( december intro log )

[hownkai]

Who: Everyone
When: December 1st and on
Where: Throughout the Moira
What: Repercussions of Caducus Primary + New Arrivals + The Unknown
Warnings: None, but please label anything you do that needs a warning

SHIP LIFE

"In nature, there are neither rewards nor punishments; there are consequences."

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 various machines line the walls on either side, though they are not accessible from where you stand. Shortly after, you are led out and toward the medbay.

Inside this room, you are given a physical scan and sign a contract that states you are now part of the crew 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. From there, you are guided out of the medbay and to your living quarters.

MERO DECK ● NOMO DECK ● MORO DECK

☄ Due to the circumstances of Caducus Primary, the captains appear abnormally absent. Unlike before, they will not be seen or heard from after processing the newest members of the crew. They can still be contacted via their MID devices for emergencies only, but otherwise, they have retreated to their rooms and clearly do not want disturbed. They are displeased with the events and will be less accommodating in regards to resources and rank privileges. In fact, they may feel less like a privilege and more like a punishment.





☄DRUM THRUM THUD

Reverberations of what has happened to Caducus Primary are still being felt despite having left the chaos behind. After the initial influx of new crew, there seems to be the occasional flicker of the power all throughout the Moira—like a pulse, a breath. Do the shadows move, or is it just a trick of the light? Several hours pass, and a message flashes across all MIDs. It is labeled urgent and comes directly from Thán; however, any responses will be automatically rejected.

Our ship has sustained minor outer damage, and the systems are fluctuating as they reboot themselves individually. Take care of darker areas, and travel with other crew if you need to leave your room.

Crew safety is severely stressed this month, especially after what's occurred, and anyone in need of medical attention is to report to the Medbay posthaste. Yet, the crew may soon realize it's not only the power that appears to be having issues as the days progress in their travels.

☄IN THE FRIDGE

From the 3rd on, things start to grow a bit chilly. With current power issues, a problem that even those in areas responsible for its function cannot seem to solve, there has been a steady decline of less vital life support systems. It soon grows cold enough that sections of the ship that house any sort of water systems may find them slowly freezing over, and even showers don't seem as warm as they should be. ( Those in Mero Deck may find their communal bathroom a rink. ) In the mess hall, late in the evening after all shifts are finished, several pipes rupture and create particles of ice (snow) and a solid slippery sheet across the entirety of the floor. Melting it may be a temporary solution, but as there is no way to keep the water in its liquid form, it might be inadvisable to try more than once.

Other areas of the ship are also open to exploration, though they may be affected by the power and temperature changes as well. Please advise the captains' warning.

( ooc; For questions, go here. Please comment to activity check to receive new ranks (if applicable)! )

Comments

Elizabeth DeWitt || Open

[tearmeanewone]

[1 - Nomo Bathrooms]

[The message from Thán is distressing, and of course she tries to reply-- Why do we need to travel with other people around the ship? Should we be armed?-- but the immediate bounceback is confusing and... frankly disheartening.]

[Then the cleaning supplies arrive, and it goes from 'disheartening' to 'actually upsetting'. How come the lower ranks received things that would actually be useful in the dropping temperatures and she was scrubbing toilets for warmth?]

[Still, even if she's feeling mild resentment towards Thán-- ('I treat his books as though they were my own, I've even wrapped that strange box in a blanket in case the cold does something to it!') --and the rest of the Captains, she does what has been indicated she should do ('And a toothbrush-- could they be any more passive-aggressive when most of us are still trying to understand how a planet could implode?!'). She sweeps her (empty, save for her) bunk room, mops too, but puts most of her focus on the Nomo bathroom.]


[2 - Open Library]

[...at least until things start to freeze.]

[Then mopping seems like an incredibly bad idea. Showering too. Elizabeth grew up in a city above the clouds-- it was cold by normal standards even with the Lutece Field preventing them from having zero oxygen and freezing to death. She withstands the temperature drop until water starts freezing on the floors, and then she's uncomfortable and resents the lower ranks who have gloves and scarves even more.]

[But it's not like she's going to steal gloves from a lower-ranking crewmate. She just goes about her business-- a pair of tiny legs sticking out from under two blankets draped on her to form an incredibly silly-looking cloak. She has nobody to walk with to the library, but she figures maybe she's okay with something getting her in the dark if it means not being miserable and cold all the time anymore. Besides, it's not an unfamiliar walk, she could run it if she had to.]

[The once cozy stacks of the library are now frigid. Even putting herself in the back room with all of the odd, un-categorized books doesn't offer much insulation. Elizabeth spends most of her time in her blanket pile, legs tucked up, sitting on her hands. Waiting to see if she'll have to get out of her chair to help somebody.]


