[ Open ] FIELD TRIP FIELD TRIP FIELD TRIP

[noholdsbard]

WHO: Everyone!
WHERE: The forest!
WHEN: Backdated to the 20^th–21^st
WHAT: Some knights lead an expedition into the forest to find a chicken
WARNINGS: Probably nothing…for now

[ Upon the 20^th, a new message pops up on the network feed, from a certain #6363F9. ]

This is Archer. Due to the efforts of Sir Berkut and I, we have uncovered yet another clue as to the history of this realm.

Many of you might remember the sorry tale spoken of by #FFFFFF himself. We learned a great deal about that young man of Blue and the path he had taken into the forest. A few days ago, the locations of certain landmarks have been made known to us. We propose to conduct an expedition into the forest in search of the hen of legend, that we may yet find some way of learning this world’s history and perhaps prevent the forest from encroaching into town.

Needless to say, the journey will be difficult. We have need of fighters as well as healers, cooks, navigators, and others of the sort. If you wish to join, you will find us assembled at the edge of the forest north of Flavo at dawn. You may address your queries to me. Thank you.

[ And sure enough, there will be a small party already gathered at the appointed place at the dawn of the 21^st. Tristan will be happy to welcome you into the group since Berkut’s going to be a sourpuss about this no matter what. :’( ]

Preparations
[ This is where everyone’s getting briefed before heading out into the forest. You’ll be given the necessary infodump as well as a few instructions.

Using the remainder of his ink, Berkut has drafted a serviceable map noting the various landmarks and overall direction, which others are free to peruse and from which they can take notes of their own. Pry the map from his cold, dead hands though (unless you're Tristan). In addition, you will be instructed to gather supplies here before heading out. Characters should bring their own food and the like, or be prepared to forage/hunt in the forest. Expecting freebies from others is poor form!

Once the preliminaries are done, you’re free to spend the remainder of this time however you wish. Offer to team up with someone, question the party leaders, find a meat shield to hide behind, draw up your own maps, or simply give the intrepid adventurers a hearty sendoff! ]

The Forest
[ The adventure begins! Though it won’t be too strictly enforced (at least where Tristan is concerned), you will be instructed to please walk in something that even halfway resembles a formation. Healers and support to the center; those with combat experience to the vanguard, rear, and flank; the works. Or don't. Berkut will only judge and not be responsible if Keigo loses his head (thus spoke Tristan, "How sad"). Maimed limbs and lost teeth are not covered by the field trip's healing insurance.

Unfortunately, the forest seen in their visions is different from the present-day location, so finding the right path won’t be easy! You might want to break up into teams to search out specific landmarks and other useful stuff as you make the trek, or help set up camp when the group takes a rest stop, or fight off whatever forest creatures happen to stumble your way! Or maybe try to liven up the trip with a little game of Eye-Spy or even outright sneak off on your own adventures! No one’s going to judge—okay, Berkut might judge a little.

Whatever the case, it’s going to take a long time and a lot of trial and error to find the clues the forest has hidden away. ]

The Destination
[ The strength of your bonds will eventually prevail, however, as you finally locate a large stone covered in strange mossy patterns. You will be informed that the site of the hen must be very near. You’ll have to suffer through a thorny, overgrown path like in the story, but hey, nothing like a trial to strengthen your bonds, right?

Of course, once you reach the fabled site of the chicken, you’ll find…nothing! Wow, that was a waste of time. Feel free to search around just in case though, or set up camp and rest for the night. It’ll be a long and grueling journey back to town. ]

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OOC: As part of the ongoing event, Berkut and Tristan have combined their inks to recreate a vision based on #FFFFFF’s forum post. Further details here and here!

TL;DR version:

• There is a way to find the location of the chicken from the story, but it definitely won't be easy.
• Strong bonds with people of a lot of colors will make the search easier.
• The journey itself will probably last only a day or two, but that’s not set in stone, so feel free to fudge timelines if you want.
• The chicken won’t actually be there, though, since the conditions aren’t right for its reappearance. However, those who enter the chicken area will, according to the mods, “have a very strong sense that there WILL be something there at some point… just not yet.”
• Basically, consider this an open mingle that’s available to everyone whether or not they have CR with Tristan or Berkut. Have fun, get lost, take pictures—you do you!

Comments

[noholdsbard]

[ OOC: Prose & action are fine! ]

i. Preparations
With the preliminary instructions (mostly delivered by Berkut, since he’s the one with the voice that carries) done, Tristan sets off to make his own preparations. Now he’s sitting on a fallen log off to one side, tuning his harp as he watches the bustle around him.

He’ll smile and nod as you approach, setting aside his harp to give you his full attention.

“Was there something you needed?”

ii. On the march
He marches at the vanguard, of course, even if he’s not quite leader material like certain others in their number. It would be poor form for him to do otherwise.

