The Arrival

[lord_wizard]

[They appear as the sun is setting. Giraffes, of all things. A great procession of them approach the castle, long necks silhouetted by the darkening sky. Incredibly, mounted on saddles on their backs, or pulled in carts behind them, is the expedition team, and every single bit of their gear. And whatever else they've drug back with them.

They stop just outside of the courtyard and help their passengers disembark. It's been a long trip, travelers, but you're finally home.

Perhaps you'd like to come welcome the team home. Or just ogle. That's good too.]

Comments

[schrodingersghost]

[Danny is one of the first to disembark from the giraffes, possibly because his method of disembarking involves a lot of jumping and sliding.

He might be taking a little too much glee in being back in an area where he could float and fly if he needed to.]

I'd just like to say that giraffe-back is totally the best way to travel.

[Not counting flying, of course.]

[wolf_of_war]

[There is a very large, rather intimidating-looking robo-wolf nearby, looking on with what appears to be bemusement, though it's difficult to tell, as his expression is largely unreadable.]

Are such occurrences common?

[pint_sized_carnivore]

Wait, you rode on a giraffe? That's pretty awesome! I feel like I should have went with you guys now, but with what I heard about big bug monsters, I'm glad I didn't. Gah, I'm so confused!

[waterproofed]

[Percy can now add "giraffe" to his list of transportations. He starts gathering up the horses to take them back to the stables. And starts talking to them like it's no big deal]

Yeah, guys, I know. But we're back safely. That's the important part.

[peacockherald]

_{[ Vanyel was helping with that, Yfandes already heading back that way on her own, eager for a warm stall and the chance for a proper grooming and a bath. Vanyel smiled at Percy, leading a few of the animals. ]}

Are they as tried as the rest of us? Or shaky from the giraffe ride?

_{[ He has to admit, sometimes he is envious of Percy's ability to talk to the horses. ]}

[pint_sized_carnivore]

Yo, welcome back!

[patching_up]

H-- Hey, Percy!

[5 waves up at him from a fair distance away with surprising enthusiasm, given his usual timid demeanor. He seems delighted to see that Percy has returned safely, but is too nervous of the giraffes and the horses to get any closer.]

You're back! Er, what are those huge things? With the long necks, that are carrying people... everyone's okay, right?

[rose_of_battle]

[Sorry, Percy, but she needs Onyx for a minute to go get a Chocobo who hadn't liked being cooped up for the trip back and is currently running across the field.]

Maaaan! This isn't a race, Bitey!

[deductiongeek]

[Conan gladly escapes from Onceler's wagon and starts quietly moving toward the castle. He would be more than okay with escaping notice right now, especially since he was almost certain that several people were likely to lecture him for stowing along on an expedition that had become so dangerous.

All he wanted to do was sleep for a few days. No matter what he had told everyone, he was hurting more than a bit. His injuries from before hadn't healed in a week, and he hadn't allowed himself to rest much these last few days.]

[findatree]

[having snuck out quite a few times himself, Ted certainly isn't going to say anything about Conan sneaking away. He may even provide a distraction should someone try to stop the other boy]

[pint_sized_carnivore]

[While Chie may not be the best at detecting people, she got lucky this time and saw Conan trying to not attract attention. But she assumed everyone knew he went to the expedition]

Oh hey, welcome back. Do you happen to be Conan-kun by any chance?

[luxe_can_kill]

[Mitsuru sighs and yawns quietly when she got down from the giraffe's back. She's just glad to be back and get some rest.]

[youfallback]

[Once she's off the giraffes, she begins to quickly pull the plated armor back over her basesuit and breathes a sigh of relief that it works again now that they're back in the powered zone. Her helmet is still missing, but that's something much more easily replaced than an entire suit. Once she's suited up again, she'll be promptly heading inside, not bothering to really stop and chat.]

[bronwe]

[ One of the giraffes look unoccupied though, or perhaps its load is only too small to see, at least until the hobbit tries to climb down gently only to end up falling on his back with a thud. Classic.

He is relatively unscathed and even perky, with only small scratches and dirt stains on his face and hands. A nice long walk indeed. ]

[gentleidealist]

[Lloyd is stretching and yawning when he sees something fall in front of him.]

Whoa! You okay there?

[He goes to help the hobbit up, offering a hand.]

What a ride, huh.

[ensorceler]

[ She's just about ready to fall off the giraffe and puke when they finally come to a stop, Vereesa's arms the only thing keeping her from toppling over. It was not like riding a horse, not at all, and it has been a long trip.

When she's finally helped down to the grass, Anne just wants to collapse and sleep there for a day. Instead she smiles at Vereesa and offers her a kiss on the cheek in gratitude before heading towards the castle. She doesn't expect a welcome party, but she'll look as regal and content as she can despite. ]

[findatree]

[Ted goes over to her, smiling]

I had a lot of fun traveling with you. I hope we can do it again.

[originalcopy]

[Church isn't going to go down to greet anyone, but he has been watching through his scope as they arrive.

Just checking that a few people made it back alive.
Once he's satisfied he'll head back to Stark Tower. Making sure to avoid a certain new arrival as he does.]

