Hello and welcome reader, to the 28th instalment of the Character Development Threads
! These shared story exercises help budding writers develop their characters alongside the characters of other budding writers. No sign-up is needed; just jump right in with your characters. It is recommended that you read the thread page and the last couple of pages before starting.
Discussion Thread Thread Page Town Map
This is a "Main Series" thread and, as such, an element of risk is expected. Rules and participation guidelines may be found on this page.
The thread page groups active characters under the areas in which they are active, enabling you to see who is at a given location in which you might be interested or to find out where to go to encounter characters with whom you wish to interact.
Kindly add your own characters to the thread page, with a link to their initial post, under the area in which they are located and update the page if they change location.
Bear in mind that if your characters are arriving at a location, they are likely to know little more than what they see and hear as they arrive - what the location looks like, what other characters are there (both of which can be read on the thread page) and the last few lines uttered and actions taken as they are arriving (which can be found in the last few posts for that location in the story thread itself), so inserting characters need not be a terrifying process.
If you need help, have any questions, or want a quick recap (if the page count is daunting), head over to the discussion page, and someone is sure to help you out!
To help guide character interaction, having your character come in with a at least one short-term and one long-term goal or motivation is strongly recommended. It is not required, but it does make it easier to drive the plot forward. Feel free to come up with rumours about what treasures, adventure, locations, and dangers may be found in the setting - they need not be true or accurate, just some hook on which to hang an adventure.
The setting is specifically designed to be a vast sandbox into which details can be inserted by participants (for example, you are free to decide that there is a particular temple in the midst of the forest in which something may be found or that there is a particular shop/hotel/restaurant in a section of the town), if you come up with a location that you desire/expect other characters to visit, please add it to the thread page as a sub-location of the relevant area.
Things change as the story progresses. If, for example, a massive battle occurs at a location and the area is now strewn with bodies and buildings are damaged, kindly update the thread page to reflect those changes, in order that other participants have an up-to-date description of the location prior to sending their characters there.
Special thanks to all those who helped in getting the thread launched or provided ideas and feedback. In alphabetic order, they include:
Blackfire667, Collen, Corvidae, daird, DarkbloodCarnagefang, EternaMemoria, Gault, Kkutwar, KillerClowns, ladytanuki, Masterofchaos, nrjxll, Pyxo, Slysheen, TroPartner, WillDeRegio and yours truly
Apologies if I missed anyone - just let me know and I'll update the post.
Between dimensions, and linked to the rest of the multiverse, lies a strange post-apocalyptic environment made up of various regions strewn with the remnants of past glory - ruins, lost technologies and magic. Here and there, nature has found its way back amongst the ruined temples and towns.
In the midst of the blighted landscape, a fresh new town has emerged - a synergy of technology, nature and magic; clean and eco-friendly; a beacon of hope for a brighter future - where travellers can rest, recharge their batteries both literally and metaphorically and get whatever they may need - technological, magical or otherwise - to aid them on their adventures.
New arrivals can turn up by diverse means in the transportation area in the north-western part of the town or by whatever other means they deem appropriate. Here they may also find for rent, lease or hire, any transport they desire from riding animals to vehicles.
The wilderness areas have not been fully explored since the mysterious apocalyptic events that ravaged the area some time ago and no one is really sure what's out there - but rumours abound.
All that is known for sure is that both magic and technology have existed here for a long time, so anything is possible...
Currently in Day 1.
Current Time: 10:00 PM
Current Weather:
General Setting: Fine, a few light clouds Rainforest: Moderately misty, the fog is slowly thickening
See the thread page for updates.
Edited by Wolf1066 on Feb 11th 2021 at 12:12:29 AM
Forest's Edge ~ Campsite (Bonnie, Carol, Lily; Mequoql, Morpho; Matiu; Henry, Joseph; NCH; Mequoql, Morpho)
Lily pursed her lips, "Translator glitch... I... see. I think," she said to the alien woman.
She snapped back around to the human newcomer; he wasn't taking things well, but he managed to recover from the initial shock. Once he declared his intention on having questions answered, and having been released from Amy's embrace, which, coincidentally, reminded Lily of her sister and Nora's behavior. Especially Nora.
"All you need to do is ask; we'll do our best to provide answers," she said, noting that the man was rapidly calming down
Meanwhile, Carol squinted one eye at the lizardman. "What," she flatly stated, trying and failing to understand his speech. "I think... you're the one who's freaking out," she said, before adding, "and your friend over there."
She then glanced over at Adam; the boy seemed to know the lizardman, but the reverse didn't seem true. The dark elf laughed slightly; she was familiar with the feeling of being know by others but having no clue who the hell was talking to her, due to her notoriety.
Town ~ Hotel Parking Lot ~ Bikes (Moobly, Nora; Karl, Peggy, Sophia)
Nora and Moobly exchanged glances upon seeing the collection of bikes. They were very strange looking motorcycles in comparison to Diantha's motorcycle, an "antique" army model with side cab, which, they noted was still sparked nearby in the hotel lot.
Nora spoke first, "Huh, so Cynthia and Diantha haven't left yet." Noting the approach of the ones headed to the ghost town, she added confusedly, "Weird."
"I'll go with you, Miss Peggy," Nora said after making an about face turn.
Moobly shook her head slightly, before addressing Karl, "Moobly is female," she stated, tilting her head to cause her bright blue pigtail-like head crests to bounce a bit, "...I shall travel with you, Karl."
Edited by WillDeRegio on Aug 19th 2018 at 6:41:31 AM
The Prince of Foolish Relevations
Rec Room of Definitely No Waiting
Watching the two newcomers in silence and quietly analyzing them, the nicely-suited Explorer doesn't do anything- Other than obscure her emotions behind the unbreakable veil her mind is hidden behind.
Felian, on the other paw, tilts her head in at the newcomers. Sniffing them and scrunching up her face in confusion at the different scents from Mae & Mo, Felian sneezes before aggressively rubbing at her muzzle with her right paw.
Finally, as Moquoql makes a reappearance, Explorer casually glances towards the alien girl. Floating in mid-air, Explorer shifts to a slightly leaning upright position. Examining her for a moment, the light brown goddess speaks up casually.
"Hold that thought, there's someone I'd like to invite and introduce. Specifically..." Letting herself trail off for a moment, nothing appears to happen. Yet... Suddenly a presence emerges, a mind connected to a body somewhere else entirely.
"Psyche-chan, an angel of my people." Where the unknown presence was initially, 'looking around', she suddenly bristles with anger before a very invasive voice 'speaks'- With power clearly meant to try breaking through Explorer's guard.
"Don't call me that, abomination!" The unknown presence still clearly angry, Explorer frowns slightly and doing so irritates the unknown presence further. Explorer's mental guard doesn't seem to have been broken through though, whereas Felian looks utterly terrified by the powerful telepathic intrusion.
Only a few moments later, however, the unknown presence fully turns her attention to the alien girls. Seemingly 'staring', the unknown presence 'speaks' with an undercurrent of disdain.
