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During your stay, you'll likely run into other monsters who've been replaced by doppelgangers.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

[bound_skyward]

[The parasites are absolutely loving this, taking it all in, and getting even more enthusiastic in their recital. Kain just folds his arms and stands there staring for a moment at the spectacle unfolding before him. Really now, this… Really?]

Well. This. [He pauses, sighing, shaking his head.] This is not how I would have envisioned a situation of being kidnapped by parasitic bugs…

[It's so very, very peculiar, the whole thing. He's still paranoid that they'll come to harm soon enough, but for now? For now, the bugs appear more interested in merriment.]

[justbeingknife]

[ He'd keep his voice low, casual. ]

The 'ascension'? Yeah, how much do ya know about that? Or this place in general?

Might helps us get some insight in how to get out.

[ Or maybe even how to get some of the livestock humans out, for all that they seemed reluctant. ]

[hantale]

Oooh, very clever of them. I was thinking that myself, it seems a few had arrived before me... and I've been here at least a day or two?

[Come to think of it... It was hard to tell, the passage of time was darn near impossible to track without a clock or the sun to check. Neither of which were present underground.

Either way, they needed to get out of there at some point.]

Lets see! [Though, after a few minutes of walking in some random direction, occasionally getting accosted by insects, it's clear neither of them know where they're going.] MMmh- Perhaps... uh... Another way?

[They've come to a crossroads... Crosstunnel? Whatever it's called down here. If you stand in the center long enough, it can be hard to tell which way you even approached from.]

[hauntpadour]

Well... fresh fruit, you know.

[He did find a friend banana earlier. And of course, his mushrooms had been going into the fryer as soon as they sprouted.]

[As the bug goes nutty with their arms he lets out a snort, trying to keep balance and flapping his wings. It makes a little whirlwind around him, knocking a few bugs over, and he sighs before stopping to help them up.]

I worry this isn't a sustainable way of life.

[silenceofthesheep]

[Gregg is kind of living for this, he's really loving how the parasites are getting into this.

He grins at Kain.]

Like, it's better than anything else that's happened in the last few months.

Might as well enjoy it, dude.

[He's just glad it isn't a death arena or a cold-related illness that makes you flame up.]

[naturevsnurture]

[Rhoda is so hungry right now. Everything has tasted just awful - far too awful for her to stomach. Heck, a rock would taste better than this stuff! (You know, since she's a troll and all.)

All of a sudden, she hears something whispering to her, and she curiously looks under the table to see a raccoon. Her eyes widen in surprise momentarily, but she knows that the creature is trying to be secretive, so she simply keeps her lips pursed in an O and doesn't say anything.]

[naturevsnurture]

"But..." Rhoda stares at the strange concoction on her plate, and on Reira's plate, then back at the bugs. Well... Okay. That would explain some things. These are very strange creatures, after all.

"Well, you're lucky that they gave you food you can eat," she sighs. She would prefer gross vegetables over whatever this is. At least that's somewhat edible.

[justbeingknife]

[ Majima was sure he'd have offered to help even if he wasn't a monster -- it wasn't out of personal guilt that he was talking to this girl, and it wasn't going to get him to shut up about this, either.

Instead, it was the practical considerations he was thinking about now, like whether even with every monster at their disposal, they'd be able to get all the humans to safety. Especially if they didn't all want to go. ]

Is there anythin' we can do for ya, then?

[ The girl shrugged, and it was difficult to tell whether out of frustration, general teenage insolence, or some combination. In the end, he dug a small box of gummi bears out of his suit pocket, and held it out to her. She snatched it up, then turned and ran back into the caverns. ]

[bound_skyward]

It's hard to say, but I've been here for a couple of days as well. I don't think that it's been much longer than most of us. We'd have heard about disappearances before this, if so. So it's all… somewhat recent.

[Kain takes in the view, looking all around, trying to determine where they are, and where they should go from here. Keeping one's bearings is difficult, if not impossible, around here. Frustrating.]

This way, I think… At this rate, I don't know what chance we really have to truly escape, though...

[bound_skyward]

I don't know much, unfortunately, but they're far too excited about this upcoming "Ascension." I don't care for that mix of enthusiasm and mystery.

[That's when bad things tend to happen.]

We've had dealing with these… with these creatures before. Were you here when that happened? Several monsters were infected by their kind.

[His expression gets disgusted as he mentions that.]

[bound_skyward]

[Ok, he has a good point there. None of those terrible things have happened, yet. Usually it would happen by now, they'd all be killing each other or dying or some other infliction...]

