TRAVEL LOG #2

[synfluxmods]

TRAVEL LOG #2

CONTENT WARNINGS: natural disaster, acid rain, vehicle crash.

▶ 001. WINGING IT.

In the early morning hours of the 1st, Outsiders will receive a rude awakening blaring through their implants. No matter what they do, the alarm will not stop sounding until they are forced to get up. A message will flash through their vision:

ALL OUTSIDERS ARE TO REPORT TO THE HANGAR IMMEDIATELY FOR DEPARTURE

Get up, get dressed in your plugsuit, and it’s time to go! Once they report at the hangar, they will be met with a huge spacecraft, large enough to fit at least 80 people. This will be their mode of transport to their next location.

"My Angels of Lilith. You are needed once again. We have received distress signals from the neighbouring country of South Korea. Unfortunately, since we have not established data portals in that country, we require you to embark via air. Your aircraft is ready for you and your seats have been assigned. I bid you a safe journey."

True enough, there are more than enough seats on the LILITH SKY CRUISER to accommodate every Outsider, and to get everyone organized quickly for departure, all Outsiders will receive a seat number. Like any plane, seats are rather cramped and there isn’t much leg room. Once the seatbelt sign is off, Outsiders are free to stand up and move around the cruiser, but they might have to climb over other people or make the whole row stand up to give them room. The aircraft is serviced by robotic stewards serving light snacks of nuts and crackers, and coconut crab kimbap and seaweed soup at meal time. Any characters who use a cloaking device will be instructed to use it during the flight to accommodate the aircraft. Also, any characters who rely on a weapon or anything else (such as a Gundam), it will be loaded onto the cargo of the aircraft.

The flight will take about 2-3 hours. Outsiders may take a nap, chat or try the inflight entertainment available. This inflight entertainment is delivered through a virtual reality headset. Outsiders may pick a selection of AI movies of questionable quality, along with several virtual reality games. There are single player or multiplayer options available for every game.

Available games include:

• The Sims 30: One player gets to become the ‘god’ of a world and build houses or dictate the lives of other players and NPCs within the game as they see fit.
  
• Farm Crossing: A farming simulator game where players get to build and manage their own farms. Harvest your crops and tend to your animals! Impress the friendly villagers in the town with your beautiful ranch!
  
• Tales of Heroes: A fantasy game where players are reborn into a world of monsters and magic and have to level up by fighting monsters and slaying demons.
  
• And many more … (Feel free to design your own VR games.)

Eventually, the sky cruiser will touch down on Incheon Airport. There’s no need to be stuck waiting in line at immigration... it appears as if the Incheon Airport has not been used in decades and seems completely abandoned with the exception of the Outsiders. The old scanning machines and luggage belts are simply collecting dust. Outsiders will be ushered immediately to the nearest train station, where they will continue their journey by train.

▶ 002. WELCOME TO SEOUL.

Once descended from the train ride, they will have arrived in the city of Seoul, South Korea. Similar to Neo Tokyo, a lot of the people on the outskirts moved to this area in order to receive shelter and the benefits of being amongst civilization, rather than fending for themselves. As such, there is a certain hustle and bustle, but considering the state of their dilapidated airports and most of the other cities falling to ruin, there definitely is a more somber vibe to the city. Despite that, the residents carry on and there is no shortage of shopping, food stalls (mostly with foods that are not easy to perish), cafes, pojangmacha to have a late night food or drink at, and many more smaller businesses. The people are resilient and have every single desire to continue making a living. As such the prices here are competitive and Outsiders will find if they look hard enough, there are some fairly good deals to be made. Currency exchange is no issue, as KRYPTOS is the universal currency.

Since a lot of efforts were made to keep Seoul intact, there are still some important sights that were kept up and can be visited if desired. While LILITH urges people to keep their eyes peeled out for any clues to the next kaiju’s whereabouts, Seok Dang may or may not have sent each Outsider a map of the best sightseeing amongst many other not-so-innocent suggestions. He calls it the difference of experiences and “doesn’t want anyone missing out!” If people check back on the message a day later, they will find it was almost as if it didn’t exist at all. On the list, however, includes sights like the Gyeongbokgung Palace, COEX mall and aquarium, Seoul Sky, and many others. However, some of them may or may not exist anymore. How long was he out of the country for? For an extra “freebie” he throws in, Outsiders will find an odd message on their style upgrade saying there is a new outfit available, when opened, it will download a hanbok that they can wear at any time.

