EVENT ★ ZETA-12 FINAL WEEK

[futurologists]

ZETA-12: FINAL WEEK After team Audentes makes it out of the desert in more or less one piece, they'll begin to notice the environment changing once again. After the sparseness of the sands and canyons, vegetation and water once again become more common; eventually, they've found a lush jungle with plants and rivers both plentiful. And like the changing environment, the squidges once again begin to transform. Please select an evolution according to your choice. Please note, you must have submitted your choice to the thread in the previous logs in order for your squidge to evolve. For those who encountered the cave: If they went into the cave, their squidge has taken on one of the following features: a fox-like tail, an armadillo snout (with tongue!), or enhanced sense of smell. However, if they stayed above, their squidge has one of these: a beak, a prehensile tail, or enhanced sense of hearing. THE JUNGLE (WEEK 6) The jungle air is thick with humidity, light barely filtering down past the dense canopy of leaves overhead. Unlike the forest back at the beginning of the journey here, the climate in the jungle is almost stifling, so recruits may want to look for refreshing Rainbow Berries to snack on and keep their energy up -- but keep an eye out for the Lucifer's Poppy, as its effects can cause the journey to reach an abrupt end. Rivers wind through the jungle, with waterfalls ending in relaxing pools where recruits can try to beat the heat and spend some extra time with their squidges as the journey's end approaches. Like the other biomes, there are no creatures here -- no birds, no bugs, no jungle cats -- but that doesn't mean that recruits can leave their guard down entirely. Apart from various poison plants (such as the Beezlebulb and the Malboro) other hazards to look out for include slippery, moss-covered ground cover that may cause a hapless recruit to lose their footing, and the dangers of heat exhaustion. Unlike the previous biomes, there is no major choice for recruits to make here. Instead, they must bathe their squidge in the Wellspring, a bubbling, faintly glowing pool of water in the depths of the jungle. The Wellspring is responsible for triggering the squidges' final transformation and allowing them to grow into adulthood. In order for squidges to evolve into an adult, squidge parents must have completed a certain amount of tasks during the Zeta-12 mission. If these tasks were not completed, the squidge will not evolve and will remain in its larval stage. The evolution form can be found on this post. Squidges who successfully evolve into adults will grow in size, anywhere between 122-183cm (4-6'). They will loosely retain their rounded shapes, their limbs and torsos elongating, and any physical transformations will also grow with their size. In adulthood, squidges are less needy and frightened than in their larval stage, and generally have a calm demeanor (with exceptions made if they happened to pick up an aggressive trait along the journey, of course). Their language remains a wordless burbling, but they can communicate with their caregivers through gestures. After bathing their squidges in the Wellspring, regardless of the success of evolutions, recruits should prepare to depart Zeta-12 with the knowledge that their alien children are better, stronger, and smarter for the time they spent together. OOC NOTES This log lasts ICly for one week, and OOCly for 1.5 weeks. Once the mission is completed and the squidges are bathed in the Wellspring, recruits will have until August 20th to say goodbye and let their alien wards leave the metaphorical nest. Direct questions about the Zeta-12 mission here. And don't forget about the bounty board! After August 20th, Zeta-12 bounties will no longer be completable. Please remember to fill out your squidge success form! Participation is required to pass AC this month. If you have any questions about the form, please direct them here. Forms must be completed by August 31th, 23:59 UTC.

Comments

[asscan]

[Laedo finds himself picking up a stone from near the pond, skipping it near the squidges when Haku's little icicles get too near Ulale. Breaking up her splash-fight, he whistles to her to settle, and she begins paddling determinedly back to shore as she chirps at Haku to follow.

In the meantime, he considers Haise' words and his slow, sad smile. It's not that he wants to pry, but something about the resignation there prompts him.]

How fare you with this? Are you okay?

[ex_adept136]

[Haise continues to watch his squidge, offering a hand for purchase when Haku waddles closer to him. The little creature slips on the slick moss and snatches at his fingers, managing to catch hold rather than topple over.

Once he's helped steady the little squidge, his response is quiet, but clear enough that one doesn't need to strain to hear it]

It's not an illness, or anything like that, so you don't have to worry.

[Well, perhaps that's not entirely accurate. He hesitates as he considers, a pensive set of his shoulders the only indication there might be something more.

The matter of what he is and what that might mean for his associates has weighed on Haise for some time. Without anyone from the CCG around, he's had to contemplate whether anyone would be capable of taking him down, were conditions to become dire. Especially after hearing about the surprise "test" more senior recruits were faced with, he has to wonder if such tests would be administered again.

A starving ghoul would be an incredibly dangerous thing. Now that Laedo has seen that something about him isn't at all ordinary, that may give him reason enough to tread the subject in some small measure. Well aware that his associate has held back his own true strength in the past, it's reasonable to surmise he's powerful enough...]

