[Nexus] Random Places and Plots 5

[Slii Arhem]

Misha's Pool

Misha isn't all that hard to please it seems, as she groans under Riss' ministrations, baring a few teeth of her own. Still she recovers in time to turn that longing into a dazzling grin, "You just made that big printing thingamajig, maybe you'll come up with something to make in it? And if you don't... just being near you is a good start, and what you do for me when you're trying to please me is... I'd better stop gushing, or I'll give you a swelled head." She finishes with a smirk, slipping one hand under the water and over a particular bit of bone.

"Sacrum..." She whispers saucily, fingers dancing over the area for a brief moment before she pulls back, leaving just one arm hanging around the muse's waist.

"Ready for a dive? I'll be right alongside you the whole way. If you need to come up for air, just tug on my hair or something, okay?" She says, as if the previous whisper and grope was nothing more than a hallucination.

[Terumitsu]

[Misha's Pool]

"Oh I don't know. A swollen head might be more buoyant and all. Would help me swim better, I think." she said with a small smile. One that grew a bit larger given that Misha seemed to be doing well in her anatomical studies. Or at least that the muse had made an impact. Probably that last one.

"So hair pulling then?" Riss asked although it sounded as if she was about to lead into something else. Mmm. Maybe better to leave it there. She'll probably be able to figure out the rest. "Alright, I'll make sure to do that. I think I have maybe...Forty or fifty minutes, though if I'm guessing the activity level, correctly." the muse said, doing some quick conversions in her head. "Alright then. I'm about as ready as I'll ever be." she said. True to her word, Riss would let Misha lead onward though if the nereid wanted to try and give a few lessons on swimming along the way, that would be quite fine as well.

[Slii Arhem]

Misha's Pool

"Right, that's a bit longer than I thought. I can probably even show you some of the tunnels." Wait, tunnels? What tunnels?

Without explaining, Misha dives, the arm around Riss' waist tightening and attempting to pull her along for the ride. The clear waters should be easy to see through thanks to her goggles, and the bottom will soon be in sight at the rate Misha cuts through the water, even burdened by her muse.

That's not to say the pool isn't deep. It's far deeper than it has a right to be, rivaling a quarry. The walls of the drop-off seem to be hewn from solid stone, unlike the crumbly round rocks in the shadows, and the floor matches it.

The lower third of the pool is covered in a network of man-sized holes, which seem to be the start of many intersecting tunnels, except for one roughly circular flat space in the center, which has a pile of random trinkets sitting in the center.

By the time they reach it, they've already gone past what most casual divers could ever hope to match. A professional diver could perhaps reach Misha's hiding place and snag all her trinkets, but anyone else would find it nearly impossible.

By now though, Misha has remembered just what is in her tunnels, and steers Riss to the pile of totems, jewels, and other vaguely pretty things that people had given her in exchange for a favor over the centuries instead.

Riss can probably note, that nothing in the pile seems to be as expensive or well made as the locket she's wearing. Most of the gems are pretty, but worthless things like pink quartz and opals, and the carved totems are simple wood, which she's weighted down underneath flat rocks so it doesn't float away.

[Terumitsu]

[Misha's Pool]

The depth would definitely be quite surprising to the muse although near the bottom she began to feel a rather persistent pressure in her ears. Still, it was quite nice at this depth even though things were notably a bit darker. It was calm... And highly reminiscent of what she used to do. Despite being 'worthless' crystal formations, Riss would be most interested in the quartz and the like, moving to inspect them first before looking at the rest of Misha's collection. It had always been interesting to find these kinds of formations although she never really had found the time to try and uncover them. Usually they were too deep to be removed in a timely manner. Still, Misha might notice that Riss' expression was that of remembering something fondly or at least similar to something like that. The totems would be given a short look but they were mostly curiosities to the muse.

Still, her surroundings felt.. Familiar somehow. The structure was nostalgic in a way, at least. It wasn't a pleasant sort of nostalgia but, at the same time, it wasn't necessarily bad either. Perhaps it was due to the lack of being on a schedule that she was able to appreciate it more. With a gesture toward a nearby tunnel, the muse tried to ask if they could go down it next. It seemed that it would be interesting to explore, at least.

[Slii Arhem]

Misha's Pool

The nereid considers it... well, not all of the tunnels lead to piles of nasty old skeletons. Now, if only she knew which ones did, and which didn't. It's been a long time, and a few hibernations since she had to check down here, and "useless" information like where she hid the bodies of all those jerks she drowned tended to be the first thing she forgot.

