flarNga

Fate

"Taip." Frankie sits there, waiting for further instruction. His edges jag and blur every so often, and his eyes shift from moonlit to firebrand to sun-scored. At one point, another eye appears, disappearing shortly thereafter.

Slavina

"Where do the exits you've found go?" Slavina asks Aaren. "We could just go somewhere else and walk back!"

Aaren

Aaren, quite a bit more calm now, shakes her head. "They go to more places like this." She sings to Slavina.

Daina

Daina nods "Ok Frankie need you to go get Stu, bring him to the library where we got in here..." she questions a little bit and glances to the others for confirmation of the plan.

Slavina

"Oh." Slavina is quiet for a moment, although she's still swaying back and forth. "Oh!" She pulls out one of her storage-gourds and shakes out a short string of barnacle-shells. "Anyone have any food or beverages?"

Aaren

Aaren pulls some packed granola out of one of her pockets and hands it to Slavina, nodding to Daina at the same time. "Good plan, get him moving."

Daina

Daina pauses and digs around in her pocket, sunflower seed.. a peach pit a little gross around the edges.. She offers "I can probably make this into food.." she nods to Aaren with her confirmation and looks to Frankie. "Tell Stu what's up on the way to the library. Be safe"

Slavina

"Oh yeah, peaches would be great! Make them quick." Slavina makes quick, long paces around the space, measuring it for a dance.

Fate

At that, Frankie flattens and slides away, disappearing in the grooves of the wall siding.

Daina

Daina looks for some sort of ground to use but if nothing presents itself she can power the growth with her own energy and into the floor of the ... library -ish place. She sets the peach pit down and rests her hand over it. She smiles a little and starts pushing a little of her energy into the pit to grow it. sapling.. tree... leaves.. flowers.. fruit.

Fate

As warmth leaves Daina, it enters the pit, which takes root, stabbing through the floor, and erupts into a sapling which thickens and lengthens into a tree. Soon it fills the whole hallway, bearing large, ripe peaches in profusion.

After a moment, Kelly hums his own calm song, a hand coming up to rub the beads around his neck.

Slavina

While Daina makes the fruit, Slavina separates the barnacles into eight separate strings. She ties one around each of her ankes, then moves on to Kelly. "Here, put these on... I need your help for this. You too, Aaren!"

Fate

A bit of his relief song seeps in as Kelly's given something presumably useful to do. Wordlessly, he sets about tying the barnacles around his ankles, singing an inquisitive song to Slavina to ask if he got it right.

Aaren

Aaren takes her barnacles and ties them on her wrists, because her voluminous robes would kind of muffle anklets.

Slavina

"Great!" Slavina gives Kelly a thumbs up. "Head's up!" She calls to Daina, just before tossing the last pair of barnacle-bracelets her way. She does a quick pirouette and examines the tree for peaches.

Fate

Taking the cue from Slavina (whether or not she gave it), Kelly expertly scales the tree to look for peaches in the higher branches—they tend to be better higher up anyway.

Slavina

"Toss me the nine best ones please!" She chirps to him, and spreads her skirt to catch the fruits.

Daina

Daina catches the anklets and fastens them above the ones she wears, gives a few experimental shakes.

Fate

He sings an affirmative song back down to Slavina, then disappears into the thick foliage, rustling about. Not long after, he swings until he's upside down on one of the branches above Slavina, and drops the peach the rest of the shortened distance to her skirt. Then he curls back up with ease and disappears again.

Soon, there are fifteen peaches (because some of them seemed equal quality to him, and others he wasn't quite sure about so decided to let Slavina decide).

Aaren

Aaren, awaiting further instructions, continues to listen for exits and learn the song of the place they are in.

Daina

Daina grabs a peach and eats it. "'ey not bad" she smiles and regards Slavina waiting for further instruction.

Slavina

Slavina passes the peaches around so everyone is holding one in each hand, and makes a little pyramid of the remaining peaches in the center of the room. "Okay, we're all going to sing and dance. The song has a chorus, and for the verses just harmonize or whatever you feel like doing." She waves them all into a circle around the peach-pyramid holding hands.

"The steps start like this..." She leads them through the first round of a fairly simple dance - although one with a lot of spinning - and a call-and-response song with a simple, catchy melody. "Got it?"

Daina

Diana observes carefully and then gives a faint nod of her head. "Making an exit?" she questions as she practices a few of the steps.

Fate

Kelly practices the dance, briefly and slowly, then sings an affirmative.

Aaren

Aaren does the same, singing her don't-get-dizy-song while she's about it.

Slavina

"Making an offering." Slavina grins. "Ready?" She doesn't wait for a response, just launches straight into the song and dance.

It starts at a reasonable pace, but reason promptly leaves the building: each verse of the song adds another line to be repeated and goes a little faster, which means spinning more and more to keep up. Before long the space is filled with twirling skirts, clattering barnacles, hands flying this way and that, and peaches threatening to sail off into space.

Slavina keeps up with the (increasingly bawdy, irreverant) song long past the point where she's breathless from exertion and laughter... because they look absolutely ridiculous. In fact she keeps the dance going as long as she can until they literally fall down.
Can we teamwork a roll?

Fate

Absolutely!

