areyto | EVENT | SETTLING IN

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EVENT | SETTLING IN

SETTLING IN

Initial quarantine period is over, but the newest arrivals in Llave, known colloquially as “Los Aparecidos” (The Appeared), remain largely restricted to the shelter for two primary reasons: one, as they are currently stateless, meaning they have no rights to citizenship anywhere, what to do with them continues to be debated; and two, it has become rapidly obvious that many have zero knowledge not just of the nation they find themselves in, but of the wider world around them.

The former has been explained to them via the lawyers who have taken their collective case, and further clarified by the prime minister, Rosario Alonzo de León, when she and several members of her government return to speak again with the arrivals. A highly intelligent and capable woman in her late forties, she makes a point of sitting with each newcomer to Llave to converse about their experiences thus far and what concerns they have.

As for the lagoons in characters’ knowledge, steps are being taken to address these.

Classes are being held now, in order to prepare the arrivals for whatever happens next. Characters will be taught a variety of skills, including but not limited to communication methods such as mail, phones, television, radio and the Internet; use of appliances, including basic lessons on modern utilities; and general safety rules both inside and outside the home. Characters can request specific classes or volunteer to help teach their companions. (And for anyone learning or helping to teach how to read and write, a reminder that the Spanish alphabet consists of 27 letters: ‘ñ’ has its place after ‘n’. And ‘ll’ and ‘rr’ have their own sounds.)

The woman organizing the classes has become well-known to the arrivals: Evelyn Burgos Peña was a clinical social worker before leaving her previous work to assume the duties of First Lady when her wife was elected. Aside from spearheading the new education efforts for the arrivals, she has also been working diligently with the Bajari Bara to establish the second change in the daily routine.

Due to the generally acceptable behavior during the Day of Heroes, characters are now sometimes permitted to leave the shelter to visit Old Nona. These group excursions are not every day, and last only a few hours. One of these excursions is tied to a class to which all are invited. Rather than make learning more about Llave itself a tedious lecture, on the week of November 22nd, the museum characters arrived at has opened its doors to them for a special exhibit on the island's early history. Characters are accompanied as they were during the Day of Heroes by a guide and an escort of Bajari Bara.

Characters are reminded being permitted outside is a privilege. Until the matter of their legal status is resolved, they have few rights and fewer legal protections. Behavior and curfew are both strictly enforced, and violations will result in the loss of this privilege.

Otherwise, the routine in the shelter remains the same. Caseworkers still check in daily and will refer those who present a need or who request it to the appropriate mental health professionals. Hot meals continue to be provided three times a day along with snacks. A projector was brought in and a different movie is aired every night (General Audiences only—remember, there are children present), with the shelter staff providing snacks to make it a movie theater experience. Entertainment items—books, games, sports equipment, art supplies, etc.—are available and can also be requested (though no promises are made that characters will get exactly what they want, especially if the item can double as a weapon).

Possession of weapons remains strictly prohibited and any visible weapons will be confiscated. Any who attempts to flout this rule, starts fights in the shelter or in Nona or attempts to break out will be swiftly separated from the rest by the Bajari Bara. Further violence will result in consequences according to their actions.

THE MONTH'S HEADLINES

Red chickcharney seen celebrating during the Day of Heroes.
Tombs found disturbed in Nona's Old Cemetery.
Santa Cecilia cattle farmers on high alert after cows, sheep found mauled.
Unidentified flying object spotted off the coast of Bimini.

OOC PLANNING POST • NAVIGATION

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[ a quiet yip draws her to the cot.

it looks like any other cot. a little messy. blankets have been left on the floor, and the pillow balances precariously on the edge. she is about to leave it alone when she hears another sound—snuffling this time—and something moves beneath the blankets.

remembering the bacoo that kept throwing rocks at bellboy, she draw her knife into her hand as she approaches the blankets silent as a shadow. she takes a corner of the blanket between her fingers, waits a breath, then abruptly throws it off to find—

—a dog.

the dog is small and very skinny. she can count its ribs from where she stands. it flinches when it's suddenly exposed to light, whining quietly, its tail tucked between its legs. feeling bad for scaring it, she hides her knife inside her sleeve again and crouches down. ]

It's all right, [ she coaxes it quietly, holding out her fingers for the dog to smell. ] I won't hurt you.