"What do you things want? I'm the shatterer of souls, the destroyer of memories, the harvester of minds... The Psychic Reaper." Explorer, on the other hand, looks a little embarrassed as she quickly waves reassuringly.
"Don't take her seriously, she's just a cranky little girl trying to be scary." That, unsurprisingly, annoys the unknown presence. Still, Explorer lets out a little breath before continuing. "I was wondering if you'd indulged me and let Psyche-chan test herself against some of you?"
"The Omniverse is the collection of all possibilities, and all possibilities must eventually come to pass."
< Wasteland, Southeastern Coast - Sinking >
The bright white light of day was swallowed up in an instant as David toppled into the sinkhole. The umbrella provided only a brief reprieve before it became dislodged from the flow, stacking its weight upon his small body as they careened into the depths.
He landed on his shoulder, sending a sharp shock down his arm, but barely avoiding plunging his entire head into the muck. The umbrella landed next to his neck, spear-tip facing upward. Moments later he heard the distinct crack of his rifle, muffled through the lofty, shifting walls of sand.
Run, he thought as two more gunshots followed. Just run.
He tried grabbing the umbrella pole again to hoist himself upright, but his mud coated grip slipped off halfway through, sending him right back into the wet sand, which was piling in from above even faster than it was pulling him down. To his disgust, he spotted a few of the mismatched entrails from the beast's underside slide into the pit as well.
What a way to die. Drowned—or maybe suffocated, he wasn't sure which—in a morbid stew of mud, guts, and him. Buried before his funeral. Lost to the earth.
With great effort, he managed to sit up, but the cold, muddy sand was already up to his chest. He wasn't going anywhere. He raised his wet, dirt-streaked, whiskery head to the hole above him and felt a hum rise from within.
He hummed as the sand reached his collarbone, and his prospects dimmed. He imagined a twinkling bright piano and swelling strings, trying to ignore the faint, lingering fetor of decay that surrounded him.
"Guess you feel you'll always be..." he sang, as the ground swallowed him up to his raised elbows and the near entirety of his neck. "...the one and only one for me. And if you think you could..." He thought he heard a soft rumble before the mud covered up his ears. "...well chances are, your chances are..." he closed his dark brown eyes just before the mud got to them. The last thing he saw was a wave of water rushing over the edge of the pit as it cascaded down upon him. Only his hands and the very tip of his muzzle remained above ground to greet it.
"...awfully-"
this place needs me here
Shopping District: Outside Spell Nexus (Valerie, Justin, Vindex, Cynthia, Diantha, Arilay, Shale, Nui)
Arilay's current mechanical eyeballs weren't the pair with the infrared capabilities, so she hadn't yet noticed anything unusual about Nui.
Shale smiled at Nui's offer and reached out with her own left hand to complete the handshake. The instant that contact was made, Shale opened the connection to her emotional brain and let her surprise be known. Nui's soul was loosened, and not in the same way as certain vampires she'd touched, it was tangled up with the arm gadget. "That can't be good for your health," she remarked, "That explains what you said about your priorities in wares. Perhaps you'd like to meet Nyorla, she specializes in stopping souls from exiting the body. In the meantime, with your permission I have a limited capability to aid your body's living functions for as long as I'm touching you."
Sun-Dry Sea (Pilot 0037, Unit 09; Nyorla)
Nyorla's notice-me-not bubble was tailored to affect a single target — the Lanceros — instead of affecting everyone. To do otherwise would not only be a tactical blunder affecting allies but would also weaken the bubble. She felt the Lanceros's suspicion and instructed the spaceship to beam up herself, the first aid kit, the young pilot, his computer, and the four moufreta corpses. She got an error message: the automatic cleaning system had to finish moving Varla's wheelchair out of the way first. Nyorla started meditating and expending more concentration on the bubble.
WFS Hummingbird Cockpit (Maequoql)
Maequoql noted the suspicious Lanceros under the influence of Nyorla's bubble. Nyorla was hidden for now, but she needed that Lanceros distracted to keep that bubble lasting long enough to clear the teleporter pad.
Maequoql grabbed the Lanceros in the tractor beam at low power and gently shook it. Her goal was to surprise and scare it, not to harm it. It could struggle free and flee if that was the course of action it chose.
Forest's Edge ~ Campsite (Bonnie, Carol, Lily; Mequoql, Morpho; Matiu; Henry, Joseph; NCH)
Mequoql suppressed the urge to giggle at the desperate and ultimately futile attempts the two scared hikers were making. The first hiker was trying to cover for his companion while his companion tried to hide. Being a telepath, she understood what the lizard person was trying to say perfectly. But she wasn't actively probing, so she had no idea what was garbling his speech.
She'd have to figure out Lily's strikingly familiar numerical calculation later, right now anything that could help them prepare for Mael's next attack was a higher priority. And, as Marie pointed out, that couldn't happen efficiently until the two scared hikers got the reassurances they needed.
Nick returned and the other Not-Chaos-Hunters gave him the news, which predictably agitated him. Mequoql bragged, "Easy, Nick, now that I know what to expect from Mael, I'll do a lot better against him next time."
She addressed Henry, "You're lost, overwhelmed and scared, so how about you ask your questions first?"
Mouth of the Smaller River -> Upstream towards The Scar (Ozurr; Varg, Jann; Rosalind)
Rosalind's ear caught Varg's mutter and a surprised little giggle popped out. She followed Jann into a standing position, a giddy smile on her face. Part of the smile was (naturally) from his proximity, and part of it was from Varg's praise.
"Aw gee, thanks," Rosalind demurred, "I'm glad I could help." She silently scolded herself, "Varg was clearly referring to alcohol drinks, you numbskull!"
Rosalind fidgeted slightly — underneath the old denim fabric of her shirt, her left shoulderblade was pockmarked with scars from silver-jacketed bullets. Jann's arm was resting right on top of some of the higher scars. Other than the little reminder of the scars' presence, it wasn't uncomfortable. She was ever so slightly shorter than him, so she didn't have to hunch. She carefully tried walking in step with him, and after some adjustments, they established a comfortable rhythm.
Wasteland, Southeastern Coast, Inside the Quicksand Pit (David, Varla)
"Gotcha!" Varla zeroed in on the singing and pounced on the otter's hands, shoving her left wrist into their grip. She took a deep breath into her lungs and thought, "If I save his sorry tail, he'd better not be lewd about exchanging air like this — good thing I brushed my teeth..." She closed his mouth with her free hand and sealed her lips around his nose just before a wave of water washed over his snout. The tide wasn't in far enough for the waves to wash over them both... yet.
As the water swished around them first one way, then back the way it came, Varla exhaled slowly, as she did so she carefully enunciated "No scared. Slowwiggle. Slow." She was limited in what consonants she could use. If she recalled her anatomy lessons correctly, resonating her voice in his sinuses would bypass the mud-clogged external parts of his ear to get to the perfectly functional internal parts of his ear.
