revivalproject | Beyond the Boundaries

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Beyond the Boundaries

WHO: Dustin, Felwinter and Link
WHERE: Westward, ho!
WHAT: Felwinter finds himself in...interesting company as he finally sets out for a long put off expedition beyond Temba's city limits.
WHEN: Later this month
WARNINGS: N/A

Organic beings needed preparations, supplies, for a trip. Felwinter remembered these things when he contacted Dustin. 'Star roof', probably wasn't much of a message, but he knew Dustin would understand. He left a more detailed message there, penned and folded under a rock: 'I plan to set out in five days' time. If you wish to join me then pack accordingly and comm your confirmation. Several days out and then back, unless we find any reason to extend our venture. If you have anyone you trust to come along, then so be it.'

He wondered if he was being too generous.

Link would once again find himself under much scrutiny by the helmet-wearing warlord. This time they're at least not on a rooftop, but the mood is probably very much the same. Again, there are questions, and again, Felwinter isn't certain where to even begin. Or rather, he knows what to ask, but he has a feeling that he's better off not knowing. That unseen gaze shifts to Dustin with the impending sense of a query and yet none forthcoming.

And then finally, Felwinter turns, shouldering his pack as he starts on towards the city's outskirts, pausing to cast an expectant look at the two as it seems he's going to accept this extra company after all.

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Bold of Felwinter to assume that Link needs things like preparation in order to stride out into the wilderness.

Though really, Link had far less in the way of supplies than he would like. But without his korok-enchanted pack, he was sadly lacking in ways to carry said supplies. He had to assume that he was going to need to find what he needs as he goes.

He had nice warm clothes, thanks to Lark. A piece of broken off wooden door, now carried on his back as a makeshift shield. A small mobile cooking set he'd managed to find. A large, very complicated looking compound bow that Dustin agreed to make for him. And, of course, the sword.

Link always had the sword.

As he arrives silently however, Link shows no sign of being bothered by or being paying much attention to Felwinter's scrutiny. He just shows up, says "Hi," and then waits for them to be ready to go.

Dustin is a little more prepared.

Okay - a lot more prepared. This is one of those situations where Agrii-sized equipment is actually quite useful. The backpack slung over his shoulders is half as big as he is, and Dustin has made full use of the extra volume. A blanket and pillow, ten days' worth of dried foods, a backup jar of potable water for the one currently strapped to the outside, climbing gear, jars and vials for samples, assorted tools, the bare minimum for medical supplies, so on and so forth. If there's any question as to where Link got that bow, the crossbow dangling from Dustin's hip looks just as overengineered. They're far cries from the makeshift compass he'd attempted to make Felwinter all those months ago; Dustin's had hundreds of hours to find better materials and tools since then, and several months of replicator rations to burn through for everything else.

He's not at all surprised when Link shows up, which should also say something.

"Should be everyone," Dustin remarks, not bothering to greet Link back as he pushes himself away from the scraggly tree he'd been leaning against while they waited. A wry smirk flashes across his face for an instant. "Didn't I say I'd find a replacement for that compass, Felwinter?"

Felwinter's own pack contained a few tools and spare ammunition for the shotgun he always carried. There were also some things he'd packed for the ~~children~~ organics, some jerky and packaged cookie things- mostly things Cayde had shoved at him after realizing the warlock probably had no idea what to bring along for people who actually needed to (or liked to, in Cayde's case) eat. He had a large knife strapped to one boot.

Dustin's words while not explaining anything still confirm that the invitation of the strange hoarder is his responsibility. The warlord does look back at the boy though, head tilting just slightly. "You did..." he says, but the question mark is there, even as he turns his head in Link's direction as they move on towards the forest's edge.

Link says nothing as they walk. Felwinter's question isn't directed to him, after all, so he feels no need to answer. (Though Link hadn't realised that he was here to replace a compass...?)

He does, however, pay close attention to their surroundings as they walk. When they're into the forest a little ways, he'll climb a tree and get his bearings - but for, he just looks for anything interesting. Curiously shaped trees. Mushrooms before. Bugs. The usual.

