event: a gentle arrival

[thestewards]

I won't give up so don't give in
You've fallen down but you can rise again

► The OOC plotting post for this event can be found here.

► Direct all questions to the mods at this link.

SWEET DREAMS AREN'T MADE OF THIS
The dream isn't unpleasant, just strange. Mist curls around you long after the woman fades. You hold a Jewel in your hand, marveling at its multifaceted surface and feeling the thrill of new, untapped power. Anticipation surges in you: that feeling of wrongness that so often accompanies a nightmare you can't wake from. Anticipation becomes fear. You look up, certain that at any moment the mist will pull back and reveal something gruesome and terrible.

A scream. A piercing wail, that sound that accompanies a violent death. The sound doesn't come from your dream, and it jolts you awake. You…

i. Are alone in your room, and have a moment to gather yourself. Wherever you laid down to rest, you've woken up somewhere different. Somewhere strange. There's a comforting weight in the air—a feeling of welcome, of belonging. Then another scream pierces the night. In your dream, the woman asked for a hero. Maybe you already consider yourself a hero or maybe you don't, but now seems as good a time as any to either be one or start pretending.

ii. See a dark shape looming over you. You have no time to assess the place you've woken up, though you have a quick flash of insight that your dream must have been more than a dream and the woman to whom you spoke has brought you to her world and her home. There's no time to marvel at this. The shadow above you draws back, a pistol Breaker in their hand. Even if you've never seen a gun before, you can somehow taste their malice and hatred. They're pointing a weapon at you, and your scream might be the next to tear through the midnight darkness.

Landen Hunters have infiltrated the Queen's Residence. How stalwartly you choose to fight them off is up to you, but you'll quickly encounter members of Fayura's First Circle defending against the attackers. Allairavar rallies the people of the court, ensuring the most vulnerable are well guarded in the massive dining hall. Loren maintains a Green shield around the room, and only those of the court or the Strangers can enter. There, Healers tend to the wounded, and the children who live at the residence are kept safe.

Amidst the turmoil, you overhear snippets of conversation:

A Healer, quietly, to her patient: If the Lady isn't here, she and Prince Verim must be working some spell to protect us. Rest easy, Prince.

Lord August, speaking quickly to Prince Lachlan as they rush by: —monsters find out the Queen would be bringing help to us tonight? Who told the Hunters—

An injured footman, worried: —see the flames through the window. Landens live in Old Town. How unsurprising that the Guilds would come up with a distraction that hurts their own, too.

FLAME AND FURY
Beyond the Queen's Residence, the Old Town Bazaar burns. Horrified faces gather at the east-facing dining hall windows, and distraught whispers fill the air. Someone cries out that their sister lives in Old Town.

Loren reacts first. He calls for volunteers from the Strangers, and you have the distinct impression that he measures you by your response. "The Hunters—" He grimaces, realizing the Strangers probably don't know what he means. "—landen assassins came in the night to kill you. They've lit part of our city on fire to prevent us from following them. We don't know who, specifically, came for you, but we know where they've gone to ground, so we don't need to chase them down. What we do need to do is stop the fire from spreading. The First Circle will stay here and defend the residence. Who among you Strangers, those of you who came here tonight, will help with the fires?"

Those who agree to help are sent with Allairavar to put out the flames. As you travel with him, Allairavar provides a crash-course in creative application of Craft.

*You wear the Jewels, so you can shield. You should know how, if the Lady's spell worked. Shield yourselves to protect from the flames. Use Craft to shield the buildings and starve out the fires,* he says on a psychic thread so that everyone can hear him and he doesn't need to waste his breath by shouting. *Rescue anyone trapped in the buildings regardless of who they are. Be on the look out for Hunters—the assassins Loren mentioned. They're sneaky bastards, and they'll use our focus on helping the people to put knives in our backs if they can.*

Put out fires, use your powers or Craft to support buildings before they collapse, and rescue landens and Blood alike from the damage done by the Hunter Guild. Be wary and alert, and try not to damage the city more than the fires already have should you encounter Hunters. Blood families will go with the Strangers more easily than landen families, but Allairavar makes it clear that if you have to physically remove someone from a burning home or one that is about to collapse then that is exactly what you should do.


