Islander meeting!

[savedbyasong]

Who: Everyone!
What: An information gathering meeting, mingle log style!
When: 13th as advertised Here!
Where: Big tent, islet 4 (sorry Ardyn!)
Warnings: Keep an eye on subject lines for warnings!

[The tent is a good place to have this. It's sheltered at least. Shion has collected strawberries and also water. He hopes that people will turn up, there's a lot to discuss. About this place, how they are here and how to leave. But also surviving here. Helping each other make the most of being here.

They had done such things in the Tower and it was a good way to get things organised. He knows he has questions and he thinks other people probably do as well. If it's anything like the Tower then people all have different bits of information that will fit together eventually.

He greats people as they enter and will encourage anyone who looks less than certain to enter and offer them strawberries.]

((OOC: So I'll put up a subthread for mingling before the meeting, then discussion points can be posted as a reply to this main thread. I'll do a few for things Shion will bring up but feel free to post your own points as well! Tag around, do breakout threads, discuss all the things. Don't worry if things go off topic. Have fun!)

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Ignis Scientia | OTA: There's Something Rotten on the Isle of Ziziphus!

[shatteredlenses]

[When Ignis was first told about Shion's meeting, he'd intended to speak about the dream he had related to the Water to see if anyone else had similar dreams. However, on the heels of his recent visit to Ziziphus and what he and Ardyn found there, that thought has been pushed far, far from his mind.]

After what happened on Ai'tuoh, I hardly think I need to urge caution when it comes to exploring Ziziphus, however, Ardyn and I made a discovery there the other day that has left me quite unsettled.

[Those who might wonder why he and Ardyn--of all people--were out exploring alone can just keep wondering as he has no intention of explaining farther.]

We were near the south-central part of the island just finishing up our search when we came across a very thick and ropy vine. Not something all that unusual until it moved.

[He huffs softly as if he can't believe he's about to have to say this, but then continues.]

Not just moved. It acted as if it had an intelligence of some sort. It nosed at us, almost as if it was trying to figure out what we were and then vanished into the undergrowth so quickly we could not follow. Not even by the terrible smell it left behind.

[A frown crosses his face now and he actually wrinkles his nose as thinking of the smell reminds him of something equally unpleasant from his home.]

It was sickly sweet and rotten. I'm not certain if anyone else has run into either this smell or a similar vine, but if either show up again, I believe it would be wise of us to track where the discovery is made.

[There's definitely something going on here, and Ignis prays to whoever may be listening it's not something anywhere nearly as bad as a Malboro is.]

[savedbyasong]

[This was... worrying. Interesting as well but worrying.] Many of the monsters on Ziziphus are like plants, but are sentient. Many can move without being rooted to the ground unlike other plant monsters I've seen before. I didn't see anything like that though...

[But... the smell...] In the woodland there it does smell a bit like that. Sickly sweet. It's only faint. [Until Ignis mentioned it he had hadn't even thought it unusual, just what that place smelled like.]

[shatteredlenses]

[Ignis nods, humming softly at the same time.]

Wooded areas often have that smell at some level due to the vegetation breaking down.

[Yet, he's not comfortable just ignoring a potential link to whatever that vine was part of.]

It may be just be normal to the area or it may not. Did the smell seem stronger in one part of the woods than another?

[savedbyasong]

Not particularly. That's all I thought it was, vegetation breaking down in the heat. [He thought for a moment] I didn't smell it on the hills, just in the woods but no stronger in any one place.

[shatteredlenses]

Not a lot to work with, unfortunately. Usual causes aside, perhaps we could say it doesn't like the light which is why the smell is only in the wooded area, but that is working with a lot more 'maybes' that I am comfortable with.

[Ignis frowns. So few solid facts. Maybe theories should wait until people run into it again? But what if it is less inclined just to vanish then than it was the first time?]

It may only move through the area sparsely too, I suppose.

[savedbyasong]

The smell might be coming from a nest of them. [A smell that permeates the whole area can't come from just one creature, there might be more of these vines. But as Ignis said there was a lot of maybes.] We will have to be vigilant for it when we next go exploring. I'll try and pay more mind to the smell and note where I smell it stronger.

[shatteredlenses]

[He has to hold back a shiver at the thought of a nest of malboros. One is bad enough!]

Thank you. I appreciate assistance. I'm going to be heading back myself to do more looking. Perhaps we can collect our findings on the rock for others to see?

[savedbyasong]

That's a good idea. I can come and look with you as well... If you want [The offer is made but trails off into uncertainty. Shion has been okay exploring so far, even though his leg is still healing. But he still worries about slowing people down, especially as they explore further into the centre of the island, a longer distance from the mana pool.]

