2018-04-15: We're Tiny, We're Toony, We're All a Little Lunie
- Log: We're Tiny, We're Toony, We're All a Little Lunie
- Cast: Riesenlied, Shalune Amira, Lydia Seren, Jacqueline Barber, Lemina Ausa
- Where: East Nota
- Date: April 15th, 2018
- Summary: In search of Janey and Mikaia, Riesenlied and friends head to the Artificer's Workshop. There, they learn an important lesson...that it's important to appreciate the small things in life.
===============================<* East Nota *>================================ Once two towns on opposite banks of a large river, East and West Nota are now a single city bound by a large bridge spanning both banks. Both halves of the city are laid out on sprawling terraces carved out of a large hill (some suggest by the Goddess herself). Stone stairs link the terraces to each other; the average Notan spends a good deal of her day climbing. East Nota marks the border separating the heart of the Meribus continent from the more lawless lands to the east. It serves as a large commercial hub where residents of the eastlands can still experience a taste of what some would call civilization. Althena's Guard maintains a significant detachment here, ostensibly to discourage banditry, but local rumours suggest the Goddess is preparing to extend her reach and call her recalcitrant children home.
DG: A party led by Riesenlied is now entering The Artificer's Workshop. DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
========================<* The Artificer's Workshop *>======================== =======================<* CHALLENGE - One Small Step *>======================= |Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 1 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- The door relents to the merest push, but all that does is let the Artificier's shrink ray fire freely. Now you're mere inches tall, and several feet in the air. Well, you were several feet in the air. That number is dwindling fast as you plummet towards the floor. =Dungeon Conditions: Injure===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
VANE, SEVERAL HOURS AGO
"... Mikaiaa...? Janeey...?" Riesenlied calls amidst the noise of the Wolfsbane Tavern. For once, the tavern had filled up, but other waiters and waitresses were taking the shift, and the kids were nowhere in sight.
"'ay? Riese?" Argus calls. "Your kids left a while ago. Said they found a real promisin' lead on your ship!"
Riesenlied's eyes widen, as she hurries by his side and looks down at the note which reads:
'HI MOM
Heard there was some lead on the skyship!
Left to go explore ----> that way!
Back soon~
xoxoxo
Janey and Mikaia'
Riesenlied's face loses at least several shades of colour.
NOW
The wide and expansive plains of the Goddess end at the city of Nota, and beyond that, the plains are known for their more notorious lawlessness, not unlike the Badlands. But fortunately, inquiry has identified two kids who stand out like a sore thumb passing through the bridge...
... to a small but intricate-looking atelier near the edge of the city. Riesenlied looks rather weary and ill by the time she arrives, holding up a small bag to say, "This is Mikaia's... they are in here...?"
She hurries in and caution leaves her mind for a moment as she flings the door open, expressing, "Mikaia, Janey--"
zzzzzZZZAAAPPPPPppppp!!
"U-uu-- what was that--" Riesenlied gasps, as she finds herself... shrinking, shrinking, shrinking... her voice getting squeakier and cuter by the moment! "O-oh no, what...??"
DG: Riesenlied has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, One Small Step.
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
Fortunately, Shalune is on the case!
... and what that functionally means is that the mechanic, enjoying a Little Dipper flight over Lunar's open and wide terrain, came across a certain Hyadean near panic and hurrying in a direction even she wasn't entirely sure of. It took a little while for Shalune to worm a coherent story out of Riesenlied, at which point she found it best to offer her a lift back to the Carakin in order to recruit some more in the way of help.
She's right behind Riesenlied as the demon steps inside, already looking around her in wonder. "Ooh, a real atelier! It was always my plan to get one of these, y'know? I guess I only ever really had a cauldron and a desk, so it kind of felt like that wasn't enough. I was pretty sure ateliers weren't supposed to have mould, too--"
She stops in mild confusion, because with a vibrant noise, Riesenlied isn't there anymore. Then the light washes over her as well, and there's an extremely disorienting moment as her hair takes longer to shrink than the rest of her, leaving her oddly proportioned for a moment before she's too small and falling through the open air.
"--wah!!" she squeaks in astonishment, automatically reaching for her coat to pull out the world's tiniest flying scooter. The motion is completely automatic, and only once she's hovering down towards the ground does she realize, with glee in her voice: "--there's absolutely no way this should work!"
DG: Shalune Amira has used her Tool Little Dipper toward her party's challenge, One Small Step.
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
SEVERAL HOURS AGO
Fei stares at Argus. "Why...why didn't you stop them?"
"Somebody's gotta mind the shop," Argus says.
Fei reassures Reisenlied that he'll keep a look out in case they come back home, allowing her to go off on the adventure...of a life time!
NOW
Soooooome wheeeeere ouuuuuut theeeere beneath the pale moon light! Lydia has joined to drag Riese's kids back home. Eventually. She is kind of grinning too much for that to be really what she's up to here.
"Nyeh heh heh.... they're good kids f'sure! They've already ran away from home, like true drifters!" She pats Riesenlied's shoulder a few times. "Don'tcha worry yourself none, I'm sure the kidlets're perfectly fine. I wouldn't be surprised if they came back out any moment with a honkin' size bag o'loot."
She pauses as Riesenlied moves on ahead. "Ah--hey! Hey Riese hold on a--"
zzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZAAAApppp!!!
Tiny Lydia sighs in midair and launches a pair of portals to help modify her plummet so she doesn't get injured-like.
"I was tryin' to warn you." She says. "But...just as well. Will be real easy to find 'em if they shrunk down now."
DG: Lydia Seren has used her Tool Portal Pistols toward her party's challenge, One Small Step.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
It was a convenient coincidence that Riesenlied's family and the Caravan Kinship decided to settle around the same town. It meant that as soon as word got to her that Janey and Mikaia were missing, Jacqueline was quickly able to gather some friends together to join Riesenlied in looking for them. Their search brings them to what is, to Jacqueline, a rather familiar workshop.
"This place...we investigated it once before. It's really quite fascinating... I'm not surprise they would want to investigate it." Jacqueline comments as they walk up to the door. She'd learned a lot from the notebook she found last time. "There's a device right inside, but fortunately we deactiv-"
Zap.
