escordvi | Open log for June

Who: Emet-Selch and you!
Status: Open
Where: General location
What: Quick blurb describing what's happening
Warnings: Include any content warnings

(Will match format)

1. MANTA board quests

A) Spirited Away
There is a shoebill at the pool. It is over a metre (~5 feet) tall and staring at you with penetrating eyes. Will you:

[ TALK | FIGHT | RUN | (Other?) ]
B) Starships
Emet-Selch often stares at the stars and so it's natural that he would contribute to efforts to chart the night sky. Whether he's with people from his crew or with strangers/people he's already met, he can be found up amongst the sails of whatever ship they're on, sitting with his back to a mast as he carefully charts the stars.

Pensively, he muses aloud, "I think I'll call this one... the Shepherd's Crook."

C) Buccaneer Birdnapping (Paladin)
Boom!

Emet-Selch blasts open the doors to a non-descript warehouse, knocking down the guards just inside. The game of cards they'd been playing in their idle hours scatter across the floor and a myriad of coins go bouncing into hidden corners with cheerful jingles.

"Where are the birds?" he asks flatly. The less slow guards manage to pick themselves up. They immediately ready weapons and/or spells and attack him with angry yells. The elder mage utters a short, irritable sigh and waves his hand. A strong gust of wind slams them against the opposing wall and the guards drop with heavy thuds.

He's made a lot of noise. Someone will come to investigate soon, whether it's more of their ruffian allies or other law enforcement. He had heard that the birds might respond to some vulgar language, but the only curses he knows are Eorzean ones...

Oh well, maybe it will still work? He takes a deep breath and then shouts:

"THAL'S BALLS!"

D) Book Bites (Paladin)
Whilst helping clean out the archives, you might hear some soft cursing coming from behind one of the shelves.

"That hurt, you beastly little thing."

It's Emet-Selch, with one of the book devouring critters latched on to his finger. It hadn't liked the attempt to pry it away from its book. The mage glares at it and gently tries to pry its jaws apart. Despite his outward ire, he seems to be treating it rather gently...

2. Wildcard

Anything else you want to thread out? I have a plotting comment here or you can DM me. Or just write something up.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

[Sometimes Joshua might consider himself a sort of ... bird folk. Yeah. Yet there is something eerie about this bird that makes him feel awkward more than anything.

That shoebill. Is staring at him. So ... strangely. Intently? What...]

Hello, little bird...?

[>TALK]

[ Cloud hears that. And because of the cursing, he turns the corner of the row of books to spot one cranky old man. With something being pretty stubborn about letting go.

He raises a brow and leans against the bookcase. ]

Seems pretty attached.

[ Ha. ]

[ 'Little'?? The shoebill does not seem to like that. It levels a piercing stare at Joshua, somehow looking imperious despite being shorter. It clacks its beak at him and stamps a foot. ]

[ He glowers at Cloud. Yes, haha, very funny. The book eater continues to dangle off his finger. ]

I'm trying to decide if this or the cursed books of Gubal are worse.

Are these books of yours alive and ready to eat someone?

[ Cloud will start to work his way over. Emet-Selch looks like he could use someone's assistance in pulling off that creature. ]

[ Hi bird. This is Stelle. Stelle is very used to talking to birds. Origami ones, but they're still birds. Don't ask her how many birds she's had to find (too many).

She stares at the bird. The bird stares back. She continues to stare at the bird. The bird is still staring back, presumably. ]

...you're kind of ugly.

[ The shoebill stares up at her. Even though it's a bird and surely can't understand human speech, it seems unhappy with her assessment of its looks.

It opens its beak and makes a short, but loud, rattling sound. ]

Some of them in fact were, yes.

[ Emet-Selch rests the page-eating creature in an empty space on one of the shelves and returns to trying to pry apart its jaws. The thing only bites down more securely. ]

Oh for the love of-- Do you have scrap paper we can feed it?

[ He can't help himself. Cloud cracks the faintest of grins. But then pulls a piece of paper out of his pocket. An old delivery order.

Then starts to wave it around in front of the creature, as if trying to lure it. ]

You sure like to keep yourself busy, huh?

I have nothing better to do with my time. I am still searching for a suitable place to serve as a workshop for engine development.

