The Escapist Avatar Adventure: An Open RP (Now Re-Opened!)

BlackHarte · Jan 12, 2017

Pvt. Steel Rose

"I'll let the sweetheart know," Private Rose said as he pocketed the coins. "And you've got some good sweets around you as well. Stay cool." Rose left the Canteen with footsteps like a beating drum.

The letter was written on black paper, cold to the touch - almost as if conveying the antagonism of the author. The ink was silver, carved rather than written as if the metallic ink were rivers in canyons of black stone. Under his fingers the paper felt harsh, like shark skin.

It read simply.

"You Who Exist Outside of Reason,

15:00. Tomorrow. The Staff Recreation Room."

Then it was not. The paper was creamy and soft, as if he was touching skin. The words were written in golden ink by hand in beautiful flowing and flowery handwriting. There were many words on this paper he was holding, though Eddie knew it was mostly bullshit. There was a paragraph introducing the author, another stating her purpose, then a final one welcoming him to a party.

The letter was signed by a "Dolores N. Selmy," in gold letters, but beneath that Eddie could still read the thick violent engravings filled with silver ink.

"Signed,

Charles Marlow."

Now that he looked carefully, the words weren't so much carved as they were printed. It was as if the words were pressed into the paper by a mold or a machine.

bluerocker · Jan 13, 2017

Diablo1099 said:
Collabed with dis guy

Texas Joker 52 said:
This person helped write some parts too

The Escapist Avatar Adventures
Rising Dawn: Hanger
Angelus | Caim | Pvt. Jefferson

[hr]

The man and dragon duo mulled over the simple note, before Caim said what they were both thinking,

Code:

"This sure seems addressed to 'you', rather than the both of us. I'm getting the feeling I'm not invited."

Angelus huffed, sending a gust of warm air over the two humans below her, "As if it really matters. I could easily bring you with me, that's part of the letter. 'You and anyone you wish to bring'. It's rather simple, Caim."
The (former) prince crossed his arms, tapped a foot, and after a moment's thought, nodded along,

Code:

"Alright, alright. I guess I don't see any reason to protest. I need to polish my armor though, it's a bit bloody."

"You're always 'a bit bloody'. The only time you don't stink of it is when you rise from the bed and when you fall into it."

Code:

"You know, I don't HAVE to deal with this, I could 'forget' to give you back the mask. I could walk away and leave you here in the hangar."

"Would you really?"
"......"
Caim 'said' nothing as he reached into the armory and presented the dragon with her mask and a simple red dress, his gaze to the floor as he 'said' over their link, "Maybe if I was a bit angrier. I'm going to go clean up. You're welcome to join me, if you'd like", and power-walked out of the Hangar, leaving Angelus with the private. One transformation sequence later, and Angelus gave the private a curt nod of her head, she said "You needn't deliver any ill tidings to Ms. Selmey; thank you. Though - I might recommend preparing enough food for two hungry hatchlings, just in case they see fit to join as well."

Following this, she made her way out of the Hangar and into the halls of the Dawn. Caim's offer was quite tempting, but it had been quite some time since she had stretched her human legs - how much had her territory changed since she last walked in it like a mortal?

[hr]

[hr]

When Envy and Sloth deigned it fit to take their leave and that incessant ringing had finally stopped, Luke let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. With the Vices leaving him well enough alone, as well as the apparent demise of the monster outside, things could start getting back to normal - as normal as the Dawn could get anyway. His end of his bargain with Bernstein was done, those captured by the World Marshall were rescued. While he could not reap the benefits that entailed from such a victory (at least, not at the present moment), Luke was happy to return to a much more "mundane" state of his current stomping grounds - at least until a trio of new faces appeared.

Two were a pair of young women, one whom appeared to be an albino pirate woman - probably an offworlder; the other wore an orange jumpsuit reminiscent of a prisoner's garb, the front unzipped to reveal a garish ensemble (if it even could be called that) of a bikini top in eye offending colors that clashed with the jumpsuit, a set of grenades on her waist, a wavy high-tied ponytail and heavy boots; which made it's bearer look like she walked out of a bad 80s action movie. All that was missing was a beefy man with an AK to appear and start shooting the bar up. Luke resisted the urge to douse his eyes in the spirits behind him as his sense of fashion cried out in pain, and instead made a note of the third entering the Canteen....Which only added to the "unusual" factor when it came cluster of characters presently in his bar - the third approaching had an "interesting" sense of fashion as well, seeing fit to mix a cowboy hat with a pompadour. The only real redeeming feature was the jacket, and even then - with the rest of the dark colors it was mixed with, it gave more of an "Emo Greaser" look with a hat on top rather than anything really innocuous. But, customers were customers, and one of them started talking to him - oh, it was the aberrant whirlwind of colors, great.

She asked for the cheapest beer on tap (which in Luke's opinion, was probably water with yellow food coloring in it), identified the pirate woman as "Mio", and began to chat him up; the cowboy/greaser standing back and looking a little dazed, as if he pulled a Rip-Van-Winkle and stumbled out of faerie land,

"Not a bad little place, all-in-all. Granted, I'd prefer a seedy little dive on a backwater pirate station, but this'll do for now. You get much business?"

Luke turned his attention back to the girl in front of him, getting the glass of beer ready before gently sliding it over and answering in a polite tone, [color=eca222]"I do and I don't. It really depends upon the time of day and whether the crew here are busy. We just got back from a doozy of a mission, so I suspect it'll be filling up soon. How about you and your friend here? I don't remember seeing your faces around."[/color]

In the meantime, Luke flicked one of his fingers towards the boy in black, an Imp following a non-verbal order to waddle over to the newcomer and take an order. In this case, the beleaguered imp in question gestured one of its tiny arms towards one of the many tables the canteen had to offer; and after waiting another moment, it made a drinking motion and pointed towards the bar; awaiting some kind of response from it's new patron.

[hr]

Rising Dawn: Med Bay
Adelheid | [color=0E59E4]Teri[/color]

[hr]

Teri, despite having endured the gauntlet that was the World Marshall Prison, found herself bouncing back to her normal duties with a renewed vigor. While the staff on call had done the best they could to manage the Med Bay while she was away, healing magic conserved supplies and shortened surgery times; alongside with her Aura acting as equal parts painkiller and wound management, the soldier mortality rate dropped significantly. Garm had taken up his usual vigil at the entrance of the Med Bay, but Teri had noted that on occasion he gave someone entering or leaving a harder look than was typical; but he was otherwise harmless. However, barring somewhat overprotective wolves; the Cleric found herself back at the side of one Adelheid Bernstein, questions whirling in her mind. He was practically comatose when she and Garm had recovered him from the ruins of Denver, but how would he act when he woke up? Would he remember his previous mission as FULGORE and attempt to capture her again? Would he recognize the name "Bernstein"? How did Armstrong manage to enslave him?

Before she could think any further, the young man began to stir, his attention first brought to the variety of medical implements in his body, followed by his eyes flitting around to every little detail around him. Now was as good a time as any - stepping up to the bed, Teri gave him a little wave and chided gently, [color=0E59E]"Hey now, take it easy! You got really hurt down there, so moving around too much isn't gonna do you much good."[/color] She pulled out her tablet and opened a new document on it's word processing app before she continued, [color=0E59E4]"My name is Teri, I'm a doctor on the Rising Dawn, and right now you're in it's Med Bay. You've been out for a little while, so I'm going to ask a couple quick questions and take some notes to gauge your condition. Nod your head for yes, and shake it for no. That sound okay?"[/color]

Adelheid remained silent, no doubt on account of the damage to his vocal cords, before slowly nodding and swallowing. In an attempt to make her patient more comfortable, the Cleric held up a cup with a straw and offered, [color=0E59E4]"Thirsty? You do have an IV in that'll give you the fluids you need, but here you go. And...I know this might be a little overwhelming, but bear with me for a little longer."[/color]

She waited for him to drink faintly before he nodded again, and she continued her line of query, [color=0E59E4]"Do you remember your name?"[/color]
He nodded faintly, and she began to type notes on her tablet, [color=0E59E4]"Do you remember how you got hurt?"[/color]
The younger Bernstein paused at that question, seeming to think it over before exhaling and shaking his head, his expression appearing somewhere between frustrated and confused. Teri add an additional note before she continued,
[color=0E59E4]"That's okay, we found you in some rubble in Denver. A number of things could have done you in. To be honest, you're pretty lucky to be alive. Do you remember anything about these?"[/color] She pointed at the implants that were currently riddling Adelheid's body. [color=0E59E4]"There's a lot of them; and if you know anything about why you have any of them, that prevents me from accidentally unplugging something like a custom pacemaker."[/color]

Teri wanted to be joking when she said that, but even with Dimitri and Viscus putting their heads together to help her, the removal of the varying bits of metal and circuitry from Adelheid's body was proving difficult. A heavy inclination for healing magic always helped when one was a medical professional, but in Adelheid's case, some of the implants were so deftly mixed with his biological systems that only the most superficial of the metal (mainly, the outer chassis that acted as a sort of "armor" around his body) was able to be removed without a degree of caution, everything else being a mixture of educated guessing and lengthy discussions with the two AIs about the form and functions of everything. Without a proper blueprint, each surgery and removal had to be calculated with the utmost of care; and that wasn't even considering the amount of physical therapy Adelheid was probably going to need after all was said and done. To add another layer of difficulty to all of this - Teri's patient could only shake his head; not that the residential Cleric wasn't expecting that - it was likely he was modified without his consent if he didn't remember anything pleasant about what lead up to his current state of being. However, she was given an idea.

