Scouting Beyond the Bubble - Day 3 - RPLOG

Participants

• Magnus
• Moresson
• Sheela
• Uvi
• Zen

Date

15/5/2021

Log

"This would be very cozy were it not so damp and gloomy." Magnus puffs as he leans against the wall by the entrance. "This is as good a time as any to try something not-so dangerous. Now then..." the hyena rummages through his pocket, retrieving a small leather-bound tome and cracking it open. "How did the whole thing go..." He flicks his wrist and performs a rolling motion, sparking a light flow in the palm of his hand. It erupts into a flame that gradually grows and shifts from the distinct orange color into a piercing bright yellow plume. Magnus then squeezes his hand together, forcing the damned thing to assume a ball-like shape in his hand, before relenting his grip and forming what could be most aptly described as a miniature sun floating just over his right shoulder. It was warm, and it was bright, but it was no fireball. Merely a source of light to illuminate their damp and dim surroundings. "The sweet lick of warmth is like the soft caress of one most angelic pair of hands upon my bodice." He says and puts his little book away, then takes a seat by the entrance and leans against the cave wall.

Moresson widens her eyes when Magnus simply produces fire, staring at it and blinking. Then she grimaces at him. "Well look at that cute little trick you can pull." she says condescendingly, a flashlight on the edge of her helmet flicking on to illuminate the cave. Gripping her rifle, she treads into the cave first to start scoping the place out, treading boldly within. It seems she is not afraid of encountering something dangerous, and has no qualms about driving anything or anyone from their cave-home.

Zen follows Moresson into the cave and starts looking around, curious to know whether this cave was occupied or not. With the extra illumination, it was clear to see that the cave wasn't too large at all. If something or someone had been living here, they weren't home at the moment. After scanning wall to wall, he rumbles, "Well, it doesn't look like anything is living here at the moment. No peculiar smells, no real evidence of something feeding or sleeping here. I think it is safe to assume we can use this for the night." Making his way back towards the entrance and looking out into the woods, he adds, "Of course, incorrect assumptions can be costly, so Iets still do what we can to secure the area and make sure we aren't visited in the night by something else looking for shelter."

So when Uvi joins her and the rest of the group was also not far from the cave, the exploration could begin! A sharp look floats to Uvi as she treats Sheela like a small dog who had perceived his job as a sleuth and she growls cheekily, "Ah, I guess your tongue can't be that useless, maybe you're just using it wrong~". Before she gets lost in the teasing though, she focuses back on her instincts and her nose takes in a good whiff of the somewhat musty cave air. "Mmh, it seems quite abandoned...", she rumbles to the group before chuckling softly as Magnus seeped into a torrent of poetry while the miniature sun hovered on his shoulder.

She wandered a little deeper into the cave as her nose roamed the floor, picking up a variety of scents, but one little thing peeked out that piqued her curiosity. "Baaaah!", she growls in disgust as her nose bumps into something rubbery, carrying with it a whiff of old and dried cum. "No matter who was in this cave before us, he used it in a different way than we intend to use it.", she rumbles, looking disgustedly at the floor where an old button of a pair of pants could be seen and a more than a used condom that was gently highlighted by the various lights from the group. Without hesitation, she grabs the base of the condom with her fangs and tries to fling it towards the exit. Oh my, hopefully she doesn't hit one, because under a soft hiss coming from her lungs, she felt the pain on her right flank before the bandage loosened with the jerking motion. "Mmh, whatever it smelled like, it must have been some time ago, maybe a few days... hard to say...", she growls, puzzled and thoughtful, before looking after the trajectory of the condom.

Uvi looks at Sheela and giggles, covering her mouth, maybe even bluhing a little. Then, the lamia places hands on her hips and looks around the cave. Totally bear-free, just the way she likes it. Looks cozy enough, too, except there's... yeah, cum. Of course there is, even here. She responds to Sheela, deciding to tease her back, "Who said we don't intend to use it in the same way, hm?" As she leans down, though, Uvi furrows her brow and adjusts her glasses before saying, "That's odd. Nanites should have cleaned this.. I guess the concentration is low here, so yeah, I agree. Could be yesterday.. or maybe this morning? Guys, you think it's Komodo Dragon cum?" She shakes her head before she goes into silly mode again. "Anyway, I'll go gather firewood, since it's my watch tonight. Before she slithers away, she raises an eyebrow at Magnus and says with a smirk on her face, "Nice trick, yeen."

