I can show you the world

[sinistral]

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

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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—

Comments

[sinistral]

"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.

[arrogator]

“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.

[sinistral]

"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.

[arrogator]

“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."

[sinistral]

"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."

[arrogator]

“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.

[sinistral]

"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?"

[arrogator]

“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.

[sinistral]

"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.

[arrogator]

“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.

[sinistral]

"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.