[OPENING] exploration log

[spellbindmods]

Who: Explorers and Co.
Where: Around the island and at the newly discovered house
When: Day 10
Open/Closed: Open to All
Note: Feel free to create your own logs for individual island explorations. A prompt is for house exploring, and you can list off multiple A prompts like A1, A2, etc. for more than one prompt within the house. B prompts (B1, B2, etc) are for exploring the island and may be open to all OR select friends who your character is exploring with.

[It's tough to live on an island that doesn't have many resources outside of the limited food sources and running streams. While Brie is aware of some other minor sources of food, like fish and frogs, one person exploring an island on their own means there are a lot of secret spots left to uncover. Despite adventuring for three years, her time on the hub itself has been much shorter, only staying for days or weeks at a time. Now that there are more people on this journey, covering ground is a lot easier.

Recently she's discovered another large estate -- much larger than her current shared mansion, which might also mean it has some supplies inside. On the morning of Day #, she's called together those who are hankering for more supplies in order to bring as much back as possible. Congrats, you get first dibs.

A. Upon approaching the house, the first thing that's noticeable is its size. It's all one story, but very flat and spacious. There are gardens in both the front and the rear, and upon entering (Brie might have enlisted you to help break the door down, oops) the inside is also quite vast. There are tons of rooms, multiple bedrooms and bathrooms, two kitchens and other rooms that aren't even explorable because they need keys to be entered. Unless you can find these keys, that is?

B. Alternatively, or maybe even aside from exploring the house, Brie's also suggested that you do some exploring on your own. Again, she's one woman with limited time to scout the island herself. What can you find? What resources are there to be harvested? Will you share in this bounty, or keep it to yourself?]

Comments

a

[soulcomet]

What is it? A manga?

[Madoka asks as she happens by, lugging a purse and a small, velvet case.]

[windeity]

I think they're just comics. [This time he does look up because it's Madoka and he lifts the issue in his hand to show her the cover.] They're different than manga, but I can only sort of guess what the story's about? I think he's an accountant by day and a superhero by night or something, which is a weird combination. There's a whole bunch of them here. It's like someone was collecting them at some point. I might bring them back with us to see if anyone else can figure it out.

[He's not going to go into the nature of what the comics are about beyond that because Madoka is sweet and pure and nobody needs to teach magical girls about other-world polyamory.]

[soulcomet]

[SORRY JOHN Madoka steps closer, and crouches down next to him, squinting at the pile of unread comics.]

That sounds promising! I mean ... if we're spending so much time working on our magic, it helps to have something fun to read in our downtime, right?

[windeity]

[WHY well you know what they're PG-13 and Madoka's probably older than that, so whatever.]

I think so. Especially if we are going to be traveling and stuff? I wish there was a way to decipher the language though. It might give us ideas about the rest of this universe. [But he notices the purse and case and he suddenly changes the topic.] What'd you find?

[soulcomet]

[she's 14. immortal. close enough.]

Oh! [Madoka sets the purse inside and opens the case, revealing a lovely, ornate looking blue tea set.]

I don't know how helpful it'll be in the long run. But, Orihime-san can make all kinds of food, and Haru-san is starting an herb garden! Tea's really good for helping you feel better if you're sick.

[and then she fishes an empty wallet, a makeup bag and a fan out of the purse. well ... the purse will be good for holding supplies, anyway.]

[windeity]

[John is biased and blue is his favorite color, so he actually pays attention and even reaches forward to pick up one of the tea cups.]

About as helpful as comic books, probably. At least the tea set will see some use if the girls are growing stuff and making stuff. [He's met both Orihime and Haru and he likes them both.] I do not know how to make tea and I don't really drink it, but I'm sure a lot of other people do.

[The cup goes down and he immediately goes for the wallet to try and see if there are any hidden compartments or anything. He might be shaking it around? Look this is a problem when one of the items you're accustomed to is your father's wallet that can also hold his car.] So...do you get the feeling that maybe this place was like a hotel or something? It's a mixture of ages and items, but they seem to group together.

[soulcomet]

A hotel? That makes a lot more sense than what I was thinking.

[there are sadly no cars in the wallet. or anything at all, actually. it's definitely one of Madoka's more useless finds. but she picks up the makeup bag, fiddling with the zipper — there's definitely something inside, but she hasn't had a chance to look through it.]

[windeity]

[While he's screwing around with the wallet, he says:] Okay, see, you cannot start with that and then not finish with what you were thinking. What else could it be?

[Useless wallet aside, he notices the makeup bag next but he doesn't say anything. His eyes are on it, but he'll let Madoka open it on her own time even though he's curious.]

