Day 72 :: [OPEN]

[bastionpc]

Who: Everyone
Open: Open
When: Day 72
Where: The Skyway
What: Out on the Skyway is a farm. On that farm are supplies and plot coupons.
Format: action
Warnings: cows

[On day 72, whoever happens to be exploring the Skyway will come across a farm! It is rather large, with several overgrown fields, a huge barn, some chicken coops, and a farmhouse.

It is undisturbed for the moment, though it would be advisable to make any stop here quick. Monsters are never that far away.]






((OOC: There will be several different areas each character can explore and find things. Please choose only one area of the farm per character for your characters to participate in. Your characters can interact with anyone else in that particular area.

Teamwork may be needed to accomplish goals in this post.))

Comments

FARMHOUSE

[bastionpc]

[The farmhouse is, for the most part, unremarkable. It is a small ranch-style home, with three bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen. An outhouse can be found in the backyard. Entering the farmhouse is easy, as the door has been left open.

What part of the house will you explore?]

Re: FARMHOUSE

[buildingthefuture]

[Osahar's been trained to look for signs of habitation, and to focus on the people first, then the goods. So, the instant that he sees- of all things- a farmhouse on the Skyway, he immediately bends his path toward it, plasma pistol at the ready as he goes to investigate.

While supplies would be important, his first concern is securing the area and making sure it's safe. Then he can worry about the rest of it. So... he makes his way into the farmhouse, cautiously investigating it and planning to make his way to the bedrooms. If he makes it there, he'll start investigating there- see if he can find any clues about the inhabitants, former or otherwise, and who knows? Maybe there's something useful in there. Hard to say.]

[blackblooded]

[Crona doesn't have the same sense of caution that Osahar has. Crona's awkward, nervous motions are based more in Crona's general sense of awkwardness than in actual real worry about potentially being attacked.

This just results in Crona walking behind Osahar, peering into the rooms and looking around.]

[bastionpc]

[Fortunately for the two of them, whatever had attacked this farm is long gone by now. There's some obvious damage to the front door, and the floor has long gouges in it, but otherwise the house looks oddly undamaged. It's almost as if something came in here looking for something, but didn't find what it was looking for and left.

There are four bedrooms total. One has a larger bed than the rest, clearly meant for two people. Two of the others are full of toys and bright colors, obviously meant for small children. The last looks mostly unused, though it does contain a bed and an empty dresser.

In the largest room, with the big bed, there is a box hidden under the bed. If either Osahar or Crona looks in it, they will find some handwritten letters, all dated with dates that seem to run on an entirely unique calendar of its own. But if they compare the numbers, they're all within a relatively close range of numbers.

The contents of the letters are impossible to read without knowing the language, and they are partially water-damaged. But, most interestingly, there is a page with a diagram of some kind of machine on it.]

[buildingthefuture]

[Under normal circumstances, Osahar might have been upset at Crona's awkwardness, but the boy's proven himself decently well, and he's not endangering them, so... he just keeps in the lead, staying alert for any possible dangers.

Doesn't seem like there's anything here, though. He notices the gouges and the damage to the door, and the obvious intelligence there worries him. Clearly, there's something out here that's more intelligent than the creatures that they normally encounter. He can only hope that they encounter it somewhere that they won't suffer the consequences.

The children's rooms get a good once-over, but eventually Osahar makes his way to the bedrooms, and while searching there...] Ah hah... there we are...

[He grins as he carefully examines the box and the bed for traps- one can never be too safe- and then puts it on the bed. The fact that he can't identify what's written down doesn't bother him at all- quite the contrary!] I think we've found something very interesting, Crona. I'll have to take this back to Nathaniel.

[blackblooded]

[Crona knows this sort of monster. Crona was this sort of monster. Come in, look for a target, don't waste time with anything else.

The children's rooms get most of Crona's attention. Toys and bright colors and small beds made for little children.

Crona has never seen rooms like that, and just stands in the middle and looks around while Osahar examines the room.

Osahar leaves and goes to the room with the largest bed, and Crona follows, still distracted by the idea of the children's rooms.]

Ah... [Crona jumps slightly when Osahar speaks.]

Research notes... [Crona doesn't know about letters or journals.]

BARN

[bastionpc]

[The barn is quite large, containing a horse stall, several sheep stalls, and several cow stalls. There are many farm tools hanging in various locations, and there are several bales of hay and straw, though both are starting to go a bit ripe.

All of the animal stalls are currently empty, though the pasture connected to the farm contains two surprisingly healthy cows.]

/sliiiides in here

[aswaitsthesky]

[Shion stepped into the large wooden structure, already in awe of that in and of itself. There was real wood here. Not just a bit, the entire building was made of it.

