WELCOME TO THE HIVE

[rysligparasites]

MOD PLOT: HAPPY ASCENSION DAY

It's a long journey to Kulen and you’re paralyzed for all of it. The parasites aren't very delicate about carrying you there and you may get prodded with the odd pincer, but they diligently protect you from any external threats so you arrive relatively unharmed.

They carry you into a series of tunnels and into the belly of the hive where they lay you down on the ground. You lie there, unable to move or speak as more of the parasites converge on you, chittering excitedly and smelling you with their antennae. As the paralysis starts to wear off, they roughly and enthusiastically help you up and guide you through the tunnels, excitedly showing you around.

Eventually, you'll meet a parasite with human features who will give you a stilted, but genuine welcome. Apparently you are a special guest who has been brought here to help celebrate their beloved queen's first ever ascension day! While you're here, they want to learn as much about YOU and your traditions as they can so they can make this the greatest party ever.

The parasites implore you to eat their human cooking which is mostly composed of various things (both edible and not) that they've deep fried. They worked very hard and they will be very offended if you don't finish it. They also invite you to contribute to their cave paintings which are entirely composed of parasites doing parasite things.

During your stay, you'll likely run into other monsters who've been replaced by doppelgangers. Maybe some of them have been here for a while. Maybe others have just turned up.

Your quarters are dark and maybe a little cramped given that you're sharing them with a whole bunch of insectoid creatures and maybe one or two monsters. Other than that, they're relatively comfortable.

Settle in and make yourself at home. You'll be here for a while.

Comments

Kaito Kuroba | ota (will match format)

[whiteofcrime]

ONE. (Early morning Jan 13)

On the tedious journey from Bavan to Kulen, Kaito can't help but feel terrified. He can't move, he can't speak, he can only watch as the parasitic creatures carry him through the long, long night to their destination. He sees the sun start to peek over the horizon, only for it to vanish again as they disappear into the tunnels of the hive.

It's there that they finally set him down, where feeling and movement begin to return to his limbs. He's thankful for it as his nocturnal transformation finally reverts thanks to his brief glimpse of the sun.

Kaito pushes himself upright with a groan. He's surrounded by insect-like creatures. They chitter at him, brush his skin with their antennae, welcoming him to their domain. It's been ages since he's seen one, but--

"I think I remember you..." he says slowly. That recognition is the only reason he doesn't shy away from their attention, though the whisper of their antennae make his skin crawl. The crowd shifts, and he has to stare as a familiar-looking parasite comes up to greet him.

It's the one he'd nurtured way back when. The one which had crawled out of him, whispered, 'thank you', before disappearing. It looks like him.

"Hey, you're still around?" he says with a small grin. He finally gets to his feet and brushes himself down, casting a glance around to see if anyone else has been brought here as well. (He'd toss out a greeting if so.) Not for long - at his parasite's insistent tugging, he allows himself to be led on a tour of the hive.

TWO. (Jan 13)

"No, see, you put this in the batter first and then you fry it--"

Kaito resists the urge to sigh and bury his face in his hands as the parasite chef chittered an objection at him, antennae waving furiously. He tries again.

"If you're gonna fry something, you need to roll it in some kind of coating so that it's crispy and also doesn't burn." He attempts to demonstrate by gingerly picking up a slice of questionable meat (he tries not to think about what it is or where it came from) and rolls it in some flour. Where did the flour come from? Well, the parasite he'd grown had helpfully procured it from somewhere outside the hive for him.

"Now you can drop it in the oil-- what?" The cook waves its pincers at him as if shooing him out. Kaito backs away with a grumble. "Fine, have it your way then..."

THREE. (Jan 14 onwards)

Night falls, and Kaito is once again stuck in his werefox form. He would sigh, but after spending two days like this in a frigid quarantine ward, he's become accustomed to it. The parasites won't let him leave the hive either, not even to change back, even when he promises that he'll only go the mouth of a tunnel then come back.

At least it makes it easier to traverse the tunnels. Kaito had not enjoyed having to walk at a slight stoop.

The parasites encourage him to add to their wall of paintings. There's a wide selection of paints he can use to decorate the wall. Lacking opposable thumbs - or indeed, any hands - he dips a paw into some white paint and dabs it on a blank section.

