driftfleet | Libuscha IV System Mingle (no. 1)

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Libuscha IV System Mingle (no. 1)

Who: Everyone! OTA!
Broadcast: sure why not
Action: yeahhhhhh
When: 11/12 to 1/4 (minus 12/26)

It's Candlenights! Or Christmas! Or whatever! It's festive! Go celebrate, explore, go get free stuff from a tree!!

More importantly it's a mingle!

--SYSTEM INFORMATION--

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( a. hunting & mining AKA dragons and explosions ahoy! )

[Lup is still slightly low on funds, in part because of the private network project (though Taako had helped buff her bank a bit with their last wager) and because she'd spent some of what she'd recouped on mending her violin and getting supplies for it, so she's looking to make some cash. The easiest way is to make herself available near the areas where her services might be needed, so she's parked near a fire with a cup of cocoa inside of a lodge that acts as a hub for various hunters, near the outskirts of where the best game can be found. Beside her is a sign, in big, bold letters:

TRACKING BEAST FOR RENT
fee based on chosen form and prey

She looks bored, please hire her; she's very reasonable.

Those out in the field hunting solo might notice something unsual flying overheard. Is that an ice dragon? What the hell. Careful not to get squished!]

( a-2; )

[She's also going to be visiting the ice caverns to mine for precious gems, both for money and spell components, because hell yeah. You might just run into her deep below where they really rare stuff can be found- she's impossible to miss, what with both hands out in front of her, spouting fire like dual flamethrowers. She's grinning wildly, obviously having fun with it.]

Coming through, watch your hair!

( b. music and food, her favourite; )

[Once she has some extra money in her pocket, that means Lup can focus on having a bit of fun, getting more artsy, indulging in the culture here. She spends some time exploring the local kitchens, working alongside the very-cheerful cooks to learn new recipes. She's happily baking all the things, handing out samples to nearby folks, taking notes and eating a bit of everything she can get her hands on. This place is awesome.

Eventually she finds a nice tavern with a house band, and she's brought her violin with her expressly for this purpose. She sits down, orders something to drink, pulls out her instrument, and just... plinks quietly along with whatever song they're playing, trying to learn the chords as she goes, losing herself in the music for a while. It's been a long time, and it's nice to enjoy something so simple, when life's been complicated for so long.

Want to catch her in a more quiet or introspective mood? Here's where to do it.]

( c. visiting that giving tree thing; )

[It takes a while for her to get around to it, but eventually her curiosity gets the better of her and even Lup ventures into the deeper caves to find the tree herself, following the rumours and the overwhelming sound of the magic here to reach her destination. Once she's there, though, she... doesn't really know what to do with it. She hadn't brought anyone with her, hadn't done any especially good deeds lately, and she hates admitting any of the issues she's been carrying around since her arrival - no, for decades, if she's being really honest - even if it's only to a goddamn tree. So for a while she just examines it, touching the trunk, feeling the magic, trying to get a sense of what it is or what it wants.

When that gets her nowhere, she just... huffs, frustrated, and goes to skip stones across the glowing surface of the icy water near the tree instead. Maybe eventually she'll work up the courage to say something to it. Or maybe someone else will come along and give her a distraction, so she won't have to think about it anymore.]

( c-2; )

[After returning from the tree, Lup spends the night in a bar, miserable, and getting very, very goddamned drunk. Approach with caution.]

( d. wildcard; )

[Lup's going to be around and all over. Feel free to pester at will!]

[ i. running with wolves ]

[ honestly, getting off the ship was a godsend. not that alucard had any gods to thank, being a faithless abomination. or whatever it is the gods have decided he would be. he doesn't give it much thought. all he knew was that he seemed to have traded one coffin for another and it kept him from his goals. so coming to a planet was a relief.

so he ran.

not in his usual form but as a white wolf. his paws dug into the ground as he ran, fast, a blur in the night before finding himself in a snowy field. he slows down to a trot and then flops on the ground with a quiet whine, basking in the silence. ]

[ ii. ice sculpture. ]

[ one of the few things alucard was good at, which didn't lend itself to death and warfare . . . was art. it was one of the few skills he didn't inherit from his parents, his and his alone. unique. like himself. after alucard performs some errant jobs like bodyguarding and ice-harvesting, he finds himself a quiet corner and a large slab of ice as tall as himself. then with a chisel, he gets to work.

once it's done, it has taken the form of this woman with alucard gazing at it with a soft expression. ]

[ iii. bodyguarding ]

[ money makes the world go round. or so it is said. which is why alucard volunteers to bodyguard. he likes protecting people and he is nigh invulnerable. which people obviously don't realize from the start as he is attacked in broad daylight, protecting his charge.

attacked may be putting it strongly. the man punches alucard in the face before drawing his hand back in pain, his hand broken. when alucard's charge scuttles off, alucard pulls the man aside and bandages his hand, the way his mother taught him to. ]

Reckless. You should think about giving up common theft. It will not end well for you.

