isleofavalon | closed 🌠 hey girl, we can make it easy

[Initially, Tifa had some questions about the posting. Namely, what kinds of creature should she expect the Carcinuses to be, and if she should be prepared for anything, to which the only answer she got was "get rid of them using whatever means necessary." The idea of destroying them didn't sit well with her, regardless of what they looked like—from the sounds of it, they were mostly peaceful, just a bit pesky to get rid of, and so if they were doing no harm to the local wildlife, then what reason was there to go any further than observing them to find out the easiest way to get them home?

She's sitting atop a hill a fair distance away from where these Carcinuses are grazing at the lake, or whatever it is scorpion-tailed crabs do. It's mostly digging through the sand, accidentally being carried away by a large wave, or skittering off when the edge of the lake comes too close. They're ugly as hell, but it's endearing to watch, in an odd way.

Beside her, she has a large bag set on the grass, and on the other side, a bag of small carrots that she brought as her own snack while she waits for the other person she was told was coming. A girl named Jade, she was advised, so every now and then, she glances over her shoulder until she sees her approaching, and waves her down from where she's seated, cross-legged, with half a carrot held between her smile.]

You must be Jade.

[She isn't kept waiting terribly long, and Jade approaches the rendezvous point with a bag of her own slung over one shoulder, offering a warm smile in greeting as Tifa waves her over. She thinks she's seen the other woman in passing before, but they've never had the opportunity to talk before now— it had been nice to know from the jump that she wouldn't be tackling this task alone, and she slows her approach to drop her own bag into the grass as she reaches the spot where Tifa has made herself comfortable.]

Got it in one. You're Tifa, then.

[She tilts her head to one side and reaches out with one gloved hand to shake, leaning forward in order to meet Tifa halfway while still standing.]

The locals don't seem to mind that we're here so far— in fact, it seems like they aren't doing too much of anything beyond grazing.

[There's just... too many of them, which she knows can be a real problem long-term.]

[Halfway through the handshake, Tifa rises to her feet, eyes meeting with Jade's briefly before roaming over to the sandy fields below where more of them seem to be wandering in to join the party. There is literally no end to them, as far as her own eyes can see—the horde extends into the trees and likely past them too.

There really is... way too many, and that much is obvious to her now that she's standing.]

Yeah. Been watching them for a while. Don't see them doing anything too harmful, but I can see why people wouldn't want them around. They could burrow into the gardens if they really wanted to.

[And aren't exactly nice to look at either... but that's the least of her concerns.]

Figured rather than hunt them, we could try getting them back home.

I could see how overcrowding could become a problem, as well. There are only so many resources to go around.

[And with other creatures calling this place home, it may put a lot of stress on the immediate environment to invite so many... new neighbors. Her smile hitches wider at Tifa's suggestion; it's precisely along the same lines as what she had been thinking. While she's no stranger to violence, she would rather leave hunting as a last resort in this case— certainly between the two of them, they can get the job done in a peaceful manner?]

I like the way you think. There are a lot, but we could herd them elsewhere if we get their attention. I'm sure it's much more difficult than it sounds, but I'd much rather do that than have to put any of them down.

[They didn't ask to be so numerous, after all!]

We just have to convince them that home is better than here.

Could be that they've just wandered so far, they've forgotten where home is.

[They don't look like the brightest creatures from here, especially when they let themselves get carried off by the smallest waves with their little leggies going right up into the air and searching helplessly for solid ground.

She lifts the bag of food she's brought, the bridge of her nose wrinkling ever so slightly at the raw stench coming from it, and she extends her arm, pushing it away from her face.]

Not the most glamourous job, but I'm sure we could make it happen.

[What better way to lure an animal than with food?]

You may be right— I'm sure that's fairly common among wildlife. Wander somewhere new, and so long as it has everything they need, it may as well become home. Unfortunately, not always the best thing for those already living there.

[She looks back towards the crowd of them that's gathered. They really are kind of cute, in their way, which makes her even more glad they both seem to be interested in taking a non-violent approach. Jade normally isn't one to shy away from a fight, but in this instance, it should be a last resort.

She smiles at Tifa hefts her back; the smell is strong and certainly unpleasant, but Jade knows full well what it means. She'd brought along a few things to attempt to use as bait, as well, but she thinks Tifa's offering might have better luck— not to mention, the sooner they make use of it, the sooner they won't have to smell it anymore.]