Shaking his head as he walked, eyes lifted upward and all around, he almost walked right into one of the lower slung stall walls, starting when he realized. Though it hadn't looked at all like this, Shion could guess from the smell what this place was for, having been one of the few residents of New Babylon who WORKED with such animals, even if only rarely.

As such, he realized what this could mean. Quickly he started checking the entire barn for supplies and more importantly any of its intended residents.]

[superdrowningskills]

[Given the choice between a house potentially filled with people or a barn more likely filled with animals, the choice seemed obvious to Alucard. Animals don't usually ask questions he doesn't care to answer, after all. And by the smell of things, there should be either cows or horses somewhere nearby.

Alucard mostly leaves any supply gathering to the white haired boy; he clearly has more of an idea of what would be useful than the son of a healer and a nobleman, and is thus better suited to the task. Instead, the dhampire opts to follow the scent trail. It eventually leads to the rear door of the barn, and...

...That sure is a cow milling about just outside the door.]

[bastionpc]

[The cow does not care about Alucard's inner turmoil and loner tendencies, for it is only a cow. Cows do not understand angst.

The cow just chews on some grass while staring unnervingly at Alucard.

Shion won't find any animals, since the cows are outside, but he will find several tools for taking care of animals! Shears, sheep blankets, milkers, pitchforks, reins, and so forth, they all can be found pretty easily. Most can be carried back to the Bastion, though Shion will have to choose wisely what to take, since most of the equipment is heavy and Shion won't be able to take all of it on his own.]

[silvervine]

[ I WAS RIGHT!

Kuro had tagged along towards the barn, his priorities very specific. The little cat pads along behind the others as his tail switches back and forth excitedly.

You found my cows, he meowed excitedly. And Rin said they we wouldn't find them out here! Let's get them to her, and we'll have meat.

Of course, to most people this just sounds like the obnoxious chatter of a particularly vocal cat. It's not long before Alucard has a an uninvited rider on his shoulder, just so Kuro could get a better look.

And milk, I want a whole bowl of it, please. ]

[superdrowningskills]

[Being what he is, Alucard can understand the cat's chatter. Being much more practical (read: that guy who rains on every parade) though, he has to point out the major flaw in the little demon's plan when he notices that there's only one cow in the field aside from the one he had to skirt around when getting out the door.]

If we were to slaughter one immediately, there would be no more chance for the other to breed unless we were to find more on another expedition. Thus our options at this time are limited.

[Although that bowl of milk is probably still within immediate reach. The real trick is just getting them back across the Skyway.]

CHICKEN COOP

[bastionpc]

[The chicken coop itself is missing part of a wall, which looks like it was ripped into by a rather large animal. While there are no dead chickens present, there are many feathers and strange dark brown splotches spread about.

Outside, there are three fully-grown chickens, a rooster, and about a dozen chicks running around. Next to the coop are also the materials necessary for caring for chickens, though the feed bags seem to have been already picked dry.]

Re: CHICKEN COOP

[yinyangfox]

[ He had seen the fields and been more inclined to search for viable things to plant until he'd heard chirping. Standing on the edge of the nearest row of corn, he stopped himself, turned on a soft-booted heel and headed in the direction of the coops instead, abandoning his interest in vegetation in favor of cute fluffy things.

He was not the least bit disappointed.

Here in the Skyway, he had not really expected to find such a thing - live animals? No one had suggested as much would occur. Then again there were live people and certainly other food sources in the Bastion so it stood to reason that there would be live animals waiting to be discovered.

The fox in him demands playtime but he refrains from anything violent and instead chases the chickens about, taking up the chicks first, scooping up the fluffy yellow and brown things delicately and tucking them safely into his sleeves. If nothing else, he would not go away empty handed. The adults would be more troublesome. He would have to tie their legs and hang them over his shoulders, so Seimei begins searching the destroyed coops for twine or jute string - anything good to lash chickens together.

It is a bit of a hassle, but definitely a relief to do something worthwhile, his laughter cheering himself up from a mild doldrum. ]

[hellpyre]

[Near by, some one else is laughing, a rare female-sounding laugh as Rin is one of the few women in the Bastion. The half demon toddles up with a squirming fluffy white hen in her arms, smiling brighter than she had smiled in a long, long time. Her tail is even swaying back and forth, clearly excited at this.]

Seiemi-san! Look! Isn't this amazin'?!

[individuates]

[Kaoru is not the type to be completely at ease in this sort of environment. He's a city boy, not a farmer. Not that he's never seen farm animals before just... not usually in their home environment, so to speak. So in general the animals that he had encountered were a lot... cleaner.

He had stuck his head into the farmhouse (not much interest in venturing into a commoner dwelling, if he was honest...) swung by the barn (the smell had driven him away...) and had c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y edged away from the cows when he had seen them - since childhood he had never been a fan of animals that were bigger than he was.

