epidemiology | EVENT ★ GONE FISHIN'

Thanks to your help, repairs to the flood wall are complete. The Nalawi are still largely without their Gifts, so they are thankful -- without the aid of ALASTAIR recruits, they would have surely drowned or been eaten by sea monsters.

Despite the barely averted disaster, the residents of Komo have decided to go along with their lives as planned, perhaps to bolster morale instead of giving into despair. By chance, their annual fishing contest is scheduled for today! As honored guests, recruits are invited to participate.

FISHING CONTEST

Dugout canoes are provided for all participants, patterns that suggest fish scales burned into the wooden sides. Curiously, no fishing rods are offered; if a recruit requests one, they will be given a strange look, but the harbormaster will acquiesce.

Due to the rough seas, the passage between Komo and the other islands is still inaccessible. Contestants are reminded to stay behind the reefs or venture east toward open ocean for their quarry. It’s only when the contest begins that the quarry in question is actually announced . . .

Sharks.

You are fishing sharks. And, judging by the lack of equipment (or the puny fishing rod you requested), you’re expected to do this by hand.

The tiny deer people don’t seem bothered by this predicament at all: the goal is to catch the biggest shark, by length and poundage. Better not embarrass yourself in front of the locals.

GET PUMPED

Mettaton has announced over the jewelry that he will be hosting a celebration in tandem with the fishing contest, in order to help the native Nalawi and the ALASTAIR recruits get to know each other better. This includes singing, dancing, and all sorts of different performances -- and, of course, reporting on the actual fishing.

If you aren’t the fishing type or maybe you just need a break from chasing sharks around, this is a good chance to bust a move and show your teammates how you can get down -- or just sit back and watch! It’s bound to be entertaining one way or another.

Plot for the stage here!

Olivia will be the final performer in the showcase. Anyone who witnesses her dancing may feel themselves super-charged by the spectacle . . . with possibly unexpected results! Characters may feel even more determined to win the fishing contest, or perhaps they’ll take this surge of optimism to help rebuild some of Komo’s destroyed buildings before the day winds down into night.

THE FEAST

After the fishing contest, the sharks will be collected and prepared. Grilled shark, fried shark, shark caviar, and shark jerky from the results of last year’s contest. There are fruits and vegetables and breads available as well, but if you want some protein, you’d better go native.

During the feast, some of the Nalawi perform dances and song. The subjects range from their goddess Nalanni to love songs. Want to show off your talents again? Now’s the time! Or, if you’d prefer to step away from the excitement, the beach is quiet and empty, and the baths are unoccupied since the whole of Komo is at the gathering.

As the feast winds down, the Nalawi will pass around their very potent alcohol for a toast to Komo’s health. Someone shouts, interrupting, wondering what good that will do if Nalanni has abandoned them. Concerned murmuring fills the gathering, spoiling the mood. ALASTAIR recruits may attempt to put them at ease -- otherwise, the feast will disperse on a sour note.

OOC INFO

If you would like your character to win the fishing contest, please sign up below. You must thread out fishing in order to participate in the drawing. There will be only one winner, decided by RNG. The winner will be contacted on April 1st. The prize is a necklace of shark’s teeth, which has a one-use spell that will make all sharks in a one mile radius sleep for 30 seconds.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

...But they were cat people. [She grins and knocks a fist against his bicep.] Which is all I need! Aside from the colour thing that sounds like a paradise!

[And as for the little love muffin trying to scale her great uncle...]

I got him from this nice guy called Gilgamesh! Who wouldn't take my suggestions for a newer, more modern name change, but that's fine. I guess. He's the one stuck with it, not me. [She draws closer to ruffle his ears as he's held aloft. His tail flicks like the and stretching his head out to catch Ford's scent.] He was just givin' 'em away! Like hotcakes! I mean I had to do an interview and everything but I pretty much passed with flying colors.

I'm splitting custody with Dipper though, since we couldn't get gifts for each other while we're here. [And at last, there is some small hesitation.] ...I let him name him.

[There's a pause as he takes that all in, cradling the cub with one arm while he rubs under his glasses at his eyes with his other hand, pinching the bridge of his nose. Of course the name Gilgamesh rang a bell, and Ford thinks about all he read on Mesopotamia and Babylon as a boy before shaking his head. Couldn't be the same person, surely.]

He was just giving them away? I wonder if it occurred to him to neuter them before they spread further.

[His free hand returned to the cub, holding it there for him to catch his scent. Speaking of birthdays...]

That reminds me. I'm sorry I missed it. A young woman named Ramir told me you had a party.

