epidemiology | EVENT ★ BACK TO THE FUTURE

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EVENT ★ BACK TO THE FUTURE

BENDED TIME

As outlined in the OOC post, things start to slow down and grow quiet in Oska for a few days as the bugs crawl away and slowly disappear. But then the cocoons hatch. Fully grown temporal insects claw their way out of them, each about the size and temperament of raging bulls.

They come out far more aggressive and eager to fight, are are willing to take on anything that moves with jaws and claws alike. Except, of course, another insect — when two of them encounter each other, they enter into a mating dance and then slip away into another dimension, leaving behind only the temporary ghosts of years gone by. If you can’t find a way to pierce that thick shell to take one down, better find another one to pair it off with instead. Just try not to get bit while leading them around and find yourself suddenly 5 years old again.

The insects aren’t the only thing going on in Oska, though. As it turns out, unicorns really hate this adult form of the temporal insects, and will start kicking their way out of their stalls in the stables to get at the insects in an attempt to impale or trample them. According to Uruz they’re gallant warriors, but not always quite cut out to take on a bug, and can easily get themselves hurt or killed. She would really appreciate recruits taking a moment to recapture any stray unicorns they may come across and leading them back to the stables. Try to avoid any insects on the way, or you’ll find yourself suddenly fighting insect and irate unicorn, which is no one’s idea of a good time.

The lake is getting more active, too. All the fighting has woken up something in the depths of it. Dark red tentacles sometimes creep up onto shore — and don’t worry, this time they don’t belong to a sea goddess. The tentacles don’t attack unless attacked, and can in fact be quite agreeable. Nodes along the length of them act as primitive eyes, which see well enough to interact with anyone nearby. They’re also all a little peckish. Toss a tentacle a bit of food and watch it curl around and ingest it using tiny mouths on the underside. It might even be willing to play a few rounds of fetch or slap a bug into the sky for you if you put it in a good mood with a morsel of food.

The senior ALASTAIR members can be seen out and about and doing their part, too. Uruz and Dagny fight as a team, centaur and elf, sometimes fighting back to back and sometimes as mount and rider. They’ll stop and lend a hand, but the cats are a little less generous. Cherenkov and Crowley fight inseparably and use magic and science in deadly combination to ward off and destroy the bugs, but can usually only be seen darting on their way from one place to another. They have a lot of magitek to repair in the destructive wake of the insects. Pomarr, neither as senior nor as invested in actively picking off the bugs, offers shelter near a tentacle-free portion of the lake, calling down storms to toss away bugs for her and anyone in the vicinity.

OOC NOTES

This log spans a week ICly. Characters will find themselves beginning to understand each other again as the bugs first vanish, as the effects of the cats’ work on the magitek pays off. The translation problem will be completely fixed by the time the cocoons hatch. All of the bugs will have been killed or shipped off by the sixth day, leaving the last day before their departure to the next mission blissfully relaxing. Any temporally misplaced recruits will be back to normal by the last day, as well.

A reminder to anyone still texting: the texting feature of magitek jewelry operates based on thought! There are no physical keyboards, recruits merely think the message that they’d like to send to another recruit.

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[Serene's heart clenches when she sees that young woman between two beasts large and angry enough to trample her with ease. She charges in at a head-long sprint, screaming out]

Move, you little idiot!

[Then with a wordless shriek she claws in the air, pulling at the bug with her ALASTAIR-granted powers and setting its face alight. It screeches, its headlong charge diverted into frantic scuttling twirl as it seeks to find an escape from the fire consuming its chitin]

Hm?

[Sakura pauses at the unfamiliar voice, instinctively turning to the sound of it, watching the bug move seemingly forcefully towards the source of it. But it rather does also encourage her to act, moving then instead to try help calm the unicorn, moving to it's side and petting at the beast's nose, once it sees the bug apparently already being dealt with.]

I didn't know what to do. But I didn't want him hurt.....

[So it had been pure instinct. Without a weapon or such to promote her reckless bravery.]

[It takes an effort of will for her to sustain those flames long enough for them to truly catch alight without her pouring her magic in as fuel. As the insect falters and collapses she lets go of the flames, which flicker and dim.]

Next time look at those skinny legs and think how he could have broken them tripping over your trampled corpse, then run and find someone who could actually make a difference!

[She approaches the girl and horse, shaking her head in exasperation. Loud as she may be, her anger is mostly worry and she wants to make sure this girl isn't injured.