Slavina

Woot! I would like to use charisma and art: wayfinding to make an appeal to Ken to make us not-lost anymore. Or at least lost in a positive direction!

Fate

Okay! Works for me!

Slavina

can I get assists in the form of music and dance rolls from the party? Also... does that qualify for a stunt?

Fate

I'm gonna keep the Diff on that mysterious. I refuse to put a definitive number on Deus Ex Machina.

Aaren

I''d vote yes to stunt. Can I roll singing singing to assist?

Daina

vote up :3 Dance/magic or dance/ Dex?

Fate

Up to you, Mel!
Depends on what Daina's trying to accomplish and how.
And Elena, that works.

Aaren

5

Fate

Kelly will roll Dex + Dancing and get his +2 dice for being a Team Player!
4 from Kelly

Slavina

17 from slavina

Daina

3

Fate

That makes the total 29.
Okay! Daina rerolled, getting an 8, and Slavina's gonna be spending her two stunt Legend Points on this roll?

Slavina

yup!

Fate

That makes the total 36!

'Round and 'round and 'round they go...

It isn't long before this arrangement turns into a chaotic mess of fumbled words and stumbled feet and dropped peaches and laughter. Daina is the last one standing, but the lyrics she's singing have gone through a riotous game of dizzy telephone.

Just as the ritual dissolves into incoherency, a great gout of black water pours down from the nearby window (on the ceiling). The gout grows ever bigger, flooding the hallway well up to the group's thighs with frightening speed, easily carrying the offered peaches off.

And then, from behind them, there's a huge crashing sort of splash, followed by a "Like, grab on!" shouted in a very familiar voice with a very familiar dead drop.

Slavina

From her position sprawled over a peach root and three peaches, Slavina pumps a fist in the air and gives an exultant whoop. She rolls to her feet and sloshes in a spiral against the current, looking for what to grab on to. She settles for Kelly's elbow for now.

Fate

The source of that call is Casey. This is not at all unexpected, given how it was his voice shouting.

What's unexpected is the fact that he's on a massive, strange boat (which looks like it could easily hold several dozen people) of a peculiar, ivory-like material, which is exceedingly long and has a bizarre contraption jutting up right in the middle of it, a large canvas hanging from it and strung from all angles. Casey is by the hull, dangling a fishnet along the side. Presumably, this is what he thinks you should grab onto.

Aaren

Aaren grabs Daina, grabs the Kelly-Slavina group and hauls herself and her load up onto the net.

Daina

Daina goes to help Aaren up but finds her already up and moving, snagged she moves with the grouping and winds one arm through the net, her foot catching on a piece as well.

Slavina

Slavina grabs onto the net to haul herself up (or at least make it easier for Aaren to haul her). She tumbles over the rail in something that's a little to pretty to be called a flop, but otherwise has all the characteristics of flopping. Then she does a little backflip to get to her feet - spraying colorful droplets of water off her skirt - and gives Casey an enthusiastic hug and an even more enthusiastic kiss on the mouth-area of his bandana.

Aaren

Aaren gets up into the boat, and if Kelly and Daina aren't already in she hauls the net up to get them away from the weird water. She pauses a moment, catching her flying bearings, and then sings, "Why is this boat made of toe nails?"
Then she adds, "Thank you Casey!"

Daina

Daina wrinkles her nose some at the scent and shakes her head as she's assisted /hauled up. She hums quietly and heats up in an attempt to get dry.

Fate

The boat sails right by the tree, brushing hard against its branches. Some peaches fall from it, tumbling over the deck as they sail along.

Kelly peaks the wall of the deck, tumbling in, before rising to his feet and promptly stumbling as the violently rocking boat throws his balance off. But he quickly rights himself.

Casey, on the other hand, blinks in slight shock at Slavina's reaction, his arm instinctively wrapping tight around her waist to secure her against the unstable gravity of the boat. "Uh... well... you're, like, welcome!" After a moment, he claps a rope in Slavina's hand, and promptly throws another the others' way. "Elephino!" he calls companionably to Aaren as he tosses her a rope. (This is a common colloquial Bakersfield term meaning "I don't have the slightest idea.") "Tie yourselves down! If you know a bowline, use that!"

As if on cue, the boat lists deeply to one side as it turns a corner in the hallway.

Aaren

Aaren uses the classic Hometown 'Wrap it around a bunch of times and it'll stick' knot. "Do you know where we're going?" She sings, over the creaking, slithering, hissing of toenails sliding over one another.

Slavina

Slavina does, in fact, know a bowline. She reluctantly lets go of Casey to wrap the rope around her waist. "Nice boat! Where'd you find it?"

Daina

Daina does as instructed and holds on tight. Perhaps wishing she had time to grow a vine to hold them all.

Fate

Peaches tumble more along the deck. Casey hangs onto the rope with one hand, presses into the listing, bending his knees along with the movement, and manages to put his free hand out just in time to snatch a peach on its way out. "Score!" he cries, quickly righting himself and grabbing as large a bite as he can manage.

Kelly stumbles to the side, practically hopping to continue to keep his balance. He wraps his hands several times in the rope and manages to stabilize himself once more, then pulls himself closer to the center of the boat. Once he's got enough lead, he follows Aaren's example.