"It really is cute. Thank you!" The hyena answers as though he'd been given a compliment. "Just like yourself, unnecessarily angry one! I should really note to ask you for a plushie of yourself. Such is that my collection at home too can experience your overwhelming positivity! I'm sure it'd fit right in there!" Magnus answers, his tail wagging under that armor of his. "I wish my mentor were here, I think you two would get along so well!" His glance wanders down towards the patch of earth between his legs. "I do miss her greatly." The hyena reaches into his pocket and retrieves a small framed picture of himself and a bunny girl in similarly knightly armor to his own. They both looked quite happy and judging by the picture, the background also suggested they'd had just finished some sort of battle.

"But this is no time to be melancholic! I have sleep to catch up on..." Just then *gurgle-growl* Magnus' stomach doth protest. He sets the picture aside and cackles. "Ha! And a hunger to satiate!" He then reaches into his pack and rummages through it. "Anyone care for a sandwich? I have enough to share this one time, I think. Cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo and sliced cucumber!" the lad pulls out a five-pack of sandwiches, already opened with one missing. Seems he'd snacked last night. When Sheela makes her oh-so appetizing discovery however... "Well we should be feeling right at home here then. Just like nine tenths of Fairhaven!" He snorks and shakes his head. "If only we had a river nearby. I hear the feral otters beyond the bubble are nice and cuddly, unlike the lot of predatory beasties scampering around in the bushes looking to aggressively nibble things. THAT REMINDS ME! I have yet to feel the sun in your new homeplace! I hear you have something of a magical woodlands thing going!" He casts Zen and Sheela a bright glance. When he hears Uvi speak, the lad shakes his head. "I am pretty sure we'd attract every nibblesome beastie within five clicks of here if that happens! Maybe save it for when we're back in Smuttown!" He sticks his tongue out at Uvi. "A fireplace! Wonderful! We can sit around the fire and tell scary stories! Well... I'll have to listen only. None such come to mind right now."

Moresson sighs and rolls her eyes from Magnus' reply, not really sure what she expected of him. "No." she replies, refusing to get a plushie of herself. When the hyena offers a sandwich, the husky shrugs. "Fine, I will." she replies, looking over to the rather unfortunate discovery made by Sheela, grimacing behind her helmet. "It's dead-meat cum, is what it is. I'll have a sandwich, put up my tent, and then sleep a while. But then I'm taking second watch, and if that dead-meat decides to come back, he'll have to deal with me." she says, beginning to shed her armor. More than anything, it seems to open up and she steps out of it, breaking the nanite link between them.*

Zen watches as the old condom is flung out of the cave, now beginning to wonder exactly who else might have used this cave before. Were there other scouts that were this far out? Perhaps there were other survivors living somewhere within this forest? He can't help but snicker at the teasing remarks shared between Uvi and Sheela. "Heh, as fun as it might be, we are on a mission. Let's not get distracted and take any longer than we need to. We are making some really good time as it is." He rumbles, lowering his pack to his side and fishing out some rope and a pack of dried meat. "If you are offering to share some food, then allow me to do the same. I'll trade ya some jerky for that sandwich of yours. Oh, but mind the heat, I 'love' spicy food." He adds, before walking over to Magnus to make the exchange. "While Uvi is gathering some firewood, I'll go ahead and set some perimeter alarms for us. Also, lets take a look at your bandages before you get started on your tent, Moresson. I don't doubt you are tough enough to endure whatever the world has to throw at you, but a serious wound outside the bubble is nothing to scoff at. At the very least, let us get the bandages changed out for new ones."

Her eyes widen at Uvi's remark, but before she had a clever response to the teasing, the fresh smell of a delicious sandwich distracted her. "Mmh, I'd take one!", she growls somewhat greedily to Magnus before growling some more to Zen, "Ah, we still have dry meat, can you put some on my sandwich then?". She grabbed the K9 bag she had placed on the floor with her muzzle before trotting over to the others. She leans the bag against a wall of the rocky cave before turning to Magnus and growling dreamily, "Oh, it's a wonderful place and you're welcome! Ah, there is so much to explore and especially the cave is a real feast for the eyes~". It was just a fleeting thought, because despite this family atmosphere, we had a job to do. She shook her fur as the remaining bandage slipped off, exposing the red claw marks of the beast that Uvi had defeated earlier. "I don't think we should stay up too late, though, and make a plan for when who's on watch so we can all get some rest, so not much time for scary stories... especially the ones with ugly clowns.", she rumbles softly before looking to Uvi and asking, "Do you want me to help you gather or can you do it on your own?". Somehow Sheela had a feeling Uvi wouldn't really be able to manage in the forest, and since the canned husky needed to rest first and Zen was dedicated to making sure the area was secured, she was probably the only one who could help find some firewood. "Ha, I don't think Moresson needs a tent, we should take care of the fire and some sleeping bags and blankets should be enough for the night!", she growls to Zen before wondering about him offering Magnus some meat.

