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

[potentite]

[Once Jake figured out the way the flower works, he was entranced. So, using his magic, he managed to find a paint set and has been dabbling at making flowers with dozens of colours. A rainbow of flowers in fact, all in glasses and mugs of different sizes, just whatever he could find to hold them and the coloured water. But he seems so happy dipping them.]

[rebells]

[Jake, you dork. Jay looks both baffled and amused.]

Enjoying yourself?

[potentite]

[Being caught is a bit embarrassing but he smiles.]

I just thought they were frightfully pretty. Don't you think?

[rebells]

They're certainly unique.

[They're lovely, but he's trying to be stoic about it, especially since this is giving him weird flashbacks to that one field with Harriet's flowers. He reaches down and picks one of the transparent ones, twirling it around in his fingers.]

It's a very odd property that they have. I wonder if it could be used for something.

[potentite]

[Jake considers it for a moment.]

Secret codes? [That really is his first thought.] There might be properties involving poison, too, if they're this sensitive to change... Oh and of course, we could test different soils by seeing their reaction!

[Wait that sounds too confident for something he only vaguely remembers and what if he fucks them over with a dumb idea?]

I think?

[Better.]

[rebells]

That was awfully specific for something you only "think."

[potentite]

It could turn out to be wrong?

[rebells]

But you have some basis for believing it, do you not? What did you mean by testing different soils?

[potentite]

Oh, um, well... plants are quite sensitive to their surroundings. Even the same plant might have different properties depending on the type of soil you stick it in. A different hue, stunted or exaggerated growth, that sort of thing. But it tells you the content of the soil.

[rebells]

So you're thinking that these flowers might be especially sensitive to that?

[He looks down at the flower in his hand thoughtfully.]

That would make sense. Maybe we should try planting them somewhere else, and see.

[potentite]

That seems like a good plan. And even if it doesn't work, it won't do any harm to have flowers planted around.

[rebells]

That we know of, anyway.

[He has to be the asshole and point that out.]

It's certainly something to think about doing in the future.

[potentite]

[Jake chuckles.]

I would ask what harm they could cause but that's just asking for trouble. I'd like it if the hub here remained peaceful.

[imsorey]

[Sorey watches quietly for a few minutes, observing with bright and interested eyes before finally speaking up and reaching for a flower]

Where'd you get all of these colors from?

[potentite]

I found a paint set! [He holds up the now empty paint set. It's one of those really cheap ones you'd get in elementary school but it worked for his needs.] They probably aren't the best paints but I just needed to dump them in the water.

[imsorey]

[taking a look at the empty paint set with some interest--he's never seen one of those before, either, but it doesn't take an expert to figure out what it's for]

That's fascinating! It's a good experiment to see if they really absorb all of those different colors. Have you tried anything metallic yet? There isn't a strong likelihood of finding many liquid metals around here, but it would be interesting to see if the flowers could obtain other physical properties besides color.

[potentite]

Oh! That's a good idea. I wonder if different properties do different things.

[It would make sense. If they're so sensitive to pigment, they might be sensitive to a lot of different environmental factors.]

I don't know how useful it will all be overall but... it's really fun anyway.

[imsorey]

Something doesn't always have to be useful; it can just be interesting and that's enough. It's just fun to think of the different possibilities.

[lightly tapping on a jar and watching the colored water ripple in response]

For example, what if they could absorb magic as easily as they absorb colors? You could use them as storage containers for magic, right out in the open. I'm guessing that would only happen if magic had a color though.

[potentite]

Oh! Wow, that would be really swell. Imagine how cool that would be to whip up a crown of flowers made from magic. Or have one pinned to your lapel but it glowers with power.

[imsorey]

You'd be the talk of the town! Or, uh, camp? The point is that it would be cool. I keep expecting things like that to pop up around here since Qri is supposed to be a big magical deal, you know?

[potentite]

I wonder about that, too! I mean, it's rather tragic, um, her case and all that but... surely she had... powerful magical friends perhaps? Outside of her species?

[imsorey]

[nodding along]

I thought that would be the case too. But it's hard to confirm anything if she won't talk to us about it. We'll just keep going in circles thinking about it.

[potentite]

You make a good point. I guess I just wish she'd open up to us a little. I think a lot of us would be happy to help if we just knew more.

[imsorey]

I'm hoping our frustration gets through to her. It might not be right away, but...if she's listening to us and learning, then it's a start.