Ah, but there are others here being encouraged to add their mark too. Glancing around, Kaito attempts to sneak up on someone and tag them with a white paw print on their back. If he's successful, or if they turn before he reaches them, he quickly darts away and does his best impression of innocence.

Grace | OTA

[me_underfire]

A: I didn't choose the bug life- no really, I didn't

[Grace isn't really afraid of bugs. She is, however, wary of these giant ones that look like they could tear her limb from limb and devour her with little effort, especially while she's completely paralyzed. She's familiar with Kulen, what with the Freedom Fellowship working to establish a relationship with the creatures, but she's never been this up close and personal before. When she starts to feel sensation returning to her limbs, she starts plotting her escape, but the bugs notice her movement and approach.]

No, don't-

[But much to her surprise, they don't move to attack. Instead, they lift her to her feet and help her walk, ushering her down the tunnels and stopping to point out various landmarks. Are they giving her a tour? She's about to ask them why she's here when they bring her to the strangely humanoid creature that explains that she's been invited to their queen's special day!

And Grace just stares at them, mouth agape.]

You mean... you kidnapped me, drugged me, to invite me here for a birthday party!?

[It's been a while since Grace has gotten angry enough to start transforming, but she recognizes the feelings of the hair on the back of her neck bristling and her teeth and nails lengthening before she completely hulks out. Determined not to shred the one set of clothes she has down here, Grace takes a deep breath and wrenches her eyes shut.]

I need. To sit down. For a minute.

[She turns and leaves, possibly shoving another monster aside in her haste.]

B. The reluctant teacher

[Now that some time has passed, the shock has worn off. Grace isn't thrilled about being here, but the parasites seem genuinely eager to please despite their unorthodox method of inviting guests over for a party. Plus, they don't seem to have the monsters on the menu.

Still, she's never liked being the center of attention, and she wanders off to a more secluded part of the colony (as secluded as you can get when you're surrounded by hordes of bugs) to practice some tai chi. It's not long before she has an audience of parasites standing in a circle around her, some of them trying to mimic her movements. The key word being "trying" since they can't seem to figure out how to do these techniques with several extra pairs of legs.]

Keep your feet- er, one pair of your feet- steady on the ground. Those are your roots, keeping you anchored to the ground while your arms sway like branches in the breeze.

[Wait, there aren't any trees down here.]

...You guys do know what trees are, right?

C. Hello darkness my old friend

[Despite being stuck miles underground, Grace is still attuned to night and day, and when the sun sets above she still transforms as usual. She manages to save her clothing, but being ten feet tall is mildly inconvenient down here, so now there's a small raccoon wandering around, chatting with the parasites like nothing unusual is happening here.

Also, for some reason, she's suddenly enjoying the food more?]

Have you tried this? It's really good. And I don't usually like deep fried anything!

[Surely it has nothing to do with the fact that she's currently a trash panda]

D: WILDCARD

[She's going to be a raccoon for most of the trip, but you might see her as a human occasionally when she uses her skinchanging abilities.]

C

[scholiast]

(Lucretia, who is desperate for anything that doesn't taste like... like that, accepts an offering of whatever it is that is fried, and nibbles hesitantly on its edge.

Nope, it tastes exactly the same as everything else. She sighs, and pushes the rest into her mouth anyway, because one of the parasites is hovering expectantly at her elbow. She sighs, and rubs her stomach exaggeratedly.)

Mmmm. So good, thank you.

(And once it's gone, in a hissed whisper to Grace:) What are you talking about? This is all terrible.

B

[hauntpadour]

[Egon is standing, incredibly and surprisingly tall among the crowd of insects, trying to follow her instructions. It also helps that his wingspan protects the tiny little mushroom garden he'd started here in the opening, where it's actually tall enough for him to stand.]

I'd think they would, since they knew enough of the outside world to abduct us.

REIRA | OTA

[soft_focus]

[Wednesday the Thirteenth]

It is evening when she arrives, and why would it not be of course, when the sun stings the poor parasites so? It is hard to say she was taken unwillingly. Certainly the part where she was caught from behind and paralyzed wasn't great, but when she recognized where she was going, she tentatively prepared to be a lot more receptive to things once paralysis wore off.

