EVENT #23: CROSSROADS - IC LOG

[abraxasmods]

Event #23 - Crossroads

OOC Event Log

For the past few weeks, you've been stranded in a foreign territory or have had others stranded with you. Officials have assured everyone that the situation is temporary. They've been working hard to secure negotiations that would return everyone home...if that's what you want, of course. For anybody who wishes to stay in their new territory, authorities have promised that this is entirely possible. No one will be forced to go back if they don't want to.

The letter that arrives in the second week of February will say as much. It'll also emphasize that you must go to the exchange and that every Summoned has to be accounted for, or else the exchange may fall through. Even if you don't plan on returning - or you were never sent somewhere else to begin with - you'll still have to come.

The meeting will be held on neutral ground near the Singularity's now expanded crater but at a safe enough distance away. On FEBRUARY 18, portals will open to take you there.

While we will detail the incident leading up to characters fleeing, the majority of the event will be focused on characters surviving in their respective scenarios.

Remember: once you've chosen a SCENARIO for your character, they'll be rescued by the minor territory assigned to that scenario and will stay in that territory for the duration of March.

At the Exchange

The air of late winter is crisp even in the barren landscape around the crater. The Singularity stands tall and silent to the natives, but the Summoned will feel an electricity in the air. It might be magic seeping out from the cracked ground or it might be the tension that weaves the three mightiest nations closer together. The last time all three met here was for the Peace Summit three years ago. Now they meet again on the brink of war.

The territories have assured you that they anticipate everything to go smoothly. As you arrive, there is an attempt to cultivate a friendly atmosphere: Thorne has brought warm fur cloaks for anyone accidentally in the Free Cities who may be without, the Free Cities steps forward to announce compensation for any Summoned who were employed and could not attend to their job or business under the circumstances, and Solvunn declares it will be hosting an evening feast once all the Summoned have been returned to their rightful places. You even see Thornean mages and Free Cities officials chatting diplomatically, if superficially.

But as the exchange gets underway, the atmosphere begins to shift...and suddenly, nothing is as it seems.

Chaos Erupts

As a Summoned, you feel an electricity in the air. It might be magic seeping out from the cracked ground or it might be the tension that weaves the three mightiest nations.

Stillness falls across the gathering as each side waits for the other to make the first offering. An introduction that necessitates negotiation.

It never comes.

A flash from the north blinds you. Thunder drowns out all sound. The sharp scent of practiced magic rises into the air. Gunfire cracks in response. As explosions erupt around you, the facsimile of diplomacy tears like wet paper. Shouts are barely audible as soldiers, guards, and village elders rush forward.

You find yourself pulled between forces. Are they trying to hurt you, save you, or something else? A Thornean guard pushes you to the side. You can't tell if you were deliberately shoved into the line of fire or if it was an accident in the chaos. Someone else grabs you: a hooded Elder bearing the symbols of the Old Gods and urging you to come with them to safety. They can protect you from these dangerous nations, the Elder insists. The Gods have spoken.

As mayhem bleeds into the ground, the crater begins to shift and grow, reaching out to feed. The earth trembles. The soldiers, guards, and Elders notice too late as the crater expands far quicker than anyone could expect. It shatters stone, uproots trees, and swallows whole the natives who cannot withstand its powerful energy. They disintegrate in front of your eyes. Others cry out warnings and begin to flee - but they can't outrun the Singularity.

You are different. If you are one of the older Summoned, you'll remember being able to enter the Singularity's crater. In the past, it's dragged you into the Horizon...but not this time. Instead, you feel lulled by the crater's encroaching borders. You wonder if your best chance at surviving is to step into the crater where no native of Abraxas can reach you. Some of you might run toward it as a result of this conclusion. But, you may also have your doubts. If you try to flee with the rest, you'll find that you, too, cannot outrun the Singularity. As its reach extends across the entire swathe of neutral territory, you are inevitably sucked into its embrace and flung into a whirlwind.

On the Run

As you are teleported through a whirling vortex, you glimpse flashes of your domain in the Horizon. Indeed, for a few moments, it appears as though the domain itself has emerged and is now in the real world with you. Then you blink, and the sight vanishes, leaving you discombobulated.

