recolle | closed || nothing ventured

WHO: Everyone who volunteered to come on the expedition.
WHERE: Recollé Woods
WHEN: June 18th
WHAT: Exploring the woods and seeing what they can figure out about it!
WARNINGS: None anticipated, let me know if this changes! Due to the nature of this log, prompt 1 and 4 will have headers for open mingling and threadjacking (be sure to write in the header if you don't want threadjacking), while prompts 2 and 3 will be open to top levels from it's designated team members, with a chance to make network posts to the other team. If you have any questions, you can PP me at

raynestorm!

I. BATTLE READY

[Good morning, Exploration Team! At the designated spot she asked everyone to meet up at, Minako is taking care of last minute preparations, such as divvying up the camping equipment, checking over weapons and supplies, and giving last minute instructions.

(There's also a certain silver Shiba Inu there too, with a sheathed knife fastened to one of his front legs. You can try asking, if you really want to...)

Once everyone has arrived, Minako will clear her throat for attention.]

Hi everyone. Thanks for coming today. Before we head out, I want to make sure everyone understands a few things going in this.

First of all, our goal is to explore the woods. We're looking for anything, from the other side of the woods to potential Retrospec hideouts to anything else that might be walking around in there with us. But because that's a possibility, because this trip has the potential to be dangerous, our first priority is our safety, and the safety of the rest of the group. The group leaders-- me and Pen-- we have the first and last say. If the situation gets dangerous, or if you encounter some kind of monster or creature that is threatening your life, we're going to tell you to run for it, and we expect you to do it, no questions asked. If anyone has a problem with that, then please speak up now.

[She waits a moment for any voices to pipe up, then continues.]

Pen and I will have walkie talkies along with our phones, to keep in contact. We have plenty of camping equipment because this is an overnight thing, but I've told a few people that we're planning to be out by tomorrow at noon. That's our check in time. If we can't regroup before then, or if either group doesn't hear from the other, then everyone on the outside is going to assume the worst. [And then she offers a bright smile.] So I expect everyone to make it out safe and sound with lots of time to spare, okay? Don't make me run back into the woods to find you and drag you out, because I will do it.

[And then she claps.]

Okay! So then, here are the groups. Sora, Lucy, Cleo, Father Karl, James, Aki, and Mohammed, you're with me. Leo, Freya, Sorey, Jake, Alison, Tatsuma, and Noah, you're with Pen. My group, we're going to go in as deep as we can, okay? Straight in, no stopping for anything unless it's something that might kill us or we have to turn back to make the deadline. Pen's team...I want you guys to go in as deep as you can too, but there's something else I want you to take care of along the way. [She turns and sends Sorey a encouraging nod.] Sorey will explain that to you guys later. Noah, I'm counting on you and Timcanpy to record anything he finds.

Everyone clear on what we have to do? Make sure you have your supplies ready, we're heading out in ten.

II. DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE WE GO [MINA'S TEAM]

[Without much ado, Minako leads the charge into the woods, Koromaru at her heels and her spear at her back. At first the pathways are well-tread and friendly, and they won't encounter anything out of the ordinary. The river and lake, along with the sanctioned campgrounds, might look familiar to the Recollé natives and high schoolers, since this is where families come by on the weekend and some school science trips have happened. If you want to ask for a break, this would be the best place to do it.

This is hardly deep into the woods, though, so it's time to continue on. The Echo Flowers are growing abundantly along what few pathways there might be here. Good luck getting rid of the goosebumps you'll get from how creepy they are. Unless you find them fun to mess with instead? Echo, echo, echo... Anyways, they seem to be a permanent Retrospec addition to the world, and still retain their vibrant blue color despite the recent loss of blue, so would someone help Mina dig one out to bring back as a sample?

Onward, onward, onward, onward...hey, that tree looks familiar. Nah, it's probably different. Onward, onward, onward, onward...onward...look, it's that familiar looking tree again. Onward, onwa-- okay no, that tree is definitely the same as the one before. Looks like the team is stuck in an infinite loop, not to mention the trees eventually get too thick to pass through anymore anyways. Mina's walkie talkie is of no use, and phone signal is nonexistent, but surprise surprise, Retrospec still works, so if you want to try and send something to the other team while the others try to figure out how to escape the loop, then go for it.]

III. A LINGERING PRESENCE [PEN'S TEAM]

[Minako is sorry for putting you on the spot like that, Sorey, but she knows you'll explain what you're capable of to the rest of the team. Long story short, Sorey can sense spirits and the goal for this team is to help Sorey find them and learn more from them.

Of course, that unsettling infinite loop is working in this area of the woods, too. No matter how far you walk forward, there's no escaping that one bush shaped like a chocobo, or the tree that looks like it has the scratch marks of some kind of animal on it. How long did it take for you to notice? And what are you going to try to get out of it? Like with the other team, Retrospec still works despite how everything else isn't, so maybe some advice swapping can go down.

Or you could ask the spirits themselves. It's hard to say how many of them are friendly or not-- in fact it might be a little hard to figure out how many there are in the first place-- but it's worth a try. Just be careful what you say to them. Spirits don't like being messed with.

By the way, all that camping equipment you're lugging around isn't for nothing, you know. Time to set up camp. A little tent isn't much protection, but it's better than nothing in the face of this weird shift in atmosphere in the forest, don't you think? Because there definitely is a shift. As night falls, the temperature will drop significantly. Is that just because of how deep in you've gone? And is it just a trick of the fading light, or are the trees bowing around the party? Or is it something else...?]

