Background noise
- Graybeard
- The Heretical Admin
- Posts: 7182
- Joined: August 20th, 2007, 8:26 am
- Location: Nuevo Mexico y Colorado, Estados Unidos
Re: Background noise
[OOC: I just can't help doing this, against the hope that Sareth comes back and finds out what I've done to his NPC. We miss you!]
Jasmine Porter clutched at the railing of the tramp steamer. This was the worst seasickness she'd ever had in her life. However, there were some things you just had to endure.
She'd been chasing her daughter for a good week. (And the week before that, and before that, and before that.) The hunt had taken her through half a dozen countries, at least two of which weren't even known to exist. She'd hijacked an airship in the Northern Confederacy (and would be sworn at in Tsuiraku until they figured out that the one that crashed the Tower of Artifex had been commandeered by someone else), "borrowed" an elven travel platform at gunpoint (well ... sort of), sailed the Farrel Sea, masqueraded as a nun in Veracia to infiltrate Delphiniel to check a rumor, skinned and eaten an Anuban swamp beast to prove her mettle to a reluctant source ... all in vain. Now she was somewhere between Kiyoka and the Southern Continent, going after the next rumor.
Damn, do I feel lousy, she thought. She'd been at sea often enough to have good sea legs, and the water wasn't too rough here. Why was she having so much trouble with the boat?
Surely it couldn't be ...
She thought back to that night she'd spent with the Green Elf. It had been ... fascinating. And athletic. And ... passionate. Orgasmically so. Several times. Many times.
Elves have low fertility, she thought. I have nothing to worry about. This can't be morning sickness, it's just that I'm getting too old for this. Dammit, Jamie, settle down so I can catch up to you! But I can't be pregnant by that weirdo.
She was wrong.
Jasmine Porter clutched at the railing of the tramp steamer. This was the worst seasickness she'd ever had in her life. However, there were some things you just had to endure.
She'd been chasing her daughter for a good week. (And the week before that, and before that, and before that.) The hunt had taken her through half a dozen countries, at least two of which weren't even known to exist. She'd hijacked an airship in the Northern Confederacy (and would be sworn at in Tsuiraku until they figured out that the one that crashed the Tower of Artifex had been commandeered by someone else), "borrowed" an elven travel platform at gunpoint (well ... sort of), sailed the Farrel Sea, masqueraded as a nun in Veracia to infiltrate Delphiniel to check a rumor, skinned and eaten an Anuban swamp beast to prove her mettle to a reluctant source ... all in vain. Now she was somewhere between Kiyoka and the Southern Continent, going after the next rumor.
Damn, do I feel lousy, she thought. She'd been at sea often enough to have good sea legs, and the water wasn't too rough here. Why was she having so much trouble with the boat?
Surely it couldn't be ...
She thought back to that night she'd spent with the Green Elf. It had been ... fascinating. And athletic. And ... passionate. Orgasmically so. Several times. Many times.
Elves have low fertility, she thought. I have nothing to worry about. This can't be morning sickness, it's just that I'm getting too old for this. Dammit, Jamie, settle down so I can catch up to you! But I can't be pregnant by that weirdo.
She was wrong.
Because old is wise, does good, and above all, kicks ass.
-
- Noble Knight Protector
- Posts: 1892
- Joined: October 5th, 2008, 9:58 am
Re: Background noise
This is just some Goriel aftermath. Whether it has consequences in the future, we shall see.
Lord Arman sat at Uncle Iokim's clunky stone chessboard, well pleased. This board was a personal triumph, being carved from a broken idol that had once belonged to the now-destroyed renegade Clan Gyermanov. Across from him sat his younger son, Valya Armanovich, the favored for the succession. Their gameplay had slowed to a crawl before crawling to a halt. Arman had been counseling the younger man on matters of State, and the younger man was deep in thought.
Lord Arman sat at Uncle Iokim's clunky stone chessboard, well pleased. This board was a personal triumph, being carved from a broken idol that had once belonged to the now-destroyed renegade Clan Gyermanov. Across from him sat his younger son, Valya Armanovich, the favored for the succession. Their gameplay had slowed to a crawl before crawling to a halt. Arman had been counseling the younger man on matters of State, and the younger man was deep in thought.
