[PQ] it seems you've set it running free

to be lit up from within

vein by vein

There had to be a better solution than heading out into the sea to her death.

And she’d pondered it for a great while, entrenching herself into notes and calculations, asking locals and Naturals alike, wondering if there was the slimmest chance, the slightest opportunity, that some of these damned ghost whales ever ended up washing ashore. Dead and gone on their own terms, or found by something bigger, scarier, than them. Once in a great while came across. If you’re lucky came on a shrug, though anytime she’d met up with the oceanic monstrosities, there’d been no fortune at all.

So, the logical conclusion, before she sought to borrow her own schooner and recklessly cast her life aside for one damned quest, was to embark across the sands, to scour the seemingly endless reaches.

Armed and laden with some digging tools, she left them piled on the beach, having only recruited several by word of mouth. And even then, she was already restlessly combing the sands as dawn approached, listening to the sound of the waves as her toes dug into the sodden layers, striving to have a tiny bit of that luck now.

--

PQ to find a ghost whale bone! It'll move on when everyone has posted. ;D

1. Aurelia
2. Sunjata

to be the sun

MELITA

AURELIA

and my hands aren't clean
maybe they never will be

Bare feet stamp through dry sand, carrying Aurelia towards the edges of the coast at a steady pace. In the time it's taken her to realize that she's an aptly-named 'Abandoned', to tell the truth of her past to Milo, and go out on an incredibly fruitless endeavor to sAvE a StArWhAlE, she hasn't had much time or mental fortitude to do things that are normal for her. Like morning runs. Maybe some semblance of normality will be helpful, will push through it all.

She's barely begun when she comes across a woman with wild red hair and digging tools, searching the sand. It's Melita, she realizes with a start. Well, her endeavor to do something normal will have to wait for another time.

Her feet pad over the sands, though she slows to a stop as she reaches a discarded shovel. "Melita?" Her voice is full of curiosity and maybe a little bit of confusion. The shovel is retrieved from the sand and she examines it before lifting her gaze back up. "What are you looking for?" There's an unspoken and do you need help? hanging on the edge of her words.

but they can still carry you home
when you're ready to sleep

i'll put all my pieces back together where they belong, and i'll say

He’s a bit late but he’d promised he’d come, to put aside his personal problems for an afternoon and evening to help his niece with finding whale bones. It doesn’t seem like an easy task, but not necessarily a hard one either, just time consuming. Which was fine and all, given that having things to bide ones time was exactly what he’s looking for. So he arrives on wings of navy blue, his macaw shift departing from the cliffs to dive down toward the honeybee youth and Aurelia to his pleasant surprise, before shifting to himself along the sands and offering Melita an easier smile (perhaps a hint apologetic as well) before nodding to Aurelia.

“Quick question, is there a way to tell a ghost whale bone from a regular whale bone?” This is aimed toward Melita for her expertise on it, given the fact it’s her quest, before he slips forward to grab a shovel from nearby Aurelia with an easier smile than he’s had in months.

But when he’s prepared, he plants the shovel by his feet and leans on it, looking to Melita for instruction. “Where should we start, heuningby?"

god, i'm a mess

SUNJATA

to be lit up from within

vein by vein

Her head whipped up from the undulations of the waves, surprised to see Aurelia there, along the edges. “Well,” and maybe now it seemed a little foolish, but better than the alternatives of certain death and damnation. “Since I couldn’t get Jack’s assistance with the ghost whale hunting, I thought I’d try and find a bone out here.” A shrug, her hands idle by her sides for a moment, toes digging further into the damp, sodden sand. “You’re welcome to help if you want. Easier with more hands and eyes, and then I wouldn’t have to head out-,” which she cut off entirely, as Sunjata approached.

