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

Exploring.

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis hears it too and is silently by the other swordswoman's side within moments, drawing the air in over her tongue to try to taste what it is. All she smells is dust, cotton, linen and other types of fabrics. Though, that doesn't discount anything but Siffleur.

[not_the_last]

Cassandra glances sideways at -- Valdis, that was the name she gave when they introduced themselves all around -- and nods.

As quietly as she can, she breathes "Fight it or try to sneak past?"

[redlightgreenlight]

"How successful do you think this bunch will be if we fight it," she says under her breath.

She truly doesn't know. She's never fought a giant pile of clothes before. Nobunaga can handle himself. So can Erin. Ari likely can, and Cassandra looks like she can too. Is that enough?

"I vote for sending the others ahead and keeping a small contingent at the back to defend the flank."

[not_the_last]

Still whisper-quiet: "If we could be sure there were only one, I'd agree with you. As it is, I don't like dividing our forces."

Don't you know, you never split the party ...

[redlightgreenlight]

"It's merely a redistribution of the forces we have, putting our known fighters between the rest of the company and whatever that is."

She closes her eyes and listens, past the others, past the heartbeats and breathing, to the rustling, to the surrounding areas.

"I think we only have the one."

The rustling grows closer.

[not_the_last]

Just a touch louder, addressing the rest of the group: "Anyone who can fight, this way. Everyone else --" and she points, in the direction Valdis indicated.

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis moves closer to the noise, staying as silent as possible, making sure her back is covered by at least one of the other fighters and not straying too far despite her instincts to go it alone. One of these idiots would just follow her and then she'd have to protect them too.

"Stay low and quiet. Don't get yourself cornered. Don't make the first move." She commands quietly.

[konpeito_aji]

"It's better to just attack. Especially since we're sending everyone else away and providing the distraction."

Nobunaga has a few knives he plans to throw, and begins loading the Tanegashima.

[ss_buttcrack]

"Are we sure it's not a late-night shopper?" Crichton whispers to them, coming over as directed with his pulse pistol drawn and at the ready. He's sure Valdis probably has some extra senses from being a hellhound but he still feels like someone needs to ask.

The problem with Cassandra pointing is that at least one of their group can't see that. And he's also been pretty reluctant to leave Crichton's side.

"Hey, Arthur, we might be about to get in a firefight here. Can I convince you to go with the other group?"

[theotherright]

Arthur brought his pistol, because of course he did, and he can hear that strange stealthy shuffling. Unfortunately for his pride, but fortunately for Crichton's blood pressure, he can't picture a version of this fight in which he would not be a third wheel.

"Yes, yes. I-I won't force you to watch my back as well as your own. Just... just point me where you need me."

His voice is businesslike, even at the level of a whisper: he's trying very hard to think of this as practical and not useless. He doesn't love scuffles half as much as scuffles seem to love him. He wouldn't be the best fighter here even if he could see.

"Please don't get eaten."

It's a joke, but also not.

[busball]

Klaus is just gonna come up out of nowhere. Since everyone's whispering, he guesses he's gonna whisper too. Is that a thing? They don't know. "I think I'm definitely in group the other too. I don't think you can hand-to-hand fight a clothing monster that should be my best friend, but..." What are you gonna do?

"I saw the general direction if you wanna come with me?? We can be a super secret duo of badasses and no one will even know how cool we are because they're lying to themselves." That's totally true, right? Yeah. Totally. "I hope this fight can be won with friendship, to be honest."

[astrogator]

[Ari can fight, but she's made a very quick assessment of the situation. A lot of strong personalities, and she's not so attached to the idea of this being her expedition that she's going to push forward and start giving instructions. It'd be stupid. Cause needless confusion and delay. Cassandra and Oda have it in hand. Both very competent.

Ari, therefore, approaches Klaus and Arthur, speaks in a low voice.]

Room for one more?

[They need a last line of protection. In case things go badly. That's her. She won't make it explicit; she doesn't want to injure anyone's pride, on either side of the line.]

[ss_buttcrack]

Crichton is momentarily flabbergasted that Arthur is actually...listening to reason. He was gearing up for a long argument about it. But here comes Klaus to help things along, and Ari quickly after. What a relief. With Ari, especially, Arthur is in good hands.

"After all the fuss about getting my ass eaten, I'm not about to let it happen now, am I?" Too soon? He hopes not.

"I'll be careful, promise." He delivers a quick peck to the side of Arthur's head. "Ari and Klaus can head you in the right direction. We'll catch up soon. Don't worry too much. This isn't our first rodeo."

[crushed_pearls]

Erin takes a position behind Crichton, close but obeying the bone deep principle of Do Not Stand In Front Of The Fucking Gunline.

"Bahamanuel doesn't have a refined enough palate to appreciate your cake anyway. Tell me that gun shoots fire and not bullets."

Maybe they can scare it off?

