onemind: (Default)
THE N E S T ([personal profile] onemind) wrote in [community profile] station722017-08-23 07:57 pm

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

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.))







ryohji: (27)

[personal profile] ryohji 2017-09-10 07:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Laws rarely correspond to logic. And, adults don't appreciate the idea of getting upstaged by a child.

[ difficult as it is, kaji succeeds in avoiding any changes to his tone. that was his tactful and politic answer. fighting angels was one thing, self-contained incidents that began with klaxons and ended with a deluge of blood, but the thought of asuka on the road, accountable to often purposeless traffic laws, without a crisis looming... some thoughts were just too terrible to contemplate.

it didn't matter anymore. kaji wonders if it ever will.
]

I've been known to swing by here and there, [ like comet viewings, these events were widely known but no less rare or isolated. ] without special reason. So, I'd appreciate if you'd drop the suspicion.
sistershoggoth: (pic#8730488)

[personal profile] sistershoggoth 2017-09-10 09:17 pm (UTC)(link)
( Or we can keep playing roulette on every planet, whatever. Why would we ever try to prep for known issues beforehand, that'd just make too much fuckin' sense. No wonder you fuckin' idiots ignore it every time someone tries to get us all on the same page. )
shiro2hero: (all right i'll stop and ask directions)

[personal profile] shiro2hero 2017-09-10 11:50 pm (UTC)(link)
[He pulls his mount to a halt at that. Because... she has a point.]

(You're right. I get what you're saying.)

(I don't think we actually have any of that here, specifically... but -- bringing food supplies with us on missions isn't a bad idea at all.)
sistershoggoth: (pbsbyariel_eriko130)

[personal profile] sistershoggoth 2017-09-11 01:10 am (UTC)(link)
( Hold that thought, killer, guess we better survive this bullshit first then put in a food goo order with our alien nannies. )
redheadcarrier: (ok lets go)

[personal profile] redheadcarrier 2017-09-11 01:50 am (UTC)(link)
Every time I do, I feel like-

[ She doesn't know why she feels comfortable expressing this to Annie. ]

-I'm just digging deeper into this hole.

[ It hurts. Every time she makes a mistake she feels as if the ground should swallow her. Every little error is grounds for self-hatred. It's horrible and even knowing she shouldn't let that happen doesn't really curb it. Her brain does it for her.

She doesn't know how to process Annie's offer. It's weird and she doesn't want to accept it, doesn't want to acknowledge it. But it's just hovering there and she doesn't know whether to shove it back in Annie's face or not.
]

( ...what the Hell could you actually do? )

[ That's... kind of neutral. ]
redheadcarrier: (ok lets go)

[personal profile] redheadcarrier 2017-09-11 02:00 am (UTC)(link)
I'm fine.

[ She's brusque and a bit blunt, but that's how she normally is, these days. The happy-go-lucky Asuka doesn't come out all that often anymore. She rolls her shoulders in a shrug. ]

I just - I didn't do well. I failed.

[ She sounds sort of upset about that, maybe for good reason. ]

I should've been better.
redheadcarrier: (Monochrome phone.)

[personal profile] redheadcarrier 2017-09-11 02:12 am (UTC)(link)
You never seemed to care that much before.

[ It's direct and blunt and she sends that spinning straight at him, because there's nothing here to stop her from doing so. There's no structure, there's no fear that Kaji might leave her, because she knows that he's already made his choice. She's already lost him once. Never had him in the first place. So why bother trying to appease him anymore?

Even if he does make her happy.

It's complicated.
]

Adults always want something. [ The cheerfulness had been relatively genuine. Now it's falling away. ]
sistershoggoth: (pic#10136189)

[personal profile] sistershoggoth 2017-09-11 02:20 am (UTC)(link)
( That's the question, huh. What the fuck would you let me do for you? )

[ She spreads her hands, palms up. A gesture of inquiry, and passivity. ]

( You don't gotta know right now. Just think about it. )

[ And true to this concept, she doesn't try to push mentally at Asuka, leaving the girl to her own mind, her own decisions. ]

We'll just have to find some dirt to fill that hole back in with.

