2019-04-29: Cheeks are Squozed
- Log: Cheeks are Squozed
- Cast: Lunata Croze, Shalune Amira, Jacqueline Barber
- Where: Kilika
- Date: 29th April 2019
- Summary: Awkward childhood friends get stuck in a Dig together trying to rescue some villagers. Cheeks truly are squozed!
DG: A party led by Lunata Croze is now entering Sunken Monastery of Gusong.
DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
=========================== <* Sunken Monastery of Gusong *>=======================
=============== <* CHALLENGE - It's a Water Level - Collapsing Blocks *>===========
|Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 2 |
--------------------------==== < Challenge Information: >--------------------------
The entrance to the Sunken Monastery is above ground, at a place where the
recent attack by Sin caused a landslide and revealed a small section of
worked stone... and tunnel that leads the depths. Following that tunnel,
however, soon leads to a portion that has flooded and filled with water.
Swimming will be required.
The entry tunnel is a long, narrow one. As you begin swimming, though, you
find the tunnel presents a challenge in addition to needing to swim:
Large blocks begin crashing down from the ceiling at regular intervals.
While none fill the hallway, they crash down from the ceiling fast and
sometimes unexpectedly, threatening to crush someone under them -- and
sending shockwaves that makes swimming even harder.
Fortunately, there is a door ahead -- and stairs leading to air.
=Dungeon Conditions: Slow, Tire===============================================
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
Our tale in the Sunken Monastery today starts with a plea that several people probably fatefully hear independently of each other:
"Help! There was another landslide... and my husband and several other workers haven't returned!"
At around the time our two parties convene, the situation on the precarious hillslopes just above the Sunken Monastery is rather obvious: several large mudslides have interfered with recovery and rescue work, and a supply wagon and several boxes of carpenting tools have been toppled over. There's no sign of the workers, which could be positive... but indicates that they may be trapped inside.
Lunata has been sent from Yevon's travel sphere network, on the news that several people have been caved in; she wasn't quite certain where and what she'd be doing under her new contract with the Church would entail, but this much, at least, is familiar. Shalune likely came with her since they were together...
"We're gonna need to find another entrance. I've got half a mind to just Ge Ramda my way through the earth, but it's so soft it might just collapse on us--"
She pauses mid-sentence, because it's probably at around this point that Jacqueline arrives and her eyes widen like dinner plates.
oh no
oh no no no no why do i get coinkydinks like this
Just as she's about to berate Ge Ramda into silence about how cutesy-wutesy her inner monologue is, the earth roars again and the ground suddenly opens into what appears to be a temple antechamber flooded with water underneath them.
"Uh--"
Lunata starts running in midair.
She isn't Amaranth, though, and possesses no such cartoon physics--
--so she just plunges straight down into the water!
DG: Lunata Croze has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, It's a Water Level - Collapsing Blocks.
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
Shalune has been a bit distant on both sides of the Lunie Divide. She's been absent from the Carakin, sensing that leaving Lunata completely alone might be the worst of the two options - though not without making carefully sure that Jacqueline has a support network of friends around her first. She's been quiet around Lunata, trying to just lend her presence in support rather than bluster empty hope - not to mention doing her best to avoid digesting the blunt but frank understanding of the issue that Belize granted her.
The opportunity to get out and move and distract herself is a welcome one. She's stubborn about it, but being in the Yevon church is a little stifling for her given how religious she isn't, and a chance to help out in something structural is a whole lot more up her alley than quiet meditative reflection.
She has at least decided to try to adapt to Spira a little, though. Rather than her jeans and her battered coat, she's now wearing something that could be charitably called a 'swordsman's robe' and more realistically 'someone got really into Lunata's samurai gig while feeling impressionable', a white robe and a long skirt in a familiar riot of warm colours.
The hiss of air she sucks through her teeth at the sight of the mudslide tells the whole story; she picks her way carefully over towards it, the wince clear on her face. "Mudslides are awful. There might not /be/ another entrance by now," she mutters. "Even if there is, if it's underwater that means they're runnin' out of air, or are gonna need to swim, or--"
She catches sight of Jay at the same time, and immediately there's a wry but warm smile on her face. She hadn't exactly thought to hope for this, but it makes a lot of sense; of /course/ the Caravan Kinship would come try to help an incident like this. She can always rely on Jay for that.
"Jay!" she calls while Lunata stands frozen. "We're gonna need this stuff solid so we can clear it properly! An' then-- wah!" she blurts as the next tremor comes unexpectedly, ripping her foothold away and plunging her into water. No sooner has the shock of the cold run through her body than she's pulled for the Little Dipper, stashed away in her belt as a badly-disguised weapon.
Unfolding it is unlikely with the water around her - but being in Spira has given her plenty of ideas, and she holds it in her arms as a float as one side of it erupts with its usual light, propelling her through the water.
DG: Shalune Amira has used her Tool Little Dipper toward her party's challenge, It's a Water Level - Collapsing Blocks.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline had been in Kilika for business when the news came of a landslide, and the resulting disappearance of a team of workers. She, of course, is there right away - picking through the overturned supply wagon and toppled boxes for any signs of tracks or footprints that might indicate which direction they went - whether or not they fled the scene or were drawn deeper in.
But, she can find no trace of them, forcing her to progress forward toward the Sunken Monastery itself.
This is about when she walks in on Lunata and Shalune considering how they should make their way inside.
Jacqueline freezes in place, stunned. She's having difficulty processing how to...approach this.
Shalune calls out to her and offers a suggestion on how they could approach this, and Jacqueline nods. Having a course of action its good, it's something she can focus on.
Unfortunately for her, the situation is forced by the sudden roaring of earth, resulting in the ground tearing open beneath their feet.
"A-ah!" She lets out a gasp of surprise as Shalune and Lunata begin to far, so she rummages through her bags, drawing out a bottle of clear, bubbly liquid which she quickly downs.
It's a waterbreathing potion, which will become rather helpful soon enough. Without a moment of hesitation Jacqueline runs, leaping down after them with a dive!
DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Rapid Remedy toward her party's challenge, It's a Water Level - Collapsing Blocks.
=========================== <* Sunken Monastery of Gusong *>=======================
=============== <* CHALLENGE - It's a Water Level - Collapsing Blocks *>===========
|Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 2 |
--------------------------==== < Challenge Information: >--------------------------
The entrance to the Sunken Monastery is above ground, at a place where the
recent attack by Sin caused a landslide and revealed a small section of
worked stone... and tunnel that leads the depths. Following that tunnel,
however, soon leads to a portion that has flooded and filled with water.
Swimming will be required.
The entry tunnel is a long, narrow one. As you begin swimming, though, you
find the tunnel presents a challenge in addition to needing to swim:
Large blocks begin crashing down from the ceiling at regular intervals.
While none fill the hallway, they crash down from the ceiling fast and
sometimes unexpectedly, threatening to crush someone under them -- and
sending shockwaves that makes swimming even harder.
Fortunately, there is a door ahead -- and stairs leading to air.
=Dungeon Conditions: Slow, Tire===============================================
====================== <* Sunken Monastery of Gusong - Round 1 *>==================
================= < Results - It's a Water Level - Collapsing Blocks >=============
Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lunata Croze 0 --(20)--> 20 Fail
Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber 0 --(20)--> 20 Fail
Rapid Remedy 1 Agility Effects: Cleanse
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shalune Amira 0 --(20)--> 20 Fail
Little Dipper 2 Agility Effects: Resilient
----------------------------------==== < Party >-----------------------------------
Leader: Lunata Croze 0 --(10)--> 10 Fail
Conditions: Slow(2)|Tire(2)
Effects: Cleanse|Resilient(1)
================================== < Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Lunata Croze has failed this challenge! The party gained 10 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> Lunata Croze has posed.
Water, there's so much water, it's cold and clammy and muddy and terrible
But Shalune's having fun swimming with a board so it's all OK in the end?
Lunata grumbles as she starts marching forward at the absolute bottom of the antechamber they've fallen into; it isn't long before Shalune, with her shining board, takes the way forward towards a little pocket of air where there's a patch of land they can sit on and recover for the time being.
Jacqueline doesn't have too many problems with her waterbreathing potion, and... well, Lunata doesn't need to breathe. In fact, she's finding out that her lungs don't even function so it all just saturates into her and it's a horrible feeling that she needs to consciously remind herself:
Hey you're dead now your organs don't do the things they used to do
Thinking about failing organs, at least, is better than the feeling of wanting an organ to fall on her rather than have to face Jacqueline again after what happened last time.
DG: Shalune Amira has drawn a new Challenge.
=========================== <* Sunken Monastery of Gusong *>=======================
=========================== <* CHALLENGE - Ancient Altars *>=======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 1 |
--------------------------==== < Challenge Information: >--------------------------
The next room that you enter has an altar on the wall, showing a stylized
depiction of Sin. There is script on it, which reads:
THOU SHALL OFFER WHAT YEVON DESIRETH MOST
There is reason for haste. A loud rumble is heard from behind you. And
another. Maybe a monster is coming; maybe a hallway is collapsing. Either
way, maybe this isn't the time for a long philosophical debate?
=Dungeon Conditions: Hesitate, Fright, Overzealous, Reckless, Exhaust, Injure=
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
Having 'fun' swimming might be a bit of an overstatement; in her surprise Shalune didn't get as much air as she'd like, and she's not exactly someone who used to spend her time anywhere near water. When she surfaces she's coughing and spluttering, even as she automatically heaves herself up onto land and rolls away from the water's edge, deciding that this is a great time to take a moment.
"Haa... haa... maaan, with all the sun you'd think the water would be warmer," she whines, picking at her sodden robe as she lets herself lie there for a while, turning her head to watch Jacqueline and Lunata surface in turn. As she watches them both, she can't help but smile wistfully for a moment, letting her mind wander back over old nostalgia. Or maybe that's just the slight muzziness from sudden and urgent exercise.
"--okay!" she adds the next moment, hauling herself back up to a sitting position before the silence has a chance to get even more awkward. It's her job to look on the bright side, even now. "Well, at least we found a way down through most of the mudslide. If there's ruins down here, hopefully they've been able to use them for shelter. We've just got to go find them, right?" she adds in encouragement.
Given her worries, the warm smile she tries at both of her long-time friends possibly doesn't quite reach her eyes - but it's still genuine and well-meant as she heaves herself up and wrings out her skirt, then turns towards the short corridor leading into a vestibule of the ruins. Even if she's aware of the way the rock creaks and seems to threaten another tremor, natural curiosity and the lack of any other options propels her forwards to examine the altar--
--whereupon she instantly starts to look nervous, shuffling her feet. "U-uh-- Lunie, d'you remember those introductions we got?" burbles the girl who absolutely wasn't paying attention back in class. She pats at her robe with a bit of a grimace. "Uhh, I'm sure I had one of those tracts somewhere..."
DG: Shalune Amira has used her Tool Bag of Tricks toward her party's challenge, Ancient Altars.
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
"Well... this Ruin probably hasn't seen the sun in centuries..." Lunata murmurs very quietly, swallowing hard as she flits a glance to Jacqueline because she can't help herself and wants to make sure the alchemist is doing fine, even if it's excessively awkward at present.
Lunata herself seems to have accomodated well to Yevon style of garments since last time; while the Yggdrasil Alliance jacket is still on ontop -- fortunately giving her some waterproofing and benefit in a harsh environment like this -- she's dressed in a... remarkably less fancy and functional version of Shalune's yukata, designed for combat. She's got slim pants and workmanlike boots underneath.
"Let's hope for the best. We..." She stares up towards the open ceiling. "... probably can't get back up from here without a lot of effort. The mud's too wet for us to climb."
She's paced forward until she stares towards the altar and... lets out a sigh at Shalune.
"I guess I always was the most religious out of us--" Three? Two? backpedal backpedal backpedal "Huh."
