Farms (Maelys, Mist; Aseyu, Ethani; Jobe Pearson; Nora, Moobly)

Aseyu ul'Valmoth had mixed feelings about seeing Soryn gone. He was interesting, even if she wasn't quite interested in him that way, and even if he was competition. The others had been much more reserved, though she suspected they'd have been fun to troll a bit if she'd gotten the chance. For now, Aseyu was setting up an expensive tent outside. The tent was large enough to house a few more, and she'd mentioned that she had a spare sleeping bag and she would be fine sharing it with someone. If her guest was okay with her sleeping in the nude, a point she let linger for a few moments after mentioning it faux-casually.

She wasn't sleeping quite yet. She'd eventually get into the tent. Presently, she sat outside, still dressed, quietly looking out at the woods at a patio table. With her were a few glasses borrowed from Jobe, and a large bottle of a sweet, carbonated drink that the mostly-Minnesotan Americans in contact with Qorisa had taken to calling "Qorisayane pop". The "pop" was the color of a pink tourmaline, sweetened with agave nectar, and flavored with a proprietary, carefully-guarded mixture of Qorisa's native fruits; an approximation might be attainable by crossing an orange sherbert with bubblegum, with a touch of the agave's particular sweetness. Seeing how new people reacted to the peculiar drink was always fun, and she was more than happy to invite others to try. Jobe, for his part, had responded with a "not bad" and finished his glass, but declined further glasses, citing health concerns.

Ethani aq'Xueral had talked Jobe into letting her use the guest room, so long as she refrained from smoking in it. She would be perfectly comfortable sharing it, if the others wanted to. For now, she sat on the bed in modest underclothes; a pair of knee-length shorts and an undershirt, a sort of sleeveless halter-top. Though her outfit was less revealing than some American street clothes, others might be surprised to see just how much her Moon Hawk uniform had been straining against her full figure.

For her part, Ethani considered the current situation. Soryn had represented a potential tool to get the Empire new technology and information, but also a powerful threat. Maels and Sarquoql were quiet, in a way that suggested they were wiser than their overwhelming, serpentine associate. Which could be a good or a bad thing. You never could fully trust foreigners, to Ethani's mind, even if you liked them. In her grim, nationalistic worldview, everyone always gravitated to helping their own when things came down to it. Hopefully, that didn't prove an issue during the pig hunt.

Farms (Maelys, Mist, Moobly, Nora; Aseyu, Ethani; Jobe Pearson)

Mist accepted Aseyu's offer of a sleeping bag, stepping in her tent to claim a place for storing her equipment, with Fog taking up a spot next to the tent. She then proceeded to relieve herself of her many layers of attire: unbuckling her brigantine, unfastening and stripping out of her mail hauberk and leggings, and finally stripping out of her padded undergarments, leaving her in a set of long underwear. Setting the armor neatly aside, Mist tended to her mechanical spear.

Moobly and Nora joined Aseyu at the patio table, with the latter taking interest in the "Qorisanian pop". Nora politely asked Aseyu for a glass of "soda", while Moobly looked on.

Meanwhile, Maelys declared her intentions to keep watch for the wild pigplants. After a brief discussion with Jobe about the pigplants, she then proceeded to parkour her way to the roof of Jobe's farmhouse where, much to the farmer's concern, she stationed herself with one of the larger pieces in her hidden arsenal of firearms: a two-meter-long, 20mm anti-material rifle she procured from the folds of her skirt.

WFS Hummingbird

Fortunately, Joseph just turned around the corner and peeked into the room. Nasur turned to him and smiled. "Hey!" He exclaimed. "Just the one I was looking for! Everyone else was leaving already. Thought you did as well."

After Joseph explained his situation, Nasur nodded. "Ah, alright. I think I'll stay 'up here' for rest and meet you back on the town alter. This place has some energy that I haven't felt in a very long time. I'm sure its owners wouldn't mind if I take some of it." He turned to Claire. "Oh, marvelous! We could use someone of your abilities!"

The other kids showed up as well, and Nasur greeted them with a wave. "Oh, you're leaving as well? I'm sure Mael won't bother you in the middle of town... but I wouldn't mind taking a look at that moonstone." He added, eyeing Adam for the stone he mentioned.

_{^< cont. from} WoF Scouter Hummingbird - Near the Dorms _{^> Joseph — Claire — Nasur — Adam, Amy, Jackson, Marie, Maya, Nick}


Joseph shook Claire's hand, beaming a sideways smile. "Hey, maybe I can complete the circle and save you... uh..." he scratched his head, looking her up and down. "...I dunno, a trip to the vending machines? The greatest monster of all is that curly thing stealing your snacks." As usual, it was only after the words had left his mouth that it occurred to him that his joke might not make any sense at all to present company.

He rolled his own eyes, as if to save them the trouble, then returned his attention to Claire as she declared that she was going to be his bodyguard.

"Oh, cool. Wait- what?"

His confusion was only furthered when Nasur responded excitedly at the prospect of having her as a bodyguard.

