march 2020. welcome to the void.

[modblob]

Who: Everyone in Anchor.
What: Seventh Introductory Mingle
When: The Month of March 2020
Where: Around and outside the city.
Warnings: Please add any warnings in the subject lines.

Redshift: Welcome to the v͖͕̺̲̘̱̜͎o̴̦̣̠̦̘̹͞i̯̖d̛̪̬͈̱̦̝͍̕.

Click here to read what characters will experience when arriving in Anchor.

a. escape the dome.

It seems the mysterious, massive plant with its giant bud is not going anywhere. In fact, the bud is starting to bloom, which presents a problem - it's starting to press against the dome that protects Anchor. So far, no harm done, but is this really the best way to test the kind of pressure that the dome can withstand? There's got to be some way to bring the plant down without destroying chunks of Anchor in the process...

And uh, you might want to get on that. The plant has been growing, sending out thorny vines into the various levels, and the flowers growing from those vines are, shall we say, aggressive. In fact, they're liable to bite if you get too close, and these things have razor-sharp petals. More eerily, they can mimic the voices they hear, usually using those borrowed voices to beg for help at the end of long corridors or in the back rooms of abandoned shops and restaurants.

b. planetary fly traps.

Following the voices can get a body in all kinds of trouble, because, well. They want to eat you.

In those dark areas where the voices call out there are larger buds, too, ones that look similar to the one now pressing up against Anchor's dome. They're about twice the size of an average human, and they've just barely opened. The colors inside are brilliant, gorgeous, mesmerizing, kind of exhausting... Get too close, and you could find yourself being slowly dragged in through the mouth of the plant into a bath of liquid that saps your energy while also slowly (very slowly, don't worry) consuming your flesh.

Better hope you snap out of it quickly, or have some backup to get you out of there.

c. misfire mayhem.

In case that wasn't enough, there's something funny going on with the comm system again. Texts being sent to the wrong people. Simple things, small things, yes, but also some things that you might have wanted to keep private or off the network. The misfires start on the morning of the 20th with just a few texts going to the wrong recipients, but slowly amps up throughout the day until voice and video calls are connecting to the wrong people. Recordings of conversations, including the audio and video ones, getting sent to completely unrelated residents, regardless of how private the conversation was.

The reason for the malfunctions becomes... well, clear-ish when Creepy Joe appears on the network. He’s in the agricultural sector, petting a reindire and very much not in that secure quarantine where Qubit et all left him. The angle is odd--not from a communicator, but from one of the security cameras overhead. It blinks from one shot of Joe to another angle. Almost like someone is trying to keep an eye on him.

mod notes.

Misfire texts, voice, and video conversations are on an opt-in basis, it is up to each player if they want their characters tormented with their messages being sent to others or receiving misfires. Misfires can be played on this log, on the network, or in IC inboxes.

The NPC network entry will explain some details on why, but characters who were kind to Creepy Joe or who have put in a lot of effort to contribute to the community will find that their messages are getting misfired much less often and the contents are nowhere near as sensitive. Characters who were cruel to Creepy Joe or who have hurt/stolen from others will find their messages going astray more often, and with more sensitive material.

Messages received by characters can include any message posted in redshiftrp or in IC inboxes, including messages from dropped characters. Have fun with that!

Important but Unrelated: March and April have been designated as check in only for AC. If you have not yet posted your AC, feel free to just put a check-in notice under your character's AC thread. April check-ins can be posted any time on or after April 1st.

Navigation.

Comments

[circumitus]

A soft, almost growling sound escapes the back of Rey's throat as Elleru lingers over her neck. Pleasant warmth swells in her chest, her back arching so her body presses flushed against the other woman's.

Her face is heated, too. Those scarred cheeks reddened even when Elleru pulls away to bear down over Rey. Her breath catches at the way the light halos around Elleru's head, and Rey slides her fingers from that hair to the other woman's cheek.

She's still figuring out what she likes. But if the heat in her stomach says anything, it's that she doesn't dislike this. She doesn't dislike Elleru's forwardness, going for what she wants.

"You're... really pretty," Rey blurts, her expression softer than she usually allows.

