Will_GM: ------------ Game Start -------------- Jack lights his Zippo with the intention of lighting a cigarrette [log note: Jack had a fair portion of his "breakdown" in snipped /msg.] Will_GM: Elena leads Grace over to the area of the bronze statue -- which, when you come closer, is of a knight battling a dragon, fairytale princess is suitably dramatic pose behind the dragon. Fearless still has one lit Nicole just follows, and watches. Ellis: . o O (Hmmm, situational irony.) BA has Speed Bump stashed under his car and ready to roll as soon as he gets his laptop set up Fearless: .oO(Fitting.) Edward looks at the statue. "Y'know, one thing I never figured out... How in *blazes* do you challenge a firebreathing animal with the physical strength to juggle tanks while wearing heavy non-fireproof metal plate and armed with just a sword and expect to win?" BA: . o O (These 'angels' really need to read some Heinlein.) BA: *to Ed* "How do you expect to survive having a missile shoved up your ass at multiple Gs while wearing nothing but a flimsy space suit?" Will_GM: Elena lets Grace go. "People, will you watch Grace and talk to her for a bit? I need to check out the Tether." Fearless: "Tolkien did it best. An arrow fired at long range into a weak spot in the chest area." Jack is several steps behind everyone BA: "Got that right, Fearless." Nicole shakes her head. Fearless: "And say what you will, Bilbo, although he spent that battle in the safety of the Lonely Mountain, was no wuss." BA: "Like he had a choice. He was pretty well BURIED under the Mountain at the time." Edward: "When the dragon in question is arrogant and stupid enough to not check his armor, sure. But counting on an opponent to be stupid is pretty much inviting disaster." Will_GM: Grace stands by the statue and traces her fingers over the princess. Elena starts walking about, as if she's listening for something. Fearless: "Of course, the one variant of this story I always liked is the one where the princess killed the dragon herself. The knight showed up two days later." Edward grins. BA sits down on a convenient bench, and gets Speed Bump fired up Fearless: *gauging Grace's reaction to that* Ellis: "I always liked the variant where the princess volunteered to work for the dragon to get out of a marraige, and had to spend her time fighting off unruly knights." BA: "I always liked the short story "Dragon! Dragon!" where the beast laughs himself to death at being threatened by the knight." Jack puts his hands to his face. Nicole: getting dinner, brb. Will_GM: Grace peers at you confusedly. "That's not right. What kind of a story is that?" Fearless: "A princess in plate mail, and wielding a sword and shield. An interesting visual, there." Jack: "My fcae is leaking. Why is my face leaking?" BA: *to Fearless* "Imagine the breast plate." ;) Edward looks at Grace. "An interesting one. The traditional version is so cliche that it'd be boring." Fearless: "I thought you were immune to those thoughts, BA." BA: "One every few years, Johnny. Human nature kicks in." Fearless: "Even with no equipment, you're still human. Nice to know that." Jack touches his face and looks at his fingertips. Jack: "Well, Hell." Will_GM: Ellis, Nicole: Jack is having serious problems over there.... Jack sits down on a bench. Ellis looks over at Jack, blinks. Ellis: What do I see? Will_GM: Jack, crying. Except he looks unusually calm for someone with tears on his face. Fearless: "Grace, there have been times in history when the princess didn't wait for a knight to come to save her, she saved herself. It's human nature to try and fix things yourself before turning to someone else." KataWatchin ( alone that he's saying 'leaking'? ) Will_GM: "Like when?" Nicole: b Ellis shuffles over to Jack, slowly. "Are you all right?" Nicole watches Ellis turn, turns to follow. Jack: "Uh. Yeah. My face is leaking. Why is my face leaking?" Jack looks at Ellis, sort of out of focus. BA: "Ever heard of Joan of Arc?" Ellis digs a hankerchief out of a pocket and offers it to Jack Jack holds the handkerchief for a moment, looking at it. Nicole comes up. "Leaking? You mean, not crying?" Will_GM: "Joan... I... I think so... I can't remember. She was a princess?" Jack: "Crying?" Jack asks incredulously. Fearless: *to Grace* "Joan of Arc was a girl who led an army at age 15, and could swing a mean sword. When she was burned at the stake, for heresy, she bravely accepted her fate, and didn't try to escape." Fearless: "Nor did she wait for a rescuer who'd never come." BA: "And let's not forget Marie Antoinette. She was a bloodthirster." Will_GM: "Not a very happy ending, then." Jack: "She has nice fingers." Edward: "Was she the one who said 'Let them eat cake' ?" Fearless: "No, not a happy one, but a realistic one." Will_GM: Any of you who care to can notice the knot around Jack now. Fearless: "She showed bravery until the end." Edward shrugs. "Not all stories have happy endings. That's life sometimes." BA: "She might have been. I may be thinking of Mary Queen of Scots." Nicole looks askew at Jack. "That's what it looks like." Edward: "Undefined ref, BA. Care to expand?" Jack tentatively dabs at his eyes with the handkerchief. KataWatchin ( yeah Mary went to the end w/o any resistance even when they cut off her head ) BA: "Mary Queen of Scots was that one Brit queen who went on a blood quest. Made Henry the VIII look kind to women." Nicole blinks, motions at Ellis. Jack 's eyes are streaming with floodgates of tears. The top of his shirt is getting obviously wet. Ellis steps closer to Nicole Edward winces. "Ouch." Will_GM: "These don't seem like very nice women." Nicole: *whisper to Ellis* "Am I seeing things?" *points at Jack* Fearless: "Not the best reference in this situation, BA. Hardly the image we need to project." Ellis: "Nope." Jack: "Can you believe it? Can you believe that?" Ellis: "Jack, are you all right?" BA: *shrug* "Well, I couldn't very well bring up Donna Shalala or Jocelyn Elders." Ellis: "Believe what?" Nicole exhales. Shakes her head. Jack: "You knew. You knew the whole time and I was here being all smug." Fearless: "BA, no." Ellis: "Knew what?" Nicole: "Wot he said." Will_GM: "Jocelyn who?" Jack: "What she was. What this was all about." Jack 's eyes start to focus on Ellis. Ellis: "Jack... we're just trying to help you." Fearless: "Never mind that, Grace. More recent woman, and not a very good one at that." Jack: "Oh I know. You're a good guy." BA: *to Grace* "The chick who made the immortal observation 'We're all gonna die of sumthin' sooner or later.'" Jack grabs Ellis' forarm tightly. Fearless: "BA. Stop it." Will_GM: Grace looks a little petulant. "*I'm* not." Jack: "You're a good guy and you tried to tell me." Ellis nods, slowly BA goes back to playing with his computer, smiling Nicole: "Sometimes seeing is believing." Jack: "And I was all like Mr' civil liberties and freedom of the people." Jack 's voice starts to raise in volume. Jack: "And all that shit and you knew. I know, you're a good guy. A *good* guy." Nicole: "Jack, it's okay. It's okay. You can't expect the unexpected." Fearless: "Grace, sometimes BA has the wrong idea of things. It happens to everyone. I apologize for the examples he brought up. And no, the ones he mentioned were not the best women in the world." Jack: "And she said, the Elena woman, she said it's up to you and I saknew I knew what to do." Ellis: "Jack... your beliefs are good. It's not wrong to want freedom for everyone. It's not your fault that you've been blindsided." Nicole: the bar's open, btw. Jack 's face scrunches up as if in pain. Jack: "And then she reached inside me and scraped her GODDAMNED fingernails into my soul and tried to ...." Jack leaps up and jumps Grace and starts pounding her