the universe's sandbox

[somatichybrid]

i July

In the dark of the just-set suns, the vast gaping chasm where there was once a city seems to moan, a low and mournful note as the still hot wind sweeps over its edge and down into the blackness below. It wasn't always there. Sometimes it was ruins, sometimes it was light and noise and life. Right now, it's a hole, and the steady breeze plays notes along its broken, ragged edges like a half-forgotten dirge.

It shouldn't be there. It should be ruins, he's certain of it, crumbling outlines of homes and businesses and lives. There still were ruins, just a little further out, the tumbled broken brick and stucco he expected, but this? This is so bewildering he doesn't know what to think about it, he just pulls his long heavy cloak tighter around himself to keep the sand-strewn wind out and stares. He too shouldn't be there, and he strikes a figure that is at once familiar and strange, the shrouding wrap of fabric hiding most but not all of the violently red coat below, or the vague outline of more limbs than there should be. At its hem on one side right along the ground, long protrusions almost like feathery blades or sharpened fingers curl against a brick long separated from its home, absently digging a little furrow into it. More proper feathers trail almost like a peacock's train in the dust, occasionally looping loosely around whatever's nearest. The closer anyone gets, the more tangible his presence is alone, an oppressive weight like a sandstorm on the horizon. It wasn't every day he didn't know how to feel about something. Usually it was feeling too much about something.

Maybe he shouldn't have listened to the message on the radio and set out to investigate it. He picks up the brick with the longer of his arms, strangely articulated blade-fingers finding easy purchase in the stone's surface, and flicks it into the pit, listening for the sound of impact and quietly counting under his breath.

ii Desert, A Lost Steamer

There's no point in hanging around mystery holes! Especially ones that didn't stay holes and profoundly disturbed him on so many levels that he's going elsewhere for a while, scrunching across the sand towards.. whatever was in that general direction. It should be a town or city sooner or later, if the stars weren't also completely screwed up and likely to point him in the wrong direction, a place he could pick up a few supplies, put the mask back on and hopefully get in and out before he had to think about it too much.

But there's the wreck of a sand steamer sitting in the sand, far displaced from its proper routes, half torn open from some kind of internal explosion and by the looks of it thoroughly abandoned. The suns would be up in another hour.

Free shelter! Maybe free supplies!

It's almost with a bounce in his step that he heads for the wreck, humming a little under his breath, train of feathers and sharp edges held at a jaunty, strangely optimistic seeming angle like a rooster's tail.

Comments

[nurturing]

"That's definitely a possibility." They would just have to wait and see if things stabilized or not. Maybe it would take months, even years. It's definitely something she'd like to study, Rem's plate ever growing bigger as she adds more projects and child wrangling.

...and who knows if the people can be saved. Maybe they'll disappear or turn to dust as soon as they leave.

"Old tech sounds so funny to me, it's still my time's tech. However, it would really help to have a bunch of sensors or something." She looks out over the crater again. "It could help us see if any more people from other realities arrive, as well."

At his kind words about believing in her cake skills, Rem gives a little embarrassed laugh. "This place didn't quite have the ingredients I was used to, so it was... lumpy and weird. Tasted terribly, I had to feed it to the worms." She shakes her head. "I made a nice dinner instead, and a few Vashes popped in."

Oh, right! Speaking of Vashes. "I forgot to ask, what should I call you? Nash? Vai?"

[somatichybrid]

It would be worth it to try, as far as he's concerned! At worst nothing really changes. At best..! "..Ah.. ah yeah, that's true, I'm sorry. These days "high tech" is a radio, anything else is practically myth.." But that's changing, if the space humans are around! Sooner or later they'd all have great things, like air conditioners! "I can probably find a fair bit to work with but I wouldn't know what to do with it. Would you, by any chance?" He sounds so hopeful. Curiosity must be assuaged! Mysteries are afoot!

And he wants to know why there's a giant hole where a city should be. What caused it?!

"I'm sure the worms loved it too," is the prompt, stoically positive response about cakes. Worms like all kinds of things, and some of them were even grateful for free meals! It depended on how much Zazie was paying attention at the moment. "You can teach the birdlike ones to find you stuff in return for food if you get bored enough."

The little flyers would definitely try but they're so little!

There's a long, loooong pause when asked what he should be called. He hasn't decided yet. "You can call me Annatar if you like. I don't really think I should be going by Vash. Nai though, that's adorable. I've only ever heard 'Knives'!"

[nurturing]

"It's a pity so much was forgotten about technology. I'm sure at least some should have been able to be harvested from the downed ships, but after so long... it doesn't surprise me that a radio is fancy." Rem says, and then looks a little excited at his offer. "I could definitely take a look at it! I made the radio back at the station work with some scavenged pieces, and I'm trying to get the escape pod airborne."

She unfortunately knows why there is a hole, but... the rubble is confusing.

The comment that the worms probably likes it has Rem chuckling a bit. She's not sure what to think of the creatures, but maybe she got some good will going there. Saving her house from being eaten, maybe? Or maybe she can do as he says, and train the bird-like ones to fetch her scrap.

His pick of name has Rem raising a brow, amused. "No wonder you're bringing balloons, lord of gifts." It does fully explain that he's not really Vash or Knives. A third kid!

