ic Some Things Should Never Be Found (IC)

[Thevshi]

Giang had been quiet when Lord Zandar had mentioned one of the incidents from her previous trip to the Lost World, her modesty not wanting to draw undue attention to the events. In truth, she agreed with Sam in wanting to avoid any such troubles this time around, preferring to have a chance to interact more with some of the Jungle Lord's people and see how they went about their daily lives. But, of course, she was more than ready to defend herself and others should the need arise.

When Lord Zandar extended the haft of his spear and asked for their word to abide by his instructions, the Asian teen was not surprised, having been required to make the same pledge last year. Without hesitation, she reached forward to grip the spear. "I swear by my ancestors that I shall not dishonor your hospitality."

[Blue Rose]

Now that candor hits Sam hard. In truth, knicking a dinosaur egg was more of a pipe dream, but one she'd hoped to entertain, if the opportunity arose, even if it was a horrible, horrible idea.

Yet, she'd been trained well. Even a thief needs some shred of honor to ground them. Straight up lying through your teeth making a promise? Well, that's just unprofessional.

"You have my word." And so, there will be no stealing of dinosaur eggs without permission. And there's not a chance in this world or any other she's getting permission.

[RobRX]

"Um, right." Cho was hoping she could bring a few things back home but then Zandar had to say that. Still, she didn't complain or show anything that would imply some form of dissapointment coming from her, as she didn't want to get Claremont students kicked out of the Lost World due to her own foolish actions.

 

"All right, I promise I won't take anything at all!" Shouted Cho, before realizing that might have been a little too loud and rushed. Naturally, this caused her to immediately go back to clamming up and trying to melt back into the ground and her surroundings. "I don't want to cause any trouble. Okay, I did want to bring back something like dinosaur bones or something along those lines." she mumbled out, wanting to slap herself.

Edited February 26, 2014 by RobRX

[Raveled]

Gene laughed. "Yeah, movies are the things with moving pictures. You know, I really wish I had brought some on my phone. Hm, I wonder if maybe Sam has something downloaded?"

Before he could ask, Zandar made his demand, holding up the weapon before him. Giang and Sam had very formal answers, but Gene was wrong-footed. Oh god, oh god, he panicked quietly. Did Giang say something about this? Did I sleep through it? Still, he held up his hand in what was as close to a Boy Scout's salute as he could remember. "I, um, promise. To not take anything away from here. Except maybe some bug-bites," he added.

Lowering his hand he looked around and noticed Cho, standing off by herself. In a rare moment of empathy he stood next to her, talking to her in a low voice. "Only take pictures, only leave footprints. That's how it goes, right?"

[RobRX]

"I...think so? Look, I don't know, this whole thing is new to me. Lost worlds and dinosaurs, I'm not used to all that." whispered back the girl. "Let's just be careful and avoid either getting us killed or getting the others kicked out of this place." She was still being tense and awkward. An overgrown, human-shaped mass of awkwardness. She ever-so-slightly moved an eye to glance at him from aside, nervously, all the while sweating out bullet and not from the heat of the place.

 

"So...did you take anything by accident?" croaks out Cho, trying not to speak too loudly. "Because you might want to hand it over to him."

Edited February 26, 2014 by RobRX

[GooseInduced]

This trip was already doing a number on her anxiety. Weird warps in reality, a man out of the past and Dinosaurs… Living, breathing Dinosaurs… It was almost too much for her. Then Zander had to go and make things serious, his warning chilling her right to the bone. It makes Juno shiver, eyes darting between the people around her as they all make their promises. It makes her a little uneasy to be honest. She had no intention of stealing anything on their trip, but knowing there could be dire consequences if something is taken even by accident makes her nerves flare up again.

 

She pulls a deep breath into her lungs, nodding and stepping closer to lord Zander. She does as Giang did, placing her hand on the offered staff. “I promise to do as you asked. Nothing from outside the jungle. “

[Thevshi]

GM

 

"Excellent!"  Stated Zandar as the last of the gathered students made their promise.  "Do not fear, I would be a poor host if I did not allow for you to take some small souvenirs from your visit."  He stated with a smile to Cho and the others. 