in the face. Will_GM: Grace looks over at the yelling. Jack swears unmentionably. Fearless pulls Jack off Grace. BA: "What's so wrong about my ideas? She wanted examples of 'strong' women, I came up with a few. Never said they had to be 'good' women." Will_GM: Check Basic Speeds. Edward intercepts Jack's fists. "Easy there." Fearless: "Easy, man." Edward: 5.5 Fearless: 5.5, but a lot closer to Grace than Jack, I think *** Signoff: Ellis (Client closed connection) Jack: 5.1 (Editor's note: sic) BA: 6 Fearless: but, BA's just sitting there. Will_GM: BA: Just the two trying to intercept Jack. BA: Yah Will_GM: 3 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for Will_GM (3 3d6) and gets 15 6 16. Will_GM: Johnny manages to grab Jack well before Jack lands anything. Jack: "And you *reached* into my *f*cking* head you f*cking bb*tch." Will_GM: Elena looks over at the commotion. Jack swings on whatever this is that seems to be restraining him Will_GM: 2 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for Will_GM (2 3d6) and gets 15 17. Fearless holds Jack off. "Hitting her won't solve anything!" BA ponders rolling Speed Bump up and hitting Jack with the taser Nicole looks at Greg and shrugs. Fearless: BA: do it Will_GM: No, Fearless, he's hitting you -- and he broke free of your grip, too. Nicole: "In some ways, I think she deserves this." Jack charges forward BA: . o O (If I doo'd it, I'd get a whippin'.) KataWatchin ( speed bump? ) Will_GM: Grace cowers down at the base of the statue. Elena runs toward Jack. Jack: "I'll show you, and I was all Eastwood with 'Screwed with the wrong Philadelphian...'" Fearless grabs Jack, and tries to flip him onto his back BA: . o O ( I doo'd it!) *rolls SB up* Fearless: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for Fearless (3d6) and gets 12. Fearless: pass on Judo, I think Will_GM: hang on, complicated situation... Will_GM: Jack swung at Fearless... Will_GM: 3d6 Edward nods at Nicole. "Probably -- maybe she'd understand the concept of concequences then. But chances are she'd use it as 'distress'." Dicesuke throws the bones for Will_GM (3d6) and gets 9. Will_GM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for Will_GM (3d6) and gets 7. Will_GM: He connected, but from this awkward position only manages to do... Will_GM: 1d4+1 Dicesuke throws the bones for Will_GM (1d4+1) and gets 2. Nicole: "Then we just have to not allow that option, no?" Will_GM: 2 points of damage... Fearless: hrrm... I have a dodge of 6, or a parry of 8 using judo... which'd be applicable? BA gets Speed Bump into range then targets Jack Will_GM: Fearless: You were holding him -- you could do neither. Will_GM: You were literally face to face. Fearless: 'k *** Aris_TGD (aris@hh1120118.direcpc.com) has joined channel #gurps Will_GM: Jack broke free, and headed for Grace... Aris_TGD: Ow. Re. *** Aris_TGD is now known as Ellis Fearless: 're Aris *** Mode change "+o Ellis" on #gurps by Fearless Edward: "Mmm. Still, even if she's *spoken slightly in Grace's direction as well* a manipulative conscienceless vampire, He'd legally still be beating up a woman..." Ellis: If it doesn't screw things up *too* much, I was trying to type "I get in Jack's way" before comp died. BA hits Jack with Speed Bump's taser Will_GM: He manages to get in one attempt at a blow... Will_GM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for Will_GM (3d6) and gets 5. Will_GM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for Will_GM (3d6) and gets 12. Jack: "Don't *ever* mess with my *head*..." BA: Zappage? Edward shrugs. "Weird. I had no compuctions about shooting Xav, but for some reason I'm uneasy about letting Jack give Grace the pounding that she has coming and richly deserves..." Will_GM: He connects, doing... Will_GM: 1d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for Will_GM (1d6) and gets 1. Will_GM: You're just not landing anything well in this state of rage, Jack. Fearless: slow down, people, let the GM do what he's doing, before trying to do anything else. BA: :) Nicole rolls over to where Grace is. Will_GM: Grace does cry out when the blow connects with the arms she has covering her face, though. Jack: "freaking *b*tch* do you know what that means? inside my soul!!!" Edward walks over there as well, restrains Jack. "Breathe, man. She ain't worth it." Nicole has to of course pick her way around the edge of the group to get there, so I'm not going to arrive until after this is over. Ellis helps with the restraining Will_GM: 2 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for Will_GM (2 3d6) and gets 10 7. Fearless gets up, and also helps with the restraining. Fearless: arm bent around Jack's back. Will_GM: Between the three of you(Fearless, Ellis, Edward), you manage to get Jack off of Grace. BA: "Fire photon torpedo." Will_GM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for Will_GM (3d6) and gets 8. Will_GM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for Will_GM (3d6) and gets 10. Jack , still tearing up like a flood, starts laughing loudly Will_GM: Fearless, you successfully twist Jack's left arm. Jack, you're effectively immobilized -- Fearless has one arm behind your back, and Ellis and Edward have the other. Will_GM: Right about at this point is when Speed Bump charges up. Will_GM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for Will_GM (3d6) and gets 9. Jack: "hahaha...ow. That hurts." Edward looks over at Elena. "Question: Do you or any associates happen to have contacts with a counseling group? I think Jack may need some help dealing with the aftereffects and I *don't* think explaining this story to a non-aware psych is a good idea..." Will_GM: BA, you successfully pilot Speed Bump into perfect position, and hit the command for it to release its taser. No response; Speed Bump just kind of bumps into Jack's leg and stops. Will_GM: "We do, and I will contact them as soon as possible." BA mutters and backs Speed Bump out of the way of getting trampled Will_GM: BA: Now that the problem's been exposed, you can try again to fix it later. Jack giggles at Speed Bump. "What the hell are you? Bedy bedy bedy Buck Buck." BA: 'Cap'n, we have lost power to th' weapons!" Fearless: "Sorry, Jack, but this is for your own good." *takes out his pistol, and coldcocks Jack in the back of the head Nicole still focuses on getting to Grace. BA tools SB over to himself and shuts it down. Starts trying to figure out why the taser didn't fire Jack: "Oh sure, always for my own good." Fearless: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for Fearless (3d6) and gets 13. Jack: "OW!" Will_GM: 1d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for Will_GM (1d6) and gets 2. Jack blinks and looks around Will_GM: You hurt him -- and he loses some strength in struggling -- but he's still conscious. Jack stops struggling Fearless puts his gun back in the trench's pocket Jack: "Ow," Jack says softer. Will_GM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for Will_GM (3d6) and gets 10. Fearless: "Calmed down now, man?" BA: "Hey, Fearless! That's what a set of brass knuckles or a blackjack is for." Jack: "Well, shit. Pistol therapy?" Jack: "I think I'm bleeding." KataWatchin hehe Ellis checks Will_GM: Grace takes this moment to fade into clear air. Fearless looks... any bleeding where I hit him? Will_GM: Nah, blunt blow. Nicole: "OH FARK." Ellis: brb Jack: !!! Will_GM: You, however, can definitely feel a shiner coming on. Fearless: "What the...? Elena! Where'd she go?" Jack: She faded into thin air? Jack blinks again. Nicole: "And just when I was *finally* going to give her a piece of my mind!" KataWatchin Grace? Edward looks over to Nicole, decides Jack's calmed down enough to be let go. Will_GM: "She has used the