OTA Log

[doubled_speed]

WHO: Tommy Shepherd and Anyone
WHERE: Graq Planet, Agrii Ship
WHAT: Harvesting seeds, capturing animals(?), and trying to learn Science! (TM)
WHEN: During the Return Journey
WARNINGS: None Anticipated?


A. Farming Boy | OTA | Graq Homeworld

Was it strange that he found this world so damn fun? Probably not. The trees were strong, the food was abundant enough that for the first time since coming to their damn level of reality he was full as he needed to be. It was a relief. And the food? Fuck the food was good. Good enough that Tommy had been poking around at the Graq trying to ask questions.

Which was silly. Who needed questions. Tommy just needed the fruits and vegetables. Or at least, the ones he can find that have seeds.

Anyone approaching will find the speedster laying out a variety of fruit on a large piece of stone, considering them before he raises his hands at them.

"You might wanna stand back," he warns, because he's going to try playing with his powers in a whole new way. "These... could explode in a juicy manner. Not sure. Haven't been able to do an explosion since getting here but... well, it's try time."

His hope was that it was just the Agrii ship and planet that fucked with his powers. Then again, if it hadn't... then he had the most awesome idea for trying to get some seeds to long term storage really fast.


B. Bacon Time | OTA | Graq Homeworld, minor Network

Meat. Protein. Fucking GOOD long term food that can be bred and brought up to size with foods that are less desirable to mainly human constitutions? Yeah, Tommy's all on that. Right from the world go on tasting his first side of bacon, he resolves a plan. One that he broadcasts out to the network as a group-text.

Listen. Some of us need meat and protein and all that shit in greater quantities. So I suggest this. A 'hunting' party. We can cure and preserve some of the meat. But I also wanna capture one or two breeding pairs? So we can, like, have more meat in the future? I'm sorry if you're squish and all that, but some of us need this.

Anyway, I'm starting at about noon or whatever noon is here. That's an hour or so. I've put a coordinate point up, and I've woven nets from vines and trip ropes and other stuff. Anyone wanna help?

And at the appointed time, Tommy will be standing at those exact coordinates, with one of those hats like you'd see on an episode of some nature documentary with a wise-cracking Aussie in it. Where he got the hat will have to remain a mystery. Just like why he's doing an Aussie accent. Horribly.

"Well get on their mate, we're huntin' food!"

Horrible


C. Learning Science | OTA | Agrii Ship

The problem with only needing to sleep four hours a day when you're travelling on a ship where the aliens operate on a thirty hour day is... Well, a lot of things. Including keeping oneself entertained when trying not to go crazy from a sense of confinement. Sure, the Agrii ship is a LOT larger than the ships the 'guests' of the Agrii have used, but sooner or later, every space feels confined when he doesn't have a whole planet to explore.

Which had led to the strangest behavior from Tommy Shepherd. All throughout the day the young man can be seen loitering in all sorts of places. He loiters on the bridge, watching the Agrii manage their consoles there. He loiters in the engine room, watching the Agrii and Stark and Tuesti and anyone else who comes in as they look at the new engine core. He crawls through the confined spaces of the Jeffries Tubes and maybe nerds out a little over the idea that he's in a fucking Jeffries Tube because he just happens to be a closet Trekkie and looks at where all of the wires go. He even hangs out in the hangar and watches the people who know how to do it mess with modifying their ships.

Why is he doing it? Well, Calibrations had taught him one thing, if only from the way Tony had stared at him.

Maybe, just maybe, Tommy wasn't as dumb as everyone had always told him he was. Maybe he even wanted to explore that.

So, if he happens by someone studying something, he pipes up with a question.

"How do you think that works?"

And if someone catches him staring as an Agrii is working hard, he waves them back for a second, watching a delicate process complete before looking at them.

"What's up?"

Comments

[doubled_speed]

Sound like an idiot? Hat looks bad? Tommy's pale eyebrows shoot skyward and he points a finger at Raph's face. Too bad he can't hide the smile as he speaks.