"Nah, I'll manage, don't worry! Right!" Uvi yells back at the group as she vanishes. Finding dry wood is difficult because of the rain, but eventually she finds enough. And she finds trash too - some cans and things like that.

After a while, she returns, carrying a heap of sticks and branches. She drops it right in front of the cave. After she catches her breath, she says, "Whew, should be enough to keep us warm and scare off the predators. And you won't believe, there's trash everywhere!" The lamia shakes her head and adds, "People these days..." Not like she knows how people were before P-Day anyway.. She rolls out her sleeping mat and flops onto it to finally relax, and to work on building a fireplace as well.

"It is quite alright." Magnus raises a hand when the meaty treat is offered. "Enjoy the sandwich. I am not one for meat anymore. Watching my girlish figure and all." The hyena sticks his tongue out and *slap* strikes his armored belly. "Enjoy them! I will sleep here at the cave entrance when the time does come for me to shake hands with the sandman. The only reason I brought a tent was for the sake of shelter. Else I'd happily sleep under open skies whenever possible." Once they'd gotten their firewood, Magnus picks it all up from where Uvi had left it, then sets it down just close enough to the cave entrance that it can scare predators away and such that they don't choke on the smoke.

"Alright my little friend, it is time we move you into a bigger home!" The hyena plucks that tiny sun he'd conjured up with one hand, and tosses it onto the kindling, producing a large puff of flame and just enough heat to start getting the fire going. The rest happens on its own, either assisted by others or not. That done, Magnus takes his seat in the lotus position by the fire, plucks his own sandwich out of the baggie, sets the empty pack back where he'd retrieve it from, and starts to chow down. "That does sound wonderful. Makes sense you two would be with the scouts of Eureka what with your wilderness-loving ways." he comments, glance cast at Sheela.

One hand into his pocket, Magnus retrieves his little book once more, tilts it such that he gets some light from the fire, and gets to reading. To those most curious, the contents would prove pretty dull and boring. Mostly dry and uninteresting chicken scratchings relating to the otherworldly, and the occasional recipe for various drinks and dishes. "So bossman. When shall we drag ourselves out of bed to go and aggressively hug that silly beastie, such that we can finish our merry crusade victorious?"

Moresson huffs in frustration when Zen mentions her bandages, but she nods. "Yeah, you're right. Ignoring an injury outside the bubble is stupid, I should know." she says, letting her wound be tended to once again. When Uvi returns with the wood, the husky has managed to set up her tent inside the cave anyway, for privacy more than anything. After her evening meal, she retires into that tent to sleep roughly half the night away. "Magnus, when it's my turn to watch, let me know."

Zen was a bit surprised when Magnus had mentioned he wasn't one for meat despite having the appearance of a predator. He pulls the jerky back and nods, "Ah, right. Well, it would seem I don't quite have much I can trade you for. Anyway, thanks for the sandwich." With that, he slips some of the dried meat into the sandwich and passes the first one off to Sheela when she mentioned she'd have one as well. He does the same with a second sandwich before focusing his attention back to Moresson. "Right, let us get those bandages swapped out and see what we are dealing with." He rumbles before fishing out some more medical supplies and walking over to the husky. It doesn't take him too long to get them replaced. However, as always, his ability to properly apply bandages yerns for improvment. First he tries wrapping them too tight, potentially causing discomfort, and secondly, he wraps them too loosely. Well, at least the wound was covered with something clean now! He does the same with his own bandages and Sheela's, never quite getting it right. "Well... uh, that is better than nothing. Anyway, I'll go and get the perimeter set up with alarm traps and come back to set up my tent. Let us make sure we get enough rest to properly finish off this mission." He growls, heading out of the cave and spending just a few minutes tending to his task.

She nodded briefly to Zen, hoping that her sandwich would still be whole when she got back from her little gathering and that the sandwich would be well fed with some dried meat so that she could fully indulge in it when she got back. It wasn't long when she saw further east, an area that seemed strange somehow. She spat the collected firewood out of her muzzle to examine the spot a bit more closely. There were patches of mud washed out by the rain, indicating that this was some sort of resting place for someone... hanging from a small tree was a small scrap of cloth with a pattern that could only be created by embroidery. Without dwelling on it for long, she wanted to show the new find to the group and plucked the scrap of cloth from the branch before picking up the firewood again and heading back to the cave.