REST FOR THE WEARY
Dawn breaks on the horizon, painting the city of Draega a hazy red. With little wind, the smoke hovers around the city. In Old Town, even buildings that didn't burn begin to smell like the fire.

A somber weight falls on the Queen's Residence. In the aftermath of the night's events, Loren introduces himself to each of the Strangers individually if possible but to groups if he must: He is the Queen's Steward, and his Queen was the one who worked the spell to bring them to Draega. He apologizes for the circumstance of their arrival and that the Queen is currently indisposed. Everyone, he explains, can stay in the residence for as long as they would like, and he makes it clear that by no means are the Strangers required to remain in the residence nor will they be viewed with suspicion or distrust by the court if they decide to find their own homes.

Those with medical skills or healing powers are brought to the dining hall to help the Healers. The Healer in charge is a young, Yellow Jeweled woman who has exhausted her Craft and desperately needs assistance. Anyone who inquires about her position within the court, either to her or others, learns that she is highly skilled and spent her childhood in the landen Medico Guild before taking a chance on her half-Blood heritage and making an Offering. While she wears one of the lightest Jewels in the residence, even Allairavar submits silently to her attentions and he offers no excuse when she chastises him for getting injured.

Midway through the day, Allairavar and Loren make the mistake of having an unshielded conversation near the dining hall. Anyone nearby can overhear…

"I spoke briefly to Verim," Loren says, voice low and urgent. "They weren't caught in the fire, but Allairavar…"

A muscle in Allairavar's jaw ticks. His massive, membranous wings fan out to fill the hall before he pulls them tight to his back. "She's injured."

Loren nods. "Badly. The backlash of power struck her hard, and Verim couldn't help her absorb it." Tension lines Allairavar's body, and Loren quickly adds, "You can't kill them. She brought them here to help us—"

"Our Queen is vulnerable," Allairavar hisses. "There are strangers in our home." A dangerous, wild look fills his eyes. "Does she plan on doing this again? We're not letting her." He rocks back and forth on his feet with the nervous energy of a man contained and about to explode.

"So we'll strand these people here?" Gentle concern fills Loren's eyes. "She'll need to do this once more to send them home."

All that nervous energy abruptly vanishes, and Allairavar bends a sleepy-eyed, malevolent look on Loren. "Would you ask our Queen to destroy herself for these people?"

Violence cloaks both men, but the threat of action rests solely on Allairavar. Loren keeps his voice gentle. Soothing. "Do you really think she would have made the offer if she couldn't send them home? Do you think she would truly be so cruel as to demand they come here with no chance of ever returning home?"

Allairavar is quiet for a long moment. The tension slowly flows out of him, leaving him looking weary and exhausted. "Yes," he finally says, tone grim. "Because to her, the price is worth it to save the world. And she would accept it for any of them if they asked." He runs a hand over his head and sighs heavily. Without another word, he turns and walks away. Loren does not call after him.

AIR TIME
Whether you catch the news on a Far-caster in the city or you're spinning the dial on your own device, you'll hear…

etiquette with evandra and aren
[Evandra's voice is a little bit rough and a little bit husky, the kind of voice that gives bad ideas to young men and headaches to fathers.] Just because the Blood have no law against murder doesn't mean you can kill anyone on the street—or in their homes, isn't that right, Lord Aren?

[Aren's voice is chipper and bright. He sounds more like an eager boy than the full-grown man he is.] Quite true, Evandra! Unless someone has done something to merit execution, wanton murder is generally frowned upon. A Queen can demand a price for the death of someone in her Territory or court.

[A thoughtful hum from Evandra.] So, the Hunter Guild's attack on the Queen's Residence last night isn't illegal, but it was incredibly gauche. And now they face possible retaliation from her and her court. How ghastly!

[Aren agrees.] A dreadful affair. Remember: just because you can doesn't mean you should.

[Evandra:] Quite so. Something for us all to consider. As always, I'm Evandra.

