wipesfaith | 02 [action/voice]

[For all his trouble, Jean got a horse. Which is great, because he's curious to explore what lies far beyond the village and he ain't walking all that way. (What can he say? Some losers from back home have gotten into him a little bit.) First, though, he needs to find a saddle and bridle - apparently, he should have made out with a few more people if he wanted riding gear too. But his pride is worth more to him than that anyway, so he doesn't mind searching through the Item Shop for what he needs.

By the afternoon, he can be found at the stables on the east side of the village. He has spent the past few days visiting Benoit, letting the horse grow accustomed to him as he cares for him. Now that he has something more sophisticated than a rope lead, he's willing to take the horse out farther than the immediate vicinity of the stables. It was already obvious to him that Benoit lacked training. Before he can think about riding him anywhere, he'll have to muster up some serious patience and start from scratch. After fitting him with the sadle and bridle, so he can start getting used to the way it feels, Jean will lead him out to a decent-sized clearing in the forest to get down to business.

Toward the evening, after returning Benoit to the stables, he makes his way back to Flame Building. Residents may have noticed a recent addition outside the building, in the form of a small pen that now houses a little lamb. He'll stop by to check on it for Marco - make sure it's not dead, not that he'd be terribly broken up if it were, because he's never indulged in lambchops before - before finally heading in.

Later, he'll flip open his journal to voice a message.]

[Voice]

Hey. I guess I'm still pretty new here, so I'm just wondering...what's worth seeing beyond this village? I've seen a map, but a map can only tell you so much. There's an...ocean out there, right? [He gets the feeling that some might find his next question a little stupid, and he swears he's sane; he just comes from an insane world.] Is there seriously salt in it?

It's weird... This whole place could probably fit inside Wall Rose - that's what's left of human territory back home - but it still seems like so much...more.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[...Uh. Hey there. Funny story...when your only previous experience with someone is making out with them at the grocery store, it's a little hard to know how you're supposed to act around them.]

Up in the mountains, I'm guessing?

Yeah. But you don't even need to hike that much. It's probably a good day or two's march, but even along the base of the ridge there's some openings. [ A beat ] I've gone spelunking twice. So I could mark the coolest one I've found on a map.

[ In her case, it's default to politely terse but distinctly annoyed by the under-tone]

[For his part, he'll just...make a diligent effort to remember to be polite.]

Uh...thanks. Can't say I've ever gone inside a cave before, so it would be good to know what to look for. I'm not too concerned about the distance or how much hiking it would involve, so you don't have to factor that in to decide which ones are worth seeing.

Oh, then another big one is the bottom of the ocean.

The bottom of the ocean? [He almost makes a comment about not being able to swim nearly deep enough, but he gets the feeling that might be...kinda stupid. If there are machines that can fly through the air or space, it stands to reason that there's one that can dive into the water.]

Exactly! Including the one I own, I think there's two submarines here!

You...wouldn't mind letting someone else use it? [~~Sure, they got to know each other pretty well if you know what I mean, but~~ they barely know each other... It seems like an excessive favor to extend.

Although, why mention it just for the sake of mentioning it?]

Of course I would! I'm fine with passengers, but submarines are complicated and dangerous, you know! The only people allowed to drive it are myself and Leon! ... And anyone the two of us can teach!

That's what I meant anyway! As passengers! I don't even know what the damn thing looks like, never mind how to operate it.

Well fine, as long as you understand where you stand!

The hell is that supposed to mean?

It means that you understand what your place is in regards to being on a submarine!

[...Okay, so he read a little too much into that maybe. Ahem.]

I'll give you a heads-up if I ever feel like seeing the bottom of the ocean, then. [Although, it could be a little awkward to be crammed into this thing with her. He has no idea how big it is.]

...Where the did you get a thing like that anyway?

We made it, obviously.

Seriously? Didn't think you knew how to build something like that.

You don't even know me! Why are you doubting it that fast?!

It's not you specifically, I just meant-- It just sounds like it would be really complicated, okay?

Well yeah, but I have a scientist on my side.

So you're saying he did most of the work.

I'm saying I was the project supervisor!

Sorry, sorry, my mistake.

Well you should be. ... But fine, Leon was the one who did all the blueprints and then construction varied.

Still, I gotta say I'm pretty impressed.

02 [action/voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]