"Well, well. Unfortunately, whatever fun could have been planned will need to be halted just a mere two and a half days to get settled. Once again, a message will be produced on everyone’s oculars suggesting an emergency is on the horizon. Guess we better get to that instead of showing you my home country!"

And Seok Dang wonders why he is the Commander's least favorite.

Beep! An alert pops up on the Outsiders' ocular devices. According to the information LILITH just received, there is not just one large kaiju occupying this region, but two. In order to chase both of these leads, Outsiders are split into two groups in order to chase these two kaiju. They have described these kaiju as being very agile and fast, but resembling a serpent from the few sightings that have been spotted. As for the rift that it originated from, there is no sign of a rift in South Korea. Did it migrate here from somewhere else? More details will pour into the Outsider's devices as soon as possible, but for now, Outsiders are called to pursue the hunt.

▶ 003. TEAM SEOUL.
_{EVERLIGHT & REDEMPTION}

Within the next hour, rain will begin to fall upon the city, but this is far from the average summer shower. The precipitation doesn’t seem weather-related as much as it does seem to be a proponent of the kaiju’s abilities. They find this when studying the rain itself, which is acidic to the touch. While the buildings and other structures will remain sound, the people will need to evacuate quickly in order to avoid any lingering effects to the skin. Skin contact with the acid rain will cause both minor and severe burning, depending on how quickly it is rinsed off with normal water. At the first discovery of the acid rain's danger, Outsiders will be commanded to press a button on their plugsuit on the left shoulder, activating an invisible helmet to keep their heads and faces safe.

The Outsiders’ plug suits prevent them from receiving any damages from the rain, but that’s certainly not the case for everyone else. The first team, made up of the members of Everlight and Redemption are to prioritize the initial evacuation of the people, especially those who live slightly outside of the city limits of Seoul. They are the most vulnerable during crises like these and will need to be pulled from their homes, and those who live in the basement shelters will need to be pulled to one higher ground in case of potential flooding with the acid rain. Individuals who have skills in healing will also be called forth in order to tend to the injuries of those who are saved.

Between evacuation, there will also be tidbits of information provided to those on the team that remains in Seoul to check out specific locations in order to figure out more about this kaiju. The first location listed is Gyeongbokgung Palace. Outsiders that remain in Seoul will be utilizing that as their base. They are set to look at any remains the kaiju may have left behind. Any findings are commanded to be surrendered to LILITH. Emergency response of South Korea will use this palace as a safe haven, providing cots for sleeping overnight and other emergency supplies.

▶ 004. TEAM BUSAN.
_{BRIMSTONE & REVELATION}

The second team will depart via train on a journey to the city of Busan. The journey is expected to take 2 hours, and while there are comfortable seats available on the train, any luxuries beyond that are minimal. At least LILITH has brought along a few VR headsets for whoever wants to kill time with games or bad movies? Anyone can sit where they'd like for this ride.

An hour into the trip, a loud crash is suddenly heard, with the entire train rocking and falling to its side. This causes a complete blackout throughout the train and it stops functioning completely, leaving Outsiders stranded within the pitch black tunnel. The train system is completely inoperable in this condition. Outsiders will need to make their own journey to the city, following the rails by foot and helping any Outsiders who happened to be injured in the crash. It’ll be dark within the tunnel, but light will soon emerge once they exit it, and they will find themselves at the foot of Mount Geumjeong.

From then on, they’ll need to put their trekking skills to the test and cross the mountainous, forested region, where they will encounter various local fauna such as snakes, deer and black bears. They will also spot many destroyed villages and temples on their way to Busan. However, evidence of the Kaiju can be found in both the subway tunnel and throughout the mountain trek, suggesting that the kaiju has moved through here. This encourages LILITH to keep Outsiders in this area. The Outsiders will need to make a campsite in one of the destroyed villages, though emergency response will also pay them a visit several days later with sleeping cots and emergency supplies. In the meantime, hopefully they brought enough food with them or know how to forage and hunt for food in the wilderness. Some of those berries out there are poisonous....

The team here will be encouraged to explore the area to find further traces of the kaiju and help any villagers who are still alive.

▶ 005. STATUS REPORT.

Promptly, at the same time, all Outsiders will receive a text message and be put in an encrypted chat-room: OPERATION: RED/BLUE
CODENAME:
LOCATION:
STATUS:
FINDINGS:
Outsiders are instructed to fill out this information and send it into the chat to communicate with one another.

▶ 006. AFTERWORD.

Welcome to our second travel log!

