( open ) a-hunting we will go…
WHO: Dextera and you! Assuming you’re a Pleroma.
WHAT: Plant-hunting, crafting, and the aftercare of that.
WHERE: Greentruth, the Lohkimareen Forest
WHEN: early Soviseri
WARNINGS: Nothing major (yet), but there are mushrooms?
I. world’s worst jungle adventure
[ dextera promised that he would assist in making traps, but if he’s going to do it the way that he knows how to do it, that means going out and harvesting whatever he can find from the creatures and plants in lohkimareen. he’s already familiar with some unpleasant effects from his personal indulgences in trying to find food, but speaking with the locals—as much as has been possible for him, anyway—has enlightened him to some of the things he can most certainly use in lieu of his array from home.
his current main goal is to find the elusive bordavirag for the purposes of harvesting its digestive enzymes—a task with implications that some might find unpleasant, as far as it goes as a weapon—but inevitably, a journey deep into lohkimareen will lead to a number of encounters with its smaller, more common flora.
with a bag of supplies and his trusty sword, he'll set out from greentruth by himself if he must, but he won't say no to a companion or two if they seem inclined to come along, and he'll likely have to take a few trips out regardless. ]
II. handicrafting, now with more hands
[ and, regardless of how successful finding the bordavirag actually is, dextera’s efforts have nonetheless borne fruit. he’s managed to collect a variety of supplies from the forest as well as carted in from godsblood to start assembling a strange variety of traps and devices that are intended to be non-lethal… but certainly quite painful, if the collection of items is any indication.
spread out around him as he diligently hooks together wood, bones, and plates of metal are the following materials: gunpowder from godsblood, sharpened quills from the pajarc running around near greentruth, some sort of liquid in a glass jar, and a variety of mushrooms that have been dehydrated and ground into powder. each has their own purpose as a different type of trap, and anyone is welcome to inquire—or help, or test them out with dextera, he isn’t turning anyone away.
and, if you hear a few minor explosions followed by some strangled noises of pain and surprise down on the forest floor, don't worry too much. dextera is probably fine. ]
III. sorry about the poisoning
[ did you assist him? did you foolishly test out one of the mushroom traps?
maybe you now find yourself with brutal stomach cramps, or perhaps you’re dealing with a little bout of delirium. other mushrooms he’s found also might just make you cry and sweat profusely for no reason, or possibly now has never seemed like a better time for a nap.
none of these effects are especially potent due to the processing that’s gone into putting them in traps in the first place, and their natural origins mean that they’re easy enough to fend off for the particularly hardy, but dextera nonetheless guiltily hovers over anyone he’s affected with a bucket of cool water and a damp towel.
…or, if delirium has taken hold, he'll certainly be a grounding presence and keep a tight hold on anyone's hand who looks like they're ready to go fight god. ]
WHAT: Plant-hunting, crafting, and the aftercare of that.
WHERE: Greentruth, the Lohkimareen Forest
WHEN: early Soviseri
WARNINGS: Nothing major (yet), but there are mushrooms?
[ dextera promised that he would assist in making traps, but if he’s going to do it the way that he knows how to do it, that means going out and harvesting whatever he can find from the creatures and plants in lohkimareen. he’s already familiar with some unpleasant effects from his personal indulgences in trying to find food, but speaking with the locals—as much as has been possible for him, anyway—has enlightened him to some of the things he can most certainly use in lieu of his array from home.
his current main goal is to find the elusive bordavirag for the purposes of harvesting its digestive enzymes—a task with implications that some might find unpleasant, as far as it goes as a weapon—but inevitably, a journey deep into lohkimareen will lead to a number of encounters with its smaller, more common flora.
with a bag of supplies and his trusty sword, he'll set out from greentruth by himself if he must, but he won't say no to a companion or two if they seem inclined to come along, and he'll likely have to take a few trips out regardless. ]
[ and, regardless of how successful finding the bordavirag actually is, dextera’s efforts have nonetheless borne fruit. he’s managed to collect a variety of supplies from the forest as well as carted in from godsblood to start assembling a strange variety of traps and devices that are intended to be non-lethal… but certainly quite painful, if the collection of items is any indication.
spread out around him as he diligently hooks together wood, bones, and plates of metal are the following materials: gunpowder from godsblood, sharpened quills from the pajarc running around near greentruth, some sort of liquid in a glass jar, and a variety of mushrooms that have been dehydrated and ground into powder. each has their own purpose as a different type of trap, and anyone is welcome to inquire—or help, or test them out with dextera, he isn’t turning anyone away.
and, if you hear a few minor explosions followed by some strangled noises of pain and surprise down on the forest floor, don't worry too much. dextera is probably fine. ]
[ did you assist him? did you foolishly test out one of the mushroom traps?
maybe you now find yourself with brutal stomach cramps, or perhaps you’re dealing with a little bout of delirium. other mushrooms he’s found also might just make you cry and sweat profusely for no reason, or possibly now has never seemed like a better time for a nap.
none of these effects are especially potent due to the processing that’s gone into putting them in traps in the first place, and their natural origins mean that they’re easy enough to fend off for the particularly hardy, but dextera nonetheless guiltily hovers over anyone he’s affected with a bucket of cool water and a damp towel.
…or, if delirium has taken hold, he'll certainly be a grounding presence and keep a tight hold on anyone's hand who looks like they're ready to go fight god. ]

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[ dextera watches johnny’s dinosaur first, uncertain of how to read her new burst of energy, but it’s himeka’s guidance that actually gets him to realize they’ve found what they’re looking for. ]
—ah?!
