>>Paul: Tend to Garden

[First Guardian]

Your name is PAUL. You are QUITE INDECISIVE, and are especially bad at making decisions under stress. Your garden tends to be quite haphazard due to this. You easily LISTEN TO ADVICE, but are a BIT TOO TRUSTING. This sometimes lead to very POORLY EXECUTED ACTIONS, since not all advice turns out to be good. You are usually RATHER CHEERY, and not much can change that. You are EASILY EXCITED ABOUT NEW THINGS. You are always ENTHUSIASTIC, and meets every task with a big smile.You live in a old house somewhere in the TANGLED GREEN. After being spontaneously summoned to the OMNIVERSE, you decided to wander through the forest. On your first day you stumbled upon this house, and proceeded to live in it. You have a love for GARDENING, and have a large garden that constitutes much of your diet. You grow tomatoes, cabbage, carrots, and beans. Several berried bushes and apple trees near by help supplement your diet. You enjoy EXPLORING the house and the surrounding jungle. Every once in a while you will find random items, such as a new book or puzzle, in certain locations. You are VERY BAD AT SOLVING PUZZLES, but you still like them. You love READING, and have read all the books in the house's library several times over. You especially enjoy REALLY BAD SCIENCE FICTION BOOKS. Within the house you found several devices, including a dataverse uplink device and a few mobile communicators. You have become SEMI-SKILLED IN MACHINERY, due to the uplink device failing every once in a while. 

With a splash of water from his watering can, Paul took it upon himself to make sure the thirst of his garden was thoroughly quenched. After all, many of of his meals came from it, a variety of fruits and veggies that made great stews and afternoon snacks. He was careful with his photosynthesizing friends, being sure that they were in the most up kept of health, because in turn they would care for him with the food they bore. It wasn't long until he was sure he had watered each one, giving a soft, relieved sigh as he felt the breeze dip into his small clearing, the house he had found surrounded by the dense jungle beyond.

Crashhhh

Paul whipped around to his still not completely explored home of puzzles, giving a low squeak, grabbing his stafff by the watering can,  as he wasn't sure who, or what, made that noise. He proceeded cautiosuly as he opened his back door, heading in from his garden, letting it swing out with a slow creaaaak while his eyes darted left and right.

"Hello?"

>> Paul: Investigate noise

[Soldier 75]

Paul began to creep along the back hallway, peering down side corridors as he approached the main foyer. His footsteps echoed throughout the whole house. Every sound was an approaching monster, every shadow hiding one. With a glance over his shoulder, he hurriedly rushed across the large, open entrance hall. His hands shook in terror, and his hold on the staff wavered. It slipped through his sweaty palms as he reached the fourth step, and went tumbling down the stairs. After a few painstaking seconds, it hit the wall with a resounding CRACK, and fell to the floor. In barely suppressed fear, Paul flew down the stairs, skipping several. Screeching to a halt, he scooped up the wooden rod, and dashed up the long, winding staircase. Without even so much as a look into the rooms, Paul fled to the large mahogany doors of the library. His feet skidded across the carpet as he slid to a stop just inside the doors. Pushing with all his might, he heaved the large doors shut. BANG.

 The young boy exhaled, and realized he had been holding his breath the whole time. A quick check confirmed that his body was unharmed, and his solid blue shorts and shirt unscathed. Looking up, he scanned the room for any sign of inhabitants; instead, he found books strewn across the floor. Upon closer inspection, he caught sight of a broken shelve. The wood was rotten, and had snapped after what must have been decades of faithfully holding the weight of dozens of books. Stooping down, Paul picked up one of his favorite volumes. The cover read: The Lone Starship. It details the adventures of a brave young captain named Dave, who sails across the universe in search of treasure, adventure, and love. He hears a distress call, and immediately follows it to its source. Upon arriving upon the planet X-3982, he is assaulted by slime monsters. He fights threw the alien hordes, and rescues the fair Elena Rosewood. They fall in love and set off into the cosmos to search for adventure.

 Oh what, a fantastic story. Just the thought of the action-packed pages filled Paul with determination. Heading to the door, he set the book on a table laden with multiple tomes. Slowly, he pulled the worn handles towards him. Peeking his head outside, he sweeps his gaze across the hallway. All clear. With staff in hand, he strode over to the adjacent room, and, upon closing the door behind him, Paul approached the old Dataverse device squatting in the corner.

[Soldier 75]

Settling in to his favorite chair, Paul powered up the computer and slid the keyboard out of its alcove. "I wonder if anyone's online," Paul muttered to himself. Pulling up pesterOmni, he scrolled through his relatively short list of friends. "I wonder what Jay has been up to." 

