Hotel ~ Bonnie & Carol's Room (Bonnie; Henry)

Bonnie gave a nod at Henry's assessment, "Aye, and some limits are quicker to be discovered—" She paused, rummaging through her things to pull out a needle, thread, and a patch of deep indigo material— the same as her tunic. She set to covering the hole in the jeans with it...

"I've known Carol for the better part of a decade," Bonnie told Henry, "We met when she rescued me from Handyman Vinny. We ended up getting recruited by the "Honored Society" afterward, and we've been together since."

Hotel ~ Mid-Floor Hallways —> Stairwell (Carol; Joseph)

Carol gave Joseph a curt nod, jogging to not keep the salamander-man from holding the door for too long. "Aye, I wanna find out what's keepin' room service so long as well."

She stopped in the door well for a moment, a chill going down her spine. She got the feeling that someone— or something was watching her. Having left her halberd in the truck— as the hotel frowned on lugging oversized weapons around the place— she felt unusually vulnerable, despite being a veritable tank in combat.

She turned her head towards the source of the seemingly piercing gaze to be confronted by... a completely ordinary framed painting of The Great Wave off Kanagawa. She blinked, scowling, before turning and letting the door close behind her.

Hub Town ~ Hotel Lobby (Claire, Lulu; Joseph; Nasur; the Hunters & Co.; Samelin, Rosafa, Devad; Rebecca)

Lulu pursed her lips as Joseph turned down her offer, "Hmm, suit yourself," she said.

She turned towards her close friend and colleague, "Claire, stop fooling around with half-baked spells— it's not proper behavior stripping people like that." She crossed her arms as the witch-thief stood on the surface of the water, "And do get out of there; you're making a scene," she said, feeling the gaze of the hotel staff on her and her friend.

Claire hopped clear over the side of the fountain in a showy display of her abilities, landing nimbly on her feet. "As you wish, dear~," she said teasingly, eliciting an eye-roll from the succubus.

The ongoing discussion of the mystic moonstones drew the pair of magic-users near, with Lulu, being the more levelheaded of the two, offering to take a look at one of the stones alongside Nasur. "Going by his logic, would the same effects occur to a mage like myself?" she asked.

Meanwhile, Claire glanced over at Rebecca, "Detailed control? Oh no, I just got that ability thanks to one of my pins—" She unbuttoned her waistcoat to reveal a collection of small pins fastened to her undershirt. She pointed to one pin in the shape of a stylized blue scale, "This one right here. I'm mostly raw power, and these amplify and hone my spells."

Jobe's Farm (Maelys, Mist; Aseyu)

Maelys stood across the hall from the bathroom, the hunting rifle/cannon slung across her back. She was currently watching the time tick by on her pocket watch as the door to the bathroom opened.

A freshened, and fully dressed Mist stepped in the hall, a blissful smile on her face. She continued smiling as she noticed Maelys eyeing her.

"I take it you enjoyed your... hour-long shower?" Maelys inquired.

"Aye~~" the valkyrie started, before having her face pale in realization, "Wait, were we in there that long!?"

"Almost. 56 minutes to be exact. I overheard the last 23. You were... quite vocal in there."

Mist blushed furiously

Maelys glanced over at Aseyu, and gave her a discrete smirk, "A word with you, if you may."

Edited by WillDeRegio on Dec 15th 2021 at 4:47:38 AM

[Hotel Lobb-Elevator]

Maria smiled and turned to the others. "I'll go. I would never miss a chance to see a cute girl, after all." She winked and Amy. "And you already told me about her. Hope she's just like what you described!"

Amy nodded excitedly. "Tell her I said hi, okay?"

Maria then turned to Joseph. "Ready when you are, honey."

Amandus, meanwhile, turned to Nasur, his look softened and relaxed. "Oh! Didn't you see you there." He smiled. "Yeah, that's pretty much it. To be honest, I was nervous of using them at first, but I needed to help out my nephew and his friends as best I could, so I dealt with it. At least...until I found out they were eating up my willpower. So now I gotta use them a little less."

[Jobe's Farm (Maelys, Mist; Aseyu)]

In her younger years, Aseyu would have probably emerged wearing only a smile. But she had grown past such disrespect for others' boundaries, and emerged wearing her previous robe. Still, she was Aseyu, and did not blush in response to Maelys' comment. Her smirk merely widened into a smug grin when Maelys offered commentary. In respone to her request for "a word", Aseyu simply said, "certainly" and let her lead the way.

Edited by KillerClowns on Dec 25th 2021 at 7:52:02 AM

_{^< cont. from} Hub Town - Hotel, Lobby (Near Elevators) —> Elevator to 5th Floor _{^> Joseph — Maria — Nasur}


Joseph flinched slightly as Lulu and Nasur popped in on their moonstone discussion. Either his powers of discretion needed work, or his blue wristbands of indiscriminate attraction were working overtime. Whatever the case, the moonstones were hardly a secret anymore. He just hoped things wouldn't get too out of hand in the wake of that knowledge. Surely, they couldn't in the short time he'd be gone.

He smiled at Maria, nodding and heading into the elevator. "In here, Nasur," he added, unsure if there were elevators as-presented where the blue man was from. He pressed the hold door button until Nasur was aboard, before departing with "back in a few!"

The last thing he saw as the doors closed was some hotel janitorial staff, approaching the fountain's edge with a mop. Cringing, he tucked himself against the elevator wall, jabbing the button for the 5th floor. Once the elevator got moving, he relaxed a bit, drooping against the wall and sighing. "Don't think I'm gonna be making a lot of friends with the workers here. Maybe I should've just let Lulu magic-dry me. I mean, what's life without the risk of suddenly becoming naked for a few seconds?"