While a few threads of saliva dripped on her chaps, she re-entered the cave and lowered the slightly damp wood next to the fire pit before growling softly, "If I didn't know better, we're on some other mutants' route here." She picked up the scrap of cloth from the small pile of firewood and walked over to Zen. "Here this is what I found out in the woods... we should stay alert..." she growled thoughtfully before settling into the comfort of a blanket that was close to the blazing fire. She didn't really need much sleep, after all it was a mother's job to stay alert, always enjoying a short sleep, even if she liked to lose herself in her dreams. "Mmh, you know my love for nature Magnus, how much I enjoy seeing the starry clear night sky while the moon shines on my fur~", she growls dreamily as she leans against Zen and begins to eat her sandwich that had been waiting for her. It wasn't long before she closed her ocean blue eyes and enjoyed the night silence, while her attention was always present should any danger approach. Was it a quiet night, will there be again any between cases that haunt us in the night or were we allowed this time to get a good rhythm between watch and sleep?

The pink-tailed snake girl scoots her rump to get closer to the fire, wiggling her coils like a huge caterpillar. "Go to sleep, Magnus. It's my turn to take the watch. "Goodnight everybody." She says quietly while the group goes around their business and eventually goes to sleep.

Nothing disastrous happens during Uvi's watch. Crickets sound and the fire crackles while she squeezes a chocolate cream from a small packet straight into her mouth. Occasionally, however, some distant noise would pierce the night, coming far to the east. Though when he focuses on it, it never returns. Sounds like... gunshots, perhaps.. It's hard to say. Eventually, her shift ends, and she wakes up Moresson, informing her about the odd noises. She quickly slips back onto her rollmat and falls asleep.

Moresson gets up when she's awoken by the snake, putting her armor on and sitting near the mouth of the cave. The rest of the night passes rather smoothly, though she too hears the strange noises happening in the distance. She can't quite tell what they are, but she keeps a careful watch just in case. With little excitement or disaster to be seen, the sun eventually rises, bringing with it the new day. And when it does, the husky gets up from her perch and packs her tent away, preparing to hit the road when the others awake.

"Oh, well now I don't want to!" Magnus snerks once Uvi issues her very benevolent order. "Well! If you'll all excuse me, I think I'll take that advice and..." the hyena gets up from his spot by the fire, then heads on over to the entrance of their hidey hole and... *thud* slumps to one side and to immediately doze off. Unfortunately... it seems the weather forecast tonight was thunderous, at least as far as Magnus' sleep was concerned. He snored, OH BOY did he snore. It was easily loud enough to reverberate around the cave walls, and anyone without an iron will or a plentiful ear covering would likely be bothered. Magnus saws logs like a chainsaw, cackling every so often as his dreams are made manifest in incoherent mutterings... usually about food. If anyone cared to shut him up, it'd be as simple as either waking him up or clamping his maw shut once while he slept so that he starts breathing through his nose instead of his mouth, like a civilized person.

Moresson gets up when she's awoken by the snake, letting out a soft groan. She's almost glad to be roused from her poor slumber, made so by Magnus' incredible snoring. However, once outside her tent she goes to give him a friendly punch in the jaw to shut him up, before taking her spot near the mouth of the cave. The rest of the night passes rather smoothly, though she too hears the strange noises happening in the distance. She can't quite tell what they are, but she keeps a careful watch just in case. With little excitement or disaster to be seen, the sun eventually rises, bringing with it the new day. And when it does, the husky gets up from her perch and packs her tent away, preparing to hit the road when the others awake. "Pretty quiet night, surprisingly. Except for Magnus, that is... I guess Dead-Meat decided not to come back. Doesn't really matter though. Even if someone WAS using this cave, or anything like that along this route, they're gonna have to suck it up and deal with it. If this is going to be used as a regular trail. I'm almost disappointed I didn't get to shoot anything." she says, holding her rifle at the ready.

With everything getting taken care of for the night, Zen returns to the cave and relaxes besides the fire with Sheela. He looks over the scrap of cloth Sheela found, reinforcing the idea that there were other scouts or survivors that had been passing through the woods. Perhaps the trail they had crossed over earlier in the day also belonged to such a group? That would be something for them to find out tomorrow. Tonight, their main goal was to recover some energy and get some sleep. The noise traps Zen had set up earlier would never get any use, either meaning that there were no creatures passing by, or that anyone that was passing had somehow avoided them. With Uvi and Moresson taking watch through the night, he was free to fall asleep besides Sheela, affectionately cuddling with her. Without any night-time ambushes or hungry predators looking for a meal, the night would pass relatively peacefully... aside from Magnus's excessively loud snoring.

