Farrel- Vengeance in the Mushrooms Woods

[Graybeard]

[OOC: An interesting opportunity here:

"Part of the training madame. A few of the key servants on The Majestic Otter are learned in some very specific types of empathy magic. There are Rallaheim cigars behind the counter as well."

As far as I can tell, with the exception of Lucas and his goofy "glamor smokes," there is no evidence, either in Errant Story itself nor in Errant Road, of Tsuirakuans smoking, at least not in Tsuiraku. (Yes, Thurston smokes cigars, but he's a parrot, not a Tsuirakuan, and he would probably have picked the habit up after Rip started privateering.) There are some random provisions for them to do so outside Tsuiraku itself, from which we can maybe deduce that they go abroad to practice the disgusting (in Tsuirakushiti) habit -- all consistent with cigars being on the cruise ship. This might be something to be used as a clue later on! /OOC:]

Khoo and Anna-Lisa were heading for the lounge, but pulled up short as soon as the bartender extracted one of the Rallaheim cigars. The two of them may have had ... different outlooks on several things, but one thing on which they entirely agreed was that they didn't want to be in the same room, and preferably not on the same ship, as a lit cigar. They high-tailed it to a different, non-smoking lounge ... but before they went, they noticed something interesting, which Jade would shortly notice more closely.

A large, Farrelite-looking man (which was unusual; the large majority of the passengers were clearly Tsuirakuan) had detached himself from his table as soon as the "Rallaheim cigars" were mentioned, and headed to the bar. "I'll take one of those," he told the barkeep, and after firing it up, he turned to Jade. "I don't think I remember seeing you on board before," he said to her through a cloud of blue smoke. "New here?" A beam from the bar's light globe glinted off something in his pocket that might have been a handgun, or might not.

[OOC: Feel free to develop this guy as an NPC and potential murder suspect -- or victim. I'm just putting him out there to increase the cast of potential suspects, although Jade might want to kill him first. Call him "Heinrich" if it gets to the point that he needs a name.]

[Jack Rothwell]

"New as bread out the oven." Jade replied, lighting her own cigar while dimly noticing the possible firearm in the newcomer's pocket. Of course, weapons were pretty common, especially in a rough and tumble place like Port Lorrel. But the blacksmith made a mental note of it regardless. "Just looking for a little r'n'r after a stressful few weeks. You're a well travelled man I take it?" She raised an eyebrow. "Is the Majestic Otter all it's cracked up to be?"

.................................................

Eve, meanwhile, had emerged from her cabin with a satisfied seafood laced burp and a resolution to explore the rest of the ship. She'd caught some information from Leo and Moriarty (currently on deck and staring at the horizon) about the recreational areas of the vessel. The library and ethernet room (OOC whatever the fantasy world equivalent is. I forget and I'll retcon./OOC) didn't hold any interest for her but the prospect of the games room did. The diminutive merc made her way down the corridor until something caught her eye.

"Huh? What's this?"

Eve stooped and retrieved the object of her curiosity; an ornate dagger with the kind of swirls in it's design that looked as if it fit perfectly with the interior of the ship.

"Finders keepers." She murmured, stuffing the weapon into a pocket. "I wonder what kind of dunce would leave something like this laying around?"

[Graybeard]

[OOC: "Crystal-net" is the preferred term, and they'd certainly have it on board. Khoo and Anna-Lisa will sit this exchange out, having found another lounge not contaminated by cigars... But to develop the other potential suspects/victims a bit:]

"Excuse me," a polite voice behind Eve said in accented Veracian; the ship had Translation effects, of course, but they were overridden by the spoken word, even if an accent remained. "I believe that is mine, although perhaps we can arrange a transaction by which it becomes yours."

Spinning around [OOC: At least I think Eve would react pretty energetically, will retcon if not], Eve found herself face to face (literally; he was short, after all) with the man Khoo and Eve had seen earlier, now in considerably greater command of himself. He was holding a matching dagger in one hand, a business card in the other. "Please permit me to introduce myself. I am Tsutomo Kobayashi, dealer in antique weapons." He extended the card, which confirmed this and gave a Crystal-net address. The card had a faint magical aura to it, but that wasn't rare in Tsuirakuan business cards. "If you should wish to become the owner of the paired set, which comes from a far-off, rarely visited land --" both "rarely visited" in this sentence and "antique" in the previous one would have been rendered "barbarian" if he'd been speaking in his native Tsuirakuan -- "perhaps we should retire to the business lounge and discuss a transaction." [OOC: If Eve wants do do this, let's play it out rather than just pre-emptively making it so; unsurprisingly, there's more to this guy than meets the eye. /OOC:]