He shook his head, trying his best to suppress a grin of the big and dumb variety. "So," he turned to Maria, "about the stones and Connie, there's pretty much only two things I want to know." He listed off on the tips of his claws, "First, can they make somebody healthy? Somebody who's sick— like, mildly sick, the way Connie is? Or, well, not exactly mildly, but briefly, y'know? Maybe even just some kind of relief would be enough. And then second, can they work on someone far away? 'Cause I'm still not sure Connie's even in the building. I thought I saw her, but maybe not, and maybe she's out and about in town, and it'd be a bit of a pain to have to go hunting her down. So, can I take one of the stones and use it to make Connie feel better, wherever she is? She doesn't have to know it's me or anything; I just want her to feel better."

_{^< cont. from} Hub Town - Hotel, Bonnie & Carol's Room _{^> Henry — Bonnie}


"Handyman Vinny?" Henry repeated, leaning in slightly. "Sounds like a real character. Of course, if it's something you don't want to talk about, I don't need to hear about it."

He leaned back again, glancing between the ceiling and Bonnie's patchwork as he pondered the situation. "A decade's a good long time to be friends. I've only known Joe for about a year. Just a thing of circumstance, I guess. I was new, didn't know a lot of people in Issaquah and he was kind of solitary, but he and his mom came by the shop for a smog check, and we got to chit-chatting about some movie or this or that, and we hit it off. The most casual set of circumstances you can imagine, and now..."

He folded his arms across his chest, looking down across them to the floor. "I don't think I can rescue him from all this. I can't say it enough: this is not our world. None of it. None of-" he hesitated, regarding his immediate surroundings, "well, the hotel isn't too far off the mark, but you know what I mean. The magic, the wyverns, Joe turning into man-sized salamander thing. It's all beyond anything we know. I've put up a brave front for his sake, but I can't hold it forever. The reality is, I'm waiting for a miracle to drop into my lap, and if it doesn't..." he leaned way back in his chair, exhaling nervously, his gaze growing distant at the prospect "...then the ride never stops."

(Hotel Lobby)

A decaying eyebrow raised on the lich's forehead. "Artifice? Mind if I inquire of the source, Claire?" Rebecca asked, curiosity evident on her features. "One of the reasons I'm looking for artifacts is that my coven doesn't have too many of their own, and nobody who specializes in making them. I do happen to have one on me, but it's of the sort that's... difficult to display, for lack of a better term." If the other witch was looking closely, she would see Rebecca's eyes flick down towards the source of the necromantic energies in her chest. Just for a split second, but enough to let her know that something strange was afoot.

_{^< cont. from} Hub Town - Hotel, Stairwell — Heading Down _{^> Joseph, a distressingly ordinary human being — Carol}


Joseph fell back into the stairwell, grateful at least to no longer have to hold the door. "Alright then..." he said, summoning up as much polite strength as he could muster, "les... go... find out.''

He began descending the stairs, realizing after a few steps that the second set of footsteps he was hearing were not Carol's behind him, but rather coming from below. Glancing down over the railing, he saw what looked to be a distressingly ordinary human being about a floor below them, rising fast. The very kind of ordinary human that might stop to gawk at something as outlandish as an undergarments-clad were salamander met in the stairwell.

Slapping the railing in a nervous fervor, he glanced at Carol. She still lingered in the doorway, looking back at something in the hall.

Maybe she's reconsidering coming along!

The thought rose with an ugly eagerness which put aside the fact that, without Carol, he'd be left to face the stranger alone. Then again, it had been his original plan, but in the face of such pending reality it seemed almost unbearable to consider. He looked back down at the stranger in the stairwell, then again at Carol who (if she'd been reconsidering at all) had elected to stay.

Feeling suddenly quite frustrated with his own social squeamishness, he gave himself a quick smack across the snout—ow!—and pulled away from the railing. He met Carol with a smile, looking away a mere three times before managing to say, "Y'know, I really appreciate all the... everything you an Bonnie, an...d.. uhh... mm..." he reached for the railing again, rattling his claws against it in renewed anxiousness as he struggled to recall the name of "-Lily! Lil-l...Lily. Everything you've done for us. Like the way you fended off that wyvern last night. That was really incredible. And sure, you can say 'it's jus' your job' or whatever, but that doesn't make it not incredible."

Slowly but surely, a sense of ease came over Joseph. Even if he sounded like an idiot, even if he looked like one too, it was worth clearing the air with Carol, however one-sided that feeling was. Plus, if he was in the middle of a conversation, then maybe, just maybe, the stranger in the stairwell would politely avoid making a scene.

[Elevator]

Maria put a hand on her chin, deep in thought. "Hmm...dealing with someone's sickness, huh? Yeah, we can help that. You just gotta think about her, wish her to be better, and bam! But you still gotta keep the side effects in mind." She put her hands on his shoulder. "Like Mr. Richman said, these are not something we take lightly. You will get sick, dehydrated, and then you'll pass out. Do you want to go through with this, or do you want me to do it?"

Hotel ~ Bonnie & Carol's Room (Bonnie; Henry)

Bonnie gave a grim nod. "Aye, one reason for the name is because he had a bad habit of not keeping his hands to himself. And the other reason is he lost his right hand after Carol drove a broken bottle through his wrist."

She shook her head, giving a brief chuckle. "This really isn't my world either; I'm only here on talent and connections. Honestly, had I not met Carol, I'd be working in my mom's shop, making bite-sized chocolates, blissfully unaware of the monsters and horrors that roam the countryside."

Hotel ~ Stairwell (Carol; Joseph)

Carol started down the stairs, raising an eyebrow as Joseph smacked himself. She shook her head slightly, returning his smile with one of her own. "Well, I suppose it was incredible. Anyway, while 'it's my job', I couldn't standby and let others get hurt." She gave a grin, "Besides, I like a good fight. Part o'the reason I signed up for the job."

