station72 | [hatch log / mission hyrypia] more peaceful pilgrims I shall see

CHARACTERS: New Hosts & EVERYONE
WHERE: Station 72; Hyrypia - The Road - The Great Flat
WHEN: DAY :007 - Day:011
SUMMARY: New hosts come alive on the Station; a path is walked; something stirs in the darkness. The Pilgrimage is underway.
WARNINGS: Will update as necessary. Need a warning added? PM this account please!

STATION 72
DAY :007

NEW HATCHES
YOU WAKE UP and you and the universe are suddenly different. --No. That's not right. You're you, the universe is as it's always been, and there's no suddenly about it. It's been a while, hasn't it? It feels like waking up from a very deep, extended sleep or coming up from the darkness of some wine dark sea. Nothing is different and yet everything is.

Here you are, a small miracle of the multiverse: lying in a small, faintly hexagonal chamber with a gentle white light emanating from the surrounding walls. If you were injured during your escape, those injuries have been healed. If you were anxious or frightened or distraught, those feelings have been calmed. There's something peaceful about waking up here - like you belong. That feeling persists even as you find the tube running from the base of your neck to the compartment's rear wall.

But once the tube's disconnected? Things get loud. A wave of emotion fills that peaceful void - fear, uncertainty, relief, a sense of purpose or loneliness or anxiety. A matching dread. An easy comfort. Maybe some of these emotions are yours, but they can't all be. After the initial sensory overload, the mental buzz elongates: stretches out into a murmur like the sound of a party happening behind a nearby closed door.

You can sit up - barely -, and shift out of the pod. There’s a ladder at your feet and a little cubby just before it with anything you brought with you as well as a set of crisp, loose-fitting white clothes; while your injuries are healed, whatever you’re wearing is in the exact state it was before. Maybe it's time for a change? Drop down the ladder to the floor of the Nesting Deck and you’ll find you’re not alone. There are three of you here, somehow intimately familiar to each other.

Welcome to Station 72. Beyond this room it's quiet and still, feeling for all the world like a shell for some vast dark thing.

Eventually, a sensation manifests out of the black. It says:

PREPARE YOURSELF
THE VOICE IN YOUR HEAD is precisely that. A voice- untainted by anything else- sight and feeling, taste, touch, unlike those you have heard in your mind so far.

( I would like to speak to you. )

Where exactly they intend for this to happen is not immediately clear, but there is something like an itch that leads you to an anonymous, circular room. A man stands there, tall and broad, with brown hair and skin and a slim-fitting charcoal suit that seems fit to this place. Prince’s expression is as it often is, carefully neutral, unfazed by the new arrivals.

"Thank you for coming. You will have questions, and there are things you will need to know before you leave this place."

[ooc note: please see here for the catch-all briefing thread]

THE STATION
WITH A LITTLE UNDER 24 HOURS before it's time to make the trip to Hyrypia, this is as good an opportunity as you're going to get to familiarize yourself with Station 72 before you leave it. There's plenty to see, but a distinct lack of people to make conversation with. It's lonely and quiet and there's a sensation of dust gathering even where there is none. Maybe studying the briefing files on your databank is the most proactive distraction, but if not? Well there's plenty of places to get lost...

In the simulated morning, a strange archaic ship has arrived on the Hangar. Its two very alien hosts unload two heavy trunks, then dole out a series of kits to the three new hosts. One of them - the pale female alien her calls herself Rhan - cheerfully announces, "Get changed and buckle up, my darlings. We've got a bit of a trip ahead of us."

You leave the Station. If you're lucky, you might one day make it back.

HYRYPIA - NAERSTONE HOUSE
DAY :008

MEETING
A SINGLE SHIP LANDS at first light, in a field the color of burnished gold, returning to the place it had until late the night before occupied. It's carefully inserted beside dozens of other spacecraft bearing more than faint similarities, though each has its own unique aesthetic. When the gangplank drops, the loud engines powering down, it reveals--

New hosts. Well, mostly new. Three faces - obscured as they are in layers of intricate fabric - are led down the gangplank by Rhan. No one's there to greet them though. It seems everyone's too busy with last minute preparations, the whole estate alight with activity. Ships are being unloaded. Vast strangely powered wagons are being stuffed with belongings. Animals have been ordered into strings and servants are lashing down great casks of wine and piled of bedding and furs and-- Everyone is far too busy to pay three cloaked newcomers any attention. Besides, who can recognize the difference between a new Carbasuchian and an old one?

