World Tree MUSH

    On a world of little renown in a country of even lesser fame is the port town of Bristol. The world and country seems to be experiencing an era similar to 1800's Victorian England at the height of the whaling era...
    The height of an era in which ships trawl the seas, harpoons fly, and the whales sing out in pain and dismay.
    It is this very song that has brought Emerald Leviathan to Bristol. Though she wears a hooded cloak to cover her features, the sea-nymph walks unnoticed by the people; the people who here are too busy stricken by poverty and disease to look past their own problems and see her. Plague-ridden bodies line the streets, rats run rampant, and the stench of death and industry go hand in hand.
    Be it called personally by Leviathan, or drawn to the city by other means, one thing is certain; despite the dour state of the city and streets, the people are sort of celebrating.
    At least there's cause for celebration down by the docks.
    A ship is pulling in; the first to return in a long while with a haul, the keening and mournful cry of whalesong sounding off against the hiss of steam and the bellow of foghorns as a whaling ship comes into port, dragging an injured whale at its side, much to the dismay of the whale and the hearty cheers of the dock workers and people.

    Earlier,

    Scavenger is lounging in the bowels of Rhodes Island, near her favorite place just above one of the air exchanger machines. The ambient sound and vibration providing comfort, and the temperature being kept stable by the system of baffles that circulate air around the tracked mobile 'base crawler'. She's dragged out of the reverie of oblivion, by an alert on her commpad. "A letter? Who sends letters these da---." she cuts herself off, clambering out of the ducts and collects the letterr to confirm her supposition. "..." she keys in her commpad, >Doctor, I'm heading offworld for a few days. Don't wait up for me, Scavenger.<

    Now.

    The Zalak woman steps through town, clad in a cloak with the hood up, her tail looped around her waist and a large, wrapped package across her back, clearly sword-shaped but completely wrapped up in black fabric.

    She hears the foghons and starts making her way that way, assuming Leviathan will be heading that way too.

    It's easy to blend in for some people. Marceline, no matter what she seems to do, always seems to stand out a little. The dingy city and disinterested people help though. Shaded by a wide black felt hat with a pointed top that has sagged to one side, she plucks a somber tune from the strings of her weaponized bass as she watches the ships come in. Bust some fools up over some bunk ass whaling? All over it.

    So she waits, completely covered from the neck down and shaded by what seems to be an oversized wizard hat. She may seem a perverse sight to some, should they bother to check the awning she's perched upon. Maybe she'll spot some of the people that reached out? Or a familiar face? She'd like to, at least, before she makes a move. With a little bit more confidence in who she's working with she may decide on a more even handed approach!

     This much sickness and decay hasn't struck Martin's nose since the dungeons of Kotir, where he had spent several long months languishing until- well, it's a long story. In the present, he's wearing a cloak of his own, well worn from travel through all sorts of environs and elements. His sword at his side, he steps lightly to avoid trodding on any of the creatures, living or dead, that line the streets.

He had heard the call to action. Innocent beasts hunted and slain, driven to the brink of extinction for no other reason than personal gain. Spotting the ship pulling into harbor, and hearing the cheers of the crowd even over the foghorn, he joins the other hooded figures in their approach. It almost makes him feel like an outlaw... which he supposes he is, and technically it wouldn't be the first time either.

He just hopes there's a plan, or this could get messy.

Benedicta can feel herself almost overwhelmed by the stench and filth that fill the city. Sure, she's seen homeless people in California before but even that was paradise compared to this. She almost can't believe that people used to live this way. Of course the purple hoodie she's wearing stands out, in the downtrodden town but the al-mir'aj girl would stick out even more.

 Her sharp ears pick up the sound of the whale and she can't help wonder if it somehow beached itself at first but then she sees the people celebrating and wonders what's going on. She quickly finds out as she sees the dock workers gathered around the harpooned whale. Well that answered her question.

    "This place is filthy."

    Even Shuzenji-no-Matsu, the girl who grew up in a peasant village with no surname to speak of, finds this place just a smidge disgusting. It's much worse than her own former home; everyone crammed in, the pollution of industrial revolution, the filth of human dwelling writ large. Her attendant is outright holding her nose; but even Matsu herself is having a difficult time of it just walking down the street.

    And oh lordy, does she stand out like a sore thumb. Her own clothes are immensely out of place, not only foreign but utterly pristine. Pure white, vivid red, they no doubt mark her as someone of noble bearing to every cutthroat, blackguard and ruffian in sight. But the instant one of them begins to approach, she levels a sharp crimson-eyed stare, and they're not foolhardy enough to go further.

