MARCH EVENT/TDM

[monstertruckers]

code

The Convoy leaves the mountains behind and sets off across a long expanse of strangely bleached and tangled up land. The landscape is littered with both Husks and spent moon shards alike… Along with strange ruins and remnants that clearly don’t belong to the wilderness.

And always on the horizon is a mass of buildings; a shining city that doesn’t seem affected by the chaos and ruins dotting the landscape. The Convoy database continues to try to update, but can only label the location as “Nirvana” and leave the information corrupted.

The surrounding landscape is match for the database: These lands are twisted. And navigating them to reach Nirvana is going to be a task.

01: PATH OF SPIRES

Dotting the landscape are tall spires glowing with ominious light. Moonshards have been gathered together and carved into radio tower spires and fixed with glyphs that mirror Sigils. Various Husks rest against the spires, and it’s clear that they gave their lives up to create these structures. The worst of the environment twists are centered around these spires, like they’re acting as magnets to Warps and sparing the rest of the area. Drawing close to the spires results in whispers in the ears of the Drifter, and seeping in through the speakers of their phones or vehicles.

“We can’t let them destroy what we’ve built. They’ve already sundered so much of the world… Whether it’s Tears or Wardens, they can’t be trusted. We turn our backs on them, we renounce what we used to be.”

Skeletons of monsters drift around the spires, orbiting in weird halos. Coming into contact with either the spires or their halos results in the spire trying to absorb the Drifter, even as it heals them of any wounds and tries to pull their changes out of them. The Spires also try to broadcast any thoughts or strong the emotions the Drifter is feeling to those nearby; that transmission disrupts the spire just long enough to pull at trapped Drifter free.

02: SUMMONING CIRCLE

New Drifters arrive in a bleached out garage, looking like color and life has been drained out of the structure. Broken down walls are crumbling away, which at least makes it easy to get outside. A collection of spires rings the garage, but many of them are broken and give off sparks instead of drawing Drifters into them. It's enough to let people make a break for it, into the wilds.

There’s dark shapes prowling around the periphery… And strange metal, humanoid Husks gathered all around the towers. The towers give off faint, whispering messages that can be heard through the radios lining the garage.

“Nirvana… Imminent. Last leg of the journey almost complete. Advised to find your vehicles, and adjust to your powers and forms.”

03: START UP

Outside of the ruined garage, one can see there are various cars ringing the structure. Most of them are parked near the garage, but a few of them are placed near the towers. Approaching them increases the odd humming transmission in the Drifter’s ears: various snatches of information about Nirvana, and how it is only weeks away. That it is a safe haven from the rest of the chaos.

There’s also a certain connection between different newcomers and cars. Something that suggests a particular vehicle is theirs, backed up by possessing the key to that vehicle. The key to the vehicle may already be in the ignition, on the dashboard… It may have even been on their person, ever since they woke up in that garage. Either way, Drifters 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.

04: CROOKED PATH

The landscape is twisted, even on the road. And the further one travels, the warping of the land becomes more volatile. Stepping off the road results in hostile terrain that fluctuates depending on the time of day.

During the daylight hours, the grounds are rife with streams of aether. The aether behaves almost like water with how it flows and refreshes those who come in contact with it. But while contact can heal, it also transforms Drifters by imparting Angel traits. Staring into the aether streams can also show people visions of "could have beens" in a Drifter’s life in a positive and hopeful way, and share those wishes with other people.

At night the landscape begins to burn, with streams of fire and lava. The unchanged aether currents react by flowing upwards and away from the fires as far as possible. It’s possible to ride the aether currents; either on wings, on feet, or on very swift and lightweight vehicles. Those who can’t avoid the lava will either be burned or forcefully turned into demons. They will also catch visions of potential disasters and nightmares that could happen in their lives… And these visions are easily visible to other characters.

05: THE HUNTER

Something else stalks the twisted lands; something that travels in a pack, and dwarfs even the Convoy. It walks on taloned legs that shriek with rust and metal on each thundering step. It keeps a maw full of steel teeth close to the ground, seeking out prey… And when it opens that mouth, a distorted roar spills out.

Once it comes into view, the Convoy screeches to a halt and throws up its shields, while blaring an alarm. An automated voice urges Drifters: “Remnant monster approaching. Seek shelter in the shields or retreat immediately. Remnants are hostile weapons of the Steel Wardens, seek shelter immediately.”

