MISSION #?? REPAIR THAT OBSERVATORY

[twifork]

[ACTION OR TELEPATHY / OPEN TO ALL]



[A few hours after the explosion settles, Ludger checks with URSULA to be sure it's safe to go outside. Then he suits up and swims around to the broken observatory. The crack looks pretty bad...

This looks like a job for domestic repair!

A telepathic communication broadcasts to all in the radius:

First, the visual image of the broken observatory.
Second, images as he tries to figure out how to fix the cracks: a roll of tape? a bottle of glue labelled "UNDERWATER GLUE"?? (both prospects are accompanied by a deep sense of confusion)
Third, a querying image of some kind of tube that could pump the water out of the observatory? (There are arrows showing the flow of water in this mental image.)

The communication ends.

Ludger will stay outside the observatory, trying to search the plantlife for ... something that would make underwater glue, he guesses.]

Comments

[ruffledup]

[A series of telephatic images. All right, that's clearly taking some getting used to. Maybe even more to understand how to decipher this kind of message.

Really. Underwater glue? What does that even mean?!

Still, Josephine makes her way to the observatory anyway. She's curious about who'd send this kind of message, certainly, but repairing the observatory is probably a necessity too. She might not normally assist with this kind of work, but. Needs must.]

I don't suppose... underwater glue would be anywhere around here?

[twifork]

[Hello, person! He gives a sort of shake of the head; there wouldn't be underwater glue just in the seaweed, right? However, he points at the seaweed and the fish, and then kind of... makes a motion... like sticky fingers?]

I'm looking for sticky animals and plants.

[So they can be co-opted for his sticking project!]

[ruffledup]

[For all she knows, underwater glue comes from seaweed!

She nods though, frowning slightly. Sticky animals and plants is... probably unorthodox, but it could. Work?

Maybe??

She nods again, at the seaweed this time.]

Very well. If you'd like, I could help you look for them. The, ah, sticky... parts could certainly help.

[She is very carefully not thinking about how you get the sticky parts from the animals, okay.]

[twifork]

[He smiles in gratitude. Thanks, Josie. Fetch quests are really annoying when you have to solo them.

He pulls up his database and starts looking through it. He holds it out so she can see it too, as he flips through all the creatures in the record. The question he intends to ask through this gesture is if she thinks any of these animals or plants would be appropriate for salvaging glue.

Use your words, Ludger.

(No.)]

[ruffledup]

[Ludger, she practically deals in words, how can you do this to her?!

No. No. She can do this. Josephine looks very carefully at his database (totally not blankly for a moment there, nope), then at him. Is he... trying to ask her something? Perhaps...]

Which of these creatures we should search for? Or we want to search for? [Oh, she hopes that's what he's trying to ask.] I am, admittedly, not very familiar with them all yet, but... [Ah! That one! She nods, motioning at the database when it stops on Floaters. That looks sticky??] Those? They seem suitable enough for our purposes.

[It's okay, Ludger. Josie will talk a lot for you.]

#lowtech

[maserannas]

[ She shoots back a questioning feeling and a mental image of a makeshift pail of sorts, in case those with an engineering background can't fix up a pump first. It's not her background; she leaves that to the people with a mind for it. ]

[twifork]

[REIZE MAXIANS

It is the mental equivalent of a double-thumbs up. If they can't work out a pump, then buckets it will have to be.

Although, the disconsolate thought of how much mopping up that will require afterwards also comes in. There will be water everywhere even if they're very careful.

Still, he can do it if it comes to that! TELEPATHIC COMMUNICATION OF CAN-DO ATTITUDE!]

[maserannas]

[ This is worse than dealing with spirits and demons whispering or talking in the back of her mind, all things considered, because it's so much more sharp and linked to far more complicated emotions.

As in more than one.

Either way, her response ends up being "verbal" for the sake of not getting caught up in the more confusing array of images, emotions, and the like. ]

Let me know if that's what we come down to, we might be able to rig up something to guide the water where we wish at the far end of the hall.

[twifork]

[Ludger is honestly a silent protagonist not a very 'verbal' person, so communication through image and sound makes more sense for him.

It's why, when he listens to her, he thinks a moment before he responds again in an image. In this case, it's a kind of funnel that can guide the water. Is that what she meant?]

[maserannas]

[ Forgive the protagonist with some really astoundingly stupid at times spoken lines, she's less well equipped for pictionary these days. Furrowing her brow, she considers what image he'd projected her way. A hesitant affirmation is her response, though she further sends back an image of blockading the end of the hall to direct a flow of water back toward the direction of the main hatch.

There's a sense of question that follows, and she sighs out loud. This is almost too much as far as a means of communication is concerned... ]

action;

[upcard]

[Mai is going to appear!

