[Nexus] The Dancing Fox Inn II: Title, Title, Who's Got The Title?

[Hattish Thing]

Wouldnt you like to know! he says

[Mee]

He rubs up against her hand.
"As long as you're okay..."
He then stares at the ghost.
He frowns.
"Why has so many crazy things been happening here lately? First murder, then a crazy cleric of Pelor who wanted to destroy who you are, and now a ghost who wishes to murder everyone."

Naku sighs.
"I don't know. I really don't.
I did everything I could to make it stop, but apparently that wasn't enough."

I WAS MURDERED FOOL. He shouts and a table cracks.

"You owe me for that table."

[ThirdEmperor]

Fear blinks, rather surprised that he can't lift the plates, and waves War and Weary over before heading into the kitchen after him.

When Strahd said he outdid himself, well, he wasn't kidding. Sitting on the counter is a giant platter, loaded down with enough breakfast foods to feed an army. But Strahd didn't stop there, oh no, any garden variety stove-operator can cook up a feast, and he likes to think he's a cut above the common spatula-wielding wageslave. The massive feast has been carefully and painstakingly molded into a giant, entirely edible diorama of a medeival castle, complete with a moat of fried potatoes and gravy.

Steaming hot slices of French toast form the castle's foundation, atop which rise great waffle walls held together by syrup mortar, banners of bacon hanging from the carefully cut ramparts. At each of the four corners of the wall stands a tower of pancakes, carefully stacked and stuck together with carefully applied pats of butter, topped with sloping rooves made of lightly roasted ham. Inside, the castle is filled with a delicious mix of scrambled eggs and ground meat, spiced and seasoned to perfection, with a layer of hash brown beneath and crumbled bacon bits sprinkled on top.

Strahd inspects the castle proudly, adjusting a skewed strip of bacon slightly before stepping back, glancing over his shoulder to watch the tieflings reactions as they enter the kitchen. "Viola! My latesht mashterwork. It'sh for thoshe t-two outshide, the onesh w-wh-w- He sticks for a moment, vainly trying to spit out the words until he finally manages to unstick whatever vital part had briefly frozen in his voice box. -who almosht attacked Naku lasht time they were here. And for pity'sh shakes, be careful. The shlightesht shtumble could ruin all my hard w-work."

[Lady Serpentine]

Fear starts to slowly back toward the door, careful not to do anything that could affect the creation.

"Er... Right... Let me go get Torment; I think levitation is the best option here..."

[The Bushranger]

Eileen, watching all the goings-on, looks rather...amused.

[Mindfreak]

Naku sighs.
"I don't know. I really don't.
I did everything I could to make it stop, but apparently that wasn't enough."



"You owe me for that table."

"It's always a possibility that you moved the Inn on top of an ancient, Charles Dickens Story Graveyard." he said with a laugh.
"And...don't worry about the table...I may be able to fix it. Not totally sure, but I might. Plus, it isn't like you can make a ghost pay you money."

[Mee]

"It's always a possibility that you moved the Inn on top of an ancient, Charles Dickens Story Graveyard." he said with a laugh.
"And...don't worry about the table...I may be able to fix it. Not totally sure, but I might. Plus, it isn't like you can make a ghost pay you money."

"I really, really hope not . . ."
Naku says, sighing slightly.
She didn't want to try to come up with a way to make the entire inn consecrated, as that would mean she couldn't be there either, and she can't move it again until she's rested for a loooong time.

[Lady Serpentine]

Despair, who I think is still sitting at Eileen's table, also looks amused, oddly enough.

If she is still there, she'll lean over to the Remnant and say, softly, with a wicked grin, "Since he wants to get to an afterlife that badly, I'm thinking about having Torment send him to meet their mother... Are there any laws against that?"

[Mindfreak]

"It'll be okay Naku. Worst comes to worst, we'd have to move the Inn, again."
He went to nuzzle up against Naku to assure her.
"And I'm sure you could just get rid of the ghost if you really need to. I'm sure you could just find a book on Ghost Removal at the local library."

[Mee]

"It'll be okay Naku. Worst comes to worst, we'd have to move the Inn, again."
He went to nuzzle up against Naku to assure her.
"And I'm sure you could just get rid of the ghost if you really need to. I'm sure you could just find a book on Ghost Removal at the local library."

"I just really don't want to do that."
Naku says, pouting cutely.
"Ah well.
It'll be all right in the end."
She smiles at Songdancer slightly.
"I mean, we've got you, right?"

