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PORT: THE SKY-CITY OF BHUJERBA

May 4th, 2022 – May 11th, 2022
Welcome, bhadra, to the city-state of Bhujerba! The Peregrine touches down on May 4th, in a proper port — airships are the only way on and off the city, so the Aerodrome is a busy and bustling place. As a sky-city built on a mountainous structure floating ten thousand feet above the ground, it has little in the way of wilderness, but it has a sprawling city with deep mines stretching down beneath it. Look down past the railings when the thick clouds part and you'll see the world below; look up and you'll see great blue crystalline structures, a mark of the deep magicks that keep the city in the sky.

The full OOC write-up for the port is here. If you have any questions about the event, please ask here.

1. Disembarking

It's been months since the ship made port, but whether it's been days or months, it's always exciting to see somewhere new. The Aerodrome is thriving with people, passenger ships and merchant ships and military ships alike making berth in the docks, all contributing to the rivers of people pouring in and out of the building. The sounds of the crowd bounce around the vaulted ceilings, humid tropical air hotter still for the press of bodies everywhere. Navigating the crowds takes a certain confidence, lest you get knocked aside by a burly creature carrying a crate on his back, or separated from your companions by a throng of chattering flight stewardesses.

Of course, not everyone will disembark. Inmates cannot leave the ship without a warden as escort, and wardens are responsible for inmates in port — they don't have to be glued to each others' sides, of course, but it's harder to make trouble under a watchful eye.

2. The Cloudborne Tavern

Thanks to the Navarch, there are rooms booked in the Cloudborne for passengers who do not want to trek back and forth from the Peregrine. Staying above a busy and bustling tavern isn't always the most restful affair, of course, given there isn't really a closing hour, but it certainly makes for a life experience.

The tavern below is full of colourful characters, drawn by the ludicrously cheap pints. It isn't uncommon for people to get soundly drunk, but a watchful Seeq keeps an eye out on the place: get too rowdy or violent and you might find yourself thrown out on your ass.

3. The Lhusu Mines

Though the mines are closed, there's plenty to do in the labyrinthine tunnels winding deep into the mountain.

The Paling — Talk with the locals in the taverns and on the streets and you might notice a frequent topic of conversation: the paling's fall. The paling was a Crystal used to create a magick barrier that kept fiends at bay in the mines, so that the miners could work safely. However, something — or someone — has stripped the paling of its magickal energy, and now the fiends have overrun the abandoned tunnels. Sometimes they even make their way out and attack the locals. It is imperative that some brave hero makes their way deep into the tunnels, finds the paling, and recharges its magick power. But so far no one has been up to the task...

Hunting Marks — A bulletin board in the Cloudborne has posters for bounties, seeking hunters willing to deal with the fiends that spill out of the mines. Many are for looking for materials, such as bat fangs fresh from the jaws of the massive, four-winged bats, or bone fragments from the undead skeletons. Or, for the particularly ambitious: the mighty Nidhogg, a colossal snake with a highly venomous tail spike. A prize awaits the first to return with its skin!

Filthy Pirates! — Not everyone ventures in to mop up trouble for the locals: the mines are a considerable draw to those who are happy to risk the fiends for the chance to loot the goods left behind. Many people have fallen in these attempts, leaving gil, armor, weaponry and other goods strewn through the depths. Be careful, though: not all treasure is as it seems.

4. Shopping!

The marketplace is as busy as the Aerodrome, with massive crowds clustered around covered tents, wooden booths, and humble cloths laid out on the stone floor, all bearing incredible wares. The atmosphere is raucous: people haggling boisterously, children scampering between adults' legs, people hollering for others to move, move, as they shove their way through with carts of purchases or goods for sale.

Food is plentiful: turnips and onions are particularly popular, given the season, and tomatoes fetch a high price. Street food vendors sell stewed cockatrice (chicken-esque!), chunks of moist cactus, flank steaks on sticks, and something aptly called "bacon bread".

And, given the war going on and fiends loose in the world, there is no short supply of weaponry and armor. Swords, pikes, bows, axes, daggers, even a small number of rudimentary firearms, all available to those with ample coin. Armor is popular too, with artisans prepared to make it custom within a day or two — leather is affordable, but the price of metal could feed a laborer for a year.

Beware of pickpockets. Happy shopping!

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[Theo had asked Loki if they could crash back on the Peregrine instead of the tavern. Partly because of the temptation of alcohol, though he won't say that. He needs a clear head for what was coming this morning.

