[LOC] Fluid Redistribution Station #365794

[Gl!tch~]

Reemus had been peering around the fringes of the angry crowd while whimpering occasionally. He was so, so thirsty. So was his lusus. And so was everyone else in Chittentown. The kid didn't understand why there wasn't any water, nor why it wasn't fixed already. He had demonstrated this by pitching a fit in his hive, but neither lying around while whining pitifully nor growling at the sink faucet nor barking at it nor even chewing on it changed anything. So, with no other option, he came to the station. Woofmum was at his side, but not pressed up to him. Her fur was too hot for his liking right now.

Gillian looked at the proceedings and growled deep in her throat at what she saw. This was the antithesis of order. The dominating trolls were failing the lower class, and the lower class was misbehaving in turn. It made her want to bite something in frustration, but all she could do was pant instead. Reemus stroked her head in the meantime to calm her down. As he watched the rabble wave their signs and yell, he couldn't help but bark in agreement to their sentiment. His yelps followed the chanting rhythm after a while and everything. That was until his lusus gave him a warning n** on his hand. While he wasn't close enough to be noticeable, Gillian still didn't want her charge drawing attention to himself. Frankly, this was one pack he wasn't going to join. Not with the amount of tension in the air. And those drones looked like they packed a whallop. Instead, she started shepherding him away before he noticed the protestors who were throwing rocks.
As the white howlbeast was telling him that she wanted to go home and getting the mustardblood to trudge after her step by step, Reemus eye-spied something else going on. Nothing to do with rocks, even. Once he could see the back of the station from the angle they were at, he noticed there was another child back there, wearing a warm-looking sweater and just kind of...standing back there. Alone. Something must be going on!
Without a second thought, or even word to his lusus, Reemus bolted around the building to see what was going on. Gillian yipped in surprise before speeding after him.

Reemus found himself in an even worse state after running like that. He was so, so parched. "Oi! Hey there, mate." he said between pants, uncharacteristically winded after the quick jog. "Whatcha doin' back here?"

He didn't even have time for an answer before seeing the reason for himself; standing up straight after catching his breath, Reemus looked straight up and saw the hole that was juuuuust out of reach. If he had ears to perk, they sure would be standing straight up. "Crikey!" he crowed with a whistle. The hole was big enough for someone his size; a little bigger than that, even! Talk about an oversight.

TanuKyle

 

[Sypon]

Aandes was well-off, and he was bored. In a classic move of the greenblood's entrepreneurial tendencies, he had traveled to Chittentown to see what goods he could hock. Frankly, the operation was a mild success (though his short-sightedness in not bringing more water for the needy to consume was one that a child with a sweet tooth would naturally make). After a while, his curiousity got the best of them. Aandes wore his lusus as a backpack and made his way to the Fluid Redistribution Center. He was dressed well for the occasion, wearing a loose seafoam and chocolate tanktop and shorts that said 'aware of the desert climate, but not trying too hard - not from around here, but not a tourist'. He wore a billed cap turned backwards, allowing for his mint accent to show through the fastening hole. One must stay professional and true to their brand - at all times.

"What do you think, pops? Some lowblood noise going down after the Old Hemisect battle? Or something else..." Aandes asked. Koalapops was asleep.

"You know, I think Rasali had something to do with that whole deal. Maybe she'll be here causing trouble." He sneered. "Probably being a goody-goody with her dumb spring water or something. Boring."

Koalapops yawned and readjusted his front legs so that they connected with his back legs.

"Hmm... Don't much like Chittentown. No investors. You heard NummCorp moved to Civisect? Kinda sketchy if you ask me."

Aandes wandered just close enough to the screaming crowd to realize that he absolutely did not want any of that noise. He took a sharp right to take a tour around the building, uninterested in the bland and predictable protest of the crowd.

"Ugh. The masses. Why would anyone stand in the hot moonlight in this place? Can't wait to get back home. Or maybe we could check out some shops at New Hemisect while we got this profit? I've, um, been dying to scope out the new street trends since the HateParade got big."

