Final: Orange

[voidtreckermods]

Down the Staircase: Backdated to Day Seven

Those who were investigating the sigil or fighting crabs nearby would be aware of the ground rumbling as a spiral staircase opened into the dark sand below.

Of course it is less a staircase at the bottom of the ocean and more a terrifying water helter-skelter downwards through the dark.

But they land in an underground cave. It is dark, and ankle deep in water. In the centre there is a white marble plinth, with a large empty shell on top. The walls of the cave are dark and grimy but with the aid of the torches in their SCA's and some investigating will find a hint of colours underneath the sand and seaweed on the walls.

Between day seven and day ten

The crabs are still attacking. It is not a never ending siege but it pays to be vigilant as every so often crabs arrive to launch an attack on the sleeping citizens. Luckily they don't seem to be able to get into the underground chamber, perhaps being too large or unwilling to enter through the twisting passage.

Inside the cave the water is slowly rising, by day ten of the month of Fiddlesticks it reaches the average voidtrecker's chest.

The plinth is tall, above the voidtreckers' heads and so hasn't been submerged yet.

Assuming they have begun to clear the sand and seaweed off the walls of the cave a picture begins to emerge. Simple drawings, very similar to those on the tablets in the market place.

Day Ten

Light from the sky, an island. People gathered around a fire. Beacon. Symbols are helpfully translated for them. A plinth. No, two plinths with shells on them filled with light.

All very useful. If only they had any way to share their ideas with the others.

Which is when their SCA's glow and a holographic screen appears.

Meanwhile on the train...

By day ten the storm hits with a vengeance. Waves are high, rain falls practically sideways. The train holds out well, staying in place and upright through the battering seas. Going out to dive is nerve wracking and there might be some cases of seasickness in those remaining on the train.

It is all in all not a great sea faring experience.

Comments

Meanwhile on the train...

[callmegladio]

Anything that could be tied down had been tired down. Anything that couldn't had been put away, locked up or generally hidden in such a way as to NOT cause a hazard as the train was rocked by the huge waves outside.

Unfortunately there wasn't much he could do for rooms he had no access to and he could only hope people didn't have anything that could be broken within those rooms. But for everywhere else he and the others did their best to keep the train safe.

It was a waiting game then. And Gladio was sat in the standard car with a glass of something that was a hell of a lot stronger than tea, trying to calm the churning of his stomach.

He wasn't someone who normally got seasick. But this was a whole different sea experience for him and it was starting to take it's toll.

[mimidaeia]

Androids do come equipped with auto-balancing software in her day and age, but after a certain point some things are just too inefficient to bother with. SXT-2 has taken to lying on the ground wedged between two rows of chairs. Appalling as it may seem to others, she barely has to re-adjust herself- so really, she’s the winner here.

Unfortunately, she also looks like a dead body half-infected with that daemon miasma they have in Eos. Soot-grey feathers grow in no particular structure out of where her head used to be. It’s...it’s probably fine.

[stealsyourheart]

Kaito helps out, but when he sees how Gladio looks, he goes to the kitchen to hunt down ginger, which he brews into a tea which he offers him.

"Here. Ginger's supposed to help with a queasy stomach. Dunno if it'd do much good here, but..."

[so_dark_a_road]

Down the staircase:

The shaking of the ground grows more intense, and suddenly a well opens in the ground, a spiral staircase that descends into the depths. The water rushes down it, pulling anybody nearby into it. Curufin curses and goes down, knocking painfully against the stony stairs as he goes.

But suddenly he finds himself in a cave, which, strangely, is not filled with seawater. He tumbles into the shallow water at the bottom with a big splash. He sits up, stares around him, and then gets to his feet and sloshes through the water towards the marble column with the shell sculpture on top of it. He stares upward and says, "Now what the hell is that? Is it the same as the one in the city center?"

Between day seven and ten:

It's still possible to get in and out of this underground cave, and so Curufin descends periodically, between rounds of fighting the crabs and trying to keep the mer-people from getting eaten. In the cave, the water rises slowly, and three days later it's up to his chest. There's nothing to do down here but investigate. He thinks he sees hints of symbols drawn on the walls, but they're mostly obscured by clinging sand and seaweed. He scraps off a handful of seaweed and uses it to scrub those walls, and sure enough, there are pictographs underneath.

"But what do they mean?" he wonders aloud.

Day Ten:

His SCA lights up and and the holographic screen appears. He hits the first option, Talk to all, and hears the voices of other passengers. He chimes in with his two cents' worth.

SCA because DAMNIT MAMA IS WORRIED

[marriedanidiot]

There's sound and distance, but... oh, oh, that's Curufinwe's voice, oh, he's alright.

"Atarinke? Atarinke are you alright?"

Between day seven and ten

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita helps with the scrubbing.

"Probably recounting how this place was last used. Or should have been used," she adds, glancing back wryly at the entrance.

She'd had to be human to get in here, now, and perhaps ironically she was grateful for it.

