2759/Oak Island

Oak Island
Date of Scene:	08 August 2015
Location:	Tomoeda-865
Synopsis:	The Traveller travels to Oak Island along with Alice and Tomoyo. They spend the afternoon exploring.
Cast of Characters:	165, Tomoyo Daidouji, 807

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Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
    Welcome to Oak Island.

    A small island off the shore of Nova Scotia, Oak Island is a hundred and fourty acres of wood and hills, which is nice and all- if you like that sort of thing, and in all honesty it's decent enough, but there is a spice of adventure here too!

    There is a semi-submerged vertical shaft on one end of the island which leads underground, to a location where supposedly some sort of buried treasure exists. Here on Earth-865, the story is much the same as other worlds, but also not identical- for one thing, this shaft is mostly flooded here.

    As such, we've brought some diving equipment.

    Ren has brought some people here for one reason and one reason only- and that reason, is no reason.

    We're just here to have a little bit of relaxing fun today. It's a mystery saturday out.

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    The sea breeze is a marked improvement of the muggy air that has settled over Tomoeda the past few weeks! Tomoyo stands on the shore near the shaft, wearing a light-blue one-breasted dress. A row of brown buttons go down her left side, with the short sleeves having a brown stripe around the hem, same with the collar. Underneath, she has a pair of brown shorts on, and on her feet are a pair of brown sandals.

    All in all, it kind of looks like she was dressed so that her clothes could be easily taken off for a day on the beach! So Ren's explanation of the flooded shaft with the promises of treasure at the bottom kind of throws her for a loop. "Wow, you sure know how to show a girl a good time~" she says in a sincere tone. A treasure hunt sounds fun too!

    She borrows one of the diving suits Ren brought along and slips away to put it on! Soon returning in the black suit with green stripes down the side. Bending down, she starts examining the other gear, like goggles, scuba air tanks and the like. "Mom took me diving once, let's see if I can remember the lessons..."

Alice Margatroid (807) has posed:
    Alice did need to get herself out more and the promise of adventure, even without Marisa dragging her along, was a decent prospect, though when she thinks of adventure, it's youkai hunting... not ... going to a beach. Alice gives a light shrug, it's out of the house, it's at least in a familiar place... and maybe she can do some swimming.

    Hourai and Shanghai are floating around Alice with the dollmaker herself floating a few inches above the ground, "Wonder what he had in mind for an adventure here, this town looks normal." Alice mutters, "At least it breaks the monotony. Wonder what Marisa would say if she was here.."

    Arriving at the designated area, Alice blinks just slightly, looking at the odd gear then to Tomoyo, "Oh, the tailor! Good afternoon, how are you doing?" she starts, with Shanghai moving to hover around Tomoyo happily, "Alice's made really good use of that silk you gave her! She's working on an outfit for you!"

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
"I don't actually know what's down there?" Ren says, shrugging. "Like, in terms of treasure or what-have-you. I mean there's probably something. People have made enough speculations that one of them MUST be right. Personally I'm hoping for the secret to Shakespeare's identity rather than the pirate treasure or freemason secrets, but it could be anything. What do you think, Alice, which would you prefer, treasure-wise?"

    Lunenberg County is the town opposite the island, which is nice if you like christmas trees- although possibly not in this weather. Nobody here has private ownership of the island, so in theory if we were to find anything today we'd probably get to keep it.

    "Also, I really hope this diving suit is in your size."

    He also gives a little wave to Shanghai, holding up- yes, it's a suit sized for her. This guy thought of everything. "Tomoyo, I see you've already met Alice. Her and I were involved in a thing with a mudman, I owe her a relaxing afternoon."

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    Tomoyo had been bunching up her tresses to tie them behind her head in a bun when Alice arrived. Closing the knot in a ribbon, she spots her and her doll companions, beaming when she recognizes them! "Hello Alice~ And hello to Shanghai and Hourai too!" She squeezes the dollmaker's hand in both of her own, before going to shake Shanghai's hand too, and then Hourai's!

    Tomoyo seems pleased when Shanghai says that Alice is getting good use from the silk... but the mention that she's making an outfit /for/ Tomoyo? Well, that just makes the happiest blush cross her cheeks. "Oh my~ That's so sweet of you... thank you!" She doesn't yet know Alice well enough to hug her, so she settles for a deep bow.