[ iv. the cold never bothered him anyway. ]

[ he's not sure what possessed him to make his way down to the tree. perhaps legends attract legends. perhaps he is still looking for a way out. still, for all his vaunted honesty, alucard finds himself hesitating, glancing at whoever is nearby. ]

Perhaps if we trade secrets together, it will not hurt as much.

[ v. wildcard! ]

[ got an idea? pitch it here / pm this journal / poke me on

captainkink ]

Edited 2018-11-15 03:53 (UTC)

( a. near the water )

[It goes without saying that Mikleo is intrigued by the water. He's seen bioluminescence before, of course, but never in this abundance, and the mystical way it feels is equally fascinating. For a while he can be found at the edges of various bodies of water, running his hands curiously over the surface, dipping his toes in, using his artes to call little bubbles of it up and out of the rest to watch it weave through the air and glow. So cool.

He doesn't seem to notice at first that the more he plays with it, the more his own body absorbs that glow, his hair and bare skin giving off a soft halo of light. That's kind of weird, huh…]

( b. the nerd museum, for nerds )

[There's a museum, so of course Mikleo is checking it out. He'd prefer if it was about the nature of this planet more than the royal history, sure, but he's a fan of studying lineage anyway, so it's still right up his alley. He can be found poking around the place for hours on end, scrutinizing the cases, reading every item description, sketching out whatever looks really interesting.]

Apparently the family was elevated to royal status around the time when the bioluminescence began. It's said that's how they stayed in power for so long. That's amazing, isn't it? How the public can make such wild associations about nature like that...

[Sorry if you've been roped unwillingly into a conversation! Let's talk history.]

( c. ice caverns… and the tree)

[So, ice caves. That's pretty cool. He'd heard the rumours, of course, and he's more keen on exploring uncharted ground than anything else. He's not terribly interested in getting anything from this supposed magic tree, but what interests him is learning more about it, since this isn't the first planet they've come across that not only had one, but had requirements to get something from it. He's done a few invisible good deeds around town- baked food for an elderly couple, carried some packages and supplies for people while they weren't looking, liquified ice under the feet of passersby so they dont slip- so now he's sort of lurking around the tree, curious about what sort of things people are actually doing to get what they want, and seeing how said gift is received. Straight. Up. Creepin'.

He's not the king of stealth or anything, though, invisible or otherwise, so feel free to catch him in the act.]

( d. wildcard )

[As usual if you have an idea, hit me! I'm open and so is he.]

[[Resonance permissions]]

a. about town

[Connor had never left Detroit before. If you had asked him where his first trip outside of the city might be, 'an alien planet' would definitely not have been on the list of options he'd answer with. And yet that's where he finds himself, impossibly. Connor is quick to leave the ships once they land and head into the nearest town. He registers the cold without feeling it, knowing he'll need to keep an eye on it lest it drop below safe levels. It's not much more severe than it was back home so far but given the depth of ice here? He's certain it could get much worse.

He doesn't feel the cold, but the locals do. And those locals are very quick to notice the newcomer walking around in just a thin jacket and pants. The glowing armband and patch just serve to highlight it even more. So Connor is stopped, over and over, by concerned people telling him to rug up! Get a coat! It doesn't matter how often he explains that he doesn't need those things, there's always someone new coming around the corner. The eighth time this happens the other person goes so far as to pull out a woollen scarf and push it into Connor's hands. She can be overheard lecturing him:]

"Now don't argue with me, son! Think of it as a welcome gift for the season."

[That's so unexpected that Connor just stares at the woman for a moment too long as she turns to leave.]

But I don't need to-- [Aaaand she's already gone. Connor looks down at the scarf, at a loss.] ...okay.

