lifeaftr | July Event: Riding the Wave

JULY EVENT: RIDING THE WAVE

Who: Everyone!
What: The Jormun reappear to allow some transformative fun...and potentially some underwater exploration as well
When: July 10th and onward
Where: Ensō and the ocean floor around it
Warnings: Potential (and fully optional) body/transformation horror may arise when undergoing shifts from land-based to sea-based shapes, and vice versa. Otherwise, tag as you go!

I'll See You on the Other Side
The Jormun resurfaced to greet their old allies on July 8th, bringing with them the offer to explore the ocean floor alongside them. They're not the only old friend that's made a return, however. The kaleidoshells, placid, rainbow-tinted creatures reminiscent of sea turtles, have also made their way to Ensō's shores for their nesting season. For much of the month of July, you'll have to tread carefully around mounds of sand hiding delicate heaps of kaleidoshell eggs.

Those of you uninterested in sea exploration can remain on the surface, if you like - the kaleidoshells can make for a stunning sight if you're glimpsing them for the first time as their shells throw off vibrant rainbow swirls of light reflected into the ocean waters.

Predators are always keen to feast on easy prey, and kaleidoshell eggs are no exception. If you feel like protecting them from any hungry slypers or pterax, you'll find that some of the Jormun are happy to stick on the surface with you and assist. They'll even lend you a schlacknorkcvic, which is the Jormun equivalent of a simple driftwood training staff, to help keep any thieving creatures away from the nests of kaleidoshell eggs - though they recommend that you do so peacefully, if possible.

Get Carried Away
Or you can brave the sea waters with the Jormun, instead. With the help of the sne'akleriad pendant, your new, aquatic shape will allow you to navigate the waters just as easily as they. Whether you intend to make use of this new skill to go roaming about and explore some of Ensō's uncharted ocean squares, take a look at that underwater structure that's been sighted before, or just have a joyous time beneath the waves with your new scaly, tentacled, flippered, or be-gilled form, the choice is yours.

In the meantime, the following links may prove handy:

[ ♆ ] OOC Event Info and Plotting Post
[ ♆ ] Underwater City Exploration Page
[ ♆ ] Jormun NPC Information
[ ♆ ] Ensō's Locations Page

Event Timeline

[ ♆ ] July 8th: The Jormun and the kaleidoshells return to Ensō's shores
[ ♆ ] July 10th: Underwater exploration begins
[ ♆ ] July 17th: Part Two of our second year anniversary Test Drive Meme goes up
[ ♆ ] July 20th: Monthly Storytelling occurs
[ ♆ ] July 22nd: The final island in this voting round appears
[ ♆ ] July 25th: The Jormun return to their home beneath the waves

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"It is." Ginko hums softly, swimming another foot or so inside. He's fine just moving in little increments like that, waiting for Epsilon to catch up in between.

Unfortunately, it does make it a little harder to just plunge into the building and get it over with.

"Unsettling, too. Reminds me of the, uh... the hospital, back in Vandare."

If it were underwater, and abandoned. But listen, this architecture is some Western shit and he's only seen so many examples to work from.

Epsilon hesitates, just inside the doorway. He remembers Vandare, and he doesn't remember anything particularly depressing about it... but it certainly explains why Ginko is unsettled.

"Most hospitals are similar, when I'm from. This could be any clinic anywhere in the world." He casts his amber gaze over the walls, the ceiling. "Who knows how long ago it was lost under water."

"Long enough. Place is falling apart." He leans in to get a better look at a cluster of cyan anemones on one wall, then ducks down to prod at some rubble below them - carefully. He'd rather not get a rusted old needle stuck in his hand.

"Probably too long for there to be any salvageable supplies left, huh."

"Yes... I'm not even sure what something like that would look like," he agrees, his tone dubious. "The ocean isn't especially kind to manmade objects."

That includes robots. Even those made specifically for nautical work require extensive maintenance, whether their place be under water or above it.

"But... original purpose aside, it seems this space isn't especially hospitable, either. If I'm honest, the absence of fellow plantlife is worrying."

"I could certainly see that." It's not as bad as if it were completely devoid of life, but a handful of anemones don't do much to make it more comforting.

