[mission: hyrypia] then the holy paths we'll travel strew'd with rubies thick as gravel

[onemind]

CHARACTERS: EVERYONE
WHERE: Hyrypia - The Graze
WHEN: DAY :014 - 016
SUMMARY: Two days of horseback hunting training, followed by the second round of competition.
WARNINGS: Will update as necessary. Need a warning added? PM this account please!

THE GRAZE
DAY :014 - :015
THE DAY FOLLOWING the festivities finds the majority of competitors and spectators still buzzing with the competition’s failures and successes, but there is little time to gloat or moan about the results. By the time the sun has risen over the graze there's a new announcement: there will be two days of additional training followed by another day of competition. Today and tomorrow will be dedicated to learning skills vital to the hunt.

0. TRAINING
THE TRAINING FIELD has become familiar, but the decor has changed- as have the the teachers. Unlike the previous riding and herding lessons which featured ropes and hooks, today's syllabus includes a series of more dangerous tools. The short spears that line the racks may be dulled but they still look painful, and the speed at which they're hurled from the intricately carved Sarvat - the traditional spear throwers - is intimidating.

At first glance, the slings of woven and stained Gryer leather are less impressive-- but the different ammo that can be loaded in them proves interesting: a bio-luminescent tagging liquid that stains the targets that it hits and leaves distinct trails, hard metal weights, and carefully handled poison globes.

Over the next day the envoys are are trained to use the weapons from Elinback in addition to being schooled in a number of simple traps and snares that leave little confusion as to the nature of the next challenge events...



THE GRAZE &
THE MINIATURE FINGER MAZE
DAY :016

I. THE CHASE
THE HERD of technomanced automaton Gryer sits idle in the knee-high silvery grass of the Graze. They're nothing like the Elin (who exhibit all the traits of live animals); these automatons seem to know only two basic concepts: don't run, and run. Right now they're practicing the former as the competing riders are divided into large, mixed hunting parties. Once the parties have been formed, they take turns taking their runs at the herd. Among the herd of thirty, four Gryer have been painted a brilliant sapphire. To strike one down requires either two metal weights to the head, a spear to the neck piece, or two spears to its midsection.

When the hunting parties take off so do the automaton Gryer. And they're fast, moving as of one mind - a school of mechanical fish through a sea of silver grass. It'll take cleverness, skill and a bit of daring riding to either cut the targets free of the herd or go crashing through among the running Gryer to strike a target down among its brainless brothers and sisters. Once struck enough times or in the right place, the sapphire Gryer will lose power and drive spectacularly into the earth.

The attentive audience (many of them armed with an array of binoculars from their personal belongings) might cheer when appropriate, but due to the distance at which much of the action takes place most of the observation is spent eating, drinking, and enjoying the shockingly pleasant weather.

II. THE 75th HUNGER GAMES PURSUIT
THE BREEZE GROANS through the shadowy pocket of the canyon system, whistling tiredly through the coral structures - along narrow bridges and between tight passages. Familiar to anyone who competed in the individual race on Day :013, this shadowy miniature canyon is crawling with automated creatures to 'kill.' The only problem? Beating everyone else to one of them. With the blare of that now-familiar horn, the hunters mounted on their Elin take off into the canyon and rapidly splinter into disparate groups or simply go off on their own into the tangle. It doesn't take long at all to lose sight of other riders, to begin to feel completely alone in the low light of early evening. Mist rises from the canyon floor and the breeze moans ominously through the pockmarked coral structures.

It'll take more cleverness and accuracy than high speed riding skill to claim a prize here. But best work quickly and quietly to avoid having your target poached out from under your nose…

III. THE AFTERMATH
THE SECOND CHALLENGE ENDS with a long, mournful cry of the now-familiar horn. All of the possible targets have been captured and to the victors go the spoils in the form of the accumulated scores, carefully kept by the judges. The losers are left empty handed-- at least until the spectators and competitors alike have made it back to the tent encampment. Then their hands are filled with the same liquor and a new spread of simple, filling, and delicious dishes expertly prepared by the servants of the manor.

There’s some ceremony to it - the meat they are eating is the same that they would have served if their hunt had been for something more than machines. However, mostly this seems to be a chance to relax sore muscles. That's aided by the addition of several leather-enclosed tents raised earlier in the day. Once the sun sets, these tents are filled with hot, relaxing steam and lined with benches: saunas! ...which might provide some comfort for anyone not stuck wearing a heavy robe. :(

---

((OOC Notes: This log covers the two days of mounted combat/hunting skills training and the competition which follows. You can find a full breakdown of the events/a place for mini-event specific questions HERE. Sign-ups will remain open until the next event log for the finale goes live, however going forward please make sure to either join the individual event or have a full team selected for the team events. Please be aware that signing up late won't give you extra time to finish your thread to qualify for the finale event.