    But, back to the matter at hand! Tomoyo doesn't really care about what they may find either. The journey is the most important part! She sits on the sand and begins to pull on a pair of flippers while nodding to Ren. "She buys cloth from me~ A mudman huh? That sounds like a slippery situation!" She giggles softly, before shaking her head. "Oh dear, I think Yamazaki is rubbing off on me..."

Alice Margatroid (807) has posed:
    Alice's normally stoic face is a bright smile as she's greeted by Tomoyo, giving those hands a squeeze back in greeting. "I hope you're doing well, Tomoyo." her voice is cheerful, as if greeting a lifelong friend. Hourai's loosened up a bit, giving the tailor's hand a brief shake. A brief one... Shanghai's just her usual cheerful self, even going as far as hugging Tomoyo's arm. Though, the mention of a dive suit for Hourai and Shanghai... Shanghai's the first to snatch it up then drag Hourai off behind some cover to change.

    "I see that things are going to be lively as ever, and yes, that... mudman was quite... annoying to deal with. It soaked up my bullets." she muttered, "But it will be fine, it's time for a good relaxing day off and it beats going near the Sanzu... That lazy good for nothing Shinigami..." she mutters before turning to Ren. "I've not been underwater before, so forgive me if I'm not the most... experienced swimmer."

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
    Ren makes a little bit of a 'badump tish' verbally.

    "You're right, yeah. I mean- well. I didn't come out here to FIND the treasure in particular," and here he disappears behind a tree to get changed himself, "If anyone could find it it's probably us, but this is mostly just for the fun of exploring the caves under the island. Do you have waterproof cameras? Alice? I've got a spare if either of you need one."

    "Now," he says, having got changed. He leads the way to the east. "One of the difficult things about this is that the entrance to the cave is basically a straight dive down the bore hole people have made. Completely vertical swim. That's probably the only hard part, though. Nobody's ever reported any cave crabs or pirate ghosts down there, although I'm sure you would be able to handle those sorts of things, Alice. Swimming though? If you need help with that, I can provide."

    The entrance is in a clear wood-free area, near a few small research buildings.

Alice Margatroid (807) has posed:
    "The only cameras we have in Gensokyo belong to either Kourin in his shop or Aya. Hatate has a weird camera that's vertical but I'm nnot sure that's a camera." a pause, "I'm also not sure how effective danmaku will be underwater." she looks towards Tomoyo, "THough, it will not hurt to try. If it comes down to it can you stay back behind Ren, Tomoyo?" she hmms a bit as Hourai and Shanghai come back in their dive suits, only the joints of their feet and hands showing. "We're ready!"

    Alice, moves to pick up one of those diving suits and nods, "Shanghai, I will need your help." and with them heading behind some cover... it'll take them a bit.

    Hourai looks between Ren and Tomoyo, "It would be appreciated, we don't go underwater. Had no need and the deepest waters we have are Misty Lake. We dare not dive into the Sanzu.

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    When asked if she's doing well, Tomoyo's hand drifts towards her neck, just for a moment. But she stops herself and smiles, nodding. "Oh, I'm fine! Thank you~" That Alice sounds much more emotive than last time does make her happy. When Shanghai hugs her arm though, she pets the doll with her free hand.

    Speaking of waterproof cameras, Tomoyo has one! It hangs by a laynard around her neck, lens pointing out. Tomoyo has to waddle a little thanks to the flippers she put on to reach the entrance. "Oh, that's the plan Alice~" She certainly doesn't intend to go first, not having much experience in diving.

    While waiting for Alice, Tomoyo slips on her goggles and makes sure the air hose is clear.

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
"Yeah, don't dive into the sanzu. I don't know almost anything about that but I know diving would definitely be bad. In fact there's probably more mudmen down there."

    If Ren notices Tomoyo's momentary neck-related hesitation- and he does- he doesn't comment on it. Not the right time or place.

    He checks the small item he has in a satchel- a rental hovering globe from the Union which is literally just a floating light, since there's no light in the cave- and makes his way over to the borehole in the ground, sitting down on the edge. The borehole itself is only about ten feet wide. "Alice, hand. Be careful, now. When you get in this water- and-" Test. "It's still kind of cold, despite the weather- you're going to sink right away, and there's not going to be much light. I'll send the drone ahead so we don't need to use flashlights. Just keep swimming straight down, the water isn't going to be very bouyant..."
    And once everyone else is in, down we go. Since this is a manmade borehole, it's just a smooth, simple dive.

