fablelands | I can show you the world

Entry tags:

I can show you the world

Who: Bucky Barnes (

sinistral) and YOU
What: ~*~exploration~*~
Where: all over the island
When: late November/early December (after the November relocation of residents and before the December event)
Why: to ICly explore the sleep mechanic mentioned in the November update, to ICly explore a little more of the island, to provide a framework for people to interact with each other and discuss the island and their being there, and to just promote interactions. I am so open and flexible for anything so if there's something you want to try and you're not quite sure let me know and I'd be glad to brainstorm! Feel free to use this post to interact with each other as well, I'm totally cool with that.
How: I'm going to have prompts for several days and several directions of exploration. Characters are free to accompany Bucky on his wanderings, interact via shard, or just ignore him. I'm not setting exact days for anything (other than the general time frame noted above) so I'm totally okay with saying that each prompt/location exploration happened more than once and/or sometimes he's wandering alone and sometimes with company. There's also a generic/locationless prompt if you want a little more flexibility without worrying about the scenery. I've written action prompts as prose and shard prompts as brackets, but I honestly have no preference of one over the other and will match whatever you prefer!
Warnings: nothing in the prompts! If something comes up it'll be flagged in comment headers ~~guys if you write triggery things, flag it in the comment headers~~

NORTHERN DRIFTS
→ Action

He'd arrived here, so going north seemed a logical choice for exploration. It's cold of course but Bucky's more prepared for it this time — and not waking up half-buried in a snow bank does help. Still, it's a challenge even for him: between the mountainous terrain and the icy conditions, exploration is slow. But anyone traveling with him will find him a solid companion, if a little taciturn; he'll readily offer a hand up as needed or take point going into the wind, but he cautions keeping conversation to a minimum, at least as long as they're moving. Energy is better expended in survival, and in this kind of landscape, survival can definitely pose a challenge.

→ Shard

Guess what? Still cold. And getting colder the more north I go. Can't see much of anything out here that's super useful for supplies, it's mostly all frozen over. I'd consider this a serious danger for anyone who's not versed in cold weather survival. [There's a pause, and he turns the shard to show the landscape: white with snow and nearly untouched.] It's kind of peaceful though. Quiet.

EASTERN PLAINS
→ Action

This landscape is as different from his arrival point as anything can be. The heat is nearly blistering, and the sun beating down doesn't help. It's probably better to try exploration in the early morning or the night, when the heat of the day has bled off a little bit, and Bucky does experiment with adjusting his sleep schedule to try it. Even so the going is slow and the shifting sands would make it hard for even an experienced cartographer to map the place. Still, company on the trek means that they can help each other, and it's clear the further east they go that there's no shame in needing that help.

→ Shard

This place is almost enough to make you want to be buried in snow. Almost. [There's half a smile; he's teasing, but the more desert-like the landscape gets, the more dangerous it is.] Seen some things flying overhead too, not sure if it's scavengers or what. But I get the feeling that a carcass out here wouldn't last for long.

SOUTHERN SHORES
→ Action

Travel in this direction is a little more comfortable than north and east, at least for the temperature piece of things. It's humid though, and more than once a boot that thought it found dry ground splashes down into a puddle instead. Lunch is an adventure, as the small, somewhat dry hillock becomes a small island by the time the meal is finished. It comes with the choice of trying to wait out the water to see if it'll shift down, or to wade through it and emerge wet and slimy. But on the plus, at least he's not alone — perhaps a time for conversation?

→ Shard

I feel like it's a huge dead end out here. Marsh just — everywhere. Probably have a lot more luck trying to fly over this than slog through it. Every time I think I've found solid ground, there's at least three inches of water. [A beat.] Part of me wonders if this place is playing tricks on us.

WESTERN FORESTS
→ Action

The forested landscape has proven to be the easiest to navigate, at least for Bucky. It reminds him a little of something that feels somewhat nostalgic, and from time to time he stops to try to chase down the memory. He'll brush it off if asked about it though, making a comment instead about a nice walk through the woods. Still, the further they travel the clearer it is that a machete might be useful against the underbrush; as it is, Bucky's using his left hand more and more to tear foliage out of their way.