Once more, Jacqueline finds herself tiny and in mid-air. She lets out a sigh, shakes her head, and folds her arms in front of her.
"Ethius..." She mutters. She can think of only one person who could be responsible for this situation.
Well, there was nothing left to do but brace herself for the landing...or hope that Shalune would swing by and catch her on the Little Dipper.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, One Small Step.
<Pose Tracker> Lemina Ausa has posed.
Though Lemina doesn't feel any particular responsibility for Mikaia and Janey, she does understand that leaving a bunch of minors unaccompanied is maybe not a great idea and leaving Riesenlied unaccompanied is maybe an even worse one.
So, with a small sigh, Lemina decides to pursue -- er, assist the Hyadean and her pals.
She is, of course, right behind Riesenlied in the Standard JRPG Party Position when Riesenlied steps in, and as a result, gets blasted at nearly the same time. Needless to say, all she can do now is plummet toward the ground.
"This is unfair!!" Lemina protests, as she attempts to get her bag full of soft, fluffy shoes and winter gear from a trip to Zulan beneath her to soften her landing. ... It's better than nothing, at least?
DG: Lemina Ausa has used her Tool Chiro Sandals toward her party's challenge, One Small Step.
========================<* The Artificer's Workshop *>======================== =======================<* CHALLENGE - One Small Step *>======================= |Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 1 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- The door relents to the merest push, but all that does is let the Artificier's shrink ray fire freely. Now you're mere inches tall, and several feet in the air. Well, you were several feet in the air. That number is dwindling fast as you plummet towards the floor. =Dungeon Conditions: Injure===================================================
===================<* The Artificer's Workshop - Round 1 *>=================== =========================< Results - One Small Step >========================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Riesenlied 0 --(5)--> 5 Fail Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Shalune Amira 0 --(5)--> 5 Pass Little Dipper 2 Agility Effects: Resilient ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacqueline Barber 0 --(5)--> 5 Pass Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lydia Seren 0 --(5)--> 5 Pass Portal Pistols 2 Agility Effects: Stalwart ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lemina Ausa 0 --(5)--> 5 Fail Chiro Sandals 1 Agility Effects: Cleanse ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Riesenlied 0 --(20)--> 20 Pass Conditions: Injure(2) Effects: Cleanse|Resilient(1) ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Riesenlied has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
It's really a good thing that Shalune, Jacqueline, Lemina and Lydie were all there, because let's face it: a panicking Riesenlied wandering off on her own really is more dangerous than Janey and Mikaia, who at least has Digger sensibilities. Harsh, but true.
But as Jacqueline surmises, it might've been Ethius, and when the shrink ray coalesces over the group... Lydie lowers herself using her portals, and at the very least Lemina softens her fall using her comfy sandals. Or, at least, I hope Chiro Sandals are comfy.
And Shalune can just fly, which is the ultimate in cheating, though she seems to be far more gleeful at the prospect of the technology.
As for Riesenlied, she's... wound up adorably tiny, in proportions that probably don't make sense. Her head is as large as the rest of her body! Chibi Riesenlied flails a little as she whimpers, "W-what the goodness, everything's become so large!"
...ruffle ruffle...
"W-what was that noise?" Riesenlied pauses, cupping her adorably simplified arms to her mouth. Barely. It's become very hard for her to hold her oversized head, horns wiggling.
Fortunately, it's not a mouse or anything, it's...
"Mom?" Janey asks, looming down from where the Drifters have ended up, mouth gaping open. She's just rounded the corner from where she was checking something in the back. "Whoa, what happened, mom?? Miss Lemina, Miss Jay, Lunie, Lydie!"
Mikaia pops out just behind her, with a gasp of her own. "U-umm... do you think it might have something to do with that device you poked and it started whirring and beeping?"
A pause.
"Mikaia don't just sell me out like that!!" Janey protests.
Ah.
DG: Shalune Amira has drawn a new Challenge.
========================<* The Artificer's Workshop *>======================== =====================<* CHALLENGE - Rocking the Cradle *>===================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 2 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- Five metallic spheres hang from a simple rig, via rope running though the centre of each sphere. It's also on the edge of a bench, with a gap between you and the next bench over. Lifting a sphere on one end and releasing it causes it to launch the sphere on the opposite end with equal force. It should be enough to get you over, if you can provide sufficient force on the starting sphere. =Dungeon Conditions: Weaken===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
Lydia Seren crosses her arms, cackling. "Ha Ha Ha! Now you know what it's like to have a weird head! Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha!"
She points a finger at Janey. "Good work! You can't figure out how anything works if you don't poke it!
Then she places her hands on her hips and gets back to cackling. She is also very chibi right now and her fangs are drawn even more exageratedly than normal.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Ha Ha Ha! Now you know what it's like to have a weird head! Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha!
Perhaps unexpectedly for Lydie, however, Riesenlied's New Head does manifest a new weapon that amplifies a power she already has:
Adorably lethal tears that hang at the bottom of her eyes!
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
Shalune has never looked more like a blob; given her proportions and the fact she didn't wear her knit hat today, her position is easiest picked out by the comparatively huge spotch of pink bobbling slowly across the floor, and occasionally darting across lengths of it as she tests out the Even Littler Dipper.
"No, I mean-- this is pretty wild! There's no way the Little Dipper should even be working with components this small! It's super miniaturization!" she exults, kind of off in her own world for the time being. "It's a good job I'm not a biologist or I'd prob'ly have the heebie-jeebies right now wonderin' how our inside stuff is doing."
Scientific obliviousness comes in handy sometimes. Instead, she darts back to the group, grinning brightly at the sight of everyone else and Riesenlied in specific, automatically trying to headpat the metal demon and having to hop a little to manage it. "Aww, Miss Riese-- it's cute, I promise! Was this how you looked when you were smaller?" she wonders aloud, her voice a high-pitched squeak, before beaming up at the kids above. "'kaya, can we get a boost? I think, um-- maybe we should check the place's research notes or something."
