*** Ellis (aris@c023h089.dorm.reed.edu) has joined channel #gurps William: kats, Ars, and Eric cancelled, leaving this one scene for the night. I was willing to wait. ;^) Ellis: There we go. *** ircleuser (adamb@c007h206.acad.reed.edu) has joined channel #GURPS Ellis: *snrk* Ellis: Okay. Edward returneth Aris_TGD: Hi, Adam/Carl? *** ircleuser is now known as Mozzik Mozzik: It's Carl Ellis: Heya. *** William is now known as Will_GM Ellis: <-- Aris. Just to confuse you. ;) Mozzik: Sorry using a laptop (strike one) a mac (strike two) and a version of irc I've never seen (strike three) so don't expect a ton out of me for the moment other the watching. Will_GM: -------------- Game Start ------------------ Will_GM: It is 5am in the next morning. Fearless and Co. have yet to report in about their results; most are, indeed, still in ther beds. Will_GM: No Dicesuke... one sec. Will_GM: As you approach Dunst Gym, you see a figure sitting in the shadows by the door, head bowed and arms on knees. Ellis: Atashi? Will_GM: Gesundheit? Ellis: Me? Will_GM: Yes -- the last game, you had wanted to meet next morning with Wes, in order to teach saber and talk strategy. Will_GM: The day after this, you have your next class with Carver. Ellis: Yeah, I know. Thanks for the refresh. Ellis: I approach a little cautiously until I can make out who it is. Will_GM: He looks up at your approach, and stands. The last time you saw him, he called himself Rex Black. Ellis: Time. It's been a while, so... Will_GM: Yes? Ellis: So refresh my memory, please? Will_GM: Uh, on Rex? Ellis: Well, yes. Will_GM: He was the guy who introduced himself as a reporter for the campus paper just after your meeting with Nicole (and run-in with stabbee, i.e. Rath). Ellis: Have I seen him at the Works? Will_GM: Not to recognize, no. Ellis: Okay. I raise an eyebrow. "Mr. Black?" Will_GM: He grasps the hilt of a saber depending from his waist, holding another by his left hand. "Teacher, I am ready." Ellis: I back up a couple of steps. "Um, what?" Will_GM: "Um?" Will_GM: "Oh!" Will_GM: "Sorry. It's Wes. Different body." Ellis sighs, shakes his head. "You sneaky... all right. C'mon in, I'll get set up." Ellis: "This wasn't what I expected this early in the morning." Will_GM: He follows you in. "I should have remembered we hadn't been introduced this way yet. I wanted to keep someone from putting this teacher together with my regular identity with the 'Works." Ellis: "Ah. I suppose that makes sense. Could I have some warning next time?" *** Katalina (Duras@1Cust163.tnt8.dfw9.da.uu.net) has joined channel #gurps Will_GM: "I don't have any more bodies waiting, if that's what you mean." Ellis: "... Thank you. I think." Will_GM: "None of the other --" he looks around, and sees that the gym is empty -- "angels do, either." Ellis puts on his fencing jacket, gets out a saber. "At least not the ones around here?" Will_GM: "Right. Most angels won't -- it's most useful for Malakim, since we can shake off a corporeal death and rush back to the same spot." Ellis: "Ahh. Sounds helpful." Edward: Hence the occasional derogative 'kamikaze' :) Will_GM: He makes a couple of experimental passes with the saber. "It's sufficiently scary for demons, at any rate." Ellis: "Do they have the same advantage?" Will_GM: He grins. "Nope. Malakite special." Ellis: "Wow. I'll keep that in mind." Ellis puts down the saber, shakes out his arms for a minute or so. Will_GM: Wes/Rex goes through a short routine which you recognize as being rather more suited for a shortsword(about the same weight, though shorter and broader). Ellis nods at him. "You're hacking a little. You have reach with a saber that you aren't using." Will_GM: He pauses, then describes a wider-sweeping curve. Will_GM: are you familiar with the Quick Learning rules? Ellis: And no, I'm not familiar with the rules. Ellis: Mmmhmm. Will_GM: Basically, it works like this. You have eight hours to spend per attempt; success depends on your Teaching skill, and adds to his Fencing skill. Ellis: Okay. Will_GM: Given your teaching schedule today, which I'll randomly call two classes, that means that from 5am to 3pm is spent with Wes and, occasionally, with your actual classes while he practices elsewhere. Ellis: I run him through some basic drills to warm up - parries, parry-ripostes, feint-attacks. Ellis: And then... well, we fence. Ellis: And fence. Ellis: And take a break for water, and comments. Ellis: And fence. Will_GM: Yep. Will_GM: Let's see how the first session goes... Will_GM: Whoo, spank me it's beautiful. Will_GM: By 3 o'clock that day, justifiably tired (well, you are -- Wes isn't even sweating), you figure that Wes could get your job -- not quite as well as you, and certainly not as ingrained -- but enough for, say, competition. Ellis: "Well. Nice work." Edward: Figures. Give a Malakim a pointy object and he'll happy with it all day long *ducks* :) Will_GM: "Thank you, teacher." Will_GM: (He's been respectful like that all day.) Will_GM: "Now, I need advice on the details of tomorrow's action." Ellis: "I thought I'd introduce you as a secondary instructor for the day, so that I could work better with people one on one. It's sometimes hard to give everyone the attention they deserve in a large class, and these kids are happy to have pointers." Will_GM: He thinks for a moment, and nods. "That sounds reasonable. You will assign me to Carver, then?" Ellis: "If you correct Carver on something and ask him to fence you to show what you mean..." Ellis: "I don't think I even have to assign you, but yes, if you can't find something to pick out naturally." Will_GM: "Ah." He sheathes the blade and starts pacing in the once-again empty gym after classes. Will_GM: "Let me know how workable you think this plan is, given your class' personalities, and this institution's policies." Will_GM: "I shall first resonate him -- I don't expect to be lucky enough to find anything immediately indicative." Ellis: "You're... not planning to go after him immediately if he turns out to be a demon, are you?" Will_GM: "More likely, I shall have to draw him into harming me, possibly in anger. This may require some fairly abusive treatment..." he looks at you after that one. Will_GM: "That bears discussing as well. No, I don't plan to kill someone in front of a dozen witnesses..." Ellis: "Thank you." *** UpLink (UpLink@ip68-104-59-94.lv.lv.cox.net) has joined channel #gurps Ellis: "He's a little violent anyway. He might not hurt you directly, but he'll probably knock the nib off his point, maybe screw up your mask. That happens a lot. He doesn't have much grasp of target area." Will_GM: "I see. Good, in a way." Will_GM: "My immediate response will probably be fairly shocking -- I'll need to sock him one. That will tell for sure. No Disturbance, he's a celestial." Will_GM: "What would you normally do if such a thing happened?" Ellis: "I'd break it up and send you out. You don't *hit* people in a fencing class, Wes." Will_GM: Wes sighs. "True." Will_GM: "However, if the resonance doesn't work, and having a Reliever or someone poke their head in and make funny faces at him doesn't work, there aren't a lot of further options for solidly determining if someone is celestial, you see." Will_GM: He sits down, chin in hands. Ellis: "How much do you have to hurt him to get a reading on resonance?" Will_GM: He shakes his head. "The resonance doesn't require hurting at all. If that works, there won't be any visible effect. For the latter, it's a lack of Disturbance I'm looking for. For that... oh, not much I'd say. A cut deep enough to bleed would do it." He looks up. "Do you have something in mind?" Ellis: "Well, I was thinking that if a punch would work, jabbing him in the arm with the point of your saber would work even better." Will_GM: "Aaah. Make it look like an accident." Ellis: "It's a legal move, even." Ellis: "And it hurts just as much as a punch." Will_GM: "A sound policy. That I shall do, then." Ellis: "Great." Ellis: "Of course, if he hits you hard enough, he'll notice the same things you're looking for." Will_GM: Wes nods. "That is a risk. Of course, it's hard to notice a lack of something unless you're looking for that lack." Ellis: "True. But just in case, let's go over those parries again." Edward: and Calabim are not known for their astute attention to detail when there's stuff to be broken.... Will_GM: "I... I can't hit someone who hasn't hit me, sir." Will_GM: "That just wouldn't be... right." Will_GM: He seems surprisingly uneasy at the notion of doing so, in fact. Ellis: "You're not going to be drawing blood. That's the reason we're wearing the jackets. They can take 550 Newtons without tearing." Ellis: "It's a game. Okay, what we're doing is deathly serious, but fencing itself is a game. It's taking a bloodsport and making it safe." Will_GM: He stands and readies to practice parries, somewhat reluctantly. "Well... that's the crux, you see. In order to have created Disturbance, I have to attack with intent to harm, even if only slightly. In order to attack with intent to harm, I have to have been attacked similarly. If he doesn't... he has to commit himself to the harm..." Will_GM: He's definitely bothered by