[ it takes a little while, but she is patient and the dog seems to want petting as much as it is wary. sitting cross-legged on the floor, dog in her lap, she runs her fingers over her back, remembering when she had a pup of her own with gray fur and yellow eyes who sought her out every moment of every day.

when footsteps stop nearby, she looks at them before following the line up to a very tall, very blue man.

she blinks. the dog wags its tail.

well. ]

[ if there were ever a siren song that would lead hades to his doom (aside from kore) it would the tiny, helpless bark of a discarded dog.

after so many years his ears are keenly attuned to the sound, unnaturally so that he can pick out from the sea of daily life noise the island projects. it pulls him off the path, towards a more shaded area, to the cot and a young girl sat cross-legged on the floor. he thinks to leave them be, for only a brief moment, until his gaze falls on the dog in question; small, skinny, shivering from excitement and fear. it tugs so sharply on his heart hades almost stumbles as he approaches, slow as not to scare off either the girl or the canine in her lap.

sweet olympus, he can't just ignore this. even if he has more pressing matters to attend to. ]

Hi. [ it's a little awkward of a greeting; a single word and a smile as he lowers himself down to their level, as to not appear as intimidating as he might be. ] Is she yours?

[ even so, she shrinks a little away, her arms tightening briefly around the dog. stupid, she tells herself. he’s only blue. but there’s something about him that isn’t only anything, and she has to remember not to chew her lip as she tries to figure it out. ]

No, [ she admits finally, loosening her hold on the dog.

it licks at her finger before slowly getting up, sniffing curiously at their newest companion. the girl looks at the dog, skinny and shaking. nymeria was never so thin or so shy. she was a bold and sweet little thing that would curl up under arya stark’s chin in bed, warm and soft beneath the furs. she is still bold, but not half so sweet. neither of them are.

it is arya’s voice that admits, ] I had to run mine off. Lest she be killed.

[ the way she shrinks away gives him pause, looking down at this own hands. oh, ha, right, he had almost forgotten that he was... well, blue. the look he gives her is apologetic, soft in a way one would definitely not think the god of the dead should, or would, ever look. ]

What do you mean by that? [ absently he reaches down for the small creature to sniff his hand. ] Why would someone have killed her?

[ any thoughts of shifting his form into something more palatable halt in the face of her words, his brow furrowed and gaze hard. so far his opinion of the people here had been mostly positive, but mortals are mortals and there is nothing that can really change that. does her dog look so terrible that it might drive fear into their hearts? ]

Because she would have never gone in a cage. And she would kill anyone who tried to leash or muzzle her.

[ the dog wags her tail at the man. arya relaxes her hold so that she can inch closer to him.

arya turns her head to the windows. though she keeps a safe hold on the dog, her thoughts are on a different animal. she heard the news. on the television, that queer black rectangle on the wall. animals have been mauled. cows and sheep. only one animal did that. arya can still taste the warmth of the meat when her teeth sank through the soft belly. ]

Have you heard it? At night? [ she looks to the stranger again. ] Howling.

[ have you heard it? at night? howling.

of course, he has heard it. on those nights where sleep is difficult he has listened to the howl drift across the night air, he hadn't thought the creature belonged to someone let alone a girl this young. hades does not think about scratching the small creature lightly behind the ears, the motion absent but by no means robotic. ]

And the news. [ hard not to ignore that. ] She is no mere dog, is she?

A direwolf. She can rip a man’s arm clean off. My friend helped me chase her off. She didn’t want to go. She still comes back here most nights. She misses her pack.

[ arya glances down at the dog. still shaking a bit, though it has subsided, and warm and sweet in her arms. but she’s not nymeria. it’s her wolf she wants. to bury her face in the gray scruff and sleep pillowed on her ribs and run with her through grass and trees. a pack of two, but two is enough. and mayhaps gendry will be a part again. ]

Ah, a great best then.

[ there is a fondness to his face when he speaks, gaze flicking down to the dog in the girl's arms. his lips curve upwards for a moment, fingers moving to scratch the creature's chin. a small thing, like pomelia, scared and alone with no one to look out for it. how many times he has done this? looked up such a small creature and took it under his protection. ]

You know she cannot keep going as she is. [ mauling livestock, haunting the girl's steps. eventually, the locals will have enough, they will take to pitchforks and torches and hunt down the beast. ] If this goes on for too long she may be killed.

She won’t!

[ the response comes so fiercely it’s nearly a snarl. a solemn child she is, wrapped in the shadow of death. yet she is half a girl, half a wolf, and her eyes burn. ]

She’s cleverer than most, and quick, and strong, [ she insists angrily. ] She’s been hunted before and killed them. She won’t be harmed!

