2025-01-14 - Seeking the Source - Group 1

"The shipwreck thing makes a ton of sense," Huck is telling everyone as they approach the motorboat. "The first shared dream I had was on a boat fighting off a bunch of drowned zombie monsters. So now the question seems to be, who are the good guys and who are the bad guys, and what is the sentient thing that is orchestrating all this trying to make us do for it? It's clearly using us to do things it can't, maybe because it can't be in our dimension or something? Is it making us make the island more powerful so it can cross over to here? Is that bad??"

Theo was happy to be the duckling and let Jett play leader in this. He knew his roommate was concerned about the blue ball on NYE and what part he might have had in all of this in that weird-ass shared dream that they and Huck had. When all that searching of the islands brings them here, Theo is studying Nina as she offers her boat. Time is wasting away and he's ready to get things started. He never was patient in things anyway. Even in this, it should be no surprise. He listens to Huck's questions but he's ready to go and see what this is all about.

Peyton doesn't appear hungover, so that means it's a good day for her. There is a look given to the others before she offers a half-hearted smile. A stretch of her hands above her head. "I didn't have the dream." She finally offers up some words to the group. "I had visions though of carrying a rod of lightning that made a rune console light up. I was being chased though."

Jett was considering the evidence that Huck and Peyton discovered, listening to Huck's continued theories on the matter since they had discussed this before. His own exploration of the islands with Theo has at least narrowed down a location of where the magic 'felt' a little more powerful, if that was the word for it. Thicker perhaps. Jett is wearing a hoodie today over his usual, black jeans and skater shoes. He has been exceptionally thoughtful and has given less vocalized ideas than he would normally. He's embracing his emo. Nina's offering of a ride is met with a nod toward her, "Yeah, we are.... poking around, yeah, for the source of the ball." It's confirmation, as his hands slide into his pockets, shrugging up a shoulder.

He nods to Theo's idea of going southwest and considers Huck, then wonders with an aloofness that would make every emo proud, "Still think we might need mermaids." His attention swings to Peyton when she opens up about a vision, "Uh, yeah. We sort of ... completed that task, in a dream. Maybe? Or similar. There was a dream we were in that we activated an instrument panel, there were runes on it that I helped Ari with. He figured out the sequence. When we got it right, shit went blue." He notes, "Can you elaborate on your vision a bit more?"

Huck gives Nina a charming, giant smile filled with white teeth, fangs, and dimples. "Nina, you're our hero tonight! If you're up for it, let's head out and have a look." He looks at Theo and Jett and Peyton and gives them a little shrug, amused. "If we can figure out where things feel the strongest, and get some... GPS coordinates maybe? We can maybe figure out more about which wrecked boat is out here." If everyone else seems to be game, he marches up onto the motorboat.

"Wow visions. I don't know if that is a bad thing or a cool thing. But being chased does not sound fun." Theo makes a face when he says that.

Theo is also in dark clothes. With going hunting for this blue ball, who knows if there is mud and other things they could be getting into, and dark clothes hide the stains and the like better. Nodding when Jett elaborates on the dream and what his part had been in it. Theo was literally running from station to station, being extra hands and hoping his friends Huck and Esme didn't die while they fought.

"Can anybody here change into an animal or a strong swimmer? I wonder if the ball is in the water and if we would actually see it from the boat. But yeah, I like your idea, Huck, of getting coordinates. Maybe that will help pinpoint more of where the energy is."

"Of course, I can tell you all about it." There is a pause as the blonde dressed in all black falls into line with the others. "Peyton Hanna." She points to herself as she moves. There is a sort of 'whatever' tone to her voice when she talks. If she has animal energy it's black cat mixed with honey badger.

"The visions are horrible. I mean not the visions as they are, but afterwards. I sort of space out. It's like coming down from a good high or just vibing too hard and you forget where you are and who you are. Then with mine I passed out and hit my head at work. Great times I tell you. The first one, I ruined a cake I was doing and had to re-do it."

