To infinity...and beyond? (Semi-open)

[astrogator]

Who: Ari Tayrey + willing CR + anyone else who wants in
What: Mini-plot: an expedition to determine what kind of infinite this store really is
When: 25-29??? November
Where: The Infinite Tommy Bahama
Warnings: None yet
Notes: First prompt is a text message sent to Ari's friendly-ish CR - replies are welcome even from people who don't want to take part! Other prompts are open but please note that participating characters will potentially be in the store for up to 4/5 days. Party post rules are fine, start your own toplevels and tag people other than Ari if you like. ((I checked with our lovely mod about what would happen if they tried this!))



1. Texting

I have a plan. I want to see just how infinite this Tommy Bahama is. Multi-day expedition for data collection? It could be informative. Maybe fun, too. Interested in coming along?

- Tayrey

2. Preparing

Even people who don't know Ari well may notice that something is up. It's not often that people walk into Tommy Bahama wearing backpacks full of supplies. There's some last-minute preparation going on here, as well as a last-minute opportunity to join the expedition. Expect Ari to want to check and make sure everyone has all the essentials with them. She's used to preparing for trips to uninhabited and potentially hostile planets, and it shows. Don't mind the fussing. She wouldn't do it if she didn't care.

3. Exploring

Despite all the promises, the expedition is - well, boring might be an accurate description, unless you're really invested in the outcome. There's a lot of walking past the same racks of clothes, over and over and over. Infinite length doesn't mean infinite variety.

Ari's fascinated, and she'll be chattering about loop programming to anyone who will listen, and attempting to measure the distance between one rack of garishly-patterned bikinis and the next iteration of that very same rack. She'll encourage tests, too - what happens if you completely destroy one of the displays? Is the destruction repeated? (Spoiler alert: no, it's not that kind of loop, but let's try it a few times anyway and make sure?)

Maybe you give up and head back after a few hours. Maybe you have a run-in with the Bahamanal. Maybe you join in with Ari's ridiculous spacer song singalong - she is in a good mood. It's Tommy Bahama, anything could happen.

4. Relaxing

Ari pushes the pace on the first day, because it comes naturally to do so, and possibly, subconsciously, to weed out anyone who isn't serious about this and is going to cause them problems once they're a long way in. Eventually, though, it's time to stop for the night. There's not a campfire, but it's a fine social occasion just the same. Ari's brought some Serena Eterna branded playing cards, and she's up for a little gambling. Maybe you have some other entertainment ideas. Don't stay up too long, though - see if you can't make a nice nest of clothes to bed down in. There's plenty of walking to do tomorrow.

5. Emerging

Plenty of data has been collected about the repeating displays, but there's no end in sight to this store. Is it really infinite? If there's a way to answer that question, this expedition won't do it. It's over two days in when the group realises that they're over halfway through the supplies they brought. Time to turn around, whether that leaves you disappointed or delighted.

Unfortunately, there are no tricks of perception or proportion here. It'll take just as long to walk out as it did to walk in. Look on the bright side, at least you're carrying less weight? Finally, on the fifth day, the intrepid explorers who stayed the distance catch sight of the store entrance up ahead. Who saw it first?

6. Wildcard

Anything else you want to do! (Just let me know if I need to add warnings to the header :) )

Comments

[konpeito_aji]

Nobunaga perks up instantly at the sight of Dedue! "Lieutenant! This is Dedue. He's an herbalist hobbyist." Giant beam. "Yeah, I've been dying to map this place," um. Literally. "Leaving bottles and food in the store itself is fruitless, as much as organizing it, but Teyrey has knowledge of L-Space and believes she can coordinate the exact dimensions of the loop, possibly. We're going to conquer infinity!" he punches the air. He's not wearing the metal cuirass for once, just his gauntlets and greaves, and Tommy Bahama general ridiculously bright Hawaiian shirt, with florescence and GUNS - though he's still in traditional black samurai hakama pants, because the baby bahamanals don't use eyes to hunt, and might as well half blend in, but still make sure the pants offer as much protection as possible by making it nearly impossible to get directly to the legs.

"Dedue, this is Lieutenant Teyrey of the Tradelines, and my official astrogator! She maps stars. And is a prodigy on the level with Ieyasu and a true genius!"

[glassaxolotl]

Dedue gives a small bow. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant. Is there any way I can offer assistance? If I were healed, I could provide defense. But I will help in any way I can. Finding out as much as we can about this place is important.”

[astrogator]

[Ari's not terribly happy, because Nobunaga didn't exactly introduce Dedue properly, and he's probably going to roll his eyes if she calls the man citizen. Calling her a prodigy and a genius does make up for it, though, so he gets a pass this time. She smiles at the newcomer, and returns his bow with a little one of her own.]


Peace and prosperity to you! It's very kind of you to offer to help us. [There's a rather skeptical look in her eye as she's appraising him, though.]

It's going to be long hours of travel, covering a great distance over several days. [Possibly not the easiest thing for a man in his condition. Ari isn't about to refuse him outright, though. She'll give anyone a chance - and she'll send anyone back if they can't keep up with the group.]

[glassaxolotl]

“Yes. That is what I assumed,” he says. “I was thinking I could help prepare packages of food at least. Or items for sleeping.”

Back on the Garreg Mach expositions, they’d have carriages and tents, but tents would make no sense in an indoor location, and there are no animals to pull a carriage.

[konpeito_aji]

"Fortunately we can scavenge sleeping materials! It's the opposite, usually you must forage food, and bring clothes. How ridiculous - I love it!"

Nobunaga acts as oblivious to Dedue's condition as he is to Arthur (and Erin and Helena!) being blind. So he just cheerfully piles bags of water bottles on Dedue's lap, liberally taking advantage of the offer in a way only a man completely devoid of manners ever could. "We need to consolidate as much as possible, but if there are more than us, we might also split up the load depending on everyone's size and what else they bring."

He's in a good mood. Okay, well he always is on the ship, but extra good!

"Dedue is also ex-army like Klaus. Oh! And made those maps of his world I gave you in your contract!" A giant beam, and back to Dedue, "It worked. Teyrey loves maps. That's part of the ambition with this. To map the loop point where it repeats or at least discover the pattern, if there is one."

A happy hum and he tilts his head. If it was Mitsuhide, the left hand would just read his mind. "The terrain should be flat like this the whole time -- oh but there is the Bahamanal... and its offspring." Someone might have been feeding it. He's not sorry, but he probably should be, because that someone is him and his sushi boxes for Siffleur probably. "Can you shoot?"

There's the way out if Dedue wants, or way in, same for Teyrey to tell him not to just abscond with people pressing them into the Oda motto: join or die. (Which she now knew didn't mean Nobunaga would personally kill them, but rather wouldn't be able to save them while trying to prioritize his army instead, but still!!)