(open) April Catch All

[kiss_it_better]

🧙 WHO: Chang Geng/Li Min and YOU!
⚔️️ WHAT: Quests and April stuff
🕒 WHEN: Throughout April
🗺️ WHERE: Around?
⚠️ WARNINGS: Spiders and lack of self-care.



i: Vital Venoms

[Chang Geng was standing outside of the caves, looking thoughtful. There's a sword at his hip but he's now keeping his dagger closer at hand rather than tucked away.]

Rather than bringing the spider back, I think it would be better to let it bite me at the last minute and simply dispatch it.

[He has blood magic and healing magic, he could probably carry the venom back safely. Probably.

He is far too calm while making this suggestion.]


ii: The Labyrinth

[He had been a little more cautious about taking on combat quests before when his only magic had been healing. After all, many things were weak only to magic here. Still, things were a little different now, weren't they?

He flicks his wrist, sending the tendril of blood like a whip and takes out a slime. He senses something come up to him and turns, when he sees a person and not another monster he smiles a little.]

You are also here for the quest, I presume?

[He's not in a hurry to heal the cut on the back of his hand for the moment as he moves to where the slime had been to collect a sample of what was left.]


((OOC: Feel free to hit me up on plurk at orangeCrates if there's something in particular you wanted to do!]

Comments

Close to Gu Yun and Walter

[kiss_it_better]

[The house, though it did need a little work and didn't have enough actual bedrooms for three people has been a good investment and wasn't much of a problem.

Until the rain started coming down hard this month, causing some leaks in the roof and finally...flooding.]

At least the rain is good for the plants. [Not so much for their wooden furniture...or for the two bedrooms on the first floor.

His own robes are soaked through by this point and...he'll have to find a place to hang his other outfits to dry if he wants to wear them tomorrow.]

[angel_of_death]

[Walter is doing the best he can in the can in this situation. Pots have been placed on counters to catch the drips falling from the leaking roof. Unfortunately, there isn't much they can do for the furniture right now. There's no second story to move them to.

Currently barefoot (to save his leather shoes as much damage as he possibly can) and with pant legs rolled up as far as they will go (not far), he trods through the low water a couch cushion under each arm as he heads for the stairs. He's bringing whatever he can up to the loft. There isn't room for much, but he can at least save some of what they have.]

Once I get the bedding upstairs, I'm going to go out and see if there is a store somewhere that sells bricks.

[If they don't have a second floor to move the furniture to, he reasons, they might at least be able to elevate whatever can be moved enough to save it from the rising water.]

[shiliu]

[ He’d put sandbags outside, stabilizing them in place with vines, but it hadn’t been enough. The water had found its way in, from the roof and beneath the doors, inexorably flooding their little house. Gu Yun himself is used to the impermanence of things, and natural disasters such as flooding are not conceptually unfamiliar to him, this hurts him to a degree he wouldn’t have expected.

Living like this with Chang Geng and Walter, it reminds him of those far-away days back in Yanhui town.

To specify: “hurts.” Gu Yun experiences it as a physical sensation, a tightness in his chest he ascribes to being cold and damp. He glances over at Walter. Bricks, hmm? He thinks about that for a moment, then extends a hand. ]

This might work.

[ Vines begin to sprout from the four feet of one of their tables, lifting it up by several feet and anchoring it in place. ]

[kiss_it_better]

[Chang Geng was still grateful to have healing magic and blood magic was useful in combat...but in moments like this neither of his magics were very useful.

At least he could still do physical labour.]

If we can string up a rope we can hang the wet things up to dry.

[Meanwhile he's going to change one of the pots that's nearly full with a bucket before heading over to the sink the dump out the pot.

But he's also giving Gu Yun a long look.]

I can make some tea after. It's important to stay warm.

ii

[admiralchiss]

[Normally Thrawn prefers to do things from the bridge of a Star Destroyer, or in the war room. But he's not opposed to actually getting down and dirty when it comes to missions. Or quests, as they call it here. And this labyrinth could be a prime opportunity to gather some information.

Thrawn already has a single sample of slime by the time he runs across this fellow quest-goer.]

I am, yes. And you seem to require medical attention.

