EVENT ▸ EMPIRE OF THE CRASHING WAVE

[futurologists]

EMPIRE OF THE CRASHING WAVE The royalty of Guild Ophelia has managed to hold an audience with Empress Nama of the Celestial Mountains, urging her to meet with the Empress of the Crashing Wave in the interest of finding an accord between their clans. In return, Nama requests that Ophelia take two letters to the Crashing Wave's court, where, as foreigners, they should be received better than any of her own people. The Empire of the Crashing Wave is a week's travel by foot from the Land of Celestial Mountains, through the forests and farms of the Flowerlands. There is no visible indication that this universe was once two, with even the road leading through the Flowerlands heading seamlessly toward the sea. The farms and villages in the outskirts of the Empire of the Crashing Wave are decorated in seashells and motifs of the sea, and the closer one gets to the city, the stronger the scent of the ocean becomes. Once the city proper is reached, Ophelia's magitek projects words in front of their eyes that only they can see: Location reached: » EMPIRE OF THE CRASHING WAVE A progressive society that values innovation. Main sources of income: fishing, pearl diving, jewelry crafting, shipbuilding. Politically matriarchal; socially egalitarian. Empress YOUMI resides at the PEACEFUL TIDE. No events scheduled. You may wish to survey the surrounding area. The city is built right on the ocean's edge, with some parts of it even jutting out into the sea on bridges and piers. The castle, Peaceful Tide, is built high above the rest; guards will stop anyone at the gates and, if shown the correspondence from Empress Nama, will deliver the letters directly to Empress Youmi. Attempts to seek an audience with Youmi will be rebuffed for the time being, so you may as well take in the sights... ▸ A PROMISING DEVELOPMENT Unlike the Land of Celestial Mountains, men may move freely here, the matriarchal rules of the land only extending to politics. Men and women work alongside each other in all sections of the city, nobles and commoners alike, and even the guards have men among their ranks. In the Artisan District, potters, musicians, and artists line the streets and sell their wares, work, or discuss their craft with each other. Closer to the Beach, there is a boardwalk where young couples stroll alongside grandparents chasing after their grandchildren, electric lamps bathing the wooden planks in a warm glow at night. Fishermen haul in their daily catch in buckets and nets, trailed by a gaggle of hopeful cats. Beachcombers and pearl divers populate the beach as well, making it a clear place for work instead of play. A few days after Ophelia's arrival in sea clan territory, a bell rings loudly in the late afternoon, drawing citizens toward the castle. Guards stop anyone from getting too close, though the populace seems to know what to expect -- soon, a beautiful woman in an elaborate blue kimono appears in an upper balcony. When viewing the woman, Ophelia's magitek will tell them: » EMPRESS YOUMI Leader of the EMPIRE OF THE CRASHING WAVE. 30 years old. SPECIES: Human. MEDICAL CONCERNS: Lactose intolerant. The crowd cheers at Youmi's arrival, only quieting once she raises her hand. She speaks clearly and confidently, her voice carrying easily across the assembly. "I have received a letter from Her Imperial Majesty Nama of the Land of Celestial Mountains. She informs me that their spring festival was interrupted by an attack from our own people, working without my knowledge or consent," Youmi begins, holding her hand up again when a displeased rumble begins to ripple through the crowd. It's unclear if they're perturbed by the ambush or by Nama herself. Once all is silent again, she continues. "She has detained the criminals, for that is what they are, and assures me she will not bring this to the battlefield. I will send her an agreement to the terms, but hear this: any who escalate this further will be slain by my order. I have spoken. The spirits of the sea watch over us all." Youmi then retreats back into the castle. While some citizens cheer their empress's decree, others mutter unhappily amongst themselves as they disperse and go about their business. ▸ BUT TROUBLE CONTINUES The rest of the day following Youmi's decree goes by without incident, leaving time for Ophelia to stop by the sake breweries near the sea or travel back through the forests of the Flowerlands for hunting, hot springs, or simply enjoying the nature of Hanabira. With war averted and the empresses in communication, it seems as though Ophelia's time in this universe will draw to a close soon. As the sun sinks down, finding a place to sleep might be a good idea. There are hotels in the city, but for those who are trying to be a little more frugal, the Flowerlands is a good place to set up camp for free. Doro, the Lord of the Flowerlands, has heard of Ophelia's efforts in starting communication between the empresses as well, and offers rooms in his castle in thanks; if war were to start between the two, his land would suffer for it. During the night, those who accept Doro's invitation will hear a commotion very nearby, steel clashing against steel. Doro and his daughters rush out, weapons drawn, and straight into a skirmish between sea and mountain clan ronin. The warriors are fighting to kill, and in their fervor, someone's fire arrow alights a farmhouse on Doro's property. The farmers need to be rescued and the fire put out, and while the warriors will likely kill each other, they could also be subdued to prevent further damage. Please let the mods know with a link to the thread if your character is killing or capturing any of the ronin. After the skirmish, Doro must be brought back inside his castle, having been wounded during the battle. He pleads with Ophelia to continue to help, as it looks like a tentative truce by the empresses is not enough to calm the citizens. Since they were so successful in receiving an audience with Nama, he believes they can propose a way the two empires can live in harmony. Throughout the next two weeks, skirmishes between the clans are peppered throughout the Flowerlands, some leaving bodies behind and some leaving damage to farms and forest. It looks like Ophelia's peacekeeping mission just became a lot more hands-on: keep the skirmishes from getting out of control while still working toward a way to end the conflict once and for all. ▸ OOC NOTES This log will last for two IC weeks: the first three days will be free exploration, and day four is Youmi's proclamation and the skirmish in the Flowerlands. Your characters are free to explore for the next ten days, during which further skirmishes will occur. If you have questions about this log or the overall mission, please ask them on the dossier. Questions about Futurology in general should be directed to the FAQ. ▸ Coming next log: Peace proposals! Get your brainstorming started now. ▸ Activity Check is due on 5 February 23:59 UTC. We do not accept late submissions, so make sure you fill it out! ▸ Uniform Design Contest is open! Submissions are due 28 February 23:59 UTC. Gamewide voting will be in March. ▸ Bounty Board ▸ Items Page ▸ Exploration Group Planning ▸ General Plotting ▸ February Calendar

