THE AMAZING BASE.

[agogemod]

WHO? Everybody!
WHAT? Welcome home, nerds.
WHEN? Outside time and space, in the aether between dimensions.
ANYTHING ELSE? There is also a fish. Please warn in subject lines for anything beyond physical violence and move to a personal journal if things go beyond PG-13.

MYSTERY FISH;

question the mystery fish

DEPARTING GALLIPOLI

The order comes the day after the Marie Antoinette sets sail:

PACK UP AND GET READY TO MOVE OUT. WE'VE DONE ALL WE CAN HERE.

DEPLOYMENT: BASE.

WE NEED TO RESTOCK. BE PREPARED FOR MORE TRANSFERS ON ARRIVAL.

STAY SAFE. TIME-STEP EXPECTED TO BEGIN WITHIN THE HOUR.

FOR THOSE OF YOU NEW TO COST: FIND A SECLUDED SPOT AND TRY NOT TO EAT ANYTHING BEFORE THE JUMP.

The Time-Step

The transfer begins like a vibrating heat on the collar bone, just a hum of sensation.

But the vibration spreads. Veteran COST soldiers often refer to this phenomenon as "the buzz". The feeling builds, not unlike standing near a great engine or the wind-rattled branches of a massive tree. There is a long moment of motion sickness and you can't be sure if the world is shaking you from the inside out or the outside in. It may be better to close your eyes against the growing nausea, as the world blurs out of focus.

A star shines in the distance. You may hear the faint rustling of leaves. Some swear they hear voices in this moment, indistinct words echoing off nothingness. Others say they feel a touch of the divine, that the eyes of the eternal look down upon you. Ancient bones rattle just out of earshot, cold and brittle and nothing more than the suggestion of sound. Or maybe it's only an illusion, brought on by the powerful technology grafted into your skin.

One thing is for sure: One moment you are here and the next you are not.

The shift takes you from whatever solitude you could find aboard the Marie Antoinette to the temperature-regulated hallway of what looks like a very poorly put together space station. Droids rush up and down the long hallway, fixing broken bits of machinery or just chattering with each other. A few crows sit on high ledges, looking down and watching. Someone mutters something about a centaur around the corner.

And you might just notice, provided you were in Gallipoli long enough to acquire stowaways, that the parasites lurking on your skin are mercifully gone.

For new arrivals who didn't experience Gallipoli: You, too, will appear in this long hallway, filled with droids and crows and humans (still filthy and clad in ANZAC uniforms, carrying battered equipment from the first World War). And you'll be wearing the minimal COST-issued athletic underwear and holding whatever one item you were allowed to bring. Surprise!

READ THE BASE INFOPAGE.

home away from home

Those who have been to BASE before may find a strangeness to it all: BASE seems...still. The windows show a verdant world instead of the usual aether (though with the typical paranoia), and the halls are bereft of all but a few crows. A man stands at the end of the long hallway you arrived in, waiting for you to get your bearings before he speaks.

Except, you know, he's not a man. He's a centaur.

"It's been barely a week since you left, by my reckoning. But for you, I'm sure, it's been much longer. Still, much has changed. You may have noticed we are...becalmed. This is due, it seems, to an error in our ways. We kept something that does not belong to us, several wild creatures that are meant to be free. They seem to have psychically called out to their home, and their home responded; we are now somewhat stranded.

"But let me explain—the Aether is the nexus between worlds and times, but it is not a dead thing. Creatures live in it. We have crashed onto the back of one such creature, a mighty beast, as large as a small country and entirely undiscovered. We have found why the creature has intercepted us: we have accidentally taken captive some of its children. Shapers, the wild creatures I mentioned, it seems they form a symbiotic bond with the creature, and live happily within its stomach."

He frowns, considering this.

"Shapers, I should mention, are creatures that briefly infested our fair BASE. The issue was dealt with, though we kept some for experimentation. The coelacanth took issue with this, it seems. It can speak, of course; we are stranded very near its head, and if you wish to ask it a question, I implore you to do so. The creature is older than creation—older than me—and only speaks once to any creature it encounters. It's said its wisdom brings kings to their knees."

His eyes crinkle in humor.

"My name is Chiron and I am the caretaker of this place, for those of you whom I have not had the pleasure of meeting. More importantly, I am a trainer and a teacher of some experience; if you wish training or schooling of any sort, do summon me. I will be happy to assist."

