Drummer Boy
[Mountain Pass Campsite]
Kito shrugged. "I don't mind, Suela."
He and Cyrus were ready to go. The satchel was strapped on Cyrus's back, and Kito had the fire and lightning blaster slung on his own back, but he didn't plan on using it. It was mostly there in case they switched, whether it was on accident or on purpose. He preferred magic (and his fangs, but they were obviously not available), and while Cyrus's low amplification was suited to adjusting machines without even looking or touching them, Kito was much less precise.
[Dining Hall]
Oh. Okay. Yeah, that made sense. Arthur was kind of envisioning people sitting around and nervously waiting for the government to just say "yeah, fuck it, we don't need you anymore, line up outside and close your eyes."
Well, the government could still be planning to do that someday... probably. He felt that the wealthy would rather watch these people die than live without paying taxes. Some kids at his old private school would probably say as much with sneakier words.
<any plans to instate some kind of tax system for these people? i mean, i guess it would be tough, figuring out who is and isn't making substantial money on their own. i'm totally not an economist so there are probably lots of other issues i'm forgetting>
The last battle's curtains will open on stage!
Professional Recluse
[[heading: Hotel Lobby]]
Katya
She let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding and began to unload the TT-30 pausing briefly to glare and perhaps berate the man explicating that an imminent firefight was "none of her business."
Deciding against it she re holstered the pistol and followed the rest of the bastards back to the tables. She frowned at the now cold Kasha and tried her best to keep her legs from fidgeting under the residual adrenaline.
edited 20th Feb '16 11:28:23 PM by Slysheen
Stoned hippie without the stoned. Or the hippie. My AO3 Page, grab a chair and relax.
Crazy Kiwi
Grand Hotel - Dining Room
Katya, Mad Bastards, Sophia, Kaitlyn, Gwion, FinnNow that the drama seemed to be over and everyone was back at the tables - albeit showing signs of being (as Wolfe would have put it) "amped up" on adrenaline after the near catastrophe - James looked around. "I propose that we, ahh, Mad Bastards break into three groups. The most natural split would be 'Peggy and Karl', 'Teri and Wolfe' and 'Kris and myself."
The other Mad Bastards nodded. These were the usual pairings they used when foraging, hunting, or trapping and they worked well.
Wolfe looked up from his meal towards Teri. "If you don't mind, I'd like us to head out with Katya, wherever she's going - and if she'll have us."
Teri nodded. "That'd be cool."
Gwion looked up. "If you don't mind, I'd like to join that group."
Wolfe and Teri exchanged glances, looking for any sign of negation in each other's face, then nodded. "That sounds fine by us," said Teri.
Kaitlyn looked at Kris. The fact that the woman had advanced prostheses was a mystery, and Kaitlyn wanted to get to the bottom of it. "I'd like to head out with you and James, if that's OK with you."
Gwion caught Finn's eye and briefly flicked his eyes in the direction of Karl and Peggy. Finn took the hint. "I could head out with Karl and Peggy, here, and whomever else is headin' their way."
Sophia looked around at the others. "I think I'll wait until I find out who's going where and how many are in each group before I decide."
Wolfe looked around the table. Gwion, Sophia and Kaitlyn all had New Zealand accents like himself and Kris. After years of living on Terra Nova, with its predominently "English" - or "Pommy" - population, it was refreshing to hear so many voices from home. In fact, for the first time in ages, the "Kiwis" actually outnumbered the "Poms". And with Katya from Russia, Karl from Germany and Finn from somewhere in Eire - his accent reminded Wolfe of Christy Moore, so possibly County Kildare - James, Teri and Peggy were definitely in a minority.
"So how do we find others going where we want to go?" Kris asked, looking around at the diverse people eating their breakfasts at other tables. "Hang up a sign?"
[dining hall - Tsadro, Arthur]
Tsadro gathered up his empty mug, the saucer for his lemons, and the spoon, and began carefully cleaning his hands with a napkin as he composed.
<Don't know yet, they're working on it. Since Mialian currency is already wholly digital in nature, it'd be easy enough for them to start taxing people who earn enough income in currency, regardless of how it was made. I suspect if they have any sense, they'll just leave barter activities alone.>
But then... there was a possibility that outlawing barter might be on someone's mind, since people who barter are buying less than they could be from the big industries. Great. He'd better tell Dr. Acquati about that.
<You look like you're about done eating. A ball of string and some nails from the store might help us find the entrance to the temple again once we're ready to leave.>
edited 20th Feb '16 8:50:16 PM by CrystalGlacia
"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
[Grand Hotel (Dining Hall - Iraal, Scents, Zuri)]
Once again, both Iraal and Scents found themselves at a silent loss for how to respond to what Zuri was saying. Iraal followed it well enough (naturally), but it was all a little outside her experience. Besides a single youthful encounter with the SRI's ancient study, she knew next to nothing about psychic mythology. Not that that was necessarily any guide to what Zuri could do.
Though actually, the possibility that it might have been influenced by Gate travel is an intriguing one. I can't spare the time to investigate it, but it is intriguing.
Scents, meanwhile, barely had a clue what was going on. As she flagged down a waiter for some breakfast, she sent a signal to her employer asking to get filled in. Iraal caught her up as much as she could. Then, out loud, she added "While we're waiting - maybe you should go see if anyone else wants to come along? We still don't have anyone for physical issues besides you and Lament."
An icon flashed in her vision. "Er - no offense, Zuri."
Scents bobbed her snout. "Sure, I can do that." She stood up and began surveying the room.
