the great escape.The Circle has quite a lot on their plate, this time around. Multiple players are fighting for the control of Akvos, and many difficult choices to make. No matter what path you choose, though, one thing is for certain: it is a bitter fight to the death to ensure that Akvos remains standing, one way or another. There are three main areas for the characters to explore in the final log of Akvos: (1) The Kingdom of Akvos, where the King is fighting to seize control; (2) The Rift, where the characters will encounter the Dreamscapes; and (3) The Kingdom of Polankos, which is where King Ka'pouli has reigned since his arrival in the pocket dimension. Decisions made in all there areas will affect the outcome of Akvos, so get to exploring.  THE ASSAULT ON WAHINE.The King’s forces will attack in three different fronts. There will be mermen attacking from above, riding saddled giant seahorses and manta rays, launching spears at the mermaid-warriors below with terrifying precision. They seem to be indiscriminate, in their aim -- the weaponry, charged with the same dark energy that the shadow creatures seem to be made out of, find their target in civilians and warriors alike, raining down a sea of terror upon the central stronghold of the Kingdom of Akvos.
The mermen will also be attacking at the ground-level, attempting to burst their way through the Palace Gates to flood the city with numbers. While the mermaids outnumber the mermen, the mermen are certainly more brutal than the mermaids. Some of them, though, in finding the city, are more concerned with looting it than with senselessly murdering everyone inside. Indeed, this is the most food they have seen in a long time -- and markets are destroyed in grabbing as much food and riches as they can, pressing closer to the Palace, and toward the Queen's stronghold.
And, finally, they will be attacking from below, navigating their way through a network of tunnels meant to transport goods and bursting their way into people’s homes, to sneak their way closer to their ultimate goal, which seems to be the Palace itself.
The Circle's main goal, here, is to protect civilians, usher theminto the underground strongholds beneath the Palace, and fight for their own lives should they attack the mermen first. Man the wall, if you so choose, to attempt to block the air attacks from the mantas. Fight on the ground, to protect Akvos from destruction. Or make your way to the underground strongholds and tunnels, to block access to the Palace. All of these will certainly assist in keeping Akvos safe.
In addition, please remember that shadow creatures (which can only be killed by magical means) are still making their way through the entirety of Akvos. While King Ka'pouli's forces are targeting the Palace of Wahine, the shadow creatures are still present everywhere. Get to killing!  INTO THE RIFT.Some of you, however, have elected to traverse into the mysterious rift that appeared in the midst of the Fields of Akvosia. It looks like a black hole into nothingness, crackling with odd energy . . . and passing through it feels as though you have stepped through an icy waterfall. For a moment, you cannot breathe -- and then, you are treated to beauty.
The gaps between time and space are full of sparkling lights, bolts of rainbow starlight winding around you as you move through the uncertainty that is the void. It seems endless, but something inside you is tugging you forward . . . and, suddenly, there is a soft voice in your ear. A familiar one, to those who reside within the Circle . . . the confused voice of Astoria.
 "Hello? My Travelers? How are you within the Void?" The Void? That word hadn't been used to describe whatever this magical place is before, but . . . well, a witch with the ability to send you all across the universe probably knows what she's talking about, right? "That should not be possible . . . who opened this doorway?"
You can tell her, or you can not. It seems to matter not, because: "Is this not getting through? Why can I not hear you . . . but I can feel you, I can -- please, if you can hear this, be careful. The Void is not something for mortals to interact with, and it can show you terrible things -- terrible things, so please--"
And, right before you have the opportunity to respond to our benevolent witch (or captor, depending on your point of view), you see a bizarre glass-like surface in front of you. It looks like a mirror, and you see a perfect reflection of yourself. It is absolutely captivating, and it beckons you . . . almost urging you to touch it. And Astoria's whisper grows a bit louder, more urgent:
"My dear Traveler, be careful what you encounter here -- can you hear me? Can you see me? I am trying to get you out of there, to bring you back home--Akvos is--"
But it is too late.