After a moment of saving her current notes on her Tablet, she opened up an old function that hadn't been used for quite some time, and offered the Tablet, [color=0E59E4]"You know, this has a text to speech function. If you have any questions for me, you're welcome to use it until your vocal cords heal. Though - if I need to leave here, I'll be needing it back; but until then, I'll answer your questions to the best of my ability. How about it?"[/color]

BlackHarte · Jan 14, 2017

Pvt. Marcus Lassibeen

Marcus was visibly agitated. "Yes, the Lieutenant is the daughter of Major Selmy. Yes, the Lieutenant is still wounded. Captain." He pushed the letter back to Rugal. "And that's for you to keep." Who returns a letter? He folded his arms and prepared to leave, but stopped at the door.

"I'd also just like for you to know, Captain." Marcus said, "I don't like you, and I don't like you people. I adore Dolores more than anyone else on this ship - and I know all of us in the 263rd feel the same. She was hurt very badly in the fight below, and for reasons that I could not accept as anything more than just arbitrary."

Marcus shook his head, "I don't understand why we came here. I don't understand how this was our problem. This middle-of-nowhere city for some obscure politician. Then in the end, it wasn't even us who resolved the problem. Was it worth all those lives? Was it worth losing Jones and Gideon, Patricia and Mary, Crew and Voltaire?" He opened and closed his hands as if he was grasping something. "To protect and serve the weak, to free the enslaved, and to safeguard the lives of each and every person who takes breath upon this Earth. In mankind's darkest hour, we will serve as their shield against the night - so that we may all gaze upon the Rising of the Dawn. From the first night to the last, we will stand until the Rising of the Dawn."

There was a pause. And he continued in the same rhythm, "So let us stand tallest of them all. We of the 263rd. Though we are few in number, we will fight that much harder for each of us that can no longer serve. For we are the burning blood."

"And yet, what did our sacrifice do?" Then he left the room swiftly.

Pvt. Joshua Thomas Jefferson

"Understood," Joshua said as the lady and the knight left. Then he dusted himself off and headed away. Anywhere away from this wind-burned hangar array. Though in the distance he could see the familiar outline of Cloudtop Citadel. With the shape of the ship, it was no trouble discerning why the Chairman had recalled the vessel, but at the same time this was the first time in his life he had ever heard of the airship landing for repairs.

In fact, he couldn't really remember when the last time the ship was actually hurt - or what one of those repair stations looked like.

Whatever the case had the be, he didn't really think to hard about it once he got back to his station at the cargo bay. He dialed up his number and increased the food request form sent to the 1021st by two "hatchlings," hoping that the foodstuffs division would understand what that meant. He knew he didn't.

NotYetForsaken · Jan 14, 2017

[hr]

Code:

Homelands

maria's story

[hr]

"So I must ask you, do you truly wish to be set free?"

Maria coiled her body tight and then set herself atop of it as if she was sitting. Her expression was gentle and her ears were tapered on her head. She set her hands above her chest, resting gently on her heart. "That is most kind of you," her voice dripped with honey, "but that is not necessary." She motioned with her hand out toward the darkness of the library, "There is not one of us who live here who do not expect to die one day, but not one of us will die upon the swords of heroes. Though they seek to do us violence, the laws of this world forbids them to truly kill us and us to them. It is an ancient covenant that binds us all together - a conflict by a contract signed to magic itself."

She spun around and set down her cup, "Here is the secret," she said, "heroes must come from a world that is not ours. And so Eden protects us and them while we play. Those heroes could be born here, or they could travel here as you have, but they are not from here. The very nature of their souls are different." Her body quivered, jaws snapping, "So when I killed them, I was simply realizing that they had become part of our world - soul and all." Maria's eyes glowed brightly with the light of invisible embers, "the very nature of magic had begun to change - and the nature of our reality and the next is shifting. Where this develops, I cannot know."

The blue glow of Jiyam's butterflies returned to the darkness in the distance. "Ah, here Jiyam returns. It would be now to voice your last concerns before you leave. Or perhaps, your concerns if you wish to stay."

Zepherus14 · Jan 14, 2017

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | ??The Airship Rising Dawn?? | ??Crew Quarters??
Hat-iquette #8: In areas of frequent blankets of fog, citizens are often recommended to equip their helmets with goggles
Ruby Babbage-Lovelace | Nina Zaczoltski | Phillip!!!

[hr]

'Grand opening sale!'
'Excellent Prices!'
'We tailor whatever wears you require!'

Quite a number of signs littered the front entrance of the clothing shop Ruby stopped at, giving way to a much larger shop than she'd initially saw from the alleyway she'd first started from. Behind the stall, the store extended further into the building having many different prints, fabrics and colors on display within. Additionally, quite a few different mirrors, scissors, sewing kits, clasps and quite a few other pieces of clothing making equipment Ruby would be able to identify at but a glance.

With Ruby's level of fabric expertise she'd undoubtedly noticing the above average quality of the materials on display here. Sure most of the initial bolts of cloth were pretty average, probably to offset any would be robbers from trying to make off with high value product but a couple in the front and many further in were something one would need to pay a very pretty penny to acquire. Speaking of robbers, where was the owner of this fine establishment? If Ruby wasn't the cute adorable little munchkin that doubled as a possible cheek to pinch, she could quite easily provide a five finger discount for herself, and no one would know. Well, she would know, and Nina seemed a bit too distracted at the moment with her own issues to notice, and Phillip, might not care? Despite the fog filling the area, it was still bright out; surely people would be doing business at this time of day?

It wasn't even just this cloth shop too, the next shop selling different accents to clothes like buttons and fasteners. The next store front looked to be something of a jewellery establishment, but while she stood at the clothing shop the fog made it difficult to determine exactly what it was. There wasn't any indication of a struggle or crisis; articles of clothing thrown to the ground, glass shattered, none of that. It was like everyone had just up and left. Depending on how engorged in her eyeing of potential new threads, she might not have noticed Nina had stepped deeper into the fog to the point they would have lost sight with each other, but even if she had it wouldn't take long before she returned.

"Hey Ruby! I think it's over this way!" Nina's voice broke the foreboding silence, at a distance from Ruby that she'd be partly obscured by the fog. The cloud would thicken for a moment before Nina stepped forward, beckoning Ruby to walk further down the street. "Did you find something you wanted to buy from him?" Nina asked as she'd seen Ruby looking at the cloth prior.

Diablo1099_v1legacy · Jan 15, 2017

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | Rising Dawn: Above Denver-Ruins

[hr]

Rising Dawn: Navigation Bridge: Rugal Bernstein, Pvt. Marcus Lassirbeen

"..."
There was little Rugal could say to justify the last few weeks of action, they had suffered much and while he would have pointed to the capture of a rather dangerous man as their prize, he knew better then to try and argue that case to someone who had lost friends in this battle.
Once the Private had left the room, the "Captain" let out a large sigh before massaging his head in his hands and sitting silently on the bridge, on a chair he had no right to sit on and on a ship he had spent years trying to bring down.
"..."
Finally spurring himself out of his brooding, he then began to make his way around the halls of the ship, searching for something to take his mind off the mess that had been ~~the last arc~~ the last few battles they had raged.
I sure hope whoever they do end up electing as president has some ounce of common sense about them...

Rising Dawn: Medical Bay: Adelheid, Teri

"....uh-...." Adelheid managed to get out before slowly moving a finger towards the tablet, wincing and gasping from pain as his arm muscles/cybernetics were moved.
Relaxing once he had gotten his hand into position before slowly moving his index finger from one letter to the next.
He strained to do so but he managed to type out a simple question which the tablet then played back:

Code:

"W-H-Y_Y-O-U_H-E-L-P?"

Once he was done, he looked glad to let his arm drop before exhaling heavily, the act of typing that out really taking a lot out of his already depleted strength.

Generic NPC 22 · Jan 19, 2017

[hr]

"Ah, here Jiyam returns. It would be now to voice your last concerns before you leave. Or perhaps, your concerns if you wish to stay."

Well that was as loaded a question if Katya Rostikova had ever heard one. Standing in the middle of a library, located in the middle of a 'dungeon', located in some magic rich world, that had the cutest demi-humans in existence, the Rising Dawn's Resident Drama Queen felt herself torn by a vague sense of duty and her overwhelming sense of geekiness. On the one hand, the last time Katya had seen some members of the Rising Dawn, they were all imprisoned in the World Marshall's holding cells waiting to be lobotomized, vivisectioned and euthanized (in no specific order). This was probably a better fate than the involuntary travelers would have suffered were it not for Lucieon's well timed but statistically improbable intervention. On the other hand there was Jizzy's boobs. Back on the first hand, there was the fact that the World Marshall was kidnapping other dimensional beings in order to further their goals of world domination ... or something of that sort... and they would probably eventually find this world and its magically inclined inhabitants. Back to the other hand there was Jizzy's fine ass rack. Back on that annoying first hand, there was the fact that there were probably one or two members of the Rising Dawn that would post a few comments regarding the fact that Katya mysteriously teleported out of the detention center and left the rest of the crew to rot which would have resulted in a series of memes regarding Katya can her apparent cowardice.

"[small]Fucking David West...[/small]" The Mad Milenial muttered to herself, making the regrettable decision to head back home to not only face the music but to shove her boot in faces of a few of the Rising Dawn's male members, and probably their members as well. Anyone named David, (D)Ic(k)arus or the Harem Hentai Haven known as Ryan would have been wise to avoid the angry little internet troll since they were depriving her of some much needed Rest and Relaxation and possible lactations, "I do have a question... if I wanted to come back here after handling some business at home... would it be possible? I should probably say my goodbyes to my parents and sister and caretaker..."

Not that Isolated Otaku really ever saw her parents or her sister but it would be nice to say bye to them if Katya ever decided to come back to Candor and settle down to a life of Player Killing. I mean if these Gold Farmers were constantly invading, it would be okay for Katya to Farm the Farmers wouldn't it? Thinking about the future expressions on her future victims brought a smile to Katya's face.

