escordvi | June Catch-All | Open To All (Some Closed)

Entry tags:

June Catch-All | Open To All (Some Closed)

Who: Darin Altway and YOU
Status: Open and a few Closed
Where: Everywhere
What: MANTA board missions and Darin's birthday!
Warnings: Hilarity, stupidity, with a case of emotions and heartstring pulling

1 Heart Break Hotel - MANTA (4 pts)

[Darin couldn't help but laugh when he saw this job posting. 'Help start a fight?' That was about all of the incentive he needed to take what was basically the easiest job in the world. If there was one thing Darin was good at, it was starting an unnecessary fight. Hell, he'd been doing that for years!]

[But once he was at the bar, he got to hear more of the situation. And Darin couldn't help but feel for Captain Seakid. Gods know if he were in his shoes, he'd be just as miserable, if not moreso. Now, hearing the reason behind the captain's funk, a new plan starts to form in his mind.]

[First, he needs someone willing to take a dramatic swing at him.]

[Maybe you're here for the same thing. Maybe you're just someone looking to drink in peace. But this 6'3" musclebound shounen idiot is going to sidle up next to you.]

Hey, I need you to do me a favor. I need you to loudly proclaim that I'm the one who stole Captain Seakid's fiancé and take a swing at me.

[Yes, that is all you're getting unless you ask for more. But hey, free punch?]

2 Closing Loose Ends - MANTA (6pts)

[Ever since his very public arrest, Darin was itching to help track down the bastards that were responsible for throwing the Armadas into a frenzy. The masterminds behind all of this have not only caused pain and strife amongst the victims and their loved ones, trust was at an all time low and now Elah has swum the coop. People were hurting and those responsible were free to do as they pleased, even though they were on the run. That? That didn't sit right with Darin.]

[Fortunately, Darin's made enough connections to learn a few rumors. Get a few names. One name that kept coming up was one Captain Grimshaw Kaiser, a rather notorious Corsair Admiral who used not only his power and money, but his considerable fleet of ships to help transport victims and stymie investigations. He's one of the few people not openly on the run and, in fact, is flagrantly holding a banquet to celebrate the Paladins' state of disarray. It's a high ticket affair and just begs to be crashed.]

[Darin, at least, looks the part. He's traded out his usual sleeveless coat for a more formal affair. He rented black suit with some silver and blue trim and even has his hair gelled back to give him a little more of a sleek, snarky appearance.]

So, this guy thinks he's untouchable. Pretty sure we can prove him wrong tonight. But once we try and take him down, I'm pretty sure everyone here is going to look to get a piece of us. You gonna be alright?

[If you're up for crashing a raucous, black tie Corsair affair, Darin will absolutely have recruited you.]

3 Jumping the Shark - Closed to Garrus

[If there was a worse time for the Krahs to attack, this absolutely was it. With the people of Elah without their leviathan and struggling to keep their island (literally) together, the people could use all of the help they could get.]

[Darin was already on site trying to shore up defenses before the next big Krah push. Making sure people were out of contested areas, building bottlenecks to try and keep the sharkfolk at bay, anything he could do to stem some of the fear and anxiety choking the populace.]

[He wasn't expecting to get a call from Garrus about a massive push from the bastards. Something about bringing in 'big guns?' Gods, what is it with guns and this guy?]

[Darin breaks off from his work and makes a beeline for Garrus' position. Hopefully he's not in it too deep, but he'll be able to hear Darin coming well before the Krah even know what's going on. There's an almost telltale rumble on the beach as those 'big guns' draw close.]

4 Birthday Drinks (June 10th) - Closed to Zelda

[Never before had Darin had such an incredible birthday. He had no idea what his girlfriend had planned, but when she approached him with two tickets to a special exhibit on Native Plantlife and Symbiotic Relationships with the Leviathans, Darin couldn't be more thrilled by the prospect. An actual museum? And a special, limited exhibit? Darin had never been to a museum before! Darin wasn't even really allowed on the campuses back in Arclight because he was just a tradesman! Not only was this the perfect opportunity to learn more about the world, he got to do it with the woman of his dreams!]

[He wasn't sure how he wanted to dress, but he felt wearing his usual seemed too informal. What does someone even wear to a museum? On a date? For your birthday??? After much hemming and hawing and some sizeable input from Zelda, he'd opted for some nice tan slacks, a tucked in white undershirt, and a somewhat form fitting but still presentable light blue, button down shirt. He'd unbuttoned the sleeves and rolled them up to his elbows and opened the top two buttons of his shirt giving him a classy but still relaxed appearance. He felt...good. Normal. And gods above was he excited to share the day with Zelda. His day.]

