[Nexus] Random Places and Plots 4

[The Bushranger]

Jeremy's Realm

"We come from a long time ago in a place far far away," Shawna says, not being able to help smirking slightly as well. "And thank you."

Assuming Jeremy doesn't stop her, she'll go to proceed on in...
"Somebody you knew?" she asks with a smile.

[horngeek]

[MC]

"Careful, she's kinda shy," Jamie cautions with a smile, giving Oddball another pat before straightening up.

Nanoha speaks up. "I'm going to go make dinner for us, okay?"

Abigail nods, and so does Vivio, as she crouches down slowly!

Chiquita poking her head from behind Abigail...

[The Bushranger]

"Sounds good. I like trying local foods."
Jamie giggles.
Then leans over to whisper to Abigail.
"I think Oddball has a crush on Chiquita."

[horngeek]

"Actually, it's probably going to be Japanese. Nanoha's a native of Japan, not of Midchilda.

...it's complicated."

Abigail grins after Jamie's comment, as Chiquita is petted by Vivio. "I think you're right."

[The Bushranger]

"Oh. Well, I've never had that either," Jamie declares - before grinning at Abigail in agreement.

[horngeek]

Abigail then grins at Vivio. "Cute, isn't she, Your Majesty?"

Vivio sighs. "You know I'm pretty used to that by now, so it's no good for teasing me with anymore..."

"...darn."

[The Bushranger]

"...you're royalty too?" Jamie asks. Surprised!
Then clamping her mouth shut when she realises she just let another cat out of the bag.

[horngeek]

"Um... sort of."

Abigail looks at Jamie in interest, but explains. "Vivio's a clone of the last Saint Kaiser of the Cradle, one of the Kaisers of Ancient Belka, Olivie Segbrecht."

[The Bushranger]

"Oh. I see. That's pretty cool!"
Jamie grins, hoping nobody questions her slip.
Probably a vain hope.

[horngeek]

"So, should I be calling you 'your majesty' as well?"

[The Bushranger]

Jamie's cheeks turn bright pink.
And she quickly shakes her head.
"N-no. Not at all." She sighs. "It's....kinda supposed to be a secret, alright? So you can't tell anybody! But...um, my dad is King of Vulpania and that makes me Princess of Vulpania."
Crown Princess, technically, but don't tell that to Matt.

[UncleWolf]

Jeremy's Realm

"Possibly." Jeremy whispers to Shawna as he walks alongside her. "Must be damn near two decades since I've been here though." He mutters before entering the building.

Shawna will see that the main room might be something reminiscent of Trog's or any other tavern, except for the notable lack of anything truly magical. There's roughly 20 or so people sitting at the hand-made tables alone, each one armed with at least a few weapons and a grizzled vet of the times.

To the right is a large fireplace, surrounded by patrons in their chairs. The walls are covered in candles, oil lamps and animal furs. To the back of the room is a long bar stocked with likely hundreds of different kinds of jars of drink, jellies, food, and powders. In front of them stands an older man, balding and slightly under six feet tall. He's muscled and currently distracted as he fills a bowl with dog food for the various pets that seem to be wandering about.

If Shawna looks down, she'll see a small ball of white fluff sniffing at her feet and wagging her tail slowly.

[The Bushranger]

Jeremy's Realm

Shawna pauses as they enter the main building, loking around with interest - and with an appraising eye. Cataloguing potential threats, exit routes, weaknesses of the building, and then winding up her assessment by looking down and, spotting the dog, smiling broadly.
"It would appear somebody has decided to greet us already," she observes with a smile, cautiously bending over to offer her hand to the dog for sniffing.

[Lady Serpentine]

[Loarna Manor]

It is now that Juppy resolves that it is her time to interject in this conversation. She takes a step toward Tlannae and extends her right hand for Tlannae to shake. In a calm voice she speaks,

"I am Doctor Jupianna Lernith Rogers, but everyone just calls me Juppy. I am a psychiatrist by profession, but today I serve as a friend, mediator, and rescuer. Karyana has returned to this bastion of discrimination to whisk you away to a new home in the Nexus, as she has reason to believe that you might share her gift, which this society so pigheadedly claims is a defect."

"We're here because Karyana cares about you, Tlannae."

Tlannae. That sounds like it is a name that would be difficult to properly pronounce. Unfortunately, the arts of elocution don't favor Juppy. As such, she probably butchers the name. >.<

They both wince at her butchering of the name.


"And what gift might that be?"