"The plan is to go to the exit, but... like, really, wherever the water takes us!" Casey calls over to Aaren around his mouthful. Then he regards Slavina again. "Uh... I mean... like... here."

Aaren

"Excellent!" Aaren sings, as he takes a bite of the peach. "Keep that up." When she hears the plan, her lips tighten preceptibly, but she nods. Then Aaren turns her attention to the water and the surroundings.

Slavina

Slavina bursts out in giggles at the explaination. She grips the side-rail and leans over as far as she can without pitching overboard, looking out at the water.

Rolling Mystery + Wayfinding to find the way out.

... and I botched.

Fate

(To Slavina)
There's a window coming up very fast, on the wall on the starboard side. You should definitely head that way.

Slavina

(To Fate)
Slavina in particular, or we as a group?

Fate

(To Slavina)
As a group.

Aaren

5 for noticing stuff around them.

Fate

(To Aaren)
The hallway has twisted further, so much so to the point where you think that the boat has done a full rotation at least once. There are things around here which indicate it as part of the Repository—artifact displays are studded on all sides from all directions, their labels indiscernible given the speed you're traveling.

But there's a distinct smell-song to the area which is not at all the same as being underground. Instead, it sounds more... open, moist. And... salty.

Daina

Daina hopes that peach tree does ok and doesn't end up fucked up beyond all belief.

Aaren

"I hear something funky up ahead. Water and salt and open space." Aaren wrinkles her nose. "Daina, can you smell anything? Kelly?"

Daina

Daina lifts her head and sniffs the air, listening as best she's able to over the water.

Fate

(To Daina)
The scent of this place sparks a massive wave of nostalgia. It elicits music echoing through vast, grand, empty halls, beautiful multi-hued walls and floors, and a somber air punctuated here and there by conversation.

It smells a lot like Uncle Bren's place. It's definitely not Uncle Bren's place, but it smells a lot like it. Like salt water and cold, unfathomable vastness.

Slavina

Slavina tugs on Casey's sleeve and points to a window coming up ahead and to one side. "Look!" She grabs a coil of rope from near the mast. "I'll tie it off once I'm inside, you hold this end." She clambers up the mast to get a better jumping-vantage, tucking her soggy skirt up through her gourd-belt to keep it out of her way.

Fate

Casey looks where Slavina indicates, then looks back to her. "Yeah, no, you aren't hauling an entire ship through that thing against the current with just yourself, dude." He eyes it again. "Trust me."

Slavina

"We'll ditch the ship then.... you can all just climb through, but we have to hurry." She is totally convicted, and her conviction rises to the fore.
I'd like to roll charisma/influence to convince Casey how absolutely critical this is

Aaren

"It sounds like more of wherever we are through the window!" Aaren sings up to Slavina. This is the first time Slavina's idea hasn't really been clear to Aaren. "Is there something else through there?"

Fate

Okay! It'll be an opposed roll.

Slavina

Okay!
5

Fate

Aaaand he got a 3.

Slavina

Slavina says to Aaren, "It's a confluence of energies... all the omens are pointing that way. We have a window of opportunity, the window is an opportunity, all the signs align in the appropriate way and time to point us here." She thrusts a finger at the fast-approaching window. "We have to grab what gifts the gods give us!"

Daina

Daina's eyes narrow.. "Smells like Uncle Bren's it's not but ... wow it's real close" she notes as she grabs the other end of Slavina's rope to tie it to the railing.

Fate

Casey eases right away. "Okay!" He casts a look over the rest of the group. "You might wanna untie yourselves." He breaks his own knot and grabs on to the end of the rope Slavina indicates.
I'm gonna have Kelly make a roll to see if he can see things about this exit.

Fate

First roll will be to determine if his "Perpetually Trippin'" Knack will apply in this case, given the weirdness going on with his perceptions in Riftlandia.
Odds: it does; evens: it doesn't.
That's a 3 so it does
8 successes!
Kelly's brow furrows and his eyes widen as he examines the window. "It looks like a really shitty idea to me!" he sings over the rush of water.

Daina

Daina calls out "So we wait for the next exit?" she questions with raised brows. One arm wrapped in a rope she'd tied to the railing.

Slavina

It being a now-or-never kind of thing at this point with the window fast approaching, Slavina takes a flying leap off the mast.....

....and is brought up about two feet short by the very well-tied bowline still around her waist. She hits the water with a quiet squeak and a big splash.

Aaren

Spurred on by Daina's voice and, most importantly, Kelly's doubt, Aaren decides. "Yeah." She grabs Slavina's line as Slavina hits the water and starts drawing her back in. "Tie yourself back in, Casey!"

Slavina

Slavina is doing her darndest to swim towards the window. She's not a good enough swimmer to make much of a dent against Aaren's pulling though, so she ends up moving slowly backwards towards the boat.

Aaren

"Slavina!" Aaren sings above the noise of the water, "Sky-baby. You're still tied to the rope!"
She sings it in the 'talking to sweet but confused children' tune, without meaning too.

Fate

Casey flicks a look to the quickly passing exit, then to Slavina, then quickly ties himself back in with expert ease and helps pull on Slavina's lead line. Kelly joins him not long after.

