• Event • Lost in the Cold Trial 1

[Vega]

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At Arlo's helpless glance and shrug, Vega couldn't quite help but give a grin, albeit a wry one. He looked a little apologetic when she referenced the skeeterwampulus, which confused her slightly since he'd pulled her out of that particular nightmare, but they didn't have time to talk about it. Nor, in fairness, would she want to ~ she didn't like to admitting any sort of weakness and fear most certainly was.

The Naerikk woman spoke up and the guide then answered the three of them. Vega liked the guide, Kata, she felt quite safe with him in terms of his skills and he seemed level headed and calm. The majority of Asari's questions Vega considered pointless, although she understood why she asked them, but the girl's name would be useful, although not for the reason that Asari suggested. Vega didn't say it, didn't explain it but she had been on searches for people before and right now she knew that she, at least, needed to keep a calm and level head. Thinking about teddy bears not being hugged by a child for whom they might already be too late wasn't something that she wanted.

However. "So, if she's listened to the advice she's been given, if she's calmed down and followed the rules and been a sensible kid, then we could walk straight past her. We need to be calling her name." Vega considered that, mulled it through in her head and then added. "When I was a kid, a ship in our fleet got struck by lightening. Burnt into the sea. After the main rescue mission, the adults went searching for survivors in the water. They called, but they did it in turn. One shouted, counted to ten, then the next one. That gave them a break between yelling constantly, gave the survivors a chance to shout back, too. If it's sensible." Vega looked at Kata about that. There might be some reason that they shouldn't shout, because of this being in a forest not the middle of the deep blue and all that. "Then I suggest that's what we do. Keeps us in shouting distance of each other too. In this light, split up like this, we could lose one of us and not know till we've been walking for half a break."

In terms of whether they stopped or they moved on, Vega immediately lifted her hand for going on. She made no comment on it and she didn't look at either Arlo or Asari as she did so, looking at Kata and only him. She had no intention of putting pressure on Arlo as her friend or in any way swaying the short Naerikk's decision. Besides, their actions had no bearing on what she was going to do, so she saw no reason to think hers would on them. There was no doubt in her mind, on a personal level, that Arlo would keep going and she hoped he did. Either way, though, she wasn't going to stop until they brought the little girl home. It was the only acceptable solution and the thing she kept focused on.

[Arlo Creede]

The young man had distanced himself from the others. But only so much as he could search a different way of going, while continuing to keep them with sight. It would do no good for any of them to lose themselves in the forest in the process of searching for an already lost child.

And while they walked and searched, the fact that he didn't see much in the way of disturbed undergrowth or broken off twigs or branches, made him think that at least where he was searching, the girl probably hadn't veered off the path in a panic. Considering her age though? "It might not have taken anything at all to spook her," Arlo offered up.

"No matter how well she's been taught, no matter how much she knows about the forest, she's still just six arcs old. I remember being that age," he added, though he darted Vega a warning grin, since she'd seemed content more than once to refer to him as just a child still.

"Six arc old children have big imaginations and they don't always do as they've been taught. Sometimes the forbidden is the most appealing of all." He'd been that kid after all. "She might have seen something to catch her eye or imagined something, and she followed it." And lost herself that way, he meant. There had to be a reason after all that the kid had left the path and not found it again, when it would have led her straight home instead.

Then again as Vega pointed out, they could be walking right past her. Maybe she was hurt, had gotten herself snagged or snared somewhere, or had fallen down a gully and couldn't get out. "I agree. Unless there's a good reason not to, calling her name might help." Still, they'd been searching for breaks. The weather had let up, now it was growing worse again with nightfall not far away. And Kata was right. If they turned back, they'd have to begin again next morning, right where they'd started.

And Arlo didn't want to return and face that mother, without her child in hand. He'd brought sufficient supplied with him, to at least weather the night safely, if not comfortably. He'd spent more than one night out in the weather, long before he'd reached Desnind. So when Kata asked for a vote, Arlo voted with those who opted to camp for the night. "I'd suggest we take turns keeping watch however," the young man added.

A glance at Vega might serve as a reminder that they'd been sneaked up on before by something unpleasant, though between them they'd managed to kill it before it killed them. But he wasn't as eager to have it happen, while they were sleeping. And though it was only him and Vega who knew, and only him that knew Lyova had come along on the search, the fairy never slept that he was aware of, and would probably be helpful, keeping watch while they slept. If nothing else, her protectiveness of him, meant that she'd probably rouse him if the need arose.

[Asari Rosacea]

In truth, as they walked and search, Asari felt a little helpless. Vega was right- it wasn’t a help to care too much in this situation. Thinking logically, that would help the child. But Asari could picture it- a scared six year old, the very same age as when she had gone missing as a child. Knowing her name only made her feel more of a connection. Rin’ea was a lovely name, and Asari now wished she had known how to comfort the mother. Whether it be a scorching desert or a freezing, wet forest, this situation was too similar for Asari’s comfort. And her nerves were only made worse by her acknowledgement that she hadn’t been thinking as logically.

