TDM #3 - It Came from Beyond the Veil! [REPRINT]

[pumpkinhollow]

Pumpkin Hollow Gazette Issue #3 [REPRINT]

[Mod Note: This is a very long TDM because I was pulling out all the stops for spooky season, but I'm excited to share it with you all! Hope you can forgive all the reading I'm about to make you do, and stay spooky!]

Pumpkin Hollow Gazette

11/10/23 | TDM #3 - "It Came from Beyond the Veil!"
Content Warnings: [Article 5 (Further Details)] Murder, facial mutilation

Pumpkin Hollow continues to welcome new residents!

BLUE ISLAND BEAST BESTED AT THE BEACH

By Yorick Aberdeen

TAWNY BEACH -

Thanks to the brave and talented newer residents of Pumpkin Hollow, the day is saved! The enormous, building-sized mother crab that attacked our fair island this past month for eating so many of her babies has at last been handily defeated. The Pumpkin Hollow Damage Claims Adjustment Corps (PHDCAC) will be adding damage claims from the crab attack to their “to-do” list, behind their long list of repairs and financial aid to be given to those homes and businesses impacted by this year’s Parade Day. While the parade this year was no more or less deadly than previous years, property damage did see a noticeable uptick due to local blacksmith River la Croix becoming possessed, inciting a magically-fueled fire that impacted several local businesses. When reached for comment, la Croix had this to say of the incident: "That was hellfire. Once you get a safe distance from an unidentified flame, look to see if it's feeding on something inflammable like metal or stone. If so, good news and bad news: it won't spread beyond a single conceptual object. Your house is a single conceptual object."

In any case, with both the vile Parade and the crab attack behind us, Pumpkin Hollow leaves behind the Season of Beasts and enters the Season of Spirits with pride, dignity, and significant mark-downs on the price of crab meat. Participants in the battle against the Blue Island crab have been awarded with special medals from Mayor Poe for bravery and as much crab as they can possibly eat.

SPECTRAL CREATURES INFEST FOREST; FRIENDLY OR HOSTILE?

By Yorick Aberdeen

An artist rendition provided by local teenage artist, Cassandra Seltic.

LOCKWOOD FOREST - Reports have flooded into the local constabulary from all over the island that the forest that encompasses the majority of the Northern portion of our island has recently become overrun with small creatures with ghostly appearances. As many of you are aware, earlier this year the forest suffered a prior invasion by tree-like trickster spirits known as Brutoks, which has since waned with the changing of the seasons. The creatures appearing now seem to be of an entirely different nature. Some have even described them as “cute”.

Chief Constable Janine Kilbride has stated that numerous attempts to capture these creatures have been made thus far and have proven ineffective. When reached for comment on the matter, Dr. Neil West, local psychiatrist and occult expert, speculated that perhaps we lack the appropriate tools. However, brave souls may be persuaded to venture beyond the tree line and attempt to befriend them. Perhaps you could even end up with an adorable, dangerous, ghostly new pet! Or you could die. That is, after all, always a possibility.

A COMMUNITY MESSAGE FOLLOWING SEPTEMBER GALA

By Cecil Gershwin Palmer

A photo of Hemsworth Custom Tailoring's store front.

PUMPKIN HOLLOW (Downtown Hollow) - The Pumpkin Hollow Artisan’s Guild would like to remind all citizens that rented attire should be treated with care and returned in the condition it was rented in. Those who rent clothing for formal events should avoid running into danger, fighting, clothed sex in private corners, duels, being set on fire or other acts that may damage clothing, as additional fees for repair and cleaning will be charged for garments returned in poor condition.

A representative for the Artisan’s Guild, Saraya Meridell, had this to say: “Do you know how hard it is to repair charred velvet? Do you realize that bloodstains don’t come out of silk? Wine, yes, we expect wine. But blood? It’s really a step too far.” She shook this intrepid reporter’s rented dress shirt in his face as she spoke, her green eyes wide and bloodshot. She then continued to murmur angrily to herself, grabbing a bar of laundry soap and retreating to the back of her workshop.

