Nuages de Violet (a Shared Story exercise)

@ Lera- I guess. I thought about bringing Matt's wife into this with him, but decided against it because it would shut out potential interaction opportunities.

Matt gave her a smile and an appreciative nod. "Just doing what I can to help."

He moved back to his seat near the window and started to read again.

OOC: Maybe it's just me, but it seems like we could use some sort of plot twist if we want to get beyond pleasant conversation. Feel free to tell me to stop if this isn't what we wanted for this thread / it's breaking the tone / whatever. Of course, feel free to build off of / elaborate on anything I add here. (I also promise to stay away from the surrealism.)

OOC: Also, I believe that is the idea, yes.

Mizuki was listening to some music on her headphones now that Noah had gone off to hit on Yomiko over there.

Drinks moved around on the tray tables, as the plane began shaking. Billowy white and gray clouds could be seen in the distance out the side windows.

The seat belt light illuminated with a ding, as an announcement was heard over the plane, "This is your captain speaking. Looks like we've hit a bit of unexpected turbulence, so everyone please return to your seats, and we'll hopefully be out of this pretty soon."

edited 3rd Dec '11 6:40:53 PM by Sonzai

Oh, crap. Wilhelm puts on his seatbelt starts putting things back in his bag and pockets. Almost without thinking, he begins whistling a march.

(OOC: Let's make things more involving. Your character didn't come aboard just so they can sit in their corner - there must be something aboard the plane for them.)

She is hesitant on giving out her name to the suave stranger - Yomiko wonders if it's better to give a throwaway name for the trip; she bites her lip, but decides against it.

"I'm Yomiko," she says. "I'm on my way back home from vacation." It wasn't a very fulfilling break; when she asked her superiors for two weeks off, there was a lingering lethargy in her that made the days unbearable, whispering every minute that she is wasting her life stuck in the routine of filling paperwork.

Nowadays, there aren't many Villains for the British Library to handle. Sometimes you hate the stress (Yomiko didn't sleep for an entire day this one time, pouring over the maps for Mister Hardy's warehouse.. thank Columbia for their coffee!) but the ennui that fills the stretched-out idle chapters can strain on its own. Routine checking-up on locations and paperwork.. day after day, eventually it all seems unreal and you just want to run away, someplace far away from wherever you're are.

Maybe Noah's life is more interesting. "What're you flying to London for?" she asks him. "Are you on a business trip?"

Suddenly the plane rocks and she almost loses her footing, when she grabs onto a nearby seat. ("This is your Captain speaking, we're experiencing some turbulence.") Golly. She looks to the windows and notices the onset of darkened clouds. A storm is coming. Is this a sign from God?

edited 3rd Dec '11 6:59:05 PM by QQQQQ

Wilhelm stares out the window. He liked Munich. It was like being home. But Bianca said that London would be more like Berkshire, so that can't be too bad.

His fingers are restless agian, so as he begins whistling a sonata he wrote last month, he takes a few odds and ends from his bag and starts tinkering.

These "odds and ends" might be causing some trouble soon. Nothing really dangerous, just... trouble.

Thank the heavens — given what happens every time I've tried it before, I wasn't about to try and warm things up. And with Melissa trying to avoid notice, no wackiness will come from her.

Ordinary turbulence? Melissa hoped so. Surely. After all, the odds of a Sigma had only been... wait. Seventy percent. Those were good odds. Or, given what Sigma meant, more like bad odds.

Why couldn't it be something simple? Some al-Qaeda, Free Heart, or Grey Man terrorist to pump full of lead? (Did the Grey Men hijack planes? She knew they were a terrorist organization, and there was something about rogue U.N. operatives in there. But past that, they were still an enigma.)

At any rate, she was glad she'd brought her own parachute, and the rest of her equipment was safe in a drop pod. Given that it was meant to withstand orbital insertions (despite the fact that her organization was nowhere near being able to do something like that), it was certain to endure a crash.

As the turbulence started, Noah sat in his seat next to Yomiko. He hoped the plane didn't crash or anything, he would hate to have to swim to shore... assuming they were above water. He couldn't see much out the window because of all those dark clouds. "So... this plane is headed to London, eh? That's good... haven't been there yet. I guess you could say it's a business trip... I'm looking for someone... someone very important."

"..you didn't realize we're headed to London?" How incredulous. And he speaks of a 'Someone Important' like it's a personal vendetta. She better stay on her toes with him. Glancing at the windows, she says, "My, what stormy weather we're getting. I have to head back to my seat, if you don't mind."

