[Nexus] Outside XXXII

[Dark Elf Bard]

Clearing in a Forest

Kallista, the little svirfneblin healer, cautiously shuffles into the clearing, presumably accompanied by Talina.

So... u-um, I guess you're w-wondering why I asked you h-here?

She seems nervous. As per usual, Kallista stutters over her words.

[Lady Serpentine]

[Forest Clearing]

Talina is indeed with Kallista, and nods, sitting down next to the gnome, and going to slip an arm around her.

"That would be nice to know, yeah."

[Dark Elf Bard]

[Forest Clearing]

Kallista shivers.

R-right... um... I, er... um

Kallista takes a deep breath.

I think I'm... er- i-in love with you. U-um, I mean, even though you're already with Nycca and all, I j-just sort ofhave this feeling... because, um, of wh-what you said in Trog's...

Kallista squeezes her eyse shut, expecting the worst.

Eek!

[Lady Serpentine]

[Forest Clearing]

Talina smiles, squeezing Kallista gently against her side.

"Like I said, I don't think she'll mind..."

With that, the sorceress leans over to kiss her.

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Cyan Beach]

"Yes..." Well, what else could you say without sounding really stupid? That ship might have already sailed however...

"I really should have told you about the whole dragon-thing before we hooked up but we were had such a good time and I didn't want to ruin it. I mean, I never really expected these demons to show up."

"Demonss have a habit of ruining thingss. If they hadn't sshowed up, we may well have got back to town and gone our sseparate wayss none the wisser."

But what to do now, hmm? Damon can't deny he had been having rather a good time. And this Vizek supposedly technically isn't the Vizek he knows.

He's not quite sure whether that makes things less weird, or more weird.

Damon rubs his chin thoughtfully and stares rather intently at the ground for a minute or two. Then, struck with an idea, he looks up with a grin as he shifts back to the form of the adventurer.

"Well after fighting that demon, I don't feel quite so tired any more. Would Miss Vivecka perhaps be able to assist in tiring me out once more?" He winks at Vizek. The ball is in his court now, does Vizek find the situation too weird?

[The Bushranger]

[Fortress Mountain - Inside]

Ooh, she should really be more careful. The bacteria within the tanks were of strains susceptible to being heat-killed, as indeed, pressing the red button would have done, but were they not Erin's rash attempt at vengeance could well have been disasterous. Excelsior's troops are by and large resistant to horrible, wasting diseases. Most other people are not.

As for the occupant of the lift, lucky him, he happens to be resistant to death as well, although the fact that the ectoblast could not possibly strike him directly without being able to turn corners helps too.

This time though, it seems Erin is out of labs to wreck, for her trip upwards will this time not end with her surfacing in any new rooms. Looks like Excelsior hasn't built any further upwards, yet.

Yup, shoulda pushed the button!
Hopefully Excelsior has a good containment-breach policy.
As for the unclad half-ghost, it's up, up and away!

Fortress Mountain- Outside

Francium doesn't immediately cotton on to his mental control of the craft, but he is of the mold to, in times of stress such as this, work his way through each step mentally before physically, meaning that the command will have no dearth of commands to follow and therefor he no lack of evidence from which to soon conclude that the jumper is indeed obeying his thoughts.

A surprised grin coming to his face, he tries willing the craft to head towards... Towards.... Damn.

Only now does it dawn upon Francium that he never thought of where he was escaping to, only what from. Inside might be a good choice, were it not for him sharing a face with several wanted men there. And Inside is the only city he knows of. Hoping the ship can take more abstract orders, he thinks with utmost concentration on wishing to go somewhere that has lots of people, yet is not Inside.

That might well be Riverside. Oh dear.
As it is, the HUD flashes, and a display pops up showing a dotted-line flight path torwards Riverside, flashing in a way that might well be taken as 'confirm flight plan y/n?'.

...also hopefully he won't think about shooting anything...

[Dark Elf Bard]

[Forest Clearing]

Talina smiles, squeezing Kallista gently against her side.

"Like I said, I don't think she'll mind..."

With that, the sorceress leans over to kiss her.

Are- are you sure? Because-

Then kiss!

The gnome's eyes widen in excitement, then close quickly, trying to savor the moment.

Kallista kisses back softly, and cautiously attempts to wrap a slender arm around Talina's waist, but not making a move otherwise.

[Beans]

[Moors]
Not enough.
Not nearly enough.
The meat should have been enough; the milk should have been enough calcium.
Bones would have to suffice, lots of them.
More than was provided in the bodies they brought.
There was only one thing to do; she had to feed if she wanted to be mobile.
They had been rather nice, but these things happened.
She considered where she'd head next... there was a city she'd heard of not too far away, and the truck had plenty of gas.

It was settled, then.
Inside or bust.

[Lex-Kat]

((Sorry I haven't been around. I was at GenCon. ))

{Melody's Island}

"Well... I can either go grow up or we can go back to NO." A pitstop is nice once in a while. "Don't know where else to go." Vincent says as they arrive at the ferry dock.

