000 [ Video/Text ]

[doctoral_bird]

[ It took Malkus ages to work what should be a simple function on the phone. But soon enough his picture flashed over the network... For just a second, before his thumb obscured the camera. Much like an old man, he gripped the device awkwardly in both hands. ]

It doesn't seem to work. If I broke this I'm going to have hell to pay, oh goodness.

[ Well at least his voice was pretty clear... muffled and barely audible through his mask and that thumb covering the mic. ]

Well. Hellfire. I was going to... Maybe I can type it.

[ His thumb moved and revealed a look of concentration in the doctor's eyes as he fumbled with the keyboard. Soon enough an accompanying text message appeared beside the oblivious man's active video feed. He spoke the words slowly to himself as he typed. ]

what do folks need around here ? what is a hot commodity that may serve as say currency or a bartering tool as i may also need assistance one of these days

send
send
send message

[ Action/Audio 2 ]

[ Later in the day, Malkus can be found hanging upside down from his robes in one of the few trees in Hadriel's park. He seemed tired by now, but periodically let out a yell.

And if the man weren't clogging up the network enough, his voice rang out over the audio feed. ]

Help! I need aid! Help!

Comments

[text]

[circumitus]

[Aww, it's like watching babby's first network post. Because it is. Except the babby is a weird ass bird man.]

barter system works, but it really depends on what you need help with.

[Video/Text]

[doctoral_bird]

Yes! Perfect. Okay, let us see... What did I need help with... Just good to have company really.

[ Malkus squinted to read the response and very slowly typed back. ]

minor things but also major potentially. protection for instance as i may want to venture into the caves

[text]

[circumitus]

you generally shouldn't have to GIVE anything in exchange for company. depending on what sort of company you're looking for.

[No, she's not implying... Well, everyone has their own little preferences. She has no room to judge.]

and why would you want to go there?

[doctoral_bird]

What. Wait- what? H-Hah. Hold on- good graces... gracious-

[ He mumbled inaudibly as he tapped away. He was totally not talking to himself earlier. That absolutely wasn't the case and something he'd find embarrassing. The phone was a bit defective! Or so he thought. ]

what

can you hear me ?

text;

[restinglichface]

i don't think your message sent

[Video]

[doctoral_bird]

Poop shucks, augh...

deliver

deliver message

Ugh.

[ Malkus gave an annoyed grunt. The feed shook and swung around as he grabbed the phone and seemed to walk out of his room with it. ]

Video;

[restinglichface]

[Malkus wouldn't be able to miss the muffled laughter on Lup's end once the phone switched to video. Whatever bad feelings there had been between them during the Stepford event are gone for now. That whole thing was just Too Weird for her, thanks, she'd rather not think about it. Avoidance is a perfectly normal way of handling things.]

Sup, nerd. Trying to figure out your phone?

[doctoral_bird]

Oh! Oh hell! Okay, interesting. Let's see.

[ Malkus hummed as his message slowly rolled along. ]

accept message

[ He waited for what seemed like a reasonable amount of time for his message to travel over the air and into Lup's phone. So really, he just sat there looking at the feed for a moment before abruptly speaking. Kind of like those news reporters with a delay. ]

Miss Lup, hello! It's Malkus. You probably have gathered as much judging from your nickname for me. Yes, I am trying to communicate with my associates! It is... It could be going easier.

[ Malkus sounded like he was dictating a message to some typist. He really wasn't sure of the etiquette for live feeds yet. Please save him from this. ]

Audio/ Action

[utulien_aure]

[Elven ears can hear a voice from a great distance away; Fingon doesn't need the feed to register a nearby cry for help.]

I'll be there in a moment, you needn't shout.

[It takes barely a moment to find him once Fingon arrives at the part. Blame elven eyesight sure, but really- a man in a bird mask hanging from a tree, who would miss that?

He reaches over to help get Malkus down, asking] Is something trapping you up there?

[doctoral_bird]

[ The tree branches were bent and broken in such a way that Malkus' flailing had gotten his robes tangled pretty tightly! It was clear that he'd been writhing around for some time, off in some obscure part of the park.

He was a bit high, but not so far away that he couldn't be tugged at by the helpful stranger. ]

Oh- oh! Hah- who- who's there?

[ Malkus wiggled around until he could see the top of Fingon's head. ]

Uhh... Nn-- no. I mean the branches are yes, I'm being trapped by--... You mean like an animal or... No, no. I just found myself here.

[ His voice sounded poorly rehearsed, like he was caught thinking on the spot. ]

[utulien_aure]

[Fingon has a knife on him, if it turns out they need to cut Malkus off the tree. He'd rather avoid that if they can, though. Trees should be spared even when they're not the creations of a god in an underground cave.

...And presumably, Malkus doesn't want his robes cut off. That matters too.]

My name is Fingon; I rather thought you needed a hand, and I have a bit of experience getting people out of trees.