[The exhibit was fascinating and Darin's enthusiasm was at a fevered pitch. After lunch, they'd spent the afternoon at the exhibit where he filled half a fresh notebook with sketches and notes, all of which he was eager to compare with Zelda's notes. Now, with dinner finished, they were on their way to a small bar. Why? Because Darin has a ritual he has to complete. One he'd asked Zelda to be a part of.]

[This day wasn't just Darin's birthday alone. No, it was his twin brother Dromas' birthday as well. And ever since Darin was able to drink, he made it his mission to spend the evening of his birthday drinking and ruminating over his lost brother. He'd always done it alone and tonight, for the first time, he asked his better half to join him. But the excitement of the day hasn't boiled down quite yet.]

I seriously had no idea that plants could be so...complicated! And the idea that some plants might have changed and evolved because of their proximity to the leviathans?? It makes total sense!

I'm gonna be thinking about this for weeks!

[He's smiling from ear to ear, practically skipping as he holds Zelda's hand as they approach the small bar.]

5 Surprise Party (June 11th) - OPEN

[Darin's never wanted to make a big deal out of his birthday. Ever since he lost his twin brother as a child, his birthday just served as a memory that he was alone in the world. The other person he was meant to share the day with was gone and he persisted on in a world where no one wanted him. His adopted father did his best to give him good birthdays but Darin knew it was difficult for the man to broach the subject when Darin himself just didn't know if he truly had a place in his world.]

[So, after the high of having someone to spend the day with yesterday, it would be particularly hard to bring Darin down. He was ushered out of the house early by Zelda to check the Heroine for some emergency and impromptu maintenance and...well, the extent of the damage was definitely more than he was expecting. It almost seemed petty. Who in the hell would take the individual chains of the anchor and weld them together into one solid, unbending line?! For hours, Darin spent breaking apart the chain and replacing each link by hand with his incredible strength because whoever pulled this stunt was going to find these chains wrapped around their stupid throat as he keelhauled them through the open water! And who goes up to a docked ship and sabotages the anchor?! It's not going anywhere!! You'd think to scuttle the damn ship or just...anything else! There's so many guns on the ship?! Why didn't anyone mess with them?!]

[Gods, he's going to have to talk to Garrus about security.]

[By the time he wanders home, it's late afternoon. The sun is beginning to hang low in the sky and Darin had spent just enough time on that tedious project that his mood was beginning to tank. All he wanted was a nice dinner, a nice shower, and to crawl into bed with Zelda and be done with the day.]

[When he opens the door to find people yelling 'SURPRISE' in his face...Darin doesn't know what to think. He...turns around. Was someone behind him? No, no one was behind him. When he turns back, he's obviously bewildered. That is...until he sees the decorations. The faces of his friends...]

[...A cake. A cake just like the one Acteon had always gotten for him. Vanilla with chocolate swirls and frosting. Topped with crushed hazelnuts. With candles lit, flames dancing with the subdued energy of the room.]

[Only one other person knew about this cake. And she's the one who undoubtedly put this all together.]

[He doesn't even close the door after him. He stumbles in slowly, like his feet are two ton lead weights. He looks around, as if questioning his own eyes. People were here for him? For his birthday? For his birthday?]

[He opens his mouth to say something but nothing comes out. He opens his mouth again to much the same result. Three times he starts and then balks, finding himself struck speechless.]

[For most of his life, Darin wondered if maybe he was a mistake. He survived at the cost of his twin brother and from that moment on, people branded him a curse. A cursed child with tainted blue hair, whose existence would surely bring misfortune. Every year that passed only one man celebrated him. He grew older and watched as people his age went their separate ways. Started their journeys. He'd watch as their future prospects unraveled before them while he stood, stranded, as if stuck in a moment in time that refused to end. Whatever his future was, was it worth it if he was always going to be alone? And, what's worse, when he found out what he truly was at the hands of the brother he thought he lost, he began to wonder if maybe he never should have been born at all. He spent his last birthday wondering if being stranded in this world was what was best for his own. Here, the prophecy couldn't come to pass. Here, he could live out his life in isolation and obscurity. No matter how much it hurt him, at least his world would be safe without him.]

[He never in his life would have expected to find a home. A home, here, built with his own hands. Shared with the woman he loves and a bevy of friends who actually care about him. Who are happy he exists.]

