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

She stilled, waited patiently for him to carry out his assessment, and readied to move once he was ready. Sometimes it was nice that he could not see the way her leylines flickered - could not tell so readily when she frowned; the memory of a time not so distant still drumming up some unpleasant emotions. Mostly with regards to those that had tried to return home.

"I did not attempt to leave." She said, not needing any help but deciding to reach for his hand anyway. After hoisting herself up she started to ease down the other side, fingers still gripping his to try and return the favor of assistance on the way down. "But the train could not exit voidspace, and it jostled quite a bit. I saw those that had attempted to return home flickering like shadows onto the platforms, vanishing and reappearing. When I and the remaining few aboard the train went to retrieve them it was unlike anything I had ever experienced."

Rezo smiles slightly when he feels her hand take his. He likes helping her navigate such obstacles, unnecessary as it might be. It helps him feel more assured of his own place in any given environment, less of an oblivious, clumsy oaf. And it makes it easier to accept her own assistance in return, although he doesn’t actually put any of his weight on her when he climbs down after her. Since she only comes up to around his shoulders, he’s a little afraid he might accidentally knock her over.

“That sounds unsettling,” he says as he joins her on the ground.

(He wonders if Zelgadis attempted to return home. Rezo hasn’t spoken with his great-grandson since Zelgadis confronted him that first day.)

“By all accounts, however, you and the others were successful in retrieving the lost passengers.”

"That is certainly one word for it." Lioriley let her hand linger in his for a few seconds longer, grip loosening only once they had begun moving forward again. Somewhere in the far distance she heard an animalistic screech - just loud enough to have her stilling for a moment to listen for any sign of an approach.

When none came, she continued: "We were, but it was exhausting work. When we made connections with those that had ventured into the void, we could hear their thoughts, feel their emotions, envision all the terrors they wished to combat and all the pleas for help from the world they truly could not return to." Her voice wavered, just a little. "I feel so terribly for those that wished to return, to have to suffer such devastation."

Rezo likewise tenses when he hears that distant screech, only relaxing when it becomes apparent that it isn’t going to come closer. Lioriley’s the one carrying the cotton, after all.

It does sound exhausting. And terrifying, to be on either end of such an intense psychic connection. Moreover it sounds as if simple homesickness isn’t the average voidtrecker’s primary motivation for returning to their own world. Which makes him curious…

“Why did you not wish to return to your own world?”

A pause. Silence from the Lunari save for the soft crunch of leaves under her feet.

"I did wish to." She finally said after those seconds of silence, "but I had only just arrived aboard the train. I felt that if I had been pulled here - arbitrarily or not - that I should do what I could to help it and those worlds it visited. Not only that, but I felt the trains sudden desire to simply send so many home was...too good to be true." She didn't like to be so pessimistic, and maybe as much was obvious by the tinge of pain in her voice, but she hadn't felt right then; hadn't thought it would be so easy given everything the other passengers had told her. "I did not enjoy being right."

He’s slightly concerned he may have transgressed here, but in the end she explains and Rezo listens to her pained words.

It occurs to him, then, just how much the tethers must mean for other people. He’s sort of known, intellectually, but the problem of Rezo’s own revival and what that means for his own connection to Shabranigdu has preoccupied his thoughts. Even now, he can’t help but consider the danger of the Dark Lord to be a more pressing concern than that of others finding their way home, but…

Well. He hopes if he can solve his own problem, that he’ll find answers for other people along the way. Right now, the only thing he has to offer is a simple condolence.

“I’m sorry,” he says gently.

They’re a good way into the woods now, he thinks, so perhaps soon they’ll be able to start their gathering. If he cannot fix her worries, then perhaps he can at least distract her for a while.

Rezo would feel another brush of her fingers against his palm, and of he didn't pull away from it, Lioriley would gently squeeze his hand. If not that - she would aim a little higher, softly touch his forearm and then let her hand drop again. A simple gesture of thanks for the apology he truly did not have to offer. She did not say anything else about it, about as willing to distract herself as he was.

