get your towels ready, it's about to go down

[yourattention]

Who: Whoever would like to have been picked up after March's event.
What: We're on a boat. No, seriously. That's the whole pitch.
When: Very late on March 19th, presumably.
Where: The middle of the ocean, my friends.
Warnings: Y'all can handle that.


On paper, the plan was simple: get a boat, sail everyone back. In practice . . . It was a lot less simple.

Getting the boat had been something of an ordeal, but it happened. Nobody has to know that the blind man stole it, because Connor is the one sailing it. He is sure as fuck sailing it back to Enso, despite the fact that he has never in his life actually sailed anything as big as the boat they stole and may have lied a little when he said he could "sail." Nobody had to know that either, okay? Nobody had to know any of that, because he is going to sail this boat back and the Jormun are going to fucking help him.

Hours 1&2
Unfortunately, Connor was in such a hurry to, like, leave? That he did not exactly ask the Jormun what the best route back was. He just kinda picked a direction and went which has led to a run in with some new shit from the bestiary: lightning eels. To quote the bestiary:

Considerably territorial, lightning eels range between four to eight feet in length. Sleek grey, their pointed, though rather small teeth may convey a sense of little threat- until they begin to spark, that is. Lightning eels are highly conductive to electricity and store up to a lightning bolt's worth of electricity in their small frames; whilst they won't release it all in one go, those close by them will certainly find these slithering creatures to be quite... shocking.

Have fun with that. The lightning won't really do much to the boat itself, so just don't fucking fall in, yeah? Seriously. Please don't fall in, Connor did not actually complete his lifesaving merit badge and only has a vague idea of how to perform water rescues.

Hours 3&4
A decent chunk of the way into the journey back, Connor will point to something in the water and say "Oh, they're here. We're going the right way." In the water is a group of sea otters. If you ask nicely, the Jormun will catch a few so . . . you can all eat. Unsurprisingly? Connor did not think to pack food for this hastily assembled rescue mission, so if you're hungry, sea otter is all you're getting. Bone apple tea, everyone.

Bonus: sea otter pelts. They're very soft and warm. Sea otters have fur up the wazoo.

Hours 5&6
Do you want to sail the boat? Great, because Connor is about to hand the wheel over to whoever's closest because he has to go talk with the Jormun about something. It's fine. Just keep the boat straight for ten minutes, you won't crash anything out in the open sea. If you want to listen in, Connor and the Jormun are discussing a type of plant known as lightroot. It can be picked and will act like a lantern for a while, but what they're actually talking about is cultivating it as a kind of . . . underwater landing strip. Don't worry about it. I'm sure this will never come up again.

Once Enso is in sight, Connor will actually sail around the island until he reaches the cove in D8. He's just gonna leave the boat there, like 20m/22yd out in the water, so. If you wanna swim to shore, that's fine. If you can't swim or don't want to, he'll come back with the boat from islet 2 after he swims to shore. Y'all are responsible for getting your own asses home after he brings the boat, though. It is not his responsibility anymore? He got everyone home, he's out.

Comments

Kanata Shinkai | Ensemble Stars! | OTA

[seafriends]

[ For the first hour or so, Kanata can be found on the edge of the ship, arms dangling over the railing while he peers into the water. He's exhausted after the ordeal of being thrown to the water and then rescued, letting his body rest heavy against the ledge of the boat without moving for some time. To any bystander, this may read as a sign of seasickness, but in reality? He's fixated on the eels that have begun writhing around in the water, sharp teeth and all.

It's a species he doesn't recognize, and one he suspects to only be native to this world once they stark sparking with bright little jolts of electricity. But rather than shy away like any sane person, he tiredly coos down to the water and wiggles his fingers at them affectionately. ]

Aah.. you are "so cute", Eel-sa~n... ♪ [ and to the poor soul that's closest to him, he has a question: ] Do you think we could "catch" one..?

[sorewatopsecret]

[Once her survival instincts petered out, having the immediate dangers of Ai'Tuoh behind her, Takane realized she was tired, aching everywhere, and very hungry. She has done well in keeping such ailments subtle, enjoying the company of her friends during the travel, but once she started noticing those in the water...

She's made it a point to sit away from the edge of the boat. Faaaar away. In constrast with her usual proper sitting posture, she is hugging her knees close to her chest as if forming a defensive ball. She can't even hide how she's glaring with discomfort and paranoia towards the direction of the boat's edge. With so many dangers she has found herself in, many would note Takane never showed outright fear or terror. Yet, somehow, here she is, unusually showing an obvious display of fear and wariness towards the eels. "Cute"? WHAT IN THE WORLD IS SO CUTE ABOUT THESE FIENDS???

