The crew that returned from Hendersus Villae following their rescue mission was not the same crew that had been sent there in the first place.

Well, they were. They just wouldn't look like they were for a few more hours.

Goliath, Kang, Rainbow Dash, and Crematia were all still stuck as humans, and the reassurance they'd gotten from Zarom Ghartha that their transformation would expire in roughly one day's time was surely enough to allay some of their lingering discomfort with finding themselves still in the wrong bodies, but unfortunately, no amount of reassurance could completely relieve their situation of awkwardness.

Awkward or not, though, they all needed rest and medical attention, so there was no hiding out while the curse wore off. Not unless they wanted to spend the next 12 hours still hungry, tired, and injured to various degrees.

[ooc: setting up subthreads for individual character reactions is a-go!]

By now Kang had gotten a chance to make a comm post letting the newbies know about the Drunken Dragon Tavern, and Nima was preparing for a rush. She moved athletically around the bar, refilling drinks and recovering used mugs without jostling an elbow or spilling a drop. A barmaid well-schooled in a martial art with a heavy emphasis on dodging and weaving was worth her weight in unspilled beer.

With all her current tables attended to, she stopped by the door to be sociable as new people came in.

[OOC: If your character wants to speak to Kang, just make a note of it in your tag.]

Harry was gone. He’d been repodded not long after their last conversation. That hadn’t gone well. After hearing the truth behind his brother’s death, Sirius had put as much space between him and everyone else as possible. If he’d known that would be the last time he would see Harry…

Harry was still alive but his absence stung. Sirius had no reason to pretend he was all right anymore. He’d put on a brave face for his godson, told himself he had to be strong for him. Now that he was gone what did it matter?

After sulking isolating himself for days there was only one logical way to deal with his grief. Drink as much as humanly possible and then drink some more. And if he could find other drugs on this planet that was all the better.

It didn’t take him long to find a bar. Most of the drinks were designed for humans (although there were a fair number for the Kanil and Helians, as well as other races that frequently visited) but Sirius recognized none of them. And as far as he could tell, they all tasted awful. It seemed some tastes didn’t translate across worlds. He didn’t care.

When Orc woke up it took him five minutes before he had his first thought.

Dry.

His craggy lips felt entirely too dry. In fact his mouth, throat, his skin felt like he'd been sand blasted and thrown into the desert. The only moisture that he was aware of came when he slowly rose from the table to find a string of drool coming off his lower lip to a puddle on the table. Half of it was on his cheek, but he couldn't feel that.

His head began to pound as another powerful hangover settled in. How long had he been in this bar? He'd lost track of time.

That was fine, it was all fine. There was more beer here. He could wash away the pain in his head and subsequent painful thoughts. All he had to do was get himself out of the booth and over to the bar.

...

That might take more effort. He couldn't seem to will his heavy body to do more then sit up just yet. Days spent in a drunken stupor had caught up with him and were spinning his stomach like a blender full of misery and yuk.

||Attention, Attention. All personnel please report to the Observation Deck. Attention, Attention. All personnel please report to the Observation Deck. Attention, Attention, all personnel...||

Stacy's voiced called the entire crew, until all of them were gathered at the Obs Deck. Then, a dossier appeared on the screens, along with the image of a rotating planet.

Planet Designation: Pelau
Status: Terrestrial, H-class.
Non-sentient life: Moderate flora and fauna.
Semi-Sentient Life: Yes.
Sentient Life: Yes
Water: 75% of the planet's surface.

Climate: Climate varies by region.
Landscape: Landscape at the North Pole varies. Within the biodomes, significant development. Outside the domes remains mostly pristine.
Air: Normoxic concentration: 29% oxygen, 60% nitrogen, 3% xenon, 6% trace gases, such as hydrogen, krypton, and argon.

Air Pressure: 14.352 pounds per square inch.
Sky: Blue/violet with white clouds.
Sun: A class D4K, yellow star.

Warnings: Be careful of frostbite outside the biodomes.

Mission: None. Shore leave is now initiated.

[Here's a handy map of the North Biodome where the crew is being dropped]


( Read more... )

Anyone who happened into a particular area of Hydroponics would be treated to a most peculiar site.

