[ they take a while to answer that, thinking hard about it. there's a tight draw of their temples before gently pulling hand away from doggo. you're a good boy kosmo. they watch him for a beat longer. good boy.... before turning back to look at keith. ]
Long stretches of it... yes. I'm more used to it.
[ a nod at keith, maybe with a little tug of a smile. ]
Come, there'll be plenty to explore. Perhaps you can take something back with you.
You become used to it. Let's see what we find - maybe we'll get lucky.
[ tosses keith a bag just in case then though, catch! we shall be off, io will lead the fairly steady way through the snow towards what looks to be the start of denser woods, thicker brush. they'll use their height and some of their strength to push aside a path for them to enter further...
the woods themselves darken upon entry, their needles emerald and gem-like. ]
There's a plant with strong analgesic properties... a painkiller somewhere here... they say it grows at the base of some of the older trees deeper in the woods. I'd like to collect some in particular...
[ keith doesn't know shit and fck when it comes to this kinda thing, so he is going to follow io's lead every step of the way.
bag in hand and kosmo in tow, he does his best to keep up, stepping in the tracks they leave. ]
I see. Which is something everyone here could use, even you guys. [ he has perceived things. his eyes are open now. ya'll a lil mcfcked up, huh. ] Did you collect samples back on Strihira too?
[ i mean u right, they all are a little mcfucked up ummmm oopsie? they have no idea what you saw though, only i know. the mod. they tip their head a moment in consideration. ]
A little bit. Went with Thebe to the swamp after you'd all finished your work there, but there wasn't much.
[ they make a good snow plow... tall... they'll part the brush and lead the way through the entry to the forest. holds snowy branch out of way for... ]
But... yes. I think it'll prove useful this week. I think the chill is a bit tough on some. [ the woods are pretty quiet, and dimly lit, but some pinecone-shaped things are dangling from the trees, luminescent in soft blues but some with a little bit of pink around the edges. ]
For many reasons, I'm sure. [ if it wasn't for his space travel, he'd be dying from the cold right now. it's the little things...
when the trees come into view, keith can't help but stop and admire how the pinecone things glow. kosmo also appears to be fascinated by them, going right up to a tree so he can stand directly under them. ]
Think these could be of any use? Looks like a good variety too.
Some of us have more sensitive wetware than others...
[ heading over to that tree that keith and kosmo are examining and having a look. they tilt their head a moment, reaching to pull two fingers of their glove back, and brushing one of the pink edges carefully with a tough that maybe doesn't suit how Big io is. immediately the pink edges seem to blossom, draping down like thin feathery extensions. they curl outwards, then curl around the touch, trying to find Warmth. ]
Huh. [ a flick of the i.r.i.s. upwards in a spread of dark bronze with their free hand. they do not seem to mind holding hands with... a weird plant? ] Don't see why we can't take a few back... looks like the seeds inside could be useful.
keith watches them hold hands with this plant, a small smile on his face as he does so. a gentle giant⦠makes him think of hunk, soft⦠he is fond. ]
Careful it doesnβt pull you into the tree, you might become a part of it. [ he is joking, mostly. you can never be too sure with alien plants, they could turn monstrous any second.
meanwhile, kosmo is trying to jump up and bite at the plant. it curls downward, just as it did with io, except it appears to thwack kosmo in the nose. help. ] Alright, buddy, leave the plant alone.
[ no we cannot cease our mcfuckedupedness. learn more here [insert link].
imagine i said that's exactly what happens? but it's not thankfully, they just pull their hand away, leaving the little plant in a sad droop before it curls back into the pinker edges of the plant. ]
I think we're safe, for now. [ a chuckle while watching kosmo get thwacked by a plant. at the neat space wolf who probably doesn't understand them ] ...Easy now, you're a little too excited for them, I think.
[ but we shall collect some. here is an i'm-not-explaining-what-it-looks-like specimen jar that io uses to gently cup one of them. they trail fingers carefully over where the base of it is attached to the bough and gently coax it loose, leaving behind what looks like a small, blue, luminescent bulb. one weird pinecone specimen... nice. ]
... There. So it will grow anew. [ offering the jar over now to keith. there's space for another. ] Want to give it a try?
safe, so long as you're not an over eager space wolf named kosmo. pets his head. ]
You must do a lot of this kind of thing back home. [ he takes the jar and just kinda looks at it, then looks at the plant, than to io. ] I make no promises, on how this will go.