And that, it seems, was worth it. After an over-eager welcome, Reira is left to wander through the tunnels until she finds a good place to sleep. Somewhat cramped, of course- but nothing being an alpaca won't fix, though she does have to peek into most places and ask-

"Umn! Is this one full?" The bugs of course will never say no. So. She can't entirely trust those guys. But maybe there's a monster in there...

[14th Onward | Time In]

Sometimes bug games are a bit too scary- and dangerous. But somehow, danger keeps moving away From you. It doesn't quite make sense...but every so often when Reira is around for particularly dangerous games, it is as if whatever was happening suddenly switches places with something else, something far less dangerous.

It happens with food too- utterly inedible foods to the point of likely toxicity just...vanish. Replaced with one of the more edible samples. And Reira is always there, rather notably, so...

...Crunch.

Is that one of the 'inedible' samples she's eating, it probably is. (It was a deepfried flower, and dammit she wants to try that)

[14th Onward | Best Friend]

One advantage of having a parasite 'child' so to speak is that suddenly, you're even more than just an honored guest. And by that, it means there's an over-eager furrybug humanoid dragging Reira about by the arm to eagerly chitter and gesture while she beams and waves. She has no idea what they're saying, but at least they make an effort to chorus a number of 'hello!!'s and 'so green!'.

"Umnh! Yeah, I used to look more like this..." Reira gestures to her parasite friend, who indeed has a thick mane of silver to go with gangling limbs and semi-feathered wings. "...But I wanted to be able to grow up, so I had to ask Mana for help."

What's a Mana! Why couldn't she grow! So many questions, and Reira is left trying to somehow get a story through while they ask.

It's a bit like sitting in on an over excited kindergarten class, except the students are all large bugs. Also- "Oh!" You've been spotted. "...Maybe you can help me explain..?" Please, she's struggling,

[WILDCARD - Reira over all will be enjoying herself thoroughly- and also refusing to help any escape or contact attempts to the outside world. So shoot!]

Time in

[naturevsnurture]

Rhoda cannot stand the food here. None of it is edible, even the desserts! Ugh.

But hey, there's Reira, and she can eat the food with no issue? Ugh. Yet another thing Reira does that annoys Rhoda. She thinks she's so much better than everyone and it drives her crazy.

"How can you eat that?" she asks rather loudly.

Best Friend

[hantale]

You know who's NOT having a great time? This nerd. After settling down from the initial panic of being kidnapped, Fran has been spending their time trying to understand the bugs, look for Charles... Look for Wight, Look for anyone, really. Their normally positive demeanor has shifted to a downcast pout, sheepishly avoiding most of the bug celebrations.

The sight of another kelpie, one they haven't met before, is enough to briefly distract them, at least. Fran's head raises, blinking over the collected class of bugs and figuring out what they've missed. "Uh- Uhm... Perhaps." It doesn't sound too confident, but it's something!

"What were you explaining?" One of the bugs pipes up, asking about mana, Fran gives Reira an odd look, then turns to face them. "Oh... She's... Hmm. A magical woman, who gives you gifts if you give her magical coins." Spoken rather matter of fact-ly. It's not too long before more questions come their way, and soon BOTH of them are busy explaining things. What a mess!

Gregg Lee | OTA

[silenceofthesheep]

A. From the box to a dirt box (Febuary 14th)

[If anything he has to say, this is a rude as hell awakening. One minute laying in his box and the next he’s awake and he can’t move. He figures it must be a wide-awake dream, sleep paralysis. After all, there was no giant bugs he ever remembered seeing in Ryslig. But after he waits to go back to sleep or get a new dream. But no, these are real bugs. And he’s really paralyzed.

Gregg keeps trying to will himself on the journey to wiggle loose, to magically roll out of their clutches. But this is his brain yelling at his body, a body that can’t really listen because well, bug paralysis.

He can’t help but think ‘at least it’s not a cult of old people’. Even in the dark of the tunnels he has to be grateful he wasn’t kidnapped by a crazed worshipper of the Fog God. As he gets that tingle in his body, the insects, wriggling his limbs back to the full range of movement.