...This may be an imposition, but may I make a request of you?

[asscan]

Of course, [Laedo answers, unaware of the coming moments and blind to the extent of Haise' inner turmoil. He can see a bit of it, the surface uncertainty... but has he had any reason before today to pry further? No, Haise has been the penultimate teammate, as much a friend as anyone could be considered to be, for the somewhat aloof asandus... and Laedo has always been a little bit self-centered. In any case, he likes helping others, when it means that he can be reminded daily of his good efforts. He straightens a little where he sits, looking shockingly young for an eighty-something dragon.] Anything at all.

[ex_adept136]

[It's an answer that seems so earnest, Haise feels a greater stab of reluctance for it. Thanks to their added time on Nalawi, he's known Laedo for twice as long as he's known some of his other associates, and he knows what he's asking is surely burdensome. If it were avoidable, he'd rather not impose this on anyone, much less someone he might hazard to call a friend...

But Laedo has seen something of what he is, and from what Haise has observed here and there, he knows that he's strong. Though he has very little experience, he's rather sure that a ghoul should have no inherent resistance to magic, something which his dragon associate is proficient in.

He keeps his eyes down, attention drifting from his squidge to the water, when Haku settles on his lap again]

There may come a time when I'm not myself anymore. If that should ever happen...

[Haise trails off, knowing the weight of what he's about to ask, and knowing that it's surely not the sort of request Laedo must have expected from him]

If it happens...I'll need you to put a stop to me.

[The words are quiet, entirely too calm for the meaning attached to them, as though he's speaking about a matter separate from himself. He's always lived with the assurance that if he did become a liability, he would die. It had always been that simple. And much as he feared it, he fears hurting his associates far more.

Between his existence and their safety, there is no question]

[asscan]

[And there is a line that Laedo had not expected to ever cross. He sits a little straighter, hands coming around Ulale as she tracks water and muck up his front to sit on his lap. For once he doesn't make a fuss about it, and when she chirps and waggles her ears at them all, the askan only absently soothes the raised scales across her head and neck.]

I think you had best speak less cryptically, Haise, though I can see it pains you.

[Then, after a careful pause, he places a steadying hand on the human's shoulder, just to make sure that he's aware that Laedo is there for him.]

Under what circumstances do you fear this loss? We can work together to ensure they never occur... you are too good to suffer this burden alone.

[ex_adept136]

[Too good...

The supportive gesture is one he doesn't relax under, simply for the awareness of what he has to say. Haise isn't sure whether Laedo will feel the same once he knows more about his circumstances, and he honestly wouldn't blame him for a changed impression. He recalls when they first spoke of ghouls, how they were notionally unfavorable even in Laedo's world, albeit different creatures.

After letting out a low, unsteady exhale, he supposes his own tension won't go away as he lingers on such thoughts]

My eye just now... That's my kakugan. Ghouls' eyes have them.

[Eyes plural, because typically, both would change like that, and not just the one. He could get into how a number of stimuli would elicit that sort of response, but he doesn't, because what little he does say is difficult enough, and it isn't relevant to what he's asked]

If I weren't to meet my physiological needs for an extended period, I'd lose my ability to think and reason. I wouldn't be...myself anymore, just something running on instinct. And if that were to happen, I'd be a threat to anyone human around me.

[He'd be back to normal once he'd eaten, but Haise can't imagine being able to live with the results, if he hurts someone in the process. If he kills someone. And it could happen far too easily if he were operating without restraint or thought. More than any other time, he's sure he'd be a monster then]

Shortly after I was first recruited, people told me of a time when ALASTAIR "tested" them. Unfavorable conditions, withheld supplies. If that were protracted, I... [He trails off, biting his lip] I don't want to hurt anyone.

[asscan]

Physiological needs, [Laedo asks, not quite putting two and two together. However, as Haise continues on, even if the askan doesn't understand the full depths of the dilemma that the man is in, he begins to realize the breadth.]

You are possessed, then, [he speaks lowly, for it is the best that he can make of the limited information.] This... ghoul... it drives you? I don't understand, you do nothing wrong, yet like a daemon it sounds as though it saps your strength. How do we rid you of it?

[...A hit and a miss, here. He doesn't want to acknowledge that Haise might have to be contended with. He'd rather excise a parasite than see Haise for who he really is, at least at a guess like this.]

[ex_adept136]

[This guess, at least, prompts Haise to look up at him. The puzzlement that skirts across his features betrays just how strange (and inaccurate) Laedo's supposition is to him. Where he comes from, such things as possession don't actually exist. Haise might be haunted by his past self, but it's not the same as having some other creature occupying his body with him.

Though, sometimes it does feel like that when his headaches turn sharp]

No, it's...not like that. [He shakes his head, reluctant to make eye-contact, clearly so, but endeavoring to. Perhaps he needs to explain more frankly] I told you about ghouls from my world, right? I wasn't born one, but I was experimented on...so I'm half.

