( august intro log )

[hownkai]

Who: Everyone
When: August 1st and on
Where: The Moira
What: New “guests” join the crew on their journey and implement some changes.
Warnings: None for now. Please label your content!

I N T R O L O G

old but unfamiliar faces "We sometimes encounter people, even perfect strangers, who begin to interest us at first sight, somehow suddenly, all at once." 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. Shortly after, you are led out and toward the medbay. Inside this room, you are given a physical scan and offered a contract to sign that states you are now part of the crew of the Moira with a specific job. Any questions you might have would be answered in a straightforward manner as well as an explanation about how the Ingress, the thing that has pulled you onto the Moira, is broken and bringing people here unintentionally. This process also 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 or wrist with only the slightest pinch. From there, you are guided out of the medbay and to your living quarters. At first, this month seems no more unusual than the previous one for those who have been aboard the Moira for any amount of time. The crew who had landed on the slaver outpost were rescued, and with everyone aboard, the ship has pushed forward into the darker parts of the Runoff. Anyone arriving through the Ingress follows the same routine—moving from the Ingress room into the Medbay for their physical and contract before being assisted by seasoned crew members and helped to their assigned decks. But all familiar things must eventually come to an end: two final travelers come through the Ingress. The first, and most noticeable difference between them and all the others, is their clothing. Both are dressed in standard Moira uniforms, though they bear the insignia of one sharing the same rank as Captains Cúrre and Thán. After a moment to take in all the people on the platform ahead of them, one of the two latest arrivals approaches one of the Ingress panels and begins to manipulate the controls. The Ingress completely shuts down. Unlike before, however, there isn’t an imbalance felt across the ship; everything remains normal and stable. Utilizing the computer systems located in the Ingress room, they send out the following message to the crew via the MID: To all those aboard this vessel: I am Ira Phirun, assigned captain of the Moira. First Mate Egan and I will be commandeering all rights to the ship as soon as word is sent to those currently in charge. Expect a more detailed report as soon as all records and logs in Navigation have been reviewed by myself and the First Mate. All questions will be answered in a timely matter. For now, there will be no interruption of daily routine or reprimand if conduct among ranks is broken. Thanks for your time. Heading to Navigation, the Captain and First Mate, for seemingly unknown reasons, approach Navigator Manasseh and have her show them all records and logs of the Moira. Those working in Navigation when the Captain and First Mate arrive will see Mana greet them in a professional manner. Oddly, the Captain and First Mate act very familiar with the Navigator. They review all documents, but when they come upon news that the Ploiatos is on board, their mostly friendly demeanor shifts quickly. The Captain issues a sharp order, unintelligible to those who are close enough to overhear parts of their conversation, and without any warning at all, Mana loses consciousness and collapses right there on the bridge. Within minutes of this happening, the ship as a whole falls into a low power state with basic functions only. Mana’s MID alerts Medbay, and without hesitation, Captain Cúrre places her in cryo with strict orders to those who work there not to disturb the unit. As promised, the Captain and First Mate soon address the crew. ☄ lights down low The lighting has dimmed in all the rooms and halls, the normally crisp air that is pumped from the vents low, and all machines and tech are running at half-speed. These effects can be found throughout the ship. Water in the showers remain hot for only a few minutes before reverting to cold. Recreational equipment powers off not long after it has been turned on. The sanitation and water filtration systems require an hourly manual reboot, and all unused areas of the ship have no power allotted to them until a crew member steps inside. Even then, most functions are not optimal. It’s as if the Moira has been transformed into a dark house with only a candle flickering on the window sill. ☄ reuse & recycle The Captain and First Mate are quick to establish that this is a new regime and go about making the ship and its crew more efficient in the wake of their change in course and the low power state of the ship itself. This means they will systematically inspect each occupied barracks room and leave notes for what needs to be disposed of or stowed away. Unlike before, this is no longer a pleasure cruise, and each member of the crew is a guest on board; they will not tolerate useless clutter. Anything seen as unnecessary will be either placed into storage in the Cargo Bay or disposed of through the airlock. This new need for efficiency also extends to the need to conserve resources until they reach their destination. The showers are set to an automatic timer to minimize water waste. Those few minutes of hot water are all a crew member is now given. Meals are smaller, bordering on ration sizes, and luxuries are done away with entirely in order to preserve supplies so that the ship can go longer before needing to dock at a planet. ☄ new jobs, same faces The Captain and his First Mate, as expressed in their addressing of the Moira, explain that work efficiency is a priority. Applications for a head of the following departments will be accepted for a short period: Navigation, the Tower, Medbay, Defense, the Hold, Sanitation, Ingress work, and the Galley/Mess Hall. (Here.) After reviewing what they receive, one head of department will be chosen and tasked with helping crew find positions relevant to those departments and their own skillsets. They will be allowed to retain any positions that they held before that aren’t ship-functional jobs, but they will have to be done in leisure time. In two weeks time, they’ll be accepting department position applications which will be approved, and all those that do not apply will be assigned in accordance with their initial work application. They will also choose three individuals to act as guards of Ploiatos to ensure that there is a rotation available at all times. Will you choose to follow this new decision and promote yourself into a position of responsibility? Or will you simply wait for a reassignment?

