EVENT: FIRST CONTACT ▒ RELEASE ▒ JANUARY 18

[ataraxites]

CHARACTERS: Ensemble production!
LOCATION: Basecamp.
WARNINGS: Discussion of abduction.
SUMMARY: In the early morning hours, the passengers and crew of the Tranquility regain some of the souls lost to them.
NOTES: First event log for the January modplot!

J A N U A R Y   1 8 The first sign of activity are the bright, white lights that banish the very, very early morning gloom towards the eastern-most side of the camp. A huddle of ten silhouettes have emerged from the treeline, human-shaped and ordinary. Some are empty handed, and others are laden with bundles. (To the perception of those returning, camp has changed. There are walls in the process of being built. A new aura of unfriendliness. It's hard to see past the lights shining into their eyes, exposing them to scrutiny. The gifts of fur pelts, fruit, and primitive weaponry are distributed among them, with the idea of gift printed firmly in their minds.) There is little in the way of delay in permitting them entry. They are shown within the boundaries of basecamp, and as sunrise only just begins to tinge the sky, a buzz of activity is already humming through camp. Although details of their ordeal will take time to circulate, the returning passengers and crewmembers will have with them a message, and that is, the outlying camp would like to invite five of them, corresponding with a set of necklaces amongst the gifts, to a meeting at sundown at a nearby camp, north of basecamp. There is much to talk about. N O T E S More information can be found in the January modplot post. Any questions and queries can also be directed there. The second event post, First Contact: Diplomacy, will be up tomorrow and available to volunteers still to be selected. Until then, please feel free to OOC plot and ICly discuss approach.

Comments

[hairrands]

"I already put them in their place. You should've seen the way I got that blue-cloak wearing asshole to settle down." The answer, regarding Carlisle, was 'not very well', but far be it for AJ not to shade things to her advantage.

"Anyways, I'll think about it. It's something I should be doing... if the nerdiest cowering shitheads have magic out here, I'm gonna be running up against a lot of trouble. I'm already working on what the mothership gave me," and she waved her free hand here, as if in the act of prestidigitation. "But there's more to do, you know? I don't mind digging pits for people, anyways. Not far different from what I'd be doing if we were stuck on the top side of where we used to be, anyways."

[thecoldshoulder]

"Anyone could get him to back down," Algidus snorted, "That human is timid as vermin. I could look at him funny and probably get him to keel over on the spot." His tone, however, is not dismissive; he just sounds amused. Part of the reason he enjoys talking with AJ is because she enjoys a lot of the same unsavory activities that he does--putting fear into others being one of them.

"You think about it, then... I agree that it is something you should attempt. If not with me, then with some human. You know how dangerous these sorts of places are, and self-defense is invaluable no matter where you are. I haven't minded helping out with the pits here and there, myself. Of course I would like it better if I wasn't surrounded by people, so that I could work in peace... but I am well suited to manual labor, and it's a change of pace from hunting down the rabid beasts that have been infesting the woods. In fact, I'm probably one of the main reasons those things haven't pushed any further towards the camp. Perhaps I should bring that up, next time a human tries to tell me being bloodthirsty is such a bad thing?"

[hairrands]

"Why the hell not?" AJ agreed. She had leaned down and was beginning to collect the plates that he'd pulled off, dismissing the ones that were too cracked for good use. The rest, she planned on scraping loose and using as plates or maybe some kind of armor, if she could figure out how to connect them all together. "Take me out again some time. I feel better," she admitted plainly. Holding her spear under one arm and a stack of plates under the other, she gestured back the way they'd come. "Let's get this shit back into camp, just in case they try to sneak off too soon, huh? I'm gonna pick up that bow I took off of the wimp and try it out. It might look like it came off a caveman's back, but I'm not afraid to take junk from people who're willing to give it away for free."

[thecoldshoulder]

Algidus watched her gather up the rock-like carapace, then moved over to the massive carcass so that he could heft it. Then he turned and regarded the woman, before dipping his head slightly and allowing himself to respond. "You know... I do too. I think you're the only person on the damn planet who doesn't leave me feeling even more aggravated after a conversation."

Shifting their prey's weight over his shoulder, the alien nodded. "You lead the way. If this works, and they decide to put aside their prejudice and allow me in on the expedition, I promise you I will let you know what I discover."

