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

Oh, you're a knight!! That is really cool! I always wanted to be one of those!! Or, it was more of a guard really, but a knight would have worked, because then I would have been popular!

Not that... Well. I guess I am the most popular monster in the Underground now. Um.

[ And like a magnet of the same polarity, Papyrus winds up rapidly pushing away from any depressing topic once again. ]

...So as a knight, you saved people and things like that, yes??

Somethin' like thaaaat~. [Seating himself down on a fixture on the stone walls, Ban kicked out his feet and relaxed right there on the spot. They were blocking going traffic but then, none seemed to be progressing at that time of day. Ban lifted a brow and came to a curious conclusion in an instant. Papyrus was a king at the moment. Would he feel the same about--]

But you know, I'm not just a knight.

[His smile seemed to turn more somber as he wondered if the same thing would happen twice.]

I'm a thief and a murderer. Are you alright being friends with a guy who'd do those things?

Oh.

[And Papyrus pauses, rubbing his arm, looking up at Ban with a new sort of sight. From a pocket in his new (more kingly-looking) outfit, he pulls out a cellphone. He stares at the flip phone's screen, looking at it like it'll give him the answer somehow. Without glancing back up-]

You know, I think I may already be friends with someone who would do those things.

[The offered smile wasn't rescinded. Ban sat and watched as his expression fell and Papyrus drew out his cell phone.

He didn't hold his hopes any more than usual.]

You'd still be friends with me, then?

[ Papyrus looks up from his phone. ]

Would you ever hurt me or my brother?

[ Not all monsters. Not even asking about if he'd hurt humans. Just him and his brother. ]

[It was the easiest answer Ban could give.]

I'd sooner die than hurt either of you.

[To Ban, that was even more of a statement of faith.]

[ Might mean less if he knew about Ban's immortality, but as it stands, he doesn't, so that's a pretty powerful thing to say. He smiles, and it's not a wide one like Ban might be used to seeing on his face (somehow, a skeleton, grinning different variations of smiles)- but he's a real one nonetheless. ]

Then of course I'll be your friend.

[Snorting, Ban reached over to set his hand on Papyrus' shoulder, giving him a little encouraging shake.

He was proud to have come to that realization a second time.]

That's why I love you so much, buddy~. You're one of the best guys I'll ever meet in my life.

Ever? Well, I am... very great! It's no surprise I'll be one of...

[ Ahem. Actually- ]

I mean the best guy!! I'll start as "one of" but I will work my way to being "the best!"

[The sneer that spread on Ban's face was nothing more than pure, unadulterated pride. The concentration of it was near lethal.]

Reaaaally? That's pretty competitive spirit for someone who already set the highest baaaar. As if anybody could be better than you!

No one can be better than me!

[ Yelling now, back to his normal ... yelling voice, and he gestures to himself grandly as he usually does. He's kept the crown in his hand, the whole time, and it's only now he realizes he still has it there. Staring back down hard at the crown...]

I...

I'm going to be selfish. Just for now.

[He also reaches around the back of his neck to undo the large cape that was attached to his outfit. Putting the crown inside the cape and tying the ends of the cloth to make an old-fashioned sack, he then ties that all together to the large trident he also had with him as well. It looks nothing now like the signs of royalty each thing represented, but more like the kind of possession a homeless person might have. ]

Alright, Ban-best-friend! Show me around!

Edited 2016-10-18 04:54 (UTC)

[Papyrus' makeshift knapsack earned a level gaze from Ban, who shrugged it off as an oddity. He was somewhat disappointed Papyrus did away with the cape like that but it didn't strike too much of a chord in him. The disappearance of the crown was equally a loss and yet it didn't steal from Papyrus' improved mood.

Ban didn't fail to notice those moments when Papyrus' mood and thoughts seemed to hit a sharp decline. He watched in silence, his smile unwavering in its generous use. Everyone had their slumps and everyone had their reasons for being depressed. He wouldn't spoil it if he could see the guy lighten up and become cheery, again.]

Sooo, I've gotta be a tour guide~? That's gonna be a problem. I'm not usually sober when I walk around the compound, y'know.

[It's really for the betterment of his mood that he just doesn't see the things he arrived with...]

What?! You drink that much??

[Yep, not used to Actually An Alcoholic Ban yet...]

Then, I guess we'll both just learn where we're going now... Let's go left first! Left is always a good way to go! Almost as good as right.

[Snickering, Ban gave a little wave of his hand to Papyrus--trying to dismiss the thought pre-emptively.]

Ahhh, not anymore~! I used to drink a whole lot a few hundred years ago but I got over it. It's not that bad of a problem, anymore.

[Now, he drank during parties and get-togethers and not just by himself to conceal his relentless self-loathing.

He thought he drank less but... not really.]

And, left, is it? That sounds like how you'd escape a maze. [In a way, that was kind of what they would be doing. Ban lead on, rubbing his chin.]

We might be headed to the doorway that leads to the stables if we go around here, I think. I kind of remember a pegasus down there, if you wanna see that.

EVENT ★ BACK TO THE FUTURE

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