Welcome to the Character Development Threads! These shared story exercises allow you to develop your characters in a setting shared by other authors and their characters. No sign-up is necessary; simply look over the last few pages and hop on in. If you need questions answered or a recap, head over to our discussion thread
and ask; we’re happy to help. There's also a trope page (with location descriptions and other info).
Archipelago is semi-casual — no violence on the central island, but the rest are fair game. Other islands are built on-the-fly by the tropers whose visiting them, but you should probably grab a few others before having your characters head off — there's not much point wandering an island alone, since this is supposed to develop characters by bouncing them off one another and putting them in unusual situations. Be sure to communicate with the tropers you go with so you're on the same general page.
With thanks to, among many others, Gault, who came up with the initial idea, Nrjxll, who wrote the first draft I shameless ripped off, and the various people who contributed to the trope page location descriptions.
[[Current Time: Early Morning]
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL INTRO FOR THIS THREAD
This has made the hub island something of a designated neutral ground for various strange characters and dimensional travelers. A small cluster of buildings has sprung up near the one natural harbor and its dock: a couple of bars, a couple of casinos, several shops, and even the cheap but comfortable Pax Island Hotel. This is not a tourist trap, though, as much as amenities for the visitors that come here for various reasons. The Hotel's entrance leads out to a central square, with a shamelessly cheesy tiki bar calling itself the Big Kahuna and the Pax Island General Store being the most obvious, though not the only, services.
Inland, the island is covered in jungles that rise steeply into a central mountain, covered in ruins that don't seem to exactly match any of the local cultures. Apart from that, though, they're harmless and unrelated to the area's strangeness. The population on the island, humans of mixed origins, are quite used to the strangeness of their island, staffing the amenities and filling newcomers in but otherwise keeping to themselves.
Beyond this hub island, the archipelago grows more mysterious and dangerous. Fogs often cover the ocean, and compasses and other forms of navigation don't always work right. There are at least a half-dozen other islands at any one time, but that's all anyone can say for certain. The docks on the hub island offer numerous boats for visitors to travel to these islands, either under their own control or with the aid of a local sailor. Of course, there's always an element of risk involved with visiting these islands, because you never know quite what you'll find. One rule has proven consistent, though: any truly catastrophic event on an island tends to result in it vanishing into the fog, never to be seen again.
edited 27th Jun '14 6:59:52 PM by KillerClowns
[Big Kahuna]
"Okay," Samantha said to Iris, leaving as the rant began. Jeez, I hope she calms down, or the management will probably have to ask her to leave, she thought.
Samantha then walked over to Selena, and said, "hey there! See anything you like? Maybe a drink to start off?"
Meanwhile, Hisami said to Adam, "yeah, Howell was spying on us earlier, although by the looks of it, he's pretty harmless." Now that Iris person, she looks a bit more like a firecracker, and not necessarily the good kind, she thought. She also looked at Selena, thinking, hmmm, what could she be? I don't think I've met anyone that seems quite like her before...
[Outside Big Kahuna >> Jungle]
Man, this place is like Ultra Bore Fest 3000, Kazue thought, tossing her cigarette into some dirt, I'm going to see if there isn't anything fun to hunt in the jungle...
She then ran off into the dark Jungle outside of town.
[Hotel - Room 212 Balcony]
"Sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable," Cyana said, "I could try a different form if that would be better?"
"Also, I do know which way to go to get back home," Cyana said, with a smile, "just get on a boat, and travel to the right, or the left, or up, or even down, whatever seems like the nicest way to go." She motioned in all directions, before once again standing still, practically hovering on the balcony floor.
Danger: Intense gravimetric distortions nearby. Please reverse the polarity on your deflectors now.
[Beach - Near Robot (Yuuta, Claire, Song, Duckie)]
The Song considered the message briefly, before contemptuously erasing the message from time itself. That seemed a suitable display of its opinion of the other.
[Pax Island ~ Jungle (Cenote)]
Aseyu sighed and said, "oh, never mind. Don't want to bore you" Then she pulled herself up on the dock and sat, watching Joseph. "I'm about ready to head out, but I can certainly wait. Anything interesting down there?"