[He wraps it around his neck. Maybe it'll forestall more pleas for him to dress warmly.]

b. feasts and taverns

[The merrymaking is ubiquitous, and it's nothing if not fascinating to watch. Connor learns quickly though that checking out these daily and nightly feasts means a lot of food being handed out to anyone who wanders past. This is really starting to be a problem. He doesn't want to stop looking around though, so after a while he decides on a culturally appropriate solution.

If you're passing by, you might find Connor approaching and holding out the latest shortbread or candy he's been given to you.]

Would you like one of these?

[Regifting, truly the spirit of the season.

In the evenings Connor holes up in the corner of inns and taverns, people-watching. He pays more attention to the overtly alien populace, but he's still interested to see what the 'human' locals are doing too. When it gets quieter, often he can be found considering his communicator with the device set to an empty channel, playing those unexplained metallic notes.]

c. ice caverns

[The rumours of the ice-tree sound more like local mythology than actual fact, so Connor isn't here to hunt it down. No, he's here to investigate the terrain beyond what's been tamed by the locals. He was expecting to find it unusual and alien, but he wasn't expecting to find the caves beautiful in a surreal way. It's not hard to run into him here, as he takes his time walking through the tunnels and caves. He reaches out to brush his fingers through the bio luminescent fungi, rubbing them together...

........and then sticks them in his mouth, the LED on his temple flaring yellow. Casually. Maybe he didn't think anyone was watching, but maybe you're standing right there and he did it anyway.

Later, Connor takes a more purposeful tack through the caverns as he becomes more familiar with their layout. After he came out the first time with a couple of gemstones fished out of the rock, one of the miners out the front struck up a deal with him to go back in for more. Connor wasn't about to mine anything himself, but locating seams of the precious materials? That was simple.]

d. wildcard

[Got something else in mind? Hit me up here or at

dudemeister!]

[Ben waits until Connor isn't being harassed by locals to finally approach him, hands shoved deep in his pockets. He isn't dressed much better for the cold, but at least he made an attempt to dress for it, a hoodie under his usual leather jacket, the hood drawn up for now, but it isn't like he's not used to this weather anyway. This is totally fine]

Might wanna dress the part just to avoid a million people mothering you. [he leans in as he says it, like he's afraid one of the mothering types will hear him] I hear they get feral if you don't accept their nice shit.

[he's lying, don't believe his lies]

[It's not that unusual to hear people roaming through the caverns, though at this level there's far fewer of them. Normally Connor can tell they're approaching by their lanterns and their footsteps. Light and sound are solid giveaways. This time, though... boy that's a lot of light coming. And that is not so much the sound of footsteps.

Thanks to the luminescent atmosphere Connor hasn't bothered with a light himself, which means he isn't all that noticeable when Lup comes flaming through. Not the best situation to be in. He is however very quick to skirt backwards up against the cave wall, out of the way of the arcs of fire. His LED blinks red for a few alarming seconds before he's reasonably sure she's not, you know, aiming for people with those things. (Her hands?) It bleeds back to yellow as he calls across the chamber, making sure she can hear his kind of testy tone.]

--turn the fire off!

[Connor looks up from the scarf he'd just put on, recognising Ben immediately from their call a few days earlier.]

Ben - hello. [At the comment, Connor just shakes his head a bit, picking at the scarf once more.] They don't believe me when I say I don't feel the cold. I never get far enough into the conversation to explain why.

[And since this planet seems kind of... provincial, he's not sure they'd get the android explanation either.]

That's going to be a problem.

[Lup grins, not at all bothered by the tone, though she does ease the flames down a bit, making sure that they're aimed away from him. She knows it'd never hit him, but she knows it can look awfully intimidating.]

Relax, my dude, I've got spell-sculpting. You're totally safe.

'Sup, Connor.

[he can't help cracking a grin, if not because he's amused, but because he kind of gets it, too] You don't owe them an explanation, dude. Just wear a jacket and avoid the problem all together.

Works for me. You don't see anyone up my ass about things, right? I can't feel most of the cold, either. But no one's bugging me 'cuz I'm onto their shitty schemes and I'm a step ahead.

[he won't point out that he wears a jacket all the time, but that's just a minor detail]

[Okay, yes, better. He straightens up from the wall though he's just going to stay here for the moment. Now that the fire has died down he's more easily able to see where it's coming from. Which is... her hands. He had thought the light and heat were making it impossible to see the real source only it doesn't appear that way.

