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! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ It takes her a second to put everything together. So, a guy fell. Keats, she realizes, a little belatedly, after taking a look at who she's got. Keats fell, someone pushed him. Someone... green and unrepentant. She would usually give zero shits about whatever weird domestic dispute that was, but dammit, Keats is someone she knows and probably likes! So she ignores his complaints entirely, which is basically the treatment all friends get. ]

Hang on, I'm gonna try something.

[ She crouches a little, still holding tight to him, and jumps. She puts her strength into it, the abnormal kind, and the resulting jump is as high as she'd hoped it would be. Higher, actually. She overshoots the roof's level by about ten feet and comes down heavily, further onto it than she'd meant to. She was aiming for the edge. Whatever. She spins to face Peridot, still scowling. ]

What the hell was that about, huh!

[Okay, and now she's jumping, and he's still in her arms, and now he practically misses the embarrassment of the mistletoe a while aback because THIS IS SO MUCH WORSE.]

[He lets out a surprised gasp, the glasses slipping further down his nose. God. God. He almost wishes he died instead of having to go through this.]

[He dimly realizes they're facing the woman who pushed him down again, but he's not going to be able to do anything if he's still like this.]

Could you please, for the love of GOD, p-put me down!! I can deal with this myself!

[ And now this... human (????) just leaped the distance of the whole building?? Without flying?? Or maybe that WAS her flying?? ]

OKAY, HOLD ON! How can YOU fly, but HE can't?? You're both humans! Or is this some sort of... variation of species?

[ It seems she's talking more to herself than either of them, but eventually she does turn to face Ramir, giving her more attention since clearly, she's the more superior of the two humans here. ]

He wouldn't leave me alone. I told him to leave, and he wouldn't. It's not that big a deal. But now you're both interfering with my data collection. So, go away already.

[ She waves her hand in yet another "shoo"ing motion. ]

[ Oh, hell no, no one shoos her. Her scowl darkens and she finally obliged Keats to put him down, but without seeming to even have heard his request. She just needs her hands free for this, that's all. She drops his feet an instant before she drops his upper body, which should give him enough time to catch his footing, and immediately afterward stomps toward Peridot. ]

I didn't fly, I jumped. Humans don't fly, obviously, why the hell were you expecting him to? That's called attempted murder, and since it was attempted murder on someone I like, it is that big a deal!

[He lets out a short "oh!" as she lets him go, and he almost topples backwards from the awkward drop before managing to get his balance. Oh, Ramir, he's not going to let you have all the fun. Keats doesn't really have a temper, but even he's not going to stand for someone just casually attempting to murder him.]

[He pushes up his glasses to where they belong, following Ramir (his cheeks are still red, which still gives him a somewhat embarrassed look).]

She didn't want to share her spot and she goes and pushes me over the damn roof! [He steps forward, fists clenching at his sides. His eyes almost seems brighter, more intense - they shine oddly in the low light.]

What's your deal, huh? Are you really such an idiot that you thought I could fly like a bird?

Oh.

[Oh boy, more like. That wasn't quite an 'oh' of understanding as much as it was one of fear with this human apparently mad for some reason?? Peridot takes a half step back, back towards her telescope and Robonoid.]

I've seen some organics fly! I thought maybe he could, since he got all the way up here- that's how I got up here!

[And now the weaker human is approaching too- ugh, great, she hates being outnumbered!! Where was Ran when she needed her??? This is what a BODYGUARD is FOR!! Tsking as a sign for her Robonoid to hop onto the telescope for a quick retreat, she starts to prepare her helicopter-mode.]

Fine, keep your stupid spot, clods!! I'll find a BETTER one!

[ Oh, so the green lady is definitely an alien. Alright, the confusion makes sense in that case. Any actual anger that had been there flickers out immediately, but the annoyance isn't going anywhere. She halts her charge when it looks like Peridot is about to fly off — she's pretty sure she could stop her, but why bother? — and just points threateningly. ]

Okay, try not fucking assuming that next time, that'd be a great start. Try it again and I swear to god I'll just — throw you. [ throw someone who can apparently fly? whatever, it'll do for a threat. ]

What the hell are you even talking about? What organics?

[He is so confused right now. None of this is making any sense, and now the green woman is jumping on her telescope for some reason, and honestly, Keats is seriously considering if he cracked his head at some point earlier. This can't be happening.]

[He doesn't stop in his approach, because unlike Ramir, he's not the type to just let her go, though he's still a little too far from the telescope and he probably won't catch her if she takes off.]

What, are you just going to leave now? After all of that?!

Don't be stupid- there's no point in seeing if he can fly again when I know he can't!

[ Attempting to kill him though, that might be something she tries though. Just not when this... Quartz-Human was around, at least.

You want an even weirder day than a literal green alien chick shoving you off a building? The digits of her "hand" are now twirling around, rotating in a helicopter-like formation. She quickly tucks the telescope with her Robonoid on it under her arm, and starts lifting off the roof, literally starting to fly away. ]

What, you want me to STAY? Fuck you!

[ Did she really just...

Yeah, no, she still doesn't know what this means, but from what she's learned from Rick's useage, it's a way to end a sentence you mean to convey anger in. ]

[ God, aliens are so weird. The sight of that escape route plus the indignant-sounding fuck you finally sets Ramir off though, and she laughs. And reaches to snag the back of Keats's shirt to hold him back, because the weird green lady earned this escape. ]

Look, I know you probably don't see this much, but that's what backing down from a pissing contest looks like, so you can let her go.

