Arrival!

[ruin_mania]

[Good morning, Paradisa! Thanks to a little getting-up-at-the-crack-of-dawn, the expedition-goers will be crossing the Dead Zone border about ten AM today and from there it's just a quick TARDIS jump back to the castle. They come bearing news, stolen gold, reports of the Totem Coast and the Lastlook river, and even a guest or two.

For some it's a relief to get back to the castle - it's been insistently tugging at the residents the entire time they've been gone - and for others it's like shouldering a weight again. A few unexpected disappearances along the way bring some solemnity to the group, but despite the rough conditions along the way the group as a whole seems to be rather upbeat. Maybe it's just the prospect of a hot shower and a meal they don't have to cook themselves, or maybe it's the lowered stress of having been away from the castle for a while. Maybe both.

Feel free to mingle, run for your rooms, or just sit back and relax after a long three weeks, and thanks for exploring!]

Comments

[ruin_mania]

[Raine is of course overseeing the loading and unloading of the TARDIS, making sure no one leaves any important items behind and that all the mounts are properly attended to. Feel free to interrupt her (or, you know, tell her that her brother is at the castle since she didn't recognize his voice earlier).]

[cricketycricket]

Well, another mostly successful journey. [Five smiles, escorting one of the horses out through the doors] And yet again, we come free of it with more questions than answers, and several wounded.

... Somehow, just what the Doctor ordered.

[encryptedlock]

[When York crossed into the Live Zone today, he was in for an unpleasant surprise. Namely, his girlfriend has turned into a painting.]

Aw, son of a bitch!

[So yeah. Help a guy lug a portrait up to his room?]

[noblefive]

[And, yeah, Jorge sees that and heads on over, putting his hands on the frame.]

Need a hand?

[i_got_this]

Where the hell did you get that?!

[She hadn't seen any paintings in the treasure room, and,was it just her or did that look suspiciously like Carolina?]

[payback]

[Rin stands a bit away from the group with her Arcanine. She's already making plans: back to the outpost to collect her things, and then she´ll be happy not to see the place for a long while. Ah, but Galadriel... and her husband now... maybe she should see them first, or - ]

Maybe a meal...?

placeholder!

[ardor]

[Kallen comes over to join her!]

Something non vacuum sealed!

[dupable]

[ Hey Rin, don't mind John popping up over here. ]

Are you hungry?

1/3

[mom_to_us_all]

[Does anyone hear that? Sounds like something getting closer to the bunch of people that are arriving to the castle...]

[mom_to_us_all]

[Ohshi--it's getting even more close! You turn to see what is going on and... White wolf running towards you at full speed!]

[mentors]

[Oof!! Yep knocked over, but he already knows who this is.]

Ammy!

[inmylight_commander]

[Kat's been walking because the whole 'ride a horse! It'll be fun!' thing didn't really work out for her. She pauses after she crosses the border to revel in the feeling of her augmentations again, the world brighter, the sounds sharper. She rolls her prosthetic in its base to see how Onceler's work fared in the powered side, and was happy with the fluid motion.]

[She flexes her hand to do the same, and suddenly, unexpectedly, there's a flash of red as a laser shoots out of her fingertip and sizzles through a nearby tree.]

[She freezes, and then looks down at her hand. Onceler, you little devil you. She's hoping he has instructions because otherwise this could be a very awkward thing.]

[whichwayyoulean]

[Oh ooops. He sure hopes that didn't damage the tree forever, he's been doing so well with his latest track record of environmental safeguarding. Still, he offers her a sheepish smile anyway]

Guess they were still switched on. My bad.

[whichwayyoulean]

[Three weeks of endless interaction with other sentient beings is way over the Once-ler's self-imposed limits. Adding to the fact Ted's leaving is just another nail in his Coffin of Bitterness and well, he's in no mood to hang around in the lobby.

So he'll be heading off up the stairs of the Impetus tower, in an attempt to lock himself away from everyone again forever.

Or, you know, until someone forcibly drags him out again or breaks down his door to Spend Time with him. Whichever comes first]

[mispronunciates]

[sorry, bro, there's a tall guy with an enormous head standing in front of the tower door, studying a huge fold-out map intently.

when you wish for a map of the castle, you go big or you go home]

[thehangedrose]

[Oh, well, look who this is! It's the jerk who told him to take drugs when he was freaking out over a thing that was very, very real. Thanksa lot, bro. Some friend you are.]