"I don't swim."

Right the visions. "There were two of them. I was running through a set of dark tunnels, none I've ever seen in the park, wet with stone walls and floors, the damp scent of decay and age in them. I felt anxious, nervous, like someone was following me. I was also clutching something to your chest as I ran." Peyton pauses to that one. "I also don't run."

"The second one I was in front of a large console of brass with a number of symbols on it that light up. Some of those symbols are dim or have gone out. I pull out a tube of crackling lightning and jam it into the side of the console and suddenly all the runes light up."

Jett looks over toward Peyton and Theo, when Huck starts to march toward Nina. Jett gives a little 'why not' shrug and he follows along behind Huck. "Thanks Nina, yeah we'll hit up the waters...that way..." he chops the air in a mostly southwestern direction.

"We need a mermaid," Jett notes again, with deadpan tone, "or at least someone who can dive, snorkel... whatever? Rowan's roommate has a river... sea... otter? Okay I forget what kind of otter but it swims! Maybe the otter will need to be recruited." He didn't actually know which roommate so leaves it to that generalized term.

Jett adds to Peyton, "Theo, Huck.. and I'm Jett." He points in the order of the names. He settles in to listen to the vision story.

Huck move to the edge of the boat and holds his claws out, palms toward the water. "I like to reach out when I'm trying to feel the magic stuffs." He laughs, "I don't know that it actually helps, but it makes me feel cool and shit."

He looks at Nina, "Did she say there are air tanks?" He wasn't looking at her when she was talking and just caught the end of it as he turned around. He smiles again, "I've never gone diving before, but it sounds like it could be pretty awesome." Looking back over the rail, he offers, "Feels like we're heading the right direction. Anyone else feel that?"

"I could take one of those wetsuits." Theo offers and makes to move in the direction of where they are at.

He taps Huck on the shoulder to make sure he's looking at Theo. "Yeah, I feel it too. Are you willing to trust me and get in the water with me? There are air tanks, too. That is what she said." He doesn't know how he and Huck will communicate in the water, but he's willing to try it, especially because he's feeling such a strong pull. His eyes change more as if it's a reflection of the magic that is going on around them.

Looking to Peyton and Jett to see if they feel or see anything. He also took in what Peyton has told them and he says, "Sounds like your vision was our dream. The most recent one. It is all connected in my opinion."

Peyton has metallic eyes and if one looks, her fingernails are mirrors. The rest of her is just commonplace blonde. Her eyes follow the others as she walks with the trio to the boat and considers Nina. "I'll stay on the boat to make sure everything stays on the up and up here."

Her lips curve into the most charming and customer service smile ever seen. "I feel it slightly. I'm not .. I'm still getting use to feeling things. It's been a week." Magic. Feelings. Emotions. Then she nods a bit to that. "It was the same as your dream then? Do you all do that dream walking thing?"

"Wait... wetsuits..." Jett realizes that there are no mermaids on call - they have to do the diving. Does he know how to dive?! Jett looks toward the air tanks and equipment, "Shit..." he exhales out. He steps over toward the gear and wonders, "So if we've had zero training on this...?" He picks up one of the wetsuits like it was an astronaut space suit and his eyes widen a bit, "Could you give us a crash course Nina?" There's that. He might survive long enough to see where the source is? He might get eaten by a shark because he doesn't know if there are or are not sharks in these waters! There could be! Never trust the water.

Jett looks toward Huck, though even in doing so his expression remains neutral, fixed to something a bit more serious even. He nods at Huck's question of air tanks. Jett looks toward the direction the boat is heading in with some slow shift of his shoulders, a little uncomfortable but bracing for what they could find. Not the sharks. Please no sharks.

