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Post by otakulady89 on Oct 10, 2016 0:34:54 GMT -5
"Mello!" Gevanni gasped, surprised to see the blonde stumbling towards him. He reached out, darting forward as fast as his bruised leg would let him, and wrapped the shorter man up in a crushing hug. He was grateful that even one more survivor existed, but expecially his friend. "Thank god you survived. Do you need medical attention? We have a nursing tent sent up, sort of. Its more of a lean to, for now..." He'd had some of the survivors work on that while the other ones searched for injured.
He herded Mello towards the nurses tent and had him sit down in the sand. While one of the 'nurses' looked him over, Gevanni started talking. "I haven't been able to find any of the high brass. I did... Well, I found your father. But there wasn't much of him left." He admitted, giving Mello a moment to contemplate this. "I think, after we find enough survivors, we need to focus on shelter. These people won't last the night without it, and we have to be practical. We can search for more survivors in the morning. Do you agree?"
/.../
"Near!" Matt's book near-flew with how hurried he was to lean forward, into his baby brother's view. "Baby brother, you're alive. Thank the goddess." He smiled, "I was worried she'd take you anyway, because of how weak your body is." He pressed fingers to Near's throat, checking for the thrum of his life. "How do you feel?"
There was a tray of fruit and bread next to the bed. Matt had been nibbling on it all day. One of the fruits' juices leaked onto the floor in a steady plip-plip-plip. The redheaded prince hadn't paid any attention to it before this, but now, it was all he could hear besides Near's breathing. The moons made Near's face pale and bright, and made him look sickly.
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Post by Fateful on Oct 10, 2016 0:48:11 GMT -5
Mello wrapped an arm around Gevanni and used the other to support his weight on Gevanni's shoulder. Of all those that could have survived, Gevanni and L were the two he would choose. With one of them, they had a shot had surviving. He was incredibly relieved to see someone he trusted, and someone who was strong enough to support the weight of leading with Mello. After all, Gevanni was incredibly good at organization, mobilization, and logistics. Mello was good at making things happen and motivating and organizing people. This, this could actually work.
The news of his father was hard. A light shone in his eyes and he tried not to blink, knowing this was important. The nurse did a few tests, checking his pulse, his injuries, burns and cuts. "My father is the reason this happened." Mello finally stated, though it pained him to do so. Knowing his father was dead was incredibly hard, he had lived in his father's shadow his entire life. He hated what had happened, but nothing would change that now.
"I agree." Came the inevitable answer. "But, we need to focus on the ship. We have too many injured to make a new shelter. for now, we should focus on fortifying the ship so nothing can get inside. We can reroute air and ensure that we can last the night. We have to put out ships. We all know how to fix the ship, but this planet... it's all new. We're going to have to learn. If there are animals here, we can't risk making a shelter on the beach at this point in time. I know it seems like a bad plan, but the ship is familiar and will be easier than the alternative right now. We can focus on moving outside tomorrow. From what I can see, we could use the greenhouse to sleep in, assuming we move all the plants to one location. It's inside the ship, warm, stable, and safe. It gives us one easily controlled location to reset life support and ensure we can survive the night. I can probably redo the paneling in a few hours."
The nurse cleared her throat. She was younger than Gevanni, but a few years older than Mello. "I don't think so. You have a concussion." She clicked the light off and looked back at him. "You need to take it easy."
Mello went to shake his head, but felt incredibly light headed and stopped. "No. No I have to do this. I can't sleep, I have to focus on something. It will help my brain heal."
The nurse, Amanda glanced to Gevanni. "Then I'll come with you, to monitor you. Gevanni, your leg might break if you keep walking around, since I can't X-ray it. Please try to take it easy and rest a little while you give orders." She put her hand on Mello's back and helped him to stand.
.//.
Near smiled and softly touched his brother's face. Hands touched his neck and there was a steady, strong beat from both his hearts. His lungs were working as well. He smiled. "Tired." Came the soft reply. "I feel incredibly tired, but also... sort of numb?" He offered. Why was he still alive? Take him anyway? The news of his weakness made him look down at his bedding.
"I'm sorry I'm so weak." He finally replied, meeting his brother's gaze. "What happened to me? I was supposed to die in the ceremony, I saw the star fall and then I remember this incredible light and the feeling that I was safe and warm." He paused for a moment, his fingers brushing the necklace. As he ran his hand over the gold, he looked up to his brother, surprised.
Then it made sense. "I took... the goddess... that's what I stole of Mom's soul when she passed."
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Post by otakulady89 on Oct 10, 2016 1:20:06 GMT -5
"You're right. It's kind of an amazing story, actually," Matt commented, leaning forward. He slid one arm underneat Near's shoulders, and used the other to adjust the pillows so that Near could at least look around the room a little bit. He fluffed them too so Near would be comfortable. Then, he settled his little brother back down into those pillows, and scooted the chair he'd been sitting on closer. Picking up a fruit, one of the BouBous his brother loved so much, he took out a knife, and began to skin and cut it up.