[angel_of_death]

[Ascending the steps with a soft patter, Walter tosses the cushions into the corner next to his folded-up bed frame. Now, more than ever, he's glad to have made the particular decision he did regarding his bed; being able to move it out of the way is incredibly convenient.

Pillows set aside, Walter crouches down to open up the lower section of his wardrobe. Inside is a length of clothesline and some clothespins. It's not rope meant to hold human weight, but he's been using it to hang his clothes to dry whenever he washes them.

Of course, with the weather as it is right now, hanging them outside isn't an option. Which means they'll need to find some way to utilize the furniture they have to hang tie the cord off... unless Gu Yun has more up his sleeve with those new abilities of his.]

If there's more to dry than we can tie up, we can hang things over the stair railing. Just be careful not to slip.

[Wet stairs are not the safest things in the world.]

[shiliu]

[ The table supports begin to flower; and then, as expected, rapidly shed their blooms and set about growing some kind of vegetable. Wonderful.

Another thin vine sprouts from the ceiling rafters and dangles down; Gu Yun's intent had been to make the thing twist back up again, forming a loop for them to hang things from. But his green magic doesn't obey his conscious will quite as well as his kinetic magic does. The vine coils and bends on its own, finally dropping down onto Chang Geng's shoulders and gently caressing them.

He lifts a hand to sweep the thing away with his kinetic magic, and clears his throat. ]

Uh... tea is fine.

i;

[roppou]

[In contrast to Chang Geng, Hitoya doesn't carry much more than the cigarette he holds in his hand. He doesn't look like much of a warrior and in this case those first impressions would be fairly accurate.

But he took the quest because it's quickly becoming clear that if he doesn't work on that particular skill set he'll struggle to stay ahead in this world. And that's a prospect he relishes even less than the effort in coming out here now.

Still, the sound of leaving what is likely a far more capable ally at risk doesn't sit too well with him either.] I'm all for leaving that option on the table but maybe we try a decoy first?

[kiss_it_better]

Based on what I know. [Because he had done a lot of reading as well as asked some questions.] The venom has to carried in a host.

[So unless the decoy is another person then that won't work.]

Besides, I have healing magic and blood magic. I can keep it away from my vital organs afterwards. While it's hardly ideal I think it is the solution that carries the least amount of risk.

[kiss_it_better]

[He straightens once he's collected the sample, smiling.]

There's no need to be concerned. It's only a minor injury. [He tilted his head, focusing it on the area around them and, sensing no other blood source dangerously close, he pocketed the sample.]

When I leave I'll heal it up.

[admiralchiss]

If you insist.

[Thrawn brings up his phone to make a mark on a makeshift map of the maze he's been making as he goes along, noting the different paths and that this particular spot had monsters.]

Have you been down here before?

[kiss_it_better]

I think we should avoid hanging things on the stairs unless absolutely necessary.

[Because wet stairs seemed dangerous...which he may not have cared so much about if it were just him but he didn't want Gu Yun or Walter to slip.

He was interested in the vegetables that were growing. With the weather warming up he'd been thinking of growing some of their own food to save on money. Perhaps he could save some of the seeds...

He was making his way over (hey, no need to let the vegetables become waterlogged, right?) when he felt a touch on his shoulder.

He looked up and only saw the moment the vine was moved away and was left a little confused. He looked at Gu Yun briefly, but then decides it was probably an accident and continue without further comment.]

I'll boil some water then.

[roppou]

Did it say the host had to be alive? [He had read up on the details as well. It had to be carried in the blood flowing through the host. But he knows his question is just nitpicking the semantics from the perspective of a lawyer. Not exactly an argument to stake your life on.

Looking up, he briefly considers the shape of his crow-like familiar in flight overhead before sighing. That option was even worse right?]

You're the expert here, so just tell me what to do and I'll make sure it happens.

[angel_of_death]

[Walter, on the hand, sees everything, and immediately looks over to Gu Yun as well with an expression that is considerably more interested in what just happened.

Fortunately for Gu Yun, their house is still flooding, and they still need to hang things, so it is likewise brief.]

What kind of vines are these?

