[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

[parodeity]

Just a thing.

[ dave pauses, looks back, shrugs. ]

You can take him back to your place or whatever then. I wanted to track down Rose anyway, so I can go and do that.

[splinten]

[It feels like walking into another slammed door.]

I was going to bring him with us. If you have other shit to do, though, it's cool.

[parodeity]

There might be things to fight if we did that.

[ dave isn't willing to take anything into a combat zone that may not be able to protect itself. or which might distract someone.

it's as good an excuse as any to ditch, even if it does have the benefit of being completely true. ]

I just finished a thing for her, so yeah, I'll do that and you can handle...whatever you were gonna do with it. Him.

[splinten]

I can look after a turtle.

[But it's fucking obvious what Dave wants. He opens his mouth to say something and then shuts it again. It doesn't matter, does it? Dave just doesn't want him around. Except then Dave accuses him of vanishing if he isn't around.]

[parodeity]

It's a dis -

[ dave trails off instead of finishing the word. it's the same quandary; whose opinion is it? he does a quick mental tally and decides that regardless he'd feel terrible if something happened to someone's pet on an outing and therefore agrees with his original sentiment, even if "it's a distraction" isn't exactly the best way to voice that. ]

Anyway. Maybe another time when you've got less goin' on.

[splinten]

Then I'll abandon the damn turtle and come back for him later.

[parodeity]

[ the slightest grimace at "abandon". ]

You'll need to make a terrarium and gather food and stuff. And I've got...mobile shit to do, so it's no big deal. No abandonment required. You should have enough to occupy the rest of your day, if not the next few days, with settin' that up? The island ain't goin' nowhere.

[splinten]

[Dirk sets his jaw. He wheels himself back from the edge, from his despair, from saying, Just admit you won't be happy with me as long as I keep existing.]

Dave, I want to spend some time with you. If you don't want to, that's okay.

[parodeity]

Not if you have to abandon somethin' to do it. Another time when you don't.

[splinten]

I was going to have him travel on your backpack.

[It's a phenomenally stupid sentence.]

[parodeity]

[ that. actually distresses dave even more, although the only physical reaction is a slight frown. that would make him even more directly responsible for something presumably important and he'd fuck it up. ]

I...would prefer not. [ cautiously. ]

[splinten]

Then I can leave him at the house with someone to babysit him. It's a turtle. He'll be okay.

[parodeity]

[ another frown. ]

...Sure. Some other time. When things are more settled.

[splinten]

We should set a date and time.

[Dirk is holding an adorable turtle to his chest kinda like a security blanket. Or puppet.]

[parodeity]

We tried that. [ it ended badly. dave doesn't sigh, but tries to gauge when things might be better. john had said dirk probably wasn't in any state to do...whatever this was, either. more or less. ] ...In two weeks, then.

[splinten]

We'll probably be in another world.

[parodeity]

The day after we get back from wherever the fuck, then.

[splinten]

So you want me to stay out of your way indefinitely.

[Just to be clear.]

[parodeity]

I didn't - [ take a breather. stellar advice, but how do you do that?

maybe it doesn't actually matter. maybe what matters is whatever's easiest for whoever else. he agrees after cutting himself off and blanks his thoughts. ] ...Sure. I'll get out of your hair now. Mobile project. Right.

[splinten]

[It twists in his chest, and he reigns that in.]

You're not in my damn hair. You just—keep shoving me away, and then telling me I don't want you around, and it's kind of hard to figure out what to do with those kinds of mixed signals. I'm trying.

[parodeity]

[ a sense of "well, you don't" isn't useful. he doesn't know what to say, so he gives out the same thing he'd told john as some kind of defense and explanation: a true statement twisted to his own purpose because no one understands it as it's meant: ]

I don't want to replace my brother. [ his gaze flicks up and then aside. ] You're - it's like fuckin' double vision. Sometimes you act right and sometimes you don't. I don't know.

[ and dirk sets dave on edge and stresses him out, with too many expectations he either can or can't identify and an intensity that isn't entirely welcome when he doesn't trust it. none of that helps to say, so dave doesn't say it. ]

You didn't enjoy those meet-ups, either.

[splinten]

[Dirk's eyes flicker down behind his shades.]

I'm aware that I'll never replace your brother. I don't match up and I don't act right. That's pretty clear.

[Not good enough not strong enough not enough, not enough ever, not enough at all. Even still.

Even still, he wants to know Dave.]

I won't deny they were awkward, but I liked having time every day when we would meet. I thought it was interesting to talk to you about art and mathematics, and I learned a lot Strifing with you. But I'd have been just as willing to hang out and talk about nothing, or anything else. Like people do when they're getting to know each other.

[parodeity]

You said we could stop.

[ and like so many things he says, dave doesn't entirely mean it in the obvious way it could be taken. ]

[splinten]

Because it's really fucked up not to let both parties have a choice in hangouts, and you seemed to think you didn't.

[parodeity]

[ it would probably be weird to point out he doesn't think he'll ever be happy and relaxed about hangouts in the foreseeable future, so dave...

does not know what the fuck to say at this point, actually. ]

You should probably get your turtle back to your place.