middleofsomewhere | Swirling Consequences Start

Swirling Consequences Start

On day Seven of the Month of Quicksand as passengers are beginning their day there is an announcement over the ICP system. “Attention voidtreckers and passengers of the Voidtrecker Express. Please give your attention to the following message from the void ministry.”

A blurring of the screen and it fades into a video of an elderly woman, skin a swirl of purple and blue sat behind a dark wooden desk hands folded neatly in front of her.

“Greetings crew of the Voidtrecker Express. I am commander Orlaith of the void ministry. As you will be very aware, you were recently involved in a dangerous and somewhat foolish experiment of the tethering system which we assume was initiated by your voidcraft. We received your call for emergency assistance, and were able to stabilise your craft enough to allow it to focus on ensuring crew safety. We are under the understanding that it was a crew member who used the emergency signal given by the Inspection Arm of the ministry, and that member should be commended. So too should you all, for we have reports that the crew of the Voidtrecker Express took part in a risky and difficult anchoring task to ensure the safety of all. As ever, the crew of the Voidtrecker Express exceed expectations for a crew with no formal training.

However, in less positive news, the actions of your Voidcraft have had a ripple effect throughout the void. Worlds that are non void active have reports of seeing void activity in their skies, with residents reporting dreams and uneasy feelings. In void active worlds there are more serious incidents. We have voidcrews in thousands of systems working towards stabilising the void access points.

We understand that after such an ordeal, your crew may be exhausted however we do need your help. System #5739 is a hub world that is extremely void active. It is used to weathering void storms and the barrier between the world and the void is thin. However, it is currently experiencing an unprecedented amount of void activity and world bleeding effects. We need a team to go in and help the citizens there, clearing out any issues and helping stabilise things from within.

The people there know about the void, and are used to void travellers. However, try not to stir up any extra trouble.” The last sounds almost exhausted. Their reputation may precede them.

The video ends.

I assume no one has any objections as voidtreckers have chosen to work with the Void Ministry. Please see your mission briefs. This is not a catastrophe mission."

They have a couple of hours before landing, a few hours to study their briefs and prepare for what is to come. Teams might chat, people might give out equipment gathered over the months, some of the passengers who have been on the train since the very early days of the month of Apple may have advice to give.

Either way a couple of hours later there is another announcement. “Shortly arriving at System #5739. Exiting the void in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one...”

SWIRLING CONSEQUENCES: START

WEARY WANDERER ~ FOREST ~ SCRUBLANDS ~ FARMLANDS ~ COMMS

QUICKSAND 7-10 ~ TEAM OBJECTIVES ~ LOCATION INFORMATION ~ OTHER DETAILS
ASK QUESTIONS ~ SHENANIGANS ~ TEAM PLOTTING ~ MISSION TASKS/REWARDS

ARRIVAL

The train shakes as the view of the void leaves its windows, giving way to a cloudy and wet sky in its descent. There's a small bump, and they land on a set of tracks that lead them uphill. Grassy mounds can be spotted on either side, occupied by sheep, goats, and the occasional six legged antelope grazing. In the farther distance are secluded farm houses, or small clusters of buildings.

Things don’t seem so bad, until the clouds spark with colour that sends animals running, far skittish for anything they're used to.

The sparse hills give way to more trees as the train weaves through them, until finally comes to a stop at a small station, no more than a raised platform in the woods. With a sigh, the train doors open, and passengers can walk out into the clearing. Once everyone who wishes to leave disembarks, the train sets off once again, flying up into the air and out of sight.

"Oh good. You’re here!"

Looking over, voidtreckers will spot a young girl at the edge of the clearing.

"Ma said we should expect some void heroes any day now. She’s put some stew on."

And she’s off. For any who wish to follow her, she leads them to an inn, The Weary Wanderer written on a sign. It’s a large inn, larger than might be expected in such a remote place, and the innkeeper Albany quickly organises rooms and food for any who wish it.

“Well, there’s a whole lot more of you than there was.” She takes in the group after Maia explains that they are from the Voidtrecker Express. “Storms are getting worse, we’re getting reports of stampedes, landslides and monsters coming through the colours.” She explains. She has some maps of the area and happily allows her main common room to be turned into a planning station. She’s clearly used to void travellers.

