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

[ceruleo]

Uh, last I checked, that is not how organisms work? I'm pretty sure 'get sick once when you're a kid, then never get sick again' only applies to chicken pox!

[ Do Togruta have chicken pox? Do they call it chicken pox? Asking the hard questions. ]

[resnipstance]

Are we really arguing about this?!

[ceruleo]

Obviously, yes! You..sick...bad. How is this complicated?!

[resnipstance]

Why can't you just accept that my immune system is clearly superior to yours?

[ceruleo]

Excuse you, my immune system is as great as the rest of me!

[resnipstance]

Whatever helps you sleep a-- achoo!

[Pause.]

... That didn't mean anything either.

[ceruleo]

[ WERE YOU ABOUT TO PULL A KEITH ON HIM

NEVER GO FULL KEITH, AHSOKA ]

Yeah, I totally believe you. [ /s ] Look, just rest a little, ok? I can figure this out.

[resnipstance]

[Is she pouting?]

... Whatever. I was going to anyway.

[NOT BECAUSE YOU TOLD ME TO, GEEZ.

Ahsoka shuffles around a little, until she's in a position where she can simultaneously lean on something else whilst sitting up, and also watch Lance trying to put together his blaster. Then draws her knees up around her chest and crosses her arms over them.]

[ceruleo]

[ Perhaps miraculously, he doesn't make a comment to the effect that she can use him as a pillow--he just watches her get settled in, seeming subdued.

Maybe this place is getting to him. After the bugs, he feels the urgency of not being armed more than he did before. In his defense, now that she's pointed out the weapon's heart it's a bit easier to just build around that, slotting mechanisms into place like a puzzle. He's shivering a bit himself from the storm, but he's content enough to slide into the work. It doesn't keep him from making mistakes, though, fingers slipping on small parts. ]

[resnipstance]

[Ahsoka watches him work silently, also somewhat subdued-- as if finally stopping to rest has made her aware of how tired she is. It's good for Lance to work out how to do it himself, she thinks to herself.

Finally, though, after Lance's fingers slip for the umpteenth time, she ventures--]

Mayyyybe we should... build a fire?

[ceruleo]

[ He turns a sour look on her. ]

I said I can handle it!

[ He's huffy out of principle. He's cold, too, but he doesn't want to admit it. ]

[resnipstance]

[Ahsoka looks genuinely taken aback.]

It was just a suggestion! You don't have to be such a jerk about it.

[ceruleo]

Who's being a jerk? You're being too sensitive, jeez.

[resnipstance]

[Ahsoka sighs and closes her eyes for a second, centering herself. She should be more mature than this. After a moment, she opens her eyes again.]

... For what it's worth, I thought you were doing pretty good. It's just-- you know. It's cold. That's all I meant.

[ceruleo]

[ He's prickly because he's the sensitive one, feeling like he's being called into question. Once Ahsoka yields, his shoulders come down from around his ears, and his chin comes up. ]

Aww, are you saying you want me to warm you up?

[ /ruins it ]

[resnipstance]

[EYEROLL.]

Ugh. You're impossible.

[She gives a small headshake, mostly to herself.]

Seriously. Has any one of those awful lines of yours ever worked? I need to know. For science.

[ceruleo]

They're not terrible! [ Ignoring the question tbh. ] Whatever, I'm gonna go find some bones or something for us to burn.

[resnipstance]

Please. They're terrible.

[ She's grinning as she says it, though, and she shrugs as Lance gets up. ]

Have you ever considered that you're actually more likeable on your own merits--? Like when you're not hitting on people?

[ceruleo]

Have you considered that my smooth lines are part of my merits? [ He splays a hand over his chest, cocky grin firmly in place. ] Part of the whole 'Lance' package, baby!

[ On that note, he's jogging out of their makeshift shelter and into the storm, a traitorous tickle ringing at the back of his brain: what merits? But there's no time to dwell on Ahsoka's remark when he's being buffeted by the sandstorm, hairs at the back of his neck raising with each lighting strike that lights up the horizon.

The only good point to all this is that bones have been scattered across the desert, and it's easy enough to pluck some out of the dust and run--not walk--back.

By the time he's returned, he's covered in a fine layer of sand, in his hair and on his suit, making a face as he spits some out of his mouth in small kaffs. ]

Can't say I recommend the field trip!

[resnipstance]

Lance--

[She begins, but he's out before she can finish whatever it was she was going to say. She makes a face and settles down again, hugging her knees closer to her chest. She doesn't like this. She hates waiting, and she hates having other people take risks when she's not. She should go after him. But that would be foolish-- the visibility in the storm is low. Chances she could catch up to him now are almost zero. More likely she'd just wander around blindly. More logical to sit and wait.

She's trying to suppress her shivering by the time he gets back.]

--You're okay.

[It's not said with surprise-- just relief. Worry or the cold seems to have tempered her edge some. One of the two.]

[ceruleo]

[ He interprets her relief as a lack of trust, but shrugs emphatically at the statement, visibly unaffected. He shakes his head to dislodge the last of the sand, making the bones and pale driftwood in his arm click together. ]

Takes more than a little sand to stop me.

[ He kneels to drop the bones, creating a small pile at her feet. His head is bowed while he works on making the flame catch, the cocky swagger dimmed by focus. Eventually, enough sparks appear, and the soft orange glow of the newborn fire illuminates the space between them. ]

Ha! Got it. See?

[ He puffs up, visibly pleased with himself. ]

1/2

[resnipstance]

This is more than just a little sand, Lance! What if you'd gotten lost?

[resnipstance]

[ Her expression softens. ]

But ... thank you.

[ She shifts closer to the baby fire to get warm. ]

[ceruleo]

But I didn't get lost, did I? [ He fires right back, but there's no real combativeness in him, just that same cocky confidence from earlier. Her thank you catches him by surprise, and he ducks his head sharply, trying to hide the glow along his nose in the glow of the fire. He pokes it gently, nursing it until it's taken properly, then straightens himself out to go fetch his rifle parts.

He drops himself next to her with the parts in his arms, gently placing them down between himself and the fire. It's a bit like putting puzzle pieces on the ground in the same order you'd left them in: difficult, and unpleasant. ]

How'd you learn how to put a blaster together, anyway?

[resnipstance]

[Ahsoka gives a small shrug and a faraway smile.]

Ah. That would be Anakin's fault. ... He's a genius when it comes to technology. I'm nowhere near his level, but ... he taught me a lot.