"I..." Joseph squinted his eyes, glancing between Nasur and Claire, "who are you talking about bodyguarding? And who is Mael after? 'Cause I thought that was Adam and his friends-"

Not a second after he'd mentioned them, the full cavalcade of teens filed into the room, with Nick announcing that they were apparently nixing their training plans and heading back to the hotel—presumably the same one he himself was staying at.

"Hey, great! I mean- well, that means we'll see each other again, 'cause I'm- that's where I'm staying, so that's cool. Sorry things didn't work out with the Web people though." He nodded his head down the corridor to the dorms. "Were the beds that bad?"

He tilted his head at Maya as she signed something at him. He glanced at Amy, then back to Maya, before shaking his head and shrugging, helpless. Before he could ask for clarification, Marie also mentioned that Mael might be after him.

"Hold on a second," he closed his eyes and put his hands up, concentrating before looking around and asking, "...why does everyone think Mael is after me all of a sudden? I... was there an announcement I missed or...? I mean, what did I do? I've never even met the guy!" He frowned down at his shorts pocket, "God, is that why Arilay gave me this weird robot bird alarm?"

[Hummingbird]

The other teens looked at each other in both confusion and concern, until their eyes widened in realization.

"Oh...they didn't tell you, did they?" Marie said.

"Okay," Maya said, this time with Amy translating. "There's another you roaming around, and that other you has a friend named Henry. You, well, the other you, managed to save Henry before he got turned into Mael's minion."

"And if there's one thing that jackass hates," Nick said, smiling, "It's having his little ego ruined like that."

"Still, if he really does want to come after you," Jackson said, "Which, honestly, I doubt because we're the ones he after, we want you to be safe. If you like, you can have the moonstones."

Adam handed the stone to Nasur. "Be careful. When you use them the first time, you'll get sick, then thirsty, and then you'll pass out for a while. But, it'll only be after the first time! You'll be fine afterwards!"

Edited by Masterofchaos on May 10th 2021 at 6:04:28 AM

_{^< cont. from} WoF Scouter Hummingbird - Near the Dorms _{^> Joseph — Claire — Nasur — Adam, Amy, Jackson, Marie, Maya, Nick}

"Aw jeez, the other me..." Joseph muttered, tipping his head back with a groan. "And I can't even be mad at him, saving my frie- ...his frie- ...a friend and all."

His thoughts returned to a moment earlier that day, when he'd manically fired his rifle to save David from that awful sand blob. He wound up having to run like never before, but he'd still done it. He and David had been arguing back then almost as angrily as they had aboard the ship, but he'd still done it. And maybe this other Joseph and his 'Henry' didn't always get along. Maybe they hurt each other sometimes. Maybe saving Henry from Mael had put him in mortal danger. But he'd still done it.

A small, fiery bubble of pride bloomed in his chest. When he lowered his head, he had a strange little smile tugging at the long corners of his mouth.

"Yeah. It's probably nothing to worry about... but it doesn't hurt to be extra safe. Plus, if he's after you all, and you're at the same hotel as us all, then there's still some kinda danger just by being there, right? Then again, there's strength in numbers, and I've heard the town's supposed to be pretty safe." His gaze drifted back to Claire, "But, y'know, we could always use the extra hand."

He thought of that listless little old man, left on a bus, resented and forgotten.

"...even if I'm alright."

WFS Hummingbird ~ Sick Bay (Claire; Nasur; Joseph; the Hunters)

Claire gave a nod in Joseph's direction, "Aye, from what I heard, allegedly—"

Allowing Maya and Amy to sign and talk, Claire eventually nodded, "What she said," she told Joseph.

She casually observed as Adam handed off one of those moonstones of theirs to Nasur. She couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and tilt her head at the list of side effects the moonstones could cause. "Never heard of aether crystals causing the first stages of aether overload like that," she stated.

Claire raised an eyebrow at how Joseph differentiated how the other Joseph had saved his friend, and not the present Joseph's friend. Obviously something had happened, would happen, or hadn't happened at all, but Claire wasn't going to press Joseph on such a trivial topic. Noticing the faint smile on Joseph's face, she didn't want to ruin that.

Instead, she extended a hand towards Joseph. "Well, I'm glad to help out," she told him.

Farms, Outside (Moobly, Nora; Aseyu)

Aseyu nodded politely at the two, pouring each a glass of the bubbly, sweet stuff. She said, "it's been a while since I've been on a proper hunt." She sighed; the night had put her in a reflective mood. Taking a sip of her own glass, she then said, "truth be told, it's not my favorite sport. But it does attract the most interesting people. And back home, it's a sure way to make the clans take a 'clanless' like me seriously." She scoffed at this. "They take their honor so seriously. It's all most of those dusty old clans have left." Almost as if just remembering her company, she added, "know the type?"

Edited by KillerClowns on May 15th 2021 at 9:19:28 AM

WFS Hummingbird

"Oh, thank you!" Nasur replied, maybe a little too eagerly, as he took he took the stone from Adam. He examined it closely, already tasting its energy, whatever powered it. He had brought it close to his mouth when he realized he still was among other people. Nasur shook his head and quickly put it as far away as his arm let him.

"Well, it is certainly an interesting thing." He said, trying to steer attention away from his actions. "I concur with Claire. I haven't seen something so small causing such secondary effects before." He quickly put the stone inside another pocket on his pants.

