[Nexus] Inside 44

[Rebonack]

[Random Street]

The little girl giggles again!

This robot is so silly!

"There are lots of things that can't be killed!"

Oh yeah little girl?

If you're so smart just name ONE thing that can't be killed.

"You can't kill rocks, can you?"

...

Okay.

Two things.

[ThirdEmperor]

[Generic Street]

It should be noted that this creature is not a DnD Wight! That was assumed earlier and resulted in trying to heal the thing to hurt it. Result wasn't very positive.

With a hiss the monster hops off the boy, narrowly avoiding the axe swing! And failing to maul said boy to death in the process. Well! That's a step up from his previous situation!

"What the--? How the hell did you do that?!" Xerga exclaimed as the wight leaped away. She growled, in the way humanoids growl, and turned her axe just so slightly as she swung again.

Coming up with a new tactic wasn't her strong suit early in life, and it wasn't then and there.

Not getting mauled to death? That's pretty mch the opposite of what Dwayne was expecting. But hell, he's sure not gonna complain!

The moment the wight releases him, Dwayne rolls and scrambles to his feet as fast as he can, trying to get out of clawing range and preferably to where the barbarian is between him and the wight.

Er.... Not that he's hiding behind the angry looking woman with the axe. Heck no! Why, that wouldn't be very heroic at all, and Dwayne is obviously the very epitome of heroics! No, this is just a, uh, 'tactical retreat'.

[The Bandicoot]

Random Street

Quiz picks up a rock and crushes it into a very fine powder with one hand. When he opens his hand a slight gust of wind scatters the powder and it disappears. He then tilts his head as if daring the little girl to disagree.

[Lady Serpentine]

Graveyard

The wind seems to be picking up more than usual. Could just be strange weather. It happens. What the most likely cause, though, is the big swirling vortex hovering about ten feet in the air. Anybody nearby that can sense magical power will be picking up a lot of it from the portal.

A body falls out, hits the ground, and doesn't move. The portal closes, leaving no trace it was there. Except for the body, of course.

The body, should anybody see it and decide to take a closer look, is female. Mid to late twenties. Short, black hair with green streaks. Wearing a denim skirt, a green t-shirt, a denim hacker, and sneakers. Also has a shoulder bag. One might also see that the back of her jacket and shirt are completely destroyed.

'Anybody', in this case, is Apprentice-Pilot, an eight foot tall Kzin with gold and black striped fur; he's wearing a belt, with a strap coming up over his shoulder and across his back, from which hangs a curved shortsword and a large gun of some sort, with a beam rifle attached to the strap.

After having examined her enough to get such details - including the bit about the jacket and the shirt, which he finds odd, considering there's no damage to her flesh -, he goes to check for a pulse of some sort, unless it's quite obvious that she's dead or alive.

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Graveyard]

Her breathing should give away the fact that she's alive. But, checking for a pulse can't hurt.

If Apprentice-Pilot can detect magic, or energy, he will find that she has a lot of it in her. Some kind of dark energy. Something definitely older than her. If he can tell these things.

[Lady Serpentine]

[Graveyard]

Her breathing should give away the fact that she's alive. But, checking for a pulse can't hurt.

If Apprentice-Pilot can detect magic, or energy, he will find that she has a lot of it in her. Some kind of dark energy. Something definitely older than her. If he can tell these things.

After an earlier encounter with some sort of magical/telepathic undead hivemind, he can indeed sense energy, and what he's getting from her makes him rather wary.

However, as she's clearly injured in some way, or at least drugged, whether magically, technologically, or via a third method, the Kzin, unless it seems clear she shouldn't be moved, tries to pick her up, and carry her off to the [Crashed Fighter] in the Home thread, as that's where the vast majority of his medical supplies are.

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Graveyard]

To the Home thread the mysterious woman is taken!

[celtois]

Nexus Zoo

Nexus Zoo
Gamma Girl pulled her foot out of the portal, good as new.
"And now...it depends. Are you going to join the Justice Crew?"
She looked around.
"Are any of you going to join me?"

