You're From The Isle If Anybody Asks

[missrecalled_mods]

First Awareness

Those used to this by now probably knew what it meant when they felt their magic return for a moment. For the rest, suddenly their powers were back. Just for a few minutes, but a lot could be done in a few minutes. If the person even noticed their powers were back, that is.

Of course those on the shore might have seen the hazy indistinct shape through the barrier coming closer, might have seen the moment the hole in the barrier opened. Might have seen King Ben leading people down a gangplank through the barrier with crates of supplies....

Unions, Re And Otherwise

Once the supplies were unloaded, the barrier was sealed up again. King Ben seemed to be in charge during the unloading, Once the barrier was closed again, by the green magic streaming from the Queen's finger, it was Mal who seemed to be in charge.

"Alright, listen up. We have 2 hours and the clock is ticking. I'm not FG but we're keeping to a deadline anyway. If you want to come to Auradon or know someone you want us to bring back, you have 2 hours to convince us. You and everyone else, sharing the same 2 hours. Along with anyone who has a supply request for our next visit, or updates. Those of you bringing supplies to the school, time to get cracking. Two hours passes faster than midnight at the ball."

Those Who Left

(Please TL Here for boat and Auradon Shenanigans. TY)

Those What Remain

Once those going back to Auradon had left and the barrier was back in place, it was for those who remained on the Isle to sort the supplies and figure out how to get done everything that needed to be done with the people that remained.

Comments

[thinking_about_it]

"But... are we here long enough for those kinds of negotiations?" Cassidy asked, though she was clearly softening to his point.

[mist_the_point]

That reaction was not a promising one. They knew these plants, or believed they did, and clearly their presence meant nothing good. He nodded, however. "Tis not far, thankfully," he said. "But you'd likely best lean on me nonetheless. Both of you look like to be knocked over by a stiff breeze, and you don't wish to stumble when passing through the brambles."

And Foulques is out. Have fun!

[mist_the_point]

He nodded. "Until later then," he said. "If either of you are needed before the boat leaves I'll come and fetch you."

And with that, he headed back out. So much to do, and so little time...

Re: And Foulques is out. Have fun!

[ubuntu_programmer]

Ian nodded to Foulques as he left, then looked to Sun. "To start if you could find me any small screw drivers, a soldering gun, and any spare wiring you could find. Capacitors might help as well. And a penlight flash light if they are available."

[thinking_about_it]

Grey's desire to be the one to protect Cassidy warred with his desire to make sure she was safe no matter what, but also worry about unknown male. But Cassidy's safety took the priority. "You can let my wife lean on you on her other side," he said, making sure their relationship was clear.

Cassidy rolled her eyes but was more concerned about seeing these flowers than anything else.

[dualityinjest]

"I'll see you later!" He turned back from Foulques to Ian again. "And... I can try," he said, seeming more hesitant again, rays once more sinking into his head. "What's... what's a soldering gun look like?"

[ubuntu_programmer]

Ian blinked a few times at the question then sighed. "It looks like a pen with a metal tip and a plastic grip, and either a wire or a battery. Also the plastic part usually has a kick stand. It would be stored with what looks like very thin wire, probably in a coil. It is used for connecting parts on a circuit board. If anything was physically knocked loose, solder will help me secure it back down."

[dualityinjest]

"Oh! All right then. I can look for those things!" He sounded... relieved? "Um... what was all that about a boat, though?"

[ubuntu_programmer]

"A boat? You mean Foulques saying about going back before the party leaves for Auradon?" Look if they had to be surrounded by video gam characters they could be allowed to embrace the terminology.

[dualityinjest]

"...Someone's throwing a party?"

if Ian.talking == True { confusion_level += 4 }. His rays were starting to move again, very subtly, in and out of his head... was he fidgeting with those? Because it looked like he was fidgeting with those.

[ubuntu_programmer]

Ian sighed. "Party as in group."