No amount of scanning is giving him an indication of a hidden flamethrower either. Damn.]

I don't know what that is. It wasn't exactly obvious when you came in here like that.

[Whether it's true or not, which he's still unclear on.]

It's the first time anyone's found it worrying, so I wasn't expecting it.

[Literally no one gives a damn back home if androids get cold or not. Which they don't. Connor flicks his eyes over Ben's ensemble.]

You're not wearing that much more than me.

[She gives first the cavern, then the stranger, a quick once-over. Yeah, maybe this is a good place to take a break, examine the area- do a little science, that sort of thing. With a flick of her wrists the fire winks out, and suddenly it's as if it was never there to begin with. There's no smoke, her hands aren't charred, and she's definitely not holding a flamethrower anywhere.]

That's fair! It's exactly how it sounds, though- I can shape my spells around other people so they don't get hurt.

You're gonna get a lot of that, you know. Might as well start planning accordingly.

[Ben glances down at himself and gives a shrug, then pulls one of his hands out of his pocket - the flesh one, which has a glove on]

I'm wearing enough for me. It's fine, I don't plan on spending all day out here anyway.

I am starting to get that impression, yes.

[Hence putting the scarf on. He didn't know what to do with it otherwise. Connor glances at the glove before returning a dubious expression to Ben.]

I would think it's more important for you because you can't feel it. I still know what temperature it is and whether it's going to be a concern or not. You should not be out for long at night here.

[Ben rolls his eyes and shoves his hand back into his pocket, meeting the dubious look with one of exasperation]

Then if it starts being a concern you can tell me and I'll be an adult about it and go buy a heavier jacket. [he sighs] I can tell it's cold, you know. Some parts still work perfectly fine.

[Spells. Magic. Ben had already mentioned the presence of magic but Connor had assumed the man was being sarcastic over the level of technology here. Only Sorey had also mentioned someone creating fire out of nothing. Seems like he shouldn't dismiss it out of hand immediately.

...even if he'd sincerely like to. Connor steps away from the wall once the flames go out, his LED blinking back to blue.]

You're talking about spells in the context of magic?

[Just to confirm, even if he can't keep a hint of incredulity out of his voice. He's considering Lup quite intensely.]

[Getting a confused reaction is still a bit of a trip; she's spent over a hundred years visiting various planes and universes, but all of them had had magic of some kind, or at least a plane of magic through which she could access her power. She can only assume this planer universe has it, too (how else could she cast anything?) but the sheer number of people who have either no experience with magic, or access to a very different kind, has been mind-blowing. Seems like this guy is in the former category.

She lifts a finger, and instead of fire she casts Dancing Lights- a set of four tiny orbs of glowing light manifest and gently rotate around her hand.]

Real magic. I'm a wizard, baby. See for yourself-

[And she flicks a finger so that one of the lights floats slowly towards him, though it'll stop before it gets too close. He looks kind of antsy, and the colour-changing light on his head has her curious. She hadn't missed when it was going all Red Alert there.]

[Connor decides two things. One, Ben alternately exaggerates and undersells things and it's not immediately obvious when he'll do either. Two, he's going to scan the guy and see if his temperature checks out.

It happens very fast, with no outward sign that Connor's doing it other than the rapid blinking of his LED. A quick sweep shows that Ben's vitals are in order, with nothing indicating impending shutdown from exposure. The extent of his cybernetic prostheses and replacements also becomes apparent. It's a lot, and not as cohesive as one might hope for.

He carries on the conversation without so much as a second's pause.]

Sure. Since this is an alien planet however, there might be some vagaries in the weather systems here we aren't aware of yet.

I mean, probably. It's weather, it does weird shit. [don't use your big fancy words on him, he knows what they mean. Ben eyes the blinking LED curiously, but he doesn't comment on it]

If it snows like normal I'll consider that a miracle. These places are real weird sometimes.

[At least this time he's somewhat prepared for something to happen with her hands. His eyebrows had gone up at the 'I'm a wizard' statement, and honestly he'd been about to retort that there's no such thing. He's forced to shut his mouth though when the lights spring up around her fingers.

He's already scanning them before one starts coming his way. By the time the light comes near him he's already ascertained as much as he can - it's a light source visible in the optical spectrum but emanating from no discernible source, nor moving through any obvious mechanism - which leaves him to just stare at it with some degree of cautious wonder. The LED had spun back to yellow for a few seconds before settling into blue again.]