Claire and Joseph seemed to have reached an agreement. At this, Nasur nodded, satisfied. "Good to see, we are all getting along. I hope you stay safe back there. As I said, I'll be staying in here for my rest." He then turned to the other people. "I take it you're not staying, either?"

[Hummingbird]

Adam shook his head. "No, we're not staying. We decided we were better off just sticking together than staying here." He smiled. "Hope these help! Keep the side effects I talked about in mind, alright?"

Nick and Jackson turned to each other.

"Does a Henry even exist in our Joesph's timeline?" Nick whispered, "God, my head hurts thinking about this. I have a shit ton of questions."

"I do too," Jackson whispered, "But that's a discussion for tomorrow. Perhaps."

"Don't worry, Joseph!" Amy said cheerfully, "We won't be in the same room with you and David! But we'll still make sure you're safe! With us and Claire, Mael won't know what hit him."

"That being said, you can still hang out with us," Maya said, her face gentle. "Really."

"Yeah, we actually care about you, buddy." Nick said, "And if that fucker David—-"

"Nick, please..." Adam put a gentle hand on his shoulder, "Let's just head down together and get some rest. We're all tense."

_{^< cont. from} WoF Scouter Hummingbird - Near the Dorms —> to the Transporter Pad _{^> Joseph — Claire — Nasur — Adam, Amy, Jackson, Marie, Maya, Nick}

Joseph took Claire's hand, giving it a firm shake and her a bright beam. "Glad to have your help."

He turned his large eyes to Nasur, brow furrowing with slight concern. "You watch out for yourself Nasur. And be careful with that thing— those side effects are no picnic from the sounds of it. Just... I'd make sure I was really ready if you plan on using it." He looked at the shabby blue man for a few seconds, and his expression softened again. "See you around, I hope. If not, I..." his arms twitched, but he hesitated a moment.

And then the moment passed.

"Aw heck, here's one for the road." With that, he stepped forward, threw his arms around Nasur, and hugged him. "Be good."

Be good?? What am I, E.T.?

Too late to take it back, he pulled away, gave a quick nod to offset his wobbling smile, and turned to Amy. "Won't know what hit him, yeah. That doof'll get what's coming to him if he tries poking around the den when all the lions and lizards and, uh, assorted personages of all other kinds are home."

He looked at Maya and was about to speak when Nick chimed in about David. Immediately, Joseph's face fell. He studied the floor, opening and closing his mouth a few times before finally managing to elicit a soft, "Umm..." and a long sigh.

"Listen..." he lifted his head a bit, putting a hand over the bridge of his snout so that it partially covered his eyes, "I... think something's going on with... I think David's going through something. I mean, I know he is— he got attacked- twice, actually." He quickly scanned through his day, recalling their early encounter with the thief, then the blob, and David's most recent unseen fight with Aynara. "Wait no, thrice. Three times, yeah, and I just think it's affecting him more than I thought initially. Or something is; he's not exactly saying. And yeah, he was a dick to me, but he kind of apologized, so just... I dunno, ease off a bit?"

He glanced down the hall, then back at the group, though he seemed unwilling to make eye contact with anyone. "I'm gonna... head over," he thumbed down the hall, "I'll be waiting by the transporter place whenever you're all ready."

Without a word, a momentary glance, or anything but the barest nod, he turned tail and drifted down the hall, pressing on into a miasmic wade of emotions, which spun and conflicted in the most dizzying fashion.

Edge of the Sun-Dry Sea (Novia, Pilot 0037)

With the panzerfaust repaired, Novia assured that the two of them would be fine by themselves, and would remain where they were until Balamarian forces found them.

With that, the boy made a campfire, and the two of them huddled together in the shelter of the panzerfaust as a dust storm rolled in. Eventually, Novia and the boy managed to drift off to sleep.

WFS Hummingbird ~ Sick Bay (Claire; Nasur; Joseph; the Hunters)

Claire interjected herself into Joseph's conversation with the others. "Sounds like David needs a break from this before he explodes— I know a few folks who came with me to town who might be able to help him unwind and relax. Perhaps I can introduce him tomorrow morning."

Crossing her arms, she smirked, "Sounds like we all got accommodations in town— though, my group's got a spare bed or two if anyone needs them," she said, telling everyone present the set of rooms she and her colleagues had booked. "Just tell 'em Claire sent ya."

With that, she followed after Joseph towards the teleporters, walking loud enough as to not suddenly spook him by accident.

WFS Hummingbird

"Oh, don't worry." Nasur reassured Joseph about his new stone. "I will make sure it doesn't harm me. I only intended to- oh!"

The hug was unexpected, but did not felt unwelcome. Nasur froze on the first second, but eased up and returned it, laying his hands on his friend's back.

"Yes, of course. I'll be good." He tried to compose himself as they two pulled away. "Y-You stay safe as well."

"All of you." He quickly added. "And send my regards to David. With all that you mentioned he went through, it would be understandable he acted like that."

He watched Joseph leave, and Claire as well, turning back from where they had come. Nasur stood there, meekly waving at them. Now, he was on his own again. Although this time it was voluntary, and not for too long. After another moment of standing, he turned around and walked in the opposite direction, walking deeper into the ship. Hopefully, one of its inhabitants would lend him a hand.

