driftfleet | Fourteenth Blight

Who: Is that... yep, that's Riona. A bitty Riona. And you, you poor schmuck
Broadcast: Yes
Action: Also yes
When: April 14th through April 21st (aka drift week)

Video - broadcasting from the Iskaulit

[When the camera turns on, it initially faces the ceiling. There's some chatter in the background, but it's not easily made out. A moment later, Kiter the mabari's large face comes into view. He looks rather worried, whining as he noses the device.]

What are you doing? [It's the voice of a young girl that carries over. Footsteps approach, and Kiter steps back as the camera gets picked up.] What is this odd thing? [Eventually, whoever is playing with the device turns the camera so it's facing her.

It's Riona, no doubt, but she looks a tad... different. Like, twenty-years-younger different. She tilts her head curiously at the device.] Some kind of metal, but it's so... shiny. Well, whatever it is, I'm keeping it. Whoever left it on the floor obviously didn't care much for it.

[Kiter barks, trying to communicate... something or other.]

Hm? What are you trying to say, boy? I assume you're a boy? [He yips.] Boy it is. I'll have to think of a name for you. Of course, you might have one already, but I don't see your master about. It'd be nice to find SOMEONE to speak with and ask them they return me home. I don't know where we are, but my father will find me soon enough, and I assure your master that there'll be consequences. [Despite only being 12 at most, Riona tries to hold herself up high and haughty. If one listens closely, however, they may hear the fear in her voice.] Go get him and bring him here. I want to go home, and I'm going home now.

[Kiter whines again, clearly unsure as to what to do here. Help a poor dog out?]

Action - On the Iskaulit

[There's a child on the loose on the Iskaulit, tailed by a concerned looking war hound.

Riona darts about the ship, running down the halls, making the mabari chase after her. There's so much to do and see! And she's young and curious, so when she tires out a bit of running around like a little maniac and running into people, she sets off to explore. There are three areas in particular that interest her:

The gardens. Many of the plants look unfamiliar to her, and she can be found checking them out, poking and pulling them. At one point, she pulls an entire plant loose by mistake, her eyes wide as she realizes it. Glancing around - hoping no one's around - she quick tosses it off to the side and out of sight. No one will notice at all, right??

The pool. Growing up near the sea, Riona learned to swim early. The idea of a pool baffles her a bit: it's clearly not a natural lake, but the water looks so clear (and why does it smell so funny?). But as a girl, she hardly concerns herself with that question for long. With a laugh, she throws off caution and jumps into the water, clothes and all. Hey, she doesn't have a suit and she's not about to go looking for one. She does what a child does and swims and splashes around. And because she's a little shit, if she spots you, she'll snicker before splashing some water at you.

The Space Bar/Malum. Taverns are no place for children, but Riona doesn't know where else to go. She's found more people here then elsewhere, and she wants answers.]

Excuse me. [Look down and you'll find her staring intently at you.] I need to be escorted back to Highever. My father's the teyrn. I have no coin on me, but he'll surely pay you when I get back. [If they've been watching her, they'll know they're not the first person she's asked since arriving in the bar. But she's persistent if nothing else.] Oh, and don't mind the mabari. I think he's supposed to be guarding me, but he's doing a terrible job.

[Kiter, sitting a few paces away from her, huffs in offense.]

Tell me when you're ready to leave.

Action - On the Blue Fish

[At some point she comes back - or gets dragged back - to the Blue Fish. Her reign of terror gets contained, but the ship might not be too glad for it for long.

Riona pries and snoops everywhere, getting into the guns and playing with them. At one point, she accidentally fires one by mistake. Luckily it hits a wall and nothing else, but she quickly puts the gun down and puts on her best innocent face.]

It went off on its own! I swear! [Uh huh.

Of course, Riona still has her pilot augment, even if she's not quite... mature enough at the moment to handle it. Not good. She does eventually find the pilot seat and sits in it.]

Oh! What does this do? [The augment guides her still, helping her grab the controls and flip the right switches. But instead of just, you know, guiding the ship, she decides to yank on the controls as hard as she can. The ship swerves to the side. Whoops, hope you weren't doing anything too important, like making a meal or sleeping. Riona nearly falls out of her seat as well, but she's far too entertained to care. Laughing hysterically, she yanks it in the other direction. This is grand fun, she decides. The ship's in for a joyride.

Someone might want to get her away from the pilot controls. Granted they can stay upright long enough to get to her...]

((OOC: as I'm sure you've guessed, Ri's been glitched to de-age to about the age of 12 for a week. Each header has mini prompts within, but you're also free to put in your own prompt if you'd like!))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Not especially. That's the fun thing about names: you can change them whenever you like.

[He gave a sympathetic look and shook his head.]

No. I know your name because of your father; the Cousland name travels. I'm sorry you're running into that, I know it can be disconcerting. I'm afraid I had a similar experience a while ago.

Are you doing all right in spite of all of that?

So I could change my name? Though I think my mother would get mad.

[And perhaps even her father. They picked it out, after all.