→ Shard

Definitely not alone out here. Something's been trailing me and I can't tell if it's hunting or just curious. [Bucky doesn't look worried, but he is alert, and he does turn his head from the shard to listen more closely to something in the brush.] I think I'm gonna find out. I'll let you know.

ANYWHERE
→ Shard

Okay, this is not where I went to sleep. Again. Damn, I sound crazy even suggesting this, but is this place pulling people back to the cabins every time they go to sleep? Or am I just going crazy? [It's not a comfortable thought, and a shadow passes over his face, there and gone again.] Or maybe I should just give up for the day and get some more sleep. I swear, it feels like I'm being watched every time I use this thing—

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“Yeah yeah, so much for a nice walk.”

Mordred's been focusing on the woods for her exploration. She started here, and is a little familiar with it, so it seems the best place to look to see if there's something she missed. Or something anyone else missed and she hadn't found yet. Because it would be really nice if she hadn't missed anything. But so far no luck. And she hasn't been bothering too much with her armor, she hasn't been attacked out her yet, so she's just her usual grumpy self, pushing through the foliage here and there, not getting anywhere near as scratched up by it as a normal person should.

“If you want, I can use my sword so you're not doing that all the time. Feels like a waste though.”

She'll offer, at least. And it's not like she has any real room to complain having stolen the damn thing, but using her father's ceremonial sword for hacking away at the the overgrown mess definitely feels like misusing it. Somehow more than stealing it and using it to rebel against the kingdom! But she's still willing to summon it and give it a shot.

"Hey, could be worse. At least it's not raining."

He doesn't want to think about how miserable it would be trying to get through this dense underbrush in the wet. Bucky rolls his shoulders in a stretch, glancing over curiously at her offer. It's generous, but—

"You sure about that? It'll only dull the blade, and that's bad news if we get attacked for real."

He certainly doesn't doubt her ability with it, especially if it's anything like her ability to keep up with him. And, well, she'd admitted to being a fighter, so he's assuming that she's not just boasting.

“Don't even joke!”

She'll look up at the sky just to check there's no clouds moving around. Being caught in the rain out here would really suck. Makes her glad she's not in her armor. Trudging back to the cabins through mud and rain sounds like, okay not the absolute worst. But pretty close.

“And it'll probably be fine. I've put Clarent through worse. If it can cut through rock monsters without a scratch, there's no way a bunch of plants and branches'll screw it up too much.”

Maybe if they were magic plants or something. But she's pretty sure it'll be fine. For a sword that her dad only used for ceremonies, it holds up in battle pretty well. And while she was worried about the Knight of the Round Table slip, she doesn't really care about throwing her sword's name out there. It's not like too many people tend to remember Arthur's other weapons besides the two important swords.

"Should I knock on wood?"

But she's right, trudging back to the cabins all wet and muddy would be pretty miserable, especially as spare clothing isn't exactly in high supply. Bucky looks between the vegetation and his companion before stepping back. Taking a break from clearing the path would be pretty nice!

"Sure, give it a try. But if it looks like something's somehow hurting the blade, we go back to my way."

The name of the sword doesn't register with him, but it doesn't exactly phase him either. He'd known men who named their rifles and he honestly assumes this is along those lines. But for all they know, they could encounter a plant that harms metal. He wouldn't fare much better against it but at least they would have found out something about this place!

...but hopefully they end up finding out something less disastrous. That would be nice.

“Don't worry about that. It starts getting messed up, I'm not going to keep hacking away at stuff like an idiot.”

And having said that, she'll put her arm out, keeping it away from Bucky, as red lightning starts sparking around her hand. The light show doesn't last too long though, it's only a brief moment before Clarent appears in her hand.

“What'd you think? Pretty cool, right?”

She thinks it's cool, which is probably obvious from the stupid grin on her face. When she was alive she had to carry it with her into battle, but being able to summon it is definitely one of the cooler things about being a Servant if you ask her.