Ginko pushes aside a piece of rubble - probably a former chunk of cabinet or table, now so worn down that it sends bits of material drifting through the water when he moves it - and his eye lands on something below, gently glowing and, apparently, basically intact.

"...Epsilon. Look at this."

Epsilon's not a fast swimmer, but it's not exactly a huge distance to cover--and he can see clearly enough what it is.

"Be careful," is the first thing out of his mouth. It's a consciously chosen warning, coming from him, but still fast enough to be mistaken for reflexive.

"I like that a lot less."

"I know-- let's see."

Being careful doesn't mean, of course, that he's not going to touch it, because he's got to check this thing out somehow. He reaches out, avoiding the surrounding debris, to rest the fingers of one hand on the orb's surface for a moment. No sense of discomfort, no burning or... you know, general unease, the kind of thing he might expect from a dangerous or otherwise incredibly cursed object.

But then something else does happen.

The memory rushes through his mind, vivid and almost agonizingly drawn out - but, in reality, it's only a couple seconds before Ginko jerks his hand back from the orb, pulling in a sharp breath. His tail flicks and he pulls away on reflex, trying to catch his breath as he runs what he just saw and heard through his mind.

"--We can't stay here."

Epsilon would have preferred Ginko include 'not touching the unknown glowing object' as part of being careful, but it's too late now--

In the seconds it takes Ginko to disengage, Epsilon is already by his side, and he pulls back in surprise when Ginko jerks away--though mostly out of the desire to avoid a collision between his face and Ginko's skull. He's already got one webbed hand on Ginko's shoulder, the other taking him by the forearm; his hold is gentle, but firm enough.

"Ginko?" He's asking, but not because he doesn't take Ginko's word for it.

Listen. Listen. Gloves or something would be great, but all he's got is his bag, and that wouldn't be great for actually getting a look at the thing.

Not that this is much better.

His eye is still fixed on the orb, but he's catching his breath as he thinks back over what he just saw, pulls back from the moment of panic from being hit by it all at once, knowing the plague was here--

As caught up as he is in going over the memory, it takes him a moment to notice the gentle pressure of Epsilon's hands on his shoulder and arm. "I... saw something when I touched that thing. A memory, I think-- from, from someone who worked here." Ginko's fins flare, and he finally breaks his gaze from the orb to look at him. "You might want to look at this thing, but... then we've got to get out of here. I can explain on the way."

Epsilon hesitates only a moment, long enough to glance at Ginko--a bit of nonverbal communication to let him know what exactly he's about to do--then drifts forward, the leafy regalia of his fins slow and stately in motion.

He does not pause upon reaching the sphere, but places his hand on it and--

And from Ginko's point of view, it's as though nothing happened at all. Epsilon's colourful webbed hand closes over the orb and he picks it up off the ground, larger debris falling away, the finer piece dissipating into the open water. There is no pause, no time taken to receive its contents' vision.

It's only when Epsilon turns around that his troubled expression is apparent--his yellow eyes wide, delicate face creased with confusion and subdued horror.

"A transformation?"

"Not exactly." Ginko slides off his (thoroughly waterlogged, he's gonna need to get this thing out to dry for hours) knapsack and holds it open for the orb. He doesn't know if it'll... replay or whatever, now that they've both seen it, but he doesn't want to risk it on their way back to the surface.

"It's..." There's really no delicate way to put this, is there. "It's more like a plague. Some of us saw... something like this before."

The orb stays in Epsilon's hand.

Some of the fear leaves his face, washing away into the ocean around them as his expression smooths out into something more intent, more contained and serious. His gaze leaves the orb and Ginko's face both, roaming over the time- and sea- stripped walls of the abandoned hospice before he returns his attention to Ginko.

"One moment. Forgive my caution, but.... does this object contain anything besides its data?"

"...Maybe," Ginko admits, slowly. "We can't say for sure. But, last time we ran into this disease, we'd been all over the island we picked it up from, and didn't contract it until... until some graves were disturbed.

"If this thing is contaminated, we're... probably already infected." Which, Ginko supposes, would be entirely on him. But... "But I doubt it is. So far, we've only picked this plague up through close proximity to a host, either living or dead."

July Event: Riding the Wave

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