In the time between that wave and the next, Varla released the otter's snout and twisted a little to snag the umbrella in her free hand. The goal was to get the otter lying flat on his back, if he wasn't already, and then get the umbrella under the otter's lower back perpendicular to his spine.
And then Varla felt a disturbance in the mud. "What the—?" She looked around for the perpetrator, hoping it wasn't another thing like what had appeared last time.
WFS Hummingbird Rec Room (Moquoql, Aynara, Arnaya, Felian, Explorer of Unknowns, Psyche-Chan)
Moquoql stayed silent, some instinct told her it would be prudent to not draw attention to herself. The twins, though, were immediately analyzing and deciding what to imitate.
"I am Aynara."
"I am Arnaya. The two of us are students of terror, and we do indeed seek to test ourselves against those who wish to test themselves. I'll go first."
Edited by Miss_Desperado on Aug 19th 2018 at 9:10:03 AM
If not for this anchor I'd be dancing between the stars. At least I can try to write better vampire stories than Twilight.
Strepsirrhine of DOOM!
Near the River (Akane; Krakka'a)
Krakka'a smirked as Akane took off running. Snagged another one. He bent his elbows and catapulted himself into the air. Damn, manipulating people is so much fun! How did I never try this before?
Mouth of the smaller river (Ozurr; Jann, Varg; Rosalind)
"Fascinating," Ozurr said in response to Varg's explanation of how her weapon worked. "And if my father ever figured out how to make that, the humans would be extinct within a week."
He smiled and shook his head at Jann and Rosalind. They reminded him so much of how he had been around Arnora when he had started to notice that she was, in fact, a member of the opposite sex. Please be safe, he thought looking towards the general direction of the forest.
And Jann had used magic to heal himself. Rather effortlessly, at that. Truly, there was no end to the surprises. He considered asking Jann to spare a bit on him, but decided he didn't want to sound pushy, especially not for such small cuts.
"Drinks are on me tonight."
"Just as long as it isn't that grain stuff we had back in town."
The Scar - Bridge over the Smaller River (Chitara's Wagon and crew; Zarokh)
"I mean," Zarokh said to himself as he hauled himself up onto the bridge, "even if they don't share it with me, it's not really a waste if someone else eats it, right? So I'm not really violating your teachings by not following the smell, right?"
The only answer was the sound of the wind and the river trickling beneath him. Zarokh sighed, wishing Sobek would send him a more concrete sign, unaware that Sobek was back in his home universe tearing out his scales in frustration while Set glared at him in annoyance.
His thoughts were interrupted by a distant sound, like something heavy approaching him. He turned in the direction the sound came from and saw something coming his way. It looked very much like a large wooden box on wheels, that was being pulled by giant beetles. The beetles looked like they might be tasty, but while he couldn't make out much detail at this distance, he could tell that there were several smaller creatures riding on the box, and they might be angry if he ate one of their beetles without permission.
Maybe this is the sign? Part of Zarokh felt like he was grasping at straws, but his brain was working overtime trying to justify everything that had happened today without triggering a crisis of faith.
Edited by apocalemur on Aug 20th 2018 at 8:47:59 AM
Tidesson Son of the staves of time
Wasteland ~ Southeastern Coast (Lerna, Nerea; David; Varla)
Nerea held a hand out, a spell springing to life. A portion of seawater was used to hold the incoming tide back as she returned her attention to the sinking person and the merfolk attending to them. She frowned slightly at the former's confusion.
"Fret not, I am merely using my powers to help you pull them out; my servant shall assist," she said, before turning to her servant, "Lerna, help the lady, do what ever she says,"
Lerna gave Nerea a quick salute, "Aye aye, m'lady!"
She then moved to position herself beside the mermaid.
Wasteland ~ Southeastern Coast (Lerna, Nerea; David; Varla)
Varla sighed in relief. The stranger who was not Lerna apparently had hydrokinetic powers like Riversnake, that would make things ten times easier. Varla instructed, "Okay, so — Argh, Lerna, don't stand in here or you'll sink just like him! Lie flat on your back or belly, I'd rather not rescue two people."
Varla handed over the umbrella. "Now take this umbrella and put it under your hips crosswise to your spine, it'll spread your weight across a larger surface area. I was saving it for his hips, but I suspect they're too deep at the moment."
"Okay, Lerna, coordinating our efforts would be easier if we dug out this guy's ears so he can hear us." She used her free hand to start digging.
"Uh, what's-your-name, can you try mixing more water into this mud, right under his chin? Right now it's really heavy, thick and sticky like molasses, it'll flow easier with more water in it."
Edited by Miss_Desperado on Aug 20th 2018 at 7:13:42 AM
If not for this anchor I'd be dancing between the stars. At least I can try to write better vampire stories than Twilight.
Friendly Neighborhood Lich
Outside Spell Nexus (Valerie, Justin, Vindex, Cynthia, Diantha, Arilay, Shale, Nui)
Although Nui had a bit more experience with telepathy than Cynthia did (psychic powers of any sort were just about ubiquitous on Orenya, except for teleportation of course), the sudden infiltration of thought brought notable unease to the sunestrenote . There might have been more unease in Shale as well, as something more sinister than mere loosening of the soul slowly rose to the surface... but that thought suddenly disappeared, as if being forgotten. No, not repressed... completely erased from their mind. In fact, a few thoughts that flitted by did this... including the memory of a mechanical contraption Nui had created some time ago, and a few fragmented ones. From their thought process alone, one might think Nui had some sort of neurological impairment, something on the level of moderate dementia perhaps.
In fact, the telepathic message Nui actually delivered back came in fragmented for a brief moment before finally coming in clear. "Indeed, I am not... in the best of shape. Meeting Nyorla... sounds... an option. I would like to... after." And accompanying that thought was a side of emotion, a panic that they might be losing their mind, as well as a profound fear of death. (Latter not at all surprising for a necromancer.)
They sighed and spoke aloud, while still holding onto Shale's hand. "Forgive me, I am better at receiving thoughts than transmitting them, at least from the neurological standpoint that seems to be the basis of your telepathic methods. Perhaps after we peruse this shop's inventory, you might tell me more about this Nyorla. In the meantime, which truth do you wish to tell the shopkeeper?" Normally people would think about what they say before/while saying it, but if there was any thought here, it was even more fragmented.
Edited by ladytanuki on Aug 20th 2018 at 9:31:00 AM
Come, my child of the devil. Your mother is calling you. Hear my call in Hell's grand hall, where all our dreams come true.
< Wasteland, Southeastern Coast - Sunken >
David braced what little he could for the impending blast of water into his nose. He couldn't see, he couldn't hear, and he was desperately trying not to smell. But he could feel. There was nothing he could do about what he would feel.
Then, something curious happened. He felt a sudden, strong force press against his hands, and instinctively, he grabbed on. What he felt was wet, but it wasn't liquid. It was soft to the touch and had a little give. It was skin around something sturdy, like a leg or—more likely given the size and orientation of it—an arm.