[spoiler]--nocturnalNerd [NN] began pestering violentConfusion [VC]--

NN: Hey, Jay. Is It Fine If I Asked How Your Garden Is Going?
NN: That's... Good, I Think?
NN: I'm Having A Few Troubles With Insects Myself
NN: I Have Been Finding Larva Burrowing Into My Tomatoes Lately
NN: That Sounds Like It Might Work. Thanks For The Advice!
NN: Well, I Guess I'll Contact You Later, I'm Going To Go Tend To My Garden Some More. I Never Finished Watering Them.

--nocturnalNerd [NN]ceased pestering violentConfusion--[/spoiler]

With a glance out the window, Paul noted that the sun was drawing close to the horizon. "Not long till dark," he murmured to himself. Flicking his foot underneath his staff, he propelled it into the air. Catching the airborne stick, he rushed out of the room and down the stairs.  The back door banged open as he ran to the garden.

Soon, with the saylight nearly spent, Paul replanted the last larva-infested plant in the space he had cleared. Checking each plant meticulously, the young lad spotted several disgustingly pale larvae burrowing into his precious tomatoes. Each met a simliar demise: a swift death under the heel of his boot. Noting the gross larva remains, Paul scraped his shoes through the grass. "A good day's work," Paul said, congratulating himself.

[Soldier 75]

A quick glance toward the sky reminds you of the encroaching darkness. Fear of what lays hidden within the durky depths of night grips you, and quickly you scurry through the back door. After sliding the heavy bolt into place, you recommence the scurrying, quickly reaching the second floor. Down the hallway your feet go. Passing the room containing the computer, you notice that you staff is still propped up next to it. A face-palming is in order for your forgetfulness. Slapping the palm to your face, you deal out the proper punishment for this offense. You shall be reminded of this day the next time you leave your staff. The door bangs open as you enter, knocking over a few books behind it.

Whoops.

Your pesterchum application seems to be running still, and someone is trying to contact you. Opening up the client, you check just who is calling you at such an unruly time at night. You realize that Frisk is trying to contact you.

[spoiler]-- freskAbenet [FA] began pestering nocturnalNerd [NN] at 13:13:02 --

NN: "Hey, It's Been A While. How Are You Doing?"
NN: "I'm Quite Fine. So What Did You Contact Me For?" "Oh... um..."
NN: "Yeah, It's Nice To Talk To You Again!"
NN: "Have You Heard About Osburb, Perhaps?"
NN: "It's Apparently This New Game. I'm Not Quite Sure What It's About, But A Certain Person Kept Pushing Me Until I Downloaded It."
NN: "Actually, I Can't Quite Recall Who... Strange."
NN: "Would You Like Me To Send The File Over?"
NN: "If It's Fine With You."
NN: "Ok, Sending It Now."
NN: "You're Welcome!"


-- freskabenet  [FA] ceased pestering nocturnalnerd [NN] at 13:15:35 --[/spoiler]

Opening your computer's file list, you select the OSburb file, and send a copy to Frisk. Jumping up (with your staff this time), you start to head toward your bedroom, until you remember that you still have some business in your basement to deal with. Heading downstairs, you reach the locked door underneath the stairwell. Pulling out your ring of keys on a string around your neck, you select the corresponding key and insert it. The lock clicks open, and you begin to descend down the rickety wooden stairs. 

Descending into the increasingly cold darkness, you instinctively swipe a flashlight as you past a recessed alcove. Hitting the button, the light illuminates the large cellar. Several crates lay stacked upon the wall. A quick examination confirms that all your food is still there, and in pristine condition. Finally, you turn to the several locked doors arrayed around the walls. The farthest closet from the stairs is your destination, and you waste no more time as you hurry to it. Selecting one of your many keys, you slide it into the lock, and open the door. 

Various papers are strewn about the room, filled with your own notes. A solid oak table dominates the back wall, with bits of machinery upon it. Square in the middle sits an old computer, and you soon sit down in the well-worn chair. You press a button, and the screen brightens marginally, and a flashing green bar appears. You pull out the hidden keyboard, and swipe off the dust with an adjacent cloth. "I have Osburb now, what should I do?" you type. Within, moments, a reply appears. "Good. That's all I needed you to do. You have been very cooperative. Thank you." Satisfied, you shut the device down, and head back upstairs. Entering one of many bedrooms, you stow your staff in its usual resting place upon the bedside table, and lay down on the over-sized bed to catch some well-earned sleep.

