elnyan | ❪ test drive: #2 ❫ THE OVERFLOW

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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.

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[ the relief washes over him all at once. like passing through a wall, or crashing into a shield. before, was an ever present worry and now he feels nearly twenty pounds lighter.

they'd promised she'd be okay. that she and harry would be sleeping. that, perhaps, they would wake up with him but even if they didn't, they would be okay. it was what got james out and around, the knowledge that it all went alright. that they were safe.

but even with all that - he missed her. just knowing that she wasn't around, wasn't with him, slowed him. weighted on him. and with a single message, he undoubtedly knew. ]

username: PRONGS

yours isn't?

[ it goes unsaid, despite the immediate shift in his direction. wherever it is he was going is no longer important. ]

Shockingly low on the list of concerns, actually.
Almost near the bottom.

[ but while lily is (probably) a more patient person than james is (nearly), she is not going to be patient with the next question: ]

What have you gotten yourself into?

{ read: where are you. ]

love i think we may need to have a talk about proper ways to respond to impossible scenarios

[ that seems like the most definitive stance she could take and james would most certainly agree with her. on whatever it is that they just concluded on.

and then there's that. and of course he's already headed in her direction, even if he has no real way of actually knowing what her direction might be. call it intuition. call it his internal evans compass. whatever it was, he's already moving, which is why the response takes a second. ]

oh
you know
i figured it was bout time for a change
the wallpaper was driving me mad
so i thought
you know what my lovely wife would absolutely adore?
some kind of space age wallpaper!
you were always remarking how dreadful the pattern was
but then i thought- why just decorating? why not just move on up to an actual space vessel?
the perfect halloween surprise, wouldn't you say?
luckily for me there happened to be one open
just waiting around for us to move into

[ there are multiple ways to react to ... that.

on one hand, he is being ridiculous, and he should take this seriously. james should really take a lot of things seriously, and in this moment, lily sort of needs him to take this seriously.

- but it also makes her laugh, which is also sorely needed, and so it sort of evens out in the end. comes out in the wash, so to speak. and she fiddles with the communicator for a moment or two, trying to figure out how to best answer all of this (and, more importantly, figure out where he is). ]

You could have just changed the wallpaper when I asked instead of going to such drastic measures.

[ she'll play along with his joke, for now, because it honestly is making her feel better. and he's obviously fine, if he's being such an idiot. (albeit a loveable idiot). ]

How did you manage to make Star Wars real, then? And when do we wake up?

[ she, unlike james, is staying put. because wandering aimlessly is a bit pointless, and she's attempting to figure out if she can figure out where he is by going through this communicator... phone... thing. (muggle-born or not, this is more than a bit advanced.) ]

[ a part of this whole thing was the fact that james knew, above all else, that lily was worried. the way they got here was anything but normal, the fact they were here at all cause enough for anxiety. he wants to make her smile. he wants to take some of that weight away from her. he wants her to take a second and breathe and focus, instead, on just how ridiculous he is being.

if it helps him relax, too, well. that's just extra. ]

i don't know what you're talking about
drastic measures is my middle name
you should have seen it on the wedding papers
right after 'danger' and before 'dashingly handsome'

[ he does need to find her, and after a moment he pauses - checks some things, actually looks around at his surroundings, then turns and heads back to where he'd first woken up. good starting point, right? ]

i can't reveal my /secrets/ mrs potter
that's not how the magic /works/
you'll just have to be in awe of my incredible power and love me even more

I don't think awe is the right word for what I'm thinking about right now.
Maybe 'ridiculous' or 'silly' or 'testing last nerves.'
Maybe even 'lost and too stubborn to ask for directions.'

[ it's all in jest, though, and lily is itching to just ask him where the nearest landmark is -- but for as much as she (fondly) pokes at james, james is brilliant, and he can manage to find her on his own. surely he's put together where she is right now if he's wandered about and not found her.

-- right?

but while lily knows that james is trying to distract her (and honestly, probably trying to distract himself), she can't stop herself from: ]

James.
Is Harry with you?
The voices -- whatever they are, they told me he was here, but not awake.

as far as i know all of those can also mean awe
though i have to admit that last bit has me worried
am i rubbing off on you after all these years?

[ she doesn't have to see the way he's rushing down halls, turning corners and checking info. this place is massive, and he hasn't been around nearly long enough to get his bearings, let alone find his way. but that doesn't matter nearly as much as the fact it's lily, she's alive, and awake, and whatever else that all means. the worry he'd been carrying has shifted directly to motivation, almost excitement, and when he turns another corner he all but sprints down it.

things are starting to seem familiar, so he has a good hunch he's getting there. the device helps, a little, and he takes off down yet another hall.

the message he gets next, though, causes him a brief moment of pause. just long enough to read it. just long enough to understand what she's saying. ]

no
i thought he'd wake up with you.
they told me he'd be safe - that they'd keep you both safe.
he must still be sleeping, then?

