@ Stone, audio | December 5

[scarsolderthanyou]

Who's shitting great idea was it to show some people something out in the middle of the lake and then kill them when they try to find it again?

[The querulous old man voice is currently very angry-sounding. There's a weird rumbling in the background of his voice. Stone might actually be... growling? Yeah, he's definitely growling.]

Did anyone see what did it? I want to find whatever that was and tear their throat out.

[He's a bit bloodthirsty when he's pissed off. Sorry, kids.]

Comments

[scarsolderthanyou]

Hrm. I'll try not to do it again. It isn't like it's fun. Though who would have thought going somewhere we were shown would make them kill us.

[Distraction only lasts so long. He's still grumpy about that, even if it's been a couple of days.

He eyes Rosinante, and asks finally,]

Where've you been, anyway? I looked for you as soon as I came back.

[callada]

[Yeah, it's frustrating, he gets it. But having not seen the dream, he can't really begin to imagine where Stone went wrong. Maybe there's more than one portal. Maybe that portal back then has nothing to do with the current one. Maybe strange shared dreams are just dreams after all, though somehow that seems among the least likely possibilities.

Stone asks where he's been, though, and he frowns.]

Jason and I took the boat out. Thought we'd head west down the coast and see what we could find. But there's... things in the water. Like fighting fish, if you've seen those. Chewed through the boat. Jason made it out all right, at least. I, uh. Just got back from the church.

[scarsolderthanyou]

Things in the water, things over the water... looks like they're being pretty clear about staying away from the lake.

[Stone scowls a bit.]

So that means you died, too. You okay?

[callada]

Fine, yeah. Strange about the lake, though, isn't it? Seems it's as inhospitable as approaching the lighthouse. I wish Robin or Rastus had ever said that, rather than just giving vague hints about it being dangerous. The forest is dangerous. The lake is worse.

[He readily glosses over the question after his health with a wave of his hand. Yes, of course he's fine. Lucky, like he'd said, right? There are other things the people here should worry about than what happened to him between being devoured by lake monsters and his resurrection.]

[scarsolderthanyou]

[Stone is just going to assume Rosinante is telling the truth. For now. He and Bodhi were fine, too, after all.]

People can go into the forest without being instantly killed. I guess that's the only place we get to go, even if flying is mostly out.

[Irritating. This whole situation is irritating. (Better that than thinking too hard about it. Irritation is a great defense mechanism for predator species.)]

[callada]

Yeah. For now, anyway, until we find out how to ward off spirits before they even approach us. Some kind of alert signal, or repellent, maybe.

[He's just thinking aloud, though. The spirits do follow simple commands, also, but he's not musically-inclined and has trouble with the ocarina. Keeps dropping his and having to glue it back together. It's just not his thing.]

[scarsolderthanyou]

You think something set on killing people is going to stop because we make a signal to them?

[Stone is skeptical.]

Something big enough to swat me out of the sky is going to take some very strong repellent.

[callada]

I'm not talking something that smells bad, like you'd do with insects. There might be something they're intimidated by. Or simpler, a sound they hate.

[They're very sound-oriented, after all. His own ability to manipulate sound is limited more or less to removing it, unfortunately. Can he learn to do more with his devil fruit? That's always been tough, but he can try some more.]

[scarsolderthanyou]

Hmmm. I can make a bigger range of sounds than humans can. I suppose I can give it a try. I probably ought to be trying to learn their language anyway.

[Raksura have tonal aspects to their language, and singing is a big part of their culture, so maybe it's doable.]

[callada]

Worth a try.

[That's that, then. Everyone is all right, despite two catastrophes at the lake in sequence. It's a relief to know they can all move on and keep working at fixing the situation they've found themselves in.]

I won't hold you up any longer. Just glad to hear you're both back.

[scarsolderthanyou]

I wouldn't worry about it. What else do I have to do besides talk to people around here?

[The big project he was working on-- the docks-- is complete, and he's generally useless for things like gardening, and there's nothing to hunt... all he's really got left is talking to people, right? And sleeping, but he's had enough of that for a while.]

[callada]

[And here he was trying to politely excuse himself.]

Dunno. There's plenty that needs doing, though, if you're ever at a loss for projects and feeling bored. Could add to some of the bridges around town, like that one that's still just a felled log. That's got to be tough to cross these days with the ice.

[scarsolderthanyou]

I'm pretty sure you don't want to see something an Aeriat made without supervision. We're universally known to be useless at anything that's not eating, sleeping, and fighting.

[He's only about 3/4 serious, there. Aeriat Raksura are good for slightly more than that, but creativity and building things are not among their common skillset.]

But I guess I could knock down more trees and at least lay a couple side by side, or something.

[callada]

Or just knock down trees in general. Some of 'em are marked, and I don't know what that's about so I leave those alone, but it's nice to have the lumber easily available if you want to take a few down. Could even help widen some of the paths by clearing the sides of them. Or lay down stacks of logs we can use for cover if we get attacked again.

[See? All kinds of useful things need doing, and it'll make him feel less like a one-man army. Of course, that's not really giving enough credit to the others anyway. They're all working hard, those who are interested in doing so, but there's just so much to be done to make this place livable.]

[scarsolderthanyou]

So my new mission is knock down trees and drag them someplace for people to use. I can live with that.

[He sounds amused, anyway.]

[callada]

If you like. I know I could put the lumber to use even if you don't. I'm sure I can come up with other missions for you if you ever get bored of that.

[So the brief delay was useful after all - but again, now, he starts to step away.]

Thinking I might keep onward, though, if that's all right. I wanted to see what I could find around the museum. Don't spend nearly enough time there.

[scarsolderthanyou]

Yeah, that's fine.

[He can take a hint when it's made at him twice, now. Rosinante's just gotten back, he probably has a lot to catch up on.]

Take care, kid. I'll be around.