March Intro: Head First

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Arrival!

It was supposed to be a routine mission. Maybe you think you’ve been here for a bit or maybe you just arrived. Either way, you know there was supposed to be a completely normal underwater mission, probably just gathering resources, unless you just arrived, in which case welcome!

Unfortunately, somehow you’ve been dumped somewhere you shouldn’t be. A woman’s voice can be heard, robotic in tone with hints of emotion. That emotion mostly seems to be mild surprise.

"Life signs detected. Life forms are non-native to this planet. They... oh. Oh dear, I wasn’t prepared after all. Please refrain from dying for a moment. Your things are incoming."

Your eyes open underwater. At least you're near the surface. But the moment you break through you'll notice one thing: the ocean, stretching out for miles around you in all directions with no end in sight and only a very distant gleaming metal structure in the far distance. You're not alone but this surely isn't what you expected. In fact, you really can't understand how you managed to get from where you were to underwater so fast.

None of your belongings are with you save the clothing on your body. And the depths below you offer no comfort, the light engulfed before it can reach wherever the sea bottom is.

Somewhere, you hear a sound shaking through the water, like something between a whale and a foghorn.

No turning back now.

Prompts!

A: WHALE OF A TALE
As it turns out, there is hope for those who can't swim or get help from someone who can. Something emerges from the depths, a massive bed of coral that makes that strange sound, allowing people to climb on top of it. Of course, that bed of coral is actually the back of a massive creature that moves how it pleases and occasionally dives back down underwater.

There is a pod of them around the area calling to each other. They're friendly, or at least they don't seem to mind any poking or hangers on. But one of their long tendrils may still give you a good whack on accident.

If you’re really lucky you can probably ride one all the way back to the base. Wouldn’t that be a fantastic entrance?

B: HELP ARRIVES
At least, some assistance arrives. Strange little robots on propellers arrive fifteen or so minutes later, rushing to the scene carrying a floating bin of some sort. They drop it into the ocean and buzz excitedly around it in the hopes of luring people over.

Inside the bin are goggles, breathing devices and knives enough for the new arrivals. The knives have a compass on the hilt that has a marker for the direction of the base. One robot will play a helpful recording from the robotic woman for those getting their gear:

"Please deposit any articles of clothing getting in the way of swimming in the bin. We will be sure they arrive safely at the base. Do not try to swim in anything that will bog you down."

A pause.

"Swimming nude is not recommended. There can be... unpleasant issues. For future reference, please consult me before going on missions like this."

C: UNDER THE SEA
Of course, there's no reason to rush right to the base. This place is certainly beautiful in its own right and has a few caves to explore - watch those stingers hanging from the ceilings - with an abundance of strange and wonderful fish eager to either play with you or dart away as fast as possible. Of course there's plenty of Reefbacks still calling to each other and a large amount of floating rocks with Floaters attached.

D: MATING SEASON
On second thought, maybe heading to the base is a good idea. Occasionally you might see plumes of dust near the ocean floor. Exploring these is a very bad idea. The moment you get close, a Sand Shark will explode out of the sand, ready to attack. They range from five to eight feet in length and will pursue you without mercy. At least they give up if you get near the surface or hide in the right caves.

Unfortunately, it's mating season. That means dozens of them can appear at any time trying to court a female with acts of aggression and skill. And you really don't want to be in the middle of that.

E: HOME SWEET HOME
You did it! You made it to the base. You are probably dead tired by now having swam quite a long distance—or somehow riding a Reefback all the way here—and the sun is beginning to set. Upon arrival, URSULA will welcome you and give you a quick rundown of the lockers (where your personal items can be found, as safe as if you stored them there yourself) and the base's layout if you’re new. She will also recommend that you put on your communication device and settling in. She will then just as quickly apologise by saying that she must finish preparing the base for the others.

"Please give me a few days to finish retooling the base. Oh, I'm so excited. We're going to make a great team, I promise. And don't go back to that biome yet until mating season is over. Sand Sharks are... troublesome."