But something is coming to her, and she points at a different tunnel, that she knows is clear of anything particularly gruesome, mostly because she remembers wanting to keep it clear so she could go look at what's down there.

She'll use her purchase on Riss' torso to pull her towards the entrance. It's even darker closed off from the dim sunlight that filters down this deep, but the tunnel is short, and doesn't intersect with any others.

But this one is special, as it's pretty much the only one with any of the shiny metal left. Misha tries to grasp Riss' hand and run it over veins she knows by heart. The metal is a pale silver in colour, but its surface seems oily... waves and ripples of colour sliding over it only when it's viewed out of the corner of your eye.

And smack dab in the center of the abandoned tunnel is a massive lump of the stuff, curled around a gem that could be the size of a fist or larger. It's hard to tell, with the majority of it buried in the raw ore. Misha had discovered this herself, and wore away at the wall around it until her most secret of treasures was fully revealed, sticking out from the rest of the cave like a massive, bulging eye. The gem is deep green, with veins of blue radiating out from the center. Even with the goggles, it's only barely visible under the near total darkness of the tunnel.

[Terumitsu]

[Misha's Pool]

Metal veins. That was a sure-fire way to grab the muse's attention. It was rather detrimental that she wasn't able to say anything as Riss would have otherwise begun talking about how it was this sort of thing that, in a round about way, introduced her to the study of physics and mechanical sciences. Still, it was only a moment after she saw the material that she began trying to identify it. True, it wasn't something she had to do any longer but some things tend to stick when it was one's only occupation for literally half one's life.

The gemstone, though, would be quite the capstone to this visit. Riss wasn't interested in it's worth so much as it's composition. But, for a while, she let her cerebral pursuits sit where they were as she admired the 'treasure.' It certainly was a fitting description. Wrapping her arms back around Misha, the muse smiled in the darkness and tried to place a quick kiss on the nereid's nose before turning back to the wall of ore, a small stream of bubbles escaping her as she did so.

[Slii Arhem]

Misha's Pool

The nereid giggles, her lungs used to making sound underwater. Of course, it isn't much use for talking, so she doesn't even attempt to speak. The metal is nearly unidentifiable if Riss is merely used to the standard elements, being a vein of orihalcum, a metal that was so overmined in years gone by that it is almost impossible to find by normal means. On top of its apparently self-lubricating surface and non-rusting, non-magnetic composition, the material has similar properties to wootz steel, in that it can bond to other metals on an atomic level with surprising ease.

The gem, however, is far more easily identified as ordinary berryl, although the veins are something else, possibly intersecting minerals of a different sort.

Misha waits for a while so that Riss can study it as she pleases, then reaches out to tap her on the shoulder and get her attention. Once she has it, she'll point upwards to the surface with a thumb, and a questioning look on her face.

[Terumitsu]

[Misha's Pool]

A strange ore would definitely be worth the visit to Misha's pool all on it's own. But at this point it was... Um.. Is there an analogy or something for this? Something that's good on top of something already good... Not surprising I can't think of one, though... Riss tried to motion a question of if she could take a small sample but it would likely be a bit difficult considering the lack of verbal communication. The laugh did increase the pressure in her ears though, causing her to wince just a bit.

Still once Misha 'asked' if she needed to return to the surface, Riss returned with a small shrug and a shake of her head. She hadn't been as active as she thought and it hadn't been all that long yet, had it? She was good for at least twenty more minutes if Misha wanted to continue showing her around. She was certainly interested enough in the visit so far.

[Zefir]

Necanth Prison- Pipe

Technically, the mushroom wasn't a plant. Despite the fact that at least until 3.5, fungi were 'plants' as far as monsters are concerned.

Regardless, Zefir can make the end of the rope easily and (relatively) quickly. At the bottom of the pipe, Zefir will find a large chamber made of stone blocks. The flowing water from down the pipe ends up in a large, central pool. There's a ruthenium portcullis leading away from the chamber, though Zefir may be inclined to investigate the shelf covered in cardboard boxes against one of the walls. The chamber is lit by several floating orbs of blood-red light.

Necanth Prison- Pipe

Well it's never a bad idea to look after the informations stored. It can give you a good advantage against others. maybe he can get a full map. So he heads for the shelf still watching out since there still can be an enemy. Or just someone defending his informations. He also tries to make out traps before. Time isn't really a thing he couldn't waste here since ...well noone get's older.

[Earl of Purple]

Necanth Prison- Pipe

It would appear that nobody has found this particular chamber. One of the boxes contains tins of preserved fruit. Another is filled with ripe oranges. A third has cans of spam. A fourth has bottled water, and a fifth box has bars of chocolate. About one third of the boxes contain food or drink, a third contain pistol rounds, shotgun shells, assault rifle magazines, and other ammunition and the remaining third are filled with coins, notes, and gemstones.

