WillGM pulls up notes. WillGM: The last scene had a day and a half until the KBL Hallowe'en party. Since Bruce isn't in at the moment, it will doubtless be easiest to assume that Carver has been definitively dealt with in some non-scarring way. WillGM: BA is going to be in the vicinity tonight, since he installed the equipment in 'cole's wheelchair. Perhaps a block away, sitting quietly at a bus station. Edward: Yeah, but which equipment, and how explosive is it? Fearless: back Edward: Watch xmms cue The Bridge Of Khazad Dum. WillGM quietly cocks the hammer on a two-month-old dice roll. Fearless: Ed: *snrk* Nicole: dare I ask if it's *that* one? *** Mode change "+o Zibblsnrt" on #gurps by Fearless Edward: Of course it is. Let's take comfort in the fact that statistically speaking we're due a divint sometime soon ^_^ WillGM: Nicole: Since I don't know to which you refer, I can only answer "maybe"; but you should know by now that I like toying with you all before a game starts. ;^) Nicole: yeah, yeah. Nicole: Ed knows exactly *which* one I'm talking about. Nicole: :) Fearless: and I bet I can guess. :) Fearless: btw, GM, there are times when the Laws of Drama do override the Laws of History. Just because it wasn't a dark and stormy night in Philly on the real Halloween night that year doesn't mean you have to actually pay attention to that... :) WillGM: Yeah, I know. But I wanna do stuff outside anyway. I could always have it be a no-precipitation lightning storm. :^) Edward: on the gripping hand, "outdoors event" sounds good and Ed spent some effort getting footage off the 'net to have something to base his costume on :) WillGM: That worked, btw. Hair braids and all. Nicole giggles. Edward winces at the thought, but notes down the style Edward hmms.. "Should be do-able, lessee, where's that SCA store in town again..." Edward considers the Elrond Smith meme passing around the 'Net at this time. WillGM: "I want Zion's access codes, Mr. Baggins!" Fearless: *snicker* Edward: . o O (Nah. I'd have to wear a...) Edward visibly twitches, with the facial expression of someone who has just swallowed two-week-old sweaty socks. (Max Payne, for example) Edward: . o O (...suit.) WillGM fires up the logger before he forgets to do so. Fearless: I've done that a few times... [ snipped /msg¹ing ] Ellis: Anyway. There's a party, and we're all set to go... WillGM: Okay. Leaving the Carver scene finish in the background at the moment, you have a day and a half to make preparations; only Edward and Fearless are involved in the Monday night scene at the TCS. WillGM: ---------------- Game Start -------------------- Edward has forwarded the footage to both of you, btw. Ellis: "Wow. Neat." Ellis 's costume shouldn't be too hard... Fearless: Unless there's stuff going on elsewhere that needs my attention, I get started working on the story of what went down. Ellis: I do want to ask the angels if I can borrow a nice rapier, though WillGM: They have broadswords in storage mostly, but they can have one sent to you by tomorrow evening. A young man in a uniform bearing the logo "TradeMarc Delivery" brings a rapier to your door Wednesday afternoon. Nicole checks descriptions in her copy of Fellowship. Ellis: ... *snrk* Ellis: I thank the nice man and add the sword to my costume. WillGM: It's on loan. You sign here, here, and here, and initial here. Thank you. Happy hunting. WillGM: By the way, do you three wear the Rings? Nicole: It'd be appropriate, I think. Ellis: Sure, though at least mine's not going to be enchanted ;) WillGM: Costume jewelry close enough for the purpose is easily found. WillGM: At this point, the costumes are about as ready as they're going to get. WillGM: BA shows up at Nicole's dorm Wednesday evening, asking to do a final check of the equipment. Nicole reluctantly lets him do his checks, asking once more, "Just a recorder and a panic switch, right?" WillGM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (3d6) and gets 12. WillGM: "Absolutely." Nicole looks warily at BA, but lets him do his thing. Edward: where's a seraph when you need one... Fearless: Falling WillGM: Anything else before the big night? Fearless: nope Edward: Nothing I haven't already described. WillGM: Very well then. It is evening of Hallowe'en 2001. The air is chilly as the sun sets over Philadelphia. Where are you all? Ellis: I'm going over final travel arrangements with Nicole. Nicole nods. Fearless: parked across from the party, camera in hand and waiting for the panic button. Pistol loaded and in the trench pocket, just in case. Ellis: ... at her dorm, with my costume mostly disassembled. WillGM: As for travel arrangements, the KBL house is, as suits a fraternity, within walking distance of