Have more generalized questions? Drop them on the MISSION: HYRYPIA OOC POST or get in touch with us on the Mod Contact page.))

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

( CODE BY WHAMBAM )

Comments

[perroquet]

I- yes, thank you-

[ He's released, but takes a moment to reorient himself, using his staff rather than the sixth sense he just gave away. It's never really gone but muted, especially through the layers of robes, and that helps with the cover he's trying to maintain.

They walk in silence a ways, uncharacteristic quiet even in Gildor's head. He's still anxious, but removed from the smell and temptation he's recovering quickly. Distracted, but almost ready to strike up that soothing mental band again when Rust re-enters his thoughts with an unexpected question. ]

(What? Oh, yes. I believe you were briefly privy as to how I managed, back there... I apologize for that.)

[ He sighs heavily, relieved to be out in the cooler night air. The veil over his face flutters lightly under his breath. ]

Thank you for the walk. I owe you.

[ Debts can be repaid in songs or magic, Rust's choice. ]

[otrazhenie]

[ It's crystal clear what Gildor expects, and Elena was already planning on doing so. She hasn't even spoken to Shinji herself yet, which has been a awful oversight when he's so young and dealing with who knows what, so there's no way she's letting Damon threaten and intimidate him while they're on this mission. No, she can't make promises for when they eventually (hopefully) return to the station, but for now she'll do what she can.

She watches as he drinks his tea, then follows his example to carefully do the same. It's interesting tea, not bad after she's let it sit on her tongue for a moment. ]

The hunt will begin soon, in the canyon where I raced a few days ago. It'll be difficult to watch the progress when it happens, it's not an easy structure to navigate. The event right now is... entertaining. A few of our party seem to be doing well.

[ Thankfully, she doesn't need a pair of binoculars to follow the festivities, her enhanced eyesight doing a much better job of it. But they're so far away that he likely can't tell anything of what's going on, which leads her back to-- ]

( Would you like to see it? I could let you see what I do. )

[huntsmachines]

[ Aloy has a feeling that the delay is deliberate. But she can't think that way. That will only sour her and put her on the path to another clash with Lexa, perhaps one that isn't able to be mended with words. She's quiet, respectful, staying behind her own mental and emotional walls until Lexa replies. ]

( I said things I regret. I said things that caused you pain. I want to apologize. )

[ As simple and as straightforward as she can be. Part of her hopes that Lexa will acknowledge what she's said that hurt Aloy, but isn't entirely hopeful. A nagging little tug of doubt at the back of her mind. You have no compassion. Aloy remembered her own words. She hoped that they weren't true. ]

[huntsmachines]

[ Aloy's mental aura brightens a little. A smile just for Asuka. As the younger girl approaches, she sets her spear down and straightens, hands on her hips for a moment. Okay Aloy, what would Rost do? Well. Maybe not what exactly what would Rost do, but how to turn this into something teachable. ]

We're going to learn about hunting. And probably practice some spear work.

[sistershoggoth]

Yeah, that's what I mean.

[ It's probably not exactly helpful that Asuka's outrage slides right off of her. Sometimes there's nothing more enraging that someone standing there unflappable in the face of your hurt. But, well, she gets it. ]

Can't be the winner every time.

[ Annie glances off at nothing, her own thoughts wandering. ]

( It's pretty hard, going from a setup where you know all the rules and shit and exactly how to be the best at everything, to this. Pisses me off too. But gotta take your lumps and let the other fucks clean up this time. )

[greentech]

[ Pidge gives his little song a bit of applause. She's not very musically inclined (then again, it's mathematics), but she definitely appreciates people who have the skill. In fact, there's even a laugh as she sits up and starts to stand. ]

Sure.

[ She offers her hand as a sort of guide. She knows that he can find his own way (he apparently has managed just fine before coming here, after all), but it seems appropriate. ]

( If you want, we can just try with some visual stuff at first. before we put you on anything high up and mobile. )

[perroquet]

[ The cup is removed from his hand. Thank the Artist, or rather - Annie. He recognizes the tempest of her mind, though it's calm breezes compared to the chaos in his at the moment. She wordlessly beckons him to follow, and like a lost ship drawn to a lighthouse he does. He's not about to stay where the smell of liquor can tempt him again.

The cool night air outside is calming, even through he still has to breathe it through the veils hanging in his face. He stops when he hears her stop, and digs the end of his staff into the dusty ground in lingering anxiety. ]

Thank you.

[ And then, at the offer of the cigarette- ]

No thank you.