[3 - Hallways]

[She's so tired of being cold all the time. She almost wrenched the showerhead out of the wall that morning because the water hadn't gotten above lukewarm. The blankets only kept her so warm until they slid off at awkward angles. If this didn't stop soon, she was going to--]

[The lights flickered in the hall and Elizabeth stopped walking. She'd experienced the occasional flicker, but this is... prolonged. Enough that Elizabeth can almost see movement in the shadows the light is casting. Clearly this is why Thán suggested traveling through the ship in groups-- something is on the ship.]

[The light comes back on, but Elizabeth just stands in the hallway, afraid to move after what she's just potentially seen.]


[4 - Or Just Wildcard It! ♥]

4;

[commontype]

[Honestly, he looks like a fucking mess and he knows it. Circles under his eyes, an angry red scar from his cheek to his collarbone, and yeah, he's missing a hand, but he has the stump (which grosses him out to call it that) tucked gingerly under the blanket around his shoulders.

He hasn't been leaving his room. From there to Harry's when he can't sleep and back again. He would stay in Harry's room 24/7 if he didn't think his mentor would get frustrated with having too much Eggsy in his life. But, he's cold and he doesn't want to go too far so he pokes his head out of his room and yells down the hallway.]

I'm cold. Does anybody wanna come snuggle? I'm in room six.

[His voice echoes, and he stands there hoping someone will come out.]

library

[hyperkinesia]

[ The ship as a whole gets colder at an alarming speed. With the systems flickering on and off, there's no place that's sure to have decent stable temperatures, and it gets more and more difficult to feel comfortable anywhere on the ship. Usually, if he has nothing to do and nowhere to be, he's curling up in his bed, under several layers of covers, but today he's giving the library a try.

Not that it helps much. The sensation of warmth or comfort is mostly psychological, so he keeps a thick blanket curled around his own shoulders, looking through the shelves of books in search of anything that can at least keep him distracted. He doubts he'll find any information here that'll actually help with the situation, but at least he hopes to avoid people while he's here.

Reaching for a book in a shelf just a little higher than himself, the heavy volume slips from his numb fingers, falling right on top of his head. Bruce lets out an 'ow! just as the book flops over and lands on the ground with a deaf thud. ]

Bel Thorne -- Open

[hellsbel]

December 1: Arrival -- Main Hall and vicinity

It had been almost midnight, ship's time, when the captain of the light cruiser Ariel had finally palmed their cabin door lock and trudged into the room. Two days out from Tau Ceti, the successful mission wrapup down to routine equipment checks and interminable vidcalls and paperwork, the Admiral zipping off in a courier ship -- no doubt to report deliver his own report in person. Sighing, Bel reached for the fastener on the grey Dendarii uniform jacket, looking forward to a long night's sleep.

Four hours later, swaying as an unfamiliar corridor finally decanted its occupants out into the bare white hall between medbay and Nomo Deck, Bel had to pause and lean against the wall. Stunned but alert at the same time -- there was no adequate way to describe the disorientation.

The displacement, the involuntary medical exam, the bizarre contract -- out of the whole debacle, signing the contract had felt the worst. The so-called captains could have been lying, for all Bel knew. (A ship run by committee? Even Betan crews didn't leave command to a vote. Well. Not entirely. Run by committee and crewed at random by untrained hostages -- it was hard to imagine a more potent recipe for disaster.) Bel's wrist flexed, the unfamiliar MID device unyielding. It had to be almost ship's dawn, back home. Here, it was apparently the middle of the day.

Bel hitched the meager pack they'd made of personal belongings that had made it through the Ingress, growling at recalling the fact that it was one captain's insignia lighter than it should be. Reconnoitering would have to come first, if they'd been given free run of the ship after processing.


[For plot reasons, one of the first people Bel will meet is Miles. Bel will come back to this area while exploring, so feel free to meet them anywhere from here to Nomo Deck!]


December 2: Mess Hall and nearby

Bel was a quick study, but this was stretching it. The rapid orientation to their new job -- "Interrogation Technician," and now wasn't that ominous -- and to the ship's layout hadn't been nearly sufficient, and the time lag hadn't worn off yet when it was time to report to the Mess Hall for their first afternoon shift at that task.

Pausing at a corridor, Bel tugged down at the jacket of the Moira-issued work uniform. Damn fine in the leg area, but too tight across the chest; or maybe it was the thermals; there hadn't been a chance to adjust them or request a refit... either way, Bel wasn't inclined to be charitable about it. Looking down to see black where there should have been grey was a constant reminder of what had happened.

Worse, probably, to those who'd been on board when they had somehow managed to accidentally destroy an entire planet.

The crew, at least, seemed reasonably civilized, if understandably shellshocked -- even the nonhumans, whose very existence was supposed to be impossible. Bel found themself looking forward to seeing who would be in the mess hall today.


[Bel plans to spend the day exploring the ship and asking all the questions. Where, who, why, how, what are we doing about it.]


December 3: Sanitation, Engineering, etc

It wasn't just the thermals. The ship was decidedly colder today than yesterday. Bel, slapping forearms to keep the blood flowing while patrolling the ship's dank but vital underbelly, saw breath chill into a fine mist at every exhale.