Before long, they're on one of the desks, working in groups to try to turn the aged, stiff pages; Shalune has to kind of clamber across the page to read it all, but frowns yet again. "... still nothing here... jeez, you should at least document your stuff, y'know?" Glancing to one side, she looks across the gap to the next desk, where the rest of the stack sits - the only available bridge a rickety-looking toy. "... I guess I always preferred metronomes if I just wanted some background noise," she pouts.
Her enthusiasm is already a little dented, if only because she hasn't been able to fully explore her new tiny world - turns out that a Littlest Dipper also features the Littlest Batteries, the craft giving out on her a short way into her search.
Instead, she worries at her lip as she digs into a pocket, feeling a slim piece of stone that has no business shrinking along with the rest of her. She could just ask the orphans to give her another lift over, but-- well, she's kind of curious, and so starts to concentrate.
"... Material..." she intones--
--and out of the wood of the table grows the shape of a tiny lizard in the rough shape of a newt. "gaooo!!" it squeaks, and bobbles forward to bonk against the first steel ball, setting the rest into motion as a single group.
DG: Shalune Amira has used her Tool Material - Dinowhatsit toward her party's challenge, Rocking the Cradle.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Fortunately, the landing goes quite smoothly.
"Is everyone alright...?" Jacqueline asks, glancing around to the others. Everyone seemed fine, though she has to take a moment to observe the situation Riesenlied's found herself in.
Hm...maybe the Artificer's shrink ray technology didn't react well to Hyadean physiology? Still, Jacqueline has to admit...it's kind of adorable.
Before she can say anything further, though, she hears a ruffling from nearby. The source reveals themselves before too long.
"Mikaia, Janey! Oh, thank goodness you're alright...!" Jacqueline says, relief obvious in her voice. She'd try to give them a hug, but...that was kind of unfeasible due to the current size difference.
Fortunately, this time she's just ordinary tiny, and not 'taken on the form of a child to reflect her internal fears' tiny. And Lydia...
"P-please don't encourage her..." Jacqueline mutters, then shakes her head and glances toward Shalune.
"I actually do have a notebook we found here once before, but..." But, unfortunately, she left it back at the Carakin with her other things. Fortunately, however, they find another one before too long. Jacqueline helps look it over, nodding in understanding along with her progress.
The time has come to move over to the next stack of books, though, so Jacqueline glances over to the nearest available bridge...and watches Shalune summon the tiniest Dinoginos.
Oh no. That was adorable...
She manages to shake herself out of it just long enough to draw out some potions, distributing them to everyone just in case they take a tumble.
"I'll...I'll go over first." She volunteers, very carefully making her way across just to see if it's safe for the others.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Brewte Force toward her party's challenge, Rocking the Cradle.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied quietly leans forward to get a headpat, now that they're mysteriously the same approximate size as chibis rather than taller... ...not that Riesenlied is that much taller than Shalune even in real size, come to think of it. (The horns make up most of the actual difference).
Janey and Mikaia kneel down and hold their palms out with a nod and a grin, saying, "L-let's just think of this as a scientific curiosity, yeah! See, Shalune's got the right idea!" with a definite undercurrent of averting the topic from that fact that, oops, she technically caused this.
Mikaia half-liddedly peers at Janey to go, "We might as well study this and learn something from this, yes!" She looks with a big smile to Jay and says, "I--I'm sorry for the trouble! But this feels like a real alchemist's workshop... I want to have something like this when I grow up! Don't you, Miss Jay?"
The kids watch the tiny Drifters cross the orbs, and Riesenlied hurries after Shalune as she gawks and looks towards the tiniest Dinoginos.
Janey exclaims, "Whoooa, it's so cool! Do you think it's model scale?? Do you think I can get my own to take home?!"
"D-don't encourage them..." Riesenlied whimpers.
She takes one of Jay's potions to sip, and-- climbs over with a puff of breath as Mikaia says, "Y-you can do it, Riesemama...!"
Alas, Mikaia's encouragement will have to substitute for a cucco today. ... Mikaia is a winged beastgirl, after all.....
DG: Riesenlied has used her Tool Flute of the Cucco Queen toward her party's challenge, Rocking the Cradle.
<Pose Tracker> Lemina Ausa has posed.
Lemina has never actually encountered anything like this in any book or other survey of magic and she is not having it. Her nose scrunches up on her big, silly face, and she turns around and crosses her tiny, tiny arms. "This is mega-unfair! How do we fix this?!" Lemina asks -- but it seems like the answer to that question is going to involve... well, adventuring.
"A metronome? Really?" Lemina asks, raising her eyebrows at Shalune a little bit. "That seems like a weird kinda thing to just... leave going while you do whatever." She trots around the table for a bit, and then --
'gaoooo!'
Lemina's eyes light up and she promptly forgets all the dumb things about being tiny. "That's... that's the best," Lemina says, forgetting for a little bit to even actually take advantage of its ability to push them across the cradle. "Filgaia magic is so cool...!"
After some deliberation, though, Lemina decides to take a different path across entirely. Rather than ride the cradle, Lemina... makes the world's tiniest ice bridge, at first.
It's too small to stay together for very long, though...
... Sighing, she climbs onto the orbs and gets started.
DG: Lemina Ausa has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Rocking the Cradle.
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
Lydia pats Riesenlied on the shoulds a few times going 'nya ha ha!' the whole time.
But then there seems to be a new problem before everyone. "Ah...!" Lydia says. "It's one of these things! I've seen them before. It's a uh.. hummmm...perpett...." She frowns. "Perpet... Perpetual Motion Machine! Nah ha ha! That's pretty great!" She portals to the other side, cheating utterly, and pulls back one of the orbs in an attempt to let it loose but she ends up failing her grip and sending it flying out of her hands and knocking back into the other balls quickly and well this is probably going to make things harder. Or it might make things easier. Hard to say. Probably harder.
"gahnn!" Lydia complains before asiding to Jay. "Huh? What???"
DG: Lydia Seren has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Rocking the Cradle.