"Now let us be off, so that you may truly experience the wonders of this world!"  The Jungle Lord then added as he returned the spear to his back and started off towards the jungle below.

 

The jungle quickly proved to be even larger than it had appeared from their initial vantage point, with thick trees that towered far above them.  Sections of the ground below were thick with underbrush, and as they first entered, a number of small dinosaurs walking on two legs, no more than two feet tall, scattered into foliage ahead of them.

 

But they had only gone a short distance before Zandar led them up a rope ladder fixed along one of the massive tries and up to a series of narrow rope and wooden bridges and walkways that soared dozens of feet above the jungle floor.  It was across this raised path that the Jungle Lord and his daughter led the five teenagers. 

 

The air was heavy with humidity, and the scent of plants and flowers that no longer existed anywhere on Earth.  With steady regularity, the cries or shrieks of what sounded like various small animals would echo through the trees, occasionally overpowered by the distant sound of some larger creature.

 

The raised path proved to be a rather quick method of travel, even if some of the longer rope bridges between massive trees swayed somewhat ominously, allowing the group to bypass the tangled underbrush and possibly dangerous fauna below.  After more than half an hour of such travel, Lord Zandar stopped the group on a walkway around a massive tree near a section of the jungle where a large stream passed through.

 

Gathered around the stream, as close as fifty yards away, two small groups of dinosaurs were drinking from the stream.  One group was a pair of four legged dinosaurs with a ridge of large plates along its back and a tail covered with spikes.  One of the two was clearly younger, not quite half the size of the larger, which looked to be at least thirty feet long.  The other group was three full sized dinosaurs, all at least thirty feet long, with longer back legs and smaller forelegs, and with brightly colored crests on their heads.

[Raveled]

Gene fell in line with the rest of the students, following closely behind Zander as they plunged into the forest. He was relieved when they started ascending the rope bride, though. He didn't care for the idea of trying to navigate the endless trees right at prime stomping height; of course now he was at prime biting height, but he tried to put that out of his head as Zander lead them on.

The walk was long, but Gene kept up. He was breathing hard by the time they stopped, but he stopped breathing entirely for a moment when he looked down. "Holy crap," he breathed. "Those are... that's a stegosaurus! And that's... a silly-looking one with a big pompadour. But that's a stegosaurus!" He looked up at Zander. "Can we go down there? And pet him, or something? Man, I've got a sister, I have to show her me petting a stegosaurus."

[RobRX]

Cho was equally overtaken with childish glee as Gene, with a big (perhaps dopey) expression on her face as she saw the dinosaurs. It was simply all too amazing for her. Surreal, even!

 

"That is so great! But, um, what are we going to do here anyway? Sure, dinosaurs are incredibly cool but is there anything else to do?" She then quickly corrected herself. "N-not that I'm complaining or anything! No, really! I-I just mean is there anything to visit?" Yet again, the girl clammed up, terribly awkward as ever, deep red. It used to be simpler for her to dissapear. She thought she should try to phrase it out better and more appropriately. Carefully, she tried to piece together a coherent sentence;

 

"I-I mean I would be...um...honored...to...visit more? And where are we going to stay?"

[GooseInduced]

Juno smiles, excited at the idea of being able to take at least a small something back with her. She follows after Lord Zander and her group as they made their way into the jungle. The trees were tall and intimidating, hundreds and hundreds of years old. Thick vines big enough to probably climb hung from many branches, making natural curtains in their path.

 

Soon enough their path led them from the ground to the wooden walkway above. It felt rickety at first, like it might not hold their weight though it never gave. It made traversing the uneven terrain much easier, and gave them a vantage point for all of the marvelous colors of the jungle. The flowers smelled amazing, like the best perfume she could ever hope to find. Maybe she’d be able to take one or two back with her? She’d make a mental note to ask their host later.