[With solemn dignity, Lord Aren says:] I'm Aren, and you've been listening to…

[Together:] Etiquette with Evandra and Aren. [Jaunty outro music plays. Perhaps they should reconsider this particular tune on dark occassions.]

the weather
[A soft-spoken man's voice rumbles out of the Far-caster. He's pleasant to listen to, with a soothing cadence to his voice.] …overcast and snowy days with temperatures hovering around freezing during the day and dropping at night. Need to tune up your e-line heaters? The Elektriline Guild is offering a limited-time discount this week to ensure you stay warm around the clock.

the news
…distressed to hear of the incident at the Queen's Residence. [The man speaks in a slow, smooth voice. His words ring with heartfelt sincerity.] Though Lady Fayura and I don't often see eye-to-eye— [He chuckles at this, as though he's made a joke. Another man, presumably an interviewer, chuckles along with the air of someone who isn't sure this is a joke they should be laughing at.] —I condemn the actions taken by the Hunter Guild. Destroying people's homes is simply unacceptable.

But one wonders what that surge of power was just prior to midnight. Craft, surely, but to what end? Was that the spell the Queen used to summon these… Strangers from other Realms? Surely we can agree that such action, taken independently of the Guilds and the Ebon Council, much as we don't get along, is cause for concern. I believe the Lady has overstepped, and it is my firm hope that Lord Grejor issues an injunction against her for such flagrant disregard for the law.

[The interviewer speaks, and his voice is faintly strained.] Thank you, Grand Master Niall, for talking to us on this issue.

Comments

[portable]

I; sweet dreams aren't made of this

[ parado doesn't sleep much, and even when he does, dreaming is very rare. he turns the bright jewel over and over in his hand, wondering--

before being yanked from unconsciousness by the first cry that rings through the hall, working its way through his groggy senses. he leaps to his feet, a strange nagging in the back of his head.

(this feels like the first time he woke up alone, in a way, something foreign about it that puts him on edge)

there's no one in his room, yet. a cursory check of his coat reveals the familiar shape of his belt and gashat, tucked away in an inner pocket roomy enough to hold the bulky devices without making them difficult to retrieve when necessary. another scream echoes from outside, and parado doesn't hesitate a second longer, flinging the unfamiliar door open to the corridor beyond... and staring down a hunter right outside.

the man raises his weapon but parado is ready, kicking the hunter hard in the stomach and sending him flying a few feet. he meets the hard floor with a thump, head slamming to the ground and putting him out cold. from his hand drops the breaker and parado scoops it up, nonchalantly giving it a look-over. a scuffle further down the hall catches his attention - another hunter trying to drag a man out by his hair - and parado disappears into pixels, reappearing a split second later in perfect range to drive his elbow into the hunter's temple. ]

Go somewhere safe, yeah? [ he speaks to the guy he'd just defended, who nods and runs off. ] This is some good morning call...

[ you might catch his eye after this. or if you're fighting off attackers you might see a tall, oddly-dressed guy vanish or appear, a growing collection of guns tucked in one arm. or later in the dining hall when things have quieted down a little, him sitting on a table with a frown, tapping his chest lightly as if trying to tune a radio. ]

II; flame and fury

[ the heat of the fires made parado's skin crawl in a way he didn't anticipate, the wind not enough to do away with the ashy feeling in the air. but he didn't fear fire, and he was more than well-equipped with the powers to help, so there was no doubt when he was asked to volunteer.

that said, he barely pays attention to anything loren says, preferring to just head straight into the action. parado already knew how to shield, anyway. he could move quickly, though the thickness of the smoke in the air made even his teleporting feel sluggish. like he was picking up a bit of the smoke each time he tried.

a horrid crack to his left had him whirling just in time to see the top level of a residence give way, rubble scattering over the ground. a cry for help inside had him spark in, his sudden (coughing) appearance from the colourful lights startling the blood couple inside, mercifully on the ground floor. another sickening set of splintering sounds permeated the building and parado threw up his shield just in time for chunks of ceiling to start raining down. ]

Oh. [ he'd only intended to stop the debris from falling further, but with the red jewel bolstering his abilities the shield he'd summoned seemed to hold the roof in place for now. the couple stood stunned until he noticed them again, yelling- ] What the-- get out of here! Go! Hey, can someone help these two leave?!

