MINGLE: The Derelict Ship

[save_the_souls]

Who: Anyone traveling to the derelict ship(s)
Broadcast: If you want!
Action: At the Derelict Ship on the Planet
When: 10/13 onward



[After several days of traveling, the passengers are able to reach the ruins of the ship. Explore the ruins, try to find a distress single scavenge, play your hand at Harvest moon and grab some pumpkins- come on in, it's a mingle!

>> Plot Information ]

Comments

[monolike]

Such a mischievous spirit! I thought you were gonna write that book to make it easier on future Shepherds and seraphim? [Tugs forward an assembly sprouting frayed wires and starts pulling.]

[nerdeology]

I'm allowed to multitask. Anyway, we can't make it too easy on them, or they wouldn't benefit from the lessons that the trials are supposed to teach.

[monolike]

So is the lesson about not pursuing strength to the detriment of yourself or is it- urgh, I think I just touched a giant dead spider- [withdraws hand and wipes it on his shirt, gross] ...or is it, 'you should not annoy your Squire to screaming because she'll run off and get teleported back to the entrance by herself?' Because I'm confused.

[nerdeology]

Surely lessons can multitask, as well. Along with teaching said Squire some patience, since I don't see her doing much better than anyone else.

...Or him.

[Because obviously this is all theoretical.]

[monolike]

Sure, sure, of course. Combining lessons is a good idea, though I guess it's not really up to us which lessons are learned. With Asura purified, Altul will need to think up something new, huh? [Sorey pauses, fingers playing with the casing of a wire as he sits back on his heels.] ...Mikleo? Do you ever feel weird talking about things that happened back home?

[nerdeology]

[Mikleo blinks and glances sidelong at him, all signs of jest fading as he catches Sorey's expression in the dim light.]

Weird... how? Because of how different it is?

[He's not sure of what Sorey means, but he knows that's been the most difficult part for him. The world had already felt so huge, standing on the cliff outside of Elysia, with a horizon that stretched on forever. He'd wondered back then how many years it would take someone to find everything there was to discover, how many lifetimes would have to be led to solve all the mysteries beneath them. But here, out in the middle of space, with countless planets and moons and stations and galaxies... the scope is enormous. It's exciting, but... terrifying.

Not weird, though, not really. Maybe that isn't it.]

[monolike]

I guess... [Sorey sighs and tries in vain to wipe his fingers free of dust before diving back into the mess of the console, shouldering his way in through the maintenance hatch to reach the board in the back.] Sort of. More like, we've been here longer than we'd been away from Elysia back home. It feels...weird. When we'd left Elysia we didn't have any destination in mind, but we got wrapped up in so many things, and our world expanded.

And it's cool, being in space and seeing all these different planets, but I guess- I guess I'm a little homesick. ["A little." Understatement of the century. Maybe it's not so bad when you're thousands of years old, or have the potential to be. But even Sorey, as a teenager, is starting to feel like the inevitable is closing in on him.

Of course, saying that to Mikleo of all people is ridiculous. And touches upon quite a few things they've yet to discuss, though they probably (really definitely) should.]

[nerdeology]

[Mikleo nods slowly at that, though Sorey's buried himself back in the console where he won't see it. The mention of Elysia brings with it the same ache he's felt more often than not when the subject of home comes up; memories of gentle green plains, of distant mountains and rushing water, of the rolling clouds and the distant, muffled rumble of the world below. It really has been far too long since they walked through that old archway and felt the soothing presence of home.]

I've been thinking about Gramps a lot lately. What he'd have thought about all of this. How he'd react to being out in space with the rest of us.

[How ashamed he'd be of them both, for what happened.

He tries not to dwell on that thought.]

There's nothing weird about missing home when you talk about it. I'm certain that plenty of others feel the same way.

[And he'd count himself among them, whether he admits it or not.]

[monolike]

...honestly, Gramps would probably be exactly the same as ever. [He'd beat them both half to death if he heard what had happened but Sorey knows in his heart that Gramps would forgive them, which is almost worse.

He tightens a loose connection and backs out from under the console, filthy abd shaking dust from his hair.] Okay, give it a shot and see if it boots up.

[nerdeology]

[Sorey's probably right about that, admittedly. There was very little that ever genuinely ruffled Gramps, and it was never for very long. Even his anger, powerful and volatile, tended to be pretty short-lived. Maybe it came from being as old as he is; no matter how much they tried his patience, he must've seen it all.

Mikleo sets the light on the edge of the console to shine it over the controls, poking at them for a moment until the screen flickers to life. The display definitely looks like it's seen better days, but it's... mostly visible.]

There's a few cracks under the surface, but I think we can still get something out of it. Let me see what I can find.

[At the speed of a third-grade chicken-peck typist, unfortunately. This might take a while.]

[monolike]

[monolike]

[monolike]

[monolike]

...this sure takes a while, huh?

[nerdeology]

[Mikleo scowls, and his only response at first is an exasperated exhale.]

I really don't like computers.

[Click. Click. Click. Ugh.

After this he's getting someone to teach him how to type properly.]

[monolike]

[leans over his shoulder to backseat program, helpfully] Are there any shortcuts you can use? What does this one do? [click]

[nerdeology]

That--!!

[Too slow, apparently. Mikleo stares down at the screen, his hand half-reaching to stop Sorey from touching anything, now waiting to see what happens. The screen flashes unhelpfully, and a series of error messages pop up, too fast to read.

The last one, covering the rest, simply reads: "Do you wish to proceed" with buttons for yes and no.

Mikleo stares.]

...I don't know what this is for.

[WHY IS THERE NO CANCEL]

[monolike]

It's pretty cut and dry, isn't it? Yes, we want to proceed because it's not like we can go back, so, [REACHES AGAIN]

[nerdeology]

[jkfhdsjkfsdg nO

Mikleo lurches in to try and stop Sorey's hand again, but in his haste he reaches too far; while stopping Sorey, he ends up hitting the screen himself. The prompt vanishes into another series of codes.]

...Sorey!

[This is at least half your fault.]

[monolike]

What?! Okay, I didn't mean for that to happen! [he did not alright] It's okay, we can fix this. Uh, um. [HANDS HOVERING OVER KEYBOARD] ...what if we type "please stop" at it? Y'know, maybe it just needs us to have some manners.

[nerdeology]

Just- stop! Stop touching it for a minute!

[Mikleo prods Sorey away from the console before he can do any more damage. They don't even know what they just agreed to let it do, and the code's moving too quickly to get a good read on it. He squints, leaning in, hoping to catch a word or a phrase that sticks out.]

...I... think it's wiping the storage...

[WHAT HAVE THEY DONE]

[monolike]

What?! It's- [okay well THAT'S BAD

Sorey drops to a knee, shoves his hand into the open mess of wires and yanks out the power supply. He cranes his neck to see the screen gone black.]

...d'you think I got it in time?

[nerdeology]

[Mikleo eyes the bundle of wires cautiously, crouching down beside him.]

Only one way to know for sure... putting it back in would just reset the system, wouldn't it? We interrupted what it was doing...

[...right???]

[monolike]

Gods, I don't even know. I guess we gotta try it.

-are we supposed to wait a certain amount of time? Like to let something...I dunno, settle?

[nerdeology]

I don't think computers work that way.

[At least, that's what the augment tells him. still, it takes a surprising amount of willpower to push the button and reactivate the console, which... thank goodness, appears to boot itself up like normal.

For about thirty seconds, that is, until it starts glitching and displaying unintelligible code. Oh dear.]

...Yeah, that's not a good sign.