Tether to go back to the Marches. I think it is best, for now." Edward looks around. "What the--?" Fearless: "Agreed." *lets Jack go* Jack: "I've decided I don't like her," Jack says mildly. Edward: *ditto* Nicole looks skyward and *sighs*. "And just when I was going to blow her racket wide open, too." Fearless: "That was obvious. Sorry about the coldcock, man, but...." Jack pulls Zippo and cigarette out of his pocket to try again, but his hands are shaking like a seizure. BA tinkers with Speed Bump's taser Jack: "Uh, can somebody help me. My hands don't work." BA: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for BA (3d6) and gets 12. Will_GM: Elena comes over to Nicole while the guys are talking. "Do you mean that? Would you still like to speak to her?" Fearless hands Jack one of his cigarettes, already lit Jack: "Thanks man. You're the best." Jack jams his hands back in his pockets. Will_GM: BA: You'll have it fixed after a few minutes work. Minor mistake in the transmission protocol. Fearless looks at his reflection in the library's darkened windows, and notices his shiner. "I'd say we're even." Nicole: "I don't know. I was just going to point out this mess, and tell her that she had it all wrong, and Jack was the fricking damsel in distress." Nicole: "And there's a word for her type in English, and it's something like 'bully'." BA: *muttered* "At least it wasn't a short." Jack: "That's good. Always thought of myself as a damsel." Nicole: "But it wasn't anything important, and if it's best she's there, then she can stay." Fearless hears this, and grins. "She'd never go for that kind of role reversal, would she, Jack?" Will_GM: "A good way of looking at it. If I can arrange it, would you like to try and meet her? There, I mean. In the Marches." Nicole blinks. Jack shivers violently. BA: "Actually, Nicole, the word 'tease' or 'ho' would be more appropriate." Nicole: "Uhhhhhh." Jack: "I think I probably could have handled that better." Nicole sits there looking utterly flabbergasted. Jack: "Oh jeez, Ferriferous. I'm sorry about your eye. I just realized.... God, I'm sorry." Jack: "I'll make it up to you. I'll buy you a steak or get you laid or something." Fearless: ""Well, you can start by calling me 'Ferrifous', 'Johnny', or 'Fearless', like everyone else." BA smirks and looks over at Elena at Jack's comment KataWatchin ( Ferrifous?? no offense but what kind of name be that? ;) ) BA: Greek Jack: "Oh sure. Sorry. I'm not feeling all that well." Fearless: better than Ferriferous Jack: "I think I feel bad." Fearless: or some of the other manglings he's given Will_GM: "All humans go to the Marches when they sleep. It's only a matter of increasing your awareness while you're there. Right now, it's good that Grace is off of Earth, but a more permanent solution would still be better. You could help with that." Nicole attempts to form words, is just utterly speechless. "Uh uh um..." Edward: "Waking dreams? Sounds fun." Nicole: "uh uh I can?" BA: "Take the offer, Nicole. Not everybody gets to walk around Tel'aran'rhiod." Jack: "I think I might be having a waking dream right now," Jack says mildly. Nicole looks to Greg. Fearless: *to Jack* "You think? I've been in one since Rath and his friends stopped by the One Hit Wonder that one day." Jack: *to Ferrifous* "This sucks." BA finishes with Speed Bump and drives him back over to his bunker under the car Nicole: "Greg? What think you?" Jack: *to Ferrifous* "Nothing makes.... Did Grace just disappear? Did you see some freakish little robot running around?" Fearless: "Well, look at it this way. You can do a column on the damsel in distress syndrome, to try and clear your head." Fearless: "And yes, Grace just disappeared. And that freakish little robot is one of BA's toys." Jack: "I'm losing my mind." Jack leans back and blows out smoke. Ellis: Dangit, people, what part of 'brb' didn't get parsed? Jack: lol KataWatchin hehe ;) Ellis: Sorry, but sheesh. Will_GM: Sorry. Fearless: Ellis: where? Nicole: Argh, I'm sorry, I didn't see it at all. BA decides not to distribute the file footage he got of Grace's disappearing act. Checks his laptop's pick-ups to see if the audio-visual got stored to memory Ellis: "I'd say to go for it. You'd have the best of protection in Elena." Fearless: I musta lost it in the scroll Will_GM: "No, Jack, you're not. You've been exposed to more of reality than mortal humans should be. If I could offer a suggestion, I woud say to stick with these others, who are in the same situation as you. Having a community around helps to anchor you, keep reality from getting away from you." Ellis: brb *again* Nicole nods. "Well, if that's group consensus..." Will_GM: BA: It did. BA: "Reality. What doesn't go away when you stop believing in it." Edward nods at Jack. "What the lady said." BA: "Hey, Johnny!" Jack nods at Elena. "Have you seen God?" Will_GM: "No." Fearless: "Yeah, BA?" BA: "C'mere a sec." Nicole takes a deep breath. "Okay, I'll do it..." Ellis: b Jack starts grinning then giggling. "This *sucks!*" BA replays the footage for Fearless Fearless: "Excuse me, Jack." *heads over to where BA is* Will_GM: "Very well, Nicole. I'll contact you tonight once you're asleep. Ellis, please give the hilt to Nicole, I'll need it to reach her." Fearless: *to BA* "Let's play that, frame by frame." Ellis digs ye olde lightsaber out of his pocket, hands it to Nicole Jack sits up straight. Jack: "Nicole! Let me know what happens!" BA does so. "Looking for tesseracts or transporter beams, or other nifty techstuff?" Fearless: "Something like that." Jack fumbles for a business card. Will_GM: *to Nicole* "Sleep holding that tonight. I'll be able to follow it to you." Nicole nods at Jack. "Yeah! Will do!" Nicole looks over it, nods. "Gotcha." Jack shambles over to Nicole. "Can you call me here as soon as you wake up! Wake my sorry ass out of bed, that's fine." Jack: "Like I'll be sleeping tonight." Fearless pays close attention to the video feed of Grace's disappearing act. Will_GM: Fearless, BA: the slo-mo shows Grace fading out piecemeal, leaving behind a gray shadow which then disappears as well. The gray shadow seems to have Grace's basic shape, albeit slightly different. Nicole nods again, tries to process what she's just agreed to. Fearless pauses it on the grey shadow. Jack: "I gotta know how this...I mean...she tried to...there's no word for it." BA: "Looks like she discorporated her body mass into air." Will_GM: Elena straightens up. She closes her eyes for a moment and mutters, "Priorities..." BA: *to Jack* "She tried to steal your soul?" Jack: "Her fingernails raked across my soul. She tried to consume my will." Fearless: "Yeah, but this isn't her... the true her." Fearless: "I believe its called mind-rape, Jack." BA: "Souljacking?" Fearless: *to BA* "Or maybe, this *is* the real her." Jack: "Well, call me please. Can I crash at your place?" Will_GM: "Does somebody have a cellphone I can borrow?" Ellis hauls his out Jack offers his. Ellis: Jack: Didn't Grace have yours? ;) Jack: lol! Nicole bites back the obvious first comment. Jack: never mind! BA: *to Fearless* "We'll have to go over this later when I've had time to d/l it to my main box and do some image enhancements." Fearless would offer his, but two others got their first. Will_GM: Elena takes Ellis', and calls the Works. She moves off, talking to them about something involving "Tether," "stabilization," "Dreams," and "Disturbance." Jack: "I'll, I don't know, bring the Scotch? Order Chinese?" Fearless: "Yes." Nicole: "Ummm, well..." Will_GM: Jack: Come to think of it, Grace did have your cellphone, and now it's gone with her. Nicole: obvious first being something, "Why Jack, I didn't know this is how you did your first dates..." BA shuts down