[CLOSED] Operation German Quick Travel Points

[whiteshroud]

WHO: Jun, Ash, Harusmasa, Ana, and Fugo
WHERE: Europe (Germany/Italy specifically)
WHEN: Sometime in March before their lives inevitably blows up with drama again
WHAT: Roadtrip!
WARNINGS: None currently, will add as needed



It started with a simple enough dream for Jun: taking Varian to see Germany for his birthday.

However, it of course becomes a lot more complicated when Varian was cursed to never leave the presence of the Spirit Realm. Still, complications weren't enough to deter Jun. After spending months researching in private and making what arrangements he could from Kaisou, he's now in one of the final phases of his plan: traveling to a German Spirit Vein so he'll be able to teleport to it later.

For this, he's enlisted the help of his siblings, who agreed to travel with him and help be his guide. Not to mention, it was a good chance for them to spend some quality time together. Families are supposed to have roadtrips together. Fugo was also coming along, as a chance for him to see Europe with his boyfriend and get to know the family better.

And so, a quick teleport to Copenhagen and a RV rental later (Ash's idea), they were on the road.

[OOC: Catch all log for this trip! Feel free to make toplevels of any kind under the relevant subcomments]

Comments

ON THE ROAD

[whiteshroud]

[For any threads that take place while they are driving on the road or stopping briefly (like rest stops or gas stations). They are traveling in an RV with 5 people, with turns being taken by the people who can drive (not Jun and not Ana if you value your life). There's 5 people, a few pokemon pets, and a bangboo dressed like a fed and regularly strapped to a baby car seat. ]

at some point after leaving Copenhagen

[switchaxe]

Anyone wanna tell me why the FBI rabbit is in a baby seat?

[Or, really, why the have an FBI rabbit at all?]

[whiteshroud]

[Jun is sitting at the table, doodling in his sketchbook. Without looking up-]

He's too small to ride in a car without one.

[He says calmly like this makes the least bit of sense]

[switchaxe]

Okay one, that answers nothing. Two, it's an RV, we don't gotta worry about that.

[life_ethereal]

[Harumasa gasps dramatically.]

Agent Gulliver is part of the family! Of course it needs a baby seat in order to be safe in the car. You really wouldn't want a Bangboo being driven around without a seat belt!

[Eh-nah. (Executive Officer Asaba is correct.)]

See? Even Agent agrees with me.

[switchaxe]

Hazel, for all I know Agent just told me to go fuck myself. You could be lying. And it's an RV, we don't need a baby seat for an RV.

[whiteshroud]

[Jun has no drivers license, which immediately eliminates him from the pool of drivers. It's never been made clear why he never obtained one, but you might get an idea as he slides into the passenger seat next to the driver during the drive]

Soooooo I hear the German Autobahn has no speed limit, is that true? How fast do you think this RV could go?

[Nothing about any of his behavior this trip indicates he's in a rush. No, rather the glint in his eyes is pretty similar to the one he gets right before he does stuff like jump off buildings back in Kaisou. An adrenaline junkie seeing a a chance to get a hit.

Do not. Let him drive. ]

[switchaxe]

[Sweet mother of God, Jun, why are you like this?!]

Nope.

[whiteshroud]

Huh?

[Feigning innocence!]

What do you mean "nope"?

HOTEL

[whiteshroud]

[For any threads while staying in various hotel rooms during the trip. Jun is willing to pay for the hotel rooms, but he has a limited budget -- so they'll be staying at the European versions of Super8 or Motel 6. He'll get two rooms - a room for Ash and Fugo and their pets, and a room for everyone else (and the Bangboo). If you want something nicer, you gotta pay yourself.

Or you could always sleep in the RV. If being in it for 8-12 hours during the day wasn't enough for you. ]

[life_ethereal]

[Harumasa looks between the bed with a thin mattress and the ugly ass couch for a couple of seconds. And then he calls out:]

Dibs on the ugly couch!

