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--[ The Hole In the Universe(#2576RJ) ]----------------------[ Somewhere ]----
This Diner has a small sign which reads 'The Hole in the Universe'. It
is clean and neat as far as diners go with old red swivel stools and
booths. The menu is diverse and they specialize in ice cream deserts,
french-fries and new on the menu fish and chips. In fact, they
actually have a separate counter for ice-cream and a window to serve
folks who don't want to sit down and eat. In the distance are the
black skyscrapers of Jericho, a decaying city choked by smog.
Mysterious huge trucks constantly rumble down the highway and stop at
the diner as they carry deliveries across the desert. If you use
binoculars, you can see the black road almost too close for comfort to
the city. Still the diner's jukebox plays almost constantly and the
strobe light in the back flickers random colors. As far as the eye can
see is desert land much like that of Arizona. The diner is at the last
pit stop before nowhere.
Liyandra, Martin, Meijanri, Merrisol, Nerida, and Salin are here.
--[ setting ]----------------------------------------------[ Exits: None ]----
Setting by Martin at Wed Dec 11 19:06:35 2013:
The Three Rules of Deep Shadow.
1) Anything can happen.
2) If you think it isn't likely to happen it probably will because the universe likes to mess with people.
3) Do not loose site of Martin. You begin @the diner which is as far out as Martin can go to get something stable. You've come here somehow, either you trumped Martin, trumped someone with Martin, followed him on his hellride (horses to motorcycles) and your attire has been changed from medieval to 1950s with flare, your current weapons and fun attire. Choose at will.
Salin gets a pair of Respect my Authority glasses, Martin looks like James dean with swords right now and is of course wearing his mirrorshades.
Nerida has been picking lightly at her clothes, surprised by the changes. Though, pink poodle skirts don't really go with her complexion. She didn't eat anything, but did try a rootbeer float, which she decided she liked. "So where is it that we're going?"
It's touch and go for Salin for a little bit. Horses to bikes are most certainly not his speciality, but he at least arrived in one piece. Those Respect my Authority glasses with frames of ice white are resting on the top of his head and as he finishes off the last of that root beer float, there's a slight cant of his head as he looks to Martin, "Not bad. Not bad."
Meijanri absolutely is wearing a poodle skirt. Well, dogfish skirt. Close enough. She too is wearing a leather jacket because she's been riding bitch for the Golden God, though hers says simply "Tunnel Snakes." She too is nibbling at a cheeseburger. Her fourth.
"Hey, how come you've never taken me here before?," she asks, as if it were somehow Martin's responsibility to introduce her to dive bars and by extension the most wonderful food ever invented.
"What are we doing?" Martin looks gleeful as he grins at Salin. "We're going to rescue a Princess who sent a message for my help."
Martin asides to Meijanri, "I took you here now! yeah?"
Nerida cocks her head, but looks interested. "A princess? This deep in shadow? I'm surprised she managed to get you a message from that far," she says, finishing off her float with the expected slurpy sound. Straws, such fun things!
Salin gives a chuckle in the direction of Martin, "In deep shadow? I'm gonna be worried about just what kind of princess this actually is, Martin." There's a hint of a smirk and he's reaching up to pull those sunglasses down onto the bridge of his nose. His bomber jacket that he wound up with is white and lacks any name patches or the like.
Liyandra is wearing a burgundy soot suit, with black trim. her fedora is black with burgundy trim and set jauntily on her head. black boots and her knives complete the ensemble. she is pretty good on horseback but the switch to motorcycle caught her off guard, slowing her down a bit. weenie, wobble, vroooom. and then dinner - cheeseburger, fries and gravy. best of all - root beer float. now Liya sits and listens quietly.
Meijanri only licks the straw from her vanilla milkshake and grins at Martin.
Martin points at the always playing jukebox. "She sent it through there. I have a reputation of sorts, out here, one day you can asks the sporks about it. Anyway, Princess Ulonte of the Legion in the Crystal Castle was kidnapped while on a mission of peace and we're her only hope."