Daina

Diana looks to the back of the boat and picking up the other end of the rope she uses the plant matter it's made with as a base . The dry material getting gold and then pale green and then a deep healthy green hue as it springs out growing with a speed that indicates Daina is pouring her own warmth into it. The rope spreads to vines that intertwine with the boat as they crawl over the deck and towards the back of the boat and into the water, vines plunging into the rushing water and seeking hold in the ground to keep them from going further or to at least slow their progress. She shivers a little at the swift exit of warmth. Gritting her teeth as she feels the vines efforts to break into the ground, she sends another burst of energy down through to the very ends of the vines hardening the tips to a stone like wood.

Slavina

This is a revelation! Slavina crams the other rope between her teeth so she can work the knot around her waist free. Unfortunately that means not swimming. Fortunately, that means not resisting Aaren and team's rescue efforts. Unfortunately, that means a less-than optimal breathing schedule.

Slavina manages to undo the knot around the same time as she's dumped onto the deck of the ship again. She coughs out a bit of water and takes a few gasps of air.

Aaren

Aaren starts to help her breathe, and then stops. "Do you want help breathing?" She asks. "Also, next time, maybe cut the rope?"
She turns her song to slowing the boat, not sure what Daina is doing but trying to assist her.

Slavina

Slavina nods vigorously.

Aaren

Aaren sings Slavina's breathing song, making sure all the water works smoothly out of her lungs and environs.

Fate

After Daina's vines disappear into the water, the boat jerks, pulled up short for just a bare moment, then continues on its way suddenly, bucking once, almost like something alive. Gonna need a roll from Slavina to not be launched off the boat. I'd say Wits + Athletics, but I'm open to other ideas. Others may roll to catch Slavina before she can be launched at Diff 5.

Slavina

what's my diff for wits athetics?

Fate

4

Slavina

got a 5!
As the boat bucks, Slavina is thrown into the air—but turns the motion into a liudzi-style acrobatic flip and lands with abounce and a flourish. She stands there for a beat, and then gives a deep, embellished bow.

Fate

With hunter-trained reflexes and strength, Kelly bunches, feeling the movement of the boat, and waits. Then, instinctively using its momentum to his advantage, he launches right for Slavina. Just as she starts descending into her bow, he swings his rope behind her, managing a single wrap around her waist before he closes his arms firmly around her, sending the two of them falling to the deck.

Dude got 7 on 7 dice. He's having a grand day.

Aaren

Aaren lowers the hand that had been lifting to her mouth. "Thank you, Kelly." She sings. "Slavina, can you tie yourself back in, please?"

Slavina

Slavina yelps, then laughs. "Whew, boy! At least offer me tea first!"

Daina

Daina sings a song of holy shit that was dope as hell.. meanwhile trying to get those vines to find purchase along the walls of their .. flooded hallway? She glances around them with a grumble and her hands tighten on the rope that's holding her to the ship and also shaped into vines that flow off the back end of the ship

Slavina

Slavina does, after a moment, comply with Aaren's request. It's a little tricky with a Kelly on top of her though.

Aaren

Aaren changes one of her songs to start healing Kelly's hands up, making sure to keep the fibers of rope out of the skin.

Fate

Kelly takes a moment to jokingly sing a more urgent version of the "I'm available to canoodle" song before moving off of Slavina and unwinding his hands to divest his rope unto her as she takes the slack to tie herself in. The motion reveals angry red rawness burned into his skin. Without a word he takes up another rope (which Casey provides for him) to secure himself.

Slavina

Slavina gets herself upright again, and says, "Okay, so that was a bust. Do you have a backup plan, Casey?"

Aaren

Aaren begins composing a song around Kelly's 'Action-Song', riffing off of the already established 'You're Awesome' tune. She makes sure Kelly can hear her.
With a spare voice, she sings to Slavina, "You're going to seriously bruise. Mind if I fix that up?"

Slavina

Slavina waves one hand in a go-for-it gesture.

Fate

Eventually, Daina's vines find purchase and drag the ship to a halt, out of sight (and hearing) of Slavina's magic exit.

Daina

Daina snirks softly "that move should get yah some canoodlin' was some super hero stuff" she frowns then and rolls her shoulders and slips free of the rope that became vines.

Fate

Casey glances around, watching the flow of the water, the turning of the hall, and other such clues in the environment. His intentness far belies his usual manner. But he quickly returns to it as he regards Slavina again. "Yeahp. Follow the river to the ocean and get bearings there." His gaze slides off to the side, looking at his thoughts somewhere far away. "And try to, like, get a feel for where Vanessa and your friend are."

Aaren

"Ooh, an ocean!" Aaren chirps. "That's exciting! Do we know a song for repelling sea-monsters?"

Slavina

"Great!" Slavina grins and tucks her hair back behind her ear. "I've never been to the ocean before! How do you navigate with no land-marks?"

Fate

Kelly begins humming his awesome tune along with Aaren, but otherwise remains quietly attentive to the conversation at hand.

Casey points to Slavina. "Stars, usually." His finger slides to Aaren. "I don't, but I know some, like, catchy sailing songs."