It was the worst plumbing system Bel had seen in a long time. Condensation hung from every pipe, grime-stained and rusting away; patched joins leaked thin runnels of unnameable liquid. The place could use a whole new ventilation system, even if half the pipes hadn't looked ripe for the scrapheap, contrasting jarringly with the more luxurious sections of the ship.

The chill was worrying, as were the occasional hollow groans of metal creaking against itself; any colder and new stresses could badly strain the worn piping. Did it have anything to do with the outages, or that disturbingly curt message from the other day? Bel had taken the day's patrol without a partner, reasoning that the understaffed ship needed hands in more places, not fewer. Grumbling under their breath, Bel resolved to check in at Engineering on the way back up and see if any could be spared to do an assessment.


[Work to be done today -- and shenanigans are also welcome. Bel's still meeting new people, and may literally run into you on the way somewhere!]

December 2!

[seeingscarlet]

And amidst all of the black uniforms is a flash of red: Wanda's leather coat thrown over a modified version of the standard-issue outfit. But given the ominous job title, perhaps red is not the most comforting color she could wear.

She snaps her locket shut when the mess hall door slides open and tries to pretend she's interested in lunch. Unfortunately, her appetite's been a bit off since the incident, so it's much easier to actually be interested in the new person. "The potatoes are not bad," she offers. "Not today, anyway."

December 3rd

[tearmeanewone]

Her back was killing her.

Probably from being down on her hands and knees scrubbing the bathroom floors. Elizabeth is trying to self-massage her shoulder with her one good hand while carrying a cup of tea with her broken arm back to the library (was it just her, or did it feel colder?) when she almost runs into someone coming from the other side of a corner. She stopped short, tea sloshed onto her soft-cast. Ow.

"Oh-- sorry, I wasn't paying attention, did it get you?"

12/1

[forwardmomentum]

Being dead for a week means the paperwork really piles up. Miles'd barely started his new post as Personnel Officer when the whole disaster with Caducus Primary struck, and he's hardly had time to go through the personnel files now at his disposal. Not that there's much to any of them, yet. He has a fair bit of reading left from the libary still, too -- no chance to read those checked-out books while he was dead, either. Well, he doesn't think Elizabeth is going to slap him with any late fees, but even so, he'd like to return them sooner than later.

Sitting down to a good meal -- well, all right, an adequate meal -- with all this reading might help. He hasn't been eating much since he was revived, but whether that's a side effect of the cryorevival or just one of many indicators that he still isn't quite himself yet, he isn't sure. At any rate, he ought to start eating regular meals again before Gregor gets on his case about it and starts insisting on watching while Miles eats. He wonders how much he can get away with blaming things on his recent death. Best not push it.

He makes his way from his quarters on Nomo Deck with an armful of reading material -- a couple of good, old-fashioned books from Elizabeth's library with a datapad resting neatly on top of it, which Miles is reading as he walks through the main hall, obviously more absorbed in that than paying any attention to his surroundings.

Mess hall

[realitywarped]

Even Loki gets to get out of the kitchen sometimes and actually eat. His favourite tactic usually is to make himself whatever the local equivalent of bacon is on a sandwich (perks of being the head chef; bacon sandwiches whenever he likes, which is all the time) and sit well out of the way, studying the people he's been forced to make crewmates of, but it's clearly new arrivals day and the tables are looking a little less empty than usual.

Well, in case of emergency, back-up plan, which is to pick the most interesting person and sit close enough to talk to them.

"I'm fairly sure I'd remember seeing you before, so presumably you're one of our newest batch of conscripts. Press-gangees? Impressees? I'm not sure what the technical jargon would be, honestly."

He tilts his head, light catching on his horns.

"Are you as impressed as the rest of us, I wonder?"

December 3

[hirotohero]

When Bel chooses to take a look in engineering one of the first things they'll see is Hiro is sitting on top of bank of machines with his back to the doors as he runs a diagnostic problem. He's pretty focused on his work so he doesn't notice the interloper at first. He frowns as the device in hand makes a negative sounding beep and he tosses it down.

"Oh come on! If it isn't a hardware problem on this end..."

He flops onto his back and then starts as he sees Bel for the first time.

"Uh, hi. Do you... need something?"

December 2nd

[heliakal]

[ Clark has been sitting in the cafeteria for a while now with his cheek propped up against his knuckles and a large notebook open in front of him. A couple of pages torn out, held in place by his (still full) lunch tray, which seems to be functioning largely as a paper weight.

At a glance, it's easy to tell that the torn pages are point form notes with dates and small sketches in the margins. Clark is translating them into longhand in the notebook. Even though he'll need to type and upload it all eventually, he likes to have a hard copy backup like this. It's something he's found unusually lacking - a detailed history of what's been happening on the Moira since the first set of arrivals.