[ she shouldn't have asked that question over text, and let him keep his moment of peace -- focused on finding her, james can at least be content for a little while longer. but when she gets the 'no,' lily has to swallow and pace around the room for a moment.

resisting the urge to go through each and every tube and tear it apart to try and find her son.
]

He must still be sleeping.

[ it's just a repetition of what james had just told her, but it's needed, to remind her that harry is fine. ]

I'm safe, nothing has hurt me.
You don't need to worry.
What's around you, right now?
I can start moving in your direction.

[ it's fine - she's asked and now he knows, and just a bit of that carefree relief curls back to worry. he'd rather have his son, he'd rather have them all, awake and alive and safe, for what he chances is the first time in a few years. it's a little complicated, the way it all whirls up somewhere in his chest, but it doesn't stop him from moving. ]

they said he'd be safe.
just like they said you would.

[ he doesn't know what to say after that. 'we have to trust them'? that doesn't feel quiet right, so he holds it back, choosing instead to push a little faster in his search. running, instead of quickly walking, the device curled tight in his hand.

he feels the messages, but decides he can check them in a few minutes, choosing instead to brush past a small group of people in the halls and turn what he hopes is his last corner (it's not - third to last, yes, but not last.)

it's a few more minutes before he's coming to a stop at the entrance to the giant bay he'd woken up in - hair ruffled and glasses askew from the amount of running he'd been doing. he's breathing hard, but he steps forward anyway, eyes scanning the room for a familiar hair of red. ]

Lily?!

[ when james doesn't respond, lily doesn't text again -- mostly because what james said is the truth, and nothing else needs to be focused on at the moment. they had told lily james was awake here, and he was -- and if they told james the same thing about her (or something close to it), then that's two-for-two in these... things telling the truth.

when james eventually finds lily, she is pacing around the giant bay, with her wand in hand and her device in the other. she's greeted people who stopped her to say hello, kind as always, but terse. distracted, almost, because she's continuing to scan the group of people in order to find james.

she sees him briefly before she hears him -- and lily abruptly leaves whatever person she's talking to to immediately cross the room, and she slips her arms around him in a tight hug without hesitation, burying her face into his chest to take a deep breath.

that's it, for now. just a deep breath, to collect herself and make sure that he's present, and here, and safe. more practically, she should be searching for harry, or figuring out how to leave, or being on guard, but she can take a precious few seconds for comfort. ]

[ it happens simultaneously - the moment he sees her across the room and her moving towards him. he doesn't have to think about the next few steps he makes, only that she is here and she is okay. it's a feeling that is almost foreign, considering their last year or so, but he's glad for it.

her arms go around his middle and his go around her shoulders, pulling her close and tight against his chest. she breathes, and he can feel it. feel her body and hear heartbeat, and he tucks his face into the top of her head and lets a breath of air he hadn't known he'd been holding in, out.

and for a few moments, he just lets it sit there. lets them sit there. no matter how weird this place may be or how strange, he has lily. it'll be fine. but after a few moments, he lets himself smile lightly, his face still buried in her hair. ]

You smell awful. [ no, she doesn't, but whatever chemical they used to keep them asleep must still be around, right? james just needs to say it, to break the tension a bit, but then he squeezes a little tighter just because he can before pulling away to look her over a little better.

the arch to his brow asking more than he says in words. ]

[ as planned, lily huffs a soft laugh into his shirt, and lets james pull away to look her over. knowing full well what he's doing, asking if she's okay. and physically, she seems to be -- no marks or bruises, no new scars. she's perfectly fine. ]

I'm fine. [ it's a quiet reassurance, and she fusses with his shirt a bit to check on him herself. james seems fine, too - so asking is a bit silly.

instead, lily huffs to herself before crossing her arms over her chest, looking -- well, petulantly irritated. ] No one has answered any of my questions. [ it's spoken with the air of a woman who has most definitely demanded answers from people ] All people can tell me is that they'll "wake up soon."

[ he seems calmed by the sight of it. she doesn't look harmed, she says she's unharmed, and as far as james can tell - she's not lying. it lets him relax a little, lets him take another breath and watch her fiddle with his shirt. he is fine, and if she wanted to ask, he'd let her know the same.

but then james lets her step back, lets her cross her arms, and james simply glances past her. to the people she was talking to, to the people still wandering around the room. he doesn't know how he feels about all the other people wandering around, how he feels about the people who are apparently in the same situation as them, but james files that away for later. ]

That's what they told me too. [ he doesn't know how he feels about it, doesn't know what he wants to feel. it's still all a bit ridiculous, still a bit difficult to wrap his head around, but for now? there's a very specific thing he needs to do. ] But they're all kept here, right? That means we should be able to find Harry. [ that's when he looks across the room, the bay, the hundreds of thousands of pods. ] He's here somewhere.

I looked.

