe in deep. At least the broken fingers have healed by now. He's had enough of those kinds of lessons, thank you. Miles isn't going to let that kind of horseshit sneak up on him again.

Until a huge orange hand closes around a fistful of the front of his uniform and jerks him clean off the ground. Miles is so startled that he reflexively kicks his legs out in an attempt to keep walking, and he doesn't manage to close his teeth over an alarmed yelp before it escapes. Miles blinks at Jasper, mouth opening, but at least he manages to bite back the first impudent response that springs to mind.

"You'll want to talk to the captains," he manages, chancing a look down to the floor. That sure is several feet between his feet and the floor. God, the woman looks to be tall as Taura. He pauses and clears his throat, resisting the urge to put his good hand on her arm to give himself a little leverage against gravity, because somehow he doesn't think that'd end well. He already has one broken arm. "I don't mind directing you there, only -- d'you mind putting me down first?"

For someone who hasn't interacted with humans much, Miles isn't really the most representative example. He's smaller than pretty much any human adult at 4'9, though his head looks like it belongs on a man of 6'. The overall look isn't improved by his crooked spine and heavily lined face, although he's attempting to mold his features into something resembling a welcome smile despite a more private inclination to pee himself.

Peridot | OTA

[peridork]

A) Onboard the Moira, near... wherever they go to exit the ship.

If she still had her limb enhancers, Peridot would already be out there.

Sure, the captains say it's safe, but the gem technician is nothing if not cautious about these sort of things. Getting into trouble also hasn't boosted her confidence any, either; Peridot's a good foot shorter than usual without her boots, and not trained in any kind of combat. The indignity of having her equipment stripped from her still stings, and like this, everything's about a million times scarier to this bewildered little alien.

All day she can be found hanging around by the exit, scowling out at what she can see of the planet and trying to decide if she's feeling bold enough to go exploring without any of her advanced equipment available to her. She does have one point of comfort: At least the Captains were good enough to give her a new set of weapons! She has her fancy new silver fork clutched tight in one fist. She can be found, for the whole first day that they are docked, humming and huffing with aggravation in this area.

Note that, at this point, it's very likely that unless you just arrived, this is not the first time that your character has seen how she really looks without her equipment, since she's been getting on without it for almost a week now. But to newcomers? She probably looks like a lost and sulky child.

Heavens help you if you try and treat her like one, though.

I'm... so sorry

[petridish]

On her way onto the ship, she's too focused on the ship itself to notice the people on the dock. On her way out, she's more interested in her surroundings, reveling in the freedom.

The green... thing gets a stare, and once she notices the MID in its hand like her own, marking it as another member of the Moira crew, she comes over to inquire, "What are you? Some kind of midget asari?"

Niko Bellic

[vengeance_driven]

☄City Proper | Night

[The fact that there are no poor areas is unsettling to him. The planets he's been on so far have been primitive, or destitute. This one is different, shining, glistening, with everyone wealthy and proud and secure in their post-scarcity resources.]

[Niko is a man borne from a war, of helplessness and need and has grown accustomed to being the lowest of ranks and dredges of society. This makes his skin crawl because he doesn't know how it works, how people survive or keep busy when they just have what they they need. No contracts, no bindings to help them survive. They just are and they exist and it's miserable for him and he hates it.]

[He isn't going to admit that, though. He's just going to ignore interested eyes.]

[He can appreciate the beauty of it, at least. In the way that a man whose led a simple life of struggle can marvel at things pristine and intact as though they're masterpieces in that alone. His gaze lingers at the buildings around him, before he finally catches sight of something he's not seen in about twelve years.]

[It's a teenage boy stands staring back from the glass, with the same baffled expression. A reflection that looks like he used to, standing in place of where he should be. Stupid floppy hair and an ill-fitting secondhand uniform. His hands are bloody. Niko attempts to bat at the annoying bangs to see if he's actually changed, but finds they're not there.]

[Niko looks around to see if anyone else has seen, but when he looks back to the mirror.]

[Well... There's the scarred up face he's used to, at least. Maybe something he ate disagreed with him. Or he's high.]

[heliakal]

[ The first thing Clark does, when he has the opportunity late that night, is break off from the rest of the crew and go for a flight. The ship isn't small by any stretch of the imagination, but spending weeks at a time on it can feel a little bit like being trapped in a tin can out in space. He spends hours circling the planet, guided by little more than curiosity.

