[OPEN] Mission 156

[soul_mods]

Characters: Open to participants who signed up here.
Location: Lake Tahoe, CA
Rating: Various.
Time: March 27th, late morning.
Description: The second of the three Madness emitters outside Death City is the target for this mission. Bundle up, everyone -- it's gonna be a cold one.

The mission begins late in the morning, to allow the mission-goers as much sunlight as possible in the warmest part of the day. Not that it'll help much… Temperatures are well below freezing already -- unnatural even for early Spring in the mountains -- and a howling snowstorm threatens to blot out the sun, beginning up the mountain where the slope just begins to rise sharply.

The slopes themselves are fairly barren: a windswept-looking tree here, a cabin that may have once belonged to the snow patrol there, maybe a Madness-crazed bear or mountain lion. Those braving the storm are lucky enough to see five feet in front of their face in these conditions!

Those brave few who manage to make it to the top (enduring falling temperatures and defeating the corrupted fauna and hulking kishin yeti along the way) may come across their goal at the very summit of the half-mile-high mountain: the Madness emitter itself, in the eye of the storm… And one last obstacle: the Witch guarding it.



OOC NOTES.
- The event summary post containing all relevant links is located here.
- Make your own threads, but please indicate in your subject line [CHARACTER(S) | LOCATION | OPEN/CLOSED]
- If you have any further questions, the mod thread on the coordination post is here!

Comments

[silicomb]

[ Luckily for them both, Sollux catches Matt with little difficulty; he's getting better by the night. ]

Straight ahead, right? Remind me why we thought this was a good idea.

[3rdbest]

Yeah. There's nothing up ahead that I can see. [for now]

Because we are the good guys or something. [because that's what L told Matt to do, actually. Find a Meister and train. Eventually, join the war. Matt kind of skipped the "training" step, but he'll deal.]

[silicomb]

[ ooooh if Sollux knew that, he wouldn't have agreed to this. see, somewhere along the way, he'd kinda forgotten that Matt had lost his Death City experience. ]

Yes, because that totally constitutes as a perfectly liable reason, given that good and evil is purely objective. How could I have ever questioned this indisputable fact?

[ gosh walking is hard in the cold. ]

[3rdbest]

Sarcasm, Sollux, sarcasm.

We are doing this to level up. There's no way I'm just gonna sit here while everyone levels up, I want that too. [ and god he wants a smoke as well. ]

There is a tree to the left, at ten o'clock.

[silicomb]

You ever hear the old, universal adage of "one step at a time, dumbass"? I think it'd apply stupendously to you.

[ not like Sollux wasn't exactly like that when he first arrived. no one needs to know that. nope. ]

Most grublickers just getting their Weapon-y or Meister-y legs going tend to pick out less dangerous or completely shitty missions. Just as an FYI.

[3rdbest]

[if Matt was in his normal form and if Sollux wasn't blind, he'd have seen him roll his eyes] What5 you want me to do now? Turn the opposite way and run off?

We are here; period. Can't do shit about that now.

cries, i am so behind on this, i'm so sorry

[silicomb]

[ have a scoff, Matt, Sollux-style. ]

Let's hope that when the fecal matter hits the whirling blade device, we'll actually be able to do shit about it.

[ Matt may be able to feel it, in their semblance of resonance: the fresh flowering of adolescent doubt. ]

it's okay, don't worry! <3

[3rdbest]

[ he can feel it, and honestly, it doesn't please Matt. Because that makes him nervous, since he is being wielded.

And it was weird to feel someone else's state. This whole resonance thing was invasive as hell, in every way. ]

Let's just keep going. [ not mentioning any of it, nop. ] And there is a cabin up ahead.

ahuu thank you ;u; <3

[silicomb]

[ resonance is invasive and utterly awkward up until the point it isn't. which is hardly ever. Sollux dislikes it, the same way he kinda doesn't mind it.

life's hard and nobody understands. ]

Should we fill in the trope of camping the day in a strange mountainside log-hive to be picked off in a variety of hilarious ways by some buzzsaw-wielding madtroll? Because, you know, I'm all up for that.

[ there'd be less snow, for instance. that's always a plus. ]

Or you just pointing it out so I don't squash my sniffer in further on it?

[3rdbest]

I get it that you'd love to spend a day and a night inside a small cabin with nothing but body heat to warm us up. I gotta admit, it's tempting, honestly.

[Sometimes, Matt forgets he used to date Sollux before. Or maybe he purposefully ignores that fact since Sollux never said anything about it and Matt didn't ask.]

But it's the later. It's like 6 meters ahead.

[silicomb]

[ it's easier to ignore it and carry on like nothing's the matter. sometimes he even comes close to believing the tactic works. sometimes. but who was Sollux to ever talk about his feelings? hah. feelings. feelings were for wigglers. ]

You break my cardiovascular pump, bro. Left or right?

[ can't be too bad, if they haven't frozen yet. that's a good sign, right? of course it is. yeah. ]

[3rdbest]

[ it's not like feelings mess up resonance or anything, right? ]

Uh. Left, I guess. Though I can't see much besides a three like 20 meters from the cabin. [ SIGHS ] Fuck... I hate snow.