Hub Town ~ Hotel Lobby (Claire, Lulu; Nasur; the Hunters & Co.; Samelin, Rosafa, Devad; Rebecca)

Claire tapped her chin a few times, "Allegedly, these are fragments of divine power given physical form. They just... manifest. Usually after I've beaten something large and nasty. Though, a few have just been sitting on pedestals in ancient castles and such."

The witch-thief noticed the necromancer's glance, causing her to glance down as well. It took a moment for her to pick up on the meaning of what she said, "Oh, so you're like Maelys, then!" she blurted out, drawing Lulu's attention.

"Like Maelys?" inquired the succubus, who proceeded to scrutinize Rebecca's decayed appearance, "Perhaps, though the chief maid isn't so... what's the right word? Aged? Moldered? Worn? No offense, ma'am."

_{^< cont. from} Hub Town - Hotel, Bonnie & Carol's Room _{^> Henry — Bonnie}


"Severed it with a broken bottle?" Henry repeated, eyes widening. He glanced toward the door, as though Carol might still be on the other side, listening in. "Remind me to never try arm wrestling Carol. 'Course," he pressed his lips in a bitter smile, "sounds like it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy."

Even braced with bitterness, he felt his smile fading, withering against an all too familiar sick feeling. The same he felt whenever he dared to contemplate the many aching realities of his home, born of all the hideous shades hidden in the human heart.

"Ah yeah," he nodded, eager to change the subject, "the life of a confectioner, there's a noble pursuit for you. 'Least until the toothaches start." He thumbed a molar though his cheek ponderously. "Yep, I might've turned out an entirely different man had I never tasted a caramel apple. That's some biblical shit there. Oh-" he grimaced, "uh, excuse the language."

_{^< cont. from} Hub Town - Hotel, Stairwell — Heading Down _{^> Joseph, a distressingly ordinary human being — Carol}


"Thas awesome." Joseph's gaze fell, "Wish I could do summin' like that. Y'know, fight or keep people safe. Or keep people from having to keep me safe at least. My older brother took some Judo lessons, but I never really picked up anything. Not like I'm gonna be able to do Judo moves on a wyvern anyway. I'd need like a-"

He cut himself off, realizing suddenly that he'd stopped descending and that Carol was getting quite a bit ahead of him. Letting go of the rail, he hurried down the rest of the steps, continuing, "like a gun, or magic powers, or at least a swo-hyck!"

Joseph just about swallowed his own lungs as he tumbled forward, nosediving toward the next landing. Up to that point, he'd descended stairs a grand total of twice in his salamandrine form, both cases being the small staircase in his own home. He'd stumbled there the first time as well, saved by the thankful brevity of his fall, too short to gain much speed. As it turned out, the matter of balancing oneself was a bit different when one had a large tail at one end and a protrusive head at the other, not to mention the slighter changes in his intervening proportions. Combined with the innately precarious proposition that was climbing down a set of stairs, and disaster was almost assured for a newbie.

Prayers for his own survival came second only to prayers that nobody would notice as he threw himself with whatever floundering force he could muster back at the railing. He flung his arms wide, wrapping them around the top rail and turning his stumble into a slide. Grasping at the balustrade, he slowed his descent until he could seize one of the metal posts firmly and come to a jerking halt, nearly throwing his legs over his head in the process.*◊ When he finally settled, he was left hugging the railing for dear life, with one arm and leg hanging over the edge.

Still, he couldn't help breathing a sigh of relief as he clung there, as the stranger beneath them had, by some miracle, not noticed. It had been a pretty quiet catastrophe, with no more than his stifled gasp and the brief frictiony squeak of skin sliding against metal to mark it audibly. The stranger was getting closer to their level—they'd no doubt meet at the next landing—but was herself looking over the edge at the floors below.

Joseph relaxed, sliding off the railing and back onto the stairs with as much grace as he could manage, given his awkward position. It wasn't much, and by the time he got back to his feet, his thoughts had turned with dread to whatever Carol might say. The odds of leaving a good impression when all was said and done seemed slim to none.

"Who am I kidding?" He muttered, clutching the railing as he descended, "I can' even walg down stairs without falling. Can' even hold a pencil without dropping it. Can' even say most words corretly." He chanced a sideways glance at Carol, then shook his head. "I'm sorry. Sorry for bein'..."

He tried to think of something specific, but nothing more came to mind.

Edited by Ryuhza on Jan 6th 2022 at 1:36:05 AM

(Hotel Lobby)

Rebecca nodded as Claire went on about the source of her trinkets. Divine power was interesting, but certainly not an area of magic she had much knowledge about. Or access to, quite frankly. But then...

When Claire and Lulu seemed to recognize the source of her undead nature, the necromancer recoiled in shock. As far as she knew, she was the only one who had not only perfected the ritual of lichdom, but actually been desperate- or perhaps mad- enough to use it. "This... this Maelys. She's a lich? How did she accomplish such a feat? What does she use for a phylactery? Tell me everything you know about her."

Hub Town: Hotel Elevator

Nasur pondered for a moment what Amandus had told him. "They do seem to produce lesser side effects with each use, so perhaps your body would develop a resistance after a while?" He asked, but immediately shook his head. "No, using something like that is not something you do so carelessly. It still consumes as much... Split its cost by several others...? No, it's a side effect on the user..." He started muttering questions to himself before shaking his head and turning back to Amandus. "I'm sorry. Handling strange magical artifacts was never a hobby of mine, so any knowledge I have is rather limited. Especially since I never met fully non-magical people before."

"If the stone worked by draining the user's anima to power the spell, the effects could be lessened by splitting its cost among many users." He went on. "But it would be redundant if it's used to heal oneself. You had mentioned the side effects were because of the moonstone's use..." Nasur went silent for a moment, trying to come up with something useful. "Perhaps an additional healing spell could help lessen the effect? I'm sure someone might be selling something like that in this town."