Meanwhile, Iraal looked over at Zuri. "Take whatever you think you need from your room. Lament - that is our robot - should have enough space available for anything reasonable." She then resumed eating her own breakfast.
[Grand Hotel (Dining Hall - Scents, Teri, Wolfe, Gwion, Alpha)]
Scents scanned the dining hall for a moment without anything really obvious showing up. As she swept her head back and forth so that all of her eyes could take it in, though, a couple of likely prospects emerged. The best choice looked like the human with obvious cybernetics, who had a certain... professional' look about him. And his blatant augmentations might indicate a need for cash, though it could also just be the way things were on his home reality.
She trotted over to the table where the human was sitting with three others and sniffed at them, while also asking her own augmentations to see if there was anything unusual about them. "Hey there, zers," she said. (Her voice sounded perfectly human, but they could probably overhear the yipping sound of Hegemony Ey Yee under it). "Follows-Many-Scents. I was wondering if any of you might be interested in a job."
Friendly Neighborhood Lich
((Edited because I got ninja'd by Nrjxll.))
Hotel - Dining Hall (Nemaforte, Annie, Gregory, and eventually the Mad Bastards' group)
"Interesting," Nemaforte replied, having just finished her bagel. "It sounds like the relationship of some warrior tribes. On Orenya we have similar tribes - the fylin clans of the ocean often fight with each other. In Zurem I live near a fylin clan, and often I gather the bodies, for they become delicious seafood. Their blood is also good for a stew."
She gave Annie and Gregory an endearing look, imagining just what their blood might taste like. Gregory at least looked human, and in her experience human blood was rather tasteless. But she was interrupted by a disturbance coming from the entrance to the dining hall. Her ears twitched, and she turned her head towards the lobby.
"There is an aura of hostile at the lobby," Nemaforte remarked, just when the waiter was coming by to take their plates away. "Seeming it is a fight near to start."
"Oh for the love of Chuck Norris," said the waiter, spotting the group at the dining hall entrance, "this is a hotel, not a saloon. I gotta alert the management to this. Heck, I'd take care of it myself if I didn't have dishwashing duty." And then he walked away back to the kitchen.
Thankfully, the conflict seemed to resolve itself pretty quickly. Many of the people involved returned to the dining hall as if nothing had happened. Nemaforte kept watching them, for there was something familiar about them. Something about their auras indicated an intention similar to her own... Her curiosity getting the better of her, she climbed up on her chair and stood on her tiptoes to survey the large group.
"I could be wrong," Nemaforte remarked to Annie and Gregory, while keeping her eyes fixed on the large group containing the Mad Bastards, "but from what I could tell from their auras, that group over there seems to also want to head towards the mountains. And, maybe they can be my customers." She winked, then hopped off the chair, walking around the table towards the large group.
She cleared her throat before speaking, though that didn't make her accent sound any less... alien. "Maybe forgive me, but I suppose you are thinking of journey to the mountains? Your intention I saw, they were clear." Her eyes fell on Kaitlyn, whose ears were shaped similarly to her own, though not as big. "Maybe a deal we can work out, for I have skill with medicine." Again, there was a glint in her flesh-pink eyes.
Hotel - Dining Hall -> Sagebrush Suite (3rd floor) (Zuri, Iraal)
Zuri nodded in response to Iraal's statements. "The more the merrier," she spoke, noticing Scents headed off to talk to a rather large group sitting at a nearby table. As she looked, what looked like a witch (judging by the tall black pointed hat)note was doing the same thing. She had half an instinct to ask this witch if she knew anything about magic, but she had to hurry back to her room.
"I'll head back to my room real quick then," Zuri mentioned as she stood up and started to walk out of the dining hall. "I'll be back soon - just wait for me here or in the lobby."
With that, she jogged across the lobby and headed up the elevator to the Sagebrush Suite, with eight rooms but only two people currently staying in them.
I have something planned to happen in the suite, but I just wanted to get this quick bit in for now. I'll add the rest in another post.
edited 21st Feb '16 1:06:47 AM by ladytanuki
Come, my child of the devil. Your mother is calling you. Hear my call in Hell's grand hall, where all our dreams come true.
Crazy Kiwi
Grand Hotel - Dining Room
Not long after Kris uttered her question about attracting offers of work, a hunched furry alien with three eyes made its way towards the tables. They made their way towards Gwion and asked if anyone was interested in a job."Or we could just trust that the Goddess will provide," said Kris.
Wolfe grinned. "Of course - and dressing like a bunch of freelance adventurers probably helps."
Kris poked her tongue at him.
Gwion had noted the alien earlier - in the company of a green-skinned humanoid alien with eerily large eyes. Neither seemed overly unusual compared with some of the aliens he had encountered in Capital City - at least they had a comfortable number of limbs and had physical features he could name in English.
Gwion gave a half bow. "Hello, Follows-Many-Scents. I'm Gwion. Depending on what the job is, and where, it's quite possible we can be of assistance."
While Gwion was talking with Follows-Many-Scents, a short woman wearing a large pointed "witch's hat" approached Kaitlyn. At first, due to her height, Kaitlyn thought she might be a child but closer inspection revealed large cone-shaped ears, pink eyes and light grey hair. Her voice was as alien as her appearance and, it seemed, she was able to determine intent over a distance - how, Kaitlyn could only guess. However, it was pretty safe to assume that this was no child.
"Some of us are wanting to go to the mountains," Kaitlyn said, "but others are wanting to go to the desert and others to the badlands - exactly who's going where hasn't been decided, yet, but we are indeed hoping to work with other groups and pool our skills. We have a large variety of skills—" she looked at James and the others at the other table; they certainly looked like they knew their way around a wilderness, "and some of us have abilities that could prove helpful."