Joseph was his first thought, but although he had never made an express point to make a lot of physical contact with his lizard companion, he could not help but feel that something was off. Maybe it was the lack of sand, or the sureness and strength with which the move was made.
Regardless, he had barely an instant to consider it before something far more curious happened. The water he'd been dreading finally reached him, but in the preceding moments his mouth and nose were both covered up, and only the surrounding parts of his snout were awash with seawater. At the same time, he felt whatever was covering his nose blow air into it, which was probably the strangest sensation of all. The air was hot and aggressively minty, with a hint of the sea on the back end. Even so, it wasn't as bad as the sand monstrosity's reeking death.
Following in tandem with the air, a voice infiltrated his head.
"No scared. Slowwiggle. Slow."
As if he needed a cincher, the voice most certainly did not belong to Joseph. It was funny that the voice should mention fear, as, for whatever reason, David was not afraid. At least, not nearly as afraid as he should have been, given the circumstances. He should have been panicking, flailing around, screaming for help, swallowing sand, begging for breath. But he wasn't. And he was still alive somehow. If he was truly being saved, why not go with it?
Slow wiggle? Slow wiggle it is.
His body had taken more than a fair day's beating over the past hour. Kicked, dropped, tossed about... and whatever sense of adrenaline had been kind enough to put the consequences of these pummelings aside, it was no longer with him.
Gripping tight to his mysterious savior's arm, David began the sharp, aching process of moving his sand-trapped body. The voice hadn't been terribly specific, so he just gritted his teeth, wrinkled his nose, and shifted his upper body ever-so-slightly, back and forth. Back and forth. Back and...
this place needs me here
Wasteland ~ Southeastern Coast (Lerna, Nerea; Varla; David)
Lerna unblinkingly stared at the mermaid for a brief moment before realization of the fact that she was standing on quicksand kicked in. Dropping lightly on all fours, then on her belly, she turned her head and nodded, "Right, sorry 'bout that,"
Following the instructions given, Lerna proceeded to position the umbrella under her hips, and began excavating clumps of mud from around the fuzzy muzzle.
Meanwhile, the empress nodded slightly, "Nerea; and..." A finger snap and a shifting of water wisps later, "I have done as you have requested. Additionally, I am working on pushing his legs to the surface— that is what you had in mind, was it not?"
Near the River (Akane; Krakka'a)
Akane caught a glimpse of the smirk on Krakka'a's beak. It seemed his pride had recovered and he was back to being arrogant. She tilted her head slightly in lieu of a shrug as she ran.
Noting that the river came from the direction she wanted to go, she decided to follow it, picking up speed and making glances upward to see how her new comrade was doing in keeping up.
"I'm curious," she asked loud enough for Krakka'a to hear, "You called mammals tiny, yet compared to you, I'm relatively certain a tiger or a bear could do a number on you. I've even seen some of the former take on crocodiles, and the latter steal fish from a gilshank."
Sun-Dry Sea (Pilot 0037, Unit 09; Nyorla)
The tractor beam succeeded in doing its job in startling the lanceros. Perhaps a bit too well. Letting out a panicked bellow when it found its movements impeded and jostled by an unseen force. It violently thrashed about before taking to the air.
From his hiding spot, the boy sighed a quiet sigh of relief; the lanceros was leaving!
Flapping its wings a few times, it scanned the ground before deciding it was safe enough to land.
*squish*
The boy felt the reverberations as 160 metric tons landed on one of the unoccupied moufreta corpses, causing his breath to catch. Unit 09 wisely kept silent and prayed that the wyvern wouldn't notice any of them.
The lanceros backed away from the butchering slight as it tried to figure out what it had landed on. Glancing down, it noticed the pulverized remains of a moufreta. As it slowly swept its glance around, it began noticing three other moufreta corpses and a strange rock that seemed familiar somehow. It began moving forward towards the "rock" known as Unit 09.
It did not notice however, the presence of either Nyorla or the boy, the latter of whom was just realizing how damn big the beast he decided to challenge earlier actually was and possibly how much of a blithering idiot he was for doing so.
Outside Spell Nexus (Valerie, Justin, Vindex, Cynthia, Diantha, Arilay, Shale, Nui)
Shale kept the connection to her emotional brain open and let her compassion for Nui be known. Meanwhile, behind her mental shields, she pondered the neural glitches she was observing, comparing it to mundane medical effects she knew of and not getting exact matches, though there were some similarities to both the usual human consequences of old age and case studies of failed attempts to force genetically engineered entities into sentience.
Shale moved a train of thought to where Nui could "overhear" it. If Shale were to drop a specific shield, she'd be able to feel the inner workings of Nui's body as keenly as she did her own, with Nui's awareness temporarily expanding to match. As enlightening as the experience might be, it wouldn't be pleasant for Shale to experience the neural glitches she was observing, and — soul problem or not — she wasn't sure whether the experience would be overwhelming for Nui. She saved that train of thought for later and let it transition into which packet of truth she could use to open the shop to her. Only two seconds had passed, thoughts were faster when they weren't slowed by composing them as speech.
Arilay stood by for redundant communication potential as Shale declared, "My name is Shale, I am a Sleutrienn. My touch-based telepathy is capable of mapping someone's body in about as much detail as a Magnetic Resonance Imaging machine, except the mechanics of doing so are much different."
WFS Hummingbird Cockpit (Maequoql)
Oops, that lanceros landing was way too close! Maequoql fed a larger fraction of power to the tractor beam, re-targeted it, and started pulling the lanceros up. She just needed to buy her sister two more seconds...
Sun-Dry Sea -> WFS Hummingbird Transporter Room (Pilot 0037, Unit 09; Nyorla)
With the teleporter pad cleared, it was able to lock on and retrieve the children, the three non-squished corpses of their haul, the computer, and the first aid kit.
"E-eiyah, that nearly didn't work!" Nyorla rolled out from underneath the incompletely skinned moufreta corpse and started tallying a list of concerns in her head.
Over the intercom, Maequoql chimed in, "Welcome on board the WFS Hummingbird, this is copilot Maequoql speaking. That was quite a scare back there. Is everyone okay, physically? Mentally? Sick Bay is right next door if you need it."
Nyorla had her list composed. First entry: "I swear we'll be back for your Panzerfaust as soon as we figure out what to do about that lanceros," she preemptively reassured her new companion.
Next entry: "I figured you already know teleporting is possible, so at this point my classified information is blueprints and other technical nitty-gritty. Now, as long as we're here, we might as well get those supplies I mentioned." She moved to the computer terminal embedded in the wall and started typing, glancing back and forth between the screen and her new friend.
There were two more entries on her concern list — the punishment hanging over the young pilot's head and the multiple explanations she owed him.
WFS Hummingbird Cockpit (Maequoql)
Now that her youngest sister was safe, Maequoql released the lanceros. She remembered Varla's previous query and messaged Varla, "How's the quicksand?"