The vampires who attacked Dahlia’s Birthday Gala and caused the need for acts of derring-do could not be reached for comment.

DR. WEST ANNOUNCES SEANCE

By Yorick Aberdeen

NORTHWEST HOLLOW (West Dream Analytics) - As the days gradually begin to darken sooner and sooner, the veil between our world and the Beyond thins, drawing us ever closer to the spirits of those who have left our world behind. As a result, this time of year is popular for seances among the magically and spiritually inclined. Dr. Neil West --- proprietor of local sleep psychiatry clinic West Dream Analytics, occult expert, and leader of the controversial Ocularum --- has made a public announcement that he will be holding a large group seance to reach out to departed friends.

This seance will be hosted at the abandoned home of former Pumpkin Hollow mayor Christopher Larkin, the site of the tragic Winter Solstice Party Disaster of 16:37. It will feature an overnight lock in to observe spectral activity with dinner provided. Guest beds and other furniture remaining in the house will be utilized, or bedrolls supplied.

PUMPKINFEST MOOD LINGERS; LEEDS HEIRESS PROVIDES MOOD SETTER

By Yorick Aberdeen

A scenic image of Fall's Promise.

FALL'S PROMISE CEMETERY - Despite this year's Pumpkinfest being behind us and the shocking events of its finale, the autumn air which persists into November still lends itself to the telling of tales of terror! Our own Dahlia Leeds will be hosting a festive mood-setter on the lawn of Fall’s Promise Cemetery. Leeds, member of the Town Council and daughter of Pumpkin Hollow founder Japhet Leeds, invites anyone interested down to the graveyard to join her in the sharing of ghost stories. Warm beverages and fresh apple pastries will be provided! Potential attendees are advised that the event will run until after dark, so please bring a lantern and dress warmly. It is best to walk home in pairs if you are able.

Page 1

code

Further Details...

Spectral Creatures

Those who enter Lockwood Forest, particularly after dark, will find it abruptly inhabited by many ghostly beasts. Those with knowledge of specific other worlds may be able to identify these creatures as Ghost-type Pokemon. As stated by the Chief Constable, the appropriate tools for capturing and taming Pokemon permanently are not available, as the knowledge and supplies required to make them are not present in Pumpkin Hollow. However, with a little patience, they can be befriended. Pumpkin Hollow residents can each domesticate up to two ghostly friends, which will stick around after the rest of their kind move on at the end of November. It is possible they will return at a later time, but not guaranteed.

While none of the creatures seem to be of a legendary or mythical variety, especially lucky explorers may encounter one shiny per resident if they purchase a Sparking Talisman from the Shady Merchant’s shop for 50 Brass. (New residents, even those test-driving, begin with 100 Brass.)

It is also possible that random Pokemon-tamers may be attacked in the forest by Marrow Isle’s local cryptid, the Pine Devil. This dangerous creature attacks locals at random with the intention of eating them. Perhaps your new partner can help you survive the encounter! Or if not, your friend can at least keep you company during your 24 hours as a ghost. Also remember that ghosts can interact with one another! Ghouls of a feather haunt together! See our Death page for information on how dying works on Marrow Isle. If you do not want to interact with the Pine Devil, please simply include an OOC note on your post opting out!

The Seance

Attendees to the seance meet Dr. Neil West outside his home and office before following him to a large old house down the road, not too far from Leeds Estate. He has a lot of gear, so he distributes the burden among volunteers---- covered platters containing the dinner he organized for everyone, candles, matches, chalk, various funny little instruments that are apparently ghost hunting equipment, spare bedding, and a few fire extinguishers. He came prepared, to be sure.

