[SUMMER] Jungle ~ Bittersweet Entrapment (Okeanos & Cressida

[Tartara Seabreeze]

Keen to staying with the group instead of foraging - she was more of a hunter than a gather - it was becoming increasingly obvious to her that they simply kept...walking. They weren't making camp, nor were they turning around. The female frowned and started to push her way towards the fairies leading, fully intent on voicing her confusion. Wait. She blinked as she started getting closer to the front. Weren't there...MORE fairies then this? "Hey!" The female called, trying to get their attention. 'Help me~' The demonic's head jerked to the side to get a look at the voice. Steadily approaching there was...a bubble? How did a pae get into a bubble? "What..." POP! "AHH!" Blinding white light engulfed her, forcing the female to shield her eyes. But as suddenly as it came, it went. And with it, went the ground. "W-whoa! HOLD ON!" She was in a bubble! Floating! She wasn't scared in the least bit, but obviously she had to get out. But oddly no matter how she pounded, the bubble was stronger than it let on. The wind started pushing her faster and faster in a dizzying spiral before spitting her out. Her bubble instantly plummeted, bringing her down with it. "OH SHELLFISH!!!" She cursed, right before she disappeared.

~~~~

"Ughhhnnn..." What...happened? Groggily the female opened her emerald eyes, tired and...itchy. Why was she so itchy? She sat up and instantly her jaw dropped. She had been floating, flying...and now, she was in the middle of...bugville. She slapped a mosquito dead on her arm. Bugspray had obviously worn off, leaving her covered in bites. Below her, not far at all, she watched as large creatures swam about. Not ones she was familiar with, but frightening all the same. She needed to get further away from them. It was then, suddenly something dropped in her lap. Face jerking down, she saw a...compass? Where in Gaia had THAT come from? Grabbing the thing, she carefully stood up to take stock of things. There didn't seem to be anyone else around, there were a few vines in the area, her pack managed to stay on her back...her pack? She flipped it around to scrounge inside of it, instantly finding the bugspray. Glorious bugspray! She gave herself a hearty spray over. It looked like everything else had made it through too. Time to fly out of here! With that she started flapping her wings, aiming to the sky, only...nothing happened. Absolutely nothing. She was astounded. Was this some sort of evil spell? "No matter." Cressida grumbled, turning instead to see about possibly climbing the tree whose roots she had been napping on. Instead, she saw something quite unexpected. "Hey...its YOU!" Sleeping like a babe no less.

Seiana_Zi

XD We've got shelter in a middle of a marsh! How funny

 

[Seiana_ZI]

Okeanos quickly found that he didn't like flying. Even though he did not exactly like his dependency on the water, he certainly did not like the idea of his feet not being able to touch something firmly, whether it was the water around him, the ground beneath his feet, or ... the bottom of a bubble, but at the same time, he didn't like this bubble thing at all. Even if he could touch it, it just stretched, and he was flying away in an explosion after screams...

And now he was in a marsh.

How quickly could he get himself out of here? Okeanos' immediate reaction was to peek into the water, attempting to get some view on what was around to figure out what the way out of his marsh was--some vacation this nonsense was.

Great, he couldn't see in the water, either. It was just muddy.

Though it wasn't easy to hear someone above the water when he was under the water, he was able to make out a 'you,' and so, Okeanos looked up. Eh? Who exactly was the woman talking to him? She didn't exactly look familiar, though he supposed he had seen that patterning before. She was green. Very green. And she had antennae, though her antennae seemed to be more like snakes than anything else.

"Green," observed Okeanos, with a blink. "What has gotten you here?"

There were worse people to be stuck with, he supposed. She was capable of basic reasoning at least...

[Shelter and food! I guess murky water is not good for drinking...]

Tartara Seabreeze

 

[Tartara Seabreeze]

The list of pae who she tolerated was a very short one indeed, causing her to instantly remember the male who managed to keep her for an entire conversation. A long. Irritating conversation, but a full one regardless. Now, what was his name again? Something with an O...Ocean? Onion? She blinked when his head popped back up from the water. Apparently he was done napping. "Memory says a bubble, but I could be wrong." Cressida spoke rather dryly, deciding to do another quick look around for any other pae. She had done so when first awakening, but if she missed the male she could be missing someone else. Alas, it seemed they were the only two around. "But I don't really care what got us in. I'm more concerned about what'll get us out. Don't suppose you have any idea how deep in we are." She never went into the marshland. It was filled with bugs, dangerous, and in whole offered nothing of real value to her every day life. As if to prove her point, her head jerked back at a sudden splash of the water. Nothing immediately jumped out at her as the culprit, but she had a sinking suspicion it was one of those huge monsters she caught lurking around earlier. "We...probably should try to get a little higher up first though from these roots before we start chatting." Becoming monster chow wasn't on her top ten things to do.

