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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Dragon? Well, lots of lizard things get called dragons. Moving on.]

It's hard. Not knowing the outcome of a mission.

[Big ones, Breq. With wings and able to breathe fire!

Taking a breath, Cloud nods, dragging a hand through his hair. He's not about to say anything about the particular mess of Sephiroth locking himself in the mansion's basement. Doesn't seem right to do, even if the man wasn't his commanding officer and, well. Sephiroth.]

Yeah. I'd... rather not be alone, but... I'm used to it and it probably would've been better if Zack had stayed back home. [Shrugging, Cloud's gaze drops down to the sand covering the street they're standing on. Zack's good at people, and surely would be able to help Sephiroth if he need it, but he can't do that while he's here, now can he? Cloud just refuses to consider the implications of the apparent age of the pods. Maybe it doesn't mean what it implies.]

[Ah, baby trooper with self-esteem issues, check. Which is not a condemnation in Breq's book - some of her favorite officers have struggled to recognize their own self-worth. (Much loved and grieved for Awn, who was always aware she was the daughter of cooks, for example.) She's less fond of overconfidence; she's had to do a lot more damage control over the years to manage the unbearably arrogant ones.]

There's nothing wrong with not wanting to be alone. Let's go find Zack, shall we?

Guess not... [Cloud shakes his head, but at the same time still wonders. Because he knows he didn't deal well with it back home and with the other Nibelheim kids. Didn't see that until he left, though.

Looking back at Breq with a shy little smile at the question, he nods and turns.]

Sure. Shouldn't be far.

[Mostly because they've both been twitchy about wandering too far from each other; unknown, possibly hostile surroundings and all.]

[ It doesn't take long to find him, no. Not when Zack's been making sure to keep an eye on Cloud, looking back here and there to make sure he's still in sight. Maybe even a bit too much for Cloud's liking, but.. considering he just spent way too much time puking his guts out, he's just.. just making sure the same doesn't happen to Cloud, alright?

Which means he's also catching sight of the two and giving a wave if not tilting his head slightly at the sight of the newcomer. ]

Hey, Spike! Friend of yours?

[Spike? Well, soldiers, in particular, are fond of giving nicknames, in her experience. The corner of her mouth curls up.]

In the sense that we just met, and the conversation was friendly. I'm Breq.

[Just take a closer look at Cloud's hair, Breq, and you'll get an idea of why that nickname. It's better than some others, anyway...]

Zack... [Scrunching his nose, Cloud shakes his head. Zack uses that word so easily, though in this case it's more rhetorical than anything else. So he wants to say that's not how it works... Breq gets there before him though, and he tilts his head and what ends up coming out is a mutter;] ... that's not how it works...

[Then he takes a quick breath and straightens up.]

... we talked about exploring. Better with more people, right?

I don't see why not. [ He shrugs at the thought, easygoing enough. It doesn't entirely erase the bit of coiled tension to him immediately, but it starts to roll off pretty quickly. Especially when he's already got Cloud giving him a face like that. That alone has him grinning a little before his attention's full on the new face. ] But Breq, huh.

[ He offers out a hand to shake without hesitance. ] Heya. I'm Zack- but I guess you already knew that, huh.

[Hand shaking, sure, she can manage that. He grip is firm, but she lets go quickly.]

Cloud did mention that, yes. And that you're his commanding officer.

Whenever we're on a mission together, anyway...

[Since SOLDIER isn't actually part of the Infantry's direct command. Shrugging, Cloud takes a moment to look Zack over, but... he seems fine. Has, for the last few hours, so apparently him being sick when the pollen stopped affecting him was all there was to that. A relief, really.]

Yeah, pretty much-! [ He's already happily using his relinquished hand to reach up with both and stretch a bit. Rolling his shoulders, it seems any kind of soreness from the sickness has faded away. Another shrug, his hands gesturing widely, and he shakes his head. ]

I've never really been one for formalities though. [ He cants his head to the side in curiosity shortly after. ] You military, too?

[Whereas Breq is well aware she can come across as either brusque or rigidly formal.]

Captain of Mercy of Kalr.

A few hours trekking through the snow and you told me to not call you 'sir', several times... [Cloud's agreement is soft and shyly fond, though hopefully no one noticed that. Glancing to Breq, curiosity makes him want to ask, but is it... okay?

Another moment before Cloud takes a breath.]

Captain of a ship... [Pause as something occurs to him, remembering what she said earlier.] space ship? Or a, um... unit of some kind?

[She hadn't specified, had she?]

A space ship, with a crew of 54.

Intro Log: The Forgotten City

GOOD MORNING NEW ARRIVALS

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/BARREL ROLLS IN

/REJOINS THE PARTY FASHIONABLY LATE

IT'S A VERY EXCITING ONE

IT'S GOT LIGHTSWITCH RAVING

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