But that doesn’t mean the bugs won’t leave him alone nooo. There’s one with a weird human face giving him the low down as other bugs feel him up with their antenna.

Gregg is kind of exasperated. Mostly because he didn’t get much sleep to begin with and now these antennae are really ticklish.]

So now there’s a BUG faction? I gotta worry about bugs now?! Eff! Big fat eff!!

B. It’s the time of your life (Febuary 15th)

No no dude. Moshing is easy. You guys just keep doing it wrong.

[Gregg tries demonstrating again. He’s been here for awhile and while they don’t seem they want to eat him...he’s gotta bide his time somehow, right? And since he’s a pooka, feeding off social company of other monsters is kind of what he does.

He gently bumps sides with a parasite, going around in a circle. Bump. Bump. Bump.]

Do that, but waaaaay faster and in a circle—wait wait—aaaaaaaaaah not like that!

[Ok Gregg might have regrets. The parasites decide to interpret moshing as ‘swarming around Gregg in a circular scuttle’. With so many just...running around him and over him he falls over, wiggling out of frustration.]

Ok that’s good! Maybe we just like...do pogoing! Aaaaaaah this sucks.

C. So live it well (Febuary 15th onwards)

[So this is his life now. God, he’s feeling nostalgic for Bavan of all places. At least with Castle Mirai he wasn’t dogpiled by a dozen parasites every time he tried to sleep. Or when he slept, he would suddenly wake up moving because he clung to a parasite that was up and busy during the night.

At least as a pooka he didn’t have a hard time searching the tunnels, so he could manage to slip away long enough to be alone for a bit until he would run into another captive here. Each time he did his reaction was the same:]

Holy shit, a not bug person.

But like, I think if it weren’t for all the bugs though, I’d live in tunnels more though. A tunnel boy.

[Wildcard]

[Gregg will be going in circles, going stir crazy in the tunnels and looking for a way out so if you want something else outside these prompts go right on.]

B

[naturevsnurture]

[There's another person who is confused by this moshing. What... is that? She blinks a few times, wondering why the parasites seem to like such a thing. It's literally bumping into other people and moving in a circle.

But then she giggles when the parasites all converge on him, because that is hilarious.]

Is that supposed to be a dance?

Majima Gorō | OTA

[justbeingknife]

Cultural exchange

[ Honestly? Majima didn't like being paralyzed. He didn't like bugs. And he especially didn't like getting touched on by antennae, especially after reading at least a little about this parasite colony beforehand.

At the same time, they did seem genuinely enthusiastic and surprisingly polite and considerate. "High five!" one of them chittered excitedly.

So he went for it, only to have the offered chitinous appendage whipped away before he could make contact.

"TOO SLOW!" crowed the giant bug. ]

That ain't even how that goes.

[ Okay, mostly polite and considerate. This face was the face of a man contemplating escape. ]

Body heat

[ It got chillier at night, but lucky for Majima, night was exactly when he started to sprout some insulating fur. Thick, white, super soft and fluffy... there was something of a wary look on his face, however, when he spotted the monster on the other side of the room eyeing him. ]

...What?

Promised neverland

[ Only eventually he started getting hungry, and politely asking if he could leave, and instead of just cutting him loose, the parasites brought out a young woman. That was about the point it went from bad to worse.

"Eat, eat!" said the parasite nearest him, nudging the girl forward. ]

Wildcard

[ Fingerguns you can find me at Tetradecimal ]

Body Heat

[hantale]

[Not exactly dressed for the occasion, because they were kidnapped and stolen away here without any warning, It's none other than Fran in the room. It was usually easy to tell where they were, thanks to the reflective and slightly glowing nature of their eyes. They thought they recognized that lump of clothes and fur over there, hence the staring.

Turns out they do.]

Ah- Majima, was it? The bugs got you too?

[Fran, it seems, has curled themselves up in a ball, resting against the wall with a slight worry still lingering.]



((I see what you did there, promised neverland. -squints at-))

promised neverland

[scholiast]

(Oh, nope.