In a way, she envied Vega and Arlo. They were both so clear, so concise. Both had good, logical points, points that were much more helpful than what kind of girl Rin’ea was. Asari felt very much out of her element as Kata spoke, turning her head away with a sigh- until her two searching companions spoke up. It surprised her- Vega thought knowing the name would help, and Arlo had picked up on the age the girl was and brought up a very valid point, one that had escaped Asari. Smiling now, she gave a nod. “When I was six and scared- I forgot everything that had been taught to me. All that mattered was… I was alone, and terrified, and I wanted my mom. Rin’ea may have reacted in a very similar matter.”

Relieved that she actually was of some help, the Naerikk spread out a little more, following Vega’s suggestion of calling the name, waiting, and then hearing Vega call, or Kata, or Arlo. For many breaks they walked, Asari trying to focus on her area of searching. Her shivering frequency slowed at her body adjusted to the cold and the rain slowed, but her fingers were pretty cold, and the tip of her nose was slightly reddened, like someone who had been playing in snow- though not nearly enough to make her wish to stop. Note to self, don’t be surprised if I wake up stiff tomorrow. Asari thought absently, rubbing her hands together briefly before continuing.

They had just slowed down, with Kata talking about stopping for the night, when Asari let her hand brush along a broken branch, and her fingers caught the softest touch of fur. Stopping, Asari moved her hand back, head turning, and she could feel the air leave her as she saw the tuft of fur. Crouching while the others talked about their voting to stay or go, she instead carefully pried the fur from the branch, examining it. Is this the fur of one of the beasts in the Makubwa Lori? Or… Thank the immortals, she had a good memory for detail, Kata's previous description of the girl coming to mind.

Arlo had a point about sleeping and taking turns taking guard, but Asari wasn’t keen on it. She had no warm, dry clothes with her, no tent, nothing to make camping pleasant. And while the rain had stopped, she wouldn’t be surprised if it got worse as night truly fell. Cylus nights were long and frigid, and Asari would rather keep walking, searching, than sleep.

“Why stop… when we’ve finally found something?” Asari spoke up, walking towards them with the newfound fur in hand. Holding it out to Kata, she lifted her blue gaze from the fur to their Sev’ryn guide. “You said Rin’ea was wearing a wolf coat, right? This fur… it’s too fine to be from a wild animal, right? It looks like it’s been… processed. Could this be the wolf fur from her coat? If it is, that means we’re on the right track. I found it on that side of that tree there-” She pointed it out, continuing, “-which means she’s West of here. We’ve been going the right way, we could be closer to her than we think.”

Glancing towards Vega and Arlo, she gave a small, approving nod. “I… I have to go with Vega on this one. We’re too close to stop now. I say we keep going. Keep calling out her name. The forest is more dangerous at night… but I don’t think any of us are willing to stop until we bring that little girl home.” She took a breath before adding, “If you want to camp, start fresh in the morning, fine… but I’m going to at least scout ahead a little before I come back to settle. Maybe one of you could come with, the other two could set up a camp.”

[Ent]

Kata's common must not have been clear enough, so he would explain it again for Arlo's sake, he seemed to be the one who had misinterpreted his words. "No, no, no camp. We camp we may no make through night, this rain no real shelter we keep moving." He nodded to the man hoping it would not have caused him to change his mind. "I hope you stay still, less people bad, more good." He was stating the obvious there but sometimes the obvious needed to be stated, or as was apparent, what he thought was obvious may not be so obvious to all foreigners. Asari approached and backed up continuing holding a clump of fur in her hands.

"Yes, this wolf fur, and it look like it be process for cloth." He said as he examined it closely, feeling its texture and smelling it. "I also smell old smoke in fur, show is no from live wolf." He handed it off to Vega and Arlo to allow them the chance to examine it himself. "We make line with centre where this came now." He gestured for Asari to take them over to where she had found it so they could reform their line there. With the finding of the fur Kata was certainly finding it more likely that they would find the girl, or at least her body in the worst case scenario. The group could only hope that they would find the girl live and not dead.

They would continue the search now, closer together than before as night drew in and it seemed to get even colder. They were within talking distance but with the sound of the wolves in the distance that night they may have found themselves wishing to keep their voices to a whisper. Although, it was the decision between silence and not having to fight off any beasts or possibly missing the girl, the decision was theirs to make. The rain was now again hammering down upon them, the ice cold droplets would be managing to worm their way into some of the layers the groups clothes. Nobody, no matter how wrapped up, was safe from the rain especially after longer times.

