Log:Defiance: Hot Mess

Hot Mess

OOC Date: October 27, 2016
Location: Oktos Nebula
Participants: Defiance Guild: Zhu Yan, Tarion Tavers, Raim Shah, Jehni'va Cihn, Kasia Ciph, Tess Ul'Datha, Siya, and Hex as GM

The short story: Happy Halloween, Defiance! The Guild holds a costume party, which is disrupted by an attempt at slave rescue, friendly fire, and a puppy.

The long story:

Whose idea was this masquerade? It's hard to say. The idea seemed to grow of its own accord until everyone in Defiance accepted, or was resigned to, a costume party. Supposedly, it's for a holiday, but no one seems to know what the source of the holiday is or what part of space it was from. And no one cares, as long as the point is to get drunk and wear something you normally wouldn't and eat candy, which of course it is. The party is being held aboard Raim's yacht, the Felicity, near the massive Oktos Nebula. The Oktos Nebula is a vast, uncharted cloud of nebula and unknown or poorly understood planetary bodies within, its boundaries reaching to the fringes of the Y'Toub system. But for the purposes of this trip, it makes some real pretty scenery when you're flying around on a party yacht. Everyone who wants to be here, is invited to be here, even, yes, Tarion Tavers. There's liquor. Food. Candy. You were supposed to wear ridiculous costumes, but maybe you're lame and didn't. What's not here is actually Hex; he got called away due to org business at the last minute and was LEFT BEHIND. Space Dad workin' late.

Zhu Yan is a lazy motherfucker. Nine out of ten mothers agree. His idea of a Halloween costume was closing up his bomber jacket, putting on a funny mask and calling himself Space Lord. "It is I, Space Lord!" he had been declaring for the better part of an hour, whilst fiddling with the awkward mask in order to imbibe alcohol and eat delicious candy. In hindsight, considering Yan's drinking problem (or solution), the mask wasn't a good idea. It was HAMPERING.

The entry leading from the lounge into the upper hallway of the SoroSuub Luxury Yacht is a tall and wide arch carved of the same white marble as the rest of the ship's interior structure. A curious sound makes its way into the lounge from the direction of that hallway, faint at first and growing until finally the source is revealed. A thirty feet tall mass moves through that marble arch slowly, the golden crown atop its head barely avoiding collision with the portal. The light illuminates the scarlet mass that the headpiece rests atop, a huge and bulging mass of blood hued flesh that swells around large purple eyes and a wide mouth that shines with no small amount of shiny fluids. A large almost serpentine body supports that head and crown, serpentine all except for the fact that the body is covered with layer upon layer of fat. The huge hutt eases further into the room, the body sliding and squeaking across the floor as Lord Eebua Gnuda arrives at the party.

Parties! People! .... Jehni'va. The tall pilot, to no one's surprise, has tucked herself into the best hiding place she could find at this sausage fest - which is really just the corner of the lounge. At least she dressed up! ... Kind of? She's dressed normally beneath a black sheet, cinched at the neck to create a makeshift (read: shitty) cloak, and she has jabbed a blue-painted stick through her belt. There is a drink in her hand, but its contents have gone warm and unenjoyed as she strives to simply melt into the wall to avoid having Yan say 'Space lord!' at her one more time.

When Kasia is told that it's a masque type party, she's going to dress like it's a masquerade, which means fancy. Fancy, fancy. But fancy with a purpose. She's decked out in a dark blue ballgown that is probably thirty pounds heavier for all of the sparkling bling that has been attached to it, and an ornate mask that's replica of an evil queen from some holofilm that she saw quite a few years ago.

Tess must have spent a fortune for this invisibility belt, but it was absolutely necessary. She had to get into the party without anyone noticing her, she had to get over to the booze (because if there's not booze I'm leaving) and whip the invisibility belt free from her costume so that she shimmers into view as if teleported in. She touches the small thing on her left breast, "We've found the boozillium bottles captain. Tell Scotty to get me the fuck out of here before the natives infect me with their nasty, creatively inferior, germs. We will become the superior intellectual property once this takes off."

"HOLD, MAIDEN!" bellowed Space Lord, who has CLEARLY seen the Tess-vidual talking to her boob. "It is I, Space Lord!" Goddamnit Yan you are going to get yourself killed. He wandered over in an exaggerated swagger with fists on hips and leading with his crotch. Almost like it was a target. NO. "I require this bounty of alcohol for consumption!" Yan, being Yan, was playing with fire. Again.

A ridiculously sparkly evil queen Kasia makes her way over to the booze table where she'll get herself something to drink, but rather than booze itself, she goes for wine. Someone has to keep the crazy kids in line, right? She tries to take a sip of the wine, but the first attempt is halted once she remembers her mask, which she lifts just enough to take a sip from the glass.

"Woooooah -" Jehn's eye is drawn to the Hutt, and she laughs nervously. That's not... Actually Eebua, right? No, of course not don't be stupid. Skirting Yan and Tess, the "jedi" makes a beeline for Kasia - if anything because she can probably hide behind the dress and all those sparkles, warm drink sloshing side to side as she goes. "Sick." She compliments Eebua as she squeezes past him and joins Kasia at the booze, using the other woman as an ineffective barrier between her and any other party guests. "Nice... Witch face?"

A red-hued tribal warrior arrives to the party. Siya stands there with her hands on her hips and glancing around. She is clad in leathers with tribal blue paint on her face and around her exposed midrift. She can't help but to smile as she makes her way into the party.

Tess turns sharply to the approaching shouty person proclaiming to be Space Lord, mother mother. "HELLO I AM A FROM THE STAR SHIP ENTERPRISE-" Because when you are a communication expert and do not know how well someone speaks your native tongue, the appropriate thing to do is to talk louder and with more inflection so that they more easily understand you. "-AND EVEN THOUGH THIS IS A PARTY IT DOES NOT MEAN I WILL NOT BEAT YOU TO DEATH WITH A BOTTLE OF FIREBALL." Seriously, she just wants to scream at this point.

Tess turns stares at the big Eebua that arrived before she did as if she didn't see it because that'd be totally crazy and why would someone see that right? "Huh..." Her hand slaps the little item on her left breast, "Captain, I believe these people intend to eat this giant slug being presented on a platter."

Zhu Yan had been prevented from seeing Eebua by dint of lack of depth perception due to the mask. And also ignorance! It was only when the shadow loomed over him as he was saying "I would rather die from over-drinking said bottle of Fi..." that he turned to see the ominous sight before him. The Fake Jedi he'd already accosted and crazy overdressed person who had called the bling hotline got ignored. He was bewildered. BEWILDERED. "Uh... is this the real life? Or is it fantasy?" Ladies and gents, Zhu Yan has been drinking.