Yomiko stumbles the aisleway back down to her seat, where she straps herself in with the seatbelt. It feels like the entire frame of the plane is rattling. If an accident happens.. well, maybe it'll be better than safe landing.

edited 3rd Dec '11 7:09:10 PM by QQQQQ

Wilhelm is so absorbed in his music and work that he barely notices the turbulence. He takes it as a good sign. He's getting better at the concentration thing that Bianca has always told him is so important in magic. On the plastic table that unfolds from the back of the seat in front of him, something that resembles a trilobite is sitting belly-up while Wilhelm puts the clockwork guts together.

OOC: @QQQQQ: Well, yes, of course. It's just that she's currently enforcing a Masquerade and I rather doubt that unless something happens, she'll probably be rather boring. Again, feel free to tell me if this isn't compatible, it's just an experiment, after all. (what I'm doing)

A man in one of the back rows got up, and went into the bathroom, despite the stewardess's recommendations. After all, he really had to go.

Once inside, his disguise dematerialized into a three-foot hairy creature holding some sort of large boxy electronic device.

Jeez. Security was a bitch with this thing. it thought, placing the device carefully down on the bathroom floor, and flipping some switches. Crash the plane. Make it look like an accident. So many requirements from her, it thought.

Once satisfied with that, it picked up the device again, and suctioned it to the wall with a soft thunk. It pressed a button on the side, next to the letters SEDD.

It began emitting a quiet multi-phonic electronic hum, and showed a display on the side indicating charge level. 10%.

20%.

Man, why do these take so long to charge up?

Meanwhile, Mizuki checked her phone again, and took off her headphones. Getting up out of her seat, she began moving towards the front of the plane, inspecting the rows along the way carefully for anything too suspicious.

Shortly after he had become adjusted in his chair, Noah's phone began to vibrate. Retrieving it from his coat pocket, he found himself amazed that someone actually could call him at a time like this.

"Make it fast, I'm on a plane. I'm pretty sure this call will lead to a crash or something, and you don't want that on your conscience."

You Bastard. You took off without any of us... again.

"Well Britt, I'm sorry, but I didn't think any of you would want to go on what you described as a Wild Goose Chase. I'm heading to London now, by the way. That's bound to be great, right? I actually think he'd be there."

He wasn't in Paris... Or Rome... Or Melbourne...

"Yeah, but I have a good feeling about London."

I'm sure you do Noah. I'm sure you do...

Noah was planning to defend his point some more, but Brittany had already hung up. Oh well, you can't please everyone...

Seeing the man rise up to the lavatories, Yomiko suddenly realises she too has to go - it's a contagious effect, like yawning! The turbulence isn't that bad. She rises from her seat and struts down the same direction the man went —

But there, both the lavatories are occupied. Dear. Yomiko leans against the wall, holding onto the safety handles as the plane shudders once more with feeling.

edited 3rd Dec '11 7:28:29 PM by QQQQQ

The magic is beginning to leak.

Wilhelm allows the breach in his discipline, but he takes care not to let it do anything dangerous, like interfere with the radar equipment. Bianca spent a long time telling him abou those. He can visulize the magic, like smoke diffusing through the cabin, even though it's invisible.

The little metal triolobite is complete. Wilhelm smiles brightly and adjusts his glasses as its six legs pop out, scuttling off the table and wandering around the plain.

30%.

40%. Almost halfway there, come on... the creature thought, getting nervous about how long this was taking.

Mizuki saw the trilobite scurrying along the floor from Wilhelm's seat and said to him, "Hey! What the heck is that?"

A light scuttling on the floor. Yomiko senses it from her feet. There's a giant beetle heading her way - her first instinct is to scream (eeeek!), but the more she wonders how a beetle got on board, the more she begins to get fascinated watching it move side-to-side.

Then she looks closer and realises the insect's metallic, almost-clockwork appearance. She crouches to get a better look.

edited 3rd Dec '11 7:36:52 PM by QQQQQ

Okay. Now that Mizuki girl is acting... she recognized something about the way she moved and scanned the area. Like me. An ally? Or a foe? Or not quite either?

Clockwork had just finished making... a clockwork animal? That was way past Mauros capabilities. Okay. Definitely not Mauros.

She'd failed to notice the man scurrying off into the lavatories.

She considering talking to Clockwork and asking about his creation, but decided against it. She got the feeling she'd need to be ready for some serious mayhem very soon, and slipped away. Time to get properly dressed...

edited 3rd Dec '11 7:40:10 PM by KillerClowns

What in the hell...? A mechanic beetle? Well, there was something new Noah could take from his list of "things I haven't seen"... a list that was beginning to get very short. He got up from his chair to examine the thing more closely. It was a fine piece of work. That guy over there made it? Interesting... very interesting, indeed.