When the group arrives, Neil spends some time talking about the house. It belonged to Christopher Larkin, who had been Mayor Poe’s predecessor’s predecessor--- two mayors prior to now. He’d been a popular man. A high elf from a well-appointed family, but humble and reserved. A pianist, well-read and well-traveled before settling down on Marrow Isle. He had been mayor for many terms.

“Every year for the Winter Solstice, he would hold a dinner party for his friends and family. Not a large, ostentatious affair like Leeds galas, but there were plenty of people in attendance. However, the party that took place in the year 16:37 was different,” he explains as he sets up an arrangement of candles and begins drawing sigils on the old hardwood floor. “Something went terribly wrong. Survivors were few, and their accounts of what happened were disjointed and chaotic, but what could be gleaned from them was that the mirrors had gone… metaphysically rotten, in a manner of speaking.”

“It’s not unheard of, since mirrors are often used as portals, but whatever this was--- it was directly hostile. Predicting violence or terror which had not yet happened with impossible visions that would inexplicably play out in the room being reflected moments later, from the sounds of it. It was a bloodbath. Half the house burned down as well. It’s been silent here since then, aside from some reports of spectral activity. My hope is that tonight, we can reach out to these spirits and find out more about what happened here.”

Much of the house is coated with dust, and as Neil stated, there is a large portion that is dilapidated and scorched. A fair number of the mirrors have been shattered. The ones that remain seem normal enough now, though. You have a simple dinner together at the aging, once-austere dining table before returning to the living room to begin the seance.

Sitting on the hardwood floor around the chalk and candle circle, everyone looks to Dr. West as he performs his invocation.

”Spirits who reside here, lost and trapped souls of the fallen, we beseech you. Make your presence known to us, draw from our energy to make yourselves seen by mortals once more. Give us signs of your presence, that we may commune with you again and learn more of your lives and of your fate. Come forth and show yourselves.”

There is a foul, cold breeze that runs through the room. The candle flames flicker--- not at once, but in a wave, as if something has passed over each in turn. But then, there is no change.

“Hm.” Neil frowns. “Well, it seems there was some kind of reaction. Let’s settle in and wait.”

And so your group does just that. Guest rooms, still equipped with old and dusty but perfectly usable beds are divvied out, as well as the furniture from other rooms that remains usable. It was necessary to draw lots on who would have to sleep in the living room. Instruments are set out. People chat and wait around until one by one, they go to bed.

In the night, however, the house comes alive.

A grandfather clock which had previously not been working chimes the hour of 3am down the hall where the bedrooms are, loud enough to shake the bones and wake the dead. The fireplace in the living room roars to life on its own. The glass casings on the oil lamp in the parlor smashes for seemingly no reason.

Neil takes charge, deciding this to be a lost cause. “Let’s get out of here. Quickly, leave everything behind and head for the doors!”

But it’s too late. All the doors and windows are stuck shut. No amount of pounding will let you out, and windows that shatter heal themselves immediately. You are trapped. And as you are realizing this, ghostly figures begin pouring out of the mirrors. They fly off in all directions, into the walls and ceilings, and disappear. For now.

Attendees of the seance are trapped until dawn. There is no escape from Larkin Manor until sunrise. You must make it through the night together. Poltergeists of all sorts can be found throughout the large home. Ghosts are NPCs that can be written as players see fit, though most if not all will be motivated to attack or terrorize player characters. They can be warded off, tricked into leaving, or banished but not destroyed or harmed. Injury for player characters is a real possibility, but death is not likely. Stick together and stay safe!

Ghost Stories
[CW: murder, facial mutilation]

The wind has grown a chill and smells of fallen leaves, drenched in rain water and decomposing to return to the Earth from whence they came. A crescent moon hangs in the blackening sky, cutting a Cheshire smile across the void. Rows of white stones stand stalwart against the night, recently polished by kindly volunteers, like sentries at their posts. Fall’s Promise --- a monument to what was and a reminder of the fate that no longer awaits the residents of Pumpkin Hollow.

