capeandcowllogs | of those blackholes & revelations

of those blackholes & revelations

WHO: All imPorts.
WHERE: Atropos.
WHEN: January 7th to January 14th.
WARNINGS: Death and destruction.
SUMMARY: Atropos has risen in the night, and the inevitable has come: with her jaws she shears away the City from Earth and swallows it whole.

But the City is not yet dead.
FORMAT: Whatever you please.

The formless mass of metal haunting above, hovering like a lunar tombstone, begins to take shape. Asteroids plummet into the cheeks, the eyes, carving out bone structure. Her features howl with fury, with triumph, as she stares down below, savoring her conquest. A cavity opens. Metal swoops to form jagged, angry shears. Her teeth are born.

She waits as the world rotates, its spin more wobbly than it used to be.

And then she leans down to feast, her bite vampiric. She takes the City and then some, and all that it encompasses, so that every single imPort is captured. She takes the time to drink in any stragglers, any imPorts elusive to the City's thrall.

She holds the City on her tongue as she draws back her fist to punch the world.

And then teeth close to the shuddering, glass shattering vibration of a cosmic laugh. The jaws close, and there is no light for about an hour -- until Atropos begins to siphon solar energy from the sun into her veins. She is dissatisfied with its dying tint, or perhaps she cannot stand the redness of color, so once she injects this energy into her her body (her most intimate domain), she turns it bright yellow again. The universe within her is illuminated.

The City is a floating chunk of broken skyscrapers and puckered asphalt streets. The trauma of consumption has wrecked the usual infrastructure: buildings are half collapses, or skeletal, vehicles are flipped and strewn across the layout. Whatever vegetation that is still clinging onto life has rejoiced under the return of normal sunlight.

You can breathe. It isn't too hot, or too cold -- it's unusually pleasant, in fact. The sunshine veins that light your world are not overwhelming. There is no blue sky to complement the atmosphere, and whatever water still in the City will be constrained to the bottled kind found in shops.

But there are other floating pieces of worlds, and they might have water. Or food.

If you live in the City, your possessions should still be in the City. While about 76% of the natives have fled the City (which had gotten the brunt of focus over the past week), there are still some natives who were too sick, too sentimental or too stubborn to leave.

You'll find that your powers work normally, though you can't teleport within Atropos. You probably wouldn't want to teleport outside of her, anyway.

She swallows, and the City gentle glides down a slick throat. Dust and particles create stunning visuals, like the aurora borealis, except in warmer colors. Light reflects so easily from solar veins and starstrewn flesh.

While you can breathe easily, gravity is fickle. Physics is often defied. Atropos was never one to play by the rules.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ her grasp was solid and firm when her fingers wrapped around his forearm, pulling him towards her. still doing her job, it seemed, even at a time like this. perhaps it was coincidence that she would be the one to find him now, but lil was never one to complain about familiarity in a time of confusion and crisis.

her clothes had seen better days -- ripped in places, and dirty -- but the woman herself was expectedly unmarked. ]

Hey, y'still in one piece?

Edited (TEN MILLION EDITS FOR SARA #winning) 2014-01-09 07:30 (UTC)

Lil?

[He surrendered to her nickname, rather than her formal name -- such was his bewilderment. Compromises made in the thick of crisis. His arm ached a little, under his gemstone grip.]

I'm -- yes, still in one piece. [His complexion was pale, his voice a bit shaky.] I haven't -- you're the first person I've come across. Or, rather, who's come across me.

Yeah? I've been scoutin' the area, lookin' for folks. Figure it's better than waitin' around for things t'get worse.

[ for a woman prone to tantrums, lil was surprisingly calm. being invulnerable probably helped at a time like this. it was probably reasurring, to know that no matter what happened, at least she had little less to fear than most. or maybe she was just doing a better job of swallowing that fear, clinging to strength behind the name "diamond lil."

she gave eddie a pat on the back, giving him a once over. he did seem to be in one piece after all. ]

Don't s'pose a guy like you might have some kinda plan or somethin'.

At the moment? This situation demands improvisation -- [He swallowed, forcing out a half smile. Lil's calm was a curious thing; diamonds always shined brighter against fire, perhaps. A cool head in a crisis was admirable, and Eddie found himself relieved to call her his bodyguard.

The terms and conditions still applied, he figured.]

-- But I daresay we can make do.