    The sound of the whale, though, that shakes her. It sets the hair on the back of her neck on end, nudges her mystical instincts; with only a gesture, she brings her attendant to a halt and changes course. "L-Lady Shuzenji, the client..." the woman protests meekly. "If we're going to understand the plague, we have to understand this city," she replies. It's an excuse, really. Anyone could look at this city and see how a plague is spreading. But she wants to see what made that noise.

    Leviathan is, indeed, heading for the arriving ship, and she's not hard to miss, fin-like tail peeking out from under her cloak as she ducks amid alleys and weaves through the crowd.
    "Scavenger." Her voice is barely a hoarse whisper as she reaches the Zalak's side. "They're dying... Being hunted to extinction. There aren't many left now. Less and less of them sing every day, it's..." She says, trailing off, equally apalled and pained as she explains the situation within Martin, Benedicta, and Marceline's earshot.
    The sea-nymph tenses, biting hard on her lip with shark-like teeth as she shudders.
    As the others draw nearer to the docks, things are getting lively. People in shop stalls call for attention, trying to hawk their wares; scrimshaw and trinkets and talismans and amulets made from whalebone. Men break out into riotous guffaws of laughter and jubilant song as the ship pulls into the dock, the whale giving an almost mournful cry as it seems to understand its fate here.
    That... That is when someone gently tugs on the sleeve of Shuzenji-no-Matsu.
The old woman leaning heavily on her cane that dared to touch the heir of the Shuzenji clan flashes a warm but worn and eary smile, her deep black eyes bearing a heavy weight of sadness as she stares Matsu down.
    "You're not from here are you..." She says in statement more than question. "If you wouldn't mind... I have a request of you, young lady.

    "Unacceptable." is Scavenger's response to Leviathan, finishing the tailed sentence as she glances at the others. She shrugs her cloak off, unhooks her sword from her back and unfastens the cloth around the blade, striding straight over toward the dock and the ship. "I'm going to cut it free, and may the gods help anyone who tries to stop me." she announces.

    The tiny Phoenix Maiden slows to a halt as things start to hustle and bustle, an island of white-and-crimson stillness in a sea of dull-toned motion. She doesn't even see the people, hear the sound of the crowd, as anything more than a dull blur of life. It makes things tremendously easy for anyone trying to get her attention; like a kindly old woman, for example. It startles the young immortal faintly, a soft gasp of surprise, but she relaxes quickly. Her attendant is about to make some very scandalized, angry sounds, but one look and a hand gesture from Matsu silence her before she can get started.

    Oblivious to the oncoming fracas, she looks the elderly woman in the eyes appraisingly, before inclining her head slightly. "I have business of my own, so I can make no promises, but... I'm listening, honored elder," she replies in a soft, respectful tone.

     As the situation is explained to Martin, the mouse scans his surroundings with eyes, ears, and nose. "Even Marshank's slave pens were better kept than this. How in the world could a place fall into such squalor?" he remarks, momentarily taking note of the old woman who approaches Matsu. This is quickly superseded by Scavenger just marching straight toward the ship and declaring her intent to free the great beast.

"So no plan, then. I don't wish to spill blood, but if it comes to it..." he grimaces, quickly following after the Zalak with his sword still sheathed, but gripped tightly in hand.

"Look I agree with you, but I don't think it's going to survive long even if you set it free. I mean it must be pretty bad off, if it didn't drag the boat to the bottom of the ocean." Benedicta's no marine biologist but she figures the whale wouldn't have given up that easily. "Besides, there's nothing stopping the local sea life from turning it into a snack either." She can faintly smell whale blood even over the stench of the town. "That and I hope you're ready to fight off a bunch of pissed off sailors."

    That wizard hat tips up a little bit! Just a little, fingers slowing until she mutes the strings of her guitar with a firm grip at the neck. "Yo, so you're the one who-" Tch. Rather than yell over the din, she stands and steps off of her perch, hovering in the air for all to see before gently lowering to the filthy paving stones. "So you're the one who mentioned these dingdongs hunting all their- Whales? Whatever, to extinction. Way they're headed they'll be on their way out soon after. So-"

    Then Scavenger, before she can even offer a nod, is heading off to Handle Things. "Whelp. So you want a panic or a distraction?" Her eyes don't catch the gloomy light from beneath her hat but they do glow with an unholy light of their own. Translation: Which end of her axe should she put to use? The musical end or the horror movie end? Or maybe she's just kidding. Maybe?

    She'll wait just a tick for a go ahead or a 'no wait' before she flits back up to a visible spot, the skirts of her dress billowing as she takes on the perch.

