[mission: hyrypia] big, but not coarse - merely on another scale

[onemind]

CHARACTERS: Everyone
WHERE: The Red Coast
WHEN: DAY :036 - DAY :037
SUMMARY: A multiverse away, new hatches wake on the Station. On Hyrypia, the Garstall hunt begins in earnest - and wraps up with terrible consequences.
WARNINGS: Animal hunting and slaughter, death, Bad Times at Ridgemont High. Need something added? PM the mod account!

STATION 72
DAY :036

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

You find yourself lying in a small, hexagonal chamber with a gentle light emanating from its walls. If you were injured during your escape, you're now 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 until you disconnect the IV running from the base of your neck to the chamber wall.

Then 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. Some of these emotions might be yours, but they can't all be.

Eventually you find your way out of the pod, having found whatever belongings you brought with you and a change of crisp white clothes in a cubby near your feet. Once you descend to the Nesting Deck, you’ll find you’re not alone. There are a handful others very like you here, all of them somehow intimately familiar.

Welcome to Station 72. Beyond this room, the vast Station is quiet and still. It feels for all the world like a shell for some vast dark thing.

EXPLORE the strange environment you've found yourself in. The Station seems to be both infinitely vast and strangely small. It's possible to wander along halls and through chambers for hours, only to turn a corner and find yourself in a place you've already been because your mind happened to think of it.

PREPARE for what's to come. Not long after your arrival, a pair of aliens arrive in a dark ship bearings mission kits for everyone. Get changed into your disguises, brush up on your mission briefing, and ask what questions you have while you can. It isn't long before you're loaded onto the ship and leave the Station behind.

HYRYPIA - THE RED COAST
DAY :036

A CALLING
A FAMILIAR FEELING to those that know it is sign enough that the elder hosts must depart to fetch whoever it is remains on the station. But this time, it's not just two of them that strike out under the cover of night. Instead, all four of them make their way from Whalsome House.

( We will not be gone long. ) Collector’s voice is a cheerful lilt in their minds as she gathers a book in hand. ( Try to have only pleasant stories for me, when we return. )

And with that Rhan, The Collector, Siva'co and Lyr are gone. They take with them the comatose Hosts and leave the rest to their own devices.



HYRYPIA - THE RED COAST
DAY :037

THE HUNT
DAWN BREAKS over a coastline already bustling with activity. The day has finally come to take those long boats out beyond the shallows and hunt the massive serpent-like Garstall in earnest. A familiar horn is blown and anyone who wishes to participate files down onto the beach and is divided into groups, a dozen or two people for each boat. There's a celebratory air to the whole affair, a true pleasure in taking the boats out into the sea. For all that the Barithian Hunt was anxious and quiet and tense, this is is a day of laughter and shouting and singing rowing songs as the boats slash their way through the open water toward the massive creatures roiling through the deeper water off the coast.

SHORT HANDED might not be the first thought that comes to mind on the bustling ships, but at some point during the hunt it becomes clear that Keya isn't present despite the fact that she's been attending every training session. Should anyone ask, one of the Descendants confesses that Keya skipped the hunt because Shee Naraxa secured a meeting between her and the heads of House Tyrisson concerning "her peace talk idea." The news seems to surprise one of the other Descendants; while it’s difficult to read her expression, it’s clear this is not what she expected to hear. She remains tense for the remainder of the voyage.

FINDING THE GARSTALL is simple enough for the experienced sailors of the Red Coast. They look for signs where the water’s color is more pronounced and where the waves seem to stir in unusual directions. They direct those who have less to do with controlling the fickle vessels to keeping a weather eye out for these signs, and to let out a cry when they spot them. Once a Garstall is spotted, all the nearby boats must rally together to take it.

ONCE SPOTTED what had been a pleasant but almost routine sail becomes something far different. Orders and directions are shouted down the lengths of the vessels. Hunters are armed and those in charge of ballast set to their stations.

The boats maneuver incredibly well for their size, their narrowness slashing through the sea to close on the Garstall that has risen near the surface. The beast is huge - larger than any single boat. It's like a great tree come to life, a twisting trunk of a body in the waves. The ships cut in separate directions, and when the signal horn sounds then the hunt truly begins. Hunters begin to hurl harpoons into the waves, aiming for the Garstall's sinuous body.

When the harpoons find their target, the whole boat shudders and tips. There's shouting and some laughter, the eager deck hands compensating for the drag of the beast by sliding weight across the deck to the opposite side of the boat. On one of the boats, a line snaps and sends the ship springing back the opposite direction - several of the sailors thrown into the water even as the hunters lose their footing. On another boat they fail to slide the ballast quickly enough and the Garstall wrenches them forward as it attempts to dive, leaving the other two boats attached to the beast attempting to compensate. On still another boat, they subdue a smaller beast much more easily. Sailors line the boat's side as one of the crewmen slides down the harpoon line, knife in hand to finish the job.

