reverielogs | ( 0 0 1 » ENSEMBLE ) welcome to the inaugural log

Entry tags:

( 0 0 1 » ENSEMBLE ) welcome to the inaugural log

» WHO? everyone
» WHEN? may 1 onward
» WHERE? all over the station
» WHAT? introductory log feat. waking up, exploration, meeting over food and noises in the walls
» WARNINGS? potential for body horror, psychological horror, hallucinations, physical injury

( 0 0 1 ) » WAKE UP

Were you asleep or were you unconscious? It doesn't matter: when you come to, there's an odd taste in your mouth and there's a low-level mechanical hum in the air. Your head hurts and you feel nauseous. You aren't anywhere you know: everything around you is metal, from the floor you lie on all the way to the ceiling. You are dressed in a jumpsuit you definitely weren't wearing before.

"We tried to save the world. I think— I think we did the opposite."

The message repeats on a loop. If you look for its source, you find a comms device on the floor next to you. The logo on its wallpaper says REVERIE TERMINAL. Upon closer inspection, you find the same logo on your jumpsuit.

Welcome to your new home.

( ♪ )

( 0 0 2 ) LOOK AROUND

You've woken up — but where have you woken up? It may be time to explore your new home. Rifling through a crew quarter will make the room's terminal lock to the comms device you're carrying; the room becomes yours. That includes everything in it, from the additional jumpsuit to the two extra sets of underwear. In some quarters, you may find remnants of whoever was here before you: a book on the nightstand, a coffee mug still on the table, a lonely sock on the floor.

A look around the shared areas will reveal the bar, some of its bottles already open, the mess hall, observation deck and the gym area with its dirty pool. An even closer look around these areas might reveal basic first aid kits as well as basic tool kits and fire extinguishers. The kits are located near the fire extinguishers in compartments in the wall that are not immediately visible. Hopefully, nothing's on fire and no one needs first aid... but that tool kit might come in handy.

Every now and then, as you explore, you might find yourself standing before a door that is locked. Try as you might, you will not be able to get it open.

( ♪ )

( OOC: What items characters find of those who were there before them is up to players, but please limit it to a single item that is mundane and somewhat useless in nature. )

( 0 0 3 ) HAVE A BITE

Sooner or later, all characters will have to make their way to the mess hall if they want to eat. In the mess hall, here are a number of replicator-like devices that sometimes work and sometimes don't— but after a recent malfunction that some characters may have noticed, they seem to work just fine... or at least as well as ever: nothing is particularly palatable, but at least it's nourishment, right?

So why not sit down at a table, whether it's already occupied or not, and have a meal. Maybe use it as an opportunity to introduce yourself, or just to complain about what passes for coffee around here.

And if coffee isn't your preferred beverage, well. There's always the bar.

( ♪ )

( 0 0 4 ) NOISES IN THE WALLS

For some, it's been over a week on the station. For others, merely a day or two. For all, things are starting to change: maybe you were asleep or maybe you weren't, but surely the scream that reverberates through the station will startle you. Was it human? Whatever it was, it seems to be coming from the walls of the station. Banging, clanging, then more screams.

Are you going to chase the sounds? Hide away from them? Try to investigate?

If you follow the sound of screams through the station's corridors and halls, you might feel someone - or was it something? - grab you from behind and pull hard. But when you turn around or turn your head if you've fallen, there's nothing and no one there. If you investigate and perhaps put your ear to a wall to see if the noises really come from there, or bang on the wall, you might hear something other than screams and clanging. Strain your ears and you might hear nothing at all — or you might be able to make out a soft "help me". It's barely above a whisper. Did it sound familiar? If you try to take apart the wall, two things will happen: you'll feel uncharacteristically weak and lethargic all of the sudden, and you'll find nothing at all but wiring and more metal.

Whatever you do, you'll find that the noises stop after a while, with no discernible source other than "the walls". And then hours later, they'll start again. Stop again. Start again a day later— and then stop for good.

( ♪ )

( O O C ) ACTIONS

Hello Reverie Terminal Operators! Welcome to our inaugural event. We hope you'll enjoy it!

To help exploration and interaction with the station, we have put together ten (10) 'actions' that you can request. These actions range from very minor, such as receiving a small piece of information about the station, to major, which may be a more vital piece of information or something far less pleasant, and are completely opt-in. These actions can help get your character involved in the plot, jump into the plot and its mysteries, and have more of a personal prompt to jump off of if you so wish.

Please note if you would avoid particular kinds of consequences (for example, if you'd rather your character not be injured), and we'll try to accommodate that, but please be aware that heavy themes are in play and the actions may feature body horror, injury and hallucinations.

If you'd like to receive an action, please reply to this comment with the following:

In the future, actions such as these may be "bought" with bonus AC.

Please use content warning in your top-levels wherever necessary.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[She's expecting the smugness. Maybe she's even invited it with her initial remark. The apology he gives her isn't expected though, and she can't hide the look of surprise on her face. He's never just openly apologized to her before, and she doesn't know what to do with it at first. Especially not after the day they've just had.

The day he's apparently claiming full responsibility for.]

