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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ooc: I'll also match prose if you prefer!]

i. The Weary Wanderer

[After disembarking from the train, Ronan followed the group to the inn, looking over the maps of the area and figuring out which issues he wanted to tackle first. He wasn't very interested in gathering herbs or assisting with helping people directly (he was sure there were plenty of others who were better suited for those things), but the things that involved animals had his attention more than the rest.

After mapping out a plan of attack, he tucked himself into a corner of the room, out of the way, more or less out of sight, and dreamed. Nothing extraordinary seemed to happen, but after he straightened up again he had a pair of what seemed to be regular black earmuffs. Anyone was welcome to approach him as he looked them over, turning them this way and that in his hands.]

ii. Yelling Heights; forest

[The Dralites were something else, that was for sure. They weren't super strange compared to some of the other things he'd seen, so he didn't really bat an eye at their appearance. He approached one of the young ones with caution, talking in a low, calm voice, earmuffs looped around his neck but not yet over his ears.]

Easy there. I'm here to help you, got it? Don't bite my face o-

[Before he could finish his sentence, the baby Dralite leaped at him, scrambling up his back and clutching at his neck and shoulders. Though he hated himself for it immediately after, Ronan jumped. As soon as he realized the Dralite wasn't actually attacking him, he scowled.]

So that's how it's going to be, huh?

[Reaching up, he pulled his earmuffs on, a task that was harder now that the Dralite was clinging to him, but he succeeded in the end. The earmuffs blocked out all sound, so if you wanted his attention you'd best move where he could see you, first.]

iii. Yelling Heights; scrublands

[Ronan had grown up on a farm. He'd lived around animals his whole life. Herding animals wasn't the easiest task in the world but he knew what he was doing. He got the sheep clustered into a group first and then started the arduous task of guiding them back to the farm where they belonged.

Every now and then, one of them spooked or got the bright idea to try and make a break for it, which brought the whole operation to a halt, more or less, while Ronan looped around to gently herd the sheep back with its fellows. The task would have been easier on horseback or with a partner, but seeing as how he was currently on his own, he was doing his best.]

iv. Lower Lands; farmlands

[Ronan looked like a mess. And he smelled like animals. Goats, specifically. Probably because he was currently carrying three of them with another trotting along at his ankles. There was a goat in a sling on his back and he carried a baby goat in each hand, cradled against his chest.

He'd rescued all of them from different predicaments, either trapped in holes or stuck in mud or- you get the picture. Despite the mess and being covered in mud and dirt though, he looked almost at home.

One of the goats in his hands bleated, little tail wiggling.]

I know. I'm taking you back to your family; you'll see them soon.

[Taiki had had a similar idea, about it being easier on horseback. Or at least it being easier in kirin form and he was attempting some herding of his own. It wasn't the most successful but he is at least fast in kirin form and can fly, which puts him at an advantage over the sheep.

There's a small flock, coming down the hill now, about to clash into Ronan's group, pursued by a black horse-deer type creature, horn protruding from its head.]

[Well that wasn't something you saw every day. The creature herding the sheep looked like something Ronan would dream, though. But a lot of things fell into that category; he had a broad imagination and there was usually little to stop him--except in this place.

But that aside, they were about to have a problem. He tried to redirect his own herd of sheep before disaster of any type could strike, but- a couple of his sheep broke off from the group at the sight of the others.]

God fucking-

[He swore under his breath, jogging to try and cut the sheep off before they got too far.]

[Taiki notices the disaster about to ensue as well and flies into the air, using his speed to get to the front of his herd, to try and slow them down.]

Sorry! I didn't see you... [His mouth doesn't move but it's clear enough where the voice is coming from. He is large enough to be a physical block at least, if any of his sheep don't get the message to turn.]

[The flying was- well, he wouldn't admit to being impressed, but it was pretty cool all the same. On the other hand, he was actually glad that the...animal-thing's mouth didn't move when it spoke because that would've been extra weird. But was it weirder than a big cat with human hands? Probably not.]