[he calls out through a new crack in the wall to anyone passing by. his shield, now domed rather than the wall he was used to, had the unfortunate side-effect of trapping some smoke, leaving him trying to not cough and risk breaking concentration. ]

III; rest for the weary

[ after all the action had died down, parado had taken up residence on a table in the corner of the dining hall. he'd discovered a few things over the past ten hours or so, none of which he was happy about:

- he was alone. not alone alone, there were plenty of other people around, but the relative silence of only his own emotions in his chest was uncomfortable, even if it wasn't unfamiliar.
- smoke sucked and was awful, and he hated it.
- his powers were rebalanced (perhaps not a bad thing, actually, but mildly frustrating for now)
- despite having picked up a few basic first aid skills in all his time working with doctors, every healer here did it better than him and he just got in the way when trying to help.
- he was hungry. or, at least he assumed he was hungry. that's what hunger felt like, right? probably.
- even though his genmboy had been found in his room, probably having fallen out of his pocket in the hurried wakeup, the battery wasn't fully charged and the rapidly depleting power ticked down every second.

so you can go bother him, this young man sitting with his knees drawn up to his chest, tapping away at a handheld game console that definitely more matches him than any of the surroundings. ]

????; wild card

[ feel free to make up your own prompt, or hit me up over at yagyuu to plan something out! ]

i

[verstoned]

[Teleportation? In the middle of battle? That's something completely unheard of where Rhus is from unless you're some revenant or a user of ancient and forbidden void magicks. It's what snaps Rhus momentarily out of his battle-hungry, bloodthirsty haze to stare. Perhaps admire.

Until the man deals with the hunter the Miqo'te was stalking. What a killstealer.]

Oi! That one was mine. [His tail is fluffed out and his ears have pointed straight up. He looks like the very image of a ruffled cat, despite the greatsword strapped to his back.]

[portable]

[ it's an interesting kind of teleportation too - a mess of colourful glitches follows and preceeds him, a short electric buzzing sound joining the rainbow.

parado had just knocked out his fourth? fifth? hunter, this one short enough to kick right in the head, only to be shouted at for his troubles by this... catboy. parado blinks at rhus before his face splits into a challenging grin. ]

Should've gotten to him faster, then. [ he's goading, a little singsongy lilt to his voice. ] Don't lose your cool about it.

[ it's worth noting that the hunter is only knocked out, not dead. it's technically not a killsteal. ]

[verstoned]

[Rhus grunts, then huffs. Of course the Hyur would say that.]

No such thing as should have if I had him in my grasp. [And Rhus was ready to simply break him into a crumpled heap with his bare hands.

It's a mercy that the man hit him first.]

[portable]

[ parado's grin widens as he leans down to pluck the breaker from where it had fallen at the hunter's side. he adds it to the collection - turns out to be four, now - and shrugs. ]

Yeah, there is. I wouldn't have kicked him if he was in your grasp. [ it's tempting to borrow the one-handed airquoting one of his comrades uses, but he just nods to the greatsword on rhus's back, tilting his head. ] Were you wasting time trying to pull that thing out? Not super practical for close quarters, y'know.

[verstoned]

[Rhus shakes his head. Clearly one just cant have some peace when dealing with his own prey around here, especially when he did have his hands on the man.

And some people have no respect for a hunt.]

If you've nothing but that to say, you may not talk at all.

[portable]

[ his face falls for a moment, a look of genuine hurt flickering across his face before it settles back into a smile. there's an edge to it now, though, and parado draws himself up - 6'1 - looking down at rhus pointedly. ]

If you're gonna treat this like a game you should pick a better strategy. People are getting hurt. [ he runs a hand through his hair. ] Look, I didn't mean to offend you or whatever. I just didn't see you.

[verstoned]

[He wishes he had a smoke right now, the moment he sees this Hyur attempt to use his six fulms of height to his advantage over a Miqo'te only five fulms and five ilms tall-- which isn't that interesting when Rhus has seen much taller and more impressive. He really, really just wishes he had his pipe in hand to smoke.