[ it's said without much insistence, not being argumentative, but with enough firmness to say that lily potter absolutely tore apart the stasis bay looking for her son. and he wasn't near her.

that isn't to say that he isn't here. james is right - he's here somewhere, but lily doesn't have him here, and she's already feeling the weight in her chest at his absence. . . . but she takes a breath, following james' line of sight, biting her lower lip. panicking won't do anything. neither will being difficult. ]

I don't know where we are, James, and if he . . . [ she doesn't to elaborate. him. ] Have you found any of our friends -- Sirius, Remus, Peter . . . or the rest of the Order? [ that portion is said a little quieter, in a hushed tone ]

[ the way she says those words - the quiet weight attached to them - has james pausing. because on one hand, she looked. and he trusts her, wholly and entirely. if she looked, if she searched, and didn't find him? then he's not here to find, or isn't in this room to be found. but also there's the other hand, the grossly aggressive and stubborn as can be side, where james thinks no, he's here, he has to be and i'm going to find him.

the fight for dominance between the two has him hesitating, tense, as he looks out over her shoulder. if she's already looked, there's no reason that they need to waste more time. they need a better plan, then. a way to search him out. ]

It's some kind of ship. [ he answers, sounding as if that's explanation enough when they both know it isn't. ] Some kind of massive...I don't know. I haven't seen anyone yet. I- [ but then james blinks, remembers the dream. a planet of ice, of cold, of war. remembers screaming and reaching down into freezing water, the effort, pulling. remembers the creaking and popping of ice snapping under his feet. remembers the panicked sprint across the top of it. remembers falling to solid earth, finally, and laughing.

remembers sirius - a sirius, but his sirius. older, frail, different, but sirius black through and through.

james winces, pushing his fingers into his temple. what was that? ]

No. [ it's said with a shake of his head, tired. he doesn't know what's happening, and there is a lot, but it doesn't matter. he takes a breath, drops his hand, and he's ready to go again. ] I haven't found much of anyone, yet. Have you? What did- [ his attention moves back to the people she was talking to before returning to her. ] -the other people you were talking to have to say?

[ she catches that -- the hesitation, the hand to his temple, the wince. but she lets james finish, though she reaches out to catch the hand that touched his temple, to squeeze his fingers. reassuring, maybe, that she is real, and present, and here.

he's disoriented. so is she. and she intertwines their fingers neatly, though when she speaks, it's as if nothing happened at all. ]

I didn't give anyone their names, our names, because I wasn't sure whether . . . [ she trails off before she shrugs, a little helplessly. they had been in hiding for so long, running for their lives, to protect harry and each other, that it's hard to work up a modicum of trust for anyone, especially someone she doesn't know. ] Most of the people here seem to be Muggles, so I didn't perform any magic in front of anyone.

[ but lily pauses before she looks around again, following james' line of sight, and she speaks, a little dryly: ]

I didn't want to scare them, but this place is terrifying enough without adding magic to it, I suppose... anyway, I asked where I could find my son, and I was told he was probably still sleeping. I tried to open a random pod with magic, but it wouldn't work. And... [ she pauses, trying to remember ] When I woke up, I was told you were already awake, but that my son would be kept safe, by the -- whoever did this. I don't know why you two, but probably because that was who I was thinking of. Maybe they're Legilimens? Or --

[ by now, lily is talking just to talk, to fill the air with anything but the fact that her son isn't here demanding her attention at all hours of the day, as he usually does, and fighting down the urge to continue searching. but her grip on james' hand still hasn't let go, and she's still continuing to hold it as if her life probably depends on it. ]

[ her hand in his is a comfort - always has, and always will be. the most simple of touches, the way her fingers slide into his, the way they hold his hand, the most grounding and solid touch he can imagine. it helps, in a lot of ways. it brings his attention back to now, it makes everything he'd been thinking a little less overwhelming. he doesn't know what that was supposed to be, what that was supposed to mean, but for now he's back.

with her. here. some of the tension that had been building releases with his next breath, squeezing her hand in return, a silent i'm okay, thank you. ]

No, that's smart. We don't know... [ the idea that voldemort and his followers could be here hadn't crossed his mind until that moment, and where before he'd been more worried about figuring out what this place was, now an almost familiar uncertainty is back to his face. ] We don't know for sure if we're the only ones who came. Until we can know, we should lay low.

[ the others appearing to mostly be muggles wouldn't stop followers of voldemort. probably hasn't before. suddenly, james feels a lot more like he's being watched, like nothing around them is safe, and james suddenly feels the need to move. ]

All they told me was my sleeping loved ones would be safe. [ he looks concerned, his brow furrowed, and he tugs lightly at her hand. they should get going. where, he's not sure, but they should. they need to move. ] They'd need to be, at the very least. I heard them in my head, too, before I woke up. Who knows what else they have with them. [ 'they', 'them'. james is suddenly uncomfortable with the idea he knows nothing about these....creatures, other than a promise to bring his loved ones here. to keep them safe. he swallows back that initial worry that this might not have been the right idea and instead starts towards the door, pulling lily with him. ]

There might be more rooms with more- [ pods? he hates that word, the idea that their son is inside some pod. ] We should at least check.

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❪ test drive: #2 ❫ THE OVERFLOW

SKLJDHFLKSJDHFLSKDJ !!!!!!!!

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