❪ test drive: #2 ❫ THE OVERFLOW

[natha]

ORIGINAL POST

THE PROLOGUE     Many people in stasis seem to be medically sound enough to wake up, brother. Are the preparations ready to go? Yes, I've long prepared myself for this. Watching them everyday has been truly rewarding. ... Right. Yeah. Okay, let's get them ready to wake up. We should keep their minds active to ease the transition into consciousness. A simple VR program should do the trick, I think. I will boot one immediately. There! All systems are green. Their consciousnesses are linked. However, their minds appear to be too active... They may be over-stimulated, brother. Huh? How can that be...? Can we pull them out safely? Not from my end, no. This may be too large for us to fix alone. Do you think...? Yes, I think so... It will have to be done organically. Can you send out a message to our refugees? Of course, brother. I will send one swiftly. We must be sure to fix this before Darma returns. There is urgency in the Orbiters' request. Refugees currently in El Nysa are asked via mass message to please return to Thesa Station virtual reality area immediately. Zasere tells them that the next set of Refugees are scheduled to wake, but there's been an issue. On Thesa, refugees will find that the people in stasis are still apparently trapped in slumber. Most of them are complete strangers, but there's a chance you may recognize a familiar face or two. Normally, these people would wake up from their pods without issue, but due to a malfunction caused by the unforeseen force during The Descent, they have to go through extra measures to make this possible. Those in slumber require extra stimulation, something to keep their minds active. What better than a simulation of an area of El Nysa? Keeping their minds active requires an extremely involved simulation. Those subjected to the VR (prospective characters) will find themselves completely immersed in their new environment, believing themselves to be native Olympians. To wake up from the simulation, characters must work together to accomplish a certain objective(s) in the icy tundra. Characters in-game will be aware that this is a simulation, but this is good practice for properly interacting with El Nysa natives, isn't it? An AC-length log thread on this TDM may be submitted for Two (2) Natha REP points HERE. Please read the OOC note at the bottom of this post for the terms. PROMPT: WINTER CAME     The wind in the icy wasteland is bitter and frigid. You are wrapped up in a winter coat, but even still, the cold bites at your skin and leaves you yearning for a warm fire. Perhaps you're a merchant from the city, here to make a delivery, or you're a royal guard, sent to patrol the area. Who are you? The sky is the limit. One thing is certain — you won't snap out of your new identity until you finish a task. 1. Due to the vast diversity of the creatures on El Nysa and the fact that new ones are constantly being discovered, an important objective is to carefully chronicle different species. Unfortunately, to research these new species, they happen to need more than just a visual. More than just fleeting glances in over a snowy hill. Researchers are constantly looking for ways to secure... You guessed it! Blood and stool samples. The supplies for the former will be given. Supplies are offered in a small box; one per person. In this box is a small dart that will automatically procure a small touch of blood, and easily shaken off so the creature will be able to securely escape. As for the latter— well, they'll give you a plastic bag if that counts. Look, sometimes to get a job done, you have to get your hands dirty. Specifically, they seek samples from a newly recorded rare beast known as a Klep. Kleps spend much of their time hidden in caves, so hitting them with the darts will be tricky. They are also nocturnal, but you may be able to lure them out of the cave with fish as bait. When struck with a dart, you must grab the dart and escape immediately, as they will charge you, and killing such an endangered species is illegal. As for stool samples, well... Once you find a pile, you will have plenty of sample to work with. 2. It's cold, to say the least. Too cold to continue forward. Whatever you were doing, you must stop and seek shelter. Looks like your goal is clear, at least. Get warm. Not finding a way to sustain heat, whether it be seeking shelter, building a fire, cuddling up, or all of the above, will likely end in serious consequences. 3. You are stuck in a dilemma. On one hand, you are set to work for Olympia. One the other, you're not completely sure what is really expected of you, or who the man who gave you this mission truly is. You and your partner are meant to protect precious trade cargo for them. You were told that these were essential supplies for one of the outer colonies. They assured you it was mostly food. In loading the cargo onto the supplied wagon with your partner, however, you noticed something inherently off about it. The weight and even the sounds of some of the contents inside definitely don't sound like food. Moreover, some boxes are more obviously more concealed— draped in black sheets and reinforced on all sides. You've also caught wind of rumors that you are potentially being utilized to supply advanced weapons and other contraband to Wyver terrorists in the colonies. But what do you do? Refuse to make the delivery, and people in the colony will surely starve. Try to remove the weapons and only deliver the food, and you will be killed on sight for being too suspicious. Make the delivery as-is, and not only will Olympians die at the hands of terrorists in the future, but you will betray your country. Decide quickly... 4. There are many dangers associated with traveling in such an isolated, harsh environment. You must help each other to survive. Perhaps someone has fallen on thin ice, and requires a rescue. Maybe someone is on the brink of starvation, and you must share what provisions you have. When you come to, you will awaken in Thesa Station. All will be explained to you by Zasere or Sael via telepathic link. Your world is no more. The Storm has consumed it. We offer proof in the Observation Deck if you desire it, but it won't be an easy thing to stomach. We offer you a new life, in our planet of El Nysa. We just ask for your help in maintaining the vitality of El Nysa. What can we offer you in exchange for your help? PROMPT: STASIS UNIT     You have found the massive section of Thesa known as the Stasis Unit. There’s no special access required to access this part of Thesa Station, but refugees are warned that it may not be for the faint of heart. Here, in large pods that nearly cover every square inch of the space, are all of the people the Orbiters have managed to rescue. Your loved ones, your greatest enemy, your next door neighbor— you might find them here. These people are in a state of deep cryosleep. Due to the damaging effects of The Storm, their bodies are not yet ready to be awoken. PROMPT: GET REKT     The Orbiters have noticed that some of the refugees really miss their video games. The technology in El Nysa could be much worse, but it definitely leaves much to be desired. Which is why, after expressing relief that everyone awoke safely, the Orbiters have decided to provide a little fun in the form of video game competitions. Anything from old-timey arcade machines to state-of-the-art computers, consoles, and VR headsets (though you may be a little tired of VR right now...) is available, and yes, they have your favorite games! Enjoy PAC-MAN, Starcraft 2, or perhaps Dance Dance Revolution! Teach a friend how to play. Get unnecessarily angry and competitive. Most importantly, have fun. Keep fourthwalling to a minimum, please. Recommended playing: QWOP PROMPT: OMAGE     Upon receiving your mobile phone, you will be asked to set a username. Voila, you can now access the network! You can choose to send a message to the entire network, specific usernames, or you can try out the Orbiters’ service, Omage, which connects you to a random user. They thought this might be a good way for their new guests to make friends with each other... Connecting to server... Looking for someone you can chat with... You’re now chatting with [username]... Say hi! PROMPT: WILDCARD     You are welcome to write any scenarios in Thesa Station! Characters have been granted temporary access to the Observation Room, and are encouraged to study it carefully. FINAL OOC NOTE     Please give toplevel priority to prospective characters! Current characters wishing to thread these scenarios with other current characters are encouraged to create separate logs. However, threads between 2 current characters are not eligible for Natha Orbiter REP. These threads may be carried over as game canon if players choose! Players are encouraged to submit TDM threads as application samples, but they are not required. Please direct any OOC questions to the questions thread below! A TDM thread of AC length may be submitted HERE for 2 NATHA ORBITER REPUTATION POINTS. Current players may submit their thread at any time, and prospective players may submit a thread after acceptance. Please note that threads must contain at least five (5) log comments from your character. A toplevel counts as a comment. Network threads are not eligible. QUICK NAV premise ● faq ● world ● map ● reputation ● npcs taken ● reserves ● application calendar ● hiatus/drops ● modbox [ FULL NAVIGATION ] elnysa nysalogs nysaisles nysaooc elnyan