IV. HOMEWARD BOUND

[Well! It's the morning of the 19th now. That was certainly an adventure. Hopefully you came out of it in one piece. Got any info to report to Minako and Penelope? Do you need to complain about something that happened in the woods? Just want to go straight home? Let Minako thank you and say good bye first--!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The pot is somewhere at the bottom. The trowel is in the front zippered space.

[She starts digging it out with her fingers, since she's waiting, and inevitably, the flower repeats his words.

It talks?

Minako arches her eyebrows in a "I know, I can't believe it either" way.]

[ He huffs, annoyed, but doesn't otherwise complain about having to essentially unpack the bag to get at the pot. First, he gets the trowel out, since that's easier to access, and then after a few minutes of digging through the main space, he finally pulls out the pot. ]

Great. Good to know that even the flowers are in on the dystopian surveillance schemes.

[ Which gives him an idea... ]

Hey. You think any other flowers out here might have recorded what someone else said? Like, say...someone from Retrospec?

[She looks dubiously down at the flower, because if this is some kind of dystopian surveillance system then it's pretty noisy.]

It's possible? But I bet we'd have to go in pretty deep. And we wouldn't be able to talk at all in case we record over what the flowers have recorded.

Yeah but wouldn't it be worth it if we can find out more of whatever Retrospec's doing?

It would be, but we have to think of what we're capable of as a group. It'll be hard for so many people to not talk. It'd be better to have only two or three people go...but then I don't want to split up the group like that, either.

[Minako is silent for a moment as she mulls it over.]

Why don't I go with you?

[ He was half-expecting her to rain on his parade, make him stay with the group. And sure, James could've struck out on his own, but he's not a complete idiot. He might've done it anyway but he certainly wouldn't have felt good about it.

So when she suggests going along, he grins, sly. ]

Sounds like a plan. Let's get going once you get that thing potted.

[As for Minako, she doesn't feel good about the decision at all. She doesn't imagine herself much of a team leader, and yet cutting that critical person from a large group of people never works out well. But it's not like she wants to give him the chance to leave on his own, and Mohammed or Cleo will probably suffice as the group leader until she returns.

Hopefully they can do this quickly.]

Alright. Can you let the others know? We're not going to charge in without telling anyone, obviously.

Fine. I'll be right back.

[ James disappears, taking the backpack with him, for a few minutes while he goes back to the rest of the group to let them know what they're up to. Once the message is relayed, James heads back and sets the backpack down on the ground again next to Minako. ]

Alright, they got the message. You ready?

[She's got the echo flower in the pot by the time he returns, wiping her dirt crusted fingers on her jeans.]

And they didn't object? I'm surprised. [Especially when her group has more of the adults between the two, but then maybe everyone is anxious to figure something out about the forest.] Alright, let's head in. Stick close. If you need to tell me anything, type it out on your notepad app on your phone, okay?

[ He shrugs. ]

Well, I told them we'd be back in half an hour, or else we got lost and need help. So, we've got a bit of a time limit now.

[ He nods along to her idea. ] Got it, once we're out there, phone notes only. You gonna take the flower with us, or just leave it here while we're out?

It might echo an animal's cry if I take it, let me run it back really quick--

[She's back in a minute flat, adjusting her backpack and her grip on her spear.]

Alright, let's go. Let's walk for ten minutes and see if that's deep enough. I want to get away from any flowers that might be echoing what the others are saying.

[ James nods, clicks his flashlight on, and forges ahead silently, motioning for Minako to come along. If they're going to keep quiet for this, might as well start now. He's scanning all along their path in search of the blue flowers, but so far, nothing.

In fact, it takes a good five minutes to find another one at all. Which was starting to piss James off--aren't these things supposed to grow in groups or something?

But now that they've got something, his curiosity overtakes his annoyance. He leans in towards the flower and waves Minako over. ]

[Minako steps over and crouches next to the flower, pulling out her phone to start recording if it starts echoing something.

At first nothing happens, but then the petals are lifted up by a little breeze, and--]

I haven't drowned at the beach before.

[She takes in a sharp breath and instinctively glances at James, to see if he heard that too.]

[ James's eyes widen and he shares the glance with Minako. Okay, so they're definitely both hearing this. He scrambles to whip out his phone and open an audio recording app, just in time to hear the flower repeat itself one more time.

Then he opens up a note app. ]

You think that's all it's got?

the flowers usually only echo one sentence

but this is promising, let's go further in and find a new clearing of flowers, see if they're saying something new

[After she's sure he's seen her reply, she carefully steps deeper into the forest, straining her ears. Some of the flowers are indeed echoing that first message, and god if it isn't eerie. But then the murmuring starts sounding different, an uptick at the end that denotes a question. Minako gestures for James to stop, and waits with bated breath.]

Do you hear any weird whispering?

[ He holds his breath and waits for a sound. Just when he thinks he's going to need to breathe out finally, though, he hears it. ]

Someone else must've been through here before us.

There's gotta be another flower here somewhere that'll tell us more about them.

[She nods in agreement and sets off with him. But alas, that's all the echoes they find. Glancing at her wristwatch, she catches his attention and taps the face of it before typing on her phone.]

we should head back now before the others get worried

I don't think we're going to find anything else unless we go REALLY deep into the woods

[ He can't help but sigh in annoyance just a little, even though they're meant to be silent. Whatever, not like they found anything useful out here anyway. ]

Alright, fine, let's head back.

[ He'll wait until they're out of echo flower territory to voice the rest of his annoyances. ]

closed || nothing ventured

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