[Resuming the paintball match already in progress] * Crow is hovering behind Scratch and Jess, in the rear wall of a ring of crows flying 'round the pair, having just attempted to paint Scratch a lovely shade of paintball. * Crow takes aim once more, and fires at the main mass of draconic entity! * Cara takes a few steps back just in case the dragon should decide to land in the vicinity as she whips her pistol into position and fires off one shot squarely at the dragon's head. The shot travels perfectly for the space between the dragon's eyes. * Jess tosses a bunch of commons at Crow, obviously her heart isn't in it because she misses wildly. "Stop picking on poor Scratch!" * Tanya takes aim and fires another shot going wide. * Scratch tilts his head and lowers his neck, precisely calculating the pellet's trajectory and moving only just enough to be sure that it will be avoided. Aw, why not, Jess? You can, after all, pick your friends. ^_^ * Scratch banks upwards in a backward loop to come down directly onto Crow. With a swipe of his claw he rakes the young man's front with the collection of paint pellets he'd been holding there as he continues downward towards the building below. * Crow , smiling calmly in the face of an enormous reptile barreling down on him, aims right at the oncoming behemoth, letting its momentum guide it into his paint pellet as he fires, seemingly unbothered by exchanging paint for paint. Three hits! You're out Scratch. Land in your base and let Jess off. * Scratch slumps his shoulders after what he knows was a horrible performance, he hisses momentarily as he slows his progress through the air and heads down to let Jess off his back. "Understood..." * Scratch lays down at his team's base in thought and awaits its conclusion. Woo! Nice hit, Scratch. I'll join you after Jess paints me a couple more times. Er, once more, actually. Right! * Scratch growls somewhat disassociatively. * Cara flows over to the right side of the base, progressing at a slow pace so that Jess can't get the drop on her. She stops near the door with her back to the wall, ready to progress when given the signal. * Jess pulls a card and looks at it and then looks up at crow tears in her eyes. She tosses the cards down and does the only thing she can do, try to use the gun. Aw, don't cry! He's not really dead! * Jess sniffles. "I don't want to hurt my friends..." That paintball she fired is going straight for the middle of Crow's head. * Tanya makes her way around behind Cara, ready to follow her through. Crow gets a good amount of paint splattered in his face, making it rather hard to see. That's two for you Crow. You're out too. * Crow looks down at just the wrong moment, getting paint right between - and maybe in - the eyes. "Oh! I'm hit!" he proclaims, overly dramatic, as he plummets from the sky, apparently lifeless. He lands with a sickening thud. * Crow lands somewhat near Jess, and turns his head to wink at her, unable to keep a solemn "dead" expression as he fights down laughter. * Cara continues her trip around the building heading towards the other team's base, keeping an eye out for Jess all the while. * Cara peeks her head around the corner and sees Jess is indeed at her base. She says, "I'm sorry, Jess," as she squeezes the trigger on her paint pistol, sending a ball flying in Jess's direction. Jess gets tagged as the paint ball connects with her leg. It stings rather a lot even with the protection. * Cara paint hits Jess on her right side as Jess tries to spin out of the way of the shot in time. Cara then puts most of herself behind the building to keep an eye on Jess while making herself a smaller target. * Jess looks around, then down at her cards, she then holds her gun and shoots herself in the arm. Jess looks very unhappy right now. Hey! Don't do that! Hey, hold on guys. Jess? Are you okay? NO I am NOT okay. I lost. I can't fire a gun. I'm here to work with a TEAM not alone. I can't use my abilities. Scratch couldn't use his. And -ANYTHING- I could do will hurt my Friends. This isn't a fun game. I don't want to play any more. * Crow lifts off the ground, righting himself in mid-air to a vertical position as his clothes cease to be paint-stained. "Aww. I was looking forward to watching the rest." It's just supposed to be practice. Look, if you really don't want to play you don't have to. I don't want to hurt my friends. It's not hurting them. It's just paint. * Cara solidifies back into her base form. "I think we've had enough shooting practice for one day, Archer." * Crow chuckles. * Archer walks over to the group. Cara can do things without hurting them... I don't want to rend their flesh or chop them to bits or.... I couldn't do anything without hurting them. Crow's too pretty to rend apart. Oh, you know I'll be just as pretty a few minutes later. ^_^ * Scratch stretches his left claw a bit, but says nothing. We'll call this a draw then for today. * Jess says nothing, looking about ready to break into complete sobs again. Get your things, we'll move out and get to the camp site. * Archer collects all the paint guns and puts them back into the case, closing it up. * Cara walks over to Jess, tossing her pistol to the side as she goes, and gives Jess a few comforting words. 