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

Comments

Vengarl of Forossa | Dark Souls 2

[redrust]

1. Fresh from the Ingress

[There's a large flash from the Ingress - the kind you'd expect when a person comes through. But what comes out is... distinctly un-personlike.

And by that, I don't mean that a monster comes out, or a robot or a program. No, what tumbles out is a... large pile of rubble. Stones, mostly, with a few broken pieces of a rather large statue scattered within. A section of a stone pillar lays across two skeletons - both mostly intact - which are sprawled underneath. It seems a lot more like a pile of random junk than it does a person.

That is, until a low moan comes from underneath the pile of stone.]

Urgh.... What the devil just happened...

[The voice is deep and rough, but if anyone digs through the rubble in search of a body... they aren't likely to find one.

Instead, a severed head sits at the bottom of the pile. Good thing he was wearing a helmet.]


2. How To Get Ahead In Life:

[It might not be the most original thing in the universe, to be taken to the observation deck as soon as he's cleared from the medbay, but Vengarl cares very little about that.

For the longest time - since his decapitation all those decades ago - he's had a fascination with the stars in the sky. He's watched them for countless hours, and watched them change position as the seasons pass. And now, he's closer to them than he's ever been. As bizarre and unpleasant as today has otherwise been... he can't help but smile at that thought.

Of course, what this means is that anyone in the Observation deck for any other reason is bound to see a strange helmet lying on the ground, silently. And, upon closer inspection, they're bound to notice the severed head sitting inside, staring with seemingly dead eyes out toward the window.

Perhaps he should have put up a sign or something to warn people about that. Whoopsie.]

[dum_spiro]

[Carol can imagine the observation deck is a popular first destination. Most people she's met, even after she was yanked out of the hell that was formerly Earth and into a weird magical chess game between Norse gods, would love to see something like this. The way she figures it, her visit is as much for strategy as aesthetics, since she might run into other new people.]

[When she first spies the helmet, unaware what it is, she ignores it. But after a few moments she looks again, and steps closer, cautious. Is that...?]

[Gasping since it's been forever since she's seen what she can only assume is a piece of a walker, she pulls her knife and moves to stoop down to the severed head's eye level, intending to destroy its brain before it can bite anyone. Figures that she'd choose to leave a virtual paradise and end up on a tin can crawling with nightmares. At least she can keep it from spreading, and then... who the hell knows.]

[(For what it's worth, she'll feel really bad about this in a minute.)]

[redrust]

[At first, Vengarl chooses to ignore the shadow of a person standing over him. Why break the silence, and possibly startle them, if he doesn't need to?

That opinion changes, though, when he hears the movement to his side. He can't turn himself to see them, but he can tell well enough from the sounds and the shadow that they're crouching down to get a closer look at him. His eyebrows raise when when she positions herself at his eye-level, knife in hand.]

...if you intend to kill me, might I ask for a few moments longer?