When the sun finally rose on the horizon, it was time once again to head out and see the end of their journey. The reported sounds of noise further to the east was a bit concerning, but it was part of their job to figure it out as well. Waking up with a wide yawn, Zen digs out some breakfast before deciding to pack the rest of his supplies and make ready to depart. Tiredly, he says, "Thanks for keeping watch, Uvi, Moresson. Heh, and I'd consider not having to shoot something a win. Not like we are necessarily looking for trouble... even if we are more than likely to find it. Now then, since we've seen a few signs here and there that point to other survivors, we should keep a sharper eye out. They could be peaceful, and that would be nice. However, they could also be cut-throats. Maybe some would even be tempted to try and steal such a cool-looking suit." Slinging his pack over his shoulders, he adds, "Now then, eat up, take care of whatever you need to, and be ready to head out. We are reaching our destination soon, so let us get this over with so we can head on back to relax."

When the group gathered again in the early morning and the makeshift camp was cleaned up again, she was more than happy that the chainsaw massacre of Magnus was interrupted. Honestly, how else could anyone sleep with a raging troll outside using his mouth as a vibrator for the cave! She didn't know that out of such a hyena could come such a storm of annoying noises, and so she was really relieved that the night passed quietly and everyone could recharge some energy.

As they set out again on the paths of their destination, as usual Sheela was a little farther ahead to form a peeping vanguard that could act as a warning should anything come up. She followed the peculiar paths that led along the direction we had to go before a small camp revealed itself in front of... wait small?.... Madness it even had two watchtowers and before deciding to take a closer look she wanted to warn the group. It only took a few minutes before she was reunited with the group and growled slightly out of breath, "There's a camp behind that rise, my god, they even have watchtowers!". She tries to calm her lungs as she takes a deep breath and growls questioningly, "Is that really where we're supposed to set up camp? Have we perhaps missed our target a bit?". She wondered, because what she had seen was more than just a camp, it was almost a small village set up outside the bubble to guide an advance into deeper unknown territory.

As the rest of the group eventually makes their way towards the end of the treeline overlooking a larg lake, they find out that there is a camp indeed. Uvi stays in the shadows just in case, and she looks around the area. She notices that there's a small dock and few crates as well. "I don't think so, Sheela. Seems that we are at our destination.. and it's occupied." Says Uvi, and she turns back and looks at Magnus, "Don't run flailing your arms trying to make friends just yet." She smirks and continues, "If we really were hearing gunshots last night, means they are armed." She turns her gaze back at the dock and notices a small row boat.. "Hmm, I wonder what's in the boxes. Probably not fish."

Magnus slept like a rock. He awakens with a wide yawn and a rub of his eyes. "Goooooooooooood solarian morning to all of you friends!" He'd exclaim, now feeling much refreshed. The party does inevitably get on with their preparations to depart, and it seemed like a peaceful night had passed. The hyena had ofcourse no idea what a racket he'd caused just because he'd lain down in a way so awkward as to provoke those thunderous snores. He packs his things and does some exercises while he waits for everyone to make ready as well. Eventually they'd depart, and he'd be in as fine spirits as ever. Still unawares as to what they were really seeking, Magnus passes the time towards their destination idly flicking page after page of that little book he carried. That is at least until their objective comes into view.

"Well would you look at that! I wonder what kind of silly antics we'll get up to over there! I wonder if they take freecred, be nice to restock on all the things and sample the local drinks." When Uvi speaks up, he waves a hand "Don't be silly! What kind of friendship starts with arm-flailing?! Most of the time it starts with a tight and spontaneous hug that leaves folks gasping for air!" he then snerks and shakes his head. "But in all seriousness, for all we know this is a campsite of highwaymen and ne-er do wells. The sorts of folks that need the kind of hug that leaves them screaming for atonement ONE BRITTLE BONE AT A TIME. Let's go see what's up over there then." Magnus nods seemingly to himself and heads straight towards the camp.

Moresson is surprised to see the camp already set up where the team is supposed to be. Glancing over at the others as they deliberate, she fishes out a grenade round from her pouch and attaches it to the end of her rifle. With a smirk hidden behind her emotionless visor, she hefts that rifle up, locked and loaded. "Would you look at that, they built all that shit just for us... I'm with Magnus on this one. Shall we go take this encampment?"

