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

Once again, Trunks made a crater in the ground as he impacted. And felt it, thanks to the crack in his armor. Pretty sure he's got some damage to his ribs too, but he can worry about that later. Soon as he can, he's back on his feet--still glowing brightly with ki, lightening shot through the aura.

He's relieved though, when Cassie and Bulma show up. Hopefully this worked... He readied himself to grab his mom, just in case it didn't, staying alert to what Vegeta'd do now.

"Zelda," Her head dips in greeting, though as she's still over his head he might not notice. "And it was no trouble. We all have to look out for each other on these missions."

She gets to work on following him down to the forest floor.

"I don't suppose you have any defense with you? The monkeys don't see to be fatal, but they're certainly determined to be an impediment."

Good! The very irritable voice of reason and a couple of other fists have arrived. Yondu practially sprints over to join Bulma, nowhere near the blink of speed that it takes a Saiyan to move, of course but fast for a man that usually moves like a stealthy predator more than a force of nature.

This time he hollers out a "Bulma!" and gets to her side, at least ready to at least keep her safe from tantrum debris. His coat's still armored out, and if he can get in the way of something of reasonable size he can keep her from getting hurt.

So at least she has more than one pair of eyes looking out for her.

"He didn't do it on purpose!" he tells her, too. Which she already knows, but considering their previous conversations she deserved to have that confirmation.

It seems as if Pahja is an expert in irking her Ascian company, but if it bothers her she does not show any sign of it. Elidibus and Emet's insistence on their full titles does have her rolling her eyes and shooting a look at Tidus that conveys these guys, huh rather effectively. She does adore Eemet-Selch, even though that is decidedly not in her best interest nor the sign of someone in possession of sound judgement, and her last few interactions with Elidibus prior to her arrival have secured him a place of fondness in her mind. But she is well aware that they can, and are, a bit much.

To say nothing of their desire to commit planetary genocide fourteen times over. But that's over and done with! Probably.

"That can differentiate from us and those from the portals, Emet," She's quick to remind him. She knows she doesn't have much to offer in the way of applicable skills and is here mostly to do the Emet-Selch wrangling. Turning to Tidus she nods, happy to extrapolate where the other two have decided not to.

"What they are referring to is Emet's ability to identify distinct souls at a glance. There are none alive on our star who possess such keen sight as he." A little praise goes a long way, and she gives him a small smile. "So aye, it will be as easy as he says."

Leia nodded, her expression still thoughtful. "I didn't really expect so, but I needed to ask," she said. She debated briefly whether or not to elaborate, before deciding to explain the situation. "You see, we Voidtreckers have something of an ongoing mystery on our hands. None of us currently aboard the Voidtrecker Express is there by choice, or were even aware of the Void before we turned up on a platform, and the first group that that was true for was brought on board roughly a year and four months ago. And given what you've told me, I now have an idea of that it happened when it did."

"At some point that had to have been not long after that original visit, the then crew of the Voidtrecker was... lost under mysterious circumstances. Not even the train is sure what happened, and the few records of the crew we've been able to find are spotty at best. We've been trying to find any information we can that might shed some light on the subject."

"What deepens the mystery even further is that most of the rest of the Void-aware worlds seem to regard the Voidtrecker Express's very existence as more legend than fact. Even the Ministry, until recently. Not only does this complicate matters by leaving us unable to compare our records with theirs to try to gain new information, but it makes people who don't regard the Voidtrecker in such a way stand out. To date, you're one of two of these notable exceptions that we've come across." Leia had some vague ideas regarding this, but would need to look into the mission records back on the train before she mentioned any theories as to why this might be.

"I don't know what any of this means, and I don't mean to put you on the spot, especially when you've been kind enough to host us like this. But if you or anyone else here can recall anything that stood out from the Vooidtrecker's last visit or that you think might be useful, we'd greatly appreciate it."