He doesn't have many possessions aboard the Peregrine, though he's sad about having to leave them behind. Bringing them along would be too obvious. Just one thing he needs, the plant clippings, wrapped carefully in cloth and tucked in a back pocket. Conveniently, his local garb came with some light leather gloves.

This had to work. This had to work. If there's anywhere he wants to stay in the universe right now, it's this world. Theo can hardly believe his luck, them landing in a place like this, but it doesn't do much to steady his nerves.

Why did his warden this month have to be Loki?

Theo meets his warden at their scheduled morning meeting time, looking a bit withdrawn. But that's normal for him, right?]

[It would have been difficult to miss just how interested Theo was in this world. And it was hardly a surprise. Loki was interested for the same reasons, after all. The magic, the locals, fitting in so easily...

There's a little bounce in his step when Loki walks up, grinning widely.]

Good morning! I was thinking we might take one of those bounty hunter jobs, today. Something simple, to start at least. Gives us an excuse to look around some more. What do you think?

[He might even let Theo borrow a knife if they're set to fight something off. Give him an opportunity to work out some of that aggression.]

[Loki's good mood was only making this tougher. Theo's better at hiding his nervousness than one might think, probably due to the fact that he's always sort of sullen no matter the circumstances. Yesterday at the market, though, would have been the most animated anyone would have seen him be since he'd arrived. He had so many questions for the locals and the shopkeepers, with genuine interest in what they told him. Very few things about Theo Crawford were ever genuine.

He nods at Loki's suggestion.]

Sure. Can make some money that way, right? Lead on.

That's the idea. We've got a bit of money, but we have enough time to earn enough for something nicer, I think. And I'd like to be able to bring something back for Rhys.

[Never mind the fact that getting something from the planet he couldn't visit might actually make him feel worse rather than better.

Loki begins leading the way towards the loading bay, shooting a glance over his shoulder as they walk.]

Did you happen to see anything you think he might like? Maybe a present might motivate him to start trying, you know?

That Rhys'd like?

[Theo has made it a point to not get to know the inmates on a personal level, and vice versa. He thinks it over for a moment, shrugging.]

I-I dunno. Probably something technology-related. Seems like the kinda stuff he's into. If they have anything like that here.

[As he speaks, Theo slowly reaches into his back pocket. Luckily, the outfit he picked out for the trip involved a pair of small leather gloves, so he didn't have to slip one on and cause more suspicion. Instead, he could use the garden glove to hold the plant clippings, which are carefully folded inside.

Theo begins to unwrap the glove, but the oil from the plants has rubbed off on it, making it slicker than he was expecting. The gloves drops, making a quiet thwap on the hard floor. At least he managed to hold on to the leaves.

He freezes for a split second, then attempts to back up and grab it as fast as he can before Loki notices.]

That's what I was thinking. This place isn't exactly without technology, it's just so tied to the magic. He already seems the type to blow himself up accidentally.

[Although perhaps he'd be less antagonistic with magic than he is with Travis?]

Well, we can keep an eye out. And do let me know if there's anything you're interested in. Within reason, of course. Nothing that is intended to blow up. Maybe some clothes? You don't look half bad in that.

[He's gone a few steps alone when he recognizes Theo slowing down and turns back, raising an eyebrow.]

Are you alright, Theo?

[Paranoia is a hell of a thing. Theo's mind is already running away with itself - Loki knows, the jig is up, he's caught and he's never getting out of here--

Theo isn't the mastermind he thinks he is. He got away with his plan back home thanks to months of planning, his incredible amount of power, and that no one was paying attention. At the time, he had no guilt, no remorse to slow him down. Things we're very different now. But it was fine. All he was going to do was knock him out and go. He won't be missed. Loki will be fine. He picked this plan because it wasn't going to end up with anyone dead.

Something is obviously wrong as Theo hesitates, hiding something behind his back. He feels like he needs to say something. Whatever it was wouldn't matter though, right? He'd be gone after this. The exit wasn't far.

His expression is hard, but his wide, nervous eyes give away his true feelings.]

Hey. Um. Don't-- This isn't personal. Okay?

[Only a few steps from Loki, Theo covers the short distance surprisingly fast. He's a quick little bugger. He reaches out and grabs Loki's arm, the largest clippings he had saved for this warden in particular. Had to add some extra to make up for the fact that Loki wasn't human.

Theo figured the wrist was the best place to go with applying the poison. The skin there was thin, it would be easier for it to get right into the bloodstream. After he grabs him and hold the leaves there for just a moment, he's going to try and make a break for it. Even if he doesn't get away, he figures it'll only be a minute or two until Loki is out cold anyway.]

Personal?

