Field Mission 3: Brushing the Sun, Part 1

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Are there really no bananas on board this thing? NAVIGATION 1. FIRST, YOU DRAW A CIRCLE Click here for the RNG thread! A. IT'S TIME TO GET TO WORK That certainly isn't to say that your previous efforts have not been hard work. But one half of this mission has been fine tuned, a logistical machine of well-oiled cogs, the creative efforts of a man who has so much to make up for. After the three-hour journey across the sky, you and the three other Reclaimers you boarded the glass orb with will be deposited right in the dead center of Maru, where the Bureau has set up a small camp for gathering, sorting, and sending off supplies. It's chilly, but not unbearably so. The air is thin, but up here, it's probably the cleanest you've breathed anywhere else in Faerun — new and old Reclaimers alike. Whatever goal you decide to work toward during your stay here, after a quick rundown of how supply gathering will work (it's pretty simple: You bring supplies, the unnamed Bureau members assigned to the base will send them off), you're turned loose to the gnarling wilds of the floating continent. Because, as the header says, it's time to get to work. And you most certainly haven't gone unnoticed. 2. USE YOUR PATH ACTIONS WISELY B. ROWDY RUMBLE Those of you who aren't quite combat ready might be getting something of an instant crash course in the art of a hostile encounter — though, perhaps in a bit of a lucky streak, goblins, like the pack of three of them that are leading the charge here, are, uh. Well, they're morons. But these particular three see a bunch of humanoids flying in on what are very clearly cursed globes, and they see a bunch of humanoids wandering the lands and attempting to cash in on their treasure. They were here first, you know! Even if they don't entirely understand why the mine they were here first in isn't exactly on the ground anymore. Or where exactly they are to begin with now. Or ... well, frankly, nothing about any of this makes any sense. Whether you're back at the base at the center of Maru, or whether you're out in the fields, toeing at the ground for hints of treasure underneath, you, and whoever you happen to be traveling with, will be approached by a rather bold trio. And whatever treasure you may have on your person? They're rather keen on taking it. What will you do? Fight? Try to reason with them? For those of you with the combat experience, there are, of course, much bigger fish to fry. Take a look at the YOLO's guide to monsters for a full list of the hostile critters you can challenge to a wrestle during your stay on Maru. C. NIGHTLY WHISPERINGS You've probably heard the rumors by now — the fact that nobody seems interested in going to the small lake and waterfall on Maru once nighttime rolls around. Seems pretty silly, right? Superstitious, even. It's a rather beautiful patch of the floating continent, and if your previous expeditions digging through the ground are any indicator, there's a wealth of valuable items to be had underneath the surface. Hubris might lead you to camping out near the water's edge, for just one evening. And sometime around midnight, provided that same hubris hasn't put you to sleep, the light of your campfire, or the light of the moon, suddenly extinguishes. It's like being wrapped up in a cloak of vantablack, in very nearly every single sense, not just sight. No rustling of leaves, no sound of the wind passing through every nook and cranny of the continent. No light. No nothing. If you decide to book it out of there, be careful, lest you accidentally wander into the lake, without a clear sense of where exactly the exit is. But if you choose to hold steady, after about an hour, the silence and darkness clears — and the scenery returns to normal, as if nothing happened. Something did happen, however. Whether you stayed there for just a moment, you sat through it, or you slept through it, if you were anywhere near the lake at midnight, you'll be subject to a nightly enchantment coming from an unknown source. You may pick one of the following: ○ The next time you are asked a question, whether it's what you had for dinner or whether you're all right, you will be magically forced to answer it truthfully. The effect wears off after one question. ○ When you speak, you'll hear yourself speaking normally. Everyone else will hear you either making an animal noise, or repeating a sentence you've said before, regardless of its relevance. That goes all the way back to your canon! The effect begins at sunrise, and lasts for three hours. ○ Whenever you try to leave, it feels as if your shoes are suddenly made with two tons of lead. You will not be able to move away normally. Someone's going to have to carry you out of there. ○ When the sun rises, you will be magically reduced to half your height. The effect lasts for five hours. 