Into The Forest

[inheritance]

WHO: All volunteers
WHERE: The forest
WHEN: April 6th, late morning
WHAT: Attempting to map out the area and finding much more than they bargained for.
WARNINGS: Violence

"There is absolutely no wildlife.
There are no mutant animals to be found.
The birds are silent. There are no bugs.
It's as if everything is watching, and holding its breath, and waiting."

Comments

Group One: Izuku Midoriya, Shouto Todoroki

[inheritance]

[glaciers]

[The last time Shouto stepped foot in the forest, it wasn't nearly as eerily silent as this. The forest seemed to move, cutting them off from all the other groups.

It's just Midoriya and him alone. There's a tiny part of him that's glad he insisted on staying with his friend. Sure, Midoriya can handle most things, but that certainly didn't mean he had to do it alone.]

Stay close.

[Who knows what they could find out here.]

[inheritance]

[There's a sense of horror already rising in him as Izuku stares at the wall of trees that had seemingly moved on its own to separate them from everyone else.]

But...the others! [He pulls at the brambles a little desperately, as if pushing through it would let him find the other groups.] If something happens to them...

Group Two: Minato Arisato, John Egbert

[inheritance]

[messianic]

[Ah.

Well.

This had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now that they're closed off from everyone else...

Minato's brow furrows a little, and he tilts his head, pausing.]

... Should we keep going, do you think? I wonder if we'll be able to meet back up with everyone out here...

[windeity]

[He doesn't seem as worried but simultaneously he's looking around, unsure of which direction they should even start with. He nods along to answer Minato's question before realizing he should verbally mention it.]

I think so. I hope so? If it is a giant forest there still has to be a center we're working toward, right? We should keep going to see what's out there.

Group Three: Okuyasu Nijimura, Emma, Ochako Uraraka

[inheritance]

[thriftea]

[Watching weird trees apparently move of their volition? Definitely not something Ochako was prepared to face once she stepped foot into the forest. She tenses, twisting left and right to try find an opening that they might be able to slip through, but... nothing. Whoever—or whatever—trapped them obviously doesn't want to let them go. Great.

But a hero's first concern should always be the well-being of others, and that's why, after taking a steadying breath, she turns back to check on her two new traveling companions.]

Are you both okay?

[Honestly, her eyes are focused solely on Emma as she says this. She's sure that Okuyasu can handle himself just fine, but this girl is... so young...]

[keeneye]

[Careful exploration didn't last long at all... Well, that was kind of a given considering the supernatural aspect of this forest. At least they weren't all completely separated and lost alone in the woods. That doesn't mean she was going to let it get to her though. Even with the singular path laid out in front of them Emma makes sure to mark the nearest tree with an X and directional arrow.

Emma sets her shoulders, readjusting her load (of course she brought her rifle along just in case) and shows a reassuring smile to her new companions.]

Yup! It's a little different than expected but we can still complete our goal of exploring, right? [Look at how composed she is. Everything's good. Don't worry!] Although, there's only one real direction left to explore now.

Group Four: Joshua Bright, Akashi Kaoru, Eijiro Kirishima

[inheritance]

[queenofminiskirts]

[She and Shiho had decided together that it was best for Shiho to stay behind. If she didn't want to reveal she had psychometry then it was for the best that she didn't use it in front of others. Kaoru would just have to bring anything suspicious looking back for her to try to get a read on.

She wasn't sure how much she regretted it when they were all separated. It felt like, if Shiho were here, they'd definitely be able to find a way through these brambles. But then, if she were here, maybe it wouldn't have been safe for her.

But there was no time to dwell on 'what if's and as soon as it was clear they were separated, Kaoru went to see if she could get a better look from above, but...

She drifted back down to ground level though she hadn't exactly gone far to begin with.]

It's no good. The trees are blocking the way up there too.

Group Five: Estelle Bright, Kyrie, Caramia

[inheritance]

[ifionlyhadthecourage]

[ It shouldn't have been too surprising that so many people showed up to help with this. After all, if the town wasn't going to provide them answers to why they were here or how to get home, it only made sense that those answers were somewhere else. Granted, this time they were just mapping out the forest for the moment, but... really, who honestly believed that was going to stick?