[hairrands]

The human gave him a wide, toothy grin. "I can fix that, if you want. And I'll stick around camp and see if anyone else is as pissed off about being left out. Maybe they'll be more willing to talk about our project, huh?"

Despite all this, she had taken the lead. Using the spear as a walking stick, she found the path that he had carved through the greenery that would lead them back into the depths of the damp jungle. She looked forward to seeing the rough-hewed walls of their camp more than she'd like to admit, though that didn't creep into her voice just yet.

[thecoldshoulder]

"One can only hope. I feel like this place is just as full of--what did you call them, 'lifers'?-- as the Box was. People too content to just sit on their asses and make do." Algidus sighed, and would have waved one hand dismissively if they were not currently occupied. "Granted, this place might not be quite as terrible as the Box was, but you've heard the stories. The rumors. There's still some truly weird and dangerous shit going on around here. What kind of person would be content to endure it for the rest of their lives, if they could have something better?"

Now he was thinking of his homeworld again, and the alien had to keep himself from looking openly wistful. One day. One day he'll make it back there, and he won't have to worry about any of this any more.

[hairrands]

"Good word for it," AJ snorted over her shoulder. There were a few things that she and Algidus shared that hit the spot, but there were a few things that the alien could belt out that also ground right under the skin... so as he continued to talk, she grew more quiet.

She didn't respond to him straight away, realizing that she was feeling a surge of annoyance, but eventually she threw back, "some people are too weak or too stupid to figure out where to go from here. How did you feel when you crashed down, back where you got taken from?" 'You' being relative, here. There were times when AJ had trouble distinguishing between what were her true memories, and what were those she'd inherited from Jolene. At this moment she didn't want to be bothered believing that her very first conversation with Algidus had actually been between two different people. Knowing he'd been trying to piece his ship back together and was looking for help had felt like a moment of clarity in an otherwise chaotic and miserable time in her life. AJ didn't want to admit that that wasn't hers anymore... though she was feeling frustrated right now that Algidus was so sure of his abilities when she felt exactly the opposite.

[thecoldshoulder]

She and Algidus were in the same boat for that, too. That was essentially how he had started operating to save himself from plummeting any deeper into the existential crises he already suffered from; in his mind, he constantly tried to tell himself that he had the exact same right to those memories as Glacius... even if they were two different beings at this point. So when AJ referred to that point in Glacius' life as his he immediately went with it, though the implication there was enough to make him bristle.

"Not stupid or weak, I can assure you of that," the ice alien retorted. "I felt foolish, and worried over a number of things of course... but I had a job to do, and the quicker I acted, the less people would be at risk. I couldn't just sit around feeling sorry for myself or humanity and my people both would have suffered." He's aware that's a bit at odds with how he could be with his current predicament; it was hard not to spend some time feeling sorry for yourself when you had an inferiority complex dwelling just underneath the surface thanks to your cloned nature. External forces were much easier to combat, and perhaps that was one of the reasons why Algidus was latching onto his plans so adamantly.

[hairrands]

AJ simply shook her head. What she'd been saying had flown over his head, though she supposed she should have expected it with the way that he took everything personally. Self-obsessively might be a better way to describe it, but just at the moment she didn't feel like trying to explain herself.

She allowed the conversation to fall by the wayside as they navigated deeper into the foliage. Even with the trail hewn by Algidus' reformed arm, the going took time. They were both carrying loads that meant that footing was important, so AJ used that as an excuse for quite some time. It was only when they got closer to the crash-line that hewed away the jungle from the flight-path of the Tranquility that she spoke up again.

"When you find out what those fuckers want, do me a favour." She paused here, ready for him to splutter about favours big or small that he didn't owe anybody. If he actually held his gills, she would go on, "find out if they're on the side of people in charge, or if they're in the same boat with us. If they were meant to be like you and me, we might find better common ground than with the dumb-fucks living out of this shit-town..." of course, if he spluttered, she'd wait before trying a different route.

[thecoldshoulder]

Algidus did frown quietly, never one to be happy about owing favors... but he didn't splutter or make any other sort of outburst. The fact of the matter was that, prior to her disappearance, AJ had been working very hard to procure any sort of information for him... and even if he'd already technically returned that favor by providing her with food and other essentials, this request was not out of the bounds of fairness. So the alien gave a noise of grudging agreement, running a hand down the back of his neck once.

