epidemiology | EVENT ★ GONE FISHIN'

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EVENT ★ GONE FISHIN'

Thanks to your help, repairs to the flood wall are complete. The Nalawi are still largely without their Gifts, so they are thankful -- without the aid of ALASTAIR recruits, they would have surely drowned or been eaten by sea monsters.

Despite the barely averted disaster, the residents of Komo have decided to go along with their lives as planned, perhaps to bolster morale instead of giving into despair. By chance, their annual fishing contest is scheduled for today! As honored guests, recruits are invited to participate.

FISHING CONTEST

Dugout canoes are provided for all participants, patterns that suggest fish scales burned into the wooden sides. Curiously, no fishing rods are offered; if a recruit requests one, they will be given a strange look, but the harbormaster will acquiesce.

Due to the rough seas, the passage between Komo and the other islands is still inaccessible. Contestants are reminded to stay behind the reefs or venture east toward open ocean for their quarry. It’s only when the contest begins that the quarry in question is actually announced . . .

Sharks.

You are fishing sharks. And, judging by the lack of equipment (or the puny fishing rod you requested), you’re expected to do this by hand.

The tiny deer people don’t seem bothered by this predicament at all: the goal is to catch the biggest shark, by length and poundage. Better not embarrass yourself in front of the locals.

GET PUMPED

Mettaton has announced over the jewelry that he will be hosting a celebration in tandem with the fishing contest, in order to help the native Nalawi and the ALASTAIR recruits get to know each other better. This includes singing, dancing, and all sorts of different performances -- and, of course, reporting on the actual fishing.

If you aren’t the fishing type or maybe you just need a break from chasing sharks around, this is a good chance to bust a move and show your teammates how you can get down -- or just sit back and watch! It’s bound to be entertaining one way or another.

Plot for the stage here!

Olivia will be the final performer in the showcase. Anyone who witnesses her dancing may feel themselves super-charged by the spectacle . . . with possibly unexpected results! Characters may feel even more determined to win the fishing contest, or perhaps they’ll take this surge of optimism to help rebuild some of Komo’s destroyed buildings before the day winds down into night.

THE FEAST

After the fishing contest, the sharks will be collected and prepared. Grilled shark, fried shark, shark caviar, and shark jerky from the results of last year’s contest. There are fruits and vegetables and breads available as well, but if you want some protein, you’d better go native.

During the feast, some of the Nalawi perform dances and song. The subjects range from their goddess Nalanni to love songs. Want to show off your talents again? Now’s the time! Or, if you’d prefer to step away from the excitement, the beach is quiet and empty, and the baths are unoccupied since the whole of Komo is at the gathering.

As the feast winds down, the Nalawi will pass around their very potent alcohol for a toast to Komo’s health. Someone shouts, interrupting, wondering what good that will do if Nalanni has abandoned them. Concerned murmuring fills the gathering, spoiling the mood. ALASTAIR recruits may attempt to put them at ease -- otherwise, the feast will disperse on a sour note.

OOC INFO

If you would like your character to win the fishing contest, please sign up below. You must thread out fishing in order to participate in the drawing. There will be only one winner, decided by RNG. The winner will be contacted on April 1st. The prize is a necklace of shark’s teeth, which has a one-use spell that will make all sharks in a one mile radius sleep for 30 seconds.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ He's a giant, so if even he was affected, she feels a little less silly for the haziness that overwhelms her. The seawater tears at it in increments, parts the shroud just long enough that she can roll onto her hip, watching him. He's far; with her, but not the way she'd wanted.

Pushing herself up on the stand, she half-crawls over to him, dropping her wet, sandy body against his front, pressing up against his warmth. He continues to be like a hearth fire, warm and cozy.

She says nothing for a long moment, watching the reflection of the stars on the sea. She could sleep here, she thinks. ]

ALASTAIR let me see Atlantis--I was able to go back. Barely an hour.

[ Her voices rises up into the silent night, barely more than a whisper now that they're close. She draws up her knees. ]

I was able to see the end of it.

