JANUARY TDM

[monstertruckers]

code

((OOC: Hello, and welcome to our first TDM! This month, Reserves will open on the 10th and Applications will open on the 25th! We hope you enjoy the game launch!))

After tumbling through shadow you find yourself in a shrouded, ruined garage. It’s full of shattered windows and broken mechanical equipment; watch out for shards on the floor, in between the strange symbols scrawled into the ground. Outside the daylight is fading; night is rolling in, and there’s just a few dying lights flickering on and off. It’s going to be hard to see in here and avoid bumping into things and people, if you don’t get outside soon.

Beyond the rundown garage is an overgrown gas station surrounded by thick, wetland forest. Starlight is streaming through the trees, along with light from a broken moon. The one thing that isn’t overgrown with plants is a large Convoy of vehicles, parked right underneath the station canopy.

01: START UP

The Convoy looks like a cross between a semi truck and a train; there’s no one at the front, but there’s still power humming through the entire Convoy. It’s also the most hospitable thing in sight. Why not make yourself at home a little? You just have to chase that eerie, empty feeling since there’s no one else present.

Alternately, there are the cars scattered around the Convoy; all of them in better shape than the gas station. And some of them looking and feeling almost like they might belong to you. That feeling is only increased, when you see there’s a key to the car nearby. Perhaps the key is already in the ignition, on the dashboard… It may have even been on your person, ever since you woke up in that garage. Either way, you have the keys to the vehicle now.

…But there’s a few rough edges on these vehicles. Flat tires, cracked windows and mirrors, maybe some stuck doors and locks; all of them the sort of thing that requires two pairs of hands and supplies. The garage can take care of the supplies… Now it’s just a matter of finding some extra hands.

02: RUIN EXPLORATION

The ruined gas station and garage are the only man-made structures around, and have seen better days. The store still holds packaged food, and tepid drinks of all sorts. The garage has old mechanical equipment for working on cars, along with that strange summoning circle.

There's also a giant tree bursting through the gas station roof. And clinging to its branches, half melted into the surface, are metallic bodies. Graffiti is spray painted onto the tree, reading ‘avoid the Husks.’

Those who ignore the warning and get closer hear a faint hum coming off those bodies. It’s almost like whispers, though it’s impossible to make out any clear words. Some Husks are clutching supplies in metal fists. For a few unlucky new arrivals, those Husks might even be holding the keys to their vehicles.

Making direct contact with the Husks intensifies the hum, and the whispers begin to form into pained cries, and give the impression of something rummaging through their thoughts; trying to pry out things that hurt Drifters, and reflecting those hurtful things on the bodies of the Husks for anyone to see.

03: MONSTER ATTACK

The night grows darker, and the shadows grow deeper. And from those shadows comes the glint of something moving across the Husks, rippling over the metal… And breaking it apart in a flurry of too sharp claws and teeth. That’s when the radio chooses to come on in another mess of static.

Be careful- Keep your fear and rage in check- Calls the monsters- We need the shield up-

The warning comes too late as monsters arrive. Some human-like but with razor teeth mouths that stretch from face to groin; others resembling alligators with bloated proportions and jaws that spit lightning; and still others where the vegetation has come to life, sporting thorn covered appendages.

The Pisaca monsters act as shock troopers, wearing the Convoy down with venomous bites and debilitating howls, before the heavy and brutish alligators bull in, using their bulk and electric attacks to obliterate what’s left. The capparwires scurry in the periphery, taking cheap shots with thorny vines and sparking electricity where they can. It’s a task to keep the monsters at bay until the generator fires up. Especially when one last enemy makes an appearance…

03-A: MIRRORMIC

There's as a metallic shiver along one of the remaining Husks, and a strange ringing whisper in the ears. The next moment, the Husk breaks open in a gleaming pool of quicksilver. That quicksilver catches reflections, and molds itself into a darker copy of a Drifter.

The mirror monster whispers faults and secrets at the reflected Drifter, and anyone close by. It tries to goad Drifters into an attack. And when struck, the mirror monster plays its second trick; whatever damage it takes is reflected back onto the Drifter as a transformation. An injury to the arm transforms the Drifter's arm, and so on.

It's possible to banish this monster through direct lights shone on it from a car, flashlight, or magic… But such action needs to be swift, before the Mirrormic completely changes its Drifter.

