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===== Testing Time! =====

Ebenezer arrives, dragging a wagon full of jiggly water balloons behind him. Stopping where the roots get too knobbly to pull a wagon over, he glances from tree-to-wagon-to-tree. "Hmn."

Intrepid Explorer Rawr putters up to the base of the tea tree, his device clatter-clanking away happily on his back. He peers up into the low branches and puzzles for a bit.

Intrepid Explorer Rawr notices that there's someone else there! He grins an honest grin as he recognizes the fellow standing there. "Good . . . erm . . . afternoon Ebenezer! What've you got there?"

Abundantly Ari bonds in with another arm full of balloons, the path behind her is littered with patches of water and rubber bits from those that didn't make it

Ebenezer stands straight, releasing the wagon's handle. "What? Noth-nothing-nothing. What have-have you got there?" he counters.

Intrepid Explorer Rawr's grin becomes a grin and he turns around so Ebenezer can see the device on his back. The theodolite atop it pivots around to stare at him with its one glassy eye.

Intrepid Explorer Rawr proclaims; "It's my thingiemabob! I bui- err, found it to help me with my mission!"

Ebenezer grimaces a terrible grimace. "Oh, is that-is that-is that so?" Reflexive, he leans away from the thing. "And is it safe?"

Abundantly Ari bounces around it examining "it is a nice thingamabob"

Intrepid Explorer Rawr examines the spinny anemometers and psychrometers and the weather vane pivoting slowly, before nodding. "Yep, I expect so. He slaps me every now and then, but for good reason."

Ebenezer anghs, squinching one eye shut. "D-don't touch it, Ari!"

Intrepid Explorer Rawr's thingamajig fweet!s appreciatively in response to Ari's compliment and zippityzips out a few bits of ticker tape.

Abundantly Ari bounces back in alarm "why not?!"

Ebenezer answers Ari, "Because-cause-cause we've got no idea what it does!" Turning to Rawr, he enquires, "Erm. What does-does it do?"

Abundantly Ari nods "I suppose but it is Rawr and Rawr is not dangerous so I am sure it is fine"

Intrepid Explorer Rawr considers the question for a moment before turning to the thingie. He has a short conversation before turning back to Ebenezer and Ari with a large grin. "He makes maps!"

Intrepid Explorer Rawr continues; "Or at least helps me to make them... 'cause I gotta, you see? Z told me to make a map of all the dice on the Island, and so now I'm doing so. Have you any?"

Abundantly Ari hmms "maps of dice? Like the joker kind or the Ebenezer kind?"

Intrepid Explorer Rawr blinks twice before looking at Ebenezer curiously. "You're a die?"

Ebenezer squints his eyes and repeats, "Maps?" He shakes his head. "No-n-no-no. No dice. I don-don't gamble. I've got a marble. What?" He ohs, tapping the badge on his pocket.

Intrepid Explorer Rawr blinkblinkblinks at the badge on Ebenezer's pocket. "Wait. . . waitwaitwait. . . ohno."

Intrepid Explorer Rawr reaches for the scroll stuffed away in his shirt pocket and withdraws the thing as the colour in his face drains slightly.

Ebenezer's eyebrows raise high. "What have-have you gotten yours-self into, Rawr?"

Abundantly Ari frowns "what is wrong?" she puts a comforting arm around him

Intrepid Explorer Rawr hands Ebenezer the note contained within the scroll case and turns slightly away. "Would you do me the favour of reading that and telling me what you think it means?"

Ebenezer pulls a terrible face. "So-s-so long as I haven't g-got to read it aloud," he answers.

Intrepid Explorer Rawr shakes his head. "Nope no, thanks. . . just tell me what it means please."

Ebenezer holds the note close to his face and squints, adjusting his spectacles. "T-terr-terrible spelling," he murmurs. Eyes dart left-to-right, reading. "Erm. S-says-says to make a map of DICE clan."