THE WEARY WANDERER

The inn has a large and open floor, the entrance close to where a fire crackles, chairs and a table beside it. To the right are places for eating, and kitchen doors that lead in and out, while to the left is where a counter separates another route to the kitchen, and to the family's own private quarters. By here too are the stairs leading up into the bedrooms, with some also available on the ground floor.

There's enough room for the voidtreckers to squeeze into the front at once, and the tables can be joined to create a more team atmosphere.

The problems are everywhere it seems. Farms need help, dralite chicks need rescuing, and their parents reassured before they go on a murderous revenge spree. Voidtreckers can stay or plan or jump right into things - the forest and scrublands are the closest to reach with both behind the inn, while the farmlands will take half a day to reach. Alabany will mark on the maps where to go for the farmsteads, or ones she knows about, and allow her inn to be used as an intiial base.

For those whose skills lie more in cooking and maintaining camp, she will happily take their help in the kitchens, or suggest They go down to the nearest farmsteads and lend a hand there. It'll take about half a day on foot to reach the nearest few, but many hands are needed. They will have better tools for moving debris and making repairs; she has a few, but not enough for everyone, and she'd rather they be used around the forest if anywhere. She needs those!

Albany will warn about the dralites, and to plug your ears if you're going through the forest. Their screeching can stun and slow people even at a distance, and with everyone worked up, it makes it hard to get through. They happen to like bugs, and a fruit called matts - similar to dates, fruits that grow off certain small trees in the forest.

YELLING HEIGHTS: FOREST

Location of: Dralites, young and old, their nests; monkeys, voidblobs (uncommon), fruit cups and purple stars. Displaced people.

The Yelling Height's forest reach spreads far, wrapping around the lower third of the great Ciyesia mountain and its budding fellow heights, with trees as tall as redwoods making up most of its wood. This gives plenty of space for travellers to move through, but the treetops create thick canopies that shroud the world below, the dots of penetrating light visible in contrast. Against some trees can be found what look like bushes, and there's plenty of them around, along with moss; but looking closer, these have hollow middles, made up of pin needles, twigs, feathers and all sorts. Some have been ruined, some have eggs inside.

High-pitched cries can be heard echoing, but it can be hard to tell how far, or what distance they come from - there's too many, making what should sound distressing, sound like a racket. While there's paths that can be followed, some of the wood has fallen, with ways disturbed by rubble that's tumbled all this way down from the mountain. There are signs to aid - those that haven't been knocked over - to give some sense of direction. Still this wood is hard to navigate, and Voidtreckers will want to be careful about rushing in without a plan. Trouble lurks in all manners...

Dralites can be found scattered around this forest, big and small - Albany will tell them as much. The youngest are easy to locate, unable to fly, and make a lot of noise. Slow-moving and dragging their heavy wings, they need help moving with any speed. They can be found alone, or attracting the attention of the great chinchillas or monkeys (who see them less as prey, and more as something to bully and take out their frustrations on).

Some will accept help from the first person that approaches them, jumping on them and wrapping their wings around their neck or head, clinging on and accepting them as their ride. They will need to be returned to their nests, and will reject any nests that aren’t theirs. It'll be very similar to escorting a toddler, often throwing screeching fits if they don’t think their helper is trying hard enough, which can make it difficult for people to move around.

They are hard creatures to please, even so more the adults who are furious that their nests have been disturbed. As large as a sheep with larger wings and powerful talons they might just swoop down and grab smaller unsuspecting voidtreckers and carry them to their nests as workers to help fix them. Some of these adults may be near their nests, or will be seen swooping around above-head at startling speeds, searching for their young.

There are eggs that have gone missing too. A place they can hatch safely is essentia, since they can easily become pray or be snatched by the monkeys who live in the forest and steal from the inattentive.

As well as helping the dralites, there are herbs that can be collected here. Purple Stars are leaves that grow at the top of tall trees. These can be found deeper into the forest, and are different from the other trees by their branches only growing at the very top, their bark stripy. They will need to be climbed, or flown up to - not getting startled by adult dralites is essential, or becoming target practice to the monkeys. They have rocks.