He looks up when someone approaches the table. He hadn't really intended to get carried away with it, he'd just meant to jot down a few lines, but here he is. ]

Hey. Sorry about the mess, I can just... [ He starts stacking papers back together, moving things over so the stranger can set her tray down. ] I haven't seen you around before, did you get pulled through the other day?

Agent Washington | open

[hatesimprovising]

[ Okay. So. This is new. Not the being in space or on a spaceship thing, but...the fact that he's on a different one than he was just an hour or so ago (maybe longer, he's having a hard time keeping track of time for some reason?). Wash still isn't really sure what to make of the whole thing, truth be told, but it seems that now he's free to do with his time what he will. Or, mostly. At least until he has to work. Which, he's not looking forward to.

Sanitation Tech? Did they really have to assign him to such a gross job? He'll be looking more forward to kitchen duties than anything to do with sanitation. It's something he'll probably grumble about more later, once he's...actually adjusted to the idea of being here.

Maybe, he thinks, this weirdness has come at a good time for him, though. Back home, he'd been unconscious for what, weeks? After his implantation with Epsilon, which... No, he doesn't want to think about that. Can't think about that, doesn't want to remember any of that. But needless to say, that hadn't gone well, so. Maybe this was some sort of blessing in disguise? A weird sort of break from Project Freelancer?

For a while, he spends some time in the room assigned to him, #008 on the Mero Deck he'd been told, but before long he starts getting curious. He wants to get out and explore a little. Check out this ship he's going to be living on for the forseeable future, see how different it is from the Mother of Invention. So, still in full armour, not bothering to change into any of his uniforms yet, he steps out into the hallway and starts his exploration.

From here on, Wash can be found peering around curiously and just generally checking things out around Mero Deck's hallway, the mess hall, the gardens, or the rec room. He isn't doing much more than peering around, so he's pretty conspicuous, and his walk has something of a lost quality to it. Shouldn't be too hard to tell that he's new around here. ]

[hellsbel]

[staring in bafflement at the wide-open swimming pool in the middle of the room, and then at the glassy barrier and the infinity beyond, Bel has started to feel that there couldn't be any surprises left after what had already shown up.

the figure walking through the opposite door, clad in... was that battle armor? not any kind Bel had ever seen -- cut that thought right off at the pass.

oh shit. Bel's hand instinctively twitched toward the belt where no stunner hung -- the Ingress had a lot to answer for. even odds no stunner would work on armor like that, though.

deliberately relaxing, Bel straightened, head canting to one side, waiting for an explanation. if the armored figure did prove hostile... well, there was always a chance of trying to maneuver it into the pool.]

rec area;

[commontype]

Goin' for a swim, guv?

[He frowns at gear the person's wearing. It's a bit much for swimming, but what does Eggsy know? It could very well be water proof or something.]

Was thinking 'bout going for a quick dip if you wanna join.

[Eggsy has yet to manage catching one person in the pool at the same time as him and he'd really like some company. He tosses the towel over his shoulder, grinning.]

[soldiergenes]

[ The fact that Snake has been assigned his own room really reinforces the idea that he's going to be stuck on this ship for a while. There's no telling how big it is yet, he hasn't gotten that far, but the idea of being trapped even in a large vessel is enough to make him antsy.

Still, if he's going to get his bearings and establish a lay of the land, Snake may as well start with the place he's expected to sleep. He makes his way down the hall until he finds the door marked 008 and then presses it open.

He probably should have expected a roommate to be part of the deal, but Snake stops short when he sees an armored figure inside. His arms are full holding onto the uniforms they'd given him, but drawing his gun as a greeting probably isn't the best idea anyway.

He's not sure what the armor is all about, but he's in his sneaking suit himself, something usually only reserved for missions. If this guy was brought here in the middle of something, it would make sense. ]

Looks like we're gonna be roommates. [ A plain statement of fact. Snake's shared a bunk with someone else before, when he'd lived in barracks during his time as a Green Beret and at FOXHOUND. He hasn't had to do that in a while (sharing a living space with Otacon doesn't really count), but he'll just have to suck it up. Hopefully this stranger isn't a complete pain to deal with. ]

steve rogers | open

[abide]

ａｒｒｉｖａｌ
[ Many of the things he's been told so far sound familiar, a basic drum of protocol, and some things he's not so sure he believes. Steve's still a little disoriented from the Ingress, an odd feeling that settles deep in his bones, and by the time he shakes it, he's already sitting in the medbay, physical in progress. He's had so many of these in his life that it's almost second nature, not so much reacting to the woman speaking to him as he is getting a look around. Space... if he doesn't accept the contract, then what? He doesn't like the lack of choice, though it seems he's agreeing more for wanting to explore than much of anything else at the moment. He'll consider the options later, when he's not reeling from the effects of whatever had just happened. Polite, he thanks the person attending him and slides off the bed when she's finished, searching through the clothes they'd given him after completing the paperwork. After they'd given him the...

Steve looks at the MID, turning his hand over and tracing his fingers along the edges of it curiously. It reminds him of what he'd left behind, of his own private mission, and he frowns, grabbing at his undershirt to tug it on.