It’s a relatively pleasant day today, even if they are currently mired in the ominous shadows of the forest’s creepy colorless trees. They seem intimidating enough at the edge of town, but within the woods they loom perhaps too closely, as if attempting to sap the energy from the party.

And well, that won’t do, so he pulls out his harp to play a gentle tune. In the meantime, nobody had better get themselves lost, or Tristan will shoot his harp at you and reel you back to safety like a fucking yo-yo at the first sign of trouble. And he will not miss.

iii. Camp
With camp all set up, it seems as good a time as any to review their position. Perhaps you wish to consult him on that matter; perhaps you are merely approaching to say hello. In any case, you’ll find that he’s busily rummaging into his pack, looking increasingly distressed even as a certain loud, boorish voice breaks up the lull.

“It is not here,” he murmurs, looking as if he might just die on the spot. Or at any rate vanish into an incorporeal state.

“I—I cannot find it anywhere. Oh, this is truly the worst, this is—this is a tragedy…”

iv. For want of a chicken
“How sad…”

In his heart of hearts he’d known that the fabled hen would not be here. After all, it had been stolen away, and neither he nor Berkut had ever received any clues as to its whereabouts now. Though there is the potent sense that something might happen there eventually, for now it seems fruitless to continue on searching the clearing where the hen had once been.

So now he sits, close to the campfire this time around, brooding as is his wont. He’ll look up as you approach, though he offers no smile for the company—

“Forgive me. It seems that this was a fruitless endeavor all along.”

v. Wildcard!

iii

[troubadamsel]

My, isn't that curious? It usually seems like Archer always has everything together. Cautiously, she began to approach him from behind. "Archer...?"

[noholdsbard]

He starts, turning around to give her a look like he’d been caught with his hand inside the cookie jar.

Even though none of this is really his fault. Regardless, he’s quick to abandon the fact and turn fully toward her.

“Oh, Lady Maribelle. You look especially ravishing today. How may I be of assistance?”

[troubadamsel]

More and more curious.

"Actually, I was wondering if it was my turn to offer you any. You look rather unraveled."

[noholdsbard]

“‘U—Unraveled’? Oh…” It’s that obvious? He can still hear Mordred reading his poetry aloud, and tries in vain to fight down that flush to his cheeks.

“It must have been…the journey, my lady. I feel sorely taxed as of late.” Both happen to be the truthiest of truths, even if they actually have nothing to do with one another.

iv

[superioritis]

"On the contrary."

In contrast, Berkut doesn't look so disappointed. He's traveled farther on rougher terrain many a time. As far as he's concerned, the journey itself was nothing. As for the location . . .

"What matters is that we found this place. If we must come here again, the path will have already been made clear."

[noholdsbard]

“That is true.” He really can’t discount the practicality of the whole affair, but…

“I had only hoped that we would attain more than its mere location, for others have trusted us to come this far.”

[superioritis]

He looks away. Tristan's moping is riddled with sentiment that he doesn't share.

So much of Chroma, including its landscape, remains a mystery. That they even managed to find this place can count as progress in Berkut's book. The hen would have been an additional asset, nothing more.

"A war is not won by a single battle. If this much is enough to dissuade them from future expeditions, they have no business being here."

[noholdsbard]

It’s hard not to smile at that, even as he keeps his gaze firmly to the gutter. Berkut might not be the friendliest sort around, but Tristan does realize when a guy’s trying to make him feel better.

Harsh as that statement is, he can just as easily imagine King Arthur saying it as well, albeit couched in somewhat gentler terms.

“Indeed, it is so. Something must happen there eventually, though I know it not. But…should that time come, I would be honored to witness it by your side.”

camp

[rebeliune]

"Looking for this?"

Mordred takes a break from her dramatic reading to wave his journal about in the air with a grin... only to reopen it and start again.

"By the chicken his love has failed... and then he grew pale, because he didn't hide his journal well enough! Hahahahaha!"

BI

[noholdsbard]

“How did you—” It doesn’t matter how! It’s embarrassing enough that he was careless enough for somebody to steal from him in the first place, but that it had to be that thing in particular…!

“Sir Mordred, I beseech you—return it at once! If the king were to hear—”

8U

[rebeliune]

"What's wrong? You wrote this stuff, so you must be proud of it, right? Or..."

Suddenly trailing off, she starts flicking more earnestly through his journal. She's careful to maintain her distance, not wanting to surrender such a valuable prize so easily.

"Did you write something about father in here? Lemme see!"

[noholdsbard]

Ugh, do they really have to make a scene here? He’s already stepping forward to snatch it from her grasp. Although…he can also just use Failnaught, but again. Not where Saber’s watching.

