asgardchrysalis | AUGUST INTRO LOG: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

AUGUST INTRO LOG: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

Who: EVERYONE
What: the August intro log and first god house competition, More Than Meets the Eye
When: August 8
Where: Gladsheim Palace for breakfast, around Asgard for the game/curse
Rating: PG-13; please take anything higher than this to a private log!

morning: a warm invitation

Everyone wakes up to a friendly invitation to breakfast at the castle with the gods. For most of you, this comes as a message on your bracelet, reading:

Join us at the castle today to welcome some new Wanderers into our midst. Breakfast will be served and a lively game will be available to all of our guests, both new and old.

New Wanderers are curious on their own, and this is the first there's ever been mention of a game. Perhaps it's enough for you to make the trek to the castle, to see what all the fuss is about, or maybe even to see if there's someone you know. Perhaps you want to learn more about the game, or maybe you just want the food.

For our new guests, this comes as a bit more of a surprise. Wherever you were before in your world, without even realizing it, you wake up in a strange new place. No time or space inbetween, just an awareness of There and then Here. A matronly figure tries to explain your circumstances with a sympathetic smile, but ultimately invites you meet them all for yourselves: the Gods of Asgard, and the Wanderers that arrived before you.

The sight that greets you on the castle grounds is a rather festive one, regardless of where you're coming from. Colorful streamers and flags are draped above large tables with room for several guests. Natives bustle about, cheerfully offering food and drinks to anyone that wants some. Everyone is welcomed to mingle and greet the new Wanderers on this bright summer morning.

the game: a friendly competition

Among the brightly decorated tables are ones highlighted in a specific color for a specific god house, and most of the gods themselves can be found sitting behind it with a few of their district's natives. They are here to welcome the new Wanderers into Asgard - but they're also here to explain the rules of today's game. There are coins hidden throughout the city and disguised as mundane items, and the god house that returns the most of their coins will win an upgrade to their god housing! No hints will be given, but the natives are excited to help facilitate the activity and happily invite you to wander through their districts to find what you can.

But you don't have to know about the rules to be playing the game! The coins are already hidden throughout the city, and no one knows what they are until they've been picked up. Whether you're banding together with friends to find as many coins as you can or blindly stumbling over an unpleasant surprise, the game and the curse are in full swing!

evening: a fair prize

At sundown, all of the coins in the city disappear at once, whether they're in your pocket or still disguised as a bowl. Points will be tallied and a winner will be announced (OOCly, on August 17) - but Asgardians are keen to celebrate regardless of who wins a rather inconsequential game. The same colorful display of tables and chairs is still spread across the castle grounds, although now they twinkle with fairy lights haphazardly blinking throughout the air. Snacks and drinks are made available, as well as more dinner-shaped meals for those that request it. Mostly the natives simply want to bask in the strangeness of these Wanderers from other worlds for a moment longer - but they're also eagerly listening to any stories from the day's mischievous game. Relax, enjoy yourself, or again, just stock up on some freely served food. Whatever suits your needs today. Welcome to Asgard, dear Wanderers.

[ OOC NOTE: This is the intro log for August, as well as our first god house competition/curse: More Than Meets the Eye. You are free to play with the curse prompts and searching the city in any way you want! If you would like to submit a map to earn points for your god house, please check out the rules to learn what to do. We will accept maps until August 17, at which point a winner will be announced and members of that god house will be allowed to vote for an upgrade to their god housing. As always, please let us know if you have any questions or need any help on the mod contact page. Enjoy, friends! ]

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If Peter were a dog, his tail would be wagging behind him from side to side in excitement. He really can't help how happy he is to see her but if it starts to bother Gamora, he will reign in his emotions Probably...he's never been that good at it.

"A sharp one." Peter's eyes only get brighter. Sure, the teeth need some work but she likes blades and they can work together with this one to make the perfect twin swords.

Sandy rubs her forehead against Gamora's hand, tail waving a little, and looking as happy as she can be. Peter pouts at being ignored, knowing exactly what Gamora's doing, but the ex-assassin giving the fox attention is cute enough that he can't get (too) mad about it.

