the_isle | Killer app

As the sudden influx of cacti began to fade, Yen Sid passed word among the residents of the Isle that he would soon have an announcement. And later that afternoon, when any who cared to listen had gathered in his classroom, he held up his hands to signal for their attention the- by now somewhat tattered- sleeves of his blue robe swishing dramatically to add to the gesture. Which was partly why he'd done it to begin with.

"Thank you for coming," he said. "As some of you may be aware, I've been attempting to devise a solution to our- if you'll excuse the pun- thorny problem. And after much research I'm pleased to announce that I believe I've found just such a solution in the form of a chemical solution." He held up a vial of pale blue liquid that had been sitting on his desk. "An enhanced defoliant, or to put it in less technical terms, an unusually powerful weed killer. All that remains is to test it, then, should it work, to produce sufficient quantity for our needs. Which is why I've called all of you here."

"I don't suppose I need to tell you all that time is of the essence. the cactus fruit has been fading with the cactus vines themselves, our food supplies are nearly exhausted; we must gain access to the docks - and thus a reliable source of fish- without delay." There may be some other canned goods and such that could be scavenged as well, but fish was the only certainty, and he didn't wish to raise false hopes. "Unfortunately, it would take some time to produce sufficient solution if I were working alone. Having several additional pairs of hands and willing minds, however, would accelerate the process considerably. So if any of you are willing, I urge you to lend your assistance to this endeavor. I need a brave soul to test the chemical, and should it work, I need all willing hands to help us brew more it. We will need people to watch and time it as it can be made only in small batches at a time."

(OOC note: this will be a single thread for all who are interested in the experiment. So long as you do not tag yourself, feel free to tag in as much as you wish.)

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She was pretty sure her squareness gun was all the answer they needed, but she didn't mention it any more now than she had so far. But her smile was almost a warning sign as her eyes twinkled. "A brave soul?" She sounded amused. "I've done far more dangerous things than dance with a little chemical concoction. Can't be any worse than my husband's attempts at making coffee. Consider that job claimed."

Besides, actually brewing the stuff seemed dull. And she was almost as bad in her boredom as the Doctor was.

"I'm no alchemist," Foulques said. "But I can follow instructions well enough if I'm told what needs done. Though in return for my help, I would ask your assistance in a personal matter. I managed to cut one of the thorns free from those cursed brambles to serve as a spearhead, and the mockery of a weapon I currently have could readily be turned into a bare shaft, but I lack the means to combine the two. I require an adhesive strong enough to serve that function and stand up to general use. Promise me that you will make me such, and you will have all the help I can provide."

"It is to everyone's benefit to make this work. Would you tie your aid in something that will help us all to a bargain? Or shall you help, and ask once we are done for the aid you request. Without deals and trades?" The professor was hoping to get the lad to think of why he was here, and show that he should not be, when such an opportunity presented itself.

"I wouldn't call myself brave really, but it wouldn't be the first time I've been a guinea pig anyway." Louie chimed in. "I know my way around a cauldron too. I'm not a master or anything, but you could say it runs in the family." He added with a roguish grin, younger and perhaps a bit more innocent than the Shadow Man's smile, but cut from a similar cloth none the less.

"Oh, some fun things run in my family too," River said. She smiled at the kid with a wink. "Not sure I've seen you around before. Hello, I'm River. Speaking of things that run," she added, her eyes twinkling.

"Can't say I've seen you before either, ma'am. I'm Louis Facilier, Louie to my friends." The youth offered with a flourish of his top hat, rolling it down his arm like a basketball before giving a flourished bow to River.

"A pleasure to meet you, Louie. Facilier like our headmaster? Or just an unfortunate coincidence?"

"No one in my family is a teacher, let alone some headmaster." Louie replied, though, at the same time, his tall, thin frame was in many ways quite similar to the headmaster of course.

"Names can be odd," she said with a smile. "After all, two people unrelated can share a last name, and yet married couples might not share with each other, or their kid." That said she wasn't buying it. But she could play along. "Want to work together with me on mixing this stuff? Less boring when we're not alone..."