[ That was one thing he managed to kick after leaving the Bard's Guild. Couldn't afford smokes on a regular, unstable bard's wage, but liquor - his salary was more often paid in that than gold. ]

[perroquet]

[ He listens pleasantly, only a bit surprised that the second event hasn't even yet started. Come to think of it, she's right - he hasn't heard the horns that signal the beginning. He's been interrogated and nearly killed, and while he's ready for the day to be over it seems to insist on dragging itself out.

Elena's suggestion is an interesting and hopefully change of pace. ]

(Oh? Do you think you can?)

[ He turns his head to face where he thinks the races are off in the distance, trying to listen. During the first events he could at least hear the action up close - now the clatter of hooves is barely distinguishable over the clinking of cups and plates around them. His hearing is ridiculously good, improved even more by the symbiote, but it's still not enough to hear for miles. ]

(A few days ago Miss Pidge allowed me to see what a mechanical Elin looks like through her mind's eye. It was easier to comprehend with my other senses attached. I'm not sure what distance will be like.)

[otrazhenie]

[ The day will be over before they know it, and in the meantime they just have to keep themselves occupied. Lucky for Gil, she can hear those clattering hooves just fine, she can see what's going on amidst all that silver grass, and every so often she can pick out a shout between the various teams. ]

( My vision and hearing are better than a human's because as a vampire everything is enhanced. I've never tried it before, but we're more connected than you are to her. So I'm willing to give it a try if you are. )

[miscreant]

( You could. But I do not imagine it would be the pleasant experience you're searching for. )

[Seviilia half turns, in spite of the fact that she is using mental communication. Perhaps its just to distract herself, or perhaps she is trying to glance at whom she is addressing. By now, she's sure that the rest of the planet thinks they communicate using mostly gestures anyway.

She only knows Elena through the minds of others -- hearing her speak directly to her lets her put a name to the mental presence.]

( I've entertained the idea -- but I can't imagine many other mortals would be able to endure. And we don't want anyone getting suspicious. )

[otrazhenie]

( It's tempting to try, but not that tempting. )

[ Elena's still getting to know the majority of the Nest, most people nothing more than the base connection always present in her mind, brushes against her thoughts and costumed bodies playing along with the same charade as her. It's somewhat comforting to finally have more to identify another with than just that presence, especially as she's only just starting to get any sort of real handle on this new existence she's been thrown into. ]

( I miss the warmth of the sun, but I know it wouldn't be the same anyway. )

[redheadcarrier]

[ Logically, Asuka knows that Annie is right. She can't win every time. She shouldn't expect to win every time. But she still feels crushed when she fails. She still feels as if she's let down everyone around her. She's failed herself. And she's right back to being the worthless nothing that people tolerate. ]

I should be able to, though. I'm better than that!

[ Saying that doesn't mean it'll happen. And it sounds a touch petulant, but Asuka doesn't really know a better way to express it. She settles for letting her words do all the talking for her this time, choosing not to respond via the link.
Yet. ]

[sistershoggoth]

[ Ugh. Asuka's guilt and anxiousness hits Annie like a thunderstorm, stirring up resonance that she'd rather not share. Then again, when has she ever been any good at hiding it? She'd spent all their time on the Station harassing everyone she could her hands on to train, to prepare, because she couldn't stand the thought of not doing everything she possibly could to guarantee success. Not her own, maybe that's the difference. She'd fail a thousand times if it meant they all survived this. That wasn't the way it used to be, it all used to be about Annie and her success. Look where that's gotten her.

She rubs her mouth through the rough fabric of the hood, feeling the urge for a cigarette. Fighting it because she's in the middle of something here. ]

Nobody thinks any less of you right now, that shit's all in your head. You went out there and did it, more than I can say for myself.

[sistershoggoth]

[ She wants a cigarette. Cigarettes and coffee are what keep her from fucking everything up, she needs some distraction from the ache in her bones. Luckily, there are similar enough concoctions here, shit she'd gotten Kaji to try out for her before putting in her system because she's always terrified of what side effects this alien shit will have. It might be something she liked too much. ]

Most of them are fuckin' insensitive about that shit.

[ She says to no one at all. ]

And I'm not one to complain about fuckin' insensitivity too often.

[redheadcarrier]

I know about spears. Hunting is what I don't know about.

[ It's a minor miracle that she admits that much, honestly. But it's still worthwhile. She glances at Aloy, trying to get a sense for her behind all of the layers of cloth. She's offered to help and Asuka is reluctantly accepting it. Beyond that... there's some complicated emotional issues that she'll have to work through. ]

[redheadcarrier]

[ Of course they think less of her. If she's not succeeding, what good is she? Asuka's stuck halfway between believing that and wanting to discard it entirely. She's spent most of her life stuck in that headspace, though, and it's not easy to just discard it. Even if there are people trying to tell her that it (that she) matters. She shrugs, not sure what to say. She's not used to sharing feelings. The link has forced it on her and it's still hard, even with people encouraging her. She should be happier.