"Regretably neither my apprentice nor I will be staying either for reasons similar to our young and excitable traveling compatriot. While I belive that I might find the peace that I crave in this land, I have information that I need to relay to my commanders," The Former Priest said in a manner that made Katya want to cough 'brown noser' rather loudly. The Former Priest paused for a moment, scratching the back of his head, "Of course, returning home may prove to be a troublesome venture..."

"And dangerous..."

"Yes, dangerous as well. It is likely that the diety we call the Father will sense our arrival and upon doing so, send a flood of his influence through the gate that leads back here. If he were to do so... it would bring calamity to an untold number of souls..." Benedict trailed off painfully. Looking at her new friends, Katya understood where he was going. If he returned home, it would have to be in a manner that could be hidden from the prying eyes of a god and if that wasn't possible, it would have to be through a route that would minimize loss of life.

"So come back with me..." The Young and Not-So-Well Mannered Machine-Girl said with a smirk, eyeing Twit with a rather telling grin, "I mean, my dimensions not as awesome as this one but we've got villains galore that you can beat the shit out of while we figure out how to get you back..."

The Former Priest seemed to think about it for a moment before nodding in acceptance of Katya's offer.

"Very well. We will travel with you until such a time as we can return home." Benedict said before looking towards Maria. The decisions were made. They would travel back to Katya's world, though all three of them hoped to return some day.

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | An Open Air Market (In Hell!)
Hat-iquette #9: Safety is our number one priority. All visitors to this work-site are required to wear hardhats.
Ruby Babbage-Lovelace | Nina Zaczoltski | Phillip!!!

[hr]

Standing in the open air market, Ruby Babbage-Lovelace tried to ignore the cold wet sensation that had started to wrap itself around her body as the fog started soaking into the little nine-year old's dress, like a cold embrace of death. Not that Ruby had any sort of tendency to be overly dramatic but the atmosphere didn't do much to disuade that line of thinking. While a shopkeep might have thought that the young little girl was interesting in procuring some of his wares, were he there, he would have been wrong. The stall's inventory was stocked with naught but mundane bolts of cloth made of cotton, wool and an occasional bolt of silk, all relatively normal to one such as the Miniature Magician. It was more the patterns and prints that the Pink Clad Princess was interested in. Throughout human history, various cultures used different patterns to identify themselves. Some used these patterns to identify their family, others used it to identify their tribe and still others used it to identify their region or origin. To be fair, without someone there to explain what the varying patterns meant, any sort of study on the matter was impossible but it did not stop the knowledge hungry child from trying.

"Hey Ruby! I think it's over this way!"

Pulling her attention away from the abandoned bolts, the Mini-Magnus felt a twinge of panic when she realized that Miss Nina had disappeared from sight. Exiting the stall, the lost child looked about frantically, hoping to catch sight of Miss Nina's golden hair through the gauzy foggy haze that hung in front of her. Instead, the child caught a glimpse of a dark object on the horizon, small, black and rectangular. Strangely, the haze did little to obstruct the child's view of the object and she could make it out as if it was right in front of her, which was a plausible notion given that the lack of reference points made the object appear either very close or very far.

Taking a step towards the mysterious rectangle, Ruby was greeted by the familiar silhouette of Miss Nina.

"Did you find something you wanted to buy from him?" The woman asked in a tone usually reserved for babies and scared kids who had gotten lost. The question was answered by a furious shake of Ruby's head.

"No, Miss Nina. I was trying to see if I could figure out where we were based on the print and patterns on the cloth in that stall..." She explained before making an admission, "But... I guess I need to study a little bit harder since I don't know where we are... ... ... where are we?"

Looking around her, Ruby had a strange suspicion that they weren't even on the same planet as the Rising Dawn but that could have been explained as the over active imagination of a nine-year old child. Then again, the fact that a market that should have been crowded was unusually empty, except for the overwhelming silence that floated in the air, did lend to The Ribboned Runecrafter's suspicions. Turning her attention back to the object, it appeared to be either floating a little above Ruby's head or far off in the distance, the fog cloaked sun giving it a slight sheen.

"Is that where we're going?" Ruby asked, pointing to what looked like a black portal before asking another question, "And if so... why? It's sorta scary looking..."

The fact that something was a little scary looking was something that most people should have been very scared of, considering the number of other worldly entities that Ruby's parents had introduced her to. Of course, all of this would have been very unnerving to Ruby were it not for the calm presence of her guide, Miss Nina. Intent on getting this little venture out of the way, Ruby held out her hand, waiting for Miss Nina to grab onto it, determined not to get separated from her temporary guardian again.

Orinon · Jan 20, 2017

[hr]

[hr]

A small but pudgy looking Imp Approached Cabrion, he took a seat at a small table near the corner.
"Hmm I didn't know there were Imps in this realm if that's the case then I wont need these"
He stated and stowed away his hat and shades revealing his horns and golden eyes.
"I'll take a whiskey on the rocks, By the way is it okay if I smoke in here?"
He asked taking out a thick black cigar. Before the imp could answer The Tiefling created a small flame on the tip of his thumb "Great" he answered no one and lit the black tube a distinct crackling sound was heard as he inhaled from the cigar, it's end lighting up. He exhaled a thick cloud of black smoke which was not the most pleasant scent, unless you were used to burnt herbs. Cabrion looked around, Waiting for his drink This place felt unusual, He took out one of his pewter wizards, setting it on the table. "Hmm Say Thelonious, Any idea why I was brought here?"
"If I had to guess, I suspect there is a powerful magical confluence in this location, Nythium needs more information on magic from other worlds after all."
Cabrion Shrugged and made a few more puffs of smoke, thinking.

Silence · Jan 21, 2017

The Rising Dawn

[hr]

Cabin
Night
Anjali | Eddie

Eddie the Dead confused Anjali with the first words that came out of his mouth, but these words at least sounded very impressive, and philosophical. So Anjali listened to him with interest, as he explained to her his existence and his role, or rather his lack of a specific role. Her mind tried to put these things in place, but was failing to solve a paradox.

As Eddie explained that he was looking out for an 8-year-old by mostly letting her do what she wanted, Anjali nodded. While it had not been fit for a girl to be left alone in the village-society she came from, she had always hated the tasks that were put before her, like making dinner and cleaning. And she never had the chance to fully grow out of this rebellious and idealistic phase. Therefore, leaving someone to do what they wanted was what she would want to do as well.

Finally, Eddie asked her out. [color=5B9C64]"That out of the way, I don't suppose you got any plans for the day? If not, wanna hang out? We could stay in the canteen, have a drink or two, laugh at the freaks, exchange stories, that kinda stuff? Or we could take a trip to Vegas. Show you a taste of how this world's like."[/color] he scratched his cheek, [color=5B9C64]"At least, that's if you feel like it. It'd be understandable if you need some time for yourself."[/color]

It only took a second for Anjali to answer: "Yesss. I mean, I had enough time for mysself, thank you. I don't have any planss, so I would like to 'hang out' or ssomething. And of coursse I would like to sssee more of thiss world. Vegass, you say? I wonder what that iss.
Let me jusst put on my clothess ..." It dawned on her that she had stood in front of Eddie half-naked the whole time, and she made a motion to cover herself with her arms before stopping herself. There was no point in doing it anymore, after all this time talking. "Yesss, let me jusst put on these clothesss, then we can do whatever."

Therefore Eddie would leave Anjali in her room until she was dressed, and wait for her in the canteen.

[hr]

Morning
Anjali | Pvt. Ilana Emmerson

It knocked. Anjali had just put the top of her uniform over her head. "Hmm?" she made, trying to get it to fit correctly. It knocked again. "Ms. Khatri, I have a message for you." someone said, while Anjali buttoned up the shirt, and knocked again.

"Jusssst a moment!" Anjali called back, sounding more harshly than she had intended to sound. She struggled a bit with this many buttons, and of course the pants, as she usually just had worn a dress ... and this had been hundreds of years ago. But she had to admit, this uniform, after being fixed by Ruby, was quite comfortable.

Finally, after setting all clothes in order, and putting her hair up, hoping she did not look too creepy this way, she opened the door to her cabin.
"Sssssorry, what iss it?" she assked, as her red-glowing eyes fell on the soldier-woman standing in front of her room.

[hr]

Canteen
Mio | B.C. | Luke | Canteen Interior

Mio had taken her sweet time to change back into her admiral's coat after finding the evidence locker room. Prison uniforms really did not fit a captain. Of course she kept the sword she had found, even though she also took back the cutlass and all other weapons. You usually could not have too many things at once.

Finally looking and feeling like her normal pirate-self again, and also getting used to the way her new companion B.C. was dressing herself, Mio went into the metal ship that was waiting for them with her, and it did not take long until she had found the canteen by smell alone.

"A bar! Mio, you sure know how to treat a girl right." B.C. said as she made her way to the counter, Mio following. "Of course I know." Mio stated. "You will not find anyone more chivalrous than me on this world or the next."

B.C. in the meantime already ordered cheap beer, before looking back over her shoulder at Mio, "And what'll you have, Mio? We can have it put on my new tab."
"I will have a kill-devil. Or demon-water. Or rum. However you call it here." Mio said without hesitation, not even really looking at the bartender. She was a bit more interested in the crew as she sat down on another bar stool, wondering who could be useful in a pirate crew.

And how to make as many friends as possible.

[hr]

Diana | Canteen Interior

Diana had fought again, but, as the giant boss appeared, had taken her leave of absence. Until the fight was over, at least. Now she was just sitting inside the canteen again, in a slutty outfit, drowning her sorrows in annoying imps by bringing her different drinks she did not even finish. "Bring me your favourite drink." she said to one of the imps. "I wonder if you have your own mind, or are just some kind of dirty servant." Her abuse of imps limited itself to the verbal components, however.

There had been something she had wanted to do, but right now she could not even remember what it was. For now, she just got wasted. Sometimes she hated looking into other people's minds. Sometimes they could only think about dumb things like drinking, and she could not get rid of these thoughts until she did what they were thinking about. It was time to do nothing until she got an idea how to scare another person for life. Hopefully she could find someone with arachnophobia, that was always fun.