[Garry follows him silently, though mentally fuming at the memory of the Onceler's response the other day. He then grabs the doll that has been following him, walks up to the Onceler, and taps him on the shoulder.]

Hey.

[And as soon as the Onceler turns around, he's going to chuck the thing right into his face.]

[WHO IS GOING TO FREAK OUT, NOW, HUH?]

[perfectisnteasy]

[once CLU hits the border, it's like the Naked Program incident in reverse ... pixels spread up his limbs like something growing, and once his bodysuit has completely regenerated itself, the yellow circuits glow to life underneath ... the clothes he's still wearing. he'll start shucking them off, with a relieved smile]

Well, it's about time.

[messin_with_my_zen_thing]

[Flynn claps a hand on his shoulder once he's ditched the clothes]

Feel better?

[heal_theworld]

[Martel is hovering around the edges of the group as they unpack, not quite sure if she wanted to go to her room or stay here. In the end, she decides that they have enough hands, and she's completely exhausted, so she starts towards the stairs.]

[waterproofed]

Hey. You need any help getting to your room?

[hedonic]

[ SO GONE WITH LOOT, BYE SUCKERS. P.S. The truce is over now ]

[cyan_maid]

[Whew! As fun and exciting as exploring is, Jane is strangely relieved to be back. She's sitting on one of the couches, casually putting everything back in her Sylladex. She's got a very thoughtful look on her face, as if she's considering something important, but on the other hand she also looks pretty tired. Wanna come pester her?]

[heliotroping]

[Hi, remember him?]

So what was worse, the spiders or the giant birds?

[dupable]

[ John's had a nice, long adventure, and once he hits the stairs of the castle he's sitting down, attempting to lie back on them, realizing that's uncomfortable and sitting up again.

Either way, it was a pretty good trip. ]

[ninjainviolet]

[Sorry, fellow travelers, but some of you will be in for a surprise as suddenly this lovely lady appears as soon as Sheena's sure they're well within the Live Zone.

Now, to find Once-ler and introduce them.]

[whichwayyoulean]

[Why Sheena? Why? Why would you do this.

He's just hanging back still in his wagon of emo and hermitry. You know, avoiding everyone]

[defiants]

[And at the tail end of the caravan, the mess of people is a young girl. She seems to be a lot better now, looking around at the expansive castle with widened eyes... and substantial awe.

Could she be this intimidated by the castle, perhaps?]

[dupable]

[ Good question! John is going up to her, giving her a curious look. ]

It's pretty big, huh?

[wizard_redfive]

[Dairine cannot begin to describe how glad she is to be back. While she certainly doesn’t regret going and has enjoyed the change of scenery, she can’t deny it was a rough trip. Especially for someone unused to going without wizardry.

The relief of getting her wizardry back can only be matched by what’s waiting for her at the castle. At the bottom of the lobby stairs, not far from the TARDIS’s landing spot, is a familiar silvery laptop.]

Spot!! [Overjoyed, Dairine rushes forward and picks the laptop up, hugging it tightly to her chest.] I've missed you so much!

[Feel free to comment on this strange yet touching reunion.]

[thehangedrose]

...?

[He's just passing by, and she's...hugging a laptop. What is this.]

You named your laptop? [That's not that odd, but hey, in this place, anything that looks odd is bound to be a whole lot more bizarre than it actually is.]

[not_mafia]

[Tsuna decided to just take a seat on the couch for a bit. He hadn't honestly thought about what to do when they got back to the castle, so he was figuring that out now.

Perhaps he should filter to Allen, letting him know they were back and he could get Natsu back? ... he needed to find Zelos too, at some point, and return his dagger to him.

He picks up one of his arms, littered with little scratches, the edge of his mouth tugging into a frown before he gives a little sigh and folds his arms behind him and rests his head on them.]

[bustered]

[Question: is anyone safe from Zack Fair?

Observation: one big-haired teenager relaxing on couch, arms behind head, possibly unwinding from long journey.

Observation: one former SOLDIER with waaaay too much energy on a normal basis, entering the room and looking around.

Observation: said SOLDIER making his way over to the couch, hands braced on its back so he can lean over and peer upside-down at the teenager.]

Hey, Tsuna. What's up?

[Answer: no one is safe from Zack Fair.]