Caducus Primary is as beautiful by night as it is by day, like most of the planet was made to catch starlight. The city proper, unlike so many others he's passed through, seems to have no darker underbelly. No poverty, homelessness, greed... It's almost ideal. He never thought he'd see anything like it outside of a philosophy textbook. A part of him wonders if it comes from the nature of the planet itself. It's difficult to be cruel in a world made of glass.

Still, even Clark finds it strange.

He's taking a meandering walk through the city by the time he sees another person. The man seems fascinated by some reflection in the glass, and Clark glances over as he passes, curious.

He doesn't see his crewmate, or the standard uniform he's currently wearing; he sees himself in the Kryptonian suit, and Lois' hand pressing against the shield on his chest, her face a mask of concern.

He stops dead in his tracks, but the reflection is already normal again.

He glances around, then approaches the other crew member. It's just the two of them here; he's mostly certain he didn't hallucinate. ]

Did you... See something in the glass just now?

Meh Yewll

[imaginary_wife]

☄CITY PROPER | DAY

[Some people who know Doc Yewll may note that she's not casually taking in the sights; at least at a glance. She's walking with a purpose towards one of the taller buildings, passing glances around her at the unfamiliar aliens. They remind her of technologically adept Irathants. She doesn't know how much of an insult that is to Iraths, though.]

[But she is noting many, many features she does not share with these people, and her purposeful stride hesitates as she walks backwards to take in one especially large example of a hairdo.]

Well. I guess I stick out like a sore thumb.

[banknotable]

[ Fiona can't exactly talk either, not with just one red streak compared to the locals' double rainbow head salads. She's gonna talk though, 'cause she's been watching long enough to remember that this is one of theirs. ]

Y'know, it's kinda... bold in the opposite direction. [ She taps her chin. ] And how's that one story go again? You can always say it's a special psychic kinda dye only the galaxy's most brilliant minds can see. [ She laughs. ] Watch what kinda looks that gets ya.

[petridish]

arrival
If she's going to be made to work on some random ship, she's going to check that ship out before exploring some foreign (albeit at least alien-free, as far as she can tell) planet. The woman in the black armor with the distinctive red and white stripe down the right arm strides from C-Primary's Ingress to the Moira with purpose and an annoyed look, absently scratching at her MID from time to time.

Nomo deck
Her first stop onboard, of course, is the cabins. She gets too caught up in touching the wood of the dressers and shelves in fascination to notice that at first she gets the wrong room. Eventually, however, she makes her way to her own room, where she shelves her shotgun and sits down to poke at her MID, checking the functions with a frown.

medbay
So this is where she'll work. She raises an eyebrow at the the blood synthesizers, winces away from the cryostasis units (never again), and then walks around the edges of the room, sure she must have missed something on the walls. Not finding it, she starts rummaging through storage; at least she's sure to replace everything where she found it.

"No medi-gel...?" she asks aloud, baffled. She would have thought it would be indispensible. At least she's only in charge of inventory and not actual medical care, because it's not like she knows how to use anything else, and it looks like the MID can't activate it.

city
After grabbing some water (and a mouthful of wine) in the mess, she decides she can tour the ship some more in the days to come. Who knows how long they'll be docked on a human planet? She's still in her armor when she returns to the city, though without her gun, and this time she takes her time to explore. Usually she knows a place before she goes there - now, for the first time, she's on her own.

The freedom's incredible - there's a joy on her face as she walks around without supervision or hiding that's unfamiliar to her - but it's also unsettling. From time to time, she catches sight of... things that clearly aren't human but also aren't any species she ever learnt about, Council or not, and stares after them without understanding. Glass figurines make her wonder under her breath, "What's the point?" though she's at least more approving of the more utilarian items. She finds her way to a shadier area selling grenades, but shakes her head when the salesperson offers a trade.

"I don't have anything I'm willing to give up," she says. "Don't you use money?" Not that she has any of that, either, thanks to losing her omni-tool.

On her way back to the ship in the evening, she's confused for a moment to see her reflection, but in a tank of liquid instead of armor on the side of a building, and more confused when she and the tank are gone a moment later. She flinches away from it.

CITY

[neveroutwrenched]

Moira crew members in general stick out on C-Primary. If it wasn’t their species, it was the way they dressed, and if it wasn’t that it was the way they looked around, the clear signs of inter-dimensional tourism written all over their faces. But Ratchet wasn’t judging...he was sure we stood out even more than most of the crew.. In this case it was the clothing; Ratchet would recognize that armor anywhere, with it’s distinctive red and white stripe. What he doesn’t recognize is the face, and that makes him curious.

