middleofsomewhere | Wings of Wonder: NPC Interactions and Investigations

"Ohhhh man, look at the horns on this. Gorgeous, but it's probably the worst at the same time. Birds probably love to perch there."

He's being flippantly superficial at the moment, just looking at a pretty statue, noting that it's well-crafted and wondering if that's what the inhabitants of the weird place are going to look like. If so? Nice. New thing to throw in there.

But when he's up close to it he feels something off of it.

The fuck?

"...You know what? I hope you're not anyone in there 'cause having birds shitting on you and knowing about it would be the worst kind of hell." And he is actually sympathetic, having the takeaway this could be some kind of victim rather than some kind of god or guardian. He saw what the Phytos and the Cordyceps went through. They couldn't go anywhere.

He pats it on the shoulder. As one does when they want to comfort a statue.

Normal statue habits going on here.

Just like when you pat a statue, you expect a pat in return. One or two - however many Murphy gives it on the shoulder, the gesture is given back, on the same side of the hand that gave it. A bit like a sensation of pins and needles that goes beneath skin, but not too deep, not strong. A side-effect. Or someone with needles for a palm.

The feeling leaves. And then the horns that Murphy had complimented glisten, sheen - a silvery-coloured liquid washing over them, making a small display that's deliberate.

Just long enough to be caught before the 'tap' (the horns themselves?) is turned off.

Yup! Yeah that's a 100% normal statue habit. Perfectly average.

Incorrect or not, it solidifies (at least for now, until someone tells him otherwise) that there's probably a mind in there and it might not wanna be stuck there. It doesn't have to be even that deep a mind, either. This is a man that listens to the faint Romero-worthy pining of the undead for their smallest worldly treasures and habits bouncing around like echoes in rotting brains.

He's not a deeply compassionate man but he yeah, he's buying there's something in there, and for now it could just be a victim of its position.

He rubs his shoulder where it returned his odd gesture and looks around to anyone nearby. "Yo! I think the statue's a person or something. A rock person or a person turned to a rock or... I dunno. Some kinda 'Tried to make like Pygmalian but didn't have enough juice' thing?"

"A person?"

Taiki hadn't gone up to the statues yet but he does so now. Straight away he can feel it, a peaceful presence, something in the rock or the rock itself. It was enough that he could mostly ignore the worrying smell from Murphy, a smell of violence and death.

He got closer, reaching out towards the statue. "It does feel... Strange."

Where Taiki touches, warmth heats under his palm, more like the sun than an open fire. Then for the both of them, there is a small pulse of emotion, the sensation of a plea - one that comes with the unfortunate company of pins and needles, carried on as it then instils an encouragement to look to their side.

In direction to where the bridge is, wide and connecting to the nearest next island - and with an unfortunate hole to it. It drops the communication after the mental 'gesture', as if it's unsure of how well it'll be taken.

But desperate times call for desperate measures.

"Yeah, yeah! You feel it, right?"

He makes a gesture, unaware that his proximity might be sickening for someone in any other way than the usual. His general existence as a zombie seems to do him absolutely no favors in the way of socializing, but usually that's the worst of it.

"It's horns did something, too. They did this shimmery... thing. Usually when I run into this kind of thing it's someone stuck, like they can't get out of their situation." Conclusions, not necessarily correct, that he can't help but draw.

He closes his eyes and, unknown to him that they're limited as they are, he tries to psychically reach towards the statue. Listening to see if he can pick up any definable thoughts. Also with the general mood of, You okay in there?

A warmth ran through him, there really was something there. A presence inside the rock. Or perhaps the rock itself was alive. But then a plea, pins and needles and the urge to look to the side, to the bridge...

"I think they want our help..." He said softly, looking up at Murphy. "Did you feel? It wants us to look at the Bridge..."

He doesn't sense any danger, whatever this presence is it feels... Calming.

