Mountain(s) of Madness

[AdamZero]

I sighed as I rubbed my eyes. "We could always ask em nicely." I rolled my shoulders, and took a seat on the bed. "It's not like I've got a time limit on this thing, I can come back ten, twenty years from now. It's a keeper mission." I yawned. "Might even try to ask them to dismantle it... that might work." I let the silence hang for a long time.

"I really hate this place." I resigned as I fell backwards, closing my eyes. "This whole damn planet. It feels like only a matter of time before some crazy elf bitch or bastard goes batshit coo-coo or the Veracians decide it's judgement day, or the Disc dwelling douches push the wrong button and we're all one big crater."

I yawned widely after that. Boris had no comment.

[Graybeard]

Ayiee might be a friend (or was it servant? gadget?) of Lucas, and a powerful ally in a fight, Grope reflected, but she wasn't much of a conversationalist. She'd asked him a few short, mechanical questions regarding his status (healthy and happy) and plans (he really didn't know), then headed back down the ridge to wherever she'd come from. Presumably Lucas was back there somewhere, although he didn't know where. The low-level itching in his Blood-Binding scar was much as it had always been; apparently Lucas just lived in a perpetual state of mild uproar regarding his mental health. There was no pain that suggested peril to his life and limb, so Grope and Chippy continued east into the mountains.

They didn't get far, however, before their path along the game trail was barred by unexpectedly nasty-looking razor wire. "This is very strange," Grope mused to Chippy. "Do you know why it is here?"

The chipmunk made an amusingly human-like gesture, scratching his head as if puzzled. "No. I don't think I've ever been here. Those other trolls might be one ridge line north of here. Or was it south? Anyway, we might be in the wrong place."

Grope briefly considered climbing over the razor wire; his legs were long enough that he could just about do it. However, Small Ones usually didn't string barriers like this unless visitors were going to be very unwelcome on the other side, and trolls tended to be more unwelcome visitors than most. Probably it would be best to bypass this obstacle on one side or the other. Taking Chippy at his highly ambiguous word, he started looking for a path north; it would entail some side-hilling and some loss of elevation, but he had time. He followed the fence for a distance, eventually coming to a sign with "NO TRESPASSING" written in Veracian, beneath a stylized skull logo that he'd never seen before.

"Wonder what that is?" Grope asked Chippy, who didn't know. Well, as long as he stayed on this side of the fence, he shouldn't have any problems, right? He resumed his journey north.

[Sareth]

"Well, now that that little bit of fun is over with..." Jasmine rubbed a finger at a still slightly drippy nose. She'd been walking past a vent from underground when the blast of some foul stench had arisen from it, catching her sinuses full on. It had taken her almost two hours to get her now soar, red nose to start acting normal again, and her eyes were red from the watering as well.

Finally recovered sufficiently to continue, she began looking once again for her errant daughter. Not that Errant was a particularly wise word for her to use. Still, there are times she wondered if her dead husband (Luminosita, Anilis, or whoever rest his soul) had been packing a few odd genes in his jeans. That girl was more trouble, current lark a case in point. She had to find her and bring her home, get her settled down, and making grand children. Really, she'd be much happier and much better off.

...

Several more hours later, and she still had found no sign of Jamie. The park was large enough it was quite possible to miss someone in the crowd, or never run across them in the first place. Still, with the lines the way they were, Jasmine suspected that there was more to it than simply not being in the right place (read line) at the right time. Sighing, she shook her head. "Jamie is up to something, I think. I swear, that girl is going to be the death of me."

"They took them back to their room for now. Still trying to decide just what to do with them. Word has it that they're just going to toss them out of the park, but someone was saying they may hold them a bit longer for questioning."

Jasmine's ears pricked up at the sound of two of the guards talking. Something told her that this casual conversation had something to do with the incident earlier, and what is more, Jamie. She paused, allowing herself to admire a nice floral arrangement surrounding a statue of Peaky.

"Really?" The other's voice sounded dubious. "They infiltrate parts of the park that are off limits for good reason, cause a deployment of the Stinker Squad that inconvenienced guests and caused further delays in opening the Mine ride, and got security in an uproar, and they're just going to toss them out?" The man sounded disgusted now. "If it were me I'd at the very least lock the guy up for causing that mess, and that girl sidekick of his? Well, I'd take her over my knee and"

"AHEM!"

