epidemiology | EVENT ★ WELCOME TO PERDITION'S REST

Entry tags:

EVENT ★ WELCOME TO PERDITION'S REST

ARRIVAL

Recruits leave Oska at midday, with about 10 minutes of final warning given from over jewelcomms. Then the white mist rises as rifts open, and Oska is left behind. When they arrive in the new world, they’ll find themselves aboard a train, specifically seated in the coach traveling compartments. The other passengers -- humanoids with muted skin tones and bright eyes -- have already been notified of their arrival, so although there will be a good deal of curious staring, particularly from children, no one is going to be very alarmed at the strange, eclectic assortment of aliens that suddenly show up on board.

It seems that, for once, recruits will enjoy a peaceful arrival. The dusty scenery flashes by placidly outside the windows, the rumble of wheels is constant and soothing, and there’s even a snack cart that makes its way around (the snacks aren’t free, though -- recruits are provided a modest sum of Qorral currency, and the locals are already interested in getting in on it).

BAD COMPANY

The first sign of trouble appears about two hours after arrival when there’s a faint BOOM and each of the train cars gives a little shudder. That would be the rear train car’s back wall being blown open. The other passengers know exactly what this means, and some lock themselves into traveling compartments while others haul out previously put away shotguns and pistols, ready to do what needs doing.

And what needs doing is to fend off the troupe of bandits that have decided that this train looks ripe for the plucking. They board from the gaping hole they blew in the last car and begin shooting their way up the length of the train, robbing as they go, but they also circle out on their horses (mechanical and only vaguely horse-shaped four-legged contraptions that easily keep pace with the train) to provide an armed and unfriendly escort. They’ll shoot through the windows if anyone looks like a troublemaker, and are old hands at ducking to the other side of their horses to use them as cover from any return fire.

The conductor and all present passengers would really appreciate a hand from any recruits who feel like stepping up. Those not quite ready to engage in a shootout can always keep the civilians locked into the compartments company. They, especially the children, might need some calming words (and the sage advice to keep away from the windows, and stop making faces at the bandits).

The bandits put up a pretty good fight, but will eventually be driven away (hopefully without having snagged too many ill-gotten goods from the hardworking citizens of Perdition’s Rest), and peace falls back over the train. The passengers will be a bit frazzled afterward, though, and no one can quite ignore that whistling sound caused by the missing back wall of the final train car. It’s a long two more hours before they reach their destination.

WELCOME TO PERDITION’S REST

A dusty wooden sign swings on rusted hinges overhead as the train pulls into the station: PERDITION'S REST. The engine finally stills with one puff of smoke, and as the passengers begin to disembark, recruits will find a small group awaits them.

The Mayor, his aide, and the sheriff are gathered just outside the train station, and once everyone is more or less off the train and conveniently gathered, the Mayor will clear his throat for attention.

"I'm guessing y'all had a long ride here, didn't you?" He addresses the crowd calmly, with the kind of voice that doesn't need to be raised much to be heard. "Heard about them bandits.They ain’t gonna trouble you here in town, but best mind your wanderin’. I'm Mayor Mordecai Jones, and Perdition's Rest welcomes your company. You'll find our businesses hospitable and our services ready. We're a quiet place, keep mostly to ourselves and don't bother none. You'll do just fine here if you abide that."

The aide waits quietly as the Mayor speaks, while the sheriff eyes the gathered bunch with a resigned wariness. She, and a few other locals who would be willing to speak up if asked, are of the opinion that they've gotten by just fine for 30 years without anyone's help, and they don't figure they need it now. But they'll tolerate the meddling, so long as everyone plays nice.

Mayor Jones's speech draws to a close with a last note that trouble can be brought to him or to Sheriff Rosamund Holladay, and he, his aide, and Sheriff Holladay break the meeting without further ceremony and head away.

Welcome to Perdition's Rest. It's recommended that you look around a little, familiarize yourself with the place, and find lodgings. It's going to be home for a while.

OOC NOTES

Welcome to Mission: Perdition's Rest! This mission will last for around three months, currently slated to end in mid-December. Depending on developments, this schedule is subject to change at our discretion.

You can view the dossier here, which contains information that is ICly known to all characters, no matter their arrival time. You can find locations here.

Please direct all questions pertaining to the mission to the dossier page to keep questions and responses in one place for easy player reference. General game questions should be directed to the FAQ.