James beamed. He was inclined to favour Wolfe's explanation for this turn of events over Kris' but, whatever the reason, it was good to see that things were working out as he hoped.
edited 21st Feb '16 9:52:16 AM by Wolf1066
[Grand Hotel (Dining Hall - Scents, Teri, Wolfe, Gwion, Alpha)]
Well, that's got a promising sound to it.
Scents pivoted her head so that she could look at Gwion with each of her eyes in turn, then leveled it. "I'm being employed by Doctor Iraal voSotin - the orl over there" (she indicated Iraal with one hand) - "as an assistant and bodyguard while she goes out to look at an ancient alien artifact somewhere in the wilderness. We figure the more help that comes along, the better."
She paused here, deciding to wait and let Gwion and his associates ask questions rather than guess too much about the details they wanted.
[Grand Hotel (Dining Hall - Iraal)
Meanwhile, Iraal finished eating her breakfast and resumed reading some of her journals as she waited for Zuri to return.
[Town-Main Street]
Maya had no idea what anyone was saying, but holy shit, those guys's hands were huge. And he was also bulky as hell. The only time she saw something like that were in comic books; to see it in real life was shocking.
She looked between Amy, then the two on the bench, then back to Amy, quirking an eyebrow.
Why are we recording them, again? she signed.
"Research!" Amy said, "Afterwards, I'm going to do an interview with Davey!"
...So what does spying on these two accomplish...?
"They're talking about an exorcism! This is fascinating research material! I have to listen to more of it!"
Maya twisted her lip. They're looking directly at us. Do you honestly think they're gonna continue with you shoving my phone in their faces? She shook her head, them walked over to them and gave an apologetic bow. Sorry about my friend; almost everything in the world amazes her.
Waiting on electronic-tragedy before I post as John and James.
edited 21st Feb '16 4:31:52 PM by Masterofchaos
Friendly Neighborhood Lich
((And now to confuse the people in Dream 2.))
Hotel - Sagebrush Suite (Rooms 305-307) (Zuri, Lupin)
Over in bedroom A of the suite, Zuri was gathering together supplies for the road. The first thing she grabbed was her parasol, a white lacy one that she always carried around with the fancy dress in the closet. However, wearing said dress would not be a good idea for a trek through the desert. Neither would the sandals she was wearing, so she swapped those out for her white knee-high boots, carefully lacing them up in the front. She then took some time to apply sunscreen all over her exposed skin, for she could not risk her pigment-free skin being burned out there. After some thought, she removed the textbook from her bag and replaced it with three water bottles she scavenged from the common lounge area.
While she was looking around the lounge area, she paused, hearing the sound of a shower running. It was coming from the bathroom off the right hall, opposite her own bedroom...
"Lupin's awake!" she gasped, and immediately ran into the right hall leading off to bedrooms C and D. Then she took a sharp left to bedroom C, opened the door... and Lupin was still lying in bed, fast asleep just like before. "Huh?" she asked, utterly perplexed now. "Then why is the shower running?"
As soon as she said that, the shower turned off, and a few seconds later, she heard the scraping of shower curtain rings. Confused now, Zuri looked between the bathroom door and Lupin's bed, and also the long black coat hanging on a chair in the room. Oh right, I was gonna borrow Lupin's cell phone...
Deciding to give whoever came out of the shower their privacy for now, Zuri started rummaging through the pockets of Lupin's coat. The first item she came across was his wallet, which she discovered had a large amount of cash inside, along with three separate ID cards, all of which bore different names (none of which was Lupin Merrimac). She was half-tempted to take some of that cash, but she didn't much like the idea of stealing. Not finding the cell phone, she looked elsewhere. The next pocket she reached into contained something small and rectangular - and gasped in surprise upon finding that it was not a cell phone, but...
"A taser?" A shiver ran down Zuri's spine. Why was Lupin carrying one of these around? For self-defense? Then again, she faintly remembered him mentioning police consultant work during class introductions, so she decided to dismiss it. And the final pocket she reached into was promising... nope, it was... a set of lockpicks? What? Did he visit a spy shop upon discovering his cloaking abilities?
Just then, Zuri heard a voice. A woman's voice, coming from the bathroom. "Huh? What's Lupin's phone doing here?"
Zuri recognized that voice. And so, she approached the bathroom door and knocked on it. "Yamiko? Is that you?"
"Huh? Who's there?" the woman asked. "Wait - Zuri?!"
The door opened, revealing a petite woman with straight crimson hair, yellowish skin tone, and deep blue eyes, just a little shorter than Zuri. In the time that Zuri spent searching Lupin's coat pockets, Yamiko had managed to get one of her signature lolita dresses on. This one had a red and black colour motif, with a very Victorian gothic look to it. The top of it was low-cut with black lace trim, opening to poofy black velvet sleeves which flared out at the ends, decorated with red bows and white layered ruffles. It wrapped around her slim torso (with a decidedly underwhelming bosom) like a corset, with black buttons down the red satin front. The rest of the dress was crimson overlaid with black lace, with several large red roses around the bottom of it. The bottom, which reached down to her knees, looked kind of limp around her bare legs.
"Forgive me - I'm not quite fully dressed yet," Yamiko apologized. "But never mind that - what are you doing here? Last night you and Lupin disappeared while we were at the... Lupin... Wait, is Lupin here too? Wait, don't answer... Oh my gosh. What? How did he-"
"I was wondering that myself," Zuri shrugged. "I can only conclude he's been locked in a nightmare. However, I think I may have found the source of it - it's out in the wilderness, near the mountains."