    "Hey, bozos! Wanna have a party? Save for anyone that can survive having their faces melted!" She cranks the dial on her bass and slams her claws across the strings, making an awful, loud but well-tuned racket as any and all open flames that people aren't immediately hovering by explode into pillars of fire! Thusly announced, she begins to shred.

    The old woman's smile fades as she looks past Matsu briefly. Though those old black eyes widen as Marceline begins to shred and cause a fiery commotion, she... Doesn't shy away. No, if anything she only looks more tired in the light of the flaming street lamps, quickly burning their whale oil fuel as she sighs. This close, it's strange... The old woman smells of the sea. And of blood.
    "I'm not much longer for this world." She says, placing both hands on the head of her cane, eyes falling half-lidded as she motions with her head past the boat and the whale out to the sea.
    "My child is out there, in those waters. And there's so few of my family left to look after him." She says before offering a wan smile. "If you ever should cross paths with my boy in your travels, could you let him know there's a wider world out there than the waters here?"
    Meanwhile... Scavenger deems this unacceptable and that's all well and good as she starts heading for the boat with Martin in tow, but there's a bit of an uproar at the moment caused by Marceline! For a moment, Leviathan looks panicked before the fiery pyrotechnics give her an idea.
    Leaping upon a crate she hucks off her cloak and stamps her foot as she...

    o/` ~ "We'll buy one for the bo's'n!
    And one for the mates!
    We'll buy one for your man of the topsail all day.

    We'll buy one for the striker to keep him on game!
    And one for the gunner, who's well on his way!
    And another round just for good measure~." ~ o/`

    Leviathan starts to sing, jubilant and bright, her siren voice drawing people's attention towards her with frightening ease as reveler and sailor alike turn their heads.
    Giving an almost straight shot to the boat where the whale watches silent now with sad black eyes.

    Marceline and Leviathan pull attention. Matin scampers up to her flank... and then Scavenger takes off at a sprint. She hops over crates, and with a flex of muscles and a flicker of red-black electricity around her legs, leaps directly from the dock onto the deck of the ship.

    Any sailors that break free of Leviathan's siren song get one chance to step out of the way before they're unceremoniously smashed aside with the wide flat of her Buste Blade.

    She crosses to where the whale is tied up, reaching down to gently lay a hand on its side. "I'm going to cut you free. I saw a healer out there, we'll get her to patch you up." she says, checking for lodged harpoons and how the whale is lashed to the ship.

     Martin is not privy to the old woman's words, but the sudden eruptions of flame accompanied by Marceline's music gives him some pause as he looks back to see just what in Hellgates is going on. Then Leviathan's voice joins in, and all the people on the docks turn their attention away from the ship and whale for the moment.

"Improvisation. Gonff would be proud." he says with a small, brief smile. Realizing that Scavenger has left him in the dust by now though, he quickens his pace and finds a convenient mooring rope to climb aboard the deck. Drawing his sword as he joins her side, his eyes never rest for a moment as he watches for signs of attack.

    It's a fairly small flex of demonic magic, making flames leap and surge and frighten. Marceline bares a mouth full of fangs in an eager grin as she stares down at the crowd. It's creating a press moreso than an avenue, which she starts trying to think about how to deal with when- "Oh damn, get it!"

    She adjusts her tempo and the distortion of her magic battleaxe bass' amp, instead playing along to compliment the shanty that she doesn't know. Damn, gotta hang with more musically inclined peeps. So, rather than lyrics for now, she'll croon in harmony to Leviathan's singing. She's no siren but she's been singing for as long as this town's been plying the waters for their economy. She'll do okay.

    Her change in demeanor does a lot to diminish her threatening presence, though she is very much still perched in a spot no sane woman would normally find herself. To remedy that, she steps off and simply flies nearer to Leviathan, slowly orbiting and even dipping low over the crowd. Get in people's personal space! Look them in the eye! Let them stay enchanted but complicate the feelings with a little extra intensity.

    She can trust the rat pack to handle the more hands-on stuff, probs.

All of the music and noise makes Benedicta stop dead in her tracks. "Damn, prey instincts..." Her lop ears pop out of the hoodie blowing any cover that it might have provided. Then again with a dragon girl and demon-vampire present, the rabbit's probably not going to be the first thing to frighten people. Then again there's not much she can do that's already been covered. She's not a singer and she doesn't have healing magic.