Your fingers graze the edge of the mirror, and you are pulled -- a sensation that is familiar to you, the same pull in your stomach that you feel whenever Astoria thrusts you across the universe, into new realities. And, when you blink your eyes again, and look around . . . you are no longer in Akvos, or the Void. You are somewhere entirely new.
Welcome to the Dreamscape.  THE KINGDOM OF POLANKOS.Once the Circle emerges from the Rift and the Dreamscape, they will stumble into another world . . . but this one's wateris shallow, in comparison to the massive depths of the crystal-clear kingdom of Akvos. You can quite clearly see the surface, here, and there are shallows that allow you to come up onto islands, tropical in nature with fruit, odd creatures that appear to be multiple-headed monkeys and parrots, and sandy shores. It's a bit jarring to see, after spending so long underwater. Indeed, you emerge to trudge onto land, and look around, somewhat mystified that the deep-dwelling mermen would be from a place like this.
However, exploring the islands (which is not very difficult to do, as they are all small and will not take very much time) will yield the discovery that on the islands themselves are tunnels -- underwater caverns that thread through the islands to much deeper water. It's almost as if the islands themselves are barriers to the underwater caverns below -- shallow water, a layer of land, and then a (mer)man-made bubble of water below the barrier of land. And that whoever lived on these islands tunneled through them to find deeper water. Princess Kea, (who will attend on these journeys, while remaining in the water), will tell the Circle members that King Ka'pouli told her that when the mermen were cast out, they landed on solid land, and had to slowly dig deeper to their salvation.
Navigating through these tunnels will be somewhat perilous -- and the Circle members will need to carry Princess Kea to the nearest tunnel to get her into some water, because while she can breathe on the surface for a certain period of time, she cannot navigate the land as quickly as you people with legs. Additionally, underwater caving isn't exactly a blast, but the deeper you go, the more clues of civilization you can find. And, eventually, once you go deep enough, you emerge into a massive underwater cavern to find the small Kingdom of Polankos.
In comparison to the Kingdom of Akvos, Polankos is witheringly depressing. It is not brightly colored, nor open -- indeed, it is tiny, with mermen huddled together waiting patiently for the forces that went through the rift to return. There is not a lot to find here, save for some interesting weapons that possess a dark energy, versus a lightning energy -- and those weapons will be given to the Circle members who ask for them, because those who wield them are in no condition to fight. There is little food, little room to sleep, and these are a people clearly in need of assistance.
In order to get them out of Polankos, you will need to usher them through the tunnels back up to the Rift above -- it seems that King Ka'pouli opened the Rift on the surface, rather than risk the city below in case it did not work. The mermen there (who seem to be elderly and weak) will be eager for the assistance to get out Polankos, and at the promise of being brought into Akvos, they will happily go. There will be no resistance from them.
You may also see Princess Kea, who has filtered in and out of the Rift to assist on the journey -- teary-eyed, heartbroken at the sight of these individuals who require rescue, organizing the mermen with the promise of keeping them safe in Akvos.
"Hurry," she tells you, as she rouses another merman into getting to the nearest tunnel. "We do not have a lot of time to pull this off, and we must work quickly." Additionally, please feel free to write up and work with your own prompts! These areas of the world are presented as jumping off points for your characters, not limitations. The idea of this world- as with all the others- is to explore -- you may use as much leeway as you want in order to come up with what your character will do, especially in the Dreamscapes. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask them back on the various threads back in the OOC post from before! |
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acatamods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
acatalepsy_logs2019-01-04 10:22 am
no subject
If you're gonna haunt me, it better be a real big thing. I'm talking blood on the walls and freaky messages, the whole nine yards.
[He's poured himself a glass in the meantime and raises it in a mock toast.]
Besides, I guess this is, ah. An apology. For, y'know...
[He makes a rather exaggerated stabbing motion with his free hand.]
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Nah man, you didn't know what you were doing. We're good. Just, uh- gimme some kind of warning if it's going to happen again, okay? Or I really will haunt the shit out of you. We gotta talk out the details first though like, what kinda blood do you want? Androids where I come from, uh, bleed blue, and you could bleed motor oil for all I know. And then, you know, we got the freaky messages - there some special kinda freaky you want, or you just want a whole lot of moaning?