[silicomb]

I heard that. [ conversationally! but he turns in the indicated direction, and slogs onward. ]

Any plans for after we miraculously survive this snowy goddamn hell?

[3rdbest]

[Thanks for mentioning the fact they are fucked over and over again, Sol. You are a pal. And with that, Matt's need for a cigarette grows.]

No idea. So far, I'm happy enough that you didn't fall and roll down the hill. [considering all the clothing Sollux seemed to be wearing, it didn't look as if he'd be able to get up if he did fall]

How many times did you and the later-me [since he can't say "past-me"] go on a mission?

[silicomb]

Whereas I'm happy you didn't freeze to my gloves.

[ stop that Matt, he can kinda feel the cigarette-itch in the back of his head now. it's a really weird feeling. ]

Couple of times, at best. We're not exactly heroic mission-busting material, are we?

[3rdbest]

Aha, there's still that chance.

[ he can't stop it. Each step Sollux takes, it gets worse and worse. Actually, a little more and he will get snappy. But he is trying to keep a decent mood by making conversation, at least. ]

Unless it's on screen. But- kinda want to level up. [ see it like a video game. Maybe it won't be that bad ]

[silicomb]

[ Matt's irritation is very, dangerously close to carrying over, and it doesn't take very much at all to push Sollux to the edge of snappiness himself. turbulent waters, here. ]

Same. It just takes practice. You know, next time we could just go to morning training? Shitty as the hours they set it for are.

[ less of a chance of either them losing a limb. maybe. ]

[3rdbest]

Been there - too many people, no thanks. Rather go train by myself. [ which would never happen because Matt doesn't have much self discipline when it comes to physical exercise ]

Hey. Stop.

[ he can't handle this, he needs to smoke ] I need a smoke.

[silicomb]

Do you really fucking have to?

[ but he stops anyway, directing a blind glower most dire at the portal gun in his hands. ]

Okay, sure. Let's just fall behind a while because you need to fuck up your tarred aeration sacs a little bit more, okay.

[3rdbest]

Falling behind on what, do you think we can actually climb this whole fucking mountain of doom? If they made it any bigger we'd reach the psychotic sun. [ yep, he is cranky ]

And at least one of us will be in a better mood. Or maybe just relax a bit. [ not that facing death makes anyone happy, but hell, Matt would like to do it without being reminded he will die, every 5 seconds. ]

[silicomb]

Relax? Sure, okay. I can totally do that.

[ says Sollux with a gaunt kinda grin, right before he drops Matt's Weapon form into the snow. ]

Because I'm definitely not the one who signed us up for this shit-mission that's probably far too many levels above our pay-grade, yeah.

[3rdbest]

You fucking-!! [the moment Matt is dropped, he turns, looking up at Sollux] Fuck you! You didn't have to accept! [he gets up, quickly]

No one pointed a gun at your head and told you to come. If you are that pissy about it, stay behind, kid. [ hands searching for his pack of cigarettes ] I don't have to deal with this shit.

[ Matt is pissed. He is angry about the cold, about not being able to use his portals, about not having nicotine, about Sollux complain, about being dropped into the snow like that, about this whole goddamn place which was getting to his head, somehow. ]

[ The moment Matt found a cancer stick, he put it to his mouth, but lighting it up in this weather is impossible. He does try a lot of times, but ends up heading towards the cabin to use it to cover himself (and his lighter) from the wind. ]

[silicomb]

I'm not a fucking kid, corpsemeat, watch your rancid gaping mealtunnel. I went with you because who the fuck else would stand your stupid lousy smoker's cough?

[ Sollux is angry. he's pissed. he's positively furious and could very well chew nails if they were available. it's like the mountain's trying to get to him, wiggling its way into his pan the way Matt's nicotine addiction was, and it only makes him angrier.

hearing Matt's receding footsteps is only additional oil on the fire. ]

Like I even need you! Fuck.

[3rdbest]

Don't know what the fuck you are complaining about; I heard you used to have your goddamn tongue down my throat quite often, after all. [ oh snap, he went there. And Matt doesn't even seem to understand it himself. He is trying to light his cigarette once again, but a sound stops him.

Matt looks up and staring down at him, at the top of the cabin's roof, a cougar (that seems to be the size of a goddamn tiger) seems to have found its dinner. ]

Sol- [ he has time to snap out of it, but not to finish. The animal suddenly jumps on him, throwing Matt to the ground, which causes he to let out a scream. ]

[silicomb]

[ Matt's barb is a sharp one, sharp enough to shock Sollux into relative silence. Oh, there's hurt in spades, yes indeed, quite a fair amount, but it's just as quickly lost in the roiling anger bubbling back up to the surface. He's about to retort, to yell or shout, perhaps, maybe even to march over to Matt and kick him in the shins when the scream hits him next.

That's definitely not what he was expecting. Was he shrieking in stupid gamer triumph? Did he burn his eyebrows off with his cigarette?

Maybe it was because of that very ominous, very dangerous-sounding growl there. Huh. ]

Matt!