his laptop and waits for the rest to break up this happy gathering Nicole: "Jack, I don't know. I think I'm going to be keyed up enough tonight, as it is..." Jack is looking rather bedraggled at this point...not anybody's first choice for a sleepover! Jack looks fuzzy focused. "oh. Well, of course, you're right. Okay." Fearless: "Nicole, don't forget we're meeting with the Chief tomorrow morning, about being my assistant. That is, if it doesn't interfere with your classes." Nicole: "What time?" Jack 's eyes are red and puffy, his collar wet, his clothes still scruffled from the wrestling Fearless: "I usually get in there around 8." BA decides to get back to house and start a more detailed study of the imagery he got. "Talk to you later, Fearless. Later folx." Nicole: "Yeah, I think I need tomorrow to sorta decompress from everything, and I've got a few classes to go to." Nicole: "Tuesday would be better." Fearless: "Fair enough." BA gets Speed Bump loaded back into his car and heads home Will_GM: Elena returns the cellphone to Ellis and goes over to Jack. Jack: "Hey. There goes that robot guy." Ellis pockets the phone Will_GM: "Jack, you could do me a favor which I think might also help you to deal with this situation." Jack: "Elena, did you see the robot?" Jack: "Yeah, of course. Anything. You know, you are one of the heavenly host women?" Will_GM: "Yes, the modified radio-controlled car." KataWatchin hehe Fearless: its a radio controlled car, Jack. Nicole rolls over to Greg, and shakes her head. Ellis: "You going to be all right? Jack: "I have to do what you say, I think. I mean, you're you know with HIM." Will_GM: "You're a writer, and I could use information. Could you write down an account of how you met Grace, and what happened from then until just now? I would like to be able to minimize whatever damage she has caused while on Earth, and your account could help me track her movements." Fearless shakes his head as well, as he sits down, and pulls out his tape deck, and starts taking more verbal notes. Jack: "Yeah. Of course. Anything. Oh shit!" Nicole: "I don't know. I'm still not quite sure what I just agreed to." Will_GM: "What is it, Jack?" Jack snaps into focus. Jack: "I think she might have gotten to a friend of mine. Dawn Bradley. Dawn's as cyncial as I am, but Grace had her all mooney over true love. Shit!" Ellis: "Well, I suspect it'll be a particularly vivid dream... I would ask Elena about details, though. Seminary never got into... this." Jack: "What's that mean? Can we snap Dawn out of it?" Will_GM: "Include her contact information with your account then -- and perhaps you should watch Dawn the next time you meet. She may have done no lasting harm, or she may have altered Dawn's worldview. We will have to proceed carefully until we know for sure. Too urgent an effort could have disastrous effects." Nicole: "I know. I figure I'll play it by ear, I'm okay doing that. Just...wow." Jack: "Oh. Okay. Well, shit, she tried to do that to me too!" Will_GM: Elena grasps you by the arm. "Stay strong. You can handle this." Jack: "She reached into my heart and tried to dig in." Jack: "Oh yeah, I know. I'm as strong as they come. She messed with the wrong Philadelphian. Hehehe. What an ass. I said that, do you rememebr?" Edward whispers to Fearless, "I'm starting to figure out why they prefer to keep this whole war mainly a secret..." Jack starts laughing softly. "Hehehe. What an ass." Will_GM: "You're not, Jack. You reacted as anyone would under desperate conditions." Jack: "Oh I know. I know. I'm just a guy, like any other. I'm fine. Really, I'm fine." Jack: "Listen, I don't know if this is where you sprout wings and fly off, but it's really been good to meet you." Will_GM: Elena looks about. "With Grace gone, there's little that we can do here. Nicole, I'll contact you tonight; Jack, keep an eye on Dawn and please leave your written account at the Works, I can pick it up there. I need to wait here for a while, and I will obtain other transportation home." Nicole nods. Jack nods. "I'll do that." Edward nods. Jack pads himself down for his cell phone. Fearless: *to Ed* "Yeah. Jack cracked. Hell, the rest of us, we've seen a 'real' angel, a 'real' demon lord, and retained what passes for our sanity. But we all hit the same level as Jack, in our own way. He'll pull through." Edward nods to Fearless. Fearless stands. "Anyone need a lift anywhere?" Edward then eyes the clock. "Well, I'd better go grab dinner and then try to get some sleep. I'm on the grave for this week." Will_GM: Elena seats herself on a bench and appears to have every intention of remaining there for some time. Nicole: "I think I will, Johnny." Ellis waits around as people disperse, checking stuff on his bike and looking busy Fearless: "Anyone else?" Nicole makes a thumbs up gesture at Ellis as she leaves. Edward gets on his bike and grabs his helmet and gloves, putting them on. Jack sits down and looks around blankly Ellis waves goodbye to Nicole Will_GM: Everybody else except Nicole has their own transportation, IIRC. Fearless: *nod* Ellis wanders over to Elena when other folks are gone Ellis: "Do you mind if I ask what Nicole's getting herself into?" Fearless drives off, Nicole in the passenger seat. Fearless: "Where to?" Jack goes over to his car. Get in.. Sits there. Nicole gives instructions to her flat to Johnny. Ellis: Oh my God! Nicole's turned British! KataWatchin hehe! Will_GM: "'The Marches' is what we call the realm of human dreams. It is the home of Ethereals. Grace has retreated there, and I hope to track her and continue with the work we started changing her personality." KataWatchin or Austrian Jack drives off to home KataWatchin my buddy says that too Ellis nods Ellis: "Is it safe?" Fearless: "I'm headed over to the Works afterwards. Something's been bothering me, and I think they have the answers I need." Will_GM: "An explanation of the nature and environment of the Marches would be... mmm, confusing. And exceedingly complex. Experience is really the only guide." Will_GM: "And no, it's not entirely safe." Nicole: no, i've been hanging around my sister. Nicole nods. Nicole: "I've got a few things on my mind, I'd like to get home and fiddle on the keyboard a bit, see if I can get them out." Ellis: "Ah." Ellis: "Will Nicole be all right?" Fearless: "No problem. Do me a favor when you get a chance, though? Try and write down how tonight goes." Nicole: "I'll try. I'm better expressing myself in music than I am in words, though." Will_GM: "I will do everything in my power to see that this is so, up to and including sacrificing my own life. A human's soul is far more important than my own." Ellis blinks a couple times. Fearless: "Part of me wants to be there with you when you go in." Ellis: "I... thank you." Nicole: "You and Jack both." Will_GM: "It is my duty." Nicole: "At least you're not offering to spend the night on my couch." Will_GM: "But the sentiment is appreciated." Ellis: "Still, thank you. At least I'll sleep better tonight." Fearless: "I suspect my reasons have less to do Grace than it does a curiosity to see what these Marches are like." Fearless: "And... if the Marches are made of our dreams... well, its like a combined dreamscape, right? You and Elena may be able to find me and pull me in as well, if you wanted." Will_GM: Entirely possible, btw. :^) Nicole: "I think it might be more complex than that." Fearless: "It always is." Nicole: "I have no idea what's going to happen or what I'm going to do." Nicole: "Just have to play it by ear, I guess." Fearless: "Isn't that the way it always is?" Nicole nods. Fearless pulls up near Nicole's place. "Here we are." BA: It's Ultima Online for dreamers! :) Nicole: "Thanks for the lift." Fearless: "Any time." Fearless