Hotel (Room 212 - Balcony)
"No no, you're fine," Kaguya replied with a shake of her head, "I'm...uh...just...I'm still a little surprised that someone else showed up. I thought I was alone, then the moon started acting funny...." She looked up at it briefly, then back at Cyana. "...I actually think you're kinda neat, really. Certainly better than other beings I've met...."
She looked down at her hands, which were still held over her chest and clasped together. She hadn't put them down since Cyana arrived, and she probably wasn't going to put them down anytime soon.
After another couple moment pause, she looked out to sea again. "Well...I don't think picking a random direction would work for me. Sure I might get home, but somehow it seems just as likely I'll wind up in some other place I don't know, and that place might not be as friendly as here is." She shrugged and turned back to Cyana. "Though that's just me. You sound like you know a lot more than I do as far as this goes."
Big Kahuna
"He has a point, Iris," Hayate finally said, "Regardless of whether or not you're performing the way you should, it's more than likely the other patrons are going to focus on you instead of Howell, since you're the one drawing unnecessary attention to yourself. It is even likely that the staff here will ask you, or possibly even force you, to leave and defeat the entire purpose of what you are attempting to do if you continue." He glanced around at everyone else as he said this. "I'm not saying that you cannot continue berating Howell, but you can be quiet while still getting your point across."
Selena looked up at Samantha when the latter arrived. "The entire menu's looking tasty at this point. I'm going to need a few more minutes to decide on that, but for a drink I'll just have a water. Hold the lemon." She then looked back over at the woman and the snake man, then back at Samantha. "While you're here, is there anything you can do about those two over there?" She pointed at the people she spoke of. "Personally, I'm not going to have a pleasurable experience if I have to deal with that woman screaming up a storm, and I doubt I'm alone in that department."
Icon by Civvi the Civilian!
They/Them
[The Beach - The Docks]
A large and yacht like white boat with black lines pulled into the docks. It slowly approached as two small, four legged, flying drones came out from an opening in the hull to secure the boat with ropes, allowing it to fully dock. From the side of the boat, metal steps extended and lowered to form a staircase, out stepping a tall man.
The tall man, who was very fair skinned with combed back bright blonde hair and round blue grey eyes, had a thin form and a look of smugness on his face. His pointed chin, constant half smile, thin face and small nose seeming to further this look.
He was clad in a pair of form fitting black pants, which had white cuffs, black loafers with black laces, a sleeveless, button-up black shirt with white lines around the bottom of the short, the sleeves, the placket and the collar, which covered his neck. He wore a white lab coat that went down to his ankles and was fastened by three square shaped buttons, with two large pockets at the sides.
The man sniffed in the cool ocean air, "An excellent place to start my research on other worlds," he said to himself, chuckling slightly as a white and black floating metal sphere with two blue lit indentations followed him as he stepped onto the dock.
He noticed the group of people near the robot, admiring the variation between the members of different worlds and approaching them casually, the metal sphere following.
[Beach - Near Robot]
He walked toward the group, humming to himself lightly, "That is quite the interesting piece of machinery you have there. I am very much impressed," he said aloud.
Note to self: Pick less edgy username next time.
[Hotel - Room 212 Balcony]
"Yes, you are right - that can happen. It certainly has happened to me many times before," Cyana said, "but I for one always cherish new experiences, as while we can plan for the future, or remember the past, the present is the only time that we can truly live in."
"But either way, you don't seem to me to be destined to wander the multiverse," Cyana said, "my feeling is that you have a purpose in your home, and you'll find your way back there soon enough. As for when, why, or how? I'm afraid that's beyond my sight."
[Big Kahuna]
"Sure, I'll get the water right up," Samantha said to Selena, "and if she continues bothering you, I'll call the manager here right away. Otherwise, feel free to take your time deciding." She then walked over to the bar to get Selena's water, keeping an eye on Iris, along with practically everyone else.
Hisami continued to watch, preferring not to get involved unless necessary.