Mordin's used to being around other species and... well, adjusting accordingly would imply he doesn't generally do things in his own Mordin sort of way, but he does at least pay attention to different physiological needs.

It's basic enough tactics to send someone in at close range while he brings the firepower.

"Persistent. No thoughts." Normally he'd expect that many shots to at least hamper the creature a bit, but this was playing by different rules. All he can do is continue firing on it. Sooner or later they need to damage something vital enough to stop it.

"It is for Ravagers too. It's a way of life. I know there's a good lotta people here willin' to go at this with fists first but thanks to them, people might not notice someone else... Except they keep sendin' us to worlds with people that ain't blue so they'll probably notice more'n we'd like."

Honestly it's kind of nice to have someone to complain about that, too. He's made use of other people's spells to go unnoticed before.

"If it comes to it, I'd like to look into it a li'l more. Besides wantin' to teach some of the kids here the basics so they got a way to get out of a bad situation an' don't just hide in the open."

He's been pretty dilligent about that one. If one of the younger people is willing to learn, they're getting some basic stealth training for their own survival at the very least. When they get back to the Wanderer he's already bee-lining towards where supplies are stowed. "We've also been dependin' on the Ministry for info an' aid but I wanna spread out our sources a bit. Sure the Ministry is the bigger one but there ain't no tellin' if they're the most reliable one." Resourceful is not reliable. And if he has more eyes looking for an assortment of allies out there, the more comfortable he'll be.

"I'm not a person, but most people can't tell that at a glance." Sure, she's a bit pale, but she goes to the trouble of looking like this for a reason. SHe doesn't want to unsettle anyone.

"I don't have to, but I like to. I really enjoy tea, especially the smell. DId you manage to get around the physics?" It's certainly possible, but she usually tries to be polite about things like walls.

"You talked to the land?" So not bug magic. But still cool!

"Does it talk back?"

"About a year. It feels like it should have been longer, sometimes." The sheer number of things that have happened in that year doesn't seem like they should all fit. "It's weird that I used to think anything was normal."

"Not as long as grownups keep getting in dumb fights about stuff and thinking they know better." She's had to do a lot of cleanup because of that and no one else bothers sometimes.

"Or trains don't know what they're really doing..."

"And that's what we're here for," Leia said. "Well, one of the things, at least." To provide a bit of commonsense and grounding for people who might lack it.

Meanwhile, she definitely appreciated the lack of teleporting, and followed along behind Death, spotting the same thing she apparently had. "They look fairly sturdy too, even if they might need a bit of repair." Thankfully, repairs were easily accomplished, either with Bending or by more mundane means.

She shakes the hand. "Captain Hera Syndulla, Rebel Alliance Starfighter Command." After a few months on the train she's even become comfortable actually admitting her full affiliation to strangers. The only Imperials on board... well one of them is entirely aware of her allegiance, at any rate.

"Not all of them." She told her with a puzzled frown. "As I said, I've seen a couple of them around. Kid who can shoot webs and talks a lot. Pretty sure he was here. Woman with a strange pink creature... Eva? Maybe? Get a lot of visitors and I'm good with names while they are here but afterwards..." She brushed a hand over her head, to show thoughts flying away.

"One of the other kids as well, small girl, don't think I ever got a name for her. There weren't many of them as I say. Tony was who I spoke to the most but I haven't seen him around. Is he one of those that have disappeared?" She sounds genuinely worried. She had liked him, liked them all and if they had vanished...

She tilted her head. "I have to say I did think it just an ancient legend until they arrived on my doorstep. Please tell me any way I can help though."

"Mission briefings tend to be more effective when people can ask for clarification." Not that anyone involved in any of this seems interested in actually doing things properly. "It would go smoother if we could communicate what resources we need. In a two way dialogue."

"That way."

Seto angles his arm to point at a nest deeply buried in some branches, another egg already there. The dralites are screeching, as usual, and the sound might be coming closer...