Ebenezer offers the paper back as if it hurts him to touch it. "I don-don't know-I don't know. S-some-sometimes these things aren't literal. I don't know what it means if-if it's not literal. Take it."

Intrepid Explorer Rawr sighs. "The clan." His shoulders slump, drawing a somewhat concerned fweet. from the thingamajigger on his back, which eyes him a bit pityingly with its theodolite.

Intrepid Explorer Rawr does so and slips the paper back in the tube, which promptly goes back in his shirt pocket. "Yep, I've got a lot of backtracking to do I guess."

Abundantly Ari frowns "I know where some of those are at least and there are less of them then the little kind of dice right?"

Ebenezer looks Rawr over with new eyes. "You d-don't mean to say that you've b-been mapping... dice. The lit-little kind? Th-that'd take ages! And they k-keep moving about! It's imp-possible!"

Intrepid Explorer Rawr sighs and grins a little bit in Ari's direction. "Thanks, Ari. It just means I've got to figure out how to map the clan. Since there're already pretty good maps,"

Intrepid Explorer Rawr takes a breath. "I'm guessing it means to do so in a different manner." He grins at Ebenezer and nods. "I have! It's been fun. Did you know that there're seasonal gatherings?"

Abundantly Ari tilts her head "oh, like as people?"

Intrepid Explorer Rawr shifts a bit and nods. "Well, we'll see." He turns to look over his shoulder at the theodolite there. "Which means you're supposed to be something different entirely, aren't you?"

Intrepid Explorer Rawr's thingamabobber nods its theodolite slowly and Rawr grins. "No wonder. You're a miserable surveying tool."

Ebenezer rubs at his temples. This is all too confusing. "Ari. How are we-are we going to get all these defences up in-into the tree?" There's a problem he's capable of solving!

Abundantly Ari hmms and looks from the tree to the wagon "well we could form a line and do it one at a time I suppose or. . . . a pulley!"

Intrepid Explorer Rawr pauses and realizes that there's something else going on here. "Oh. . . erm, could I help maybe?"

Ebenezer points his index finger at Ari. "P-pulley! Have we got-got pulleys?" Glancing back to Rawr, he says, "Mn. Yes. If-if you don't break anything."

Intrepid Explorer Rawr unstraps and sets the thingamadoober down on the ground. Its tripod legs extend beneath it and it begins examining the surrounding landscape with its theodolite.

Abundantly Ari turns to Rawr "oh? What do you think?"

Intrepid Explorer Rawr flushes a bit and nods. "Don't break anything, got it."

Intrepid Explorer Rawr looks up at the treehouse and then at the water balloons. He shrugs. "Erm, dunno. My ideas don't seem to be working so well lately." He grins again, more Rawrlike.

Intrepid Explorer Rawr continues; "Something new'll come to me though. We'll just see how long it takes."

Ebenezer eyes the thingamathing with wary, narrowed eyes. "Hmn. Well," he glances back to the others. "M-might take longer to-to do one at a time, b-but it's safer?"

Abundantly Ari nods "probably" especially considering her vision of a rope slung over a branch holding a teetering wagon of balloons over them as they hoist it up

Intrepid Explorer Rawr examines the spiral-y roots carefully. "Maybe a bucket-brigade would work?"

Ebenezer answers Rawr, "I've n-not got any buckets. Have you?"

Intrepid Explorer Rawr looks to the device which looks back, somewhat surprised, before beginning to lurch away unsteadily on its tripod feet. He turns back to Ebenezer. "Nope, doesn't look like it."

Abundantly Ari hmms "I have a backpack, I could empty it..."

Ebenezer points to Ari. "Oh! That! That-that could work-that could work!" He pats himself down and decides. "I've n-not got anything on that I-I can take off."