Nerida considers Martin's words for a moment before she nods slightly. "I'm not much of a fighter...yet...but I'll help if there's a way for me to," she promises with a smile, before she leans toward Meijanri and murmurs, "What /is/ that you're drinking? It looks odd. Tasty, but odd."
Merrisol hadn't learned how to ride a motorcycle in 5 seconds flat.. he needs at least 60. He's not that breed of idiot savant! His fine sturdy horse replaced by a fine sturdy hog, all of his Yeehaw sea cowboy expertise had turned into Yeek Gyah! while he attempted to figure out throttle and deceleration before creating a fiery bloody streak on the highway to oblivion. Luckily Maggie had still been riding right beside him, and made the leap over to commandeer the bike for them. Now in the very last (and very best) diner, he shuffles his greasy food around restlessly while gazing out the window at the sepia landscape with its black smudge on the horizon line. Itching to get back on that bike now that he's watched how they work.
Meijanri shrugs innocently, leaning her elbows on the table, "The menu said 'Milksnake' and I took it as a sign. It's nice and thick. Try some?" She nudges the tall glass a few inches in Nerida's direction, not too eager to share.
Liya finishes eating, and is now just finishing up the root beer float. She glances over at the juke box, pondering how one sends a message through one of those. "Alrighty," she says. "I'm game to help however I can." A hand reaches up to touch the fedora lightly.
There's a shift of Salin's attention over towards the jukebox before he's looking to Mei, to offer a chuckle at her comment before he's finally looking back to Martin, "Right. Sounds like it's going to make for a rather .. fun filled time."
"Milk/snake/?" Nerida asks, eyeing the glass curiously. But she shrugs and takes a tiny sip of it before pushing the glass back. "It's not bad, though I don't know why it's called a milksnake." She shrugs and leans back, waiting for the others to finish their various odd foods.
Martin looks entirely sane as he explains what the party is about to do tonight. "We have to swim through the Moat of Madness, navigate the puzzle in the Tomb of Tipping Tyrants and make it through the Hazard Maze to the Fortress of Flint. That's where we will find the monsters who guard the Princess and prevent her from fulfilling her Diplomatic Mission. All the while we'll have to avoid falling prey to the minions that Old Finger is going to send to get in our way." He rises and pays his bill. "Alright, everyone had something to eat?"
Maggie has had experience with Martin's version of motorcycles back in the 'touring days' so making Merrisol's hog behave was not too difficult once she took over. Now in the Last Homey Diner in the west, she sits next to Merrisol and enjoys her burger. Looking up at Merrisol, she chuckles, "There will be lots of time to ride." Turning to listen to Martin while licking the katsup and grease from her fingers, she nods.
Meijanri shrugs again, "None of the menu makes any sense to me. They're called hamburgers but they're clearly beef. And what kind of a name is French? It's a bad name, no matter how good he is at frying potatoes." Leaning back, she makes a quiet whinging sound, "How about instead of that we stay here and eat some more? Please?" Truth be told, the sidecar was a little snug. After her big meal it's unlikely to feel any roomier.
Nerida grins at Mei before she nods to Martin. "Swimming should be easy enough. Or, at least it /sounds/ easy enough. I'm all for puzzles and mazes, too," she says, sounding and looking pleased by the itenerary.
From nowhere to even farther nowhere are they about to be led. Martin has that 'trust me I know what I'm doing' attitude of pure confidence. "We'll come back after and have a little party." He promises Mei as he seems to sense her discomfort. "I'll make the sidecar comfier as we move." He adjusts his jacket ala James Dean and saunters towards the exit. "Follow me, everyone."
Meijanri begins to blush, eyes downcast, "Oh, no, it's fine. Really, I just had a fin in an awkward position, don't worry about it." She sneaks a glance back at her long tail and slithers over to follow Maggie, leaning in close to whisper to her.
"Do you think you could make the clothes a little less...clashing...too? Pink does /not/ go with green," Nerida says, wrinkling her nose as she picks up a fold of her skirt with two fingers. But she, too, follows.