Lucretia takes one look at the young woman and immediately gets to her feet. The parasites hadn't bothered to bind her properly; she is a nephilim, and it's too dark down in the tunnels and caves for any of her magic to really work. All of her energy is going into maintaining her form, and even then it's flickery and hazy at best. Perhaps she can't cast anything, but she can, at least, get promptly in-between the young woman and Majima, staring the bugs down.)

No. We want food, not people. More of that uhh, delicious fried... thing that you served earlier would be lovely, thank you.

(The parasite nearest Majima is looking at her conspiratorially, its antennae flicking about its face. It doesn't seem entirely convinced. Lucretia glances over her shoulder to make eye contact, and a 'help me' kind of face.)

Really- we'd much rather try your local cuisine. Something that you've made yourself, wouldn't we?

Maurice Hutch | OTA

[toothaches]

((OOC: WILL MATCH YOUR POSTING STYLE!))


A: SILENT SCREAM

You know how if you hold down A in Mario Kart before the light turns green and your cart spins out once it does? Maurice had been holding down A for hours. Lying motionless in a hive full of writhing beings with mandibles and pincers and antennae and all kinds of wiggly ucky things was doing a number on Maurice.

The first thing to un-freeze were his vocal cords.

"aaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Maurice lay there and screamed until he stopped screaming. He didn't stop because he realized he wasn't being harmed or that people were staring or even that he was being told to calm down or shut up. He stopped because his voice shot. Shot like a cheap light bulb. His scream cracked at the end and became a harsh whistling squeak. Maurice made this new and exciting noise until his arms and legs thawed out.

The only thing that kept him from instantly erupting into his travel form for the first time was the venom still clogging his system. He wobbled to his feet, instantly face planted two times, and then took off at a dead run into the corridors of the hive. He had to get away from these things!

Feel free to have your character stumble into this mute, mulleted man.


B: RELUCTANT RECITAL


Some days later...

How the bugs found a guitar was anybody's guess, but it had been thrust into his hands at his mumbling request and now he had a very attentive antennae-waving audience gathered around him. Maurice was perched on a rock, as far away from them as monsterly possible. He hadn't held a guitar since he'd smashed his own into the ground so that he could stab a starfish alien with the splintered neck and he was having a lot of emotions. Holding the instrument in his now mutated hands was the first thing that felt right since his arrival.

The fact that the guitar was missing some strings ended up working out for Maurice since, as a kelpie, he was now missing an entire finger. The rough, hoof-like growths that replaced his nails turned out to be really good picks. With his ears twitching to find the right key as he tuned it, Maurice finally started to play a shaky little tune. While his voice was hoarse from the blow-out days before, it still carried a tune and as he sang, it grew more confident.

If the boy could stay away from the bottle, he'd have a future on the stage.

"Almost heaven, West Virginia
Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River
Life is old there, older than the trees
Younger than the mountains, blowing like a breeze...

All my memories gather round her
Miner's lady, stranger to blue water
Dark and dusty, painted on the sky
Misty taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eye...

I hear her voice, in the morning hour she calls me
The radio reminds me of my home far away
And driving down the road I get a feeling
That I should have been home yesterday, yesterday...

Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain mama
Take me home, country roads..."


C: WILDCARD WEDNESDAY

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT or hit me up on plurk or wherever if you wanna!

B

[defyingfrigidity]

[Among the excited chittering of the bugs, there's the sound of clapping; not like the sound of weird bug pincers clapping, but actual, almost-human clapping. Said clapping is coming from a nymph, a small smile on her face that's only slightly marred with nervousness by being surrounded by so many of the excited insects.]

That was a nice song. Was it about your homeland?

A

[hauntpadour]

Egon has just gotten up himself, at least happy that they aren't going to eat him, looking for the way out- when a little kelpie comes crashing right into him. He lets out a wheeze, the air knocked out of his gut, stumbling back a little and hitting the ground.

"What are you doing?"

B

[silenceofthesheep]

Somehow among the crowd of parasites, a pooka rat managed to slip in. He's watching, being squished as he's still attempting to rile them up into a mosh pit.

As the song ends, Gregg hollers from the crowd, waving his arms in the air:]

Whoo yeah! Encore! Again and stuff!