"This is my familiar Sandy. We get powers here, it's weird, mine is having a spirit companion. She can change forms as long as it's a small animal from Terra and I can talk to her telepathically."

Now, aren't you going to give him a lil welcome kiss too, Gamora? :(

Lucky for Peter she would never ask him to reign it in. His ability to openly express his feelings is part of what she loves about him. Gamora looks up at Peter, interest piqued. It certainly helps she thinks she's teased him enough for one morning.

She straightens up, still listening to the explanation. That is strange, but she knows the gods have done something to tether them to this world. As far as she can see it hasn't caused any harm so she lets it be without comment for now. He's earned that welcome kiss.

"Hmm." She leans into his space to give it, short and sweet since they do have an audience. Hey, if she happens to have her hand on her new present, who could blame her for seizing the moment? She's curious!!!

He doesn't mind the teasing as much as he makes it look like, Gamora's playful side is always a good thing to see, even at his expense. As for how they ended tethered to the Gods here...ha...ha....yeaaah one day Peter will have to tell her how he didn't really pick a god because he didn't feel like he had much to live for. it was pure luck that he had talked to Tyr and the God liked him enough to claims him as one of his own.

But that's a worry for another time, now Peter leans in to accept the kiss, clearly pleased by the sweet action. Their audience is only Sandy! He can tell her to look away, gosh. He chuckles once he notices Gamora's hand so he pulls the present towards her.

"Come on, open it. I know you're curious." Peter is excited to see her reaction and hopes it's a good one.

Gamora smirks at him. She's talented, but he is definitely the master thief out of the two of them. She pulls the package into her arms and slowly opens it. She looks like a kid at Christmas. They're beautiful. Her fingers hover over the edge of the teeth, openly excited. She can work with this. She can do amazing things with these items. It couldn't be a better gift.

"They're wonderful." There's a childlike glee in her voice as she gazes back at him. "Where did you get them?"

They have complementary abilities, is why the Guardians work so well as a team and why he likes fighting alongside Gamora. Peter's sure she will be even more badass once the swords are finished. His face lights up with the same amount of enthusiasm at her reaction.

"A few weeks after awaking up here, a dragon attacked the city. She came from a hole in the ground and was huge as a mountain, with impenetrable skin. It's the reason why the houses of some districts are still under repairs. It took a lot to take her down but it was a group effort. Once it was dead we scavenged the corpse for anything usable. I thought...I thought the teeth would make some really good weapons because they're practically indestructible, that you might like them if I ever got the chance to give them to you."

Which is to say, he never lost his hope that one day he would see her again even if it was an impossible dream at the time.

"I know they still need some work but Ye Zun, another of the newcomers, showed me how to treat the bone and keep it's density and the right coloration. They still need a proper hilt, though."

Thankfully Gamora is so hyped about getting the sword that she can't be concerned about the fact Peter fought a dragon without her. This is a dream gift for her. The fact these blades come from him makes it all the more sweeter. It really does feel like starting a new chapter together. The work barely registers as a problem in her excitement.

"We'll look into finding a proper swordsmith." She reassures him. It really hits her then that Peter never lost hope they'd be reunited. She's so unbelievably grateful he caught a break. Gamora reaches out to touch his face, smiling warmly. "Thank you. I couldn't have asked for a better gift." She leans in for a proper kiss this time. Sandy will get over it!!

He would have happily fought the Red Death by her side and given their past history, Gamora would probably have done better than he did. But maybe some other time she will have a chance to test the new weapons against another monster.

"Yes." Something in his chest eases at seeing her so happy, like the weight that had been there a while has now lifted. "We can do that ...later."

The words are murmured in a tone that makes Sandy look away a second before they kiss. She doesn't need to be looking to know that Peter's arms wrap loosely around Gamora's waist as they kiss and that he is happy. She can feel it too, in her chest, in the bond they share.