It's a bit tight, flexing his arms just enough to stretch it without the potential of tearing the material and immediately decides to temporarily forego the different uniform for his own pants. There aren't any shoes, but he's got enough to get himself started, turning around and making an attempt to duck out of the ship's hospital before anyone can stop him--barefoot and all. He's got all of his clothes tucked under one arm and the shield balanced in the other, grip relatively tight on it. The floor's cold, but it's a minor thing, blindly walking until the device on his hand flashes and gives him directions in the form of a text. Not so different from a cell phone, apparently, but it'll take him time to figure it out, distracted by a new screen. Maybe a directory and —

He rounds a corner and barrels right into someone... which might have him retracing his steps to the medbay if they'd collided with him hard enough to be knocked off balance. Or if they happened to have gotten smacked with his shield. ]


ｅｌｓｅｗｈｅｒｅ
[ Steve can be found anywhere on Mero Deck, probably still looking a bit out of place considering his clothes don't exactly fit and generally appearing to Not Be Having a Good Time^TM. If near the mess hall, he'd give a hand to anyone who happens to go slipping right into the room because of the ice. Also up for anything else at any other place too! ]

/literally crashes in here

[seeingscarlet]

[And before Wanda can even register what's happened, she's flat on her back in a tangle of hair and red leather. It's like running into a wall.

She brushes her hair out of her eyes, ready to tell whoever that was to watch where they're going, but it dies on her lips when she sees who it is. And all she can do is stare for a second.]

Captain...?

[She's hesitant and confused. He was gone and now he's back, and he didn't know who she was the first time around.]

Mero Deck | Quarters

[vengeance_driven]

[Niko enters their shared room and doesn't seem to think much of Steve being there. Just that he wants to curl up in his stupid round bed and forget about this stupid ship for an hour or so. But he isn't completely uncivilized, and before he lands on the oddly shaped thing he manages a-]

Hey. You're back.

I think. [Wait, was this first Steve or second Steve? Knowing his luck, neither. So he just rolled onto his back and smeared his hand down his scruffy face.]

mess hall

[hyperkinesia]

[ Cold or not, the crew still has their duties to perform. It might seem a little like giving in, but considering they're on a ship in the middle of space, Bruce would rather it keeps running as smoothly as possible. Even if 'smoothly' right now refers mostly to the surfaces gaining a flat layer of ice.

He's not looking forward to walking around the ship again either. He'd spent a little over a week in the cage, and were it up to him, he'd have stayed there longer - but running and hiding from one's problems never really made them go away. He knows the crew at large is still recovering from what happened, he knows most of them blame and even hate him for it, understandably so - that is pretty much how Bruce himself feels. May as well just own up to it.

Luckily, the cold settled in the hallways seems to have sent most everyone retreating to their quarters or whatever little corners they can find, desperate for any semblance of warmth. Nonetheless, he goes in for his Sunday shift, dressed in as many layers as he can manage, a thick blanket fashioned into a kind of cloak-- and slipping on the icy floor the moment he steps into the mess hall.

A hand reaches for him and before he realizes it, he's clinging to the person on reflex, quickly getting back on his feet. His expression of surprise shifts into one of relief when he glances over to the tall man. ]

Steve. [ He draws back, tugging the blanket tighter around himself again, all but fully hiding underneath it. ] You're back. I didn't know.

[ He'll skip on saying it's good to see him, because-- well, they're all stuck here, and right now it's not a very nice place to be. ]

solid snake - open

[soldiergenes]

ᴀʀʀɪᴠᴀʟ - [12/01]
After parting ways with Raiden, Snake had made contact with Otacon and arranged to be picked up so they could regroup and analyze that data about the Patriots further. A list of names, all of people who'd died years ago—what could it mean? It had smelled like yet another dead end. That was Snake had been thinking as he'd walked to the rendezvous point, and then—

His vision darkened, almost like he'd been knocked out, but Snake could tell that he was still conscious, if disoriented. After that, the ground shifted under his feet, the air around him changed, and he found himself somewhere else entirely. A place he'd never been before.

The Patriots were all smoke and mirrors, creating situations designed to make someone feel out of their mind. It was why the kid had been so spooked after everything; they'd turned his entire world upside-down. But Snake had been misled enough times that he knew better than to panic, though as he was led to a medbay and the situation was explained, it turned out to be even more outlandish than what he could easily swallow.

If the person who conducted his medical exam was to be believed, then Snake had been brought onto an honest-to-God spaceship and was expected to help keep the thing running as they journeyed back to its planet of origin. For someone who came from a world where space travel was still in its early stages, it all felt like one huge hoax. When it came time to be injected with a device that would track his vital signs, that was almost a deal-breaker for Snake. It reminded him of Raiden, rigged up with nanomachines and fake blood by the Patriots. But he'd been forced into the exact sort of situation he hated most—one where he had no choice but to go along with the plans of shadowy figures, their "captains."