"Many hands make light labor." Louie said with a smile.
"As for names, indeed they can be. Could be interesting to meet the person who shares my name though, not many Faciliers that I know of. Louie isn't all that uncommon though, I suppose." The rogue said with a playful chuckle.

Xion was lurking at the edges. Work... she understood. That this would help her get to Axel... she thought it would. But she wasn't good at working with others if those others weren't her friends, and she didn't like to be seen. So she listened, and then gathered what she could of what was needed, leaving it for people when their backs were turned then darting away.

She really wanted her Dark Corridors back.

But since when has what she wanted ever mattered?

While Louie and River talked, Foulques collected ingredients off of shelves too high for most of the others to reach while he continued his conversation with Yen Sid. "A proper spear could be used in hunting and fishing," he said. "Since one of our main goals in this endeavor is to secure a ready source of food, that would certainly benefit us all. And with a proper spear I could also defend myself and others from any dangerous beasts that may lurk beyond the briars. This mockery of a weapon can do none of those things, unless the creatures of this world are wont to laugh themselves to death."

"Most people of this world can name at least three," he said to Louie. He noticed Xion but decided not to call attention to her. So he focused on Foulques. "There is merit in that," he agreed. He considered for a moment. "I may have an idea. And we may be able to find what we need at the end of this path we seek to open."

(OOC: sorry for the delay, didn't realize that it didn't alert me if it wasn't a direct reply. I'm keeping a better eye on this moving forward.)

"Oh?" Louie replied with a raised eyebrow.
If he noticed Xion's contribution, the Louisianian didn't show it, instead just taking what was proffered. He did, however, keep an ear on Foulques' conversation. Making, or gathering, a weapon? Dangerous, but he did agree it could be useful.

"Quite," he said to Louie. "I would be surprised had you not met one of them already," he said, raising a single brow.

"Only one I ever met had a bit of a ghastly end, as I understand it." Louie answered, both a half-truth and not really a lie.

"That would be true of many of the people native to this world that you will find on the Isle, I suspect."

"Right, purgatory. Still trying to figure out how I might have met my end. Last I remember, I'd been walking home without a care in the world. Next I knew, smacked my head on the tackiest fake grave ever, pricked myself on one of these thorns we're dealing with, and had a brief meeting with Monsigniore Foulques. The rest, I suppose, is history."

"Ah, perhaps it was explained to you poorly. While many here have died and have been brought back, that is by no means the caee for everyone."

"It was just an assumption I'd been putting together from what I'd learned so far. Seemed kinder and more likely than some twisted prank that sucked up the living and the dead to some munched up..." Louie sighed at the wording, his face briefly annoyed, "world without basic supplies. If I'm wrong, I'm happy to be wrong, I'd much rather be alive and in whatever messed up place this is than dead and waiting to pay off whatever debt I had before getting to see Saint Pete and his Pearlies. Got too much living left to do for that."

"You take being wrong better than some I could name," River said with a smile and a gleam in her eyes. "And we're going to do our best to make sure all of you still get to live your fullest."

"Live and learn, no use getting all upset over something you can't change. Save that for the things you can or you're just going to end up in an early grave full of misery and your own dumb choices if you ask me." The youth replied. Absently, he wondered how his dad, the dead one that used to haunt him, might respond if he was still there listening. Instead, he had to reserve that revelation for when, because he knew it was a when not an if, the man here heard his words. He figured it was a 50/50 split if it would annoy the Shadow Man or amuse him. Maybe both even. Regardless, the thought gave him a slight smirk at the thought.

"Wise words for one so young," Foulques said. Perhaps if he himself had lived by them, he would not have met the end he did in his own world. But that was neither here nor there at present.

"But none of us shall be able to live to the fullest- or, eventually, at all- unless this endeavor succeeds. So we would do well to focus on making certain that it does. Tell me, is there aught that's needed for this concoction that you do not already have here in the classroom?"

Yen Sid nodded. "However, this formulation was calculated based upon what we have access to. Here is a copy of the list of what we need more of. Be cautious in collecting it."

Foulques took the list, looking it over. He wasn't certain how any of these things could be combined into a concoction that would serve their purpose, but then he was no alchemist. "Collecting these shouldn't pose any great difficulty," he said. "You'll have what you need before the day is out."