MISSION 005 (part 1)

[etrayamods]

WHO: Everyone!
WHEN: September 13th-September 27th
WHERE: Throughout Etraya
WHAT: Mission Log!
NOTES\WARNINGS: Horror elements, including fear-inducing landscapes, distorted environments, unseen predators, mental/emotional distress, potential body horror, corruption, possession, brainwashing, and compulsion.

⏵ reality bends ⏴ A strange anomaly has overtaken Etraya. The skies, once familiar, now shift unpredictably, cycling through hues of unnatural colors as an eerie hum fills the air. Tension crackles beneath the surface, leaving an unsettling heaviness across the land. Aurora’s mission announcement offers little clarity—more cryptic than comforting—and she remains unavailable for further explanation. Reality begins to warp, twisting Etraya into a surreal, haunting reflection of its former self. The hospital deteriorates into a decaying structure, its halls haunted by phantom patients, endless corridors leading to nowhere. Rooms morph into massive white padded cells where characters may find themselves imprisoned, alone with spectral figures who whisper of treatments yet to come. Some of these apparitions seek the attention of those roaming the hospital, warning them of a dire fate: failure in this mission means not just the death of their worlds, but their souls becoming trapped in this fractured reality, far from home, forever. The forest transforms into a dark and twisted labyrinth. The trees close in, their branches twisting unnaturally as unseen predators howl from the shadows. Narrow pathways wind through the maze, and while some may navigate unscathed, others will be violently pulled into the depths by horrors lurking just out of sight. Within this twisted forest, a small cottage appears, its walls echoing eerie whispers: "little scorpion," "selfish bitch," and "by the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes." The rivers, usually calm, have become a dangerous, volatile force. Their waters churn violently, and inky black tendrils rise from the depths, lashing out at anyone who strays too close. These dark appendages drag their victims beneath the surface, where those who resist must battle their way to freedom. But those who surrender will be drawn into an otherworldly dome beneath the water, surrounded by strange fish, far from where they should be. Inside, they will find an eerie stillness, but their earpieces still allow contact with the world above. A large mirror dominates the dome, offering an uncertain way back. ⏵ shadowy haunts ⏴ Those inside the zones come face to face with an echo of fear - a personalized manifestation of what scares them most. It could be an oppressive figure from their past, or something more abstract, such as the feeling of failure, or isolation. These echoes are relentless, feeding off their weaknesses and digging into what makes them most vulnerable. The Im'mari hungers, and preying on characters' weaknesses appears to be its chosen way of feeding itself. While characters may become stuck in their nightmares by themselves, some of these nightmares are shared between companions. Characters may become trapped within their friends' fears, or strangers'. However, the emotional distress felt by the individual the nightmare belongs to will affect everyone within the nightmare. An emotional prison built to torment those whom it belongs to, these echoes of fears may test the bond between companions, forcing them to face truths they may have rather avoided touching on. Earpieces will still be functional and may prove to be crucial in assisting characters when it comes to escaping their nightmares. ⏵ contamination ⏴ Im'mari may be weaker than before, but it is slowly regaining power, and the creature’s influence is spreading. It infects the wolves, the plants, and even the very essence of Vanessa Ives (and in addition, Aelwyn Abernant), feeding off the deep-seated fears of those around it. Im'mari thrives in the shadows of fear and darkness, growing stronger with every moment of doubt, pain, and despair. Its presence lingers beyond the edges of awareness, whispering to its victims, urging them to succumb. Through Vanessa and those she has infected, Im'mari extends its reach, turning once-familiar faces into agents of fear, pushing their companions to the brink. For those who fall under its sway, the transformation is slow, at first nearly undetectable. Perhaps a friend acts off, says something out of character, or expresses sudden, unprovoked anger. But as Im'mari’s power grows, so does the darkness in its agents, until they are no longer themselves—twisted into something monstrous, compelled to spread fear and destruction. Welcome to your nightmares. We hope you have a pleasant stay. ⏵ NOTES ⏴ For all questions relating to this mission, please refer to the plotting post. We will be utilizing this post throughout the mission - including when we process the next round of applications, so please keep an eye out for new comments! All other questions can be directed to the FAQ. ⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

Comments

[decohere]

Right. Feeling is proof enough of existence for now. She turns her face into the comforting brush of fingers, and then scowls and swats at Yelena's hand at the unexpected pinch. "Hey!" It's enough of a jolt to jerk her the rest of the way into awareness, eyes opening to glare at the blurry shape until her friend(???) comes into focus. She aggressively blinks the tears from her eyes, hates being seen like this.

"Fuck..." she breathes out, lifting her head and slowly making sense of her surroundings, trying to back into what she remembers. "How long was I...?"

[waytodie]

A little titter of sound escapes her at Ava's shout of objection to the pinch. Hey, at least it worked. "Now you're paying attention," she says lightly, the tiniest of sad smirks on her face.

She leans back on her heels, but doesn't go any further than that, only enough to give Ava space to sit up if she feels like it. Yelena's fingers are still wrapped up with Ava's, continuing to ground her the best she can.

"Days," she answers first, "More than a week...less than two." She couldn't be entirely sure a specific number, but that range is enough of a reference at any rate. "I tried to call you... I thought- maybe you were gone, but... still connected..." she frowns a little, "Did you hear any of them, while you were stuck in there? They said people could hear from the earpieces, but..."

But Ava never answered.

[decohere]

She does attempt to push herself up, an uncoordinated sort of movement as her limbs can't seem to figure out where they ought to be. When she manages, Ava leans heavily against Yelena, her head spinning. She feels sick, and if it's true that she's been out that long... that means she's gone without eating for even longer.