[dualityinjest]

"Oh." The little movements in his rays stopped, and they retreated further again, his stance sinking some. "People are leaving? Huh. That's-- ....huh...." A slight pause, and those little movements returned. It was easier to see, this time, what with their tips being closer to the rim of his faceplate: they were ducking in and sliding more slowly back out in a pattern, a simple one that went around his face... a loading circle?

"I... I can go look for those parts...." His stance sank a little further, but whatever was going on in his head, he wasn't elaborating.

[ubuntu_programmer]

"Well yeah. Every time there is an Auradon trip people shuffle back and forth apparently. Trying to get people who proved themselves to Auradon, and some people like me coming here to finish a task. And thanks, the tools... and the logs... will help."

[dualityinjest]

"....'Proved' themselves...?" He turned a bit, looking up at Ian, his rays still doing their odd little bob. "What's--" He barely finished that first word, certainly didn't finish asking whatever that question would've been, and looked back to the door again, and then back to Ian. He was going to go search for things, honest! ....But... but maybe he should ask for more info first?

He didn't ask, though, just lowered his head a bit more. "I'll go look," he said, quieter, and started to head for the door.

[ubuntu_programmer]

"If you have questions about going to Auradon, you should ask the King and Queen while they're still here. But I'm not sure anyone on that side at the moment have the skills you need, so you may want to wait and see about going over when I go back."

[dualityinjest]

That got him to pause, there by the doorway, to peek back. Those rays around his head were nearly pulled all the way in. "Why? ...I mean, why would I want to go there?" His face might not have been able to change expression, but bafflement was plain enough in his tone. Look, he just hadn't heard much of anything about the place, that was all. He was so confused here....

[ubuntu_programmer]

"Better rooms with actual beds. Reliable electricity. Better food for those of us who eat, at least from the warnings I got when I said I planned to come here. Actual sunlight. Well, so I'm told, I'll admit I'm not the most outdoorsy person ever. A TV in each dorm room, and the rooms have doors that actually lock..." Ian shrugged. "The bigger question to my mind is who would want to stay here when there is a better option there? Then again, not like I could form a trivia team there, despite my trying..."

[awkward_turtleduck]

Zuko might know enough by now to realize the creature was not a spirit, but that didn't mean he was instantly at ease in its presence. Besides the strange lanky limbs, and face carved to mimic the sun, it was made of metal, and massive.

He'd forgotten about his bloody knuckles, and the creature's apparent concern over the injury was all that kept Zuko from reacting violently to the stranger's sudden approach. He tensed under the hand, but managed not to flinch. It helped the creature was on his good side.

He grit his teeth and glanced up towards its face. "You have medical supplies here? Fresh ones?"

[mist_the_point]

Foulques quirked an eyebrow. Clearly, this man was the jealous type. Fortunately though, his wife seemed to be quite used to his antics, so Foulques merely nodded, stepping up on Cassidy's other side and allowing her to settle against him. "Should either of you need to stop a moment, say so," he said as they started off. He kept his pace slower than normal in deference to both his longer stride and their weakened state. "Better to lose a bit of your pride to the admission than a bit of your flesh to the brambles."

[dualityinjest]

"...Huh." He was quiet again, but rather than saying anything else, or asking anything further, he turned and headed out of the room.

He'd be gone a good handful of minutes... and when he came back, he was crouching somewhat oddly over a mid-sized garbage can as he balanced its weight, picking it up and moving it a foot or two before stepping after it, and picking it up to do it again. At least he was apparently strong enough to not simply drop it each time.

"Hi again! I um... I don't think I saw the soldering thing," he said, uncertain, "But I was looking, and... and I realized, I don't actually know what I'm really looking for." ...So he brought all the scraps. All the bits of wire, of metal, of... was that a broken television or something?

[dualityinjest]

Metal, plastic, surfaces that glowed very faintly... whatever this weird jester was, it wasn't a born creature, and it wasn't even trying to pass for one. Those silvery joints weren't hidden, nor his head's layered construction, or the pipe-like neck that wasn't even remotely hidden from behind... nor was that big hole in his back, reaching nearly into the center of his chest, with a metal ring inside it, peeking out behind him a bit....