    That is... certainly a ruckus. Matsu quickly turns to look at the noise Marceline is making, and the running Scavenger, but... well, she doesn't seem inclined to get involved right this moment. No, she places much more importance on the words of the elderly woman. As the uproar commences, she listens closely to the woman, intent on those words. "...As I said, I can offer no promises, but... if I should run into him, I will. May I have your name and his, so that I'll know him when I meet him?" A pause, a thoughtful frown, and then, "...and might I lessen your pain a bit? Even if you don't have long," she adds, holding up a hand dancing faintly with warm, healing flames, "I'd like to at least ease the time you have left a bit, honored elder." She can't heal chronic conditions like arthritis or cancer or failing organs, but she can ease pain, and purge disease.

    o/` ~ "Well the cabin boy just got promoted today,
    Sure is working his hands to the bone for his pay
    And the helmsman is itching to dock in the bay

    Sure, he's not been on land seven months to the day
    And another one's not worth the treasure...

    So, let's go boys, we're over and under!
    We'll roll through like thunder,
    To bring her back home!
    Here we go, boys!
    With the waves crashing under,
    O' Lord I half wonder
    How we're not in the foam~." ~ o/`

    The pull of Leviathan's song is strong on these people, and between her and Marceline's playing, the crowd has gone into rapt silence watching the spectacle. Though one sailor half-heartedly attempts to stop the rodent pack, he's batted aside easily by a brute blow from he buster.
    The whale is held to the side of the ship by chains- nothing the Buster can't cut through, but there are also hitches in the side of the boat that can be undone to free the whale.
    And the old woman pauses to watch Scavenger and Martin.
    "Heeeeh... Spirited aren't they...?" She murmurs before her attention returns to Matsu. "Your offer is kind..." She muses. "But I've already accepted my fate. My boy though... His name is..."
    It is as she opens her mouth to speak, that the whale lets out a keening cry from the dock that seemingly drowns her out. Yet. ... At the same time doesn't.

    This time, it's Benedicta that briefly draws Matsu's eye. The ears... oh. That rabbit girl, from the donut incident. Huh. Funny running into her here.

    But the old woman speaks, and the well-taught youth listens. Hands folded, expression serious, she listens. The offer of healing is turned down, and then...

    Matsu's eyes widen.

    Perhaps it's the divinity in her. Perhaps it's the shrine maiden, in tune with the kami, with magic, with nature. But realization sets in, and after a moment's pause, without a word, Matsu Shuzenji bows, deeply and reverently. The attendant makes an alarmed noise, uterrly confused; but she's at least aware enough to realize that something just happened, that her Lady is offering a bow of deepest deference to an old woman, and she hastily scrambles to do the same.

    "If I should be so blessed as to meet him, I will bring him your words, honored elder," the girl says softly.

    Scavenger works on those chains, grunting as she heaves the blade around and slams it into the metal holdings with all her strength. Each one lets out a metallic scream of protest as the blade cuts through.

    The keening whale call gets the Zalak's eas flat, but she doesn't faulter. Chains cut, then she works on the hitches to free the wounded old whale. "Even if it's pointless... You deserve to die in the water, not on some dockworkers butcher block." she says, mostly to herself but also to the whale.

    The time for shock now past, Marceline is content to continue playing, keeping her bass less slappy and coaxing out a little more treble. It may not be the most appropriate accompaniment but she's doing her best and it's at least not doing anything to dispel the moment. Yay, that.

    For now, she's rather wrapped up in the music herself, wordlessly crooning and humming as well. It's at least a fun song! To wit, she lands beside some burly oaf and gives him a flat look. "Hey, you all gonna just gonna gawk or you gonna enjoy this? This is once in a lifetime, dingus!"

"I'm guessing you're some kind of nature spirit then?" Benedicta's finally caught up with the others talking to the old woman. If that's the case they've got more problems to deal with then she originally thought. "Because, if that's the case those whalers certainly got in over their heads here. And even if not, this place is going to get even worse of all the whales get wiped out." She hates to think what they'll do for money next.

     Martin continutes to keep his eye on the ship's crew, even as he sets to helping Scavenger sever those chains. His sword may not be gigantic or made of future tech, but it cuts through the iron just the same. "Badgersteel forged from the metal of a fallen star," he helpfully explains. "Any other blade... from my world, at least, would not fare so well."

He looks a little proud of that.

    o/` ~"We'll buy one for the first mate!
    When we're out of the storm,
    And the cooper whose last barrel's splintered and worn.
    And a round for the surgeon,
    Who's wrecked as a mule~
    And the swabbies as well, sure to not would be cruel!
    As the cook knocks 'em back at his leisure~~~.