Once you've gathered your wits, you realize you're nowhere near the original exchange site. If you attempt to use your powers, the effects are unintended: your fire spell causes rain to fall instead, or perhaps you accidentally summon a broomstick instead of your sword. It might last for a couple of hours or it might last for longer. The more powerful the ability, the longer it seems to take for it to start working correctly.

Regardless, you'll need to find each other somehow. Luckily, the Network is still working, so you can communicate with one another at a distance.

Northern Mountains

Though spring is on its way, the mountains are a tundra. Temperatures are frosty, but not as icy as they would've been a month ago. Maybe you've brought some warm clothes with you or the others have a spare cloak they've packed. You might've even brought a snack or some warming potions. Anything will help as you gather your bearings and try to determine where to go next.

If you were unlucky enough to have been one of the victims of Josselyn Creed's cult, you may recognize these ridges. Of course, everything rather looks the same when it's snowy and full of trees, but it's certainly possible to discern that you've been in these mountains before.

Characters in this scenario will go to NOCWICH.

Threats

◎ Revenant

A hoarfrost revenant has lived on these peaks for centuries. He cannot be killed. You can only run or chase him away, but he'll soon return. Take care not to stay in one place too long. A rattling chain and blue-flamed lantern announce his coming. His touch brings instant death, made clear by the frozen carcasses of animals left in his path.

With your arrival, he is now prowling in search of you...but if you encountered him before on these mountains, you'll notice that something's different this time: he does not attack. Instead, he will stand and watch - and if you, too, watch him for too long, you'll begin to grow warm. You'll then subsequently be overcome with the urge to remove your stifling layers of clothing despite the plummeting temperatures. Best hope someone not under his sway snaps you out of it.

◎ Whiteout

In the morning, you might be eager to get moving again. Perhaps you've been assigned foraging duties or you need to search for more firewood. As you leave your makeshift shelter, you realize the wind is whipping. Soon, a thick blizzard swirls around you, blanketing your surroundings in white. In the distance, you hear eerie howls...and you're not sure where you are anymore.

Be careful you don't trip and fall. With some concentration, you should still be able to find your way back home with the limited visibility...or, you might get lucky and somebody will come to your aid.

Resources

Though the mountains are dangerous, they also have what you need - if you know where to look. Snow hares can be hunted for food and any rations you might've had on your person can be shared among each other. Thick evergreen branches can be used for roofing. Alternatively, you can hunker down in a cave instead.

Most significantly, you can trek to an abandoned cabin containing some prechopped firewood that you can take, as well as an iron pot hanging over the cold hearth. Don't linger in the cabin too long, however. The more you stay, the more it feels like something is watching you. In the shadows, you spot two red eyes flickering in and out. You can't tell what this strange creature is, nor will it stop you from retrieving the few things you need, but eventually, the cabin's door will slowly open on its own, sending a clear message: it's time to leave.

Living Forest

Contrary to its name, the Living Forest is filled with seemingly dead trees. Like the Duskwoods, not much light penetrates, casting your surroundings in a dark gloom. Unlike the Duskwoods, it contains no giant mushrooms. Instead, the ground itself is covered in a thick moss, making every step you take feel as though you're walking upon a layer of marshmallows. Hidden in the moss itself are small vipers waiting to strike, each bite containing a venom that numbs the affected limb for several hours. Hazards are made all the more difficult to see due to the lack of light. While not pitch-black, the forest is gloomy and shrouded in a dark haze.

Those who've been to the Feywilds might not recognize where they are at first, but as you travel, you might notice something familiar: bright green and blue pear-shaped cocoons. Dozens of them hang from branches above you and will soon give birth to the aggressive spindled pear moths. As you study them, they begin to twitch, as if close to hatching. Maybe you shouldn't stay in this area too long...

Characters in this scenario will go to THE FEYWILDS.

Threats

◎ Strange Travelers

As you explore the murky woods, some of the trees shift oddly. You realize they aren't trees at all. Instead, they are figures on stilts, wandering in an endless circle. They do not speak. They are utterly silent.

One of them is holding a human-like infant. The child is also silent. While they won't actively threaten you, they have defended their territory with blinking mines stuck to trees and laid along the ground. The smooth steel and oddly modern lights imply a technology that far exceeds what should exist in Abraxas. Further, the mines don't seem to be powered by any magic at all.