Dustin trails along, footsteps quick to keep pace with Felwinter's longer stride, but he doesn't make any special effort to keep track of Link. He's probably got a process, and attempting to interrupt it would just hold them all back. Dustin's own methods are a lot less active; his eyes flick around, absorbing their surroundings and processing anything unusual in retrospect as he sifts through his short-term memory, including the all-important task of internalizing landmarks so they can find their way back. That's the primary job Dustin has given himself on this mission. Everything else is just to sate his curiosity.

None of this keeps him from carrying on a conversation. "Next best thing," Dustin clarifies with a shrug. "He seems to know what he's doing and is eager to help, as long as you spell shit out for him, and..."

He rolls his shoulders a few times, looking a little uncomfortable.

"...He's trustworthy."

Adjusting his pace to match that of his traveling companions is unfortunately not something Felwinter has taken into account just yet, and likely won't until something is said. He's used to being on the move, driven by paranoia and the fear that staying out in the open too long is invitation for making himself a target. He also wants to cover as much ground as he can with the burning curiosity in what might be waiting beyond the wilderness, prepared for the possibility that it might just be nothing but.

"Hm..." is his response to Dustin, his attention drifting from Link to focus back on the way before them. Trustworthy. He knows this isn't a light admission from the boy. It seems to be enough. Felwinter doesn't ask for further explanation.

At roughly a half kilometer, he removes his knife to mark the nearest tree, with the intent to do so at every given interval at Felspring's notice. There really isn't too much of note just yet. The trees and shrubbery have started to brighten with fresh growth with the turn of the season, the ground still soft in some parts from the snowmelt with fresh patches of grass and moss.

Felwinter might be taking the slower pace of their companions into account. Link does not.

Both of Link's traveling companions will soon realise that Link is active as they move through the landscape. He's constantly running ahead or to the side, to look at whatever has caught his interest. Sometimes he's climbing tall trees, getting a look at what's around them. Sometimes he's picking up small bundles of herbs that he finds. Sometimes he's picking up rocks, looking to see if there's anything underneath.

(Alas, he finds no koroks under the rocks. A few beetles, though.)

Fortunately though, Link doesn't ever forget about his companions entirely. He never stays too far, and always wondering back to where they are to walk for a while. At least until the next distraction.

Good enough, then. Satisfied, Dustin lets the discussion drop, focusing all of his attention on the task.

And so they continue in silence for quite some time. None of the group appear to be talkers, and Dustin isn't at all disappointed by this; he actually appreciates the companionable silence as they all do their jobs, without the grating interruptions of small talk or other distracting nonsense. It's kind of pleasant, even.

...Until a couple hours of straight walking later. Felwinter is a literal machine and Link seems to have the fitness of one, but Dustin is a miserably unfit seventeen-year-old with the constitution of a wet piece of bread. He's breathing hard and his shins are burning, and although he refuses to complain about it, he's starting to noticeably fall behind.

The quiet is actually nice. Felwinter's been stuck with other traveling companions before, if on rare occasions. Particularly he recalls Gryphon-11, a chatty Exo that made him question himself as to why he wasn't nearly as animated or had any such urge to small talk.

How Link has so much energy to spare is beyond him, but he's not too much of a nuisance and hasn't found any trouble, so the Exo is fine letting him be.

It's Felspring who notifies him of their lagging party member. The warlord slows to a stop, turning to glance over his shoulder as Dustin tries to catch up.

It takes longer for Link to realise someone is lagging. Mainly because Link was off running ahead, climbing trees to get a look at the landscape ahead.

It’s only when he heads back to the others that he realises they’re further behind than Link was expecting. He stops. Looks at them a moment.

Dustin’s stamina is really bad, isn’t it? Even worse than Link’s has been after waking up in the Shrine of Resurrection.

Fortunately, he saw something that can help nearby. So Link runs off - again - before reappearing later with a handful of berries that he holds out to Dustin.

“Naro berries,” he says. “For stamina.”

It takes a moment of Dustin's gaze methodically scanning his surroundings for him to realize that Felwinter has come to a stop, and a couple seconds longer to determine that this is because of him. His face, already flushed from exertion, somehow manages to turn redder.

Felwinter doesn't even have to say anything. "I can keep going," Dustin puffs, limping right past him - only to have Link intercept several steps later. He stumbles to a halt with a flustered scowl.