Nate’s conversation in the back of her mind didn’t seem to ease the blows around her spinning cranium, and her eyes shifted downward at his attempt at a smile. “I think they might look a little more battered? Because of the waves?” The way their bodies were open canvases of actual enamel, no muscle, no fiber, no substance but an amazing cunning and deciphering ability. “Maybe some sticky, sinewy residue?” She’d never touched them. Perhaps they could find a variety of bones, and she’d hope that one of them would be the right thing.

“I’m going to start down here,” and she pointed towards her designated spot, Fangorn waving his vines nearby. “If you want to split up further down the beach, and we can tackle more ground and space that way…” she wasn’t sure – based on her tone. The whole thing seemed farfetched. The digging instruments were nearby anyway, in case they did make a discovery.

--

Split up and search the beach for any sign of bones! Take a shovel with you!

to be the sun

MELITA

AURELIA

and my hands aren't clean
maybe they never will be

Aurelia supposes she's not surprised by Melita's answer. It makes fine sense, to her at least. So she nods, brief and quick. "Of course I'll help. Anyway, I owe you for that one time.. with the other kind of ghosts," and let's face it, no one wants to see Melita end up in the belly of a whale. If this is a means to avoid that end, Aurelia's all for it.

Suddenly, a rather familiar set of bright blue feathers comes gliding down to the sand.

She raises her brows and tenses her shoulders in anticipation of ~just Attuned things~. The macaw becomes Sunjata in some weird, whoosh-y shift of shape. Nope. Still not used to that! Not as bad as the panther shift, at least. She did have to admit she liked the pegasus, though. No complaints about that one.

There's not much to say and she doesn't want to derail the question, so all she offers him is a friendly smile.

Battered, giant whale bones. Got it. "Yeah, that's a good idea," she offers to Melita, hoping to sound encouraging. "I'll start over this way and... try my luck!" She heads off in the aforementioned direction. Personally, she's not too certain about any of this either.

"If I were a whale bone, where would I be...?" She hums softly into the salty breeze, and suddenly it strikes her that she may want to check the water. First, anyway. Might as well, before they spend the whole day digging.

So, shovel kept handy, she walks into the shallows of the ocean. Wading, eyes scanning, she uses the shovel to move seaweed and other things that might hide secret bones! Or other treasures. She wouldn't complain.

---

Aurelia checks the shallows for any bones that have washed up!

but they can still carry you home
when you're ready to sleep

i'll put all my pieces back together where they belong, and i'll say

He nods to her, thinking of whale bones that appeared more beat up, some that might cling to the sand and kelp more than others should when they, in theory, should be mostly dried out by now. And so he picks up the shovel, watching as Melita picks a spot down the beach and suggests splitting up. This is granted yet another nod, a swift smile landing on his face. “Aye, aye.” He confirms, watching momentarily as Aurelia picks her place.

So he picks one opposite, beginning to dig just on the inside of where the waves landed while the tide was out the way it was. Perhaps something had been left behind when the tide crept in at night? It was hard to say, but he thinks it makes sense enough. For a moment he considers compelling some crabs to help dig, but in the end decides on a relatively friendly looking sea turtle that’s nearby, inviting it over to dig a space down behind him.

---

Sunjata picks the spot where the tide comes in to dig! He also compels a sea turtle to help dig another spot.

god, i'm a mess

SUNJATA

to be lit up from within

vein by vein

Melita didn’t keep track of debts or owed missives; in some way, it all evened out in the end. Compassion and kindness were things to be extended, even if half the time she was embedded in rancorous, fiery edges, and saluted both Aurelia and Sunjata as they hastened their way along the beach.

The surf and swell didn’t impede much – crystal clear water allowing them a perfect vision of what was laden by their toes. Aurelia’s method of moving the seaweed, casting it out of her sights, would prove to be quite useful – as she would soon find something ivory, an off-white, poking out of the shallows. She’d have to be quick to snag at it though, as another wave came quickly, swiftly, and might have caused her to lose sight of it.

