i've been bitten by the bug ...

[headandhand]

WHO: Open to all residents
WHAT: Inoculation Season, plus your regular monthly NAPs session
WHERE: Throughout the city, with NAPs held at The Ax Hole.
WHEN: Sept. 10-30 for plague shots and associated side effects; Sept. 10-14 for NAPs
WARNINGS: Please use if applicable!

So tell me, what do you prescribe for these symptoms?

Remember that awful plague that wiped out the city's entire original population? You know, the entire reason you've been brought here? Well, the medical science community of Dualis has been hard at work concocting a cure for as long as anyone can remember, with minimal results. But during the morning of the 10th, news of a breakthrough is announced is a special city-wide bulletin. All media channels are overtaken with this message, and alerts hit every citizen's phone. The best part? Science needs your help!

There's no formal approval process for new vaccines and medications, just a series of volunteer trials before it's determined whether what's being tested is effective. All residents are invited to participate in these trials, with a bonus of 200 extra duos as compensation for their time and possible suffering. Simply head down to your nearest MedDualis clinic and inform the MedDroids supervising that you're reporting for your civic duty. Participants will be given a quick, easy, and practically painless inoculation shot in the arm, and will walk out the door 200 duos richer. Neat, huh?

Participants will be warned that like all experimental drugs, there may be side effects. A non-comprehensive list of those possible side effects includes: minor appearance changes (hair/skin/eye color), enhancing or reducing senses (smell, taste, hearing, sight, etc.), sudden mild development of extranormal abilities (telepathy, super strength, super speed, etc.), the ability to share dreams (if you're not tired of that sorta thing after last month), and/or loss of control over abilities you already possess, or those abilities misfiring. Hey, at least death isn't included on this list!

Any intrepid Dualizen who comes down with a case of weirdness as a result of doing their civic duty will find that weirdness will wear off by the end of the month. The Head thanks you for your sacrifice!

Don't you feel the fever like I do?

Look at all of these bright, shining new faces! There’s even a few less bright, less shining faces - maybe even a few folks without faces - but hey, this city welcomes all types. Chances are, if you’ve just arrived, you're seeing some pretty crazy things, unless you're used to an eye-blinding amount of neon, robots, weird-ass technology, magic, and an omnipresent police force...and hey, if you are, congrats, you're gonna settle in juuuuust fine. But for the rest of you, the Head knows this has gotta be pretty overwhelming, right?

Well, since your quaint individual processing units are probably having a hard time, why not link up with another one? By which the Head means...

Hello, new citizens of Dualis,
and welcome to your monthly Network Adjacency Protocol~!

NAPs are a monthly community networking event similar to the Earth concept of speed dating! Two citizens (new arrivals and old hands alike) are placed at a table together with a handy cue card of queries to help break the proverbial ice. Ask queries and receive results, or ignore the card and yeet yourself straight into a brand new friendship! But don't be too shy, you've only got ten minutes together, and if you just sit in silence for the whole ten, the Network Admins are likely to come supervise and try to repair the uplink through a mild shock to the ol' central nervous system. You might find yourself saying all sorts of unintended facts about yourself if that happens...probably better to just make friends, right? Who doesn’t like friends?!

This month’s event is held at an exciting new establishment called The Ax Hole! The 'Hole is an indoor ax-throwing range plus bar plus mid-price grill-type restaurant, the first of its kind to find a home here in Dualis. You must be at least 18 to drink and/or throw axes, and if you are throwing axes, there is a limit of one drink per hour. The bartenders are very strict about enforcing this rule, and employees are available to give safety instructions on proper ax-throwing technique and supervise activities.

This is a family-friendly establishment, so anyone under 18 is welcome in the restaurant section and the viewing room between the restaurant and range to watch the ax-throwing action, but they are absolutely not allowed inside the range, even just to watch. In fact, anyone who wishes admittance to the range must sign a waiver stating that they understand the risks of participating and agree to hold the Ax Hole free of liability in the event of any accidents that cause injury or death.

If that hasn't scared you off yet, come on down and meet your new neighbors! Oh, and do try to exit with at least as many fingers and limbs as when you entered, OK?

Comments

[cadiastands]

Mira's good with knives. Axes? Not so much. In fact, she doesn't think they even touched the things outside of survival school. Maybe in improvised weapons seminar? She certainly can't dredge up a distance formula for rotations from memory, and the man trying to explain things to her doesn't seem to know one, either. Or to have ever been in an actual fight, but she's getting used to that. Fortunately, she sees a solution to this problem out of the corner of her eye, about 210 centimeters, surly, and already tossing axes, so she makes polite noises at the employee until he wanders off.

"Aleifr!" If a Fenrisian isn't as good with an axe as a Cadian is with a gun, everything she knows about the universe is wrong. "Good thing you're here. I don't want to pick up any bad habits."

Most people would not treat a restaurant with axe target throwing as combat training, but this is Mira we're talking about.

[aleifr]

Aleifr ... he doesn't smile, per se, but he inclines his head in greeting and his expression warms slightly at the familiar face.

"Don't teach you how to use axes on Cadia?" He asks, a hint of wryness in his voice as he picks up his next axe, bouncing it in his palm to feel the weight.

[cadiastands]

"Only for chopping down trees," Mira says. Or the occasional locked door, but really, if an axe can get through it, she'll use a chainsword instead. "We train with swords for melee combat. ...Officer cadets do, anyway." Not much point in getting good with a sword if it's not going to be part of your uniform, after all.