Caroline sits down on the beach to wait. You can't do both? she asks, looking up at Vincent. I think we should definitely go back to NO first though. Maybe you can ask Mister Dipsnig his opinion on the matter. And I'm sure he's worried about us.

{Melody's Island- Barn -> Cottage}

"All right, easy enough."

He smiles at her as he goes to start and peel those potatoes.

It won't take long for Jezebelle to start up the stove. She passes Derek on the way outside. Is there anything you don't want with your eggs?

[Lady Serpentine]

Are- are you sure? Because-

Then kiss!

The gnome's eyes widen in excitement, then close quickly, trying to savor the moment.

Kallista kisses back softly, and cautiously attempts to wrap a slender arm around Talina's waist, but not making a move otherwise.

Talina smiles, and, after a few moments, goes to pick up the gnome, standing if successful.

"Not sure enough to do more than that without checking, but we are fairly open. So let's go ask her, okay?"

[McBish]

{Melody's Island- Cottage}

"No onions, and no ketchup. Anything else is fair game."

He continues to peel the potatoes happily. Derek had learned how to enjoy cooking, since it was either that or eat crappy food on his boat.

"Unless you have some weird tastes, like earthworms or banana peel's."

((Lucky, hope you had a blast.))

[Dark Elf Bard]

Talina smiles, and, after a few moments, goes to pick up the gnome, standing if successful.

"Not sure enough to do more than that without checking, but we are fairly open. So let's go ask her, okay?"

What? Oh- y-yeah.

Kallists is easily picked up, and she shivers at the thought of confronting Nycca.

She'll s-say yes, she'll say yes, what if she say-says no? She w-won't...

It's not clear whether Kallista is talking to her crush or mumbling to herself nervously.

[Lady Serpentine]

What? Oh- y-yeah.

Kallists is easily picked up, and she shivers at the thought of confronting Nycca.

She'll s-say yes, she'll say yes, what if she say-says no? She w-won't...

It's not clear whether Kallista is talking to her crush or mumbling to herself nervously.

And, so, off they go to the [Old Grey Mare] in the Nest thread, Talina reassuringly stroking Kallista's hair as they head off.

[ThirdEmperor]

Fortress Mountain- Inside

From our nigh-omniscient perspective, yes, she really should have. But one can hardly blame Erin, knowing Riv that button could as easily have released the pathogens into the surrounding ecosystem as purged them. Truth be told, I'm more than a little impressed by her wisdom in resisting the siren song of the shiny red button.

In any case, the blast should have already killed most of the bacteria, the room isn't air-conditioned, so the survivors have no especially fast vector by which to spread, and most importantly of all Excelsior does have ample safe-guards in place for such a breach, which will soon be activated by the individual even now stepping out of the lift to survey the carnage.

So, I'd say storming the gates, murdering a more than a fifth of Excelsior's army, annoying the hell out of their commander and wrecking Riv's latest project without endangering overly the world makes for a pretty good evening of revenge, wouldn't you?

Fortress Mountain- Outside

Y. Definitely y.

And as I imagine twenty or so more posts of 'Francium think this' 'this happens' would get a little annoying, perhaps we could assume that, by the time the puddle jumper reaches Riverside, Francium will haved figured out the controls well enough to pilot it more or less autonomously?

Unless of course there's some trap or security feature you're waiting for him to trigger in his blundering, in which case I suppose we'll have to continue with 'he thinks this' 'ship does this' until something goes horribly wrong.

[Earl of Purple]

Sznovf- Log Cabin

Fortunately, the ghost arrives. This is fortunate because I can't think of another subject for the conversation.

"Ah, hello again. I hope you have found out and sorted the problem?" He smiles.

[Reinholdt]

{Melody's Island}

Caroline sits down on the beach to wait. You can't do both? she asks, looking up at Vincent. I think we should definitely go back to NO first though. Maybe you can ask Mister Dipsnig his opinion on the matter. And I'm sure he's worried about us.

"Hmm... alright." Vincent says leading the way back to NO finally, unless Caroline learned teleport recently.

[Lex-Kat]

{Melody's Island- Cottage}

"No onions, and no ketchup. Anything else is fair game."

He continues to peel the potatoes happily. Derek had learned how to enjoy cooking, since it was either that or eat crappy food on his boat.

"Unless you have some weird tastes, like earthworms or banana peel's."

((Lucky, hope you had a blast.))

((Not so much a blast, but it was fun. ))

Gotcha. Jezebelle goes outside and picks some from peppers, and soon after the smell of eggs can be smelled cooking.

"Hmm... alright." Vincent says leading the way back to NO finally, unless Caroline learned teleport recently.

In fact, Caroline has not. So once the raft comes, they will get on board and dirft back to the mainland. Unless you wish to, there will be no monsters this time.

[Devixer]

[Sznovf - Log Cabin]

"Yeah, I was coming back to let you know. That wizard was one hell of a drekhead, by the way." Judging from her tone of voice, Cass is not complimenting Brian. She pulls the Apache pistol from her pocket. "I imagine you want your piece back."

