lifeaftr | Ruins Mingle Log!

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Ruins Mingle Log!

Who: Newt Geiszler

ohnehalfte and EVERYONE
What: So a bunch of people headed up towards the ruins, so they've got to all run into each other and start to congregate, right???
When: Evening of the mingle log and onwardish.
Where: The Ruins
Warnings: Um...same as the mingle log?

The beach curves up a gentle slope until it meets forest, some manner of building visible through the trees. Further exploration of this area will reveal a dilapidated building of sorts; the architecture is indiscernible to even the most skilled eye. Despite looking as if it has seen better days, there are areas that offer some form of shelter...and who knows what else. Just because it appears uninhabited doesn’t mean you won’t wind up pleasantly, or unpleasantly, surprised.

[ooc: Hey y'all! I thought this might be a good place to start getting larger groups of characters together to do some exploring, settling down, banding together and figuring out rations, etc. Feel free to throw up any threads of your own for specific things like exploration groups, a gathering in the entrance hall, whatever strikes your fancy or that you think your character would organize. Have a party!

Edit: Additionally, there is now an OOC Post for those that want to handwave their character signing up for ruin exploration]

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"They taught me to read." It's a memory she can easily recall, sitting on the floor with her 'sisters' while the nurses took them through the basics. They learned enough to understand the instructions on their pill bottles, should they ever forget, and to decipher the magical tale of 'a very hungry caterpillar'. But she doesn't understand what that has to do with her at this very moment? Moments ago, she was ready to bolt. Now that he's sitting and smiling, it puts her at ease and gives her an opportunity to figure out the meaning in his question.

"What should I read?" Maybe the name on the bag? Maybe.

Oh good, a mysterious they, love it, nothing suspish about that phrasing at all. Maybe he's just being paranoid. Whatever, he doubts he's high enough level to unlock that backstory anyway and isn't really gonna try. Taako can see her maybe kinda sorta figurin it out, and he nods at the bag, helpfully confirming. "Yeah, that's a good place to start. What does that say?"

It's apparent by the way she turns the knapsack around that checking the name hadn't occurred to her at any point during her looting adventure. Not until now. Cautious, she glances towards him to make sure he's still sitting before turning her full attention to the name on the front.

"Taako," she mouths slowly. It's an unfamiliar name and sounds nothing like the few she's heard before. But look at this, lightbulbs are going off in her head. The man sitting down, the knapsack she's rummaging through and the reason he even approached her to begin with. "You're Taako?"

Hoo, boy. Oof. This is some Disney bullshit, this is like taming a woodland creature. Taako doesn't miss her caution at all, and keeps his more expressive gesturing what he hopes is underneath the startle threshold, plopping his chin in one hand, elbow on one knee. Wouldn't do to make her bolt still carrying the bag, after all. Maybe 'still stealing, but a lot better at it' is not a skill he can impart here. Is maybe a skill he should feel bad for having thought about imparting. But dang is it a skill she probably really needs. "Got it in one, pumpkin. Now, if you had to guess, where would you say you went wrong, here?" He makes an elegant little circle gesture, encompassing them, the bag, their surroundings.

"Pumpkin? I'm not food. I'm Ren." This is a girl who definitely needs some firsthand assistance on how to steal better Taako. Because the way things stand, she has been caught every single time. Treasure hunting was easier in a world where everyone was dead and she didn't have to worry about things like ownership rights and bag names. What a struggle.

Although, his second question gives her pause and she follows the circle gesture he makes with her eyes. There's a profound silence after that. Her critical thinking skills could use some work, clearly.

"I don't know," Another pause. A second attempt to figure out an actual answer that ends up nowhere. The only thing she can think to do is slowly shut the bag and buckle the front pocket back up. This doesn't feel like the correct answer, but it's the only one she can muster up. "I was supposed to close it after I looked?"

Right, absolutely right, that was his bad, she's not ready for flippant nicknames, or probably a lot of the conversational tactics typically at his disposal, actually. He watches her try to process his question, and then set about closing the bag, with some bewilderment. Her answer shocks him into laughter, though it's not meanspirited so much as surprise. Hoo, boy. This kid is a hoot and a half.

"Nah, kid. Well, yeah, you should have, but that's not the main thing." He steeples his fingers, ready to drop some cosmic stealing wisdom, summoning however much patience it's going to take for it to stick. "The main thing, is to take the bag somewhere less obvious. If it didn't have someone's name on it, you could maybe play it off right here, that could be anyone's bag, that could be your bag, though it's still risky. But if someone sees their name on a bag with your grubby little hands in it, the game is up, my friend." And this part is serious, he drops some of his breezy jovial attitude for the kicker, "And the next person might not be as nice as me." She is not a very attentive child, that's for sure, and it would stink for her to get a surprise wallop for being so bad at this.

The laughter is synonymous with approval in her mind and she watches with a curious expression as he teaches her this valuable, lifelong skill. To her credit, she does pay attention. Though her intention wasn't to actively steal anyone's bag to begin with. It's more appropriate to say she wanted take what was abandoned by those who left their belongings. The idea people will come back for their items is new to her and she needs to retain that information. People are alive. People will stay alive. They need to survive, just like her. Remember to find the body before taking.