She aborts that comment as she takes her thermos and pours out a bowl of what looks like... miso soup, then presses her palm against a slat on the altar and finds a hidden drawer. "Ah, the incense is still dry..."
She places three sticks on a pot of what appears to be ash and lights them with a piece of tinder, letting it burn as she puts the bowl of miso soup in front of it, then taking a step back to do a Yevon prayer greeting.
...
Yup, extra-ascetic.
DG: You use your Tool Soup of the Day against your party's Challenge, Ancient Altars!
DG: Lunata Croze has used her Tool Soup of the Day toward her party's challenge, Ancient Altars.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline doesn't have to worry about air, but she didn't have enough time to stall her fall with a Crest before hitting the water. The landing is a bit rougher than she would've liked, but she manages to make it out in one piece - eventually climbing up to dry (well, drier) land next to Shalune.
She notes the way Shalune seems to have been having a little trouble and reaches into her bags again, digging out and offering her a vial of the clear, bubbly potion she took before.
"Here, Shalune. This'll help with the water..." She says.
She hadn't had time to notice it up top, but...their styles had really changed, hadn't it? She supposed that if they were working for a maester, they'd have to blend in a little better...
Lunata gets a look from Jacqueline, too - she's also trying to make sure she's alright.
She feels a little more awkward when Shalune speaks up and looks away toward her, offering a nervous smile.
"Ah...yes." Jacqueline agrees with a nod. "I've...been in these ruins before, but...this section is unfamiliar to me."
With that said she stands up, following Shalune and Lunata both over to the altar.
What Yevon desires most...
Jacqueline frowns. She's hesitant to open up her notebook and find the notes she's taken on Yevon in this damp atmosphere, so she has to go off of instinct.
"Um...it's probably 'peace' or something like that, right...?" She considers. "But I don't know how I'd offer that..."
Lunata, meanwhile, offers a bowl of soup and a prayer. Jacqueline considers this for a moment.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Ancient Altars.
=========================== <* Sunken Monastery of Gusong *>=======================
=========================== <* CHALLENGE - Ancient Altars *>=======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 1 |
--------------------------==== < Challenge Information: >--------------------------
The next room that you enter has an altar on the wall, showing a stylized
depiction of Sin. There is script on it, which reads:
THOU SHALL OFFER WHAT YEVON DESIRETH MOST
There is reason for haste. A loud rumble is heard from behind you. And
another. Maybe a monster is coming; maybe a hallway is collapsing. Either
way, maybe this isn't the time for a long philosophical debate?
=Dungeon Conditions: Hesitate, Fright, Overzealous, Reckless, Exhaust, Injure=
====================== <* Sunken Monastery of Gusong - Round 2 *>==================
============================= < Results - Ancient Altars >=========================
Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lunata Croze 20 --(0)--> 20 Pass
Soup of the Day 3 Wits Effects: Fanfare
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber 20 --(0)--> 20 Pass
Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shalune Amira 20 --(0)--> 20 Pass
Bag of Tricks 2 Wits Effects: Resilient
----------------------------------==== < Party >-----------------------------------
Leader: Lunata Croze 10 --(20)--> 30 Pass
Conditions: Exhaust(1)|Fright(2)|Hesitate(2)|Injure(2)|Overzealous(2)|Reckless(2)
Effects: Resilient(1)
================================== < Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Lunata Croze 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.
What she might be hoping for from this situation... Shalune doesn't really know, to be honest. Will the three of them abruptly have a heart-to-heart? It's not the sort of thing you solve just like that, the mechanic knows. But at least she can pretend in the meantime and maybe clear the air a little just by acting like normal, and that thought lets her grin sheepishly as Lunata mildly rebukes her. "Aw, c'mon. I did my part helping to clean the church every Sunday, I just never really got the hang of the rest of it."
She knows well enough that she'd be a little too lax and clumsy to help the ex-waitress out, so instead she bites her lip as she glances to one side, staring at the floor for a moment. There's only their footprints, which makes her puff out her cheeks in uncertainty, and glance across at Jay mentioning she's been here before.
"... thanks," she bobs her head as she accepts the potion - though after a couple of cautious deep breaths and a light frown, she instead tucks it into her belt in case she needs it later. "Mm... I don't s'pose you got any idea of how far they go? Maybe we fell into the wrong section..."
But she quiets again at the thought of 'peace', not exactly fond of the implications of the word right at this moment. Falling silent, she watches Lunata's preparations as she lightly bites at her lip, her tone a little far-off when she finally snickers. "I guess so. The whole church kind of revolves around this constant fight with Sin, huh? ... maybe he just wants to watch a real good blitzball game."
This is why you didn't do well in religious studies, Shalune-- but at least the door on the other side of the vestibule grinds open after Lunata's prayer, as if in answer to it. "See?"
DG: Jacqueline Barber has drawn a new Challenge.
=========================== <* Sunken Monastery of Gusong *>======================= ================== <* CHALLENGE - It's a Water Level - Air Sphere *>=============== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 1 | --------------------------==== < Challenge Information: >-------------------------- Many of the rooms in the Sunken Monastery are flooded, and this one is no different. This room is a long, L-shaped hallway. As you swim through, though, you catch sight of something strange: a shimmering, blue sphere. It is actually a persistent air bubble, made by either machina or sorcery. If you can catch it -- it moves erratically -- it gives you a chance to, literally, catch your breath. =Dungeon Conditions: Save Point===============================================
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"They last for about fifteen minutes each, give or take...it depends on the individual." Jacqueline explains. It was enough to get one out of a tight situation. "You'll start to feel a little heat when it's beginning to run out, but this is normal."
Lunata's prayer, meanwhile, causes the door to open. That seems to have done it.
"Maybe so..." She agrees with a quiet nod toward Shalune.
They progress forward, Jacqueline falling back into awkward silence and occasionally glancing toward Lunata and Shalune.
Before long, though, the pathway begins to dip down - down into a submerged section of the Monastery. Time for another swim. Jacqueline takes another dose of the waterbreathing potion and carefully wades in.
It's a long, L-shaped hallway, they learn soon enough. Partway through, a shimmering, blue sphere appears. It flits tantalizingly to and fro as if seeking their attention, but dancing out of the way when they draw close.
