[WORLD ONE | AIMINTAS REBUILDING]

[spellbindmods]

Who: Coven members and the Palai
Where: Rebuilding the Aimintas marketplace.
When: Day 59
Open/Closed: Open to All
OOC Note: For Prompt A -- the egg claiming is closed to those who selected eggs from this thread! Anyone can use the prompt creatively, but please don't give your character an egg if they aren't listed in the above thread.

The initial setting information found here should be utilized for threads here.

There's no official OOC account for the Palai people. You're free to roleplay their actions and reactions on your own, as in depth as you want -- asking questions, hand-waved interactions, becoming best friends. The new world is your oyster!

Many efforts have been made to help rebuild Aimintas, which has become a little bit water-logged and bloodied after the confrontation a few days previously. The Palai are fully capable of rebuilding their own city on their own, but with coven members around and willing to help, hopefully the repairs that need to be done can be completed much more quickly. The marketplace is quite expansive, which is both good and bad when it comes to coven involvement. While the areas that need to be repaired are expansive, this creates the opportunity for most coven members to help rebuild in some way or another. With everyone taking responsibility for a task, the work can get done much more quickly. Aside from the repairs, many Palai are still in mourning. Because this incident happened during their mating season, many Palai are essentially shut out of reproduction or are going to potentially lay eggs a month from now without one of their previously supposed parents. The demeanor around the marketplace is glum for this reason, though the steadfast species is certainly not giving up. A ▢ Because some Palai families were killed in their entirety, the hatchery is being cleaned out. There is a big discussion in the marketplace with those responsible for taking care of eggs making sure they have the future Palai youth properly sorted. Those eggs that are orphaned have mostly been handed out to Palai family units, though there are some left over. Because the Palai trust the coven members as stronger and more capable to protect their eggs than they are right now, these eggs are being handed out to them instead of doubling up already child-bearing families. Are you willing to take an egg? B ▢ Half of the battle when it comes to rebuilding the marketplace will be the large quantities of standing water in certain stalls and enclosed spaces. Some of the Uvi's ocean masses burst or were used as a sort of liquid smoke grenade for defensive measures -- some water was absorbed into the dirt in outdoor eating areas, but a lot of it is stuck in businesses, suites and other rooms. The Palai have buckets, but they sure could use a hand getting this stuff out of here. C ▢ From slamming large sharks into the front of stone store fronts to stabbing down doors without barriers, the Uvi certainly did a number on Aimintas. Stone fixtures are certainly more difficult to repair, though the Palai have concocted a cement paste that they're using to help fill in seams. The biggest issue to deal with here is that water-logged and damaged wood needs to be hauled away or destroyed (safely!). At the same time, new wood needs to be installed to doors and stalls, and tables need to be rebuilt in order to return the majority of shops to well-working order. D ▢ Working hard isn't the only task at hand, either. There are Palai in restaurants and eateries that ARE mostly functional, hard at work preparing canteens and food sacks that need to be passed out to workers expending so much energy for their city. This also means the return of their energy drink (see TDM #2, Prompt E). This can cause hallucinations, power malfunctions and extreme giddiness and euphoria, for those who didn't experience this drink the last time it made the rounds. E ▢ Another "low-level" task focuses on keeping the younger Palai entertained and out from under the feet of those who are working hard to repair the city. The hatchery is being emptied for repairs, so one of the more untouched open-air areas of the marketplace is now a makeshift daycare. There are obviously Palai helping to attend to the children, but there are a lot of them -- some are more docile and easy to entertain, others scuttle out of the enclosure and try to help the coven with their chores. This may or may not go well...have you made a new little friend? F ▢ More detail-oriented coven members can help with the management side of things. These tasks can include restocking and carting a round food stuffs (produce, shrimp, other food goods), getting rid of damaged goods (some of these are only slightly damaged, so maybe you can get some discounted, barely working merchandise), and redecorating storefronts. This work is great for those who aren't as good at physical labor and still want to help. G ▢ Most of the Palai who were put up against the Uvi found themselves fatally wounded, though there were some lucky lizards out there. One of the other open-air areas of the marketplace is essentially a medic tent, which serves as both a makeshift hospital for coven members and Palai alike who are still nursing Uvi wounds, as well as a first aid station for any rebuilding-related injuries. Healers would definitely be appreciated! H ▢ Wildcard!

Comments

[deem]

That complicated, huh?

[Since he can't get into his own past too much, it's not his place to ask.

Even so, he can admit to himself that he's curious]

Hope you didn't have some unfinished business waiting like some guys around here.