'kay. Where's that? *flies over to grab his pack, and zips up in the air to look around, pulling a Hoho from his quiver to munch on* * Jess just gives Cara a small hug and moves over to scratch pulling his front leg into a tight hug. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." * Scratch brings himself back into his humanoid form and redresses before joining the others, still somewhat depressed over his lack of performance. ... It was entirely my fault. What was? On the Northwest side of the island, about 5 klicks from here. * Scratch keeps his chin pointed slightly downward, only paying nine tenths the attention to the surroundings he usually would. * Crow flies higher, and looks that way to try to spot it. He's actually looking southwest, though. * Jess puts an arm around Scratch sniffling and then goes to gather her things up. * Archer grabs the two boxes he had before, waiting for everyone else to collect theirs as well before heading off, using his map and compass to keep track of their direction. * Cara shifts back into her earth form and picks up the two boxes she was carrying. "Let's. Move." * Scratch continues his apology, specifically to Jess. "In my excitement, I failed to give the simulation the forethought it deserved. It will not happen again." Any of you know how to read a compass? Yeah! The arrow points the direction you're facing. * Scratch collects his crates and follows Archer. * Jess just keeps her eyes to the ground. "I was helpless..." No, the arrow points north. Pff. This wasn't a simulation, Scratch. It was just a game. Play it however you have the most fun! ...that's rather useless, then, isn't it? IF it's always pointing north, how do you know what direction you're facing? * Scratch does not respond. By reading the degrees around the edge. You use that to figure out which direction to head. * Cara trudges along, leaving an obvious trail where she walks. * Crow descends closer to the ground, so as to not lose the others through the canopy of the trees. He still has his wings spread a bit wider than usual, though, so keeps enough distance not to poke anyone. You guys reach your camping site after a while and stop to set up. Afterwards, Archer takes you all hiking giving his own lecture on survival, jungle warfare and tactical combat. By the time you make it back to your camp it's dark. * Scratch finds the lecture less informative than he'd have hoped but says nothing. The tents you were supplied with are all one man sized. They're pretty much a tube you crawl into to keep you out of the elements. Archer is busy getting a fire going in the center of camp. * Archer pulls up his foldout chair next to the fire and continues stoking it till it's crackling good. * Jess crawls into her tent and just closes the door up. * Cara sits on the ground near the fire and tosses small twigs into it every now and again. * Scratch prefers to take a place near the fire and sit in contemplation of the day's events. * Crow has completely emptied his quiver by now. As evidenced by the fact that it lies flat against his back. He flops backwards into a sitting position, despite there not being a chair supporting him. "So, -how- did you find out that those green berries give you explosive diarrhea, again? " * Cara turns her head towards the water. "I wish I'd known we'd be on an island. I'd have brought something to swim in." * Crow holds out a one-piece swim suit. It might fit Cara; who can tell while it's just hanging over his hand? "Here." I read about them in the survival guide. I didn't think that was something I wanted to try and find out for myself. Smart man. Crow, do I want to know why you brought that? Well you don't survive through as much as I have sticking everything you find in your mouth. * Crow smiles at Cara. "I didn't." Um... I think I'll stick with what I'm wearing. Thanks anyway. * Crow shrugs, and lets it fall on the ground. It dissolves into glittering dust in the firelight. It never hurts to be prepared. I was interested in what everyone would bring not knowing where we were going. * Archer looks over to Jess's closed up tent. "Is she going to be okay?" * Cara looks at the dust. "I'm really glad I didn't wear that now." Maybe after you apologize. Or she gets her morning sugar dose. She'll be fine. She just doesn't like games like that one. *leans forward and stage-whispers conspiratorially* She can't stand games she's not good at. * Scratch speaks, "In most cases in which Jess becomes upset she will at first attempt to distance herself from others." Yep! I can understood that. It's never fun to lose. That's why it helps to have a good plan of attack going in. I don't suppose anyone brought anything to cook over the fire, did they? * Crow offers a bag of marshmallows. "Cook 'em and eat 'em fast." Real food would be preferable. * Jess unzips her tent a little bit and tosses out cooler that has hotdogs, s'more makings, and water in it. The tent then gets zipped up again. Yeah. We have all the food in the boxes. Oh. Sorry, I'm out. *turns his quiver