There was no response. Aandes gave his lusus a poke, frowning.

"Eh?" mumbled the creature. Koalapops frowned and put his head on Aandes' shoulder.

"I said do you wanna go shopping at New Hemisect after this...?" asked Aandes sharply. His mouth was screwed to one side in impatience.

"Eh... Mmm." Koalapops confirmed and buried his face against his charge once more. Aandes sighed.

"Whatever, let's just go." Aandes continued on his walk. This whole trip was a waste of time - a no-good, boring, sandy waste of time. Feeling the grit in his shoes was the worst - especially when it was disassociated from the lakeside. As the two turned the corner, Aandes noticed something odd. Behind the building... A hole? "That's weird... What do you think?"

The greenblood looked all around for any sight of others. There -- two lowbloods, near the entrance. This trip just got much more interesting. He ducked back behind the corner, only peeking out to check on their progress. Would they go inside? Time would tell. Aandes smiled and analyzed their featu-- wait. Something glinted on the yellowblood. Was that... A... No.

Aandes was too in-tune with Alternian vogue to believe that someone could be so... Trashy. And what was with that sweater-child, anyway? Did anyone dress appropriately for the desert? "Being a lowblood is no excuse for poor styling. Not exactly doing themselves any favors..." Muttered Aandes darkly. He hid out of sight again, concocting a character and excuse in his mind for his snooping if an older troll were to catch him.  

[quite uneventful]

Vremea kept a steady pace of avoiding the drones whenever she could and constantly joining in on the protesting, fist pumping high and proud. She was so glad-- these trolls were finally fighting for their rights. This was a day to be celebrated... and to live in slight fear that the drones would attack them. It was quite disconcerting....

 

[zeflamigo]

Errands finished for the day, Odette walked peacefully on her way back to Vremea's hive. It was incredibly gracious of Vremea to have her company, especially when she was another mouth to feed (or more importantly, quench). Odette liked Chittentown. It was a lovely sensation, walking down the street without dozens of people staring you down with utter disgust. Now that she thought of it the streets seemed rather empty, more empty than she would expect even in this drought.

The vague sound of commotion caught her ear and she followed the sound. She was startled but not shocked at the sight of the mob, muttering sadly to herself. She couldn't get wrapped up in something like this! Surely, they had enough people protesting, and it wasn't really her business was it? She wasn't exactly a citizen of the town. Turning to leave, a pair of familiar horns caught her eye in the crowd. Was that... Vremea?

"Oh no, oh no..." Odette muttered. She glanced nervously between the crowd and her exit. She covered her face with her hands and made a little squeak before diving headfirst into the crowd. "Excuse me, pardon me, terribly sorry," Odette mumbled, doing her best to avoid bumping into any other trolls. Standing on her toes, she looked around for her moirail desperately. It was much harder to see past the crowd once she was actually in it, and especially at her height.

Turning to the nearest tall troll, she tapped his shoulder. "E-excuse me, kind sir. Have you seen a yellowblood about this tall-" She motioned Vremea's height, "Wearing lots of bows?" She glanced up at the troll, taking care to not stare for too long to avoid offense. He was a bit intimidating, with the mask and everything, but Odette wasn't one to judge about something like that. From what she could tell, he actually seemed to have a pretty handsome face. She idly wondered what he might be hiding under there, though she'd never ask out loud.

iStoleYurVamps

 

[T-Kai]

DraconicFeline

leon_a_darkangel

Lirende

Gl!tch~

Alexin wasn't entirely sure what Skaeys was doing with all the wriggling around on the floor (the /bathroom/ floor jeez gross...) but when they asked them to identify the plant, their face lit up. They were bound to have seen something like this before, right? They did read a bunch about plants the other week, and so they stepped forward and examined the plant...and found themselves stumped.

"Hm. I can't say I recognize it by sight, but if we take a sample we could head to the library after we're done here and look it up! Yeah. That sounds like a good idea."

