Reykjavík into Southern Iceland, Monday, February 18, 2019 [Daytime]

[heroic_jawline]

It's colder today--a high of only 32 F (0 C) is expected, but it's sunny and bright--perfect for taking pictures of beautiful national parks, stunning waterfalls, and impressive geysers. Which is good because that's what we're seeing today! Everyone grab some breakfast and get on your minibuses--it's time to explore Iceland!

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HOTEL

[heroic_jawline]

Good morning from Hotel Thingholt! Get up, grab a shower (or a quick bath if your roommate isn't in it), and head down to the breakfast buffet before it's time to get on the buses.

Don't leave anything in your rooms--we won't be back here until Friday!

Rooms - 2/18

[heroic_jawline]

For all of your waking up posting needs!

[OOC: Your room assignments are here. As always, move NSFW stuff to personal journals, please and thank you!]

Breakfast

[heroic_jawline]

It's an international hotel, so the breakfast options are pretty varied and moddable. There's also traditional Icelandic yogurt (skyr, so yummy), Hafragrautur (thick oatmeal, served with brown sugar) and coffee strong enough to practically walk away on its own.

Boarding the Minibuses

[heroic_jawline]

"Okay, here are the assignments," Steve yelled out, "so listen up!"

Then he read out the names from the clipboard:

Minibus One:
Norman
Jughead
Nell
Mae
Lana
Trevor
Cara & Surreal
Jack & Kaidan
Anakin
Rosa & Miguel

Minibus #2
Prompto
Sidon
Paris
Bobby
Keyleth
Kat
Wade & Vanessa
Kanan & Hera
Brooke & Mike
Amaya

Minibus #3:
Khadgar
Tip
Vette
Yang
Breq
Steve & Tony
Summer
Clint, Kitty & Lexi
Karolina

Minibus #4:
Beaker
Entrapta
Peebee
Astrid
Sabine
Aphra
Hannibal & Jono
Magnus & Octavia
Deandra

"Please get on in an orderly manner," he added optimistically.

[OOC: Add which bus you're on in the subject line for interaction and remember that your conversations will be heard by everyone on that bus. Because bus. If I forgot someone, ask Steve and he'll get you IG sorted out.]

Re: Boarding the Minibuses

[sharp_man]

Hannibal took one look at the roster for their bus and did his very best not to facepalm.

He looked over at Jono, and kept his observation to his thoughts. We'll be lucky if the entire bus doesn't explode.

He knew you, people. He listened to radio. He suspected this bus was a perfect storm of combustibles.

Re: Boarding the Minibuses

[biotic_psychotic]

"Great, they spread my kids the fuck out," Jack muttered, casting poor Steve a minor third-degree glare. "Jon and Dr. Lecter are on Astrid and Peebee but I ain't so much worried about her as I am Astrid," she mumbled, "Vette and Yang are on with Summer and Kitty and people I don't know. They both better have a goddamn weapon hidden on 'em or I swear to fuck I will fail them."

She would not. She was just a little worried.

Also a little annoyed and trying to be charitable by assuming they'd mixed everyone up in some sort of stupid fucking 'get to know other people' nonsense.

Jon? You know any of the adults on bus 3? Summer 'n Kitty are great but tell me at least one of those fucking adults can hold their own if shit goes south. Two of my goddamn kids are on that fucking bus.

Re: Boarding the Minibuses

[throughaphase]

Was Kitty hearing those assignments and thinking "oh thank god"? Yes. But she was not saying it out loud.

She didn't realize Vette was a bus-stealer.

Re: Boarding the Minibuses

[heinous_bitch]

Was Kat maybe blaming Paris for the bus she ended up on? Yep!

If anyone sang, she swore to god...

Re: Boarding the Minibuses

[hashtag_chocobro]

Prompto's face may have split into a grin as his name was followed by another on their list. He didn't need to hear a word more.

"Alright!" He turned that grin up (and up and up) at Sidon, throwing up a hand for a high five. "Major bro time, dude!"

He. Had. SO MUCH. To talk to him about.

Re: Boarding the Minibuses

[uncertain_dume]

"Hey, a bus I don't have to drive," Kanan mused, grinning a little. "I can get used to that."

And not a single bus thief in the group? There had to be some kind of catch.