[Asking for a warning if there's a next time is fine - it's asking what he needs to know without nosing into shit he wouldn't want to be asked about, if it was him. So Hank's comfortable doing it. And that really clever innuendo, well, what better way is there to say, 'still ten out of ten, would bang again, even though you tried to disembowel me'?]
no subject
You’re a hell of a person, you know that?
[And maybe his tone is a little fond, a little surprised, he’s not going to focus on that. Hank’s given him an out and he’s more than willing to graciously accept it. Being able to sweep things under the rug may not be necessarily healthy, but Cayde doesn’t care; it cuts a lot of the awkwardness and tension that’d been building in his chest. There’s really no good way to say well, it’s probably going to happen again but you’re not going to actually be in my brain to see it so it’s totally fine, so-]
And nah. It’s not gonna happen again, that I can promise. I try to keep the murderbot thing on the down-low, otherwise it looses all the shock value real quick, y’dig?
[He grins, then throws back the rest of his drink with a pleased hum. Neither Akvos or the Temple really had adequate alcohol stashes, so he’s going to enjoy this as much as he can while he still can.]
I’m thinking bright red blood though? That’s what always happens in those old horror movies, blue just seems…like I won’t lie, it honestly sounds like some sort of fancy syrup or something and it’d probably make me laugh instead. Which, I mean, if that’s what you wanna go for with your haunting, you do you! I’m thinking I like the idea of a lot of moaning though, can we pencil that one in as a ‘yes, absolutely’?
[He can’t smirk, but by the Traveler if he could he would be.]
no subject
He lets the back of his head work over all that while the front of it focuses on the taste of this green stuff. He doesn’t trust if quite enough to throw it back like Cayde is but another little sip is okay. Weird, but okay. He thinks he could get used to it, if he ever had a chance to.]
Moaning. Gotcha. That one I think I can probably promise.
[The smirk that’d got drowned out in his other thoughts comes back for a second, with a particular pointed look to it.]
What’d you want me to write on your walls, though? I mean, I could draw you threatening pictures but I kinda only got one specialty when it comes to, uh, art.
no subject
I mean, you've got that down to an art. A real renaissance kind of a thing, and who am I to discourage creativity.
[Hank: slayer of dragons, drawer of dicks. It's got a good ring to it. He lifts his glass in a mock salute, toasting to the idea of future dicks.]
But if we're going for the creep factor, I think you gotta throw in some super vague, threatening stuff. Like 'go to the lighhhhtttt' or 'I see you' or I don't know. That kind of old horror movie stuff. Y'know, the ones where the people aren't smart enough to leave when they should and bad stuff ends up happening?
[It's nice to just let his mouth run, to just say whatever old shit comes to mind without having to worry about anything beyond superficial bullshit.]
You think you can handle that? I got faith.
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[Which is a totally fair callout, he thinks, for a guy who swam straight into the freaky weird space tear in the sky-ocean like, all on his own, deliberately. Hank takes another drink, finishing off the small amount that'd been in his glass, and looks down at that glass while he talks because focusing on it's an okay way to distract himself from the awkwardness of what he's about to say.]
So, the uh. About the murderbot thing. You're- uh, you're not- I mean, Connor gave me shit for saying that uh, murderbot, you know, a while back. I didn't really... pay attention to him, but um, maybe I- But that's not you. I didn't mean it, you know, that way. Look, I don't know-
[He looks up at Cayde for this part. His eyes can't settle for long on Cayde's, keep darting down to his jaw, to the struts in his cheeks, and then back up, but his face is serious.]
I don't know what they- [Getting into tricky territory here, he doesn't want to go too far into what's probably Cayde's private horror, but if he's going to say this he's got to reference it at least a little, and 'they' is nice and vague.] -meant for you to turn into, but you're not. Just, for murder or, you know, that kind of thing. That's not who you are. I know that. So-
[He looks down again, swirling the glass to run its bottom edge in circles over the counter.]
So if I'm the reason you uh, said that, called yourself, you know, whatever. I didn't mean it that way. So, uh. Sorry.