It's fine. You look like you've been handling them pretty well.

[Sometimes, Ronan wished he could fly. Not just for herding sheep but because if he had wings he might never come back down.]

They've been well behaved. [For the most art. As well behaved as sheep could be.]

Yours look very calm as well.

[Ronan shrugged a shoulder. He didn't want to pat himself on the back, but-]

I've got some experience with herding animals.

[This was the longest trek he'd ever made while herding, though. Things were going surprisingly well, really. Probably more because the sheep were being well behaved than because Ronan was some kind of herding saint.]

My family's got a farm.

Ah. Then you must have had a lot of practice.

[Very useful for this mission.]

Which way were you heading?

[ 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. ]

Something like that.

[He should probably have been more worried about secrecy but after everything he'd been through it was getting harder and harder to care. It felt like half the world back home knew what he could do and was trying to hunt him down. Once upon a time, he would have never dreamt around other people. He wouldn't have trusted himself not to bring back something extra, but...things felt a little easier here. Maybe it was knowing he had Kavinsky on his side or maybe it was just this place in general.

He wasn't even bothered by her grumpface; he had the same thing going on most of the time, himself. Long silences and unflinching stares were two of his best weapons, paired often with words that cut like a knife. But he'd been pretty mild on the train so far. No one had really won his ire. Yet.

Popping the earmuffs on for a moment, he snapped his fingers next to his ears, nodded in satisfaction, and took the earmuffs off again.]

I figured if I'm going to be dealing with those Dralites I'd need a leg up.

Smart. [ At least Alice seems to approve.

If not just because she's fairly convinced that some people are going into the forest to try and deal with those things totally unprepared. She knows her fellow train passengers. She knows how often so many of them just get into completely unnecessary trouble. ]

It seems not many people on this train can do that though.

[ And - as if to demonstrate - Alice does the same thing. Not that she makes earmuffs appear, though. Instead her hand is empty one moment, and then the next moment there's an umbrella in it. ]

Most of the people get surprised when I do this. [ Hence why she was so interested in Ronan doing the same. It's different compared to what she usually deals with. ]

[He was maybe more than a little pleased with himself when she voiced her approval. He wasn't much of a planner, that had been Adam's thing, but sometimes he could think ahead, figure out what would be a wise way to tackle a problem.

He stared at her hand, at the umbrella. He didn't look particularly surprised but he felt it. Not many people could make things just appear like that. She wasn't a dreamer, she was...something else. He didn't know what; he only knew of dreamers, psychics, and demons. This was none of the above.]

How'd you do that?

[ It's kind of an unexpected question on Alice's end. Sure, plenty of other people asked her that exact question, but she thought that Ronan wouldn't feel the need to - especially since he seemed to be capable of doing pretty much the exact same thing.

She stares at him for a moment, and then makes the umbrella disappear again. If not just since it's so busy in here, and she doesn't want to accidentally poke someone's eye out with it. It'd be a pain to deal with the aftermath of that. ]

I just.. do it.

[ She doesn't even sound like she's saying that to be difficult - it's just the truth, in Alice's eyes. ]

Why, is that not just how you do it too?

[It was still weird to be talking about this kind of thing in the first place with someone he'd only known a little while and spoken to a few times. On the other hand though, what was the point of keeping it a secret when it felt like half the world back home knew about him and what he could do?

Still- he wasn't the only one here to worry about. Not that he necessarily thought people would turn against him here, but it was still a possibility.

He shrugged.]

There's a little more to it for me. I have to fall asleep, first.

[Sometimes he wished it was as easy as 'I just do it' but also- that would be horrifying. If he could just bring things into existence by wanting or thinking about them, without being asleep? Who knew what kinds of horrors he'd accidentally inflict on the world.]

oh sheesh, i'm so sorry to hear it! :( please don't worry about it!

irrationally - 2022-04-10 21:16 (UTC) - Expand

[ It's the screaming of bloody murder that brings Tidus to the area, poking around in the vicinity without much luck so far, until. It's a painful noise to be approaching, his mp3 earbuds getting popped into his ears the closer he gets, but not as effective as it'd be nice to be, or as effective as Ronan's own gear.

