Waystation Mingle Log!

[twocomplex]

Who: GAME-WIDE MINGLE aka everyone
Broadcast: If you want
Action: The Stations!
When: From 04/05 through the month of April.

[Well, that all sure happened. But at least you have the waystations! Whether you want to stock up on supplies, work, trade, or visit the very fancy Virtual Reality Dome, it's bound to be a nice break from the attacks of the 5th.

Make your own prompts, set up your own Virtual Realities, etc! For reference, the OOC post with info is over here!]

Comments

[dadlife]

... Don't really buy that. But you don't wanna talk about it, so fine.

[invigorates]

[ she shifts back and forth awkwardly, like she's half a second from running out of the room entirely. she doesn't, not yet. but her voice is low: ]

I will tell you what they did to deserve those monuments, though.

[dadlife]

[he doesn't stop her, here. he'll listen if she wants to talk. she's good at prying, but she doesn't seem to like it in turn.]

[invigorates]

[ she really doesn't want to talk, but she feels like she owes him some kind of explanation after what he saw earlier.

so she tells him about alairr, the knight whose statue stood bent at the knee beside her own. she tells him of how he fought valiantly through the first war that plagued her homeland, of how he bore the burden of healing the lands in this time of trials only because he felt it was the right thing to do. and she tells him how he died, cold and alone in the snowy mountains outside her home whilst protecting the city from attackers. that's why he deserved that statue.

there's a pause before she tells of the next one - the woman on her other side, diamanda. a young human girl born amidst the chaos of the second war that dared to tear kilarria apart after only just recovering from the last. she tells him that she was beautiful as she was strong, as sweet as she was deadly. she was a warrior until the end, and she proved as much when she thwarted the man who dared to try and destroy her home, and the homes of those she cared for.

and last, she tells him of the dragon, veles. here is the only time she mentions herself at all in context to these stories. veles was her mentor, her guardian, the dragon that guided the former two to their victory - and to their inevitable defeats. in the end he followed their leads, shielded the world from the dangers that hounded them day in and day out at the cost of his own life.

and in the end, they all deserved to be memorialized for what they had done. as to why she was there, she still acts as if she doesn't know. ]

[dadlife]

[joel's immediate thought is that there must be something she had done, something just as valiant as they had.... but she's still alive. he gets that. he understands, now. he would want to erect statues in the memory of those people, too, if he were lioriley, but one of herself must seem so contrived if she didn't sacrifice herself. especially in a setting where she was the centerpiece. no matter what she did to earn that place, it isn't worth honoring her in the same way if she didn't fall beside her friends.]

... Sounds like they were good people.

[he feels a lot worse for freaking out about the dragons now.]

[invigorates]

[ she's been holding her breath since she finished - out of fear of what he might say, what he might assume of her; and to contain the pathetic sob that threatens to shake her entire body. the lines across her skin have dimmed significantly, even while speaking so fondly of the dead.

because that's what they are. dead. and they're ever coming back. ]

More than good.

[ she smiles faintly, manages to keep herself composed only through so many years of practice. ] Forgive me for rambling. I had assumed you would not be pleased with silence, though.

[dadlife]

... You're fine.

[not "it's fine", because it's clearly not. he's not bothered by her talking.]

Your world's a lot more... lived-in than mine, nowadays.

[invigorates]

[ she takes a deep breath. the pause between words helps her compose herself - and once she does she glances up to him again, curious. ]

...How do you mean?

[dadlife]

... There was an infection. Spores, some... mind-altering fungus. Made people crazy. Whole world fell apart in just a couple months... F'you get bit, it's all over. Infection's in your bloodstream, if they don't just kill you.

[invigorates]

[ lioriley's eyes go wide, the look of horror evident in her features. she had seen wars, death, destruction, but what he described is something entirely different. an infection that caused so much chaos surely was worse than most things she could think of. how does one even fight against that? ]

So that is what you meant when you said the only thing you have left back home is family... [ he didn't have anything left. the thought makes her heart ache. ] I am sorry, Joel.