Dahlia sits on the steps of a mausoleum bearing her own name. A cluster of candles and oil lanterns have been placed on the cobblestone circle around it. There is a picnic blanket with treats--- homemade apple crisps in tiny pie crusts and metal carafes of tea and coffee, still hot. She beckons you into the circle. There are plenty of blankets on which to sit.

There is chatter and eating for a while as the sun finishes its descent, storytellers and listeners alike gathering round. Then, the stories begin. If you have your own, you may take your turn to share it. Perhaps it will help you strike up a friendship with a neighbor.

Then, Dahlia takes her own turn to share the story she prepared. There is an old book in her lap--- thin, like a child’s book, but not decorated with the usual colorful illustration one expects from children’s literature. The flickering candlelight casts her face with an eerie glow.

“This is the oldest folk legend local to Marrow Isle,” she says. “It dates back nearly 50 years, not too long after my late father founded the town of Pumpkin Hollow. It’s the reason we carve pumpkins to this day and is based on a true story.”

Dahlia opens the book.

“This is the Sordid Tale of Smiling Jack.”

She reads.

”Many years ago, in the time of our forefathers, Pumpkin Hollow was brave and new. Many people came from all over the Emerald Isles, from Glassighe, Anwyll, and Braxtony alike. All were curious about the mysterious island, said to have been born out of sea fog and craggy rock from nowhere, and they came across the Black Jade Sea to see the newborn town that Japhet Leeds had built there.”

“One of these people was a man by the name of Jack Briar. Jack was a cheerful sort, always laughing and telling jokes and brightening the day of everyone around him. He was well-loved by all of his neighbors, and became known to the townsfolk as Smiling Jack, as he was almost never seen without a grin on his face. But Smiling Jack had a secret. Not a large one, but damning nonetheless--- Jack was a very selfish man. He was not a kindly neighbor seeking to share a smile out of the goodness of his heart, but an egotistical fool who only loved being the center of attention. Still, this secret was hidden inside his heart with no evidence to prove its truth, so no one would ever know it. Until that fateful day when a scarred stranger arrived on the back of a trade merchant’s ship, hidden among the cargo.”

“The new arrival was a thug, a crook and a murderer on the run from the Royal Guard. He had come to Marrow Isle because it was isolated from the Great Fairisle and from the king, to hide until the bounty hunters and lawmen forgot his face or he could make his way out of the country. He kept to himself, wanting nothing more than to lay low and avoid the notice of the burgeoning town. He never even shared his name with any of the residents. His plan would have gone perfectly if it were not for Smiling Jack, because of course, how could the town jester not notice the surly man who hid in a corner always wearing a frown?”

“Every time they saw one another, Jack would run up to the frowning man and attach himself to the stranger’s hip. He showered the man with compliments, told all of his very best jokes, and played all of his cleverest pranks and pratfalls. Never once did the stranger ever crack even a hint of a smile, glowering at Jack every moment they were in each other’s company. But Jack could not stand the thought of anyone not finding him funny, of anyone not having their heart warmed by his company. Everyone liked Smiling Jack in Pumpkin Hollow. He became ever determined to amuse this stranger. And when the man would finally tell Jack to leave him alone after being followed and pestered for half the day, Jack would hold up his hands defensively and say, ‘Oh, sir, there is no need for quarrel! I am only trying to make you smile.’”

“At last, the stranger grew fed up with Jack’s persistence, and one night after sundown he followed Jack to his home on the outskirts of the village. Once the wicked man was sure Jack was alone, he pounced, forcing Jack to the ground at the edge of a darkened pumpkin patch. He took a knife and carved into Jack’s face, cutting from the corner of his lips up to his cheek bones. And as Smiling Jack screamed in agony, the strange man finally cracked a grin and said, ‘Why are you so upset? I am only trying to make you smile.’”