03-B: BOMBADGY BOMBARDMENT

Before, during and even a little after the monster attack, there’s an extra presence scurrying around the vehicles, snuffling and barking when startled. A band of chunky, raccoon-esque monsters known as the bombadgy are raiding anything that looks like it could be food storage… And this includes vehicles!

The bombadgy’s claws are deft and sharp with tearing through windows and door seams. These creatures are a touch skittish and won’t attack unless provoked. They also can expel a flammable gas… And this means they can explode if sufficiently spooked or stressed. This also means that they can be treated as living bombs, and be lobbed at other threats if needed.

04: WIND DOWN

During the monster attack, there’s changes gripping the Convoy, and especially the people in it. It might feel like your control is getting worn away by the second… At least until something in the trucks starts to whirr to life. It’s a soft enough noise, little more than a hum as something blooms out of the engines. It fast turns into a shield that envelops the Convoy in a shimmering, glowing dome.

And while it might not be enough to reverse those changes, it can at least stop them from growing any worse. Give you a moment of breathing space to adjust to everything that’s happened, and give you some measure of clarity and control. There’s time to breathe and mend now. Take stock of one’s injuries and changes.

But there’s a few strange surprises still waiting, it seems. Because the corpses of the monsters begin to disintegrate, like they are bleeding out motes of sickly light. Light that you quickly absorb; it has the side effect of lessening pain, even mending wounds… Though it might make you feel a bit off. Maybe a little more excitable, maybe a little more irritable, or maybe expressing a certain odd psychological quirk. Still, that sudden surge should pass in about an hour or so; just need to keep it together until then. Perhaps with a little company.

05: CAMP

A screen in the Convoy flickers to life. The image isn't visible through a snowfield of static. Same with the audio:
“Still… Alive? Good. Connection- Can’t hear you. Can't talk. Convoy will- take you closer to Nirvana.”

After that, the connection is dropped, leaving a collection of text:
I’m sorry. I have no answers for you. But you’re still alive. You’re not as broken as the rest of the world. When the sun rises, this Convoy and all the cars around it will start moving North towards Nirvana. If you want answers, and to stay as close to human as you can… I suggest you stay with the Convoy. Good luck.

A last alert flashes across the screen: “TESTING LOCAL NETWORK CONNECTION.” And then… Music starts to play on the speakers. Mellow guitar and brass music that’s at odds with all the weird that’s happened recently, but perhaps just the thing to relax to.

MICRO ENCOUNTERS:

PLEASE NOTE! These are small bits of set dressing for players to include in threads if they wish, rather than full fledged prompts or events. You may handwave your exploration of these areas, or thread them out.

Race Track: There’s a race track that winds around the gas station! It’s a bit threadbare in places and little more than a mossy and muddy trail. But it’s still a race track that weaves under and over trees, and seems like a good place to test new wheels.

Gone Fishing: The gas station area eventually turns into the start of a swamp; that explains where the alligators came from. It may be possible to do a little bit of fishing, though the fish are just as weird as everything else. Still edible though. Swimming in the swamp is not advised. The alligator monsters and fish tend to bite back.

Spray Paint Messages: The paint on the trees and gas station is starting to fade and wash out, but can still be legible; most of it contains messages warning about the end of the world, prayers to the heavens for mercy, and dire warnings about husks and something called “moon warps.”

NAVIGATION || RESERVES || APPLICATIONS

Comments

Yang Xiao Long | RWBY

[fists_of_funny]

Start-Up

Yeah, yeah, big train thing, but that's not important right now, at least not to the young blonde woman running around the crowd of people at this freaky gas-station. "Blake?! Ruby?! Weiss?!" Where the hell are they? Where is she for that matter? Her Scroll is dead, it's been hours since she charged it last, so that's no help. Qrow, Oscar, and Maria are missing too, but if she can just find her team they can get this sorted.

If she can't find them, or one of them doesn't find her, Yang will start trying to gst help from other Drifters. "Hey, I'm trying to find my team. You mind if I ask if you've seen them around?"

Ruin Exploration

There are other concerns as well. Supplies, for one thing. Fortunately, for this old and run down this gas station, the food seems edible enough. Yang tries to grab what she can, and doesn't seem to realize she's grabbing a lot of meat, but the bigger issue is the tree. Metallic bodies melting out of it? Yang has seen plenty weird, but that's another level entirely.

"Well, that's a bad idea if I ever saw one. Better keep our distance." She can't help but scratch at her ear, though. What is that humming? It's setting her on edge. "I'd give real money for that humming to knock it off."

