etrayalogs | [SEMI-OPEN MINGLE] Baby dive in, the water feels fine

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[SEMI-OPEN MINGLE] Baby dive in, the water feels fine

WHO: Storm

agoddessonce and friends
WHEN: a weekend in July
WHERE: At the Xavier Institute for Mutant Education and Outreach - Poolside
WHAT: Ororo felt like arranging a small, private pool day (semi-open mingle log)
NOTES\WARNINGS: Alcohol will be served so some underage drinking might slip through the cracks (please know that Ororo Disapproves Though). If your character has ever interacted with Ororo, even once, then please feel free to assume she'd invited you over to come and spend the afternoon at her place. Swimsuits highly encouraged!

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the pool;

The pool at the Institute is sparkling and inviting under the sun, glittering under the shade of the old mansion. It's a shame to see it go to waste day in and day out, so Ororo has invited a few people she's already met through her months in Etraya to use it. The water itself is cool and refreshing, and though there's an impromptu sign at the edge that proclaims POWERS ALLOWED - BUT NO HORSEPLAY to discourage rough play, there's also a tall diving board set up at one end. Guests are free to use it as they will. If any injuries occur - there's a reasonably well-stocked nurse's station inside the mansion!

Ororo had also spent a couple of days visiting Kwik Trip to see what kind of floats they could get for the day. Various pool floats are available (donut rings, pool noodles, and a dubious looking tank floatie) for guests to use and share. Try not to bother anyone who's just trying to relax!

the food, the drinks;

Ororo has no plans for the day to turn into anything particularly fancy or rowdy; she'd just wanted something casual and simple, an excuse to take a swim with some friends new and old, and to get to know the people of Etraya a little better. What better way to help people feel more open and relaxed than with a couple of drinks? There are a couple of coolers sitting around, open and full of ice and snow, with soda, juice, beer and a selection of fruity, ready-to-drink cocktails for guests who might want a drink to help them relax or break the ice.

She trusts people to self-police, generally, but will still personally, stringently remind folks to keep the alcohol from anyone sixteen and under. Do not test her! :)

There's a grill going as well, with typical barbecue fare: burgers (both vegan and beef), hot dogs, chicken wings and roasted vegetable skewers. Ororo has probably asked a friend or two to take turns manning the grill, but anyone is welcome to cook their own food to their liking. Plates are available to one side, with a range of salads, snacks and sauces and dips. Guests can dine at various seating areas set up around the poolside and in the shade.

the poolside;

There are plenty of loungers sitting around, to share or to drag into a corner to use for yourself! It's a day to relax as much as it is a day to mingle. People are free to bring their food and drink over to them, or use the chairs to work on a sun tan.

There's a basketball court not too far off from the pool here people are encouraged to play a game or two. Perhaps something easy that doesn't need a team - Horse, or a game of one-on-one? Ororo doesn't know the exact rules, but as long as no one's bursting any basketballs, she won't be upset.

the mansion;

Tired of waiting under the sun? Need a bathroom break? A select few of the mansion's rooms are open to use - the kitchen, the nearest bathrooms, and the rec room for anyone who wants a nap. If you wander upstairs, there are numerous rooms that don't see much use - one wing houses old classrooms and study rooms, an empty library, some faculty offices. The other wing has some locked bedroom suites - only a few of which are currently, actually in use. Be warned that if Ororo or some other X-Men sense or catch you lingering up here, they'll gently (... or not so gently, depends on who catches you and how they catch you) redirect you right back downstairs.

The elevator and the sublevels are completely off-limits and impossible to break into, kept secure by a combination of private codes and mutant biometrics. Nothing to see here! Just carry on. ♥

The party will last til the evening, at which point Ororo will invite people to come into the large kitchen of the mansion to piece together some dinner, or dry off or take a quick shower. If anyone's too tired (or too drunk) to go home, she'll personally take charge of turning the rec room into an impromptu blanket fort for people to sleep on couches. It's fine, none of the furniture is actually vintage or antique around here. Probably.

wildcard;

Feel free to come up with your own starters for poolside shenanigans! If your character has threaded with Ororo even once, assume you've got a personal invite for them and a +1. Hoping to keep this mingle light and easy to foster a bit of CR before the mission log goes up next week!

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I think it might help, if you didn't refer to us only as prisoners. [ She doesn't sound offended, just thoughtful. He has a point, of course, and it does feel like the most factual and objective way to refer to them. Goddess knows she always thinks of Etraya as a gilded cage. Still. ]

Potential allies, perhaps. Friends, if you would like to be optimistic. [ Not that he looks anything close to optimistic. ]

I just don't think very many people would be so willing to drink or lounge about with prisoners, after all.

[Once again he's quiet and he listens. Thouggh at the mention of friends his expression somehow becomes flatter than it already is.]

