outer_divide | [Video, backdated to Tuesday morning]

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[Video, backdated to Tuesday morning]

[The network post opens with a not-so-great video of a distant city of blackened buildings, set in some kind of rugged desert terrain. It's not-so-great because it's being viewed through a set of lenses in a not-very-great telescope. Haruka's voice comes from off-screen.]

Found something interesting. That explosion or whatever it was looks like it was some kind of city.

[Then she pulls the phone back from the telescope to her face, with Darwin and Chime not too far off in the background, visible mostly because they're both taller than she is. Briar's around, too, but not within the camera's scope. There's also some Wasteland terrain visible. It looks like they had to get a little ways into it before they could get a clear picture on the shoddy spyglass Haruka had.]

We've already caught the Authorities flying that way, but we can't see what they're doing from here. We didn't bring supplies for crossing this mess, but I'd be happy to try coming back again if anyone wants us to get a closer look.

((Chime, Darwin, and Briar are all welcome to add their two cents to any thread in this, and if you wanna do an action thread in here, I'm cool with that too!))

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I'd like very much to join you when you return.

Oh?

[Haruka has no idea who this is, but she'll give it a shot. She smiles at the lady on the other end of the phone, mostly amiable, maybe a little calculating.]

And what skills do you have to offer?

[By this point Maria is used to that look.

She offers a soft and careful smile in return all the same though.]

I can offer biological and engineering knowledge as well as a photographic memory.

[She's pretty, too, which admittedly is a point in Haruka's book. Even if she has Michiru stuck in a pod and potentially able to reappear at any moment...

So she quirks her smile up a bit.]

Are you any good in a fight? There might be one, you know. Those soldiers from the domed city, we saw one of their vehicles.

I can't say I've ever been in a fight, but I'm a rather quick study.

[At least she's honest. Haruka looks contemplative.]

Have you ever crossed a desert before? This will be worse. We will have to carry our own water and food, for there is nothing here.

[maria's eyes cast downward and she frowns.]

Again I haven't. In my world I'd been working on biological engineering. I was hoping to get a few samples of that earth you spoke of. Depending on what is found there might be a chance of recovery.

[Aw, cute chick looks a little sad. Haruka considers a moment more, saying,]

Our resident plant mage has already taken soil samples.

[Then she sighs.]

But a biologist looking for an adventure is not amiss, either, especially with unfamiliar technology. I suppose I can simply find you a gun and show you how to shoot it.

Plant mage?

[Maria's brain turns immediately to Briar and she closes her eyes, letting out a rather resigned sigh.]

Does his name happen to be Briar?

Yes, that would be the one. Big ego, tiny tree, tends to talk about himself like he is a plant? You know him?

[She rubs her forehead with her hand.]

We've met. In fact he told me in no uncertain terms that there was no way I could recreate the effects of his magic with science.

It may be best to procure other samples. Not only for experimentation, but also because I doubt he'll be willing to give them up. From what I've seen this world seems to be scientific in nature. Far more advanced then I've ever had access to, but still scientific. There may be a way to utilize the wasteland for our benefit. And if the samples are promising we might be able to get things growing there as well.

Well, I suppose, welcome aboard. I still do not know how we are going to manage supplies, but I will be in touch, once I return. We will be heading back towards the city shortly.

[She huffs out a little chuckle.]

Before Briar's roots dry out too badly and he withers away to nothing, like he keeps threatening to do.

[That makes Maria smile brightly.]

I'll see about finding someone who has the time to teach me a thing or two about survival, and check if there are any books that could help us out there.

Good. We should be a few days returning. I will contact you again, then. What might your name be?

I'll do what I can by the time you get back. Hopefully I can find an alternate means of carrying provisions.

Maria Collons Carbonell. And yourself?

[It's still odd to put her names backwards, but Haruka is slowly getting used to it. At least her English is getting a lot better, stuck here with a ton of English speakers....]

Haruka Tenoh. And we may already have an alternate. Someone has offered me some form of transportation, so that might do.

[She raises a brow and smiles. Haruka has her full attention.]

Really? You don't happen to know what sort of craft it would be?

[She shakes her head.]

He did not say. If you want to track him down yourself to ask while I am gone, his name is Tony Stark.

[And Maria's face falls. No. She's not going to deal with that man again.]

Ah, no. It would be better to wait till you return on that matter.

Oh. Another someone you know, then, is it?

