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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[It's cute.

It's cute and it's perhaps the first time she's struck him as such. He tugs at the scarf a bit so he can see the rest of her face again, almost boyish in doing so; so pretty, so smooth, so subtly elegant. He doesn't know why she'd ever be self-conscious. She's truly something to be treasured, to be envied, even, befitting the inherent grace of a Gem. He wants to meet the rest, to know if they're all so beautiful. So enrapturing.

As for her question, Gilgamesh knows she deserves more than a throwaway answer. He thinks for a long, hard moment before responding.]

We've survived.

[To live is to accomplish everything. Life was a struggle, painful and unforgiving. So even that much...]

We've survived, and so we continue on. We laugh; we cry; we celebrate; we mourn.

[His fingers sift through the material of the scarf, express turning wistful.]

And this world brought us together. So I've no regrets. As your Servant, I will bring you victory. You need not doubt it.

[Pearl inhales sharply, that hand being so close to her face so boldly. When he does tug down that scarf of hers, more of that blue hue can be seen yet again. Her eyes glance from his hand and back up at him, almost looking stubborn, cheeks ballooning.

They survived. Yes, that.. was an accomplishment in itself. Living day to day. And she's made it this far, in the approximate three or so months she's been here.

Pearl sighs heavily through her nostrils before she gently paws his hand away from her scarf, willing herself to float back a little further.]

There's nothing to be won here. We're just under ALASTAIR's thumb at the moment. [Again, she tugs that scarf up, this time, over her nose, her eyes returning to the city below them, framed by her ballet flats.]

We're equals, remember? I don't want to impose upon you in which Gems did to Pearls back on Homeworld. You're not an accessory. You're a person.

[It's a strange sort of thing to hear, you're a person. For all he knew that to be true, his previous Masters never treated him that way—either he was placed on a pedestal and blindly worshiped or he acted as an accomplice, pulling the strings. In both cases, equality never entered into the equation. Always he sat above, beyond, untouchable.

An other.

Gilgamesh floats back around to her and at once that ancient air is lost; he looks at her with slightly wider eyes, as if she's said something truly jarring. In a sense, it is. He should rip into her for it, tell her they could never function in such a capacity, but...]

Then the same goes for you, does it not?

[...but that comes out instead, gently chiding.]

You are also a person. With thoughts, and feelings, and ambitions. I wish to know them for myself. To be an equal—it means sharing that burden.

[I have only one equal in all the world, he thinks. But somehow his expression betrays him.]

I'm a Gem. But... yes the same idea applies.

[She was her own Gem. Rose Quartz helped her see that. She learned how to fight, how to build things, all on her own! Pearl rubs at her arms with a small shrug.]

We're working alongside each other. And plus, as times goes on... maybe you'll find out more about me.

[Pearl wasn't very open about her past. Not even to Steven, who knew her his whole life. And yet, he only knew the tip of the iceberg about many things. About his mother, about everything.]

I would know of it! Most definitely!

[Gilgamesh looks excited by the prospect. Perhaps overly so. Both of his previous Masters were such dull men, wrapped up in themselves and their own respective tragedies, but Pearl was more than that. Pearl was a Gem, precious treasure, honed to perfection. She lacked the weaknesses of humans and her heart shone purely and justly in the name of protecting her world. It is something to envy, something to cherish...

Something to fall for, as it reminded him of a certain King who held to much the same ideals and who also existed beyond humanity. Something to obsess over and hoard, as he did with all his beloved treasure. Gilgamesh may have misunderstood the concept some and, once again, read the air entirely wrong.

Or maybe Pearl just hadn't realized that his Master was as much one of his possessions as anything else.]

The bond between Master and Servant is sacred! It should be held to the highest standard of honesty and forthrightness!

[So says the man with far too many secrets of his own. But he's far too into the act now, waving his hands about emphatically.]

So I'll start right now! Pearl, I'll make the stars appear, just for you! Such is the generosity and benevolence of this fair King!

[That enthusiasm earns a soft muffled giggle from the Gem, from behind her scarf. She hooks a finger around the edge of it, tugging it down to tuck it under her small chin. Reclining in the air comfortably, her legs pulled in tight at the knees, brought up to her chest, she waves her hand dismissively.]

Gilgamesh, please. [She speaks, exasperated by his drive, but endeared all the same. It was nice to see him like this. So determined for a positive outlook. However...] There's no need for you to rush into things haphazardly.

[She shifts in the air again, letting herself lie on her stomach, pointing down at the city.]

ALASTAIR as a whole is working on just that, remember? [She even gestures to telescope, stashed away in her sash around her waist.] A team effort.

[Gilgamesh beams as if he's just been praised. He may very well have taken it as such.]

Save your please for later.

