❪ 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

[figureitout]

Okay, [ comes the response as he nods... only to freeze as she seems to actually. you know, just go for it without a sensible plan of any kind.

which is why his eyes widen and he takes a step closer, exclaiming, ]

Oh my god, hey, wait a second —

[ only he's too late, she's already running... and smashing into the pod. Stiles watches her stumble back with a grimace, stepping closer to stop her from falling over entirely. ]

Probably something like bulletproof glass, definitely not something you can just run through. [ p l e a s e.

also — ] Wait, who said that?

[cykedelic]

[ Maybe she should have put more thought into it, but given that she can probably run a door through if she truly wanted to... here we are. He's too slow to stop her, but he does at least help when she falls back, clutching her head on the side her arm bashed into the pod and her head hit it too. ]

Well...! I just thought I'd... give it a go, y'know. Test how strong it really is!

[ She gives her head another small rub. ] Who said what?

[figureitout]

By running into it? [ he lifts his free hand and slams it against his forehead. he's been talking to this weird girl for, what, a minute now and he's already feeling a headache coming on. ]

Okay, from now on: maybe don't run straight into possibly made-of-stronger-stuff-than-steel anythings. Do I need to drag you to get medical assistance? [ and then, after a pause, ] Uh, never mind, I might have hallucinated it. It just sounded like a different voice than yours, but... I'll worry about that later. Now, look here: how many fingers am I holding up?

[ three. it's three. ]

[cykedelic]

[ Don't you facepalm in front of her...! Though she does, thankfully, concede that it was a bit of a dumb idea. ]

I'll think about it. [ She shifts her weight then, rebalancing herself to stand up properly. ] There are three fingers, right? I'm not blind. Though if I want those free lunches... I'm going to have to think of another way in, huh?

[figureitout]

Blindness and concussion aren't exactly the same thing...

[ but whatever, apparently that doesn't seem to worry her too much. and maybe as such it shouldn't worry him too much either. ]

... you really want those free lunches. [ his tone seems to be a mix of resignation, amusement and bemusement all at once. ] Uh, okay, how about another deal? You don't break any more bones and I'll treat you to one lunch. [ why is he even doing this... oh, wait, because her potential concussion would have been 200% his fault. that's why. ]

[cykedelic]

I know that. Though they often go hand in hand... if you're dizzy, you can't see straight.

[ She is however surprised that he's offering a lunch for free on a deal like that. A side glance at the pod has her considering it, and given the weight behind it, it's hard to believe a regular shove or punch will get anyone out of there. ]

Perfecto! As it happens, I'm hungry right now. Let's go, then.

[figureitout]

That........ is a good point.

[ dammit, apparently she does know what she's talking about — a fact that is slightly strange, considering she did just run full speed at an indestructible pod. ]

Of course you're hungry right now. I'm not even surprised, and I've known you for, what, two minutes, now? [ why is this his life. why.

he does start walking towards the exit, though... ] Since we're apparently having lunch together, might as well ask — what's your name?

[cykedelic]

A good of a point as the end of a pencil, even!

[ Though she is smart on those grounds, okay? It just so happens that she doesn't always think things through. ]

What's wrong with being hungry, it's almost lunch isn't it? [ She doubles her steps to catch up with him, taking the door after. ] I'm Athena Cykes, defense attorney from the Wright Anything Agency! What about you?

[figureitout]

[ he just gives her A Look at that, a what-even-was-that-crappy-metaphor without words, before she falls into step with him and he actually focuses on the chipper introduction.

(he's starting to be fairly sure everything she does is chipper.) ]

Defense attorney? Huh. That's actually pretty cool. [ though what the hell kind of a name is "Wright Anything Agency"?? a question to be asked at another time, probably. ] I'm Stiles. Stiles Stilinski, uh... I was going to be a detective after graduating high school, but guess those plans are indefinitely on hold.

[ what was that about chipper..... apparently someone had to do something about all this cheerfulness. ]

[cykedelic]

[ What is wrong with that metaphor? Excuse you. Though at least he's commenting on her job with a positive remark - the rest of it takes a sudden downturn mind you. ]

You didn't get to fininsh high school? [ She considers something for a moment, hearing the way his mood plummets sinks her own stomach. It hurts. ]

That doesn't mean you can't try to do that here. I'll even give you a hand if you want. I've met plenty of detectives, after all! Though... Not all of them were nice people.

[ At that her smile turns into a slight grimace, but she's trying to lift the mood again. ]

[figureitout]

You would? [ with genuine surprise, like he's not quite sure of what he's hearing. ] Wait, you have?

[ let's focus on that instead — it is better than talking about his school, his home, everything he never got to do... or the fact that Athena is apparently all willing to help a guy she just met five minutes prior. it's the kind of uninhibited friendliness that both throws him and makes him suspicious, like it is hard for him to understand someone truly being that helpful right out of the bat.