And as the monster sees an old, rusted car and pounces on it, it becomes clear why the Convoy must hide behind its shields. The Remnant monster looks like a dinosaur built out of machinery, and is hungry to absorb more… Or to simply make a meal out of any flesh and blood creatures it can find. The database urgently blurts all of this out... Even as the Remnant turns towards the Convoy.

05-A: THE CHASE

The pack of robot t-rexes attack the Convoy, trying to beat down and break the shields. This close up, Drifters can see all the various vehicles and scrap that make up the robot… And worryingly, how some of those electrical components look almost human or cyborg based. They could easily have belonged to the Steel Wardens. A strange droning sound emits from the speakers; sounds that could be a creed or a doctrine, all blended together with snarls and roars.

It’s clear the Convoy won’t be able to last forever under this assault. Fast Vehicles are needed to act as bait, and lead the Rexes away from the Convoy. Meanwhile, Tough vehicles need to brave the off road warp conditions to see if they can find something to help weaken these monsters, or find a hiding place.

05-B: THE DOCTRINE

During this time the Remnant gives off a piercing roar while attacking and chasing vehicles. And now there’s words audible in that roar:

“We are denied a place in Paradise, because of our zeal… We do what we must, what we know. We hunt.”

The Rexes do their best to run cars down, trying to throw them off their wheels or paralyze the drivers with a thundering roar and shaking footsteps. The Warden’s Doctrine also spills out of the speakers, causing adverse effects for any Drifters who listen too closely. At close range The Doctrine weakens monsters by driving them feral and activating all of their monster traits at once.

Those speakers will need to be silenced if anyone wishes to go toe to toe with the Rexes. And since no one can get in close at the moment, that means either ranged attacks and magic to temporarily silence the speakers. Fortunately, there’s a tool for disabling the speakers permanently, close by.

06: SPIRE ANTENNA

The burnt out moon shards forming the towers aren’t that burnt out, after all. And they seem to be providing some power to the spires, along with a strange and almost melodic hum. There’s a build up of residue that needs to be torn off the towers, as they seem to be muffling the transmission…

And there’s still the Rexes prowling the landscape. But any time the robots get close to the towers, they reel back in pain or confusion. It seems that once these Spires are cleaned, their sound should be boosted. The coating can be burned or washed away.

And once they do, the hum is amplified and overwhelms the Doctrine; the speakers on the Rexes short circuit, busting out completely. It leaves the Rexes reeling and retreating away from their attacks on the Convoy. Other attacks can also short circuit the speakers, leading to similar results.

07: SHATTERED TEMPLE

The closer the Drifters get to the city the more old ruins crop up; they look far more ancient than many of the structures previously encountered, like they belonged to an ancient temple, long since exploded and had various pieces thrown across the landscape.

There’s still some strength left in the old stones, and it’s possible to duck into the ruins and evade the monsters swarming the lands. Old cloisters can also be turned into improvised parking garages. And while the hazards outside are kept at bay… There’s the various altars to investigate.

There’s always an altar in each of the ruins, along with the usual incense smoke and stained glass decorating the halls. The symbol of the Silver Tears has been painstakingly, artistically carved onto each one. Along with a scripture. Coming into any contact with the altars, or even staying there long enough to read the inscriptions can also activate event monster traits… Or swap them between Drifters.

Those who visit more than one shrine may also find their monster forms becoming more fluid, enabling them to swap or fuse as they need to… Which may prove to be very important in facing against the robot T-rexes.

07-A: SCRIPTURE

Snatches of the following text can also be found all over the shrines:
“Those not forsaken by the moon, we’ve called to you across worlds. We are no longer worthy of carrying the blessing, so it falls to you. Bring the gift back to the Moon, where its body lays shattered… Just beyond the reach of Nirvana.

Listen to our tale, know the truth of your blessing and our woe. When the creator shaped our world, a spark of brilliance and madness was placed in us. A fragment of the divine. But our flesh was too weak to hold such a thing. Our bodies needed to change to better accommodate that blessing, to wield the magic and knowledge. Sometimes. Many times. It drove us mad. But we were determined to master it… Until the Creator took pity on us, took much of the power and sealed itself and the blessing into our moon. Trying to protect us and purify the blessing… Though pieces still found their way to Revan. Moonshards to transform us, test us.

But of course, the wretched Wardens viewed it as a curse. Hunted the blessed to ‘safe guard’ humanity, unaware how they stifled us. Almost hunted the blessing to extinction. We’ve had no choice but to try and awaken the Creator, to break the moon open and release the secrets once again… No matter what it may do.”