I well know that others take comfort in the delusion that we are aught else but the captives we are. Dressing it up however they wish to calm their quivering hearts, though I care little for such mummery. Invisible as our shackles may be, we are chained and fettered all the same.

[He lets out a small breath through his nose, a sigh, really.]

Still, you have the right of it. My distaste for their avoidance of reality will earn me not their favor.

[Which is his way of saying he'll...play nice. For now, at least.]

[ She can tell right away that this will be a difficult conversation to have - one she may not even be in the mood for, since she'd much rather check on other guests to see how they fare.

Perhaps she'll find him again later. For now, she just shakes her head. ]

It will not. But I think you might want to think on whether or not you want their favor - and what it is you might do, once you find out the answer to that. Because if you have such distaste for it here and now, then I don't see how or why you should linger any longer, Barnabas of Waloed. [ i.e. if you think her party sucks, at least say it to her face before you leave!! ]

You are free to share in the food or drink while you think. Let me know if there is anything you might like, if you are finding any of that lacking as well.

[He silently eyes her a moment.

This isn't quite the conversation he had intended, but this is where they are all the same. However, it is clearly unwelcome, and he has no interest in pursuing it further. Though, he well knows that earning favor is desirable, yet it is not a personal want based in ego, but a strategic one based in survival and success. There is little he needs to think about, as she so condescendingly suggests.

Yet, there is one thing he wishes to make clear, at the very least.]

You are not a poor host, if that concerns you.

[He casts a glance to the others, all who seem to clearly be enjoying themselves, before settling back on her.]

Edited 2024-07-15 08:56 (UTC)

Hm. [ She's not sure she agrees with that - she can admit to her own failings if she needs to. ]

Perhaps a little, if you are not enjoying yourself. I was hoping to provide a little respite for everyone, not for a select few.

[There's a slight quirk to the corner of his mouth, the suggestion of a smirk.]

You need not bother concerning yourself with my enjoyment.

[He and joy are estranged, and no pool party, no matter how grand, will reunite them.]

Though, I confess there is novelty to this whole affair, and that alone provides.

[After all, there were no such things as pool parties in Valisthea, so this very concept is alien to him. As such, observing and learning from that is as good to him as the joy it might provide for another.]

You are a guest. Of course I would be preoccupied with your comfort and enjoyment beyond... amusement at the novelty of all this.

[ She tips her head, looking at him curiously. What sort of king was he? Did he not host things like this with the thought of how his guests might find it? Even diplomatic gatherings had to be planned and monitored carefully - something she didn't necessarily enjoy, but she knew how important they were. ]

[He is a king of an isolationist nation, closed off from the world, and while he had his allegiances at times, they would not meet on Waloeder soil. No, they would host him and his Lord Commander—at some points that being Cid, before he left...

Still, even this is far different from anything so political or war oriented. The casualness of it all, the chaotic nature of the guests, the lack of clear structure. Barnabas never cared for the ceremony that came with his kingly duties, the typical aristocratic trappings, and so as king he often went without.

As the absolute authority on all matters of his kingdom, that was his right, after all.]

Very well, if you are so burdened with this preoccupation, then let us make use of it. Tell me of your kingdom, of these titles which adorn you. How did you come to claim them?

[He came here to familiarize with people, so why not start with the host?]

Edited 2024-07-15 11:12 (UTC)

[ She gives him a look that's a cross between amused and a little resigned at the way he phrases his demands. This sort of king... A little like Victor and a little like Namor, then.

She dealt with their ilk before, she'd do it again. She shakes her head, smiling wryly. ]

I don't think I appreciate the tone you take with me. Is that how you speak to your people, your equals? Let alone a host?

[ His answer to that will inform a lot of how she thinks of him. Probably.

But she thinks a little more and gives him a nod. ]

I'll tell you of one title, if you will tell me of one of yours. How does that sound?

[He holds back saying what is apparent and undeniably true in his mind: no one here is his equal. Seeing as such impulses are well tethered and controlled, he chooses a different approach.]

I speak as I see fit, I do not bother to tailor my tone to the sensibilities of others. There are far greater matters to worry over, than aught so glaringly insignificant.

[He tilts his head ever so slightly as he considers her offer. A barter of information, then? Very well.]

A fair trade. You may begin, I care little which you share, all are of equal interest to me.

[ She presses her lips together at the implication of others' sensibilities being... insignificant. There's merit in speaking one's own mind and being true to your ownself, but in the context of a king saying that of his people or those around him... She feels static crackle under her skin, hears thunder rumbling unpleasantly in the distance, and knows she should probably make an effort to extend her patience.