Signing the contract was another bitter pill, but Snake needed to get home, and right now it looked like cooperation was the only way to make that happen. So he did what he had to, then was dumped out onto the Mero Deck, having been informed that his living quarters were here. It didn't take long for Snake to drop off the items they'd given him, just a few uniforms plus the device on his wrist that (thankfully) wasn't too much more complicated than an iPhone. He hadn't missed that his bandanna and cigarettes were nowhere to be found—that would need to be fixed sooner rather than later.

For the moment, though, he explored the Mero Deck, still in a state of disbelief and doubt. If he was going to accept that he was really in space, he'd need to see it to believe it.

ᴡᴀɴᴅᴇʀɪɴɢ - [12/02]
They had been told not to wander the ship alone, but Snake was used to doing things solo. The message came from one of the captains who had still refused to show themselves, and so he wasn't inclined to believe it. What if there was something that these captains didn't want them to see, and so they were trying to use simple scare tactics to keep them away?

Besides, he'd been assigned a job, not to mention kitchen duty, and he'd signed a contract. Working would allow him a better chance to figure out what was really going on in this place.

Snake spent the first half of the day exploring wherever he could, still in his sneaking suit and with his handgun kept close at hand, holstered at his waist, just in case. The observation deck was enough to blow anyone's mind, and not for the first time since he'd gotten dragged into this mess, Snake wondered what Otacon would have made of all this. The rec area would be useful if he ever got to a point where he felt settled enough to get back to a regular exercise routine. Eventually he made it up to the tower, although he didn't know enough about any of the control panels there to experiment much.

Later in the day Snake stopped by the galley to see what his kitchen duties would be all about. It didn't take long for him to inventory the area and find recipe books that contained mentions of dishes and ingredients he'd never heard of before. Well, everyone was going to have to deal with simple Earth-based meals when he was on the job. Finally, he headed to the cargo bay, where he realized that the job he'd been assigned wouldn't be such a bad one. He'd be able to keep track of all the cargo that came in and out of the ship, which might give him a clue about the captain's goals. (Not to mention all the cardboard boxes lying around...)

ᴄᴏʟᴅᴇʀ ᴡᴀɴᴅᴇʀɪɴɢ - [12/03]
Snake woke up cold, his breath frosting in the air in front of him. It seemed like a ship this advanced would have better climate control, but he ended up having to wear a uniform over his sneaking suit to stay warm enough as he ventured out once more. The power was still on the fritz, but Snake traveled all the way to the engine room to see if there was any obvious sign of something wrong. Not that he was much of a mechanic, and he didn't see anything sparking or on fire, so that turned into a dead end.

When he stopped by the mess hall and found that it had been turned into an ice-skating rink, Snake glanced toward the stranger standing nearby.

"Do you have any idea what's causing all this?"

Something wasn't right on this ship. There were too many areas closed off, and he couldn't quite shake the sense that he was being watched. Snake had instincts that hardly ever lied to him, and yet he found himself reacting to things that supposedly weren't there.

It was getting a little exhausting, and this was only his third day. Maybe the nicotine withdrawal had something to do with it too—when it was cold like this, that need for a cigarette was even more pronounced.

the cold stuff

[abide]

It had been a few days. Not many, and certainly not enough to figure anything out aside from the basics. Most of the people here were just as stuck as he was, having spoken with a few of the other crew members had made that more than clear, and the captains — Steve still couldn't get a read on them. It didn't help that they'd been MIA since he'd arrived and any sort of attempt at contact had failed. (He needed more time to figure out the tech and how to use the MID properly, which is what he'd spent half the night before trying to do.) Only part of his team was here too. Maximoff and Banner with Stark having disappeared or... well. Wanda hadn't made it clear what had actually happened, and he still hadn't seen Bruce to talk to him.

He's put it on his to-do list, separate to the one that hadn't followed him here. So, it's the first thing he has in mind when he rolls out of bed, feeling less than rested. The temperature drop is noticed immediately, grateful that he'd somehow managed to find a pair of boots that fit. It doesn't help his clothing situation much, keeping to his uniform's pants and one of the shirts they'd given him--tight but functional enough. Making his way to the mess hall is more an adventure in staring at the wide ceilings and trying to shake off the lingering disorientation from his arrival than anything else, and when Steve finds the room covered in ice, he almost turns around to leave. But he sticks it out, keeping an eye on the people going in and those sliding their way out. He's sort of established himself just near the door, shoulder against the wall and arms crossed.

He looks up at the guy asking the question and glances back inside the mess hall with the slightest shake of his head.

"There seems to be a lot going on we don't know about." Which is slowly getting under his skin, an unease he's not comfortable with. "You talk to anyone else yet?" His roommate had offered plenty of information, some he shouldn't have been surprised to hear, but not much else was making sense.