"It was already on my mind, but yes. Providing they aren't here to fuck us over or otherwise just make us suffer, it might be nice to... to spend some time with some faces that aren't human. Even the nonhumans look it." The alien shuddered in distaste; it had always been a sore spot for him, that damn near everyone else that seemed to get stolen away to these places were always human or close enough to it. This was probably about as much as he could ask for, given that he would never once hope to see another of his own here. "Still, I'm not sure how friendly I plan on getting... aside from the fact that's not the way I usually operate, you never know how things are going to go. Even if they do agree to ally themselves with us, I may end up having to use them for their technology. But don't worry, I'll keep you informed regardless. It might be a slight shift from our usual roles but I can handle this."

[hairrands]

It wasn't necessarily obvious, but when Algidus pined for non-human faces, AJ turned away, looking to camp and simultaneously putting her hair towards him in a sort of protest. Some of the shit he said she took too personally, and she knew it, but steeping in resentment was better than blowing up. She'd done that at far too many people already, over the last few days, and she couldn't bear the consequences of doing it to the one person who seemed to have her back, some of the time.

Why was she feeling so hurt by a stupid comment, anyways? Maybe she was as much of a weakling as she feared.

Thinking in that vein, as he finished, she jibed, "don't worry about it, I'll beat a few people up while you're gone just to keep things in balance. You want them lightly bruised or bloody and torn?"

[thecoldshoulder]

Normally Algidus might not have paid particular attention to the way AJ turned around, but he'd been spending a lot of time with her since she made her haggard return to the base camp. He'd seen a lot of different facets of her moods... and through that time, the alien had gradually learned to be more attentive. He didn't want to do anything that might risk distancing AJ again; he might not be good at being friendly, but he knew enough to know that he didn't want to weather this place without her again.

So the ice alien stepped up beside her, lowering his head on that long, curving neck and giving a little warble. "Hey... AJ. Come on." He paused, his gills fluttering with uncertainty--he knew that he also wasn't good at making people feel better, but this was the one time where he was willing to make the effort. "It's not like I lump you into that group." Wait, shit--was that going to make it worse? Was it going to make it seem like he didn't see her as human? Algidus blinked, then lowered his head even further, looking a little tentative. "I-- I'm sorry if I'm not good at putting it into words. It's just that... you know me better than any of the people living in that piddly little camp do, and you probably know me better than those strange aliens living on their own off in the jungle ever will, too. I'm always going to prefer your company... it's the reason I'm working with you, and just trying to use them long enough to get us the hell off this miserable ball of dirt."

[hairrands]

"Do I look like I give a fuck where you lump anyone?" AJ countered. She felt tweaked, annoyed that she'd been caught out. "Don't use me like a crutch if you're going to slam me for being one out the other gill."

[thecoldshoulder]

"Don't--" Being so thoroughly chastised just for apologizing rubbed Algidus in all the wrong ways, and he caught himself raising his head and his voice in his sudden spike of frustration. His gills flared open and closed a couple of times, like he was puffing out angry breaths, trying to calm himself... which was for the best. A moment later he broke out into a small coughing fit, which he managed to bring under control much faster than he otherwise would have if he had gone on one of his usual tirades.

"--Don't do that," Algidus continued, making an honest attempt to keep his voice calm. "I don't see you as a crutch. I wouldn't... I wouldn't have spent so much time looking for you if that's all I saw in you. If you want me to shut my gills on this I will, but I don't want you walking away from here thinking that I view you the same way as I view those 'lifers' down in the camp, because you deserve better."

[hairrands]

She very nearly punched him in the shoulder for his efforts, but the reminder that his skin was composed of rock-hard ice by the flash of the microweave across it stilled her hand. Instead, AJ spat, "you just want out of here the same as anyone else with half a brain. Don't treat me like you're soft; someone else might not see through it, but I can."

What she didn't mention was that being shown genuine, unbridled care like he was trying to assuage her with was scaring her. She missed having that, but that kind of affection only ever came hand-in-hand with tragedy. People like her weren't meant for it.

Maybe she'd overreacted, but AJ was afraid to look up and see if she'd hurt the alien. Not that she expected he could be hurt unless by massive injuries (his coughing case in point)... but all the same. Caring for someone else felt like a knife in the gut. She pulled away from him, walking far more quickly than she had been before in an effort to get back into the public eye where she knew that their usual regime was more likely to hold sway.