001 // There's a storyline here somewhere [Open]

[twilightskey]

Characters: Roxas/The Little Mermaid and YOU
Campaign: Hollow Christmas Carol, Act 1
Format: I will match
Open
Summary: Exploring the Draft and Sub Quest things!

A: Tombstone Hunting
[Roxas knew that this was what he had agreed to do when he came here, and wasn't one who simply shied away from a difficult task. But as he hunted around the fog-filled forest, he couldn't help but want to be done with this place.]

Hey, did you find any new pieces yet?

[He's been doing his best to put up a tough front, but the way he kept warily looking around and gripped at his arms from time to time betrayed how nervous the creepy forest made him feel.]

B: Collecting Wooden Planks
[This seemed like a task that Roxas was more than capable of helping out with. Though the current was fast, a few pumps of his tail enabled him to fight against it and help whoever he was working with to fish out the necessary planks of wood that they needed. But while his idea to get into the river seemed smart at first, he was quickly seeing the problem with it.]

Ow!

[That last bite almost made him lose the piece he was holding onto, though he had to flick his tail to bat the skeletal fish that had bit him away.]

These things are a nuisance..!

C:
[The group may not have been in the Draft for terribly long, but after a few days of searching for pieces of the set they need, Roxas was quite painfully reminded of a particular "quality" of his essence. Late one afternoon, he will be forced to write a shaky scrawl of a message to anyone who might have their journals on them.]

Could someone come help me? I can't walk

Wildcard
[[OoC: If you have any other ideas or suggestions, hit me up and we can work something out!]]

Comments

C

[decryptic]

[ Someone in distress!!! 9S quickly writes back in highly regular, almost text-like handwriting. ]

Where are you? I'll come right away!

[twilightskey]

Just outside town. Was heading to the gravestone site

Please hurry

[decryptic]

Got it.

[ Luckily, 9S is good for running. He dashes off toward the gravestone site at a top sprint, making a ruckus as he charges through the foliage. Once he's clear of town, he pauses every so often and raises his voice to shout: ]

Hello? Little Mermaid! Can you hear me?

[ He has no idea what a mermaid is, but that was how the journal identified the sender of the message... ]

[twilightskey]

[Roxas couldn't do anything but wait for his help to arrive, and does his best to hold still while he waits; any movement of his legs caused him utter agony, like he was stepping on white-hot daggers. Fortunately, he doesn't have to wait long before he hears rustling of movement, and someone calling his name.]

[...only to discover another element of his essence. He opens his mouth to call out a reply, only to discover that he can't.]

[Momentary panic catches him, the fear of his help overlooking him because he can't speak. Thinking quick, he grabs his journal.]

I hear you. Not close, but I can hear you

[But how to let his help know where he was? Looking around, Roxas managed to find a couple sizable rocks nearby, and with some difficulty (and pain) managed to grab them. He began banging them together, the sound echoing through the area. Hopefully that would help...]

[decryptic]

[ As he stops to look at the new message on his journal, 9S hears a distant clacking sound. He turns toward it, and a little blip on his visor notifies him: Human lifeform detected. The outline of a figure on the floor peeks out among the grass and rocks. 9S hurries over, his footsteps rapid until he skids to a stop before Roxas. ]

Little Mermaid?

[ 9S looks over the boy and sees no apparent reason for his ill health, but since this is an urgent situation, 9S kneels to pick him up right away. ]

[twilightskey]

[Roxas looks up as the figure approaches, and relief washes over him. This must be The Scholar that his journal said replied to him. He hadn't met this person before, but Roxas was glad he had found him. He let out a sigh and nods, dropping the two rocks and tucking his journal to his chest; he would need it if he wanted to keep communicating.]

[But before he can attempt to write anything down, the person kneels to pick him up, causing another sharp jab to shoot through his legs. He gripped at The Scholar's arm, a gasp and silent cry of pain escaping him.]

[decryptic]

Oh-- sorry!

[ He mentally kicks himself. He probably could've been more gentle. But at least 9S's hold on him is steady; he isn't the strongest as far as androids go, but by human standards, he's a lot stronger than he looks.

It seems like there's something wrong with the Little Mermaid's voice, so 9S tries to keep it to yes-or-no questions. ]

Should I take you back to town?

[twilightskey]

[Roxas let out a steady breath as the pain began to ebb away. He nods in response to the question; going back to town was probably a good idea, at the very least.]

[When he feels he's able to, he pulls out his journal and begins to write in it, before showing it to his new support.]