"The star struck Jelys with a bolt of lightning just before he was going to plunge the knife into you," He mimicked the act by slamming the knife down into the wooden table the fruit sat on, "so that he dropped his knife. Then, the lightning arched to you, and suddenly, you were glowing. The Goddess herself spoke from your lips, and said that she didn't wish for sacrifice. She laughed at our folly, and then...well. Your body wasn't strong enough to hold her for long, little brother. She left, and you went to sleep. It's been three days since then, actually, and the new portents say that we should wait before any sacrifices happen."
He leaned forwad and pressed some boubou to Near's lips. "Father is very, very happy that you're safe. So am I, actually. It nearly killed me to see you on that alter."
/.../
Turning the ship into a working shelter for the night was easier said than done. The damage was extensive, but mello had had the right idea when he said the greenhouse was their best option. It would hold most of the survivors, having been about half the size of a goddamn football field. Gevanni had a few ideas on how to barricade it from the outside, but the main bulk of the labor would be moving the injured into it, and fixing the systems necessary for it to end up not smothering them in their sleep.
Luckily a few of the engineers who had been training under Lawliet survived, and went to work on systems. Gevanni felt almost useless, sitting so still. He needed to be up and helping, but whenever he tried to get up, someone came to him for answers, and he ended up having to sit down again just to make sure he had everything situated. He turned into a sort of central command hub, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that.
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Post by Fateful on Oct 10, 2016 1:29:38 GMT -5
Near absorbed the great tale as it was told to him and memorzed each word in wonder. It was amazing to hear about, considering it felt more like a dream. He had no memory of the goddess within him, but according to stories and legends, that was entirely normal, especially given how weak he was. Imagine him, as the vessel, the Goddesses' chosen vessel. But he fainted. He wasn't strong enough to hold her for her to say anything important.
A realization came to the white haired child and he pulled himself to sit up. "Then we have to get started!" he declared. "I have to train immediately, to be powerful enough to hold her so that she can communicate. I must do all I can. And-" he leaned too far forward, his back tightened and he slumped to the side, still considerably weak. A great force passed through him. He was still lucky to be alive.
The shouting drew attention. Matsuda flung open the door and came inside. He gasped and walked over to the boy, amazed to see him awake. He cupped Near's face in his shaking hands, tears in his eyes. "Y-You're... alive." he finally managed. "Oh... Oh Near! Oh Goddess!" He ran from the room and went to find Light, to tell him the good news, that his son had woken.
Near laughed softly, but it showed his lungs had weakened. "I'm glad I'm okay too. I am well and you will be well too." He held out his hand to take his brothers. "We should pray together."
..//..
Converting the greenhouse took longer than Mello first anticipated. The concussion affected some of his memory and his speech from time to time, but he adjusted well enough to get things done. Gave was a great help, ordering and organizing. Mello appreciated more than he ever thought he would. Once life support was up and they had moved what they could, the people flooded there. Clean food and water brought them. Amanda had gathered some nurses and volunteers with minor injuries to inspect everyone. They all checked in so they could get an idea of who was alive, who was inured and who likely wouldn't survive.
So far, they gathered about 409 survivors. Many were injured. They gathered the corpses and brought them outside the ship. There, Mello made the choice to burn them. There was nothing else that could be done. They had to get rid of the bodies and they couldn't risk burying them on the back. So, as the sun set, Mello supported Gevanni as they lit up 273 bodies with the help of the frighteningly flammable clear water.
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Post by otakulady89 on Oct 10, 2016 1:47:14 GMT -5
Gevanni had anticipated the sort of smell books described as rancid and horrifying. He'd anticipated something that would scar him for life. He had anticipated correctly, but somehow... He had also been wrong. The smell wasn't awful. It wasn't even unpleasant. It was as if the clear water changed something in the composition of the fire, and no scent came across at all. Just fire. It was somehow worse than what he'd imagined.
"Mello, I think we should take everyone inside and lock up for the night, let this burn out. The light and heat will either attract wild animals, or it'll repel them, and we don't want to meet what it attracts." He advised. While Mello had started to get better, his concussion easing, Gevanni's leg had started swelling into a great purple eggplant. He was beginning to think it was broken, and he'd just been fooled.
Even closed up in the ship, there was a lot to do with 409 people. Constant movement everywhere made it difficult to sleep as anything other than the sleep of the exhausted, and there was no real rest there. There was water to give, food to divide and ration. That caused a whole other bit of issue. As the only really uninjured and highly ranked Hydroponics officer available, Gevanni was the one in charge of how food was rationed. It was difficult to tell a bunch of refugees that they couldn't eat their fill despite being surrounded by viable food. He had to keep telling himself that it was for their own good, since no one knew how long this food would have to last.
"Mello, is your datpad still working?" He asked, thinking that if they set an alarm, the two of them could sleep in shifts and keep everyone from freaking out.
/.../
Once Matsuda fled out of the room, Matt's raised eyebrow following him out, Matt turned back to the whitenette in the bed. He gently eased Near back to laying, and pressed another boubou peice to his lips. "Rest. Everyone knows the most important part of training is the rest. Your body will come back from this stronger than before, and you will be able to hold her longer." He spoke with the confidence of someone who had gone through this training, despite everyone being pretty sure he would never host the goddess.
"For now, rest." He repeated, and leaned back. He didn't get to sit gently for long, because Near's door slammed open again, the King rushing inside, amber eyes wide and hair and clothes awry.