the University. Nicole is talking with Ellis and trying to attach the fake ears. Nicole: :) Fearless: Remember, I want my rubber Spock ears back after this is over. :) WillGM: Ed, you are, as has been arranged long since, off tonight and (just in case) tomorrow. Edward: poifect. Nicole: Y'gave 'em to Ed. I bought these at the costume shop. ;) Edward tries to shake off this baaaaad feeling he has about this whole thing, and decides not to think about a pair of eyes glaring at him, eyes that were windows to a bottomless void of a cold bleak eternity.... WillGM: Nothing material seems to be intervening; you assemble your costumes and assemble your group, then take the short walk to the KBL house. Ellis carries his impromptu staff in his left hand and tries to look impressive. (WillGM pasted the following:) The KBL fraternity house, a few blocks south from UPenn, is in a thin strip of higher-valued housing on the riverfront. The three-story red brick building, though obviously old and refurbished, boasts a strip of grass in front and, more importantly, a wide green lawn in back (big enough for, say, a volleyball or tennis game) sloping gently to the public walk along the river. A sidewalk crosses in front, near the street. A parking lot with ten spaces, four of them marked for officers, sits on the side of the building (left, as viewed from street). The land on which the house sits is surrounded on by chain-link fencing, with gates at the driveway, the walk up to the front, and one at the back to the river walk. All the ground-floor lights are on, and the doors (one front, one back) are open. Some of the windows have lights. A jack'o'lantern sits by the front door. The sounds of a college party -- pop music, talking, laughing -- are coming from the back of the building, and flickering light clearly indicates a bonfire. The night is chilly, though not dreadfully so, to people in light costumes. Above, the sky is crystal-clear. Nicole: "Wow, it's actually kinda pretty." Ellis: "Nice place." Edward: "Indeed." Ellis: "Nicole, you had the invitation. Shall we see if we can find your friend?" The last word with a slight shimmer of irony. Nicole: "Yeah. Let's see if we can find Bill." Edward: "Hey, foul. Elrond's the one who gets the drily sarcastic lines. Gandalf gets the dry humor." Nicole laughs. Ellis: "Oh, terribly sorry. I'll make it up to you... by learning about computers before asking you about them?" Edward: "Apology accepted, Mister Grey." Edward: Edward: !3d6 Edward: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for Edward (3d6) and gets 9. Edward: Made the Will roll to keep a straight face with that. Nicole: "Ed...or should I say, Elrond, would you mind getting into the small pouch on my backpack and handing me the two papers in there?" (That'd be the flyer and the ticket.) Ellis: "Thank you, Agent Elrond." WillGM: Where are y'all at the moment; congregating outside the front gate? Ellis isn't worried about a straight face. Edward bows. "As you will, lady." Nicole: There, or across the street. Edward does so Ellis: *nod* Nicole takes them from Ed. "Thanks." Nicole smiles jauntily. "So, onward and forward into the lair of Sauron?" Edward: "It seems we must." Ellis: "Just don't make me fall off a bridge." Edward: "Sure, but no promises if a balrog turns up." WillGM: No prob. Welcome. Nicole: "Alright, then." WillGM: In you go, then. Nicole looks around for Bill as we approach. WillGM: There aren't many people in the front of the house; people who have passed as you talked usually went around to the back, though the front door is open and there are people on the ground floor inside. Nicole looks up at Ed and Greg. "In, or out?" WillGM: Bill doesn't seem to be among those around here. Edward: "Let's go introduce ourselves properly first." Nicole: "Yeah, I'm just not sure where Bill is so we can." Edward: "We'll have to enter the mines of Moria to get to the open lands on yon side anyway." Nicole: "Point. In it is." Ellis just shakes his head and follows, not being so much a Tolkien fan as the other two are. WillGM: There is a short ramp up the single step to the low front porch. Inside the building, it is very crowded, and the wheelchair must turn carefully in the hallways. It's generally easier for people to move backward into a room than to squeeze to the side. Nicole looks for somebody that might be able to point her to where Bill is. WillGM: The dining room has been cleared for dancing and music is being piped in from somewhere. There is a bar set up in the living room, with a line almost as long as the one in front of the girl's room. WillGM: Nicole: looking for anything in particular? Almost everyone's in costume. Nicole: Naw. WillGM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (3d6) and gets 11. WillGM: As you pass through the living room, one of the people catches your eye. He's dressed in a simple brown woolen hooded robe, and is just leaving a group to laughter and a bit of applause. Edward looks over, raises Ye Elf Lord's Eyebrow. WillGM: There's also the bartender, who is obviously employed. Nicole hmms. Nicole shrugs, and decides it's worth it to ask the guy in the robe as to where I could find Bill. WillGM: He turns as you address him. He fans a Tarot deck with a flourish and bows extravagantly. "Ah, " he flickers an eye at you, fair maiden, do you seek then answers to questions of present and future times? I, Reynaud, may humbly interpret the answer to your query, if you will so allow." WillGM: And for there querents in the audience, fear not -- I ran this by someone as I wrote it. Nicole: "Well, I was just looking for Bill, who lives here...I think..." WillGM: He pauses, and stands up. "Bill? Ah, you mean the head guy. Don't need the cards for that." He winks. "All the seniors are in the basement, I think. Cooking up some big event." Ellis: "Sounds exciting." Nicole: "Ahhh, okay. I won't bother him now. Was just curious because he handed me an admission ticket or something." WillGM: "Ah? You need those tickets to go into the living quarters," he nods to a closed-off hallway, "and I think it'll get you into the basement." He eyes the wheelchair. "Though I don't think there's any handicap access." Ellis: "I'm sure we'll manage between us." Nicole grins. "Well, going *down* stairs isn't a problem, it's just getting back up. Thanks." WillGM: "Sure." He gets back into character. "Leave not this place before seeking me out again. An unanswered question is a danger to both asker... and the seer." He sweeps the robe about him and heads into the crowd. Nicole looks at Ed and Greg. "So..." Ellis: "Sounds like the basement's our best bet." Fearless: yeah, that sounds like the "professional" personality of one of the tarot readers I know Edward looks doubtful for a sec, then smooths his Elrond face back into place. "It would appear that our esteemed hosts are not receiving guests into their Council at the moment." WillGM: Ed: you notice that a knot of guys around a big-screen TV in a den or library type room in the back are apparently attempting to steal and descramble premium porn cable channels. Edward: Will: nothing new there. They did that at LWE2K as well. Edward: In the bathroom of the hotel some of them were staying. WillGM: "I think we got it -- I think we got it..." A cheer, then pause. "What the blazes is that?" "It's this party!" "Where's it coming from?" Edward blinks and looks over, nudging Ellis Ellis pinches the bridge of his nose Nicole makes a horrible face. Ellis: "Did BA tell you how to turn that off?" WillGM: "It's gotta be inside the house... does anybody recognize the view?" Nicole: "I didn't know he did it." Fearless: oops. :) WillGM: Multi-month delay Infernal Intervention FIRE! Ellis moves his hands around the struts on Nicole's wheelchair, trying to block the lens. Nicole: Yup... *THAT* roll. WillGM: Ellis: As your hand passes over a blank screw hole in the back left strut, the view is blocked. [ snip /msg ] Edward makes a mental note to strangle BA when/if they get back. Ellis keeps his hand there for a few seconds, thinking furiously Nicole makes the same resolution. WillGM: Infernal Intervention on a completely selfish act of deception. This one fermented. :^) Fearless: notice we've had 2 Infernal interventions, but no Divine ones? Ellis helps Edward: Three, by my count. Nicole: +...not knowing Ed was doing the same thing. Ellis: Oh, completely independently, of course. WillGM: Three, including this one. WillGM: As all three of you standing there thinking dire thoughts about BA, the group shrugs at the now-blank screen and tries again. WillGM: "That was freaky, man..." Fearless: my point is more affirmed. :) Ellis pulls some of the spirit gum from his fake beard off with his other hand and jams it in the screw-hole Edward goes for the bar and looks for chewing gum. WillGM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (3d6) and gets 12. WillGM: Ellis: This works. Nicole just continues steaming about BA. Fearless: Nic: sic your Lilim buddy on 'im. Fearless: :) Ellis helps Nicole get to somewhere else so it'll be harder to figure out where they were standing when the picture was coming through. Nicole: "Do y'all mind if we go out in the back yard and get some air?" Ellis: "Not at all." Nicole motions to Ellis to go ahead and push, holds up a slightly shaking hand to explain. Edward rejoins the others, chewing on the gum he appropriated. Ellis pushes Nic out to