Kuroro's Story

Kuroro carefully eyed the sandwich power-up she was eating, mentally marking off the next bite. It had been a worthy adversary, she thought as she swayed precariously atop the palm tree she climbed to get it - but her nasty set of all diagonal teeth was doing what an industrial woodchipper would do to a ... pillow. Everything was so prosaic on this island. Her progress bar flickered forward another level. And rewarding.

There were people on the beach. And where there were people, there was a progress. Scooting down the tree, she hit the dirt and stalked forward through the plants, toward the beach where she saw the people. It was always fun watching people work together, especially as an outsider. She would come up with her own explanations for the strange things they did - like why Tom transformed into a deer.

It was because animal minorities were not well represented on the island. Fact.

Looking at the situation, Kuroro chuckled and guessed that they were on the right path. Did they need help? She shrugged and watched another person walk toward the water, also watching the senario. Now that was something that did interest her. Shuffling across the sand toward Syrus, Kuroro introduced herself with a cough, slightly tensed for action.

"Hey, people!" Alfred shouts, running up from behind Syrus and Kuroro. The two barely have tim eto turn around before the yound man crashes into them, sending all three to the sand. "Finally! I was looking everywhere for other people and the first puzzle, but I couldn't remember where I might find either!" He is smiling brightly and laying on the other two. When he spots Orion and Corki nearby, he scrambles to his feet and runs over, dragging the stunned Kuroro and Syrus behind him through the sand.

GM edit (cucumbersome): other players, please pretend there was no godmoding here, and read it as if Alfred attempted to do the above, then decide for yourself if that was successful. We're nice people who don't shout at newbies :)

(Continued from Stuck In Space)

Kuroro's prone form indignantly trailed behind Alfred. After all that effort to get by with the least possible effort - all of it wasted. At least she didn't need to introduce herself as "Kuroro, the effort-stealer" but being "Kuroro, the human rag-doll" was not much better. Well, she wasn't going to make this easy. Folding her arms, she hung as deadweight from Alfred and let him do all the work...

She sniffed. Water.

Orion guided her to the boat and Corki simply climbed in without a word. What words could she possibly say? Well, quite a few came to mind. Save yourself. If anything happens, abandon ship. Get this wretched thing off of me!

But she kept her lips shut tight, standing at a slight crouch and trying to think of human things. Without looking at Orion of course. What she did see in the distance was Andromeda, her scent drifting ever so slightly and diluted across the water. Corki perked up just as a voice connected with her ears.

"Finally! I was looking everywhere for other people and the first puzzle, but I couldn't remember where I might find either!"

Figures scattered the beach suddenly and Corki tensed, Orion now in view as well as three more morsels, no, figures. Backing up a bit, Corki lifted her hands to her cheeks, wanting the mask off. She shivered a little, seeing her nails, but ignored it. She knew it wouldn't come off. They hadn't even left the shore yet.

Speaking in a low, strangely even voice, she said, "We have to hurry."

Syrus was surprised when another person, a girl came up and introduced herself. Syrus is about to respond when another person runs up behind and tackles Syrus and Kuroro to the ground. Syrus is dazed from the unexpected turn of events and the newcomer tries to drag him towards the other, Syrus kicks his leg free and watches as Kuroro just lets him drag her through the sand. A smile begins to spread across his face, the whole scene was so ridiculous he couldn't help it.

He stands up from the ground and brushes the sand off of his clothes, when he looks up he see's people in the boat, one wearing a cat mask? Syrus wasn't sure what was going on but it must be part of the puzzle, as he watched the boat make it to the other shore and soon the young man in the boat blinked out of existence. What the? was all he could think, looking at the now empty space that was once occupied. When he pulls his gaze away from that one spot he notices the boat is drifting back to his side of the river seemingly on it's own.

With a shrug Syrus walks over to the Boat and steps in and picks up the paddle. He looks over his shoulder at the others still on this side of the beach. "If we are going across, it's now or never. I want to be on time for the next puzzle." He says loud enough to be heard and waits for anyone to enter the boat.