It's not that easy, though. ]

How do you know that?

[ Asuka's reply is surly. As if Annie needs to convince Asuka that she's not trash. ]

I wasn't good enough.

[sistershoggoth]

[ It's interesting how pervasive self-hate can be. Annie is certain she's the trashiest trash to ever be trash. She knows what she's done, even if sometimes she won't admit it out loud that she does. She's weak and cowardly, and that sure is a pathetic way for Earth's savior to behave. Sure was pathetic that Earth got its ass saved by a psychotic junkie. She bites at her lower lip. There's no one who can possibly hate themselves more than Annie does. That's just the way that emotion feels.

And she looks at Asuka and thinks... she can't even know. She can't even know how much worse things can get for you on the inside. Doesn't even know how much more disgust and suffering there is to go as the world shits on you, as you lose more and more loved ones, as the spark to keep fighting drains out of you and you have to keep going.

She bites at her lower lip, wearing at it. ]

This time, doesn't make it permanent. Maybe there isn't time now, but we can go over it again.

[ It makes her nauseous to say that, to enable Asuka's need for perfection but Annie doesn't know any better way to ease that ache either. She has it. She has it because she knows that every imperfection can let someone down, can let someone die. ]

We've got backup, this time. It's ok.

[shiro2hero]

[Well, that's a surprise. He shouldn't be surprised Annie is barging into his head during a competition again.]

(They're not actually dying.)

[shiro2hero]

It's fine.

[He's insisting. As usual. It's nothing. As long as he gets it wrapped up, there's probably nothing wrong. Not seriously, anyway.]

[Besides, if he's hurt, there might be other people who need it more than he does. People who are better suited to getting information for the mission. So he's fine.]

[Note to ask Seviilia later, though, if she knows this guy. She'd mentioned paladins too.]

[perroquet]

[ The other host insists, so Gildor nods and returns to focusing on the instrument. Once satisfied with the sound, he begins a soft song - the same one he played for Pidge earlier that day. Practice, practice, practice. ]

I can move to another tent if this is bothersome.

[ As a musician, he's used to people not liking the noise of practice. Like he said before, 'I don't mean to be a bother. I know I certainly can be...'

On top of that, he's not completely sure Bellamy dropped him off in the correct tent. It's his own fault thought - he'd just been so relieved to be away from the clamor and smell of the dining tents after his near-episode, he ducked into the nearest one. ]

[perroquet]

[ There's a returned smile under his veils at the applause and laugh, and at the smaller hand taking his. He can surely find his own way, but he doesn't mind Pidge as a guide either. The Carabauchian instrument is strung over his shoulder on it's strap, and he picks up his staff before standing and following wherever it is she wishes to take him. ]

(So basics first?)

[ Of course. If seeing through the symbiote is going to be like learning something completely new, he'll need the basics. Everyone around him just makes it seem so easy. ]

[sistershoggoth]

( We're just pretending they are, whatever. Whatever it takes to bring out your killer instinct, bruh! )

[perroquet]

[ He keeps twisting his staff into the ground, wringing it in clenched hands. He'd like to play his violin out in the open air about as much as Annie would like a cup of coffee, but he deemed it too dangerous after the one indulgence on the night of the dread feeling. The sound of it fills his thoughts in an attempt to distract the urges away, but he can't yet focus on a single remembered song, and that makes him frown under the veils. ]

I don't mind if others drink and enjoy themselves while I cannot. Although I did not realize how much harder it would to resist the urge while being... like this.

[ Cannot handle it, he means. Not anymore. And being connected. He's being cautious as ever with his words, though they appear to be alone. And though quiet, there is genuine gratitude behind his next words- ]

I'm very grateful for your sensitivity. I could've ruined everything back there, and hardly anyone else seemed to realize. I owe you, Annie.

[sistershoggoth]

It fucking sucks.

[ She answers him bluntly. It's not just a little harder, it was fucking unbearable feeling the waves of it comes off of those whose minds they were connected to. She's not going to dance around it. ]

Noctis won't drink. [ Not after they talked about Aoba's death, about suicide and how close to the surface her own desire to die was at all times. ] Grab him if I'm not around.

[ She gives Gildor a pat on the shoulder, rough, because she's trying not to be too sappy about this. But she knows that it's no small thing: falling back into the bottle after the long climb out. ]

[greentech]

[ She's headed off of the viewing stand, trying to find an area that's a bit more private. If they're going to practice this, they're going to need some space and not have people stumble on them and wonder what the Hell is going on. ]

( Basically. )

[ Pun intended, apparently. ]

( Uh, is there anything you'd want to start with? )