The two guards turned to face Jasmine, who was far from amused, it seemed. "That better not be my daughter you're talking about, young man."

"Daughter?" The two guards turned and looked at one another, before turning back to Jasmine. "Could you describe her?"

"About this tall," Jasmine held a hand out, level with the ground. "Brown hair and eyes, bad attitude, slender, small chest, and a rather filthy mouth? Has a little dimple in her right cheek and a tiny scar on her left shoulder?"

"That her?" One of the guards turned and looked at the other.

"Yeah, that's her. I got a good look when they were cleaning the stink off her." The other' guard's smile was... descriptive.

Oh, that girl! When I get my hands on her I am so going to tan her hide! I don't care if she's 17, you see if I don't! "Young man," Jasmine was using her Mother Means It voice now. "If you are quite done mentally molesting my daughter, I would like to see your superior, right now."

"Uh..." The two guards looked at one another.

"NOW."

The guards sprung to attention. "Yes ma'am! Right this way..."

[AdamZero]

"I sense a disturbance in the ... ugh. wait no, that's my stomach, damnit I'm hungry." I groaned, rolling over onto my stomach. I gave Jamie a tired look. "Think we're still on Saiko's 'free meal plan'?" I yawned and rested my head on my arm, damn this bed was comfy. Even just the foot of it.

Ugh, need food, need sleep. This is no sensible time or place to be working.... GAH... I need a Nuukaliar Spell... yeah, one of them, just set it up in the mountain, RUN LIKE HELL, find a nice little corner outside the blastradius and.

"ka-boom." I smiled. drifting towards sleep. Jamie watching me with mild interest. "You okay?" I asked her, not really caring if I'd asked before.

[Sareth]

"Spiffy," I replied. After all, what was there to not be spiffy about. I'd only had my guns confiscated after being sprayed with gawdawful skunk from hell spray (my stomach gave a lurch just at the thought), lost out on a chance at a treasure, and found myself ignominiously locked up. What wasn't to be considered spiffy?

I sighed and squeezed the bear. "So, what's your plan for getting us out of here?"

[AdamZero]

I shuffled up so I was sitting next to Jamie, a soft smile on my face. "Ask nice for your guns back, hopefully they've cleaned them, then ask to leave. I don't care if you got a note from the bosses, this isn't your job, you didn't take it. I'll handle this. Besides, aren't you 'on the lamb' or something? You made out of town hella quick."

There was a knock at the door.

"Who be it?" I asked, forgoing grammar for the moment.

"Uh, it be security. With your armaments, and notice to leave the park."

"Immediatly?" I added at the end, forcing the rhyme.

"Orange." The man from behind the door grumbled. I laughed and opened the door. "You've got about a hour to pack up." He handed me a large box, it was locked with magick. "That'll open when your outside the grounds."

"Goodie." I smiled walking back in to set the box down on the bed.

"Oi, Jones, Bartly." The man called down the hall, I turned to look and he had a frown on his face. "Aren't you supposed to be on rounds? And what's with the MIL- um... lady." He paled under what I could only guess was a powerful glare.

Something in the back of my mind clicked and the words, "OUT THE WINDOW!" came from Boris. However we were several floors high. Well above the lethal limit. It didn't help the windows were heavily sealed with spells.

"Ah... trapped." The skeleton tapped its jaw and the Guard paled.

"He's just a golem I made in the shape of a skeleton. It's scary, right?" I lied, sorta. It was enough for the man, though, swearing someting about mages, as a women shoved him aside an appeared in the door way.

[Sareth]

"JAMIE! YOUNG LADY, YOU COME HERE RIGHT NOW!"

The temptation to attempt to hide under the bear I was clutching just became rather high. I'm sure, though, that I looked absolutely ridiculous trying to squeeze myself behind a foot and a half tall plush. I attempted to subtly kick Marcus off the bed (literally), failing in the subtle bit at least. As Marcus fell to the floor with a thump, I squeaked out, "Hi mom."

"Don't 'hi mom' me, young lady!" Mom marched into the room like she was the general of a conquering army about to sack a city with extreme prejudice. Given the two flummoxed guards behind her, it might even be true in a sense. She rounded the corner of the bed and thrust a finger into my face. I could feel my shoulder blades attempting to sink into the bed. "You have a LOT of explaining to do! What were you thinking? Do you know what kind of trouble you have put me through?"