[He's not all that surprised at the woman's reactions, really. He's an abomination against nature - and no longer is he safely secluded in the woods, away from the eyes of the living.

Which isn't to say that he's okay with her decision, but he certainly understands it.]

I've never been so close to the heavens before, and I was rather enjoying the view.

[dum_spiro]

[Having steeled herself for anything (literally anything, given that the world she was in last introduced her to a few literal gods and a talking raccoon and various superpowered beings), Carol doesn't jump out of her skin. Instead, she freezes, silent, carefully considering. It's not as though she's never seen a "walker" that can talk before, though she half convinced herself that she's misremembering because what would that mean, if it were true, if everything Lizzie said was actually possible...]

[Drawing a breath, she lowers her knife just a fraction. What's a severed head going to do, glare at her? Besides, given her previous experience with talking things-that-shouldn't-talk, she's not about to disregard the possibility that this thing isn't out to destroy everyone here. And if it is, well, it's not getting far.]

Depends, [she begins, her voice firm but somehow conciliatory, like she knows she should be apologizing but isn't quite ready] on whether you bite other people and turn them into something like you.

((OOC: I'm so so so SO sorry I'm this late! I left for vacation literally the day after this posted... if I'm too late for your comfort, feel free to ignore this tag!))

[backsassin]

[Zam is more than used to the Ingress throwing them for a loop. It’s brought through giant robots, homicidal children, and dead men walking, but it usually at least has the courtesy to bring someone on arrival days. This time, however, it spits out what seems to be a chunk of scenery. Zam quirks an eyebrow above her veil as she takes in the scattered rubble. She knows the Ingress can bring in non-living things -- like saberdarts and veils, for example -- but this still seems… excessive.

She’s about to ping another one of the Ingress staff asking what she’s even supposed to do in this situation, but before she can complete the message, a muffled groan issues from the pile of debris. Zam lowers her MID, staring at the rubble in surprise. Is someone actually alive under all of that?

She can’t reply to the question posed by whoever’s currently speaking, so instead she acts. Cautiously, she walks over to the rubble and begins moving the stones out of the way. At first, she’s wary of bringing further damage to what she assumes must be a still-living body somewhere at the bottom of the pile. But as she pushes more debris out of the way to reveal only more of the room’s floor, it quickly becomes clear that she isn’t going to find anything of the sort. She’s actually considering checking the skeletons to see if either of them are the inexplicably living type when a glint of metal beneath the stone catches her attention. She turns back to the rubble and reaches forward to push the offending pieces out of the way, wondering it she's about to uncover some kind of ancient droid when--

No. No karking way. Zam stares at the severed head, feeling, not for the first time, that this place is playing some kind of cosmic prank on her. And then, because she’s still not completely sure if it was actually the head that had spoken and she’s not going to waste time typing out a message for something that may be dead anyway, she reaches forward with both hands so they’re right in front of its face -- and then loudly brings them together, watching to see if the head has any reaction.

Yeah, enjoy having a veiled stranger clap in your face, Vengarl.]

[redrust]

[As expected, the head blinks in response to the hands being clapped in front of it - the natural reaction one would expect from a human. Or part of a human, at least.]

...was that really necessary? My ears are ringing loudly enough as it is, after that spill.

[He asks calmly, although there's an undeniable undertone of annoyance to his voice. He likes it quiet, after all, and the ringing in his ears is making that difficult to enjoy.

Of course, after a moment he looks past the strange, veiled woman to see... a place that isn't the forest he had just been in.]

...what fresh hell is this? Where am I?

[backsassin]

[Zam’s eyes widen as the head reacts not only physically but verbally as well. After seeing living skeletons, Zam had thought she had seen a strange enough example of life taking forms it shouldn’t be able to, but this is something else. She doesn’t apologize for clapping in his face -- it would be too much effort to type out -- but she does at least tear her eyes away long enough to answer his question.]

You’re on the Moira. It’s a starship. The portal behind you brought you here. [Not… that he can actually turn around to look, can he? Zam stares for another moment and then types again.] Are you supposed to be like this? [She makes a gesture at roughly all of him. Given he’s a head, it’s not a very large gesture.]