[quadro_dent]

[A certain toddler can be spotted climbing down from a wagon with her guardian. She's dusty but smiling up at Lemony as they talk. See? All in one piece!]

[storiestotell]

[ Katherine managed to hop down from the back of the giraffe without stumbling. Glancing over her shoulder to make sure her pack had not opened and items fall out as a result of it during the trip back, she turned her attention back to the animal and smiled. She patted it on the neck gently and, with a warm smile, thanked the giraffe for giving her a ride back. ]

[pint_sized_carnivore]

Hey Katherine! Welcome back!

[tapshoetomove]

[Luke is completely exhausted from the journey, and all he really wants to do is sleep and try not to think about giant bug monsters. Considering he was a stowaway on the trip, he doesn't really have much to take back with him aside from a few things he managed to find.

He looks like he could use a really long nap and a shower though.]

[lord_wizard]

[Felix had taken one of the carts instead. While he was perfectly proficient in horse-back, he wasn't quite ready to make that leap after everything. He climbs off once the cart stops, taking a moment to see that his borrowed horse was being safely off-loaded, along with Ashura's.

Given his roll as partial organizer, he approached one of the giraffes and offered a mostly sincere parting message of gratitude and a bow of respect. Talking to them was only slightly less bizarre than it had been a few days ago, but he attempts to take it in stride. And it was best to be diplomatic, though they even cross paths again.

With that, he strides towards the front doors, tired, dirty, and sporting a few minor scrapes from their encounter with the insects. All things considered, it could have gone much worse.]

[wishmadeinfire]

<sub>[ Ashura took the animals to to be put away whilst Felix took care of being the diplomat, happy to let him play it with these odd creatures - however beautiful they might be in their own way.

In the barn he quickly changed into a set of light robes, eager to be out of trousers if he did not have to be in them and the somewhat soiled jerkin. Wrapped again in the warm colors of red and gold, he headed back for the Castle, though he wished he could have cleaned himself off the smudges of dirt, the scrapes. But, it could wait for a proper bath.

He found Felix quickly enough, coming to walk beside him, reaching down with a hand hidden beneath a voluminous sleeve to touch his fingers. ]</sub>

It is good to be home.

[solowingpixy]

[Keeping a good hold on his bag and AK, Pixy jumped down off of the giraffe when it came to a stop, looking back up at the castle. He wasn't really sure if he was relieved to see the place again or just dreading to be back.]

Well. That was an interesting two weeks, to say the least.

[pint_sized_carnivore]

[A familiar girl was standing at the castle's entrance, looking hesitant to approach him. But she was slowly walking towards Larry with an anxious look on her face]

Uh, hi Pixy-san. W-Welcome back! Heh heh...

[Then Weiss whimpered. He was hiding behind Chie's shadow, clinging on her ankle. And he looks like he gained a little weight. Chie sighs when Weiss revealed himself]

S-Sorry! I really tried to make him exercise and feed him right! But somehow he kept finding something fatty to eat! I swear, I tried!

[cyan_maid]

[Jane is very happy to come down from her giraffe, and as awkward as the whole experience was, she still pats it thankfully. She's a bit shaky, but she looks happy to be back. Care to say hello?]

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

[Sup, Jane. Bunnymund is here to make sure you're not dead or injured or anything. He's ignoring the giraffe though, the giraffe can go do one]

Welcome back.

[quadro_dent]

[Sunny climbs down from the wagon with a smile. Well THAT was certainly an adventure. She can honestly say she's all adventured out for the moment. There is one thing she'd like to do, however:]

Dinner. [Which, of course, means "I would very much like to make a big dinner to welcome everyone back after that trip. Although perhaps it would be better to serve it tomorrow once everyone has rested."]

ｃｌｏｓｅｄ | bunny

[wolfchild]

[ She hasn't been back long, but she's not tired. They had taken the time to rest the mounts, her and Robb, before tackling the final leg of the trip. Aemon and Northern Son had been groomed and left in their stalls. Nymeria had opted for the forests so Arya had warged into Winter and had him meet them halfway. Thus why the white raven hops from shoulder to shoulder.

Passing by Bunny's burrow, she remembers he has not met Winter yet. Patting the bird, she asks: ] Do you want to meet my friend?

[ Winter crows, "Corn!" Arya purses her lips. ]

No. Ra-bbit.

[ "Corn!"

Arya sighs. ]

Yes, corn.

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

[And at the sound of Arya's voice, Bunny hops out of his burrow. At least he has more sense than to try to pick her up]

THERE you are. 'Bout time you came back.

[assassino]

[Ezio is glad to be home.

He slides down off his steed and stretches. Fuck, that was a long ride.

Now... where's his loving girlfriend?]

[luthored]

[ Running in his direction right now! In a nice bright, non-emo sundress and everything. ]

[wizard_redfive]

[Well, that expedition sure filled up her excitement quota of the week. Maybe even the month.

Dairine slides down from her giraffe steed, secretly glad to have her feet back on solid ground. The ride was awesome but a liiiittle extreme after the long battles and hikes. Still, she's glad to be back in civilization.

After exchanging words of gratitude and a farewell to the giraffes, she goes on her way. Dairine will gladly talk if approached, but if not she'll be heading upstairs to get a nice long shower and crash for the night.]