((From -> Hippie's Homepage, For Torrent's Mission))
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The transit through the net seemed to take an extra moment or two to narrow in on the fairly specific location that Torrent's guide had picked out, but when it cleared she found herself deposited in the midst of a dense jungle rainforest, surrounded by tall trees and broad-leafed plants that created a thick canopy far above. It felt lush and bursting with life of different sorts, and the sounds of bird calls of many different types echoed sporadically all around.
The terrain itself was uneven, and there was no obvious path; BoltColt had arrived a few feet away from Torrent, and was just getting his balance on a tall, irregular buttress root that reached out from a nearby tree to almost separate their arrivals. The light coming through the canopy was diffused by the dense plant life that covered everything, with only occasional rays of direct sun poking through, but the uneven ground seemed like it gradually descended in one direction, and climbed in another.
It was also humid; oppressively so, and it would only take standing around for a handful of seconds before any being so inclined and capable of doing so would begin to sweat in the still, damp air. Somewhere in the distance, the sound of flowing water made a background to the bird calls and other creature sounds, but visibility was fairly low, just thanks to the density of the rainforest itself.
Boltcolt looked around from his raised perch, then jump down to stand next to Torrent; he raked fingers through his hair and hook his head, his mane flicking back and forth in a failed effort to stay cool.
“Here we are then! Right, so... longer we're away, longer Filly has to keep our friend calm. Best get searching!” He took two steps as though to begin descending into the valley further, then stopped and turned around, snapping his fingers.
“Oh! Okay, so, there's not much regulation or automation in this section of the network. There's plenty of virus activity, but the jungle itself sure can get a bit hairy too. If you see any creeper vines with red flower growths, don't touch it... an' don't let it touch you, neither! Might try, dependin' on how feisty it's feelin'.” He turned to keep walking, then turned back a second time.
“Oh, an' if you hear somethin' that sounds just like one of them really old network connection tones, only, all drawn out an' slow, we're going the other way from it, and quick, right?” He nodded once, confirming that this was understood, before beginning to dash away again. He skidded to a halt and returned a third time, an apologetic grin of his features.
“Should probably tell you what we're after, shouldn't I miss? Heh, sorry. Okay, so, there's a type of crystal, it likes to form in net spaces that go to seed and aren't cleaned or monitored on the regular, you know? Likes the damp, and the warmth. It's kinda...” The boy seemed to think for a moment or two, then looked around for a visual aid without finding one. “Kinda bluish, but more red in the centre, an' it makes these little... um, star-kinda patterns on the inside of it. Forms in little clusters, like mushrooms. Got all that, miss?” At this point, Colt paused to look around and actually take a moment to do a mental checklist for himself, mouthing silently as his eyes flickered back and forth in the middle distance.
“Right, so... where to look. We should stick together, just 'fer the danger, but mostly, we've found 'em near water, or in wet caves, but in a rainforest like this, they can come up anywhere, really. This whole place is damp enough for 'em. We could head up hill, try give you a better look over the valley, an' then maybe work out a better course... or we can just plunge in and start searching right away, and just follow our noses.” He looked to Torrent to see if she had an opinion, then glanced away and rubbed at his neck with a sense of reluctance.
“An'... If we can't find any... or if we get into some trouble, I suppose... there's, er... there's this other program, likes jungles and rainforests and swamps, an' last we knew she was still hangin' about this area... an', if we really need, we can probably go find her, an' see if she has some, or if she knows where some are. Ummm...” he glanced down and shuffled his feet, for a moment looking much more like a little boy than his usual countenance gave off. “She'll help, if she understands it's important.... Only, MerryWeather doesn't really like me much, so... you'd probably be better off doin' the talkin', if we go see her.” The awkward, apologetic shuffling lasted for another moment, before BoltColt shook it off and looked up again, casting his eyes about the surrounding jungle.
“So, which way do you want go to start, miss?” For now, at least now that he'd taken a moment to set things out, rather than dashing off, it seemed like Torrent's guide was deferring the mode of approach for their quest to her preferences.