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[MOD PLOT] Day of the Plants
Who: Dain, Ferlarys, Zero Two, Esmeryl, Aen’kae, Leo. Donnie and Day.
What: Rescue mission in the Jungle.
When: Sometime in April.
Warnings: Will be in the thread headers.
The bangles go off without warning: a high-pitched shrieking that soon manifests into a holographic map of the ship in all its ruined glory. But the crew aren’t given time to ponder on it as the map zooms in on two blinking red dots that suddenly cut out.
The location is the Jungle, and the dots are - were - Donnie and Day.
It’s a distress call, one that continues to go off as it shows their last known location. The Jungle is dangerous, yes, but it shouldn’t have any of the Dangerous Hazards, and the life support there is generally self-sustaining, given that the plants function as natural oxygen generators and CO2 scrubbers.
It doesn’t take long for a team to assemble and make its way into the Jungle. Thankfully, between them, the group manage to retrace Donnie and Day’s footsteps despite the Jungle’s best efforts to clear them away, with Aen’kae, Ferlarys, and SHELLDON leading the way.
Right up until they lose the footprints into the dense Jungle on one side of the flatish path they'd been following. It also looks like Leo can come with them in his chair with a tiny bit of effort.
(Group Wis: Pass)
What: Rescue mission in the Jungle.
When: Sometime in April.
Warnings: Will be in the thread headers.
The bangles go off without warning: a high-pitched shrieking that soon manifests into a holographic map of the ship in all its ruined glory. But the crew aren’t given time to ponder on it as the map zooms in on two blinking red dots that suddenly cut out.
The location is the Jungle, and the dots are - were - Donnie and Day.
It’s a distress call, one that continues to go off as it shows their last known location. The Jungle is dangerous, yes, but it shouldn’t have any of the Dangerous Hazards, and the life support there is generally self-sustaining, given that the plants function as natural oxygen generators and CO2 scrubbers.
It doesn’t take long for a team to assemble and make its way into the Jungle. Thankfully, between them, the group manage to retrace Donnie and Day’s footsteps despite the Jungle’s best efforts to clear them away, with Aen’kae, Ferlarys, and SHELLDON leading the way.
Right up until they lose the footprints into the dense Jungle on one side of the flatish path they'd been following. It also looks like Leo can come with them in his chair with a tiny bit of effort.
(Group Wis: Pass)
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The odd-looking mage's bird had gone out scouting and come back fine. Maybe it would be safe again? But before he says anything, he takes another look around. Are there any signs that other animals live under the tentacles or pass by safely? If there are, the bird might be fine. But if there aren't, he's ready to assume that no bird, beast, or person is safe from whatever seized their friends.
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It's either a bit odd, or Dain's simply not skilled enough to pick them out amongst all the foliage.
However, Dain knows that standing around looking for hidden animals probably won't help them find Donnie and Day.
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The Abomasnow makes a rumbling noise and steps forward. He isn't afraid of plant-creatures, ice is strong against grass! He doesn't go any further without his trainer and the others moving, though.
Zero Two looks to Esme, "If you are able to keep that up or bring it back at a moment's notice I think you and I should go first. I can track the heat signatures of the vines--or whatever they are--and lead us towards their core."
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"The vines don't eat everything, or else all animals would avoid this place," he says, still quiet. "But they are hiding. It might be because they are afraid of our intrusion, or it might be because the vines have been- activated, by Day and Donnie, and will try to seize anything moving until they go dormant. I thought you," he nods at Ferlarys, "might be able to safely send your bird out again, that the vines might not take interest in it, but I think we should not count on it."
He looks between Zero Two and Esme. "I think either whoever has the shield should go first, or you should hold it over the heads of the group. Does anyone think they might be fast enough to dodge an attack?"
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"It is quiet," she says, "but, as you implied, it may simply be that we are many and we are new."
She looks up at the vines again, reappraising them. Not necessarily a plant, not as she knows it. But, at the very least, relying on heat.
"I have faith in my footwork, or, failing that, my sword arm. If these vines are composed at all like plants, my ice breath may slow them if they catch someone."
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As the bipeds talk, the mimic skulks over to one of the trees, scaling the trunk with ease to sniff around. It bares teeth at the vines. How tempting it is to just go on this way, for the scent trail hasn't been on the ground to begin with. While it understands the size and travel issues, having been largely relegated to being carried for a good part of its brief life prior, it doesn't understand why the bipeds are standing around when it is quite clear where to keep going.