[Beach - Near Robot (Yuuta, Duckie, Claire, Song, Newcomer)]
EDIT: It seems more likely that he's talking to the group of Song, Claire, Duckie, and Yuuta, just because they have much more variance in appearance. And Yuuta has nothing to do at the moment. :P
Still very confused as to what the Song was talking about, much less doing, Yuuta noticed a newcomer approaching.
"Oh, that's not ours, I think the pilot of the mech is over that way," Yuuta said to the newcomer, pointing to Forsythe and Takuya.
edited 30th Apr '14 9:44:11 PM by Sonzai
Danger: Intense gravimetric distortions nearby. Please reverse the polarity on your deflectors now.
They/Them
[Beach - Near Robot (Yuuta, Duckie, Claire, Song)]
"Oh," the man chuckled, "Perhaps I will speak to them later," he said to himself.
He turned towards Yuuta, "How rude of me to forget," he made a slight bow, "I am know only as CORE. A pleasure to meet you." He stood up straight, "Might I ask who you are?"
edited 30th Apr '14 9:59:15 PM by DarkbloodCarnagefang
Note to self: Pick less edgy username next time.
[Beach - Near Robot (Yuuta, Claire, Song, Duckie, Newcome)]
"If you have any questions please leave a message to the cat and we will contact you. If you have any problem keeping track of the timelines, we recommend you stay away from all of them. Thank you for your business."
[Pax Island ~ Jungle (Cenote)]
"Oh yeah, yeah." Joseph answered as he bobbed under and above the water, maneuvering around the cenote with the greatest of ease. "There's a bunch of barrels full of toxic waste, at least ten dead bodies, a tunnel to the other side of the world, and some sand." His mouth spread into a wide, toothy grin as he slowly made his way towards the dock, lying on his back and propelling himself with only his feet and his tail. As he neared the docks and Aseyu, he flipped over, and his grin faded away.
"Well, if you're ready to go, I guess I can be done too." he said, one hand gripping a corner of the dock. Before pulling himself out, he gazed over the water, taking his time to take in the entire pit. He opened his mouth to speak, but after a second of nothing but the sounds of the bugs and the wind, all he could manage was a sigh, contrived out of his own disappointment that he couldn't say more. He pulled himself up out of the water and onto the dock, dripping wet, but not terribly cold.
[Pax Island ~ Big Kahuna]
Before she was able to set in again, Iris was once more interrupted by Hayate. Slightly gritting her teeth, she turned all the way around in her chair to meet eyes with the fox.
"Hayate, if it comes to that, then whatever, I'll leave with Howell and continue elsewhere. Right now, it's all of these interruptions that are defeating the entire purpose of what I'm trying to do here, so would you just give me a minute—without distractions—to teach my brother here that there are consequences for lying to me about staying here, and then hiding from me after I spent so much time and energy trying to make sure that he got back safe. And to teach him this in the tone which I deem necessary, all right? If something's gonna happen," she waved her arms around, her mouth open in mock fear, "let it happen! I told you this was going to be rough- and it has to be rough. If you don't want to be viewed as a part of it, then hey, try not to associate yourself with it. In the mean time..."
She turned back around to face Howell, who had set up several of the left over menus as a tiny wall which he was hiding behind, sitting low in his chair.
"Oh for crying out loud." Iris rolled her eyes and knocked the menus down. "Cut it out, will you?" she said glaring at Howell.
"Careful!" he said, as one menu nearly toppled into the sundae he had ordered. Iris looked at it blankly for a moment, then frowned again.
"What, ice cream? No, Howell, you don't get friggin' ice cream for what you did. You don't get rewarded for running off with strangers, and not telling your sister so she's worried sick until you get back. That's not how it works."
Howell was staring down at the table again, looking—despite having a face that was difficult to distinctly emote with—pretty miserable. When Iris finally took honest notice of the ice cream, however, he felt a small glimmer of hope. He could not avoid the conflict completely— that much was certain, but now he had an honest chance to soften her heart.
"It's not mine." he murmured "I got it for for you." he murmured, letting his eyes move to look up at her, but only for a moment's time.