He hesitates for only a moment, turning away from the glasswares he was looking at but not particularly tempted by to follow after her.

“Hey, excuse me, uh...miss?” That didn’t feel like quite the right way to address someone walking around in full space armor, but he didn’t know how else to get her attention.

Fiona

[banknotable]

A Hotel, At Night

[ New planet, new can of weird. Beats being cooped up on their flying prison. Fiona's still watching out for anyone who looks like he might be leaving here, but her heart isn't in it anymore. Only so many times you can slam your head into the same wall before you figure there's no breaking through that way. Anyway...

Fancy place they got dumped on this time, just the perfect kinda crowd to line your own pockets with. Fiona's got enough to stay down here a night at least, that's what she figures, until it turns out that she's got more than enough, and that the resident customs are really not sitting well with her. ]

Free? Whaddaya mean, it's free? Is that some kinda local dialect that means "more than you look like you can afford", 'cause I gotta tell ya--

[ She bunches her fist around the money in her pocket. Used to be money in someone else's pocket until this afternoon. She doesn't recognize the currency. ]

You're not-- We're obviously not talkin' free-free, right? The last free I tried was more like "come in and let us harvest your organs" free, so... so spit it out, what's the catch?

The City, The Same Night

[ She's not gonna bite that easy, she's not. There's free stuff, and then there's free stuff that's gonna cost ya, and she's not ready to place a bet on just which of the two she's lookin' at here.

Different place then, or maybe a walk back to the ship after all. She'll see.

First thing she sees though, that's a little girl, out of the corner of her eye. Scrawny thing, not wearing clothes so much as tatters, as some skag's lucky chew blanket. Red down her face from some cut above her eye, and Fiona thinks that's gonna leave a scar. Doesn't fit in here one bit, and when the girl reaches out for her pocket, Fiona turns around...

...and doesn't catch anything but her own reflection, arm stretched out to make a grab for the invisible thief. She frowns, and brushes back her hair with two fingers. ]

...Creepy.

[ Fiona shakes her head, and lets out a slow breath. Starts thinking maybe it's getting too cold to be outdoors... ]

hotel.

[whatdidisay]

( ivan isn't one to question something that's free, because, well. why would he? he's not that much of a paranoid -- or rather: he's just not that smart. ivan's busy getting his own room when he overhears fiona and his face contorts into something that isn't his normal handsome features. )

They did what?

( maybe this free hotel deal isn't going to work out and he should find another option for sleeping. )

Adrian 'Force' Clark

[forcefulgift]

City; day

[Ade didn't know what to think of this city. The buildings were too tall, everything was too clean. It was peaceful, sure, but Ade wasn't a creature inclined to simply roll over and accept peace.

Nothing was ever simple after all. And from what he knew of the world, nothing was peaceful either. The one good thing about it though was that everything was bright and there were a lot of open spaces and that meant one important thing... Ade could get out there and fly. He tugged on the hoodie he'd arrived in, thankful for the way it was tailored to his body. It would serve to give him the best anonymity he could ask for under these conditions, tying the hood tight over his head before he took off and flew around, keeping to the less crowded areas in order to keep his secret safe.

When he finally lands, he does so discretely before walking into the busy streets with a shit-eating grin on his face. For anyone who knew him off the Moira it was a decidedly strange expression; after all... did anyone know of the boy having smiled before?]

City; night

[Ade took a stroll too at night, seeing the city in a new light. He was actually kind of bored, he'd quite enjoyed some of the other planets for their seediness, for the dubious quality they all held. It seemed a bit more normal for the boy who'd spent the time between the Facility and the Institute living on the streets. This place was too clean for all of that and he felt like too much of a disruption if he went out and got wasted.

Instead, he just walked, shoving his hands deep in his pockets, a cigarette hanging out of the corner of his mouth. He stopped by a fountain, a beautiful glass sculpture made of swirling patterns and he stared at it for a moment, caught off guard by it. Until, of course, those swirling patterns took on instantly recognizable forms. A second ago he'd been staring at his own face, now though, he was staring at an image he'd sooner have forgotten.