[Reinholdt]

{Melody's Island- Cottage}

In fact, Caroline has not. So once the raft comes, they will get on board and dirft back to the mainland. Unless you wish to, there will be no monsters this time.

They'll make it back to NO without incident or with minor incident at best.

Annoying imps.

[Earl of Purple]

Sznovf- Log Cabin

"Keep it; I daresay you'll get more use out of it, and that's what it was built for. And, as senior surviving member of the Sznovf Hamlet Council, I hereby grant you this deed representing an empty acre of land within Sznovf. You may erect whatever structure you wish upon it, and use it for whatever purpose. You could sell it, but we're a bit too remote for it to be worth much, I'm afraid." It's basically the most valuable thing they have. They are remote, and survive mainly on hunting and gathering. There's no mine, no farms, no mill, nothing that could produce profit except a place to escape from the world. "Also, I grant you a title- Ritter of Sznovf. It comes with a seat on the Sznovf Hamlet Council, but nothing else. You can't sell it, either, I'm afraid; it's hereditary, and the last one died without issue when that ship exploded."

[McBish]

{Melody's Island- Cottage}

((Not so much a blast, but it was fun. ))

Gotcha. Jezebelle goes outside and picks some from peppers, and soon after the smell of eggs can be smelled cooking.

Derek isn't sure how many potatoes to peel, so he will do all of them that were provided or until she comes by to tell him to stop.

He hums quietly to himself as he works, a small little tune he picked up somewhere.

[Devixer]

[Sznovf]

"My own stomping grounds? Well thanks much, chummer. I can definitely find a use for it." Cass could definitely use a bolthole in the Nexus in case something went south. Just needed the nuyen to get something built. "And thanks for the title, too."

[Earl of Purple]

Sznovf- Log Cabin

"I'm glad you appreciate the reward. You deserve better, but it's the best we have to give. Bramble's father is getting better, by the way." That acre is the largest lot of land within the fence marking the edge of Sznovf.

[Devixer]

[Sznovf - Log Cabin]

"Hey, don't knock the land," Cass says. "Where I'm from, you're lucky to get a fraction of that." She actually manages to smile a bit when she hears that the elf's doing better. "That's peachy to hear. But hey, I should get going. Gotta find some runs, get some money so I can actually build something." She also really wants to go get drunk.

[Lex-Kat]

{Melody's Island- Cottage}

Derek isn't sure how many potatoes to peel, so he will do all of them that were provided or until she comes by to tell him to stop.

He hums quietly to himself as he works, a small little tune he picked up somewhere.

Jezebelle pokes her head out after a while. Oh, that's plenty. she says, a little embarrassed. I'm sorry, I should have been more specific. She steps out with a pot to take some of the potatoes. Actually, I think we need only half of that. Could you cut them in fourths?

[McBish]

{Melody's Island- Cottage}

Derek puts on silly grin and shrugs.

"Sorry, wasn't sure how many you wanted. No problem."

He starts to cut the potatoes as directed.

[The Alexandrian]

R'yleh
Dave will walk over, grab the receptionist and place it over his knee, and then break it in half.
"That good enough?"

[R'lyeh]

"Why must you sap the fun out of everything, Dave? You're like a spah that has it out for clowns!"

Clarissa huffs! Dave wasn't cooperating at all! With anything!

"First you insult this culture, the culture adopted by one of the only societies that accepts me for what I am and now you get incensed over nothing and give me the skunk eye? I don't get it! I really don't!"

"But fine! This clinic isn't your favorite tourist trap! I don't remember asking you for your guff! I don't need this dumb appointment anyway!"

"Let's go."

Clarissa folds her arms bitterly. Dave wasn't playing nice anymore so she wasn't obligated to either! He didn't go back on his word, though. That's the good news.

The outcome of this petty tiff aside, Clarissa needs this checkup. It is imperative to her mental and physical health and the lives of every citizen dotting the face of the Nexus like runaway freckles.

[Lex-Kat]

{Melody's Island- Cottage}

Derek puts on silly grin and shrugs.

"Sorry, wasn't sure how many you wanted. No problem."

He starts to cut the potatoes as directed.

Jezebelle smiles endearingly at him. Bring them over when you're done. she goes back to the stove, and adds green peppers, ham, and cheese to the eggs.

[McBish]

{Melody's Island- Cottage}

Derek quickly finishes chopping those potatoes and brings them over to Jezebelle.

"Here you go."

He will set them where she wants then go to stand behind her and wrap his arms around her waist.

[Lex-Kat]

{Melody's Island- Cottage}

((I'll assume you meant her waist. ))

She certainly doesn't stop him from doing so. She leans forward slightly, attempting to press her backside against him.

As she does so, she continues to cook, pulling a skillet with melted garlic butter onto a warmed heat source. She then uses a wooden spatula to push the potato wedges into the skillet and stirs.

As she stirs with one hand, she'll place her now free hand onto of his. Assuming, of course, he doesn't stop her.