The Bounty Board will be updated this weekend, so keep an eye out! Remember you can also request bounty missions or submit player plots at any time.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Jin, equally uncomfortable, equally petty about being in jail, sits at the opposite end of the cell, but the tiny room still leaves the two of them only a couple of feet away from each other. Not nearly enough room for Jin to ignore him when the doucheface speaks up. Incredulous, he finally turns, glowering over his shoulder at Asher--]

I'm sorry, my fault? You get hit in the head one too many times back there? I w-- [Mid-sentence, Jin grimaces, though: the blows from not so long ago sudddenly throb in pain.] --ah, shh... frick.

[That certainly took the ferocity out of him. He can already feel an ugly bruise blooming on his chest; he'll have to deal with that, and the bloody cut that his ALASTAIR uniform is sticking, sooner or later. Jin's tone turns sullen, and he tugs his uniform top up over his head so he can check his own wounds.]

Maybe I wanted us to work together, huh? That ever cross your mind before you started making a scene in front of them? [He turns away, gingerly pressing fingers to the bruises on his chest: ouch, that's going to be really nasty later.]

I wasn't making a scene, I was-

[waI T NO NO NO FUC K!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

What the-

[As soon as Asher catches himself staring, he snaps his head in the opposite direction, pressing the hand that lays between them against his forehead briefly.]

Put on a shirt, man-

[Desperately, hopelessly, Asher crawls to the edge of the makeshift "jail cell," grasping onto the bars for dear life.

It is here where he will die a broken shell of a human being, imprisoned in a literal thirst trap.]

Edited 2016-10-09 18:45 (UTC)

[he's a good person he doesnt fucking deserve this]

I'm injured, idiot. [he continues, moving his arm closer to take a look at the wound. It's worse than he'd initially anticipated, seeping blood now that the fabric of his shirt isn't there to absorb it.]

You should check yourself too, they roughed us both up pretty bad.

[he falls quiet, and finally adds--]

How's your eye?

[Irritation wells up inside of him, bubbling, boiling. He's bothered because despite the way Jin got under his skin, the monk is finally acting like a somewhat decent human being.

Time for Asher to grow up.]

It's...

[Awful.

He's never been hurt like this quite before.]

Whatever, y'know?

[A resigned sigh. He cares too, unfortunately, and it shows in the way he looks back again although he doesn't want to. The cringe on his end is slow, muted, but definitely still there.]

Did they just like... Slam a glass into your shoulder? That's...

[He laughs, though there's no joy in it.]

Hardcore.

You really think so?

[Finally, Jin allows himself a laugh. It's short, tentative: the common ground of this cramped cell still isn't enough to lift the tension that remains between them. Not completely.]

You weren't so bad yourself. [he admits as he glances back in Asher's direction.] Really going in, letting yourself take a--

[He cuts off, gnawing on his lower lip.]

You didn't have to do that for me back there. You could've really gotten hurt.

Nah, don't...

[Actually, he did.

The entire right side of his face may be totally fucked, but for a man who clearly cares so much about his appearance, Asher doesn't seem all that sore about it. He even doubles down after Jin mentions that, fumbling with his fingers in a way that seems almost shy.

Shaking his head, he avoids eye contact when speaking.]

Don't worry about it.

[What's clear now is that he doesn't regret it.

That much he's sure of.

The air seems thick around them, and not just because of the lack of space. Asher has never been one to keep quiet in situations like this, and so thankfully, he decides to do something about it.]

Why'd you even try to talk to me, anyway?

I thought you didn't care about what I thought.

Edited 2016-10-10 06:49 (UTC)

[Asher's wrong.

Jin, in spite of his harsh words, takes Asher's opinion more seriously than even he knows. No matter how in over his head Asher is; no matter how foolish or embarrassing. He's still trying in spite of his own weakness, which is far more than Jin had expected from a spoiled rich boy like him. Much less throwing himself in the line of fire for Jin tonight.

He watches Asher fidget. This isn't the same man he'd first met back in Oska: this is the boy wandering to the door of a stranger, hoping against hope that he wouldn't be left alone.]

Like I said. I had intel. [he leans forward where he sits, shoulders slumped.] You went to the extra effort to get more out of ALASTAIR than they were willing to just hand to us. I wasn't lying when I said I wanted us to work together. We're still teammates, aren't we?

[Jin, slipping just the outer shirt of his uniform back on, gives Asher a moment to digest his words before he moves on. His tone's subdued, but not guarded. Asher won't lie when he asks this question, and the answer is one he can't yet decide whether or not he dreads.]

What did you mean when you said I was 'on my own'?

[Teamwork.