"This'll make quick work of any obstacles. Trust me."

"Okay then. Be my guest."

And for all the strange things that Bucky's seen, that little light show definitely tops it all, especially since it's seemingly not just a show. It doesn't seem like a smoke-and-mirrors kind of thing, the sort of fake magic a person can see at any carnival. No, this is as real as the sword that appears in her hand and his expression says that he's impressed.

"Pretty cool," he agrees with a chuckle as he gives her room to attack the underbrush. The smile isn't lost on him and it makes him wonder if this is a point of personal pride or something else. Maybe she just really likes her magic sword! "I'm impressed. Let's see what you can do."

“Yeah, no problem. Course if my Master were here I could blast all this crap out of our way easy, but it'll still be a piece of cake.”

She just wants people to think she's cool and awesome and maybe if that works, she'll be cool and awesome and it'll lessen the giant pile of unresolved issues to deal with. Except that's probably not how it works.

Anyways, she'll level the sword at all the undergrowth and start working on cutting throughout. Depending on how far they're in, it should hopefully go better than things were going before. Unless they're far enough in that the noises and stuff on the location page are happening. Then the whole thing's kind of a wasted effort.

"Part of a team, huh?"

Though master is certainly a weird way to refer to a partner or counterpart, and Bucky's curiosity is reflected in his question. He does know that there are martial arts wherein the teacher is referred to as master, so maybe this is something like that. Or maybe not; he could be really off the mark, and he's not sure if she's the type to want to talk about it. Or if he's even really the type to want to ask. But whatever the case, it's easy to see as she starts on the underbrush that Saber really knows how to handle the weapon.

And just to make things Interesting, there are certainly noises, ones that increase in intensity the more they attempt to penetrate into the forests. It's at one particularly fierce growl that Bucky puts a hand up towards his companion. "...you hear that?"

“Partner's a good way of putting it, yeah.”

There's other things that come to mind, but he's way too old to be considered her squire or anything like that. But anyways, she doesn't volunteer more information there. It's not that she doesn't like having Kairi for support back home, it's just that she doesn't really like explaining the whole Master-Servant thing is a mess and Mordred doesn't want to explain all that.

Even if she did want to do some explaining, she won't, stopping her slashing when she hears the growls, eyes scanning the forest ahead of her trying to spot some sign of their source.

“I hear it.”

She sounds slightly more serious now. She still thinks she can take whatever's lurking in the forest, it's just that not having a clue what it is, she'll be a little cautious. Not too much, she's not worried or anything. But just a bit warier than she'd normally be.

"Sometimes it's nice to not work alone."

Having a true partner had been rare for him. Handlers yes, but usually not a partner for missions. But he won't deny that there are strategic advantages to not working alone. Too big a group could get unwieldy but two people in a situation like this is definitely an advantage, especially when they're not sure what this place might throw at them.

Bucky eases closer to his companion, mostly because if he was the predator, he'd try to split them up. So staying close makes sense. "Let's keep trying to make progress. I'll watch your back."

Is the growl stalking them because it's stalking them, or is it stalking them because of what they're doing? He wouldn't put anything past this place.

“Do you think it's that wolf?”

She'll ask that while continuing to push forward, continuing to try and clear a path. Clarent's definitely up to the task, but Mordred would be lying if she said it wasn't getting tougher to hack through all of this. But it's probably obvious from the annoyed look on her face too. This should be easier for her. Both as a knight and as a Servant.

“I still owe that fucking thing from earlier.”

Trying to hit something she couldn't made her feel like an idiot. And she definitely wants payback, so that's what she's hoping it is. Though she hasn't really figured out how to land a hit this time, but she's trying not to think about that one.

"Could be. Definitely growls like it's not too happy."

And what's super annoying is that he can't see anything. There's a rustle of leaves here and there in the brush, but Bucky hasn't caught a glimpse of anything that could be causing it. Considering how good his eyesight is, that's some super skill or some really amazing camouflage. He's definitely not thrilled with either thought.

