Getsemiel, part 2

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Alberich
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Re: Getsemiel, part 2

Post by Alberich »

Seeing that Rose would allow it, Tim let his long legs and youthful energy carry him to the front, just beside Eli himself. "I'm glad Sister Rose is coming also," he said - "I think she can detect if he's lying to you, without needing stronger measures."

Not that Tim was against stronger measures. This Farrel was a lawless country, not yet under the guiding hand of the Church, and if you wanted justice done, you had to convince a mercenary band or do it yourself. As far as he was concerned, the villains Eli had blasted had deserved every ounce of what they'd gotten, even if they'd just tied Desiree up without ravishing her....

(And the way she was acting around Eli himself, and that Tsuirakuan pervert too, he wasn't convinced they hadn't done that. Normally she was at her ease in the nude. Everyone else was at ease with her in the nude, excepting only Tim himself. Something had changed her and he had an ugly notion what it was. But her healing skills were so great, he didn't think she'd need any help he could offer, or even Rose.)

...It was simply that adroit questioning and Rose's empathy would get them to the truth faster than straight brutality. And in the absence of a good Inquisitor...this was the best they had.

* * *
From the looks of that mega-blaster mage up front, this was going to get nasty again - and Udo didn't want to be the unarmed man at the party this time. So he started running for the second time today, twice more than he'd usually do it, for his inn. When he returned, puffing again but not winded, he had a non-standard battlemage staff, a private-sector product he called the Big Man Frontier Blaster. This weapon had been rejected by the Tsuirakuan military in favor of a different model. Some said it was because of corruption or inefficiency in the military contracting process, but since that never happens, there had to be be some other reason. Anyway, he was armed once more, and feeling better about it - though he didn't have his full complement of knives, and there was no time to pin on any of his medals.

He was also carrying a piece of paper and a perplexed look. Falling in near Tamina, he explained it as best he could --

"Ah, Tamina?" he said. "That business with the bad man - well, it's done. I got a letter from Jamie's mother. That situation is..." -- the word in the letter was "resolved" but he didn't think the kobold would understand it -- "well, it's done. And apparently Jamie's left the city with Jasmine, on some kind of fast transport, and not saying which way they went." He caught his breath some. "But I won't leave you!"

There was a postscript too, but he didn't think Tamina would read it or that it was anyone's business anyway. He'd recovered what was his. That was what mattered.
Last edited by Alberich on April 12th, 2012, 5:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Jack Rothwell
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Re: Getsemiel, part 2

Post by Jack Rothwell »

OOC I think what Udo just said might be a tad bit distracting atm./OOC

"Go ahead."

Tamina nodded, and tentatively placed her hands on the sides of Rose's face. She tried to smile reassuringly

"Mmm, kay. Gonna send you the pictures... ahhh. memories. Help you."

At least that was the kobold's plan, however, she hadn't counted on Udo striding up at that moment to pass on some information. She dropped her digits and turned to face the highwayman.

"Ah, Tamina? That business with the bad man - well, it's done. I got a letter from Jamie's mother. That situation is...well, it's done. And apparently Jamie's left the city with Jasmine, on some kind of fast transport, and not saying which way they went. But I won't leave you!"

For a moment Tamina simply stood there as the news sank in. Jaime, who'd rescued her from the same kind of 'employment' that the thugs Eli had killed were planning for Desiree. Jaime, who'd come with her to the southern continent and helped her save her people from a magical plague from one of the kobold's oldest enemies; the Ralkin. Jaime, the woman she'd woken up next to that morning... gone.

There was no pretense, no holding it back. Tamina tried unsuccessfully for a few seconds to keep her composure, then burst into tears and grabbed onto Udo like a woman drowning.

....

Ahead of the group, Eli looked back over his shoulder at the noise of loud sobs without much interest. He cocked an eyebrow at the humanoid and went talk to talking to Tim.

"What the hell is that thing anyway?" He paused. "Did someone hit it with a rolled-up newspaper?"
Alberich
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Re: Getsemiel, part 2

Post by Alberich »

"Newspaper? What's that?" asked Tim. On hearing the explanation, he replied softly, for Eli's ears only. "That's dogs. Never had a cat, but I'm told they don't discipline the same. Or much at all really. Anyway, I've never seen the like of her myself, but you saw what she did to that door - I'm glad she's on our side."

* * *
It meant falling behind, but a man had to do what a man had to do. Udo held her, making soothing noises, and...there was no getting around it...stroking the back of her head....yes, the only way to comfort the dear kobold was to pet her. Only he had to make sure he didn't hold her full frontal, or she might feel the effect this was having on him.

(He wanted to be her Noble Knight Protector, really he did. Could he help it if he was a Noble Knight Protector with a boner?)

[OOC: Duty, duty must be done / The rule applies to ev'ryone / And painful tho' the duty be / To shirk the task were fiddle-de-dee!]