With the large camp coming into view, Zen ducks down and surveys the area as best he can. He can see that the watchtowers had figures within them, but it was hard to really make out any specific details. If they had heard gunshots the other night, perhaps it was safe to assume those in the tower were armed. This could actually be a good thing! If there were other survivors that would work with the scouts and share information on the surroundings, it would save everyone a lot of time and effort. Of course, this could also be a dangerous group that followed their own rules. It was impossible to know, but it was part of their job to find out.

Zen glances to Moresson as she prepares her rifle to unleash some more explosive firepower, quickly holding up his hand to tell her to wait a moment. "Whoa, hey now. There might be a time to use that, but for all we know, these people could harmless. He then glances at Magnus as he starts to merrily head directly for the camp and holds out his hand to him as well. "Ah, but we also don't know if they are hostile or not either! Let us slow down and take a more measured approach." He rumbles, already starting to consider some alternatives.

Before Zen could spend much time considering a safer approach, his ears twitch towards the sound of talking coming from their backs. Silently, he gestures for everyone to take remain quiet and prepare for the chatty group that was drawing ever closer. It would make sense to hide and wait to see what they were dealing with... but they could also act pre-emptively and force an encounter with the small party. From the sounds of it, they weren't trying to keep themselves hidden and might have merely been back from a trip.

There was much to be said against simply rushing the camp, although perhaps the firepower could be sufficient if it was used selectively. However, we didn't know how many were in that camp, how many more might be lurking in the woods around! Ah, and there was the one grouping that came at us like a patrol, whose shape we couldn't really make out yet. "I also think we should get an overview first. What if there is a huge grouping waiting for us? Phew... there are too few of us to actively do anything.", she grumbled quietly while listening to Zen's conversations and trying to put down somewhere her K9 harness she was carrying to disappear a bit more in the few gestures. Phew, damn but as a snow white wolf hiding somehow was already damn hard. Thinking she had a relatively well camouflaged position and a perfect view of the camp from which the patrol was slowly approaching, she kept quiet and made sure she never lost sight of the others' position.

The lamia sharply says, "Look, I don't give two fucks about that camp. They seem to be doing okay, and we shouldn't bother them if they don't bother us. We are scouts, and we ain't getting paid for fighting, right. Let's go back and tell our people that the area's occupied. Not my problem. I don't give two fucks. Right." She wishes the group would at least one time stayed professional..

When they all hear somebody approaching, Uvi ducks immediately, trying to bury her tail under dead leaves and dirt. She thinks it's beter to stay hidden, but readies her weapon just in case. Hopefully, if the wind blows the right way, the locals shouldn't be able to smell them.

"I am not one for sneaking. I mean look at me! This armor isn't made for stealth!" Magnus laughs, then waves a hand. "Come now, after four months in the immaterium I doubt there's anything that can qualify as spooky here in the homerealm! Besides, being all sneaky like that might send the wrong impre-" and when Magnus looks back towards his team, they'd mostly all hidden. "Well alright then. On my own it is. HELLO THERE!" He'd raise one arm and greet them quite openly. "Wandering travelers! Good solarian day to you all. My name is Magnus, I come from a place far away from here! I was sent by the good folks over there to have a squint around the area, see what's what and report back! I was wondering if you folks would be kind enough to shed some light for me! Answer a few questions if you'd be so delightfully kind! I won't trouble you for long, I promise. I might even make it worth your while!" He'd explain as he draws nearer to them. "Funny thing seeing folks taken by the nanites around here too. You lot must be from inside the bubble! You probably know where it is I hail from then! If it's not opportune to speak right now however, I'll take my leave and head toward that little outpost you have going."

Despite Magnus' argument about heavy armor, Moresson ducks down near Zen in the foliage, attempting to hide her obvious armor as a reactionary motion. Even if she's seen, she hangs back where she is, watching as Magnus volunteers as bait. If anything goes south, she can always burst out of the bushes for an attempted ambush and back the stupid hyena up.

While everyone aside from Magnus tried to conceal themselves, the two hunters and their dog become visible while moving closer through the forest. The two that were chatting didn't seem to be paying too much attention, but their canine companion was already sniffing a rather recent trail that leads right to us! A threatening growl awakens from the bloodhound before a booming bark calls the other two to attention. Perhaps they were surprised that their dog would warn them of something so close to their camp? Regardless, they both sling their rifles off of their shoulders and hold them at the ready. A closer look would reveal one of them to carry the appearance of a crocodile, tapered nose with a large mouth filled with tons of sharp teeth. The other looked more like a monkey, perhaps a chimpanzee. He was a good deal smaller than his other hunting partner. They were both wearing some pretty ragged clothing as they started to scan the surroundings for whatever had caused their dog to alert them. They weren't able to tell immediately how many were there, but they could tell immediately that it wasn't just Magnus. They are also able to see the metallic glint of Moresson's power armor before noticing the smaller signs of others nearby.

