[cue poor unfortunate souls, or something]

[rebells]

Who: RECON TEAM ASSEMBLE
Where: the toxic seaweed Uvi lair
When: backdated to early Day 33 (8/9)
Open/Closed: if your character can fly and would gatecrash, go for it! otherwise ping prospit and I'll see what I can do for you.

[The flying fish were not precisely expected, but at that sign that the Uvi are preparing to head back to their base, it's time for TEAM RECON to assemble. Members would at least vaguely know one another and may have made tentative ride-sharing plans, but people have undoubtedly gotten mixed up during the night of fighting and there may also be one or two late additions . . . .

Either way, Jay can act as telepathic intermediary if you can't fly and need to hitch a ride. Time for a fishing expedition . . . ?]


((INK IS DECLARING THIS POST THREADJACK-FRIENDLY BY DEFAULT please be courteous and ping if people are off in their own extended thread but otherwise go wild!))

Comments

HITCH A RIDE / OFFER A RIDE

[rebells]

[rebells]

[Jay himself can be found near the edge of the city, looking up at the retreating Uvi and around for--someone, it isn't clear who, but he may be more of a presence via telepathy, as he sends out a message to all the members of the recon team:]

Time to move. If you need someone to carry you up, give me your location and I'll send you to the nearest person who can fly.

[splinten]

So I'm a taxi service now?

[It's the thought before Dirk's presence; swooping down from the air and then dropping in front of Jay.]

Piggyback, princess, or potato sack. Your choice.

[rebells]

I did say piggyback was fine, didn't I?

[He seems incredibly awkward about this whole 'carrying' affair, for some reason.]

And I don't actually know what a taxi service is, but yes.

[splinten]

Maybe you went through a series of life altering events in the past few hours and changed your mind.

[He turns around and crouches. Hop on, bro.]

[rebells]

[He snorts and, after a moment's pause, climbs onto Dirk's back; there's a flash of--hesitance, discomfort, overlaid with a thudding come on, come on urgency: someone hasn't quite gotten his powers under control yet, it seems. But it fades out after a bare moment.]

. . . let's go.

[splinten]

[It washes over him, but he was ready for it, and he doesn't comment. Instead he shoots off into the sky after the Uvi.]

Even if we can't stop them now, if we find their lair we can come back to it and stop them then. The fish they drop from might be key as well.

[There are options. There is a chance.]

[rebells]

Yes. The important thing now is to gather as much information about the Uvi as is possible. As of right now, we're striking out blindly.

[oneandmikleonly]

[there is a very eye-catching dragon here if you want a fancy ride, angling a wing out from his body so someone (you!) can brace a foot and swing yourself onto the part of his back that has no spines]

C'mon, up you get. We'll need to go fast.

[deem]

[It's impossible to tell, what with the opaque nature of his goggles, but 9S is certainly staring up at this reptile right about now. He's never seen a dragon before, and yet there's some small measure of recognition if only because he's seen a very crudely rendered drawing of one]

...You're a dragon.

[Look, some things simply need be said here. But if this guy can talk in his head, then that means he's one of them? Who knew dragons were capable of human speech? Not this unit, that's for sure]

Um...I'm a little on the heavy side. I'm not gonna injure you, am I?

[oneandmikleonly]

[Mikleo wrinkles his nose at 9S, which makes a weird expression on a reptile face but is his attempt at a smile]

I'm only shaped like this once in a while. I can carry a reasonably large weight with no problems, but if you're heavier than a normal human, then...

[he's not worried about injury, but he does lower himself almost all the way down to a lying position, so 9S won't have to climb up him and possibly pull him over, in the weird magic equivalent of tipping a vending machine]

Try now.

[deem]

[Only once in a while... 9S can only wonder what that means for the rest of the time. But though his thoughts tend to wander, they don't really have the time for that]

Sorry for the trouble.

[He steps closer so he can climb on, cautious as he does so. For his size, he's over twice the weight one might expect for a human, simply because he isn't one.

At least riding giant boars gives him some experience with sitting atop creatures he looks entirely too small for, but this is different. Once he's seated himself, he glances around, looking for any signs that he's causing injury or discomfort]

...Is this okay?

[oneandmikleonly]

Oof.

