GLoG 89

[Lost_Deep]

Rowan Cabin

"I'm not clear on all the specifics, only that within a ship in tesseract light moves at the proper speed. It's been measured. Really, the theoretical basis and actual engine mechanics are so complex, they're widely considered separate fields of study. And I don't have education in either of those things, so we're about at the limit of my knowledge. I know some trivia about the coils themselves, but..." Kate shrugs, and then eats some dessert.

[The Bushranger]

[Campgrounds]

Hadrian walks up, led by his older sister Jamie. He lets go of her hand to light his cigarette with a zippo, then begins to calm down. You're too pushy, sis. And you wonder why Kevin finds you intimidating. He's going to find some docile girl in Nomopolis who won't boss him around. He must be feeling better, if he can engage in good old sibling button-pushing.

Jamie rolls her eyes at Hadrian, deciding to ignore his disgusting habit. Psychic brain-melting gets you a multitude of passes. "Are you kidding? He's the one who intimidates me, Nincompoop," she retorts, sticking her tongue out at him as she, too, relaxes a bit. "So, ready to beard the fox in his den?" she adds with a bit of a grin.

[Morty]

[Campgrounds]

A certain tiny goblin is sitting behind the corner of a cabin, not far from Jamie and Hardian, perking one of her sensitive ears to their conversation. Does Kevin really consider Jamie to be bossy and scary? This calls for action. Maybe she could make Kevin less shy somehow... the thought that Jamie might indeed be bossy and intimidating for an introverted boy doesn't really cross her mind.

[FireFox]

[Med Lab]

I am sorely disappointed in you, Sophie. Succumbing to diabolic influences when you're supposed to be my role model. Toby shakes his head at the sad state of the world today, when people imbibe magical substances to go on dates with someone they would not ordinarily be attracted to. Far more immoral than simply smothering one's degenerative desires in honest labor. Did Sophie not get the ascetic memo about GLoG? So what club does she strip at, this "Trick"?


[Campgrounds]

His father thinks you're a criminal. Not strictly true; Tony knows that Toby is a criminal with few compunctions about breaking the law and, in a later conversation, remarked out loud that Jamie took after her father in many aspects. Neither Tony nor Toby, Kevin nor Hadrian, actually know that Jamie has been getting offscreen lessons in roguery from Ally. Let me finish this. He puffs on his cigarette, sending his sister the mental image of Kevin with some pious and polite Nomosian, one who is meek and demure with a formal education and proper etiquette. He also makes the mental image taller and curvier, because he is making up an Anti-Jamie, after all.

[Morty]

[Med Lab]

"Why so surprised? Don't you know that well-mannered, proper girls like myself always fall for shady characters?" Sophie asks, playing along. "You're not quite correct, though. She's a private investigator."

[WarKitty]

Infirmary

Strange, wasn't the baby from a sea horse? didn't thought it got feet. And I assume the kid might turn around short befor birth.

"The child seems to be all right." Andy notes. He doesn't mention or reply to the kicks, this is just another sign for it beeing healthy.
"The pool is already prepared. I keep it half full all the time. " he then says as he stores the scanning tools.

((Kelpie, or river horse, not sea horse. River fey in the shape of a horse with sharp teeth.))

Candace smiles softly. Assuming no other tests, she pulls a bit of dinner out of the bag she brought with her and inquires if there's a way to call help if she needs.

[FireFox]

[Med Lab]

So even when you date girls, you want a d***? Toby is thoroughly enjoying himself He loves his straight man, even when they're a bisexual woman. So is she the Raymond Chandler type of PI or the modern, follow people around and take pictures with a telephoto lens kind?

[Morty]

[Med Lab]

Sophie stands there with her mouth open for a few moments. Merciful Prophet, that was awful, even by Tobias's standards. She decides to admit defeat and skip straight ahead to the other question.