“By morning, the man had skipped town on a stolen boat, and Jack lay bleeding into the tilled farm soil, his mutilated face crammed into a pumpkin. A nasty surprise for anyone who might find him. Since then, it’s been said that the ghost of Smiling Jack can be seen around the time of the pumpkin harvest, wearing a grinning Jack-o-Lantern over his face to hide his grisly forever-smile. Tales say that if he finds you after dark, he will corner you and tell you a joke. Those who do not laugh or who fake a laugh will find themselves meeting the same fate as Smiling Jack, unless they can flee quickly from his wrath.”

Closing the book, Dahlia smiles. “So, apple tart, anyone?”

After the Tale of Smiling Jack is told, residents (including those who didn’t hear the story) will begin encountering the malevolent spirit around town, who will tell them a grim joke--- largely grisly black comedy or gallows humor. If you don’t find the joke funny, you will have to run or fight for your life! Find a neighbor to help you, rescue someone else, slip into someone’s house in an attempt to escape, whatever you like! Smiling Jack can only be escaped by knocking his pumpkin loose from his face (at which point he will disappear) or by going inside of a home with a Jack-o-Lantern outside the door.

Additionally, if you do find the joke funny, he will follow you around pestering you until he finds someone else to attack or until the same parameters are met.

Smiling Jack is an NPC and can be written however the player likes outside of the aforementioned. Please remember to use content warnings for the jokes if necessary! You may also handwave the joke if you can't find one you want to use.

Comments

Bart Torgal | Subnautica

[theresalwaystheview]

A Story Incomplete
Bart hasn't felt this good in years. The moment he'd stepped off the kindly boatman's vessel, he'd taken off his simple shoes and begun walking. Then he'd taken off running, and had run until he had to stop thanks to a cramp in his side. He coughs raggedly, and just for a moment, he looks panicked. He's looking at his hands, staring at the backs of them.

There's nothing there. No glow, no vascular deterioration, no darkness around his nail beds. He's fine. He's fine. He's just a little out of shape.

The figure he cuts as he perches out in the open, feeling the chilly breeze whipping around his hair and the simple clothing he'd arrived in, is less than impressive. He's skinny, malnourished, but for all that he had died in terrible condition, one look at his face would read as elation.

Of course, when he realizes someone is nearby, he'll turn and face them, and immediately look a bit more demure, shrinking in on himself, fingers twisting together with the barely-contained urge to ask every single question that's come to him since he'd found himself face to face with the woman in her sitting room. She hadn't entertained his questions for long, and neither had the boatman, but here, he looks ready to vibrate right out of his skin as he asks,

"Are you real?"

Broken Pieces At My Feet
He has never in his life been in a place that was so low-tech. His eyes veritably sparkle as he walks through Pumpkin Hollow, occasionally speaking up under his breath as he takes verbal notes. Cobblestone, brick, old-fashioned glass. Natural fiber, real paper, iron or steel, not an ounce of titanium in sight. Everything looks and feels so warm here, even as he catches a chill from the breeze off the ocean. He'll probably end up with a headcold from how long he's spending just wandering and taking note of everything. Worth it. So very, very worth it.

Bart will be stopping by the Clinic (either one really) to see what sort of facilities they have here. He's not a doctor, nor a medical student of any kind, but he is a biologist with manufactured genius behind him. He would be fully into coming on to help in whatever capacity they would let him.

This also applies to the Farmlands out on the edge of the village. He will be out there talking to some of the other villagers (of the NPC variety) about their crop, what sort of rotation they have going, the sorts of fertilizers they use, are they sharecroppers? Do they sell, are they self-sustaining, do they perhaps need help out here? He knows all sorts of little tricks to making things grow even in less-than-optimal conditions, after all! He was educated by an elite program, and above all he loved the work that he did. The being in charge of people, not so much; he would rather help people, study plants and animal biology, evolution and genetic modification. He could write them novels about the importance of genetic variation in both their crops and livestock.