Lightning Lass smacks her player through the fourth wall...
Her very sick player.
And in doing so manages to knock all the deadtime ooze off of her. Handy that.

Well Lass, what will it be. You going to help this team of amateurs or go your own way. They certainly need your help, and there are villains it seems, at least two of them. Three if you count the assistant your hit with lightning.

Well?

Lightning Lass shrugs.
"I suppose I'll join you. Seems to me those portals of yours will be awful handy for spotting crime. Make sure fewer criminals get away."

She could have taken that dino, on her own if Gamma hadn't needed her elsewhere...so perhaps she wasn't entirely enthused with the prospects. Nor with how everything went in general. But they certainly needed her help.

[Morty]

There is no reply from the fugitive, no sign of her exiting over the big, tall fence, and only a slight scraping sound from somewhere behind the big wooden barrier.

With Anatolij in the driveway, near the gate, her only way out is over the fence, and at least one of the two officers would see her hop over it.

There is the house, the fence extending from the side of the house and encircling the backyard ending at the garage. The gate is beside the garage, and the driveway leads up to the garage door. Within the fence is a shed, one side of which is not visible from the two officer's vantage points and the back of the house itself is not visible to them from this view.

Dragan begins to slowly circle the fence, looking for the fugitive. He turns on his flashlight to penetrate whatever shadows might be there. Anatolij remains in place so he can start driving immediately when the suspected criminal becomes visible.

[Rebonack]

[Random Street]

A stone gets crushed!

The little girl just sticks her tongue out at the robot. "Not dead, just smaller rocks! Did you try smashing the Bogart? What did you get?"

[Generic Street]

Boy!

That Wight sure does look mad!

Probably because it really wanted to kill that poor kid to death. But now it has two people to kill to death! Killing things to death really is its favorite thing.

With a hiss it leaps at the barbarian to claw at her with its one remaining arm!

[Earl of Purple]

Yoghurt Street

There's a slight rumble of thunder four seconds before a bolt of lightning jags down from the heavens. It might just hit the floating female held by Freddy! It's unlikely to travel down the rope, but if it does the effects of the bolt are below.

If so, it won't hurt; it might tingle slightly though. It may also heal any injuries or cause those struck to float outside the area covered by the back to front storm.

[The Bandicoot]

Random Street
Kill, destroy, remove its usable qualities.space The rock is no longer usable for anything. Therefore it is destroyed or space killed. Quiz enjoys this little debate. It allows him to gain more information and see others point of view, something very important for a new AI.

[Rebonack]

[Random Street]

Y'know...

All things considered this whole debate isn't very child-like. There's something off about that kid. But it's hard to place one's finger on...

Ah well.

Weirder things have cropped up in the Nexus before.

The little girl just laaaaughs!

Laughs and laughs and laughs!

"Silly metal man! You didn't answer my question! What happened when you tried to kill the Bogart?"

[LadyOfWar]

[Yoghurt Street - Where the Rain Falls Up!]

[Yoghurt Street]

Fredrick sighs.

And against his better judgement...

A few wisps of fox fire begin to twist and twine into each other, taking on the form of a long length of rope! He'll hand one end to the as yet unnamed woman whilst hanging onto the other. "Very well. But hold on tight, m'lady."

"oooh! Yay! Rope! Look I'm a human balloon! I always wondered what the balloons in the Macy's parade felt like, hovering above the crowds, looking down at the city, floating along..." She grabs the end of the rope with one hand, then holds out the umbrella to Fredrick so he can take it back and she can hold the rope with two hands.

"You have to tell me how you just made this appear by using those blue things." It seems she is not familiar with fox-fire.

The gal opens her mouth and tries to catch a few more raindrops so that she'll float all the way to the end of the rope. Right now she is only halfway up, like a balloon the is leaking helium.

"This is sooo cool. I'm glad you're here. I always catch raindrops on my tongue, if you weren't here I'd have floated off! What is your na..."