Well, not peculiar to most people, but anyone who knew Azula would know that tending to a heard of glowsloths would be one of the LAST things she'd do willingly. Animals were for serving, eating, and working. She had never even taken care of her own pets...unless you counted Ty Lee.

But with an utterly serene smile on her face tending to the brightly colored pack, brushing at their fur, feeding and watering them, treating them with all the kindness and tenderness that she wouldn't even show another human being.

And that was of coarse, because Azula wasn't the one doing it. While she sulked quietly in the back of her head she allowed Nima to tend to her creatures if only to keep her from nagging Azula all day long.

After discovering Aang was no where to be found, and that they weren't the only two with this sort of problem there wasn't much else to do. Azula's normal day of wandering aimlessly and fighting off the voices in her head was not as appealing as letting Nima go about her business.

One less voice to ignore.

But even Azula was reaching her limit of tolerance for kindness to such dumb creatures. She was forced to endure not only the actions, but feeling Nima's feelings for the glowsloths.

Following you awakening and talking with a few of the members through the communication systems by way of the three kind people who had awakened her, Nezaitben realized how the crew was stuck in a terrible mess.

So many of them felt sad and depressed. Considering the entire ship, it wasn't too hard to see why. The next day, there had been an unusual amount of magical flowers spreading all over the ship. Nothing that damaged the controls (she might be naive in the way humanoids were, but Nezaitben was no fool either) but they were found in the most unexpected of places. Her own awakening area was now blooming in a flower paradise, the wooden palace standing proudly on top, the smell and pink cherry blossom strong enough to carry through most of the central city area where most people resided.

Yet the ship was still sad.

This would not do.

That night, or what passed as a night for in the ship, Nezaitben took to the 'sky', letting pieces of her own essence fall on top of the sleeping populace, or those that were not sleeping finding themselves feeling the need too. Enveloping the ship into a peaceful slumber, she searched their dreams. The powers granted to her by the pantheon of gods in her homeworld allowed Nezaitben to weave a series of dreamcatchers giving her the ability to see those whose hearts connected true.

These noble souls would do. Lead by example had always been her philosophy. She would give them a great gift - communication with each other in a single body, allowing them to share everything together. Their two soulcatchers were woven together that night into a single, grand ones, hanging in the garden's trees.

A few minutes later, the empty husks of the bodies that weren't being used showed up at her palace. With a smile, she welcomed them like her own children and began to dress them for their task.

That morning, some of the crewmen would wake up to a strange surprise...and that would just be the beginning of a long, strange misunderstanding and young gods trying too much to please everyone.

[OOC - Just a few rules. Keep in mind the listed rules. You can all start your own threads of waking up in the bodies of others. If you feel like leaving a 2nd post for other people to intact with them, start a reply to your own first post with OPEN header. That way everyone else will know where to post and if you don't feel like having an open interaction post right away, you won't have to!

There will also be another post for all the soulless characters to go around spreading joy and love, so look forward to that too!]

Not all parts of the city had been explored, that much was true. On to a far corner of the northern side, what was once a beautiful garden was now pieces of cracked paintings and petrified wood. Whatever temperature happened here, the rain seemed to turn to snow once it entered the area, and judging from the amount, the place had not been perturbed for quite a while.

Nestled in the center, a figure stood there, looking like a giant frozen statue in mid-walk. The clothing seemed to be of Japanese-like origin, a bright pink kimono with floral patterns, which was hard to spot in the cold weather.

No one had ventured here. The path leading to it was dark and while not filled with anything particularly dangerous, only those brave...or crazy would want to come here...until now.

[OOC - this is the startup post for the three to find and rescue her. Results for the randomization is coming soon!]

How did Applejack stand working so hard around the farm? Her secret was simple: combining work and play. She'd brought the same styl to Hydroponics, where she'd sectioned off a small patch of the ground to be a place for some of the animals to play. The grass was dug up and seeds were planted elsewhere, water was poured, and Applejack herself was pounding her legs into the dirt. Making mud! Her bright orange coat was now coated in brown, and the longer she worked, the further she sank.

But this wasn't very fun. Back home, she'd done---yeah, that was what was missing! She hopped out of her little mud pit, tracked dirt across the grass, and set off at a fast trot. "Yee-haw!"