The massive Hutt halts his movement further into the room just beneath the sparkling chandelier, the light shining down and causing the scarlet flesh to gleam wetly. The wide mouth parts and a loud roar of terrible anger comes from within that great maw, the body shaking with the force of the expelled sound until all at once a tear forms right in the center of the large Hutt's stomach like a open belly button and air flies free in a crude sound. The tear elongates and all at once the large Hutt is ripped away and flies back out of the wide entrance into the lounge like a balloon set free. Left standing in the Hutt's place is a much smaller Hutt, a replica of the one that just flew away only the height of a normal tallish man, with Raim's face sticking through the rubber molding. His scarlet eyes blink and he says grumpily, "I came costumed like I was told I had to."

"He's caught on a land sled. Not escape from festivities." Tess says right after Zhu, holding out a glass of fireball for him while holding her own in the other.

Siya stops short, watching the Hutt costume presentation. She just blinks, watching. Then as the large hutt thing blows away, she squeals in delight and brings her hands together in applause. "Huzzah!" She calls out.

You know what ruins a good party? Space Dad. That's what. There's nothing Hex can't ruin. Music playing in the yacht's lounge suddenly pauses with a polite chime, and a crew member's voice can be heard patching through. "Apologies for the disruption, but we are receiving a transmission."

Hex's voice crackles over the comms, sounding far away - which of course he is. "Stop whatever you're doing and go into the nebula," he instructs. Like, really, Hex? Kinda having a party here? But he seems to mean it. "I just got word that a transport shuttle of slaves lost transmission and crashed in there on a habitable, unnamed planet late yesterday." He pauses. "I think it's habitable? You're close. Maybe ten minutes. I don't even care what you're wearing or how sober you aren't, go in there and get them out before anyone else does, ok ka. Put a good pilot up top, that nebula's huge and it's a bitch. I'll send you coordinates. They're probably right. Watch out for wildlife? There's some kind of wildlife marker on... aw shit what if they ate my frotzki slaves? Go NOW. Send Tarion in first or whatever but go now." Click!

"Schutta!" Zhu Yan complained! With one not-smooth motion, he put a hand underneath the lip of his mask and tore it off, revealing his slightly pink face. He'd been drinking. "I am a bit too inebriated to fly. But fine, I'll fly. God damn sithspit eating Emperor fornicating... hold on." One pause later, and he'd picked up the glass of fireball and promptly downed it. "...spice quaffing nerf tickler!" Clearly he didn't think much of Hex at this point. "Alright, alright, where's Tarion? We need a meat shield."

"Wait, what?" Tarion looks up from his drink in the corner of the room as soon as his name comes over the loudspeaker. Totally missed the rest of Hex's spiel. Yan probably knows what's going on though, so he strolls over towards Space Lord and RedShirt, knocking back the rest of his drink. The shorts, the shirt, the lei, he's looking good (just check his desc, it saves us all time). "What'd he say? Nothing important, right?" And then Yan is going to fly. "You know, I'm only half as drunk and twice the pilot," he tells the big man, smirking carelessly.

Raim's eyes go upward at the sound of the ding, and then he listens intently at the message. There is a roll of those scarlet eyes and a good deal of cursing as he grumbles to himself, "They make me wear this silly costume, and then they tell me that we have to go save people. I didn't want to do this anyways." His arms, far too long to be an actual Hutt seem to retract into the bulk of his costume, growing short like a T-Rex, and then turning inside out. His face pops out of the Hutt Costume and then apparently squats down inside and turns over mini-Eebua, revealing the open bottom on the miniature Hutt Costume. He is tressed in his normal clothing and jetpack beneath the Hutt costume and rather than running for the cockpit, he moves to gaze through the large view port into space.

"Where did he even get that?" Jehn mutters to Kasia, eyes wide as she watches Raim's display. And then... Hex. She feels her stomach knot up with dread, because if Hex is telling them to go somewhere, and Hex is telling them that there is wildlife there, then this party is probably going to be the only one these Defiance weirdos twist her arm into joining. But what was that? They need a pilot? She's sober? This is her time to - die in a fiery starship crash via Zhu Yan. "Are there seatbelts on this?" She asks Kasia, her voice tight as she fumbles with the clasp of her 'cloak'.

"Thanks," Kasia's reply to Jehn is followed by a smile, lips parting to explain something about it, but her gaze is drawn to the Eebua costume. "I honestly don't know. I'm sure he had it custom made, but that's pretty impressive for not too much notice." Her nose crinkles, and she's likely about to say something insulting about the Hutt, but then Hex's voice interrupts, head tilting back as though she'll somehow see the man in question by doing so. She won't. Obviously. Her gaze tracks after Yan, brows furrowing at his remark. "I can fly us in too, I've only had this," she holds up her mostly full glass of wine. A hand goes to Jehn's shoulder to give it a reassuring squeeze. "Ask Raim where to sit, he'll be able to tell you." With that she's moving to, or after Yan, so they can fight over who gets to fly.

"huh." Tess chims up at the loud speakers because her attention is diverted to the spectacle that is Raim transforming from a big slug into a littler slug. The glass of fireball is downed quickly and another poured for herself, "Captain." She says into her glass, "They have strange customes..." Grumbling to herself as she downs three or four more shots. "Whatever, I'm not killing people in a skirt." This does not count as a dress. "Any chance you can drop me off at the next intergalactic space station? I don't feel like being a good guy tonight." But Tess, you might begin, you'll get too shoot people, "Ugh... that's a pretty good argument..." Another shot down and Tess sets the glass on the table to go and grab Addell from the corner, who for the record, came to the party dressed as a lamp. She pulls the shade off the barrel and slings the weapon onto her back.

Siya overhears the communication and she sighs. She is all dressed like a savage and for what? She wanted to partay! However, slaves.. She is so on board with helping slaves. The Zeltron turns to go find a seat, settling back to allow the pilots to go do what they need to do. "Don't look at me! I can't fly at all." Hell, she actually frowns, unsure what she could ever do to help with such a mission. She's the information gal, not the pew pew gal! While she sits, she goes ahead and takes a shot of something hard. Not that it will affect a species with two livers.

The nebula is not an easy place to fly, and it's not hard to see why a transport, and its sentient cargo, might have crashed in here. There are a few moments of turbulence where y'all probably wish you didn't eat so many space reeses cups or so much space fireball, but the ship does make it through the colorful pillars of the nebula and to the planet's surface. What a planet it is. The air registers as breathable, but the temperature's reading hot and humid, so if you picked skimpy for your costume, good choice! The ship sets down on rocky ground, but even though it's daylight, the atmosphere seems murky, floating with unidentified bits of... something. The area is heavily forested except where the ship landed, and according to the coordinates, it'll be a hike when they get out, because the transport crashed somewhere less accessible. tall, ominous trees are thick with something that might be vines, or webbing, reaching from branches to ground. More vines curl along the surface of the rocks, with sickly, misshapen orange gourds at their tips, bloated and swollen in strange, uncomfortable ways.