"Near." He breathed the word, and Light sunk to his knees, shuffling next to the bed. Like Matsuda, he reached out, his hands cradling Near's face. "Near, oh... You woke. How do you feel? Do you need anything? Can I get you anything?"
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Post by Fateful on Oct 10, 2016 1:55:49 GMT -5
With everyone back inside and away from the burning, scentless corpses, they had to deal with chaos. And stupidity. 'Why can't I eat everything I want?' Gee, because that was never allowed, Jim, and it's dangerous? So, with the lack of actual authority, Mello seemed to just naturally step into the role, giving orders, setting shifts, and arranging for people to do what he asked. Within another two hours, he had cleared enough space for many to sleep with more comfort. It meant they had slightly less rations, but everyone present ate, which would help ease their growing panic.
"I'll stay up." Mello told Gevanni as he sat before him. "The concussion." He tapped the side of his own skull with a smile. "You on the other hand..." He hesitated. "Do you want to show me the rest of your leg? I did decent in medical when we did our rounds. I might... be able to do something? At the very least to ease the pain. I'm sure I can find some pain killers... We're going to have to get you to sick bay at some point. You need an X-ray."
\.../
Near opened his mouth and softly chewed the fruit, but his exhaustion proved quite substantial. He smiled, weak and then nodded. "I know I need to rest, but I feel that I have slept enough. There must be something I can do." He leaned back into his pillows. He wasn't hungry so much as he was thirsty. The fruit seemed to remind him of this. "Is there water?" He barely asked the question when the doors flew open. Their father raced toward them and Near held out his hands toward Light.
He smiled, trying to hold it, but his weakness showed in the muscles of his face. "Father..." He held the hands upon his face. "I feel... weak, but alive." He blushed slightly, embarrassed that everyone was catering to him so. Would this be what the goddess wanted? Was he shaming her? So, he lowered his gaze. "I am fine, but..." He bit his lip, wishing himself not to be too selfish for asking this one thing. "Can... I have some water?"
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Post by otakulady89 on Oct 10, 2016 9:57:13 GMT -5
"Water..." Matt blinked for a moment, for a second unable to comprehend the word. Then, like lightning it hit him. Of course Near would be thirsty. He'd trickled water down his throat while he was sleeping, to be sure, but that didn't mean he'd have a wet throat. He nodded, and Light waved his hand as if to order water poured. Of course, when the royal family gathered this way, the servants tended to stay back, and there wasn't all that much room around Near's bedside, so the water was poured by the elder brother instead.
A ceramic cup of pinkish water was pressed into Near's hand, and Light wrapped his fingers around Near's weak ones to keep it steady. He held it for his son, letting him drink his fill, marvelling in the way his throat worked, the way his chest rose and fell as he drew breath. "I'm glad you're at least a little recovered. I'll have some of the temple manuscripts brought, if you insist on doing something while in your sickbed." He smiled, his amber eyes warm and loving on the boy.
Behind them, Matt's verdant gaze was troubled. He wouldn't voice it, couldn't even dare, but he felt... shoved out of the scene, as if he hadn't been the one to wait for days by Near's bedside, but Light. He felt almost a stranger in this scene; it was a disturbing feeling.
/.../
A hesitation betrayed what Gevanni thought of stripping his pants off in front of this crowd. He would have liked to claim he knew all four hundred people in here, but... there had been nearly a thousand people on the ark, and it was impossible to have known all of them, despite his entire life having been spent among them. He might know their names, cursory facts about them, if pressed, but he couldn't claim enough knowledge to feel comforable stripping.
"...Maybe with some privacy, but... for now, I think... I'd rather not." He answered. Even if the niggling thought of his own declining health didn't detract from his shyness. He sighed, realizing then that Mello hadn't answered his question. "I'm thinking most of the datpads are out of order right now, then, if yours isn't working. Do you think that means the central intelligence library is out too? Or maybe it was with the other half of the ship..." He frowned, thinking of all the other people that must be out there, waiting to be rescued. Then a thought, a terrifying thought struck him.
"...Mello, do you remember the blueprints of the ship?" He asked, a slightly terrifying prospect coming to mind. "...Wasn't the medbay near engineering? On the other half of the ship?"
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Post by Fateful on Oct 10, 2016 10:44:18 GMT -5
Light has always been more affectionate toward Near than most others, and it was not something the boy ever noticed in his father. His father loved them both. He knew Light loved them both. His affection however, was always pushed to his love of Misa and Near obviously carrying a part of his mother's soul within her. Misa and Light had a complicated relationship, but as everyone prayed and wished, they were together in the end. Both their sons were strong, and it seemed clear which of them would take which path, both intelligent, generous, caring. It was an amazing thing, truly it was.
With the cup in hand, Near leaned up and drank it, from his own hand with his father's aid. It made him smile to see his father care so much, eve to know he wanted something to do instead of just sitting there. So, he nodded. "I would love something to do. Manuscripts would be.. nice." He paused once he'd finished the drink, watching his father with wonder and happiness.
"Father?" he asked softly. "I'm so glad you're not upset about what happened." He smiled, because above all else being refused by the goddess could be the greatest insult one could have.