the backyard WillGM: Out in back, there is enough space here to accommodate the bonfire, perhaps a hundred people (about half that are here now), and some extra equipment. A sound stage has been set up in back of the house on one side of the property. A DJ is spinning the tunes, and a microphone is unattended in a clear space next to her. WillGM: Stairs lead down to a closed basement door. Edward: " BA dies when we get out of here. But let's not dwell on it any further right now." Nicole nods, and tries to get her hands to quit shaking in anger and rage. WillGM: Ed: your cellphone goes off. Nicole: "I'm just concerned about any more unplesant surprises." Edward projects that calm-in-the-face-of-blithering-stupidity aura that he's cultivated throughout many, MANY board meetings where he's once again asked why perfectly reasonable expenditures to make sure the networking hardware is up to the tasks ahead of it are justified... Edward picks it up. "Speak." WillGM: "Ed, it's BA. Is everything okay? Nicole hasn't hit her panic button, but the camera is broadcasting a blank." Fearless: "What camera. There was no camera on her chair." Edward: "You mean the hardware we explicitly asked you not to install?" Nicole shakes her head. "Hmm, a portable palantir, and how much do you want to bet Saruman is on the line?" WillGM: "For exactly this kind of situation. She might not have time to hit her panic button. Are you all... do you want me to come in? I'm packing." Edward: "Where 'this situation' would be best described as 'a bunch of would-be porn hackers getting some interesting footage while diddling the receiver'?" Edward: "Stay where you are. We'll discuss this later. We'll bring the coffee and donuts. You bring your ass. Later." Nicole clutches her hands shut in anger again. Edward: *click* Ellis: *hem* "Chewing gum would probably be more permanent than a bit of spirit gum." Edward: "That was Smeagol, asking if everything was all right with his precious." Edward sticks the gum over the gum. Nicole: "Figures." Ellis: "Mmmm. I'll try not to carve too many pieces out of him." Zibblsnrt: "We can't claim the reward unless we have at least fifty-one percent of the carcass!" Edward: "We'll have to force him to make a motorized wheelchair so that 'cole can run him over a few dozen times." Nicole takes a few deep breaths. "I can do that quite well in this one. And I'm sorry I saved him from the poodles. But that's neither here nor there..." Edward nods. "Want to stay outside for a bit longer? It's a nice evening..." Nicole: "Yeah, let's do that." Ellis nods, then glances over at the basement. "I'm going to go inside and get something to drink." Ellis heads inside, weaving around people, trying to listen for any news about the project in the basement or the success/failure of the porn stealers. WillGM: Well, porn is now on the TV. People are wondering about what's going on in the basement, but no one seems to know anything. WillGM: The bonfire is warm, and people are cheerfully drinking and talking around it. The DJ is still spinning tunes. That wandering Tarot reader comes up to you again and makes another offer. Nicole looks at Ed. Edward shrugs, in a "Why not?" gesture. Nicole debates with herself over what to ask. Ellis: Anyone suspicious about the party footage? Nicole finally asks "What can the cards tell you?" WillGM: The reader pulls out a small folding table he has been carrying on his back beneath his robe. A couple of people nearby look over and become interested. WillGM: Ellis: They seem to have forgotten it. Ellis: Great. How long's the line at the bar? WillGM: About fifteen minutes, perhaps. Ellis: Forget a Diet Coke, then. I head back out to watch the fortune telling. WillGM: "The cards represent many of the fundamental objects and forces in our Universe, and have almost infinite interpretation. Their only weakness comes from their strength -- as eternal absolutes, they have no sense of time beyond the most relative placements: past, future, farther and nearer." Nicole nods. Nicole: "So they can tell you about a person?" WillGM: "Most certainly. There are always caveats, of course. The clearer your image of the person, the more precise the cards can be. If they resist, of course, the information may be muddled by their will." WillGM: "Best, of course, is asking about yourself. Choosing a path, or desiring self-knowledge, is a great strength of the discipline." Nicole: "Well...okay." Nicole: "So what do they say about me?" WillGM: He stands, closes his eyes for a moment, then nods. He goes into a short routine of arrangements, then hands the deck to you. "Randomize as you will." Nicole shuffles them about like one would shuffle playing cards and hands it back to