Spoiler: show
- Graybeard
- The Heretical Admin
- Posts: 7182
- Joined: August 20th, 2007, 8:26 am
- Location: Nuevo Mexico y Colorado, Estados Unidos
Re: Background noise
[OOC: So an update on what's going on in the background with the BBEG:]
"The operation was a success," Gryffyd said in his liquid (of course) accent. Several voices on the conference call emitted simultaneous, spontaneous sighs of relief.
"Good," the scary man said. "Where is the subject now?"
"In a secure place," the mutated man answered. "I will not give details in this medium. The fewer people know the answer, the less risk of compromise."
There was a pause during which a goodly number of people held their breath, and then the scary man spoke again. "Very well. Inform me later." (Elke and her husband both covered their respective crystal balls for their own, deeper sighs of relief. Pursuing that line of questioning could have been ... troublesome.) He continued, "Speaking of security risks, I assume the agents responsible will be disposed of?"
"Yes, sir," the Seeadler man said. "They are expendable." Indeed, one of them was being expended, very messily, even as the conference proceeded. Nobody who knew the details was yet prepared to reveal to the scary man the reason why, of course; everyone on the call knew that they, too, were expendable under certain circumstances.
"You will inform me when that detail has been dealt with," the scary man commanded. "Meanwhile, has there been any progress in locating the other candidate?"
That was Peter's problem, and the Eisenfaust-Seeadler rivalry still existed, even if it was taking a back seat to other things at the moment. It was therefore with some satisfaction that the Eisenfaust boss and the boatsman listened to the answer that she knew, from her own intelligence apparatus, that the Gewehr capo was going to have to give. "No, sir. There has been an unfortunate development. Some damn fool crashed an airship into a tower in Tsuirakushiti, and they're treating it as an act of terrorism. There's a news blackout and not much is coming out of Tsuiraku. We still don't have a reliable source there." That almost went without saying, actually; if they had a "source" in Tsuiraku, they wouldn't need a "candidate" from the place. "We think we'll pick him up if he starts to move, though. He isn't very good at covering his tracks."
"Very well," the scary man said, after a pause that was just long enough to be frightening. "Redouble your efforts to cultivate a source. I'll expect progress the next time we talk." Elke fancied she could hear, over the crystal-ball link, the sound of Peter filling his pants at that ... but now it was her turn. "And news of the Man in the Middle?" the scary man asked.
Damn, Elke thought. I was hoping the Artifex cluster-fluster would get his mind off that one. How do I explain --
"Elke?" that voice asked again, with just enough edge in it that she couldn't dodge the question any more. She gulped and tried to frame the response.
"Well, sir, there has been a -- complication."
"The operation was a success," Gryffyd said in his liquid (of course) accent. Several voices on the conference call emitted simultaneous, spontaneous sighs of relief.
"Good," the scary man said. "Where is the subject now?"
"In a secure place," the mutated man answered. "I will not give details in this medium. The fewer people know the answer, the less risk of compromise."
There was a pause during which a goodly number of people held their breath, and then the scary man spoke again. "Very well. Inform me later." (Elke and her husband both covered their respective crystal balls for their own, deeper sighs of relief. Pursuing that line of questioning could have been ... troublesome.) He continued, "Speaking of security risks, I assume the agents responsible will be disposed of?"
"Yes, sir," the Seeadler man said. "They are expendable." Indeed, one of them was being expended, very messily, even as the conference proceeded. Nobody who knew the details was yet prepared to reveal to the scary man the reason why, of course; everyone on the call knew that they, too, were expendable under certain circumstances.
"You will inform me when that detail has been dealt with," the scary man commanded. "Meanwhile, has there been any progress in locating the other candidate?"
That was Peter's problem, and the Eisenfaust-Seeadler rivalry still existed, even if it was taking a back seat to other things at the moment. It was therefore with some satisfaction that the Eisenfaust boss and the boatsman listened to the answer that she knew, from her own intelligence apparatus, that the Gewehr capo was going to have to give. "No, sir. There has been an unfortunate development. Some damn fool crashed an airship into a tower in Tsuirakushiti, and they're treating it as an act of terrorism. There's a news blackout and not much is coming out of Tsuiraku. We still don't have a reliable source there." That almost went without saying, actually; if they had a "source" in Tsuiraku, they wouldn't need a "candidate" from the place. "We think we'll pick him up if he starts to move, though. He isn't very good at covering his tracks."