The sword is still between their bodies but Peter pulls Gamora a bit closer, rocks them both a little from side to side as if he's reading to start dancing at any moment.

"Hmm...you know we don't have to go scavenger hunting right now. Plenty other things we could be doing in private. I can vanish the familiar into a pocket dimension for a short while." Peter pauses, then adds with a grin. "Well not that short."

She smiles against his lips, very aware of what he is doing. It makes her happy too. Gamora parts for her with a knowing smile. Things are starting to feel good; like she's on solid ground for the first time since they discovered what was left of Thor's ship. She doesn't want to waste time any more than Peter does. "Hm..." She makes a show of thinking about it. Her eyes are twinkling with mischief as she meets Peter's gaze. "That depends on where you're taking me to do those private things."

Being silly is part of who Peter is and he's glad it brings a sense of normalcy to them here. They're still picking up the pieces of their old life, slow but steady.

And ah, that smile. He would do anything to see it more often. The thoughtful look that she gives him next is enough to make Peter grin back. Gamora never make things not a challenge and that's one of the things he loves about her.

"We have the ship. Our rooms are there and our very big, very comfy bed. But if you're feeling adventurous, there's the library in Odin's district. I've heard is not very populated nowadays because there's still a handful of books but it could be interesting."

Sex jokes aside, this is Peter's way of letting her know about the library. Gamora always been good when it comes to research and gathering information, he figures he might enjoy a place like that.

Gamora tilts her head, only half-feigning intrigue. She does enjoy gathering information. It gives her a sense of security and control that someone who lived under the boot of a tyrant will always crave. She will certainly making heading that way her priority. "I don't think we should that adventurous." It's not her style, but she knows he's kidding so no harm done. Peter is always respectful of what she wants even at his most frustrated. It's part of what she loves about him.

"I wouldn't be against going to the ship." She does miss her room. It is a good reminder of the family she misses.

There aren't a lot of books yet because the library is as new as the city on itself but many wanderers are adding information to it, like Ze Yun, and so are the locals. Peter's sure it will keep growing into a proper one in no time.

"Probably not. The tables there looked too uncomfortable." Peter gives her a mock pout.

He was kidding, yes, and even if he weren't, he would respect Gamora's decision to turn him down at any moment. He was assuming that would be the case and they would focus on the Scavenger Hunt alone but then she mentions the ships and it gets him to smile and wrap and arm around her middle.

"Ah, in that case...let's go home." Or the closes they have to it. It's a familiar, safe place, and good enough for now.

A broad grin breaks out. "Okay." She really loves the sound of that. Her fingers lace with his as she lets Peter start to lead the way back. It's hard not to be cheerful. The idea of going home, of having any piece of her family close, is a beautiful thing to Gamora.

Peter gives her hand a squeeze and holds the dragon's teeth on the crook of his free arm as they walk, used to the weight. Sandy trots behind them as they walk, tail and ears up, as happy as the man she's bonded too.

"I don't think we ever did anything like this." Peter looks down at their joined hands, then at Gamora, smiling a little shyly for a chance. "I mean spending proper time alone just the two of us. Or a proper...date."

She glances down at their joined hands and realizes he's right. "We haven't." She sounds just as surprised even if it makes perfect sense. They've always had the kids with them so to speak. Leaving them alone has never been an option.

Gamora glances up at that shy smile and her heart swells with affection. Somehow that makes him look even more handsome. "We should try it." She swings their hands a little, having to look away after doing something so childish. "Let's go on a date."

If they weren't looking after their team, then there was a rescue mission, or a job or any other inconvenient event that kept them busy.

"Living in a ship with four other people didn't leave us many chances to be alone but I should have thought about it sooner." They will have to make up for the lost time, Peter looks forward to it. And then Gamora is swinging their hands and peter's sure his heart is going to melt right here and there.

"Yes. Maybe a private dinner? I could cook for you, I'm not half bad at it. I know a lot of vegetarian dishes now."

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AUGUST INTRO LOG: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

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