voice;

[faceguy]

[The voice coming over the radio is pretty upbeat, despite the nature of the topic he’s about to discuss. And also on the young side - for people who don’t know him, it’s an easy guess that Leo is a teenager or very young adult.]

Sooooo… I’ve been thinking, since we picked up new people. Last time, when our group got here, the convoy was totally empty, right? But this time we were already here. So, were we the first stop? Or did everyone before us get… uh, well, you know.

[He makes an uncertain noise through his teeth.]

But personally, I think we were the first stop. But not the first convoy! Maybe there’s multiple, or maybe the train goes in a loop. I dunno, but it’s probably something like that.

But what about those weird summoning circles? Does someone activate them when the convoy is coming? Or do you think it’s something about the convoy that activates them?

[There’s another option, that they activate regularly and some people who are summoned here get unlucky, but… yeah, he doesn’t feel like suggesting that.]

I guess I’m just spitballing theories here. There’s, like, nothing to look at right now. Just bush after bush. Seemed like a good time for some… thorny topics. Heh.

Comments

[undyingcrow]

I'm still of the mind that this is a cyclical voyage, and we're guinea pigs meant to reenact the failed ritual.

[The recent notes he covered in his post make that rather clear, at any rate.]

But it does beg the question of why we're here now. If the ones who summoned us are long gone, why the delay?

[faceguy]

That’s why I don’t think we’re the first. Whoever set this all up made it so the summoning - or the ritual, or whatever - could happen without them.

Seems weird if they were all gonna die, though. Unless they didn’t think they would be dead, I guess. Or if they even are dead…

[undyingcrow]

Remote summoning... They'd have to set some form of catalyst, I'm sure. A trigger to activate the circles in their absence.

[He hums, quiet for a moment.]

I can't imagine they were here recently. The vehicles are far too worn down, the notes utterly fragmented. Everything may have been intended for us, but it's not new.

[faceguy]

Well, that's why I think we aren't the first. Someone's been sent on this road trip before, and didn't accomplish... whatever it is they want to accomplish.

[Who knows if it's even a good thing?]

Maybe we should look for the catalyst next time. It might help us learn how we got here... and maybe how to, I dunno, reverse it.

[undyingcrow]

Then we're on the same page, more or less.

[Good. It goes to show Leonardo's intuitive skills, to say nothing of deductions.]

The way I see it, the messages, the route... all of them have been tried before. The abandoned vehicles, laden with traps... they were likely from a previous voyage. The monsters that emerge from Husks may be what remains of our predecessors.

But I agree. We found more clues in this stop than the initial garage. Perhaps as we continue, we'll be able to collect more clues and draw clearer conclusions.

[faceguy]

Maybe. We'll have to be sure we look closely...

Aaand maybe have a few people ready to greet any newbies, so they don't totally freak out. Probably some of the newer guys who haven't started sprouting any new limbs...

[It would be unfortunate if any newcomers tried to attack members of the convoy.]

Voice

[guidemyway]

Heh. Thorny.

I'd agree that we're probably the first ones on this particular convoy-

Unless they had a clean up crew come by after the first group.

You know...

[She had experience showing up to places that had been massacred before. She knew how messy that could be.]

As for the summoning circles- No idea. It could be either of those- But we need to learn more before we can really figure that out I think.

[faceguy]

[Dang girl, that's dark.]

I'm just gonna hope that didn't happen.

[Because Yikes.]

I know, I know. I'm just thinking out loud here. Maybe we can find some more clues next stop. Because there will probably be a next one.

[Voice]

[constantvrunning]

That does align with what we've discovered so far.

If they have to run the summoning circles in person, they have a very quick method of leaving - and if they did, why make everyone on the Convoy travel by vehicle instead? Some kind of remote sensor, or something tied to a geological-

[Well, more likely stellar or lunar-]

-cycle, makes more sense overall.

[faceguy]

Unless us traveling around is part of the ritual, or whatever...

[He hasn't truly kept up, but it could be what Akechi was talking about. Or...]

But I think it's more likely they wanted it to work even if they weren't here to do it. Whoever "they" are.

[constantvrunning]

And we don't yet know enough as to decide whether their plan is even worth completing.

[It's all very 'hurry up and wait', minus the parts where the Drifters are learning about each other.]

[faceguy]

Yeah, I guess we could be playing right into a villainous plan here...

But we can't really know until we have more clues. And who knows if we can even get enough, following the convoy...

[Not that he thinks leaving it is smart, either.]

[constantvrunning]

As we gain more people, and find more resources, we could consider a breakaway team that defend itself, backtracking and reporting back...

But we're not there yet.

[faceguy]

We'd have to be really careful with that, though, even with more people. Much as I feel pretty confident in a fight, it's dangerous out there.

voice

[discolouredwings]

Are you saying this is like... A bus route? Where it goes around picking people up.

[Thinking about it for a moment. That did make sense, as much as anything could make sense here.]

I wonder how the circles choose people.

[faceguy]

Yeah, actually! That's a good way to think about it. [She can't see it, but Leo looks around with a grimace.] It's even got the same amount of grime and weirdos.

[As for the other question, though, Leo has no idea. At first he thought he was chosen because he was dead, but plenty of other people here are still alive.]

And that... I dunno. Maybe it's random.

[discolouredwings]

Is that so... [She's never been on a public bus in her life. The closest was a tour bus while on her honeymoon.]

The timing was... inconvenient. I was preparing for a family event. That would have already passed by now.

[By about 3 weeks if her math was right.]

[faceguy]

Oh. That sucks.

[He gets how family events are. He doesn't want to think about how many he's missed now...]

Who knows? Maybe we can find some way to time travel you back to when you got brought here!

[discolouredwings]

[When Natsuhi had been in bed the morning of the conference, she'd had to force herself out of bed but... She'd wanted to be there to support her husband. Even if she hated this time of year.]

I wonder... I'm really not sure how I'd explain my absence. Let alone what I look like now.

[The tail she could probably hide, the ears? Not so much.]

[faceguy]

There’s been ways to reverse some of the stuff that happens to us. That means there has to be a way to reverse it all.

[Nothing is hopeless! …Maybe!]

audio

[hexrot]

[ thorny topics.......... after a short stretch of silence, something on this end gives a gruff "heh". he'd definitely be more inclined to jokes if he were a) more comfortable and b) not dead. anyway— ]

The summoning runes weren't fresh, independent from which garage they were in. It's highly likely to have a catalyst connected to the convoy somehow.

[faceguy]

[Leo is living (well...) proof that you don't have to be alive to appreciate a good joke! Either way, he's pleased as punch he got a laugh out of someone, small as it was.]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Otherwise they'd have to move pretty fast to get out of sight before we rolled up.

[hexrot]

Either on the convoy, or on the road.

[faceguy]

Like... the cata-whatever is on the road?

[hexrot]

[ cata-what.... oh. jayce says it slower this time: ]

Catalyst. And, esentially. We pass through it, it triggers the runes.