escordvi | The Light is Off But I Still Work

Who: Darin Altway and You!
Status: Open
Where: Eltrut and Nogard
What: MANTA quests and general catch-all
Warnings: Will Mark As Needed

-SWEET DREAMS ARE MADE OF THESE-

[Darin sure as hell has no idea where this Tapir plushie craze came from but the markets are absolutely inundated with stalls selling tapir themed wraps and goods. A few days ago, that wouldn't have been a problem. He wasn't all that interested and fads come and go. He's a tradesman, he knows how it is.]

[But then he heard about what the tapir plushies do. And considering that someone precious to him is in some sort of sleep coma, he decided to go out and grab one. How hard could it be?]

[Hard enough that every stall is showing they're out of stock. And when one pops up with stock, they're overwhelmed within minutes.]

[So now, Darin's camping out one of the lesser known corners of the market on Eltrut. He's been out here all night and it's now 8 AM. Someone in this corner of the market is going to have a plushie and dammit he's going to get it. Trouble is...he's not the only one looking to get a plushie here.]

...Is it bad form to use your god-gifted superpowers to snag a plushie ahead of a bunch of crazed, entitled shoppers? That's bad form, right?

[He's talking to himself but hey, you're free to be there to help him.]

[Or compete with him.]

-PAINTED SKULL-O-LANTERNS-

[Coming from a world that usually has harvest festivals this time of year, hearing about all of the spooky happenings and upcoming events doesn't have Darin especially thrilled. He's got enough on his mind as it is! And while Darin might not be the most superstitious sort, he'll tend to try anything once. Especially if it means warding off scary monsters or even death itself.]

[Besides, decorating the forge could be fun.]

[So, he's sitting out front of the Starmetal Forge with a basket of (hopefully) fake skulls. He's got a small table set up and a whole bunch of paints and...a potter's wheel? Darin places a skull down on the center of the wheel and begins to spin it, then selects a color of paint and carefully drips it on the spinning skull, creating wild, circular designs. He's also making a big mess and he has more paint on him than he does the skull.]

[But there's plenty of room for someone to join him! And plenty of skulls and paint to go around. Hopefully you have a smock of your own if you're worried about making a mess. Because you probably will.]

-STARMETAL SPARRING-

[Darin has had a lot of nervous and anxious energy to get out. He hasn't had the focus to work on any projects at the forge. He's got too much on his mind to sit at home and work on personal projects. And with his body healing up nicely after crossing paths with Ganondorf, he's itching to start training. Problem is, how does he start? Well, if there's one thing he's learned is that riftfarers seem to have all sorts of crazy powers. And learning to adapt to their abilities would not only give him some valuable training, but it'd allow him to blow off some steam as well!]

[He's fashioned a small sparring area behind the Starmetal Forge. Nothing inherently fancy but enough room to move around in. He mostly uses it to test some of his projects but...well, today he's repurposing it. Finally, he hangs a sign out front that reads:]

Feelin' Frustrated? Come On In For a Pounding!

[Does Darin understand the connotations of that sign? You be the judge!]

-INFILTRATE AND LIBERATE PART 2-

[After the recovery of the tragic cargo last month, Darin's been keeping abreast of the situation regarding the victims' treatment. Since it looks like the victims can be saved after the crystals are painstakingly shaved off, Darin is currently researching and engineering a way to make the process even the slightest bit less arduous.]

[He's hunched over his workbench at the Starmetal Forge, toying with some precision tools. There's a small pile of elemental stones nearby that he's currently rummaging through.]

Gotta be a way to magically enhance the edge of a knife or scalpel...my first instinct is wind but...ice could work too. Or fire? Heating the crystal might make it easier to remove...

-UNDERWATER RUINS- HIDDEN CHAMBER

[Somehow, checking out these ruins without a certain somebody by his side isn't as fun as he was hoping. How is it he's gone on two expeditions and he's gone alone each time? He heaves a despondent sigh as he wanders into the large chamber. He wouldn't be surprised if someone was already here...these ruins have been around for over a month now. But he had to get off Eltrut for a bit. Even for a day. And being able to examine ruins would at least give him something to distract himself.]

[Darin stops and takes a careful look around the room. All of the mirrors had to serve a purpose, right?]

Why so many mirrors? They're just going to reflect themselves...