Back in school, Asher had been so caught up in being the best and proving his worth that he had somehow forgotten the meaning of that word. This is not a competition, and something about the way Jin says "teammate" strikes a chord within him.]

Oh. Um...

[Asher shakes his head this way and that, mouth half open.]

So, when the bugs were out being cray cray, you... You called me in the middle of the night? And I was worried about you so, I went to go check on you.

[His lower lip twitches slightly.]

You were ashamed of something, I'm not sure what.

Edited 2016-10-10 17:26 (UTC)

[ He doesn't remember any of that, which means that the Jin he'd met...

His blood feels like it's frozen in his veins. Takeda has only just figured it out-- this can't be how Asher learns about him. Not like this: not when they're barely friends.]

What'd I tell you, Asher? Can you just--

Please keep that between us.

Edited 2016-10-10 22:45 (UTC)

[Jin's usually on top of his shit, which is why this sudden change in attitude is alarming.

Asher's shoulders drop immediately, falling back as he glances to the side and decides to lower his voice.]

Oh no, nothing.

You didn't say anything specific, you just seemed really, really sad.

[He folds his arms over his chest.]

It's okay you know.

You don't have tell me. I trust you.

...I ran away from home when I was sixteen.

[The answer's abrupt, almost too candid, but there's no way to put any of this delicately, either way.

Jin leaves out the why. That'll come later. Asher, Jin feels, has earned at least this small fragment of the truth. He leans back, shutting his eyes and resting his aching head against the cool, hard cell wall.]

Took me 'till I was eighteen to get my act together and actually listen to someone who was trying to help me. He told me that there was still hope... that it wasn't too late for somebody like me. Five years and a whole lot of nonsense later, [he concludes with a sigh,] turns out he was right. I'm here, I talk to my mom again, and I'm not a criminal anymore.

[heh.] Mostly. Last time I told somebody this story, I was getting us arrested for something else.

Edited 2016-10-11 15:42 (UTC)

[Asher's shoulder rubs against the dusty wall, head tilting further and further toward the side until it stops. He is listening.

Born into the lap of luxury, he knows nothing of what it's like to be without creature comforts and much less bare necessities, but he does understand what it means to feel alone.

"I'm here, I talk to my mom again, and I'm not a criminal anymore."

The smile he offers in response is a pathetic little thing, because while he's happy for his newfound friend it's here again, it's back.

The jealousy. Jin has grown into a person that he himself can be proud of, and Asher can only hope that someday he will do the same.]

[When Asher doesn't answer him, Jin takes another quiet breath, thinking.

He's not ashamed of who he is, or of any of the mistakes he's made in his life. Just because he's not exactly proud of his missteps doesn't mean he doesn't accept them as parts of who he is, the person that he has become today. (Kung Jin. Blood of Kung Lao; descendant of the Great Kung Lao.) But laying his past bare like this, selective though it is, isn't something that he does very often. There's an unfamiliar, odd lightness in his chest, even as the bruise forming there aches.

What had Zenyatta said to him before they'd left, again?

Jin opens his eyes and, looking sheepish, turns to Asher.] That's not everything, but it's the bare bones of it. The details... I don't know. I... not now. Another time.

[Please consider trusting someone, Jin.]

Thanks for having my back.

...Sorry for what I said before. [He's sure he won't have to get more specific than that.] I was out of line.

[Wow.

Asher is suddenly overcome with a strange kind of warmth, tinged with guilt and even a mild sense of surprise. He's wanted this so badly, to be worthy of an apology, mostly because he knows that the respect he craves for himself isn't something he deserves.

Jin's words thaw whatever remaining ice there is between them, and Asher decides to come clean as well.]

No, dude...

I was being a dick, too.

[Honestly...]

You were right, about what you said. About me wanting to play hero.

And, I know that's not something I am-

[Or something he may ever be.]

But oh god, am I trying.

[God, can he relate. Before he joined the Shaolin, Jin hadn't thought of himself as much of anything, either. The bump on his head is starting to hurt again, though, and the words just aren't coming the way he wants them to: so, instead, he'll let his actions speak most of the sympathy for him.]

Hey. You're gonna be--

[Jin, smiling a little, reaches an arm over and claps Asher on the shoulder. It's supposed to be reassuring, but in the moment, he's forgotten that they've both just been in a pretty respectable bar fight-- all the injuries seem to cry out at once with that single action.]

Ow.

[It's ridiculous. He can't even pat a guy on the back? The grin on his face spreads, and in spite of every part of him that's still sore, he's laughing. More real, more genuine than he's laughed in a long while.]

