Intro Log: The Forgotten City

[atlasmods]

GOOD MORNING NEW ARRIVALS This time for real! WAKEY WAKEY. As the storm finally peters out and characters can once again move above ground it becomes abundantly clear that the landscape has changed. Where vast expanses of sand dunes once laid is now the half-buried remnants of what looks like some sort of...city? Full of structures. It stretches so far it's really hard to tell. But there is one thing characters will notice: There are more stasis pods. Revealed by the sandstorm, a whole new flurry of pods can be found scattered on the way to the city (curiously though, not in it. Hurry and wake those guys up! SPREAD THE LOVE. OR ACID. With the departure of the storm there's even more new arrivals to be found besides those fellow travelers of yours! The "Seedlings" and "Cactus" are now both available, the former blown in by the storm and the former uncovered. The Seedlings are generally pretty harmless. They like to burrow into the sand so only their "Leaves" plant-like leaves remain above ground, and they're quite happy to stay that way until surprised. Then they pop up and trip over themselves a little, before slowing down and wandering aimlessly. When they find a patch of sand that looks comfy they begin burrowing back down. Pull or yank on their leaves though and you'll find yourself with a face full of pollen that makes you want to just tell everyone how super-cool they are. It lasts a while, and then you get a fever and vomit for two hours. Good times. The Cacti are much less harmless and just...why would you eat them? Everything about this plant is poisonous, and cracking it open causes a corrosive acid-like substance to spill out. It'll eat through everything but...dirt, oddly. Metals and flesh are like hot oil on plastic. DON'T GET LOST And last but not least: The Forgotten City. Maybe you want to check out the Hull first for some loot, but maybe that's not such a cool idea anymore? Although it looks like the ship's definitely more powered after draining the suits of whoever went in, now it's started to spread and fill the sinkhole the ship's in. Suits can go from 100% to 0% in just ten minutes--not good! Lucky for everyone else, it looks like finally there's some sort of civilization up ahead. Go on and check it out! OR DO. THAT'S OKAY TOO. Go nuts, have fun, and enjoy! (This is the wildcard option) OOC The Flora, Fauna & Resources page has been updated with information on the seedlings, cacti, and crystals! These items are now all available for Discovery, and The Forgotten City will be available indefinitely from now on! Characters can take this time to settle & build up a foundation for themselves, explore the area, and of course, harass those poor little seedlings. We encourage players to make their own open posts for this setting--you don't need to stick to just this intro log! But make sure to make our newbies feel welcome!

Comments

Lance - OTA

[ceruleo]

[[ooc. If you want to plot with me, hit me up here or on plurk @ lunation. You can always drop an empty comment and I'll make you a custom starter, no problem!

NOTE: LANCE HAS LIMITED MAP DATA HE CAN TRANSFER TO YOUR CHARACTER. hmu if you want it. ]]

1. PRE-STORM: BACKDATED TO DAY 11, OTA - ONLY 1

[ The Trilobite Queen has sprouted plants, and as apparently investigating the properties of alien flora is now old hat to Lance, he has a pile of small red 'berries' in front of him, plus one bulbous flower full of sap, and is holding out a pear-like fruit to whoever passes by. ]

Need a boost? It's like espresso fruit or something.

[ Is his hand shaking? Maybe. (The fruit is totally safe, though.) ]

2. STORM: BACKDATED TO DAY 11, OTA - ONLY 1

[ The wind howls overhead, making the Hull's metal structure moan. Wary of the power drain, Lance hasn't gone inside, but he has taken refuge in the sinkhole, using the Queen's corpse as shelter. The smell isn't anything to write home about, but it doesn't have that telltale odour of rot, which is nice.

Lance has got himself a rifle, though it's currently nonfunctional, jammed from sand and rust. He has it laid out and gutted in front of him, laying out the pieces on a makeshift table made out of scrap hauled out of the Hull. He counts out the pieces, wiping them on the suit meticulously. It's only when he's done the tedious task of cleaning that it dawns on him: aside from the larger pieces, he isn't sure how they all slot together. ]

Man, my bayard was so much easier than this. Do you know how this goes?

2. PODS: CLOSED TO PIDGE, HUNK + ALLURA

Allura, I think the storm stopped...whoa! You gotta see this!