"There looks to be a patch of fruit cups to our north east." She said, moving along in that direction. The sound of her bag being shifted off her shoulder heard while she pulled a few small burlap bags out, offering one to Rezo once their pace began to slow. "How many would you like to keep for yourself?"

His fingers twitch slightly at the contact, but he accepts the gentle squeeze with only a trace of bewilderment. When she withdraws, he wonders, should he say something…?

But no, at that moment Lioriley spots some of the flowers they’ve been looking for. Rezo takes the bag she hands him and tries to think about herb collecting. Such things are far simpler. He considers the problems of storage, transportation, examination, and what equipment there is available on the train, and comes up with a rough estimate of how much he can practically handle.

Relaying it to Lioriley, he adds, “By all accounts, however, we should focus on gathering as much as we can find.”

When they reach the spider plant patch, Rezo will pause at the edge of it, considering. He can smell the sap coating the vines, and the sweet, almost citrus-y hint of the fruit cups underlying it.

…This could get messy. But, he thinks if he proceeds slowly, he’ll be able to grab the flowers without getting too wrapped up in the sticky vines.

“Would you pass me one of the shears?”

"Of course." She had planned to take all she could, maybe find another patch further in while on the search for those tree stars. If he needed more beyond that, they could probably make room or even take another trip later on. They had the time.

Lioriley could not recall if she warned him of the web-like plants, but decided it best to err on the safe side and say it regardless: "The ones we need are surrounded by those dreadfully sticky spider plants. Do be careful." and with that she handed him the second pair of shears, carefully placing the handle against his palm. She got out her own a moment later and moved off to his left, crouching down to carefully start her own extraction.

She hadn’t, but fortunately he’d already heard about it back at the inn. Rezo nods and wordlessly takes the shears, preoccupied with the task of reaching through obstacles he can’t see but can sort of sense hovering around him.

Hands stretch slowly through the tangle of vines, fingertips brushing against a leaf, then shifting, and touching a petal. He feels out the stem of the flower, takes out the shears, and snips.

One down. Not too bad so far.

He gets another one without incident, but the third flower requires him to venture partly into the spider’s web. He takes a few steps, retrieves the flower, shifts to exit- and his leg brushes a vine.

“Ah-”

The slightly alarmed sound is involuntary. He’s not even sure yet if he’s actually stuck.

Trusting her companion to alert her if in need of assistance, Lioriley minded her own and focused on the delicate task of removing the flowers. A few clips here and there had a few already in her bag - the sticky webs brushing against the back of her hand more an annoyance than anything truly troublesome.

It was only when she heard him gasp that she slipped, hovering close enough to the ground that when she spun around to look up at him the long braid of her hair swung around and stuck right into one of the spider webbing. "Rezo? Are you all right--" the sound she made at the end of that thought could only be described as a squeak of surprise, her head cocked back slightly. A part of her didn't want to alarm him, on the chance that he might also be suddenly stuck.

“Lioriley?” The squeak concerns him.

“Yes, I’m fine. I believe I just ran into a vine.” So saying, Rezo starts carefully tugging his leg away from the clingy plant. It’s a little more difficult than he would like, and after a few attempts to free himself gently fail, he resorts to more forceful yanking.

“But are you alright? It sounds as if you also-!”

His leg goes free, far too suddenly, and he stumbles towards Lioriley, the shears dropping out of his hand. Fortunately, he regains his balance before he can pitch over too far. Unfortunately, part of what keeps him from crashing to the ground is the spider plant itself- his upper leg and ankle both hit the vines, and his hand grabs onto a vine somewhere behind Lioriley’s head.

There’s an embarrassed pause. Rezo exhales, resisting the urge to mutter something very un-priestly.

Pulling herself free from the sticky tangle of vines likely wouldn't have caused more than a mild discomfort. And upon seeing his leg caught, she had moved to try and assist - more than willing to sacrifice a few strands of her hair in favor of helping Rezo first.

