tushanshu_logs | EVENT | LANDFALL

Entry tags:

EVENT | LANDFALL | ZESHORA

Characters: ALL!
Date: June 17th to July 8th
Location: Zeshora
Situation: Tu Vishan has washed up near the cities of Atoce and Uessaire.
Warnings/Rating: Add warnings as needed.

The cities of Zeshora were renowned across all of Konryu as works of art, and even with the upheaval which sank and destroyed many of them centuries prior, that distinction remains evident. The Erol'a will recount, if asked, a terrible series of earthquakes and resultant tsunamis that rolled over Zeshora, and how great chunks of the continent simply dropped away. Zeshora was one of the oldest continents, and its landmasses upon the backs of long-dead Great Turtles had been so constant, that no one had even thought it possible such a thing could have happened.

Testament to the Erol'a's resilience however, they adapted and reclaimed the cities that had fallen to, or just below, sea level. Arches, pillars and soaring ceilings dominate the architecture in both cities, and every surface is painstakingly decorated with tiny inlaid shells and coral, turning every hall and room into a mosaic of colour. It's not uncommon for Erol'a dwellings to have multiple stories, and likewise it's not unlikely to have at least a few of those levels under sea level. So it's entirely possible to have one's upstairs be above water, and one's downstairs be below the water! Imagine having to take a swim to get a midnight snack. Of course, the Erol'a don't find that strange at all. Likewise, it's perfectly normal to them to walk down the hallways of their homes in ankle, knee or waist-deep water, something that the Foreigners and even some kedan might take some getting used to. The water temperature during the day is a delightful 80℉/26℃, and about ten degrees cooler throughout the night, so it's pleasant for nearly everyone.

LINKS
Atoce - City of Pearls | Uessaire - City of Lilies | Ollesse - The Coral Ruins | Secessi - The Floating Reefs | Hatchling Messages
Astegune | Landfall Surprise | Landfall Update - Jun 23 | OOC Post

OOC
Please direct questions to the OOC post! You can either use the areas described under header, or create your own -- don't feel you have to be limited to threading only in the locations mentioned in the starters! Just don't forget to label your top-levels with specific locations (eg the Height or the Deep).

ACTIVITY CHECK NOTE: Due to the late-month timing of this landfall, threads from this log can be counted toward either June or July AC. Just don't use the same comment thread for both and you'll be fine!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

For once, Pepper is pleased as a peach to be extra-younger than Gene and Tony. The Erol'a are treating her with respect as well as the occasional seaweed ornament, while the boys are asked to fetch things. She has been absolutely basking in the opportunity to tease them relentlessly about it (in part because she's still a bit peeved for other reasons), but she did notice that neither of them was particularly chuffed about the situation - Gene especially avoided going into the cities.

Seeing the chance to both cheer them up as well as lord her temporary power over them, Pepper has dragged both of her idiot boys to Atoce to go sightseeing on the Heights.

"Oh, man, this is so cool, I thought being younger than you sucked but this is great! Wait'll you see this." She bounces along towards one of the ladders, skidding to a halt by an Erol'a ensuring her Kelps don't go up unaccompanied. "Hiiiiii, I'm Pepper, this is Tony and Gene and they're old, but I'm not, hee! They'll be coming with me." She grins, and beckons to the two of them to follow her as she quickly ascends.

Tony has already finished his major trading, so he's taking Pepper teasing him and ordering him around with relatively good humor. It seems to be bothering Gene more - he's been moody and withdrawn ever since they made landfall. Tony's been trying to keep Gene's spirits up and take the brunt of Pepper's antics, but he's not sure how well it's working. He hopes the trip up to the Heights will cheer him up. If not, he may have to take Pepper aside tonight and ask her to lay off of Gene. Or maybe talk to Gene, and see if he can get him to spill the beans about what's bugging him.

In the meantime: they have a city to sightsee. Tony rolls his eyes fondly as Pepper scrambles up the ladder, and follows behind her.