[Slii Arhem]

[Misha's Pool]

A strange ore would definitely be worth the visit to Misha's pool all on it's own. But at this point it was... Um.. Is there an analogy or something for this? Something that's good on top of something already good... Not surprising I can't think of one, though... Riss tried to motion a question of if she could take a small sample but it would likely be a bit difficult considering the lack of verbal communication. The laugh did increase the pressure in her ears though, causing her to wince just a bit.

Still once Misha 'asked' if she needed to return to the surface, Riss returned with a small shrug and a shake of her head. She hadn't been as active as she thought and it hadn't been all that long yet, had it? She was good for at least twenty more minutes if Misha wanted to continue showing her around. She was certainly interested enough in the visit so far.

Misha's Pool

Misha shakes her head, and points up again, then indicates she wants to say something by putting her hands next to her mouth. They can always dive again if Riss wants to see more later.

Assuming she understands, Misha will begin to haul her up to the surface, first making a loop around the bottom just for fun. There isn't much evidence of the oily looking metal anywhere else in the pool. Whoever was responsible for digging this deep so long ago must have found nearly every seam before being forced to abandon it.

[The Bushranger]

Misha's Pool

And it's about this time that the occupants of the pool might hear the sounds of somebody approaching.

Specifically, that somebody sounds like they're skipping - literally - in the pool's direction.

While humming.

Very cheerfully.

...then the humming and skipping stops, followed by a quiet shuffling somewhere near the pool's bank.

[orb_of_blood]

Beren's Hold

Ow! Akoraun's head cracks backward. You're the one who's about to cry. Akoraun looks fiery. Please stop. We really need to think.

"I am thinking! But you'll slip away again if you can't keep your head clear!" She pouts and curls up into a tight ball. "How're you gonna escape, Akoraun? Beren'll just make you walk back of your own accord."

[Dark Elf Bard]

Maybe we can clonk him on the head? He can't use magic if he's asleep. That's what dad said.

[Terumitsu]

[Misha's Pool]

Ah. I suppose it would be easier to communicate where we're actually able to converse... Brings up an interesting question, though. If this is possibly what a 'normal' environment is for her, then how did she learn to speak and understand a language utilizing different fluids? She probably won't remember but I should probably ask at some point. Riss would be lead on as the nereid wished, taking in the short 'tour' around the bottom before moving on to the surface. At the very least, her ears wouldn't feel the pressure anymore although there was a mild ringing in them for the time being. It should fade soon enough although the feeling of water still being stuck in them was a bit annoying. She did somewhat miss the feeling of her hair fanning out around her rather than being weighed down as it was now, though.

Still, even though it was quite amazing to see the world under water, being able to take a breath of fresh air again was definitely a relief. Given how long she could go between breaths, it was sometimes hard to tell just how stale the air was getting. At least the first gasp would likely be audible to the interloper, though. "Yes?" she asked Misha as she moved her goggles up to her forehead.

[NexusNet - The Future]

A somewhat short composition had been quickly crafted and sent to Sora once Riss had found herself with a bit of time that hadn't been reserved for something else.

Greetings again. I have some open time to myself and I believe that I should be upholding my end of our agreement. Unfortunately, I'm rather indecisive in locating a place to meet so perhaps if you knew of an area that would be serviceable then I could meet you there. Or even the location you might now be if it would not be too much of an issue. the message said. Apparently Sora's anonymous friend had done some research into the general location of things recently.

[Halae]

[NexNet - The Future]

It'll be a moment before Riss receives a response, but not very long, Absolutely! I'm in a coffee shop in Inside at the moment called 'Deep Down Coffee'. Weird lobster thing runs the place, but he's nice and the atmosphere is good. Moderately private too, so no worries about people listening in on your conversations. It's at [Insert Adress Here] if you want to come down, or we can go somewhere else if you like.

[orb_of_blood]

[Beren's Hold]

She stares at him for a few moments as though his brains leaking out his ears. "I don't even no where to begin correcting that..."

Taking a deep breath, she tries to tackle the many major problems of it anyways. "If we ever manage to get out of this cage, and if we can sneak past the guards, and if Beren doesn't shove us back in immediately, and if we can find him in this maze, and if he's actually asleep, and if he's sleeping without guards outside his door, and if we can swing hard enough to knock him out on the first try, and if we can then find my father, and if-" yes, it goes on, "- we can then get out of the Hold, and if we aren't eaten by monsters on the way, and if we find some way to clear beren from my brother's mind... than how do you even propose to get us off of Laira?"

