[Changeling] A Gathering of Mists IC

[Anarion]

Rose's body obeys. She holds, and waits for the exquisite touch of steel on skin...

Alas, it was merely the touch of steel on steel. The knife struck Rose at an angle on the chestplate and bounced off harmlessly. Not even a scratch.

Having shouldered forward, Rose had an opportunity to act, as did Stephanie.

[Thanqol]

As Rose steps fully into the darkness, she hears the whistling of a knife. It came from behind and to the left of the chalice.

Does Rose dodge, or continue forward, prepared to take the knife hit?

For Stephanie only

Spoiler

Show

Rose has badly misheard the direction of the throw (I rolled a dramatic failure on her listen check). The circling has McBatterson behind and to the right of the chalice and some distance back, not at all where Kalina heard. Stephanie may notice this if Kalina starts moving the wrong way.

A line blurred red in Stephanie's mind.

The knife was in her hands.

She moved up and around, seeking a back, seeking a target.

[Can I get another Stealth roll while Batsy is distracted? She'll still be taking the penalty from Night's Subtle Distractions. If it's irrelevant I'll just take the attack.]

[Anarion]

A line blurred red in Stephanie's mind.

The knife was in her hands.

She moved up and around, seeking a back, seeking a target.

[Can I get another Stealth roll while Batsy is distracted? She'll still be taking the penalty from Night's Subtle Distractions. If it's irrelevant I'll just take the attack.]

[This would be a stealth roll to get a surprise attack and reduce Bat's defense to zero for your attack, right? You can take that. She has a bat's senses, so she isn't suffering environmental penalties due to darkness right now, but you're free to make the roll.]

[Thanqol]

[This would be a stealth roll to get a surprise attack and reduce Bat's defense to zero for your attack, right? You can take that. She has a bat's senses, so she isn't suffering environmental penalties due to darkness right now, but you're free to make the roll.]

[NSD has a minimum -1 penalty, remember.

7 - 3 - 8 - 8 - 2 - 7 - 8 - 1 - 6 (Avg: 5.55555555556)

3SX]

[Anarion]

[
3SX]

Stephanie flows like water from the ceiling to the ground, racing forward, knife plunging into the unsuspecting bat.
[roll damage, defense=0. Her jumpsuit is kevlar though, so she has 1 armor against melee.]

[Thanqol]

Stephanie flows like water from the ceiling to the ground, racing forward, knife plunging into the unsuspecting bat.
[roll damage, defense=0. Her jumpsuit is kevlar though, so she has 1 armor against melee.]

The knife left her hand, with a whisper of goodbyes.

[Thrown attack, 10-1 = 9

9 - 3 - 2 - 6 - 1 - 8 - 5 - 8 - 1 (Avg: 5.0)

3L. I am now disarmed.]

[Anarion]

The knife left her hand, with a whisper of goodbyes.

[Thrown attack, 10-1 = 9

9 - 3 - 2 - 6 - 1 - 8 - 5 - 8 - 1 (Avg: 5.0)

3L. I am now disarmed.]

The knife strikes Batgirl in the back, near her arm pit. She flinches, her whole body shudders, and she turns on Stephanie menacingly, but keeps quiet through it all.

[PhoeKun]

Rose frowns as the knife plinks off of her hardened skin. Useless. But, the velocity was startling, triggering an almost reflexive halo of light around her body. It didn't illuminate anything, not well enough to see more than another inch in front of her, but the metallic sheen of her skin promised the sort of protection that cold steel offers a body.

This is her chance. Aim high. Don't aim for something, just find her. She whirls the chain in a huge circle above her head, steps, pivots, and unleashes in a new surge of glamour-enhanced movement, listening to the dull thrum of the metal in the air and hoping to make contact. She'd put everything into this gambit - if she didn't locate the batgirl, she'd probably die in the next few seconds.


[Rose activates her Stonebones kith as well as her Might of the Terrible Brute contract, result: 10 - 4 - 9 - 1 - 10. Ten again results: 2, 8. The attack is made at +4 strength.

Attack, semicircle sweep: 2 - 10 - 2 - 1 - 8 - 2 - 5 - 10. Ten Again: 4, 1.

3 damage]

[SiuiS]

As Charlotte enters the cave proper and approaches the bear, it gives a deep, menacing growl at the stranger approaching it.