[birdical]

Elleru has been called pretty many times by many people, and yet, it means so much more coming from Rey. She seems so uncertain when it comes to intimacy, but here, her smile is soft, her tone earnest. Leaning into Rey's hand, Elleru's face heats up as well, her ears flicking upward with the curve of the grin that crosses her.

"I know," she coos, leaning closer; her hair slips from around her shoulder, her long locks like a curtain to hide them both from the world as they frame her face. With a delicate touch, she slides her hand along the front hem of Rey's shirt, tracing the muscles of her abdomen with her nails. "But you may tell me again."

[circumitus]

Those magenta strands fall around her, tickling Rey's skin and she can't help but smile a little more. She's not sure what to do with herself next, what move to make or what to say or ask, so when Elleru replies, a curt, quiet laugh escapes her lungs.

"You're really fucking pretty," she obliges, her breath catching when she feels Elleru's nails gliding across the firm skin of her abdominal muscle. Her legs tangled with the other woman's, Rey arches her back against that touch. "You could... use your nails more."

She admires the way Elleru keeps herself groomed to perfection; she would like to feel that.

[birdical]

Now there's what Elleru likes to hear: Rey's breath hitches, and she smirks in silent reply, tracing another circle on Rey's skin. She hums quietly from the back of her throat, her tone deep, melodic as she leans forward to kiss Rey's cheek.

And then, as though to punctuate that kiss, she presses just a little harder with her nails — not too hard, as she's aware her claws can be deceptively sharp, especially in her upright guise, but just enough that Rey should feel some pain to mingle with her pleasure. She rakes along Rey's stomach, letting her nails catch teasingly on the waist of her pants.

"Like this?"

[circumitus]

It's just enough pain to tolerate without resulting in a violent response. Rey's not sure why she wanted that, other than her own urge to bite and grip the last time she had been in a situation like this. Something she didn't know existed somehow came creeping up without warning, as Rey draws in a sharp breath under Elleru's touch. Her eyes fluttering shut, she smiles, feeling lips against her scarred cheek.

"Yes, like th-- Feels good," she pants, lightheaded and studying Elleru with a half-lidded look. She pushes a stray mahogany strand of hair behind her ear. "S... Sorry, still... trying to figure out what feels right."

[birdical]

Rey gets another kiss to her scars for that answer, her breath music to Elleru's long ears.

"Do not apologize," she murmurs, tracing the curves of Rey's abdomen with her fingers. Elleru's middle is soft by comparison; Rey's has such definition between her muscles, creating little grooves and hollows for her hand to follow.

"I did not know what I wanted at first, either," she admits. "It can be... intimidating, not knowing about yourself and what feels good to you. It can also be exciting to explore that with someone else."

She pushes herself back up, letting her hair fall around her face once more. She cocks her head toward the steaming bath, its extra space and soothing heat inviting.

"We could explore together, if you want. You may trust me to be gentle..." Her brows tighten just a fraction, her lips curling into a mischievous smirk. "Unless you do not want me to. Only you may tell me."

[circumitus]

As Elleru leans back and implicates the bath into the subject, it takes Rey a hot second before her brain catches up to what she's insinuating. For a moment, her words catch in her throat and she just stares, a loss for words. She tries not to think about the shadow looming over her. Rotten fingers on burning skin. A crooked smile and sinister worship. It's a shadow that's taken everything good in the world...

When she blinks, and the light frames Elleru into focus again. She realizes her mouth is dry; she licks her lips before biting the inside of her cheek, fighting to let her doubts out but not at the cost of losing something else.

Because she wants it. She doesn't even know why, but she wants it. Elleru's eyes all but lights up, brilliant in hue within the room, and she is beautiful. God, she's so beautiful.

"What... are we?" Rey finally asks.

After all, this scene wasn't originally meant for her, was it? Which means Elleru had someone else in mind. Would it be wrong to take that opportunity for herself, if other prospects were available?

Remembering that certain phrases tend to get lost in translation between herself and her roommate, she decides to continue before allowing a mixup to transpire: "Just, can't really tell... if you had someone else in mind when you prepped... that--" She casts a sidelong look at the same steaming, inviting bath as Elleru. "--what does that mean? What does this mean?"

She scoffs despite herself, shaking her head before bringing a hand over her pinched eyes. Her expression scrunches into one of confusion.