[Mindfreak]

"I'm afraid there really isn't much I can do...I've only got singing and some basic magic...I never even passed magic school in Equestria..."
He frowned.
"So I'm kinda useless."

[ThirdEmperor]

Fear starts to slowly back toward the door, careful not to do anything that could affect the creation.

"Er... Right... Let me go get Torment; I think levitation is the best option here..."

"You do that... And make it quick, it'sh not gonna shtay w-warm forever, an I shure ash hell ain't sherving cold food." Strahd says, collapsing into a nearby chair and breathing a sigh of sheer exhaustion as his eyes drift, enraptured, to the looming sculpture of pastry and seared meats. Today has to be just about the worst day of his life, but at least he got something done right.

A real masterpiece of his art..... Almost a shame that's it's doomed to be eaten.

[Mee]

"I'm afraid there really isn't much I can do...I've only got singing and some basic magic...I never even passed magic school in Equestria..."
He frowned.
"So I'm kinda useless."

"Whoa!"
Naku is visibly taken aback.
"I didn't realize you were allowed to lie.

You're our bard. Of course you're useful.
And you keep everyone around you happy.
You are very useful, and I won't stand for anyone say otherwise."

[Lady Serpentine]

She nods, and slips out the door.

Returning soon after, most likely, with her brother, who's carrying a staff made of human bones, which he goes to point at the sculpted mass of breakfast materials.

[The Bushranger]

Indeed, she likely is at Eileen's table.
And she arches an eyebrow at the suggestion, and chuckles...
"Against the banishing of ghosts? Actually, I'm not entirely sure there are..."

[Mindfreak]

"Whoa!"
Naku is visibly taken aback.
"I didn't realize you were allowed to lie.

You're our bard. Of course you're useful.
And you keep everyone around you happy.
You are very useful, and I won't stand for anyone say otherwise."

He looks surprised, but it turns into a smile.
"I guess...you're right. Thanks, Naku."
He telekinesis himself and floats up to give her a hearty pony lick on the cheek in appreciation.
"Are you sure you're a vampire?"

[Mee]

He looks surprised, but it turns into a smile.
"I guess...you're right. Thanks, Naku."
He telekinesis himself and floats up to give her a hearty pony lick on the cheek in appreciation.
"Are you sure you're a vampire?"

Naku smiles at him, showing some very pointy teeth.
"Uh huh.

Wasn't always, though, and I've been avoiding what most people do . . ."
Naku's being particularly abstract today.
Though she sounds like she wants to talk about it.

[Mindfreak]

Naku smiles at him, showing some very pointy teeth.
"Uh huh.

Wasn't always, though, and I've been avoiding what most people do . . ."
Naku's being particularly abstract today.
Though she sounds like she wants to talk about it.

"Really? Could have sworn you're an angel..." he said with a grin.
He figured it was only fair. She complements him, he should complement her.
"Yeah, don't want Remnant sniffing around cause you've been drinking people's blood...How did you even become a vampire?"

[ThirdEmperor]

She nods, and slips out the door.

Returning soon after, most likely, with her brother, who's carrying a staff made of human bones, which he goes to point at the sculpted mass of breakfast materials.

Well, nothing will stop him from levitating the edible artwork and carrying it out... But when he leaves he'll find the customers who ordered all that food appear to have done a runner.

Man, Strahd just can't catch a break.

[Mee]

"Really? Could have sworn you're an angel..." he said with a grin.
He figured it was only fair. She complements him, he should complement her.
"Yeah, don't want Remnant sniffing around cause you've been drinking people's blood...How did you even become a vampire?"

Naku shrugs.
"Well, Remnant has no jurisdiction here. As we're not in Inside.
So it's not that, so much as . . .

You're not from here, right?"
A silly question, but a good starter spot for this conversation.

[Lady Serpentine]

Indeed, she likely is at Eileen's table.
And she arches an eyebrow at the suggestion, and chuckles...
"Against the banishing of ghosts? Actually, I'm not entirely sure there are..."

She was more wondering about the destination, since their mother was an Envy Demon.

"Then I think I will, as soon as her gets done with whatever it is he's needed for in the kitchen..."

Edit: Which is now, due to ninjas!

So Torment heads out, and... Finds that the people who ordered the castle are gone. Wonderful.

But, best not to let it go to waste. So he starts levitating it over towards Despair and Eileen.