"Son, you'd need an..." pause "army, to be half as good as me." SUCK IT TARION! Zhu Yan pounded his chest twice, made the peace sign, and started heading towards the cockpit before the tall kid could talk back. Of course, he jostled with Crazy Witch Lady for a moment before surprising everyone and doing a hard left turn, heading off into the bowels of the ship. "I changed my mind I'm very changeable!" he called out. Had logic gotten to him? Had he listened to Jehni and Kasia? Did he just need to puke? "I need to put on my backup costume!" Backup costume? During the ride there was the occasional loud retching noise from the guest suites. Also some swearing. The word 'schutta' was used liberally. And then instead of heading back to the cockpit, the man clad head to toe in olive-coloured Cinnagar S3 battle armor made his way to the exit rack. "Ow. Ow. Ow," he hissed out. He must have hurt himself getting changed. "Okay. Backup costume. I'm ready. I feel better. Sorta. Let's do this."

"Is it really our problem if some slaves crashed there?" Tarion is saying, to anyone who will listen, really, probably because short-shorts aren't his usual 'Rescuers Down Nebula' attire, and also because he's a terrible person. "We can just... leave them there to colonize the system. Someone had to do it, there's probably a lot of money to be made." He wanders after the others, holding a red cup instead of a gun. "Come on, guys, the party was just getting started, five more minutes." No one is buying.

Raim holds tight to the railing that lines the observation deck as the ship twists and turns, navigating the nebula to land. Once the yacht has touched down, he is the first to descend the steps and to press the controls to lower the boarding ramp. "There are comm units here by the ramp!" the Chiss calls out for all to hear as he snags one for himself before descending the ramp and stepping out of the ship.

They survive the flight and the landing, Jehn belted in like a /nerd/ for the duration of it. "Tarion -" She calls over, clutching the belt with narrowed eyes. "-You're an asshole." She reminds him, but is there a little smirk with it? Snapping upright, the tall woman unfolds herself from her seat and lopes after Raim, snatching a comm on her way out. "Oooooh!" She stares at one of the gourds with an open mouth, making a menal note to grab one on the way out.

Kasia is admittedly a little stunned when Yan doesn't slapfight with her at all over flying the ship, but maybe he's come into some newfound wisdom. ...hahaha. No, okay, we know that's not true. Whatever the cause, she's grateful that a drunk person isn't flying the ship, especially when said flying becomes very intense. She's quiet largely, cursing under her breath now and again when things get really hairy. They finally get to the ground, and she lets out a shaky breath, sitting back in her seat for a few moments, ridiculous gown sparking a variety of colors from lights on the console. "Do we have weapons?" she asks over the ship coms, suddenly not sure that any of them are armed. Except Tess, who is never not armed.

Tess weathers the motional storm with only one uprising in her stomach, thankfully this is Raim's ship so she has absolutely zero quams about vomiting right on his floor. "Oh god, Fireball... Oh god, can we not hit every single piece of turbulance why did we have this on a damn ship anyways?!" Tarion, damn Tarion, "I... dammit.. I want to agree with you, say that this-" She pauses and holds up a finger, instantly turns green, and vomits on a different, clean part of the carpet. She's aiming. She's intentionally making a bigger mess. "-oh my god, this is horrible..."

She was saying something, oh right! "I want to agree with you, I want to be the second voice of reason screaming that sending a bunch of drunken degenerates into a hostile unknown environment to free people who didn't have the good sense to not fly into a nebula is not at all the party I was looking for..." She holds up a finger and closes her eyes.... but the feeling passes, "But I'm not going to because I refuse to agree with you. So go team, let's free those slaves from themselves!"

Oh thank god they've landed... Tess stands up and holds her stomach on her way towards the exit and, while nobody is within close proximity (hopefully) says, "This is literally the stupidest thing we've ever done... and we leave Tarion alone with dangerous machinery..."

But there's world out there that needs exploring... Tess stares out at the shimmeringness and misshapen fruits, "This is just like failusia... If I get eaten by another pod plant, while I'm in a skirt no less, I'm writing someone a strongly worded resignation."

Siya looks to Tarion, narrowing her eyes. She rolls her eyes at him and just throws back another shot. She doesn't seem tomind the ride of twists and turns, ups and downs. In fact, she casually eats a couple pieces of candy as it moves. As the ship lands, she rises up, straightens out her little leather skirt. "Let's do this." She is still unsure how she is going to help, but hell.. she is going to do what she can. She follows Raim down the steps and when he mentions the comms, she takes one for herself. She steps out of the ship, looking around, eyes wide. She swallows, speaking quietly, "Is this the right place? Kinda creepy.."

As the DBAGs change, or don't, and begin to tumble out of the ship, first impressions don't really improve beyond the initial look around. It's like walking into a sauna, so hot, so humid, instant sweating. Siya's right, too, it's a creepy sort of place. Why's it so dark? What's the shit making the air so cloudy? WHAT ARE THESE HORRIBLE BUGS? Horrible flying bugs? They must like the color blue, because biting insects immediately flock to Kasia and Raim, bite bite bite. That's annoying. But it doesn't hurt or itch, it's just gross that they're biting... and... why... if it doesn't hurt or itch, what do they do? Nothing probably. It's probably fine. Like. Don't even worry.

Because of the trees, this was the only clear spot to land, but a surprisingly clear path leads through the trees. It's lined with those very strange orange gourds.

"This is just like back home," mused Zhu Yan, aloud, pretty much drinking in their air and not seeming in any way whatsoever put off by the weather. Hint. It was a second before he remembered that he was Corellian. Did he just say that out loud? Damnit, alcohol! "I mean, the saunas back home. Yes. Complete with bugs." Good save, Yan. Being fully armored up, if not entirely steady, stable, and sober, the bugs avoided him. He tapped his right hip and was satisfied to find the Bryar there, ready and waiting. "Try not to get split off into the jungle," he said, even though he was following whoever was leading, and he was still too inebriated to figure out who that was. "That's probably where the big ones are." Pause. "I think."

"Tess, you can deny it but we both know I'm right," Tarion mutters, pulling up his armored trousers while he hop-walks towards the ramp, working the legs up one at a time with his singular hand. She might not be able to hear him, but he doesn't mind. He doesn't notice Siya's borderline-glare, but that's okay, she's bound to do it again later. "'You were right, Tarion,'" he parrots in mock-Tess voice while he pulls up the zipper on his armored jacket, leaving the 'st' of 'stupid' visible beneath. Slinging his rifle around his neck so that it hangs roughly in a firing position, he strides boldly down the ramp, grinning broadly at the assembled crew while his empty sleeve sways slightly in the breeze. When no one hails his arrival, he notices Raim being swarmed by the biting bugs instead, and grins. "Oh, the bloodsuckers swarm together." Just kidding, Raim. Actually no, Tarion sucks.