Eels were a part of Japanese cuisine, and Takane did not mind the long fish so much when it was prepared into an eel bowl or unagi sushi or such, but live ones always made her skin crawl. They were so wriggly and slithery; eels were basically underwater versions of sn---! Ahh, she doesn't even want to think of the word!

Many anxious thoughts are racing through her head. Would they somehow get on the boat? They don't jump, do they? With all that's going on, she can't dismiss the idea... How would Kanata contain it if he manages to catch one? WHAT IF IT ENDS UP FLAILING AROUND ON THE BOAT AND GETS ON HER??? Ugh, it's too much to think about!

Kanata seems so excited about it, though! After all he's been through, she didn't want to spoil his fun! So Takane refrains from outright protesting his idea.]

K-Kanata... [Her tone is rather weak compared to normal, but its totally because she's tired and not scared, ok!!!] It pleases me to see you brimming with such enthusiasm, but are you able to safely do so without facing electrocution...?

[seafriends]

[ With how far from the ledge Takane is keeping herself, Kanata can't see much of her at all unless he twists his body to face her a little more properly, which he does only after flexing his fingers a few times more. If he were only just a little closer to the water, the eels might jump up to snap at him and he could touch them..

But the concern in Takane's voice is notable, and while it's not really something Kanata wants to get into after the events from earlier, he at least ought to let her know he's fine? ]

Mm.. I have "been stung" by jellyfish before, so touching these eels would probably feel "about" the same..? [ Yes, that is supposed to be comforting information. ] But I have not seen "this species" before, and they are very cute.. I want to bring one "home", if it were possible~...

[sorewatopsecret]

[So, like a sea anemone and a clown fish? For some reason, that makes perfect sense to Takane, and she accepts that immediately. However, it does nothing to comfort her, because that, funnily enough, was not the main reason for her anxiety. She doesn't want to see one! She doesn't want any of them to get near her...!

Home? He wants to bring one home? As in, the shacks and not his home world? Possibly both? They live next to each other, though... Wait, then does that mean she would have to endure seeing one of those every day if he's successful?!]

Uuuu... [She doesn't want to say anything about it, though. If having one of those eels will make Kanata happy, then she doesn't want to get in the way of that.] Might you... have a method of keeping it alive until we reach Enso...?

[ONE THAT HOPEFULLY CAN CONCEAL ITS PRESENCE EFFECTIVELY, PERHAPS...?]

[seafriends]

[ There's nothing surprising about people not appreciating sea creatures with the kind of love they deserve, and Kanata is so used to it by now that he's not batting an eye at Takane's hesitance. It's sad, especially after she seemed so enamored with the angler fish he had given her before.. Or maybe it's only bigger fish that she likes, but he's too tired to puzzle it out right now. ]

Hmm.. [ And what a point she's brought up, too.. Kanata peers back down at the water dejectedly, letting his head fall to one side. ] I do not "think so".. And I would not want them to "live sadly" in the pool with no filtration system, either.. But if I can "make something" like an aquarium one day, we could find the eels again and catch one, yes..?

[sorewatopsecret]

[Honestly, Kanata could probably show her the most ugly sea creature and she'd love it, as long as it wasn't long and slithery.

Ack, she was trying her best not to disappoint him, but still ended up doing so anyway. Takane now has to deal with both her crippling fear of those things and simultaneously her mild guilt of proverbially raining on her friend's parade due to her failure of masking said fear. Maybe!!! She can salvage this!!!]

Indeed. Perhaps if you save up enough of those story offerings, that wish can eventually come to realization. [She does her best to encourage him, despite her uneasiness towards the prospect of having to live next to eels.] We would be more adequately prepared when the time comes, as well.

[Both logistically and, in her case, mentally...]

[seafriends]

[ But if you can't appreciate every sea creature, are you truly loving them at all..?? ]

That is very clever.. we can raise "many" cute friends that way, ehe..

[ There's another beat of thoughtful silence from Kanata as he gives the eels once last, long, loving gaze. It really is too bad he can't take one ( or two, or three.. ) back home with him, but the mother sea will love them in his stead. ]

Goodbye, cute eels.. please "eat lots" and grow big and strong.. ♪ [ And then he'll just, limply slide back down against the railing and tiredly crawl his way back over to Takane, taking a seat beside her. ]

..If the eels are "too scary" for you, that is okay~. [ Kanata isn't entirely offended if she's bothered by them, since Kaoru used to run away from the 'scary' saltwater fish, too. He recognizes the same vibe going on here. ] I do not mind if "we catch" something cuter instead, if Takane will be "happier" about it.

