station72 | [mission: hyrypia] big, but not coarse

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

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 )

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[Caroline's lips part in surprise before her jaw clamps shut, teeth clicking together even as she clenches them.

She knows what that means, or assumes she does, in all of its contexts. She feels angry and a little sick, not to mention confused. How could this happen? They're left alone for a couple months on some crazy alien honeymoon and this happens? How?

She'd seen the signs, of course, after Stefan left town. But after he came back, she didn't think--

Caroline tries to keep calm, but her mind races on without her.]

Together. [The words comes out sharp and blunt.] You mean like...together, together?

Yes. Together.

[ So far... so good? Caroline hasn't started raving or ranting yet, but Elena can feel that anger and confusion, the cocktail of it making her feel a little sick. All she wants is for her best friend to be okay with this, to support her and accept the way she feels, but realistically that's probably expecting a bit much right now. ]

I love him, Caroline. I'm in love with him. [ It's a simple statement, but of course there isn't anything simple about it. ]

Well, that's just great.

[And here it comes, the part where Caroline Forbes has completely lost control of her life and she starts to word vomit. Her mind is worse, if that's even possible, an amalgamation of stress, fear, disbelief, insecurity and anger. At everything.

So, of course, it comes out when she least wants it to, when the only person who probably gives a crap about her in this place is standing in front of her, trying to make her understand.

But she doesn't understand because it's Damon.]

Let's see if I've got everything. Tyler's dead, I'm on some alien freakshow vacation because some horrible thing wants to kill me, I have some freaky mind-reading creature living in my brain, and my best friend is dating an actual psychopath now that she's joined the night of the living dead club. Did I forget anything?

[ And in true Elena Gilbert fashion, every word out of Caroline's mouth is internalized, blame assigned to herself where it's probably not really due, and her empathy goes into overdrive.

Of course it's asking a lot for Caroline to just accept all these changes and be happy about it - she's always rooted for her to be with Stefan. Add in that Tyler is gone, and Alaric, and they don't know if they'll ever get home... It's too much, and it isn't fair, for either of them. Rationally, Elena knows that Care needs time to deal with everything, but that doesn't matter much when she can almost physically feel her heart breaking, one of those baby vampire emotional spirals taking hold and making her want to cry. She's had a friend almost die tonight, a broodmate yell at her, and now her best friend is here and everything just feels... hopeless. ]

No, that pretty much covers it, I guess.

[ A soft statement laced with sorrow, spoken more to her hands than anything. Hands that, after a moment, she holds up to display bare fingers as another thought occurs to her, one that threatens to make those tears a reality. ]

I can't go in the sun anymore.

[Vampire emotions running haywire, bouncing off each other, and neither of them can get any solace. It's like their worst nightmare.

Caroline leans back against the wall, sinking down onto the floor with her hands fisted into her hair. She wonders, for the very briefest of moments, if it would have just been better for that thing to take her, for her to have never come here.

It passes just as quickly, at least.

She looks up, stares at Elena's ringless fingers, and her expression breaks all over again.]

You don't have a daylight ring...

[Saying it out loud makes it even worse. She hadn't thought it could actually do that at this point.]

[ It's their worst nightmare and then some. Elena shakes her head, lowering her hands with a helpless shrug. ]

It seems so stupid to care about when people we love are dead, but— [ Her voice catches as tears pool in her eyes, clouding her vision until Caroline is nothing more than a wavering blur. ] I don't know what I'm gonna do when we don't have to wear these costumes anymore.

[ It's stupid but it terrifies her to think of when that days comes. Facing a life without the sun for who knows how long... Every time it hits her, she's reminded that she's dead now. She's not human anymore, and she can't pretend she is. ]

[And now she feels guilty as all get-out because clearly this is just as hard on Elena as it is on her and she's being a terrible friend right now.

Caroline shakes her head firmly.]

It's not stupid, Elena.

[She tries, in vain, to think of something she can do.]

You can't just...borrow mine, can you?

[She's pretty sure it doesn't work that way. If only Bonnie were here...]

[ Elena's the one being a terrible friend, letting herself get wrapped up in her own fears and worries instead of focusing on helping Care adjust to all of this. She knows how hard it is when people first come to the Nest, she's felt it a handful of times now. This shouldn't be about her, about Elena's problems, and she feels horrible that it is now. ]

I don't think so.