[Gilgamesh draws out his own telescope with a showy flourish, and predictably, it's been given a fresh coat of gold paint to suit him. He extends it and leans back for a better view, adjusting the lens and exclaiming in triumph once he finds what he's evidently searching for.]

There it is! They've shown themselves for me, just as I said! Come, Pearl, look at this!

[Has he actually seen anything? Is it merely a ploy to get closer to Pearl? That grin of his could go either way.]

[Pearl groans with a small roll of her eyes. Did he even listen to her? Pursing her lips into a thin line, she floats over to Gilgamesh and his telescope, her limbs hanging loosely as she does so. The Gem squints up at the sky above them as if she'd be able to see what he sees. Obviously, she can't see a darn thing.

She reaches out for his telescope once she's close enough to the King of Heroes.]

Let me see. [She'll be the judge of this.]

[Gilgamesh scoots over so she can peer into the lens, clearly delighting in cozying up shoulder to shoulder with her.]

Shh. If you listen, you may even hear them sing.

[And maybe they won't sing, but Gilgamesh hadn't lied after all—something's there, alright.

At first it seems like only an illusion, a trick of the eye. But after some squinting and focusing it becomes obvious that there are little tiny lights in the sky, faraway and winking in place. Arranged in alien constellations, like nothing that one might find on earth, but they are present and they are bright and they are enough to fuel that foreign feeling called hope. They are faint and they are fleeting but they are all the more beautiful because of it.

Naturally Gilgamesh appears terribly pleased with himself.]

You ask me what we've accomplished, and I've shown you. We've accomplished a future.

[That's a romantic thing to say, right? Right.]

[Pearl peeks into the lens, but at the first sight of a licker. Light. Stars. She snatches up the telescope entirely and leans forward, as if it would give her a better look than what the telescope offered. There were stars! Real stars! Once she was very unfamiliar with, but some none the less!

Pearl's face brightens up considerably behind the golden telescope. She takes a few silent moments of tense excitement to take in the sight before she looks over to Gilgamesh grinning widely.]

There are stars out there! There's something! [She clutches the telescope in one hand, almost trembling in pure excitement--!]

Edited 2016-01-10 03:10 (UTC)

[And then she realizes how close she is to her Servant, and well, being shoulder to shoulder with him. She looks down at their close quarters and back up at him again before she shoves the telescope back in his hand.

Her excitement got the best of her.

The Gem clears her throat and sheepishly floats away from him once again, lazily floating backwards after a jerky pull away.]

Yes. It's. Quite something!

[Gilgamesh accepts the telescope back with a chuckle, allowing Pearl her space. It was worth it. She was happy. She was overjoyed. Less with him than with the situation, but he could pretend—pretend that he hadn't made another mistake, that the giddy grin was all for him.

Gilgamesh holds the device to his chest and glances over at Pearl. His eyes are undeniably warm.]

How brilliantly you shine, in your own element. There's no need to be so shy.

[In that moment, he looks very proud of his Master. For that honest display of enthusiasm, for that smile she shared with him.]

It's nothing.

[She says rather stubbornly. How foolish she was to get so wrapped up in all this. And letting Gilgamesh see all this. Pearl scrubs at her face before she tugs up the scarf under her nose once more, as if it would hide her embarrassment.

The Gem rests her wrists at the base of her ankles as her knees come up to her chest once more. She stares down at the city, resting her nose against her knees as she does so, feeling how cold it was compared to the rest of her body.

After an uncomfortable pause, Pearl shifts in the air, clearing her throat. Professional, and meek at the same time.]

Thank you. For showing me that.

[Gilgamesh raises his eyebrows and all that affection warps into pure mischief.]

Are you chilly, by chance?

[The correct answer to this question is no, though that may not avail her from inappropriate intervention judging from that conniving expression.]

[Pearl lifts her head from her knees. While she can withstand the cold pretty well, better than the average human, she still hits her limits. She wasn't like Garnet who could withstand extreme heat and cold. Being high up in the air like this did little to tame the small shivers that ran down her spine here or there.]

I'm fine. [She mutters as she pulls her scarf up and around her cheeks.]

Truly?

[Because Gilgamesh doesn't sound as though he believes it. He approaches from behind and ever so subtly weaves arms around her shoulders. Wearing a more subdued smile now, he watches the very corner of her eyes with his own that are vivid and dark all at once.

To label this as putting the moves on would be something of an understatement.]

It's alright to tell me. I would not think less of you for it.

[And for as bothersome as his closeness might be, he's certainly warm enough for the both of them. It may very well have been his plan all along.]

It is quite enjoyable to have you in my arms, after all, so I hardly mind the excuse.