Re: Vengarl of Forossa | Dark Souls 2

[justice_from_above]

[It's a bit before Pharah's exploration brings her to the observation deck, but she indulges herself a few moments to enjoy the view. Eventually, though, she notices the lone helmet, and stoops to pick it up. Who would leave a helmet out just like that, and where was the rest of the -- there's still a head in it.]

[She freezes, part abject horror and part a sudden spike an wariness. Was it set as a trap? As a warning? She starts to set it down as she looks around, now more than ever missing the weight of her rocket launcher.]

[redrust]

[ The sensation of being lifted upward isn't one Vengarl had ever felt before coming through the Moira. Not since he was a small child, at least. As a man, he had been far too big for anyone to lift him off the ground, and as a head he had been alone.

Unfortunately, since arriving here, it's a sensation that he's quickly gotten used to. And when Pharah starts to lift him upward, she'll hear what sounds like a heavy sigh coming from the head. ]

...please put me back down. I wasn't done yet.

[justice_from_above]

[She almost drops him, because hearing a voice is about the last thing she had expected coming from a severed head. She's able to keep hers about her long enough to set him back down and then take a healthy step back.]

I'm sorry, you're .... ? [She's not sure how to finish that sentence. Alive? Talking? A head? Somehow all of these things?] Am I hallucinating?

[Pharah is a pretty level-headed soldier, but even she's had to deal with a lot of stress throughout her life and maybe this is a result of that? Losing soldiers on the Anubis mission, losing her mother, tumbling through this weird portal to find herself taking a position on a spaceship.]

[redrust]

...yes, you're right. I suppose I should introduce myself - even in such a pathetic state.

[ He says, completely misunderstanding what she was asking.

Obviously there was some disbelief about his status as a talking head - but really, he can't imagine his own existence is that much more farfetched than being aboard a ship that sails across the stars.]

I am called Vengarl, and what you are seeing is very real. Unfortunately.

2!

[bloodbinds]

[ Ava often finds herself up in the observation deck, gazing at the stars, when she isn't working. It's a calming place to be, a humbling one, and one of the few places she can hide in at night when people are resting. She can attempt to meditate as Obi-Wan is teaching her, or just put on music and look out.

Tonight, she nearly trips over...something in the dim light. A helmet. It has a strange shape, like an animal's head, and she reaches down to pick it up--

And comes face-to-face with a lifeless, severed head. ]

Fuck--!!

[ She jumps back, actually tripping this time and falling on her backside, pushing back and away from the head. ]

Oh my god.

[ She's seen things like this before, she tells herself. But that doesn't stop the cold dread and fear from climbing up her throat. She stares, wide-eyed, unmoving. ]

Re: 2!

[redrust]

[The head just watches her display with a passive stare. Not a vacant ones, though, as they follow her as she falls onto her ass in front of him.

There's a second before he speaks, but when he does his voice is deep and rough.]

...I apologize for my current state. It is not my intent to upset you.

[He can't help but feel that he wouldn't have had such a strong reaction upon finding a severed head, but then again not everyone is as accustomed to the horrors of war.]

[bloodbinds]

[ Oh. Oh holy fuck, the head is still talking. She stares, completely at a loss for words for several moments, her eyes wide. Her voice, when she speaks, starts off cracked and quiet. ]

N-No. No, it's-- It's okay.

[ Is it? He's a disembodied head. Swallowing, she sits up, watching him closely. Is she hallucinating? Is he really...? ]

Are you-- Are you all right? You can't be... [ A head. ] What happened?

[redrust]

I am as well as one can be, in such a state. [Which is to say: Not great, but a better than you might expect.] Thank you for your concern.

[He lets out a very small grunt at her second question, a faint smirk on his lips. If one didn't know any better, one might think it was a grim little chuckle.]

Why am I like this, you mean? Someone swung a blade through my neck - I would've thought that obvious.

[averagehero]

[You know what bored people do with random objects laying around, back home? They tend to kick them around. You know, like a soda can down the street?