"Now, where was that 'engine room'? Or however it was called." He muttered to himself.

Edited by Pyxo on Jun 4th 2021 at 2:56:21 PM

[Hummingbird-Transporter Pad]

Nick instantly felt guilt when Joseph reacted the way he did. Well, yeah, David did go through a lot, but that still didn't give him a right to take his anger out on Joseph. Still...

"Alright," Maya signed, "We'll ease off."

Jackson put a hand on Nick's shoulder. "Hey, you were just showing you cared. I won't lecture you." He winked. "This time."

"Well, that's reassuring." Nick said, chuckling. "Aight, aight. Let's all get the hell out of here."

As they started heading to the teleporter pad, Adam took one last look at the dorms. He didn't feel any sort of sadness of leaving an area for once; all the bullying he and his friends dealt with was more than enough, on top of the fact that they took away the one thing that made him feel strong.

"Oh, hey," Nick said, brining him back to reality. He placed a moonstone in his hand. "Got this for you so you can summon another weapon."

A wide smile grew on Adam's face as he hugged Nick tightly. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

His face now red, Nick hugged him back. "Y-Yeah! Of course! No problem..." Once they both pulled away, they kept walking until they caught with everyone at the teleporter pad.

"You know how to use this, honey?" Marie asked Joseph, "I'm just hoping we don't have to ask for special permission to use it."

"I'm sure it's fine!" Amy said cheerfully, "We've figured out these sort of things before!"

_{^< cont. from} WoF Scouter Hummingbird, Near Sick Bay _{^> Joseph — Claire — Adam, Amy, Jackson, Marie, Maya, Nick}

As he neared Sick Bay again, feeling no less twisted up inside than when he'd left the others, Joseph passed by a porthole, enclosing the vast space-landscape beyond in such a small frame. He stopped for a moment, stepping closer and peering out one more time. After all, moods would come and go, but when again would he get to see a sight like this? To be standing there, one degree separated from all that infinity?

A silly idea sprang to his mind, and with it came the faint twinge of a smile. Maybe not so much a 'doing' idea as a 'thinking about' idea, but it was nice to think about.

Following the sound of footsteps, he saw Claire following along, not too far behind him. This too brought a smile to his face. Rough-and-tumble maybe, but she seemed eager to help, a characteristic he found hard to dislike. And maybe those folks she knew would be the very thing David needed. A break. Just a break.

David hadn't moved much since Joseph had left. Sick Bay had largely cleared out; those remaining were either sedated in pods, or simply not talking. Only the ship's ambience filled the space in between.

He stood by the transporter pad, disheveled and disconsolate, hand pressed against the nearest wall as if it was the only thing keeping his world real.

The pit-pat of footsteps caught his ears, heralding Joseph's return after what must've been mere minutes. Yet as he raised his head to silently hail his companion, he felt stones fall from his flesh. A battered engine wheezing back to life. Persistence. For some reason, persistence.

Joseph approached carefully, looking as though he was preparing to say something. His head was pulled back a bit, chest up a bit, tail arched up a bit and held still, like he was the most stately lizard around. He stopped in front of David and declared, "A couple of the others want to come too."

David looked from Joseph to Claire and back again. "A couple?"

Joseph looked back over his shoulder, his stately veneer cracking. "Well... most of them. Adam, Nick, Maya- the whole lot. Not Nasur though, my friend with the blue and the-" he mimed putting a hood over his head, "Oh, uh he sends his regards by the way."

David shrank back ever so slightly into the transporter pad room, eyes fixed nervously on the door that Joseph and Claire had come through. His mouth twitched and trembled a moment before he opened it. "Very well, I'm... sure Arilay will accommodate."

Glancing back over his shoulder again, Joseph had yet to see any sign of the others. He had a minute. "Come with me."

David cocked his head after his companion as Joseph walked off to another hallway on the opposite end of the room.

"Oh come on," Joseph beckoned, "it'll only take a second."

So David followed along, offering Claire a quick and rather feeble smile as he passed. When he finally caught up to Joseph, he found him kneeling before another one of the ship's portholes, his hands clasped together with the palms facing up, and a cheery look on his face.

"Come and see where you are. I'll give you a boost."

David sighed, shaking his head. "Joseph, no. I'm not going to- for one, my feet are covered in dirt-"

"Oh that's okay," he held his hands up, "these are too. It doesn't matter. Really. I just want you to..." he frowned, nodding up to the porthole, "I want you to look."

David followed his gaze. The porthole was a foot or two out of reach, too high to get a good look through without resorting to some less dignified wall scrabbling. He knew where they were. Logically, he knew. And yet...

"You can climb on my shoulders if you prefer. It's all the same to- oh!"

Before he could finish, David approached, wordlessly stepping up onto Joseph's hands and turning to face the porthole. Joseph lifted him slowly, until his otterly head was centered perfectly in the porthole's frame, and all that his little brown eyes could see was a plane of unknowable range. A vastness so great that every moment he had been and every emotion he had felt could spill out of him all at once and cease to matter, so dwarfed as it was by all that space. But he felt no fear. With his face pressed against the window, he only felt as the little boy he'd once been, nose buried in his first book of the stars. When all of that enormity could be carried with him; opened and closed and held so easily. Somewhere to go whenever he needed it, wherever he needed it.
How impossibly things grew.
How backwards. How contrary.
How difficult the simplest things became.