Athena | OTA

[pallantias]

Hallways
[The message from the captains did little to keep Athena out of the darkened corridors. If anything, it actively encouraged her to venture out, garbed in her Lance armor and armed with her dual plasma swords. The message had made it sound like there was something hostile out there and Athena would be damned if she was going to give whatever it is free reign of the ship. After the events on Cadacus Primary, she’s been itching to let out some pent up violence, so if something was out and about menacing crewmen, then she was all too happy to be a target.

She sees movement in the shadows out of the corner of her eye and turns, tense and ready to strike.]

Who’s there? [Part of her hopes that it isn’t another crewman who answers her.]

Mero Deck
[When she’s not out patrolling the halls, Athena can be found in Mero Deck. The state of the ship has her more restless than usual and the cold keeps her from settling down, so you’ll probably find her pacing the halls in an attempt to keep occupied and warm. She’s also on the lookout for any new arrivals: she’s really hoping no one she knows shows up here.]

Farin | ota

[misalign]

Mess Hall: The Ship Will Rust

[The weather was level. No snow, hardly any rain, just sun and more sun. If she hadn’t been used to it, she’d have been sun-burned more often than not. This snow, if you could call it though, was a new experience, and one she was ready to embrace.]

The burst pipes are making quite the mess.

[She inclines her head towards the icy floor and frozen water spraying out across the room.]

It’s beautiful, isn’t it?

Moro Deck around room # 002: The Beds Swing

[It was comforting, in every imaginable sense of the word. The beds swung back and forth gently if she laid down just right, almost like the buildings of her home. Noticeable only during quiet times, but enough so that she found these swinging beds comfortable.

A good night’s rest and she’s moving about the room. She has her uniform on, as she promised to do when she signed her contract, and she heads out into the hallway.

She doesn’t go far at first, preferring to acclimate to her surroundings first before really going too far, but inch by inch she finds her way. Farin smiles at the first person she comes to, extending her hand palm up in greeting.]

If you’re not too busy, I was wondering if you’d show me around.

Wildcard:

She’ll be getting a feel for the ship the first few weeks and will be cleaning out the laundry rooms on each deck. If anyone finds her here, she’ll likely be in the middle of clearing out all the clutter and old clothes, and organizing the space. Otherwise, Farin will be in the mess hall, rec area, or her room.

mess hall

[hyperkinesia]

[ Making his way to his room late in the day, he walks right past the mess hall. The sound of the burst pipes catch his attention, and he makes a quick detour to see what it is. Something else not working, he figures.

It's a strange sight. The ice-covered floor, the brilliant particles spraying out of the pipe - and the woman, standing there, watching as if it's just an impressive show, and not a rather serious problem. ]

And dangerous.

[ He frowns a little, trying to place her in his memory - but he can't. He doesn't remember seeing her on board before, at least. ]

I'll... report that. Someone might come and fix it.

Zam Wesell | OTA

[backsassin]

Moro Deck
[Zam notices something is wrong long before most of his crewmates do. Being very literally cold-blooded makes them quite sensitive to the cold, so when the ship’s temperature starts dropping, he’s one of the first to complain.]

Ugh, is something wrong with the heating?

[There isn’t any sort of individual temperature control on deck, so he can’t really check. He knows the captains mentioned problems with the ship’s systems earlier that week, but surely they wouldn’t let it affect something as fundamental as temperature control, right? That’s too major a life support function to let slip.

Unfortunately, that’s apparently expecting too much of the captains. The temperature keeps dropping. And dropping. And dropping.

Other inhabitants of Moro Deck looking to escape the cold might make the unpleasant discovery that their blankets have gone missing. Further investigation will reveal they’ve been taken to room #003 and used to build a makeshift nest, with a very unhappy-looking one-armed crewman at its center.]

Sorry, [he says if you’re one of the victims of his blanket theft.] Necessary evil.

[metabee]

[When you only have a few possessions, it's easy to notice when they go missing. Metabee wasn't overly bothered by the cold, but he DID take issue with his stuff going missing. He had just gotten this blanket back, and while he didn't care as much about the one the captains had given him, it was still his. He wasn't going to let this stand.

It wasn't long before he was knocking on the door to Mero #003.]

Hey! Anyone in there?!

Clare | OTA

[moralperil]

1. cookies, or rather precookies. uncookedies?
12/1 - the galley

[Clare's assignment is to the kitchen. That makes sense, considering their previous jobs. Food is an easy way to make people smile, make them happy, meet one of their basic needs. Nourishment of this kind - things that taste good just because - are one of the best things about inhabiting a physical form.

So they'll be found rustling around, trying to find enough ingredients to bake some cookies. Because cookies start conversations. And singing, because hey, the acoustics in kitchens are great!]

My mama told me when I was young, we are all born superstars...


2. scared of the dark
12/1 onward - choose your location!

[Clare frowns and re-reads the the message on the MID aloud. It often takes them several reads to get the gist of such things. They frown, glancing over to the person they just happen to be walking down the hall next to.]