[The Bushranger]

Eileen raises an eyebrow...at the approaching breakfast castle?
"...looks like somebody had quite an appetite..."

[Lady Serpentine]

It is indeed an approaching breakfast castle. One that looks like this:

When Strahd said he outdid himself, well, he wasn't kidding. Sitting on the counter is a giant platter, loaded down with enough breakfast foods to feed an army. But Strahd didn't stop there, oh no, any garden variety stove-operator can cook up a feast, and he likes to think he's a cut above the common spatula-wielding wageslave. The massive feast has been carefully and painstakingly molded into a giant, entirely edible diorama of a medeival castle, complete with a moat of fried potatoes and gravy.

Steaming hot slices of French toast form the castle's foundation, atop which rise great waffle walls held together by syrup mortar, banners of bacon hanging from the carefully cut ramparts. At each of the four corners of the wall stands a tower of pancakes, carefully stacked and stuck together with carefully applied pats of butter, topped with sloping rooves made of lightly roasted ham. Inside, the castle is filled with a delicious mix of scrambled eggs and ground meat, spiced and seasoned to perfection, with a layer of hash brown beneath and crumbled bacon bits sprinkled on top.

"Yep. Though not hungry enough to stick around. So it looks like it's ours now."

[The Bushranger]

"...well, I always wanted to die of heart failure with a full stomach," Eileen quips, grinning, picking up her knife and fork.

[Lady Serpentine]

"Well, you shouldn't have much trouble making that happen...", Torment says, also grinning, and depositing the construction gently on the table.

Meanwhile, the other Tieflings approach the table!

[Mindfreak]

Naku shrugs.
"Well, Remnant has no jurisdiction here. As we're not in Inside.
So it's not that, so much as . . .

You're not from here, right?"
A silly question, but a good starter spot for this conversation.

He shook his head.
"Ponies aren't born here. I come from Equestria...a land of great ponies. I...got transported to the Nexus against my will while walking home from my fillyfriend's house whom I may never even see again..."
He looked a bit saddened by that.
"And I can't find any ponies to date here and all of you two legged people are too weird looking..."
Enough about your love life, Songdancer.

[Mee]

He shook his head.
"Ponies aren't born here. I come from Equestria...a land of great ponies. I...got transported to the Nexus against my will while walking home from my fillyfriend's house whom I may never even see again..."
He looked a bit saddened by that.
"And I can't find any ponies to date here and all of you two legged people are too weird looking..."
Enough about your love life, Songdancer.

"Aww, I'm sorry."
Naku says, frowning slightly.
"I'll see what I can do to help.

But anyway, I'm not from here either.

Where I'm from, Vampires . . .
Keep the traits of their former selves, if that makes sense,"
Naku pauses for a moment to make sure that Songdancer gets it.
"but the power that comes with it is fairly intoxicating, and to this day, everyone has given in to it.
When you do give in, you lose yourself completely. The power takes over, and you start doing evil things.

Vampirism doesn't mean you're evil, it just means that you have the potential to be the single most frightening thing my world has in it.
I have a daily struggle to fight it back, one in which having youuuu around,"
She says, roughing up his mane.
"seriously helps with."

[The Bushranger]

[Eileen's Table]

"Well, there's enough for everybody here...so, dig in, everybody," Eileen declares, grinning as she scoops out some French toast!

[ThirdEmperor]

As the castle is set down, something stirs inside the delectably baked walls, something not quite as dead as the usual breakfast fare. As the first piece of toast is removed from the sculpture, there's a tiny flare of magic, and one of the many slices of waffle that compose the wall swings outward, revealing tiny toothpick hinges cleverly concealed within the diorama. Out of the newly revealed doorway waltz... well... People.

Tiny people, made of crumbly pastry filled with ground chuck, leap out onto the platter, clambering over the moat and forming a circle around the castle, before beginning to dance. It isn't a very complex dance, nor a particularly elegant one, Strahd's animated creations being about as coordinated as drunken zombies, but the edible people do as best they can, performing a spirited little jig for the benefit of Eileen and Torment.

Which is sure gonna make eating their home akward.

[Mindfreak]

Songdancer laughed.
"Oh really now? So does this mean you'll never let me leave this Inn?" he said with another laugh, "It wouldn't be too bad though, if it wasn't for you I'd be sleeping on the streets right now, freezing to death and feeling oh so lonely, or on a one way track to hell back in Equestria while being soulless."
He stood up on his hind legs to give her a hug at her level.
"You kinda saved me."