3. MINE CART MADNESS D. I'M ABOUT TO LOSE MY MINE, UP IN HERE, UP IN HERE. Eventually, you'll probably find yourself down in the mine's labyrinthine system of tunnels and networks that seem to sprawl out in nearly endless directions. Be careful when you turn corners, as there may be an Umber Hulk or a Basilisk waiting for you in the darkness, but as you look down, you do notice tracks that head in nearly every direction. Whoever had initially excavated this area was quite laborious and thorough with the pathing down in its deepest delves. One turn leans to another long corridor, and maybe another turn leads you back in a circle. Mining equipment can be found almost everywhere, left to rust and decay with the passage of time that could only indicate hundreds of years of being completely unbothered. You step forward, and look to see a path that carves out into four directions- straight, left, right, and back. And you quickly realize something doesn't feel right. That's true- as you begin to step forward and take a path, you find yourself back to where you started after walking for a little while. Turn back, and you might notice that you're in the exact place you just were as well. Maybe you brought some chalk with you, or maybe you managed to drop something here like a breadcrumb trail to tell you which way you've already headed. Or maybe you don't even notice it until you've been walking for hours, but you're stuck in a loop. Of those four directions, you'll notice something peculiar if you start to take notice. ○ One direction will always lead you back to where you started. ○ If you listen close enough, down one hall you'll be able to hear the sound of a coastline, weak waves echoing and crashing against the shore. Follow that sound and you'll come to the source of it: a large standing pool of water that sits absolutely still, no tide. You can swim to the bottom of it, not a problem. There doesn't seem to be anything there. But the walls are bio-luminescent, coated with weird fungi that you definitely don't want to eat. ○ When you look on the ground, you can always find baby fire beetles at the mouth to one of the spokes. Follow those markings long enough and you'll inexplicably be sent back to the mine's entrance. ○ One direction is completely nondescript, but unlike the first one that sends you to the beginning of the maze, you enter a new area that doesn't hold any of the signs that you were there previously. You can follow this lead for several iterations, and eventually come to a four-way that has no features noticeable whatsoever: no beetles, no sound of rushing water. But you head down one of them and you're back to where you started. E. I'LL FOLLOW BEHIND YOU ON RAINBOW ROAD. Mind boggling puzzles aside, you're welcome to explore the depths of the Lost Mine of Phandelver. One of the more ridiculous, albeit, fun adventures you can take is a mine cart ride through the mine down to the farthest reaches. It starts off relatively bumpy and doesn't seem to smooth out at any given point, but it's the closest thing you're going to get to a roller coaster ride down here in Faerun. Reaching the end is a matter of waiting the cruise- and you eventually come to a dead end. There's stuff you can mine down here as it empties out into a vast, damp cavern. Iron, several types of cheap gemstones, and rocks can be found pretty much anywhere. If you're looking to rebuild Vista Virs, this is a good place to start. If you're looking to make a little cash on the side, that's possible too. We're not here to judge your moral intentions. Getting back isn't as fun as it was coming down here, as you're pretty much stuck pushing the cart back to where it was if you want to take things out. Don't worry about the logistics too much; there always seems to be a cart available for you to descend, and oddly enough, it never feels like it's the same journey down and back twice in a row. F. BEEN HERE ALL NIGHT. BEEN HERE ALL DAY. There are a few notable places to explore while you're down in Phandelver: ○ An administrative office, complete with desks that haven't been touched in years. Several papers are still there, with dates that go far and wide back into the past. Touching them causes it to disintegrate into dust. For anyone who makes it down there, there is a lockbox to be found that can be opened by smashing it on the ground or attempting to unlock it with thieves' tools. While the contents are up to you to decide, nothing in there should be magical beyond a simple potion of healing, aged... several centuries. ○ An old room that seems to be barred from the inside, about an hour's walk past the mine entrance. Outside, you can find several skeleton carcasses of humanoid creatures that have long since died down here. If you try to make it into the room by force, you'll be greeted with a barracks that once housed the dwarves who worked down here. You get the sense that a battle happened in these parts, but beyond that, it's kind of hard to tell what went down. ○ A large quarry with a practically neolithic drill in the center of it. It hasn't seen use in quite some time, but be careful as the drop can be upwards of 100 feet. Another prime locale for mining, this area seems to house sturdier metals. Hence, the drill being necessary. Be careful, this is prime Umber Hulk territory. ○ Various storerooms that housed supplies for the workers of the cavern. You'll find wine and spirits down in the depths, and who wouldn't want to try some 300 year old whiskey? The climate down here is particularly perfect for keeping and storing these rare and fine vittles. Drink up, it's on us. ○ One peculiar room that when you enter, you feel a chill sort of feeling take over your body. There's a bed in here, with a storage chest at the base of it. Attempting to open it or touch it or even having an intention to steal/uncover what's inside will cause you to hear incredibly powerful and loud screaming in your head, enough to make you clutch your ears and take psychic damage from it. Hm. 4. WILDCARD The floating continent of Maru is your world to explore, and your story to write! You may use any of the prompts we've given you here, or you may come up with your own prompts — you can utilize any part of the setting provided in the OOC post. If you'd like the outcome of a particular thread randomized, or if you'd like to investigate a particular part of the setting, feel free to drop a note in the RNG thread and we'll set up a roll for you. As always, be amazing. You're two for two on reclaiming Grand Relics, and we can't wait to see what you do here. blurb code by photosynthesis