"Wait a minute," Yamiko remarked, while grabbing a pair of white thigh-high socks with playing-card patterns down the sides and slipping them on, "there aren't any mountains near here... Or wilderness for that matter."
"Oh, yeah, we're not in Boston anymore," Zuri mentioned. "We're in this... Wild West town, which seems to exist between universes. Next to it is a desert, beyond which are the mountains, surrounded by forest. Moreover, there appears to be some odd artifact called a 'Dead God' in that area. Lupin and I met a couple of people who were going to investigate it for other reasons, but I have a hunch that it may contain strong magical properties."
"Oh, if only Merlin were here..." While Yamiko spoke, she opened the door behind her to her own bedroom, where she fetched a black petticoat off the bed and slipped it on, making the bottom of her dress look noticeably poofier. "He's very experienced with investigating magical artifacts like that."
"Anyway, hurry up and get ready; I was just talking to someone downstairs in the dining hall who was also investigating the Dead God, and wanted me to come along."
"Just gotta grab my purse and I'm ready." Yamiko was presently placing a black lacy headband decorated with a tiny red top hat on her head; she had also by now attached a matching choker with a white skull on the front around her neck. Zuri had to admit, she really admired her fashion sense - especially with the black painted nails as a finishing touch, she really had the whole gothic look down without going simple all-black like Lupin did.
"Oh, you better grab some water and maybe the contents of that snack basket before leaving too," Zuri instructed. "Remember we'll be crossing a desert. And wear boots if you have them. And do you have a parasol?"
Yamiko gasped in surprise while running around her room picking up stuff. "Oh! My boots! ...Well, seems I only brought my Granny boots, which I don't think would be good to wear since they have high heels. I think I'll just go with my old black flats. Those risk getting sand in them, but they're comfortable at least. And of course I have a parasol. I gotta have the complete set." In fact, her parasol was identical to Zuri's design-wise - just dark purple instead of white, matching the fairy design on her little black purse, as well as the hue of her little rolling suitcase (she had a bigger one just like it sitting in the closet). "There! I think that's everything! Shall he head down then? Oh wait - I gotta go see Lupin first!"
She ran over into the other bedroom and did a belly-flop right onto the bed, landing right on top of Lupin and tightly embracing him. "Please wake up soon..." She gave him a quick kiss on the lips, and then got up and promptly pulled a light purple lipstick out of her purse, putting it on with a nervous giggle. Then she grabbed the little suitcase and her parasol, and followed Zuri out of the suite and down the stairs.
Hotel - Dining Hall (Nemaforte, Scents, Mad Bastards group)
While the elfin girl was replying, Nemaforte glanced aside and spotted a three-eyed humanoid animal of some sort talking to another person in the group. She grinned. There was quite a pleasant variety of species here! Not to mention a couple of people in the group had mechanical features to them. She cringed upon the sight of them, especially the one with the fully mechanical arm - the idea of life fusing with a machine seemed so foreign to her.
"Hmm, interesting," Nemaforte said to Kaitlyn. "Anyway, first I must introduce myself. I am Nemaforte, herbalist from the dark side of planet Orenya. My medicinous herbs affect the body as well as the mind, and cure especially well of various pains and stresses. I also dabble in poisons, and..." and here she cast an aside glance at Annie and Gregory, "I am well in the ways of magic. Last... night," and here she sounded unsure of herself, as she was still not fully used to the concept of a day-night cycle, "I sensed the aura of a large gathering in the mountains. I would much like to look, for there maybe are customers."
She looked back at Annie and Gregory, gesturing for them to come over.
Hotel - Dining Hall (Zuri, Yamiko, Iraal)
"Oh, I forgot about breakfast!" Yamiko mentioned when she and Zuri entered the dining hall. "Uh, maybe I'll just grab something quick before we go. I don't eat much anyway."
The two girls exchanged nods of understanding, and then parted ways for now. As Yamiko headed over to the breakfast buffet, she suddenly had to clutch the sides of her head, for she heard several loud voices at once yelling over each other, coming from a large group seated at a nearby tablenote . She had to pause for a second to regain her composure before grabbing a muffin from the buffet, and then hurrying over to Zuri while picking pieces off of it and eating them. Gah, I really have to work on shutting those extraneous thoughts out. They sure give me a headache. It's no wonder Dr. Savant warned me to avoid crowds whenever possible...
As she approached the table Zuri was sitting at, she noticed a spectacled green-skinned woman sitting with her. As soon as she spotted her, thoughts of peculiar artifacts and other scientific data flooded her mind, as well as a sort of curiosity about the so-called "Dead God" Zuri was talking about. But she soon had to look away, lest her headache get worse. She was already looking a bit uncomfortable by the time she sat down at the table with her muffin and a cup of tea.
"So - Iraal voSotin?" she asked after swallowing a bite of muffin. "Um, hello there, my name is Yamiko Murakage, and I'm in the same parapsychology class as Zuri."
Zuri gave Yamiko a dirty look, before addressing Iraal. "If you're wondering how she knew your name, it's because she..." She was cut off by Yamiko giving her a dirty look back, pressing a finger to her lips.
"It's because I study xenoarchaeology myself," Yamiko finished for her. "I've heard all about you. Seems you're quite famous in the field." She was speaking in quite a playful voice, and finished with a sip of her milk tea. Next to her, Zuri raised an eyebrow. "Well, actually my major is psychology, but both parapsychology and xenoarchaeology are electives at our school." She shot a quick threatening glance at Zuri, who sank a few inches in her seat. "So uh, Zuri was just telling me all about you. Seems you're on a journey to find the elusive Dead God." She gulped down the rest of her tea and rested her chin on her folded hands. "If you don't mind, can I come along too? I can help - I share the same cloaking abilities as Lupin, though mine are not as well-developed. He is my boyfriend, after all."