Abundantly Ari removes from with or from straps on the sides varied things including: A paperclip rope, paper heart, half melted Xaneca Chocolate Bar, soft blue pillow, a mouse toy, various stickers

Abundantly Ari continues her emptying: a pressed flower, some news clippings revolving around friends adventures, a druid staff from a rain tree a dried up seahorse, a bottle cap badge, a tiara and a shovel

Abundantly Ari sets them aside neatly

Ebenezer leans, looking over Ari's shoulder to see what she's got. Adjusting his spectacles, he comments, "I l-like your paperclips. And the--" He points to the pressed flower. "Did you do it?"

Abundantly Ari shakes her head "it was a gift, the paper clips were for a raid, to scale the walls, very handy paper clips"

Intrepid Explorer Rawr peers curiously at the contents of Ari's backpack. "Oooh. . . " He's secretly envious of her amazing collection of `wondrous things.

Abundantly Ari holds up her empty bag "shall we get to work? Still need to test and all"

Intrepid Explorer Rawr nods. "Yes, of course." He takes a proper backpack-passing position so he's just a cog in the machine. . . the machine of water balloon projectiles!"

Ebenezer admires Ari's collection for a short while longer before nodding. "Yes. Work to be-to be done!" He proceeds to take balloons from the wagon and transplant them to the backpack.

Ebenezer reluctantly lets Rawr take the place of taking balloons from the wagon. It's much more efficient, he must admit.

Abundantly Ari scrambles up into the tree to await deliveries

Intrepid Explorer Rawr grins and takes his place among the spiral-y roots of the tree, ready to accept balloons! Lots of balloons!

Ebenezer takes too-much-time loading up the balloons. He's being very careful. When the bag's full up, he deeeelicately passes it on to Rawr. "Careful."

Intrepid Explorer Rawr nods and gingerly accepts the backpack. He stretches upward and passes it along gently to the Ari above him.

Abundantly Ari accepts the bag and vanishes between the two trunks to the platform, the sound of water balloons bouncing and rolling across wood can be heard as she reappears, it does not sound like any popped

Abundantly Ari hands the empty bag back to Rawr

Intrepid Explorer Rawr glances upward, slightly surprised to see nothing falling upon his head from above.

Intrepid Explorer Rawr takes the bag back and passes it back to Ebenezer.

Ebenezer bounces on his heels. "My, th-this is a very efficient little-little system, isn't it," he comments, elated. He accepts the bag and re-fills it. Back to Rawr. A lovely, repetitive process.

Intrepid Explorer Rawr passes the bag back to Ari with a bit of a yawn. He begins poking back at the trunk of the tree.

Abundantly Ari takes the balloons again, alas Eben is not the sort to overfill the bag so she can't quite justify one falling on Rawr, at least not till she is mostly done her job, flip, dump out, return the bag

Abundantly Ari dumps balloons on the platform, the bounce and bump amongst there fellows around the platform, stopped from going out by either Ari or the lack of gaps between the trunks

Intrepid Explorer Rawr returns the bag once again, looking curiously off to elsewhere.

Intrepid Explorer Rawr receives another bag of balloons and passes it dutifully on to Ari, with a question; "Wha'cha doin' up there?" he asks.

Abundantly Ari turns back to return the bag oblivious to the balloon that bounced off another at just the right angle to roll for the edge and right between her legs, she makes a grab for it at the last moment

Abundantly Ari was too late to catch one of the sneaky balloons which rolls between her legs and off the platform, bouncing off a knot in the tree and heading Rawr-wards

Intrepid Explorer Rawr catches a mouthful of balloon which promptly bursts on his face. With a gasp, splutter and cough he stands there, a bit stunned.

Abundantly Ari smiles sheepishly "um, emptyin backpacks?"

Intrepid Explorer Rawr nods. "Yeah, into what?" he splutters and wipes water off of his face.

Abundantly Ari frowns "into? I was just dumping them out..."

Intrepid Explorer Rawr blinks. "Oh, okay."

Ebenezer spins to pull a face at the tree. "Ari! You-you're not just leaving them all-all over-all over the floor, are you? You're suppose-posed to put them in the defences!"

