RP (18+) Yoi-no-Myōjō/Evenstar Mission E01 - Maridor

Eidan took the binoculars from Tomoko briefly and peered in the direction she'd been watching. The Valon'rai, quick to notice the reflection of the setting sun off the lenses, had already retreated further into the cover of the Starfire Trees. Shrugging, Eidan handed the binoculars back to her. "Probably just reflections. Could be the setting sun," he remarked. "If you spot it again, we’ll head out in the morning to check."

As dusk deepened, the soft glow of aeris lumina~~bioluminescent particles suspended in the air ~~ began to fill the night, casting an ethereal glow across the alien landscape. The gentle lights illuminated the camp as if Maridor itself were alive, breathing with the pulsing energy of the world. Nighttime on Maridor was far from silent; the air was rich with the songs of insects and unseen creatures, their calls filling the cool air. The rhythmic hum of bioluminescent fauna could be heard in the distance, lending a vibrant energy to the otherwise tranquil scene.

"Eidan to Kazumi," he called over the comm, linked through his trusted KAIMON companion. "The suns are fading quickly. Head back to base and help with setup." As Kazumi worked near the stream, but as she collected samples, one of her specimen bags caught the light breeze, drifting down into the silvery liquid. As soon as it touched the surface, the polymer disintegrated instantly, consumed by the stream of corrosive metal—definitely not water. A fascinating yet worrisome discovery, they would need to find a source of actual water before their supply ran out.

"Beldagor? Beldagor, where did you go? We need some assistance here!" Eidan said, looking around, but the Valhallan had vanished into the dusk.

"We’d better get these tents up," Eidan instructed the others, casting a glance at Yuki and Kuroko. "These things are tricky, and we don’t want to be setting them up in the dark, even if the light isn’t an issue here." He then closed the comm and spoke directly to Kuroko. "I don't think we'll need guns tonight. Let our companions handle the perimeter. Hopefully, we’ll be more settled by tomorrow." Eidan felt a surge of excitement as he imagined the group finally sitting by the fire with their camp set up around them, ready to face whatever the new day on Maridor would bring. The alien world was alive, and soon, they would be part of it.

Twilight Basecamp
Tomoko noted Yuki’s reaction to the name of basecamp as Twilight Basecamp. Her lips curled up as she heard her say it was delightful. Though she was uncertain what she meant by as long as no one whipped bright lights around for a second but her attention went to Eidan, as he took the binoculars to look but she frowned as he couldn’t find anything, but he thought that what she saw was the reflection from the setting suns. Though Tomoko nodded her head, she wasn’t as convinced, and she knew that time will tell what they’d find. When Kazumi returned, Tomoko smiled as they were told that the Dai Oni had found a stream. “good! if that’s water, we could refill out bottles and containers if we need to. “ She said to Kazumi. Before she began working on getting her tent set up.

Yuki delighted as dusk deepened, she slipped her contacts out and into their container for safekeeping. She was mesmerized with how the gentle lights illuminated Twilight Basecamp in a way that made it seem almost alive. Though she could do without all that noise, her ears twitched in slight disdain. She wondered if perhaps she had remembered to pack earplugs in that entertainment kit that she had put together for their venture. This decidedly would be her next move after she got the tents set up.

While she continued to attempt assembling tents she cast her eyes over to the stream where she spotted Kazumi. Yuki saw Kazumi's bag disintegrate in the stream and her eyes widened as she yelled, "It's not water!" The Norian deck officer dropped everything and booked it over to Kazumi. Yuki tried to pull Kazumi away from the stream, worried what might happen if the Dai Oni's flesh touched it.

The eradani cursed as Eidan called his name as he finished his work. "I'm over here, you daft Kikyo." The barbarian muttered yet another stream of colorful curses in both Trade and Valhallan as he slung his carbine over his shoulder, dragging out more camping equipment before pointing at his handywork, "I was setting up some of the tents while you were all starin' off into space." Once more Beldagor cursed Edian's unwillingness to let him bring his armor. Would've at least given him some inkling of where he'd been standing. "I've had Steelbender here keeping an eye on things while I was working."

Not that she'd picked up on anything. He looked around-and for a moment he swore he was seeing a work of the Ancestors given the strange environ he found himself in, but quashed it down-this was not Valhalla-and was immediately hit with a sense of remorse. 'Here I am pining for home when this is infinitely better.' Beldagor thought with a hint of melancholy; he missed exploring the vast ship graveyards of home. That was until he heard Yuki yelling at Kazumi; upon seeing her bag dislove-and with yet another stream of colorful curses; doubtless, his companions would pick up more than a little Valhallan after this the man rushed over, grabbing the Dai-Oni by the back of her suit and gave it a vicious yank, fully intent on pulling her away-bodily hurling her if necessary- away from the danger the stream possessed.