Aaren

"Oooh!" Aaren coo's, "Teach me!"

Slavina

Slavina's eyes get wide and she hops up on the railing at the bow next to Casey. "Me too please!"

Daina

Daina moves to the big ol' mess of plants and demonstrates what she needs from them with a creepy crab crawl of a dance. She smiles as the vines start walking down the wall and floor. She looks around them. "So it's to the end of the river and into the ocean, we're sure?" she questions as she glances to the others just double checking we have everyone and no ones bleeding out somehow.

Aaren

Aaren begins to sing away Slavina's burses and Kelly's rope burn, keeping her ears open for more promising sounded exits.

Slavina

"Absolutely!" Slavina chirps, not having bothered to even turn around. Then she makes a happy sort of sound and hops off the railing. "Ooooh, but can you tell me how I know?" She asks Daina.

Daina

Daina hmmms softly and looks around them.. sniffs the air, looks a bit uncertain. She gives the fines a little bit of a correction in their pacing. Humming and shaking her head a little. "Uhmmm cause that's where the tunnel ends?"

Slavina

Slavina laughs and paces and twirls her way in circuits around Daina. "Well yeah but how do I know that?" She stops near the mast to start stripping her soggy clothes off - not like they're doing any good all wet. "You did want to learn more about wayfinding, right? Now's a great time to practice!"

Daina

Daina hmms softly and inspects the way ahead and the vines to ensure she's going to have time to focus on a lesson. GM is it all stable and okie from what I can see?

Fate

Aye!

Daina

Daina nods a little bit and gives the vines the instruction to keep slow and steady. She glances to Slavina and offers her a tightly rolled joint. "lemme get a good look around and maybe I'll know." she suggests wondering if she will see the real world when stoned in a not real world place...

Slavina

Slavina waves away the joint and leaves Daina to look around on her own time. In the meantime she makes a few quick circuits of the ship and finally ends up near Casey again, where she starts excitedly interrogating him about how star-navigation works. And whatever other topic crosses her mind.

Aaren

"Slavina," Aaren sings, "Do you want me to calm you down?"

Fate

When the various conversations let up and there's enough space for it, Casey proceeds to teach the sailing songs to his fellow sailors with exactly the sort of gusto that one would want from a sailing song—and yet his perpetual chill never once breaks. He also moves about quickly teaching simple tasks about the ship, and names for the various parts. (Kelly in particular wastes no time in making himself useful, even wordlessly offering Casey another peach.)

Once Slavina makes her way to Casey, he proves happy to explain star-navigation, and sailing, and how to survive being marooned, and proper techniques for discouraging a shark from eating you (which primarily consists of punching it in the eye or gills—absolutely not the nose, because your hand might slip and you'll hurt your hand on its teeth). So far he seems to be a man of infinite patience and few expectations.

(To Slavina)
Of course, probably it doesn't hurt that he's really liking all the attention Slavina's giving him.

(To Aaren)
The snatches of song that you can pick up from him involve no small amount of being attracted.

Slavina

Slavina is quite eager to learn ALL THE THINGS, and often veers off in whatever direction Casey starts on and keeps going with it or weaves it into some funny story or other. At Aaren's question, she peeks up from her spot tucked under Casey's arms as he demonstrates a particular knot. "Huh? Why?"

Aaren

Aaren purses her lips, trying to explain what she's hearing without actually singing it for Slavina. "Because you seem a little frantic? In an excited way, I mean."

Slavina

"Oh!" She ponders this for half a second, then cranes her neck to look at Casey's face. "Is my excitement a problem for you?" She asks, in semi-teasing tone.

Fate

"Not me, man. You do you, yeah?" He looks between them. "I was gonna ask the same for either of you." He regards Slavina again, slightly more seriously. "Although you might wanna consider that jumping ship is not, like, the healthiest idea, even without a lead line."

Daina

Daina takes a guess "uhh cause.. the pictures are leaning sucha way and the windows are to far that way?" she shakes her head and grumbles a little.

Aaren

Aaren shakes out her hair. "It's only a problem for me if you do something stupid." She chirps, and nods in agreement with Casey.

Slavina

Slavina stretches a bit, sending shimmering ripples down the tattoos on her arms and shoulders. "Would I ever?" She looks up at Aaren with kitten-eyes, then turns them on Casey. "I know, but it's not the least healthy thing ever."

Then Daina finishes her observation! "Good! That's something!" She ducks out from under Casey's arms and runs over to Daina. "Now check out the currents.... see how the foam is making sword-shaped patterns, and the shapes of fruited branches? Those are associated with the Drowned King,, who lives under the ocean. And listen to the echoes!" She closes her eyes and cups a hand around her ear. "They go in and out, in and out, like waves." Slavina illustrates the motion of the sound with her hands.

Daina

Daina hums a little and looks around them again trying to see each sign and lace them together.. looking for a vision of Stergti. Maybe it would show something about their course or destination.

Fate

Before he can respond, Slavina's gone, almost too quick to be felt slipping away. He watches her go, then, seemingly unfazed, he turns to Aaren. "Hey... if this, like, isn't too personal a question... did you get more voices since the last time I saw you?"