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Heinrich grunted. "Yeah, good boat, with lots of crazy magic on it for fun. From what I hear, the owner's a lot crazier than the magic." His chortle would have been considered rather rude and uncultured in Tsuiraku. So would the smoke ring that he blew after another puff on the cigar. [OOC: This one, however, is all yours. /OOC:]

---------

It was still a while before departure time, so Elke spent her time rehearsing the stunned Annabelle and Kevin on the roles they would play. She would be going as "Brunhilde Schwarz-Baburin," widow (and implied second, trophy wife) of a much older, wealthy industrialist who'd been killed in a freak manufacturing accident. (Truth in fiction, Elke thought; Mr. Stagpoole was more than twenty years older than she was, although to her knowledge, he hadn't been married previously.) The Eisenfaust couple got a chuckle out of that; that description would surely be interpreted on board as implying that the man had been the victim of a hit by a rival guild (which, in a certain sense, he was), possibly one arranged by his bereaved but enriched wife (which it certainly was not). Elke had a very legitimate-looking passport available in this name, and to her immense regret, had cut her long blonde hair to a moderate length and dyed it a darker brown. Well, hair would grow back. "Try to remember to call me 'Mrs. Baburin' if it comes up," she instructed the pair, "but 'ma'am' should be used more regularly." She smirked. "Got to give a high-class impression, after all." [OOC: Minor retcon here to reconcile some name issues.]

"Yes, ma'am," Annabelle and Kevin chorused; might as well start getting in character as quickly as possible.

[Jack Rothwell]

Loathe as Eve was to relinquish the dagger her demeanour had been markedly improved by comfortable surroundings and the prospect of lounging around.

"You shouldn't leave stuff like this lying around." She said, slowly handing it back to him. "As it happens I am in the market for new weapons." Watching Jade perform her talents in the Silver Hands forge had taken the joy out of wielding her old short sword.

"Buy a lady a drink? I find it easier to do business with one."

.......................................

"Eccentric." Jade replied. "I believe you buy that word when you're crazy and rich."

She craned sideways and squinted her eyes; making no effort to disguise the action.

"That a gun in your pocket? As it happens I'm a blacksmith. Jade Ermingard, at your service, and I'm always interested in seeing people's weaponry. Professional curiosity, don't cha know."

Whether it was or wasn't, whether he'd show her or not, was up to the foreigner.

OOC I'll try to build up this guy tomorrow if you want to add something in the meantime. Been run ragged for the last few days; movie extra work and corporate safety films in a gale force wind don't do much for relaxation./OOC

[Graybeard]

[OOC: The cigar-smoking lummox is all yours. As for the guy pursuing Eve, just a little more here, with however a small interruption. Incidentally, I'd like to assume that Elke and retainers made it on board without incident -- yet. They would be keeping a low profile and avoiding the loungers where this small interruption is about to happen. Is this enough potential suspects? I assume the bartender can be treated as one also.]

Anna-Lisa was rapidly returning to her usual self as she and Khoo entered a non-smoking (and apparently non-drinking; at least there was no bartender) lounge. Khoo, for his part, was doing some thinking. Why had the small man reacted so strongly to seeing him? He didn't look familiar at all. Or was it Anna-Lisa that provoked the reaction? He couldn't tell.

Well, now wasn't the time to pursue the subject. This place looked quiet and secure, no Mesuinu weirdness in sight. (Yet.) There were half a dozen other people in the lounge, mostly bored-looking Tsuirakuans. It was large enough to hold easily three times that many, but Khoo had already come to the realization that there weren't nearly as many passengers on board as the ship could hold. Anna-Lisa was starting to drape herself all over him, as usual, completely oblivious to those other passengers, few as they were. Thus distracted, Khoo didn't notice that the floor of the lounge (1) appeared to have a parquet surface, such as a dance hall might have, and (2) was starting to emit a faint pulsation, likely of magical nature.

From somewhere toward the bow he heard a single muffled honk on the ship's air horn. He didn't know the meaning of this signal, but took a guess. "Uh, sweetheart," he said, "sounds like we might be getting ready to get under way. I wonder if we should go back to our --"

He didn't get to finish the sentence before something happened to show that he'd quite severely misinterpreted the signal.