'Bunch of Thurok-Fuckers you've found yourself in with, eh Bel?' The thought was not a comforting one.

"You say that like I don't always sleep with guns. You should know better than that, Eidan. I sleep in your room most of the time, remember?" Kuroko's deadpan continued as she kept scanning the tree line. She stared another few moments then started working on tents herself with the light scout rifle propped nearby.

"Kazumi, no, don't touch that," Kuroko's admonishment had very little directive or force, and was almost, but not quite, sarcastic in its deadpan, soft, almost, but not quite, musical tone. Even with Yuki, and in turn Beldagor, trying to pull her back from the precipice, she seemed little moved. It was as if everything vaguely annoyed her, but only just a little, and vaguely entertained her, but also only just a little.

Camp - Stream

Kazumi was always the sort to lose herself easily to whims of the moment and work at large. She was, like her pen-name aptly suited her; A Dreamer. Without a task requiring her continued concentration or someone to keep her focused the azure-maiden was free to drift along semi-concious as she drew and wrote and sketched and cataloged everything within a five-meter circle around her.

While that may not have seemed like much to the average person the digital notebook and logs of her KAIMON would take half a day already for any non botanist or agriculturalist to comb through before she sorted it out. Measuring blades of grass to determine age and PH consumption from the soil, cutting open and taking moisture retention from fronds, testing the lacuity of the soils retention.

In essence she could have kept occupied like this in her own little way for months and likely have not gotten more than a kilometer away from the camp if it were just her...

Reaching absent-mindedly for another sample bag where she had piled some of them her hand touched only empty ground as she casually patted about without looking while writing with a free-hand in her journal pressed up against her knees. Not finding the baggie she finally broke her attention away to where some had scattered and took instant note of how few of them there were near the water. Noting one at the base of the stream was someone just a little chrome slip she watched in fascination as a baggie on a slight breeze blew into the stream and shriveled up and then began to dissipate in the 'water'.

Practically close enough to touch the stream already Kazumi had been about to reach towards it, to what end she was unsure when she let out a very un-lady like startled meep sound as Yuki suddenly grabbed her and yanked at her. Kazumi was light, as many young women her age in yamatai were, but just as much the Elf would be reminded that many young women of the Star Empire had other traits that often reinforced why such a female-dominated species had proliferated for so long as with a sudden involuntary action to keep from falling back, Kazumi resisted the Norian and, despite not being at the peak of her species was very much stronger than Yuki and had almost overcorrected and nearly pulled them both towards the water in the Oni's knee-jerk reaction when Beldagor also arrived and yanked Kazumi as if she were a child as she landed on her backside and took Yuki with her as she sprawled dramatically back clutching at her journal protectively as if she had been caught red-handed slacking off.

"I wasn't-" Kazumi began defensively as she practically shot up, her work journal held protectively against her chest as if it were the most valuable item in the world as she looked about between her two saviors and then finally caught up mentally to what had happened and looked back at the stream.

How was the liquid a part of the local ecosystem?
Was it a result of a something in the water-table like a powerful mineral? If so they would need to find the source!
Was it Hydrocloric or Syn-mineral based?
Why hadn't it eroded the banks and turned into a flood plain yet?
Was the bed deep-crystaline making a chute or was it a natural evolution of the local fauna to resist the stream?

A dozen questions and more entered her mind as she hyper-fixated on the stream. Whereas many of the others likely just saw a simple hazard Kazumi's field of study saw the equivalent of a scientific gold mine whose secrets she needed to extract!

So, of course, likely to the shock of the others and with a look of intense focus, she turned back to the water as if they weren't there and sank back down to her knees at its edge, fascinated and before she could be stopped again reached for the stream experimentally only to be admonished by Kuruko the moment she extended a hand.

"But-" She pleaded, jerking her hand back, unable to articulate how important this was if only she could make them understand! Before noticing how dark it had somehow started to become and how much time had clearly passed via lord Eidans comment she had someone only just registered. Noticing tents being erected and equipment being set up she flushed slightly in embarrassment at the time she had wasted while the others actually worked.

"Inihara-san. Beldagor-san." She thanked them formally, brushing herself off before looking first towards Yuki and then Beldagor and giving each a short nod and drop of the shoulders close to a very short and formal appreciative bow.

"Oh. I don't need a tent." She followed up casually to Eidan, as she stiffly shuffled about collecting her things, her muscles tense and stiff due to kneeling and sitting for so long as she reluctantly went with them back to the camp. She didn't know how, with the suits on or if the Air was even really breathable yet; That was for the medical staff to determine and inoculate them to acclimatize towards. But despite her looks, despite her regal demenor Kazumi was a rural farmgirl who liked to sleep outside under the stars and by a fire. She was just too embarrassed and felt put on the spot with so many people suddenly focussing on her to articulate that into any semblance of an explanation.

