( closed ) let it snow, let it snow, let it -- yeti?!

[initiates]

Date & Time: November 27th - December 5th, 3313
Location: Spaceshuttle, Winter Wonderland Exsilium
Characters: All those on the official scouting mission to Exsilium.
Summary: The Transports send down a collection of their own in order to investigate the whys of the sudden drop in radiation on the island, and to locate the Initiative.
Warnings: Please PM the mod account should anything in this log go into graphically violent territory.
Notes: You know the drill! Specify dates and times in subject lines, set up as many scenarios as you like, and for information on if a run-in with Exiles will net your character(s) a chance to talk with or make contact with the Initiative, ask over here!

The satellite imagery AI was able to capture and download onto tablets doesn't speak adequately to the pristine, chill landscape the space ship descends into under cloaking technology. The crystalline landscape is almost beautiful, stark brights and shadows turning the countryside into something soft, alien, and deadly. Winter has arrived, in a way some may be familiar with, and to others, may be entirely new.

The ship is a mile out from the largest identified gathering of heat signatures and power structures, in a city built over part of what once was London, formerly known as Exsilium to the Transports. There is no Eye of London to be found, only a partial tower that stands suspiciously close to where Big Ben once stood. The river Thames remains present, but the built up structures, the identifiers of "modern" Exsilium are all gone, lost and buried underneath the snows if ever they existed.

This is not a friendly landscape, though the people are friendly enough, should you not go out of your way to offend them or display your alien natures.

Find the Initiative. Take stock of the landscape. Report back what you can. Scouts, you are our best hope in understanding this new landscape.

Good luck.

Comments

29TH.

[lucency]

[ belle misses her cloak.

granted, she's warm. she's got gloves and her equipment certainly do the job of keeping the chill out (except that one time that snow got in her shoes, but she took that more as a lesson in sledding responsibly), which, frankly, suits her more when the goal here is to explore. investigate. both of those. but there's still some drearily romantic part of her that would definitely acknowledge that her cloak would look charming and mysterious against the white backdrop that they've found themselves in. she does not voice this.

it doesn't take belle long to get to her job, documenting the trip as best she can on her tablet the instant she finds anything exciting. the ditr will be interested, she knows, and she considers it part of her job. she's seen the penguins, seen the sled dogs, suspects something in the ice - and it's only the second day of the trip. hot springs are yet to be determined.

forests, however, are not. she keeps to herself today (she thinks), wandering through her former planet not quite as awestruck as she's been lately, but with enough curiosity to keep her occupied. she ducks through a low-hanging branch - or attempts to. she makes to move under, but a low rumble through the forest causes her to shoot back up and bump her head on the wood. snow falls onto her face and she scurries to wipe it from her eyes.

when she catches a glimpse of her first yeti, it's a white ball of fur and claws. she sees one of its hands. are those hands? she's going to call them hands. her first instinct is to lean forward, expression incredulous, before scurrying back behind a tree. ]

A snow monster? [ she whispers it to no one in particular, and the next second she's fumbling for her tablet in her pocket and searching for some kind of camera function. can it do that? it needs to do that. she won't kill it - won't harm it - won't even interrupt it, but some sort of documentation has to be made.

if it shuffles closer through the snow, she keeps still (tense, but still). ]

[aequivoci]

[ Unfortunately for Belle, she won't hear the approaching footsteps of a fellow Transport until he's right next to her. A golden ball with a tail circles around him several times before settling in the front of his coat.

Many apologies in advance as he starts speaking as if he didn't just appear from thin air. ]

Not something you would want to tangle with, especially with those claws.

[lucency]

[ she does not jump a foot in the air. she does not jump a foot in the air.

belle jumps a foot in the air and then scurries to find her footing back in the snow, biting her lip to keep from yelling out as to not interrupt the furry beast behind her. she takes a frantic glance behind her, and then back to the other transport - wherever he came from, eyes wide. ]

Have you seen one before?!

[aequivoci]

[ Cross expected that and kind of feels sorry for doing that to her.

Kind of.

Once she's back to being composed, he nods his head as he looks back towards the creature in question. ]

Yesterday, actually. I doubt it's the same one, but another one from a group of several.