"Is... is this normal?"

People can have casual flings, that much is not lost on her. It's just never something Rey saw herself trying to do again. The last time, she wasn't even herself -- she was someone else, and it hadn't ended well. She was scared. A silly cyclic paradox, really, to be scared of being scared...

[birdical]

Rey's question gives Elleru pause; the smirk fades from her as she levels Rey with a sincere, but serious look. She leans back, giving Rey some space to sit up.

"Does it matter that I prepared this for someone else?" she asks quietly, "when I would rather share it with you? Be truthful."

[circumitus]

The last thing Rey wants to do is put Elleru off, or imply that she doesn't anything to do with this when part of her yearns for it so much.

Biting her tongue at first, she sits upright, propping her elbows over the arm of the chair as she reluctantly looks back to Elleru.

"I just..." She winces, speaking the words she would rather avoid before she can stop herself. No helping it now. "Don't want to be someone's passing fancy, or a fling, or one time thing, or whatever they call it. Something that's just used up and thrown away for something better. Not that I'd blame you..."

Rey knows she's not the best in things where it counts for some people. She's inept with interpreting emotions, what someone wants, and she'd be lying to herself if she said she wasn't afraid of being a disappointment -- though maybe it's a bit late for that.

[birdical]

Rey starts up with the self-deprecation, and Elleru is quick to shut it down. She shushes Rey, taking her hand.

"Do you believe that is all you would be for me? A 'passing fancy'? Or that you would be any less of who you are were we intimate?"

She wants to understand — she never views herself as thrown away or less because she has a passionate fling every once in a while with a robot, but this seems to be important to Rey, and so, it is important to Elleru, as well. She's well aware upright relationships are complicated: her books have shown her that time and time again. They often view intimacy and relationships as going hand-in-hand, unlike her own kind.

But one thing isn't all that complicated: her affection for Rey, and her desire to create understanding between the two of them.

[circumitus]

"Would I? Don't have a great track record for being with people, or keeping them around," Rey blurts. Despite that, she accepts Elleru's hand, turning her own so it fits. She cants her head, glancing away as she tries to find words, so scrambled in her brain. "If it's all the same to you... I'd rather take it slow. But if that's no good and you don't want to wait or anything, I understand..."

Much as she wants to keep Elleru close, her mechanical heart aches with unpleasant memories that could only sully the moment.

[birdical]

Elleru smiles softly, gently.

"If slow is your wish, then slow we will go."

She runs her fingers over Rey's knuckles, her thumb coming across faded scars and callouses from a hard life lived.

"You will have to forgive me if I make missteps — my people and yours, we court one another very differently. Someone who is a 'passing fancy' may come and go, and those you intend to keep are treated differently. But up— but your kind are not like that, are they?"

And if the way Rey believes she'd be nothing more than a passing fancy is any indication, Elleru assumes she likely wouldn't be comfortable with any situation that involves other people, be they robots or otherwise.

[circumitus]

Rey relaxes somewhat, trying not to chastise herself for being unable to do what comes so easy for others. It's just touching, isn't it? And she likes kissing. But the thought of going any further... it makes her blood rush, and not in the good way. The last thing she wants is for Elleru to see her panic -- once before was already enough.

"Wouldn't know. Don't really have a 'people'." Rey shrugs, grimacing. "Know enough that people are different. Some are fine with casual flings, others seem more serious about it. Hell, some even wait until after marriage. That's, um... not really the problem, though."

The problem is trying not to feel guilty over the baggage she bring to the territory if anyone ever even entertains the notion of being 'serious' with her. Not like she's comfortable with the alternative.

[birdical]

How confusing it must be to not have a people at all — Elleru knows Rey is the loner type, but here is she, struggling to figure out what it is she wants all alone. It makes Elleru's heart bleed even more as she gives Rey's hand another comforting squeeze.

"Then what is the problem, Rrey?" Elleru asks, not shy in the slightest about bringing up what could be heavy baggage. "Speak to me. If you want me, we must be honest with one another."

[circumitus]

That's a fair enough request. Anyone would ask of it from anyone who sees you as an emotional prospect. So Rey tries her best not to choke after Elleru squeezes her hand, struggling with the words in her head for a few, long moments.