And... yes, that's it.

Boy, she's a pretty cynical werewolf, isn't she? But then again, having such a disease isn't likely to make one particularly happy. Especially when someone's harvesting your blood because of it.

[Dark Elf Bard]

He shrugs. Do you have a better idea?

[Terumitsu]

[NexNet - The Future]

A pause long enough for a quick search to locate the shop in question would be all that would delay the next incoming message. I see. Well, I will be bringing along another with me as I mentioned earlier so please excuse me for any troubles I might cause because of this. Still, it will be interesting to get out and see the more urban areas given that I've mostly been around the agrarian settings. Might even be a bit more comfortable... Assuming I don't bump into anyone at least.

With the message, there was a small file in which would indicate a sort of approximation of how long it would be until the muse arrived. Though Sora likely wouldn't know it, the somewhat jarring update of the time indicated was simply based upon calculations of how long at Riss' current pace it would take to reach the coffee shop. At the very least, it would tell when she was close.

[Slii Arhem]

[Misha's Pool]

Ah. I suppose it would be easier to communicate where we're actually able to converse... Brings up an interesting question, though. If this is possibly what a 'normal' environment is for her, then how did she learn to speak and understand a language utilizing different fluids? She probably won't remember but I should probably ask at some point. Riss would be lead on as the nereid wished, taking in the short 'tour' around the bottom before moving on to the surface. At the very least, her ears wouldn't feel the pressure anymore although there was a mild ringing in them for the time being. It should fade soon enough although the feeling of water still being stuck in them was a bit annoying. She did somewhat miss the feeling of her hair fanning out around her rather than being weighed down as it was now, though.

Still, even though it was quite amazing to see the world under water, being able to take a breath of fresh air again was definitely a relief. Given how long she could go between breaths, it was sometimes hard to tell just how stale the air was getting. At least the first gasp would likely be audible to the interloper, though. "Yes?" she asked Misha as she moved her goggles up to her forehead.

Misha's Pool

Misha looks vaguely embarrassed as she trails a finger through the water while they float in the middle of the pool. Whoever was approaching would be hard pressed not to see them, but Misha has her head down, and hasn't noticed the other presence.

Which could change in an instant if they put even a toe into the water, but that's a worry for later.

"Well, I just remembered that not everything in those tunnels is... really all that pleasant to look at. I didn't want to take you down the wrong one by mistake and show you something nasty." Like a pile of gruesomely arranged (mostly male) skeletons. That would pretty much kill the tone of this little escapade, so Misha avoids mentioning it directly.

[The Bushranger]

Misha's Pool

And indeed, seen they are, leading to a quiet gasp from the interloper!
"Oh! Um hi sorry I didn't know you were here I can go and come back later if you want!" the very short, skinny yet somehow curvy and extremely cute redhead standing by the pool exclaims.

All in one breath.

...she doesn't bother covering up, either.

[Terumitsu]

[Misha's Pool]

"Oh.." the muse said, a note of confusion and curiosity in her tone. Wait.. Hold on.. She told me before that she used to drown the more bothersome of people so.. Well, I guess that makes sense, actually, as it would be easier to just store them someplace else rather than have them sitting around outside where they could be discovered. "I understand... Though maybe at some point I could help you clean up?" Riss asked, trying to make light of her guess.

"But whatever it is that might be down theeeEEE!" Riss tried to keep her voice down as she was still close to the nereid but being surprised like that when she had been expecting to be the only other person in the area was bound to have some effects. If it weren't for her being a weak swimmer, Riss would have likely tried to hide behind Misha as well as she was able. Right now, though, she was holding on so as to not go under.

[Slii Arhem]

Misha's Pool

Oh freaking damnit. Now look what's happened. Someone's come by her pool, scared Riss and...

Damnit. Old instincts are starting to kick in when they shouldn't. She really, really shouldn't blame the curvy, nude, scrumptious looking redhead for spooking her thin, wispy, luscious little redhead, but she's definitely feeling that overprotective urge bubbling up to the surface, and it's only worse because of her proximity to her own pool, which she is also compelled to defend.

She can't take this and not act on it somehow. Turning around in the water, she tries to pull Riss back over to the far shore, on the other side of the pool from Dani, so she can stand in the shallows on her own.

Then she whispers a bit, "Can you talk to her? I need to... I just need to cool my head before I do something stupid. Try to make sure she doesn't steal anything. I'll be right here if you really need me, or if anything happens to you." Her voice sounds somewhat strained, but she leans in for a chaste kiss... that she moves at the last second to be on the cheek, a blast of mist cut short rather than flowing into Riss' lungs.