upside-down, revealing its emptiness* * Archer goes over, opening up the right box, and passes out MREs to everyone. He knocks on Jess's tent. "You hungry?" No. Alright. I'll leave it out here in case you change your mind. Oh! Thanks! *holds his over the fire* * Cara opens up the cooler and begins sifting through the contents. She then takes some hot dogs out and roasts them using whatever should be convenient. * Scratch tears open his MRE, empties the contents and goes about preparing the entree by leaning the bag against 'a rock or something' as instructed on the bag. * Archer opens his as well. Preparing it as per the instructions. You guys are around a fire and you're not eating hot dogs and marshmallows? What's wrong with you guys? Also, the uh Major made me bring marshmallows for you guys. Well technically she snuck them into one of my boxes. * Crow pulls his out after a bit, his hand turning from red to normal colored as the burns heal right up. "Nothing? I didn't know there were hot dogs and marshmallows. Never been out camping before." * Crow tears open his MRE, which proceeds to explode a bit, sizzling on his clothes. "...oops." * Scratch helps himself to a wiener. * Scratch eats it quickly before resuming his stoic watch over the camps surroundings from his spot at the fire. ... I'm glad I don't have to ask if you're okay. * Archer eyes Crow as he says that. * Crow laughs. "Sorry, still getting used to these things and this camping business, sir," he says before digging in. A couple of ravens descend and begin pecking at the food, too. Well if trends continue, most of your missions should be mostly urban, but everyone once in a while we get reports of something out in the wilds. * Scratch consumes his MRE by systematically working from item to item in the most time efficient manner he'd discovered in his experience. * Scratch nods. "It would benefit everyone to prepare ahead of time for such missions." * Archer nods at Scratch. "Always be prepared, as they say." * Crow nods, stuffing the last of his food in his mouth and shooing a bird away from it. So, *swallow* where're these wieners, and how do you cook 'em over a campfire? * Cara pulls her marshmallow out of the fire and shoves it whole into her mouth before it falls off the stick. She then begins to do that little food-to-warm- but-don't-want-to-spit-it-out act. * Scratch nods in return and goes back to watching the bushes to the east of the camp. Not taste good, Cara? Mmmwmmf wmf. Wah wmf. * Cara after a moment manages to get the marshmallow down. "It was still a tad warm when I put it in my mouth." Oh. * Crow eyes her stick, and impales a hot dog on one of his own, which he then holds out over the fire and watches avidly, wholly focused on it. So, what's the plan for tomorrow, Archer? * Archer watches Crow cook his hotdog. "You should probably eat it before it gets too black." Huh? Oh... *pulls it out, and takes a bite* mmmmmm. Tomorrow we'll do more organized combat training and a scavenger hunt. See how well you guys remember what I taught you today about compasses and maps. * Scratch nods. "Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir." So, Cara, where'd you learn how to do the camping thing? I read about it when I was younger. This is the first time I've actually done it, though. Oh. I've only seen it on TV, sometimes. I don't think anyone goes camping on Olympus; it's too small. Not unless you want to pitch a tent in the fields. Even though it's still technically training, I thought you might enjoy getting off the island for a bit. * Crow stretches. "Yeah, definitely. It's a bit odd not to be wearing the collars, but new experiences are great. And Scratch's not even itching!" * Scratch speaks up, "It is also possible to simulate this experience by adjusting the thermostat of your dorm rooms and denying yourself use of its utilities." Ew. * Scratch nods. "That is correct. I am enjoying myself to a great extent." * Crow leans back, a golden goblet in his hand as he discards his now-empty stick. * Cara searches through her pack and pulls out a flashlight. "Hey, I got an idea! Who wants to play flashlight tag?" * Crow quirks an eyebrow. "What's that?" Well, you know how to play tag right? Of course. * Cara turns her flashlight on. "It goes something like this." She then points the flashlight at Crow, the beam of light illuminating his face. She then says, "Congrats, you're now it," as she tosses the flashlight to Crow. * Scratch looks up, his interested arrested. * Crow is hit in the chest by it, and only barely manages to catch it before it hits the ground, juggling it twice before not dropping it. "Oh! In that case..." he points it at Scratch, "Scratch is it!" * Crow tosses it at Scratch, and leaps into the air, to perch on a tree branch. * Cara bolts for the trees, hoping to get away from Scratch. * Scratch grasps the light in his left hand and looks up towards Archer. "Sir?" * Archer dashes off towards the tree line. "I'm not it!" * Crow cackles, and vanishes in a cloud of black feathers. And lo, much fun was had by all. After another hour or so of play they all turned in for the next day. [End session]