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

Foulques OTA

[mist_the_point]

First Awareness

As was often the case, Foulques was out fishing. This, thankfully put him in a prime position to spot the approaching shape that could only be the boat. For those who might not recognize it however, Foulques abandoning his fishing earlier than usual might seem strange. He would answer questions if asked, but would be in a bit of a rush. There were things to gather and prepare before the young King and his cohorts arrived, and once they did, time would be limited.

Unions, Re And Otherwise

Foulques wasted no time approaching Ben and Mal. He gave them a nod by way of greeting before speaking up. "There are a number of matters I wish to discuss, but the first and most urgent is this," he said. "Have you any healers among your group? Some time ago, Professor Yen Sid was gravely injured in what we have evidence to indicate was an attempt on his life via sabotage. Chell and I have cared for him as best we are able, but though his visible wounds have healed, he has yet to regain consciousness. He is not a young man, and and I suspect that you need not be told that each day that passes without him waking increases the likelihood that he may never. If there is ought that any of you can do..."

Re: Foulques OTA

[fallen_child]

First Awareness

Chara had probably been with Foulques when the boat was spotted. Seeing him get up to abandon his fishing, the small child reached up to grab his sleeve. "What's wrong?"

Who did Chara have to kill for upsetting big brother?

[mist_the_point]

He sleeve was in fact a gauntlet, but that made it no less grabbable. He pointed out to sea, indicating the approaching shape that could be seen through the barrier. "You see that shape approaching, yes?", he said. "Unless I'm greatly mistaken, that is the boat carrying the young King Ben and his cohorts from the mainland. They will only be here for a relatively short time when they arrive, so there are things that must be gathered and prepared before they do."

[fallen_child]

".... They're the humans you mentioned? And they're coming to attack us?" the child asked, afraid, stepping closer, but also trying to move in front a little. To protect Foulques, amusing as that thought might be to anyone else. Chara took it seriously.

[mist_the_point]

He scoffed at that. "I'd say the opposite is far more likely," he said. "But while it's true that most of them are human, or at least appear to be so, they have no intention of attacking us. In fact they'll likely be bringing certain supplies; I'm hoping for some tools to help us better clear away those cursed thorns, and perhaps some soap, among other things."

"Regardless of their race, however, they are guests, and I expect them to be treated with the respect that guests are due. Is that clear?"

[fallen_child]

Chara's small form was shaking. "I... I won't let them hurt you or Chell or Moon or anyone...."

[mist_the_point]

"As I said, they mean us no harm," he said. "Their intent is to help. In fact, speaking of Moon, I intend to ask if any among their number might be able to help him and restore him to his right mind. Or at the very least if they might be able to craft a proper piece to cover the back of his head."

[fallen_child]

"Humans don't help monsters like us..." whispered. Chara let go of Foulques to hunch in and rub at their wrist absently

[mist_the_point]

"These humans do, and they have," he said. "They provided the blankets and warm clothing that we've been using, and the popoto plants that we harvested those we've been eating from."

Re: Foulques OTA

[missrecalled_npcs]

Concern on both of their faces appeared when he mentioned that the Professor was hurt, and only got worse as he spoke.

"If I come to help, can you bring him here? Anyone who might be able to heal would probably need to be outside the barrier to heal..." Ben started.

Mal nodded. "If he was hurt by someone else on the Isle, it is possible their goal was to get us to leave the barrier open longer than usual. Taking him out to care for him on the boat makes more sense than taking that risk. If it is safe to move him."

[mist_the_point]

Foulques nodded. "I'll take you to where we've been keeping him," he said. "We thought it best to hide him away, lest any of the other so called teachers here might be inclined to finish what the explosion started."

"And not moving him would likely be far greater a risk, under the circumstances. Besides, he'll likely sustain far less dame when carried between us than he may have during his initial rescue; I didn't have the luxury of taking the time to be gentle when hauling him to relative safety."

*damage?

[missrecalled_npcs]

Ben nodded. "Lead on. Unless he put on a lot of weight since I saw him last, I can carry him myself if you can watch my back."

...Yeah damage. X3

[mist_the_point]

The barest of smirks. "I forget that you're stronger than you look,", he said, recalling now the ease with which the young man had shifted his young queen when last they met. But he nodded. "Follow me."

He headed back along the path toward the school, knowing Ben would follow. As the passed through the path that had been cut through the briars, he spoke again. "I would be remiss if I didn't mention the efforts of River Song and Sun in investigating the explosion that injured the professor," he said. "In fact, were it not for River, I would have never thought to investigate it at all." He frowned. "Our would-be assassin was clever, choosing a method that was likely to be put down to a mere slip of the hand, or the general poor quality of the available equipment."

Re: ...Yeah damage. X3

[missrecalled_npcs]

"I am familiar with Professor Song, of course. She came back to Auradon briefly. I do not believe I have met Sun, however," he said as he made a mental note to thank those two for their part in the protection of the older teacher.