"Good day sir Bruin. I was sat outside this cave, sir, and have moved nary an inch for my wounds. But I hear my friend the good lady hound owes you a debt, oui? I would be happy to begin living up to her end, as she made good the deal but was in haste. If you would allow such a petit burnt morsel as I to help, of course."

[Anarion]

[Waiting on chainy death to see some reactions to my OOC post]

"Good day sir Bruin. I was sat outside this cave, sir, and have moved nary an inch for my wounds. But I hear my friend the good lady hound owes you a debt, oui? I would be happy to begin living up to her end, as she made good the deal but was in haste. If you would allow such a petit burnt morsel as I to help, of course."

"Hrrmmph" says the bear, shifting as it lies there. "You may try. If your services are lacking compared to the dream girl, it won't count. And if you do anything suspicious, I shall eat you." With that, it closes it eyes and relaxes again.

[Raz_Fox]

Now, Marchande isn't too comfortable in the wild, especially in such a mad place as Wonderland, where roles are imposed on one based upon what Fate thinks might make for a good story. But her feet are light and her movements are smoothly confident, and in the depths of the cave the only parts of her that can be seen by the naked eye are her eyes and the flash of her teeth, and that only if one is careful. Her fur is ruddy-dark and her coat is night.

The practical result of these facts is that one moment, Charlotte is scritching at the bear's ears, and at the next, Marchande is clearing her throat in the way that people do only when their throats are not actually itching and their teeth are grit. She looms above Charlotte like doom, embarrassed and angry and relieved and disappointed all in once.

"I suppose it was too much to hope that you'd learned a lesson about danger," she says coldly, looking down at the charred doll, trying very hard to see her humanity. It's hard. "Then again, if you're not dead, it clearly means you're immortal, so why worry?" Marchande's sarcasm is bitter and sharp.

Even so, she kneels and brings the flower to Charlotte's lips, brushing her lips with the petals. "Drink," she says, and it's a command. "Every drop." Because every drop is usually how these things work, the bear himself said so, and if she doesn't drink it all her burns might not fade away.

[SiuiS]

Charlotte dutifully follows Marchande's command, taking the flower.

[Anarion]

Kalina's chain cleaves through the darkness, but it strikes only air. Her ears had fooled her. The bat woman wasn't this close, she had shifted position for the throw and was somewhere further back, out of reach of the chain.

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

The bear murmurs some minor ascent during the scratching and rubbing. Charlotte's hands are delicate and it seems to enjoying itself, though it mostly seems not to notice much.

As she stops and takes the nectar, however, she feels a cool sensation run through her body. It starts in the stomach, but it spreads upwards and outwards. Like releasing a deep breath she hadn't known she was holding. As she does so, the worst burns on her hands and face begin to close up and new skin grows in its place.

[Charlotte heals 1L for drinking a flower, as per standard. Marchande has 2 at the moment, and though Raz never asked, I'll tell you that the back of the cave had 4 full blooms in it, the rest were not ready.]

[Thanqol]

Kalina's chain cleaves through the darkness, but it strikes only air. Her ears had fooled her. The bat woman wasn't this close, she had shifted position for the throw and was somewhere further back, out of reach of the chain.

Stephanie saw this and her mind sparked.

"Rose! Forty degrees left, two steps forwards!" shouted Stephanie, and focused on blocking Batsy from moving out of the arc.

[Full defense, acting as spotter for Rose]

[Anarion]

Stephanie saw this and her mind sparked.

"Rose! Forty degrees left, two steps forwards!" shouted Stephanie, and focused on blocking Batsy from moving out of the arc.

[Full defense, acting as spotter for Rose]

The bat girl looks from Rose to Stephanie, and let's out a frustrated sounding echolocation shriek that fully gives her location away to Rose.

Then she backs off, slipping back and to the left, sliding herself behind a small pile of boxes that are left of the line between door and chalice. Stephanie can follow her no problem, though can't see her behind the boxes at this exact moment.

[Thanqol]

The bat girl looks from Rose to Stephanie, and let's out a frustrated sounding echolocation shriek that fully gives her location away to Rose.

Then she backs off, slipping back and to the left, sliding herself behind a small pile of boxes that are left of the line between door and chalice. Stephanie can follow her no problem, though can't see her behind the boxes at this exact moment.

"Ninety degrees right, keep forwards," said Stephanie, trying to keep pace with the bat. Rose just needed to get one good hit in.

[PhoeKun]

"Ninety degrees right, keep forwards," said Stephanie, trying to keep pace with the bat. Rose just needed to get one good hit in.

