[mission: hyrypia] hey kid wanna see a dead body

[onemind]

CHARACTERS: EVERYONE
WHERE: The Second Flight
WHEN: DAY :021 - DAY :022
SUMMARY: Leaving the Graze and flying over the Finger Maze. [insert Psycho music cue here]
WARNINGS: Corpses. Will update as necessary. Need a warning added? PM this account please!

HYRYPIA - THE SECOND FLIGHT
DAY :021

I. ALLLL ABOARD
THE SOUND OF HORNS has become familiar in your time on Hyrypia, but the low drone seems out of place here in the great open space of the main hall of the Second’s Flight. The space here is fantastically and beautifully ornate, the pale polished wood floors and rich dark paneling strangely reminiscent of sand and stone, loamy earth and some rich, dense forest not native to the arid lands of this planet. The space seems to dare the sky to claim it, acting out some daring violation of delivering the earth into the heavens. The twin heads of House Tyrisson are equally lavish both in their appearance and welcome. Two brothers, draped in elaborate pastel fabrics and glinting with enough metal accents to put the ornate robes of Seconds to shame, they trade a short speech back and forth between them:

"Once, our ancestors would have travelled the depths and turns of the Finger Maze in an effort to follow the footsteps of the First. Luckily, we don't live in such dangerous times; the gifts of the First and this planet we call home have allowed us to grow up out of our desperation. Consider this comfort our gift to you and enjoy your time on the Second Flight."

A band strikes up the moment the Tyrisson twins take their seats and you are left to your own devices. So much for living simply.

II. A MURDER MOST FOUL
A SCREAM PIERCES THE SILENCE of the saunas. The low sound of gently flowing water and the soft piped music seems to fade to nothing in the wake of the raw, terrified noise. Unsurprisingly, it draws immediate attention as a horrified Descendant practically falls into the arms of the servant that comes to his aid. The outburst is easily forgiven as word travels like lightning through the ship.

There has been a murder - or rather, two murders. Two bodies, damp with humidity and beginning to give of a distinctly unpleasant smell, have been found in one of the hot bath grottos. The mineral water they've been soaking in has reverted from a milky white to a terrible, blood rust brown.

And while it's unlikely that any Carbauschians were sharing the pool with them (robes make for unpleasant waders), the dryer albeit stiflingly hot areas of the conjoined saunas are such a communal meeting places that it wouldn't be out of the realm of imagination that one or two Hosts might be nearby… Regardless, news travels quickly and the chilly atmosphere that descends over the Second Flight is palpable. A horrific hunting accident is one thing, but murder? That's something else altogether.


HYRYPIA - THE SECOND FLIGHT
DAY :022

III. A SORDID AFFAIR
TO SAY that the atmosphere is somewhat tense is an understatement. It seems that everyone has something to say about the murders- but these things are said tersely, in whispers under the breath, with darting eyes and suspicious glances, and security- once hidden, secret- is now easily visible. They can be found at the entrance of each of the broad areas, patrolling down the paths that run alongside the outer walls of the Envoy’s cabins- never intruding, but ever present. Still, there seems to be an insistence that it will be dealt with by a member of the Tyrisson protectorate guard - Detective Savela, a hard-nosed, serious woman who seems not to want any assistance - and that the guests should continue to enjoy themselves. The bands still play, the games are ever present. Of course, those that are enterprising may wish to try poking around, instead.

IV. THE SHOW MUST GO ON
MURDER SCHMURDER-- In what's very clearly an effort to retain some sense of normalcy, an elaborate meal is served late on Day :022. The dishes are so complex that might as well be show pieces of their own, the music has an air of desperation, and the display of technomancy from a pair of Seconds is so delicate and ornate - centering almost entirely on a cloud of small metal coins that shifts shape constantly to illustrate scenes from the famous epic poem The Arion throughout the course of the dinner - that under any other circumstances it might be a singularly memorable moment.

Unfortunately, the palpable sense of suspicion between the envoy factions persists and the temper of the room is anything but celebratory. Late in the evening when most people have retired from the stifling atmosphere, a scuffle breaks out between some Meradan bodyguards and a clutch of Carpathan servants.


HYRYPIA - THE SECOND’S FLIGHT
DAY :023

V. A FAREWELL TO ARMS
THE ENGINES ever-present hum ticking down an octave is the first sign that the Flight has almost reached its destination. By the time the servants are politely knocking on the entrances of the berthings, the new dawn reveals that the cliffs and the winding passages of the Finger Maze have finally fallen behind the ship. The land here consists of rocky, relatively bare hills and is accented only with occasional short, sparse woody tree and straggly clumps of red grass. From somewhere in the distance, salt touches the wind. The Second Flight lands, setting gently down into the trough between two hills. Its now familiar gangplank extends, ready to send the Pilgrims again out onto the road.