Eidan glanced at Kuroko, a smirk on his face as he mused over her earlier comment about sleeping with a weapon. “Here I thought something else was your weapon of choice,” he teased, lightheartedly. The playful moment quickly dissipated when both Yuki and Kuroko called out, concerned about the so-called "water." Eidan frowned, knowing this could become a serious issue. If the liquid around them wasn’t potable~or couldn’t be purified~their limited supply of water would run out much faster than anticipated. The only fallback was the small amount produced by the shuttle’s life support system, but that wouldn't last long. He raised his voice, addressing the group, "We need to find a water source, and fast in the morning. The probes sent ahead did detect some, but we’ve got to figure out where and how to access it.”

As he spoke, Eidan reached up, his hand hovering over the release latch on his helmet. “Speaking of those scans…” he said, trailing off as he unlatched and pulled his helmet free. He paused for a dramatic beat, his face showing an exaggerated grimace as he inhaled deeply, pretending to be sick from the air. The crew watched him nervously until he broke into a grin. “Relax, the air’s breathable,” he noted, shrugging. "No need for the helmets." As Eidan took a deep breath of the planet’s atmosphere, he became more aware of their surroundings. The aeris lumina, tiny bioluminescent particles drifting in the air, added a surreal glow to the fading twilight. The soft, pulsing light seemed to give the air itself a tangible presence, making it feel alive. Not far from the camp, the Starfire Trees to the west flickered with their usual radiant blossoms, sending gentle pulses of light through the branches, illuminating the forest’s edge in a dance of soft blues and purples.

Suddenly, a faint rustling came from nearby as a flock of Glowstalkers moved through the luminal grasses, their sleek, luminous bodies cutting through the glowing terrain. These ethereal deer-like creatures, with their softly glowing antlers, moved in harmony with the bioluminescent flora around them, their presence almost mesmerizing. In the distance, the melodic hum of Lumibees floated on the breeze, tiny bioluminescent insects flitting among the glowing plants, spreading their luminescence as they pollinated the flowers. There was an entirely diverse ecosystem for them to explore.

Eidan, grined at the remark Kazumi made, glanced over at her and raised an eyebrow. "Well, if you get cold, you can always crawl into our tent," he teased, gesturing between himself and Kuroko. "Plenty of room for one more. We wouldn’t want you freezing out here."

Without much regard for her safety she hung on as Kazumi thrashed about nearly pulling both of them into the toxic mess. Surely her much faster reflexes would have lent themselves towards getting the norian back to safety, but she could not bring herself to let go of the one other artist on their escapade. When she had thought for sure they were going to fall into the mysterious mess everything seemed to be moving backward. "What the?" her thoughts ran wild before her rump landed firmly on the ground with a thud, she rushed to stand and threw a side glance at Beldagor. "Thank you," she said quickly in trade. A solitary pink eyebrow raised as she watched the dai oni once again reach for the stream.

She watched in partial awe, Kazumi's dedication to curiosity seemed to have no end. Though Yuki would not be rushing to try and save her again, next time muscles over there could do that. Thankfully Beldagor had grabbed Kazumi and not her. Yuki shivered at the thought while she watched the blue dai oni walk back over. The pink haired norian offered a slight nod in return to Kazumi's bow. "While you might not need a tent, you are more than welcome to store anything you do not want out in the elements in my tent. Its looking like it will be just me in there anyhow." Yuki chimed in to Kazumi's declining a tent.

When Eidan removed his helmet, she watched with mild amusement. She shook her head, a quiet chuckle escaped her lips as her pink ponytail swished. "Wow, had no clue this whole time I have been breathing it. Miracle I am not dead." she said with a sarcastic eye roll. "So does that mean we can take everything else off now to boss?" she inquired in a heavily sassy tone. Her hands moved to rip the rest of her suit off, she stopped dead in her tracks when her eyes picked up movement of something rustling nearby. "What the hell is that?" she said loud enough for those around her to hear. Yuki's eyes were enamored with the strange luminous creatures, she struggled to not lose herself in completely admiration.

Twilight Basecamp

Humming to herself, Solara worked on getting the basecamp set up while trying to ignore the surroundings as much as possible. As much as she was eager to scratch the exploration itch that burned within as bright as it ever had, the security officer knew that there would be plenty of that to come. She had never been one for holding herself back from having fun and enjoying herself, but sometimes you had to do the prep work first. Trying to put a tent up by herself in the howling winds and lashing rain of a tropical storm had reinforced that lesson long ago and Solara had no plans on re-enacting the tent-burrito she had ended up spending the night as back then.