[ Something that did make her feel strong, accomplished. How else did you fight back against that? Annie doesn't fucking know, if she did she wouldn't be half the miserable fuck she is. She'd love to tell Asuka something about not dwelling on her failures, about brushing herself off, but that'd just be more hypocrisy. Where the fuck is Noctis? He'd know what to tell her to make her feel better. He was better at this shit. ]
huntsmachines: (Run)

[personal profile] huntsmachines 2017-09-11 02:36 am (UTC)(link)
[ Aloy laughed. Eager, wasn't she? It's not that simple, of course, and Aloy is going to show Asuka exactly that. She hefted her spear in her hand. ]

Very hard, actually. Though in this case we're hunting machines, which can be just as tricky. Mount up.

[ Suiting actions to words, she swings herself onto her Elin. ]
huntsmachines: (flutter by)

[personal profile] huntsmachines 2017-09-11 02:38 am (UTC)(link)
( I will. Is there anything else you need while I'm here? Or should I focus on what you've already given me? )

[ Aloy is settling back into being business-like. It's easier now that the argument isn't hanging over her head and she can focus a bit better. There are things to do. That's the important part. ]
shiro2hero: (hahaha im ten seconds from snapping)

[personal profile] shiro2hero 2017-09-11 04:30 am (UTC)(link)
(Can we... use literally any other nickname?)

(Please.)
sistershoggoth: (pic#10136222)

[personal profile] sistershoggoth 2017-09-11 05:05 pm (UTC)(link)
( Brainstorming time! Food slurry. Dehydrated gunk. Nutrition slime? )
adamance: (i am a commander of cool people)

[personal profile] adamance 2017-09-11 06:25 pm (UTC)(link)
( Focus on that now, and take note of which of their warriors are the strongest while you compete. We'll need to know that moving forward. )

[That last bit is all about comparing notes. They may perceive different things from whatever angle they take.]
otrazhenie: (175)

elena >> ota

[personal profile] otrazhenie 2017-09-11 06:30 pm (UTC)(link)
iii. the aftermath
[ Elena was only a spectator for the day's activities, enjoying the competitions and cheering on those she knew who participated. She'd actually had a bit of fun, surprisingly, enough to get her out of her own head for a few minutes now and then, allowing her to forget for a little while. Forget the constant disgust she feels from Lakshmi, the strangeness of the symbiote connection in her mind, the constant hunger gnawing away at her strength. Those brief moments of reprieve are miraculous and treasured.

It's impossible to forget any of it during the festivities after the challenges. Elena settles herself at one of the tables, sipping at the alcohol and hardly touching the provided food, everything paling in comparison to what she really wants. Blood. Her broodmates are bound to feel that profound craving, possibly even some of the others in the Nest as the night wears on and she leaves the table to mingle among the others.

The coppery tang of blood is on the back of her tongue as she breathes in the scent of those around her, hears it rushing beneath their skin, and as much as she wants to run from the crowd and seek solace away from temptation, she knows she has to stand her ground. It's better to learn how to be around others now than risk 'accidents' occurring later because she's too weak to resist the urge to feed on everything in sight. ]
ryohji: (pic#10951793)

[personal profile] ryohji 2017-09-11 09:45 pm (UTC)(link)
People show their care in many ways.

[ she throws and finds her aim hitching, because while the accusation spins straight it does so straight over his head for all his reaction shows for it. for example, people can show their care with distance. and kaji would argue that distance was the best care he could offer her, given the nature of their relationship and the illusions she held concerning it.

he hopes, that they could now talk about those illusions as something of the past. something held then abandoned, like a parting hug before boarding a plane. like old love.
]

That may be true, but the same can be said for children. The relationships between people are inherently reciprocal. There's nothing wrong with that, provided there's a fair give and take.