Deep in the most dampest sections of the fores, Fruit Cups grow in a tangle around spider plants, that will ensnare the unwary into it’s sticky grip. For every few flowers, there's a wide trapping of the spider plants, vines impossible not to get stuck to. But as difficult as they are to collect, they are useful, and the potions they make will be handy to the communities that require help. Some voidblobs have gotten trapped here too, and they'll become active once people get close.

YELLING HEIGHTS: SCRUBLANDS

Location Of: Farm animals, some voidblobs, great chinchillas, farmers in need; ruined paths, craggle leaf. Some dralites, mostly adult. Displaced people.

The trees eventually give way to a mix of rock and dirt, stone jagging up from the ground underfoot that travellers will need to watch out for. Vegetation is littered around, patches of shrubs as often easy to catch the eye as grazed grass poking out around mossy-coated stone. There are paths, or were, but only the remains of them can be found, the area reshaped by landslides.

Animals can be found isolated or in some groups, spooked by any newcomers around, and the odd shepherd trying their best to get their herds under control. But there's further trouble than blocked paths to deal with - because these jobs can never be simple.

The farmers' plans are to bring the grazing animals back down to the lower ground and to their farms, but they'll need help clearing up paths and guiding them off the mountain and back to their farmsteads. Not only will it mean moving debris and locating animals, it will also mean protecting them from the predators in the area - and other trouble.

The horned goats, often a worry on these slopes, have grown even more aggressive. They ram into herds and farmers alike, even attempting to send them rolling. They need driven off, away from the herds. The chinchillas are also more aggressive, running rampage through the hills and attempting to down the livestock and to take them back to their nests.

There will also be sightings of the voidblobs for the more unfortunate, dubbed such by the locals. Gelatinous and luminescent, they are a mess of what were likely multiple creatures that have been fused together, patches of fur and teeth and claws held together with thick veins of colour. They attack indiscriminately and without reason, and are difficult to take down, never responding to blows of any type. You only know when they're taken out by when they stop moving - otherwise, they will continue.

During the first night there is a disturbance on Ciyesia. Trees are felled, the mountain seems to rumble and more animals flee, spilling panicked down the mountain to the farm lands below. For whatever aid is giving to the area on the first day, this event causes more damage to the surrounding areas.

LOWER LANDS: FARMLANDS

Location of: Voidblobs (common), great chinchillas, a few horned goats; ruined pathways, farms in need; people to craft balms and potions, access to tools.

While not as high as the Ciyesia mountain, nor as shrouding as the blanketing forest, the rolling countryside shows its sloping and uneven distance, varying fields split by tones and sandy paths - or what should be sandy paths. But the damage to the earth is noticeable, chunks of the various mounds ruined, broken at parts. You can see trouble, ensuing or approaching, just by looking around long enough.

And the biggest trouble will be reaching it.

Buildings squeeze against fields and fencing, separated far from anyone that could be called a neighbour. But there's a few of what can be called villages, where trades are conducted and visitors are sure to stop. There's usually a singular inn, but people looking to call on the help of a void traveller to help with this mess. They can promise hot meals and some goods in exchange, but first needs to come the help.

Though moving the herds closer to the farms is a sensible idea that doesn’t mean the farmlands themselves are safe. Landslides have cut communities off, some of the chinchillas and horned goats have made their way down the mountain and angry dralites stalk the plains looking for their young.

The shaking of the earth and the landslides have caused damage and debris. Trees have been felled bolders moved, barns and houses have been damaged. There’s a big clean up operation required. Farmers have wheelbarrows and shovels and Albany has some more that can be borrowed. It will require a team effort to clear the roads and make sure essential supplies get where they are needed.

Most of the farms and villages have protections in place, but they are overstretched and exhausted. Villagers take turns patrolling, protecting the herds and the people from creatures should they be goats, chinchillas or the new and terrifying void blobs.

Extra people to set up perimeters are very welcome, as are those who can drive the creatures back into the forests. It’s not just the homes themselves that need protecting but also the paths between them, so voidtreckers and others can deliver supplies to the further afield communities.

