hexarchate_rpg | Chapter 3.1: The party begins

yhlee posting in

EDIT: The base is sited in the year 951, in a very odd timeline that has NO h*archate. Supplies have to be brought in via rift from other timelines. Thread here.

Ashari's new base features variable layout, which has been put to use in creating an extravagant ballroom. Tables to one side boast a variety of foods, drinks both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, and the occasional euphoric drugs. Candlevines glow blue and violet, and flower arrangements interspersed with fantastic sculptures of lace-woven wire adorn the tables. The arrangements mean various sarcastic things, if you're familiar with the Andan petal language.

Music plays softly enough not to overwhelm conversation, loudly enough to set a mood complementing the low-key lighting.

Remi is one of the first arrivals from the Cantata, shepherding the mothlings. Because he's a Nirai, he has a slate and is taking notes, although he is happy enough to talk to anyone who approaches him.

The kitchen is currently adjacent to the ballroom. Ashari's voice can be heard, raised in some kind of argument with...a caterer?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

zuhrovet

"Oh, hells, that's a new behavior. Not any substance you tried, unless Ashari is playing with the vents to get us all high, and I think I would have caught that.--I'm Sasha, by the way. I'm team lead, on the Cantata."

From:

sageling

"Hello, Sasha. I'm Hana and I'm... here?" She doesn't quite know what her role is going to be, but she relaxes some after being reassured that the mothlings exist outside her head and are not the result of some bad euphorics. "They're cute little blobs once you get over all their... muchness. How does any living creature eat radiation?"

From:

zuhrovet

"Technically, plants do that all day long. But the moths absorb on a broader spectrum. They're not from our dimension, and they can move in and out of gatespace, so they may be picking up energy in ways we don't recognize, as well. Remi or Alaric could tell you more."

Sasha regards Hana with some curiosity. If she understands Ashari's cryptic notes correctly, the Cantata will be losing dedicated grid support, but gaining some actual fucking staff. (And some pretty people, because apparently Ashari has a quota, but best to give credit where it is due.) Of course, that could all spiral into the hells if this base falls apart, but even best-case scenarios take some planning. "What would you like to do on a rebellion ship, if you could choose?"

From:

sageling

Hana's keeping a tally of burning questions she suddenly has about the moth babies. So far she's out of fingers and well into keeping track on toes. "Science wasn't my strong suit," she admits, "so I'm not sure I even know what to ask." She starts humming one the songs they'd used at circle time, and that's how she knows the euphorics are really working because it reminds her of her children and that hurts but she doesn't care.

It's the name song, one of the many tricks she'd picked up as a teacher of varying class sizes, new faces filtering in and out faster than she could keep track. We clap, clap because Hana's here, Hana's here, Hana's here, we clap, clap because Hana's here, Hana's here today! Repeat for the next person in the circle until everyone's been properly welcomed and Teacher has a better grasp on all her students.

"Do you have a name?" she sing-songs at the mothling. Her voice is rather nice, though she's out of practice.

After completing mothling-related duties she sits back on her thighs and thinks about Sasha's question. "I guess... get revenge? But that sounds petty and also vague." She tucks some hair behind her ear. It's thick but frizzy, giving the impression of once having been very well cared for in the not-so-recent past, but since having gone to the weeds, as it were. "I'll be honest. I haven't been planning too far in the future. I wasn't even sure if I was going to come to this thing until I heard there was food." She's only half joking.

From:

zuhrovet

Prophet's fucking boots, does anyone in this rebellion know how to keep their hair out of their face? Sasha doesn't blush. Probably.

"I think this might be Dekany?" Sasha whistles the appropriate scale. "Did someone tell you, there is a child like this inside every moth in the heptarchate? Or hexarchate?"

From:

sageling

Luckily Hana is mostly watching the mothlings and doesn't notice the blush - or, if she sees it, she assumes it's something else.

"Dekany?" Hana whistles an approximation of the scale, not too bad for someone who had to teach herself the basics of music. The next thing Sasha says though has Hana's full attention. "I'd... read something like that this week, I think," she says with a frown. Reading about the moths was one thing - especially when nothing felt particularly real - but understanding that they were sentient creatures, that they had babies with names who ate shrimp from her hand... She frowns, which doesn't sit quite right on her face thanks to the euphoric. She doesn't like that one bit.

