EVENT: BIA ▒ STERN

[ataraxites]

CHARACTERS: Ensemble production!
LOCATION: The stern areas of the ship
WARNINGS: Disturbing imagery, violence, psychological trauma, gore, etc.
SUMMARY: Characters have to fight to find their way back to each other from being increasingly isolated and plagued by their deepest fears and most hopeful dreams.
NOTES: May 27 onwards.

An echoing boom comes from deep in the middle of the ship, shakes its way through the trees and waters of the Oxygen Gardens, down into the maze of walkways and mechanics that make up the Engineering Complex. A sense of danger rolls through with it, enough to make you pause in your work, set down tools or supplies, ignore the thrumming pain in your head to find out what. Trapped far away from the comforts of beds and kitchens and slow approaching necessity of gravcouches, you only have each other to turn to. But soon that grows difficult, turnings leading you off path, door slamming shut behind you. In the increasing isolation panic swells like an infection up through your mind-- but then soothes. You find your way into an unexpected comfort, the company of a long-gone friend, an old home filled with happy memories. You linger, drift into contentment, and yet it still can't calm one deep nagging doubt: you aren't safe where you've found yourself.

Comments

[underthevines]

[ Swords and axes are not something she truly wants to be facing, but she's seen them before, on skeletons and corpses, and the men aren't templars, at the least. She could strike first, but then they would truly attack. Valya would rather take the other girl and escape quickly.

Something the girl seems to be helping with, as she yells from behind, the chain she had been bound with swinging free. Valya looks back to the men, and swallows as much of her nerves as she can. ]

Let her go now and there won't be any bother. I can't promise you all will escape unharmed if you don't.

[nowi_wins]

[The auctioneer is backing away quickly but yells to the soldiers as he retreats.]

'What are you fools waiting for? Get rid of her! Recapture the merchandise.'

[The men split into two groups, three of them spreading out to surround Valya and the other two turn back to go after Nowi. She backs away, struggling against the ropes binding her hands.]

St- stay away from me!

[In desperation, she transforms. She can feel the ropes cutting into her before they snap free. The collar around her neck nearly chokes her, and for once the reduced size of her dragon form is actually helpful. Still, she can't manage to do more than turn her fire breath on the two men before she has to turn back, choking and gasping for breath.]

[underthevines]

[ The men divide into groups, and it looks as if Valya will be fighting after all.

Except the girl she thought was an elf turns into a dragon, if only for a brief moment. A mage? Or something else. Either way, the choice is explicitly clear. Valya's magic may not be strong enough to secure freedom for them both, but a dragon is chaos enough to secure the other girl's freedom. If the collar is gone.

This is something Valya can do. She points her staff and free hand past the group of men, magic moving forth to freeze into ice the collar and chains. Likely the girl is frosted as well, but in a moment-- ]

Transform again!

[ In a moment, if she transformed, the metal would break easily. Valya is breathing hard at the spell's activation, but it's fine. It would be fine, as long as the girl is free. ]

[nowi_wins]

[Nowi shivers and lets out a small cry of alarm when the collar freezes. She's not quite quick enough to figure out how that will help, but she's also not going to waste time asking questions when someone wants to help her. She braces herself, and transforms again.

This time, the collar snaps and falls to the ground and Nowi let's out a cry of triumph.]

HaHA!

[Okay, a pretty childish cry of triumph. But this time she turns her fire breath on the auctioneer. It's... not pretty. As the remaining soldiers regroup, she she turns to her rescuer.]

We gotta get out of here!

[In the absolute worst of times, Nowi is still the unquestioned master of the obvious.]

[underthevines]

[ The elf... dragon... --Anyway, her magic is more destructive than Valya's. The fire burns the man to cinders, and Valya finds herself looking away even as she shoots out spirit bolts at the oncoming guards.

The dragon yells for them to flee and Valya is only too happy to comply. Sending off another blast, she glances backwards, thinking to run the way she came. ]

This way!