And We're Touring...

[heroic_jawline]

Driving Through Thingvellir National Park

[heroic_jawline]

Welcome to Thingvellir National Park (Þingvellir), where the world’s oldest existing parliament was founded in the 10th Century. Thingvellir is where you can see how the Eurasian and North-American tectonic plates have drifted apart: they move quite slowly, approximately 1.5 cm each year. We won't be staying long enough to notice them drifting, but we will definitely stop for a photo or six.

Photo Stop

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For taking pictures, sketching, and interactions with not-you-busmates!

As We're Driving

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For pointing out cool things to your busmates!

[OOC: Label which bus you're in so others can interact with you!]

Gullfoss Waterfall

[heroic_jawline]

At Gullfoss we'll admire the roaring waterfall whose flow stems from the glacial river, Hvítá. This is your first chance to really feel the grandeur and power of Icelandic nature, so...selfie time! There will be time for lunch in the cafe and a chance to buy about a billion kinds of tea and salt in the gift shop before getting back onto the buses to head for some geysers!

Re: Gullfoss Waterfall

[biotic_psychotic]

Oh yes. Jack was admiring the falling water and then she was in the gift shop the second the tour-guide said salt.

"What do you have in electric blue? I need electric blue salt," she asked, "It's important and I just might die without it."

The clerk looooooked at the crazy American and politely walked her over to the entire array of waterfall-themed salts. There was something in an electric sea-blue?

That would work! Jack picked it up and proudly carried her trophy to be rung up.

She was going to conspire with Kitty and Hera and then make some poor bartender cry that evening and then she was going to give Kanan a new and improved Kanan.

Re: Gullfoss Waterfall

[chirpchirpchirp]

Okay, Vette had to admit that the waterfall was actually pretty neat. And... this was not a thing she admitted to often. Oooo, natural grandeur and stuff.

She glanced back toward the buses.

Maybe she wouldn't hotwire the bus she was supposed to be on. That would be too obvious. Which one was the cranky bus driver on...?

Re: Gullfoss Waterfall

[seriesofbaddecisions]

Sabine made a point to go straight to the cafe to get something she could bring on the bus without everyone hating her, because otherwise she wouldn't eat.

For the rest of the time, it was back to taking pictures, and video, so she'd be able to check out the movement of the waterfall later. So sue her, she liked pretty things.

Re: Gullfoss Waterfall

[goldfishontherocks]

This was ... this was the kind of thing that made Keyleth feel much less out of place in this world.

She had a silly fur-lined hood on to cover both her ears and the antlers of her circlet, but the awed look on her face as she stood there and just took in the power of the roaring waterfall was unmistakable.

Re: And We're Touring...

[heroic_jawline]

Sing songs! Make friends! See what everyone else picked up in the gift shop! Decide you hate being on a bus already on this, the first day of the trip!

[OOC: Label which bus you're in!]

Bus #2

[revengenotebook]

Paris was industriously...casting on to her needles. And then unraveling them. And casting on again.

She hadn't learned how to add on another row and holding knitting needles and pulling up a YouTube tutorial on a slightly bumpy bus ride was just not happening right now.

Bus #3

[justice_undone]

"Does anyone know a song?"

Breq, who had been humming to herself for most of the trip so far, figured someone must know a song.

Geysir Geothermal Area

[heroic_jawline]

At the Geysir Geothermal Area we’ll see the Great Geysir, the geyser that all the other geysers are named after. We will also witness the nearby geyser, Strokkur, erupting: hot water and steam are spewed about 30 m (100 ft) into the air every 5 to 10 minutes. Don't stand too close. No one wants to drive back to the capital because you're an idiot.

Re: Geysir Geothermal Area

[biotic_psychotic]

This was impressive. Detonating water raging into the sky like the fury of Terra given outlet.

Jack was back out of the range of the splash zone. Not far enough that a couple rebound droplets weren't hitting her but that? Just made it more perfect. They'd cooled enough that it was uncomfortably warm bath water instead of 'and now you have blisters you idiot'. Plus it put her in front of where she'd let anyone else go so that worked out well.

OOC

[heroic_jawline]

Ugh, today has been so frustrating.

Evening post will go up around 1PM1:30 Eastern Time because my day is a tire fire.