MOD LOG #1

[bequiet]

MOD LOG #1
Packing Up
Content Warnings: General tension
Themes: Survival, exploration, heavy-lifting

At the end of the month, the natives send out a mass message informing everyone of the upcoming trip to 'meet' the Sound Eaters. Preparing for the trip is simple, though labor intensive, and begins with making certain that everyone packs food, water, clothes, gear, and a twenty-pound package of sand. When it's time for the journey to begin, those tasked with watching the sandpaths, will lead the party on the journey towards the Eiffel Tower. It's a slow trip, a careful one. Natives will take breaks every few hours and when the sun sets, help everyone to set up their bed rolls around a few lanterns. The natives will unveil the star mapping feature, with constellations named and general history attached, on the devices. They will encourage those to tell stories, get out food and water, and 'talk' amongst the group before everyone settles into sleep. Out, under the night sky, the silence is more noticeable - there are no crickets or frogs. This process will repeat for two days until the group reaches the end of their destination at midday.

Sound Eaters
Content Warnings: Disorientation, confusion, character and native death, Sound Eater birth and death, body horror
Themes: Survival, exploration, horror, death

On the third day, characters will finally reach the Eiffel Tower, where the Sound Eaters in this area of France have set up their 'home'. Stopping far enough out to allow for communication, the natives will gesture to the ruins of the structure that appears to be altered. Structures are built up and around the metal frame, closing off different sections with a dark material that glints an oily-green in the light. After explaining that the Sound Eaters are influenced by the weather, rain being an issue for them, they'll take everyone closer. Silence is key here. The natives are visibly wary, tense, and uncomfortable but they believe that showing the arrivals what they're so afraid of will inspire them to be more cautious.

Now, as close to the Sound Eaters as they dare to go (less than a half mile), the natives will have everyone crouch down behind various cars and debris. The devices will say only one word, watch. As the sun begins to set and clouds darken overhead, the tower will open up, the Sound Eaters spilling out. They are split up, as the natives refer to it, into classes - the young, the shifting and the matured. The young are extremely sensitive to sound, volatile and aggressive, humanesque in form with features in various state of change. The shifting are grotesque, splitting and reforming, changing from young to matured in a shift that is punctuated by pained screams and the breaking of bones, splitting of flesh. The matured are in control. They command and guide their kind into a circle, where they all bend down, kneeling as something different than the rest comes out of the tower to stand at the center. The wind catches, dusting up red ash from it and blowing the ash towards the group - there's no way to move and it tastes familiar, coats your skin in red. They all grow quiet and a wrapped form, in the shape of a body, is placed at the Sound Eaters' feet. It crumbles, breaks apart and sprays out over the wrapped figured to completely cover it.

The shards of the Sound Eater bubble up and fuse together, creating a shell. Rain begins to fall. Light, but enough to cause the Sound Eaters to begin to move, pushing against one another but not leaving the circle. There's a shrill sound, an offbeat whistle, air escaping a tight space, a desperate inhale, and then the shell at the center splits apart. A Sound Eater died to create a new life. Smaller than the other young, the 'child' climbs up and out, but it's not the same as the others. It's form is generally human. Dark hair, androgynous features. No eyes. No mouth. Standing, it angles its head towards the matured and they move, as if on command, and surround it as it walks into the tower.

( If anyone makes noise at this point, in any way, the coming bad weather and what just occurred, will result in the Sound Eaters only attacking that person - rather than the whole group. They'll drag that person into the tower and out of sight. The character will be reset. )

The natives are upset. Spooked. They've never seen anything like that and they're quick to tell everyone this, followed by a hasty message to leave. As they're moving, the rain begins to beat down and the ground grows slippery. Making it back to the supplies is troublesome and just as the group gets close, one of the natives slips and tumbles down broken concrete, twisting and smacking against the hard surface until they come to a stop at the bottom. Anyone that goes to help will find that the native has hurt themselves and there's nothing that can be done, despite best efforts. The natives will take the time to wrap their friend up, relaying that the Sound Eaters don't attack now that the rain is heavy, and will begin the slow trek back to the community. They'll camp each night, the same as the trip up, but with an uncomfortable tension that no amount of story telling can break.