[Holy shit this is terrible. He probably shouldn't have said it at all. Someone save him from his own stupid shit.]
holy tl;dr batman
[He's not actually mad, but he's not going to waste any chance to gently rib the guy. It's fun, after all.
The air between them shifts, though, as Hank continues on and it's enough to give Cayde pause for a bit. For a hot second he's not entirely sure what Hank's even going on about, but it becomes clear soon enough and it leaves his gears spinning as he tries to come up with an appropriate response.]
Oh.
[Well...he does owe the guy at least a little bit of an explanation, doesn't he? It's a pretty paltry way to apologize for dragging him into some admittedly pretty screwed up stuff, but he can at least clear up some of the misunderstandings.]
No apologies, seriously. [He holds his hand up to interrupt any objections.] I get it, and believe me I appreciate it, but you don't have to worry about anything.
[Now comes the harder, more awkward, part. The bottle between them suddenly becomes very interesting, and he nudges it over to Hank as a peace offering as he tries to find the right way to put things.]
Just a bit of humor, yeah? Not saying I wouldn't make a pretty awesome murderbot but... That, ah. That stuff. [He makes another stabbing motion, at least having the decency to look a little kowtowed this time.]
That stuff is, uh. Normal.
[Nailed it.]
Okay, so I get how it looks like really not normal, I do. But it is for people like me. It's a dream. Sort of. Exos don't dream, you follow? I close my eyes and go to sleep and there's nothing. Except sometimes there's...that. We all see it from time to time. We all go there.
[His mouth feels dry, even though that's impossible, and he takes a moment to take a long draw from his drink. It lets him stall for a little, but not enough where he really feels like he's got a good way to proceed.]
No one really knows why, but it's probably something to do with where we all came from. Some of the bigger eggheads have a whole bunch of theories, some choose to see it as a religious thing, but it's all the same in the end. You're somewhere cold, barren.
And you gotta go. You gotta go back, no matter what. And-
[This is the hard part, because there's no real good way to explain casually.]
and people will try to stop you. People you know, people you care about, friends, family, lovers, all of that sort. But you have to keep going, no matter what.
[He'll let that implication hang, because it really does feel so awkward to try and explain. He looks over, offering Hank the best to an apologetic grin that he can manage and he gives a small, somewhat embarrassed shrug before laughing weakly.]
Man. Why couldn't you have hopped into something that made me look cool? Thanks a lot weird portal thing.
[He's only being somewhat sarcastic. C'mon brain, why do you gotta make him look bad like this?]
no subject
Not that there's anything to think about - not in a way that changes anything, anyway. But he wants to sort through all that, slot what he can make sense of into his idea of Cayde. He takes another moment after his drink, thinking over the aftertaste.]
You didn’t keep going, though. Not this time. You didn’t go through with it. That’s what matters.
[Then he nudges Cayde’s arm, his voice softening. His look’s meant to be a smirk; it softens a little, too, before it gets there.]
Besides, it’s probably a good thing I didn’t walk in on you doing something cool, I’d hate for you to use up all your cool points right off like that. At least this way you still got that one cool thing to show me.
no subject
[It’s such a strange concept, to have someone in his head like that, but Cayde can’t deny its effectiveness. Hundreds upon hundreds of years, and this is the first time he’s ever gotten a chance to clear his head and regain his wits in the shadow of the Crypt. Is there some irony there? That it’s taken being yanked from house and home and thrown into magical bullshit with a bunch of strangers for him to be able to logically parse through the dream? Maybe. He can’t really bring himself to care too much.
Instead he glances over at Hank with a small snort of unexpected amusement; how someone could be so accepting of what’d happened…it’s kind of a relief. Not that he’d ever admit that aloud, but it’s nice to not dwell on the very real implications of ‘hey I tried to kill you, sorry about that’. Maybe it’s not healthiest to sweep it under the rug, but with the fuckery of Akvos in general and now a bunch of private thoughts on view to people he’ll take any break he can.
He looks down at their arms, nudges Hank back with a fond grin and a cheeky waggle of his browplates.]
