OOC: How does my character feel at the moment? Am I cold, wet, shivering? I won't risk getting sick if I can help it. If I am reasonably warm, I might just jump right in and get a closer look from the outside.

While the night before was excessively unpleasant, as your clothes were wet and the temperature dropped low enough for you to feel it, you weathered it without so much as the sniffles for the time being. During the day, you feel that your clothes have been air and sun drying from exposure. They're now just damp, like forgetting to start the dryer after washing your clothes.

I will tell Sam that I can't see the leak on the outside of the boat, so patching it will be hard. I can climb in the water and look, but it'd be better if I could see underwater more effectively. Does he have some goggles or something?

He frowns. "No, sadly I didn't have any aquatic equipment on me in my last world. But, I think that what we've been doing can keep us going long enough. I'm bringing the drone out today, it's about charged enough to fly around."

He takes out the drone, and you see the wings and top are covered in small solar panels. He asks you to hold it while he takes a small tablet.

Sam tells you that it'll fly around on its own for a while and return to land on the tablet, with footage of the area. "Maybe there's an island around here somewhere we can take stock and figure this place out."

"All right, sounds good to me." I grin and then busy myself keeping as much water as possible out of the boat, trusting Sam to get us out of here.

After a while, I ask "Can you see what your drone sees on that?"

He nods. "Yeah, and look at the recorded footage later, too. If only some of the other drones had survived..."

You keep the boat good and he shows you what the drone sees as it explores: a whole lot of water out there. You continue to keep the water level low, occasionally holding the tablet while the drone flies and searches for anything other than waves and water.

Early on, Sam turns off a sensor designed to find land, because the waves are making it alert without stopping over nothing. That means that one of you have to have your eyes on it at all times while it looks, Sam says, and gives you some turns looking instead of cleaning out the boat.

Eventually, during your third shift, you finally do see something. The drone looks out over the water, at the horizon, and you see a rock in the distance through the tablet.

I will show Sam what the drone sees and say "There's something at least. Looks pretty desolate, but it could be something habitable that is just really far away."

Sam nods. "But it is something, at least. I was beginning to worry we were in a Kevin Costner movie."

He takes up the paddles, and begins rowing in the direction the drone had traveled toward, after handing the controls back to you. "Let it keep heading toward whatever that is. See if you can make anything else out as the drone flies."

As you view the screen and Sam rows, you eventually think you can make out the general shape of the island. There's a shore, a great cliff side past it... And is that a house at the top? It looks man-made, but as soon as you see its shape, the drone banks left and begins its flight back to you and the dinghy.

Light begins to fade, and you see the first gathering of puffy, white clouds that you've seen in a while. Albeit, they're a little late to keep the glaring sun off of you.

I'll tell Sam: "Yeah, that is definitely an island. I think I saw a house, even. I couldn't quite tell before the drone reversed course though." I think about it for a second, then shake my head and look back up at Sam. "Hey, let me relieve you for a bit, all right?"

OOC: I get sunburned easily, but when it finishes peeling I get tanned easily too. It peels and the next layer is tanned. So...enough days out here and my description will change :D

"Sure," Sam looks relieved when you take over, and he focuses on his drone for a few minutes before putting it away again. "Thank you. We both need to conserve our energy if we want to reach that island in any decent time. I figure it might take us a few days, but the flow of the current seems to be in that direction, so it will help us out."

You are definitely sunburnt, then. Unless you took precautions to cover yourself more during the day.

"A couple of DAYS?" I sigh. "Great. This is going to be exhausting. Welp. No use complaining about it." And with that I grimly set to and settle in for a long haul of a lot of work.

Is there anything particular that you want to talk to Sam about during the boat ride?

Also, what are your hopes in the immediate future for the time it'll take to keep going toward the island?

OOC: Good point. I'll have to sleep on it. I will get back t you...tomorrow, probably.

1) "So what sort of universes have you seen?"
2) "Any idea what kind of world this is?"
3) "Are there any rules these worlds follow? Like, is physics not always applicable?"
4) "God, who would have thought I'd go from trying to find a job to traveling through dimensions losing all my breath rowing a boat in some strange ocean? What a lark."

I want to get there with light in the day left, preferably in the morning.

"Well, I've told you about a few...But, in general, I've learned that I could end up anywhere. Places that are impossible to survive in. I've woken up in a frozen tundra before without proper gear... And then I've been in Manhattan, where everyone still spoke Latin and worshipped Jupiter, with gladiatorial matches on Sunday nights instead of Football."

"At first I was worried we might be in a Waterworld kind of situation, but if the drone saw land out there, we'll have somewhere to collect ourselves. Even on my home world, there were oceans where a dinghy could get lost, so it's hard to tell. I'm hoping we learn more on land."

"Rules...well, one. It's more a suspicion of a rule, though. I went to one world where my drones wouldn't follow my commands well, like there was constant interference. And in another, the whole system wouldn't turn on, but there wasn't anything wrong with the equipment. I'm thinking that some worlds might be less friendly toward technology, or maybe something else. I'm glad it works here, though."

