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

[avantguard]

If you like your food extremely well done.

[ The fire seems to crackle loudly in agreement as Asuna finally walks close enough to be illuminated by the flames -- her face a strange mixture of amusement and something else. ]

I wouldn't recommend it for marshmallows, though.

[promises_to_keep]

[Lea makes a bit of a face, but pops the blackened marshmallow into his mouth anyway. Hey, he paid way too much for that bag to waste a single one. Chewing with a grimace as it literally crunches, he sort of coughs and then clears his throat.]

I think 'well done' was a bit of an understatement, actually.

[He looks up as the girl approaches the fire and takes in her appearance for a moment. She looks young, maybe a year or two older than Riku, he thinks, and she carries herself with a sort of confidence that tells him she's experienced a bit more than the average teenager might have. It seems a lot of the people ALASTAIR brought to this place have that in common.

[There's nothing aggressive or threatening about her posture or voice, though, so he stays where he is, seated in front of the telescope, and gestures vaguely at the fire.]

Wanna siddown? S'pretty cold tonight, so if ya need to warm up some...

[avantguard]

[ He actually ate it! She stares in surprise. In SAO, when you failed at making a certain food, it was completely inedible. She had to go through a lot of ingredients for that reason. But she never tried her failed attempts at cooking, during the early stages of her leveling up. ]

You didn't have to eat it...

[ Some people don't like wasting food, she guesses.

But as if on cue, she gets a small shiver and looks at the fire. It couldn't hurt and she rubs her hands together and sits down on the opposite side. ]

Thank you. [ She pushes her hands towards the fire, feeling them get pleasantly warm. ] How long have you been out here?

[beyourrock]

Sneak attack?

[Pearl stands up from the mud and stares down at herself, nose wrinkling in distaste. Mud falls away from her back and arms with a sickening slap and smack to the ground. A shudder runs through her spine.

She turns her attention to Lancer and points an accusing finger at him, mud flying off her hand and in his direction.]

You're the one who crashed into me! I didn't intend to fall into you! Just-- what did you think you were doing??

[headlining]

Well, a sun would be nice...but I don't think I'm going to find that, no.

[He looks over at Melan, giving him a smirk.]

At the moment, I don't know exactly what I'm looking for. Perhaps I'll see a UFO. Who knows.

c;

[foodmooching]

[ Four hours in and he's peering into his telescope from the tippy top of the forest's tallest tree...and a girl coincidentally comes into view as he looks into the eyepiece. Well, that's something he doesn't expect. Then again, what he's been watching for in the sky seems to have fairly quietened down, so he could take a break.

(Weirder things have been seen, but a boy just casually floating upwards as if on an elevator would probably give the local folk pause.)

How aware is Sakura of her surroundings as she's flying up-high and peering into her telescope? Because depending on which direction she's facing, he might float either:

(a) into her direct line of sight, though do it on purpose, or
(b) behind to tap her on the shoulder. That's how horror stories start, right? A tap on the shoulder when there shouldn't be anyone else around...? ]

NOTE: CUT OFF POINT

[beyourrock]

{{ooc: I won't be taking any more threads after this comment, sorry folks! ;; Trying to maintain my tag load, and I need to distribute my tagging attention accordingly. Thanks!}}

[grunehexe]

[So her guess hadn't been incorrect! She hadn't been planning on startling him- but Sebastian truly was light-footed! It occurs to her that she could have given him quite a good scare in revenge for his snowballs... too late...

Instead, she returns the gesture, one hand still kept securely around the telescope in her arms.]

Greetings!

[She almost seems confused for a moment, (traded them, of course not?), before she simply brushes past it for an introduction.]

Nonsense- this is Sebastian, my temporary butler. Sebastian, this is the knave with the snowballs I told you about.

[Okay, so she maybe held tiny grudges sometimes.]

[adlantisag]

[ The great head swings up sharply at the noise, yellow eyes winking. It has a huge, club-shaped head with a bony crest down its neck. It doesn't hear Steven's meow so much as pick up on the vibration of it moving through the air, and when it looks at him it sees the flaring of his nervous system as he moves, concentrating in the gem at his belly.

The cat pulls back, lowers its head and head-butts the tree, making it tremble. Boom! ]

[jamminshield]

[Whoa! The closer view is even more breathtaking. It reminds him of a dinosaur too, which is even cooler. His eyes widen, mesmerized by the sight.

...But then he's quickly snapped out of it as the tree is suddenly headbutted. The trembling extends to the branch, and Steven is nearly thrown off, but he quickly clings to the branch like a koala with furry hair.]

W-wait, hold on! I just wanna be friends! Please, let me love you!

[jamminshield]

Y-yeah, around then! [He chuckles.] Guess it was time for a catnap!

[headlining]

[He appreciates the silence. He thinks he spots something, but it's hard to see with glasses clacking against the telescope while he does so. He pockets them, revealing a pair of dark eyes, and leans forward. He doesn't have the chance to look though, before she speaks up.]