Rose exhales deeply. That was a huge mistake to make, and she'd somehow come through it without so much as a blemish. Close. Too close. She has to beat the darkness now, or else. She calls on the last vestiges of her faerie strength.

But the darkness always wins...

And suddenly there are no new reserves of power to tap into. Rose has nothing left to give. But Stephanie is giving directions, and that gives Kalina hope. It's all her own strength, then. She springs forward, just as directed, chain rattling behind her. She lifts her right arm and swings forward, stepping into the motion like a baseball pitcher and whipping the hardened steel links up over her head to crash down brutally through the bat's hiding spot, boxes and all. She screams and wrenches her body upright, scattering obstacles left and right.

[Might of the Terrible Brute: 7 - 3 - 7 - 2 - 5. Failure.

Unaugmented Attack: 2 - 7 - 8 - 10. Ten Again: 10 Ten Again: 8. 4 damage, and my apologies to the families of all these aggrieved boxes.]

[Anarion]

Rose exhales deeply. That was a huge mistake to make, and she'd somehow come through it without so much as a blemish. Close. Too close. She has to beat the darkness now, or else. She calls on the last vestiges of her faerie strength.

But the darkness always wins...

And suddenly there are no new reserves of power to tap into. Rose has nothing left to give. But Stephanie is giving directions, and that gives Kalina hope. It's all her own strength, then. She springs forward, just as directed, chain rattling behind her. She lifts her right arm and swings forward, stepping into the motion like a baseball pitcher and whipping the hardened steel links up over her head to crash down brutally through the bat's hiding spot, boxes and all. She screams and wrenches her body upright, scattering obstacles left and right.

[Might of the Terrible Brute: 7 - 3 - 7 - 2 - 5. Failure.

Unaugmented Attack: 2 - 7 - 8 - 10. Ten Again: 10 Ten Again: 8. 4 damage, and my apologies to the families of all these aggrieved boxes.]

The chain whips out. It looks like it's about to hit, but at the last moment, Batty McBatbat jumps back, twisting her head backwards and sliding underneath the strike. She looks surprised and more than a little nervous as she settles back into her defensive stance, on the balls of her feet and ready to move.

[In game terms, she was dodging that round, her defense was doubled from 3 to 6, so only your first die counted.]

[Thanqol]

Ah, she was on the back foot. Stephanie took the opportunity to draw her lighter and unscrew the cap. The next step was to douse the bat in oil and prise her out of the darkness.

She continued to verbally direct Rose as she did this.

[Draw weapon: Lighter]

[SiuiS]

Charlotte savors the chill of her belly for a moment, ceasing sir Bruin's earnings to use both hands, setting down the used flower and accepting the second. She dips fingertips lightly in the nectar before drinking the few from her fingertips, and following up with the rest of the flower's supply.

The glacial tonic feel of it is exhilarating, and even as it forms ice in her core she shivers appreciatively, feelin it spread. The fire's grasp that was once a choking, strangling cling opens up into a fierce hold, then a friendly arm slung across until finally the cracks in the coal-black tile of her face glow orange and deep. For a moment Charlotte looks to be a broken thing of ceramic an heat, blackened, glowing and cinematic. With a soft sigh of sweetness and release, the heat depend to a red and and cool puff of steam leaves her bared skin with the subtle feel of fingers left just barely in contact.

The skin of her finger, raw and bleeding before from dragging them through ursine hair, now sit tingly and whole, if blackened still around the nail, and angry and red-yellow as the sun's colors vie with her normal, moonlit complexion. And Marchande is standing, scowling, waiting. Waiting? She did speak, so perhaps...

"Danger is a lesson learned, Madame, but handled not in props and settings but in script rewrites and backstage editing. When to act is a danger and to stay your hand a danger, then one must dance as well they're able, non? Though I fear perhaps I've too light a touch to pay your debt to sir Bruin, whose ears still need attention."

charlotte begins to tend the bear's ears again, but from a kneel, now, listening to his soft noises and shifts of body, putting her admittedly lacking weight into the work.

Her eyes are far away, her voice breathless, wistful. "Oh, did you see her Marchande? The fire? This place, it takes the mind and plays. Almost like... There. From hence we came. I don't know I you saw her, Marchande, but I hope so. Life is not the same without such beauty."

[Anarion]

Ah, she was on the back foot. Stephanie took the opportunity to draw her lighter and unscrew the cap. The next step was to douse the bat in oil and prise her out of the darkness.