Feeling incredibly cheerful, and unable to help herself, the armoured blonde put words to the tune she was humming and quietly sang to herself an old camping song she had learned in the Kikyo Scouts.


As the short song-slash-prayer ended the nekovalkyrja couldn't help but chuckle at the idea of this particular group remining free from sin, but Solara guessed it was the thought that counted. Besides, being puritanical was for those that were afraid to embrace and enjoy life to the fullest.

Finishing up her current task, she heard Eidan's words over the comms regarding the need to find a water source and nodded to herself. Pretty much every survival course she had ever come across liked to focus on finding water as soon as possible - something to do with the whole 'dehydration' thing being bad for you. Especially when you were a Type 33 Tennyo with its naturally low body fat percentage - hence why every neko Scout Solara had ever met usually had a variety of snacks and emergency liquid pouches secreted about her person.

"Hmm, Kenja." she spoke to her KAIMON/Ascendant companion, "See if you can access any topographical scans of the area that the shuttle took on approach." Releasing the catches on her 'Yuuki' helmet, she lifted it clear and took a deep breath, savouring the tang of the natural environment. Securing the helmet to the side of her 'Megami' combat suit, Solara used her freed hands to undo the bun her braided hair had been bound up into. Giving her head a few shakes, she sighed in satisfaction - it always felt weirdly uncomfortable to keep it bound and restrained and she looked forward to being able to undo the braid and brush it out later.

Solara was hoping that any topographical scans would be useful. Water liked to flow downhill, so the bottom of valleys were always a good place to start looking. Or maybe they could get some overhead views via drone, see if there were any areas of noticeably-darker vegetation that could indicate a subterranean supply of water. Maybe they could backtrack the movements of local fauna such as that flock of ethereal deer-like creatures that just passed by the camp, for surely they needed to drink. Worst case, Solara was certain the more cerebrally-minded members of the group would be able to kludge together some kind of water extraction-slash-purification device. They would definitely find something though - there was absolutely no way the promised exploration and discovery would get cut short due to a lack of potable water!

Having done more than enough ruminating, Solara focused herself back on the needs of the team and the campsite. Allowing a teasing note to enter her silvery voice, she smirked and called out "Anyone need a hand with pitching a tent?".

Acknowledging it was safe after sevral others did, Kazumi removed her helmet with a dramatic gasp as though she had been holding her breath the entire time they had been on planet. Lacking hemosynth or centuries of elven buildup of resistance and antibodies she assumed, or Beldagors likely immune system curated via always being covered in grease and oil and mystery industrial fluids Kazumi carefully extracted her head, horns and the long pinup of her normally waist-length hair now tied back into a tail sans a few stray bangs and finally found freedom from a minor sense of claustrophobia as she did so.

She took note thereafter of tent-talk and, unseen hopefully from anyone else rolled her eyes both playfully and dramatically at the national pasttime of and sekuhara. She was used to it, and any of the other legionnaires would be hard-pressed to miss the little flush it drew to her face and was not altogether unwelcome in the inclusion it brought her within the group.

At least, that was, until the cryptids strode brazenly into their camp. Kazumi, still not that far away practically lept back with a gasp and silent 'eep' sound at Yuki's declaration and positioned herself behind Yuki and Beldagor to peer over the shoulder of the former who was much shorter. While she was no zoologist she assumed that any animal who so brazenly displayed a lack of survival instinct (like she just had) was either lacking in natural predators, or was itself dangerous within the foodchain and Kazumi was not about to test her experience of what she assumed a prey-animal looked like versus the cruel lineage that was nature and evolution!

After all plenty of deep-sea fish were phosphorescent or luminous and used it as a hunting-feature. And Kazumi had read all about a Nepleslian world in the midst of an ice age with most of its surviving wildlife living inside of forests full of luminous and glowing hyper-lethal flora and fauna that made settlement, travel, or exploration near impossible due to just how dangerous they were.

Half whispering, half hissing at Yuki and by extension the neighboring Beldagor Kazumi asked, "What if they're dangerous? Shouldn't we... Shoot them?"

​

Eidan stepped back from the tent setup, realizing his crew had it well under control. As they worked, he moved toward the cargo containers, starting to take inventory and thinking through their needs. "We should probably set up a field kitchen," he called over to the group. "Dinner’s going to be high priority soon~who’s our best cook?" His eyes drifted from Yuki to Kazumi, then to Bel, Solara, Lumi, and Leon, wondering if anyone had culinary skills. Cooking hadn't crossed his mind in the rush of the mission’s setup, but he didn’t mind pitching in himself. After all, he’d spent more than a few hours in the kitchens of his grandmother’s many business ventures.