Maybe it's due to his affinity for ice, but Salin wound up in clothing of white, including those glasses and bomber jacket and Nerida's comment draws a smirk to his lips, "Pink looks absolutely dashing with green." With the glasses settled firmly on the bridge of his nose, he too begins to move towards the exit.
"Well, it works for roses," Liya says easily, with a smile Nerida's way.
Merrisol takes one last draw at his rootbeer float and stands into the aisle. He's got more of a Road Warrior vibe going on this time around, it looks like, with armor padding and plates worked into the dusty black leather vest and trousers ensemble. His habitual gear and weapons are joined by a number of other stylishly 'survivor' accessories like a gas mask, canteen, tool belt, and of course, a thigh-harnessed boomstick. His hands, which had been wrapped and bound up to the wrists with shiny rose-gold ripples of Sol hair, are now further encased in heavy gloves that loll straps from his bare forearms.
Nerida smiles brightly at Salin and Liya both. "Well thank you. Maybe I'll keep the pink, then." Which seems to eliminate the last of her concerns, if they can truly be called that.
Setting the cap on her head at a jaunty angle, Maggie follows Martin toward the door. Turning as Mei slithers up next to her, Maggie listens. She smiles quietly and shakes her head before replying just as softly. As it happens, Maggie is not wearing a poodle skirt. She wears black leather all the way from the cap on her head to the boots on her feet. Where the others may be the good girls, sorority bound, with a cutlass sheathed at her hip, leather gloves and attitude, she most certainly is not.
This part of the journey gets a little trickier and it's no wonder that Martin pit stopped before doing it. "That's the style here, you look awesome! But if you want leather pants like Maggie, I can arrange that too." He smiles at Nerida, and probably heard Meijanri too. He makes it outside with all the flare he can muster in a desert and revs up the lead bike. Time to get rolling! He waits for everyone to get settled on their bikes and leads the charge. The first change is not quite so smooth as the when they were riding hard before. It's literally LOUD. The peaceful barren desert all of a sudden becomes extremely loud. There's a great roar like millions of people were yelling at once... and yet you don't see anyone around you. There is nothing but the Painted Desert. The next change again is also mind-jolting, and this time it is simply the sound crackling paper. As you rapidly adjust to the change it seems like all the creatures in this world are made entirely of bright colored paper. Origami world. Little origami humming insects buzz around in your path and get in the way.
Nerida climbs on behind Martin and grins. "Leather would be nice. I won't even be picky about the color." When he takes off she spends a large chunk of her attention focusing on the passing scenery, grinning like a loon. Someone likes traveling! She does, however, keep a tight grip on Martin's shoulders. No falling off!
Meijanri starts at the loud sound and rises a foot or so up out of her sidecar, her tongue flicking into the air as she casts a wide-eyed glance all around. Loud noises. Then suddenly she's spitting, a little paper fly stuck to her tongue.
Liya gets on her bike, settling in, zoot suit and all. She's got style, the young Sukhoti. She flashes a grin, revving the engine and following along after Martin. The loud sound has her startle a bit, as she glances about, but can't see anyone. Just hear - ow. And then rustling paper, and she squawks a bit, ducking down as a paper bug barely misses flying up her nose.
Oiy the noise! A cringe conquers Salin's features at the initial part of the journey and when they shift into that Origami world, there's just a loft of a brow. That's followed a moment later by 'Ack' as a paperwork splats against one lense of his glasses, the sound a mere crinkle as the bug winds up as a flattened piece of paper that's stuck fluttering for the moment.
Merrisol sits astride the hog, farther back on the seat while he waits for Maggie to join him again, perhaps continue the hands-on lesson before the ride gets too rough. He knows everyone in the present company, of course, and greeted them accordingly at the start of the route.. but once more takes a longer moment to appreciate a few of the sights for sore eyes. Yeah.. you guys! He and Maggie have been away on the latest leg of the Kitezh campaign for what seems like a long time and had jumped at the chance for a little break when the Regent called up. Back on the road, Mad Merri rides a bit then turns it over to Hot Motor Mama Maggie for the trickier maneuvers. He reaches out and snags a bit of paper out of the air stream moving over the hog's windshield and opens his glove slowly to peer at the crumpled paper beetle... still waggling its crisply-folded wings.
