Inside 57

[Mee]

Elena says, with a mix of mocking and truly insulted tone, "Hey! I was at the basics. This sissy poke-y stick as you call it has killed demons. Admittedly, they were lower-ranked demons, but still."

[Skyway]

"Yeah, but the basics won't always be enough.

And you only need to lose once." Naku says, her tone somewhat far away, lost in her own head.

[Ionbound]

[Skyway]

"Yeah, but the basics won't always be enough.

And you only need to lose once." Naku says, her tone somewhat far away, lost in her own head.

Elena smiles as she tries to take Naku's hand again and says softly, "I know. I've seen the people who lost...Some of them I had to kill myself when they were trying to kill me. But, Naku, I'm still here. And I will be. I told you, I'm not at the basics anymore. I've mastered my little sword's art. And Naku, I want you to know...I'm not helpless anymore. Especially now that you've given me a new life."

[Mee]

Elena smiles as she tries to take Naku's hand again and says softly, "I know. I've seen the people who lost...Some of them I had to kill myself when they were trying to kill me. But, Naku, I'm still here. And I will be. I told you, I'm not at the basics anymore. I've mastered my little sword's art. And Naku, I want you to know...I'm not helpless anymore. Especially now that you've given me a new life."

[Skyway]

Naku had her objections to that, but she just shook her head as her hand was taken. "All right. I won't argue with you about it."

[PallElendro]

[Riftline Station]

While Claire is busy staring at the ground a... thing... shimmies up along side her. It looks like a large blue poof of fuzz sporting a bird's beak, two dozen stilt-like bird's legs, and an equal number of little googly eyes on stocks atop its round body. It watches her, individual eyes blinking one at a time in a vaguely unnerving fashion.

Claire tries to make a little wiggle room for herself if at all possible. She peripherally eyes the creature for a second, then looks back down. In her squickiness, she takes a deep breath and moistens her lips. This is all just a normal part of Nexus, I hope.

[Ionbound]

[Skyway]

Naku had her objections to that, but she just shook her head as her hand was taken. "All right. I won't argue with you about it."

Elena nods says, "Alright...If you want to spar with me sometime, I'm fine with that. Just...don't underestimate me."

Claire tries to make a little wiggle room for herself if at all possible. She peripherally eyes the creature for a second, then looks back down. In her squickiness, she takes a deep breath and moistens her lips. This is all just a normal part of Nexus, I hope.

Hikari seems oddly nonchalant about the whole thing...Unsurprising, as she's seen a lot of horrific stuff, so it's pretty hard to shake her. She even goes up to the vending machine and buys herself a soda, which the pops open as she sits down next to Sunder and says, "So...How does this looking glass think work, anyways?"

[Mee]

Elena nods says, "Alright...If you want to spar with me sometime, I'm fine with that. Just...don't underestimate me."

[Skywayz]

Naku chuckles a bit, and changes the subject. "Do you have any siblings?"

[Ionbound]

[Skywayz]

Naku chuckles a bit, and changes the subject. "Do you have any siblings?"

Elena nods once and says a little hoarsely, "I had a sister..."

[Mee]

Elena nods once and says a little hoarsely, "I had a sister..."

]zyawykS[

Naku sighs quietly, and shakes her head. "I'm sorry. I'll let you pick the next subject."

[Rebonack]

[Riftline Station]

The bird thing continues to stare for a few moments longer before opening its beak and speaking in a low, reverberating voice that seems to echo across time and space and thought.

"Shakespeare invited the words 'assassination' and 'bump'."

Then its beak snaps shut and it shuffles away.

Well.

That was...

Umm...

Informative?

Meanwhile!

"Uuuh..." Sunder hesitates in her reply! "I tink you just walk into it?"

She doesn't sound totally sure.

"I mean, I ain't never used it before. But I tink dere's like a sign next to it or somethin'."

That would be helpful.

Like the train!

Speaking of, here it comes!

The train itself looks rather sleek and modern, like one of those super high speed trains one might find in Japan. But it isn't the train itself that's unusual, but rather the tracks. Buildings, roads, and even people are shifted out of the way of the train while tracks simply begin existing a few feet in front of the vehicle and suddenly ceasing to be after it has passed over them. Despite the train speeding through the middle of the busy street the whole scene is left as though it hadn't ever passed once it's gone.

No one seems particularly alarmed about this.

With a strangely musical hum the train pulls up to a stop in front of the platform, its doors open, and a small crowd of passengers disembarks. Roughly a third or so are humans of different flavors, though more than a few are various fantasy races. And some are pure fantasy, like that amorphous black mass wearing a a creepy white porcelain mask.

A small swarm of pixies with mushrooms for hats go zooming past Hikari's legs.

What a strange place.