F: WILDCARD
The ocean is yours to explore! Maybe your characters will find places to take breaks. Maybe they'll start gathering things. Maybe they'll murder fish! Or maybe they'll get lost in the dark and take a rather long time to find the base. Or just crash the kitchen for some of that delicious fish, more fish and seaweed! It's all up to you!

See the Biomes page for the currently accessible areas or details on current wildlife and the Base page for all your base needs. Direct any questions and plotting to the OOC post and have fun!

BASED ON CODE BY TESSISAMESS AND SUPERSUITS

Comments

[imsorey]

A: Whale of a Tale
[Though Sorey can swim just fine, or at least not drown himself, he is a little out of it from the sudden and unexplained arrival. So when he sees what looks like a gigantic bed of coral swimming around it makes perfect sense to climb aboard and stop treading water for a few minutes in order to gain his bearings. Except there just seems to be ocean...and more ocean...and more ocean. Compromised of mostly salt and water. While he's seen the ocean before, he's never been in it, let alone out in the middle of it somewhere. It leaves more than a few things desired.]

Well...this is new.

[And that's right about the time he gets a light whack from one of the tendrils on the Reefback, hard enough to send him straight back into the water with a yelp.]


C: Under the Sea
[Since this is his first time in the ocean and there's no particular reason to be anywhere fast, he is taking his time getting used to using the equipment provided and swimming through the shallows to take in the underwater flora and fauna. The caves look particularly inviting, and he's already sticking his head just inside a few of them to see if he can find anything of interest. Surely that's safe, right?]


E: Home Sweet Home
[He isn't thinking too much about asking questions as URSULA gives him the rundown, focusing instead on committing all of this new information to memory. He collects his things and makes sure he knows how his communication device works, accepting everything with a nod of his head.]

Thanks for all this, it's been a big help. I guess it's a good thing I didn't have my stuff on me when I ended up in the water.

[It takes a second for him to realize that URSULA didn't quite explain everything before she left him, and it's a little too late to ask.]

Uh, wait a minute, shouldn't we get more of an explanation than that?


F: Wildcard
[Whether you're out and about swimming during the day or back at the base later at night, Sorey is eager to get some answers from the other people here and will energetically be trying to flag you down. Or if you look like you're in need of any help, he's more than willing to lend a hand!]

e.

[upcard]

[More than anything, Mai is exhausted. She can't exactly swim, so she's lucky some people (and whales) were able to help her out, or her start would've been a truly tragic one here. Instead, she made it somehow, and she's still dripping, lost and confused when the explanation is given.

Unlike Sorey, she's not nearly as attentive or prepared for the infodump, so she's just left staring helplessly at her communication device and her things, almost feeling a little overwhelmed.

Life is hard when you're a normal person and you have amnesia and you're suddenly dumped into the ocean.]

U-um...

[She almost feels bad asking him, but... he seems like he's on top of things? So, softly, she tries to get his attention.]

Excuse me...

[imsorey]

Huh?

[She's so quiet that at first he's not sure that she's even talking to him. He looks around, just to double check, because maybe she was talking to someone else? But she's definitely looking at him, so he gives her a little smile.]

Oh, sorry, hey there. Do you need some help?

[He's not sure how much help he can give, seeing as how he still doesn't have any idea what's going on, but it can't hurt to offer. Maybe she just needs a friendly face, and he knows how to be friendly!]

[upcard]

[The small smile helps her settle a little, especially his general friendliness in speaking--she's felt out of place and adrift from the start, so it's relieving to at least see one reasonably friendly face.]

If...it isn't too much trouble. [She needs so much help.] I tried to listen but I don't think... I completely understand everything.

[imsorey]

It's no trouble at all! But I'm not sure how much I'll be able to offer. I'm still a little confused myself.

[He realizes after he's said it that it probably isn't the most reassuring, so he scrambles to think of what he does know for sure.]

I don't mind talking it over with you though. What part were you confused about? Besides the...being stranded in an underwater base on what is probably another planet.

[upcard]

...

[Yeah, you kind of hit that one right on the head, Sorey.]

