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cityofhex2016-10-29 08:29 pm
modmachine) wrote in cityofhex2016-10-29 08:29 pm
WEEK 01
Somewhere, a gear slips.
It's sunset on Halloween night; a night of celebration for the dead and the once-dead, a night of wariness for those bound closely to the spirits. Everything seems to move more freely on this night; the sensation of boundaries crossed is almost palpable.
A handful of those native to the city will certainly feel such. Between one step and the next, there's a feeling of pushing against something, something you didn't know was there before - and it gives. Physically, nothing changes, but you now know something is wrong, as though waking from a dream. Something has slipped, and you remember. Hajime will feel the sensation most keenly, as the things he recalls lack the sharp details of a demon's memory.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the Sixth, the New Arrivals all also find themselves taking steps - the first thing the group will become aware of in the city is being shoved out the door of what seems to be some kind of broken down factory. The alley they step into is wide enough to get a truck through, but shows little sign of human habitation; only a cardboard box, half-dissolved by rain, and a few bits of stray glass from broken bottles can be seen. Their phones and any other communication devices they possess all beep loudly, once, after the door slams shut.
Except... What door? When they next blink, while there's still a vaguely door-like outline, the concrete wall has changed; where the door was, there's a metal sheet, machined with faint circular patterns, seamlessly integrated with the concrete. Banging a fist on it produces a solid sound, as though the metal was at least an inch thick. Though there is a feeling of being watched in the alleyway, no one will approach until they leave it, not even a passerby walking the not-quite-yet-dark street at either end. Until they step out of the alley, it's as though they don't exist.
And there's a good amount of foot traffic passing the alleyway by. Though it tends towards people in a college student age bracket and people in a vaguely street punk sort of fashion with odd accessories, neither is an absolute rule by any rule. Following the flow of traffic leads to a run-down park that's mostly skatepark with a few picnic tables and a small greenspace that's been taken over for a dancefloor. The tables are covered in odd junk and there seems to be some trading going on.
Haseo and Ryoji will both have better knowledge of what the place is, and have standing invitations to the party that's starting up as the Sin-Eater trading post winds down.
Elsewhere: On a beach bordering the bay, a group of changelings holds a bonfire. Periodically, someone throws a papercraft skull into it with extreme prejudice; almost all the skulls are inhuman in some way, though the craftmanship of the paper-mache makes it difficult to tell at times. Those in the know have to be aware that such an overt display won't pass unnoticed by the Autumn King... But the tall and built woman who seems to be the center of the festivities shows no fear in the season of fear.
In the Residential District and even a few places in the Sixth, trick-or-treaters are as much a feature as they are every year. Children in costume run about with little concern for who they approach, while their parents maintain appropriate wariness from sidewalks or cars. A small group of children, however, galivants with no supervision - and there is something uncanny about the trio. It's best to give them a treat if they approach you, else you might find yourself the recipient of a cruel trick in return. Unlike the other trick-or-treaters, they're out and about well past midnight; nearly to dawn, in fact. When the sky begins to lighten, however, all three stop immediately in the middle of what they're doing and - with the sound of mad, fey giggling - bolt off in the direction of the farming district.
The prompts from the Test Drive also remain available for interaction.
The rest of the week:
Weather forecast: Though Halloween is a clear night, clouds steadily roll in for most of the rest of the week, hanging overcast in the sky with occasional breaks and sprinkles of rain slotted in. Mornings are foggy and chill, warming slightly in the afternoons but not varying all too much in temperature. Frost has yet to set in, though, making it possible to sleep outside if you have adequate cover, but it won't be very fun.
Moon Phase: The 30th was a New Moon, so Halloween's sky is decorated by a fingernail crescent that grows to almost a half moon throughout the week.
The Clean-Up: After Halloween, of course, everything must slowly go back to normal. Most folks clean up their own messes throughout the first morning of November, but shards of gutted and thrown pumpkins can be found most everywhere, and at the park where the Sin-Eaters partied, a lone Security Officer inspects the aftermath for signs of unusual activity. Aside from the remains of pumpkins, which are mostly left to rot, decorations vanish over the course of the week and all but a few are gone by Thursday morning.
The College: Though enrollment for the fall semester is over, the deadlines for winter are fast approaching, and there are a number of tables set up in a large area to entice prospective students. Most of them are manned by undergraduates, but the English program's table is staffed most of the time by a single Tired Professor with mousy brown hair. Occasionally, the Tech Student at the next table over takes pity on the man, bringing him a hot-chocolate to help warm his fingers.
[Feel free to use this post as a jumping-off point for logs and interactions! You are also welcome to post your own logs to the community as needed. Mods will be available on plurk and discord to answer questions, and can be hailed for exploration logs off this post.]