"Wow." He shades his eyes and looks out over the water. "That sure is a view." Gene reaches the top of the wall, and Tony turns to smile at him - and give him a quick peck on the cheek when Pepper isn't looking.

Gene's standoffishness has not only been everyone's imagination. Aloof at the best of times, he's become frankly terse during the course of his time spent in Atoce, and he's taking Pepper's jibes with worse humor than usual.

He's mollified - a little - by the peck on the cheek.

"Yeah," he says, looking out over the magnificent vista. Hey, it's hard to be cynical with a view like that.

"So this is life atop the wall."

When she reaches the top of the wall, Pepper is far too distracted by the view to notice the peck on the cheek. The vista is breathtaking - literally. She can't think of anything to say anymore, other than, "Whoa," and this isn't the first time she's been up here.

After a few moments she remembers that Tony and Gene are there still, and turns to them, grinning.

"Wow! This is, like, the best place for a vacation picture ever." She frames Tony and Gene with her fingers. "Oh, yeah. Do you think we could get an Erol'a to use one of our phones?"

"It's not bad," Tony says - but he's grinning back. "If we're gonna ask, you should do it. I don't know how they'll feel about Kelps shoving weird technology at them. You're supposed to be the one asking for favors, remember?"

Then, teasingly, to Gene: "It's a nice view, but I don't know about living here. I like our house better. It's a little drafty up here, don't you think?"

"It's preferable to wading everywhere," Gene says under his breath, a little more sharply than he intends to. "But all things considered, I prefer Keeliai."

Tony's use of the caste names - as if he accepts this - is really pissing Gene off. Everything is pissing Gene off. "But yes, Pepper," he says, his tone becoming even once more. "You ought to be the one to ask. Or...no, I have a better idea. I'll take the picture."

He does not want to be in a photo of this place. Not one bit. He doesn't trust himself to be able to smile on command.

Edited 2015-07-03 13:30 (UTC)

Gene had been acting strangely since they'd made landfall whenever Zeshora came up in conversation - which Pepper had to admit was basically all she had been talking about - but something seems a little worse even than before. She can't figure out why he's so irritated, but she's either going to find out or cheer him up - forcefully if necessary.

"They don't seem to mind when it's tech they can use," she observes. At Gene's comment, she puts her hands on her hips. "That's not the point of the picture, Gene. It's supposed to be of us. You know. Together? They might have weird names and weird laws here but that definitely doesn't change the fact that I need to get a picture of you with bunny ears."

She doesn't want a picture just with Tony - despite any weirdness that still lingers, Pepper wants things to go back to the way they were before Gene cut ties with them.

"Besides, they can't tell just by looking at you how old you are. And if they ask and get snippy about it I'll find someone else to hold the phone and press a button. Stay right there," she says, and runs off along the wall to find the nearest Erol'a before either of them can object.

"Yeah. All of us together," Tony says, smiling encouragingly at Gene. Pepper is hanging out with them and they're all more or less on friendly terms again: isn't that something to be happy about?

All of us together, just like it used to be. (Well, minus Rhodey, but Tony doesn't think Gene is too broken up about that: they'd never gotten along.) Tony would have thought that Pepper insisting on the three of them buddying up would cheer Gene up if nothing else could, but he still looks moody. He knows Pepper can be... overwhelming sometimes, but he doesn't think that's the problem right now.

Pepper scampers off to find a willing photographer, leaving Gene and Tony briefly alone. "What's up? You kind of look like the wall called you names and stole your lunch money," Tony jokes - though he takes Gene's hand at the same time, so he knows he's not joking about being worried about him.

Gene does his best to smile back. The best he can manage is a slightly pained grimace - which in and of itself is unusual. On most days, he has iron-clad control over expressing his emotions (at least, in public).

When Tony takes his hand, he lets his expression turn troubled for just a moment. "It's nothing. This place just...bothers me," he says quietly, unwilling to elaborate. And quite unable to, too, since Pepper's efforts ought to press-gang a photographer into service shortly.