[ he does not flinch at her reaction expression turning solemn, hand falling from the small creature in her arms. it isn't a pleasant thing to do, but she needs to understand the consequences of driving off her wolf, the consequences of her wolf's loneliness. ]

She is but one wolf and they are many. [ as if to demonstrate he places a single red gem on the ground between them, then encircles it with many sapphires. ] She may kill many as you say. [ he knocks a few of the sapphires away, only to replace them with more. ] But tell me, what happens to a wolf separated from its pack?

[ it is taken and skinned and slain. ]

She’s not alone!

[ arya is here, and arya can watch over her, and should there be any attempts, arya can foil them. but she is only a little girl, not yet a woman grown, and in a land she does not fully understand. doubt creeps in despite herself and, with it, fear. ]

No, no she isn't.

[ maybe this wasn't the best approach, he's only managing to make her upset rather than getting his intentions through. his expression softens, head lowering to the diagram he created on the ground between them. ]

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. [ the red gem is plucked from the ground and holding out for her. ] Nor do I want your wolf to come to harm at the hands of the mortals who live here.

[ quiet again, she accepts the gem. she has to bite her tongue to stop herself yelling at him again. luckily, the stone proves a good distraction.

she turns it over in her hands, studying its sides. her sister had a greater love for jewels than she, but arya knows a ruby when she sees it—and this is the size of a dove’s egg.

she bites it to be sure. the gem proves hard. ]

This is real.

[ she looks from the ruby to the circle of sapphires to the blue man. “mortals,” he said. her eyes narrow in question this time. ]

Who are you?

Careful, you'll hurt your teeth doing that.

[ the warning comes too late, watching her take the ruby and bite it as though doing so will prove it to be fake. he is torn, then, between laughing and shaking his head at the sight, even more so at the way her expression twists as she looks from the sapphires to him. suspicious, he can't fault her for that. ]

You can call me Hades.

[ hades… her brow clears in surprise, though not as much as perhaps others have shared. she remembers talking with the boy, nico. he mentioned that his father was god of the dead. and his name is… ]

Hades. [ her gods spoke to her, long ago. but they’re in a different world. there is no heart tree here for them to see. mayhaps hades only needs the presence of death to be present too. ] There’s a boy here who said the god of the dead is his father. Are you him?

[ the laugh that leaves him is forced, awkward, eyes flicking towards some other spot rather than the girl. it isn't difficult to put the pieces together and guess who she is talking about, after all there are only two children on this island that claim to have the god of the dead as their father. ]

Not exactly. [a heavy exhale. ] It's complicated, I am the god of the dead but I am not that boy's father.

Edited 2020-11-24 01:24 (UTC)

[ the girl frowns. many names, many faces. they may share a name, but not a face. the gods are powerful and they are strange.

she picks up a sapphire this time. she taps the gems lightly together in a little tune. ]

You’re the first god I’ve spoken to here. I don’t think mine have eyes in this place. So they can’t see.

[ she looks up, and her expression is different this time. less suspicious, more inquiring. there is a faint glimmer of hope that lightens her strangely heavy eyes…that makes her look painfully her age. ]

Do you know…all the dead? If I gave you names, would you know them? Could you tell me if they found one another?

Edited 2020-11-24 01:52 (UTC)

[ at some point he settles on the ground before her, legs crossed and hands resting neatly in his lap, watching with a curious gaze as she picks up the gems and taps them together. maybe it is her immediate belief in him, the lack of fear the unseen one usually brings out in mortals, he isn't entirely sure what it is but something makes him curious.

unafraid of wolves and gods alike.

ah, but that look. the recognition hits hard and fast, his body tensing as memory of the tape flashes quickly before his eyes. kore wore the same look when they first met, when she asked if he could bring mortals back from the underworld. hades face softens, absently organizing the collection of sapphires into the pattern of a moth. ]

As much as I would like to, I can't promise you I will know their names or if they found each other. And I don't want to lie to you.

[ it’s another no. she knows them. but this no is not so harsh. it’s truthful; it’s possible.

arya has near forgotten the taste of hope, but it spills from her lips like a torrent. ]

My mother’s name is Catelyn. She’s beautiful. She has blue eyes and high cheekbones and she has the longest, reddest hair, as red as a sunset. She is always a proper lady, and a good mother. She loved me even when I wasn’t proper.