[Soldier 75]

Light seeps in through the curtain, awakening you. You rise from the bed, immediately noticing a dull pain in your back. As you slide you legs off the bed, and hang them off the side, you feel a lump under the sheets next to your left hip. You lift the sheets up  and slide your hand along the mattress, until it bumps into what feels like soft leather. A groan escapes your lips as you realize that the book you were reading two nights before, "The Shipmaster's Apprentice", lay hidden beneath the sheets while you slept. You sometimes shift in your sleep, and you realize that you must have shifted your weight onto the book in the middle of the night. Pushing yourself up, you deposit the book on a table, scoop up your staff, and exit the bedroom. A wide yawn and a few stretches help wake you up, and you stroll down the hallway in a slightly better mood. Down the staircase and through the back door you move, picking up gardening tools along the way. Your beloved garden comes into view, and you begin your daily routine to keep all the crops healthy.

-----

Sweat runs down your back as you trek across the jungle floor, following a faint path between impenetrable swaths of plants. After finishing up your gardening, some exploration sounded like a good idea. With all the gardening tools restored to their proper resting places, you set out into the Green to explore a previously unexplored location you had stumbled upon in one of your many expeditions. Approaching the site, a tree blocks the entrance. This was a large and mighty oak, one that surely must have lived many decades. But now, it is simply yet another obstacle to overcome. A quick glance down the tree's length reveals where it had once stood. The undergrowth is thick, but you push through it nonetheless. The crater left behind by the uprooting of the tree appears, and you skim around the edge. Back on the path, you clear away the encroaching foliage, and enter.

A gaping hole confronts you. Vines venture into its depths, disappearing into the darkness. Picking up a rough stone, you release it over the pit. the seconds tick by. One... Two... Three... Four.. Splash! Peering over the edge, you inspect the darkness. Wow, it must be deep. You grab the sturdiest vine you can find, and start climbing down the hole to see if you can get a better view. Your adventure is cut short as the vine begins to show signs of stress, and you quickly clamber back up. I'll see if I can scrounge up some proper climbing gear. Maybe their is some in the basement. Exiting the small clearing, you skirt around the tree yet again, and set a course for home.

[Soldier 75]

The door bangs against the wall as you stride towards the computer squatting in the corner. Tired out from the long trek, your exhausted body settles gratefully into the padded chair. The flashing pesterChum application catches your eyes, and enlarges with a click. Paige, an old friend of yours, is trying to contact you.

Typing a reply, you wonder what warranted yet another friend to take the time to pester you.

[spoiler] NN: Um, Hey Paige I've Just Been Working In My Garden. Had To Quarantine A Few Of The Plants That Were Infested By Larvae. [/spoiler]

Paige mentions burning some of his stuff by accident, eliciting a worried response. 

[spoiler] NN: What Happened?
NN: Oh Wow. I Hope Your House Is Fine                                                                               NN: And I Check Everything That I Grow After Harvest. Any Infected Parts I Cut Out And Clean.
NN: I Usually Have A Few Pests, But Not As Bad As This Year.
NN: I Guess That Might Be Possible?
NN: Well, There Is A Locked Door In The Basement That I've Never Tried To Enter...
NN: Good Luck With That! [/spoiler]

Apparently he suspects that someone tried to burn his house down. An unlikely possibility, but the thought of it increases your anxiousness. Briefly, an image of your wonderful home falling in a blazing inferno appears in your mind, but you quickly shove the horrid thought away. Almost nothing could be worse than the destruction of your dear abode. You begin to rise, intending to do a full sweep of the house to reassure yourself.

You wander through the halls for a little while, checking each room as you go. The library appears fine. All the bedrooms are dusty, but otherwise in good shape. The study should be all right, unless a fire spontaneously appeared in the few minutes you were gone. Even though you know it to be irrational, you poke your head into the study. Everything is ship-shape, no home-destroying fires to be seen.

Satisfied, and tired out from the day’s activities, you decide to settle in the library, and maybe find an interesting book to read. The door squeaks open, causing you to wince. It has been quite a while since you oiled that door. Yet another job to add to your growing to-do list of house maintenance. Ignoring it for now, you search the numerous bookshelves, walking up and down the aisles. More than once you have wondered how someone could own all these books. It would take years of non-stop reading to finish every last book. Finally, a maroon cover catches your eye, and you pull it out of its row. Hmm, the title “The Navian Sea” intrigues you, and you open to the inside cover as you walk.

Shortly, you plop yourself down in your favorite spot, a little nook on the far wall between two massive oak bookshelves. After a few quick sweeps to remove dust, you seat yourself upon the soft carpet, and continue scouring the large tome.

Within a minute you are sound asleep.