[It's not something he really wanted to say again. Sieglinde knows now, but it's hardly something he shares freely. If he needed to be stopped...he hopes she'd tell someone, but the problem with relying upon that is she might not know his real strength]

My biological needs are the same as a ghoul's, but ALASTAIR has provided for me, just as my organization did back home.

[Which is to say, he doesn't hunt. At the least, he trusts that Laedo recalls his short list of what ghouls could safely consume]

No method exists to reverse this.

[asscan]

[It's impossible for Laedo to maintain a diplomatically blank face when Haise admits his ugly half. A flicker of disgust passes over his face, though he masters it quickly. What is worse is perhaps the pity that follows.] I... I am sorry for that. ...For two to come together and make an abomination perhaps by accident in the name of love is a terrible thing... for someone to purposefully set that kind of a fate on another...

[Laedo bites his lip, suddenly aware that, rather than speaking in the general, he's more or less labelled his friend.] Haise, [he hesitates.]

I understand better why you go to such lengths, now... and while they do not make up for your unwitting heritage, I still consider your behaviour the epitome of what an Audentes team member should strive to be. I will ensure that you do not slip.

[He means it as an assurance, but it's impossible to shake the underlying threat that comes with it. At the moment he is too unsettled to make heads or tails of how he should feel--betrayed, enlightened, threatened... he feels pity and empathy as much as disgust. It's for this reason that he lets silence hang heavily between them.]

[ex_adept136]

[Haise can't mistake that expression. He's seen it so many times that he's come to expect it, but then, the initial surprise of what he is faded long ago among the CCG. Anywhere else he can pass for being human, even if the awareness is always there with him, prickling at the back of his mind. A great part of why he enjoys coffee as much as he does is the fact that he can appreciate it just like anyone around him, despite what he is.

He's fairly good at schooling his expression, though it's the first time he's heard the word abomination in reference to what he is. In the past, Haise has been called ghoul as though it's an expletive, with such disdain as to suggest he's nothing but some creature, but...well. It is a first, and his features twitch even as he looks away to mask it.

Sieglinde's reaction had been surprisingly absent of revulsion, but this is more along the lines of what he would expect. Still, Laedo understands his request now, and no matter how his associate may view him, what matters most is the safety of their fellow recruits]

After we've returned, if we have the opportunity, I'll show you my capabilities. If it ever becomes necessary, it would be best for you to know that.

[His voice is carefully even as he says that, once more adopting that strange, clinical air of detachment despite being the subject. That this is necessary at all makes him question whether he's an example of anything anyone should strive for, but that thought is one he keeps to himself.

Back home, he was surrounded by people who knew exactly what he could do and how dangerous he might be if he became unstable. They had the means to put him down. He thinks on that, as he scoops Haku up in his arms and pushes himself to his feet.

Were Arima here, he'd be dispatched quickly if it needed to be done...]

I'm sorry to trouble you with this.

[asscan]

On the contrary, [Laedo replies, remaining seated for a few moments more. He can see the tension and worry outlined in Haise's movements and he isn't stupid. He would feel atrocious, too, if he were not just a half-breed but an experiment of a similar kind, forced to hide among humans to keep an old face in place. It makes all of the hairs on his neck prickle, that he's been fooled for so long... but now that the wool has been pulled back, so to speak, he can empathize on a certain level.] You would have troubled me more to allow me to continue seeing nothing until the day that the worst came to pass.

[Now he did rise, slipping Ulale around into her carrying satchel, clasping Haise on the shoulder and giving him a solid squeeze. The man was not made of acid, nor was he any different than he had been before... was he?]

Test me. I will remain staunch, so that you may ease your mind. Then we will not speak of this again, for your secret is safe with me.

[ex_adept136]

[Having lived surrounded by people who already knew, Haise can grant that not knowing may have been worse. He doesn't know when it may become a problem, or if it may never come at all, but he can imagine how one would feel learning in the worst possible way. Even so, it's a knowledge he isn't prepared to weigh down most of his associates with just yet, wary of the results. Ghouls seem to be universally regarded as monsters, and so, he has to wonder if others could rest easy in Oska knowing they shared a residence with one.

But Laedo isn't wrong, and he recognizes that. Being blindsided by it when he's incapable of reasoned thought or even mercy would be far worse, if ever it were to happen.

He's quiet for a time, considering what Laedo has said]

I won't hold back then, when that time comes. If I were ever in that state...it's doubtful I could restrain myself.

[Reluctant as he is to admit that, it's the truth. And he'd rather Laedo know his full strength, and know what to anticipate, than be harmed for the lack of information]

Hopefully it never becomes an active issue, but...thank you.