Walk too close to a mine and you'll set it off, releasing a gas that knocks you unconscious. When you wake up, you'll have been dumped someplace far from where you were and must reorient yourself - if you can. Your belongings are untouched and you have no injuries beyond a few bruises or scrapes. It seems these Travelers aren't seeking to harm anyone unnecessarily, but they clearly want to be left alone.

◎ Flytraps

Massive Venus flytrap plants are one of the few plants that appear to flourish in these forests. The plant is difficult to spot in the dim light. Its vines will lash your ankles and trip you, then drag you toward its gaping maw. Its mouth is lined with sharp teeth and a corrosive spit that will burn your skin, eventually dissolving you into a paste. They're most prone to attack if you're carrying something that smells tasty: rations, freshly hunted meat, or foraged mushrooms.

Fortunately, the plants aren't too difficult to kill. A burst of magic or a few slashes from a sharp blade will release you. Still, in a situation such as this, even a twisted ankle or an infected cut could make a difference in your survival. Try to avoid the plants where possible.

Resources

As you explore the Living Forest, you might stumble across an abandoned garden that hasn't been harvested and is in full bloom as if it's spring. A variety of vegetables such as carrots, onions, and cabbages can be found, as well as some herbs for wounds and potions. The area shimmers with Seelie Magic. When you examine the crops closer, you realize that some of the garden is beginning to wilt and rot as the magic fades before your very eyes. A sign of what lies in the Feywilds, it would seem that all things Fey have left this realm altogether, leaving behind only remnants of their diminishing spells.

You can freely harvest the garden. None of the crops appear to be dangerous and the garden looks truly abandoned. However, you'll need to work quickly. The magic won't last until sunrise, so take what you can - you won't have the opportunity to return. Of course, don't overburden yourself, either, or attract predators with what you're carrying.

Open Ocean

Your arrival in the ocean will be more of a shock than the others as you splash into the water. Curiously, though it's still winter, the water isn't as cold as you might expect. It's almost unnaturally warm. As you struggle to stay afloat, the current begins to push you toward something floating in the distance: a large raft covered in moss. It resembles a small land mass, floating in the open sea, with a small curve like a hill or a hump...or the shell of a turtle.

It's possible a few of your fellow Summoned have already found refuge atop the creature's back or you might be among the first. Regardless, you'll want to help search for the others...and the island itself appears to be searching with you. Summoned who have been around a while might remember the Sea Giants who have come to your aid more than once. This may be yet another friendly Sea Giant - not quite the turtle some of you previously met, but perhaps a relative or a friend.

While the creature will try its best to keep you afloat, stormy winds and tall waves will still violently rock the living raft and may sweep away those who aren't careful. Make sure you hang on tight to the vines growing along the surface.

Characters in this scenario will go to THE NETHER.

Threats

◎ Leviathan Attack

Though leviathans are a predictable threat in the ocean, it doesn't make them any less dangerous. Appearing in all shapes and sizes, the one that rises from the water in the dead of night is difficult to discern: you glimpse massive teeth and glowing yellow eyes that, from a distance, resembles the blinking signal of a lighthouse. The leviathan will attack the creature who serves as your raft, who will struggle to defend itself.

You can help in any manner you wish. Attacking the leviathan or casting wards will aid the friendly turtle. While the leviathan is not easy to deter, it can be driven away if faced with enough aggression and will eventually leave in search of easier prey. Don't lose anyone overboard. Any Summoned who falls into the water while the leviathan is attacking will be swallowed up. Avoid its thrashing tail spikes, too.

◎ Aggressive Seabirds

More of a nuisance than a threat, seabirds are a constant menace, squawking day and night and attempting to steal rations, clothes, and other supplies that might be left unattended on the raft. These birds are quick and massive, swooping in and disappearing in an instant. They won't attack without provocation, but anyone trying to take back their belongings will find themselves assaulted by beating wings and sharp talons.

You can chase them off with rocks, sharp objects, or small spells. Supplies can also be warded, but with many people's magic working oddly, the wards might not last as long as they should or may backfire if struck too often by the birds. It may be a good idea to touch up the wards or assign someone to guard your things the old-fashioned way.

Resources

After a rough night, you'll awaken to discover that your raft has brought you to a small island. It's unclear where this island is from or whether anyone has ever mapped it, but nonetheless, the island exists. More importantly, it contains crabs and mussels that can be dug up. You can also find, inexplicably, some coconuts. Possibly bespelled by a Thornean mage who washed ashore in the past, these coconut trees have continued to flourish for decades, if not centuries.

