red fishies

[mortalcoil]

Who: The Red Fish crew, and any trespassers
Broadcast: Probably not
Action: Aboard the SS Red Fish, and the planet's surface
When: For the remainder of the month

[Red Fish is the party ship! yeeeeah!


...no, I lied. really, does anyone on this ship know how to have fun at all? like, really have fun? does anyone here gamble or go dancing or party all night long?

maybe the Red Fish just have fun in unconventional ways-- like reading, or sipping tea, or constructively beating the crap out of each other.

who needs a worlds-famous casino station when you have simple joys like that, right?]

Comments

[mortalcoil]

[Coil hasn't given the casino station a second glance... but that planet.

though he normally spends most of his time either working out in the cargo hold or holed up in his room with him homework, he's been pretty scarce since they've been in contact with the planet. he's just so full of energy. who needs sleep? he sure doesn't. there's too much to see, too many samples to collect, too much to absorb here...

and so here he is on another return trip to drop off what he has collected from the surface, hucking packs stuffed full of natural treasures slung over his shoulder... except, this time, he's a little roughed-up.

he doesn't seem to notice, but he's a little bit of a mess. there are leaves in his hair, little scrapes and scratches all over his face... and there's a weird scattering of some sort of dust all over his clothes.

he won't be on the ship for long, but he can be found anywhere between the cargo door, his room and the laboratory to drop off his findings, and the kitchen to pick up a snack before he heads out again.]

[theboogieman]

[he's been a little antsy too, but not nearly as bad as Coil. Zhas firmly thinks that if Coil's magic gets him in trouble, it's his own damn fault--but it still makes him a little uncomfortable, watching him buzz around with the strums of the forest.

so when he finally gets back from one of his trips with something for Zhas to fuss over, he doesn't hesitate to swoop in. he runs into him in the hall as Coil's coming back from the lab, stops him with a hand on his shoulder. that same hand very quickly picks a leaf out of his hair.

his eyes narrow. Coil knows the expression: disapproving confusion.]

[mortalcoil]

[he's been making such good progress, whittling and wedging himself back into an obedient place that at least resembles somewhere he used to be. so, when he half-moves to shoo Zhas' hand away from him, it is quite the setback.

he quickly turns it into a sign--to cover his tracks, maybe. but the word is only 'busy,' which might not be much better.]

[theboogieman]

[Zhas never seems to have this problem. he smacks Coil's hand away like clockwork, and quickly ignores whatever he'd been trying to say. he's busy brushing at whatever's dusted all over his clothes. his frown is deepening.]

[mortalcoil]

[the dust is soft and brown, not gritty like sand or debris from anything mineral. and it's not only on his clothes, but his face too--it's sticking to the scratches and clinging lightly to the ends of his hair.

and he doesn't have the patience to be fussed over.

'I need to work,' he signs.]

[theboogieman]

[still ignoring him. still fussing. he wets his thumb rubs it over Coil's face (perhaps as obnoxiously as possible--avoiding the wounds, but pressing hard) and licks whatever powder he picks up.

blech... he makes a face. maybe not fungal, whatever it is.]

[mortalcoil]

[ugh, only the fact that Zhas has already batted away an attempt keeps him from swatting at him again. instead, he'll just grimace and turn his head away, praying that no one else is peeking around to see.

and, well. it doesn't taste like mushrooms, at least. but who knows what giant fungal spores really taste like, right?

he signs that it's fine, and repeats the fact that he needs to go work. like now.]

SUPER-FUN CAMPING TRIP OK

[theboogieman]

[THEY TOTALLY KNOW HOW TO HAVE FUN, LOOK AT HOW MUCH FUN THEY'RE HAVING.]

A.

[Zhas has suggested an expedition out into the spooky evil magical forest, and you're part of it, now! are you leading? exploring? helping navigate? in awe of the schools of luminescent flying wildlife and coral-lichen? quietly freaking out about the bizarre, tempting call that seeps through the very air you're breathing? it's probably best to stay in a group, but feel free to split off into pairs if that's easier for threading.]

B.

[alternatively, everyone has stopped in a clearing for a moment. sitting around, catching their breath, maybe trying to decide if they should head back for the day, or press on for a little bit longer. it's a moment of rest! just ignore the cat-sized rodents that are scurrying around at the edge of the camp. it's probably fine.]

B!!!

[openhands]

[OH YES, SO MUCH FUN IS BEING HAD.]

[She leaves the decision to continue or head back in the hands of the others, although if asked she will definitely cast her vote to leaving. They've done enough as far as she's concerned. The last thing Cassandra wants is a repeat of the night out with Mal when she knows luck had just as much to do with with their survival and escape from the woods as anything else.]