"Very well," the scary man said, after a pause that was just long enough to be frightening. "Redouble your efforts to cultivate a source. I'll expect progress the next time we talk." Elke fancied she could hear, over the crystal-ball link, the sound of Peter filling his pants at that ... but now it was her turn. "And news of the Man in the Middle?" the scary man asked.
Damn, Elke thought. I was hoping the Artifex cluster-fluster would get his mind off that one. How do I explain --
"Elke?" that voice asked again, with just enough edge in it that she couldn't dodge the question any more. She gulped and tried to frame the response.
"Well, sir, there has been a -- complication."
Because old is wise, does good, and above all, kicks ass.
- Drusia
- Veteran of the Errant War
- Posts: 1293
- Joined: September 7th, 2009, 9:53 pm
Re: Background noise
The previous night.
I spot Therese, alone at last, sitting with Rose. As gracefully as possible, I extract myself from Anfisa. "I promised her a dance yesterday," I remind Anfisa before heading over to Therese. Hopefully Anfisa will find another partner - she certainly doesn't have a shortage of offers. Then again, neither does Therese.
"I promised you a dance," I remind Therese, leaning over her shoulder, my breath against her ear.
She shivers. I grin. "See," I tell her, "that is why real speech is better than mindspeech."
-- Desiree
I spot Therese, alone at last, sitting with Rose. As gracefully as possible, I extract myself from Anfisa. "I promised her a dance yesterday," I remind Anfisa before heading over to Therese. Hopefully Anfisa will find another partner - she certainly doesn't have a shortage of offers. Then again, neither does Therese.
"I promised you a dance," I remind Therese, leaning over her shoulder, my breath against her ear.
She shivers. I grin. "See," I tell her, "that is why real speech is better than mindspeech."
-- Desiree
- Graybeard
- The Heretical Admin
- Posts: 7182
- Joined: August 20th, 2007, 8:26 am
- Location: Nuevo Mexico y Colorado, Estados Unidos
Re: Background noise
Therese felt as though every nerve in her body had come alive with that touch.
"I -- I'm not a very experienced dancer," she got out. "Will you lead?"
And then she glanced over Desiree's shoulder ... and saw the look on Anfisa's face.
[OOC: This is back at the Leaping Lizard, part of the action that got fast-forwarded over. A, please feel free to describe the look on Anfisa's face as you wish; she's your character, after all.]
"I -- I'm not a very experienced dancer," she got out. "Will you lead?"
And then she glanced over Desiree's shoulder ... and saw the look on Anfisa's face.
[OOC: This is back at the Leaping Lizard, part of the action that got fast-forwarded over. A, please feel free to describe the look on Anfisa's face as you wish; she's your character, after all.]
Because old is wise, does good, and above all, kicks ass.
-
- Noble Knight Protector
- Posts: 1892
- Joined: October 5th, 2008, 9:58 am
Re: Background noise
Therese saw -- nothing at all. Anfisa had lived her whole life in surroundings where a face that betrayed the heart could betray the whole woman to disgrace and early death. She could not only dance, but give her most intimate favors to someone she loathed, showing nothing but extreme sweetness on the surface. Now, if Therese had been using the empathy spell Rose knew so well, she'd have found the sight a little scary. At least until she remembered that Anfisa had no power to go with the passion.
This couples dancing was not a Gorielian form. In the Duravsky compound, Anfisa had learned only single, demonstrative forms, to entertain the household before entertaining a Lord of the Evening. But she had a quick ear for music and a body that learned others' ways easily, so that within a few minutes she and the strange Tsuirakuan boy she'd paired with were going swiftly in time. She'd given the nod to a shy lad - the kind who'd be happy just to be accepted for a dance, and have no illusions of more. Not because she found him alluring, but because he'd be easy to ditch. And perhaps informative.
"So tell me," she said as they whirled, "If your best girl is dancing with someone else, and you want her to stop, how do you do it? Is it a duel?"
His face registered shock and gawky awe. "Err..no - you just cut in..."
"And how do you do that?" He explained. It was a few minutes more when she understood.
"Show me - with these girls here. You take the redhead and I'll take the blonde."
"Err...right you are, miss." They broke apart as if they'd been rehearsing for weeks, and he asked Therese as she asked Desiree. "Promise kept!" said she.