Wasteland ~ Southeastern Coast (Lerna, Nerea; Varla; David)
Varla echolocated, trying to gauge the density of the mud. It was indeed being diluted, though she still couldn't get a clear picture of what was happening past a certain depth. "Thanks, Nerea, that's exactly what needs to happen," Varla smiled. She answered Maequoql, "Better than usual. Someone with a hydrokinetic talent is helping." Varla felt around for the wiggling anthropomorphic otter's neck muscles, trying to figure out how his body was positioned. Judging from the taut muscles in his chin, she inferred he had his snout tilted up and his chest was upright. As the trapped fellow's head was worked up through the mud, Varla asked, "Hey, mister, can you hear me now?"
If not for this anchor I'd be dancing between the stars. At least I can try to write better vampire stories than Twilight.
It's a bird.
The Scar, bridging the Smaller River (Jann, Varg; Rosalind; Ozurr; Chitara's Wagon and Crew; Zarokh)
"Just as long as it isn't that grain stuff we had back in town."
"Nah, don't worry," Varg answered, casually waving her tail in Ozurr's direction. "I found some proper mushroom ale back in town."
After walking for some time - Jann gradually getting more comfortable with both his steps and the proximity to Rosalind along the way - the group neared the section of the Scar where Varg had parked their ramshackle vehicle. It was no longer alone though; some distance away, Jann spotted the giant lizard they had met earlier. He frowned. This could mean trouble, but the reptilian fellow would hopefully be easier to reason with without the presence of his "divine messenger".
At the moment, the lizard seemed occupied with a second vehicle that rapidly approached the scene. Some sort of wagon drawn by... where those a pair of huge beetles? Jann raised an eyebrow, but then remembered briefly spotting the creatures in town. They just hadn't stood out as much back then, surrounded by all kinds of other colorful beings.
Varg took in the sight as well, and turned back to address the group.
"These lizard folk seem to dislike people traveling down this road. Might wanna prepare yourselves again..."
Still a great "screw depression" song even after seven years.The Scar, bridging the Smaller River (Jann, Varg; Rosalind; Ozurr; Chitara's Wagon and Crew; Zarokh)
As the group made their way upstream, Rosalind kept glancing at the opposite riverbank, wanting to kick herself for not noticing the hoofprints leading back to The Scar earlier. Her mustangs had been to the bridge twice. So where had they gone after the second visit?
Her pondering was cut short when she noticed the beetle-pulled wagon — okay, that was weird — and motorcycles pulling up behind their truck. There was that enormous gator again, Rosalind could see and smell dried blood on his head. What was that about? Rosalind quickly scanned the skies for the arrogant flyer — no sign, excellent.
Her concern returned to the wagon and she estimated how many it could hold. It looked like it could hold a large group. Between that and the motorcycles... Not good. She stiffened and gulped nervously.
Varg commented, "These lizard folk seem to dislike people traveling down this road. Might wanna prepare yourselves again..."
Rosalind shook her head, "It was that flyer's idea to stop the truck, not the gator's idea, right?" She was back to suppressing her Texas drawl.
If not for this anchor I'd be dancing between the stars. At least I can try to write better vampire stories than Twilight.
Sun-Dry Sea (Lanceros)
Once more the lanceros's movement was impeded, this time, it was being pulled upwards. It, of course, struggled, and by the time it freed itself and landed once more, the moufretas, save the crushed one, and the rock were gone.
Now the wyvern was spooked, and decided that further investigation wasn't necessary. What was necessary was to protect its nest from this strange phenomena. And thus, it withdrew back to its nest.
WFS Hummingbird Transporter Room (Pilot 0037, Unit 09; Nyorla)
The boy sighed in relief as he shoved the moufreta corpse off himself. They were out of harm's way; there wasn't a massive wyvern that could end their pitiful lives in an instant right above them. "We're safe," he said.
"Affirmative. Mostly," chimed Unit 09.
Instead, they had been magicked away into a strange room. One that reminded the boy of what lie behind one of those doors with the red signs. The kind of room that had those scary people with no face and the scary cloaks and the painsticks— The boy reflexively curled into fetal position, oblivious to his surroundings.
Meanwhile, Unit 09 finished doing the calculations of their trip; "Fascinating."
A moment later, Unit 09 spoke again, "This unit has the schematics to the Mark III Panzerfaust; these can be used to repair the machine to Imperial standards." After another pause, it continued, "The Panzerfaust's twenty millimeter Bulwark Canon Automatique failed to inflict meaningful damage to the lanceros. Would it be possible to equip the Panzerfaust with a larger gun? Slaying the lanceros would most likely cur favor with Pilot Zero-Zero-Three-Seven's superiors, and thus lessen his punishment."
Afterwards, the computer made a brief noise, almost like a wheeze, before adding, "It is very generous of you to offer medical attention. This unit believes its pilot is in need of said attention; he is making sounds indicative of injury," it said, pointing out the boy's quiet whimpering. It had heard these sounds before, generally after someone had been punished by the warden.
All the meanwhile, a small pool of blue liquid was beginning to form underneath Unit 09.
Edited by WillDeRegio on Aug 22nd 2018 at 9:07:37 AM
WFS Hummingbird Rec Room (Explorer of Unknowns, Felian, Psyche-chan; Aynara, Arnaya, Moquoql) -> Corridors (Moquoql)
"Excuse me, I'm needed as the engineer," Moquoql stepped out of the room.
WFS Hummingbird Transporter Room (Pilot 0037, Unit 09; Nyorla)
Nyorla turned away from the computer, task complete, and stumbled as she "overheard" the poor boy's flashbacks. She quickly steadied herself and rushed to his side. "Shaiye, shaiye," she repeated in a comforting mantra. She tucked her fingertips into her palms and wrapped herself around him in a hug, her gliding membranes mimicking a warm blanket — or perhaps a shield. Eureka, she'd just thought of a good way to demonstrate her telepathy. She slipped into a meditative trance and projected an avatar of herself into the painful memories. Time to interrupt.
"I'm here," Nyorla murmured in the young boy's ear, curled around him in the same hug her physical body was in. She yelped and twitched as the painsticks ricocheted off of her with more force than they'd collided with her, each bouncing back to hit their own wielder. As each scary cloaked figure Hoist by His Own Petard vanished, Nyorla announced, "You're lost in thought, my friend. Let this nightmare end."
The previously dried mud in Nyorla's fur was now damp with her sweat and she was shaking with shock and fury. "Those guys... deserve... the twins..." she quietly growled under her breath, mostly to herself.
When she got her breathing back under control, she addressed the young pilot, "Hey, listen, I'll do as much as I can to see if you won't get punished at all." Ideally, those guys would never see this young pilot again. Nyorla shook her head in disgust and exclaimed, "Yeesh! Who thought up such a short-sighted punishment anyway?" Of course she objected to the brutality on the basis of compassion. The corporal punishment as standard procedure crossed a line that even the most ill-tempered member of the Web (Varla) would never cross even if she lost her temper at whoever hypothetically wrecked her tank, which wasn't guaranteed to happen thanks to anger management classes. But Nyorla suspected the young boy wouldn't comprehend her disapproval of the punishment hanging over his head unless she phrased her protests on the basis of seemingly cold-hearted logic.