If anypony happened to be hanging about, they'd be splattered when the large pony came crashing down, rolling in her little pit of dirt. Her hat sat some distance to the side, miraculously untouched by the splattering of mud. Surely most would know to stay away from such a display.

Most of the recently-awakened people had probably heard of the Drunken Dragon tavern within a few days of getting accustomed to the ship. Some had already visited it, and a few had probably even become regulars already.

As usual, the door was open, and Kang and his helpers were there, refilling drinks and being sociable.

The stage was free for anyone that wanted to share a story, sing a song, or play an instrument, and it was more than welcomed, for what's a tavern without some form of entertainment?

[OOC: If your character wants to speak to a tavern person in particular (Kang, Kaylee, Nima or Kali), just make a note of it in your tag. Threads here can pretty much cover any time from the most recent podpop to just after Happy Happy Fun World; backtagging is our friend in T9. :D

Newbies, please make sure to read the tavern link! It's got all the info on the setting, available drinks, etc.]

Welcome to the place that's the talk of the night life amongst all of Happy Happy Fun World! Where the party starts when the sun goes down! This is Indulgence Cove, the one stop to satisfy all your needs. To reach this location you must take a boat so you can reach the small island where it is located, but from as far as the mainland you can see the lights that shine through the night and the sounds of people having fun and partying.

Indulgence Cove has the biggest boardwalk shopping center in all of HHFW, what could be better than a full night of shopping in expensive stores that carry everything you'd ever need?! Pleasure Boardwalk has rows upon rows of stores and bigger establishments! From games, to the hottest fashion, music, toys, shoes, vintage, hundreds of souvenir shops, books, food markets with the best of the best ingredients money could buy, even raw materials! cloth, ores, parts, electronics, you name it! If it could be sold, or bought? It was here. Enter the Pleasure Boardwalk, and you might be leaving with no credits to your name!

Shopping not your thing? How about entertainment?! Nightlife Bay has THE hottest in shows, concerts, dance clubs, movie theaters, and more! Looking for something more racy? Go to the Red Light Central where the more raunchy and adventurous head into for a night they'll never forget and possibly won't speak about in public!

Want to simply kick it for the night and relax? Maybe want somewhere to stay or spend a special night with a loved one, or maybe one of the people you met during your vacation? Go to Sunrise Hill and stay in the many hotels that Indulgence Cove has to offer! They come in a wide variety of themes, from fun and energetic, to soothing and relaxing! The staff will make sure you leave your worry and your money behind!

All throughout Indulgence Cove you'll be seeing street performers, merchants, surprise shows, free gift booths, show girls, party boys, and much more! The night is forever young in the Cove, won't you come and let us make your dreams come true?


[[OOC: Feel free to add things if you'd like! Take note that the prices in the stores are higher than normal and everything in this place will try to squeeze every dime you own! But most importantly, have fun! Let loose! Get the things you need if you need someplace to restock in!]]

 As the battle raged on far away on Lirath, the crew that remained on Balisair faced a different challenge.

The planet itself was bleak and simple, a rugged landscape covered with sparse forests. The colony itself wasn't very large, but a massive refugee camp was already being set up outside the walls. Numerous tents were already filling up with wounded and scared refugees, and more were coming. They would need help to take all of them in.

Numerous evacuation ships, still scarred from their close calls back at Lirath, were pouring in from the Bleed-Gate that appeared in orbit above the colony, bringing even more refugees with them.

On top of all this, there was yet another problem: Some of the colonists, concerned the sudden influx of refugees would tax the small colony's already small reserve of supplies, were holding back critical supplies the refugee camp needed. It would take someone to convince them to help out for the greater good to get them to part with these supplies.

The crew had their work cut out for them.

[ooc: Open!]

Among the things that Cassie had learned about the ship where she now made her home was that there was a section of it that held a large number of alien animal and plant species. Although it had taken her longer then she thought it would to get there, she had finally found her way to Hydroponics, where the animals were supposed to reside. Her eyes twinkled happily and a smile played across her lips as she wandered through the area. The animals that she saw were incredible. Nothing like those that she was familiar with, but that didn't matter. They were all amazing in ways that were unique to them and that was wonderful.

