[Audio] @fjord, Unhappy Discoveries [May 11]

[fjorgedinfire]

[There's silence for a few moments, as Fjord collects himself. When he does talk, he sounds... tense, and upset, but it's wrapped up tight in a calm facade.]

During the flood, I accidentally discovered an underground tunnel that connects to the church - some sort of mineshaft, almost. I went back after the waters went back down, the other day, and I found a torch down there too, with...

[With Mollymauk's horn. He clears his throat, and continues.]

And, uh... with Soldat earlier today, we went explorin' it properly. Turns out that it connects to that trapdoor in the floor - there's some kind of fancy lock on the underside that we didn't try messing with. Followed it the other way too - about fifteen minutes of walking took us to an intersection, and about the same again took us to this big, steel door. Looks like it was supposed to be locked, but the storm fucked it up enough that we could get inside.

[There's silence, and a quiet, but audible, tremble to his deep breath.]

...well. You could almost call it a catacomb, really, there were. [Another, briefer, pause, and a faint tremor that comes out as an almost amused bounce to his voice.] Actual, uh. Dead bodies in it. There were. Five of them, all up. Covered in mushrooms and decayed as fuck, I don't-- I got no idea how long they might've been down there.

[And another pause, the longest yet.]

Kal-El, Alisaie, and... Mollymauk. I didn't see... there wasn't anything to identify the other two bodies.

[There's a light clatter, identifiable as him putting the tablet down on a hard surface. Another audible breath. And he continues a bit more calmly.]

After that we doubled back, got to the intersection and tried the second path. Not sure how long we were on it for, but given how steep it was, seems like we must've gone under the river - sure sounded like it. That took us to this big twisting tunnel going up. Not sure which direction we were pointin' by the end of it but there was another trapdoor at the top, locked again. Didn't look like there was anywhere else to go besides one a' those trapdoors or- or the door on the other side of that catacomb.

So if anyone wants to go tryin' one a' those locks to see what's on the other side, give us a shout if you get it open, yeah?

Comments

@purin; text, private

[flangirl]

[ Oh. Oh, oh no. ]

[ Pudding doesn't recognize any of those names, but the way Fjord says them... ]

[ Not just dead, but - oh god, she can only imagine the smell, and has to cover her mouth and nose with her hand at the thought. ]

[ Shit. ]

> Can I bring you something to drink?

[ She thought about writing do you want company, but ~manly men~ don't usually respond honestly to questions like that. ]

Text @ Soldier

[worthallthis]

[Public:]

I can answer any questions about this, too.

[Private to Fjord:]

I told you I would have made the announcement if it would have been easier Fjord.

[Because it is super clear that really shook Fjord up, dammit, and they don't like listening to him sound like that. Again.]

Private text

[fjorgedinfire]

It needed saying, and I'd rather do it myself.


[It takes a few extra moments for the second message to come.]


This is the second time I wasn't there for Molly dying.

[fjorgedinfire]

[ Fjord is totally 100% a Manly Men. Yes. ]

> I'd appreciate it. I can meet you in the Invincible, my room's there.

[flangirl]

> I'm happy to bring it up to your room, if you'd like. The front room is still a little... untidy.

[ Full of smashed shit and graced by a giant ugly grinning peanut statue. ]

[fjorgedinfire]

> Yeah, I suppose it is.

> My room's 203. Door's open for you.

[worthallthis]

[Shit this is not something Soldat is great at via text. (Or at all. I dunno, you're better than some people. No. I'm going with Asset, this time, Sarge.)

But they're better in person. Sigh.]

where are you. I'm bringing beer

@silent | voice

[callada]

Bodies, huh? Connected to the church. And we know who used the church and its tunnel system to keep bringing us back. Guess there's a lot we still don't know about how that actually works, though.

Can you describe the lock system?

[fjorgedinfire]

Not well, they were all a bit beyond my time. It had, uh. Ten numbers on it, one to nine in a grid and zero on the bottom with some symbols on either side of it. Looked like a noughts-and-crosses board and a star.

[callada]

Huh. Never seen anything like that, myself. Needs a number combination to unlock, I guess that much is obvious.

[And since this post is forward-dated, then...]

You try asking that robot on the network? Those tunnels have got to be connected to Dr. Solis somehow, maybe it knows.

@langit; text;

[arsarcanum]

i can do locks but if you're talking about a fancy keypad one it... could kinda depend on the lock
you holding up okay?

[fjorgedinfire]

I didn't see any holes on it, that's about the extend of my lock knowledge.

I'm fine. [Which is always code for 'I'm not fine', isn't it?] Just need a nap after all that.

[fjorgedinfire]

[...shit. He didn't. Mean for that to make Soldat come over.

Welp.]

In my room. 203.

==> action

[worthallthis]

[Well, then don't post things to the network sounding sad, Fjord. You're friends now. That means you get friend things. Like bringing beer when a you're sad because somebody died.

Soldat is there in five minutes flat, with two bottles of beer, and a very large jug of something clearly alcoholic. There's like a gallon of it.]

These are for you. This one's for me.

