EVENT ★ ROLLING 'ROUND THE BEND

[futurologists]

ASTERION PRISON The white light is blinding. The weightlessness continues. The air thins into nothingness, though those who breathe won't feel the pain of suffocation -- in fact, they won't feel the need to breathe at all. The sensation continues for what may seem like a second or an eternity; it's impossible to tell. And then the floor hits you. Or rather, you hit the floor. It's cold and metal and as your vision returns, you'll find you're not alone in this small room, though you're definitely not with anyone you know: standing in front of you is a brawny alien in a black uniform, its many purple eyes staring at you. The alien is flanked by a pair of robots, who take advantage of your dazed state and grasp you in their metal arms to drag you from the room into what appears to be a gigantic prison. As the robots drag you past cells -- some containing other aliens, some containing humanoids, and some containing your teammates -- you'll catch a glimpse of the outside through a window. You're in outer space. If questioned, the guard will only tell you that you've been accused of conspiracy to commit grand theft, and your trial will begin soon. But in the meantime, you'd better get cozy. YOUR NEW HOME Asterion Prison is a dreadnought class spaceship with several different cell blocks making up a majority of its innards, with the rest of the space designated for day-to-day running of the ship and living quarters for the guards. Audentes is housed in Block 26, which has six tiers of cells situated in a circle around the main recreational area, out of which juts the Block 26 guard tower. Each inmate, including Audentes recruits, has a glowing blue symbol emblazoned on their forehead. Though it's not immediately clear what the symbols mean, inmates who have been around longer will explain: it's a record of how many lives you've taken, a way for the guards to know who's the most dangerous. The symbol glows through any kind of attempt at covering it -- whether by makeup, clothing, hair, or something else -- so it's best to learn to deal with it quickly. Speaking of clothing, whatever recruits were wearing upon their abduction has been replaced by a uniform orange jumpsuit. Similarly, any weapons are no longer present, though those with a special connection to their weapons will feel that they are being held elsewhere on the ship. Luckily, the guards appear to have overlooked jewelcomms, so Audentes will be able to communicate with each other via magitek (text only is suggested, of course, unless you want to get caught!), though contact with Oska or any other outside ALASTAIR recruit seems to be blocked. LOCKDOWN As long as inmates keep to themselves and don't bother the guards, things run pretty smoothly. Two meals a day, five hours of sleep, and all the weights you need to get yourself swole. But on the sixth day in Asterion Prison, all hell breaks loose. No one knows who started it, but there's suddenly a loud roar from the milling crowd in the recreational area. Most inmates scatter, but some rush in -- to see what's going on or to get a piece of the action themselves, who knows -- and then everything becomes an all-out brawl. Super strong aliens with various powers fight each other loudly and violently while others cower and run for cover. The old alien ducks behind his chess board just in time to avoid a barbell sailing overhead; a six-armed being shoots lava out of its mouth, which does nothing to the metallic floor but severely burns a group of humanoid toads wielding shivs. The fight goes on for a few long minutes before correctional officers and their robot guards pour in to try and get things under control. Those who are still around once the officers come in are in threat of being dragged off to solitary, even if they had nothing to do with the brawl, so make yourself scarce unless the idea of sitting in the dark for another six days seems appealing. OOC NOTES Welcome to space prison! We hope you'll enjoy your stay. There is a plotting write-up here with extra information about the prison ship, and please note that participation in the symbol directory is mandatory. If you have any questions about the prison that aren't answered here, please direct them to the Leramzen dossier. Questions about the game in general should be directed to the FAQ and you may submit mission ideas or player plots at any time.

Comments

[respired]

[ Koltira's eyes widen, suggesting that he does not, in fact, consider them even remotely even. He grits his teeth.

He'd had a feeling that this Sans was not the one he remembered, a feeling which grows more solid by the passing second. ]

I do not wish to 'yell it out'. I want you to explain.

[skelepun]

[A feeling Sans wishes he could stop in his tracks.]

Fine. [And for once, the cheerfully detached timbre of his voice seems a little more solid. Set.] What do you wanna know about? This? [He waves vaguely at his forehead.] I know as much as you, pal. Time's not exactly linear, and I don't know how it keeps count. If I did, I wouldn't be here.

[respired]

[ He doesn't feel like he's asking a difficult or complex question here. Then again, time shenanigans in Azeroth are relegated to the bronze dragons--it's not something Koltira understands, nor has he ever had to do so. In any case, his already fraying patience is just about ready to snap. ]

Tell me what you did.

[ These marks aren't for smelling roses and petting kittens. ]

[skelepun]

[The lights in Sans' eyes were long gone, joviality stripped from his voice completely. Whether it was out of offense for being asked, annoyance over having the letter on his forehead in the first place, or the sheer fact that he didn't like thinking about this... well, a guy had to have some secrets left.]

Lately? Nothing. That's kinda my schtick, buddy. I let other people do things. They usually care a lot more about the outcome than I do.

Y'know, unless I can't afford not to. [A fact said with little pleasure.] But you'd have to ask one of the other Sanses about that.

[CONFUSED YET]

[respired]

[ To Koltira, this is more obfuscating gibberish. Mostly. It does seem to perhaps confirm something he's suspected, and he's momentarily distracted by that. ]

You are not the Sans who was with us before. You are -- someone else.

[ He grits his teeth. ]

What do you gain from these lies?

[skelepun]

[Well, there it is. It's the first time anyone's said it aloud, and so bluntly. Even Olivia only really implied the truth, letting her eyes make the accusation. It feels strange, hearing the words. Relieved and caught all at once.