[ She wipes a hand along the bottom of her eyes, brushing away the tears before they can fall down her cheeks. ]

I'm sorry, Care. You're dealing with all this and I'm dumping my problems on you.

[She drags a hand through her hair because, sure, Elena's bringing up her problems. But Caroline has been forcing her crap on Elena too and they're both in this crappy situation together.

With Damon. Ugh. Whatever, she'll worry about that later.

Elena comes first, no matter what, and she remembers what it was like to be the baby vampire. Now Elena's the baby vampire and she's the baby symbiote...or whatever. She shoves herself back to her feet, shakes her head, and sighs again.]

Yeah, well, all my problems are probably being broadcasted to the entire room, so I think we're even. We'll figure it all out, okay? One thing at a time.

We'll figure it out.

[ Hearing Caroline say it makes it seem possible, the way it seems when Damon or Sam says it. Sometimes Elena can convince herself, but she always comes back around to not quite believing it, some tiny doubt taking root in her mind and making things seem impossible. But Caroline's right, Elena knows it. They just have to take it one step at a time. ]

I have a friend who can help you with the broadcasting, actually. His name's Sam, he's been helping me learn how to shield my mind from the rest of the Nest. Most of them anyway; it's harder with your brood.

[What a coincidence that that's...totally happening later. Gotta love it when timelines work out on accident.

She looks optimistic about that, but it's quickly followed by more confusion.]

My...brood?

[ Timeline synchronicity at its finest. ]

Sorry, it's... There are people in the Nest you'll feel more connected to, like they're a part of you. Sometimes it's a huge pain, but sometimes you get a really good friend out of it.

[ Like Prompto. Like Gildor. They're people she adores and trusts and would risk her life for any day of the week, without hesitation. But then there's Lakshmi, and that's a whole other mess Caroline will need to know about before long. ]

[Caroline shifts uncomfortably on her feet as that sinking feeling reappears in her stomach, the one that's been hanging onto the edges of her mind since she woke up, that loneliness that she just can't shake.

Finding Elena should have helped, but it didn't.]

What if you don't have anyone like that? Does that mean there's something wrong with me?

No!

[ Elena's maybe firmer than she needs to be on that, but she doesn't want that particular worry latching onto her best friend. Instead, she does the latching, reaching out again to take Caroline's hand and holding tightly to it. ]

Nothing is wrong with you, Care. If you don't have anyone like that yet, it just means they haven't woken up yet. There was only one person like that for me when I woke up, but more have joined us since then. For a while, we even felt complete.

[ But not now. Now someone's missing and that emptiness aches in her soul. ]

[She's relieved almost instantly. If it happened to Elena, then it's probably happened to other people, and so maybe this feeling inside her will eventually go away. It isn't her, it's just the crazy head bug making her feel like this.

It's simultaneously creepy and reassuring.]

Okay. [There's just...one other big thing that's on the edge of her mind, that's always there.

She hasn't fed in a while. Normally, that wouldn't be such a big deal, but they're in close quarters and she...has no idea what she's supposed to do.] What about...food?

[She was a blood bag girl basically out the gate. She's pretty sure those aren't just sitting around here.]

[ How strange is it that the whole food issue has become an absolute non-issue for Elena? Her first few weeks here it had been an all-consuming thought, but now— She's hungry, she's always hungry, but it's easier when she has someone to go to when those cravings hit hard. ]

Sam donates for Damon and me; he heals fast enough that it doesn't effect him for long. A few others have donated too, when things have been bad, or they've offered to help. It's not easy, but you won't starve.

[Look, she's just glad that one of the biggest things on her 'oh shit' list isn't as big of a deal as she was making it out to be. That said, it's not the easiest solution in the world, considering that means she'll basically have to ask someone to offer up a wrist when it gets too bad.

It also means she's never going to be completely sated.]

At least it doesn't have to be some big secret, right? Since secrets are kind of impossible.

[She's so used to having no one know and to having to hide it away that it's almost refreshing to be able to just...exist without faking being normal.

None of them are normal here.]

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

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