"Damnit!" Raim curses, slapping at his skin to attempt and ward off the bugs. "Go to party, she says. Make fun, she says," he grouches, mimicking Rheisa, as he begins heading for the path and slaps at the bugs with every step. At the cut from Tarion the Chiss turns narrowed eyes on the loudmouth and says, "That's another week you'll wait. Another jab like that and I'll leave you behind on this planet.

Jehn, looking like a badly wrapped lollipop in her "Jedi" cloak, tucks a hand beneath the sheet to pluck her Datapad free. She sets a reminder that simply reads 'GOURD 4 NYLA' before slipping it back into her pocket - can't forget that! She side steps Raim as he is accosted by insects, and pulls her sheet a little tighter about her arms, just in case. "You got in trouble!" She sing-songs to Tarion as she passes him. Who is she following? She pauses and looks at the inebriated bunch of tools - and sticks near Raim.

Kasia doesn't remain in the cockpit for long, taking less than a minute to herself for the adrenaline jitters to calm down, though they don't. Not yet. She lets out a sigh and pushes to her feet, hefting her ridiculous skirt along the way, and using some clips and pins that she had on other parts of her dress, to pin the skirt up. Sort of like skirt hikes, just really crappy MacGyver'd hikes so that navigating through the terrain will be a little easier. A little. Except that as soon as she steps off the ship, it leaves her bare legs all the more vulnerable to the biting insects, which swarm to her. ALL OVER HER. "Oh-gross." Slap. "No!" Cough, OH UGH one when into her mouth, spit, slap. Her hand cuts through the air trying to shoo away the bugs. Is she slapping them in Tarion's direction? Maybe. It doesn't work though, they like blue, and she's a glittery blue queen who is sincerely regretting stepping off the ship, and blaming Hex for tricking her into going out into nature again.

"I can do whatever I want, Tarion and you look stupid trying to put on armored pants with one arm." Tess gripes as she descends onto the planets surface to test the footing with one heel. Addell is pulled down off her back and brought up with the strap wrapped around her forearm to provide some kind of support if she has to fire it. "Just like home, huh?" As she passes Zhu on her way over to one of the gourds, sizing it up where it hangs from a branch. She adjusts the communicator in her ear and speaks up, "Hey Hex, did you get a transponder for this transport? Something we can track?" She's looking around the clearing with a sweep of her head, "I'll take point until I find a good sniper position..." Tess does not stay on the ground with the peasants, that's not how this works. "Someone who has more combat experience than a grasshopper please take control of this shit show, some of us are drunk and I'm pretty sure Tarion is about to be poisoned." Said as she grabs one of the gourds and hurls it right at Tarion's face. "Here's hoping it's full of flesh eating worms."

Siya walks along with the rest of the group, making her way down the gourd-bordered path. Her brows furrow a bit, "You guys realize this path is not natural, right? I am pretty sure there are people that made this." She glances at Raim swatting at bugs, then at Kasia. Her pink nose crinkles up and steps sideways away from them, closer to the gourds. Oh look! Flying gourds! "Oy!" She blinks as it flys through the air towards Tarion.

Tess reaches out on comms to get ahold of Hex, which turns out to be possible! "I sent the coordinates to you, you're headed the right way," he confirms. "It's easy, it's like a half mile tops, even if Yan's shitfaced it should be alright." Maybe he can hear something in the background. "Kasia, babe... super didn't know there'd be bugs, nonna," he comments, and then switches off his end of the com like a lil bitch because he's afraid of her.

The path through the trees is clear and easy to follow, but the vines... webs.. material hanging from the trees seems to get thicker as they go. The handy path does lead in the direction of the downed transport though, per the coordinates. Handy. So, so handy. But those gourds, there's just something weird about them, and those who pass the spot check notice that the gourd vines are not entirely still. They move. You think they're not, but out of the corner of your eye, just... a little bit... you might think you're going nuts, but perhaps enough people will notice it that the phenomenon can be confirmed.

When Tess tosses the gourd at Tarion, it breaks open against his hard head! Bonk! It cracks open (the gourd, not his head) and falls to the ground. In the fleshy pulp are teeth. Unmistakeably human teeth. Or possibly Chiss or Zeltron teeth. Let's be inclusionary after all!

Zhu Yan tapped the side of his helmet, presumably to activate the visor functionality but really it was already on and he didn't notice it. "Oh," he said. The helmet didn't fully compensate for his slightly blurred vision but he was able to pick up on the twitches of movement. "Uh, guys?" He wasn't using the comm, that was tucked away in a jumpsuit pocket. "These things are moving. Also... WHOA!" Wham! There goes Tarion's head! He whipped around and pulled out his Bryar, looking for the assailant... and noted that it was Tess. "Real funny g... what the FUCK." Teeth! Yan! Keep it down!

"Are Chiss not vamp-" Tarion wonders aloud before the gourd smacks him right in his moderately-attractive face. "Kriffing," he hisses, clutching at his face with the only hand he has, making various 'ouch' noises. "Ah! Gods /damn/ you, Tess, that was worse than granola." Doubled-over and squinting, he opens his eyes (of which both remain) and notices the teeth amidst the seeds and pulp. "...ah." He hushes quickly, reaching into the pulp to grab one out, examining it closely. It's all he's good for, really. "Teeth, not seeds. Or, you know, these grow from teeth. It could happen." As he gets up, a large bruise is beginning to flower across the right side of his face.

Raim is about to start toward Tarion to throttle him when the pumpkin crashes into the man's face and he shakes his head. "Saved by the gourd, one arm," he mutters to himself. He peers into the pumpkin thing and notes the teeth and then frowns. "Hmm... That is weird..." he says. "I wonder how those got in there?" He is talking to himself as much as anyone else.

"Hmm... That is weird..." he says. "I wonder how those got in there?" He is talking to himself as much as anyone else. Oh no, the bugs have Kasia, too! Jehn hangs back to try and swat at them for her, but very quickly gives up on that endeavor - come on, bugs are gross. "Maybe they won't chase you?" She offers optimistically with a pained smile and a shrug as she trots along the path, frowning at Siya's observation. "Yeah you're right... That's -" She is willing to dismiss Zhu Yan's screaming about the vines moving as drunken rambling, but the sudden commotion of flying gourds and /teeth/ gives her pause. "Oh, /cool/!" One is yanked from a tree and stuffed into her bag before she continues her jog up the path - not waiting to see if those allegedly wiggly vines are planning on claiming their first victim or to become another casualty of Tess.