She spotted a strange green creature out of the corner of her eye and spun to get a better look, but, to her disappointment, it vanished before she could see much more. Cassie moved towards the area where she had last seen it, hoping that it might still be lingering nearby or that there might be more like it still within range. She moved slowly and quietly so as not to startle any animals still nearby.

She continued on for a while longer, managing to get at least a glance of a number of other animals and in a few cases she did better then that, although she didn't know enough about them to put a name to any of them. She sighed contently as she walked, feeling more comfortable at that moment then she had since she arrived here. Even the house that she lived in on the ship, the one that resembled her home on Earth, still felt strangely foreign to her for some reason. But here... the animals and physical surroundings might be alien, but this feeling of being surrounded by so many wonderful creatures was not. She felt surprisingly comfortable here.

She might just have to come here more often.

Having seen more of the 'Verse than most people would dream possible in his rather eventful life, Mal had also been a patron of just about every type of drinking establishment there was. From upscale Core World bars to shacks out on the very Rim held together with mud and prayers, it was very likely Mal had at least stepped into it for a drink, and possibly a nice fight. Bars and Taverns were where you could learn a great deal about a person, just by watching how much they chose to abandon their own restrictions and self control in the presence of others. They were also where there was information, business deals, and new contacts to be found, all present in one neat central location, one that many communities revolved around. Whenever he stopped in a new port of call, Mal always made sure to pay the bar a visit sooner rather than later.

Of course, with all his experience with watering holes, he had to admit that the Drunken Dragon was something very new. On the surface it could almost be mistaken for a Rim world bar, with its rough and almost primitive design motif, almost comical dragon decoration, and lack of all the da bian luxuries the Alliance insisted marked them as civilized. Mal had been in enough of those dives, however, to realize that the Dragon was far more well maintained than most of them could afford to be, and that the design itself was not the result of a hodgepodge of whatever materials they could scrounge. It looked more like something out of an ancient Earth That Was picture book. Setting foot inside, Mal took the time to survey the layout of the place, memorizing the locations of all the tables, staff, and exits just in case he needed to leave in a hurry.

Not that he expected to have to do so, given Kaylee and Wash's assurances about the respect the patrons paid the owner of the tavern, but old habits died hard, and if he let them die then he expected he would soon follow. Still, it seemed like he'd arrived a bit early, and with time to spare before the person he was meeting arrived he made his way across the tavern to a place where he could sit with his back to the wall and watch the door. Of course, once he sat he needed a moment to get used to the fit of his suit, as he had for the past few days. He was rather glad the ship had seen fit to save the coat that was a symbol of his continued defiance against the now dead Alliance, but he had to wonder if it would have really hurt to save his pants and shirt too.

[OOC:This thread is mostly for if characters who Mal had arraigned to meet for drinks at the tavern, but if you want to thread with him feel free to have a character run into him while he's waiting. Individual threads can be set at different times too.]

Celestia had lived a long life, but the past few days were the strangest she had ever experienced. She had awoken from a pod in a strange chamber, only to find herself whisked away to a strange maze soon after.

This maze had had her most concerned - as Princess of all Equestria, she had duties and responsibilities, after all. She could only hope that her sister Luna was managing on her own, and do her best to escape this maze and return to her beloved subjects.

Escape came unexpectedly though, when Celestia found herself suddenly dropped from the mess hall ceiling, where she landed on top of one of the tables with a thud, her hooves sending plates and trays and cutlery flying in all directions. Have a rather elegant pony - or perhaps a horse? - with a long horn on her forehead, graceful wings adorning her back, and a mane and tail that was a multicolour and gravity-defying sight standing on your table, diners, looking rather bewildered.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I hope I didn't ruin your meal," she said, with a chuckle. Then she looked around at her surroundings, her expression turning concerned. "Now this doesn't look at all like Equestria..."

After briefly being a hostage, Nima is feeling a little shaken. But the herd of glowsloths are even more shaken, huddling together on the scorchmarked rocks that are serving as their temporary habitat.

Nima returns to the herd as quickly as she can, once the firebender has let her go, checking the animals for burns and calming them as best she can. Zuko scared them pretty badly, but he didn't actually burn any of them. Still, the glowsloths are bioluminescing in jagged, angry patterns, and jumping from rock to rock.