[She closes her eyes and crosses her arms stubbornly. Of course she was fine! She just needed to get back down to ground level and then she'd be--

Then there are arms wrapped around her. Around her shoulders. Granted, he's held her a few times before, but never this intimately. His voice next to her ear like that. It causes the Gem to tense up in his hold. A frightened bird in the coils of a snake. She knows he can be coy but, she was much more worried about the pair of fangs he was carrying. She would have been fine with it before, and not nearly as tense. Ready to spring away.

Her shoulders hunch, trying to make herself look smaller instinctively, staring ahead of herself.]

Hrnf... [Pearl mutters into her scarf, avoiding those red eyes of his, unsure of what to say about the situation. He was warm, but it did little to ease her anxiety.]

[Gilgamesh either doesn't pick up on or doesn't particularly care for those fearful reactions, as he only draws nearer rather than away. And those eyes are indeed focused on her, intensely so. When Gilgamesh found a target of obsession, he tended not to let go of it—not for anything. Such was the extent of his so-called passions.

However, he at least seems to sense her discomfort so high up, and so together they begin to float slowly back down. Still with his head nestled on her shoulder, still with that smoldering gaze that couldn't really be mistaken for anything else.

It was sometimes said that Gilgamesh's ludicrously high Charisma was something of a curse. Perhaps none know that better than Pearl right now.]

Let us get you back inside. You seem to have a particularly low threshold for, ah, excitement.

[He's gently poking fun. But a note of concern lingers there that perhaps she didn't do so well with heights.]

[Her cheeks inflate with a frown. Normally when she is this high in the air, she's either in a ship, or using a warp pad to travel. However, in this situation, she was left to Gilgamesh's devices. Ones she couldn't completely control herself. Pearl eases her tense muscles, seeing them slowly lower to the ground.]

I do not have a low threshold! I am content. And that's that.

[With those cheeks still ballooned with an even tighter pout, she steals a glance at Gilgamesh before averting her gaze. Those crimson eyes so up close like that. It sent a shiver down her spine.]

You are pouting, uqru.

[Gilgamesh fails to elaborate on the slip into a foreign tongue, unfolding from the half-embrace only to take her by the hand and guide her safe and sound again onto solid ground once they've descended. He holds to her fingers longer than truly necessary, as had become habit. He studies her with a softer expression.]

Perhaps you're in need of a massage when we return? I don't know if you've heard, but an Archer's hands are simply divine.

[So says the man who bragged about manifesting as any class. This conversation was headed nowhere good.]

[After being so weightless, Pearl tries her best to gather her bearings once they land. Right. Gravity was a thing. She stumbles a few steps upon landing, instinctively holding on tighter to Gilgamesh's hand as support. Thankfully, she doesn't trip over herself. Pearl straightens up, smoothing out the front of her shirt modestly, tossing back one of the ends of her scarf over her shoulder to rest comfortably over it.

At his offer, she visibly bristles like a startled cat, only for a brief moment. She pulls her hand away and shakes her head furiously.]

That won't be necessary! I'm relaxed now! [She laughs, a little forced as she twirls on one foot to emphasize how relaxed she was!]

See? Totally relaxed!

[Alright, that trips his inner alarm. Gilgamesh raises a skeptical eyebrow at his Master and folds his arms in a an inquistive sort of pose.]

Has something gotten into you? You're acting rather strangely.

[She seemed... off. Anxious. And he somehow doubts it's because of their little night ride. He probes at her thoughts questioningly but does not delve beneath the surface just yet; he trusts she'll simply tell him what's the matter rather than continue to dance around it.

And still Gilgamesh remains completely oblivious that anything he's done may have made her the slightest bit uncomfortable.]

[Pearly straightens up and shakes her head. If he does scrub her thoughts, they're a jumbled mess, questions and thoughts bombarding it. Which make no sense. Her mind running rampant. she rests her hands on her own hips.]

Nothing has gotten into me, haha! I'm just recovering from. Being in the air! I've never flown like that before! Usually it's in a spaceship! Or some kind of vessel!

[She waves her hand dismissively, accompanied by more awkward laughter...]

We should get back to our... sungazing! Should we not?

To our private time together, did you mean?

[This conversation continues to spiral downhill. Made all the worse by how he approaches her and winds an arm about her waist with a clever wink. There's being dense and then there's being Gilgamesh and that appears to be in a special class all its own.]

We may watch from our room. And make our own stars.

[Gilgamesh may or may not be referring to actual stars...]

[Dear stars. Pearl's eyes widen as he stares up at her Servant. Her chest inflates as she pulls her hands close to it, trying to make herself a little smaller in his hold.

She tries to respond to him, but she feels tongue become tied, and her throat dry as well. Seeing as words weren't coming to her, her body grows tense and--]

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