========================<* The Artificer's Workshop *>======================== =====================<* CHALLENGE - Rocking the Cradle *>===================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 2 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- Five metallic spheres hang from a simple rig, via rope running though the centre of each sphere. It's also on the edge of a bench, with a gap between you and the next bench over. Lifting a sphere on one end and releasing it causes it to launch the sphere on the opposite end with equal force. It should be enough to get you over, if you can provide sufficient force on the starting sphere. =Dungeon Conditions: Weaken===================================================
===================<* The Artificer's Workshop - Round 2 *>=================== =======================< Results - Rocking the Cradle >======================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Riesenlied 5 --(10)--> 15 Fail Flute of the Cucco Queen 1 Brute Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Shalune Amira 5 --(5)--> 10 Pass Material - Dinowhatsit 2 Brute Effects: Resilient ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacqueline Barber 5 --(5)--> 10 Pass Brewte Force 1 Brute Effects: Fanfare and Strengthe ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lydia Seren 5 --(5)--> 10 Pass Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lemina Ausa 5 --(5)--> 10 Pass Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Riesenlied 20 --(20)--> 40 Pass Conditions: Weaken(2) Effects: Cleanse|Resilient(1)|Strengthen(1) ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Riesenlied has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
One by one, the party begin to make their way across the rather rickety bridge, which begs an important question - why would they even choose to use a bundle of pendulums as a bridge, when most of their number have portal guns, flying machines, or just a couple of helpful full-size children there to take their weight? It is a mystery, but Dinoginos is certainly helpful enough when it comes to putting enough energy into the strike that they only have to deal with a single combined mass rather than the ends of the cradle rocking separately.
Jacqueline's elixirs, for whatever reason, now come in overly rounded bottles with a big smiley face on one side; Shalune accepts one with a bright grin. "Aw, you've been here before? You shoulda told me!" she puffs up her cheeks in a well-meant pout. "I coulda read it over before coming out here. It might've helped avoid the whole shrinkin' thing." Not that it really seems to be slowing the pink blob down, outside of her hair being almost long enough to trip on at this point.
She looks sheepish as she downs her vial, and it turns out it's because of Lemina's question, the mechanic a little bashful as she scratches at her cheek. "Mom always liked having something like that in the background. Said it reminded her of some old grandfather clock she'd grown up with. I guess I just sorta picked it up from her, but I prefer music myself," she admits with a lopsided grin, watching as the mage struggles across the tiny icicle bridge. "It kinda lets you time the gears and clockwork properly, too."
When the Cradle starts to flag - thanks to the motion of the others climbing across it - Lydie is there to get it going again with gusto. The only problem - the vibrations rock through the frame and nearly tip poor Miniriese off, the floor looking an awful, awful long way down--!-- before Mikaia answers the earlier question by sympathetically scooping Riese into her hands, carefully depositing her across the way. Aw.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has drawn a new Challenge.
========================<* The Artificer's Workshop *>======================== ======================<* CHALLENGE - A Desert of Dust *>====================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 1 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- If years of abandonment have done one thing for the workshop, it's let the dust build up. What would be a small feat for a feather duster has turned into a navigational nightmare. It's all too easy to find yourself going in circles, and the typical markers are blocked by an all too high ceiling. =Dungeon Conditions: Hesitate=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"...It's okay, really...just be more careful not to worry your mother in the future, alright?" Jacqueline replies as Mikaia apologizes. Even tiny as she is, she still somehow manages to keep a serious look... She does, however, smile when Mikaia comments on the workshop.
"...It really does, though. Back in Adlehyde, I had a shop of my own. It was something like this..." She replies with a chuckle. "I'm sure you'll have something just as good - better, even, if I have anything to say about it."
Jacqueline...well, she doesn't question the sudden change in her potion bottles. The liquid inside is much brighter, too, and it has a delicious fruit flavor??
As she crosses the spheres, she sends Shalune a sheepish smile.
"Ah, sorry, sorry...I'll show it to you when we're done, though. There's a lot of interesting information in there..." She said. There's a bit of a nostalgic smile as Shalune talks about her mother, though Jacqueline doesn't say anything.
Soon enough, they're to the other side, where there are more books, but a problem soon becomes apparent...
"Ugh, this place is filthy...the years certainly haven't been kind to it..." Jacqueline murmurs to herself as she(presumably with some help) opens it up. The page is all worn and dusty...and the area around it is about the same, as well.
In fact, it's so dusty that the party's going to have a hard time finding their way around the workshop in general...though Mikaia and Janey will have no such difficulty.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, A Desert of Dust.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied yelps as she tumbles and falls off the ball, and gets caught by Mikaia. Miniriese is not having a good time right now...
She looks to Lydia to say, "Perpetual Motion Machine..." She pauses for a moment, perhaps thinking of a lecture Cetiri has given her for a moment longer, before landing on the other side with a sigh. "Thank you, Mikaia..."
"I--I believe in you, mom!" Mikaia exclaims, which would be cute if it didn't kind of seem like Mikaia is enjoying watching tiny mom run around...
"D'you think I can summon my own cool lizard?" Janey asks Lemina, then Shalune. "I want my own Dinowhatsit! Share it with me, Lunie!"
They're down onto the other side, and Riesenlied starts coughing. "Ahh, my eyes are tearing up..."
Mikaia pauses, heartstruck, and rather addictedly says, "I--I'll clean some of it out for you, mom!"
This... is technically the use of a dragon's tear, but not the Dragon's Tear. For Miniriese's sake, let's count it, okay?
DG: Riesenlied has used her Tool Dragon's Tear toward her party's challenge, A Desert of Dust.
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
Lydia says, "Huh." to nobody in particular. "I was expecting to screw the pooch on that one. Guess it turned out okay though and that means it's doing just fine and I've naught a behavior to change!" She sniggers into her hand some more. She did manage to get through this before so her confidence is fairly earned if, maybe, a bit carefree in nature.
Lydia just brings out Schrodinger and hops onto the cat's back, letting the cat decide where to go. That ususally helps a lot more easily. She feeds Schrodinger a treat periodically. It seems like she's getting the hang of Schrodinger interaction here.
"I think I saw it in an engineering textbook of some kind." Lydia asides to Riesenlied. "Don't recall just which one it was though. Fraid to say."