Andromeda got a good scare when Corki roared. Her arms slipped off Corki's neck, and she barely managed to dodge a clawed paw. But in her hand was the mask, detached from Corki's face. In a fraction of a second, Corki got her own shape back.

"I'm assuming I didn't eat anyone," Corki said, "I'm starving."

One corner of Andromeda's mouth twisted up. "Where's Orion?" She lasted only two seconds before collapsing in giggles.

She regained her composure. "No, you didn't eat anyone, he just said some bad words. Speak of the devil..." She waved at Orion who had somehow managed to arrive at this side of the river without using the canoe. It wouldn't take long for the rest of the group to join them, using that same canoe.

Andromeda got back on her feet. She grabbed Corki's hand to pull the former panther up, and started talking. "You are a nice panther, but I still like you better now you look like before... Though you looked nice and still different before the before... So let's put this mask away and see if we can catch Tom..." She noticed she was still holding Corki's hand. It felt strange, as if there was some kind of energy flowing in both directions. She thought about how Corki had been immediately friendly to her as a panther. Did the skipper version of Corki feel the same about her as the panther did? Her eyes went back and forth between their hands and Corki's face a few times. Her own face showed a nervous curiosity. Finally she let go, and jerked her hand back to her side.

She continued studying the human-like face, the purple skin, the veins, the orange hair... Andromeda snapped out of it. She was supposed to do something. What was that again? She noticed the mask in her hand. Oh, right. She began in the direction of one of the mask-poles, hoping that Corki would walk with her even though there was no purpose for that. Her tail pointed at Corki as to say "follow me", Andromeda wasn't aware of that. It was as involuntary as the small glance over her shoulder, and she was distracted by the feeling of a shy smile on her face. Were they going to be friends?

Andromeda sent Corki a puzzled look. "Does what have a mind?" She saw where Corki was pointing. "Oh! Not any more than my face does. Are you not used to people with tails?" She wondered what it would be like to go someplace where most people weren't used to tails. Would everyone stare at it? Would it draw attention to the part of her body it was attached to? She quickly pushed away that last thought, and was glad Corki provided a distraction from it by talking about catching Tom.

"Maybe we can approach him from all sides at once when those other people are here" Andromeda pointed at the canoe, and noticed something as she did. "Hey, did that canoe get bigger?"

She hung the mask on the pole. "I wonder if it will move back to the other shore once Tom is Tom again, and everyone has crossed the river. If it doesn't, maybe we can take it with us... It could be useful if you can get used to letting me remove it. And you would find out everything about having a tail." She smiled at Corki. "On the other hand, who knows what the puzzle might do if we try to take it." Looking at the mask again, she noticed it and the pole were now a single piece of wood. "Oh. It's not very wearable anymore now. Oh well."

Her mind went back to incoherent parts of plans for catching Tom. Something in the back of her mind was distracting her, she was forgetting something. Corki's face reminded her. Andromeda moved her head a little closer to the other girl, and spoke more quietly than she already always did. "I think I have a memory of a place very different from whatever this is." She made a small "everything" gesture with her hands at the word "this". "Just an image. Some kind of door or lid closing in front of me, and before that, a smiling girl with ink stains on her hands. Smiling in exactly the same way you do." She began rubbing her forehead with her index finger. "I don't understand. Maybe I'm losing my mind."

Andromeda forced herself to stop touching her worrying/thinking wrinkle before she'd create a red spot on her face. She saw her other hand was going somewhere, somewhere near Corki. Was there any part of her that did not have a mind of its own? Did friends touch each other's hands for other reasons than to help each other? Yes, other girls did, when she was younger. Never to her, but friends did do that. Wait, if she had been younger, how come she hadn't aged for what seemed to be a very long time? What was going on here?

