epidemiology | EVENT ★ EXPLORATION

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EVENT ★ EXPLORATION

With the storm gone, the water surrounding Komo has calmed considerably. Much of the affected area is in ruins, but thanks to ALASTAIR, a large contingent of Komo survived the disaster. However, with parts of Komo uninhabitable, they need to be able to reach Nalawi’s other islands. With their technology so limited due to dependence on their Gifts, it’s all they can do to build a few tiny, shoddy canoes, powered solely by elbow grease. They only fit two regular-sized people (but four Nalawi), and the wait time is long, but they do the trick. If you aren't willing to wait, you can always try to get creative.

Strangely, though, anyone trying to use their magic to cross the waters will find that their powers are beginning to dampen. Similarly, anyone with superhuman abilities at all will find them waning, albeit at different rates. Those without any special powers at all will be completely unaffected.

But that's nothing to worry about, right? It’s time to see the rest of Nalawi.

PU’ULAI

PU’ULAI is the centermost island of the archipelago and by far the largest. Most of the travel between islands is to and from Pu’ulai, as it’s the cultural hub of Nalawi and the location of Nalanni’s largest temple. It’s very populated during the day, but isn’t a residential area and clears out once the sun goes down.

The first thing you'll notice is that the deer hate cats. The citizens of Komo are far more likely to let it go, but if you have anything slightly cat-looking with you here, at best, you'll be yelled at. Some Nalawi try to start fights, and no one but Komoans will allow cats anywhere near their homes or inns. Recruits might notice children running away from cats, screaming, "Dakal!"

THE TEMPLE, referred to as Nalanni’s Garden, is closest to the Nalalona volcano on a neighboring island. The regular ash from it was viewed as a good omen from Nalanni, who’s rumored to live within the volcano, but it’s been months since anyone has seen any activity from it. The temple is dark as obsidian, which is coincidentally what it’s made of. There’s a copious amount of brightly colored flowers around the temple, hence the name. The gardens are free for anyone to walk through, as is the temple. One image is constant throughout the temple: an inhumanly large, vaguely feminine being made in stone and fire, a walking volcano. It would be easy for such a woman to look frightening, but she looks welcoming and caring, arms outstretched to embrace her children.

Inside the temple are more murals of Nalanni, but also some curiously unrelated to her. They depict the Nalawi fighting against large, predatory cat-creatures, finally culminating in their enemies attacking Nalalona. This is when Nalanni reappears, striking them down. The temple is tended to by several Nalawi of varying ages, all very welcoming to strangers, especially those they’ve heard heroic tales of. News traveled fast once the Komo villagers crossed the waters and spread the news of their timely rescuers. There are plenty of Nalawi in the temple, making offerings and asking Nalanni to return to them -- some are hopeful, but others appear desolate.

CITY HALL is where the ten members of the Council convene. No one is allowed in, as they’ve been discussing the changing state of Nalawi nonstop for days. There’s a group gathered around the hall each day, hoping their leaders will emerge and announce their plans, but nothing has happened yet. It’s a good chance to sit around and listen, though -- you’ll quickly find out that Nalawi is a meritocracy; the Council have the strongest Gifts of anyone in Nalawi, determined by a nationwide competition to prove their worth every time a seat opens. Some of the more disgruntled deer whisper that some must have lost their powers by now and no longer deserve to sit on the Council.

A few arguments are beginning to break out around the city hall, and even a few scuffles. Luckily, their weakened powers have also dampened the damage they’re able to deal, and no one has been injured too badly. Just try to be respectful -- otherwise, you might upset the wrong person. Those hooves can hurt.

ELSEWHERE, there's a marketplace where traditional Nalawi clothing can be bought, among other things, inactive spas shut down due to dormant volcanoes, and maybe -- if you’re very lucky -- you’ll stumble upon a ferry that still works. It’s unlikely, though, and haggling with its owner will be difficult. You could always steal it, but you wouldn’t do that, would you?

You can always explore the SURROUNDING ISLANDS, which are mostly residential areas, similar in theme to the parts of Komo that haven't been destroyed.

Oh, and if you're disrespectful to the islanders or were at any point rude to the people in Komo, you might wake up to find a bunch of tiny, adorable Nalawi around your bed, swinging around bars of soap in socks. Don't worry, they won't actually do anything but threaten you for a minute before storming out. ...Yet. The moral of the story is 'don't mess with the Nalawi.'

OOC INFO

The entire map of Nalawi is now available to characters. Updated location information can be found here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ but what if she's super awful and yelling makes him feel better? ;n; ]

I said almost, [ he mutters to himself, because he's petulant like that, and he definitely doesn't want to admit that she has a point, despite how "awful" it is...

he grumbles a bit more, loudly and unnecessarily, but he manages to wriggle himself back down to the ground before long... it takes him about twice as long to get back down as it did to get up, so hopefully edna enjoyed around fifteen, twenty minutes of whining and wiggling till his feet finally touch the ground again.

he waits till he's stable before delivering a swift kick to the side of the cave, a fist in the air. ]

I fucking hate this place!!