The reason she listens so intently, honestly, is to figure out what to do with the bags of those who have died. Whose spirits haunt the areas near sacks filled with food and treasures. If she can learn to take those bags quicker, she could survive much easier. They used to spawn in the blink of an eye and she learned to pass through such dangerous areas fast, even with the promise of food or water. It was better to not risk it.

"I can hide the name like this?" Her fingers reach to cover the name label on Taako's knapsack and her palm flattens over the lettering. Step one, complete. Nameless bag. Next step, she hoists the bag into her arms and keeps a tight hold around it. "And then, you take it somewhere else."

There's no cover near them, so she does the next best thing. Shuffling forward, she moves to stand behind where he sits and places the bag down, pressing it against his back. There we go. If he were a rock, it would be hidden. As the final touch on this terrible demonstration, she reaches over to grab one of the palm leaves people are using as a makeshift bed (also not hers) and places it on the top of the sack. Perfect. Between the Taako rock and palm leaf, this bag is super duper hidden.

"This is how you hide the treasure, right?"

Oh, that's legitimately precious, covering the name; he restrains his laughter, but barely, wanting to see where this goes. He watches her curiously and a little worriedly as she picks the knapsack up and starts toting it, wouldn't it be hilarious if she just played him like that, straight up, and left with it? He'd see to it, of course, but at this point he can't really put anything past this squirrelly kid.

He sits still like a good rock-slash-hiding place, if a bemused one, until she's finished with her demonstration. And it is pretty terrible, yes. "Shit, dude, it sure is," he deadpans. Taako scoots on his haunches until he can face her fully once again. How to salvage this. He clicks his tongue and looks at the bag as though this is taking real consideration. Like maybe there's a scorecard in her future. "That's a good way to cache stuff, for later. Which is smart. But when I say take it somewhere else, I mean just out of sight, in general. Not necessarily under a leaf. The less people see you loot, the better. You gotta be aware of when people are looking." So, not like she was earlier, basically.

It's a valid point, one that she has yet to grasp with all this newfound supervision. Going from being alone to surrounded by multiple others is a jarring change. One day, she'll earn that A on Taako's looting report card, but today isn't that day.

"Out of sight," She repeats, touching the edges of the palm leaf. There are places she can hide it. A few outside areas outside the ruins come to mind and she brings her hands up to handles of her own knapsack, that's safely on her back and outside the reaches of fellow looters. For a moment, Ren meets his eyes and tries to work out ways to get him to not look. This is a process, okay? Let her live. After some mental deliberation, her eyes seem to light up! Maybe there's a grand, master plan in the works.

"Close your eyes," which is quite the demand, considering the subject at hand.

That was one helluva face journey, alright. Or not exactly, but he can almost feel the gears turning, as she carefully repeats a bit of his instructions. And then that's what she comes up with? What kind of impossible task has he set himself. Taako is charmed despite himself. Also despite himself, he does close his eyes as directed. At this point, he's convinced the kid couldn't rob him if were just opening the bag and telling her to grab n go. It is just such a supremely good thing that she wasn't going through some hard case's bag instead of his. This is...probably not good practice for literally anything? Sometimes you gotta work with what you got. Maybe he can transmute her into a good thief if all else fails. "Okay, kid. Wow me. Try being stealthy." There, she can practice looting quietly, he guesses. That's a thing, sure.

Well, there was no Plan B so all Ren can do is be grateful he complied with her request. Being stealthy. It's something she can learn. She knows how to tip top around ghosts and run through packs of wild dogs without getting hurt. It's the same technique and she's going to rely on it now. This girl is shooting for a C- today.

With her eyes firmly on him to make sure he doesn't sneak a peak, she pulls his bag out towards her and flips open the top. If left uninterrupted, she's going to shove the contents of his bag into her own and leave the empty knapsack in front of him.

Taako doesn't peek, but he does listen, ears focused on her and betraying a little trepidation with every twitch. She's not actually bad at being quiet, she could pull this off on someone with average hearing, maybe, though admittedly he is pretty much giving her every advantage. Every advantage at literally robbing him blind. Maybe he didn't think this through, all the way. Wouldn't that be a deviation from a standard. "Just remember this is a practice run, to help you out with stealth. If I open my eyes and you're gone for real I will, I will literally curse you to a lifetime of bland food. You will never know peace or seasoning on this earth. Do not try me."

The tone helps her understand that's a threat, even if she's not sure how. Food from her world was considered tolerable if the mold could be cut off or if you were lucky enough to find something edible that an animal hadn't already claimed. The shuffling pauses as she heeds his words, his items in her bag and the empty one left in front of him.

Ren isn't going to run away, but she plans on finishing the lesson by hiding and since her original attempt was praised, she decides reenact that. She takes slow, quiet steps around him until she's behind him, staring at his back, and plants herself right on the ground. At least she didn't run off?