Monster Attack

And there's the other shoe dropped. Of course monsters would be involved sooner or later, but these definitely aren't Grimm. The bracelet on Yang's wrist suddenly expands into a gauntlet while her prosthetic arm deploys its gun. The new and improved Ember Celica is Armed And Ready and Yang leaps into the fray to defend the Convoy.

The Pisaca are the most numerous, so taking them out is a priority. Once the chaff is cleared away, they can focus on taking out the bigger ones. And that also means looking out for her fellow Drifters. A Pisaca about to get a lucky strike on another Drifter with a cheap shot to the back is stopped when Yang's metal fist slams into it, and then a shotgun blast sends it flying, bowling over another of its fellows trying to claw at the Convoy.

"Got your back. You good?"

Wind Down

Afterwards, once things have quieted down, and wounded are being looked after, Yang finds some time to rest. Her hand, her flesh and blood won't stop shaking. It's stupid, after all this time, but once during the battle, there was a sudden movement to her right and for all the world, for a second it looked like Adam—

It wasn't of course. But there was still that brief moment of panic, and even with it clamped down on, after the battle, Yang is still on edge. And her hand won't stop shaking.

She's so wrapped up in that she hasn't even noticed the wolf ears, like a certain cat Faunus' own, in the top of her head.

When Yang hears someone approach she drops her hand. "Hey. You hear that radio broadcast? About heading to...Nirvana?" She doesn't even try to hide the scepticism in her voice.

[andnevermore]

Yang!

[ It's been a long few hours, and the moment that she catches a glimpse of blonde hair and a black and yellow prosthetic, the name bursts from her in a call of sheer relief. Gods, Blake had thought she was here alone, surrounded by people that clearly aren't from Remnant, besieged by unfamiliar monsters.

Blake stops herself just short of hugging Yang. She wants to -- if she'd really let herself indulge, she might have tackled Yang to the ground just to touch her and confirm that she's real and solid -- but she stops a few feet away instead, one arm tucked over her middle. ]

Yeah, I heard the broadcast too. It sounds ridiculous, but... it's a lead, right? A direction to go?

[ Despite everything, she can't help the warmth in her gaze, the smile tucked into the corner of her lips. She's just super relieved, okay? And then her gaze goes upwards, and shock paints itself over her expression. ]

Um, Yang?

[ Baffled, Blake points to her own feline ears. ]

You've got... something new up there...

[fists_of_funny]

"Blake?!" Yang pushes off the wall immediately upon realizing she and her teammate have stumbled upon each other, and relief floods through her as she approaches her partner. "I couldn't find any of you. I was starting to think I was the only one here." And after they'd all just reunited at Mistral. It had been hard to think she'd been taken away.

She's grinning widely in relief and happiness to find Blake here too, as she meets the Faunus' gaze with her owb, but this reunion feels...off, somehow. Yang thinks she might be doing something wrong, but she's not sure what.

"Yeah, I know we can't stay here, this just feels way too weird." The monsters proved that staying in one place is a bad idea. Her expression brightens. "But I feel better about it now I know you're here."

Yang's good at fighting in a team. You have to be, to be a Huntress. But fighting alongside Blake always seemed to come naturally, even when they'd only just started out (and their first social encounter hadn't gone so great). They seemed to instinctively understand each other and fight in tandem in a way that didn't come naturally with anyone else, not even Ruby or Weiss.

She does blink in confusion as Blake points to her ears, mimicking the movement with her hand. "Ugh, did I get monster crud in my hair? Seriously la—oh. Oh that's new. That's...

"Do...do I have ears?"

[andnevermore]

Before Blake can stop herself, she reaches out to touch one of Yang's new ears. And... yeah, they're real. Warm from her bodyheat, fluffy, moving reflexively under her touch, colored the same as Yang's hair, and--

Blake jerks her hand back with an embarrassed flush, her own ears flattening. "God, sorry," she fumbles. "That was so rude."

Seriously? How many times has she told ignorant humans that it's considered harassment to grab a Faunus' animal parts without their permission? How many times has she gotten pissed off about that? And then she just goes and does it to Yang? She's a terrible activist, her official card needs to be revoked or something.

"They look like wolf ears," she observes. "I guess you can't see them, but-- oh! I know, hang on." Blake finds her scroll in an inside pocket of her jacket, activates the camera, flips it, and holds it up for Yang so she can use it as a mirror. Yes, they've been transported to a weird garage and a weird convoy with weird monsters attacking it, and Blake's about to have an existential crisis because apparently the multiverse is real or whatever, but Yang has suddenly become a wolf Faunus. This is a million times more important.