Joseph titled his head, quietly observing and waiting for some kind of reaction. Or at least some kind of obvious reaction, even if it was dismissive. But all he got was David's tail brushing—to put it gently—against his shoulder, and a growing strain in his arms. Turned out David was a fair bit heavier than his size let on.

Before he could get any response, he heard Adam and his friends shuffling into Sick Bay. Hands both occupied, gave a wave of a nod their way, then murmured, "David, I think it's time to go."

David's hands slid down off the wall. He pulled his face away from the window, leaving only light fogging and the imprint of his nose.

Joseph lowered him back down to the floor, dusting his own hands off on his shorts and standing back upright. "So what do you think? Bet I make a better footstool than a doormat."

David turned around. His eyes were full of tears. He wasn't even trying to hide them. He raised his head slowly to meet Joseph's stunned expression.

"I'm sorry, Joseph. I'm so sorry."

Well before Joseph could think to say anything, David stepped forward and threw his arms around his waist, burying his cheek against the center of his chest. Brain scrambling, Joseph looked over his shoulder at the open door to Sick Bay, then slowly scooted around, blocking the view with his back to give David some privacy.

"I was so angry. Angry, and jealous."

"Jealous?" Joseph repeated, still dumbstruck, "Jealous of what? And- hey, don't you say my good looks."

David pulled back, rubbing his eyes, reining back in the raw and fevered spirit that had him. He sniffed, then looked up at Joseph again, and for a moment Joseph wondered if he was actually considering the veracity of such a remark. He put his hand out, touching Joseph's arm.

"You're a good friend, Joseph. I just wanted that."

He gave Joseph's arm a gentle pat, then stepped around him, wiping his eyes dry and returning to Sick Bay.

Joseph stood there a moment longer.


_^<  WoF Scouter Hummingbird —> Hub Town, Hotel Lobby _{^> Joseph — Claire — Adam, Amy, Jackson, Marie, Maya, Nick}

The group convened on the transporter pad, and—after a short reunion, a less short back-and-forth with Arilay, and a very short flash of light—eventually found themselves back on the ground, a stone's throw from the smoldering tree. The beeline they made for town was undiverted. Whatever Joseph's alarm doohickey was meant to do, it never did it. The beasts and bandits of the land laid low, asleep, unaware, or wisely choosing not to pick a fight with their nine-strong group. Bait tended to work better with less obvious muscle behind it.

Still, it suited the weary travelers just fine to reach the hotel free of trouble. It had been a very troubled day. The night falling at long last with calm seemed only fair.


Miss_Desperado, if you ever read this, sorry for taking liberties with the ship. I tried to check to older posts, but tvtropes search engine sucks, and other search engines don't catalogue every page. I'm sure you know none of this is written with authority.

WFS Hummingbird (Claire; Nasur; the Hunters; David, Joseph)

"Best o' luck with your endeavors, and pop on down when you're good and ready," Claire told Nasur as she turned to leave, giving the blue man an informal salute and a wave goodbye.

Upon arriving at the teleporters, Claire grinned at the control panel "Ooh, advanced technologies I have no business messing around with— my favorite. Either it'll teleport us down to the surface, oooor activate a giant flying automaton." She paused for effect before adding, "Just kidding, you'd need a key for that last one. Personal experience with those."

Blinking a few times, she stared at the controls for a minute, "Looks simple enough to use, but I'll let the owners handle it," she said, giving Arilay the honors.

Town ~ Lobby (Claire; the Hunters; David, Joseph)

Upon arriving at the hotel, Claire gave the group the room she was staying in (notably one of the larger, more expensive suites) and bid the group good night. She headed straight for the elevator, holding the door open for anyone headed straight up.

Farms (Maelys, Mist, Moobly, Nora; Aseyu, Ethani; Jobe Pearson)

"A usual outing for Moobly," said Moobly, with Nora nodding in agreement.

“We're usually tasked with exterminating monsters," explained Nora, "Sometimes they're tasty, other times they taste nasty." She giggled slightly as she drank the fizzy pop.

Moobly found the drink to be too sweet for her taste and passed the glass off to Nora, who happily drank it. The young cynthonic woman adjusted her posture, giving Aseyu a weary look, "For my kind, being clanless is a death sentence, unless one has the skills to survive."

Nora raised an eyebrow, "Oh?"

"The patchwork moon is an untamed wild compared to the far reaches of Nora's own," Moobly said, "The only things that aren't monsters are my kind... and some of the plants."

Edited by WillDeRegio on Jun 15th 2021 at 12:31:42 PM

[Hummingbird-Town-Hotel Lobby]

The ride didn't take long, and it the trip to the hotel was even shorter, to everyone's relief.

"Mr. Richman already paid for our rooms," Adam said, "So we're just going to hit the hay."