[mist_the_point]

"He arrived after your last visit," Foulques said. "Luckily he's rather difficult to miss, so you'll likely encounter him while you're here." A tall, gangly mammet with a grinning sun mask for a face tended to stand out if he was anywhere nearby, after all.

"A few of the other matters I wish to discuss pertain to him, actually. But they can wait until we've taken care of the Professor."

[missrecalled_npcs]

"Alright. Anything you need to say, I want to hear." He just hoped they had time for everything. Professor Yensid being injured was unwelcome news indeed.

[mist_the_point]

"You needn't take on part of everyone's tasks, you know," he said as they passed through the courtyard and headed into the school itself. Ben might notice that the halls were, for a wonder, trash-free, even if the walls- and parts of the ceiling and floor- were still covered in graffiti. "Under normal circumstances, I'm certain you have ministers and the like. And even now, those among you no doubt have a variety of skills that could be set loose on certain issues."

visit's end?

[elvendryad]

It was toward the very end of the Isle visit that Chell sought out Foulques. "Brother," he started, some odd look on his face... a bit of a smile, a bit of... what was it, some sort of mild excitement, like he was going to be up to something, as he stepped up closer to him. "The flavors I have not yet done correctly... when the barrier opens again, hold them firmly in your mind. Focus on them. I wish to know directly from you what it is you would have me make, while words' inadequacy is not an obstacle."

[mist_the_point]

Foulques wasn't surprised that Chell approached him as the visit drew to a close, but he was surprised at what he requested, quirking an eyebrow. "You mean to... peer into my mind?", he said. "Are you certain? Tis often not a pleasant place to be. There are times that I wish that even I could be elsewhere, though that's obviously not possible."

[elvendryad]

That actually got a little laugh from Chell, and he put a hand gently on the lancer's shoulder, on the armor there. "We already established that you are no monster... and you have but to focus on whatever it is you would like me to know, for me to hear." He glanced back to the group that was readying to leave briefly, and then looked back to Foulques. "Surely you have an idea of what you'd have me know how to make better...?"

[mist_the_point]

Foulques made a thoughtful sound. He still wasn't especially comfortable with the idea of someone else looking into his mind, regardless of the reason, but any objections he could think of sounded either childish or cowardly. "Very well," he said after a moment. "Though fair warning, I've never done such a thing before. It may not be so smooth a process as you hope."

[elvendryad]

He shook his head, still smiling. "Most never have, or ever do." A glance back at the people gathering to leave -- Mallia glanced back and gave a little wave, and he raised a hand briefly to her in return, and then took a breath and looked back to Foulques, waiting.

Any time now... Aaaaany time....

When they did open the barrier to leave again... it was a bit less dramatic than one might have been expecting. If Foulques hadn't been anticipating it, he might've even missed it at first -- a sense of Chell's presence there near him, on much the same sort of level of awareness that sometimes smaller clues could have amounted to, even without having consciously noted him standing there.

But what, exactly, came across might or might not have been any surprise whatsoever: while Chell's attention was turned toward Foulques, he wasn't pushing at all... more that it seemed his attention was... waiting? And he was about as calm as ever... discounting, at least, that bit of what seemed a mix of hope and mild excitement -- anticipation? It was enough to know he was looking forward to whatever the lancer might decide to try showing him, at any rate.

And if said lancer tried it... he might find that Chell's abilities worked both ways. While Chell's attention was on this particular task, if Foulques wanted to try getting a better look at him, in a sense... he very well could.

[mist_the_point]

Truth be told, Foulques wasn't sure what he'd expected, only that the actual sensation of Chell touching his mind wasn't anything like it. Indeed, the first thing Chell might pick up was Foulques trying to figure out how to classify it. The heaviness in the air before a rainstorm? No, that was a bit too ominous. The lingering scent of perfume or food that had been in the room but was now several bells gone? No, this was more present. An animal waiting for a treat from its master? Unflattering, perhaps, but closer...

Then that was abruptly shoved aside as he recalled that their time was limited, as he chided himself for wasting time. This was followed by a sensation rather like the pages of a book being rapidly flipped through, or a collection of disorganized papers shuffled about as Foulques searched his memory for relevant plant tastes, textures, and appearances. Herbs like marjoram, highland parsley and oregano, Galago mint, chamomile, chives, mugwort, thyme, midland basil, and desert saffron. Spices like dragon peppers, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and black pepper. Vegetables like Garlean garlic, jade peas, laurel, ramhorn zucchini, paprika, salt leeks, wild onions, millioncorn, Cieldalaes spinach, cinderfoot olives, wizard eggplants, and Coerthan carrots. Fruits like sun lemons, bloodcurrants, faerie and mirror apples, alligator pears, kukuru beans, La Noscean oranges, lowland grapes, ogre pumpkins, pixie plums, rolanberries, and ruby tomatoes.