[OOC: Done! Never let it be said I'm less than obliging.]
This couples dancing was not a Gorielian form. In the Duravsky compound, Anfisa had learned only single, demonstrative forms, to entertain the household before entertaining a Lord of the Evening. But she had a quick ear for music and a body that learned others' ways easily, so that within a few minutes she and the strange Tsuirakuan boy she'd paired with were going swiftly in time. She'd given the nod to a shy lad - the kind who'd be happy just to be accepted for a dance, and have no illusions of more. Not because she found him alluring, but because he'd be easy to ditch. And perhaps informative.
"So tell me," she said as they whirled, "If your best girl is dancing with someone else, and you want her to stop, how do you do it? Is it a duel?"
His face registered shock and gawky awe. "Err..no - you just cut in..."
"And how do you do that?" He explained. It was a few minutes more when she understood.
"Show me - with these girls here. You take the redhead and I'll take the blonde."
"Err...right you are, miss." They broke apart as if they'd been rehearsing for weeks, and he asked Therese as she asked Desiree. "Promise kept!" said she.
[OOC: Done! Never let it be said I'm less than obliging.]
- Graybeard
- The Heretical Admin
- Posts: 7182
- Joined: August 20th, 2007, 8:26 am
- Location: Nuevo Mexico y Colorado, Estados Unidos
Re: Background noise
Therese tried not to let her shoulders sag, but she knew exactly what was going on. She'd helped in the rescue of enough geteroi over the years to recognize that diplomatic mask when it went up. In a setting like this, she had very little doubt as to what it meant.
The young man now whirling her through the steps -- very young, she guessed he'd be barely of legal drinking age -- was a proficient enough dancer, and for a while she was content to surrender herself to the music and the rhythmic motions, even though it was not really her preferred entertainment. She successfully fought the temptation to gaze across the room to see how Desiree was doing with her new/old partner. Of course, she didn't really need to see them to know.
Nor to come to another realization, as a somewhat older man tapped to cut in. I'm going to let them be. I'm not going to seek my own happiness, my own pleasure, at the expense of someone else's ... no matter how much I want to.
The swirling, lilting music for dancing couples came to an end, to be replaced almost immediately by a boisterous galop that caused the other couples in the room to drop their partners and form up for a line dance. Well, that was good, she thought; she might not know the steps, but that wouldn't matter much ... and it would give her some time to figure out what to do next.
The young man now whirling her through the steps -- very young, she guessed he'd be barely of legal drinking age -- was a proficient enough dancer, and for a while she was content to surrender herself to the music and the rhythmic motions, even though it was not really her preferred entertainment. She successfully fought the temptation to gaze across the room to see how Desiree was doing with her new/old partner. Of course, she didn't really need to see them to know.
Nor to come to another realization, as a somewhat older man tapped to cut in. I'm going to let them be. I'm not going to seek my own happiness, my own pleasure, at the expense of someone else's ... no matter how much I want to.
The swirling, lilting music for dancing couples came to an end, to be replaced almost immediately by a boisterous galop that caused the other couples in the room to drop their partners and form up for a line dance. Well, that was good, she thought; she might not know the steps, but that wouldn't matter much ... and it would give her some time to figure out what to do next.
Because old is wise, does good, and above all, kicks ass.
- Drusia
- Veteran of the Errant War
- Posts: 1293
- Joined: September 7th, 2009, 9:53 pm
Re: Background noise
"I -- I'm not a very experienced dancer," she got out. "Will you lead?"
"Of course," I say, smiling. Sometimes, being tall among humans has it's advantages. I position her arms around my neck, as I did for Anfisa the other day, and hold her close. It isn't exactly the same as the couples here use, but it's close. We slide around the dance floor, almost nose to nose.
"Feel that pressure," I ask, squeezing her slightly. "That's how I show you which way I'm planning to go next. I was going to show you this before, but I didn't have a chance." I demonstrate by leading her in a slightly more complex patern - a loopy triangle.
Rather than saying something inane like "got that?" I decide to make use of this time. "So, we haven't had much of a chance to talk lately. I was wondering - "
There's a tap at my shoulder. I blink and turn to see Anfisa and some guy. Before I know what's happening, he whirls away with Therese. Anfisa slips her hands around my neck.