the implications you're raising. Ellis nods, thinking. Ellis: "Well... how's this. If you play defensively long enough, he'll get mad and start being wild. That's usually when equipment gets damaged." Ellis: "He'll probably go for the mask. Do you think that would be enough provocation? Someone sticking the end of one of these into your face?" *gestures* Will_GM: Wes thinks. "I'd have to see in the heat of the moment." Ellis: "Because if not, I don't see any other way but to let him touch you." Ellis: "And he'd be going for blood by then." Will_GM: "Oh, I'm certainly willing to do that. If I couldn't take a hit and respond in kind I wouldn't be who I am." Ellis: "I figured. But I hope there's a way to do it without tipping him off." Will_GM: "Of course, the bigger problem for you by this point is that you have at least one and possibly two beings bleeding all over your gym." Ellis: "Not if you hit his arm." Ellis: "I mean, if you hit his legs or something if he comes in shorts, maybe I could see blood happening. But you're not going to get more than bruises." Will_GM: "Fair enough. A good solid bruise will do." Ellis: Will, is this OOC !knowledge of fencing blades, or is Wes really not getting this? Will_GM: Uh, possibly both? Wes really is okay with the possibility of hammering a saber hard enough through a Calabite's arm to draw blood -- on the other hand, I could easily be missing something. Ellis: Well, you CANNOT CANNOT CANNOT draw blood with a fencing saber through a fencing jacket. Ellis: It's impossible. Ellis: You'd have to physically hack his arm off through the material. Edward: Considering this is a Malakim of Stone we're talking about, that probably *is* an option should the situation call for it... :) Will_GM: Okay. I think we can play that as Wes being stereotypically eager for the combat, then... Ellis: The worst I've ever seen happen is a nasty bruise, and that was with someone ramming the point of their foil into someone's arm. Ellis: Okee. *** Signoff: Katalina (Ping timeout) Will_GM: "We do need to figure out the post-trial, though. If he does turn out to be a demon, we need to deal with him. Rath has assigned Les and Zeke to the team -- we were planning to have them hanging around the gym until a determination was made." Ellis: "As an instructor, I don't usually worry about bruises, apart from asking if you need ice." Ellis: "Ah. Well, campus records should indicate where he lives. I suppose what we do right away depends on if he recognizes you or not." UpLink: Later folx Will_GM: Unmoo UL. *** UpLink has left channel #gurps Ellis: "If he doesn't, what if he has allies here? Shouldn't we try to find all of them?" Will_GM: "Mmm. Well, we know he does have allies. He's part of a worldswide institution. General procedure is to terminate. Still..." he ponders. Ellis: "I meant local, deal-with-able allies." Will_GM: "I suppose -- if he hasn't made us -- tracking him afterward might bear fruit. Problem is knowing whether or not he has... which depends on how good an actor he is." Ellis: "Yeah." Will_GM: "I'd have to run that part by Rath. None of us at the Works are amazingly skilled at tracking." Will_GM: "One way or another, though, we're going to either have to get him out of there with us behind him, or -- if things degenerate quickly -- get your class out of the gym before something really violent happens." Ellis: "Well, we can find out where he lives. If we can do that, can't someone be waiting there for him?" Edward: we KNOW where he lives, or at least where he's registered as living. Will_GM: Wes nods. "Definitely. If he leaves here blithely, then we can have an eye kept on his place." Will_GM: "He walks in... we join him." He grins sharply. Ellis: "Well, then. There's one angle. If you start going postal on each other here, I can always order the class outside for safety." Will_GM: "Allright. I think that covers the important extremes. Anything in between, we'll need to think up something on the fly." Will_GM: "Hopefully we won't have to -- a deadly fight on school grounds would be as damaging to the University's fabric as many things Carver could do himself." Ellis: "Indeed. So let's hope he doesn't recognize you." Will_GM: "Right." Ellis: Okay. I do have to leave... Ellis: Sorry, Shad Will_GM: Coo. We got good work done tonight. Will_GM: Wes will set up a time to meet with you tomorrow, and that will have Shad in the scene as well. Ellis: Okee. *** Signoff: Ellis (Quit: o/` Touch me / How can it be? / Believe me / The sun always shines on TV... o/`) Will_GM: ------------------- Session End -------------------