Fran Baiseal | OTA

[hantale]

Not cool!: (Morning of the 15th)

[Terrified is certainly one way to describe Fran's entire state at the time. The kelpie's always had a small fear of being kidnapped or captured, and this is pretty much that but come to life. It's a damn good thing they're paralyzed, otherwise they'd be a writhing ball of panic. These aren't humans, perhaps not as bad, but they're still doing something Fran hates.

By the time they can speak again there's a loud, panicked scream, echoing through the walls of the hive and quickly prompting a bunch of either concerned or confused parasites to step over to see what the problem was. Sluggishly, Fran curls up, having backed themselves around to a wall and trying to shoo away anything that approaches.]

Stay away! Let me leave!

[Yeah, someone's clearly not coping. A few of the bugs rush off, probably trying to find anyone who can actually speak to try and calm them down. Which is to say, either another monster, or one of the humanoid parasites.]

This isn't so bad... But I still don't like it.: (Later on, after some calming.)

[If a monster didn't end up coming around, the parasites likely ended up bringing one of their talking companions to Fran instead, brokenly explaining the situation and reassuring them that they weren't a prisoner... or rather, wouldn't be, if they didn't cause any harm.

It took a while, but eventually the kelpie calmed. Once their mind was a bit more settled, they had time to think of other things that were starting to take priority. Charles was missing... and now, presumably, Fran was missing... That made sense, right? Maybe he was just in here? They're clinging to that hope.]

A- alright... Y-yeah, you can show me around...

[They're not behind bars and not restrained, once they got over the whole paralized kidnapping thing, their intentions were... well, kind enough. For efficiency, they'll likely group a couple of the monsters together to show them all around at once.]

Wildcard

[In between searching for Charles, Fran will be at least trying to engage in bug-things, tasting any of the non-meat foods and trying to explain the world they come from, poorly. Otherwise, PM or poke me at hantale]

Kain Highwind | OTA

[bound_skyward]

[A. Obvious Escape Attempt]

I am not staying here. I'm leaving, at once. If anyone here has any sense, you'll join me.

[Kain doesn't wait for an answer, getting up with determination. He was incredibly creeped out by the parasites' "welcome", and while there's been no indication they intend any real harm… he knows better. Everything always ends in disaster and maiming in Ryslig. They'll probably use them all to incubate more of their kind, and far, far worse probably.]

[So yeah, it's time to leave. Kain glances over, nodding when he sees that someone else has decided to accompany him on this bold mission. Good. He'll need all the help he can get, surely they can manage to escape together?]

[B. Sneakier Escape Plans]

[Moving over closer to whoever is nearby, Kain leans in to speak in a low tone.]

It's only a matter of time before we end up as hosts for them again. Don't be fooled by their playful facade, we're going to die here… unless we make a move to leave. Soon. [He pauses a moment, glancing over his shoulder. His more overt attempts have failed him, so this attempt is going to be more subtle.] We'll have to be discreet about this. Careful. Are you willing to make such a plan?

[C. Forced Poetry]

[After multiple attempts to escape, Kain is being very forcibly treated to… a poetry recital. It started with several parasites surrounding him in a circle, a move which seemed threatening at first. He was sure they were about to kill him, but no, they simply just… started reciting poetry. Bad poetry. None of it really makes sense or has much rhythm, though they've made a concerted effort to make it rhyme. Because that's the one feature that this group has picked up on.]

[Surrounded, Kain can't get away. Whenever he does try to move, the circle of parasites around him just moves with him, and they keep up their recitation.]

[He looks pleadingly toward anyone who might be nearby.]

Help!?

[D. Teach me something]

[A trio of eager parasites has taken a liking to Kain. They're with him for most of the day, and they creepily watch him sleep, and they're just… there wherever he goes. He's attempted to lash out, but it does no good. They're persistent things. He gets the distinct feeling they're trying to keep an eye on him and keep him busy to avoid more escape attempts.]

Teach us… please, pleaseplease please!

[They're like inquisitive children or something. Kain is still extremely wary, though, and he sighs, as he's been asked this question so many times. One of the parasites holds out a chunk of… something that does not smell very good at all. Ew. What is that supposed to be, anyway?]

Teach us something fun! You can have this yummy thing!

I don't… I don't want anything, please, just leave me alone… I don't know anything. I don't believe in having fun.