Making the herbal remedies will mean finding the right people for it, but locating the villages is a good bet. Tinctures and teas are the best method, boiling the plants and breaking them down over hours. Even if you're not experienced, people being around to help monitor the pots and bottle them will be helpful. The craggle leaf are good as they are to feed upset livestock, but also as medicine, for helping against the voidstorm's headache-inducing effects.

FROM THE VOID...

DISPLACED PEOPLE: Once or twice a year, people can be found in the Yelling Heights, wandering around dazed and confused, hailing from a whole other world. Since these storms have begun there have been at least two a day, perhaps more that have yet to be found. They have no memory of arriving, some might not even have memories of who they are, or where they come from.

For now they need found, gathered in once place and care given to them.

VOIDBLOBS: The voidblobs, as they have been dubbed by those who have seen them, are truly monstrous creatures. Perhaps once multiple creatures they have been fused together, a mess of fur and teeth and claws held together with thick veins of colour these creatures have one instinct and that is to kill.

They are rampaging, strong in their urge to destroy. Fighting them is difficult as nothing seems to slow them down until they die, it’s hard to know how hurt they are and injury doesn’t seem to stop their brute strength or will to kill. They rarely will stop and fight either, requiring a team just to keep up with them as they will lash out and fight but keep rampaging on, drawn towards groups of people or creatures. They can be found anywhere.

VOIDTEARS: For now, it's Red Team's task to find these tears and secure a perimeter on them - a difficult enough job that will take the first few days of the mission. They aren’t visible except in the storms, and so finding them requires braving them, where the wind sings with void music, rain pouring with hail, and a strong sense of unease growing until it too unbearable to endure. But the exact point of the tears must be found: a spot where the kaleidoscope of colours shines down onto any under it, only visible in that area.

STORMS: These are scattered around the lands, never moving despite the clouds that do. In the storms, the voidtears pulse with colour. Being near them is uncomfortable, and there is always the risk of a voidblob coming through. Being near the voidtears for too long even outside of voidstorms will lead to headaches, and so it is wise to rotate who is guarding them.

THE FIRST NIGHT: Late into the first night, there will be loud noises, the earth rumbling and a worrisome show of lights as the full moon hangs in the sky above. There may be word from fellow voidtreckers what's going on, but either way, this disturbance will bring out trouble into the night, breaking fencing and some buildings that were on their last legs.

OOC NOTES

OOC Post ~ Questions ~ Shenanigans ~ Tasks Check-In & Mission Rewards
This log lasts for 7-10 Quicksand, with the next log going up on the 21st March (11 Quicksand). Please remember that we will be determining the progress of the mission by task objectives being fulfilled, so PLEASE visit the task objectives toplevel and let us know what your character has been working towards! We accept handwaves (especially if your character is around but you're on hiatus), but actual thread links will count more towards success!

An extra list of prompts for ideas, arranged by team (click):

RED TEAM

You've either wandered into a group of voidblobs or see some approaching. They're annoying on their own, but as a group, they can cause serious damage.

The voidstorms are easy to find by the literal storms they bring, but the tears themselves? They're a pain to, only visible once you're right under them. How will your character persevere in the search? Flying, if you can, might seem the quickest option, but a closer level to the sky seems to make the headaches and disorientation worse.

You've somehow been convinced into fixing up a fence during watching the perimeter. Yes yes, that's important, but the area is clear for now, and what if an animal gets loose? More hands will get this done quick.

BLUE TEAM

What kind of people will you find out there in the wild? Someone desperate for an offer of aid, or someone suspicious, distrusting? Are they even human, or some other race - or sentient object?

The dralites aren't good at in any way but wailing. But their eggs are unique, obsidian in appearance. So if you see a monkey carrying any such thing, or see one being carried by a great chinchilla - that's no lucky lump of goal. That's your way of calming down the ticking time bombs of angry parents.

PURPLE TEAM

Farm work isn't your chore, but the farmers need all their herds before they go anywhere, so you're getting involved whether you want to or not.

Make a good impression on the farmers, and they're likely to help you out. Need to borrow tools? Or can you convince the farmers to let you and your friends borrow some, passing them onto the people who need them?

ORANGE TEAM

Herb collection is hard enough with tall trees and spider plants but watch out for the monkeys who want to steal the prize.