The unicorn shies away from her, whuffling in displeasure. She pauses, frowns and steps nearer. The unicorn shuffles away, keeping a clear personal bubble in place]

Do I stink?

W-well, it all worked out. I would have asked Li-kun or Kurogane-san, but they don't seem to have come here to this world with me. Or, if they are here too, with Fai-san and Moko-chan, I haven't found them.

[There's also the matter of the small lion following her around that she has no idea on what to make of, but. Well. Sakura is trying her best given the circumstances.]

But I don't think so? [There could be other reasons. Some animals just don't like certain people for whatever reason? Sakura herself doesn't seem to be a problem though.]

[She sniffs her armpit just to be sure, but no, she smells as reasonably fresh as a woman who's been running about all morning can be expected to smell. She comes in closer and the unicorn shies away, backing out of Sakura's reach as Serene comes to rest her hand on the girl's shoulder]

Four leggers can be unreasonable creatures. I've spent the last year herding camels and some of them just take a dislike... Is that-?

[She double takes as she spots the lion cub lingering, her hand tightening on the spear.]

No wonder it's backing away if that's near! Is that yours or should I remove it?

[She bares her teeth at the lion, her hatred of cats obvious. The unicorn's reaction is far more understandable to her mind- why would it dislike one woman and not the other? Far more reasonable that it shares her hatred of cats]

They have camels here?

[It doesn't seem so much like a desert to warrant such. But of course, the way Serene goes for her spear at the sight of Keroberos has Sakura shaking her head and shifting to stand in the way, between the older woman and the lion.]

N-no! I mean, I don't remember first getting him, but he's been following me. So I...I think he is. Mine, I mean. Please, don't hurt him!

[She frowns deeply, glancing between Sakura and the lion. This girl has a sweet and soft heart, one that assumes others are as sweet and soft as hers. In Serene's estimation she's surely unsuited for handling the predatory drive of any cat.

She points the butt of her spear to them both]

If that is yours then you must take responsibility for its actions. If I see it attacking any person or animal I will personally take it down.

[But this girl isn't going to listen to her on the subject any more than her own sweet sister ever listened to her dire warnings. She sighs and looks to the unicorn, who's refusing to come any closer.]

I had a camel back home, for I was riding with a band of nomads in the desert before I returned here. Lavender was a grumpy and wilful creature but I managed to win her trust. It seems you have won this creature's trust better than I. If you lead it to the stables I will guard us against the insects.

I--I'm sure he won't. I'll do what I can to keep him fed and cared for so he doesn't do anything like that.

[It's something she is certain of, that she will do her best. But so far the lion hasn't been any sort of such trouble. Not yet anyway, beyond initially confusing her as he kept following her. Certainly, he seems rather protective of her.

But well. Serene's assumption isn't entirely misplaced - though she has experience in that other world with Kero and his lion form, that's still not the same as this. Kero could talk to communicate, could transform smaller and ate sweets and the same sort of food humans do.]

If I lead? I'll try.

[Serene nods and walks off a few steps, scanning their surroundings for danger]

Our way looks clear for now!

[Though there is faint yelling from somewhere inside the castle. She tightens her grip on her spear and ignores her urge to run to help, for this silly girl child needs her for now.

She looks back over her shoulder, curious]

By the way, my name is Serene Charlord? Who are you? And how old are you?

Oh, good! It's nice to meet you, Selene. I--I'm Sakura. And I'm fourteen. Or, I think....

[Around that age anyway. Maybe fifteen by now. It's not like her memory is the best to be entirely sure anyway. On...a lot of things. The yelling has her turn her head sharply to the direction of the noise, pausing as if debating if she should try go and help.]

[Serene shoots her a sharp look, suddenly suspecting that this girl has been bitten by the insects as well]

Did you arrive here within the last several days? [Still, if Serene met this girl as an older woman she's forgotten it, just as she's forgotten many details from her two years of disappearance. She shrugs and decides to run with the situation] My sister Celeste recently turned fifteen. She's a sweet girl; I think she would like you.

I did. Or....that's as much as I recall, here anyway.

[Sakura is far too used to travel between worlds or dimensions at this point that this is nothing entirely new for her. She is just usually accompanied by at least one of the others, so this is a little concerning. Part of her half expects they are around here somewhere and she's just not yet found them perhaps.]