[shatteredlenses]

Soma has already agreed to go with me on my next trip. Lets see what that trip turns up and we can discuss further ones after that. The island is large and I have a feeling we're going to have plenty of trips in our future.

[He has no issue heading out with Shion at some point if need be. After all, if people can be patient enough to go out with a blind man, he can be patient enough to go out with someone whose leg isn't 100%.]

[savedbyasong]

I think it will take a lot for us to explore all of it. [He nodded] I think me and Hinata are going to go on a trip too, he knows medical plants as well. [There's enthusiasm there, Shion is quite excited to have found someone whose knowledge of plants is similar to his, Aster happily lets him babble but he's aware that he probably bores her half the time]

[shatteredlenses]

That's good to hear. We need more people with medical backgrounds. I always fear missing a plant that could be extremely useful to us just because the right person wasn't there to see it. If you find something, will you let me know? I would like to add it to my garden if I may.

[savedbyasong]

I wouldn't wish anyone here [Even if they were needed. This place was definitely not the worst place to be stolen to but no one should be stolen from their world at all.] But I understand what you mean. Hopefully as more people know who can identify plants and things they will let us know what they find.

[A smile] What do you grow in your garden at the moment?

[shatteredlenses]

[Ignis chuckles, looking embarrassed for a moment, before answering.]

Right now? Mostly coffee and witch hazel. I was just given some herbs, though, so they are soon to be added.

[And a few days after this log, he will be very busy trying to figure out how to bring apricots over to his little islet. Fun fun!]

[want_to_belong]

[Gross smell? That instantly brought one thing to mind.]

Please tell me it's not a malboro.

[They could do without any of those.]

Things were going so good on that island.

[shatteredlenses]

[Prompto's reaction causes a small upward tick in Ignis' lips before he answers.]

Do you want me to lie to you? Because, as unfortunate as it is, I can't rule out the possibility of it being a malboro or something similar at least.

[want_to_belong]

Why does there have to be something? Why can't we just have a cool island?

Can we just not go where it was?

[shatteredlenses]

I'm afraid I also don't have an answer for that. Perhaps we should ask the Storyteller?

[So far this island has been better than the last, but that might change very rapidly.]

We could simply avoid it, but that will only be easily accomplished if it is a unique creature.

[Ignis doesn't want to think of there being more than one, but...]

[want_to_belong]

Oh Atsrals you think there might be more than one?!

I don't have enough bullets for this!

[shatteredlenses]

[Ignis holds out a hand to calm Prompto.]

I have no idea if there is or not. It's simply a possibility we can't discount at this moment.

[want_to_belong]

[He let out a frustrated grunt.]

Guess we should stick to parties either way, huh? Don't want anyone to get stuck alone.

[shatteredlenses]

Precisely.

[As much as he was considering going out alone earlier in the month, his run into Mira after she was hurt made it very clear just how foolish a plan that was.]

Speaking of parties, how did your exploration with Laurent and Damen go?

[want_to_belong]

We found cactus looking things! Those usually have water or something good in them, right?

[Needless to say, Prompto didn't know aloe vera offhand. He did have some general ideas, though. Especially after all their time exploring their world.]

[shatteredlenses]

Cactus looking things?

[Well, at least they aren't cactuars or the almost-cactuars that were on Monsun. But what kind of plant is like a cactus? He can think of far too many.]

Did you happen to bring any back? I suspect getting my hands on it will allow me to figure out if it's familiar faster than you trying to describe it to me.

[want_to_belong]

Yeah, it wasn't too hard! I thought it looked useful so I dug some up and planted them in some baskets.

[All those practice weaving fronds had to be good for something.]

They're not exactly cacti cactuses, but they are pointy and they have really thick leafy things.

[With that he lightly tapped Ignis on the arm to signal lightly to follow him. The plants weren't super far since he'd pretty much just brought them 'home' and tried to deal with them himself, meaning he had a trio of kind of planted aloe vera plants in some bowl-shaped baskets sitting nearby their home.]

[shatteredlenses]

[Ignis follows without question, quite curious to find out what Prompto's found. When they get to the baskets, he kneels in front of one, carefully running gloved hands over its surface. He makes a thoughtful humming sound and then breaks a small part off one of the branches. There is indeed a liquid inside and when he catches a whiff of the light scent the liquid puts off, a wide smile crosses his face.]

Aloe Vera! Oh, Prompto, this is a wonderful find! It has so many uses.