She continued to verbally direct Rose as she did this.

[Draw weapon: Lighter]

The rich, sweet smell of chocolate fills the air. The boxes that Rose's chain ripped through contained a bulk candy delivery, and the remains of the treats are scattered all over the floor. Her cover annihilated with not so much as a how do you do, Batty gives another loud screech. And notices the lighter in Stephanie's hands.

With some desperation, she slides backwards again. This time, however, something different happens. The darkness in the room seems to betray Stephanie, shadows that she cannot see through congeal themselves around Batty as she slides along the room's left wall and spread out in the area like deep, inky smoke. The sound of her footsteps, already faint, dims to almost nothing.

Stephanie knows the general area where she could have moved, but has lost track of her.

[She rolled 3 successes on her contract-enhanced stealth roll. I rolled the opposed roll already, but if you want to spend your turn actively scanning for her, you can roll wits+composure again.]

[Raz_Fox]

There is a wonder in the cave, and that wonder is the fruit of goblin men. No, that's not quite right- the wonder is in action and intent. If they had remained there for a year and a day, soft and delicate and untouched, they would be curious. But because they had been plucked and given, they were wonderful; because they were relieving pain and closing wounds and bringing relief, they were wonderful.

Not that their existence made Faerie worth it, of course.

The slight smile - look at what I have done, me, Marchande! The raised eyebrow - a little seed of wonder at seeing Charlotte's flesh steam-cleaned, a little lilt of joy as she exhales. The smile vanishes completely and the eyebrow lowers as Charlotte speaks about justifications and the beauty of the fire. Marchande finally sighs, crossing behind the bear, idly scritching behind its ear.

"That's not..." She stops. Collects herself. Tries to think about how Charlotte would understand things. "The fire could have killed you. I took a calculated risk, trying to appease it without being burned. Because fires will burn you, that's what fires do, whether they're here or in the real world. And you didn't care about the burning, you just thought it was pretty and wanted to dance with it." And you got away with it, she adds to herself, and that galls her. If Marchande had done something as foolish, would Charlotte have done anything? "I approached this lovely bear, not sure whether it would hurt me or listen to me, only because I had no other choice if I was to help you. And even then, I approached him through dreams, and I didn't make assumptions about him being helpful. You? You just came up and started trying to scritch him, not knowing if I'd made some kind of deal just with him. If he'd been like Them, you'd have roused his ire and that'd have been the end of you, snap!"

Her thumb runs slightly-rough circles in the bear's fur, long nails gently digging at his thick flesh. The ungrateful child sits on the other side, eyes empty of understanding. How is it that people like Charlotte get to take all the stupid chances they want, and skip away from the consequences fecklessly while people like Marchande have to pick up the pieces? No, Marchande doesn't even get that - for all her tricks with hedge-pricks and dream-walking and her dance around the fire, all she'd done was heal superficial burns. "The difference between us, Charlotte, is that I understand stories, and I know that this place likes stories. But stories, in the end, are tricks. I can think my way through a story without believing that's the way the world really works, and I know not to assume I know what a story is before I've thought it through. You think that the whole world works like a story! You think doors talk and fire just wants to dance with you, and you don't think about the consequences." This last bitterest of all. Charlotte never gets consequences. Marchande's too busy piling them all on her shoulders, enabling her to dance blithely around with fire without worrying about the burns.

[PhoeKun]

Rose can smell the fear building in her opponent. The chance to turn the tide of the fight once and for all was at hand. This much is clear: a fighter like Batsy would not consciously place a glowing chalice in her chosen battlefield unless it was important. Not after so carefully sabotaging the lights. Almost certainly, then, that would be her precious "node".

Kalina draws her chain to her and starts to walk forward. She spins the chain in slow circles in front of her, keeping on the balls of her feet to pivot as she walks. The attack could come from any direction, but to Kalina, there is only one target.

Get to the chalice. Get to the light.

[Thanqol]

Stephanie scoffed. Amateur.

[Wits+Composure: 6

10 - 5 - 10 - 10 - 8 - 2 (Avg: 7.5)
2 - 10 - 9
5

these frickin' dice, man. Six.]

She didn't let Batsy know she was onto her, but started moving stealthily in return, seeking to get into a location where she could splash her with the oil.

[Anarion]

This last bitterest of all. Charlotte never gets consequences. Marchande's too busy piling them all on her shoulders, enabling her to dance blithely around with fire without worrying about the burns.

