LANDFALL | TAVIMBI | MARCH MINGLE LOG

[ironwood]

Characters: ALL!
Date: March 1 - 31
Location: City of Hatal, Tavimbi
Situation: Tu Vishan is still anchored just off the coastline of Tavimbi, and the city of Hatal continues to welcome kedan and Foreigners alike.
Warnings/Rating: Add warnings as needed.


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The Tavimbians continue to be welcoming to their guests, and while Foreigners are still required to carry their issued pass stamps while in Hatal, they are starting to become recognized. The stamps are made of a brassy metal, a little larger than a credit card, and inscribed with their information, their date of arrival, and whether they've had any run-ins with the laws in Tavimbi (it will be stamped accordingly by the authorities if such happens.)

OOC: There are starters in the comments for various areas of Hatal, or you can use the rest of the post for anything on Tavimbi which doesn't fit under those headings. All city descriptions, as well as NPC contacts for threading, can be found in the Tavimbi OOC post, which is currently stickied in the OOC comm.

Be sure to also check the March Itinerary for up to date happenings in Hatal, and to tag this entry with your character tag when you join in.

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LINKS
Hatal Exterior - The Metal Heights | The Causeway Level | The Reservoir Level
The Artery Level | The Lorn Level | The Jagaiz Rings | OOC Post

Comments

[rawiron]

Most of the kin'nal are dusty these days, though the dust is dampened by the moss and lichens often found on this level. They aren't everywhere, but they do serve to soften the visual damage--and get in the way of repairs.

But for the kin'nal the natural fauna is an important part of their livelihood, being--among other things--what insulates their homes when the city's utilities fail on them, or used as natural water purifiers. It still needs to be gathered and distributed, especially with a good number of kin'nal being unable to gather it themselves.

Ris-iss turns at the sound of hard footsteps, most unlike the near-silent pad of the kin'nal. There had been more of that in the last few months than most kin'nal were used to. "Yesss?" He inclined his head, examining Abigail and the dust on her clothes. With the dampening influence of the fauna, only those directly involved would be so dirtied. "You have our thankss for the aid."

[portal_refugee]

Oblivious as she had become to her own dirtied appearance over the extended hours, the words of gratitude are unexpected. Swiping one loose bit of hair back behind an ear out of her face, Abigail smiles briefly as she bows her head forward while answering, "I was glad I could provide it." Not wanting to waste his time, she continues to speak with a delay only long enough to lower carefully to one knee, muscles quivering with fatigue. She has no idea if this would be seen as respectful or not, but her intention is only to make it easier for them to discuss her concept and the request it requires.

"That is actually what I wish to speak to you about. There is a possibility I might be able to do more to help." Giving another pause to look for some sign she can continue, Abigail then explains her thoughts, "Where I come from there are areas prone to rockslides, and to reduce collapses onto roadways, a metal net is anchored over the surface that may be at risk for breaking. I realize that amount of metal would be difficult to come by, but there may be a substitute. The silk used to make clothing comes from something that I was told lives down here. If the silk is as strong as what a creature from my world can make, I think the silk could be used to make a net that could at least delay a collapse behind it." A delay might give them time to wake up to the shaking and evacuate.

"If you would allow me to study a small sample of silk back in Keeliai, I can find out for certain if it has the same tensile strength."

[rawiron]

Few enough are of aid to the kin'nal that the words were due to anyone who was. Even more surprising is when Abigail kneels, and Ris-iss's eyes flash in surprise before he quickly sits up on his haunches, paws flattened against his belly. It puts them of a similar height.

He's quite still as Abigail explains herself, but his paws betray either anxiety or excitement, brushing down the front of the toga-like garment he wears; by the time she finishes, he's producing a soft, uneasy hiss. "We have no ownersship of the koxalu," he explains, pronouncing the scorpion's name more like 'kossalu'. "They live here with uss--they are not ourss. The otherss usse the ssilk."

The silk is too important a resource to Hatal for so much responsibility to be given to the kin'nal. Ris-iss regards Abigail, his eyes large and luminous, surprised and sceptical--with an edge of something almost like hope. "Ssurely you knew thiss. Yet you came to assk uss?"