Cough. Sputter. Ugh this is terrible, and she hasn't even seen the teeth filled gourd yet. "Did so," Kasia says into the com device, whether Hex hears it or not. He'll hear about it later too, no doubt. Though she didn't look up as the gourd went flying by, she does at Tarion's reaction. "Teeth?" She straightens, ignoring the buzzing insects as much as she can, which means one hand is absently flapping about as she tries to peer into the goop from Tess' weapon of choice. "I'm going to say we probably ought to not get too close to those things, if they've got teeth inside," she notes, gaze turning from the busted orange toothy mess to the ones that remain intact. and then there is Jehni, who trots up ahead and shoves one in her bag. Lucky for her, Kasia doesn't notice that yet, because there'd be a fair bit of yelling about that. There probably still will be, just not yet.

Tess laughs and laughs as Tarion is smacked upside the head with the flung projectile! Did he just say these have teeth instead of seeds?

"Oh sweet fuck there's teeth in these..." Tess steps further back away from Tarion and the tooth gourd, "I'm changing my vote, I say we write these slaves off as a lost cause because this is turning into a horror holovid..." Did Zhu just say the vines are moving? Like for real?

"Nope." She says, shaking her head. Addell is slung back on her shoulders and she starts back towards the ship with her middle fingers pointed up and back at everyone or maybe the entire planet. Definitely the entire planet, "I've seen this movie and the black girl always dies."

She still has PTSD from being eaten by a plant on Failusia. Years of therapy will never cure her of that. "I'm no botanist, but I bet it wasn't naturally. I mean, gun to my head, I'd say that the moving vines pull you into the waiting maul of some unseen god awful terror that digests you and poops you out of its limbs in gourd form..." She's still leaving, once she's out of ear shot or unless someone stops her, she'll talk on comms, "And fuck that. You want to save slaves, be my guest, but I'll be god damned if I'm getting shit out of a ficus."

"Bye Felicia."

Siya freezes as she stares down at the broken gourd. Teeth. The gourd had teeth. Her eyes go wider. From the corner of her eye, she could have sworn she saw movement. Her head snaps in that direction. Now, it's still. She simply steps closer towards the group, nearly bumping up against Tess. "Guys.. we probably shouldn't be here.." She's frightened, but she forces herself to carry onwards with the group. Then she has a new theory, "What if these plants ate the slaves?" She looks to the plantlife with newfound suspicion.She glances as some people begin to hightail it away before she looks back to the others, "Are we continuing onwards?"

Going back, honestly, doesn't seem like that bad of an idea. This is just... a really terrible planet. Felucia level of terrible, for those - Kasia and Tess, at the least - who were there. The slaves probably got eaten by something. Defenseless and with no one but slavers to help them? Yeah they're doomed. But hey, speaking of that, more movement in the forest, and a human man stumbles out of the trees, on to the path, blocking their way back to the ship. He's holding a rifle, a big gun but not a rare or fancy one, and seems unsteady on his feet. His skin is pale and he's dark around the eyes. "Help-- help us," he stumbles. There's some kind of wound on his torso, dark with blood, maybe he got shot? "We lost the transport. Some of the shipment -- lost some of those to the --" He's unsteady on his feet. "The -- oh -- it hurts --"

In the few seconds that Zhu Yan had to think, to contemplate the horror and weigh it up against the lives at stake here, the chance to be a hero or the chance to run home screaming with his tail between his legs, he came to an executive decision. "Frack this sithspit I'm out it was nice knowing you all." Even inebriated, Yan's survival instinct won out. He knew better than to put away his Bryar. Oh no. Not when the gourds were clearly eating people. Or something was eating people and storing them in the gourds. He about-faced and started following Tess back to the ship, whilst fishing out his comm with his free hand and flicking on the microphone.

"Oi Space Dad," he grunted. Clearly he was still drunk. "Ten credits says the escaped slaves have been eaten by something in the trees and had their inedible bits stored in gourds. I don't wanna be eaten by something in the trees then have my inedible bits stored in a gourd. I'm going ho... hang on." This was the point where the man stumbled out. Yan, being Yan, trained his Bryar on him. "I've seen this holovid. The innocent man in need of help is the monster." He was still talking into the comm. "I'm calling it. Anyone else calling it?"

"Yeah, I knew I was right about this place," Tarion agrees as Tess heads back toward the ship, remarking "Of course we're not going onwards" to Siya as he paws at his face and makes to head back to the ship himself when the newcomer with his- well, it's not candy. "...I may be stupid," Tarion allows, as his chest literally announces this to the world, eyes narrowing in on the man, "but I'm not dumb. If anything this guy is one of the slavers, and I'd rather make sweaty love to the Hutt than wind up pumpkin pie for these tools. I'm out." And he continues marching towards the ship, half-expecting someone to pop out and do the whole 'gaaah' thing and latch onto him.

As time has worn on, Raim has slowly stopped swiping at the bugs that swarm him and has taken to rubbing the increasing amount of sweat off of his brow that has begun flowing down his face. It /is/ humid and hot as balls here, after all. His normally bright scarlet eyes seem somewhat cloudy and his mouth hangs open a small bit. "No..." he says quietly as Tess talks about turning around and heading back for the ship. "NO!" he suddenly yells, his eyes glowing red as he lifts his left wrist and keys a few inputs and off in the distance the boarding ramp of the Felicity closes and locks itself. "They've taken the ship... THEY'VE TAKEN THE SHIP!" He points at the wounded man as he stumbles out onto the path and yells again, "This way!" And with that the Chiss starts running further along the path, in the opposite direction of the ship, knocking into Zhu Yan like a blue running back as he charges past in a sweaty hustle. (No one is out bitches)

Jehn is happy to plod along with her new gourd friend - and if she can avoid being reamed out by Kasia long enough for Hex to make things worse somehow, then she might just live another day. That is, until some guy stumbles out onto the path in front of them; Jehn grinds to a halt and reaches for the blue stick in her belt as their companions drop off and return to the ship one at a time. She considers doing the same, but instead moves forward with a twisted frown, "are you...?" The 'party' is dissolving into chaos rather quickly (as they all expected it would), and Jehn's confused/concerned inquiry to the bleeding man is cut off so she can slide aside as the Chiss goes barelling off yelling about... "Wait, not /our/ ship, right?" Right?! "What?" As usual, she has no idea what is going on - so she is going to... Keep going? Slaver trash or not, the guy is hurt.... /Ugh/ it's hard to have morals with these people. They all brought weapons, but did anyone bring a medkit?! Nope. "Shit." Jehni'va mutters, grip tightening around her blue-painted stick as she squints into the treeline. She's not running after Raim, fuck that. She's going to die out here - the pilot shrugs her sheet off and approaches the injured man in an attempt to shove it over the wound, unsure of what else to do.

Kasia remembers Felucia too well, and this is shaping up to be just about as great. I mean, maybe slightly less traumatizing. Maybe. "Do you hear that?" She turns her head off in the direction that the man happens to be stumbling in from, but she isn't looking at him as he stumbles out into the path. It's not until he speaks that her head whips around and she regards him with wide eyes. "What did that?" she demands of the injured guy, not seeming to notice the blue blur that is the fleeing Chiss. "No," she shakes her head slightly. "No, because then they'd all be dead." She tilts her head back at the rest of the group, well, most of the rest of the group, and then turns her head to stare off in the distance again. Her eyes narrow and she turns in place to look at the rest of the group with very real, very visible suspicion now.

