epidemiology | PLAYER EVENT ★ HELIOLOGY

PLAYER EVENT ★ HELIOLOGY

INTRODUCTION.

It's difficult to tell time without the presence of a sun or moon. There are no stars. The world is in constant blackness, the heavens barely visible from below and the only light artificial. It's been like this for months.

Suddenly, those who expressed interest in observing the sun (or lack thereof) will all at once receive a text message on their ALASTAIR jewellery from 82736775:

Get your shit and go look at the sky. Now's the time. If you need me, I'm around.

It's time to get to work.

OBSERVATION.

Find the highest point you can and point the telescopes at the sky. Should be easy, right?

Be mindful that there are still guards patrolling the city, looking for escaped prisoners, and some citizens would be very happy to tip them off to your presence. There are still animals in the forests to contend with, and there are still nosey citizens who may ask you too many questions. There are also your fellow ALASTAIR agents, who may not be very willing to share the spot they already staked out before you just showed up.

People and animals aren't all you need to look out for, either. Seven hours after the observation starts, there is a lightning storm. It lasts for 30 minutes, bolts of electricity arcing across the sky. It might be a good idea to scurry down someplace lower when this happens -- you know what they say about lightning and height.

82736775 doesn't contact anyone after the initial text, so observers are free to give up whenever they decide they've been sitting out in the freezing dark for long enough.

[ note: even if you didn't sign up, feel free to tag in! your character won't have a telescope but that doesn't mean they can't mingle. ]

[ previously: ic info | ooc info ]
[ direct questions here! ]

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[Hellboy, unaware that anything important is happening tonight (today? It's impossible to tell), has just come from visiting the goblin church. He's trying to learn what he can about the goblins' religion, and, although this church isn't his, he finds something relaxing about being in its presence.

The world is dark but there is always some kind of light to be found, either literal or metaphorical.

He steps out of the doors, twirling the swan-faced medallion between his fingers before slipping it in his pocket. He happens to glance up then, catching a glimpse of someone... jumping up to the roof?

That's worrying, and Hellboy steps further back from the church, calling up to the top.] Who's up there?

[Pearl blinks at the sound of the voice. Anyone else would indeed find it strange to find someone atop a religious building. But Pearl and her Gem customs weren't very familiar with such sacred buildings.

Lowering her telescope, she peers over the edge of the building, her gem glowing brightly, like a flashlight. She catches sight of that red skin immediately, and recognizes who it is. She lifts her hand, waving it.]

Hellboy! Hello!

[Yep, this little thing leapt up to the roof.]

[In the face of such a bright light shining down at him, Hellboy winces and shields his eyes with his flesh hand. He's just not used to light anymore, after living in such dim conditions for months now.]

Pearl...? What the heck are you doing?

[Pearl dims down the amount of light her gem is giving off and laughs sheepishly, with an apologetic smile. Right, organics had to adjust to such things.]

Ah, I'm helping out with the sun effort! I don't know if you saw on the network, but a band of us are getting information about the sky, and possibly the sun! All thanks to these telescopes we were given. I wanted to find some good vantage points through out the city, so this is one of them I had deduced thus far! I hope to migrate to another one within the next hour or so.

[He saw something about that but, you know. Science. Not his strong suit.

When Pearl dims her light -- which is something new; Hellboy didn't know she could do that -- he lowers his hand, blinking. That all sounds fine, but --]

Well... on top of the church? Are you sure?

[Her pale blue eyes shift from one side...

to the other...

and settle back on Hellboy.]

Iiiiis that a problem? It's a pretty tall structure. Perfect vantage point.

[How long did Pearl say she'd been on Earth...? Hellboy's face doesn't convey expressions very clearly, but the corners of his mouth turn down. It's pretty clearly a problem.]

The goblins might find it disrespectful. This is their place of worship.

[Sure, she may have been on earth that long, but. She didn't really venture out much among humans. She learned about different 'times' within the last twenty years. It wasn't just 'daytime' and 'nighttime'.

Pearl suddenly feels a blue hue rise to her cheeks and she leaps off the top of the church to land near Hellboy, smoothing out the hem of her shirt.]

S-Sorry I had... no idea.

[Hellboy takes an instinctive step back when Pearl jumps down, the tip of his tail flicking once. The beam of light emanating from her forehead is enough for him to see she's blushing (blue? Does she have blue blood?), and he steps forward again to lay his flesh hand on her shoulder reassuringly.]