[it doesn't SOUND too distressed, though Mikleo visibly has to exert an effort to straighten again; he can carry two ordinary adults, so he can carry 9S, but it's approaching the upper limit of his strength. still -- he looks up towards the ocean in a questing sort of way. all right. as far as flights go, it's not a long one, and 9S is on his back, not hanging awkwardly below him in his claws.]

Yeah, you're all right. We'll lag behind a bit in the air--but once we're in the water itself I can make up the distance. Just hang on tight. Let me know when you're ready to fly.

[his wings spread out slowly on either side of 9s, raising themselves, testing the air]

[deem]

[9S wonders briefly if perhaps his disclaimer should have come with his precise weight just to be safe, but he doesn't seem to have caused injury at least. At two hundred and eighty-five pounds, he weighs a fair margin less than 2B, but that's quite a lot to condense into one small body.

He'll take the dragon's word for it, though he's watching carefully all the same. Part of that is a given concern, and the rest is a natural curiosity inherent in any Scanner model. And he is recording, just for the record]

So you're swifter in water? [Somehow he wouldn't have imagined that, but it's certainly interesting. In any case, he supposes he's delayed them long enough] I'm ready anytime you are, you don't have to worry about me.

[Holding on shouldn't be much of an issue, but he leans closer to the dragon's neck all the same. He's been in a flight unit, and he's made long descents with the aid of his pod, but wind resistance is a concern here]

[lunala]

[If anyone would like to take the giant bat monster express, Moon is waiting for anyone who would like to accompany her.] I can take two or three people up with me, depending on how big they are.

[cadventuretime]

[Oh, that thing is SWEEEET.]

Shotgun!

[lunala]

Well, you can at least sit right behind me. [Sitting next to Moon would be difficult. Nebby cranes its neck down to get a better look at this new green person who will be riding it.]

ON THE ROAD / SKIRMISHING

[rebells]

[So the Uvi are probably not happy about a bunch of coven members following them back . . . that is to say, we might get attacked. Once or twice. A few times.]

AT THE LAIR

[rebells]

[The lair itself is a huge, dense mass of seaweed, comparable in size to Aimintas itself . . . there's not much sign of Palai-esque civilization, however.

The seaweed is toxic and will leave "large, skin-melting welts."]

[oneandmikleonly]

[Mikleo, dragon-shaped and possibly carrying one or two of the party, hisses in frustration as the Uvi vanish into their seaweed lair, taking a futile swipe at the last one with his claws. he misses, and the hissing turns into an angry snarl of pain as he jerks his foot back. it's not as well-protected as the rest of his body, and there's a welt forming along the side of it already, the skin under the small scales swelling and reddening.]

No part of this was going to be easy, I suppose...! Who's got abilities that can help get through this?

[rebells]

I don't, but you know that already.

[He sounds annoyed; this is not a good moment to be reminded of his largely useless power.]

What would be helpful? Something to shrivel or blast them away . . . armor to get through . . . is it some sort of toxin?

[oneandmikleonly]

That seems reasonable, for it to be a toxin? Ugh, it burns.

[he drifts back slightly from the mass of weed to get his breath, wings fanning in dreamy slow motion against the current; the bubble of clear air he's built to keep himself and his passengers breathing has started to shrink a bit while he was distracted, and he reinforces it again hastily]

Yours might not be useless? There might be something you can make them feel that makes them come out again, or at least keeps them from attacking us as we try to enter.

[andsobelow]

[ Carla considers taking off her armor. It could be a huge detriment while trying to swim, but as she watches others get their ugly welts... well. She's clearly going to need it. The beetle plate armor she wears is sturdy but fairly light weight, she is more of a ranger type than a knight, she needs movement and breathability over impenetrability. She'll have to swim harder in the dark glimmering armor, but when has she ever shied away from hard work? ]

( I'll open as wide a path as I can. )

[ Maybe not dragon wide, but she should be able to get some of the other people inside. ]

[rebells]

I'd need to touch them. [But speaking of--to Carla:] I can try it if you open a path--anything else we should attempt?

[Any powers that might be useful, mostly, he means.]

[andsobelow]

( Not mine. )

[ She needs to make that clear now, before they go any further: that she won't share what it is, that she won't use it, that no one should look to her for magicks.

She's willing to swim into these poisonous weeds, but she is not willing to accept her power. ]