"...You're sure?" Dustin narrows his eyes at the offending handful of small, blue berries. He's familiar with them from the 'Dictionary,' but without the Agriculture data point, he's never quite trusted his ability to tell wild plants apart to forage for himself. These are no different. "How can you tell?"

"Forcing yourself will not do you any favors for the journey ahead. If you feel you must rest, then we will rest," Felwinter says, even as he watches Dustin continue past him.

He looks to Link when he returns with berries. Not having the Agriculture data point himself, he isn't sure what the Hylian brings, but can only assume that it's what Link's picked up if he can provide a name. He walks over to where the two are, glancing between the two before he steps a bit farther to continue to watch their surroundings as they work out the validity of these berries.

How can he tell? Well, there was the knowledge from the datapoint, there in Link's mind. It told him what the berries were, what they could do.

But there was only one way to really tell.

Link takes a few of the berries. Shoves them into his own mouth. And then runs in circles around both Dustin and Felwinter just to demonstrate.

When he comes to a stop again, he holds out the berries once more.

"...Or we can rest," he adds. If less enthusiastically than he offered the berries; Link would much prefer to keep going than rest. Especially since he just ate two berries.

Well, that's one way to do it. He supposes Link could just be a tremendous idiot that shoved some unknown berries in his mouth and may or may not suffer the consequences later, but at least it they're still close to the city, Felwinter can probably fly them back, and it won't be Dustin's fault.

Once Link offers the berries again, Dustin frowns, swipes them out of his hand, and pops a couple of them himself. They certainly taste how their entry describes, but 'slightly sweet' isn't much to go off of when talking about a fruit; the rejuvenation effect, on the other hand, is a lot more pronounced. Immediately some of the heat leaves his legs, as well as other muscles that he hadn't even been thinking about. Is it actually providing energy for them or just numbing the pain? He supposes he'll find that out once it wears off.

"Not resting," Dustin affirms, carefully placing the remaining berries into a small, drawstring bag tied to his hip, specifically meant for travel rations (a handful of dried baconroom at the bottom won't suffer from being in contact with other food). "These are working, and there's too much daylight left. Not wasting any more time on this."

And Dustin starts walking again, brushing past Link with a furrowed look on his lowered face. He really doesn't enjoy having so much attention put on him like this.

To be fair, Link's demonstration doesn't really prove much considering that he'd already been running and climbing around. Felwinter isn't sure he's convinced that the berries actually do anything for Dustin, but as the young man pushes off to continue, the warlord merely shrugs. If the boy looks to be flagging, he'll just toss him over a bony shoulder. He lets them both start ahead of him, bringing up the rear, continuing to mark off their way every so often.

Between the general attentiveness of Dustin and Felwinter, and Link's more specific attunement to the flora around them, they soon enough begin to notice the shift in the greenery of their surroundings as they go further along. Things are different here, more flush with plant-life, as though there'd been some invisible boundary keeping them from fully stretching out their metaphorical arms. Greenery thrives out here, like a completely different world.

Link humms in agreement, glad that they aren't resting after all. Which means, of course, that Link soon returns to his usual mode of running off to look at anything and everything that strikes his fancy.

He notices the change in plant life - his new expertise in the local flora helping him notice and identify what's around him. He doesn't know why, but it's clear that they're seeing much more variety.

Variety which he brings back to the other two, in the form of handful of different - the early arrivals for spring. One pretty blue flower he's already tucked behind one ear, as a nice little bit of decoration.

"Different plants out here," he says, as he offers the rest of the flowers to Dustin and Felwinter. Maybe they'd like some too? To put behind their own ears, or wherever else they'd like.

Dustin continues ahead, quietly satisfied that he isn't getting any further protests, but also now deeply self-conscious about showing weakness again. The effects of the Naro berries come and go, Dustin's legs begin to ache again; this time, though, he just pops another fruit and some baconroom jerky, washes it down with water, and stubbornly refuses to let his feet drag in the dirt. He is not holding up this expedition.

While he's so focused on keeping pace, however, Dustin does miss the subtle transition from the near-city to wild ecosystem around him, at least until Link points it out. Dustin blinks at the flowers thrust in front of him.