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    Tomoyo tests the waters herself before diving in, dipping in a foot. Thankfully, the divesuit keeps the worst of the chill out, but that's still pretty cold! Taking a moment to steel herself, she jumps in, and begins swimming down! Her strength-building reigime did include some swimming and diving, so she's fairly good at it.

     ON the way down, she takes hold of her camera and films the descent, getting shots of the shaft in the gloomy light the sphere creates. She doesn't stop for a single moment, not wanting to start floating back up, and possible causing a collision.

Alice Margatroid (807) has posed:
    Alice slips back out and lets out a soft sigh, she looks silly in this getup... only one color. Fortunately, while the flippers would make walking a bit awkward, Alice chooses this moment to float towards the water and, with an adjustment of her own hoses and such to make sure she's able to breathe... she slowly lowers herself in... cold but, so was that winter... Letty didn't let up that year...

    Hourai and Shanghai just dive right in with Hourai taking to Tomoyo's side and Shanghai taking to Ren's side, Alice gives a breif nod and dives in last, following along with the two. She dare not speak right now, taking in the curious sights of the underwater world, even if only it's what the ball shows.

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:


    At the bottom of the borehole shaft, there's a short swim through the pool at the bottom into the caves underneath.

    With the globe drone to light things- hovering in a position that completely illuminates the cave- both girls (all four girls?) will be able to see the pleasant blue tones of the water around them and the various small crystal stalagtites on the low ceiling.

    "There!" Ren says, once everyone's surfaced, removing his breathing apparatus. "There. Now, humm... I can see two ways we could go from here."

    "This is quite nice here, though, isn't it?" he says, sitting on the only dry strip of stone. "Lots of small crystals. That's probably as good as we're going to get, unfortunately, but there might be bigger stalag... is it stalagmites that go down and stalagtites that go up? I can never remember."

    "Only thing is we'll be swimming no matter which way we choose."

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    Tomoyo's muscles were starting to strain a little by the time she surfaces in the cave! She pulls the air hose from her mouth and gulps in uncanned air with a sigh of relief. "Ooohhh... that was pretty claustrophobic." She floats on her back to look up at the roof of the cave, slowly catching her breath.

    "Hmm? We can go even deeper?" Tomoyo asks, picking up the camera once more to film the crystal stalactites. At Ren's question, she giggles and says, "Stalagmites rise up from the ground. Stalactites hang down from the ceiling." She remembers thanks to recalling the English word. 'Stalagmites' has a 'g' in it, for 'ground.' Stalactites have a 'c' in it for 'ceiling.'

    "Well, I suppose whatever way is easiest would be good~" she comments, kicking her legs to start floating upright again.

Alice Margatroid (807) has posed:
    Flying is easy. Flying is fun. Flying doesn't require tanks of oxygen strapped to your back. This... is almost like underwater flying. Though, the sight of those crystal stalactites are pretty, wondering if it contains any magic... she may have to send Marisa down here instead to harvest it... Meanwhile, she's keeping near the two, at least until they break the water's surface again into the cave.

    Taking the appratus off, she starts floating up a bit.. "I ... I don't do cave systems. I shoudl have brought my remote dolls." she comments, "Guess we go forward then... I'll let you lead off Ren, you're the one who led us here."

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
    "You learn something new every day."

    "Well," Ren says, swishing his feet in the water. "I am going to guess that if there is a treasure here, it'd be in the deepest part of the cave, where mere mortals cannot hope to tread and only the strongest could swim to."

    "There's definitely 'deeper' by one definition or another... but then again we're not exactly looking for the treasure, so the easier route it is?"

    Ren does give Alice a pat on the back. "Look at it this way. You're pushing back your boundaries and stepping outside of your comfort zone. You're all perfectly safe with me here."

    Rather than take the route which requires another underwater dive, we decide to go in the direction which is...

    
        Wider?
    "I could swear that this is carved out somehow, you know. Maybe someone did use this for a secret hideaway after all."


    

    "Stalactites!" Ren says, excitedly. "Now, these are much better than those other ones! Definitely made of crystal, too."

They seem to sparkle internally, and shake a little at the sound of his voice. "There's tons of them! How many people do you think have seen this, eh?"
    Shaking.