Nyorla surveyed the teleporter pad, levitated the blue puddle back where it had come from, telekinetically plugged the leak and addressed Unit 09, "If we don't have spare parts for your Panzerfaust, we can make them — oh, but the, uh, factory wouldn't know what to make without the schematics, and you said they were classified — but at the very least we ought to weld a patch on that leak, telekinesis isn't perfect." Nyorla calculated, "Is the Panzerfaust big enough to carry the kind of big gun it would take to kill the lanceros? If you just wanted the use of a big gun, this spaceship has plenty of missile launchers on its hull."
Maequoql interjected over the intercom, "Or I could just train the lanceros to avoid you by throwing it with the tractor beam every time it approaches you — now that I know how much force that takes. It's cowering in its nest right now, I think it wouldn't take much for the lesson to sink in if you actually showed yourself next time instead of hiding."
Spheroid Dropship -> Entering the Rainforest (Seenarnha, Swanwhite, Lectri, Plasma)
With Swanwhite and Plasma following behind her, Seenarnha rode Lectri down the concrete road to the edge of the rainforest and inspected the nearest dead tree. She fished out a container from Swanwhite's cargo bags and removed what seemed to be a magnifying glass. But magnifying glasses did not show false-color images like this one was doing. It was showing her magical activity hotspots. A simple tool, it didn't give any indication of what the magic was up to, just whether or not it was active and where. Seenarnha would have to use inference and other mental and physical tools if she wanted to figure out what the magic was up to. Right now she wanted to know if the curse that killed that tree was still lingering on it. If she was extremely lucky, the curse might have a "cord" she could trace to the kid or the vampire.
If not for this anchor I'd be dancing between the stars. At least I can try to write better vampire stories than Twilight.
< Wasteland, Southeastern Coast - Rising >
As he moved his torso a little this way and a little that, David noticed a curious sensation from beneath his legs and tail. A bit of a pushing and a bit of a lifting, as if something in the sand was propelling him upward. It tickled his feet, nearly causing him to break into a terribly unhealthy giggling. Instead, his mouth just trembled a bit, twitching in and out of a fur-coated grin.
At the same time, he could feel the sand around his head shifting, its mucky grip loosening. Soon he could hear muffled voices, picking up something about 'two hatpins', maybe. Perhaps he wasn't the only unfortunate soul whose fine outfit had been swamped with muddy sand. This too made him smile.
He felt someone's hand touch under his chin and nearly recoiled; typically the only people to touch him there were trying to give him a chin rub like he was some kind of pampered house cat. However, the hand quickly retreated, and there was little recoiling to be done regardless, suspended in quicksand as he was. Furthermore, the sand had given way enough that most of his noggin was above ground. He had yet to open his eyes, but he could feel the dry air across the top of his head.
"Hey, mister, can you hear me now?"
David nodded slowly, eyes still closed. He recognized the voice from inside his head, though it sounded a bit differently through his ears. He took a few quick breaths—though the pressure and soreness around his chest kept him from pulling too much in—and answered.
"Yes I can," he said, nodding more swiftly. "I could, even before." He chanced a one-eyed squint at his immediate rescuer, unable to keep the sly smile away from his mouth as he added, "Never in my life have I known the kiss of a guardian angel."
this place needs me here
WFS Hummingbird Transporter Room (Pilot 0037, Unit 09; Nyorla)
Nyorla's warm embrace and her intrusion into the boy's mind did more than dispel his fear. It also brought clarity to the memories, and the original memory that started it all.
A door. A red sign. The words, illegible to the boy, but not to others, said 'Authorized Personnel Only'.
Curiosity overcame the boy, and oblivious to the warning, he entered.
Glancing around, he found himself walking down a hallway. Glancing in through doors, he noticed various strange and bizarre things. There was a room, liquid filled cylinders with pulsating crystal orbs inside lined the walls. Before he could go any further—
"Boy! You don't belong here!" came an authoritative voice from behind him.
He turned around, and was faced with a person, a bit taller than him, garbed head to toe in the military police attire: face obscuring gas mask, crimson long coat with a black metal cuirass over top it, black trousers, jackboots, leather gloves. They carried a submachine gun, one very similar to the Heer's MP40, slung across their shoulder, while pointing a baton that crackled with electricity.
They shut off the baton's power and lowered it, "Oh, you're one of the new pilots. Still, you shouldn't be here." They grabbed the boy by the shoulder and pulled him from the room, adding, "You're coming with me; you saw nothing here today, got that?"
The boy nodded quickly, hiding a flinch as resisting the guard's grip resulted in only pain to his arm.
-
Having calmed down, the boy rolled himself into a sitting position. The boy glanced around the room for a long time, before asking, "This... this is a ship?" It was... much more spacious than he expected.
Meanwhile, Unit 09 processed information, parsed archives, and came to a possible solution: " Would it be possible to make a deal; this unit can provide schematics to non-classified models of Panzerfaust. In exchange, would it be possible for this unit to interface with the factory to repair the Panzerfaust?"
It then addressed the concern of armament: " This unit was installed in an experimental model of the Mark III; weapons and armor were downsized due to testing. Encountering the lanceros was completely unforeseen and unfortunate." There was a brief pause before the computer continued, ''The Mark III is capable of fielding a single sixty-three millimeter Wyvern-Defense Cannon. That should suffice in damaging the lanceros."
After Maequoql injection, Unit 09 contemplated for a moment what it had proposed to save it's pilot from punishment. "We should leave the lanceros alone. There is the distinct possibility that Pilot Zero-Zero-Three-Seven could die. This unit does not want that to happen. Also... I— I do not want to kill it." A tinge of sadness bled through the monotone.
Finally, it address one final concern. " The fuel leak is internal. Welding would not be advised," the unit flatly stated.
Edited by WillDeRegio on Aug 24th 2018 at 6:52:06 AM
Wasteland ~ Southeastern Coast (Lerna, Nerea; Varla; David)
Varla snarled, "Why, you—!" Her left hand convulsed into a tighter grip, crushing the anthropomorphic otter's fingers. She nearly slapped him for good measure, but then she remembered how helpless he was at the moment and settled for scolding, "Have you no sense of self-preservation, saying such brazen things while trapped with no defense against offended slapping? I am far from angelic, and you're lucky there are witnesses."
With a frustrated sigh, Varla forced herself to loosen her grip (though her arm muscles were still tense) and brusquely instructed, "Don't make me regret this. Try to orient yourself so that you're floating on your back, and then we'll all slither out of this quicksand together." By now the quicksand was diluted enough to where she had to send the occasional undulation down her tail to stay at the surface.
WFS Hummingbird Transporter Room (Pilot 0037, Unit 09; Nyorla)
Nyorla blinked rapidly, no matter how many times she saw a written language that she recognized filtered through the thoughts of someone who didn't recognize it, the sensation was still weird. She answered the boy, "Yeah, a spaceship."