Comments

[crushingly]

[Is that a banana or....]

This is a normal sleeping pose.

[Err...kinda. As normal as it's gonna get? He's settling once more, following the trend Mephisto's setting. There's something almost doglike about him, for what it's worth. Kinda makes it triflin' to fuss about things too much.

Any further than he already has, at least.]

[meinwaifu]

[ ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ]

Yes, yes, I'm sure it's normal for someone...

[With a condescending pat on the head.]

[But strangely enough, be it because of the comforting warmth of the body on top of him or from the VR scenario still influencing his mind, unless Amaimon has anything more to say, Mephisto is actually going to fall asleep!]

[lifespanned]

[ Oh. She hadn't thought of how that might come across, so she just purses her lips, eyes wide. ]

Not good for me but maybe for you! Misa has to be careful about what she eats. [ That's the life of a model for you. She doesn't care if her modelling career is over on her home planet, there's probably work somewhere for her - and if that's the case, then she must keep her image up. At least the color of the other's bowl of slop is more appealing. ] It even matches your hair!

[ Just by glancing at the other's head, she can recognize that this person is non-human through the lack of name and lifespan floating above, but she has resolve to keep her abilities under wraps. Instead, she makes no effort to stop her sudden curiosity about the hairstyle itself, and gestures to it. ]

Which, by the way, looks pretty hard to dye and style. So cool!

[latkje]

It's Nash.

[ No last name, only a shrug and a lazy smile. He looks at her, and then past her, towards the stars. ]

My mother taught me manners, but sometimes, milady Crownguard, I think it pays to be rude.

