nomans_land | Has it been days? Weeks? Months? White Shield is open for visitors.

Has it been days? Weeks? Months? White Shield is open for visitors.

Time is ... strange.

Alba Scutum had been abandoned long ago, when their plant was taken. The world's since moved on, the population not big enough anymore to sustain little pop-up towns forgotten and worn down by sand and time.

It was, as far as Delphinium was concerned, nearly a perfect location. Nearly. She'd been careful, since arriving and figuring out more or less what was going on. Through her network of sparse connections to her kin, she'd gathered those willing to take a chance at a life away from the safety of the cities, and migrated, taking those hardy people with her. Only two dozen or so, but it's enough for a start. Enough to move what remained of Alba Scutum to the coast of the Great Sand Sea and begin again. With so few people, one Plant is plenty. It took a while to move the stone and supplies from Alba Scutum closer to the coast.

And then the rumors began. A new port for sand steamers, though it could only take one at a time, because it was a little port at best.

With things to trade that such a tiny town couldn't possibly sustain with just one Plant. And wilder yet, vegetation. Actual vegetation, protected ferociously by the townsfolk, spiny and rubbery leaved and not particularly friendly looking, but green and alive in an otherwise empty desert. They'll sell seeds and seedlings, for the right price. But don't demand too much, or the entire steamer will be turned away.

It's called White Shield now, squatting at the base of a steep-walled canyon to protect it from the wind and make steamer arrivals easier to dock and unload. Easy to see from a distance by sand steamer by the pair of still under construction windmills up on the cliffs to either side of the canyon. The town is still small, but it has an inn and a bar, a little general store, white-stoned buildings and a well-sheltered squatty kind of tower with a single small Plant bulb that surely must have an excellent view, wires and cables trailing down through the rest of town. And scrubby tenacious desert plants tucked all around buildings, rocks and sheltered places, covered in spines and determinedly growing. At night, one or two species even flower, the scent clean and fresh and entirely foreign to this planet. It lures worms in like little else, glowing sparks in the night. They too, are determinedly growing.

Like the town itself.

Had it even been there a few days ago? It looks like it must have been there for months.

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Not knowing even in which direction to go, as after that first burst of mental images and plea he could hear no plants, Vash has been... wandering. He absolutely might have been ignoring his needs for food and water, too trapped in worry and guilt and, well, after making sure Rem was settled, just utter dejection.

He has never been so long without hearing plants, and it's horrifying.

And then. Then he can hear them again, except they don't sound like any plants he has known before. What does that mean?

With all the strength he can muster, he runs.

There were standing orders in White Shield. Well, 'orders' is a very strong word, but when it came from their only Plant people tended to treat it like orders. There was a man, that anyone who survived Knives' assault already knew thanks to a certain shower of feathers. If he were to appear, he was to be brought to town and treated kindly. No bounties, no gunfire, and if he's being chased, chase them off.

Life hadn't been kind, to Delphinium's lost little brother. If she could make it a little easier, she would.

A splotch of red and blond running across the continental shelf is noticed by one of the people working on the windmill construction. People just shouldn't be out in the desert on their own, but they're not always friendly, so caution is a good idea! Except, didn't that look awfully like--

At the distance Vash is at, he might well easily see a man scurry down the side of the half-built windmill and all but dive over the edge of the cliff in his rush to get back to town; there must be some kind of lift or ladder or something. And a second person heading in his direction. That she's carrying a gun isn't a surprise, EVERYONE did, but at least it's not drawn.

Not yet, but the woman is very obviously moving to intercept him.

This is indeed the man in red.

Except not quite. His hair is flopped down. The coat is definitely wrong. His left arm, instead of covered in a leather glove, is a green prosthetic. And he seems kind of gaunt and haunted, until he realizes there are people there and immediately smiles, eyes behind yellow shades curving and all.

"Oh, hey!" He blinks sad from his eyelashes, taking them in. "... you guys are all right?" Mix of concern and surprise that they seem to be.

It's not quite right, the woman remembered his hair should be standing up more, and there's not enough buckles and why is that a green arm, but it's ... it's close. Close enough to be worth asking about.