"It's getting louder the more we keep going. You think that's related?"

He's pretty sure the increase in volume is real and not just in his imagination. He's got one of his combat knives in hand now, just in case, but there's no solid target appearing to them.

[He can't help but snort at what Bucky says, the moment he contacts them from the Eastern Plains. He knows how it is over there. He knows more than what he'd like to know (and he lived most of his life on a desert).]

Yeah. And you won't either, if you stay out there much longer. [Last, that is.] You should probably head back.

You're probably right. Watch this be the one time that I fall asleep and don't get whisked back to the lake.

[Which would be his luck, honestly.]

Still, if we need sand for anything, we've certainly got that in abundance.

Probably because you'll be dead.

[... Unless this place brings people back to the cabins regardless of their status. In which case. Well.

Probably not something they want to test, though.]

Yeah. [Understatement of the year right there, Bucky. However, and back to the other topic at hand...] How aren't you already dying, anyway? What with your arm and all? [You know, metal arm. Scorching sun. Ow.]

I dunno. With this place, I might just become a zombie or something — even more than any of us are without coffee I mean. Still, I'd rather not test that out.

[It would be their luck. He does shrug at the mention of his arm though. It's not exactly comfortable, but he's definitely been through worse. And a day of discomfort is worth it if they can find something, anything that might be a clue as to why they're here.]

Trust me, it's not pleasant. But I heal pretty quickly, and I'm just trying to keep it covered where it's attached to me.

[There's so much sand in it though, so much sand. Bucky's definitely going to jump in the lake when he gets back.]

Man, I really lucked out with my space suit. If it hadn't been for that... I am not great in cold weather.

So it's still as empty up there as it was, huh? --Wait wait wait, move back a bit, are those tracks? [ Maybe it's nothing, but... could also be something. If it is a something, it's definitely a small something. ]

It only gets colder! [He can laugh a little about it now, now that there's some distance between the present and their arrival in the snowy landscape. Still, Bucky's not surprised that Lance hadn't jumped at the opportunity to explore it more, though he certainly does welcome the company via shard.

But wait, what? He moves slowly, in the direction Lance indicates, until he sees the tracks. Then Bucky moves the mirror closer to the snow, to give Lance a better view.]

Could be. I'm tempted to find out.

[ Okay yeah, he's laughing a bit now too. ] Exactly! Sorry dude, but I belong in the sun.

[ But yeah he's squinting at the shard now. Good thing Bucky is actually giving him a better view. ] You should definitely go find out. Aaawwww, look at that! Must be something small. I wonder if this place just has normal Earth things or other stuff too...

Working on your tan while I'm out schlepping around?

[It's clearly a joke but hey, why not?]

Yeah, I can't imagine something large making prints of this size. Unless we are looking at some really weird anatomy. [Lance does bring up a good question though.] I mean, so far I've only see what I'd call normal stuff, but I have a feeling that none of us has seen even a fraction of what this place has to offer.

Duh, everyone needs some R&R once in a while.

[ He says, like he hasn't been working all morning, but who's counting? ]

Yeah... even the stuff in the lake that I saw's been pretty normal. Same for the plants, at least as far as I can tell. But you're probably right. This place is too weird to only have normal things.

Good, we'll trade when I get back.

[Hey, teasing prevents it from being doom and gloom all the time! Bucky knows Lance well enough now to know he's as good as his word for doing things for their little community, such as it is.]

Yeah. And just because the things we've seen look normal, doesn't mean that they are.

Oooookay uh if we don't hear from you again should we come look for you? Or like, stay away from wherever you are, forever?

[ Despite the words, he sounds pretty concerned. ]

Stay the hell away, honestly. If something can take me down, it's gotta be pretty strong.

[It's hushed, and the mirror will show that Bucky's on the move — trying to circle it to get a look, but also trying to circle around to leave in a different direction from which he came.]

It could be nothing. Some animals put up a big show to scare off predators, not because they're dangerous themselves.