The conversation was interrupted the elevator's doors opened, and the small group entered. He had had experience with elevators back at his home, although those were just floating platforms, good for taking in the city landscape, rather than an enclosed cabin like this one was. The interior was quite cramped, and as Nasur entered last, he head to make some effort so everyone could fit in comfortably.

The cabin started humming, and Nasur felt its movement, even if there was no window outside. They were going up. Making use of the time the elevator would take to reach its deatination, Nasur turned to Joseph as much as he could. "Joseph. Has everything been fine since last night?" He asked in a more worried tone. He would have preferred that the two could talk without other people around, but he didn't want to wait too long to ask. "How are you feeling now?"

_{^< cont. from} Hub Town - Elevator to 5th Floor _{^> Joseph — Maria — Nasur}


Joseph listened intently to Maria's warning, giving a swift nod of understanding when she had finished. He thought over her final question for a few seconds longer, then slowly shook his head. "No, no, I should do it. It wouldn't be right to put that on you. I knew there were some kind of side effects, and I'll... I'll deal with it. I'll wait until we get to the room, and I can get dried off properly with a new change of clothes, and all the," he lowered his voice, speaking out the side of his mouth, "facilities I might need. Yeah, that's when I'll do it."

He glanced up at the floor indicator—an old-fashioned dial one rather than a digital display. It was halfway between floors three and four, thankfully with no stops. He didn't fancy the idea of making like an Egyptian wall painting to accommodate more riders, getting even more stuff wet in the process.

Then Nasur asked him how things had been since last night, and how he was feeling at that moment. There was a pointed concern in his voice, as though there was a specific reason he was asking.

"Since last night?" Joseph asked, tilting his head. "Uh... yeah, pretty much smooth sailing. Got back here safely, got a good night's rest, had a weird dream. Aside from that little mess in the lobby, things have been groovy, and I'm feeling..." he shrugged, "y'know, feeling... me. That's fine enough. Why? Has everything been fine for you?"

He narrowed his eyes, "this isn't about that Mael guy, is it? I swear everyone's acting like I've got a target painted on my back." After a moment's thought, he turned himself around carefully, lifting his long head so that it didn't bang into the elevator wall as he did so. With chest to chin resting against the wall and his backside thoroughly visible, he looked at them from his strange, upside-askew perspective and asked, "Well?"

Edited by Ryuhza on Jan 8th 2022 at 7:24:37 AM

Maria sighed. "Joseph, he's after us, and you're with us. We have to make sure you're safe. The last thing we want is something to happen to you because we were careless, okay? We know this man far longer than you have. We know what he's capable of. Just trust us."

She straightened her dress. "Alright, since you decided to do this yourself, I'll just stay watch and make sure the side effects aren't too extreme for you, dear. I remember when I had my first experience with them...ruined my favorite dress." She shuddered, "Thank God I never had that happen again."

[Hotel, Lobby]

Now that Maria was somewhere else, the others decided to get to know the other people that came in.

"Hungry, huh?" Nick said to Samelin, "We were just about to get some breakfast! Come join us. Sides, I like knowing new people. So, are you an adventurer too?"

Amandus noticed his husband's troubled face. Concerned, he walked over to him and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Everything okay, love?"

"Something Joseph mentioned bothers me," he said, "You remember when he disappeared, right? How panicked we were and all of that?"

"I do. Never erased it from my memory."

"So, this Connie girl...he met her around that time. How?" He didn't want to think that Joseph lied or something like that—-but his gut instinct was telling him something wasn't right.

"I'm sure there's an explanation for it. Come on, eat something. You know how stress you get when you're hungry."

"...Yeah, you're right." Still, this nagging feeling lingered. He would have to ask his son when he came back, just so he could have a little bit of closure.

Edited by Masterofchaos on Jan 12th 2022 at 9:09:29 AM

Hotel ~ Bonnie & Carol's Room (Bonnie; Henry)

Bonnie raised a hand, "Allow me to correct you on that— Carol merely maimed his wrist. It was deemed necessary to amputate Vinny's hand due to his injuries. That and..." She paused, emphasizing with air quotes, "'Being a nicer guy', as you put it does not sit well with the Society."

The lagokin smiled, eagerly accepting the change in subject, "Well, I do know my way around a kitchen— all of my siblings and I would help Mama out with her cooking." She crossed her arms, "Hmm, caramel apple, you say? That's simple enough to make. I think some sweets would do wonders to raise spirits, especially when everyone gets back."

Hotel ~ Stairwell (Carol; Joseph)

Carol glanced back as Joseph stopped mid-sentence, just in time to watch the salamander-man trip down the stairs. “Yeesh, I was going t'suggest learnin' t'use a firearm, but first, you definitely need t'get a better handle o'your body, otherwise you'd shoot somebody's eye out fumbling the damn thing..." She trailed off, rubbing her chin.

The dark elf smiled, snapping her fingers, "That tail of yours sure does come in handy. Speakin' o'which, I know a lizard who might be able t'teach you a thing or two— her name's Moobly. I could point her in your direction if you'd like."

Jobe's Farm (Maelys, Mist; Aseyu)

Maelys led the two down the hall. "I couldn't help but notice that your activities have energized my companion," she said, gesturing towards her eyes. Her right iris had a glowing targeting reticle superimposed over it.

"A few of my colleagues are..." the maid waved a hand in circle a few times, "inexperienced at such things. Perhaps I could have you teach them a thing or two?"

It didn't take long for the trio to leave the farmhouse, and meet back up with Jobe and Ethani.