And so digging in their pockets, Alexin brought out a small flicknife and cut part of the plant off, tucking it inside their spacious cargo pocket. Well, it should have been spacious anyway, except that it was full of stuff! Alexin pulled out a bunch of objects including a packet of sweets, a small roll of official brand trolltape, another small roll of bandages and some foldable scissors which they roughly stuffed inside their other pockets where they could get them to fit. Then they tucked the plant inside their pocket so it wouldn't be damaged by anything crushing into it.

"Until then, I suggest we continue on?"

Once again taking the lead (they were the highest here, after all - and they were bolstered by Keoinx's faith in them too) they led them to another door, which opened up into a vast room. Truly vast, covered in heavy duty machinery and huge piping ducts.

"Woah."

Their voice echoed slightly in the huge chamber.

--

Nervit didn't jump, that was ridicolous and a slander. She had been totally aware of Reemus's approach, and not at all distracted by Pyredad's and her continuing argument. Still, her knuckles tightened on her jumper (which was a little hot for the desert, actually...) until she caught sight of Reemus's blood colour on his...no. NO. Was that a trash bag? Nervit blinked, even her usual solid politeness caught off guard by the fact that this dude(ette?) was wearing a trashbag. This gave Reemus enough time to talk and notice the hole and as he mentioned it she managed to get her grip back onto reality. She hadn't spotted the other troll observing them yet, either, too distracted first by arguing with Pyredad, and then by Reemus's....attire.

"I think if you give me a boost I can get up there. Then I'll pull you up and we can explore. There's bound to be some kind of hint to what's going on inside there, right?"

Nervit smiled at Reemus as she explained her plan, though she was slightly put-off by Gillian. That was a large howlbeast, after all! Large and toothy! Reemus had very respectable fangs too come to think of it. Nervit's own were much smaller, though probably equally as sharp.  

[grayseasons]

Athene edged on the outside of the crowd, trying to look in and see if she could spot her friend, Vremea. It was one of those times where her height was a disadvantage and she pushed herself onto her tiptoes, but even the two inches her boots gave her wasn't enough. Dropping down, she steeled herself and then dove into the crowd of protesters, looking for the yellow blooded troll.

Her search, at the first, wasn't very successful and she was jostled among the crowd as she tried to keep a lookout for her friend. But as she became accustomed to the crowd and began to push through it, she caught sight of the troll. "Vremea!" Athene yelled, reaching her hand out to her friend as she was caught between her and another troll who happened to be standing there.
 

[DraconicFeline]

leon_a_darkangel

TanuKyle

Lirende

Identify...? the idea hadn't even occurred to Keionx. A plant was a plant. Some were edible and some were not. But, now that she thought about it, she realized that Skaeys had a very good point, and that maybe figuring out what the plant was would be a clue towards the ultimate foe behind this terrible occurrence. Though, what dryness had to do with plants, Keionx did not know.

She nodded as Alexin continued on, happy to let them take the lead. She did not like the room Alexin led them to, however. She regretted sheathing her sword after the bathroom, and loosened it now in it's sheath, looking warily up at the pipes. ”More plants” she murmured. Could this be it? Could this be where the evil mastermind beast lay, with its seeds and dry-making?

Her eyes scanned the cavernous room, but only darkness, shadows, and silence met her senses. No, it would not be that easy, would it. ”They are significant, but surely, if they cloggeth the pipes, then the water would hath found another way out...” she mused, puzzled. The plants were relevant... but how?  

