[ MINGLE ] MINING EXPEDITION

[nonstopnarcissist]

WHO: Tony Stark & Co.
WHERE: North West Mountain Range
WHEN: November 5th - 8th
OPEN TO: Open to all
WARNINGS: Language, canon typical violence

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The Hike Up/Down

After sending a message out the day before to meet him in the fountain park at dawn (daylight is important) Tony packs up. Supplies secured and a path found mostly by working himself up (not that difficult) and following the blue path only he can see (still weird) Tony guides his modest expedition up a winding way over rivers and to a promising stony outcropping at the base of the mountains before needing a moment to 're-calibrate'. AkA get stressed out as to where to head next for optimal ore extraction. It takes a minute but- again, he's got a lot of anxieties to kick into gear and it should be easy enough to nudge their rag tag little group further up until they find the right spot. Making an easy walk down- well. That's also a trick. Finding a quick path back to the village before they lose the light- marking the way they've come so they can find it the next day? Kind of important.


Digging a Hole

Breaking ground is a matter of staring, trying to think back to what little he knows of geology (not fucking much), and waiting for the anxiety to get to the point where it'll hand him something specific. They need ore, they need a good starting location, and once they manage to pinpoint it? Pickaxes are handed out, a nearby cave explored, and Tony strips down to get to work. Crack stone, haul it out, rinse, repeat. Anything usable gets put in sacks made from stolen sheets to be hauled down- not the best system he's got but they're just getting started. Regular breaks are A thing, canteens of water passed around- he's pretty sure there's a stream somewhere that should help with the 'not dying of thirst' issue in the future.


Encounters With Natives

Somewhere on the hike up, during the dig, or taking a rest on one of the craggy boulders surrounding the cave where they're chipping away at stone, signs of native fauna linger. There's a patchy nest looking thing where one can hear the mewling of peakittens, blue eyed, tiny, and abandoned by the looks of it. Loping about the slopes a few curious mountain elk that bound in at the sign of food, keeping a cautious distance but wandering close should anyone appear friendly. Near the woods, though, just as they wind their way up- or make their way back down at the end of the day? Dust Moths have taken to the air, shimmering wings leaving powder in the air.


Environmental Effects

During the hike up in the predawn there's lying mist clinging to the sides of the mountain in thin curls, swirling in the air as they hike through it. Careful not to inhale too deeply, otherwise you might find yourself a little more honest than you'd like for most of the morning, and that could make the rest of the hike pretty damn awkward. In the caves proper there's stone and ore enough- and a dark, black powder that tastes of licorice and ash. Shadow dust. Maybe the next few swings don't do as much damage- or do any at all. Maybe they picking up stone becomes impossible till you're in the light.


In Too Deep

On the second, maybe the third day all their activity and digging catches some aggressive attention. A pickaxe sunk too deep, cracking through a cave wall and finding a den of snarling, hungry cave wolves that spill through the hole all snapping teeth and snarling claws, bursting out of the tunnels to scatter whoever's dared to come close to their home. A tree felled to mark their path startles a giant boar into charging, bellowing in the night, turning tusk and muscle to clear it's own way through their weary line.

Comments

[eaglesonofnone]

"It can." Which was not as much of an admission as some might have thought. There was nothing to gain by hiding the truth. "They see kindness and think it to be weakness. They see generosity and think they only stand to gain. Some see us lead and think we hold power - but we must show them, carefully, that what we do is give others the power to choose for themselves. We cannot guide their choices. We can only provide them the best information we can to make those choices on their own."

[to_defend]

"I think I see it a lot more here than where I came from. The hu- the others, they were at war; with each other, and then with the Machines they build to fight other people. I didn't expect people to be so nice but here, I see it."

She liked her little group of dolls, very nearly all of them, but the humans she'd seen - what little she knew of them before they all died out - hadn't exactly been a glowing endorsement.

[eaglesonofnone]

And he nodded his approval at her conclusion, reaching over to squeeze her shoulder - yes, she understood. "Unfortunately," he said, "many people seek power for the sake of having it. They want to rule over others, convinced that their way is the only way. They believe themselves stronger, smarter, better - more suited to tell others what to do. And while people do often need leadership, they should never become mindless, following another's rules without a thought of their own."

[to_defend]

That little touch of confirmation - it's the kind of small motion that she'd get at home, from 5, or 2, and it's encouraging. She smiles, she nods acknowledgement, and reaches up to grip his arm in return. "I knew someone like that."

But now he's got her thinking about her the situation here, and so far she hadn't really met anyone that was necessarily 'in charge'.

"Is there a leader here?"

[eaglesonofnone]

"Not that I have seen. Some suggest Tony. Others suggest someone named Mark. That I've been recommended two tells me that neither is 'in charge' as anyone might count. I have been, in the past, a leader of a village. I am afraid I am asserting myself where I am not welcome - but I remain unsure." He was beginning to think that the village might need a leader in truth. Someone to guide, but not to order. And he knew how to fill that need.

[to_defend]

"I know Tony, he seems nice. I couldn't say about Mark." She tilts her head at Altaïr. "I wouldn't mind having you as a leader. You've got some very good ideas." It's no small gesture when 7 trusts someone, especially in a place like this.

[eaglesonofnone]

A soft chuckle and he answered with, "Thank you. I have had a very long time to think about it all." Longer than it looked, he knew.

[to_defend]

She smiles, "You're welcome."

Maybe this place wasn't quite so bad.