His attention pivots back to Peyton though, "Brass... console that the symbols lit up. Yeah. That was kind of like the dream we were in. Yes! The tube of lightning was like a power plug. And the runes did light up like that!" He thinks about it, "So you like got a warning of the dream we got sucked into. The dark tunnels sound terrifying, but I sort of have magic that is both of the decaying world and the earthen powers. Maybe that will help somewhere along the way." He wonders to Peyton, "Got any other visions lately?" He laughs and notes, "Like right now? Visions?"

Huck nods at Theo, "I trust you, totally." He reaches out and lays his claw on Theo's shoulder, "We'll be fine." He looks over Theo's shoulder at Jett, meeting his gaze as well, meaning that message for him as well.

Moving to the wetsuits, Huck takes off his flannel, stripping down to his undershirt. Then he begins sliding himself into the wetsuit. He looks up at the other boats, "Friend or foe?" he asks as he gestures out toward them.

When Huck moves to get into a wetsuit so does Theo. A glance to Jett. "Are you coming to?" He will then proceed to get into the water as he waits to see what these other boats are all about.

Peyton pauses at the other boats. Then she listens to the talk. "Fine." It's a sort of soft like her hair is going to get wet noise. She will go for a wet suit. "I have not had any recent visions, no. I.. I don't know if that is something I can trigger. I think it just happens." She gives a morose look towards the water. "You know how cold this is going to be right?"

Jett looks to Peyton, "Have you never tried to ... trigger them? Try now? How about you try now before my ass is in that water..." He almost pleads with Peyton about that.

Though of course when Nina gives the demonstration he tries to pay attention to it. "Shit..." he murmurs as if wondering if he could do it or not. That's a lot of pressure. But there are boats around them that can provide a welcome distraction, responding to Huck's sentiments, "Maybe those are other people! Uhm, who can dive better than we can?" He is totally going to regret his every decision from here on out as he starts to peel out of clothes to get down to his shorts. Don't mind the skeleton tattoo on his greyscale flesh or the other one on the small of his back. He gets into a wetsuit quick enough so that these things can't be studied in depth.

He flicks a look toward Huck then back to Theo, his eyes storming a little bit, "I'm going to try..."

Theo jumps into the water. No more conversation comes from him as he stays focused once he is in the water and tries to not think about how cold the water is. He's trying to see what is below them but it is hard to see. Must be the pebble dust or whatever kind of ground there is on the bottom of the lake. He turns to look at Jett, "You think your earth magic would give us an idea of what it is we are dealing with? Could you pull it up?" He doesn't know how Jett's magic works hence the questions.

Huck leaps into the water after Theo. Once he's in the water, he's heading right for the bottom. It's cold, dark, and ridiculous, so he's using his tail to propel himself even faster so this can get over with before they all freeze.

No one could accuse Peyton of the sane choices in life. She runs towards red flags like she's a bull on a mission. The woman suits up and there is a small prayer. Not because she's religious, but because she doesn't want to pee herself when that cold water hits her.

Peyton will let herself into the water and go as far down as her body is willing to go.

Jett mutters under his breath about all this diving shit. He's so out of his element here; his wish for a mermaid went unheard apparently! That saying he is definitely not turning into one. He's simply a pale guy in a wetsuit with some really weird feathery hair that he had to work around with the mask and air attachments. This could be really bad. When he gets into the water he makes a slight RASP as the temperature of the water hits him even through the wetsuit. He is not thinking about his magic until Theo is turning to him in the water, while they're bobbling at the surface. He gives Theo a thumbs up and then tries this diving shit out. Several thousand thoughts of his watery grave await him as he plummets into the darker waters of the lake.

A bit further down... as best as he can get down because he is not a commercial diver here.... he starts treading water or slowly suffocating as he tries to learn to breathe with this equipment on. He watches Huck go by with some burbbbbling sounds and a wave of his hand. But then, he's looking around and then down. Okay. Earth magic.

