Scene #7660: New Horizons: Pocket Camp

Owner	Pose
Kale Hearthward	Welcome to Camp Pocket! It's a peaceful spot. There's lots of peaceful places throughout the multiverse, of course (typically defined as 'wherever the elites are not'), but this one seems idyllic in the extreme. It's a good hours' drive from anything approaching civilization, but simultaneously it's a more tamed wilderness - pathways and campsites and recreation areas adjoining curated naturalness. While there's a large forest to get lost in, a gently twisting river to go swimming/kayaking/fishing/etc in, and a pristine beachfront to do beach stuff in... most people are at the moment centered around the main campsites, a few trying to set up a volleyball game, a few others laying out a potluck buffet on the picnic tables, and a lizard person and a badger person who are having an argument with each other about something. Among the vehicles and tents, an RV has recently pulled up - with a familiar looking raccoon person climbing out of the drivers' seat, followed shortly by a yet more familiar hawk person. "Alright then. Mr. Hearthward, for your first part of your training, set up the tent," says Tom. "... Using the magic?" says Kale, hopefully. "No - using your hands. Get to it."
Hellwarming Trio	It's time for another day on the island! Rin and Utsuho have needed a day like this as they've been fairly busy for a while now, but they don't look any worse for wear as they arrive at the campsite with a few new fresh finds. Naturally, they're still piling all sorts of crap in front of their house at the beach and making it look even weirder with the sheer amount of stuff out there. Utsuho: "This should go on top of the house." Rin: "What? Nah, nah, in front looks way better!" Utsuho: "But nobody'll see it there! Not unless they're already super low like... Uh. Hey, what's that?" They see the RV, and they waste little time in floating right on over there. "Training? Whatcha got goin' on, bros?" Rin asks as she touches down and strolls around the two, arms crossed over her head casually. "Is it a magic tent?" Utsuho asks even after the instructions are given for Kale to work by hand. "Or... Uh. More magic than the tiny leaf thing?"
Ioanna Langstrom	Camping is like boot camp for casuals. Ioanna's had her tent up pretty much as soon as she got here. She came with a big-ass backpack, with pots, pans, a lantern, a pickaxe, a grill, flint, an axe, a trench shovel...yeah, this is a woman who knows how to survive in any situation. At the moment, she's relaxing on a chair in a camo tanktop and camo pants on the beach, a fishing rod hanging out in the water, a boombox playing some kind of weird clicking of some sort that sounds like an error in the disc. A pair of sunglasses hide her eyes. Her hair's done up in a high ponytail rather than her usual bun, presumably for accessibility. This woman knows how to relax, that's for damn sure.
Phasewalker	Ainkli is here! He pulls up with a rented grav-truck, a sort of hovering sci-fi vehicle, and parks it somewhere near to a good entrance point to the river for some kayaking. He starts unloading a few kayaks, more than just the two he knows he's going to be using with himself and the other confirmed visitor to the area he knows of. He's dressed in a drysuit, which shuffles and ruffles as he walks around barefoot, trying to get ready for a day of fun under the sun. He moves things with telekinesis, easily maneuvering them through the air from a convenient spot. He brought some other stuff so he can go camping, too.
Aidan Proudpick	Now, Aidan always thought being in the resistance meant constantly doing things. But, in fact, it means standing around a lot. Waiting for things, shipments. Repairing armor. Getting scolded for getting your armor wrecked because you are an idiot and decided being in a relationship with some of your resistance members was a great idea. Watching troop movements. So, at some point in that time, a post card was mailed to the Aidan at the People's Knights. No one knows how it got there, but it did suggest that Aidan needed to 'relax' and 'try the camping life' and it was generally agreed that he should do that instead of being huffy about the Emperor. THUS, Aidan staggers under the load of a Nook Brand Tent, Nook Brand Backpack, Nook brand Camping Stove, Nook Brand Sleeping Back, Nook Brand Wool Socks. Outside of his DASHING LEATHER ARMOR, he really is just a squirrel in a tunic and leather pants. He hasn't really gotten around to 'fancy clothes'. Aidan claims a camping spot with a woof of air, pushing his backpack down. "Why does anyone do this?!"
