RE419S | audio | Day 7

[aluminumandash]

[ Rust's voice comes over the walkie, urgent and forceful. ] Anyone in the area between the concrete structures where Martin and me were held—that's the foothills with, ah, a river to the south and the jungle ten hours to the west of the northeast coast, check in right the fuck now.

[ He thinks to type the rest out—some semblance of a record, something for people to refer back to for the while it's around—but five minutes punching little keys and he can't take it anymore. So his voice returns, matter-of-fact. ]

Officer de Guzman's dead. [ If anyone was hoping for a eulogy, it's not fucking happening. ] Took an arrow to the shoulder then was executed, from the sound of it, likely with his own firearm. He was in the region I just described, about a kilometer away from a wood cabin with no defenses or occupants he could discern. Guessing he walked into some kind of a trap. [ He concludes, irritation seeping into his voice. ]

Much as I hate to state the obvious, circumstances compel me to say: do not seek out the cabin. Hell, I'll say it twice: do not seek out the fucking cabin. You find yourself in an area suspiciously quiet and bereft of animal activity, turn around and go back the way you came.

The individual who killed him had a message for us. It follows.

[ After a short delay: ] The next animal I find here will die a much slower death. Tell your friends for me.


OOC: Replies subject to even more robust threadjacking than usual from Lalo!

Comments

[meadqueen]

Yes. We found it in one of the longhouses, so the people here before us may have used these often.

[She’s also got a goofy blue case with a palm tree on it]

I agree, it's simpler than marking the direction by the sun. Are you heading to the airfield?

[salamanca]

You guys have any idea why people left the longhouses yet? Better not be a carbon monoxide leak. (Ask Senku what that is.)

Yeah. Maybe not right away. Gonna catch some waves. Hang ten.

[ Another joke she won't get. ]

Hey, bet they don't have surfing where you're from. When you're from. You'd like it though. Ask Senku to make us some surfboards. One for him too if he wants. Should be easy out of just wood.

I'm bringing booze. When I get there, we're getting hammered and going surfing. Practice yelling "hang ten!"

[meadqueen]

Presumably they left when there were no more planes to care for.

┐(￣ヘ￣)┌

[She might have to ask Steph about surfing later]

I would not mind. It can't be healthy to drink so much water.

[salamanca]

Do you think planes leave on their own? Sorry, that sounds rude. But I'm curious! I want to hear everything you know about planes.

A girl after my own heart. <3 That's what I'm talking about! What's your poison, mi bella?

[meadqueen]

Drones leave on their own. I've heard it said they're like birds, or ships. But even so, not all shipwrights sail.

Normally we drink ale or mead. Saxons love their wine, but it's too sweet for me. At home, Tekla makes a mead from apples that will knock you into next week.

[salamanca]

Planes are different. They're kind of like drones but much, much, much bigger, and people can ride inside of them. Think like a house in the sky. One person steers the plane, or two people. A plane can't leave without a person piloting it. Make sense?

Yeah? I've never had mead from apples. We have something called Goldschlager in my time. Sounds like it does the same thing.

[meadqueen]

I’m still not certain that you're not all mocking me for some reason.

I've never met a brewer like her - after every festival my day is occupied trying to find where all of the warriors had passed out the night before.

[salamanca]

Uh-oh! Pack it up, everybody! She found out about our secret plan to convince her that planes are real! It was nice while it lasted.

Kidding, kidding. ;)

HA! She sounds like a jewel. If she ever arrives here, I would love to meet her. :D I make a mean White Russian. It'll knock you on your ass. But it sounds like she's got me beat!

[meadqueen]

(」°ロ°)」

I did feel very foolish looking for them that first day.

I suppose if it were your only job, you could potentially match her.

[salamanca]

You should never feel foolish for looking for anything! Even if you don't find it, what's the worst that could happen? Nothing has changed! If you do find it, then wham - new information! And if somebody is mocking you and sending you in circles looking for something that doesn't exist, as soon as you get enough proof, you can just kill the fucker.

[ That's one text. Hastily he sends another: ]

Kidding, kidding, everyone! That was a joke. We're not killing anybody.

Maybe, but I don't think I could be happy with just one job. Could you? Always nice to expand your horizons. Hard to do that when you only do one thing all the time.

[meadqueen]

I suspect you’d feel foolish too, sent on a quest after some giant birds that might not exist. I know it's far in the future but it's hard to believe that so much has changed.

I'm not sure. I might like only having to think about one kind of thing for a while.

[salamanca]

Do you think I'm the sort of person who feels foolish often, Miss?

Is that right? What one thing would you think about, if it was only one? I'm thinking, maybe for me, I might pick cooking. But it's hard to say. Maybe I would be a brewer.

[meadqueen]

Do you think I am?

[Non-answer but even a straightforward person can balk a bit at being rude to the guy who just died. Especially since Steph made guns sound so terrible]

I would like to be a scout, I think. Exploring the land, visiting various ruins for myself, carrying important messages.