It's an air bubble of some kind, Jacqueline can tell that much...but the question is, can she and Shalune move quickly enough to get to the other, dry end of the hallway without needing to go out of their way for it, or will it be necessary to double back and make use of it?
For those who don't need air, though, it may be unnecessary.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Rapid Remedy toward her party's challenge, It's a Water Level - Air Sphere.
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
"... I didn't know if it would work," Lunata quietly murmurs. "But traditional Yevon teachings places importance in the impermanence of all things... and one's place in a natural cycle of destruction and rebirth. From the pyreflies, to the cycle of Sin's appearance and the Calm."
She exhales faintly. A lot of the principles were, honestly, pretty familiar to her from all her Guardian studies. Especially that of Ge Ramtos', given the way her experiences wound up being...
"It is important to be respectful of what you consume, from the sea and the land."
She bites her lip as she moves down and finds water in front of them; she doesn't swim so much as just-- walk, seeming to have some kind of internal gravity inherent to the undead.
The blue sphere appears, and she gestures towards it to indicate for Jacqueline and Shalune, at least... though it's moving a bit fast for her with how she's stuck ironwalking on the bottom of the corridor.
DG: Lunata Croze has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, It's a Water Level - Air Sphere.
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
Shalune's nod to Jacqueline is a quick one, but it's more out of trust than out of preoccupation; she grins faintly as she pats the bottle, making sure it's stashed in place safely at her belt. "I kinda get the feeling we might need a lot of these, but it's definitely a relief to have them on hand," she grins gently.
She might step rather lightly around it, but it hasn't escaped Shalune just how much the Yevon faith - perhaps Spira as a whole, really - revolves around the nature of death. It leaves her a little uncertain at times like these, the sort of person who'd rather let her thoughts swerve around the topic rather than dwell on it - but she trusts Lunata as well, listening to the miniature lecture with a light frown.
At least it ends with a familiar note for her to grin at - rather than any religious body, it was Aunt Hilda that hammered that particular lesson into their heads, at least from Shalune's viewpoint.
"I get it-- kind of," she admits with another sheepish but brighter grin at their success. "Or at least, I get it enough. I guess I should look into it a little more, but... well, it can wait 'til we're out of here."
To underline that statement, she glances at the tunnel ahead of them that dips down underwater, draws in a deep breath, then pulls that potion right back out of her belt. "Startin' to feel like water's more scary than falling or being on fire, here," she mumbles, before wading slowly into the water with her mechanical, motorized board float once more.
DG: Shalune Amira has used her Tool Little Dipper toward her party's challenge, It's a Water Level - Air Sphere.
=========================== <* Sunken Monastery of Gusong *>======================= ================== <* CHALLENGE - It's a Water Level - Air Sphere *>=============== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 1 | --------------------------==== < Challenge Information: >-------------------------- Many of the rooms in the Sunken Monastery are flooded, and this one is no different. This room is a long, L-shaped hallway. As you swim through, though, you catch sight of something strange: a shimmering, blue sphere. It is actually a persistent air bubble, made by either machina or sorcery. If you can catch it -- it moves erratically -- it gives you a chance to, literally, catch your breath. =Dungeon Conditions: Save Point=============================================== ====================== <* Sunken Monastery of Gusong - Round 3 *>================== ==================== < Results - It's a Water Level - Air Sphere >================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lunata Croze 20 --(0)--> 20 Pass Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacqueline Barber 20 --(0)--> 20 Pass Rapid Remedy 1 Agility Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Shalune Amira 20 --(0)--> 20 Pass Little Dipper 2 Agility Effects: Resilient ----------------------------------==== < Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Lunata Croze 30 --(20)--> 50 Pass Conditions: Fright(1)|Hesitate(1)|Injure(1)|Overzealous(1)|Reckless(1)|Save Point(1) Effects: Cleanse|Resilient(1) ================================== < Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Lunata Croze 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.
DG: Lunata Croze has drawn a new Challenge.
=========================== <* Sunken Monastery of Gusong *>======================= ========================== <* CHALLENGE - Unseen Pathways *>======================= |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 2 | --------------------------==== < Challenge Information: >-------------------------- You enter a room that is blessedly dry. However, large panes of glass show that the open ocean is just outside, reminding you that you are below the earth and near the water. The room itself has a ledge on this side and the other, and a narrow pit. The light from the sun, filtered through the water, shines oddly on the room. That allows, at times, hints of an invisible path to appear: a flash of an edge here, a glimmer of a panel there. A twisting, winding bridge leads to the other side of the room... and strange, shimmering sea-filtered light provides an inconstant guide. =Dungeon Conditions: Stupify, Exhaust=========================================
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"I have quite a few of them on me, just in case. Water is pretty prevalent throughout Spira, so I figured it wouldn't hurt..." Jacqueline comments, with a glance toward Shalune.
She quiets down as Lunata speaks, explaining some of Yevon's teaching. The impermanence of all things...and the natural cycle of destruction and rebirth. Jacqueline listens quietly throughout.
It made her feel a little conflicted. Just a little, though.
And then, with a grim nod of agreement toward Shalune on the danger of water, Jacqueline dives in.
Trusting in the effects of her potion, Jacqueline decides it might be safer to skip that shimmering sphere. It's moving around rather swiftly and hard to pin down...and in the end, this decision proves advantageous - they reach a pocket of air in plenty of time, giving them room to decide how to proceed.
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
Skipping the sphere winds up giving the small group of three ample time to head along, which takes them to a wonderfully dry room upstairs that overlooks the Kilikan coasts outside from the vestiges of ancient windows that are now inaccessible for how much the terrain has shifted from ancient times, whether from Sin or natural causes.
Age has also collapsed a large portion of this room, for a large pit sits at the centre of the room... but as the sun filters through, glimpses of sigil-branded platforms and other such wonders of Temple-like structures can be seen. There is an invisible path here, but the sun itself isn't strong enough to light the way on its own without coaxing.