Ioanna Langstrom	Automatically, Ioanna says, "Getting off the grid, sir," in the tone of someone who's barely paying attention but knows the proper response.
Kale Hearthward	"Yeah, is it a magic tent?" asks Kale, hopefully. "It's not a magic tent, it's a regular tent," says Tom Nook. Kale starts laying out the regular tent. "Okay, it's... there's instructions for this, right?" There are no instructions for putting the tent together. "Hey - could you two give me a hand with this?" asks Kale, glancing over at Utsuho and Rin. Meanwhile, Nook's gone for a walk - passing by the area with Aidan and Ioanna, and hearing the tail end of the conversation. "Getting off the grid is good, yes. You need to step outside of your baseline sometimes in order to reset it." He looks over Ioanna's setup, and then Aidan's backpack full of things. "And looks like the two of you came prepared to do some serious relaxation, yes? Special occasion, or just taking a break?" Meanwhile again, down at the river, Staren and Ainkli are flagged down by a beaver. "Hey! Hey-hey there, you got a spare deck there?" he says, pointing at the extra kayaks. "My plans for today fell through, and... well, if you don't mind, could I borrow one off of you?"
Ioanna Langstrom	"Boot camp habits, sir," Ioanna says as she looks over her sunglasses at the talking raccoon. It's really not that weird for her. She grew up hanging out with a flying squid. "I've been a soldier for eight years. There are certain things you get used to." She gives the fishing line a test tug to wiggle the bobber a bit. "Certain practices you learn." Lazily, Ioanna unhooks the grill from the bag, unfolds it, and sets it down next to her. She's clearly planning on eating whatever she catches later. "I'm a soldier, sir. Any time I have as downtime is a special occasion."
Aidan Proudpick	Aidan is stretched out over his backpack. He hasn't seen Kale yet. You can tell because he hasn't peed himself in terror. "I don't have a grid!" He informs Ioanna, then Nook. He pulls a square phone out of his backpack. "I only have this because..." He realizes he shouldn't say it is a 'BIG WATCH COMPUTER THING' so he shoves it back in. "Important things." He nimbly scrambles up to his feet. "Break. I'm on a break. I'm supposed to be here, not thinking about war and bombs and getting stabbed to death." Aidan isn't bad with stuff. Something as easy as 'insert slot A into hole B' is something he's been doing for a while, even if they are those weird sticks with the bungee cord in them. "So I'm here! To pretend everything is okay and not worry about the future of all my friends and family." He then looks over at Ioanna, who LIVES THAT, and winces. "Maybe and I'll uh... try to relax."
Staren	Camping...? Staren's never exactly been big on camping. She's always very much enjoyed climate control and freedom from mosquitos. And clean bathrooms. And showers. And food fresh from the refrigerator. To be fair, you don't really go 'camping' on RIFTS Earth, the wilderness is not safe. It's part of adventuring, but Staren hasn't actually had to do that. Well, until she got stuck in the past for a couple of months. Even then, she managed to get a hovercar to travel and sleep in until her party happened across an abandoned* exploration mech that was large enough to have bunks for sleeping in. The Coalition murdered everyone inside except for Mack's alt-timeline counterpart by the time they got there :pensive: But that is another story... Anyway, the upshot is that Staren is sort of theoretically familiar with camping but it's not really a thing she's ever done in the conventional sense. It doesn't sound pleasant, but with Phasewalker claiming it will be a 'fun' activity, she's willing to give it a try. Who knows, maybe lots of things become more fun when your identity is more sorted out? Wait, is that a VOLLEYBALL GAME? Staren ran off to join it, saying she'll do her part of setup later. She's currently wearing a red vest (closed) of synthetic material with white trim over a rash guard, and sigh* green cargo shorts of questionable fashion and her usual sneakers and scarf, with hair scrunchied into a ponytail to keep it out of her face for physical activity. Unfortunately, she keeps misjudging her reach, jumping too short, and one time goes for a spike right into the net. She looks like she's feeling somewhat internally conflicted about something, and eventually returns to where Phasewalker is setting up, nodding to others in passing. Her ears perk up the beaver's request as she approaches, and she waves, "Sure! The more the merrier, right? I've actually never kayaked before... PW thought it would be fun, though..." She goes to the truck to get out her gear...