Never, ever, startle a Tess... this is as old a story as they come. When he jumps out in front of her, Tess yelps out a sound that is so unlike her that it wouldn't even be hard to write it off as Tarion did it... This will never ends in anything, but hardship and hurt feelings. "WHAT THE HELL!" When the dude jumps out of the trees, she's already whipping Addell off her back and putting it into a ready position in her shoulder. "Where where you even at?! We walked right past this dingle berry and he waited until now to jump out behind us?!"

She takes a strong step forward towards him, putting enough blaster bolts into his chest to cure cancer by way of evaporating his internal organs. "FOR THE SLAVES YOU FUCK!" What she means is, for me, you're in my way and that was a bad decision.

Only then does she hear Yan say something about him possibly being the monster... but she's dealt with that possibility post haste. "Not anymore..." She kicks him in the head for good measure.

Breathing, breath.. Tess' head pops up, "Is he serious?" heel kicking the side of the dead guys head absently, "Did they take the ship? If not do we really need Raim? Because if it comes to a vote I say we write a really badass eulogy for him and bug the fuck out..." Thumbing over her shoulder.

Siya stops and looks back to the people that left, spying the man that stumbles out from the trees. She swallows. Everyone is going back to the ship, but it is now blocked by the pale, aweful looking man. There is just her and Raim. Wait, now it is just her. Raim is yelling something and suddenly runs the other direction. Ok, Siya is confused AF. WTH. "Raim! Wait!" She calls out to him, turning to chase after him. He wasn't acting right at all. That and.. he locked out the ship.

Hex's voice appears over the comm again, and he sounds worried. "Call it," he confirms to Yan. He's into slave rescue, and Defiance was founded for that purpose, but he clearly has a grasp of the fact that if all his people kick it on Planet Gourdtooth, he won't have a Barter and Acquisition Guild with which to Defy anyone anymore. "Call it, get out of there, I don't want your inedible bits stored in gourds either."

But leaving is a little easier said than done when something doesn't want you to leave. "Urrgg," the slaver says, clutching his chest, and dropping to his knees. "It hurrrrr----ghhhkkk---" His words derail into a gurgle of pain as he falls over, and Tess shoots him in the chest over and over. Maybe she shoulda shot a little lower, though because out of his lower abdomen emerges, wetly and with a variety of terrible crunching and tearing sounds... a creature. Something insect-like, clawing its way free, hungry, HUNGRY FOR JEHN, who is handy and right there. The parasite - about the size of a real large cat - heads straight for her.

As though summoned by the happy birth of a child, larger creatures begin to appear from the trees, chattering, clicking. These insectoid creatures are perhaps the Path-makers that Siya so rightly assumed did not create a natural path, and they look hungry.

Accosted! Yan was jostled out of the way and as a result his aim was thrown off Mister Actually The Monster for a brief few seconds. "Schutta!" the sobering man hissed! Say what you will about this being a lovely planet (though everyone else would disagree), it was quickly losing its charm as the drunken haze faded. "What would a giant monster want with a starship?" Pause. "Why would Raim of all people lose his BALLS!" Blam blam blam! The sudden rapid firing from Tess as she straight up decimated the poor dude took Zhu Yan completely by surprise. "Jesus, warn me next time!" He was breathing super heavy right now in near shock. Sobriety was not fun. "I don't know. It's not like Raim to flip h-DODGE!" The sudden emergence of the parasite was responded to by two deafeningly loud WHAMs as the charged shots from the Bryar went off, one barely scraping the parasitic wanker and the other turning the dead man's nethers into mush. "Hostiles! Move! Move!"

The thing about only having one hand is that it makes Tarion look pretty bad-ass for trying to do anything at all (at least in his head). When the parasite makes its emergence, after a split second of consideration on running outright he decides against it and squeezes the trigger of the rifle slung around his neck, sending a red blast rocketing towards the parasite and missing in classic Star Wars fashion, like he's not one of the heroes or something. Actually, it's worse than that. He grazes Jehn. Whoops. Between the parasite, the swarms of carnivorous creatures, only having one arm, and being locked out of the ship, it's not immediately clear what the most self-serving option is, leaving the bounty hunter no other option but than to help the others. "We need to move! Move and live!"

Raim is running, eyes wide and sweat pouring off of him, and then something jars him from his daze. Possibly it was the rapid shots from Tess' blaster rifle... perhaps it was the scary ass bugs that begin to come out of the woodwork(get it?) at the birth of the baby from the body of the dead man. Raim's eyes go wide and he digs his heels into the path to stop himself. His hands fly to the controls of his jetpack, the weapons coming online as he jerks his head into a nod, his goggles slipping down over his eyes. "Back!" he calls out, like a sweaty general. He watches through his goggles as the targeting system comes online and pulls one of the large bugs into view before pulling the trigger. A missile flies from the jetpack behind him and nails one of the adult buggies, the force of the explosion blowing trees and such aside with a roar of flames. "Get back to the ship!"

On her way to deliver lackluster and rudimentary medical care, Jehn freezes with an icy surge of fear as he goes from injured stranger to a splash zone. She stumbles backwards, face speckled in red and mouth hanging agape in shock. You would think that it would be a traumatizing experience, but it is nothing compared to the Alien-esque levels of 'WHAT THE FUCK' which follows, oozing out of the dead body and scrabbling after her in all its horrid glory. Mouth hanging open in a silent scream, Jehn swings wildly at the thing with her blue stick; another shot zooms past her and further destroys the man's body, spraying the pilot with more blood and bits of nad. Thanks, Yan. Jehn can't just be dangerously close to the front line of these insects, she's got to have a troop of sociopaths - /drunk/ sociopaths - shooting at the monsters. She doesn't trust these assholes or their rolls right now... And with good reason. "Fuck - this - and - fuck - PARTIES!" Each word is accentuated by a swing from her "lightsaber" as she stumbles backwards, starting to hope that she'll escape! And then a searing pain grazes her calf, and Jehn crashes to the ground with an actual scream as the bug LATCHES ONTO HER FUCKING LEG. "NOOOOO FUCK YOUUUUUUUUU!" From the corner of her eye there are flames, and Jehn notices something real fucking important: the bugs don't like it. Still clutching her stick, Jehn shoves it into a nearby flaming bush and shoves it towards the bug on her leg. "TESS SHOOT TARION PLEASE!" Limp away, limp away, limp away!