Straddling the bike with Merrisol, Maggie revs the engine with the rest, a grin starting. She kicks off after the other, bringing up the rear. Before things get bad, she gives Merrisol some pointers in hog wrangling. Wait. No. Hog riding. That's it. Sailing along, red hair a banner of attitude behind her, she startles at the noice, wincing as they ride through the Pain-ted Desert with its roaring invisible hoards. Ducking behing the windjammer when they move on to Oragami World she lets the paper denizens fly up and over them. The beetles zip by, but it is the butterflies with markings seemingly drawn on by bright crayon that catch her imagination.
Be careful what you wish for. Martin can't really concentrate too much on wardrobe right now so Nerida winds up with burgundy colored leather shorts with studs on the sides and a pair of white thigh high go-go boots. Martin is doing some wild shifting up there. It's probably best not to lose track of him or complain about the clothing, just ask Maggie what he put her in. Origami world shifts to Damp world where everything is damp and slippery. The creatures of the world sort of slide as they move, and disappear into the ground below.
Wait, that's not ground. That's water...or is it? It's sort of muddy water. As you ride you notice you are actually riding on water and below you is a underwater city that looks like it was created by a madman with all kinds of twisting pipes and weird and wonderful stone. Just what the hell is going on in Martin's head? It's a bit more like mud-clay watery world or something. It really just doesn't make sense and it's pretty clear that things are being shifted out to cut a line through the madness as other things try and mess with the present reality.
For instance, there are still some Origami insects buzzing about and Merrisol's beetle somehow survives. There must be some sort of method to this madness because eventually things become a tiny bit less muddled. Oh... no that was just the mind hoping for something sane. Around you is the universe... blinking stars and comets and asteroids and planets all swirling about and you are riding as if on a road and there are big smiling moons made of cheese. That road turns into solid ground and becomes a marsh as the starry-scape peels away to the beautiful, unnatural land before you. It almost feels like you're in a fairy tale, or some sort of extremely finely painted place. Everything looks so well-layered and structured and bright and shiny. Everyone sees something in front of them. It is a little red bar. It hovers off to one side out of the corner of your eye. There are three little hearts beside it. There's also a number. Currently it is zero. In front of you is a moat that stretches as far as the eye can see. It is filled with little critters who would just love to eat all your flesh away. Across the moat is a huge building shaped like the letter T on its side. It can only be one thing.
Nerida looks down as her clothes change, and just lets out a bright laugh. Clearly she approves! She holds tighter to Martin as the terrain changes, and she looks down at the water and frowns curiously. Still, she looks sad when they get back to solid ground, but only for a moment. She spots the bar and hearts, looking utterly confused. But she knows better than to distract Martin right now.
Liyandra follows along over hill and over dale and over water. muddy waters? someone should sing a song. the the sky opens up into infinity and Liya's eyes widen as her horizons expand all of a sudden. "holy volcano goddess," she murmurs, finding herself glad to move back to something a little more mundane. even with strange - oh. wait. a brow raises. "I should have worn my boss outfit."
"Here we are." Martin breathes a sigh of relief. He's actually sweating a bit from the sheer amount of concentration that took. "We'll have to leave the bikes here. We've got to cross the moat. The bar you're seeing it is kind of the constant in the madness. Don't lose track of it."
Meijanri murmurs under a sigh, "A bar sounds really tempting right now." Speaking up, she asks, "I've attended one of Prince Caine's lectures of chaos but it doesn't seem to have given me any particular useful insight... anything else we really should know?" Her eyes keep returning to the bar in broad turns of her head, as there is so very much to take in and so little of it makes enough sense to only merit a quick glance.
Nerida climbs off the bike and moves a few steps closer to the moat. "If anyone can't swim, I can pull one or two across," she offers. "Though, I won't be much help with the monsters in there if I do. Well, actually, probably won't be much help with them anyway. Unless they're slow."
