You were saved you from that overwhelming horde of spirits by... a monster.
Okay, okay, stay calm. This is fine! It's just a monster!
Who is currently towering over you, with fire burning in his palm.
...No, no, really, calm down.
Right now, you too appear as a monster!
It should be fine if you just talk to him normally, monster to monster!
Nino: Question the man, just in case.
- Meimona: ...
- Nino: U-uh... Yeah!
- Nino: We're fine...
- Nino: Wait, no! What if...
- Nino: This is just another ruse?
- Nino: A-are you real?
- Nino: Like, a real and safe person?
- Nino: Not a spirit again...?
- Solis: Oh. Certainly.
Solis: Prove it.
With a completely straight face. Not even slightly flinching.
He then proudly shows you his fresh scar, oozing warm blood.
What the fuck.
- Solis: See.
- Nino: W-whoa! Ummm...
- Nino: You didn't have to go that far...
- Solis: It's the most surefire way to confirm, no?
- Solis: You can be sure once the minute passes.
- Nino: ...
Really, what... the hell is happening.
Nino: Do you recognize him from anywhere?
- Solis: See?
- Solis: You have nothing to worry about.
- Nino: Oh... I...
- Nino: I see, yes. Yeah. Ahaha.
What is going ON, dude.
But, if this guy is real, then...
That's a big tall monster who can just burn things.
Well, is there any chance that this could be a spirit, though?
Let's see, if spirits grab their images from people's memories, then, uh...
...
Solis: You can put those fires out, right?
And last time you checked, Mei's never been to the monster world before!
She also looks just as confused as you are.
So, it seems... this guy is real.
A real big tall scary monster dude fella who can set thin air on fire.
No, uh, uhhh... don't panic now.
You've just gotta play it safe here. Reeeeal safe.
Nino: Ask who the heck this orange shirt guy is.
Maybe he's some sort of guard, then! He certainly has the physique for it.
But, in this vast, vast desert...
Is there even anyone or anything to be guarding?
You briefly consider asking just who exactly this orange-shirted dude is, but... doing that will likely invite him to ask about you in return, won't it?
You'd rather not risk it.
Right now, it's best to tell him as little about you as you can manage without seeming suspicious, and to go your separate ways as soon as possible too!
Solis: How did these lost kids even get this far out into the desert?
- Solis: Tell me, where did you two come from?
- Solis: Are you travelers, by any chance?
- Solis: You should know that Niyran's deserts aren't very welcoming in these hours.
- Nino: ...Aaah, see, Mei!
- Nino: I told you coming here was a bad idea!
- Meimona: H-huh?
- Nino: But you just had to go get yourself lost, didn't you?
- Nino: Man, it was so much trouble looking for you...
--/-->
- Meimona: Umm...? What-
- Nino: Still!!
- Nino: I'm glad you're safe now.
- Nino: Don't run off like that ever again, okay?
Nino: Be cautious.
- Meimona: Wuh!?
- Nino: I mean it.
- Nino: You'd better stick close to me.
- Meimona: (N-Nino!)
- Meimona: (Wuuuhat are you doing!?)
- Nino: (Shh. Just play along.)
- Nino: (I'll do the talking.)
- Meimona: (...Oh...)
Well, it doesn't matter right now. You've got no choice but to do things this way.
Thankfully, Mei's always been good at keeping up with your acting.
Lost Kids: Lie directly through your teeth.
You need to come with something! Ummm...
Well... there's not a lot you could use, is there?
Ultimately, all you need is an excuse to peel off from this guy.
Let's see, the only other place you know in the monster world, is...
--/-->
- Nino: Red Tulip... you know that town?
- Solis: Ah. That's quite far.
- Solis: What made you travel all the way here, to a barren desert?
- Nino: Umm...
- Nino: I didn't really want to do that, actually!
- Nino: It's my friend who decided to go here!
- Nino: Well, not here-here, specifically...
- Nino: Hanging out in a barren desert was not the plan at all!
- Nino: But, like I said...
- Nino: My friend kinda just ran off along the way.
- Nino: And I guess she got herself lost!
- Nino: I went looking for her, and we, uhh,
- Nino: Kinda just ended up stranded in here-here.
- Solis: ...
- Nino: You get me, man...?
- Solis: I got you, yes.
It's kind of difficult to get a read on this guy!
You have no clue what he could be thinking right now...
But, hopefully, he's buying your act.
So far... things seem to be going okay.
Solis: You should make sure they get to safety. If there's more spirits hunting around here, you could all be in trouble.