At the present, Kasia doesn't seem to be wholly aware of everything that's going on around them, she's been steadily backing away from the group that she's suddenly suspicious of. Likely due to hallucinations that are making her quietly distrust the group, but at least she didn't outright flee. Right? Yet, anyway. She's still not entirely there, and it's not clear whether or not she sees the smaller thing that bursts out of the now dead man's stomach, or the larger, chittering adult nearby. What she does see is a log that's both suspended by vines, and on fire, seeming entirely fascinated by the burning hunk of dead wood. She reaches up to yank what looked like it was a hairpin from her hair, actually turns out to be a small, sheathed knife from her hair, disrupting the style as she uses the small blade to hack away at the vines, and send it crashing down toward the chittering adult. Was this on purpose? A plan? The world may never know, because she's having a quiet conversation with the severed vines now.

Then shit goes straight up FUBAR and military training kicks in to replace the sociopathic desire to kill anything even remotely plot important. Tess hears Yan's commands and brings her weapon up to bare, "Fire and retreat, don't just run.. They're creatures with instincts, put enough pain on them and they will retreat!" Only sentient life is stupid enough to willingly come to an unknown planet looking for people they've never met and don't owe anything to. "Someone grab Jehn, she's trying to make friends with the local wildlife..." Shouting forward after taking a shot at one of the bigger adults stumbling out of the treeline. "Jehn, that isn't a teddy bear, stab it and move get on your damn feet!"

Oh thank god, Raim isn't crazy anymore, "What the flying blue demon just said..." Well, when the pretty lady dragging a bug along behind her like an oversized teacup poodle asks you to shoot your teammate, you do it, "Stop trying to make me fall in love with you..." Turning her rifle towards Tarion and fires.

Siya pulls up short, stopping in her path. She blinks rapidly, feeling the heightened emotions around her like someone hearing terrified screams in the dark. Bright blue eyes close, "Focus.." She tells herself. "focus.." She works to refocus her mind through the terror of the moment. When her eyes reopen, it is as if everything has slowed down. Giant insects. Where did they come from? Those eyes scan the creepy, wooded area, identifying the ravine they are emerging from. Then, she glances up to a rocky overhang that dangles precariously over the ravine. "Perfect." She darts into the trees, ducking down into the brush. It's sort of ironic that her tribal warrior costume that she wears seems to add to the role she is playing. The woman is surprisingly quick, agile, quite physically fit. Finally making it to the rocky overhang, she examines the rocks piled up and then HEAVES at a large rock. At first it did not budge, but finally it scoots, then slips. Her teeth grit and her face contorts until finally, the rock breaks free. A loud rumble is heard as suddenly the rocky overhang is pouring down and into the ravine, causing horrendous insectoid screams from beneath. She stands over the ravine, glancing back sharply. The remaining bugs outside of the ravine surely heard that.

Jehn was right, the bug hates fire, and it quits chomping on her to run away when she waves a flaming stick at it, screeching for its momma. Its momma being whoever laid an egg in the slaver's chest? Hard to say, but the adults are having a rough go of it as Raim takes one out with a missile, Kasia smashes one with her release of a falling log, and Tess has dropped another with high powered weapons fire. Warrior Siya's deft removal of a rock harnesses the power of physics to send a rock slide down into the path and prevents more of them from coming up. Yay, the day is being won! Good job humanoids! Granted you're killing each other... classic humanoids. Also there's the fact that now this hot planet is made even more hellish by the smoke in the air, the way the forest is burning from the missile strike. The orange Gourdtooth vines aren't trying to be sneaky anymore, and are writhing in distress, reaching and coiling and uncoiling. The insects that still remain alive chatter unhappily and vanish into the smoke. Slips and shadows of other animals can be seen running away, too, howling and calling to each other - are those anoobas, through the trees...? It's hard to say, but regardless, it seems like a real good idea to leave this horror show and get back to Felicity.

Baby bug does pause in its fleeing to regard Yan. You got one more chance buddy.

"Sithspit," Zhu Yan straight up fumed as he witnessed the chaos unfolding, the bugs attack, Tarion miss entirely, Jehn demand Tarion's maiming, and Tess carrying it out. Screw it. He stormed forward like an armored warrior from hell, firing charged bolt after charged bolt into the newborn baby like Tess whenever she visited a hospital. It blew apart like a Hutt-shaped pinata in the Defiance headquarters. He took a moment to regard things again, noting that the tide had turned even with Tess going rogue... even more rogue. Sobriety was straight up punching him in the face now. "Tess, come and get Jehn. I'll get Tarion." Who the frack put Zhu Yan in charge? He moved over to wherever Tarion fell or whatever'd from being shot after Tess because Tarion hasn't posed yet, the wanker. "Raim! Open up the ship! We, are, leaving!"

Tess's shot hits Tarion down and to the left, in the torso. It also hits like the hammer of God himself, knocking the man off his feet and throwing him flat onto his back with the Wilhelm scream. Not that one, but he does let out a shout, his rifle jostling him in the face. For once, there is no curse, no smart remark, none of that. The bounty hunter squeezes the screaming pain under his hand, squeezing it in, pushing it down, like every genuine emotion he's ever had, and struggles grimly to his feet, latching onto Yan's hand for assistance. It's almost like he mutters something as he's standing up, "hell of a woman" maybe but it's hard to tell and it might not even be Basic.

Raim doesn't seem to care about Zhu Yan's bossing. He knows its his ship and he has a missile launcher strapped to his back! But the mention of opening the ship does earn a slightly confused expression returned Zhu's way at the mention of the ship being locked up and he seems about to ask which moron locked the ship before he waves it away and starts tapping at his wrist computer. And then the Chiss is running back for the ship, stooping to offer Jehn a hand and shoulder to lean on as he runs should she need it.

Her calf is missing a nice swatch of flesh, her shin has a horrible purple mark from the insect, and Jehn is stumbling down the path with a flaming blue stick and a heart full of vengeance. "Thanks." She calls toward Tess, raising a thumbs up. She waves the flaming stick at one of the creatures that charges her, teeth gritted and eyes wild. Why are people going crazy? They need to get /on that ship/! At least Raim is back with them - because if the guy with a jetpack loses it: you're fucked. She takes the Chiss's help, not quite trusting Tess not to mercy kill her and leave her behind should she touch her. Distantly, Jehn registers that Kasia just pulled a knife from her hair and that's rad, but the cacophany of crashing drags her attention away from the onslaught and toward Warrior Siya and her Real Solution... Despite the victory, her breath catches: fires rage around them, and it's all their fault. There's something remarkably sad about this - I mean, yeah, they're alive but they've just totally fucked this forest within a few hours of landing - plus no slaves. How very human. With a frustrated growl, Jehn stabs her torch into the ground, quelling the flame with a lame hiss of smoke, saving one more small inferno, and shoots a very frustrated, helpless gaze into the burning woods - heart bleeding almost as much as her leg. Or Tarion - thanks Tess.