Once herbs are collected they can be made into potions. They aren't too difficult to make and Albany has recipes if asked.

Herbs aren't the only things monkeys want, there's a group converging on a dralite nest, those eggs look very shiny.

ALL TEAMS

Distance is a real concern. Who will go where, where are places and people in need? Scouting is a good idea, and so is organising who will be best, where. ... or, you can just go and do your own thing.

Image Sources: Top header - Tavern - Farmlands - Void coours

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

That self-same instinct to survive is what tells him this woman meant well, even before she spoke. Coming down from the confusing high that was his Diagad-given ability - a heightened sixth sense that forced his mind to see possibility after possibility - showed him no such shadow of danger connected to her person.

Though, Roland would like to assume he had a better grasp of his instincts even without that cursed ability. His eyes remain partially closed, attempting to ward off the dizzying phantoms that cross his eyes. "Thanks," he replies softly, choosing to focus on the magic that flows throughout his body instead of the throbbing in his head.

Soon, her healing takes a strong hold of his inner mind, calming the proverbial waves that forced him to his knees. The stress against his brow relaxes, and the higgledies surrounding them begin to cheer - hiiiig! - as if celebrating his returned health. When Roland opens his eyes, the world finally stops moving, and his regular sight returns to him at last. He registers his savior's face and nods in thanks, trying to stand.

"Appreciate you coming. Did they send for the cavalry, heh?"

He refers of course to his little friends, who thank Lioriley easily by jumping up and down around her, with Rannygazoo the Resolute, their calm leader, offering a tiny hand in similar gratitude. 'Higgle.'

"C'mon, I'll take you back to the inn, okay?" Ruby said, holding out her hand.

Okay, he has never seen someone not Altean look so Altean. For another thing, he would almost think this was how a traveling party in a Monsters&Mana session might meet if the Loremaster was particularly cruel.

"Hhhhgh, alright. Alright let me... ow. Ow! Ow..." he tries to go down as gracefully as he can, but it's not very graceful at all. He's nineteen and 6'1'' and a good solid build to go with it. His sense of balance is the balance of a man that always was the tank of the group.

So branches crack under him as he fumbles for handholds along the trunk. "Wow, you made that look insanely easy."

She is also a little shocked at the lightning but unlike the chinchilla she is well trained and so doesn't flinch. She does glance to the side to see who it was that threw it though and she is not too surprised to see Tidus.

She had known he was around after all. She acknowledged the order with just a dip of her head as she took advantage of the distraction and lept forwards.

Despite her words she attacked with her knife, tackling the small chinchilla to the ground.

She loves her team but they can be as ridiculous as her children sometimes.

"Setting up something solid so the locals can look after things themselves when we're gone is smart." They'll only be here for a few days, they can't be the real solution. Just the current cleanup. "If this world's void aware, they must have some information we can put into practice with them."

The farmlands had needed to be secured. Voidstorms and monstrous entities would pass but that didn't mean the fields could be left untended. At least not without expecting the people to deal with the consequences.

So Elidibus had turned to a task of defending and fighting the encroaching threats. He'd recovered enough for this. His diminished capacity is based on a fairly large scale but he's certainly not in a position to move alone. It's quite... mortal from his perspective. Albeit mortal adventurers from his Star which are pretty formidable even when they're not Hydaelyn's champion.

At some point in a lull of the work, the Ascian receives a communication through his SCA. This might be overheard in some or full part. Because one thing Elidibus did was voice a proposition to move together during this mission; at least to a certain someone but he wouldn't have turned away what might be considered an inevitability. Nor would he have really expected anyone with knowledge of who Ascians were to leave them wholly unattended.

...In any case, Elidibus would move to speak to the others.

"We're going to have company soon," he begins. There's no indication to suggest it's the bad sort of company, which is covered soon enough. "One of the train's passengers, a youth named Tidus."

Now the question, especially if the conversation was not heard, is why is Elidibus bringing this up? Something is likely afoot. If the conversation was overheard... well.

Two and two WILL make four pretty readily in that case.

He's not sure where it comes from at first. After all his friends are never too far from his mind. He's hoping they had found somewhere to shelter from all of this rain.

