EVENT ★ BACK TO THE FUTURE

[futurologists]

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.

Comments

[brightdawn]

[ Koltira observes him with amusement. Not the most restrained of table manners, but kids will be kids. Even god kids. ]

You need only search about. This place is most accommodating.

[ As to the question, he shakes his head. Both those names sound like gibberish to him. ]

I am an elf, but I was born in Silvermoon City. The capital of Quel'thalas. Those place names are foreign to me, I'm afraid.

[ He sounds genuinely, warmly apologetic. ]

[badnewsboy]

[ god kids mostly do what they want, much at the chagrin of their parents (or Odin, who could really care less about how horribly Loki ate with his hands).

his small feet wave under the table as he listens, though he doesn't seem to be put out by anything that Koltira says. ]

Oh, I thought you were an elf of the Nine Realms—I didn't know that there were elves in other places! That's really cool. What's your elf place like?

[ he speaks between bites, uncaring of how full his mouth is. more than anything, he's curious rather than discouraged with the unfamiliar. ]

Right—uh, I'm Loki! Of Asgard! Where I come from elves have realms that they hail from.

[brightdawn]

[ If Koltira's put off by Loki's manners, he doesn't show it. He just shakes his head as he slices meat--neatly, cleanly, like a civilized person--and takes another sip from his wine glass. ]

Eversong is an enchanted wood. Its trees are forever gold and bright red, its breeze crisp, its gardens always at their peak, always lush. The sapphire spires of our capitol city pierce the sky, and even the streets are suffused with magic. We live by the blessings of our Sunwell--a fount of limitless energy that sustains our bodies and spirits.

[ He takes a bite of the beef. ]

I have lived there all my short life, and I still find it wondrous. What of you, Loki, and Asgard? I know not of such a place.

[badnewsboy]

[ encouraged by not being scolded, Loki makes quick work of almost anything that he can get his hands on. there's some mashed potatoes here, some perfected caramelized vegetables there, a few hunks of meat and everything covered in butter—this is exactly how he rolls. (he has a few of those, as well.)

despite his horrible table manners, he does seem to be rather keenly listening to whatever Koltira has to say, and with his mouth full, he can't use it to talk. ]

Huh? Oh—right. Asgard, um ... so, it's at the top of the World Ash, and it's the home of the gods. It's usually in another realm, hence Nine Realms and all, but lately it's been on Midgard—which is the realm of the mortals. Asgard got closed off after the last apocalypse, and the gods can't go back.

[brightdawn]

[ Koltira doesn't seem bothered. Loki isn't his child, after all. His only responsibility is for the boy's safety, but that's a duty he considers applicable to anyone he meets. ]

The last apocalypse?

[ He leans forward against the table, rubbing his chin. ]

Are your realms prone to ending?

[badnewsboy]

I think they used to be.

[ Loki chews, grabbing for something else in the mean time. ]

Sometimes things happen that make it come close. Like my Uncle, the Serpent. He tried ending everything. Whenever Surtur gets out he tries it too. He's a big fire giant who wants to turn all the realms to ash.