Phasewalker	Ainkli watches Staren get briefly distracted by the volleyball happening over there while he gets set up for mellow river fun, his radioactive green eyes following the catgirl's path. He's already got all the gear set down outside of the truck by the time they return, and the beaver-person arrives to inquire about taking a kayak. Ainkli smiles quietly, and floats over a kayak, placing it in front of the beaver with the paddle soon to follow. Ainkli likes white water rapids better, to be perfectly honest. This lazy river stuff bores him to tears. But he wants to befriend people in the Concord, and especially Staren, because Staren is immediately useful and actually pleasant to be around. He leaves out the part where he will be trying to navigate the river without a paddle, by pushing the boat along with telekinetic nudges, just so he can get his fix of excitement. "What's your name? I'm Ainkli," he introduces to the beaver.
Hellwarming Trio	Rin: "Whoa. There's a whole lotta new people here today." Utsuho: "Right? Maybe all that advertising helped." Rin: "Or Nook's been keepin' busy. Just means there's more people to see our cool stuff! All our... 'Off-the-grid' cool stuff." When they hear that the tent is not magical at all and very normal, Rin's eager to jump in. "I got this! I saw this on a TV once!" She exclaims while looking over Kale's unassembled tent, then turning to Utsuho. "You got that rod with you?" "Oh, yeah. You gotta pound the stakes in, right?" Grinning widely, Utsuho brings out said control rod, strapping it to her arm as Rin holds a tent stake up in place. "I think a tent usually uses... Four of these?" And so, they work on helping Kale get his stakes planted into the ground. If he doesn't stop them, they'll get all the stakes in nice and firmly! Without actually attaching them to the tent or any sort of rope.
Kale Hearthward	"A soldier, yes yes... And..." He trails off as Aidan describes his situation, frowning slightly. "Right... I'm not wanting to disturb your downtime here, either of you," he says. "Far be it from me to remind you of the situations you're taking a break from. But, if you happen to have the time and the inclination..." "... I'm here partially to further the training of one of my proteges, and part of that is opening up his worldview some more," he says. "Hearing your situations could only help with that," he continues, unaware that he's stumbled across people who already have connections to the 'protege' in question. "If you're interested, we're over at the campsite around the bend, there - next to the RV. You can't miss it." Over at the kayak launch, the beaver gets his borrowed kayak going. "Name's CJ, great to meetcha Ainkli. Ah - you forgot your paddle?" He watches the phasewalker 'steer' for a moment. "Oh - nevermind, that's a neat trick. Must be nice. You ever try going fishing with that - whatever it is you're using?" "Alright, looks like we got all the stakes in!" says Kale. "Okay - and we got the poles to go in, and..." "... Aren't... the stakes supposed to attach to the tent?" "... I think we missed a step." Kale tries to pull one of the stakes out, without much success. "Yeah, it's stuck in there - either of you have anything that can... I dunno, soften the ground so we can pull it out?" he asks, probably meaning like a bottle of water, not whatever it is they might come up with.