[ He isn't sure what he was expecting to see when he first pops his head over the newly-created dunes, but more pods isn't it. He doesn't wait to see if the princess is following, just hoisting himself up, kicking up sand in his wake. He trails through them, feeling like he's in some kind of exposed graveyard, wary of touching, not wanting to open one of the ones that didn't...quite make it, like last time. When he sees a familiar face dozing behind frosted glass though, his blood turns to ice. ]

H-Hunk?! Hunk! [ He slams his hand down on the lid, making the entire receptacle hiss. Startled, Lance hops back, just in time to take in Hunk's smaller neighbour, the familiar curve of an upturned nose. The noise he makes catches in his throat, but then he's over there too, banging on the door, his whole body thrumming. ]

Please be awake, please be awake...

3. POLLEN: OTA

[ Lance is really, really happy to see you. Personal space? That shit's for losers. Lance is getting all up in your business, whatever that business may have been before he showed up. ]

Have I told you lately...how amazing you are?

[ He looks gone. ]

4. CITY EXPLORATION: CLOSED TO HUNK, PIDGE, CLARK

[ The archways of the city loom large before them, the wind whistling a haunting tune as it dances through. Even though he has a rifle now, Lance still somehow feels anxious, but all he has to do is remind himself that Pidge and Hunk are at his back again and it's basically like having an army. He steps more confidently than before. ]

Man. [ It's creepy, but admittedly impressive. ] How long do you guys think this city's been abandoned...?

5. WILCARD???

[ HIT ME. ]

2. Pods

[sweatysometimes]

[ Pidge's eyes crack open as something rattles. She'd been in the wormhole. Twisting, falling... It takes a moment for her to focus, then everything is brought into stark wakefulness as she tries to take a breath--finds she can't. She gasps, sitting upright as her pod hisses open, venting the last chill of the pod into the warm desert air. She flails, one hand inadvertently smacking into Lance as she pulls herself upwards to try and breathe again.

Finally, sweet, sweet oxygen comes rushing into her lungs and she slumps down, breathing heavily as she tries to get herself oriented, eyes squinting against brilliant sun. A hand comes up--this isn't her Paladin armor she's wearing--to shield her eyes and finally, she seems to recognize Lance. ]

...Lance? Is that you?

[astromechanic]

[ Hunk's awakening is with no more grace than his partner's, his pod opening with the same hiss in response to Lance's love tap. Disoriented and sucking in deep breaths he tumbles face first into the dune, outstretched hands failing to catch him in time.

He raises his head to spit out a mouthful of hot sand, blinking up at the people around him - ]

- Pidge? [ Blink ] - Lance? [ Blink blink ] - Allura?

[ The wormhole...

with tremendous speed he's on his feet again, lifting up Pidge and spinning around once. ] Oh thank god, you're real -!

[mousewhisperer]

[ No one seems to react to the opening of the pods gracefully, and Allura isn't that much more graceful as she rushes over, lured in by Lance's voice. ]

Hunk? Pidge? [ They're real, this isn't just an illusion caused by the sand and the storm, and alive.

After that last fight and the wormhole malfunction, getting to see more of the paladins alive is more than she expected, and like her greeting with Lance, she wraps her arms around Hunk and Pidge. ]

You're here. [ It's more than a little awkward, but happy reunions deserve hugs. ]

[ceruleo]

[ He stands shock-still as Hunk unfolds from the pod and sweeps Pidge up. He still can't believe what he's seeing, Hunk's bulk against the yellow sand. His stomach feels like it's in knots. The last time he saw them, they'd all been tossed into that wormhole—and not that long ago he'd been considering the possibility of never seeing them again. But they're here. They're here.

His shoulders shake despite himself. Allura walks past him, but he barely sees her. Is it still raining? Why is there so much water in his eyes...? ]

Guys...!

[ He's spent a miserable week on this planet, with too little food and even less water, nearly getting eaten, definitely getting injured. Each time thinking: maybe this is the last time. And maybe he's a little braver for all of it, but that didn't make any of it easy, and seeing the pair of them makes the stress in his chest come free like unspooling thread. ]

[ exploration ]

[anewhope]

[ More abandoned places. More empty homes. With a heavy heart, Clark pushes his feelings to the side. There was no time for that. ]

Considering the sandstorms here, it'd be hard to judge. At least not without the proper tools.