[fjorgedinfire]

[He feels like he shouldn't be surprised at how quickly Soldat gets there, but it's a little unnerving.

Still, Soldat gets a smile when he opens the door, tired as it is, and he takes the beers, stepping aside to let his friend in.]

Thanks, Soldat. Sorry to unload that on y'all.

[worthallthis]

[He'd just been downstairs, so it's not like it was hard. And they and Misty haven't moved out of the Invincible again yet, so swinging by their room to grab the booze hadn't taken long.]

It's fine. Got to tell somebody, right?

[They come in, and set the jug down, producing a small cup from a pocket to fill.]

Maybe it'll help.

@HK

[catholicisms]

( troubling. and also horrific. )

A tunnel under the river? What would the point of that be?

The bodies... I don't know. Not everyone can be revived, it's possible that those are the unlucky ones that couldn't come back.

[fjorgedinfire]

I'd assume to get to the other side of it without needing to surface. [ask a stupid question] But there's definitely gotta be some sort of building south-west of the church that we haven't found yet. Probably south of that, uh. Bicycle shop.

[His voice turns a bit stiff.] I already know not everyone gets revived. But up 'til now, they weren't supposed to leave corpses either. They just got left there...

[That's the part that's getting him. That his old team-mate and new friends were just left to literally rot.]

action

[flangirl]

[ Pudding takes a little more time than strictly necessary preparing drinks, taking the time to... get her bearings, internally. A week or so of Conveniently Avoiding Fjord, with plenty of cleanup and cataloguing to keep her occupied as an excuse, has given her time to... well. Very Much Not Process, but calm down a bit. ]

[ It'll be fine. She just has to make sure he never sees it again. ]

[ She still knocks softly before entering with two mugs on a tray (and some tea biscuits, and soft jerky, and a cup of broth - she's not letting you get away with not-eating if you haven't, Fjord). Her smile is soft, somber. Gentle. ]

Room service?

[fjorgedinfire]

[ When Fjord opens the door for her, his eyes are a bit red, but he still manages to give her a tired smile. ]

I mighty appreciate it, miss Pudding. Come on in.

[ If she's been in the other rooms in the Invincible before, his is no different. It's... honestly remarkable in how it barely seems like anyone lives here at all. He's left nearly no impression of his existence, save for a few disparate items scattered on shelves: a gold and black jar that shimmers with an inner light, set next to a pile of iridescent opals; a gorgeous red-hilted rapier, cleaned to a shine and balanced neatly on its tip; and a spiralling purple horn, rather like a ram's, clean and chilled like it got snapped off, with grooves and chiselled holes that indicate they were made intentionally. ]

[ It's not particularly neat, but it's not a pig-sty either. It just. Kind of unremarkable is. ]

I'm sorry to inconvenience y'all like this, you didn't have to do all that. [ He gestures to her tray of food as she enters. ]

[fjorgedinfire]

[Soldat hasn't really come in Fjord's room before, huh? It's pretty bare, with nothing to really mark the room as being Fjord's. The sword they found, Fjord has since cleaned up and propped up against a wall where it can't fall over, and the spiralling horn has been cleaned of mud and placed on a shelf.]

Yeah. Maybe.

[He's definitely opening the beer at least, after he closes the door again, and takes a long sip as he moves back to Soldat and sits on the couch next to the lounge table his friend has claimed.]

It's just. [He pauses, silent for a long moment like he's debating something. Gives a long sigh, and... when he starts talking, his accent has switched to the British one.] It's a fucking thing, seeing everyone like that, you know?

[flangirl]

[ Pudding's been in most of the rooms she could talk her way into, finding flood storage and battening down hatches, as it were. Fjord's doesn't look like it's any more occupied than the empty ones they'd crammed supplies into. ...Sort of less so. Not that she has a lot of room to talk; she's had a lot more draw on her attention since arriving than interior decorating. ]

You hush, Fjord. [ She sets the tray on the most appropriate level surface, then picks up the larger mug and holds it out for him, handle-first. It's warm, a mulled dark ale, a little sweet and plenty spicy, with a splash of brandy. It probably took longer to make than the little food setup did. ] It's no inconvenience to be kind to a friend.

[fjorgedinfire]

[ That would be the lounge table in front of the double couch, on which Fjord also sits after he receives his drink. ]

You're a real kind character. [ His smile seems a little bit more genuine, in that moment. ] I do appreciate you doin' all this, really. [ He takes a small sip as he leans forward, resting his free elbow on his knee. ]

@badeaux, voice

[ultraviolents]

[ that is...a whole lot to unpack. elektra's not generally one for comfort so she doesn't try, but she does feel for him. ]

How do you mean fancy? Can it be picked, or would it require a code?

[worthallthis]

[Soldat settles on the floor on the other side of that table, cradling their drink without trying it yet. (They haven't tried it yet, honestly.) Their expression is sad and thoughtful, nodding a little.]

It was a thing. A not great thing. I didn't think anything could kill Kal-El. I wish we could have identified the other two.

[They look up briefly in Fjord's direction, then back down at their cup.]

I'm really sorry about your friend.