It doesn't take long for Pepper to find an Erol'a, but it does take her a bit to explain what she'd like them to do. The Stark phone is entirely alien to them (quite literally in fact), but it's interesting enough that finally the young Erol'a woman agrees.

She comes bounding back a few minutes later, the Erol'a at her heels, but she stumbles to a stop when she sees Tony and Gene are holding hands.

"I'm back," she announces maybe a little too cheerfully. "Okay, so we're going to stand over there-," she says to the Erol'a, pointing to the edge of wall closest to the water. "-and then you point the phone at us so you can see us on the screen, and press this button. Got it?" The Erol'a nods, looking slightly bemused but willing. "Yay! Okay, stand over there."

"You're not afraid of heights, are you?" Tony asks, still sort of joking (but also partly serious, because 'fear of heights' was the first idea that occurred to him to explain why Gene might be so uncomfortable. Hey, he didn't say it was a good idea).

Pepper returns before he can question Gene further, and Tony, his smile turning uncertain, gives Gene an apologetic shrug. He wants to know what's bothering Gene, but it looks like he'll have to wait until Pepper's distracted again.

They're not going anywhere until Pepper is satisfied with the photoshoot, though, so Tony dutifully complies with her direction, and gently tugs Gene into position with him. When Pepper gets an idea into her head, it's best to just go along with it.

"No," Gene says, but that's all he has time for before Pepper comes bounding back with an Erol'a to take their pictures. He allows himself to be pulled into position, and tries to smile for the picture. He's good at putting on a mask: the smile won't even appear strained.

He can keep his dissatisfaction to himself, for now. He's just going to focus on trying to enjoy himself, even if everything about this place chafes him something fierce.

Pepper slides in next to Tony and gives the Erol'an assistant a thumbs up. She grins, pleased despite the storm cloud that is Gene Khan. She opts to skip the bunny ears. Their photographer levels Pepper's phone and presses the button as indicated a few times, an expression of curiosity on her face.

"Great! Thaaaaaaanks!" Pepper reclaims her phone and waves as the girl leaves.

She turns back to Gene and Tony, flicking through the photos.

"They're pretty nice, actually. I should try to buy another picture frame. Do you think they'd have anything like that in Keeliai? Are photos and paintings like, a thing here at all? Er. There. They'd probably rot here or something."

Tony twists his neck to look at the photos as Pepper flips through them. They are good - and Gene has managed not to look sullen or bored, which is a plus.

"No, they don't really have photography in Keeliai. Except the really old-school kind with the huge cameras, where you have to sit still for forever." Three minutes is basically forever. "Maybe if we rigged up the phone like a projector we could get someone to make prints...?" He sounds dubious. He's plenty familiar with optics, but not so much with the chemistry of photography. "It wouldn't be great quality."

"We could find a way. There's enough Foreigners here that someone should know something about photography." Why don't you just invent a photo printer, Tony? You know, aside from the relative scarcity of resources.

He doesn't want to rain on the parade more than he has been, so he's just going to stick to neutral comments for now. Besides...he doesn't want to upset Pepper, since this is clearly something she really wanted to do.

"That would be super cool. The house could use some pictures, I think. And maybe some more decorations. Make it looked a little more lived in with nice things rather than laundry on the floor," she teases. Images of interior decorating float across her mind's eye, and she sighs happily.

Pepper is about to put her phone away, but she pauses.

"Um. How about one with just you two?" Her voice is a little higher than normal, but barely enough to notice.

Tony chuckles. "Next project: advancing the field of photography in Keeliai by fifty years?" Some photos in the house would be kind of nice. He'll look into it.

"Okay, I'll come up with something. You can take care of the rest of the decorating. I don't think I have the right artistic sense for that."

Truthfully, he's not sure Pepper does either. But he doesn't have strong feelings about interior design, and as long as it makes Pepper happy, he's happy.