The two didn't raise their weapons yet, but it was clear to see the uncertainty in their gaze. The crocodile raises his voice to answer, "Not so fast! Don't take another step closer. Keep your hands where I can see them and tell your friends they'll have to try better than that if they think they could hide!" Magnus's armor did look pretty heavy, but it wasn't like it protected everything. If things escalated to the point of bullets flying, things could end up rather poorly."

Well, if they were already spotted, there wasn't much reason to remain in hiding, right? Wrong. Zen remains in cover answering, "And would you remove yourself from cover when two strangers have their rifles drawn? Despite what you might be thinking, we haven't come here to start any trouble. How about putting those rifles away and we can talk it out?" He takes a few moments before adding, "Plus, I don't think two bolt-action rifles would do you much good in this situation anyway. Quite frankly, you'd be outgunned if you wanted to start a fight. Now, like the big 'yeen said, we've only come to gather information. Would you be able to help us with that? Or... could you introduce us to someone who can?"

Instead of continuing to hide, she steps out of her camouflage and shows herself in her full glory as she steps to Magnus' side. She was always naive and often believed in the good, even though her time in the world had taught her better, that not every mutant is friendly. Anyway, it was time to gather information and then just make a plan to retreat, right? Before she thought any further about it, she joined in with Magnus and growled in a gentle way, "Sheela... eh, my name is Sheela and like the giggling hyena said, we're just here to gather some information. If you don't want to answer us, feel free to introduce us to someone who might be willing to trade some information." Truth be told, she was a bit unsure and her tail tucked between her hind legs as she walks to Magnus' side in a slightly crouched position, watching the strange mutants with her ocean blue eyes.

Uvi lets out a prolonged sigh when Magnus decides to ruin their plan and any chance of successfully ambushing the pair if needed. She makes a mental note to not take any misssions with Magnus in the future, if they survive. Initially, she agrees with Zen and shouts back, "Look, if we wanted to kill you, you'd be already dead!" But when Sheela comes out, Uvi sighs once again and lifts herself. "Ehh, fuck. Fine fine, whatever." She says, while she tries to get some damp leaves off her snekbutt.

"I told them being sneaky would send the wrong impression! Well... I didn't get to finish saying that, actually. Anywho! I don't decide what they care to do, I decide only for myself. My sneaky friends here thought you lot looked dodgy, so they went and took a dive in the shadows. But I promise, I mean you no harm! Take a look at me. Do I strike you as a highwayman or some kind of bandit?" He shakes his head and places his hands on his waist. "This doesn't have to come down to a gunfight. The materium is soaked in so much blood already." His hand reaches out to rub Sheela between the ears. "My comrades are cautious. They see everything with claws or fangs or weapons as a threat to be overpowered. It is common nature to be fearful and cautious, doubly so without the regenerative potency of the bubble's signal. Secondary is the primal drive to try and bully one's way through a challenge. I've not lived long on this world, but I've seen enough to know that the first response must be peaceful whenever possible." He then glances between the two hunters and smiles faintly. "Now, let's try this again..."

Hearing Zen's boast about the weaponry they possess, Moresson stands up from the bush. With one hand, she holds up her rifle with the clear grenade round attached to the front. And in the other hand, she holds up a shotgun as well. This is not including her two sidearms, jetpack, nerve bombs, energy blade, and throwing knives. "He's right, you wouldn't want to try anything. I have enough explosives to take on the entire camp, before they know what hit them." she says with a firm tone. So much for Magnus' friendly greeting.

The two hunters look terribly confused as their demands for transparency are met with a variety of different answers. On one hand, they got to know a bit more about how many they were dealing with, but on the other hand, they didn't really know what to make of them. There didn't seem to be a lot of cohesion in any case, everyone seeming to be acting somewhat independently. Ultimately, they decide to lower their weapons, whether it was due to them trusting in the words of Magnus and Sheela or feeling threatened by Moresson was anyone's guess. The croc speaks up again, "Well, I suppose you make a fair point. Don't blame us for being on guard when you folk are acting sketchy as hell. I don't really know what information you are after, but... I guess you'd be better off speaking to the one in charge. The two of us were just on our way back... so, I guess you could join us?"