... and suddenly she is hit by lightening!

Yoghurt Street

There's a slight rumble of thunder four seconds before a bolt of lightning jags down from the heavens. It might just hit the floating female held by Freddy! It's unlikely to travel down the rope, but if it does the effects of the bolt are below.

If so, it won't hurt; it might tingle slightly though. It may also heal any injuries or cause those struck to float outside the area covered by the back to front storm.

Her eyes go very wide in shock. For several moments she is too shocked to speak.

----------------------------------

[Dave's Free Clinic]

Dave's Free Clinic
"Nope, I just do it naturally. It comes with being the King of Hell."
"So now that we're done with your questions, you can go eat lunch. Unless, of course, you have more questions."

Westlanna just looks like this O.O

Then she chuckles uneasily. "Oh, I get it, you're joking... right?" Well, that technically qualifies as a question.

---------------------------------------------------------

[The Chase From Limit Street]

Dragan begins to slowly circle the fence, looking for the fugitive. He turns on his flashlight to penetrate whatever shadows might be there. Anatolij remains in place so he can start driving immediately when the suspected criminal becomes visible.

Well, as Dragan has not been mentioned climbing over the fence, he must be circling outside the fence. Out there he will find nothing. No sign of the fugitive.

As he circles the property he gets a view of all angles of the house etc. but as the shadows around the house, shed and garage are inside the six foot tall fence he won't really be able to shine is light all the way into those dark spots. Here and there something glints or glistens like black feathers would or looks like a couching figure, but the glints could just be reflections in windows, the glistens could be damp spots from the snowmelt during the day, the various humps and bumps could be bushes, or trash cans, or any number of ordinary things.

He will have to move closer to find her.

If she exited over that fence, they'd see her. So the pair know for sure she is somewhere in that yard.

[Rebonack]

[Yoghurt Street]

"I really have no idea what you're talking about," Freddy laughs as the woman continues to babble about whatever comes to her mind. "But it sounds like it must be quite the sight."

He's from a ye olde setting after all. No floats there. How very sad.

Freddy takes the umbrella in one hand only to allow it to dissolve into another wisp of fox-fire. That sure is tricky! And pretty useful it would seem! Now with both his hands free he can hang onto the rope better! Wouldn't want the poor lady to drift away.

At the mention of the ghostly blue wisps he smiles somewhat sheepishly. "Ha, well... That's a bit harder to explain. I would probably be easier if you were on the ground, though. So I suppose it can wait."

AND THEN LIGHTNING BOLT!

The lumberjack looking fellow is so startled that he briefly lets go of the rope! Thankfully he has the state of mind to grab it again lest the woman goes drifting away like an escaped balloon.

"Emperor's mercy! Are you alright?"

[Earl of Purple]

Yoghurt Street

When the umbrella is destroyed, all the water it held starts floating upwards.

If the lightning went through the rope and shocked Freddy as well he might also be 'suffering' from the same effects that were detailed in my last post, none of which involve pain or injury.

[Mindfreak]

Nexus Zoo
((Gonna wait on Kris))

---

Dave's Free Clinic
Dave sighed.
"Why is it whenever I bring it up, people can't get past that I'm the King of a Hell?"
He sighed again.
"My wife is half-demon, half-angel and the ruler of a Hell. She tied me into the Hell at one point so I could protect her from the forces of good trying to kill her, and since then I've been the King of that Hell."

[The Bandicoot]

Random Street

Quiz blinks at the girl and pauses, taking in the past events and the. Current scenery. Then he does something the logical part of his brain doesn't understand nor agree with. He throws the bread into the girl's face and runs. If not stopped he'll run for a few kilometers before stopping and resuming his quest for knowledge.

[LadyOfWar]

[Yoghurt Street]

She starts to giggle. "It tickles!" More giggling.

Then a sigh.

She watches as the water from the now-dissolved umbrella oozes up into the sky en-mass.

Then abruptly she shifts her attention back down to the lumber jack looking fellow holding onto the rope.

