RE: Cloudsea - The Chronicle of Alice Van Vaugen
07-08-2017, 02:08 AM
*First Charmsday under Canned - Morning*
Alice slowly walked, leaning slightly to the side, cradling her wounded arm in a sling. Viss demanded that she use it as little as possible, since Alice was now refusing to let Viss 'snuggle up' on her while she slept. Viss insisted that calling it that was just making things difficult, but Alice was stubborn. That's also why Qhen wasn't here. Alice said she was going to explore the forest, and Qhen said she could come along in case there were wild animals, and in response, Alice had just grabbed her ammo pouch and strapped it on her opposite side. Qhen could take a hint. Viss, on the other hand-
Viss stopped walking. Alice went a couple steps more before realizing the faint steps of Viss' footfalls had ceased. She turned and raised an eyebrow.
Alice wandered over to the base of a tree and crouched down, gently cupping a plant in her hand and examining it.
Viss grumbled under her breath, and hissed at Alice with an annoyed tone, then wandered over and kneeled down, and blinked a few times.
Alice and Viss worked on gathering some plants, and then continued walking.
Alice stomped off ahead. Great. Great. Great great great great great great GREAT GREAT great Great. Gonna just go live in the woods. THIS is why she hates people! People are so STUPID and caught up with stupid things and-
Viss took her time to catch up, but clearly was quite amused with themselves.
Alice and Viss stared at the old structure, buried deep in the woods. It was... certainly old, but had barely decayed. It appeared to be made of metal, and descended down into the ground, an overgrowth of plants and vines and a couple of nearby trees obscuring any further inside.
Qhen shifted another rock, and with that, the entrance to this building was clear. These imperial made houses were pretty sturdy. Despite parts of the town looking like they had undergone sustained bombing, well over half of these buildings were only lightly damaged, and a smaller number had sustained damage, but not even really collapsed at all. Makes you wonder what these houses were made out of. Stone to be sure, but it looks man-made. Each large brick is just a little too heavy and a little too uniform to be a natural formation. She turned and whistled, waving a hand, and the airship crew nodded and headed in. One of them offered Qhen a canteen and they sat down to enjoy a drink of water... That spring in town is amazing, and did not make Qhen regret their decision to tell the captain that they were going to stay, even after the job was done. This town was very impressive. Well made, sturdy buildings that could handle becoming a war zone... A lot of these buildings had hidden structures too. Deploy-able gun emplacements, and hidden basements and tunnels that connected all the houses... The spring was powered by some powerful aetheric gemstone and produced beautiful, clean, cold water...
Qhen was a little put off by how Alice was acting, though. Qhen had learned that Alice wasn't exactly a social kind of person, and Qhen knew how that felt... But Qhen didn't think they deserved the treatment they got this morning! It's not like Alice had said anything incredibly weird, had they? Qhen has always been 'appealing'. Something about their weird bone and muscle structure always made curious, scientific types want to examine them closely. It was kind of irritating, really. There was the one time where they had to break someone's arm in two places because they had a syringe and- it was just a big mess- and then they got thrown out of that city for good and-
Qhen really could move when they wanted- and right now, they wanted to make sure that their crewmates weren't about to end up dead. Alice could have shot that anywhere and it would have made enough noise to draw at least a little attention, but doubts she would have fired it straight up for no reason. ... Crewmates? Crewmate? Viss was certainly on that list- but- Whatever. LATER.
Looking overhead, Qhen heard the engines of the airship, and as it approached, they saw someone on board haul a rope over the side. Qhen focused for a second, balled up all their muscles and joints in their legs, and 'pushed' the ground away, grabbing onto the rope as the boat made for the forest.
As they passed over the forest, Qhen could see a strange structure that they remembered seeing previously, but didn't make any real note of it because from higher up, it just looked like an overgrown rock of some kind. They also looked around for Alice and Viss, and noticed that they were---
( ) Waving the airship down excitedly!
( ) Hiding behind a rock as something drew closer...
