video; un: white pawn

[chosenbylight]

[Anduin is on the 12th floor of Zenobius' tower, his mirrors, lights, glass panes and telescopes visible in the background. The lighthouse keeper himself is nowhere to be seen.]

There is a ship.

[Anduin does not waste time with niceties. There is no time for niceties. He frowns, a troubled look on his face, as behind him Lily and Joker converse with one another beside one of the telescopes.]

It's caught in the storm and headed this way. Zenobius -- signaled them over?

[He shakes his head, as if to clear a thought (they don't have time to question that now but also what is the purpose of this lighthouse?) and strengthens his resolve.]

They'll never make it to shore. The three of us -- Lily and Akira are with me -- we saw Zenobius leave his post. He seemed... Distraught. Without any way to guide their boats through this mist, the storm, and those creatures in the water...

[His expression draws tight with concern.]

We must save them.

((ooc: this post is in regards to lily, joker, and anduin's plot roll. threadjacking is more than welcome for all!))

Comments

un: Black Prince; text

[blackscales]

You are sure the inhabitants of this ship are friendly?

[ Not... you know, scores of undead travelling by sea with the singular purpose of murdering them? ]

un: white pawn; text

[chosenbylight]

They are human. Alive.

The ship seems to be some sort of commercial vessel, though it's hard to tell at this distance.

[He knows what you're thinking, Wrathion, and he's already tried to investigate further. That's about as much as he's been able to figure out, given his limited resources.]

[blackscales]

[ Of course. Even if they were dangerous pirates, he's sure Anduin would still want to save them. ]

How many? Roughly.

un: moonage daydream (text)

[lancifolium]

I can slow down the mermaids, perhaps even shrink them if I can hit them and buy the boats more time.

un: white pawn; text

[chosenbylight]

Shrink them...

[Now isn't that an image.]

Even without the immediate threat the mermaids pose, there's still the surf and the mists. And... Without the proper protective gear, they will be stranded at this lighthouse. Won't they?

[Never mind whatever other funky stuff there is going on here.]

[lancifolium]

It's terrible to say, given their circumstances but they won't be able to make it through, I think. We need to communicate with them that they have to turn around.

@taken for granite | voice, threadjack away

[rumorate]

I can help.

[She debates for a long time over going right to Lily or addressing them both but it feels weird not looping the guy in who brought it to their attention so she speaks widely and hopes people don't get too judgy.]

I have ... powers of persuasion. Haven't tested it on the undead before but if the people on the boat are human and they can hear me, it should work. Lily's amplified my voice before.

un: moonage daydream (text)

[lancifolium]

Anduin believes the people on the boats are alive, if I can make it so they can hear you, perhaps they'll turn around.

[ This can't have been easy for Allison, she remembers how her friend was during the riots. ]

Thank you.

un: white pawn; voice

[chosenbylight]

I couldn't get the closest look even with the spell I used, but I do believe that they are human, as Lily said.

There are quite a lot of them as well. Spread across a number of smaller row boats as they head this way. Does your ability work on more than one person at a time? Have any sort of limit?

[He doesn't mean to ask these things so openly but -- it is important to know, if they mean to rely on her powers to save these people.]

video; un: sizhui

[paperbutterflies]

Was there something Zenobius said or did before he walked off that might suggest why he did either of those things?

video; un: white pawn

[chosenbylight]

[Anduin shakes his head.]

Not at all. He seemed... Elated, at first? Glad to have caught their attention?

[He frowns.]

Perhaps he wished to save them from the storm. But once he realized how dangerous it would be for them to come to shore? He was inconsolable.

voice ► un: bluebird

[cairhien]

( bear with her on this, someone is absolutely guiding her on how to use the network )

I may be able to help clear the mist to guide them.

( and do more than just that. but better to not go in too hard )

un: wei laozu

[weifinder]

Clear the mist, I can make a threatening but non-dangerous display of some of the mermaids, encourage them to turn back. If what they need are supplies, others might gather those swiftly and set them afloat if there's a boat to be had, but those people will not survive to reach this shore.

For one, what does survive that space without the protection of the clothing we had, even were the mermaids no issue?

un: wei laozu

[weifinder]

I'm swiftly to shore, there's no reasonable way to presume those people will survive if they attempt to reach us. I can have some influence over the mermaids no longer counted as living, I might keep some off for a time, but we need to turn them back.

Any with the skills for assisting, meet at the shore.

( which is promptly where he's running )

un: white pawn; video

[chosenbylight]

I am reasonably sure that they will not survive, if they get close enough, truth be told. Never mind the mermaids, there's also whatever spell that's laid upon the land around us. We have no way of knowing how far it might reach out towards the sea as well...

[Despite his gentle words, Anduin is headed towards the shore as well. He might be a healer, but he will fight if needs must.]

un: absterge

[downswing]

Deep tolls last befell the siren herding.


( Consider care. )

un:joker ; video

[joker_wild]

[Joker's been keeping close to Lily and Anduin since they saw the keeper signal the ship. Now, he's made his way down to the shore. He's worked up enough about it all that his white mask and thief costume are in place, though there's currently no sign of any of his personas.]

We're sending out a boat of supplies to them, right?

un: white pawn; video

[chosenbylight]

[Anduin has been making the usual mistakes he does in a crisis: caring too hard, taking on too many things, and thinking too much. His latest idea with the candles not having worked, he's feeling rather desperate to at least be able to make some difference.]

We're doing our best to give them something, yes. We need to get close enough to get them a message anyway.

un : dappled peals of the parted seas (voice)

[beitangmoran]

He signaled them over, but then stopped? The light is extinguished?

un: white pawn; voice

[chosenbylight]

That's correct. He signaled them over but then realized that his light attracted the mermaids as well and became distraught and left the tower.

The light is extinguished. I'm not certain whether re-lighting it would help or hinder them at this point. It's probably best the don't come any closer, not without risking the same decaying spell, without the protective gear that Enam supplied for us.

un: absterge

[downswing]

How does a lighthouse keeper not know the weight of his deeds?

un: absterge

[downswing]

What fate for the lighthouse keeper?

un: white pawn; text

[chosenbylight]

He may have sentenced these folk to their death, yet something in my heart tells me he did not mean to do so.

Zenobius seems to live as though in a dream. One foot in the past, one in the present. He is a lighthouse keeper. Is it not his job to signal vessels safely to shore? It is not his fault that the shore itself is out to get them.

action for team boat ride

[lancifolium]

[ She didn't lower her wand until the wards she set in place had been reinforced two times over. She knew Wei Wuxian's mermaids would do what they could to keep the boat afloat and going, but enough time in this world had taught her just how prudent foresight was. ]

Everyone alright?

[ They had loaded the little vessel with supplies and set off to try and stop the approaching lifeboats so quickly, she hadn't even thought to check in with her fellow boat passengers and make sure nobody had gotten hurt on the way out to open water. ]

[joker_wild]

[For all that he hasn't frequently been on boats - and frequently hasn't been on boats - Joker seems to have no trouble keeping his balance on the boat - which is probably good, considering he's likely going to end up having to fight.]

[He looks to Lily at the question, nodding.] I'm okay. You two?