( tdm 12 )

[hownkai]

T E S T D R I V E

leavin’ on a jet plane "Don’t know when I’ll be back again." ABOARD THE MOIRA 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. Whether adjusting to space travel has been difficult or not, there is always something to be done. From working to leisure, the Moira offers a multitude of opportunities to get to know your crewmates a bit better. Exploration of the ship is highly encouraged. You may notice a slight change in the artificial gravity every once in awhile; however, more noticeable changes can be found in overall morale of those of the crew. ☄ on your own There are plenty of other communal areas on the ship to explore! Pick a place, and see where it takes you. ( These scenarios can be used as in-game canon. ) The day begins normally. Or almost. The Moira has accidentally fallen along the trajectory of an asteroid barreling its way through space. While most things like this are not uncommon, and the ship is far from any potential danger of collision or risk of debris damaging the exterior, there is something particularly odd about this specific occurrence. The rock itself appears to give off a strange light that is both eerie and alive. Often, if looked at in just the right manner, it will shift colors; so, while one person sees one side of the spectrum, someone else could see something entirely different. At first, things continue on as they usually do aside from the glowing asteroid alongside the Moira, but as the hours go on, that does not seem to be the case. ☄ the hours are breathing resignedly beneath the sky the melancholy waters lie With a rather open view of stars and space, thanks to the skylight above, the pool in the rec area suddenly comes alive beneath the light of the asteroid filtering in. Perhaps it’s some natural response to the chemical composition of the water, or perhaps it’s magic. Yet, regardless of the explanation, those who happen to take a dip suddenly find themselves plagued by despair. The depression and melancholy are not subtle changes either; it slams into you with great force, like a punch to the gut. The longer you remain in the pool, the deeper it grows, like an all-consuming paranoia that settles into the back of your mind and causes your heart to grow heavy. These strong feelings will eventually fade if you choose to leave the pool and dry off, but as long as you remain damp from the pool, those emotions will continue to linger. Even after you’re completely dry, there will be no mistaking just how intensely you felt or why. There is no explanation and might not be. Would you dare a second swim to test whether or not it was a fluke? ( These scenarios can be used as in-game canon. ) ☄ those who have crossed the eyes are not here, there are no eyes here The walls are shrinking in. Every room you step into feels much too small, like there isn’t enough room to even breathe. A crowded place becomes startlingly empty, and no matter how much you run, how much you explore, there is no one there to comfort you or answer your calls for help. Hallucinations run strong between the lulls of obscene loneliness or claustrophobia, and exposure to the glow of the asteroid is really the only thing to thank for that. You’re desperate to claw your way out of the ship—open the emergency hatch in the Cargo Bay, bust the glass of the Observation Deck. What’s worse is that it’s not just you. It’s catching, and the fear of being next is very real. It feels like you’re being watched, that everyone around you is looking and seeing everything you are. Or are not. The only way to make it stop is to admit that you’re afraid of being seen, but who, in the deep madness of the self, has the courage to ever admit the truth? ( These scenarios can be used as in-game canon. ) ☄ the sun in flight rage, rage against the dying of the light Something has drifted its way onto the Moira from the outside. Unlike the faint luminosity they give off, they suck up all the light around them, making them the only source to see by. From far away, they are just flitting balls of light, but if you get close enough to inspect them, they are mean. And have sharp, sharp teeth. Go poking, and they will bite you before trying to fly away while taking that only light source with them. The option to avoid them is quite easy if you’re not the curious sort, but without them around, it will be impossibly dark. As the asteroid moves on in the opposite direction of the Moira, these light creatures begin to dissolve and fade away with it. However, a word of caution: their bites glow. If you don’t manage to find the one that bit you and capture it between your hands, the bite will become a permanent glowing fixture of your body. ( These scenarios can be used as in-game canon. ) OUT OF CHARACTER INFO FAQ | LOCATIONS | RESERVES | APPLICATIONS | NAVIGATION For mature or graphic content, please label. For questions, please direct them to the FAQ. As always, be kind and have fun!

