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ximilialog2023-12-07 02:19 pm
STATION LOG.04
● ● ● S T A T I O N 4 . 0
Throughout the month of December, the Orbers will find that the door to the North Wing is sometimes left open — perhaps, at this point in their stay, the two permanent residents of the wing trust the other inhabitants of the station to tread with care.
Should anyone slip through the doorway, they will find that the large sphere, crackling sharply with magical energy front and centre and surrounded by open circulation, is still there, and so are the orbs it houses, many more now than a year ago at this time, swirling inside it. The voices are still there, too, whispering, sometimes louder, sometimes barely heard; sometimes threatening, sometimes offering everything you could imagine, if you just take a step closer — and one more, one more...
However, if you do, the barrier will not hesitate to throw you across the room, a safety measure both for you as much as it is for the orbs. That very barrier is what takes up most of Degar’s time, and he can be often seen striding into the barrier like it doesn’t exist, spending hours upon hours inside the barrier, fortifying it, making sure there isn’t even the smallest crack that could spread when the orbs are finally all together.
The rest of the North Wing remains as it has been: in the AI maintenance room, 0-L1V-14 still remains in Viveca’s old body, walled off from the systems of the station, but still online, with Viveca trying to spare a few moments each day to fix her coding, revert her back to the uncorrupted version she used to be.
The former team’s living quarters are still unchanged, too — or perhaps “carefully preserved” would be the better term, every single bed and item where it had been last left by their owners. The room may mean more to those, now, who had witnessed the old memories during June’s mission: the small elephant toy bringing to mind Yudae, clutching her daughter’s toy in one of the memories; the leather jacket Emerton always wore left bundled on one of the beds; a large, well-carved bow resting against the wall; a pile of neatly-arranged books underneath a bedside table.
In the power and life support room, most of the pods lining the room are still decorated with a glowing, blue stripe; all but one, which has a red one. The large room connected to it on the side, with one chair in the middle, is often occupied by Viveca — though just as often, she sits in the chair with a vacant expression, pupils moving infinitesimally, as if scanning something no one else can see.
With Viveca working hard to locate the last two orbs and Degar dedicating most of his time to containing the restless energies of those that have already been acquired, there’s really not much else to do but play the waiting game. Fortunately, the season the station has timed itself to is steadily approaching what many know as winter, making for a number of seasonably-themed options with which to distract oneself.
1.0 Though most of the Ximilia remains relatively the same, hanging from the ceiling at different parts of the station will be an unassuming sprig of mistletoe — a holdover from a previous celebration of festivities. The mistletoe (brought over from the lush forests of the planet Yeviunus) come pre-charmed with a small spell that invokes a feeling of peace and affection, meant to encourage camaraderie among the crew. Of course the festive foliage is easy enough to avoid, and the spell’s potency depends on the Orber’s susceptibility to influence.
2.0 Any members of the crew wish for a little more wintery ambiance are welcome to take a stroll in the sunlight room. (Don’t worry, this room’s projected sun is a very regular sun of the Earth variety. No watching pupils here!) Every day a fresh blanket of snow covers the ground, thick enough for one’s feet to sink into and leave impressions, and the air is crisp and full of the scents of various conifers.
The pond has frozen over, making a perfect canvas for ice fishing and ice skating. Fishing poles, hockey sticks, and ice skates of every possible size and shape can be found around the pond’s shoreline, ready for use.
Every evening, right as the sun dips into the horizon and the temperatures drop drastically, large bonfire crackles away in the room’s largest clearing. Scattered around are conveniently-placed fallen logs to offer any interested party view of the calming scene, with plenty of knitted blankets for everyone who might want one. (Or not! Perhaps there is a blanket-thief among you, and poor Orbers may be forced to share a blanket between them. Woe!)
Located not too far from the bonfire is an out-of-season tiki bar that is nevertheless doing its best. It is always fully stocked, with plenty of options for even the most discerning of drinkers.
Elsewhere within the sunlight room, Orbers may come across the memorial erected by members of the current crew. The memorial itself is a large stone pillar, its colouring hovering between gray and black; carved into it are names of everyone who has ever been a part of the crew — not just the current crew, but the past crew, too. On the stone slab the pillar stands on is a small plate, for wishes and letters; should one be placed on it, it will rise into the air as if someone were pulling it, stop once it reaches the name of the person it was meant for, and burst into flames, burning away — as if by disappearing, the words could cross between worlds and reach the one who should hear them.
3.0 Sometime in the middle of the month, the common living area will feature a simple wooden table holding a box and a sign. On the sign is a note hand-written by Degar that reads:
Next to the sign, in the box, are a neat stack of various quilt blocks for the taking, along with a number of art supplies. Perhaps now is the time to finally show off your handcrafting skills… Or maybe ask around to see who's willing to teach it.
4.0 So, about that Yulevibes Dinner. Inquiring more about it from either of the permanent residents of the station will reveal that it is a dinner meant for celebration and companionship. Every Orber is invited (and highly encouraged to attend, but of course that’s their prerogative), with the simple request that — if they so choose — they bring along a dish from their world. It’s not entirely a potluck, as there will be more than enough food to feed them all should none choose to participate, but the hope is to encourage Orbers to share a little more of their home with one another… perhaps with the intent to remind them that home is not so far away now.
The dinner is held on the third week after their return. The entire common living area has been transformed into a cozy winter retreat with low chairs, plenty of pillows and cushions, knitted blankets, stringed lights and flickering lanterns. Projected onto the walls are scenes of a calm winter evening, not unlike what one might find in the sunlight room. The main event, of course, is the dinner itself — there must be twenty, maybe even thirty-something dishes occupying a long table flanked by dozens of mismatched chairs. Have a seat, get cozy, fill up your plate and enjoy the vibes and company.