Absorbed in his task, he didn’t immediately notice that most of the group’s attention had shifted to a gathering of Glowstalkers grazing nearby. The sleek, deer-like creatures moved in harmony through the bioluminescent grasses, each one’s antlers casting a soft, shifting light that made them look ethereal against the backdrop of twilight. The creatures’ delicate hooves left faint, luminous trails as they moved, and the soft glow from their antlers illuminated their gentle faces and curious, cautious eyes. Eidan watched as he replied to Yuki on autopilot, "Going to be our entertainment tonight? Taking it all off?..." he chuckled a bit and then said, "Yeah I don't think we need the suits, just keep them close and wear them outside of camp," he said loud enough for all of them to hear him.

Kazumi’s whisper to Bel caught his attention, and Eidan turned just in time to see her expression ~ caught somewhere between fascination and unease. Following her gaze, he studied the Glowstalkers, watching as they nibbled on the alien flora. “They seem more interested in the grass than us,” he said with a reassuring smile, then added, "But you’re right to stay alert. Herbivores tend to draw larger, hungrier company.” He kept his tone serious, but the glint in his eyes hinted at a joke. Kazumi’s nerves around the glowing creatures struck him as endearing. "We can deal with the water issue tomorrow, lets get dug in here and eat."

In the distance, a faint, echoing call reminiscent of whales drifted across the landscape as a group of Skywings circled over a nearby crystal outcrop. Their wide, translucent wings caught the last remnants of daylight, glinting like silver blades before they soared further into the night. Every part of Maridor seemed to pulse with life; even the air around them felt charged with quiet energy.

Eidan felt a thrill at the thought of gathering around a campfire in this strange, glowing world, something he’d only experienced briefly in his Kikyo Scouts days. His mind was alive with ideas and images, every small detail of the world around them fueling his imagination. Maridor was a treasure trove of mysteries, and with its constantly shifting hues, there was no true darkness here, only an endless glowing paradise that seemed to promise adventure at every turn.

Tomoko glanced towards Eidan, as she fiddled with the tent, getting it set up. “i.. have some skill, not sure if I am the best at that but what I am good at is foraging, I have a six sense when it comes to good things to eat or bad things’ Tomoko commented, her bioluminescent markings, shifted colors, instead of green for calmness it turned yellowish, for shyness as she spoke. The markings shifted again, as she saw the creatures, the Glowstalkers. Though unlike instead of fear, she was in awe. Quietly, she took a picture of them, then blinked as she saw the group of Skywings. The sound they made was almost beautiful. She quietly took notes of the avian creatures and the Glowstalkers, along with a quick sketch of their appearance.

YUKI and ZABUZA

Yuki

When Eidan inquired about who the best cook was, proceeding to look between the crew Yuki looked at him as if he was a psycho. "Me? No." she shook her head in the negative to firmly establish that she was not qualified to feed the group. "Zabuza's been teaching me to grow food. Cooking it is an entirely different matter, though I am happy to pitch in."

She had froze momentarily in relieving herself of the suit's constraints when she saw Glowstalkers approaching the camp. Once her concerns regarding the creatures were relatively sated her facial expression relaxed a bit. The relief was evident as her shoulders relaxed slightly. Yuki's slender ears twitched when she heard an adorable little "eep" as someone positioned themselves behind her. Crystalline blue orbs cast an amused side eye towards the Dai Oni behind her. "I've seen a little too much to remain petrified for long. Why live life in constant fear? Its like a prison for the artist's soul." she smiled mischievously. "Perhaps you and I should paint them later!" she said cheerfully to Kazumi.

With her concerns reasonably sated she slipped off a couple steps to relieve herself of the flesh prison imprisoning her form. She flicked her a devious little glance over to Eidan and Kuroko when the former mentioned entertainment. "Only if I get to go a wonderful group painting," she joked. " I did put some serious thought into those entertainment kits," she said with a light blush. She shrugged and popped her top half free of both the Megumi suit and her Norian under suit to reveal bare skin.

Yuki looked directly into Kuroko's eyes, casting her a saucy wink as she whipped the rest of her clothing off. A relieved sigh wisped past her lips as she held the suit and thermal suit over her right arm. She naturally hated clothing and to her, nudity was normal. She did not really think much of her own nakedness or that of others in terms of any awkwardness that those around her might feel. The pink haired strawberry muncher walked over to her tent and slipped her clothing inside for safekeeping. "So, who needs what help getting things finished with set up?"

Zabuza

Zabuza's attention was taken from marking out a perimeter for watch when he heard Eidan talk about food. He had just finished with getting the last one set, so he walked over towards the group. "What's this I hear about food?" he inquired while casting a look around towards the others. His attention ripped towards Yuki as she emerged from her tent. He choked on his words, fumbled over trying to recover and finally managed to get out "Cook. I can help cook."