[ when he does raise his voice, as if to stop johnny’s steed from progressing further, it comes out as a hoarse little gasp raking across the top of his throat. his body language conveys the rest of his urgency in place of a shout, however, as he stumbles forward to stop the dinosaur from walking johnny into a trap.
a frill of leaves in the shape of a large, monstrous rib flutter just under the surface of the mud, anticipating a large meal from the approaching vibrations. ]
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[ he also looks up at Himeka's comment, first glancing towards her to see where she's looking, then squinting to follow her line of sight - and, yes, it certainly does look like it's glowing. He and Dextera spot it at nearly the same time. ]
-- Woah, woah!
[ immediately, he yanks on the reins, calling out to the kocsigyik the same way he might call out to a horse out of habit; of course, a dinosaur doesn't listen to the same commands, so she only hears him shouting randomly and suddenly jerking her chain. With an annoyed honk, the big beast stumbles to a stop, swinging her large, spiky tail angrily behind her - hopefully, the other two are paying attention. ]
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There's no hard feelings, of course! The kocsigyik's reaction seems more than valid to her. She straightens and refocuses her attention to the strange plant. ]
Everyone alright?
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…
[ he nods and wipes his face clean, using his sword to pick himself up. this is definitely what they’re looking for. catching the attention of the other two with a wave of his hand, he points to himself. he’ll go. ]
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[ it's impolite to cuss in front of a lady. His eyes flick back over to Dextera, expression apologetic, but he can't exactly help him up. ]
I'll... buy you some new clothes when we get back. Sorry, man. [ the kocsigyik chuffs quietly, ignoring the havoc it's caused. Johnny just watches Dextera as he "speaks" again - and this time, at least, he's easy to understand. ] ... Weren't we just talking about how dangerous this thing is? Don't go by yourself.
[ he pauses - then, soundlessly, Tusk appears out of thin air next to him, floating over and coming to a stop in front of Dextera. Johnny's sending his Stand with him, apparently. ]
no subject
He's been bathed. Fresh to face the plant.
The strange creature that appears next to Dextera, though, is a curious one. Himeka tilts her head to the side. It seems like...they're friends? ]
Yes. Maybe this pinky floaty thing can act as bait?
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[ he’s been bathed. with the mud gone, he’s left perfectly refreshed and probably more appealing to a creature that consumes significantly more mud than it would like to. he takes the tail of his coat and wrings out any moisture that might weigh him down while johnny summons tusk—and he glances to johnny when himeka notes tusk’s presence out loud. johnny seemed pretty protective of its existence after all, last time… but the circumstances have certainly changed since their last meeting.
for now, dextera just nods to himeka’s assessment and johnny’s offer. tusk probably can’t actually serve as bait, if it’s supposed to be invisible to the naked eye, but dextera doesn’t know what plants can see.
with tusk now providing some kind of back up, dextera proceeds, trying not to trip the leaves of the plants before he’s ready. ]
no subject
Johnny makes a face at Himeka. ]
It ain't gonna be bait. It's a part of me.
[ and he'd prefer not to get chomped on, thanks!! ]
It's just backup in case he starts getting digested.
[ although, really, Johnny could probably hit the target without having his Stand follow Dextera around - he just felt bad seeing the guy jumping to wander off alone. Johnny can't jump down and march in with him, so this is the next best thing. How Tusk will provide backup, exactly, certainly isn't clear, but it follows along after Dextera obediently, seeming to eye the plant cautiously, itself. ]
i'm sorry for this tag, sib
Well, any parts of him she can see. ]
Which part?
[ But she supposes that leaves only one option... ]
Does that mean that you're going to be the bait, Dextera? You're going in?
who knows what johnny is hiding...
he nods. just to ensure that himeka understands, because this will definitely illuminate everything for her, he opens his mouth and swabs his own cheek with his finger. this is not… quite the biological mechanism at play here, but to dextera, the display makes perfect sense. ]
…
[ taking a deep breath, dextera ventures on into the “mouth” of the beast, though it snatches up around his body faster than he initially expected. ]
—?!
😏
[ he appears genuinely confused by Himeka's question, brow furorwing. What does she mean, what part of him...?
It's something he'll have to contemplate later, seeing as Dextera's going right ahead with his not-really-a-plan plan. The plant moves a lot faster than Johnny was expecting, too; it's fortunate that Stands are incorporeal, or Tusk might have gotten snatched up in the clap of its jaws along with Dextera. Instead, it just tumbles backwards through the air a bit, little arms windmilling in alarm. At the same time, Johnny's kocsigyik, alarmed yet again, makes a high-pitched honk noise and takes a few steps back.
That's fine, though - it's no problem for him to aim from atop a moving animal. Without missing a beat, he lifts up his hand, fingers pointed like a gun, and fires off a nail bullet, which easily embeds itself in the plant... probably to little effect. It turns out that shooting a plant isn't a very good way to kill it. ]
Uh -- we need something bigger!
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--And of course he goes right for it. Himeka is admittedly impressed with Dextera's dedication though Johnny's reaction is the logical one.
His shot is a good one, too. Clearly a marksman! But it doesn't dislodge it entirely. Himeka has to consider her options quickly--fire would be her first choice, but she might set Dextera on fire too. Ice? Encasing them both in ice would stop it temporarily...
Instead, she holds both of her hands out as a greenish glow forms at her feet. A small pillar of sharp rocks pull forth from the ground itself. The glow wraps around them like a snake as she lifts them into the air and then tosses the Stone at the plant like a spear. ]
Look out!
[ Probably rude considering Dextera isn't looking at much but plant guts. ]