"I thought you were enga..." Zuri began, but Yamiko quickly silenced her, before finishing her muffin and awaiting Iraal's response.
Come, my child of the devil. Your mother is calling you. Hear my call in Hell's grand hall, where all our dreams come true.
[Town ~ Main Street] (Rip, Large Stranger, Maya)
Rip continued to study the nearby teens, his dark eyes stern and, until the large stranger spoke up again, unrelenting. He glanced up at the large man, looking no more put off by his size or obscured appearance than he had when he sat down.
"Well," he began, "I don't know about all that in it's entirety. Words and their meanings can... you know, change from person to person but-" he paused, momentarily distracted as his pocketed arm began vibrating again. "but uh... at this point there are some things I'd be hard-pressed not to believe in."
He turned slightly, angling his shoulders so that his jittery arm was not quite so evident. Before he could think of anything else to say to the man—anything to assuage a possible budding curiosity—his thoughts were interrupted again when one of the two girls decided to step forward.
Rip stopped what he was doing, turning all of his attention to the decidedly strange girl in front of him. The bow he understood, but he found himself squinting his eyes in uncertainty at the rest.
He shook his head. "Sorry? Can I help you?"
the color today
[Main Street]
Maya had almost forgotten that not everyone knew sign language, though it still would've been nice if Rip didn't look at her like that. She hated when others looked at her like that; like she was from some other planet. At this point, it was getting increasingly annoying and offensive, so she shot him a glare.
Luckily, Amy came over just in time to help out.
"Sorry!" she said, "She's deaf and mute, so she uses sign language. I'll translate everything I can. And sorry for bothering you guys; it's just that you said something fascinating when we walked by, and I decided to record-"
Spy.
"'Record' your guys's conversation for research purposes. But I guess I took it a little too far and looked like a stalker. Sorry about all that."
Something then came to her, and her eyes lit up.
"Oh! And do any of you know a small man dressed like an otter around here? He helped us last night during the storm and we just wanted to see if he was alright. I would feel really bad if he got hurt just for trying to help two lost girls. I think his name was...Dave? David? I-It'll come back to me eventually."
Maya gently took her phone back and started scrolling through it. Other than that, she didn't lift her head for anything else.
[Town ~ Main Street] (Rip, Large Stranger, Amy, Maya)
Rip's confusion persisted as the silent girl with the hand gestures glared what felt like a very unearned glare at him.
"That a 'no'?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. He didn't really expect an answer. "Looks like a no."
The second, decidedly more chatty girl's arrival finally managed to shed a bit of light on the situation, much to Rip's relief. The mention of "sign language" piqued his curiosity, and, almost instinctively, he wanted to ask more, forgoing whatever direction the chatty girl was taking things. He supposed that, yes, those without hearing or speech would need some kind of communication, and yeah, something like writing was perhaps too slow or too much of a general hassle to rely on solely. It was actually a pretty nifty idea. He glanced back at the sign language girl with an uncommon smile on his face. The kind of smile that appeared at the sound or thought of a brilliant idea. Sure, he'd understood nothing beyond the girl's bow and before the glare, but perhaps the language was common elsewhere in the world. Otherwise... why would she have looked so annoyed when he didn't understand?
All of these thoughts slowly fell to a crawl as a new piece of information took center stage.
Record your conversation.
Rip's smile vanished, and the sternness returned to his hardened gaze in a flash. It was close to becoming an out-and-out glare. Rip, in recent times, had become an increasingly private man, and he enjoyed the sense of security his privacy brought. Disturbing that privacy—that security—took away that enjoyment, replacing it with anxiety and resentment. With a friend, or someone he respected and—in turn—sought respect from, he might have suppressed those feelings. The same with someone younger, like a curious child who knew no better. But here he had a pair of teenage strangers, not only eavesdropping, but unabashedly recording his private conversation. Certainly, that conversation was with another stranger, but it was a stranger of Rip's choice, not a pair of snooping kids doing "research".
His jaw tightened and he was about to speak up, but the chatty girl's next few words set him off guard.
"Davey?" he asked, finally speaking. "You met Davey? When did- ...ah, right, the storm." chivalrous bastard. Rip leaned back slightly, mouth set in a half-frown. Part of his mind was still boiling over having his conversation recorded, but now that he'd spoken, he supposed the Davey matter took precedence. "Yeah, he's fine. Carried him home last night; he's probably still sleeping." His gaze briefly shifted towards the sign language girl, and he wondered idly whether she was recording the conversation. Or maybe that was more the chatty girl's business. "Anyway," he continued, "he doesn't dress like an otter, he dresses like anyone else does. Well... maybe with a little more fondness for formal wear. Otters don't dress up, after all."
He glanced up at the large stranger next to him and shrugged, as if to say, "well it's true."
edited 22nd Feb '16 12:50:38 AM by Ryuhza
the color today
Crazy Kiwi
Grand Hotel - Dining Room
Gwion nodded at Follows-Many-Scents' words. It all sounded pretty straighforward. "How many are currently in your party and which part of the wilderness are you heading into? Forest or desert?"James felt it appropriate to interject at this point. "Speaking only for myself and my colleagues—" he indicated the other Mad Bastards, "we have our own reasons for wanting to head out into the wilderness and, like you, would benefit from having others to accompany us. Therefore, we would not require payment - it would be a mutually beneficial arrangement for both parties to travel together. The others, however, may well require payment. As we would be gaining as much as you from such an arrangement, we would naturally contribute towards any costs."