Liyandra nods to Martin, dismounting off the bike and turning it off. maybe not in thT order. "I can swim," she says, eyeing the critters thoughtfully. "remind me to get some rustproof knives one of these days," she murmurs. though she looks to Martin at mei's question, still a bit unsettled.
Meijanri looks toward Nerida and looks comforted, as she is something at least somewhat constant. "I could try to clear a path through the water if you need, or I can carry someone on my dorsal fin without too much trouble."
Nerida smiles at Mei. "That's what I was going to do. Well, not like this, obviously. As a dolphin. Clearing a path if someone /does/ need carrying would be very helpful, though. Unless those things are scared of dolphins."
And so it goes. Keeping the hog's engine purring along, Maggie follows those following Martin. Her role now, as it was back in the day, is to keep everyone together and watch for stragglers. Luckily in this group, there are no side-trippers so she does not have to do much other than keep up.
The shift in clothing is eyed, though not with any idea of complaining. Nerida wins a quick smile as she avoids the Maggie-Special. Good deal.
And that is when it gets real. Or not. The ground shifts between solid and water with a shadow of a shadow of a shadow of Rebma down there and wacky watery denizens to make the image incomplete. She is suddenly glad that she is stearing for this stretch as she suspects that Merrisol is looking down into the city to see what those twisting pipes are for. Oxygen? Entertainment for small people? And then they are gone and all the universe spreads out about them. Now, it is a good thing that Maggie has experience with moving through Shadow, for here both she and Merrisol are in peril. It is just so interesting.
Another shift or so and they arrive. Bringing the motorcycle to a stop near the others, Maggie looks stary-eyed and a little shaken. Setting the kickstand, she stares forward for a moment before shaking herself and standing. "Martin." She looks at her cousin and smiles a lopsided smile, "Nicely done."
Privately, to Maggie, Merrisol clearly and most definitely did not mind occupying the rear while she sat before him. Seated over humming, vibrating engine? Big motorcycles are the best invention ever!
Privately, to Merrisol, Maggie nestled against him for part of the ride, her back to his chest with the vibrations of the bike shared. Sometimes, motorcycle rides are fun. With him, this one was more than fun.
Martin grins at Maggie and Nerida and nods to Meijanri. "No one really wants to go shadow shifting in these places so that is why he probably didn't touch on them. I do so for Fiona. Nothing is what it seems out here." As people step closer to the moat, suddenly there are tongues diving from the sky from what seem like rips in the air, they just tumble out. Maybe they were spit? They are huge and small, cute and grotesquely alien. Some long and windy and able to wrap around their prey and squeeze it. Others just seem to want to lick people! Some have bad smells and others have little purple dots on them and little jewels. Some are shaped like razor sharp teeth. The moment one step closer to the moat they swoop down and try and attack. Stepping back halts the attack and stepping closer makes you a target for a ravaging tongue. Ew... they all have different kinds of colorful slime too, luckily it doesn't stick but it is pretty gross and they are somehow making sounds like Cowabunga! Look at the hot chick, gimme some sugar baby...what's an ear like you doing in a place like this, mmm tasty tarts! How the heck are they even talking? "Rustproof knives... you need magical ones... Ugh..." he stares at the tongues. "I knew their were tongues to deal with.. but. Gah. Thought it was supposed to be languages."
Nerida is one of those who jumps back and just blinks dumbly at the tongues for a minute. "Right, I doubt they'll be scared of a dolphin. An electric eel maybe? A lion fish?" she asks, eyeing the tongues with a mixture of disgust and curiosity. "And they better not drool on my boots," she says, looking down at one of them and studying it approvingly for a moment.
Merrisol leaves the shotgun behind when he sees the moat, and a few other pointless bits of wares that would only get in the way of crossing. He looks across to the castle, getting a good gander at its strange shape before the slurpy rain comes pouring down and obscures line of sight. He wanders closer to the edge to see what happens to the ones that hit the water and encounter the gnashing terrors under the surface. Abruptly he is slapped upside the head by a disembodied cow tongue that flaps like a pinwheel on uppers. It leaves a bright neon pink streak in his blond hair as he staggers back again, spitting pink ink.