Staren	Sharp eyes might pick out a certain logo on much of Staren's camping gear and clothes (the vest seems to be of some other make,) consisting of a circle with bearing lines drawn inside it at 15-degree intervals, with a compass-like arrow pointing 'up' and the capital letters NG inside the circle: https://www.srwmush.com/images/6/67/NorthernGun.png She lugs a big ol' framed pack and attached utility belt from the space truck to the camping area. She has her magic bag, of course, but maybe someone else will need it, and it serves as a convenient container for A Ridiculous Amount Of Survival Gear which is probably more than they'll ever need. Staren retrieves from the bag a small package the size of a paperback book and then kneels on the ground somewhere and starts unfolding it. And unfolding it. And unfolding it. And adjusting slender smart material rods and such, following an instruction sheet she keeps referring to. Somehow, the tiny package has become a tent large enough to sleep two people comfortably and it looks like there's some kind of water system built into it as well. Gotta love technology! Staren drags her bedroll and some other things into the tent, and emerges with slightly-changed clothes; shoes and gloves meant for water use and rashguard shorts matching the shirt, black with the Northern Gun logo in light gray on the hip, a concord-orange sun visor, and a utility belt that's had some of the larger pouches removed. You know, in case. A normal backpack and messenger bag aren't really suited for swimming and water use, after all. She grabs a life jacket and puts it on before pushing another kayak over to Ainkli and their new friend. "Hey, wait for me!" She gets the boat into the water, with the paddle, and climbs in. "Ahh!" It leans one way, then the other as she overcorrects. "Is it defective?! It's all tippy! I'm gonna capsize!" She struggles to keep the boat upright, let alone paddle in any particular direction!
Aidan Proudpick	Aidan is working on putting the sticks through the tabs. It's not rocket science, but tents are REALLY ANNOYING TO PUT UP. He looks up as the fabric goes taut in a direction over Aidan's head. "Uh, yea. Sure." He pulls himself off the ground and brushes off his tunic and breeches. Bouncing up to his feet, he makes his way around the copse of trees. "Now." "What the birch is an RV." He has grasped that 'V' usually stands for 'Vehicle' once he sees the big camper van. Curious, Aidan hoves in closely to the RV, slowly walking around it. "Wow, it's like a wagon! Look how comfortable it is in there. And it has that electricity stuff!" Thankfully, he is concentrating on looking at all of the RV as he roams around it. "We could take a wagon and put a bed inside of it!" Finally, he turns around to see who is talking about the tent. "You want to put the tent up before the stak-" Hey look, it's the premiere Gale Empire Knight and boyfriend of the guy he's beaten up TWICE NOW. Aidan flattens himself against the RV.
Phasewalker	"Just relax, Staren, if you panic you will fall over," Ainkli guides, as he calmly pushes his kayak with mild telekinetic force to meet up with the science cat and make sure they don't actually tip over. The beaver guy is watched carefully, too, so that Ainkli isn't kayaking next to two drowned animal people. With him trying to focus on helping the others, he's way less focused on how boring kayaking is for himself... well, to a limited degree. He's gonna need to go skydiving later, or something, his tail failing to sit still within his kayak and one of his legs twitching anxiously. "Telekinesis," he tells CJ, "Can't fish with it, not as efficiently as a normal fishing rod." He speaks even as he guides Staren. He gives pointers by miming the motions and posture that the not-very-sporty catgirl needs to do, with all the patience of a trained guide. "You're doing fine," he assures Staren, without being prompted.
Staren	Staren has a life jacket and can swim! She will not drown. Her facial expression as she clings white-knuckled onto the paddle and tries to lower her center of gravity is easily imagined on a cat that is regretting its life choices, though. ...She can swim, right? Has anyone ever actually seen her swim? Surely she would have mentioned if she couldn't. Once it's calmed down a bit -- Staren eventually thinks of steadying the kayak with her paddle in the shallows -- and PW mentions fishing line, she taps one of her belt pouches with a finger. "Wires, fishing line and hooks." You know, in case they end up stranded somewhere and someone (not Staren hopefully) has to hunt for food. Using the paddle to arrest the boat's tilt each time she messes up, she keeps trying to imitate Phasewalker's motions until she gets it. Then she tries to paddle and unsteadies the kayak again, requiring further practice. Who would have thought the catgirl would have so much trouble with a water activity?
Hellwarming Trio	Utsuho: "Tent up, then stakes?" Rin: "That would make more sense, yeah... Y'know. To hold the stuff down?" Utsuho: "Oh. That's... Hmm." Rin: "But if we just gotta soften the ground..." Kale and Aidan both get thoughtful looks from the pair after they first try to pull the stakes out bare-handed with no success whatsoever. Instead, their minds go towards a completely different plan that will end up with no collateral damage whatsoever: Fire. Utsuho plants the tip of her control rod near the first stake, the tool starting to glow bright orange with heat not too long afterwards. "Hold onto your...! Er. Hats?" She glances around again to see if anyone is even wearing a hat, then shrugs and commences with part two of her plan to get the stakes out: Flame geysers. On the plus side, there's definitely enough force in the burst of basically-lava to push the stake up, but it might not necessarily be usable after the fact nor safe to the touch. Still good enough for the youkai to cheer, though.
Kale Hearthward	splash "There -" says CJ, having dived in without hesitation to swim over and hold onto the side of Staren's kayak, making sure it doesn't capsize. "You good? Just stay calm and make small movements till you get a sense of balance." He swims back over to his borrowed kayak and climbs back up into it once Staren's not in danger of tipping over. "You do know how to swim, right? You remind me of my roommate the first time he went out kayaking." The question 'or is it a cat thing' is on his lips, but he doesn't actually say it. At the RV, Kale looks up as he overhears Aidan talk. "... Actually why are we putting up a tent? We have an RV!" Then his eyes narrow. "Wait... I recognize... you..." He doesn't have his swords on him. That doesn't stop him. He brings up his fists- -WHACK! That's the sound of Tom Nook rapping him on the back of his head with a walking stick. "Ow!" "Dare I ask why your first inclination, on seeing someone who's out here peacefully camping, is to start a fight?" asks Nook. "On a trip during which you're trying to prove yourself to me?" "It's - he's-" Kale starts to say, but the words die in his throat. 'My country conquered his country' probably wouldn't fly as an excuse. When Kale's not forthcoming with an explanation, Nook looks over at Aidan. "I apologize on his behalf - please calm down? If he does something, I'll take responsibility." Utsuho and Rin's antics don't go unnoticed, but since Tom Nook doesn't have split actions he can only chastise one person at a time. They get the stakes out, at least. (Sort of.)
Aidan Proudpick	This moment of everything becoming BOILING LAVA HOT is lost as the two Knights* meet. Aidan takes a deep breath, filling his lungs to capacity, preparing a last minute barrier, then maybe some air darts at Kale, oh god the guy used to be one of the Emperor's KILLERS. He is GOING TO DIE. Tom Nook interrupts. Aidan looks over at him, cheeks puffed up with air. Slowly, the squirrel deflates. "Uh. Yea. Oh... kay." He darts a glance at Kale, not exactly believing that, but has enough of an Insight Check to gather than Kale is not going to stab him through the heart. "Okay." "Okay." Pause. "Uh. So. You put the tent up first. Then the stakes."
Hellwarming Trio	Rin: "I think they know each other." Utsuho: "Rrrreally? What was your first clue?" Rin: "I mean, look at' em! They're totally gonna fight!" Utsuho: "Here, though?" Utsuho's skepticism about Kale's willingness to fight here of all places proves to be fairly accurate when it looks like both he and Aidan refrain from getting into it with Tom Nook's prodding. Rin laughs after a few moments, strolling right on up to Aidan and clapping an arm around his shoulder. "Hey. Hey. If you two wanna fight, there's way better spots than here. There's these spots out in Japan, right? Loads of flat dirt hills, open space to move around, plenty of stuff to break and jump off of." Utsuho, meanwhile, gets right back on stake duty. Using the wisdom granted to her by the not-ancients, she takes what's left of a stake and it just sort of disintegrates on her. "... Uh. Did you bring any extras?" She looks to Nook hopefully, then over at the kayakers. "Hey! You guys! Bring those oars with you when you're done out there." She shouts towards Staren and Phasewalker, slipping the control rod off in the meantime and kicking back.
Kale Hearthward	"There's spare supplies in the back of the RV," says Tom Nook, without looking back at the pair. There's also a deflated waterbed and a supply of fireworks. Just sitting there unattended. "I know how to put things together, thank you," says Kale. "At least I know how to do things without ruining every attempt to improve peoples' lives." "Mmmhmm. So this would be, and I quote you telling me earlier, the 'resistance movement who's attacking my country's forces unprovoked' - which I imagine is just one side of the story, yes yes. Mister - ah, I understand if you'd rather not give your name. Would you mind telling me the other side of the story?" From behind Nook, Kale glares daggers at Aidan, daring him to give anything other than a glowing report.
Staren	Staren is relieved and offers a friendly nod to CJ as he helps her get accustomed to the kayak. Is this... what normal people do? You can mess up and... Life goes on. No world hangs in the balance. No one is watching and waiting and judging, ready to tear her down for failing or being bad at something. It's very strange. Almost relaxing. She can even take the implied friendly joke, smiling rather than jumping to defend herself against a percieved social threat. "Yeah. I can swim, I just... never learned how to move a boat like this..." She grins a bit wider. "If I fall in I can kitty-paddle to shore."
Aidan Proudpick	Aidan jumps as the arm claps around his shoulder, turning his head to Rin. "No! That's okay. I don't want to fight right now." Without his equipment. And maybe an army. OH NOW HE IS ON THE SPOT. Aidan's tail stands up and the fur stands on end. Aidan folds his arms. He might be afraid to get CREAMED, but now his honor and the honor of his entire people are at stake. Some backbone slides back into him from wherever it went and Aidan juts his chin out. "Mister Proudpick. Aidan Proudpick. His country took over ours and immediately declared victory through a shi-a lot of force." The squirrel heads to the tent to start piecing it together properly. "I know how to put things together because I WORKED for everything I've had and am happy to contribute without requiring force."
Hellwarming Trio	And so, Utsuho heads into the RV to get the spare stakes! Unfortunately, there's also the waterbed and fireworks in there. Naturally... Utsuho comes back out with the stakes and the waterbed. She has more pride than to rely on fireworks to do what she can already do, anyway. Instead, she just gestures at Rin to come over while the cat youkai keeps looking between Kale and Aidan with a distinctly awkward look on her face. At least it doesn't look like they're coming to blows (yet). Rin does bite her lip briefly when it sounds like the SPICY SHIT is coming out, though, scurrying over to Utsuho to stay out of the line of fire. Utsuho: "Are they gonna be okay?" Rin: "Probably not. You get the stuff?" Utsuho: "Uhuh. I got something else cool, too." Utsuho has no idea how to use a waterbed, but she sure as hell is going to try. Without realizing it's a waterbed, though, she just assumes that the hole is for inflating with air, and she begins the long and arduous process of trying to inflate the thing by blowing into it. She might be at it for a while if nobody stops her.
Kale Hearthward	Kale frowns. "I've had to work for everything too - hey..." Aidan gets the tent put together, properly, a lot faster than Kale had. "I don't - I had..." Kale socially squares up. "I've worked plenty for what I had. And I'm working hard to make things better for everyone. And people like him - like you-" He points at Aidan. "Are being just... stubborn, and-" He cuts off. "Agh - look - I know how to fix things too!" he goes over, grabs the waterbed from Utsuho, takes a deep breath- "Wait, it's a-" Tom starts to say. Kale blows into the nozzle. The waterbed rapidly inflates, overinflates, and then bursts. "... waterbed, you'll... break it."
Aidan Proudpick	Aidan's view of knights is rather narrow. His mother is quite the rich bitch, even if she is very good at what she does. The squirrel squeezes down the tent in record time, though his use of extra hands by the way of air magic is not quite up to snuff. It is still easy to get it together. Next comes the tent fly, since it isn't made of oiled leather or canvas. "Alright, we just need the stakes now." Every stammer is putting more set in Aidan's shoulders, making him less intimidated by the shadow of Kale's skill. The People's Knight turns to Utusho, "Okay, then we stake it in an-" Aidan quickly hurls a shield up, air forming into a solid mass that catches the thick pieces of rubber. Now, what Aidan should do, as part of his Knight's Code, is take the higher road, and be humble and offer condolences. Instead he starts to snigger, snort, and struggle to keep the laugh inside of his head.
Staren	Eventually, the trio return from kayakking. Maybe Staren's waterlogged and had enough, or is tired of rowing, or maybe they quit while they're ahead! Anyway, Staren walks over, dripping, with the paddles. "Did you have another water activity planned?" If it's explained that it was for stakes and they still need more, she eventually returns with wooden ones. Oh right, those have uses besides staking vampires! In any case, Staren eventually returns to the campsite to towel off in her tent and change into dry clothes. But it's a cat that returns to the group, wearing a tiny version of Staren's signature scarf and jumping, startled, at the explosion. "What was that?!"
Kale Hearthward	Kale's left standing there, looking slightly dazed, holding the scraps of waterbed. "... Well," says Nook, who'd dived for cover behind the RV. "I think, right now, giving you the secrets you want to learn would be to your detriment. They're not meant to be weilded hastily." "... I... understand," says Kale, who looks more deflated than the air mattress was. "There'll be another opportunity to prove that you're ready for them, but I think this trip should be devoted to fundamentals, not techniques." The hawk reinflates a little at that. "... And I think we could all use a little food," the raccoon adds. "Mister Proudpick, Miss Rin, Mis Utsuho, would you care to join us in the picnic area in a minute?" Staren gets invited too.
Staren	"What you want to learn? What was that about?" Staren wonders. With the voice and the scarf it is kiiiind of obviously her? Oh right also he saw her change to escape Vegeta's grip before.
Hellwarming Trio	Exchanging awkward looks again, Utsuho and Rin don't quite know how to respond to that whole thing with the exploding waterbed. "... Whoa. Glad that wasn't-" Rin starts to say, but grunts as Utsuho gives her a light elbow on the ribs and shuts up. At least they're starting to learn a little bit. When Aidan starts snickering, though, their brains start to work overtime! In that their brains work at all, but still. "Heh. Cool. That thing barely went up when I was blowing it. And I'm real good at blowing stuff." Utsuho declares, almost sounding like she's trying to raise Kale's spirits and also like she doesn't realize what she just said sounds like. "Food, eh? I'm game! We can get some grub on, use those oars -" Rin nods to Staren. "-for more stake wood if we need it, and pitch some more tents!"
Aidan Proudpick	Oooh man. Aidan grins to himself as Kale sinks down. He doesn't vocalize the 'good', but he clearly looks pleased that some of the wind has been taken out of Kale's sails. His attention is brought up from the show of hubris back over to Tom Nook. "Free food!?" He pauses, "Wait, it's not fish is it?" He follows along with Rin, "I don't eat any of that meat stuff!" Never turn down a free meal!
Kale Hearthward	"Don't worry. I'm familiar with the dietary needs in question," says Tom Nook as he leads the group over, and starts laying out food. "Mr. Hearthward wanted to learn the deep secrets of infrastructure and community," says Tom Nook, once people start getting fed. The food is simple but good. "How to properly design and run a community, from the ground up. How to be a leader, how to properly delegate. The spells and techniques that have taken me half a lifetime to learn. The magics that hold New Horizon together, and make it more than just an island." "Once we're done eating and we've finished making camp, I'm going to have him study how the campgrounds and parks here are laid out, and write up why he thinks they were set up in this way." "And then I'll have another shot at learning the shrink item spell?" says Kale. "... Wait, that's what you wanted to learn?" Nook's eyebrows raise.