08: MONSTER SHIFT

Due to the twisted energy and moon warps wracking the landscape, Drifters can also find themselves gripped by changes in turn. Two monsters reflect two extremes of the landscape and try to manifest in Drifters. Angels and Demons are both available, with the following traits:

+Chaos Pull: Drawn to places of chaos and conflict. The wilds are an especially powerful draw.
+Order Pull: Drawn to places of order and tranquility. The Convoy shields are a powerful draw, as are the shrines and temples.
+Light Switch: Monster powers and traits grow more powerful when bathed in light, whether that's daylight or headlights.
+Night Switch: Darkness powers up monster traits and powers.
+Hellfire Surge: The nighttime lava and fires cause hellfire powers to grow in power, but also lose control and fires grow more chaotic.
+Heavenly Surge: Contact with the aetherstreams boosts holy and light powers to a high degree, but leaves the Drifter half blinded from using them.

09: METAL MOSH

Since the Doctrine speakers have failed, the Rexes are all the more eager to hunt down the Drifters and consume them and their vehicles. Fire leaks out of the jaws to try and melt metal. And equally worrying, the dinosaur can combine that with a sonic scream/roar, to make a combustive hunting cry.

The Rexes try to use this cry to ignite anything in a cone in front of it; flesh, plant, or anything flammable. If there is nothing to take the impact, it super heats the ground and turns the dried sand to glass. If the Rexes manage to weaken anything with their roars, they try to close with fang and claw. The robots also become briefly disoriented after using its roar, leaving them vulnerable.

The Rexes would sooner be destroyed… Which considering the capacities of fused and empowered Drifters, is more than doable. Due to assorted attacks and mishaps with the tower spires, there is also one Rex that is too weakened to fight back, and all of its vital circuits are exposed and open for reprograming. When the Rexes are reduced to scrap and exactly one is tamed due to player feedback, the Convoy can finally continue on.

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.

1. Twist: The landscape isn’t always content to stay in the same shape. In fact, it seems conflicted between being a bleached out desert and badlands, and warping into a landscape populated with venomous and vivid plant life. Said plants have a way of causing wracking pains or vivid hallucinations with too much exposure; either way it’s advised to step carefully.
2. Torment: The pathway off the roads is sometimes lined with spikes, ready to pierce all but the Toughest tires and feet. And if the ground draws up blood, it eagerly drinks it in and begins to shape a calcified echo of whatever it bled; the pale sculpture looks like it is in pain and shifts between various monster phases and forms the Drifter has experienced.
3. Warp Weather: The assorted moon shards have been pulled toward the towers. Gathered together their warping nature is channeled towards the sky. And various weather starts to unfold; auroras snake across the sky before turning to thunderstorms, then rain shifts into a fog that distorts sounds and melts into bright sunlight. The weather is wild and varied, and often hostile.

NAVIGATION

Comments

[purplexing]

"I don't think these people gave up their lives to make dysfunctional towers," Donnie points out. He sure wouldn't.

Once Vincent sets off, he follows, gliding along as he tries to pick out anything that might be interesting from any of the radio towers they do see. He can't help but be a little anxious getting close to them without the solid frame of the Turtle Tank between him and these hulking structures of moonshards.

[coffinturk]

"Yes." Vincent agrees with this. "Though time tests everything. And... these were made to thwart others."

Which means an opposing power might well have sought to tear down what was built.

Even the Tank might have a rough go over the change in the terrain as they pass through the shields. By now lava rivers and fires are in full swing; flying definitely has some interesting drafts and fumes are probably forcing them to fly high.

On the other hand, the opportunity presents itself to ride the currents of aether that have twisted up into the skies. And the visions of happier possibilities; there's a glimpse of an older Vincent, one that can age. Happier, with a woman of chestnut brown hair in his arms and fleeting memories of their children now grown and having lives of their own.

He glances at it. Dares not look too long though he can't stop Donnie from seeing it. They'll reach the spire soon, with Vincent pausing to hover a short distance away from the 'halo'.

[purplexing]

"These were meant to keep one place safe. I think in a strange way, both the Wardens and Tears respect Nirvana. I know the Wardens have realized they don't belong there. And Nirvana's not hunting down the Tears."

Donnie's not sure about those ghostly streams. The lava and fire seems more inviting, or at least rather, he knows what to expect from such sources. Not so the aether, so he keeps away from direct contact.