"... ... I guess we could try heaping sand on it," Lunata suggests, though she seems to slow down and flinch a little as the sun shines on her.
At least she hasn't exploded into dust.
Then you could really easily solve this puzzle, by Lunata's suggestion!
DG: Lunata Croze has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Unseen Pathways.
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
Even if she's sometimes shaky on the actual terminology, Shalune is at least reasonably well aware of such engineering principles as 'water pressure' and 'stone erosion', which is why her gaze keeps tracking across to the panes of glass through which she can see the sea, biting her lip every time she scans across every nick and notch in the wall. Either they're fantastically lucky, or else the windows are actually waterproof and reinforced enough that the three of them are safe.
She shakes the Little Dipper's compacted form in her hands, trying to get the water out of it; it's reasonably able to cope with the trip thus far, but it's definitely going to need an airing out before it gets much further.
"Hmm... damp sand would probably work better, actually," she decides, fussing at her side for a pouch she's kept there. For as much as she dislikes the water in general, she's still remarkably ready to cross back to where they came from and hop into the tunnel once more, tongue stuck out the corner of her mouth as she reaches underwater and uses the poor scooter's platelike form as a scoop to recover some.
"Same deal, but it'll stick and clump and won't scatter, I think. Easier to stand on, too, in case that thing's slippery," she adds triumphantly - though she does make a face as she handles the damp ball, realizing that it's going to be that much harder to cover the /entire/ path with it stuck together so solidly.
Frowning, she decides to cut her losses by tossing it towards the pit anyway. Hopefully, the haphazard throw might land on the actual path and not fall straight past it...
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline makes sure to take a deep breath of fresh air as they surface, finding themselves in a thankfully dry room with a view of the coasts.
Unfortunately, this seems to be the end of the road...except, light shines through, offering brief glimpses of platforms. Jacqueline frowns, considering her options.
"Sand, hm...?" She considers, with a glance toward Lunata. She.../could/ just bring up a pillar of earth to help them cross, but...a part of her is a little worried that putting too much stress on this structure will cause it to collapse, thereby endangering them or the people they came here to find. She also isn't yet confident in her ability to Jump across through the power of Lucadia's Artificial Copy Medium - not while still bringing Lunata and Shalune with her, at least.
In the end, she elects to go with something a little familiar. She takes a moment to remove one of the Crest Graphs from her gauntlet and set another in its place before activating the spell within.
Loose rubble, having fallen from above, lifts off until it hovers in the air just ahead of them. She then lets go of the spell, causing it all to fall into place.
With any luck, it'll land where they need it to go...either way, it might at least supplement Shalune's own efforts.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Unseen Pathways.
DG: Not everyone in the party has acted yet. +act/complete can only be used once the whole party has acted.
DG: Shalune Amira has used her Tool Bag of Tricks toward her party's challenge, Unseen Pathways.
=========================== <* Sunken Monastery of Gusong *>======================= ========================== <* CHALLENGE - Unseen Pathways *>======================= |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 2 | --------------------------==== < Challenge Information: >-------------------------- You enter a room that is blessedly dry. However, large panes of glass show that the open ocean is just outside, reminding you that you are below the earth and near the water. The room itself has a ledge on this side and the other, and a narrow pit. The light from the sun, filtered through the water, shines oddly on the room. That allows, at times, hints of an invisible path to appear: a flash of an edge here, a glimmer of a panel there. A twisting, winding bridge leads to the other side of the room... and strange, shimmering sea-filtered light provides an inconstant guide. =Dungeon Conditions: Stupify, Exhaust========================================= ====================== <* Sunken Monastery of Gusong - Round 4 *>================== ============================ < Results - Unseen Pathways >========================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lunata Croze 20 --(30)--> 50 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacqueline Barber 20 --(15)--> 35 Pass Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Shalune Amira 20 --(30)--> 50 Fail Bag of Tricks 2 Wits Effects: Resilient ----------------------------------==== < Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Lunata Croze 50 --(10)--> 60 Fail Conditions: Exhaust(1)|Stupify(2) Effects: Resilient(1) ================================== < Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Lunata Croze has failed this challenge! The party gained 10 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> Lunata Croze has posed.
Shalune starts scooping the poor Little Dipper...
... well, technically, one could surmise that the scooping motion she makes is still like dipping, as one would salsa from a chip. Except it's wet sand, and a flat mechanical board instead of anything more tasty.
Lunata nods as she moves and starts scooping things along, though she lacks any kind of shovelry and needs to use her bare hands with a bit of a grimace. It's slow going...
She takes a glance to Jacqueline as she uses those gauntlets. "You're getting better with that thing," she muses.
In the end, it's very slow going, but they form... a crude pathway forward.
"... I really hope they're safe," Lunata mumbles.
DG: Shalune Amira has drawn a new Challenge.
=========================== <* Sunken Monastery of Gusong *>======================= ================= <* CHALLENGE - It's a Water Level - The Whirlpool *>============= |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 2 | --------------------------==== < Challenge Information: >-------------------------- Many rooms in the Sunken Monastery are thoroughly flooded. When you enter this one, you find yourself over what, at one time, was a refuse pit. Fortunately, the room is not thoroughly flooded, and the door across the way is also at surface level. However, as you swim, you hear a loud rumble... and something gives way, starting an immense whirlpool that threatens to drag you into the current -- unless you can somehow plug the hole. =Dungeon Conditions: Wound, Slow, Stupify, Tire===============================
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
"... yeah. And that we actually got tossed waaay off to one side, or something," Shalune mumbles back to Lunata once she steps off the invisible pathway and can stop holding her breath. The next moment, she's pumped her fists, doing her best to redouble her confidence. "To be honest, I figure that's what happened. I mean, it's not like we've seen much sign of other people coming through here, so maybe we'll catch up with them some other way."
There's a faintly awkward pause. "I guess that means we're also lost, now, rather than being rescuers." At least she says it lightly; it's more an attempt to goof around and break the air than a serious worry, after all, especially as she starts to pick her way across a room that feels a little off. The reason why becomes obvious when her footing suddenly gives away; she yelps as she descends into the water, but thankfully bobs up the next moment to grin at the pair with her.