"Uh..." I stammered, attempting to get a word in edgewise. Unfortunately, this is the point that she brought out the big guns.

Tears began to drip down her cheeks. "You could have been killed! Do you know how worried I've been the past year? And now you go and pull a stunt like this! They could throw you in prison forever!"

"Actually," one of the guards attempted to cut in, only to be shushed with an imperious hand wave.

"Hush, momma's talking." Rant only barely slowed, and only temporarily, mom continued. "Now, you are coming home with me. You are settling down and getting these foolish notions out of your head. You're going to help me out with the store. And you are getting married! Do you hear me, married!"

"Mom..." I whined. Could this get any more embarrassing?

[AdamZero]

"Ow...." I managed to right myself, my hair falling around my face in a sorta cute dissarry, I hated that. I managed to stand up and brush a little bit of dust of the simple threads I'd been given to compensate for total loss of clothing.

"Um... pardon me ma'am... um." I caught a glare from Jamie's mom and I felt... well it was alot less murderous than my dad's but still.... fierce.

I looked to Jamie for support, she just buried her face into the bear.

"Perhaps you're overreacting, just a slight?" I pressed my palms together in a 'make peace' sorta fashion. "Maybe these nice guys could bring you a drink." I looked to the guards, who just frowned at me. "Throw me a bone here, gents." One of them sighed and mentioned something about whiskey.

I had a feeling though, despite the incoming alcohol things weren't going to be smoothed over.

[Graybeard]

"Well, that about wraps it up," Galina announced. The invitation list looked to be in good shape, and after a couple of hours in the park checking out security holes (always good to have a fresh pair of eyes on things like that), the day's work was done. There was even enough time for the Kugelheimers to enjoy the park before darkness fell and the rides closed down.

The interesting thing was, Faye and Layla did enjoy the park. Everything they'd been led to believe about the place before they visited had screamed at them: beware, the people that run that place are crazy, and so is the place itself. Well, maybe it was a little crazy ... but was that such a bad thing? Layla wasn't consciously aware of it, but the pain of losing Arty was oozing out of her just a little at a time, and Faye was feeling younger than her encroaching arthritis had allowed her to in years. Part of the magic of the park? Or just the result of having some plain old fun? Maybe this Gewehr Wraith, rising-star thing had cut into their enjoyment of life, they were both thinking. Time to recapture that again ... and just like that, Layla's healing from Arty's death advanced a notch.

"One last thing," Galina said, reaching into her handbag. She extracted a business card and pressed it into Layla's hand. "Call me when the conference is over, and I'll see if my husband is interested in getting your help with the winery. I bet he will be." And on the back side of the card was a small token, redeemable for a Zachary-sized teddy bear...

Goodbye hugs were exchanged, and Galina suddenly vanished with a pfft, leaving Faye and Layla to watch as a young man and girl were quietly escorted off the park grounds.

[Sareth]

[OOC]Going to borrow Marcus for a few lines, hope you don't mind[/OOC]

The harangue had gone on without relenting for, well, quite some time. I think it's something they install in mothers the moment they become such. Right there, at the birth, as the midwife or doctor or whatever is working to remove that 8 pound (or whatever) bundle of love, another fellow is sitting up by the mother's head putting in some sort of "How to guilt trip and browbeat your children" device in her head. Marcus and I, gear packed and box of my weapons in hand were being marched out the front gate of the park, and she was still going on.

"...no idea how I'm going to face anyone in town. You KNOW town provides most of the support to this place! Everyone is going to hear how Jasmine's little girl was caught sneaking around in the wrong parts of the park with some young man! When Maria Jorgenson hears about this I'll never live it down! Oh what did I ever do to deserve such a horrible daughter..."

*click*

True to the instructions we had been given, the moment we stepped outside of the park, I could hear the box I was holding unlock.

"Oh thank god..."

"What?" Marcus whispered at my quiet exclamation.

"It unlocked. I can get to my guns now."

"Ah, I expect that will be a relief."

"Yeah... Now I can shoot myself."

Marcus' eyes slid over to my mother, who was going on unrelenting, only now she was talking about the ladies gossiping at the tiny Veracian church that had started up five years earlier. "Got a spare bullet for me?"