Comments

[ryuji]

[He didn't really know what to pack for this mission in general, so going back to the basics of his leather vest and puffy neckline, cape and kilt was pretty appropriate, all things considered. These muscles had been obscured for almost all of Vista Virs, where it made sense to keep most of his body covered up in wraps that became rather tattered during hunts in the deserts winds. Which is all just an excuse to say that Ryuji's living it up; brushing the sun's out, gun's out.

At least he's not sweating profusely or demanding whole, unfiltered raw milk at Dave with the screenname of centaursTesticle. Probably good to be glad for that one.]

They covertly check out asses for the other team. Duh.

[He's so fucking proud of that return quip, that he has to look the other way to avoid Dave's face staring remotely anywhere near his. Let him live, okay?

But recognition comes back to him at a nearly breakneck speed, as his eyes lull, and he hums a somewhat dulled "uhhh...." at Dave taking this to a personal level.]

Dude. As a writer, you have to separate yourself from your characters.

[Yeah, Dave. Don't you understand the IC/OOC divide? Gosh.

But he'll bite, because in the end he always succumbs to whatever Dave is pawing at with his unsubtle missteps. If that even WAS a misstep.]

But... lessee. Lessee, lessee. Yoyogi park is like, a total goddamn given. Maybe that's where they meet? Becoming friends slowly 'cause they keep runnin' into each other or something. And their first date can be at Leblanc. It's a little coffee shop that Akira used to live in back in Yongen-jaya. I'm sure Boss would love the publicity. Or hate it.

Nah, he'd definitely hate it. [Then, after a brief pause.] You should totally write about it.

[oculusriffs]

[you could say, as a beach aura kind of barbarian, Ryuji is sweating coconut milk instead of regular milk — which is mostly definitely leagues above any weird and sweaty demands of said centaursTesticle.]

[also, he can't help his bloopers here, there are a lot of things to distract him at his current vantage point. also, he's never been able to help his bloopers.]

I'm method writing. [Dave, that's the dumbest excuse for getting all the hells of sentimental that anyone in the history of Faerun and beyond has ever said. and much like Ryuji was pleased with his ass spies line, Dave looks pretty pleased with his own quip.]

Taking mental notes here, though. An ass spy spies a dude's ass after bumping into him at Yoyogi Park, and it's, uh. What was that word again?

[he quickly rolls through his admittedly sort of glitchy memory banks, and, after a moment, lands a hit.]

Tsuyu.