He blinks as he sees things in them though, at first wondering that he's imagining things, but this is so very specific that he wouldn't have any reason to. Is that..? But Vincent looks different. He sees the man together with this mystery woman, of others, feeling a pang of...something. It makes him uncomfortable somehow. Sad? It's a different sort of ache than when he thinks of home, and yet somehow similar at the same time...

But Vincent presses on, and Donnie won't linger. Now that they're close up, it's a lot creepier to see what he halos are made up of, even though he'd spotted glimpses of them before.]

"That's super weird..."

[coffinturk]

"Hm," he makes a noise of agreement. "The end of the world has a habit of forcing enemies to work together."

Ah. Realism. But that doesn't mean Nirvana isn't an important bastion and a symbol. But the question remains. Were the Drifters brought here to be saviors or sacrifices? Later scripture on the journey through this region will provide clues. But for now it's still a mystery.

And this close, the thoughts... memories of the ones who established these spires will crackle through the handheld phone devices- Vincent's certainly and Donnie's if he brought it- in a fragment similar to the ones heard on their daytime journey.

'We turn our backs on them, we renounce what we used to be.'

It is super weird. Vincent would be inclined to agree, but he seems focused on the spires at first. This close, the residue on the structures becomes a distinct from the original structure.

When the radio 'chatter' picks up the words, Vincent's gaze shifts to the halo of monster skeletons. There are Husks down below. Is there a connection?

"...I wonder." But the musing appears to be rhetoric, as if the man's forgotten for a moment that he's not alone. A soft shift of wing power sends him closer to the halo, a hand reaching out with the intent of touching part of an orbiting skeleton.

As though he were compelled. Vincent generally isn't so foolish as this.

[purplexing]

Now that they're closer, Donnie (pah, what teenager wouldn't have his phone on him?) takes his phone out to snap some pictures of the glyphs that cover the spire.

Moonshard or not, it's an impressive structure to behold. Having dead people talking through his phone? Not so bueno.

"Well, I'm not seeing anything that doesn't already stand out as much as what are you doing..." Donnie says as he finally glances back where Vincent...was, only to find the man's inexplicably drawn closer.

"H-hey, Vince? I do not think that's a good idea, you don't know where that's been-"

[coffinturk]

Sometimes, science requires poking.

A suggestion is not enough; at least by the time Vincent processes it, it's too late. Though his head snapped up as if regaining clarity, his fingers already brushed the bone. And that was all it took.

The vampire can't pull away. There is probably the feeling of... pressure as if something in the air changes around him. The air ripples, as does a feeling of power or energy attached to Vincent himself.

As if something were being pulled from him. Or he was being pulled in.

The first emotions that strike out are shock and discomfort; likely bordering on pain for it can't be pleasant to have something inimically pulled out. There's nothing to heal after all.

And physically, Vincent suddenly finds himself unable to maintain the transformation of wings; rapidly returning to the form of a cloak and forcing him to grip the thick ribcage he'd touched as a sport so he wouldn't fall.

Then a fleeting burst of thought.

The kid! Awareness that he's not alone. Can't let him...

"Stay back!" comes the simultaneous words of warning. As if that's going to work.

[purplexing]

He can't see it right away, whatever happens just then, but he feels something flicker in the air, like a fresh wave of static going through his feathers.

"Vincent-?"

Donnie pulls his goggles down, seeing then the change in the otherwise normally invisible magical auras. Something from the tower's caught a hold of Vincent, and what's worse, seems to be drawing something from him.

"Vi-" He starts to try again, but the sudden emotions hit him, upsetting his already unraveling calm. "What...wh..." That's...that wasn't him, that couldn't be from him-

It clicks once he hears those words, not spoken at all, not until that shout. Donnie shakes his head.

"I told you!" he yells back, mostly to cover up how bad he's freaking out. He throws caution to the wind, flying up and then down to use momentum to help with yanking Vincent away as he reaches out to grab onto his other arm.

[coffinturk]

Panic. It's subtle and a short flurry, for Vincent is trained and experienced to suppress extraneous emotion in favor of clear, critical thinking.

...But the panic is not for his sake, it's because of Donnie. And that's why it and the rising concern burn bright when the turtle-harpy

Stay back!

"Don't--"

He cares, concern. It bleeds through everything, breaks like a high cresting wave on rocks as Donnie grabs Vincent's arm.