When the animals, and Nima, are calm, she stays with the herd. The littlest of the creatures is splayed over her lap, and Nima pets it while the herd's largest female picks through her hair. Nima allows it, sniffling occasionally, while the other glowsloths huddle nearby, twitchy and wary.

In the back of her cell Azula slumped against the wall. Between the pale exhausted look on her face and the empty eyes gazing at the transparent wall of her cell she looked dead to the world.

She knew something was wrong with her. That much was painfully clear no matter how much she wanted to believe otherwise. But she wasn't crazy! No. Never. Not the Princess of the Fire Nation, not the rightful heir to the throne.

She was just...sick. Yes. She had caught something. Like when a fever got too strong or when one drank too much wine.

No, she had been infected! That had to be it. That's when things began to go downhill. Mai must have had some kind of poison on her knives, or maybe the servants back at the palace...

The palace was gone. That's what everyone kept telling her. The fire nation, the world was gone.

Her father was gone...

She hadn't seen her father since he left to complete his destiny and take over the world. Only through what Zuko and the Doctors had told her did she know his fate. A war criminal.

His powers stripped...just a man now.

She still could create fire for now. But what if the Avatar tried to take it from her like he had her father?

What else could they take?

Images flashing through her mind. Medications, procedures. Those unsettling tentacles that belonged to the voice in her head, the world around her. "Stacy" How dare she speak in such a kind an loving voice? Azula knew better. Azula knew what sort of damage love could bring.

What was the voice plotting to do to her while it spoke so sweetly? Her mind? Not if she had any say! And why shouldn't she!? She is Princess Azula! From Birth her destiny was perfection and greatness. The heavens above had sent to the planet the perfect girl, born to the man destined to rule the world.

...or so they'd thought.

But he was gone, they were gone the world was gone! Azula too...must be gone.

Yes, that made more sense didn't it? Azula had died...no was killed. MURDERED! Murdered by those so called "Doctors" that had promised they wouldn't hurt her. That they only wanted to help her! Zuko probably gave them the order! Kill her so he wouldn't have to worry anymore about the only loyal family their Father had left.

Father...

These thoughts and more swirled about in her fractured mind but her body never moved, barely blinked. You couldn't even really tell she was breathing.

This was all that was left, of the Proud Princess Azula.

Of all the duties of a summoner, the Sending was easily the hardest for Yuna to face. Every time she took up her staff and danced, it meant only one thing: more people had violently died, needlessly died, shouldn't have died, wouldn't have died had an outside source not torn them apart. Left alone to wander the universe with their anger at sudden death intact, their lost souls could coalesce into an even greater threat.

This time, she thought with a painful clench of her heart, she wasn't guiding the souls of a small army's soldiers or the scattered casualties of a ruined town. If their information was to be believed, with the possible exception of her guardians, all Spirans had perished in the Ohm's violent strike. Knowing that meant she was likely the last summoner still living---thus the responsibility for their souls fell to her.
( How many millions now lost... )

With the great help she had received from a good deal of interested crew members, the construction and upgrade to the bathhouse had proceeded rapidly and smoothly. The second more open floor looked as much a part of the bathhouse as any other, with enough room and supports to easily allow crew members as large if not larger than herself to access and utilize the second floor just as easily as any other. The second floor itself could be accessed from both within the bathhouse itself or from a set of stairs along the side of the building, a path now leading easily around from the front to show the way to this side entrance.

With the announcment of the completion and reopening of the Bathhouse sent around the comms. Celena padded through the hallways, touring all of the various baths, private, segregated or otherwise to ensure that all were in top working order for any who may wish to use them. Once she was sure that everything was in top condition and the water flowing properly in all cases she set out the open sign.

((ooc: Feel free to mingle around, relax, and have a party if your so inclined. Just start a subthread with your character's location and have fun. For reference there are individual showers in front, followed by hot tubs centrally located, saunas further back, and private baths along the side. The showers, tubs, and saunas have smaller sex-segregated units along with a central group unit that's larger. The second level spans the majority of the bathhouse with both individual rooms and areas with the heating pads as well as open areas one can relax and look out over the surrounds))