(And it's not that Blake thinks humans are less attractive than Faunus, but Yang did just become about 50% more attractive... she's doing her best not to think about that.)

Ruins Exploration

[undyingcrow]

"You could always see if that gas station carries ear plugs, but frankly, I don't recommend it." Akechi sets a hand on his hip, eyes still fixed on the Husks and the supplies in their lifeless fingers. "Perhaps I've simply read too much dystopian fiction, but something must have desolated this place."

Someone had to write the warnings too, and his gaze drifts up to that very warning, sharp and cold.

[fists_of_funny]

"Yeaaaaaahhhh, I think I'll live." She can out up with it. Definitely not sticking anything she finds in here up her ears.

She raises her eyes to the scrawled warnings. The "Husks", huh. And they just so happen to be holding valuable supplies, huh. [tomhardythatsbait.jpg]

"What do you think, do they attack if you get too close, or try to pull you in, make you like them?" Because it is 100% one of those options.

[undyingcrow]

A dry chuckle sneaks out of him at the suggestions. "All are viable possibilities, and not the sort of chance I want to take."

His expression sobers before long, and a soft sigh follows. "There's also the possibility that they will strike when we turn our backs. Not an issue, if I had a proper weapon, but it seems we'll have to get creative."

Or, well, he will. No gun, none of his swords from the Metaverse. He hasn't felt this powerless in a long time.

Monster Attack!

[electrifyking]

Normally Akihiko is a lot more responsive in a combat situation. It's just that right now, his new pointy ear is throwing him off, and once that explosion happens-

...

...He's just having a moment of staring at that gun-gauntlet and throttling down a sudden thought demanding why doesn't he have something like that!? He has to tell himself this is not the time for a sudden bout of envy and admiration.

"I- Yeah. Sorry. That one caught me off guard. But I can manage-"

He puts up his fists to prove it. And tries not to be too self conscious on how bare-bones they feel by comparison. He can still dodge and weave as the next wave of monsters starts to attack, and get in a few jabs of his own.

[fists_of_funny]

"No worries. We got this."

While Yang keeps up the fight, she keeps an eye out as best she can on Akihiko. Not too bad for a guy with no weapon like hers. He definitely knows how to handle himself.

A Pisaca lunges for her, so Yang leaps upwards, using blasts from both her guns to propel her up and over the creature, then launches a powerful spinning kick right to the back of its head. Fight smarter, not harder. Right, dad?

"These things are so gross! What even are they?!"

[electrifyking]

"Not human, I know that for sure."

He hates the way one side of his face twinges when he says that, and his changed ear gives a quick flick. Focusing on the fight and that equipment feels like a much more appealing option.

He waits for that spinning kick to send the monster hurtling towards him, and then he flicks out his Evoker in a fast, blurring motion. It'll be a quick cast, just a quick jolt of lightning to make sure this thing stays down...

...He just didn't quite anticipate that lightning snarling and jumping to another target, tearing up one of those plant monsters in the process.

"At least these ones don't like lightning. Or whatever... Those are."

He gives her gauntlets a clear look. There's also no mistaking the curiosity (and just a hint of wonder) in his voice.

Start Up

[guidemyway]

[Yang might not see Ruby herself right away. But she might see and hear a red Volkswagen beetle rev up to inch along before the driver slams on the brakes to bring it to an ear piercing screeching halt. The process continues a few times but it's clear it's slowly inching toward Yang.

It's not long after that it starts honking and flashing it's high beams at her too.

Someone wants attention, Yang.]

[fists_of_funny]

Oh, it gets her attention all right. She crosses her arms over her chest and watches, amused, as the red Beetle awkwardly, and very...very slowly...inches its way towards her.

Nice shade of red, too. She probably should just go meet the car, but...actually watching this is kind of funny and no one's in any danger (and she trusts who she is almost 100% is the driver not to do anything actually stupid), so she lets it get close...and then gets an eyeful of high beams and someone discovers the joys of leaning on the horn.

Then she saunters over and taps on the driver's side window. "Yeah, we're gonna need to finish those driver's ed lessons." She announces.

"Hey, Ruby."

