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Night had fallen, the prime time to raid. Rebar was out on a solo mission tonight, mostly looking for shiny bits and pieces. Anything that would benefit her crew and their home, an old space shuttle that didn’t make it when the Others fled Vykeli. Over time, she’d been working on it, with help, to improve on it as a home. Repurposing things left behind by the Others but also snatching things made or found by the noulicorns as well. All things Rebar thought was useful, she snagged and dragged back home. Adding on to the shuttle piece by piece, although some things took longer as they had to be just right. It isn’t all about just slapping something together, it needs to look amazing.

Usually, ideal items are found in the ruins where her shuttle and crew lived. But word had spread among the rat kind, that the nouls had found blue crystals in a strange forest and cave in the barrens. This sparked Rebar’s curiosity and she wanted to see for herself. But the heck with making a trip across the hot barrens, she’d raid noul stashes in search of one. While she was at it, maybe snag anything she found useful as well. But seeing as she was just one dire rat, she had to be reserved in her steals.

She didn’t know how many nouls had actually brought crystals home or even how many. Although it had been enough time that maybe more had brought some back. Even so, it took several tries to find a blue crystal hiding in some noul’s stash. It glinted off the noul made light from outside, the nouls were not home. Possibly off working or adventuring, Rebar needed to use caution regardless. She sniffed the air and made sure the coast was clear, then turned back to the blue crystal. Rebar wasn’t prepared for what would occur as she grabbed it in her hand paws and pulled it out.

WC: 329

Rebar’s shocked face was set a glow by the light that burst forth from the crystal. She squeaked in surprise, squeezing her eyes closed against the blinding light. From behind her eye lids, she could tell the glow had vanished and carefully she opened an eye to look around. She was no longer in the den of a noulicorn. Where was she? How’d she get there? Was it the crystal? Looking down, there was nothing in her hand paws, that’s odd. As her eyes adjusted to the deep gloom, she could see that where she was had Other handicraft written all over it.

Well, the first thing to do was investigate where she was. Rebar got to her feet and moved towards the closest wall and began to walk along it til she reached a pile of clutter. Oh lovely, boxes and boxes of goodies she can rummage through once she felt safe enough to. She continued her exploration of the room, figured it was a typically four wall Others space with a door. She saw that there was a hole in the door up above her head and out of reach. Rebar was well versed in the dwellings and mechanics of Other construction. The whole meant there was a lock and therefore a key. What were the odds she’d find it in all this chaos? Sitting up on her haunches, she rubbed her hand paws together in glee. Time to get to work.

The blue and white rat raced to the first pile of boxes and crates that she’d encountered and climbed to the top. She yanked off an old fabric cloth that was over the top, exposing the contents inside. Rebar’s eyes glittered in what little light filtered in. The goal she had set for herself was to look for the key or keys, anything key like really but also anything she could use to build a sort of ladder to reach the hole. Rebar briefly wondered if she’d be able to take anything with her, she looked at the bits and pieces in her paws. It was seriously tempting as she was sure there were items here that would be useful back at the shuttle. Probably not but she’d make a pile anyway. Rebar resumed rummaging through crate after crate, box after box. She had a pile for keeps and a pile for building with now started and both were growing. What she hadn’t found yet, were keys of any sort. This could be problematic or a minor set back.

Rebar climbed down from the stack she was currently working on and scuffled over to her piles. She smirked at her keep pile but knew she wouldn’t be able to carry everything on her own. Sad. Her head swung towards the pile of bits and pieces she figured would be useful for building some sort of ladder or stairs to reach the key hole. Rebar began puling items from the pile and sorting them into what they could be used for. Wire, rope, anything stringy really would be good for securing it all together. Old metal pipes, broken boards and anything else straight or sturdy enough to string together in hopes it’ll hold her weight. And then any other odd bits and pieces. Her eyes roamed over what she had laid out and her brain went to work formulating building plans and designs for a ladder. Simple yes but it still had to be sturdy.

Design and plans figured out, some written out in the dust, Rebar got to work laying out the pieces. She pulled the rope and wire from their pile and decided to tie it all together first and reinforce it with the wire. Who knows how long she was there for as she worked on building her ladder, piece by piece. But when it was done, she nodded her head and picked it up and dragged it over to the door. She rested it against the metal of the door and tested it carefully, working her way up. So far so good. She’d been building stuff for the majority of her life and while she did have failed projects, a ladder was novice work. It held her weight and allowed her to reach the key hole. Now to find the key or make something to fit. Rebar studied the key hole, sticking her small fingers in and seeing if there was anything special about unlocking it.

Finished with her inspection, she slid down the ladder and hopped off near the bottom. She looked through her wire scraps and small bits and bobs. Keys were flat with teeth on one side and smooth on the other. The teeth would catch bumps in the locking mechanism and unlock it. This might take a couple tries. Rebar found herself once again drawing out some designs for a key based on the pins in the lock. She had to double check a couple times, her ladder holding up nicely each time. She worked some tougher wire into different shapes, not realizing she was making her own set of lock picking tools. It took a few tries and several ladder trips to make something that would fit into the lock smoothly but also catch the pins. Now would it turn?

Click! The lock slid free and the door started to move outwards. Rebar, on her ladder, began to fall forward but she leapt free at the last moment, the loud clanging of her ladder hitting the floor echoing in her ears. Rebar had shook herself and reopened her eyes to find herself in the noulicorn’s den once more. Rebar was bummed she couldn’t bring back all her sweet finds. And the crystal? She looked down at her hand paws.

WC: 961 / 1,290