He was being gentle, too, making an attempt at ushering more than outright picking him up to carry him off or something... but Zuko wasn't a small child, and he wasn't in charge of him. This wasn't the Daycare. This was a teenager, in this strange run-down stone "school" building, who could use a little help....

"Well... There's some clean water. And there's a bit of cloth that's not really dirty. We can at least get it rinsed off and covered up...." He paused there; was Zuko going to come with him?

[thinking_about_it]

Cassidy nodded. "We're both willing to accept being hurt where necessary, but neither of us would put pride as making it necessary. At least usually," she said, shooting her husband the most unimpressed look.

"Protecting you isn't pride," he said, flatly. "That's my job as a member of your First Circle, my honor as your First Escort," and seeing her about to argue, he added, "And my choice as your husband."

Her mouth closed and she huffed. "If you're not going to fight fair. I'm just going to work on walking without falling over."

"Good idea," he said, winking at Foulques over her head.

[ubuntu_programmer]

He had started unpacking some but now he just stopped and stared. "I have... just so many questions right now."

[mist_the_point]

Foulques gave Grey a bit of an amused smirk at the wink, but said nothing. This sort of banter was obviously common between him and Cassidy, but he wasn't really included in it.

Fortunately, even at a slower pace, the trip through the brambles and into the courtyard didn't take long. It was the same as usual, muddy ground dotted with a few rows of 'doomstones' as it's only real feature of interest. Aside from the plants they'd come to examine of course, which remained where they had been since they appeared, the only plant life visible aside from the omnipresent brambles and a few sad clumps of still brown weeds.

"These are the plants I mentioned," Foulques said, indicating them as they approached. "There were others like them among the poisonous plants that appeared, but only these two remained when the rest vanished."

[thinking_about_it]

Cassidy stumbled as soon as she saw them. Grey, suspecting had been ready and helped hold her up and steady as she went deathly pale, her freckles standing out against her suddenly icy skin. She was trembling, but then so was Grey.

"Here too," she whispered. "Here too..."

Grey swallowed hard once, then looked to Foulques. "The bad news is that you are right, they are exceptionally poisonous, and it is a poison that is impossible to detect, and fatal. Even to a Black Widow who knows what she's doing, they can't even detect it."

"One can," Cassidy whispered. "And one Witch survived them." She swallowed hard against rising bile. She looked to Grey and said weakly. "Kiss kiss."

What he muttered probably would have been a swear word, given the tone. Here it was rendered to "Weeds."

Cassidy nodded. "It was betrayal, someone she should have been able to trust..." Tears ran down her face as she wiggled free then went to kneel beside the plant. Despite all the horrible things they were explaining she stroked one of the petals gently, delicate. She swallowed hard again, and when she spoke the words were for Foulques but spoken to the blooms. "Witchblood. It is called Witchblood. And it blooms only in two places, where a murdered witch was buried, or where her blood was spilled in violence. Not... not a small fight, lethal or near lethal damage. Someone is either buried here or," her voice cracked, "Was wounded badly here. Maybe died."

"We found a patch in the gardens at Greyhaven," Grey said softly, to Foulques, though he moved to stand behind his wife, his hands on her shoulders. "They can't be moved, they can't be killed."

Cassidy Put a hand over her husband's, her face tracked with tears that did not stop. "She called them living memento mori," she said softly. "In some cases, the only record of a life ended too soon. sharply. She swallowed hard, then shook her head. "The plants themselves are deadly if any part of them are ingested," she finally looked up at Foulques, "but they will not poison any other plants near them, nor the soil. I'd say give them a border of other flowers, or some other decorative or at least non-edible plant to keep anyone from accidentally harvesting them. But no harm will come from them just being there that is not brought with hands and either intent or negligence. But if anyone is poisoned with Witchblood." She shuddered and shook her head. "There is only one Healer I know who could heal that damage, and the only time she succeeded... the Queen she healed lost almost all use of her legs, because that was where he has to pull it out through in order to keep it from her heart and brain." She looked sick and closed her eyes.

Tears were on Grey's face as well as he squeezed her shoulders gently.