Seiana_zi

Mmmm...Bacteria filled stagnate swamp water. So delicious, it'll kill ya.

 

[Seiana_ZI]

Of all the places Okeanos enjoyed spending time, he did not necessarily count the marsh amoungst them. He certainly acknowledged the marsh's usefulness--this level of murky water was most definitely easy to hide things in, if he could not even see that far himself while being of a watery species--but he preferred being out near the dangerous cliff, watching the seemingly peaceful waters below...

He quirked a brow. "Smart on you to ask, but I do not have a thought about it." That was an odd way of wording the fact that he really hadn't the faintest idea of where they might have been. The only thing he did know was that they were very clearly stuck in the marshes.

Somewhere.

Okeanos most definitely wanted to exit as soon as he could, though, and unlike most people, Okeanos saw where Green would be more useful to him alive than buried within the marsh waters, especially with those new snappers she had on her head. She was like a legend, there, a monster with snakes coming out of her head to bite and snap... It would be a good, painful diversion, would it not? And then he could dive in for the unexpected strike, bringing them down to what he wished to do--

Sometimes his mind got out of hand. The awkwardly lop-sided grin on his face as he turned back around to Cressida proved this was one of those times, even if he verbally sounded focused on the task at hand.

"And how do you propose we leave the vicinity, hmm? I am not gifted with ... leathery appendages like so." With the way he gestured, he was ... probably referring to her wings.

Tartara Seabreeze

 

[Tartara Seabreeze]

Her eyebrows twitched slightly in his strange wording, but she got the gist of it regardless. They were both clueless here. Shellfish. Cressida internally cursed, irritated at the inconvenience of being stranded. "...Hm?" The fiery headed female blinked momentarily before she caught onto his gesture. With attention now on them, she gave a little stretch of the 'leathery appendages'. He certainly was on odd one. "Wouldn't do you any good." She fairly grumbled, thinking back on her failed attempt moments ago. "Somethings wrong here. I can't fly." If only I could. I'd be long gone. "My current thought was to try and climb the tree we're standing on. Survey the area we've got to work with." Now how to leave the tree was currently something she hadn't quite thought of yet. But, tackle one problem at a time.

Seiana_ZI

 

[Guardian_Iris]

If Cressida or Okeanos can make it to the opposite side of the giant tree, they will find a rope with knots about every foot leading up into the boughs.

Up in the tree is an abandoned lookout. There's a rickety floor, some railing, but not a lot. There is no cover.

There is also an aluminum boat half submerged at the bottom of the rope. The boat has a hole towards the back, but if it can be plugged, the boat will float.

Several of the dangling vines will also turn out to be marsh snakes, so they need to be careful of which ones they use.  

[Seiana_ZI]

She couldn't fly? Hm. Okeanos tilted his head, observing her. Nothing seemed to be different about her, so perhaps something was wrong with the space above? Wordlessly, Okeanos' eyes left her and flicked up to the area above, attempting to look for something that might have been blocking her from using said 'leathery appendages' properly. The sky looked fairly ... average.

It took a few moments for him to come back to the reality of their conversation, pursing his lips in thought. Getting up the tree, yes, that would be good. She had no wings, though. As someone who normally flew, was she capable of climbing? He could climb, as he did often prefer to get higher vantage points even if the air was not quite as warm and wet with each upwards movement he took.

"There is not much grip on the tree." Instead of asking her if she would be able to climb it, he observed the lack of branches from their angle. Blues locked on her eyes for a moment, before he started to move around the tree, attempting to find a place where it might be a bit easier to climb.

Since the tree was rather large, this might take a while, but Okeanos' advantages in the water, even if he could not see where he was going within the water, were giving him some mobility advantages as he walked, understanding the terrain he was in.

"You should look," advised Okeanos, simply.

Tartara Seabreeze

 

[Tartara Seabreeze]

Ah yes, easier said than done. She looked at the immense tree towering above them, giving it the first real scrutinizing. She lived in a tree with her brothers and parents, climbing trees was nothing new to her. But he was right. There weren't any real good knots for footholds. She eyed the vines that hung around them, but she wasn't certain she was that good of a climber to use them like a rope. What if she used a vine close to the trunk and pulled herself up while 'walking' up the tree? Despite herself she smiled. Nah. That could never work!

