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legionmissions2017-04-27 07:08 pm
letsgolegion) wrote in legionmissions2017-04-27 07:08 pm
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD [modplot]
Who| Anyone who wants in
What| "To Have and to Hold" plot
Where| The planet Olum, Matihara Temple
When| Set vaguely the same time as "Gods Among Us" and "Other Mother"
Warnings/Notes| N/A
The planet Olum is a genuinely welcoming place. While the clothes they have to wear for the rituals are a bit...odd (provided they don't opt for coverups), they are comfortable, especially with such a balmy climate. Despite the Olumites allowing outsiders into their ceremonies, there's a distinct lack of tourist-ey elements; no gift shops, no merchants selling anything, just a spirit of genuine unity and celebration. The Olumite marriage guides seem to genuinely care about helping people with their relationships, and seem happy to share their cultural traditions with other species.
As far as missions go, it's definitely a nice vacation from the usual life or death struggles.
It means the Legionnaires have no distractions. They have to settle in and try to navigate this while faking sincerity as best as they can.
[ooc: All information about the setting can be found on the infopost.]
What| "To Have and to Hold" plot
Where| The planet Olum, Matihara Temple
When| Set vaguely the same time as "Gods Among Us" and "Other Mother"
Warnings/Notes| N/A
The planet Olum is a genuinely welcoming place. While the clothes they have to wear for the rituals are a bit...odd (provided they don't opt for coverups), they are comfortable, especially with such a balmy climate. Despite the Olumites allowing outsiders into their ceremonies, there's a distinct lack of tourist-ey elements; no gift shops, no merchants selling anything, just a spirit of genuine unity and celebration. The Olumite marriage guides seem to genuinely care about helping people with their relationships, and seem happy to share their cultural traditions with other species.
As far as missions go, it's definitely a nice vacation from the usual life or death struggles.
It means the Legionnaires have no distractions. They have to settle in and try to navigate this while faking sincerity as best as they can.
[ooc: All information about the setting can be found on the infopost.]
Wash
It takes a few hours for Wash to get acclimated to the idea that the mission is essentially a couples' spa retreat, but once he's in, he's determined to make the most of it. To that end, he can be found all over the grounds: walking through the glades and admiring the scenery; soaking in the hot pools at the spa; at the beach, either lying on the sand in nothing but swim trunks or chest-deep in the ocean, petting an affectionate frella ray like it's a very large cat.
His hologram projector alters his appearance slightly - removing telling scars, adjusting facial features - but to those who know him, he's still definitely recognizable.
Closed to Chief
It's not that he's nervous, per se. The spacefuture Newlyweds game had been a lot more difficult than this, and they'd opted out of sharing memories
on the off-chance that insanity is contagious, so the singing stones are all that are left. So here they are, standing just outside the ring, and Wash is...hesitating, honestly.He's not sure he wants to hear what his life's story sounds like.
He doesn't really have a choice in the matter.
He looks up at Chief and shrugs. "One at a time or together?" Not that the answer matters, or that he's stalling. He's fine. It's fine. Everything's fine.
no subject
He eyes the stone circle with light skepticism. They've seen other people use them by now, but the Chief has never been much for ceremony. Oh well. It's weird, this whole thing is weird for him, but "weird" is not the worst mission parameter he's had by far.
"I can go first," he says, stepping forward. Might as well get it over with, though he knows better than to say that in front of the Olumites. They have work to do out there, and the Chief's never been cut out for vacationing. (Especially when he's faking it while there's work to do.) Wash can come in with him, or wait. Either outcome is fine by him.
As he enters, the stones start to hum softly. A melody begins to rise, something that moves most in the low registers and carries steadily as different, higher tones thread in and out. Despite occasional clashes, it's very stable, almost serene in a way. Occasionally a sorrowful or a triumphant note creeps in, but they're brief. It's not a song that lingers.
The Chief listens, brow slightly furrowed, trying to decide what he thinks of it. It's not like it means anything, it's an alien stereo system trying to read him. But that doesn't exactly give him a road map for response.
no subject
He doesn't want to step into the ring at all, but as this is absolutely the lesser of two evils, he doesn't get the luxury of refusal.
So he takes a deep breath, lets it out, and steps into the circle. Immediately, another tune joins the first, high and lively, a violin to Chief's cello. It keeps a quick tempo, hitting highs and lows alike but always moving, always forward and always quick, picking up speed as it goes on, faster and faster until it begins to stumble and falter and Wash winces because he knows what's coming next-
And the tune shrieks, a high, raw note just this side a human scream, before tumbling into discord, still pushing brokenly to keep that quick tempo. A nearby Olumite startles and stares at them before regaining their compusure. Wash doesn't bother to meet their eyes, instead listening as the tune - his tune - takes another tumble and then finally rights itself, slipping back into harmony. It's still quick - it can't not be - but it's gained an element of steadiness that wasn't there before.
(And it's harmonizing easily with Chief's tune, but that's not what Wash is focused on in the moment.)