[heraldsdawn]

[ The wink gets something of a bashful grin out of him before he turns back to the trail ahead.

If only he could really get into it here in this simulation. Sadly, that was going to have to wait. ]

Honestly? I needed to get out of there. I'm still getting use to the city experience. Was kind of a nomad with my clan awhile back.

[ He stretches a bit, breathing in the cold air. His posture becoming more relaxed now that they were moving once more. ]

Fresh air would do me some good even if it's for shit samples.

Though I'd have preferred somewhere warmer. Maybe with fruity drinks.

[lifespanned]

Aww, I guess you're right...

[ She pouts a little, but there's no real irritation coming from her - just a change in her posture as she comes to rest her chin on her palm and use her other hand to pick at the bowl in front of her. Misa supposes she can't really expect someone to just fork over their stuff for her's, but it was worth a shot considering her charms have tended to go a long way. ]

You have a lot of different stuff though! Maybe you could tell me which of these tastes okay so I know what to ask for?

[ Her voice's tone rises a bit cutely at the end of her question out of natural habit, definitely wanting a response so she wouldn't have to eat through a bunch of things to find something suitable. ]

[pricechecked]

[Victarion has never had his views on women challenged before (at least not by anyone he was listening to at the time), so this comes to him as a bit of a surprise. He really doesn't even know what she's getting at. What does she mean that his views on women are underwhelming? He'd rescued women destined to be whores and gave them to his men so they could live honest lives as salt wives. He'd always treated his own wives kindly, even if Euron had left him no choice but to kill his last one. And the Dusky Woman never had any cause to complain.

No, this was going to stump him. Where had she gotten the idea that his views of women were not anything other than they should be?]

What would I have of you? I'd have you. We would share my bed and you would give me many strong sons.

[Which is a pretty big deal. Not just any woman gets to have Victarion's sons!]

[worldlyafflictions]

Olympia... Yeah, [that definitely sounds familiar.] I guess I could see how that coulda caused problems...

[Sounds like something he'd have to ask around about, though. He's not sure if Mephisto is just using this situation with Izumo to get him to do some legwork but SEEMS LIKELY...]

[meinwaifu]

[Mephisto? Forcing his underlings to do his work for him? Nonsense!]

Ah, incidentally, I also ran into Amaimon while I was still asleep! But either he didn't wake up at the same time as I did, or his stasis pod was simply too far away from mine.

[This is probably important information he should have shared before walking with Shima deeper into the Stasis Unit?? Oops. :') ]

[rhygret]

[ marry him ]

Mar-- [ EXCUSE HIM, HIS VOICE JUST CRACKED. ] --In the market. Trading and selling, f-figuring out what's worth money now that Eridium's not a thing anymore...

[immeasurably]

David. [ It's much needed, that laugh. Some of that earlier tension unwinding. ]

Nice to meet you, Cass.

[latkje]

At the center of the city where I grew up— [ Could he honestly call it home, now? Could he have honestly called it home before? ] there was a temple. The priests there collected every book they could find— some said any book they could ever find, into a great library. They kept it open to the public, so it was always full of ambitious scholars and impatient students.

[ A pause. ]

I don't mean to prattle on, though. It seemed a fair trade— like for like.

[wallofbriggs]

[Oh is the hothouse flower going to wilt in the snow? There was a reason she insisted the exercises between Briggs and East were in her territory.

But that wasn't the point here. Frozen or not shit is shit. It wasn't going to be some delicate little pile from the description of the animal either so, it would be enough that he'd be the one dealing with it.]

And just how much experience do you have tracking anything in a frozen wasteland? Unless you think you could do a better job.

[She actually breaks out laughing at that before starting to walk in the direction they'd been pointed for their prey.]

[crushingly]

[What are even these implications when HE was the one beckoned over here....smh.

If the angle were better, he may've tried to bite him. Lucky for Mephisto, he's found a warm spot at the bend of his shoulder and isn't so inspired to move from it. It takes a bit, but, he does eventually drift off just as well. What the heck.


END SCENE.]

[fakers]

[ ever since arriving on nysa, archer has told himself he doesn't require a master. he can sustain himself. and while that has proven true up until now, he's begun to hit his limits all the same. though he may not like it or understand it, this woman's mana is exceptional: while she hardly seems a proper magus, she has magical energy in no short supply. and as crude as this way of transferring mana may be, it is restoring his power, bringing back feeling in magic circuits that had already been starting to fail him.

it's going to suck when he wakes up from vr and realizes he's at like 1/999 mp again. ]

I'll try not to. [ somehow, he's pretty sure it's impossible to entirely satisfy her. not that he won't try.

while he may be doing his best to act like he's not enjoying this, it's getting harder to convince himself that he isn't on some level. he couldn't stop himself now even if he wanted to; he's entirely lost control of this situation. every time their hips meet his mask slips further, especially as she gets more into the act herself. the more she shows she's enjoying this, the more his body instinctively reacts to confirm the same.

when she lets go of his neck, he glances at her a bit quizzically. as absurd as it may be, he actually finds himself missing that lingering contact. instead, he gets a good look at the smirk on her face, taunting him as if to say this still isn't enough for her. ]

At the very least, save your comments for afterwards.