It's sunset on Halloween night; a night of celebration for the dead and the once-dead, a night of wariness for those bound closely to the spirits. Everything seems to move more freely on this night; the sensation of boundaries crossed is almost palpable.
A handful of those native to the city will certainly feel such. Between one step and the next, there's a feeling of pushing against something, something you didn't know was there before - and it gives. Physically, nothing changes, but you now know something is wrong, as though waking from a dream. Something has slipped, and you remember. Hajime will feel the sensation most keenly, as the things he recalls lack the sharp details of a demon's memory.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the Sixth, the New Arrivals all also find themselves taking steps - the first thing the group will become aware of in the city is being shoved out the door of what seems to be some kind of broken down factory. The alley they step into is wide enough to get a truck through, but shows little sign of human habitation; only a cardboard box, half-dissolved by rain, and a few bits of stray glass from broken bottles can be seen. Their phones and any other communication devices they possess all beep loudly, once, after the door slams shut.
Except... What door? When they next blink, while there's still a vaguely door-like outline, the concrete wall has changed; where the door was, there's a metal sheet, machined with faint circular patterns, seamlessly integrated with the concrete. Banging a fist on it produces a solid sound, as though the metal was at least an inch thick. Though there is a feeling of being watched in the alleyway, no one will approach until they leave it, not even a passerby walking the not-quite-yet-dark street at either end. Until they step out of the alley, it's as though they don't exist.
And there's a good amount of foot traffic passing the alleyway by. Though it tends towards people in a college student age bracket and people in a vaguely street punk sort of fashion with odd accessories, neither is an absolute rule by any rule. Following the flow of traffic leads to a run-down park that's mostly skatepark with a few picnic tables and a small greenspace that's been taken over for a dancefloor. The tables are covered in odd junk and there seems to be some trading going on.
Haseo and Ryoji will both have better knowledge of what the place is, and have standing invitations to the party that's starting up as the Sin-Eater trading post winds down.
Elsewhere: On a beach bordering the bay, a group of changelings holds a bonfire. Periodically, someone throws a papercraft skull into it with extreme prejudice; almost all the skulls are inhuman in some way, though the craftmanship of the paper-mache makes it difficult to tell at times. Those in the know have to be aware that such an overt display won't pass unnoticed by the Autumn King... But the tall and built woman who seems to be the center of the festivities shows no fear in the season of fear.
In the Residential District and even a few places in the Sixth, trick-or-treaters are as much a feature as they are every year. Children in costume run about with little concern for who they approach, while their parents maintain appropriate wariness from sidewalks or cars. A small group of children, however, galivants with no supervision - and there is something uncanny about the trio. It's best to give them a treat if they approach you, else you might find yourself the recipient of a cruel trick in return. Unlike the other trick-or-treaters, they're out and about well past midnight; nearly to dawn, in fact. When the sky begins to lighten, however, all three stop immediately in the middle of what they're doing and - with the sound of mad, fey giggling - bolt off in the direction of the farming district.
The prompts from the Test Drive also remain available for interaction.
The rest of the week:
Weather forecast: Though Halloween is a clear night, clouds steadily roll in for most of the rest of the week, hanging overcast in the sky with occasional breaks and sprinkles of rain slotted in. Mornings are foggy and chill, warming slightly in the afternoons but not varying all too much in temperature. Frost has yet to set in, though, making it possible to sleep outside if you have adequate cover, but it won't be very fun.
Moon Phase: The 30th was a New Moon, so Halloween's sky is decorated by a fingernail crescent that grows to almost a half moon throughout the week.
The Clean-Up: After Halloween, of course, everything must slowly go back to normal. Most folks clean up their own messes throughout the first morning of November, but shards of gutted and thrown pumpkins can be found most everywhere, and at the park where the Sin-Eaters partied, a lone Security Officer inspects the aftermath for signs of unusual activity. Aside from the remains of pumpkins, which are mostly left to rot, decorations vanish over the course of the week and all but a few are gone by Thursday morning.
The College: Though enrollment for the fall semester is over, the deadlines for winter are fast approaching, and there are a number of tables set up in a large area to entice prospective students. Most of them are manned by undergraduates, but the English program's table is staffed most of the time by a single Tired Professor with mousy brown hair. Occasionally, the Tech Student at the next table over takes pity on the man, bringing him a hot-chocolate to help warm his fingers.
[Feel free to use this post as a jumping-off point for logs and interactions! You are also welcome to post your own logs to the community as needed. Mods will be available on plurk and discord to answer questions, and can be hailed for exploration logs off this post.]
Anya Corazon (new arrival, ota)
Still, it's not like she actually wants to take charge. She just wants to figure out what happened and where she is.