[Loki's instincts flare at Theo's approach, but he bites back his reflex to flinch backwards. To grab his inmate's wrist before he can make contact. He stares, confused but insistently patient, eyes flitting to Theo's grip on him. What is he doing?]

Theo, what's--?

[Loki falters, blinking through a wave of dizziness. Something's wrong. Theo's smearing something on his skin.

In the infirmary, he and Claire discovered that his resting heart rate is far higher than a human's, rushing the blood about his body to ensure his body heat stays high in the cold temperatures it was born to endure. And the surprise has it racing even faster.]

I don't...feel well.

[It's as if he's underwater, suddenly. All his usual grace is lost as he reaches out to grab onto Theo for balance. But at that point it's too late. His hands can hardly grasp onto anything as he thuds down onto his knees. Mouth agape, he turns glassy eyes up at his inmate, brow furrowed.

Loki is dimly aware he should do something. But his limbs are nearly out of control, and he can't reach his seidr at all. Which leaves him with his silver tongue as a last resort. Only, this is too familiar. Too much like last time. So all he can manage is two strangled words:]

Can't breathe.

[And just like last time, he falls bonelessly to the floor.]

[Theo is stunned by how quickly it all happens. Even when he accidentally dosed himself, or intentionally dosed Jerry, it had take a minute or two to really kick in. This was seconds. How was it so fast? Did he really use too much?

Did he just overdose a warden? Is he dying?

As Loki reaches out to him, Theo takes a step back. He does his damnedest to keep that impassive, cold expression, but it was quickly contorting into fear and confusion. Even though a warden, he didn't hate Loki. He didn't want him dead. He came up with this plan thinking no one was going to have to die.

Before Loki hits the floor, Theo can only manage some strangled words.]

N-No, I--

[With his warden now unconscious, he should be running. He has precious little time to make a break for it. But for the moment, his feet are frozen in place, looking to make sure if Loki actually is breathing or not.]

[Bhujerba is, in a word, magnificent. After spending much of the first day ostensibly performing his warden duties through an astonished daze, Viktor can hardly wait to get back down there and see it again with fresh eyes. By the ship's simulated dawn, he's already washed and dressed and prepared a little bag (not the chicken one) and eaten just enough to keep him going until the marketplace. From there it's a matter of occupying himself (restlessly) until his inmate, Amanda, is up and ready (he waits at minimum a hundred years), and meeting her somewhere convenient so they can disembark (at last).

Which is what he's on his way to doing when he arrives at a scene that is, at first, difficult to interpret. After a moment's hesitation, as his face opens into unguarded surprise, he speeds up his approach.

Since his arrival, for his own comfort, he's taken to addressing everyone formally; this goes straight out the window as soon as he's near enough to see those creases of distress.]

Theo, what—

[Ah, says this sudden pause, something is wrong here. Maybe just as their eyes meet. Maybe this moment hangs, pulled taut, then snaps back into movement—]

Edited (boo) 2022-05-11 05:14 (UTC)

Shit.

[As soon as someone else is on the scene, Theo's growing anxiety adds a layer of anger. At himself for screwing up, at Loki for making him hesitate and worry for another person for even a moment, at the fact that a warden had to come along instead of an inmate. If the other inmates had just gone along with this plan--

Theo puts one arm out in front of him, hand up - stay away. The other is still clutching the leaves he used on Loki. There's a brief moment where he considers lying, making up something about Loki just collapsing, but the paranoia is already running away with his imagination. He takes a few steps back, already looking like a cornered animal, eyes blazing.]

Just-- don't! Stay back, okay?!

[At first Viktor seems unsure whether he should be looking at Theo, or at his warden lying there on the floor—

he wouldn't, he wouldn't, he can't

—but that decision is swiftly made.]

Stay back?

[It's soft, a reflexive echo of disbelief. He's leaning into it, deepening his hunched posture, shuffling a step, his yellow eyes keen beneath his darkening brow.]

Are you serious?

[—sounds more like are you fucking kidding me?]

Edited (no wait this one) 2022-05-12 02:43 (UTC)

[Theo's eyes don't move off of Viktor, his breath quickening as he shoves a few of the extra leaves into a back pocket. He wouldn't need as many against Viktor, seeing how too much affected Loki. As Viktor takes a step forward, so does Theo.]

I said don't! Stay there, or I'll do the same to you, got it?!

[Theo is frantically desperate and gravely serious, considering all he seems to be armed with is a plant. But Loki isn't moving, his breathing shallow.]

Just-- Let me go. I'm leaving.

