catch-all open log!

[rebells]

Who: Anyone and everyone!
Where: On the beach, and various other places throughout the hub island
When: Day 80, and the next couple days after
Open/Closed: open log for hub shenanigans!

[This evening, someone has placed an old, rusted-over camp stove on the beach near the coven's row of huts--anyone examining it in detail will see that it's not operational at the moment, but that could potentially be changed, couldn't it? If someone was handy with mechanical things . . . .

Next to it is a crate (which, from the weight of it is empty) and pinned to that crate is a sheet of paper with a map on it, something like a much cruder, black-and-white version of this:



with the following key:

1 - crags. Contain snakes which may be poisonous. Watch out.
2 - ocean, going about one mile out from the coast.
3 - lagoon. Contains thick reeds (could be woven or shaped into tools) and frogs (edibility uncertain).
4 - abandoned campsite.
5 - orchard. Currently, trees are diseased and bare. Plant healer needed.
6 - abandoned house. A family used to live here, from the looks of it. Still contains some useful supplies.

And there should be a 7 north of base camp with the notation "graveyard. Graves unused." but the player forgot and is too lazy to go back and fix it right now. Observant individuals will note that the map looks like a more detailed version of one hanging on the door to a certain coven member's cabin, one that has a note on the bottom: "Have information? Ask for Jay."

Other than that, it's a quiet night on the hub island. We've been here for a couple days; maybe you're getting restless? Want to check out that ocean, or lagoon, or even those crags? Maybe just go door-to-door in the beach huts? Maybe you're sick of shrimp and looking for other things to eat . . . hopefully someone's got a fire going tonight, and thought to kill a boar . . . .

What are you doing tonight?]


((here or here for place descriptions))

Comments

[talim]

Don't be.

[ jude wishes he could comfort him. maybe he's even more selfish than he thought; maybe he's just trying to comfort himself.

jude relaxes his grip and looks up to see it. sure enough, it's definitely abandoned. he pulls back to give 9s a nod. ]

I see it. Once we stop, I should be able to sit down and use a healing arte. I should still be careful, but as long as I focus, it'll help significantly.

[deem]

It's a bit of a mess in there, but it should be free of snakes.

[The irony is that 9S is more troubled by the prospect of affecting others than with his own troubles. But then, he counts himself strangely, miraculously fortunate. Much of what he'd wanted to protect exists here, where he was once bereft.

It's impossible to lose sight of that, even months after waking to such a reality]

How much can you heal, anyway?

[He has wondered since that day they searched for wounded Palai, but this is the first time he's gotten around to asking. The things Jude can do are impossible for androids to imitate, at least in the treatment of organic life]

[talim]

I knew you wouldn't throw me into a snake den.

[ upturned lips. have a smile. ]

Hy healing artes are pretty effective. Leia's are strong, too, and Elize's are stronger, but... anyway, they help quite a bit with... hm.

[ jude puzzles over how to describe it. ]

Imagine having a wound being enveloped in a warm glow. Warmer, warmer... And then, suddenly, the pain is gone and you're ready to get back on your feet.

[deem]

[Maintenance is different from the process Jude describes, to be sure. 9S understands it from an internal, systemic end of course. There's patching up a body as one can too, replacing parts and so forth, but what Jude does is more akin to Devola and Popola's ability, he thinks.

But that's not really the part that stands out to him as they approach the building. Rather, it's something else that prompts a faintly pleased smile]

Warm, huh? That sounds very you.

[It's something he associates rather strongly with Jude at this point. Not just in a literal manner, though that's certainly true, but something about his very nature. He can't say what exactly makes that so, or what produces such a person, but it always stands out to him]

[talim]

Does it?

[ that prompts a light laugh out of him. ]

It's not like I'm the only one who can do it.

[deem]

Maybe not, but I still think it suits you.

[Once he reaches the door, he pauses. With his arms full, he can't exactly turn the doorknob]

Think you can give me a hand?