But the idea of stomaching anything right now gets quickly shoved down as she swallows against the rising bile. "I... I don't know," she replies, uncertain how to even explain how even if there was sound, she was too far gone to even register it as words. Give meaning to them. It wasn't until Yelena was there with her that she was able to sense anything at all.

"You came for me," she whispers, almost in disbelief as she stares down at their hands. Why would anyone?

[waytodie]

She shushes her and doesn’t pull away when Ava leans so heavily into her. Instead, she tugs her closer, slides her fingers through her hair in a steady, smooth motion, muttering soft assurances into her hair.

“It’s okay,”

“You’re all right,”

“I’ve gotchu,”

“I’m right here,”

and other similar things, murmured softly against Ava’s ear. Another grounding technique, the quietness of her voice forces her to take slow, deep breaths to calm herself down, makes her focus on the words instead of her own thoughts, swirling dangerously in her mind; Yelena would hold her like this for as long as she needed or wanted it.

“Just promise me you’ll listen to them later,” she mutters softly. It doesn’t have to be tonight or even next week. Just eventually.

She laughs through her words, “Of course I did,” she leans her forehead against Ava’s. Distractedly, absently really, she presses a kiss against the knuckles of Ava’s hand, which is still tangled among Yelena’s own. “Why wouldn’t I?”

[decohere]

Comfort is something that's always been denied to her. First by the scientists that saw her more as a test subject than a person and SHIELD agents that didn't want to raise her to be weak. And then by herself, under the ingrained belief that she didn't need it to get by.

She accepts it now from Yelena, too exhausted to protest, and despite everything she's told herself she does actually crave being treated with such gentleness.

"Because I..." Ava hesitates, struggling to connect her thoughts to who she is and what got her here in the first place. But with Yelena's face so close to her own, everything suddenly feels so much more real again, tangible. She blinks through her haze at the soft kiss, unable to identify how it makes her feel. "Didn't think anyone would care enough to notice me gone." Nobody's fault but her own, she's pushed everyone away with such purpose to go forgotten.

[waytodie]

Yelena understands how strange and difficult it is to accept the kind of comfort she’s giving Ava right now. Neither of them grew up in spaces that allowed for it much. She’s not always very good at it herself, but she likes it when it comes around. It feels nice for someone to just be soft with you and give a damn sometimes.

Yelena can feel that pause echoed in her own chest, the sharp stop as she tries to sort out how to explain what she’s thinking, how she’s feeling. “Well, too bad for you: I notice. I care. You are stuck with me forever now, I hope you know.” It’s easier to slide into the familiar back-and-forth, but it doesn’t make any difference to the weight of her words; Yelena means every single one of them.

[decohere]

There's no such thing as forever, Ava doesn't say. There's no promise of even tomorrow. Not in their line of work. And especially not in a world like this, where people go missing without warning, without explanation.

It had seemed safer not to get attached. Wasn't that her rule? Yet somehow it had snuck up on her anyway, she can't even pinpoint the moment. But she knows this one solidifies it, that maybe there is no forever, but at least there's as long as possible for them.

She doesn't want to let go, hand still trembling in Yelena's. "Okay," she agrees softly.

"... But can we get out of here?" She wobbles unsteadily as she gets up, thrown off by how heavy she feels, to have feet solid on the ground again. To balance, to coordinate limbs into movement. She continues to lean against the shorter woman, an arm draped over her shoulders.

[waytodie]

If she knew what the other woman was thinking, Yelena would be glad she chose not to voice it. Sure, it may be true, but it serves nothing in this moment, except perhaps to bring it down. Neither of them are interested in doing that, it seems.

"Yeah, 'course," She smiles and grasping Ava's hand tighter in her own, grabbing her other one with her free hand, Yelena pulls her up with her, keeping her steady while Ava finds her balance. She slides one arm around Ava's middle and starts the trek to... "Where d'you wanna go, anyway?" She wants the other woman comfortable, so if she has a preference of where to go, she sees no reason not to go there.

[decohere]

Pessimism is hard to shake when all you know is misery. But for once she wants to be hopeful. Grateful. Despite everything she thought she knew, she mattered enough to somebody, to Yelena, to save her from the nightmare. That's far more important of a truth.

"I don't know," Ava admits. There's her place at the apartments, but Ava holds no special attachment to it. It feels temporary, devoid of anything that she considers her own. Just a space to occupy to sleep. But she trusts Yelena to take her somewhere safe.

[waytodie]

"That's okay," she says casually, "you just come to my place instead." If she isn't mistaken, the compound is probably closer than the apartments anyway, so in a way, it all works out for the best in the end, right?

Yelena lets Ava choose the pace of their walk, but doesn't ever rush her or stray away from her side the whole way there. Eventually, it's impossible not to see the Avengers Compound in the distance.

[decohere]

She nods, and allows Yelena to guide the way. Luckily it doesn't take too long for her to figure out her own legs again, only stumbling a few times as her coordination lapses. But keeping her focus on the present is the difficult part, blanking out for a few short seconds before jerking herself out of it again. Ava swallows down the panic before it can fully take over, squeezing at Yelena to remind herself that she's still there.

The sight of the Avengers Compound at least provides a distraction, though she's not sure a welcome one. Ava groans with annoyance. "I hate those showoffs."

[waytodie]

She is glad that Ava is just letting her lead, it would be a lot harder if she was fighting her in any way. Her body fighting her is a completely different story. Yelena can't really help much with that, other than keeping her grip on Ava's arm as they wend their way. When she squeezes Yelena to ground herself, she gently pinches Ava's wrist, or flicks her ear, or does something equally annoying and obnoxious to make her stop flickering in and out.

"I know, right? And they are never even around when you actually need them," she scoffs softly and shakes her head. "But they are not here, so their... дом – house? is mine now," she shrugs as she leads the way inside.

She won't let go unless Ava makes it seem like that's what she wants.