You NEED to get away from this guy!
It's a miracle your disguise has kept in place until now, or maybe a stroke of luck, but... who knows if it won't suddenly fail at some point?
You'll be in the deepest shit imaginable if it does that in front of a scary monster guard, of all people!
- Solis: Didn't you hear me?
- Solis: We should get going as soon as possible.
- Solis: Otherwise, more spirits might show up.
- Nino: Ah, no! Um...
- Nino: Thanks for the offer, but...
- Nino: We totally wouldn't want to trouble you any more than we already have, haha!
- Solis: Rest assured, it's no trouble at all.
- Solis: Assisting all visitors of the desert is my job.
- Nino: I see, but uh...
- Nino: Really, I-I think we'll be fine on our own.
- Nino: Right, Meimona?
- Nino: Come on, let's go...
- Meimona: ...
- Nino: ...Mei?
Dammit, Mei, this is where you play along!
--/-->
- Meimona: ...Wait, Nino, I'm...
- Meimona: I'm still bleeding!
- Nino: Wait, what?
- Nino: I thought I patched that up...
- Meimona: Yeah, no!
- Meimona: And my legs still really hurt, too!
- Meimona: I... don't think I can stand up.
- Nino: Huh...
By the sound of things, Mei's injury is real.
You thought she was just playing along with your lie, but wow.
That... does look pretty bad.
Has she just been bleeding out this whole time?
Earlier, you'd applied some quick healing to stop the bleeding in the heat of the moment, but maybe that wasn't enough to last permanently...
Nino: Yet, this is a golden opportunity.
Please, dear god, let her get the hint.
You super want to not be around a monster as powerful as this guy right now.
Nino: Not everyone has a tolerance to pain as high as yours.
Doesn't Mei get how scary this feeeeeaaAAAAAAAWUGH HE'S RIGHT NEXT TO YOU
- Nino: (!!!)
- Solis: Are you alright, girl?
- Solis: How's your injury?
- Meimona: Ah, umm...
- Meimona: ...It hurts.
- Solis: I see.
- Solis: Looks like you did a great job keeping it clean, though.
- Solis: Can you bear with the pain for just a bit more?
- Meimona: Maybe...
- Solis: If you'd allow me,
- Solis: I can bandage it for the time being.
- Meimona: ...Ah! I'd like that, yeah...
- Solis: Great.
- Solis: Please excuse how makeshift this treatment is...
- Solis: I'll be sure to get you proper treatment in Buried Oasis.
- Solis: How do you feel right now?
You super want to scream "Holy fucking shit, Mei. Stop talking to this monster and let him leave us the hell alone", but you use every fiber in your body to stop yourself from spewing out stupid things like that out loud.
Point is...
You wish this winged would consider your position as a human in all of this.
Mei: Physically? Yes. Mentally? Traumatized.
Nino: Why're you even bothering to hide your healing ability? It wouldn't have made you look suspicious until you decided to try hiding it for no good reason! Letting this guy know your ability would surely have been worth being able to actually get away from him.
Mei: Say whatever you feel the need to. Nino clearly has no idea what he's doing, no reason to hold back for his nonsense plan.
Solis: Comfort the injured traveler.
Avery: Be somehow ok and hiding around the corner maybe?
Nino's original excuse to get away from Solis was that they wanted to get to a nearby town so Mei could rest. If he could just heal her injury on the spot, he wouldn't have that excuse, and if he revealed the ability after making the excuse, he would look suspicious.
Meimona: Tell him what you saw... minus Nino being a human, that would be bad.
Solis: Listen in as you treat her leg. She may not be able to walk for a while, but at least it shouldn't get that much worse.
Nino: Don't rush her, dumbass; she's in pain and still extremely freaked out. And she's not gonna accidentally get you outed either, just don't panic. The illusion should hold fine as long as Aria doesn't get hurt. Trust.
Aria and Reed: Question the spirit.
Nino: Heal Mei anyways, the monster would probably think you're a healer monster or smth.
Nino: Eat sand
i fully support this
this is the best prompt in oceanfalls history. we are never beating this.
Solis: Question the chances of a winged and a monster from Red Tulip Town wandering this close to the barrier on accident.
Ah, I forgot about the Wednesday updates! I still have to get used to the new schedule...
Mei: Agree.
Nino: Just go along with it for now. It would be more suspicious if you kept refusing.
Nino: Check to see if the monster is invited to the party!
Nino: Are you absolutely certain you've never seen this monster before? Not even in a picture?
Solis: Ask for their names.