"Promise kept!" Anfisa says.
"Not really," I reply, frowning. "I only just finished showing her how. We hadn't actually got to the dancing part of the dance." Well, okay, we were just starting to, but... I wanted to talk with her.
"That wasn't very nice," I add. "You've already danced with me quite a lot this evening. If you were going to cut in -" which I'm not very happy about - "you should have at least cut in with Therese and danced with her. She's going to think you don't like her."
-- Desiree
"Of course," I say, smiling. Sometimes, being tall among humans has it's advantages. I position her arms around my neck, as I did for Anfisa the other day, and hold her close. It isn't exactly the same as the couples here use, but it's close. We slide around the dance floor, almost nose to nose.
"Feel that pressure," I ask, squeezing her slightly. "That's how I show you which way I'm planning to go next. I was going to show you this before, but I didn't have a chance." I demonstrate by leading her in a slightly more complex patern - a loopy triangle.
Rather than saying something inane like "got that?" I decide to make use of this time. "So, we haven't had much of a chance to talk lately. I was wondering - "
There's a tap at my shoulder. I blink and turn to see Anfisa and some guy. Before I know what's happening, he whirls away with Therese. Anfisa slips her hands around my neck.
"Promise kept!" Anfisa says.
"Not really," I reply, frowning. "I only just finished showing her how. We hadn't actually got to the dancing part of the dance." Well, okay, we were just starting to, but... I wanted to talk with her.
"That wasn't very nice," I add. "You've already danced with me quite a lot this evening. If you were going to cut in -" which I'm not very happy about - "you should have at least cut in with Therese and danced with her. She's going to think you don't like her."
-- Desiree
- Graybeard
- The Heretical Admin
- Posts: 7182
- Joined: August 20th, 2007, 8:26 am
- Location: Nuevo Mexico y Colorado, Estados Unidos
Re: Background noise
The galop didn't last long at all; it was mainly a chance, Therese guessed, for the dancers to rearrange themselves and find new partners of opportunity ... if they weren't already irretrievably paired up. She hazarded a glance toward Desiree and Anfisa, seeing exactly what she expected to see.
Well, damn.
Once again, she swallowed her pride, and her annoyance with Anfisa, as the music started up again, this time a deliberate, dignified, almost plaintive tune in duple time, in a form that she did not recognize. [OOC: think Pavane. /OOC] Momentarily a slender Tsuirakuan was at her side, and she did her best to duplicate with him the formal, almost ritualized steps that she saw the other couples taking to begin the dance ... but her heart wasn't in it.
Well, damn.
Once again, she swallowed her pride, and her annoyance with Anfisa, as the music started up again, this time a deliberate, dignified, almost plaintive tune in duple time, in a form that she did not recognize. [OOC: think Pavane. /OOC] Momentarily a slender Tsuirakuan was at her side, and she did her best to duplicate with him the formal, almost ritualized steps that she saw the other couples taking to begin the dance ... but her heart wasn't in it.
Because old is wise, does good, and above all, kicks ass.
-
- Noble Knight Protector
- Posts: 1892
- Joined: October 5th, 2008, 9:58 am
Re: Background noise
"That wasn't very nice. You've already danced with me quite a lot this evening. If you were going to cut in, you should have at least cut in with Therese and danced with her. She's going to think you don't like her."
"I'm sorry," said Anfisa, softly, looking away.
These words were, beyond a doubt, the blackest, extremest, completest lie that had ever slipped off the young woman's smooth tongue. Had the Luminositan Scientist from the morning's hearing been present with his spell up, he'd have collapsed to the floor clutching his ears while he bled to death through his nose. But no one without an empathy spell could penetrate the mask Anfisa wore.
She danced more and talked less. She also picked up the steps of the next dance easily and kept a hand in Desiree's whenever she could.
"I'm sorry," said Anfisa, softly, looking away.
These words were, beyond a doubt, the blackest, extremest, completest lie that had ever slipped off the young woman's smooth tongue. Had the Luminositan Scientist from the morning's hearing been present with his spell up, he'd have collapsed to the floor clutching his ears while he bled to death through his nose. But no one without an empathy spell could penetrate the mask Anfisa wore.
She danced more and talked less. She also picked up the steps of the next dance easily and kept a hand in Desiree's whenever she could.