You won't be able to spend long on the island. As the tide rises, more and more of the island begins to disappear. Soon, the water will swallow it up altogether and you'll be forced to board the creature's back again with your findings. Don't get greedy. If you linger too long, your efforts might be washed away with the tide.

Rescue

As your resources dwindle and your situation grows more dire, a glimmer will shine in the distance. You peer at it, curious and, perhaps, a bit anxious. Is it another threat? Is it a rescue? Or is it something else altogether?

Please wait for the WRAP-UP before proceeding to write your character being rescued. Full details will be provided on the Wrap-Up that will help inform what your character will be doing in March, including which NPCs your character will be seeing and the exact manner in which your character will be rescued.

---

Comments

[sophos]

[ annabeth grimaces from the radio show of murder, because, well, obviously things need to be killed to be eaten, and she kills monsters all the time. but rita's another class of her own. or maybe it's just the timing of it all. ]

[ her gaze drops down to the bird corpse, then she glances back over at kyle with a semi pinched expression. ]

I'm still full. [ from what??? doesn't matter. ] And she gave it to you. I won't be cruel and steal her gift away. But... good to know we have options. I guess.

[sophos]

[ annabeth is calm enough to notice eddie is not, and it worries her. there are a lot of things that are sort of par for the demigod course, like giant turtles in the middle of the ocean, but this seems a little different from eddie's usual level of anxieties. ]

[ when the second bird swoops at him, she swings her arms in attempt to chase it off too. ]

[dryly: ] It might lure more of them in.

[ she glances around the turtle, briefly. ]

Try laying down flat. Make yourself less noticeable a target.

[ushiri]

[ The Fonz isn't part of his haphazard mental rolodex of Nayeshi pop culture references. He purses his lips, looking a bit embarrassed when Jack says I love you, too now, and shakes his head. ]

It's not just you. I think I'm not a very good friend.

[ In general, having little practice at it. Maybe he was kidding himself up until now, when it turns out it mattered. He shakes his head again, staring out at the water. ]

I was going to tell you before I was even ready to go. [ Long before, with his original timeline for all of this. He just didn't expect to suddenly find himself transported to exactly the place he wanted to be, and like Lucifer accused him - it feels like his fault. He grimaces. ]

I think - something about what you said made it feel like... a dismissal. You weren't judging me, but it sounded like you didn't want to hear anything else. And I get that's not what you meant, but - I feel guilty. And sometimes I hear things how I'm used to hearing them, where I'm from.

[ Where there is no one who cares about him - and the only person who did sent him away. Where no one cares to hear how he feels about anything. Where he cannot live openly with a male lover, and has been made all his life to feel guilt about that part of himself. That voice he always thinks he's banished still comes around to say: you don't deserve to be happy. None of this is really on Jack, it just landed on him. ]

Eddie Munson | The Ocean

[satanicpanics]

{ Starters to hopefully follow
muttonchops | poultrylegs @ discord }

network inbox; OTA

[satanicpanics]

[ For all your crazy network ordeals if you're bored... ]

[techmaturgy]

[Yeah, who is Chekov?

Not that Viktor particularly cares, because he is now processing the fact that they're not going to drown. Still, he clings to Kyle, because he won't feel better until they are fully on the back of the turtle. If they're going to move, Kyle will have to drag him along.]

Do you see land? Anywhere?

[Or are they seriously in the middle of the ocean?]

[earthborn]

I'd prefer you float, personally.

[Time passes. The island— the turtle rows its flippers without a care for time or weather. The storm eventually soaks them all, a stinging beat-down of icy rain that has them all soaked, and then laid out to dry in the salt-rime sun, afterwards. She tries her heat-drying trick again, and is more surprised than she should be to find herself nearly fainting with the effort, her reserves spent.

By the next day Shepard is baked to burning, under the sun and ready to drink seawater, just to feel something. She can barely stand, by the time the island comes into view: even for an N7, this level of over-extension and deprivation was pushing the limits. But those are coconut trees, and that means coconut water, and food.]

general ocean funtimes; OTA

[satanicpanics]

chicken on a raft;

[ The raft might have been the worst place Eddie could have ended up. He’s not a great swimmer, and he’s not sure he can handle being stuck with a confined space Rita the raccoon who he, quite frankly, is still convinced has it out for him. Staring out into the horizon and seeing nothing but water in every direction is unsettling, and it’s impossible to rest with the wind and waves threatening to knock any unwitting Summoned into the sea.