\.../
Mello shook his head, somehow amused and annoyed at Gevanni's modesty, even now. Considering Mello just spent the better part of the last hour dragging around corpses to burn, one of which being his father, you'd assume Gevanni would know what sort of situation this was. It wasn't one where they could afford to be particular. However, Mello did agree they needed a private place to talk. He looked around the greenhouse, as if complying with Gevanni's question.
Finally, he got an idea and grabbed his friend by the shoulder and pulled him to his feet. "Don't use your leg, but come with me." While no one would consider Mello a tall young man, considering his life in space and the deficiently to most of their bones, he was surprisingly strong. He could carry Gevanni, but knew that would be far more alarming. Once Gevanni felt sturdy enough to limp, Mello led him into a small section of the green house that was closed off on the farthest side. It was sectioned off with black tarps and was normally used for light sensitive plants, or things they wanted to study.
The blonde kicked over a dead planet and eased Gevanni onto some sort of wooden bench made for heavier plants. It was good enough for now. "Show me your leg."
As the older man began the rather awkward process of taking off his pants, Mello deeply considered all they had lost. There was a reason he didn't answer the dated question. All the others that followed showed that Gevanni didn't miss the mark, but was just slightly behind him getting there.
"I know the blueprints." He sighed at revealing this. "We lost... a lot more than sickbay and engineering. We also lost a good portion of the water treatment system, the repair network adaptors for the intelligence library, and the main power source. L is a genius, but even he had limitations to make this thing." He thought this over, carefully, curious as to how long they could last without the power source from the front end of the ship and the higher ups who likely survived.
Most of those who died had been older or elderly. Aletta and a 3 others were the youngest on the ship, ages 15, 14, and 10. They hadn't caught sight of them yet, but they hadn't finished searching this part of the ship. Mello walked outside of it. They had a lot to go through. People could be hidden or dead anywhere. However, the other half of the ship had the most effective members of crew. They needed engineering most of all. Mello was an engineer before he became an officer and his father eventually demanded he do both. So he did.
"We need L most importantly of all. I can manage the ship in short term, but the secondary battery on this side won't last much longer than a month. two, at the very max." They had to figure out where the other ship landed, which Mello could do after his concussion. He realized math had become fairly difficult for him.
"Your leg isn't broken." Mello finally said, as if some sort of consolation prize as he tended to Gevanni. "It is really severely bruised though, and..." he trailed off and his hand ran on the underside of Gevanni's muscle. It touched something that caused a shooting pain to shoot through Gevanni's leg. Mello grabbed a set of pruning sheers quickly and in a swift motion, pulled something out of his leg. IT was a long, thin hard material that looked like a cross between a red bone and an earth crab leg. Once it was out, it softened, swirled wildly Mello cut it in half and stomped on it, mostly out of surprise.
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Post by otakulady89 on Oct 10, 2016 11:42:55 GMT -5
Gevanni will never admit to the sound he made, upon seeing that weird red crableg swirl and shift and move. It was something like a highpitched shriek, reminiscent of his little sister's screams. Of course, if you ever asked the large man to admit it, you'd probably get punched in the eye. As it was, he was also distracted by the ungodly pain Mello had just put him through. First the stripping, then the pulling, it was all a bit much, and he felt kind of light headed. A second scream was pulled out of him when Mello's cutting and stomping DID NOT STOP THE THING.
His screams had attracted attention, a few people pushing open the tarps of the hidden area to see if their leaders were murdering each other. Another scream went up, but not his own this time, someone elses, as the thing wiggled with snake-like determination towards the tent opening, towards the light.
"Ah-NAH you don't." A voice familiar as his own bones called, and a glass beaker slammed down around the thing, his mother's chipped navy nail polish recognisable. Wedy knelt there, with a hand on her hip, a bandage around her head covering one eye. "We'll need to study it some. Luckily the labs were on this end of the ship." She grinned at her son, "Good to see you, Stephan. I knew I could count on you to take charge. And to keep Mello here out of trouble." She winked at the blonde, but there was relief on her face at the sight of him too.
/.../
The manuscripts wouldn't be too hard to find, and they'd be filled with lovely stories to keep Near's mind busy while his body healed. Yes, Light could easily see lending a few stacks from the royal library. He'd kept up the tradition held by every tlatoani before him, and for every book brought into the cities, every book created, the original goes into the library, copied by scribes there, and then the copy given back to the owner. The largest store of knowledge in the known world was housed right there in his royal home.
"Of course I'm not upset." Light frowned, running his fingers over Near's cheekbones and lips. "You're my precious son, and if the Lady who Shines is willing to give me even one more day with you, then that is something to be celebrated." His hand smoothed up into Near's hair, pulling it back from his son's face. He could see more of L there, every day.
"Father, Do we want to go get the manuscripts?" Matt asked, feeling as if he was butting in on the conversation. Light nodded, taking the cup from Near's hands and setting it on the carved wood of his side table.
"We'll be right back. You sit back and rest."
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Post by Fateful on Oct 10, 2016 16:40:23 GMT -5
Mello couldn't believe the movement of... whatever it was this creature was. He gasped and pulled back, more alarmed by the loud screaming than anything else. Since Gevanni was still injured, he couldn't really run or move too well, but god damn could he scream. Most people had flight or fight. Gave had fight or scream loud enough to burst everyone else's eardrums. Somehow, given his height and strength, it was more amusing than anything else.