[Jobe's Farm (Ethani; Jobe)]

"...for reliability," Ethani said, fondly displaying her firearm to a curious Jobe. "The Kykiten produce a more accurate weapon, but put a target on the other side of your farm, and I'll put a round into it. Bullseye, maybe not, but a center of mass shot will get the job done. And you can leave a Type 3," she tapped the weapon fondly, "out in anything from a sandstorm to a monsoon, and you're one good cleaning away from a fully functional firearm. One of the most important parts is..."

[Jobe's Farm (Maelys, Mist; Aseyu, Ethani; Jobe)]

To Aseyu, this seemed like an excellent way to spend her time. At least, as long as Maelys and Mist's colleagues were on par with them, in terms of being interesting and attractive. Of course, Maelys hadn't provided much in the way of details. And Aseyu was still a Spider. A protocapitalist to the bone, she wasn't going to (metaphorically) sign anything until she'd read the fine print. And negotiated, of course, wherever she saw an opening. "I might be interested," she said. Her mind already had a checklist of preferences, expectations, and even a few (unlikely) hard lines that would scuttle the deal. "What were you thinking, exactly?"

"...the magazine design," Ethani continued, showing off the now-removed magazine. "'Overbuilt', the islanders say." She scoffed and handed Jobe the magazine. He was visibly surprised by the weight. "That, Jobe, is steel." Ethani said, taking it back. "Welded steel. You can hammer nails or break skulls with this hunk of metal and it will still fire..."

Hearing footsteps, Ethani looked up at Aseyu as she approached and gave a quick, sharp salute. "I take it you enjoyed your..." she paused. "Shower?"

"Very much," Aseyu said, with a smile and a glance at Mist. "Thank you again, Jobe."

And yes, Ethani's Type 3 Iserit is basically an AK-47. Convergent evolution; in Qorisa, you really want to be able to rely on your weapon.

Edited by KillerClowns on Jan 21st 2022 at 4:37:20 AM

_{^< cont. from} Hub Town - Hotel, Bonnie & Carol's Room _{^> Henry — Bonnie}


Henry play-winced at Bonnie's sweets-making suggestion. "Oh, you tempt me!" He sucked in his breath, contemplating the endeavor as it wore away at his willpower. "I'm sure my diet can withstand a small sample here and there. Anyway, I can't argue with raised spirits." He drummed the arm of his chair and nodded, "I say it's a plan."

He ran a hand through his hair and leaned forward, examining Bonnie's handiwork on the jeans. "That about stitched in there? It doesn't have to be perfect; it's a patch job for a patch job. And who knows, loose-stitched butt patches could be the next fashion craze if I sell it just right." He glanced at the window, "Could start a thing right here in town, maybe even set up shop. Speaking of— think we should hit the streets? Pick up some ingredients? Or do the uh, SPAM cupboards here have all the fixings for caramel apples?"

_{^< cont. from} Hub Town - Hotel, Mid-floor Hallways —> Stairwell _{^> Joseph, A distressingly ordinary if somewhat sickly human being — Carol}


Carol's remark wasn't nearly as bad as he'd feared (little could match what he had going in his head) though it did bring to mind the unexpected image of a jeering Santa Claus which, if nothing else, shook him out of his deepening gloom. With a soft snort that contained trace amounts of amusement, he walked down the rest of the stairs in carefully measured steps.

He glanced back at his tail as she complimented it, or at least the potential of it. "Yeah, thas what Henry said too." He shrugged, "But iss like I told him, I'be only managed to trip over it. Plus it makes it difficult to sit on things normally— chairs an' all that, but..."

He slowed down as they came upon the next landing, his glance back turning into a spaced-out stare. He seemed almost hypnotized by his tail's subtle movements— movements he controlled, consciously and unconsciously. His brain sparked with electricity exploring this new avenue, stirring up a wave of sensations and emotions. He felt a tingling in his hands, in his stomach; a flushness in his face; and some undawned realization quaked, like a door buried deep in the back of his mind, rattling, rattling to be opened. The far corners of his mouth tugged into something strange.

Hck-ghck!

A partially stifled cough from across the landing stirred him back to his nervous senses with a sharp flinch. Dammit, he squeezed his head, shaking it, stay focused. Keeping his head down, he sidled back over to Carol, casually positioning himself so that she was between him and the coughing stranger.

"I dunno," he said, finally finishing his thought in a notably quieter voice, "iss weird. But maybe you're right. I mean, I'm not ezzactly a newborn baby, but I've spent my entire life minus like... two and a half days without one. With only my cat to get pointers from, and we weren't really on speaking terms after..." he brought his hands up, framing his head as he flashed his teeth in an awkward grin.

"The only thing is," he glanced up at Carol, "I'm not sure there's any point to getting the hang of all this when the whole plan is to get me bag to normal. I mean, what if I met this uh... Moobly person, and she shows me the ins and outs of being all lizardy or whatever, and then we figure out a way to turn me back, and I..." he glanced away for a moment, clicking his claws together before shrugging, "I dunno, what if I miss it in some weird way? Like I got attached to it somehow or... egh-" he waved the thought away, "sounds crazy when I say it out loud. Sorry, I overthink things sometimes."

He fell silent again, but having said so much already, he couldn't seem to stop for long.

"Iss just... I don't remember all of yesserday too well, like... kinda like my brain went through a laundry machine or somethin'. But after I used those magic gems, back at the campsite, when I turned back into my normal human self, I remember feeling..." he opened his mouth, searching for a word that seemed beyond description. He raised his hands too, looking between them as though he might find its shape there. But before he could take a stab at voicing it...

Hgh! Hgh-hgck-ghck!

...the coughing stranger interrupted him again, even louder than before. This time he felt a little cross, and he leaned out from behind Carol just to shoot her a glare. She was bent over the bannister, coughing down into the center of the stairwell. For a moment Joseph worried she was about to throw up, but all she did was swear quietly, which led to another set of thankfully dry coughs.