From:

zuhrovet

"They are forced into dreaming, most of the time. But we're going to give them the tools to wake each other up." Starting with the two other moths on this base. Tomorrow--or tonight, if Alaric is amenable.

From:

sageling

Revenge against the hexarchate is a fairly nebulous goal in Hana's mind, but freeing babies from captivity? "I think I can get behind that. Is that going to help with the rebellion?" It sounds ridiculous in her own ears. The rebellion. She isn't even sure if she believes in the rebellion's power, but there's not a great many other places for her to go.

From:

zuhrovet

"I don't know what the fuck a rebellion is for, if not for this. But yes. There are clear strategic advantages."

Hana does not seem like the kind of person who is particularly interested in strategy. But that is Sasha's best currency, as a sort of captain: she is paying attention to what might unfold.

From:

sageling

Hana finally gets to her feet, dusting off her hands and looking straight at Sasha. She's got a few inches on her, but gives the impression of someone who can take up much more space when she wants to. "What sort of strategic advantages?" she asks, perhaps to both their surprise.

From:

zuhrovet

Sasha smiles, slowly and with many teeth. "There are moths in all of the moths. Including the Kel warmoths. If we help them make choices of their own--I think they will be better disposed to us than to the heptarchate."

From:

sageling

It occurs to Hana that she's misjudged Sasha, which she's willing to blame on the intoxication (thought honestly it wasn't that much) and being out of practice with properly sizing people up. Her lips press together as she considers this - the full might of the Kel themselves toppled by living ships set free. "That... seems reasonable. Though I'd think the crews on board said moths might not like people traipsing in."

From:

zuhrovet

"You mean, how will we remove the harnesses in the first place? I don't think human presence is required. The Cantata has been practicing, with a proof of concept."

Sasha will still need to get inside the warmoth grids--all of the grids. But she has all of time to work that out.

From:

mawgs

Eddox and Seyli make their way around the room until they find Sasha and Hana. Eddox’s eyes for straight to the blobs or void writhing harmlessly on the floor around Hana’s feet. One appears to be begging, a tendril half-coiled around her ankle.

Eddox forgets their script entirely, forgoing introduction to the humans. “That’s them? The moths?” Eddox untangled themself from Seyli and drops to their knees. They find that inadequate and drop completely to their stomach, as if they are doing a push-up (badly) to be more or less level with the mothlings.

“Hello friends, I’m Eddox,” they say in common, and then sign, as they prop themself up on their elbows. “How do you prefer to communicate?” They say and sign that as well.

From:

yhlee

Two of the mothlings take interest. They hum back in an approximation of the melodic contours of Eddox's speech, and wriggle their tentacles in wobbly imitation of the signs, following that up with sign "babble" playing around with variations on the signs that Eddox used.

[If it helps, moths can detect distribution of masses remotely, which passes as "sight," and they can hear extremely well. Their "sight" is in all directions and works even through barriers; it's based on gravitational wave detection ASK ME WHAT MY HUSBAND DOES FOR A LIVING. However, moths don't seem to be able to see color.]

From:

sageling

All it takes for Hana's attention to leave Sasha (no offense; you're just not that tentacular) is for someone else to approach the mothlings and have the exact same reaction she had. She's almost immediately back on her knees with the mothlings, grinning more widely than she has since - well, a very long while. "Aren't they amazing?" she says, glancing at Eddox. She's unfortunately out of shrimp but gives a delighted gasp at how they mimic Eddox's voice.

"You are all so clever. And I was so rude and didn't introduce myself, I'm Miss Hana." The 'miss' just comes out and there's a beat where she remembers she's supposed to hurt, badly, at that memory, but she refocuses on Eddox and the mothlings. She's watching how they move and react and slowly wiggles her fingers in return, copying their copying of Eddox. That's how you encourage early language acquisition, after all, and Hana is convinced that all babies are essentially babies.

From:

kese_seyli

Seyli cocks their head to the side as Eddox drops to the ground with the mothling and the new woman, but they're utterly charmed by the Andan and make no comment on the behavior. Anyway, the mothlings are strange and cute little creatures.

"Good evening, Sasha," they give her a smile as well, which isn't an expression they've had much in her radius. They take up post beside her, little halos shimmering around their dress as they move.