Afterwards, it’s time to lounge around and relax. Board games of various kinds from various worlds appear on low tables, popcorn is inexplicably encouraged to get strung up and worn (what else are you meant to do with it?), and hot cider is passed around by the mugful. Degar plays a few songs on his lute, but as the food coma starts to hit he switches instead to DJing a few songs he’d handpicked especially for the evening.
Barring any food fiascos (or drunken mishaps, you do you, Orbers), the evening is one of relative peace and comfort. Though brief, it provides a much-need reprieve from all that might plague one’s mind… Which is good, because the next morning comes with some rather concerning news.
The morning after the Yulevibes Dinner, Viveca’s voice rings sharply in everyone’s earpieces.
Her voice, having started out as calm and serious, turns even more grave.
It sounds as if she’s grimacing, thinking of what a single, free orb was able to do in Amaryllis Grove, all on its own.
She trails off, but what she leaves unsaid hangs in the air: no matter how much magic — no matter how powerful — that they pour into the barrier keeping the orbs from influencing everyone around them… it might not be enough. Whatever the team’s eventual decision is going to be, it might not be as clear-cut as they might have thought.
F Y I
• Throughout the month, remember that all the locations in the two wings and the center of the station are available to use, even if they’re not detailed in the prompts in this log. So feel free to make your own wildcard prompts using the training room, the armory, the living quarters, the kitchen, etc.
• If characters want to speak with Viveca or Degar (or both of them) regarding anything mentioned in this log, they are encouraged to do so through the reach the residents page.
• Please note that the voting post regarding what to do with the orbs will go live on December 20 in preparation for endgame.
• And finally, if you have questions about anything in this log, please direct them here.
🗡YULEVIBES
Then stop hogging all the food. [ Being a smart-ass can have perks. ]
no subject
[ she is very much unashamed of how much food she has. none of it's going to go to waste! ]
Ask nicely and maybe you can have some if you're too lazy to get up.
no subject
Nah. I'd rather have the alcohol, anyway.
no subject
[ there is in fact a bottle of vodka tucked under her arm, hidden away by all the food she's carrying outright. ]
no subject
Can't count on people to share. [ He actively smiles to that, though it might be a little strained or sarcastic. If he's enjoying the banter, he won't admit it. ]
no subject
[ she finally settles herself a little more comfortably, mostly because she does need to free a hand to actually open her own bottle. ]
Oh, I'm not opposed to sharing. I just need a little more than most. [ it's definitely not the alcoholism. ]
no subject
High tolerance?
no subject
Too high. [ she will take a few sips from her bottle after that. ] This isn't going to get me drunk, but that doesn't seem to be the vibe here tonight, so it's probably for the best.
no subject
[ Bucky gives her a smirk, amused they have that in common. ] My metabolism goes too fast, or something like that. Haven't been able to actually get drunk in a really long time.
Probably for the best, though, yeah.
no subject
[ she just happens to be baseline buzzed more often than not too. ]
You got some kind of superpower to expedite the metabolism or just unlucky?
no subject
Yep. Unwanted superpower. [ Bucky looks in her direction and smirks. ] You that unlucky?
no subject
Well, you're in good company on board for the superpower department considering the rest of the crew. [ she takes another few sips from her bottle, draining it close to half by now. ] I don't think of it as one, but I heal fast.
[ it's not much of a secret at this point. ]
no subject
Super fast metabolism, super fast healing, usually. Same here.
There do seem to be a few of us in this place.
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[ a perpetually healing liver is a blessing and a curse. ]
How long have you been around? [ she doesn't think it's been long, but sometimes she thinks it's been two weeks when it's been two months. ]
no subject
Just a couple of months. [ Bucky shrugs. It's more like three, and longer than two weeks, but still, not all that long compared to the grand scheme of things. ]
You?
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[ it's a much harder question for her to answer in return, because she honestly doesn't know, so there's a bit of a pause before she finally tries. ]
At least two years, I think. This is the third holiday season since I got here. [ she really has to ask daisy sometime. ]
no subject
Two years. That's a long time to be doing this. [ Bucky's mouth opens, but he stops himself. He wants to ask what her regret is, but remembers the scathing lecture he got about that from someone else, and manages to stop himself. He takes another drink, instead. ]
What's your home like? [ Yeah, that's the best he could come up with for a replacement question. ]
no subject
[ it's objectively a drop in the bucket for her. ]
I'm from Earth. One of the many versions. It's a popular planet here. You?
no subject
Really? Not that long, to you?
Also Earth. New York City, to be exact. [ At least, New York City, for now. Who knows what the future will hold. And that's just where his apartment is. He's bad about being there for long, though. ]
no subject
[ she is older than 40. but she doesn't look it! and she loves these jokes, even if they only amuse herself. ]
I've been there. Sorry not sorry to say it's a little overrated.
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Wow. Overrated? [ Bucky shrugs a little, chuckling more than anything. ] Maybe. It's still home.
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[ she never gets tired of that. ]
I'm not American, so the Big Apple doesn't hold the same sway on me. It's not the worst city, I'll give you that.
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You look pretty good yourself, for...whatever you are. [ He can put about that together with the conversation. ]
Not the worst city. I'll take it.
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I'm more partial to Istanbul. [ she thought about it first and managed to avoid saying constantinople this time. ]
no subject
Haven't been there, yet. What's it like?
(no subject)
wrap? But this was good CR