[Empty words.]

It's amazing we can breathe, isn't it? This atmosphere must approximate Earth's. [He returned the look over, checking up on her flawless exterior. No scratches, no burns, nothing.]

The whole structural city's here. We ought to stake out some water, for our more immediate needs.

[ she only made a light acknowledging sound to his observation. she hadn't thought much about that kind of thing -- the curiosity of even being able to breathe, or the mysterious mechanics of whatever was happening around them. she only knew that it was happening, and she wasn't just going to lay down in the rubble, waiting to die. she'd survived too much in her life for that.

still, a familiar face was always a little comforting. and if she was the brawn, eddie was certainly the brains. ]

Could check out the buildin's up ahead, see if there's anythin' left. [ she wasn't beneath punching out any competing looters who decided to get too aggressive. ] Keep an eye out for anyone else we know. Y'got anyone y'wanna look for?

I want to find Felicia. [He spoke it decisively, firmly. Her presence filtering his thoughts only confirmed the attachment he long ago suspected as sincere; it was easy to stand habitually with someone, as he had done so for years with Query and Echo. It was another thing altogether to seek them when they were lost.

Or fear the risk of losing permanently.]

But otherwise, supplies will be our foremost concern. [He nodded to Lil, taking comfort in their numbers. Maybe Harvey had a point, with that two thing.]

What about yourself?

[Conversation tingled his lips as he walked onward, his eyes constantly scanning their pathway for threats. The air above burned bright and cosmic shapes whirled miles away.]

Looking for that bulky fellow? The gruff one?

[ she remembered felicia -- pretty thing, but sharp too. a fitting match for her boss, if there ever was one. and there was something endearing about the decisive way he said her name, something that seemed to speak to her significance to him. it was almost sweet, and lil had always had a weak spot for the romantic.

of course, she should've expected he would ask her about frank. she wasn't sure why it caught her a little off guard. ]

He's probably fine. [ that was her automatic response, though the words didn't feel completely true coming from her mouth -- as if she couldn't let the issue rest until she'd seen him, safe and sound, for herself. ] He's a big boy.

[ she was worried. she didn't want to dwell on it. ]

Felicia -- she's real important t'you, ain't she?

He appears to be rather big, indeed.

[Eddie closed his eyes, kicking himself in the moment. Luckily, he thought, Lil wasn't the type to take advantage of every single innuendo opportunity.]

You know what I mean. I've met him once, though we were inside that game console contraption. Asthenoa.

[He looked over at her, measuring her response. Eddie valued Lil's perspective, as she tended to see through sparkle and note the substance of any matter. He wasn't worried that Frank could pull one over the bodyguard.]

Yes. [His eyes resumed the road ahead of them, the pocketmarked streets of the City, once Lil asked about Felicia.] We've been together for some time now, and the two of us are rather adaptive. We've not been unnerved by any Lachesis-born madness quite yet. [Another beat marred his speech's pace.] I like Frank. With you. It seems logical enough.

[ there was something admirable in that -- in a man's willingness to readily admit a woman's importance to him. privately, her respect for her current company grew.

outwardly, she only exhaled as she took in the area around them, looking for any buildings that seemed as though they might still possess any useful supplies. easier said than done, of course. everything was a mess. ]

Y'suit each other.

[ that was all she said at first -- a simple, but sincere compliment. as for the matter of frank. well. ]

He ain't with me. Not like that. An' I'm pretty damn sure he'd disagree with you. He thinks it's stupid. That I'm stupid. For wantin' it.

Hah. [Eddie shot her a sidelong look, smirking.] He thinks you're stupid? Oh, Lil. Taking risks with a reputable human lie detector, aren't you?

He doesn't think that. He's probably just scared.

[Frank was still an easier topic to discuss, given the proximity of Felicia to his own enigmatic emotions. But he knew Lil to be invincible, and often that included her willpower.

Dodging response on the Felicia topic was inadvisable. Besides -- he had already admitted to the hard part. Maybe prolonged discussion would be somewhat... Therapeutic. What with rising anxieties and the end of the world and all.]

We're both former criminals, Felicia and I. We tend to agree on most philosophies, perhaps because of that.

