Tsuiraku-town, part 3

As we play, occasionally we'll close a thread and open a new one to keep the size of threads (and relative complexity) down to a dull roar. Here's where we store the closed posts from the history of Errant Road.
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Graybeard
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Re: Tsuiraku-town, part 3

Post by Graybeard »

[OOC: Don't worry too much about "over-long posts" as long as they're in context ... as that one was. So meanwhile:]

"Luminosita's testicles... I can't believe they would have waited seventeen years just to kidnap a dead rival's daughter... Those BASTARDS!"

Now that little outburst meant that the conversation between Faye and Jasmine had Layla's full attention.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked Jasmine, as neutrally as she could manage.
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Re: Tsuiraku-town, part 3

Post by Sareth »

Jasmine sighed and slumped onto a conveniently placed overturned wine crate. She lowered her pack to the ground with a sigh and stared at the ground.

"Over twenty years ago I met a man. He was an associate of my brother. He was such a lovely, special, brilliant, talented man. He was everything I could have ever desired, and more. He swept an fifteen year old girl off her feet, and took her to a world of rapture she'd never known before. We was the most wonderful man I have ever known." She gave a wan smile. "I chased him. Oh how I chased him. I couldn't help myself. He was so magnificent. And he didn't mind being chased. He let me catch him when I turned eighteen. The day I turned eighteen." Her smile grew, then dropped. "I married him knowing full well that every day was going to be precious, and that the odds of us growing old together would be so long. But... how could I not? Oh... Alexander..."

A moment of silence passed as she was lost in thought. Then she shook herself. "We moved to Volkanensborg, a couple of years later, when Jamie was one. Business was expanding, and Alexander was such a promising man, they were sure he would have made a success of operations there. The competition already had the place locked up, and would not welcome Alexander's presence. And then when Jamie was four he was crushed to death by a falling scaffolding. I knew he could have been taken at any time, but by an accident?" Fists clenched at the stupidity of it.

She looked up. "And now his daughter is in the hands of the Eisenfaust. Maybe that doesn't mean much to you. I don't know who you are. But I need you to understand just how much it would mean to some very important people."

She stood up and pointed to the gun stuffed in Ace's belt.

"That was her father's gun. Jamie is the daughter of a Gewehr Wraith, and my brother is still one of them. If the Eisenfaust have her..."
Last edited by Sareth on October 6th, 2010, 11:59 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Jack Rothwell
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Re: Tsuiraku-town, part 3

Post by Jack Rothwell »

Left uninterrupted, things had become a little more intimate between the conman and the blacksmith. Nothing too risque, but certainly not the kind of action to be done in polite company. Not that an observer would've blamed them; it had been a lonely four months for both. Jade eventually pulled back, put the palm of her hand on Leo's chest and pushed him away.

"Alright hotshot, that's enough for now." She took a moment to de-ruffle her mussed-up hair and sighed. "And don't think this means you're off the hook."

"No place I'd rather be, sweetheart."

She stared flatly at him. "Fun and games can wait. Things are going to get very serious around here in the immediate future." She made her way over to the half-dissected staff and continued the job. "There's a lot of people with these things through a warpgate not far from here, along with other military-type stuff. If you were serious about getting me a forge, now would be a great time to do it. If I can get access to the right equipment I can give us some help to turn the tables."

Leo nodded. "I was. Do you have a plan for that thing?"

Jade smiled, still feeling a little flustered from their reunion. "Two plans actually, one involving a nifty conversion for the staff and..." She retrieved the arm-mounted blade, which glowed faintly with repressed energy. "A scaled-down version of this monstrosity. The golem that swung it was making walls explode, if I could fit this on a person..."

"Wouldn't that be dangerous?"

"Maybe. I was hoping you'd volunteer to be the test subject."

Leo chuckled. "Well ,if nothing else, it would be quicker to get through a locked door than using a lockpick. Be a shame to get chucks of debris thrown in your face while doing it though."

Jade shrugged. "It'll be the pathway of the magic field that'll need tinkering to fix that problem." The casing of the staff was nearly pulled apart now. Jade gingerly reached in and started collecting the components that made up the inner-working of the staff.

"By the way, if you want to be REALLY helpful go and get me something to put this lot in. And there's pile of rumble that used to be a blue golem in the basement, [OOC has that been disposed of?/OOC] I'll be wanting that taking to the smiths as well."

Leo didn't bother to argue, but felt he had to least point something out. "On this short notice? Well it'd take a few days to get a proper place bought, signed for and up and running." He caught the warning look in her eyes and hurried on. "But I spotted a small place in Tsuiraku town that should be ok to rent, unless the owner's a particulary stubborn bastard."

"Then see that he isn't. This is important."
Last edited by Jack Rothwell on October 6th, 2010, 9:11 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Tsuiraku-town, part 3

Post by Graybeard »

OOC: A very brief pause is needed here on the part of the women, while Sareth and I work a couple of things out. Shouldn't take long, but it's important to avoid some potential trouble with "canon." Things involving Hours' and JR's characters can proceed normally, and the rest can be un-paused later today. We'll be in touch.
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Re: Tsuiraku-town, part 3

Post by Hours »

Meha put away the crystal ball and lay down on the driver's board on the supply wagon. She knew what Gault meant for her to do from his obscure instructions, but that at this point meant very little. She heard the noises inside the vineyard house as people were apparently fighting then making up quite vigorously. So many couples and parents in this group. Strange but, whatever, it took all sorts.

'The Captain said he'd come meet me. So I'll just wait with the wagon.' Meha addressed maybe Ace, but in general the universe. She just didn't really care.

