epidemiology | EVENT ★ BACK TO THE FUTURE

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Kahaha~. [His laugh was a bit dry but still honest in how it slipped from him.]

It's pretty good if you drink it with the right people. I made the mistake of doing it alone for a long time.

[She turns, taking a few steps before she sits down beside him, elbows resting on her knees.]

And who would you consider the right people?

[Turning to give her a glance as she sat down, Ban shrugged weakly.]

Folks who accept me. Nobody who'd try to coddle me and act as if I'm all that good or admirable a guy.

Just someone who doesn't mind who or what I am.

[She shifts slightly, finding a slightly more comfortable way to sit.]

It is always good to find people who accept you for you.

Sometimes it's a tad difficult.

Guess you'd know something about that, huh? [Ban lowered his head back to the ground. He hadn't asked Widowmaker particularly deep questions at all. Superficial ones, at best just to skim the surface.

He didn't quite mind talking about himself if pressed but he wasn't one for prying into others. It was a habit born out of a general distrust of others. He had taken awhile to erode that nature.]

If anything, you've got me~. [Grinning just a little, Ban offered a weak shrug.]

I'm not too shabby.

More than I'd like to. [It brought up bitter memories of the her before she'd broken free again; made her remember all the things she told herself she wouldn't think about until she was finished with her mission.

But here it was quieter, even with the large bugs running amok.]

I'm...glad for that.

[Widowmaker made a fair demonstration of trust, at that. Crossing his legs, Ban settled into a more comfortable section of grass. The back of his uniform would be stained from it but he clearly showed no signs of caring.]

Glad to be of service, then.

[He held up the flask once again, wondering if Widowmaker would take him up, again.]

Drowning ain't normally a good idea unless you've got someone to take care of you--and, I don't feel like heading anywhere else for a bit.

[She closed her eyes as she settled a bit more, the smile on her face displaying at least a faint contentment with both her company and the peace she'd been allowed. She stayed like that until he spoke again, causing her to look at him.

After a moment of thought she did decide to take him up again, accepting the flask and taking another drink from it before handing it back.]

Then I won't worry about losing myself completely.

[Ban shook the flask when it was returned to check the remainder of its contents. It was near empty at that point. Finishing it off, he reached to his hip for a small brown satchel--from which he took another flask that looked fairly identical. He began to unscrew it, taking a swig from it with a cool sigh.]

I'll take it as a compliment. [Ban set the flask down in the grass and then reached up to put his hands behind his head, glancing aside to Widowmaker with amusement tracing itself into his tone.]

Though, it's still a surprise. You're fine, losing yourself around me? I could just be using honeyed words.

[The alcohol is making it easier to relax, settling deep into over worked nerves and easing them. As much as she says she might let herself go finally, just once...just like old times she knows she won't.

Control is too important to her now.]

You could, but most people wouldn't say something like that if they really were.

True. [Nobody was quite as confident as Ban was that others would dislike him. He grew up as a criminal and with the expectation that people would hate him the moment he realized who and what he was.]

Force of habit, I guess~. I just spent a lot time being used to folks distrusting me. When your nickname is 'Bandit Ban', it's kind of tough to have friendly relationships.

You don't have many friendly relationships being an Assassin, either.

[A part of that had been no fault of her own and the rest had been a choice. It had become easier to be without people closer to her beyond those she just called acquaintances, or those she ended up working with.

There was no one to use against her.]

Yeah. It's pretty unfair.

[Ban began to count something on his fingers.]

Killing people for money, over your faith, for your king, your government and sometimes, just to save lives.

[He looked to Widowmaker even as she seemed deep in thought. It was an expression he was used to seeing in mirrors.]

Being an assassin sounds just like being a knight--only, most assassins don't pretend to be heroes. It's easily just as sinful. If anything? Knights kill a whole lot more people.

[He laid back, again, shutting his eyes.]

I've known plenty of knights I've hated. As far as Assassins go, you're not bad to spend time with at all.

EVENT ★ BACK TO THE FUTURE

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