It was himself, sure, a few year prior. At the age of sixteen. In a cell. It was one of his earliest memories of the Facility and as such, one of his first torture sessions. He watched as his younger body was repeatedly beaten, crying out for help, crying out for his parents while a doctor stood to one side annotating things on a clipboard.

The mutant didn't have a chance to think before his hands are suddenly free of his pockets. He'd been living so secretly, having hardly touched his powers. But that vision... it woke his rage straight back up and took any impulse he might've had for discretion straight out of his head. He raises his hands with a violent yell, closing his fists. The fountain explodes outwards, crushed explosively beneath the weight of his gravity field, the fragments become a storm blowing towards him, even as some cut into him, leaving bloody grazes on his cheeks and tearing his uniform.

He didn't care though, he'd just needed the image gone... leaving him standing there, breath heaving and unshed tears glistening in his eyes.]

[pallantias]

[Unfortunately for Ade, at that moment there happens to be someone else on the opposite side of the fountain, oblivious to the other’s presence for probably the same reason he is to hers: the reflections. In one facet, she glimpses herself encountering Ajax for the first time; she had only been a recruit at the time, but even at that age, she had known he was bad news. And there in the other facet of the sculpture is her putting an armored bootheel through the center of his dead and bloated face. It’s quite a nice juxtaposition really.

That is, until the entire fountain explodes outwards in a surge of broken glass. It takes only a fraction of a second for her to hit the ground, though it isn’t enough to spare her from a few cuts to the face. She’s lucky she had worn her armor for this little planetary excursion, or it could have been a lot worse.

Her first thought is “bomb,” and she holds her breath waiting for a follow up explosion, but it doesn’t come. Her second thought is, “Who ever heard of a silent bomb?” After a few moments, she raises herself to a crouch, peering over to the other side of the fountain. There’s a man there. He’s bloodied from the glass, but there’s no sign of the explosive damage on him at all. Which is strange since, by the looks of it, he hadn't even bothered to try diving out of the way. So… not a bomb?

Cautiously, she rises into view and signals him.]

You there. Did you see what caused the explosion? [One hand goes to one of the swords at her waist in case his answer is more hostile than expected.]

Athena

[pallantias]

Around the City, daytime
[This is definitely not like the missions she’s used to on Pandora. No objectives, no waypoints, just a shove off the ship and some vague instructions to “see what there is to see.” And to restock on supplies, but none of the glass confections the locals are hawking look like they’d serve any purpose on the ship.

So Athena wanders around, clearly at a loss as to what to do with herself without a direct mission. There are no bandits to kill, no corporate rivals to assassinate, not even a simple fetch quest to complete. She’s beginning to feel out of place in her armor. After a couple hours of patrolling around with no action on the horizon, she removes the skull-like helmet from her head.

What’s that phrase? “All dressed up and nowhere to go.”]

Around the City, night
[The sun is going down and she’s on her way to one of the advertised hotels when she sees it -- a flash of red that makes her turn her head towards the side, just in time to see two young girls watching her pass. She only gets a glimpse of them, but it’s impossible to miss those red and black atlas fatigues.

It’s enough to make Athena stop and turn on her heel, eyes snapping to the place she had seen the girls. Of course, there's no one there. She circles around the statue twice, but finds no trace of anyone besides herself. So who -- or what -- had she seen? It had almost looked like… She shakes her head. No, this place is already too absurd to bring ghosts into it. She imagined it, she tells herself. Just an illusion of reflections on the glass.

Except it keeps happening. There’s so much glass in this city, it seems like every few minutes, she’ll see something else reflected in it. A girl with a sword in each hand and a hunted look on her face. A bloodied, grinning woman wearing Jess’s scarf standing amidst a pile of Lanceman bodies. A figure with their face hidden by a shield held before them. Eventually, Athena’s original intention to find a hotel is forgotten, replaced instead by a need to see more. It almost looks as if she’s patrolling the area, walking the same route many times over. Even after one hour becomes two, and then three, she continues her route. You might notice that she never looks at the glass around her head on; only out of the corner of her eye.

Apparently, she isn’t content with the glimpses coming to her -- she’d much rather hunt them herself.]

Around the City, night

[heliakal]

[ Clark has had more than one confusing encounter with the reflections in the glass by now. He takes a more meandering walk through the city, glancing over at a reflective surface now and again. Even when he pitches his hearing to pick up more subtle sounds, or scans through the building and the glass statues, they look perfectly normal.