But Tidus comes through stronger, the urge to think about him, to wonder about him. Something about food and dralites?

He stood still in the rain. Frowning. "Tidus?"

It was as if he were there, in his mind.

"Yes." He flies in, at least startling a few of the monkeys who scatter. Except one, a particularly brave one that pulls his tail.

Taiki makes no aggressive moves obviously but he trots over to where Kaiba's voice has come from.

"Do you need a lift?"

He's at least blocking the hiding place off from the monkeys now.

Voidblob

Mordin can't be with all of Red team at once for this one, but he can still make sure he's moving with the action. There are plenty of people who are able to help with herbal remedies (though if someone wants to grab him a sample to study later, he'd appreciate it!), not all of them can keep pace with the combat squad.

So sooner or later the descriptively named voidblobs are going to cross his path.

"Fascinating. Structure unlike local wildlife. Overall integrity dubious." Of course, the thing is also very dangerous and he should maybe study it after they stop it.

He pulls out his pistol. "Likely need more firepower." But it's a starting point.

Medic

The longterm goal is to get to the voidtears and he's doing his best to keep moving in that general direction. But he's a healer as much as a fighter and if he comes across injured people, whether locals cut off from their community or his fellow Voidtreckers running afoul of the inherent mission dangers, he'll stop.

"Qualified physician. Happy to render assistance."

A weary wanderer at The Weary Wanderer- All

'Heroes' the little girl had called them when they arrived. Bruno certainly didn't feel very heroic. Mostly he just felt like he was in the way. Everyone else seemed so confident, bustling around and getting ready for the mission. Like they did this sort of thing every day and knew exactly what they were doing.

Bruno though? Had no clue what he might be able to do here that might even come close to being worthy of being called 'heroic'. Even if he were inclined to reveal his gift to the population of the train at large, his powers would be useless here, which left him with just his mundane senses and somewhat scrawny body to try and help out. Not a promising start.

Well, standing around in the corner certainly wasn't helping anyone, including him. He finished up the last spoonful of his stew and put the plate and spoon with the other used ones to be washed, making a mental note to thank Señora Albany when he saw her. It couldn't really compare to Julieta's- though he was admittedly biased there-, but her food was both tasty and filling, and seemed to give him a bit of courage that he might not otherwise have had.

So after a deep breath and a quick knock-on-wood, Bruno walked up to someone who looked like they knew what they were about and said, "Hey, um... any idea what a new guy might be able to do to help out here?"

A sticky situation- Orange

Bruno wasn't quite sure how picking flowers qualified as 'heroic', but he at least knew how it could be useful. So with basket in hand, he set out with a number of his fellow Voidtreckers to collect fruit cups. While not fruit, they were most certainly cup shaped and rather pretty. Pretty useful too, from what he'd been told; maybe he should check and see if they could bring some seeds of the plant back to the train with them before they left.

Unfortunately, this particular patch at least was rather hard to reach, growing partly underneath a viney sort of bush. He had to crouch down to reach them, and even then he couldn't quite get the ones furthest back. But the ones he could reach added a fair amount to his basket, so that was fine.

When he went to stand back up so he could move on to the next patch though, he found he had a problem. Namely, that he couldn't stand up. He tried, but the sticky vines of the bush clung to his hair and clothes. And when he tried to grab one to pull it away, to his hand as well. Well... this was a predicament. And not one he seemed likely to be able to get out of on his own.

Great. Some 'Void hero' he made; having to be rescued from a bush on his very first mission. Still there was no help for it. "Hey, um, can I get a little help over here?", he said loudly enough that hopefully those nearby could hear him. "I'm... kinda stuck."

Picking up chicks- Blue

Bruno smiled at the two fidgeting dralite chicks. One clung to his back and soulders, while the other was held in his arms, and neither was especially good at holding still. It made for somewhat awkward going, but no moreso than when carrying his nieces and/or nephew in similar positions when they were little. "Come on," he said to them. "Lets get you two back to your mamís, huh?" Not a task he was particularly looking forward to, given what he'd heard about the adult dralites, but he couldn't very well leave the little ones to fend for themselves, so there was really no help for it.