[Happy that he was born.]

[He swallows the lump in his throat, even as the flames of the candles reflect off the tears welling in his eyes. He wrings his hands nervously. For the first time, that mask of bravado slips in a public setting to reveal the young man who has so desperately wished all of his life for a place to call his own. He bows his head until finally, words come tumbling out.]

...F...For me??

[It's incredulous and hopeful. Words of such gratitude it can't be measured. That the events before him beggar belief. And finally, when he receives his confirmation, he bows his head and wipes his eyes with the back of his hand as the events of the day finally click in his mind, he lifts his head and smiles like no one, save Zelda, has ever seen before.]

Okay, which one of you bastards melted the anchor chain?? I seriously have some words for you!

[He's laughing. He's laughing so hard because it's the only thing keeping the tears at bay. The happiest tears of his life.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[One of those bottlenecks is precisely where Garrus has holed himself up. How does he keep putting himself in these positions? A narrow stretch of beach, between huge rocky outcroppings, funneling the bastards down the sand, instead of from all sides. It's no apartment on Omega, but it's oddly close. It also keeps them from swarming from the sea.]

[But there's a hell of a lot of them. And while he is a damn good shot, the sheer numbers are eventually going to overwhelm his position. Shepard is always a possibility, but she's not near enough. So he called in a different backup.]

[The sound registers, and he pauses from his work. Listening. Okay, that's not the enemy, that's - ]

About damn time... [He mutters over his gun, and takes aim at another sharkfolk's head. Like he didn't make the call less than five minutes ago.]

[Last year, Darin was still hiding his powers. He wasn't sure where he fit in or if this world would ever truly have a place for him. But over the last year, a lot has changed. Darin's changed. And he's feeling more free than he ever has in his life. Free to fight. Free to show his power.]

[Free to do what's right.]

[It doesn't take long to get to Garrus. Not when one strong leap can cover entire swaths of ground. And from that height, it's easy to see where the Krah are swarming from. A wide beach with little in way of defenses, save for some of the outcroppings. Not exactly beachfront property which is why there's little in the way of structures or defenses.]

[Maybe some watchtowers would be a good idea. Something to consider later.]

[In the moment, Darin drops in like a bomb, hitting the sand behind the crowd of Krah swarming Garrus and sending up a plume of sand. The force of his landing is enough to temporarily draw the attention away from Garrus to see what the new threat is.]

[Darin dusts himself off, smirking.]

Come on, Garrus! You called me over for just this many??

What, you low on ammo or something?

[... When the hell did he learn to do that.]

[No, not important. More important is the fight. In picking off the stunned Krah while they're still trying to figure out what just happened here.]

I was saving some for you! Didn't think you wanted me to have all the fun!

[One of the Krah drops where it stands, off to Darin's left.]

I'm ahead, by the way!

Oh the hell you are! You don't get to start counting until I get here! Do all Turians cheat or are you just the outlier?!

[Despite his protests, Darin's particularly high spirits. He doesn't bother drawing his dao, no sense making this go too quickly. Besides, how often does someone get to punch a shark?]

[He pivots and gets to work, throwing straights like battering rams that not only blast into the scaly hides of the Krah in front of him, but the force travels straight through to several behind them. Each punch cracks off like a cannon blast, dropping them hard to the beach. He's thinned out the throng in front of Garrus that he can start making a push back towards the surf.]

So, when do we drop the pretenses and you just admit you called me in to save your ass, huh??

That's fifteen by the way!

I never claimed I was the best example of my species!

[And there they go. Punching and shooting at the creatures swarming the beach. Slowly, the numbers start thinning. But that only seems to spur the shark monsters onward. Make them want to fight harder.]

[He keeps them off Darin's back, keeps to the long-range ones. Lets Darin have the ones getting closer. It's a nice charity, he figures.]

Sixteen! [As another one drops.]

Wait, hold on! Did we set metrics and parameters? Are we doing kills?? Because I'm aiming to wound, not kill! Injuries still count!

In fact, they take more skill!

[Darin sidesteps as a large, bulky sharkman attempts to tackle him to the ground. He sticks a leg out to trip him, then catches his falling form and lifts him above his head to pitch at another small group. With that team bowled over, he rushes forward and lets fly a series of devastating punches...]

[One...five...seven...twelve...]

[A total of fifteen Krah rocket into the sky, teeth and jaws broke as Darin continues to plow the road in a sense. All to come skidding to a stop as some coral armored Krah step forward brandishing some wicked weapons.]

...Armored ones are worth double!

