(no subject)

[abundantlove]

Who: The Crew of The Shepherd
Where: Various locations
When: Month of January
What: General crew log
Warnings: None at the moment; EDIT: attempted homicide, violence, and all around insanity, in accordance with the new event
Style: Whichever you feel like
Status: Closed to crew members

And so, at the beginning of January, the Shepherd set off from Isle Impieze back to Green Breeze Island, intent on revisiting what they'd discovered there; there were new crew members after all (in fact, the crew was almost completely different at this point), so there was more than enough justification for it. It would take some time reaching it, but the ship's supplies were well stocked so that wouldn't be an issue at all.

That wasn't the only change, however. The crew had since elected a new captain, and as such, this voyage was a proving grounds for the new status quo.

Comments

Green Breeze Isle - from January 7th onward

[abundantlove]

January 11th [frontdated] - event thread

[abundantlove]

[Mana hadn't slept well since that message she posted. She'd been sure of herself at the time yes, but everything after... especially after Rikka responded to her like that... it had a profound effect on her. Everything in her head focused on why Rikka had responded the way she did, what she had to do, what the voice in her head wanted...

... and then, when morning came, just like that, it became so clear.

She knew what she had to do... Rikka and the others, they had betrayed her... they weren't the precious people she knew...]

Cheryl...

[Mana's fairy partner didn't have to say anything in response; she knew what Mana wanted. Quickly, she took her commune form, and flew into Mana's hands]

Precure... Love Link...

[In a flash of light, Mana transformed into Cure Heart, and with a somber expression on her face, left her room - but not before sending a message to Alice, Hubert, and Gaius.

None of them belonged in this world. Something had been done to them all... they had to set all of them free...

... and there was only one way to do that...]

They all have to die... I love them... and they all have to die...

[rosettawall]

[Before very long, Cure Rosetta was upon Mana. The look on her face was decidedly dark, and even after transforming it was obvious she had been crying a lot.

She was convinced, now, that Henry in particular had been manipulating Rikka. While all she knew was that they'd talked, she had convinced herself that it was something far more sinister than that.

Regardless of it being by force or not, Rikka had been corrupted and set against them.

She couldn't trust anyone but those who heard it, now. That voice. But Mana most of all.]

They've taken her from us...

That magician especially... I should have stopped him before... I had the opportunity...

[abundantlove]

... I know, Alice.

[she stopped, and turned towards Rosetta, showing the other girl a sad smile]

She said... I wasn't her prince anymore... Maybe, in a way, she's right. I can't be the Happy Prince this time...

[she smiled again, several tears rolling down her cheeks despite it all]

I have to be the devil... I have to be the devil, and do horrible things. The voice... she told me that... You'll help me, right? You'll help me save them...?

[rosettawall]

[Rosetta's eyes shimmer, but nothing comes.

Apparently, she's had enough of that by this point.]

Yes, of course...

She's been tainted... That's the only way we can set her free...

Any of them... Everyone that should not be here...

[abundantlove]

[Mana nodded, and reached forward, taking Alice's hand]

Then... we'll do it together. Because we love her so much...

... it can only be us who does it...

[rosettawall]

[She closes her eyes, and nods quietly.]

It's the only way to stop her suffering... so long as she's here, others will use her... hurt her...

[She looked up, a darkly intent look in her eye.]

...and after we save her... everyone else...

They'll all die, as well..

January 11th; don't mind the icon journal

[omnomnomurice]

[Even as the voice had urged him closer and closer to committing carnage, Hubert had shied away from the thought in the days preceding. There had to be another way to get home, there just had to! After all, even if he wanted to kill someone, he was a weakling. He simply didn't have the strength or the heart for such a nefarious deed. Asbel wouldn't be happy with him for it, either. Not to mention that it was just plain wrong.

But as Hubert wakes up on the morning of the 11th with a strangely lucid mind (strangely, because he hasn't been sleeping well at all the past couple of nights and so has been greeting the days with a fatigue-fogged brain), it occurs to him that surely he owed it to the voice in his head to at least try. If she could get him and Asbel home, then shouldn't he do as she says? Besides, it's always right to obey those with authority. And Hubert has always been an obedient, dutiful boy.

Asbel, decidedly, has not.

Even now he continues to be a wayward sort. That much was made quite clear when he tried to sneak off the ship earlier. It was just like him, defying reasonable measures put in place for his (and others') safety.

Perhaps...he needs to be punished for his insolence, the voice whispers to Hubert.