"Uh, watch your step, I guess? Dunno why the heck you'd have so many big holes in a place like this but--"
She's interrupted by a collection of bubbles suddenly surfacing in front of her; for a panicked moment she scrabbles under the assumption that she's disturbed some kind of aquatic monster, but then a slight dip in the surface of the water pool reveals what's really happening.
Holding onto the underwater ledge is difficult without any handholds; she grimaces as she gives up on it, reaching out for someone's hand instead as her mind entertains the mental image of getting flushed down the toilet. Without a clear plan in mind, she focuses on the ticklish sensation of the Medium she still carries, tucked into a pocket--
--and is suddenly thrown clear of the impending whirlpool as Dinoginos' form appears in its place. The bulk of the Guardian sinks into the pit, and while the size and shape of the mythical creature is not enough to cause a clean seal, it is at least enough to severely disrupt the flow of water, offering an easier swim over to the other side before the rest of the water can drain away.
Which is all well and good, but... how did Shalune manage to material summon it upside-down? It's wiggling its legs in the air, stuck with a disapproving and disappointed roar...
DG: Shalune Amira has used her Tool Material - Dinowhatsit toward her party's challenge, It's a Water Level - The Whirlpool.
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
"This would've been so much easier if I had the Rephaim..." Lunata finds herself actually lamenting what is technically an object of the past that she has discarded, which-- leaves her feeling incredibly conflicted, actually.
Technically, she /needs/ the Rephaim to survive; it wasn't until she returned to it that she was able to fully heal herself and her arm, and the only reason she was able to was because Rosaline enacted a black ritual to help string her along.
Then again...
Well, survival isn't necessarily high on her list of priorities right now. She swallows and bottles that thought out as she starts wading back into the water and proceeds after Shalune and-- winces as the whirlpool starts to form and suck them in.
She tries seizing for the ledge, but her grasp just misses by a good foot or so as she instead rummages for what looks like a pitch-black Sphere.
Ge Ramda...
An eruption of red energy counteracts the whirlpool's own force and gives them precious time to act, and the form of the spectral lich has erupted to life as she...
...
... reaches for Dinoginos' head and pats it. Pat pat pat.
"MRGRGRGR--" Lunata complains as she starts gargling water--
--so Ge Ramda acquiesces and grabs a large piece of rock to anchor down and plug the drain, so to speak. There may be a joke about circling the drain here too.
DG: You use your Tool Lv4 Key Sphere against your party's Challenge, It's a Water Level - The Whirlpool!
DG: Lunata Croze has used her Tool Lv4 Key Sphere toward her party's challenge, It's a Water Level - The Whirlpool.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"Thanks...I'm starting to get a better idea of how it works, I think. Maybe I just needed some extra time to connect with it." Jacqueline considers with a slight smile. She knew ARMs often required synchronization, and while they weren't what one typically thought of, it was possible that was just what was going on here. The practice certainly helped, too.
She nods quietly, though, as Lunata mentions the people they were looking for.
"...Yeah." Jacqueline murmurs with a nod of agreement, and then another, more resolute one. "We'll...we'll find them, I'm sure."
Of course, Shalune comes out with the logical statement - they're the ones who are lost, now. Jacqueline chuckles a little sheepishly about that.
"I-I guess so..." She admits.
The next room is full of holes, which makes walking through it difficult.
"...I'm not sure. I have a few theories, but-" She starts, but is interrupted as a strong whirlpool begins to form. Jacqueline lets out a strong gasp of surprise and reaches for Shalune and Lunata both.
While the two of them call upon their respective powers in hopes of plugging the drain, Jacqueline invokes another Crest.
This one causes a tendril of earth to emerge from the walls nearby, wrapping around her waist to keep her firmly in place - with the two of them hopefully still with her.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Brewte Force toward her party's challenge, It's a Water Level - The Whirlpool.
===================== <* Sunken Monastery of Gusong *>=================
=========== <* CHALLENGE - It's a Water Level - The Whirlpool *>=======
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 2 |
==== < Challenge Information: >--------------------------
Many rooms in the Sunken Monastery are thoroughly flooded. When you enter this one, you find yourself over what, at one time, was a refuse pit. Fortunately, the room is not thoroughly flooded, and the door across the way is also at surface level. However, as you swim, you hear a loud rumble... and something gives way, starting an immense whirlpool that threatens to drag you into the current -- unless you can somehow plug the hole.
Dungeon Conditions: Wound, Slow, Stupify, Tire==============================
================ <* Sunken Monastery of Gusong - Round 5 *>============
============= < Results - It's a Water Level - The Whirlpool >=========
Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail
Lunata Croze 50 --(3)--> 53 Pass Lv4 Key Sphere 4 Brute Effects: Efficient and Fanfare
Jacqueline Barber 35 --(3)--> 38 Pass Brewte Force 1 Brute Effects: Fanfare and Strengthe
Shalune Amira 50 --(3)--> 53 Pass Material - Dinowhatsit 2 Brute Effects: Resilient
==== < Party >-----------------------------------
Leader: Lunata Croze 60 --(20)--> 80 Pass Conditions: Slow(2)|Stupify(2)|Tire(2)|Wound(2) Effects: Resilient(1)|Strengthen(1)
============================ < Dream Chasers >=========================
DG: The party led by Lunata Croze 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.
DG: Lunata Croze has drawn a new Challenge.
=========================== <* Sunken Monastery of Gusong *>=======================
=============== <* CHALLENGE - It's a Water Level - The Flooded Vault *>===========
|Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 3 |
--------------------------==== < Challenge Information: >--------------------------
There is one, final chamber to enter. You locate, after passing through a
large stone door, the vault of the Sunken Monastery. While some rooms are
not flooded, the main chamber is. This makes getting anything valuable in
the higher sconces difficult, if not impossible: the water might ruin much
of it.
Fortunately, the vault includes a vast number of large sealed doors and
drains in the floor. If you can devise a way to drain the water from them,
you might be able to take the loot you have uncovered from here.
