tushanshu_logs | LANDFALL | TAVIMBI

Entry tags:

LANDFALL | TAVIMBI | MARCH MINGLE LOG

Characters: ALL!
Date: March 1 - 31
Location: City of Hatal, Tavimbi
Situation: Tu Vishan is still anchored just off the coastline of Tavimbi, and the city of Hatal continues to welcome kedan and Foreigners alike.
Warnings/Rating: Add warnings as needed.

( click for full size )
The Tavimbians continue to be welcoming to their guests, and while Foreigners are still required to carry their issued pass stamps while in Hatal, they are starting to become recognized. The stamps are made of a brassy metal, a little larger than a credit card, and inscribed with their information, their date of arrival, and whether they've had any run-ins with the laws in Tavimbi (it will be stamped accordingly by the authorities if such happens.)

OOC: There are starters in the comments for various areas of Hatal, or you can use the rest of the post for anything on Tavimbi which doesn't fit under those headings. All city descriptions, as well as NPC contacts for threading, can be found in the Tavimbi OOC post, which is currently stickied in the OOC comm.

Be sure to also check the March Itinerary for up to date happenings in Hatal, and to tag this entry with your character tag when you join in.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Tragedy, no matter its form, was something that always hit Leo hard. Even just the sadness or troubles of one or two people are enough to bring out the brunet's empathy and sympathy.

So the sight of chaos such as the one in the Lorn Level was enough to leave him breathless. At the moment of the earthquakes, he had not been too far off from the area- enough to have seen parts of the landslides from a far distance. Cries- no, wails for help began to resound in his ears, along with those of pain and loss. This wasn't fair. No one should have to go through something this painful in their lives.

But Leo did not dawdle for long. With goggles on, the male opened his eyes, and the world came to light in a familiar, blue hue. Those under the rubble became visible to him as if they were in the light of day and he got to work, calling for help in digging out those he could see under the debris.

After a few instances of direct intervention, Solomon stepped back to alert the rescue parties as to where there were survivors. Some tunnels had no one at all still living under the rubble. Not all the rescuers listened -- it was tough to believe someone might just know who had died and who hadn't -- but some did, and it helped their efficiency.

Just as well, because Solomon was using a few judicious bodies to dig out others and he didn't particularly want to be leapt upon for desecration accidental graves. It was a practicality; in tunnels like this there was the risk of bad air from damaged tech. Reanimations could dig where others couldn't.

This tunnel was far enough out that he didn't see anyone there amidst the general soulishness of the survivors, but he heard the cry for help as he entered, and paused. The shadows around his feet simmered, pushing away debris so he didn't trip on what he couldn't see.

"I'd got some diggers here," he said. "Try not to break down or kill me at the sight of them." With a motion of his hand the two dozen or so Kin'nal reanimations trotted into the tunnel and went about starting to remove some of the debris. Once the fall was more accessible, they could start thinking about digging the survivors out without the rest of the rock falling on them.

[ooc: Solomon can see souls, but more in the manner of 'that there is a human/kedan/some alien thing' than being able to read deep inner secrets. basically he can see what their souls look like, but can't tell what individual appearances might mean in terms of personality. if there's anything that might look odd about Leo, let me know (or whether you'd prefer Sol not catch it, either way!)]

"Try not to break down or kill me at the sight of them."

The sentence on its own was enough for Leo to stop digging through debris and turn his head towards the source of the strange voice. Why would some guy think that I was going to break down? Let alone kill him?

Though such a naïve thought was whisked away in a simple matter of seconds, as soon as the diggers entered Leo's line of sight. Kin'nal- no, fallen Kin'nal were approaching the area, in a way that might as well have resembled ants and much less the citizens they used to be only half an hour ago. At the sight, Leo forced back down the bile that had risen from his stomach, trying to ignore the tears that pricked at his mechanical eyes.

"W-what the hell?!" Leo yells, uncertain if it was directed at the stranger or at the incredibleness of the situation. "Why would you do something like this?!" Maybe it was just his sense of justice, but he couldn't see why someone would do such a thing. Didn't this person know anything about letting the dead sleep?