Oh. Right. [Slight pause. She looks to the cub.] We'll worry about that later!

[LALALALLAA NOT GONNA THINK ABOUT IT RIGHT NOW.]

You met Ramir? I didn't know that. Isn't she cool? [By all rights if anyone should have been more concerned with their birthday around here, it would be Ford. He actually knew them and was related. But considering the circumstances?]

You know, you don't have to worry about it. It wasn't really official or anything, it's just that Dipper got taken a week before I did, but he's been here for three months, and it's been a few weeks now that I've been here so technically, it happened? But also technically he's three months older than me now, which is stupid.

So! No worries. All we did was get cake from the magic oven and offer to share it with people, and then they just started showing up. It wasn't a big deal Grunkle Ford, really.

Best to do it while he's young.

[BUT he drops the subject, setting the cub down on the ground when he's gotten a good sniff and leaving him with a final scratch behind the ears. Kids, amirite? Ford straightens himself and slides his hands behind his back, looking a little curious before he shakes his head, lips quirking into a small smile as he nods. As much as he'd be interested in looking into the timeline thing, he feels like he should reassure her.]

I know you had something big planned back home before...well, before Weirdmageddon, so it's a slight big deal. [His own thirteenth had been spent the same way it was every other year and every other day until his eighteenth; in Stanley's company.] It's a big step.

A heh hum...

[Continuing to not acknowledge that. Is Grunkle Ford offering to do it himself?? It's not like she's seen a vet around. Perhaps she should ask Gilgamesh what to do. The cub turns back to Mabel, pawing at her leg until she hefts it into her arms like it was her own child. And though she's happy to stroke D.G.'s fur, sometimes all she can think about is how she's used to shorter, stiffer hairs on pudgy pink skin.

Oh Waddles. Please be okay out there. Lancer might have said that time would freeze back home while she was out with ALASTAIR, but that doesn't stop her worrying all the same. For everyone.]

It is...but. You shouldn't feel bad about missing it either. The best gift of all is having you here with us, alive and in one piece! [She switches to a one-handed carry and reaches out for Ford's hand.] So why don't we make the most of it! You wanna watch the rest of this spectacle, or try to outfish the rest of these upstarts?

[He gives her a small smile as she picks up the cub, reaching to scratch the back of his neck a little sheepishly. Ford knows it's been a while since he interacted with kids, and he could be a bit blunt. Still, he figured she should think about it if she wanted to be responsible for a pet, or at least partly responsible.

She reaches for his hand and he gives her a raised eyebrow before reaching to take hers, his own wrapping around her smaller one. Ford rubs his thumb over her knuckles, hoping that he's being comforting in his own way.]

Well...with everything that's happened since Weirdmageddon began, it's a relief that we're all together, and safe. [Except Stanley, and his lips purse together when he remembers the state his brother was in when he last saw him, but he says nothing of the fact. He did tell her that he wouldn't mention anything about it. Ford looks at the crowd watching the next event, then glances back at her.] Which would you prefer?

[The bluntness is a much-needed reality check, in perfect honesty. Even as she strokes D.G.'s back she knows this is gonna be no walk in the park, neutered or not. Who knows if she'll even be able to take him home with her. If her parents would be unhappy about a pig in the house, imagine what they'd say about a lion?

But.

Those are thoughts for another day. She's here, she's got Dipper and Ford and now D.G., and she will be home again someday to deal with all the messes she left behind. If what Lancer said was true then perhaps she won't even remember all this stuff in the first place. An equally sad thought, actually.

She nods when Ford makes a comment in the same vein. Behind them, that fancy robot Mettaton is abetting the next act with Las Vegas flair, and that's all it takes to convince her what must be done.

All bad thoughts, begone for the day!]

Well the way I see it Grunkle Ford, we can go shark fishing any time. How often are we gonna get to see an interdimensional talent show hosted by a beautiful robot? [She beams at him.] Let's seize the day! Seize it like we mean it.

[He chuckles softly at that, reaching down with his free hand to ruffle her hair. How often did interdimensional talent shows happen? He couldn't say, considering he didn't pay attention to that kind of thing. Ford shifts his hand back into his pocket, shaking his head.]

Alright, alright. We'll watch the rest of the show. Besides, I'm not that big on fishing.

Well you're in luck! Neither am I! [She swivels on the spot, hoisting her lion to her shoulder.] Come on D.G., Grunkle Ford. Let's go watch alien dancing!!

EVENT ★ GONE FISHIN'

that was fun though..........good times..........

shakes fist at Alex

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