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.

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[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.

[Kida shifts her positioning and Hellboy does too, mirroring her and propping himself up on his elbow. It's more of an explanation than he'd been expecting, and even so, he isn't quite sure how to take it -- his experience with women is so small that he never really imagined he'd be in a position like this. Whatever this position is.

He's trying very hard to see things from her perspective, to imagine what it would be like to have your duty outweigh your freedom. He looks weird and a lot of baggage comes along with that; not a lot of women can see past it. But at least he has the freedom to love whomever he wants.]

I meant it when I said I wasn't looking for anything. [It's not exactly an answer, but he's still processing this extremely foreign situation. Is she saying that Hellboy can be her... mistress...] You're my best friend, Kida. I don't want to make things complicated for you.

[But also.] I don't know what 'gravid' means.

[ She blinks, lets herself drop back a bit, looking up at him. ]

Gravid--pregnant. It means pregnant.

[ The rest of that whole logical sequence should fall into place, really, or at least she hopes so. But she's vastly more interested in his other words. ]

Your best friend? Truly?

[ She thinks of Pearl, her first friend here. Kida has never really had friends, not really, not the likes of which she's made here. She's had her father, and she's had her guards, her servants, her scouts--but with all of them there was a power dynamic that kept something of a distance between herself and her people, and for the most part she liked it that way. It was important that they viewed her as a benevolent but unquestionable authority. ]

[Oh. Oh. Well, he should have assumed. Luckily, Hellboy is largely incapable of seeming very embarrassed; he's already red, after all.

They'll come back to that later, anyway -- Kida has moved the conversation on and he can tell it's more important to her.]

Yeah, of course. [He shrugs a little, corner of his mouth quirking up.] You think I tell everyone I meet about the bad stuff? I like you. I trust you.

[ She considers that. Trust and like--it's all mutual. The thought makes her happy. Satisfied, she tugs him back down closer to her, tangling herself up in his legs, his tail, her arms wrapped around his neck. She exhales into his neck, almost a sigh. ]

Pridos kagin. Thank you.

[ She means it. Friends aren't something she'd had very many of in Atlantis; not because her people weren't warm and kind with their princess, but merely because of the distance created by status. Her wargroup had been closest, but even they didn't call her by her name, just a deferential tanebtop. ]

My life is better for having you in it.

[This is definitely not how he expected this conversation to go, but it's not like he's complaining. It's still a little bit of a confusing situation, he's not entirely sure where they stand with one another, but this is good for right now. He can love her without needing any kind of grand promises from it. And he does.]

I do my best, [he says, half-joking, and tucks her head under his chin again, his hand seeking out her waist.] I'm glad I met you.

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EVENT ★ GONE FISHIN'

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