station72 | [mission: hyrypia] then the holy paths we'll travel strew'd with rubies thick as gravel

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[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.))

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

( CODE BY WHAMBAM )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ She has to remind herself that not everyone here has been through Vampires 101. It's hard to even imagine, with how integral it was to her life even before she turned. ]

( It's something vampires can do - well, ones like me and Damon, anyway. If you had a little of my blood, it would heal you in seconds. )

[There's. Something like a mental three car pileup. Like what Pidge had experienced. A record scratch.]

[He stops, and just kind of looks at her, incredulous.]

(Your... blood?)

[ It's okay, Shiro, she understands completely. It sounds like something out of a weird 1980's horror movie, the kind she and Jer had watched late at night on the weekends when their parents thought were out at some function. The ones that were more funny than scary, looking back. ]

( I know, it sounds weird and gross, but it's perfectly safe. When I was human, I had vampire blood dozens of times when I was hurt. )

[He shakes his head slightly. It's bizarre, yes. It's like something out of fantasy. Sort of like most of their lives anymore. But -- wouldn't that hurt her? Wouldn't she have to hurt herself for this?]

(I... don't know. It's not life-threatening.)

[ She really sucks at this explaining vampires thing. If she were thinking things through, she'd have mentioned that she heals fast herself too, but nope, it hasn't come up yet. Good job, Elena. ]

( But we don't know what tomorrow will bring. What if the Enemy attacks and you need both arms tomorrow? )

[ She's trying to be logical, and to help. That fact will come through loud and clear in her thoughts, her emotions, her need to help him if she can. To help anyone and make something good from this fate she didn't ask for. ]

[He's quiet for a while. The whole point of him wrapping his arm was that no one would worry like this. No one would have to try and look after him. He could handle this.]

[But she has a point. Even if he would fight with one broken arm. He would do his best to take on the Enemy... but he wouldn't be at his best.]

(You sound like Sam when you say that. Did you know?)

[... even if she didn't say that, the need to help is loud and clear. How can he say no to those kinds of thoughts?]

[ Oh Shiro. People will always worry when the ones they care about are hurt, there's no way around that. Sometimes you just have to grin and bear it, and do whatever you have to in order to help them worry less. She's learned that the hard way. ]

( I know how much Sam means to you -- so do I get to take that as a compliment? )

[He knows they'll worry. He does. But that hardly means he wants them to. He doesn't want the people he cares for to worry so much over him. What if he isn't worth it?]

[What if what's been done to him means he's not worth their concern. Their affection.]

(Yeah. Go for it.)

[ Whether he thinks himself worth it or not, they're still going to care, and they'll shower that affection on him whenever they have the chance. He really doesn't have a say in the matter. ]

( Let's go to one of our tents. It'll be easier there. )

[ And he'll have a few more minutes to change his mind if he wants to. ]

[That's the problem. He just doesn't know. There's no way he could ever know, unless he gets his memories back. And even then... does he really want to know?]

(Yeah. All right.)

[He'll follow her.]

[ If it ever comes up in conversation, Elena will be fully of the mind that it doesn't matter what a person did in their past life. This life, here and now, that they're living together - the choices made now are the ones that count. They're the only ones that should be judged.

She leads him into the tent their group has settled into, which is thankfully empty, and gestures to one of the cots before moving to take off her veils and gloves. ]

( Have a seat and get comfortable. )

[ And then, after a pause ]

( You sure you're okay with this? You can say no. )

[He trails calmly enough after her, his head bowed slightly. But still doing his best to look the part of the big, scary bodyguard. He currenly doesn't know where Elena falls on their masquerade -- nobility or not -- and it doesn't matter.]

[Ducking into the tent after her has him switching to speaking aloud, instead, though it's quiet. It's the first time he's actually looked at her face. Instead of seeing her in her mind's eye. And he's following suit, peeling the veils off with metal fingers.]

I guess I'm just having a hard time thinking you should risk this for me. What if someone needs your help tomorrow, instead?

[Maybe it's wrong to turn it back on her. But if she injures herself and they need her... if she hurts herself for his sake? And someone else needs her...]

[ It's so strange to realize this is the first time she's seen him properly. He looks exactly like how he'd been pictured in her mind, of course, but there's something about him that can only be seen in person. Perhaps they're all like that, even her -- though she has to wonder if half the time she shows others what she looks like, what they really get is Katherine...

She watches him carefully, looking for any sign that he needs help, and gives only the slightest frown at the sight of his hands. Not in judgement, just eternal concern for the health and well-being of someone she cares about. ]

There's no risk to me, Shiro. I guess I should have mentioned that before -- I heal faster than humans. If I bite my wrist to give you my blood, it'll heal in seconds, and all you need is a mouthful or two. It'll be fine if we do this, I promise.

[Maybe it's the lines under his eyes. Those are something he doesn't usually project. If only because he forgets they're even there half the time. The exhausted expression he's worn for months on end. One hand, slowly exposed with the use of his teeth and determination, is metal. From bicep to fingertip. The other is wrapped in strips of pink cloth, the flesh and bone fingers held stiffly.]

[She looks younger than he'd thought. Somehow more vulnerable than he'd thought, despite how he knows she's fighting. How he knows she's strong enough to get through this.]

It means a lot to you, to be able to do this, doesn't it?

[ He looks as tired as she feels, an emotional exhaustion clinging to her and making everything seem... heavier. Harder. But that's to be expected after the last few weeks, isn't it?

His words take her by surprise; she hadn't thought it that obvious, but then her shielding is awful from the hunger gnawing away at her. He's read her like an open book and there's no hiding that yes, it means a lot to her, but that's not important right now. She looks down at her hands, at how small they seem among all the fabric of her costume, and she doesn't look back at him as she begins to tug her sleeves up. ]

This isn't about me.