But the seabirds are the worst of all, and oddly seem to freak Eddie out significantly more than the open ocean or the leviathans (or Rita) do. It’s something about the beating of their wings and the way they circle the turtle-raft just leaves him wide-eyed, harrowed and fearful rather than merely annoyed. But he’s not loud about it, he just clenches his teeth, closes his eyes, and grips his vine until his knuckles turn white. ]

Shit—

[ He huffs out a frazzled, anxious chuckle and cringes away as one of the birds dives a little too close, nearly taking a tumble off of the raft himself. ]

Jesus Christ—can someone please just…do something about those?

island;

[ Eddie is decidedly not an ocean person, nor a beach person. Lakes are fine…swimming pools…puddles...but this island is shrinking so quickly, he doesn’t have the time to dwell on what bothers him about it. All he knows is that he doesn’t like sand; it’s coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere.

He helps where he can, which generally entails collecting coconuts and poking in the and for mussels. If you watch him carefully, though, you just may find him trying to slip a small crab into his pocket. Just a little one…Not big enough for anyone’s meal… ]

[thearchangel]

[He tries to tell her to hold back. To tell her it's not necessary. They can make it through the storm, dry out naturally. But, it's Shepard, and no one can ever tell her what to do.]

[So he's one of the first off the turtle, onto the island. One of the first to take direction on what is and isn't edible here. Coconuts for liquid. Roasted shellfish for food. Gathering what he can carry into one of the cloaks he'd been wearing.]

Here. They said you can drink this - [Take the coconut, Shepard. Two people can be stubborn.]

[stations]

Just a guy with a really persistent gun.

( He explains with a sigh and a dismissive wave of his hand. Once Rita's done expelling all that salt water, he hoists her up into carrying-mode. She wastes no time in burying herself down into his soaking wet hoodie, spinning around, and popping her face back out under his chin. There, she shivers with disdain, wet and cold and annoyed, hissing her displeasure.

He'll leave the land-spotting to Kyle, who has way better eyesight than him. There's a slight chance Jack's just slightly nearsighted from all those late nights spent reading in the dark. )

[techmaturgy]

[He wishes desperately that it was over--that they've surmounted the most difficult obstacle and they're safe now--but there's still chaos around them and nowhere to go. Viktor can't see what's happening, or what might have started all this, but these are the scenarios Kyle has prepared for, and now that he's not actively bleeding out, Viktor has to trust that he can get them both to safety.]

Where--?

[It seems there's no real option but to head towards the crater, and he moves almost automatically, letting Kyle pull him along.]

[ushiri]

I would like a persistent gun.

[ Deadpan.

He hasn't experienced Viktor being stuck to him like a barnacle, under ordinary circumstances he might find it funny and tease him. Now, he just wraps his arms around him from behind scans the water from over his head - more Summoned are climbing onto the turtle's back, he would help but they seem fine - and he's stuck like this anyway. ]

I only see water - [ he glances at Jack ] - don't your turtle friends live in the north? [ Between Nocwich and the cursed island. That's currently the best guess he has. Why the Singularity would send them here... he doesn't know. He frowns again, his thoughts circling back to everything that just happened at the crater, the unknown cause of the chaos. He thinks to bring that up, then tables it for now.

Instead, he opens and closes one hand, summoning some goodberries - in strange colors. Not wanting to accidentally poison anyone, he bites into a purple one (licorice) and makes a face. A familiar, comforting warmth spreads from his stomach, although it does little for his hunger. He offers it to Viktor. The neon green and blue ones he offers to Jack and Rita. ]

timeskip

[ushiri]

[ Kyle moves with no intention of letting either of them stop, guiding Viktor with one arm around his shoulder in case they do need to drop to the dirt again. He thinks to just lift Viktor up, but the added weight forces him to quickly nix that plan. The crater itself seems to be surging toward them, the dangers of entering it lesser than what it happening around them - the screams of native Abraxans cut off as their bodies disintegrate, the land itself breaking beneath the weight of the storm of energy erupting around them.

He pulls Viktor close to his chest once they breach the crater's line, trying to shield him from the debris as the land itself seems to shift and vanish - for a brief, strange moment he catches sight of his domain, the towering figures reaching out from either side of the temple - and then they're gone.