[He taps the door with the toe of his boot]

[talim]

Oh! Y-Yeah. Sorry.

[ sheepish, jude turns the doorknob himself, revealing an old room coated with dust. he's seen nicer places, but this will get the job done. ]

You can put me down anywhere. Preferably leaning against something?

[deem]

Let's see...

[9S nudges the door open further before they venture inside, surveying the building. He hadn't done more than give it a glance earlier, so he doesn't know the layout of the structure.

That just means inspecting rooms and ducking through doorways until he locates what looks like a bedroom. It's as dusty as the rest of the building, but there's furniture]

Wonder who used to be here, anyway.

[talim]

Good question.

[ were they just like them? did they just up and vanish one day, too? either way, no one has used this house for a long time. ]

The bed is good.

[ jude unwraps his hands from around 9s' neck. ]

[deem]

[9S marches over to the bed and halts there. He spends a good, long moment scrutinizing its condition. The dust accumulation's bound to mess up Jude's coat even more than his earlier fall had...]

That sure could use cleaning.

[So after debating how to approach this problem, he turns away from the bed only to sit down himself, Jude still in tow. They're greeted with a cloud of dust]

Ugh...serious cleaning.

[Better that he end up a dusty mess than Jude]

[talim]

9S?

[ jude coughs when a cloud of dust gathers up, but he tilts his head to look up at 9s with wide eyes. it's a little late for both of them, but 9s hates getting dirty. jude knows that. ]

You don't have to— you really can put me down. Don't get all dusty on my account.

[ again, it's... a little late. ]

I'll try to make sure this doesn't take long.

[deem]

I'm dusty already, right?

[And so 9S doesn't see a point in wasting the gesture. He'd rather Jude didn't have to get all this dust on him, especially since it's not really good for respiration either. That's something he's sure of]

Don't worry about it, I'll just wash up later.

[No big deal. He does hate being dirty, sure, but just another reason to take a bath]

[talim]

If you're sure...

[ well, might as well get to it. jude props his foot up with a wince, thighs sitting on 9s', and slowly starts to cast healer. a white light sparks to life and glows from his fingertips, aimed at his swollen ankle.

he lets out a sigh of relief as the pain gradually fades to a dull throb, and then, nothing. the healing having sapped his mana, though, he allows his head to gently collide with 9s' chest, just... resting against him for a moment. ]

Just... give me a minute?

[ he's a pretty useless blob when his magic is drained. ]

[deem]

Not like I've got somewhere else to be.

[If anything, 9S is just relieved that Jude is capable of repairing the damage. Although he knows the practical mechanics of human physiology, his expertise falls firmly within the realm of fixing up other androids. Were Jude unable to heal himself, and if he weren't a doctor, 9S would be far less confident of his ability to help.

Not that he wouldn't try, but he'd sooner not risk hurting him by mistake. Of course then there's all that talk of worlds and frequencies that Mikleo had once explained, so maybe he ought to pick Jude's brain about these things just in case, one of these days.

For now, he just settles a bit more comfortably where he sits]

...You know, this sure is roomier than those shacks at camp.

[And way easier on the eyes]

[talim]

[ jude nods, head lulling against him. his eyes, having fluttered closed, crack open and he gives the room a once over. ]

It sure is.

[ he hums. ]

What, thinking about settling down?

[ jude's only half-teasing. he'd already picked one of the shacks for himself, alvin and elle. a home would indeed be much nicer, though. ]

[deem]

Well, I couldn't really get much work done in one of those things.

[And so the thought is tempting, if the space isn't being used anyway. Resources shouldn't be wasted, and the building's condition suggests that no one has any intention of making use of it. So maybe it wouldn't be a problem if he did...

He'll have to investigate further and run that by 2B]

There're always projects, and if Alphonse is helping me with supplies, it'd get pretty crowded in one of those housing units.