[portal_refugee]

Made more comfortable speaking with him while Ris-iss sits on level with her kneeling, Abigail readily answers, "I did. But that does not change that I am offering to study the silk for this potential application. I don't know enough of Hatal or about all of you to choose what may be best, and it is not for anyone else that I want to do this. So it seems only right that I ask you first." After all, she does not know what other options they have, what plans may be in place, or moreover, how receptive they would be to her aid given as it is a source from outside when the situation is no longer an emergency.

Too worn to keep her posture as straight as she might otherwise, Abigail at least manages to keep her shoulders upright over her hips with one hand resting on her forward knee. That fatigue however does not carry over to her plan, and with it she feels confident that the option should be explored as thoroughly as possible. She does not want to ever see that much blood again.

[rawiron]

For quite a few moments Ris-iss is silent, examining Abigail with the luminous eyes common to the kin'nal, and responsible at least in part for their sensitivity to light. Not much shows on his face.

"Ris-iss will find ssilk for you," he says at last, bopping his head. The way he carries it, after that, seems higher and less weighted than before. "We--the kin'nal--musst sseek our paths. Few give uss the chansse to do thiss. The Ssabonile do." He places a paw on the hand Abigail has on her knee, his eyes earnest and glowing with that sort of hope-filled light. "We are glad to count Foreigner Abigail among our friendss alsso."

It wouldn't be too difficult to find a silk-sample ... theoretically. The main point was making sure no one would miss it.

[portal_refugee]

Throughout that period of prolonged consideration, Abigail remains calm and keeps her attention focused. She has no ulterior motive to conceal, and the only thing she stands to gain beyond knowledge is some peace of mind should the silk prove strong enough to provide the Kin'nal with a measure of protection from the natural threat lurking in the hidden faults around their homes.

Breathing in a little deeper when she is given consent to research the silk, a warm smile curls her lips and angles her blue eyes. His words are encouraging, and though the gesture is unexpected, that touch at her hand only bolsters the sentiment. Lifting her other hand to bring her fingers lightly over his paw, Abigail bows her head forward, "Thank you, Ris-iss."

Reinvigorated with purpose, she lifts her head again, "Once I have the silk, I should have an answer in two or three days. Until then, I will do whatever I can here." For now, she can lend physical assistance to the efforts continuing around them.

[rawiron]

"It will take time to retrieve a ssample," Ris-iss warns, but he's smiling nevertheless--as alien as it might look, to a human. "The sscorpoianss are jealouss creaturess. But we will enssure you have it before the week iss out. Thiss iss a worthy causse."

He takes his paw back and looks down one of the tunnels. "If you wissh to come with Ris-iss--you can see where the ssilk may be of besst usse too."

There were several places which needed shoring-up, which he could point out to her, and which the other kin'nal will help her oversee if the research bears out.

[portal_refugee]

The warning is accepted with a faint nod, glad to see a smile kept even if it appears different from her own. There would be no benefit to rushing into the project, especially if the silk were to fail to hold up to the standard set by spiders. Instead, that week would give her time to assist with rebuilding while she theoretically works through possible attachment options to cover the stone with a silk netting securely.

Jealous creatures. The description arouses curiosity about the scorpions themselves, but such questions are set aside in favor of the opportunity to survey the areas most at risk. Fingers lifted when Ris-iss withdraws his paw, Abigail is keen to begin gathering data, "Yes, please." A push against her knee with her hand, and Abigail rises back to her feet if with a slight stagger. Pulling her pack around, Abigail digs out her notes on which she had been recording observations about structures and technology present in Hatal, tucking the bound paper and pen under her arm to follow his lead into the first tunnel.

Time taken to visually survey each site will not only allow Abigail to anticipate shapes around which the nets must work, but give her a chance to catalogue all the areas at risk and approximate the square footage needing cover. From there, she can calculate how much silk will be necessary to make each net, once she has a chance to work with the silk itself and devise a weaving pattern.