Characters do have ASSIGNED SEATS for the duration of their flight to Incheon airport, though there are just enough empty seats that some characters can move around if they really don't like their seat buddies. Teams BRIMSTONE and REVELATION will be traveling to Busan, while teams EVERLIGHT and REDEMPTION will be staying in Seoul.

RNG below to discover what your character will find in both Seoul and Busan respectively. For the STATUS REPORT Prompt, treat it as an open chat room for all Outsiders and respond to the HEADER COMMENT. Feel free to threadjack and discuss among yourselves. You may also include this as a text prompt in your top level if you would like for people just to reply to you instead of using the header comment.

All tags on this log are worth 2 points and will count towards August AC.

EVENT BREAKDOWN/RECAP (CLICK TO EXPAND)

1. WINGING IT: Characters are told to head to the hangar for DISPATCH to SOUTH KOREA where reports of a kaiju have been seen. Characters sit in their assigned seats for a short air travel ride.

2. WELCOME TO SEOUL: We arrive in Seoul and are given orders to split into two teams: Everlight & Redemption in Seoul, Brimstone & Revelation in Busan. Seok Dang has tried to sneak in some sight seeing in between mission briefs, but it looks like there won't be much time for that, as two kaiju have been found in South Korea.

3. TEAM SEOUL: Everlight & Redemption deal with acid rain in Seoul, ushering civilians to refuge, tending to acidic burns and using Gyeongbokgung Palace as a makeshift base. Investigation hints at the kaiju being somewhere in this area as Outsiders find claws, teeth, droppings and other things that belong to a dragon-like creature.

4. TEAM BUSAN: Brimstone & Revelation board a train to Busan which has an outage, trapping them to travel along the tunnel in the dark. They arrive at the end of the tunnel at the foot of Mount Geumjeong and create a makeshift base in the village there. Investigation hints at the kaiju being somewhere in this area as Outsiders find claws, teeth, droppings and other things that belong to a dragon-like creature.

5. STATUS REPORT: Outsiders are encouraged to share their findings and speculations on the kaiju in an encrypted chat room.

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Comments

[siffriend]

[ Siffrin flinches his hands away when Callisto's brushes against them, but it doesn't seem to be out of pain or anything of the sort -- just an involuntary reaction. Not even their tone changes as they peel their gloves off and show nothing within. ]

Is the offense so great you'd ask more? You didn't give me a time. One more.

[ ...

But there's an odd noise when Siffrin taps the tip of his shoe on the ground, perhaps as a hint. ]

[uncourteous]

[ the reaction is... a bit fascinating. he doesn't take it so much as a rejection (for once), versus him simply finding the reaction a bit interesting. was he simply unaccustomed to touch? whatever the case, he does seem disappointed not to find anything. ]

You have become quite vocal, Sir Siffrin. [ but, he doesn't seem bothered by it in the slightest. instead, his eyes seem to narrow a bit at the noise. it seemed like such an obvious trap, and yet, he turns his gaze towards the ground and their feet.

are you giving me a feet thread. was this the setup the whole time? either way, he points towards siffrin's shoes. ]

I suppose I have no reason not to take the bait.

[siffriend]

[ you fucking wish bijou ]

You wouldn't have found it anyway.

[ With a shake of his head to the side, coin falling into the palm of his hand as if it had been there the whole time. Siffrin lifts it between his index and middle, smile curling a little higher, before putting his hat back on and rolling the gloves back into place too. ]

Was it a souvenir?

[ Callisto's fee, they mean. ]

[uncourteous]

[ damn... ]

This feels much like robbery.

[ he says when he hasn't actually lost a single thing here. ]

It appears like you are not only a thief, but a reader of minds.

[ both are crimes...

like the crime for not letting him win. ]

[siffriend]

[ Heheh. Siffrin shakes their head, but there's still a small smile on their face. ]

... You treated me last time. I have... some money from my job, so... I can buy you something, this time.

[ To make up for the crimes... ]

[uncourteous]

[ siffrin enabling him...

in spite of the way he was so bold when suggesting it, he doesn't quite expect siffrin to relent. hence, for once he's a bit speechless. at least for a second longer than he would have normally. ]

My tastes are rather extravagant... [ yet, something about his expression seems to suggest he would really accept anything. though, it does beg the question of— ] Your job? Here, I thought your primary duty was accompanying me.

[siffriend]

[ Of course his tastes would be like that... he's a royal. But he'll deal with whatever Siffrin decides, though it seems that Callisto is more simple than he might let on...? ]

I'd call that a hobby. [ It doesn't pay, and they have no allegiance to Callisto. ] Um, I work at... a cat cafe. It's relaxing.

