|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2025 1:03 am
The Reservoir (4) : The Destiny City Reservoir opened about two years ago and is an easy escape from the big city. It's a five minute drive outside of the Eastern side of town and features clear water and sandy beaches--although, the sand here is notorious for squeaking when you step on it. It's a hot spot for all fun summer activities, but it's been in the news for mysterious reports of some strange, aquatic monster. Some accounts say they've spotted a twenty foot long, snake like creature capable of rearing a long neck high above the water. It's hard to tell if the videos are doctored, but there are too many rumors to dismiss easily. Something strange might be lurking deep in the water. Or it's just a hoax to get people out to the Reservoir!
But…Sometimes, people feel like something is grabbing their ankle, even if they are just wading in the shallow end. In the deeper parts of the water, it gets a little more intense: something has been said to grab onto ankles and pull. People have been warned about dangerous pranks, but so far no one has been caught. In the shallow end, anyone unfortunate enough to be targeted may feel themselves being knocked off their feet and tugged into the water; anyone in deep water may feel a firm grip on their ankle, tugging them lower and lower. Somehow, anyone it targets is freed--either by wriggling and fighting, or because someone intervenes and pulls the would-be victim up. No one has drowned in the lake. Yet. It's impossible to see who, or what, is doing this, but it usually gives up after one failed attempt. Usually.
While you may find yourself harassed by the supposed cryptid, or see something visibly odd in the distance, you cannot take any pictures of the creature. Who knows if you're even being attacked by the cryptid, or just another youma?
Tonight, on this particular patrol, the unhappiness originated from a rather unhappy encounter with something in the water. Or she could swear it had been something in the water, though there was no way in hell she was going back in just to prove her point. She couldn't breathe underwater, but whatever had made a grab for her ankle and nearly drowned her no doubt had gills or something similar that allowed it to breathe underwater.
So for the moment, Waipoua was sitting in the sand, eyes out on the currently calm waters of the reservoir, and face set into the perfect glare.
And one that didn't improve when she felt the unpleasantness of a Chaos aura suddenly nearby.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2025 1:41 am
Labradorite wasn't sure what she'd find out here, she'd recently explored the caves and well, it was quite. She did like the reservoir and had heard rumors of something being under the water. So it was perhaps time to investigate the cryptid that lived there.
What she hadn't expected was an order aura. There was a sigh as she continued towards the beach. Maybe she could use the order aura owner to lure out the cryptid and she could get a better look at it? That would work right?
There was a soft chuckle as her heels hit the sand, this wasn't the place for heels and she wished immediately she'd thought to bring boots to change into. Alas.
The lieutenant found the owner of the aura fairly easily and grinned, "What's an order lovely doing out here? Looking for the cryptid?" She decided to tease, not having checked to see the mood the other was in. This was fine, it'd all work well. She was sure of it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2025 10:14 pm
Waipoua glanced back when a strange voice broke the silence, the glare deepening all the more given the teasing. She hardly tolerated it with people she knew, so she simply couldn't tolerate it here. There was the smallest bit of regret that she wasn't prone to violence just because she encountered Chaos, but as much as she wanted to break free of that bit of her self-control she bit her tongue and simply heaved a sigh.
She stuck her cane out, though, on the off-chance that whoever was coming by would miss it in the sand and trip.
"Not exactly." Her tone made it very, very clear that she wasn't in the greatest of moods, though there was no warning in it to suggest that she was going to attack without reason. Turning, she quirked a questioning brow at her.
"What's an agent doing out here? I don't see any civilians around that you could inconvenience for the evening."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2025 11:17 pm
Labradorite paused when she realized the knight was in bad spirits. She almost let slip and oooh. She took her shoes off and walked in the sand, it was far easier as she came up beside the Waipoua.
"Not exactly huh?" She said with a curious tone as she walked around the knight pausing nearby the cane.
There was a chuckle as she heard the question, "Ah I wanted to see the cryptid for myself. Perhaps it'd be . . . . useful." She said drawing out the last word. "If I wanted civilians, I could go to the meteor shower or where they watch the fireflies fly."
There was a soft wink. "I do thank you for thinking of my energy quota though it's so kind."
There was another pause, "But now it's my turn, what are you doing out here i you're not looking for the crytpid?" There was a soft hm after the question her arms behind her back as she looked at the knight who was sitting there.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2025 10:21 pm
Waipoua couldn't imagine how finding a cryptid would be useful but, assuming the Negaverse's reputation for nefarious deeds was legitimate, that was probably a good thing. Considering this agent had very clearly weighed her options and chose to go after a cryptid...
She fought back a shudder at the thought of what lengths she might go to, to find the thing, she almost felt bad. Like maybe she ought to help the thing out by distracting this agent? Not that she owed the damn thing anything considering how it had just tried to drown her and all. But nothing and no one deserved to be tortured and forced into something they didn't want to do.
