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far from nowhere
"the trees rustle in the evening when we stand uneasy before our own thoughts."
With the events of Del Pascia behind the Moira, things are only now beginning to settle—and not very well. Through the combined efforts of some of the crew, D-E-L and her permanent residents were incinerated into the dust of space. While it’s not the most peaceful end, it is one, and not many are going to be thinking back on how nice Del Pascia’s facilities were for quite some time. Repairing what they could of the ship’s interior and putting as much distance between the Moira and the prison as possible, those aboard are informed by Navigation that they are approaching another planet. This means, of course, the potential for better supplies, as some things are beginning to dwindle, and the Captains elect to dock so long as the crew follows protocol. WELCOME TO AMISSIS-RE
Amissis-Re is an unregistered planet with no documented histories or signs of life. The Moira’s Navigation crew have scanned the planet for any usable resources and have discovered a faint signal emitting from beneath the surface of Amissi-Re. Using the transporters and any other crafts located in the Cargo Bay, the crew are able to travel to the source of the signal. Upon arriving in its exact location, they’ll find a small series of lakes that lead to a tower-like structure that appears to be in use. Crew must cross a poorly assembled bridge system that sways and dips when weight is applied to it in order to gain access to the entrance. Once there, a woman comes out to greet them and explains, excitedly, that she is so very happy that they have come to Amissis-Re.
Everyone can go home.
Their host insists that she has done the impossible and has somewhat fixed the Ingress that’s been built on Amissis-Re a long time ago, and what’s more, she can send crew home for short bursts of time. Upon following this woman inside, crew will find that the planet is not, in fact, barren at all. Diving deep into the underbelly of Amissis-Re, it’s like an eternal factory of machines, and while vast, for whatever reason, it also seems incredibly welcoming...
☄ LEAP OF FAITH ( 05.01 and on ) The barren planet of Amissis-Re is devoid of vegetation and organic life except for a lone woman, and the planet itself is an intricate honeycomb of machines that go for miles below the surface. Yet, that seems insignificant and unimportant in comparison to the news that the crew has just received. After Thán has looked at the Ingress, he tells the crew that he cannot say for certain that it is properly functioning, but Emiri native, Ben Link, will volunteer to test it out.
An elevator takes crew down to a glass platform that overlooks an inverted Ingress portal. In order to return home, the Moirans will have to take a leap of faith and jump in. Ben, in order to show his commitment to the crew and willingness to help get them home, takes that jump with Captain Thán seconds behind him. Jumping feels like dropping through wind; lights swirl, it’s warm, and a soft buzzing encompasses you as you fall. You don’t feel the landing. One moment you’re falling, and the next, you’re in a new world.
A few hours pass before a similar elevator rises from below and to the left of the Ingress, stopping beside the platform. Ben and Thán step out unharmed.
It works, and everyone can temporarily go home. Will you jump? ☄ COMBINE THE EXTREMES ( 05.01 and on ) The woman that greeted the crew and led them to the platform will allow anyone that wants to go home the opportunity to go. There’s only one catch: it’s not permanent. She’s worked for years to fix the Ingress so that she can return to her own home but hasn’t been able to make the trip an everlasting one. Everyone always comes back. Always. They go for a few hours, at first, but that amount of time increases with each visit.
The one guideline, she says, is that you can’t go alone. Each trip requires a partner, or it becomes too much for the mind to bear. These rules are simple: the world takes shape depending on who jumps first, but if crew go hand-in-hand and leap at the same time, the worlds combine. This new world will be populated with people that existed in both and may appear to be a jarring combination of both worlds. It may seem unusual, but if the woman is asked, she’ll explain that the combined world does exist as there are more universes than can be imagined. The Ingress tries to take the person to their own home, their original home, but when jumping together, it finds the closest possible match and deposits them there instead.
From that point on, you can travel the world together or split up, but remember, this world is a living, functioning world. It doesn’t matter if it’s the home of one crew member or a combination. You meet other people. You can get hurt. You influence and are influenced by others.
Be cautious, and enjoy your visit “home”. ☄ LINGER ON ( 05.05 and on ) The more times the Amissis-Re Ingress is visited, the more it seems that your trips last longer and the experience becomes even more vivid. More real and harder to distinguish from the current reality that you know. It’s difficult to explain why, but you get the feeling that maybe if you went without the aid of the host, that perhaps you’d be able to stay. Forever. It takes some subterfuge, but in time, you see your chance: she’s nowhere in sight, and you take it.
The world you are in now is completely your own, whether another crew member accompanied you or not. The people you know are there, everything around you is exactly as you remember. A few hours pass, and you don’t feel that familiar tug, that invisible hook at the base of your spine that signals that your visit is over. Even more time goes by, and you’re still in that world, your home. When the first day has passed, you begin to question if you’ll ever go back, or if life on the Moira was all a dream. The person with you won’t be able to convince you otherwise, and they’ll start to feel less real, a stranger that you used to know.
There’s only one way to go back to the Moira. Someone from the other side has to come in and retrieve you both. Once in, contact with a third will jump-start a link through the Ingress, and it will pull all crew back to the platform.
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thisavrou_log2016-05-01 09:04 pm
no subject
So he simply runs as fast as he's able to.
Alas, the large bird distracts him. He's so interested in it, he's never seen anything like it before, and it completely takes his mind off the race. With a sudden squawk of surprise, Al trips headlong over his own feet just a short distance from the finish line.]
--AHHH!
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A-Are you alright?! [said before she even gets there. she stops beside him and looks him over, unsure of whether she should touch him.] You tripped? You okay??
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Yeah, I'm fine. I guess I was just too focused on the finish line, though I think this means you definitely won.