As Murphy reaches out psychically, there is a certain disconnect- more like two wavelengths that can't quite meet. But his effort isn't repulsed, and he will be able to sense life - or something working around in there. The mood of concern is given gratitude back, reassurance.

There will be further discomfort, but it attempts to show, by memories and by feeling: A red sky coming from the south - worry, danger - voices once connected becoming silent - home to the east, concern - people (their people) to the south, west.

Taiki will witness and feel the same, if with more difficulty, hazier. And then there's another plea - a plea for help.

"I guess this red sky's not good news. Why does the villain always gotta mess up the sky," he mutters out loud, but he's wrinkling up his nose because he's left with the sensation one has when they break an egg in their hand and have something all over their fingers. But it's his brain, trying to match a wavelength it can't meet.

Thankfully it's a good brain for impressing borrowed memories into, like putty. He holds onto what he can.

"Okay, red sky bad news. Yeah, yeah. Okay. We'll check it out." He gestures between himself and Taiki. "Yeah, your right. It gave me a general-" He then stretches his arms, fingers pointed, and says "-that kinda way. Its people are in trouble. And it was coming up from the south. Apparently it's not stuck in it's body though, that's good. Just kinda sucks when impending doom comes along and you don't have thumbs."

The feelings rush through him, worry, danger, home, people. A plea for help. It feels fuzzy and hazy but he brings his attention fully from the bridge that he had been pointed at to focus on the statue, reaching out to touch it gently, reassurance.

He's never attempted to communicate with a statue before, this is new. He nodded at Murphy. "Yes... It must be terrible to not be able to help... I wonder if they could before... Help I mean. Doing anything here is very tiring."

Was that just how these islands were, or something that came with the storm? "We can go and see... If we can find them... The people I mean."

Hold. Wait- or so a feeling presses on them both, once Taiki says what he does. Gentle at least, only the light ticklish sensation than anything painful, more uncomfortable. The statue then goes 'silent', possibly ruminating, when-

A feeling guides them, to the open palms that glow softly. The white tiny flowers at the statue's feet (hidden by statue-cloth, no peeking), growing up, coming close to the hands, long-nailed and bumpy with what is supposed to be fur. It's muddled in translation, but there is an attempt to explain:

Accept. Flowers. Guide. (My) Eyes.

Murphy looks down at the flowers in confusion. Lack of experience working against him, but he is trying.

"Alright, so, we take some flowers or? I'm pretty new to this whole magic statue thing." The question is sort of absently directed at Taiki, rather than at the statue. But he reaches to pick one of the flowers hoping that it's the right thing to do, ready to tuck it into his coat pocket.

He freezes when told to wait, hand on the statue still as he accepted the feelings, words.

"Flowers?" He glanced at Murphy as the man picked one but Taiki himself paused. "You want us to pick them? It won't hurt you?"

One pulse of the hands to show, no, in answer to the pain. And if Taiki is looking - and for Murphy too, a feeling of a light tug on his chin to look down where he put the flower - if the flower part of it isn't exposed, its stem will grow to allow it to do so, and then turn in the direction of the bridge.

Sight. See.

Congratulations on your flower GPS.

Welp. You know what? First time for everything. Compass flowers are a good one, he's got to admit. He shifts it so it's more of a lapel decoration. Easy reference.

Poor Taiki, Murphy has no idea that his presence is largely unpleasant for him, and he just sort of invites himself to hang around him at the moment.

"Let's go check out that bridge. And I guess wherever else. Not like we've got any better of a map."

No. That was good, Taiki took a flower as well, gently, with a whispered thank you to the statue.

It seemed the flowers were sight and direction and so he nodded at Murphy. He might feel uncomfortable around him but that didn't matter right now, they had a task to do and Taiki could cope.

After all this place made him feel weird enough already. It was just something extra to deal with.

"Yes... Let's go to the bridge..."

A start. He made his way over after one more glance at the statue, a small smile of gratitude.

Murphy turns when Taiki looks back and gives a single, lanky wave. Good luck with that.