But I promise you this: I’ve done so many cool things, so just seeing one wouldn’t blow all my cool points. Give me a little credit.
no subject
[If Hank's expression's any indicator, it's kind of a lot. But we're not paying attention to Hank's face here, okay, what we're paying attention to is the stress relief from a pretty heavy topic, the bullshitting back and forth that he knows Cayde needs, and that Hank's only too happy to provide.]
I don't know how much of you being some kinda cool guy I can actually believe. I mean, this- [He raises his glass, shaking it a little,] -is pretty cool, giving me something - well, something weird, but actually good to drink, that was pretty cool of you. But I like facts, you know? So I don't know if I can believe this far our story about you being cool on a regular basis, not without some kind of proof right in front of me.
[He shrugs a shoulder, raising his eyebrows and pursing his lips over a little smile. Too bad, no proof. What a sad day.]
no subject
[Robot booze. It’s robot booze.
He knows a challenge when he hears one, though, and oh does his ego jump at the obvious goading. Humility is barely a word in his vocabulary and getting called out when he’s in his (imaginary) element? Well that just won’t do at all. He elbows Hank gently in the side, drawing himself up a little straighter and raising his brows as he himself rises to the unspoken dare.]
You really should reconsider though. Because really all I’m hearing is ‘Oh Cayde, I know you’re so dashing and handsome and talented and I’m too demure to admit it so please show me up close how awesome you are right now!’
[Two can play at that game.]
no subject
Well, you know what my demure little ears are hearing, mister dashing? A whole lotta talk. And I'm sorry, but until I got some hard facts in front of me I just don't know what to believe. Gosh, how will I ever decide? Maybe if you talk big some more without actually followin through on any of it that'll finally convince me.
no subject
He makes a motion with his glass, a certain sense of swagger written in his posture now.]
Careful what you wish for, dragonslayer. It sounds to me like I gotta drag your butt out into the field sometime. I have a reputation to uphold, after all! Can’t have someone going around and slandering my good name.
no subject
[Trying to get and keep eye contact with Cayde, Hank lifts his glass to his lips, moving slow, not in a hurry to hide his smirk. God, this is the most normal he's felt since getting lost in these fucking... whatever the hell they are, in these memories in space in the middle of the ocean. More terrible nutso shit. You'd never think it to look at the guy, but hanging out with Cayde is good for that. Cayde's always been good for that, even, Hank's finding, after a kind of day like this, when all he wants to do is curl up somewhere and pass out for about a thousand years. Even with that running through him giving Cayde shit is fun, it's actually fun, and Hank's having fun doing it.]
no subject
[There's only so much a man can be goaded before something has to be done. Hank knows how to rile him up, the asshole, and this won't stand.]
Finish your drink. I'm not gonna sit here and listen to you tell such lies.
[It's on and as he makes a motion towards Hank, something cheeky and impatient, he's grinning the best he can. This sense of normalcy is nice, it's good to not have to think about the terrible void that awaits them. And to hell with the responsibilities they have back out in reality, he's not going to take this grievous insult sitting down.]
no subject
Okay. Now that I'm full of that weird minty aftertaste you like so much, let's get to it. You know this better be good, right? After all that build up?
no subject
I better not hear any whining then, you asked for this.
[Pulling back, he holds out his palm and with a small flash of light his Ghost transmats in. Her fins spin in confusion as she looks between both men, but Cayde just clicks his tongue (or the best mimicry he can accomplish) and nudges her out towards Hank.]
C’mon little buddy, what do you think? Help me out here.
[That seems to be the magic phrase, because with another spin of her fins, Sundance zips into the air to circle around Hank as she gathers information from a few body scans. When she’s seemingly collected enough, she stops and just hovers for a moment before suddenly separating into small, geometric pieces contained by a pulsing orb of light.
Cayde grins, triumphant.
Whether he wanted to or not, Hank’s now getting pulled into his world, and civilian duds weren’t going to cut it for that. There’s a brief flare of Light, the only warning before leathers and armor materialize right over Hank’s actual clothes. It’s fine, it’s totally fine. At the very least Sundance has the courtesy to make sure everything is fairly neutral and not painted eye-blindingly bright; small favors. Cayde, however, is laughing now as he reaches out a hand to clap his newly minted traveling partner on the shoulder. His Ghost? Just gives another pulse of Light, adding the finishing touches on her masterpiece: a fairly intimidating handcanon at Hank’s belt and, after a second of contemplation, a notably short cloak.]