Comments

post 2x02 maybe tbh

[avicula]

Alvis. ( there's a measure of relief in her tone, first and foremost. she feels relieved, too, at the familiar face, at the familiar presence — and at the same time, desperation is still a heavy blanket drowning out all other emotions, making it hard to swallow, making her voice rough.

reaching for him is an act of desperation, and something dutch wouldn't normally allow herself, not when it betrays so much. right now, what it betrays is precisely why she can't help but do it. her hand lands on his arm, the other is still gripping her gun tightly.

she forces a laugh, but there's no humour in it. ) You can say that again.

cool that was what i was thinking tbh

[fibrosis]

[ alvis doesn't mind the contact - in fact he's happy she seeks it out, because even if he acknowledges it as a potential instinct given how dutch looks right now, it's still in line with the dutch he knows, and that's a good thing. the dutch he's familiar with doesn't hesitate when she knows she has a safe anchor, and he's both pleased and oddly satisfied in a way he's not always familiar with that he remains one for her. subtle differences, either way.

his own 'laugh' is more breathed out than anything. ] My last swim wasn't too relaxing either. [ and he's close enough to her clothes to push the pile towards her, a bit. he puts it within reach, less forcing her to reach out than he is acknowledging that they're just a thing. a normal, wanted, psychological thing, but a thing nonetheless. he would have offered her his yellow cloak - he would have offered her whatever he was wearing - but until she acknowledged him it didn't seem the best idea, and now that she has, there's little need to, unless circumstances indicate otherwise.

in a slightly more sober tone though: ] I didn't know you were here.

sweet

[avicula]

( her mind keeps replaying images of her past: the first man she'd killed, the second, the fifteenth. the time she asked why, all the times she was denied an answer, the feeling of helplessness that comes with an imbalance of power, of knowledge. the blood of her husband on her wedding dress. losing dav —

it's too much, and all dutch can do is remember to breathe, in and out. she's stronger than this, she has to be stronger. she hates for alvis to see her like this, but it's a distant thought. she'd still rather it be him than a stranger. her clothes remain where they are, for now at least. she wants to be dressed, even if clothes would only provide the illusion of armour, but coordinating the action takes more focus, more strength than she can spare right now.

in and out.

she'll let go of her gun in a moment. she will, and she'll put on her shirt, at least. she will, but she hasn't yet. )

Got here this morning. ( the words are pressed out. morning? telling time on a spaceship is always a strange affair without throwing abduction into the mix. )

whoops had to clean a bit

[fibrosis]

[ he isn't about to touch the water; he doesn't really have a problem with water as it stands, this is just a causal observe-effect reaction to seeing dutch having recently pulled herself out of it.

he's fine with water. he's fine with unknown environments. he's fine.

he has no reason to be any less fine than she is right now. he's also happy to be whatever guard or wall she needs right now, the state she's in, in more ways than one. given the way this place works he's glad it's himself right now, with her. she deserves better than some stranger seeing her in a position he doubt she's all that happy to allow him to see her.

he is himself not that pleased when people find him at less than peak, but both his persona and his psyche argue that he not take offense, and while he might like to, he knows better than to argue with either one of them. he knows he has larger wars to wage, and limited energy with which to do so.

whatever. she says 'morning' as though it leaves a negative taste in her mouth, and he doesn't miss it. ] Hard to tell with the lack of sunlight. I didn't get here too long ago either. [ she can clothe and arm/disarm herself however she wants. alvis has decided to just sit down ever since she acknowledged him by name and didn't seem likely to shoot. whenever that was. ]

how dare

[avicula]

( she remembers jumping into the water after him, she remembers giving him mouth to mouth and punching his lights out for scaring the shit out of her, for being a dumb asshole. none of that had compared to the desperation she still feels, though the intensity of it is slowly letting up — enough so that dutch can finally make true on her intent to let go of her gun and of alvis' arm and pull her shirt over her head, to reach for her boots.

as the shirt absorbs more of the water, she begins feeling better, like the blanket of desperation is slowly lifting. pulling on the rest of her clothes and getting to her feet after that is easier; offering alvis a hand up is both a thank you and a means for dutch to reassert independence and strength.

a last deep breath, and then dutch is ready to pretend everything is back to normal, that she didn't just feel crushing despair. ) Have you seen much of the place yet?

i'm terrible i know

[fibrosis]

[ maybe someday they'll talk about all of that. maybe they already have to whatever extent is good enough for the both of them. he recalls waking up on her ship, face a little sore and body a lot more sore, but breathing and alive and unsure why he was here in multiple respects. he's been a little lost for a while now, it just took a bit longer to hit than usual.

well. technically, now he's quite lost. if he was unsure why he was still around back home, he has no idea why he's here.

but he's glad to see dutch pull herself back together, accepts her hand up when she stands. ] Here and there. I'm not sure what counts as 'much' - the ship seems massive.

truly

[avicula]

( maybe someday they'll talk about it, or maybe they won't. the thing with alvis is that there are parts of dutch she can show him that she can't show anyone else, not even johnny. the hatred he'd felt, the confusion, feeling lost — dutch gets all of that. )

Well, a word of advice? Don't go for a swim. I wouldn't recommend it.