Or an unfortunate soul to sate his desire to ruin on. Or perhaps even both.

Rhus clenches both fists before tucking them into his sleeves, simply so they would stop shaking from the withdrawal and adrenaline.]

I could say the same for yourself-- or 'ave you forgotten your previous commentary? "Should have gotten to him faster", indeed.

[Then the Miqo'te shakes his head, ears waving with the motions.]

Don' bloody talk to me about that.

[portable]

Getting them fast is my strategy.

[ he shrugs and gestures to the four guns he's holding against his chest. the pink of his sleeves is muddied with dirt already.

the reply has him frowning, watching rhus's ears move with his head. ] It's true, though. There wasn't--

[ he's cut off by a shout from the stairwell at the end of the hall, another hunter rushing up to check on his compatriots. the edges of parado's form shimmer, but he solidifies again instead, and points. ] --oh. Do you want this one?

[verstoned]

How kind of you. [The Miqo'te bares his teeth, a mockery of a grin wide enough that his sharp canines can be seen so clearly.]

But I've no interest. [It's the principle of the thing, now. He's not going to sate himself on prey so freely given when... it is freely given.

It wont have the right bite. He knows it and knows the dangers of letting even one of them go, but he thinks he can hear Fray whispering to him in his mind as well, and he just doesn't want that hunter.] Deal with that one as you see fit.

[portable]

Oookay. [ and he doesn't hesitate for a second, dissolving in a flash of rainbow lights and reappearing at the top of the stairwell. he meets the startled face of the hunter with a jaunty wave before smacking him right between the eyes, sending him tumbling heavily back down the stairs.

the breaker sails through the air and parado catches it. he doesn't spare the hunter another look before walking back to rhus with a frown, already calling his questions before reaching him. ]

So what made you mad? You're not exactly looking for a fight, if you didn't want to go after that guy. If you tell me, I won't do it again.

[verstoned]

[By the time he's done, Rhus has already started to walk away to find another would-be assassin to hunt... though he grits his teeth and looks over his shoulder at the Hyur.]

If you have to ask, then the explanation would be beyond you.

[Especially when it h as its roots in... something mostly about his race, and just a bit about Rhus himself.]

[portable]

[ parado just rolls his eyes and huffs out a sigh. it's so irritating when you offer a mile and they won't take an inch. ]

I'm not stupid. You're some kind of hunter. Hunter classes are usually proud, so it's something to do with that. [ he ticks a few unspoken things off on his fingers - the ears, the attitude, the weaponry. then that challenging smile comes back. ] You're pretty rude, though, so maybe getting in your way will be fun.

iii.

[unwieldy]

[ It's been hours now of helping the healers tend to their patients, and Haein feels like a break is more than deserved. There's not a lot of options for resting places, and he doesn't want to go back to the room where he'd been attacked, so he settles for one of the emptier tables at the dining hall.

Too bad it's not entirely empty when he sees the stranger on his game console, but whatever. Haein figures he'll be easy enough to ignore.

Though it probably would have helped Parado ignore him in return if it wasn't for the tray of bloody bandages and half-used potions that Haein carelessly tosses onto the table before taking a seat. Some of the liquid splashes out in Parado's direction, but that's no concern of Haein's. ]

[portable]

[ it's not like parado would have had any problems sharing his table usually. if someone had approached and asked, he would have given them a voiced affirmative and stayed with his game. knock out fighter 2's singleplayer mode was unimpressive, but it was something he hadn't played before, so his concentration was entirely focused on the combos that would work on the surprisingly decent ai.

and even as another person sits heavily at the same table, it wouldn't have distracted him. except a bright blue liquid splashes and seeps into his sleeve, dyeing it a rather pleasant purple. it tingles as it hits his skin and he jumps, smacking the pause button with practiced speed. ]

Oi-! [ he drops the genmboy on a dry patch of table, pulling the stained section around to inspect it. ] Hey, could you watch it? What's in this stuff...

[ the chemicals and magic in the potion irritate him, reacting to his viral makeup. a patch of his arm glitches for a second. ]

[unwieldy]

[ Well, maybe he should have been a bit more careful setting that tray down, because he doesn't want to get into an argument, conversation, or anything that involves speaking with someone else after the day he's had.