[Darin drops to a sitting position and pulls out his notebook. He starts to sketch the room in its entirety as he puzzles out the...well, the puzzle.]

(OOC: Please feel free to top-level with something else if these prompts don't work for you! And if you want to double check an idea with me, hit me up through PM or on

bitterbearface)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Darin chooses to gloss over it. He doesn't feel particularly proud about causing that man to panic...but he needed this tapir!]

A whole day? For what?? Why?

Generates money for the big businesses that run everything.

(It's a capitalist hellscape. Everything is for profit, even the creation--and torture--of Re-Genes like Sidestep.

Some humans will do anything for money.)

...Businesses run everything in your world?

That...kinda sounds like hell, honestly.

I mean, I know I'm a business owner but it's never been about the money for me. But I've known my fair share of merchants who only care about coin.

They're the worst.

(They snort.)

Yeah. You can't even vote unless you're rich.

...Still better than the places that imprison people for having powers.

Sounds a little similar to my world.

In my kingdom, magic and being able to use it is a big deal. So much so that anyone with a degree of magical affinity is able to go to school. Have a normal life.

Those of us who don't...well, either we shell out the money for a private education or we shell out money for a trade school. Most people can get by but orphans like me?

We're basically forgotten about until we turn 18, then we're conscripted into the army. I lucked out I was adopted by a smith.

(They snort.)

Can't do that in my world. Closest thing to magic is boosting.

(And most people who boost die.)

Well...regardless, I got the plush. I really appreciate your help with this. I really hope this helps her...

[He's admiring the tapir plush he managed to snag, his smile warm and content.]

I owe you one.

Sure.

(A favor from this guy will be useful, at least.

They look at their own plush. This had better do what they've been told it does.)

Tell me if it works?

Sure...though, it might be awhile.

The person who this is for has been asleep for a couple of weeks now. I'm getting this to make sure she wakes up feeling good...

...You sure that's sleep? It sounds more like a coma.

(They shouldn't say anything. Fuck. Why do they have to care?)

...I would much rather think of it like sleep.

[Because if Zelda were in a coma, he doesn't know what he'd do with himself.]

She's gonna wake up so...I gotta make sure I do everything I can.

[No wonder he looks like hell.]

(They sigh.)

You should probably still talk to someone though. Those guys with the medical robot might be able to help.

(They could help, but that would require revealing more about themself than they're willing to.)

(OOC: I don't think I ever asked you to fill this out, but it might be a good idea? Sidestep about to try poking his brain cause they're curious how deep his attachment goes and who it is he's so distressed over.)

Medical robot?

[Darin's confused and doesn't know who Sidestep means...but the idea of potentially helping Zelda means he'll give anything a try.]

[He's been watching over her for a few weeks now. Spending mornings and evenings sitting with her and talking with her despite the coma-like sleep she's stuck in. He...cares for her. A lot. More than he's ever cared for anyone. Even though he knows her home is somewhere else and he can never be that important to her.]

[He also worries that maybe Ganondorf is the cause of this. Somehow.]

You didn't see the network post? The two brothers and the big white balloon guy?

(They remember it strongly, if only because of the robot.

...Damn, he's really down bad for this girl.)

No, I must have missed it. I've actually been pretty distracted.

[Darin blinks in thought.]

So the white balloon guy is the medical robot? Oh man, I should look them up!

That's two I owe you now!

Sure. Whatever. Don't go blabbing about it.

(No. Really. Don't. They know he's on Ganon's shitlist and they really don't want to get on Ganon's shitlist. They're kind of working for the guy?

Also he will kill them.)

Hehehe...don't worry about it. Your secret's safe with me~

Now, if you don't mind...I have a plushie to deliver.

Thanks again, for all the help. It's...nice being able to get some of that crap off of my chest.

Alright. Bye then.

(And they'll turn to leave. They're gonna go grab some of those rolls, they think.

There won't be much chance to stop them before they seem to just completely vanish into the crowd, so if he decides he wants to say some last minute thing or other he'd better do it quickly.)

[Man, it was really hard getting a read on them but...Darin was glad that they were there to help. Just because they seem standoffish, it doesn't mean they're a bad person. Hell, Darin used to be just as standoffish too.]

[He'd have to find a way to properly thank them when things calmed down.]

The Light is Off But I Still Work

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