On the turtle's back night has arrived with no sign of land yet. He can't sleep - he might try to do so in short shifts, but they've already sighted one leviathan and have to be prepared for another attack at some point. The weather also proves unpredictable.

This isn't the worst place he's had to rest, at least. The moss softens the turtle's shell, the vines can be rearranged. He knows it's much less comfortable for Viktor, and when they lie down he positions them so his back is braced against the wind's current direction, trying to shield him from the worst of the cold - which should be worse this time of year, but thankfully isn't. Maybe their turtle friend knows some magic - or maybe they're far off from where he initially guessed they might have landed. ]

Does this count as our boat trip? [ he teases, bringing Viktor's flesh hand close to his lips to warm it with his breath. ]

[stations]

( He's quiet as Kyle talks, uninterrupting, contemplative. Istredd had been right, it seems, during their brief talk right after their rocky conversation. To be completely honest, hearing this makes him feel better than almost anything else they've said to each other leading up to it. This feels like it's touching on the root of the issue, not just the... weird, nebulous stuff around it, poking at it but not acknowledging it. It's good. It frees up something in his chest a little, something — unlocks. )

It's okay. I'm not really a good friend either. Before Jerry, before you, the only one I ever had my whole life was Sabine. That's it. And if Jerry had been anyone else, or a little less — Jerry-ish, I don't think he would've stuck around either. I'm- judgmental, and self-righteous, and closed-off, and hard to read. I shut people down, because it's easier than opening myself up and being honest, and it makes people- sometimes it makes people have a hard time believing that I'm being sincere.

( Hell, Jerry and Rosa thought he didn't even like them, well into the third book point on the timeline that they should've been long past that. But he's told Kyle this, he doesn't need to repeat it. )

The point is, I don't know how to do this any more than you do. Not really. But it's alright, because we can just be shitty friends together.

[techmaturgy]

I would prefer we didn't have to fight anything.

[With a gun or a knife or otherwise. Now that the panic of almost drowning is subsiding, Viktor can make room for the dread of being stranded on the back of a turtle, with no land in sight. It's clear they've been transported

He wonders if they can eat the sea moss on the turtle's back, if it comes to that, then settles for Kyle's berry. As the only certified licorice-liker among the Summoned, he does not object to the flavor.]

Now what?

[ushiri]

[ Kyle has had a difficult time allowing himself to rest while on the back of a massive turtle in the middle of the ocean, but he finally manages a moment to slip into Horizon. Claude's domain is long familiar to him, as he expects the same the other way around, and it's easy enough to find his friend amongst his plants.

He smiles back, briefly clasping Claude by the opposite arm and offering a light huff in response. ]

I don't know, but I can say I'm ready to see dry land again. [ Traveling by turtle has its drawbacks, mostly in that they're exposed to all the elements - as well as attack from other creatures.

He raises an eyebrow in return. ]

How goes it for you?

[ Trekking through the woods. Sometimes it feels like they are fated to end up in different lands. ]

cw: injury

[ushiri]

"I think we've all been affected."

A disruption of their abilities. Kyle falls in next to Istredd when he spots him, leaving his other two companions for a minute. He eyes the gunshot wound and slips behind his friend to check for its exit on the other side with a slight wince.

"I can sew this," he offers. Istredd's flesh, not his ruined shirt. From his own pack he begins to dig out some needle and thread.

[aquaveiled]

[ Himeka settles back onto her haunches--a very unlady-like posture--as she tries to recall. The air had been explosive, hot, both with aether and the smoke that emanated from the attack. ]

It didn't feel...unique. I don't think? At least not in any way that makes me go like "Oh yes, that was obviously Y'shtola that cast that spell!"

[ She offers a somewhat apologetic smile to Alucard. ]

But I suppose both instances felt pointed. Not grainy, you know?

[ A well-pounded mochi. ]

The attack in Nocwich was definitely planned, but this...if this was? Then peace was never an option, was it?

[techmaturgy]

[Viktor, too, has trouble sleeping, though he does at least try. The way the turtle moves in the water has him drifting off for a few moments here and there, but ultimately it's cold and uncomfortable, and he huddles up against Kyle in order to mitigate that.]

No. Not enough tiny desserts.

