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

[unperturbed from inviting herself closer, rin takes another step towards pearl.]

What's it like to be part of a fusion? The only comparison I would have is smashing two people together.

[Pearl clasps her hands over her chest as she thinks about it. Her chest balloons as she inhales deeply, dreamily.]

It's amazing. You're one with your fellow Gem. A close connection. A feeling of collaboration, power and strength. Gems become an entire new being, sharing a body and mind together. It's as if you can accomplish anything with the other Gem that's with you.

As long as your relationship with the other Gem is reasonable. If it isn't... the new Gem that's formed can become unstable.

[is it really something to sound so dreamy about? rin can never be sure, so she shouldn't judge. she already has plenty of reason to think that the gem is different from her in several ways—and she's witnessing aspects of pearl today that she's never had a chance to see.]

On second thought, that's the same as some magical rituals I'm familiar with... [which she won't be going into detail about unless pearl asks, because they aren't necessarily appropriate for common company, but.] Those can go really awry, too, if you aren't careful.

[water splashes lightly around her feet as she leaves the shore. beside pearl, rin smiles—a gentle, happy smile.]

You know, I don't think I've ever told you. My family specializes in magic with gems. I wonder if I can sort of "connect" with Gems like you.

[Fusion was something in which Pearl held dear to her heart. It meant trusting whoever you fuse with. With your very being. And when fusion happens between two Gems that care about each other very much well. It's a perfect combination.

Pearl tilts her head, her shoulders relaxing. Magic with gems? She furrows her brow as she thinks about the very idea of putting magic into mineral gems.]

Do you put magic into gems? Or do you create them yourself?

Oh, I put magic into them!

[rin raises her eyebrows. creating natural, passable gems that are the real thing as far as precious jewels that have existed within the earth for hundreds upon hundreds of years is well beyond her.]

I don't create them myself. It's just that our talent is infusing our magical energy into things, and gems and jewels happen to be the best containers for us in that regard.

[She taps her chin at that and furrows her brow at the thought of enhancing a Gem's innate magic. Would it go haywire? Would it disrupt things? She purses her lips before she sighs heavily.]

That would be interesting, but I would be too worried about the well being of the Gem being infused with magic, and the one doing the infusing. [Pearl lifts her head to look up towards the sky.]

Something could backfire.

That's true... There's no way to know whether it would be successful or not, either. If we're compatible, so to speak.

[everyone is, after all, from different worlds and places.

she doesn't know the origin of the gems that make up pearl and her people.

slipping further into the water and propping her arms behind her back, rin stares off at the moon. she could ask about it.]

Maybe there are other ways we can support each other...

Say, Pearl, where do Gems like you come from?

[she's heard bits and pieces before, from pearl herself and also steven, but never the full story.]

[Pearl follows her gaze up towards the moon and smiles. Rather ironic, she thinks with a soft chuckle. She exhales softly, her gaze moving towards the stars in the sky.]

Gems come from outerspace and other planets. Rubies, Sapphires, Peridots, Amethysts, Quartzes... There's many different kinds of Gems. [Pearl leaves out any mention of Pearls. Heck, they weren't even considered real Gems.]

All of them have certain quirks and abilities. Made from the crust of whatever planet they're created on.

EVENT ★ GONE FISHIN'

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject