Scene #7969: In the Snow with Yaga and You

Owner	Pose
Rhongomyniad	The Crystal Plateau, deep wilderness. Those accompanying the King of Knights are also joined by some half-dozen wolfmen in various early-1900s clothing. Flat caps are a common thing, as are heavy leather-lined down coats. Most of them carry rifles-- an old bolt-action sort-- in addition to their other retinue of ropes and metal traps. "Oh, a Kr'chit is good meat," one of the wolfmen explains while the others fan out. He holds up both hands, multiple fingers extended, "Eight drumsticks. And the venom bulb in the tail. We give that to the doctor. There's a lot so we don't worry about overhunting. They're kind of a menace, really." "I see," Rhongomyniad's response is one of simple understanding.
Arthur Lowell	>Arthur: Gather 20 Kr'chit Venom Bulbs (0/20) Shut up. Arthur's here to hang out and chatter! And lend a hand whenever it comes up, you know, wherever really. He may own a rifle (hidden in his broom's handle), but he has to ride it on the longer walks, and especially appreciates it in the cold. Thank goodness his god-tier robe can get some cold-weather fur. So he pulls up, in an easy-going side-straddle near Rhongomyniad. "Hey, DUCK TO WATER here, lookin' like." He rambles. "You know, MOST dudes with the CONQUERING KING kind of approach, they don't even fuckin' BOTHER with learning the ECOSYSTEM. Actually super SAVVY. Gotta kind of GO WITH THE FLOW with most of these SECUNDUS ZONES."
Staren	After all that fuss, today is another day. It is a day when Staren wakes up early and finds she cannot get back to sleep. Rrrgh. She walks down the tower steps and down the hall to the kitchen. A simple breakfast is assembled. There's some instant noodles, and Staren opens the fridge to get some meat taken from Cantio's zone the other day. "Good Morning, Ozhira." She makes sure to greet the pickle jar containing ominously red... something. She sits down in the tea room, eating and checking status updates on her tablet. Hmm, so Forte is attacking the other side for once, huh? She's been kind of curious to see this 'Anima City' place. Anima City Staren steps out of the warpgate in her usual outfit, sipping a thermos of hot tea as her eyes scan the area, seeing the... honestly, more people look human than she expected. A voice comes from behind her: "Oh, I should fit right in here, right? In a way I almost feel like these are my people. Our people. Shapeshifters, right?" Ren, in foxgirl form, walks around her and stops in front to spin and gesture her arms at the area in general, transforming to kitsune form mid-twirl. "...What do you want?" Staren asks, not as warily as before. The mad alleged custodian actually hasn't been as dangerous as expected, for the most part. "Oh, just to see something. You're a fully-qualified Search and Rescue, right?" "I'm--" The Crystal Plateau, deep wilderness. "--what?" asks Staren, suddenly alone in the middle of a FREEZING SNOW FOREST. On the bright side, she seems to have been suddenly equipped with a surprisingly warm fur-lined boots and a light blue parka, and even goggles and a breath mask in case of pressure issues. She has been trekking through the snow for who knows how long when she emerges from between some tree trunks in front of the party, a dusting of snow now clinging to her clothes. Staren's ears perk up under the hood and she looks over. "Arthur?" She briefly pauses as she realizes that technically describes both of them. "Rhongomyniad? Where the hell am I?!"
Rhongomyniad	"Good morning, Arthur Lowell," The King's even monotone carries the faintest hint of fondness for her fellow divinity. She offers him a slight nod of acknowledgement as well before returning her attention to the wolfman who still accompanies her. "This is Pakxi. He has been my assistant in learning the ways of the people here." The wolfman nods once when named, then glances out into the trees where the other wolfmen had wandered while Rhongomyniad continues, "It is my understanding that the animals-- the 'Demonic Beasts' of this land-- represent its greatest resource. And so it behooves me to understand how they are hunted and what they may provide; and to that end, Pakxi has been most helpful." When Staren materializes in confusion, Rhongomyniad's glowing eyes shift in her direction. When she turns, it is only about halfway, presenting herself in a regal fashion with her fur-lined cape parted slightly by the arm that now holds the Divine Lance. "You have entered the Crystal Plateau, a territory under guardianship of the Tower that Shines at the End of the World." With her weapon drawn, Pakxi's hand goes for his rifle though he doesn't unsling it, his eyes shifting to the goddess, "Is this one gonna be an issue?" "We shall see."
Arthur Lowell	>Arthur: Greet Staren Arthur's head jerks to Staren the minute she calls that name, probably exactly in time with Rhongomyniad's glance. "What's up, SNOWREN? Lookin' LOST. You having trouble with the NAVIGATIONS?" He's digging up his tablet, tapping at it. "Been workin' on FIGURING OUT the NAVIGATION stuff lately. The SYSTEM'S kinda OVERTUNED." He pulls it back. "Ehhh, I'll get to it." He glances up to the lance that Rhongo has, eyeing the full length... "Well, know you probably didn't come here to rumble on purpose, sounds like. You gonna improvise an invasion anyway? Or you gonna help MCGRUFF THE HUNTING DOG get his DRUMSTICK on, you know what I'm sayin'?"
Staren	Shivering a little, Staren nods at the explanation of her location. She sees someone go for their weapon and reaches for her own -- and eyes widen in surprise as where she's used to keeping her laser pistol, her hand meets the hilt of a small blade. Machete does not beat rifle. Then she holds out her hand in a 'stop' motion. "Woah, I'm not here to fight! I was thinking about directing forces to Kale's resort, sure, but it's not built up enough yet and feels kinda mean at this stage." She blinks. "So I'm still in Secundus?" She searches her pockets and her bag for her syndicate tablet, but comes up only with a PDA with a gameboy-like cart slotted into it. The cart is labeled something related to Secundus-interface systems. Staren fatfingers the PDA screen a few times with her synthleather gloves before noticing there's a stylus to pull out and poking at a dinky low-res 1-bit version of the syndicate tablet interface. Even Arthur thinks she may be here to fight? Her shoulders slump and tail droop at that. "I'm not necessarily at war with all of the Paladins. Kale has been clear about hostilities, but I'm cautiously waiting to see what the rest of you do. I'm just as curious about what we can find out here as you... I don't mind helping you explore as long as I'm not ignoring, like, an army standing on my border or something." She doesn't mention that most of her gear seems to be missing at the moment. "Uhh... drumstick?" She cocks her head. "What exactly are we out here for? ...The Custodian asked if I was Search and Rescue and then teleported me here, but you know how she is... Or I guess you don't. She's confused sometimes. Is someone in trouble? Or...?"
Rhongomyniad	"Yaga," Pakxi's objection comes with a light growl. Frustration, not much of a threat, "We are Yaga. Not dogs." Though it's said with the sort of resignation of someone who knows it won't make much of a difference. Arthur just gives off That Kind Of Vibe. "Forgive my reaction, then," Rhongomyniad states when Staren explains an intention of peace, or at least, not hostility. The Divine Lance unravels itself and disappears, "Given the historical hostility between Paladin and Concord interests brewing here in Secundus, I may have acted over-cautiously." When Staren starts questioning Drumsticks, Pakxi is opens his mouth to say something when someone in the bushes whistles. There's a gunshot and a sudden flurry of activity. Something resembling a crab crossed with a lizard with a scorpion-like tail lurches out of the bushes. It's about the size of a large dog, hissing and wounded-- and running on eight legs. A block of whitewashed stone lurches out of the ground beneath it, bouncing the beast into the air. It lands on its back and starts squirming until Pakxi shoots it. "Kr'chit," the wolfman says, "Eight drumsticks. Good eating."
Staren	Staren shrugs off the concern that the Tower overreacted. "It's fine. I'm cautious too." When she hears a gunshot she reaches into her bag and pulls out a laser pistol (not her usual) that she spotted in her bag while rummaging a moment ago and turns. It's charging at the group so she lines up a shot and pulls the trigger. > Refrain from firing as you are on help intent. Nothing happens. Of course there's some kind of safety. She backs away, pondering if she can actually fight this thing with a knife, when earthbending(?) and a wolfman with a gun end the immediate threat. Staren keeps fiddling with the gun. It clicks a few times as she finds the toggles for the safety and power setting. THEN she can turn her attention to the fallen beast. "Huh." She wonders what it tastes like. And then she wonders: "Do they usually travel alone...?"
Arthur Lowell	>==> "'Historical'. DAMN, I know I said TIME was gonna move NORMAL-SPEED, but FUCKIN' HELL, it sure feels like HISTORY even though it's been a WEEK. I've been--" Things get active. Arthur's instantly got his own broom-rifle at the ready, eager to earn his share of the DKP, so to speak. Looks covered, though. "DAMN," He regards the thing. "CARCINIZATION even up in SECUNDUS, for real." Then he regards Rhongo. "That PILLAR one'a YOURS? I thought you got the SWORD, not the STONE. Shit, that's NICE." He wanders to the corpse of the animal. Notably, unlike most other corpses, the corpse of a game animal is no issue for Arthur, and he's ready to be an extra set of hands in getting it loaded up, or even captchalogued once it's dead. "Yeah, we on some TERRITORY now? I'm ready to get my BIG CRAB HUNTING on here."
Rhongomyniad	"Small groups," Pakxi explains, "Ten or so. They only go solitary in the fall for mating season." His lip curls as he crouches by the beast, examining it and its many twitching legs, "They only fight among themselves at that time, so they spread out instead." "It is mine," Rhongomyniad states evenly. As if on cue, the stone block recedes back whence it came with a flicker of the Lance's golden light along the edges until it is fully gone. She lifts one hand towards Arthur, "I returned the sword to the Lady of the Lake; and so all I wield is the Divine Lance. And its assorted traits." With a dead Kr'chit to show, Pakxi produces a long survival knife of his own and uses it to point at various bits, explaining roughly what meats can be found where. Another two Yaga arrive while he's teaching, Kr'chit slung across their backs-- Two and One respectively. They offer him the severed tails, venom bulbs intact, which he accepts in a bag. "Don't let them sting you. It won't kill you but it hurts like hell," the wolfman explains, "The doctors use it for all kinds of medicine." His hand raises, then drops, chopping the tail off just below the venom bulb. He then picks it up by the bit of tail remaining, offering it to Arthur and then to Staren, "We have plenty. You want keepsakes?"
Staren	Small groups. Oh, good. Only ten or so. "TEN?!" She wonders how many shots this pistol has. She didn't see a magazine release or spare e-clips anywhere. Which gives her a suspicion about what that little pump handle is for. How long would that take to recharge a LASER? Although, at least two more are down already. Good. "Good to know. Sure." Very carefully in case the stinger is sharp enough to puncture her gloves, she puts it in a little box. "Anything I can get you in return?"
Arthur Lowell	>Arthur: Gather 20 Kr'chit Venom Bulbs (1/20) "HELL YEAH, MOTHERFUCKER." Arthur examines the thing in Staren's hands, as it goes into the box. "Bet'cha I can do all kinds of ALCHEMY with that, since the DOCS do good work with it. I wanna get a taste of KR'CHIT DEW." An absolute nightmare of a concoction. Then he's turning back to Rhongo. "I mean, kinda makin' sense. Not a lot of use for SOLDIERY WAR-FIGHTING KING shit when you got PROOF OF KINGNESS and not a ton more WAR to be doin', I'm guessin'? Or you just being POLITE about it?"
Rhongomyniad	"This is educational," Pakxi gruffs out, "I'm not about to make you work, not unless the King wants me to." He glances towards Rhongomyniad, who doesn't seem to notice. His attention returns to Staren, "I came out here with twelve hunters. One kill each is more than enough to take care of this pack." He gestures, "Grigori even got two." The indicated Yaga laughs, "Someone had to do Dimitry's share of the work." "Hey, fuck you!" someone barks from elsewhere in the trees. The faintest of smiles crosses the goddess' face, though if it's amusement from the exchange or some more nebulous form of satisfaction is unclear. Her attention shifts to Arthur as he handles the venom bulb, "It was always an agreement with her that I was merely borrowing Excalibur, and that some day it would be returned. I merely upheld my end of the agreement."
Staren	Still, Staren feels like it's a bit unfair getting something for nothing... but she decides not to say anything. The Paladins don't need to know if she feels she owes Rhongo a little. Her ears twitch and she looks towards Dimitri. Someone here low in the pecking order. She feels like she knows how he feels. Someone she can offer help to if she needs help here. Things are quiet for a moment. She holds out the PDA to show to Arthur. "Hey, once we get back to the gate do you want this for study?" And eventually, Rhongomyniad's words prompt a question to her: "...If you were only borrowing it... then what purpose does it serve now, without a wielder?"
Arthur Lowell	>Arthur: Keep helping! "ETERNITY is a LONG-ASS TIME, dawg, and OWING SOMETHING is always SHORT-TERM in that. Though I guess you're gonna LIVE LONGER than a LAKE will at this rate, huh?" Arthur rambles as he at least helps hoist the creature. "So I guess I can't BLAME YA. Especially with where ya MIND went. "You get the LANCE out of BECOMING DIVINE? One'a those HEAVENLY SELF-FORGING THINGS?" Finished up with the creatures, Arthur takes a look at the PDA. "What's up?" He'll see what it is Staren wants studied! Seems like he's open for that, at least.
Staren	Staren blinks. But then, it's not like Arthur was looking over her shoulder! "It's... it's a, I think it's one of your tablets but changed somehow." She turns it over and takes the cart out to show too, then puts it back in just as it goes B-DEEP B-DEEP B-DEEP B-DEEP B-DEEP B-DEEP B-DEEP in her hands! She turns it back over to look at the screen. "What the... Are you two seeing this too?? If this is still linked to the Secundus systems properly..." Her shoulders slump and tail droop again. "Kale's launching an all-out war... And now Tamamo's joined in...?" She gives a tired sigh as she looks at the display.
Rhongomyniad	"Mm," Rhongomyniad considers Staren's question for a moment while the various Yaga return with the spoils of their hunt. Some Kr'chit have been shot, others caught in metal traps and stabbed. Professional work for bush hunters. "What happens to the sword now is not my concern," she states finally, "It is no longer mine to be concerned about. What the Lady of the Lake does with it now is not a matter I have any say in." Her head dips slightly, "You are correct, however. The Divine Lance is forged by gods; just as Excalibur was. An extension of the Tower at the End of the World." When Staren's tablet starts erupting, she lets out a little, thoughtful sniff, "It is not a conflict I will contribute to." Her hand raises, sweeping over the snow-cast landscape, "I am more interested in growing my established holdings at this time."
Staren	Staren takes a breath, and then resignedly pulls out the stylus and begins putting in counterattack orders. Finally she checks the owner on Silvershire and looks up to Rhongomyniad-- who answers before she can even ask. Staren nods, and closes that window without issuing another order. And then she enters the mission to call for help, grunting in annoyance as she has to hunt and peck with the stylus to type it in. > Counterattack: Kale is launching another assault on Concord territory we need defendefs! Rally te troops in Kukurju's ond! Look, when you're used to connecting to devices with your brain or at least using a keyboard, typing with a stylus is hard.
Arthur Lowell	>==> "You get a weird MESSED UP TABLET? Shit, I can TAKE A LOOK in a bit, sure." >Arthur: What's your take on full conflict? And then comes the alert. Arthur's own is beeping, as he checks. He's more placid about it than before. "I mean, shit, makes sense." He rambles. When he looks back up, he spends a little while in silence, then scratches his chin... "The thing is, this kind of stuff, it was ALWAYS HAPPENING. CONCORD and PALADINS, PALADINS and WATCH, WATCH and CONCORD, they were sorta..." He puts his tablet away. "It was always already like that. Same with the Union and Feds. This kind of stuff is just always happening. The system makes it clearer though. Easier to see. Though..." Something pokes at the back of his head. He looks at, of all people Rhongomyniad, someone who has transcended natural human thought by way of divine affiliation with her own kingship, through exceeding a boundary of war. "It gets harder to put out of your mind, I bet. I guess I kinda never thought about how it would make people feel, not really being able to stop knowing about what's going on in their holdings and stuff like that."
Rhongomyniad	While the trio discuss the war brewing once more across Secundus, something happens with the Yaga. Grigori, the Yaga carrying two dead Kr'chit, is suddenly bowled over by a third animal's carcass thrown from the woods. Storming out is presumably Dimitry, dragging two more dead creatures by their tails, the bulbs presumably in the bag in his other hand. The various wolfmen start laughing while Grigori picks himself up, then collects the carcass that knocked him down and proclaims, "I got three; Sasha will also be covered!" Presumably Sasha, who carries a kill of his own in one arm, puts a hand to his mouth and shouts, "Keep going, then none of us will have to work!" Rhongomyniad glances towards the increasing number of Yaga, then back towards Arthur and Staren, "Let us return to my keep. Unless you have other places to be, warm food awaits. As King, I extend this hospitality."
Staren	Staren jumps at Kale's voice coming through a headset she didn't notice she was wearing, she turns it off to just use cybercomms. When there's more commotion from the Yaga, she turns her head and smiles. "Damn, good going, Dimitri!" And then she turns back to Rhongomyniad and nods. "Is the warpgate there? I... need to check in on my territory as soon as possible."