[lucency]

There's more than one? [ which, frankly, is kind of a silly question. but then again, she's never seen one of these before - but if trolls and ogres have groups, then why shouldn't furry snow monsters? she takes a peek back at it. ] Do they - do they travel in packs?

[ do the yetis have large talons ]

[aequivoci]

Yes; not sure. I haven't focused on them enough.

[ Not when the animals by and under the ice are so much more interesting. ]

Shall we get closer?

[ Is he aiming to give her a heart attack of sorts?



Yes. ]

[lucency]

[ this is gonna be grand. she's not entirely sure she wants to exactly sneak up on the thing, but getting closer could be fun! where's the harm in it? belle bites her lip before turning to him again and saying nothing, holds a finger to her mouth in a gesture to be quiet. she attempts to sneak out from behind the tree with slow, quiet steps. ]

[aequivoci]

[ Oh, Belle, you beautiful, paranoid thing.

At least she actually wants to get closer! Adventure!!

He simply walks normally, not caring that he steps on a branch every now and then. ]

If you stay by me, you don't have to do that, miss. It won't see or hear us.

[lucency]

[ she stops midstep before turning to him, eyebrows knitted together, head tilted. ]

You - did appear out of thin air, didn't you? I - at least, you seemed to.

[aequivoci]

I did and did not. The spell I used to conceal my presence was dropped it once I was near you.

[lucency]

A spell? [ this is belle being conflicted about magic use. she takes a glance to the yeti, then back to him once more. ] Does it wear off automatically?

[aequivoci]

[ Welp, he bathes in magic. Sorry, darling. ]

No. I make it wear off when I want it to.

[lucency]

And you're - you're saying we use it to approach the creature? [ she gestures toward it with a wary look. this may or may not be the best or worst idea and she needs some clarification. ]

[aequivoci]

It won't see or hear us as long as you remain by me. How do you think you didn't hear or see me before I appeared "out of thin air?" [ He may or may not be teasing her... ]

[lucency]

[ just a frown. he's totally teasing her. that's not cool. ]

There are other directions that don't involve going by it.

[aequivoci]

[ It is so cool and she'll recover from it. ]

But those aren't fun either. Come, let's continue before it is long gone. [ And he will offer his arm to her like the gentleman he is. ]

[lucency]

[ she's about to go for it. she really is. she's got this. except she doesn't, and she hesitates for a moment. ]

How do I know you won't drop the glamor once we've gotten closer?

[aequivoci]

[ He shakes his head. Silly girl with silly doubts. ]

I wouldn't put a lady in danger.

[lucency]

[ totally legitimate doubts, excuse u. she doesn't know him. so that explains the wary look. but, you know. spirit of adventure, and all of that. ]

Alright.

[ she reaches for his arm. ]

[aequivoci]

[ Spirit of adventure and all of that indeed.

He grins as she takes his arm, and that winged golden ball from earlier? He's now leaving Cross's coat to circle around this female companion. Hello, stranger! ]

This is Timcanpy, and my name is Cross.

[lucency]

Ah - Belle.

[ she keeps her eyes trained on timcampy as he circles around her. ]

Is - that the spell?

[aequivoci]

A pleasure, Belle.

[ Tim's tail flicks as he watches Belle watching him intently, before he decides to just float in front of her. ]

No, he is a golem. The spell is already activated — you just can't see it.

[lucency]

Oh. [ she looks down, slightly embarrassed at her own mistake. ]

Do we just - do we walk?

[ magic is sometimes weird, okay. ]

[aequivoci]

[ He could see how she would mistake Tim for a spell. He is kind of a spell, so to speak... ]

We just walk. The yeti won't hear or see a thing.

[lucency]

[ and so, belle starts to walk. in spite of herself, she still tries to keep her steps quiet, darting back once she foolishly steps on a twig, but the yeti doesn't so much as move.

in fact, it seems to be trying to find a place to sleep. curiously, belle watches as it kind of - flops back onto the ground, the trees even rustling from the weight.

belle turns back to cross, frowning, as if to ask, is that normal? ]