INTRO.

[ultrapenumbramods]

You wake up feeling like you’ve had a rough night’s sleep… maybe a bit jet-lagged, if you’re familiar with the feeling, or perhaps like you, uh, had a little too much to drink last night. Either way, you’re probably not expecting to wake up in a forest clearing, so that might be even more disorienting. It’s not an unpleasant place to wake up, mind. It’s sunny, and there’s a pleasantly cool breeze blowing through. The grass isn’t tall enough that you could get lost in it or that someone could be hiding in it… or something.

There are, in fact, a lot of somethings surrounding you--a veritable menagerie of creatures, some of them adorable, and some of them intimidating… but they seem to be as disoriented as you are. And then, well… you realize something’s a little off about yourself. There’s no pond to look at your new appearance, but… maybe the ground’s a little closer. Maybe you don’t actually have arms and legs at the moment. Maybe you don’t have eyes anymore?

Regardless, something’s definitely up. Fortunately, there’s a path leading out of the clearing, so once you get your bearings and speak with some of the other weird critters you’ve woken up with, you can find… somewhere you can get answers. Well, hopefully, anyway.

Comments

[swiftasacoursingkawa]

[Hey. Hey. Look out below. No seriously, careful - there's something skittering around at a speed that's almost way too fast to catch with one's bare eyes. It's making little squealing buglike sounds, and running around in erratic circles and zigzags, stopping seemingly at random before turning around.

Weaving in and out of everyone's legs (or...hooves, or paws, or whatever-) it takes until the thing bumps into the tall grass and finds some foilage to hide under before anyone can get a good look at it.]

Hiiehaah...what's happening here...

[Hey, guys. Meet Sena. He's fine. Really.]

[makehistoria]

[Roomba #1 meet Roomba #2]

[More specifically, while Sena's doing his rapid weaving, he will find himself confronted with one (1) other tiny carapaced creature! Which probably won't stop him from skidding around it, but will get Stocke scuttering after him into the foliage.]

...are you alright?

[Stocke knows the answer is no because his answer is no, he would much rather still be human, thanks. But also that panicked dashing about is a bit more not-alright than most of the other unexpected monsters around here.]

[swiftasacoursingkawa]

[nah, see, stocke's got these beady red eyes under his shell, which is Totally Hiee-Inducing And Scary, so Sena's definitely running from that.

So yes, Sena's definitely making anxious Wimpod noises before he answers Stocke.]

M-Maybe? I guess?

[no.]

[makehistoria]

[Come on, Sena, he's not that bad. Just, you know... insectoid with glowing eyes and no discernible features under that shell, it's fine. It's fine.]

[At least he doesn't seem quite as loud or boisterous as some of the others around...?]

...come on out. Everyone else here's in the same boat as you.

[Presumably, anyway.]

[swiftasacoursingkawa]

[that makes it worse that means you're silent and eyeglowy and everything

even if you are acting reasonably.]

A...are you sure...?

[makehistoria]

It's true of everyone I've spoken to so far, at the least. [And Stocke thinks they'd have heard a fuss if someone did know what was going on.]

[...not counting the people going "we're all ghosts this is the afterlife," he's not listening to them.]

[swiftasacoursingkawa]

Oh...

[still, he's going to be very o~o;;; for a while.]

So...you too?

[makehistoria]

I wasn't a giant bug yesterday. [Dry.]

[Stocke, technically, you are a crab,]

[swiftasacoursingkawa]

Ahahaha...

[Well, it kinda works to calm him down, anyway.]

Er...sorry if I bothered you before...

[what with all the uh, scuttling.]

[moonfang]

Oi... what the hell was that?!

[a very grump blue pawniard slashes the foliage down to size with his blades] Hiya!

[swiftasacoursingkawa]

[SCREAMS

THANKS FOR CUTTING DOWN THE FOILAGE MORE BUDDY NOW HE CAN RUN EVEN MORE

HOPE YOU LIKE A SEA ROOMBA RUNNING AROUND YOUR TINY METAL FEET]

[moonfang]

[djaklsdhkjwjs THIS NEEDS TO STOP.

He's not as fast as he should be, but he's fast enough to embed one of his blades in the dirt right in front of Sena]

WOULD YOU STOP THAT.

[swiftasacoursingkawa]

[STOP SCARING HIM AND MAYBE HE WILL]

AGH!

[or he could...get startled enough to flip on his back and flail helplessly. that works too. i guess.]

[moonfang]

[Zangetsu is gonna sit on him now]

Calm. The hell. Down. Ya weird little bug thing. Yer gonna hurt yerself. Or worse! Yer gonna hurt ME!

[swiftasacoursingkawa]

[WHY]

I'm sorreeeeee...

[flailing his little legs helplessly isn't doing much to help, but he can pretend it does]

[moonfang]

Now. If I let ya up, are ya gonna stop zoomin' around?

[swiftasacoursingkawa]

I'll...try not to?

[he can't help it. running is what he does.]

[grantmeamiracle]

[Unfortunately, the weaving makes... whatever this pink thing is squeak and fall over. Sorry, Sena!]

Wh-what in the world...?!

[swiftasacoursingkawa]

[are you sure you should be the one apologizing?]

S-Sooorryyyy^{yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!}

[because apparently sena doesn't. whatever that pink thing is, that's all she's hearing before sena hides himself in the nearby tall grass.]

[grantmeamiracle]

[Sena... Sena please...

MOMO eventually manages to right herself, and once she does, she makes her way over to the grass and just. Pushes a little of it aside.]

Um...

[swiftasacoursingkawa]

[hiiiiieeeeeeee]

I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! Uh, please don't, er-hurt me or anything, I didn't do it on purpose, uh-

[yes, he is scared of Cute Pink Pillow Thing, Apparently]

[grantmeamiracle]

[SENA.... PLEASE......]

I'm--I'm not going to hurt you?

[WHY IS THIS EVEN A THING SHE EVEN HAS TO REASSURE HIM OVER]

[swiftasacoursingkawa]

O-oh! Thank you?

[BECAUSE SENA, THAT'S WHY]

[grantmeamiracle]

Why... Why would you just assume I was going to...?

[swiftasacoursingkawa]

Because I don't know what's happening or who you are or what you are orwhat Iamorwhythisisgoingonandeverything'sweirdso-

[slow down, buddy.]