I guess it's a good thing I'm here with you! [Clare says, but there's a little bit of a tremor in their usually-upbeat voice.] What do you think it is? Do you think we hit a space whale or something? Are there aliens?

[A thought seems to occur, and Clare whispers, mystified:] Aren't we aliens?


3. i love the winter weather
12/3 - the mess hall

[Even though Clare should have been back to their room by now, they've stayed late in the kitchen to triple-check the inventory roster they filled out. Numbers are a weak point for Clare, so they want to be sure. The other restaurant jobs they've had quickly removed Clare from any such responsibilities in consideration of their limited attention span, but since this is An Official Duty, they want to do right by it. Thus, Clare is hopping up and down to keep warm, going over things in the kitchen again and sort of absently humming I like the winter weeeeather, 'cause the two of us can get together when there's loud snapping-groan-whooshing-hissing form the mess hall.

The place is glittering.]

Whoa. [Clare murmurs, for once not sure if delight and enthusiasm are the proper responses to such a beautiful - yet disastrous - sight.] It's all White Christmas in here.

2!

[seeingscarlet]

Maybe to the space whales. [Space whales? Where did that come from?

Wanda's not particularly inclined to be worried. There's only one thing on the ship she's actually afraid of, but as long as Bruce is careful it shouldn't be an issue (this time).]

They are probably worried someone will trip and get hurt by themselves in the dark.

Eric Dufosset | Open

[incantamentum]

A; Bathrooms - Mero Deck

[He'd noticed it'd been colder around the place but not that cold, really. He'd spent a lot of time setting a few contained fires either in his room or in his offices. He'd tried to keep warm, really. Which is exactly why he was on his way for a hot shower. Changing quickly and wrapping a towel around his waist before moving towards the communal showers. He hadn't noticed it was icy and he really hadn't noticed the ice was slick with whatever water had been going through the bathroom. Which is exactly why as he hot-foots it to the shower he slips ungraciously, goes flying for a few feet before slamming straight onto his back and letting out a cry of surprise and pain.

Don't mind him while he lies there on the cold tiles, trying to remember exactly how he'd gotten into that position, partially exposed. He promises he's usually much classier than this.]

B; Mess Hall

[He knows scientifically that he wasn't going to freeze to death. But their uniforms didn't provide much in the way of protection from the elements. He's pretty much holed up in the mess hall currently, neglecting his duties. Especially considering the fact that no-one really wanted counsel when sitting still for too long meant shivering like a madman.

Instead, he'd managed to transmute himself something similar to coffee, a steaming mug of it in his hands. Unfortunately he couldn't quite get it to taste like fresh coffee which was the biggest disappointment of it all. Typically he was able to create what he was most familiar with- a pot of coffee forgotten for several hours while working. It still did the trick though, warming him up.

He turns to the person nearest him, noticing they were equally as frigid as he was with a small smile.] If you like, I could make you some coffee... it helps to stay warm.

C; Wildcard

[Anything else you want in the frozen Moira tundra let me know!]

Adrian 'Force' Clark | Open

[forcefulgift]

A; Mess Hall

[It took Ade a while to figure out what was wrong. Not because he realized it himself but because he eventually became observant of other people. They were shivering. It was cold.

It seemed bloody ridiculous to him that they'd be reacting that way, because it meant there had to be a significant temperature drop on the ship. The kind of drop that anyone human would notice too and start shivering, the kind of drop that didn't effect a twenty-three year old with a secondary mutation that meant he didn't really feel the cold. It was necessary, after all, considering he spent a lot of his time flying in upper atmospheres. He would've died of exposure if he did that without the secondary mutation. But couple in his training, his life before he came here and the kid just hadn't noticed it.

Which is why he's awkwardly sitting in the mess hall at breakfast, wearing the tank top and sweatpants he'd arrived in rather than his uniform while wondering whether or not he should simply run away. Instead he's just hunched over his table glaring into the distance.]

B; Around the ship - darkness

[It was pretty hard to do your job when it was dark. Especially when all you had was the flicker of lights to guide your way before once again being plunged into complete darkness. It put Ade on edge, made him feel cagey. He didn't like the darkness because it meant factors became sudden unknowns. Visual interpretation was a huge thing, especially for someone like him.

Which means that he was put in an awful situation, when he hadn't heard someone approaching, all he knew is that he went from being alone in the dark, to there suddenly being a figure beside him when the lights flicker on. A figure that he grabs by the shoulders and slams into the nearest wall.]

C; Wildcard

[Anything else you want, go for it!]

A;

[whynotgoonmyown]

[There's something incredibly awkward about being around a bunch of people shivering in cold and you're... Not. It's not really his fault, of course, but he'd rather not be the odd man out in such an obvious way.

So when he sees Ade just sitting there, obvious as unaffected as Tyler is, he can't help but let out a tiny chuckle, both in relief and sympathy for how awkward Ade must feel before sitting in front of the other man.] Cold doesn't get to you either, huh?