JELLY SHROOM CAVE BASE EXPLORATION | ACTION

[imsorey]

[In the early morning, just after breakfast is cleaned up, Sorey sends a telepathic broadcast to whoever is still currently hanging around the base:

Hey everyone! We found a strange cave way down deep in the tunnels a couple of weeks ago, and the fish down there told us there were humans living down there somehow! We’re going to check it out today. You’re welcome to come with, but bring some kind of shielding, all right? There’s a whole bunch of Tiger Plants on the route, and those spikes they shoot are no joke!

Mikleo chimes in: If you have swimming troubles, I should be able to take you around, though a couple of you might want to bring Seaglides as well. We mapped out a partial safe route, but keep in mind there’s some very large predators, and the water pressure’s going to be pretty intense if you move too far from us down there. Come prepared for that.

Should you as an intrepid explorer decide to venture down into the tunnels with them, there’s plenty to see. Glowing Jelly Shrooms are scattered across the caves, the only bit of light offered so far down in the dark. Sorey and Mikleo will lead the group in a careful circuit through them, not going too close. It’s easy to see why when a couple of Crabsnakes poke their heads out curiously.

The abandoned base the group will come across is small but has some useful items if you care to take a look. There’s also a dully glowing three-person Seamoth to be discovered not too far away, out of power, if any technologically-inclined people want to figure out how to get that back to base for use.

((OOC: Open mission post for Jelly Shroom Base Exploration! Sorey and Mikleo will tag whoever tags in, but feel free to jump other people as well and branch your explorations out separately if you’d like. There’s a lot to find!))

Comments

[parodeity]

[ dave's face screws up in an offended and voiceless hey regardless of the fact he had time to see the knuckle-rap coming. uncool?

although his expression settles into confusion a second later, because - ]

You weren't makin' me uncomfortable?

[ he was Fine? nothing dirk had said or done had been remotely troublesome in the past few hours (days?) and dave's wracking his brain trying to come up with how he would have given off that impression.

he hadn't really categorized the abandoned base reminding him of home in the worst way as being "uncomfortable", apparently. good job, dave. ]

[splinten]

Something was.

[He Knows, okay? He has reading Dave Strider's comfort level down to a finely tuned art, down to a science. The boundaries of disciplines have all fallen before the studious attention he has given to this difficult-to-master yet highly important field. Dave was increasingly comfortable, and now that he's out of there, he isn't.]

Was it the weaponry?

[parodeity]

No, it wasn't - huh.

[ his immediate denial turns into huh.

of the huh, ok, so bro was gay variety.

he's so good at this. ]

I guess?

[ which means: he knows, now that he's pausing to consider it. his reaction to discomfort on the base had just been to move around restlessly to work off contained energy, but there were probably other options he could have explored had he noticed himself doing it at all. ]

[splinten]

[He watches the light dawn. This time, he actually knows what it's about.]

I can go ahead of you and check for other weapons lying around before we go back.

[To Dirk, this also explains the manner and intensity of the babbling. He also suspects it's the reason Dirk's silence suddenly became the object of interrogation, particularly with the direct parallel Dave drew to Bro afterwards.

Dirk spends a lot of time analysing these things to help him deal with them for next time.]

[parodeity]

No, it's fine.

[ dirk isn't liable to accept "i'll deal with it" as an option, so dave...actually explores one of those other possibilities. wow. ]

When you go back I'll just split and do some wildlife recon. I don't think any of us has remotely enough space for all that weaponry even when we're not nerfed to miniscule space restrictions.

[ ...that's said like it's a sentence but it feels like a question because dave automatically sort of glances over at dirk like is this actually okay because the option to simply remove himself from a situation has rarely occurred to him in situations where it's an acceptable choice. ]

Tbh I care more about the wildlife than random abandoned bases anyway. Unless they stock cooler shit.

[splinten]

[Dirk catches Dave's eye contact. And because he's a control freak who thinks he knows best who is learning to trust others, he gives his brother the slightest nod and accepts the change of plans.]

You really will befriend a Crabsnake.

[Why Dave.]

[parodeity]

[ dave's tendency to go with the flow and defer to whoever talks loudest planwise probably does not help with recovering control freak tendencies. oops. ]

I'm reasonably certain doin' so would keep Rose entertained for months.

[ they're phallic, right

they're just like giant... ]

I will call him Trousersnake.

[splinten]

That's fuckin' perfect.

[The mobius reacharound of comedic tastes strikes again.]

[parodeity]

[ ok but

now dave actually is going to do his best to befriend a crabsnake when you leave him alone, dirk? ]

I'm the best at namin' shit, it is me.