[He asks the question as he crosses over to the one that has just dropped from the ceiling, clothesline in hand. He immediately starts tying it off to the living plant.

The vine looks passingly familiar, but he can't place what kind of vegetable it is just yet.]

[shiliu]

Um...

[ He certainly saw Walter's look, but he carefully ignores it; and is then immediately grateful for the change in subject. ]

I didn't specify, we'll have to find out.

[ Indeed, his ability to choose species is extremely limited; that he could intentionally create a vine is itself a bit of a breakthrough, for him. On cue, the vine begins sprouting flowers as well, even as it coils around itself, forming a loop for Water to tie his clothesline to.

The table's supports, meanwhile, start growing a distinctive vegetable. Eggplants. He glances at them for a moment, then tears his eyes away. Eggplants... are just an ordinary vegetable, right? No hidden meaning whatsoever. He exhales silently, then sets about raising up the rest of their furniture in a similar way.

He's so concentrated on this task, that he fails to note something flashing out of the corner of his eye: something small and transparent, as if it were made of water, with wings. ]

[kiss_it_better]

I avoided it before since I wasn't sure if I'd run into anything that couldn't be dispatched without magic.

[Since healing magic wasn't the best if he's by himself.]

What about you?

[kiss_it_better]

It didn't say specifically but it did mention the venom has to coursing in the blood.

[So moving. Also if it goes bad it explodes into smaller spiders and that just doesn't sound like it's worth experimenting with.]

Before that, may I ask what experience you have with combat?

[admiralchiss]

This is my first time being down here. I did not wish to go down here blind, but I found very little information on this labyrinth.

[He doesn't like having all the facts, but he can improvise when he needs to.]

It may be useful if we venture forward together.

[Especially since his fellow adventurer is injured.]

[roppou]

Not much in the traditional sense. Weapons and war in particular have been outlawed the past few years in my world. [Despite that, he doesn't show any more signs of shying away from the task at hand as they continue inside.]

But between the mind magic and a device that came here with me, I should have some luck controlling or stunning the thing temporarily. The death magic is new but less predictable. [Which serves as explanation for the previous suggestion.]

[kiss_it_better]

[While they waited for the vegetable to grow he pulled out the kettle and filled it with water from the sink (no need to use the water they've all been wading in).

Once he set that down on the stove he took a pair of scissors from the drawer, turning just in time to see the vegetable finish growing into an eggplant. A versatile vegetable.

He moves over to cut them before the plant can grow them too much and make them tough. He'd bent over to cut them, planning to put them on the table. That put him closer to the surface of the water and that's why he caught sight of the flash of something darting in the water...before he heard giggling and found himself sprayed in the face with water.

Now his hair is also wet. Still he only sighed while running a hand over his face to get the excess water off.]

It seems we have some guests.

[kiss_it_better]

There's certainly safety in numbers.

[He smiled. It's a calm and mild-mannered expression. Sincere enough to appear gentle.]

My name is Li Min.

[admiralchiss]

[Thrawn nodded politely at Li Min, his face remaining stoic.]

A pleasure, Li Min. I am Thrawn.

My particular magics are light-based and technology-based.

[kiss_it_better]

Technomancy, right? I have read a little about it though I haven't had the chance to see it in action yet.

[The wound on his hand, surprisingly, isn't continuing to bleed in the conventional way. Instead, the tendril was curled into loops like how one might keep a whip wound up when not in use. He wasn't holding it but it was coiled around his wrist.]

[admiralchiss]

Technomancy, yes. There seems to be little in the way of computers and technology down here, but I still have my phone. Light magic may be more useful down here.

[He can make them invisible, put up walls, create decoys, or just light the path if it gets too dark. Glowing red eyes shift down to Lin's arm, noting the way the blood bends.]

Blood magic. Fascinating.

[kiss_it_better]

That's good. Though I hope they haven't been replaced by other things.

[Peace would be nice but sometimes peace is only a veneer and beneath it is rot.]

Ah. It's too bad that's unpredictable. [Because if what is missing from a corpse is that its blood didn't move then maybe together they could make it work.

But, probably most people would find that idea uncomfortably gruesome.] What is the device that came with you?