From:

zuhrovet

Seyli's hair is in an approximation of a military braid, which makes sense, because they are a military person. That's the only thing about this situation that makes any sense at all. It's not that Sasha has never encountered a person wearing a dress like this--though, technically, she has never seen a dress quite like this, it's a fucking signal beacon--it's that she has never met someone wearing a dress like this whose companionship was not billed by the hour. This is not that kind of party, stars of hell, why can't someone run a nice relaxing denial-of-service attack on her fucking brain.

She nods to Seyli and shoves her hands in her jacket pockets, wondering if she should manufacture an urgent message.

From:

mawgs

In truth, Eddox is terrified of the little void balls, but that’s the reaction they always have to new aliens. Initial feelings are nothing to go by, they know, and the prey instinct response should be left to bedroom affairs and running from the cops. So they work through it, as they always do, treating the new species with the same dignity and respect they would any of their own people. If they were in danger, they would assume someone would say something. If not, well, same as any other day of the week.

“They certainly are unique,” Eddox replies to Hana without really speaking to her, tone passably even. Eddox adjusts a frequency on their hearing aid, testing to see what the moths can hear. They respond... to just about everything auditory, including above and below human range, into waves Eddox has had little need to use to communicate with in the past. No matter, it will just require the fitting of new assistive devices. They make a mental note to send Mer a message asking about it, once they have a moment to do so.

Eddox turns to face the new woman finally. Still on their stomach, propped on their elbows, they rest their head charmingly on one arm and extend the other hand out in greeting. “Miss Hana? Forgive my exuberance. I am Andan Eddox.” They turn their head up and look up at the other woman who seems to know Seyli. “And you must be Sasha. Charmed. And yes, I’m always like this.”

Edited Date: 2020-01-19 12:01 am (UTC)

From:

zuhrovet

"The pleasure is entirely mine." Sasha uses the archaic singular possessive. Truth is, though, she's less inclined to fuck with this pretty person than she was a few minutes ago: they're doing her the kindness of not looming at her, and signing with the mothlings is a genuine good idea.

From:

sageling

Hana stammers a bit before saying, "Just Hana is fine." She gives Eddox a smile that's not entirely natural before taking their hand in greeting. She looks at their hearing aid and signs, very haltingly, "I used to be a teacher. Nice to meet you, friend." The great thing about sign is she can avoid having her voice break, and there's something comforting about manual speech. She doesn't know Eddox's name sign or how to spell their name for that matter, so calling them 'friend' seems neutral enough.

From:

mawgs

Eddox smiles warmly and signs back, “Just Hana, then. A pleasure. Children tend to be a good judge of character, so I am predisposed to trust you.” Eddox points with their chin as if to prove their words: one of the mothlings is reaching out to regain Hana’s attention.

[ Eddox standing and addresses Sasha directly after this ]

Edited Date: 2020-01-22 01:54 am (UTC)

From:

mawgs

“Excuse me,” Eddox says to the mothlings and then stands and brushes themself off. They fix their gaze on Sasha and offer a charming smile, let it hang a second too long, and then say, “I am told you are the woman to speak to about practically anything here.” They hazard a glance down to the mothlings. One is undulating at a decent pace. Eddox knows better than to assign any particular emotion or meaning to it, but hopes it’s one of the better possibilities.

“I have been talking to the lovely Seyli,” Eddox gestures to them, a flourish of hand that seems somehow musical, “as well as the, hmm. The stoic Sulen, I think.” Eddox stops and looks towards them, hoping to catch them looking back. “Both have informed me you‘ll be capable of telling me just what the hell is actually going on? Did Molina forward my dosier?”

From:

zuhrovet

Prophet's boots, they're a collector.

"I do not have the pleasure of her acquaintance. Nor am I aware why you require an early briefing. Perhaps you will enlighten me?" Sasha is emphasizing the archaic singulars hard, now. She doesn't look at Seyli.

From:

kese_seyli

Seyli frowns at Sasha. They know she's curt and comes off as very sharp, but they personally haven't seen as much outright rudeness. "It's a fair question, Sasha." The sound hesitant to speak against her, but are doing it anyway. "It is a bit weird this is starting with a party and not a briefing, anyway."