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

[sololoquy]

[He would have rather just killed the thing but--not the Jedi way and all.

So instead, after Loki gives his oh-so-thorough description of their plan, he stops running and holds up his hands.]

Fine. We will combine our two plans.

[Once the bug enters Ben's range, it suddenly stops all forward motion and hovers just above the ground, flailing its legs uselessly. With his next slow exhale, he speaks to Loki as calmly as he is able.]

Go find another, and lead it here. That way, we may continue this without risking the possibility that we will be outrun.

[badnewsboy]

[ less messy killing was always one million times better than messy killing. left to him, Loki would choose the alive option nine times out of ten. Loki shoots him a Look as he juggles his feet when he realizes that Ben's not following him. ]

That's—that's a terrible idea! [ just as Loki's somewhat bad at compromise. ] Don't do anything stupidly heroic! Like be bug food!

[ he knows the type, he has a brother like that. except that Thor was much larger and more intimidating than Ben. without time to win this battle of stubborn boys, Loki takes off down the hallway, skidding around the corner in search of another bug. ]

8 years later, I am here

[sololoquy]

It won't be stupidly heroic if you move your legs a little faster.

[That one is mostly mumbled under his breath, focused instead on holding the bug where he's managed to halt it. It struggles with horrible screeching, and it occurs to Ben that maybe Loki had been right -- it may have, in fact, been a terrible idea.

His arms don't shake until Loki comes skidding back around the corner.]

[badnewsboy]

[ it has nothing to do with my legs! he almost quips back, but thinks better of it as he rounds the corner. while he doesn't dawdle, it takes him a while to find another bug suitable, and after that it's running through hallways to keep its attention, waving his arms over his head like he's simulating a moving target between two flags.

then next time he fumbles around the opposite corner at top speed it's with an enormous bug on his heels, clicking its legs behind him as he dashes back toward Ben. ]

Waitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwait—now!

[ and he turns his feet abruptly, tumbling out of the way for the two bugs to meet one another.

his heart beats furiously in his chest as he looks up with wide green eyes to make sure that Ben got out of the way of the giant, disgusting insect collision. ]

[sololoquy]

[Ben holds until he hears Loki call, and then drops his hold, rolling out of the way in a manner that might have been considered acrobatic were it not for his gangly limbs. He springs off on one hand just in time for the insects to collide and do their strange dance. Unsurprisingly, he makes a face and turns to move toward Loki rather than continue watching to make sure the danger is over.]

How far did you need to go?

[He's slightly winded from the effort of holding the Force so long, but at least the deed was done. Its not as if he has any face he's trying to save with this stranger.]

[badnewsboy]

[ Loki takes a good look at him up and down tactlessly, but finds no harm has come to him. good, there was no need to get anyone hurt when the problem could be solved simply. where Ben turns his face, Loki has no problem looking around him to the lusty antics of the bugs behind them without much embarrassment. he's seen worse.

his eyes do go back to Ben as the question is asked. ]

Just around the other corner. Infestation is certainly a word for this. [ he says it with a puff so exaggerated, that it ruffles the creases in his hood. ] They give into their desires—[ he motions with his hand. ]—and then head off somewhere else. I'm not certain where, yet.