[ why does dirk encourage him ]

[splinten]

You are simply the best there is.

[He encourages it because honestly, Dave can handle himself and also he thinks this is fine. What's important is that Dave be happily, stupidly befriending dangerous animals, and not be lowkey distressed in a weird abandoned base.

The priorities make sense to Dirk.]

[parodeity]

Oh, but you gotta solve the underwear mystery for me and report back.

[ because

he has to know ]

[splinten]

[...]

I'll do my best.

[He will, he really will solve this mystery. They must know.]

[parodeity]

And I'll let you know how Operation Trousersnake goes.

[ dave stop trying to be bros with everything under the sea? ]

BTW I need you to give me a crash course in English.

[ of the jake variety.

like.

what the fuck he is actually saying to dave, using what is supposedly english. ]

[splinten]

[Dirk pauses. It takes him a second but he understands it soon enough.]

There is no such thing. You just need to program a dictionary to automatically define his word use for you.

[parodeity]

Ok, you know I know nothing about programming, right.

[ but, like. ]

I am reasonably sure we had a meaningful conversation, or at least that it had some sort of meaning to him, but I have absolutely no fuckin' clue what we actually discovered in said conversation?

[ dave you could have like

asked ]

[splinten]

You can ask for clarification. Eventually, he'll find a synonym that made it past the 1950s.

[Dirk has distinct memories of lists of explanations that were just more and more confusing?

He's glad Jake had some kind of meaningful conversation with Dave but this is the priority just now.]

[parodeity]

Ok but it is like a week too late to ask for clarification? Like hey man I actually have no idea what the fuck you were talking about for most of that one nice chat we had, even though I pretended like I did for reasons.

[ HOW DID HE HELP JAKE, WHAT ENGLIGHTENMENT DID JAKE FIND, DAVE HAS NO IDEA. ]

But I will keep that in mind for the next time he starts throwin' down jargon that definitely never made it into the Strider lexicon.

[splinten]

You realize Jake wouldn't mind explaining.

[Dirk is pretty sure even a week later, Jake doesn't mind throwing out the thesaurus.]

Don't worry about it too much. You'll build up a frame of reference with time.

[parodeity]

Yeah, no, John wouldn't either.

[ he's clearly categorizing jake with john mentally. not as the same person, but - harleyberts are pretty much too good, too pure. of course they wouldn't mind explaining shit a million years after the fact? ]

Idk I was worried at the time askin' for some sort of translation might make him skittish since he's like, already told me five times or somethin' he's nervous about talkin' to me slash new people.

[ and dave doesn't like making people nervous? ]

Though I am certain my innate charm will eventually erase all nerves. That or he'll figure out I'm seriously not that cool.

[splinten]

I can't tell if that's on us [he means himself and Jane here] or if the island upbringing made him naturally skittish. Either way, he'll relax around you eventually.

Hang out with me and him sometime. Outside of watching us Strife, I mean.

He told me that it's easier for him to relax if I'm there?

[Which. It's obvious from even Dirk's telepathic tone, this fact seems weird and incredulous to Dirk? He still doesn't understand. Familiarity doesn't feel like enough given everything. But Jake says it and Dirk is trying very hard to take Jake at his word instead of constantly doubting how Jake feels about him, so.]

I can give you running translations if nothing else.

[parodeity]

I get that.

[ although it's not always true for dave, when dirk isn't reading like bro it's nice to have him around? he's not entirely sure he believes it's a heart player thing or whatever jake was saying. for dave, at least. ]

I actually considered mentally pinging you for a rundown I think? But then I was like nah that would probably be weird.

[splinten]

No way. That would be hilarious.

[Long-distance telepathic translation of Englishisms is exactly the sort of bullshit that he needs in his life??? Ridiculousness.]

[parodeity]

What, hey, why would it be hilarious? I'm trained in deciphering huge rants, not in deciphering ye olden times.

[ rude??????? possibly rude? dave is not actually sure here but he thinks maybe he should be mildly offended? ]

[splinten]

The way Jake talks is ridiculous. Your response to being baffled is, generally speaking, comedic gold. The idea of using something as psychologically weighted as telepathy to long-distance contact the ex-boyfriend of the younger version of your best friends' genetic parent and adoptive grandfather so he can translate the grandpa lingo is pure absurdity. All we need is a little slapstick and Gene Wilder for a starring role.

[Would Ionesco write a play about this? He bets he would. He bets it'd be a great play.]

[parodeity]

Why the hell didn't I name you Dick, that's what I wanna know.

[ said with no actual ire...though, really, how did dirk get that lucky? dave is not exactly known for his mature naming decisions. ]

How's that going, anyway?