"His name is actually K-N-I but Vash wrote it as N-A-I as a toddler when they learned letters and it sounds the same."

[somatichybrid]

"A lot of it got lost as time went on. The desert preserved it, but with nobody knowing how to work it.. people did the best they could as the knowledge died generation after generation. Even basic education was a struggle for a lot of locations for a while." He was there, he remembered, and caught it from nearly a half dozen different perspectives. He still didn't know how he felt about it, not really. "But with the advent of the Federation, now there's people to teach it .. and you know how fast kids pick up new things. Another couple generations and even this world can be paradise." Could be, wasn't necessarily going to happen.

Still, there were things that could be done in the meantime, like trying to figure out what's happening to July. "I heard New Miami is working on getting old timey airships going, if you get yours flying head that way and you might be able to find some more. I'll grab what looks like it might be good for sensors and drag it over, you might have to teach me what it does though!" He can admit, his life has NOT been focused on figuring out how to make a seismometer or something.

There is a moment of unfeigned delight when the reference is caught - of course she'd know, it was more or less contemporary to her, but to most people, it's a complete mystery! "Oh, I'm sure it'll be fine, especially if I bring some nice rings. A whole set, one for everybody!" He might, now, just to keep it going. "..Huh. And if you removed the K and pronounced it just a bit different, they could have grown up knights." Who saayyyy.. "Kni is awfully close to Knives, so I guess there's some similarities after all. Boy that wound up prophetic, I've heard some stories."

[nurturing]

"I can't even imagine how many ships were lost, and all their technology and plants with them. Apparently a lot even fell into the sand sea and sank." It still amazes her, how much the population struggled but still managed to survive crashing into an inhospitable planet. "I hope the Earth people will focus on helping and teaching. I don't think Noman's Land is very open to new leadership... but it could be paradise in the end. Just maybe not in my lifetime."

She looks curious to know that airships are being made, grinning at the idea of some steampunk things flying around. "That's great! If they employ a willing gravity plant, I'm sure they wouldn't have any issues making that work." Consent and the rights of a worker should give a plant some autonomy, right? "I'll be happy to teach you all about the sensors and the work I'll try to get going!"

Except one of her children will go missing, and she doesn't do much of anything other than trying to track him.

The mention of rings has her raise a brow in mock suspicion. "I don't know... last time a bunch of rings started a few wars." Rem winks. "...and I'm sure the Knights of Nai would enjoy a shrubbery, but that might be an issue here."

There's a sigh at those last words, though. "He's such a good boy, my little one. I hope he can make his own path here."

[somatichybrid]

"Here it seems the Earth folks are mostly interested in catching Vash and Knives and installing limiters in their heads." There's a reason he's avoiding cities as much as he can, if he appeared on their radar he'd likely also be relentlessly hunted. Maybe moreso, the power he could bring to bear was higher than they could individually. "But it could be the circumstances. In the world I know, they turned up with food and medical care first and the reception's been .. really enthusiastic." Maybe it'll be that way here too, eventually.

What if they begin building Hindenburgs instead of relying on plants? He rubs his chin, looking thoughtful. He'll have to get more details on exactly what types of airships these are going to be, because the more he thinks about it the more curious he gets. Surely nothing's about to go wrong and he'll have plenty of free time to dart back and forth and soothe all of his curiosities! "I'll do my best to learn!" He's good at learning! He! .. Totally neglected any kind of real education after about two years old, on all fronts! "...Though speaking of ships sunk into the sand sea, that's where I'll be getting a lot of stuff from. I'm not really sure all of it's going to be useful.."

This issue of wars is negligently waved off. "Don't think of them as wars, think of them as team building exercises, but please keep any and all small people away from my volcano in case lost jewelry finds its way into their hands." It's.. strange, he supposed, how comfortable it was, trying to maintain a human look aside. As if there had been no tearing pain of loss, as if so much time hadn't passed.

"I'm sure he will. The circumstances the rest experienced are impossible to replicate now even if somehow he wanted to. Things can only be brighter." A more sobering topic, but he's certain of it. Things would be better.

[nurturing]

"Limiters... in their heads?" Oh hell no. Not her babies. Thankfully her momma bear anger is calmed a bit when Rem hears that at least in his world, food and medical care was provided first. That's definitely what this planet needed, and some good old terraforming so things could grow. Lessen the strain on the plants. That seemed more important to her than two independents, but she knows she's biased.

There are a lot of interesting gases that could work in that case, the question was how easy (or possible) that was to find and produce here. If they had to make a plant create helium (safer than hydrogen) it would be a moot point - and probably faster just to use a gravity plant. A lot of things to think about! Several years worth of learning!

How are your calculus skills, Annatar? Or cursive?

"If you can get to them, I'm sure they're the best places to find pieces that have not been scavenged. Even if something seems useless, even the metal in our ships are priceless in a place like this." It could be used as-is, or reforged. Strong enough to keep their ships in space for long over a century.

His quick replies and humor has her smiling again, also feeling quite comfortable like this. It was strangely easier to talk to Annatar than her boys. He didn't seem as weighed down by guilt and sorrow - or maybe he was just better at hiding it. None of her Vashes makes plays at pop culture shenanigans.

"I hope so," Rem says about Nai. "He deserves a chance to be a child for as long as possible."