Okay, point. [ He can take a hint, so he quiets down too. ] I guess fingers crossed that's what it is...? Just please stay safe, dude.

I will, promise.

[About twenty minutes later he's back, still hushed.]

I didn't get a good look at it, but it's bigger than I expected. Still seems to be tracking me, but not being aggressive.

[Which is weird, and he doesn't like it.]

You're not crazy. [Keith's voice is verging on that same frustration, though.] The same has been happening to us. [Over and over and over again. He has no idea what to make of it. Or even how it's possible for this to be happening without any of them waking up or feeling a thing.]

And I wouldn't be surprised if we were. [But what can they do? Break the mirror shards? As tempting as that sounds, they would be left without a way to communicate with each other if they were ever away.

And, apparently, this place can take them to wherever it wants as it pleases without them needing to be okay with it. Who knows if they won't be separated against their will, one day.]

Thank goodness. [A beat.] That it's not just me, I mean. You know.

[Frustration though? That's something he feels as well. It seems like this place is messing with them just because it can, and Bucky doesn't like that one bit.]

I just wish we knew why. Or had any clue why we're here.

[As it is they're just stumbling around with nothing but these strange mirrors to connect them, and that's definitely an uncomfortable thought. The idea that some unknown entity could be monitoring them hits a little too close to home, but do they dare risk smashing the glass pieces?]

Yeah. If you're crazy, we are too. [Which might or might not be reassuring, depending on how you look at it.

But hey, he doesn't feel crazy. Just tired. And increasingly pissed off at all of this bullshit. Yet, they've tried nearly everything he could think of to get some sort of anything from the people - things? entities? robots? space... time... super-powered... omniscient... creatures... thing? Yeah, he'll believe anything at this point - who brought them here but, so far, they've got nothing.

No word. No instructions. No reasons. No nothing.

Which is why the sigh he lets out through his nose at what Bucky says next is, more than frustrated, angry.]

Yeah. You'd think someone wouldn't go through the trouble it probably took to make something like this happen and then just abandon their little sick project like this. [But, so far, that seems to be exactly what's happening.]

Maybe we all are. [Which isn't the most reassuring thing.] But while I'm sure that's not statistically impossible, just the sheer coincidence of it would be astounding.

[Which means not impossible, but not exactly probable either. So, they're not crazy. That doesn't exactly help with knowing why they're here. And for people who prefer action over idleness, it grates on the nerves something fierce.]

Wouldn't be the first time I've seen a sick little project abandoned and picked back up later. [It's not exactly a comforting thought.] But I don't know, this doesn't feel like that.

[ Lance is in his normal clothes today instead of his space suit - the thing's comfortable enough but it's still armor after all. In fact he's been barefoot since they started hitting the "mostly water" part of this endeavor, his sneakers are now tied to his backpack where it sits on the ground of their... island, the legs of his jeans are rolled up (a vain effort, they still got splashed on).

Currently, he's glaring at the encroaching water as if it personally offended him. Which, actually, it kind of did. Lance sighs through his nose, annoyed. ] I know I've said this before, but this place doesn't make any sense.

[ Is he talking to Keith or to Bucky? Just vaguely complaining at the universe and everything? Who knows. ]

[Keith, too, is on his normal clothes today. He left the jacket, being on his t-shirt only, but he does have one of the gauntlets from his armor on, namely the one that can bring forth a shield.

... Not that he's needed it, so far. The shield or the dagger. No, all that he's needed so far were the boots. When they set off earlier in the day, he didn't think he could be more grateful to having brought these along. And yet, here they are.

He doesn't like, exactly, how messy they look, once they finally stop on that island (what was once white is no longer so), but well, it beats having wet feet. Which. Doesn't seem to bother Lance at all.

He only realizes he is staring at him when Lance speaks and it takes his brain a second too long to catch up. Huh? What?

Oh.

Uh.]

... Yeah. [What part he is saying 'yeah' to, not even he knows for sure, but well, it applies to both, right? Lance has said that before. And this place really doesn't make any sense.