At least he knows he's not the only one who's been seeing things like this. He has a pretty good idea of what Athena is doing when he catches sight of her in the distance. He doesn't make any secret of his arrival, jogging over to meet her with a small wave. ]

You'll drive yourself crazy if you keep that up, you know.

Billy Kaplan

[noassgardian]

day
[Now this- was impressive. And naturally, Billy distrusted it a little bit. It was too peaceful, too clean, too... much of an ideal, maybe? He wasn't all that sure if it was natural cynism or leftover wariness from living in a Hell dimension for over a year. Still, the tall buildings were beautiful and he liked going around and watching the glass ornaments and figures being made here and there.

He might have bartered for one or two for gifts, even.

In the end, he can't quite help it. He ends up having fun anyway. The city is nice- and Loki suggested they get a room off the Moira for a bit for some privacy... something he was looking forward to a lot, honestly.]

night
[At night, he gets a room with Loki at a hotel in the city, but staying cooped up the entire time they're there seems like a waste and some fresh air sounds good. A stroll takes him around the city, mostly to gawk at the sights for a bit before he goes back and tries for some sleep or something.

Maybe it's because this place has been so peaceful that the first glimpse of something off has him set on edge, a brief flash of something from the corner of his eye once he passed a building- a much younger Billy on the ground, being beat up by a school bully and trying in vain to guard his head from any more blows because he's already bruised and bloodied enough where he won't be able to sneak it past his parents anyway.

He shakes his head and tries to tell himself that it was his imagination. He was just overtired and thinking bad thoughts. It happens.

It isn't until he passes a sculpture and sees something else that he realizes something's wrong. The next reflection was more recent at least. Billy losing control of his magic. He remembers it. He remembers it too well because that was the start of one of the biggest mistakes in his life- the day he put a lot of people in comas because he'd lost control of his magic, had gained the Avengers' suspicion he just might be dangerous and everything that led to the realization that, yeah, he really is dangerous for a lot of reasons. Bad choices and stubbornness and lack of control--

Just everything he tries to put behind him sort of rushes back. It's hard to tell himself that he's a good person when he knows what one slip up can really do.

It has him paling, eyes going wide. If anyone happens upon him, they might see blue light and magic crackling along his clenched hands, eyes glowing with the same light. It's not all under his control really. The visions catch him off guard enough, remind him of things he tries hard to not dwell on anymore, that his magic react to the emotion.]

day; for eggsy & loki
[Loki doesn't really care much for public affection, Billy knows that and tries to respect it as much as he can, at least when it comes to the really sappy stuff. But today, he's slipped his hand in Loki's as they wander the streets of the city, half because he wants to and half just in case he sees any place he'd like to steer Loki into.

It's not really a surprise to see a familiar face in the crowd. He has a feeling a lot of the people from the ship are out and enjoying the day, so when he sees Eggsy up ahead of them? He gives Loki a quick nudge and nods in his direction.

No harm saying hello, right?]

Hey! [He gives a quick wave with his free hand to try and catch Eggy's attention.] Enjoying the sights?

[commontype]

[Eggsy was out and about, just getting a feel for the planet. He was supposed to be doing his job, gathering intel, but he couldn't seem to find much happening on this planet. The most interesting thing was that there were little booth-shop things being set up outside of town, which told him the natives had rules about that, but nothing special.

So he was just walking around. Popping his head in and out of businesses, all that, and when he sees a quick movement, his eyes flick up, a warm grin curving up.]

Yeah, pretty much. Just wonderin' around, yeah?

[He sees they're holding hands, the corner of his mouth quirking as he comes to a stop in front of them. Wasn't that cute.]

What're you two doin'?

Wanda Maximoff

[seeingscarlet]

day;
[The city is beautiful and terribly overwhelming.

It started with good intentions - Steve had told her what happened on the last planet and Wanda wasn't about to let that happen again if she could help it. Outwardly she browses the shops but in reality she is listening for any whisper of danger.

Normally this would be fine, but Wanda's never tried to do it on this large of a scale before on a world so unfamiliar. It's easy to go too deep and lose the boundaries between oneself and everything else, but in the past this is when she would flail around for Pietro's presence and mentally cling to it to ground herself.

And Pietro isn't here.

Eventually you might find Wanda sitting on one of the elegant glass benches with her head buried in her hands. Telepathy hangovers are the worst.]

night;
[Compared to many others from the crew, Wanda is surprisingly calm when she encounters the warped reflections. They're certainly unsettling and it startled her pretty badly the first time, but now she's just curious. She lays a hand on the offending building and casts her senses out like a net. Nothing.