But he finds the pair, if with a wince and grimace. ... a pair he doesn't actually realise where the dralite is, until he finally notices it around the back of Ronan's neck. ]

Ronan--? [ Speaking of, that's a face Tidus hasn't seen for a while. Oh, wait, let him speak louder! ] HEY! YOU KNOW WHERE THEY NEED TO GO?

[He was blissfully unaware of everything until he caught sight of Tidus. Ronan could tell he was saying something, but he didn't really read lips so he had no idea. Pulling one side of the earmuff away from an ear, he said-]

What?

[The Dralite clinging to him peered over his shoulder, maybe suspicious, maybe curious--it was hard to tell. It didn't screech, at least, so that was a plus.]

[ This is awkward. But Tidus gesture in Ronan's direction - to the dralite, really, but they're both the same way. ]

You know where you're taking them? [ He tries again; not stepping closer, since the dralite being quiet? That's a good thing. And right now, there's no need to. ] I heard we're supposed to be helping them to nests, or something? I just got here, soo-

[ So. He's kind of winging this (badly) right now. ]

[Ronan shrugged, jerking a thumb at the hitchhiker on his back.]

The little guy is telling me where to go.

[Not literally, but when the dralite wasn't kicking up a fuss, Ronan figured he was going the right way. It helped that the nests were pretty big and easy to see, too.]

I figure it knows which nest it belongs in.

[So...he was kind of winging it, too.]

[ ...was it telling Ronan where to go? It's a brief thought, but regardless, Tidus will ask with a sheepish hint: ]

Okay, cool. You...mind if I follow you 'til you get there? Just to see how these guys act.

[ He puts his hands out. ]

Or I hear one cry close by.

[Having the Mitsubishi was great, but it wasn't exactly meant for these country roads, so having done quite a lot of farm animal rescue and herding and other such tasks, they were currently hiking the rest of the way back to the inn. Kavinsky wasn't exactly pro-active with this stuff, but he was willing to follow after Ronan and be urged into helping out the other boy. Ronan might have noticed that it bothered him less than he wanted him to think that it did.]

I should really get a prize for not making any jokes about rolls in the hay, farmboy.

[Which is just about the point that K's backpack bleats a few times. And she's smart enough that it only takes her a minute or two to figure out how to stick her little black head out around the flap. It's the runt they'd rescued that had apparently wandered out when a board in the pen had been knocked loose. Ronan had gotten K to hold her, and apparently that had spiraled into outright goatnapping.

He doesn't look the least bit guilty about it.]

[Ronan was just opening his mouth to say something about rolling in the hay with Kavinsky, but he was interrupted by the other dreamer's backpack bleating. Looking over, he leaned back a little to get a look at the little goat poking her head out.]

You'll steal anything that isn't tied down, won't you?

[He arched an eyebrow, reaching over to pet the goat's head, scritching gently. He wasn't immediately sure what to do about this situation. On the one hand, they probably shouldn't steal a goat from this world. But on the other, would anyone actually miss one tiny goat? The answer depended on if it was a pet or just a farm animal or- there were a lot of possibilities.]

When were you planning on telling me?

[K shrugs with a bit of a grin at the accusation that he'd steal anything that wasn't tied down. It's a little wicked, but mostly playful, and he uses the moment to brush fingertips against Ronan's cheek in a whisper of gentle affection.]

Guess so. Stolen you, haven't I?

[But his tone is fond, if anything. He's a thief and he knows it; he definitely doesn't seem to object to Ronan calling him on it. And somehow having Ronan's attention, his focus, his affection- it certainly feels like stealing something in that way he likes most. The goat in question definitely seems to approve of the way that Ronan scritches at her small head.]