He's easy to contact, often found in the library, the training area, his capsule, or elsewhere in the station, attempting to fix what he understands and arguing with crows.

"We intended to spend this time exploring, for this is a rare opportunity to discover more of an entirely uncharted world. I hasten you to see if anything on the coelacanth can be of use, but be careful. Take only what you need, not what you may want. I intend to learn my lessons well; these creatures are not pets. Takes food, water, and any materials of use to us for our survival and perseverance, but no more. We task you with this: explore the coelacanth, and see what of it can be understood. Bring us back samples, but do try to interrupt the natural habitat as little as possible. We are guests here."

He bows and the action shows a slight limp in one of his back legs.

"I would join you, but I am far too old for such activities. Still, do pepper me with any questions you should encounter. I am always available on the network, or in person, within this hulking mass we call home."

And then he leaves you to find your capsules and rest.

CAPSULE ASSIGNMENTS

Once you've found your room and settled in—perhaps taken a shower, collected clothes, and eaten—a droid will approach you with camping equipment and give you a brief explanation of how to access and use the database. It's time to get your gear and go.

Of course, you can decline. You can stay and tend to the fort, maybe try and clean up this patchwork jumble of metal and machinery. But seeing the sights on the back of a giant fish flying through non-space? Who can say no to that?


the undiscovered country.

BASE's airlocks open into a lush valley, vibrant with color and rustling with life that has thrived on the coelacanth's back for millennia. It's a striking shift from the rot and gunfire of Gallipoli, unmarked by shrapnel, bombshells, and never-fresh air.

No, the air here is clean in a way that can leave you breathless, untouched by pollutants and stirred into a gentle breeze. It's a marked departure for anyone used to a more modern Earth or rough equivalent; letting the air sit on your tongue leaves a crisp, unsullied taste behind. And the whole forest feels alive, in a way that reminds you of how small you really are.

A white crow perches in a tree near BASE's exit, too high up to properly engage but a stark contrast to the bright leaves around her. She merely watches recruits come and go with a shrewd eye, feathers fluffed against the light chill. There are other crows scattered throughout the wilderness, some easier to find than others as they flit through the trees, sit on camping equipment, or hitch rides on the hoverbikes.

Besides those brief flashes of black feathers, however, you're left unsupervised.

Try not to fuck up anything too badly.

EXPLORE:INFOPAGE|DATABASE
talk to a fish | destruction report

NAV. NETWORK LOGS OOC MEMES PLURK

Comments

e. party capsule is live

[synergise]

[ shower first, capsule second. or something like that — shepard only makes it to her assigned capsule between the third and fourth showers she takes, because between the others, she just circled aimlessly around BASE trying to figure out if she wanted to take another. whether she's going to actually rest is debatable, but she figures that she might as well make nice with her roommate, if they're present. no telling how much time they'll actually spend together, what with exploring the coelacanth on the agenda, and the possibility that said roommate will find better things to do than socialise with her.

it might be nice to sleep.

maybe.

the capsules aren't half bad, by her reckoning. compact, definitely cosier than she was used to, having her own fancy cabin in the normandy, but it's nice, and she doesn't use that word lightly. nice is really damn nice after gallipoli. she has half a mind to knock as she enters, but doesn't. it's her capsule too, after all. ]

Anyone in here?

[ i mean. you could have started with hello, shepard. ]

[inconstantly]

[John isn't upset at being interrupted. In fact he's pretty pleased to see the familiar face. He's in his room, crouched by the bed when Dorian arrives. John finishes placing the bottle currently in his hand before standing again and giving his company his full attention and tossing him an easy wink.]

If I was hiding anything of the sort you'd likely already know about it.

[John's own clothing is all COST issued, nowhere near as showy. Currently he wears a simple long sleeved gray tee with sleeves pushed up to elbows with worn black trousers and bare feet. Hanging nearby is his trench coat from home, typically not worn indoors. What Dorian wears is certainly... eye catching, and John isn't entirely sure what to make of it.]

You really don't expect me to believe that you arrived here just to turn around and leave again. Tell me where you got [He makes a vague gesture to the entirety of Dorian's clothes.] that.