With the grave and vital threat in her eyes a bit further away Kazumi came to her senses a bit at Yukis' offer bringing the color back to her pale with a "Oh, okay. That would be nice." But the anticipation was tempered with continued unease as she remained the most inexperienced with expedition life and encounters. At the talks of food, however, Kazumi did not jump right to the task but did acknowledge being rather confident in her ability to prepare and cook in semi-bulk quantities though did not admit to the circumstances that led to having such a skill.

With time to set up the kitchen from the various crates Kazumi tied back her hair and within minutes zoned out completely into her own little world as she began to work. Time consuming and semi-labor intensive it was almost a second nature to her though through no intent she ambled about with little coordination with Zabuza being rather used to working alone and having no delegation skills she left him mostly to his own devices. Using a generous amount of oil in a deep pot she let it heat up to near bubbling before throwing raw rice into the pot alongside some minced garlic and a handful of aromatic herbs, stirring occasionally while browning the rice she chopped up celery, carrots, onion, and potatoes.

Slicing up pork on a separate board she tossed it in a seasoned starch before adding the pork to a separate pot to brown and render down before adding the the vegetables down in the pot with the rice and drippings from the pork fat before adding stock and letting the pilaf soak and soften for a time covered while moving onto other projects.

Adding into a large pot onions, celery, herbs, stock, garlic and a heavy patch of peppers she roasted she set the pot to boil for a long time before using the integrated arms processor to emulsify the contents continuously and longer than one might assume reasonable before adding salt, brine, fish sauce, cream, butter, and starch to thicken it slightly before turning the heat down and reducing the contents without burning it.

For her final product, Kazumi mixed together a kveik flour with water, sugar, mash, and a large portion of dried fruits she found in the mission package into a large jug before mixing and shaking well and covering with a sheet of kitchen-aid plastic with a pinch on the top and wedging it securely and very clearly out of the way under one of the work surfaces to come back for the next morning. By the time she set her final project her portion of the meal was done as Kazumi began portioning generous heaps of rice pilaf, vegetables, and hearty potatoes onto plates and bowls; Topped with cuts of pork which also was heaped onto a separate portion of the plate before a large ladle-full of red-pepper bisque was nape' ontop of the dish like a curry with a sprinkle of herbs altogether to make large, heaping servings that any of them could see at first glance was beyond generous proportions for any meal while Kazumi claimed for herself a large bowl with no pork but heavy on rice and vegetables and a mug filled with the soup.

Without word as had become her norm and content enough to pay attention to her surroundings after a serious expenditure of time Kazumi left the pre-portioned meals on the kitchen workspaces counter and while balancing her mug, bowl, and other items started shuffling around looking for a place to sit and eat.

Leon dropped down from his observation post, his cybernetic legs making a slight (but audiable) groan as they absorbed the shock of the landing. He just sighed as he thought about the cheap crap he was saddled with instead of what Dr. X had gifted him and the rest of his packmates in the White Wolves. But the brief disappointment disappeared as he focused on the task at hand.

"BE-Tyrant, survey our surroundings in a 1 kilometers radius from here." Leon said pointing at the spot where the crates had landed marking it as zero point on his mapping software projected discreetly into his vision. "Visually scan and photograph the terrain as you see it as well as utilize all those sensors your got. While I wish you had a proper radar system, I should be able to rectify the images to determine the contour of the land."

"Is that all your lordship?" BE-T said back once he received his set of instructions.

"Knock it off and git going." He said as he proceeded to make his way towards the camp to help set up.

Seeing that Yuki had already stripped down to her rather-fetching birthday suit, Solara was quick to follow Eidan's instructions. Through her SPINE interface, she triggered the deactivation and release protocols of the heavy-variant Megumi combat suit she was wearing. This triggered enough relaxation within the layered materials of the suit that Solara could extract herself from the skin-tight getup with minimal fuss. While not as easy as climbing in or out of a Mindy, it was designed to be easy enough for a regular person to get in and out of. With her nekovalkyrja flexibility, coordination and strength it was decidedly easier and t didn't take long at all before Solara's naked body was exposed to the evening Maridor air as she began to properly stow the suit. Her blonde-tufted tail swayed gently behind her, Solara enjoying the true sense of freedom that came from her tail being unrestrained by cloth or armour.

After stowing her suit, weapons and gear inside her assigned tent, taking a moment to freshen up as best she could and throw on a matching set of grey sports bra and female boxer-style panties, Solara followed her nose - the delightful aromas leading her to the kitchen tent. She paused upon seeing the portions already doled out. On the one hand, it did smell good. On the other hand, being used to the typical Tennyo food intake, she wouldn't be comfortable eating even a quarter of one of the laid out portions. It felt like it would be rude to waste that much food, although, consuming an emergency ration pill or grabbing one of the Komorebi Foods ration packs might be considered an insult to the cook. Although her indecision only lasted a few seconds, it felt like much longer to Solara as she debated with herself.