[guidemyway]

It takes a moment but the driver eventually figures out how to put the car in park, and lowers down the window. Ruby might look just a little different compared to how Yang has been traveling with her over the last little while. She's sporting a new haircut, and a different outfit, but it's the same goofy smile that meets her sister.

"Yang! Check out my ride, isn't it awesome!? You totally have to teach me how to drive it."

Wind Down

[theuglystuff]

Yang might not have noticed her new wolf ears, but someone has.

"Awwww! You're a furry!"

Hopefully she doesn't mind a tall guy, all in red and covered in blood (although the red suit does, in fact, hide a lot of the blood stains), waltzing over, getting in her space, and scratching her behind one of the ears.

[fists_of_funny]

"Wh—" Before Yang can ask what the hell, the dude in the (kind of goofy but also kind of badass looking) costume is up next to her she feels the sensation of having her ears scratched. It's an entirely new, and alien feeling, but one she instinctively realizes is "oh, my ears are getting scratched and this feels kind of nice actually, I see why my dog is such a fan"

The next thing she does is to pull back with her non-metal arm (she doesn't load it with a shotgun shell from Ember Celica, but oh god the temptation is there because seriously, what the HELL and punches the guy right in the gut.

She can address the furry thing once she's made her objection clear.

[theuglystuff]

Deadpool is not blocking nor prepared for that punch, and it sends him ass over teakettle. He lands face down, ass up, sprawled on the ground, and groans once before popping back to his feet.

"Yeah, sorry, that was my bad. Too grabby. I deserved that." He holds out hands out, palms facing Yang, and makes an apologetic gesture. Then he straightens up and offers his right hand to shake.

"Hi! I'm Deadpool, and you're adorable, when did you get those Inyuyasha ears?"

Monsters

[killjoyprince]

Naoto had told Rise before how much she appreciated her abilities and she was really missing them now. This fight was quickly becoming a mess. With the dim light and the amount of drifters, Naoto had to wait for the creatures to get close before she could shoot.

...Maybe she should use her Persona. It was certainly looking urgent enough.

She'd heard something moving behind her, just turning to look as fist swept by. Then someone was talking and that gave her enough context to work out what had happened.

"I'm fine...Thanks to you..."

Urg, that could have been bad. But Naoto took a breath, steeling herself.

"There's so many of them."

[fists_of_funny]

"Don't mention it, it's what I'm here for." Yang shoots back.

She takes up a defensive position next to Naoto while she catches her breath. "Yeah, this entire fight's a mess. I don't know how much longer we can sustain this." She darts forward and lands a series of strikes on a monster coming too close, ducking around its attacks and sending it flying. It was getting a little too close for comfort. She moves back to Naoto as it falls.

"We need to clear more of them at a time. If we had a little more breathing space, we might be able to organize defences better." Even expecting an attack, it came on too fast. One minute everything had been fine, the next thing they knew, the gas station was being swarmed. Yang's been fighting every monster that got in her way, but that's not putting enough of a dent in their numbers. This is, well...it's bad.

[killjoyprince]

She really wasn't cut out for these kind of fights. While she could keep up with running around the TV world, she preferred ending fights quickly. There was less risks then.

That wasn't an option when they were surrounded and couldn't move to a better location. Or see properly. The other girl's words got a small cringe from Naoto. Everything Yang had said was true. And Naoto did have a way of doing a lot of damage very quickly... but in a situation with so many unknowns, she didn't want to use all her energy.

But... she had to make it through the night first.

"Stay here for a moment and cover me. I'm going to try..."

Summoning Yamato Sumeragi was so easy, even here. The light that condensed into one spot as his form appeared, floating in the air between them and the creatures. Lifting his sword to the air.

Then there was just light. Nothing fancy, no glyphs or build-up. When it and the figure faded a cluster of the creatures and vanished with it.

Naoto would have preferred using fire, but with all the fuel about... Just vaporising things with megidolaon seemed safer.

...Though she was already sweating.

Wind Down

[bufudine]

The person approaching is somewhat oddly dressed and has what appears to have a sigil directly on his face, but Serph stops when Yang addresses him. Serph nods, not even batting an eyelid at the wolf ears on her head. That... could be normal, right? Really, it's stranger that she doesn't have more bestial traits.

The broadcast is a little familiar; it isn't the first time he has been instructed to reach Nirvana. That Nirvana had proven to be a lie, but he still believes in its existence... however long it takes.

When he speaks, it's in a calm even tone with a questioning lilt. "You don't want to go?"

[fists_of_funny]

Huh. Sick ink.