He still doesn't look, but his attention follows her tensely as she circles around, only relaxing when she plops back down. Good. This isn't going to turn into some kind of dumb shenanigan where he has to get all his stuff back from a weird beach urchin. That would have been really dumb and his reputation might have taken some kind of hit after getting robbed by a child. Aaaand that's lesson one! He isn't sure he can call it a success. A groundwork, maybe?

Taako opens his eyes, taking in the empty bag and the not-absconded thief-in-training. "Hmm, not bad. We're taking, uhhh, some liberties with this stealing simulation, but you did good, Ren." Maybe he's not cut out for passing on wisdom to children. Whatever, if he managed to instill any caution at all, that's a good start. "Just don't get caught going through peoples' stuff," he feels the need to reiterate, just in case she's not taking away the right message. "And if you do," oh hell, "Try and find me. I'll explain it's part of your training. Or get my sister to dust 'em. Now give me back my stuff."

"You have a sister? Does she look like you?" Ren understands family dynamics from old picture books and the short lived memory of having the other girls around when she was young, before they died. This is her first time hearing of someone having a real, actual family and she can't hide her curiosity on the matter.

Unceremoniously, she pulls her bag off her shoulders and holds it upside down, dumping everything onto the ground. Taako's, hers and all the garbage she's managed to collect on the way here. At least she attempts to divvy out the items back to their rightful owners, pushing the unfamiliar ones towards him. Including a couple neat rocks and leaves she can't remember picking up. Enjoy the tip?

"Those are your treasures."

Shit dude they sure are. Taako hasn't got a fridge, but he would definitely consider gluing some rocks and leaves to it if he did. Ironically, of course. "A lot like me, yeah. We're twins. So she'll be easy to spot, even if she's not blowing anything up at the moment." Man he hopes this urchin has someone like that around, because if anyone ever needed it, it's her. Taako bites his lip, hoping he isn't about to tip the boat. He may have just leveled up emotionally but he isn't specced for distressed children. "What about you, kid? You got anyone here with you? Siblings, friends?" He can probably guess, and he doesn't want to.

This urchin spends her days relying on the kindness of strangers and repaying them by accidentally stealing from their knapsacks when their backs are turned. It's a struggle. She beings to place her own items back into her sack one by one, the question causing her to briefly halt her movements. She glances up to the cave entrance, on the off chance he might be walking through now, and then turns her attention back to her item sorting.

"My friend isn't here," He might not be in this building, but she's confident he's on the island, somewhere. They were together before all this. Though it worries her he's taking this long. "When he gets here, he'll find me. Seto's good at that."

Privately, Taako has his doubts. Seto might very well be 'good at that' but that probably doesn't matter much, unless Seto is some kind of plane-hopping badass who can just warp onto the island at will. And if he is, then uh, he's probably just scored some points by befriending this hooligan? Probably not gonna be a relevant plot point, more's the pity.

"Good for Seto. But look out for yourself in the meantime, okay?" Relying on other people is great, until it isn't. All the good faith in the world doesn't mean circumstance can't intervene. Taako squirrels away his 'treasures' a little shiftily, like he's the one who's been stealing instead of her. "You good for that? That a thing you did, before you came here?"

Edited (hey dreamwidth can u not) 2017-08-24 23:40 (UTC)

"Yes, being alone is what I'm good at," That's said with a bit of confidence. After everyone died, it was up to her to learn how to live without any assistance. It had been difficult to accomplish, but she managed. Food, shelter, learning to hide-it was all trial and error. The only difference now is the new, different environment. Tokyo streets didn't prepare her for humid island life, but she wants to stay alive and survive. More than anything, she wants to stay on this island. No need to worry about her Taako. Her survival skills are top-notch, outside of looting. "I can do that, even without Seto. I'm okay."

The confidence is very much appreciated, if perhaps slightly questioned. Being alone is a shitty thing to be good at, but it's a skill he's glad to hear she at least believes she has. It doesn't sound like...a great place to be coming from, but at least maybe she's more prepared than he first thought. And the relief he feels comes as something of a surprise. You know what, he blames her name, actually. Sucks to be Taako, cursed to be kind of unexpectedly nice to people named Ren, what a weird curse that he definitely didn't make up.

"Good. But don't feel like you have to be alone all the time just because you're good at it."

The people on this island are kind, is her first thought. She can remember the adults in her world having little to say to her outside of whatever furthered their projects and ambitions. She doesn't remember kindness like this. Even Drifter had offered his companionship, to her surprise, on their first meeting. These people aren't Seto-they can never replace his presence and she's having difficulty acclimating to their different behaviors, but it's nice. It almost feels like another dream. Taako's words resonate with her and she stares at his face for a long time before a tiny small appears on her face. She doesn't offer a response to his words, but she will keep them close to heart.

"Keep your treasures on your back," Which is weird advice coming from the gremlin that attempted to take his stuff to begin with. She's trying to help him from having that problem again. Like it was his fault. She's trying, okay? "You can keep them safe that way."

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Ruins Mingle Log!

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