Aaren

Aaren sings her laughing song. "Probably one or two!"
Aaren also sings her thank you song to Kelly for handing Casey more food.

Fate

Casey bobs his head. "Right on." If Aaren proves open to it, he proceeds to engage her about other such things (like why Dora wasn't with them this time, and how the visit to Domochlovek went). When their conversation ends (after a long time or a short time), he goes to check on Kelly and then moves to the bow to scan the environment.

Some time later, the passageway opens up, audibly at first, and then visibly. Beyond is a vast infinity of horizon, of loose pack ice under a cloak of darkness and black water further warping the warped lights in the dark sky. Some stars appear smeared across the velvet night—and yet others appear doubled at certain angles, and some are concealed by something that bears the colors and vague shape of an aurora, but not the movement.

And it's cold. Very, very cold.

Daina

Daina hmms as they come out in cold place and starts singing her warm song. She looks at the rudder of vines and questions. "How about a shelter?" suggesting to the others and gesturing to show she means the vines coming up to at least make an enclosure for them.

Slavina

Slavina spends the intervening time variously teaching Daina, flirting with Casey, climbing all over the boat, and doing a wayfinding dance or two. When the passage opens up, she literally drops what she's doing (luckily, it's just some knots) and gasps at how beautiful the stars are. Her breath comes out as fog and the sweat on her skin turns to crystals as she stands there, just staring at the sky.

Aaren

Aaren chats with Casey, trying to get to know him and discussing with him his skin cancer and long term care in terms of diet and why he's malnurioshed. When the cold hit, she stares up at the sky.
Aaren had been hoping that the sky would be less disorrienting then the twisted churrio hallway. But a black not-aurora was deffeintly worse.
"Daina, would you please dry Slavina's clothes off?" She gestures to the heap of frozen clothes by the mast.

Daina

Daina looks up "Oh yeah sure..." she pushes warmth into the clothes till they steam and in a couple of minutes they're dry. She questions again.. "should I bring the vines up as a shelter or keep them in the water?"

Aaren

"Slavina, put you clothes on now please." Aaren sings across to where Slavina is standing staring naked at the sky.
Aaren nods firmly. "Shelter please, yes. And a fire if you can. In this cold, I give us thirty minutes." She looks to Kelly for confirmation on that.

Slavina

Slavina drags her attention away from the stars and takes the clothes from Daina. It takes her a good bit of fumbling to do all the laces and buttons what with her hands being all shaky and numb.

Aaren

Aaren comes over and helps her, rolling her up in a hug as soon as all the buttons are done.
She turns her voices to negating the damage of the cold. "And Daina, I think Slavina needs some warmth."

Fate

Once Kelly catches Aaren's look, he nods. "Speak up if you start feeling sleepy and stop feeling cold."

At this, Casey reaches into various pockets on his person and pulls out hats, mismatched gloves, a scarf, and even a set of longjohns. He passes them around. And then, when it's clear that Slavina's not doing so hot, he says, "Please pardon me, ladies and gents and everyone in between," and pulls off his oversized coat (revealing rolled-up sleeves which bare hairy arms) and drapes it over her shoulders.

Daina

Daina does a dance of swooping upwards arms and then ends it on a bowing of her back with hands and feet on the deck. She looks at the others and focuses on each of them, attempting to .. instill a little core of warmth each f them that will last a while.

Slavina

Slavina takes the coat and the hug and the warmth in stride, but doesn't really stop staring out at the ocean. "This place is...." She loses the thought before she finishes it.

Can I get some omens?

Fate

(To Slavina)
Omens along the way...

• You passed by a string of barnacles in a display case, which was attached to the ceiling.
• One of the shadows cast by the water waves looked strikingly like Frankie.
• One of the peaches floated by.
• It struck you that the river's flow looked very much like the sinuous slithering of a snake. You could almost see the scales.

Daina

Pushing with her feet she flips over to stand and looks around them finally. "huh... we in a mural or something?" she looks at the smudges and reaches up, her thumb out, pretending to smudge one more.

Aaren

"Thank you Daina." Aaren sings, as the warmth flares up along her heart and into her songs.
To Slavina, she sings, "I'm helping you get and stay warm. Is that alright?" She pulls Slavina to back to the mast and gently pressures her to sit down.

Daina

Daina gives a thumbs up to Aaren and hopes the warmth isn't to freaky to the new member of the group. "Oh that's me.. the warm feeling there.. don't be worried" She says to Casey.

Slavina

"Wait!" Slavina pulls away some. "I want to look for the snakes. We were brought here for them!" She scurries up to the prow of the boat and climbs up to get a better look at the icy water.

Aaren

"Slavina, you need to rest!" Aaren calls. "You don't have any energy left and I want you to not die of hypothermia. Can I have a yes or a no on your warmth regulation, please?" She keeps her frustration out of her voice, but she's about ready to give up on the whole 'consent' thing.

Slavina

Slavina growls a little with frustration, but veeeeeeery softly. She waves a hand over her shoulder. "Sure, fine, do whatever you want to regulate my warmth." Consent given, she belts in the coat with the rope end of one of her gourds so she can be freer to climb around and dance.
I would like to roll search/perception for SNAAAAAKES

Fate

Go for it!