[Thinking fondly of happier times together, on boats, might warm him. Or maybe it's just his imagination.

He shifts, turning so that he's facing Kyle, ostensibly to see if that position is any warmer, but finding his hand tracing over spot on his chest where there used to be a wound. How close they came, to not making it out of this alive.]

How are you feeling?

[earthborn]

[She'd insisted that she was fine, dammit, and he knew that she was. Probably. But the swaying of the shell under their back, and the crackling, peeling annoyance of her skin, and... maybe she was just tired, shut up.

Maybe.

But she accepts the coconut with what little grace she has, which isn't much. He's peeled it with his talons, cracked it open on who-knows-what and for a minute or two the absurdity doesn't even occcur to her. The water inside is just... so sweet. A whole damn bowlful, and she could have drunk twenty.]

...Thanks. [She's not done being stubborn, though.] What about you?

[open] the mountains

[sunnygoose]

[There's plenty of things in the world Lucy could safely say she was not prepared for, whether she excelled in all of her classes during childhood or not. Of course she knows what snow is. She knows, by definition, what a tundra is, even if they were not natively located in her country.

Or, well, um. Anywhere. Anywhere in the world, probably, though the news about any country beyond America is limited to history lessons and whatever snippets of impending war news she got from the Pip-Boy's radio.

Falling (quite literally!) into this? She's not prepared. At first, Lucy is so frozen (hah) by the realization of where she is, what she's standing in, that she can't even think. It's a fear she'd thought she'd be prepared for, after, you know, leaving the Vault, venturing into the Wastelands, coming here to, apparently, an entirely separate world from her own.

But snow in every direction, jagged mountains, too-tall trees? Even Solvunn's trees didn't feel so oppressive. It's only pure luck that she happened to have a warming potion on her, specifically because she'd spent all her time in Cadens trying not to sweat to death. She doesn't have supply beyond a small bag she carries around her with batteries in it -- one of those magic abilities she's been told about, but which isn't exactly helpful for, um, most situations.]

Hello? [She curls her hands around her mouth, calling out, voice cracking a little.] Is anyone out there? Please, answer me!

[cointosser]

[Absolutely no shame in the moment, especially when Jaskier was unsure, at first, if this forest was even real. It didn't feel like his, of course, but the Horizon has been less trustworthy than he'd like, and ever since he was a god, things sort of melded together --]

Why are you saying it like that?

[Jaskier's first instinct is to talk in most circumstances, unfortunately. But he does catch hold of his current thoughts and steps back -- mostly a hop backwards -- as a vine begins reaching for the place his boot had been nary a second ago.]

Oh, no. [He stumbles back and runs into Alucard's side, plucking up Mog off the ground, who gives a startled noise.] Ooooh, no. I'm getting a bad feeling. A terrible one, actually, like we've walked into the proverbial hornets' nest.

[He should've known this fucking forest was evil. Look at it!]

[thearchangel]

Take it slow. There's more, promise.

[He absolutely did rip it open with a rock and his talons. He'd kill for a decent clip and file right now, but this'll have to do. And he sits there, watching, well, like a hawk, until she finishes.]

I don't dehydrate fast as you. [Another coconut.] Besides... I also wasn't using magic biotics this whole trip.

[Please, is unsaid. Just take care of yourself.]

[princeofruin]

[More than a single word is much more preferable. Dion releases a breath -- a newly recovered breath, considering his short fall into the water. His lungs are still burning.]

I am now. [Not only now, but knowing Claude is safe -- he can breathe a little deeper.] Though I confess I was not earlier. I was dumped into what I suspect is the ocean north of the Singularity, and I... let me say that dragons are not particularly fond of the ocean.

[Suppose he once was, as a god, when he would slumber underneath it for years. Perhaps that was the joke at the heart of it all.] Cid is here as well. And I would not be without him. [The words are a great deal softer than any Dion had for Cid before.] Where have you gone?

[cryptsleeper]

Your feeling is doubtlessly correct.

[Alucard trusts Jaskier's assessment of the situation implicitly. They're not in a good space physically, and Alucard knows he's underarmed. He reaches for the sad little dagger he acquired in Thorne to defend himself in case of an emergency, but it isn't a sword. It isn't what they need right now. They need distance between them and whatever plant based nonsense is about to happen.

He moves so that his back is pressed to Jaskier's, refusing to allow for any surprises.]

How's your magic?