It seems...so impossible. Like the sort of thing that would only happen in stories or movies... but we're here, and... I guess it's hard to wrap my head around.

[imsorey]

Well, I know the feeling. To be honest I keep expecting to wake up and find out this is all a dream.

[The whole situation is a little too realistic to actually be a dream, but the reality of finding yourself on another world entirely is hard to let sink in.]

But since I'm here right now, dream or not, impossible or not, it can't hurt to make the most of it. It's kind of nice to get to meet new people, don't you think?

E

[oneandmikleonly]

[Mikleo will come up at his side as he asks that last question, with a little huff, brushing the last of the salt out of his hair and off his sleeves.]

It's all right, I got as much of a rundown from her as I could. She doesn't seem to know how we got here, either; I think we'll have to make the best of it, at least for now.

[imsorey]

[He's a little disappointed they don't have more information, but not overly so. It's only been a day, after all, and there's still plenty of time for them to gather information in the morning.]

I guess she can't help it if she doesn't know anything either. Maybe we'll find someone else who knows what happened.

[oneandmikleonly]

I haven't had much luck so far. But maybe -- now that we're actually out of the ocean and off the sea life.

[Mikleo might be gathering information in the evening too, honestly; between getting totally thrown off by his element today and getting talked at by a lot more people than he ever expected to be, he's keyed up enough that he's not sure he'll be able to sleep. It's in his expression and the set of his shoulders; subtle, but there.]

[imsorey]

I thought the ocean was pretty neat. Just, you know, salty. But treading water kind of takes it out of you--it's good to be on solid ground again.

[It's hard for Sorey to miss the subtle tension in Mikleo's body language, even after an eventful day. But he doesn't want to comment on it, at least not right now; if Mikleo wants to talk, he will. Right now he just wants to stick close by and see if by some strange chance Lailah or the others show up. He's pretty wiped out, but if Mikleo's staying up, so is he!]

So! Are we asking around, then?

[oneandmikleonly]

Guess we are. Don't push it too hard, though; you should get some decent rest tonight. You're not used to swimming around the entire day, either.

[He's staying right by Sorey's shoulder for now; he doesn't feel like letting him out of his sight again tonight, not after the long strange day. It would be a relief if one of the others popped up, but so far? All strangers.]

[imsorey]

I'm fine for now, I've still got plenty of energy.

[Mostly true. Sorey always has energy until he just suddenly has none.]

Besides, I do want to take a look around, even if we don't get answers out of it.

[With that said, he picks a direction and goes, heading down the nearest narrow hallway with only minimal glancing out at the ocean around them.]

A.

[undyingly]

[Shiro glances up at the sound of a voice, from where he's clinging like a soggy barnacle to the reefback. He starts to answer when, well, there goes that guy right back into the water.

Oops.

He makes his way down closer to the water, peering down at the water.] You all right?

[Need a hand up?]

[imsorey]

[He takes a moment to cough out all of the salt water once he resurfaces. Gross. But he gives a firm nod and a little wave of a hand, trying to be reassuring.]

Yeah, I'm good! Can't say I was expecting that, though. Next time I'll watch out for, uh, whatever that was. Is there a trick to not falling off, you think?

[undyingly]

I think that's probably a good idea. I wonder if it swatted you off deliberately.

[In which case Shiro might be in trouble too. He looks around, just in case.

Safe for the moment.] Mmm.... if I had to say anything, I think the trick is dumb luck. [A grin and a shrug before he scoots down, offering a hand out.] Coming back on?

[imsorey]

Dumb luck is good enough for me as long as it works.

[He accepts the hand gratefully and with that bit of help manages to pull himself back onto the Reefback, taking care to avoid anything that might decide to toss him back off again.]

Thanks. Did you just get here too? I, uh, kind of have no idea how I ended up in the middle of the ocean. I was hoping that isn't common.

[undyingly]

[Shiro manages to be helpful at least, getting the other back onto the reefback and trying to keep his head down as well. He doesn't want to be the next to be swatted off.]