Abundantly Ari blushes "but that would slow this part down!" plus they are rather pretty all over the place

Intrepid Explorer Rawr looks up a bit curiously and with a bit of trepidation. "Erm, I guess we'd best hurry it up then?"

Ebenezer gives a loud, vocal sigh. "Al-alright-alright. Ari, we'll-we'll sort that all out in a moment. L-let's just get the rest of these up there." He doubles his packing-efforts!

Intrepid Explorer Rawr nods happily. "Yes indeed, then off we go shall we?"

Abundantly Ari finishes unloading balloons and nods "lets get to the fun part!"

Intrepid Explorer Rawr nods excitedly. "I like fun parts!"

Abundantly Ari disappears onto the platform

Ebenezer brushes invisible dust from his hands. "A j-job well done." He waves his hands at Rawr. "Af-after you-after you. Go on-on up, then."

Intrepid Explorer Rawr ponders wether or not he should follow her.

Intrepid Explorer Rawr is done with pondering. "Okay, up I go!" he scoots up and into the tree.

Ebenezer follows, clumsily. Fortunately for him, this tree is a very easily climbable one.

----


Abundantly Ari stands amidst a sea of colourful balloons with a bright grin, only a handful have popped, their remains hidden by the rest

Intrepid Explorer Rawr pokes up onto the platform and peers about.

Abundantly Ari warns, "Gotta kinda shuffle so you don't step on them"

Intrepid Explorer Rawr is very impressed with all of the balloons. "Ooh, pretty colours!"

Intrepid Explorer Rawr shuffleshuffles about looking around the place he'd been in just a little while ago.

Ebenezer makes his way up, knees wobbling. He clings tightly to branches to keep himself steady. "Oh, what-what a mess," he declares.

Abundantly Ari beams at Eben, "A pretty one though!"

Intrepid Explorer Rawr peers about. "So whadda' we do now?"

Abundantly Ari points to the pulleys, "We follow those to where is all gets loaded and then test the firing part"

Ebenezer waves a dismissive hand at Ari. "Let's g-get all these picked up. Erm. Loaded. In-into the defence-things," he says, nodding to the levers and pulleys.

Ebenezer points to Ari. "That."

Intrepid Explorer Rawr peers about curiously again and nods. "Okay, show me how'n where. . . dunwanna put one in the wrong spot, right?"

Abundantly Ari blinks, Eben's tone kind of makes playing with balloons sound like cleaning your room but she nods "yep. . . do you know how?"

Ebenezer likes cleaning his room, as a matter-of-fact. "Erm. No. I d-don't know how. You-you show-you show?"

Intrepid Explorer Rawr peers on curiously, honestly very interested but quite wary of all of the curious contraptions up here. It would not be the first time he's been shot halfway across the Island by something.

Abundantly Ari climbs up and looks over the doohickeys and thingmabobs "I think a balloon can sit on this bit here maybe? The launchy bit is easy at least" and they gave him a parachute before launch at least

Ebenezer laments, "Who'd-who'dve thought that a Tea Tree's water ba-balloon defences would be so com-complicated?"

Intrepid Explorer Rawr did have a parachute, and had a great time! "Well, maybe we could test it out once?" he asks with only a little trepidation.

Abundantly Ari nods "there are storage bins too at least, those are easy enough to fill up and then we can try to fire some things"

Intrepid Explorer Rawr adds; "Just so long as some things do not include a Rawr."

Intrepid Explorer Rawr has no parachute this time.

Abundantly Ari nods "This fires at the ground not the sky, can't launch people here"

Ebenezer points to Ari. "Bins! L-let-let's get all of them in-into the bins. The bins. G-get them off the floor!" He waves. "G-go on, then!"

Intrepid Explorer Rawr is not quite so sure about that, but he nods anyway. "Oh, okay." Persuaded by Ebenezer's insistance, he begins collecting up balloons and placing them in bins, remarkably not breaking any!