---

Gault was feeling significantly less fuzzy at this point. He'd made a point of having a cup or two of coffee to counteract the quack medicine they'd given him and stopped to remove the little metal things they'd used instead of stitches before getting a change of pants. Damn dwarf worshippers, he thought. They didn't really get that occasionally less is more...

He took out the crystal ball. Not the bulky thing on the second floor desk in the schwarzmarine office, but the little thing the size of a marble that he'd taken from Mr. Silver's corpse. Gault had checked it a few times since he picked it up last night, they'd made a nice little killing of tsuirakuan gadgets from that raid but it was tricky to say the least when it came to damage control. Lucky they didn't know his name, and that he'd stopped by unannounced.

With a little hesitation, Gault set it to voice only and linked to the one stored connection written up as 'The Temple' in its directory and hoped to Luminosita's shining brow that they couldn't trace this thing when the link opened on the other end wordlessly.

'I assume that I'm talking to someone at the Temple.' Gault said into the ball that now hovered in a lazy orbit around his head, 'I don't know if you know who I am, and I'm not sure that it would matter at this point. I'm hoping to talk to an Archmage named Oshima, I have some information that he might like to hear.'

[OOC: Gault took the ball from Mr. Silver/Tanaka Oshima, it had the ball number for the Temple in it. It could call someone important or it could call the divine dwarf faithline, they might know he's using the crystal ball from one of their dead frontment, or they might just be recieving an anonymous call, Gault just doesn't know, so I'm leaving this open for someone else to decide that. If no one really cares I can just continue alone.]
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Re: Tsuiraku-town, part 3

Post by Graybeard »

OOC: OK, question answered, so things move forward with the women. Layla and/or Faye will have something to say as soon as I get home from work.
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Re: Tsuiraku-town, part 3

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Layla listened with puzzlement to Jasmine's story, but she was more interested in Faye's reaction to it than in the story itself. Mom knows something here that she's not saying. (Indeed she did.)

When Jasmine had finished, Layla turned to her mother, doubt on her face. "So do we have to go rescue her from this Eisenfaust kidnapping?" she asked. "I know there's something going on that I'm not supposed to know about, and we're supposed to be playing nice with the Eisenfaust, but still --"

"Layla, dear, trust me on this one," Faye interrupted. "She'll be fine, and we have problems of our own to deal with here. Now why don't you get Ace to take you back into town and see if you can start your magic lessons back up?"

That look on her face... "Okay, mom, whatever you say." But I really want to know why your eyes got so big at the mention of the name "Alexander."
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Re: Tsuiraku-town, part 3

Post by Jack Rothwell »

"Now why don't you get Ace to take you back into town and see if you can start your magic lessons back up?"

"Okay, mom, whatever you say."


At that moment Jade and Leo stepped out of the safehouse, trying hard to look casual in the light of their recent commotion and make-up which people nearby would've surely heard. The blacksmith now carried a hessian sack which occasionally made a crackling noise; Leo put on his most charming smile in the face of so much female company and touched a hand to his brow.

"Leaving so soon?" Jade quipped. "In that case would you mind dropping me and this guy off near... umm... where was it?"

"Tarver Street."

"Yeah, that place, or as near as you'll pass please?" She nodded at Layla's mother. "You remember what we were chatting about in that cave Faye? [OOC viewtopic.php?f=31&t=1571&start=20 /OOC] I figured now would be a good time to get started, unless you need me for something?"

Jade suddenly realised she was facing a semi-circle of women all giving her questioning looks that switched between her and the new arrival; whom she hadn't introduced.

"Err... this is an old friend and business partner of mine."

"Martin Dashwood." Leo lied, then caught the look in the blacksmith's eye and backpeddled. "Or at least that's what they usually call me around Tsuiraku Town. Leo Landau, late of Port Lorrel, a pleasure to meet you all."
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Re: Tsuiraku-town, part 3

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"I figured now would be a good time to get started, unless you need me for something?"

Hands shaken, polite smiles applied to faces, and introductions made, Faye (and Layla) pondered Jade's question. "No, I think you're on your own," Faye eventually said. Hopefully the blacksmith would take that as an OK to learn more about the militant blue golems, and if she got herself blown up in the process, at least none of the Gewehr would be taken out with her.

She turned back to her daughter. "Layla, dear, let's head into town. Joe, while we're gone, please check out the -- financial records that you rescued from the store. Our owners will want to know how bad the damage was." In other words, report back to Peter on that comm system -- and on what we heard Jasmine say.

Layla gave her mother a questioning look, but went to retrieve the napping Zachary; he'd be cranky about being awakened (as cranky as he ever got, anyway), but she'd scrounged a nifty little portable cradle while walking around Tsuiraku-town with Galina (why didn't I have one of these before? she wondered), and he'd be back asleep soon enough. "Now what was that all about?" she asked as soon as they were aboard the carriage and out the front gate.

"Long story, I'll explain as we go," her mother answered. "You go ahead and go see your friend, learn some more magic. It'll keep you out of harm's way. And me ..." She swallowed, not liking what she was about to say.

"I think I've got to give my regards to your friend, Captain Kitaura."
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Re: Tsuiraku-town, part 3

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As the group scattered to the winds, Jasmine found herself stewing. Layla and Faye clearly had some sort of concern over her issue, but it seemed directed in odd directions. Unfortunately she wasn't clear on exactly what those directions were, and the situation was such she didn't feel she could push. At least not just at that moment. But the moment she had the chance to buttonhole either of them in private, she would.

In the meantime, however, she headed inside. If everyone else was heading into town, that meant she'd be more or less alone at the house. And that meant she might have the chance to learn a thing or two on her own. And if they objected to her nosing about? To hell with them, this was her daughter they weren't talking to her about.

The woman stalked inside the house, settled her pack, and with a grim, determined look, began snooping.
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