Zepherus14 · Jan 22, 2017

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | Neely Street?? (definitely not Hell though)
Hat-iquette #10: Be sure in cases of a quick escape, tie one's hat to their skull as it is an advantageous venture
Ruby Babbage-Lovelace | Nina Zaczoltski | Phillip!!!

[hr]

With all due respect, Nina had actually meant what she'd asked Ruby. With how she'd been eyeing the cloth there, it was obvious enough that Ruby wasn't merely looking at the patterns just because they were pretty looking like a normal child might. The response Nina received to her question however made her head tilt to the side questioningly. How exactly was Ruby expecting to use that cloth to figure out where they were Nina wondered. She'd walk over and stoop down to the clothing rolls to get a second look herself, flipping the cloth over to see if there might be something on the back too? "Good question, I don't remember seeing shops the last time I went passed here either, but not to worry, that's not going to stop us Ruby!" Nina replied to Ruby's question of where they were. "When I'm lost I normally look for a map... or google. But my phone has been getting horrible service ever since I got to Denver... Anyways the point is I'm really impressed you could even attempt to figure out where we were just from looking at these Ruby!" Nina said as she lifted one of the smaller spools in her hand. 'Come to think of it, Ryan had mentioned they were kinda like the X-men. Wonder if Ruby has some sort of clothing ability?' Nina thought to herself as she remembered what Ryan had told her about the people on the Dawn.

"Where?" Nina craned her neck around, her eyes looking to Ruby's outstretched hand before they rolled in the direction it indicated [http://orig14.deviantart.net/9279/f/2017/022/f/9/street_fog_way_of_spoop_by_zepherus14-dawd1c3.jpg]. Nina squinted as Ruby continued talking, admitting her apprehension of this supposed portal she saw. "Well, no." Nina said, setting the spool down into the pile. She would stand beside Ruby, approximately at her eye level a moment, making sure she was indeed looking at what Ruby was indicating, sneaking a confused look at Ruby's Grimoire attached to the little one. "Honestly I'm not sure if I'd call that scary, but I wasn't thinking of going there, down the street some more was a door that looked promising." Nina said, pointing down the street whereas the anomaly Ruby spotted was across the street and down the way they would be headed.

Perhaps Ruby would find some comfort in her temporary guardian genuine confidence in this situation, like a spaghetti covered rock for Ruby to brace against the flowing tide of oddity she'd found herself in. Still, Nina would be more than happy to take Ruby's hand. It was one of those tender but solid grips, giving off a feeling of 'I got this' without being overbearing. As they walked down the street, they would leave the cloth store and pass the clothing related knickknack accessories she'd seen behind. They'd pass by a few more shops, some which were closed but others that seemed to sell produce, animal cages minus the animals and if the name suggested on the sign above the store, magical items? Nina scoffed at the idea as they passed the magic shop, figuring it was merely a holistic medicine or shop you'd expect to find a Q-ray in. Oddly, as they ventured farther into this area, the walls of the buildings, the streets, the cart that sat alone and abandoned, all appeared to be losing more colour as they walked into the pea soup fog. One might guess at first it was the fog, possibly building up more, but Ruby's field of view was the same. A better explanation would be the world's own saturation was being messed with. They'd then cross an intersecting street after a brief moment to look both ways, Nina would stop at a door on the side of a plant shop, and unlike last time this door was still there. Unlike last time however, as Nina tried to open it, nothing happened. Even using two hands and a foot to the wall didn't make it budge!

"I can't get it open?" Nina groaned, rubbing her hands after the ordeal. "This should definitely be it..." She looked back to where they'd come, retracing her steps back in her head of where she'd gone previously. She was sure that this was the door she'd come from, so there was only two logical solutions to this problem. "Of all the luck..." She rubbed her temples with a hand. "So either someone locked where I came from, or this door is only a one way deal..." She gave a couple of hard knocks on the door and looked to see if Phillip could fit underneath, the door being quite flush with the door frame quickly stopped that plan as well. "Can't believe I'm saying this but, I think we might have to go back. We could keep knocking on this door for a while but if someone locked it, it'd be faster for us to just head to the library first and then go from that direction, at least then all the doors should be openable from that way." Nina explained giving one last pull on the door before taking Ruby's hand again.

"Before we do that though, I think I should show you over there. Honestly it's nothing to be scared of Ruby, far from it. It can actually be very informative and fun depending on what you're looking for and what they have available!" Nina stated with a light hearted tone, pointing vaguely in the direction of the spooky portal thing as Ruby described. "Don't worry, we'll get right back to finding my hat right after this, but I feel like you being afraid of that of all things... Books aren't a burden as much as you might think~" From their perspective now, the portal itself was more of a parallelogram and seemed smaller now. Regardless Nina would lead the way, crossing the street again with a quick look both ways and coming back up the street on the opposite side they'd first gone. Ruby would still see that black object piercing through the very buildings they walked passed as they approached, until they finally came upon a book store.

The bookstore itself was situated on a semi elevated patio, an open door greeting them to enter which Nina gladly walked into to help prove her point. The interior was semi cluttered, an empty counter space to the side gave way to a long hall of shelves upon shelves of books. [http://orig13.deviantart.net/8c32/f/2017/022/1/e/bookstore_spoop_by_zepherus14-dawcysv.jpg] "See, no problem at all, it actually looks kinda cute in here." Nina said, turning back to Ruby and put her arms proudly to the side.

Zepherus14 · Jan 23, 2017

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | Denver | Ship's interior corridors
Hillary has never heard of a Santa before, but I'm excited to meet him!
Cadolbolg | [color=15650D]Ton Ton[/color] | Hillary

[hr]

As the little ones sped through the hallways on their adventure to see the legendary Saint Nick, they'd hear the crack of a series of sparks from a hallway intersection they were quickly approaching. The brief whiff of ozone waft through the air before they'd hear a loud splat followed by a couple hard thuds to the floor. However they decided to tackle this unknown event, there would be a rather unexpected sight.

Whenever the two found their way around the corner, they would see what appeared to be a woman approximately in her mid 20s faceplanted into the floor. Appear being a very important disclaimer since she looked to be made of the very linoleum that made up the floor. Her body however still had the normal proportions of a human, ten fingers ten toes, four limbs, a short bob cut [http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jp1A4jUpLkU/UXqdS5DIVII/AAAAAAAAAHU/KR-o9yhA2Yo/s640/20-popular-black-short-hairstyles-for-women-2012-short-straight.jpg] that looked to be one solid mass. She was naked in terms of clothing, but as she propped herself up by her elbow, they'd see she was following Barbie Anatomy rules [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BarbieDollAnatomy] or possibly more accurately Nonhumans lack attributes [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NonhumansLackAttributes]. She briefly held her head in her hand before she noticed the two. She blinked with her blank eyes, no iris or pupils were visually present. Depending on their eyesight however, they'd see the speckles that dotted the linoleum translating across her eye showing that indeed she did have functioning eyes to some degree.

Sitting up a bit more the woman sat up more, placing a hand to the ground to stabilize herself, and made the biggest yawn the hatchlings had ever seen. Now when the word phagocytosis is used, it's supposed to describe single celled organisms pinching their outer membrane to make space within, but this was an appropriate description of what the woman did as her lips opened and her mouth took shape as it extended deeper and deeper until it was out of sight in the back of her throat. At that point it was hard to say just how far this process continued within her until finally. "Hmm, hello! Hillary was... finished for the day and had left for her room to see Penelope. But now I'm here... Hillary has never seen you before, did you see how Hillary tripped?" The woman asked, her disposition sounded quite friendly although it was clear she was confused as to exactly what was going on. At least she wasn't freaking out upon seeing a dragon turtle.

Off to one side of the corridor a short ways away from the woman, there also lay a figurine with three people in a group. A young girl of 8ish with long hair and a bright smile, a younger woman with a blindfold across her face, and a middle age woman with a look of great wisdom and care towards the two younger ladies was featured as she looked down on them. The figurine was also made of the same linoleum as the floor.

Diablo1099_v1legacy · Jan 24, 2017

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | Rising Dawn: Above Denver-Ruins

[hr]

Rising Dawn: Canteen: Jenny, Diana

While she should have been in bed getting the same kind of treatment the one known as Adelheid was, Jenny had something a bit more pressing on her mind.
There was a man she knew as Dr. Violet in one of the medical wards, being treated for what seemed to be a violent mishmash of mental disorders and without having any prior history of such illness in his life.
At the moments where she did manage to calm him down, he mentioned something about wanting to apologize to someone named Diana.
A quick word with some of the staff revealed who Diana was and, more importantly, that she was currently drinking herself numb in the canteen.
Currently sitting in a wheelchair and using her mental powers to gently push it along, she was still glad in bandages but thanks to Teri's efforts, she fared better then most did when it came to "De-Cyborging" her.
Noticing her target questioning the imp, she spoke up mentally and said "They have as much personality and free will as you or I. You would do well to respect that..."
After a wordless exchange with one of the waiters, she brought Jenny a apple juice while she rolled up to Diane's table.
"I'm not going to beat around the bush. What did you do to Dr. Violet?" she then asked in a rather confrontational manner, even while her lips drank her juice out of a straw.

NotYetForsaken · Jan 26, 2017

[hr]

Homecoming

Code:

[i]maria's story - Good End[/i]

[hr]

"A child without knowing the words, can still feel where home is."

Jiyam's light came ever closer. Maria picked up her cup and took long gentle drinks of the sweet fruit tea. There was nothing more she could think to say - though her twisting body below betrayed her emotions. She had hoped, something deep inside her maiden's heart at any rate, that these guests would stay and become guardians of the Library. Without knowing them, she had grown fond of them. She was fond of the odd way they looked, the strange way they smelled, and the off way that they spoke. There was a muted familiarity with them, as if she had known them for already a long time.