The door wasn't your fault.

[Her eyes stay focused on him, watching him closely as she keeps her distance. There's a slight wince as her arms fold against one another across her chest, but she tries not to let it show.]

And I probably shouldn't have been so angry after you didn't show up for breakfast. I went from thinking you had been sucked out of an airlock to assuming you had intentionally left me there alone.

[ it wasn't his fault, and he knew that already. but frank castle will find a way to blame himself for anything that happens, especially to her. still, a measure of tension releases from his frame and he nods to accept facts. ]

It happened so fast...

[ he doesn't have to tell her. she was there and it was terrifying. but he's quick to shake his head at her dismissal about breakfast. ]

Still. I didn't have to be such a dick about it. [ he looks down at the floor, his right hand coming up to scratch at his left arm. the original dressings hawkeye wrapped are still on his left hand, but on his right (worse off) hand the bandages are gone and instead is just a piece of cloth wrapped around and taped, blood already seeping through. ]

Yeah.

[That single word can go for both the fact that the door situation happened so fast and that he shouldn't have been such a dick. There's a smile that comes after she says it, her version of relenting and accepting the apology.

As she looks him over her eyes catch sight of that red on his right hand, and she steps in closer with concern as she tries to take hold of his hand so she can raise it and look it over. He's hurt because of her, and she's guilty for that. But if she brings it up, he's liable to get gruff because the situation was neither of their fault. Just a freak accident.]

I don't want to take a hint. [She's soft as she speaks, thoughtful in her remembrance of their argument. The fact that he's come here to apologize at all leads her to believe that none of what he said should be taken to heart. But she wants to address that particular issue.]

I want to be in your life. And not just when we're in trouble.

[ he lets her take his hand, his gaze careening into hers before he can hold it back. there's a lot in there for her to parse through: guilt, fear, relief. there's still very much a part of him that wants to run away when she starts talking like that, but there are only what? seventy people here, maybe? and everyone knows they know each other now thanks to their scene. slowly, frank finds himself doing his own relenting with a steady bob of his head. ]

Okay, Karen. You win. [ isn't that what she's always after? ]

[Somehow, his reactions can occasionally surprise her. She knows him better than most people, but he manages to sneak in responses that throw her for a loop. This is one of those times, where her eyebrows knit together as she glances up in momentary confusion.

What is she winning here?]

Look at me.

[She urges him, gently guiding his injured and lightly bandaged hand toward her mouth so she can press her lips against his palm. Words come easy to her, but he manages to make her feel like nothing she says is right. His apologizing is a lot for him, she knows. And she doesn't want to push him away after he's made himself vulnerable.]

It's not about winning. I don't even know what I'm supposed to be winning right now.

[ his eyes widen when she kisses his hand, muscles stiffening reflexively though he doesn't pull away. honestly even that soft brush hurts, but it's never been the pain that keeps him down. not physically. he holds her eyes when she commands him to, though it's a struggle for his own gaze not to skitter off again. he's making an effort, that much should be obvious. ]

I'm -- look. I'm just saying you were right. We should stick together.

[If this moment didn't have a serious amount of gravity pulling her back into his orbit, she'd be a little amused that he's finally admitting she's right. The effort he's making is clear to her, and she steps back in close as her hand finally lets go of his.]

Does that mean you're going to tell me where you're staying?

[The corner of her lip turns upward. It's a joke. An attempt to lighten the mood.]

[ she lets go of his hand and it falls ineffectually to his side, but he's leaning closer too as if pulled by an invisible string. ]

That's still need-to-know. [ but he's joking too, or at least as close as he ever gets. with his left hand, frank pulls his comms device out of his pocket and shrugs a shoulder. ] I'll do you one better, huh?

[ he connects to the network when before he'd been too paranoid to even try. then he searches her username and sends her a ping. ]

castle to page - do you copy?

[ it comes from the username "castiglione" and he offers up a soft smile. ]

How's that? As good as roses?

[There's a soft laugh as she feels her device vibrate, and she takes a second to type out a response before saying anything out loud. She waits until sending before glancing his way, both eyebrows arched in her amusement.]

loud and clear, castiglione

[All the warmth that she's been lacking since this morning is back, sunshine radiating off of her once again. Without even really realizing it, she steps in closer to him. She's directly in his personal space now.]

It might even be better than roses.

You forgot to say 'over.'

[ he points out before pocketing his device again. there, now she has a reliable way of getting a hold of him though honestly the way things are going all she really has to do is go to the bar to find him. still. and now she is... really, really super close. frank swallows, a bit of fear creeping back into his gaze. ]

No windows to put 'em in anyway, right? [ and if his voice tremors a little, well. it's certainly not because if he leaned in even another inch their noses would brush. on some level, he knows he could just back up, but he feels frozen to the spot. not cornered, but still stuck, at least in some way. ]

[Her head ducks for a second, and she exhales softly.] I'll remember it next time.

[It's a promise. Her head lifts and she's leaning in that extra inch, which causes their noses to brush against one another. It's basically the same as forehead touching, isn't it?

Not exactly.

This feels more intimate somehow. Her hand rises up to just barely touch at his arm.]