"We should probably hurry." The egg almost falls and he clutches it tighter with a huff.

"Would we really need an entire server room? With the compact sizes these days..."

But more power available would be good, he supposed. Not here and now, though.

"But the only tools available to me now are a shovel and axe. Which is great."

"Seto Kaiba. I'm a programmer and mechanic, not...this."

But the weapon is better than anything he has (aside from a lightning zap), so he nods, relieved. "I heard they're looking for potion makers at camp. That might be like cooking?"

That draws a little snort of laughter from him. "Capable...she's yours, of course she is. But she didn't need me to feed her at all, did she?"

He gives Athena the mildest of disapproving stares, but has not stopped petting her. She's too easy to forgive, he doesn't like that.

"With the right weapon or a linebacker, yes. With my muscles or lack thereof, no."

He's still trudging along, though, picking up smaller pieces that can be used in building shelter.

"Anyway, good to meetcha. Remind me not to annoy you...too much."

He won't, he's being good! Surprisingly so. He has to keep the shelters secure, so he's tying cracked frames back together and dropping blankets off.

"Gotcha. Keep away from the animals." They're good animals, just a little lost! And very messy. He doesn't want to spread that around.

He nodded and saluted her briefly. "I'm on it."

And he indeed was...on it. He wouldn't be working miracles while she was out, but he did manage to set up a few freshly laundered bedsheets with the beds, mostly patch the windows, and fix the little tables so supplies could be spread on them. Things were at slightly off angles here and there, but...

"Anyway...here you go. Detective, not a carpenter."

"Yes. Please hold tight." They speed up. He's still not going full speed, as he doesn't think Kaiba will be able to stay mounted if he does but they are still fast. Kirin are the fastest creatures in their own world, there's probably faster in the multiverse but Taiki doesn't think these monkeys are that.

He gets to the nest. "Can you reach?"

Are there?

[ Maybe this isn't the right time to talk about this.

Scratch that. This definitely isn't the right time to talk about this, considering they're in the middle of this storm. But maybe the storm is exactly what's stirring Alice's emotions only more and more, driving her to pour it all out at the worst moment possible. ]

I'm so tired of everything constantly being taken away from me by forces outside of my control. [ First the fire, then the asylum, then that awful doctor, then this train. It's like it never stops. Like she isn't even allowed to have anything without it being ripped out of her hands. ] Why make sure to be careful, just so I can live and have that constantly happen to me even more?

Too late, Tidus, this is already happening. Just enjoy the gentle fussing with hair that's going on here - and going on for a moment longer, even, because some of the soot apparently got pretty deep in there, so it takes a few moments for Inigo's nimble fingers to properly fish out of the locks.

"Of course," Inigo says, not even having to think about that for a moment. The same smile still plays around his lips. "After all, I don't have an entire group of guys with a ball slowing me down."

It's an obvious joke, punctuated by the small 'heh' he lets out after that statement.

Finally done with his hair cleaning duty here, Inigo finally pulls back his hands, making the grin on his face even more obvious as he steps back to pick his shovel back up.

"The duty of a blitzball star is so hard!"

I-I think they might be mad since you were rude to them..!

[ Granted, it's not like he didn't have a reason to do so. The monkeys were laughing at his accident, after all..

But on the other hand, it's still never a good idea to piss off the local wildlife. It's how you end up in situations like this. And since they're just a bunch of innocent monkeys, it's not like Madoka feels like she could just shoot them with her bow - it'd be too cruel. ]

Maybe they won't chase us if we get far away enough..! [ H-Hopefully? Madoka hasn't looked over her shoulder yet to see if those monkeys are actually chasing them, or if it's just the rocks being thrown at them from a distance.. ]

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Swirling Consequences Start

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Re: Sokay!

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Re: forest

COmics time is the worst

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Re: Mercy Mission

You're going to make me think about her rank, YOU MONSTER

Re: Sokay!

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cw continuing through here

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