Video + action | User ID error, unknown sender

[callada]

[The video begins pointed at what looks to be a stone slab of some sort with an unusual symbol carved into it.]

Anyone know what this is? Or where? The SmartSnail location isn't working down here.

[That's not entirely the fault of where he's at; it's intentional on his behalf. But the question still stands. Rosinante backs away from the symbol to reveal that it's on a large stone door, then slowly rotates around his current location to show it in the video feed. He seems to be in some sort of interior - a cave, or a collapsed ruin perhaps, given how the stone surfaces look worked but worn. It's lit dimly by bioluminescence that grows on the walls themselves, twinkling and pale blue-green, and in that illumination the edges of a statue at one end of the cave is visible - a warrior, holding a chalice raised to the sky while winged people encircle him. The passageways look to continue in at least two directions and a faint buzzing is heard. Interference in the video? Or insects? Who knows, as the video ends there.]

---

[While awaiting any replies, or guidance of any sort, he stays near the door and the statue for now. The buzzing hasn't stopped, even with the snail tucked away in his pocket. It's pretty down here, but he'd like to leave. Or maybe find someone else stuck down here so at least he has someone to talk to.]

Comments

[callada]

That sounds like a good deal to me.

[Sounds like too good a deal. His alternate self out there, wherever he is, is living such a fortunate life. It's almost unfair. At the current rate, rather than that fun life with friends and drinks and whatever else, he's just doomed to suffer at his brother's hands again, or if not his, then at the hands of the Marines for his theft and betrayal. It feels like he's just living on borrowed time and it can't last forever.

But especially if they can't find their way out of here.]

You want to tell me your name? And then I'll catch you up on what I've found down here so far.

[big_top_boss]

I'm Buggy. [He's got a hoard of titles and claims, but honestly for once that's not important. He's got bigger things on his mind, and god did his Rosinante help change him. Before that, he'd have been rattling off every claim to fame, to try to be impressive..

He's gonna miss his makeup buddy. But this is now his Rosinante too, so he's definitely rolling in good luck and good friends. And he's interested in seeing how different the two of them can be.

And he gets to subject this one with late night texts too so that can't be bad.] Yeah, tell me about it. It's gotta be important here, it's not your average place!

[callada]

[Ah, there, the name rings a bell now. One messaged him shortly after arrival. Buggy the Clown. One of the Roger Pirates.

A life with the Marines means that realization makes his blood run cold. He does his best to keep his expression unchanged, but - well, but this guy isn't even really a pirate, is he? Maybe he was never with Roger. Maybe Roger never existed in his world. He's more eager for a friend than an enemy or a tool of some sort and he knows he may regret it later but he can't refuse someone who seems so genuinely kind toward him. Being on his own for so long has been utterly exhausting on top of the last for years which had been even worse.]

Yeah, well - [He stoops to pick up his lighter and that gives him the second he needs to compose himself and continue on. Buggy? Never heard of the guy.] - It's a pretty short system underground. That way, where you came from, eventually ends in a cave-in. Over there it ends in a ravine and some rapids. But in between is just a couple rooms. Here, we're close to the main one.

[He turns and leads Buggy to the room with the statue and its chalice, and the carved stone door set into the wall.]

Unless you feel like climbing out of a ravine, that door might be the best way out of here. Just have to figure out how to open it.

[big_top_boss]

[He notices that slight shift in expression, and raises an eyebrow. Time spent with the Rosinante he knows has made him very good at seeing when he's uncomfortable, when he's thinking too much. And honestly, that nervous paranoia has been good at keeping his buddy alive, but it's not great for this emotional health. He needs to see a doctor or something about that...

Oh well. Not much can be done about it here anyway.] I mean, we could probably find a way up. But seriously, that's a lot of sweaty work! Not flashy, not fun! So let's see what we can do about this door. What have you tried? [He eyes it, dramatically, looking over the lines and symbols.] Eh, it's weird. Really old lookin'!

[callada]

Yeah. Old, and stuck. And I keep hearing buzzing, and I can't tell if it's everywhere or just behind that door.

[It's weird, but it's apparently not a problem. Not yet, anyway.]

I tried shoving it, tried seeing if I could dig out under it but the ground is too hard. Tried touching that symbol, but that didn't get me anywhere. Some of the stuff carved into it is the same as what's carved on that cup in the statue, though, I noticed.

[And boy would a translation help, he imagines. But whoever it is that Crocodile has on the case must not have an answer yet. It's so old he'd be surprised if anyone could translate it, and there's no knowing which world it's supposed to belong to anyway. Might be a long search.]

[big_top_boss]

[Buggy presses his head to the side of the door, maybe a little roughly. Ouch. Well, after listening for a moment or two he's no more certain about where it's coming from than his new buddy is.]

Lemme try. It's gonna be flashy! [He takes a few steps back, and launches his hands at the door, with a good deal of force. Nope, it didn't feel great and nothing happened. Not his intended result. His hands rub the now sore spots mid air, before reattaching.] Maybe it needs haki to get it moving. Or maybe there's a key hidden around. Old grand fancy places in the books always had hidden keys, haha! Maybe it's gotta do with the cup!