[Ionbound]

]zyawykS[

Naku sighs quietly, and shakes her head. "I'm sorry. I'll let you pick the next subject."

Elena shakes her head sadly and says, "Don't worry about it. So...How about your family? Are they...you know...Or have they dealt with..."

((I've realized that these two have actually very little to talk about other than their pasts, making this suuuper awkward.))

[Mee]

Elena shakes her head sadly and says, "Don't worry about it. So...How about your family? Are they...you know...Or have they dealt with..."

((I've realized that these two have actually very little to talk about other than their pasts, making this suuuper awkward.))

[Skyway]

"Never knew who my mother was. Killed my father. Never had any siblings." Naku says, matter of factly, completely detached from any emotions surrounding that.

((Very. Very awkward.))

[Ionbound]

[Skyway]

"Never knew who my mother was. Killed my father. Never had any siblings." Naku says, matter of factly, completely detached from any emotions surrounding that.

((Very. Very awkward.))

Elena nods and says, after a moment, "Ah...Hey, just curious, do we actually have anything to talk about other than our pasts?"

((Bards: Giving excuses to play with the fourth wall since the Middle Ages.))

[PallElendro]

[Riftline Station]

The bird thing continues to stare for a few moments longer before opening its beak and speaking in a low, reverberating voice that seems to echo across time and space and thought.

"Shakespeare invited the words 'assassination' and 'bump'."

Claire was stunned and disbelieving of what she just heard. She shook her head back to reality.

The train itself looks rather sleek and modern, like one of those super high speed trains one might find in Japan. But it isn't the train itself that's unusual, but rather the tracks. Buildings, roads, and even people are shifted out of the way of the train while tracks simply begin existing a few feet in front of the vehicle and suddenly ceasing to be after it has passed over them. Despite the train speeding through the middle of the busy street the whole scene is left as though it hadn't ever passed once it's gone.

No one seems particularly alarmed about this.

With a strangely musical hum the train pulls up to a stop in front of the platform, its doors open, and a small crowd of passengers disembarks. Roughly a third or so are humans of different flavors, though more than a few are various fantasy races. And some are pure fantasy, like that amorphous black mass wearing a a creepy white porcelain mask.

A small swarm of pixies with mushrooms for hats go zooming past Hikari's legs.

What a strange place.

"Geez," Claire mutters.

[Mee]

Elena nods and says, after a moment, "Ah...Hey, just curious, do we actually have anything to talk about other than our pasts?"

((Bards: Giving excuses to play with the fourth wall since the Middle Ages.))

[Skyway]

"I dunno. Do we?" Naku asks, looking over at Elena. She was leaning against some railing on her elbows, so the angle of her rotating her head over caused her hair to fall all about her face. She ignores it, though.
"This was your idea."

[Ionbound]

[Riftline Station]

Hikari takes a quick brush at the pixies around her legs before stepping on the train. As soon as she sees the black mask, however, her hand moves to her Katana and she whispers to Claire and Sunder, "See that thing in a mask? That's a lesser Shadow...Oddly, this one isn't attacking...Just, whatever you do, don't startle it."

[Skyways]

Elena nods and says, "It was my idea, I guess...I didn't really realize how little we have to talk about other than...stuff we'd rather not." Think bard, think! Surely there's something you can do in-There! Elena looks up and points to a large structure that seems to be a mix between a large slingshot and a rubber band as she says, "Huh...I wonder what that is..."

[The Bushranger]

[Below the TV Tower]

Hikari hugs her back weakly. "It's alright now, Mikani... we... no, you beat the witch. Thank you..."

"Least I could do," Mikani murmurs, even as she tries not to cry too much, finally pulling back after a long moment. "And we beat her. Together," she declares firmly.

[Red Zone Pandemonium - Alpha]

Once she gets the signal, Sam eases the cyclic forward with her right hand and pulls up on the collective with her left hand. She opens up the throttle, pushing on the left pedal to maintain heading, and accelerates back into the sky. Then she reaches effective translational lift and the aircraft shudders as it goes from going up to going forward. HALO's White Hawk climbs above the skyline and heads deeper into the city's red zone, looking for the source of this turmoil. Once Sam finds a suitable rooftop, she carefully lands--a lot slower this time--and powers down. Then it's out of the helicopter to stage their recon mission. Theodore starts unpacking his sharpshooter kit at the edge of the roof, overlooking the chaos below. Any questions on the mission?

Dani slides out of the helicopter, stretching, and shaking her head. "Nope! No questions. Ready for action, Commander," she declares, giving Sam a jaunty salute.

[Mee]

[Skyways]

Elena nods and says, "It was my idea, I guess...I didn't really realize how little we have to talk about other than...stuff we'd rather not." Think bard, think! Surely there's something you can do in-There! Elena looks up and points to a large structure that seems to be a mix between a large slingshot and a rubber band as she says, "Huh...I wonder what that is..."