I guess I'll give you that. Aside from being held hostage, we don't seem to be coming to further harm. They merely seem to want to…

[There's some cheering and excitement from the bugs as they raise their voices for just a moment.]

...indulge in pleasure.

[toothaches]

Again, Maurice opens his mouth to speak--maybe even to argue-- but he can't get sound to come out. So he is forced to listen.

And admit, that, yeah he had been in a pretty vulnerable state a few minutes ago. They could have been peeling his face off instead of just curiously smelling him with their horrible pokey antennae. The kelpie anxiously fumbles with a lock of his mane as he tries to figure out how to apologize to this strange glowing being before getting out of his hair--metaphorically this time.

"Hhhh," said Maurice. He lifted both hands and tried to make a placating gesture. It turned into a weird little half-bow.

[toothaches]

Possum Springs sounded very much like somewhere Maurice grew up near. Or at least had driven through. Dogtrot was just a place that had places like that around it.

Meanwhile, Maurice tilted his head and thought hard about it. "I don't think so...I went to TwoRock High...maybe you just got one of those faces."

Those sharp-toothed faces.

[toothaches]

Yeah I guess so...

_{[Maurice pokes idly at a few strings and frowns at how quickly they have come loose.]}

Back home, there's this movie called Mansquito, and it's about this dude who gets all these chemicals on him in an explosion and he starts turning into this evil bug man and then he starts turning other people into bugmen...well there's a bug girl but she dies, and there's--it's mosquitoes. It's all about mosquitoes, and they--well...I forget the rest.

_{[Maurice trails off.]}

It wasn't a very good movie.

[notsoclumsy]

"Huh..." [Might really be good to stay cautious about that, then. It wouldn't be good to get caught up in that on top of everything else.]

"...Big hits?" [Eisuke wanted some context for what exactly Elias had done, given that description he had just been given. Just to be aware of what might happen and stay on the safe side.]

[me_underfire]

[She was saving this for later, as it was one of the only edible things she could find, but she's not about to let a little kid go hungry, so she passes it up. It's an Oreo (well, Ryslig-approximate Oreo), aka one of the few things that actually tastes good deep fried.]

[naturevsnurture]

[Rhoda might be inclined to snub her nose at a piece of food a raccoon is holding, since they are dirty creatures, but... This is different. This one talks to her and clearly offers her something.

It's another deep-fried concoction, so Rhoda isn't sure whether to trust it. She hesitantly reaches out for the cookie before whispering:] Thank you!

[The other bugs are busy chattering, so they don't notice. But she stares at it, not sure what to make of it. Sure, she loves oreos, but she can't tell that this is one. Well, she might as well try it... so very slowly, she brings it to her mouth and bites in, expecting to taste yet more burnt rubber... But then... BUT THEN...

She has now tasted the holiest concoction known to man. The most delicious thing in existence. It is so rich and amazing that she almost can't handle it. Her eyes light up and everything seems to go just swimmingly for a few moments as she savors that bite. Oh... It's so good... Oh...

She eats the rest very quickly because she's so hungry, before immediately ducking back under the table to see if the raccoon is there.]

Where did you get that?! [She whispers excitedly.]

[hauntpadour]

Hm. Egon frowns, tail flicking, giving Maurice some space and some time to settle.

"Are you alright? Can I help your voice?"

[scholiast]

You- sorry, what?

Stop eating, explain that a little more. I can't be corporeal in the fog? At all? What happens?

[scholiast]

I would have been concerned if you had.

(She puts a hand gently on Grace's shoulder.)

We can go ask if they have something else.

[hantale]

Hmmm, it's not looking great... but I REALLY want to get out of here... A few days visit is fine... but this long?

[It hasn't even BEGUN, once the party starts they're stuck there for 5 more days!

For now, at least, Fran is determined to search around, at least until the two can get some general layout of the place sorted... Though no luck finding the missing Charles.]

[hauntpadour]

Oh, in the darkness nephilim discorporate into hazy light.

It happened during my first fog, but it aids with the pain.

[me_underfire]

[Once she manages to get the bugs to settle the heck down some, she goes back to her previous stances and demonstrates a few new movements.]

Well, I'm no entomologist, but they all kind of remind me of ant colony. A really big ant colony, where the ants can talk and have access to a deep fryer.

[me_underfire]

[this is fine]

We could give it a shot. Hopefully they won't be too offended.

[me_underfire]

[Okay, one small child saved, that's her good deed for the day.]

I had to do a lot of digging. I figured with as much as they're, ah, 'cooking', they were bound to make something that tasted okay.