He looks at Bucky after.] How long do you think we'll have to wait?

[Bucky hasn't gone quite as stripped down as Lance; he's personally in the same boat as Keith in terms of gear: dry(ish) feet, jeans a little soaked from puddles deeper than expected, and a simple tee. It's not as uncomfortable as it could be; these two certainly don't give his arm a second glance.

He's standing at the edge of the water as if that'll give them answers. It doesn't of course; why would it? Nothing about this place is that simple.]

Don't know, really. Minutes or hours? Hell, could be days and we wouldn't know it with how this place likes to move us around.

[Which is really, really annoying. He runs a hand through his hair, stepping away from the water's edge.]

I mean, we could always wade through it. Or swim if we have to. But judging from how it's risen, it's probably at least waist high.

[ It's true, robot arms are kind of a non-issue with them. Bucky's at least was made on Earth (presumably) and also doesn't do the weird detached floating thing-- no offense, Shiro.

Since he was glowering at the water, he totally missed the fact that Keith spaced out staring at him. So now he's just making a frustrated noise at Bucky's suggestion before he gets to his feet. ] So basically we're not gonna wait, right? No point waiting until we run out of island and definitely have to swim.

[Yeah-- He's still not used to Shiro's new arm at all. It's just. So weird. But well, as long as he is happy and comfortable with it, Keith is happy for him, too.

And well, minutes or hours doesn't sound too bad. Days could be more complicated, but well, they can figure out what to do as time passes, depending on how the water reacts. So he nods at Bucky's words, ready to find a (dry) spot to sit down on, when Bucky and Lance start talking otherwise.

... Wait. What?

Wade through?

Seriously?!]

Yes, we are! [Hi Lance, he is looking at you with the usual frown. They are 100% waiting this through.] We won't know if we'll run out of island until we do! Besides, did you miss the 'at least waist high' part? [Look at his boots, Lance! And mind, it's not the clothes he is worried about, just--] We have no idea what might be hiding in those waters!

[Well, hopefully Shiro will get to remain the reigning king of the Weird Arm Club, because the thought does cross Bucky's mind that if someone gets seriously injured, are they even equipped to deal with it? Might be something to bring up when they all get back. But it could be a serious concern, and that makes him want to exercise a little more caution than he normally would.]

I'd have to agree with Keith. [Sorry Lance.] I think caution's probably our best bet, because we don't know what the water is hiding.

[If it doesn't go down they'll be stuck swimming anyway, so why not wait it out an hour and see what happens?]

You aren't crazy. The same has happened to me - no matter what direction I go, or what time I go to sleep, I wake up in a cabin. Again. [Can you hear how incredibly frustrated he feels about this? Big time.] The sky doesn't make sense either, no matter where I go.

So it seems to be all of us... I wonder if it's somehow related to how we got here in the first place? I mean, we have no proof of it, but is there something that wants to pull us all in? Like a magnet, to use a simple metaphor? [There's a little understanding across Bucky's face about the stars comment, because the stars are strange to him too.] The sky super important to you? Or just hating feeling lost?

I thought the same thing - something keeps us linked to the cabin. But I'm not sure of what, outside some kind of spell. I tried leaving my bag behind but it didn't change anything.

[He nods at the first question, but to be fair, it applies to the second one too. He does indeed hate feeling lost.] I'm a pilot. I can name every single constellation from Earth - and I've found some of them here, but they're all-- wrong. It's an incredibly vague sky, but at the same time it carries something familiar.

On the plus side if these mirror things have an upper limit to their range, we haven't been able to wander far enough to find it yet.

[There's a little sympathy in Bucky's expression. It's not pity, but he kind of gets it.] I know a little of what that's like. Not the stars being in a different place, but waking up and it all just looks different.

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I can show you the world

forest action!

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Eastern Plains - Shard

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snowhell; shard

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green hell; shard

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idk why the notif for this one only came through NOW

Anywhere - Shard

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watery hell; action

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Shard | Anywhere

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