Iris gave him a funny look, then turned the same look to the sundae. Drawing it closer to herself, she raised it up and examined it for a moment, turning the dish over in her hands, then sat it back on the table with a small clink. "For me." she repeated. "An ice cream sundae." Then she let out a half-sigh, half-groan and explained, "Howell, I don't give a shit about ice cream!"
Without another word, she picked up the sundae again, then turned the dish upside down and quickly brought it back down to the table with a resounding thud. She left it there, a sticky mess of red and white ice cream, syrup, and the battered remains of a cherry. Howell couldn't keep his eyes off the sight, staring at it in stunned silence.
this place needs me here
[Cenote]
As Aseyu watched Joseph exit the water, appreciating the shine of the moonlight off his sleek, reptilian body, a strange idea came to her. It seemed unlikely, but worth a try.
She headed over to Joseph, put a hand on his shoulder, and smiled. "I was just thinking, looking at you. Those clothes of yours... they can't quite fit right, can they? I mean, your shape, fine as it is," she put her other hand on his hip, "is just that little bit different. But we're in a remote jungle, when all the 'decent' people are sleeping. Wanna try bundling up those rags and heading straight to these ruins?" She didn't expect to succeed here, but she was curious what Joseph would make of her suggestion. As much as she liked him, flustering him was quite amusing. Then, as an afterthought, she playfully whispered, "I dare ya."
The future of warfare in UC.
[Beach - Leaning on Robot]
Forsythe raised her head and noted the stranger joining the other group, and shook her head. "Stupid Kansas Effect," she muttered to herself. "You'd figure most people would have seen a Taurus by now. Thank god I didn't bring a Serpent or a TOST." She pronounced the acronym as "tossed".
Nous restons ici.
[Beach - Near Robot (Yuuta, Duckie, Claire, Song, CORE)]
"Welcome CORE, I am Yuuta Komatsu, scientist and interdimensional ambassador from Japan, on Earth, a pleasure to meet you as well," Yuuta said, bowing to him. He was also quite relieved that there was somebody new to talk to, as the Song was quite beyond his capabilities, and the cat was just downright incomprehensible.
"What brings you here, if I might ask?" he said, "other than the mech, it's pretty awesome, right?"
[Beach - Robot (Takuya, Forsythe)]
"Perhaps this location is closer temporally to my time, or your past," Takuya said, "that would explain the relative scarcity of mechs around here."
"But, um, not to be redundant, but what exactly is a Serpent or a Tossed?" he said.
[Big Kahuna]
Samantha could be seen talking to a middle-aged man in the back, as she got another water from the bar.
The man then walked up to the table with Iris and Howell, and said to Iris, "I'm sorry miss, but would you mind talking this over outside? Our other customers are trying to enjoy their meal." He was average height, about 6ft/1.8m, with brown hair, and had no other obvious remarkable features, other than a nametag that said, 'Bob Kervelski - Manager'.
Danger: Intense gravimetric distortions nearby. Please reverse the polarity on your deflectors now.
Hotel (Room 212 - Balcony)
So Cyana appeared to be one of those eternal optimist types. Kaguya wasn't so sure if that was something she would eventually appreciate or if it would just wind up driving her crazy. She still appreciated the company, to be sure, but she wasn't going to be too thrilled if Cyana turned out to be a walking platitude.
"Your feeling is correct, at least where my purpose is concerned," she said with a nod, "I'm a princess, even if I don't look much like, or feel much like one for that matter. The friend I mentioned earlier is leading me back home so I can meet my real parents and go from there. Doesn't change the fact that we're still lost, though....." she looked down at her feet and sighed, "...So I hope you're right about everything else."
Big Kahuna
Hayate could tell that there was no getting through to Iris at this point.
"Very well," he said with a defeated sigh, "If this is truly what you believe will work, then I shall not attempt to stop you. However, do not say that I did not warn you of the potential consequences."
As if it was right on cue, a man walked up to Iris and Howell and asked them to leave. Hayate's reaction to this was a rather incredulous stare, before he cast a knowing, and somewhat smug, glance in Iris's direction.
Selena, meanwhile, promptly buried herself in the menu again and did her best to just try and ignore the drama occurring elsewhere in the restaurant.
