trans_9 | Podpop

Entry tags:

Podpop

[ooc: Newbie Helpers List | Instructions: Post your character with one post establishing them as being podpopped. Tag each other in groups of 2's, 3's, and 4's, to get some interaction to start with. If a thread doesn't already have 2 or 3 people tagged in, tag it with your character's podpop popping near the other people, rather than making a new subthread. If you would like to play out them talking to the AI, please send an email to the mods making the request--we do this only by request. Then move onto the big Newbie Meeting. Once your character has gotten the rundown from the old crew, you may start posting entrance posts and freely tagging.]

||Pod Release Protocols Initating|| Stacy's familiar voice sounds out to all the podmates through the ship.

In the Pod Caverns, there are the sounds of: Pop. Pop pop pop. Poppuhpoppoppop. KASCHUNKhiiiiiiiissssss.

There is condensation and mist spraying out from cracks in the pods, as the people inside slide out onto the floors, covered in slime.

--

There was nothing. You were going about your normal life, then there was a bright light, and then? Nothing.

Then the world lurches.

The chamber here is humid.

Actually, "chamber" isn't quite accurate. You're in a cavern, half-lit by an eerie greenish light, going on and on as far as the eye can see. The light is coming from what can only be described as pods, glistening, round greenish-yellow things, glowing with a pale inner light, outlining human -- and not quite human -- forms. Each is rooted to the floor, to the walls, with something black, twisted, and unidentifiable.

They line the walls of the cavern, go up in maddeningly high columns, curling and corkscrewing up into the darkness, until the light from them is like that of the stars, glowing pale and mournful in clusters in the darkness above. Twisted walkways and stairs crisscross, traverse the platforms in front of the pods, wending their way back and forth, up and down through the chamber.

You just came from one of those pods, broke free like a butterfly from a (slimy, nasty) chrysalis.

Now you stand alone but not quite alone, naked, not knowing how you got there, who took you, or why you were taken.

As your body heats up again, you realize the air is warm -- just a few degrees too warm to be comfortable -- and muggy; it smells acrid and organic, like freshly spilt blood and sweat. Your mouth tastes of salt.

The floors are pulsing under your feet, throbbing...

Wherever you are, this entire place...is alive.

Oh, and also you're naked and covered in alien snot.

When you call out, ask where you are, a voice speaks to you, in your head. She tells you:

||You are here.||

When you ask who she is, she tells you that her name is STA'C K'LTRRB'TXFT, but that you may call her Stacy. When she tells you who she is, there is a gush of emotion, love, maternal warmth. You are on a ship. She is that ship. Her name is Stacy and she loves you. Her voice is warm and motherly, even if these messages sound almost automated.

Glowing phosphorescent lights appear in pustules along the floor. They lead you up a massive spiraling walkway that gives you a view of what are possibly millions in stasis. At the top is a room with moving vines that clean you and clothe you in a plant-like body-suit--soft, but durable. After that, the lights lead you to a great cavernous room with a clear floor that lets you see all the holes and tunnels in the walls of it. When you reach the center, the last thing she tells you before whisking you away to gather your belongings and meet the rest of the crew is this reassuring thought:

||You have been Chosen to accomplish a Great Purpose. You have been Chosen to help fight the Ohm, a race of insectoid beings that are the destroyers of worlds.||

||You have been Chosen as champions of life, as protectors of the worlds and peoples that are left. The others are waiting for you. They will explain everything.||

She will tell you nothing more. Your answers lie with these "others" she speaks of.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

This is it...the end of my journey. Today I obtain the Final Aeon and save Spira...

Those were Yuna's last dreams before the blank in her memories began, echoes of thoughts surging to the surface again when sleep's hold broke. Time to spend her last few hours with her guardians, time to walk forward and be strong, no turning back...

...normally, she thought as sensation started to return, she did what she could to freshen up before bedtime. How had she fallen into this sludge in the hills above Zanarkand? And where were her clothes? Where was she?

She shot upright with a startled gasp, wrapping her arms tightly around herself. Her eyes scanned a vast cavern, large glowing pods all around her. What did they hold? Fiends? No, she turned back and thought, looking at the broken pod behind her. People.