She shrugs at the question. "We don't know where that radio signal came from, if it's connected to any of this, or how far away this Nirvana is supposed to be." One could assume that whoever was speaking to them on the radio was involved with the convoy that Yang gathers will be a base of operations, but that's just it; it's an assumption. One that someone might be counting them to make.

"It's better than staying here in Monster Central; we definitely won't survive another attack without that shield if the convoy leaves. But I don't think for one second we're headed to any sort of "paradise"."

[bufudine]

After how well his own journey to Nirvana panned out, you'd think he'd be discouraged. But if anything, it makes him even more determined to bring people to a land where they didn't have to fight... if they wanted to go, that is.

Serph nods in agreement; most would not survive being in the thick of aggressive monsters. With very few other leads, the best option is the one that keeps them moving forward.

"We will know," if this Nirvana is a lie, if it is all a trick, "once we arrive." He glances over at the others about the camp. Most of those he met could fight, but he wonders how well they are coping with being torn from all they know. "It is easier to keep going with a destination in mind."

/appear. Start Up!

[firstsoldier]

One of the many new people loitering around in this glorified half-mobile junkyard is a very tall black clad man with hair that's way too long, a sword longer than he is tall held in one hand, watching not what's going on around him but the sky.

Occasionally, in between tree branches and pine needles, the moon can be seen .. or what's left of it, and it is incredibly distracting. So much so that he's only paid enough casual attention to his surroundings to know that nobody nearby rated a threat; some simulations could be incredibly realistic, but this one was beyond simply 'realistic'. There's no glitches. Everything is right. Every sound, every scent, the faintest of cold breezes, all of it tells him this ISN'T a simulation.

Which means the moon blew up and he hadn't noticed, somehow.

As Yang speaks up, he finally diverts his attention back down, brow furrowing slightly. "No, by all means." The appearance and tone of voice, distant and a bit aloof, don't match the words; she's not being told to take a hike. "What do they look like? When did you see them last?"

[fists_of_funny]

Yang's not actually sure the guy in the (admittedly sick-looking) leather jacket noticed her at first, because he's too busy staring at the moon. Which is weird. Yeah, the moon's a bit blown up, but so what? That's just how moons are. She's about to move on and keep looking when he finally seems to snap out of it, and he's...yeah, he's honestly more helpful than she might have expected. He still doesn't seem quite all "there", but Yang will take it right now.

"I was travelling in a group. There's, uh...two girls about my age, one who's a little younger, a boy about the same age, and two adults. The girls are...one of them has long black hair, yellow eyes, and cat ears on top of her head. The other one has white hair in a braid, and a scar across her left eye. The younger kids...one of them's my kid sister, she's got short black hair, a red cloak and she's carrying a scythe. The younger guy's dressed in sort of like work clothes, you know? But he's got a really fancy-looking cane. Uh...the adults, one of 'em is my uncle, he's about forty, kind of dishevelled-looking, he also has a scythe and is..." After a moment, Yang sighs. "Almost certainly a little drunk." Qrow really hadn't taken the Ozpin stuff well, and Yang could tell he was spiralling. Been hitting his hip-flask a lot more often, and it hadn't been helpful lost in the wilderness. "The last one's an old lady, she's short and got cybernetic implants for eyes. Big mechanical goggle-looking things."

So, a group of people almost as likely to stand out in a crowd as Sephiroth himself. "We were together maybe...an hour ago? Little less? Right before I woke up in the garage. They gotta be nearby, I just...have to find them first."

/peruses everyone's icons in the tdm

[firstsoldier]

Sephiroth is certain moons are not supposed to look exploded. It's distracting. Whatever destroyed it could be a risk to the planet, after all, and he's on the planet, though what he could do about interplanetary threats was.. likely going to be 'not much'.

An hour is a lot of time to get separated from people. As Yang describes who she's looking for, his gaze sweeps the garage and the assembled vehicles; those were by weapon choice alone very distinctive people. "I'm afraid I haven't seen anyone wielding scythes, but there's a small number of black haired young ladies around, I ... think one might have had cat ears?"

Where she was now he had no idea, he was just watching people in passing at best. He points, towards the ruins of garage and everything else. "She had been that way. I haven't seen any elderly women, and the only obviously middle aged man was.. onboard the caravans, and carried no weapons I saw." He's doing his best; how helpful any of that is going to be he didn't know. "..Perhaps they chose to move on already?"