Nemaforte's accent and curious turn of phrase enhanced her alien nature. Kaitlyn wasn't sure that there would be any need for poisons, but a knowledge of "medicinous" herbs would probably be useful. Sensing auras. Was that how the woman had homed in on the group? At least the job seemed pretty straight forward - and if the woman's abilities were as she said, it shouldn't be too difficult to locate the "large gathering".
At that point her breakfast was delivered by one of the waiters. "Please excuse me eating," she said, "and feel free to pull up a chair and we can discuss things. There are three of us that are available to join your group." She glanced at Sophia. "Perhaps a fourth, depending on how things go. As for skills, I'll let the others tell you theirs—" because I haven't a fucking clue what they're capable of "— but I could tell you what people are saying in the lobby, despite the level of conversation in this room and I have exceptional night vision. I'm also armed and capable of defending myself or others if the need arises."
It then occurred to Kaitlyn that neither herself nor Finn was equipped to go wandering off into the forest or the deserts; they had packed for staying in town, in a hotel such as this one. Her eyes flicked across the group at the other table, noting the pouches, canteens, haversacks and other equipment hanging from their bodies. It was the group that had been in the pub the previous evening, she remembered, and they'd been carrying rifles then. Both she and Finn would need to get equipment and provisions before embarking on any adventure in the local wilderness - and their travelling companions were obviously the ones to advise them on what they'd need.
[Grand Hotel (Dining Hall - Iraal, Zuri, Yamiko)]
Iraal very precisely let an eye-ridge rise. She would have to pay attention to the prompts from her social interaction software to avoid being offensive here - or at least, any more offensive than she meant to be.
"I would be perfectly happy with more people coming along," a lie, but just barely, "though your clothes are somewhat impractical for an expedition, no offense." She cocked her head sideways and rested her hands on the table, palms down. "However, you should be aware" - (in more than one sense, apparently) - "that there are a few basic requirements I have for anyone accompanying me. One of them is honesty. Zuri's already told me that your reality's Earth has no space travel, and is highly different from mine in almost every way. So I don't believe you've heard of me. Or at least not that way."
She thought briefly. She couldn't imagine why Yamiko would have bothered lying if Zuri had just told about her. So that meant it was more likely...
"Should I assume that you've been reading my mind?" She thought back to some of the pseudoscience she'd been looking at earlier. "And if so, is it voluntary or involuntary? If it's voluntary, I'd like to ask you to stop."
[Grand Hotel (Dining Hall - Scents, Teri, Wolfe, Gwion, Alpha)]
Scents avoided grinning, since she knew that her mouth was toothy enough to scare some humans (especially if, like most of the other folks she'd met so far here, they had never seen a vayen at all). But inside she was smiling. This seemed to be going pretty fine.
"There's three" - she glanced with one eye back at the doc's table - "possibly four of us in the party now, plus one GPA robot. General-purpose-assistant. The doctor, myself, and a couple of other visitors. We're heading out..." She had her backup project the information onto her field of vision. "...east. The artifact we're looking for - the 'Dead God' - is supposed to be beyond or in the mountains."
She did smile at the other human [James] speaking up, though she very carefully did just enough of a grin to not show her teeth. "Yeah, splitting the cost - and minimizing it - sounds good to me, always. Though I should tell you now, zers, there is a risk of some danger. Not just because the wilderness is a little wilder here than normal, but also because it's at least a little possible that another interested party may... object to us looking at the Dead God." It might be a little paranoid; the First Advocate honestly hadn't creeped her out nearly as much as the Hakodans last night. But better to make sure the others knew everything now.
Attitude is prohibited
[Main Street]
For his part, the man on the bench seemed rather nonplussed about everything. But then again, it was hard to know for sure, seeing as his face was, essentially, completely concealed. He glanced over at Rip, then at the girls, and scratched his head with his thick, sausage-like fingers.
"Did you say 'research?'" He asked the girls. "What are you researching?"
Then, turning to Rip, he said "what is an 'otter,' exactly? and who is 'Davey?'"
[Mountain Pass] (Campsite)
"Hoshi and I could scout ahead, if you'd like." Miyuki said to Brin.
"I just hope those birds don't show up again. They sounded real nasty." Said Hoshi, with a brief grimace.
Not entirely dead.
Mountain Pass - Campsite
Also preparing to leave, Roscoe and Blair pulled their backpacks on, after taking stock of what was in them. The dozen arrows were strapped into Blair’s pack horizontally, so that he could pull from them easily; he carried the quickie bow in one hand.
They both chuckled silently at Suela’s questions, only because they were curious about Kito and Cyrus’ soul-bonding as well, as it seemed to be very different from their own (they couldn’t switch bodies, for one, which Roscoe was especially thankful for). They were dressed as before, complete with Blair’s jacket - despite the potential heat - except that Blair was not wearing gloves, for the sake of handling the makeshift bow.
“Bring on the birds. They sound like good target practice, and Kito wants to see my aim,” Blair said cheerfully as he sauntered up to the group.
Roscoe slapped his arm lightly. “Please refrain from invoking creepy birds just for kicks and giggles. The rest of us are not impressed.”
“Pity.” Blair raised an eyebrow slightly but very pointedly waited for Miyuki and Hoshi, or any of the others, to lead the way out of camp first.