[Admittedly, those people were rather smaller than Malkus.

A thousand years of court life helps Fingon notice there's something odd about the man's demeanor...but not exactly what. Embarrassment over how he actually ended up here, perhaps?]

Quite the accident. All right, I think I can unknot some of these. Can you shift you weight over to that branch there? [He points to one of the ones nearby, which seems a bit more stable than some of the ones Malkus is currently tangled up in.]

[doctoral_bird]

Ah, Mister Fingon. A pleasure. Right, right hold on. I can just--

[ He extended his arms, much longer than they initially seemed, and curled his pointed fingers around the nearby branch. The clawed ends dug into the wood enough to get a fair grip, but once he shifted something odd seemed to happen.

A can fell from higher up in the tree. Much to the doctor's panic and failed catching attempts. ]

Shoo-Shoot shoot, hell, hang on! Haha! I can easily explain.

[ That was a very nervous laugh as another can fell and bounced off of the doctor's body. And another. And eventually a number of cans and foreign looking foodstuffs tumbeled down onto Malkus. ]

Th-Those are mine!

[hasitsthorns]

What do you know about gardening?

[doctoral_bird]

! i know enough to propagate many morsels of herb and fungus variety.

i imagine other plants are not too different why ?

[hasitsthorns]

there's an orchard here
I tend to it, protect it
always looking for helping hands
if you wanna' pay me that way, I can see what I can do for you

[doctoral_bird]

i believe i have seen such a place in my exploration !

what i may require is somewhat dangerous, but i will keep this in mind

either way there is the benefit of fresh food so there is that bright side

action;

[the_fourteenth]

[Raidou isn't on his phone at the moment, but he can hear Malkus's yelling from a distance, and manages to find him after a bit. He's a little surprised to find him hanging upside down. He walks around the tree, craning his neck to see just how Malkus may have done this, and how to get him out.]


Are you alright? Hold still.

[doctoral_bird]

Who is there? Mister Raidou is that you?

[ Malkus bent around just enough to see his buddy down below. ]

Contrary to what you might think, I am not very... dexterous in trees. At least not without the right dress.

[ He relaxed and resumed his hapless dangling position. Thank god he didn't venture further into the park like he had intended. If he'd gotten stuck out of earshot and without his phone? That'd be a much bigger mess. At least here Malkus was thankful to see a familiar face. ]

[the_fourteenth]

I guess if the mask is any indication, you're more of an ostrich then?

[Nah, Malkus didn't seem ornery enough for that. Luckily, Raidou is the dexterous one, and it doesn't take long for him to climb the tree. If he had a flying demon with him here, that would have solved this problem a lot faster.]

I may have to cut you down, you're pretty tangled. But then you'd fall on your head. We're going to have to get you right side up first.

[He tries to reach out to Malkus with an arm as best as he can, without getting too far out on the branch. It'd be bad if it snapped and they both went falling.]

Action

[bythewaves]

[ He likes the park, the park has trees, the trees are real, or certainly seem so.

... there wasn't anyone hanging there the other day.

Maglor blinks at Malkus in confusion. He... remembers this ... um. Man (?) from the dream. The "milkman", wasn't it? ]

How did you get so tangled?

Action

[doctoral_bird]

The question is, truly, how do I get myself not tangled... Did that-

[ He shifted around to see a familiar stranger looking up at him. Familiar? It was Maglor, right? He knew him. Sort of? Malkus shut his eyes for a moment and pinched the bridge of his mask, as if it were his real nose. ]

That didn't sound as clever once I said it. Untang- Untangled! That's it...

I know you from somewhere.

Action

[bythewaves]

In a dream, I think, or so it seems now.

[ Maglor reaches up to try and see about untangling him ]

You... were the milkman, I think.

.video | ;-; wry he so preshus tho

[noctyourking]

[ Noct was able to track and receive the messages from a familiar milk-man, though, he wasn't quite sure on how best to help this friendly neighborhood commodity. Nor was he sure that this milk-man persona was anything like the real Mr. whoever.

However, what he did know was that he did want to help this poor fool and as quickly as he could! ]

W-where are you! What happened?

[doctoral_bird]

[ His phone clicked and the small chime he'd come to recognize as the video feed coming on rang. Malkus was in no position to change from his audio network, but that didn't stop him from addressing the phone. ]

I'm located somewhere within the park near the edge of the city! As for what happened.

[ A moment. ]

Well. That is unimportant. What is important is that I'm somewhat... stuck.

[noctyourking]

[ So, the fact that the how was "unimportant" and the milkman was quick to assert the necessity of the situation was somewhat strange for Noct. However, it was true, he needed help. ] A-alright.. I'll come.. I'll help you.. hmm..

[ He had to fiddle with the device to pull up a map and once he got some good direction he was on his way. ] Kay, I'm in route. Tell me.. more north or south in the park?