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    "Where no mere mortals dare to tread? I suppose I should hang back then~" Tomoyo says, a small, joking smile on her face as she stands up in the shallow area of the cave, bending down to take off her flippers. She looks over to Alice, reaching over to give her shoulder a comforting pat. "It'll be okay~ You're doing great so far!"

    Following after Ren, she keeps the camera poised, filming everything that leaps out at her! With one hand, she reaches out to touch the rough cave wall. "You might be right... this should be a lot smoother if it was carved by water." But then, the glittering stalactites come into view! "Oh my..." Tomoyo whispers, making sure to get a good shot!

    Privately, she's wondering if she could nab some of the tips for her outfits, but also wanting to preserve them... when she notices the shaking. "Uh, Ren?" she whispers. "Maybe we should keep quiet?..."

Alice Margatroid (807) has posed:
    Alice frowns some, shaking her head a bit as she continues to follow after Ren. Hourai slowly moves in front of Alice, suddenly her shield is present. "I don't like cave systems as much as you do. I'll be ready for anything." the doll speaks out quietly. "That would be a good idea, Tomoyo. Whispers should do and you two should be careful how you step. Who knows what one wrong move will do." Alice comments, taking a look down some of the cave system...

    "I'll take Hourai and scout ahead if you need. I'll leave Shanghai here to guard Tomoyo in case something happens." as Shanghai moves over towards Tomoyo, smiling. Alice looks towards the cave, "I sure hope you know what you're doing, you're reminding me of Marisa, Ren. Charging forth without a care sometimes."

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
    "Present company is always excluded," Ren replies to Tomoyo, looking a bit embarrassed.

    Unfortunately, that actually did it, and one of the ends of one of the stalactites- as if showing its ire- actually falls off and beans him directly on the head! None of the rest of them seem to do anything, and he resists the urge to make any show of his discomfort at being bashed on the head by a sparkly falling rock. He just slowly facepalms instead, and wordlessly hands the piece of crystal to Alice.

    Squeak, squeak, squeak.

    "alright, lesson learned," Ren whispers, sinking down to his shoulders in the water.

There is something further along through this particular cave. It's easy for the dolls to move through, doable for Tomoyo and Alice, but it might be a little bit of a squeeze for Ren.

    Maybe that's for the best, the loudmouth. :(

Alice Margatroid (807) has posed:
    Alice's fingers slowly glow for a moment, the rings around them extending small tendrils. "Doll Placement..." she whispers, a few unnamed dolls appearing out of small magic circles, the tendrils connecting them then dissapearing. "Hourai, scout out that tunnel with them." Alice moves to set the shard down in front of Tomoyo, "You may have better use for this than I." she gives a bit of a nod as the Doll Company takes flight down the tunnel, Alice moving closer to the entrance before holding still, eyes closed.

    Shanghai gives a grin, hovering over towards Ren, "Do you know what's down there? Or do you know what's even else in this cave?" she questions a bit excitedly... and a shard falls down onto Shanghai's head... "owowowowow..." Alice's head shakes and her fingers move just subtly as the dolls dissapear down the corridor. "What do you expect us to find down here...?"

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    Tomoyo puts her hands over her mouth in horror as the stalactite chunk falls, fearing that it was going to spear Ren's head! But thankfully, it lands side-first. Good thing her hands were over her mouth, or her sigh of relief might have caused more to fall. Looking to Alice, she smiles and whispers softly, "I couldn't ask for a better bodyguard~"

    As the Doll Company is conjured, Tomoyo makes doublesure to get that on film, eyes alive with delight. "You're amazing Alice~ Good luck everyone," she whispers. When Alice offers her the shard, she smiles warmly and picks it up. "Thank you~ I think I'll make a pendant out of it."

     Onward she goes, following after Hourai and company, all while checking her camera. Oh yes, it got footage of Ren being beaned on the head by the rock~ Through the narrow gap she squeezes, thankful that she put her hair up so it doesn't snag on anything.

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
That'll be on the internet before the day is out.

This time, Ren brings up the rear, and in fact he can't actually fit when he tries it. The walls of the cave are very very close together and there's only a few inches of clearance above the 'ceiling'.

    "...maybe I can try and squeeze through if I hold my breath?"

    Although, there might not really be much to see when the girls get through- it just looks like there's a rather blank wall on the other side even with the light globe to help them look around.

    Wait.

    Is that just the affect of light on the water or is that blank wall sort of... wibbling a bit?