Yeah. I didn't really expect arrival to go like this.

[Sure his memories of how he got here are oddly fuzzy, like it all happened in a rush, but, well. He knows he was supposed to be here. He thinks.] It's not the best welcome party, is it?

But! It could be worse. At least we've found a ride.

[imsorey]

It's not ideal, obviously, but it's not as bad as it could be.

[Sorey's not really sure he's supposed to be here, or how he got here, but now that he's here there's nothing wrong with making the most of it.]

We can both swim if we fall off our ride, which might be more than other people can manage. Oh! I'm Sorey, by the way.

C.

[forsage]

[ in one of the caves just so happens to be another person - someone else exploring the insides of it and thinking they were the only ones doing it until then.

startled more by the fact someone was there at all, roderic quickly recovered himself when he saw the other was hopefully a friendly face. minding his manners, he raised his hand and gave a brief wave to show he was a friendly. he may lack some social graces but he knew the universal gesture of 'hey there, i don't bite.'

… though roderic isn't too sure what would be a sufficient gesture to convey 'don't mind them, they seem to be harmless' when the little sea critter of his(?) decides to swim up in greeting upon spotting the new face. one second it was peeking from behind him and the next second it was drifting closer in curiosity.

… would pointing at it and giving a thumbs up do? ]

[imsorey]

[Sorey is, for good or ill, always willing to assume the best unless proven otherwise, so he's quick to assume that the gestures mean the sea creatures and his fellow explorer are the friendly sort! Or at least the sort that aren't going to attack him. So he's quick to give a wave and a thumbs up in return, in an attempt to be reassuring. Surely those are universal signs of harmlessness too! Before he can manage more than that, though, he gets distracted by the little critters swimming closer to him and forces himself to stay as still as he can manage so they aren't startled off.]

[forsage]

[ yay. he found a friendly.

the almost happy smile on his face is replaced with a sour frown when he sees the creature and its brethren are now bothering the other man. they're nice about it - simple nudges and peering up at him with curious eyes - but roderic isn't impressed. they've been a bother to him and he's tolerated that but he'll be damned if he lets them be a bother to someone else.

he 'marches' over to where the group has congregated around the other man, waving his arms to shoo them away. some of them look up at his movements and that's about it. a glance before they turn their attention to the new person, wriggling in a way as if trying to show off a little dance or simply get his attention.

sorry, his expression clearly reads when he looks back up, huffing a bit at being snubbed like that. ]

[imsorey]

[He feels bad when this new person goes out of his way to try and shoo the critters off--they're in his way, a little, but not really bothering him, and he can manage just fine with them swimming around. He gives another little wave of his hand, as if to say it's fine, really! and even makes as if to give the closest sea creature a pat. Friendly fish are just another part of the wildlife in the ocean and he has no problem taking it all in. After a minute, though, he gestures further into the cave with a question on his face--going further in?]

[forsage]

[ the sea creatures is more than happy to accept the pat, bumping against the offered hand with extreme affection. pleased by sorey's actions, the creatures finally give him some space and seem content in now simply swimming around the pair of boys.

though looking embarrassed by the animals as they gotta be the second shameless animals he's ever seen, roderic seems relieved to see that someone is taking the strange attention with stride. he's also now wondering how the species managed to survive for so long if they're this friendly to strangers.

well- it's a question he'll focus on some other day. he still has a cave to explore while there's still time. and it seems like the other man has the same thing in mind too if the gesturing and the expression on his face is anything to go by.

he nods in response and points to a specific pathway down the cave, indicating he was going there until the school came along. ]

[imsorey]

[Sorey understands the response easy enough, and since the man doesn't seem inclined to chase him away he's fine with inviting himself along. Exploration shouldn't be done alone anyways, not in a new area with possible predators lurking in the dark corners of underwater caves. Fighting underwater isn't really an option, but if one of them is attacked the other can go for help.

Being careful not to bother the friendly little creatures--not that they would care, but old habits die hard--he makes for the specific cave that was pointed out. He checks back to see if the other man is following, inclined to stick together if they can.]