[Well, alright, so much for keeping dry. Not that Hellboy can complain too much: Kida flops against him and he can feel the electricity between them, the energy he associates with her flowing into him just by their close proximity. Except she's a little inebriated so it's a warmer energy now, more rough. His tail curls a little at the end.

He loops his arms around her, adjusting her position against him so he can rest his chin on top of her head. They don't really have to talk. He'd been nearing a bad mood but he can feel it melting away just sitting with her.]

They... what? [He didn't even know that was possible, and moves his head so he can peer down at her.] Jesus. Are you... what was it like? Are you okay?

[ In the circle of his arms, she is protected and safe. He has strong shoulders to carry the burdens of others. ]

No. I am not 'okay'. [ How could she be? She'll never go back to who she was before she knew. ] But--I was ignorant before. [ She huffs out a breath. ] That is always the way with me, is it not? Being here, working for ALASTAIR, meeting all of you...I shed my ignorance.

[ And her innocence, in a way, though Kida wouldn't call herself such, not after eight thousand years. How difficult are the lives of men, and all this suffering she's never seen.

She turns so that her shoulder presses against his chest, so she can better tuck her head into his neck, nosing the softer skin of his throat. She needs the warmth more than she can express. She wants to be held, to be touched, to feel real. ]

Atlantis was so beautiful, Hellboy...surrounded by forest, and build of pale stone. The sun made all of it shine gold. [ She makes a sweeping gesture, as if to convey its grandeur. Then her tone darkens. ] But we were rich and fat and spoiled. We had such power...a great crystal we harnessed for energy. Like our own small star.

[ She takes her pendant, holds it out. ] Imagine this--a hundred thousand times again. Energy for the entire city, for water and light...and an armada of warships to lay down all who opposed us. [ She drops the pendant, and it swings back to her collarbone. ] My father sank us, Hellboy. He used the crystal as a weapon--and it bit him back, and all his people.

[ She remembers the great barrier over the city-center, her mother gone to protect Atlantis' children. A shield is not a sword. ]

[Hellboy is quiet, listening, not sure what to say. He's never sure what to say to this sort of thing, so he just lets Kida move in closer to him, slipping his flesh hand down to hold her at the waist, pressing her closer. He's left blinking in surprise when she presses her face to his throat, feeling her breath against his skin, but he just swallows and stays focused.

My father sank us. He can't imagine how much that's shattered her worldview. More than meeting people from the surface, more than meeting people from other worlds, more than meeting people who are literally not human beings. Her own father, the cause of her people's suffering.

Bruttenholm did some things that shook Hellboy's view of him. Parents are not infallible, and it's a hard lesson when children find this out, no matter what the gravity.

He's quiet when he answers her, during a lull in her story.] The term the professor used for Atlanteans was the Golden People. Gorinium, Atlantis, all of Hyperborea. It all shone brighter than the civilization on the surface now. [The higher something flies, the further it has to fall, but he doesn't say that. Instead, he brushes his fingers along the curve of her waist.] Your father probably regrets what he did.

Edited (phrasing???? again) 2016-04-08 21:42 (UTC)

[ Her eyes screw shut, pain curdling in her heart. ]

I know he regrets, Hellboy. [ That isn't in question. Her father's actions aren't those of a man with an innocent conscience. His wife is dead, his empire in ruins, his health fails. He has little left. ] But his regrets do not harm me--his lies have. Seven thousand years he has lied to us, lied to me! Kept our history from us, our language from us, all for what? To assuage his own fear.

[ She hasn't been a child in a long time, even by the standards of her own people. All the years she's grown, not knowing anything about her people's history, living a savage life...he silenced their elders, forbade teaching, closed them to any outside influence. Because he was afraid! Kida can hardly stomach it.

His embrace is appreciated. She surrenders to it, curls up in his arms, tucking her arms against herself. ]

[Hellboy's never met Kida's father, obviously, so he can't even pretend to know his motivations in the matter. But he can't imagine he raised a person like Kida and be that cowardly himself. Still, she's hurting. It's not really appropriate to play devil's advocate.]

