[OPEN] Your Friendly Neighbourhood Utgard

[asgardmods]

Who: ANYONE going on the trip to Utgard!
What: A supplies run with one bonus a la carte spy.
When: Days 269 - 271 ( May 23 - 28 )
Where: Utgard
Rating: PG-13. Anything that might go higher than that should be taken to a private log, please!

[ Early in the morning on Day 269, several wagons will be geared up and at the ready by the Gate of Fog. The first two are more obviously intended for supplies, while the drivers of the last few will welcome Travellers to find anywhere comfortable to sit. A handful of coloured Natives from various districts will be coming along to assist in the shopping, though they're mostly content to stick to themselves in their own wagon for the duration of the trip. They won't have much to say to anyone that tries for conversation beyond simple pleasantries and a general air of gratitude.

It's a half day's drive to get to the city of Utgard, leaving the Sun just barely on its way back down by the time the caravan comes to a halt. This gives plenty of time to gather the things on the shopping list the drivers have on them. Natives will direct the Travellers to the things that are needed, such as bandages, food rations and the typical things expected for war efforts - though every now and again, very quietly, the Natives will check up on people to casually suggest that they might like to pick up a nice coat or two. Perhaps some sturdy gloves here or there, and a few portable heaters and the likes. Not overtly, not a great number. Just enough to give the general idea that there might be use of some warmer gear before long. If asked about them, the Natives won't say anything, only that it's always good to be prepared.

Day 270 will be left entirely to the Travellers' discretion. As promised, the Natives will hand everyone that helped out the day before a small pouch of seven silver runes and seven copper runes ( approximately $70 USD ) to spend on whatever they like. Remember that Utgard is a metropolitan city with higher technology levels than that of Asgard. You could buy a computer or radio here that would transmit and receive signals, but only within the boundaries of Utgard. Once it is brought back into Asgard, they will no longer function beyond having shiny dials and buttons. Travellers are welcome to keep anything left over from their allowances after they're done with their shopping.

On the morning of Day 271, the Natives will give the Travellers just a little while longer to look around while they make sure everything is packed securely and accounted for in the wagons before the caravan sets off around 10AM. There's another half day's travel ahead, and they want to be out of the woods before dark, so do try to be on time or wait for the next wagon!

Things seem to go off without a hitch, though, and the caravan will be moving right on time. The only thing that might seem a bit strange is that there is one Native that seems more interactive than the others. He might smile directly at you or ask some seemingly harmless questions, like how long you've been in Asgard for and what kinds of things you like to do during your day. He might comment how it's great that you're doing so much for them, and isn't it wonderful that we're in a time of peace? How long do you think it will last?

You can feel free to be suspicious about this "Native"'s behaviour, but as per the RNG, it will be Percival (sleeveless) that catches the spy! When it happens, the caravan will come to a halt and one of Heimdall's Natives will welcome Percival and a few others to come sit and guard the spy in one of the emptier wagons where none of the actual Natives will be at all inclined to give anything away, even by mistake. The mods will try to handle a couple threads for him. He won't have much to say after being caught, though, half because there will likely be several threads for him that we will have to devote time to and have because spies are such sour things when they get caught. :( No harm is to come to the spy or anyone else until Percival has had a chance to put up an open post on the network to discuss what to do with the spy. ]

[ OOC NOTES: This is the mingle log for the Your Friendly Neighbourhood Utgard plot! Please put the day/location in the title of your comment, along with [OPEN/CLOSED]. Also, if you haven't already, please check out the poll regarding how to handle Thiazi's spy over here.

edit: The IC network post regarding the spy is up over here! Let us know if you have any questions! ]

Comments

Open, all days, sorry these are all lame set-ups :(

[wasthemaster]

[The decision to join the caravan to Utgard was a last-minute one, but considering the fact that many of his acquaintances were going, Draco decided to join them. It wasn't as if Utgard was new to him, but it also wasn't as if he had anything better to do. Growing up as a rich kid meant shopping and trips all the time. This was just a different agenda.]

D269

[For the most part during the actual journey, Draco had kept to himself. Some may be surprised to see he is wearing headphones and is hunched over a notebook, but others might not be that surprised.

By the time they arrive in the city, he's going to make quick work to grab what the Natives suggested, crossing things off of his list and trying not to think too much about why winter wear would be required when it's nearly summer. Still, he reckons the faster he can finish, the more time he could have for himself.]