[dadlife]

[he just kind of holds a hand up to dismiss her.]

People I care about are safe now. They've got a town set up with an electrified fence. Only place with power not controlled by the military.

uses inappropriate icon for serious thread

[invigorates]

[ how is that supposed to make her feel better about this holy shit. ]

I -- [ that sounds awful. ] I am glad that your loved ones are safe, at the very least... [ she doesn't know what else to say here. ]

what do you mean that's perfect

[dadlife]

... Sorry. Still not used to that not bein' the only thing out there.

wow CLOSE UR LEGS U HUSSY

[invigorates]

[ she shakes her head. ] If that is all you have known for so long, then it is understandable that this - [ a vague wave of her hand, ] Would take some getting used to.

[ she smiles softly, fingers flexing like she's going to reach for him - then decides against it at the last second. ] Just know that you do not have to acclimate yourself to this alone.

don't u kno men need to lounge like this

[dadlife]

[he's just staring at her for the longest time after that, picking up every physical cue, every tell. but then he shakes his head.]

... Got a crew who cares. Can't say that's somethin' I should be takin' for granted.

sIIIIRRRR

[invigorates]

[ she's gotten a lot of mixed signals from him since they met, so she's not entirely sure how he might react to being touched - even if hers is innocent, more an attempt to be reassuring and soothing than it is anything else. she doesn't want him to run away from her abruptly again, as he seems to have a habit of doing.

his words, though, seem to clarify his feelings... at least a little. ]

We were indeed blessed with such a team. [ she's tempted to just stop there, but she has to say this - just to make sure... ] Truthfully, when we first spoke, I had thought you did not like me.

[dadlife]

... Imagine me, from my world where... space travel ain't even on the table anymore. Suddenly I'm in space, away from everything I been workin' 20 years to build. There's a knock at my door, I open it, and there's some lady with long ears, white hair, black skin, and glowin' lines all over her face.

[invigorates]

[ she folds her arms over her chest, brows furrowed as she considers his words. it makes sense... sort of? she can see how being in space would be alarming, how meeting someone so unlike himself would be just as much - if not more so. but... she isn't quite certain how that would equate to immediate dislike, mistrust, and everything else. ]

And how do you feel now? Am I still this strange woman to you?

[dadlife]

... Lady, I barely know a thing about you.

[he shakes his head.]

... But I guess... that goes both ways.

[invigorates]

In time, perhaps you will. [ she would love to say 'well, let's remedy that now' and have a nice big feelings jam but... it's already gone too far, she thinks; he's already seen too much of her life in that small scene, and in what she told him of her friends.

now, she offers her hand to him - to shake, to slap away, to do whatever he feels necessary. it's a physical embodiment of what she offers next: ] I am willing to take the time to learn, and to trust, if you are.

[dadlife]

... Tell you what.

[he crosses his arms, fixing her with a deal-making look.]

Any time, from now you, you tell me somethin' about you... I'll tell you the same kinda thing about me.

[invigorates]

[ slowly, she retracts her hand, fingers curling into her palm, clenching tightly. this is a shitty deal because it means she has to talk about herself if she wants to learn anything about him. ]

A fair enough trade. [ if not a terrifying one. ]

[dadlife]

[hey, lady, it's a pretty scary thing for joel, too. if only she knew what it meant for him to bind himself to this kind of verbal contract.

[now is when he offers his hand.]

[invigorates]

[ she hesitates, glances up to him briefly as if to confirm that it's actually okay for her to take his hand. it's only once she's fairly certain this won't somehow backfire, she reaches out to curl her slender fingers around his. ]

[dadlife]

[her grip is so gentle, and that, somehow, surprises him. but he doesn't react beyond being more gentle himself. he shakes her hand firmly, and releases it.]

Not so bad, is it.