Well, it smells strong enough to get their attention. Just like people, I'm sure they'll be inclined to follow their stomachs.

[She nudges her own bag aside with one foot before extending a hand to take Tifa's bag from her, offering a reprieve.]

I brought along some vegetables and other things they might think of as being treats, but this seems most promising.

Might as well leave it behind for them to eat after, right?

[Then maybe, they'll be more inclined to stay wherever they lead them if there's some supply of food, however small. But they aren't going to get to any of that standing all the way up here! Too bad, really, it would have been easier for the beasts to come to them than it would be the other way around. The climb down the hill is a steep one, but Jade looks like she can handle it.]

Shall we, then? Let's get this over with.

[She's already leading the way to the edges of the hill, and is careful as she starts her jog down, extending a hand in case Jade would like to take it. And when they do reach the shore of the lake, several of the Carcinuses wandering in the shade turn their heads to look, twitching at the scent of food...]

Far better than taking it back with us, certainly. Let's hope it entices them.

[They're definitely on the same page, in this instance, and at Tifa's suggestion, Jade offers both a smile and a nod of affirmation as they start their way down the hill, snatching up the second bag on the way. The incline may be severe, but they're both more than capable of handling themselves. She doesn't take the offered hand, but does give a warm, appreciative laugh before waving it off, making her way down the slope at a steady clip without letting momentum get the better of her.

No sooner do they approach the shore than the Carcinuses begin to shift their attention— like many wild creatures, Jade is willing to bet they have an excellent sense of smell.]

Well, no time like the present. Time to get these troublemakers back in the water!

[She'll reach into the bag that Tifa brought along first; without flinching, her fingers close around raw meat, and she sucks in a sharp breath as she raises it high above her head to further draw their attention. There's the clattering of pincers and shifting feet as several more look her way, but before they can head towards the pair, she winds up and hurls that first bit of meat forward so that it lands on the other side of the flock of scorpid-creatures, closer to the edge of the water.]

Fetch!

[Entice them it does. Perhaps a little too much, even for Tifa's liking, because the piece of thrown meat is chased by every one of them that had been grazing nearby. So many that their little feet create a loud, rolling roar that bellows through the woodlands, and they're left with only a few stragglers while the rest of them move to fight for the little piece of meat.

Tifa is at a loss for words, and she stands there with her bag of raw meat, and stares at Jade, dumbfounded.

...]

Well, that worked a lot better than I thought it would. Think we should go break up the fight?

[Hmm. Well, that had been even more effective than either of them had anticipated, hadn't it?

Jade frowns slightly as she exchanges glances with the woman beside her, then thoughtfully brings one hand up to rest against her face as she considers. This is a time for quick decision-making, surely, but her initial impulse to jump into the fray and start throwing punches when a skirmish starts up may not be the best course of action, at least not yet.]

Confident though I am in our abilities, I'm worried getting too close while they're in this state will cost one or both of us a few fingers. We have more bait— perhaps if we split up, we could distribute it quickly enough that they scatter a bit while still herding them towards the lake?

[Those who haven't managed to get a bite for themselves yet will surely leap at the chance to get one.]

[Jade's idea is a much more practical one than simply jumping in because yeah, for such a small piece of meat, they're really going at it, their pinchers and sharp feet tearing it to shreds until there's nothing left... and now, they're turning their heads back to them, giving the pair even less time to figure themselves out, and Tifa takes note of that.]

Alright, [she responds quick.] I'll split them up on the north end and you take the south? See if we can lure them back this way so we can lead them home.

[Like pied pipers...

Some of them are starting to skitter back, trampling over others when the smell of fresh, raw meat comes closer. And Tifa is already taking off to her end, giving Jade a firm nod of confirmation before breaking into a run, and the plan will work flawlessly. The horde of Carcinuses begin to peel apart like a banana, splitting right down the middle. They'll begin to jump up like eager puppies waiting for a treat but won't bring any harm to either of them. Don't bite the hand that feeds you, as they say...]

They're a bit too friendly—!

[Although she's amused, laughing, as she calls out to Jade over their heads.]

[There are certainly worse ways this could have gone. At first, it seems like the plan is simple enough to go off without a hitch; they divide the crowd of Carcinuses easily by allowed them to follow their noses, but within moments, Jade finds herself in the exact same position as her partner just a little ways down the shore.