Eventually.

Running as fast as she can (which isn't very fast) with whatever's left of the adhesive that she and Korosensei had made out of seaweed and such before. They'd been intending to use it for other things, but the remainder can be used for...this emergency, she thinks.

That's surely fine.

But as soon as she gets closer to Ludger she

naturally has to trip, as all otome protags must

and containers of glue go everywhere.]

I HAVE NO IDEA WHY I FROZE THIS? to stop the catastrophe as it was about to happen

[twifork]

[Why, look! It's an elegant protagonist, running along to helpfully save the day! Surely, two protagonists can make quick work of this side-quest!

Mai falls.

>R1: Save the glue
>L1: Save the girl.

Ludger dives for Mai to try to catch her in his arms. This means, of course, that he can't rescue the glue, and this time there is no big brother to pick up where he slipped. But at least he can keep the otome protag safe!

Always save the girl.]

you were saving ludger from his otome protag lifestyle clearly

[upcard]

[The correct choice is made!

At least, if this were an otome game, that would've been the right choice. Mai is fully prepared to hit the ground, but instead she's caught, and slowly she opens one eye, still wincing from how she was braced for impact.

...]

O-oh...

[It's a stranger, but....]

... Oh, no, I dropped everything! [Focus, Mai.]

I--I'm very sorry!

but there is no saving either of them

[twifork]

[Oh, no... Ludger wears an expression of disheartened defeat. Truly, the bad fortune that plagues these lives. Even as he helps to straighten her up, he is finding himself seriously grieved. Good going, Ludger. This is exactly why you always end up in debt.

But at Mai's apology, he shakes his head and smiles. Did her clumsiness cause some misfortune? Yes. Does Ludger think she needs to get chewed out about it? No! It was a hapless mistake. We all make them.

A lot.

However!]

Do you think we could get more of that?

[discardia]

[ ... Telepathy is never not going to be weird to her, but at least no one will see Cardia flinch, before she sends back an image of... probably something like a plastic tube and a hose. She's hardly MacGuyver, but she's got some engineering experience by now. ]

[twifork]

[The response is more a sense of querying—does Cardia think she can make that?—than 'verbal' telepathy. Sorry, Cardia. It just comes easier to him this way. His thoughts, at least, seem enthused at the idea that she can do it.]

[discardia]

[ A pause, and then some form of determined confirmation. She can certainly try! ]

[twifork]

[Awesome! A flutter of joy, and then words—]

Can I help you?

[He will be a handyman for this project, however needed!]

[imsorey]

[Telepathy is not new, at least from people inside of his head, but the set of images catches him off-guard enough that he has to ponder it for a minute before realizing what the message was. Then he heads out to where the communication came from; he's not entirely sure how to fix the broken observatory, but he has some vague ideas.]

Need some help?

[twifork]

[Ludger is heartened by Sorey's approach. He gives a wave and swims on over.]

We need to gather kelp to make glue.

[Because Ludger isn't the most verbal person, he also flashes the image of kelp. It helps, okay? Not all of us have voices before the NG+!]

[imsorey]

[Sorey is fine with nonverbal, or at least minimal-verbal. A friend of his communicates mostly through angry grunts, so anything is a step up from that.]

Kelp can make glue? If that's what we need, I'm on it. Wait just a sec.

[And with a thumbs up he makes his way for the kelp. He's not sure how the glue is made, but getting ingredients is something even he can do.]

[bluespearmanofthewind]

[Having the observatory destroyed does not help at all. The only shelter and the only place he can feel at least at ease for a while. So because it is broken, Lancer needs to figure someway out to repair or find a new shelter.

Luckily, this guy suddenly comes out of nowhere trying to repair out the observatory. Might be a great chance to chip in.]

Ya looks like ya need some help. Anythin' I can get ya from this ocean?

[twifork]

[Ludger waves. Hello, stranger! He thinks for a minute, and considering how much they need, and how useful it could be later to have more adhesives...]

How about some kelp? It's how we're making the glue.

[A good way to work on grinding it all up into an adhesive would be good, but one step at a time. And this particular step has Ludger with a fistful of kelp in each hand, and some more tucked into his armpits.

It's making swimming very difficult]

[bluespearmanofthewind]

[Lancer sees a glance at that thing and starts to swim around and gather the materials he needs.]

Gotcha.

[He increases his speed significantly and gathers as much kelp as possible that he can hold on his hands and starts to swim back towards the observatory. He sees Ludger is still trying to fix it so he comes closer and delivers the materials needed.]

Here ya go. Need more? I can get ya if ya need it.

[twifork]

[More kelp! He gives a smile of thanks. But as he gathers it all together, he shakes his head. He doesn't think he needs more.]

I think we just need to ground it up.