Day 244 :: This is not a proper wasteland, damnit! [OPEN]

[schroedingersgun]

Who: Maya Schroedinger and anyone
Open: Open
When: Day 244
Where: Around the monument
What: Maya Schroedinger tries to steal inspect the monument.
Format: Will match yours.
Warnings: N/A


It hadn't been Maya's day, that was for sure. Waking up in what looked like a dried-up wasteland was, well, normal for her. Not waking up with her team at her side, however, was not.

Nor was discovering that the world had been torn apart, that there were only patches left! And the only remotely stable place might as well be on another continent, with the constant shifting of this sorry excuse of 'ground'!

Traversing this all had been a much needed distraction, though. It had forced her to move ever forward, to put her worries about Alfred, Todd, even Shady, not to mention Virginia and some others on the back of her mind.

And it had left her angry, really angry. Her only wish: To have a very stern talk with whoever was responsible for this, all of it. And then shoot them in the face!


After quite an odyssey, she had finally arrived at what was apparently called the Bastion. It didn't even look like anything from her world, and the crazy rambling of the only person she had met so far (the poor NPC mentioned in the FAQ) hadn't helped at all. At least he had given her an amulet with a pretty gem embedded into it, that alleviated her mood somewhat. What she had spotted shortly afterwards, though... that was different and immediately distracted her from everything else, including the toll the travel had taken on her.

The monument. Or, rather, the fact that a part of it resembled a large, pretty gem. Pretty much a mystical mega-sized gem, practically asking for her to take embrace it!

And thus, she started circling the monument. Could it be transported? What about the people that no doubt lived in this blasted place? Maybe a distraction would be needed...

[Your character can spot her walking around the monument, poking it, trying to climb it, trying to take a sample, in other words being totally suspicious and/or nuts.

Alternatively, she might spot your character, in which case she'd shout a "Hey, you! Yes, you! Get over here!" and point at them - Maya is anything but shy when it comes to requesting information on gems and gem-like objects!

And she'll likely continue to do all of this even after the first person tries to tell her off. She can be pretty persistent!]

Comments

[daughterofursa]

I'm saying don't get cocky. They're not just monsters out there; they're trying to survive as much as we are. If you go out there thinking you already know everything, you'll get yourself hurt.

[schroedingersgun]

[Maya just started at Zuko, then grinned.]

This is funny. Because that's my line. That's what I've been teaching wannabe heroes on my world for a while now.

You're smarter than you originally looked!

[daughterofursa]

[So not only does she look weak, she looks like an idiot? Thanks, Maya.]

If that's supposed to be a compliment, you need to work on your delivery.

[schroedingersgun]

[Really, it was just Maya being a complete failure at being nice. If her brother were here, he'd be apologizing for her in secret afterwards, like he'd always do. Too bad (for Maya) he wasn't - that left her to ruin the impression she was giving.]

I keep hearing that. But it's as they say, it's the thought that counts!

[daughterofursa]

The thought that I look stupid. Thanks.

[Is it the scar? Maybe Maya thinks she got it from doing something foolish. Which might not be entirely wrong, but that was a long time ago.]

[schroedingersgun]

No, the thought that you weren't. And you're welcome.

[She smiled. Scar? She had noticed, but wasn't too concerned about it - she had assumed it to be some sort of battle wound. Not the result of a rather crazy father...]

Nice to know some people here might be able to handle themselves well.

[daughterofursa]

I guess.

[And Zuko thought her people skills were bad.]

... I'm Zuko. [There should probably be some kind of introductions after all this nonsense.]

[schroedingersgun]

Oh, right. I'm Maya Schroedinger.

[She actually seemed startled, she had entirely forgotten about the whole introduction thing you were supposed to do.]

I'm hoping the name will end up as infamous here as it was back home.

[daughterofursa]

What exactly were you infamous for?

[She's guessing jewel theft, but you never know.]

[schroedingersgun]

Oh, mostly for venturing into the most dangerous ruins for gems and blowing up a mine or two. And ruining some megalomaniacal idiot's day.

[She shrugged as if it was no big deal, despite pretty much having bragged about it moments earlier. The nerve.]

How about you? Got any fame or infamy? Or are you more the goody two shoes type that runs after justice or whatnot?

[daughterofursa]

[All right, she was close.]

Goody two-shoes...?

No. I was a princess. [Among other things she's not so proud of.]

[schroedingersgun]

Goody two-shoes as in 'tries to save the world all the time, ends up getting everyone else into trouble for it'.

[Maya showed an annoyed expression, apparently she was recalling something (or rather someone) that peeved her.]

Though... You were a princess? As in royalty? I've read a few stories with a character like that... 'The daring escape from Castle Doom', 'Revenge of the Vezier...' - hadn't thought you'd end up being someone like that.

[daughterofursa]

Oh.

[That sounds more like Aang, but maybe Zuko converted to it. She did get Mai in trouble for it, didn't she?]

I don't know what they're like in your stories, but Fire Nation royalty are expected to become military leaders. My sister excelled at it. I didn't.

[schroedingersgun]

Hm, no, the stories are usually about rebelling by becoming such a leader somehow.

Not that we had something like a real military any more. Must've collapsed ages ago.

[Maya shrugged. T'was normal for her, after all.]

[daughterofursa]

Rebelling? You mean to overthrow the king and queen?

[That was not what she got out of those weird titles, but okay.]

And what do you mean it collapsed?

[schroedingersgun]

Oh, no, more like 'living a boring life of luxury and breaking out to have adventure'. That's what makes the books interesting.

[She shrugged]

What I mean? Well, if your world's dying, there's little place left for states. They collapse, and people make do without the stuff it had. Military, gone. All that's left is hiring a few mercenaries if someone needs dirty work done.

[daughterofursa]

It sounds unrealistic.

...but I'm sorry to hear about your world.

Sorry, overtime related stuff drove my general posting spree down :<

[schroedingersgun]

Oh, sure. The world's not as nice as that.

And don't be sorry. I mean, it's a goner now, right? Better having gone out with a bang than with the whimper it was ending as.

[She did sound more annoyed with the later than her words made it seem. After all, she had decided in the end to save it (and make it hers, obviously, because ego). And now something had destroyed it? What the heck, world!]

no worries, it happens!

[daughterofursa]

You don't have to admit it to me, but it can't be that easy to cope. It's hard to let go of the things you had before, good or bad.

Re: no worries, it happens!

[schroedingersgun]

...Right. It really can be...

Well, for most people. Everyone here did cope, eventually, didn't they? So no point complaining.

[daughterofursa]

Everyone manages it. Some people better than others.

[It might sound like she's bragging that she's one of the better ones, but actually she means the opposite. Zuko is hardly the epitome of well-adjusted.]

[schroedingersgun]

Well, I can imagine among what group you'd be in.

[The 'better than others' one, really. Not that she'd say it out loud.]

So, nobody ever went nuts over it? Broke down, went on a rampage, the like?

[daughterofursa]

Nothing that dramatic.

[Well. That's not to say things can't get dramatic in the Bastion. Just ask anyone about Night or the plague or the sinking scare.]

Not because of anyone being homesick anyway.

[schroedingersgun]

Not because of that, huh. Because of what, then?

[Well, the wording made her curious. Things like this were quite good to know, after all.]

Does it involve megalomaniacal jerks, or just your regular hazards?

[daughterofursa]

I guess you'd call them hazards. The Bastion is pretty safe most of the time, but this is still the end of the world. We've had people die, get sick...

It's hard to take calmly when there are so few of us.