[Mountain Pass Campsite —> Small Valley]
As they walked, Suela spoke to Kito. "What is it like, to transition from one form to another? From 'wolfram' to human? Did you need to relearn how to walk?" For that matter, she wondered if Kito's knowledge of walking in his native form was instinctive, like an animal's, or slowly learned, like a human's, but could not think of a polite way to ask. But that brought her to a question she could, delicately, ask. "And instincts, the basic ones; to what extend are they attached to the body? Do you find yourself processing information differently from one shape to another, as one processes information differently while under the influence of alcohol or coca leaf? It would be quite curious if transferring to an entirely different body would have less effect on personality and demeanor than adding the contents of a glass of whiskey to a single body. As we discussed yesterday, I find the extent to which a human's thoughts are shaped by their physical states — hunger, fatigue, drug use, fear, brain damage, to name only a few — fascinating, despite the grim implications for the concept of 'self', though it would be better to reference the works of Ziven of Zavi and the Red King Orikezu I of Elashu, to which I owe a great intellectual debt in that area. I really wish I'd brought a copy of Orikezu's treatises..."
Brin cleared her throat, and Suela trailed off as she realized Kito had not gotten a single spare moment to answer her questions in between her barrage. Then she spoke to the rest of the group. "Hoshi, Miyuki, scouting would be much appreciated. And Blair..." she shrugged. "You ever think of going into sports? Like, you guys have to have something like pro-bending where you come from. If you're as good as you think you are, could make a lot of money that way."
Drummer Boy
[Dining Hall —> Walking Outside (Tsadro, Arthur)]
<good idea. let's head out>
Arthur stuck his helmet on, picked up all his plates and utensils, and dumped them in the designated area.
<if you want to pick up a weapon before we leave, i have an extra laser pistol, or maybe the general store has old-fashioned guns if you prefer those. actually what are weapons even like where you come from>
[Mountain Pass Campsite —> Small Valley]
Kito sounded very patient as he spoke. Suela's rambling was a bit like Cyrus's, so it didn't bother him much at all. "The first thing you must understand is that in our world, the study of souls has advanced far more slowly than anything else. What I say may be proved completely wrong ten or twenty years from now, or perhaps even tomorrow. Neither Cyrus nor I claim to be authorities even on contemporary knowledge, which still has many gaps. Moreover, as he has made abundantly clear, his specialty is machines. That being said, I will try my best.
"So, what's it like to switch? Disorienting, especially the very first time. I feel I've been overusing that word, but that is simply what it is. We had to teach each other a multitude of things, including walking, as you already mentioned, though that was more difficult for me. I had to figure out what to do with hands and fingers and learn to rely on sight, and, of course, speak. Cyrus had to learn to utilize his newly heightened senses of hearing, smell, and taste to their full extent. Our parents' guidance helped, but becoming comfortable enough in two bodies to engage in combat using either was a long, gradual process. Thankfully, our ability to communicate with each other in more than words was very helpful.
"Now, based on the experiences of individual Fenrir and Wolfram, as well as studies of common animals, it is highly possible that instincts are, in fact, more in our souls than our brains. Souls and brains... it's been quite a struggle trying to determine what belongs where. Cyrus and I accept the model that souls mainly determine memory and personality, while the brain translates that information into thoughts and actions in a way not unlike someone reading an instruction manual, in addition to other thoughts and actions originating from the brain itself. But instincts are one of the fuzzier areas. We accept the proposal that instincts belong to a part of the soul more entwined with brain processes than the rest. For most animals, that is all the soul they have. And I think, when a Wolfram and a Fenrir switch bodies, that part of the soul is a bit more... reluctant to leave? Stickier, perhaps? So some remains, some follows us to the other body. This would explain some of the conflicting urges we feel at times. Just a few more of the things the two partners must overcome when learning to switch bodies.
"Processing information... yes, when I move to his body, the difference is somewhat like if I were a human drinking coffee. I think. Neither of us have had coffee. The people around us are determined to prevent it, and I have spent more than enough time with Cyrus to know why. This brain is rather... high-strung. It leaps all over the place at a dizzying speed. Caffeine would wreak much havoc upon... everything he touched, I suspect."
Cyrus let out a whine, sounding almost offended.
"You know it's true. I'm more used to it by now, and I know how to slow myself down a bit when I'm using this brain, but I find myself much more easily distracted in this body, while he has an easier time concentrating in mine.
"How physical states like the ones you listed shape thoughts is, according to my best guesses, explainable by chemistry and biology: a result of the brain being overwhelmed by unusual or alarming feedback from the body."
Kito reached inside the satchel on Cyrus's back and pulled out a canteen. "Hopefully, somewhere in that mess, I came close to answering a question."
edited 28th Feb '16 6:49:03 PM by SnowyFoxes
The last battle's curtains will open on stage!
[walking out of dining hall -> hotel lobby -> to general store (Tsadro, Arthur)]
Tsadro followed suit with his own dishes. <Most of the world's firearms still work with gunpowder, or at least have a firing mechanism that works under a similar principle, I think. That goes even for Mialian firearms. There's also charged physical weapons... which are charged with a natural system that may not actually exist wherever you're from.>
He made a stop at the front desk to drop off the room key. The clerk, obviously aware of the situation that had only just begun to cool before them, worked quickly to match the key number to the list of checked rooms so the two could get out before anything else happened. Tsadro guided Arthur to move quickly around the perimeter of the lobby until they reached a door, and they left, the former slipping the cap of his veil on as they headed into the morning sun, towards the general store.
<I'm hardly qualified to explain how that system works to a layman, so I won't. I'm a business major and retired tattooist, not an aitherophysicist. I can use that same system for ranged combat without any weapons. All you need to know is that direct skin-to-iron contact will nullify it as long as I'm touching the iron.>
edited 23rd Feb '16 9:03:19 AM by CrystalGlacia
"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
[Main Street]
Amy paid no mind to Rip's sudden change in behavior or his tone of voice; instead, she looked at the stranger and blinked.
