The Swarm: Stay

[atlasmods]

Who: These Interlopers
When: IC Day 5.5-6
Where: The Boneyard
What: The Swarm Event

THE SWARM: STAY PRELUDE. Five days have passed since you, The First, woke on the strange and barren planet of Kharas. Four days since the pods housing you exploded when tampered with, and Three since the strange Trilobite-like sand crabs began hesitantly crawling their way into and around the boneyard. At first there was only a few brave specimens to be found, keeping mostly to the shadows and scuttling this way and that. Now, however, at least a hundred of them can be found in and around the boneyard in various placed, commonly grouped together in batches of two or three, sometimes even four. Notably they do not interact much with one another despite their groups and are much more interested in scouting out their surroundings for fibrous materials. On the odd chance that they manage to obtain any scraps they will begin to wander back towards the tracks your counterparts began following earlier. Odd, isn't it? As the softer morning sun overhead slowly begins to heat up with the encroaching afternoon more of the Trilobites begin to fill the area. Only unlike their predecessors these ones do not wander around aimlessly, and instead beeline their way to any Coral stalks that remain in the area. They bury into the sand beneath them to avoid their harsh shells and attack the roots until they topple and collapse under their own weight. Once this happens they practically swarm, working to segment it into pieces with their mandibles. When the Coral's shell cracks the Trilobites pry all vegetable matter from within and begin dragging it into the desert. And that's not all: these new Trilobites seem much braver and more interested in you than their predecessors. They will openly wander up to characters and gnaw uselessly at their ankles or feet, chittering and chattering. If enough of them happen to get together around an individual they will form a tiny ankle-gnawing mob intent on clambering all over you. As the daily eclipse nears their numbers will begin to grow even further. Odd tremors can be felt beneath the ground, even in spite of all the sand, but characters won't get much of a chance to look into the matter before their wrist communicators begin to emit that same strange static from the mist. ...Only there's none to be seen in any direction whatsoever.
OOC	IC Days 5.5 - 6 (Oct 26th - 28th)
This log starts during the afternoon of IC day 5.5 and continues on until the morning of day 6 (with the rest of that day being the aftermath/conclusion). There will be a time-sensitive event which will run for 24 hours starting on the 27th at 8:00AM EST. It will conclude on the 28th at 8:00AM EST. This time-sensitive event cannot be "failed" by running out of time and will affect the lore of the game. Please direct any and all questions about this event here.

Comments

[ex_bossily211]

More than what?

[Her voice is tired now, and her eyes slip closed as she rests up against him.]

You're amazing, no matter how many difficult choices you're forced to make.

[anewhope]

[ He's not sure. More like his fathers had wanted him to be. Clark found himself wondering what his mother would have said. He had little time to get to hear Jor-El talk about Lara.

Clark tilts his head back. ]

I don't think I'm quite there yet.

[ex_bossily211]

Think I'll be the judge of that.

[There's a hint of a laugh, and she lifts her head to look up at him.]

Starting now. You're only allowed to be hard on yourself when I give you permission to do so. Understood?

[anewhope]

[ His lips curve despite himself. Wallowing never got him very far and hearing that helped. ]

I'll do my best.

[ex_bossily211]

Clever boy.

[Grinning, she decides to turn being flopped up against him into a hug. He could use a hug right about now.]

Question, though. Do you think we can rest now? Just for a bit.

[anewhope]

[ Clark's brow furrows as he looks around. His hands lightly brush against her back but he doesn't initiate any other kind of contact. ]

There's nothing nearby. I think they've gone. Or at least . . . they'll stay away.

[ex_bossily211]

[Nodding, she pulls away so she can plop down in the sand. Her numb leg has completely given out and she's exhausted. Her swollen and equally numb hand is held up against her chest as she takes in and lets out several shaky breaths. All around them are the bodies of the lives they took. She wants to cry over it, but doesn't want to make Clark more guilty. So she settles for closing her eyes and ignoring it all instead.]

[anewhope]

[ He could hear her heartbeat, a steady earnestness that slowly ate away his trepidation. Clark tentatively curls an arm around her and says softly. ]

It's okay to be scared.

[ex_bossily211]

[Not expecting him to comfort her, she gives a little jump, but leans into it quickly enough.]

I know. Thing is, I'm more sad than scared.

[anewhope]

That's fine too.

[ Lois had been like that, after Nairomi. ]

[ex_bossily211]

I know. But being sad isn't going to help us move forward. We need to figure out a plan.

[It helps her to keep moving, to not stay still for long.]

[anewhope]

[ Clark delicately touches her chin with two fingers and simply says. ]

Being sad helps us feel human when we need it the most.

[ex_bossily211]

[Her eyes look upward, meeting his. Slowly, a smile tugs up at the corners of her mouth.]

Is that why you're sad right now, then?

[anewhope]

[ His smile gentles. ]

I like to think so.

[ex_bossily211]

It's a good thing you're just as human as I am.

[There's a nudge along with as coy of a smile as she can possibly manage at this point in time. And with that, the urge to keep talking fades out of her, and she's left sitting beside him in silence. ]

[anewhope]

[ Clark can't help the silent puff of humour as he leans his head back against the cool bone. ]

I had a lot of help.