him. WillGM: He takes them solemnly, and begins dealing them out. WillGM: "This is one of my own spreads. I find it very helpful in learning about the conditions under which one acts, and how one might respond." Nicole nods and watches. WillGM: He lays one card horizontally. "The Nine of Wands. Recovery." He eyes the wheelchair. "You are here, now, *after* a testing. You rose to the challenge. That strength is carrying you still. You have momentum. This might be to your advantage, or it might be inertia." Nicole nods. WillGM: He lays the next card, and hisses an intake of breath. "The Prince of Cups." He draws a finger along the side. "Reversed." Edward raises Ye Elf Lord's Eyebrow again Fearless: a scoundrel awaits Nicole: "And that means?" WillGM: "The uninitiated think cards like Death are evil. They're not. None of them are, really.. but if I had to pick one card to represent evil, I would choose this one, reversed. You face now, or soon, a man of great ambition, possibly with a taste for fine things. He is in internal conflict, and opposes you, either consciously or by circumstance." Nicole nods. WillGM: He lays three cards across the end of the line of two, making what looks like a broad T. Nicole watches, interested. WillGM: "The middle card represents the circumstances that await you. Those things you can't alter. But they will respond differently to your actions. This path," he draws a finger, "leads to the card upright. This one," he follows the other way, "leads to the same card, reversed." Nicole nods again. Nicole: "So, what is that?" WillGM: He traces up one side. "The Three of Wands, reversed. Vanity, stubborn self-interest. If you take this path," he traces up the branch, "you come to the Ace of Cups, also reversed. The Cups are a suit of emotion and richness, but this is a fading. Something stops a-borning. Loss of faith, perhaps." WillGM: He taps the other side. "The Hierophant. A fine card. He not only wishes to know, but toils in pursuit of this knowledge. Honest labor and inquiry. Endurance and patience are his virtues." He traces up. "This path leads you to the Ace of Cups. Interesting... this query ends at a beginning. This is a flowering of emotion, an awakening of passion." Nicole nods. WillGM: "You face opposition, but, I think, must think about something larger than your own conflict. Perseverance has gotten you this far, and I think it will see you further." WillGM: "What awaits you could be sorrowful, or magnificent. It is up to you." Nicole nods again. WillGM: He bows to you, and collects his equipment. Nicole: "Thank you." Fearless oocly applauds Will for that reading. *Very* accurate on the cards' meaning. Nicole: "You've given me something to think about." WillGM: "Thank *you*; that was an exciting reading." He grins and moves off, as people around applaud. Ellis applauds lightly as well, steps toward Nicole. "Feeling better?" Nicole: "A bit, yeah." Ellis: "The locals are quiet." Edward: "Good." WillGM: A hand is laid on Nicole's shoulder. It is Bill, in a black hoodless robe. "What was your question?" *** Fearless is now known as Arsenal Nicole: "Just asking about me." Nicole: "And hi, Bill." Arsenal has to split... g'nite, all Ellis: 'nite, Ars WillGM: Unmoo Ars. *** Signoff: Arsenal (Quit: Boo-yah!) WillGM: "Looks like you have an exciting future. How's the present?" He waves his hand to indicate the party. Edward: "'Generic self-enlightenment' would, I believe, be the most accurate description." Nicole: "It's interesting. I'm not a big partier, but you guys went all out." :) Edward: OOC (Out Of Cola) error - be right back. WillGM: +++ MELON MELON MELON +++ Nicole: *snrk!* Edward: refill glass and reboot. I'm back. :) WillGM: "We're about to start the brouhaha. We'll have someone work the crowd first, and then the big promised event. I wanted midnight, but the party might be winding down by then..." Nicole: "Okay." Edward: "If you pre-announce the time, more people might stick around." Nicole nods. *** Signoff: Sleepmancer (Ping timeout) WillGM: "That's not a bad idea. Wish I'd thought of it. Hmm." He seems to ponder. WillGM: "My girlfriend is helping us organize all this. I'll go ask her. Midnight would be very, y'know, appropriate." Ellis: "Very traditional." Edward sighs for a moment and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Oh yeah -- a couple of guys were hacking the porn channels on the living room TV earlier. By university policy I'm required to 'inform all parties involved that The UPENN administration neither endorses nor encourages television piracy' et cetera yadda yadda... And admonish you that if I saw it happen while in an official capacity I'd have to put a stop to it..." Nicole: "Yeah. Appropriate