[ he'll try anything once. and as long as he copies what io just did, it should be fine... right?
he gently holds the plant, following the same movements he just saw, the feather like plant reaching out and wrapping around his hand. it's strange and he kind of flinches, which causes the plant to recede... shy. ] C'mon...
[ gentle coaxing and kind words... he encourages it, it's silly. but he manages to jar it! yippee!! releases the breath he'd been holding. oof. ]
[ if it wasn't so damn cold, he'd be sweating, because that was hard! he does look at the branch, eyes kind of sparkling, little stars twinkling. okay that is pretty cool... he can't deny that. ]
Do you make a lot of your own medicines? [ home. here. both.
kosmo gives the evil plants a glare. the plants stare back, somehow. ]
[ the plant stares back and secretly tells kosmo to keep movin' or it'll bap his nose again! (no)
but io does lift a hand to gesture - let's go. the snow is thick here, but there's more to be seen, though it'll take some more walking. they'll slowly cleave a path with their steps further in. though as dim as it is, there is still luminescence leaning in from all kinds of angles. as they continue onwards, the trees seem to get larger, thicker with age. ]
Mmm. Yes. The medical bay carries most medicines... but I think it's important to know precisely what you put into these sorts of things.
[ picking up a dead-branch and hefting it a moment in their grip before giving it a long huck forward. YEET. outta the way. kosmo go have some fun. ]
[ io YEETS the stick and kosmo is gone. he hops through the snow, unable to traverse the snowy terrain as well at this size, not that he seems to mind. having the time of his life. ]
You really fit the title of Chief Medical Officer, that's for sure. [ compliments this cow and offers a smile to enforce it. ] We're all really lucky to have you here. [ they'd all be dead otherwise. (people are dying.) ]
Sounds like you were a doctor back home or something.
[ keith squints to see kosmo in the distance, his blue standing out amongst the stark snowy white. there he go, rolling around. ]
[ moving along now, though kind of keeping their eyes closer to the ground, along the roots of the trees. one of them, as they walk, seems to have a slight glow at its roots, just beneath the snow. meanwhile there goes kosmo, io watches him briefly just to make sure he doesn't go too far. ]
Wore a couple other hats while I was at it. And... don't count yourselves so lucky yet. If we can't figure out what the hell's happening on board...
Oh right, your profile... [ keith suddenly remembering these things and feeling dumb for asking questions he has the answers to. it's fine. small talk...
goodbye kosmo.
ah. keith catches that, watching them for a moment. ]
We will. [ said evenly, keith walking up alongside them and patting them on the shoulder. ] Just gotta take one day at a time. [ flashes them a soft smile, something meant to be reassuring and grounding. ]
Looks like we may have found what you were looking for. [ gives io's shoulder a squeeze, before kneeling down and brushing the snow aside. ]
[ they chuckle a bit briefly, though its cut short when the pat on the shoulder happens. not badly, just more of a moment to catch up on what is happening. ]
The only way we can really.
[ watching keith brush the snow away, they pause, before a small 'aha' leaves them. they'll help a little bit, and beneath. they take a moment, bringing up their i.r.i.s. to check a few images before nodding quickly and dismissing the screen. ]
A good eye, Keith... [ brushing more snow away to reveal what looks to be soft-looking fluffy fungi clinging to the roots. its network runs with soft speckles of light, similar to static discharge that gently slide through it from cap to cap. ] We'll leave some behind. I don't want to take all of them. Just enough to make it by this week...
Might be able to grow some of your own, if you can get some of those spores.
[ waves hand in plants and how they work, idfk. and he probably only knows from listening to hunk and pidge. ]
There's got to be a greenhouse somewhere on the ship and if not, better put a work order in for one. [ this is a half-joke. he think it'd be neat if they could have one... ya never know what you might need! ]
[ very gently digging, they pull their gloves off and pocket them, reaching down to gently touch the roots of the tree, angling their head a little, lifting just a bit of the caps to see what's beneath. ]
But I believe it's still locked behind a gate or two. We have to move through service passages throughout the ship to get there.
no subject
kosmo happily accepts this and sniffs them! ]
Looking to create some kind of medicine with the local flora?
[ adventure!! he will follow after them, kosmo in tow. ]
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Thebe studies samples found on all planets, but they asked if I could retrieve the ones from on planet today.