Lastly, various kinds of nuts, beans, grains, and lentils, with particular attention being paid to mun-tuy beans, both the beans themselves and the products that could be made from them. A pleasantly nutty-tasting sort of drink rather like milk, called mun-tuy milk or just mun-tuy. Mun-tuy sauce, however, was quite different and was made by fermenting the beans with salt and other ingredients, producing a salty, brownish liquid that was a popular condiment in the Twelveswood. And in sufficient quantity, the beans themselves could be dried and ground into flour or meal and used to make bread, though he noted that the last use was only common among Duskwights.

All this was hurriedly shoved in Chell's direction. Not exactly roughly, but with an urgency that was a rather sharp contrast to Chell's patient anticipation.

[elvendryad]

And Foulques could feel the subtle change in Chell's mood as he mulled it over at first -- just a small hint of fond amusement. It was hardly judgmental... he didn't quite reply to him, but for what felt like a subtle confirmation: yes, he was here; they were here; he saw him. Felt him? He'd been right: words so often were inadequate, and this was bypassing all of that. A quiet yes, at any rate. Perhaps of interest for the lancer for later, would be the complete lack of objection about that latter comparison -- but also what seemed to be a slightly different understanding of it. What it was, though, exactly, he might have to ask later.

The rush of ideas about plants seemed to surprise Chell a bit, but he quickly fell into trying to focus as it was presented to him. He'd been expecting perhaps one or two, or maybe even three or four -- but this was something else. He was impressed, though -- it was new, it was interesting! -- and there was so much of it!

By the time Foulques had paused, he might be able to note something else... that for all that Chell maintained he'd been of a people not much unlike most others, there was something else present, some sort of... other...? A discipline, a practice, a pattern that felt not quite like what he might be used to thinking of as, well, what thought patterns and memory were ordinarily like, at least for him. This was something methodical, something organized... something reflexive... alien, almost? The echo of the ents Chell was so used to, enough so that he was falling into their patterns to keep up, grabbing hold of what he could of each of those ideas presented to him, trying to categorize and sort them--

And there was something else, some idle, distracted part of Chell's attention that was rather plainly -- in deliberately obvious sight, it seemed, struggling to call up a memory, but needing help with it: something faded and secondhand, mostly-forgotten, a memory so old it seemed to come from many lifetimes previous... how old was he? Or perhaps, how old were some of the notions, like this one, that he was carrying? ...of somewhat-similar produce from people he could barely remember. This one was something like small nuts at the end of stalks of grass, which was then crushed...? No, that wasn't quite right, but some part of a thread of what he'd just been shown was tugging at it. Perhaps it was that last one, the notion of being ground fine and made into something softer, the bread... had it been bread? Or a cooked cereal, perhaps...? He wasn't sure; if he'd ever known, it was so long ago....

[mist_the_point]

The methodical nature of Chell's thoughts brought to mind the visions he'd seen from Sun and Moon's perspective. It was hardly identical, of course, but something about the methodical nature of it, each thought a distinct piece of information laid out neatly like... well like a tree's growth rings struck him as more similar to the information that had scrolled by from the mammet's point of view. As opposed to his own thoughts, which were much more disorganized, flowing from one to the next almost unbidden, which was partly how he'd pulled so much memory of edible flora together so quickly.

As he examined the faint and faded memory of Chell's- from how log ago, there was no way to tell, but far longer than what he would consider a normal lifetime-, it brought back memories of his own, not nearly so distant as Chell's but still faint and faded with time. The enticing and faintly nutty smell of baking bread filling the kitchen of a little stone cottage as a tall, slim woman stirred a pot on the nearby stove. Her skin and hair were the same colors as his, though her hair was significantly longer and sleeker, woven into a single braid that reached to the middle of her back. My mother, Capucine, he instantly identified her.

More memories of her followed, all warm and affectionate, but tinged with sorrow. Her looking up from working in her little garden outside the cottage, dappled sunlight dancing over her as her face broke into a bright smile that lit up her gold eyes. Her working at the cottage's kitchen table laden with various dried herbs and fruits, glancing at a recipe book before adding a few herbs to a mortar for grinding. Her kneeling in prayer before a delicately carved wooden figurine of a beautiful woman. The goddess Nophica, The Matron, another instant identification.

His mother had been very devout, he recalled, her faith giving her joy in the good times, comfort in the bad ones. He wondered if she'd turned to the Matron as Dalamud had burned red in the sky, growing larger and more baleful by the day? A brief image of a sky with two moons, one much like the one Chell would know, and the other smaller, but glowing an ominous red... And before he can turn from it, the fleeting image of a dragon. No, not a dragon, but an avatar of pure rage in the form of one. Enormous and black, raining fire and death. Bahamut. The Dreadwyrm. The Twelveswood left burning in its wake, and in the wake of the fire...

A pile of charred rubble where once had stood a little stone cottage. A few pieces still smoldering. The air acrid with the smell of burning, of charred wood and stone and flesh... And heavy with loss and despair.

A wince that Chell would both see and feel as Foulques ruthlessly shoved the memory away. "Apologies," he said aloud. "I hadn't meant for my mind to stray to thoughts of the Calamity, but I doubt any who lived in Eorzea then could truly separate the memory of their loved ones from how they were lost."