[astromechanic]

[ There's something... spooky about this place. And sad. ]

I guess you guys didn't find anything in that crashed ship, huh? [ Anything to help them analyse this place. ]

[sweatysometimes]

I wish I had some sort of tools. It'd be easier to try and get an idea of what's going on. Try to figure out where we are or what's going on.

[ Pidge grimaces, crouching to brush some sand away from a half-buried doorway, then peers inside, trying to see what she can see. ]

[ceruleo]

[ Lance shakes his head. ]

Aside from the map I gave you guys, not much aside from a ton of weapons, and some food. Oh, and mushed-up bug eggs. [ His worn rifle is heavy in his hand. He sincerely hopes he doesn't have to use it. He peers in behind Pidge, taking in the low squat building. Just a single room, with what appears to be a worn-down hearth in one corner. ]

Is it just me, or is everything all just the same stone?

3

[dateme]

[ Well this is...new. Sure Lance has his moments of utter...Lance-ness, but he's never exactly been the touchy kinda guy that Inui's seen. So when this sudden bout of camaraderie happens he blinks and looks up at him, confused.

But very amused. ]

...No? [ Lance you look gone. ] Have you been kissing poisonous bugs again?

[ceruleo]

[ Lance just stays right where he is, a weight draped over Inui's shoulder, visibly happy to be there. ]

Well I should. Tell you about it, I mean. More often. Because you're just great. A pretty coooooooool friend! And I know all about cool.

[dateme]

[ Oh okay good for a moment there he thought Lance was saying he should make out with more bugs, which would be weird. Funny, but weird. ]

You do huh? 'Cause I'm pretty sure having rocks thrown at you by plants and getting bit in the face didn't really count towards that.

[ But hey, Lance is in a surprisingly good mood, not a lick of sarcasm! That's interesting, and Inui grins a little as he bumps Lance back. Just to muck around. ]

You've got a little bit more to go before I'd call you "cool."

[ceruleo]

That's hurtful. [ He doesn't sound hurt. Like, at all. He's grinning, in fact, too-relaxed. ] I would call you cool. I do, in fact. Right now.

[ He jabs Inui in the chest, his finger lingering there like he's holding down a button. ]

You're cool.

3

[backwatertrooper]

[There's a startled moment where Cloud's just frozen, eyes wide - and then they narrow and he half squirms, half shoves away from under the arm thrown over his shoulder.]

... You haven't even seen me before.

[He'd noticed the guy getting sprayed by one of the wandering plant-looking things earlier, and been half-intending to ask if he was okay when he'd come wandering close, but he really didn't expect this. And maybe it's unfair to be wary, but aside from Zack, Cloud doesn't have much experience with honest nice behaviour, stemming from alien pollen or not.

And anyway, the sort of... fuzzy look on his face makes Cloud wary (and a little concerned) for more reason than just his initial suspicion.]

[ceruleo]

[ Lance is, all things considered, pretty harmless on a good day, but the pollen seems to have drawn out his affectionate nature and amplified it. He lets Cloud go, but not for long, leaning right back into the other teen's space, grinning. ]

Why would I need to? As soon as I saw you it was like, KA-POW! [ He mimes getting his mind blown. ] I mean, have you seen you? You have like, the most awesome hair! How do you get your hair like that?!

[ He sure is trying to touch Cloud's hair... ]

[backwatertrooper]

Wh--- [Cloud edges back when Lance comes back in, but freezes, face slowly going red for a reason completely separate from the heat as he goes on. That's... He can't be... serious.

At least the comment about his hair brings things back to a level Cloud can handle, and he's well-versed in (trying to) avoiding hands coming for his hair. And Lance moves like a turtle compared to Zack, so at most there's fingertips brushing past the end of his spikes. Which, despite the heat, are standing like they usually do.]

It's... uh, natural. They just... do that.

[At least that was, like... an apparently genuine compliment instead of making fun of it. Cloud's not sure that makes up for the rest, and...]

... are you okay?

3

[adamance]

[Even though Lance is taller than her (not by much, but enough that he would have to look down at her), Lexa somehow manages to seem like she's looking down on him the moment he's speaking to her. Her chin lifts slightly with all the arrogance she can muster, and she does nothing to conceal her dislike of him.