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[Which protects him, sure, but isn't it heavy? It sounds like it'd be painful to fall onto all the metal, and have half of it fall on top of you in the process.
Fiora has never questioned why Al is always wearing that full set of armor every time she sees him, but she thinks nothing of it as she kneels next to him and reaches towards one arm, currently leaking dirt.]
I've made a mess of your armor, too. Ack, I'm sorry. I know too well it can chafe when it's dirty.
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[He chuckles as he takes a half step backwards with faux casualness. He doesn't want her to touch his armour, there's always the danger that people will hear the hollow ring and realise there's nothing inside.]
Please, don't worry. I promise that it's not a big deal at all, I can clean it off when we get back later tonight.
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[Her voice trails off as she continues to fuss over him, and her eyes are drawn towards the dirt-smeared gaps between his armor pieces. For the first time, she notices that it seems... kind of... excessively dark inside. Like she should see a bit of fabric or skin within, but there seems to be nothing there.
Fiora looks to him now with raised eyebrows and withdraws her hands. It's... probably nothing, but she can't shake the feeling that something is really odd.]
...well, alright.
[She looks over to the ridge they were racing towards.] Let's just walk the rest of the way. It's a tie.
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Brushing dirt from himself still, he follows where she points and starts walking up the rest of the hill at a much more sensible pace.]
We don't have anything like this where I'm from, I guess that might be why I fell. I'm from the mountains, there's not a lot of swamp land there at all.
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[Grinning at him, she meant that last part as a joke. The ridge isn't very large, so they're already halfway to the top.]
Maybe next time we'll go mountain climbing. Did you ever go up into the mountains back home?
[this could be good way to ease into the topic of his armor...]
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All of the time! The village I grew up in, Resembool, is up near the top of the mountains. It's so clear up there, you can see for miles.
[His tone is fond and warm.]
I miss it sometimes.
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[And she means that earnestly, because she knows the feeling. The air is always so clear on the Bionis' calf where Colony 9 is, too. You could look up and see the Mechonis looming, miles away and yet so detailed.
Looking down for a moment, she considers her next question.]
...Is it really dangerous or something?
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[He sounds incredulous, but he doesn't realise the direction her thoughts are heading in. He can't help but laugh, half surprised and half fond.]
I don't think anyone has ever called Resembool dangerous, it's probably one of the safest places in Amestris. It's just this tiny little village, a lot of farmland, it's so peaceful that I used to think it was kind of boring when I was little.
no subject
[As they near the top of the ridge, Fiora's steps begin to slow down.]
...maybe it's not my place to pry. But I can't help but wonder why you're always wearing that armor, then...?
[Stopping now, Fiora looks directly into Al's eyes. Or at least, the eyes she can so faintly see within that helmet.]
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Uhh...
[He chuckles in an attempt to sound nonchalant, it's not very successful.]
It's actually a hobby of mine, I just really like it. It's pretty, um, impressive, don't you think?
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[Fiora isn't really accusing him, she's not being confrontational - but the disbelief is apparent in her voice. Finally, they're at the top of the ridge, and she stops and turns to face him.]
Listen... you don't have to tell me if you really don't want to. But I know that isn't the truth. You got a big birthmark on your face or something? I'm not going to judge. A hunk of scrap like me is the last person who's going to judge you.
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[He feels awful now, especially when she refers to herself as scrap. He doesn't want her to feel ashamed of herself, but how can he tell her not to be when he's being so hypocritical hiding things?]
It's complicated, you might-- you might freak out if I showed you.
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I know you, and I know you're kind, and gentle. I'm not going to be afraid.
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I am human, I am-- it's just...
[He replaces his helmet to explain.]
In alchemy there's a principle that everything else is built on, that's equivalent exchange. It's the rule that you can't take more than you give, what you create has to be of equal value to the components. That's why there are-- there are things it's forbidden for an alchemist to do. One of those is human transmutation, creating life.
But my brother and I, we thought we could do it anyway. We thought maybe it wouldn't matter if we broke that rule just the once. We didn't want to do anything terrible, we just wanted to see our Mom smile again after she died. So we tried-- we had all the ingredients that make up a human body, but we couldn't pay the price for her soul.
[His voice grows softer, slight break in the words.]
The transmutation rebounded on us and took the price that way. Brother lost his leg, and I lost my entire body. I would have died, but Ed gave up his arm to bind my soul to this suit of armour in order to save my life.
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But the last thing she is expecting is... nothing at all. When the helmet is gone and there's nothing inside the armor but darkness and air, her smile fades into an agape mouth. The only thing that sticks out even remotely is some kind of stamp on the inside of his neck guard. What is this...?
By the end of the story, she's feeling very, very foolish.]
Oh... oh, dear...
[Desperately, she steps closer to Al and holds up her hands pleadingly.] I am so sorry. I didn't... If I knew it was so - personal, and serious, I wouldn't have asked at all. Alphonse, really, I'm sorry.
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It's okay.
[He reaches out a hand to lay on her shoulder.]
We're going to make it right, we're going to find a way to get both of our original bodies back. Maybe we'll even find something out here on the Moira with all the knowledge from other worlds, huh?
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[This time, she smiles at the hand on her shoulder and covers it with her own. It feels wrong for him to be comforting her, but maybe that's just how Al deals with it. Fiora can relate if that's the case.]
Well... speaking of...
[Her eyes dart to the side, looking beyond Al's massive bulky body and up at the sky. With her other hand, she points.]
...Now that you're here, we can see the Mechonis. How's that for other world knowledge?
[Far, far, far in the distance is an indescribably massive figure, its image slightly obstructed by clouds and the glare of the sunset.]
That's where the metal half of me is from.