[horngeek]

Jamie's cheeks turn bright pink.
And she quickly shakes her head.
"N-no. Not at all." She sighs. "It's....kinda supposed to be a secret, alright? So you can't tell anybody! But...um, my dad is King of Vulpania and that makes me Princess of Vulpania."
Crown Princess, technically, but don't tell that to Matt.

Abigail chuckles. "Don't worry, you're only the third weirdest out of the three of us."

[The Alexandrian]

[Loarna Manor]

Try to break it to her slowly, Juppy. You've got to ease her into it.

"Capability to cast magic. That is the gift which we believe you might possess."

No! I thought we'd agreed that you shouldn't just blurt out Karyana's concerns! You might frighten the poor girl!

[Lady Serpentine]

[Loarna Manor]

"The ability to cast magic? Considering what is done to mages here, I would hardly call that a gift.

And if I do have this capability, why hasn't it manifested yet? If it had, I would be aware of it, as would, almost certainly, the House-Priest."

[The Bushranger]

[MC]

Abigail chuckles. "Don't worry, you're only the third weirdest out of the three of us."

Jamie sticks her tongue out at Abigail.
"Guess I'll just have to try and out-weird you then!"

[The Alexandrian]

[Loarna Manor]

"Better question: would you rather remain here and wait for your magical powers to manifest here or elsewhere? If your powers blossom here, you'll suffer. If they come to fruition where your sister wants to take you, you won't be penalized at all."

Logical points, Juppy. Can't go wrong with those. Not easily, anyway.

[Lady Serpentine]

[Loarna Manor]

"Yes, and what if I don't have them? But... Things aren't so great here that I'm not willing to listen. It's just, what evidence, other than that Karyana had magic, do you haave that I do?

I admit, even if I don't, it would be nice to see her more often. But there are other things to think about, too. I have friends here..."

[Gullara]

Swamp of Not-Quite-Sanity

"In addition to the main entrance, which should be safe now until the cultists come to re-apply the defensive spell, there's a hole in the wall on the other side of the building. The cultists don't go there, though, so it might be dangerous." And, unless stopped, the otyugh will turn and go back to the gate house and the pile of rotting garbage that serves as both his bedding and his food.

"Thanks." Jasmine calls after him before turning to her companions. "Alright, so which way should we go?"

[BladeofObliviom]

Swamp of Not-Quite-Sanity

Despair offers some parting words to the Otyugh.

Thank you for your aid, sir, and I apologize for Nimrod. Please enjoy the rest of your day, if it has not been too thoroughly marred as of yet.

Despair then turns to Jasmine, looking her in the eye. It might be worth noting that he never actually did remember to turn his fear aura off...

If they set that trap, then they know we are are here. I recommend the back door, since they're more likely to fortify the front gates while the defenses are down.

[UncleWolf]

Jeremy's Realm

Shawna pauses as they enter the main building, loking around with interest - and with an appraising eye. Cataloguing potential threats, exit routes, weaknesses of the building, and then winding up her assessment by looking down and, spotting the dog, smiling broadly.
"It would appear somebody has decided to greet us already," she observes with a smile, cautiously bending over to offer her hand to the dog for sniffing.

Jeremy's Realm


The pekinese sniffs at Shawna's hand, tail wagging before sneezing all over it. She promptly waddles away from her and towards Jeremy, as if the woman didn't exist, and gives a bit of a yapping bark while leaping onto her hind legs, pawing at his shin in excitement. Jeremy chuckles and picks the dog up, holding her close and scratching her ears as his hand is licked. "Yes, it's been a long time, dear." He whispers to her.

"She doesn't do that for strangers. Who is he?" A man's voice whispers in Shawna's ears, having silently gotten behind her somehow. If she turns to look, it's the same man from the bar.

[The Bushranger]

[Jeremy's Realm]

Shawna chuckles, and is about to ask Jeremy about the dog when the voice in her ear almost makes her jump.
Almost.
The brown-haired woman (currently disguising her normal appearance) turns her head, and regards the barman, then nods slightly.
"I am Shawna von Letters. He is Jeremy Galway. He has...family here."

[UncleWolf]

Jeremy's Realm

Jeremy's still distracted playing with the dog, teasing her flat nose with his fingers and getting her to gnaw on them as he chuckles.

The man frowns and gives Jeremy a glance before looking at Shawna with a lethal glint to his eyes. "Go through the back and get into the porch, tell him to bring Chloe with you. She needs a walk." He tells Shawna before moving silently past her and through the crowd.

[The Bushranger]

Jeremy's Realm

Shawna's expression is equally flinty, but she nods, and looks back to Jeremy
"I think the poor thing needs a walk dear - let's step outside, alright?"