Kasia did pull a knife out of her hair, and it's still in her hand, and she's still talking to a vine. Or she was, but the words gradually stop, and she looks genuinely confused as to where her conversation partner just went. There is chaos, and fire, and Tarion was shot, and... What. She doesn't seem entirely recovered from her recent bug acid trip, but she's not hardcore tripping balls anymore either, which is for the best. "We should go." A pause. "Right?" She's not real sure, someone help her.

Tess turns to cover everyone's retreat, moving backwards slowly with her rifle swiveling back and forth as she does. It is entirely possible she intended to help Jehn, but when the blue weird eyed alien does it, it frees the sniper to do what she does best. She does, however, return Jehn's thumbs up, then returns her hand to Addell to keep all of them safe as they get on the ship. In a damn skirt, no less.

Tess sees Kasia struggling a little and jogs over to her, "Hey boss..." Reaching out to lightly take her arm and lead her back around behind her so she can keep her moving if she should stop with a nudge of her shoulders. "We should get going, yeah.. This is Hex's fault, he sent us here, and you're his better half so you have to kick him in the dick... if I do it wont mean anything, everyone would expect it.. so it's on you." Pause, "So, escape, find Hex, dick kick him, then we laugh at Tarion."

Siya watches as creatures flee in fear from the fire. A long exhale of relief comes from her and she just casually walks back to the ship. Sure, she is also wary of gourds and vines and such, but they can be walked around. Making it back to the ship, she looks to everyone. "Can we go now? This planet is not exactly my thing.."

This planet is nobody's thing, Siya. Nobody's. It's weird and hard to read and dangerous and hot but in a scary unpleasant way, like if Tess was a planet. Nothing else stands in the group's path as they flee back to the the yacht in their odd mix of armor and party clothes. The forest seems more flammable than you might expect, however, and the trees are going up like matchsticks as a wind stirs the murky air, and cries of animals intensify. None can be seen near the yacht, however, thank god, clear shot to home and escape! Except... oh... there is one. A female anooba puppy has been separated from her pack by the fire, trapped by rocks on one side and a fallen burning tree. YELP YELP YELP yeah you think I can't make orphans with both water AND fire, think again. Anyway. It's totally the right age to make it into a disagreeable and ill-tempered pet.

Smoking from his torso and leaning heavily on Yan, Tarion is headed for the ship, because everything is burning and the carnivores and whatnot. Jehn is off feeling bad about it, the bounty hunter, for his part, disagrees. "With any luck the whole planet will burn down," which brings a sort of bittersweet smile to his face. If only they could have done more harm during their visit. "Let's go," he agrees with Siya, nodding, looking around for Tess to make sure she's not drawing a bead on him again. It looks safe, for this round at least.

"But... The fire..." Jehn seems reluctant to go into the ship, brow furrowed in guilt-ridden brain storming. Poor Raim, dragging her along with him, is the one who gets to hear her stream of laments. "Can we dump the water tanks on the Felicity? The humidity is... It should rain soon but /how/ soon? This just isn't... Maybe if we -" And then she sees it. In the fire and flames, waiting for her as it has always waited for her... Something to make this a whole lot less shameful and piss of Kasia and Hex at the same time. "/Baby/!" She gasps at the trapped creature, leaping away from Raim with the single-minded fury of fucking /destiny/. Into the firey blockade she plunges, singeing her hair and clothes and /definitely/ exacerbating that leg wound - but she grabs the anooba with little decorum and stuffs it into her jacket, giving it little choice in the matter. "Okay let's go -" She returns, trying to hide her bulging jacket from Kasia as she scrambles in with the others.

"The surrounding forest will take a lot longer to catch on fire and the rain will stop when it hits in around an hour. Forget the jungle, move your butts!" That was way too quick and way too determined an answer for Zhu Yan to be just making shit up. "Survival instinct of a ranat..." he mumbled as he dragged Tarion up the hill and towards the freedom of the Felicity. "I swear I'm going to chat with Hex about his hiring practices..."

Thank goodness for Tess. Kasia is still deeply confused as to what's happening, and what's real, and who is bleeding, and why it's all happening, but Tess is there to set her straight. Okay, not really, she's there to set her on the path of kicking Hex in the dick, but it is at least a path that will get Kasia back to the ship. "There--" she sounds real uncertain now, leaning in closer to Tess. "Did you see a big orange man?" Lucky for Jehn that Kasia is still pretty out of it and fuzzy brained, so she doesn't even notice the lump under the jacket, she's too busy trying to clarify what's real and not with Tess. Which is probably a big mistake, but it keeps things exciting.

"Huh?" Tess is still leading Kasia out with the nudge of her shoulders so that anything coming up from behind the group finds its way into a hurt locker. Possibly winging it so Jehn can start a fucking zoo in the hanger or some shit. This means that she is not tracking Tarion to shoot him again and she did not see the anooba which is why she didn't shoot it because she can hit the flea off of Tarion's liver at well over a mile. "An orange man?" Is that what she asked? "I... I don't know how to answer that Kasia, you're one of the only people in this chicken shit organization I like and telling you you're fucking losing your shit like dysentery is giving me this weird feeling in my stomach like punching a baby off a mom's tit..." This is your teammate people, "Sure, you know you should because fuck that looks like it hurts, but you're pretty sure she'll lose her nipple and that would just be a waste of a perfec- are you really sure you want me to tell you what's real and not? I love you, I do, you're one of my favorites, but let's talk to someone who isn't crazy about this once we're safely off the planet, kay?" Nudge. Weird, awkward, sociopathic smile and head pat.

"On the ship," Tarion grunts, trying to hold onto Yan and hold his side at the same time but there's only one arm to go 'round. "Get on the ship. Leave. Let it burn." It sounds like he's preaching to the choir, here, but he doesn't seem like he can raise his voice very well at the moment. Luckily, it's not long before they make it onto the gangplank and he can shut up. Except that as soon as they're inside and he pulls off his smoking armor, revealing a nice charred hole in his 'I'm a stupid idiot' shirt, he glances back towards the lounge-y area. "...You know, guys," he says, to anyone else who's made it inside, "there's still a lot of booze back there."

Nothing to see here, don't mind her. Jehn, complete with stolen puppy and smuggled gourd, limp aboard the ship. "I'll fly!" She offers way too quickly, doing her best to muffle strange sounds coming from her jacket as she crab walks away from everyone and back towards the cockpit. She disappears, shuffle-limping with /purpose/ to beat Yan and the hallucinating Kasia back, and settles into the cockpit to prep the Felicity to turn into one fucked up party cruise, once they're all accounted for. "Yes we are gonna take this off, yes we are! Mommys prepping the engines right now, say goodbye to your dead family!" She croons before popping over the comms with a reminder of "seatbelts!" because she's a fucking square. Nyla is either going to be thrilled, or murder her... Shit.