Multiversal travel can be disorienting, but there’s no need to worry! All side effects are temporary and lessen with each trip. Your body may experience 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 may 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 dizziness while others are perfectly fine. You notice that the area you are in is filled with a soft cerulean light and feels slightly humid and dark despite the glow around you. Regardless of your current state, however, the stress of transit forces your body into unconsciousness.
Waking up is another story. Or maybe it isn’t.
You find yourself in a nondescript room; sometimes with others who have found themselves in the same situation, sometimes alone. Welcome to Avagi Station, your new home.
Avagi
That First Step, it is a Doozy:
There are always risks to exploring new environments and Avagi is rich with new nooks and crannies to explore. You’re checking out a new corridor that’s been opened, though there have been signs warning that there are areas where structural stability has been weakened by neglect and the passage of time. But maybe things have been going well, you’ve found a few interesting things of note and you’re ready to head back to your bunk for the day.
Except when you turn to leave, the floor is giving way without a screech of metal. Hopefully you’ve got some good reflexes and can catch yourself before you topple down a shaft that seems to go down at least thirty or forty feet. Do you call for help or struggle to handle it on your own? And more importantly, how are you getting around this giant hole in the floor now that it’s there?
The Buddy System:
In order to help new arrivals find their bearings the more experienced residents on board have decided to try out the buddy system in order until the new arrivals get their space legs. The guide is responsible for answering any questions, showing them all the important facilities and making sure their new friend doesn’t wander anywhere too dangerous. And what better way to get to know your buddy than to try and help them find all the supplies they need to be comfortable in their new home? Hopefully the barter blocks have some clothes in your size or else it could get a little bit awkward come laundry day.
Shining Bright:
The Observation Station is the best place on Avagi to get a look at the storm that rages all around. However today when you stop by there’s something strange and new to look upon. It’s not clear if it’s a change in the environment or perhaps an effect of the living energy that opens the portals but the entire room is filled with softly glowing floating lights. If you venture into the room and dare to touch one of the lights you’ll find that you find a song playing in your mind that fills you with a deep and abiding sense of peace. What you do with that feeling is up to you but it seems that these lights aren’t going to cause any harm then why not let yourself relax in a beautiful space for a little while?
Kaittos
This month there is a portal to the planet Kaittos, a peaceful world containing one large land mass and a scattering of lived-on islands across a clear blue ocean. On the mainland, a large city-state occupies the central region and southern coast and resembles what some travelers from some versions of Earth might know of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Bustling and lively, the city is clean and well provided-for due to the temperate climate and the bountiful natural resources found on its northern side; orchards, farms and forests extend into the distance, butting up against a small mountain range. The technology level is low compared to Avagi, with carriages and candles in place rather than cars and electric lights, but the craftsmen of the world have managed some very impressive mechanical feats.
Kaittans, the local residents of the world appear somewhat humanoid, but the bipedal race has hooves rather than feet, silvery skin and three eyes with vertical pupils. Although there is no sign of any other sentient species in the world, the locals are nonetheless excited to meet their guests, rather than suspicious or afraid; for some reason, they are not surprised that aliens exist, merely that they are here.
Visitors are encouraged to explore the city and partake in an exchange of goods and ideas, to share their culture and stories with the locals. Perhaps there’s a merchant willing to trade a bauble for a story or you want to try something entirely unknown to your palette in the culinary quarter. The possibilities, while not quite limitless, are enough to keep the curious busy for quite a while.
Is this what dying feels like? This disorientation like he's being pulled in every direction at once, while sounds filter through like he's hearing them from underwater. The light, the air, it all reminds him of the bathing pools on Themiscyra, but this can't be there. There's no possible way.
But then a lot of impossible things have been happening lately.
When he finally wakes up, he doesn't know how much time as passed since he climbed into that plane for the last time in his life, or how much time has passed since he arrived here. Wherever here is. He can feel a warm spot on his back, as if a hand had been pressed there until a moment ago, but he's alone in this room.