It is. A little.

[He knows, very much, those words don't make sense. It shouldn't make sense to need to get yourself medical attention for someone else's sake. If it were just a matter of getting a splint or a cast, it would be nothing. If they had the tech here they did in the Castle, it wouldn't matter. If it were simple like that, he wouldn't have hesitated.]

[This is someone else. Extending their hand, their literal blood for his own foolishness.]

[Maybe it's guilt, more than anything, keeping him from agreeing. The same reason he would hate to go to Sam with something this simple.]

I believe you, that it won't hurt you. And I trust you. [Metal fingers extend, reaching out to cover her hands where they pull and tug at fabric. Part of him still wants to pull away when others see the arm, but she gets a pass. They're alike, aren't they? In this.] You ever feel bad about someone pulling out the stops to clean up a mess you made?

It's... a little like that, I think.

[But if she needs this, too, then... well, it's different, isn't it?]

[ Oh Shiro. You have no idea. She moves one hand on top of his, not minding the metal in the slightest and only wondering what had happened to him. There's a bit of concern there, but it mingles in with all the rest as she nods at his words. ]

I understand what you mean, trust me. I have... a habit of running into things headfirst. [ And boy it is difficult to admit. ] My plans don't always work out, and it seems like someone's always having to save me.

[ Of course, part of that might be because someone's always trying to kill her, but that's a bit beside the point right now. ]

[When she says it like that, he's reminded of his teammates. Of Keith, specifically. A flash of red in his mind, sharp focused, fondness. Enough to garner the flicker of a smile at the corner of his mouth.]

I know a few people like that, to be honest. I've stopped holding it against them.

[It's meant to be reassuring. As is the careful squeeze of his hand on hers.] It's important to you that this does, isn't it?

[ Despite that silence that follows, there's no hiding her answer to his question. It means more to her than she has a right for it to -- it's not fair to put him in this position and she knows that. And yet there's a part of her that isn't sorry for manipulating him (even without realizing) into accepting her offer. ]

...yes. I need for there to be something good about what I am.

[I need for there to be something good about what I am.]

[The response in his mind is so sudden, so strong, it's almost painful. That hard, sudden jolt of understanding. That he knows what she means. He knows. Understands.]

[How you would do anything, give anything, to know there was still something human and salvageable about what They made you into.]

All right.

[As long as it helps her... As long as it makes someone feel less like a monster.]

[ This isn't how she wanted it to happen. She didn't want to basically guilt him into accepting her help, it seems wrong, but also somehow... worth it. At least he'll be in one whole piece after this. That's important to her too. ]

All right.

[ It's an echo of confirmation as she extracts her hands from his and gestures to one of the cots. There's no hiding the wave of gratitude cascading from her. ]

You should sit, it'll be easier to reach.

[There's definitely a part of him that wonders if he's doing the right thing here. If they should wait. Talk to someone else about this. See if there's another way. But... it's so important to her.]

[It has to be the right thing.]

[So he stands, when she asks, moving to sit on the edge of the cot, expectantly. Hey, at least he can follow direction.]

[ Waiting would just have him in pain and discomfort for longer than is necessary, which she wouldn't hesitate to point out. She can heal him now, so why wait. But he doesn't say anything and so she nods, mostly to herself, and steps over to stand beside him.

For a moment, she wonders whether she should hide this from him, the beginning of this process. Hide the physical signs of her vampirism from him for just a little while longer. But she trust's Shiro and... if he thinks of her as monstrous after this, then she'll know it's really true.

A deep breath, and then she lifts her bare left wrist up to her mouth. The veins under her eyes blacken, the whites of her eyes clouding with red, and her teeth sharpen enough that when she bites into her wrist, the skin breaks easily. It still hurts, but it's worth a little pain. Blood wells up at the surface of the wound as she holds her wrist out to him, level with his mouth but not forcing it up in him. ]

I'm sorry if it's gross, but you won't need much. Two mouthfuls will probably be enough.

Elena... I -- If something happens. It isn't your fault.

[He probably should have said so before they started this. But it belatedly occurs to him. It belatedly dawns on him he should warn her. He's feeling the fragility, the hope, coming off her. That's what sparks it. If the... blood... triggers anything in his head, she has to know it isn't her fault.]

[Something is broken in his head. Not hers. She shouldn't suffer because of what he can't fix.]

[When she lifts her hand to her mouth, he's struck by how alien the entire process is. Alien like Allura's shape-changing. Or the way the Balemerans communicate with their world. It isn't as... horrifying as he'd expected, from her trepidation. Otherworldly. Bizarre.]

[But maybe he's been around too many aliens to be completely appalled by this.]

[--on the other hand, he's glad he warned her. It isn't long before the smell of blood hits him, and, for a second, the world turns to hot lights and sand. A line of pain scored deeply across his face, the blood of it sticky and blocking his mouth and nose and --]

Right.

Okay.

[Focus. And lean forward. Hesitantly touching his mouth to her wrist in a gesture that feels entirely too intimate for what it is.]

[ If something happens. She's almost afraid to ask what he means by that, what he thinks might possibly happen. There's so much she doesn't know about Shiro, she realizes, but it's never mattered before. It doesn't really matter now, except that she can't comfort him over that warning without understanding it first. Nothing's going to happen, Shiro--

Except there's something, a brief shift in his world that's gone before she can grasp and make sense of it. There's an instinctive knowledge in her that it's something important, but so is this moment, right here and now. He needs to drink so he can be healed; they can deal with everything else later. ]

It's okay, Shiro. You're gonna be okay. Just drink.

[ That determination is strong, unshakeable. She's standing her ground and he won't be able to fight that stubbornness in her. ]

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

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