[ooc: Blanket CWs in this whole thread for medical horror, unethical human experimentation, cult propaganda, racism/xenophobia, concubines, forced breeding/noncon, torture, gore, and probably much more.]
Tox is excited and nervous in equal measure for his first trip to the surface. He's excited because it means he's starting on the path of a spy and assassin in earnest; at the tender age of twelve, this is a promising lifelong career. He's nervous because the picture of the surface and its people that has been painted for him is terrifying and grim. A violent, savage people with no respect for science or innovation, or perhaps too dumb for it; a brutish enemy.
The job is simple, boring and low stakes: perfect for a 12-year-old and one of his mentors, Damian, to take on. Busywork, just to give him an idea of what they do and what the surface is like, without putting him in too dangerous a situation. Of course, he is still cautioned excessively to stay with Damian and not to interact with the surface dwellers, not to even be seen or heard by them. He is cloaked in all-black, with a face covering to match: only his toxic green eyes are visible beneath. He hasn't mastered disguise magic yet, but when he does, he will disguise himself to look more like a surface-dweller. To that end, and to his own curiosity's end, he does want to see what they look like.
But they're out in the woods, mapping pathways and elevation, making note of any signs of civilization they find. There aren't many. Damian says that only loggers and lumberjacks come out this way, for the high-quality wood. He says this casually enough, but Tox himself has never seen a tree, or grass, or the sky. He's never felt the wind on his face like this, drying his eyes strangely, or heard the rustle of leaves and the strange animals singing and chittering in the branches (birds? He's only heard of them). It's a veritable sensory smorgasbord, and he finds it overwhelming. He can't stop looking around and listening in pure awe.
After Damian shows him how to log the details of the landscape on the map, he gives Tox instructions: they'll split up to cover more ground, then come back to one another using specialized navigation devices. Or rather, Tox will stay where he is and his mentor will come back to him, so he doesn't get lost.
He sets out, determined to make himself useful here despite how foreign and somewhat frightening the landscape is. He observes carefully and loses himself in thought as he marks things down. That there- is that type of tree uncommon? Or is it nothing of note? Is that a man-made path, or just a clearing? He barely knows what he's looking at, so he doesn't know what he's looking for. No wonder they wanted him up here so young; it'll take forever to get used to the place enough to be able to navigate it with any effectiveness.
After a while on his solo hike, he hears something strange. It's different from the rest of the forest noises, he thinks. Something melodic, maybe? At first it's hard to catch between the other sounds, but as he moves further, it becomes clearer.
Someone is singing. Not an animal; a person.
Singing is certainly not what he expected to hear from a surface-dweller, and his curiosity burns. It sounds like a girl. The melody is oddly... nice. What does she look like? Maybe he could get a glimpse without being noticed, if he's quiet.
Creeping up slowly, he tries not to step on twigs that might snap, but he is not skilled at forest stealth yet in the slightest. His footfalls can absolutely be heard, as can the small yelp he lets out as netting whips up around him, hoisting him into the air.
He flails and flounders, panicked. They've already captured him! Surely they'll find out he's from underground and kill him! This is not good- he tries to find his navigator to alert Damian, but he's tangled and wrapped tightly in the netting.
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For Juno
Date: 2025-10-20 06:19 pm (UTC)From:Tox is excited and nervous in equal measure for his first trip to the surface. He's excited because it means he's starting on the path of a spy and assassin in earnest; at the tender age of twelve, this is a promising lifelong career. He's nervous because the picture of the surface and its people that has been painted for him is terrifying and grim. A violent, savage people with no respect for science or innovation, or perhaps too dumb for it; a brutish enemy.
The job is simple, boring and low stakes: perfect for a 12-year-old and one of his mentors, Damian, to take on. Busywork, just to give him an idea of what they do and what the surface is like, without putting him in too dangerous a situation. Of course, he is still cautioned excessively to stay with Damian and not to interact with the surface dwellers, not to even be seen or heard by them. He is cloaked in all-black, with a face covering to match: only his toxic green eyes are visible beneath. He hasn't mastered disguise magic yet, but when he does, he will disguise himself to look more like a surface-dweller. To that end, and to his own curiosity's end, he does want to see what they look like.
But they're out in the woods, mapping pathways and elevation, making note of any signs of civilization they find. There aren't many. Damian says that only loggers and lumberjacks come out this way, for the high-quality wood. He says this casually enough, but Tox himself has never seen a tree, or grass, or the sky. He's never felt the wind on his face like this, drying his eyes strangely, or heard the rustle of leaves and the strange animals singing and chittering in the branches (birds? He's only heard of them). It's a veritable sensory smorgasbord, and he finds it overwhelming. He can't stop looking around and listening in pure awe.
After Damian shows him how to log the details of the landscape on the map, he gives Tox instructions: they'll split up to cover more ground, then come back to one another using specialized navigation devices. Or rather, Tox will stay where he is and his mentor will come back to him, so he doesn't get lost.
He sets out, determined to make himself useful here despite how foreign and somewhat frightening the landscape is. He observes carefully and loses himself in thought as he marks things down. That there- is that type of tree uncommon? Or is it nothing of note? Is that a man-made path, or just a clearing? He barely knows what he's looking at, so he doesn't know what he's looking for. No wonder they wanted him up here so young; it'll take forever to get used to the place enough to be able to navigate it with any effectiveness.
After a while on his solo hike, he hears something strange. It's different from the rest of the forest noises, he thinks. Something melodic, maybe? At first it's hard to catch between the other sounds, but as he moves further, it becomes clearer.
Someone is singing. Not an animal; a person.
Singing is certainly not what he expected to hear from a surface-dweller, and his curiosity burns. It sounds like a girl. The melody is oddly... nice. What does she look like? Maybe he could get a glimpse without being noticed, if he's quiet.
Creeping up slowly, he tries not to step on twigs that might snap, but he is not skilled at forest stealth yet in the slightest. His footfalls can absolutely be heard, as can the small yelp he lets out as netting whips up around him, hoisting him into the air.
He flails and flounders, panicked. They've already captured him! Surely they'll find out he's from underground and kill him! This is not good- he tries to find his navigator to alert Damian, but he's tangled and wrapped tightly in the netting.