A room. That's not what he would have expected after death. But then he's not really sure what he had expected. He carefully pushes himself up off of the floor to examine the room he's in. There are no clues here about where exactly he is, which is exactly the kind of thing he'd expect from somewhere passing as the afterlife.
So he still has an endless amount of questions, and no answers. All of which is leading him to do precisely what his intelligence training taught him to do: find a door and step through it in search of answers.
Clara just so happens to be heading through the door at the same time he's exiting. The end result is a crash that makes her glance up from the holo screen on her device. Blinking as she's torn out of her thought, she offers him an apologetic little smile. "New here? Or just admiring the scenery?"
It's more likely that he's new, given that he doesn't look as established as most of the others here. And it's not like anyone that's already here frequents this area. So she jumps to assumptions as she tends to do, and figures she might as well play welcome wagon for the new guy. Her device is switched off, the projection of the screen in the air fading away.
That...is some strange kind of thing that he doesn't understand. But it's apparently not important, based on the fact that it soon disappears into her pocket. He suspects that there are more important things, anyway, seeing as he knows nothing about where he is.
"New here. Wherever 'here' is. Where is 'here'?" It's not the most inventive question, but it's likely to be the most instructive.
Right, she should get to that. "Avagi's the name of this station. It's a bit far from Earth, if that's where you remember being last." So far, the ratio of people from Earth compared to other places is pretty skewed. It's not all that surprising if that's where he's from too. Judging by his outfit and accent, it's incredibly likely.
"I know this sounds properly bonkers, but we're out in the middle of space. Only not any galaxy I know of. It seems to be in a pocket all its own, far from anyplace I've ever traveled."
He knows there are other planets -- the existence of other planets has been known for centuries, after all -- but they've only just been able to get planes in the sky. The idea of being able to visit other planets is so far on the horizon that it's not even visible yet.
"Middle of space." It's unbelievable, but then again, so was the existence of Amazons, and gods, and he's seen proof of those first-hand. So it's not stretching too far to accept that this may be true too. "Okay. So we're in the middle of space. After I believe that, what then?"
Her eyes stay focused in on his uniform. There's something familiar about it and she can't put her finger on it right away. So she stalls for time, arching her eyebrows and giving him a confused look. "Then...you're trapped here? In space."
She realizes that probably sounds terrible, so she looks semi-apologetic as she adds on, "Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it's best you hear this now."
And then, it clicks. She knows exactly where his uniform is from. And it makes no sense for him to be wearing it, not with that accent. There's a story there, but it's not one she'll push for right away.
He shrugs. "I suppose trapped in space is a better alternative than some." It may be more nonchalant than some responses she's used to hearing, but Steve's a smart man. He knows there are all kinds of possibilities out there. He's also a dead man back home, and he knows it. This place, wherever it is, however it works, means another chance at life for him.
Though Kaittos is beautiful and Diana could spend all of her time there, she has other duties to attend to. Maintaining the security of the Avagi station has fallen to a group of the travelers, she among them. So when it comes her time to patrol, she dons her armor, taking her shield and lasso, and makes her rounds of their interim home.
It is incredibly boring, but everyone must do their part, and Diana knows she is no exception.
She rounds a corner, as alert as one can be while doing something entirely monotonous, and she doesn't realize someone is emerging from the arrival chamber until she's almost upon him. Diana blinks to focus her gaze, sizing up the man in front of her in a split second before she really looks at him.
Her heart drops to the floor. Her voice is hardly above a whisper, and she isn't really sure she's spoken at all. "... Steve?"
They seem to keep meeting like this. He shows up somewhere new, somewhere unexpected, and the first person he sees is her. He's silent for a moment, breath catching in his throat. Is she really here, or is his mind playing tricks on him because she's exactly the person he'd hope to be thinking of at the moment of his death?
But...this isn't any version of the afterlife he's ever heard of, and he doesn't want to think of her being dead, too. After everything he's seen her do, it's not possible. It can't be. He's not sure of much in this moment, but he's sure of that.
Hearing him say her name nearly breaks her. But she's supposed to be unbreakable, invincible. How could a single word snap her heart so cleanly? Diana lets out a ragged breath, striding forward as she tries to get a grasp on her emotions.