When Wedy arrived, Mello helped her to gather the animal in a glass pot. His hand trembled slightly. God damn, this was an incredible day so far. He smiled. "I'm doing easy more to keep him out of trouble." He ben down beside Gevanni and moved his leg to examine it. Already the purple color was stating to fade. Maybe in a few days the swelling would go down. "I don't want to brace your leg because i think binding it would make it swell more. You're going to need to rest your leg for a while." Mello wasn't a doctor, but he had been more adventurous and pulled a lot of stunts when he was a kid; not to mention his combat training. He had broken more bones than anyone else on the ship. When he was a child, he bragged about how he had broken an arm and told stories over and over again. However, the stories were eerily consistent, but most attributed this to his incredible memory.
"Come on, Gevanni, you should rest." He grabbed his arm and helped him to his feet, supporting part of his friend's weight with his body. "You should get some rest. I can take the first watch since I shouldn't sleep."
\ ... /
Near smiled when his face was touched, oddly appreciative of the physical contact. He kissed Light's thumb as it grazed his face and he was immediately relieved and relaxed. "Can I ask why you thought it was me she wanted to begin with?" It was a curious question, after all, he had just seen Ryuuk and the high priest had said nothing to him after his exam. Could it be that someone else had a vision and were unable to read the stars quite as well? Why didn't anyone check? Near felt saddened that someone else had died in his place, even if that someone was Jelys.
The two of them moved to leave and he sat up slightly.While he didn't mind them leaving, he also felt slightly surprised both of them were going. He did nothing to stop this, however. He just smiled. "I will. When both of you come back, maybe I can read to you?" He offered, wanting to do something with the three of them, as it had been quite some time since they had all come together.
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Post by otakulady89 on Oct 10, 2016 17:23:28 GMT -5
Light's answer echoed through the room in an odd way, and Matt's heart chilled a little. "Ryuuk had a vision, gifted from the goddess yesterday. He reported it to me, but you and Matt had already gone by that time. I had decided to commence the preparations just to be sure they were ready on time, but..." He smiled, "I'm glad that they weren't necessary."
"I'm afraid I won't be able to come back until morning." Light answered his son's plea for more time, sighing. He wished to give in, to spoil the child, but, "My duties call, and I fear I have a long night ahead of me. All of the portents have changed with the fallen star, and we have to make new plans."
"I'll come back and read with you, Near." Matt promised, able to make such an easy promise having only ever took a cursory interest in the duties of a soon-to-be-king. He was sure that easy-go-lucky attitude would have to change, now that he was almost gaurenteed to be his father's heir, but for now, he could spoil his sibling with fruit and reading and laughter.
/.../
In the end, Gevanni did rest, and the swelling went down within a few hours. The purpleish bruise color faded too, and he began to attribute it to some strange sort of toxin or irritant the thing had probably pumped him full of. By morning, his leg was healed, almost miraculously. It still ached when over-extended, but he was able to move around without support. After checking on Mello, to make sure that the boy wasn't overextending himself as it was, he went back to work sorting and preparing rations. He wanted everyone to get as much food as they needed, but... Honestly, the more he saw how ruined the crops were the more he thought that maybe they should begin looking to native foliage. Of course, without thorough study, they wouldn't be able to determine what was healthy and what would kill them.
Luckily, his mother had the labs up and running by noon the next day. Wedy was an impressive woman, and one of the leading biologists on the ship, someone who studied life in all it's forms. She gathered up a team of able-bodied survivors and had them start gathering her samples of foliage, while donned in gloves and masks, so that she could get a head start on finding them something to eat.
This was how things ran for a good week, and they made progress with rationed food, rationed electricity and good old human ingenuity. It was, of course, the happiest of surprises when, out of the bush came a scouting party, come all the way from the other half of the ship. The meeting was probably the most joyous reunion Gevanni had ever seen in his life, and he even hugged a random stranger just because of the overwhelming atmosphere of relief.
"-L said we'd find you all out this way." One of the scouts declared, grinning brightly, and Gevanni's head whipped around to him.
"L's alive?!"
"Yeah, of course he is," The man laughed, as if it were impossible for that man to die. "He's the only reason we survived this long. Ah! Aletta's alive too. She's the only... uh... Well, she's an orphan now." It was the kindest way to break it to Gevanni that he too, was now missing a parent.
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Post by Fateful on Oct 10, 2016 17:55:25 GMT -5
Disappoint struck the young prince, but he smiled and didn't let it show. "Alright. I understand." The same sweet boy, he didn't insist or beg for the attention he wanted, but accepted things as they were and what was told to him. One of the many qualities the king before Light possessed: neither one of them chased anything. They took whatever offered to them without struggle, even if it was sacrifice.
So the princes dined together, read, and laughed.
Finally, Near fell asleep, exhausted and thoroughly spent. Within three days, he was able to stand and walk without aid. On the fourth day, the princes breakfasted with the King and Near was allowed to walk freely, not that Matt was ever far behind.