( ) In the middle of fighting something!
( ) On the ground?!
( ) Not there. . .
( ) Surrounded by people!
Alice slowly walked, leaning slightly to the side, cradling her wounded arm in a sling. Viss demanded that she use it as little as possible, since Alice was now refusing to let Viss 'snuggle up' on her while she slept. Viss insisted that calling it that was just making things difficult, but Alice was stubborn. That's also why Qhen wasn't here. Alice said she was going to explore the forest, and Qhen said she could come along in case there were wild animals, and in response, Alice had just grabbed her ammo pouch and strapped it on her opposite side. Qhen could take a hint. Viss, on the other hand-
Alice Wrote:"... Why are you following me?"
Viss Wrote:"Viss is insulted. Viss is no dog, Viss follows their own path. Viss is their own Drakhe."
Alice Wrote:"Well, at least you didn't just ignore the question. Fine- What are you doing out here, Viss? I thought you'd be helping the others in town. What if someone is injured?"
Viss Wrote:"You worry too much, Aliss. They are not children. If they need Viss, they know how to get Viss. Besides- Viss needs alchemical reagents. Very low on some basic plants. We have been out of dock for far too long, supplies low all around."
Alice Wrote:". . . If I had known that... I never would have asked..."
Viss Wrote:"Aliss needs to stop worrying about others right now! Aliss is injured, and Aliss is refusing to rest when Aliss needs it! Maybe Viss find anesthetic while we are out here, make you sleep good for once!"
Alice Wrote:"What does THAT mean?"
Viss Wrote:"Viss imply that Viss will drug you if you don't stop being such a meddler."
Alice Wrote:"NO- not- The OTHER PART. I sleep just fine!"
Viss stopped walking. Alice went a couple steps more before realizing the faint steps of Viss' footfalls had ceased. She turned and raised an eyebrow.
Viss Wrote:"... Aliss tosses and turns like someone suffering from intense illness, but Aliss has no illness of the body. Aliss suffers from illness of the heart."
Alice Wrote:". . . Oh, Hey! Stypic!"
Alice wandered over to the base of a tree and crouched down, gently cupping a plant in her hand and examining it.
Alice Wrote:"It's a good specimen. If we had the tools, we could probably dig this up and plant it in a pot. This the kind of thing you're looking for, Viss?"
Viss grumbled under her breath, and hissed at Alice with an annoyed tone, then wandered over and kneeled down, and blinked a few times.
Viss Wrote:"Viss does not appreciate Aliss avoiding such an important subject, but Viss is surprised. This is a good specimen. Qhen did not mention you were a 'chemist.
Alice Wrote:"I'm not. Not- in any sort of practiced meaning of the word. I just know a lot. People used to come buy and ask me to identify plants and things. We can take half these leaves, and the plant should be fine- and if you cut them at the base of the leaf instead of taking it off at the stem, less damage is done to the plant."
Viss Wrote:"Well now you are just being patronizing. Viss knows what they are doing."
Alice Wrote:"Huh? No! I just- I got a lot of information in my head. Sometimes it just... unpacks more than I intended."
Alice and Viss worked on gathering some plants, and then continued walking.
Viss Wrote:*....hissspfft*
Alice Wrote:"Hmm?"
Viss Wrote:"So, how long has Qhen been 'appealing' to Aliss?"
Alice Wrote:"...said was gonna forget that..."
Viss Wrote:"Qhen agreed to that. Not Viss. It is also clear to Viss that you have been dwelling on that, because it is obvious to Viss that you are the type to dwell on everything. Aliss needs to loosen up."
Alice Wrote:"Maybe I was just trying to get Qhen to get off of me? It worked, didn't it?"
Viss Wrote:"Right, and Viss is secretly a Draegon."
Alice Wrote:"I refuse to talk about this!"
Viss Wrote:"If Aliss is suffering from... 'repression', Viss also has something for that...?"
Alice Wrote:"WHAT- No! We are not having this conversation!"