The host's apartments are in a similar state of disarray. Here where there's some privacy to be found, Collector has her bird head bare and is patiently orchestrating the effort of packing up the apartments. Apparently they're expected to bring all the bedding and furnishings provided with them - if they care to sleep with any blankets on the road anyway. This might be a good time to gossip amongst each other. Or maybe you'd rather explore; Naerstone House's grounds are vast and almost entirely open to the parties of the pilgrims to explore. For the places that aren't open? There's lots being done. Maybe someone won't notice if you slip away for a moment… Just for a moment though. Everyone is gearing up to leave soon.

HYRYPIA - THE ROAD
DAY :008-:011

WALKING SHOES
IT'S A LONG WALK from Naerstone House, through the relatively short golden valley and out into the rocky, arid steppe which stretches for most of the trip. The landscape is inhospitable and seemingly unchanging, though after two days of travel it finally gives way. The grass grows long and turns silver under the red sun - stretching into interminable flat lands. A wind blows, whispering through the tall grass; long legged small game leap from the grass in brilliant arcs and at night the stars are very, very bright. Most travellers spend at least some time on foot, walking at a leisurely pace during the daylight hours, but there are an assortment of wagons which draw themselves. Their huge wheels turn seemingly of their own volition, the wagons carrying most of the baggage and some of the Envoys. One of the open wagons has musicians on it - Hyrypians first, then when they tire up goes a shout for volunteers. A Meradan is thrown up onto the platform, bellowing a ship's song that earns laughter and cheers at all the right intervals. For the first time, the lines of the envoys begin to bleed (if only as some Rabadoceans fall behind while others pull forward). They're separated again only when the evening sets in and the tents are set up.

During the last night spend on the road, all Hosts wake up at once awash with a prickle of dread. Something stirs in the darkness - brushing delicately against the symbiotic nerve system - and suddenly Naerstone and its fleet of spaceships feels very far away, the safety of the Station impossibly remote.

By morning, the sensation of creeping uneasiness has faded. Probably.

HYRYPIA - THE SWEPT MANOR'S SHADOW
LATE DAY :010

A WELCOME FROM THE MANOR
THE WALK BEGINS TO WEAR, having stretched long enough to tire even most of the Hosts - who by now must all be aware of the benefits the symbiote has quietly granted their physicality. Everyone's weary of walking and here, finally, the base of the cliffs have gone from being distant smudges on the horizon to towering above them. Finally there are signs of civilization: fires burning through the fading dusk light in the shadow of the Swept Manor. Some tents already set up there; the scent of spice and the smell of roasting vegetables is thick in the air even with the wind blowing it towards the low mournful noise of the cliffs in the distance.

The procession is met by a herd of servants dressed in plain, coarse fabric. They helpfully guide individual envoys into the spots set aside for them to set up their tents, providing additional amenities as they may be required. As soon as the camp is made - for more than just a night, this time - all are welcomed into the long dining tents. Their heavy fabric walls have been pulled open to allow the breeze to flow through them. Guests to take places around the long low plank tables. The feast that awaits is more simple than the one at Naerstone house had been, with less decoration and less aplomb, but it is no less delicious. This time Collector warns them to avoid the crab-sized insect like creatures that are served on a bed of grains ("They might cause you to break out in hives"). The evening gives way to louder music than even what had been on the road, and there is a collective sigh as no one is expected to be on their feet for the rest of the day.

HYRYPIA - THE SWEPT MANOR'S SHADOW
DAY :011

RIDING LESSONS
DAWN BREAKS with a long, bright sound from a horn from the half-cup shaped buildings that cling to the cliff face above the campground, visible now in the brighter daylight: The Swept Manor. The horn's blast is met with immediate activity. The long dining tents again open to the air for a simple breakfast, then fires are banked, servants bringing great dishes of water before they hurry along their other tasks. There is little time provided to fully prepare before the Envoys are summoned to the edge of the campground by a tall Hyrypian who identifies herself as Arin Basittia. She bows politely before leading them to The String.