Perhaps that was just the Library's way of expressing it's sorrow.

"It is as you wish. May good fortunes give rise to our next meeting."

"Here comes Lady Teresa," Jiyam said as she landed silently before the gathered group, "I bid thee give respects to the first queen of Candor." The butterflies landed gently around her like a cloud of snow. Their gentle luminescence cast everyone in a ghostly blue light as they waited for this Queen. Above them in the maze of bridges, other guardians gathered and gave knee to her coming.

In the distant darkness came a sensation as if the very air was choking on malignity. A seething hatred for all that was living, an absence of life - an absence of energy. Then from the darkness came a form walking upon the air as if it were stone. Her steps were quiet, but audible in the sudden gravity of the room. She was barefoot and her skin brushed against that ethereal stone as she ascended from the depths of the shadows.

Maria coiled her body tightly and smiled. "It has been far too long since you've come out. You are out of shape, Teresa."

"I do not hurry to play dress up," came her response. Her voice sounded soft, simply said, and sweet like that of a young girl's, yet her voice boomed and echoed off every corner of the library. Gisella held Katya close and Katya could feel the tenseness of Gisella's muscles, as well as the weak trembling of her softer flesh.

"I do not call you this time to put you in new clothes, sister," Maria called back.

Teresa stepped off of her ascent and onto the stone floor on which they all stood. The very rock softened at her foot falls and became no harder than gentle foam. She cleared her throat, "Hihi! Whatcha need from me then?"

She was... smaller than anyone really expected. Maybe five feet tall if you were pushing for it. Her small body was stained with deep blood-red tattoos that squirmed in the light like worms. She wore a tight fitting top and a skirt so short that it was really more of a cloth belt. Teresa reeked of blood.

Her tattoos were off... and on closer inspection, they were not tattoos, but huge swathes of missing skin and flesh that bled a river of constant blood in beautiful swirls and patterns across her otherwise flawless skin. Up and down her arms they ran, over her shoulders and through her breasts. Each bloody river pooled near her naval, where they collected into a thick solid gemstone in the shape of a filigree heart. No, it wasn't a heart. It was a womb carved into her belly, and the gemstones were like some sick mirror of her womanhood.

In an instant under her cheerful and toothy grin the gravitas fell apart as quickly as Maria did upon her younger sister. The great dragon swept the younger girl up in tight undulating coils until the two were at eye level. Maria kissed Teresa on the blood gem embedded on her forehead. "I love you sister."

Teresa laughed, "Love you too sis." She looked down at Katya and she looked down at Benedict and she looked down at Antoinette. "Who are your guests?"

"Travelers from another world." Maria answered.

Teresa paused and gave the group another once over, "And I guess they want to be sent home?"

"Yes."

"Ah, it makes sense. I'd leave big tiddy land too if I was given the chance. Despite how it is, everyone's inflated chest bugs the ever living daylights out of me." Teresa groped Maria to make her point, fondling the giant's chest with a practiced precision. Maria recoiled and dropped Teresa onto the stone floor, which came away and bowed to soften her landing.

Teresa turned to Benedict, "Man, well I suppose you want to leave my world. That means I gotta let you." She cracked her neck both ways, "It's a real pain in the ass you know, I'd much rather be with my harem than up here performing the ritual."

"I am sorry that I disturbed you, my lady." Jiyam said solemnly.

"Oh don't worry about it," Teresa said casually, "I'll punish you later, Jiyam-san."

"Thank you my lady!"

"You," Teresa pointed at Antoinette, "get ready to planeswalk. I'll only take down the barrier for about thirty seconds, so if you can't get out of our world by then, you'll be stuck here for another two weeks at the very least while the planar storms subside." She plucked the blood gemstone from her forehead and placed it on her tongue. "Now then, let's get started."

Instantly the haze of despair and darkness that followed Teresa vanished and in it's place a massive blinding whiteness took it's place. All around them white light broke through the darkness of the Library caverns and beautiful swirls of colors came flooding in from the outside.

Then all at once the world turned to white and Teresa's swirls of reds and blues and yellows and greens and oranges and violets devoured their senses. The bubble that separated the world of Midas... the Labyrinth of Midas from the rest of the worlds came crashing down and the storm of possibility and imagination was almost too much to bear. Here, in the Library, whose place resides in a close nexus to all of the other Labyrinths that had been created by the Great Mother, magic was so dense and so pure and so powerful that almost immediately those three intrepid mortals were lost to the vastness of pure creation.

In the tempest of welcoming light, their very dreams drifted in an out of being. Teresa held those false realities at bay with lashes of her scarlet blood. "Alright, see you later space cowboys." She grinned and held up her index finger as Antoinette and her two charges shimmered in the embrace of creation and vanished into Eternity.

"Bang."

Then the darkness returned, a black shield born of blood that swallowed the Library, swallowed Candor, and swallowed the realm of Midas, shielding it from the other worlds.

Obtained: "Proof of Voyage"

BlackHarte · Jan 27, 2017

PFC. Ilana Emmerson

Ilana was surprised when the door finally slid open. The feeling of dread grew suddenly and then fell off when the woman looked out of her door at Ilana. Ilana saluted suddenly, caught off-guard by the uniform she was wearing. "Excuse me Lieutenant!" Ilana said loudly as she stuck out her left hand with the First Lieutenant's letter. "Lieutenant Selmy wanted me to give this to you! Sorry to disturb you ma'am!"

In stark contrast to the tepid undeath around Anjali, the letter teemed with an aura of indescribable joy - simple gross incandescence.

Pvt. Sirius Blechior

"And don't fuck this up Sirius," PFC Mohsen said as he handed Dark Mongoose a letter. It smelled nice, like grapefruits and Dark Mongoose realized quickly that this was the same scent that the Princess had about her. He took it quickly and held it close. The paper was cream colored and smooth to the point that for a moment Dark Mongoose thought that he was holding flesh.

"I will not fail you, sire. Nod."

"You're suppose to actually nod when you want to nod Sirius," PFC Mohsen said.

"*Salute*, Yessir!" Dark Mongoose said.

PFC Mohsen massaged his temples. "Dismissed."

"*Leaves.*" Dark Mongoose said as he left the 263rd's office space.

"God save me."

Dark Mongoose made his way through the hallway after donning his signature black scout coat. Then he turned into another hallway and he turned fast so that his coat would flutter behind him. He was sure that it looked cool. His guns were still in their holsters because he could still feel their weight. His explosives were in place, his knives were strapped in, his smoke bombs were primed. Dark Mongoose was ready for his mission.

He turned right again. And then he was at his objective. The door was sealed magically, but that was okay. He would get through by his own devices. Dark Mongoose whipped out his counter-magic dust and sprinkled it over the door, then he took out his marking chalk and drew a circle on the door. He really hoped he could remember the diagram from when he did occult craft in high school.

While drawing in his magic circle, he accidentally hit the buzzer for the room, alerting the couple within to his presence.

PFC Isaac "Manticore" Mohsen

Isaac massaged his temples as Sirius Belchior left. The man had always been eccentric, but now his demeanor grated heavily on Isaac's nerves more so than it ever had in the past. "I suppose this is what Lola meant by leaving childish delusions in childhood." He grimaced. "No, Dolores." He corrected himself. It had always been something of an awkward situation with Dolores, he had never been anything less than a perfect gentleman around her. He had tried to be dashing, to be virtuous, to be strong. Isaac found his courage when he was near Dolores and he found his audacity when she was with him. He sighed. He knew plainly that he was in love, but he could never hope to have Dolores look upon him in the same way.

He wondered if Dolores could ever look at a man the way he looked at her. There had to be very little love left in her heart after her ordeal. He shuddered at the thought of her body, thin and limp in the lamplight, skin wet, bruised, and exposed. She had white hair back then, and it was so messy, stained with blood and spit. He had held her gently that night and cherished her warmth. She was so pure, so gentle. She was just a child. It was unthinkable that adults could do such barbaric evil. Even now the memory of Lola's broken body sent a cold chill down his spine.

He thumbed her letter. It was creamy and smooth, almost like her skin. Isaac sighed, sat up, and brushed his bangs from his eyes. "It would be best to let the past stay buried."

By the time that Isaac found Nadalia, the night had already worn long and the haunting image of Dolores' battered corpse stayed in the back of his mind. At the same time that he felt disgusted by the memory, he held tightly onto it with an unnatural avarice. He hoped to become strong, to become her knight. And so dearly did he grasp that hope, "Nadalia," he said as he handed the parchment to the Iron Queen. Her steely eyes matched his. "Dolores wants to invite you to a party tomorrow. See to it that you attend."

bluerocker · Jan 27, 2017

[hr]

[hr]

The imp serving Diana huffed when his patron suggested that he had no free will of his own, and took it's leave towards the bar, chittering something or another in Infernal under it's breath. When it reached the front bar and said something to Luke, the bartender's eyebrows furrowed, before he shot a glance over to his patron (who was now talking with Jenny and ignoring a group of half-finished drinks), then back to his subordinate, [color=eca222]"What did she ask for?"[/color]
"My favorite drink."
[color=eca222]"Did you have something in mind?"[/color]
"Not really. Your will permitting, I was going to give her some of the 'good' stuff. Humans can survive imbibing fire-whisky, right?"