He turns to Parado, debating whether or not to answer him considering he doesn't know what's in the potions either, but stops when he notices the strange glitch happening.

There's a moment's hesitation as he wonders if he's seeing things. After all, he's tired and in somewhat of a daze. His mind could be screwing with him, making him see things, but with everything's that happened so far in this place, it seems more likely that his eyes aren't playing tricks on him and this is just another example of nothing making sense here. ]

What's wrong with you?

[ Because that's not a thing that happens to normal people. ]

[portable]

[ parado ignores haein at first, expression more annoyed than worried, snatching one of the less bloody bandages from the tray to soak up the potion. even though he rolls his sleeve up, his clothes themselves seem to glitch into multicoloured pixels where the liquid had spilled. he mutters to himself; ]

First that bottle and now this... c'mon.

[ most of the potion comes off his skin and out of his sleeve, parado flexing his fingers a few times as the sparking slows and eventually stops. there's a blue-tinged, square-patch mark left but even that seems to be fading fast. parado looks up at haein then, gives his arm a shake and frowns. ]

That stuff doesn't go well with me. You should be way more careful with medical things.

[unwieldy]

[ All of this business is new for Haein and now he feels like he's seen everything with the way Parado's clothes and arm do... whatever the hell that is. He's stunned into silence, expression both suspicious and a little intrigued.

He doesn't much appreciate the chastising, though. ]

It's not like it killed you.

[ Not really the appropriate response, but this is Haein we're talking about. ]

[portable]

[ at first, haein's silence amuses him - but his eventual reply definitely isn't appropriate, and parado's eyes narrow for a second. after a moment, though, he makes a derisive sound, pushes a fingertip into the spilled potion on the table and watches with vague interest as it buzzes out again before wiping it off. ]

No, but it's really annoying. [ he throws the bandage back onto the tray with a little flourish. ] And I was concentrating! You ruined my damageless run.

[unwieldy]

[ He's not really sure what to make of Parado or the strange way in which his clothes and skin glitch, but what's also noteworthy is how casual he seems to be after the events of today. Haein's trying to keep it together as much as he can, but he's still shaken up after having a gun fired at him and seeing the city aflame. ]

There are more concerning issues at hand right now, don't you think?

[ Despite the wording of his question, he doesn't sound like he's criticizing Parado. ]

[portable]

Well, yeah. [ he gestures over his shoulder at the scene around them, all the healers going about their business in the aftermath of everything. ] That's why I'm trying to have some downtime.

[ he picks up the genmboy again, but the process of unpausing the game seems like too much effort, now. the system gets switched off instead, parado sighing and resting his head on the table instead. he mumbles, tone matching the pouty expression on his face. ]

And I'm hungry.

[unwieldy]

[ What an odd individual. Haein isn't sure what to make of him, but he's not one to pry for information. It is what it is. He's ended up in some foreign land with people who don't make any sense. He distantly remembers agreeing to this in some dream that seems long ago now, but whatever the case, he's here now.

Better make the most of it. ]

Then find something to eat. [ The obvious answer. ] No one's going to come by to feed you.

[portable]

I know, but--

[ he cuts himself off with a huff. parado's gaze sharpens, giving haein a proper look for the first time. he's definitely one of the more... familiar-looking people parado had seen since arriving, in the sense that he's human and dressed like a modern person.

unsure what to say, he fidgets with his sleeves. the patch where the potion had spilled still tingled. ]

Who're you, anyway?

[unwieldy]

[ Oh, right. Things like introductions are usually part of interactions between two people who don't know each other. Sometimes Haein forgets his manners.

... Alright, that's not entirely true. He's always forgetting his manners. ]

Haein.

[ He matches Parado's sharp gaze with his own. It kind of feels like a stand off, when really they're just trading names?? ]

Who are you?

[portable]

[ it really does have that standoff vibe. parado hums in acknowledgement, bringing his arms up onto the table too. he curls them in a circle around his face, blinking at haien with one visible eye. ]

I'm Parado. [ manners are relatively new to him too so. quite a pair here. ] Did you fight today?