And yet, he couldn't say no to the...so-called kind offer. The dead Kin'nal were digging diligently through the rocks, ignoring Leo and those around him.

Ah, there it was. Most people knew Solomon was a necromancer by now, but there had been enough recent arrivals that Solomon was going to have to start getting used to the shock and not just the disgust.

"Because I should think that any decent being would want to be able to help their kith and kin," said Solomon calmly, "even after death." Leo wasn't the only one who'd faltered, but reanimations were almost more efficient on their own, so the lack of help didn't hinder them. These swarmed like ants; he'd chosen ones still with limbs to use, and despite their size, the lack of need to rest made them capable of shifting more weight than their living peoples could.

"This way their afterlives have some purpose and we're likely to save more of those who need to be saved. Or do you think the ones close to death would rather lay there til they died because we weren't fast enough?"

Brutal practicality. Solomon was good at it. At least the boy wasn't attacking him outright, and in light of that fact Solomon came closer to the rubble, crouching to put his hand on the ground and send some shadows between the rocks. If he could figure out where and how to dig, they'd be able to work more efficiently.

The man's last sentence hit Leo like a whip against skin, even forcing him to remove his goggles to wipe away some of the tears that just happened to overflow. Though such a reaction was only for a moment- compose yourself Leonardo!

"You're right. I'm sorry. " The brunet admits in a clipped tone, clearing his throat of any knots that the sudden surprise had caused. He says little else, head turning back to continue tossing aside rocks of different sizes- from dust to medium sized rocks. Throughout, he curses himself for not being strong enough to move anything else...if only he had the strength to move larger rocks and boulders...

The male's approach towards the rubble snapped Leonardo right out of that line of thought. Though he was unsure as to what the other was doing ( he hoped it had nothing to do with summoning more dead people ), he realized that they were trying to help out- and he couldn't say no to that.

A deep breath. A closure of his eyes- and back open they go. He focuses on the rocks below them, trying to spot any signs of life. "There's someone a few inches below!" He exclaims, not taking his eyes off the rubble below, "th-they're breathing, I think! I'm pretty sure I see them breathing!"

... Was that a sniffle Solomon heard? Oh dear. His estimate of the youth's age went down a bit, and then shifted up again at the admission and apology. Despite the waver and the tears in the boy's voice, the fact he keeps on with his task says some sort of experience.

Young, but not too young, maybe.

Solomon frowns slightly, head half-turned toward the boy. There's something in his soul Solomon can't quite parse--not so much the use of magic, which he's noticed does have a definable affect in those whose magic is inherent, but some kind of power. Given that the stones are too dense for anyone to be able to see anything ...

Curious.

"I feel her," said Solomon, concentrating on the shapes of the shadows. He lifted his other hand and a thin film of shadow settled over a five-foot section of rocks. "All these are safe to move. She's under them. Someone is just beyond her, but we'll need to take care with him."

"I see them as well. But..." Leo's eyes focus, observing the structure surrounding the second victim, jaw locked and lips pursed into a thin frown, "they're under a lot of large rocks-- can we uncover them without causing another landslide here?" A turn of the head towards the necromancer, eyes accidentally giving him a good amount of info on the man before him.

A good amount of info that Leo didn't understand. A trio of auras circled the man besides him, each its own splendid color-- blue, gold, and a dark red. He's seen two auras in one body, sure, but three--? Leo couldn't help but feel a tinge of curiosity over who the man was.

Plus, he raised the dead. Maybe he should tell his boss about this sometime.

"Sir," He coughs out, forcing himself out of his sudden daze, "we need to find a way to save them both." Because sacrificing someone was not on Leo's plan of action. And he sure hoped that whoever-this-guy-was had the same thing in mind. "Do you think your uh...helpers, can manage this?"

Magic, then. There was no way anyone would be able to see under this rubble without it. It was vaguely distracting, though--as if there were ripples in the boy's soul caused by something Solomon couldn't quite divine. Or didn't know how to, yet; some alien things were easily lost in the muddle of everyone else.