---

((OOC Notes: This log covers days :021 and :022 on the Second Flight. A log will be posted for the walk on DAY :023 and the arrival at the Red Coast. Please be sure to review the MISSION: HYRYPIA ooc information to find setting information for the Second Flight. 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 )

Comments

[earthborn]

( You want to argue about that some more or do you just want to play "I know something you don't know" again? I'm not playing twenty questions with you today, this is supposed to be business. )

[Shepard doesn't understand why Misato has to turn everything into a trial. She asked a question and it's clear that whatever Misato knows or doesn't know, she isn't interested in simply sharing it unless she wins somehow. And Shepard... she's just... tired. She turns away, crosses through the door, and continues back towards the chambers that had been designated for the Host's faction.]

( If you don't want to answer my damn question, just say so. Someone told me we were on the same side, after all. )

[wille]

[ Information has a cost, so does allegiance, and Misato for all her frankness knows how to set the price for what she wants. In this case, the guarantee of respect. She watches Shepard leave, but doesn't follow. ]

( It can be business when I know you won't call me crazy for telling you what I know. )

[earthborn]

( I never called you crazy. I spent twenty minutes trying to get a straight answer out of you and then asked you if the reason you were so reluctant to just tell me what was ultimately a pretty damn simple piece of intel was because you were injured. Last I checked, that's a separate condition from mental illness. )

[Shepard is not an inoffensive person, but even the worst situation can be made worse by poor expectations. She's not angry, not projecting her annoyance, just a quiet, blanket weariness with the situation. Misato's decided she called her crazy, so it seems that's the charge Shepard has to defend against.]

( It's clear you don't like me. Fair enough, I'm not exactly Miss Congeniality here, but I'm serious when I'm telling you that I'm not willing to spend a lot of time going back and forth with you when you've decided that personal grudges are more important than operating security. )

[Real respect is not a function of capitalism, but can be earned only on its own terms. It must be mutual, and there are no gaurantees. By asking at all, Shepard offered Misato the opportunity to regain some measure of her respect, or at least her trust. But she's not going to offer her hand to be bitten more than once in a day.]

( If whatever you know is genuinely important, I'm sure you'll tell someone. I'll have to get the big secret from them. )

[wille]

( Different words, same intent. )

[ Concussion. Crazy. Hysterical. What else? The point of the matter is the invalidation of the information she brought forward. Misato has no interest in playing doormat to Shepard's stomping feet. ]

( Offer's going once. Twice. )

[earthborn]

[Shepard heaves a heavy, thick-shouldered sigh, and for just a moment doesn't care if Misato sees her weakness, feels the deep, persistent pain in her eyes, the pressure and heat of her cybernetics, the annoying combination of bone-tired and anxious energy that's been plaguing her ever since her impromptu revival from the dead. The information is important now, maybe. Maybe. But more important is what Misato will do in the future. And if the only way she's going to do her goddamn job is if Shepard licks her ass, well fine.]

( What do you want from me, Misato )

[wille]

[ Something asked for loses a fraction of its value. An apology, gratitude, a gift. It's all the same. Misato knows this and knows, also, that a gesture can herald intent. Like saying one will do something and then feeling the compulsion to do so. One can hope. Besides, the victorious smirk she wears must be palpable in her mind. And that may already be worth the venture. ]

( An apology. And a promise that you will never ever call me crazy again, in whatever form. )

[earthborn]

( If we're gonna make this is about economics, I'm not trading a perpetuity in exchange for one-and-done. Assuming that's what you're suggesting here. )

[Unspoken, unthought, but not without some small intent, the message: you must think I'm crazy, if you think I'd take a deal like that one. Colloquialism at its finest.]

( But I am sorry. For what it's worth. )

[And that much is genuine. Maybe she's not sorry for sake of all the better angels of her nature, whatever those might be, but she is sorry.]

[wille]

[ Fair and diplomatic dealmaking has never been her forte, when she would rather propose her one alternative as an offer that the other party simply can't refuse. Read: strongarm her opponents into submission. She thinks on this point, at least, they are agreed. As for the apology: ]

( We'll see how much it's worth. )

[ The value to be dictated by any relapses or lack thereof. But enough of that. ]

( We found those two plotting against Saridian Black's interests, with one of them, the farana, even saying she'd be killed if Black found out she's here. Annie and I, we rigged up a thing to send a note to Black to rat them out. )