Edited 2014-01-14 23:12 (UTC)

Hard t'imagine Frank bein' scared of anythin'. [ her tone was dismissive, as if she were trying to brush off how much the subject really meant to her. ] Bet he's glad the apocalypse is givin' him some breathin' space. The man ain't ever said a nice thing t'me. It's always "Don't be stupid" or "No, Crawley."

[ likewise, for lil, it was an easier task to discuss a relationship that wasn't her own -- if whatever she had with frank castle could even be called that. she could always gloss over the flawed details when it was someone else, romanticizing things a little in her mind. a part of her still hoped that, despite the way she seemed to wreck things with the men she cared for, it was only her bad luck and not the way things always had to be.

aloud, she remarked a bit softly: ]

Anyway, I think it's kinda sweet. You an' Felicia, I mean. [ then without really thinking about it: ] D'you love her?

Edited 2014-01-15 00:47 (UTC)

I -- what? [He stopped in his tracks and positioned his stance in opposition, a breath of stardust spiraling between them. The word was highly loaded for Edward; he was a man shunned throughout his early life and called a narcissist throughout the latter. There was no room for love between those letters.

This wasn't the first time the question had haunted him. It was a growing fear of his, that he couldn't properly understand the emotion -- that it was some frustratingly elusive puzzle. He desired Felicia, he enjoyed her company, he thought highly of her capabilities. He was affectionate with her.

But could that define love?]

Neither of us are the types of people swayed by marriage.

[It was a statement designed to dodge.]

No offense intended to those who have, even once. I'm sure it's a fine institution.

It's not. It's terrible.

[ and wonderful too, but saying that out loud would hurt. bitterness and resentment still permeated all the little cracks in her heart left behind by the man whose ring she still wore on her left hand. marriage had been so full of promises, dreams of a family and a long life together -- lies, in the end, thin as smoke as just as quickly gone.

still, even a subject so raw for lil didn't distract her entirely. she pressed. ]

Y'don't gotta be married t'be in love.

[His eyes drifted down to glimpse at that ring on her hand -- but Eddie too smart a man to make any verbal note.]

It isn't that I'm doubting your experience. [Dark ploy, to bring the dirty spotlight back on Lil, with her filmy memories of heartache. His mouth twitched downward, the shame of this evasion game evident on his face.]

She's important to me. She's peerless in her importance to me -- isn't that enough definition? At a time like this -- when we're looking for her.

[ lil glanced in eddie's direction, the weight of her stare finding his face as if she thought she might peel away the layers of his words with the sheer force of her gaze. but at length, she looked away again, letting her eyes look forward at the broken ruins filling the path ahead. ]

If y'didn't wanna tell me -- if y'don't know, y'could've just said so.

[ that was her response, plain and a little distant.

at length, however, she added quietly: ]

I hope we find her. For you.

Lil. Come now. I didn't mean to -- [But hadn't he? Wasn't that his very intention, his little manipulation, no matter how limited it was in that moment? However passive he could have rationalized it, wasn't it still a barbed diversion? Hadn't he spoken with purpose, didn't he get exactly what he had wanted?]

Look. I don't say this, actually, I've never said this. But I shouldn't have done that. I should have -- spared that angle, because it was wrong to. Suggest.

[He reached over, grasping her by the shoulder. Warmly, he hoped, his expression shattered to sincere regret.]

It's fine.

[ she was quick to brush it off, more willing to accept a half-apology than to show that her feelings had been hurt, even a little. her strong face was a fairly convincing one, at any rate. still, either way, she wasn't angry with him, despite something resigned in her expression underneath the toughness. it wasn't as if he'd been exactly wrong.

her hand found the one he placed on her shoulder, squeezing it gently before carefully brushing him off. ]

I've got thick skin, remember?

Nevertheless. [He shrugged, accepting their mutual agreement to not dwell. He didn't want to suffer parting -- but it would prove all the more heartstrung, to suffer parting with poisoned slights. Lil deserved better than that, and Eddie repressed his usual egotistical flair for the sake.]

We can look for Frank, too, along our search for Felicia. [He inclined his head, resuming his walk.] After all, there's a certain strength in numbers. And, from what I gathered, the man's had admirable training. Could be useful.

[His speech offered only rational reasons, nothing tying Lil's emotions into the equation. An unspoken inclination. However thick, skin could still feel something.]