It must be hard for you, not being able to talk to him about it. [This is probably an understatement, but Hellboy is not one for adverbs. His hand stills at her side, and he loops that arm around her tighter.

He's quiet for a moment, thinking. He knows Kida doesn't like to be treated as weak, and she isn't -- she's the strongest person Hellboy knows in ALASTAIR; after everything she's been through, she's still going -- but he worries. He doesn't want to overstep his bounds, but he worries.]

Kida... you've been through a lot lately. If you keep pushing this hard...

[ She thinks Professor Bruttenholm would be proud to have raised a man so compassionate; that no matter what his origins are or were, Hellboy's true nature has always been demonstrably good. It's why she doesn't dismiss his words, hearing the genuine concern he doesn't quite voice. ]

What would you have me do, Hellboy? I can only continue. My people depend on me. If I stop, I...

[ Her voice trails off, and she goes quiet again. I won't be able to get back up again, she doesn't say, but her tone conveys a mixture of determination and resignation. She's all the hope they have left. She remembers sitting by the fire with Koltira, embarrassed that her body, her tears were beyond her control. She hadn't wanted to show anyone. She'd been so exhausted...but time will heal her wound, she knows. It won't help all the lives that count on her.

It isn't that she can't see why he's worried, but she isn't sure he understands--or if he even can, or wants to. ]

[Intellectually, he understands. He does. He's read stories about people like Kida; the last beacon of hope for their people, the champion of the lost, the brave hero who's the chosen one. But they never have happy endings, not in the real stories -- the stories Bruttenholm collected and the files the research department kept, not the sanitized versions they made into children's movies.

So he still worries. He doesn't think he has that much conviction in his own soul, and is sure he'd have cracked under the pressure by now, were he Kida. He's already basically cracked under the pressure of a responsibility he doesn't even have.

Hellboy is quiet as Kida trails off, thinking. He knows he can't tell her to take a breather and let it sit on the back burner for awhile. That's not Kida. Her conviction is what attracts him to her; she's so sure in herself and in her goals that he feels better about his own life being perpetually adrift and without meaning.

He takes a breath.] I want you to let me share this. [He pauses, because it's hard to make this not just sound like empty compassion.] You're the only one of your people here. It's too much to carry by yourself. Anything I can do to make this easier for you...

[ Kida isn't just her people's princess; she's their saviour, their very real messiah. She doesn't expect her story to have a happy ending, because it isn't just her story--it's theirs, and not only in part.

Every step she takes shapes her legacy, the kind of ruler she'll be remembered as. She stands on the edge of a precipice, though she doesn't know if at the bottom lies despair or glory. ]

You already do.

[ It's genuine when she says it, because it's the truth. She twists a bit in his arms, just so she can look up at him without craning her neck too far. Just so she can reach up and cup his jaw. Her voice is a murmur against his skin. ]

You allow me to confide in you. You hold me when I need to be held. You are patient with me, you give me your kindness, your understanding, you do not shy away from my sadness--you have been so good to me.

[ His scent of peanuts wraps her up. She looks at him with all the tenderness she has, expression sad and soft. ]

What more could I ask of you, Hellboy?

[ He's been there for her through--a lot. And she isn't blind, isn't entirely unaware of how drawn to her he is. It hangs thickly in the air between them now, that unspoken weight. Very delicately, she adds: ]

I only wish I could give you all that you deserve from me.

[Hellboy is very bad at this sort of thing. It's much, much easier for him to just keep people at an arm's length: even with his closest friends, the ones who knew him the best, there were certain issues they just didn't talk about. Feelings, intimate matters. It would be easy to play dumb, but it's not like he's been subtle. Just unassertive.

His first instinct is to look away just out of awkwardness, just because Kida is being so overt about this in so many words, but the way she's holding his face like that helps a little.