[callada]

[Ouch, that looked like it might have hurt. Also, damn that is one weird devil fruit this guy has.]

A hidden key? Yeah, maybe. That's smart. In the statue, maybe? In the cup?

[He hasn't actually looked in the cup. It's tall, even for him, and he walks over and stretches taller but can't see over the edge, even on tiptoes. Which, in retrospect was a terrible idea to attempt as it rapidly throws him off-balance, and he windmills his arms in the air for a second as he tries to steady himself but ends up plopping straight down onto the old stone floor.]

Oof. Ow.

[big_top_boss]

[Oh, some things never change. Rosinante and clumsy go together like pirates and ships. They're in a long term relationship, and that's just something that Buggy has come to accept at this point?]

You good? Did you see anything flashy in there?

[callada]

Uh- yeah. I'm fine. But I couldn't see all the way to the bottom. There was a spot of something dark on the inside. Rust, maybe, I dunno.

[Not that the stone it's made of can rust as far as he knows, but he's no geologist. He pulls himself to his feet.]

You can do that flying thing, right? What if you try?

[Presuming Buggy does: there's a layer of something old and brown on the inside of the cup. It's slightly gritty if touched, and leaves a dark stain if wiped away.]

[big_top_boss]

Yeah! Let me make a flashy move, and get a better look!

[He's always willing to go out of his way for Rosinante. New Rosi or old, he'll definitely split for without fuss. And once he separates his torso, he goes in for a better look. ] Kinda gross in there... [Buggy swipes his finger over the substance in the cup, and blinks at it. There goes a perfectly good pair of white gloves.] It's definitely gross! My glove is done for!

[callada]

Oh? Shame. The grime of centuries, but no key.

[He sure can think of all kinds of things that might have been poured into that chalice, once upon a time. But honestly it's probably just mud that dripped in from the ceiling at some point. Right?]

How small can you divide yourself up? Is that a weird question?

[big_top_boss]

I dunno, how small do you need me to go? I mean, I'm the flashy genius jester! I can do almost anything! I mean, within reason. So why are you asking?

[He comes down and reattaches, curious as to what Rosinante might be thinking about. His friend, hopefully including this version of him, has a sharp mind and is good at thinking between the lines. So if anyone has a good idea, it'll be him.]

[callada]

Just wondering if it's possible to dig out a gap under that door just big enough for you to get through. Then at least we'd know if it's worth bothering to open it up all the way.

[However that's done. The statue, the cup, something else in this room? He shoves his hands in his pockets and paces the perimeter, looking for anything else he might have missed. It's a shame he never studied dead languages for fun. Then again, there's a reason why that sort of thing was always discouraged if not outright illegal.]

[big_top_boss]

[That doesn't sound particularly comfortable. But it's doable.] It's possible! I'd rather not, but if we can't figure this out we might as well get digging!

[Buggy looks around a little more himself. Trying to see if he can get a look at places that Rosinante might not be able to effectively, he's got no clue about what the writing is and he doesn't care honestly. But this place reeks of potential treasure, and he doesn't exactly want to be stuck here for that matter.]

[callada]

[Potential treasure is right. Poking through the ruins with a careful eye might have shown a hint of just how wealthy or important the patrons of this place might have been, for the stone of the statue and door and parts of the walls and floor are made of something different from the rough natural cavern that intersects at the ravine, or that tumbles into the hallway where the cave-in occurred. This stone is fine-grained and lustrous. Worked smooth, polished, though age has covered some of that fine work with calcification and dust. But the statue and its alabaster chalice stand testament to the importance this place or its guests might once have held.]

Let's think a second before we spend time doing that. What's that on your glove, what was in that cup? Do you think it's just mud? What if it was wine or... something else? The writing on the cup looks a lot like what's on the door. What if instead of taking the key out of the cup, you put the key in it?

[Which is weird and almost magical, but he's seen magic now. Some places, it actually exists. Other places, things like devil fruit can look like magic to the untrained eye. Though if this is a devil fruit effect, that would mean the user is still alive somewhere...]

[big_top_boss]

[Buggy does have an eye for wealth, and potential treasure. But he's also someone who misses a lot of things, and he's really struggling with the need to get out. He doesn't like feeling trapped, but in the end he thinks if he's patient they can get out easily enough, and find some goods to maybe make this worth their while. And even if they don't find anything monetarily valuable they can take with them, just the information alone will be salable to the right person...

Oh, Rosinante's talking again. Gotta pay attention.]

Yeah, yeah, it was in the cup. I don't know what it is... [He hesitantly sniffs at his stained glove, like that will give him all the answers. Spoiler: It doesn't.] Yeah, so... [His twisted little clown brain is cranking, trying to work this out.] So if we fill the cup with the right stuff, maybe something will happen! FLASHY! That's good thinking, Rosi! No matter which one you are, you're smart!