DG: Lydia Seren has used her Tool Schrodinger the Cat toward her party's challenge, A Desert of Dust.
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
In the end, Shalune gets across the gap by-- waggling the Little Dipper in her hands, lightly shaking the thing to the point where it flickers back into life. It might be running close to fumes, or whatever that counts as in Veruni technology terms, but it at least seems to behave itself for long enough to allow the mechanic to crest the space between the workbenches. "You'd better!" she puffs up at Jacqueline, her cheeks enormous for a moment. It's almost like she's got hamster genes.
Her initial instinct is simply to stay atop the Little Dipper, aiming to fly over the dusty desk - and for a moment, it almost looks like it'll work, as Shalune climbs for height and perches on the side of the flying miniscooter to survey the 'landscape' below. "U-uwah... that's kind of gross," she mumbles, unable to stop herself. "How much of that d'you think is dust from the air, and how much of it is bits of old alchemist? Hope he didn't pick his nails or anything," she grimaces--
--and then yelps as her craft lurches, the tiny engines and equally tiny vents getting clogged with lint. "Mayda~ay," she calls in a tiny, tinny voice, and plummets into a plume of dust, hopefully somewhere near their objective.
DG: Shalune Amira has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, A Desert of Dust.
<Pose Tracker> Lemina Ausa has posed.
"Oh yeah, having music going is great. And... hhhhuh." Lemina hadn't really considered the possibility of actually using music -- or, really, any ambient sound -- as a timing aid; she raises an eyebrow at it, then seems to be deep in thought for a few seconds. Eventually, she says, "... that's actually a really good idea." She smiles at Shalune, sincerely.
They move on in short order, staying close to Jay -- and sneezes, as they step into the dust. "Oh jeez -- mega-gross," she says, covering her face a bit. "This is so nasty -- if you're a wizard you gotta take care of your stuff...!"
She bobbles along, wincing a little as Shalune does a little bit of a header. Scary...!
DG: Lemina Ausa has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, A Desert of Dust.
========================<* The Artificer's Workshop *>======================== ======================<* CHALLENGE - A Desert of Dust *>====================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 1 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- If years of abandonment have done one thing for the workshop, it's let the dust build up. What would be a small feat for a feather duster has turned into a navigational nightmare. It's all too easy to find yourself going in circles, and the typical markers are blocked by an all too high ceiling. =Dungeon Conditions: Hesitate=================================================
===================<* The Artificer's Workshop - Round 3 *>=================== ========================< Results - A Desert of Dust >======================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Riesenlied 15 --(5)--> 20 Pass Dragon's Tear 1 Wits Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Shalune Amira 10 --(5)--> 15 Pass Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacqueline Barber 10 --(5)--> 15 Pass Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lydia Seren 10 --(5)--> 15 Pass Schrodinger the Cat 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lemina Ausa 10 --(5)--> 15 Pass Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Riesenlied 40 --(20)--> 60 Pass Conditions: Hesitate(2) Effects: Cleanse|Enlighten(1) ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Riesenlied has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline can't help but chuckle at the way Shalune puffs up. She nods, though, and stows away 'show Shalune the notebook' for later.
As for the workshop itself, though...it really is quite unpleasant! Fortunately, the party at hand is used to dealing with things like...even if Jay agrees that it is mega-gross.
"I-I don't really even want to think about that..." She mutters, shivering slightly at Shalune's comment. The Little Dipper starts to plummet...but fortunately, it does manage to land someplace safe, and in fact gets her there before any of the others!
"Unfortunately, I don't think they've been around to do that for quite some time...I'd clean this place up myself if I wasn't sure it'd end up like this again before too long..." Jacqueline replies with a glance toward Lemina.
Thankfully, they manage to reach something that looks promising, all safe and sound... Question was, what was it...?
DG: Lemina Ausa has drawn a new Challenge.
=========================<* The Artificer's Workshop *>========================= =======================<* CHALLENGE - A House of Cards *>======================= |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- One of the few creations in the building presumably the work of the a caretaker rather than the Artificer, a precariously balanced house of playing cards bridges the gap ahead of you. The bridge is hardly reliable, and one misstep could have you falling three whole feet. It's a pity that such a small fall is cause for concern. =Dungeon Conditions: Hesitate=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Lemina Ausa has posed.
It's... yet another gap, unfortunately. This one seems to have been set up over something that was once a hidden trap door, but now instead is a very not hidden trap door. And unfortunately, it's a literal house of cards... for the most part, given it's partially hooked into the former trap door (which is to say, a very current hole). It's hard, from the group's present angle, to see what's beneath -- whether it's a six inch drop or a sixty inch drop -- and while some of the cards seem to have been secured in place somehow at the edges, many look... pretty precarious.
Lemina winces as she looks out at it. "... Maybe... we... could just go back! Not cross this! Learn to live tiny lives with mega-big magic!" she says, glancing from side to side. "... No? That one's just me?" She sighs.
She reaches into her tiny bag, pulls out her tiny sandals, and starts stretching for a tiny, nerve-wracking sprint.
DG: Lemina Ausa has used her Tool Chiro Sandals toward her party's challenge, A House of Cards.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"Y-yeah!" Janey chimes in on Lemina's point, "You can seek the new world... in a whole new size, mom!"
Mikaia is quick to point out: "Janey, this is still your fault."
"Mikaia, you are an iron fist clothed in a velvet glove..." Janey whimpers, and squats down and rolls her sleeves out. "A'ight, here's what I'll do, I'll... put a paperclip on some of these cards to make it more stable!"
Janey, wouldn't it be more expedient to just lift them across?
"It's the principle of the matter!"
Ah, my mistake.
Riesenlied looks up at Janey... and then quietly clings to Shalune and the Littlest Dipper.
"D-don't you have any trust in your child, mother?! This is how villains are made, you know!" Janey cries in despair.
"Don't you call yourself the Lord of Calamity?"
"...I'm so thoroughly owned..."