I've been aiming to kill this whole time! I use a rifle!

[Yelled out like Darin should have known that. He could probably just wound with it, easy, but that was never the goal here. It never tended to be his goal at all.]

[He might have aimed a couple shots at the ones in the sky. Out of spite.]

Really? You sure about that?

[Because he's aiming for the eye sockets. And dropping one of the armored guys.]

So?! Go for the legs! Isn't excessive force a bad thing?!

[Says the man who just bowled through an entire phalanx of Krah. Garrus drops one right next to Darin who turns and snaps back.]

Will you stop taking mine?! Stay on your damn SIDE!!

[Darin leaps and slams down onto the sand with enough force to cause a sizeable portion of the beach to erupt into a sand cloud, obscuring a large portion of the battle. From within, the sound of battle erupts. Metal smashing. Bones breaking. Krah roaring in pain. All punctuated by silhouettes of battle and the occasional bulky sharkperson being launched out of the veil of sand to crash into rocks.]

Can't shoot what you can't see! I'm at forty!

Is there a reason you want them alive?

[It's impressive in a way, how much debris gets kicked up by one guy. Even if that guy has the muscle force of a hundred krogan. But it's also extremely not helpful to the guy who needs to see his targets.]

I was watching your back! Now I'm watching dirt!

[Which also is extremely unhelpful, considering one of the Krah comes barreling out of the sand cloud to draw a club back at strike at Garrus' comfortable sniper hideout.]

Also can't see when they're coming at me! [He does manage to drop it, though.]

Sure sounds like a skill issue to me!

[Darin...is not fairing much better. He can't see which means he's getting dogpiled. Thankfully, his strength and natural resilience help but they're beginning to swarm and just happen to be made of a lot of teeth.]

Not everything needs to end in someone dying, Garrus! I'd like it if that were a last resort, honestly!

[Okay, this isn't working. With a flex of his muscles he shrugs off the building mountain of Krah and makes a break for the edge of the debris field. Garrus will see a shock of blue burst out of the sand with...an alarming number of Krah trailing him. At least thirty. Maybe more.]

I have plenty of skill!

[But none of it seems like it applies here. Without something to scan, track or otherwise lock onto targets, it's a lot harder.]

They started it! [And they're trying to kill them.]

[Which seems like a logical statement, anyway. If something is trying to kill you, you have to strike first.]

[As soon as he can see them, he's picking off Krah again. But he keeps his targets away from Darin. You know, as requested.]

[With some distance between him and the horde, Darin skids to a stop neat a boulder that's the size of a car. A boulder which he digs his hands into and tears from the beach, holding it aloft with a rather crazed smile.]

Hey Garrus! Bonus points for taking out multiple with one strike??

[The Krah, for the first time, looked panicked. Because Darin doesn't even look winded after pulling something that big from the ground, and the weight doesn't appear to slow him down.]

[Interestingly enough, Darin still hasn't even drawn his dao.]

Don't tempt me!

[He does a bit of a double-take at the size of that rock. It was a surprise, to say the least, that Darin just opened up on these things. Usually he's... more reserved about all this.]

[But hey. Maybe this is an improvement.]

I told you about the three mercs, one bullet. [As he's lining up the next shot. There's a neat line of Krah looking very tempting...]

Tempt you! Pretty sure that would only benefit me!

[Because Darin digs his hands into the stone and starts to spin wildly, pivoting on his heel while his other leg propels him like a top. The whooshing sound of the stone intensifies as he picks up speed until he releases it like a shotput, sending it screaming in a straight line through the ranks of the Krah, leaving most of them rather grievously wounded. Mainly because the strength Darin used made the boulder seem like a runaway bullet train. The boulder keeps going until it hits the surf...then skips several times as if it were a pebble before exploding into the water in a massive plume of water.]

[Darin, now dizzy, takes a few stumbling steps back.]

...How many was that??

Sixty??

[All right, maybe this was a losing bet from the start. One sniper rifle versus whatever the hell Darin can do out there. He picks his targets, one by one. Darin practices krogan combat.]

[... But that doesn't mean he's not going to pick off some of the wounded ones the boulder leaves in its wake.]

That only counts as one!

[He knows that's not going to be accepted, but he has to say it anyway. That, and put a round through one of the Krah trying to skulk up behind Darin.]

What?! How?! Did you not see how many I just took out?! We're gonna have to get your damn eyes checked before&mdadh;

[Darin stops as he realizes that the only marginally wounded Krah appear to be on a full retreat back to the water. That...seemed weird.]

