PLAYER EVENT ★ HELIOLOGY

[ricksybusiness]

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! ]

Comments

[digophelia]

Then I'll ruin my handkerchief, I don't care.

[ It doesn't matter if it's a small cut or not, it's the gesture more than anything else at this rate. Alice keeps a firm but gentle hand over it to stop the bleeding from progressing. There are plenty of questions in her head, most of all"what are you?" is the top of that list. It should take a few moments, she hopes, if he's healthy enough from bleeding profusely from a small cut.

"And I would do it again in a heartbeat, if it meant proving that your eyes are trustworthy. That you can have faith in yourself."

Alice, on the other hand, bites her lip and keeps her thoughts to herself. She disagrees, of course, and still will insist that she's well beyond a cure to alleviate her from her visions. Just as well, Alice felt the same way, she would risk being hurt to protect another, especially a friend. It may not do anything to soothe whatever worries or fears he has, but it's the thought that counts to Alice, who finds herself quietly holding his hand in hers. Another person is telling her to have faith in herself. ]

I'm certain if I tell you anymore, you'll think of me mad. But-

[ Two times through Wonderland and the looking glass and Alice was able to trudge through her worst hallucinations. Those times, she never lost, not even when things seemed like it was impossible to escape. Yet, it may never be completely gone, for Alice. All she ever wanted was to be normal and a full-functioning adult. ]

There have been worse things, I suppose it may take longer to work through. [ Telling him not to worry seemed like it wouldn't work whatsoever -- if anything, Sion wold have worried over her, regardless. Exhausted, Alice heaves a sigh, gently pulling her hand away with her handkerchief. ]

You can have it, as a reminder you shouldn't do that again, You Majesty. For now, I'm still going to try and enjoy the company of my friend, no matter what color his blood is and no matter what he thinks of me or himself. Maybe I'll sleep better when I do that way.

[ She sways, just a little, turning back to throw up the hood of her cloak and nestles herself back in her blue bundle, stubborn as ever. Alice regains her bravado in her voice, canting her head to the side as she shrugs. Even then, it's tempting for her just to rest her eyes at that moment, if only to drive out whatever has been crawling into her vision. ]

I'll be in just as much gratitude as you, for not turning away from me.

[perma_banned]

Unless those telescopes can undo magic, seems like a waste of tiiime~.

[Ban poked it.]

[bougy]

( she nods, once, if not enthusiastically than at least affably. it's a pleasure to help her companions, especially with a task she personally doesn't mind doing, and especially one that doesn't require much effort. she takes the telescope in hand, holding it closely to her chest. any instrument of knowledge tends to be rather fragile. the fact that it doesn't seem, to her, to be made well doesn't exactly allow her to be reckless in good conscious. for once, she's actually a bit restrained, as she shifts her weight slightly to one foot to accommodate the shape of it. )

Not a problem. We just need to find some place high, right? ( she looks up. and, briefly, around. ) Preferably out of view. Judging by your skulking earlier, I'd guess you know why well enough.

[satsujinki]

Gah! Hey, you--

[Sion had no qualms with breaking into someone's personal space. If only because Shiki didn't want to lose his grip and drop the equipment--he relented in an instant without even realizing it. His unsteady steps forward were unwitting as his attention was definitely torn between the equipment and Sion's sudden closeness.]

What the--!?

[--And then they were on a magic stairwell and Shiki was sucking in a breath with a skip in his heartbeat.]

Stop acting like I'm alright with this! Who in the world would want to gamble with a magic platform like this!?

[Even so, he was already high up enough that jumping down would be a problem for the equipment.]

[satsujinki]

[Lea made a good first impression, at the very least. He made his way over to the other young man, bowing his head in his greeting before pulling off his pack to set down on the ground.]

Hey. I was getting bored looking at a blackened lens for so long by myself--so, I figured it would be easier with someone else.

[It was a bit of luck, he supposed. Lea had powers, but he didn't seem at all arrogant about it. Referring to it as if it was normal and not something special made him a bit closer to a proper teenager in his eyes than one might have assumed--even if Shiki was sure he was quite older.]

I brought tea, by the way--if you want some.

[bougy]

I see. Well. Not yet, exactly. You're willing to share? ( alas, foiled again by some fine booty. she shrugs her shoulders and, for a moment, pauses, but ultimately moves to make the climb up. there's much to lose.

if she can't convince him otherwise, at least she'll get to see something lovely. when she clambers up, she uses both of her arms to heave her body up and over the edge of the roof, which creates a bit of sound from her clanking armour. she's slightly out of breath as she stands behind him, not quite sitting down yet. {it's easier to breathe standing up.} lightly teasing: ) What would you wish for, upon such a fine asset?

[bougy]

Tell him what you think of his choice in furniture. For example, thrones are so old-fashioned, or that bed size isn't fooling anyone.

c.

[bougy]

( although she's got a telescope of her own, the best potential use of her time this evening has definitely been wandering around seeing if there's anything else for her to do, and the best potential use of her telescope has been to serve as a backup on-call for anyone who might've accidentally broken their ostensible hunk of junk. it's obviously not rubbish, but still, you never know with shoddy materials.

it's easy enough to spot the light coming from the hummock. it's alive and bright enough to tell her it's a fire, so Hawke is expecting an ally, sure as she is that no human or goblin would be out and about and signalling their position in such a way. she's friendly when she approaches Lea. what she has in mind is a passing check-in with a companion, and a quick chance to warm herself by a natural fire. )

Hey. ( loudly, as she sees he's got his eye on the sky and something in his hands. ) You've got the right idea there, multi-tasking.