[ look at him talk, as if his own relationships came close to making the grade. but frankly, there was not a single thing he wanted from asuka. ergo, the distance. ergo, her suspicion. ergo, his need to justify it with axoims. ]
perroquet: (07 notice)

[personal profile] perroquet 2017-09-12 12:16 am (UTC)(link)
[ Self-pity and blaming others isn't something he likes to wallow in. Not anymore at least, not since he finally gave up the bottle. But commiserating with her like this - it feels nice. ]

You're right. [ He clears his throat, as if preparing his pallet for the unsavory thing he's about to agree with. The words that form with his pompous accent and proper delivery are almost comical- ] It fucking sucks.

[ The pat to his back startles him just a bit in it's roughness, but understanding soon follows it. They aren't going to be sad-sacks about this. Trade advice, trade stories maybe, lighten the tension. That is all. ]

Mr. Caelum. I met him once before. Good man, and a believer in magic.

[ A few seconds tick by, his anxiety slowly easing with the time. It emboldens him to ask- ] How long did it take you?

[ To climb out. ]
perroquet: (07 notice)

[personal profile] perroquet 2017-09-12 12:34 am (UTC)(link)
[ He allows himself to be steered, at least until they both stumble outside. The cool night air is sobering, even when breathed through the veils covering his nose and mouth. It's less stuffy and clear from the smell of that accursed drink. He frees himself from Bellamy's grip and staggers forward a bit further, stopping to breathe in a few deep breaths and lean heavily on his staff. ]

What? Oh-

[ The imageless moving picture of the ground, of Bellamy nearby, of the tent and the activity still inside - he wraps it all back up in the darkness of his mind, effectively hiding it away from the other host's senses. It's not a wall, he doesn't like walls - at least, none like the other hosts have.

As his mind settles back to all encompassing darkness, Gildor pulls himself up on his staff to stand straighter. He breathes out a long sigh and turns his head over his shoulder towards Bellamy. ]


The craving... yes, that will pass. I'm so sorry to have troubled you... thank you again.
perroquet: (07 notice)

[personal profile] perroquet 2017-09-12 01:22 am (UTC)(link)
[ Gildor is already open to trying whatever it is Pidge would like to try, but this - it isn't like 'seeing' the mechanical Elin in their shared mind's eye, with touch and sound and smell and drow-sense to back up his understanding of it's shape and form. This flows into him like a creeping fog, leaving no other sense but his own thoughts to comprehend it. It clears away the black and shades of grey his mind is so used to and blankets it in something entirely new. His breath hitches and grows soft- ]

This is-

[ Though he still holds onto Pidge's hand, his legs have stopped moving. The dark shadow of his mental presence is turning green and Gildor is struggling to process it. It is nature, it is the smell of trees after rain, the feeling of grass underfoot, and it is - as he was told - life itself. His reaction quickly turns emotional, and music swells in their shared thoughts. Soft, stirring, flourishing - like the life this new sensation, this color represents. Music is the easiest way for him to make sense of it, yet there is still little sense to it, so he remains overcome with beauty and joy - so much that after a just a moment he's struggling to remain standing, knees weak and head hunched. He's leaning heavily on his staff to remain upright. ]

(This is... green? Oh it's... it's beautiful! What in the world... and you live with this around you every day?!)
shiro2hero: (really really tingling)

[personal profile] shiro2hero 2017-09-12 02:25 am (UTC)(link)
(Are you okay?)

[He's one to ask. He's the one who wrapped up a cracked arm in a spare disguised and carried on like nothing was even wrong. But he'd been worried about her. Since their first meeting, since this... thing... with Rani and Sam. It's hard not to notice her holding herself apart.]

[Or how she pushes away from the crowd.]

[Of course, he's going to follow. Keeping his own pain (physical, only physical now) under tight wraps.]
deployed: (058)

[personal profile] deployed 2017-09-12 02:33 am (UTC)(link)
[ Asuka isn't expressing anything Bellamy hasn't felt himself. It's something he'd felt as he'd slid off his own Elin, empty-handed and faintly frustrated. He shakes his head. ]

I didn't catch anything either.

[ Coming close didn't cut it in this competition. Bellamy doesn't bother appealing to the idea of near-misses. ]

But some of our people didn't fail. That still keeps us in the running, Asuka.