"Save it," she said, lifting the cane and idly swinging. Not hard, since she knew her cane was particularly sensitive, but maybe enough to kind of...put some space between them. "I wasn't thinking of you or your quota. Just..."
Glancing up, she narrowed her eyes and didn't bother to finish her sentence as she turned her attention back to the water.
"I chased a youma into the water," she said, then snorted. "It couldn't swim and wound up dusting itself, I was on my way out when something grabbed at my ankle. I just barely got out."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2025 12:42 am
Labs watched the knight as she told her to save it and went idly swinging the cane. The lieutenant shrugged softly when the other said they weren't thinking of her quota.
However the other trailed off and lead Labs to loft a brow as she gave an interested hmm when the other said they chased a youma into the water. So there was a cryptid or something in the water?
The lieutenant walked closer to the water and looked out over it. " I see."
She thought about throwing her poster out there to see if she could lure out the monster but that wouldn't work. The paper was useless. She turned back to the Waipoua and sauntered back. If she couldn't get the cryptid maybe she could steal some energy from the knight sitting here. She slowly circled in, "So did you see the cryptid or just know it grabbed you?" She asked curiously.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2025 9:02 pm
The Page relaxed some when her company moved off toward the water, watching carefully just in case she tried...anything. She had no idea what she could try, to be honest, and really no reason to think so, but there was something inherently...untrustworthy? When it came to that Chaos aura.
Though Waipoua wasn't one to trust people anyway, so that possibly made it just a little bit worse.
"Just felt it," came her reply, wondering if it was okay to stow her cane, or maybe just set it aside for now. "Which I think I prefer." Nodding toward the water, she then asked, "What about you? Curious enough to jump and see for yourself?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2025 12:06 am
Labradorite paused and tilted her head, perhaps it was more useful to gather information about the creature in the lake instead but she shrugged and eventually moving to settle herself beside the page testing to see how the page would react.
"So you just felt it hm?" She seemed interested and thoughtful trying to figure out how to get the thing to show itself enough to perhaps snag a picture of it maybe?
"And why do you prefer that?" The lieutenant asked curiously.
Then of course the page asked if she was interested in just jumping into see for herself. There was a chortle as Labradorite thought about that, "Well if I do that, I would prefer to have a second person or perhaps a water youma that would afford me the time to try and snatch a photo of the cryptid." Though she was unsure if that would work, what if it could be in more than one place at once? It seemed fairly typical of fantastical beasts and magical creatures from what she'd read and seen.
She looked back over to the page "After all, it's hard to study something you can't see so best to try and get photographic proof. That can be studied."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2025 12:28 am
She was wary of the agent settling down beside her, but seeing as nothing had happened so far, and she seemed to just...want conversation? Which was maybe weird, but harmless enough. She scooted, but only enough to make it a more comfortable distance for herself. She wasn't the biggest fan of people being in her bubble, and she liked to think that she had a sizable bubble.
"I don't scare easily, but cryptids are..."
She made a little face and an equally little gesture with her hand, as if that would sufficiently explain what was going on in her mind. "Let's just say I'm not great with unseen monsters. Youma I can handle because I've seen them and dealt with them, but cryptids..."
That was probably enough, so she cut herself off there and let the agent answer her question.
"See? You and I, on the same page with this thing. Except," she huffed, clearly amused. "You wanna study it, and I...don't want anything to do with it. But knowing what it looks like will probably help with the unease about being in the water. In a way, you know what to expect?"
Sort of. It still had the whole being able to breath and grab at people while underwater.
So maybe not.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2025 11:20 pm
Labradorite seemed to think as she looked over the water and listened to the knight speak. Cryptids could be scary if you couldn't see them that's right. But with the right equipment if you could catch pictures of them that would no longer be an issue.
"I see." The lieutenant said as she seemed thoughtful. If only she had enough control over a random youma to send them into the water. She was thinking, "Yeah knowing what to expect makes the unknown less scary. Otherwise you're sitting here guessing if the cryptid is humaniod like the monster from the black lagooon or if it's an animal like the kracken. Personally it makes it worse because I don't want some humanoid grabbing me without at least me knowing it."
Labs was getting concerned she hadn't been able to sneak into Waipoua's bubble close enough to steal some energy and was starting to think about what could cause a distraction to give her that edge she needed. It would be much easier if she could just teleport.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2025 7:31 pm
She gave a dry laugh and nodded, drawing up her knees and wrapping her arms around her legs, and then resting her chin on top of her knees. "My thoughts exactly."
Waipoua looked out again over the water, wondering briefly how many others would agree that there was just something about the unknown that made one uneasy. Granted, knowing could still be a struggle of its own kind, but there was at least something empowering about knowing what you were up against, even if you were helpless against it.
The Page settled on this thought for a long moment, eventually quieting as she got lost in it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