Here the lead Elinkeeper, a stately and clearly respected member of the Swept Manor tells them of the Elin and their history with the Hyrypians. They had once been the only method of transportation the young Hyrypian people had had after the last of their technomancy faded away. The Elinkeeper speaks their delicate constitutions and how slow they are to breed, and of the partnership they and the Gryerhunters and herders had formed over the centuries.

Despite his words, there are few Elin represented- far fewer than would be necessary to accommodate the Envoys. Instead there are a number of mechanical simulacrum, equally elegant and perhaps more impressive, but clearly longer-lived and less delicate than the Elin that inspired their creation. Their bodies are made of rubber sinew and smooth layering plates, elegantly engraved along the haunch and face. These will be the Hosts' (and all the Envoy’s) companions during their time at the base of the Finger Maze. Today will be dedicated to teaching them how to ride the creatures and control them - including how to deal with their surprisingly lifelike quirks.

The saddles are wide with footholds high on the back, leaving a rider’s heels to rest just under the thighs. The creatures are nudged forward with the slightest pressure of toes along their sides. Their direction is guided by reins connected to their handle-bar shaped antlers (or by their antlers themselves, for those who would lean forward for a hard run). The simulacrum Elin are fast, and provide a surprisingly smooth ride... when they aren’t bolting suddenly in the wrong direction, turning sharply, or objecting to a misplaced nudge by shaking their great bodies out from under their riders.

Do try not to fall off (you're going to fall off).

((OOC Notes: This log covers the hatch, the arrival of new Hosts on Hyrypia, the departure from Naerstone, the journey through the Great Flat and finally the arrival in the shadow of The Swept Manor. Feel free to make your own logs and posts additional to this if you care to. You can find a more detailed overview of the host hatching process HERE and additional setting information about the Station HERE. Please be sure to review the MISSION: HYRYPIA ooc information, which includes information about the new locations. If you have any questions, please hit up either the mission's question thread, the FAQ or MOD CONTACT pages!))

NAVIGATION • GAME CALENDAR • MISSION: HYRYPIA • FAQ • MOD CONTACT • GLOSSARY

( CODE BY WHAMBAM )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ The joy Lakshmi's radiating is met with dubiousness, and a faint sense of homesickness. Octavia would have taken to these odd-looking creatures. Bellamy gazes at her hand warily before looking up into her face, arms still crossed. ]

Not being thrown off one of these things is the less efficient way to handle this?

[ But her point remains. They likely can't walk the rest of the journey. But these creatures seem flighty, easily startled. It's as if they are attuned to a language Bellamy has never learned. He's less than eager to attempt it. ]

You think it can hold the both of us?

[ She still hasn't quite processed that their mechanical. Advanced as Tesla's machines might be, they certainly aren't so life like. So her thoughts, and her actions towards it - is with the utmost respect of a living being. Smoothing her fingers over it's neck in patient affection. ]

More than.

[ She fingers curl up, beckoning. ]

Come. I have ridden since I was a child. I will not let you fall.

[ Skepticism is writ large across Bellamy's face. He trusts Lakshmi more than he trusts her mount. From what he's witnessed, they seem to be patiently awaiting the moment to buck off their rider for slight infraction. Bellamy isn't entirely convinced that his weight wouldn't be the tipping point, but he takes a reluctant step forward. ]

I won't say I told you so after it knocks us both off.

[ Because that much feels inevitable. After a long pause, he sighs and puts his hand in hers. ]

Let's try it.

[ He's trying to mimic Octavia. It's a conscious decision, and it hurts, but it doesn't stop him. It's clumsy, but he ends up behind Lakshmi, one hand holding her around the waist to keep from sliding off one side or the other. ]

[ She holds still, to give him something to yank back against. Even if that tenseness means the creature reacts to her, but thankfully, not much. For all it had tossed her, she took her time. No one got on any animal without learning it's particulars for.