As it is, the mimic isn't sure what to gauge the plantlife here as. But perhaps it can move quickly enough along these snakelike things that stretch between the trees.
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He's distracted from his efforts, though, when he notices Illex on the move, climbing up one of the trees to get near the vines. Leo rolls his chair closer to the trunk.
"Illex, hey! Be careful!"
They don't need the mimic getting snatched, too.
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Æn'kae whistled to try and get Roj back, but she didn't stop chasing after it. "Elements, guess they picked a direction for us." He breathed, moving to follow Roj, albeit not quickly, since they really didn't need to split up, his scanner hooked to his belt and running in case the tentacles closed in. He didn't have the same sort of connection with Illex, but given the tentacles or whatever they were, he didn't like it being up there anymore than Leo did.
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But their companions are bounding off, and what else are they going to do? They've got some information, at least, and that will have to do. Ferlarys whistles a go! command to Arrow, who obediently takes off and shadows Illex, swooping in a protective semicircle as Ferlarys hurries after, hand on her sword's handle.
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He keeps his eyes on the treeline level for the most part, flicking between the animals and the tentacles, while still paying enough attention to ground level to not stumble.
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Snow Tree actually waits for the others to move before taking up the rear.
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The air grows heavy though, thick with the scent of crushed orchids and a cloying, sweet musk that suggests rot hidden beneath new growth. The magical signatures detected earlier are becoming more concentrated now. It isn't just that the plants are magical; it's as if the ship’s life-support systems are bleeding into the soil.
Leo’s chair finds the going tougher, but the wake left by Esmeryl and the Abomasnow provides enough of a furrow for him to navigate with slight difficulty. Above them, the 'tentacles' slither in rhythm with their footsteps, though they seem hesitant to strike the armoured vanguard.
Esmeryl seems almost disappointed.
After several minutes of intense pushing through the jungle, the foliage suddenly gives way and the group emerges into a small, roughly circular clearing that is unnervingly quiet, while the dense canopy above has been woven together like a thatched roof. One that blocks out the artificial 'sunlight' of the ship and leaves the area in a dim, bioluminescent green glow.
"Halt - I sense movement ahead," Esmeryl says, metallic ear pricked forward, red optics narrowed.
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There's a low gurgle of a growl from deep within its throat once they stop.
Just beyond, the bushes rustle before beginning to part, just before green hands push their way through, and a familiar figure stumbles out.
"Oh, hey!" Donnie greets, smiling in surprise once he sees the group. Maybe it's just the weirdly green overlay of lighting that make some things not look quite right. Like the subtle yellow of his eyes, and the softer, paler purples of his mask and hoodie, although sharp eyes might make out the overlapping patterns that make them up. Or...maybe they aren't actually patterns at all...
His voice sounds a little strange too. Maybe just a little reedy.
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It could be Day, if you imagine the forest made all the decisions in shaping his body. But if Aen'kae tries to check, he'll find his telepathy blocked off.
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His mind whirls. If he were one of them, he'd be holding the real Donnie and Day hostage. If they are, then the rescuers can't risk attacking, not yet. They need more information. Well, why not test how well these impostors can copy their base people by playing along.
He pushes to the front of the group, but carefully does not move any farther forward than Esme's shield. He also tries to make sure his hand brushes against Aen'kae's on his way. He's thinking very hard about the need to get more information and that he's faking being convinced they're real, as well as a request to scan the two fakes.
"Wh-what happened to you?!" he cries, in an upset but carefully pitched voice that won't carry. "You- you just disappeared! The ship sent an alarm and everything! You had us worried!"
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It won't force Dain back, because it doesn't think he's stupid enough to fall for 'everything is fine' and information gathering is a valid strategy. But its ready to block any attacks aimed at him.
Abomasnow stays at the back of the group, near Leo. If that chair has any trouble either him or his trainer could probably just pick it up.
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He knows his brother inside and out, and even from this distance, he notices that things aren't right here. He might not know exactly what's happening, but, among other things, there's no way that mask is the right color to match Donnie's exacting, hex-coded preferences.
He hadn't known Dain before today, but he can guess that the guy is trying to gather information by playing along. Leo pushes forward, trying to get a better look around the crowd, and decides to join in Dain's route.
"Dee, I know you like plants, but this is a bit much, don't you think?" he calls across the way.
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Were these imposters? Or was it a case of manipulation? No that word wasn't enough. Would the word be possession? Conversion? He certainly liked that thought far less than mediocre impersonation, but he wasn't about to rule anything out just yet. The question seemed the same either way. Why? What was it trying to gain? And how did they get their friends back?