Perhaps sensing the sudden quiet the coughing fit had caused, the stranger stuck one arm back, flapping her hand in Joseph and Carol's general direction as she explained, "don't worry, it's not contagious. Just traveler's wheeze. It's getting... getting better."

Hub Town: Hotel's elevator, going 5th Floor

"Oh, it's been fine for me." Nasur replied. "It felt nice being able to sleep soundly without having to worry about hungry predators for once." He said off-handedly. "I was just asking because, well, I think you got in some trouble yesterday. Or os I got told. Has everything been fine since then?"

Truth be told, Nasur felt a little guilty since yesterday. Joseph had been scolded, and he hadn't been there for his friend. So, Nasur was ready to make up for it.

He turned to Maria as much as he could. "If that is your biggest concern, then I offer myself to use the moonstones." He spoke up. "Don't worry about the secondary effects. I've suffered worse for longer. I'll manage."

_{^< cont. from} Hub Town - Elevator —> 5th Floor Halls _{^> Joseph — Maria — Nasur}


"Well, I feel singled out," Joseph complained, "I'm not a delicate flower, you know. I'm not the Dalai Lama either." The movement of his jaw against the elevator wall caused his head to bob up and down as he spoke, until he finally turned back around to face his companions directly. "I'm just a guy. A weird amphibianish lizard guy, yeah, but that's not all too special under the surface of it. And look, I really do appreciate that you care, that so many of you care, like... it's kind of overwhelming how that hits me," he patted his chest with a wet chlt chlt, "but at the same time, I feel like I'm in witness protection. Only, I haven't witnessed anything." He shook his head, "I just don't think I need or deserve all this special attention."

When Nasur stalwartly offered to use the moonstones himself and bear the side effects, Joseph could only smack his hands over his eyes with an exasperated gape.

"All the more reason for you not to use them. 'Least, not for my sake." He dropped his hands, giving his blue friend a candid look, "Nasur, I'm sure I don't know the tiniest bit of what you've been through, but I know you've suffered enough. You don't need to take on the burden of this thing that I want to do for my friend. You've done more than enough for me already. Heck, I like you just being around; it doesn't have to be any more than that. And really, the whole moonstone business— I know what I'm getting myself into. This is one bullet you don't have to jump in front of." The elevator dinged pleasantly as it reached the 5th floor and the doors slid open. "It's more like a BB anyway," he added quietly, poking his head out to check the hall. "Or a Nerf dart."

The 5th floor hall was mostly vacant, the sight summoning up memories from the sparse vacations of his childhood. Of becoming lost, exploring silent, sterile hotel hallways as he tried to remember which room his family was in. Sometimes he'd hear faint noises from behind a door or see a distant figure emerge from a room down the hall, only to disappear around the next corner. He'd felt so isolated, away from his home, away from anyone he knew and utterly unequipped to find his way back. He hadn't felt that way in a long, long while.

"Should be just down to the left," he murmured, stepping out of the elevator, "room 509."

Glancing back at Nasur, he realized suddenly that he hadn't answered the Narati's earlier question. "Trouble yesterday? You mean besides the whole thing with the sand blo- oh!" Suddenly it hit him, "you must be talking about what happened with me and David. Ah," he waved it off, "that's water under the buried... hatchet- we patched things up. Y'know, we had a fight earlier, and things kept getting worse and worse, especially for him, and there were some things I could've..."

He stopped for a moment, gaze falling steadily. "I think he was having a hard time. I mean, not that what he did— what he said to me was right. But I didn't realize what I was doing to him. I..." He closed his eyes, his lizardy brow furrowed in concentration, "I think David was feeling very.... alone and he didn't know how to tell me. So he chewed me out. Maybe he thought if he spread that hurt around, I'd figure it out or... I don't know." He shook his head sadly. "I didn't."

Edited by Ryuhza on Jan 20th 2022 at 11:42:16 AM

[Hotel-5th floor hallway]

Seeing that Joseph looked upset, Maria quickly pulled him into a hug and tried to squish his cheeks. "Aww, I'm just saying that the Richmans, Amy, and Adam would be very mad at me if something happens to you!" She giggled, "Don't feel singled out, honey. Our group has a motto; we look out for each other no matter what. And since you're part of our group, we gotta make sure you're okay. That's just how we do things." She gently kissed his cheek.

She fell silent as she allowed Nasur and Joseph talked, but gave a look of sympathy when he mentioned David's behavior from last night. Though she couldn't excuse a grown man attacking a kid, she did sympathize with the feeling of loneliness.

"You think he's feeling better after last night?" she asked, flipping her hair. "Ah, I guess that's none of my business. We should focus on getting Connie better. You have any more questions for me, dear?"

Edited by Masterofchaos on Jan 22nd 2022 at 8:31:13 AM

Hotel Dining Room (Samelin, Rosafa, Devad, Maria, Nick, Amandus, et. al.)

"Might call us adventurers, I suppose," Samelin answered, their voice once again acquiring a slight drawl. "Used to be an Inquirer for the Exalted Confederation of States, before the government decided that my pointy ears made me a security risk. Rosafa here used to be a magical-weapons developer for Kurnoz Kralluk, the major elven power on our world since the old kingdoms fell. And Devad is a former Liberator for the Danyari. Some call 'em freedom fighters and others call 'em terrorists, but Devad's been removed from all that ever since he got exiled, but that ain't my story to tell."

"Not that that stopped you from telling them I got exiled..." Devad muttered.

"We're all disconnected from the things that were supposed to be our purposes, so we have banded together to use our talents to help others," Rosafa said cheerfully.

Samelin chuckled. "Careful, darlin', you'll make us sound like heroes." They turned to their dining companions. "How about you folks?"