He lifts his flesh hand to push her hair back. He does his best to impart some gentleness into the severe lines of his face, but he has to rely on his tone of voice to do most of that for him, quiet and earnest.]

Kida, I care about you a lot, but I'm not your friend just because I'm looking for something. I understand.

[ He understands; she's glad to hear it, and her eyes flutter closed in relief. Her heart belongs to Atlantis; her body belongs to her people. He may be unassertive, but she's never been, and while she knows some things will always be forbidden to her, that doesn't stop her from wanting. Hellboy is easy to like, and would be easy to enjoy. He has strong hands, powerful shoulders. He's warm. The beach is warm. She feels his voice move through him like the rumble of stone, the steady lap of the waves.

She turns completely to face him, chest to chest, the hand at his jaw sliding down his neck to settle on that broad shoulder, fingers tickling just beneath the edge of his coat. She arches only slightly, not wanting to offend or frighten him, her body a curve, an invitation. ]

Do you think I would mind...something from you?

[ She tilts her head up at him, the corners of her lips curving upwards in fond amusement. He's sweet, with a boyish heart, she knows. Her free hand lowers to settle over his at her waist. She's meaning to be encouraging, to guide him. ]

[He watches Kida relax, and he does too. In all his years, he's only met one woman who was able to look past the skin and the horns and the tail and everything else to see who he is inside, so it's not like this comes as a particular surprise. He's just glad she was gentle about it, though knowing Kida, he wouldn't have expected her to be cruel anyway.

It would be a weird Look Who's Coming to Dinner scenario, he's sure; they're indentured to ALASTAIR until they collect enough energy to send themselves home, so it's not like she'd ever have to take him home to her parents, but he can't imagine the King of Atlantis would approve of a half-human suitor.

He's about to make a joke about this, self-effacing humor always his go-to when things get weird, but then Kida's there -- closer, her fingers moving, pressing against him. Hellboy's eyes widen just a little, because he is now realizing he misunderstood. Or... something? He isn't really sure what's going on right now; his hand automatically responds to her touch, sliding over to rest on the small of her back.]

Maybe I don't understand as much as I thought.

[ He stops. She stops. His eyes widen. She draws back, just to be safe. A moment passes with her eyes narrowed, considering. She wonders if maybe she misunderstood. But...what is there to misunderstand? If he understands, but he might still want something, what else...?

His hand is still firmly settled at her waist, and she thinks of how difficult it is with Masamune sometimes, him saying left and she saying right and both thinking they're saying the same--so she may as well say it. Plainly as she can manage: ]

I want you for my lover, tonight. [ She comes closer again, in increments. ] If that is also what you want.

[ She emphasizes the if and the you because she's afraid that maybe she read wrong, maybe she's mistaken. But that's all she can offer him; she can't take a suitor here, now--she has greater things to worry on than lineage and marriage contracts and courtship--but even if she can't have that she can have this. Just this, right now. ]

[The natural state of Hellboy's face is just pure deadpan, and he looks at Kida this way while she speaks and a little while after. He's trying to process exactly what is going on, because it's basically the complete opposite of what he understood. She can't give him what he "deserves," which he thought was a strange way to put it -- he doesn't "deserve" anything; friendship comes without expectations, no matter how intimate their friendship had become.

So he understood it as deserving of more than what he has now; that Kida was turning him down because of what he is, and that if he were a man, things would be different. She'd made it clear that his nature didn't bother her, but perhaps she has a limit to her tolerance. He couldn't blame her or be angry: he'd never consider a woman who wasn't strictly human either.

But this is apparently not the case, and he is still a little buzzed. Switching gears is not going so well right now.]

I'm... [His hand is still at her waist. He moves it to the side of her face, fingers lightly curling behind her ear, and tilts in a little to meet her. His horn stumps make it impossible to touch foreheads like they do in the movies, so he just hovers a little ways away. She smells like salt.] I'm not really good at wanting. But if... none of this bothers you... okay. Yes.

[ What he deserves is courtship, properly. A woman who will take him as her husband, care for him and dedicate herself to him and his cause, and he to hers. He deserves commitment, which is precisely what she can't give him.