Bit too cold for them.
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They must not be too used to the cold and snow, then. Good thing they have you.
[ so many people are cold haters and thats pretty funny to him. heβs not the biggest fan himself, but he can at least manage. ]
Used to this kind of weather?
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Long stretches of it... yes. I'm more used to it.
[ a nod at keith, maybe with a little tug of a smile. ]
Come, there'll be plenty to explore. Perhaps you can take something back with you.
no subject
Long winters... I couldn't imagine dealing with cold for that long. [ not counting space cold and other planet cold ]
I'll follow your lead. Wouldn't mind something as a souvenir, I can help bring things back for Thebe too, if you want.
[ the more hands the better. just bring them back bags and bags of local plants. ]
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You become used to it. Let's see what we find - maybe we'll get lucky.
[ tosses keith a bag just in case then though, catch! we shall be off, io will lead the fairly steady way through the snow towards what looks to be the start of denser woods, thicker brush. they'll use their height and some of their strength to push aside a path for them to enter further...
the woods themselves darken upon entry, their needles emerald and gem-like. ]
There's a plant with strong analgesic properties... a painkiller somewhere here... they say it grows at the base of some of the older trees deeper in the woods. I'd like to collect some in particular...
no subject
bag in hand and kosmo in tow, he does his best to keep up, stepping in the tracks they leave. ]
I see. Which is something everyone here could use, even you guys. [ he has perceived things. his eyes are open now. ya'll a lil mcfcked up, huh. ] Did you collect samples back on Strihira too?
no subject
A little bit. Went with Thebe to the swamp after you'd all finished your work there, but there wasn't much.
[ they make a good snow plow... tall... they'll part the brush and lead the way through the entry to the forest. holds snowy branch out of way for... ]
But... yes. I think it'll prove useful this week. I think the chill is a bit tough on some. [ the woods are pretty quiet, and dimly lit, but some pinecone-shaped things are dangling from the trees, luminescent in soft blues but some with a little bit of pink around the edges. ]
no subject
a nod to that and again in thanks. ]
For many reasons, I'm sure. [ if it wasn't for his space travel, he'd be dying from the cold right now. it's the little things...
when the trees come into view, keith can't help but stop and admire how the pinecone things glow. kosmo also appears to be fascinated by them, going right up to a tree so he can stand directly under them. ]
Think these could be of any use? Looks like a good variety too.
no subject
[ heading over to that tree that keith and kosmo are examining and having a look. they tilt their head a moment, reaching to pull two fingers of their glove back, and brushing one of the pink edges carefully with a tough that maybe doesn't suit how Big io is. immediately the pink edges seem to blossom, draping down like thin feathery extensions. they curl outwards, then curl around the touch, trying to find Warmth. ]
Huh. [ a flick of the i.r.i.s. upwards in a spread of dark bronze with their free hand. they do not seem to mind holding hands with... a weird plant? ] Don't see why we can't take a few back... looks like the seeds inside could be useful.
no subject
[ can yall stop being mcfcked up oh my god.
keith watches them hold hands with this plant, a small smile on his face as he does so. a gentle giant⦠makes him think of hunk, soft⦠he is fond. ]
Careful it doesnβt pull you into the tree, you might become a part of it. [ he is joking, mostly. you can never be too sure with alien plants, they could turn monstrous any second.
meanwhile, kosmo is trying to jump up and bite at the plant. it curls downward, just as it did with io, except it appears to thwack kosmo in the nose. help. ] Alright, buddy, leave the plant alone.
no subject
imagine i said that's exactly what happens? but it's not thankfully, they just pull their hand away, leaving the little plant in a sad droop before it curls back into the pinker edges of the plant. ]
I think we're safe, for now. [ a chuckle while watching kosmo get thwacked by a plant. at the neat space wolf who probably doesn't understand them ] ...Easy now, you're a little too excited for them, I think.
[ but we shall collect some. here is an i'm-not-explaining-what-it-looks-like specimen jar that io uses to gently cup one of them. they trail fingers carefully over where the base of it is attached to the bough and gently coax it loose, leaving behind what looks like a small, blue, luminescent bulb. one weird pinecone specimen... nice. ]
... There. So it will grow anew. [ offering the jar over now to keith. there's space for another. ] Want to give it a try?
no subject
safe, so long as you're not an over eager space wolf named kosmo. pets his head. ]
You must do a lot of this kind of thing back home. [ he takes the jar and just kinda looks at it, then looks at the plant, than to io. ] I make no promises, on how this will go.