DG: Riesenlied has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, A House of Cards.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"...I suppose even a caretaker needs to find ways to pass the time, too..." Jacqueline observes, looking over the house of cards with a hint of concern. There was a reason they were notable for being fragile. All's it would take to knock it over right now would be a stiff breeze. She takes a deep breath and begins to make her way over it.
"I-I'd really prefer to be normal-sized again, sorry..." She comments with a glance toward Lemina.
Fortunately, Janey is here to offer them a helping hand! Not...literally, as much as that would actually be really useful in this situation. But at least she'd catch them if it looked like they were about to fall, right? ...Right?
Jacqueline resolves herself to being very careful here.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, A House of Cards.
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
Shalune - kind of smudged and dirty from her crash landing into a corner full of dust, and now with an extra helping of Dragon Mom in her arms - gently pats Riesenlied atop the head in what she hopes is a well-meaning manner. "... a-aww... it's okay, it's okay. Janey's just tryin' to help, but we'll see what we can do to get you across this gap, okay?" she encourages the increasingly silent moe Hyadean, pumping tiny fists before she raises one in a cheer - seeing if she can get Riese to play along and be as adorable as can be.
Still, she does pause to take a long look at the extremely improbable bridge towards the next desktop. "... um, come to think of it, how does anyone sit down safely here? You'd knock everything off in a heartbeat!" It's kind of a rich statement when her own workspace tends to consist of a pile of blankets, a pot, and a number of snacks around her, more like a nest than any kind of serious attempt to be tidy and neat and ordered.
It takes a little more coaxing - and a little impromptu cleaning - but before long, the Little Dipper is climbing back up into the 'sky', this time with Riesenlied curled up on the base as Shalune hangs onto the handlebars. It's a rather rickety flight, to say the least, but at least it's probably safer than a house of cards. "Oh, Jay! Watch out for the Joker! ... kinda feels like that'd be bad luck," she snickers gently.
DG: Shalune Amira has used her Tool Little Dipper toward her party's challenge, A House of Cards.
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
Lydia decides to give everybody else a hand by just launching a portal to the other end and hopping through it, thus basically skipping the challenge entirely without knocking over cards and making it difficult for everybody else. Of course, everybody else COULD go through the portals if they want, but Lydia has grown accustomed to the fact that folks generally seem to prefer to ... not go through those for some reason. Lydia's not sure why. Perhaps it's because of all the hungry teeth that you see when you keep your eyes open when you jump through? Lydia's not sure but she supposes that could be it.
"You know," Lydia says. "Janey's got a point. We could create a tiny town community and nobody'd ever bother us and we could ... be like ... little rat people. It's beautiful."
She shakes her head. "But I don't know if a tiny space program would work. So I guess we have to return to normal."
DG: Lydia Seren has used her Tool Portal Pistols toward her party's challenge, A House of Cards.
=========================<* The Artificer's Workshop *>========================= =======================<* CHALLENGE - A House of Cards *>======================= |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- One of the few creations in the building presumably the work of the a caretaker rather than the Artificer, a precariously balanced house of playing cards bridges the gap ahead of you. The bridge is hardly reliable, and one misstep could have you falling three whole feet. It's a pity that such a small fall is cause for concern. =Dungeon Conditions: Hesitate=================================================
====================<* The Artificer's Workshop - Round 4 *>==================== =========================< Results - A House of Cards >========================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Riesenlied 20 --(5)--> 25 Pass Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shalune Amira 15 --(5)--> 20 Pass Little Dipper 2 Agility Effects: Resilient -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jacqueline Barber 15 --(5)--> 20 Fail Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lydia Seren 15 --(5)--> 20 Pass Portal Pistols 2 Agility Effects: Stalwart -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lemina Ausa 15 --(5)--> 20 Pass Chiro Sandals 1 Agility Effects: Cleanse -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Riesenlied 60 --(20)--> 80 Pass Conditions: Hesitate(2) Effects: Cleanse|Resilient(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Riesenlied has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Lemina Ausa has posed.
Lemina actually does go through the portal! She's lazy and tends to close her eyes when jumping into or through things *anyway*...
The simple fact of it, though, is that with the aid of large, human hands, this isn't that rough. The paperclips hold, and one by one -- one way or another -- everyone makes it across!
Lemina... seems to seriously consider the question of a tiny space program. "I dunno -- maybe if you went tiny enough it'd actually be easier, because there's less to lift...?"
Lemina has not yet figured out 'atmosphere.'
DG: Riesenlied has drawn a new Challenge.
========================<* The Artificer's Workshop *>======================== =======================<* CHALLENGE - Lever Let Die *>======================== |Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 2 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- Your way is blocked by a safe door, and on it is a bank of small levers that can be adjusted into different positions. There's clearly a sequence to it, if a complex one. You just might need to stand on each other's shoulders to reach the top row of levers. =Dungeon Conditions: Reckless=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied does look a little more pacified at Shalune's headpatting, even as Janey thinks on Lydia's comment to go, "... wait, if you're little rat people, does that make me--"
Her mouth gapes open. "That'd make me the Royal Rat Authority, as Mouse Beastgirl! Bwahaha, Janey's ontop now!"
Mikaia points out, "Being on top means being responsible..."
A pause. "Oh yeah... nevermind that, then. We'd best return you to normal size."
Riesenlied's eyes do widen as she reaches out to hold onto Jacqueline when she starts to fall, though; Shalune's probably en route to sweep her up anyway, but it's not like she shouldn't help.
Finally, they're just about at the end with the instructions on how to reverse the machine, but... it's blocked by a safe door -- and a set of levers that can be adjusted into different positions.
"Y'know, I know you were proud of us bein' future Drifters and all, but I have an admission..." Janey admits as she watches the tiniest Drifters clamber close.
"I kinda hate puzzles."
Mikaia places her hand to her chest and expresses, "That sounds a little like bystander talk, Janey..."
"N-no! I'll do it, I just... egh... um..." Janey pokes at a lever and helps some people up onto them.
Riesenlied closes her eyes and finally uses the Dragon's Tear, which has a cute little sparkly shimmer, and... waddles on up and-- lands herself on one of the levers to lower them.
"... see?! Mom has a cheaty tool to help her through these situations!" Janey comments.