[uncourteous]

[ a hobby. a word he never expected directed towards hanging around in his presence. is it bold, or simply unfounded? maybe both. but, he doesn't hate it. what a concept... people around him for no real reason or hidden motivation. ]

... You really do enjoy animals. I will keep that in mind for the future.

[ okay, but what does that mean and why does it sound ominous coming from him. ]

I had a brief experience with working here. [ he was fired... ]

[siffriend]

[ ........

Maybe... Callisto will just give them stuffed animals...... Fake ones..... ]

It's difficult, huh?

[ Waiters are supposed to be social... Siffrin is not that social... In any case, please, they will start to walk ahead. Aquarium time..!! ]

[uncourteous]

[ ...

it's better to think that, yeah. moving the topic of jobs far behind them now (especially, since callisto doesn't especially want to admit if customer service is hard or not), the process of entering the aquarium is rather quick. as soon as they walk in they begin with the tinier tanks of fishes. all lit up, perhaps making better use of the space, for whatever sea life they did lack. surprisingly, there are also areas to stick your hand in the water and feel the various sea life.

including sea cucumbers, sea urchins, starfish, and even those little fish who eat your dead skin off... ]

Do you not enjoy caressing creatures as a past time? [ here is your moment... ]

[siffriend]

[ They look so strange........

......

Taking off a glove... Gently petting the sea urchin....... There's anenomes too, and Siffrin touches one of the waving tentacles, jumping a little when it latches onto him.

...

!!! ]

It's like we're holding hands.

[ Cute...

The keeper helpfully keeps them abreast of all the fun information too, like how anenomes would latch onto small fish and use their arms to pull the fish to the center to eat. Ooh.

Sea cucumbers feel like an odd velvet firmness, by the way. If you've never touched them before. 10/10 experience. ]

[uncourteous]

[ they really are so peculiar??

which is why despite siffrin being the one to dip their hands in, he seems to watch with a genuine sense of interest. the little tendrils reaching out of the anemone are so fine that they're like tiny threads. he almost has his doubts when he hears that they could devour smaller fishes. ]

Your fingers are rather small, Sir Siffrin, I would be careful not to get them eaten up by these creatures. [ not the keeper telling him that isn't possible in such a tired way. on the bright side, he's not bringing up hunting them? an improvement. ]

Which of the lot did you find best? [ is it really the sea cucumber...

he remembers grilling those up in okinawa. ]

[siffriend]

[ An improvement!!!

But these things don't look fun to hunt anyway, so. Maybe that's why. Siffrin pokes gently at a starfish too, then tugs off his other glove with his teeth to better wash his hands as you're supposed to after touching sea creatures...

... Hold on they can't answer right off the bat-- okay. ]

I like them all, but the sea cucumber was more different than I thought it'd be... It wasn't as soft, and also softer than I imagined. If I had to take one home, it'd probably be that or the urchin.

[ Easy to take care of, maybe. Back to being gloved up, those little fingers are only out for public viewing for so long now. ]

You should touch them, too. That way I know what to buy you.

[uncourteous]

[ he seems to hum a noise of consideration at that. ] I am surprised to hear that. Apparently, they can expel their insides outwards. [ does he know if this is temporary or if they've truly just went splat— no, he doesn't.

he says this as if it were just funny little trivia. in a way, it kind of is? ] Rather than those, do you not find those creatures more entertaining? [ he points at a tank of tiny little eels that prop themselves out of the sand. ] They seem resilient.

[siffriend]

[ Oh...

... Another look at the sea cucumbers. Amazing. And then to the little eels. Siffrin watches them wave in the tank, body mimicking the sway almost naturally. ]

They're cute.

[ And... banded brightly. One like clouds on a clear afternoon, the other like Callisto's hair as far as shades went. ]

But they look easily to catch... Like worms.

[uncourteous]

[ it's fascinating to him how siffrin often uses that word to refer to these creatures. "cute." he isn't sure of the last time he thought something like that. no, perhaps, he does have an inkling of when. not that he chooses to think on it for long. instead focusing on the way the eels sink down, only to wriggle their ways out again, standing up stiffly. ]

You say that like it's a negative. Do you prefer your prey to be the type that slips right out from between your fingers? I never realized you were the sort who took thrill in the chase.

[ said in the way of him seeing siffrin in a new light... ]

[siffriend]

[ Siffrin mimics them too, sinking to the ground and then wiggling up again. Ooooh. How do their bodies fit... in the sand... Do they curve...? ]

... No, not really. You seem like you do, though.