He's probably getting annoying.

Obsolete
Bart is of course at the Oak & Iron, and once he's gotten his hands on a proper notebook and pencil, he is frantically writing, for hours on end. Journaling, documenting everything that he remembers down to the most minute detail. From the Mongolian Empire to the Torgal Corporation, to the Degasi and everything that he'd learned about the unnamed ocean planet that he'd ended up perishing on. He had to get it all down before it slipped out of his mind.

And then he could document everything here.

It may take a couple of tries to get his attention as he works. He sketches on blank pages examples of the technology that he'd worked with, animals and plants that he'd seen, his father and Marguerite. He carefully renders everything that he can. He's running out of paper.

Broken pieces at my feet

[thelatechrisfreeman]

"Hello, welcome to the Winterbottom Clinic," Chris says as Bart walks in. "Would you like to make an appointment?"

They take in his malnourished frame, his face which still looks a little wan, and give a small, concerned frown. First Aid will surely lament yet more people who don't eat well, but Chris kind of get the feeling that this one won't make too much of a fuss about a diet plan if he gets put on one.

[theresalwaystheview]

"Please!" he replies brightly, hands together in front of him. "I've been informed that this place represents something of a reset for us, but I would definitely prefer to be sure that I'm not some kind of latent carrier of anything from offworld. Tell me, is this place equipped to do proper bloodwork?"

[thelatechrisfreeman]

"Yes, it is. Doctor First Aid is well equipped to perform many of the tests we need." Chris does look concerned at the mention of being a carrier, and wonders, "Did you come straight here from the ferry, or did Yorick give you the tour? Because if you have brought something with you, and he took you all around town..."

Chris leaves that sentence unfinished, but the danger of the situation ought to be clear.

[theresalwaystheview]

"Doctor First Aid?" It seems like such a redundant name, but then again, he is really in no place to judge anyone's naming conventions when he doesn't know them or where they've come from.

The question gets a small shake of the head. "No, but I also opted out of the tour beyond the dock. Nothing against Mr Yorick, he was perfectly pleasant, but I needed to be sure before I stepped foot in the town proper. And...I think, I needed to see if I could move about on my own." There's a touch of embarrassment there, but then again, when you're getting over a severe pulmonary disease, it can be forgiven to want to test things out a bit.

"I'd noticed that things here are a bit...hm." How to put it politely... "Antiquated, compared to what I'm accustomed to. I don't even know if my implants are still there or not."

[thelatechrisfreeman]

"First Aid is a mechanical being, and he's not the only one here. He's also taken care of certain advanced surgical procedures that another person has needed. You'll be in good hands with him, I assure you." Chris says, still in a pleasant tone of voice. "He'll be able to scan you, and most likely be able to tell you the status of your implants. Let me check the schedule... just a moment..."

Chris opens up a large book, paging through it for a moment.

"The doctor is with someone right now, but he should be done in about half an hour. Exam room A is free if you'd like to wait in private, or else you can stay here."

Chris pulls out a sign that reads 'Temporary Closure - Please visit Dr. Watson or Dr. Pierce' and replaces the 'Open' sign on the door with it.

"Better safe than sorry," they say firmly. It's no apology, because they're not sorry for their caution.

[theresalwaystheview]

A note of surprise at learning that First Aid is inorganic, but then again that could be a boon, if the worse should come to pass.

Bart moves aside when the sign is picked up to put on the door, examining it briefly then nodding and heading back where he'd been pointed. Best not to wait out here when he could be keeping himself sequestered in the hopes of making sure that nobody else that he came into contact with ended up with some form of the Kharaa.

The explanation merely gets a soft sound in response. "No, by all means, I would do the same myself." Chris is doing their best and Bart certainly approves of the caution without the need for more detail.