atmosphere." Edward pronounces that pronunciation in his best so-very-tired-of-official-university-policy voice. WillGM: "Offic..." he looks at you blankly for a moment. "Oh you're that guy that came in and kicked Laura out." Edward shrugs. "To be more precise, I'm the one that discovered something massively wrong with her paperwork, and got saddled with the job of doing the kicking." Nicole winces. WillGM: "Mmm." He considers you. Edward shrugs again, sighing in annoyance at university officials that make him do crap he doesn't want to do. WillGM: Bill shrugs. "Ah well. No skin off mine. I just got her a couple months ago." He claps Nicole on the shoulder. "Listen, I'm gonna go ask her about that idea. I'll find you if I have time before it all goes down." Nicole: "Alright. Let me know if there's anything you need." Edward nods. "Anyways, once financials and admin get their heads out of their respective asses it'll all blow over." Ellis sighs quietly as Bill leaves. "In over his head." Nicole: "You're telling me." WillGM: Bill heads off and down to the basement through the back stairs. Edward nods. " I wonder how much he's aware of." Ellis: "Doesn't sound like too much, but you never know." Nicole shakes her head. "Things have gotten interesting." Ellis: "Like they weren't interesting enough already." Nicole nods. Nicole: "So, what now?" Edward: "We wait, and I try to look as unnoticable as possible when miss Lieder shows up in case she holds a grudge." Nicole: "Yeah." Nicole shakes her head. Ellis: "Sounds good to me." WillGM: A guy in a robe like Bill was wearing comes out of the basement and jumps up to the microphone on stage. The DJ softens the tune, and he addreses the crowd. "Hey, how you guys doin'!?" The crowd cheers at him. "Awesome! I hope you don't have plans to go nowhere, 'cause Arnold's here to tell you that when midnight rolls around, the secret you've all been waiting for will bust into this party!" More cheers. Ellis: "And it seems like midnight is it." Ellis: "Thought we *do* have that ticket. Or Nicole does." Nicole: "Yeah." WillGM: "And remember KBL's motto -- party forth!" The crowd cheers back, "PARTY FORTH!" and Arnold leaves the stage. Nicole: "I can't get into the basement, though. Or more to the point, I can't get *out*" Ellis: "And it probably doesn't cover us." Nicole: "Probably not. Nicole: "And I don't think Ed wants to go down there, if he's trying to avoid Lieder." Ellis: "Mmmhmm." Nicole: "I can give it to you and see if you can get anywhere with it." Edward: "You 'don't think' correctly." WillGM: Hee. "Night on Bald Mountain" alphabetically cued up. :^) Ellis: *snrk* Ellis thinks for a few moments, then shakes his head. "I think that's a bad idea. They'll probably chase me out as soon as they realize I'm not you. Which, frankly, won't take long." Nicole nods. Ellis: "And if something terrible is about to happen, I'd rather have witnesses." *looks around* "Even these witnesses." Nicole: "And I didn't ask Bill if there was some way I could get down there when he was here and I should have..." WillGM: A couple of guys in black robes come out of the basement, grab a keg from the living room, and head back down with it and a load of cups. WillGM: Bill emerges and comes over to you all. "Well, we decided it would work better that way. Actually, we can make a few preparations more complete with the extra time, so I'll have to go back down beforehand. Most of the guys are staying down there until it all starts. Hence the keg." Ellis: "Sounds like fun." Nicole nods. Nicole: "Hey, Bill, what's the ticket for?" WillGM: He looks down. "Oh, that lets you into the living quarters or the basement while we're doing to preparations. They're for personal friends. You want in on the surprise?" Nicole: "I was thinking about it, yeah?" WillGM: "Sure. C'mon." He goes around to the back of the wheelchair. Nicole: "Okay. Ed, Greg, y'gonna be okay here?" Edward nods. "Sure. How 'bout you?" Ellis: "We'll be fine. Have fun." WillGM: Bill nods to the two of you and pushes Nicole off. Nicole: "Alright." WillGM: Once they're away, Bill asks, "So... how come you're hanging out with staff?" Nicole: "Enh, Ed and I have interests in common. My CS group sent load skyrocketing on one of the machines last semester, and they sent Ed out to lecture at us." Nicole: "As for Greg, he ended up doing a favour for me once, so I owed him, and we slowly became friends." Nicole: "They're good guys." WillGM: "Ah. I met Ed when he was responsible for kicking my girlfriend out of the college. I guess he had a job to do... hell, college isn't really Laura's place anyway." WillGM: He pulls up to the stairs leading down to the basement, and looks down, hrmming. Nicole