Eiji Hino

--IC: Bacchus: New Atero-- "Forsooth!" Bacchus said under his breath as he scribbled down this new information. Slowly, more and more pieces of this puzzle were coming together. This was all very exciting! "Do you know if anything has changed since you last saw it? Or, better yet, why don't you go there with me and we'll figure that out ourselves?" Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed a strange individual with an enormous sack on their back, hanging out closer to the notice board than he and Kaenis were and bearing quite a few conspicuous maps. It suddenly occurred to him that he might be in need of one soon, seeing as he didn't really know exactly how to get to the Arena. He scribbled down another note to talk to the map-bearing individual once Kaenis accepted or declined his offer to travel with him. - - - --OOC:-- I think you're okay? Though, to my recollection, the Vista Baby was rammed from underneath, not the side, so I don't see why the horns would dig into the side. --IC: Hestala: The Skies, somewhere between Cliffside and Tesara-- There were numerous crunching and scraping sounds coming from the underside of the Vista Baby, which caused Hestala to crunch and scrape her teeth in annoyance. That was more damage that she'd have to shell out money to fix. Gratefully, the sounds stopped once her Skyblaster barrage launched, which she took as a sign that she had hit her mark, but she didn't see the Rockoh plunging toward the sand like she expected, and there seemed to be something weighing down her airship. If it turned out that the rival ship had somehow held on after ramming her, she was going to be a very grumpy Vortixx. She decided to send the Vista Baby down toward the sand, intending to use the ground to scrape off whatever weight had latched on. It was a bit of a risky move.

--IC: Bacchus: New Atero-- Bacchus did indeed manage to catch a glimpse of Kaenis' face, but he made neither comment nor reaction. Really, he didn't feel that strongly about it; it told a story, as did everyone else's face, but there would be time later to figure that story out. For now, it was the mysteries that took top priority. He clenched his pipe tighter between his teeth as he scrabbled for his pen, eager to jot down the new information. On the page that held the recorded missive about the Arena, he scribbled: "A couple years back... about how many years, exactly?" he asked. "And others have investigated it in the past... have any of them come back from it alive?"

um, i guess? it'd depend on whether or not kane-oma's ship remained in physical contact with the vista baby after he rammed it, seeing as i don't think they'd have much range on em. also, let me know how that skyblaster barrage turns out.

--IC: Bacchus: New Atero-- The Rock Agori's ears- or rough equivalent thereof- perked up as his question was met with something that certainly didn't sound like a refusal. His excitement getting the better of him, he hastily set down the stack of goods, wincing as it toppled over gently and hoping that there wasn't anything fragile in there. He fished around for his notebook, grateful that he hadn't left it back at the Horse with No Name, and showed its most recent contents to Kaenis: the recorded missives, and the warrants for Varim and Barlow. "Three things I'm interested in hunting down," said Bacchus, mistakenly holding up four fingers at first before correcting himself. "I'm looking for information regarding these two missives, and these two missing persons. If you know anything about the Beacon and the Arena and the puzzle, or the Aqua Magna diving bell, or the locations of one Varim and one Barlow, it'd be mighty helpful. Anything at all, even the most superficial info. Heck, even if you recognize this handwriting, that'd be swell."

--IC: Hestala: The Skies, somewhere between Cliffside and Tesara-- As the owner of the Rockoh angled the nose of his craft upward, he gradually slipped further and further from Hestala's field of sight... until he vanished completely. Try as she might to strain her neck to catch a glimpse of him, the Vortixx woman couldn't see. She started wishing that she had invested in targeting computers for her Skyblasters, or a full dome cockpit that showed what was under her, too. Her shoulders tensed, her grip on her targeting control tightened, her thumb twitched nervously. And then a thud, followed by a lurch. "Oh!" exclaimed Hestala in a mix of anger, fear, and confusion. It was a miracle that she hadn't accidentally hit the "fire" button. The majority of the impact had come from almost directly underneath her seat, not far enough to affect the Skyblasters under the nose. But it was obvious what had happened. The rival pilot had rammed the underside of her Vista Baby. Her precious Vista Baby, which had just gotten a wax job! And now it was ruined! The Vortixx ripped her aviators off her nose and beetled her brows; it was time to stop playing around. In the span of time close after the impact, she jiggled the targeting control. A whir sounded as the Skyblasters turned around, hopefully pointed right at the opposing Rockoh. She thumbed the "fire" button furiously, sending out most of the rest of the loaded ammo; the Skyblasters that had been empty clacked loudly as reserve ammo slid into place. Hopefully the barrage would incapacitate the ship, if any of it hit. (She resolved to get those targeting computers and that full dome cockpit once she got to Tesara.) - - - "Kaenis," Bacchus mused quietly. It was a good name, he thought, though he thought that about most names. "Well, Kaenis," he ventured, "you seem like the kinda person who's been around, gone places, done some stuff, seen some things. Maybe some of that stuff and those things would be helpful for an investigation or two I'm running? Begging your permission, of course." He didn't usually add that last part to his requests for information, but he didn't want to risk offending his potential new chum irreparably.

i've got nothing else to do.

time for some thread digging. thanks, amigo.