[ she ducks her head. her hair goes to her short hair, growing out again. she would shave it again, but that drew more questions. her hair was always long and tangled and her mother would sigh and tell her how pretty she could be if she only tried. arya never much believed she could be pretty, but she liked those moments when her mother, not the septa, patiently ran a comb through her hair and braided it and coiled it behind her ears. often, her mother hugged her in the mirror and kissed the top of her head and arya was happy.

the memory feels like it belongs to someone else. a child long gone now. the feeling of her mother’s arms is fading now. the feeling of being safe is illusory.

her hands ache and it is only then that she realizes she closed them tight around the gemstones. her fingers uncurl slowly. the imprint of the stones lingers on her skin. red rubies, blue sapphires. red mud and blue water. and a silver trout pulled from the river. ]

They threw her, [ she confesses quietly. her eyes look at the stones unseeing. her eyes see the reeds again growing out of the slick red mud. ] In the river. I found her. I pulled her up on the muddy banks. I told her to get up and run with me.

[ her terrible secret. she told only the hound before, though he never asked how she knew. on bad nights, it is the scene she returns to. the stench of bloated corpses. the waters thick with corruption. the mud underneath her paws. the cold stillness of the body she stole from the river.

when she looks up again, her eyes are huge and grey and terribly sad. how can she fear the lord of the dead? death has been her most constant companion. it dogged at her heels; she carried it on her back. even here, so far away…she holds one of death’s hands in hers.

the god may not know her mother. but mayhaps…he can find her. ]

If you see her…can you tell her I tried to reach her? I tried; I swear I did. But I wasn’t a real wolf. I was only a little girl. [ and little girls have no power to save their mothers. ]

[ he doesn't have the heart to stop her as she tells him of her mother, of how beautiful she was, how much of a proper lady she was, how she loved her even when she wasn't proper. a story he has heard before, read before and judged accordingly. so many of the spirits that came to styx's shores had tragic tales such as hers, some were mundane, and others perhaps even a little amusing. it reminds of him the tour, of the dead souls reaching out with desperate pleas for the fertility goddess in their midsts, and the surge of panic that had welled up in his chest.

focus.

hades exhales as she continues to speak, looking at the imprints of stones in the palm of her hands, listening to her speak of her mother's fate. another memory comes, unbidden, of rhea, large and beautiful, her voice a balm to the fear he could not help but feel each time kronos tried to take him from her. for a moment, a brief moment, the world around him vanishes and he feels a lump of old fear form in his throat, echos of a voice calling out from the dark. but the moment passes quickly leaving behind a small pink gem in his hand. ]

If I see her... [ he begins softly, clasping fingers around the new gem in his hand. ] I will tell her that her daughter tried as hard as she could. I am sure she already knows, but I will tell her.

[ slowly he reaches out for her hands, for the marks the gems left but does not go so far as to touch them. his brow furrows slightly, gaze flicking back up to meet her's. ]

I can fix those if you want, but you will have to close your eyes for me.

[ not a no. as good as a promise. the hole where her heart once was aches. but when arya breathes, air fills her lungs more easily this time.

looking down, she glances at her hands. ugly, hard things. the skin is tough from handling a sword, scrubbing the steps, touching poisons. what's one more line? but she does as asked and closes her eyes. ]

[ in truth he didn't expect her to agree, given the state of her hands, so when she nods and closes her eyes he is stunned momentarily. all at once, he feels a nervous energy dance across his skin, looking over his shoulder to ensure they aren't visible to anyone else. only when he is satisfied he turns back to the girl, taking her hands into his own (putting the pink gem down beside them), inhaling deeply.

alright, alright.

his hair and skin darkens, hair lifting until it floats upward unnaturally, energy surrounding his hands as he extends it out to her hands, to the marks left by the gems he made. it doesn't take long, a mere moment before the lines vanish, leaving behind a faint tickle that only lasts a breath. he wonders if he could reverse the rest of what marrs her skin, only to decide against it, letting her hands rest nicely in her lap with the small dog. ]

There, all done.

[ when she opens her eyes hades is as he was before, only his hair is a little messed up. ]

[ arya blinks her eyes to see hades staring back at her, expression a bit more…nervous? what would a god have to feel nervous about? his hair in disarray.

when she blinks at her hands, she finds them as they were. still tough. still hard. (good. better than useless, soft hands.) she experimental curls and uncurls her fingers. the dog arcs her head toward her hands, and arya rewards the pup with a scratch behind her ears. ]

Thank you, [ she says, looking up at hades again. less for the hands than for the promise. the corner of her mouth rises in a shy, little smile.

seeing his hair again, she snorts quietly. ]

You have— [ she holds her hand out to his head, hesitating once should he move away from her, before attempting to comb his hair down again. ]

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EVENT | SETTLING IN

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