And then they have coffee and keep spyin' each other's asses.

That actually sounds really good, though. I've only ever had fountain coffee back on the base or weird replicator coffee — none from like. An actual café.

[ryuji]

Method writing...

[He goes along with it because he loves Dave. It's also kind of adorable watching him backtrack up through his obvious mistake, and calling him out on it just doesn't bear the same fruit as letting it slide.]

God, I can't wait to be the first person to buy this book. You'll sign it, right?

[He pushes Dave's hair even more further back as he rakes bony fingers through it. For a moment, he leans on his flexibility to curve downward and kiss the dipshit straight on the forehead, not caring that his legs had to lift a little bit to do so.]

Payment in advance. Just sayin'.

[But it's noted. The first place he's going to take Dave when they get to Tokyo is a really good coffee shop. Or maybe just Leblanc. He hates coffee himself, unless it's loaded with milk and sugar to the point that it doesn't taste like coffee at all and just a dessert instead, but if anyone in the world makes a bad ass cup of Joe, it's Boss.]

Wardrobe suggestion? They're both wearin' these bangin' ass pants that show off, like, every goddamn curve they got. Like the best raw denim skinny jeans and a kick ass, punk as shit pair of leather pants.

[He smiles, nesting himself back against Theodore, more comfortably.]

... I'll take you to get the best cup of coffee you ever had in your life. If it means seein' you smile, then of course, it's worth it.

For research, of course.

[oculusriffs]

[there it is — the probably well-established-by-now action, the way a smooch that hits his face tends to shut Dave up from whatever he was going on about. at least, for a few minutes.]

[his train of thought wasn't really meandering anywhere tilted, though — just toward the stop that includes picturing Ryuji in bangin' ass leather pants. so when Ryuji pulls the brakes on him, he isn't distracted by it so much as he's completely calmed by it. like an extra balm to an already pretty peaceful moment. he breathes out, stretches a little, whatever minute tension he's always carrying abating for once — and honestly, this is probably the most relaxed Dave has ever been in his life.]

[and, considering Ryuji is currently using a bear as a backrest? this is probably also the safest they'll ever be on Maru.]

You're givin' me a long list of things we gotta research for this. That's not a complaint, though, I'm mostly just wondering if there's a Costco back on base that sells leather pants.

[yup. completely relaxed.]

After we do some coffee research and everything else ... and I learn some more Japanese. You think you'd wanna see what Houston's about? I dunno if it'd be anything like the one I remember, but I kinda feel like I'd want to find out.

[ryuji]

Man... I used to wear leather all the time. You're missin' out.

[Being comfortable enough in his relationship to tease Dave about his firm ass in leather pants. That's relationship goals right there. And Ryuji can get comfortable pretty much anywhere, if not even proven by the ridiculously uncomfortable bunk bed back in the station or the way they could rough it back in New Aspen.

If they were both stuck out in the middle of nowhere, he'd probably be okay with that too. The both of them could cuddle up somewhere and be absolutely fine. They'd talk about nonsense shit for hours on end and Ryuji would find himself smiling just as much as he is now. Ain't a better home in this entire world than Dave Strider.]

I ain't ever really left Tokyo before, but goin' around the world here has been somethin' else. Kinda puts shit into perspective, y'know? Like, I bet there are a million places out there on Earth to check out. Houston's one of 'em, forreal, but. Maybe when we get settled and your Japanese is amazing and my English is, uh, passably shitty, we junk the metro shit for a bit and see the world. Eiffel Tower. Uh... the Big Orange. Los Angeles? And... er... well, shit, I dunno. S'long as I'm with you, it ain't like I care that much. Every single day we're back should be an adventure. Even if it's, like... just grabbin' a cup of coffee.

[This is, of course, provided that none of what he saw in that cavern comes to fruition. It still looms heavily in the back of his mind.

Kind of like... if he talks about it like this, here, and weaves a story about their future, then it'll have to come true, right?]