It's Raining Me- Rain. It's Just Water.
Content Warnings: None
Themes: Survival, fun, noise-making

After everyone is back in Reims, the natives will split off to bury their dead - they will not allow anyone to accompany them. Everyone is encouraged to head back to the community to get a break from the bad weather and to unload their supplies. The following day, the natives can be heard outside. Splashing and making noise, fixing houses, and what might have been a somber event will quickly turn into something a little more upbeat as rain beats down on the city. Children will play and occasionally laugh, stunted in their ability to enjoy themselves but willing to learn from the arrivals. Bigger items will be moved and natives will encourage everyone to do the 'noisier' things that they need to do. When the rain ends, work will resume as usual and soundproofing will be a lot more difficult - the water washed away sandpaths and damaged some areas. Cleaning up will take time but the natives aren't as unhappy with the situation as they just had a moment's respite from the normal tension of their everyday lives.

OOC
From your mods:

Please be mindful of content - if something triggery comes up or if it goes up a rating to say, something sexy, mark your threads in the subject line. We're very flexible and allow any material; we just want our players to be respectful of each other. If you have questions, pp the mod account, use the faq or comment to the appropriate post below. Have fun! The OOC Plotting Post.

NAVIGATION

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Comments

[iisupergirlii]

It's going to be an expensive bill by the time we escape here. [ and they will. one day. Kara's sure of it. ]

I should go... my sleeping bag is probably soaked. Not all of us were smart enough to pack tents, so. [ she winces. it's not like sleeping in the cold and rain will make her sick or anything, but it's not her idea of a great night. ] Maybe I can save it if I move it under some trees.

[oorah]

Good thing friends don't keep score. [ he knows she'll have her chance to make it up, even if they did. she's right; this place is nowhere near through with them and he'd always been better at finding trouble sooner than later.

there's no hesitation in his next suggestion, frowning at her. does she really think he'd willfully leave her out in the cold? maybe he'd been playing that aloof act a little too convincingly. ]

Bring it in here.

[iisupergirlii]

[ it hadn't crossed her mind, really. she doesn't want to impose, well, more than she has. Frank looks at her most of the time like she's broken his heart, and that sends a pretty clear message across! but hey, friends, right? she's not going to turn him down.

with a nod, she zooms out, packing up her bedroll and snagging a small satchel she'd recovered from an abandoned home early on. ]

Thanks. I really appreciate this, Frank.

[ she tries to shake and twist off most of the water at the very entrance of the tent, and then spreads it out next to his. luckily, she'd brought the blanket off her bed, and it's been tucked in her satchel, so it's mostly dry still. thankfully. she spreads it out on top then grins up at Frank. ]

There!

[oorah]

[ he gives a low grunt like it's really putting him out to be so nice, but he knows she won't buy it anyway. he just watches her roll her bed out, his tent only exactly long enough to fit both of their sleeping bags alongside this way. he'd slept tighter with men in iraq, afghanistan. it didn't bother him, even if he doesn't think he'll get much sleep with her nearby. it helps just knowing she's safe for the moment, even if soon enough kilgrave will renew his command over her. nausea climbs up his throat and he looks away when she smiles at him. ]

I'm gonna read, unless the light will bother you. [ he's already getting out matchsticks to light his lantern, but he pauses just to make sure it's really okay. ]

[iisupergirlii]

No, that's fine. [ Kara lays back, lacing her fingers on top of her stomach, and stares through the top of the tent at the stars above. x-ray vision makes stargazing a heck of a lot easier.

after a few minutes of silence, she adds: ] So, sometimes I sleep-float. I hope that doesn't bother you.

[oorah]

[ frank lights his lantern and pulls out his copy of moby dick, putting aside his picture of the liebermans he'd forgotten he'd been using as a bookmark. he deliberately places it on the other side of his leg so she hopefully won't see it. he reads for a few minutes, easily picking back up his vendetta against captain ahab.

and then kara goes and says a thing like that. he gives her a look, shaking his head fondly. ] Do your thing, Supergirl. [ let him read about shitty whales and even shittier captains!!! no he doesn't look broken up about being interrupted. like not even a little. ]

[iisupergirlii]

[ she tracks his movements out of the corner of her eye, not thinking to stop x-raying everything until after she sees the picture through his thigh. oops. ]

Who's that in the picture?