"Careful, or I'm having turtle soup."

[rage_on]

"Like that's the first time I've heard that threat," Raphael says with a roll of his eyes. He smirks and tries tugging the front of Tommy's hat down.

"Just promise me you aren't gonna talk like that the entire time we're out there or I'll find a new use for this rope."

[doubled_speed]

Well of course Tommy wasn't going to take the threat he gave seriously. It was from the show.

"Like you could ever catch me," Tommy grins, but the accent is dropped.

[rage_on]

"Oh here we go again." Raphael supposes it'll be a recurring theme with Tommy when it comes to his speediness.

"Let's do this already. You got any idea of what kinda wildlife's out there? Or are we finding out as we go along?" He's fine with either but it'd help to know there's at least for sure something worthwhile to keep an eye out for.

[doubled_speed]

One of these times he's going to prove his point and boy are you going to be red then, Raph.

"Dude, can't help what I am. You're green, I'm fast. Nature."

Still, he sets out with purpose. Raph doesn't need to know he's picked it at random.

"Huge boar. With bunny ears. We also wanna look out for these monkey sorta things. They taste like beef. But they don't go very far, meat wise."

[rage_on]

At least they're on the move. Raphael won't complain so long as they're getting somewhere. He looks around and keeps on the alert as they go.

"A bunny-boar. Right. So does it take after the pig-part or the rabbit? And beefy monkeys. How big're they?" Alien planets, man.

[doubled_speed]

"Pig part. They taste like bacon, Raph. We could keep BACON animals. Maybe put them on the island so we can control them."

The beefy monkeys? Tommy shrugs. He ain't know shit.

[rage_on]

"Awesome. I'm all in for bacon." Who can say no to bacon! "We might needa figure out a better way to get things back and forth to those islands if you're planning on making a petting zoo over there. Unless you plan on carrying everything yourself."

Raphael's not so sure how interested he is in beef-flavored monkeys, to be honest. But at Tommy's shrug he just shrugs back. They'll find out soon enough, he supposes.

[doubled_speed]

"Well, if it's small enough I can carry them. But there's also the whole farm-like area for animals near the greenhouse. I just figure HUGE boar are a problem."

He's strong, Raph. Strong enough for that much.

"I know my plan isn't perfect, but the lack of meat is doing me in.

[rage_on]

"Guess that's fair enough. Most of the city looks like a good wind might knock it over, let alone giant boars." And people will definitely complain about things like giant animals running around. Who knows the temperament on them? Raphael sure doesn't, anyway.

"Eh, we'll work it out later. Let's just find 'em first."

[doubled_speed]

"Yeah, but my twin looks like that too. And he could totally take a giant boar," Tommy shrugs.

Billy looks like him, just a bit less muscled. And not so pale all over.

"I trust you to do good," Tommy admits. "You're a hero, dude."

[rage_on]

"Your twin?" He'd definitely remember if he's seen more than one Tommy, or someone Tommy-ish, so he's figuring it's the other kind of twin and not the...looking the same kind.

Grinning, Raphael gives the speedster an up-nod. "Well I'm definitely not gonna slack off!"

[doubled_speed]

"Yeah. Identical except I have more muscles, and he's got darker hair and eyes."

Literally identical. They've got some matching birthmarks which is INSANELY improbable.

[rage_on]

"So you got family here," Raphael muses, trying not to sound envious at that. Still, for all that the situation's less than appealing, it's just been so strange being apart from his brothers like this.

He shoulders the rope a little higher as he thinks, trying to imagine a slighter Tommy with darker hair. "...what's his name."

[doubled_speed]

"Yeah. Billy and my mom that isn't my mom," Tommy sighs. It's... awkward. Time to just keep going. Keep walking and not thinking about everything going on. He'd rather just hunt.

"Billy's the strong one. He's magic."

[rage_on]

That makes Raphael blink. And he thought his family was confusing. Shrugging as Tommy just continues along, he drops any questions he might have had.