Comments

[ceruleo]

Do you? What am I trying to do, huh?

[ He's waist-deep now, and sinking in to his shoulders, moving himself in a circle to look at her playfully, inviting. He cocks his head as if to say, 'what's keeping you?' ]

[forcevisions]

You think you're going to goad me out there.

[ which tbf he's right he's totally going to goad her out there. it's like he never left at all. :') ]

[ceruleo]

[ He looks aghast. ]

Who, me? I'd never do something like that! [ That's a lie. ] Besides, I know it wouldn't work. You look like a smart lady. Over there, staying on the sand where you feel safe and all...

[ As he swims backwards, he shrugs, looking smug. Ball's in your court, Rey. ]

[forcevisions]

[ absurdly, there is a moment where something shifts in her expression from resentful and frustrated and goaded into … disappointment? and then peace.

'you look like a smart lady.' that's what does it. she had almost slipped too easily into … well.

it works, all the same. rey glances around in consideration. then she settles on not getting her kimono wet. she disrobes — don't get too excited, she has Respectable Underwear on, ok. very covering. sporty. — and folds the kimono up nicely to set it on one of the rocks, then starts to cautiously make her way to lance.

she thinks of the island, of falling into that hole, of flailing her way to land. ]

If I drown, I'm coming back from the other side to kill you.

[ it says a lot about her that the risk is worth it to get to know lance again. ]

[ceruleo]

[ Blind to Rey's inner battle, Lance beams, victorious. ]

As if I'd let you drown!

[ Having spent most of his life in the water, Lance is at least nominally confident in his water rescue skills. If nothing else, he can help her improve her technique? ]

I'm Lance, by the way! Now you'll definitely haunt me, so that's extra incentive, see?

[ Consider it insurance. ]

[forcevisions]

[ oh man. it's a stab in the gut. she waffles for a minute on telling him, and then— ]

I know your name. [ she sinks into the water. it's cold. why does it always look so inviting and turn out to be so cold? she shivers briefly. ] Sorry. I'm Rey. Keith and I are friends. And when we worked with ALASTAIR, you and I were too.