Thank you. I don't know what happened. One minute I was walking and the next I got this sharp pain in my legs with every step. I think it has something to do with my essence

A

[solificate]

[Varian is all about being helpful, and he's also highly curious, so was pretty excited about exploring this area. Was. Was, was, was. He's not cowardly, but this is just too creepy - and besides, it's starting to dawn on him just how weird this job is. Without looking over to Roxas, he shakes head, but does his best to cover his trepidation by seeming light-hearted:]

Nah, but I've never done this before. [A beat.] I hope most people here haven't done this before, though.

[twilightskey]

I don't know how people could do this in the first place.

[With Varian's back to him, he allowed himself to shudder, and not because of any chill in the air.]

I don't get why a tombstone has to be a part of the scene.

A

[sparrowrain]

One, maybe..?

[ It's so dark that sometimes it's hard to see exactly what she's looking at. And carrying a lantern is a little hard given the tree branches and gnarled growth of the forest itself. ]

But it could just be a rock, too. What about you?

[twilightskey]

No, I haven't found anything.

[Then again, if she had been paying attention, Roxas hadn't strayed very far from the light of the lantern.]

How many pieces do you think there are.

[sparrowrain]

[ She's noticed, but she can't blame him in the slightest. ]

Well, Ebegeeser Ichacrooge is a really long name... you'd think it would be more than a handful of pieces.

[ She takes another step, her toe hitting something -]

Ow.

[ And she reaches down to try to grab onto it. ]

[twilightskey]

[Walking so close to the lantern light, he almost bumped into her when she stopped to pick up the stone on the ground. He looked around her, moving to get a better view of the stone.]

Is that one of them? [It was hard to tell in the dim light, and the fog wasn't helping.]

[sparrowrain]

[ She ends up kneeling down, hand brushing some of the dirt off of the surface... Hmm. ]

That might be an E and... maybe an S? [ there's the hint of hope in her voice. ] Let's see if we can get it out into more light.

[twilightskey]

Yeah, let's--!

[His words cut off as he realizes that the piece in her hand began to glow.]

I-Is it supposed to do that?

[sparrowrain]

Ah, well... I don't know. It seems like a good sign at least?

[ It's not hot to the touch either, but it is a little strange... or more than just a little. ]

The letters are much easier to read now. That's definitely an E and an S!

[twilightskey]

[Roxas blinked, but it definitely was clearer to read. He grinned.]

Great! Then maybe the others are around here, too! [Maybe they'd luck out and the pieces would all be relatively closeby?]

C

[ricebird]

[Wait what?! Kotori takes a look at the essence signing the message and oh no, the poor mermaid must've gotten herself stranded or something!]

That's not good! [YA THINK?!] Do you know where you are? Are you hurt at all?

[twilightskey]

Outside of town. I was heading for the gravestone sight

I can't walk. Every step hurts too much

[He knows it's not really much to go off of, but he was busy trying to write as the stabbing pain shot through from the balls of his feet right up his legs.]

[ricebird]

Got it; I'll be there as fast as I can.

[Closing the book, Kotori ties her hair back into a ponytail and starts running towards the site the mermaid gave. She's not a fast or enduring runner, and she's not well equipped at first aid, but she can't just sit back and do nothing.]

Hello! Mermaid-san, are you here?!

[twilightskey]

[Roxas didn't reply, but was relieved that he knew help was on the way. That relief didn't last long, however; while he was waiting, after a shift caused another jolt of pain to shoot through his legs, the cry of pain he should have let out was utterly silent. A few tries later made him realize that not only could he not walk, but he couldn't talk either.]

[Worry over this realization plagued him until he heard a voice calling out. With little alternatives, he reached for his journal.]

I hear you. You're close

[ricebird]

[Kotori feels her journal buzz, and she reads the message. Oh, that's right. If this really IS like the story, then she probably can't talk right now either.]

I'm almost there! [Come on, come on... Ah, there's someone lying on the ground over there, maybe that's her-- wait... is that a guy? No matter, she's going to run over there anyway.]

Excuse me! Um... are you the one calling for help?

[twilightskey]

[He was about to see what else he could do to draw noise to himself, but soon enough he heard the rustling of grass, signalling someone coming closer. He looked up, surprised to see the girl coming closer.]

[He nodded, and made to say that yes, he was the one who had called for help... only no sound came. Frowning, he rubbed a hand against his throat, signalling something was wrong with it.]

[ricebird]

Oh... right, you probably can't speak if you're on land like this, can you? Sorry.

[She looks around... shoot, nothing to help her carry him, and she's not very strong. Crap, she REALLY didn't think this through.]

So wait, you were able to walk on land just fine until now, right? What happened?

[Because she's likely more familiar with the not!Disney version than Andersen's original tale, so she doesn't know about Andersen's foot trauma fetish the second part of the little mermaid's price.]