She laughs openly as she drops the meat she'd been dangling as bait, then quickly moves to scatter more about her. A number of the creatures are still jumping up to reach and beg, and she even feels a few pincers brush harmlessly against her, startling for but a moment.

They really are quite friendly, aren't they?]

They really were just hungry! I'm glad we found our way here before someone took a more aggressive approach— oh!

[A Carcinus jumps up to snap a piece of meat right from her hand, though is careful not to clip her fingers in the process.

How could anyone bring themselves to harm these creatures? They might have been upsetting the balance, but she's confident that it can be rectified.]

You know, they're almost cute, aren't they?

[Objectively, they really are not, but...]

In their... own way, yeah...!

[Tifa's run into a bit of trouble herself with several of them trying to climb up her front, their feet pulling at her top and her skirt as they attempt to make grabs for the food, and when she lifts the bag over her head, that only makes it worse.

So, she turns to scolding them instead, which... doesn't do much of anything, but at least it helps her feel like she has more control over the situation. There's one Carcinus in particular that is adamant about a second helping before it's finished its first, and the others need to be given a chance as well!]

Alright, be nice! You'll get your turn again, but you gotta give the others some too. This isn't just for you.

[She groans and hands off another small piece to a different one.]

So, how do we wanna do this? Just shuffle our way back to the woods like this?

[It seems like their only option right now... And oh god, are those foxes wandering in to see what the commotion is about?]

[Excellent mom-voice there, Tifa— even if it isn't terribly effective. Jade is also finding herself struggling, with the creatures starting to crawl over one another to try and get at another helping, begging for food faster than she can dole it out.

They'll run out before they get anywhere, at this rate.

She nods sharply as she meets Tifa's gaze once more, nodding her head towards the treeline.]

I don't know that there's much more we can do, but since we have their attention, we should make the most of it and lead them away from—

[Oh. Just as Tifa had, she spots those same foxes, and she clenches her teeth for a moment. Lovely.]

We may have trouble if we can't keep their interest. Let's start moving, now!

[Let the shuffling commence. All told, Jade is sure she looks completely ridiculous as she starts to head towards the trees, dangling more meat to keep the Carcinuses from catching sight of the foxes, though her own gaze does frequently cast towards them, anxious.]

Edited 2021-09-01 23:39 (UTC)

[She has half a mind to throw the meat in the direction they're headed, but with what happened earlier, it could end up being a lot messier than she'd like to imagine in her head. So, here she is, shuffling along with Jade as the group moves, and they might as well be moving as a single unit. Something like this would look strange from above—just a giant blob passing over the sand like a group of ants carrying food home.

The foxes bark at some of the Carcinuses that try to shove them aside, but they somehow manage to flit between their feet as they move until they're right up near Tifa's ankles barking at her for a piece.]

Not yet...! Wait until we get into the trees.

[Just as Jade predicts, their interest does start to wane as they wander further, and Tifa bites her lip, worry crinkling in her brow as some start to turn around to the lake again.]

... I think it might be best if we toss some into the trees? Just like you said, could be hard to keep their attention.

[She's already digging into the bag for more, but doesn't want to start anything without warning first.]

I think you might be right!

[Otherwise, Jade can see this already-escalating situation very quickly getting out of hand. Even as she sees Tifa begin to reach, she nods in agreement and does the same, her fingers closing around the bait. She draws in a sharp breath at the unpleasant feeling of it, despite the fact that she expected as much, and does her very best not to breathe through her nose as she raises it high overhead.

Dozens of Carcinus eyes follow it, and she grimaces.]

Well, they're not looking at the foxes— go on, now!

[She offers the creatures themselves direction as she throws her bait into the trees— only to find herself stumbling backwards as a number of them choose to skitter up and over her rather than past, even as she falls to the ground and lands on her backside, catching herself with both hands.]

Take it easy, all of you!

Oh...!

[Tifa catches sight of Jade falling before she disappears from view among the ones that run over her to catch the meat. The ones that are still with Tifa follow her when she rushes to her aid, and she gives the meat a quick throw before offering a hand. It's dirty and covered in meat juice, but so is Jade's, she figures!

The roar of the Carcinus footsteps is impressive to say the least, and what's left of them rush into the trees, chasing the food, leaving behind only a small, more manageable handful that approach the foxes with curiosity. These ones aren't as big—babies, perhaps?—and one bumps into Jade's side, as if encouraging her to get to her feet, and a fox leaps over to bark softly at her.]

