A terrarium! Who: Sebastian (open if someone wants to play charades or Emma wants to hop in) When: Shortly after arrival. Where: South of Mike&Susie, East of Saint&Rob, West of Gilman&Serena, North of the Incubating Females. What: Like everyone else, Seabass is naked. However, he might be less confused. Warning: None.
Dr. Handsel had initially been quite enthusiastic about going into the caves. Not only were they shelter from the rain and protection from the elements, but they were exactly the sort of mysterious and dangerous beacon that drew the likes of Kesiah Tann. She'd gone off on some kind of scouting adventure with Dr. O'Neill and the pleasant bartender, none of which had returned. Sebastian knew that she was somewhat reckless, and likely to dive first regardless of potential rocks in the water. She might even theorize about the rocks before diving, but there'd still be a dive. Kesiah wasn't the type of girl who let herself be scared into inaction. She was all about the action.
It was really something to be admired, though it made being responsible for Kesiah's wellbeing a harrowing task. When someone had told him there were caves on the island, Sebastian knew that's where Kessie would eventually end up. They'd find her in the caves, or in the forest building a treehouse. But with injuries and wanting to keep Serena nearby, Sebastian hadn't been able to go look for Kesiah, on his own. He'd asked others to keep an eye out for her, to send her back... but that was about all he could do without abandoning something else. So when the rain started, and taking shelter was suggested, he was terribly relieved. Excellent! They were all going to go into the caves, and then Kesiah would be found his group, such as it was, could be reunited.
The rest was unexpected. He hadn't found Kesiah, but he'd fashioned a torch and managed to go down far enough to realize a torch was hardly necessary. Naturally occurring luminescence was a fascinating phenomenon, and Sebastian had allowed himself to be distracted by the light. When it flashed brighter, he'd actually smiled, amazed at the show.
When he came to, stripped of his clothing in a foreign environment, the good mood had admittedly been diminished.
"Now, what... seems to be the trouble?" He asked the hexagonal room, then shook his head and tried again. "What's all this, then?"
He gave the enclosure a thorough examination. Placing his palm against the floor, the wall, the tree, the organic matter that felt like... bedding? Was it bedding? Something struck a familiar chord with him at that. Arguing with a man in a reptile shop over the use of astroturf and paper in enclosures. Sure, it was technically safe enough, but what on earth would the animals think, surrounded by synthetics and processed environmental factors? They were already being asked to accustom themselves to glass walls and handling... why force them to adapt to unfamiliar bedding as well?
Bedding. Oh, dear. That's what it was. Bedding. He glanced around, grinning, for someone to enthuse about this theory with, but the only other person in the room was a naked girl who'd yet to gain consciousness. He considered placing the bedding around her, but after noticing that there were other people in identical enclosures, he opted to wrap it around himself, instead, for modesty's sake. On the opposite side of one of those walls was Serena, and the poor girl was going to be horrified enough at the situation without him adding to it. Men had a tendency to trigger her anxieties even when they were fully clothed. Luckily, she seemed to be placed alone. He didn't immediately see another person lying on the floor near her. That was good, at least! She'd likely prefer it.
It seemed warm enough for the sleeping girl. She didn't look terribly uncomfortable, so Sebastian didn't feel guilty about his theft. He examined the tree, instead, finding it to be a larger version of the branches he placed in his terrariums to add interest and cater to his climbing pets.
A terrarium! That's what it was. It had to be.
"Huh," he said out loud, reaching up to adjust his glasses, only to realize that they were gone. No matter, really. They were largely for reading and driving, anyway, and it didn't look like he was going to be called upon to drive anytime soon. Well, nothing ventured, he supposed. No time like the present to test a theory. He began to work his way up the tree to see if it would support his weight, unsurprised that it did. It seemed very secure. When he found the tubes in the ceiling, he exclaimed, "Aha!" With giddy triumph, dropping the sheet of bedding, and almost falling from the tree when he did. The water was fresh, and the paste tasted of... almost familiar flavors. They weren't flavors that he normally associated with each other... hints of sweetness and vague savories that weren't necessarily complimentary, but it was certainly edible.
Light and adequate heat. Safe, secure, highly visible enclosure. Food and water source. Bedding and climbing structure. He was absolutely right. It was a terrarium. Sebastian would stake everything he owned, including his reputation, on that.
"Now," he pondered. "Who's... keeping secrets?" No. Well, close, but no, that wasn't what he'd meant. Try again. "Who's keeping... human pets?"
Better, though not particularly helpful, since he couldn't see their captors. Sebastian let the tubes drop a bit, so that they'd be within reach without climbing the tree, just in case. Then he carefully worked his way down to retrieve the odd pseudoblanket and wrap it around himself again. It was strange, but he found it pleasant enough, if alien.
Aliens. Maybe? Kesiah would certainly want him to entertain the idea. The textile around his waist was certainly impossible to place, and it seemed to be generating a slight warmth of its own... not to mention a pulse that - upon closer inspection - was assuredly not electric in nature. He also couldn't identify what the walls, floor, and feeding tubes were comprised of. Though if he were to entertain the idea of aliens, he'd have to first admit that aliens existed (not something that was terribly unlikely, statistically speaking, so a small hurdle at best), that they'd somehow gotten to Earth (that was admittedly harder to grasp), and had - for some reason - abducted the survivors from the Mare Crisium to keep as pets in a system of terrariums (that was starting to sound downright ridiculous). Silly, really. But what evidence was there to the contrary?
Were they on some kind of giant ship, flying through the cosmos? No, likely not, but he couldn't strictly tell, could he? It was obviously an enclosure meant to keep them alive and in relative comfort. Not as stimulated as they should be, but it was likely that their captors didn't recognize their intelligence. More than likely, in fact. Humans often put reasonably intelligent animals in far too simple enclosures, as well. Fair enough, Sebastian thought, feeling a slight pang of guilt over his own pets. Their enclosures were generally adequate to their size, but he wasn't there to make sure that they were well cared-for. That they were all being regularly engaged.
He hoped his housekeeper was still feeding them.
He went over to the walls that separated them from a darker chamber, all dim, warm hues and strange figures... At first, he thought it had been filled with plants of some kind, but as he looked closer he realized that the vines extended from the ceiling were a part of the structure, and the figures suspended among them were animals. Various mammals. Oceanic and otherwise. Sea lions, lemurs... was that a human woman?
Sebastian stood transfixed, staring hard for a long time, observing (no men, there are no males whatsoever in there, none), forming theories. Figuring out why.
Then he turned to have another look at his neighbors. A man and a woman in every chamber, including his own, except for Serena...
No, no wait. There was a man in her chamber, as well, up in the tree. Someone Sebastian didn't recognize.