Earttttth magic. He reaches out with his hands and there's a faint glow that embraces them, so faint that it's barely there; it's just easier to see in the gloom of the water. He attempts to feel around and maybe pull up the mystery instead of having to go down to it!

Huck slows his swim long enough to look back at the others and point with his long claws toward the boats. He makes a ball with his hand and 'explodes' it out and then points toward the ships again, trying to convey the blue ball of energy exploding came from down there. Once he's done so, he turns a bit and begins heading toward the ships once more. He has no idea what the limitations are on these diving suits.

Theo swims along even if diving is not his forte. He probably would enjoy this experience more if he was not on a mission. But he's focused on the task at hand. With the equipment they are wearing, he knows there is no hope of communicating with voice. He plays charades and seems to be asking if it feels warm in the water for everyone else. Making hand motions for the sun. And then he thumps his chest to indicate he feels the magic there and this must be the place.

Jett shakes his head back and forth after he feels some of the rock. Rock! No metal. Too bad. No secret door or something like a brass console. Unfortunately he's caused them all some MURK by trying that trick. And he's terrified of going deeper down. He's not experienced enough for it. That there's other lights in the area has cooked him. His brain just goes 'nope' and he starts panicking his way back up to the surface. WHICH WAY IS UP. WHICH WAY IS UP. He murked himself too.

Peyton sees the hand movements and at first thinks it's ASL. Then she pauses. Did they just say they peed in the water? Is that why it's warm? While she can't speak, her face does. There is a wrinkling of her nose but she nods her head slowly. Yes. It's warm. Peyton still attempts to YOLO into this. The muck stirring causes her to lift her hand to try and fan the dirt out of her vision. She does notice the other lights of other people. Not them. Pirates maybe?

Huck's swimming pauses when he spots a specific ship on the bottom of the lakebed. It's the cargo ship from the dream with the drowned pirates. He immediately alters his swimming course and heads toward it, for now ignoring the other divers around them. His interest is piqued now and he has to get closer!

When Jett starts to panic as much as Theo wants to continue he goes to Jett and tries to calm him. He doesn't know if his magic works under water but he's going to try. He doesn't want Jett to drown. An arm goes about Jett as if that helps him settle as he tries to work his magic literally.

Huck is out front, so he's not noticed the troubles the others are having yet. He swims a bit more, and when he spots the other divers from the other group, he pauses, floating in the water a moment. As he does so, he waves his hands and tail trying to let them see him. He turns to look back at his friends to show them, but instead of finding Jett and Peyton and Theo beside him, he finds them in trouble. His eyes widen a little, and he starts to swim back to them as quickly as he can. Theo is next to Jett, so Huck heads for Peyton. When he gets to her, if she allows, he'll wrap his tail and arm around her to begin helping her to the surface.

The bad part about being the panicked man under water means that anyone that tries to get particularly close... might get kicked or clobbered ... or their gear grabbed at. It's not that Jett is drowning yet, but the whole breathing thing is not going well when his mind has dissolved into 'get me the f out of here!'. He's trying to abort this mission and he's flailing to find a way up. He's no longer feeling this...!!

Those moments in life that you can do something until you really think about it? It is like that. Most times it's you can use chopsticks until your brain reminds you that you are using them and you lose the ability mid-use. Well. Peyton was cool with diving. She was kicking it like Jett Lee if you will. Then her brain started to remind her that there is no air down here. Any moment, she could just drown. Peyton's lovely overthinking visual brain just started showing her pictures of that in her brain.

Suddenly, Peyton can't remember how to breathe. Her hand comes up to her throat as the panic is very clear on her face. She's even stopped swimming to press at her throat. Then her hand drops to her chest across her sternum, as the burning in her lungs from her holding her breath starts. She cannot seem to remember how to swallow air or if she can without swallowing water. She is full freak out.

Since Theo is the closest to Jett he will try to get closer even if there is a struggle and try to bring him back up to the water. This mission is done as far as he is concerned and he is more worried for Jett.