The horn was mimicked by an earsplitting bellow that seemed to come from every direction at once, inside the lounge, and the air became thick with magic. His ears were still ringing when a huge apparition materialized in the room. Followers of another huge apparition, in a different universe, might have seen it as looking a great deal like Sesame Street's "Big Bird," if said creature had had pink and purple polka dots superposed on his usual garish yellow, and he'd been wild-eyed rather than placid.

Khoo did a classic double-take and started disentangling himself from Anna-Lisa, the better to get to the door, but it was too late. A voice boomed out from the bird-like thing. "HEEEYYY, boys and girls!! You know what THAT means!" (Khoo had no idea, but he was dimly aware that Tsuirakuan heads around him were nodding enthusiastically.) "Two hours till we sail! And you know what THAT means!"

The Tsuirakuans were looking even more excited as an assortment of -- unusual musical instruments materialized in midair surrounding, shall we call him, "Disco Duck." [OOC: Rather than repeating the description, see this delectable sequence from the Salvus thread -- with special emphasis on the octosaxophone. /OOC:] As they started getting tuned up, or possibly out-of-tuned up, Disco Duck bellowed again ...

"LET'S GET DANCIN'!!"

The cacophony that started seconds later would have been well recognized, and dreaded, by Desiree, Tamina and Therese, to the point that they would probably have wondered how that band rematerialized in this very different place. However, some questions really shouldn't be answered.

---------

Something not entirely dissimilar was happening in the lounge occupied by Eve, Kobayashi and a few others, as drinks in hand, the former two started to discuss "business opportunities." In that lounge, however, Disco Duck was replaced by what looked like a bipedal tiger with purple and green stripes and its very own "musical instrument," if the term can be applied to something like a cross between an accordion and a horned lizard dying in agony. The same, almost ritual words were spoken, and the single instrument proved quickly able to produce an amazing repertoire of distasteful noises.

--------

As for Jade and the Farrelite .... [OOC: Over to you.]

[Jack Rothwell]

"Jake Farrengar, at yours." The Farrelite responded, with a doffing of an imaginary cap. "And it certainly is." He said, in response to the inquiry about his gun.

"May I?"

"Of course."

Jade took the weapon respectfully and with a whistle; the firearm was the weapon of a professional who favoured efficiency over flash. The barrel was extended for extra accuracy. She noticed faint, but not undetectable grooves along it where a silencer and a small sight had been attached. As for the calibre...

She opened the gun efficiently and pulled a bullet out with a raised eyebrow.

"Hollow points? You planning on hunting elephants when we get the Southern Continent?"

OOC May add more later. Still kind of busy. Feel free to chip in./OOC

[Graybeard]

[OOC: Gonna put one line in Jade's mouth here ...]

"Hollow points? You planning on hunting elephants when we get the Southern Continent?"

The large man took another puff on his cigar. "Let's just say that when you hit the things I'm hunting for, you want to make sure they stay dead," he smirked.

Jade rolled her eyes. "So either an elephant or an elf?"

The man gave her a curiously penetrating stare before answering. "Sump'n like that. Now put that round back where you found it." His good, if snide, humor had vanished.

[OOC: Still waiting to see what kind of "performance" you summon for this lounge! And don't take this bit of repartee too seriously ... yet.]

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Khoo's head was beginning to hurt. He'd been to his share of loud parties as a student, including some with ... unusual special effects, but this one was getting off to a particularly noisy, grating start.

To his surprise, Anna-Lisa appeared to be having as much trouble with the racket as he was, maybe even more. They hadn't been to any loud parties since becoming an Item (when did I start thinking of her, and me, like that? Khoo wondered helplessly), but he somehow suspected that she'd be comfortable with one. Besides, she'd worked for the Mesuinus! Anybody with that kind of background was going to have to be tolerant of assaults on the senses, and on good taste. But she'd apparently had enough. "Come on, let's go back to our suite and ..."

"Have our own party?" Khoo completed her sentence reflexively, to his complete mortification as soon as the words were out of his mouth.

Anna-Lisa didn't have to be asked twice. She practically swept her boyfriend off his feet getting him out of the room.

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As for Eve and Tsutomo Kobayashi, the "performance" getting going in their lounge was every bit as lacking in taste as the other one. However, Kobayashi didn't seem fazed, even though the two had been talking business when the racket started. "One moment, please," he said, then snapped his fingers.

Instantly, the two were enveloped in a Damping spell that reduced the din to a low roar that even a soft-spoken, middle-aged Tsuirakuan didn't have to shout to be heard over. "Now where were we, before that unfortunate breach of decorum?" he asked politely. "Ah, these weapons. Well suited to a two-handed fighting technique ... with certain special enhancements." He traced with his fingers a small groove on one of the blades leading back to its hilt, which just happened to have a small compartment buried in it ... just the kind of compartment that might hold a fluid that could run down the blade to its point, with effects that didn't need to be discussed in polite company.