"You...don't know what an otter is?" she asked, "They're mammals...y-you know what a mammal is, right? I-I could show you a picture of an otter, if that helps."
Then, Rip's words suddenly dawned on her, and her eyes widened.
"Wait...he's not dressed like an otter? Davey really is a talking otter?" She gasped and covered her cheeks, "Oh my goodness! No wonder it looked so real! Oh my gosh! That's so cool!"
Maya, however, saw Rip's face, and while she couldn't hear him, she knew why he was making that face. She began writing on her phone, before she turned it to Rip. The message said; I deleted the footage. Sorry about her. I'll be here to reel her in.
She still felt annoyed that very little people understood sign language, and she had to resort to using her phone, but for now, she let it slide. She only hoped that Rip would understand Amy's "quirks" and not treat her harshly.
[Town ~ Main Street] (Rip, Large Stranger, Amy, Maya)
Rip rolled his eyes and sighed.
"No, he's not a talking otter. For one," he glanced at the large stranger again, "I don't know what an otter is either. 'Least, I've never seen one. I'd never heard of them except from people like yourself, saying that Davey looks like one. And... well, I guess Davey made the comparison himself way back when." He hesitated for a second, his eyes falling as creases developed at the center of his brow. In that second, he looked uncertain, as though he'd been suddenly beset by some bad thought, and didn't know how to handle it.
"Just... take my word for it. He's not an otter. Davey," he lifted his eyes back to the stranger for a moment, "er, David, I should say, is my business partner and a close relation. He went out last night to go to a bar, and he must've met these two somewhere in between. But as I said," he stared at the chatty girl, "he's fine now. Just needed a bit of sleep. As anyone does."
He reclined slightly on the bench, nodded, and said it again, quieter, as though he were only speaking to himself. "As anyone does."
The sign language girl caught Rip's eye as she fiddled with the device the chatty girl had been holding earlier. If it was a mobile phone, it was a strange one. Looked more like a shrunken television than a phone. Still, he could read, and he got the girl's message loud and clear. His typical frown softened slightly, and he gave her a nod of recognition.
the color today
Professional Recluse
Katya
She nodded her affirmation through a mouthful to Wolfe. While an isolated area with possible deadweight was daunting, she was at least glad it would be with people she'd known before that day.
She began to feel awkward as potential recruits began filing past the tables. She left the Bastards to organize the teams and approached her room. She wasn't one to work with others and while she could understand the benefits, it did leave her feeling like a third wheel when organizing personnel or selecting candidates. She packed the overnight bag, or rather many nights, it had enough to survive for quite a while. She didn't doubt the Bastards skills but she'd rather have it and not need it. Two ballistic knives went in easy reach around her wrists.
She found the dining hall filled with the soft rumble of voices and busied herself cleaning the various guns while they sorted things out. Not that they needed cleaning but it was better than sitting doing nothing.
edited 24th Feb '16 1:26:08 AM by Slysheen
Stoned hippie without the stoned. Or the hippie. My AO3 Page, grab a chair and relax.
Crazy Kiwi
Grand Hotel - Dining Room.
Teri gave a short i'n'it typical laugh when Follows-Many-Scents finished speaking. "Believe me, that sounds 'bout normal for us: 'we want you to take a trip through the bear-infested wilderness for us - oh, by the way, it may be a trifle dangerous as there're probably bandits in the area'."
Wolfe nodded and swallowed the last mouthful of his cold breakfast. "They only do it because we keep saying 'yes' to that sort of shit." He looked at the alien. "You've come to the right place. If you want someone to go wandering around the wilderness despite the danger, we're the mad bastards that'll do it."
"I notice you slipped our name in there," said Teri.
"What choice do I have until we get proper cards printed?"
James pursed his lips thoughtfully. "It seems that we have two groups each wanting teams to accompany them up into the mountains. Although that's good for searching a lot of the forest, it does rather cut us short for the desert areas."
Karl looked up from the last of his breakfast. "I'm sure we can manage. We could maybe get horses to cover more distance in the desert areas."
James nodded agreement. "That's a good point. We could make that work - and it would be good to cover as much of the forest as possible as quickly as possible."
Sophia looked at him. "I could go with the team heading out into the desert - I have my motorcycle if I need transport." The idea of riding a horse didn't appeal to her at all.
Teri looked around. "So that's, what? Me, Wolfe, Gwion and Katya going with the archaeology group; James, Kris and Kaitlyn, here, going with the witch's group and Peggy, Karl, Sophia 'n' the Irishman looking for a group to take on the desert. Right?"
"That's pretty much it," said Kris.
Wolfe stood. "Then we'd better start getting our stuff ready. There's a one-eyed yellow idol. To the north of Kathmandu... and we're going to find it."
[Mountain Pass Campsite]
As she and Brin packed up Cloudsplitter, Suela finally decided to try it. "Kito," she said, "could I convince you to answer a few questions?"
"They'll be weird," Brin said. "She's probably got a million things she wants to ask you about that soul-link thingy."
"...yes and no," Suela said, glancing at Brin with consternation. "They're really more about the implications for the self, memory, and the nature of experience in this arrangement; I don't think I'd be able to follow the actual mechanics anyways." She quickly added, "I won't be disappointed if you're not interested in talking about it, though. If it's personal, or you just aren't interested in those kinds of things."
"Thanks for the help, everyone," Brin added as she tied the last of the bedrolls onto Cloudsplitter, who was already missing the previous night. They were ready to get moving whenever.