They would continue to head west until morning. The search mostly fruitless, finding only the occasional foot prints protected by an extra thick tree trunk or tall evergreen bush. Although the city was always surrounded by leaves no matter what time of year, that was not true for the entirety of the forest. The forest would shed its leaves in the cold Cycle this meant that out here the rain felt much heavier, but the droplets came in smaller, be that good or bad one could not be sure. All anyone could be sure about was that the weather was not something you would wish to be lost in. Time would begin to become as little bit of a puzzle as they progressed as night and day were hard to determine in the constant twilight of Cylus.

But morning would soon come and with it a new trial, maybe that one would bring more success than this first one.

Off Topic

This will be the last round of posts for this thread. Please all post one last time and then the event will be continued in a second thread. I will PM you all once this second thread is posted.

Happy writing everyone!

-Ent

[Vega]

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No camping made sense to her, in fairness. They wouldn't be able to set up much of anything here and they wouldn't sleep properly in the wild and weather; the time would be better spent trying to get to the girl. Vega didn't think that splitting up, even to scout, would be a good idea even if they decided they were going to stop, but then Kata spoke up and explained what he meant. So it was a done deal anyhow, which was good.

As they continued, the decision was made to stay closer together, though Vega didn't understand why. The light hadn't changed it was perpetual dark anyhow. To her mind, the idea of silence was out of the question, they were making noise even if they weren't speaking because they were moving and wolves would smell and hear them. But, she'd made her point about shouting for the girl who might miss them, she wouldn't make it twice. The complete lack of response to, or recognition of it by their guide meant that it was a bad idea, she guessed and he knew the place and the rules of it better than she did. That, too, was part of her Biqaj heritage; you respect the people keeping you alive by knowing more than you do.

So, she made herself as useful as she could by keeping alert, keeping her eyes open and looking for any and every clue that she could. Since they were being quiet, she took care with where she stepped, how she stepped. She watched out for things which might make a noise and she avoided them, so that she moved as quietly as she could.The rain drenched into her coat and it was just downright miserable. Vega ignored that the best she could, though she kept her eye on the others with her, every now and then just checking on them with a glance. As they made their way deeper into the forest, she also kept her eyes on the stars, catching glimpses where she could. As a Biqaj, they were known to her in a way that she could not explain and that allowed her to try and gain some sense of where, and when they were.

Trudging along, Vega refused to give in to the feeling of helplessness which threatened and she kept up a steady stream of sea-shanties in her head. Now would be a perfect time to have an imaginary friend to talk to, she considered and she glanced at Arlo, dropping him a wink as her gaze caught his and just raising an eyebrow and then she signed over to him, just pointing to him then signing just two letters, one he'd taught her but the other that she'd read when she was in the library learning about Xanthean. First it was her right hand, palm towards him and four fingers folded down with the thumb folded over the four, then with the same hand she made a "v" shape with her first two fingers, put her thumb in between them and turned them sideways with a questioning glance.

[Arlo Creede]

True enough, Arlo had misunderstood what Kata had meant so far as their options. It was understandable. Misunderstandings could happen under the best conditions, in spite of the man's broken common. And the conditions out here were far from ideal. He was all for keeping moving though. Besides, the only reasonable option for setting up camp would have been to find the sort of shelter they all hoped the girl had stumbled into.

And when Asari discovered the bit of torn clothing, at least it was some indication that they were headed in the right direction. Though there was no telling how long it had been there. A trial or more, or just a break or two? The rain that was coming down heavier than before would be washing away most of the tracks they'd find, making it all the harder to tell.

Whichever the case, the young man agreed they should spread out, but no split up so they'd lose sight of one another. It wouldn't do any good to have one more lost out here. Or more. But it was still cold and miserable going as they fanned out and continued to search. He wore several layers of clothing, but still some dampness managed to get through. The only one who probably wasn't soggy and miserable was Lyova, who bounced along on the air, dodging the raindrops she very much resembled, even if was only Arlo who could see her.

Vega might have guessed she was there. She always was. And while the constant chatter she tended to rattle off could be tiresome at times, her transparent blue glow also provided Arlo just a little light to search and see by. It wasn't much, but it was strangely comforting nonetheless. And while they searched, he glanced Vega's way and grinned a little at her handling of sign. Somehow he was pleased to see her use it. And while there was nothing official about the sign he offered in return, with a soggy grin, a thumb's up ought probably speak for itself.

[Asari Rosacea]

Asari watched as Kata took the wolf fur and examined it, even going so far as to sniff it. She hadn’t thought he could be so insightful over such a small patch of processed coat fur. Note to self: pay more attention. Asari thought, wondering if it was a Sev’ryn thing or if she could ever have such instincts. Naerikk had instincts all their own, but when it came to traversing through wet, cold woods, and finding signs in mud, broken twigs, and pieces of fur that gave big clues, Asari was going to call on a Sev’ryn. Even so, she felt pride at what she had found by chance, grinning infectiously as she led the way to where she found the fur.