D270

[City life. Shopping. Things Draco was used to. Anyone else out and about will find him examining merchandise and purchasing things to take back to Asgard. He seems to be mostly hung up on various pieces of technology he's not used to, such as computers and the like. He's not in a huge hurry though, so he's more likely to chat with everyone else and be a nosy prat, judge people on their own purchases. You know, Malfoy-things.]

D271

[This day is much like their first traveling day, except he's more open to chatting with people. The headphones are tucked away, as is the notebook. He'll be rummaging through his purchases to make sure everything was safe and sound. However, he'll be suspiciously watching the over-active Native, possibly talking to his fellow travelers to see if they find his behavior just as suspicious.]

i'm sorry about ANOTHER THREAD

[nukeoleptic]

[ It's day 269 and near the end of the trip when Jade hops caravans during one of the brief breaks. She's tired from the journey and visibly a little cranky when she drops down next to him, leaning against his side and trying to sneak a peek of whatever he's scrawling in his notebook. ]

never apologize ever

[wasthemaster]

[Oh well hello there Jade. The page he's working on appears to be a giant-ass monologue. Too bad he's going to just casuuually flip the page and start writing out something else. A list. A boring shopping list. However he shifts his body a bit to let her lean against him as he continues to work.]

Tired, cranky or affectionate?

[nukeoleptic]

[ She doesn't seem too bothered by that- so she's distracted, clearly, just distantly watching him jot down the list. ]

I think Davesprite's upset with me again. Or just- upset. Or depressed. Or something, I don't know how to fix it. [ 'How to fix him.' ]

[wasthemaster]

Who says that you're the one who has to fix it?

[nukeoleptic]

Somebody has to.

[wasthemaster]

Okay. Why?

Day 269

[seethelanterns]

[Of course Rapunzel is curious and wanting to explore as much as she can, so naturally she is coming along to Utgard and offering to help with the shopping. She's not really thinking too much on the supplies and suggestions of things more suited for winter, more sheltered as she had been back home and just assuming it was better to do as they suggested and be prepared all the same.

She's more or less finished by the time she catches up with Draco.]

Draco? You came too! Have you been here before?

Day 269

[wasthemaster]

That I did. [Upon spotting Rapunzel approaching him, he'll look up with a semi-charming grin. Her enthusiasm never gets dull, though he can't help but wonder if she really understands why they're here. Granted, he doesn't exactly understand either.]

To Utgard? Once or twice, but never for anything like this. I assume this is your first time in this city?

[seethelanterns]

[Rapunzel returns the smile, ever eager and infectiously enthusiastic about something even as simple as shopping. Which she hasn't really done much of, even back home, given she spent all of two days out of her tower, so that probably wasn't too surprising.]

Oh, you have? This is my first time here. I hope we get more trips like this to see other places as well!

[Because exploring is fun. Just hopefully not for the cause of fighting that they get to travel more. Pascal at her shoulder looks about done with the day after the long trip here and all Rapunzel's walking and bounding around to get supplies, her hair braided to keep it out of the way.]

[wasthemaster]

There are always ways back to this city, Rapunzel. Jade comes sometimes, and I come often enough to pick up supplies for the apothecary. [He bends down a bit to shoulder-level to examine Pascal, giving him a slightly amused look. He can only imagine the day the chameleon's had.] Enjoying yourself then?

[seethelanterns]

Really? So we can come back? Maybe next time I can come and help you get your potions stuff? [Because that does sound fun, the idea of getting a better look around when they didn't have quite this much of a shopping list to get done at least.]

I have been! I think Pascal is pretty tired though. He's about ready to head back. [Which is hardly surprising. It's a pretty busy day in comparison to most he has with Rapunzel, barring their couple of days of freedom back home on the way to and back from Corona.]

[wasthemaster]

I don't see why not. [Other than the fact his girlfriend already has an inferiority complex regarding Rapunzel, but who needs to disclose that anyway? Either way that's definitely something that could be done. Leave Euri to run shop and bring Rapunzel along. Plus he's tutoring her, isn't he? Field trips are part of school...at least that's what he'll tell himself.]

I'm surprised he's hung on as long as he has. I think Jade's been dragging Bec around the city though, too, but dogs fare a bit better than lizards.