[talim]

[ jude isn't opposed to sharing. he's sure that 9s will learn more about his past in bits and pieces, when the timing is right. plus, who knows if anyone from home will end up here alongside him? jude hasn't given up on that chance. ]

Ha... No, nothing too grave. Just a bunch of important research materials scattered around and a big meeting I was supposed to attend. I'm guessing I might have missed it by now.

[deem]

...Maybe by just a few hours.

[It may just be lucky that neither of them had anything especially weighty they were right in the middle of, though seeing how diligent Jude is, even missing something like a meeting surely matters to him]

They've got to cut you some slack if you got dragged to some other planet though, right?

[That's one heck of a valid excuse for missing an appointment, so he thinks]

[talim]

Juuuust a few.

[ jude's grin widens. he's happy to have this simple back-and-forth with 9s back again. ]

Who knows? I heard they're pretty strict. Might not be enough.

[deem]

Really? I think it'd even work where I'm from, and they're real slave-drivers.

[Or they were, anyway. The Resistance would likely just be delighted for more help, though he's not sure what the current state of affairs is after the ark had presumably launched]

What sort of research were you doing, anyway?

[Truly, the most important question, when one is a Scanner]

[talim]

[ jude was half-kidding, but it seems silly to bother mentioning it. he'd rather answer 9s' question. ]

Environmental science. Specifically, the studies of spirits, how they affect the environment, and alternate ways to preserve the nature surrounding us. When the spirits in the air start to diminish, so does the life of the planet. I'm working on coming up with a solution to work around that.

[ ... 9s probably has no idea what he's talking about, but he did ask. ]

[deem]

...So are spirits some sort of particles?

[Does that mean Jude had a crush on something that wasn't even a person? He knows the guy is a little too accepting, but that's notionally bizarre. Still if they're in the air, what else could they possibly be?

Anything like that can hardly have much mass...]

[talim]

Well... there are spirits, and then there are Great Spirits. There's a difference. Great Spirits can cross over between the human realm and the Spirit Realm and take on a human like form. They can speak just as you and I can. Hold regular conversations, just like us.

Not exactly the most conventional, though.

[deem]

So what causes that distinction between them? And what form do they typically come in if it's unnatural to be humanoid?

[...Scanner Things]

[talim]

It's difficult to explain the difference — it's more like Great Spirits are the beings that create smaller spirits.

And, well... it depends. Milla took on a human form; there was no discernible difference. Then there are Great Spirits with wings, and Great Spirits that take on the shape of the elements.

[deem]

...Seems kind of inconsistent...

[Not that he should be criticizing something that he knows almost nothing about, but it's a little difficult to process when there doesn't seem to be a steady pattern to how such beings function.

Were they made of some sort of energy...? Maybe that's it]

[talim]

... It's complicated, I know.

[deem]

[And abstract, geez.

But hey, he's picked up on one thing]

Milla's that one you mentioned the other day, right?

[Priorities]

[talim]

[ jude seems to sober. just a bit. ]

Mm. That was Milla. Why do you ask?

[deem]

That's the only one you've referred to by name.

[So it stood to reason the one he'd mention would be the one he had some sort of connection with. At least, that's what he thinks, though he supposes with Jude's nature he might've befriended a lot of these spirits...whatever they are.

Though on that note, he supposes there's something that he's neglected]

...I didn't really answer your question the other day.

[talim]

What questio—

[ oh. that one. ]

You don't have to. It's alright.

[ but jude neglects to mention that he wants him to. that he wants him to more than anything, although he doesn't know how this has a correlation to milla. ]

[deem]

[He'll get to that. Scanners are great at getting off onto tangents and bringing it back around, perhaps owed to being entirely too curious about everything.

Or maybe it's just a quirk]

I don't think I've got one you'd be satisfied with...but if it were somehow possible [to think that way, despite what his core programming tells him, and what he sees no reason to fight against] it'd be enough just to be around that person.

[Just the same as it is with 2B, his family. Regardless of how conflicted he was, he vastly preferred her companionship over being without her]

I don't know if it's the same where this Milla's concerned, but... Like I've said, I wasn't created with those things in mind.

[talim]

[ jude feels like he's being torn in half. on one hand, 9s is right. he couldn't agree with him more. just being around milla was honestly, truly enough. above all, she was his close friend, his family, too. almost like a sibling. his feelings for her were muddled with confusion, but he's certain that he cared about her more than he perhaps should have.

he absentmindedly feels around for her pendant before remembering that it disappeared when he got here. ]

No. You're... you're right. Just being around Milla was enough. Seeing her resolution, her ideals, her path carved out in front of her... Milla saved me.

