» 1. arrival. a (plunge) to b (caravan) / network & log

[ "Do not fall."

They're the last words Blake hears before she steps through the portals meant to spirit the citizens of Atlas and Mantle to safety; the ones ringing in her ears as she plunges into the waters of the Bay and feels herself tugged upwards by the hand of a dark, wavering shadow that disappears when she breaks the surface. She coughs, draws breath; she yells for her teammates; she sees no one but unknowns, nothing that looks like the space she'd expected. What could have gone wrong? Where are her friends?

Her fear and dread are calmed quickly enough by the friendly manatees bearing her to shore, the explanation she and the other new arrivals are given by Archimedes; and with Gambol Shroud (her weapon) and her (predictably dead) communications Scroll back in hand, she combs the Cliffs for any sign of the friends that should have come with her. It's a small comfort that time's frozen on the other end of the portal Blake has just used.

As soon as her carriage arrives in Camelot, she sets up camp at a café called PHOENIX ROOST and sends out the following message on every piece of the network she can figure out how to access: ]

Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Penny -- if any of you can see this, please call me here. [ The "here" hyperlinks to her number. If she starts getting spam or strange calls, she'll simply apply for a new one. ]

[ To any patrons of the café, Blake sure looks like she could use a chamomile. The (extremely comfortable) cat ear hoodie should tip her off as a fresh arrival. ]


» 2. arrival. c (red spring) / log; first come, first serve for any potential roommate

[ Upon arriving at the Red Spring midway to Camelot, Blake books it to her room and flat-out collapses on the twin bed closest to the door. The constant whiplash she's experienced these past few days back home -- from hope to angst to determination to despair, over and over and over -- feels all the more exhausting set against a spa experience in a peaceful resort, given that her life's been a war zone in a world on the brink of collapse for months on end now. The softness of the sheets just makes her body ache all the more.

She falls asleep with Gambol Shroud tucked beneath her pillow, a shadow -- her familiar, apparently -- playing guard by the door. It might not be a good idea for the other occupant of Blake's room to come in while she's sleeping, unless it's immediately clear to her that they're non-threatening... ]


» 3. arrival. c (red spring) / log

[ Eventually, Blake makes it to the salt caves. The play of light on the rock walls is as beautiful and calming as advertised, and Blake sees the words she's long associated with her teammates flicker in and out of the rock face -- purity for Ruby, defiance for Weiss, strength for Yang, and for Penny -- though it may as well be for them all -- friend. For what feels like the first time since her team had started the chain of events that had sent them all to Atlas, Blake wonders to what extent these words still fit her loved ones -- given all they'd gone through, how they'd changed.

What word suits herself? To Blake's surprise, the 'stars' supply trusting. She's had a lot of trouble with that in the past; to see it here, now, alone and far from home, makes her eyes itch. ]

( note: "2" is actually set before "1." vol. 8, ch. 12 will have come out exactly a month ago as of april 13th, so my hope is that this complies with the "new canon" rule. let me know if otherwise! )