Slavina

5

Fate

(To Slavina)
Slavina is suddenly aware of the vastness of the ocean. Endless, even. An eternal cycle which rounds onto itself in all ways, in all places.

This snake, which lies far below the surface, is the same. Eternal. Ineffable. Drawing its attention is to draw the eyes of the ocean itself. Which would have... world-shaking consequences.

Aaren

Aaren sings, nostrils flaring out in frustration. Once she's sure she can do it withouth doing something else as well, Aaren sings Slavina's warmth song, making sure Daina's gift gets where it needs to go.

Daina

Daina hums softly as Aaren and Slavina decide how to regulate the warmth she gave them. She starts doing what seems almost like break dancing as she gets the vines to weave and curve and twist to make a tighter shelter, Some of them coming around to the front of the enclosure as well now and making a couple of openings over which they can hang fabric if they need to but so they can see out without leaving what would probably be the warmest place on the boat. "Think I can maybe make the vines into some kinda flap too actually" she mumbles as she pokes her tongue out to one side and tries to make window shutters and a working door as well.

Aaren

Aaren sings a thank you song to Daina. Then she pulls off one of her ponchos and gives it to Kelly.

Slavina

Slavina's face lights up as she sees what she was hoping to see. She runs back over to Casey - managing not to trip over any of the oars - and grabs him by the hairy forearms. "It's here!"

Fate

Kelly sings in gratitude to Aaren and quickly folds himself in the proffered poncho.

Casey, meanwhile, allows himself to be dragged to the sideboard. "Whoa... what?" He furrows his brow. "You talking about Vanessa or Krissie?"

Slavina

"No, the snake," Slavina insists, with delight.

Fate

Casey blinks, slow. "You're gonna have to explain that one to me."

Slavina

Slavina sighs and lets go of him so she can pace around while she explains. "On the way here, I saw signs of snakes, and omens of guidance and protection. And here, just now, I saw a great sheild-like scale in the water's face. We've been brought here to meet a great serpent, it's close, I'm sure." She looks this way and that, face peeking out from between coat-collar and knit cap with red cheeks.

Daina

Daina blinks "We're actually looking for a sea serpent.. that sounds.. uh... yeah ok fuggit" she chuckles "could be super nice for all we know, recently reminded that 'monsters' aren't always so monstrous" she murmurs half to herself.

Aaren

"Um." Aaren sings, a little of Antie Harley's theme creeping in. "I don't think I want to meet a swiming animal while I am on the water, thank you."

Fate

Casey glances back at the group at Slavina's pronouncement, then turns a little more fully as Aaren expresses her trepidation. "Yeah, that's, like, generally a good policy, in my experience."

Then he freezes, and then moves at a lengthened stride to the galley opening. That's the closest to urgency witnessed so far. "Kel—anyone—you know how to row?"

Slavina

Slavina pops her hand up and waves it. "I do!"

Aaren

"I can row a kayak, and a canoe." Aaren offers, although looking at the shape of the boat it's probably not the same. "I can also try and raise a wind." She looks up at the sails. "Daina, can you speak snake?"

Daina

Daina considers "I don't see why not.. or I could learn quick enough I bet" she moves to lean over to look where Slavina had been. Eyes searching for a serpent like creature.

Fate

(To Daina)
A glimpse... is that brief glimpse of dulled light a reflection off the sheen of a shield-sized scale?

Fate

Kelly sings an affirmative.

"Wow, sweet," says Casey, half-smiling. "Man. Ol' Captain Nikomedes would kill to have a crew like y'all." After opening up the galley, he begins moving to the stern, pausing when he's centered in the group. "Okay, snake aside, I think I have something on our lost folks. Kel and Slavina, why don't the two of you go belowdecks and take up a pair of oars? Aaren, a wind would be great once I, like, find our heading. I'll keep you updated. Daina, you mind singing a sailing song for our oarsfolks to keep a beat? I'll take steering."

Daina

Daina nods a little "Yeah ok but ... look dude..." Daina gestures for a new vine to grow and slither down into the water to try and prod the area she thought she saw a thing.

Slavina

Slavina nods vigorously. She gives Casey his coat back, since she's plenty warm now plus rowing will be easier without a coat on. She puts an arm around Kelly's shoulders as they head belowdecks. Once there, she works with him to coordinate the rowing. Since Daina's busy, she sings instead - a song almost but not quite rhythmic enough to be a man's song, with a good tempo for the work.

Aaren

Aaren takes up the salior's song, and also sings people's rowing songs to help out.
Meanwhile, she listens— for wind, for the people, for the snake.

Fate

"Whoa..." Casey moves to the vine as it grows, putting his hand on it as if to stop it. When that doesn't avail him, he tries but once more and then looks to Daina. "Let's not, like, wake the sea snake."

Daina

Daina pauses "I .. don't we want to talk to it?" she questions uncertainly and looking to any others around questioningly.

Aaren

"I think we want to talk to it if it tries to interact with us." Aaren explains. "But if it's just sleeping, I think we want to leave it alone." She frowns. "Although, maybe we should ask Slavina? She wasn't clear on what she was expecting from the signs."