I'm sorry.

[For pushing him into a fight earlier. For getting her arms stuck in a door. For being a general pain in his ass. And since this is already awkward, she uses her hold on his arm to pull herself in for a hug. She could really use one right about now.]

Holding you to that.

[ his voice sounds distant and maybe a little tinny, his lips parting in shock when their faces actually touch even if it hadn't been so much of a stretch at all. his eyes cross briefly too as they try to reconcile the sudden shift in distance. it's almost a relief when she pulls him in for that hug because his nerves were going haywire anyway. and he's getting used to karen hugging him, even if he still finds it strange she even wants to.

it only takes a second this time for him to hug back, careful to hold on with his left hand. he's gotten enough of his blood on her for one day. ]

Don't-- you're okay. [ and that's all he's ever cared about since the very first time they met. ] Save it for when you really screw up. [ it's a joKE KAREN!! his bandaged hand rubs over her back and his cheek settles against her throat as he shuts his eyes and fully relaxes into the embrace. ]

[O-oh. He's rubbing her back. Typically she might pull out of the hug by now, but after the hellish day they've had she lets herself cling. There's a laugh spared at his attempt at a joke, but since they both know she's going to really fuck up at some point it's not as funny as he probably intends it to be.

One of her hands comes up to press against the back of his head, her other arm tightening around him. The odds of the both of them being sent to a place like this at the same time are so slim, she's incredibly grateful to have him. Maybe she hasn't been great at showing that until now.

Her head turns, ducking enough that she can press a kiss to whatever part of his head she can reach. It's a simple affection, but one that's heartfelt.]

Why were you so worried about people realizing we know each other? No one here knows who you are, or what happened to you back home.

[ for once, maybe it's okay if they both cling a little. though the kiss takes him completely off-guard, remembering the kiss to his palm moments earlier. he's trying not to think about any of it. just move forward, but she's making that exceedingly difficult now. then again, she wouldn't be karen page if she didn't make his life hell, and that's thought with an equal amount of affection as she's (perplexingly) displaying. ]

You don't know that, Karen. We're from the same place. There could be more from there. [ and his priorities haven't changed, even in space. he speaks close to her ear now, reluctant to pull away though he knows he should. ] You always insist on walking too close to the flame.

[ something he admires and finds infuriating all at once. ] Cat's outta that bag anyway. [ thanks to approximately a shitfuckton of space booze. thanks, space booze. ]

[No, she doesn't know anything for sure. Especially not anything that might happen here. She's at a loss when it comes to figuring things out and finding a way home, and she's frustrated with herself even though they haven't been here that long yet.]

I walk close because I don't mind being burned. I'd rather end up hurt than never being able to be close enough to feel the warmth at all.

[Specifically, she means the warmth that comes to her when she's with him. Knowing him has changed her as a person, and even if he doesn't think he's capable of bringing out the best in someone he always does with her. So the fact that people know they're close doesn't bother her too much. It just seems like a natural progression in their friendship, or whatever this is.

Her hand drops away from his head, hanging uselessly at her side. Neither of them seem to be pulling away, so she has no problem standing there like this.]

[ the warmth. it gets a tiny sound of disapproval as he forces himself to back off once he senses she isn't pulling away this time. suddenly their faces are too close again and he looks down sharply, hands gripping her arms gently. as much to keep her at arm's length as it is to keep from moving away entirely. ]

I mind you being burned. Okay? [ so maybe she should listen to him next time and not go through weird doors, etc. ]

[She doesn't try to move away, although she thinks that it would be better for him if she did. With his holding her in place though, it doesn't feel as pressing to give him that space.]

Okay.

[She softly agrees, giving the smallest nod of her head.]

I'll try to be more careful.

[ that gets a shadowy smile and frank finally takes a shuffling step away from her, her arms dropping from his grasp. ]

Karen Page doesn't do careful. But thanks for having the decency to lie to me.

I said I'd try. Not that I'd be successful.

[It's pointed out with a curve of her lips, as a sense of lightness takes over her. She may be far from home in an unknown place, but at least she has Frank here with her. Things may have gotten off to a bumpy start for them, but she thinks that maybe this conversation has put them in a good place to be on the same page from here on out.]

That's more like it. [ his voice is impossibly soft now, nearly a raspy whisper. frank shakes his head. ] I should probably... [ get the fuck out of here?? yeah, that. ]

Yeah. [She agrees, without realizing what he's even saying. When she does, she smiles, reaching up to tuck hair behind her ear.]

You don't have to. But if you want to, I'll see you around.

[She's not about to trap him into another meal anytime soon. She'll wait for him to invite her to meet.]

[ you don't have to. he spares her the argument, just this once. ]

See you around, Karen. [ he repeats and nods. hopefully she won't think he's dead next time he's hungover. which will probably be soon fyi. his eyes dart this way and that, and he leans in closer like he's going to - what? but then just meets her eyes and nods again. he's gone... and slowly he backs away until his back hits the doorjamb. and then he's out and down the corridor before it can shut behind him. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

( 0 0 1 » ENSEMBLE ) welcome to the inaugural log

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