nods. "He doesn't really like being university lackey like that. Give him machines and he's happy." Nicole: "He wasn't thrilled at having to lecture us either." WillGM: "When you have to get down and back up stairs, how do you usually do it?" Edward: "They have this thing called ell-e-vay-tors..." Nicole: "Down stairs is easy. Give me a slight running start, and you just bounce down them." Nicole: "Up is trickier, not so much for me, but for me hauling the wheelchair back out." Nicole: "But if somebody's willing to lift it out for me, I could pull myself up stairs with my arms." WillGM: "Eeeew. We don't have to do it like *that*." Nicole: "In the wheelchair. It's kinda fun once you get the hang of it." Nicole: "Like jumping curves on your bicycle." WillGM: He grips the handles and starts inching the chair down the stairs. Nicole grins. "This works too, but you asked how *I* did it." :) WillGM: "I guess..." *pant* "...I didn't actually picture... " *pant* "...you doing it /alone/..." Nicole: "Learn something new every day." :) WillGM: He reaches the bottom and pushes the door open. Nicole takes over, pushing herself through the door. WillGM: Inside, there is a wide open space. A flight of stairs leads up at the other corner of the room across the house, presumably to the living quarters. This part of the basement seems to be spreading the full width of the building's footprint, and as wide as the living room on either side of the hall upstairs. A corridor leads off to one side. WillGM: To one side, a couple of dozen chairs have been set up, and frat boys in black robes are chatting and drinking around the keg in the light of fluorescent bulbs overhead. WillGM: In the opposite corner (far right), blankets on poles have been stretched to cut off about a quarter of the room. Nicole takes it all in. WillGM: One of the boys stands up and comes over to you, but Bill waves him off. "It's allright, I gave her a ticket." The younger one nods and sits down. WillGM: Bill points out the guys. "The boys will file out when the ritual starts. They'll be working the crowd." He points to the blankets. "The real meat will be going on over there. We've got the organizing stuff behind there." Nicole nods. Nicole looks around. "May I, or do you prefer not?" WillGM: "Not much to see here, at least for most people -- the tickets were mainly to keep people other than girlfriends and stuff from getting into the living quarters and down here. But sure, have a looksee. You mean behind the curtains?" Nicole: "Yeah." WillGM: "This way. Keep the curtains tight -- even the rank and file doesn't know what's behind here. Just me, Arnold, Terrence, and Laura for helping set up." Nicole nods. Nicole follows Bill. WillGM: A good-natured "You suck, dude" emanates from the group around the keg in the corner. Bill grins and flips the speaker the bird, but makes sure to stand in front of their view when he opens the curtain. Nicole makes sure to be careful when going around and in, then. WillGM: Inside the curtained-off area, two men and a woman look up at you. You've never met Terrence or Laura, but both match reasonably well the descriptions you've heard. Arnold is the young male you saw earlier making the announcement. Nicole: "Hi." WillGM: Bill closes the curtain behind you. In the light of the bulb above, you see that much of the floor space has been covered with multicolored chalk curves. In a circle chalked to one side of the main design, several $20 bills lay. WillGM: Laura sashays over to you. "Hi." She leans in and examines you at close range. Arnold eyes you appraisingly, and Terrence frowns. Nicole: "I don't bite." WillGM: Laura grins. "Would you if I asked nicely?" Nicole: "I'd have to think about that." *grins back* WillGM: Bill shakes his head and goes over to pick up a book. "Laura, you're such a h-- dude." Bill seems surprised at your answer. WillGM: "I like her." WillGM: Arnold walks around the side of the design. "Heya. I'm Arnold Jaeger." He extends his hand. Nicole shakes it. "Nicole Hollister." WillGM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (3d6) and gets 10. WillGM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (3d6) and gets 6. WillGM: He blinks for a moment, then releases your hand. "So. Bill seems to think highly of you." WillGM: Laura snickers, apparently at Arnold. Nicole nods quietly. WillGM: Bill is looking at his book. "Arnold?" he asks. WillGM: "Not yet," Arnold says. "I'll need a few minutes." Nicole watches with interest and tries to figure out what they'll be doing. WillGM: Laura, standing on the left, turns your chair toward the center of the action. When she's done, her right hand lingers across your back. WillGM: Terrence absorbs himself in