Matt held his finger into the book and closed it as he waited for it to pass. His ring's enchantments clawed at his finger and forced him to cover it with his open hand, as if he were spontaneously in pain. Reflexively, his head began to follow the unknown signature on the floor. A deep, ingrained fear of sorts tingled throughout his body and prepared him to fight or run from the disgusting... thing. It crawled and scuttled on its own accord. He prayed for it to just go away.

50%.

60%.

70%. Oooh, it's picking up speed! the creature thought, as the electronic hum became ever so slightly louder. C'mon... just a little more.

A brunette woman of about twenty-seven staggered back to her seat. She had taken a walk, to keep the blood moving in her feet, but then the plane got hit by wind and threw that plan for a loop.

As Tamara Peterson sat back down, she nervously re-opened her bag. There was no reason for anyone to check inside it, but who knew? She hadn't expected the extremely tight security in this world either, nor the seemingly-complete lack of magic.

But no, Tamara's paranoia wasn't right yet. Everything was in there, especially the several things that probably wouldn't even be allowed on airlines back on Regni. She sighed and zipped the bag back up. She wasn't supposed to be doing this. This was Jonathan's job, his revenge plot, but he couldn't travel between universes. All Colin had said about it was that it involved some, in his words, "weird shit".

She went over her facts again. He was somewhere in the first-class compartment, most likely; he wouldn't settle for anything less. He was almost certainly unprepared for this, and wouldn't be expecting her. He could probably flatten her if he knew she was here.

edited 3rd Dec '11 10:43:10 PM by TeraChimera

80%.

90%.

100%. Charge complete. Sweet! The creature pressed a button on the side, as the device made a snap. Huh? That's str-

Krack-ooooom was heard, as the plane was struck by lightning - a violent flash and rattle was experienced, as the lights fitzed out. Only the emergency lighting still functioned.

Coughing was heard from the front of the plane, as the cockpit door opened, smoke trailing from it. "Are you okay?" said one of the stewardesses, to the pilot, who stumbled out, coughing violently.

The co-pilot remained inside, trying frantically to get the controls to respond.

Alright, time to blow this airborne popsicle stand. the creature thought, un-sticking the device from the wall, and reactivating it's disguise.

He opened the bathroom door, and yelled, "The plane's crashing! We're all gonna die! Aaaaaahhhh!" pushing his way over to the back exit. Once there, he forced the door open, cordially remembering to turn off the auto-inflating slide, and jumped out of the plane.

Crap. That was it, wasn't it. Mizuki thought, watching the man jump out of the plane.

Wilhelm takes out the harmonica again. The tune is frantic, desperate. He's trying to weave a protective shell around the plane, in case more things go wrong. The trilobite returns to him and burrows inside a coat pocket.

Thank God I got dressed for the occasion, Melissa thought.

And she was. She'd changed out of her stewardess uniform shortly after disappearing previously, and now wore full body armor, of a decidedly futuristic appearance, in jet black with bright cyan trim. (It was not intended to be camouflage, it was intended to terrify.) A helmet of the same color scheme with an advanced HUD in front of her face, giving her a view of the world not unlike that seen in a video game. A parachute on her back, ready to deploy. And the single most advanced sub-machine outside of Precursor technology, a compact, boxy thing even the staunchest gun nut would be unable to identify. The absurdly classified S3-AR2.

She burst into the cockpit. "Alright," she yelled. "Listen up! I'm Captain Melissa Kowalski of the United States Air Force! Looks like I fucked up, but I'll be damned if anyone dies here if I can help it! Anyone else got some lies to fess up to before we figure out how to save our asses?"

edited 3rd Dec '11 8:50:48 PM by KillerClowns

(OOC:

"Ahem." the pilot said to Melissa, "I don't suppose you know how to get us out of this?"

"Yeah, we've got all instruments dead and the controls aren't responding!" the co-pilot said from his seat.

The plane began losing speed and altitude, tipping slightly forward.

"So, there's no way to keep flying this thing, then?" Mizuki said, who had run up to the cockpit as well. She wondered what exactly Melissa was doing here - was she part of some top-secret government agency or something?

"Unless you two have any bright ideas, I'd recommend you brace for impact." the pilot said.

OOC: Since the pilot and co-pilot are NP Cs, anyone else can feel free to run them too.

edited 3rd Dec '11 9:07:59 PM by Sonzai