It wasn't long though, before he spotted someone else who'd attracted the attention of the wayward dralite chicks, and who seemed to be having a somewhat more difficult time than himself. He wasn't sure if he should approach and try to assist or not though. After all, his hands weren't exactly empty, and he didn't want the chicks he was carrying to get too ansty. He opted to just watch for a moment to see if he was really needed. Either way, it wouldn't do any harm.

Wildcard

(OOC: Want Bruno somewhere else mission related? Go for it!)

"Okay sir!" He nodded, he could do that! Be a pair of eyes. Especially if the animals have been hurt. He wants to help them.

"So I just got to check that they aren't bleeding or anything?"

“Notify me straight away if you see any blood, but also keep an eye out for any signs of limping or dragging of limbs. Restlessness can mean an animal is in pain, as well as aggression. And on that note,” Rezo says, “Please be careful when you approach any of them. It wouldn’t do for you to be injured as well.”

That smirk just gets wider at that. "So that's a no."

He sets the debris down with Devero and takes the next few seconds to inspect it. He pauses, then shoves his shoulder against it, pushing it another inch. There. Perfect.

It's only when Devero comments that Wash realizes he's just been casually showing the guy up. Good job, Wash. Way to make friends. "I am, yeah." He shrugs. "The last weird dimension I got yanked into had magic and was responsible for a whole lot of bullshit." No big deal, right?

The skritches are good, and she leans fully against his ribs, purring loudly. He'd listened to her and gotten some food, and he's giving her skritches, so he deserves the full experience - which is to say, her purring hard enough to vibrate in his chest too. See? Good things happen when he listens to her.

She gives a soft mrah at the thanks. You're welcome, skinny teenager! Now finish your dinner.

Limping and dragging of limbs or restlessness or aggression. He nodded.

"I will. I'll be careful and won't make them angry!"

He hoped, he just wanted to help. He skipped off a short distance, to begin studying the animals. A couple shy from him but most are not too bothered, he's pretty small and despite his general energy he is pretty good at being calm.

She gives a soft mrrrp at the question. She can't exactly answer him in speech, and he's not giving her the 'tap twice for yes' option, so she's not too fussed about it. She's pretty sure he thinks she's a normal cat anyway, so he's probably not too fussed about it either.

To be fair to his previous not-cat, she's also something else taking the form of a cat, but she doesn't exactly have a way to explain that. She sees that frown, considers her options, and abruptly rolls over, exposing a very soft belly and flexing her paws in the air. Look, she's adorable! Forget about the other not-cat who's making you sad and pet her instead!

Taiki's idea had been simple enough. He could carry more chicks in kirin form, fly them to where they needed to be and his nature seemed to calm them a little, make them less likely to screech and scream at him.

What he did not take into consideration was how popular kirin rides would be. Because now he has... A lot of dralite, clinging to him. Indeed he is almost more dralite than kirin.

He can't fly like this, he can barely walk carefully through the forest, weighed down by the amount of chicks.

"Taking notes, Inigo? Look at you go. I'm proud of you."

See that, right there? That's your old man literally grinning upon seeing what he does, patting him once on the shoulder. The power of paper trail transcends all void worlds and missions, okay! Let this be a lesson to everyone-!

-Anyway. Moving on. He hums in thought, wondering if there would be a difference between the chinchillas at home versus the chinchillas of another Earth.

I don't have it in me to tell him they're usually pets, back home. Gah.

"Maybe a little like pork? Are you...collecting meat again, pup? How diligent, heh."

Normally Vegeta can be a light sleeper. It's mostly from needing to wake up at a moments notice in battle, however even he will give into exhaustion when pushed to a breaking point and sleep through stuff that would normally wake him up.

It's how a certain weight had gone ignored during his sleep, becoming aware to it as he blinked awake and needing a moment to register that something was there with him. Something that most certainly not his wife, or any one or thing else he recognizes. Well, he knew it was a cat, but not one he recognized at all. Certainly not one he's expecting to be resting on his chest.

Or bapping him on the nose. Vegeta pauses, before grumbling out, "Who the fuck are you?" He's not really expecting an answer. It's a cat after all.

[ Technically nothing of what Alice is seeing here is all that strange to her. It seems like the sort of thing someone might do in Wonderland, pulling something out of seemingly nowhere. Heck, her own Wonderland-born powers work a little bit like that as well.