From there on, they walked. However, Asari kept her distance even still, further than the others. She found comfort in the darkness, in the silence of the forest at night. She wanted to change into her Naerikk form, if she was honest. You see, when she was a Naer, her skin melted into the shadows, her form growing taller, leaner, with long arms. Her nails would grow longer, sharper, and her hair would look like wisps of shadow itself. The only thing to see on her was the glow of her bright blue eyes, almost menacing. She would look… like a monster. She knew Kata would be uncomfortable- maybe even fearful, as most Sev’ryn would be. How would her companions act, she wondered?

She could have done it... she could have changed. Asari would have been faster, more alert in the dark, more comfortable in her own skin. It almost made her bitter not to change, but... she had not changed in the presence of others, unless forced, for a very long time. She was not about to do so now.

It was true that Cylus days were dark. But there was just the slightest difference between night and day, and Naerikk could only turn into their shadow form in absolute darkness. Iff not for wanting her companions to like her, Asari would have changed. She could have chosen to, and the truth was, Asari would have been comfortable in her Naerikk form. Unlike her human shell in daylight, this was her true form.

That was who she was... and it was other's fear that made her have to be someone else.

[Ent]

Your rewards little ones

Name: Asari

Knowledge:
Rin'ea: The missing girl
Rin'ea: Taught what to do when lost in the forest
Rin'ea: Sev'ryn child, 6 arcs old
Kata: Sev'ryn hunter
Kata: Your guide
Kata: Sniffed the fur you found to tell if it was the girls
Arlo: Agreed with Vega about you being inappropriately dressed
Vega: Thought you were dressed inappropriately
Vega: Thought you were "having a pity party"
People: Normally fear the shadow form
Shadow form: More comfortable than illusion form
Hunting: Recognising wolf fur
Hunting: Staying aware
Investigation: Smell can be as important as sight

Loot: Clump of wolf fur
Injuries: N/A
Fame: +1 general good deed, +5 taking part int he Cylus Event in Desnind
Devotion: N/A

Story: 10/10
Collaboration: 5/5
Structure: 5/5
Magic: N/A

Comment: No issues with Collaboration or structure and all though we had some issues with the shadow form and how certain mechanics worked the extra effort you put into correcting your mistakes aswell as the effort on the posts all together to make an interesting dynamic between Vega and Asari were worth awarding 10 marks for story. Good job, very enjoyable to read and like before I enjoy the interesting semi hostile relationship Asari and Vega seem to have adopted.

Name: Vega

Knowledge:
Rin'ea: The missing girl
Rin'ea: Taught what to do when lost in the forest
Rin'ea: Sev'ryn child, 6 arcs old
Kata: Sev'ryn hunter
Kata: Your guide
Asari: Did not dress appropriately
Asari: Discovered the torn clothing
Asari: Was "having a pity party"
Arlo: Agreed that Rin'ea may have been getting chased
Desnind: Experiences freezing rain
Makubwa Lori: Huge and vastly uncharted
Field craft: Dressing for the weather
Hunting: Knowing a girls footprints
Hunting: Using your hand to measure a foot size
Navigation: Finding your way through a forest at night/in Cylus

Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A
Fame: +1 general good deed, +5 taking part int he Cylus Event in Desnind
Devotion: N/A

Story: 10/10
Collaboration: 5/5
Structure: 5/5
Magic: N/A

Comment: You had no issues with Collaboration or Structure and you clearly worked hard on your replies and making the story work well, replying to prompts ans going that extra mile to make the story good fun. I especially liked how well you played the idea of searching for a little girl and applied the knowledge of the ocean and finding a girl there to the forest. I also liked your deduction in coming to the idea that the girl was being chased by something.

Name:

Knowledge:
Rin'ea: The missing girl
Rin'ea: Taught what to do when lost in the forest
Rin'ea: Sev'ryn child, 6 arcs old
Kata: Sev'ryn hunter
Kata: Your guide
Vega: Thought that the girl may be getting chased and you agreed
Vega: Did not seem to get on well with Asari
Vega: You seem to share an unspoken link
Asari: Seems to think she is immune to the weather
Asari: Discovered the torn clothing
Field craft: Dressing for the weather
Navigation: Finding your way through a forest at night/in Cylus

Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A
Fame: +1 general good deed, +5 taking part int he Cylus Event in Desnind
Devotion: N/A

Story: 10/10
Collaboration: 5/5
Structure: 5/5
Magic: N/A

Comment: No issues with Collaboration or structure and you did a good job with helping the story progress and playing your role in it. I think you did a great job especially being stuck between the two girls who don't appear to get on at this point. Arlo was, as always, very enjoyable to read and you write him really well. Good job!

Any questions or issues with this review please feel free to send me PM and I will look into it and try and resolve it.