Sunjata, however, did not have as much fortune. Despite his sea turtle notions, a reputable idea, the reptile’s efforts didn’t contribute into anything but unearthing a large amount of wayward crabs, and they weren’t content with the sudden violation of their privacy. They skittered and skimmed over to the closest threat (namely, of course, Sunjata), snapping their pincers over his skin, before wandering off in their discontent.

And the honeybee youth, with Fangorn bobbing along and searching alongside, had some stroke of luck too. Beneath her feet was a gilded piece, glimmering and emboldened, and though she knew it wasn’t a bone, she couldn’t resist the avaricious pull and call, hands going for it, sifting through sand.

--

Aurelia has found something off-white poking out of the shallows!

Sunjata has found annoyed sea life and been pinched for his folly!

Melita has found something gold and was immediately distracted by it!

PQ moving on when everyone has posted. No post order.

to be the sun

MELITA

AURELIA

and my hands aren't clean
maybe they never will be

Her search is quite thorough, scraping through the seaweed with intention and a singular purpose. But she's so concentrated, she nearly misses it. Out from beneath clinging green tendrils, a certain off-white shade catches Aurelia's eye. Double-backing, she splashes the water clear to get a better view. She smiles. Much to her amazement, it's a bone!

Or it looks like one, anyway.

She leans down and tries to examine it. Using the shovel to try to pry it up from between sand and rock, her expression grows more determined. The oncoming waves don't deter her from the goal at hand. It only spurs her on to be quicker and nimbler with her grasping fingers. If she can manage to get this thing up, she can better determine if it's actually a bone - and what kind it could be.

---

Aurelia attempts to use the shovel and her other hand to unearth the object!

but they can still carry you home
when you're ready to sleep

i'll put all my pieces back together where they belong, and i'll say

For a moment, he thinks that it might be going well. They’re both digging through the sand, when the sea turtle unearths quite a few crabs that dart specifically toward him. There’s a moment where the pinchers are picking at him, leaving a few red marks in their wake and Sunjata attempting to compel the creatures to go the hell away. “klein skurke.” He mutters to the crabs, huffing a sigh and shaking out his hand.

A quick glance around tells him that both Aurelia and Melita have found something, so Sunjata tries again – this time a bit further down the beach, attempting to dig a hole somewhere new, releasing the sea turtle to go back about its business.

---

Sunjata calls the crabs ‘little bastards’ and moves down the beach a bit to dig again!

god, i'm a mess

SUNJATA

to be lit up from within

vein by vein

Things began to happen, and perhaps no one would have expected it quite so quickly. The knob of off-white hues, rounded, beaten down, and worn at the top, found and spotted by Aurelia, began to take more form as the smuggler’s shovel dug deeper into the sand, lifting it away, away, away, and revealing more of the depths. It could’ve very well have been a bone, though whether it belongs to a ghost whale or not would have to be determined once more of it surfaced, or she instigated the others to join her.

With the crabs gone, and the sea turtle hastened off to its own merits, Sunjata’s movements further down the beach served him well. In a matter of moments, he would find something – though it had a distinct sparkle, a hint of sheen to it – perhaps hinting that it couldn’t be bone. Whether or not it would be worth investigating would be up to the Flood.

And then, despite Melita’s predilection towards the golden, gilded veneer, hands and shovel and vines orchestrated towards its metallic layers – she only succeeded in snagging at its filaments. When she raised her hand to the morning light, there sat only a piece of some old handle, perhaps from a hairbrush or a mirror. “Darn,” she muttered, thinking to kick at the water, but thinking better of it. Instead, she mustered a breath, dragging herself out of the water to place the scrap in a pile of debris, to be collected and disposed of later.

--

Aurelia might have found a bone! She can call the others over, or keep digging herself!

Sunjata has found something shiny!

Melita’s efforts are in vain – she’s found a piece of an old handle.