She still doesn't really understand what robot meant, anyway. ]

Settled - ? [ She assumed so, and good, because this class begins now, apparently. She straightens her back, arranging the robes, before she reaches for his hand where it is settled. Riding could come second, if he wasn't holding properly, first. ] Your balance must be low, understood? Feel it here, first. Put your weight down like there is a heaviness at the back of your spine. [ She takes his hand and presses his palm to her hip. A determined stiffness of her core muscles that says it's where she's rolling her control from. ] Then, once you are comfortable, hold it there.

[ It's there she grips from, and in a nudge of her knees and the push forward of her body, she flicks the reigns - and obediently, on it walks from her. In a straight, sedate, line. ]

[ Is this how Octavia learned? Had Indra done this for her? Bellamy had never asked. There'd never been time, and after a point, discussing Indra had been too fraught for either of them to navigate. He should have asked. Lakshmi guides his hand to her hip, and Bellamy thinks of the easy way Octavia had planted herself in the saddle, the way she'd moved with Helios without thinking. Bellamy didn't think he could replicate that, no matter what Lakshmi demonstrated. ]

How do you direct it? [ Though Bellamy can't tell that he's properly grasped the concept of balance as instructed. Surely sitting is sitting, regardless of whether or not you're in the saddle? ] How does it know what you want it to do?

[ Unconsciously, he's plucking at the edges of Lakshmi's mind, bleeding Octavia's memory in his wake as he reaches for an answer. ]

[ And her mind follows, almost thoughtlessly, her memories of riding are rich and many - her happiness in this is open, warm, flickering merrily as it comes apart. Being perched high as she went to the temple, watching flowers reign down as she took the throne again - riding with her husband, hard and far in a breathless race. A young woman playing with boys, winning a race where reckless and mad, they all opted to do it with their hands tied behind their back.

But what embodies all of it is that true sensation of holding herself, stiff in the saddle. Of tensed muscles and the feeling of not directing so much but being part of the animal, but holding herself in ready reaction to ever movement. ]

By the reigns and with your legs.

[ It is a point with her, second nature. So she directs his hand more matter of factly to the top of her leg, letting him feel that as she guides towards the right to instruct it to walk in a circle. Round it turns, as she pulls on the reign and flexes a hard muscle to balance herself and encourage forward in that direction. ] Easy enough.

[ She's so happy in those memories. The lushness of her world is both faintly similar to earth and wholly alien; Bellamy had never known anyone on earth to exist with such out and out pleasure in anything outside of the handful of grounders he'd witnessed exhilarating in their battle prowess. Even as he tries to mimic the way she holds her body, he thinks he may never be able to approach these creatures the way Lakshmi does. There's no replicating the happiness she feels. ]

So you say.

[ But he's plucking, carefully, fragments of experience from Lakshmi's mind. Just enough to layer in, make it easier to guide his body into a mimicry of hers. ]

Have you been riding horses all your life?

[ Not that what they're are on exactly horses, but they're close enough that they clearly respond to Lakshmi and trigger the same nostalgic joy in her. ]

Since I was a girl.

[ Because in these memories, her pleasure builds upon itself, because this is the first time in years - and that is no small count - that she could ride and take pleasure in it for itself. Earnest and care free. Bells that ringing high and her voice is in the back of her throat, full of songs. The earnest toss of laughter like skipping stones over a lake. ]

Not just because I love them, riding is just another way to get about and when you live in and around arid mountains, one that is needed to traverse such landscapes at any pace aside from walking.

[ She tilts her head. ] Comfortable so far?

No.

[ His thoughts are skidding towards the rover at home, with Raven in the driver's seat and Monty and Miller across from him, Jasper howling along to the music coming through the ancient speakers. It's impractical to hope for a rover here. The planet doesn't seem to have come equipped for it. ]

But that doesn't mean I'm going to get down.

[ Songs and laughter loop between them, mingling with the single golden memory of that drive in the rover. Bellamy's back straightens, thighs flexing unconsciously to keep his balance. ]

How long did it take you to learn the first time?

[hatch log / mission hyrypia] more peaceful pilgrims I shall see

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