EVENT ★ ZETA-12 WEEK 5

[futurologists]

ZETA-12: WEEK 5 As the journey wears on, the land underfoot dries out. Team Audiences has reached the highland desert… and of course, once again the squidges begin to transform. For each choice your character has made, select one squidge evolution. Please note, you must have submitted your choice to the threads in the previous logs in order for your squidge to evolve. For those who encountered the swamp creature: If they stood and fought, their squidge has taken on one of the following features: hardened pangolin-like plates of armor, higher tolerance of loud noises, sharp(er) teeth. If they outsmarted it, their squidge has one of these: slow color-changing to match the environment, catlike eyes with enhanced vision, long ears. Those who made someone else do the work, will have squidges with one of these attributes: small horns, spines along the back, mildly toxic skin. As for dealing with the tornado: Everyone who found shelter will find them with a greater tolerance for enclosed spaces as well as giving off their own very slight heat. For those who powered through, their squidges will no longer be afraid of heights and be able to float several feet off the ground, regardless of whether or not they previously received wings. THE DESERT (WEEK 5) The desert has a little more to look at than the grasslands offered, as the grass begins to yellow and thin. Some stretches are just wide, empty swaths of dust and dirt, with not much more than the occasional rock or low, desperate scrub brush to color the horizon. Here and there are impressive outcroppings of rock, thrust up from the parched ground. Plateaus and mesas make the scenery, and overhead the sky is a wide, clear blue. The sun is merciless. Hopefully you filled your canteens in the swamp and the grassland, because water is going to become a pretty valuable resource out here. There are a few helpful flora to be found, though. Those Beachwoods will be pretty handy if you run out of water, just so long as you keep an eye out for the Red Stellas that tend to grow nearby. The Scarlet Oasis can even send you on your way with a meal, if you play your cards right. Have a care if you’re gathering any bristlegrass, though. While scenic in its way, the view doesn’t offer much clue as to what progress has been made so far. Three days pass in this way. On the fourth day, however, the recruits encounter their first choice. The ground has cracked open in their path. It yawns into a wide and dark cave, wonderfully cool after the scorching sun and heat of the desert. A breeze can be felt in the mouth of the cave, and their maps will indicate that any exploration into it is sending them in the right direction. It provides an alternative route to walking over the surface of the ground, a much cooler route. There might even be hidden streams of groundwater down there, who knows? It could be a refreshing jaunt. Of course, recruits can also choose to play it safe, and continue overhead as they’d been doing so far, where they can trust they won't run into any dead ends or have to backtrack. The going goes well for those who chose the caves. The cave system is apparently pretty extensive, because they manage to walk along in generally the right direction for a good half a day. Around dusk, though, this little dwarf planet hits a run of bad luck. Meteoroids. Those who chose to walk above ground will find the darkening sky suddenly growing brighter again as a meteor shower begins to burn in the atmosphere. Some of them don’t burn up entirely, though — meteorites begin to pelt the desert not far from the procession. Some of them might even be scattering into the procession. Heads up! But while those above ground only have to worry about dodging, those below ground will have much more serious concerns. This planet isn’t quite as sturdy as recruits may be used to, and the impact of the meteorites is enough to trigger a small earthquake. An underground cave is really not where you want to be during an earthquake, because even this small one is enough to cause a cave-in. Players of recruits who choose to take the cave route can opt to be trapped by this cave in, or can have their characters in the right place at the right time, to have their way to the exit unimpeded. Characters trapped may be freed at whatever speed players find realistic, but to find and free everyone will take no less than three days. Hopefully you brought a flashlight. Communication between those trapped and those above may be difficult, as the meteorites will cause interference and make the jewelry flicker in and out. We ask that you indicate the length of time your character is trapped along with your sign up. After the cave in ordeal is passed, though, the recruits aren’t quite in the clear as they finally reach the end of the desert. It seems the impact of the meteorites and the resulting earthquake released a few gases that had been held under the surface of Zeta-12. They’re invisible and odorless, and harmless to the squidge’s caretakers. The squidges, however, may begin to react to them. Squidges exposed to the post cave-in gasses will begin to get aggressive toward their caretakers and other squidges alike. The level of aggression can range from grumpy to murderous and last from 10 minutes to a few hours, depending on the size of the dose. If anyone has been training their squidges to fight, they may regret it. OOC NOTES We decided to split things up a little! This log lasts ICly for one week, and OOCly for 1.5 weeks. Our next log will encompass the last biome and the final event, and will go up on August 11th. Characters may proceed at whatever pace they'd like, but going too quickly or too slowly will mean they travel alone. (And those going too quickly will probably have to contend with screaming squidges, who prefer to travel at the speed of an easy plod.) New characters will find one of the unbonded squidges toddling after the group takes a shine to them. A squidge will imprint on them very quickly, then refuse to leave their side or rejoin their unbonded friends. Direct questions about the Zeta-12 mission here. And don't forget about the bounty board! Please remember to select your choice in the thread below! Late choices will not be accepted. How you choose will determine how your squidge grows. Please choose before August 8th, 11:59 PM GMT!

Comments

the late one is us, it is both

[winces]

[ olivia had always been very good at reading body language, but she wouldn't have even needed that to notice all the telltale signs of hiding his sorrow. she has an idea why, of course, but that doesn't make it all any easier.

carefully, she comes down to sit beside him on that rock, drawing her hand back to fold it over the other on her lap. ]

I'll wait here with you, then.