Maybe we will, maybe we won't. [He looks up at the dark sky. Nothing has changed.] Maybe this telescope will see something we can't.

[hellshaped]

[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.]

[beyourrock]

[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?

[hellshaped]

[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.]

[nicearms]

[ Look it was funny for the first five minutes... who am I kidding, he's probably still proud of it. ]

I can take a walk if we can't figure something out first.

Ah damn all my other boy scout tricks need the sun
Not that I saw. well I don't have one, I've just been hanging around

...

you think the telescope has anything magnetic in it?

[nicearms]

Shit—!

[ As it turns out, accidental attempted murder is a great pull-up motivator. As Oikawa starts to tip, Sigma hauls himself up over the edge of the roof onto his knees in a hurried singular motion. Granted, the kid's keeling away from him, but A for effort, right? Thankfully he manages to catch himself before he goes rolling off the other side of the roof. ]

Geez yourself! Hate to see you run into any angry bats up here, your heart'd probably stop before you hit the ground!

[ Pot, kettle, Sigma, you're pretty jumpy yourself. Standing up, he makes his way carefully over to Oikawa and sits down beside him. As is the way of bros. ]

Oh right, that. [ That mission he'd been in too much of a weird Toronto-inspired fever dream to sign up for otherwise he totally would have. ] Me? I was just curious. Need any help with that?

[ Read: Want any company? ]

[cutlery]

[ When Peridot motions to her telescope, Sebastian walks closer to take a look. Peridot may not be planning to help, but Sebastian is a devoted student!! So unless she stops him, he'll be taking a look at each area as she explains, since he's naturally curious, but also just interested in technology. ]

Ah, no, that does make sense... I had wondered about the state they were in, but I thought it a bit rude to ask, since I thought these were on loan.

[ He leans closer to look at some of that panelling. ]

And where did you get the spare parts to make the necessary repairs?

[perma_banned]

Huuuh~?

[The insult itself made Ban think creatively, at least. Though, he didn't get particularly far into that line of thinking before Gintoki moved right back into the topic at hand. A snicker marked itself as his proper response initially, before Ban pulled himself up to sit properly.]

You honestly think it'll matter--lookin' closer at the problem? We already know somebody who can take that magic dooown~. A bunch of idiots kidnapped his brother and ruined our chances of an easy solution!

[So, he didn't see a point in putting any extra effort into things.

It was definitely far from being his fault--for once.]

[perma_banned]

[Ban didn't bother to correct Alice. In hindsight, telling her that he could read expressions wouldn't have worked out all that well--nor would it do him any good to let her know how important body-language and one's poker face was.

It would be easier to sneak that knife off of her, eventually, if she knew less and less about how perceptive he actually was.]

Guess that's why I don't hate you all that much~. You aren't an easy mark like everybody else.

[To boot, he knew what sort of can of worms he was about to open. The kids had resumed playing, a few reaching for the remainder of the cookies once their energy needed another kick.]

Sweet words and a few good deeds won't win you over, huh~? Must be why you're friends with that guy.

[Who else could he have been talking about other than--]

Looked and smelled like a killer, but you still like him like it ain't a problem~.

[runningjoke]

[She links this. It's a bear. A normal bear.]

[hideyourself]

[-- oh. Hideyoshi doesn't miss a beat in grasping the hand, his woolen mittens meeting her leather gloves, though his other hand rising to pull at his scarf in a somewhat nervous gesture. nonetheless, his voice is cheery.]

Nice to meet you, Pearl! I'm Nagachika. [followed by a breath of a laugh, nose crinkling.] For all the serious talk... It's pretty exciting to see different parts of the universe. I never thought I'd get off my own planet, let alone meet other species.

[looking straight on in the low light... her skin was even paler than the Western normal, wasn't it--?]

[hideyourself]

[some people were born patient. Hideyoshi, despite his affinity for wild colors and loud noises, was one of those people; as such, he counts his time spent atop the spire (or roof, because the authors demand it for Dipper accessibility) in the telescope's beeps rather than seconds, a process which grinds to a halt at his new company's answer.]

It doesn't?

[sounding a mite surprised, eyes blinking over. one eyebrow raised above the other.]

Your world has goblins and magic...?

[magic seemed to basically be a commodity, but, still.]

[perma_banned]

Meee~? Nah, that wouldn't be much of a shooow.

[Modesty was one thing, but Ban figured his personality was repulsive enough that it would ruin any sort of aesthetic he could aim for--

Not that he had many compunctions about wandering around nearly naked.]

I think I might want one of those telescopes now, though ♪.

[perma_banned]

[While Ban endeavored to make certain Aqua's neck wouldn't break in her landing--he didn't act much like Prince Valiant by any stretch of the name. He opened his arms to drop Aqua the moment she seemed to be fine, placing one hand on his hips while looking her over for anymore critical injuries.

As if it mattered, though. He already knew she could use healing magic.]

Ahhhn~? [He seemed a bit confused when posed with that question, though.]

I jumped.