Perfect! [Cayde crows, smug amusement all but radiating off of him.] I woulda pegged you for a Warlock, but I guess you get to be one of the cool kids after all. Sundance!
[He gives the tiny floating robot a thumbs up.]
Prepare for transmat, Nessus I’m thinkin’.
[And without further explanation the world goes dark for a split second. Moments later the world burst back into view, but this time they’re no longer in the relatively secluded safety of the Tower bar. No, now there’s pale grass and strangely crimson trees as far as the eye can see, interspersed with oddly-shaped ruins and the occasional river of sparking milk-like fluid that doesn’t quite seem to follow the laws of known physics.
Cayde doesn’t bat an eye, and instead thumps Hank on the back a few times like an overexcited child.]
You said show, well it’s time to show!
no subject
[And then they're somewhere else. Okay.]
-the fuck?
[He'll be real - with himself, anyway: he hadn't expected weird shit. The scene switching, sure, maybe, but after the- the weird thing that zapped clothes onto him- it's stupid, being weirded out by that, it's just a stupid little thing, but stupid little things add up and now they're somewhere that's probably never even heard of Earth, and Cayde is right fucking here, and Hank is fine. They're in- in the middle of a dream, or whatever the fuck, Hank's seen nightmare-fuel robot zombies, he's seen Canada, Cayde himself tried to dream-murder him earlier, Hank's seen his ex smile at him and not with that slow and wounded pity but with actual honest happiness - nothing that happens here is real. It shouldn't hit him so hard by now. By now Hank should be used to it.
His jaw is tight and he has to take two or three deep breaths through his nose, very aware of Cayde standing right there and potentially - for a split second, anyway - touching him, but this is about as repressed as Hank's shit's going to get right now so he's probably doing good. Okay.
He looks down, trying to focus on looking at himself and not up and around them just yet, and on twisting his tight expression into a grimace, because whining is like comfort food for the brain and Hank never actually agreed not to do it.]
I look like a moron.
[He tries to pluck at the leather at his waist, shifting a chip of that unmoored, unsettled feeling in him at everything in general over to just focus on that leather, and on the way it's clinging over his middle.]
Was this all part of your plan? Make yourself look cooler by showin me how stupid normal people look in combat catsuits?
no subject
His reverie is somewhat broken by Hank’s gruff commentary, and he spares a look over to him that starts out as simply bemused but shifts to something unapologetically cheeky as he lets his gaze sweep down the line of Hank’s sillohuete.]
No, you look good.
[Fact. No room for argument.]
Didn’t come to stare though-
[They’d come, after all, to appease a robot’s tremendous ego and need to show off. His competency had been called into question, he couldn’t help it. It’s much easier to throw himself headfirst into this new distraction than to wallow on what had happened earlier; healthier though? Absolutely not. Not that that matters to him in the slightest.]
Came here to prove a point!
[He’s about to continue but falls quiet for half a moment. The concept that Hank probably had no idea where they were or what was going on finally manages to make its way to the forefront of his mind, and while it’s hard he does slow his roll just a bit.]
Might need a moment though. Y’know, to get my bearings.
[Or rather to spare Hank from any more unnecessary discomfort beyond the whole ‘suddenly being redressed and dragged across the universe which isn’t actually real’ thing that they’ve got going on.]
no subject
Hank can't bring himself to send the message he'd send if he did that and, as the seconds tick on, he keeps on just not moving away. He clears his throat, finally looking around to try to distract himself instead.]
Hey uh, I know I'm supposed to be in awe of the majesty of the vast untamed wilderness or whatever, but am I the only one who thinks that uh, that water looks kinda like...
[He jerks his chin toward one of those rivers of 'sparking milk-like fluid' and then looks from it to Cayde, only letting a hint of amusement into his dry expression. Thank god he's got a dirty mind to get him out of actually thinking about shit.]
no subject
Milk.