[ if he's going to sit here in denial... she figures he may as well have some company. ]

we are groot- i mean late;

[agrizzlysin]

...If you like.

[Part of him wonders if she's just humoring him. The rest of him doesn't care either way. Olivia can do what she wants, just like he can sit here and ignore the rest of the universe for a while. The scuffling of his nervous squidge, the fading sounds of a group trekking through the desert, Olivia's warm presence... He can ignore it all and think only about Diane, only about...

Slender fingers tighten around the helmet held between them.]

But don't blame me if you fall behind too.

[winces]

[ she is just humoring him. because she has been part of alastair long enough to know the odds and ends of it, the way people seem to come and go like they do to the planets they visit. she hasn't seen diane in some time, and it's certainly not hard to miss her; she's also certain, if she were to look back on the squidges following them, she would see the girl's squidge among them.

but she doesn't say it. because there is a thin line between hope and denial, and olivia would not hesitate to let him have the later if it will give him some semblance of the former.

and also, sometimes, the truth is easier to swallow when it's done slowly. ]

That's alright... I could use the rest.

[ a few moments pass, during which saffron has taken root behind them. sapphire takes this opportunity to inch closer and settle himself upon olivia's open lap. her hand comes down to rest atop his round belly out of instinct, but while she spares a moment to smile down at him, her attention remains on the fairy beside her. after a few seconds of silence, she shifts closer enough that their shoulders brush. ]

[agrizzlysin]

[She doesn't sound out of breath or overly tired. King only snorts when she gives him her excuse, but when her shoulder brushes his, he doesn't pull away. If anything, he wants to lean into her, to let her do what she obviously came here to do.

There are only so many times King can resolve himself to let Diane go before his facade of strength crumbles around him. Olivia's innocuous little smile, shared with a needy creature so much smaller than her, is all it takes to crack what little of his facade King still clings to.

It starts with a sniff, a sudden shift as King curls further into himself becoming a pathetic ball of grief. Then come the sobs. Hastily, King shoves his helmet over his head, hiding watery eyes but not the inevitable tear stains. He can't see Helbram (the original)'s spirit through the helmet, not here and not with the aid of ALASTAIR, but he's desperate for the warmth of his friend, even if it's only imaginary.

King's voice, when it manages to manifest through his own blubbering, is thick and wet. It speaks volumes to how comfortable he's gotten with Olivia, however, that he says anything at all with her there.]

If I can't even keep track of one giantess, maybe I really am a nobody after all.

[winces]

[ she had resigned herself to simply being a silent presence as he sat here and ruminated in his thoughts. she had resolved not to push, not to prod as her curious nature would have her do, but instead to sit and be patient as he took whatever time he needed to in order to get where he needed to be.

it happens far more quickly than she had ever anticipated, so much so that when he starts to crumble right before her, she flounders for a proper response. on her lap, sapphire has sat up, squeaking in mild distress at the sight of him. she spares just one moment to pass a comforting hand over the back of the squidge's head, before turning towards king to hover uncertainly.

in the end, she doesn't care for propriety, surging forward to envelope the small fairy in her arms. her cheek she rest atop the metal of the helmet he so desperately seeks refuge in, her arms thin but squeezing tight around him. ]

Oh, King... You can't blame yourself for what the rifts do. [ she has seen many a fellow recruit come and go, most without warning. such is the whimsical and tenuous nature of these time rifts...

though she knows such logic won't be enough to soothe a broken heart. ]

[agrizzlysin]

[King has no argument, but that doesn't make him feel any better. He's utterly helpless, unable to change anything, just like he's been so many times before. And that is truly heartbreaking. He's no king. He's not even a worthy brother.

Olivia wraps herself around him as if her very body could protect him from life's cruelty. Really, King should be the one protecting her, but again, he doesn't pull away. He doesn't have the strength of will for it. She's too warm, and a world without Diane is too cold. On his other side, he can feel the slight pressure of Helbram the squidge trying to copy Olivia's hug. King shuts his eyes so tight they sting. Still the tears won't stop.

How pathetic.]

I just... I just wish there was something I could do. I know it's selfish, but-! [He grits his teeth, a moment of self-loathing penetrating his grief.] If I could just tell her, even from another world... maybe she wouldn't feel so far away.

[winces]

[ as olivia holds him close, she finds herself torn. she knows she probably shouldn't be making any promises at this point, especially knowing as little as she does about this whole thing, how it all works...

but it breaks her heart to hear him so sad, so low, that to do otherwise feels like the greater injustice here. ]

...Maybe you can. If she's no longer here with us, she might still be with ALASTAIR. She.. might have just been transferred. Maybe, after all this, you can ask someone to send her a letter for you...?

[agrizzlysin]

[King chokes on his sobs, a would-be snort that never makes it past his throat. Isn't that what he'd told Diane when she was worried about Meliodas? Write a letter. He doubts ALASTAIR's delivery system is any more precise than their others. There's no way that letter could get to the Sins' captain. But King told her to write one anyway.

He'd just wanted her to feel better.]

A letter, [sniff] huh...?

[He hadn't realized how silly it sounded until this moment.]

She'd laugh if she got one from me.

omg that worked out nicely

[winces]

That sounds like even more of a reason to do it to me, [ she responds in kind, not realizing how close such an off-handed suggestion might hit to home.

gently, her hand smooths over his back, slowing now that some of his sobs have begun to subside. ]