--OOC:-- Thank you. --IC: Bacchus: New Atero-- The pair had lapsed into silence as they trudged on. Behind the stack of goods he was carrying for the creature, Bacchus frowned. He could see that the creature he was helping seemed uncomfortable. Was it something he had said? Was it the "fascinating specimen" comment? Bacchus did tend to talk before he thought, and as such, his filter was rather poor. But he'd be Pit-bound if he was going to let an opportunity to be friends with such a fascinating specimen slip through his digits. He decided to break the silence with something simple. "Name's Bacchus," he said to the creature, realizing that they had never done a proper introduction. "What, uh... what's yours?"

it's been way too long and i literally have no idea what's going on anymore. have the mysteries involving the diving bell and the arena been looked into yet? and is the chase between kane-oma and hestala still going on? i'd really appreciate a catch-up.

when you tryin to smuggle your cat to school but it doesn't fit in your backpack

The Big Chin Contest had a clear winner right from the start.

I would apologize and try to explain my absence, but I don't think "finals and sadness" counts as a legitimate excuse anymore. Looks like Bacchus isn't getting a new friend after all. That's fine.

A swarm of beetles in the shape of Malum did the whole "made out of millions of tiny little critters" thing in a manner that Zaktan only wished he could pull off.

Mata Nui and Ackar find a map that will lead them directly to the booty.

Y'all kids move too fast.

--IC: Bacchus: New Atero-- "Rob you?" Bacchus was scandalized by the question. "Why, of course not! Why would I ever consider doing such a thing against a fascinating creature like yourself? Or anyone, for that matter?" Some might interpret his reply as flirting, but however one interpreted it, it was a genuine compliment: she really did fascinate him. "No ma'am, I'm just trying to get more involved in the community, you know?" That was true, if meddling in affairs trying to solve mysteries counted as helping.

--IC: Bacchus: New Atero-- The bags were a tad heavier than he had expected, but his arms were sturdy, and the other being seemed to step easier now. Bacchus happily trailed behind her to her destination. As he walked behind her, he studied her, taking in every detail. Scaly orange skin, indicating either reptilian or amphibian origin. The finned tail led credence to the latter, but the barbs that lined it appeared irregular, as if they were the result of some sort of genetic oddity. They certainly weren't decorative, like the similarly spiky silver armor she wore. Shoulders were hunched, indicating either a surly disposition or a desire to not be noticed... or to give some clearance to the Rhotuka spinner on her back. Back-mounted spinners only occurred in a certain variety of subspecies, one whose very existence hinged on genetic oddities. There was no doubt about it: this lady had come into contact with Hordika venom. But of course, Bacchus would not say anything about it. At least, not right away. He just kept on trundling behind the lady, carrying her bags.

--IC: Bacchus: New Atero-- As the Skakdi woman talked, Bacchus scribbled notes in the margins of his notebook, recording what meager information she could provide on the three subjects. It wasn't much, that was for sure, but it was still better than nothing. In a small corner of the page detailing Varim and Barlow, he recorded her name- Vrokdann, a nice name- as well as instructions to contact her about door-breaking and to not call her "sweetie-pie." "I will keep that in mind," he called after Vrokdann as she left. His words trailed off as he realized she was no longer paying attention to him. His face fell; he still had a few questions for her. Oh well. No point moping over it. Having had his way with the mysterious missives, Bacchus closed up the Horse with No Name's desk and was just about to return the original copies to the notice board, when out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a being struggling to balance several containers of stuff. Ever one to try and get involved in others' business, he slapped the papers on the board and hurried to intercept them. "Need a hand?" he asked, holding out his arms to hopefully receive some of the weight. --OOC:-- Bacchus wants to help Kaenis .

Gonna wait for a reply from Vrokdann before I have Bacchus notice Kaenis; I have a feeling that those two might make a good mystery-solving team.

Fabulous secret powers were revealed to Ackar the day he held aloft his magic sword, and sang... Ackar: "AAAAAAAAAAA"

--IC: Hestala: The Skies, somewhere between Cliffside and Tesara-- As the opposing Rockoh dipped, Hestala thumbed the button on her Skyblasters' aim lever, shooting off one more round each, for a total of three projectiles. They sped toward the other ship, and she hoped that she'd get some sort of a hit on it this time.

Pistol whips solve everything. I bypass the extensive lore unfolding here by hitting everybody in the head with the handle of my gun. It's my mask now.

Out comes a cup of dirt. In goes the Twilight Spear.

That makes me a Teenage Mutant Ninja Dermis Turtle. I slaughter all the other turtles, and then Laval. It's my mask now.

You step on all those LEGO bricks and hurt your feet severely, causing you to drop the mask in pain and confusion. It's my mask now.