After all, it's such a nice day for a swim. She can't ruin a pool day just because a king was saying things she didn't think she liked. ]

Hadari Yao, then, of the old Alkamite tongue. Walker of Clouds, or the longer translation - Goddess who Preserves the Balance of All Natural Things. [ She looks up at the sky and considers how best to distill thousands of years of history. ]

I come from a line where daughters are sometimes blessed with white hair, blue eyes, and a gift for the mystical. My genetic mutation allows me command over the elements, but the former grants me... a connection to the people.

With their faith and prayer, my powers grow and evolve - and I provide what they need for life. Rain for a bountiful harvest, wind to alleviate the fury of the sun. Thunder and lightning to protect the weak from those who wish to take advantage of them. [ All things she did as a girl, and as Storm, before Kojo and his people told her all this history. Things she would not have been able to explain with words, had she not sought to learn more about her inheritance. ]

[Fascinating. Not only what she explains, but the connection it forms with her previous expression and the distant sound of thunder. He's bothered her with his lack of care for the delicate emotions of others, hasn't he? She's deeply empathetic, it seems. So easily affected by the words of man she barely knows...

Idly he considers how useful this may be, like Benedikta and her own tempest of emotions, a vicious whirlwind like the very wind she commanded. He was able to control her, point her gales where he needed them—but if Ororo here is as a mix of the two, of Benedikta and Cidolfus...the latter ever proved far the more difficult to direct. Wild like the lightning which defined him, untamable as levin itself.

Would Ororo prove similar? Only time would tell. From what she explained, she seemed more a particularly talented Bearer than a Dominant, and their will ever proved the weaker. Yet, she would command more than merely one element is a notable feat, something worthy of recognition and consideration. Perhaps then she is somewhere in between what a Bearer and Dominant would be. What she describes is more along the lines of a Dominant awaking to their Eikon's powers, yet there seems not to be any Eikon to manifest for her.

He is intrigued.

That her people treated her as those from the Outer Continents viewed Bearers, or as Waloed views their Dominants is good, at least. She well knows her place above humans for her gift, knows how she should be revered.]

That your people recognized you for what you are—their shepherd and protector, a shield against the cruel, the provider of life...This is as it should be.

[Yet he pauses a moment, his expression tightening slightly.]

Is that what your realm calls your gift? A mutation?

[His voice is as soft and steady as it has been this whole time, though there is slight tension to the term, as if it beggars belief. Or seems ridiculous to him. That she would be viewed in such a high regard, yet her power would be called a mutation speaks of something unsaid about her world.]

Some people thought of me that way, [ She corrects him mildly and thoughtfully. T'Challa called what she had a godhead, Kojo called her a god outright. She didn't feel it technically accurate, because... What did that mean, really, to be divine? To be as a god? When in the end, the rest of humanity treated mutants the way they did? ]

The vast majority of the planet do not, hence the term. It is a scientific choice - our genes are, for the most part, like a human's. Except for a specific chromosomal strand that has mutated in certain ways... Our scientists could explain it better than I could. [ She smiles wryly, shaking her head. She could explain it, but she wasn't in the mood. This was supposed to be a pool day. ]

Suffice to say, I do prefer and use the term gift. And our gifts are very varied. Not everyone has elemental abilities like I do - some differ in color or type of skin. Some have telepathic abilities. Others have wings... [ It was rather unpredictable, until scientists tried to force them to be predictable. That wasn't very nice either. ]

Most humans fear and hunt mutants because of how unpredictable our powers are. I work to protect the mutants who cannot protect themselves.

[He watches her, seeming content enough to listen to what she has to say, even if not all of what she says is hardly anything to be content with. The explanation is not too surprising to him, for it sounds not too unlike the case of Bearers and Dominants. From humans do they rise, similar yet markedly different for their born gifts, manifesting through their divinely bestowed gift to manipulate aether—forever separating them from the majority. For this was by design, this was what mankind was created for, and yet... His chosen would find themselves hated, exploited, and killed for what should command respect and reverence.

But the weak ever covet power that is not theirs, for fear, greed, and ignorance spurs them in equal measure, and they would shackle and brand those who would bear of the weight of their hungering hearts. Until their dying breath, until the world itself gave out.

That Ororo's world would likewise suffer such cruelty only further confirms his own conclusions: man is a hopeless creature, bound ever to turn unfailingly on his own brother. For he is a ravenous, covetous beast, and nothing will ever sate his hunger except for death itself.]

Then it would seem we are similar in that regard. [He lets his gaze drift away from her, looking out towards the others out and about, not particularly focusing on anyone in particular.] My own world harbors the same hatred in their hearts for those whom possess such divine gifts—and I seek to unite those bequeathed the selfsame blessings. That we might bring a new order unto the world, where we need not fear such persecution.

[Conveniently he's going to leave out what exactly that means, or the method of getting there.]