[ He can't blame her for feeling responsible. Bellamy doesn't know if Asuka feels the same crushing urgency towards this mission that he does. But he senses that she'd like to suceed one way or another, despite how flippantly she'd taken to Misato's suggestion of destruction. ]
sistershoggoth: (pic#11186167)

cw: particularly explicit addiction stuffs

[personal profile] sistershoggoth 2017-09-12 03:46 am (UTC)(link)
[ She says nothing for a long moment. ]

Started doing drugs when I was thirteen. It was shit I stole out of the nurses office. She started it. I went fucking bonko and tried to smash my own head in on a sink, so they medicated me and I didn't want to be un-fucking-medicated. So I'd steal the shit from her, and she didn't fuckin' care, and then I found the harder stuff and then I added the booze and it was great. I didn't have to feel a fucking thing. No stress, no loneliness, no longing, no exhaustion, nothin'. And people let me be that way, as long as I passed my tests and killed who I was told to.

And then I'm twenty, and another alien shows up. And he and Sparrows start screaming at each other, day in and day out. Then the kids start to go missing, the really little creche kids that nobody's paying attention to. And I shrug it off. Then they start blowing up cities, because killing us one by one under the knife is too small scale for these alien scumsuckers.

And then people start tracking it, pathos people like us, they figure out who's doing it and they get together and they march on our school thinking they're just gonna kill some bad guys and be done with it. Kill a whole bunch of school girls first, and then get themselves killed because they didn't realize the aliens they were trying to fight were too fuckin' big for them to manage.

And I'm standing there, surrounded by dead kids in this trashed mansion, watching these people I don't know get smacked out of the fucking sky, their blood raining down on me.

[ She doesn't bother to narrate this for many people. Noctis knows. That's it, and she's only ever shared the memories, not the words. But she was asked a very specific question, so she's answering. ]

And I just think it isn't fair. That those alien fucks are so damn big, trampling on this little world. Just. What the fuck. There needs to be someone big enough to stand up to them. And I realize it's me.

[ She tugs the neck of her costume open, pulling it down to show the tip of the scar that goes from the middle of her ribs up to her collarbones. ]

It used to be open. Used to be a portal somewhere else. But I turned it inside out, beat the shit out of them, and then woke up later like this.

And I haven't been able to... go back.

[ To the drugs. To the drinking. ]

There's so much that hurts. If I tried to-- If I tried to make it numb, I'd kill myself trying.
redheadcarrier: (Silent misery.)

[personal profile] redheadcarrier 2017-09-12 03:58 am (UTC)(link)
[ Asuka's silent, gaze fixed on the ground between her feet. Can she let someone do something for her? Does she want that? Doesn't that just make her weak? Those horrible, clawing thoughts are always there, trying to drag her down. Telling her that to accept help is wrong. It makes her weak. It makes her nothing more than a child. She needs to be by herself so people can't hurt her - but she hates being alone. She fears it. She's almost become better at letting people in. Litttle by little, since she's arrived, she's been able to inch toward some sort of understanding.

But it still hurts and it's still hard and she still doesn't know what's right and what's wrong.
]

You make it sound so easy.

[ There's resentment and anger there. There's hurt. She wants to throw up walls and force Annie to push through them. To prove she cares. And she wants to run, because she can't deal with the thought of something like this being genuine. ]
redheadcarrier: (Fingers on the screen.)

[personal profile] redheadcarrier 2017-09-12 04:05 am (UTC)(link)
[ Asuka rolls her eyes, although there's a touch of affection to it. She scrambles onto her Elin with a few deft moments and settles herself into her saddle with a low snort. ]

Right, right. Let's get moving - I've got a competition to win later.

[ Which probably won't go nearly as well as Asuka would like. ]
sistershoggoth: (pic#8730527)

[personal profile] sistershoggoth 2017-09-12 04:16 am (UTC)(link)
It's not. But you gotta start somewhere.

[ A tired aphorism, but true all the same. You got nowhere if you did not begin the journey. ]
shiro2hero: (22 seems excessive)

[personal profile] shiro2hero 2017-09-12 04:21 am (UTC)(link)
(What?)

(Oh, no, that's fine. I don't care what you call the food goo.)

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