[Haruka can guess that much. And it apparently wasn't pleasant. She doesn't pry.]

That is fine. I can handle him. Just expect we will be able to carry more than we would on our backs, and we can pare down if we need to.

[She offers an apologetic smile.]

I can't say that I've made the best of impressions. Or that they've made the best of impressions on me.

I'll be sure to take that into account.

[Haruka waves a hand at her to show she doesn't care, and Maria can dislike Tony if she wants.]

No one can be friendly with everyone. I will talk with you again in a few days, then, and you can tell me what you have got.

Alright. Have a safe journey back.

I ain't gonna be coming back with you next time. [Briar shuddered, and pulled his shakkan closer, trying to regain his strength from its green energy] I feel all dried up. My roots'll start shrivelling soon.

Edited 2012-12-17 09:01 (UTC)

[After three days of hearing his chatter, Haruka has finally lost the sesne that she's somehow mistranslating what he's saying. He really does talk like he's a plant. So she lets that roll by, pocketing her phone and ducking to peer through the spyglass again.]

Well, next time I will have more water, certainly. Then maybe you will not feel so dried up.

It's not the water. This place is dead - there's no plants here at all, not anywhere.

[Chime strides over, wearing his tougher Raksura form. Scales don't feel dried out so easily and his wings give him a bit of shade.]

It is an odd place. Makes me miss the Reaches even more. But there's always something alive.

[He's trying to cheer Briar up a bit.]

I don't know. There might not be.

[Haruka has heard about this place, if it's what she thinks it is. She looks around with narrowed eyes against the brightness.]

If this is the Wastelands, then there was a war here that destroyed everything alive, or so I have heard.

[Darwin shudders, eyes fixed on the horizon, though she can't see the city unaided at this difference.]

Whatever happened here...

We should at least send a party to check for survivors. Nobody could survive out here alone for long.

Edited 2012-12-18 02:26 (UTC)

Maybe there's animals alive out there, but there's definitely no plants. I'd know if there were. [He knows how Rosethorn felt being without any plants in Urda's House now] What kind of war could destroy everything?

Chemical war. Nuclear war. Magical war. War that the likes of us cannot even imagine yet.

[Haruka shrugs, looking somber. She's seen the kind of destruction that can make Wastelands before. She's also seen such things healed, but not without the Princess.]

I actually think we should not go further, not without better preparation. Those buildings are still partly intact. If there are survivors, they will have the remains of their own supplies to get by with.

[Chime disagrees more out of principle than any evidence. He's never seen a place that didn't have life pulsing somewhere, even if it's scummy fungus or horrid insectoid crawlers popping up. And since he doesn't have the mentor power to reach out to find plants anymore, he's safe from being proven wrong.]

I could fly a ways, but so can the Authorities, so might be best not to risk being seen.

Brair's right. This isn't natural. I've been all over my world and there's nowhere like this.

[Deserts, sure. And she wasn't too fond of those, either. This was a whole new level.]

I wouldn't want to leave anyone out there to the mercy of the elements. Or the Authorities, for that matter. [Her first and only encounter with them - the raid - had left a bad taste in her mouth. And she wasn't the sort to despise a whole group on principle.]

We don't even know if there are any people out there. And if there are, we won't do them any good getting ourselves killed looking for 'em.

The four of us would not be much good against the guns they have, not with what supplies we brought, and our water would not last across this. It's too far.

[Haruka shakes her head.]

No, we cannot go, not right now. Well. I will not recommend we go, and I will not go, but I cannot stop any of you if that is what you wish to do. We can attempt to return, better prepared and perhaps armed, if there are weapons we can find back in the city.

You have a plan for getting across yet?

I had not gotten that far. I suppose I will have to learn how to ride one of the horses, or else convince Chime to fly me through.

[She doesn't sound like she really relishes either idea-- well, flying might be fun, but not all day-- but she doubts there's really much better.]

Uh-huh. Look me up when you get back into town. I might have a better solution than suicide by horse.

[Color her intrigued.]

Let me know who you are and where to find you and I will do that.

It's Stark. I'll send you the coordinates once you're back in town.

Oh yes, from the ship, with the data. Good. I will be back in town in perhaps two and a half days, and I will let you know then.

[Excellent. If she can cut down on travel time, they won't need to carry so much water. Or find shoes that can withstand this nasty heat....]

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[Action, for Haruka and also Chime and Darwin if they want to join in]

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