Event | Landfall | Bresilyk | Countryside

[ironwood]

Characters: Any and all!
Date: December 3 - 11, 2013
Location: Bresilyk countryside (landfall)
Situation: Tu Vishan makes landfall at the winterbound republic of Bresilyk!
Warnings/Rating: Please include warnings in comment subject lines

OOC Post | Approved Items | Special Gifts
Aihsohlow | Phorezton | Markutte | Countryside

The countryside is layered with snow that is up to four meters deep, all fallen within the past two months as a cold season falls upon the country. There are numerous roads in between towns and small, domed minesteads and each road is oddly clear of snow and ice. Closer inspection reveals that the surfaces are heated by some technology buried beneath the black surfaces. Occasional construction crews can be seen tearing up or laying down new surfacing over a web of thick, coated wires that presumably provide the heat. Snow is often found sculpted near crossroads, taking artistic shape in anything from beautifully arched sculptures to recreations of local fauna.

Wildlife can be spotted here and there, with a large herd of antlered beasts making their way across the snowy grounds. Webbing between their toes (yes, toes) allows each of the large, white animals to traverse upon the snow-tops with barely a print left in their wake. Hunting parties can be seen chasing after the fringes of this herd while wearing some sort of hovering harness and it is evident that the beasts are a primary source of meat for the people. Birds flit back and forth, a few predatory mammals can be spied at the edges of the icebound forests, and there are a variety of serpentine pets kept by residents fortunate to live in the warmer domed towns.

Speaking of towns, the three within the barrier's reach are spaced roughly twenty kilometres away from one another, forming a triangle of commerce that sustains each. Aihsohlow represents the southernmost town, Phorezton the northernmost, and Markutte the northeastern one. There are a variety of small minesteads in between that would greet travellers, but only reluctantly allow them into their homes. Stories abound of troubles outside the domes and they are not apt to invite said troubles inside.

Roadways | Minesteads | Other

Comments

[jirk]

[He hates that smirk, it's what Kyle does when he's being a cynic, and it makes everything bittersweet. He brushes at Kyle's hair and then gets back to his feet, hand out to pull him up as well.]

[imaginate]

[He tilts his head questioningly, and then reaches out to take Jim's hand, unhesitatingly.]

[jirk]

[Jim hauls him up and slings an arm around his shoulders.]

Darkness too close?

[It's a curious question, but equally as much it's a what do you need from me?]

[imaginate]

[Kyle leans in, his temple brushing Jim's cheek.]

Heard this song? "Candle in the Wind" ?

[jirk]

No. Enlighten me?

[He doesn't quite ruffle Kyle's hair, but he does lift a hand to it absently.]

[imaginate]

[His eyes flick upwards, to the streaks in the sky; his pace doesn't slow.]

Title's self-explanatory, hm?

[jirk]

[This place is a warzone. It hits him, then. That's why Kyle's so relaxed. Cautiously,]

Are you the candle or the wind?

[imaginate]

[It's not the answer he expected; he stops, abrupt, feeling his feet sink into the snow a few millimetres. Each and every name he's heard over the years: torch bearer, final light of the universe, avenging angel echoes, in every language, some more coarse than others.]

Harps or vengeance.

[Wryly, as he rubs his shoe against the other, getting some of the ice off it.]

What do you think?

[He knows he doesn't have the force of personality that Jim does, at least, not openly; nonetheless, he's every bit as capable of being unstoppable, and frequently has been.]

[He prefers to be the candle, the underdog, struggling to survive against all odds. And only when Jim asks, that Kyle wonders how often he's been at the other end of that very comparison.]

[jirk]

I think this is an old battlefield, and it's getting to you.

[Jim bumps his shoulder, lightly.]

And I know there's more to you than that, even if it's what other people see. It's part of you, trust me, I'm not going to deny it. But so's the man who spoke to me in Irish when he thought I was too out of it to remember. It's not one or the other.

[imaginate]

[Kyle is silent for a long time, and doesn't meet Jim's eyes, his body language slowly closing off, the gilded cover slipping away to expose the harshness underneath it. There's weariness written into the downward quirk of his mouth, the way he brushes his thumb against his chin before he puts that hand in his pocket.]

I was made.

[He sighs, quietly.]

I don't even remember who I was before [he waves a hand, gesturing to the tears in the sky] this. [He looks at Jim, stoic.] This is what's waiting for me, when I go home, months, years of it.

[He runs a hand through his hair, and exhales, explosively.]

It's not me that forces the choice of one or the other. It's other people who shove me into a mold and leave me there, don't help me protect my heart, and betray me when I need them most.

[Shakily:] It's not me, James, it's the world that's fucked up.

[jirk]

[Jim has nothing to say. His mouth tightens in a downward quirk of his lips and he pulls Kyle into his arms. It's a protective embrace, for someone who's never really needed protecting - but who somehow didn't get enough regardless.]

I know. I'm sorry, sweetheart. Take what you need.

[imaginate]

[For a moment, he's tense and shocked, and then relaxes, sinking into the hug. Jim always did hug him a lot - there really had been no words when he started learning. There never could be, not for this.]

[Finally:] You need your own light too.

[jirk]

Yeah, funny story. I've got this friend-- did you know he glows?

[He slides one hand up along Kyle's spine in quiet comfort.]

[imaginate]

[He shivers.]

Like a Christmas tree, huh? Or a firefly.

[jirk]

Or a star.

[That's a quiet murmur, lips pressed against his neck.]

[imaginate]

[He murmurs something inaudible, and then-]

Don't look directly, I've heard they damage your eyes.

[jirk]

[Jim rolls his eyes.]

Starship captain, Angel. I can handle myself.

[imaginate]

[Kyle kisses the bridge of Jim's nose, and then hands him a construct rose, a white one. Just so Jim knows.]

[jirk]

[For innocence. Jim's smile is crooked.]

You're beautiful. And we'll get through this. Deal?

[imaginate]

Deal.

[He plants a chaste kiss on Jim's mouth, squeezes his hand.]

I think a certain starship captain owes me a snowball fight.

[jirk]

[Jim's smile is sudden and bright.]

Oh yeah? Show me what you've got.

[imaginate]

,[He steps back, flexes his fingers, and the ground trembles. A snow fort rises out of the ground, cannons, sculpted archers, all the works. Kyle grins as everything takes aim.]

If I were you I'd start running!

[jirk]

[Lucky for Kyle, Jim's never been one to back down from a challenge. He bolts for the cover of a nearby grove of trees, shouting over his shoulder as he goes,]

Most snowball hits tops!