The sound of laughter drew him around to the chicken coop, and he glances around for monsters before moving carefully forward, wary of the birds and trying not to step on a chicken]

Rin-san! And... Seimei-san, was it?

...Seimei-san, why are you cheeping?

[bastionpc]

[The hens are not happy that you are picking up their babies, Seimei. They will be following after you, clucking loudly and flapping their wings at you. The rooster, on the other hand, is just sitting on a fence post watching the madness.

But with enough searching, Seimei will be able to find the materials necessary for moving the chickens. Instead of tying them up, though, he could just put them in one of the many small chicken crates and just carry them that way. The slots in them are even small enough that Seimei would be able to carry the chicks in there without them escaping.

Rin, your hen is screeching and trying to flap itself out of your arms. It does not like being held.

Kaoru is standing in just the right spot that, if he looks towards the chicken coop, he will be able to look inside. And if he looks inside, he'll find an egg. It's not any normal egg, though. The shell is all black with some splotches of purple on it, and it is about the size of a basketball.]

THE FIELDS

[bastionpc]

[The fields have only just started to show a lack of care. Corn, beans, and peppers grow in each of three fields, and a fourth is partially tilled, with a large steam-powered tractor stopped right in the middle of it. There are also a couple scarecrows in the fields at various places, though they seem to have done little to keep the birds out.]

[hellpyre]

[After the chickens have been rounded up, Rin takes to the fields, chasing the birds off by swinging her sheathed sword around and making loud noises at them.

They've already been there a good length of time, and she wants to grab as much food as she possibly can before they really have to book out of there with their spoils.

The problem, though, is one - the birds, and two - getting it gathered in such a way that it's easy to carry.]

G'on! Get! Get lost, stupid birds!

[clockworknazi]

[ A loud crack fills the air from behind Rin, scaring some of the birds and resulting in one death, a puff of feathers fluttering to the ground where others rise into the air. Behind Rin, a man in a black leather coat and hat with a faceless mask stands, one arm outstretched holding an old German luger. He swivels his head slowly, staring impassively with black glass lenses at Rin while holstering the gun.

The food he ignores for the moment, instead going after the bird, turning it over slowly in his gloved hands, eventually stuffing it into one of his numerous large pockets. Finished with his gruesome task, he walks towards Rin, stopping a few feet away and staring at the half demon almost expectantly.

Kroenen had only recently been invited to Bastion, had met no one but Alucard, and when he saw so many people leaving the sanctuary, he had wanted to know for what purpose. Hunting and gathering, apparently. He had listened from around corners and behind closed doors throughout the last day or so and learned more than anyone might have told him on their own. Now he was intent on seeing things first hand, and along the way meeting those people he may very well be forced to endure for the rest of his likely very long days.

He says nothing, simply stares at Rin, curious about the child and its intentions.]

[hellpyre]

[The crack startles her badly, so much so that she ducks instinctively with her tail puffed out like a frightened cat. That wasn't Bon's pistol that fired. But then who--

Turning around to look had her facing a pair of unfamiliar boots. Her heart was already racing from the gunshot that had come so close to her, but that just made her chest tighten in fear. They weren't in the Bastion, this wasn't a protected place, and the more she looked up the more she felt not just intimidated but threatened by this looming presence.

Swallowing hard, she rose slowly, blue eyes trained on her own reflection in those lenses. Her tail, still slightly bristled, twitched behind her back, and a small hand went for the recently crafted sword at her hip rather than the red silk-covered Kurikara on her back.]

[clockworknazi]

[ Black leather boots, black leather pants, matching vest and long coat with thick gloves. Head to toe, Kroenen is the terrifying epitome of a Nazi SS officer. He bears every insignia announcing his status, and then some. For all intents and purposes, Kroenen is a physical representation of hate and fear.

And he is patiently awaiting Rin's next action.

When the half demon does little more than bristle and posture, the German gestures vaguely towards the field, then folds his hands behind his back in a standard 'at ease' position. He says nothing, does nothing, to indicate aggression. Merely watches and listens. ]

[unflattering]

[Hey Rin did you order a someone to help you carry food and scare off birds?

Well even if she didn't, Maka's here anyway.]

Shoo! Get out of here!

[Unlike Rin however, he can't be swinging his scythe at the birds, at least he can carry more stuff.]

[hellpyre]

'ey Maka!

[Even chasing birds off doesn't stop Rin from giving Maka a cheerful smile, though it does serve as enough of a distraction that one of them attempts to dive at her.

She lets out a surprised squeak when she sees it coming, batting at it hard with the closed sword, sending the annoying creature careening off course.]

... damn birds.

[unflattering]

Hey!

[...No, even if they're friends, he has to snort at that.]

I didn't know the great Okumura's natural enemy was birds!