staring at a mason jar, for some unknown reason. WillGM: Arnold is giving you the gimlet eye, while Bill is still reading. Nicole: gimlet eye? WillGM: He's staring at you purposefully. Edward: Like that dwarf delicatessen owner. Nicole: okay, wasn't placing the ref. Nicole takes a deep breath. "So...what's going to be the big bang?" WillGM: Bill says, quite calmly, "The ritual is real. It's pretty simple, really -- we intend to call up a spirit. One that can generate cash out the wazoo, pretty much at will." Nicole: "Like some sort of spiritual ATM?" WillGM: Laura laughs. "No, that's Mammon's boys..." WillGM: Bill shrugs. "Close enough. We don't really expect you to understand. It's complicated. Might be fun to watch, though." Nicole nods. WillGM: Terrence looks over at Arnold. "The jar is ready. Hurry up." Nicole frowns and watches s'more. WillGM: Bill turns a page. "Arnold there is a specialist at sucking energy out of people. It won't hurt. You'll probably even enjoy it when he's done with you. We've already had a couple of lucky ticketed girls in here tonight." Nicole nods. Nicole: "Because you need something to power the ritual." Nicole: "And that's what the jar's for, is to hold it?" WillGM: Bill looks up and cocks an eyebrow. "You're taking this very calmly. The only other one we told had to be charmed into shutting up before she screamed and woke up all our grunts out there." WillGM: Several minutes have passed. Arnold is starting to look annoyed. Nicole shrugs. "I'm a Unitarian. I'm interested in different ways of accessing the spiritual plane." WillGM: Laura leans over to you. "You seem to be holding out astonishingly well against Arnold, child. Dear Arnold is going to be very cross if it doesn't work soon." WillGM: Bill seems to have an idea. "Have you done something like this before?" Nicole: "Something like this? Not that I recall." [ snip game-relevant /msg'ing ] WillGM: "Well, it *would* explain why you know a few tidbits. And don't seem surprised about any of all this." Nicole: "As I said, I'm a Unitarian. My mom's a minister, even." WillGM: Jussasec everyone. I need to poke through logs for a minute. Nicole: this is like playing chess. WillGM: Wow, got the right log in one. Okay, BA was to work the panic button into Nicole's costume. Galadriel wore a loose robe with long sleeves, IIRC, so I think it would make sense to have sewn the panic button into one of the sleeves. Sound good? Nicole: Works for me. WillGM: Okay. Nicole: if I see that I can do it non obtrusively, I'll push it. WillGM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (3d6) and gets 12. WillGM: With your hands crossed, one hand can push the panic button in the other sleeve. WillGM: Arnold jumps to his feet. "This is ridiculous. Any human would have caved by now." He points at Nicole. "I think she's an angel." WillGM: Laura steps back as if Nicole just got red hot. Nicole suddenly decides she doesn't care about subtlety. WillGM: Terrence looks up, astonished. "A what?" WillGM: Ed, Ellis: BA comes crashing into the backyard and sees you two. Nicole sits herself in a thinking posture and crosses her hands to get to the button. . o O (Work, damn ye, work..) Nicole: "What makes you think that?" WillGM: "Nicole hit the panic button. Where is she?" Ellis glances at Ed, then takes to the stairs Edward looks up and glares at the idiot, then blinks. "Downstairs." Edward goes with Ellis. Ellis: *sword out, door open* WillGM: BA pulls his piece. Edward nudges BA. "Not until it's needed, idiot." WillGM: Nicole: Arnold just glares at you. Terrence says, "Hang on. Let's back up to the angel thing. They're real?" WillGM: At this point, the door crashes open with Ellis coming through, followed shortly by BA and Ed. Ellis doesn't see Nicole in front of the curtain, tears the curtain down with his left hand WillGM: The frat boys in the corner near the door look up. "Dude," says one of them. "What's this about?" Nicole: (Weren't Zeke and co. going to be nearby?) WillGM: Yep. WillGM: Fearless would have been seeing them spreading out around the perimeter of the yard. Nicole: "And let's see. If I'm an angel, well, Arnold must be a demon, and I'm guessing from the way Laura reacted, that she's either one or knows about it." Edward puts on his Elrond voice. "We are being summoned by yon ritual. Let us pass." Nicole smiles and shrugs. WillGM: Heck of a cliffhanger, but it's 3am and I need sleep. Edward: lessee if the doorgrunts are in the know. If not, they might buy this.... Edward: But we can leave that for next time as well I guess. William: Yeah. I actually have work that needs to be done tomorrow. Nicole: < screen fades over Nicole's smug grin. "Tune in next time for the epic conclusion...">