epidemiology | EVENT ★ ROLLING 'ROUND THE BEND

EVENT ★ ROLLING 'ROUND THE BEND

ASTERION PRISON

The white light is blinding. The weightlessness continues. The air thins into nothingness, though those who breathe won't feel the pain of suffocation -- in fact, they won't feel the need to breathe at all. The sensation continues for what may seem like a second or an eternity; it's impossible to tell.

And then the floor hits you. Or rather, you hit the floor. It's cold and metal and as your vision returns, you'll find you're not alone in this small room, though you're definitely not with anyone you know: standing in front of you is a brawny alien in a black uniform, its many purple eyes staring at you. The alien is flanked by a pair of robots, who take advantage of your dazed state and grasp you in their metal arms to drag you from the room into what appears to be a gigantic prison.

As the robots drag you past cells -- some containing other aliens, some containing humanoids, and some containing your teammates -- you'll catch a glimpse of the outside through a window.

You're in outer space.

If questioned, the guard will only tell you that you've been accused of conspiracy to commit grand theft, and your trial will begin soon. But in the meantime, you'd better get cozy.

YOUR NEW HOME

Asterion Prison is a dreadnought class spaceship with several different cell blocks making up a majority of its innards, with the rest of the space designated for day-to-day running of the ship and living quarters for the guards. Audentes is housed in Block 26, which has six tiers of cells situated in a circle around the main recreational area, out of which juts the Block 26 guard tower.

Each inmate, including Audentes recruits, has a glowing blue symbol emblazoned on their forehead. Though it's not immediately clear what the symbols mean, inmates who have been around longer will explain: it's a record of how many lives you've taken, a way for the guards to know who's the most dangerous. The symbol glows through any kind of attempt at covering it -- whether by makeup, clothing, hair, or something else -- so it's best to learn to deal with it quickly.

Speaking of clothing, whatever recruits were wearing upon their abduction has been replaced by a uniform orange jumpsuit. Similarly, any weapons are no longer present, though those with a special connection to their weapons will feel that they are being held elsewhere on the ship.

Luckily, the guards appear to have overlooked jewelcomms, so Audentes will be able to communicate with each other via magitek (text only is suggested, of course, unless you want to get caught!), though contact with Oska or any other outside ALASTAIR recruit seems to be blocked.

LOCKDOWN

As long as inmates keep to themselves and don't bother the guards, things run pretty smoothly. Two meals a day, five hours of sleep, and all the weights you need to get yourself swole. But on the sixth day in Asterion Prison, all hell breaks loose.

No one knows who started it, but there's suddenly a loud roar from the milling crowd in the recreational area. Most inmates scatter, but some rush in -- to see what's going on or to get a piece of the action themselves, who knows -- and then everything becomes an all-out brawl.

Super strong aliens with various powers fight each other loudly and violently while others cower and run for cover. The old alien ducks behind his chess board just in time to avoid a barbell sailing overhead; a six-armed being shoots lava out of its mouth, which does nothing to the metallic floor but severely burns a group of humanoid toads wielding shivs.

The fight goes on for a few long minutes before correctional officers and their robot guards pour in to try and get things under control. Those who are still around once the officers come in are in threat of being dragged off to solitary, even if they had nothing to do with the brawl, so make yourself scarce unless the idea of sitting in the dark for another six days seems appealing.

OOC NOTES

Welcome to space prison! We hope you'll enjoy your stay. There is a plotting write-up here with extra information about the prison ship, and please note that participation in the symbol directory is mandatory.

If you have any questions about the prison that aren't answered here, please direct them to the Leramzen dossier.

Questions about the game in general should be directed to the FAQ and you may submit mission ideas or player plots at any time.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Sieglinde has been keeping her ear to the ground. Her modest 'Π' doesn't garner her enough respect to force answers or intimidate, though it does at least grant her a certain value as a curiosity, given her physical meekness and petite stature. Enough that the elder prisoners who dominated certain areas, like the morning chess matches, tolerated her as a sort of... mascot.

One who was keeping a very close eye on comings and goings, ownings and tradings, watchful for anything that could be of use if the chance to escape presented itself.

When the news comes in that the X who mysteriously killed his cellmate is out of solitary, she doesn't move a muscle, or give anything away that she might have a personal interest in the story, tiny feet swinging free off the stool she perched upon in the corner. Waiting.

Until nearly lights out, when she creeps into his cell- or, rather, the door of the cell, small knuckles rapping gently on a bar.]

... Ahad?

[ He had been reading, but doesn't look up when he hears Sieglinde's voice. He'll shift closer to the doorway, but pretend to be focused on the book instead of the girl. Speaking with him could be dangerous for her reputation, and Ahad had no desire to see Sieg hurt. ]

Good evening. You are well?

Well enough.