Back the vines. What if she cut a few, tied them together, and made knots in them that could be footholds? Then just throw them over a branch, tie one end down and climb the other end. She sighed. So much work. If there was an easy foothold to be had up the tree, she'd be awfully pissed if she bypassed it by doing the harder way up. Instead she opted for Okeanos' suggestion, and grabbed a vine. She gave a good, hard yank to test it before looking at the large root she wanted to get to. After a quick assessment and deciding she could make it, the female pushed off her root to swing over to the next one. A huge grin crept to her face at her home-made swing as her feet gently touched her destination and she let go. Instantly the momentum caught up. Rather ungracefully, the female windmilled her arms and flapped her wings to regain balance. "Least it worked." The demonic grumbled, recomposing herself while her antennae snapped in irritation.

Seiana_Zi

 

[Seiana_ZI]

Unluckily--or more likely luckily--Okeanos was not really looking at Cressida and missed her rather ungraceful display. His mind was on something else, taking in the sights around the tree. This was a rather large tree, and there was a lot to go around, but he had a feeling that getting a better view of their environment might help them get to a better vantage point faster.

There was a wicked grin on his face when he discovered he was correct.

There. That would do it. Carefully, Okeanos reached up to the rope, observing how coarse it was against his hands. It had probably been used before, if he had to guess, by someone who like them found themselves unable to swim through the sky. The area seemed like it could weigh down and cause that sensation in more than just the green one.

He did not immediately alert his partner of his discovery, in typical Okeanos fashion. Instead, he worked to see if he could take advantage of it himself. Without a particular care towards his safety, he leapt out of the marsh, gripping onto the rope tightly with both hands. It seemed to be of a decent enough construction that it was able to handle him.

And so he began to climb up.

It was only after a minute or so that he decided to clue Cressida in, "Green! If able, you may prefer to come around the tree!"

Tartara Seabreeze

 

[Tartara Seabreeze]

Hmmm...nothing from this angle either. Which meant yet another vine swing. Joy. With a sigh the female reached up, rather absentmindedly. HISSS! Cressida jerked her hand back as her emerald eyes flicked to what she had grabbed, just in time to see it make a lunge for her. A snake?! Brown like the vines to hide in. Due to it's smaller length though, it couldn't make the distance and snapped harmlessly half a foot from her. She felt her antennae snap right back. Perhaps she and the snake weren't so different. Just like she would've wanted, the female scooted further down the root from it to give the creature room. Then she grabbed another vine, and proceeded to swing across. This time it was much more graceful landing with hardly a stumble. Her eyebrows twitched right after as she heard Okeanos speak. "Oh really? Comin' around." With her life hanging in the balance, the demonic was much easier to work with. That, and her previous encounter with the male proved hand to hand combat would be more trouble than it was worth. Cressida looked for another vine -would be stupid to make the snake mistake twice- to make another swing across. It really was making for speedy travel, and she was almost to her destination. Her yellow hands grabbed her 'swing' and she jumped off the root.

"A rope?" Someone else had been there at their tree. The thought was unnerving. Suddenly it didn't seem like just a fluke that the two of them had arrived there. Her feet softly touched the next root and she relinquished her vine. A boat too. "Looks like we might not be alone out here." It was then that she realized he wasn't on the ground level with her. Her forehead wrinkled in a frown as her eyes followed up the rope. Imagine her surprise to see a naiad in a tree. "See anything useful up there?" At least that meant the rope was sturdy enough to climb. As soon as the male gave the all clear, she was gong to be the next one up.

Seiana_Zi

 

[Seiana_ZI]

The rope was a bit rough, and keeping a decent grip on it cut into his hands, but Okeanos didn't seem to be paying much mind to the fact his hands were a bit red if he had even noticed. Rather, he seemed determined to make his way up, knowing that this rope had to lead to something ... even if that was just another branch.

Looks like we might not be alone out here.

"Agreed," stated Okeanos, simply, jumping up dangerously to the next ball built into the rope. He ignored the warmth he felt in his feet. "Other souls that find themselves unable to escape. Perhaps they were scattered as well." After all, they were once together as a group with other Pae'il. Considering there were none within view, it was reasonable to consider the fact there may have been more elsewhere.

Okeanos didn't put much more thought into it, though, more concerned with the prize on the top of the rope. Considering the size of the tree, it did take him a little while to get up there, but considering the frays he saw, he did not give The Green One any clearance to follow him. If she wished, she could continue to swing herself upwards and upwards.

Eventually, though, he made it to the top. How he was going to get down from there was not something he was considering, instead just crawling onto the platform at the top.

Frayed.

Okeanos sat himself where the floor did not seem quite as rickety. This was not a place for a good permanent stay. He did not see a top besides the sky. Briefly, Okeanos reached up, almost looking for something hidden.

He didn't find it.

"Green, up top there is a decrepit wallless box!"

Hm, he was bleeding ... Eh.