She's been cleaner, there seems to be bits of still damp cement stuck all over her overalls. When he slows down, she still approaches until they're within comfortable speaking range. "Yep, we're doing fine. Couldn't help but notice you're in a bit of a hurry though." She raises one hand, rubbing a smudge of concrete off her nose. "Are you Vash the Stampede? You look a bit like him."

Isn't this about when people start pulling guns because bounty money? She's not.

"Ahahahah..." His face turns just a little, and the sun glints off his glasses, but he doesn't close off. "Yeah, that's me. Though... not exactly the one I saw when I first came to this place."

He's not lying, and he's not wary. But if he will have to run from them and find a different way forward, he'll be very sad. And even more exhausted.

Whatever that is about not the one he saw when he arrived is CLEARLY some kind of mental health thing she is not graded to deal with, so she just nods in agreement, it seems like an appropriate move to make. "Thought so. Your hair looked better the other way, kind of more distinctive."

STRAIGHT. UP. She turns and points a grubby finger the way her companion had jumped right off the edge. "Head that way. There's a lift. The red button means go, the green button means stop, and don't touch any of the other ones if you know what's good for you. If you see a plant growing, don't touch it, they're a right bitch to get back out. Head for the tower if you want to say hello, she probably already knows you're here."

Which kind of plant was she talking about?? "..And, uh, welcome to White Shield."

The lift really doesn't look safe at all, but it's a workable way to get down to the town. Which looks.. reasonably normal if the scattering of desert vegetation is ignored, and the handful of people now watching with obvious interest.

Oh...

It's disorienting, to be given... guidance and instructions. Individually. Instead of questions and chasing. Vash blinks, and his entire face melts into a much gentler smile.

"Thanks. I'll make sure to not touch any plant without their permission."

He's thinking plant-plant.

When he finds the cactus along the path, that's flora so he doesn't at first realize that's what the woman meant, until he crouches to look at it in wonder, reaches to pet it, and spots the needles. Oh... Oh!

His smile turs kinder still, and he extends his thougths to it, gentle, so gentle, one finger finding a stripe he can caress without damage. "Good going, little one." Somehow, that makes him feel far more calm and normal than he has been since arriving to this place, even up to and including the best moments with Rem.

Flora means hope for Noman's Land. In this version of it where plants have been taken away and so many have suffered and died for it, hope is... important.

He follows the instructions about the elevator. Mostly because he wants to get to the other end, so playing around with the controls won't make that faster. The song of plants is clearer, one close and alone, and somewhere further away, more.

Edited 2023-05-12 16:26 (UTC)

There's not a whole lot of variety in those spiny plants, not yet. It's taken time to figure out which might thrive and which might not be able to even as desert plants, make it in this desert. Nobody could ever mistake it for lush greenery, the broad leafed, water-hungry vegetation of pictures and history, but those aren't suitable for No Man's Land.

But it's something.

The woman watches him go for a long moment, frowning when it seems HE'S GOING TO TOUCH A CACTUS ... but he doesn't get stuck, so she reluctantly heads back to work. The lift.. functions. More or less. It's not great, but it gets its job done with a lot of complaining and the distinct reek of burning grease.

Interesting! I didn't realize you'd look the same the way we do, but I guess it makes sense.

That's.. that's definitely a voice, feminine overtones with an undercurrent of distant, dim other minds and interests, but it's not out loud. Has Vash ever directly dealt with telepathy before? Not just the song of their kind, but clear words and intention.

Welcome, little brother! Come up so I can see you better.

She probably... hopefully... doesn't know how close he comes to breaking down in tears at the sweet welcome, little brother. In all his life, after the crash, there was only one place when he was welcomed to, and even that he usually avoided. For the sake of the people and the plants there, all.

Sis...ter? His call back is hesitant, but clear. I apologize if I am disturbing you. It - this land's plants are so few, when I heard-- I needed to find out-- I'm sorry.

He pauses for a moment. What should I call you?

Don't be silly, you're not disturbing anything.

It might be laughter that follows, merry and bright, but it's an overtone of emotion and imagery as well, the latter blurred and distorted but none of it negative. This one might be a little different from the other one, but she'd welcome them all just the same. Everyone needed somewhere to feel safe.