2C

[synergise]

[ oh god, doesn't this just look like a recipe for disaster.

for all that COST seem to have a novel approach to life and death, the prospect of watching prompto get himself into a world of trouble is not one that appeals to shepard. the sphinx is just. too damn close. for all that shepard has a high threshold for patience, there's something about blatant disregard for your own life that puts her a little on edge. there's something about pots and kettles to be said about that opinion, but it's not like they're on a battlefield anymore. COST might want them to pick up samples, get a good feel for the place, but it's not worth getting yourself killed for.

she moves as quickly and quietly as she can, endeavouring to grab prompto by the scruff of the neck to pull him back around a tree, putting a painfully small bit of distance between them and the sphinx. it mercifully seems to be unaware of their presence, and shepard speaks in a quiet, quick hiss, close to prompto's ear. ]

Do you have any idea how goddamn close you are to that thing? With a — [ wtf even is that, it looks as primordial as the coelacanth ] camera?

★ open threads (2)

[handsomefoil]

< BOY SCOUTS IN SPACE: Coelacanth Exploration and Camping >

III. IMPROMPTU TRIP
Henry is a little too cosmopolitan to be in the outdoors for too long, and since Gallipoli had been nothing but hunkering under the open murky sky it's nothing he was keen on jumping into right away. That being said, from his view inside the ship, it looks gorgeous with its lush flora and bioluminescence lingering on the surface of plants and earth. Perhaps even animals, but he can't see that from inside.

Dressing in the garbs that COST offers, he packs his Cross saber and some blocky rations from the cafeteria should he need some sustenance. Drinking water, too.

A couple hours in, he finds a tree to sit by, its long roots dipped into the shallow pool beside it. They provide shelter and shade for the creatures living within it and Henry can't help but gaze into the water, watching strange looking fish flicker about in the darkness. Sometimes he catches a glimmer of scales from a much bigger fish, which has him creeping a little closer to the water's edge.

IV. PLANNED TRIP
Maybe you guys decided this trip in advance, or just happened to meet up while wandering around outside. Whatever the reason may be, it's a relaxing moment despite the hard that goes into setting up the basic requirements like the tent and whatnot. Even though the BCE has a scanning feature, he brings along a sketch pad of sorts (an old yellowed notepad he'd found) to keep himself quietly entertained.

_______________________________________________________________________
ooc; if you have anything specific for the camping trips, hmu!

Exploring

[horsepowered]

[It is the hart that Chiron sees first when he stops besides a stream in order to replenish himself with water. The process of crouching down to do so is well, back to being the slight challenge it always was in life, such are the few drawbacks of being back in his normal centaur form. But there's no point in fussing, and all the attention Chiron has is on the hart instead.]

Are you native to this beast or--

[Chiron's gaze moves upwards, seeing movement ahead.]

Or are you with a companion?

Jaybear watching

[horsepowered]

[In all of this exploring, Chiron's focus has been on seeing how much of the creature's back he could cover in their given amount of time. It was a pleasure to do so, but it meant that he occasionally moved too fast, given the wildlife scares and causing it to flee.

Not so much here. The sight of the jaybears were enough to slow Chiron down, and he moved through the brush as silently as possible.

He hears Vex's warning before he sees her. It takes a moment to pick her out of the underbrush.]

Do you know how big their territory is, by chance?

ROOMIES ROOMIES

[prizeneck]

[The slide of the door opening, latching onto its open position, was enough for him to pause, linger in the doorway. The door opens a little softer than the others, and he listens for another opening on the other end of the corridor, making a mental note of how low the sound is according to the distance.

The sound of thudding snatches his focus into further inside the room. Heavy feet, but stable, as if this person is used to holding heavy weights. He almost believes this person is a man, for a couple of seconds, even if that doesn't seem entirely right. When Samus looks at him, he gives her the same assessing look - definitely not a guy, but a very tall, very capable woman. He can't help but feel curious; he's met his fair share of combatants, male and female, and this... this means that she's his roommate, doesn't it?

His roommate seemed to fit neither. Huh.

He looks around, tucks the sunglasses a little higher on the bridge of his nose.] Sorry to disappoint, but no. This is where I've been assigned to.

b

[handsomefoil]

[ He didn't meant to stumble upon someone who was so peacefully bird...bear watching, but now that she's warning him, it catches his interest too. That being said, interrupting someone's activity is the least of his concerns as he stares at the strange creatures.

Following her instruction, he kneels behind some bushes a little distance away from her. Not as great a hiding place as hers, but maybe he'll relocate once he gets a better look around. Doing his best to whisper, he asks: ]

Are those...blue bears?