But other people always seem so confused about it. Plenty of people on the train have commented about how strange it is for her to do that kind of thing.

And yet.. here she is. Staring across the people in the inn, spotting Ronan doing the exact thing that seems so crazy to other people.

It makes her slowly approach him through the crowd. ]

Just got those out of nowhere?

[ Alice doesn't sound shocked as she says it though - for the above listed reasons. Instead she sounds kind of nonchalant about it, her face pretty much the same permanent grumpface she was wearing the last time they spoke. ]

[ To say Alice is motivated in any way for this mission would be a big, fat lie. After the events of only a while ago, the failed attempts at going home, and Alice's own realisation that she will never be able to go back there herself - she just doesn't feel like doing this stuff anymore.

But in this case she knows she has to. Because she can tell from Emporio's face, from pretty much his everything, that this is hard for him. Just keeping the storms at bay just a little bit is taking so much out of him, and that's just about the only thing that can motivate Alice to actually go out there and help.

No one should have to suffer for that dumb train's sake. For that dumb train's dumb missions' sake. ]

Seems like one. [ Alice replies. Perhaps a bit more terse than usually. The dark circles around her eyes somehow look even darker than usually right now for some reason. ]

Let's not rush towards it. [ Because she isn't too sure if Emporio can take that on top of everything else that's going on with him right now. ] We will approach it carefully.

[ She pauses for a moment, seeming to think. ]

Can you hold off the storm and help with that thing at the same time? [ She imagines not. ] If not, I shall try to close it on my own.

"Well, yeah. But I figured a lot of these things got a size limit. Maybe I should ask the Ministry about other worlds that might got 'em for purchase. Though I ain't really bothered to try and get a sit down yet."

There are all kinds of resources he wants to ask about and stuff. But, also? Yondu just doesn't trust cops. He's certain that in a way they'll be expendable sacrifices. So reconciling that is a difficult notion.

Mostly he is playing along because he wants the best for his crew. This one deserves it.

"But if they cain't, I figure Bulma's can. Speakin' of which, you got a full mix of supplies? Not just potions but the industrial kind?" It's Senku, he figures he does, but it's worth checking.

There's some vague humor in that thought. The idea that this is the nicest place they've been in a while - even though there seem to be raging storms going on in the distance, and it's spawning dangerous monsters that now crawl the lands.

But, you know, aside from that.. This has apparently just become their standard for nice. At least they can kind of ignore the voidstorms since they're not the ones dealing with it.

And this landslide? Dealing with that sounds so much better than with the storm, even though it's still a lot of manual labor.

"I don't know about that," Inigo says, but he isn't thinking about the storms at all as he's saying it. The faint hint of an amused smile playing around his lips says as much as he turns back to Tidus, continuing: "I haven't seen a single bear yet."

It's a joke!

(Though he would love to get some more bear meat again.)

Honestly, the forest definitely seems like a pretty dangerous place. Maybe not as dangerous as certain other worlds they've visited, but it's definitely still the sort of place Madoka wouldn't want anyone to get stuck in all by themselves.

So she can't help but go around there, trying to spot if there are any of the people belonging to this place or any of the fellow Voidtreckers that need help - and that's when she comes across Nell, spotting the other as she seems to be stuck in some of those stickly plants.

"Miss Nell..!" Madoka already calls out from a distance before quickly running towards the other.

"Are you alright?"

Faux gives a little shrug, "Well, I haven't seen multicolored lightning myself." he hasn't actually seen any user-world lightning before now, "It does seem unusual, and void anomalies are typically unusual..." So yeah, they cannot rule out a voidtear. "I would say there is a reasonable enough correlation between the two for investigation."

He then gives a scratch to his chin in thought on how best to proceed.

"I could go down and do a preliminary assessment, if you want to search for a user to ask?" He promises not to do anything unreasonably dangerous.

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Swirling Consequences Start

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Re: Naptime

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4. Search Engine [also for Emet-Selch and Pahja]

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Mordin Solus | Red Team/Medic

Bruno OTA- Blue/Orange

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picking up chicks

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i

voidtear searching

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forest

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