[Gullara]

[Sif Erath Grove]

And Azalea will just continue walking as the pixies eventually disappear out of sight, severely disappointed they couldn't come.

You will be led deeper into the grove where the underbrush is up to Harnel's knees (and probably up to Sakura's midriff).

The grove seem even more vibrant and alive here, they can't take a step without having to avoid stepping on a bug or some other living creature crawling around on the ground.

Everywhere you can hear the sound of life.

There is a... distraction however.

"No, no, no! Stupid pig men coming here..." A voice comes from the distance as the party can see a small gnoll walking towards you.
While he's naked technically naked, he's also dressed in the skeletons of various animals, wearing the head of a large wolf for a helmet, the ribcage of some humanoid animal as an armor and the heads of what looks like badgers as shoulder pads.

"You go away now! Nature spirit do not want to see you!"

[Sif Erath Grove]

Sakura frowns at the gnoll. How rude. =I "Well we need to see-" She looks at Azalea. "Is the spirit a guy or a girl or what?" She feels like she should know this. Might be a good idea to have some idea of who you're going to be trying to talk to.

*transplanting plot here*

[Slii Arhem]

In a Forgotten Halfway House

(Spoilered for lenth and content.)

Spoiler

Show

Jakob is not smartest man. But I know what I want, and take it.

This is truth. Often times people wonder at how a man such as I can accomplish things. When they are bleeding and broken they ask, "How?"

"It is simple." I tell them. And it is.

Jakob hears things. The dull whispers of family in my head. The endless moaning of the Object my brother ignores, even as it eats his sanity alive. And the rumors. Jakob hears those as well. Rumors on how to end such whispers. To stop Seeking.

Brother Ceres would not take such measures. But Jakob will do anything for family. Jakob has no sanity left to lose.

Before I can next think, I am before the keeper of the building, his dull eyes glinting with fear as he stares up into mine. They all fear, at least at first. Later they shall bleed, but for now the fear is enough.

"Jakob is here for the Holder of Bloodlust." Yes, the fear is there, visible now as the pallour creeps into his cheeks. He does not speak, casting an arm to a door on his left before collapsing into his chair. He does not look as I wander over, checking the bottom for a telltale stain.

He still does not look as I head through, into the abyss.

Into hell.


...




I. Am. Home.

War stretches out before me across the horizon. War unlike any before, or any yet to come. The War Neverending, the standard to which all conflict is held. The line which all men fail to cross. Craters dot the landscape, filled with a slurry of blood and muck. It is as if the land itself is bleeding, slowly dying from a thousand thousand pinpricks as men make a mockery of its natural splendour.

Three men cower near me, hiding behind a boulder in futility. They know their duty, ageless men who await only my voice.

"Why must there be bloodshed?" I know why. They know why. Their answer is perfect.

The die, finally. There are many more to take their place.

"Jakob." his voice is like the whistling of artillery. Of a blade swung into a man's side.

I turn. There is no earthly force that could keep a man alive past the injuries this one has sustained. Bits of bone stick from every rent in the flesh, and flies buzz about him, eagerly awaiting a collapse that shall never come.

I ask him of battle. He tells me of the final clashing, the end of everything where I too shall meet my alloted fate. Our grins match each other, anticipation reflected over and over in a manic loop.

"You know why I come. Give me the Object." His laugh is the sound of innocents being murdered in holes. A sound I hear often in my favorite dreams.

"Give it to me."

"You are a fool and a martyr. So be it." The axe falls. A clang rings out clear and pure amidst the sound of battle.

Almost before his hand leaves the handle, mine is there, wrenching it free with a scraping of stone and steel.

"My bloodlust is sated. Your's has just begun." A Pact has been sealed.

I am gone. Between seconds I have been moved back to the hostel, my new curse held tightly in my fingers. To me it seems a babe's toy, the axe-head barely larger than my own wrist.

A cry sounds out from inside the halfway house. A grin I had almost forgotten bares my teeth. Something has changed.

His fear is no longer enough.

I must have blood.

[Halae]

[Sif Erath Grove]

Harnel crosses his arms and looks at the gnoll, "Well, we need to see the nature spirit. Are you going to let us by, or do we have to go around you?"

[Shadowcaller]

[Sif Erath Grove]

"Old oaks is female sometimes and other times it's male." Azalea explains quickly before turning to the gnoll. "Yes, leave us be Darkhide, you don't even live here. Don't think you can decided who can visit Old Oaks or not."

Darkhide shakes his head, "No, Old Oaks told me not wanting to see anyone." The gnoll pauses, hesitating. "...but maybe if you tell me what you like, you could meet him, yes?"