 

Part of her was tempted to teleport, bypass a few of the older looking rope bridges, but deciding that the journey was half the adventure, she stuck it out. If worse came to worse, she could teleport to safety. Besides, the thrill of it was rather fun.

 

Juno nearly ran into the person in front of her when the group stopped, blinking in surprise and then turning her gaze toward where Lord Zander’s gaze fell. “Oh. Wow.â€

 

 

Gene fell in line with the rest of the students, following closely behind Zander as they plunged into the forest. He was relieved when they started ascending the rope bride, though. He didn't care for the idea of trying to navigate the endless trees right at prime stomping height; of course now he was at prime biting height, but he tried to put that out of his head as Zander lead them on.

The walk was long, but Gene kept up. He was breathing hard by the time they stopped, but he stopped breathing entirely for a moment when he looked down. "Holy crap," he breathed. "Those are... that's a stegosaurus! And that's... a silly-looking one with a big pompadour. But that's a stegosaurus!" He looked up at Zander. "Can we go down there? And pet him, or something? Man, I've got a sister, I have to show her me petting a stegosaurus."

 

 

“Hah. That does look like a pompadour doesn’t it. Holy…. Is it suicidal that I wanna pet a dinosaur? Because I really wanna pet a dinosaur before we leave….. Or maybe take one home.†She laughs at the thought, knowing that there was no way Lord Zander would probably let them take anything living back with them. “Wait, I take that back. Are we going to see any Sabertooth cats? If I wanna pet anything it’s one of those.†She crouches down near the edge of the path, making sure that the people behind her can still see.

Edited March 6, 2014 by GooseInduced

[Thevshi]

GM

 

Zandar looked over at Gene and Juno as they both talked about wanting to pet dinosaurs, a small smile on his face.  "I admire you enthusiasm, but in this case, that is a mother and her young.  Trying to approach either would be ill advised, unless you wish to have firsthand experience with trying to avoid those deadly spikes on her tail."  He replied.

 

"So it is best if we remain up here and observe.  We have some small domesticated dinosaurs that can be pet, or perhaps another opportunity will arise to approach some of the plant eaters where there they are less likely to act hostile."  He stated, before focusing on Juno to add, "and as for sabertooths, we may have an opportunity to see some, but they are not an easy thing to approach, but we will see."

 

The jungle lord then turned to Cho, his smile still very much in place as he replied to the somewhat flustered teen.  "Fair questions.  There are a good number of places we could visit during your stay, far more than we could hope to include in such a short visit.  But we will try to visit as many as possible.  As for where you will be staying, at least tonight you will be guests of one of the jungle tribes that look to me for leadership."

 

Zandar allowed the group to observe the watering dinosaurs a bit longer, which allowed the teens to rest a bit and drink some water themselves.  Then he started off once more, leading the group once more along the soaring walkways and rope bridges as they headed deeper into the jungle.

[Blue Rose]

Sam, again, has no qualms skipping past a few of the rougher patches, rope bridges included. She's not about to bet her life on the finest engineering prehistoric man has to offer, especially when it's one of the only places around not covered in a safety blanket of shadows for her to jump through.

Cho gets a glare for being so rude. Hospitality is not to be taken lightly, nor for granted, and a guest should be careful to avoid saying anything so crass as, 'Hey, cool dinosaurs, but your home is kind of boring.'

At the talk of aggressive dinosaurs, Sam has herself a downright devious idea, but pockets it away for a suitably amazing moment, taking the opportunity to stay silent, have a drink, and look suitably awed.

It isn't hard. Those are friggin' dinosaurs!

Edited March 20, 2014 by Blue Rose

[Raveled]

Gene deflated when Zander said they couldn't pet the stegosaurus right now, but he did have to admit that it probably wouldn't be a smart idea to try and come between a mother dino and her child. The saber-tooth cats, though, he would leave to Juno.