"You're--" She can't bring herself to say it. Dead, you're dead. She had watched the plane explode, had felt her heart ripped out once before. This must be a dream, some torture sent from beyond time and space to torment her. But the closer she gets, the more convinced she is that he's real. Please, gods, let him be real.
He shakes his head before she even gets to him. She doesn't have to say it for him to know what she's thinking. He knows exactly what he intended to do when getting on that plane. There's only one way that's going to end.
"Here. I don't know where here is, or how I got here, but here I am."
Diana slows when she gets close to him, hesitating. There have only been a handful of times in her life when she has felt fear, and now is one of them. Fear that this is a dream, that he's going to disappear if she touches him. Her fingers curl, and her brows draw together as she looks at him, trying to find the words. A rudimentary explanation is all she can manage at the moment.
"Avagi," she blurts. "It's a space station. A sort of city in the stars. Sometimes--sometimes people are brought here. We don't know how or why."
"City in the...stars. Okay." He can believe in the existence of Amazons, even of gods. Why not a city in the stars? It's easier to believe when he sees it right in front of him, of course, because it's harder to ignore when it's right in front of him. He hasn't seen these stars yet, but what he has seen is so different from what he's used to. And he has no reason to doubt what Diana tells him. Not anymore.
"That's actually not the most unbelievable thing I've heard this week."
She's right in front of him now, and can't stop herself. She reaches out towards his face, stopping just short of brushing her fingers over his cheek. She doesn't hear his response, not really, too busy trying to get a hold of herself. "You're... really here?" A question, though she wishes it didn't have to be.
"I'm really here." Though he seems to be as hesitant to touch her as she is him. He could be dreaming just as easily as she is. Isn't that what most people would think was happening when hearing that they were now in a city in the stars?
At his assurance, Diana can't hold herself back any longer. She surges forward, throwing her arms around his shoulders. She lets out a choking breath when he doesn't disappear, pressing her forehead into his neck. "Steve..."
He says nothing in response to that; there's nothing he needs to say. He just puts his own arms around her waist, tightly but not too much. It hasn't been that long since he saw her, certainly not as long as it has been since she saw him, but he had just expressed a desire for them to have more time, then told her that he loved her and run after a doomed plane.
To him this seems like getting exactly what he'd wished for, and he won't be letting go anytime soon.
She inhales deeply, closing her eyes so she can memorize the way he smells, the way it feels to have his arms around her, the warmth of his body. "I can't believe you're here..." It's too good to be true, but he hasn't vanished yet. A thought strikes her, and she pulls back a bit so she can look at him, smiling. "I killed Ares. I ended the war."
Oh. So that was Ares. They'd been wise to stay out of that one and find something else that needed doing instead. At her last statement, he smiles, a genuine smile, a rare sight on him. "I knew you could." She saved the world.
She lays her hand on the side of his face, still marveling at the fact that he's really here with her. "You gave me the strength." His death, she means, but she can't say it. Thinking of him had been the only thing to keep her from killing Maru, the only thing to make her believe she could destroy Ares.
She doesn't have to say what she means. He knows. He knows what was about to happen when he was pulled here; what will happen if he's ever sent back again. As unexpected as his arrival here was, as unfamiliar as "space city" is likely to be, the knowledge of what comes next for him is enough for him to be content with not searching for a way home. Plus Diana's here, and that's really all he needs.
His words are bittersweet, though she can't let him know. If she hadn't given him that strength, maybe he wouldn't have sacrificed himself. It's so selfish, she knows, but watching him die had been so hard--it had been like losing Antiope all over again. So preventable, and yet inevitable all at the same time.
Diana leans forward, ghosting her lips across his, almost as if she's still afraid he's going to vanish still.
Had he always known that he might end up giving his life for the cause? Yes. Had he always been okay with that knowledge? Yes. But there's a difference between facing death every time he left on a mission and the sacrifice he had made. He had been okay with that sacrifice too, because someone needed to make it, and if they had any chance at making sure the world was still around for another day, it couldn't be Diana.