He'll just be seated in the exam room, seated in a chair rather than atop any table in the room, figuring that a consult was probably going to be the first order of business.

[thelatechrisfreeman]

The very first thing that Chris does is use the phone to call the Oak and Iron -- unsure if the other doctors have phones installed -- and ask them to send messengers to Dr. Watson and Dr. Pierce to let them know that Winterbottom Clinic can't take walk-in patients at the moment.

Afterward, Chris suits up in a fresh smock and gloves, and ties a cloth over their face. It's not much in the form of personal protective equipment, but it's something. And they clean up what they can of the waiting room, scrubbing it down with soap and with a vinegar-and-alcohol as a disinfectant. It takes about the whole rest of the half hour, but the room is extra clean for First Aid's current patient to leave the clinic through.

"...Not sure what the sickness is, but they mentioned needing bloodwork and possibly being a carrier. We don't need an outbreak of sickness from another world on top of everything." Chris's voice can be heard through the door. Again, just explaining -- just calm and informative.

[[ OOC: Feel free to reply to this one, and then I'll pass it over to First Aid's player. 😄 ]]

[theresalwaystheview]

The professionalism that comes with Chris very quickly scrubbing the entire front down and then coming back in what PPE they can offers a level of comfort that makes Bart feel a good deal more at ease. Even if the facility is woefully out of date, at least he knows he can count on old-fashioned human ingenuity. Before the trials of the last years of his life, he might not have been able to sit and wait for a full half-hour, but these days, patience is key. He would wait, and be sure that it would be worthwhile.

When he hears voices approaching, he straightens up, his hands held together politely atop his knees.

[lovinglefthand]

No, they certainly don't an outbreak from another world -- but if anyone's to blame for such an unfortunate outcome, it certainly wouldn't be the poor man waiting in the exam room, who after all has done exactly what he should under very unusual and trying circumstances. (Really if you can say an event would like that would be anyone's fault, it would probably be the goddesses themselves, for not following proper quarantine procedures while doing...whatever it is they do, when they're bringing people here from other universes! But that is hopefully a bridge they will all never have to cross.)

All of which is to say, the normally fairly upbeat First Aid is making a particular effort to seem calm and cheerful as he enters the exam room. "Hello! I'm First Aid, I'll be your doctor today. I understand we're doing some bloodwork?"

[theresalwaystheview]

Part protocol and all concern for the people around him, Bart's immediate choice to come here and be sure that he wouldn't inadvertently kill them was made with only enough hesitation to consider where he should go about it on the first place. Finding the one with the synthetic caretaker on staff was a comfort, enough that he doesn't hesitate to smile back at that cheerful demeanor in spite of his worries.

"Hello sir! Yes, that's right. I'm afraid I don't have anything to refer back to, but I can give you a full accounting of symptoms if you like. I'm not experiencing any save for shortness of breath, but I expect that may be more as a result of a sedentary lifestyle as of of the...er. End of my life." What a peculiar thought that is!

[lovinglefthand]

"Any information you can provide would be deeply appreciated," First Aid agrees as he turns away to wash his hands. The risk might be smaller in this direction, but he'd be just as upset if it turned out he had helped some virus or bug make its way into Bart's system as the other way around!

"When you say shortness of breath, do you mean you're experiencing that right now? Or just that you have experienced it since you arrived here?"

Obsolete

[maltesefalcon]

A shadow falls over his paper, as someone very tall and very broad peers over his shoulder. Tall, broad and winged.

[theresalwaystheview]

He's no longer accustomed to people hovering around him peering at his work, but his new observer also isn't the most stealthy, so he doesn't jump. The line of his shoulders stiffens though, and he looks up after a moment to blink up at the figure. He'd noticed the other here once before, but kept himself from staring in spite of a litany of questions.

"Ah- Uh. Hullo!"

[maltesefalcon]

"Places you've been?" Another question to add to the list: how does a creature without lips manage to speak so clearly?