=Dungeon Conditions: Stupify, Reckless========================================
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
The mechanic is not about to let Lunata get away with that indecision lightly; even while scrabbling for purchase, she can still offer her friend a comically glum look, shortly before instinct tells her to brace herself for whatever it is that strange sphere of hers will do this time. "--watch out!" she blurts as Lunata swallows some water, dimly aware of Ge Ramda's presence just behind her as a spiritual sensation she's gotten kind of used to over the months.
Having death at your back is not something she's used to, personally, and she's still trying to figure out how she feels about it after the last few days.
Rather than dwell on it, she manages to lunge forwards for Jay's hand, grasping onto it tightly; she has an arm around Lunata in turn as the small chamber fills first with a series of affronted growls and grumps from Dinoginos as Ge Ramda pays it some attention, and then the crashing and noise from the lich tearing a pillar of stone down into the pit to block it.
Shalune is left sat atop a mythical dinosaur's belly as the last of the water falls still, panting a little for breath in the now shallow water. Dimly, her mind still racing-- she reaches out to mirror the lich's actions. Pat, pat, pat.
In a fit of pique, Dinoginos unsummons, and dumps her back in the drink.
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
"Honestly... I never thought you'd be the one to be synchronising with an ARM amongst us, even if it's a Crest Sorcery ARM," Lunata murmurs, spluttering a little as she surfaces out of the water and Ge Ramda vanishes around her. There's a deep and furrowed brow as she looks back to Shalune to help coax her out of the water.
She sags just a little bit deeper as she watches Dinoginos actually act a little dog-like... maybe it's Shalune's manifestation of Dinoginos that gives it such a lazy, campy, lazycampy kind of atmosphere?
Dinowhatsit, indeed.
But finally, they surface once more and--
"H-hey!" "People! People're here! We're saved!"
Several haggard-looking people in labourer outfits are huddled around a sealed door; a number of them just look soggy and exhausted, but a fair number of them are lying down with injuries that they're left trying to stem with torn-off pieces of clothing acting as makeshift bandages.
Lunata winces as she looks to Jacqueline to say, "I'll help pass out potions and bandages..." She also puts the thermos out and several mess cups. "And here, whoever needs water and food the most -- pour some, pass it along."
She's got the vault that the miners have been trapped by in mind, but making sure everyone's on their feet is taking priority over their eventual escape route.
DG: You use your Tool Soup of the Day against your party's Challenge, It's a Water Level - The Flooded Vault!
DG: Lunata Croze has used her Tool Soup of the Day toward her party's challenge, It's a Water Level - The Flooded Vault.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"I never thought I would, either. I never was one for handling ARMs..." Jacqueline admits. It was a little surprising how...natural, it started to feel after a while. It had proven its usefulness, though. She had long since forgiven it for the early moments where she thought it would be unable to be removed.
Lunata and Shalune appear to be safe after the incident, and Jacqueline breathes a sigh of relief...though she can't help but smirk a little at Dinoginos's grumbling.
They pass through the doors ahead and, thankfully, finally run into the people they were here looking for.
"Don't worry. We'll get you all out of here, okay? Just hang in there and trust in us." Jacqueline says, offering all of them a smile. She may look a little tired herself, but she exudes confidence...in the hopes of instilling some of it into them, too, and raising morale.
Right now, that was very important.
Lunata volunteers to help and Jacqueline nods, unslinging one of the bags from around her person and handing it over to her.
When Lunata takes one side Jacqueline takes the other, focusing on those who are most injured and working her way through them.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, It's a Water Level - The Flooded Vault.
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
"I mean," Shalune adds as she surfaces from the latest impromptu bath and reaches up to take Lunata's hand to get hauled out of the water. "I guess technically I've got an ARM? ... but now that you mention it, I'm not sure that it really counts if it's Veruni-made and Shalune-maintained," she adds with a light grin, sticking close to the other girl as she watches Jay cross as well. "I think that's me kinda stretching the rules a bit at that point."
She does at least offer Lunata a warmer smile; the tension's bled out of her a little through their dig, and she pauses for a moment to squeeze her friend's hand before they let go and move onwards.
Aware that they probably look as haggard as the people they're supposed to be saving, Shalune nonetheless puts a bright grin on her face as they hear voices ahead. "Hey!" she adds the disarming smile to Lunata and Jacqueline's first aid. "You guys got pretty deep in here - you're all here, right? Don't worry, these two know how to patch people up pretty good, and we've got a bunch of potions and some--" A pause. "--well, probably kinda soggy food on us, but we'll make do somehow. Lemme poke around, maybe get a bit of a fire going if I can, okay? Then we'll figure out our route out."
She glances up and around her, taking in the sight of the old machinery. Some of it is familiar to her at first glance, other parts of it not so much - but that's never stopped her in the past, her lips moving slightly as she thinks 'aloud' and scurries around the perimeter of the chamber, following a series of lines on the wall. They look decorative at first, but she's drawn to them. "Maybe if I just--"
She catches herself, glancing back at the patients. Maybe jury-rigging a magitech system in plain view of Yevonites isn't a good idea. ... she scurries a little further around the central chamber for good measure, and then tries it.
DG: Shalune Amira has used her Tool Bag of Tricks toward her party's challenge, It's a Water Level - The Flooded Vault.
=========================== <* Sunken Monastery of Gusong *>=======================
=============== <* CHALLENGE - It's a Water Level - The Flooded Vault *>===========
|Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 3 |
--------------------------==== < Challenge Information: >--------------------------
There is one, final chamber to enter. You locate, after passing through a
large stone door, the vault of the Sunken Monastery. While some rooms are
not flooded, the main chamber is. This makes getting anything valuable in
the higher sconces difficult, if not impossible: the water might ruin much
of it.
Fortunately, the vault includes a vast number of large sealed doors and
drains in the floor. If you can devise a way to drain the water from them,
you might be able to take the loot you have uncovered from here.