And I was gonna tell you when we got to the inn. I was sorta hoping you'd help me make sure we had food for her.

[Or well, he thinks it's a girl, anyway. He hadn't done an in-depth examination, but her brothers had seemed to have little horn stubs.]

She was hiding in the Mitsubishi. And she seems lonely. I mean, look at her.

[How can you say no to that little goat face, Ronan? Not that Kavinsky was asking permission. But he also didn't want Ronan's disapproval, especially when given the close quarters on the train, it wasn't like he'd be able to hide a goat for very long. So maybe it was a little like asking.]

[He absolutely did not blush when Kavinsky touched his cheek and told him he'd stolen him. Except it was pretty visible, given how fair skinned Ronan was.]

That's different.

[Was it, though? Had Kavinsky stolen his heart? Or had Ronan given it willingly? What were they? Things felt...complicated but not at the same time. He'd chosen Kavinsky, but some part of him still yearned for Adam. That was the complicated part.

He heaved a sigh, like feeding a goat was a lot of trouble to go through. Or maybe it was the 'she was hiding in the Mitsubishi' part. It was still endearing though to know K had hauled animals around in that car.]

Yeah, I'll help you feed her.

[He was pretty sure that Ronan might punch him if he told him that he was pretty when he blushed. That didn't make it not true, though, and his dark eyes flick to the way color heats his skin. There's that kneejerk, where he almost wants to say something unkind, but it doesn't make its way to his mouth. He's getting better at it, slowly. Just letting it be, not pushing back and being pre-emptively defensive. He wouldn't say some cliche shit like that Ronan makes him a better person or something like that. But he does trail his fingertips over the flush on his cheek without a word.

He just- with Ronan not cutting into him with his own sharp edges, he was willing to let himself be affected, a little bit softer.

He didn't expect him to be over Adam all at once, either. Even if he would have like it. He knew it would take time, but he got to have this anyway. Something that stretched between them, like in his best dreams. That connection he'd been desperate for, that he knew there was the potential for. Hand on skin not just in his dreams. And now he got to steal the slightest whisper of a kiss, just his lips against the line of the other boy's jaw before he was taking a step back.

He might not have his plastic mansion in the suburbs, but he had Ronan. And he felt richer for it than he ever had in Henrietta.]

Thanks. My dad wasn't big on pets, so I've never done this before.

[He says it like it's nothing, but there's a buried tragedy there that bleeds from the words. But he's sure that he can take care of her, especially if he can gently cajole Ronan's farmboy expertise onto his side.]

[Ronan might definitely consider it, at the very least. But he couldn't imagine really punching Kavinsky right now. Especially not after all the work they'd done together today and how they'd been getting along on the train. Kavinsky was- he was important to Ronan. More important than he'd ever been before. Sometimes, it still felt cruel that he was falling for a dead boy, but what else was he supposed to do? Go about his business and deny what he was feeling? That would be a second chance wasted and he'd already fucked up once. He didn't want to repeat history.

He leaned into it a little when Kavinsky kissed him on the jaw, eyelashes fluttering for a moment. He never got tired of the simple things, the simple touches and easy contact, whether it was chaste or sexual or whatever. He'd lost so much. He couldn't lose this, too.]

A lot of people haven't taken care of goats.

[He could have asked what K's dad was like, what he was big on, but- he had a feeling he knew what kind of person the other dreamer's father was and he didn't want to dig up any bad memories or feelings.]

We mostly had cows, but I've had a few goats before, too.

[So he knew what they ate and things like that.]

It's not too complicated.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Swirling Consequences Start

Ronan Lynch | Orange | OTA

scrublands

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So sorry about the delay!

no worries!

i

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So sorry about the delay, had to travel out of state for a family emergency

oh sheesh, i'm so sorry to hear it! :( please don't worry about it!

ii; forest

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So sorry about the delay, had to travel out of state for a family emergency

it's ok! hope your family will be well

post-farmlands

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