middleofsomewhere | Wings of Wonder: NPC Interactions and Investigations

The warmth of the breeze is pleasant, at least, and he closes his eyes for a moment-

And then damn near jumps out of his skin at the feeling on his shoulder. There's no one else here - what did that?!

It takes him a few seconds to calm down and get his breathing and thoughts back under control, and he tries to think it through. It...well, he can already Sense the statue, which is weird enough. What if it can reach out? Gods know what else it's capable of.

Hesitantly, he reaches out and lays a hand lightly on the statue's shoulder. "Was that you?"

Ryo's palm warms, a small glow around it, to be more visible. Two glows, exactly - that was what it was told counts as Yes. Hopefully, this outsider also knows what this means.

Except, the glow then lowers - going down the body of the statue, to the place near Potato, where they sleep. Lingering there as a means to direct Ryo's attention, while, with a jolt through his hand and up his arm, somewhere closer to the core of his energy, his being, a feeling is given (somewhat uncomfortably):

Concern.

To Ryo's credit, he doesn't startle at the response this time. While he's not sure what the significance of two glows is, the response is enough - the statue knows he's there and likely understands him.

His gaze follows the glow down to where Potato rests, and winces a bit at the intrusion. It feels like a needle being slid under his skin - it doesn't hurt, but it's not supposed to be there.

Foreign as the intrusion is, he recognizes that emotion. He's a healer - concern for others is part of the core of his being, and he carries it with him wherever he goes. "You're worried about her," he says softly, putting the pieces together. "Is something wrong?"

Time is necessary to form a response. The sensation is only present to press the emotion to Ryo, removing the link after. But at least Potato's presence with it is as much of a concern as it is an aid, the energy they continue to take in continuing to be transferred in its direction.

So, it uses that energy. By them, a flower grows up from the ground. Long-stemmed, a face the size of a fist as the petals open to face the sky. A sky that then fills with tiny golden lights, being drawn into the flower.

It begins to glow, and begins to bulge -- and then starts to grow, distorting, more of the tiny golden lights being absorbed into the flower that's now mutating: the head of it splitting into two, a lump forming in the bending stem, expanding, then bursting out a new flower head; leaves multiplying and spreading out nonsensically.

...it's not quite what's happening to Potato, but hopefully, some semblance of 'they're absorbing what they shouldn't be' is getting across.

The intrusive feeling fades, and Ryo waits, keeping an eye on the statue and on Potato, when near them a flower begins to rapidly grow. And absorb the tiny golden lights around it. And-

Oh.

That's not good.

His stomach turns briefly at the thought of that happening to anyone, and he takes a moment to settle himself-

Only to remember in the next one that the horrifying distended flower is the statue's response to him asking if something was wrong with Potato.

Okay. Okay. Think it through. His magic doesn't work the way it should on this world, and Potato has a lot of magic in her, so it stands to reason whatever she can do isn't working well here either. And the flower had been absorbing those golden lights. Maybe...

Well, he can always ask. "This world isn't good for her, is it." He pauses. "I don't think I can fix that, but...maybe I can find someone who can?" There has to be a solution, even if that solution winds up being 'evacuate Potato back to the train so she doesn't get destroyed by whatever is happening here.'

Two pulses of light glow as they had before, whether Ryo's hands are present or not. The flower stays where and as it is, an unfamiliar smell coming from it, up to Ryo's nose if it likes it or not.

There's a few seconds of nothing, and then its hands glow - while a connection is made with Ryo again, a stronger jolt than before as a visual is offered, of types of clear crystal stone. A few different shots before the connection leaves.

Yet its hands continue to glow.

He's starting to get the sense that two glows is an affirmation - if he's right, that makes communication a little easier, at least.

And then the needle in his mind is back, more insistent than before, accompanied by images of unfamiliar crystals. The connection leaves as quickly as it had come, and he takes the moment to breathe, and process, and try to figure out what it meant, and- the statue's hands are glowing. That...has to have something to do with it.

"The crystals will help her?" he tries, because that's what makes the most sense so far. "Does she need to touch them?"

Close, Ryo. The hands pulse once this time, but if you can't tell by charades, then there's always the lighter connection. At least, it's not as sharp as a needle this time, as the statue more directly implies 'Bring to me', by a sense of feeling that leads to the statue's hands.

The connection presses again, but without the sharp discomfort this time, and he finally picks up on the statue's instructions. "Bring the crystals to you," he repeats. Okay. He knows what they are, and what they look like, but- "Where are they?" That may be a little much for how they've been communicating, and he tries again. "Can you give me a direction?"

A gentle tug directs Ryo towards the direction of the bridge, a press to his hands, a light touch of air on his cheek from that side, too.

East. The terrain has them everywhere, Ryo - and the other Voidtreckers - will find.

The tug, the breeze - they're indication enough. He's headed east. "Thank you." He starts to get his feet under him and pauses for a moment, hand still on the statue, looking down at the still sleeping Potato. "She'll be safe with you, right?"

Two pulsing glows from the palm, and a type of pampas-like grass, short-stalked grows close to Potato's body, from the open side. Bending over, and starting to cover her body like a blanket.

Potato, for her part, barely even stirs. Sometimes an overactive bean of a mana generator just needs a long sleep, and with the Forever One's help and presence, she can rest easy. As the blanket of plants folds over, she rolls only slightly in her sleep, a whispery mutter passing her lips-

"....good night horns person..."

Most likely, she'll still be here when Ryo returns.