He doesn't bother confirming or denying. Koltira wasn't asking him to. He already knew.]

Call it a habit.

[respired]

[ Koltira Deathweaver is not here to fuck around!! ]

One you should break.

[ Not that his opinion has any weight with this guy, but he's gonna say it, anyway.

He does pull away slightly, then, leaning against one wall of their cell, arms crossed over his chest. Suspicions now confirmed, he wonders if it's right to press his ire against this iteration of Sans, when it's the other one that treated him with such hypocrisy. But are they not, essentially, the same person? Would their history be any different? He doubts it.

So. He still has to know. ]

Answer the question.

[skelepun]

[He could just teleport away, couldn't he? He's sorely tempted to do so, too. What does he owe this guy? A chance, for Pap's sake? As far is Sans is concerned, he already gave him that.

... He could just teleport away. It would be easy.]

'Cuz there are things people can't do anything about and don't need to know.

[Damnit.]

[respired]

Truly?

[ Hmm mm. People. Sure, Jan. ]

You think you're protecting anyone when you lie to them? You think that makes anything better?

[ He's disgusted. Koltira's a lot of things, but he's not a liar--he couldn't, even if he wanted to. His truth is obvious to everyone, and he prefers it that way. ]

You do no such thing. People do not tell lies to save others. They do it to save themselves.

[skelepun]

Nice to know you're such an authority on my situation, buddy. [There's an attempt made for the casually dismissive tone Sans held from earlier, but its obvious even to Sans how flimsy the facade is.] I wish somebody would lie to me once in a while.

[Frustration reaching its peak, he squeezes the bridge of his nasal bone in an attempt to recenter himself.]

Look. You're not a monster. You don't get what losing hope does to us.

[respired]

[ He knows what Sans means, but it's still weird to hear someone say that he isn't a monster. ]

Explain it to me, then.

[ A charming request. ]

[skelepun]

Right, 'cuz I owe you an explanation, right?

[It's weird, for Sans to be so openly pouty, but he can't quite help it. There's nowhere to go, not in the long term. Even if he did run now, he'd have to come back.

Sans was pretty used to feeling trapped, but not like this. He heaves another sigh, just as frustrated as the last.]

Did Pap ever tell you what we're made of?

[respired]

[ Koltira is most certainly not owed anything. That won't stop him from demanding it, though, at least not in this case. ]

Magic, he said. That is my sense of it, too.

[ His people are attuned to magic, even if the monsters are too foreign for Koltira to qualify them in any detail. Still, he feels the magical nature of their essence, the way it is not physical but ethereal. ]

[skelepun]

Magic and dust. [He clarifies, voice blunt.] Our magic comes from our emotions. N' when the magic goes, we fall asleep for a while, and then we turn back to dust.

[He pinches the space between his eye sockets.]

Hope's important. We need it. I'm not about to take that from anybody.

[respired]

[ He's working through this ... ]

So if you fall into despair--you will die?

[skelepun]

Tough break, huh? [Sans' smile is strained, underlying the falseness of his apparent cheer.] Lemme tell ya, pretty hard to keep hope alive most of your people are culled and the survivors get locked under a mountain. But we're monsters, and monsters look on the bright side.

... We have to.

[respired]

[ Well, this is brand new information. He stews on it for a few minutes, thinking it over. He had no idea that monsters were basically the equivalent of sea corals. ]

... Even so.

Papyrus is much stronger than you give him credit for.

[skelepun]

[Sans says nothing to that for a long stretch, empty sockets pointed at a spot on the far wall. From the nakedness of his stare, you might think the guy was trying to bore a hole through it with thoughts alone.

An effort dropped when Sans drops his shoulders, open palm rising up to cradle his skull. Right over where the M continued to glow.]

I know. [It's defeated rather than defiant.] I'm the one who isn't.

[respired]

[ Koltira sighs. Some of his earlier anger has drained, though the tension in his nerves remains, vicious, thrumming sharp and merciless.

His first thought: Obviously.

But even he knows enough to understand that saying it out loud wouldn't be useful. There's no honor in kicking a man while he's down. ]

Have you told him the truth? That you are not who you once were.

[skelepun]

He was really happy, when I first showed up. Filled in all the blanks for me. Pap's good at that. [Had to be, with a big brother that said as little as he did.] I've done it more times than I can remember back home. Thought it wouldn't be too different, stepping into things here.

It was. There are too many unknown variables here. I get that now. Alright?

[respired]

[ Hmnh. It's not really his business, in the end. He just knows that if his own brother were somehow here, somehow still alive--Koltira would force himself to tell Faltora everything, no matter the consequence. But he's always been that type of person. ]

I see.

[ He mutters, then falls entirely quiet. ]

You do not have to answer any more questions.

[skelepun]

[Some people have the moral highground. That guy's never been Sans.]

Thanks. You're a real peach.

[It's sarcastic, but Sans doesn't mean it to be funny. Heaving himself onto his bunk, he faces the wall, willing himself to sleep. It wouldn't be very hard.

Exhaustion was easier than everything else.]

[respired]

[ The sarcasm irritates him. His ears twitch, their tips flicking back and forth, but he does not respond. To continue might lead them down a violent path, and Koltira does not want to hurt Papyrus's brother.

(Well, he does want to, a little. But he doesn't want to want to.)

Instead, he stays where he is, arms folded over his chest, leaning against the wall. He doesn't sleep, and he's not about to start now. He will keep a silent vigil, and disturb Sans no more. ]