[oculusriffs]

[that's ... easily something that crosses his mind at least two or three times a day. more the fact that he isn't anywhere closer to a reasonable solution than the day he promised Ryuji that he'd find one.]

[because he does have an unreasonable solution. well — not so much unreasonable as it is unreachable. it was sitting right there in their laps, far away on another space station, when Ryuji was on the verge of dying and Dave had laid out at least the foundations of a plan to fix everything.]

[that's what a time player's supposed to do. figure out the best path, forward, the one where everyone lives and is able to do what they need to, and use little movements, little time loops, to help nudge them all in that direction.]

[of course, it's pretty fucking hard to do that when you're not a time player anymore. if irony weren't literally his shtick, Dave would be pointing out to himself how ironic it is that he's wishing he still was, after all the complaining he did about being one.]

[he will never, of course, stop searching for an answer. jury's out on how much either of them will like the ones he finds. that's just something they'll have to try to sort out together.]

[anyway, there's a lot here that Dave would like to comment on, and he even opens his mouth to do so, but any thoughts on Ryuji's passably shitty English pretty much fly out the window and right off the edge of Maru.]

Big Orange. [yeah. you knew that was the thing he was going to zero in on, didn't you!]

[he's just going to keep on going, like there wasn't a glaring disparity in nomenclature just now.]

Y'know, when I was a lot younger, I always thought about moving to the Big Apple, because smaller and way more naive Dave thought that's where they made all the apple juice.

I've never actually been before.

[he reaches up to rub at his own face, cheek appropriately smushing.]

I do like the adventures you're setting up there, though. Kinda feels like ... I dunno, something we've both been deserving for a while.

[ryuji]

You mean... like a goddamn vacation, if that's what you're talkin' about and lemme just say I am super effin' for all of that.

[From this angle, looking down at Dave, he's just unfortunately more charmed than anything about the apple story. Sort of like looking at a statue of a cow and saying delicious, when you mean something completely different than that.

And in the end, he doesn't know or rather, can't know, what the future of what's facing him actually holds. If there's some sort of thing he needs to be looking out for, or if there's something he knows he can do to stall that from happening. Borrowed time or not, he also can't fault Dave for not having something worked out either way. His powers are locked out, sealed away like someone vacuumed it right out of him, and even then... Ryuji's never really been that okay with messing around with time to begin with. The only path in life is forward, after all.

It's also really, really hard to worry about that sort of thing, about... anything, really, when they're nestled up like this. He can only give way to the rattle of laughter in his chest when Dave talks about the Big Apple, correcting him from his lack of understanding about how America is laid out or its colloquial geographic pen names.]

That's cute as shit, Dave.

[Because it is.

Ryuji calms down from laughing and leans downward a little more, keeping about 2 feet dangling from the top of Dave's face.]

What do you love more? Me, or apples?

[oculusriffs]

[god, sometimes it's really hard to tell whether Ryuji is aware of how he occasionally sets himself up for an extraordinary dunking.]

[and maybe he's expecting it? Dave doesn't know. that's kind of been their cadence for a while, after all. throw out a jab or two while understanding each other well enough that none of them are actually meant maliciously. put a light dunk on a guy's navy rankings as a means of encouragement, that yes, he is capable of finishing school, especially since he's already started. Dave's always been kind of shitty about expressing himself and his feelings genuinely - and for a while there, more often than not, whenever he tried, it came out wrong. or awkward. or slightly off key. like trying to tune a piano that had been sitting in a musty basement, unused, for the past seventeen years.]

[so, having the jokes, and knowing that his meaning behind them was understood anyway, has been just as much encouragement for Dave as Ryuji actively encouraging him has been. kind of hard not to be encouraged around a guy who straight up told him that he was his favorite version of Dave before they even started dating officially.]

[if they are actually on borrowed time here, and if he's presented with the chance to say something genuine, as in key and to whatever tune he's capable of now, then he's got no reason to be coy about it. the usual smirk gives way to something slightly softer.]

You.



I mean, if you also had some apples that'd be a bonus, but. [yup, not coy at all.]

Just you is good.