But it wasn't in her head. She's sure of it. Not unless whatever is causing this managed to slip into her mind unnoticed.

Maybe if she stares at it long enough she'll see more of the vision. It was disturbing: Wanda was doubled over, clutching her temples, and screaming, dressed in an outfit she doesn't recognize. What could possibly cause her to react like that? Something terrible happening to her teammates? To whatever family she has left in Billy? The Ingress spitting Pietro out only to lose him again?

Was this how the envoy was answering their questions? If so, there must be some way to control it...]


((ooc: permissions post for Wanda's powers is here if you are so inclined))

Day

[pallantias]

[Athena’s having an arguably better time than Wanda, but not by much. She isn’t so much overwhelmed as she is under-informed, and unsure of what to do without specific instructions. She certainly looks out of place in her red and silver armor, a shard of steel in an ocean of glass.

She happens to see Wanda sitting on a bench away from most of the foot-traffic. It’s not hard to tell that something is wrong and Athena is quick to walk over, keen to feel useful somehow.]

Are you injured? [No greeting or introduction given or, in Athena's opinion, needed. Wanda might recognize that mask from their first meeting in Mero Deck. Not that that yellow-eyed gaze is any less unsettling.

[tearmeanewone]

[Elizabeth is nervous as they descend towards the planet-- she's never seen the Moira land, after all, but as the surface becomes less planet-like and more detailed her hands press against the aft window and she stares. The whole surface glitters like a handful of clear glass beads.]

[Embarking]

[She's not disappointed when she finally gets off the ship and into the city proper. Everything is made of glass, it seems. The swaying buildings are fascinating and beautiful as they move in the sun. The people making items out of glass are so quick and skilled she barely begins to watch them at their craft before a new glass object is cooling off on a shelf. She excitedly takes it all in, taking pictures with her MID whenever she thinks of it. Maybe she'll start a collection, so she can remember all of her travels better than her previous ones.]

[Collection Building]

[Her primary objective, of course, is to solicit either acquisitions or donations to the Moira's library. The discussion with the head of one of the archives goes particularly well-- apparently they were in the middle of weeding their collection-- and Elizabeth is able to acquire a box. She promises to return with something to add to their archive, or at least something worth trading for some other interesting volumes, but first she has to get her current spoils to the library. She wanders through the streets with her box, excited, but definitely burdened. It's heavy.]

[Hotel Life]

[Of course, she takes advantage of the free accommodations offered to the crew. Not that she doesn't like her bunk on the Moira, but it's a chance to sleep in a room by herself. Get some quiet time. Just lay on a mattress and relax.]

[It is a little quiet, though, so she records a short video on her MID and broadcasts it:]

Anybody staying in the hotel with the green glass hedge-like arch? I'm thinking about asking where to eat around here, maybe the owners have a suggestion for a good local dinner?


[Unfortunate Reminders]

[Elizabeth stands in front of a tall monolith, glossy surface, meant to mark the street she was walking down. For a moment, just a moment, she'd seen herself. There was no mistaking it, she'd seen herself enough times to know. But this was too painful for her not to stop and stare.]

[She'd seen Booker with a girl, 6, maybe 8 years old. He'd thrown her in the air and caught her as she laughed. Elizabeth puts her hand on the surface, like she could walk through if she tried, but ultimately she'd never be able to. Even if she did want to, that wasn't her life. It was Anna's.]

[But God she wished it was. And the thought makes her feel sick and ungrateful. She needs to go back to the Moira, remind herself to stop living in memories. After another second, to make sure it didn't appear again...]

collection building.

[whatdidisay]

( he doesn't actually think he's going to run into anyone he knows from the ship here -- it's too big of a city, there's hardly anyone on the moria, things like that. but he doesn't mind being wrong in this case, all things considered. he recognizes elizabeth from a distance, notices the box next, and grins. )

Need some help with that?

( he asks, falling into step next to her. he has a great record at being a fantastic donkey, elizabeth, just ask miles. )

miles vorkosigan

[forwardmomentum]

moira - library

[forwardmomentum]

Miles has been meaning to hit up the library ever since the announcement that it had properly been opened. About damn time, as far as he's concerned. The captains are unfortunately stingy with their information rationing -- Miles assumes they must know more than they're telling, or they're all imperially screwed -- and he's been itching for some alternative to banging down their doors demanding information. The library is fairly cozy, and not totally organized -- a work in progress, looks like.