Liyandra is not easy to surprise so perhaps it is expected that she steps back just in time to kiss a big slobbery lick from an orange slimed tongue. "now cut that out. we haven't known each other long enough for you to be that fresh," she says. her knives Re drawn, one in each hand, but she wAirs for the group to advance.
Meijanri is thoroughly and reasonably appalled, recoiling with a hand to her chest because, goodness, this is enough to offend even an Undine. Quietly she stammers, "I don't... I don't even -have- ears..." She almost sounds hurt. "Maybe if we coat ourselves with something bitter? That won't wash off? ...Am I overthinking this? No rules... right..." Frowning sharply, she scolds Martin, "I could be having a milksnake right now instead of being... being ogled by tongues!" She shouts at them, "You don't even have eyes!"
"Do we /have/ anything that we could coat ourselves with, though? Or, maybe, we can talk to them? Maybe they can be reasoned with," Nerida suggests, shrugging.
Maggie watches the others dealing with the tongue rain. Shaking her head, she is about to advance as well when something said catches her attention, "Oh. Right. Liya?" Turning, she walks to the hog's saddlebags and flips one open. Reaching in, she pulls out a box. It is not terribly long nor terribly wide, but it does have a tell-tale (tail?) mark on the top. The saddlebag is closed and she carries the box to Liya. "Here. These might help. I figured you might need something like them, and Mei was kind enough to oblige." Then she takes a look at the problem of the fresh tongues, "I can try frying them. I hear that tongue makes good sandwiches but not raw. And not... oozing. Ew."
One of the tongues jeers at the party, "Betcha can't make it to the Tomb, oh pleeeasse let me have a lick and I'll tell you how!" Another voice startles out, "Don't listen to him he always lies." another says, "You'll never get across! Go home! Awe they don't know what they're doing. Isn't that cute?" .. "Shut up, shut up." and they all hush for a moment and hover over the water. The things in the water are going a little crazier now as they sense FRESH MEAT.
Martin shakes his head at Nerida, "Not that I can think of." He looks a bit drained from the intense shadow shifting so probably not a good idea to put him in front.
Martin looks apologetic at Meijanri. "I thought it was languages..."
Merrisol scrubs his jaw with his gloved wrist, making that pink too. "Give 'em a giant pillar of salt, or a giant lollipop," he manages to suggest once he's recovered from the tongue-lashing. Whiskey-flavoured lolli, natch.
Liyandra blinks, giving Maggie a startled look. "wait, really?" she asks. she looks at the box and over at Mei, frowning a bit. her knives are sheathed and then she says, "tongues are a delicacy, especially when chopped up and fricaseed. I am sure we can feast for days." idle chatter more or less. as she opens the box oh so curiously.
Nerida looks apologetically at the others. "Out of the water I'm going to be fairly useless, unless it's something that just takes strength," she admits. "But I'll do what I can."
With the package delivered, Maggie smiles at Liya, "Hope you like them. I figured that since you are dating Salin and all... You might want something you can use under the sea." Under da Sea! Then she turns her attention to the problems of the tongues. Merrisol is given a glance and a grin, "Okay." Concentrating, she glances at the bar with its hearts, then lifts her hand. A small hill by the moat rises, then sprouts a large, long, whiskey-flavoured lollipop. "A gift for our slippery, slobbery friends."
Meijanri is almost too busy being appalled to notice the exchange, and can only muster a distracted - but appreciative - smile to the two ladies. The sudden lollipop leaves her briefly shocked, "Is that... because of where we are, or can you always do that? Wait... really?" Quirking a raised brow at Maggie she insists, "/Really/?"
When the giant lollipop is shifted in due to the ease and tangibility of shadow in this area it's every tongue for itself because how can you possibly know the sexes? How do tongues even have sex? Never mind, let's not go there. At any rate, zoooom, they speed towards it. Dive bombing the helpless lolly like a hundred little kids after a pinata has been burst open. Now they are all arguing amongst each other and occassionaly tongue butting for the best taste.
