usir | [open] don't you want to come with me?

[open] don't you want to come with me?

Character(s): anyone who wants to go poke some bones
Status: Open
Location(s): Epithymetikon's fall
Date(s) heading out on the 13th. however, the time at the skeleton can be as long or as short as people want.
About: What's up with that skeleton anyway? Time for everyone to find out.
Warnings: creepy magic nonsense

As the party approaches the skeleton, it becomes apparent as to why there are cursed rumors. No animals can be found near the skeleton: horses and animases both start to get a little uneasy and skittish the longer they remain near the skeleton. The dragon's great mouth is held open, as if by magic. At the back of the dragon's rib cage lies a shrine, the contents of which are magically preserved. All in all, it's a very creepy sight.

Still, the exploration party came here for a reason. Might as well get some magical analysis in before the behavior of the horses and animases force people to turn back.

( ooc: Feel free to make your own starter and tag around! Here is information about the gravesite itself as well as some ""fun"" things that might happen, should your character use some magic + be the dingus who decides to do necromancy. Feel free to have your character notice any/all of these in their explorations. )

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In comparison, Strange isn't at all surprised that he's getting along with Alucard...mostly because this has happened before. He remembers university, where even though he personally disliked some of the staff, he delighted in exploring theory, talking shop, bouncing ideas off of the other. It's the same here. Alucard is an ass. But he's got a brain, so Strange can tolerate his personality as long as he proves useful and they stick to the theorizing.

"Any sort of parting the sea to access the skeleton would be noticed by those on shore. I'm certain there's magic somewhere to let someone breathe underwater, though I've no idea how it would actually work. There are merfolk, but I've only heard stories about them."

Strange trails off, putting a hand to his chin in thought as he mulls over the options.

"That also doesn't account for how the seas impact a body and the weathering of bones," the dhampir points out. Just to be helpful in pondering this. "It's likely that there's no living things around the bones, just like it is here, but does that extend to sea life like coral and seaweed?" It's the first of so many questions. "The salinity of the water will also do quite a bit, I imagine."

Merfolk may well have their own stories about the dragon too. "They'd be interesting sources, but finding spellwork for an underwater expedition would doubtlessly be easier. Mind, knowing the depth of the water around the skeleton would help too."

No one wants to be the person who discovers and dies of the bends. Alucard folds his arms, and his fingers drum against his upper arm.

"There's too many options to consider in such a case, and it all requires overcoming the obvious element."

"Though there might be too many options, I still want to see if it's possible." Strange has very obviously been bit by the exploration bug. There's so much to discover, so many options, so many things he wants to learn about Logistykon's skeleton that he doesn't really care about things like 'the depth of the water' and 'the salinity of the water.'

"I suppose this means I need to start researching for a way to breathe underwater. I don't want my studies to end here."

Though how the hell would he start crafting that spell in the first place?

"You're doubtlessly not the first person to perform such research," Alucuard points out. This, in his estimation, is when you actually ought to lean on old contacts. Access to collections in universities reserved for faculty and students only. Strange is likely to get the hint, so he doesn't dare elaborate on what is an obvious point.

He's trying to get the sketch of the shrine as quickly as possible. Being so deep within the bones of a dragon is starting to add a touch of nerves that he does not care for, but accuracy, that's still more important than anything else. He has most of it done, that's the blessing.

"The one that's up in the mountains, I presume, will be something you will be waiting to explore until the winter is past?"

Strange does get the hint. He'll most likely be looking for information about the dragons first. But how to breathe underwater will be option number two.

He also starts sketching the shrine. In comparison to Alucard's, Strange sketch isn't as detailed and focused as his sketches of the runes are: it's very loose, with little notes saying what something is to help hide the fact that his drawings are that rough.

"I will. It'll be easier to make the trek up there once summer's hit. You're welcome to join, of course. I suspect you're as interested as I am."

"The wear and tear of winter freezes is worth observing," he says. So yes, he's interested. No matter where the rest of the world goes, the promise of something archaeological to look forward to will help. "Highest summer would be best, and it means more time to acquire the appropriate equipment, as well as safer nights with no risk of a freeze."

The equipment thing? That's not a knock on Strange, but on Alucard himself. He has never felt so underprepared for this kind of work in his life, and while it might not show, he feels it keenly. Really, a stick to measure and not much else? Embarrassing.

"At any rate," Alucard continues, eyes going down to the page to ensure that he's satisfied with the sketch in his hand. "This is a good first study. Certainly enough data to work from."

Strange isn't taking the equipment thing as a knock...mostly because he also knows that he needs better equipment. Granted, he needs an actual job first, but he'll take this one step at a time. Sketchbooks and taking notes can only go so far.

"It's enough data for me as well," Strange nods, as he finishes his quick, slightly sloppy, sketch of the altar. "I'll probably go back to Didymos to start my research, but I suspect I'll start it within a week or so."

He closes the notebook and idly puts his pencil behind his ear before giving Alucard a wry little smile. "Of course, we could always split the list with regards to the appropriate equipment. You grab the brushes and the picks, I'll grab the trowels and the probes."

"I'm particular about equipment, you'll save yourself twenty critiques if you permit me to do the whole of the acquistion."

Save yourself that nightmare, Strange. There are better things to fight about than brushes and trowels.