[He immediately sets his backpack down on it to claim it. Harumasa then starts rummaging around inside of it while Agent Gulliver walks around the place with open curiosity.]

I've got an adapter and a power strip for us to use. That way, we're not fighting over who gets to charge what, especially since Agent over there needs to be charged overnight.

[whiteshroud]

[Jun was about to open his mouth to call the same dibs, but Haru quickly beats him to it. Damn he does not want to share a bed with Ana she might hit in her sleep]

Ngh-

[He looks around for a solution before spotting a spare pillow, giving him an idea. A moment later, a green fox like creature comes darting over, climbing on the bed in order to snag that pillow and tests out curling up on it]

Yes, it's big enough!

[life_ethereal]

[Harumasa gets bullied regularly by her while they're awake! He doesn't need to be bullied while they're asleep, too!!!

Oh, Apollo, he really doesn't want to coo at how cute that Carbuncle form is. Holy shit.]

I have no idea what kind of animal that form is, but it's extremely cute. That's not fair.

Milan

[switchaxe]

[As they enter Milan, Ash calls over his shoulder:]

Heads up, I'm payin' for the hotel rooms here. I dunno how long we're staying, but I can afford at least a couple of nights and frankly we all deserve a damn spa day.

[Jun has been paying for the hotel rooms the entire trip, and that just feels a little wrong to Ash. He wants to do something nice, so he settled on this.

Also he is going to be absconding with Pat for dinner, so like. Dinner for the boyfriend, rooms for his siblings that has enough beds for Ana and her wings.]

[whiteshroud]

[!]

Really? Are you sure?

[Oh one hand, he did say he would pay for things so he feels a little guilty of giving that up. But on the other hand....it's not like the hotel he found for tonight would be better than the last previous cramp places they've stayed.

It's telling that a folding chair was part of their promotional material]

[switchaxe]

Yeah. We're not gonna be here for long an' it's our last stop, so why not?

SIGHTSEEING

[whiteshroud]

[For any threads about catching the sights on their trip, visiting different places, eating at restaurants, etc. YOU KNOW THE PART OF THE TRIP THAT MAKES IT FUN.

Notable Locations include: Copenhagen, Hamburg, Frankfurt, the Black Forest Mountains, Swiss countryside, and Milan]

[life_ethereal]

A: Copenhagen

[Harumasa has traveled across Europe, but he's never been to Copenhagen. Mostly because Denmark had been far too close to the Baltics than he'd been comfortable with at the time. Now that he's here with his family, though, he feels much more at ease than he normally would be. ... That being said, Harumasa doesn't necessarily trust Agent Gulliver to behave without him around, so he spends a little bit of time trying to convince the Bangboo to let him carry it around.

Pretty much it boils down to the Bangboo speaking in ehn-ne-nah!!! And Harumasa replying like he can understand it with things like, "I know it's undignified and insulting, but nobody here can see that you're sentient!" and "They just think you're a toy or plush rabbit!"

Then, after a quick internet search:]

Ooooh, who wants to visit Rosenborg Castle with me? Apparently, it's got an incredible garden and it's the location of the Danish Crown Jewels.


B: Frankfurt

[On arriving in Frankfurt, he can't help feeling very nostalgic in a way. This had been one of his last homes in Europe before coming to America. It almost lasted as long as his home in Spain. It's kind of nice to see that nothing has significantly changed since he last lived here.]

I used to live here, so I'd be happy to serve as a tour guide! For our couples, I absolutely recommend the Eiserne Steg footbridge! It's tradition for couples to take part in "love locks," which is basically attaching a lock to the railing and then throwing the key as far into the river as possible. It's meant to be a symbol of undying love. And near the footbridge is the Goethe-Haus and Goethe-Museum! Definitely must-sees if you're a fan of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's works.

[He taps his chin thoughtfully.]