It’s a chaotic experience - but a successful one.

RAISE A BLADE, RAISE A GLASS
IN THE AFTERMATH of the successful hunt, the Garstall's massive carcasses are dredged up into the shallows. It's hot work to beach the massive animal. Once it's in the foaming purple surf, the most delicate parts of it must be stripped from the carcass before they can rot. The harvesting of the fat under the Garstall's heavy plates can wait, but the exposed flesh must be stripped promptly to avoid rot. Luckily, this work is done under the guise of celebration and the result is half slaughter and half bonfire beach party as night falls over the Red Coast.

BUTCHERY might not be the right work for everyone, but the locals leading the task are good natured and encouraging.

FEASTING on the sweet meat of the Garstall is a given. Huge slabs of meat are roasted over equally massive fires as the work is completed. Drinks are passed around. Music is played. Fashionably late, the heads of Tyrisson House come down for their manor (for a split second in the company of Shee Naraxa before she peels away to join the rest of the Descendants) to give another cheerful speech. The work is hard but rewarding, and for a moment the tenor of this place is so very good.

A DREADFUL DISCOVERY
BUT A MONSTER IS HUNTING and just after the speech, a horrifying sense of dread grips the Hosts. It's sickening - a vomiting, visceral wrongness that reaches out of the universe and finds the symbiote and the Host mind and sinks its hooks there exactly as it did that night on the road from Naerstone. Should anyone follow that dreadful sensation, they'll find themselves in the twisted orchard near Tyrisson House, mist clinging low to the ground in the chilling evening, lit only by a pale moon. What waits for them there is a pitch black circle scorched into the loamy earth - so exact and so precisely like the one discovered so many days earlier. And near this perfect circle: the broken body of Keya, her throat split open and blood still wet on the ground.


NEW FRIENDS (OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES)
NEWS OF THE MURDER SPREADS and all the envoys are encouraged to return to their quarters for their safety while those in the employ of Tyrisson house secure the area-- encouragement which turns to insistence until all the members of the Envoys have returned their respective housing. Lights are lit in every courtyard and at every corner. Tension runs high. During this time, as the Hosts wait in their own row of Whalsome House's low stone buildings, company arrives:

A VISITOR arrives with a special request. An older Descendant wrapped in a heavy cloak with a deep hood comes knocking. When she reveals her face, Lakshmi might recognize her as Keya's aunt. "My name is Casiria," she says. "I believe you knew my niece."

It’s clear from her demeanor that she has far more to say before she goes.

FAMILIAR FRIENDS in the shape of newly hatched hosts and your senior chaperones arrive not long after Casiria's departure. They find their way to Whalsome House in a hush, having apparently faced some difficulty in dodging the added security. Better catch everyone up quickly.

---

((OOC Notes: This log serves as a general catch-all for events from DAY :036 through DAY :037. Please feel free to create your logs outside of this one, though we strongly recommend not forward-dating to the following morning. Please be aware that in the context of this log, new Hosts won't be present on Hyrypia until after Casiria has left. 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

kate fuller | ota

[forgive]

STATION 72 — DAY: 036

[ When the chaotic cacophony in her mind finally levels out to a manageable buzz (at least for the time being), she is able to take a closer look at her surroundings. And more importantly the people who are here with her. Though she doesn't recognize any of the faces — not even the dark figures who brought her here in the first place — but, there's a familiarity, like when you pass someone on the street and you swear you've seen them before. Maybe in this case, she's seeing and feeling something else entirely.

Dwelling on it for too long takes her mind to a dark place, swimming with memories of a girl with a face just like hers damning her from one hell to another. Instead, her focus goes back to the ship, the dull din of space and steel. She explores and follows the sounds, taking her in circles through corridors and chambers. Kate doesn't know what she's expecting to find (answers, maybe?), but anything except emptiness would be a welcome relief.

Eventually, her exploration is cut short and the bustling echo returns. They're all given a disguise, and weapons (the dagger is heavy in her hand), and a mission to carry out. She really has no idea what she's in for — and no choice but to go along. ]

Did you know about any of this? [ It's a question she asks, but she expects one might know as much she does. ]

HYRYPIA — DAY: 037

[ This isn't where she wants to be. But she goes with it, because she knows what it is to survive — though she hasn't really decided if this is quite what she call living.