Wash lets out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. "Well. That was fun."
no subject
Okay, perhaps he scowled a little. This is already uncomfortable enough as it is without drawing attention to the scars Wash's holodisguise can't cover.
"Yeah," he replies, focusing back on Wash. The singing stones have settled into their final consensus on what Chief-and-Wash-together sounds like, his subconscious notes. It's inoffensive, perhaps even a bit better than inoffensive, and thus doesn't demand his attention. They were supposed to get something out of this, but he's used to not getting what other people do out of experiences.
He puts an arm across Wash's shoulders. It's something they practiced that's still not quite natural to him, but it seems to be an appropriate thing to do here.
"C'mon. We still have a full itinerary."
no subject
But it does give him a moment to stop and breathe and think and...well, listen. He reaches up and puts a hand on the arm Chief has slung around his shoulders. "Hang on. Just...listen for a minute." Part of it is showing respect to the ritual - they do have to make this convincing, after all - but part of it is actually appreciating the music. He'll never forget the horrifying shriek of his own madness given voice, but the easy music he can hear now helps, soothing the memory with smooth, balanced harmony and melody.
For whatever it's worth, they do sound pretty good together.
no subject
"Alright."
The Chief takes a long, deep breath. He releases it. There. Pace slowed. He tries to focus on the song, to really listen to it in good faith this time instead of quickly writing it off as noise. It's always been difficult for him to assess the quality of music or art. They never interested him when he was small, and Spartan training did nothing to change that.
The song gets upgraded from "not actively unpleasant" to "actually maybe good" in his estimation as a result of this effort, but it's still a digital product of a lie they're telling. Perhaps this is good. If it balances this well, the lie is all the more convincing.
That line of thought reminds him. Right. Married. He's a normal person who's loved another normal person for a long time and he's supposed to be performing that completely alien scenario now. At least Wash leaning into him isn't really new, or even uncomfortable. It might be the only part of this that isn't.
Funny, how that's happened.
He shifts his arm down off the shoulders and around Wash, and makes a concerted effort to be relaxed.
no subject
It is not at all awkward.
Wash had been trying to figure out if they should move or if he could get away with leaning on Chief for a few more moments, so this is...unexpected, to say the least. He blinks and tries a smile. "Um. Thanks?"
no subject
Honestly, he feels a little guilty in the face of the Olumite woman's sincerity. The mission is the most important thing, they have to get through to the lands beyond the temple if they're going to stop the Herald. But in order to do it, they are definitely disrespecting something sacred to these people. It's not enough to stop the Chief, but it is enough to make him wish it didn't have to be this way.
"Nana!" a voice calls, a younger Olumite woman hurries toward them. She gently touches the elder on the elbow. "Nana you can't just go up to people like that!"
Her tone is exasperated, but in a resigned and familiar way. This has clearly been a point of discussion more than once.
"I'm so sorry, I hope she hasn't disturbed you too much. Nana's just always been very passionate about the singing stones." She smiles, but it's an obviously embarrassed expression.
The Chief, at a total loss, just looks to Wash. He's the one leading this half of the op, right?
no subject
But the younger Olumite has thrown them a lifeline, and Wash latches on to it, offering her that same half-embarrassed smile. "It's alright - she caught us a little off guard is all, and, well, he's just shy." He pats Chief's arm affectionately. "But thank you." It's gratitude and a polite dismissal - everything's fine; you're free to take your grandmother and go.
no subject
"Goodbye!" she says. Thank you, she mouths to Wash in particular.
"You're very fortunate to have what you do, I hope your union is a long and happy one!" the elder calls over her shoulder.
"Nana, you're embarrassing me!"
As the women go, the Chief glances sidelong at Wash, arching one eyebrow.
"Shy?"
It would be the first time anyone's called him that, even if it's just a cover. It's hilarious.
Perhaps notably, he hasn't bothered to move away from Wash or pull his arm back yet.
no subject
His other hand is still on Chief's arm, and he's not really thinking about it. It's comfortable.
no subject
The Spartan shakes his head a little, clearing away the thought, the concern for this situation, and all reason to remain standing here.
"Come on," he says. "It's going to be a long hike."
And with that, he disentangles himself from Wash. The preliminaries are over and they have a job to do, he focuses back in on it with his usual laser intensity.
He waits for Wash to step with him before leaving the stones to sink back into a hum, then their former silence.
no subject
"I'm sorry, have we met before?"
Since they're technically undercover, she's going for a vague question and less 'oh hey haven't I seen you around Legion' in case she's wrong.
no subject
He nods politely at the other person on the path, trying to place them. They look so familiar, and he knows all the Legionnaires here are disguised, but-
It's the voice that does it. Right. She was at movie night.
"I think so." He stops and offers her a smile. "What's your favorite scary movie?" It's an innocuous enough question on its own, but if she stayed for the movie, she'd recognize it from Scream.
no subject
"Favorite scary movie ... hm," She thinks for a moment, "The Exorcist. What about you, or was that what I was watching last week?"