[Thank the Traveler for Hank’s dirty mind, it helps cut some of the tension and gives Cayde an easy out from having to be serious. With a huff of laughter he meets Hank’s gaze, waggling his browplates before looking back to the river.]
Not even kidding. There’s a big scientific name for it, but between you and me? Everyone calls it ‘Vex milk’.
[A beat.]
Don’t go tasting this mysterious liquid, okay? This one actually is bad for you.
[Alright, so getting a chance to poke fun is still definitely a thing.]
no subject
What, you think I just go stickin whatever weird shit lands in front of me right in there? Don't get so down on yourself, man.
[He slaps the back of his hand against Cayde's arm as he says it, looking kind of tentative. But they can't stand here joking around forever. Or, more to the point - he can't slow them down standing here joking around forever. Hank's a lot of things, but a drag isn't one of them.
Well, okay. He is a drag. A lot of the time. But not here and now, not if he can help it. So he takes a couple steps forward, trying to make his look around seem interested.]
So where's this show we came all the way here to see? [Hank pauses. His bravado's, now he hears it coming out of his mouth, sounds a little more obvious than he likes it. Well, fuck it. He's ninety nine point nine percent sure Cayde's going to let him get away with it.] If you just dragged me here to watch you do the backstroke in Vex-cum-river you can count me right the hell out.
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[But if Hank's going to try and press ahead, despite the insincerity that overlays his sudden interest, then Cayde's not going to give him shit about it. There are plenty of times when he can rib and joke, but he draws a line at anything that actually digs into insecurities. If this even is an insecurity. He doesn't know. Despite everything, Hank can be hard to read and Cayde's honestly not sure if he's impressed or frustrated by that.
Whatever. He's gotten them into this, he's not leaving until his own badassness is without question.]
But really. A. no. B. hell no. That's a one-way ticket to a real bad time. If you thought I could pull off murderbot real well before, well that's nothing compared to what that stuff could do.
[He's surprisingly casual about that. It's fine though, as long as no one drinks the damn stuff everything will be okay. With one final pat to Hank's shoulder he slips away, leaping up onto one of the smaller ruins with just a hint of Light propelling him up. This is his world, his dream, he could make this so much easier but what fun would that be?]
We're here to shoot somethin' big. I told you, awesome points to spare.
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[Hank's voice is carefully free, here, of anything but curiosity. This is a hunting trip, isn't it, and that narrows down Hank's options for tactics, if he wants Operation Don't Be A Drag to come out okay. Cause killing shit for fun? It's not exactly Hank's bag, and he's pretty sure he's not into making his pile of mortal peril any bigger than it's already going to be at the end of today. Which means he has to be enthusiastic - or at least interested - in something else.
Right now that something else is probably following Cayde wherever he's going. Normally Hank would hang out down here for a minute just to make a point - ie, yeah, he knows Cayde knows how cool he looked jumping up like that, and no, he's not going to help Cayde look any cooler by crawling up after him like a big clunky asshole - but Hank's got to be into something, and Cayde looking cool is kind of the name of the game here, so Hank resigns himself to looking stupid and starts with the crawling up after Cayde like a big clunky asshole. It doesn't occur to him until he's started that he probably doesn't want to get close enough for, say, a slap on the shoulder or whatever until he's worked up some real enthusiasm, so he stops climbing just before getting in range.]
How big are we talkin exactly? What am I here to watch you kill, on a scale of like, Bigfoot to Godzilla?
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[Humble, thy name is Cayde. But all things aside, this is the first time that he’s felt- well- normal since his abrupt abduction to the Circle. And he wants to share that feeling, that excitement and joy and spark of just being alive, beyond just the need to peacock about. Hank isn’t from his neck of the woods, they’ve both been through a lot in the last few hours, but this- the scent of stone and vegetation, the slight whisper and hum of energy on the breeze- this is good. Really good.
His expression is filled with genuine excitement as he looks back over his shoulder, taking a knee and reaching out to offer Hank his hand so that he can help the guy up the last little bit of the way.]
And c’mon, you can’t tell me that this isn’t one heck of a view.
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