But you don't remember, do you?

[ceruleo]

[ Lance's smile is wiped right off his face.

The first emotion to bubble up is a kind of strangled frustration, because Rey isn't the first to recognize him like this, nor is she likely the last. He hates that he's hurt so many people, so many complete strangers, just by...being here. He hopes that Hathaway placed him on this team as a balm, rather than a knife. He can't shake the feeling of not being able to live up to himself, somehow.

The second, right on the heels of that annoyance, is a peal of excitement; this is Keith's Rey, the mysterious confidante. Lance is excited to finally get to meet the girl with the dubious honour of being Keith's closest friend. ]

Uh--no. [ He dips his chin, uncharacteristically solemn, and looks at her with big, hopeful eyes. ] Sorry, Rey. Keith told me about you, though. [ His mouth curls up at the corners. ] All good things.

[forcevisions]

[ all good things that she's not living up to right now. her smile is wan, for this reason, but she pushes more enthusiasm into it. she can read lance's disappointment easily — in his demeanor just as much as in the force. though, more and more, she's finding separating the two in her mind is hard. her instincts, her compassion, and that offered by the force have become one. ]

I'm lucky, then. There aren't many people Keith says only good things about. [ she settles her feet on an algae-smoothed stone, up to her waist in water. ] I'm sorry if I've upset you, bringing up ALASTAIR like this. But I want to be honest with you.

[ceruleo]

[ He can tell it's a forced smile just by virtue of imagining himself in her shoes. He lets his feet down, until he's tiptoeing in the sandy rocks. ] It's fine...I appreciate the honesty. I mean, I would've wanted to meet you eventually, so it's best to just get it over with, right?

[ He looks away, then back up at her. ] You don't have to hang out with me if you don't want to. Just, y'know, putting that out there. [ He swallows, looking shy. ] But. I'd like to be friends. Again. If--if you'd be okay with that?

[forcevisions]

I want to.

[ she says it with such sudden vehemence and conviction that it's kind of ? ?? jarring ?? rey is a little too intense. ]

I'm glad you do too. [ this comes out softer. ] I was afraid you wouldn't. I can't imagine how strange this must be for you, what you're feeling. And if you wanted to just stay far away from all of it, I wouldn't blame you.

[ceruleo]

[ Lance actually blushes under the weight of Rey's enthusiasm. ]

I—no! I wanna be friends too. [ He swims a bit closer, arms forming graceful arcs. ] It's...actually kind of nice, you know, even though I never meant to hurt you—o-or anybody else!—at all. It's nice to know a lot of people...liked me. That I had an impact.

[forcevisions]

[ seeing him paddle like that, she takes a moment to try and like ... cup her hands in the way he's cupping them to paddle over and she's like oh it ... scoops water. but she gets distracted by what he says and looks up from her work of learning how physics works to say— ]

Hurt me?

[ it takes her a moment to parse what he's feeling. ah. ]

Lance, I'm relieved. I thought I'd never see you again.

[ceruleo]

[ Oh. Oh. He's relieved that she's relieved and not--not what he thought, before. That the sight of her (former? current?? friend would be like salt on a wound.

His laugh is a bit squeaky, and not just at her crappy dog paddling. ]

I can see why. I mean, I'm sure you had a tough time without my gorgeous face to look at.

[ aaaand we're back ]

[forcevisions]

[ rey crinkles her nose in laughter at this. well, she thinks she's laughing with him. she decided a while ago that lance must only be doing this sort of thing in good humor. it's just too ridiculous ... right ... ]

Yes, it was a real loss. All of ALASTAIR was devastated.

[ceruleo]

[ It's debatable how self-aware he is, though this Lance is certainly more self-aware than the previous, though not by much. ]

Well, no need to suffer anymore, Lance is back and better than ever!

[ To 'prove' it, he dives backwards, making an arc through the water--before swimming over to tug gently at Rey's ankles. ]

[forcevisions]

Hey, watch it! What are you doing?!

[ She goes to sort of kick him away and the algae on the rocks has her other foot slipping and then she's stumbling towards and over him and

faceplanting into the water. Which, really, that course of events is her own fault. ]

[ceruleo]

[ Submerged, he doesn't hear her, but he does feel and--somewhat--see her flail. He rises to the surface just in time to catch that momentous faceplant, and laughs and laughs.