[Asher's nose curls slightly as he smiles, wide and bright despite the black eye he's sporting, forgetting the pain for a moment.

Laughter is one of the greatest gifts of all, contagious and wonderful in the way it can brighten up a room, even shining through the dimmest of situations. He finds himself chuckling through his teeth, the sound surprisingly innocent and unlike anything that Jin has heard from him before.

Maybe he's happy because it's finally happened. For what appears to be the very first time, Asher Millstone has actually earned himself a friend.]

Damn.

[All that messing around just might have been worth it.]

That really does hurt.

Edited 2016-10-13 07:25 (UTC)

Yeah, okay, [he says, pulling away from Asher and still chuckling quietly,] I think that's enough for one night.

[It's... nice to see Asher like this. It, too, is different from anything he's ever seen from him: it bears none of the falseness, the manufactured, carefully manicured nonchalance he'd worn when they first met. They're both exhausted, beaten. And as Asher turns away briefly, exposing the dark bruise on his cheek, Jin realizes.

It's the first time he's seen him smile. Really smile.

The hesitation's all fallen away. This, he supposes, is something beginning.]

Right now... [He tilts his head in the direction of an approaching guard.] Think we should move on to dealing with this winner. How 'bout it, Asher?

Edited 2016-10-13 07:54 (UTC)

[Footsteps mixed in with the creaking of the wooden floor throw Asher back to where they really are.

He springs to his feet as soon as possible, although he regrets the decision immediately. The female guard's words are colored with authority and a hint of disdain, but for some reason, he can't make out any of it. Even the room moves as Asher steadies himself, partly because those hard blows to the head really have taken a toll on him.]

Um, excuse me?

[He whispers almost, taking hold of the bars and pressing his face through whatever opening he can.]

I'm sorry to bother you... I just-

[Asher knows very well that he looks as though he doesn't belong here, or on any one of ALASTAIR's teams.

Maybe he can use that to his advantage.]

Are you gonna be working the whole night?

[Jin sits back, watching Asher and the guard with interest. (He's not... planning to flirt their way out of this, is he?)

The deputy, on the other hand, isn't especially used to seeing people like this on Perdition's Rest: it's clear that, whether they're one of ALASTAIR's or not, these two kids aren't from around here. She shoots Asher a look before replying:

"Thanks to the two of you, I sure am." The Qorral woman folds her arms and eyes the two of them with mild contempt. "Hope you're real proud of the mess you made."

Jin stays quiet, looking between the deputy and Asher. He's not jumping in for now-- he'll let Asher fight his own battle this time.]

[He isn't, not tonight.

Asher's shoulders fall at that. His actions have consequences, often for people he may not even know, and this one of the many examples of it. Because of a silly argument, someone who may not even be paid enough for their time is stuck here.]

Listen, I'm-

[He closes his eyes, sighing.

The warden will notice that Asher especially doesn't strike one as the aggressive type.]

We're a part of the team that just got here. We're not that familiar with the culture or the customs as of yet.

[Asher pulls out the stack of notes he'd just been reading a few hours ago, although there are creases in them now, with some tears here and there.]

I know you must get this all the time, but I think there's been a bit of a misunderstanding.

We are really dedicated to helping the people here, and... This won't happen again.

[Maybe this won't work, but he is being honest.]

[The Qorral warden watches Asher with bright, careful eyes, before suddenly breaking into a barking laugh. It hasn’t worked— but it has, somehow, endeared her into being just a little bit more amenable.

”Y’all really think that an apology’s gonna get me to let you out of the drunk tank?” she says, chuckling. Her gaze drifts from the softer-looking boy speaking to the stubborn, hard-eyed one behind him: they don’t especially look like troublemakers, at least not of the sort that the bandits had been, but they’d still made a real scene back at the bar.]

Asher— [whispers Jin in a low voice. He’s a moment away from suggesting they just tunnel out the back with a spoon when the woman speaks up again.

”If you wanna negotiate with me, though…” She exhales a sigh. ”I’m listenin’. It ain’t off the table, theoretically so. Do you know what I’m communicating to you boys?”

Jin, dumbfounded, blinks. If Asher turns around, he’ll see Jin lean forward and silently mouth two distinct words:]

Convince her.

EVENT ★ WELCOME TO PERDITION'S REST

no subject

1/?

2/?

3/? i hope to god nobody ever sees this

4/?

5/5

everyone's seen it ive put it on a billboard in san francisco

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)