helps Nicole into the wheelchair, then waves as he leaves to head to the Works Will_GM: Elena looks over at you, Ellis. "You may stay as long as you like -- I imagine it will be getting cold soon. My only real task at the moment is to wait until the Disturbance from Grace's exit has quieted down, then use the Tether myself to reach the Marches and perform some errands there." Nicole waves back, and then goes up to her apartment. Nicole then goes upstairs, unloads her bag from the afternoon adventures (placing the swordhilt and Jack's card on the nightstand) and wanders over to her keyboard to try and write what's in her head. Will_GM: What does she get? Ellis nods. "I should be getting home, anyway. Thank you again for the reassurance. Tell Nicole I wish her luck." Edward gets home, tosses something nukable into the microwave, and checks his email while he waits for it to become more or less edible. Nicole: Will: I'm not really sure. mostly random note goofing aroundness. Nicole: noise. ;) Will_GM: *nod* Fearless pulls up to the Works in short order, after going though an Arby's for dinner (mmm... beef & cheddar :9 ) Will_GM: Ed: Your school account? Edward: yep. Nicole should note that this is a keyboard that makes music, not a computer keyboard. ;) Will_GM: You get the email I sent, then. Jack forgets about Dawn. Goes home. Sits at dining room table in dark. KataWatchin ( I like their bbq hehe ) Will_GM: Nicole: Ah. Okay, yes, that is different from what I was imagining. ;^) Edward: *nod* BA gets himself a frozen pizza and a beer, and sits down to file dump and enhance Nicole: Will: your band days are behind you now. ;) Ellis heads home Edward reads said email, then re-marks it as "unread" and "urgent" so he'll remember to re-read it when he gets to work, then starts browsing the links included. Nicole finds a particularly resonant chord, starts working from there. Ellis: o/` I heard there was a secret chord... o/` Will_GM: Fearless: What's up at the Works? Edward hears the 'ding!' of a successfully irradiated dinner, and goes eat. Fearless checks to see if Wes or Rath are in. Will_GM: Lenny meets you at the parking lot. "Hi, Johnny. What's up?" Fearless: "Wes or Rath in?" Will_GM: "Yeah. One second." He heads inside. Will_GM: He reappears with Wes, who stays while Lenny resumes what is rather clearly a perimeter patrol. Fearless quickly changes tapes while Lenny's inside Will_GM: "How can I help you?" Fearless slowly clicks on "record" as Wes walks up. Will_GM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for Will_GM (3d6) and gets 7. Nicole: o/~ that David played and it pleased the Lord... o/~ Will_GM: 'k. Fearless: "Well, I had a question regarding something from earlier." Will_GM: Wes casually draws his sword and begins going through forms. "Yeah?" Will_GM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for Will_GM (3d6) and gets 10. Will_GM: *twirl* *backthrust* *rebalance* Fearless: "What's a 'soldier'? I've only heard that term used in two contexts. Military, and Mafia." Will_GM: "Someone who fights, of course. A human who knows about and fights our War, choosing to throw their lot in with us." Will_GM: *weave* *stop-thrust* *circle down* Fearless: "Well, does that include our group, or is there something special about your soldiers?" Will_GM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for Will_GM (3d6) and gets 6. Will_GM: *crouch* *rise* *stab at your pocket* Will_GM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for Will_GM (3d6) and gets 8. BA goes over the footage he got several times, cutting and pasting some of it to seperate files, and saves the raw footage onto a DVD. Which he'll make two more copies of. One he'll put in his safe deposit box, the other he'll label 'Bedtime Music' and stick in his CD rack. The other he'll hide in an Army ammo canister under a loose floorboard in his bedroom closet Will_GM: You hear a faint crackle as the sword tip just pierces your pocket and the recorder within it. Edward: oops Fearless visibly winces Will_GM: "Someone supernaturally empowered by an Archangel or Demon Prince, in fact." Fearless: "That does make a bit of sense. Empowered how?" Will_GM: Wes pulls his sword back and sheathes it. "Granted awareness of the Symphony and certain abilities of self-control, such as control over one's Essence. Usually other skills as well, like a Song or an attunement. 'Powers,' to put it loosely." Will_GM: BA: check. Btw -- paranoid much? ;^) BA: Will: :) Jack goes to sleep on the couch in his clothes Fearless: "Interesting." Nicole scrawls notes on a nearby sheet of music paper, and goes back to attempting to compose. Fearless: "One thing before I leave. Have we met one, yet?" Edward finishes dinner and goes sleep, setting his alarm for 3:30 Will_GM: "Pete's one." BA finishes his excursion into paranoia ("It ain't paranoia if they're actually out to get you!") and goes to bed Fearless: "I see... well, I've got a few leads for my day job to follow up on, then a Chief to get yelled at from in the morning, so if there's anything else you need from me?" BA: "I need Zion's access codes, Mr. Ferrifous." BA: ;) Will_GM: "Nope. Have a good night and don't tell the world about us." He grins and winks at you. "I'll buy you a new minirecorder. Any brand preference?" KataWatchin hehe Fearless: "The name's 'Fearless'!" BA: :) Jack: lol Fearless: "I can always get a new one at Staples. Thanks anyways." Will_GM: "Sure thing." *goes back inside* Nicole scowls as the keyboard refuses to make the same sounds as she hears in her head. Fearless goes to Staples, and buys a new recorder, and another set of tapes. Fearless: is the tape in the one he killed still good, though? Will_GM: Hmm.. Will_GM: Yeah, the tape's salvageable. It stopped recording before he explained about the supernatural stuff, though. Fearless: naturally. Fearless: too bad Fearless doesn't have the Voice advantage, he could prolly reproduce the voice. ;) Fearless: with work Will_GM: Anything else pplz want to do tonight? Nicole puts things away, makes herself a late dinner, grabs a bath, and wanders off to bed, making sure that she's got that odd hilt thing. Mutters to herself, "Gee I feel like Juliet" before dropping off to sleep. BA: Nothing here Fearless: unless the day job has a lead that's plot-related BA: Other than what passes for XP in GURPS :) Jack: wow...early night! Will_GM: It's later that same night. Will_GM: Nicole: it takes about four hours for a person to reach REM sleep. Nicole: aye. BA: Will: Unless you're in a hurry about it ;) KataWatchin ( wish it did for me ;) ) KataWatchin ( docs say I don't achieve REM most of the time hehehe ;) ) Will_GM: Your dreams are formless and quick -- the music that you were trying to play earlier is echoing around you. Incongruously, in your hand is the sword hilt. Will_GM: Kata: ack! That's bad... KataWatchin ( 'tis why I'm so out of it ) KataWatchin ( yeah :( ) Fearless: curiously, Fearless decides to go home, and knock back a glass of hard stuff to help the sleep along Nicole feels like Richard Feynman. Edward: Will: yeah, but that can go after Katya's dreams BA dreams of schematics and Orion space craft and rabid mechanical weasles Will_GM: Your dreams *ripple* about you, and the music subtly changes. There are two new presences with you. BA: Kill the weasles! KataWatchin hehe Nicole blinks, or would blink, if she could. Will_GM: One is a humanoid-looking figure, softly glowing, with large, jewel-like eyes. Despite the fact that you have never seen this form before, you recognize Elena. The other is utterly unfamiliar to you. A serpent is coiled calmly, watching you from six eyes, its rainbow-feathered wings laid flat against the upper portion of its body. BA: "Zephram