"Obviously," Solomon said dryly, and slightly absent because he was still concentrating. "But she's in the way, so let's get her out first and we ought to be able to get him out the same way, no?" Idealistic, concerned with helping to the point where he lacked any kind of pragmatism at all. This boy was one of those heroic types, wasn't he? Dear God.

Solomon directed the reanimations to the area he'd indicated, and they began digging away at the rocks. Solomon himself drew back, the shadows dispersing (the red tinge in the aura lessened as they did). "His legs are trapped under rock, though. I can hold off the weight of the rubble to get him out, but you'll need to tell me who's beyond him. There's no point in getting him out if it means the debris crushes everyone else."

"Of course." With a reply that was just as dry, Leo bit back the response that yearned to escape his mouth; that if the older male wasn't going to find a way, then he would just have to do it alone. Though the consequences that that would probably bring him were enough to get the brunet to hold them back.

Even if the guy wasn't giving the greatest first impression, or anything close to good for that matter, he was still the best help that Leo had to count on. Neither he or the Kin'nal could afford to lose that.

He focussed once more on the rock and through it- as far as his sight could go. It viewed the surrounding rubble and its structure, and Leo was not very happy with his findings. "The woman is fine." He reported, trying to keep himself as calm as possible. "I think we can remove the rocks without problem, but..." With lips pursed into a thin frown, he readied himself to be the bearer of bad news. "...but the rocks that are trapping the guy's legs are holding a lot of the current structure."

So, one question remained: "What now?"

Historically, Solomon wasn't known for giving good first impressions. He'd learned not to care pretty quickly, even with those who were his peers. One way or another, he didn't fit.

So he moved right on, either unaware or uncaring of Leo's inner belligerence. "Do you see anywhere we can lighten the load from on top?" Solomon asked, straightening up, his voice raised slightly over the clink of stone as the reanimated kin'nal worked. Useful talent, the boy had. "If we can come at it from the side or the top, we may be able to burrow in."

He spread his hands, creating a black mass which quivered and melted into a fairly transparent but three-dimensional view of the rubble. Deep inside, as black-on-black shadows, were the two kin'nal they were using as a baseline. "Where are the others? Point for me, right in here, so the shadow can track your movement."

Once they knew who was where, they could figure out a plan.

Leo's eyes narrow at the question, unsure of what or how to answer to that. "The rocks to the upper left are the easiest to take out." It was a bit of a high reach, but it was the truth.

Though it was hard to hide his shock over what he was seeing from the stranger. Not a horror kind of shock, but just...wow.

"They're right here, sir." He nods, pointing to the places where the remaining kin'nal. Every few seconds, he would look back to the actual pile of rubble, making sure that a. he was seeing correctly and b. that they were still alive.

Now that was a neat ability.

In contrast, Solomon's gaze remained straight and distant, his brow furrowed over unseeing eyes. The diorama in his hands moved every time Leo touched it, though, the shadow deepening into a figure wherever the youth indicated.

"Okay," Solomon said once Leo had pointed everyone out. "If we come at them from the upper left, we can create a tunnel down to them and hollow out the underside of the rubble. If need be, I can support the debris while they're retrieved. I doubt I'll fit under there, however, so the reanimations will have to take care of the actual digging--unless you'd like to take point."

He clapped his hands together and the diorama vanished in a puff, while most of the reanimations turned their attention to the area Leo had pointed out.

"Only if they can't fit in there. I'm not a big fan of having a potentially dangerous tower of rubble above me." Though claustrophobia was not something that Leo suffered from, the idea of being in a tunnel of unstable rocks did not exactly cause him any enthusiasm.

He would much rather save that for when it is absolutely necessary.

Still, he couldn't help but have some ( a lot ) of curiosity over the stranger's abilities-- the shadow part, at least. The necromancy part was more worthy of Leo's grimaces, especially when the reanimations turned their heads simultaneously. Unsettling didn't even begin to describe what he felt. "Yeah, I think I'm good. I'll help take the victims to the nearest place for help."

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peacefullywreathed - 2016-04-04 10:22 (UTC) - Expand

"You're here, thank goodness," Klaus said, coming up behind Leo.