[soulcomet]

Um. [and then, she says, maaaybe a bit embarrassed:]

I was picturing some crazy old guy who's probably haunting this place now.

[windeity]

[Madoka....]

...I mean, that could be a possibility, too. The only people we have seen here are Genette and Brie, but there is a lot of stuff that had to belong to other people. Who says ghosts aren't a thing?

[soulcomet]

[if Madoka were to make a list of things that scare her, ghosts would probably be pretty close to the top of the list, honestly.]

[what would she do if she saw one now? probably try to heal them to death. second death.]

I really hope not ... Could you imagine if there was a ghost watching us right now?

[windeity]

[That's unfortunate considering who she's talking to.]

It would not be the first time. [Just. Casually.] But usually you can only see ghosts in very specific circumstances so if there was one watching us right now I wonder how we would know?

[soulcomet]

[oh god really? well, if there was someone out there who could change her mind about ghosts, it would probably be John.]

Have you seen one before, John-san?

[windeity]

[There's a nod.] Yeah. We have all see a few ghosts before. It was all very complicated business but they were around and we could talk to them sometimes. They were ghosts of people we knew before, too.

[Homestuck...is stupid.]

[soulcomet]

[universes are weird. but, Madoka visibly droops.]

That means you've ... [lost someone he cares about before? or several someones?]

[windeity]

[OH NO THAT WAS THE OPPOSITE EFFECT...]

It's okay. [There's a quick smile in the hopes to assure here again.] Things...happen the way they're supposed to happen, you know? [It's best not to tell her about the people he really cares about that he's lost. His dad. His sister. Dave and Rose. All of them are permanently dead. He just has to fix things though. That will solve everything.] And the ghosts I did see were people we only met once or twice. I think they may be happier that way.

[Or at least the world might be safer with Vriska being a ghost, but that is also debatable.]

[soulcomet]

[forgive her silence for a moment, and also the worried expression she's wearing when she looks at him again.]

[maybe it was naive of her, but it had never occurred to Madoka that a ghost she could meet would be the ghost of someone she knows. even if it was someone she had only met once ... that just seems so horrible.]

I can't ... even imagine what that must be like.

[windeity]

[Madoka :c He's not sure what he can say to make her feel better, but at the same time she has a point. Death is a weird, weird thing.]

...sometimes good things come from people dying. I know that may seem impossible, but it is true. But I also know that isn't true in everyone's worlds. The media makes ghosts look really scary but that's not always true either. Some people are scarier when they're alive, especially when they intend to stay that way. [THANKS, ARADIA.]

[soulcomet]

[Madoka has a perhaps short-sighted, and perhaps, again, a very naive outlook on the world. there's good in everybody. even if the world itself seems terrible, and even if awful, awful things do happen, the good far outshines the bad. it's a view that's been tested in the past, but never fully wavered.]

[of course, that outlook also cost her her life in about 100 other universes.]

You've met someone that scary before? [because it's incomprehensible to her.]

[windeity]

[There are a few instances John can think of. Aradia was just a little creepy, but whatever, she was nice and harmless aside from that. Vriska and Meenah, on the other hand...

...but it's also probably not fair to tell Madoka these things. Not when he's still trying to process everything himself. It was a long day and a longer three years and while he understands things, it was harder to really accept them for what they were.]

I met a few people who ended up making things pretty bad for a couple of other people. They're all ghosts now, I think, it was hard to keep track of all of them when I only saw them for a little bit, but yeah. [But there's a shake of his head.] Don't worry. If there are ghosts here, they won't be that bad. Trust me. I know how to handle ghosts.

[soulcomet]

I trust you. [said almost immediately. there's even a hint of her usual smile sitting somewhere on her face.]

It's just hard for me to imagine, I guess. But ... as long as someone is happy, it doesn't really matter how exactly they exist, right?

[windeity]

[That helps. A lot.]

I think it was hard to really understand at first, too. I had a whole idea about ghosts but it wasn't the same as what it actually was. And I mean...what do you count as a ghost anyway?

[soulcomet]

Mmm ... I always figured they were people who died, and for whatever reason couldn't move on. And some of them get angry about that.

Is that about right?

[windeity]

I guess it's sort of that, or that is how it's supposed to be. But there are some circumstances where it gets complicated. People die, but then bigger things happen to them and they don't become ghosts. But then those people can die again and they do become ghosts. It is all very slippery, ghosty business. I'm still trying to understand how all of it works myself, but Dave and Rose might understand better.

[soulcomet]

People have ... died twice on your world?

[one could practically see the gears turning in her head. the gears are struggling right now, though.]

The rules there seem so different than the rules back home. I wonder if it's like that on every world.