[He says this last part sarcastically. It's… a bit true a lot of the time, anyway, as he's always so focused on practical concerns. People back home would poke fun at him all the time for it, so he Gets It, he knows his reputation. He looks around for someone else to distract them with.]

That person over there. They know more about having fun than I do. Go bother them.

B - Help me, I'll help you.

[hantale]

[A little on the skittish side, the kelpie jumps a bit when the stranger leans over to them, just a little out of it and not really prepared for that.

Then they listen, doing their best to look unphased... Ah- Hmmm. There's a long pause while they consider, eventually turning back to lean up towards Kain and whispering right back.]

I'll help... but someone I care about might be in here... Will you help me find them first?

[That's the condition, they're not leaving until they know that their boyfriend isn't here.]

C

[silenceofthesheep]

[Oh boy, these parasites are not leaving anyone alone.

But as much as he wants to help, he is the worst kind of person to help.

Case in point? When Kain looks at him to assist, the pooka begins to laydown a mouth beatbox beat.]

B

[justbeingknife]

I'll be honest with ya, I prefer a straight fight. But seein' as how we're surrounded, outnumbered, and there're rubber ducks involved, I'm all ears.

[ In more ways than one, in fact, as a pair of large, wolfish ears was currently protruding from the top of Majima's head. ]

This place's crawling with preparations, so you'd figure there's gotta be a hole in their security somewhere.

Eisuke Hondou | Detective Conan

[notsoclumsy]

1. This is the second time in a month (Morning of the 13th)

[Just waking up in a strange place was one thing. Confusing and scary, but still something Eisuke could deal with with time. Being kidnapped by bugs and unable to move, though? Yeah no, he wasn't exactly dealing with that very well at all. As such, the second Eisuke was even remotely able to move he ended up doing a sort of half scramble, half dragging himself away from the bugs that surrounded him while screaming.

Someone might want to deal with this.]

2. Might not be wise to eat that (Anywhere from February 14 to 19)

"That's really not something people eat..." [Eisuke was currently trying to get the bugs to realize that no, the deep fried something he was being encouraged to eat really wasn't something he could eat. Desperate for backup, he was glancing around, hoping that someone would help him out.]

3. Wildcard

If you want something else, just PM me. Or just drop a surprise, either works.

2 Unwise Food Choices... Also; the child can stop time for 4 minutes, to explain ahaha

[soft_focus]

[Reira is an alarmingly tall child- at six foot even (though maybe part of that is due to having alpaca legs), she's probably been mistaken for an adult from behind a few times.

From the front she just looks like a kid on stilts, so. Small fortunes there. But Reira can briefly be seen peeking in on the mess before something...Odd happens.

First off, she seems to have moved just somewhat- like a freeze frame, or similar.

But also, he'll notice that the deepfried...Something has been replaced with a more edible deep fried thing. Might still be a plant that isn't typically deep fried, mind...but hey, it's edible.

Also Reira has some stupid grin on her face as she makes a 'shh' motion, the inedible piece in her hands.

...HAH?!?!]

Rhoda Penmark | OTA (Will match format)

[naturevsnurture]

A. Arrival - February 14th

"Let me go!" is the first thing Rhoda cries out as soon as her vocal cords are able to make noise. She struggles and fights off the parasites as best she can, before screaming, "Help! Help!" She's just a little girl, after all, and she's not going back into a dark, horrible cave! That's how she first arrived in this place, after all - trapped underground with no food for days.

These gross bug things keep surrounding her and touching her and Rhoda can't help but think they're ruining her freshly ironed pinafore. She cries out for help again, hoping that someone who is a monster or human or something will hear her and get her away from these things.


B. Settling in - Throughout the week

Maybe this wasn't so bad. The parasites were awfully nice to her, after all, leading her around and treating her like she was some important figurehead.

"No, no - like this!" She stops and dramatically curtsys for them as a couple of them proclaim Oooh and clap. Another one tries to mimic it, but has no dress to splay out, so it stops mid-curtsy and just looks confused for a minute. Rhoda giggles at it, saying, "You need to wear a dress for that!"