[Knowing someone would stop him is a comfort, in a way]

[asscan]

You have been holding back? [Laedo purses his lips, his sombre mask dropped in favour of piqued ire.] I'm more offended by that then the fact than anything else I have heard over the last few minutes! Haise, I am no human, as delicate as they can be. I was given a lesser form by which to bring peace and comfort to their kind, but it does not put me on a level.

[Pompousness may always win out with this one... Just to show his seriousness, he shoves the creature... man... friend... whatever it is that he thinks Haise might be now. Not hard, given they are both carrying their charges, but with the kind of jocularity that he's trying to show means he is not going to keep Haise at arm's length at all times.]

[ex_adept136]

[Haise keeps his balance easily, quite aware Laedo isn't being forceful]

Had I used the full range of my abilities, it would've been apparent what I was.

[Said with the smallest quirk of a wry smile. Haise hadn't meant to insult Laedo by restraining himself, but if he'd made use of his kagune, he would've outed himself as something certainly not human. His kakugan would've become visible too, unless he applied enough concentration toward concealing it, and that was difficult.

He suspects that as much is the case because he isn't a born ghoul]

I'm aware you're exercised some restraint, yourself.

[asscan]

I have been attempting to integrate into a team that is mostly human, [and whether he means Audentes general demographics, or if he's making a jibe at Haise' expense, he isn't clarifying.] Restraining myself to meet their needs is my Goddess' mandate, but learning what those restrictions are is... I can be honest with you... it is it's own journey. There is much that even you take for granted that I have had to rush headlong into, the details of which are largely unimportant. Pretending to be human, when you are not... I do not completely mis-understand your misgivings and frustration.

[ex_adept136]

[Haise can't imagine the difficulty inherent in trying to fit in with a species that looks entirely different. Though he is a ghoul, he can easily pass for a human under most normal circumstances. This much makes his life simpler than it would be otherwise, so he doesn't presume to know how tough it is for Laedo.

Even so, Laedo is trying to empathize with him. He's made an effort to relate, in spite of his distaste for what Haise is. And that isn't lost on him]

You're right that I can't fully grasp the difference in difficulty. At the least, I was human once, even if I don't remember. For as long as I can recall, I've been surrounded by human associates, but they knew...

[His voice trails off, eyebrows knitted together as he debates, briefly. He could show Laedo what a kagune looks like, the object of his concern in using what he'd consider his full strength, but it might startle Ulale. Ultimately, he decides against it for now]

What I've avoided using in combat since being recruited...I suppose you could liken it to your tail. There would have been no avoiding questions of what I was, or why my body was this way. You've seen for yourself how my eyes respond.

[For his part, Haise wouldn't characterize what he's felt as frustration. If anything...fear is the predominant motivating factor, though he thinks it best not to admit it]

[asscan]

A tail! [Laedo gives a disbelieving huff.] Well, you have done a superior job in disguising it. Even my kind use our tails as... as some form of backup.

[Yes, that's a joke. Let the fear melt back for a while, Haise. The squidges can smell it, just about, and Laedo knows it.]

[ex_adept136]

Not entirely the same, and a bikaku would be even closer, but...

[He pauses, shifting Haku to the crook of one arm so he can turn and gesture to his lower back, just to the right and shy of being centered. Though he wouldn't typically point out where his kagune emerges and thus reveal where his kakuhou is located, in this instance he opts to elaborate]

If I were to use my kagune, it would come from here. Compared with your tail, you'd probably consider my kagune large for my stature.

[Haise offers this explanation somewhat stiffly, but he's making an effort to be forthright about it. The more information Laedo has, the better]

I'd show you what I mean, but I wouldn't want to alarm Ulale.

[asscan]

[There is a frank moment when Laedo scoffs and has to turn away, pretend he's coughing--though this is not a light-hearted manner, the inadvertent bad wording and Laedo's wish to find a connection to their more equitable days converge on a joke that he very much does not want to explain, especially in front of their squidges.

Still...

He casts Haise a speculative look.]

We are near to our goal. A few days more, or so I have been given to believe. When we have achieved our mission, find me. I will be prepared for whatever you wish to show.

[ex_adept136]

[Haise allows his hand to drop when Laedo turns away. There follows a brief pause during which he wonders if his associate has tried to imagine a kagune and found it unsettling, but that doesn't quite seem the case.

Whatever it might be, at the present time, it seems unimportant — or, at least, it's nothing Laedo chooses to address directly.

Bearing in mind what he'd told him, and what he'd asked of him, he'd imposed enough on him this day]

Understood. [Said with less stiffness than one might expect from such a word; simple, light acknowledgement] I'm fairly swift when I'm not holding back, so I may be difficult to pin down...just so you're aware.

[And on that note, he bows politely, a brief dip of his head. They should get back to work, and he's taken up enough time as it stands]

Thank you, Laedo.