And there was a bounty, she'd heard. A large one. That would tempt people to terrible things even in a normal environment.

My name is Delphinium. I'm the only one in White Shield but I know where to point you if you want greater numbers than just me.

Although with the change in environment, her specific kind were being a bit more cautious of who they revealed themselves to, her independent siblings hardly qualified to be barred from knowng.

It is. Really much more difficult to conceal and mislead inside your mind than it is with word spoken aloud. Not that Vash normally lies as much as he does tend to deflect and avoid and keep people at a distance for their own sake. Like this...

Well, she would probably not be surprised, especially as he finally continues moving closer, by anything to come from him. While he may still be mentally flailing, he's keeping most of the underlying pain in check so it doesn't hurt, and the rest is... sincere love, deep as one can reach, and hope, and gentleness. Little brother he may be, but he's ready to take care of everyone. ~~Other than himself.~~

Delphinium. Beautiful! And... I just wanted to know that they are all right? The plants from everywhere have been taken, but they called out for help. And I haven't been able to find them...

He is relaxing a little as he moves closer, but that makes it obvious just how tightly he'd been wound down for, well, weeks. Because he has a long way to go before he's anywhere near the realm of normal... for him, even.

Getting to the outskirt of the town, he'll just find a bit of shade to sit down for a bit, suddenly feeling too tired to actually search for her. Or even... talk with anyone but her for the moment. Give him ten minutes, he'll bounce right back up.

Did you bring forth the flora? Easy to know what he means, mind to mind.

It's a long walk from the nearest settlements, and he hadn't come by steamer. A rest is to be expected. Maybe a long one, shake some sand and rocks out of boots, get out of the suns, get a drink.. and he's still being watched by the tiny populace. He's important, but is he the important that meant you bother him constantly with little gifts and food and water, or the important that said stay out of his way and let him do what he wants? It's a vital difference!

Yes ... and no. There's more than one group of us. Those like me, whom I can reach easily, we're doing alright. The ones nearby are doing alright. The ones in the direction of Octovern ...

It's hazed with concern. 'Alright' is .. dubious. I think something terrible happened, but the humans are sorting it out. There was distress, fear, but it's easing. I couldn't get there in a reasonable time frame, crossing the sand sea isn't easy for me, but one of our sisters is investigating closer.

She has a distinction in her mind, the kin she can reach, and the kin she can't. They're still Plants, they're just not Plants she can speak with yet! And that would have to be rectified sooner or later. How could they support each other if they can't reach each other? And Octovern is ... so, so far away.

The follow up topic is far less anxiety inducing, and with her words come a handful of half formed images, various cactuses and succulents.

I did! Did you know they're called 'plants' too? I don't know why, they don't look anything like us. I heard the planet Earth had terrible deserts like this in some places, and all kinds of things that lived there naturally, so I am experimenting with which ones can live here easiest. I don't know why they always want to grow with spikes though.

Oh. So it is to Octovern that I must go. The thought is not really directed at her, more like one to himself that he doesn't mind sharing. He doesn't quite understand what she is, not fully, but it's not urgent to know, it can wait a few minutes. And he really is tired.

(Don't bring him gifts, he'd have to figure out how to accept or decline them, and both are equally beyond him right now. He'll try to get to know them later, at least a little. But right now, he's just ... very, very drained. Emotionally.) (Delphinium's voice, even at its most concerned, is a soothing salve.)

When she 'talks' about the other plants, he smiles, small but even in his mind. I only know them as flora, it is what Luida calls them. She's one of the humans who remembers earth, and she's been trying to grow flora so that it can grow in more places and relivee the plants from having to do everything, so they won't be exploited. It... is not fast. Also I don't think she had these particular kinds, but she is also limited by... likely what was supposed to be used at the final destination of the ships. I think she will be interested in these ones which can live on their own, or mostly so, out here. The images that go with the words are easy and warm and affectionate, with Luida both younger and older, and the dome of flora that she has been working on when awake.

Not if you don't want to. It's being handled. Stay awhile, before you become a raisin. I'll ask someone to bring you a meal if you would like, and show you a place to sleep.