She pauses for a moment, then adds, "Well, if you don't have a dress, you can bow, like this." She leans over, arched at a perfect ninety-degree angle with one arm folded in front of her, one arm folded in back. The parasites chitter excitedly, clearly intrigued now that they can perform this action without a specific article of clothing. Several of them join in procession and attempt the gesture.


C. Food times

When Rhoda is finally provided some food, it looks, well... disgusting. She is only nine, after all, so she can be somewhat picky. Of course, she is a good girl who always eats her vegetables and never eats too many sweets, but this is just... what even is this?

It looks like they took a small rubber tire and dipped it in batter. That's not even edible! It doesn't look like a vegetable and it smells like burning grease. "Will I get dessert if I eat this?" she asks, staring at the thing on her plate.

Dessert? Yes! Dessert! Another parasite brings forth another plate, yet another deep-fried something that looks wholly unappetizing.

Rhoda finally sighs and says, "You know... I'm really not hungry." Even if her stomach is grumbling... At least they have a farm of people to eat, right? Maybe she can make off with one of them later.

The parasites crowd around her more, getting a bit more irritated as they insist she eat their concoction. Sigh. This is just like at home when she didn't want to eat her vegetables, but she always did in the end because she's the perfect little girl! So she reluctantly brings the deep fried thing to her mouth and takes a bite, only to find she practically turns green as a result. She swallows it, but it goes down her esophagus like a lead weight. Disgusting.

They insist she eat more, and she finally says, "No! I don't want anymore!" She's starting to get angry now, so she slams her plate to the table and attempts to storm off.

But later on, at least Rhoda seems on much better terms with the parasites. She is attempting to show them how to make cookies!


D. Wildcard

[Whatever you want. Rhoda will be milling around, attempting to show off how great she is at certain things, but also enjoying the attention. You can hit me up at plurk at godofpaper84]

C

[me_underfire]

[This poor kid. Grace, as a raccoon, sneaks under the table as the bugs swarm around Rhoda, and tries to get her attention.]

Psst! Down here!

Egon Spengler | OTA | Will match format

[hauntpadour]

A- Abducted, again

Egon had just been finishing up with AM, still covered in bruises and scratches from their little... tussle, when he was snatched up and carried off by a bunch of bugs. Kidnapped while getting kidnapped, okay.

As soon as he's free, Egon flails his way up, wings flapping hard, but barely hovering above the floor. He's sure they're not going to eat him- that would've been much easier when he was frozen, after all- but he's still not entirely sure what they want with him.

The nephilim is trying to avoid crowds as he sneaks about, blocked at every exit, and he seems... surprisingly unperturbed. Good luck if you see a giant, winged angel dangling from the ceiling above you though, flapping up a hard breeze to keep himself up there. "Hello."

He looks exhausted.

B- Operatic highs

You know, maybe this is fine. It's something else he can do rather than sulk on Valentines. These surprisingly friendly parasites want a cultural exchange? He considers himself a very cultured person. The nephilim has stood himself up to perform, singing deeply and passionately in front of a crowd of enamored insects.

"Porgi, amor,
qualche ristoro
al mio duolo
a'miei sospir!
O mi rendi
il mio tesoro,
o mi lascia almen morir!"

It's reasonable enough to not perform an entire opera, but he goes all out. Egon steps down from his makeshift stage, greeting someone waiting- clearly proud of himself. "Are you familiar with the performance?"

C- fried

Okay, this place might actually not be good- it's great.

It feeds his opera and junk food habits, anyway. Of course there's deep-fried dolls and paper towel rolls to wade through, but- well- okay. When he does find something nice, a deep fried banana or some beef, he's happy to share it- after taking some for himself.

If you're looking a bit hungry and downtrodden, he hands it over. "I believe this is edible, if you don't mind me having torn it open already."

fried :-)

[scholiast]

(Oh, a banana? This smells promising-- Lucretia accepts it gratefully, torn bits and all, and pops a piece into her mouth.

... Maybe not. Her expression scrunches after a moment, but she still finishes chewing, and swallowing.)

I... don't know what they've been frying all of this in exactly, but I don't think I agree with it.

(She hasn't had anything else to eat though, so she's just going to keep eating the banana regardless. She's so hungry.) Thank you for trying, though.