[quite uneventful]

As Vremea let herself get caught up in the protesting, screaming at the top of her lungs and making quite the racket, she couldn't help but take a minute for rest— she was really giving it her all, and was standing the constant pushing and grabbing of her hair just for this reason. It was annoying at times, but Vremea could stand it, feeling a little regret for not having put it in a braid— but then it would've taken her longer to get there and therefore—

From afar, Vremea spotted some familiar horns she hadn't seen in ages. Eyes widening, mouth stopping in the middle of a chant, Vremea turned around and looked for the familiar pair of horns, having thought it was a fluke, definitely. Just... It wasn't real, probably some other troll, one of her friends that she hadn't seen in ages— was that really... "Vremea!" She heard, then snapped her head to the source, face radically changing in pleasant shock. "Athene!" Vremea exclaimed loudly above the crowds protests, watching her reach out for her and doing the same, trying to grab her hand. She constantly reached her fingertips but never her actual hand, so she strained herself to reach her, managing to grab her and push through the crowd to reach her. Her face showed an expression of pleasant shock, and she was covered in the sweat of others as well as her own, wanting to take a break.

She looked at Athene and made a hand signal pointing outside the crowd, physically telling her they were going to leave the crowd— but not before Vremea got the chance give a few more hoots and continue protesting, lifting her fist in the air.

PeanutButterpies

 

[seekingCylem]

[ Sascha had once heard a troll say "It's not the heat that gets you--it's the humidity." Clearly that troll had never experienced a desert drought and was also an idiot. Sascha's emergency water rations were finite and tasted like old plastic. Coupled with the suspicion that came with living in a desert-based technological super city that was somehow ill-equipped for dry spells, Sascha was more than willing to make his way down to the Fluid Redistribution Station to investigate.

What he found was a group of trolls protesting outside the front gates. While Sascha conceded the chanting looked like fun, he couldn't help question its effectiveness. The station was a large building. Surely the bigwig executive types were on a high enough floor they could block out the ruckus simply by shutting the window.

Sascha grimaced at his own imagination. Corporate jerks. What were they even doing up there? Certainly not their jobs.

Bagwormother shuffled uneasily at her charge's side. He had a grumpy expression on his face, while also being quiet in thought. It was a dangerous combination. She looked around for a possible distraction and nibbled on Sascha's pant leg. Maybe they should go?

Sascha looked down at his lusus and back up at the building. He slapped his gloves together. "You're right! With all these protesters mucking up the front gates, we should take the opportunity to explore while the security's busy. Thank you, Mother." Sascha beamed.

If Bagwormother had eyebrows, they'd be furrowing. That hadn't been what she'd meant, but Sascha was already marching (subtly) around to the other side of the station. She scurried after him.

They rounded the corner only to find a few other children that had apparently been struck with the same idea. Sascha felt a little less clever, but no less determined. The others seemed to have found something, too. Sascha craned his neck and wandered over. Was that a hole?

Sascha chuckled darkly. Tonight was about to get a whole lot more interesting.

Bagwormother perked up at the sight of the hole, only for her ears to immediately droop. She knew exactly where this was going. A little sigh squeaked out of her sniffnode.

Sascha didn't notice his mother's plight. He was too anxiously watching the other lowbloods poke around the hole. If they didn't hurry up, curiosity might drive him to push them out of the way and head in himself. However, if there did end up being guards on the other side of that wall, well... he then cutting in line would just be rude. Sascha rocked on his heels and looked around.

Oh! It looked like Sascha wasn't the only bystander. This one was a midblood. Not unheard of around here, but certainly more out of place in a Chittentown alleyway than Sascha. The audacity of fancy hair and a preppy outfit in a place like this was something Sascha could respect. He swaggered away from the hole (to Mother's surprise and relief) and over to the other boy, offering a casual wave of his hand.

"Well you look curious," Sascha commented with a grin. ]

 

[Sypon]

Aandes turned on his heel to see a yellowblood striding towards him. He looked confident – like a local, but not how a local was confident. He definitely had some gumption. Aandes was training for this. How could he read this guy and best play off of him? Any response seemed to be appropriate in this rather anonymous gathering of protestors. Since he was here, he may have been mistaken for a dissenter, but then again who wouldn’t check out the noise? He didn’t look like he was from Chittentown either (not that he’d pretend to be from the city in the first place).