He fell back in line as they resumed their hike, gaining a bit more confidence across the rope bridges and perilously tall platforms. When the Jungle Lord mentioned their home for the night, though, the gears in his head started spinning. "So, there are other humans here?" He glanced at Kazra. "I mean, of course there's a few more, but there's whole tribes? As in, plural?" He was already trying to imagine how a paleolithic society would protect itself from the bigger, carnivorous dinosaur types.

[RobRX]

While the others cross the bridge, Cho keep an open eye, even if they might not notice. She's watching out in case the bridge might collapse, since she's not sure if the others would find the landing pleasant. At any moment, she'd be ready to try to catch them and do everything she can to soften the landing and avoid getting them hurt. It was the least she could do for them. It's just something she'd do but actually realizing it made her pause.

 

Shrinking back again, Cho goes silent once more. Especially after getting a glare like that. 'What did I do this time?' wondered the girl. Probably talked too much or said something wrong, she thought. Things like that always hapenned.

Edited March 22, 2014 by RobRX

[GooseInduced]

Juno just sighs, mouth screwing in the realization that Lord Zander was right. Even thinking about approaching those dinosaurs was at least mildly suicidal. Especially her thoughts of the sabertooths. Better not. As awesome as it would be, she needs to remember this isn't some amusement park. This is very real and could get very dangerous at any time.

 

The idea of staying with a tribe has her excited all over again. Though she imagines it might not be the best sleep she has ever had, it will be a unique experience. Her inner five year old wants them to cover her in warpaint or something equally as silly. Still, she can't help but think it would be fun. "Anyone else wanna get decorated with warpaint or is that just me?" She follows her question with a laugh, not sure if the others will think it's amusing.

[Thevshi]

GM

 

Gene deflated when Zander said they couldn't pet the stegosaurus right now, but he did have to admit that it probably wouldn't be a smart idea to try and come between a mother dino and her child. The saber-tooth cats, though, he would leave to Juno.

He fell back in line as they resumed their hike, gaining a bit more confidence across the rope bridges and perilously tall platforms. When the Jungle Lord mentioned their home for the night, though, the gears in his head started spinning. "So, there are other humans here?" He glanced at Kazra. "I mean, of course there's a few more, but there's whole tribes? As in, plural?" He was already trying to imagine how a paleolithic society would protect itself from the bigger, carnivorous dinosaur types.

 

Kazra looked up at Gene as they moved at a good pace along the walkways and bridges.  "Yes, there are a number of tribes living throughout the jungle that follow my father.  Then there are the Romans in Nova Roma and the Incans in their mountain cities."  The girl replied.

 

"Didn't Giang tell you about any of this?  We visited both Nova Roma and Viracochasuyu during her last visit."

 

Juno just sighs, mouth screwing in the realization that Lord Zander was right. Even thinking about approaching those dinosaurs was at least mildly suicidal. Especially her thoughts of the sabertooths. Better not. As awesome as it would be, she needs to remember this isn't some amusement park. This is very real and could get very dangerous at any time.
 
The idea of staying with a tribe has her excited all over again. Though she imagines it might not be the best sleep she has ever had, it will be a unique experience. Her inner five year old wants them to cover her in warpaint or something equally as silly. Still, she can't help but think it would be fun. "Anyone else wanna get decorated with warpaint or is that just me?" She follows her question with a laugh, not sure if the others will think it's amusing.

 

Zandar glanced back at Juno as she asked the question about warpaint, a small smile on his face.  "Warpaint?  The hunters occasionally use paint during their hunts, and some tribes still use it for certain ceremonies, but in terms of for warfare, such decoration is primarily used by the Serpent People."

[Blue Rose]

At the mention of war paint, Sam's eyebrow starts to twitch.

Basic hospitality, people. Isn't that the sort of things mommies are supposed to teach their little girls? She never had such a thing, but Fox made sure to teach her that much, and Miss Vance was sure to teach the same for the little while they tried going through the family-ish motions. How do these two not get it?

You do not go around blatantly insulting your host, especially when their knowledge is the only thing expected to keep you not-dead. Sam, for one, enjoys being not-dead.