So I understand. I do.

[ jude loved her. as a person, a friend, family, or something else, he doesn't know. but he did. maybe he still does, and he's managing without her just fine, has accepted a life without milla maxwell standing tall by his side, but that doesn't mean there isn't an irreplaceable spot for her under lock and key in his heart.

he laughs a strained laugh. ]

It looks like we're finally agreeing on something. Imagine that.

[deem]

Of all the things, huh... I guess I'd have to add one stipulation though.

[If only because that look on Jude's face always makes him feel so leaden. It gets him to thinking there is perhaps one other thing he'd want, aside from companionship. And that sentiment's been his reason for avoiding talk of his experiences with 2B, or even telling her that he'd long ago ascertained what her real designation was. What her real assignment was.

There comes with it far too heavy a risk of causing her more pain, and he remembers so clearly now all of the times he'd compounded weight on her already burdened heart]

I'd want to be able to make somebody like that smile.

[Maybe it's a silly thing for all that it's so incredibly mundane, but in such a pained, at times tortured existence, something as small as that strikes him as precious. And it's something he already wants with the people he can spend his time around now, all the more for those he's closer to.

Excuse him as he reaches across the table, gloved hands cupping Jude's cheeks]

That goes for friends too, for the record.

[talim]

[ jude's eyes widen in surprise, cheeks warming underneath 9s' touch. he didn't expect that.

but... it's not uncomfortable. his lips twitch upward, threatening to break out into his usual grin. ]

That's all I ever wanted.

And that's still all I want. To see the people I care about smile.

[ jude cares about a lot of things, wholeheartedly and earnestly, but his friends easily make the top of the long list. he never forgets how lucky he is to have them. there's a real smile blooming on his face as he brings one hand up to wrap around 9s' slender wrist. ]

[deem]

[That Palai behind the bookcase nearby is probably wheezing by this point.

But 9S isn't concerning himself with it anymore. They're guests here, and their stay is presumably not a permanent one. With that in mind, it strikes him as more important to focus on how Jude views contact. And so far as he sees, the other boy takes comfort in things like this.

It'd probably be too intrusive with his fellow YoRHa. With 2B. He'd often braced her as best he could, catching her arm or resting a hand on her back, but something like this might be too much. Or would that be contrary to his expectation?

Maybe one day he'll know. For now, he draws one hand back, leaving the other one where it is since Jude's holding his wrist. His face sure got warm]

Looks like we've got that in common too.

[There's something vaguely wry about his smile then. It's a curious thing, having commonalities he wouldn't have thought about, but it makes sense that Jude would want to see others happy. He really is a nice guy]

Fancy that.

[talim]

I think...

[ he hesitates, mulling over his words before pressing on. ]

I think we have more in common than either of us realize. And I think, as time goes on, we'll continue to discover those things. Together.

[ jude doesn't quite realize it, but he tilts his cheek into the palm of 9s' hand before releasing his wrist and letting him go. he's filled to the brim with warmth, spreading from his chest throughout his entire body. perhaps this is strange. perhaps his comfort with his closeness to 9s is strange. perhaps jude is just used to a lack of personal space.

but he doesn't particularly care to deny himself the reassurance and kindness. ]

[deem]

...Maybe so.

[YoRHa, as with any androids, were meant to emulate their creators. This is a fact of which 9S is quite aware, so there's a certain irony to being programmed to believe it shouldn't be too much. How much is too much? They salute left-handed, they don't imitate parts of anatomy useless to them, they're told not to feel.

And yet they have the capacity for it. They feel as intensely as anyone else, and that's something 9S is painfully aware of. He questions anew how alike is too alike, what is acceptable...and wonders if there's really an answer.

Whatever it is or isn't, he retracts his hand to fold both over the tabletop. Jude feels better, he's sure, and he's glad for that. He's far from an expert on having human friends, despite their easy acceptance of him]

There's still a lot I don't know about mankind.

[talim]

And there's still a lot I don't know about Yorha. Countless things.

[ jude's smile is ever so patient. serene, even. ]

But who says we can't take the time to learn?

[deem]

[There's a lot Jude doesn't know.

And there's a lot that in this place, only 9S knows, concerning YoRHa. He isn't sure how he feels about sharing some of it, for all that it's bleaker than he wishes it to be... But it seems to him that Jude doesn't mind waiting.

The better parts, perhaps, would be the best to start with]

Time's one thing we seem to have a lot of around here. That and shrimp, for some reason.

[The locals seem really, really keen on them]