Riesenlied's silent blob-like expression mildly expresses disapproval.
DG: Riesenlied has used her Tool Dragon's Tear toward her party's challenge, Lever Let Die.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"Th-thank you..." Jacqueline says, accepting Riesenlied(and maybe Shalune)'s help to keep from falling. She's a little concerned that she might accidentally bring Riesenlied down with her, but...thankfully, that doesn't happen.
Eventually, the arrive to a bank of levers. Jacqueline looks them over curiously. ...There was nothing in the notebook about this. She frowns, and thinks it over. It's a little hard to reach them. If she had Earth Pillars this wouldn't be a problem, but...
Coincidentally, Jacqueline is quite tall, even as tiny as she is now. If someone stood on her shoulders, they'd probably have an easier time reaching the levers...
"That's nothing to be ashamed of. There's a reason Drifters prefer to travel in teams - no one can excel at everything. I, myself, tend to quail a bit when it comes to situations that require brute force..." Jacqueline comments, glancing up at Janey. "The important thing is surrounding yourself with reliable friends who can help you with what problems you can't handle alone."
This is all very responsible and mature, but it might be hard to take seriously from a tiny, tiny Jacqueline.
But she tries!
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
"--u-um," Shalune comments to Lydie's thoughtful idea. "See, I think the only problem with a tiny space program is that it's re~eeeal easy to prove the existence of the ceiling as a celestial body, y'know? You can bonk against it and everything, which would probably suck," she adds. "And then you travel across the known universe only to find out that light in the corner is actually the toilet."
Accidentally pessimistic moments of philosophical thought aside, Shalune is certainly ready to swing around and help Riesenlied snag Jacqueline off of the house of cards before she can fall prey to a deadly cut and shuffle. The Little Dipper is flagging somewhat by the end of it, but still manages to putter its way safely to a halt on the next desk over, where a large safe is waiting for them.
Tottering around it takes longer than Shalune is used to, but she still does so anyway, inspecting the thing from all angles. "Um, I'm a little too tiny to really force this as I am now, but-- oh--" she adds as she gets an idea, crossing over to a discarded plate to carefully struggle with a fork that's more or less twice her size. "Leminaaa, d'you think you can sorta-- maybe freeze then heat the hinges, or somethin'? Anything that might get me a bit of wiggle room," she suggests, obviously deciding to trust in levers and fulchrums and not quite recognizing that a fork probably isn't going to stand up to a safe door.
Perspective is hard when you're tiny, okay?
Speaking of which-- "U-uwah... Janey's gonna be without dinner for aaages..." she mumbles to herself.
DG: Shalune Amira has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Lever Let Die. DG: Jacqueline Barber has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Lever Let Die.
<Pose Tracker> Lemina Ausa has posed.
"Maybe you can't do everything," Lemina says, with a slight roll of her eyes at Jay. "I'm the best at pretty much everyWAUGH"
Lemina trips over a hair that's caught between a lever and a piece of lint and falls flat on her face. She frowns big, pulling herself slowly back up to her feet. "Totally mega-intentional!" she declares, though there'd be no purpose to faling at that exact moment. "I was... checking for traps! On the ground! Where we're small. With. My face."
She lets out an exaggerated sigh, popping her extremely tiny reading glasses onto her face and taking a few steps back. Shalune suggests something, though -- and Lemina nods firmly. "That's a great idea!" Lemina says, before attempting just that.
... unfortunately, her magic is tiny and adorable, also. It looks like it might be up to Jay and Riese to bobble along the levers the old-fashioned way...!
DG: Lemina Ausa has used her Tool Reading Glasses toward her party's challenge, Lever Let Die.
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
"Yeah responsibility is for suckers," Lydia agrees. "Let's let Riese and Mikaia be the responsible ones."
Rather than try to carry everybody on her back, Lydia offers Schrodinger to serve as a base because he's normal size. Climbing on top of the kitty will help cut down on the amount of humanmetal demonbeastman ladder that is necessary.
"I'm a genius." Lydia says, drinking from her canteen.
DG: Lydia Seren has used her Tool Schrodinger the Cat toward her party's challenge, Lever Let Die.
========================<* The Artificer's Workshop *>======================== =======================<* CHALLENGE - Lever Let Die *>======================== |Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 2 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- Your way is blocked by a safe door, and on it is a bank of small levers that can be adjusted into different positions. There's clearly a sequence to it, if a complex one. You just might need to stand on each other's shoulders to reach the top row of levers. =Dungeon Conditions: Reckless=================================================
===================<* The Artificer's Workshop - Round 5 *>=================== =========================< Results - Lever Let Die >========================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Riesenlied 25 --(10)--> 35 Fail Dragon's Tear 1 Wits Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Shalune Amira 20 --(5)--> 25 Pass Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacqueline Barber 20 --(5)--> 25 Pass Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lydia Seren 20 --(5)--> 25 Pass Schrodinger the Cat 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lemina Ausa 20 --(5)--> 25 Pass Reading Glasses 2 Wits Effects: Resilient ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Riesenlied 80 --(35)--> 115 Pass Conditions: Hesitate(1)|Reckless(2) Effects: Cleanse|Enlighten(1)|Resilient(1) ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: You have overcome the dungeon's trials! This run is a success! DG: The party led by Riesenlied has successfully explored The Artificer's Workshop!
========================<* The Artificer's Workshop *>======================== ==================<* CHALLENGE - The Artificers Notebooks *>================== |Type: Discovery |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 1 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- You find a number of notebooks, each filled with a plethora of notes, presumably the writings of the Artificer of Moor Anys. One details how to counteract the shrink rays effects. The notes are chaotic, outlining failed experiment after failed experiment: A device to suck knowledge from the brains of others; multiple attempts at a time machine; a device to swap the brain of a human with the brain of an animal. Despite the long list of failures, there are some gems in there, particularly on miniaturization techniques, that could be of use to an artificer or other worker of magic devices. =Dungeon Conditions: Secret===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"M-mom? Are you upset, mom?" Mikaia asks.
Jacqueline climbs onto another and pulls up onto a lever when one comes down due to Riese lying on it. She pulls that one too.
