spellbinders | (no subject)

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(no subject)

Who: Vern, Geir, and you
Where: The western slopes of the Hub mountain
When: Day 86
Open/Closed: Open

[after Jay's mapping trip of the day before, two of the party returned to the mountain's southwestern slopes. they're looking for a cave, and after that exploratory trip, they think they know more or less where they'll find one. it takes some searching slightly north of where the mapping team left off, but Vern and Geir eventually find a location that will work for their purposes… with a few caveats.

((reply to either open prompt or make your own! Vern and Geir will both reply.))

finding the cave - locked to Geir
[they've been over this section of the mountain three times, augh. everything is too small, too small, too small -- are there any caves that are actually a decent size around here?

("small" is very relative when you're traveling with a dragon.)

For reference: "A cave that fits the size and water parameters can be located near the western mountain-front. There are plenty of small tunnels from animals (or some other source) that can allow for smoke to go into them, but it may not be the most difficult cave to access.

The cave itself a fair amount of boar bones, which may indicate that it's some sort of boar death site. This also means there's not exactly a pleasant smell in the cave, but they can potentially burn the smell out with flowers or shrubbery."]

taking out the trash - ota
[the cave that they eventually find and claim needs some work, by any stretch of the imagination. it's located on the western mountain front only a few minutes north of where the mapping party left off, and it's perfect in several respects: big enough for Geir, sufficient ventilation from small animal tunnels to make a fire without worrying, fresh running water from a deep stream only a few feet from the entrance…

the problem is the smell. right now, Geir is shoveling bones and dessicated boar bits out of the entrance, while Vern winces and tries to weave pads out of grasses to start his scrubbing.]

How many of those things died in here?!

[unfortunately, Geir isn't being particularly private in his mental grumbling, and both his commentary -- and Vern's shushing -- occasionally get transmitted over the network. feel free to track him and Vern down, or just mentally yell at them.]

pool boy and maid service - ota
[now that all of the bones are lying in inelegant piles in their front yard instead of in their living room, Vern has started his self-appointed task of scrubbing the smell of death off their walls and floor, as well as figuring out how to build a fire to start smoking the smell out. Geir, on the other hand, is digging in the middle of the stream like a lunatic. they’re both making a lot of noise, the smoke is pretty obvious, and the trail through the woods to their new front door is a lot more open and inviting than they'd prefer… they’re very noticeable if you’re exploring yourself and happen to come around this area.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Walls, floor, ground into the stone, I'm afraid to look at the roof yet since death stalactites aren't really my thing. I don't know what business the boars had here exactly, but it's like every one who ever lived on this island came here to die. Generations of dead meat. Gross.

[he doesn't seem that bothered by it at this point (though he has a rough bandana tied around his nose and mouth to block out the smell), but he is thoroughly grumbly]

[ Just to be sure: ]

What you will be cleaning with?

[sticks his hands out of the cave too, in answer

he's rigged a bunch of rough grass pads to do it with, and stolen a bucket from somewhere to bail in water from the stream. these are really not the best thing to do the job probably, and don't disinfect the cave at all, but are probably all right for the rough work of getting the initial layer of gore and grime off]

[ There's a slight frown as he regards Vern's apparatus - nothing wrong with it, just that he may have a better way.

Only that he's not quite sure if it'll work, and Vern does not have the same knowledge of him that Geir does. ]

My skill might help. I don't know if it will, but I'd like to try.

[ He'll move over to the wall next to Vern before extending a hand and placing his palm onto the dirtied surface. There's a moment of pause as he focuses on what's in contact with his skin, the grossness reflex tempered down, willing the cells to absorb what was on the rock. After all, one of the Aragami's attributes was to consume all that was not theirs. The grime should be no difficulty.

After about half a minute, he'll remove his hand. There's a clear patch left behind, though it seems like some of the rock has been absorbed as well. ]

[pauses to contemplate this, one eyebrow raised

...

bemusedly]

You have the magic power of acid hands?

[ Vern can't sense this, but he can certainly feel the cells breaking down what had been smeared onto his hand. And quite rapidly, too - while the pain in his nerves hasn't dulled in the slightest, it seemed like doing it had no adverse effects on the delicate balance of his soul. ]

Not exactly.

[ There's a lot that he still can't reveal. ]

I could help, but I doubt I will be very fast with this.

I mean, if you want to, you're welcome to. I'm not exactly Sven the Speedy myself about this.

...

[ok i should be at least a little polite? to Geir's friend?]

Thanks. I'm Vern, by the way.

[ Not that Julius seems to mind Vern's pointed words, though. His expression hasn't deviated much from its usual stoic nature. ]

Julius.

[ And that's all he will be sparing before he turns his attention to the wall, wondering if he could try to form membranes between his fingers to make it faster ]

[his eyebrows stay arched at the lack of response, but he does turn back to work after a moment himself; okay. so Julius isn't a big talker. he can live with that, talking is tiring.]

[ Less talking, more working. He'll have to continue experimenting with the Aragami's absorption ability, so working in silence suits him just fine.

Eventually the strain starts adding to his headache, and he'll opt to sit down for a short while. ]

...you want some water? A sandwich or something?

No, just... a little winded, is all.

[ Julius' self control would have muted any emotion that Vern could sense from him, providing only a strong sense of thoughtfulness and determination. However, the Singularity starts to cloud him, as it always does when he tires. A strange static that flickers around the man, unnatural yet haunting in its quality - for it spoke of Earth. Perhaps, home. ]

[he picks up on a little bit of that, a vague sense of dissonance more than anything; it's enough to make him shake himself, like a startled cat, and huff]

Your magic is weird. Useful, but weird.

I would not call it magic. It is... something from my world.

[ The Singularity, the will of the Earth itself. Even if he has borne it, he still doesn't understand much of it. ]

And what's that when it's at home, in the terms of your world?

[he's being nosy, though it's a dispassionate sort of curiosity rather than a desperate need to know]

[ Is Vern ready for Science? ]

Dissolution by bio-assimilation, I believe.

[he has the vocabulary but there isn't a ton of sciencey science in high fantasy norse myth land; he also needs a few moments to work the meaning out into something he can parse]

You destroy things by absorbing them into your body?

[ At least he doesn't have to go into the detail of explaining. That's good. ]

Something of the sort, yes.

Well, it certainly gets the job done, cleaning-wise. Though I have to question your choices slightly to apply it to decaying meat gunk, because: yuck. I am grateful and clearly up to my elbows in it myself, so I feel extra qualified to go yuck.

I can render it harmless. Don't worry about it.

[ He's also sort of accidentally eating the stone too so that is also. A thing. ]

It's not the harm I was worried about exactly. I guess you have a strong stomach? Or a strong...whatever...

[what is the term for a stomach when you apparently eat through your hands. he doesn't know.]

Absorption?

[ It's all assimilated into his own cells, so it doesn't matter to him. ]

Yes. Body stomach. Whatever the strange alien term for that is.

[huffs]

[ Strange alien.... well, it's the truth, but it still draws silence from him.

He'll just close his eyes for a few moments ]

[cocks his head at him]

If I'm being too nosy, just say so. I can't feel if I am nor not from you, which is honestly sort of a relief, but also means I get to fall back on my normal unmagical social graces to talk to you. And they're bad.