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

[not_the_last]

"Oh," gulps Cassandra, and then she's very quiet for a long moment.

Slowly, slowly, a long sigh escapes her and her eyes fall shut.

[crushed_pearls]

In a purposeful stage whisper: "This is a preview of that spa experience I was talking about."

Tradition dictates that this is where Erin should bully Cass for being pampered, but...

(She wasn't exactly pampered as a prisoner.)

Yeah, that.

"This is the part of adventure that only the really honest poets get into," Erin admits. "But are you still having fun?"

[not_the_last]

"I don't know," she admits, eyes still closed. "I'm not used to this much walking, and ... there's not much variation."

[crushed_pearls]

"Even in vistas of wild beauty it's the company that makes the trip," Erin muses, still patiently massaging. "I appreciate you coming, Cass. It means a lot to me, but...I do hope you might make friends here too."

[not_the_last]

"It's been ... nice? Going in company." A beat. "And not being in charge."

That last part has the sound of a confession.

[crushed_pearls]

"Yeah, mood," Erin admits back. "Don't have to make the plan, don't have to be in charge, don't have to be the expert. Being a sword-arm for a change has been nice. I think I like it."

[not_the_last]

"Don't have to make any of the decisions," sighs Cassandra. "I never thought I'd find that a pleasant change -- mmph," that last noise coming as Erin's thumb presses against a particularly tight-knotted muscle.

[crushed_pearls]

"Well, surprise," Erin teases sympathetically. "Being in charge is a lot of stress. So is doing the same job day in and day out all the time, actually. Now you've got a break from both to do different, worthy work."

[not_the_last]

"Worthy work," she repeats, uncertainly, and cracks open one eye to look at Erin. "Here?"

[crushed_pearls]

"Well. I'm not a scholar but I do listen to them bitch and moan a lot," Erin explains thoughtfully. "And a favorite complaint is that people think discoveries are made in these big dramatic moments that explain everything, when really it's years of putting in the work. Gathering data, closing avenues of investigation, narrowing the field. Maybe we don't learn much here, but it's part of the process. Like learning and minding your manners, or taking up painting."

[not_the_last]

"Ah," she says, and closes her eye again, "you mean the expedition. I hope we do learn something."

Aside from how to deal with sore feet, at least.

[crushed_pearls]

"You can't think about the big picture all the time, Cass. Take your wins where you can get them."

[not_the_last]

Very low: "I can't think about the big picture here at all."

[crushed_pearls]

"So don't," Erin says, affectionately, soothingly. "This world is not on your shoulders. You don't have to be the one and only Lady de Rolo, with the souls of thousands cupped in your gentle hands. You can be a passenger, one of us. An equal, a comrade in arms, someone we love and protect and support. Even the gods aboard live in the same cabins as everyone else, you know?"

[not_the_last]

A tiny huff of laughter trembles in her throat, half bitter and half somehow comforted.

"So they do."

[crushed_pearls]

"...I get if you don't want to with everyone here, but...you know you can talk to me, right?" Erin sounds worried, but she doesn't stop rubbing.

[not_the_last]

"I know," she sighs, and opens her eyes and smiles at Erin; it's only a little pained. "I know. It's all right. It's only that every so often I remember to think about what the big picture here truly is. And then I need to think about something else, very quickly."

[crushed_pearls]

"I can be an endless font of distractions, but...I do wish there was more I could do to help." Erin pushes Cass's pant legs up a little to get at her calves because if she doesn't the tension is just gonna come back.

[not_the_last]

"You ... ohh," and her head slowly sinks back down, as she lets out a long sigh that's almost a groan. "You do a great deal, Erin. Not even counting this."

[crushed_pearls]

"Well far be it from me to interrupt a lass who makes my heart flutter when she's clearly building up to compliments." Erin's tease doesn't quite have teeth; her cheeks redden, and she ducks her head (her hair is tied back because they're on the job and so this effort to hide behind it fails entirely).

[not_the_last]

"I'll give much better ... compliments," she manages, around another suppressed groan, "if I wait until you've finished with ... ahh, that. Mm." She draws a deep, steadying breath, and asks in almost conversational tones, "Where did you learn to do that?"

[crushed_pearls]

"Working," Erin admits with a little shrug. "Turns out long matches through wild places hurt your feet. Traveling through the Hedge is faster than walking or sailing but two weeks on the road is still two weeks on the road."

A feral grin: "And a quality foot rub certainly never hurt my chances with lasses I wanted to sleep with."

[not_the_last]

She laughs softly at that, but keeps her eyes closed and doesn't give any answer in words.

I can see why is what's coming to mind, but it feels too much like a promise, or the teasing hint of one. She wants to be fair; she needs to be careful.

[crushed_pearls]

Erin pats Cassandra's calf lightly and sits back, flexing her fingers to stretch them. She doesn't comment further, just yet, because her heart is in her throat. She's been wondering, doubting; thinking maybe that Cass just doesn't know how to be wanted, rather than wanting Erin back.

[not_the_last]

Something in her chest hurts, just a little, like she's been running hard. Maybe it's all the walking.

She stretches her so-much-less-aching feet and sits up, smiling at Erin with a complicated mix of gratitude and apology. "Thank you. That feels so much better."