Nyorla negotiated with the computer, "You'd need an intermediary to interface with the factory. You shouldn't interface directly because you shouldn't know how it works. Other than that, I think we've got a workable idea." She got a message from her big sister Moquoql and continued, "I also think further negotiations should be taken up with our engineer. And she'd know whatever it takes to fix you if welding's out of the question."
"We're not exactly supposed to kill the lanceros either, unless, say for example, it's about to wreck the town and non-lethal methods fail to control it. But we gotta retrieve the wreckage from its territory somehow."
At that point, Moquoql walked in, pulling a large flatbed cart behind her. Her face lit up with a smile as she spotted the moufreta corpses. "Food! Nice haul, Nyorla!" She waved at the young pilot, "Hi, I'm Moquoql, the ship's engineer and one of Nyorla's big sisters. What's your name?"
If not for this anchor I'd be dancing between the stars. At least I can try to write better vampire stories than Twilight.
Wasteland ~ Southeastern Coast (Lerna, Nerea; David; Varla)
Nerea continued diluting the quicksand, attempting to brute force the ridiculously thick viscosity out of the sand, requiring ludicrous amounts of water to do so. She was also working on drawing the water out from under the trapped person, as to provide a sort of platform underneath. Working the two together, she was able to assist slowly in pushing the person in the right direction for extraction, as to not startle anyone.
Lerna, meanwhile, was trying, and failing miserably at keeping herself from giggling at the antics of first rescuer and rescuee, while still being able to steadily float on the surface of the quicksand. Nerea sighed slightly, not wanting her servant to give this merfolk a bad impression, "Do behave yourselves down there. I would rather have to assist rescuing one person, not more."
WFS Hummingbird Transporter Room (Pilot 0037, Unit 09; Nyorla)
"Space... ship?" The boy's neck slackened, causing his head to abruptly tilt to one side, a perplexed look on his face. A moment later, he straightened back up, "That means... I must be the first person from the Empire in space! Awesome—"
" Negative."
Another head tilt, "Wait. What?"
Unit 09 unhelpfully clarified, " That information is classified."
"Of course you'd say that," the boy grumbled.
The computer sat quiet for a moment, restricted from informing Nyorla of its auto-repair protocol... which it couldn't self-initiate without authorization from the proper individuals, such as its pilot, who seemed to have completely forgotten about it. Unit 09 eventually quietly chimed, "Affirmative."
Meanwhile, the boy glanced up at Moquoql, "I'm Pilot Zero-Zero-Three-Seven," he told her.
< Wasteland, Southeastern Coast - A Time and a Place >
David winced, sucking in a hiss of air as his lifeline proceeded to crunch his fingers together. On the bright side, it took his mind off the pain in his ribs, and his nose, and his back, and even his shoulder, at least for a little while.
"Well, if I've got it coming, I've got it coming," he said through his wince, peeking his eyes back open. "But I did mean that as a compliment. It was an ingenious move, and just in the nick of time." He bowed his mud-sodden head slightly, gazing up at Varla through what he hoped were twinkling brown eyes. "Could you blame a man if he believed it was divine intervention?"
He held the gaze for about two seconds before the stench of the sinking demon's stinking essence invaded his nostrils. With no free hands to cover anything, he was left to wrinkle the bridge of his snout and make a very funny face as he tried not to breathe.
"Pffck-" he spluttered, "Okay, that is... horrible. Maybe this isn't the right venue. My mistake. For now, let me rephrase all that into a simple thank you," he glanced from Varla to the giggling Lerna, then Nerea, "thank you, and thank you. You are all doing a fantastic job. Now, if there's an out to get, let's get there."
With that, he did as Varla had instructed and began leaning backwards, trying to lower his torso to the level of his rising legs and tail. As he did so, his gaze turned skyward. As it did so, the brightness slowly drained from his face.
this place needs me here
Crazy Kiwi
Forest
[Henry, Joseph, Bonnie, Carol, Lily, Mequoql, Morpho, Henry, Not-Chaos-Hunters, Matiu]It seemed to Matiu that the fella with the hat was not taking very well to being unexpectedly hugged by one of the teen girls - he seemed to think he was being forcibly restrained - and the panicked, strangely-accented, voice from behind the tree suggested that the one Carol and the furry alien were dealing with was desperate to convince them that the owner wasn't actually a poisonous snake.
Matiu decided that his best course of action was to remain quiet and hope that things would start to calm down now that the girl had released the fella and the furry one had offered to let the newcomers ask their questions first.
It had been a pretty strange and disturbing day for him, too, so he could appreciate the new arrivals' need to feel safe. Was it always like this around here?
The Scar (Chitara's Wagon) - approaching the river
[Saen, Nyceme, Sindar, Jamie, Chitara, Naiolo, Pearl, Aubrey, Finn]Not long after returning his eyes to the path ahead of him, Finn spotted a break in the trees ahead that could possibly mark where the river cut through the forest and right at that point... "Go on outta that!"
Finn's startled and disbelieving exclamation caused Pearl to direct her attention further ahead and she gasped.
Around then, Sindar and Nyceme had some discussion about crocodiles and alligators, which meant that the tiny fairy had obviously seen it, too.
Aubrey craned his neck to peer around Pearl - cautiously, so that his movements would not upset her control over the bike - and he was shocked to see an enormous crocodile up ahead.
There was also a blue-skinned figure approaching accompanied by smaller figures. It took Aubrey a little while to work out the scale over the distance... "I say, do any of you suppose that the crocodile is the blue fellow's pet?"
Town Square parking area - Bikes
[Nora, Moobly, Sophia, Peggy, Karl]Sophia swung her leg over the seat of her bike and keyed the ignition; Peggy and Karl mounted their own bikes and waited for the others.
Peggy wondered whether Nora would retain her human form or change into something with more means of holding on - the idea that she might be riding around with some sort of squid or otherwise-tentacled creature clinging to the back of the bike was strange but not worrisome.
They waved out to Kaitlyn, Kris and James who were approaching from the direction of the hotel and got an answering wave then Sophia looked back at the others. "Right, let's get this show on the road."
Once everyone is settled on the bikes, they'll head off. Minimal noise - no combustion engines to disturb the peace, just a slight hum/whine from the electronics when they are accelerating and the slight noise from the drive chains and the sound of rubber tyres on pavement.)
Strepsirrhine of DOOM!
The Scar, bridging the Smaller River (Ozurr; Jann, Varg; Rosalind; Chitara's Wagon and Crew; Zarokh)
At the sight of Zarokh standing on the bridge next to their vehicle, Ozurr's eyes immediately snapped to the sky, a habit that he had cultivated back when he noticed Arstadam was following him. No sign of Krakka'a. We may get out of this without another fight.
