(open) mission: hit the beach

[aithinkthereforeaiam]

Date & Time: July 18th-24th, Exsilium Time
Location: Sea Shore during the Late Cretaceous Period
Characters: All! Oh those pesky mandatory missions.
Summary: In lieu of the success of the space shuttle's test flight, all of the Transports have been sent back to the Cretaceous period to gather mineral supplies and volcanic rock, while doubling as a sort of 'vacation' and chance to get Transports out of the Initiative's hair. With well stocked supplies, camping gear, and more burlap sacks than anyone could possibly ever use, the Transports have been set under a protective dome and told to collect what they can... and to enjoy the sunshine.
Warnings: Shenanigans!

The overflow log can be found HERE!

It's almost surreal, the quality of color, of light, of oxygen saturation in the air once people arrive. It's so rich that the Initiative sent people back with respirators, to help ease the transition, and warned those who would listen about the effects of too much oxygen on a system.

What they don't warn for is the sheer alien familiarity of the landscape, the warmth, the roughness of the sand on the beaches. This is not the fine, sandy beaches out of vacation dreams, but a rougher, larger granule sort, with shells that might be recognizeable as ancestors to ones those from Earth would remember washing up on familiar beaches, millions of years later.

Most striking is the lack of abundant wildlife found among the fronds and leaves and foliage, or underneath the surface of the saltier, much warmer waters extending off the beach. While acting as a permeable membrane to oxygen and water, along with the sorts of phytoplankton that kept sea creatures alive, all the larger animals had been pushed out by the Initiative's installment of the safety dome. Along the transparent walls, curious creatures would come close, peer in, tap against the barrier and run off if frightened, but very few were found inside at any size larger than that of a house cat. It was for the better in the long run.

Too bad that the Initiative didn't have ultra-violet blocking technology in their shielding. For all the atmosphere is in much better shape millions of years in the past, the sun is as strong as ever, and the unwary will be burned through and through if they're not careful.

Comments

Re: Asuka Langley Soryu | Open!

[observesthings]

"I guess because we'd get too comfortable with it," Yukki answers, coming to sit next to her. He sits down cross-legged, clad in a (rather long) pair of swimming trunks, and a plain, white T-shirt. Oddly enough, he had no backpack, or even any kind of luggage. Who knew why?

"It's nice to see you actually enjoy yourself for once... I was kind of worried the last time we talked." And was he ever; she looked like she was on the verge of panic. How could he not be? She had never been anything but nice to him, even if, in some ways, she kind of reminded him of Yuno. Only, y'know... without the sharp and/or pointy objects.

[redheadcarrier]

"Worried? Why?" Asuka scowls and then haughtily lifts her chin, eye pressed shut as she tries to look dignified (she just looks a bit bratty) and lifts a hand to flick Yukki's temple.

"It'll take more then some stupid bombs to get the better of me!"

Of course, at the time she'd been ready to climb the walls, but see if she'd admit that now.

[observesthings]

He flinches as she flicks the side of his head, raising his hand to his temple to rub where she flicked him. "Because I didn't want you to get hurt..."

As stubborn as always. He doesn't press the issue further. She's fine, that's all that's important.

"Don't you swim?"

[redheadcarrier]

"Duh, of course I swim! Just not right now!" She laughs - yeah, she's in a good mood. She's still going to (kinda) pick on him a bit. it's how she celebrates her good moods, after all. She leans over toward him, getting into his personal space with a wide grin.

"Why? Were you hoping to see me in something skimpy?"

[observesthings]

He can tell. It's nice to see her finally able to relax. Honestly, he's almost used to her teasing now; it was different than Yuno's clinginess, Minene's abrasiveness, or Murumuru's trolling, but in a way, it was funny.

... until, of course, she gets to that. "W-What!? No!" He's blushing, and he knows it. "I-- I don't think of-- I have a girlfriend!"

[redheadcarrier]

"You don't have to deny it, I know I'm a beautiful young woman!" OK, so maybe she's mostly doing this to watch him squirm. She can still stroke her own ego while she's at it. She pauses and then leans in even closer as she watches his face turn bright red.

"You have a girlfriend? Really?"

[observesthings]

Well, to disagree with her on that point would have been a blatant lie. Asuka is beautiful, there was absolutely no denying that. But at the same time... well... if in the off-chance Yuno did show up here, the last thing he wanted was for that to inevitably blow up.

"Yeah... her name is Yuno."

[redheadcarrier]

Asuka settles back on her elbows, out of Yukki's personal space. At least for now, anyway.

"What's she like? You're like the last person I would've thought would have a girlfriend, though."

She picks up a pebble and flicks it toward the water absent-mindedly.

[observesthings]

As she leans back, he can't help the bit of relief he feels. Asuka was undeniably attractive, but some habits don't die easily, with or without the poster child for 'yandere' around.

"She's..." He was about to say, until she made that comment. In a way, she was right; before Yuno, he barely had any friends, let alone a girlfriend. He was a socially awkward loser who was in no extracurricular activities, and whose grades were mediocre at best.

"She's... well, nobody ever cared about me as much as she did." His father was a deadbeat drunk who never spent any time with him, and his mother was a work-a-holic who was rarely ever home, but that wasn't really her fault. A lot of business trips. "And she saved my life several times. Even if... well... she did it violently."

And she had an absolutely legendary jealousy streak combined with paranoia, but he won't mention that.

[redheadcarrier]

"Well, I guess she sounds like a keeper..." Asuka shrugs and picks up another pebble and tosses it toward the water again. She doesn't know Yuno, doesn't know what Yukki's feelings are toward her - tha tdoesn't mean she's going to stop teasing, but she might tone it down a little.

"You think that she'll show up here? Would you want her to?"

Asuka wouldn't wish the place on many people. It's stupid and complicated, but she'd still rather be here (and alive) then back home.

[observesthings]

Yukki slowly nods. It's not an easy question to answer. He loves Yuno, but he'd have to be stupid not to know what she's likely to do once she got here, and found out about all of his friends... particularly the female ones.

"I miss her, yeah." Of course he does. It's been months since he's seen her. "But if she did, well... I'd have to talk with her for a while."

[redheadcarrier]

Continued here!