[callada]

[He smiles at the compliment, then waves Buggy to come closer. Of all the things people have called him, he'll actually take smart. He'll appreciate that. It's one of the things he's fairly confident he actually is, though usually it comes in the form of tactics and planning, not opening mysterious doors.]

Maybe. Worth a try, right? Let me see your glove, maybe I can figure it out. If not, I guess we can try putting whatever we can find in there and hope we get lucky.

[big_top_boss]

Yeah! Let's give it a flashy go! [Buggy approaches, and then sends the stained gloved hand over to Rosinante. Index finger pointed towards him. Maybe his friend can make something of it that he missed. Buggy can sometimes get eluded by things, so he thinks that two heads are better than one in this situation...

This is also a very weird take on smell my finger.] So?! What do you think?

[callada]

[Naturally, a flashy go is the best kind. He has to lean down to have a look at the glove, and prods the stain, then smudges the powder between his fingers - and no he's not going to smell it, that's weird, even if it might help.]

I dunno. It's pretty dark. Stains easily. Could be blood, mud, wine? Mud's the easiest to test, we just need to get water back at that ravine.

[And he waves for Buggy to follow, hoping that the easy answer is the right one because where are they going to get wine down here? And blood... Well, at least they can do that if they need to but yikes.]

It's a cup, which makes me think wine but that's the worst possible answer!

[big_top_boss]

[Goes without saying! Also smart move, don't go smelling random fingers attached to disembodied hands.]

Mud first. Fine! Maybe it'll be easy that way! [Buggy follows and reattaches his hand as he goes, starting to get really excited now that there's some real plan to be had. Not that he wouldn't have figured it all out on is own eventually, that's obvious, he's too flashy for failure. But it's better to have a smart friend to do the mental heavy lifting for him, work smarter not harder and having someone else do the planning is the smartest work of all.]

I got a flask with me, but it's sure as hell not wine in it! Haha!

[callada]

Yeah? What's in it, anything good?

[He grins as he asks. Might as well find out what the guy likes to drink, he's been a good sport about all this and finding something intensely alcoholic once they get out sounds like a good idea.

Back to the ravine it is, though halfway there he manages to hit his head on a low part of the ceiling and reels backwards in pain, throwing himself off balance and straight to the ground. But. All in the normal way of things, and after shaking it off he gets right back up and continues on.]

[big_top_boss]

Apple brandy! It's some fancy stuff, guess they only make this type in one kingdom. Got it as a gift. Talk about a flashy present! But I'm worth it, haha! [And he put some rare and impossibly special celebratory alcohol in a flask to take with him, because that's just how Buggy does things. Why put cheap swill in when he can get drink overly expensive fancy gift booze instead?

But honestly, Buggy will drink anything if it comes down to it. If the level of stress or need requires it, the worst drink will still suffice. Chugged, but hey, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.

ooh, that looks painful. At this point, he knows better than to really fuss too much. Rosinante is just... that way it seems. Regardless of what version. And if he's gonna get back up and get to it, Buggy will just sigh and follow.]

[callada]

Sure sounds special. What kingdom?

[And if they're from different worlds, what are the chances he's even heard of it? Maybe he'll find out.

They come up to the edge, where the hallway drops off into rushing water. It's pretty far down, but with a little effort he could probably climb in and out. Or Buggy could fly down there. Seriously, what a talent.]

Hm. Dumb question, what can we put water in?

[Should have thought this through sooner but he's not really used to the whole suddenly-appearing-elsewhere thing and how it keeps making him leave stuff behind if he's not holding it.]

[big_top_boss]

Don't remember! I was already drunk when he was telling me about it. Guess it wasn't the best time to get a lesson about regional goods!

[He can't even remember the drink's specific name, it's got it's own fancy title, but it's lost to him right now. Between booze and excitement the fine details of that night are pretty much missing from his mind. Oh well, he made it out not only alive but well, so it's fine to not remember the little things...

He needs to start having someone just write shit down when he's drinking.

Buggy stops and stares at Rosinante's next comment, and sighs again.]

...Shit. I have something, but we're gonna have to enjoy some apple brandy first.

[callada]

No, no, I don't want to drink your special gift!

[That would just be cruel, when he had sounded so pleased by it! Exotic brandy? Something that should be savored, not gulped down just to open a door. Well. And potentially escape and not have to die down here, admittedly, but if they get to that point they might as well enjoy for the sake of sanity in their last moments.

But that's way too dark and he has another idea.]

You keep that. I can just, uh. Soak my hat and squeeze the water out, or something. Shirt, if I have to. Clothes hold a lot of water.

[What was it he'd been taught in his survival course? Something about how much a soaked shirt holds, simply as proof that you need to hydrate when sweating. A lot, that's more important than the number, but it's funny how things come back to him at times like this. That instructor would laugh if he saw how Rosinante was choosing to use the information now.]

I just gotta get down there.