270

[hollowchild]

[sophie's not comfortable with the city. not at all. it's too close, there are too many people, too many things all vying for her attention at once, too many streets and alleys and blind corners for her to feel like she knows how to escape. but she hates giving into her fear, so she's out in it anyway, staying close to connor and dividing her time between seeing what utgard has to offer and looking for familiar faces. that's probably how she comes to sidle up next to him, unobtrusive and silent in the noise of the city until she's pretty much looking around his shoulder at whatever he's looking at]

What's that?

[wasthemaster]

[Hello there Sophie. Draco doesn't seem the slightest bit surprised that she appears next to him, simply shrugging and moving a bit to show her the device he's examining.]

Believe they call it a "tablet" though I've no idea why. It's just a small little thing like a computer, and I hardly understand those either.

[hollowchild]

[excellent, because she wasn't intending to surprise him]

A tablet? Well, I suppose it looks a bit like one, shape-wise, except generally they're rock or clay, with writing on them. What's a computer?

[wasthemaster]

[He motions for her to follow him to another display where there are desktops and laptops galore.] This is a computer. Jade has a few at our apartment but they aren't connected to much of anything like these are. It's just a fancy machine that holds a lot of information. Have you heard of the Internet? Computers use it for all sorts of things.

[hollowchild]

Oh, it looks like the bracelets. But an actual machine.

[she figures out the mouse after she knocks it with her elbow when touching the screen doesn't work, then clicks it around absently until she accidentally finds solitaire]

People have mentioned it, but mostly in the context of Asgard not having one. Utgard seems to have a lot more...machines in general. Smells different, too.

[wasthemaster]

Precisely. From what I understand, Utgard is a bit more advanced than our own dear Asgard...technology and networks work here. I assume it has something to do with the gods controlling everything.

DAY 270

[lethechained]

[It seems someone has wandered up behind him as he's examining one of those fancy gadgets, quiet but not with any actual sort of effort put into it. It's not sneaking so much as it is a casual sort of subtlety, and it's a moment or two before someone - a girl, and probably a familiar one, at that - says,]

It's fascinating, isn't it? How many different things there are.

[wasthemaster]

[He turns his head a fraction to see who's behind him, grinning slightly when he realizes it is indeed someone familiar.]

Fascinating is one word for it, yes. I have to wonder why so many of these things aren't available in Asgard. [Give him a second to push a button on one of the gadgets, a tad startled when it begins playing music. Now how the hell does one shut it off.] I didn't realize you came along, Naminé. Enjoying yourself?

[lethechained]

[Her eyes are unabashedly turned his way, the smile on her lips small at first, then a little wider when he turns.]

Maybe they just prefer to do things their way. [The gods, she means, surely. Her eyes flit toward the device with a curious blink when it starts to make noise, lingering there for a few moments. Beats her how to turn it off, but she could probably figure it out if given a moment.] But it might be nice, I think, if it weren't that way. [She's sure plenty of people would appreciate it - possibly herself included, but then, she's never had much time to find out whether she cares for things like that. His words are sufficient to distract her from the device again, her tilted head straightening as her smile does the opposite and curves further.] Very much. It's... a very different sort of place, here. Overwhelming sometimes, but-- exciting. And there are so many new things to see. [As he's well aware, she's sure.] What about you? Find anything else interesting?

[wasthemaster]

I don't think there's a "maybe" in that sentence. [He doesn't think much of the gods, but he's also a little more focused on pushing buttons to shut off the device. It's not going that well.]

This isn't the first time I've been here, but I keep discovering new things. It's almost as though Utgard's inventory continually grows when we're not looking. [But that answer pleases him enough. Everyone should be able to see exciting things.] I keep finding new things, but not anything necessarily helpful.

[lethechained]

small>[Her laugh is quiet, but decidedly present.] I suppose not. [She may be a bit quieter about it, but she can't exactly put her faith in the gods, either. After watching him struggle with it for a moment, she moves over to take a look, herself, peering at the device more closely.]

That's one of the best parts, I think. There's always something else to find. [A good sort of adventure, as far as she's concerned.] Even if it's not always going to be of any use to you. Sometimes it's just what the doctor ordered, anyway. [Being silly and exploring and finding things you'd have no reason to purchase ever, she means.]

[wasthemaster]

That's a great way to put it. [He backs off of the machine, leaving it for Naminé to see if she can figure it out.] This isn't your first time in the city, is it?