He's still hovering close enough to intervene if she doesn't right herself quick enough. ]

[forcevisions]

[ She's definitely Struggling. Like, her arms flail up to try and catch herself and paw at the water in a largely inefficient way. Her limbs are cutting through the water instead of dragging it down to propel herself upwards. There's no art to it.

But she does manage to splash her way back into a shallow enough area such that she can feel the rocks under her feet, sputtering up salt with a series of hacking coughs. ]

[ceruleo]

[ Well, at least she didn't...die??? He slips over to her, giving her gentle pats on the back to help her clear the water. ]

Well that could've gone better...you want, I can teach you some actual technique.

[forcevisions]

There's a technique?

[ w e l p. ]

Okay. Show me. [ She nods, gesturing to him in earnest with one hand while the other wipes hair out of her face. ]

[ceruleo]

The first step is kicks. [ He reaches out both hands. ] C'mon, gimme your hands, then--face me--let your feet lift up so you're parallel to the water line.

[ They're far out enough that the waves shouldn't be too much of a hassle, but just in case, he's still holding her. This would really be best in a pool, but whatever. He learned in the ocean, so so can she. ]

[forcevisions]

[ She grabs onto his hands, a little clumsily because she's a) not used to accepting help learning a skill because she's a trial-by-fire kind who just ... sinks or swims, so to speak; b) lifting her feet off the bottom makes her lose the ability to keep her weight stable and she starts tipping and stuff. ]

Parallel with—? [ She looks around, trying to figure out what he's getting at, then slowly ... lets the salt water float her center of gravity up behind her and stretch her legs out with it. That grip on his hands tightens. This is worse. This isn't clumsy, it's alarm. She's going to face-plant in the water and drown.

That reaction, though, lasts only a moment. She conquers it to find a sense of peace fast. Floating in the water, stretched out like this, is really calming. ]

[ceruleo]

[ He tries to be reassuring, offering her a smile. ] Hey, you're doing great. Think of it like this: if ever you're in a bind, you can always float. You don't even need to do anything! When you float, your weight presses down into the water, and as long as you weigh less than the water you're displacing, you'll float. And luckily for us, our lungs are full of air, sooo....boom! Some people float differently, and you'll float better in salt water because it weighs more per volume...

[ He just keeps going on the science of buoyancy. He's talking to talk rather than talking to inform her, though if she's even listening then it's good stuff to know. The flow of his words is even, and he lets her squeeze his fingers as much as she likes until he can tell she's more comfortable. They stay like that for some ten or fifteen minutes to practice, both on her front and on her back. It's definitely different than from teaching his little cousins, but the actual content doesn't change. ]

You feeling okay to move on, Rey? [ He did say there would be kicking. ]

[forcevisions]

[ And she does listen. Most of it makes sense because the bar for scientific laymen's knowledge in the Star Wars universe is just higher, but even the parts that don't, she's furrowing her brow through and trying to parse without interrupting him. She 100% does not want to interrupt him because she's sort of fascinated with the way he goes on and on. ]

Move? [ She looks around at the Great Big Ocean and briefly imagines floating away into it by accident because she moved wrong. But … she can also sort of feel the ocean, when she reaches out, and that calms her. It's alive in its own right. ] Yeah. You said kicking, right?

[ She tries to kick but it's sort of like … she's trying to kick down at the floor. But she figures out pretty quickly that it's harder than it should be and takes some time to experiment. This, of course, jostles their handholding because the closer she gets to actual, appropriate kicking, the more momentum she's creating. ]

[ceruleo]

Yep. Sta--wait, no, you're not stepping on the water--Rey! [ STOP KICKING. Okay. Trying that again. ]

Try pointing your feet, and letting your legs swing back and forth, like, uh...two...swings?

[ AMAZING ANALOGY, 10/10

As she actually starting kicking in earnest, he'll take initiative to lead her in a little circle, letting her get the feel of moving in the water properly. Once she's comfortable with the flutter kick, he skips right to the eggbeater, because it's the most useful for treading water. ]