[aleifr]

Aleifr snorts.

"Should have known." He replies, shaking his head. "I imagine steel's easier to come by where you're from."

[cadiastands]

"You don't use steel?" Mira asks, frowning in puzzlement.

It turns out you don't actually have to know anything about how technology works to be able to use it, and consequently she's never thought about what makes a feral world feral beyond some vague idea that the people don't have guns or running water or standing armies.

[aleifr]

"We do." He replies. "But it isn't easy to find."

His attention returns to the target and he does a few, slow wind-ups with the axe in his hand - tracing an arc from behind his shoulder to roughly eye level.

"Only the Iron Masters know how to find it in the Earth and shape it. All the steel on Fenris comes from them in one way or another. You either barter with them for it, take it off the men you've killed, or have it passed down to you."

[cadiastands]

Sounds like a discount (albeit less unsettling) version of the Mechanicus, but Mira doesn't mention that. Aleifr's touchy about being reminded how much his feral homeworld doesn't know. Instead, she pays careful attention to his movements, where the weight of the axe is, the positioning of his fingers.

"No wonder the Space Wolves relish close quarters," she says instead. "Those power axes of theirs must feel like a gift from the Emperor."

[aleifr]

"I'd imagine so."

Aleifr lumbers down the range and pries his axe from the soft wood of the target.

"I'd like to see one of those someday." He inspects the head of the axe as he walks back toward Mira, checking it for any scars that are more than superficial. "See what sort of weapon the Allfather sees fit for his champions."

He walks over to Mira and holds the axe out to her, hilt first.

[cadiastands]

"I'm no champion, but I've finally got my hands on a chainsword, so I can at least show you that. Space Marines often wield them," Mira says as she takes the axe, hefting it to test the balance--all in the head, of course. It looks much larger when she's holding it than when Aleifr did. "Sized for their hands, of course."

[aleifr]

There's an excited little glint in his eye at that.

"I'd like that." He grins. "Hopefully there's some place to use it."

His eyes briefly dart down to her grip on the axe and he inclines his head toward her hand, silently asking if he can make an adjustment for her.

[cadiastands]

"We could go chop up junk on the edge of town," Mira says, amused by the thought of using a chainsword to chew through rockcrete and scrap metal. It's not as though there are any tech-priests lurking about to object to such an ignominious use of one of the Omnissiah's gifts, and besides, Mira's noticed that the machine spirits of weapons tend not to be finicky about their dignity as long as one stays diligent with the maintenance rituals.

She nods permission for Aleifr's help--courteous and sensible of him to ask first, given that she's armed at the moment.

[aleifr]

Aleifr doesn't offer a verbal response to the suggestion, but his wolfish grin implies he likes that idea quite a bit.

He reaches out and takes her hand, guiding it to a spot just above the butt of the axe and adjusting her grip to be just a hair tighter.

"Bring it straight forward and back." He says, demonstrating the motion. "Keep the head back, release when your hand passes your eye."

Might be unnecessary coaching, given how sharp she is and how intently she'd watched his own throw, but she'd said she wanted to do it properly.

[cadiastands]

Mira absorbs the instructions without saying anything in reply. They're similar to the ones she'd give for a knife. The axe is heavier with different balance, to be sure, but it makes sense that there are only so many variables involved in throwing a bladed weapon. Of course, ask an artillery unit how badly being off on a single variable can screw something up.

She goes through the throwing motion slowly a few times the way he had a moment ago, and then, without announcing she's doing it for real this time, whips the axe at the target. It thunks solidly into the center ring--not a bullseye, but a respectable showing for the first time she's ever thrown an axe.

"Hmm."

[aleifr]

Aleifr seems inclined to agree judging by his expression. He looks impressed.

"Keep your elbow straight. Let your shoulder do the work, and trust your eye."

[cadiastands]

She wouldn't be Cadian if she weren't extremely good at picking up new ways to kill people.

Mira retrieves the axe from the target, testing its edge with her thumb in mild curiosity to see how much the throw had blunted it. Whatever they're using doesn't seem to be as good as plasteel.

"I'll only get worse as my arm tires out, you realize." She's not wrong, technically, but she's also smirking, because it'll take more than a few axe tosses to wear her out.

[aleifr]

"Tired after one?"

Aleifr replies, the mock-disappointment in his voice mis-matched with the smirk on his face.

"I'd heard Cadians were made of sterner stuff."

[cadiastands]

"From whom?" Mira says with a laugh. He hadn't known Cadians existed before they'd met. "Must have been me." She shrugs. "I was right, of course."

She flips the axe around in her hand a few times, clearly not tired in the slightest, before taking her mark for another try. Elbow straight, throw with the shoulder. The next attempt strikes about the same distance from the bullseye, but too low this time--her general technique is solid, but she'll need practice for any degree of precision.

"But it's guns we train with from childhood."

[aleifr]

"Only know one Cadian. She's made a good impression, but I've only got her word to go on."

Aleifr seems to agree with the self-assessment on her technique, because he doesn't offer any additional feedback.

"You sill need to show me how to use one." Aleifr adds in. "A proper one."

[cadiastands]

"I've been asking around, and it turns out there's at least a proper range," she says, shaking a finger over her shoulder as she fetches the axe for another try. "I don't know if they've got proper auto-guns or lasguns, but they should have something fairly close."

[aleifr]

"I'll take close."

Wouldn't know enough to tell the difference anyway.

"Long as it's not a night I'm working, I have time."