...That seemed kinda easy. Also I absolutely kicked your ass.

One hit, one score.

[He's only saying that because Darin won. He'd be less prickly otherwise, for sure.]

[In fact... he lifts the rifle again in a sudden, swift motion. And puts one more round through the head of the Krah nearest to Darin. Who was all but crushed with a rock.]

- One more for me.

I THOUGHT YOU WERE SHOOTING TO WOUND—

[Darin's angry protest is cut off by a roar coming from offshore. The smith cranes his head behind him to see what appears to be a giant shark...that also happens to be a ship.]

[That's right, the Krah had shark ships last time, didn't they.]

[The shark swims about, turning away from the landmass...to show two enormous harpoon mounted on it's back, aimed and primed to fire. Two blasts is all it takes and enormous iron harpoons have lodged themselves deep within the beach, causing plumes of sand and debris to rocket into the air.]

[With the landmass hooked, the Krah ship turns and begins to swim, causing a cacophony of cracks to split the air. They're trying to rip the island apart.]

...How many points for the big one?

... Crap.

[An underwhelming reply, maybe. But what the hell else is he supposed to say here? No explosives on him. No heavy artillery to be seen. If they keep pulling, they're going to wreck the landmass and people are going to suffer.]

Pause the game. Can you cut the ropes? [The harpoons may be iron, but they've got heavy rope attachments. He's hopping over the barrier he'd been bunkered down behind. The ships aren't too far out. Not for his range.] I'll keep them off you if you can!

[They can settle their score keeping when the stakes are lowered again.]

Yeah...yeah, I can...

[Garrus might want to be concerned about that tone. He'd recognize it. That's the tone Darin has when he's got an idea.]

Keep shooting. Whatever you do, don't stop. I'm about to give you a barrel of fish.

[Darin sprints to the first rope, wound and as thick around as his leg. He grips the rope with one hand while drawing his dao with the other. The rope slices cleanly as Darin lurches, being yanked off his feet by the pull of the shark. He skids across the beach, face down until he slams face first into a large rock with an awful crunch.]

[But he holds firm. In fact, the rock give him some good leverage to get on his feet. Now, he just needs the other rope.]

[He trudges as he pulls back on the first rope, winding it around his arm from wrist to shoulder. When he reaches the other rope, he grips it and finds himself at an impasse.]

...Oi! Garrus! Think you can cut this one with a shot or three?

[... Oh space jesus why.]

If you die, I'm telling the captain it was your fault!

[Regardless, he's moving. There's a convenient pile of rubble that Darin went ahead and made. He can climb a bit for a better vantage point and still stay in cover. Popping out only when he's in position, to start taking shots at the Krah manning the ropes.]

[They're not expecting it, not at the range they're at. There's a lot of chaos on board as a result. He does wince at the sound of that CRUNCH, but, focus. Don't lose focus.]

Three? Who do you think I am! [Hopefully it won't take more than 2. If he hits it with a concussive shot first... Steady. Compensate for the motion. Lead the shot...]

[The concussive shot works. The rope snaps with a deafening CRACK.]

[Darin seizes the rope and digs his heels into the ground as he proceeds to wrap that rope around his arm as well. With both ropes secured and blood quickly being cut off to his arms, Darin faces inland.]

[And starts to march.]

[Muscles heave, sweat pours down his face, and the Krah Battleshark is having a really hard time swimming away.]

[Darin's actively reeling it in. Drawing it closer.]

I get a half point for every krah you take down, this is an assist and you know it!

You know I'm not aiming to injure, right?!

[That he's aiming to kill.]

[The Krah though, they didn't expect this. There's a lot of panicked shark yelling from the ship. A lot of pointing and readying of weapons, to try and take out the lone man pulling the ship against the way it wants to go.]

[They don't last long. Any one who makes a move toward a weapon drops. In a smooth rhythm.]

Okay, at this point?! I don't really have the luxury of caring!

[He's not a fan, but these krah are monsters at best. That's how he's at least attempting to rationalize all of this. If he doesn't stop this, Elah and what remains of it will be in even more dire straits if not destroyed outright.]

I need you to tell me when the big one hits the sandbar!

[His arms are going numb.]

Good!

[You don't have that luxury a lot, in his experience. Almost never. At this rate, though, there won't be a lot of Krah left to pilot the ship - but that's less of a problem and more of a benefit.]

[He waits. Glancing between the ship and the sandbar... and...]

Now!

Jumping the Shark

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