[ ...

now that he's gotten that out of his system, he spins back around to squint at the little girl. ]

What the hell are ya doing out here by yourself anyhow?

[yeah np she can wait it out, 20 minutes watching a guy awkwardly climbing down a wall >>>> nalawis screeching about her cute normin plush, no questions asked. As long as he doesn't mind the fact that she literally hasn't stopped staring at him his whole trip down...

...

...Oh, he's finally there.

So she claps. 5 times. Slowly, and steadily. The fact that she's got a glove on one hand stifles the sound a bit, at least.]

You made it, mister. Congratulations!

[...]

I could ask you the same thing. You were in a much more questionable spot.

[ the clapping had earned her a dry look, clearly unamused, and it hadn't quite faded even when she turned the tables on him. ]

Yeah, but I ain't lookin' 12 either.

[ POINTED LOOK. ]

And where else am I s'posed t'get a good look at the place from, huh? A damn tree?

[ he considered that already, tbh, but he had much more experience scaling walls than climbing trees... ]

Did you assume that I can't take care of myself purely based on how old I look? That's ageist, and ageism is rude.

[Better than racism and sexism, but ageism is still bad mmkay]

Yes, you'll get more fresh air, sunlight, and better view from a tree rather than the insides of a cave where lava usually gets discharged.

[She looks back at him without batting an eyelash, tilting her head just a bit as she continues on with the same tone and expression.]

Oh, but that leaves the matter of what kind of 'look' you were trying to get. These did start out as tunnels. Underground tunnels. ...You weren't scaling the insides of a cave hoping to get an outside view, were you?

[She may or may not sound judging, even if the pitch of her voice hasn't changed a bit.]

[ wait were they inside this entire time... ]

[ooc: o-oh no... I went off the location page, the way how the Komo lava tunnels were described definitely sounded inside to me! I'M SORRY FOR THE MISUNDERSTANDING, we can retcon parts if you'd like?]

[ LMAO SHIT I THOUGHT THEY WERE OUTSIDE ahhhhhh it's ok i'll... roll with this somehow.... badou has done dumber tbh. blames it on nicotine withdrawal.... gomen my dumb ]

[my bad for not being more clear too and taking the inside thing for granted! it's ok, thanks for being fine with rolling with it also.]

[ no no my mistake, i had made too many assumptions! ]

The only thing I'm assuming is other people would assume the same thing. Don't matter how well you can defend yourself or not — between the two of us? You're still more likely to get targeted.

[ which is still a hassle in and of itself, if ya ask him...

and if badou were perturbed at all by her judging, he doesn't show it. if he was gonna get miffed every time some pint-sized brat thought poorly of him, he'd never get anything done!

...wait that doesn't make him sound too good. ]

Anyway, I ain't about t'waste my time wandering 'round these tunnels like some idiot, so sue me for wanting t'find out which path actually led somewhere useful.

Assumptions come with consequences. If some moron gets the dumb idea to come after me with unsavory intent just because of how I look, then the price to pay is theirs to find out.

[That sure does sound ominous enough to give lesser men a small chill, despite the matter-of-fact tone and her air of indifference...

...And her small size, of course. Not every little girl manages to pull off 'threatening', for one.

He then gets a stare.

A long stare.

...Yeah not gonna comment further on the climbing. It feels TOO... easy.]

I'll pass. You don't look like you have anything remotely worth suing for, anyway. There's just rocks in here, although I guess they can be useful if you're trying to compensate for a lack of wit by working on your brawn. ...Oh, and if you break outside from one of the many entrances, there's just going to be trees, sand, the sea, and more stuff like that. Those sound any more useful to you, mister monkey?

[ ... ]

Where are your parents, kid?

I gotta congratulate 'em on a job well done.

[ said no one ever. ]

[She shrugs.]

Don't have any.

[Which is true... also for the 'no one ever' part, because of the 'not human' thing. He's free to assume 'orphan' too though, she's not doing anything to discourage that...]

[ ah ]

That explains a lot.

But if I did, you must be the sort of men they would warn me to stay away from. No loving parent would want for their sweet and innocent child to be exposed to the bad influences of dumb and uncouth apes, hum.

[ his jaw twitches into a grimace/grin. ]

Yeah, all that lack of couth's contagious, too.

[ he starts advancing on her slowly, making weird spider-leg gestures with his fingers like a Scary Creepy Man. ]

Real contagious. Better scram before they get t'ya!

[Oh, he's coming closer.

She doesn't move an inch, only stare on with the same blank expression as she's carried since the start. Until he gets close enough, until he gets close enough...