Icon by Civvi the Civilian!
They/Them
[Beach - Near Robot (Yuuta, Duckie, Claire, Song, CORE)]
"A pleasure to meet you Yuuta," CORE said, happy to be interacting with a fellow scientist, "I'm here working on my research on other worlds."
He pulled out a pair of white gloves with black lines at the cuffs from his right jacket pocket and put them on his hands. He pulled out a large tablet from his left jacket pocket and pressed a button as a light buzzing noise indicated that it began to record. The drone's lights turned green after the buzzing stopped.
"Rather than sending drone groups, it's better to send professionals."
Note to self: Pick less edgy username next time.
[Big Kahuna]
Thomas glared. "And what point are you trying to make? Other than making an ass out of yourself? And just showing that you're more than willing to traumatize Howell like this?"
George stood and stormed over to her, "This is what you call a lesson? Howell did something foolish, but to do this? You're a grown woman humiliating a child. And made some poor bastard clean up your mess because your throwing a tantrum." He sighed, "That's it. My tolerance is gone."
Thomas turned away, silent. When the man asked that they leave, he didn't fight it. "We'll all go. Don't worry."
Nathan lightly helped Howell to his feet, his little brother right beside him and Jackson on his shoulder. "How about we take a walk for a while? I'll get you another sundae, if there's an ice cream shop."
The future of warfare in UC.
[Leaning on Robot]
"Different models." Forsythe explained. "The Taurus is the dogfighter, high performance, open air and open space. The Serpent's about firepower and armor, brawler and street fighter. The tossed...it's actually an acronym. Tee Ess Oh Tee. Trans Orbital Strike Taurus. The goal was to build a variant able to reenter, conduct a mission, and return to orbit afterwards. That turned out to be far too optimistic, and aside from looking a little alike they share nothing in common."
Nous restons ici.
Attitude is prohibited
[Nulbarak Island]
Tamara stared at Kevin for a moment, clearly confused, and figured that she should just change the subject before things got even more confusing, if that were even possible. "Uh... Right. Okay." She said, trying to avoid giving away the fact she understood very little of his explanation. Then she turned to Layi. "We should be there soon. Or, at least, we'll be where Kevin and I heard voices, in a minute or two. What do you think we'll find there?"
[Aurora Motel ——> Azatha's Fortress]
"Oh, look at you, getting all emotional." Sam chuckled. Slowly, the voices of everyone in the room faded away, and they all stopped moving. In a dramatic fashion, the whole room - and even the environment outside - exploded into dust. Tiny sparkles were all that remained, save for Sam and Kunstler, and these vanished quickly, seeming to be swallowed up by the dark emptiness that now surrounded them. "Alas, all good things must come to an end." He shrugged. "Well, most of them, anyhow. I think that's enough closure for a simple wager, don't you?"
Out of the seemingly unending blackness, structures arose. The empty space around them seemed to warp and coalesce as colours and textures faded into being. Within moments, they were back at the fortress, right where they had been standing when the dice game had begun. "I presume you're going to go on some interdimensional hunt for revenge now, yes? Something like that?" He tipped his hat. "Have fun. Maybe we'll meet again some day?" He laughed and walked away. "Keep the dice if you want to!" He called out. "Or sell them. I don't care. Just leave this dimension first, would you? Thanks."
A few steps away, he put his cane under his arm and held out his other hand. A bouquet of colourful flowers appeared in his grasp. "Yoohoo! Darling!" He called, still walking. "Listen, maybe we got off on the wrong appendage. I'm a changed man now! Really! I'll even be a woman, if you think that'd be more fun." He said, with a smirk. The flowers, bizarrely, were not only still alive but were fully sentient and aware of their situation. Faintly, very faintly, they screamed and begged for mercy.
Not entirely dead.
[Beach - Near Robot (Yuuta, Duckie, Claire, Song, CORE)]
Upon hearing Yuuta's positive opinion, the Song glanced contemptuously over at the mech. Pre-singularity technology all looked the same to it. And the entity using the cat as its avatar — well, if the Song had any sense of self-awareness, it would have noted that the being reminded it of itself. But it didn't, so it simply decided it was an entity with which no productive discussion was possible. It introduced itself simply. "We are the *Song*."