"Come to our room if you need anything, okay you two?" Amy said, "Nighty night!" She first gave Joseph a hug and kiss on the cheek, then did the same thing for David, before happily waltzing to the elevator.

"Get some rest, okay darlings?" Marie said, "Sweet dreams!"

With that, everyone went to the elevator to their rooms, now ready to just sleep the rest of the night away.

Yeah, uh, that's all for me for real. Day two time!

Farms (Maelys, Mist, Moobly, Nora; Aseyu, Ethani; Jobe Pearson)

Aseyu looked at Moobly with confusion, then, as she figured it out, amusement. "I do have a family. Just not a clan." She took a few moments to figure out how to explain it. "It's not a perfect translation, but I guess you could say I'm not a," and here, though she had been speaking Qorisayane, she chose the English word deliberately, "'noble'. I'm a commoner." A tight-lipped smirk. "A commoner whose family owns three of the most respected jewelry workshops in Qorisa and has a very full bank account." Then she muttered, "Gyaltsen had a word for it..."

Then the smirk vanished and she added, aloud again, "but I think I know the story. A hard land full of monsters, where the clan is the only community. And exile from that community is little better than execution." She took a sip of the pop and, resisting the urge to delve into a stereotypically Qorisayane whose-homeland-is-tougher contest, asked, "so, monsters? Do tell more. We don't have that many 'monsters' back home."

Aseyu's inadvertent yawn suggested suggested a short story might be best, she would not be out much longer. The pop was not caffeinated.

Edited by KillerClowns on Jun 17th 2021 at 8:25:30 AM

_{^< cont. from} Town - Hotel Lobby _{^> David, Joseph — Adam, Amy, Jackson, Maya, Nick — Claire}


David touched his cheek where Amy had kissed it, his smile warm and hazy-eyed, as though he were recalling a fond memory. "Goodnight, Amy."

Joseph made to join the group in the elevator, but halfway there he stopped, glancing back over his shoulder to discover that David wasn't following.

"David, you com...?"

David didn't budge. He just stood there, hands joined above his waist, blinking slowly. No longer smiling, but not quite frowning either; an illusory bend just as easily misinterpreted as one as it was the other. Back to nigh-inscrutability.

Joseph hesitated, then faced the elevator.

"Uh, sorry. You know how elevators are: six is a party, but eight's a crowd. 'Specially when talking we of the extra-long variety." He gave his lengthy tail an accusatory glance, then turned away, waving as he walked back to David, "Thanks for all the help! See you tomorrow."

Side by side in silence, their eyes trailed up after the departing elevator, watching even after it disappeared behind walls high above.

Joseph was the first to look away, glancing down at David, then back at the long-gone elevator, then at David again, waiting, anticipating.

"So..." he drawled, "so, I guess... I guess we'll... get the next one?"

David closed his eyes. "In a moment, Joseph. In a moment."

A moment passed, and David still hadn't moved. Joseph tilted his head toward him, trying not to tower over him too much.

"Is something the matter?"

"No, nothing's the matter. I just wanted some space for the two of us."

"Oh. Okay. But, I mean..." Joseph looked over his shoulder. The lobby wasn't bustling with activity, but it was early enough that there were still workers and a few other guests milling about, passing through to parts unknown. He gave the front desk a quick scan, but found it free of any curly-mustached individuals, no different from when they'd first checked in. "...we're not exactly alone."

"Yes, Joseph, I know." He lifted his head and opened his eyes, pupils shrinking only slightly within his big brown irises. "It's enough."

"Enough for what?"

"Talking." His whiskers bounced with a smile. "I told you we'd talk later, remember? And here we are."

"You don't want to clean up first?"

David shook his head. "While we're still here. Before we go up there, and see the others, and wash all this off, and start to forget what's been done." He lowered his head, shaking it once more. "I don't want to do it again."

Joseph smiled uneasily, murmuring, "I don't think we need to worry about forgetting today any time soon."

"You might be surprised at how easy it is. How quickly the mind jumps to it to cope. But forgetting isn't the same as understanding. Or f-"

He hesitated, eyes cast downward, small fingers fidgeting together as he summoned the strength to finish his thought.

"...or forgiving."

"David..."

He clutched at his chest, "The thing is still there, it's just out of sight. Out of sight and unresolved. And there are so many situations and mistakes in life that you can't resolve, Joseph. They get so pulled apart, so separated and compounded upon, as if every step you take takes you further away. The mistakes are too grave, or you avoid setting things right until the last chance you ever get slips through your hands. It goes to that unreachable place, and then it just lives in you, forever. Broken, forever. So if you have the chance, and we have the chance... we..."

Joseph was locked in stunned silence. Clearly he'd stirred up something deep within David. But he understood what he was saying. He remembered the months he spent unstuck from time; the kind people he'd left without saying goodbye. Those he thought he'd never see again. Those he hadn't seen again. His own home, so far gone that his life there felt like a dream.

"A-anyway," David was struggling to keep himself together. His jaw shuddered, the bridge of his snout was all wrinkles, "what we had on the ship; that moment we had, that was nice, wasn't it? That was... it was good?"

"Yeah. C'mon," Joseph put his hand on David's back, guiding him. "Let's go sit for a while."