Static. Emotions crack and shatter in a myriad of sharp sensation. That feeling of concern and panic weren't born from something so passive as acquaintances or even allies in the same boat. Friendship... in part. But for Vincent, friends are oft interchangeable with family.

One last emotion, one last thought.

Can't be helped...

....And the warmth of gratitude. The realization that's what he wanted; someone to trust to come with him in case a dangerous situation arose. The left hand carefully wraps around Donnie's arm as he's tugged free; only now was he able to be wrest from the bones.

[purplexing]

That only cements it, the concern only amplifying his own. It aches then, the moment he makes contact, the emotions almost swallowing him, but he tightens his grasp around Vincent's arm.

Be there for each other; that's what my dad taught us.

It comes through from his own swarm link, his smile tight, stubborn but genuine as they pull away, in the wake of that warmth, of that quiet hope.

Bat Watch

[coffinturk]

Ache, yes. Concern amplified and rebounded back in a momentary echo chamber. As they break free of the spire's influence, it begins to lessen.

Though there's still Donnie's 'voice' that can reach the man. One last time, or maybe because of the swarm link itself while it's connected; there's a sensation of resignation. Vincent's been found out and he's aware of it. It's without distress.

In flight, he trusts his weight to the turtle-harpy, though Vincent closes his eyes and tries to call forth his own wings again. A shudder runs through his body. Things are... still a little drawn. Not quite gone but the brief contact with the halo had dislodged things a bit.

Well that's the best way he could describe it to himself. Lava below and the risk of monsters make it unwise to land; even if the landscape wasn't especially weirder this close to the spires.

There are dangers in the air as well and it's with that in mind that Vincent sighs- yes, something that can be heard if not felt- before turning to another transformation; the slip of mist to free his arm, which then resolves itself from the fluid crimson to the solid presence of a winged mammal.

[purplexing]

Deal with it. Although by now it shouldn't even be surprising, the response Vincent had received in his moment of trouble.

Donnie keeps them aloft, using the winds to glide as he seeks safer space. If the man hanging from his arm is causing any strain, the turtle-harpy doesn't make it obvious, but he's hauled all of his brothers before, so certainly one vampire man isn't going to do him in. Anyway, smithing has done him some favors.

He glances down at that sigh, snorting a quiet sound of amusement, that is until suddenly the weight he carries suddenly vanishes in mist. "Vi-" he starts, not really seeing how the mist trick will help in this situation if it's meant to be a brief thing, but then suddenly there's another creature in its place.

[coffinturk]

Say something. He dares you. The bat flaps its wings; while it doesn't look like any specific species to Earth, it's definitely got the characteristics of a bat; perhaps smaller than a flying fox but far larger than the variety of 'micro' bats.

Vincent can't speak aloud and this form is unlikely to keep up with the harpy-turtle's speed. But that might be why the bat flutters closer, looking to cling somewhere upon Donnie. Maybe an arm?

[purplexing]

If he hadn't just literally seen Vincent turn into the thing he would've been a lot more hesitant about a random creature hitching a ride on him. Donnie still looks more than a little baffled, if only for a second more before he sighs, holding out an arm.

"Of course! Why not turn into a bat? You really do have the whole vampire thing down. If you start sparkling though? We're going to have to never be seen together in public."

[coffinturk]

Did we mention he can't speak in this form? There's a soft chitter of bat sound as he lands and wraps around the arm.

But you know, somehow it manages to sound very confused. Sparkling? Vincent certainly hopes that isn't a vampire thing.


We are not going to say anything about how he might pick up some of Edward's ice wolf traits for a bit.

[purplexing]

It's still such a funny noise that Donnie can't help for the cackle that slips. Is he going to explain? Not at all.

"Hang on there," he says as he takes them into a brief dive, mostly so he can build up speed to get them properly moving again as he swoops back up. He remembers Vincent had not been very happy about the lava and such below, and while the aether trails are a hauntingly pretty sight, Donnie still keeps his distance from them as he makes way back for the Convoy.

[coffinturk]

Some of us can still catch fire, Donnie. While the abject terror of fire faded as they left the fortress, Vincent would prefer to avoid the trouble of dodging the flames while fighting whatever's below. There seem to be far few flying monsters in the area this time.

So far.

...The man does appreciate that Donnie keeps away from the trails of aether too, for they had their own danger of visions and happier life. At least this ride back will be short.