There's a sigh of relief. Thank the Maker. She's about ready to blow a gasket over the whole thing.]

I... no. [Something about the man makes it easy to open up to him. For the first time since she arrived in the fleet, she's talking to an adult that's not confusing the shit out of her.] No one makes any sense. People keep saying they know me and I'll someday know them and it's all so... so stupid! I know I'm a child but I'm not an idiot. And yet I'm just supposed to believe them?

I doubt my own mother would be impressed. Certainly for the lack of originality.

[That look of sympathy just grows as she sighs, clearly troubled. He motioned toward a small seating area nearby and lead them over so they could talk more eye-to-eye without having to kneel down; something he suspected wouldn't go over well. With Riona or his knees.]

You're certainly not stupid, we've only been talking for a little while and I can tell that much.

You don't have to believe them. I know it might seem like it, but no one's actually forcing you. But believe what you think is true, whether it makes sense or not. Our 'gut instincts' are often correct far more often than we give credit.

[He reached out to Kiter, palm up, as though allowing to sniff for the first time.]

And, when in doubt, trust your mighty war dog. I doubt he'd abide by someone who meant you harm.

[There's a hint of a laugh as she huffs. No, definitely no points for originality there. Could she do better? Maybe, but this is a rare instance of something she'd not willing to test her mother over.

Riona follows his lead, taking a seat where he indicates. Her legs swing idly as he talks. It's nice to be talked to like an adult - well, okay, everyone more or less has been, but they've been overwhelming her. This, not so much.]

Okay. [It's quite a relief, being granted "permission" more or less to not have to take everything at face value. So often she's told to do as told or take words as is. There's something liberating about being assured that no, she doesn't have to.] Thank you. The dog at least seems to trust all these people, though I wonder how he met them, then. [Kiter sniffs at Anders' hand before rubbing his head against it.] Or whose he is. Or was. A lot still doesn't make sense. [A less amused huff.] I'm finally on an adventure but it's nothing like I ever thought it would be. It's just... strange and scary.

[On some level, he wishes he could recount his own experience just so she knew he definitely understood, but that would mean letting some suspicious sounding things slip like 'oh by the way, you can definitely return to being a child without memories of the people here' and she didn't need to hear that right now.

But he could remember, at first, being so angry with Wolfe. He tried to tell thirteen-year-old-him what was happening, why he knew him, that the entirely terrifying and new change was somehow supposed to be familiar when Anders had only just woken up there. And then Wolfe had proceeded to try and act as some sort of guardian or keeper, which his younger self had definitely bristled under when the adult treating him like some charge was no better than a stranger.

He knew it had been rough on Hawke being in that position, he could imagine it was no different for some of the friends Riona had already run into. Including poor Alistair, he was sure. But being the scared little kid was no easier.]

Perhaps he's been trapped here longer than you have and he's met them that way, perhaps that's why he seems ownerless. In the meantime, he seems a valuable friend, right? [He scratches the dog behind the ears, very certain the sudden praise he's never let slip for Kiter will go straight to the silly drooling thing's head.

But Riona's lament draws a breath of amusement from Anders.]

You'd be surprised how often that seems to be true. I don't know anyone who's 'been on adventure' that didn't think it was strange and scary at first. But the best of them overcame it eventually. Perhaps it would be easier by thinking that's just part of the adventure too.

[Kiter barks, quite pleased with the compliment, especially coming from Anders. Nope, he's never forgetting this. But honestly, right now it's just a balm after being so confused by Riona's altered state and all her emotions running rampant.]

Oh. Maybe. But... what kind of jerk kidnaps a dog?

[Not that kidnapping people is better, but there seems to be some especially heinous about kidnapping a dog.]

But so far it's just been adults acting strangely and being lost. Almost no fun or any exciting thrills. No sword fights. No exciting chases or treasure either!

A bastard of a jerk, I'm sure. [He answers quite seriously.] Or a lonely one, maybe.

[But he smiles.]

You just haven't come at the right time. I fought a dragon here. [His friends fought a dragon, she fought a dragon, he just tried to keep them all alive.]

There's some adventures to be found, unfortunately, not right now...but that doesn't mean you can't make some of your own. Have you explored everything on the Iskaulit? Even the [an appropriately dramatic pause.] hidden passages?

You fought a dragon? And you lived? Did it breathe fire? Was it scary?

[TELL HER EVERYTHING]

Well, I could - wait, what hidden passages? Where? [She perks up at the thought.] Where do they lead?

All of the above. It was terrifying and screeched something awful when it roared, like it was trying to break your ears.

[But his grin only widens as she snatches up the best 'adventure' Anders could think of for a child on a spaceship.]

Oh, there are. They lead to rooms with treasures in them, as far as I know. I'm too big to go through them myself, but you definitely could. As for where, there's a good handful in this ship, hidden away behind things or by panels meant to look like the walls to hide an opening.

Woooooow. I've always wanted to see one!

[Oh and you shall someday, kiddo. And one of them will almost kill you!]

You must show me! I can squeeze in and see!

Fourteenth Blight - video and action

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