[This place could be pretty handy, not to mention being positioned further into the island would be convenient for mapping more of their surroundings]

[talim]

You're always thinking ahead, aren't you?

[ a weak laugh, but he thinks he's coming back to reality. ]

I think I can try giving walking a try. I...

[ jude scratches at a cheek, going pink. ]

Thanks. For carrying me. I really appreciate it.

[ with that, jude gingerly sits up in 9s' lap and steps down off the bed. he wobbles a little bit, but quickly steadies, the swelling on his ankle having gone down with the effect of jude's healing. there's still a little bit of an ache, but nothing he can't handle.

he turns to flash 9s a thumbs up. ]

Yeah. I'm good.

[deem]

[He'd ask if Jude is sure, but he expects that the confirmation is enough. The unsteadiness is a little concerning, but he doesn't seem to be in pain. That's an improvement, and he wants to believe Jude would say something if he had any difficulties putting weight on that ankle]

That's not something to thank me for.

[Really, what else was he going to do, leave him there? It's not a big deal, and besides, they've gotten to check out some terrain and even this building in the process. All in all, not a bad foray, though he wishes Jude hadn't had to deal with even a minor injury]

You want to check this place out a bit more? There might be something people could use around here.

[talim]

Sure, we can check it out. Come on.

[ jude is strolling out the bedroom door before 9s can even offer a response. he seems rather eager to be walking again. not because he hated being carried and all, but because he didn't — because he had wanted to hold onto 9s and be close to him.

jude isn't going to think about that right now. instead, he's going to explore. ]

I think this is the kitchen. Or was the kitchen.

[ there's a thick layer of dust coating the table and chairs, but there's also a counter and a fridge. ]

[deem]

[9S is quick to follow, recording information on the building's size and structure as they go. Maybe with enough data, it'd be possible to create more like this, since this sort of housing seems pretty rare so far. There's the larger structure that Qri's underlings apparently reside in, but that space is limited.

When they've arrived in the kitchen, his survey is a slow, thoughtful one. He hasn't really seen something quite like it, and the appliances are new to his experience as well]

This really looks like Old World stuff.

[And that's a marvel, being so far from his own world, so far as he's aware]

[talim]

That's because it is.

[ jude pauses, an idea coming to him. ]

You know...

[ he spins around to face 9s. ]

I'm not sure they're entirely the same, but I think my world is pretty similar to this Old World of yours.

[ it sounds like a combination of rieze maxia and elympios, minus the spirits. ]

If... there's ever anything you're curious about, I can see if I can answer your questions. I can't promise, but I'd like to offer.

[deem]

[Jude is surely right: they wouldn't be exactly the same. Even so, if he recognizes this sort of technology, they probably do have enough commonalities. He's pretty sure Ann is from the Old World, based on what she has described, but he doesn't talk to her nearly as often as he does with Jude.

Although...]

You sure about that? I... [am a Scanner] could probably come up with a lot of questions, really.

[Although he suspects that as with many things, Jude wouldn't mind that, it only seems fair to give him the option to reassess that offer. He's curious by design, and there's no small number of unanswered questions he has about the world as it once was.

Even from a different, similar world, Jude may have a better grasp of some concepts than he does]

[talim]

You bet I'm sure.

[ jude's smile is brighter. brighter than it has been in a little while. yeah, he's definitely feeling better. ]

Let me do something useful for you. Besides, I like talking, too. Why wouldn't I want to talk to a good friend?

[deem]

[A good friend... Killing him here, Jude. Simple as that thought is, it's doubtless the first time he's actually heard those words. Give him a moment]

You do more than you think.

[Didn't he tell 2B something similar, not so very long ago? It's interesting, the things they have in common. People who are simply too kind]

But 2B's always maintained that I'm chatty, so...

[talim]

[ jude just brushes the first comment off. ]

Then we'll be chatty together. You'll be keeping me company?

[ maybe if he spins it in a way 9s is doing him a favor... ? ]