[Skyways]

"I dunno. Haven't been here before." Naku says, shrugging slightly.

[Rebonack]

[Riftline]

The blobby black thing, unless accosted, is busy disembarking from the train. It doesn't look like it's bothering anyone...

Sunder gives the creature a sidelong glance and shrugs. So long as creatures aren't being violent she generally doesn't pay them much mind. Unless of course they happen to be undead horrors. Then she watches them. Like a hawk.

Speaking of horrors, there's a 'person' made of innumerable squelching pink tendrils wearing a trench coat and a fedora sitting on the train near the entrance. Apparently the Worm that Walks is working on a newspaper crossword puzzle. The young woman sitting across from the eldritch abomination is wearing a smart business dress and reading some kind of motivational corporate business practice book.

Sunder trots past the both of them and climbs into an empty seat.

Interestingly enough, aside from the super hero and the mass of writhing tendrils everyone else aboard the train is more or less normal as far as human standards go. Most of them are dressed in what would generally be considered modern attire. Except for that one guy dressed like a character out of the Flintstones.

"Keep in mind what I was sayin' about people bein' people," Sunder points out as she motions to the others with a wing to take a seat. "Just 'cuz somethin' looks like somethin' bad from your home? Dat don't mean it's da same ting. Or maybe it is. Just don't bust any jaws unless you know for sure, yeah?"

[Arkhosia]

Red Zone Pandemonium - Alpha
Skyscraping Inc. Skyscraper

TITAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANS!
Out of nowhere, a man in an odd outfit
Zips by the helicopter and sniper and towards a nearby building on ropes extending from the boxes on his sides.
And then the he begins relentlessly attacking the skyscraper, dodging hallucinated attacks.
The acrobatics are very impressive.
This is for the citizens of Wall Maria, you traitors!
A woman with brunette hair in a ponytail, clad in the same outfit, flies towards the helicopter and co with compressed air streaming behind her and blades drawn.

[PallElendro]

[Riftline Station]
"See that thing in a mask? That's a lesser Shadow...Oddly, this one isn't attacking...Just, whatever you do, don't startle it."

"Yeah, sure."

[Riftline]
"Keep in mind what I was sayin' about people bein' people," Sunder points out as she motions to the others with a wing to take a seat. "Just 'cuz somethin' looks like somethin' bad from your home? Dat don't mean it's da same ting. Or maybe it is. Just don't bust any jaws unless you know for sure, yeah?"

"Like Elendro always trained me to do when I became a security officer." She takes a seat and leans forward with her arms propped on her legs. She taps on her TACPAD, making a personal note to 'enforce Star Alliance protocol regarding civilians in Nexus to self'.

[Taet]

[Lutefisk Plaza]

Welp!

That book is gone forever.

Probably landed in the middle of whatever level was next on the list for the Lemmings to blunder through.

Rebo strongly advises against going after it.

That would be a terrible idea.

Seriously.

Meanwhile!

The Lemmings outside continue blundering around blindly. Almost as if they need someone to direct their efforts toward the exit...

Mama puts her hand on her chest and makes a high sighing note. "Oh not you too. I will never dare to shut my eyes ever again. Oh not both of them. What did I do to deserve this." She bends down and puts Pina back on the disk and picks the fish out of Rom's hand and puts them back and walks the disk out of the shop.

And there are lemmings everywhere on the plaza street.

"Kennah!" says Pina.

Mama pulls the disk in close and behind her. "Not kender, Pina. I do not know what they are."

Rom tries to push the disk to the side to see but Mama holds it in place. He gets mad and makes bright green dancing lights the color of the lemmings' hair. Two lights float out on either side of Mama tall as a lemming.

[Ionbound]

"Yeah, sure."

"Like Elendro always trained me to do when I became a security officer." She takes a seat and leans forward with her arms propped on her legs. She taps on her TACPAD, making a personal note to 'enforce Star Alliance protocol regarding civilians in Nexus to self'.

Hikari nods and says, "That's why I didn't attack it...It's not unheard of for Shadows to be non-hostile, or even friendly." With that, she sits quietly, looking around, trying to take in every detail of the world around her to try to understand it. Shame she's not an RPG geek, really. She's missing so many jokes.

[Rebonack]

[Riftline]

Once everyone is seated the train's doors slide shut and it's off! The machine rapidly accelerates to impossible speeds in a fashion that one would expect that all the passengers would be plastered to their seats. And yet, to those inside the train it feels as though they're standing still. It's really all rather strange.

Scenery of the city zooms past at a dizzying pace, laying bare for all to see the wonders of the Nexus in a montage of fleeting glimpses. A few things stand out, particularly the Skyway high above the rest of the city, a gleaming jewel of glass and chrome. In the far distance, beyond the walls of Inside, the vast expanse of a huge mountain hangs upside down in the sky, secured to the earth by chains of impossible size.