“I did nothing of the sort—” Okay, he might have, but thankfully he’d kept it out of that journal!! “Hence it is useless to you. Please return it at once!”

iv

[queenofminiskirts]

In contrast, Kaoru is all smiles still. "Hey, don't you know it's rude to look like that in the company of a cute girl?"

Then she'll sit down beside him, close enough that their shoulders are touching. She makes herself comfortable, with her knees draw up. "And I wouldn't say it was completely fruitless. We did find something even if it wasn't what you hoped it'd be."

[noholdsbard]

He does brighten up a little when she chides him.

“This cute girl has been quite brave to come this far, after all.” He sighs. He gets it. They still have a use for this location even if they can’t find any better clues than that.

It’s just…

“I only wish I had something better to show her for her efforts.”

[queenofminiskirts]

"This cute girl is always brave!"

She scratched at her cheek. "And you know, the last time I dragged Shiho, Ei-chan and Izuku with me underwater to find answers we just got kidnapped for two days and got some pendants that let us breathe under water for fifteen minutes for our troubles. And that's not mentioning all the times we went into the to the forest and came back empty handed. So this really isn't so bad." She nudged him a little. "Don't be so hard on yourself."

[noholdsbard]

Alas, for her nudge doesn’t make him feel all that better after what he’d just heard.

“You…You and Shiho are both quite adventurous.” He’s worried. He’s very deeply terribly worried right now, because what the ever loving fuck.

“I know that you both are no ordinary girls, but…” Isn’t that a bit much? Why do you two always have to do things in the most overkill way possible!

iii.

[artorian]

Saber hasn't tuned in to Mordred's recitation yet, having audibly blacklisted Mordred as she has for most of the day, but she does notice Tristan looking harried as he digs around in his pack. She stops and looks down at him curiously.

"Archer?" she speaks up, mindful of the others in camp. "Have you lost something?"

[noholdsbard]

The sound of her voice snaps him out of that rummaging for the moment, as he quickly sets his pack to the side and stands at attention.

“Saber…please pay me no mind. It is nothing important.” It’s surely not something she should totally hear about! Tuning out Mordred is one thing, but if he gives her further reason to inquire into his poetry…

[artorian]

... Uh huh... She levels him with her best nonsense-crushing stare.

"You distinctly called it a tragedy."

[noholdsbard]

And it’s super effective…!

“Y—Yes, well…” He clears his throat, mind racing with excuses before promptly dismissing each and every one of them. He can’t lie in front of her. He just can’t.

Time to cast Evade—“Even so, it is not such a great tragedy that it should concern you. Why…I am certain that it will be resolved soon”—flinching as Mordred makes a particularly dramatic exclamation—“Yes…very soon.”

iv

[espritdecorpse]

He's been more like a will-o-the-wisp than a proper party member, appearing and disappearing before and behind the group throughout their travels. It never seems purposeful, just a matter of his apparently seeing something interesting and vanishing into forest, before popping back into view. Anyone who's glimpsed his face has always seen him smiling; the only thing that's missing is his constant laughter.

Not that people ever usually notice a void.

His footfalls are silent as he sits down cross-legged before the campfire, its warm glow lighting his face, while the rest of him seems to bleed into the forest's grey shadows. He doesn't speak right away in response to Archer's apology, just gazing into the fire with his fixed smile.

After a while, he turns to the man and asks, "Were you hoping to give it to someone? The hen, I mean."

[noholdsbard]

Wei Wuxian really can’t keep still, can he? He’s pretty sure that’s irritated more than a few people throughout their march, even if Tristan can track him down easily enough. It’s hard not to feel antsy at that, especially after their last adventure together in the woods.

So color him surprised when Wuxian approaches him like a shadow, and Tristan actually has to take a good long look at him with both his eyes cracked open. Even with safety in numbers, one can never be sure of the illusions this forest presents.

“The hen?” Of all the things to break the silence with—but he shakes his head with an awkward smile, before turning his gaze to the fire.

“No…truth be told, I am not certain what I would have done with the creature, should I have come across it.”

[espritdecorpse]

His fingers close around a grey twig, and he uses it to poke at the fire. The embers slip, sending up a rush of sparks, and the fire blazes higher. He twirls the stick between his fingers, and after a moment's contemplation, throws it in, too. Its dry leaves curl in the fire.

"Then why were you so keen to find it?"

[noholdsbard]

He watches the flames dance to Wuxian’s ministrations, entranced for a moment as he recalls the last time a goodly part of the town had turned up to camp in the forest in such large numbers.

…Has it really only been months ago? And that party hadn’t found anything of note, either.

“It—and the forest—had been wronged by that young man of legend. I thought that perhaps…” He trails off, shaking his head. “Well, it is only a foolish hope, I suppose. And even I must admit that there is no guarantee that I would not have behaved as foolishly as that young man had done.”