His eyebrows lift when Pepper offers to take a picture of just him and Gene. Up to now, Pepper seems to have been dealing with Tony and Gene's relationship mostly by ignoring it, which he can't really blame her for. Maybe she's finally adjusting.

"Uh. Sure. Okay." Tony smiles, then lines up next to Gene again. He opts to put his arm around Gene's shoulder, rather than his waist. He doesn't want to push it.

"...yeah, okay," Gene says when Tony lines up next to him, a little baffled. Pepper's been mostly ignoring their relationship because she'd been hurt by the revelation, so this is a bit of a surprise.

His smile for this photo is still a little strained, though a little less so. He does not put his arm on Tony at first, and then, hesitantly, puts it around his shoulder.

"Seriously? That would be super cool, and I bet it would be a big hit around here." Pepper beams at him. "Can I really? That would be sweet!" She's thrilled - the house could use it. Right now it resolutely demonstrates that boys live in it.

She is less happy about this photo, and is perhaps mildly regretting even suggesting it. But she does want to try to get over being upset and perhaps even step into the realm of being supportive. As she raises the phone to take the picture, she has to admit it - they look pretty cute together, even with the awkward attempt at trying not to be too touchy-feely. It's appreciated, nonetheless.

"Perfect. Don't move." She snaps a few shots, and gives them both a sheepish smile. "Good. Now Tony'll have even more motivation to figure out how to print these."

Tony shrugs. "Yeah, sure. If we can find some foreigner who knows about photography chemistry." Why not? It could be a fun project, and maybe it could bring in a little cash on the side.

Her excitement about decorating the house makes him grin, and he holds the smile for the picture before saying anything else.

"Guess so." He chuckles, also a little sheepishly. This love triangle thing is still uncomfortable, but he really appreciates that Pepper's trying to be okay with it. "Thanks for, uh, taking the picture." NOPE. MADE IT AWKWARD AGAIN.

He hastily changes the subject. "I think there'll be good views of the reefs on the southern wall. Want to go check it out?"

TONY, YOU HAD TO GO AND MAKE IT AWKWARD.

Gene shrugs, smiling, and his smile's a little less brittle now. "Sure. I wouldn't mind taking a look around." Because it's the only time I'm allowed to be up here. The thought rankles, but he doesn't let it show. May as well make the most of it.

"Uh. You're welcome?" Yup. Tony is still King of Awkward. She could use a Happy Hogan-sized escape route right now. Boys. "Next time you should try to look more like boyfriends and less like fishing buddies. You sleep in the same room, and pretending you don't have waists isn't going to change that," she says blandly.

She beams, satisfied with snatching Tony's Awkwardness crown, and starts walking to the southern part of the wall.

"I've never seen reefs before coming here! Well, except on TV, but that doesn't count," she calls over her shoulder. "The First Mandarin should have built a temple in Australia."

Tony blushes, tries to think of something to say to make this less awkward, comes up with nothing, and stands there with with his mouth hanging open like a brain-damaged fish until Pepper has turned and started walking away. In the end, all he gets out is a a very eloquent "Uh."

Nice going, moron.

he clears his throat and glances at Gene. "Yeah, reefs are... cool." He forces a smile, shrugs slightly, and follows after Pepper. "I've never seen any up-close either."

Edited 2015-08-12 04:37 (UTC)

Gene, meanwhile...doesn't know what to make of Pepper and her attitude towards their relationship. Does she approve? Does she disapprove? Half the time she tries to ignore it, and then she makes remarks like that...

But he snorts, following them. "What, you want a temple where even more things are trying to kill you?"

It's okay Gene, Pepper doesn't know what to make of her attitude either. You and Tony are both very confusing right now. She's regretting the comment a little because it's making her think of things she'd rather not even under the best of circumstances.

"Well, it would stick with the theme," Pepper says, shrugging. "And it would have been prettier."

Before Akito messes up this glorious opportunity

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