There really isn't any literature on the Ingress or any of the related phenomena that he can find, much to his disappointment, but he's collected a stack of books to scan for any information that might be relevant or helpful at all. Reading a book on printed paper is something of a novelty for Miles; they don't really use paper at all anymore where he's from. Everything these days is written on reusable plastic flimsies or read from a vid reader. He can be found camped out in a corner of the library, sitting on a table rather than in one of chairs around it, an assortment of books spread around him.

ivan vorpatril

[whatdidisay]

caducus primary. morning.

( ivan still doesn't know what to make of aliens, but he knows a probably female form when he sees one. and, luckily enough for him, they know how to recognize his. it takes a few tries -- about five -- before he finds someone positively responding to his flirtations, but the pay off is great. a no-strings attached fling that'll last however long he's planet side with a beautiful woman. alien. whatever. ivan's not thinking about it too hard.

which finds him, shortly after dawn, ambling his way around on the surface in a state of presentation that would have made his commanding officers cry. his green barrayaran uniform jacket hanging open and the cream tunic untucked -- the sort of rumpled that looks good on a person, if that person is tall, attractive, dark haired, and olive skinned. so if that person's ivan. his smile leans towards smug more than normal, munching on some weird waffle-like confection he'd picked up for breakfast. sitting himself down on a glass bench overlooking a glass sculpture in front of a glass building, he considers his option, and then types out a small message on the thing around his wrist. )

What is there to do here? I've got most of a day to waste -- there's got to be something.

caducus primary. night.

( weird.

the sort of weird that makes ivan wonder if maybe being on this planet isn't a good way to stay out of trouble and out of the line of fire. miles is the healthy paranoid, true, but ivan's got his own sense for danger. they really only differ in the fact that miles thinks harmless situations are just disasters waiting to happen, while ivan tends to save his for those moments where something really is awry. the conservation of energy, he can imagine himself telling miles, best applied for sauntering unsuspectingly away from potentially dangerous situations instead of running right into them.

it happens again, the moment he turns his glance away -- except that instead of himself as a child, he sees himself with a flash of blue on his barrayaran uniform collar. okay, creepy weird reflections aside, if they're true -- and he hopes this one is -- then one day he's going to be captain lord ivan vorpatril. which absolutely is a fate he can live with.

so sure, it leaves him staring goofily at a sheet of glass, but there are worse fates. like ending up dead as a lieutenant. )

morning

[forwardmomentum]

[ ivan not coming home for the night is not necessarily cause for alarm, under most situations. but the last time something like that had happened here, miles had been kidnapped by aliens. so he's maybe being a little paranoid, sure, but he wouldn't really call it that.

he didn't even realize ivan was gone until he woke up in the middle of the night to relieve himself, so miles shot him a text on his MID. and another. after ivan failed to respond that time, miles went on a quick tour of the ship to check the common areas -- nothing. there was a slim chance ivan might be spending the night in someone else's cabin, but miles can't think of who. that doesn't leave many alternatives.

so when he sees ivan's post on the moira network, having stayed awake all night alternating between trying to get a hold of ivan and doing some reading on his bed to keep him both awake and partially distracted, miles starts to feel the incipient spike of anger in his throat. ]

Do you have any idea how long I've been trying to get ahold of you?

Jacky Faber

[intherigging]

City (day):
[Jacky has never been on an alien planet before, but she's been to Rangoon and Bombay, and truth tell, those were almost as strange to her. Besides, if there's one thing a city can provide, it's the opportunity for a bit of the ready.
If you’re wandering the streets, you might find here (or at the very least, hear her) playing an impromptu show on a street corner, a cracked crystal/glass-like bowl in front of her.]

Outside the City (evening-dusk):
[After lunch, Jacky will be scouring the set-ups around those transporting areas for a tavern or tavern-like place where she might be able to do a set or two in exchange for food or trade-items. Whether or not she is successful, she’ll definitely be poking her head all around the place.]

Aboard the Moira:
[Jacky will not be taking advantage of the hotels (she’s had issues with hotel owners in the past, and not only does she not have her wedges, she’s not all that sure that they’ll work with these new, future doors) and so she will be back on the Moira and available to any run-ins.]