Aandes had it. Mirroring confidence. He put his weight on one leg and cocked his hat back, slinging one hand into his shorts pocket. He smiled with the snaggletooth side of his mouth. “Yeah. Saw some kids poking around and didn’t want to be the first to set off the alarms…” Aandes looked up in thought and realized that his lusus hanging on his back may not be the coolest mode of transport. Let’s face it—he wasn’t a very cool lusus.

Aandes pushed his shoulderblades together, waking up Koalapops. He dropped onto the ground and finally stood guard over his charge (or, more accurately, waddled to his side to peer with bleary eyes at the large something-or-other standing near the yellowblood). He wasted no time in jutting his hand out for a shake.

“Aandes.” He pulled in the yellowblood. “Wanna storm the fort? We’ve got some pawns ahead of us.” Aandes hoped he read this kid right. He was younger than him, for sure, but had a kind of fire about him. And who doesn’t love victory over chumps?  

[Sypon]

Amongst the shouting lowbloods was a single, slender purpleblood. Her height and hemotyping made her stand out amongst the rest, even though she herself was not making much of a ruckus. Rather, she floated through the crowd, pulling up to drones who appeared subsceptible to her advances, and murmuring sharp prayers over them.

"This unholy sign is a danger that must immediately be investigated by you sludgepeddlers," she hissed. Her eyes tensed and opened as she analyzed their expressions. "There are lost souls in Chittentown -- DO YOU INTEND TO ADD TO THE PAIL OF SOULS? IT IS A FINE AND DEBAUCHEROUS SLURRY HERE IN MOTHERGRUBBING CHITTENTOWN!"

Nevermind. Tamiya was screaming.  

[seekingCylem]

[ Sascha raised both eyebrows in intrigue. This kid was extroverted! Not that he was terribly surprised. It took guts to go sneaking around a government building, especially if he did turn out to be an out-of-towner. Sascha was more than pleased to be able to breeze through the pleasantries.

Bagwormother caught up to Sascha and planted herself by his side. While she normally regarded strange trolls with suspicion, this one seemed relatively benign. At least relative to her own son, which was what mattered, she supposed. The stranger's lusus appeared unthreatening as well, though Bagwormother wasn't about to let her guard down. Her guard was all she had!

Sascha smirked at the outstretched hand and took it with a hearty swipe and two shakes. "Sascha. And I sure ain't hanging around here 'cos it's a such nice night."



The hardest part of breaking in was getting Bagwormother to stop pulling on Sascha's pant leg. Sascha's superior wriggling skills and desire to not look like a lusus' grub in front of a midblood eventually got him through the hole. After a great several moments of fretting, Bagwormother too, slipped out of her bulky shell and through the hole herself.

She caught up to Sascha in perhaps the largest, most central room of the facility. Sascha, while surprised to see his mother following him (and in such a... scandalous state), he was easily distracted by the room in which they'd found themselves. It was enormous and full of heavy machinery.

Other than that, it was empty.

"This... probably should be doing something, right?" Sascha made a small gesture towards the expanse of the room. ]

 

[quite uneventful]

It was as if she was in her element, in the crowd, helping it flourish and become the beginnings of a revolution. Though she knew she wasn't supposed to try and catch the attention of the royal guards... She still wanted to do it. It fueled her, made her excited and well enough to move, and keep moving. As they shoved through the crowd to leave, Vremea continued pushing her fist in the air before finally breaking free from the crowd, hand tightly holding Athene's.

Vremea pulled her a little further from the crowd and then stopped, laying back on a wall tiredly and looking over toward Athene, not wanting to dirty her with the disgusting sweat and humidity on her body. In a way, she was proud of it... "Athene..." She mumbled with familiarity, remembering the times they spent together and squeezing her hands a bit before letting go. "It has been too long." She said fondly, brushing her hair from her face and threading her hand through her hair in a feeble attempt to try and fix it. "How have you and Fluffdad been? How is the shop? I seem to keep visiting when it is closed, ahaha..." She chuckled nervously, rubbing her tired eyes slightly and then looking back at her, slightly expectant. She wasn't about to let go of her old friend that fast!

PeanutButterpies