"Well, if you get sick from rain I guess we should head out where it's sunny." She says. "If they ever have a parade with balloons in it you should go see it. I think you'd have fun."

She kicks her feet, seeing if she can 'swim' through the air toward the edge of the storm.

--------------

Dave's Free Clinic

She doesn't seem at all reassured by his words. She backs away a little. "It... should be obvious..."

There is a rather awkward pause before she decides to explain, "People probably can't get past it because where I'm from the only hell that exists is a horrible place of torment and the king of it has only evil intentions. People want to avoid both."

Clearly she wants to avoid both.

[Rebonack]

[Random Street]

Quiz has escaped from the nefarious little girl.

Yay?

[Yoghurt Street]

"Oh I don't doubt I would, m'lady," Freddy replies as he watches the blob of water go tumbling off into the sky.

That said!

He'll start heading toward somewhere that isn't Yoghurt street.

That is to say, somewhere that isn't raining.

Though before pulling the woman out of the rain he'll begin reeling the rope in so she doesn't land on her face or something. "Do your best to land upright," he warns as he pulls her out of the rainy area!

[Earl of Purple]

Yoghurt Street

If the lady (who hasn't revealed her name, I think) is held up solely by the water, when she leaves Yoghurt Street she should fall back to the ground. If the lightning had anything to do with it, however, then she probably won't.

[LadyOfWar]

[Leaving Yoghurt Street]

No, the gal hasn't said her name yet. She was about to ask Fredrick his name when she got hit by the lightening.

Fredrick pulling her along and her own swimming through air are propelling her out of the rainstorm, but the lightening is definitely part of the reason she has chosen to leave.

If that is reason enough for her not to fall to the ground... then what would happen next?

[Rebonack]

[Not Yoghurt Street]

Freddy will help the young woman down as best he can once they're out of the rain. Hopefully a pair of hands and some steady legs will prevent her from face-planting on the sidewalk!

Because that would be terrible.

The burly mount-man smiles pleasantly.

"Well, I'm surprised to say that was probably the least terrible strange thing I've encountered in the Nexus to date. And I'm happy to have kept you from floating away, m'lady."

Something bad probably would have happened if she had drifted all the way up into the clouds.

Because when the storm stopped and gravity started acting properly again...

SPLAT! probably would have been the result.

[Earl of Purple]

Yoghurt Street

The upside-down rain suddenly stops, all the water in the air at the time dropping to the ground and the clouds disappearing- they weren't blown away, they just plain-old disappeared.

[LadyOfWar]

[Leaving Yoghurt Street]

The odd young woman drops from the sky, exactly like the rain now righted rain. Thankfully Fredrick had the presence of mind to plan for this, and she lands in his arms.

"Oh! You're so thoughtful," she reaches up to give him a quick peck on the cheek just to punctuate her next words: "Thank you."

"Ah, the sun is out now. Usually that takes longer."

She'll step down onto the ground as long as he lets her down.

"And now my feet are on the ground," she winks. Must be an inside joke... perhaps a hint that her head is always in the clouds.

[Rebonack]

[Not Yoghurt Street]

Freddy is about to reply to the thoughtful comment when suddenly!

A kiss!

"Wait! Don't-!"

Nope.

Too late.

The as yet unnamed woman will likely feel a rather wholly remarkable sensation as her lips touch the bearded man's cheek. Though it will fade fast and leave with a rather empty feeling. And a distinct impression that another kiss would be a great idea.

Along with that? Memory will be stolen. How much is hard to say. But they probably wouldn't be recent memories.

Freddy back-peddles away, hands raised toward the woman! "Don't touch me! Don't tempt me!"

POOF!

And the bearded man is gone!

Replaced by the wolf-sized two tailed demon-fox. "I'm so hungry right now, please don't tempt me like that!"

He... uumm... Probably just devoured some of the poor woman's memories.

[Mindfreak]

Dave's Free Clinic

She doesn't seem at all reassured by his words. She backs away a little. "It... should be obvious..."