Just observing might have been harder if Dain hadn't rushed forward or others hadn't spoken. He took that as an opportunity to pull the running tricorder from his belt shift the focus of the tricorder forward instead of up. And he would have even if Dain hadn't pushed the mental suggestion at him while brushing past, though he certainly appreciated the confirmation that Dain was not fooled.
Roj wanted to move ahead, snorting and sniffing at the figures. But he kept a hand firmly in place in her fur. He didn't really want her diving out away from the group this deep into a forest that absolutely didn't seem to want them there.
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"Yes, we've been searching for you." Holding out an arm for Arrow to land again, keeping her own animal companion close, she steps forward, keeping near enough the people with shields she can duck behind them if needed. If anything, the movement may also distract from Aen'kae's surreptitious scan.
"Are either of you hurt?"
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If he's noticed that most of them seem to be keeping their distance, he doesn't seem to react, instead casually stepping closer. It's...strange, watching him move, difficult to really pinpoint just what's wrong about it. His limbs seem a lot more fluid with each movement, somehow simultaneously smooth and weirdly janky.
"Not at all, brother!" he pipes as Leo nears, coming to close the distance. There's a distinctly floral scent that clings to him, probably because of all the purple petals.
Illex hisses and leaps off of Leo's lap to crouch below the wheelchair.
Donnie ignores the mimic, swaying as he turns towards Ferlarys. "So I see! So many came for us, even mom!" He shakes his head then. "No, not hurt. Mildly disorienting, amazing, this place is it?"
He pauses, blinking with a clueless smile before turning back towards the edge of the clearing.
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Where Donnie moves more fluid, Day is stiff, as if his limbs are made of unbending branches, a puppet strung together. But he too is casually coming over, aiming for Aen’kae. “Nothing out here that’d hurt me. Besides, you’re always so busy, I’d not bother you with anything, dear.” Day might have had a habit of talking to the plants when working on his own, a great source of information. This Day nods towards the edge of the clearing. “It’s beautiful, won’t you come along?”
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While Dain does his best to keep an eye on the situation at large, he's too distracted by playing along with 'Day' and 'Donnie' to notice if the group is in danger.
Leo Perception: Fail
Unfortunately, for all things feel off to Leo, he can't pick up anything outside what he already knows: the whole thing feels off somehow.
Esme Perception: Fail
Squint as she might at Donnie, Esmeryl is too taken back - and pleased - at being called 'mum' to notice anything new about the situation they've wondered in.
Aen'Kae Tricoder: Pass
The tricoder shows they while these things might look like Donnie and Day, they are very much NOT Donnie and Day. They're some kind of plant-like thing - a mimic, maybe, but not like the one's Donnie and Loki have. Yet while his mind brings up the fae playing tricks, he can't think of anything that could fit this situation.
But it is still interesting, given the fae that brought them here need them to do... something, at least... and don't seem to want to hurt them.
Ferlarys Perception: Pass
Ferlarys Intelligence: Pass
Ferlarys knowledge of general fae hijinks means she knows these are Fetches, a type of mimic the fae use when they have either stolen someone away but don't want it known right away, are playing games or jokes on people, or attempting to lure people into following them.
Interesting, given the fae that brought them here need them to do... something, at least... and don't seem to want to hurt them.
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"Fetches...typically impersonators, but clearly not the priority this time. This is either a prank, or they want us somewhere in particular and are using Donnie and Day to do it. So, then: are these aligned with the twins, or have some competing fae found their way aboard? And will they become hostile if they learn we aren't fooled?"
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He didn't have enough data to say if these beings were sentient or controlled by someone else, and didn't know enough about Fetches to know if that indicated sentience or not. Still. "I uh, I think it may be worth letting them know so we can ask where our friends are and what they need," he whispered before the pair could come too close. Frankly, playing along when they were such poor duplicates was more of a distraction than it was worth, but it also wasn't just his decision.
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"They, or whoever sent them, has Donnie and Day. They got enough information from them to know who is important to them. We must assume that our friends are being held hostage, at the very least." He keeps his tone light, even as an angry, calculating gleam enters his eyes.
"How dangerous are Fetches? They are only two, and we are many, some with strong abilities. We might be able to overpower them and make them tell us what they want from us. Possibly even trade them for our friends. If we want to try that, I suggest we let them join us, then reveal we know they are fakes."
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Surprise Round
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Twig B3
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