[northerndragon]

"I left him in Winterfell because... well, to begin with, I didn't take long to prepare for the journey, and I couldn't think of how he'd handle it, or how we'd feed him. I'm not sure how we'll feed him here. He can eat salt beef now and then, but he'd rather hunt."

He curls his fingers in Ghost's coat, gently rubbing the direwolf's neck, then pulls his hand away with a final soft pat.

"And I didn't know you then, but I did know the impression a wolf this size would make." It might have been dangerous for Ghost, too. Direwolves aren't easy to kill, but Grey Wind had been killed all the same. If Daenerys had seen Ghost as a threat, or had seen Jon as more of a problem than she initially did, something that bringing a large wild animal onto her island or into her audience chamber could easily have made worse, things could have gone even more badly than they already had at that first meeting, and in the weeks thereafter.

[thunders]

[ Thor laughs, shaking his head as he makes his way into the room. ] Mjolnir will not be moved except by those who are worthy. 'Tis a very discerning hammer.

I am Thor, son of Odin, Prince of Asgard, God of Thunder... [ He holds out his hand. ] You get the idea.

[excelsus]

To be included in something so ribald, I feel honored.

[Of course you would, Dorian, you have that kind of humor, not that he would judge anyone on what ever they decided to keep locked under their bed. In fact that's where Dorian keeps his booze and his new clothing and grooming equipment...anything that really means a damn to him or has any sort of personal value. Of course there are some things that won't fit, like his staff, but you'd have to be daft to touch it, but still...some things have sentimental value.

As for John's clothing, well Dorian had been in a similar situation when he arrived, again he wasn't in a position to judge. John actually didn't get the worst of the worst of it, the way he dressed, the colors he chose, it was a look. The only position the mage was in was to look flattering as hell. The snake motifs were everywhere and who wasn't threatened by spiked spurs on the heel of a boot. It's so Tevinter. Plus he was a fan of the side boob, not hiding the fact that he could be quite a show off.]

Is that you're way of saying "please stay, your absence is more potent to me than the presence of a thousand people"? [Lay it on thick Dorian. But he's always been as flattering of himself as of others, perhaps more so, no need to bolster his ego and no way to strip it down either.

Still he's well aware of what John is tipping at.] I was a good boy apparently, when I got back I found this and a few armor sets on my bed, some wine, and decent meals. It was a pleasant surprise...wasn't all good though, found a hart leashed right outside of my capsule.

[cutlery]

[ Sebastian chuckles as he shrugs, since naturally he takes the grim comment with humor. ]

Oh, I certainly hope not. This would be a rather boring place to come to rest.

[ It wasn't his intention to make it sound that grim, but considering his dark sense of humor, he still enjoys it... Though it might be telling that he'd rather die somewhere more interesting by his measure than this. If he believes he can die at all, anyways. ]

Though I had heard as much. Well, not that it was poor judgment, since it was from command, but I guessed as much. It is something of a repetition of our conversation earlier, but sentimentality seems to be something of a waste in our circumstances. [ He shrugs again, though it's less amused this time ] Ah, well. At least it has brought us to an interesting place.

[dorzalta]

She considers the direwolf, so very large and intimidating with his red eyes. Now, she pets him--briefly, soon dropping her hand away to give the creature his space, for she knows not even her dragons enjoy being smothered in attention lest they actively seek it out. But back when she'd first summoned Jon?

"It's much warmer than the North, as well. I can't imagine he's used to the climate?" Wiping her hands, she considers the small space. A mirror image of her own bedroom. It's nearly swallowed by a sea of white fur. "As for feeding him, we've an entire world at our disposal outside."

There must be something the wolf can hunt.

"He's here now. They gave you Ghost for a reason." What would the King in the North require his direwolf for? She can't imagine how such a large animal would blend into any environment they travel to. "We'll figure out how to keep him happy and fed."

[excelsus]

[Oh, he's with a companion, a companion who is huffing and puffing and trudging through the brush to keep up.]

I hope you're not eating any more of these funny looking plants--

[And yet, in spite of his own discomfort, Dorian does seem more concerned about what the Hart is doing and what it is putting in it's mouth. Instead it found a welcome sight. He needed a moment to take all of Chiron's new form in, he explained it in excellent detail and of course Dorian had seen the pretender Chiron, but it was still a change.

Once it dawned on the mage, an easy smile touched his lips and he came into the clearing.]

It seems you found a friend.

[horsepowered]

I suppose that your friend here is a recent arrival?