[He can so easily get lost in those crowds out there. He's done it a hundred times back home. He just needed the chance. No matter how many of these goddamned wardens he had to dose to get it.]

And then what,

[is quick as a fang, and venom follows it.]

Finding new ways to waste your talents on the same selfishness that brought you here? Becoming the most wretched version of yourself? And to achieve it, you do this?

[His gloved hand opens a gesture at Loki, collapsed: a furious slice of movement.]

Look at him. Memorize this image. Because this is how you'll be remembered. No one will think of you—they'll think only of what you did to him.

[This was nothing compared to the images that already haunted Theo every day. He finally takes a few steps back now, getting ready to run the second he has the chance.]

It doesn't matter! I already know what everyone thinks of me, a-and I don't fucking care! I care about getting the fuck out of this goddamn prison! And so what - it'll just be like back home. Everyone will hate me, but I'll be gone, who fucking cares!

[His voice begins to waver towards the end, close to cracking entirely.]

[Viktor's hardly raised his voice, but the urge is gathered there beneath his diaphragm, pressing, grinding at him like the knuckles of a fist. That squeeze doesn't belong to Theo, he's only summoned it; better to swallow it back.

(A small, broken body. The last thing he did was sound an alarm. A common container so no one would notice. The last thing she said was his name.)

A sniff of breath, out shallow through his mouth. Again, slower. The backlit gleam of his yellow eyes. The momentary offset of his jaw. He's shaking his head, letting his gaze fall to Loki's prone shape, demoting Theo to a shadow of peripheral awareness.

Quietly,]

Go, then. Run. [He's reaching across his chest for the CommLink tucked there.] You won't make it to the door.

Stop!

[Theo finally breaks, making a dash at Viktor. Whatever he might be reaching for - his comm to call the other wardens, his stun gun, the cuffs - Theo wasn't risking it. Thanks to the adrenaline coursing through him, he comes at the warden with a surprising burst of speed. He makes a grab for the arm Viktor was reaching with, using the hand holding the plant. All he has to do is hold it there for a few moments. Viktor won't have enough time to get the oil off before it does its job.

When he releases Viktor's arm, he stumbles back a few steps. His eyes are wild with conflicting emotions, and has to take a few moments to get his breathing under control.]

I warned you!

[Theo comes rushing up, squeezes him above the wrist, and Viktor snatches at his arm in return. His grip is tight, verging on unkind. It pulls to keep him close—staring, blazing angry, his mouth a thin twist, parting for teeth—until the facts of physicality assert themselves, and Theo wrenches free of his grasp. With this jerk, the crutch falls away, lands with a clatter.

He did warn him.

The oily vegetative smear left on his skin invites him to consider collapsing, which he declines for whole seconds, improbably long. He staggers one crooked step, and it's a corpse's movement, at once stiff and loose, wrong in the shoulders, one foot turned in. Heavy eyelids, too much white beneath them. His mouth barely opens,

the moment hangs,

and then he drops, loose as a doll.]

( he returns since bucky hasn't much reason to hold onto his recent purchases while he continues exploring, familiarizing himself with this fascinating world that's entirely unlike the one he knows beyond the basics. really, it's rather good he's saved up more of his funds recently, and he can't wait to get back out and earn more of that sweet gil to invest in his next purchase, some more varied fruit and veg to add to his and grace's growing collection.

of course, what he doesn't expect is to overhear a commotion coming from down the hallway, particularly after the inmate incident at the last port. who could be so foolish to try something again? maybe someone new, someone who doesn't know better, but the sight that greets him after he sprints toward the source indicates much the opposite. )

Theo? ( the sound viktor makes when he hits the ground sends a tremor through him, far too reminiscent of old familiarities he'd undo if he could. a frown accents his disappointed tone. ) The hell are you doing?

( he really doesn't want to shoot the kid when he's unarmed. instead bucky reaches for his cuffs, a decision he'll certainly regret several hours from now. )

[Theo is in a complete panic. The moment Bucky enters the scene, he whirls to him, breathing ragged, eyes blazing. It wasn't supposed to go this way. It was going to be so easy. It was supposed to be more than just him. But once again, he was alone, digging his own grave. Same as it ever was.

Theo stands between the prone bodies of two wardens, something clutched in one gloved hand. The other is held out in front of him to caution Bucky from proceeding further. It didn't matter how many wardens showed up, he'd keep going until he ran out of poison.]

Don't! I swear to Christ, I am getting out of here! Just let me go!

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PORT: THE SKY-CITY OF BHUJERBA

May 5th | Locked

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arrives super late with sbux

<3