[Pax Island ~ Jungle (Cenote)]
Joseph glanced from Aseyu to atop the cenote, up the rudimentary stairs, where he'd left his clothes. His mouth was open just a bit as he thought over what Aseyu had just suggested, uncertain exactly how to respond. Slowly, it grew into an open smile and his voice finally came, in a laugh.
"Ahh... hah I uh, well I mean, you're right, I haven't got a specialized tailor or anything, but my clothes fit... y'know, well enough." He said, almost mumbling the end. He curled his tail inward slightly, as though he were hooking into some invisible anchor to keep his feet from leaving the ground. "It's just that I'm not sure that strolling around naked would be such a great idea, on the off chance that the moon changes colors again and we get another surprise visit from... whatever that was." he nodded his head towards the rock that Cyana had appeared on earlier. "I don't much like being caught with my pants down. And my shirt. And my underpants. And with no nice big pit of water nearby, I might just go for the bushes this time. It's for safety reasons, really..." He would've added something about Aseyu's own little foot injury, but Joe hadn't had shoes either, he'd just been lucky enough to avoid landing on vicious, small-sized rocks.
Despite his protests, there was a part of him that didn't think it was such a bad idea. And even though he knew that her particular tastes were quite a bit more open to exotica that most others would shy away from, it felt good to hear her call his shape—his body—'fine'. It wasn't that Joseph was proud of it, but no matter what anyone said, it was his body. Who he was, and who he would be for the foreseeable future. When everyone around him—sometimes himself included—regarded it as a big problem that needed to go away, it was hard not to feel just... ashamed. Ashamed of what he had become. What he had no control over. Perhaps it was all just sultry talk—after all, she was suggesting that he should walk around some ruins naked with her—but he still appreciated it.
"What if I go... Conan style, y'know?" he spread his hands out across his waist, "I set my pants up like a loincloth, but everything else is uncovered. It's almost the same thing, ain't it?"
[Pax Island ~ Big Kahuna]
"...I- ...I- good grief! Don't any of you understand the concept of 'punishment'?" Iris stared at them in disbelief. "Here- here-, let me explain it to you: kid does something wrong when he explicitly- he ex-plicitly knows that it's wrong. That's right, he does it anyways. And then instead of taking the initiative to apologize himself, he waits cozy in a restaurant for me- ME," she put a hand to her chest, as though she hadn't made it clear enough, "to come find him. And he thinks that an ice cream bought on god-knows whose money is going to make everything better!" she closed her eyes and shook her head, "and lets say that I get buddy-buddy with him, I accept his apology, and I— fuck, whatever, I limit his TV watching privileges. Whoop-de-doo! You know what? He's gonna think 'Gee Willikers, that wasn't so bad. I guess I can do again sometime, y'know, if I really feel like it'." she slammed her hand down on the table, landing it in some of the ice cream dribble that was beginning to spread into a small puddle. "NO. That doesn't cut it.
"And George, I know you probably don't understand why this it's so damn important that I get Howell to behave himself, but trust me, it's a matter of pretty damn big significance, all right? So if you'll just go ahead an ba- ...ah." Iris stopped finally, at the appearance of the man, who must've been the manager of some sort.
"Well there it is." she grumbled, before putting both hands on the table, pushing herself to her feet. "Come on Howell. We're not done yet."
No response.
"Come ON Howe." She repeated, turning to look at him.
Howell sat still, staring at the overturned ice cream sundae through nearly shut eyes. He hadn't budged since Iris had brought it crashing down, and there was a tiny spattering of the ice cream on the front of his jacket. To the extent that he could smile, he wasn't smiling at all. He remained silent, even as the corners of his eyes grew misty.
"Oh g- ...agh." Iris sighed, "Howell..." her voice sounded pained, in a way, but apparently there was nothing to be done. She glared at the man asking her to leave. She glared at Hayate. She glared at George. She glared at Thomas. Even through her glares, her own eyes were looking redder around the edges. Without another word, she moved away from the table, stormed past everyone and out the front entrance. Outside, she kicked up some dirt and screamed, probably something obscene, but it was impossible to understand from within the restaurant. Then she stormed off.