"Dat's Mount Improbable," Sunder comments absently, nodding toward the bizarre geological feature. "I ain't never been dere, myself. But I hear it's weird. Like, weird for around here weird."

Which would have to be really weird.

"Dere's kinda dis joke around the Nexus about Castaways," she continues. "Dat people who end up here get use to it or have a nervous breakdown. I tink people get use to stuff pretty easy. If somefin' crazy happens once? Dat's hard to deal wit. But if somefin' crazy happens all the time? Den it's just Tuesday."

Never could get the hang of Tuesdays...

[Lutefisk Plaza]

Oooh, pretty lights!

The lemmings cease to walk back and forth aimlessly and begin walking toward the lights and, by extension, the sand shop! Unfortunately there's a glass door in their way. Something will need to be done about that.

[PallElendro]

"That's why I didn't attack it...It's not unheard of for Shadows to be non-hostile, or even friendly."

"How I wish Kalmiyasha was more like that." Claire fiddles with her TACPAD's screen, and runs 'vitalscan.exe', keeping it on standby. She cracks her knuckles and phalanxes, then returns to her old posture.

[Ionbound]

"How I wish Kalmiyasha was more like that." Claire fiddles with her TACPAD's screen, and runs 'vitalscan.exe', keeping it on standby. She cracks her knuckles and phalanxes, then returns to her old posture.

Hikari nods and says, "Yeah...It's pretty rare. Don't worry about it, though. Once we deal with this, you'll be as right as...I suppose as you could be, all things considered." She seems to be trying not to focus on the really weird stuff, like Mt. Improbable

[Rebonack]

[Riftline ==> Looking Glass Way]

A voice crackles over the train's intercom, breaking the relative silence within the cabin. "This is your conductor speaking," the voice says, sounding rather suspiciously like a tiny sulfurous imp wearing a hat several sizes too large. Not really sure how that particular voice conveys such a specific mental image, but it somehow manages none the less. "We'll be arriving at the Looking Glass Way platform presently. If this is your final destination please remember to take all of your physical, emotional, and metaphysical baggage with you. Riftline is not responsible for lost or damaged property."

Uuhh...

Okay.

The train slows to a stop in front of another raised platform, though this one is... different. And yet very much the same.

The platform itself is much as the previous one was, but it gives the odd impression of being tiny. As though either the world has grown very large or the passengers have grown very small. It might just be an optical illusion of some kind...

Sunder hops out of her seat and trots to the platform!

Looking Glass Way itself is... weird. And certainly lends itself to the aforementioned impression of size-changing. Such as the towering stocks of grass, massive mushrooms, beds of huge flowers chatting amiably with each other, and the giant caterpillar smoking a water pipe.

As soon as our heroes disembark they'll likely be met by the distinct and unsettling impression that they're being watched.

"If you find anyting dat says 'eat me' or 'drink me' on it, don't," Sunder states definitively.

[PallElendro]

[Riftline ==> Looking Glass Way]
As soon as our heroes disembark they'll likely be met by the distinct and unsettling impression that they're being watched.

"If you find anyting dat says 'eat me' or 'drink me' on it, don't," Sunder states definitively.

"I'll keep that in mind. For now, I really want to go to wherever I need to, because I'm getting bad vibes here." Claire's hand is shaky, and about ready to pull on her halberd.

[Ionbound]

"I'll keep that in mind. For now, I really want to go to wherever I need to, because I'm getting bad vibes here." Claire's hand is shaky, and about ready to pull on her halberd.

Hikari laughs out loud when she sees the area and says, "Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast...But this is something else. I wonder if we'll run into a Jabberwocky..." With a wide grin on her face, she then turns to Sunder and says, "Alright, you know the way. Lead on."

[Rebonack]

[Looking Glass Way]

Bad vibes is right.

Sunder's ears are laying flat and she's giving her tail an irritated flick every now and again. "I'm pretty sure I know what's up wit dat feelin'," she mutters as she trots off the platform and down to the Way proper. In front of the platform is a spiraling design of red and yellow brick that gives way to two roads leading in opposite directions through the over grown, forest-like surroundings.

A yellow brick road and a red brick road.

The pegasus clops down the latter.

"Don't go lookin' for it. Or you'll probably find it. And it's trouble."

Well.

That's vaguely foreboding.

"And a Jabberwok is no laughin' matter. I mean, I could probably give one a smackdown. But riskin' it ain't a good idea."

That's more than vaguely foreboding.

[PallElendro]

"Yeah. Given my time here already freaking me out, I think I'll just follow you and only you."​ Claire is tracking her eyes on Sunder hoping she won't get lost.