In a way she misses the echoing emptiness of the ship, everything here is booming and there's a pull that was even stronger than on the station. There are people here she knows she needs to find — not just seeking out an enemy like she was brief, but someone else... It feels like when she was searching for her brother down in the tunnels of the labyrinth. Except she's not afraid.

The scene on the beach is overwhelming yet captivating; something that feels easier to manage behind the heavy layers of the disguise. Though she honestly has no idea what she's doing, and she knows it's a risk wandering around, anyone could approach her. Still, it gives her some time to explore the coast and find her bearings. If she does get a quiet, private moment alone, being as stealthy as she can (or maybe not to any other hosts nearby) she takes to inspect her personal databank for answers she's still looking to find.

Later on, around the fires, there is a rumbling hunger in her stomach; it dawns on her she's eaten in, well, literally months. Though the sight of massive slabs of foreign meat are not exactly appealing. Cautiously, she pokes at the roasted fish that's eventually handed to her. ]

WILDCARD

[ Whether it's day 36 or 37, if you've got an idea that doesn't fit any of the above, especially those in her brood, then hit me with a starter! c: ]

[raw]

[ He feels the pang of hunger like it's his own, which is pretty unusual when his body barely ever bothers him with shit like that. At first he thinks it's a result of using his power for the first time, but when it happens again he realizes it's actually an external sensation rather than a twinge in his own stomach.

He looks up, across the fire, at the other robed figure sitting across from him, and he knows. Just like he did with Joshua, or Hadrian. Knows that she's a young woman, catches the edge of her name, sees her consternation about the fish. Not only that, but the thrum of this newly awakened connection makes him feel deeply satisfied, some rightness slotting into place after weeks where there had been a hole. Their puzzle, complete. ]

( It's not that bad. )

[ As he watches her look down at the hunk of meat someone's given her. ]

( Might be better with a side of fries, though. )

[ There's a shade of longing to that comment; he misses fries. ]

[forgive]

( What I wouldn't give for some fries. )

[ Her response is automatic, as if answering her own thoughts. But it surprises her because not only is it so effortless, but there's some familiarity in the voice. Not like one she recognizes but as if she could almost put a name to the blurry outline of the face that enters her mind. Across from her, there are more hooded figures, but she knows it's coming from one of them.

Kate looks up, trying to hone in on the connection and make the glitching images turn into something more solid. It's like static, slightly cracked. But there's still something right about it. Just the feeling is the first time something's made sense since she arrived, even if she can quite put words as to why. ]

( Is this the... symbiote doing this? How come it feels different? )

[ 'A thing in her brain' is still the most solid definition she has. ]

[raw]

[ Elliot is one of the most open people in the Nest, no matter how hard he works on his mental "firewalls", but his mind does tend to flicker like a poorly tuned hologram. So when he feels her reaching he reaches back, his mind a limb that he's growing more confident in using gently touching her own. TCP-IP, requesting permissions. ]

( We've got a local network. )

[ That's the way he's come to think of it. Hardwire connection, but still hooked in to the greater web of the others. It's a concept half their brood probably doesn't even understand. ]

( You're the last one, I think. There's six of us now, but it felt different for two through five. Like we were missing something. )

[whereabout]

[ Being stealthy only goes so far with people who have a direct tap to your mind, of course. That's been one of the weirdest parts of adjusting to all of this, in Joshua's opinion; he's very well practiced at not being found unless he wants to be, and now...and now this.

He'd be inclined to let her have the moment, under more normal circumstances, but that feeling like something just dropped into place - like something he knew was missing but couldn't identify is finally back where it belongs - is enough to change his mind. Like when the block Weissmann put on his memories had been lifted, and all the nagging I-should-knows just became things he knew again.

(But, you know. Without all the completely awful shit that came with that particular package.)

So he catches up to her, when she's found a spot to be alone and look through her databank. ]

( It's probably safest to check that in the barracks. Nobody's around to see anything yet, but... )

[ Whalsome House is about as secure from prying eyes as anything can be, in foreign territory. He's been making a point of keeping watch on that. ]

[forgive]

[ For all of Kate's secrecy — or attempted — and efforts to pull herself away, her mind does an amateur job of shielding her thoughts from those around. She doesn't like being so reckless, but her determination for truth and understanding seeps out, clouded by a confusion and anxiety about... well, all of it. They're here on a mission, under disguise and here to take down an enemy — or the enemy. Got it.

But obviously it's not that simple, and there are so many gaps inbetween, she doesn't feel prepared. And all the while, there's this feeling of something she needs to find. They're here, I know they are. Looking through her databank is just a last ditch effort for some direction.