The bear groans happily at Marchande's scratching, which has a bit more strength and vigor to it than Charlotte's weakened hands.

It eyes Marchande with amusement as she gives her little speech, still enjoying the scratching. But when she's done talking, the bear says "you shouldn't be so surprised. It is the nature of a dog to go and fetch things for others. As it is the nature of dolls to play at being human, and the nature of bears to hibernate in caves."

Kalina draws her chain to her and starts to walk forward. She spins the chain in slow circles in front of her, keeping on the balls of her feet to pivot as she walks. The attack could come from any direction, but to Kalina, there is only one target.

Get to the chalice. Get to the light.

It wasn't far. Rose hadn't gone much past it when trying to hit the boxes. She backed off carefully and there she was, fully illuminated in the small circle of light. The deep black wood of the chalice seeming to absorb the glow emanating from it.

Stephanie scoffed. Amateur.

[Wits+Composure: 6

10 - 5 - 10 - 10 - 8 - 2 (Avg: 7.5)
2 - 10 - 9
5

these frickin' dice, man. Six.]

She didn't let Batsy know she was onto her, but started moving stealthily in return, seeking to get into a location where she could splash her with the oil.

There she was, trying to slink around the corner and come from the back of the room straight at Rose's and Stephanie's flanks. In fact, by the way she was moving, Stephanie could tell that she was prepping to throw another knife as soon as Rose stepped over to the chalice. She was very intent and didn't realize Stephanie had seen her. It was highly unlikely she would be ready to dodge.

[Thanqol]

'Order of operations, Stephanie,' she silently reminded herself. 'Surprise attack then catchphrase. Surprise attack then catchphrase.'

She splashed lighter fluid all over Batsy from behind.

[Dex+athletics-1(improvised)

4 - 7 - 3 - 2 - 8 - 4 - 7 - 1 - 5 (Avg: 4.55555555556)

Just the onesies]

"Dark in here, isn't it?" she murmured.

[Raz_Fox]

The bear groans happily at Marchande's scratching, which has a bit more strength and vigor to it than Charlotte's weakened hands.

It eyes Marchande with amusement as she gives her little speech, still enjoying the scratching. But when she's done talking, the bear says "you shouldn't be so surprised. It is the nature of a dog to go and fetch things for others. As it is the nature of dolls to play at being human, and the nature of bears to hibernate in caves."

It is much to Marchande's credit that she only bats the bear gently on the nose, given the amount of bristling that is going on. It is more of a reprimand than an attack, really. Her neck, her arms, her tail, that last most ironic. "And it is the nature of people to choose to act, sir. I risked my life to be able to say that, and I will say it." No matter how often Charlotte makes jibes, no matter how many people tell her she's a dog. She will say it.

Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt to have to say it.

[Anarion]

"Dark in here, isn't it?" she murmured.

Her exclamation and screech are cut short by a bit of lighter fluid splashing into her mouth. As she retches for a moment, she still strikes out, lightning fast, aiming for Stephanie.

(4d10)[6][1][7][7](21)

However, her blade passes through nothing but shadows, and not the ones that make up Stephanie's body, either.

"And it is the nature of people to choose to act, sir. I risked my life to be able to say that, and I will say it."

"Ah, I see" says the bear. And as he settles back down and works his way towards sleep, it seems for all the world that he does.

[Thanqol]

Her exclamation and screech are cut short by a bit of lighter fluid splashing into her mouth. As she retches for a moment, she still strikes out, lightning fast, aiming for Stephanie.

[roll0]

However, her blade passes through nothing but shadows, and not the ones that make up Stephanie's body, either.

"See? You can't see a thing," Stephanie said cheerfully, "Let me help with that!"

And then she set the bat girl on fire.

[Anarion]

"See? You can't see a thing," Stephanie said cheerfully, "Let me help with that!"

And then she set the bat girl on fire.

[Arson is just your solution to everything, isn't it?]

The bat girl chokes and splutters as the fur around her head catches aflame and she turns into a small bonfire. The lighter fluid that splashed lower catches alight as well, but her Kevlar vest is flame resistant and the small amount of fuel isn't enough to set it ablaze. The result, from Stephanie's perspective, is eerily similar to Ghost Rider.

Rose, for her part, sees a sudden light spring into being. It's smaller than a torch, but clear enough to allow her to see Stephanie, lighter in hand, standing over the bat girl, down on her knees, her head nothing but a sphere of flame.