[Cassandra remains on the periphery of the camp, however, watching the rodents as they scurry about. While she'd much rather turn back and leave, she will remain so long as the crew does. She stays standing, one foot resting on a root. She does keep one ear attentive to the conversation at the heart of the camp, but she's listening for beyond the edge of their camp, for any sign of predators.]

[theboogieman]

[thus far, Zhas doesn't like Cassandra much as a person, but he does like her as an asset. he would never once imply (intentionally, anyway) that she's not good at what she does. her being the unspoken lookout is reassurance enough to let him actually focus on talking with the others and not glance, paranoid, over at the bushes every ten seconds.

she can watch him have a length "conversation" with Coil, the both of them speaking with that hand-gesture language they know. Coil seems antsy, and Zhas only frowns more and more as their little talk goes on.

eventually, Zhas breaks from that to come speak with Cassandra. his eyes seem especially glowy, down here. his tone is pretty much the same, unfriendly monotone as ever.]

Is there anything like this place on your world.

[openhands]

[Cassandra doesn't mind Zhas' presence. While she can't say that she completely trusts him necessarily, he is formidable by his own right. He can be counted on that much and it does go a long way with Cassandra. She glances over at him as he comes to join her over by the edge of their camp.]

There are elven ruins like this in my world. They have been long-since forgotten by most, including the Dalish. They are difficult to find and usually not safe to enter because of their physical state.

[Cassandra had made the offer to the Inquisitor not to stay when they were investigating the ruins with the Arbor Wilds for a reason. It had once been a deeply sacred place to them and there was clearly something still there that was immortal, timeless and beyond them. It feels similar here, but somehow far more threatened to outsiders. Perhaps they were less threatened there because they weren't the only outsiders at the time in the Wilds.]

But a few of their sacred sites are still dangerous because they are being watched and protected by their original guardians and inhabitants. They would keep any outsiders out and do not even recognize the Dalish as their own.

A

[child_of_bhaal]

[Syeira may have defaulted into taking the lead here. This is kind of her element, and she moves over the terrain, roots, rocks and all, like it's flat land. She can see in the darker parts like it's bright daylight, and she knows exactly where they left the ship at all times.

Though part of this initiative is habit, there's also that strange...calling that feels like it's tugging at her. Specifically, at the Taint. She might be taking a farther lead on the group sometimes, being distracted by that pull.]

[mortalcoil]

[and Coil breaking away from the rest of the party to attempt to keep up with Syeira's ranging has a little bit to do with the fact that he feels like he should. when him and Zhas set out in their work, that is his usual role in their little party of two. so, having some interloper do his job for him just doesn't seem right.

and that really is only part of it, though. the rest is him following that gut-deep pull that tugs on him constantly, asking him to go farther into the trees.

so, Syeira has a little shadow tailing along behind her. he might only be able to see a little bit better in the dark than a normal human, but he's far more quiet and careful to make up for it. really, it's his one grey eye in the dark--gleaming more brightly with how saturated in energy he is right now--that gives him away the most.]

[child_of_bhaal]

[Syeira is pretty good at getting a feel for people. But Coil is still largely a mystery. It's mostly because she can't understand him if he attempts to communicate with her, and that it feels wrong to go to Nunnally and pump her for information. Long term development of any kind of relationship, be it positive or negative, is just something she's never had to experience before. So it's a little weird for her.

So when she notices Coil is shadowing her, she decides to just let that happen and see what is what. She doesn't try to challenge his abilities by going over more difficult paths than necessary, nor does she baby him by finding the smoothest paths. If he wants to follow her, then he'll follow her. Maybe she'll learn something.]

[mortalcoil]

[he continues to follow, but really only half of his focus is on her. he keeps track of where she is, watches what paths she chooses over the uneven land, but the rest of his attention is hungrily pinning to every detail around him that happens to catch his eye.

if anything, following her is just giving him an excuse to go farther. Zhas might stop him or try to call him back, but... well. out of sight, out of mind.

and while he doesn't seem to be terribly at home in the deep wild, or have some other obvious goal here, he is at least half-decent at makeshift ranging. he even stops abruptly a few times to stoop down and peer at low-growing plants in the dark, picking off samples of leaves, sometimes rubbing them between his fingers to see what kind of sap and smell they give off.]

[theboogieman]

[Zhas is happy to let Syeira (and occasionally Coil) stay in the lead, because forests are not his favorite place to be. he's trained for concrete and flat surfaces. industrial grating, vents, city rooftops. the vampires that live out in the wild don't really cause a ruckus that warrant their immediate extermination--and when he does go out there, he prefers to hunt them in plains and the moors. so he's not all about this... rooted, uneven, suffocating, trees thing.

he also finds it easier to keep an eye on both of them when he's behind them. he doesn't much trust either of them to not go gallivanting off into the enchanted forest at any moment. mages, and all. or whatever she said she was.

when she finally gets too far ahead, he whistles--a sharp, sudden sound that carries much further than you'd expect from someone who normally barely makes a sound. attention over here, please.]