Daina

With the vine in the water we might be going in circles atm? Regardless Daina calls out "Slavina do we wanna wake up the snek friend?" she sounds curious and peers into the water trying to catch sight of more in the dark water.

Aaren

"Pick up the vine for now until she answers." Aaren sings. "Please?" She lets her calm song wobble to let Daina know how nervious she is about meeting a gaint snake.

Daina

Daina shrugs a bit and the vine retreats up, hooking to the side of the others and coiling, it would look stylish with a lantern on it.

Aaren

Aaren smiles at her in thanks. She redoubles her calm song.

Slavina

It takes slavina a few oarstrokes to figure out the answer. Finally, she calls back inbetween breaths, "Meeting the serpent... would alter... the balance of... the universe."

Aaren

"Let's not." Aaren sings, in precise, decisive tones. "That sounds a bit world-seedy to me."

Daina

Daina makes a faint 'oooo' "That sounds amazing..."
"World Seedy? I need that!"

Aaren

"No, I meant: dangerious and likely to cause unexpected and far-reaching side effects." Aaren sings, in a smoother, more Vir like tone.
"And therefore not to be undertaken without significant thought and prayer."

Daina

Daina sighs and well she looks a bit pouty to be honest but doesn't do the thing. She instead tries making a club like thing on the end of a vine with the right spring in it to be a steady thump for the rowers. feel free for it to not work just tryin' a thing

Aaren

Aaren breathes out, hiding her tension in her thank you song to Daina.

Slavina

Slavina picks up the rhythm of Daina's vine-drum into their rowing song, letting the song itself get much freer and looser in rhythm since the vine is doing the heavy lifting.

Fate

That taken care of, Casey offers Aaren a thank-you and moves to the steering oar. But, just as he takes it up, he hears the thumping of the drum.

Meanwhile, belowdecks, Kelly says about the drum, "Daina, I think that'll attract us some attention." He keeps rowing, but is strung a little taut.

Just after he does this, Casey's voice calls down from above, "Uh... that'll probably, like, wake everything around us for miles, man."

Aaren

Aaren looks at the awesome thumpy thing, hearing Slavina's rythum song changing. She presses her lips together for a moment, in tense thought. Then she closes her eyes and, for a moment, goes silent, listening.
Then she turns her voices to singing the sneaking song of the boat.
It includes the songs of all of them— the boat is an almost living being, and they are the harmonies within it. She sings the boat into a prowl. Moving forward quickly and in total silence, the rythums of its heart audaible only to itself. To it's bones, its breath, its flickering thoughts.
The beat thumps out.

Rolling singing singing to make it so tha tnothing outside the boat can hear anything we are doing.

Fate

Diff 10

Daina

[can I assist with a sneak dance?]

Fate

Daina's kinda busy dancing for the plant.

Aaren

13

Fate

As Aaren's song settles over like a mantle, the splashing of the oars and the lapping of water on the hull quiets to nigh-silence. Even the ship's wake slowly disappears. An eerie, empty silence settles over them, only punctuated by the sound of song and drum, of heartbeat and breath.

Once this silence settles around them, Casey lets out a low, impressed whistle. But he offers nothing else, almost reverent at the quietude around them. Silently, he steers the ship, gesturing to Aaren to stir up the wind when their heading is arranged. (This is relatively easily done—certainly easier than getting a whole ship to sneak.) This done, he calls Slavina and Kelly back up, and asks Aaren to make the wind faster.

Their path guides them through thicker and more prevalent ice floes. As they do, strange waves from an unknown cause begin to roil, sporadic but large and unpredictable. Still, the ship cuts easily between the ice chunks, gently shoving them aside. Some crack into each other, sending out a strange, echoing sound that almost ripples like water across eternity.

And then, there's a large burg. Upon it sits a massive, twisted, towerlike formation of clear ice. Within are shadowy figures, indistinct but... human?

At its base, as far from the ice tower as they can manage, are Krissie and Vanessa, pressed against each other. Still distant, and hard to pick out by sight in this minimal lighting, but other senses avail our heroes well.

Somewhere, off to the side, between the ship and the lost folks (forming a triangle of Noteworthy Things), the ice chunks start shifting and bouncing and cracking against each other. Something will soon surface. Something big.

(To Aaren)
Krissie and Vanessa are not doing well. At all. Hypothermia has set in, and has progressed pretty far. If they spend just 5 minutes more out in the cold, even bundled together like that, they will die.

Aaren

Aaren diverts her voices to singing Krissie and Vanessa alive. "Daina! I need you again! They're freezing to death!"

Daina

Daina perks and rushes over. She takes flight as a swan and lands hopefully next to Krissie and Vanessa to help them warm. If she makes it over there she's giving them the same tiny heaters and pushing more warmth into them. Wings around them as she grows a bit bigger than a normal swan.

Slavina

Slavina runs up to the top deck and coils up in distress when she sees her friend in such an awful spot. I'm gonna write up a stunt post here, might take a minute

Fate

Hold on, y'all, I'm gonna have you roll for initiative real quick here.
Straight Wits roll.
You cannot botch.
As in, it's not possible.
Okay. I'm retroactively applying this initiative rolls to actions taken at present.
Turn order is... Aaren; Daina & ???; Slavina & Kelly; Casey