Cockran! Is that you?! What have you done to your hair?" KataWatchin hehe! Nicole: And then I was met by this snakelike thing, and...you're not believing a word I'm saying, are you? Will_GM: "Pretty music, Nicole. But why the sword?" Nicole: "Ask Elena, 'tis hers." Will_GM: "The talisman I spoke of." Will_GM: "Ah." BA: Gonna scram folx. Later *** BA is now known as UpLink Jack: cya KataWatchin see ya UL Nicole: "So..." Will_GM: Bye UL. Nicole: bye UL... *** Signoff: UpLink (Read error: Connection reset by peer) Fearless: cya UL Will_GM: "Nicole, this is Eainéa, Seraph of Dreams. He is here as a representative of his Archangel to see to it that we do not overly disrupt the Marches tonight -- and as a local guide, if need be." Nicole nods towards the other presence. "Pleased to meet you." Will_GM: The serpent bows in a complex sine wave, ruffling its feathers and resettling them in some way that you interpret as polite. Will_GM: "The first thing we will need to do tonight is take you from this dreamscape into the Marches proper. Or rather, show you how to take us there." Nicole: "Oh-kay." Nicole: "Show me, I guess, as I have no idea." Will_GM: "The skill is called Lucid Dreaming. It will reveal to you the true Marches -- or, at least, the base Marches. I want you to focus on the environment around you. It is your dream -- it is a part of you. Try to pull it into you, to leave you seeing things clearly." Will_GM: "Take your time. It's not easy, especially the first time." Nicole attempts to concentrate on that slippery tune that her fingers couldn't quite get last night. Will_GM: The serpent watches you, nodding. It whispers, "Capture it. Lodge it in your memories rather than about you." Will_GM: 3d6-2 Dicesuke throws the bones for Will_GM (3d6-2) and gets 8. Nicole finds her fingers making the chords, tries desperately to hold onto the tune. Will_GM: A keyboard appears under your fingers as you play. The music turns into sound, transparent and no longer echoing. When you look up, you find that you are sitting in front of a keyboard in your wheelchair as you were last night, Elena and the serpent nodding in satisfaction. The environment about you is a broad valley with a floor of gravel and sand. Fog obscures the distance, within which there are many points of light. Nicole: "trippy." Will_GM: The serpent says, "More accurate than you think -- some psychotropic drugs thrust a human's consciousness unnaturally into the Marches." Nicole laughs. "That's just too appropriate." Will_GM: Elena turns. "The Tether we found is this way," she says, pointing off into the distance. Nicole follows as best she can, trying to soak everything up. Will_GM: Eainéa says, "Motion is more a function of thought than of muscles here, Nicole. If you concentrate on following in Elena's footsteps, we can follow her to the Tether she knows of." Nicole nods. Fearless: in a dream, Nicole should be able to walk Will_GM: Eainéa spreads his wings and rises a short way above you, gliding on some unknown currents. Nicole: depends, nyet? Will_GM: We're gettin' to it. :^) Edward: unless her paralysis is engrained deeply into her self-image, in which case she'd manifest in a weelchair anyway. Nicole focuses on moving, then. Will_GM: Nicole manifested upon collapsing her dreamscape as sitting at her keyboard where she was last night -- which is in the wheelchair. She's currently rolling over the valley floor, making little sand-in-wheels crunching sounds. Will_GM: Eainéa calls from above you, "Any particular reason you'd rather be in the chair, Nicole?" Nicole blinks. "I....I..." Will_GM: Eainéa calls to Elena. "Elena, hold on." Elena does so. Eainéa lands next to you and looks at you. Nicole: "I can...?" Will_GM: He reaches out a wingtip and brushes it over your ankles. Will_GM: You feel it. Nicole looks up in utter confusion and delight. Nicole: "But..." Will_GM: "No body, no bodily trauma." Nicole: "Oh WOW." Will_GM: "Cast aside thy crutches, Nicole!" Nicole stands, then, and awes the whole time. Nicole: "Like Peter crossing the waves..." Will_GM: Nicole: You notice a bit of a difference between this and Earth -- there's no proprioception(which is a bodily sense), so the feeling of your feet on gravel and of gravity is a little disconnected from the rest of you. Nevertheless, it's still there. KataWatchin ( ya know ya've been itching to say that, eh Will? hehe ) Will_GM: Heh heh. Nicole: "This is...wow." Nicole: "Sorry, I am a bit stunned." Will_GM: Eainéa looks over at Elena. "This was the point of the exercise, wasn't it," he says, accusingly but good-humoredly. Nicole grins. Will_GM: Elena shrugs. "The hunt itself is also worthy. But the methods are good, as well..." Will_GM: "Shall we walk, then, Nicole?" Nicole: "We shall." Will_GM: Elena continues onward on foot, Eainéa above you. Nicole follows, still thrilling every second. Will_GM: The fog thins about you, and the ground becomes soil(with the accompanying change in sensation underfoot). Eainéa says, "We are entering the Border Marches, where an ethereal Tether would connect. Things may be a little stranger here than in the vale of Dreams." --> KataWatching Gotcha, thanks. Will_GM: Eainéa says, "Stop for a moment. No human should leave this place without glimpsing the two poles." Nicole: "Two poles?" Will_GM: Elena stops. Eainéa lands beside you, Nicole, and thrusts out a wing. "Look to the edge of your senses, Nicole." Nicole tries to do that. Will_GM: As you follow the direction of his wing, you become aware of a brightness on the "horizon." It resolves into a bright Tower, far too complicated to take in at this distance. Jack: gnight all Jack: good luck Nic Fearless: cya, Jack *** Jack has left channel #gurps Will_GM: "The Tower of Dreams," says Eainéa. "Home of Blandine, celestial Tether. Its top touches Heaven." Nicole: "Whoa." Will_GM: "Turn and see." He extends his wing in the other direction. Nicole turns. Will_GM: At an equal "distance" away, a black shadow rises crookedly above a baleful red glow. It, too, resolves into a Tower. Though its form is vaguely reminiscent of the first, it is also too complicated to fully take in, twisting in weird non-Euclidean ways. Will_GM: "The Tower of Nightmares," says Eainéa. "Home of Beleth, infernal Tether. Its bottom touches Hell. Beware it, flee it, fight it. It is one of the greatest outposts of the Infernal Horde." Nicole: "So the schism touches even here?" Will_GM: Eainéa says sadly, "It shaped all of reality. Yes, it is here too." Nicole nods. Will_GM: "Where we head," says Eainéa, turning and taking flight, "neither Blandine nor Beleth has much direct control. Be on your guard." Nicole: "Alright." Will_GM: Elena takes you deeper into what was called the Border Marches. Will_GM: Before too long (time is as vague as space here), you arrive in a grassed-in clearing. In the middle of the clearing, the same statue that you saw back at the library sits on a similar pedestal. Nicole smiles. KataWatchin ( library... *whimper* always longed to own my own library and live upstairs :D ) Will_GM: We're definitely "upstairs" of the library here. :^) Nicole: "Is this the other end?" KataWatchin ( love the smell of books and could have a book any time hehe ) Edward: Ever watched Read or Die? Will_GM: "Yes," says Elena. "The technical term is the upper 'locus.'" Will_GM: Eainéa says, "I'll see what I can see," and beats for altitude, starting to circle about the place. KataWatchin ( nopers ain't heard of it what it be? ) Edward: Anime. Neat one. Will_GM: "Grace came back through here, and may be tied to it by her nature, although the Tether would probably be more stable if that latter were the case. She should be in the area." Nicole: "Alright." KataWatchin ( cool will try to see if/when it