They wound up at a short, slate wall, sectioning off a quiet, vegetated fountain fixture near the lobby's center. There they sat, side-by-side, tails splayed out in opposite directions. David eyed the floor, hands on his knees. Joseph stared ahead, hands gripping the edge of his stony seat. For a minute, their conversation consisted only of near-glances, the soft rustling of clothes as they shifted around, and words that never quite emerged.

Finally, spurred by his own self-directed frustration, Joseph took a deep breath, looked at David and froze up.

Then he took another deep breath and spoke. "Listen, about what you said, you know, up there on the ship..."

David slowly lifted his head, turning inch-by-inch until he was looking back at Joseph, albeit only out of the very corner of his eye.

"I... I didn't know you were feeling that way. That you needed a friend."

David slouched forward, gaze low and eyes narrowed. "Who would know? I didn't even know. Not enough to explain it to myself. But," he lifted his head, drawing his hand across the distant ceiling, "but when I looked out there, there was a moment. A moment, and everything became clear. I could see everything that was important, and everything that was getting in the way, and- and I saw just how much of it I had the wrong way around. I was trying to be strong, but all I did was act tough. Too tough to crack open, or be moved, or hurt."

His eyes fell upon Joseph, and he was silent for a second. Very slowly, he began shaking his head. "But I wasn't that tough. It was all just an act. And when those things got through, all I felt was this lonely, lonely ache, eating away at me in silence." His gaze grew unfocused, fixed on a far away scene. "And I saw you, and all of your friends, and the way you took care of each other..." the wrinkles and creases returned as his voice lost its strength. "...and I lashed out. In all my anger and envy. 'Why don't I have that? Don't I deserve that?' Nothing but bitterness. Can you imagine?"

Joseph wasn't sure if he could. For better or worse, he never got very far trying to be anything but himself.

David covered his face with his hands. "Am I so empty?"

Joseph scooted closer to David and put an arm around his shoulders, but that didn't seem like enough.

So he put the other arm around David's front, laying his own head atop his friend's.

Somehow, it still wasn't enough.

So he brought him close and spoke softly.

"You don't have to feel that way anymore. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. I am now."

Joseph felt a small hand touch his arm. He heard a faint voice.

"I shouldn't have been such a prick."

"Yeah, probably not. But I forgive you."

Farms (Maelys, Mist, Moobly, Nora; Aseyu, Ethani; Jobe Pearson)

Nora perked up from her drink at the mention of "noble". "Oh, three of our friends are nobles," she said, before adding quietly, "They don't have very full bank accounts though."

"Moobly does not have bank account. Trust Cynthia with money instead," Moobly stated.

The draconic girl proceeded to describe the miasma that permeates the lower strata of her homeworld, and the corrupting, mutagenic effects on plants and wildlife. She also made mention of how her kind wasn't affected by the miasma itself, and how the miasma was also present on other nearby worlds, most notably Aria. However, her talk was cut short as Aseyu's yawning was having an effect on both Nora and herself.

Moobly and Nora were soon yawning, with Nora visibly nodding off.

_{^< cont. from} Town - Hotel Lobby _{^> David, Connie, Joseph}


When enough time had passed, and each felt able to stand on his own two feet, Joseph and David decided it was time to head upstairs, entranced by thoughts of showers, fresh clothes, a cozy bed to lay upon in any which way...

"...and room service." Joseph patted his belly. "Everything's been so twisted up, I didn't even realize I was hungry 'til... well, until now."

David dropped off the slate fountain wall, then leaned back against it and stretched, looking very much like a diva basking under stage light. "Mmrnyes, sounds goo-ood."

"All I want is breakfast food. Is that weird?"

"Not at all," David pivoted and leaned out to stretch the other side, "I've had some incredible breakfasts in my time. And I mean did my plate get swapped with some culinary god's type breakfasts. There were these Jualauwongan samosas with this maddeningly flavorful gravy sauce thing. And the pilaf... Heights alight, what was in that? Oh, and Poglean roomwortel boxty with cask eggs, mmmfffhmmm!"

Joseph comprehended about half the words David had just used, but there was enough in the way he clenched his fists to his chest—all but salivating over the mere memory—to tell the rest.

"Yeah, uh, one time, when I was a kid, we went to visit Disneyland, and they had this place in LA that served chicken and waffles."

"That's a striking combination."

"It was so good— like, you wouldn't think but... here I am. Can't hardly remember any of the rides I went on, but I remember that breakfast."

"Well all right then," David grinned, nodding towards the elevators, "let's get on up there and see if they've got any chicken and waffles lying around."

"And maybe a gravy sauce thin-"

Suddenly, someone sprinted up to the elevators, mashing the call button before doubling over and coughing up a storm.

Joseph froze, having just touched ground after hopping off the wall and nearly clipping his tongue in his surprise.

The person at the elevators was immediately familiar. She had dark brown hair, let loose in a mess around her shoulders, and was wearing a grey-blue sweater with a large, wooly neck, plus a pair of dusted-up, tan convertible pants, and sandals.

As Joseph walked closer, she silenced her coughing enough to say, "Don't worry- it's not contagious; it's just- just the wheeze." In the same moment, she turned enough to see who was approaching. Her usually tawny face looked pallid beneath the long, wildly strewn bangs that clung to her skin, but it still lit up like a candle all aglow when she saw who she saw.