And it's even worse that they don't seem to intend to insult their host. Incompetence is worse than deliberate rudeness, especially with big things like telling your host, 'Yeah, your home's many wonders are nice, but I'm bored now,' or jumping to cartoonish notions of the local culture. There will need to be words.

But not now. For now, Sam stews, the tips of her ears turning red.

There will be time to talk later. Just be a good guest for now.

[RobRX]

Jogging ahead, Cho reached Zandar. Curious, she opened her mouth, unleashing a flow of babbling questions; "Wait, I forgot to ask! What are Serpent People? I mean, beside beign Serpent People as the name say, or is that just a tribe name? What are they? Are they actually people who look like snakes and now I'm starting to sound silly talking too much..." Shifting a bit, Cho took some moment to breathe in, hoping she hadn't made a fool of hersel asking really idiotic questions. This really wasn't a good day for her and social interactions, the sheer strangeness of everything reducing her to a babbling fool that kept spewing some insanities.

 

"I don't really know much of the outside world or this world." She finally admit. "Just the big stuff and what you hear on TV. So, is this place dangerous to live in?" ask the girl.

[GooseInduced]

Zandar glanced back at Juno as she asked the question about warpaint, a small smile on his face.  "Warpaint?  The hunters occasionally use paint during their hunts, and some tribes still use it for certain ceremonies, but in terms of for warfare, such decoration is primarily used by the Serpent People."

Juno nods, not even thinking that her question could have been the slightest bit offensive. She was just excited and curious. Besides, Zander seemed to be smiling a bit. She couldn't have bothered him too much with her question. "That sounds awesome. Hunter's paint then!" She smiles a bit but the expression doesn't stick. "Kazra mentioned the serpent people before. They sound like bad news. Are they a potential danger while we are here?" She looks at the others in her group, knowing full well that each of them have powers and abilities that can help keep them safe, but nothing in guaranteed. 

 

[Thevshi]

Zandar glanced back at Cho as he continued to move along the walkways and rope bridges, giving the teen a small smile before he began to answer her question, his tone becoming rather serious.  "The Serpent People are an ancient race of humanoid reptiles.  On Earth, they once ruled an massive empire long before the first human civilizations arouse, and empire that ended in the same cataclysmic war which sunk Atlantis.  Here they consist of a number of small tribes in the a few remote swamps and jungles, for the most part they are savage and barbaric.  They possess a poisonous bite which reduces the willpower of victim.  Occasionally more intelligent and cunning ones appear, who are able to shapeshift into other forms and even possess other arcane abilities."

 

"It was several of those latter that had infiltrated the Roman and Incan cities, seeking to weaken and subvert them from with, but were rooted out by Giang and the others during their visit last year.  Whether the tribes which reside here are native to this world, or refugees from the destruction of Lemuria is unknown."  The Jungle Lord then looked over to Juno at her question.  "Well, the various tribes suffered a significant defeat last year, primarily due to the actions of Giang and the others who were on the trip then, and are once again splintered.  So while they might not represent a major threat at the moment, they still represent a possible danger, particularly in the areas near their lairs.  But I have no plans to take us near any of those.  Plenty of other wonders to see elsewhere."

 

He then focuses back on Cho as he answers the teen's last question.  "With Serpent People, Tyrannosaur, an array of other massive prehistoric apex predators, sabertooth cats and numerous other land, water or air based predators of all sizes, not to mention other hazards, the Lost World is indeed a dangerous place to live."  Zandar states, before a small grin comes to his face.  "But that is what makes it exciting."

 

At that the Jungle Lord came to a halt, as the group came to a small platform overlooking a deep chasm that appeared a good hundred or so feet across.  The jungle continued on the other side of the chasm, and the teens could see another platform on a tree on the opposite side.  But there was no rope bridge between the two.  At the bottom of the chasm, a narrow river rushed through the rocky walls, jagged rocks breaking the surface here and there.