"Been through a lot of shit. Shit that people might think it's not what they signed up for." It always seemed like she'd be doing them a favor to keep it that way, so they don't have to decide whether that's a burden they want to waste time on or not. That she's a burden they'd waste time on.

[birdical]

Elleru tilts her head, her eyes trained on her companion. For all Rey's early insistence that she wasn't afraid to lose people — that she didn't bother with friends not because it hurt when they were gone, but that it seemed like a waste of time — there certainly is a hint of trepidation in her words. She may or may not be afraid to lose her friends, but she is afraid of being a burden upon anyone who would get close to her.

That makes Elleru all the more determined to stay. She wants to prove Rey wrong &mash; that it's worth making friends, worth letting herself experience love, and worth letting others love her in return. Though Elleru knows good and well she could be burned in the process, the fire in her chest flares ever brighter.

"They should be allowed to make that decision for themselves," she explains calmly. "Let them see the real you and decide."

Her own words echo in her ears, as Elleru knows good and well she's been hiding the real her for some time. She nods to herself.

"Here. I will go first, if you like."

[circumitus]

Whatever reason Elleru had for staying, it's a mystery to Rey. Knowing all the things she's done, both in this life and her previous ones... she can't fathom wanting to be around herself. That's why it's easier to disconnect herself sometimes, even if she loses touch with the present in doing so.

But here Elleru is, offering something that, frankly, Rey hasn't an inkling on what it entails. She just squints as if she's missing something, her brows knitting as she blinks at Elleru.

"Er, 'go first' how, exactly?"

[birdical]

Pulling in a quick breath to steel her nerves, Elleru slides off the loveseat, taking a few steps away as she adjust the stole around her shoulders. With her back to Rey, it might not be obvious that she's untying the robe beneath the fur. It'd be a shame if it ripped.

"I want you to see the real me," she says quietly. She can feel a lump in her throat, a matching weight in her gut. Is that fear that weighs her down? She's only been cautious about revealing herself to others out of what it could mean for the safety of her people; to find herself apprehensive regarding someone she trusts is new, unexpected. She doesn't know what Rey will think, or how she'll react... and the thought that she might change her mind about them when she knows is what rattles Elleru all the way to her bones. The excitement she'd felt before now sits heavily in her stomach, churning more with every second she prolongs the inevitable.

"Please do not be frightened," she murmurs as she drops her robe. Her bare back is visible for only a moment; within the span of a second, her shape changes entirely. Her limbs adjust to a quadrupedal frame, her neck elongating as it sprouts a furred mane; gone are her humanoid features, in their place those of a birdlike beast. She turns her new form to face Rey, revealing those same magenta eyes she has in her upright guise.

She knows Rey will recognize her natural form — she just hopes she won't be mad Elleru did not tell her sooner.

[circumitus]

Wait, was this supposed to be a secret? Rey's lost track of the time that she forgot whether this was some unspoken subject or if Elleru was really intending to keep this under wraps. If Rey had shown any indication that she had managed to put two and two together that the woman and the beast with similar voices and shades were related, maybe Elleru hadn't picked up on it.

Still, this seemed like a... moment, where a being bears their true form to someone out of trust and confidence. Would she be upset if it had been so apparent that Rey had already drawn such a conclusion?

Uncertain of the answer either way, Rey can only think to weakly feign surprise, drawing her hands to her scarred cheeks.

"What, really? Had no idea -- you hid it so well!"

Okay, maybe she could reel in the theatrics a bit. It's not very becoming of her usual deadpan disposition. Not that she's that way around Elleru much.

[birdical]

Perhaps Rey is a little dramatic in her reaction, but Elleru seems to buy it, believing Rey wouldn't be dishonest with her. If anything, the theatrics endear her to Elleru all the more.

"I did not mean to deceive you," she admits. "My kind — we do not reveal ourselves to others lightly. I know such a practice has no purpose here, where my kind are not hunted, but I could not risk it. Despite everything, I could not bring myself to betray them so easily. I am proud to be kaulahren, and yet, I wanted you to believe I was like you. My upright shape is me, but this is me as well. This is my true form."