It almost looked like a cavern in Guadosalam, she thought. All green vines and pulsating land. But how could she have been taken that far? And who else was with her?

This wouldn't do. Keeping one arm locked around herself for warmth, she put her fingers to her lips and tasted the same fluid that coated her body. Yuck. She crawled over to a place on the ground where the slime hadn't spread, wiped her fingers as best she could, and let out a ringing whistle.

If they ever got separated...he would come, right? And her friends wouldn't be far behind.

What a strange response. The Doctor glanced toward the shrill noise interrupting him from his inspection of the strange vessel he'd apparently been kept in, only to look away again with an embarrassed huff. Buck up, he berated himself silently. It wasn't as if any of them had intended to be here, it seemed, and certainly modesty was the least of anyone's worries at the moment.

Cautiously, he turned and approached, kneeling and holding out one hand palm-up to demonstrate no ill intent.

"Are you all right?" he asked cautiously, before wondering whether or not there was a translation field--he couldn't seem to get an empathic grip on the TARDIS. Well, hope for the best.

Her whistle was answered, but not by anyone she knew. Was he friend or foe? Yuna curled in on herself, studying his face (and only his face) with frightened eyes. At least they understood each other.

"I don't feel ill," she answered warily, a little curative magic coming from her hands just in case. If she'd contracted anything minor, that would take care of it. In this likely hostile situation, she'd need to be as strong as possible.

Anyone in charge of this abduction would likely not be naked and slime-coated as they were, she rationalized, slowly lowering her guard. "Did you awaken recently too?"

He couldn't help but notice the odd energy from her hands, raising his brows at it, but filed it away for later rather than gawking. Seemed rude, really, and she herself already seemed a bit shaken up as it was.

"I did," he confirmed, gesturing toward the nearby pod he'd been inspecting. "Sans a dear friend of mine, distressingly enough, unless she's trussed up in one of these as well. D'you remember at all how you got here? Any idea what you're doing here, or were you given that same telepathic automation?"

"My friends are missing as well," Yuna answered, quietly thinking a prayer for their safety. "I was whistling for one in particular...when we get separated, I whistle and he comes running. I guess that means he isn't here."

She tried not to look too saddened by that likely possibility. "I heard a message as well. My last memory is of falling asleep with my friends on a hilltop...after that, it's blank. Is it the same for you?"

The description brought a faint smile to him, and the edge of the curious explorer softened a bit. Much as running after them when they got into trouble tended to annoy him at the time, the memories of that sort of trust his friends had in him were warm.

"Your friend and I might be cut from the same cloth, if nothing else," he murmured. "Sounds rather like myself and Peri. Listen, I'm the Doctor. I've got no idea yet what we're doing here, but I'm here to help nonetheless. I'm... rather well versed in looking after my friends, as it happens. Perhaps yours is here, still in stasis?"

Yuna felt herself start to trust him. There was definite kindness in this man's heart. She tentatively bowed to him, finally climbing to her feet with the help of the remaining pod structure.

"I'm Yuna, a summoner," she answered, thinking as many had before that the Doctor was simply an occupation, not his true title. It was all right if he only wanted to be called that.

"I hope they're here," she whispered, gently touching the still inactive pod next to hers. "But we're expected up there, aren't we? Maybe we could...walk ahead together, Doctor. I don't know what's waiting for us."

"The honour's mine, Miss Yuna." He didn't return the bow, but it wasn't out of disrespect--rather, he nodded and flipped at the air with his hand in a gesture that clearly belonged in some other tradition. A small, vague shadow crossed his features as he glanced to the sealed pod: worry, likely, more than any measure of apprehension.

"If they are, I'm sure they'll be all right until you've found each other," he intoned. "We've been kept far too carefully to be considered a meal, or even basic pawns. Whatever our purpose is, we're valuable enough to warrant an introduction here." He fidgeted a bit at his sides, as if searching for pockets that weren't there.

"I'd like that," he continued, returning his attention to Yuna once more. "I'd still like to make sure nobody in here is injured. Perhaps you should get back to the T--" Wait. Bad habit, now. "Err, sorry. My--there's a ship, usually. Yes, perhaps we better had forge ahead, keep our eyes open. Might I ask what it was you did with your hands a moment ago?"