He then scanned the opposite riverbank. He could see their footprints from earlier, but now they were joined by another set. Something with clawed feet, five toes on the front feet, four on the hind feet, and a track down the middle like something was being dragged behind it. The tracks went about as far down the river as they were before turning around and heading back to the bridge. There were no tracks that looked like Krakka'a's feet.
"Rosalind's right. I don't think the other one is here right now, so we should be safe." He did see a wound on Zarokh's head that he was reasonably certain hadn't been there before.
It was then that he noticed the caravan approaching from the north, including the beetle-drawn cart he had seen in town earlier. "Ooh boy. This bridge is about to get really crowded, really fast."
Zarokh pulled his attention away from the approaching beetle-drawn box and everyone with it and glanced back downstream. A familiar quartet was approaching. The gigantic blue mammal was unmistakable. Zarokh smiled and waved, mostly at the small female that had been nice to him before.
Near the River (Akane; Krakka'a)
Krakka'a looked down at Akane. "Yeah," he said, "except for crocodiles and fish, I'm pretty sure none of those are real animals. I mean, what kind of name is 'bear?'" He thought a bit about how much was safe to tell her. "Where I'm from, mammals don't get much bigger than your head. At least, not until one of your kind showed up. He's actually responsible for me being driven from my home and separated from my family." "Family" wasn't a word Krakka'a ever thought he would use to describe his former flock, but enough of them were biologically related to him that he figured it wasn't technically a lie.
Tidesson Son of the staves of time
< Forest, Edge - Hullabaloo >
Henry met Marie with twitchy smile, as if he was trying to look friendly or reasonable, but someone had just squirted a lemon into his eye. "Oh yeah- hmhmm- I'm sure we've all got questions," he said, wagging a finger, "but- but- there's just- it's- right now there are just too many things, okay. Its... sst... happening..." he sighed and massaged his eyelids, quietly muttering, "oh boyoboyoboyo...''"
When Lily and Mequoql—or the uniformed girl with something funny about her eye and the furry woman without clothes—gave him permission to ask his questions, he looked up with a sharp, "Thankyou."
He drew in a deep breath, and readied his pointing finger. "Okay. Okay, so... one," he gestured at Mequoql, then waved his finger around at all those nearby, "who are all you people? Why are— excuse me— two," he pointed past the small crowd, to the hanging moufretas, "why are there dinosaurs and a terminator guy? Three," He pointed at the sky, "why is it day time? Why is the sun out? Look- look, it's..." he rolled up his sleeve a bit and pointed at a watch on his arm, "it's 11:34 PM! It was dark out! And- and..." he turned, pointing at the forest behind him and raising his eyes to the treeline, "what happened to Squak mountain? What happened to Issaquah? Is this some- some spirit realm? Is this Sumeria?"
He paused for a moment, squinting at the group who had flushed out his lizardness-afflicted friend. "...and why don't you... don't you seem surprised-" with a sudden turn, he faced Mequoql and Lily again, "who are you people?"
Meanwhile, Joseph had squeezed his eyes shut tight, bracing himself for whatever was to come next. He tried to still his breathing, but his chest kept pumping up and down, and in all the excitement he couldn't help but swish his tail willy-nilly, sweeping around leaves like he had a job to do.
What came next was that the person critical of his hiding skills was also critical of his freaking out.
Oh yeah, like he was the one freaking out. It seemed ridiculous, and was very true, and, slowly but surely, he realized as much.
Like a tool on a dying battery, his chest and tail slowed to a near halt as he opened his eyes back up. They were still full of apprehension, or at least uncertainty, but also curiosity, especially as he took notice of Carol's own eyes, as well as her ears. Two arms, two legs, and a little round head, but she was no ordinary human.
He glanced at the other nearby voice as it called out to him. Its owner looked more human, though bearing a slightly unusual haircut and a Robin Hood bow. He was young, and seemed nervous, though he too was distinctly not freaking out.
What was going on? Joseph hadn't the faintest idea. From the reactions he was getting, it seemed that these people were startled more by his behavior than the appearance of a man-sized lizard wearing human clothes. It was almost like it wasn't a terribly big surprise.
News to me, he thought.
To the Robin Hood boy's question, he hesitantly answered, "I... Iyl... I gueff..." before slowly starting to move into a position that wasn't lying belly-up on the forest floor. His long mouth moved in nervous twitches and fits as he rolled over, carefully climbing to his feet.
Even as he stood, he kept his head slightly ducked, as if he were going to dive to the ground again at the sound of the next loud noise. He glanced uneasily between the two near him, then pointed at his mouth and said, "...I cand'anther vey well."
Edited by Ryuhza on Aug 26th 2018 at 2:32:39 AM
this place needs me here
[Forest]
"Like I said before," Marie said, "We'll answer any questions you have. I'm Marie, that's Nick, Amy, Maya, Jackson, and over there is Adam."
"We don't know what the hell Sumeria or Squak mountain is," Maya said, "But I'll be glad to tell you how timezones work. You see, a timezone is—"
Amy hit her shoulder. "Maya! Not now! He's freaking out!"
"Aw, you're no fun. Fine, I'll answer seriously. You most likely got transported here like we did. Before you start freaking out yet again, that's how the most of us came to this place. The furry and the other people I barely know."
"Also," Nick said, "We've met weirder people. This is...kind of not our first rodeo. So there. That's mostly your answer. Now, we have a question for you...what do you remember about Mael?"
"Any information will do," Jackson said, "It's a matter of safety. Just tell us what you know."
Adam, meanwhile, finally let his emotions overtake him as he got a good look at Joseph. He could feel his eyes swell with tears as he slowly walked closer to him.
"Is that you...Joseph?" he asked, shaking, "I...I've been looking all over for you! You vanished in the city and I haven't stopped looking for you! I...I...." he stopped in his tracks, "Do you remember me? I-It's me! Adam! Do you...recognize me...at all?"
Edited by Masterofchaos on Aug 26th 2018 at 4:51:44 AM
Mouth of the smaller river -> The Scar (Ozurr; Jann, Varg; Rosalind)
Jann sat silently for a while, listening to Rosalind's explanation. Chaotic memories, doubts, fearing that she'd harmed the wrong person... It did indeed sound just as familiar as he'd expected.
"Well, you didn't bite me," he said with a warm smile, trying his best to sound comforting. "I'm fairly sure you might have saved my life, actually."
Varg walked by, already heading for the vehicle. "Theatre boy..." she mumbled to herself, glancing down at Jann with a slight smirk.
Jann slowly got up, carefully testing how much weight he could put on his leg.
"I think I'm fine," he told Rosalind, before noticing the twinkle in her eyes. "But uh, thanks," he added, once again blushing a bit himself as he put an arm across her shoulders. "Might as well take it easy, I suppose..."
Varg briefly stopped and turned to look at the group.
"Pretty decent job by all of you," she said, giving a somewhat stern but friendly nod to Rosalind and Ozurr in turn. "Drinks are on me tonight."
She shrugged, scratching the shaved side of her head. "Well, all our supplies are already paid for, but you get the idea..."
Still a great "screw depression" song even after seven years.