( trying to make light of feeling complete and utter despair? you bet she is. )

[fibrosis]

[ it's nice, because while he needs little confiding himself, he is confidant to so many that it limits his options more or less to one in the occasional instance that he needs to admit something himself. people don't necessarily want to see their monks as anything else, but they are still people, and alvis specifically has made himself into a symbol of revolution that puts a bridge between even himself and some of the rest of his order.

he values the friendship he has with dutch very highly, for a lot of reasons, really.

levity isn't necessarily a bad thing, and he smiles a little bit. ] I'll be sure to keep that in mind.

[ seeing her - in a more normal state, at least - pulls some of the restlessness from his bones, settles him in the way that familiarity can. he shifts his plans around. ] Have you found somewhere you would?

[avicula]

( familiarity is a welcome thing, especially in times when everything seems to be moving, shifting, especially in a place like this where nothing is familiar at all. dutch appreciates his presence, though she wouldn't have wished displacement on anyone of the people she cares about. )

There's an observation deck. ( she puts her gun back in its holster. a moment later, she also manages to let go of it entirely. ) I don't recognize any of the stars, but they're not bad to look at.

[fibrosis]

[ he blithely pretends he doesn't notice the gun thing, eyes not even flicking down to track the movement.

he's been to the observation deck, but he wasn't really asking her just to see what her opinions of the moira were - there was a reason. ] That sounds nice. I don't mind being a little further from big pools of water right now anyway.

[avicula]

( dutch knows better than to show weakness like this, to give away so much — but not only does it get more difficult to remember those lessons when she's as overwhelmed as she was earlier, as she still is to a point, it's alvis. there's only a handful of people dutch trusts at all, and he's quite possibly in third place on that short list.

when dutch laughs, it's a hard sound, short. ) Yeah. Me neither. ( she grabs the last of her stuff, and then - ) Let's go. ( putting distance between the pool and herself sounds like a great idea right now. if johnny was here, dutch wouldn't run away, she'd make him do an analysis, figure it out, do something about it.

as it is? johnny isn't here, and dutch can't deal with this on her own. )

[fibrosis]

[ hard laughter at least maintains the facades they're going to keep up until their foundations solidify well enough to recreate the walls they construct around themselves. he counts it as a positive.

alvis steps in alongside her as they exit. ] I would say it's nice to see you, but that seems a little... [ trailing off there seems to be the most accurate way to end that sentence, so he picks up another moment or so later. ] Still.

[avicula]

Mh. ( is dutch's first response, a non-committal noise. he isn't so far off with his interpretation of her actions; she isn't recreating the walls she presents deliberately, but that doesn't mean it isn't precisely what she's doing. some things are deeply ingrained, khlyen has seen to that.

but something in the line of her shoulders softens a moment later, her hand brushing against alvis' arm for a moment where he's walking next to her. )

Still. ( that's confirmation, agreement. and with the shock of desperation wearing off, dutch can ask - ) How are you holding up?

[fibrosis]

[ there are walls people build to keep others at a distance and there are walls people build to bring them in and feel safe. stages of advancement and proximity - he's not concerned about where he stands within her own unless she's more off-balance than she seems to be, but given the contact he rather doubts that.

that's... definitely a question though. he's not actually all that sure. ] It's not necessarily the worst time to find myself in a new environment.

his arm in that icon is so distracting???

[avicula]

( dutch doesn't know which kind her walls are. she'd rather not have to think about it right now, either. maybe a little of both? she's learned that not caring is safety, and she's learned that not caring is lonely. she's also learned, in far too many ways involving but not limited to the death of her husband, that caring about people is a good way to get them killed, in her case. )

When did you turn into such an optimist?

( there's something almost affectionate in her tone. )

why do u think i have it

[fibrosis]

[ alvis has enough of his own plans running on the ground to get himself killed - if it ever comes to pass, she doesn't need to worry about it being on her conscience.

not that he assumes she would do anything but.

he exhales his amusement more than anything else. ] Comes with the jobs. [ monk. revolutionary. he follows, a little more somber. ] I'm not sure it's the best time either.

you are a wise man

[avicula]

( if he gets himself killed by someone buying the lies the company is telling about the revolution, if there's no connection to khlyen or dutch in any way, dutch might only reproach herself for not having been there, for not having gotten him away from danger. that, she could deal with.

if khlyen kills him, either directly or indirectly? well. that's another matter entirely, and dutch isn't sure how many more deaths she can have on her conscious without losing it. )

Mh. ( again. ) It's not a good time for me, but no one bothered to ask.

space show about bounty hunters, decides to play the sexy monk, idk

[fibrosis]

[ well at least there's a possibility. ]

They rarely do in my experience.