    Well, the second mate's looking to spend all his pay,
    And the sailmaker's glass all but weathered and frayed.
    And yeoman with the powder says it's soaked through and through!
    And a night on the strong stuff is long overdue,
    So, to sail with ye's has been a pleasure!" ~ o/`

    It takes Marceline jostling the peeps to get them out of their siren stupor just a bit to begin truly enjoying it. Other voices join in the song, and soon enough it's revelry all over again, so raucous and bright that people still don't notice what's going on, on the boat.
    "A nature spirit?" The old woman muses before shaking her head. I'm not so grand, no, child." She replies to Benedicta as she bows her head back to Matsu and her attendant with a much warmer smile. "Thank you."
    It's as she says this that Scavenger and Martin get the chains undone, their blades singing through the air as they cut the rusty iron and steel. There's a heavy splash and the water displaces, rising above the docks from multiple tons of whale dropping back into the water, freeing the great creature to slowly turn and start swimming away while the whalers are muddled and jubilant. They won't realize they've lost their catch for some time as she swims away.
    One last smile and the old woman nods her head. "I think... I'll have one last good walk before my time comes." She says, turning down a nearby alley.
    As soon as anyone looks that way, though, she's gone.

    Scavenger looks at Martin, nodding to him in a silent response to his assertion. Don't worry Martin, that's just how she is.

    The chains give, the ship luches and the sea reclaims the dock for a few moments as the water displaces.

    She then frowns, "They'll just go back out to find another one. This has to end." she says mostly to herself, though she might be talking to Martin. It's hard to tell with the Zalak sometimes.

    She turns regardless and hops off the ship back onto the dock as the water recedes again, approaching Matsu and the others. She's wearing a more angry looking scowl than normal.

    "May you find fulfillment," the young healer replies, finally straightening up. And only then does she turn to Benedicta, her expression somber. "...perhaps a spirit that is natural," she offers to the taller girl after a moment. "But nothing so grand. Even so, I will always strive to do right by such a wonderful being." There's a turn to glance over at Scavenger, towards whom she adds, "And you have done so as well. May the kami bless you." She doesn't know if Scavenger heard the rest of her words; but it doesn't particularly matter. The sentiment is important.

    Back to Benedicta, however - the one person here she recognizes - the Phoenix Maiden continues, "But what brings you here? Is it the plague?"

     Martin grabs the ship's railing as the whale drops into the water, steadying himself while the boat rocks and eventually becomes still again. "I saw a beast like that once, I think. When I was a dibbun, playing on the shore with my father's sword. It was far in the distance, too far to be sure, but a great black shape emerged from beneath the sea and spouted water into the air. Then, just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished again, only the flick of a great tail behind it. I always wondered..."

He realizes that Scavenger has already returned to the dock by this point, and shakes his head to dispel the memory as he follows her. "This business seems to be the only livelihood these people have to look forward to, but thriving off of such brutality is sickening. I would just as soon burn the ship as allow it back into open waters."

    Back to hovering, playing and having fun with a little bit of chaos, Marceline looks up at Leviathan. Impressed that someone could bring so many people so peacably to heel so quickly. Her sets usually devolve into some kind of fracas, brawl or riot of undead monstrocities. This is kind of nice. Even if the streets stink of death and streets slick with the contents of people's chamber pots.

    Still, she plays, inclining her head as she glances toward the passing Scavenger. She's not so bothered by what these people are going to do if the whaling is brought to an end. What's the worst that can happen? Dying? She happens to know that it's not all that bad! With no spectre of death looming and giving her The Nod from the crowd, it doesn't seem like this is going to be the end for these people or anything.

    Though they may be inspired to piracy or something else. Cool.

Benedicta nods in agreement with Scavenger as the old woman wanders off, "Well, I can't really do anything about the plague. Unless beating someone up will make it stop. I thought there might be a beached whale or something, but it sounds worse than that." Benedicta explains to Matsu. "I mean we could destroy the boat, but that's not going to stop them from building another one." She figures that would be only temporary setback.

    o/` ~ "So, let's go boys, we're over and under!
    We'll roll through like thunder,
    To bring her back home!
    Here we go, boys,
    With the waves crashing under,
    O Lord I half wonder,
    How we're not in the foam!

    'Cause we're through with our plunder,
    And we'll haul her back home,
    And we're not yet asunder,
    So it's land where we roam~." ~ o/`

    With the whale freed, Leviathan starts to end her song, loosening her siren grip on the people and letting them revel and dance and jig on their own as she hops off her crate and picks up her cloak, quickly throwing it over her shoulders and head as she joins the others.
    "That... Went better than I thought it would." She admits in a hush, flashing a sheepish smile of shark-teeth. But then she glances over her shoulder.
    "They're going to be too busy partying, on their own, to a bit to notice that she's gone but... We should get going before they figure it out. But we should really think about how to stop the bigger problem, soon..."