Nerida blinks slowly at the appearance of the lollipop. "I am not sure what just happened. Should we go though? Everyone can swim, right?" she asks, just staring, not taking any steps for the moment toward the moat.
Martin rubs his forehead. That site even makes -him- pause and he's got lots of experience in this area. "We still have to be careful of what's in there. Any chance anyone can make a bridge or something?"
Liyandra shakes her head. "quick while they are distracted," she says, wide eyed. "a bridge? uhm - " now her gaze goes to salin.
Turning to Meijanri, Maggie shrugs, "Seemed like a good idea. And the answer to whether I can do that anywhere is complicated." She isn't trying to hide anything, or so says her shrug. Turning to Merrisol she winks, "Thanks for the idea. But, we should cross before they finish." Sidling a clance to Liya she watches for a moment before turning to Salin as well.
When everyone else turns to Salin, Nerida does too, looking curious. "Um, why are we looking at him?" she murmurs.
Meijanri throws up her hands and shuts her eyes just long enough to remember she's supposed to be watching the thing, after which they fly open again. "I just... All right. Sure. That happened. Of course it happened." Folding her arms over her chest, she looks for a safe place to coil and pause and try her damnest to make sense of things. Without the context of LSD, she's having a hard time of it.
Liyandra pulls out the new shinies, examining each with a somewhat amused look. "these are lovely, Mei. and thank you, Maggie, I am looking forward to trying them out."
Martin comforts Meijanri, with a hand on her shoulder and hen looks around at his people. "Can anyone have anything that can part that water?" He also smiles encouragingly at Nerida.
"Part the water? Only when moving through it," Nerida murmurs, looking back at the moat with a frown. "What if I lure them away from this particular area? So you can get across without them attacking you?"
Merrisol points out, "We're all good swimmers, but the water's not fine." He measures the distance to the other edge, tapping the brass chains looped around the waist and body of his current leather outfit, and shakes his head. "Not long enough, I don't think, and besides which it'd be like walking a tightrope." Slower than braving the actual water, perhaps. "If one of you could raise the road in a ramp? We could try to jump it on the bikes, with enough acceleration."
Meijanri sidles over to Martin and asks, almost conspiratorily. "Do you have that sword I made for you? I have mine... and Merrisol owns one... So does Maggie and now Liyandra... Not an ideal solution, but we could always fill the moat with broken glass."
Martin smiles at Nerida, "I wouldn't want you to get hurt by giving us a distraction but bait is a good idea...." He looks at Meijanri and nods. "I do.... and that's an interesting idea. Also is KErfs. But what about Nerida and Maggie who might get hurt?"
Martin thinks, "Can we form the glass into a ramp? Can you smooth it? He wonders at Mei
Nerida shakes her head. "I don't think I'd get hurt. I'd just shift into something too quick for them to catch." She smiles. "And I'm not as delicate as I look." But she shrugs and looks back to the moat thoughtfully.
Maggie says, "I will heal. It is Nerida who might see real damage. I like the idea of jumping the moat on a bike. That would be fun." Then she blinks, "Or. Just summon chunks of meat on the other side of the moat so they all go feed over there and leave us alone. If I can pull a lollipop, I can surely make meat."
Which is totally not as gross as it sounds since in her player's head there was the word 'appear' at the end there.
Martin thinks a while and says, "How about we do a combination. Nerida can distrat the creatures. We can use the swords to fill an area with glass that we can walk over. It'll be kind of slushy."
Martin warns Maggie, "You don't want to do too much shifting in this place. Believe me it will send you into a trip you don't want if you're not used to it. Too easy to get something you don't want."
Meijanri immediately shakes her head, "No, absolutely not. It's... complicated. I'll tell you all about it sometime, preferably when we aren't surrounded by rude evil tongues. Short version is that once they're crafted they can be blades or they can be shards but that's all." Hands on her hips, she surveys the area, "If I had some scrap glass then that'd be a different story. Or if we could just freeze the whole moat."
Martin says, "Then lets have Nerida clear an area in case we fall... and raise a bit of ground to leap over on the bikes?"