"I know the feeling, Brock. It takes a bit to adjust to. Why don't we switch out for a little while?"

While you're talking, the day shines on brightly and you're met with a sky full of stars and constellations you recognize from your home world. The next day, you star to actually see the speck of land in the distance, and you and Sam both get happy. You notice that it's a little colder and windier that morning, so you both bundle as best you can with limited supplies. Luckily, the wind is blowing toward the island, but as you're rowing one time, Sam's eyes look serious. "Brock, we may have a problem..."

And he directs your gaze behind you. Dark clouds approach, and you see rain falling down hard beneath them.

1)"A roman New York? That's amazing!" I exclaim. Then I'll wind that topic down.

2)"I'm sure we will. Being out here on the water won't help us learn much."

3)"Hmmm...that's strange. I bet it works the same way with other things too. I doubt the magic I learned in my last world always works, especially since it is founded on the elements of that world."

4)"Oh...yes...please..." I gasp, asthma kicking in.

Oh darn. Time to row as seriously as possible, frantic even.

1)"A roman New York? That's amazing!" I exclaim. Then I'll wind that topic down.

2)"I'm sure we will. Being out here on the water won't help us learn much."

3)"Hmmm...that's strange. I bet it works the same way with other things too. I doubt the magic I learned in my last world always works, especially since it is founded on the elements of that world."

4)"Oh...yes...please..." I gasp, asthma kicking in.

Oh darn. Time to row as seriously as possible, frantic even.

Sam seems a little uncomfortable when you bring up the topic of magic, but he doesn't directly disagree with the possibility. He just says, "I suppose that anything is possible in the verse."

Rowing faster takes its toll on you and Sam both, as you perspire and have trouble breathing. Sam rows more often than you do, because of your athsma, but it's hard on everyone. You're able to keep ahead of the storm for a while, but soon you start to feel winds pick up, blowing you in the direction of the island still far in the distance.

Then, the clouds get even closer and you feel the first drops of rain fall on you.

OOC: I need to take a break until the new year. I can't focus with all the holiday chaos.

OOC: Sorry about the delay. Been a turbulent holiday. How was your holidays?

After noting his discomfort with magic, I grunt and let the subject drop. I'll also not bring it up again unless it becomes pressingly pertinent.

What way is the wind blowing? Is there a sail for this boat? Or any material I can use for a sail? Or even just a couple sticks or something to use with my shirt? I have an idea how tacking works, I'd like to give it a try while its his turn to row.

Our situation is desperate. I hope I can come up with something

OOC: It's been pretty good. My wife and I had to "give" one another the puppy I found for Christmas, but we used our money to do a lot of travelling to see family. No concerns about not coming on here. RLTP.

IC: Nothing of the sort is present, except for maybe using the paddles as sticks for just your shirt. The wind is definitely blowing toward the island with you. The steady pat-pat-pat of rain becomes much more frequent, and you can hear the heavy rainfall hitting the ocean surface before it finally reaches you, drenching you and Sam both to the bone.

If it looks like rowing won't get us there in time as I think it does, then i do the following.

I roar over the wind: "Sam! Give me the oars, I will use the wind!" Then I prop up the oars and pop my shirt up between them and over the top to catch the wind. I will hold one oar up with my hands and all my might. "Saaaaam! Hold up this other oar!"

Otherwise, I help row with all my might.

Sam nods, and grabs one of the oars, using your shirt as an adequate sail for the rowboat.

You didn't at first understand how difficult this was going to be. When you finally have the shirt positioned, the wind almost blows your oar and yourself overboard. It's almost as much work as rowing to fight the wind, rain, and sounds while you hold your concentration on keeping your makeshift sail ready.

You can see Sam struggling in the rain as well, but he keeps a deathlike grip on his oar and it doesn't falter. You manage yours as well, and your speed improves, just not enough to beat that of the squall. You're close enough now to see the rocky cliffs on this side of the island ahead, and the waves become large and choppy while you fight the wind.

The boat begins to take on water as well, and tilts forward, backward, side to side like a bull ride on an intense setting. You feel your grip, wet with rain and sweat, begin to falter.

We are approaching the rocky side and it is too late...I don't know much about sailing, but I know enough to be sure that this is a death sentence. Our only hope is to steer alongside the island and get blown away from the rocks and to somewhere we could wash up. Bravely, knowing we are probably doomed but trying anyway, I will attempt to tack the "sail" to go as much with the wind as possible yet go around the island. Whichever direction around is more feasible by the wind. If the wind is blowing directly at the island with no leeway at all...tack to the side that looks less dangerous.

Unless I see an area we could land in the rocky area or a shore we could swim to?
This message was last edited by the player at 10:06, Mon 05 Jan 2015.

You tack the sail to veer left, and it seems to work, like many things, until it stops working. The makeshift sail rips off, one of the oars going flying after it from the jostling and Sam looks at you concerned. "Remember, my friend, that this death will only be a new beginning."

Then, he shouts, as a wave crashes against the dinghy again, making you both stumble, "May we meet again!" He gives you a big, white grin, but looks around at the waves with concern. The last one almost tipped the boat over forwards.