That made sense. The Doctor was so logical, like...like Lulu, she thought, hiding a smile as she envisioned her older 'sister' bustling about in here. Maybe it was good that she wasn't being fussed over by her guardians yet.

"You're probably right," she answered, determined to believe it. "We're probably not here to die."

It felt strange to say that, knowing that her pilgrimage was on hold. That she wouldn't die as planned. But she was here now, searching for answers and others in need of help. That was what she needed to focus on.

Yuna shook off the mention of a ship. This was a ship too, wasn't it? It didn't look like any machina she'd seen before, but stranger things had happened. All of this was strange, actually. She was lost in her thoughts about the strangeness for a few moments before turning back to the Doctor.

"Oh," she answered, cupping her hands in front of her. "That was a healing spell. If others are injured, I can help them too. So...yes, lets' find them," she started, stepping away from the pod and toward the pulsing lights on the ground.

"Going somewhere to die is awfully depressing, isn't it?" he countered with a grin. "I happen to find that whether or not you die is really your decision, not that of some ominous 'They' trundling you here and there."

His excitement at the prospect of being able to channel energy like that, while academic, was still all too visible in his expression. "Marvellous!" he exclaimed, snapping his fingers and turning toward the path alongside. "Your friends are quite lucky to have you; there's never a better use for channelling than to help. Off we go, then!"

Yuna's eyes bugged at his words, the memory of her situation suddenly rushing back. Going somewhere to...it was almost as if he knew her. Those words hit far too close to her heart. Rikku could have easily said the same thing to her on the long road to Zanarkand, or...

"I made my decision," she whispered quietly, not intended to be overheard, "but...it's on hold now, isn't it?"

Time to snap out of it, Yuna. You have so much to figure out, she scolded herself. There would be no dying, not in these circumstances. She nodded and walked alongside him down the pathway, the faint smile returning. "It's always made me happiest to help. I think we might need more of it soon, if this situation is as ominous as it seems."

She'd said something, he knew, but her words were masked by the pop and hiss of another pod nearby. His downward look to her was concerned; he was well familiar with that expression--he'd seen Nyssa wear it more often than not, when something would remind her of Traken.

He held his tongue rather than asking her to repeat, however, having learned when it was wise to let it be, if nothing else, over his travels with friends. It was beginning to hit home to him that not every story behind those accompanying him here was an idyllic one.

"The circumstances do seem foreboding, don't they?" he mused, his gaze wandering up the pathway. "And yet the only urgency is in the message given by the ship, who in and of herself is benign. There are no guards here, no sustained procedure, aside from the guiding environment itself. Time doesn't flow here as it's meant to, but it isn't completely hindered, either. Very strange..."

"Then...it might not be as terrible as we think it is."

His first words were comforting, almost, but what was that fixation at the end? Time...? That sounded like such an unusual thing to fixate on. "You feel the passage of time?"

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a-bit-put-upon.livejournal.com - 2011-04-02 04:06 (UTC) - Expand

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leapoffayth.livejournal.com - 2011-04-02 14:30 (UTC) - Expand

Snow was more the one to act moreso than the one to think, so hearing a whistle, he turned his attention from what he was doing (which would be banging on a pod and yelling a lot). Somebody trying to call out, and narrow his eyes in the darkness, it looked like it was as female--

Serah. Maybe it's Serah!

He rushed toward Yuna, eyes wide and expression a mix of confused, surprised and hopeful. "Serah?!" he called out.

And then deflated some when he realized it wasn't her. But now that he'd gotten her attention ... erk-- he quickly moved behind the door to her nearby, open pod to hide himself. And looked pointedly over in a direction that was not toward her. "Sorry," he said quickly. "I thought you might-- have been someone else."

Yuna's heart lifted---footsteps were running toward her this time. Was that him? Maybe his pod had opened later... She turned on her heel, arms wrapped around herself to cover. She saw blond hair and hoped for a moment, but it wasn't him.

"I thought you might've been someone else too," Yuna admitted, desperately trying to hide herself. "But it seems that we're both lost and looking for someone. Should we move ahead and look together?"

"I'm not sure who you're looking for, but so far I haven't had any luck and I've been up and down these halls already."