She dips her great head as she comes closer, using her beak to nudge at Rey's hand. For an instant, she's not sure how she feels, struggling with her uncertainty toward her identity. She cannot reasonably be both kaulahren and upright, can she? Their ideals clash, and she has yet to find the middle ground where someone like her belongs.

But she wants to find that ground; she wants to fit easily into both worlds and find her place among them. She wants to belong, and she wants to belong with Rey. "I understand if you would prefer another upright. I would be hurt, but... I would understand."

[circumitus]

Rather than focusing on the rather forced histrionics, Elleru's attention seems focused on the subject at hand, which is a good sign. Rey can stay on track whether she wants to or not. Despite her own wide-eyed, mildly shocked expression, she's relieved underneath that she can drop the pretenses on this matter soon enough.

Eventually, her arms fall back to her sides, only to feel Elleru lean into her hand. Just as Rey had schooled her expression just a moment ago, she grows calm again, bringing her fingers up to brush the top of Elleru's head. What had once been a mane of magenta locks now feels different, and yet familiar.

After all, it's not like Rey hasn't seen this form before, or dealt with Elleru in it.

"Another?" She echoes as though the mere concept were a joke, though her demeanor has now softened. "No, there is no other -- not here. You're all right. Never owed me anything, anyway."

Trust isn't something that you're inherently entitled to -- it's something you earn. Rey has learned that the hard way over the course of her many lives.

[birdical]

"I owed you the truth," Elleru insists as she takes a seat on her haunches. "To be untruthful is wrong. To be untruthful to a friend is cruel, as well. You are more than a friend to me, Rrey. There may be no other now, but you could have had other prospects. There must be many here who have been less deceptive than I have been."

Elleru turns her gaze to Rey, her head still in Rey's hand as she shifts back into her upright guise; she closes her eyes, reveling in Rey's touch as she leans her shoulder against Rey's legs, apparently unbothered by the fact that she's unclothed.

"I swear to be only honest with you, and you will do the same for me. If you still want me, knowing what I am, then I am yours. But you must no longer think of yourself as a burden to me. That is for me to decide, and I will tell you should I ever believe it."

[circumitus]

The perpetually obstinate part of Rey would still contend with what she is or isn't owed, but the words get stuck in her throat the more Elleru speaks. Guilt creeps up as she emphasizes the importance of truth, not having always been fully honest, herself.

Rather than speaking right away, Rey feels her shoulders relax, her hand moving from Elleru's transformed head to her usual strands of magenta hair. She doesn't let go. Can't bring herself to. Instead she finds herself gently combing through Elleru's hair with her own fingers.

If you still want me, she said. I am yours.

Those aren't words Rey is used to hearing. Most of the people she's ever dealt with most of her many lives only sought to use her. Own her, in one way or another. Her answer remains lodged inside for a moment, as all she can do is pull Elleru's face when she turns to look up at her into her own hands, expression softening.

"Well, so long as we're being honest here... Might have something of a confession." Rey attempts an endearing smile and fails. "Had, um... assumed who you were some time ago. Wasn't sure you weren't comfortable talking about it or what, is all."

Because, really. Really. Tripod did not destroy her bed.

[birdical]

There's a moment of surprise that crosses Elleru's face, her ears rising as she realizes that she hasn't been as good at keeping her secret as she thought. However, Rey had seen both her forms before, after all — perhaps she is the only one who was able to piece it together so quickly.

But rather than revealing that to anyone, Rey kept it quiet — she kept it to herself until Elleru was ready to talk about it. Rey put her comfort first, and no matter the reason, that is undeniably endearing. She clasps her hands over Rey's, her eyes shining in the soft, diffused light of the room.

"You are so sweet to think of me," she says gently. "What I am does not bother you?"

[circumitus]

Having seen both of Elleru's forms -- very talkative ones, at that -- made it easier for Rey to parse their connections pretty fast. She'd have to be comically slow in order to miss it for real. That doesn't mean she's inclined to shove that fact onto the other woman's face, seeing her now, her gentle and beautiful expression.

"Bothered?" Rey barks a quiet, incredulous laugh. "Would be some bullshit to hold it against you. But no, not bothered by it. You're not the only one who was made to blend in among humans, though don't have anything as fancy as two forms."

Not in a way that Rey can easily shift between, at any rate. Her other 'shapes' came in a much different manner of speaking...