Likely uncooked food, but she's been dabbling in fruit and vegetables, thanks to their nutrition contents, and those would surely be alright in short order for a quick meal and some sidelong hydration. The downside of independents, they did seem to require external fuel to keep going and didn't have a nice safe bulb to hide in.

He sounds so tired. It's a long walk to get here, which was by design.. but such weariness wasn't only physical. Life was not kind, to any of her brothers.

Flora and fauna, plants and animals. Old language, but it avoids confusion with us, I suppose. There's a note of approval, though it's unsaid. Maybe she'll adopt the change in terminology, even though she understood when it was a vegetable and when it wasn't. Maybe she'll be interested in trade, later. Some of my efforts to reproduce Earth's plants are edible, or useful in other ways.

Vash's voice was as distant, as he was trying to reach her from as far as he could.

Delphinium? I'm sorry to bother you, this is Vash.

Of course it is, you're the only ones who ever say hello.

Distance is no object! Except at this range, emotions are harder to transmit.

Is something troubling you?

In all fairness, it's a safe bet that he's not exactly the calmest, if he's reaching out to her from the limits of that range.

I am sorry. Yes. There is another me who has been badly broken. His memory was taken away, and what he did as a result is making him very upset. And if the memories get blocked again, he can be very dangerous. Could... could you ask those in the city beyond if they would consider taking care of him? They don't have to! But it is the safest place I can think of, so I would ask.

The near babble stream of information is also very much a sign of him not being calm and composed.

There isn't a response at first, which might be taken as a bad sign. Delphinium can't make decisions for the Independents further up and further in, she and her town were merely the gate barring the way. But it's much easier to contact someone only a few iles away versus someone on the other side of the planet.

Is he dangerous now? Does he need to be wing-clipped and shrouded?

He is unconscious now. He was panicking, and screaming. I think as he is now, he would rather not live, but...

If they are considering it. There will also be little ones. Not the first ones, but I don't think the ones from before have been brought here.

If...

Is either of those things going to make him hurt less?

They will primarily make him less dangerous to others.

I can't make this judgment. It is not my city. But I will ask for you, it is the least we can do for a fellow living thing. Whatever information you can give me, so I may give it to them, may help.

That might still help. Knowing that he won't be able to do horrible things, after. But he should make that choice, I think. If... they will take him, I can stay until he is awake and help with the asking. Or at least make sure he doesn't wake up among strangers and panic.

And thank you. I would rather not come close enough to reach them unless we can come all the way in. But I would not ask you to make decisions for them.

There follow some images, too. The way Thorns moves, the way his eyes are empty, and then when he is self-aware and in pain for what he has done.

Please stay awake if you can, I will get a response as quickly as possible.

There was an altruism to their species that meant it was highly unlikely they were going to reject this hollow-eyed stranger, but that didn't mean one brought a bomb into one's home without the proper precautions. It's simply not her decision.

It takes a bit of time, the better part of a half hour, before the tentative touch of her mind again.

Can you bring him to Alba Scutum? The path to Garden is best taken by air, and with escorts. Our brothers and sisters will see to him as best they are able. If you cannot, I will see if I can borrow a solar sailer to come get you.

There is little danger that I'll fall asleep.

He might not sleep for a good while now. But half an hour is not long and he responds the moment she reaches out to him again.

We can drive almost all the way there, then I'll carry him to your town. Thank you, Delphinium. Beyond what I can put into words. and the emotion going with him, if utterly exhausted, is intense and true. Yes, it would be others who would take care of the other him, others who did agree, but Delphinium negotiated for his sake.

Elsewhere, arrangements begin. They couldn't very well leave one of their own, clearly in distress, without any form of aid whatsoever. And she trusted her free-walking kin would make certain there was minimal risk in the doing.

Hopefully this one wouldn't be beyond help. The lift is in better shape now, if you come from the plateau. Don't thank me too much, I'm just the messenger for now. If you'll want to stay in town yourself instead of proceeding to the Garden, I'll have a room made up for you. And perhaps a stiff drink and a meal.

And any traveling companions of course.

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Has it been days? Weeks? Months? White Shield is open for visitors.

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hey guess what i never saw or got a notif for

sometime... later.

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