Player Plot: How to Get Away With Moo-der

[singlemilletgrain]

Who: Shu, cows, and you
What: Udder cowtastrophe
Where: Farmlands outside of Elysium
When: Mid-month
Warnings: Animal cruelty



As the farmer plods away to resume tending his fields, Shu shakes her head with a frown and addresses her companion. "That is the fourth farmer this week to report a missing herd of livestock. These aren't small losses, either. It is unimaginable that they simply vanished off the face of the earth."

Not coincidentally, Shu is currently seated atop her own oxen, who is placidly chewing on some grains underfoot.

"Let us examine the pasture. He said there were numerous markings he could not make sense of. These disappearances will be catastrophic for the small farmer if they continue and have a lasting ripple effect on the supply chain of meat. Not just for the Corsairs."

She nudges He Sheng with her ankles.

Comments

[singlemilletgrain]

Shu is improving. Probably. Anyway, Donnie's taken care of everything in a straight line path to the cargo hold, anyway. As she peeks around him to assess the situation, she takes note of the various hay bales scattered around and the lingering fragrant aroma of cow.

"...I have an idea."

She gestures for him to move back, out of sight to one side of the doorway. She takes up the opposite position, takes a deep breath and...

"Mooooooooooooooooo..."

does an excellent imitation of a content cow, casting her voice into the room and causing it to echo gently around the large chamber. The two soldiers startle and look around, appearing perplexed as there is no immediately visible cow.

"Geez. Did we leave one on the ship somewhere?"

"There's no way we missed a cow. That's ridiculous."

They exchange glances and shrugs before hurrying towards the doorway. Shu readies her weapon.

[purplexing]

The turtlekin tilts his head at that, but he steps back at Shu's indication. His eyes widen, maybe a touch startled as to just how realistic that cattle call sounds.

Well, that...works?

He glances back towards the cargo hold at the confused voices, stifling a snicker. At the sound of their approaching footsteps, he presses back against the side of the doorway with his own weapon readied.

[singlemilletgrain]

Boop.

As the first one passes through the doorway, he slumps over like a sack of bricks as Shu conks him over the head. So quickly does he go down that the follower can't help but trip over his colleague's body.

[purplexing]

That doesn't look like a pleasant spill, but Donnie's not here to be pleasant with cow thieves, or Imperials for that matter. He follows up quick to make sure the fellow's companion won't get back up so soon himself, looking to Shu with a nod.

[singlemilletgrain]

"Well."

She glances at the felled foes with stereotypical cartoon swirls rising from their bashed skulls.

"That was easier than expected."

Shu discreetly wipes a bit of blood off her scepter when Donnie is gazing down at their foes.

"That isn't all of them, I assume? Have you cleared the rest of the premises without me?"

[purplexing]

"Think we lucked out. Maybe these guys aren't much of fighters."

Donnie nudges one with the end of his staff just to check that they're truly out.

"I knocked out three in the engine room," he admits. "It seemed easiest to do since they were in an enclosed room. There might be at least one in the crew quarters yet."

[singlemilletgrain]

((Sorry for the delay! Had a busy few days - gonna speed this up a bit if that's OK with you!))

Donnie receives a pursed-lip frown for a brief moment before she shakes her head.

"I figured."

It was best to temper expectations when interacting with impetuous teenagers.

"If no one has noticed that we are on board, then we had better move quickly before they notice the absence of their companions."

Shu strides confidently forward and immediately makes the wrong turn towards what is probably a closet, to which Donnie will have to gently redirect her towards the path to the crew quarters. The lights and vague murmurs of voices continue to announce the presence of a few remaining staff of the airship - including, most likely, the captain.

Weirdly, though, when they make their near-silent entry and bust a few more heads, the significantly more elaborate captain's quarters are empty. Shu pauses and decides not to look a gift horse in the mouth.
As they reconvene at the deck next to the controls, Shu surveys their new acquisition.

"Well, Captain Donnie. I believe it's time to steal an airship."

[purplexing]

((Nooo objections here!))

Well, at least she's not chewing him out for it? Donnie can only grin back in that sheepish sorry-yet-not-sorry way that teens do.

He's got no arguments against moving on, riding this little high of a successful infiltration. It by no means diminishes when they move onto the deck and Shu dubs him captain. Which...kind of sounds weird but at the same time he feels like he could get used to it. When he and his brothers played at being air pirates (and had no idea what it pertained), they'd always fought over who got to be captain. But here he is at the controls of an actual airship! ...and no brothers to rub it in their faces.

Donnie pushes that thought down, clinging to the tails of his adrenaline rush with a near manic grin as he steps over, rubbing his hands together with glee.

"All right! I've always wanted to do this!"

[singlemilletgrain]

Perks of losing track of your family: you get undisputed dibs on anything you want. Cons of losing track of your family: ...Perhaps we don't need to go into detail there.

Shu stands aside and allows Donnie his brief moment of glee as she surreptitiously holds onto something. Given that she expects this is his first time truly piloting solo, it was best to be prepared for a bumpy take-off.

Below decks, there is the gentle hum of the engine and the crackling of Ether energy as the propellors begin to revolve in place.

"Whenever you're ready."

[purplexing]

His eyes skim the console before his fingers follow to make sure each switch that needs to be flicked has been set, studying the gauge as the engine starts dispersing power. Everything looks good!

"Prepare for take-off!"

Donnie pulls a lever and grasps the wheel as the propellers reach their full rotational speeds, releasing the ship from its docked state to rise upwards.