Luke looked back over to the human talking with Jenny and squinted for a moment, before noting that this human appeared to have glowing eyes. Unless your initials were M and S, that was not typically a common feature among your garden variety mortal. Returning his attention to the serving imp, Luke nodded faintly and waved off the imp, [color=eca222]"Yeah, I think this one can manage - Don't hang around unless you're called back again."[/color]

With a little bow, the imp left to the kitchens to acquisition the drink in question, leaving room for the second imp to arrive. This one made note of the black plumes of smoke Cabrion was making at his table, as well as an order of whiskey on the rocks. Luke poured out the desired drink and slid the glass over to the imp, but paused when asked about the question of whether smoking was allowed. He shrugged, answering pointedly, [color=eca222]"We don't get a lot of smokers around here. So long as it doesn't set off the fire alarms, I don't see why not. And here's the whiskey on the rocks for our resident Charlie Daniels fan."[/color] before he sent that imp on it's way as well; bringing his attention back to his main serving party. B.C. seemed content to nurse her beer at the moment, but Mio brought up the potential for something a little more entertaining than just pouring beers from the tap.

[color=eca222]"Rum? Well, I don't think it'll be killing devils anytime soon[footnote]Trivia time! I wasn't able to work this in properly, but there is a place in North Carolina called Kill Devil Hills that does sell rum by that name [http://outerbanksdistilling.com/legend-kill-devil/] (and was presumably named after the old moniker for the beverage). I thought it was neat.[/footnote], but I think this should suffice..."[/color]
Grabbing a couple bottles from the display behind him, Luke opened a metal container and after placing a chunk of ice inside, poured a quintet of different liquids inside, he placed a cap on and shook it heavily before pouring out the mix into a glass. The final flourish came in the form of a slice of pineapple skewered on a toothpick, a small sprig of mint and a straw. He placed the amber colored drink [http://iba-world.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/mai_tai.jpg] on a serving paper and slid it towards the pirate with a genial smile, [color=eca222]"Might I suggest, a Mai Tai? Two different kinds of rum, liquor, syrup, and lime juice; I think it should suit your craving..."[/color]

[hr]

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | Denver | Ship's interior corridors
Hillary has never heard of a Santa before, but I'm excited to meet him!
Cadolbolg | Hillary | [color=15650D]Ton Ton[/color]

[hr]

Frequently when the resident reptilian children encountered a humanoid, their reactions were as followed:

1) An indiscriminate amount of "Awwww" or cooing, like when one happens upon a puppy with huge watery eyes.
2) Shock or confusion, oftentimes accompanied by several words that little dragon/lizard children shouldn't be hearing
3) Violence, typically of the life-threatening kind.

To encounter something that looked at least somewhat human and not do any of these things was surprising, as well as not wholly unwelcome. Now, barring moments of physical affection, it was nice to not hear something like "What the fuck, a talking lizard" (and Ton Ton knew it was hard enough reigning in his younger pact-brother's tendencies, much less through parroting bad words) or to not be shot at. Rather, Hillary's greeting was 100% nonchalant, as if she had seen plenty of flying turtle-dragons and Tonberries. Therefore, it only seemed right the little duo return the greeting in kind.

Ton Ton shook his little lantern in a friendly manner, and Cadolbolg waved a little paw to the slime lady, Ton Ton opening with,
[color=15650D]"Hullo! My name's Ton Ton,"[/color]
"And I'm Cadolbolg! I've never seen you before either! We've been looking for someone named Santa. Is Penelope Santa?"
[color=15650D]"I don't think her Penelope is Santa, Cadolbolg. For one, Santa was a man last I checked; unless Lao Ban Santa is still in charge."[/color]
"Who?"
[color=15650D]"Don't worry about it- Anyway, Miss Hillary, we'd be happy to help you find your friend. What did Penelope look like? Maybe we've seen her and just didn't know it."[/color]

While Ton Ton's idea was certainly a good one, with Cadolbolg closer to the ground (relatively speaking anyways, he was carrying Ton Ton while hovering in the air, he was wont to see what was on the path below him more frequently. This lead to the little dragon-turtle baby pointing out the trio of dolls and asking plainly, "Is one of those dolls Penelope?"

[hr]

Rising Dawn: Med Bay
Adelheid | [color=0E59E4]Teri[/color]

[hr]

Adelheid's question gave the resident Cleric pause, as she mulled over what exactly possessed her to pull the young man out of the rubble. What was she hoping to gain out of this? Garm had brought up a solid point to leave him - the young Bernstein meant her nothing but harm when they first met; and at the same time, Teri had reason to believe that perhaps something was different. Back when she broke his mask in their scrap, the identities of FULGORE and Adelheid separated, if only for a moment; before the programming took over and she was captured. Yet here they were, him possessing no recollection of who she was or his former directives, and her feeling nothing but confused about the whole matter. She felt ..."dirty", for lack of a better term, like an honest child's guilt who, after having stolen someone's food, played dumb when questioned about it afterwards.

She knew of the young man in front of her - at least superficially - her brief stint as an Author granted her that much, yet at the same time, she did not know him. She didn't know things like how he took his coffee, movie preferences (if he even had any), or the story to an embarrassing scar like a real friend would have; she only knew him as a concept.

When she finally did cobble together an answer, her tone was careful and level, her expression uncertain, [color=0E59E4]"I...honestly can't tell you if I had a reason or not when I dug you out of the rubble, aside from 'it seemed like a good idea at the time.' And even then - do I need to have a reason?"
"Aside from you being the illegitimate son of my adoptive father and wanting to keep you away from potential power-mongering executives."
"You should worry more about getting better, rather than why I'm helping you."
"Maybe I'm a little scared of what happens if you remember how you got there."
"I'm not here to hurt you, Adel, I can promise you that much."
"But can you promise you won't do the same?"[/color]

There was no way to sugar-coat it, Teri knew full well that she was lying by omission. He wasn't in any shape to handle the amount of information she had about "Adelheid Bernstein", and the consequences of telling him everything she knew were up in the air. Yet, as she spoke to the person she had previously regarded as a 'concept'; even with the best of intentions in mind, she felt as if her stomach was a den of vipers.

Diablo1099_v1legacy · Jan 28, 2017

NotYetForsaken said:
He wrote most of this

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | Rising Dawn: Above Denver-Ruins

[hr]

Rising Dawn: Command Bridge: Rugal Bernstein, Major Rhodes

The Command Bridge was a windowless room deep in the superstructure of the Rising Dawn, and as Rugal approached he could feel the tension in the air.
There was no Officer of the Watch, no assistants, not even those strange soldiers that the Major had brought with her.
Instead, the silence was only broken by a male voice - angry and harsh.

"-and under who's jurisdiction did you abandon the Soul of Tomorrow!?" said the voice. It was a large husky man plastered over a digital screen. His moustache covered his mouth, but even through that mat of thick bristly hair his scowl was clear.
"My own, sir." Rhodes said. She acted meekly, somewhat bashful. She had taken off her beret and coat, leaving them lying on the table in front of her. She held her hands together gently on the communications table."And how did you free the Confessors from prison!?" he continued, spittle staining the screen.
Rhodes was silent, but did not take her steely eyes away from the man.
"Well!?"
"They came to me," Rhodes finally said, softly and matter-of-fact. "They are my people, and they stayed in your prison only because I had commanded it."
"Such insolence! Utter disrespect! I should have you court marshaled for such an act of treason! Where in the world did you even run off to Rhodes!? What was so important that you left the Soul of Tomorrow unattended for three days, and what compelled you to suspend the construction orders of the Inquisition!?"
Rhodes cast her eyes down.
It almost looked like she was a scolded child, uncharacteristic of the no-holds barred Major that Rugal had seen - and that Major Armstrong had fought. "I have no excuse, Brigadier General sir."

Oh lovely...another adoring audience... Rugal thought to himself as he suppressed a sigh before walking in, whatever about his past life, at least back then securing victory as Rugal Bernstein, Legend of the Criminal Underworld actually felt like victory.
On the Rising Dawn? It felt more like an unrewarding chore.
"I take it you don't watch the news much do you then, Brigadier General?" He boldly stated as he attempted to channel some of his former glory with a commanding presence.
In a past life, he used to rub shoulders with dictators, rebel leaders and higher ranking generals, right before getting them to eat from his hand or beg for mercy, time to see if he still got it...
"Our unit clearly required assistance after a surprise ambush in Denver did much to weaken our forces. One of those wounded was the Major's own daughter and frankly, had she not abandoned her post, my own daughter would have fared even worse. I'll confess that I'm not too well educated on the Major's role in your organisation but with the detainment of M. Bison, Dr. Albert Wesker, Dr. Neo Cortex, Dr. Victor Von Doom and the creature known as Bruiser on top of basically coming to our rescue, I am rather glad she made the tactical decision she made..." He said as he strode though the bridge, making sure to show the Brigadier General his "Good" side.
"Of course, I can imagine there are somethings more important then making sure that the entire United States don't fall into the hands of a mad man, that an extremely dangerous villain who once destabilized the entire Indo-Asia region doesn't evade capture and that this entire ship isn't being blasted out of the sky...Though I might require some assistance in figuring that one out myself..." He then asked in a matter that seemed to finally make the General snap.

"... THIS IS BIGGER THAN YOU. ANY OF YOU." The man managed to speak though gritted teeth before the call was terminated, something that Rugal took a bit more pleasure in then he should have.
"It really says a lot about your commander when I find his manners to be less polite then Kim Jong-il's..." He said to the major, recalling his past dealings with the Korean Dictator (least before he figured out those "RPGs" he was selling him were just stolen muskets, good times...)
"I tend to bring out the worst in men. But even among men, General Noran is known for his hair-trigger temper. Much to my own misfortune that he is my commanding officer." Rhodes sighed back before flipping her hair slightly as she put back on her beret.
"Indeed. I had come to thank you for your assistance, though it appears an apology might be better suited. I know you had your own reasons for coming to our aid, but I'd sleep better knowing you didn't lose your rank because we-...*I* couldn't control the situation." The wanna-be captain winced slightly as he said that, but after all, the first rule of leadership: Everything is your fault.
Starting to return to her proper confidence, she merely answered "Keep your gratitude. I came to protect my children. My position was never in danger. I am far too important for them to court marshal."
"Very well. Though and I mean this, I would like to repay the favor. Should you find yourself in a situation I might be able to assist in, in person or otherwise, I insist you ask for me."

