Fantasy Cursed Island

[Darkling0096]

When the click sounded in Asta's ears, he could feel another drain on his mana pool and was polymorphed back to his usual form at the size he had been when the collar turned on the first time, which was about the size of Beri pre-phoenix. The leopard was a bit smaller now, so Asta had the size advantage once again when scaled down. "She went to the bathing pools."

 

[Fangs9090]

Asta blinked and glanced at his paw as he was returned to his more natural state. He glanced over again and nodded before heading for the pools as well.

Shuffle tilted her head. “A lot of people are bathing this morning... Do we need to bathe after sleeping?”

 

[Darkling0096]

"I'll tell you when you're older," Nyah smiled stiffly, making a mental note to slap those four when she got the chance.

 

[Fangs9090]

Shuffle pouted. “One day you won’t be able to keep secrets from me....”

 

[Darkling0096]

"When that day comes, I won't have to," Adran replied.

Down at the pools, Jerry was nowhere to be seen, although Veo and Emil were enjoying a soak together. Veo was quick to cover up when the chimera appeared.

 

[Fangs9090]

Asta seemed unconcerned with Veo’s exposure. “Have either of you seen Jerry run past?”

 

[Darkling0096]

Veo jerked her head towards one of the pools, where Jerry's sheet was laying crumpled at the edge and Jerry wasn't visible.

 

[Fangs9090]

Asta dipped his head and went over to look into the water.

 

[Darkling0096]

Jerry's outline could be seen under the water, seated on the bottom. Her necklace was glowing to make sure she could breathe, providing some light on her situation.

 

[Fangs9090]

"Jerry?" Asta wasn't sure if she could hear him from there, but he tried anyway.

 

[Darkling0096]

She didn't seem to hear Asta. Water conducted sound well but sound wasn't very good at going between air and water.

 

[Fangs9090]

Asta waited a bit before taking a breath and sticking his head underwater to see if he could see what she was doing, or otherwise catch her attention.

 

[Darkling0096]

Down under the water Jerry seemed to be sitting with her head in her hands, trying to process something. The splash didn't get Jerry's attention, the flow of water from upper pools to this one created more significant shifts in water pressure without disturbing the surface, as Asta found when his mane started billowing and waving about his head.

 

[Fangs9090]

Asta considered it before pulling his head up and shaking off the water. He opted to just sit down at the edge of the pool and give her some space for the time. She had gotten onto him before for being too clingy, after all.

 

[Darkling0096]

It seemed Asta was going to be there for some time, which Veo commented on. "How long are you going to be there?", she called.

Back at the camp, breakfast was wrapping up. "Now," Joanne stood up from the table, "You lot created an enormous mess last night." She gestured to all the party debris all over the place. "I expect you to clean after yourselves. Just because this cave is underground is no excuse to leave a disaster in your wake."

 

[Fangs9090]

"Until Jerry is ready to come out." Asta paused for a moment before glancing down at himself. "I suppose I may as well get myself cleaned in the meantime."


Niudisa waved to the others. "Good luck." She turned to head back to her workstation.

 

[Darkling0096]

Veo made a noise and glanced at Emil, sinking up to her neck in the water.

------------
Niudisa had not been involved in the destruction of the campsite, so Joanne didn't say anything too her. "The rest of you, get to work."

"And what about you?"

"I clean my messes." Joanne's bunk was spotless, it almost looked like no one had ever touched that space.

 

[Fangs9090]

Emil spoke up. "Well, there are plenty of pools, so you're free to have one all to yourself. Jerry will be fine for now, I imagine."

Asta just gave a nod and got up, heading over to a different pool nearby.

----------

Shuffle nodded hopping up and going to start cleaning. She only took a couple steps though before she paused and turned back to the table. "Um... What counts as a mess, and do I need soap to clean it?"

 

[Darkling0096]

"Thank you," Veo smiled at Emil and relaxed a bit. "Do you think we should get out?" She didn't want to be present for whatever conversation or possible argument would be going down between Asta and Jerry.

---------------
"I'll take care of-", Nyah started but Joanne cut her off.

"If you do everything for her, she will never learn to take care of herself." Joanne shook here head, "Shuffle, a mess is anything that makes the area look different than it did before last night. Leave the tents and furniture alone, but everything else that is not a plant or part of the cave is part of the mess. You do not need soap."

 

[Fangs9090]

Emil nodded. “That may be best. We might have already missed breakfast.”

—————

Shuffle gave a nod and headed off again, picking up whatever she found along the way. Corona got what she could reach, namely whatever was left on tables.

 

[Darkling0096]

Veo gave a light nod and looked around to make sure no one was around before climbing out of the pool and reaching down to offer Emil a hand out as well.

------------
Adran, Beri, and Emfa went around collecting things as well. Adran lamented the loss of so many bottles that could have been saved and filled with more booze or even potions if Veo decided, but didn't speak up yet. He did decide he'd have to take stock of the alcohol they had left, an decide if he needed to figure out a way to brew on the go. If he had to go months of shenanigans down here without alcohol in some form he was going to go insane.

 

[Fangs9090]

Emil gave her a smile as he took her hand and stepped out of the water.

—————

Shuffle was thankfully unaware of how much she had enjoyed smashing bottles the night before, otherwise she would’ve tried again.

 

[Darkling0096]

While Emil and Veo dried themselves off and dressed again, having run their clothes through the washing barrel before getting in the pool. "Oh," Veo glanced down at the underwear on the table she didn't recognize, "I guess Jerry never did retrieve this." At least it was clean whenever Jerry did come to get it.

---------------------
Emil and Veo got back to camp right at the tail end of the cleaning. Except for the ashen spot where the phoenix had a critical existence failure, and some of the mess around the tents that no one could tell if it was part of someone's furniture or not, the place was just about spotless again.

 

[Fangs9090]

Emil nodded. “She did leave in a hurry.”

—————

Shuffle sat next to her pile of bottle shards and other miscellany that she’d picked up. She seemed quite pleased with her collection.

 

[Darkling0096]

"What do you have?", Nyah asked, sitting down in front of Shuffle to peek at her collection.

Bringing her axe down on a tree, which she could confirm to not be Nalla, Emfa was working on firewood, and off in a corner Beri was trying to figure out how to reactivate the fire he'd created earlier. Entering a rage state like in combat was dangerous without an equally durable opponent to keep him out of trouble, and Asta was elsewhere, so he wasn't going to try that.