Orion approached the two women, a grin on his face. He was glad to see everyone was still in good shape. The masks and their effects had been truly terrifying. While he would never admit it, he was very, very glad he hadn’t worn one. His protestations based on his strength had not solely been out of concern, but also out of fear. The half-lies had come easy, as if he had been doing it much longer than his age suggested. Nevertheless, there was no point in dwelling on that any longer.
He didn't know how Andromeda had freed Corki, but everything had worked out and that was all that mattered. It seems these people were not to be underestimated, they were clever and inventive. Of course it was good to have such capable allies, but he hoped he would still be able to remain one step ahead from them, just in case. He stopped in front of them and bowed briefly before locking eyes with them, doing his best to reveal nothing of his inner turmoil.

"Hello girls, sorry for my temporary disappearance. Some odd things happened beyond my control, but I fought my way back. Nothing’s going to keep Orion Dahlberg down, no worries. Still, it seemed you managed without me. No easy feat, but you were up to the challenge. Great job on de-pantherizing of Corki. The rest of the puzzle will be solved in no time, I’m sure of it. Now, as for Thomas..." Orion mumbled, his eyes focusing on the rustling brushes, "I suppose we'll have to catch him, but how? I could definitely restrain him, but I don't think I'm fast enough to catch him. You're right Andromeda, cornering him is probably our best, and possibly only, chance," he turned towards the other side of the beach and shouted once more:

"Everyone, get in that bl- wonderful boat please! Chop chop, no time to waste. If we take too long Thomas might devour all those brushes. I hope they hurry, if they take too long we might want to try to corner him with the three of us. After all, I'd hate to have a companion suffering from stomach pains because he ate too many leaves," he added as an afterthought, hoping his joke would lighten the mood slightly. A strange look had passed across Andromeda’s face once more. It seemed she knew more than she was telling him and Corki might be in on it. Was there more to this puzzle? Was she keeping some piece from him? Perhaps there was still another mask and they were planning to force it on his head… Orions eyes narrowed slightly, he’d have to keep his guard up. No one was going to put any masks on his head.

Andromeda chuckled, the way Orion spoke was entertaining. It seemed he had heard the things she and Corki said about catching Tom, but not what she had told Corki about what might be a memory. She hoped he didn't mind her whispering to Corki, she didn't feel ready to share her doubts about her sanity with anyone else than the one who could prove her sane... even though her being sane and having a memory of a different world was more alarming than the idea of losing her mind.

Apart from his charisma, she liked that he also had a name that came from mythology through astronomy. Were they related? No, they had different surnames. She played with the words in her mind. Orion Dahlberg. Andromeda Smith. Orion Smith. Andromeda Dahlberg. She didn't like the da-da sound in that last one. Now her thoughts had wandered in a truly unusual direction. Was she considering marrying this guy? No. She did wonder what it was like to have such feelings, but for now it was scary and wonderful enough to try out friendship.

Andromeda glanced at Corki. Trusting that girl was a good experiment. If it turned out well, that would be great, and if it was a bad decision, the results would be forgotten by everyone sooner than two rounds of the game. She wondered how many times she had already decided to befriend Corki after the skipper gaining her trust through the way she acted as a panther. What a sad thought...

She brought herself back to reality (or what passed for it) to give a late reply to Orion. "Maybe the rest of us can chase Tom in your direction. We'll need someone to coordinate that... I admit I won't like it very much to act like a shepherd dog, but, you know, poor Tom... I'm sure his real self prefers to be human. Just like I think my own appearance is better than the prettiest flower..." She observed the reactions of her companions. Was it okay to give herself such a compliment? It was just a honest thought that had slipped out of her mouth, not an experiment done on purpose, but now it had been said, she might as well try to learn something about people. It was also interesting that she felt only very slightly embarrassed.