[theresalwaystheview]

He might be wondering if it's telepathy of a sort. It wouldn't be the first time he's encountered it, albeit from a much older being.

"Places that I've been, people that I knew, things I saw," he confirms, idly fidgeting with his pen, then clasping his hands to stop it. Fidgeting is frowned upon, after all.

[maltesefalcon]

“You have a keen eye. I can get a sense for how these people and animals moved, from how you’re using your lines.”

Cerrit notices the fidgeting and when it’s suppressed. Nervous, probably his fault. He takes a small step back and around to the other side of the table so he’s not looming quite so much over Bart’s shoulder.

[theresalwaystheview]

Immediately Bart relaxes again, with his hands clasped around his pen as he explains, "The place where I was stuck only had things like spectroscopic tools for analysis purposes. There was no real art left," no room for it, in his father's eyes, "so I started learning to draw these things for myself, when I had the material."

He turns the stack of finished papers and flips through to show some of the animals that he'd encountered. Weird little fish, enormous creatures with a tiny human diver for scale, fantastical plants, all with labels that explained what individual parts were and did. Scientific diagrams with some artistry behind them. "These are specifically from the place where I lived before I ended up here. The place had no name, and the available information was...very out of date."

[maltesefalcon]

“The place you died before ending up here, too? It was…underwater?”

The word ‘spectroscopic’ goes over his head as many of the words his wizard friends used did, whoooosh, but he pays attention to the parts that matter. No art left, and this young man clearly sensitive and creative and needing an outlet.

[theresalwaystheview]

Bart's lips purse briefly, but he nods. "That's right. Most of the world was water, actually. It was build there, or remain subject to the weather patterns on a very small island that wasn't actually attached to anything." A page flipped to show a sketch of the island in question, with the portion below the water made up of spires that hung downward, with little blobs labeled as 'ancient floater's. "My father thought we should just stay here, where we could stay dry and grow food, but it didn't really matter when even doing that didn't help us avoid what was killing us. Not when we were still forced to go to the water to supplement what we were eating anyway."

A frown. "Part of me wonders why he isn't here. Or Marguerit. The...soldier that father hired." He doesn't know that she lived long after he did.

[maltesefalcon]

“I’ve wondered similar things, myself. Either we have individually been chosen for our skills, or grabbed haphazardly by the goddess who brought all of us here. Or maybe it’s more complicated than that, some sort of soul attunement that allows us to be here where others aren’t.”

Cerrit considers the sketch of the island. Considers Bart as well.

“It’s possible we will never know. But in the meantime, we’re who Marrow Island has. We will have to strive to be enough.”

[theresalwaystheview]

"If it's skill-based, I've had extensive education in the life sciences, with specific focus on agriculture and the bioengineering that it would take to make growing crops on a space station viable." More that would go over Cerrit's head, of course. "I...I was going to help feed a lot of people, for the continued prosperity of father's corporation. I hope that they'll be in good hands whether I'm there or not..."

[maltesefalcon]

“Is any of that research going to help feed the people on this island? We have farms and farmers, and limited space. I know that’s a problem that limits the population, that eats up the usable land quickly.” Avalir only ate so well because of the free use of magic. But Cerrit was someone who had done math on if the magic had failed.

[theheartofahero]

A person who looks a little nervous and very malnourished...? How is Izuku supposed to resist?

"Yes! I'm real... At least I think I am... I feel real? Sorry, I'm new so I'm still trying to wrap my head around all this..."

[theresalwaystheview]

As if he's just trying to be sure, Bart hops down from his perch and reaches out to touch Izuku's shoulder, carefully, as if he really might turn into dust and blow right away if he wasn't delicate about it. From this close up, it's obvious that he's no older than Izuku is.

The other hand comes up to Izuku's arm and there he still stays, warm and solid, and Bart absolutely beams.

"Goodness, you're the first new person I've seen in...I can't remember how long!"