"Might even be step-by-step instructions for what we're supposed to do with access to this place - especially when no one in Bui can come do it for us."

[blue_ice]

trainside

Kaiba spends as much time as possible on dives, so it's rare to see him on board. He does his best to keep a straight face, but he occasionally doubles over, willing the waves to pass. How is he supposed to sleep like this? He'd trained for space travel, not...this. He looks a little green.

"Screw this," he mutters.

diving

Once it's been deemed safe, Kaiba fights the twisting darkness to enter the cave. He scrapes the walls with jagged edges brought from the train, reaching as high as he can to get a clearer picture.

"The lights...the pillar..."

diving

[unfavorableinstigation]

"The shells," Nita adds, screwing up her face in concentration, wrist with SCA on extended to shine her own light.

She doesn't look much better off than Kaiba himself, right now.

"And- are those islanders?"

trainside

[springforth]

Sleep is hard for her anyways. The rolling seas and treacherous sky have her trying a dozen places to sleep. Her bunk, a quiet room, the dressing cabin. She even tucks herself into a corner of the greenhouse, supported by vines, but the view when she opened her eyes was...no good. She might be a good swimmer but apparently she was a lousy sailor.

She's tucked herself into one of the doors that open out onto the platform, a cup of dreaded coffee in her hand, yawning as she contemplates how much easier it would be if she could just sleep underwater, where the rolling doesn't bother so much.

"I enjoy swimming but I might have had my fill of the ocean for a while."

Trainside

[sizedoesntmatter]

"Struggling with the way the train is moving to, huh?"

Yugi himself had taken to leaning against the side in the hopes that he won't fall over like nearly had a few time before in his quest to check on everyone. With the sudden jolt was enough however to send the smaller boy to the floor.

"I'm okay..." he muttered as he slowly sat up.

[deductiongeek]

Down the Staircase:
The moment they reach the bottom of the staircase Conan is in motion, playing his light across the walls of the chamber and investigating the base of the plinth.

"Can anyone see what is on the top of this?"

Day 7-10:
Conan returns to the chamber again and again to help with the clearing and documenting of the drawings on the walls. Although actually reaching them requires a combination of inventive ladders and the aid of any taller companions who happened to be there at the time. As the days go on, this become both easier and more difficult, as the water flooding into the chamber quickly becomes deeper than his head. Floating allowed him to reach the level of the drawings easier, but also made doing any kind of work on them much more difficult.

He ends up spending more time back on the train with the notes he'd made from memory of the drawings. They were important, he was sure of that. But were they a code? Or something else?

Day 7-10; 8, maybe?

[iamnotgod]

Webmind himself has gotten restless - one could only handle sinking so many times before it became too counter-productive - though keeping the train from turning topsy-turvy has proved itself quite a challenge.

But this one looks much more interesting.

"Quite a call-back to the beginning of humanity's art career, there; stick figures and rituals. What are you thinking so far?"

Webmind settles in - as best as anyone can settle anywhere, in this weather - to hear what Conan has to say.

Day . . . 9? IDK.

[singlefaith]

Over the last couple of days, Ran has watched the water rising. Not terribly tall herself at least by some of the standards of some of the people here, by day nine it's up past her waist . . . and still rising. It's concerning that Conan continues to spend so much of his time down here, studying the drawings. The water is already over his head -- who knows how quickly it will continue to rise, and when?

So whenever she's caught wind that he's been down here, whenever she isn't guarding against the crabs whose supply seems to be never-ending, Ran's made sure that she's been down here when he's been down here, hovering.

As she follows him down that day, seeing the level of the water, she doesn't think -- just instinctively scoops him up. "Mou, Conan-kun . . . are you sure you want another look?"

Train, Day 7-10 whenever is good for you!

[mtsilver_conquor]

At some point, Princess has wondered away from Kaito-sitting. Mostly to check on any other passengers and to soothe them as needed. (sadly, no lap stealing. That's what Kaito is for :D) Or maybe to just beg for food and scritchies. Because those are good too.

Either way, he does chance on Conan.

There's a soft nudge against the child's leg along with a plaintive, mournful 'riii'. Scritchies please?

On the Roof of the Train, once the SCAs start allowing chat

[stealsyourheart]

He's not in KID gear, but the grin as he eyes the ladder is pure thief, even without the monocle, top hat and cape.

"Climb up to the roof in a storm, light a fire, make sure it's big enough to be seen underwater. No worries, right?"

He's not entirely crazy - he has a safety rope tied around his waist.

"No time like the present!" He scrambles up as agile as a monkey, all the days climbing around on the train ceilings coming into obvious play now, and balances on the wet roof with seeming ease (he's not standing, don't worry Aoko, he's not THAT dumb) as he drags out a pokeball loaned for exactly this purpose.

"Here we go then... Ember!"