"...Connie?"

With little more than a quick gasp and the noise of her stifling another cough, Connie rushed forward and threw her arms around Joseph, binding him where he stood.

He welcomed her hug warmly, though found his arms a little too tightly pinned to return it properly. "What're you doing down here?"

Connie let go, half laughing as she wiped tears from her eyes and lightly whapped him on the arm with her knuckles. "What do you think, you dork?" She went for David next, crouching down before just dropping to her knees and reaching for him.

"Whoa," David put his hands up, "careful, hug us before we get showered and you'll wind up needing one yourself."

Connie embraced him anyway. "Like I g-ckh-ive a shit."

David eased into her embrace, gently rubbing her back in return. Finally, she let go, standing back up and staring the two down as her relief turned to hurt and anger.

"You assholes. I was out there for hours trying to figure out where you were. Everyone I spoke to said that that beach is crazy dangerous."

"It was-"
"It is-"

Joseph and David shared a quick glance, then David cleared his throat and continued. "Our employer failed to impress just how extreme the wildlife was around those parts." His voice lowered to a growl, "Something I'll have to bring up tomorrow."

"Shit, I knew it. I knew it! I tried to get Rip to do something about it but he's been too busy trying to get under this Perriqan guy's shirt to even pretend like he's worried. 'What if they're injured, what if they're stranded, or trapped somewhere?' "

She put on a frown, pulling a dopey-voiced Rip impression. "Well they've got the boat, so unless you want to go marching out there..."

"Well maybe we should go marching out there, I mean it's only their f-hckh-ing lives at stake."

"Aww pshh, you should go get some rest Connie. A good night's sleep and you'll feel like brand-absolute new. They'll be home before you know it." She turned, hailing an invisible man, "Hey Orti, lemme tell you the story of why we call it 'the boat'."

She rolled her eyes and grumbled, "Like I need any more dudes around here. And like I could ever get a 'good' night's sleep when you two are out there getting ready to pepper the dirt." She shook her head bitterly. "You know, I asked in town about getting a search party going and they said I'd just have to put up a notice on the notice board. You know, requesting help from some kindly strangers and," she held up her hand, crossing her fingers, with a smile, "just hoping. When I told them you'd been out to the wasteland, to that beach, they said I'd probably have to put up a lot of money to get anyone to actually go out there. And even then they said not to expect much back. Maybe something you left behind. Confirmation that you'd been there. Remains? Unlikely."

Joseph lowered his eyes, listlessly clicking the claw tips of his fingers together.

"And Rip was just letting you guys drown while he uses your stories as pick up lines."

"Connie," David sighed, "Rip worries, he does. He just has a lot of trust in... in me. He and I have been through thick and thin like nothing you know."

" 'Like nothing I know,' sure."

"And Joseph. He knows Joseph is capable. He has confidence in us. It's... hardly misplaced."

"So what, so you're supposed to be invincible now? Joe's supposed to be invincible?" She stepped back, glancing between the two and taking in their haggard appearances, "You don't look so invincible from where I'm standing."

"It's not as bad as it looks," Joseph chimed in. "I mean it was, but you wouldn't believe the kinds of facilities they've got up in- um... in space."

Connie blinked several times. "...Space?"

"A spaceship, to be exact," David explained. "Some... kindly strangers, so to speak. Come on, we'll tell you all about it. And we'll get some food, and some showers, and some good sleep all around."

Connie looked like she had more to say, but another half-stifled cough punctured her reserves, and she began to feel as spent as she looked. Rubbing her eyes, she nodded slowly, turning around and following as David led her to the elevator.

Joseph trailed in behind, feeling again as though he hadn't said enough.

"Hey Connie," he began. Connie looked back at him, brushing the bangs from her eyes. He blinked slowly, smiling a quiet, warm little smile. "Thanks for caring so much."

"Thanks for not being dead."

"Oh, my pleasure."

"I can't believe it worked," she muttered, staring at the back of her right hand.

"Hm?" David looked up, "Can't believe what worked?"

"Oh-" she stuffed her hands into her pockets. "I just... I was out there, checking all of the gates, waiting for you to show up, and it got dark out, and I..."

"And you...?"

Connie blushed "And I wished on a star. You know, star light, star bright... I mean, I didn't say the whole thing, but I- I wished."

Joseph's smile evolved into a big dumb grin, "Aww, Connie."

"Well," David lifted his head straight up, staring back at Connie with his upside down eyes, "wish granted, but I hope you kept the receipt. I'm not all I'm cracked up to be, you know."

"I know."

Farms (Maelys, Mist, Moobly, Nora; Aseyu, Ethani; Jobe Pearson)

After listening for a bit, Aseyu said, "thank you for the conversation, but I suppose I should sleep." She finished off what remained of the sweet drink, then headed over to the tent. Having learned a certain amount of respect for boundaries that eluded her younger self, she waited until she was actually in the tent before stripping off. She might stay up to talk with Mist if she was still awake, but most likely, she was asleep, and Aseyu would simply slip into the sleeping bag and get some rest.