Did I mention she was carrying an umbrella, which is closed and she was just idly leaning on it like a cane after he made his presence known

Because she's very much carrying a cutesy umbrella and it's going to become relevant, the moment he's within about a three feet distance

In one swift, if not practiced motion almost too quick for normal human eye to follow, she raises her arm like a trained fighter would raise a rapier, and pokes him with great precision right on the tip of his nose. It's enough to sting a little through sheer force of momentum, enough to knock off a pair of glasses if he wore some, but otherwise, not a jab with intent to legitimately cause great harm. No bleeding and etc, unless he's a super sensitive flower which he probably is not.

But yes. If he doesn't see it coming/make no attempt to dodge, he's gonna be standing there with a flattened nose on the pointy end of an umbrella and a flat gaze with a mild tinge of curiosity, now...]

[ call it luck, call it skill, call it a desperate instinct for self-preservation, call it whatever you like — but badou nails has managed to live through being gunned down by rabid henchmen as many as a dozen at a time and as close as point-blank. whatever the reason, he can be fast when he wants to be, and in this case, he happens to want to be.

all it takes is a shift of a foot anyway, so he dodges well enough. but the umbrella comes at a halt when one of those spider-hands come up and wraps around it, holding it steady in the air. he doesn't particularly look stunned, but he sure ain't looking happy either. ]

Tsk tsk... now that ain't nice.

[ he's close enough that it's far too easy to loom over her, given the vast disparity in their heights. he grins. ]

Someone oughta teach you a lesson...

—HA too slow!

[ that sure is badou yanking the umbrella from her hands and dancing a few feet away with it, holding it high up over his head, out of her reach.

#heisanadult. ]

['he happens to want to be' because he's AN IMMATURE ASS HUH since despite the fact that she's been acting like her usual shitter self, she never did harbor any intent to seriously hurt the lanky idiot in front of her. ...Granted, she can acknowledge the fact that she's been too careless. This isn't the first time someone tried to take her umbrella away from her since her 'recruitment' by ALASTAIR. If anything, the last man was more dangerous, and also a lot less goofy compared to this one. Still, even discounting superior strength and speed from normal humans that a good number of individuals seem to display within ALASTAIR's lot, she should've definitely kept her guard better up, especially in a weakened state.

...But things are different. now.]

Give. That. BACK. You have five seconds, mister monkey, or you're going to seriously regret it!

[He has definitively Angered The Loli... She's also not-so-subtly gathering mana, if he's any magically aware. Her control would have much better flow and finesse otherwise, but again, she's feeling the magical power drain. Not enough to significantly hinder her, but being at like ~60% or ~70% of your usual self is probably a feeling no one likes.]

[ he cocks a brow at her mini-tantrum, quietly assessing his options in the moment.

on the one hand, she sure does look pissed. but, well, that much was expected, wasn't it? he took something of hers, after all, and in none-too-kind a way. a bratty response wasn't unexpected from a bratty kid, after all, but on the other hand, there was something in the back of his mind that almost felt like... a warning.

it's faint, but there, a gut feeling and a red flag that usually went off in more dire circumstances. it was generally a toss-up if he'd actually ever listen to it. ]

How 'bout we start with proper names first, huh? None o' that "Mister Monkey" bullshit.

[ not that he's one to talk, since he's two seconds away from calling her a none-too-flattering nickname himself. ]

[He's... being cautious.

As petulant as she has the capacity to be, she's also worldly enough to recognize that the ape in front of her does, as a matter of fact, possess some modicum of survival instincts. As tempting as it is to encase him in ice for a second or make him feel like he was on that ceiling all over again despite having purchase on solid ground, it COULD be too extreme, especially with a fleeting control of her powers. She definitely doesn't want to hear potential backlash from Sorey either, or worse - Meebo. A dainty lady doesn't go around picking fights, after all (but making semblance of doing it is free game, apparently).]

I just called things as I saw them.

[Less than generous from an admission, but she's not outright rejecting the notion either, and whatever looming force that was on the verge of being unleashed seems to have been halted, for... probably the good of everyone involved, really.

At least, for now. His finely honed instincts would definitely be able to differentiate a lack of red flags from a red flag simply put on hold.]

[ he hesitates, and quite visibly too. the fact that she appears to have calmed and stopped whatever it was she was just about to do should have been comforting, and in a sense it definitely was, but badou can't shake off the unnerving feeling that he just escaped certain kinds of death just now.

slowly, quite slowly, he steps closer to her, stopping just close enough that he can calmly hand the umbrella back. his eye catch on the little doll that hangs from it, a brow quirking curiously before shifting his gaze back to her. ]

Maybe ya should look a lil' closer next time.

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2/2 I AM SO SORRY FOR HIM lskdjals

big shits shouldn't apologize to lil shits tbh

ah true

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1/2 one day i'll stop giving you two-parter tags i promise

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it ok

sorry for the wait!

i'm slow too so maybe we can call it even...

;; grips your shoulder