Riesenlied remains silent.
"H-hwaa, she's gone entirely silent...! The silent treatment from a mom can only mean one thing!" Janey looks a bit blue in the face.
Shalune accidentally gets super depressing about the prospect of the universe actually being someone's toilet and uses a fork to fudge her way through the safe door.
Riesenlied continues to remain silent.
"U-uuu, I want the old mom back..." Mikaia is starting to sway!!
Lemina trips over a hair and some lint, and casts adorable magic. It helps to bend some of the fork over so the rest of the group can climb up.
Riesenlied is still unsettlingly silent.
"We're sorryyy...! We'll make super-tasty soup and such for you!" Janey pouts.
Schrodinger the Cat appears, and adorably, Riesenlied's horns flop up and down at the same rhythm and pace as Schrodinger's ears, as if they're both superimposed beings that are currently experiencing decoherence due to phase localisation.
But still Riesenlied won't talk!
-click-
The safe door opens... and the instruction manual is found again. Curiously for Jay and Lydie, the instructions to reverse the shrink ray are a little different, and there's an awe-inspiring wealth of bizarre experiments for a certain pink-blobbed someone to apply a five-finger discount for some no-doubt moral science in the near future.
Maybe.
Riesenlied looks down towards the two from where she's now in full height again. Janey and Mikaia are just about blubbering and sniffling. "M-mooom..."
The Hyadean raises her hand as if to strike...
"Waaah--"
... and hugs the two of them warmly.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Through the power of teamwork, they manage to finally get the door open! They find the enclosed instruction book...but it looks like the steps to reverse are different this time. ...Or perhaps this was just an alternate method? Either way, it meant she didn't have to go through...that, again, which is a victory in her book.
There's a few more interesting things present in the manual as well, though Jacqueline isn't too focused on that right now. She just takes a moment to be glad that she's finally at full size once more...then glances over with a gentle smile to where Riesenlied's hugging Janey and Mikaia.
"...I'm glad this ended well." She says to herself.
It's as they say - it's important to appreciate the little things in life.
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
Shalune pops back up to full height; as per the laws of the universe, she does so with a bit of a 'poof' of scientific magic, her hair curled around her in a photogenic style-- and then she trips over it, and lands on the floor in a manner similar to Lemina earlier. "Bwah!" she blurts, and eventually manages to untangle herself enough to spring up from the ground with a beaming smile. "Hey, we all did it! Good job! Let's detach that thing from the door before we forget it and get hit on the way out!" she adds terrifically smoothly, doing exactly that.
True to form, Shalune's attention is first captured not by the stacks of notes, but by their surroundings and the bric-a-brac around the atelier. She's always been the practical sort, preferring to learn by doing rather than by reading - and she's got plenty of that right now, oohing and aahing as she carefully pokes some of the contraptions hung up around the cottage walls.
"I didn't say it before, but-- all of this stuff's amazing," she adds, craning up to carefully remove a model plane from the wall, the sails yellowed from age. "I mean, in terms of the technology it's kinda behind compared to Filgaia, but it's really amazing work. You can see it all change over time as they refined it." Her voice is almost solemn, not wanting to sully either the silent atelier or the moment happening to one side.
By the time she does notice what's in the safe, she-- still hasn't replaced the plane on the wall, setting it atop the safe as she peers inside. "Ooh, more notes. What were the first set about?" she asks the alchemist brightly. "I mean, if the guy made copies, it'd be super greedy to take two, so we should leave one for someone else!"
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
Lydia Seren watches Riesenlied mom about. She looks away for a moment and then laughs awkwardly before shoving her hands into her pockets. She looks...thoughtful.
But she's smiling even as she's kind of intentionally looking away. At first it seems like she'll be content to just be happy for them when suddenly she spins on a heel and joins the hug.
"HUG INVASION!" She shouts.
*hug*
Guess she's past the stage of being too cool for this.
<Pose Tracker> Lemina Ausa has posed.
Lemina is absolutely not past the stage of being too cool for this. She inches away from the Hug Party, instead moving toward the notes. "It'd be super greedy to take two, sure," Lemina says, "But I haven't taken any yet!"
She then stuffs the notes into her bag really unceremoniously. There's none of the solemn understanding of a fellow researcher at work, the way Shalune has -- Lemina is just excited to find and take neat stuff.
It takes all kinds to bobble through the world...!
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Shalune had a point - it really was quite fascinating.
"I would've like to see this place in it's prime, before the Artificer disappeared... And, well, I wouldn't have minded talking with them, either." Jacqueline agrees, and with a nod moves over to the safe again. She takes some of the notes and sorts through them.
"Hmm...I think these might have been from an earlier time. Or later? I'm not really sure, there aren't any dates on here. It covers many of the same experiments, but the methodology appears to be different..." She replies. "It's true, though, we already do have quite a few of them collected back home..."
Lemina raises a valid point - she hasn't taken any yet. She gladly relinquishes the notes to her. Partially because she has a feeling they'd disappear on her at some point even if they didn't.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Mikaia does rub her eyes as she sniffles and listens in on everyone. "I--I want to read the notes too! I want to study them real well... so I can be a good alchemist..." but it's half-burbled and not very coherent as she clings harder to her mother.
Riesenlied smiles warmer at Lydia as she invades their hug as a cuddle spirit, and takes her in and absorb her into the greater mass of hugging. It's like a cute singularity. "... I can't sense anything from this workshop... I suppose it isn't a spiritual place like some of the Ruins I'm called to. But I'm glad there is wisdom of value here."
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
Shalune is naturally drawn to cuddles, but she's not strictly a member of the family, no matter how much she might treat Riese as some kind of mother figure. She hops from foot to foot, pauses for just an instant to wah over Lemina snaffling the notes away, and then decides she's gotten a cool model plane out of the transaction anyway, not to mention a mind casually brimming with new ideas.
"Aww-- wait--" the pink haired girl adds, her eyes wide as she stares at the ceiling in thought. Above her, a clockwork bird flies over her head, leaving three dots behind. "Wait, um, didn't you guys say you had a lead on the Fereshte?"