[The grin on Chiron's face is clear, and he gestures gently to the hart. It is a very lovely creature, but that's besides the point right now. Dorian is in much improved health after the last mission, and that is a relief to see.]

You may as well come over and catch your breath before fussing over funny looking plants.

[northerndragon]

"That depends on what's in this world. There can't be much that would cow a direwolf, though."

The things he can think of that could cow a direwolf, or at least stand up to one, are too meaningful to both of them for him to want to list them.

"They can't mean for him to stay in here. If I had the other room, it might be possible, but in this one... he'll want to be in here now and then, no more than that. I'll speak to Chiron about it."

Greeting accomplished, Ghost turns back to the bed and pulls the chicken he'd been eating down to the floor.

"They gave him a chicken. Didn't give us a chicken."

[excelsus]

[Dorian isn't surprised to see others walking about, they were all quite filthy and anyone who didn't immediately hit the showers...or at least grab a meal and hit the showers had to be insane.

There wasn't a queue when Dorian got here, but he's expecting it.

And of course he' not put off by Henry's presence, they've spoken, and Dorian was comfortable with him, but he was comfortable with being watched as well. He was carefully moving the edge down against the grain from his cheek to his jaw when he noticed Henry out of the corner of his eye, pausing and offering him a smile very aware of the blade and his own hand.]

You look like you could use an introduction to my technique.

[Dorian wasn't a scavenger, but when he saw this grooming set in the Orlesian mockery he couldn't resist, after all the clothing was too tacky to take.]

midnighter | ota.

[thingpuncher]

a. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.

Midnighter is happy to be outside of that shitty tincan as fast as he can. He takes off on the bikes when they come, preferring to wander alone, but he doesn't look down on company when he runs into someone. He's generally wearing some stupid shirt with some kind of large insignia on it, jeans, occasionally sunglasses. He hops on the nearest bike and putters off in no direction in particular, grinning the whole time.

He gets to a scenic area and wanders around, just idly exploring. Eventually, he wanders close to another person's camp, and he's happy to mull about, help boiling water or starting a fire. Making a tent is a real pain in the ass.

As night (or whatever passes for night on a fish-- darkness) falls, he looks up at a sound that isn't all that easy to hear. Midnighter looks up to see a face staring down at him in the trees. "Eugh, talk about Court of Owls." He immediately begins checking his BCE for information. "Don't worry, I'll kick it's ass if it attacks."

b. I GO WALKING IN MY SLEEP.

Later in the 'night', Midnighter retreats to his dewdrop tent alone. He clearly doesn't sleep in his sleeping bag, though, because a hairy leg hangs freely out of one of the doorways, zipped incompletely closed. It's still, though, and he's unmoving for several hours.

And then he bursts from the tent, half dressed in only jeans, expression dark with determination. "We gotta move. Something's in the trees."

He seems to have forgotten his derringer, because when he faces the line of trees, he holds only his fists up.

c. FROM THE MOUNTAINS OF FAITH.

He gets pretty good at stalking through the underbrush. There's a fair amount of greenery to wander through, and he's fond of what he can find. As he goes, a little robot follows him. Sometimes he'll mutter to it, "Mistake, do something useful."

The robot will stop, vibrate, fall over, or utter the words in a halting robotic tone, "Please. Allow me. To expire."

Midnighter groans and keeps walking.

d. TO A RIVER SO WIDE.

While walking across the terrain, you may encounter a particularly wet area, growing more and more loamy, as eventually your feet begin to stick and sink into the ground. Maybe you hear the warning in time, Midnighter yelling, "Hey! Back off!" Or maybe you don't. Regardless, Midnighter leans down from a nearby honeycombed tree to grab at you, shoulder or hand or whatever he can get his hands on.

"Be fucking careful. You'll sink right in."

e. I WAS LOOKING FOR SOMETHING.

Eventually, he comes across a gully, and a ruined spacecraft. His eyes light with excitement. "Good. I was looking for this fucking thing."

Beware of being the poor innocent bystander who happens to be there when he begins his self-assigned mission. Midnighter looks over his shoulder-- "You gonna be useful, or you gonna gawk while I grave rob?"

f. WILDCARD.

BASE shenanigans? Something I haven't mentioned above? I'm good for it all. Feel free to hmu on wehwalt or pel#5780@disco if you wanna discuss.