Alice stomped off ahead. Great. Great. Great great great great great great GREAT GREAT great Great. Gonna just go live in the woods. THIS is why she hates people! People are so STUPID and caught up with stupid things and-
Viss took her time to catch up, but clearly was quite amused with themselves.
Viss Wrote:"Khhhhisssssshssshss... Aliss, Viss was merely offering to mix you a drink. It might help you relax, and Viss is also quite handy around a tavern counter, considering alchemy and brewing are essentially the same disci...pline..."
Alice and Viss stared at the old structure, buried deep in the woods. It was... certainly old, but had barely decayed. It appeared to be made of metal, and descended down into the ground, an overgrowth of plants and vines and a couple of nearby trees obscuring any further inside.
Viss Wrote:". . . Viss takes it you did not know this was here."
Alice Wrote:"Not at all. I'm wondering if anybody from town knew it was here. Surely someone did. It would be impossible to have missed this."
Viss Wrote:"Yes, Viss agrees. Perhaps we should be returning to the house?"
Alice Wrote:". . . Viss? Why are we whispering?"
Viss Wrote:"Because, we are not alone, Aliss."
Qhen shifted another rock, and with that, the entrance to this building was clear. These imperial made houses were pretty sturdy. Despite parts of the town looking like they had undergone sustained bombing, well over half of these buildings were only lightly damaged, and a smaller number had sustained damage, but not even really collapsed at all. Makes you wonder what these houses were made out of. Stone to be sure, but it looks man-made. Each large brick is just a little too heavy and a little too uniform to be a natural formation. She turned and whistled, waving a hand, and the airship crew nodded and headed in. One of them offered Qhen a canteen and they sat down to enjoy a drink of water... That spring in town is amazing, and did not make Qhen regret their decision to tell the captain that they were going to stay, even after the job was done. This town was very impressive. Well made, sturdy buildings that could handle becoming a war zone... A lot of these buildings had hidden structures too. Deploy-able gun emplacements, and hidden basements and tunnels that connected all the houses... The spring was powered by some powerful aetheric gemstone and produced beautiful, clean, cold water...
Qhen was a little put off by how Alice was acting, though. Qhen had learned that Alice wasn't exactly a social kind of person, and Qhen knew how that felt... But Qhen didn't think they deserved the treatment they got this morning! It's not like Alice had said anything incredibly weird, had they? Qhen has always been 'appealing'. Something about their weird bone and muscle structure always made curious, scientific types want to examine them closely. It was kind of irritating, really. There was the one time where they had to break someone's arm in two places because they had a syringe and- it was just a big mess- and then they got thrown out of that city for good and-
Qhen Wrote:"Did one of you whistle just now?"
Crew Wrote:"No? Didn't you see that, Qhen?"
Qhen Wrote:"See... what?"
Crew Wrote:"It looked like a firework, it was loud and then popped really big and bright for a second, almost like a little sun. It looked like it came from the forest, maybe- uh- Okay- -Qhen! I was about to ask you to help us shift these rocks..."
Qhen really could move when they wanted- and right now, they wanted to make sure that their crewmates weren't about to end up dead. Alice could have shot that anywhere and it would have made enough noise to draw at least a little attention, but doubts she would have fired it straight up for no reason. ... Crewmates? Crewmate? Viss was certainly on that list- but- Whatever. LATER.
Looking overhead, Qhen heard the engines of the airship, and as it approached, they saw someone on board haul a rope over the side. Qhen focused for a second, balled up all their muscles and joints in their legs, and 'pushed' the ground away, grabbing onto the rope as the boat made for the forest.
As they passed over the forest, Qhen could see a strange structure that they remembered seeing previously, but didn't make any real note of it because from higher up, it just looked like an overgrown rock of some kind. They also looked around for Alice and Viss, and noticed that they were---
( ) Waving the airship down excitedly!
( ) Hiding behind a rock as something drew closer...
( ) In the middle of fighting something!
( ) On the ground?!
( ) Not there. . .
( ) Surrounded by people!