[OOC: Suddenly I feel glad that ER isn't mined for top-of-the-forum-page quotes.]
Last edited by Alberich on April 12th, 2012, 5:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Graybeard
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Re: Getsemiel, part 2

Post by Graybeard »

[OOC:
Jack Rothwell wrote:OOC I think what Udo just said might be a tad bit distracting atm./OOC
We should probably have included you in the off-line conversation about this, JR; there's actually been some planning here. The idea is to (1) lay the Jun Oshima stuff to rest for the moment and (2) give Sareth a clean re-entry point if/when he does come back as hoped. No further action in that sub-thread is anticipated, once Tamina gets over her "heartbreak." So to move forward with the main things going on:]

Sister Rose recoiled for a moment as her head filled with a very brief, but very intense, kaleidoscope of mental images. It wasn't as distressful as what had happened back in Albigenish with Brother Bartholomew, but she still shook her head as Tamina disengaged. Luminosita's Nethers, that was weird, she thought. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, since her mind doesn't process things the same way a human mind does, but I'll have to be better prepared if she tries that again. And who is "Jamie"? Do I really want to know?

Whatever had distressed the kobold, she was now getting comfort from the Tsuirakuan (and Rose, who was still rather innocent in some ways, didn't notice one of the ... dimensions that that "comfort" was assuming), so Rose turned back to Argus. "There's at least one bit of good news about Goriel," she said. "My country has good diplomatic relations with them." She snorted. "I think that's mainly so the most hidebound misogynists in the hierarchy can have someone to deal with that they can feel morally superior to, when it comes to treatment of women. Anyway, I'll send word back by way of the temple here that that's where we're going next, so the government can at least make contact with them and keep our airship from getting shot down."

The look on his face ... "I was just joking about that last part. Really."
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Drannin
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Re: Getsemiel, part 2

Post by Drannin »

Argus sighed. "I've heard rumors about this place. I'll do what I can to protect you from the lunacy. As I recall, a strong male presence goes a long way there, so I'll just reach into my limited back of social tricks and play up the 'fearsome archmage' image to the hilt."

<"Are you all right? Whatever that girl did looks like it hit you like a ton of bricks.">
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Graybeard
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Re: Getsemiel, part 2

Post by Graybeard »

"Fearsome archmage," Sister Rose thought. That had a certain ring to it ... "Fine." She giggled and patted his arm. "And that means I'll have to play up the 'love slave to the fearsome archmage' role too." He's so cute when he blushes...

Her mind, however, was completely serious. <"It's okay. Tamina tried to send me a telepathic image of what she saw. I wasn't expecting the -- color of the whole thing, it was more intense than mind-to-mind conversation. It reminded me a little of what happened in Albigenish. Now that I'm prepared for it, it won't be a problem next time, I think. Now let's see what this uncle knows.">
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Graybeard
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Re: Getsemiel, part 2

Post by Graybeard »

OOC:
Alberich wrote:(He wanted to be her Noble Knight Protector, really he did. Could he help it if he was a Noble Knight Protector with a boner?)[...]

[OOC: Suddenly I feel glad that ER isn't mined for top-of-the-forum-page quotes.]
I'm going to take that as a challenge.
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Alberich
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Re: Getsemiel, part 2

Post by Alberich »

[OOC: No, the challenge would be getting someone to accept that as a custom rank.]
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Drannin
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Re: Getsemiel, part 2

Post by Drannin »

(OOC: Poke. I got nothing to write. Are we going to see the uncle, then?)

"May as well," Argus said grimly. "Should we prepare for trouble?"
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Graybeard
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Re: Getsemiel, part 2

Post by Graybeard »

[OOC:
Drannin wrote:(OOC: Poke. I got nothing to write. Are we going to see the uncle, then?)
JR and I have been whipping something up off line, but he's been out for a couple of days. Hope you don't mind, JR, if I pick one of the paths in our messages and run with it for a short distance. And meanwhile, are you telling me that Argus wouldn't have any reaction to that love-slave tease? I'm disappointed. :lol: But anyway: /OOC]

"Should we prepare for trouble?"

"Seems like a good idea, just on general principles, doesn't it?" Sister Rose replied. There really shouldn't be any trouble at this next warehouse; contrary to appearances, not every place in this district could be the hangout of criminal elements (could they?). Still, it wouldn't hurt to be on the safe side. She made preparations for some magic as the group entered the open warehouse door.

At first it appeared that Rose's optimistic view of the place might be justified. It seemed to be a working warehouse, with sullen, disinterested, but at least not hostile, workers moving pallets of consumer goods around, none of them looking particularly ominous, all of them studiously ignoring the intruders. Well, let them; the party's business here was only with Telan, they shouldn't have to deal with the stevedores at all (unless, of course, the talk with Telan went in an unexpected direction). Following Eli's eyes, she walked over to an office at the front of the building, the door of which was closed and had a "DO NOT DISTURB" sign hanging on it.

"Come, fearsome archmage," she twinkled at Argus. "It would be better for you to knock on this thing than to have your love slave do it." She stepped away to make room for the fearsome archmage (and be out of the line of the half-glare, half-facepalm she was pretty sure he was going to display) ... and that was when she noticed something.

The floor in front of the door was wet. Whatever was causing the wetness was oozing out from under the door. It had a dark color and a less than completely fluid consistency. It also had a faint but characteristic odor.

The odor and consistency of congealing blood.

Her eyes widened, and a finger went to her lips as she pointed to the ground and spoke in Argus' mind. <"Yeah, that looks like we should be prepared for trouble, all right...">
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