To his surprise, the Major had something in mind: "Very bluntly then. Can you get my daughters American citizenship?"
"Natural Born or Visas?"
"Either. They have been holding Saren and Laeta's immigration paperwork over me for good behavior since I arrived here."
"...Would it not cause you hassle for them to "Suddenly" be US citizens?"
"It would. The proper paperwork needs to be done, which I why I have not had them forged already."
Nodding slightly in understanding, Rugal then took out his PDA before making a memo for himself, as well as taking down some extra notes for this little business deal of theirs.
"Any prevalence in what state or city they would like to be residents of?"
"Not particularly. They have not been in one city for very long, given the nature of my employment...Wherever is convenient shall do. But the biggest matter is getting their applications unfrozen and forced through the bureaucracy. They are watched - any unofficial methods will surely be revoked."
Smiling slightly, He then answered "Understood. While I'm "Dead", it's not the first time that's happened so there is still a great deal of uncertainty around my fate. As such, I should be able to call on some old contacts in the State department. Nothing criminal, just some office worker will suddenly get a vast improvement in their work ethic and "accidentally" overlook the current state of their applications."

"That would be... nice. I would very much like Saren and Laeta to grow up to lead normal lives."
That sentence gave Rugal pause as he instinctively clutched the device in his hand before gazing at one of the walls of the command bridge.
"Indeed...I wonder sometimes if Teri and Melethia still can. So much has happened in both of their lives, because of this ship and...me...." He muttered in a wave of self-pity, a habit that he'd find downright rage educing if it wasn't so damn depressing.
"Do not give yourself that much credit. They chose their lives, and would have done the same thing without you. There are those who are born with a thirst for adventure, and a thirst for conflict. I was like that when I was young. Their father was the opposite - and I hoped that he would have given my daughters a gentle life far from the 'miracles' to which I had to attend."
Part of him wanted to correct her statement but considering the nature of Melethia's Deathmark or Teri's former "Demi-god" status, he settled on replying "I can understand that, I don't wish to force them to live a life they don't want to live. I just hope they can find something more peaceful then the mess we just cleaned up."

"Or perhaps you do not give your women enough credit - when they are ready to retire, they will. I have scarce seen one who fights when they have no heart. War is a tedious thing, believe me. Those of faint heart would not have lasted this long." Rhodes answered as she swiftly put on her jacket before placing a hand on the Captain's shoulder.
"They want to be here, for whatever reason. Cherish that."
"...I'll try. Thank you once again for your aid, Major." He answered back, even going so far as to give her a formal salute.
A slight bit of amusement crept onto her face as she walked off stating "It is quite alright, save your gratitude for something more significant."
Before she reached the door, she did slow to a halt as one last matter came to mind.
"Though..."
"Something else on your mind?"
"Yes. I saw something while I was here. A white cat, or something like that. Do you allow animals aboard this ship? I remember faintly that Lola always wanted a cat."
Giving it a bit of thought, he then answered "Indeed we do. My daughter and partner each own domestic dire wolves. I myself own a black panther. But a normal white household cat? Can't recall seeing such a thing..."
"Hm...It was the most particular thing. Well, whatever is the case, do keep an eye out."
And with that the Major left and Rugal was back to finding things to occupy his mind to keep the recent memories buried.
Right...Might as well start making those phone calls then... He thought before returning to his office, trying to remember the number of children the father he was about to threaten had....

Zepherus14 · Jan 29, 2017

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | Denver | Ship's interior corridors
'I'm getting the feeling of deja vu?'
Cadolbolg | [color=15650D]Ton Ton[/color] | Hillary

[hr]

While the duo made their introductions, Hillary got to her feet and acknowledged their greetings with another hello. As the two continued to talk about if Penelope was Santa they might not catch Hillary's mannerisms; she would briefly rub her fingers together, squeeze her arm and lightly brush her hand across the solid mass of hair on her head. Obviously, she was checking something, but what exactly?

Once Ton Ton had made up his mind to offer to help Hillary, she felt the need to correct him on one slight disconnect with what they were saying. "Well, Penelope will be where everyone sleeps for the nigh-" Hillary started to explain herself as her eyes looked to see what Cadolbolg had pointed to, immediately cutting herself off as she saw the discarded item.

"Oh! Oh no!" Although not a shout, those words didn't lack the emphasis a shout would carry as she beelined for the figurine that lay on the ground.[footnote]It was a one solid piece statuette, not three entities, all standing one a single base (Akin to this for example) [https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/dc/e3/d4/dce3d4574f8e2fe9bb8a008961569db3.jpg] presumably made by one solid piece of limoleum. [sub]At least for the moment.[/sub][/footnote] Gingerly, she'd pick it up and rotated the object around to inspect it thoroughly. After an agonizing spell of scrutiny, Hillary closed her eyes and held the figurine close to her chest, a small smile forming across her lips. "Thank goodness it's alright." Making her relief well known before she turned her head to Cadolbolg. "You have no idea how much this means to me, thank you very much Cadolbolg~" She gave a brief pause to allow the little turtle dragon a moment to let the appreciation sink in before continuing with. "As for your question though, none of the people here are Penelope. This was made many years before I ever met her."

Her head tilted up a bit further as she spoke to Ton Ton "As Hillary was saying, I don't think Hillary'll need help finding Penelope herself." She stated, trailing off a bit as she looked around again. "Where I am right now, that is a better question to ask. I don't remember this hallway now that I think of it either; did Hillary miss a sign again? I am on The Laplace, right?" She said as she looked down the hallway Ton Ton and Cadolbolg hadn't come from.

Texas Joker 52 · Jan 29, 2017

[hr]

She had to give credit where it was due, the bartender was certainly a handsome devil. Snappy dresser too, though she supposed that any classy bartender had to be. Really, if she wasn't completely disinterested, she'd be tempted to make a serious pass at him. But sex wasn't her idea of fun. No, her idea of fun was both simpler, and had a wide range of wonderful shit to choose from, and she didn't even need anyone for some of it.

"[color=eca222]I do and I don't. It really depends upon the time of day and whether the crew here are busy. We just got back from a doozy of a mission, so I suspect it'll be filling up soon. How about you and your friend here? I don't remember seeing your faces around.[/color]"

As he slid her beer over, she took the time to think about her answer as she took a nice, long sip. It was certainly cheap; The nasty taste and alcoholic burn in the back of her throat definitely told her that much. But it was cold, and it was already contributing to a light, pleasant buzz. However the taste was so bad it ended up being rather fascinating.

So while the bartender saw to other orders, she sat back and took another experimental sip. She couldn't really tell what kind of beer it was, really, and she considered herself something of an expert on cheap beers. In fact, she could only think of two other times she had tasted beer that was worse. It made her think of a space monkey with a urinary infection that had peed in fifty-year-old nuclear battery acid. Fascinating.

Turning back to the barkeep, B.C. set down her glass and smirked at him a little. She caught a glimpse of one of the other patrons as she did: Both he, and the little waiter that took his order, looked like they came straight out of an old Terran Bible of the Satanic persuasion.

"We're new recruits, actually. Though I for one can't say for sure what exactly I signed up for." the Convict lied smoothly, "I mean, I know the official line for this outfit, but what are we really in for? What don't they tell the newbies?"

She placed a hand under her chin and propped her elbow onto the bar as she leveled her eyes on Luke, before jerking her head toward the horned and tailed customer.

"Look at him for example. Clear he ain't human like you guys, or that's one... Hell of a skin condition. And I ain't human even though I look it. So you've got whatever he is, your waitstaff, and you've got space aliens like me. Just what kind of outfit is this? Hate to think I actually joined an intergalactic circus and freak show instead of a fighting force." she explained with a lighthearted shrug.

Generic NPC 22 · Jan 31, 2017

[hr]

Emloy's Oracle had simply been lost in the shuffle of time since the defeat of the Grotesquerie Empress at the hands of Ole Saint Nicolas. She remembered being rather annoyed at the thought that such a beast could be defeated in such a random manner and vented that annoyance in a rather destructive fashion, causing so much damage in one of the training rooms that it would be at least a month before it was back in service. While it was hardly a replacement for the real thing, sometimes a demi-goddess had to do what a demi-goddess had to do, especially considering that robbing the Black and Crimson Clad Berserker of glorious battle was akin to foreplay with no climax. While not as good as a life or death struggle, the session in the training room had taken the edge off, so to speak, and allowed Rory Mercury to throw herself into assisting with some of the rescue operations the restored local government had begun, moving rubble with her bare hands and removing those lucky enough to survive while saying prayers to those who were not.

That was a day or two ago, give or take a week, and with the rescue operations now shifted into recovery operations, meaning that no signs of survivors remained, and exhausted Rory Mercury returned to the Airship.

"Tadaima..." The Dark Haired Demi-Goddess muttered as she passed through the swinging double doors of Canteen before remembering that she was neither home nor did many aboard the Airship speak the Japanese language, "I'm back..." She corrected herself as she settled into one of the bar stools at the bar, resting her halberd against it as she did. Seeing that the Bartender, Luke, was busy rather busy with a group of patrons, a few of whom were unfamiliar to the Demi-Goddess of Death, the Overworked Oracle of Emloy flagged down one of the bar's many minions and ordered a beer.