Howell still said nothing, even as Nathan helped him get to his feet. He gripped his duster tightly. He looked sad.
this place needs me here
Big Kahuna
Hayate's expression just blanked as he watched Iris go on a tirade, then give everyone death glares and leave. Did she have a point? He couldn't say he approved of Howell's behavior either, especially considering how much of a pain it was to actually find him. He even said he wasn't going to interfere; it was mostly Nathan and his family (and most likely the other patrons) who objected. However, that display just screamed at him that Iris was...immature. Perhaps even more immature than her own brother.
He glanced out the door, then back at the mess Iris made on her table, then at the others. "I warned her," he said, before shaking his head sadly and hopping off his seat to join everyone else. "At any rate, I believe that is punishment enough. There is nothing else for us to do here."
Selena looked up from her menu briefly as the woman stormed out of the restaurant and yelled something that was most definitely a curse of some sort.
"Thank fuck," she muttered before looking back down at the menu. Just who did that woman think she was, raising a massive stink like that in the middle of a restaurant?
Icon by Civvi the Civilian!
[Hotel - Room 212 Balcony]
"I suppose I can't help you with your journey," Cyana said, "one must find their way and purpose on their own, so perhaps we should talk about something else?"
"If you don't mind me asking, you seem to have a special connection with the moon," she said, "if it never replies, why do you talk to it?"
[Beach - Near Robot (Yuuta, Duckie, Claire, Song, CORE)]
"Oh, absolutely," Yuuta said to CORE, "I just wish I had some drones, they sure do look cool."
"Do you have any questions, since you're doing research here?" he said, "I have some travel pamphlets about Earth, if you're interested?"
[Beach - Robot (Takuya, Forsythe)]
"Ah, I suppose that makes sense," Takuya said, knowing nothing about mech tactics or strategy.
"So... was there supposed to be a repair crew meeting you here, or what?" he said.
[Big Kahuna]
"We just want a quiet environment for our guests," Bob (the manager) said to Thomas, "you don't have to leave if the discussion is quiet."
Once Iris had left, he said, "very well, I'll be around if there are any other concerns." He then walked away, looking around the restaurant and explaining the situation to any other disturbed customers.
Samantha brought over a water, with no lemon, and set it down in front of Selena. "One water, hold the lemon," she said, "and sorry about that mess earlier. See anything you like, or should I come back in a bit?"
[Azatha's Fortress - Throne Room]
Sam would find Azatha sitting on her throne, looking at him suspiciously. "Back again so soon?" Azatha said to Sam, "And you brought... flowers? That's... unusual." She gave him a further look of suspicion, especially given the strange flowers he had.
"What caused this sudden change of heart?" she said, "either way, maybe now you could answer my questions from before. Because, as you should know, I'm attracted to power - preferably in a useful form, such as electrical or magical, none of that 'political power' baloney."
Also, note that Kunstler can use the interdimensional door (at the front of the throne room) to travel to any place or time nearby. (Either back to his home, or to Pax Island, for example.)
Kevin doesn't have anything to say, at least not until Layi replies to Tamara or something else happens.
edited 1st May '14 9:34:59 PM by Sonzai
Danger: Intense gravimetric distortions nearby. Please reverse the polarity on your deflectors now.
Hotel (Room 212 - Balcony)
Kaguya suddenly turned bright red again. Without looking up, she asked, "Um...You heard everything I said back there...?"
She took a long while to give a proper answer, partially because she was just that embarrassed and partially because she needed to think of a way to word her answer that wouldn't embarrass herself further.
Eventually, she did look up slightly, although she still seemed to be mostly focused on her feet. "Er...I guess it's because...for a long while, the moon was the best conversation partner I could find. It never talks back, but...it always listens. I can tell." Not quite the best response she could have come up with, but given the circumstances she guessed it would work. Hopefully.
Big Kahuna
"I thank you for handling it as well as you did," Selena said, "At least she agreed to leave peacefully, even if she made a big show out of it." She then glared out the door, or at least as good as she could given where she was sitting relative to it.