"Excuse me," she says, trying to stop a passing pedestrian who seems to have no intention of stopping. "Excu-- hey! C'mon!" She throws her hands up and mutters under her breath in Spanish before turning back to the nearest fellow-new-person with a big smile. "Well, we're probably screwed! You have any idea where we are?"
no subject
Someone ambushed her and pushed her out of ...some door, apparently, there are tons of people around, she's suddenly in the middle of a city, and as much as there is no clear danger present right now, that might just mean that she hasn't noticed it yet.
You don't just get shoved into cities without someone having a plan with it. But that exactly is also why she stays where she is, trying to squeeze into the shadow of the building behind her, a huge military coat, hood drawn up and hiding the face, that presumably contains a person - the shape is a bit off, the head too tall, and if that is a hunchback in the back it is a massive one. Because she has no idea where she is and if she just runs away blindly now she might just run right into something even worse. And perhaps if she stays still, nobody will notice her and she can leave quietly...
She has no such luck though, apparently.
Her voice, when she finally speaks, sounds hoarse. She hasn't been using it in months. But it still also sounds like that of a young woman, and scared. "No, sorry."
no subject
She shoots the... oddly reclusive girl with larangitis...? another, smaller and more sincere smile. "Okay, the good news is that whatever happened almost certainly set of some sensors or doohickies or magical detectors somewhere, so the Avengers probably know something happened, okay? And they'll check it out, probably really quick, so things'll be sorted soon."
She slips a little into "reassuring the civilians" voice, though, because honestly what with everything that's been happening, she's... not actually positive they wouldn't miss whatever blip in magical energies happened when... whatever this is... happened... That thought got away from her a bit. But she's not sure they'd notice, and even if they did, she's not sure they could prioritize it right now. Something she's realizing as she talks to whoever this girl is, but tries very hard not to show.
Nope, it'll totally be fine.
"I'm Anya, by the way. Hi."
no subject
Some... avengers, whatever kind of group that is, coming their way would be the opposite of relaxing for Malin, so she'll just really hope that the insecurity is a sign of that not happening. Not soon, at least.
Hopefully. Not before she has found a way to get away or at least to a place that seems safe. Being tied down in a conversation might help with the former, even if the other - Anya, she said - doesn't know this place, either. And she cannot do much else or anything better right now. She can't move, especially, without it becoming even more obvious that she doesn't look like a proper human anymore. And someone realizing that she doesn't would just bring way more issues on her head that she can deal with on top of everything.
"I'm Malin." She almost offers up a hand for a handshake. Old habits die hard. But she remembers that her hands would give her away just like everything else about her just in time and follows up the introduction with an awkward, "it is nice to meet you", instead. It's been a while since she had the opportunity to interact with someone like a normal person, and it feels like driving a bicycle after not having mounted one for years: She technically still has the muscle memory, but it is buried and shaky. Just staying up and going takes a lot of effort and concentration.
"Why do you think those avengers will come and help you?" That name doesn't bode ill at all, nope.
no subject
She almost expresses shock at Malin not knowing who the Avengers are, before she reminds herself that she could be in one of innumerable alternate dimensions, and most of those would only recognize the Fantastic Four.
"They're superheroes," she says. "Good guys. They help people, and I... know a couple of them. They'll notice I'm gone, probably," she hopes, desperately, "and they'll help anyone else who's not supposed to be here, too. So me, you, all of us." she gestures to the new people around them, just as confused as they are. "I promise they're not gonna kick your ass or anything."
no subject
This girl treats her nicely, but perhaps her disguise is just a bit better than she thought, or Anya simply will treat everyone nicely until they pose an open threat to her. She's met humans like that. Volunteer doctors and social workers, mostly, but at times others like her, too. Like her back when she was still human.
Superheroes just gives the whole thing a ridiculous touch now, and she wonders if this person is a bit delusional. Or big time delusional. That would relax the situation a lot.
...It makes her breathe a lot more easily, really (well, figuratively), and she tries to concentrate back onto their actual surroundings.
"You should ask another one of the passers-by where we are, maybe." She's never been a great manipulator, not in the traditional sense, anyway, so where she was she didn't notice. But she'll try to at least steer this woman's actions a bit. Make her do what she can't. "The next one might be friendlier."
no subject
That's what she assumes is going on, anyway. Hey - just because she's basically unstoppable when it comes to socialization doesn't mean she doesn't get when other people aren't.
"You want to stick near me for a while? Until we figure out what's going on, anyway?"
no subject
Hopefully.
"Yes." She ducks her head a bit in a gesture that might indicate thanks or shyness or anything else, she isn't even sure herself. It just feels natural, and it's not bad because it casts a little more shade on her features, too. "Thank you.