If we're looking for panorama views, there's the Emperors' Cathedral and the Main Tower, or we can check out New Old Town which is basically taking a walk through a recreated medieval German town. Wherever you guys wanna go, I can take you there~

A

[whiteshroud]

[It's really wild to watch Haru have a one-sided argument with a rabbit robot. He's been sitting to the side, just trying his best not to laugh at this bizarre scene. ]

You two reach an understanding?

[Agent Gulliver sounded so indignant there...]

And that sounds like fun! I never got much of a chance to sightsee the last time I was in Copenhagen, so I haven't been there.

[life_ethereal]

[Harumasa can only imagine how it looks. He picks up Agent Gulliver like an oversized stuffed animal.]

Yep, we're good. For now. Starting to think maybe I should get a baby sling or something. That'll be easier than carrying Agent around like this all day long.

[Think of his weak arms!]

Awesome! I've never been here at all, so this will be fun~! I can't say I've visited a castle before, either. That's always been on my bucket list.

B

[switchaxe]

["For our couples" and it's just him and Pat who are here as a couple. Please, Haru.

But, that's not important.]

When were you in Germany?

[Ash was in Berlin, but were they maybe five hours away from running into each other before the Order?]

[whiteshroud]

A. Various Locations
[Jun's certainly enjoying his time with his siblings, but he hasn't forgotten that he's on a mission here. So anytime they have stopped at a new location, Jun is taking some time to dig out a Spirit Energy reader that he borrowed from POKEGO along with a notebook to record the readings. ]

Going for a walk, I'll be back soon.

B. Restaurants
[As this trip has progressed, it's become increasingly clear that Jun's time in the outside world has been almost exclusively in the US. From him struggling with the metric system, to his well-meaning attempts to tip at restaurants, to his German language capabilities being very limited to what you'd find on language apps.

But at least he doesn't follow one annoying american tourist trend- he's not at all picky about the food. In fact, it seems to be the total opposite where he will stare intently at a menu until he finds a dish he's never heard of before and points at it]

Does this have pork in it?

[That's the only question he'll ask either his siblings or the waiter. If the answer is no, he orders it. He has no idea what he's ordering, but that's the point.

He does also, however, seem to be avoiding ordering any desserts- a rather out of character move for Jun. Instead, he'll simply add the name of any desserts he doesn't recognize to an ever growing list in his notebook. ]

B

[switchaxe]

[Ash glances over.]

Nah, s'chicken. [He points to another item.] Schwein is "pig". Anythin' with that word in it is gonna have pork. "Speck" is bacon.

[switchaxe]

All Over The Place

[Ash is here for three reasons and three reasons alone.

1. To spend time with his siblings.
2. To spend time with his boyfriend in Europe.
3. To get some goddamn decent chocolate and snacks without paying the import store's taxes.

You can guess which one he'll be found doing most often when they pull into a place to stop and stretch their legs. Ash has always eaten a lot, even as a kid, and dammit he needs fuel!

But also, in what is perhaps the most Zhongli-coded thing he has ever done, he also hits up Aldi for cheaper prices.]

I've missed Aldi, fuckin' hell.

[Yeah it's in the States, but still.]

Germany, Specifically

[As the resident German, Ash is on hand for translations and also making sure none of you guys get fleeced by sketchy fuckers who are counting on you not speaking German. He's from Berlin, not Hamburg or Frankfurt, but he at least knows the country enough to point out places you do not go to because they're tourist traps and will charge you extra.

At some point, though, he somehow gets conned himself by one particularly fed-looking Bangboo into carrying it, which means if you want photos of Ash with a baby sling walking his anxious Houndour, now's your chance.]

Closed to Fugo

Y'know, I never came this far south?

[Not that Frankfurt is terribly far away from Berlin by train, but still. He squeezes Pat's hand as they walk, taking in the sights.]

[infezione]

Well, I'm glad we got to have this chance together.

[He squeezes Ash's hand back, a smile on his face.]

Thanks for inviting me along on this trip, Ash.