The morning of the fifth day, Near overheard the gossip between Matsuda and Ryuuk. They found life on the planet. Someone had crashed and living creatures, similar to them, were wandering around, almost killing themselves.
"Huh," Matsuda spouted. "Who'd have thought L was right all this time, huh?"
Ryuuk huffled. "Whatever. The important thing is we find a way to study them. Kill them, if needed. They would be great sacrifices to the goddess."
So Near ran off. He found his brother and the two of them disappeared into the woods together, Near explaining as they left the safety of the city. When they got close, Near was amazed by them, how physically similar they were, how different all the mortals looked, the different colors of their skin, the changes in their faces and coloring. IT was fascinating.
They were different and diverse. Basically all of them. It was easy to see who and wasn't related. Near wanted to get closer, to speak to them, but Matt forbade it, keeping the young prince back. They did watch however, every day, several hours per day, for almost three days.
And every day, Near wanted more and more to go out and speak to them. There were search parties and scouts for both people. Near's people wanted so desperately to drive the others out, but they had no cause to attack and remained almost entirely unseen. The new comers went out in waves, usually looking for plants and animals. They brought them back, Near assumed to study them. Late one evening, he slipped far too close into the camp for the comfort of most people. He could hear numbing, a soft voice talking about seeing people in the trees, hearing voices as well.
He avoided these, wanting to see what they were doing. This was also when a Pomskin darted out from the ship and he caught the animal, a large, vicious cross between a bobcat and a hare, with long, powerful legs and viciously sharp teeth. It hopped into Near's arms and the boy darted up into a tree as the new comers moved toward the escaped animal.
\ ... /
The second crash had not been as lucky as the first. Only 289 survivors. But, they had to make the best of it. L woke suddenly, submerged in water, wet, and confused. When he woke, he felt strangely safe in the enormous trees with red leaves. He forced himself to sit and looked around, mystified and oddly content. After he found his way back to the ship, then he was horrified. Many died in the impact, especially in engineering. Repairs started immediately.
Aletta lived, thankfully. L found her hiding inside one of the emergency evacuation pods. The girl was bright. He helped her out, gave her water and helped calm her nerves. The news of her father's death had not been well received, but he found her things to do, ways to help the others and it went well. Aletta was happy to help and did whatever L asked with a school girl's enthusiasm. L made sure to vary her jobs so she had difficult mental tasks and physical labor. IT made her tired and distracted her from the loss of her father, and the fact GEvanni was missing.
"We'll find him." Aletta said firmly. "Stephan's alive."
And everyone believed her, because she was too passionate to propose negativity to.
L went about fixing the ship. He wanted to find the other ship and sent out two parties on two different days. Without the exact time of the ship tearing in half, he could only guess which direction to head. Once he got the computer systems back up and fixed the charging cells, he was able to find the exact time of the break and therefore caluclated exactly where the other ship fell. After that, he sent out a search party.
He was working on one of the computer systems with Aletta. Well, he was working, she was chattering about how beautiful the planet was.
"Why don't you go outside, Lawliet?"
L chuckled. "I have so much more to do in here."
"Yeah, but it's beautiful. You'd love it."
"I'm more useful in here fixing the ship."
"Why bother? We can just live here. This planet is perfect. I want to stay forever."
L smiled and climbed out of one of the many engines. "I have to find a way to keep everyone else. I can't do that outside, focused on the future of everyone's dreams. I'm a scientist and an engineer."
Aletta sighed, playing with her blonde hair. "I suppose."
L smiled. "Go on. I want you to help Amelia and the other nurses."
"Fiine!" She slid off the table and took off.
L watched her go, hesitating. He was almost afraid to go outside, not because the planet feared him: white the opposite. He avoided going outside because it felt like home and he felt so happy and content on the ground that he almost felt that he was losing his mind. HE justified it saying that when he woke in the water, he felt entirely safe and at peace because of the concussion. It felt surreal and comfortable. The planet was beautiful. The planet felt like his home and he had no way to explain this, as it was almost nothing like earth.
So, L knew his place. he had to keep everyone safe, fed, watered, and sheltered. He had to bring the two pieces of the ship back together. He had to make sure that he stayed focus and didn't drift off and experiment with everything in this planet and devolve into his natural curious and self indulgent persona.
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Post by otakulady89 on Oct 10, 2016 19:17:13 GMT -5
"Ryuuk, quit fidgeting." Light snapped, patience near gone. "Tell me again what they're doing, Rester." He waved a bejeweled hand that ached from writing most of the day. There was a neverending font of paperwork for a king, and it showed in the stacks of paper around his desk. His secretary was scribing away at a desk next to his, his face a careful blank mask.
There were two others in the room with him, for a total of six people with their feet on his rug. One was the Ch'Totchin of the nearest city to the crash, who also had eyes on the strangers. The other was the high priest of that city, who had also read the stars. Rester rested between the two of them, imposing and dark.
"My Tlatoani, they are repairing their star. It blinks with lights, on and off, as if signalling something or someone. The strangers file in and out of the two halves of their machine like insects, collecting and returning with plants and animals. We've yet to see any of them actually TRY any of the food, so we beleive they have their own foodsource somewhere inside the ships."