Once they near the safety of the shields but are still within the shadows outside the Convoy's circle, Vincent launches himself away from the turtle harpy and returns to his human shape. Yes, he is going to minimize the chance of others seeing what he can do in this one case.

Within the shields though, the vampire stops to take stock of himself. And more importantly, Donnie, whom he studies with a particularly long look that more suggests inspection than any disapproval.

[purplexing]

After the scare back there, Donnie's not terribly in the mood to do any fancy flying with his bat passenger. He's just as eager to get back to the Convoy's safety.

He gasps when Vincent flings himself away- warn a turtle first, huh?! -but he's not too worried as they're close enough to their destination by then. He touches down, shaking out his wings before tucking them behind him. Don't stare at him, Vincent, he's not the one who decided it was a good idea to touch the floaty bones!!

[coffinturk]

Look does Donnie realize how guilty Vincent feels that he touched the bones and endangered the ki-- oh right. He does.

Well, here's some more staring. The vampire soon relaxes, dropping his gaze away with a sigh.

"There was a power pulling me in. I think..." he pauses to find a better way to put it to words. "...It was trying to absorb the transformations this world's made. Maybe to power itself. Maybe because that's its purpose."

The voices that came through seem to suggest the latter. Is Vincent going to pretend he didn't nearly escape? Yes. Let's focus on what was learned, not the purely idiotic action.

[purplexing]

Donnie doesn't flinch away, meeting that stare evenly like he's the parental figure waiting for an explanation. Oh, but he does have the experience, do you know how often he's grounded Splinter. Look, he's even got his arms folded. Thankfully he doesn't tap his talons.

"Absorb..." The sternness softens, if marred by a thoughtful frown. "I saw it. It was pulling something from you. I don't know exactly what the symbols on those towers do, but given how moonshards cause things to warp, it probably uses that as a baseline and draws anything tainted by that chaos, towards it."

Which he's sure could have been established without sticking one's hand into the thing!

[coffinturk]

Vincent knows he shouldn't have tried to touch the bone. He also won't excuse it on the grounds that he felt a compulsion not his own. Or at least a draw. The man will just accept the unspoken criticism.

"I... don't think it succeeded. Completely." It's still there. The man closes his eyes a moment. "...Hard to describe."

How does one describe a dislocated monster trait? Does one try to pop it back into place? Let it settle on its own? Ah yes, it's probably worth mentioning that he does have a bit of a strained look as he tries to focus on the sensation. Not painful. Just... odd.

Vincent lets out a grumble under his breath. Then.

"Sorry. I put you at risk."

[purplexing]

Donnie lets out a breath. "That's not what you should be apologizing for. If you went off by yourself maybe you'd just end up another skeleton ringing the tower!"

Because he knows that had been an option, and even though he sounds exasperated about it, it twists knots in his stomach just thinking about what could have happened, could still happen to anyone if they thought to wander too close and let curiosity get the better of them.

[coffinturk]

That's why he hadn't gone by himself! ...Ah. A soft 'tch' escapes Vincent, indicating embarrassment rather than irritation. His gaze jerks to the side.

"Fine. Sorry for being an idiot that put you at risk." There's a pause. Almost as if he's recalling their chats about what to speak of to the rest regarding the towers...

"Probably should tell the others about that."

[purplexing]

Donnie fixes him with a look before he huffs a laugh.

"Yeah, no arguments there." There's probably others who wouldn't be nearly as reserved as Vincent in trying to touch the thing. Serph comes to immediate mind, making the turtle sigh.

"Anyway, you all right otherwise? Your molecules all intact?"

[coffinturk]

Hrmph. With others, he might have been a little more melancholic about it. Serious. Not directly called himself an idiot. But some of that shared sense of familial bond lingered and... he'd been easier about his words. Casual almost.

Asked about his condition, Vincent looks down at himself, then up at the sky as if it might provide a vision of his internal status.

"Molecules? Really?" That's putting a lot of pressure on his skills there, Donnie. Vincent sighs and answers in the way that he's probably meant to.

"I feel better. Nothing to heal." He'd tried on their way back through vampiric regeneration. "Just... odd."

[purplexing]

"Well, something was destabilized, so 'odd' is probably to be expected," Donnie says, sighing.

He's a scientist, Vincent, of course he's going to be weird about the levels things might be affected.

"But you're in one piece and not hurt. And you lived to tell the tale, and we found out some unpleasant things about the towers so I consider that a win."