Abundantly Ari scrambles out of the branches back to the deck and gets to work cleaning

Ebenezer seems to've finally gotten steadier on his feet. He bravely lets go of his support-branch and shuffles out into the platform to help pick things up. The first balloon he touches snaps. "Engh!"

Intrepid Explorer Rawr stifles a chuckle that Ebenezer is the first one to break a balloon up on the platform. He has forgotten, despite still being a bit soggy, about the one that hit him earlier.

Abundantly Ari giggles

Ebenezer pretends that indignity didn't occur! Ahrrm hrrm hrrm! He shuffles about, collecting balloons and gently depositing them into the bins. "Al-alright. After th-they're all picked up, test."

Ebenezer supposes that the promise of testing will encourage the others to work faster.

Intrepid Explorer Rawr scootscootscoots about the floor, eagerly picking up balloons and depositing them in the bins. He is not without casualty though, as one or two balloons pop! in his grasp.

Abundantly Ari carries far to many as usual, catching them as the fall and returning them to her pile until she reaches the buckets and dumps them in

Intrepid Explorer Rawr oohs at Ari's agility. He is quite impressed.

Ebenezer also oohs. "Ar-Ari-Ari-Ari! Question! Have you ev-ever-have you ever tried juggling?" Quick, he adds, "D-don't try it now. Not-not with defence-balloons."

Abundantly Ari blinks and several of the ballons she was carting fall with a splash "juggling?"

Intrepid Explorer Rawr slips in the newly-splashed water and slides across the floor, popping several more balloons as he goes. "Whoop!"

Ebenezer winces at the nearby watery explosions. "J-juggling. You-you know?" Clumsily, he mimes a juggling motion with both hands. "I'm sugges-gesting you try it out s-sometime."

Abundantly Ari looks down at the balloons "you think I could do that? That would be super!"

Intrepid Explorer Rawr continues sliding until he reaches the trap door in the floor. He continues Whoop!ing until he collapses on the ground below.

Abundantly Ari scrambles amongst the balloons and drops down to peer down "I think he is okay, he is snoring. . ."

Ebenezer twists to tip a nod to the trap door. "G-goodbye, Mr. Rawr!" Looking back to Ari, he says, "Well, you m-might try it. Erm. B-better chance of it than I've got, I'd think."

Abundantly Ari nods and dumps one last load of balloons into the bins before looking them over "what colour do you think?"

Ebenezer answers at once, "Red. I think-I think red is best for-for a test-launch." He shuffles closer to examine all the launching-levers and do-whackies.

Abundantly Ari selects a big red one and sets it on what seems like the most likely launching spot for one of the contraptions then slides down "okay I think I know the launching bits but we need a target!"

Abundantly Ari hmms "I will be right back!"

Abundantly Ari scrambles down out of the tree

Ebenezer answers, "T-too bad Rawr's gone-gone to sleep, eh? We'll j-just have to aim for, erm. Trees." He points. "Th-that tree there, I think."

Ebenezer ohs, quieting to watch Ari. She seems to have an Idea!

----

Abundantly Ari runs over to her pile and grabs the shovel then hurries to the tree line, she sets the tip in the ground and hops on it a few times so it stands straight firmly, her skirt is tied around the handle

Abundantly Ari eyes it critically and adds her hat to the cape before nodding, perfect!

----

Abundantly Ari returns back tripping over herself in her eagerness "I made a target!"

Ebenezer claps his palms together. "I-I-I see-I see-I see! P-perfect! Now-now let's try and aim this contrap-traption." He fiddles with the launcher, trying to line it up, eyeballing.

Abundantly Ari grins, Eben already seems to have a good idea of what to do so she watches, "tell me when you are ready and I will count down!" she scrambles into the higher branches as a look out

Ebenezer squinches one eye closed and crouches, trying to get a better line-up-angle. Finally, he's ready. "C-count down! Fantas-tastic idea. Go on!" He bounces straight, hand hovering over the lever.

Abundantly Ari leans out, hand over her eyes, looking at the target "Target is in our sites General Ebenezer! Get ready! Aim! Fire!!"