[ she can complain all she wants once they're done and have survived this. for a good while he allows her to take control, doing nothing but matching her frenzied pace. it's easy enough to tell what she's doing - she wants him to give in first, as if she's proving a point she's been trying to make all along.

and as irritating as that may be, it's working. bravado aside, he can already begin to feel himself overflowing, reaching his limits. he actually tries to slow their pace for a moment to catch his breath, only to find zero has no intent of letting him do just that. so he rethinks his approach entirely, deciding to simply go all out. his own pace intensifies, his thrusts beginning to lose any sense of rhythm in favor of simply moving in and out as quickly as he can. he knows he won't last, but he'll at least take her as far as he can before he gives out. ]

[crushingly]

[Huh, okay. It still sounds like she's trying to sabotage him. Maybe in a less-threatening way than initially thought, but still.]

You really want this?

[He jiggles the bowl, pinching the rim between his thumb and forefinger. He's had his mouth in it...

It's probably fine. Especially considering how not-fixated she is on his germs and cross-contamination and just how fixated she is on his appearance. His hair, specifically. He's consistent in regarding her with a deadpan expression, fascinating as she may be.]

It's not like I do either of those things, try to pay attention.

[shashka]

[ he laughs at that. ]

Maybe I do.

[ a pause ]

Or maybe, I just missed the food from my homeland. The rations here are almost... edible.

[ but the truth of the matter is that he's always been trying to outdo someone. even if they weren't awake right now. ]

[meinwaifu]

[.....AND START SCENE: ACT TWO because they just completed their "mission". Which means waking up!]

[But rather than waking up in the strange embrace of a young man he just so happened to be traveling with on Nysa, Mephisto is greeted to the bizarre scenery of Thesa Station, the seemingly unbelievable words of the Natha Orbiters still ringing in his head, and the grim realization that their world is gone. Those dark clouds that had fallen over Assiah... was there really nothing they could have done?]

[But he knows he saw Amaimon in there. Was that just part of the dream as well...?]




[He sure hopes not, because he feels an unbelievably strong urge to wring his little neck. Had he always been such a brat?? Well, now is as good a time as any to check, even if he has to pace this entire goddamn station to find him.]

[Watch out Amaimon he's coming 4 u.]

[kaleorbekaled]

[Kale smiles at that much more reasonable suggestion. Although the only problem is that she has no idea what the other girl likes, and everyone likes different things.]

M-maybe I can put a tiny bit of each thing on your tray and you can see what you like?

[There's enough on her tray that a little of each thing would at least satisfy the appetite of a normal human girl Misa's size, if not be somewhat filling, but Kale has never sat down for a meal with humans before. She doesn't have a good point of reference for what's normal for them.]

[kyosu]

That's really bad. I hope you find a way to heal you though.

I suppose one makes the other easier to understand.

[kyosu]

How so?

It would seem to be the case. I'm Matou Sakura, it's nice to meet you.

[worldlyafflictions]

[Groans!] --That guy!

Oh yeah, I never got ta ask before the world ended but what were ya thinking making that guy sign up for classes!? Weren't ya even slightly concerned he'd lose it an start a fight with Okumura-kun??

[honesthearts]

I would say anyone who lies to use you for their means isn't worth just scaring off. When someone does something wrong, a proper lesson should be taught. One that can be remembered.

[A familiar memory tugs at his thoughts -- men dressed in brown garbs, begging for their lives -- but it doesn't feel real or his. Strange.]

Sometimes the one who remembers are the witnesses.

[punshots]

culture shock, i guess?
the folks down in Olympia don't have any idea any of this otherworld-y stuff is going on
they just think we're refugees coming from elsewhere on the planet.

[ Which isn't the most convenient thing, especially since most of them had to fudge their qualifications for jobs. It's fine. ]

[meinwaifu]

[Idk man go ask Kato-sensei--]

Hmm? Why, I didn't make him do anything. He was simply interested in experiencing the student lifestyle firsthand!

[Absolutely nothing in Mephisto's tone makes him sound the least bit convincing right now -- if there was a reason behind it, he's not telling Shima.]

But he's had plenty of time to cool his head by now... ah, unless he's been similarly affected just as Kamiki-san has been. My, that would a disaster just waiting to happen!

[HE SOUNDS TOO EXCITED ABOUT THIS]