Saitama doesn't know there's a dude in that helmet. No clue. Looks pretty kickable to him. He slides his shoe underneath Vengarl, hoisting him off the ground. Saitama balances the helmet on the top of his foot for a split second before bouncing the "ball" up into his hands.

He really doesn't expect a face to be looking back at him. Be glad he actually spotted it before drop kicking Vengarl all the way down the observation deck]

Aw! Man, gross.

[redrust]

[Rude as hell, Saitama.

Fortunately, Vengarl can't really bring himself to be mad. He's in a pretty pathetic state - it's only natural for people to be repulsed by the sight of him.]

...you're the one touching my neck wound, friend.

[Which is both a rude invasion of privacy and also pretty gross on Saitama's part.]

[averagehero]

[He will adjust his hands, that's an unpleasant feeling for the both of them, he's sure]

Urg, sorry, man. [compared to everybody on board, Saitama is not all that upset. Boros lived for a while with practically just a head. Then there was Genos, who was somehow alive after getting torn apart time and time again.

Magic, science, it's all plausible to Saitama.]

[redrust]

[It really is. It's hard to describe how unnerving it is to feel someone else's fingers on your exposed neck meat.]

It is alright. You did not know.

[Kind of rude to pick him up without asking first, but Vengarl understands how these things go. Most severed heads aren't alive, after all.]

Thank you for not screaming or attacking me. Not everyone aboard this ship is so kind.

2

[morethan084]

[Daisy had come up to the observation deck in an attempt to clear her mind. At first she didn't notice the helmet. Once her foot touched it, as she was busy looking up, she quickly pulled her foot back. And then, well, screamed and whipped out her gun. Circling the area because, in her mind, it was no coincidence that there was a HEAD ON THE GROUND HERE.

The more she looked around though, the more confused she became. No trail of blood. No body. Just the head. Was this a warning? Had someone watched the god father?]

Re: 2

[redrust]

[ Sadly, Daisy isn't the first person to find Vengarl and react with a start. She isn't the first to scream, either.

Although, to her credit, she at least didn't immediately try to stab him in the face. So points for that, Vengarl guesses. Still, that doesn't stop him from letting out a heavy sigh upon hearing the scream above him.]

Please be silent. I was enjoying the quiet.

[ Is anyone on this ship capable of being quiet around him? He's starting to wonder, honestly, if this is some sort of punishment for his misdeeds in life.

Maybe Hell for him is to be surrounded by screaming fools for all eternity? It would be hard to say he doesn't deserve it. ]

[morethan084]

[Daisy spun around at the sound of a voice, but didn't see anyone.

...

Wait.

Daisy looked down and she nearly screamed again.]

What the fu-?!

What are you?

2

[inruins]

[Given Vengarl's absolute terrible luck about finding peace in the observation deck, it is no surprise another encounters him here. She nearly passes the helmeted head without noticing him until she manages to drop her glasses whilst trying to hang them on her uniform collar.]

Oh! [She turns to pick them up finally spotting Vengarl, the fact he blinks gives her enough idea not to panic initially. Though the fact he's just a head is... a bit odd. Her tone is apologetic as she plucks up her glasses from the floor nearby where he lay.] Sorry if I'm blocking your view, dear- I dropped my glasses.

[redrust]

[Vengarl raises an eyebrow in return. Partly because of her complete non-reaction to him (although he does appreciate it) and partly because she's a strange goat-being.

Not that she's the first one he's seen on-board, of course. But it's still a strange sight.]

No apology necessary, madam.

[He doesn't mind the company of others, after all. Especially not if they're quiet.]

Forgive me for asking, but are you aware of a... smaller member of your kin aboard this ship?

[Maybe it's rude to ask if all goatpeople are related but Vengarl hasn't done anything that required manners in decades. Forgive him, Toriel.]

[inruins]

[She cleans her glasses off carefully on the fabric of her uniform as Vengarl speaks, offering the decapitated head a friendly smile back.] Still, you were enjoying the view. I'd rather not bother you.

Oh! You've run into my son, Asriel then? I hope he was polite. [Vengarl is in luck, his assumption about goat people pays off in this case.] It's not a bother, dear. I try to keep an idea of other monsters aboard the ship.