asgardmeridiem | OPT-OUT EVENT LOG: SOMETHING SIGNIFICANT, WEEKS ONE AND TWO

The volunteers from the LOCUSTS! event last month found in Odin's office endless research into Ginnungagap and a handwritten note from the King prior to his collapse. All arrows are pointing in the direction of the sacred canyon, and so it is that the Travellers will be initiating their own investigation into whatever Odin believes may be down there. It will be done without the eyes of the gods, however, so the trip will be a dangerous one without a map to lead the way and there may be many unforeseen obstacles along the way.

Day 441 ( April 30/May 1 ): As per the whispers on the street, the Travellers that've decided to go on this trip will meet up in the earliest hours of Day 441 at the Gate of Fire. Pack and prepare for a long haul, as this one will be a difficult journey. Any of those that went on the Down This Road opt-out event may want to offer up their memories as a vague guide into the canyon, but either way - without the guidance of the gods, making it to Ginnungagap safely will be nigh impossible.

After the Travellers sneak their way out of Asgard, they will make way towards the canyon to the east. Travel will be slow and difficult, particularly in moving through the forests that have been ravaged by the recent flooding. When they make camp for the evening, they will suffer the same strange sensations as those in Asgard just before 11PM: they will simultaneously feel a flicker in their bodies, like a missed heartbeat or a cut-off breath. Those in Freyr house that were present for the god's death and those that were present for the Friendly Fire event will recognise the sensation; it will happen twice more before one final blip. In that moment, everyone will essentially have a minor blackout: their vision will fade, their bodies will freeze, and there will be an internal sensation of dropping.

After this, the Travellers outside of the city will feel something of a drag towards Ginnungagap. It will feel like an outside force beckoning them inward, to someplace they belong. The compulsion will be relatively easy to overcome, but it will linger all throughout their journey through the depths of Yggdrasil.
Day 443 ( May 4/5 ): Approaching the border between Asgard and Ginnungagap will bring the Travellers closer to the Fire Giants' kingdom of Muspellheim. From this distance, they will just barely be able to make out the great volcano, still lit at its peak, and a heavy black cloud that lingers over most of the kingdom. In this area, it may behoove them to keep an eye out for Giant patrols and pockets of defects from Surt's ranks, all seeking safe ground somewhere in the relatively neutral territory of Ginnungagap. They will be volatile and attack upon sight, but no groups will be any larger than five, maybe six at most.

As they sneak and fight their way across the plains, they will find that Ginnungagap is sparsely littered with old trees and short, soft grass on the outskirts of the canyon, streams flowing from varying mountain peaks into the vast space below; deeper within, it is sheer rock and sharp edges that are harsh and unyielding. If one were to look at it from above, they might think someone stabbed a knife into solid stone and carved out a jagged wound, and so it is moving through the canyon itself, where one false step can lead to certain and painful death.

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[ He doesn't need to check her pulse or listen for her heart beat to know she's gone. He sees it, and can feel his attempts at healing just stopping to work at all. It was working, it was working, he could see and feel that it was. But not fast enough. ]

No.

[ A weight drops on top of him and he slumps, leaning his forehead against her shoulder. He barely even knows her, but she ...

She was nice. Kind. Strong willed. Someone he'd like to be a friend. Warm and kind and caring and she died. Why do so many good people die? It isn't fair.

He squeezes her hand tight, tight, his other hand curling around her shirt and clenching. Closes his eyes against the burning.

It isn't fair. ]

Edited 2014-05-27 19:02 (UTC)

[It's only in the aftermath of everything that Four comes across the pair, and he doesn't need to look twice to know what must have happened. How the death happened... that he can't guess at, but that it happened at all is all that he needs to know. He's not sure he has any words for the situation either. He hasn't so much as known Annie, but any death is a loss.

So it is that after a moment of silence he simply slides down next to Eleven. There's nothing to make it easier, and he doesn't want to try either, for fear of making it worse, but if company will help make things easier, he's willing enough to offer that.]

[ Company will do, even if it is coming from himself. He doesn't normally enjoy his own company in these situations, though he supposes this is a special case, since usually his own company means his own company more literally. Or is that less literally? Who knows. ]

I should be able to prevent this. It shouldn't keep happening. What point is the power of healing if it doesn't. Work.

[ He punches the ground before he straightens up, suddenly breathing heavily through his nose as he tries to stay calm. There's no point in getting angry, and the giants are already eliminated. What's the point? It's just ... ]

It should work!

[ And he gets onto his feet, kicks at the ground as he starts pacing just to release energy. ]

Edited 2014-06-09 11:47 (UTC)

[Who knows indeed? But he's there and even if he can't undo what's been it's still company of a sort. Not that he answers right away, of course. There's too much here to not give at least something like a careful answer.]

Because sometimes things don't go as planned?

[Because sometimes there are things that can't be fixed, he doesn't say. It might be true, but he isn't about to admit to that, when he knows exactly where Eleven is coming from. The point of something like healing is to be able to save people, after all.]

But I agree. It should work.

[ The first response is enough to get Eleven to turn around rapidly and glower at Four. Because that's no news. He knows. It's not what he needs to hear because he knows.

Four manages to save himself, however, and Eleven turns away again. Takes a few deep breaths. Drags his fingers through his hair. There's no time for this. He needs to calm down. ]

[Of course it's not news! It wasn't ever intended to be news, although he doesn't blame Eleven for the glower either. Even if he might normally be at least a little annoyed by it. But here, when there's so much that's already gone wrong well... at least he's managed to not draw the entirety of Eleven's ire.

He doesn't offer anything else either, save the presence of someone who understands the frustrations, even if he can't do anything to fix the situation.]

[ He paces until Annie's body is gone. It's not a good idea to stay in one place too long, but he wanted to give her that at least. Stay until there's no reason to do so. It isn't that long.

Then, he takes a deep breath, and turns to head back to the others. ]

Let's go.

Alright.

[There are places to go yet, and even if they can't have helped, they can at least take some small comfort in the fact that they were at least there long enough to see her go. For whatever it might be worth.

But there's no sense in staying longer, and so he follows Eleven as he heads back.]

[ He doesn't say anything more about it, and he knows Four won't press. He wouldn't mind sticking with him for that reason, really, but as soon as everyone gets going he instead opts to fall back to the very back of the group. Alone. Four's free to join him and he won't have too much against it, but he'd rather stay a little distance away from the others. ]

[He considers it for a long moment. Sometimes even silent company can be better than nothing at all. But in the end, it's the fact that he doesn't really know what to say and hardly knew the dead woman besides that settles him. That and the fact that he suppose he really ought to settle into something a little more like taking charge of the group.

So he drifts slowly in the direction of the head of the group. Not all the way at the front, and not so far that he can't keep an eye on Eleven, but he doesn't really want to be a bother.

And maybe later he'll drift back towards the back. But for now, he'll let Eleven have the space he seems to want.]

OPT-OUT EVENT LOG: SOMETHING SIGNIFICANT, WEEKS ONE AND TWO

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