He paused, and Light bit his lip, "...I believe that they are sending parties out to locate each other. It is my opinion that they will not make any fullscale movements until the two sections of these aliens are reunited and they have a settled base of operations."
"I see." Light sighed, sinking into his chair. "Good. That gives us more time to attempt to decipher Makneshi's will on this. She said she does not wish us to sacrifice... Ryuuk, I expect you and your preists to figure out what she meant."
/.../
It was Gevanni's decision in the end what to say to the other group. He decided, in his utter wisdom, to tell them to pack up whatever they could carry, and bring it through the woods to the main camp. The middle of the jungle wasn't safe, and neither was the beach, but at the very least this section had the labs and the ponics bay, which meant that they'd be able to feed more people.
So the scout group switched out a few people, just to prove that they were telling the truth, and then went to guide the other 294 people through the three day treck that would take them to the beach-end. Gevanni watched them march off into the forest, with an eye on the dark, gathering clouds over top. "...We need a name for this place." He declared, turning to look at Mello. "For the planet... and for this little place here. I vote BeachEnd. For the beach. Not for the planet."
Perhaps it was the wind parting the leaves, or perhaps it was some quirk of fate, but when he turned to look back to the forest, and away from Mello's face, he saw it. A ghost, pale white with large, dark eyes, holding some squirming creature. The ghost sat in a tree, looking away from him, and he saw one of the gathering crews fly by, searching, obviously for the missing beast. He was about to call attention to the humanoid being, only for the creature's head to turn, and their eyes to lock.
His heart beat slower. Time seemed to skip. He blinked, and the creature was gone. Like an angel, evaporating into mist.
/.../
Matt yanked Near into movement, unsure why the younger prince froze int he first place. There were too many near here now. He had counted more than fifty just on his rounds, and he was beginning to feel very, very exposed. Too much danger for not enough gain. It had been fun for a while, running around the strangers when they seemed so unaware. It had been fun to study and see them do their strange rituals with their strange machines and shears.
"Are you crazy?" He hissed to his baby brother, frowning. "That creature isn't worth your life. You must be more careful if we're going to continue these silly missions."
/.../
Whatever it was, the ghost was not careful. Gevanni seemed to see it every day now, so much so that he started looking for it. He didn't mention it to anyone, not yet, because he was afraid if he did, they'd think he'd gone mad. There'd been signs, rustlings, of natives, but no one had SEEN one yet, and for one of them to reveal himself to Gevanni seemed... odd. Careless.
A trap.
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Post by Fateful on Oct 10, 2016 19:39:39 GMT -5
The meetings went on, on both sides. One side pushed to have these strange people investigated, their actions monitored, and for the Goddess' will to be exposed. The other, gathered plants, animals, water, and resources. They all knew the pink water was viable, and though some feared drinking it, those who worked and were often outside would drink it from the ground.
Mello was one. He was outside often enough and worked hard. He had no issues about drinking the water since L said it was safe. Somehow, it made him eel strong. Wendy concluded it had a high level of electrolytes and other small masses that rejuvenated energy. However, it seemed to have a strange affect on those in poorer health. So not everyone felt safe drinking it since Wedy found each different colored water to have different properties.
As time went by, Mello noticed more and more movement in the trees. He told no one because he thought it made him sound mad. One such figure he saw he thought had red hair. Another, he swore was a blonde, but it turned out to be Aletta.
Since her father's passing, Aletta had taken to running out into the woods during the day hours and spent much of her time exploring. There was a few times she'd fallen and hurt herself and went to Mello and L for help, but made them swear to tell no one. Ever her father's daughter, she mapped out what she explored with landmarks and took note of which plants grew where and where animals slept and gathered. She had already filled almost an entire journal with notes, maps, and other such things to keep everything correct in her mind.
Today, she started off moving the deepest she'd ever come into the woods. For days, she had been trying to figure out how to get to a specific plant that only grew on the sides of waterfalls. It grew on a long vine and it had lilac blossoms with almost soccer-ball sized black-purple berries. They were incredible and she wanted to reach them. And today was going to be that day. Even if she fell in the water.
\ ... /
These people fascinated Near. It frustrated everyone that no one understood them. The city was alive with rumors of them and what they wanted. The goddess was weak from the star falling and that these people would kill them if she remained silent for much longer.
And yet, Near had no fear. Since the incident where his brother pulled him away from the creatures, Near started to go alone. He snuck around at all hours, after making his brother promise to say nothing. All of them had nicknames, he watched them and found them independently worthy of being studied. One such creature appeared to be a female in their race, touched by the goddess. She had long hair that curled at the bottom and flowed through the breeze, twinkling like starlight. She was captivating and made the strangest sounds. Near watched her because she almost felt important.
Another was a tall man with dark hair and light eyes. Near had held this man's gaze and felt trapped in it. This was the beast he watched most often, and he assumed that the stunning ray of laughter - his nickname for the blonde female - was bound to him in some way, as indicated by their affection for each other. So, as a means to satisfy his curiosity, he watched the girl out on her exploration.
A sound came and another female came toward the edge of the waterfall, loudly calling, demanding the female return to the ground. This was odd to Near, as he had seen both these woman speak to the Commander, but had never seem them acknowledge one another.