She looked back down at the menu, before folding it up and facing Samantha again, "I think I'll take a steak with a side order of liver. No side dishes; I can't digest plant matter very well."
Icon by Civvi the Civilian!
They/Them
[Beach - Near Robot (Yuuta, Duckie, Claire, Song, CORE)]
CORE looked at Yuuta with a raised eyebrow, "Earth I know quite well enough of, it's worlds beyond our understanding that interest me."
He tapped a few buttons the screen of his tablet, a blue lit holographic projection of earth appearing, the hologram then splitting into two earths.
"Other versions of Earth are on my list of 'other worlds' however."
Note to self: Pick less edgy username next time.
[Big Kahuna]
"Sure, no problem," Samantha said to Selena, "how would you like the steak, and the liver, cooked? Also, does your restriction include seasoning, or are sauces and spices ok?"
Meanwhile, Hisami walked up to Hayate, and said, "jeez, what was up with her?"
[Hotel - Room 212 Balcony]
"Actually, I can hear pretty much anything outside across the island, mostly because I perceive sound more like seeing than hearing," Cyana said, "for example, those groups down there were just talking about some temporal paradoxes and different universes," she pointed to the group with the Song down on the beach, "and there was a rather large argument in that restaurant over there," she said, pointing to the Big Kahuna, where Iris had just stormed out of. "But don't worry, your secret is safe with me," she said, putting her right index finger up to her lips.
"But then, why the moon?" she said, "there are many other things that can listen but not reply."
[Beach - Near Robot (Yuuta, Duckie, Claire, Song, CORE)]
"Ok. That makes sense," Yuuta said, taking his hand off the pamphlet in his backpack pocket, "so, how about we compare our situations, then? It's 2015 where I'm from, and we don't have any FTL or moon colonies, unfortunately."
"How about you?"
Danger: Intense gravimetric distortions nearby. Please reverse the polarity on your deflectors now.
[Big Kahuna]
When Iris stormed out of the restaurant, George sighed heavily and covered his face. Thomas only shook his head.
"What a damn shame." he said.
George pulled Thomas to the side and whispered harshly, "I've tried to be tolerant, but at this point, I'm done. I can't keep doing this. She leaves tomorrow morning."
"George, wait a sec-"
"I've made my decision. This entire day was mess after mess after mess. I really did want to help, but all it did was drag us into shit that none of us asked for. From the near death experience earlier, to the arguments, to this..." He sat down on a chair and sighed again, "I don't know if I can put up with it any longer. I don't want to have any more unnecessary stress on our plates, ok?"
"George, I..." he sighed, "I guess you won't be swayed any other way, will you?" He gave a pleading look to Hayate, before looking down. "...Alright. I'll go find her and tell her."
He then slowly turned around and walked out the door.
Seeing that Howell was clearly hurt about everything, Nathan patted his head. "It'll be alright, kid; you're gonna hang out with us for a while." He looked down at Adam, "Besides, I think you've been getting along with my brother."
Adam smiled. "We're not in a rush to go to the hotel anyway."
Jackson realized why Howell wanted to hide from his sister; she probably done this sort of thing before. Now he felt guilty for not helping him out.
He glanced around the restaurants as everyone (well, almost everyone) resumed to what they were doing, now that the show was over. But within the crowd, a familiar face caught him by surprise.
"Selena?" he said as he flew over to her table, not considering how she would react to seeing him as a duck, "Selena, is that you?"
[Pax Island ~ Big Kahuna]
"Not now, Thomas." Iris snapped, then held up a finger, "I am in the middle of something crucial. And believe you me, this is in fact 'the way to do it.'" She turned slightly to look at him, breaking loose of his grip on her shoulders, and said in a quieter voice, "A little public humiliation is what he needs. He'll be more receptive this way. And I really don't give a damn if other people are bothered. Right now, this is much more important. So... please."
She gave the man a bit of an annoyed look, then turned back towards Howell, who had been staring at Thomas with pleading eyes for the entire time that Iris had had her head turned.
this place needs me here