[callmegladio]

Gladio had watched Kaito heading out and had followed him, not 100% sure what he had planned but was concerned about him going out on his own. So he followed him out and followed him up, gripping the ladder like his life depended on it. Because he wasn't a thief. He wasn't trained in this way. Climbing onto the roof of trains in the middle of a thunder storm was NOT something he had ever thought he would do. But there he was. Doing exactly that.

"Kaito! The hell are you doing!" Gladio called, even over the sound of the rain and the thunder his voice was a gruff growl. He hauled himself up onto the train roof and grabbed hold of one of the handholds and kept himself low.

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin is taking a break from killing crabs in the city and hanging around in that dark, damp, sloshing-water-filled cave under the Far Palace front lawn for the purpose of deciphering the pictographs on the cave's walls.

He gets a cup of coffee from the kitchen and comes out on the platform to watch the ocean while he gets his daily quota of caffeine. He's just in time to see Kaito climbing up the side of one of the train coaches.

"Kaito, what the heck are you doing?" he calls, surprised and amused.

Train, days 7-10, Princess only (for any who want him)

[mtsilver_conquor]

At various points over the course of days seven to ten, Princess wanders away from Kaito-sitting for brief periods. Mostly to check on any other passengers and to soothe them as needed. Maybe he even Sings someone to sleep.

Or, maybe he's wandered off just to beg for food and scritchies. Because those are good too. Alas, there is no lap stealing. That's what Kaito is for. Mostly. That and food and brushing and being a Good Human and spoiling the fairy pokemon.

Either way, the clefairy's nudging against you with a mournful 'rii'. Pay attention to him?

(OOC: Now with a height thing for him as needed!)

[blue_ice]

"I don't have cards for you to play with," Kaiba says grumpily to the litte clefairy when they meet in the gaming car, but he offers a hand to sniff before trying to pet. He should probably try to play nice with Eva's partner.

He's exhausted, the circles under his eyes darker than ever, but he's still doing his best.

[so_dark_a_road]

"Hey, Princess," says Curufn, affectionately, reaching down to scritch the pokemon's head.

Trainside | Day 7-10

[springforth]

Sleep is hard for her anyways. The rolling seas and treacherous sky have her trying a dozen places to sleep. Her bunk, a quiet room, the dressing cabin. She even tucks herself into a corner of the greenhouse, supported by vines, but the view when she opened her eyes was...no good. She might be a good swimmer but apparently she was a lousy sailor.

She's tucked herself into one of the doors that open out onto the platform, a cup of dreaded coffee in her hand, yawning as she contemplates how much easier it would be if she could just sleep underwater, where the rolling doesn't bother so much.

"I enjoy swimming but I might have had my fill of the ocean for a while."

<3

[stealsyourheart]

"Understandable in this weather."

Kaito's making himself useful by suppling ginger tea to those who aren't coping as well with the storm.

"Ginger tea, Miss?"

Meanwhile, on the train...

[hashtagparkerluck]

Peter is not feeling well. He has near perfect equilibrium but he's also highly susceptible to vertigo so when the train start rocking his stomach starts to get upset. He tries to ignore it at first but if anyone encounters him on this day they'll notice he's extremely pale and looks a little green around the gills, as it were. He's also sweating lightly but trying to keep up good spirits.

[ around late afternoon. CW: Sick. ]

Good spirits lost. He's held up as long as he could but eventually he has run to the nearest restroom and he'll just be staying here for a while. Yeah, there's a storm going on but who cares when his stomach refuses to settle!

[stealsyourheart]

Kaito nudges him.

"Here. Try some ginger tea. Mythbusters says it works."

[wizard_redfive]

Cave

Dairine had been too busy protecting the city's citizens to help out with the initial investigation. Now that things have calmed down a bit, however, she is curious to see what the rest of the team's been doing.

Those inside the cave will hear a short POP sound and a splash as Dairine appears suddenly.

"Hey there!" She says, strolling up. "How's it going? We getting anywhere?"

Crab Rodeo!

After multiple days of obliterating crabs, Dairine is starting to get a bit bored. A dangerous mood for her to be in.

Because that's when she gets an idea.

Dairine at least bothers to research ahead for this. Shield's at the ready, spells tucked away, all she needs is one of those giant crabs to come by. As usual, one eventually clambers their way towards the city and that's when Dairine strikes. Using wizardry to give herself a good push through the water, she rushes it from behind, grabbing hold of its shell and clambering to the top.

"Onward!" she shouts as the crab lurches forward, then side to side in a desperate bid to shake off its unwanted passenger. Dairine manages to stay on for a good few minutes, whooping and laughing the whole way.

Then her grip slips and the crab finally throws her off. She's still cackling on her sides as the offended crab's pincers keep bouncing away from her, repelled by her invisible shield.

Crab Rodeo

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita's underwater, not in whale form for once, eyeing her sister's antics with wry amusement.

"Was it worth it?" she asks, swimming over once the crab's well and truly stumped. Her own pre-set shield is doing its work (with power enough to spare, the life-preservation subroutines on hold thanks to the SCA), so the pincers can't strike her either.