Alucard takes a few more moments to finish up, and when he does finish, he holds the work up in the low light. His own ability is more draftsman like, and while it isn't a fully technical drawing what he has, it is a rather good rendition of what's in front of them. He's satisfied, and so Alucard finally rises to his feet.

"There's business I need to attend to in Krimnos and I expect to be there for a time."

The less work for him, the better! He gives Alucard a little nod, happily giving in to letting the dhampir be the one to buy all the tools.

Going back to Krimnos...out of all the cities, that's the one that Strange has explored the least. Idly, he wonders what that place is like before he forces himself back on topic. "Thank the gods for the couriers then," Strange continues, tapping the side of a messenger bag where his courier currently sits. "They're odd little things but damn useful for keeping in touch."

And they mean that even when Alucard is in Krimnos, Strange can continue to bug him and inevitably argue about any new discoveries made.

To the surprise of no one in the future, they will probably be very expensive and come with a smug aura of how he found the ideal equipment, look how accurate this allows you to be, and all the other things that make him insufferable. It's something he can hide quickly in his old job, fussing about how these things matter to do good work, but it's really just being an asshole in a new and exciting way.

"I may not respond immediately, depending."

Which is as much of a heads up for Strange as permission for Alucard himself to ignore the world for a few hours or days if he needs to process whatever happens next. He doesn't know the half of it, who predicts a giant pit with a dragon in it, but Alucard can make a few confident guesses about how wild the world is.

"Which is not personal to you," he then clarifies. "The business is simply taxing."

And dealing with Strange requires an awful lot of patience, which is personal.

"Understandable," Strange says, with a little nod. "I'll wait a little before continuing to badger you." Would ten minutes be good? Hopefully so! Strange thinks that ten minutes might be an acceptable time to contact someone again after contacting them the first time.

Needless to say, patience isn't one of his virtues.

"If the academics of this time are anything like the ones in ours, I doubt I'd be able to talk to you in the library to begin with." There's a wry smile on his face as he talks. What's the use of being in a profession if you can't shade it or make fun of it from time to time?

Alucard has several doubts about that, but he likes to imagine that he himself is wise enough to know better than to respond to spam communications -- especially after a lot of emotions. (This, in fact, has a 50-50 chance of happening and depends entirely on Ellis hiding the communicator for an appropriate amount of time.)

"Most likely not," he agrees. "Unless there are new visitor policies, which would be a very nice and useful change. Something like paying a fee for library access, either on a monthly or yearly basis."

He knows he won't be so lucky, and that means the work must be split up.

Oh. Shit. Fees might happen. Strange's expression goes from light and teasing to something a little worried as Alucard mentions the idea of monthly or yearly fees.

"If that happens, I'll need to find a stable job. At the moment, I've just been taking odd jobs here and there to get by." Which has been working well enough for food, board, and supplies, but wouldn't work well for regular monthly fees or anything that wasn't basic hand to mouth existance.

"It isn't as if stability is easy to come by at the moment."

It's an inelegant way to say same. Alucard knows that the concept will be impossible for a long while more, and he cannot say that it is a fact he cares for. A home city, that is the first thing that can be focused on. His family's estate is too far from the center of Krimnos, and so that means setting up within those borders first.

"That, I imagine, is part of the curse of these new natures of ours."

It's refreshing to hear that even though their circumstances are far from similar, they can at least both bond over archaeology, the pursuit of knowledge, and the current lack of holding down a damn job.

"You'd think whoever revived us would pay more attention to things like that," Strange complains, making a little hmmph noise as he does so. "Frankly, it's irresponsible to bring us all back and set us loose on the world like this."

And this is coming from someone who's super irresponsible to begin with! Strange is well aware that if he thinks something is irresponsible, it must be hilariously irresponsible.

"That's what I've been saying."

What Alucard has really been saying is that he hates being back from the dead and wants whoever is responsible to go right to Hell, but there's been the note of this is also very irresponsible in there. Somewhere. Hidden under the far more obvious anger.

He's done here, as far as the work of drawing the alter and all it's offerings go. Alucard is careful as he begins to exit, the rib bones suddenly feeling as if the gaps between them are thinner. Harder to fit through. (They aren't, of course, it's just a trick of the light.)

Really? That's what he's been saying? Because all Strange has been hearing is 'blah blah I'm grumpy, blah blah we shouldn't have been brought back from the dead, blah blah necromancy sucks.' He gives Alucard a quizzical look before joining him as they start to exit.

That being said, about halfway through their exit, Strange gets distracted (surprising no one) as his eyes catch one of the runes via a glimpse of the light. "You go ahead," he says, with a slightly dismissive hand gesture. "I want to quickly copy this one."

Strange's quizzical look is met with a scowl, but it fades when a new distraction grabs Strange's attention.

"By all means."

Alucard's content to declare the first part of his own work done for now. There will be an hour or so to look at all the information copied down, to ruminate on it in full, and then let all theories and concepts flow forth. Strange can have his runes and time alone with the bones now.

"Yell for me if you find anything of note," Strange calls out, as he starts to ignore Alucard and focus on the task at hand. There's things of interest to piece out, after all.

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[open] don't you want to come with me?

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and thus, strange spams the hell out of poor alucard's inbox

NEW D20 WHO THIS

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good to wrap it up here?