(Scott would be disappointed, he knows it. but he's never been trusting like Scott, he's never been able to, because someone's had to be the one who distrusts people.) ]

I mean... I guess you would have, being a lawyer. [ then, after a pause, he smiles wryly. ] Most people aren't nice people, deep down. Not everyone becomes a detective because they want to help people, or find the truth. [ there's an undercurrent of unlike me, unsaid but there nonetheless. not that he's a nice person... but he does want to help people. he does want to find the truth. ]

[cykedelic]

I'm only 19, but I got my attorney's badge when I was 18. [ She pauses, giving him a tiny smile. It's a little more genuine this time. ] It was easier to work hard for it with the right encouragement.

[ Aka when a close friend was very close to being executed. Good times. ]

A lot of people are just simply misled as well, or have had something happen to make them be distrustful. [ She can hear it, after all, in the way he talks about it all. That he's had that kind of experience. ] A lot of times it's understandable, but it can spread when it isn't necessary. [ She pauses. ] Want to talk about it?

[figureitout]

Holy shit, [ he breathes out, eyes wide as if he's seeing her for the first time. becoming an attorney at the age of eighteen... pretty much unheard of. what kind of a genius is she? not even Lydia could have managed that. ]

... that's gotta be some encouragement. [ he's not asking, though. something in her smile tells him that it's nothing nice — nor a conversation for a first meeting. and besides, she keeps talking soon enough, turning the topic over to him, and he's left blinking in confusion. ]

Talk about what? [ is he asking as a diversion, or asking because he truly doesn't know what she means... who knows ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ]

[cykedelic]

[ Athena's mouth twitches at the edges, awkward because while she might praise herself and show it off, it isn't often the same is done in return. ]

Something like that.

[ Though hmm, maybe he isn't aware of it in that case? Which would make this a bit more awkward than she intended. ] Just... the way you spoke about other people, it was almost as if you doubted them - like you find it difficult to trust them. It sounded like you identified with what I said, anyway.

[figureitout]

[ "something like that" — yep, definitely a story there. he commits it to memory, so that if he ever gets the chance... he'll find out how that story goes.

in the meantime, though: her words very nearly make him laugh. it's a close thing, the corners of his mouth tilting up, but it's not a happy smile. it's defensive, it's an armor, it's both justification and explanation at once. ]

That's because I don't. Trust people, I mean.

[ easy as that. ]

[cykedelic]

[ It's a relief he drops it for now - not that it's particularly as hard to talk about anymore, now that everything has been fixed, but it isn't good for a first time conversation.

Not like the conversation she switched it to is any better. The defensiveness, despite him keeping his voice fairly even, seeps through the cracks and makes her wince a little. Her eyes flicker to the side, and it's hard to imagine outside of not having the proof. The auditive evidence of someone lying to you, or even someone who has 0 emotional discord to identify as "untrustworthy". ]

I know. [ She backtracks, takes a deep breath before she tries to explain. ] Um, well I mean... I can tell. I can hear it. [ She reaches up to play with her earring, thinking of how best to explain it. ] You got pretty defensive when talking about people doing something for the wrong motive.

[figureitout]

[ someone else might find her words a lot stranger than Stiles — as it is, he takes her admission of hearing what he feels in stride, simply nodding thoughtfully as though it makes perfect sense. and yeah, maybe she's not a werewolf, or a were-anything, but he'll get into the hows of it later.

now, he focuses on answering her. ] Defensive? ... yeah, I guess I did. [ he breathes out, scratches the back of his neck as he searches for the words. ] It just pisses me off, you know? People deciding they want to be part of the law enforcement for, for glory, or the pay, or they think it's going to make others think better of them. It's not about that, or arresting people because you don't like how they look, or what they said, or — [ he pauses to draw breath, to make his rapid flow of words slow down. ]

It's about helping those who need help... about defending those who can't defend themselves. [ just as Allison's hunter code... that's what being a member of law enforcement should be about. that's what he wants to do with his life. ]

[cykedelic]

[ It's funny how someone what he says, the feelings she can hear behind his words seem similar to someone else she knows. The idea that standing up for what's right comes first and foremost. The fact that he's all about defending those who can't defend for themselves, too, reminds her of Junie and how weak she was in her constitution, yet kept being pulled into situation after situation and Athena wanted to defend her with all her heart.

On top of all that, the whole reason why she even changed her mind to become a lawyer instead. ]

You know... [ Her hands move to press against Widget gently, over her heart as she smiles at him. ] That was it, the reason why I wanted to become a lawyer -- it was to save someone. The way you sound... it sounds like it's a path you're thinking of as well, isn't it?