"...I don't recognize those," he says, sounding genuinely surprised. Sure the plants have started to look more lively, but they've still stuck to the same, familiar species present in Temba that Dustin remembers, both from physical observation and the 'Dictionary.' This is something totally new.

Curiously, Dustin plucks several of the flowers away from Link, holding them delicately in one hand while he reaches around for his backpack with the other. After a bit of fumbling, he manages to procure a bound notebook - a cherished commodity, considering the rarity of paper, that he used an entire replicator ration on - which he opens to a predetermined page, carefully lines the flowers up, and then presses and rebinds the notebook closed.

Felwinter looks back at the others from where he'd paused once against to make a few lines on the trunk of a tree. Replacing his knife, he rejoins the two, looking at the flowers Link presents.

He isn't sure what he's supposed to do with flowers, but he nevertheless takes them with care. It's such a simple gesture but there have been very few things the warlord has ever been given.

"The wilderness has become...fuller," he observes, lifting his gaze. "There seems no real reason for such a transition. I wonder how much of a radius that covers..."

Link makes a soft sound of acknowledgement, looking pleased that both of them liked the flowers. Not that he's surprised, of course. Who doesn't like flowers?

As for Felwinter's comment about the change, Link shrugs. The agriculture datapoint has given him a lot of additional knowledge, but he doesn't know everything.

"They probably don't like to grow near Temba." For whatever reason that was. With plants, it could be a lot of things.

Dustin arcs an eyebrow at Link's idea, but stifles any snide thoughts about it before they escape into the open. Might not actually be too far off, he considers with a sniff.

"...A theory," Dustin posits tentatively, stuffing his notebook into one of his more accessible coat pockets. "The non-native plant life introduced to Temba and Sh'Ka could be affecting the overall growth of plants in and around the cities. The local ecosystem does react to them differently, in general."

Felwinter doesn't have any handy notebooks to store flowers so a pocket will have to do. He doesn't scoff at Link's suggestion. There's a lot they don't know about the place, and the wildlife itself has mostly kept its distance save for the occasional creatures.

"Hm," he muses as Dustin puts forth his theory. "A reasonable possibility that just further underlines the question of why everything is as it is to begin with. Someone had gone out of their way to transplant two communities on a foreign planet."

Link frowns. Dustin and Felwinter are talking like this is all old news - but to Link, it's all new.

"The plants at Temba are from...somewhere else?" Link had assumed they were all local. Sometimes strange, yes. But local.

Dustin nods, both to Link and Felwinter.

"That seems to be the case," he explains. "The majority of plant life in Temba had a severe reaction to the storm last summer, and the areas that were affected the least were where the Funfronds were focusing their efforts on 'adjusting' the soil composition. They mentioned that the plants that need treatment like this aren't from Agra 10, so, it follows that they must be from elsewhere."

Simple. Dustin meanders in his stubborn walk forward towards a small thicket of bushes, noting now how he doesn't recognize the flowers and tiny berries growing on it, either. He plucks an example of both for safekeeping.

"Makes sense if you consider colonization efforts, though," he continues, turning his head to glance at Felwinter out of the corner of his eye. "Particularly for a species like the Graq. They likely weren't brought here on their own accord, so transplanting them into an environment as closely related to their original home as possible would make that process less traumatic for them."

"Ah... It makes sense now. That wild overgrowth?" Felwinter looks between the two. That had been quite an annoyance, tiring to cull. He remembers the mural that he and Dustin had puzzled over. Funfronds... "Did they have anything else to say?"

He starts to walk ahead of them again, not particularly fast nor far as he studied the terrain more carefully.

"But we don't know how long the Graq had been present in Sh'Ka nor what happened to them, and only the Agrii seem to be convinced that this is their homeworld and express a desire to come back to it."

And this is the point where Link gets a bit...lost.

He's still new to this place. And he has no idea what the 'Graq' are. Has never heard of any of this history of colonisation, of how and why the Agrii ended up displaced from their home.

But rather than ask questions about who and what Dustin and Felwinter are talking about, Link just stays silent. He just looks between the two as they talk, listening closely even if he's missing a lot of the context.

Link, at least, is used to missing context.

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Beyond the Boundaries

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