@Grandmaster | Audio

[paletteswap]

[Kuai has been here for over half a year and has never made a network post. The fact that this technophobe is using his tablet for something other than Sudoku is already pretty alarming. And then...]

Rosinante, General Hughes, and I went searching for the downtown area some had seen in their dreams, following the map that was created. We found it, but we found something else as well.

[Faint in the background is music, it sounds like they might be being pursued by a marching band. There's also hooting, hollering and sounds of general shenanigans in the distance.]

There is a group of forest spirits in some sort of a parade. They are heading towards town. We are trying to get back ahead of them, but if we do not, something is wrong about this. There's a sense of ... wanting to follow them.

Stay wary.

Comments

[not network; to Kuai and Maes]

[callada]

[But as long as the spirits don't seem to be following after them so closely, and given how they need to update the town on what they found, Rosinante gestures to the other two when they're about an hour or so out from the museum. There's no music for now.]

Doesn't seem like they're close. Must be taking their time. Do you think they even saw us?

[dadandgone]

[They'd been moving at a pretty fast clip since leaving the parade and the hotel. Of course the teleportation to the hotel had probably helped give them a head start. Maes looked back over his shoulder anyway, listening for a moment, waiting to see if he felt compelled to go back. It didn't happen.]

I'm pretty sure they didn't. Of course we have no way of knowing for sure, but they didn't seem to react when we fled the scene.

[paletteswap]

If they had, I'd think they would pursue. Unless their intentions aren't malicious.

[Small chance of that. Considering they all had to fight the compulsion to run off after the freaky thing, there's no way that it would just be a casual fun time and then let them go later.]

The important thing is that they don't seem to be heading for the town anymore, unless they're coming at it from a different angle.

[callada]

Or taking their time. Maybe they're not in a hurry.

[Hell, maybe they have a spot in town they're just hanging out, playing music together. Part of him thinks it might have been fun to stop and listen, but he banishes the thought quickly. He knew listening just didn't feel right and there's surely a reason for that.]

Glad everyone in town has the message-

[Sorry, don't mind him as his toe catches on nothing and he takes a rolling faceplant into the snow. But he's back on his feet seconds later and catches up with them easily enough, given his very long stride.]

[dadandgone]

Their intentions could still be malicious and they could be taking their time. After all, where are we going to go exactly to get away from them? Even if they're on the way to the main settlement in a roundabout way, then we'll have to face them no matter what.

[They had sort of just left a trail to follow, though maybe they would have come eventually anyway. It's grim, but he figures these aren't the kind of times to sugar coat anything.

He glances back at Rosi, but realizes the man is okay. He takes that time to check the path. It's clear.]

Maybe Rastus will know something. He's been in that area before.

[paletteswap]

[Kuai watches Rosinante fall, fingers twitching to grab his tablet and text Cao Pi immediately to let him know just how right he was.]

So far most want to investigate further to see how dangerous it is, and while we need to know that, I'd hate for people to risk their lives unnecessarily.

[Subtle look at Rosinante because he means you buddy.]

If Rastus has been there before, it's strange he didn't let anyone know once we started running short on housing. Unless he knows the dangers.

[callada]

[Gosh wow you wound him, Kuai.]

Rastus and Robin both do the same things. They know all about this place and make us do the work of uncovering it for ourselves as if that's somehow good for us. Making us waste our time and take risks gets people killed.

[While some of what Robin says and does he has come to tolerate and even to understand, a lot of it he still has a very hard time with - like her not telling them this place was even out here. Why not jumpstart the group at the beginning, suggest places that might hold answers, so they can have more time to work out the solutions?]