( OPEN )

[wrackful]

ARRIVAL
[The disorientation has barely passed by the point adrenaline's already kicking in. Stood almost naked, surrounded by strangers in a metal corridor, Murphy has an instant of thinking he's back on the Ark. A second ago he'd been in the throne room in Polis, Ontari's blood all over his hands, and they'd just destroyed ALIE. He doesn't remember how he got here. He doesn't know if this is even real. Fear wrenches his stomach cold, but panic is just a quick way to get killed.]

What the hell just happened?

[At least he can still talk. Still sounds like himself. And if the people around him are guards or soldiers who have a problem with that, he'll find out soon enough.]

MESS HALL
[The birds are creeping him out. Settling in enough acceptance of the situation to grab some clothes, start checking the place out, and that's the one thing Murphy still can't get past. Robots he can deal with, but in his experience animals weren't that trustworthy. Especially not ones hanging around everywhere for no reason he could figure.

Ignoring them's easy when he finds the mess hall, though. Too caught by the prospect of food, the only thing that slows him down is making sure he doesn't have to trade for it and figuring out how the system works. That is, until his order of "roast fish" is placed on his tray by one of the droids.]

I'm going to make a guess that I don't want to know what this really is.

[Suspiciously lifting the fish's tail off the plate, though the hunger in his stomach is already telling him he doesn't care.]

THE EXIT
[Murphy had only retained some broken pieces of what the horse guy had said, still too confused by everything - and by there being a horse guy - to really listen. He doesn't know what a coelacanth is, but he does know what outside the airlock looks like: trees, sleeping on the ground, and probably things that will try to kill you.

He's only stepped out a few paces from the door. He still doesn't know if he really believes what's happening, but his instincts say to stay inside. Free food, clothes, bed, shelter. Anyone who'd pick camping in the trees over that was crazy, or didn't know first hand just how shitty it could be.

But he still hasn't turned back inside yet. Watching what he can see from here, the forest, the weird-ass sky. He remembers what it felt like, stepping out onto Earth for the first time, the total freedom of it. That drive tells him to move forward, to see what's out there, despite his instincts pulling him back to the metal corridors behind him. So he stays stuck in place. Torn between the two.]

iv

[handsomefoil]

@brokebackstab
What level are you at

[dorzalta]

She hums in answer, not as concerned about the wildlife on this world. There would be dangers, as in any place. She's too tired to discuss the point.

"I wonder who shares the space with you now. Not Henry, I imagine." No more coffee mornings with the man, or surprise visits from Arthur. They'd become somewhat like a strange, dysfunctional unit the last time on Base. "Might've seen him by now."

The chicken flops onto the floor with a dull, near sickening thud. She gives the corpse one long, lingering look before turning her focus to Jon.

"They must like him more."

It's a joke, right? But she says it so deadpan, it's hard to tell.

[thunders]

[ It's clear that she's a healer - a doctor, if he were on Midgard. Thor does as he's told and allows her to prod the injury as she likes, but his expression grows more uncertain as she brings the tray back to him. ]

As you wish. I assure you, there's no need to fuss so much over such a small wound. [ Still, starts to shift so that he can remove the shirt on his own. He's stubborn like that. ]

I am Thor, and yourself?

[northerndragon]

He looks at her, a long, flat look, then breaks into a soft chuckle.

"He's probably less trouble than us.

"I think you're right about the roommate. If it were Henry, there would have been no need to move us about. Not sure there was one anyway. Whoever it is, I hope they're quiet enough." With a glance over at Ghost, he adds, "And I hope they can keep their wits about them."

[excelsus]

Quite recent...and happy to be out and about. He wanted me to take him on this lovely frolic about the wilderness, but quickly left me behind.

[Dorian's not terribly upset all things considered, especially given their previous location, but still...it would be a shame if anything happened and Dorian wasn't there. It would be a short lived gift/curse.]

Don't know what these native plants are capable of, I trust him to know what's good for him. [The Hart, while not a wild animal, is prancing around in the water foolishly like one, just happy to be out. He was certainly spirited for his particular breed, but Dorian doesn't worry about it too much, instead he joins Chiron, dropping into the grass...maybe it was grass, maybe it was the equivalent of body hair, what did Dorian know.] And you, you seem to have received a reward or two of your own.

[handsomefoil]

[ He laughs, folding his arms across his chest to keep his hands from rubbing his face anymore. ]

Oh, you have no idea. Where did you find your straight razor? Did the droids help you?