[Jack Rothwell]

The sudden sweet notes of strings shook Jade out of her suspicion. She turned in her seat and saw a woman with a violin tuning up to play. Evidently she'd chosen the classy bar.

The blacksmith put the bullet back and snapped it closed smartly before returning it to it's owner.

"Well, happy hunting I suppose. If you're ever in need of ammo..."

"Jade! There you are!"

Leo arrived with the same dreamy smile on his face he'd had since climbing on board. He stopped momentarily to offer a wave to the violinist, who offered a blush in return as she launched into her piece.

"Yulando Merestii's 'Symphony of the Velvet Jungle'!" He exclaimed, nearly rapturous at this point. "We need to get away more often!"

"Jake, Leo, Leo, Jake." Jade grunted with a wry expression as her fellow Silver Hand waltzed over. "This one is my man, and the brother of the Captain of this fair vessel."

"Clearly a man of refined tastes." Jake said, offering Leo a firm and functional handshake. "The music not to your tastes?"

"Well..." Jade looked at Leo's expression and shrugged. "...it grows on you. Like a lot of things."

..............

"I'm a function over form type of girl." Eve stated, not failing to notice the compartment in the weapon. "But our elaborate..." She definitely been spending too much time with Leo if she was using that word. "... surroundings have me wanting something with a little more flash. How much?"

What she made of a weapon designed for assassination being available for purchase on such upmarket transportation was another matter.

[Graybeard]

"Errrr...," rumbled the large Farrelite, stubbing out his cigar. "Not my kind of music." He stalked out of the lounge without another word. Of course, those present suspected that his annoyance was due to the appearance of the boyfriend of the chick he'd been hitting on, and the realization that since that boyfriend was the brother of the ship's captain, he couldn't do anything violent to him, rather than to the music. The bartender smiled wryly at this encounter, rolled his eyes, and went back to polishing a glass.

Kevin, the boyfriend of Elke's lieutenant Annabelle, picked this moment to walk into the lounge. He'd heard that this was the cigar lounge on board, and Annabelle wouldn't let him smoke at home, so the place was calling him, even if the music now starting was a little highfalutin for his tastes. The two women wouldn't be joining him, as they'd all just got on board and there was some unpacking to do. This little chore would be left to Elke's "maid" rather than her "valet," although he was pretty sure he'd pay a price later with Annabelle for that. Well, they wouldn't have come to this particular lounge anyway, since both detested cigar smoke and Elke was on the wagon until the kid was born. He ordered a beer and a stogie, and picked an unoccupied table to sit at, of which there were several.

[OOC: I don't think the Silver Hands would know this guy, but if they want to, they can. I haven't worked out his story yet, although I should work on it a little; for the moment, he's just a prop -- and potentially either a murderer or a murderee.]

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[Also OOC: If you want to play out the haggling part of the following, that's entirely OK, I'll retcon.]

The "negotiations" between Eve and Kobayashi went very much in the way of such things: Kobayashi started with a price that was five times what he thought Eve would be willing to pay, and ten times what the daggers were worth. Eve's counteroffer similarly lowballed the goods, and with face saved on both sides, a price was agreed that left both sides more or less satisfied, although neither would ever admit it.

"It is indeed a pleasure to do business with you, Ms. Jarocha," the Tsuirakuan smiled. "Now, if you would be so kind as to excuse me, I should return to my wife. She will surely be getting impatient with my absence by now."

"Wife?" Eve said, almost without thinking.

The man paled slightly; in upper-crust Tsuirakuan society, this would have conveyed abject terror. "A most -- formidable woman. It would be unwise for me to make her unhappy. Farewell, for the moment; we shall meet again on this voyage." The Damping went away, as did Kobayashi as the alleged music returned in all its noisy glory.

[Jack Rothwell]

"Stringing him along were you?"

"Not at all." Jade replied in response to her boyfriend's bemused enquiry. "I can't help being gorgeous."

"Ehh... 7 out of 10."

She thumped his arm.

"Maybe an 8."

She thumped his arm.

"Alright! 8 and a half after you've had a wash and piled on the foundation. That's my final offer."

"Buy me another drink." She muttered.


OOC Just a quick one to let you know I'm still around. Got to say I'm enjoying this. Really don't feel the need to rush. It makes a nice change to take a break from the action and meander for a while./OOC