[ Like, 'cuter' by her standards, he means.]

[sorewatopsecret]

[SHE'S A SKY CHILD AND NOT AN OCEAN CHILD SHE'S NOT OBLIGATED TO LOVE ALL OF THEM EQUALLY.

Well, at least she's managed to lift his spirits somewhat, and she welcomes him to her side. Hopefully by the time her friend starts up his island aquarium, she'll be able to see eels without fainting. At Kanata's offer of finding "cuter" sea creatures, she politely shakes her head.]

Please do not mind me. I just seem to not do well with animals such as eels... They, to me, look too much like... [She trails off, paling a bit. She still can't bring herself to say that word.] Those things on land, that hiss and are slithery... Uurgh...

[Yes. Takane feels like that description is adequate enough for what she means. Recalling very unpleasant memories, she buries her face into her knees. She never enjoyed having to run around town looking for that snake, but a promise was a promise... Well, it wasn't as if it was all unpleasant. It was time spent with a dear friend, and while Takane dreaded snakes, seeing Hibiki so happy when they were reunited was worth it.

... Remembering Hibiki only serves to remind Takane how she was the only one from 765Pro that came to this world. While she was aware that was for the best, and has developed wonderful friendships with others here, there was never a day Takane didn't find herself missing the other girls and, at times, feeling somewhat lonely.

A brief moment passes, and she quickly tries to gain her composure as she raises her head to look towards Kanata.]

That is to say. I wish for Kanata to be happy and have whatever friends you'd like. It would be unconscionable of me to impede on that due to a trivial personal matter. Perhaps, one day, I may learn to... appreciate the company of beings like eels...

[Plus, these eels wouldn't be able to escape out of their tank and move around on land, right? Right???? It might be okay...!]

[seafriends]

[ From beside her, Kanata watches Takane with a slow, surprised lift of his brow. For her to be so wary of something like snakes.. he hadn't expected it. She has the kind of aura where he thought for sure she might even prefer their cool and mysterious company, in fact. ]

Ohh..? [ But he's learning more about her..! Kanata considers raising a hand to pat the top of her head once she's hiding her face, but the opportunity passes him by a little too quickly. He pauses, hand hovering midair, as Takane's head lifts up to look at him again-- ]

I understand, they are "very similar" aren't they..~?

[ -- and then reaches out to pat her, anyway. Cue gentle smile. ]

Ehe, you are a good girl.. [ pat pat pat ] But having sea friends that make Takane happy is what "will also" make me happy.. so please do not "worry" about something like that. We will have plenty of friends that we "both love".. ♪

[ His friendship with Takane is more important than eels...! probably. ]

[sorewatopsecret]

[Takane's internal reactions towards being pat on the head were conflicting. While it was rather embarrassing for her, to be treated so much like a child by him, despite the two of them appearing to be roughly the same age... she couldn't say that she hated it. Actually, it kind of gave her a nice, warm feeling? So while her face remains completely devoid of emotion on the surface, her cheeks are dyed a light pink, and she doesn't shake him off. In fact, she unconsciously leans her head forward, as if welcoming more pats.

Okay, maybe it was a little appropriate that she was being treated like a child.]

Mm... Very well... However, if you were to find yourself still wanting them, I will not object either... [Likewise, her friendship with Kanata is more important that her fear of eels and other related creatures!] I hope you are able to invite your "sea friends" to your island home soon, Kanata...

[seafriends]

[ Oh, she's leaning into it. Another surprise.. Kanata was half worried that Takane might not be the sort to give in to things like head pats. But pleasantly, that doesn't seem to be the case, and he rewards the discovery by continuing to place a few more affectionate pats to her head. She's almost like a cat, isn't she.. ]

It would be very nice to be "surrounded" by so many friends, fufu. [ They would never feel lonely.. Although, he hasn't been feeling that way very much at all here, if he were to think about it. ]

I am not sure if Takane can "remember", but on the floating islands, Koutei-san carried you to a room with many different tanks.. [ If she doesn't remember, though, he's about to elaborate. ] I keep "lots and lots" of different fish at our school, you see.. so it feels "somewhat" sad without them, even if I am happy to be so close to the sea each day.