And I Would Walk 500 Miles

[Anka]

March 25th

  Contrary to what one might expect, Anka was not adverse to the cold. The desert became considerably colder at night, after all. But the abundance of humidity, on the other hand, was foreign to her; every step that crunched into the snow sent a chill directly to her core. But she would bear it. She had chased this signal on her little device across the globe for a couple weeks now, growing more and more determined and worrisome with each passing day. When it had mysteriously shot across the ocean, Anka's fears had only doubled.

  Her tail swished rhythmically over the snow, eyes tearing away from the screen only as sparingly as possible. The signal was finally getting closer, now. Please be okay, she thought for perhaps the millionth time since departing from home. Occasionally, a darker thought would whisper into her ear, in which she would at least settle for any answer, even an unpleasant one, if it meant no longer having to live with the wondering. Anka shook the thought from her mind. The signal was close. She looked up, and was surprised to find a building all the way out here. A lonely old barnhouse stood steadfast against the snow. Stranger still, the lohi could clearly make out the silhouettes of floating vessels tethered amidst the canopy. Those were intergalactic ships. Anka looked down at her device again. Here? What was she doing here?

  Anka chewed her lip, and pressed onward. Anxiety gripped at her, but she had to know. She had to have an answer, one way or another. As she drew closer, Anka could make out figures in the snow - many of which shuffling with the telltale signs of injury. Some were moving supplies, and some were simply milling about, trying to make themselves useful. Her nerves were trying to get the better of her, and Anka found herself double-checking with her machine. No mistaking it, therefore no avoiding it. Anka took a breath to gather up her courage, and approached the camp.



"Hello...?"

[Zamora]

The figure that seems to respond to the stranger’s question is... large. It’s some sort of creature— one Anka might recognize herself —, and it’s main focus seems to be the small crew of healthy soldiers she’s directing around and instructing to... build cabins? Small ones, most likely for the people in the area.

When the question reaches large ears, the three-armed creature turns carefully to face Anka. Five pale eyes shift to look in her vague direction, and there’s a freeze.

Muscles tense, and hairblades shift ever so slightly.

“... Hello.”

It seem the creature is being civil, but seems nervous about something.

[John Silver]

“Ahoy there!” Silver’s voice calls across the camp he had finished shoving another path towards that place where they stored the firewood. “Capt. John Silver at yer service ma’am what can I doing for you?” He stabs the shovel into the snowbank, moving to meet the new alien, warm puffs of fog escape the ursid’s lips as he moves along

[Hercules]

Hercules stood outside of the barn. He had been in shock before at the events that transpired. But he had tried to shake himself out of it multiple times, but images kept flashing in his head of the events. He felt a bad taste in his mouth. He was in his thoughts, to muddled in them to really focus. His mind then focused and he realized how cold Canada was compared to the hot climate of Africa and even more so of Greece. He almost wondered if he could maybe return to Greece.

That thought was immediately interrupted as he spotted a person approaching. He blinked as he tried to see what exactly it was, it definitely not human. He straightened and walked over. He eyed the creature. Ok, a female... but again he couldn't tell what she was. "Who are you? Are you... um ok?" he asked. He didn't ask her what she was, since that would be really rude.

[Anka]

  The expression that crosses Anka's face is... stiff, to put plainly. She clearly hadn't expected to see someone like Zamora or Silver all the way out here. But she's quick to compose herself, and offers her most amiable smile. The presence she exudes is a surprisingly soothing one.

  "Oh, hello! Yes, um," she fidgets a moment, worrying at the hem of her skirt. "I know I must look awfully strange just showing up like this." Anka clasped her hands together and bowed her head. "I hope I'm not intruding on anything."
  Anka couldn't help but let her eyes wander, searching for something she clearly wasn't seeing yet. In spite of her obvious fidgeting, the atmosphere is relaxing, and she's plainly an amiable creature. At length she refocuses back on the group that's come to meet her.

  "Yes, I'm all right. Thank you for asking." She beamed good-naturedly. "To erm, get to the point, I've come looking for my family. I've traveled a long way, you see, and I'm certain that she's here."

[Zamora]

Despite the calm, soothing presence of the stranger, Zamora begins to bristle further. Ears fold back, and the hairblades begin to rattle softly. Something about this stranger is upsetting the Pit Beast, though there isn't a reason to be seen.

There's a grumble here, something in that strange tongue of hers. It's questioning, through all the fuss she's beginning to make. An attempt at being amicable herself, though masking some sort of frustration weakly.

Eventually, a calloused hand reaches and presses Silver forward, as if attempting to get him to take charge of the conversation. She wants to help the individual, but there's something very, very wrong...

[Hercules]

Hercules immediately felt sorry for her. He didn't exactly know why, but he did. "No, it's not that big of a deal," he said with a frown. He didn't see anything threatening about her. And if she did attack, well... hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

"I'm Hercules," he said introducing himself. Then she mentioned something else. "Your family?" he asked. "I'm not sure. But..." he trailed off trying to come up with a sufficient answer. "You think they are here?"

[John Silver]

“Yer family? There are tons of soldiers roaming around here. Her name would be most helpful luv” he feels the massive aliens hands moving him forward as he gives Zamora’s hand a comforting pat.

“At ease luv, I got this” he chuckled to the pit beast before glancing over at Hercules giving him a nod of greeting. “Do yeh wanna come into the barn? They could be in there?”

[The Gourmand]

Now that things were better in order -- not nearly to a level that satisfied the warlord, but better at least -- he felt he could get down to more menial tasks. Of course, this was the Gourmand, and apparently forging a longsword constituted “menial”. The weapon was heavy and made of iron. None of his crystals decorated the sword. Apparently, he only imbued crystals into weapons of his own or into weapons for those who he felt earned their magic power. The sword seemed just slightly too small for him, so it must have been for one of the human soldiers.

The metal was heated to a hot blue light from repeated working with was seemed to be a crystalline tool shaped like a hammer. The repeating banging was a little noisy, but it wasn’t a noise alarming to those who’d been exposed to smithing before. The Gourmand stopped for a moment and pulled back from the impromptu anvil made of a big chunk of bluestone.

Once again at last, the crippled beast was mobile: his pod was… mostly repaired by then. Once he’d leaned back and turned, it was clear to see his trophy cape wasn’t the only pelt he wore. It was unusually cold so that even he would not tolerate it. The Gourmand wore a recently skinned moose hide wrapped half way around his front like a Snuggie. He turned himself in the direction of whatever seemed to be of interest to some of the others.

A stranger. Strangers could be dangerous.

The Gourmand gave the broadsword a test swing, causing a “whoosh” and a gust of air, and then stuck it into a snowbank nearby, making it evaporate partially. The huge merman didn’t approach. Yet.

[Anka]

  Anka nodded thoughtfully to each man as he spoke. It was hard not to note the Pit Beast glaring daggers into her, but she tried her best not to address it. Perhaps the towering woman would relax soon enough.

  "Yes, of course." Anka cleared her throat. "I'm looking for my sister, you see." As she spoke, the lohi gestured with hoof-like hands. She held out a space between her palms to indicate size. It was... notably small.

  "She's about yea big, looks a lot like an Earth reptile, - oh, I neglected to mention, we're not blood related - and very--" She paused upon hearing the hiss of red-hot metal complaining against the snow. It hadn't spooked her, but it distracted her train of thought for a moment. "...very excitable."

  "I'm not sure if she would have spoken with anyone here, but her name is Huela, if that helps."