[runningjoke]

Oh, my...







Telescope? I did it a short while ago, after I was initially given it by that horrible smelling human. The repairs were minimal, since it was still in one piece. I don't think I can fix yours. It's completely destroyed.

[SUBJECT CHANGE!!]

[runningjoke]

...

Oh, hah! You mean those figures carved into ancient stones you've surely seen around on Earth, don't you?

[sediments]

Hey. [ Bolin's brows furrow at Gintoki's joke, a default and conditioned reaction to defend Opal.

It doesn't stop him from pulling himself up, so that he can walk over to peer at Gintoki's little set up, pretending like he has any idea what the other man means by "readings". ]

Sure. [ Gintoki could pretty much say anything, and Bolin would just have to accept it. ] Like what?

[runningjoke]

...

[He touches it. Of course. She can't do much about it, with her hands busy. Instead, though...]

Hm.

So you haven't one of these yourself?

[runningjoke]

It can't stop time. You're lying.

[runningjoke]

This sounds stupid. No being of real importance or power would care about such immature opinions.

[runningjoke]

I'M RUNNING AWAY SO I DON'T HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO STEVEN WHY I BLASTED YOU INTO A MILLION SHARDS!!!

[Peridot screams at the top of her lungs, trying to wiggle mid-air away from the snowballs.]

HAVE FUN LOOKING STUPID FOREVER, CLOD!!!

[runningjoke]

[Inwardly, Peridot was laughing to herself. Sure. She'll run through the whole thing. Explain all the upgrades, and repairs.

And then totally not do it for them. After all, she doesn't owe them anything, and even if she did, they're humans. Why would she do something for them?]

Sure.

[The Gem grins, gesturing to her own telescope.]

As you can see, I've made my own paneling to cover up the parts that were left open, and while the rest is inside now, I can assure you that there's no wires out of place, or any lenses left cracked. I have extremely high standards when it comes to technology, and engineering, so I wouldn't even be using mine if it wasn't as nice as possible.

[bougy]

Hey, interior decorating is a very sensitive topic! Criticising someone's taste is like criticising their very soul.
You could also try asking nicely?

[viscontree]

[Thankfully Julius is managing in his own way. Sure it's a little chilly outside. Earlier he made some preparations so the weather isn't much of a concern to him. Once Riza speaks up he gives her a firm salute. Julius appears to be doing better than he was last time they spoke.]

Hello Lieutenant.

These weather conditions aren't too harsh. I'm fine. [He looks over her arm and nods.]

I see you're ready for the operation today. [As expected of someone who works in the military tbh.]

[heavyhitter]

[ It doesn't bother her in the slightest to be totally disregarded. She makes a habit of being an asshole to people, she gets a lot of cold shoulders. She makes her way to stand next to him, kicks some snow off the ground of her chosen perch, and drops down into a seat on the edge when she's got it mostly bare. She even gets him a little while of silence to set up in, if he wants it.

But eventually: ] Think we're gonna find anything? That all looks pretty... empty.

[runningjoke]

Fine.

[And then Peridot left her hiding spot of inside of a cave, and screamed at the sky for several minutes.]

IT DIDN'T WORK AND NOW I'M WET.

[adlantisag]

[ She offers him a hesitant smile, noticing his enthusiasm. She pushes the food his way. ]

You are hard at work! I thought it the least I could do. Try the seaweed, it is excellent.

[ She's too uncomfortable from the storm to eat much. She keeps glancing away when another spike of lightning hits, blinking rapidly. She sits, her hands balled at her knees. ]

Have you seen anything? Does your machine...tell you what is wrong?

[heavyhitter]

[ She's been working on her jumping, and this seems like a great time for it. There had been a few disasters when it first occurred to her that she could apply her strength to a leap, but her accuracy is starting to improve. So she crouches briefly, gauges distance and angle, and leaps.

The landing is... not quite what she'd hoped for. It would be alright if Koltira and his telescope weren't already occupying the space, anyway.

He's got about a half second warning as she realizes where she's headed: ] Oh, shit, heads up!

[heavyhitter]

[ Oh, good, she was hoping she wouldn't have to catch Olivia after she bounced off of Ramir in the inevitable result of a collision. She smiles brightly, despite the rain, and is quick to step in next to her, the better to slide an arm through hers. ]

Great! I told you I'm a food expert, right? I'll pick us out the best shit in town.

[ Assuming anything is open right now. God, is it night or day? It's never easy to tell, and half the time business schedules themselves seem confused about it. ]

[riastraid]

[ Squawking—! Like a bird, haha, nose joke here. Except instead, Lancer lets out a small, strangled noise and keeps his quipping to himself for once, because he definitely bit his tongue just now. They collide like bullets ricocheting off each other, improbably on the same course and much too quick to end in anything but disaster.

And unlike Pearl's delicate mudbath, he just lands on a giant rock with a crash. There's a clatter of pebbles. A cough. The gentle pitter-patter of rain as the two of them simultaneously wonder what the fuck just happened.

If Pearl spots him, draped limply over a boulder and generally looking like a cat caught out in the rain, he doesn't bother trying to straighten up or get his completely drenched bangs out of his eyes. Which he narrows on her. ] Thearl. [ Ah. No, once more, after his tongue stops feeling like it's been cut in two— ] Pearl? What kinda sneak attack was that...

[headlining]

You make it sound like it's been years since you've seen them.

[He agrees with her, they were awfully strange-looking, but, well, maybe it was this never-ending darkness that was messing with them.]

Whatever they are, I'm sure the telescope man will figure them out.