People are... difficult." So she'll stick around with Anya until she has at least a rough idea of what is going on, and then try to get away as quickly as possible, hopefully before Anya starts to ask questions about her appearance.
no subject
She nods to herself, letting the memory of her dad wash over and past. She misses him so much, but it's getting better. Little by little.
"Anyway, I'll ask around a little and see what I can find, if you wanna stick here out of the way."
no subject
She doesn't ask about where Anya is from now (they have been pulled from quite distant locations if she's still from New York), not only because she wants the information that Anya can't gather while they're talking, but also because she is worried about questions being returned.
"I'll wait for you here."
no subject
"What the..."
She triggers her shield and uses it to thump against the wall experimentally — not too hard, but enough to get the idea that it's not going to give way with a few good hits. Magic, then. Or some weird tech that might as well be magic. Either way, not exactly in her wheelhouse.
At least Anya's still with her. Rikki doesn't bother to turn off her shield as she walks up behind her, leaning in so her chin's almost resting on her shoulder. "What happened to your uniform, Spider-Girl?"
no subject
She doesn't do anything but stare for a long moment, eyes wide and lips slightly parted from the shock. That's. That's definitely Rikki. That is definitely Rikki Barnes, in her Nomad costume, looking just like she does in Anya's memories and very much Not Dead.
Anya licks her lips and tries to speak a couple of times before the sound actually makes it out, a rough whisper more than anything.
"Rikki?"
Sorry Nomad, she doesn't have it in her to care about secret identities right now.
no subject
She raises her eyebrows and reaches up to push her goggles up onto her forehead. "Yeah? Is there another Nomad running around I should know about, or...?"
Seriously, what the hell. Rikki's not sure why Anya's looking at her like that, but she's pretty sure they have bigger problems to worry about right now.
no subject
"Don't leave again," she whispers, her voice rough with unshed tears, and buries her face in the crook of Rikki's neck. "Don't you ever leave me again."
no subject
For a second she doesn't react, just tenses slightly and stands there while she tries to process whatever is happening... but Anya's clearly shaken up by something (which was very much not the case, oh, two minutes ago back on the rooftops), so it's not too long before Rikki wraps her arms around her in a tight hug.
"I'm right here. Like I have been. All night."
no subject
"Jeeze, it's like looking in a time machine," she says with a short laugh and a shaky smile, tucking some strands of her impossibly long, silky hair behind her ear. That's something that's changed since she last saw Rikki. Among other things. She's a tiny bit taller. Her face has lost a bit of the lingering baby fat she'd been holding on to.
"So..." she starts, "I'm going to blame Reed Richards, unless you have a better idea."
no subject
Rikki laughs, a little nervously. Don't ask about the way Anya freaked out when she first saw her. Not now. She has a feeling she won't like the answer.
"That's, uh... That's usually a safe bet. Are you... Are we both out of place right now, or just me?"
no subject
"It's not just you," Anya reassures her. "I have no idea where we are, I was just getting home." With groceries, that will largely be spoiled by the time she gets back, probably. Thanks, Dr. Richards.
"At least the locals don't seem like they're going to kill us just for existing?" she offers with a hopeful smile. She's starting to feel a little better about everything, to be honest, though it's not for any rational reason. It's just... Rikki's here. And past the shock, the warm bubbly feeling of having her back is starting to spread through Anya's chest.
It's been a long time since she felt really flat out good about something weird happening.
no subject
"And on the bright side, this isn't my first time." The last time she was yanked out of her universe, she had a little more warning, sure, but the point still stands...
She pauses for a second, and then deactivates her shield, stepping past Anya. As she moves out of the darkness, the streetlights seem to shine a little brighter and more yellow at the same time, the line dividing the light they cast and the darkness around it strangely clear. Rikki's red hair, the blue and yellow of her uniform, are the same color they've ever been, but clearer and truer somehow. Rikki, of course, doesn't even notice.
"C'mon, let's go take a look around."
no subject
"That's true," Anya says, with a sympathetic little laugh, and links arms with Rikki. Keep her close, don't let her disappear again. "Guess you'll have to give me some pointers," she adds, bumping her hip against Rikki's.
no subject
"There... sure are a lot of people in costumes around here. I think you're actually more out of place than I am right now." Sure, no one here has any idea what she's dressed as, but these clearly aren't her normal everyday clothes.
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"Maybe we showed up on Halloween or something?" she suggests. "Or... whatever this universe has instead of Halloween. That'd explain the costumes, anyway."
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It's a little whiny but hey, she's allowed, right? She just got dropped off in some other universe without so much as a "if you please".
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