Liyandra is caught looking at the new weapons, which surely distracts her. she takes a look around to see if there's anything else. "that sounds like a plan."
Nerida nods. "I can do that. When you get the ground raised I'll jump in and lead them away. Though, try not to miss? I don't think any of us want to try and get those bokes out of the water," she says with a smile, moving closer to the moat, her expression thoughtful.
Merrisol falls silent to listen and consider the others and their ideas. Liyandra's lobster claws get a look of surprise and admiration, and when Nerida mentions shifting, his gaze lingers consideringly. He says to Meijanri, "That shard expulsion trick..? It was spectacular.. and came very much in handy in the Kitezh underrealm." Which means.. yep, he's got no shards to offer now. "I vote we make the jump on bikes," he declares, for what it's worth. Bike jump, people. BIKE JUMP.
Meijanri breathes a long sigh, staring down into the water. "...I don't think your machine is going to make it with me weighing it down. Let me be the decoy. You know that I'm fast, and I know how to keep them at bay." Arms folding over her chest, she looks toward Nerida, "Don't try to talk me out of it because I really don't want to do it."
Nerida looks back and blinks, studying Mei's face for a long moment before she sighs. "As you like, but I'm not going across on a bike. If it looks like they're getting too close to you, I'm diving in," she says, and it doesn't sound like she's giving on that point.
Maggie tilts her head slightly, "So. If you are not the destraction, Nerida and you are not riding over on a bike, does that mean you are getting the sidecar? Or are you swimming after the way is cleared?" Maggie is already walking toward the bikes with an eye toward the road, "Maybe a swoop up to a fortyfive degree angle? Kerf? What do you think? You're better as spacial relationships and math than I am." Yes, she is ready for a bike jump.
Liyandra returns to the bike and gets ready. "this should be fun. if I can make it jump that is."
Martin rubs his fingers together, "Ok, we have a plan. Someone take Salin with them, I think he's got Deep Shadow Sickness. Meijanri and Nerida, you're up. Maggie, let me make the subtle shift, you're not used to this it can really mess with you. One small change can suddenly be a big change if you're not ready for it. You were lucky with the lollypop. You did something outlandish. Deep shadowlikes that."
Martin gets to work on subtle shifting in chaos.
"Swimming," Nerida says with a glance and smile back to Maggie. "Who's Kerf though?" she asks, sounding confused.
Meijanri doesn't look like she's willing to fight her on it either, "I'm going to be singing so you may wish to plug your ears before you jump in. It is not a pleasant song, or a quiet one." Slithering closer to the edge of the moat she swings her arms, turning her shoulders with visible aggitation, admonishing herself under her breath. "Are you all ready?," her voice wavers. "I'm going in..."
RPG: Martin declares that he has the Shape Shadow (PAT-SS) gift. Use '+gift PAT-SS' to view the gift description. Last edit: 68 months ago.
RPG: Martin declares that he has the Expectations of Form (PAT-EF) gift. Use '+gift PAT-EF' to view the gift description. Last edit: 69 months ago.
RPG: Meijanri declares that she has the Breaking Song (SIR-BS) gift. Use '+gift SIR-BS' to view the gift description. Last edit: 70 months ago.
"Does it normally bother fish?" Nerida asks Meijanri.
Liyandra gets Salin, since she has a vested interest in the man's continued survival. sorta.
Merrisol turns away for a moment to snag Salin by the bomber jacket sleeve, draw him away from the butterflies, and... hand him over to Liyandra. There.
Meijanri tries to smile for Nerida but her nerves make it unconvincing, "The last time I sang it, a god died."
Mei's news may not be /great/, but for some reason Nerida brightens and smiles. "Someday, once we're back in Rebma, I'd really like to talk to you more. I'll be careful, I promise."
Merrisol clears the road of obstruction and once Maggie is astride, starts the engine and takes the bike back down the road a ways. "The angle can be slighter than forty-five," he says offhandedly, even though Maggie is no longer handling the shifting of the road's edge. "But we have to maintain top speed, lean low, and launch straight, or the trajectory will be off anyway."