In the end she decided on a compromise. Grabbing a mug of the soup for herself, she exited from the kitchen tent and walked over to the others. Lowering herself to the ground in seiza, Solara seated herself and cupped the mug between her hands. "Itadakimasu!” she called out cheerfully before taking a sip of the soup. "Sugoi!" she let out a happy moan as her taste buds exploded with joy.

Kuroko did not share the proclivities for the culinary arts that certain other Motoyoshi did, nor the predilection. She didn't give much thought to working with the food preparation, instead circling the perimeter in the same ever widening radius as her drone, just behind it, before beginning to spiral back in to the center. She sent Krakenmuffin high into the air above the center of the camp, and finally unslinging the scout rifle. Like the other two, she wriggled her slender form out of her armored environmental suit, but unlike Yuki, her own nudity was short-lived, and performed in arm's length of her personal items.

"Maybe those things have water in them," Kuroko chucked her head towards one of the Glowstalkers as she stood up to pull flannel pajama pants over her wiggling hips with a "hup," after bending over to pull on a pair of fuzzy fleece socks. "They look juicy to me." She slid her feet into a pair of comfort foam clogs with traction soles, then pulled the thin, transluent fabric of an oversized T-shirt bearing a faded, purple cartoon squid (though whether it was old or merely fashionably vintaged was unclear) over her head with a little bounce. An oversized fleece zip hoodie went on next, with its cat eared hood's integral eyemask flipped up to reveal wide-open cat eyes. She wore the squid plushie-neck pillow with attached hooded fleece blanket like it was a cape, with its eyeshield also stowed away in its inner pouch.

It was quite the ensemble to be reunited with her belt bearing the holstered E2 sidearm and sheathed Kikyō Scouts survival knife, and slung light scout rifle. Or, perhaps not. She scooped up some candy from her stash and grabbed a couple of boxes of Kikyō Scouts Cookies and a bottled juice from the sustainment crate. Walking past the food, she plopped down as near both Eidan and Yuki as she could triangulate a spot, and popped a Nataria Cloud into her mouth.

As Eidan listened to the group discussing who could cook, he couldn’t help but chuckle. He already knew that Kuroko’s idea of a meal was as indigestible as the corrosive "water" Kazumi had tried to gather earlier. But the suggestion to prepare a meal from local wildlife surprised him. "Alright, we're playing it safe tonight,” he decided aloud, his tone making it clear. “Yuki, Kazumi~you’re in charge of the food. Tomoko and Zabuza, you two can lend a hand." The idea of giving orders still felt new to him, but he was starting to find his footing.

As he gave out instructions, he wrestled his way out of his environmental suit, eagerly slipping into his familiar hoodie, emblazoned with the Azure Knights’ symbol, and a fresh pair of pants and socks. The water issue would have to be dealt with, he thought, running through possibilities as he mentally reviewed the probe’s data. Fauna on this planet would need a source of hydration, which meant a solution was out there. His mind kept returning to the problem, though he occasionally drifted into distraction, glancing over to where Kuroko and the others were briefly in the nude.

As he zipped up the tents, Eidan laid down one rule that he hoped would keep everyone safe. "No one eats or drinks anything from this planet until we've tested it thoroughly,” he emphasized, looking directly at Kuroko ~ who held her weapon at the ready with a determined glint in her eyes. For some reason, the sight made him slightly uneasy, but he shrugged it off and rummaged inside the tent. “Hand me the rest of the stuff?” he called, popping his head out to grab the remaining supplies.

Leon’s voice broke his concentration. “All good here, Leon,” Eidan replied, glancing up as BE-tyrant, Leon's drone, zipped through the air above them. The drone’s sensors captured detailed scans of the shimmering Starfire trees and crystal-encrusted grasses surrounding the site. The plants and animals clearly held moisture within their structures, hinting that some liquid sources were present, though alien in nature. "

On the edge of the scan field, a figure appeared ~ just for a moment. A female Valon’rai lingered in the shadows of the trees before darting away, disappearing into the dense cover. The drone also detected a promising find nearby: scattered old Starfire tree branches, dried and possibly combustible. If they could gather a few, they might even get a fire going tonight, adding a touch of warmth and a sense of normalcy in this strange world.

The drone also registered an underground spring nearby, its waters flowing to the surface, though encased in heavily mineralized rock and crystalline debris, distorting the scans. Despite the challenges, this world was alive, albeit in its own unique way, unlike any other place Yamatai had explored. Eidan sniffed the air, catching the aroma of Kazumi’s cooking. He only hoped Yuki, with her culinary preferences, would create a vegetarian dish. He wouldn't eat the pork, much like his dear obaasan.