PQ will move on when everyone has posted!

to be the sun

MELITA

AURELIA

and my hands aren't clean
maybe they never will be

The sand drifts up, swirling around her feet as the tide pulls it to and fro, muddying the waters. Squinting through it, Aurelia can see that this most certainly looks promising. It seems to be trapped rather deeply beneath the shallows. As more and more of it is revealed, her suspicion grows as to whether this is what Melita's looking for. She suspects that if it's truly a whale bone, she will need help.

So she plants the shovel at an angle that might be able to hold the bone {or whatever it is} in place. "Melita! Sunjata! Over here!" Her voice rises over the beach as she calls for them, "I think I found something...?" There is a hint of doubt in her voice but nonetheless, she continues to try and pull it up.

---

Aurelia calls for help and keeps trying to get the.. bone(?)

but they can still carry you home
when you're ready to sleep

i'll put all my pieces back together where they belong, and i'll say

Something catches his attention, the Flood pausing his digging to spy a glimmer from within the sand. He digs a bit further then, shifting to his panther form to better use his paws for digging into the sandy dirt to pull it out when he hears Aurelia’s call. There’s a moment of being torn between finding what that object is he’s pulled out, but he abandons it for the moment to help where he can. After all, it’s for a bone, not something shiny within the sand.

The panther trots over, aiming to settle in beside Aurelia, using his paws to dig around the bone to hopefully dislodge it just enough for Aurelia to latch onto. He can’t communicate in this form, not to either of them, but it’s no matter. The long sweeping tail along the sand and the occasional perk of his dark ears swiveling to each of them should be indication enough.

---

Sunjata starts to dig out what he found, but ultimately comes to Aurelia’s call to help dig what she found out.

god, i'm a mess

SUNJATA

to be lit up from within

vein by vein

The shout over the beach drowned out her mutterings, head raised towards Aurelia’s shout. Within a moment, and subsequently Sunjata as well (having abandoned his own shiny enticements), they were over at her side, spying down into the water. “Maybe…,” she whispered, not attempting to get her hopes up – but she dug in anyway.

So did the panther.

And, for whatever reason, it didn’t seem to do much good. The waves sank into the sand, hastening it right back to where it started, and they got no further, no matter if paws or shovels were doing the heavy lifting. The mysterious item remained in place, and even while Melita took hold of the knob in obvious frustration, it only budged a little, still and solidified in its realm.

“What if we all pulled at the same time?” Some sort of synchronized strength – instead of digging and digging and digging until they were exhausted, and nowhere close in their efforts. They also didn't have any idea on how large this item was - it could possibly be only the beginning of a long road ahead. Her eyes went to Aurelia and Sunjata, shrugging her shoulders, waiting for them to chime in. “Any other ideas?”

--

Bad rolls, fam. They can keep digging, pull at the same time, or if anyone else has any ideas, feel free to offer up!

to be the sun

MELITA

i'll put all my pieces back together where they belong, and i'll say

The panther claws don’t seem to dig well enough into the sand and he huffs a bit of a feline hiss with the sound, stepping back to let Melita and Aurelia think about it. He shifts back into himself, staring at the bone and the way the waves continue to pull sand into it while he knees in the water and watches as Melita offers options. They could do that, but he has another idea, one that might perhaps give them an advantage.

His steel gaze lifts to Melita as he chews on the inside of his lip, head tilting slightly. “I can shift into the dragon form and try to pry it up, maybe, and the rest of you can try to dig out around it and help pull it out with me?” It was a strong shift with claw like hands that might be enough to dislodge it, hopefully.

So he gives himself room, having not shifted into this form fully since before his wing had been broken, letting it go and hissing quietly as his body adjusts and morphs and the wing that’s broken hangs limply at his side. The other remains tucked in tight and the dragon nears the bone, reaching in to pry underneath it with his clawed hand and tries to pull up to release the hold the sand and water has on the item.

---

Jata suggests his dragon form to try and pry it up enough that the rest of them can dislodge it, so he shifts and reaches in and tries to pry it up!

god, i'm a mess

SUNJATA