[ it was true -- frank castle was remarkable in combat and a resourceful man, no doubt a valuable ally to have at a time of crisis. but lil couldn't connect herself to those reasons for finding him, not with the worry that festered in her chest. she knew he was more than capable of looking after himself, but logic rarely won over her heart. part of her just needed to see him, to be sure.

her honest face betrayed her building anxiety as she dwelled. she had memories of frank showing up at her doorstep in the middle of the night, bloodied and beaten. the images rose in her mind unbidden now. she exhaled, trying to quiet her own restless thoughts. ]

Don't know if there's any kinda trainin' that prepares y'for the end of the world. [ she paused as they approached a building that was relatively in tact. the door had already been broken. she leaned inside, glancing around. ] Either way, he probably wouldn't want me lookin' for him.

[ not that it would stop her. ]

Oh, I don't know. I lived through one once before. [A beat, and his thoughts trailed away. It had been years, more than half a decade, since he had encountered the mischief of his doppelganger. What an absurd thing to remember, at this pinpoint in time. He shrugged in response.]

Crisis averted, obviously. Perhaps luck is a finite resource.

[He had never considered himself lucky.]

But my point is, stranger individuals have survived. Frank stands fairly good odds, as it were. And when he does -- when you both make it out of this. [He turned to her, his expression stoney. He kept that degree of expression until she would cease her peeking through that demolished door and face him right back.] And when you do, you ought to engage him on a more honest level. You might as well make the most of what you can have.

[ his comments got her attention easily enough, causing her to glance over her shoulder at him from where she stood in that ruined doorway. she pursed her lips a little, one hand finding her generous hips as if she were skeptical of the sentiment. ]

The hell is that supposed t'mean, a more "honest level?"

[ if she sounded at all defensive, it was only because she had become particularly used to rejection when it came to frank castle. the man was good at playing hard to get with her. fortunately, most of the time, she found ways to be convincing enough. still, it wasn't as if the man was especially affectionate with her -- or affectionate much at all.

trying to engage him more could very well be like attempting to engage an extraordinarily stubborn brick wall more. ]

You like him, I'm convinced that he likes you. How is it illogical for you to tell each other exactly that?

[He peered over Lil -- or tried to, she was an impressive height -- glimpsing through to see if there was anything edible along the other side.

But craning his neck around never stopped Eddie from talking before.]

Pin him against a wall, grab his jaw and force him to look at you -- or be less predatory and aggressive, I don't care. But you're going to keep winding down the same spiral if you don't buckle him down and tell him the truth.

[ she gave him one of those looks -- the kind a woman gives a man when what he says makes her feel catty. it's a defensive mechanism more than anything, and it shows in her voice when she responds, pointedly putting her hand on his forehead and pushing to stop him from peering around her. ]

He knows that. That -- y'know. I care about him.

[ she makes this huffing exhale of a noise, finally deciding it's safe enough to actually go inside the crumbling building. either that, or she doesn't care if any rubble should try and fall on her. ]

That's where all the goddamn "Don't be stupid, Crawley" comes from. Bein' aggressive doesn't help. I've been aggressive. With an' without my clothes on. He still only ever tells me t'go away.

So why not play the other side of the spectrum? Feign distressed damsel, men are so often unprepared for that -- emotionally speaking. [He inclined his head, acknowledging this oversight of his gender. Perhaps it was his compromise, his nearly self-insult (in a most generalized sort of way) for inspiring her to shoot out one of those looks.

He thought perhaps it had singed the air.]

Bank on his innate desire to protect you -- Guy like that has a strong sense of justice, doesn't he? He sure gives the impression, in a "my way or the highway" sort of context.

[Eddie followed his bodyguard in gingerly, frowning at the dust and debris. He tried to tiptoe around the more aggravated floor messes.]

[ lil glanced over her shoulder again, making a bit of a face at eddie for his suggestion. ]

I ain't that kinda gal.

[ a true enough statement. lillian crawley was neither a damsel in distress nor was she clever enough to fake it. brains was something to be left to someone like eddie -- lil's methods were more likely to utilize force, physical or otherwise. after one too many let-downs, she'd given up on being rescued by men years ago.

she exhaled, crouching to lift and push a bit of rubble aside. it didn't seem like there was much left to the place, but maybe something useful had been overlooked by the looters before them. ]

Ain't gonna bank on him wantin' t'do anythin' for me anyway. The bastard hates givin' me "the wrong idea."

of those blackholes & revelations

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