"Beldagor?" Eidan called from within his and Kuroko's tent, "You bring any of that mead you had the other day?"

The suns had dipped, and the sky became a bright and exciting show of stars and nebulas, the aurora's and the aeris lumina danced with color hues that Eidan was unable to even name as he poked his head out of the tent again and looked up.

Beldagor had just finished settling in when he heard Eidan's inquiry. "No Kikyo-Eidan," He responded, sharpening his knife as he leaned out of his tent, ignoring the rain, "That was the last of it, and from what I heard the price on the Common Market went up after some mishap to get the honey to make it," He'd heard the stories on just how dangerous it was to get main ingredient-not that Njord was a safe place mind you, but it was even more dangerous for those venturing anywhere near those hives.

The sky above was filled with all manner of interesting phenomena, which made him think of the Cluster back home...shame it was gone now.

YUKI and ZABUZA

The artistic pink haired norian was elated that she might actually get to have some art creation time with Kazumi. It brought a genuine soft smile to her face while she contemplated outcomes of the dinner debacle. Her blue eyes ventured to watch their dai oni companion begin preparing food, she looked around for a brief moment contemplating joining. If not only for the sheer concern of having something her system would be able to digest. When Eidan informed Yuki that her and Kazumi were in charge of the food she threw him an "Are you psychotic?" look. "Well better now than never I guess. If its terrible maybe someone would not mind teaching me how to cook later?" she asked innocently.

After all, the only one who could likely have taught her to cook was Eidan. As of this point in time, they had been doing things other than cooking. Maybe she would wrangle someone for a date to go to cooking classes when they got back. "Yeah! That is a great idea." she thought to herself. While Yuki was perusing the options she overheard Kuro's comment about something being juicy and giggled. "I got something juicy for you," she said towards Kuro with a smirk. Yuki's blue eyes had been observing Kazumi's cooking, which while it seemed delicious, would not be something she would be able to eat. "Darn," she mouthed silently.

Zabuza walked up next to her with an armful of ingredients. "Well seeing as strawberry salad is out of the question, I have an idea." he said trying to come off smooth. "Oh?" Yuki questioned. "Vegetable stir fry on a bed of rice sound appetizing?" he asked. Yuki thought for a moment, what she would not give for some omat right now. "Hmm. Yes, that actually sounds delightful. I could eat an entire starship right about now. So lets get started." she chimed in. "Perfect. Grab some vegetables you like and we will figure it out." Zabuza said as he tried to find a prep spot. Yuki spent a few minutes pacing in front of the vegetable selection with one arm crossed under her chest, the other arm raised as her finger pensively tapped her cheek that rested in her palm. "Lets see," she trailed off talking to herself.

"Ah!" Yuki exclaimed as she came up with a game plan. She picked some broccoli, carrot, peppers, garlic, and ginger. She eyed the items carefully, not sure if these would work at all. Yuki had seen them in a stir fry before, but she had never made one herself. Usually Ialnys cooked for her when they both had time off. Yuki bounced over to Zabuza with her trove of produce and set it down next to him. He blinked slowly, "Well I hope no one minds the taste of Yuki in their stir fry," he chuckled as he began preparing the vegetables. Yuki looked down at her bare chest that the vegetables had been caressed against. "Ooops," she shrugged with a light blush blooming on her cheeks.

A decent bit later, the stir fry was complete. Zabuza plated the rice in a large, "get it yourself" manner while Yuki heaped the vegetables in a separate, similarly sized dish. "Well, it does not smell like a nuke went off." Yuki said definitively with her hands on her hips as she inspected their work. Zabuza nodded, grabbing two small bowls with cutlery. "You go have a seat and I will bring our food over," he said to Yuki. "Thank you!" Yuki chimed before zipping over to where she thought Kuroko might end up sitting. On the way over she grabbed herself, Kuroko, and Zabuza a beverage from the container. She made sure to grab one she though Kuro might like the most.

Her hips wiggled with anticipation when she saw Kuroko walk over. Yuki quietly slipped Kuro's beverage over to her before returning her hands to her own lap. Zabuza came over with a bowl of stir fry for himself and Yuki. "Here you go. I made sure to let it cool down a little bit so it was not too warm for you." he said while taking a seat next to the side of Yuki that was not occupied by Kuroko. "Here's your drink!" Yuki said happily handing Zabuza an energy drink. "You might need this for your shift tonight," she said with a smirk. "Oh! Speaking of shifts, are we doing a security watch for the camp?" Zabuza asked openly to the whole group. "I'd be happy to chip in for an evening or night shift." Yuki said after swallowing a mouthful of food with delicious little food moans. She had to admit, this dish was not half bad.