He sees the two pulses - for yes - and watches Potato roll over in the freshly-grown grass, murmuring quietly, and a fond smile crosses his face. "Thank you," he says quietly. "I'll be back as soon as I can." He takes his hand off the statue and walks away, heading east and putting a call out for help as he walks.

Hours pass.

It's fully nighttime by the time he returns, walking slowly and carefully in the dark. It had been a long afternoon - a slow, low-flying flight to the eastern island with Jingyi, actually finding the crystals once they got there, and realizing that the crystals weren't the easiest thing to break and made them feel woozy in large quantities (which would be difficult for walking and even worse for flying). They'd finally figured it out - Jingyi had punched the crystal, which would've been both hilarious and impressive had he not already felt like he was recovering from a hangover, and broken him off a piece small enough for him to handle - and they'd headed back to the center island. He's tired from the journey, tired from their efforts, tired from this world, and even if the crystal he's carrying isn't enough to knock him sideways, it's still not helping.

But, thanks to Jingyi's help, he's made it.

He approaches the statue, passes the still-sleeping Potato, and unwraps the crystal from the cloth he'd been carrying it in, gently depositing it into the statue's hands. He then puts his hand on the statue's shoulder, wondering if that connection will still be there and hoping it will. "I got what you asked for," he says quietly. "Is that enough? Will it work?"

As Potato rests, continuing to draw in energy, the statue - Hemla - continues to take it into themselves. It helps them too, and shamefully, the extra energy they take from Potato's reserves in the process; but with it - and only taking a little with the flow, knowing that there's plenty, they won't harm them - it helps them to recover as well. Through meeting other Voidtreckers, through recovering after their land was attacked, single-handedly attempting to defend it and themselves.

It's been a long day for many. But Hemla doesn't rest either. They study, they attempt; to find ways to better help their aid from other worlds, to also help them on their lands. Slowly, by the end of the first day and through the night, they move the smaller floating pieces of land to better form jumping spots, around the South Island and the West bridge.

Rest will come at another time, when there is not their people, their allies, their land, that needs them first.

But also, never will anyone get to know how cool Hemla would have found a guy punching crystal to be.

Through the different people visiting them, they have begun to notice patterns to their energies, though still vastly unconnected. But still, somehow; and it's with Potato there that Hemla studies, when Ryo approaches. They vaguely recognise their energy, and when the hand comes upon them, the warmth in greeting is given instantaneously - but at the same time, they sense the exhaustion.

They give gratitude, confirmation, both by a feeling and by the two pulses to their hands; then, there is concern that wavers, a slight tickling to Ryo's body, but that can't help but to wrap around him with warmth. It senses too, the way the energy of the crystal reaches out, wavering and mingling and stirring the energies of Ryo and Potato - and it directs its energies towards itself, to stop that.

But still, its concern doesn't leave. It attempts, with a light prod, to ask:

Rest?

~~Hemla has very good taste.~~

He sees the two glows and feels the warmth, and it's enough. Now that it has the crystal, the statue can help Potato. That's...that's good.

He wavers badly when the crystal's energy is redirected, stumbling a bit and clinging to the statue in order to keep his balance. He'd spent the return journey feeling pushed, like he'd had to throw his weight against the crystal's energy to remain upright, and that pressure abruptly disappearing nearly topples him over before he can find his balance again. It's a relief, honestly...and it leaves him open to feel the weight of his exhaustion instead. Between that, and the warmth, and the suggestion, he wants nothing more than to just sleep.

But he has to make sure.

"I will. You- do you need anything else? To help her?"

Not that he's in any fit state to get it himself, but he could at least let someone know.

Without delay, as Ryo stumbles where he stands, there is a wind that catches him both from front to back, like hands to keep him upright. A warm wind, the same usual tinglyness, but more kind than anything that soaks in, pains.

There is many things that Hemla can share: that Potato has given them plenty, that there is no need to worry. And while the last of that does raise and linger in the air, instead, there is a firm, yet deeply heartful suggestion, that comings with the growing pampas-like grass at his back, a softening bed of grass around him:

Rest.

Perhaps there is somewhere better Ryo can go, but this late, and with him in the state he is, Hemla is more than welcome to accommodate him, as they are Potato.

It's...it's okay. There's reassurance from the statue, which is about as much reassurance he's going to get for the current situation, and...honestly, he believes it. He wants to believe the statue, and the part of him that had been starved for love for so long will always have trouble doubting that much sincerity and compassion.

And gods, he is tired.

"Okay," he says quietly. "Thank you." For helping Potato. For caring at all, let alone so much. He still doesn't know who or what the statue is, but he is grateful.

He sets his pack down, removes his blanket, wraps it around himself, and settles down into the long, soft grass with his pack under his head like a pillow. Within seconds, he is sound asleep.

Ryo and Potato will not have to worry, for as long as they rest. The air of the islands is naturally cold, but they will not suffer it, the pampas-esque grass an extra barrier to the warmth that Hemla continues to exude, making sure the cold never reaches their rest.

And as for them, they will work. On some temporary means of protecting Potato, but also the others from lands unknown. Lands not close to theirs. Seeing them even in the dead of night as clear as day: seeing them by the energies that course through them, the threads that are so different to the people of the islands.

But also seeing a connection in them, a similarity, another energy separated from their own that outlines their beings. Disconnected - and yet not - from their own energies.

They work, with a tired enthusiasm that led them to become a Forever One in the first place. For a land they love with all their heart, and a people. Any people.

It instils in Hemla's gift of warmth the sense of security that drives them all night.

Wings of Wonder: NPC Interactions and Investigations

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Potato waking hours later with the energy of a kid on xmas @ 5am like-

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