But she can give him this. She may have been bothered by his appearance at one time, but in truth, after he's shown her nothing but graciousness, gentleness, sweetness...there's more to a man than a winsome smile. She leans into his hand at her face, peering into those baleful eyes. Her hand slides down from his shoulder, feeling the solid planes of his abdomen. His skin is like hide, like leather. She raises up to meet him, knees digging into the sand on either side of one of his legs. ]

I will want for us both, then. [ The corners of her mouth curl up, warm and bright. He has no lips, but she knows his throat is soft. She wants to ask him where he likes to be kissed, but perhaps impudently simply presses her mouth to the corner of his, feeling little more than leather plate. She noses his cheek, kisses along his jaw. She takes his flesh hand, drags it upwards, wanting to be touched. ]

Lie back...

[ There's a lot here for her to discover. ]

[And then stuff happened, but not before Hellboy made sure they actually went indoors, probably. Having someone stumble upon them would pretty certainly kill the mood.

Considering Hellboy is around double the size of the native Nalawi, the tiny little beds at the inn don't do much for him. He sleeps on the floor, which is where he is now, though he isn't exactly asleep -- he's fiddling with the rocklike lavadog egg he usually keeps in his pocket, lying on his back in a pile of blankets and pillows. His boots are off, because what kind of a person wears boots lounging around in bed (or what passes for one), but he's still self-conscious about everything else. Life is tough for a Hellboy.]

It's been a really long time, [he says, maybe a little awkwardly, because it's an awkward thing to say. Why is he even saying this, actually? Maybe he feels the need to apologize.] I don't know if you noticed, but my good looks tend to intimidate people.

[ Kida, on the other hand, is quite happy to lounge bare, pressed up against him, the dimmed pendant between her breasts casting a strip of blue-green light along his bicep. The sweat dries slowly. ]

You forget how old I am. [ She arches a brow, tone amused. ] You will find no complaints from me.

[ It's all she says, though the luxurious way she stretches should express the rest; she's not the type to stick around if she isn't enjoying herself. Snuggling close, she watches the egg shift in his hands. The heat from it prickles her skin, would be too hot for her to touch; instead, she just admires it. It's gotten even warmer than when she gave it to him, looks like. ]

[Hellboy smiles a little, turning his head slightly toward Kida. It's true; he doesn't usually remember that Kida is thousands of years old. She certainly doesn't act like it, let alone look it. He feels a little silly griping about his age in comparison; the things he's seen in his 60-odd years alive probably pale in comparison to Kida's experience, even living her whole life under the Earth.

He presses his mouth to her temple. Intimacy doesn't come easy to him, but he's known Kida for long enough that it isn't awkward.]

I've been waiting for this thing to hatch, but it's taking its sweet time. [He murmurs into her hair, which is maybe not the sexiest pillow talk in the world, but it's something they're sharing together. A creature from Kida's world in Hellboy's care.]

[ She tilts her head against his kiss. ]

Mmm, great heat should do it. Volcanic activity. That is how they hatch in Atlantis--they are nursed in lava floes.

[ Prophetic words, though she doesn't know it yet. ]

It is perhaps merely not ready. [ Her fingers tap the planes of his stomach, a waltz only she can hear. ] Leave it--come hold me instead.

[He grins against her temple, blindly groping behind himself to place the egg in a little nest of blankets and pillows. Snuggled up like that, it's about as warm as Hellboy's own body heat, so he's not really worried. He's allowed to be a little selfish every now and then.]

You make a convincing argument, [he teases lowly, slipping his arms around her and pulling her closer. His tail curls up under the blankets, wrapping loosely around her ankle.]

[ Her earlier pensive mood and the haze of alcohol has all but dissipated in the wake of their activities, replaced by a different, much more pleasant warmth. Kida lets herself be pulled in close. His tail curls around her ankle like smoke, and her leg twitches in response. She laughs, her breath against his neck. ]

Did you mean it? [ The question is shockingly loaded, even before she realizes she's said it out loud. ] That you wished to share my burdens?