[child_of_bhaal]

[The whistle does what it's supposed to; catch her attention immediately. Her head whips around as she comes to a full stop and looks back. She is...very far ahead of them. And while normally, she would feel sheepish about getting so distracted, right now she's thinking about how hard it would be for Zhas to whistle at her, like a stray dog, if she ripped his tongue out.

It's that keenly violent thought that has her stand right where she is, and wait for the group to catch up. It gives her time to take a few deep breathes and shove down the blood thirsty thoughts. It's not at all easy. That calling is constantly tugging at her.]

[theboogieman]

[when the group catches up to her, Zhas gestures at Coil, specifically--tells him to go on up ahead, in that hand-gesture language of theirs. he sticks closer to Syeira, for a moment.

he's not concerned about her, specifically, but he is concerned about what this forest might be doing to her. he knows Coil's brand of trouble better than he knows hers. he leans in enough to keep his gruff voice at least considerately quiet.]

What does it feel like.

[he's not being tugged in the same way that she is, but... his eyes do seem particularly glowy, in here.]

[child_of_bhaal]

[ She eyes that hand gesture language that Zhas and Coil seem to share. She's going to figure it out, sooner or later.

But at the moment, she tries to check her speed so she doesn't start out pacing Zhas. She's using a spell to smooth things out for her, so despite his being taller, she can potentially double his pace even at a slower speed. It helps that he's started talking to her. Conversation will keep her from getting distracted.]

Strange. Like something is trying to coax the Taint out to the surface. Not necessarily Evil though.

[openhands]

[For the most part, Cassandra's time on the station has been for business purposes. She's picked up a few jobs here and there to put more money in her pocket and also to give her the excuse of hitting things aside from the punching bag. But when it comes to the planet? With the exception of looking after people who have made the decision to go down there, Cassandra has very little desire to return after one night down there.]

[Instead of looking for her there, you can find her on the Red Fish beating the crap out of the punching bag. She spends a better part of her day doing just that. She can be convinced, however, to give the punching bag a break and hit you instead if you'd like. Or you guys can chat, I guess. If you're into that sorta thing.]

[Sometimes though, she can be found in her room. She sits or lays down on her bed, reading quietly while occasionally tuning into her communicator to see if there's anything new to be made aware of. Other times, she is praying either silently or whispering it just under her breath.]

[mortalcoil]

[Coil hasn't bothered to keep track of who has picked up any bits of sign language around the ship so far--who has been paying attention, or who Zhas may or may not have been teaching--but that does not stop him from acting as if they all must have. he only ever stops to write out communication when it's something he considers important, and that happens so rarely. more often than not, he either throws lazy signs around, or avoids the situation entirely.

and today, as he walks into the cargo hold and straight toward where their newest crewmember is beating the daylights out of the punching bag, he starts signing. he's spelling something out, and not really waiting to see if she's following along.]

[openhands]

[Cassandra stops when Coil approaches, out of politeness. Not that she has any expectation that he'll show her the same courtesy ever given his attitude when they first met, but two wrongs don't make a right. Her brow furrows as he's signing, uncertain for a moment before she realizes he's trying to speak to her in some capacity, and she holds up a hand.]

I don't understand.

[mortalcoil]

[...he sighs, a little. it's not an audible thing; just a visible rise and drop of his shoulders as he stops signing. and while he might have just dropped the whole topic as well, some other time, he's currently wired and overly-focused enough to forge on ahead.

that planet really has him buzzed. even under the lights of the cargo hold, the subtle glow of his eye is noticeable.

so, trying a different route, he points at her, mimes falling into a ready pose while holding something like a sword (or a baseball bat, really), and then traces the shape of a question mark in the air with one finger.]

[openhands]

[She watches him pantomime, trying to communicate his meaning from his earlier signing.]

You wish to spar?

[Cassandra raises a skeptical brow, looking him over. He may have endured a great deal, but she's questioning his ability to keep up with her. Cassandra has decades of training and experience on him regardless of what his training may have been like. Assuming, of course, that he's had any. That's something Cassandra finds herself doubting as well.]

Very well...

[mortalcoil]

[and regardless of what skills he may or may not have, he at least has a wealth of determination, and considerable amount of confidence. he doesn't seem anything but excited about the potential match. he doesn't smile, but closest she's seen from him yet happens when she agrees.

he is apparently so ready for this.

so, he dives into another pantomime. this time, he makes a fist and points between the two of them, and then mimics holding a weapon and again points between them, following it up with another traced question mark.

he wants to know if she wants to fight with fists or weapons, but who knows whether or not she'll follow.]