mapping party redux

[rebells]

Who: mapping party! (late signups for mapping party can go here)
Where: the near western side of the island
When: Day 85
Open/Closed: semi-open! feel free to mingle/run into mapping party at any of the locations. if you would like to be in mapping party, signups are above!

[So maybe you were invited along on this expedition by Jay or a friend. Maybe you heard a telepathic message a couple days ago looking for people with scouting and mapping skills and answered the call. Maybe you just happened to be in the area. Whatever the reason, there's a small group of people and dragons assembling on the beach near the huts, and Jay appears to be in the center of it, checking that everyone he's expecting is accounted for.

They'll be going by air to map the near western coastline and circling back around to camp, touching down every so often to look for landmarks and other potentially useful areas on the way. You're welcome to come along, if you can bargain yourself space on dragonback.]

Comments

FURTHER OUT - FERTILE AREAS

[rebells]

[The terrain, as they go further out, becomes very grassy and hilly, with a thin, sandy beach along the coast. There are many trees, some thin Scandinavian birches, others thicker and barked.

This area has extremely fertile soil and a variety of foliage and flowers--some very odd indeed--ponds have large flowers floating on them and trees are covered in blooming flowers. Some even contain types of fruit and nuts, though whether or not these are entirely edible isn't known.]


((You can contact the mods for fruit/nut effects, or just make them up!))

[rebells]

[Someone is up in a tree tossing down sweet-smelling nuts in thick, wrinkly shells with a stripy pattern--better to find a taste-tester closer to camp, but in his mind there's no point in not taking some of a potential food source back to see whether it's edible or not. He's not watching where he tosses them especially carefully, so you might get hit if you're not watching out.]

[spaceforged]

[Jay isn't watching but Shiro is. Just in case they're messing with poisonous nuts or so, he changed to lion form. He's below, metal jaws open and catching the falling nuts.]

Just toss them down this way. See anything else up there?

[rebells]

[He glances down, finally, and smiles--the robotic lion catching nuts in his mouth is quite a sight.]

I think there are some fruits in the tree over there. [He points deeper into the forested area.] But I'd have to take a closer look to be sure.

[spaceforged]

[He rears up, putting his front feet on the tree to get a better look to the side. It only lasts a few minute before he returns to sitting below.]

I think I saw them. Do we have a container to put these nuts in? I don't want to just leave them on the grass.

[rebells]

I dropped a bag in the grass. Here, I'll get it.

[And hanging from one of the lower branches of the tree, he drops down to the floor and retrieves a tote bag from the grass, holding it out to Shiro so he can put the nuts inside. The tote bag has a palm tree pattern on it.]

[spaceforged]

The more I see this place the more I wonder just how people lived here.

[He closes his jaws, trapping the nuts inside and joins Jay. He drops them carefully inside.]

Have we found any writings at all?

[rebells]

There are books in the library, but I can't read the script.

[His eyes widen suddenly as he remembers something.]

Although--I may know who can.

[spaceforged]

...Who is it? [He turns back to the tree and raises up to put his paws on the trunk.]

Do we have enough nuts or did you want to get more?

[rebells]

We have a couple individuals who can read text in any language. Jude and Kosuzu.

I think this is enough for now. We can always come back to get more later.

[spaceforged]

Then let's go get a better look at the fruit you spotted. Did you see anything else up there?

[He still hasn't figured out the trick to flying but he sometimes gets a little more air in his jumps. Shiro drops down and studies the trees around them.]

Just how big is the library?

[rebells]

Lots of flowers, mostly. The wildlife here is stranger than on the Legacy. [He strides towards the tree he pointed out earlier, which appears to have small turquoise fruits high in its branches.] The library--it's a fairly large room, but it's more of a large personal library than anything else, was the impression I got. It's in the mansion, if you want to take a look at it later.

[spaceforged]

I will.

[There might be something he would recognize or be able to translate. It's something to think about as he studies the trees to memorize them.]

I've never seen flowers that behave like this. But, there hasn't been a lot of familiar wildlife on the planets I've been to.

[rebells]

Planets? You've traveled between worlds before?

[spaceforged]

Yes. Part of my job is flying about in space and helping whoever needs it.

[It's a universe at war but, he isn't about to share that just yet.]

You could call us...space cops. Sort of.

[rebells]

So how does this experience compare?

[With a small smile. They've reached the fruit tree by now--he hoists himself up onto one of the lower branches and begins to climb.]

[spaceforged]

[Shiro settles right below him. Should Jay fall he could try to catch him or surge up to be a platform to land on.]

It's a little confusing. There are a lot of unknowns. Reminds me a lot of when I was just a pilot for scientific expeditions.

[Back then everything was simple and his view of the universe was so much smaller. The Galra changed that.]

[rebells]

[He's not going to fall! He pulls himself up into the tree's higher branches and plucks a bright turquoise fruit from one of them. He's also high enough now that he switches to telepathy himself.]

I dislike unknown unknowns. I enjoy solving mysteries, but we don't even have enough information to make this a proper mystery.

Although Genette has said she's willing to convey any questions we may have to Qri.

[spaceforged]

...it's a start. Until we can find a way to talk to her ourselves. But you're right this a mystery with far too little information.

[He doesn't like it. At least the lions themselves, Allura, and Coran were able to fill his team in when they got their start. This is like flying blind.]

I guess for now we have time to get used to each other and our abilities. Until the next set of new recruits come along.

[rebells]

That's the one good thing about being stuck in this place for the time being: it's relatively peaceful. We can regroup after that business with the Uvi.

Speaking of which--

[Does he sound amused? He tosses the little fruit in Shiro's direction.]

Catch.

[spaceforged]

[Shiro's eyes light up and he stumbles side ways to catch the falling fruit. He manages just barely. His tail swishes in the grass. This time he'll be ready.]

Sneaky. I'll be ready next time. ...how do they smell? I can't smell anything like this.

[rebells]

[He grins.]

Not bad, not bad . . . they smell odd. Sharp is the best way to describe it, I think.

[And okay, he tosses another one down. Catch!]

[spaceforged]

Huh. Do you think they're edible or something we can convert to other use?

[He leaps straight up to catch it and seems to hang in mid-air for a few moments more than possible before dropping back down.]

[rebells]

I think there's probably only one way to find that out, although we should have Madoka or Genette on hand if we do try it.

Not bad. Did you say you thought you'd be able to fly in that form eventually?

[spaceforged]

Yes. It's doesn't feel locked out like my weapons do. I'm going with my gut on this one.

[The more moments of almost hovering he has the more convinced he is that he can fly. It will just take learning how.]

I just wish there was some kind of guide. I'm flying blind.