Or maybe that's just her resting expression.

Yes, that may be closer to the truth.]

While true, you may need to specify why you think this.

[ceruleo]

[ If Lance even realizes Lexa is in any way, shape or form unhappy with him, he doesn't show it.

In fact, he just looks at her silently for a long moment, expression enraptured, caught up in the strange, fluttering tenderness that sits in his chest. He reaches over to take Lexa's hand gently in his own. ]

Man, I'm so glad to meet you. It's just--it's so great. I mean have you looked at you? Absolutely spectacular. And I'm positive you're so talented, too. A woman like you? Super talented, for sure.

[ His pupils are so dilated, it isn't even funny. With his free hand, he's gesticulating a bit in time to his words. ]

[adamance]

[As someone not yet aware of the effects of the pollen, Lexa's eyes narrow as she looks at him, not unlike how a predator might look at prey ... only the prey isn't the type you eat. Just destroy.

This metaphor got away from me.

Either way, Lexa looks vicious.]

What are you trying to get from me?

3 - Guess it's a good thing Zack's pretty chill

[heroproceeding]

[ One moment, Zack's pretty laser focused on one of the weird cacti from afar. The next? He has someone suddenly playing never let go. About the only thing that stops him from letting a fist fly by snap reaction is the fact that the grab feels far from threatening albeit still pretty startling. But he... might have a half raised fist as he hears that drawling voice. ]

...Can't say you have- you know. Considering I just met you two seconds ago.

[ Zack's just going to kindly remove that arm that's come around him. Because while he's all for invading other people's personal space, that's still usually a thing between friends. Sans the few times he ever got carried away with alcohol but even those times had been pretty few and far between.

Considering how glassy this guy's eyes are though... maybe he dipped into something he shouldn't have? It is a strange new planet, after all.

Planet... Gaia, just thinking of that still sends his head spinning. ]

[ceruleo]

[ Is Zack saying they aren't friends??? They are totally friends. The best of friends. Regular BFFS, that's them. For sure. ]

Yeah! The best two seconds of my life, if I'm being honest.

[ He sounds like he's being honest. He's certainly beaming at Zack, earnest and excited. ]

I'm Lance, and I am so happy to meet you. Has anyone ever told you that your eyes are just amazing?

[ There's that word again. ]

[heroproceeding]

[ THEY ARE TOTALLY NOT FRIENDS, OKAY. YOU WEIRDO. WHAT ARE YOU DOING. WATER. YOU. DOIN'.

Zack's just going to laugh- awkwardly. That is an awkward-ass laugh and he might be taking a step or two back at this point. It's like he's meeting his sixteen year old self and suddenly realizing why he got all those funny looks back then. Except this guy sounds outright genuine. Which... honestly, makes this even weirder.

And then he comments about the eyes. There's a sudden snort at the bizarre touch of nostalgia, even if his posture doesn't necessarily relax. He'll just be resting his hands on his hips for now, rocking on his feet. ] You.. wouldn't be the first, actually. But thanks, uh.. Lance, was it?

TAKES UR 2 SINCE NO ONE ELSE TOOK IT

[resnipstance]

[When she sees the storm approaching, Ahsoka gets busy trying to find anything in the spaceship that could have conceivably been considered cloth or loose sheet metal in any lifetime and gets to covering any gaps in the queen's shell. It's improvised, since it's hard to really secure anything in the sand, but at least when the storm hits there isn't much in the way of leaks-- and that's the important thing. She's exhausted when she finishes, and crawls into the carved out space when it's all done just as the storm really gets going, soaked right through.

She's focused on looking around for something to get warm with when she hears Lance's question.]

Your blaster? They're not usually that hard. Let me take a look.

[Bossy as usual.]

[ceruleo]

My 'blaster' was Altean. This isn't.

[ His tone is borderline huffy when he says it, though he's certainly glad enough to scoot aside and let her work, watching her curiously. ]

[resnipstance]

[Ahsoka scoots over so they can sit beside each other-- there's no point in trying to learn or instruct from afar. She leans over the pieces, inspecting each one of them carefully.]

Hmmm. It's not exactly the same as what I know either, but the basic concept seems to be the same. Here.

[She picks up one piece, having settled on it after her inspection.] This piece should be the core. Does that help?