With the situation deescalating and everyone already revealed, Zen too steps out from his cover and approaches Sheela's side. With a low growl he says, "Right, well, just as you didn't know our intentions, we didn't know yours. Heh, for all we know you could still be aligned with some less than reputable people." He scratches his neck before adding, "And truthfully, if that was the case, following you into a camp filled with plenty of your friends could be a disaster." He gives a glance to the rest before sighing and shrugging his shoulders, "Well Magnus, if you are willing to trust them, you are welcome to head on in and try and learn more. Of course, we could always do what Uvi mentioned and report back what we found. In any case, I don't think it would be wise for us all to go."

Since it might seem threatening if more than one of our group went into the camp, especially if it was a high explosive husky that had already shown its explosive power, even if she didn't look particularly threatening, she growled questioningly to Magnus, "If you want I can wait here, I mean your words might be heard more than a feral's." She briefly looked around at the others, even though Moresson looked like she wanted to follow Magnus wherever he went, it was still a bad idea in her eyes. She licked gently over Magnus' hand and growled, "If the canned husky really wants to follow you, watch out for him... she has a pretty loose mouth..." She turns away from Magnus and walks to Zen and Uvi's side before growling softly but warningly, "Make sure everyone stays unharmed and we won't get any closer to camp either, except for the ones they take to camp." As gentle as she was before, her words were admonishing to the two mutants... for if even one of the group were to be injured, she would risk everything to save even the last one.

Uvi nods in agreement and she adjusts her glasses. "Go, just don't do anything stupid.. Eh, why do I bother saying that. Right." The lamia flops onto a pillow made out of her coils, occasionally petting Sheela. "I can't wait for us to get back home. Being so long out of bubble makes me feel.. itchy." She frowns her nose.

"Then on behalf of the greater Fairhaven area as well as my own stake further out in the wildlands, I thank you. Many of my own clan have moved away and settled in small encampments like your own. I'd not want to cause harm to honest folks trying to make a living out here. Who knows? Maybe I have a few sons or daughters living among you." Magnus nods, then cracks his knuckles. "We won't need much. Just a general topography of the area. If you have a cartographer we can barter with I'd be happy to trade handsomely in your favor for a detailed map of the area." He then turns towards Zen and places a hand on his shoulder. "My mentor would have me forsake soaking the ground in blood if it can be avoided. She means the world to me and I would heed her advice before anyone else's orders. Apologies for uprooting the ruse, I meant no disrespect towards your methods. I suppose you know what to expect from me henceforth should we work together again." He then turns towards Moresson and crosses his arms. "It doesn't matter how many layers of armor you wear, you are far more transparent than you take yourself to be. The lives of others aren't your expendable means to prove something. Do everyone a favor, get that temper under control and realize that might doesn't always make right." Magnus huffs, then turns and heads off towards the town, not another word spoken or heard perhaps~

Moresson squints at Magnus, letting out a huff. "Perhaos it does." she argues, growling softly. "I'm going with you in there." she adds on, following Magnus regardless of her annoyance of him. "Zen, I'll message you with updates. This better not take too long though, I'm taking a trip to Woodfield to meet an old acquaintance soon." she grumbles as she walks into the encampment with the hyena.

The croc rolls his eyes as Zen gives his own thoughts on the matter. With a sarcastic tone, he says, "Yeah, no wonder ya were hiding in the bushes. Hard to earn trust when you can't even give it, right? Don't worry, we wouldn't want to turn away any good people. If your friends are good people, they'll have nothing to worry about." With that said, he slings his gun over his shoulder and nods for his partner to follow him. The chimp hadn't said a word, perhaps because he was more inexperienced with dealing with people he didn't know. "Right then, follow us and I'll take you to someone who can give you want you need. Your other friends are welcome to follow too, but it doesn't matter to me if they can't trust us yet." He adds, starting to walk along the path with Magnus and Moresson following them.

Zen, Sheela, and Uvi decide on waiting outside, merely observing the camp from afar. It shouldn't take them all too long to finish what they came here to do, but they would all be leaving together once things were handled. If the scouts wanted a new outpost to work out of, that camp could certainly work! However, instead of it being an endeavor for a construction crew, it would instead be one for someone with a more diplomatic persuasion. Fortunately for both parties, the group that lived at the camp appeared to be relatively peaceful, simply living off the land and protecting themselves from people that would try and cause them problems. Without any bloodshed, Magnus and Moresson would eventually return with enough information to make the scouts at home happy. With their mission done, all that was left to do was report back on their findings. Hopefully the weather would be more pleasant on the journey back!