I... see. [No, no he really doesn't. He tears his eyes away from the light momentarily to look back at Lup, curiosity winning out.] You're sourcing these lights from magical energy?

[Look, there's still gotta be some logic behind it. And if he focuses on that he won't focus on how he really wants to touch the light.]

[The blinking doesn't last long. Connor knows Ben is looking but he's starting to get used to those kind of stares. A week is a long time for him, relatively.]

Is there something strange about the snow here that you've seen?

[It looks like normal snow to Connor. The water is a different matter, one he's going to go stick his nose into soon enough. Or his fingers.]

[She's reminded momentarily of when she used to do little shows in caravans, back in the day, for kids waiting for the real deal. It's a very similar childlike wonder, this sense of new that doesn't typically exist within adults. It's cute.

She'd intended to dismiss the lights once her point was made, but instead just gets rid of the three at her hand, leaving the fourth alone near him. She can't blame his fascination; she's watching that spinning light on his head now, too.]

That's how it works, yeah. I dunno if you can feel it, but this planet is leaking magic energy out of its ears. It's like I'm plugged in and getting recharged without even needing to rest.

[it's less a stare and more if he's wondering if it serves a purpose. LEDs on people aren't strange to him, but now that he knows Connor's an android, well]

Nah, nothing yet. Just expecting it, I guess.

[. . . yeah no he's gonna ask. He frees the fake hand this time to reach up and tap his own temple] The LED - not a design choice, I'm guessing?

A. Hot Springs

[Slowly but surely, Riona pulls out of her funk. As much as she can, anyway. She's back to captaining the Blue Fish and doing some work, but her usual cheer and smiles are absent. She's bounced back in the past, but lately... it feels as if this melancholy is here to stay.

Despite her more somber mood, she IS trying to take better care of herself. When she hears about the hot springs, Riona knows a day spent in them is in order. Clothes, food, and her communicator are packed up in a bag. One heavy coat and wool knitted hat purchase later, she's set to go hiking through the mountains.

But she doesn't go alone. She's spent too time by herself lately, and it only leads to her thoughts going down dark paths they shouldn't be going down. So she enlists the help of a friend in trekking up the mountainside. It's an arduous hike, not helped by a short but nasty squall, but when they eventually come upon the springs, even Riona cracks a smile.]

They sure do look inviting.

B. Castle

[A fallen monarchy. The Min'Rith Tells came and went, leaving a lasting impression and a memory upon the landscape and people of this world. A legacy is nice and all, but does it mean anything when the people who left it are long gone? What of them? What did all that hard work, politicking, ruling, and sleepless nights ultimately net them?

Is this the same future the Theirins face?

Riona begins to think coming here might have been a bad idea. Sure, the palace is lovely and the artifacts are a sight to behold. The Min'Rith Tells left a lot behind for future generations to appreciate. She can't help but wonder if this will happen to the Theirins sooner rather than later, and no one in Thedas is going to set up a nice museum for them, oh no. They'll be relegated to the history books and old stories, and nothing more.

She's desperately trying to save that family, to make it so their reign doesn't burn out and fade away like the Min'Rith Tells, but she knows there's a good chance she'll fail. And this palace, this museum, all but mocks her for it. The Theirins would wind up gone and dead like this royal family. This is their future.

Maker, it's too much.

Riona hurries out of the museum, past a group of school children on a tour and dozens of other tourists as she runs through the exit. She keeps running until she makes it to the gates, where she collapses against a wall, heaving out breaths and desperately fighting back tears.

Coming here was nothing short of a big mistake.]

C. Ice Tree

[Of course she heard about this place. The locals talk about it often enough, and even Riona finds herself a bit curious. If nothing else, it promises to be a bit of an adventure in trying to find it.

Luckily, the gear she bought for the trek up into the hot springs serves her well again with this. Bundled up and stocked up, Riona looks at her adventuring/spelunking partner.]

Ready to do this? I don't know if we'll actually find anything, but I suppose that's half the fun.

D. Wildcard

[Hit me with your own prompt!]

[ Who doesn't like free food? Only weird people. Granted, people giving food away are kind of weird too. Which means Han is suspicious all over. ]

What's wrong with 'em?

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Libuscha IV System Mingle (no. 1)

lup | ota

alucard | ota

mikleo | ota

Connor | OTA

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Riona Cousland Theirin | OTA

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