Hellwarming Trio	"No? You and Kale're really missin' out." Rin whistles lightly when Aidan reveals his meatless diet, shrugging a moment later. "Well, whatever. More for me and Okuu, then!" The talk of designing and running communities, being leaders, and shrinking items all go right over the youkai's heads. It's not for a lack of trying, although they do look rather puzzled when Kale mentions shrinking items. Utsuho: "Wouldn't all that other stuff be way more useful?" Rin: "Yeah, you could have people listenin' to you and doing stuff for you so you don't have to care about size!"
Aidan Proudpick	Mushrooms for Aidan. And lentils, and meatless curry, and those pastries that Brian Jacques would obsess over but can't actually exist. Aidan listens patiently. Because he's already on good terms with the tanuki, why continue to be a dick about it. Plus, Tom Nook generates a MENACING AURA. He does snort though, at the mention of the shrink power. "Wants to lead, not work, that makes perfect sense." He does mutter it right before he pops a baked mushroom into his mouth though.
Staren	The paddles? "You do realize they're carbon fiber, not wood, right? Ugh, my arms would be so tired if they were wood..." Staren comments. Her ears perk up as Aidan mentions fish. "Fish?!" She bounds after Nook. But eating is easier with hands, and also she gets to enjoy more food with a bigger stomach, so she returns to catgirl form. The rash guards are hung up to dry back at the campsite; she's now wearing a blue military-style fleece jacket over a black T-shirt and long khaki skirt over black leggings and brown hiking boots, her trusty messenger bag again hanging from her shoulder (the jacket and boots have the Northern Gun logo on them.) She's new at this, and may have brought a whole bunch of clothes to try to see what works. Anyway, FOOD. Staren fills a plate with some while listening to Nook (you can tell because one or both ears turn towards him even when she's looking in another direction. It would be rude not to!) She nods at his assessment. "I haven't been able to figure that stuff out. I'm coming to suspect it has to do with having a whole bunch of people with a culture of working together, but how do you establish that?" She sits down and digs into the food, giving a somewhat puzzled look as Kale brings up spells.
Kale Hearthward	"I'll pass," says Kale firmly, about meat. "And - yes, that's part of what I wanted to know? It's a useful power? I mean... I want to learn all of the rest, absolutely, but..." "Mr. Hearthward, you... I mean, you already know it," says Tom. "I've seen you use it." "Yeah, on the island," says Kale. "I mean on there you just reach out your hand and put it on something..." He reaches out and grabs the salad bowl. "And you focus really hard on it and squeeze your hand in, but it only ever works on-" POMF Kale's holding a miniature version of the salad bowl in his palm. "... Huh?" "... You've been living on the island long enough to be able to use it naturally outside the island as well. This was - it was in the brochure," says Tom Nook, looking exasperated. "You did read the brochure, right?" Kale Hearthward did not read the brochure.
Aidan Proudpick	Somewhere, Bowser's brochure lines a Chomp Chomp cage. Aidan lifts his eyebrows, impossible not to be impressed by the sudden show of magic, then lowers them again. Damn, that's just what they need. He'll probably use it to ship an entire squadron right into the middle of their city!
Staren	Staren chews her food while she stares at Kale, and then swallows. She didn't actually read the brochure either, but an old instinct tells her to consider living here for free power. Ehhh... screw that, but maybe she can figure out how it works and replicate it otherwise. "Okay, that's pretty neat..." She looks to Mr. Nook. "But I want to know about those things too, although I'm not sure if I'm the best one to learn them. Maybe my place is helping others... but someone has to do it, right?"
Kale Hearthward	"Mmmh - If there's demand for it, maybe I should start some sort of training course," muses Tom Nook. He passes a business card over to Staren.