Yes. Of course. Father and Mother aren't around, after all. So it must be up to Hubert to dole out discipline. Or "discipline," as it were.

Still, the thought of blood disturbs young, innocent Hubert. He passes up the knives in the galley and clambers atop boxes in order to reach two of the frying pans hanging on the wall. There's no need for any more damage than necessary in order to end a life; his reading has taught him that blunt force trauma to the head will do the trick. Admittedly, even as he's creeping the halls looking for his brother (or any other nonbeliever he happens to run across, really), he's not completely convinced of the efficacy of cooking utensils as an instrument of murder (barring knives, obviously), but this is all his tiny form can handle.

It shouldn't matter as long as he does his best, though, right?]

I MIND.

[protectus]

[Asbel's still curled up in bed, which isn't much of a surprise. His head's tilted back so he can peek through the cracks in the boards at any light or shapes showing through. Anything to keep his mind off how weird everyone's been acting lately. At first he thought maybe it was stress or homesickness, but there's just something about it that feels wrong. Almost totally wrong. Especially when they brought him back to the ship after he wandered off. What was up with that anyway? He's never seen Hubert act like that before...]

[Rolling over onto his back, Asbel stares at the ceiling. Colonel Jade's a pretty smart guy when he's actually being serious. Maybe he should go talk to him, see if he's got any bright ideas. Or maybe he should just go find Hubert and ask him straight out. Yeah, it'd be pretty uncool, but he is the big brother here. And if somehow that made Hubert feel better, then it'd definitely be worth the embarrassment.]

[With a groan, Asbel shuffles onto his side and half-heartedly swipes at his bedhead. All right, enough of that. Time to get cracking!]

WELL NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOUR OPINION ANYWAY.

[omnomnomurice]

[Time to get "cracking," you say? Hubert lurks just outside the door to the room he shares with Asbel, waiting for him to come out so he can crack the other boy's skull with a frying pan or two. Being the earlier riser, Hubert's become quite familiar with Asbel Standard Time, so he can make a pretty accurate guess as to when Asbel will be up and about.

So he doesn't have to wait long before the door opens...

And whenever Asbel steps over the threshold (or tries to), he'll be greeted with a hearty cast-iron swing to the face.]

WOW RUDE.

[curries]

[Asbel stretches his arms as he finally drags his lazy self out of bed. He makes his way across the room to the door, and sure enough, it swings carelessly open right on schedule. He can barely even get a foot out before something heavy and fast comes flying right at him.]

[With a surprised yelp, Asbel drops roughly to his hands and knees.]

--H-holy cow!!

[When he thinks it's safe enough, his head shoots up to see who it is playing such a dirty trick on him so early in the morning (okay, it's not that early, so what). He asked for training, sure, but not like this!]

...Hubert? What are you doing out here?

SORRY CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER THE SOUND OF RUDEBERT.

[omnomnomurice]

[No sooner has Asbel finished his question than Hubert takes another swing at his brother, one a little less well-aimed than the first. It might catch Asbel in the chest or arm.]

[curries]

[He doesn't have enough time to react again, the swing hits with a ringing thud, sending a wave of pain zinging up Asbel's arm.]

All right, all right, I get it! [Asbel grabs at his arm and stumbles to his feet, backing off a little in the process.]

Geez, what are you so mad about? I apologized for hiding your comic book, didn't I? Now knock it off, Hubert, that kind of hurt!

[More than "kind of".]

11th cuz all the cool kids are doin' it

[willwork4sugar]

     His scarcity around the general areas of the Shepherd probably wouldn't have been terribly noticeable unless someone was really seeking him out. When the voice had first started to become prominent in his mind, Gaius had slowly started to withdraw from the others. Not too unusual for someone who was a thief, and that only known by two, maybe three if that Henry-fellow knew him from their world.

     Something was wrong though, he knew it, but at the same time, it didn't feel like anything wrong at all. That wrongness had all but melted away by now. He didn't like to kill, but it seemed the only way to make things right.

     Mana had already sent word. He had a job to do.

     Shadows were like a second home. Footsteps, a whisper. When you were usually employed to get information in dangerous territory, you had to know how to be sneaky, and employed correctly, that also made you deadly. He'd polished off those marshmallows earlier, so he was more than good to go.

     This thief was out to rob lives.

[wantsarobotgarden]

Finnian had been rather nervous of late. He was worried about some of his new crew mates, but he hadn't a clue as to what was going on either. it was quite worrying to say the least.