There is a rather awkward pause before she decides to explain, "People probably can't get past it because where I'm from the only hell that exists is a horrible place of torment and the king of it has only evil intentions. People want to avoid both."

Clearly she wants to avoid both.

Dave's Free Clinic
"Wes, that's the same with this Hell, but it's more of a city filled with demons. Though...I don't know how the souls are tortured. I imagine all of the evi things they've done are brought up for them to see, until they are truly sorry for what they did."
"Truthfully, I let my wife handle the Hell stuff. I just want to help people, regardless of the cost towards myself." he said a bit morosely. He was saddened that Wes probably thought I'll of him.
"If you wanna quit, I'd understand. But you're a damn good nurse, and I'd hate to lose you."

[Lady Serpentine]

[Shadowside]

Assuming that Winguardia is at the rendezvous point, Mayhala and Ryhan are likely there as well. Though not in the normal world, at least in the case of the shadow mage.

If they are, Mayhala is watching the scene unfold from a vantage point on the roof of the Shadowside version of the house, the shadows inside the fence likely proving no impediment at all to her vision.

[LadyOfWar]

[Granola Street, one street down from Yoghurt Street]

Her eyelids flutter and her delicate fingers fly up to her lips in reaction to the odd sensation that the little kiss gave her.

By the look in her eyes, the distinct impression that a second kiss would be a simply splendid plan has taken a place at the forefront of her thoughts...

... then he turns into a huge double-tailed fox.

The desirous look in her eyes slowly fades as the numb emptiness of fading memories spreads though a corner of her mind like fire lapping over the edge of a piece of paper and charring away the writing on it.

It takes her a moment to register that he is speaking to her again. She almost reflexively repeats the first word she hears: "Hungry?" Her eyebrows knit in bewilderment. "Don't be afraid of me, I won't touch you again if you don't like it... really."

A two-tailed fox, all furry, and with blue fire... to her it is strange and beautiful and new. Her curiosity has taken her good sense captive and run away with it. "A fox... with two tails, like kitsune..."

The stolen portion of her memories clearly does not include her memory of Japanese folklore.


[Dave's Free Clinic]

Dave's Free Clinic
"Wes, that's the same with this Hell, but it's more of a city filled with demons. Though...I don't know how the souls are tortured. I imagine all of the evi things they've done are brought up for them to see, until they are truly sorry for what they did."
"Truthfully, I let my wife handle the Hell stuff. I just want to help people, regardless of the cost towards myself." he said a bit morosely. He was saddened that Wes probably thought I'll of him.
"If you wanna quit, I'd understand. But you're a damn good nurse, and I'd hate to lose you."

"Heh... damn good alright..." she can't help muttering that and laughing a little. Dave might not have realized it, but he made quite the pun there.

With her compulsion to laugh at appropriate puns out of the way, she gets back to the business at hand.

"If you want to help people, why are you associated with Hell at all, much less being .... " she has a hard time bringing herself to say these words at all, and can't say 'king' in this context, "... leader there. It isn't a helping sort of place. If you care about people, it's not where you'd be..."

She looks disturbed by this all, and she's very carefully keeping her distance from Dave.

[Rebonack]

[Granola Street]

A blue and black fox with a back covered in gnarled oak bark and fuzzy green moss. And not like a kitsune. Like a kumiho, their significant more malevolent Korean counterpart. Combined with a few other traits of the somewhat similar Scandinavian namesake huldra.

He's a regular grab-bag of folklore!

And he seems pretty uneasy, too.

"I... I'm sorry! I think I might have eaten some of your memories!" the Huldra says, sounding quite aghast at the very thought of that. "I would ask you if you can remember everything but I don't think that would do very much good."

Like asking the blind man if he likes his room's new paint job.

"I didn't mean too... I didn't know you were going to kiss me or I would have warned you sooner."

His tone suggests that he feels absolutely terrible. Like the tone someone usually takes after unintentionally hitting a bicyclist with their car.