Lightning strikes thrice

[witnessvelama]

WHO: Closed to Celehar, Frieda, Urameshi
WHAT: Bottling the storm!
WHERE: Out in the desert.
WHEN: At various times, when the storms come over the desert!
WARNINGS Potential electrocution warnings!

The desert surrounds the oasis, and the sky enfolds it all below. The weather is ever-changing, and as such the surroundings in the desert, too, shift from minute to minute, day to day. On this day, when the light begins to thicken, there are clouds heavy in the sky, and the shiver of something in the air. An anticipation.

They've all of them spoken to the Ferryman, and received what advice, and what materials, they can offer. The shard of lantern, dull and lightless weighs heavy in the inner pocket of Celehar's waistcoat. These fragments may not hold the lantern's light, or the sun's, but there are other sources of power, it's been told, he has been watching and waiting for something like this - and so the note that he puts into his book is simple.

The weather is turning. We should go.

And here he waits on the edge of the lantern's light, wearing his black coat of office once again, as the wind picks up, tugging at his braid. The clouds overhead are darkening already - or maybe the day is passing quickly, with the rumble of thunder to lead it on as he waits for the other two to join him.

Comments

[urtitan]

[Frieda arrives swiftly, carrying the contraption she made: A wooden pole, a few sturdy long branches, and some metal fragments she found among the shelters, all tied together as solidly as she could (possibly with help) into a long "lance", about 7 metres / 20 foot tall. At the top, where the metal elements sit, a rusty wire is twisted into a hold for whichever shard they want to fill with lightning.]

How art thou, Thara?

[Yusuke probably isn't far - all of them have been waiting for this.]

[ghostmoder]

[Yusuke isn't far, though he's not quite on Frieda's heels; he's not timely even on good days, to things he wants to be a part of. He's also not nearly as prepared as her, having brought only himself and the jagged little shard in his pocket. He's always been more of a 'figure it out as we go along' type of guy.

He stops a bit short when he comes upon Frieda and Celehar already chatting, and hovers an awkward, sullen-teenager distance away with his shoulders hunched and his hands in his pockets, half not wanting to interrupt and half wanting to avoid the small talk.]

[witnessvelama]

As well as could be expected.

[Not exactly a shining answer, but Celehar says it with a degree of warmth to his voice as he greets her, watching the lance she's created with some bemusement. It's certainly impressive, though it also looks decidedly makeshift, and furthermore awkward, that he reaches out to help steady it where she carries the thing.]

And thee? I expect that this will be a strange task we undertake. Thy preparations are complete? Thy burden looks unwieldy.

[The way he angles his body, he's including Yusuke in this conversation, and in fact he does so explicitly in his next words, turning to face the young man with a touch more formality than he greeted Frieda.]

Mer Yusuke. Shall we? Best to be underway before the storm starts in earnest.

[It's accompanied with a nod - Yusuke reminds him, in truth, of some members of the vigilant Brotherhood, perhaps most of all Mer Azanharad, a gruff man who always seemed by his estimation uncomfortable in Celehar's presence. And so it is here, though there are at least no deaths to investigate. Maybe the young man will find his more blunt, outspoken nature after some time.]

RNG says... green/defensive!

[urtitan]

[Frieda smiles at Yusuke, likewise turning towards him. To Celehar, she says, hoping to reassure him that she can handle her burden:]

It's lighter than it looks. The most important part will be keeping it upright and steady once the storm is upon us.

[Part of her feels like they ought to bury the contraption's bottom in the sand so it can stand on its own, but that might be an exercise in futility, or at least take more time than they can afford to spend - and what do they still have to fear from the lightning, dead as they already are?

With the storm now approaching more closely, they can here it grumble... and when lightning strikes within the dark clouds, it tinges the sky in a green light. "A storm that turns the sky green will yield a defensive item", the Ferryman told them. Taking heart, she exhales.]

Let's try to find its centre.

[ghostmoder]

[Some of his standoffishness sheds just at being acknowledged, and he slinks forward to join them more properly. He returns Celehar's nod, both a received greeting and an agreement that they should get moving.]

Carrying it over the sand might be a pain, and we gotta move fast. Shout if you need extra hands, yeah? We can figure out the rest once we're over there.

[And he'll strike out towards the middle of the storm, as best as he can estimate it, seemingly unperturbed by the flickers of lightning or rolling thunder. Whether that's because they're dead, and logically it shouldn't be a threat, or because he kind of just is that way naturally... hard to say.]

[witnessvelama]

Then let us be off.

[The further they get into the desert, the more obvious it becomes that the braid and the coat were a mistake, but there's little Celehar can do about that as the wind picks up. He pays close attention to the lightning and the rolling thunder, as they trek out across the dunes, turning to watch for the flickers, and then to count the peal of thunder as it rolls in.]

It will be upon us soon.

[The heart of it, he means - obvious, perhaps, given he has to raise his voice already over the roar of the wind. He's certainly not as graceful about it as Yusuke, and already the windblown sand is stinging at them.]

Perhaps atop a dune...?

[urtitan]

[Frieda has to hold her hair out of her face as the wind whips it around, and unlike Celehar, she almost wishes she had a coat - her white clothing is bound to get drenched. But what a small sacrifice is that for the items they're after! If they are successful, they might gain a valuable advantage for the whole group.

With Yusuke advancing faster than she and Celehar can manage in the advserse weather, she does take him up on his offer, letting him run ahead with the staff - however, they eventually catch up with him on top of the highest dune around before any more lightning strikes, and Frieda gently insists on taking her makeshift lightning-catcher back.]

This is the lightning I'm after - who knows if it won't make a difference who catches it?

[It shouldn't, not from a rational point of view, but in a place where memories can be paid as passage tolls, who can be sure? As such, she raises the pole as high as she can after wedging her shard into place, feeling her heart beat hard and fast - is it exertion of running on the sand in the rain, or anxiety over what the lightning might do to her?

For better or worse, before she can dwell on the danger further, a loud roll of thunder sounds, and then, the green lightning finds its target in the tallest thing around. The crash is so enormous that Frieda nearly lets go of the contraption in fear, but she clenches her eyes shut and forces herself to hold on - and when she opens them again, it's already over. She lowers the pseudo-lance (which, miraculously, has taken no damage despite its ramshackle construction), and the three of them can see the green glow in the shard, as if it were now filled with an eerie life or facsimile thereof.]

It worked..!

[Wet and breathless as she is, part of her feels accomplished. Her idea of building the tool actually bore fruit! Despite not yet knowing how to utilise the newly created item, she extracts it from the metal with great care.]

Shall we let this storm pass?

[With her companions each intending to forge another type of lightning shard, they can retreat to the oasis for now and wait for the next thunderstorm to hopefully carry a different colour - but if they'd rather take the chances of meeting another out in the desert, she won't fall behind. She merely got lucky, after all, to attain the first catch.]