"Even if that's a willing sacrifice it still sucks. I've seen a lot of people just trapped in places. Rooted to floors, trapped in their own minds? It's its own sort of hell."

Definitely easier if you're respected and know what you're in for, but he's still hesitant about that kind of thing.

But now that he's said that? Nothing else about this place is in his skillset, and as he's regarding the completely alien environment that's hitting him as he follows Taiki but he doesn't want to admit it.

"Yes. It must be awful... Being trapped like that. Even if they chose it." Did they choose it? Being a statue? Why would they choose such a thing?

Perhaps it was a duty? Something they were bound by? Still it was a frightening thing to look at.

"Um... Do you think we should go over to the other side. The other island?"

"Yeah, there's fuck all else that we can do here. And we got flower navigation. Go straight across Mysterious Island bridge for a quarter of a mile. Turn right on strange path."

Taiki might not appreciate the imitation of a navigation voice but Murphy likes to make his own fun. One does not sound lika a radio announcer without making use of it sometimes.

"You lead the way. My brain isn't magical, but I guess it can tap into some kind of energy here. Barely, but it's there." Around sapient, earthbound statues anyway.

He does smile slightly at the navigation, though it fades again as he studies the bridge. It doesn't seem stable. Indeed he's not sure it's even a full bridge.

He takes off his hoodie and shoes, sending them with a wave into his arms band before taking that off, placing it on the ground, putting the flower next to it and then closing his eyes, transforming with a slight gust of wind.

It's hard here to transform, it brings a wave of exhaustion but soon there is a creature, flowing mane and one long horn from his head.

"If you climb on my back... I can fly... If the bridge doesn't hold..."

And suddenly he's a magic fucking horse. Like he's in a goddamn Disney movie out of nowhere. Or that one sad unicorn movie where... Hell he doesn't remember what happened, it was a long time, but it was sad.

This isn't the type of unicorn virgins swoon at though, is it? It's the type monks summon. He doesn't even know what this is.

"Yeah, okay," he says after clumsy shock, mottled eyes looking all over Taiki and radiating a lovely aura of What The Fuck? He goes with it, though, mounting his crewmate. He should really be used to this by now. "This is my first time on a... this... so be gentle."

Ah. Perhaps he should warn people before he does this. "Sorry... Um... Sorry." He sounds embarrassed. Still the man climbs on his back as Taiki manoeuvres the arms band over his hoof and kicks the discarded clothes that had fallen from him when he transformed into it. It's a well practised move by now and soon he is ready.

"I'll go slow." Not that he had a choice, this world was so difficult to fly in. "You can hold my mane... Um... Sorry I'm Taiki I don't know your name."

Maybe that would have been a first step.

It's okay. Yurine threw him for a similar loop, turning from cat into girl. But he'd been high at the time, and at least with Taiki here he's mostly sure he's sober.

"Murphy." He says once he's found a suitable sitting position that's not too awkward.

"Might want to give the flying thing a little go before we try over the fathomless chasms. But either way this is my first time riding a- one of you? I don't know. But I got that to say for this."

"Yes. I will fly across land first, so you can get used to the movement."

It was better than having him try and learn how to balance when the stakes were so much higher. Taiki's speed is hampered here, he can't be sure he'd be able to catch someone who fell.

"Oh... Um... I'm a Kirin."

Murphy always had the average fantasies of a man wanting to live the rich lifestyle. Playing golf, having a big house, beautiful wife and thirty different lovers on the side, and of course horseback riding.

Three of those he's managed, horses? Nah. Apparently he's going straight for Kirin, first. And while his life is pretty strange, there comes a point when even the strangest lives manage something unexpected.

Murphy settles against his back, holding tight and says, "Let me know if I'm riding you the wrong way." Well he's certainly not said anything like that since he was a teenager.

Wings of Wonder: NPC Interactions and Investigations

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Sorry I've not been getting notifs.

is okay!

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so I'm not littering up the NPC post