=Dungeon Conditions: Stupify, Reckless========================================
====================== <* Sunken Monastery of Gusong - Round 6 *>==================
================= < Results - It's a Water Level - The Flooded Vault >=============
Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lunata Croze 53 --(100)--> 153 Fail
Soup of the Day 3 Wits Effects: Fanfare
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber 38 --(100)--> 138 Fail
Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shalune Amira 53 --(100)--> 153 Pass
Bag of Tricks 2 Wits Effects: Resilient
----------------------------------==== < Party >-----------------------------------
Leader: Lunata Croze 80 --(10)--> 90 Fail
Conditions: Reckless(2)|Slow(1)|Stupify(2)|Tire(1)|Wound(1)
Effects: Resilient(1)
================================== < Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: Lunata Croze is too exhausted to continue!
DG: Jacqueline Barber is too exhausted to continue!
DG: Shalune Amira is too exhausted to continue!
DG: The party has failed this challenge! All party members are now Exhausted. This attempt is over.
DG: The party led by Lunata Croze has been fully Exhausted by Sunken Monastery of Gusong!
DG: The party will now draw a conclusion.
=========================== <* Sunken Monastery of Gusong *>======================= ================== <* CHALLENGE - Unkind Eyes and a Forced Retreat *>============== |Type: Escape |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 1 | --------------------------==== < Challenge Information: >-------------------------- The waters and challenges of the Sunken Monastery of Gusong are too much for you. You are forced to beat an exit back; as you do, though, you sense that eyes are on your back. For a moment, when you look over your shoulder, a figure is watching... a sickly green light, translucent, ad with eyes burning a hateful fell green, before that figure in ancient armor and robes fades. =Dungeon Conditions: Bad Luck=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
The three work in tandem, supplying critical drinks of water to those who are beyond dehydrated and rejuvenating them with soup; medical supplies are applied and bandaged to those who're most critically injured, and by the end of the hour, the three Adlehydeans have worked through the whole batch.
"... ... whew," Lunata slumps back as she reclines against a wall. "That was really close for a moment, but I think everyone'll pull through--"
She pauses, as something like a warning flares at the back of her mind.
The sound of metallic scraping can be heard as an armoured figure looks on from above. A baleful green gaze casts down on them for a few moments... before it vanishes, to a different part of the chamber.
Lunata sets her katana down with a sigh as the figure leaves, perhaps expecting combat from their mysterious armoured visitor.
"Who was that...?" Lunata mumbles. "... guess I'll report it over the sphere, but--"
Lunata pauses towards Jacqueline and rubs her nose. "... thanks for helping out with this, Jay. I'll see if the Monks can allocate some funds to the Carakin for your help--" She winces at how clinical that sounded, turning away for a moment.
"... uh, well-- if there's... nothing else...?"
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
Shalune stares at Lunata for a moment in open curiosity, genuinely uncertain what she's talking about as she next looks up in the direction in which they came. "Who? Was there another villager?" Given her history with the supernatural, there's every chance she might not have seen the figure at all - though with the way she is now, it's more likely she just missed their watcher as she fussed over some of the Yevonites.
Besides, there's more pressing things to pay attention to, and the stiff response from Lunata and the way in which Jacqueline's kept quiet about it all dig makes her puff out her cheeks. "... she's sorry with how that all went down," she supplies for Lunata's sake, looking towards Jay as she decides to speak up. "Not-- so much with the decision she made, 'cuz I think-- I think it's okay if we all decide on different things to do, y'know? That's just life, we'll still be friends and all. But the actual thing itself, it was tempers and worries and stresses all building up, and--"
oh god she's nattering and may not stop reiterating the same points for an hour or more, quick, stop her
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
It's hard work, but it's important work - this is the sort of thing that drove her the most. Thankfully, they didn't arrive too late. "Thank goodness. I'm glad..." She murmurs...and then pauses, turning quickly. Her eyes meet those of the unfamiliar figure and she freezes in place - a fear momentarily taking over. Those hateful eyes... they felt dangerous. She was afraid for a moment that the figure would attack.
In a cramped environment like this...people would get hurt.
She breathes a sigh of relief when it turns away, however. She had barely noticed that she was holding her breath, as if it would somehow cause it to overlook her.
"...I'm not sure. I didn't see them last time I was here..." Jacqueline comments, a frown crossing her face. Who were they? And what was with that hate she felt emanating from them...? She suppresses a shiver, then looks toward Lunata.
"O-oh, you're welcome! I-" Jacqueline pauses as Lunata continues. Allocating funds, and... It felt a little like she was being dismissed. Jacqueline looks away a little awkwardly, but Shalune jumps in before the silence can carry on for too long.
"I-It's...it's okay." Jacqueline says, massaging the back of her neck, and still not quite looking back at either of them. "I understand."
Even she's not sure she's convincing herself with that.
Was there anything else?
...Truthfully, there was. There were a lot of things she wanted to say, but...she still had a lot to work through, and she still wasn't quite sure how she, herself, felt. To launch right into it halfway, would just make everything worse. So, instead...
"It was, um...good to see you two again. I'm glad to see you're doing alright..." She says. "Take...take care, okay?"
Jacqueline takes a step back.
She...really should warn them about the assassin that's after her. But...wouldn't that just be worrying them unduly? It wasn't as if he'd be going after them...
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
Lunata pinches the bridge of her nose, as awkwardness compounds upon awkwardness and Shalune starts nattering and she honestly wishes that green-eyed figure would stay so she could get Wizard's Footed down a ledge or something or at least distract her with a fight. Fights make things so much simpler!
Jacqueline says she understands.
Was that it?
There's so much.
None of them can say anything.
"... yeah. Yeah, I'm... I am too. Give, uh, give my regards, to uh-- whoever." Lunata sounds and certainly feels like she's eighty years old at this point.
So she just grabs Shalune and just squozes her cheeks out to distract herself.
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
"--all I'm saying is that it's going to take time, but whatever we all decide to do, together or separate, it's okay. I mean, I'll still think you're great, and I'll still think Lunie's great, and gaw gaff gat gill--" Shalune stumbles to a halt as her cheeks are squozed. "Guuuuuuu."