[oorah]

[ kara that's creepy. he gives her a weary look, then looks down at their faces in the picture. he sets his stupid whale book aside, resting it on the pages like a terrible book owner so he can pick up the picture. as with every time he touches it, he can't resist the urge to run a finger along the likeness of their faces, saying their names in his head. leo, david, sarah, zach. after a long minute, he hands it to her with a distant wanness in his eyes. ] My friends.

[iisupergirlii]

[ Kara takes the picture when it's offered, hold it up and looking at it. they look like the perfect family, even if the tall guy has some questionable choices concerning facial hair. still, she hands it back, looking Frank over with a soft smile. ]

I wish I had a picture of my sister. Was that your present from the natives when we got here?

[oorah]

Yeah. [ he looks over it one more time before tucking it back in his book and setting it aside. something tells him kara will want to ~talk about this. since that seems to be her mo for everything. ] You guys close? [ frank rests a hand on his stomach and stares at the ceiling of the tent. ]

[iisupergirlii]

[ Kara nods, settling in and looking up at the stars some more. ] She means everything to me.

[ it's a simple answer but full of emotion. Kara can feel the telltale pinprick of sting behind her eyes, and surprise Frank, she wants to change the subject sometimes too. so, instead of elaborating, she says: ] The stars are beautiful right now.

[oorah]

[ he gets it, and he's had enough tears for one day, so he's not about to press her. ]

Tell me about them. [ he knows he could just take out his stupid device and map them, but it's not the same. this reminds him of camping trips with his kids. it hurts, but in a good way. he looks through the tent like he can see what she sees. ]

[iisupergirlii]

[ Kara shrugs one shoulder, tapping her fingers on her stomach. ]

I never learned a lot of the ones you can see from Earth. Aside from the obvious. [ she gestures to the top of the tent, pointing just off to their right. ] Like the Little Dipper. And the big one, Orion's belt.

I had a friend in junior high, right after I landed here, that was obsessed with space. He was going to teach me about them all, but. [ she pauses. she hasn't thought about Kenny in too long, but it still hurts, a tight squeeze on her heart. ] He was killed.

Anyway! There's another - The Crow. Or Corvus. That's the constellation Krypton was in.

[oorah]

My baby girl knew every single one. [ it's a sigh, one he doesn't catch until it's out. what the fuck is wrong with him? frank goes quiet and then she's talking about her dead buddy -- and just as quickly glossing over. what a pair they make. ]

...Krypton? [ he cranes his neck to look at her without moving, comfortable where he is. ]

[iisupergirlii]

[ Kara, meanwhile, rolls over onto her side, facing Frank. She props her head up on her hand. ]

My home planet. [ you know, that part of the story she forgot to ever mention to him. she's an alien, surprise! ] You have a daughter?

[oorah]

Oh. [ he says dully. he thought she was a superfreak like daredevil or the hulk. but she's just an alien. cool. ]

No. [ frank looks back up at the sky. not anymore. ]

[iisupergirlii]

[ Kara tamps down the urge to say something like Good talk, especially after he answers the rest. Crap. ]

I'm sorry. I don't know what you believe in, but may she be at rest.

[ she goes with that instead of adding on more weirdness. "May she rest in Rao's Light" would seem... she doesn't know. Silly, she guesses. ]

[oorah]

[ at rest. he wants to be angry, but there's no one to get angry at. except for fucking kilgrave, so for the millionth time, frank kills him in his mind. but it doesn't make him feel better. ]

Lisa. [ someone should know her name, frank reasons, working his jaw. ] How far is Krypton from Earth? [ like an idle thought, murmured aloud. ]

[iisupergirlii]

[ Kara nods, closing her eyes for a moment to send a brief prayer to Rao for Lisa, and for Frank. What little she knows about him has been centered around "loss." What all has he had to go through? Her heart hurts.

but she doesn't voice any of that, instead thinking about Krypton, about home. ]

A little over 27 lightyears away.

[oorah]

[ it's only after he asks the question that frank realizes he has no way of quantifying space travel. if micro were here, he'd immediately pipe up with how long that would take them to get to, or something intelligent that frank is lacking. instead he just bobs his head in the semblance of a nod. ] Neat.

[iisupergirlii]

[ Kara snorts and flops over on her stomach, her cape making a pretty A1 blanket. She folds her arms and rests her cheek on them, facing Frank with a smile. ]

Yeah, I guess it's pretty neat. Until you crash into the Phantom Zone for fifty years. I mean, I was asleep for that, but I imagine that's less fun.