Ebenezer throws the lever! The balloon soars majestically, jigglingly, and ker-splodes to the left of the target. "Engh! Re-retry-retry!" He scrambles for another red balloon.

Abundantly Ari calls "target has been alerted of our presence! Situation critical! Fire at will!" the shovel. . . doesn't move

Abundantly Ari grins and hops out of the branches and makes her way down to the ground with a shout of "Kittymorph down!"

----

Abundantly Ari hops of the the tree and snatches up the shovel, the cape covers her head to hide her identity and she runs back and forth with it shouting undiscernable

Abundantly Ari, in the guise of a shovel, is shot by the General! She falls with a thump

Abundantly Ari lays sprawled out, arms akimbo, the shovel atop her as she giggles

Abundantly Ari scrambles to her feet and back into the tree

----

Ebenezer re-loads and tap-tweaks the launcher's aim. He fires again. SPLASH! Direct hit! The shovel wobbles. "Ha!"

Abundantly Ari, in the guise of a shovel, is shot by the General!

Ebenezer announces, "That-that was a good hit. Moving tar-target and all!" He must be a very good General.

Abundantly Ari peeks her head up in the entrance "good job sir!"

Ebenezer bounces on his heels, back straight and shoulders squared. "Yes, it-it was-it was, thank you!" A pause. "Oh, are-are you alright, by the way?" She does seem just fine.

Abundantly Ari pulls herself up into the tree and nodnods "I am okay but if I were a panthzer I would have run away on account of the super skilled marksman defending the tree!"

Abundantly Ari adds conspiritorily "Panthzers do not know how to have water balloon fights"

Ebenezer exhales a puff of air on his fingernails and buffs them on his shirt-front. "Well, y-you-you know, I've had lessons. Mark-marksman lessons. So, erm! All-all the panthzers had better look out."

Abundantly Ari nods "never known anyone that could shoot a doohickey of water balloons at a running shovel so well! It was really great" she actually looks a little awed

Ebenezer won't admit that his hit was probably a fluke. "I've g-got a gun. A real one. Car-carbine. Flintlock. I sh-shoot targets sometimes," he brags. "Oh, you-you should practice too, I think."

Ebenezer tacks on, "W-with the doohick-hickey, I mean. N-not a carbine."

Abundantly Ari takes one last look at the water balloon stores "Dave might know about how to load lots at once and the other launchy gizmos but I think the defenses are set here now, it is safe for tea time"

Abundantly Ari blinks at Eben "You do! You can?! You are good at everything!"

Ebenezer checks his pocketwatch, pulling a face. "I'd r-really better head out, I think. I'll t-teach you how to-how to fire one of these anoth-nother time," he says, as if she needs his instruction.

Ebenezer bahs, waving a hand. "G-good at everything? No." His ears redden considerably. He offers Ari a businesslike handshake.

Abundantly Ari nodnods "okay then! I will practice too and you can tell me what is wrong when you get a chance and I will be sure to refill balloons when they are needed too, if I use lots"

Abundantly Ari ignores the hand and gives Eben a hug "thank you"

Ebenezer oofts, clapping Ari on the back with his palm. "V-very welcome-very welcome, Ari. Erm. And you. Thanks."

Abundantly Ari smiles up at him before releasing him "bye Eben, luck with whatever you are off to do!"

Ebenezer ahrrms and tips a full bow to Ari, mumbling, "G-good work-very good work to-today. We'll do more anoth-nother time. Good seeing you." He straightens and offers a momentary smile.

Ebenezer says, "Yes, goodbye!" Carefully, he makes his way down the branches, back to the ground.

Abundantly Ari follows him down with her backpack

---

Ebenezer nods goodbye to Ari and the tree. Grabbing the wagon's handle to pull it along with him, he heads out into the jungle.

Abundantly Ari hops down and fills her backpack up with her treasures before yawning, she returns to the tree for a nap