He'd been about to radio for the young man, but it seemed there wasn't a need. Leo always did have spectacular timing. Not so great in the luck department, but then who was that true of for anyone in Libra?

"How many can you see and where?" There was no time to waste on niceties. Even if it was just the two of them, there was work to be done.

The sound of Klaus' voice rang like music in Leo's ears-- well, anything was music in comparison to everything else around him. "I was close by." He responds, turning to face his boss, mechanical eyes open and functional. "I guess you could say I was a little lucky."

Though a second later he turns back to the rubble, eyes seeing through it as if it were all transparent. "There's one that's close- at four o'clock! And, one a bit farther away too, in that same direction!" He reports, biting his lower lip in nervousness. So many lives were ruined by this...so many of them hanging on the line.

"There's also someone about twenty feet ahead-- no, wait..." He takes a few steps forward, a breath held tightly in his chest. "It's a group of them, sir!"

"Understood," Klaus said, surveying the destruction. This wasn't his first rescue operation and he knew how to recognize the faults and weaknesses in collapsed structures.

Without another word, a whirling cyclone of blood poured from his fists and manifested into solid crosses of various sizes, all positioned as a means of securing the faulty architecture.

"Let me know if supports start to weaken where I cannot see," Klaus said, and got to work shifting rubble. Occasionally, he'd manifest a few more of the eerie crosses to keep the world from falling in around them.

Leo nods quietly, watching Klaus perform. Though the sound of rubble shifting and giant, eerie crosses forming were nothing outside of the norm, it still did nothing to calm his anxiety. Their situation and, most importantly, the victims' situation was something that would probably not let Leo's heart rest for a while.

Nevertheless, he keeps such fears to himself, his eyes aware of even the smallest fraction of movement. Any strange shifting, any crack in the structure that his boss was making, he would notice.

And he did. "Sir, wait!" He calls out, hoping to obtain his boss' attention. "I don't think that you can do any more of that without causing more structural damage here!" Leo was no architect, but he could tell that some of the weaker structures around them were no longer gaining any benefit from the repairs Klaus was trying to perform.

Things were just never easy, huh?

Klaus halted his digging immediately, looking around for any signs that the ceiling would come down. Things had, mercifully, seemed to have settled for now but the air was still thick with dust.

He returned his attention back to the hole he dug through the rubble. There was no way he was getting through that.

But...

He felt a rush of guilt for asking. It was dangerous, but Leo could feasibly get through and the Kin'nal weren't particularly large.

"Leonardo, I hate to ask this of you, but if you could get through to them...?"

Without a second thought and little more than a nod, Leo crawled his way into the hole. For once, he thanked the deities above for the smaller frame that he had developed-- being five feet tall was finally good for something! His eyes also helped illuminate the way, which was perfect, considering the amount of dust inside the hole.

By the time he got to the first person, it was already getting a little hard to breathe. Not that he was claustrophobic, but crawling into a space as wide as your own body was enough to get anyone's heart racing. The Kin'nal in question was still conscious- injured but conscious.

So, Leo couldn't feel more relieved when he finally dragged them out of the hole, holding them out of Klaus to take. "There's still the others." Leo says, coughing a bit. "But, uh," he gulped, unsure of how to word it. "I... don't know if they're breathing any more." It wasn't that he didn't know-- it's just that he didn't know how to say that in the span of minutes, the group of bodies he had seen breathing had just...stopped.

"What do I do?" Libra or not, Klaus is still a leader figure to Leo. And in times like these, Leo needed a beacon of light to show him the way.

Klaus gently relieved Leo of the Kin'nal, cradling them in the crook of his arm.

At the news, Klaus's heart sank somewhere into the pit of his stomach. He was glad, for once, that he had the sort of face where that wasn't immediately obvious. It was like New York City three years ago...

"Can you tell if they're still alive?" Klaus asked as soon as Leo emerged, helping to pull him free of the hole.

If the others were suffocating, they'd have to act quickly. If they were dead... there was no time to think about that. The living were their priority.

