JANUARY MINGLE | OPEN

[oneandmikleonly]

[It's a new year! Well, by the fragile construct of calendar time we're creating on this planet, anyway.

Here's a an open mingle for all your January needs! Are you trying to stalk our new alien stalkers back, or reach out to them, or fight them? Building? Exploring the biomes, for fun and/or to uncover more about our alien friends? Researching? Hugging URSULA? Raising Birdogs or getting involved with other wildlife? Making or breaking resolutions? OTHER? Whatever it is you're doing, you can put it here.

Don't forget to check the OOC plotting post to see what's going on and get involved with missions!]

Comments

c

[oneandmikleonly]

[I mean, why WOULDN'T Mikleo come into this lab at some point and put his chin on Sorey's shoulder to see what he's looking over.]

You could say that. Sounds like you had a bit more luck than I did today, though.

[imsorey]

I think we've got a lead on where the Emperor might be.

[he taps at the video on the screen and then holds up the alien gadget for closer inspection]

Any idea what this could be?

[oneandmikleonly]

It looks like a second piece of the item we found in the Grand Reef Base, doesn't it?

[rummages absently for it (it's not there, but it takes him a moment to remember), eyes fixed on the screen or the most part, drinking in detail]

She did say she was near lava.

[imsorey]

It's likely the same sort of...whatever it is. Piece of a puzzle, part of a machine, or something like that. I was hoping we could use it to locate all of the bases, but I don't know if that's possible. Something should be able to tell us where that base is.

[gesturing to the lava base on the screen]

[oneandmikleonly]

I guess if worst comes to worst, we could wander down there with a sub and see what we find...if it's anything like the place below the mushroom caves, it's too deep to just map it in the dreamscape.

[a deep breath, stopping his rummaging as he realizes the other piece is likely in a different lab]

Or we could ask the creatures in the Void if they know a route. Mamori seems to get around.

[imsorey]

Do you think they can travel down that far? The lava vents are a pretty strong deterrent. But I'd like to check it out with the sub regardless--that's our best bet so far.

[oneandmikleonly]

We might have to reinforce it even more first, depending how much deeper the vents are than the river base was...but I'm glad you found a clue at last. Where'd you get the video?

[imsorey]

I was looking around the jelly shroom caves for alien artifacts and I found it. I was hoping to get more than just this, but it's better than nothing.

[oneandmikleonly]

Where in the caves?!

[imsorey]

It was under one of the smaller mushrooms, I had to pull it away from a crabsnake. It was really well-hidden, we spent a few hours looking around.

[sounding very impressed by how hidden it was]

[oneandmikleonly]

Huh...deliberately cached? Or did it look like it got dropped there? We never were able to look that closely into who ransacked the base deep down under there.

[imsorey]

It looked like it was intentionally hidden, but if it's been down there for a few hundred years then it's honestly hard to say for sure.

[oneandmikleonly]

If it's been there a few hundred years I suppose it might matter less. At least we've got some promising leads now, right?

[imsorey]

It's looking more and more promising every day. It's easier now that we know what we're looking for instead of wandering aimlessly.

[oneandmikleonly]

We've still got a lot of the planet to cover, too.

[laughs a little, low in his throat]

We're literally swimming in mysteries.

[imsorey]

[p-pfft, he laughs before he can help himself]

We're swimming in answers too, in that case. They're just harder to see.

[oneandmikleonly]

Well, it's hard not be optimistic with you around.

[and, well, they HAVE found a lot of answers, these past few months, which is heartening.]

[imsorey]

I bring out the optimism in people. It's part of my charm!

[nudging Mikleo to make sure he agrees]

But we'll always be further along than we were before. As long as it doesn't take long to explore an entire planet we'll be fine.

[oneandmikleonly]

Isn't that kind of a high standard for fine...?

[it's not quite a verbal agreement, but he does turn his head a little to brush his lips over Sorey's cheek; yes, he's charmed.]

[imsorey]

[reaching for Mikleo's hand and lacing their fingers together]

Maybe it's a little high. But I think we can do it, or at least search until we find the right answers.

[oneandmikleonly]

Search the entire planet, huh?

...I guess it's not all that different from what we thought we could do, when we first came here.

[imsorey]

See? And the world is already a little smaller than it was when we first started. It's doable.

1/2

[oneandmikleonly]

Sounds about right.

[squeezes his hand, warm and solid and assured.]

[oneandmikleonly]

It's not doable on no food, though. Have you had dinner yet, or have you been cooped up in here since you got back?

[imsorey]

I ate something earlier!

[that was breakfast]

I may have gotten a little caught up in my findings though. I wouldn't say no to a snack.