"Oh! Magical boy. Got it. He's came along with us to infiltrate the other ship. Supposedly he magick'd us invisible but I don't really know for sure- not like I was gonna chance it anyway."

[doubled_speed]

Dude, his family is the mother of all confusion. Apparently his brother is the god responsible for his world? Maybe? It's weird.

"Yeah, that sounds like Billy. If he said you were invisible, you were invisible. THat's what he wanted, that's what happened."

[rage_on]

"What, that simple? Tony didn't explain it much, he just said Billy was magical." Billy hadn't explained much either, he just said they were invisible. "Anyway, I've never been crazy about magic."

Raphael suddenly halts, lifting his head as he grabs for Tommy's shoulder. "-thought I heard something." It could be his imagination, he'll admit, but all the more reason to stop and listen.

[doubled_speed]

"It's not simple. It's fucking complicated as hell. But it's a thing," Tommy answers with a shrug. "I..."

Nope, Raph is talking. Tommy stops as well and it's hard for him to stay still. But he does. And closes his eyes. The sharpness of his ears catches the sound. Breaking sticks. Something's moving. Tommy points, off to their left.

Agreed?

[rage_on]

The turtle glances in that direction with a curt nod. He's caught it too.

Pointing to Tommy, he makes a straight motion, arrowing his hand forward in a way he hopes comes off as 'just do your thing.' He points to himself after, gesturing up towards the trees. He'll take the high road.

[doubled_speed]

Wow, that's a cool plan. Tommy nods and stretches a little. He tries to gesture back that he's going to try and circle the source of the noise. He should be able to.

The real concern came if the thing decided to charge at him rather than run. But he'll wait for Raphael to confirm and head up the tree before he starts his approach.

[rage_on]

Raphael figures it's a basic plan, at least. He's not that great at those- he's more the dive right in and kick butt kind of guy. But he figures between the two of them they shouldn't have any problem in checking out what's making the noise.

Once Tommy acknowledges, the turtle moves to spring up to the lowest branches of the nearby tree. He's not speedy-fast like Tommy, but he can still make himself pretty scarce in a jiff, quietly and quickly picking his way to higher branches before he begins to cross between trees. Ninja.

[doubled_speed]

Ninja. So fucking cool. Tommy watches for just a moment, clearly pleased. But then the green of turtle is lost to green of foliage and Tommy's got to do his part. He's off quicker than a thought and soon coming upon...

Well there is no way to describe it as anything other than a TRULY massive boar. With tusks that were probably as big as Tommy's leg. The thing had plenty of gray fur around it's muzzle and legs. Old, then. Probably tough and stringy. So, what, stews? Drying? Who cares. It's protein. Just has to figure out how to deal with it.

Tommy stands there just long enough for the beast to snort as it notices him, lowering its massive head.

"Fuck," he grumbles before darting quickly behind the thing. "You're an ugly bitch."

[rage_on]

It's both annoying and amazing to see Tommy already there. Super speed definitely has its advantages. Raphael's crouched in the trees, looking down at the big creature. "Whoa," he mutters under his breath. "When he said huge he wasn't kidding..."

He realizes that maybe a little more planning might not have gone amiss as he watches the thing. Its hide looks pretty tough so he's not sure how well his arrows might work. Glancing down for Tommy, he also realizes he has no good way of communicating...well, anything that he might be considering doing, and not sure if Tommy's got his own hand signals. Has Tommy even seen him?

....eh, ultimately they'd be winging it anyway. Shrugging, Raphael begins to make a lasso out of his rope. Time to wrassle down some giant boars!

[doubled_speed]

Totally about some winging it. They aren't the planners of their teams. They're the doers. And right now Tommy's jumping to one side as the boar turns and lowers its head, as if to charge.

"Listen, big guy, no offense? But you're tasty. And I need the food. You look old. I'm sure you've had lots of, woah!"

Yep, rolling out of the way of a charge.

"Wow, rude. I was complimenting you on being some kinda major stud. You're SO lucky I can't just explode your damn head!"