[ss_buttcrack]

He appreciates her knowing to stay out of his line of sight. It's good to have a competent squad.

"It does get all its fashion from here, so we can't expect that much out of it, can we?"

He releases the magazine from his pistol, sticks his tongue in it, nods and jams it back into the butt of his gun with practiced ease, not even having to drop his gaze to do it.

"Chakan oil, not bullets. It shoots red hot balls of plasma. This'll burn right through it and the walls behind. I got about 300 shots left."

[redlightgreenlight]

"I feel like I've missed something unimportant in regard to Crichton's ass," Valdis replies, her hand still resting on the hilt of her sword.

She's a bit ahead of both of them, but out of Crichton's way, still near Cassandra, eyes fixed on where the sound is coming from.

[busball]

Wow. "Arthur's ass is definitely important, but we should probably stop talking about it before we get in trouble again." He looks over at Arthur briefly.

"Also because if we die because we got so distracted by talking about Crichton's ass, we're gonna feel really dumb."

[astrogator]

And I don't want all that death on my conscience.

[It's lightly said, as if just part of the banter, but then her voice turns firmer.] Let's find a more defensible point. Further back.

[With that, she attempts to lead Klaus and Arthur away. She won't let this devolve into something that could hurt Arthur again, if she can help it. Or anyone else.]

[theotherright]

The unexpected kiss renders Arthur stupid happy for a moment, though that's immediately ruined by the conversation turning back to Crichton's ass again oh my god just throw him to the Bahanimal and end his suffering.

Flatly: "Good god, somebody please lead the way."

And Ari comes in clutch and does just that. If she doesn't reach for him, then he will for her; it's not his favourite mode of travel, but it's quieter and faster than messing about with his cane or with spoken instructions.

[not_the_last]

Cassandra nods to Ari as the two groups part, and studies the arc that the fighting group is in, and shifts to put herself at the far end. They've been making rather more noise than she likes, but nothing's come at them yet.

She strains her ears for the rustling, dragging noise that first caught her attention.

[astrogator]

[Ari gives Cassandra a small wave as they're parting. It occurs to her that they really should have agreed on some hand signals at the outset, in case something like this happened. It can be done in the evening, she decides. Presuming all of this goes well.

Then she takes Arthur's arm - on her left side, leaving her stronger arm free just in case she needs to shoot anything at short notice, and picks out a good spot. Up a couple of steps, with only a couple of clothing rails along a wall. No piles on the floor or messy displays where the strange little creatures might be hiding.

She speaks to Arthur, very quietly.]

Don't pay them any attention, they were being ridiculous - and they have terrible timing.

[theotherright]

"You're telling me."

Arthur matches the volume of his voice to that of Ari's, which flattens most of the annoyance out of it. Unfortunately Nobunaga's voice was among those lowering the tone, and Arthur mistakes his ass comment for being about the same ass that every other ass comment was about.

"Jesus christ. How far does Nobunaga think that 'not knowing better' is going to take him as an excuse?"

If he's trying to learn the hard way, he's going about it right: the thought crosses his mind, but he's not anywhere near the level of pissed he'd have to be to make threats about people instead of just making them to the person's face.

[astrogator]

[Ari's loyal to Nobunaga, but not blindly so, and she can see well that he, too, is currently ridiculous and with terrible timing. Not that she cares whose ass the comments might be about; it's the fact that they're being made at all, when everyone should be focused on the fight ahead of them. Ari would have known better than to act the fool during a dangerous situation by the age of fourteen. She's making no allowances.

She and Arthur are now as safe as they're going to get for the moment, but she's keeping an eye on both their immediate surroundings and the other group, staying alert to the situation.]

It's true that he has no real understanding of privacy, and I know he didn't mean to offend you... [That's as much defending as he'll get from her right now, and she tuts, irritated.] They're creating an unnecessary hazard, going on like that. [But she doesn't want to worry him unduly.] Cassandra's competent, she'll handle the situation. And there - Bastion's joining them.

[Ari knows how nervous it'd make her if she couldn't see what was happening right now, so she means to keep him informed.]

[konpeito_aji]

"Still beats dying because you got distracted by women's underwear, and imagining your partner's ass in them." Just. Deadpan. He really wanted to get that in there before Klaus goes off, and does his best to time it with the kiss from Crichton, so that it affords them... whatever privacy he CAN give, if the others take it.

"Valdis, you know it's definitely the large monster? It's probably hungry after birthing so many newborns, but I'm still not certain what it eats. Maybe sushi puzzle boxes." In which case you know... oops.

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis glances at Nobunaga, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Why she decided to link her fate with this madman's is beyond her.

"I don't know, Demon King, it all smells like clothing. But I can only hear movement from one area."

She glances over to Cassandra, then over to where the rest are moving on.

"If we can lead it away that would be best, but I know some don't want to risk getting too far separated from the rest."