He pointed across the hall to the wall opposite of where they stood, to pods still unopened. "If they're in there, we have to get them out. How many people are you looking for?"

He figured while he was opening pods (since, in Snow's mind he still thought he was going to actually succeed) he could help out anybody else looking for friends and loved ones in the process. Hero's duty, after all.

That didn't sound promising. Yuna sighed, doing what she could to squeeze the slime out of her hair while still retaining some semblance of modesty. It required a lot of contortions.

"I'd like to find everyone I know, but...my guardians are most important. I have six. But...how are we opening them?"

Snow turned away from the opened pod door and stepped up to the shut one next to it. Shifting his stance, he curled the fingers of his right hand into a fist.

"Like this!" he emphasized as he swung it toward the corner of the door in hopes hitting it near where they seemed to unlock would do the trick. He hit it hard, but aside from a loud clang, nothing seemed to happen. He shook the fist he had just hit it with-- it was a little more difficult to hit things at full power without his gloves.

But one failed punch was never enough to make Snow give up. So he hit it again. And again. And again.

Yuna shuffled back, watching him attack again and again. She'd never seen such powerful fists before, but it soon became clear that it wasn't enough and that he was hurting himself. She stepped forward, extending a calming hand to him.

"We might need something stronger than that," Yuna whispered gently, waving her hand and casting a small curative spell on his hand. "Maybe...if I still have my fayth, they can help us. Should I give it a try?"

The pod next to theirs was likely to contain friends, right? She had to set them free. If the fayth were still with her in this strange place, they would help. She was sure of it.

"Fayth? What's a Fayth?"

The cure spell threw him off just a bit. But little did Snow know, since, he's Snow and he's too preoccupied with finding Serah and the rest of them to notice the dulled out mark on his left arm. He looked at the pod he had just tried to get open, and figured anything was worth a try, even if he didn't know what Yuna was talking about.

"They're spirits of people who gave their lives to eternal slumber, lending the power of their dreaming to the summoners. With their strength, we fight to stop the senseless destruction."

Yuna swallowed her doubts and smiled, stepping into a clearing on the walkway to prevent the energy from hitting Snow. This cavern seemed big enough, thankfully. She kept her hands clasped to her chest and prayed, her thoughts calling out to any fayth who could spare to send down an aeon.

Finally, a connection---her first and favorite aeon, Valefor. As they connected, a glowing glyph appeared under her feet, its tendrils of light extending to the sky to light up the way. Sure enough, the great bird came flying down to them, its eyes only for Yuna.

When the bird touched ground in front of them, she stepped forward to hug her neck lovingly. "You're still here...I was hoping you would be. I just have to ask for your help one more time," she whispered, seemingly oblivious to Snow's presence for that moment.

Snow blinked slowly, eyes going wide from the moment the glyph appeared on the ground. And if that alone wasn't strangely familiar, for a moment when he saw the winged creature approach in the darkness of the caverns, he thought of Fang and Bahamut. But ... once it landed, he got a better look at it.

"An Eidolon...?" he asked, loud enough to hear though he asked the question more to himself. That's what this certainly looked like to him. Did that mean Yuna was a l'Cie? She had used terms unknown to Snow, but the similarities caught him immediately. Maybe she was from a distant land, far away from Cocoon and the area of Pulse he had wandered.

"An aeon," Yuna introduced when she registered Snow's voice, stepping back from the embrace of Valefor's wings. "Her name is Valefor, and...mine is Yuna. I should have mentioned that before," she added with an embarrassed laugh.

"You've seen something like this before?"

"Yeah ... a lot like that. Are you a l'Cie?" He figured he'd ask the question straight out. Not that the existence of l'Cie really jolted any huge reaction in him after all he'd been through. But he was curious all the same. Curious more about this 'aeon'. She summoned it to help them try to free people, did it have powers like the Eidolons did, too?

"--I'm Snow, too. Snow Villiers." he added as an aside to the question.

"l'Cie? I've never heard that word before. I'm a summoner," Yuna explained, still petting her aeon fondly. "We pray at temples across the land to bond with each fayth. Valefor was the first aeon I ever obtained."

Valefor looked quite pleased with herself. She gave Yuna a comforting look and flapped her great wings, studying the target.

"She's going to try to open the pod for us. Stand back."