Hotel ~ Bonnie & Carol's Room (Bonnie; Henry)

Bonnie gave a nod, before handing the repaired pants to Henry. She gave a quiet laugh at his idea for patchwork fashion; though, the longer she thought about it, the more it seemed somewhat plausible. "Hmm, maybe expand the idea to entire piece... that's an idea for later," she said, mostly to herself.

She glanced over at the cupboards, before standing and heading over. A quick search of the cupboards yielded bags of sugar, the main ingredient of caramel. However, Bonnie noticed a lack of apples, and other ingredients to pair with the caramel. She shut the cupboard, the wood panels closing with a click.

"Ah, there's a few things missing that we can pick up. So, looks like we'll be heading out!" Bonnie said, clapping her hands together with a smile.

Hotel ~ Stairwell (Carol; Joseph, Connie?)

Carol turned her head, glancing at the coughing newcomer. "Is that serious?" she asked, "Because it sounds serious. Like, consumption serious." She scowled at her slightly, "I know someone who could check you out, make it so you don't sound like you're about t'cough up a lung."

Carol crossed her arms and shook her head, "Look, we tried fixin' you once, and it didn't stick. I'm thinkin' you should have a contingency in case 'become human again' doesn't pan out. Or, you know, you figure some way o'switchin' between the two."

Hotel ~ Lobby (Claire, Lulu; Rebecca; any adjacent listeners)

Claire gave a wave of her hand and gestured towards Lulu, "She knows more about it than I do. All I know, is she's got a crystal embedded in her chest. Doesn't like it to much when you touch it most of the time."

Lulu nodded, the look on her face turning a bit sour. "Before she entered into Lady Aria's service, Maelys was... abducted and had a soulstone used to extract her soul and convert her into a will-less immortal thrall."

Edited by WillDeRegio on Jan 30th 2022 at 7:56:52 AM

Hub Town: Elevator going 5th

Nasur listened with attention at Joseph's speech, admittedly a little surprised. This was probably the first time he had seen his fellow lizard-man being so assertive. Nasur couldn't help but smile.

"That is, probably, the kindest thing anyone ever said to me, I'll admit." He replied. "Very well, have it your way. My offer still stands."

The group reached the fifth floor, and slowly made their way across the hallways, following Joseph's guide. After witnessing the lobby's elegance, these cramped hallways felt to Nasur like a letdown. They were luxurious, certainly, but one would expect them to be a little more... spacious. Hopefully, the rooms would make up for it.

"Well, I'm glad you could patch things up." Nasur replied, after hearing about David's state of mind. "Honestly, I think I understand how he felt. When you are alone, when you feel no one is with you, you tend to get bitter." He said with a solemn expression. And then he immediately turned to a cheerful one. "But now he knows he has such good company! We'll make sure to not let him down!"

As he walked and talked, Nasur couldn't help but glance around. Every door looked the same, it made him wonder how hard it would be to not get lost in a place like this. "We are going in the right direction, aren't we?" He wondered.

(Hotel Lobby- Rebecca, Claire, Lulu, anyone listening in)

The undead nodded at the explanation. "I see. So much like my own state, then. Though I was the one who took my soul out- one of the benefits of being a necromancer is that you have experience working with such." But then, her features soured, going from unsettling to downright disturbing.

"An immortal thrall? Her mind trapped within her body, no free will? For all eternity?! That's absolutely blasphemous. Even the Pit does not have punishment sufficient for such a monstrous act." There was unspeakable anger in Rebecca's eyes as she spoke. "Is there any hope for her to regain herself?"

_{^< cont. from} Hub Town - Hotel, 5th Floor Halls _{^> Joseph — Maria — Nasur}


"It's just decency, Nasur. It's what anyone deserves." Joseph smiled somewhat wistfully, shrugging, "I guess I've got enough on me to spare."

As Maria pulled him in for a hug, he tried to pull away, warning, "Ah- Maria, careful! I'm still a little we-" But she was upon him before he could even finish his sentence. Anyway, he wasn't complaining. One of his hotel neighbors on the other hand let out a muffled angry yawp as Joseph's tail thudded against the nearby wall.

He touched his cheek with a bashful smile as Maria pulled away, saying, "Well... the feeling is mutual. I mean, look, you all do what you gotta do, but just... try to remember that I'm not the only one around here who needs looking out for. That's all."

The other two shared their remarks about David while Joseph navigated the hall, counting off the room numbers. "506, 507, uh... yeah, we had a nice night together: him, me, and Connie. I really think that was a whole... I dunno, a healing sort of experience. Emotionally, anyway. Did you know you can order up breakfast here past midnight? Oh, here we are."

He stopped in front of a door that was at least semi-familiar, if only for the number 509 marking it as his own. Reaching for the handle, he turned back to his companions and lowered his voice. "Let's try to keep it down as we go in, okay? He could still be asleep, and I don't wanna kick off his day barging in all carelessly and waking him up in the middle of a nice dream or something like that. You never know when someone's about to start sampling pies."

_{^< cont. from} Hub Town - Hotel, Stairwell (Heading Down) _{^> Joseph, Connie — Carol}

Joseph considered himself a fairly realistic person, sometimes even erring on the side of cynical. He knew the situation for what it was. Some part of him had known that first morning, when he'd opened his eyes to an off-kilter world; when he'd faced his reflection to see the strange turn he had taken. There was no doubt in his mind that any solution to his problem was beyond his or Henry's means, and although things had become quite a bit more complicated since then, it was still too much to expect Carol or Bonnie to just magic up one of their own. Sure, they'd found some incredibly handy mystical stones very quickly, but Carol was right: their fix hadn't lasted. He'd turned back to normal for a bit, then he'd passed out, had some trippy dreams, and woke up in an isolation pod, where he immediately started changing again— a long, awkward, and none too particularly comfortable experience he wasn't eager to repeat a third time.