But he had no way of really finding out, nor could he do much to help if the need was called for it. No. He would try and pretend that everything was okay and just try and get some work done. That;'s what he'll do, do his best at his job and hope to get it right, after all he needed the practice.

Although what to do was another question altogether.

[willwork4sugar]

     Hearing footsteps nearby, Gaius tensed. It was only for a brief second, however. Being a practiced thief, he knew it was better to keep calm. If you were nervous, that just pointed a guilty finger in your direction. Everything was fine. No need to get all worked up.

     ...no need to be skulking around your shipmates either, in that case.

     He eased his hand from the weapon behind him, letting it fall casually to his side as he started forward and walked around the corner. Nothing unusual here. This was the direction to the galley. The kid could just assume he was off to poke around for sugar again.

[wantsarobotgarden]

He spotted him after glancing up to pay attention to where he was going.

"Going to the galley again? You really do like sugar, don't you?" He said as he thought about it, the guy did eat a lot, he was pretty sure they were either low or out by now.

[willwork4sugar]

     "That's a question? Figured you'd know better by now," he replied, allowing for a quick smile. The boy didn't understand. Just like so much of the rest of the crew. This was going to be fixed, and soon. They didn't know, but he, Mana, Alice and Hubert did. It was up to them...

[wantsarobotgarden]

He did know better, but it seemed like it was polite at least ask. But he had been told that things had been funny as of late, so he was also making sure it was actually what he was doing.

"I forgot." He laughed slightly, putting a hand behind his head. He wasn't sure what was going on, but it didn't make him feel any more comfortable.

January 8th - Romp on the Island [back-back-backdated]

[curries]

[If they thought Asbel was going to stick around on the ship where he was safe and not check out the island, then they were all crazy! This is what they'd come here for, after all. To check out. the. island. Besides, even ignoring the itch of curiosity and the promise of high adventure, he could really use the chance to stretch his legs.]

[And so Asbel slips away as stealthily as he can. With Hubert's worries, he figured he wouldn't want to come along, but he's still taken a painfuly dull moment to leave a note behind in his room letting them know he's fine and that he'll be back in a few hours. It seems pretty inevitable that someone will crash his party, but if he can manage a few hours on his own, it'll be worth it!]

No big deal, right?]

[Asbel sloshes through the shallows and makes his way up the slowly curving hill, drawn at once by the unusual symphony of the nearby forest. But he has to stop and catch his breath first.]

Whew... So this is Green Breeze Island, huh? Doesn't seem so bad. I wonder why the trees are playing music like that.

[bitty_blue_brother]

[Hubert is dismayed but not surprised when he finds the note from Asbel saying that he's going to be off exploring on his own not long after Mana had just specified that no one was to do any such thing. Naturally, he brought the note to the attention of the young captain, and now he, Mana, and Alice were searching the island for the other boy, covering the area as best as they could without any of them getting lost. It wasn't long before Hubert picked up two fallen tree branches for protection against potential threats.

Now if only there were an easier way to find his wayward brother...]

[abundantlove]

[Mana was angry. Oh she was angry. She had given Asbel strict orders not to leave without supervision, and yet he'd deliberately disobeyed her. That wouldn't do. That wouldn't do at all.

And so, she'd sent Cheryl out to fan out while she searched with Alice and Hubert]

Asbeeeeeel-kun! Where are yooooou?

[rosettawall]

[Alice had done similarly, sending Lance out to search ahead of them as she followed closely behind Mana, her umbrella open and in hand.

Actually, she maybe followed a little too closely to Mana, and otherwise remained silent and relatively unreadable for the moment.]

[curries]

[A good tactic, since Asbel isn't exactly keeping an eye out for small colorful fairy-creatures. And isn't exactly going to turn around now that he's come this far, either. Instead he continues heading for the trees, climbing over crumbling rocks and peering around in utter fascination. He doesn't seem to notice that said rocks are actually part of what used to be an archway.]

[Finally he reaches the edge of the woods, tilting his head back and staring in awe at the branches, laden with wind chimes of all shapes and sizes, each lending its tone as a breeze blows through. Wow! This is pretty cool! Maybe he should've brought the others with him after all.]

[abundantlove]

[the first person to find Asbel is Cheryl, as she floats out from behind the archway, looking absolutely livid]

THERE YOU ARE! Do you have any idea how long we've been looking for you?! MANA, EVERYONE! THEY'RE OVER HERE!

[upon hearing Cheryl's voice some distance away, Mana turned to Hubert and Alice and nodded, hurrying in the direction of her fairy's voice]