[ The creature spots a new sheet of paper and immediately lets go of Emet-Selch's finger to throw itself at it. If Cloud isn't careful, it'll be HIS fingers gnawed on next-- ]

[Oh no. Joshua takes a very cautious step back.]

I beg your pardon- a very magnificent bird, indeed. And hardly of the diminutive stature.

[Please don't stab him with that clacky beak, wow.]

I've never seen a bird quite like you, before... Fascinating.

[And somewhat... murder-y looking?]

[ Wow, that is kind of an ugly cry too. You're just ugly all around aren't you, bird?

Stelle is going to reach out a hand to try to pet the bird. ]

[ The shoebill tries, to the best of its ability while not actually moving from its spot, to dodge her hand by moving its head away. ]

[ Unfortunately for the bird, Stelle is a tenacious one. She'll keep trying to pet him, treating it like some game, until the bird either flies or tries to attack her. Come on bird!!!!! Let her pet you!!! ]

[ Well! That is better. The bird straightens itself a little and fluffs out its feathers briefly. It appears to be mollified by Joshua's assessment. Maybe he can approach it now? ]

Guess I understand that.

[ As the thing leaps, Cloud snatches it by the scruff of the neck. Midair. All that chocobo wrangling and SOLDIER ( not quite but close ) reflexes are paying off. ]

Until the bar opened, I wasn't any different.

[ The shoebill makes its complaints loudly known, eventually resorting to trying to sidestep her and circle around. It's not very fast though so she will eventually be able to catch up and get to pet its very ruffled feathers. ]

[ Yay, she wins! The first pet is a little rough on account of her chasing him around, but once he gives up and settles down, her petting becomes gentler, and she smoothes down his ruffled feathers with a bright teethy grin. ]

That wasn't so bad was it, birby? You're ugly but you're cute. Cute-ugly. Like a pug. I like you. If only you could talk too.

[ He blinks in surprise. Then scowls. But since Cloud has the creature in hand, he casts a simple healing spell on his poor finger. ]

I sometimes wonder why I was brought here. I have been stripped of my original purpose so there's nothing for me to do here besides help the locals with their troubles. Unlike certain adventurers however, 'tis not work I find fulfilling.

[ It lifts its beak up and rattles loudly. Petting it is like petting some kind of angry cat - its feathers keep fluffing up from indignation. Lowering its head, it tries to grab the hem of her shirt. ]

Then what do you find fulfilling?

[ Figures he might as well ask. Not like Cloud hasn't been... A little lost himself. Though anyone that knows him well wouldn't be surprised. Not with his history.

The little creature is trying to get at Cloud though. It is aggressive, trying to snap its jaws at him and all that nonsense. Claw at him, even. Pretty useless, but it is trying. ]

Kind of sucks when you don't know the answer.

[ Since... He isn't really sure what he would call "fulfilling" for himself. ]

For the time being, I'm following in the footsteps of a friend.

[ With his finger taken care of, he frowns at the book biter. Touching a finger to its back, he speaks sternly. ]

Go to sleep you beastly thing.

[ Contact with his finger provokes a sleep spell and the creature goes limp. ]

[Joshua isn't entirely sure he wants to fully approach the bird at all now. Just because he's sure that giant menacing beak could do a lot of damage.

But he does take a careful step closer.]

Such different creatures on this star... I wonder if one like you would get along with the gryphons on my crew's island. They're just as fierce.

[If he just standing here talking to a weird bird??? Yeah.]

[ He watches the creature just immediately fall asleep at the mere word. Cloud mumbles a "huh" in slight surprise. ]

Makes me wish I had a materia with that spell...

[ It would be so much easier to just. Put people to sleep when he is done dealing with them? Probably an abuse of power doing it like that. ]

Guess I did the same thing, for a while. Threat's been done for a while so I guess I had to stop doing that too.

Edited 2024-07-21 18:29 (UTC)

[ The shoebill tilts its head. It doesn't act aggressively again as Joshua approaches. It does, however, fluff itself up a little and preen one of its wings. ]

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Open log for June

spiritied away 🦃

Book Bites

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Spirited Away

how could you call grandpa ugly??

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It's just facts gramps...

>:( [if you play ff14 I hope you've been enjoying expac!]

(yessssss crawls slowly thru tags while going thru msq...)

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p a i n

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