 

Zandar grabbed a vine that was secured to a railing near the edge of the platform and looked back at the teenagers.  "Come now my friends, we are almost to the village we will be staying at tonight."  He said before he stepped off the platform, launching out into the open space beyond.  His weight pulled the vine taunt as he arched downward, swinging through the air before arching back upward toward the other side and coming back up smoothly on the platform on the other side.

 

Kazra moved and selected another vine and soon and jumped off after her father, swinging toward the other platform as well.

[Raveled]

Gene's head swam. Romans and Incans, and Serpent People -- and dinosaurs! He had thought that the worst part of the day would be hiking in this humidity. From Zander's description, though, it seemed like the Lost World had more than enough dangers to keep a group like Young Freedom busy, not to mention the mismatched group of Claremont students that were here.

And then Zander jumped off the edge of a cliff, and a moment later Kazra joins him. Gene crept up to the edge, looking down at the rushing water and sharp rocks below. "Um. Is this one of those trust-building exercises?" He looked back at Giang and everyone. "Like, for work this one time, my mom went out into Wharton and everyone had to fall. Is this what this is about?"

[RobRX]

Cho listen avidly to everything Zandar tells her. Serpent people, who developped civilizations before even humans. For a brief moment it did seem rather silly, but then she reminded herself she lived in a rather silly world, full of impossible things hapenning on a daily basis. That and, wether she wanted to or not, she was now part of that world. As the man explained everything, Cho simply nodded to everything he explained, just...soaking in all the information, barely able to hold back some childish excitement at all these things.

 

'It sound so cool!' she thought, completely ignoring how this was also likely very dangerous. Who cares about danger, anyway? Dinosaurs! Snake-people! Lost civilizations! "Do I really need to swing?" asked the girl, looking down the edge they jumped down. "I mean I...think I can just land without a scratch. Again, I think; I'm not really sure how this whole thing work! That and I'm not very good at swinging."

[Thevshi]

When Gene looked back at Giang, he found that the Asian teen still had the same calm, serene look she usually did, not appearing at all surprised or worried about the obstacle now facing them.  "While trust and confidence building exercises certainly have their place, I believe this is just a case of the most direct route to our destination."  She replied.  "While I am certain our host would react to save you if you feel, not to mention one of use," she gestured to some of the other students, "I would suggest falling is something you likely would want to avoid today."

 

Giang then turned to regard Cho as the other girl asked her questions.  "Surviving the landing unharmed is one thing, you then would need to resist being pulled away by the current, something I could help prevent, and then climb back up out of the chasm.  Though I could probably help speed that up as well.  But any of that would cause at least some delay.  I would say at least try to swing across in order to prevent any delay, and just worry about dealing with falling if that happens."

 

She looked at the others.  "You all should swing across first, I will follow last."

[Blue Rose]

This place is insane, and weird, and there is no way those vines are a good idea. Sharp pointy rocks below. No shadows to escape through. And she could easily get over there with a step.

On the other hand, it looks fun. And it held Zandar, who easily weighs twice as much as she does. Plus, the rest of the gang is starting to sound like a bunch of wimps.

"Oh, just calm down and go for it."

She takes the rope in hand, and with a little hop, she's flying through the air, offering up her best Tarzan-style yell. It's not exactly impressive, but the rush of wind in her hair as she soars along to the other side is... well...

Let's just say a few seconds later, she's stepped through the shadows to the rest of the group, and takes a second trip across.

[Raveled]

Gene watched Sam swing across, disbelieving at how easily she took to the concept of traveling by jumping across spike-filled chasms. And then she reappeared to do the whole thing over again. Gene took a firm grip on a wayward vine and tugged it, swallowing. "I thought role models were supposed to stop you from doing insane stuff." Not able to put it off any longer, he hung on tight and stepped off.

He did his best manly scream, which was somhow at a higher register than Sam's. He made it across in one piece, though, and quickly retreated from the edge. "If we get down to the village," he gasped, "and there's a freight elevator down there, I'm going to practice clear-cutting with dynamite. Just do we're all clear."