[ Mr. Hunt........ Deciding that Siffrin gets to ask this now for sake of time, ]

Is that why you're interested in Gebura?

1/2

[uncourteous]

[ this callout...

but, what surprises him more than siffrin's initial assessment of him is his second question. mr. hunt himself almost stiffens at those words. his body suddenly still, as his eyebrow raises slightly. ] ... Interested? [ "me?" or so he seems to be asking. ]

[uncourteous]

[ it would be a complete and utter lie to say that she didn't cross his mind sometimes. moreover, there was something about the scowl she wears... and it's here he almost laughs remembering. ] I am surprised the lady's name would come out at a time like this. [ when they're just looking at little eels??? ]

I merely find the look she gives me to be fascinating.

[siffriend]

... I meant to ask before, but forgot. Talking about chasing people... reminded me, is all.

[ Gouging eyes... Moving onto the (looks at hand) seahorse tank. Wow. They are like, ribbed little guys.

(If you blew air into them, would they roll out...?) ]

What kind of look is it?

[uncourteous]

[ time for them to read seahorse mpreg lore...

thankfully, there shouldn't be any adjacent topic to that. still, callisto seems to give a slight tilt of his head at the tank, clearly finding them... mostly odd. he tears his eyes from the tank as he eventually addresses siffrin's question. ]

... As if she were swallowing a particularly bitter medicine. [ or "as if she were looking at dogshit" is on the tip of his tongue, but he just barely holds back. he supposes he still had some propriety to show for. (he doesn't) ]

[siffriend]

... She only does that when I make a pun.

[ Heheh. Siffrin watches as one seahorse lets go of its chosen coral piece and floats along, hooking onto one next to another seahorse. Friends... or more? He tilts his head, then turns the inquisitive look up at Callisto. ]

Wouldn't you... prefer to see her smile? Or, at least... not that? [ ... ] It'd be nice if... the people I liked the company of, could get along.

[uncourteous]

[ the idea that him just being around her as being equivalent to a pun ... he isn't sure how to feel about that. but, that does make him wonder if the medicine example wasn't nearly extreme enough. food for thought.

this seems to simmer down by siffrin's next inquiry. he places a gloved finger against the glass, watching as the creatures amble on over curiously. his eyes though also drifting to the various, seemingly fluorescent jellyfish in the neighboring tanks. ]

Seeing her smile? [ ... ] I never thought about it. But, maybe it would be quite pretty. [ he says this absently, as if caught up in his own thoughts, before he walks on over to the other tanks. except he stops mid-step...

"people i liked"? ... it's a weird feeling. ] I didn't realize you were so fond of me, Sir Siffrin. [ there's something maybe a touch more casual in how he speaks to him. as if there was something slightly more relaxed about him. at least in this moment. ]

[siffriend]

[ ... Pretty? Siffrin tilts his head at the thought, recognizing more the shades of the aforementioned woman being pretty than an unusual sight. But it had been nice to see the small, very slight one when they'd spoken about what they could both see. Color, shade.




(What colors are any of these fish, anyway. You don't want to ask. Some of them... are the same shade as Callisto's eyes, and others like the penguins. Some like the insides of flowers. Actually, a lot of them have flower shades. You keep this in mind.)

The difference in Callisto's speech turns Siffrin's attention from the jellyfish they pass back to his taller companion, and speaking plainly is back on the menu. ]

I wouldn't accept your invitations if I wasn't. ...Not that I have a lot going on in my life right now, but... I like to nap when I can, so...

[ ... So... choosing to spend that time with someone else, means something... Callisto is the only person who has teased this, and therefore is the only person so far who's gotten that straight answer. ]

[uncourteous]

[ it's a strange concept to be amongst those who genuinely wanted to spend time with him. forgoing titles, hidden motivations, and/or any other ulterior motives... it's a difficult idea to accept at times, and even now he can't deny the way in which he still instinctively looks for an invisible knife that could be aiming for his neck. yet, why did he feel so relaxed in this moment? was he actually capable of being touched after so many years of honing bitter sentiments and hate?

callisto isn't sure, but he'd rather swallow down any foreign hint of emotion, and so he does. ]

I see. I suppose even you like to spend your days leisurely. Should I consider this both an honor and blessing then? [ there's nothing punitive about his tone, nor is he judging how he'd like to spend his time. instead, he continues umprompted. ]

Well, considering your nature, I am sure you have no end of invitations asking for your presence. [ his own version of a compliment. ... and maybe it's also his way of agreeing to the idea that being in siffrin's proximity didn't feel ... bad. ]