As the group started to circle around Thomas a grin escaped Orion. This should be fun. He made eye contact with the deer as they drove it out of the bushes. You’re mine. The thrill of the hunt made adrenaline race through his veins. He jumped at the deer but Thomas dodged his lunge easily, causing Orion to fall to the ground. He rose calmly and brushed some sand from his clothes.
“Okay, let’s try to make the circle a bit smaller,” he grunted, “I’d hate to eat dust once more. Clearly catching deer isn’t my primary skill,” he joked, hoping to hide his embarrassment. It was a good thing his children couldn’t see him. Children? He shook his head, the fall might have dazed him more than he had thought at first. He was sure he was way too young to have kids. When he saw everyone else’s impatient glares he nodded and dove towards the deer again. Once more it dodged him. His anger was starting to get the better of him.
“Get here you stupid thing,” he roared, immediately going for the beast once more. This time luck was on his side. He grabbed the deer and pushed it to the ground, easily restraining it.

“Ha, I got you now! It’s a good thing you’re not an actual deer, otherwise I might start to contemplate hanging you on the wall as a trophy," Orion flashed a feral grin, "Okay, can somebody try to get that mask of his head? My hands are rather full right now,” Orion mumbled as he fought to keep the beast under control. The animal side of Thomas was clearly going wild; it was a good thing Orion was so strong. He turned his head slightly, making sure to look as heroic as he could. Granted, holding down a deer wasn’t too impressive, but it was still better than being the held-down deer, or deer-human. Besides, he had won. Any victor was sexy, no matter the contest.

Narration

One of the other avatars hurried forward to remove the mask from Tom's face.

Meanwhile, the empty canoe floated back to the middle of the river, and stopped there. It was now easy to see that it had grown.

The group decided that they had no use for a mask that would transform a person into a deer, and that they didn't want to take the risk of whatever the puzzle might do to them if they took it with them anyway. It was hung on the remaining pole, which it immediately became a part of. Within seconds, the two poles with animal faces shot up, as if something below the sand pushed them up. The same happened at the opposite shore. The four long poles tilted and connected high in the sky above the canoe, which began to unfold into a flat surface connecting both sides of the river. Vines dropped down from the poles (interestingly, the flowers were now gone), connected to what had been the canoe, and pulled it up a few meters above the water.

The puzzle had transformed itself into a bridge. It was as if it was taunting them, telling them Hey, why don't you take an easy walk back and go play minigolf?

In the opposite direction, a path led into the forest. As those who chose not to go back followed it, the stars began to fade. The blue early morning light before sunrise created an eerie atmosphere. The forest became somewhat less chaotic, the trees were placed at equal distances from each other. They were ancient apple trees, still bearing fruit, but also full of heavy dead branches that might break off and fall on anyone who wasn't careful.

After a while they reached a crossroads. A young blond boy dressed in black pants and a nice white silk shirt, obviously an NPC (though nobody knew how they could tell this was an NPC), stood there, sucking his thumb. A tree next to the crossroads looked a bit different from the others. One of its roots was suspiciously rectangular and rested on a heavy spring. A bit less than two meters above the lever-like root, someone had painted an apple-shaped target on the tree. A bow and a pile of arrows laid on the ground nearby.

Andromeda

Andromeda gaped at the sudden transformation of the objects on the beaches. She stared at the new bridge for a while. Finally, she shook her head and commented "That's just mean."
She didn't stay to debate whether to go back or continue following the trail, she was too eager to see more. After the first curve in the forest path, she felt guilty for running off without asking Corki where she wanted to go. She slowed down and looked over her shoulder. Should she go back? Stop? The promise of adventure lured her forward.

The crossroads was a place where the group would gather and try to figure out what to do again. Andromeda didn't like the look of the puzzle, if the goal was what it looked like to her. She asked the boy "Do you have any keys?"

Without taking his thumb out of his mouth, he nodded.

"Will you give them to me?"

He shook his head. Andromeda sighed. Even with maxed out charm, the stat would fail every once in a while. She didn't want to fight the boy for his keys, that was just wrong. Instead she climbed one of the unmodified trees and waited for the others.

((OOC gues what...))

Kururo watched the bridge unfold. All that slow effort she had observed from the others, and they didn’t even get extra points... She walked back over the bridge (which, she had to admit, looked nice) and returned to a faster way to earn points.

Soon she was approaching a highscore with a series of hole-in-ones.