[ She cranes her neck back to look at him, her expression still soft and affectionate, but sadder. She wishes she could just enjoy this sweet peace without questioning it. ]

[He's a little thrown off by the question -- confused, actually, before she clarifies. He can feel her leaning back and he does the same so he can better catch her eye; Kida's expressions are always easy to read, blatant, and he's glad she's expressive enough for the both of them. Hellboy tried to impart as much gentleness he can into his eyes, but as always, he falls back on intonation instead.

His voice is soft and kind, and he moves his flesh hand back to play with her hair.]

As much as I can. It's too much for one person. [He tilts his head, watching his fingers work at a tangle.] You don't run from your burdens, you embrace them. Somebody like that deserves help.

[ Too much for one person, he says. He's probably right; Kida wouldn't know, nothing in her life has ever been close to this. But she feels like she's lived too long to buckle under strain now.

Still.

She reaches up, cups his face in one hand. The pad of her thumb presses along the line of his cheekbone. Her expression is cautious, hopeful, gentle. ]

I wish I could--

[ She could, her mind supplies. If he wanted it, but he said he didn't--and she's in no place to think of--he'd look nice in robes, blue on red--could she, really?

No. ]

I wish I could offer you more than just this.

[ Nestled against him, it's clear what she means. Her hand trails from his face to his shoulder, sliding down his arm. ]

Unless you wish to court me, I--I cannot entertain a suitor, Hellboy.

[ She has responsibilities, and at least she knows that he of all people is best-placed to understand them. Still, she braces herself for his disappointment. She tells herself it's her own fault for not being clearer with him before, but--she'd been so wretchedly lonely, and given in to the need for companionship before she'd thought to be certain she could even meet his needs. ]

Edited (wording) 2016-06-09 05:41 (UTC)

[Hellboy's hand goes still when she touches his face, now just holding the back of her head instead, red fingers loosely curled in silver hair. She's anxious about telling him this, and then when she finally does -- he's less disappointed and more just confused. Kida speaks perfect English, but there's still a language barrier there.

"Courtship" and "suitors" -- not terms that Hellboy encounters in his every day life. But he's watched a ton of movies with Abe, a lot of period pieces, so it doesn't take too long to figure out what she's getting at. Or so he thinks, anyway. How many remakes of Pride and Prejudice has he sat through over the years...]

You're a princess, [he says slowly, like this never really dawned on him before. She has a duty to get married and have royal babies. On top of her other, culture-saving duty.] I feel a little dumb.

[Hellboy does not emote very well as a general rule, so the casual way he's processing this may not actually be the truth of his feelings. But he doesn't appear upset, just a little stunned.]

So... what's... [He makes a vague gesture between the two of them. What are they even doing, he's asking.]

[ She watches him think it over, and it occurs to her again that she ought to be clearer. She takes things for granted often; her life experience is so vastly different from most people's that many things never bridge the gap, and she's never really had to make them. ]

You are dear to me. You are important in my life, and I am glad for your companionship. [ It's not empty words; her tone is sincere, and she lifts herself up on one elbow to better deliver them. Still, it's padding for what's next. ] But my heart--[ and perhaps more importantly ] --my loyalty--those I must reserve for the man who will become King of Atlantis. The man who chooses to stand by my side as my husband.

[ The one who chooses to father her heirs, to be her partner in rule, to care for the city even more than its queen. Her father loved her mother tremendously, and that love, coupled with Atlantis' isolation, has given Kida far more freedom than most princesses; it doesn't change the fact that this is a part of her reality she can't deny. That's twenty, thirty thousand years of marriage and partnered life. It's just not feasible to demand of him. ]

Do you understand? I can take you for my lover, but my body is all I can give--and even then we are...limited. [ Okay, her cheeks colour at that, namely because being 'limited' with him is a wholly different circumstance. ] I cannot afford to be gravid now.

EVENT ★ GONE FISHIN'

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