The voice that suddenly enters her mind makes her turn quickly, caught. She lowers the device and hides it down behind her robes. ]

( Sorry. )

[ She's startled more than anything, but as the connection opens up and a different, familiar kind of feeling settles in, she knows this is another one of them. Like Elliot. ]

( There's not a map on here, is there? )

[whereabout]

( Not a good one. )

[ His standards for maps might be more exacting than some, to be fair.

But there are plenty of things not normally noted on maps that he feels are worth knowing, anyway - the social things, the finer points of who's staying where and who's normally hanging around where. And which places have the best cover if you're looking to overhear things. ]

( I could show you around, if you need it. )

[ It's not - okay, maybe it is because it feels right, finally, where there was just that hole ever since he woke up on the station. Maybe a little. But it's also practical to make sure everyone gets what they need to know as soon as they can, and that's the story he's sticking to. ]

037

[ophidia]

[There's new blood coming in again. Richard doesn't think he's ever heard of a job pulling this much in while events are still ongoing, but that's just another mark of the dysfunction of this entire operation. Still, he pays attention. There's another in his brood, and maybe one of them will be an actual useful contributor; his gaze skims across the surface of these approaching new minds as soon as they're within range like a skipping stone, taking quick note of any points of interest, and--

Staggering to a halt, buckling around recognition like a punch to the gut.]

( Kate. )

[But he isn't meaning to say it to her. He's calling to Seth, slicing through any resistance his brother might put up against mental contact, hooking in with the name and pulling.]

[detestable]

[ Emerging from the clusterfuck of Misato and Rust's performance, Seth had intended to get a drink. The hubbub of new minds is just another thing to block out, and his frustration over the bullshit theatrics happening here wound him up. He wants to disengage, so the initial pressure of Richie's mind is unwanted. Seth would have told him to get lost, except— ]

( Kate? )

[ Demanding confirmation even as he cuts across the distance to Richie's side as if being reeled in by the sheer force of Richie's urgency. ]

Are you sure?

[ Rather than open his own mind, he questions Richie as he falls into step beside him. Not that it matters, because they don't even reach the barracks door before Kate walks through them and there's no denying it's her even beneath the layers of their disguise.

Kate. ]

[forgive]

[ Being planetside was completely different than on the station, the pull of thoughts and emotions so much louder, and stronger — especially from those missing pieces, empty slots that seemed to just be there since she woke up. Now everything started to slowly slide into place. Not that this hive, brood, or any of it, helped to make situation of these missions less confusing or hard to come to terms with. But it was an innate feeling of this is right — where she should be.

The other draw, the distinct familiarity she felt, was unmistakable; but it was hard to say why without tangible, physical proof. Just two names engraved on her mind. Amaru— No, Kate knew them, their souls. There was something with their mark here, and she was set to find out where it was.

After some guidance from her brood, she eventually found herself back at the Whalesome House. If only for some peace of mind and privacy. Of course, that would be short-lived. Something sharp and clear cut in like a knife, like tuning into the right radio station, and she knew immediately what it was. ]

( Richie? )

[ She reaches out, looking for confirmation as she rushes toward the barracks door. It comes moments later when the two hooded figures are standing before her. While she doesn't push back her own hood just yet, or pull back their like the impulse screams, the words slip out before she can stop herself. ]

Seth. You're here — both of you.

[detestable]

[ Touching Kate's mind feels like he's closed his hand around a hot poker. And Seth is immediately, viscerally aware of how much he doesn't want her to be here. It's dangerous here, and this time he can't put her in a car and send her away from what's happening. (As if that had worked out at all the last time he'd tried it.) The shock of her presence folds over into itself, settling into prickly concern and banked anger that Seth's reserved for their hosts if they ever make it back onto that ship. ]

Get in here. We might as well talk without the burlap sacks over our heads.

[ Privacy is a relative term. ]

You okay? Those freaks get you here alright?

[ophidia]

[Fate. Destiny. In the initial moment that's all that rises in Richard's mind. This is how it's supposed to be, Kate and them drawn together, time and time again. Tied together by something none of them can cut.

But the certainty of it is brittle. It splinters easily under the pointed edges of concern rolling off Seth, the anxiety bleeding from all the hosts. A girl's just been murdered, accompanied by a dread so visceral it twisted in his guts, and the memory of watching Kate die drags his mind unsteady, away from the full scope of the picture.]

You shouldn't be here. [Abrupt, blunt and hard like a smack of a closed door to the face. He wants to be able to close the door on this, on her being here. He reaches to grab Seth's arm, a physical demand for focus. They need to do something.] She can't be here.