"Stay still, I can--" too late. Her eyes widened and she instinctively jerked back, hands up to brace for an impact that never fully came, palm pressed to the priest's shoulder only a few inches away from her. In stumbling back so quickly, she had only tangled herself worse, the hand holding her shears now caught in one of the webs, her head cocked back as more of the plants grasped at the ivory strands. She grimaced, and was suddenly glad he could not see the flush of violet that heated her cheeks, nor the brightness of her leylines.

"Oh dear." That summed it up pretty well.

That summed it up very well, and is perhaps the nicest possible way of putting it.

“I am terribly sorry,” Rezo says sincerely. He tries to move back, afraid of putting weight on her, and moreover, conscious of the fact he has wound up abruptly in her personal space and the way her hand is pressed against his shoulder. Alas, he does not really succeed in getting anywhere. He’s stuck looming over the woman like a great big tree in a red sweater.

His left hand, at least, is still free. That could be helpful? Maybe? He’s not sure how free Lioriley is to move, except he’s pretty sure, based on their positions and the slight brush of hair against his stuck hand, that her head is glued to a vine now.

“Where are you stuck? Perhaps, if we’re careful, we might be able to untangle… Er. All this.”

He raises his hand to make a vague gesture but luckily realizes that could potentially end in disaster and just. Leaves it hovering.

She shook her head, winced, and then stilled. "It is all right." She assured him, voice low due to proximity and so he (hopefully) wouldn't hear the twinge of pain in her voice after accidentally pulling her own hair. The hand on his shoulder squeezed gently, as if to indicate that that appendage, at least, was free.

"My hair is quite tangled, along with the back of my head and my right hand. I am sure my back and legs are going to be covered soon if we are not careful. Perhaps you could...ease back? I am not very strong, but with enough force perhaps we could dislodge you." For the moment, the master alchemist and mender had apparently forgotten that magic existed.

They’re close enough he can feel the minute vibrations from her shaking her head, especially near his stuck hand. He winces in sympathy as he realizes how her hair must be being pulled.

Okay. So they both have their left hands free and their right hands stuck, and she has her legs free but her head stuck. Surely they can untangle this, somehow.

“...Alright, let’s try that.”

Rezo is slightly dubious since he did try taking a step back already, but maybe with her pushing at him it’ll help? It seems worth a try anyway, and it’s the first idea to come to mind, which is an important quality when he’s still a little rattled by the way he almost fell on top of her.

Shifting his weight, Rezo takes a jerky step back.

He has some success- his left ankle is still stuck, but his right leg comes partly loose. Unfortunately, his right hand is still firmly glued to the vine Lioriley’s head is also attached to, and when he tries moving back he pulls the vine forward with him.

If they could move Rezo back enough that he wasn't precariously hovering over her, it would probably be easier to think and not worry so much about being crushed down into a tangle of webs.

She pushed up as he moved back, fully aware of the pain that would come as soon as she did so, and choosing this time to just power through it. Lioriley shifted her own weight forward and put all of her minimal strength into the motion, ripping a handful of her own hair from the vines with the attempt - and just a few more when his trapped hand jerked behind her. She whimpered, clenched an eye shut. Okay. Maybe not...the best idea.

"...I do not suspect we have made much progress."

That whimper catches Rezo’s attention and he pauses. He presses his free hand to her back in a clumsy imitation of Lioriley’s own tendency to comfort through light touches.

“I’m-” No, he is not going to apologize again, gods damn it.

“I’m afraid you are likely correct,” Rezo settles on, and dryly adds: “You doubtless have a better view of the situation than I do.”

(Actually what she probably mostly has a good view of is his neck and shoulder.)

“Still, I don’t think we should give up just yet. Can you see a direction I can aim for without stepping into more of these vines?”

Clumsy imitation or not, the simple gesture was enough for Lioriley to focus on instead of the frantic and slightly disjointed thoughts of a woman mid-panic. Her body relaxed - just a touch - against his fingertips, the hand on his shoulder gripping a little less aggressively. Think. She had to to think.

"Less so than you think." She admitted, voice still barely above a whisper. The priest was big enough and close enough to block a good bit of her vision. Though she could see his untangled foot had a little more room to the right of it. She bit her lip, chewed on it nervously.