... Well, at least that did something.

[There's definitely no room for either of them to by shy about getting meat or dirt on them at this point, and Jade lets out a mildly frustrated huff of breath before laughing and grabbing hold of Tifa's offered hand.]

Thank you, I wasn't expecting that sort of reaction.

[The smaller Carcinus that's now attempting to encourage her upwards grabs her attention, and she smiles at it before climbing to her feet, releasing Tifa's hand once she's upright.]

I can't say I expected any of this upon taking the job, in fact. I'm glad we didn't have to resort to violence, either way.

[The barking fox also gets a smile from her, as well as an incline of her head.]

What do you think, do we have some to spare for these little ones, too?

[Once Tifa's sure that Jade is alright, looking her up and down with an encouraging smile, she kneels next to the smaller ones and offers a hand. The foxes are first up to sniff at them, their small, excited whimpers pulling her smile wide, and a couple of the Carcinuses slide up behind and stretch their claws out to bump her fingers in a non-threatening way.]

I think we can. Looks like the other ones'll be occupied for a little while longer.

[Besides, they really are cute, and she could really use a breather after all that chaos. So Tifa reaches into the bag and pulls out a smaller piece of meat that she tears into even smaller pieces to share.]

Guess all they needed was a little encouragement...

[The fact that there are people who would have resorted to just exterminating them makes her stomach turn with dread, especially so when one of them clicks its pincers at her eagerly before she tosses a piece of meat in its direction.]

[Jade follows suit, getting down on one knee to do her part in doling out some of the meat to these new friends of theirs, fox and carcinus alike. She carefully divides some of the meat into smaller bits so that it can be spread among them, and a fox gratefully nuzzles at her fingers to sniff for more while a carcinus affectionally bumps up against her leg.]

And look at that, they're all getting along just fine, too.

[Admittedly, it probably helps that these carcinuses are smaller than the rest, and foxes are certainly wont to take care of themselves.]

Unexpected results or otherwise, I'd say this is a job well done. I suppose there's nothing to keep the others from returning to this area, but I'd think that now they're a bit closer to home, they'll remember how fond of it they are.

[Even animals must get homesick.]

Yeah. I'm sure they'll wander back here eventually, but... [Tifa looks to the trees, only for a moment before she's knocked over onto her bum by a fox.] At least we got them out of there for now.

[It might be a short victory, but it's one nonetheless. She has no doubt that the carcinuses will be back to look for more food. They didn't seem like the smartest creatures around Camelot, and they'll follow wherever their noses take them, and if it led them here once, who's to say it won't do it again?]

Might not hurt to come back and check on them once in a while...

I'm tempted to agree. If they wander back in search of food, we can usher them elsewhere again— I would much rather that than let someone else do the job using other methods.

[She'd like to avoid a true culling, if at all possible.]

Besides... we've certainly made some new friends today.

[She smiles again, gently patting a small, affectionate carcinus on the head.]

That I definitely didn't see coming, but they're not so different from people, I suppose— happy to be fed.

[Tifa's holding up a piece of meat for one of the foxes, who eagerly leaps up to snatch it from her fingers while its sibling barks excitedly next to it, climbing with its front legs up onto the back of a carcinus. This entire thing just feels silly, but she'd be remiss if she said she wasn't completely endeared right now.]

You think we should find the rest of them? These little guys might get lost if we don't get them home.

[They're only babies, and who knows whether or not they're able to find their own way...]

[Jade nods in agreement, drawing back up to her full height— the carcinus she'd just been showing some affection tries to get up on its back legs to follow her upwards, but falls just a bit short.]

Good idea. We'll lead them in the rest of the way. Once they're back with their families, they'll be in good hands.

[She pauses, considering.]

... claws?

Claws.

[She nods in agreement before rising to her feet with Jade, although she can barely move when they're stepping on her feet begging for another piece, and she gives them all a pat on the head as well as she can before tossing a small piece several feet away to give herself some room. All of them follow, including the ones around Jade.]

Shall we?

[Guess this is how they're going to do it now, as she tosses another piece of meat even further for them, and watches them chase after it.]

closed 🌠 hey girl, we can make it easy

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this thread got so pure

i wanted them to have carcinus friends so bad 🥺

well, SUCCESS!

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