[As much as she disliked it, she'd been right to pick herself up the role she had- the older inmates might be less physically strong than other groups that formed themselves in a place like this, but they had a steady position of respect near the middle of the pack, keeping her from either sticking out too much or being seen as vulnerable.

And she had her magic, yet- thankfully. She was still playing it safe, though. There was a reason she hadn't come until now.]

But what about you?

[She can only imagine what solitary was like, but. She asks for the reasons beyond simply being alone in a cell for a few days. Surely if he had killed his cell mate, it hadn't been for sport?]

Well enough...

[ There's a self-deprecating tone to his voice, if she listens closely. While this has not helped his position here, he's likely at very little risk. The same cannot be said for the human members of the team. ]

Don't fret. I do not mind the solitude.

[Well enough.

There's something in his tone that she doesn't like- that makes her feel like he's hiding something, or glossing over. (Not that she hasn't done that same thing, but- her cellmate was alive.) Even though she feels like she might be trespassing, prying too much... she carefully looks about to make sure no ones watching directly before she slips into his cell and out of the open hallway, trying to get a better look at him.]

What happened?

[Before. Her own voice is small, easily brushed aside if he would rather not discuss it, but, she has to ask.]

[ He'll raise an eyebrow at her, as she slips into his cell. Beyond braiding his hair back, he looks much like he always does. There's little to indicate something's wrong, beyond the blue of his hands glowing in the dim light of the room. ]

I sat in solitary for six days. It was fairly uneventful, until Odinson decided to start yelling.

[ It's answering the wrong question, quite intentionally. ]

[She is pretty sure he knows what she means, even as her eyes are inevitably drawn to the bright color of his hands, before she pulls them politely back to his eyes.

Maybe she shouldn't pry, but. One more try.]

I meant before that.

[Odinson shouting is... certainly believable and all, but.]

I killed my cellmate. [ It's said very matter of fact. If there's any emotion connected to it, Ahad isn't making that at all clear. ]

Were rumors not very informative?

The rumors were very creative as to your motive and the execution. Occasionally sickeningly so.

[Despite how mature she is compared to girls twice, occasionally even three times her age, she blanches a little at the reminder of said rumors- and what some of them contained.

Enevitable in a prison- what she had hoped were crass embellishments.]

But a rumor should not be taken for fact when one can simply ask the man himself.

[ He hears what she doesn't say. She's disturbed by the rumors, and it's that emotional reaction that forces something more than silence out of him. ]

He died without a mark on him. [ He'll sigh, as he doesn't quite meet her eyes. ] I am too old for accidents. But he touched me and, in that moment, I wanted him dead.

[She feels rather useless suddenly, for a moment regretting that she has come here and asked these things. Feelings similar to those she has felt not just with Ahad, but with Loki, as well. What could she, a mortal woman (girl) do to comfort a god who has seen more lifetimes than she could ever know?

But some of the rumors had been disturbing. Some that spoke of certain abuses she has learned quickly are rampant in prisons, even in one like this that threw all inmates together regardless of genders. And what he says, the way he doesn't look quite at her, only fuels imagination set in place by said rumors, and it makes her regret coming here even more.

It wasn't as if she could make such a thing better, if that were the case.]

I... see.

[Sort of. They were all here, and not all of their team had committed crimes that deserved death, so she couldn't even take comfort in thinking the man might have been a sinner. But Ahad was not someone she viewed as... brash, in general, inclined to kill on a whim, so could she think that he had at least-]

I am sorry.

You think too well of me.

[ He sounds tired, but there's an undercurrent of wry amusement to his voice. Even after searching his memory, Ahad cannot think of another time where someone expressed sympathy for him after he killed someone. It does make him wonder at what he's done to his reputation, by making friends. ]

[Sieglinde had once prided herself on her ability to read people, an ability bolstered with false confidence born from the lie she'd grown up on- that she was a witch, and witches could read signs in the world that others could not.

But she knows now that she isn't a witch. That she'd never had that ability in the first place. That she was no better at reading the truth of the world than anyone- perhaps worse, that she'd lived a lie for eleven years. And a little voice of doubt in the back of her head has to whisper,

Did she think too well of him?]

Is it "too well" to think someone would not kill without cause?

[Maybe it was, in this team. Maybe she just didn't want to admit it. Maybe she couldn't even talk- ever since Nalawi she has consciously attempted to keep herself from directly aiding in ALASTAIR's efforts, but she still worked to solve the problems that directly plagued their members, healed their wounded.

But she doesn't think to even begin to clarify what "cause" was. She couldn't anymore. As long as there was something. Anything. Hopefully.]

Perhaps I am surprised that anyone would give me the benefit of the doubt?