It's okay. I didn't mean to embarrass you. [He pauses, glancing backwards at the church.] I guess you don't really have this sort of thing where you come from.

[She shakes her head as she looks up at the church behind him.]

My culture don't have places of worship, per se. [She admits with a small shrug. There was the Diamond Authority to 'worship' but Pearl left that far behind nearly six thousand years ago. Pearl pulls some hair from her cheek before peering up at Hellboy.]

Were you there to... worship?

[Either she means she comes from a completely atheistic culture, or they don't have anything resembling a church -- which isn't that unusual. Individualized worship? Or something more like worshiping objects? Curious...

Hellboy shakes his head, fishing around in his pockets.]

No -- more to pay my respects, I guess. Do you know anything about their beliefs?

[He finally finds what he's looking for, the medallion with a swan engraved on it, and hands it over to Pearl.]

[Pearl perks up at the sight of the medallion and gently takes it into her gloved hand. She runs her thumb over the swan, feeling the engraved texture thoughtfully.]

Not specifically, no. [After a moment of considering the item, she hands it back to him carefully. The Gem is hesitant to ask but...]

Do... they worship a swan?

[The corner of Hellboy's mouth twitches at Pearl's question, and he slips the medallion back into his pocket, trading it for a cigarette. The match he strikes glows in the unnatural darkness for a second before he waves the flame out, exhaling smoke.]

Sort of. The swan is the creator of their world and their universe -- which hatched from eggs, as it so happens. [It might sound a little ridiculous, but there's no hint of humor in Hellboy's tone. He's heard enough creation stories to accept them as they are, whether he personally believes in them or not.]

[Wide eyes stare up at him.]

That's what they believe in? A swan?

[Actually, it sounds rather interesting to the Gem as she clasps her hands together over her chest.]

Does this swan reside anywhere?

[Hellboy's mouth twitches again. He supposes if someone isn't used to figurative religion, they might interpret it more literally.]

I think it's more symbolic. Anyway, the swan isn't really their god, it's just a part of their mythology. They have a god named Ydite, who is sort of their cosmic father.

[Cosmic? Woah. So they were symbolic beings, not necessarily living beings who were among them physically. Pearl tries to wrap her mind around the concept. They had actually beings in which they worshiped. Or, at least in pearl's case, previously worshiped.

Pearl lifts her head back up at the church and smiles a little.]

I should invest a little more in their beliefs. I'm more of a bookworm, searching for facts and research but... I'm sure they have a rich history within the walls of their church.

[She rubs at her arm.]

Funny to think that I thought about having my stake out atop this building.

They believe in peace. [Hellboy follows her gaze up to the church, his flicking ash from his cigarette.] Which kind of makes sense, based on how the humans are treating them. People tend to get pushed around if they don't want to fight back.

[It doesn't mean he likes the situation, but it certainly explains why the goblins are basically second-class citizens here. He can't imagine what the humans in Chantes believe. Maybe if things hadn't gone the way they had, he'd have been able to ask them, too.

Hellboy glances back at Pearl, his mouth curving up a little.]

I wouldn't worry about it. Ignorance isn't the same thing as trying to be rude.

Peace.

[She repeats as she looks down at her leather gloved hands. Something which struck a chord within the Gem. Peace was something that was hard to maintain. Heck, she fought in a war just for that, for humankind, on Earth. And they're still trying to maintain it.

She does offer him a small smile.]

I do hope we can find peace between these two races. But, as far as things have come, it looks like there might be more fighting to be had. These races won't put their differences aside.

[Hellboy nods slowly, understanding very well where she's coming from. War is a part of human nature; there's always a war going on somewhere on Earth. But even a temporary peace is better than nothing at all. A way to stop the killing and the mistrust.]

On Earth, people are afraid of what they don't understand. [By 'people,' he means 'humans,' of course.] You've probably gotten the brunt of that, too. But it's just ignorance.

[Just like how Pearl climbed the church without knowing. The humans -- or the king, at least -- distrusts the goblins because he doesn't know them.]

Ignorance can always be changed.

I do hope you're right, Hellboy.

[She says as she glances over her shoulder, as if someone were overhearing them. Pearl herself was in ignorance of humans, but she's been working on trying to change that. She found herself most interested in their technologies and contraptions. But their culture and the like was still something she had to wrap her head around.]

But thank you for telling me that information. [She glances up at the church again.] I'll know better next time.

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