He knew all this, and yet hearing it spoken aloud for the first time instead of the usual facile reassurances that everything was just going to work out... it was unsettling.

He tried to imagine a contingency for his situation. To imagine returning to his own world, stuck the way that he was. Hiding away in his home for the rest of his life. Maybe running off to join a circus was still in the cards, though they always seemed to turn out evil in books and movies. Abusive at best.

He tried to imagine showing himself to his mom. His chest constricted.

Would she recognize him? Would she accept him? A runaway husband, a runaway son, and her only kid left turned into some kind of circus freak. It didn't seem fair. Maybe she'd faint on the spot and go into a coma, unwilling to bear with such an impossible reality. Maybe it would be better not to return. Just add another mystery to the Weller household, and let the remains heal in peace without the burden of him.

The coughing stranger shook her head, still bent over the banister despite her assurances that whatever she had wasn't contagious. "It's a pain in the neck, but it's really- it's supposed to go away in a day... or two, with rest. Sorry to bother- hghck— sh- hi- it—"

Joseph leaned over again, eager to clear his head of its fog, and got a better look at the cougheteer, or at least at the back of her. She was wearing a light olive jacket that was cropped short, showing the black shirt she had underneath, tucked into a pair of similarly black jeans. She even had black hair, or at least very dark brown hair, messily tied in a low bun that looked ready to come loose at a strong gust. Her voice was a little hoarse, but she sounded young.

"Do you need some water?" he asked.

She turned around, a wry smile pulling at her mouth. Her skin was a warm brown tone, though pale from sickness and joined by circles under her eyes. But the eyes themselves, they turned to him, dark brown and full of good humor. They met him with a comfortable ease, maybe even recognition, which was odd, because he didn't recognize her. Did he?

"If you're about to tell me to go jump in the foun- whatthefuck!?"

Not a second after she'd turned around, something seemed to have clicked and her ease turned to shock. She visibly flinched, backing into the railing, before lifting her hand and pointing right at him, stammering for words.

Joseph lowered his head, squeezing his wrist and glancing for any nearby things he might casually hide behind. But his only immediate option was Carol, and that wouldn't do for his reputation with her, even if he thought it'd actually help with the stammering girl. So, he stood there, unsure of what to do, cooking in his discomfort like an ant under a magnifying glass.

"H-how did-?" she shook her head. "You're all-" she gestured at him. "You were..." she thumbed over her shoulder... or pointed at the floor above— even her gestures were becoming unclear. Eventually she seemed to get stuck on the cusp of asking 'what' while dangling her finger at him like she was trying to pick a lock with it.

Finally, he'd had enough. He dropped his arms, lifted his head, and glared annoyedly. "Y'know, iss rude to point."

"Joe?"

He recoiled, blinking, eyes widening slightly. That was unexpected. He nodded slowly.

"How the hell did you get up here?"

Not quite sure of what she meant, he stated the plain truth: "The... elevator."

The girl rolled her eyes, "Yeah duh. I think I'd have noticed you coming up the stairs. I mean how the hell did you get up here and catch me on the stairs? Thanks for giving me a heart attack. And you're dry, and you've..." she looked him up and down, regarding his boxers and ill-fitting t-shirt getup with a raised eyebrow, "well you've changed clothes. Maybe didn't finish, but you changed 'em. How did-"

She was interrupted by another few coughs, directed graciously into her arm. Joseph, meanwhile, was too dumbfounded to do anything but blink. His silence didn't seem to bother the girl any, as she set back to talking as soon as her airways were clear.

"So, what's the trick huh?" she asked, glancing briefly at Carol. "Some kind of magic, will-warpy thing? Oh," she snapped her fingers, "alien technology? A little souvenir? A pocket transporter, turbo-dryer device?"

Joseph slowly cocked his head to the side, trying to remember if the girl was part of the group of teens he'd briefly encountered at the campground the previous day. Something about her reminded him of them, but that day—at least that portion of it—was still such a mush in his mind. A strange brand of déjà-vu where he knew he had those memories, but he couldn't remember where he had put them. Unable to place the girl, he looked to Carol in the vain hope that she might recall what he could not.

Glancing with renewed interest between him and Carol, she asked, "Oh, and who's your friend?" Someone from your space adventure?"

She began extending her right hand to shake Carol's, then quickly switched to her left for some reason, curling her right hand into a ball and tugging back her baggy jacket sleeve, as if that was the intent the whole time.

"Connie Zavala," she introduced herself, presenting a smile which, even through her sickly complexion, managed to be rather sunny.

[Hotel (Lobby)]

"Government folks...ugh, they always want to use a damn scrapegoat." Nick shook his head, "Don't worry, I know they're full of shit."

He then rubbed his neck. "Well, me and my friends all come from different backgrounds, but one thing unites us; we're looking for my dad and my friend's parents, and because of that, we're kind of being hunted. By these assholes called Betrayed. We don't know what dad or Adam's parents did to unleash these folks, but we know one thing for sure...we can't let them get away with hurting others."

He then sighed. "Sadly, the scariest one of the bunch somehow made it here. Name's Mael, and he's a mind controller. If you see someone with silver eyes, it means that's one of his victims. We have a motto to follow; beware the eyes of silver. Course, not every person with silver eyes means a mind control victim—you gotta watch their behavior too." He rubbed his cheek with one hand. "Damn, I kind of turned this into a warning, huh? Sorry 'bout that, y'all.

Betrayed is Chaos.

____

[Hotel (5th floor Hallway)

Maria giggled. "Will keep that in mind, honey."

At his request to keep her voice down, Maria nodded, then spoke softly, "Let me know if you need anything else, dear. I'm here for you."

Edited by Masterofchaos on Feb 6th 2022 at 6:11:11 AM