[ idk how long it should take to get to the observatory but i'm gonna fudge it and say they're there bc i feel like it. also ngl the fact that that is how khlyen's name still fucks me up. ] Then again, if everyone were that considerate I wouldn't have a whole lot to work on.

i fail to see the problem tbh

[avicula]

( there's a possibility — and for all that it would cost her, that it has cost her, dutch knows how to pick herself up and move past loss. it doesn't weigh on her as much as the blood on her hands, most days.

most days, she doesn't miss her husband at all, when she thinks of him it's always in connection with khlyen. does that make her a terrible person? possibly so. she was never meant to be a person, though, was she? a weapon, yes.

also fuck who the fuck even knows even syfy can't decide how to fucking spell khlyen's name okay. anyway, observation deck. the stars are unfamiliar, and there's a strange glow coming from the meteor in their vicinity that dutch can't quite figure out. johnny would probably have a theory on it, and lucy could run diagnostics.

dutch misses her ship, and she misses her team. that's not weakness, no matter what khlyen would say. )

Looking to open up a confessional here? ( the question could be idle; it isn't. )

technically i guess i don't either since i'm doing it

[fibrosis]

[ he looks out for a few moments, considering. ]

I have one to make right now. [ he says with a sidelong glance and just enough pause afterward for full effect when he continues. ] I've been to the observation deck already.

[ but then he looks back out over the stars. they are unfamiliar, true, and the meteor doesn't technically hold much more than passing curiosity for him, but the unfamiliarity isn't necessarily a bad thing. he kind of prefers it, in all honesty. it makes the fact that he's here instead of where he feels he ought to be, and even more so the fact that he's a little happy to be here instead of where he feels he ought to be weigh on him a little bit less. if he were near home and stayed on the moira, he'd just be running away. if he doesn't have a choice, well then he can just make the best of it. ]

I've stood here wondering what stories these stars are supposed to tell. Where their roots take hold. I'm not sure how well my faith would translate here without the same background. Not that I haven't considered it.

good logic a+

[avicula]

( not having a choice can be freeing, in that sense. if he doesn't have a choice, there's no responsibility. dutch doesn't see it that way, can't because she's been stripped of so many choices. she'd rather feel responsibility and be faced with bad choices than have them stripped from her again, than have khlyen call the shots.

she isn't his puppet to command anymore. that she's here instead of in the quad, figuring shit out? it bothers her. )

Shocking. And here I thought I was rocking your world with this view.

ty. also lord i need more icons why did i only upload six before

[fibrosis]

[ they're at pretty different points in their lives right now, and took wildly different paths to get here. if he'd wound up here before he had to take refuge in old town? he'd probably be more bothered and stir-crazy about being here as well. ]

Sorry to disappoint. I found a garden too - nice to see something growing again. What have you been thinking about doing here? [ bc they're project people. they'll need something to do that involves more than sitting on this ship and thinking about home. ]

idk why did u

[avicula]

Any trees?

( her lips twitch as she says it, but the amusement is warm. dutch doesn't share his faith, not really, but that doesn't mean she can't acknowledge the role it plays for him. )

Not sure yet. Shoot shit, probably. ( surely they'll need some sort of security aboard, and dutch isn't going to let herself be put in a situation in which she doesn't have access to weapons and ammo if she can help it. )

idk but it was a terrible decision

[fibrosis]

[ he huffs a laugh, even though he'd been expecting something like that, although the smile on his face is a little bit broader and lingers a little bit longer than the others before it. ] A big one, yeah. You can see the whole thing, roots and all. [ actually it was seeing the tree that first calmed him when he arrived, but it wasn't until he saw the roots on the floor below, saw the candles lit around them, that he considered he might actually be okay here. he mentioned that he wasn't sure how well his faith would translate here without the specific background it derives from, given how fickle a thing faith can be, tied up in so many different facets and layers and individual from person to person as much as people themselves. he still isn't, but there's clearly something here, and he's interested in learning about it.

he sees it, the tree, instead of the stars for a moment. or maybe just in them, the leaves and points of light falling in line. this is how stars get their names, he thinks. he's never been able to see a picture in them so clearly.

anyway. ]

That sounds like a plan. Why change a tested method, right?

fortunately it is easily fixed

[avicula]

Did it make you feel right at home?

( her tone isn't entirely serious — she isn't going to underestimate the importance of trees to alvis, to his faith, but if she knows anything at all, seeing a tree isn't going to fix the mess they're in or the loss of certainty on alvis' side that led him to act out of hatred rather than faith, that led him to risk his own life the way he did.

she got so close to losing him.

but instead of voicing that thought, dutch pulls out her gun and twirls it around her finger once, twice, before holstering it again, one shoulder drawing up in a half-shrug. ) Got that right.