- -
Aletta had gotten half way up the waterfall before she had gotten stuck and was too afraid to get down. She was on a ledge, slick with water and was shaking in the pink liquid. Tears in her eyes, she heard yelling and saw Wedy, demanding she come down at once.
"I can't!" She yelled. "I'm sorry... I..." She slipped and fell to her knees, crying out and clutching the side of the rock. "Please..."
A faint sound followed and from above the rocks, a servant creature, larger than any earth snake dropped from the canopy where the flowers and fruit cascaded from. Both eyeless and mouthless, the creature managed to hiss as it's wide body came closer and closer to the girl. Slowly, the under side came toward Aletta and opened in four pieces revealing what looked like six feet of identical teeth that raged through the opening within its body.
Knowing he could not let the creature eat her, a small rock hurled from the opposite side of the canopy. Then another melon sized fruit with deep orange spikes also went into the opening. The beast let out a ground shaking bellow and twisted, knocking Aletta from the cliff and into the water.
Something white followed after her and pulled her from the water, dragging her up onto the beach. Near's breathing was slightly labored, as the girl was heavy and lifeless. The woman was suddenly beside him, saying something he did not understand. He put his hand over Aletta's mouth and nose and the water suddenly came from it as if he could control it and pull it from her body. Then, he rolled her to her side and watched her breath.
After that, the elder female pointed a weapon toward him and motioned for him to follow. Soaking wet, he did as he was asked, wanting mostly to see what these people would do. He glanced to the flushed girl who continuously examined him.
One thing he noticed of these people was that they wore a lot. Much clothing covered them and he thought it strange.
All the same, they moved him into an area surrounded by metal and looked around. As he examined, more creatures came into the room. One, was a blonde male he watched closely, the commander, as he called the dark haired blue eyed male, and another dark haired male.
"This... This is incredible." L walked toward Near, curious. "He came willingly? Do you think he understands?"
"I doubt it." Mello stated.
As soon as Mello spoke, Near's interest peaked. That voice. He liked the way it sounded.
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Post by otakulady89 on Oct 10, 2016 20:14:50 GMT -5
A single black feather floated down, alighting on the eldest prince's left shoulder. Matt shivered at the touch of the strange object, knowing most birds had flown far, far away towards the northern reaches of the world, where the rains wouldn't soak their wings. He picked up the feather, twirling it between his fingers, and looked at the world around himt rhough it's black spires. The temple seemed shadowed and broken. The castle wreathed in dark light. The forest blinding and glowing. He shook his head, and gave the feather a helping hand into the air with a puff of breath.
His mind couldn't focus on the tasks at hand, namely the preparations for the Torrixta. He kept wondering if perhaps, this was an evil omen.
/.../
The worry had nearly eaten Gevanni alive. His sister missing for hours on end, his mother gone out to look for her, and he was stuck here mediating complaints. He was NOT meant to be a bureaucrat, and listening to one family complain about the size of another's tent while his own family was running around in that unknown jungle was just... Well, he wasn't sitting pretty.
"-less square footage than any other family! It isn't fair, especially when we have a little one, who, might I add, was sanctioned before this crash, on the way!" the young woman declared, petting the round fullness of her belly with one hand while pointing at Gevanni accusingly with another. Gevanni sighed, and turned the full force of his steel gaze on her.
"We all have to deal with what we have, Mrs. Mehndi. I can't spare any more fabric until we have everyone's home situation accounted for. Some people are without beds, and you're arguing over a tent." He reminded her, narrowing his eyes, "If you want to contribute something useful to the situation, then you can certainly join in on the basket weaving and cloth0making attempts over by the south wing. Thank you, and good. day." He'd gotten quite good at dismissive tones. He was about to call for the next person who was slotted to complain at him, only to find an uproar near the edge of the jungle.
He bounded to his feet, fear and worry making him imagine the worst. Aletta torn to ribbons, dragged back by his mother. Wedy torn to shreds, dragged back by a screaming, crying Aletta. Both on their deathbeds, dragging each other through the thick underbrush to safety. His heart hammered as he pushed his way through the crowd...
Only to see his mother and sister carting back... "The ghost." He breathed, an odd reverence in his tone. Two of them were soaking wet, and he swallowed back nervousness. "You found a native?" He demanded, falling back into the role of leader that circumstance had forced him into.
L's presence joined them, and suddenly there was a crowded circle around them, Gevanni, L, Mello and the two girls the only ones close enough to speak to the creature. The being was hauntingly beautiful, maybe... 5'1, and strangely slender. The musculature looked relatively the same, but it was the face that leant it that odd beauty. Large dark eyes, very reminiscent of L's own, stared out at all of them, curious and inquisitive. There wasn't an ounce of defensiveness in it's body language, but... Then again, alien planet, alien body language, peharps this WAS it's defensive language.
"If it can't understand us, we'll have to mime." Gevanni frowned, thinking back to all the diplomacy manuals that had been put out and circulated around the ship along with the odd bottle of gin. He decided to state the obvious, while casting his gaze out into the field. "...What if this is a trap? What if the others are watching us, and plan to murder us in our sleep..." They hadn't been violent so far, that didn't mean they wouldn't be later.
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