Then, a thought. One she would damn herself for not thinking of sooner. "Slightly to your right and back. But...I have an alternative idea. Do you -" well. This was about to be a loaded question. "Do you trust me?"

The way her grip loosens, ever so slightly, where her fingers are digging into his shoulder is a promising sign, although the quietness of her voice is concerning. The touch on her back turns into a light pat, while he tries to think of a way he can move without wrenching her hair further.

But she’s the one who speaks first and Rezo… Well. He can’t blink but his eyebrows do rise a fraction at the question.

“...That seems a very serious question considering the circumstances,” Rezo says. Taking a moment to consider it, however, he has been relying on her assistance already. “But I suppose… Yes?”

It sounds as if she's planning on something drastic however, and he'd feel much better if he knew what it was.

Good enough. Lioriley needed to know he would at least trust her a little bit to hear her out before posing her suggestion.

"I am an ice mage." She replied, as if reminding him of an earlier conversation where she mentioned as much. "I can freeze the webs and shatter them. Though the resulting breaks may sting a bit and it will, obviously, be quite cold at first. Would you be amenable to that?"

…Oh.

“Oh.”

Rezo ducks his head. It would be one thing if he’d just forgotten about her magic, but he is also a magic user- he has a reputation as a Great Sage for God’s sake- and could have tried something similar himself if he hadn’t been so focused on the idea that they needed to force their way free.

In a way, it is a very good reminder of the perils of rigid thinking and failing to look at your problems from a different angle etcetera but that does not mean he isn’t feeling rather chagrined about the whole thing.

“I am. Amenable, I mean. We probably should have thought of this earlier, in fact.”

Worry not, Great Sage. She was in the same boat. Her usual response to any and all problems was magic in some shape or form, and it was honestly embarrassing that it had taken longer than a minute for her to even suggest it. Had precarious angles and close proximity to the priest really rattled her so much she couldn't think straight? That alone brought another flush of color to her cheeks; and not for the first time she was glad for his inability to see how flustered she looked when she glanced up at him again.

"Do not remind me." She managed after a moment. Rezo would be able to hear the crackling of the sticky vines around her trapped hand as they froze over. He'd also be able to feel her carefully shift afterwards as the plants tendrils shattered, her hand free and her shears finally tossed off toward a safe patch of dirt nearby to be dealt with later. Doubtful they'd do much for the webs anyway.

"I will free your hand first. Be prepared to move it directly up about three inches and then back - you should be able to avoid getting stuck again." She said, reaching up to set her palm over the back of Rezo's captured hand; the sharp, cold touch of her ice spreading fast along the webs, breaking apart before he even thought to move back.

Rezo withdraws his hand from her back, trying to allow her more room to work. It isn’t long before he catches the crackling sound of ice forming, and the sharp scent of frozen sap. A few moments later, his own hand is plunged into a bitter, lancing frost.

Rezo’s jaw tightens, but he otherwise doesn’t complain, or even flinch. He’s handled far more painful things than a bit of ice. He lifts his hand, withdraws it; with his hand free it’s also easier to move back, so he will no longer be looming quite so severely over Lioriley.

He takes a moment to massage and reflex his hand, confirming that no real harm has been done.

“That was tidy work,” he remarks.

"Thank you. I hope that was not too unpleasant." She answered as she reached back, the process of freezing and destroying the webs repeated for those in her hair and along Rezo's legs once she was able to sit up and reach them.

"Back two steps and you will be clear of them." With that, they should have been free to move - but just to be sure, the Lunari took the time to clear the rest of the plants around them, careful not to shatter the fruit cups they had come for.

When all was said and done, she sighed and stood up, the shears Rezo had dropped in her hand. "Well. That certainly was an...adventure." she reached out, gently nudging the handle of the tool against his hand. "Your shears - if you wish them returned." Though if he wanted to take a break after that, she wouldn't blame him.

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ill have her get caught next tag lol

oh boy, impending doom.

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