    "I don't know a thing!" Ren whispers excitedly. "I've never been down here myself before. This is all new to me. I mean, all I could guess is 'treasure'. Pirate gold, manuscripts, the ark of the covenant apparently? Spanish dubloons, ancient tools, perhaps even something magical."

    Like maybe that wall.

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    It's a tight fit beyond the gap, to be sure! Tomoyo squeezes in with Alice, Shanghai, Hourai and possibly the entire doll company! Looking around to try and find any further paths, she looks to the stuck Ren and shakes her head. "Don't bother~ The cave doesn't seem to go any fu-"

    Only now does she realize that the shimmering on the wall doesn't seem to be a reflection of the light off the water. Staring at it, Tomoyo's eyes go wide, and her camera is raised to capture it. "Alice, you know magic right? Do you know what this might be?"

    Since there does actually seem to be something, Tomoyo turns her attention back to Ren, pondering on how to get him through. "Maybe if you got your suit soaking wet, you could slide through?"

Alice Margatroid (807) has posed:
    Alice is following along at the rear, allowing the Doll Company, Hourai and Shanghai to spearhead the group's expedition down forward. Alice has the advantage of flight and, with all the danmaku in Gensokyo, is pretty adept at dodging the celing crystals. "Hmm, dead end?" the shimmer catches Alice's eyes as she moves to land near the wall.

    Tomoyo's question gets a response, a light nod. "I can see phantoms and through shapeshifting, but I am not sure I can see through this. I can try, though." as Alice turns back around to the wall, red eyes staring at the shimmering... Phantom Seeing worked on people and shapeshifters but this... who knows. Best to try it once, right?

    Meanwhile, the Doll Company surrounds Alice's back, a half circle of dolls ready to peirce whatever may come out of said wall.. "Just be careful."

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
    "I'm going to take this as a challenge..." Ren declares.

    squeeeeak splash squeak squeak "ow" squeeeeak squeak squeak squeak inhale squeak splish splash SPLASH

    "There! That was easy enough."

    Actually his ribs really, really, really hurt now, but y'know, he's not gonna say that to anyone.

    There is... nothing unusual about the wall, other than the fact that it is, in fact, an illusion. This was certainly put into place by someone- there must be some truth to the idea that there is a secret treasure here. The wall itself doesn't seem to radiate any sort of particular energy or malice, and the type of magic or spirituality used is begnin, so it should be save to just press on through...

    And on the other side is a sight for sore eyes.

    The cave on the other side is not particularly easy to move through, although most of it is dry land, but there's little space to actually move in. That's because most of it is filled with crystals- absolutely enormous crystals, colossal natural pillars over twenty feet long, criss-crossing the walls and floor. They're a brilliant pink and even the smaller ones lining the walls are bigger than Ren's head. There's just... crystals /everywhere/.

        "...well, I don't know about you," Ren says.

    

    "But I'd call this a hidden treasure of oak island."

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    Tomoyo watches (and films) as Ren squeezes through the gap! Although, when he does, she kneels to help him up. "Are you okay?" she asks with obvious concern. Looking to Alice for confirmation that the illusion is safe to pass through, she goes in!

    And her jaw drops.

    Towering crystals jut out from the stone, so thick and huge. "These must have been developing for millions of years..." she whispers, quietly awed. Camera is already raised, her thumb keying at the setting to record in the highest resolution, now that battery is no longer an issue.

    "This is amazing... thank you for inviting me Ren," she murmurs. Both out of quiet respect of this place, and fear that being loud might cause a collapse of greater magnitude. "But I can't help but wonder... who set up this illusion?"

Alice Margatroid (807) has posed:
    With the illusion deemed safe, Alice walks through with the rest. What greets her makes her red eyes widen. "Oh my... so... pretty." Shanghai and Hourai stand there with wide eyes, Shanghai moving to touch some of the crystals before ducking in and out and exploring. "Such magnificence. We don't have that in Gensokyo... at least I haven't looked." she whispers, turning back towards Ren and Tomoyo.

    "As for the illusion, I can't tell. I apologise. I can only sense it and see if someone's dead or not in the right form... not where or who made illusions." she turns back to the crystals, "Should we leave it here? Harvest some to take back?"

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
    "I think we should leave it be," Ren replies. "It didn't get to be like this with people coming in to pick and prod at it. I mean, whoever made that put it there to stop most people seeing this. And... as for /who/ put it there?"

    "I guess that's why this is a two-hundred-year-old mystery."