[ he'll try anything once. and as long as he copies what io just did, it should be fine... right?
he gently holds the plant, following the same movements he just saw, the feather like plant reaching out and wrapping around his hand. it's strange and he kind of flinches, which causes the plant to recede... shy. ] C'mon...
[ gentle coaxing and kind words... he encourages it, it's silly. but he manages to jar it! yippee!! releases the breath he'd been holding. oof. ]
You made that look waaaay too easy.
no subject
[ they point to show on the branch. see? yippee! they're so proud! their dumb tail swishes kind of lazily behind them. yay... ]
Had a lot of practice... plants, things of the earth.
[ closing the jar carefully and setting it inside their pack. ]
no subject
Do you make a lot of your own medicines? [ home. here. both.
kosmo gives the evil plants a glare. the plants stare back, somehow. ]
no subject
but io does lift a hand to gesture - let's go. the snow is thick here, but there's more to be seen, though it'll take some more walking. they'll slowly cleave a path with their steps further in. though as dim as it is, there is still luminescence leaning in from all kinds of angles. as they continue onwards, the trees seem to get larger, thicker with age. ]
Mmm. Yes. The medical bay carries most medicines... but I think it's important to know precisely what you put into these sorts of things.
[ picking up a dead-branch and hefting it a moment in their grip before giving it a long huck forward. YEET. outta the way. kosmo go have some fun. ]
no subject
You really fit the title of Chief Medical Officer, that's for sure. [ compliments this cow and offers a smile to enforce it. ] We're all really lucky to have you here. [ they'd all be dead otherwise. (people are dying.) ]
Sounds like you were a doctor back home or something.
[ keith squints to see kosmo in the distance, his blue standing out amongst the stark snowy white. there he go, rolling around. ]
no subject
[ moving along now, though kind of keeping their eyes closer to the ground, along the roots of the trees. one of them, as they walk, seems to have a slight glow at its roots, just beneath the snow. meanwhile there goes kosmo, io watches him briefly just to make sure he doesn't go too far. ]
Wore a couple other hats while I was at it. And... don't count yourselves so lucky yet. If we can't figure out what the hell's happening on board...
[ they trail off tightly. ]
no subject
goodbye kosmo.
ah. keith catches that, watching them for a moment. ]
We will. [ said evenly, keith walking up alongside them and patting them on the shoulder. ] Just gotta take one day at a time. [ flashes them a soft smile, something meant to be reassuring and grounding. ]
Looks like we may have found what you were looking for. [ gives io's shoulder a squeeze, before kneeling down and brushing the snow aside. ]
no subject
[ they chuckle a bit briefly, though its cut short when the pat on the shoulder happens. not badly, just more of a moment to catch up on what is happening. ]
The only way we can really.
[ watching keith brush the snow away, they pause, before a small 'aha' leaves them. they'll help a little bit, and beneath. they take a moment, bringing up their i.r.i.s. to check a few images before nodding quickly and dismissing the screen. ]
A good eye, Keith... [ brushing more snow away to reveal what looks to be soft-looking fluffy fungi clinging to the roots. its network runs with soft speckles of light, similar to static discharge that gently slide through it from cap to cap. ] We'll leave some behind. I don't want to take all of them. Just enough to make it by this week...
no subject
[ waves hand in plants and how they work, idfk. and he probably only knows from listening to hunk and pidge. ]
There's got to be a greenhouse somewhere on the ship and if not, better put a work order in for one. [ this is a half-joke. he think it'd be neat if they could have one... ya never know what you might need! ]
no subject
[ very gently digging, they pull their gloves off and pocket them, reaching down to gently touch the roots of the tree, angling their head a little, lifting just a bit of the caps to see what's beneath. ]
But I believe it's still locked behind a gate or two. We have to move through service passages throughout the ship to get there.
no subject
At least you guys can still access them. It'll be nice to see it, once the gates are operating normally again.
[ kosmo joins them again, sniffing at the tree roots. ]
How's it looking?
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[ hi kosmo. he just lifts a hand and gives a pat to the good boy's shoulders. ]
It looks good. I think we can harvest a few without ruining the network of them. A little goes a long way.
[ gently, they will unsheath a small knife from their wrist, carefully scoring around the base of a few of the fungi. ]