Edited 2024-07-17 07:41 (UTC)

[ She studies him with the same closeness he did her, listening intently to the words he chooses to use. Much of them are familiar - there's a distinct echo there of a Magneto that once was. The Erik who once stood at odds against her and the X-Men, who did not yet seek to set differences aside that they may work for something greater, a shared promise in the form of Krakoa.

A possible threat, then. Someone to watch.

If Cid was his ally, would he also be one to watch? ]

And you seek to be their king? Or was that title already yours before your mission to bring this new order unto your world?

[There's a slight upward pull at the corner of his mouth. She's astute, which speaks well in her favor, but likewise tells him he must tread lightly if he is to present himself as anything other than the threat he truly is.

As he speaks, he keeps his gaze away from her.]

A fair question, one deserving an honest answer. We had agreed to exchange information, and I do intend to keep my side.

[Now he turns his attention back to her, his grey-blue eyes meeting hers.]

My crown was not one inherited by the established royal lineages, for I am not born of the land I rule. I was without title, and without a home, when I decided to bring Ash to heel. Through indefatigable ambition and careful strategy I eventually claimed my throne. Uniting the warring clans of Ash under me and defeating the prevailing kingdom, I brought order and peace to the continent, and thus was the Kingdom of Waloed established.

[As he speaks, his voice is measured and exact, not betraying much emotion at all.

Though the details he spares her are not spared for him. Memories of sixteen years of bloodshed, of death, of the adrenaline he felt, of his soul soaring to heights unheard of through the struggle of conquest, the uncertainty of surviving a fight, to claim his prize at the end of it all...

A feeling, a joy he has not felt in nearly forty years. The absence of it making him feel hollow, as most things do eventually.]

This crown is a consequence of this dream I hold for building a new world bereft of such strife, but so too is it of the power I command. As your might and lineage has earned you your titles, afforded you responsiblities, so too has mine.

[After all, he is the only one to ever awaken as Odin. And he is the last of his people, of the Children of Dzemekys, if anyone has a duty to the world, it's him. The world resting squarely upon his shoulders.]

Edited (dont type tags half asleep on your phone, kids) 2024-07-17 16:27 (UTC)

[ It's the cool, detached tone to his voice that is more chilling to Ororo, long used to hearing similar stories - achieving unity through conquest and colonization. Order and peace fought for, and won after a war. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she hears Isca the Unbeaten, and Nameless the Shapeshifting Queen - urging her to Know the cost.

But she knew the cost of such things. War was sometimes fought for unity, yes, but the costs were always the same. She learned that when she was barely over five years old herself, and lost her own parents to a senseless one.

Had his own war been so senseless and so costly? Was uniting the warring clans worth it? She won't question it now, not here. ]

And what are your responsibilities now? What do you do for your people, after claiming the right to rule over them so?

What does it mean for you, to be their king?

[Certainly he would agree that the cost of war is often too steep a price, for all the fighting that Valisthea endured for the Mothercrystal's blessing, for the comforts mankind would bleed from their brothers but so too their betters. All for the sake of their own greed, their own shallow satisfaction with their miserable, pathetic lives. Envy, jealousy, hatred—all of it would fuel the suffering and death that their insatiable desires demand.

The endless cycle of strife and misery, of malice and persecution. One that he was made too keenly aware of when it took the lives of his people, of his own mother. Every one of them branded a heretic for their beliefs, slaughtered for it like cattle, and he failed save any of them. To save his mother. To save what was once his whole world.

Never again.

Fate would see fit to bless him with the power that might have made a difference after he had already lost them, for that is simply the cruelty of life. Of fate's unfeeling discernment. One cannot escape fate, nor rewrite it, this he has learned time and again.]

It would mean they are protected and provided for, guided by my hand towards the path of prosperity and peace. I seek to offer them a world without the strife which burdens us all. The strife which robs the very land of its own vitality. I would bring an end to that which fuels the undying flames of war which threaten to reduce us to naught but ash.

[He lets that hang in the air for a moment, before he continues.]

It is my duty to maintain this sanctuary, even should that require war in kind. To build a world where equality might flourish. Or rather, it was, but fate seems to have other plans for me.

[Like bringing him here. So he can be at this pool party. Standing around in a speedo, talking about war and leadership...

Naturally he will leave out how he's been purposefully stoking the flames of war himself for years now, but even that has its purpose. Even it is part of the mercy he seeks to provide. He will also leave out...the actual state his country is in presently with the "salvation" he has provided them. That is neither here nor there...]

Edited 2024-07-22 10:47 (UTC)

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[SEMI-OPEN MINGLE] Baby dive in, the water feels fine

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cw: reference to blood, death, and war, get it together Barnabas this is a pool party

cw: reference to war and colonization, pool parties be like that sometimes

cw: more war, religious presecution and genocide reference, just fun in the sun