"[color=57117A]Aren't you forgetting something, my dear?[/color]" The imp said rather uncharacteristically towards its customer, its eyes fixed upon the Priestess with a rather intense look. Looking at the lowly creature, Rory didn't have to look around her to know that those around her had stopped moving, a rather standard procedure when a deity communes with his chosen. Tapping itself on the forehard while scratching its chin, the imp possessed by Emloy continued to speak, "[color=57117A]Yes, yes, quite right. I believe I told you to go visit my shrine in Japan and consecrate it, am I right? There are those who have chosen to follow in your footsteps and walk in my light. Without a shrine, however, their prayers fall on deaf ears. That will just not do! Besiiiides, it's been some time since you've visited your beloved man-toy hasn't it? I hear his grave is a rather popular place to visit among my future priestesses... and among those who follow another goddess whose name I don't need to mention in your presence.[/color]"

Rory eyed the imp possessed by Emloy and didn't say a word, her eyes flicking towards her halberd before returning back to her patron. She could feel the anger boiling up from the cracks at the mere reference to Hardy. Finally, after a moment of hesitation, she nodded, "Yes, my lord Emloy. I will go to your shrine and consecrate it..."

Emloy nodded with a smile, chuckling as he responded to his Demi-Goddess' words, "[color=57117A]I'm sure that's not all you'll be doing... but I'll give you free-reign on the matter, as I always have, my chosen one. Oh and just a bit of warning about my future followers... they may seem a little ... strange... but well, I am the god of insanity after all. Have a safe journey... oh and... I think you're about to get a traveling companion...[/color]"

Time resumed for the world, or was it Rory that time resumed for? Around her the patrons of the establishment continued to mill about, drinking or discussing the topic of the day. The imp, having had no memory of his recent use as Emloy's hand puppet, brought returned with a cold beer, its label bearing the words Deadman's Draft. Picking the pint glass off of the bar, the Demi-Goddess of Dead took a thoughtful sip as to who her companion in travels might be when a rather familiar noise made its entrance.

*BOOOOOOOM!* Went the roof of the Canteen as something breached the hull of the Airship before landing on top of the bar.

"Tadaima..." A dazed and confused Katya Rostikova muttered from atop a pile of recently returned dimensional travelers, "Oh... hey Rory... did you know that your name sounds like a play off the word loli?" The Dazed and Confused Code Compiler commented before looking around, "Hey guys... I think we're back."

[hr]

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | An Open Air Market (In Hell!)
Hat-iquette #11: I... got nothing... or do I? ~Pulls a rabbit out of his hat~
Ruby Babbage-Lovelace | Nina Zaczoltski | Phillip!!!

[hr]

As far as Guardians or Babysitters went, Miss Zaczoltski in a much different class of caretakers compared to Mister Eddie. Unlike Mister Eddie, the blonde babysitter did not have a "bite the heads off of small flying mammals" aura, which would have been a plus in a majority of circumstances. At Ruby Babbage-Lovelace's age, it was difficult to tell if the confidence and kindness demonstrated by Miss Zaczoltski was manufactured or authentic but regardless of its origins, the Magical Pink Princess felt reassured by the way the Tentacle Toting Caretaker of Tykes held herself in this sort of environment. As many times as the Ribbon Wearing Witchling insisted on being treated like an adult, there were moments that she found being coddled like a child rather soothing.

"Honestly I'm not sure if I'd call that scary, but I wasn't thinking of going there, down the street some more was a door that looked promising." Miss Zaczoltski said from where she had kneeled next to Ruby, using the young girl's arm as a sight.

Taking the child by the hand, the careful caretaker lead her ward through the market, the surprisingly empty market devoid of life, movement, sound or anything remotely normal for a market. As she followed the Tentacle Toting Hat Tipper. Ruby looked around at her surreal surroundings, feeling that twinge of apprehension, that tiny bit of anxiety that children felt when placed in unfamiliar situations. A scoffing noise from Miss Zoczoltski drew the Minature Magical Girl's attention, making her realize two things, firstly that Ruby had been holding on to her Temporary Custodian's hand rather tightly and secondly that her Temporary Caretaker had been scoffing at a shop that sold magical items. Catching a glance some of the items on display, Ruby's eyes widened at the sight of a few rather powerful relics. The only thing that kept the young girl from squeaking in excitement was a sudden shift in her vision. It was as if she was going color blind for a moment or it was as if they were walking though a fog filled still life and they'd reached the part of the painting where the artist had intentionally muted the colors to better simulate the fog.

They'd arrived at their location and Miss Zaczoltski started attempting to open another door. Attemping but not succeeding.

"I can't get it open?" The Caretaker of the Cute groaned, "[/b]This should definitely be it... Of all the luck... So either someone locked where I came from, or this door is only a one way deal...[/b]" Miss Zaczoltski commented before she gave a couple of hard knocks on the door, "Can't believe I'm saying this but, I think we might have to go back. We could keep knocking on this door for a while but if someone locked it, it'd be faster for us to just head to the library first and then go from that direction, at least then all the doors should be openable from that way."

Ruby was about to suggest that she try to use one of her ribbons to unlock the door when her hand was once against engulfed by her Guardian's.

"Before we do that though, I think I should show you over there. Honestly it's nothing to be scared of Ruby, far from it. It can actually be very informative and fun depending on what you're looking for and what they have available!" Ruby's Temporary Custodian stated with a light hearted tone as she pointed vaguely in the direction of the spooky portal thing as Ruby described. "Don't worry, we'll get right back to finding my hat right after this, but I feel like you being afraid of that of all things... Books aren't a burden as much as you might think~"

Had the Blonde Babysitter been looking at her charge, she would have noticed that Ruby's eyes were attempting to pin her with a rather quizicle look. Ruby was not scared of books. Ruby enjoyed books. Books were practically the only sort of friends that Ruby had made in her nine years of life. The two wanderers walked of a bit, around the ... thing... that had creeped Ruby out earlier until they happened upon a small bookstore.

"See, no problem at all, it actually looks kinda cute in here."

That was a rather subjective statement. From Ruby's perspective the bookstore was chaotic, unorganized and worst of all, in dire need of a cleaning. Books that were improperly shelved sended to live shorter lives as being stored in a non standard manner tended to put strain on the binding and ultimately cause pages to fall out of the book. Walking towards a stack of books, Ruby picked up a random tome and read the title aloud.

"Erasmus' Thesis on Dimensional Doorways... first edition." She read before picking up another book, "Tomato Soup for Tots..." Another, "Holy Water Purification and Nature's Bounty: A Beginner's Guide by Archmage Pyranus."

Eyeing her custodian with a large and excited smile. True to Miss Zaczoltski's word, there didn't appear to be anything dangerous in the area or remotely life threatening, except for maybe a random papercut. Ruby nodded emphatically before repeating, "You're right, Miss ... erm... Nina. No problem at all!" Looking up at Nina's face, Ruby's expression suddenly shifted to what could be best described as cute puppy face, "But... maybe someone should organize these books... they're really out of order... and maybe while we're putting them up we could look through a few of them. Oh and do you think you want me to try slipping a ribbon underneath that door that you said was locked and try to unlock it... or maybe force it open? There were a couple of shops that had some reagents that I could turn into an explosive potion... Oh oh oh... and there was this one shop that had a skeleton key... but it's only one use so it breaks afterwards. I mean if that door that you couldn't open is a shorter way to your hat, we could spend a little more time here?"

Silence · Feb 3, 2017

The Rising Dawn

[hr]

Morning
Anjali | Pvt. Ilana Emmerson

Anjali took the letter Pvt. Ilana Emmerson held out to her, kind of taken aback by the aura it showed. "Thank you." she said, "But who wass Lieutenant Sselmy again? Did I meet her before?"

She stepped out of her room, closing the door behind her, and started to walk towards the canteen while looking out for Emmerson to follow. "I'm not a lieutenant by the way, I jusst got this uniform ... what iss your name, if I might ask?"

As she continued on her way, she put a fingernail under the lid of the letter and carefully opened it, curious what it might contain, as she took it out and tried to read it.

[hr]

Canteen
Mio | B.C. | Luke | Canteen Interior

Mio inspected the drink that was served to her curiously. "Mai Tai? Never heard of it, but it sounds like something the cannibals of Thatchen Island would drink." she stated, before chugging the whole drink down in one go.

"Huh, that's sweet!" she called out after. "Whew, I did not expect that! Well, actually, you said it contained syrup, but still ...
It was pretty nice. Another! But you could make it a bit stronger this time!"

After the few seconds it took to do all this, Mio finally took in her surroundings a bit more. She inspected Luke for a bit, then stated: "Hey, you look like someone who could get into perfectly legal business, not only alco... rum. You have to tell me, did you work as a pir... privateer at some point? It's perfectly fine if you haven't, I would hire you regardless. Not that this is some kind of interview to find out if you would work or anything ...

Hey, did I tell you about the time my ship went into some kind of dark hole, because it was pushed by a giant octopus? Probably not, I just got here. So yeah, I went through this hole and ended up here, and WHERE THE FUCK IS MY SHIP?!"

[hr]

Diana | Jenny | Canteen Interior

Diana stopped drinking, irritated, as she registered a foreign voice in her head, before continuing it again, not looking much different than before. Get out of my head, can't you see I am busy? she adressed Jenny. This is very important. I need to get gronked as fast as possible, and this shit really does not hit hard enough. I thought, maybe this imp-thing could get me something better.

Who was Dr. Violet again?

As the imp returned, she gave him a smile. "Thank thee. I will try and judge you by the merit it brings me." Diana took the fire-whisky and inspected it. "I guess this will work." she stated, and raised her glass to Jenny, meeting with her eyes. Was he one of the guys trying shady stuff with me? You know, I just beat them up if they don't stop. Was that it?

The Escapist Avatar Adventure: An Open RP (Now Re-Opened!)

the Heart of Darkness

Queen of Cockblocking and Misery

the Heart of Darkness

Power in Procedure

New member

Doom needs Yoghurt, Badly

The Most Generic of NPCs

New member

Living undeath to the fullest

New member

New member

Doom needs Yoghurt, Badly

Power in Procedure

the Heart of Darkness

Queen of Cockblocking and Misery

Doom needs Yoghurt, Badly

New member

All hail the Pun Meister!

The Most Generic of NPCs

Living undeath to the fullest