I'm sure I'd like to meet her too. Ah, but is she here? Or is she back home?

[She frowns at that]

If you have arrived only this week then there is a chance that the you who are here now will not be here for long. Those bugs that you saw are time-travellers and they have been biting people, cursing them to reappear at different points of their life. Sakura, yes? Do you have a family name? I will come to find you once these bug's effects have worn off among our population.

[As her thoughts turn to her sister her voice grows sweeter, her snapping tone softening to fondness]

Celeste is not here and I hope she does not come. I enjoy this adventure but she is a shy and coddled girl. She would not fare well on any of our missions, nor would I want her to face the danger. [She smiles, so very fond] I like to coddle her too.

Will not be here long....? Oh. Um, with the jewel things, it had my name there as 'sakurakinomoto'. So maybe that's it?

[Her full name. There's still a lot, bits and pieces, that she doesn't yet recall without all of her feathers, all of her own memories of home and all. But she is doing her best all the same. Giving a nod in understanding.]

I don't like it when the others put themselves at risk for me either. For my feathers. I wish I could help more.

[They're approaching the stables now. There are more people, some leading unicorns calmly and some leading them by force. Serene's eyes narrow and she gestures for Sakura to follow her on a loop to avoid the more agitated animals]

Your feathers? Do you have feathers? [The girl looks like a fellow human but Serene has learnt that it's dangerous to assume in this place]

The feathers are my memories. They're....they're very powerful. And some people who found them abused that. I'm not sure if there's one here though.

[Sakura tries to explain as she follows, obediently trying to avoid the more agitated creatures.]

[Now that makes her stare over her shoulder]

Your memories have been made into feathers? How? I have never heard of magic such as that, even in legends. What do they look like?

[The detour has lead them to the back of the stables. The unicorn snorts its displeasure at the prospect of being locked up again]

I'm....still not sure how. But yes, that's what Syaoran-kun and the others said. That they were helping me travel to find them. I don't have any on me right now, but they're white, with a red pattern on them.

[It's kind of obvious they aren't bird feathers, at least. So it should rather stand out if there is one around. Sakura coos, rubbing at the creature's nose.]

I know. But you have to go back, okay? It's much safer, with these bugs around.

[Serene pauses to let Sakura settle the unicorn before pushing open the door to the stable. The door is splintered where the creatures had obviously kicked their way out and she grimaces, sure that in half an hour their unicorn will be charging round free again]

Were your memories always feathers? Is that a trait of your kind? [Sakura looks human, but so do many people around here. Serene's learning not to judge by appearances]

No, I don't think so. It's....complicated. But that's why, Syaoran-kun and Fai-san and Kurogane-sane, they're all traveling with me to help me find them. Helping me. With Moko-chan, who takes us to other worlds to look for them.

[It is rather complicated. A plot long in the works and making, which Sakura isn't necessarily yet privy to herself. But she explains as she leads the unicorn back in, pursing her lips a little at the state of the stall.]

Maybe we should fix it?

We should definitely fix it, but given how well kicked in this door is we'd be better off bolting on a steel plate than wasting our time on more wood.

[The stables smell like mammal, but after spending her year with the camels it's almost a homely scent. Serene leads them through past the more ordinary creatures, looking for the unicorn's section... and of course the doors to the stalls have been kicked in as well. She huffs and then gestures for Sakura to at least attempt to shove her beast inside.]

I don't suppose you have any feathers that have taught you metal work.

Steel....we might find some. But I'm not sure how to do it myself. Maybe if we asked?

[Or. Well. The basic theory probably isn't too difficult at least. Replacing the wood with the steel. It's attaching it once they did manage to find said steel that Sakura isn't as sure on.]

Better yet, we should tell whoever has the skill to perform the repair on our behalf. You and I in our ignorance are unlikely to do as good a job as .

[The unicorn has spotted feed another recruit has poured to try keep the animals indoors and trots right into his stall to eat. Serene rests her hand on Sakura's shoulder and smiles down at her.]

We've done as well as we can here. Shall we go and round up more unicorns?

Oh, that would be even better!

[If someone else hadn't beat her to it, Sakura probably would have wanted to help. Still, it's already sorted in ensuring the unicorns have food so it isn't an issue.]

Sure! And if we find someone that might help with the stall along the way too.

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EVENT ★ BACK TO THE FUTURE

Unicorns

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