comes on :D ) Will_GM: Eainéa calls out from above you and starts circling down some way off. "Come on!" says Elena, and starts running in that direction. KataWatchin ( wish ya could come to the A'Kon this end of May would be cool.. but them miiiiles away can be a pain.. ) Nicole follows, running, and still amazing at every step. Will_GM: You soon come to a cleft between two tiny mountains. Inside it is a fairytale castle of the stereotypical persueasion, with oversized central keep and a tall turret with a lighted window. KataWatchin ( coooool ) KataWatchin ( *sniff* I want my own fairy tale castle ;) hehehe ) Will_GM: Eainéa settles down beside you and says, "Ethereals," shaking his head. "some of them really need to update their stereotypes." KataWatchin ( hey wait there's Excalibur ) Nicole laughs. "That was just what I was thinking." Will_GM: A roar goes up from inside the castle, followed by a spurt of flame. Grace's voice calls from the turret. "Oh, fair Knight, rescue me from the terrible dragon and I shall be yours!" Will_GM: Elena visibly winces. Nicole laughs s'more. Oh dear. Will_GM: Eainéa turns his head to you. "The dragon's fake. Girl *wants* to be rescued." Edward OOCly falls over dead from cliche overload. Ow. Are we SURE she's salvagable? Nicole: "Okay. So can we rescue her like Shrek did?" KataWatchin hehe! Edward: we're short a donkey for that to work. KataWatchin was gonna say KataWatchin who's gonna be the ass? KataWatchin hehe Fearless: *groan* Will_GM: Elena touches the sword hilt you're carrying. A gout of flame bursts from the hilt and forms into a glowing red blade. She looks you straight in the eye. "We?" Nicole: "You, then. I was just being silly." Nicole: "...or...erk." Will_GM: Eainéa exchanges glances with Elena. Fearless: a damsel in distress, saved by a damsel in a wheelchair Fearless: ;) Will_GM: "You're the one holding the sword, dear," says Eainéa. Nicole: "That I am." KataWatchin hehe Will_GM: "We've given Grace a push. Having her rescued by a maiden would seriously crack her mythos. See?" Nicole: "Right. Gotcha." Nicole: "Well, then. Is there any tips on *using* this thing?" Fearless: be sure and give yourself some knightly garb, first. ;) Will_GM: Eainéa says, "Just remember not to be scared of the dragon. It's fake; Grace wants to be rescued. Your fear itself could make the dragon deadlier than it really is. Stay confident, and you won't even be so much as singed." Nicole: "Alright, then. Here we go." Nicole trudges forward, wishing like heck Greg was here to give her a few tips on the sword swinging before she attempted this. Ellis: Is that my cue to pop out of thin air? ;) Will_GM: The castle looms above you, drawbridge conveniently down. Fearless: *heheh* Edward: *ring ring* Will_GM: Nah, not in the Border Marches. In the Vale, maybe. Ellis: Rats. ;) Nicole: "Okay. Easy. Don't panic." Will_GM: Eainéa calls after you faintly, "Style! It's all about the mood!" Nicole yells back. "Right!" KataWatchin ( pretend you're Earl Flyn ) KataWatchin +n Fearless: Errol Flynn Nicole: "Now...let's see. Armour. Let's see if we can get it Shrek style, which means it should be right inside the door, with all the dead knights..." Will_GM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for Will_GM (3d6) and gets 12. Will_GM: Armor, check. Will_GM: Dead knights, check. KataWatchin hehe Nicole: "Sweet." Nicole salvages. Fearless: and better make it something suitably feminine, *just* to throw off Grace. ;) KataWatchin hehe Will_GM: Voluminous breastplate and a helmet Don Quixote would be proud of. KataWatchin yeah :D Will_GM: Shield, too. Edward: Hell, floor the dragon with boot to da head just for the blinking value. Nicole: You'll see. I got plans for this fractured fairy tail. Will_GM: Woo! Nicole grins like hell, picks a very plumed helmet off the floor. "Suitable disguise for the face until the proper moment..." Nicole puts on other random pieces, so it's an utter mismatch. "Okay, now to clank up the stairs. Lots of noise, no weight, damn this is gonna be fun!" Will_GM: *clank* *clank* *clank* Fearless: *heheheh* KataWatchin hehe Fearless: *clunk* *sproingle* Ellis: The robots cannot reproduce. Fearless: *rattle* Will_GM: The stairs wind their way up the side of the large room, coming to an arch, beyond which is blackened stone. Nicole: "Alright." Fearless: *finger falls off and makes a lot of noise going down the stairs* Nicole scouts her position. and tries to find a way to head further upstairs. Will_GM: Smoke curls beyond the archway, glowing from within with a baleful red and orange. Will_GM: The turret you saw from outside has precisely one (1) entrance other than the window, and it is clearly on the other side of the hall you face now. Nicole: "Okay. No Shrek method. Okay. Let's face him down." Fearless: bah... climb up the tower, and go in the window Nicole peers forward. Nicole: "Now, if this was my fairy tale, I'd get Rapunzel to lower her hair...but that might not be doable. So. Let's play Let's Make a Deal!" Nicole boldy moves forward. Will_GM: You hear a "MMrmph?" from within the hall. The spot where the glow is centered brightens a bit. Will_GM: A shadow shifts, becoming darker and larger. The spot of light moves with it. Nicole giggles. "Mr. Dragon! Congratulations! You've been selected to be on 'Let's Make a Deal!' Nicole: . o O ( I knew watching all that daytime TV when I was recooperating would come in handy...) Will_GM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for Will_GM (3d6) and gets 10. Will_GM: "Snrph?" Will_GM: Something pads toward you. Nicole: "Yes you! You've got this wonderful castle and a lovely girl, but I'm sure you've dreamed of so much more! Edward: .oO(It looks like canned food, but it's not talking like canned food usually does... *blink*) Fearless: "you can have the girl, or what's under the box! Which'll it be?" "The box!" "He chose the box! Let's see what's in the box! ... NOTHING! Absolutely nothing! You are so *stupid!*" Nicole does her best impression of Monty Hall. Will_GM: The smoke clears, and you find yourself face to... eye... with a dragon head. Will_GM: What do you *want* the dragon to do at this point? Nicole: Believe me. Will_GM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for Will_GM (3d6) and gets 14. Will_GM: It sits back on its haunches and cocks its head at you, blowing a little whiff of flame in your direction -- not enough to actually reach you. Nicole: "Yes. This is boring. She locks you up here, and then makes you eat anything that comes to rescue her. Some life, eh?" Nicole: "You know, there's so much a young upwardly mobile dragon like yourself could be doing with your life!" Edward: "Growf." .oO(Enh. the food's good) Nicole: "And you're sitting here in a damp dark castle, letting somebody else be your master..." KataWatchin hehe Nicole: "Man, if I were you, I'd want to WIN A TRIP TO TAHITI!" Will_GM: The dragon bounces up and down, snrfing a flame every now and then. Nicole: "or maybe a NEW ...well, maybe not car, but a new METHOD OF TRANSPORTATION!" Nicole: "So, would you like to trade your castle and your girl for this box?" Nicole gestures next to her, hoping like hell a box appears. Will_GM: The dragon shakes its head. By way of example, it spreads big leathery/scaley wings. In other words, it has its own transportation. Will_GM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for Will_GM (3d6) and gets 15. Will_GM: A box does not appear. Nicole: "Darn those stagehands." Will_GM: The dragon looks beside you, then back at you. Nicole: "Anyway, how about trading me for what's in my pocket!" Will_GM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for Will_GM (3d6) and gets 13. Nicole: I am not doing well. KataWatchin uh oh Edward: "Growf?" .oO(What has it got in its pockets? Erm, wrong movie. sorry.) Will_GM: The dragon looks just confused. Nicole: "You have a choice! if you don't choose what's in my pocket, I'll have to go onto this couple from Toledo dressed like chickens!" Will_GM: Grace's voice echoes down. "Oh just *stab* the thing already! -- I mean... Help, help!" Fearless: *LOL* KataWatchin hehe! Nicole: "No help from the audience!" Nicole: "So...what's it going to be? KataWatchin hehe Nicole: " Edward: *exasperated sigh accidentally setting the castle ablaze* "Groowf." .oO(There's employer care for you these days...) Will_GM: The dragon looks up the stairs. It looks down at your flaming sword. It looks up the stairs again. Will_GM: It points a claw at you. Nicole: "No, man. I'm not going to stab you. This is for *effect*. " Nicole: "She thinks a knight in shining armour needs it. Nicole: "I'll let you in on a little secret." Will_GM: It bends its head down close to you. Nicole motions the dragon a bit closer and pulls off her helmet. "See? You see, she's been lying to you." Will_GM: It blinks at you. Nicole: "There's better pickings elsewhere. Guarding her? You lose in the end." Nicole: "Because in her fairy tale, I'm supposed to kill you. But not in my fairy tale. Dragons have rights too." Will_GM: You can see it thinking this over. Will_GM: Give it a second. It has a brain the size of a walnut. Nicole: "As long as you stay here, you're subordinate to her dreams. But you can have your own dreams out there." *** CTCP PING 1019949308 from Fearless replied Will_GM: The dragon sits back up. It lifts a rear leg, and kicks a substantial hole in the outer wall of the castle, then drops through it and glides off into the foggy night. *** Signoff: Fearless (Read error: Connection reset by peer) Edward: *snicker* Nicole crosses through the hall, with the helmet off, and climbs the stairs. *** Fearless (arsenal@dyn30.nas6.vegas.viawest.net) has joined channel #gurps Will_GM: Eainéa looks up at the retreating shadow. "Tsayadim are gonna be on our butts if we let a dragon go." Fearless: 're KataWatchin you're up to date on zhorfur Ars Will_GM: Elena follows it. "No, it's part of Grace's setting. It should disappear in a bi... yeah, there it goes." Will_GM: Nicole: You come up to the final door leading to the room with the lit window. Nicole grins as she reaches the top of the stairs. "You know, this is the part where I'm supposed to kiss you, but you'll have to forgive me if I say that I'm just not into that sort of thing." Will_GM: 2 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for Will_GM (2 3d6) and gets 14 6. Will_GM: Fortunately, you manage to get that out before Grace kisses you. :^) Nicole: *giggle* Will_GM: *shock* "NiCOLE?!" Nicole: "Yes, that would be the name I go by. Nice to see you here. Nice digs, if a bit old fashioned." Nicole: "Was a bit cruel what you were doing to that poor dragon, though." Fearless: *snrk* Will_GM: Grace *fwump*s down on a convenient chaise lounge. *** Mode change "+o Fearless" on #gurps by KataWatching Nicole: "No, we're not doing the fainting act. Get up, now." Will_GM: Grace gets up. Will_GM: Grace blinks. Will_GM: "Um..." Nicole: "Yes, you're being very stereotypical. But living up to sterotypes does not make you a damsel in distress." Nicole: "You've forced everybody to play by your rules. Well, we're not playing by your rules anymore. We're playing by mine." Fearless: give her hell, Nicole Edward: It makes her the Bad Cliche instead Nicole: "You're nothing but a grade A bully. What you did to Jack was just cruel. You know, the poor man is going to be *years* recovering from your damage." Nicole: "And I'm not putting up with it anymore. If I had any say in the matter, I'd have you find your own way. The type you want to be is gone, lost to history. Trying to force it on people is very wrong." Will_GM: *softly* "...I'm a bully?" Nicole: "Yes." Will_GM: "...I don't want to be the villain...." Nicole: "You've been doing a very good job of playing the part." Will_GM: Grace goes over to the window. "...Maybe Hell is right about us. Maybe we are just meant to mislead and tempt Mankind." Nicole: "Not my place to say. But you've got a lot of cleaning up to do if you want to stay. And part of that means no going back to Earth." Nicole: "Because you hurt Jack. Frankly, if he'd beat you up right there, you'd have deserved it, not because you're a damsel in distress, but because you were cruel and mean to him to make him play a part he wasn't meant to play." Nicole: "So. Your call. But no more making dragons stay to their doom so you can live up to some old fashioned ideals of being 'rescued'. You make your own miracles." Nicole gets rid of all the clunky armour. Not living up to this stereotype at all anymore. Will_GM: Grace looks over at you and sighs. "The dragon wasn't real. It wasn't even as real as I am, however real that is. It was a prop. There'll be another one when you go downstairs." Will_GM: She pauses. "No. No, there won't be." Nicole: "Good." Ellis: "Hi. We're from the Marches Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Dragons. We got a call about this number..." Nicole: "You might go with something a little more modern in decor too." KataWatchin hehe! Will_GM: Grace looks around. "Not my choice there. You humans make us and our Domains." Will_GM: "If people believe I'm to be found in a modern setting, that's where I'll be." Nicole: "Then we've got a bit of work to do on our end, don't we?" Will_GM: "It'd be nice to know what all those gadgets were, that's for sure." Nicole grins. "So...I might be back to check on you sometime, but it's time for me to get back to where I belong too." Will_GM: "I understand. Good luck, Nicole. What's that the angels of Stone say?... Stay strong." Nicole: "I can go with that. Stay strong, Grace." Nicole waves and turns to return down the stairs. Will_GM: No dragon on the lower floor. Nicole smiles and continues walking down and out. Will_GM: You meet Eainéa and Elena where you left them. "How did it go?" asks Elena. Nicole just shakes her head and laughs. Nicole: "The funniest part was telling the prop about such words as freedom..." Nicole: "I don't think she'll be much of a problem anymore, in all honesty." Nicole hands Elena her sword back. Will_GM: Elena takes it. "We should be getting you back home, then -- time spent in the Marches doesn't serve you as well as true dreaming." Nicole nods. Fearless: guys, I've gotta go as well... almost midnight here, and I've got work in less than 7 hours. Edward: have fun Will_GM: Yeah, we're > < done here. KataWatchin yeah it's nearly 2am here KataWatchin me pup be up in 5 hours hehe ;) Will_GM: "Nicole, if you want to come back here, I'll be glad to meet you again," says Eainéa. "Find any angel in the Marches and they'll give you directions to a place where you can find me." Nicole: "Alright. I told Grace I'd come check up with her sometime." Edward: And watch out to make sure it's an angel you ask and not a demon... Will_GM: Elena tells you, "To enter true sleep, Nicole, just close your eyes and relax. Think about being in bed asleep. You'll make the transition naturally." *** Signoff: Fearless (Read error: Connection reset by peer) Nicole nods. Nicole grins. "Thanks for the ...umm, fractured fairy tale." Will_GM: "Our pleasure. You did the fracturing." Nicole laughs, and just kinda relaxes, letting that slippery tune wash over again. Edward wakes up just in time to switch off the alarm before it triggers, and stretches once. 3:30, just time for a quick shower before getting dressed and off to upenn for the graveyard shift. Will_GM: You quickly enter natural sleep for the remainder of the night. Will_GM: ------------ Session End --------------