Tartara Seabreeze

 

[Tartara Seabreeze]

Hopefully whoever left the rope and boat were friendly and ready to share, because Okeanos was all over their stuff. Though by the looks of it, we're probably alone here. She couldn't think of any other reason why a perfectly good boat would be left in the marsh, unused for any manner. A movement caught her emerald eye, just noticing a flicker of movement below the waters. Either way though, she was getting up into that tree. It simply wasn't safe in grabbing range of the creatures below. The female waited anxiously for him to give the clear, as the naiad wouldn't let her climb when he was on the rope. Though noting the wear on the rope...couldn't blame him. Was he looking out for her? Stupid. Probably just doesn't want to share if there's a really good find. Or was only keeping her alive because she'd be more use that way.

'Green, up top there is a decrepit wall-less box!' At his find she tried to strain her eyes further to see what he saw. Unfortunately, the gnarled tree's branches were too high to be grabbed but just numerous enough to obscure her vision. "How bad?" She eyed the rope again, hanging just out of reach. With a deep breath, she launched her body off the vine. Her efforts were rewarded as her fingers wrapped around the rough material, and instantly punished with a horrifying creak. The demonic let go in her fright, wings snapping out to have her harmlessly land on the next root. Unknowingly she had saved the rope from snapping. She gritted her teeth while looking at her hands, feeling them throb from the sudden burn created when her weight yanked down on the rope. Even if the rope didn't completely freak her out now, her hands would be damaged in the climb. Damaged hands could hinder her survival later. No, she would have to find a different way up. Ignoring the stinging in her palms, the female grabbed the nearest vine. These were much gentler on her hands with each vine covered with leaves. Her brow furrowed in thought, and she pushed herself off her root. Her momentum carried her forward, then brought her back again. What to do...what to do...She swung her legs out in front to meet the other root. Strange. Why am I a little higher? She allowed her body to swing back, and repeated her prior motion. To her amazement, her body went a little higher still!

Seiana_Zi

 

[Seiana_ZI]

How bad?

A fair question, Okeanos could admit. His eyes darted around the environment, taking in just how 'decrepit' it was. He was uncertain if walking too harshly along these planks would be the wisest, and without some work it would not be particularly useful as a permanent hideout. Of course, perhaps it could be if they could find some way to get this lookout covered.

Okeanos did not spend much time in the marsh as he preferred the place that he called his own out by the cliffs near the lagoon, but he did know it. And he knew that the place they were least likely to be bothered by lesser creatures was the very top of the tree, as many marshland creatures seemed to stay down low where they had the cover he wished he had right then.

He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

"Not in a pleasant condition, but it shall be useful for getting a view of the marsh!" was what he shouted back down, before letting himself move forward. Despite all of his erratic behaviors, Okeanos' steps were careful, measured to make sure that he didn't end up falling back down within the murky death waters down below full of what he knew would be unpleasant creatures even for a naiad like himself to find himself face-to-face with. Marsh lizards with open, giant mouths and rows of teeth were never a welcome sight.

Head on, anyway.

Okeanos hummed, a small skip to his step--though still steady as he went--as he explored the area up above.

Tartara Seabreeze

 

[Tartara Seabreeze]

Her ears caught his words, but she remained focus on the task at hand. Every time she swung her legs, she got a little higher. It was a phenomenon she couldn't explain. But as her back approached becoming parallel to the ground, she the climb seemed to stop. No matter how she pushed, obviously it was as far as it could go. She braced herself to swing up once more to it's height, and let go. FWOOSH! Her wings snapped out to catch the air. She could not fly - but she could glide! And glide she did, right to the lowest hanging branch. The female had decended a little, meaning her feet did not reach. But her arms certainly clamped onto the thing. With a mighty grunt the demonic pulled her body up onto it. "T...True." The green female was a little out of breath from the episode. Awake for a whole twenty minutes, and she felt like she had ran two miles with all her swinging and jumping. Is...he humming?!

She knew he was a little kooky but...it was official now. She was trapped on a tree with a crazy pae.

As she recomposed herself, the female stood to take another vine. She proceeded to carefully repeat her prior steps of swinging and gliding to move up the mighty tree.

Seiana_Zi

 

[Seiana_ZI]

Perhaps it was possible the naiad was ... actually ... having ... fun...

No, that'd be too terrifying.

The naiad was definitely teetering on the edge of the deep end, especially with the way a grin spread on his face the more he looked around. It did seem that despite the lack of upper cover, they had some things resembling long ago abandoned walls. He could work with this, and it would be wondrous.

Ah, yes, he saw an area that was his, and it would be his own; this was where he could claim it was his own... Okeanos wandered over to a small area of the lookout, pressing his hand against the only slightly damaged wall. Perfect. Now to make sure that the Green One did not intrude on where he called his own. She could freely wander around the rest of the place, though, that much would not bother him.

He ticked his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

This thing needed a better ceiling than sky...

Tartara Seabreeze