He doesn't let go just yet, but instead speaks into her shoulder. "So. A city in the stars."
He's still here, and she breathes a sigh of relief. One hand moves upwards to rest on the back of his head, and she smiles. "A city in the stars," she confirms. "There isn't much here, but there's been enough so far."
"This has been the week of the impossible becoming possible." It's a bit overwhelming, but he's been trained to deal with overwhelming. He'd have been a poor pilot and spy if he couldn't handle pressure. "What is here?"
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thisavrou_ooc2017-11-17 07:40 pm
Steve Trevor | Wonder Woman
Is this what dying feels like? This disorientation like he's being pulled in every direction at once, while sounds filter through like he's hearing them from underwater. The light, the air, it all reminds him of the bathing pools on Themiscyra, but this can't be there. There's no possible way.
But then a lot of impossible things have been happening lately.
When he finally wakes up, he doesn't know how much time as passed since he climbed into that plane for the last time in his life, or how much time has passed since he arrived here. Wherever here is. He can feel a warm spot on his back, as if a hand had been pressed there until a moment ago, but he's alone in this room.
A room. That's not what he would have expected after death. But then he's not really sure what he had expected. He carefully pushes himself up off of the floor to examine the room he's in. There are no clues here about where exactly he is, which is exactly the kind of thing he'd expect from somewhere passing as the afterlife.
So he still has an endless amount of questions, and no answers. All of which is leading him to do precisely what his intelligence training taught him to do: find a door and step through it in search of answers.
He just hopes they're easy to find.
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It's more likely that he's new, given that he doesn't look as established as most of the others here. And it's not like anyone that's already here frequents this area. So she jumps to assumptions as she tends to do, and figures she might as well play welcome wagon for the new guy. Her device is switched off, the projection of the screen in the air fading away.
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"New here. Wherever 'here' is. Where is 'here'?" It's not the most inventive question, but it's likely to be the most instructive.
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"I know this sounds properly bonkers, but we're out in the middle of space. Only not any galaxy I know of. It seems to be in a pocket all its own, far from anyplace I've ever traveled."
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"Middle of space." It's unbelievable, but then again, so was the existence of Amazons, and gods, and he's seen proof of those first-hand. So it's not stretching too far to accept that this may be true too. "Okay. So we're in the middle of space. After I believe that, what then?"
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She realizes that probably sounds terrible, so she looks semi-apologetic as she adds on, "Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it's best you hear this now."
And then, it clicks. She knows exactly where his uniform is from. And it makes no sense for him to be wearing it, not with that accent. There's a story there, but it's not one she'll push for right away.
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i made it
It is incredibly boring, but everyone must do their part, and Diana knows she is no exception.
She rounds a corner, as alert as one can be while doing something entirely monotonous, and she doesn't realize someone is emerging from the arrival chamber until she's almost upon him. Diana blinks to focus her gaze, sizing up the man in front of her in a split second before she really looks at him.
Her heart drops to the floor. Her voice is hardly above a whisper, and she isn't really sure she's spoken at all. "... Steve?"
yay
But...this isn't any version of the afterlife he's ever heard of, and he doesn't want to think of her being dead, too. After everything he's seen her do, it's not possible. It can't be. He's not sure of much in this moment, but he's sure of that.
"Diana?"
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"You're--" She can't bring herself to say it. Dead, you're dead. She had watched the plane explode, had felt her heart ripped out once before. This must be a dream, some torture sent from beyond time and space to torment her. But the closer she gets, the more convinced she is that he's real. Please, gods, let him be real.
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"Here. I don't know where here is, or how I got here, but here I am."
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"Avagi," she blurts. "It's a space station. A sort of city in the stars. Sometimes--sometimes people are brought here. We don't know how or why."
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"That's actually not the most unbelievable thing I've heard this week."
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"We're both really here."
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To him this seems like getting exactly what he'd wished for, and he won't be letting go anytime soon.
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"You gave me some too."
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Diana leans forward, ghosting her lips across his, almost as if she's still afraid he's going to vanish still.
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He doesn't let go just yet, but instead speaks into her shoulder. "So. A city in the stars."
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