That said, this exploration started off already with two unexpected things. The first was a pleasant surprise, which seemed rare in this town. Caramia's consigliere actually showed up, unaccounted for since he didn't tell anyone he was coming to start with- and that would definitely help with mapping out the area. Photographic memory tended to be pretty helpful for things like that. The actually nice surprises end here, however, because why have nice things? Disgusting.

The second unexpected thing was not nice or pleasant, because that stuff is for Chumps. When everyone walked into the forest, no matter the attempts made to stick together in bigger groups, there was an unavoidable partition. Well, that certainly wasn't worrying or ominous or anything like that. Haha...

Caramia hoped everyone was okay. But... the way he figured it, so long as no one was screaming in distress, it was okay... currently. He'd listen carefully and continue on his own feet for now, since... this path was actually quite nice!! Quiet, sure, but he expected that much-- the flowers and other fauna in the area were a little breathtaking-- albeit colorless. But, hey, in their own right it was still very gorgeous.

So instead of being a responsible adult and rounding up his assorted children all getting terribly lost in the woods, here he was going to pick these pretty flowers. Priorities!!! ]

Group Six: Maribelle, Keith, Momo Yaoyorozu

[inheritance]

[troubadamsel]

[By the time the other two show up, Maribelle is already atop her horse, her staff in one arm, the other tomes on her lap.]

Well, it's about time!

Group Seven: Kei Nonjo, Kenny McCormick, Sorey

[inheritance]

[tendershepherd]

[He'd spent the past few days preparing for this, or at least as much as he could based on the limited resources in the town. The point of this venture was to map the forest, so he prepared simply: parchment and something to write with so he can attempt to draw a map, his sword to deal with the inevitable underbrush, and some food that had recently restored color and flavor--for rations so they wouldn't have to try to forage as they went.

Getting into the forest is a slow process--having to pause to knock away the underbrush and making notes and vague lines on his budding map--but eventually they're on their way.]

Weird...there should be more fauna around, but I haven't seen any... Have you guys found anything?

[Though he may not have seen fauna, he's certainly seen some things out of the corner of his eye. He knows something's there, but whatever it is is really good at hiding.]

Group Eight: Ryo Asuka, Cairngorm, Misaki Yata

[inheritance]

[apocalypticist]

[ Things Ryo Asuka did not anticipate: foliage and undergrowth and vines cutting them off from the others. So much for careful exploration, y'all.

It's also almost unsettingly quiet. Of course, Ryo doesn't seem bothered by any of this, his expression neutral as he flicks a cold gaze to the other two. ]

...Looks like the forest is sentient.

Group Nine: Mitsuru Kirijo, Dave Strider, Henry

[inheritance]

[parodeity]

[ well, fuck. when the woods cut them off from the others dave jolts, his head whipping around in one particular direction - until he forces himself to relax, shoulders slumping. the branches ahead closed up at the same time and he doesn't bother to remove his shades even as the dark envelops them.

at least he recognizes both henry and mitsuru. ]

I guess they ain't a big fan of group hikes. [ "they" being the woods. ]

Group Ten: Akira Kurusu, Dextera, Ouni

[inheritance]

[passio]

[ it’s not entirely a surprise that the forest would close them off like this, but that means dextera is now trapped with two people who are relative strangers—one of whom he’s pretty sure doesn’t even like him. ]

...

[ he takes their sudden entrapment in stride, however, more put off by it than truly frightened. he presses his sword to the branches that have grown over the path, but there’s no helping it—there’s a way the forest wants them to travel, in or out, and the forest wants them to do it in their little group.

he glances to his two companions, and inclines his head. shall we? ]

Group Eleven: Goro Akechi, Ryoji Mochizuki, Guren Ichinose

[inheritance]

[appraiser]

[ A hiking trip. That's what Ryoji had in mind when he'd stepped into the forest, footsteps light as he tries to keep up with Guren and Akechi without falling back behind the group every time he gets distracted-- those distractions quickly fall away, though, voices disappearing, the light disappearing, and Ryoji goes ahead and pulls a little closer to the other two before he too, disappears. ]

It was raining all week, wasn't it...? I hope it doesn't start up again while we're out here. [ He looks from Akechi— who he'd originally met in the forest and remembers talking about pushing tirelessly though the maze of the forest, but they have food now, and some time to rest, prior— to Guren, who he doesn't know but immediately trusts to know what's best. ]

Shall we hurry? This place makes me a little nervous.