"Ah, um," Leo knew that he's not supposed to hesitate. He knew that others' lives were at stake and that every second counted, but he wasn't used to being first hand in some sort of disaster.

He couldn't help but blame himself, either- as if it had been his fault, for not being fast enough. Unable to find a way to say it, the brunet shook his head instead, not looking at Klaus in the eye.

He had to push it away, for now at least. Later, he could think about them with all the time in the world. "We need to keep going, right?" He coughed up the last of the dust stuck in his throat, eyes alert and scanning for other victims. "There's still a couple more nearby, to your left at 9 o'clock." Leo focussed, and nodded a second after "They're alive and breathing- we just need to get them out."

Klaus was well aware Leo hadn't really been in this kind of situation - Libra was usually there to prevent large scale disasters, not help clean them up. A few lives had just been snuffed out right before Leo's eyes - if it was all at once, that probably meant a gas leak.

Klaus knelt, looking Leo in the eye, his resolve set.

"We keep going, yes. We help everyone we can. And I want you to tell me if you feel lightheaded, dizzy or nauseous. There may be a leak." Or that his eyes would need a rest, but he knew Leo would consider that trivial. Klaus didn't, however.

He stood, resting the Kin'nal on a semi-flat rock to rest. Most of his injuries were superficial which Klaus was glad for. One of the doctors would be by soon to take the injured.

Klaus, in the meantime, got to securing the next area for digging with his blood crosses acting as pillars and beams. It looked... odd. Almost ludicrous. But it was certainly effective. He pried away the rubble, seemingly tireless in his efforts.

Leo honestly didn't know how Klaus was able to see through him like rice paper. He was glad for it, though. His boss' support was very important in something as...as sad as this was. It was a boost in the morale that had, just momentarily, wavered.

"Thank you, sir. And, I'm not sure if it may be a leak...the dust is really thick under the rubble." Leo's felt the hair on his skin stand up on end, on the simple idea of what these people were suffering through...slowly suffocating, even as they spoke. "But I'll let you know if anything changes." Either way, gas may be invisible to normal eyes, but not for him.

He stayed near the rescued Kin'nal while Klaus worked, although always keeping an eye on his boss, to make sure he was digging away at the right places. Though he couldn't do much in terms of clearing away the damage, he could at least be a guide...and he knew that that was better than nothing.

"You're almost there, sir." Leo calls out to him, not taking his eyes off of his boss and the victim who was under the now thin layer of rubble...and was very much alive. "They're okay...thank god, they're okay." He couldn't help but smile, just a little bit. Each saved life meant everything to Leo. Gave him the resolve to keep going.

"I see," Klaus said with a firm nod. "We will do what we can then. Until we have done all we could."

He pulled free a slab of rubble, and the young Kin'nal became visible. He was lean and wiry, and as Klaus lifted the slab from his leg, he managed to pull himself free.

"My sister," he wheezed, trying not to choke on the dust. His legs were bloodied and bruised, and Klaus set down the rubble to help carry him to the other. "She's got to be nearby."

The Kin'nal's tone was desperate, pleading, looking between Leo and Klaus as though they could magically procure her.

"Can you see anything?" Klaus murmured to Leo, when he'd set the Kin'nal next to the other they'd rescued.

The male's cries for his sister hit close to Leo- maybe a bit too close. He immediately moved from where he was standing, eyes scanning the area for any sign of life.

There were none.

Biting his lip, he focussed harder, deeper into the rubble, hopeful to find and give the Kin'nal a hopeful answer. The couple that had died previously came into his view, and though it unsettled him, it wasn't the answer he was looking for.

"I...I can't find he-" Leo stopped, brows knit together in confusion over what he saw. Hesitantly, he took a few steps forward, to confirm what he thought what he was seeing.

It wasn't pretty. Immediately, he recoiled, his head turned away from the direction of the scene and eyes closed. "She's- she's- gone, sir." And not like the other deaths that he had witnessed- it was uglier, much more so. Definitely something that will haunt his dreams for a while.

b ; ota

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sorry solomon but leo has too many morals

morals shmorals

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