Then her form dissolves, leaving Riss and Dani "alone" without explaining anything to the curvy Angelican.

[The Bushranger]

[Misha's Pool]

Dani looks on with a worried expression, biting her lip.
And watches both the vanishing fey and the nervous Riss with both interest, and concern!

But says noting.

For the one and likely only time in her life.

[Terumitsu]

[Misha's Pool]

To have someone solid slowly become insubstantial in one's grasp was.. A very curious sensation. And more than a bit distressing in a way. "I-I-I.. Okay. I think so" the muse stammered as she tried to give a quick hug, partially for her sake given that Misha was disappearing.

Once the nereid had faded away entirely, Riss began slowly backing up in the shallows until she was able to sit down with her knees curled up to her chest with only her head still being above water. It was a bit warmer there but also it was easier to cover herself up. ...Really, why is it that everyone else here seems to be more confidant than I am? I mean.. I guess not much has changed in this case but still.. Am I just too self-conscious or something? Clearing her throat. Riss attempted to say hello but the words died on her tongue. As usual..

[The Bushranger]

[Misha's Pool]

And so it's left to Dani to break the ice. Giving a small, almost shy wave to the clearly painfully shy girl in the pool.
"Hi there. I'm Dani - Danielle Goswell. What's your name?" she chirps, endearingly adorably.

[Shadowcaller]

[Mountainside]

Within a hollowed out mountain lies the appropriately named city of Mountainside, home to dwarves for generations. The great city have been shielded from the outside world not only by the mountain walls but also by the haunted forest outside the gates. This have cause few of the nexus inhabitants to come to this city, leaving the dwarves unscathed by the usual nexus madness. Or so they thought.
Something have infiltrated their city, spying upon their habits, their lives and most importantly, their defenses.

So as the majority of the population is asleep, blissfully unaware of what is about to happen, a number of portals open up just above the mountain and after about ten minutes all hell breaks loose.

The mountain ceiling suddenly cracks as a gigantic ball of fire breaks through, taking a lot of the collapsed roof with it. After a moment five other projectiles shatter the mountain sky resting above the dwarves head, coming down like comets over the unsuspecting city.

The impacts are devastating, one landing in the palace, one in the mine and the others in other important locations within the city, causing city wide destruction along with the rain of stones which follows shortly after.

((God-mode accepted. Anyone is allowed to join this scene but keep in mind that low power levels are preferable and that the PC's aren't likely to be able to defend the city from the attack. Doesn't mean they can't make a change though.))

[Terumitsu]

[Misha's Pool]

And so it's left to Dani to break the ice. Giving a small, almost shy wave to the clearly painfully shy girl in the pool.
"Hi there. I'm Dani - Danielle Goswell. What's your name?" she chirps, endearingly adorably.

[Misha's Pool]

Endearing and adorable were highly objective terms. Depending on the situation, one might label such things as bothersome or annoying. Still, to Riss, it was neither of those so much as it was an intrusion although it would take her a bit of time to come to that conclusion. In the meantime, she offered a small wave in greeting while firmly focusing on Dani's feet. And here I thought I had been doing well. Apparently not given that I have to work up to actually do anything now. I can't take these 'surprises' well at all, can I?

Nibbling on the inside of her lip as a sort of distraction, Riss would mumble something but the distance involved would likely render her words incomprehensible. Dani might be able to read her lips, though but the distance might garble things there as well. If she did, at the very least the name 'Clarissa' might be picked out clearly.

[The Bushranger]

[Misha's Pool]

Dani is, thankfully, good at lip reading.
And so she smiles, and looks around a bit...
"Clarissa? That's a pretty name! Um, if you want I can head off and come back later if I'm interrupting anything - it's cool, really! I just wasn't excpecting anyone to be here, never met anyone before here so..."
She trails off, the sun glinting off the silver crescent on the chain around her neck.

[Terumitsu]

[Misha's Pool]

That.. That would be preferable, really. But.. Hold on. Is it okay for me to say that? I mean, just because I don't want something is that grounds enough or.. Still, does she come here often and might that make me the intruder? Misha didn't appear to know her but that might just mean that she wasn't cognizant of when this person had been here...

In any case, what do I do now? I don't think I can just tell her to leave? Or can I? It's.. It's probably not my place but still.. Dani would be getting no answers out of Riss for the time being, seeing that she had nearly retreated entirely into her own mind. The muse did seem to shift rather uncomfortably at the idea of having to force Dani to leave, though, so perhaps the spunky girl wouldn't have to leave just yet.