[ It's phrased as a question, but certainly is not. Ahad was prepared for horror at his actions and condemnation, not this quiet sort of acceptance. A man was dead by his hands and he expected to be blamed, not probed to find out why. ]

[Sometimes even Sieglinde can realize when something she's doing is not what... perhaps ought to be happening. If you could really call it ought and perhaps not simply Times like when Achilles had challenged Koltira to a fight over honor, and while people around her screamed and railed against it she simply sat and allowed it to happen.

Perhaps like now, when a man was dead and she simply sat and wondered why instead of condemning a murder.

She'd learned long ago that there were far more nuances to things like that.]

Perhaps I am biased.

[Sieglinde is not good at humor, it could probably be said, certainly not socialized well enough to know when is the right moment to say things or not, but she makes an attempt anyway.]

Besides- I cannot allow anything to happen to you before I ask you about your offspring.

[She vaguely recalls that promise, from a drunken day.]

Ah, I should have realized... [ She was biased because she wanted something, even if that sounded more base than Ahad actually felt it is. Nevertheless, there's a glimmer of humor in his response. ]

Remind me - was this simple interest or were you searching for information on viability?

[Sometimes Sieglinde wonders if it's the best thing to do, really- deflect from things with this sort of talk, allow her partners to duck her questions... Give them an out. But what else is she supposed to do, when the other option is continuing to push when they've made it clear they have little intent to be forthcoming? Stop talking?]

... Can it not be both?

Perhaps. Few take any interest at all. [ Of course, that's largely because even Ahad had not been aware of any offspring until generations later. Not that he's unwilling to seize on the change in topic. ]

They lived to old age, unless killed by outside means. Most possessed only minor powers, with one large exception.

[This is all she can do, she supposes. Distract. Maybe that was enough, and maybe it would be only a momentary distraction... but she resigns herself to it.]

And what large exception is that?

[With no further ado, the little witch proceeds to make herself a bit more comfortable in his cell, eyes wide and ears peeled for new things to learn or observe.

If it would serve as both distraction from his situation and documentation for the list she kept in her mind on Audentes' available bachelors... how could she say no?]

Dekarta. The younger one. [ He says, as if she knows anything about Arameri lineage. ] He was brilliant, apparently. Strong enough to challenge the gods, even if only for a few moments.

[ There isn't sadness in his tone as he speaks of Deka, but more an acknowledge of lost opportunity. Despite finally learning of the existence of his half-human line, Ahad had made a point to mostly avoid them. In Deka's case it was almost by necessity, since one look at the two of them together would have given up the game for good. ]

He made the foolish decision to fall in love with my eldest brother. They both died, while attempting to save the universe.

[She may not know anything about the lineage, but this "Dekarta" will now forever be filed as "younger". Sieglinde listens intently, leaning forward slightly, blinking a bit rapidly at the addition of- well, did it really count as incest with gods? Most all pantheons began with siblings, often twins, so really it's a grey area...]

Attempting?

[Did they fail, then?]

[ Incest is simply a fact of life, when one is a god. Ahad is so used to it that it doesn't even strike him as something he may need to explain. It's not as if it's unknown, in his universe.

He'll start, at her question. As if he was lost in his thoughts and was suddenly drawn back. ]

They were successful, but did not live to see it.

[ He still mourns, more for one than the other. Deka he barely knew, while Sieh was a nearly constant presence for most of his life. ]

[Dying for a cause such as the fate of the entire world. One could argue there was no greater cause than that... if one was the selfless sort. Still, it's sobering, even if she has no connection to it, and she takes a moment to reply.]

I see. It seems your kin [both of them?] were noble souls.

[Something she's sure he didn't need to hear, surely it was obvious, but. Something to be proud of, despite the loss. And something that spoke to... character, or genetic quality...

If that was worth anything after a death. Things like that certainly hadn't seemed to matter when she'd been holding Patroclus' bones in her hands... but what else was there?]

[ There's silence for a moment, as he turns to face her fully with an incredulous look on his face. The incredulity quickly turns to an expression that falls somewhere between sadness and amusement, but there's still hints of it in his eyes. ]

Sieh has been called many things, but I would not number noble soul among them.

[ Nobel is nearly the last thing that comes to mind even now, when he thinks of Sieh. ]

He was a Trickster, and lived and died like one. It was his last trick that saved us.

[It's Sieglinde's turn to look somewhat incredulous, opening her mouth to speak, closing it when she thought better of it... but she can't help herself, coloring ever so slightly as she puts her cheek in her hand, frowning in attempt not to make any less-than-serious facial expression. It wasn't befitting such a topic.]

I thought perhaps, knowing Loki as well as you do...

[That he might know tricksters... weren't predisposed to lack of noble action.

Unless Loki acted quite the cad in the bedroom or some such... not that. She ever thought about or considered such things as the carnal relations of gods.]

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dailydouble - 2017-08-24 02:05 (UTC) - Expand

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EVENT ★ ROLLING 'ROUND THE BEND

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