[He so wants to indulge in his wilder instincts, to just shoot her down with a well-aimed plume of fire or ball of ice, and for a moment, his eyes fill with light as he moves forward to do the deed-]

[But then Ramir pulls him back, and he comes back to himself. The urges are gone. He shakes his head a few times, as if he's just come out of a strange dream, and he's back to normal, his eyes dark again.]

Ugh. [He stares at Peridot's retreating form with a very obvious expression of disgust.] Eh, she should have been taught a lesson, but...honestly, I don't see how anything would get through that thick skull of hers...

[ She finally glances over from Peridot to catch just the tail end of that odd glow — which is also pretty weird. Huh. She'd pegged him for being just a totally normal human, maybe that's wrong? Well, whatever, show's over here. She shrugs, dropping her hold on his shirt. ]

Doesn't matter. You didn't die, she gave up your roof, you're basically even. [ and, with a sudden sharp grin: ] But hey, that was a pretty good catch, right? I hear heroes get kisses from the damsels they rescue.

...Yes, I suppose you're right.

[Things could've been a lot worse, and all in all, he realizes that all of it was something not worth wasting energy over. What came over him? He's supposed to be cool-headed, logical, not indulge in strange bestial desires that he doesn't quite understand.]

[He clears his throat, forcing his thoughts back, ready to collect himself to reap the reward of having a free space of doing his work - and then suddenly Ramir says that, and his throat clearing suddenly becomes a surprised cough.]

No. No! [PLEASE, GOD, NO. He stares back at her, cheeks flushing again] I mean, I'm...that was good, you being there, but no. Let's, uh, let's never speak of that again, shall we?

[ Aww, just the good reaction she was hoping for. Ramir sidles in closer, wrapping an arm through his familiarly. ]

Gimme a kiss for silence, then, and I won't immediately tell everyone I run into all about this.

[ She's kidding. Mostly kidding. She won't press it, anyway, since she already got one out of him and that's pretty good by any definition. But she can't resist a little more teasing. ]

[~~HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN TO ME / I MADE MY MISTAKES~~]

[His gaze moves between her face and her arm, darting back and forth as he tries to think of a way to get out of this situation. Unfortunately, none of the ideas he's coming up with are any good, though he does kind of try to slide his arm out as best he can.]

A kiss for silence? [He lets out a short laugh, even though he's frowning.] What's next, blackmail?

...What are you going to tell everyone, exactly?

[ It basically is blackmail already, as far as she's concerned, and she sees exactly no issues with that. She smiles cheerfully up at him, in contrast to how she tightens her arm around his and what she says: ]

Why would I tell you that? Rumors are so much harder to break up when you're not totally sure what they even are.

[Just going to try to tug out of her grip again! And probably fail! Just going to keep frowning at her grin, what a grumpy gus he is.]

If you want a kiss that badly, can't you, I don't know, find someone else to kiss? Why me?

[ Predictably, she keeps a tight hold on that arm. ]

Because you're just so fucking cute! No one else squirms like you do. --Well, Olivia probably would, but she's not here right now, so I guess you're just lucky.

[ That's probably far enough, though. She laughs and finally lets go, taking a half step back to give him a little space bubble back. ]

Nah, don't worry, I'm fucking with you.

I'm not cute, don't call me that, and...wait, Olivia? What does she got to do with any of-?

[He stops himself before he can say anything else. The name brought up suddenly sends his heart beating a little too fast. For a brief moment, he misinterprets it as he bringing up the name because she somehow knows of the connection between him and her...but then realizes what she actually means. He mentally dismisses his reaction, his surprised look turning to one of no amusement.]

You like to do that a lot, don't you. [He says, with a huff and a look, before moving to pick up his dropped telescope from before.]

[ Oh, she caught that Olivia reaction. That means something. Her smile sharpens just slightly with a resolve to look into it at some point, maybe in the immediate future. ]

Guilty as charged. [ that telescope reminds her of what they're actually supposed to be out here for, though, and then in turn of how she's not holding her own anymore. She blinks, glancing around the roof. ] Hey, have you seen my thing? My junk-o-scope?

[He doesn't say anything when she sees that smile, instead turning away from her so that he can set up the telescope.]

What, yours? [He pauses as he thinks, before giving a somewhat flippant gesture to where she jumped on the roof.]

You may have left it on the street. You know, when you...well, you know.

[He's not even going to acknowledge that incident between them at all from now on, NOPE.]

[ If he doesn't want to, Ramir's more than happy to instead. ]

Oh, yeah, when I caught your fragile little flailing body, right. [ She heads for the edge of the roof, peering over it down into the street. ] Hey, yeah, there it is! Thanks for the tip.

I'm tougher than I look.

[He replies, huffy, as he peers through the telescope and tries to set up a good view. He's not going to discuss this, nope.]

Whatever. Are you going to stargaze now, or what?

Yeah, I guess so.

[ Honestly, the actual stargazing part seems pretty boring. She makes a face, then — steps off the ledge. That stopped being terrifying pretty fast after gaining her powers, then eventually stopped being exhilarating, too. She has to admit it's still pretty fun, though. She lands heavily on the ground, straightens up, and strides on to collect her telescope. Scouted back up to the rooftop: ]

Think I can get the angle right this time? Now accepting bets!

[He doesn't even care. She could've sprouted wings and turned into a fairy and he just wouldn't find a single ounce of emotion to feel surprised. Okay, she can jump down and jump up really high. Great. Good for her.]

[He scowls, even though she can't see it, and raises his voice so she can hear.]

No bets! The only bet I would make is that any bets with you would result in you trying to get another kiss out of me, or something equally silly.

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