"More towards the former, I suppose. She tends to get into fights at times, even. Of course, she can't wear a proper fedora. The horns do get in the way. I admit I'm not that well-versed in the film noir genre, but Trick has already educated me somewhat."

[Halae]

[Med Lab]

Sophie's phone will ring briefly to tell her a text has just arrived from Trick.

Hey beautiful! Spotted something at the mall and it reminded me of you. Hope you like it!

A knock comes at the door, after a moment, "Delivery!"

[Zefir]

((Kelpie, or river horse, not sea horse. River fey in the shape of a horse with sharp teeth.))

Candace smiles softly. Assuming no other tests, she pulls a bit of dinner out of the bag she brought with her and inquires if there's a way to call help if she needs.

((As mentoned I'm not firm with this as a player so i can only use what I know.))

I'm not sure if she just use sign language or somethign like that since she didn't speak things out, btu I guess someone can understand her.

"Well, normaly there is someone around, but in times nothing happens people might be asleep or doing other stuff. In that case you could press that button. It will send a message out that I should recive." and others maybe.

[WarKitty]

Infirmary

((Don't worry about knowledge - I'm not going to want to be too detailed in any case. And just presume Candace said something there and her player was sleepy posting.))

In any case, Candace presses the button around dawn, if no one's there at the time! The bed is soaked through and there's a slight bit of blood.

[Zefir]

Infirmary

Andy will come after a bit of time. He wasn't even in the same room. As he sees the sokaed bed, he already knows what is up, but the blood is still something that bothers him. He will unlock the breaks of the bed so he can push it with Candace to the prepared pool of water, unless she wants to walk or something like that.

"Your ok?" he asks.

[WarKitty]

Infirmary

Candace nods weakly, getting up very carefully. She's still able to walk, though the contractions make her pause for a minute each time. She'll settle herself carefully into the tub, assuming it doesn't require something difficult like a ladder.

[Morty]

[Med Lab]

Sophie looks at her phone, then at the door. She blushes furiously.

"I- I think it's for me, from Trick," she tells Tobias. "She just wrote me that she'd sent me something."

[Zefir]

Infirmary

Candace nods weakly, getting up very carefully. She's still able to walk, though the contractions make her pause for a minute each time. She'll settle herself carefully into the tub, assuming it doesn't require something difficult like a ladder.

Infirmary

There should be something to help her. At least he knew that she won't be able to climb inside in this state.
So the birth will start now I assume?

[WarKitty]

Infirmary

There should be something to help her. At least he knew that she won't be able to climb inside in this state.
So the birth will start now I assume?

Indeed! A curtain falls around the tub. When it lifts, there's a healthy little baby foal curled up in the tank, cord still attached. And a lot of blood.

[FireFox]

[Med Lab]

It takes a few seconds after the knock on his door for Toby's face to lose its ferocity, his eyes their fear, his hands their lethal magic. The change was frightening in its suddenness: one moment the Druid is a teasing wit, the next only a cornered animal poised to lash out at perceived danger. A delivery... Just a delivery. He slumps into the nearest chair and makes a vague gesture from Sophie to the door. Go ahead.
One can only imagine how bad his reaction would have been, were the messenger to appear in the room next to him without warning.

[Morty]

[Med Lab]

Sophie shoots Tobias a concerned look; his sudden, frantic tension surprised her unpleasantly. She'll have to ask him about it later. Tobias has always been prone to paranoia, but why react this way to a simple delivery? Either way, she opens the door.

"Hello. I believe I'm the recipient of this package," she says to whoever she sees outside.

[Halae]

[Med Lab]

The individual on the other side of the door is an imp, about a foot tall, carrying a long white box. He'll ask if she's Sophie for sure before handing over the object in question - The box contains a thin silver chain with a beautiful teardrop shaped sapphire pendant.

If nothing holds him up, the imp will then head to the edge of the campgrounds in order to teleport away.

[Morty]

[Med Lab]

There are, currently, three tracks of thought running through Sophie's mind, each trying to claw its way up to the surface and become dominant.

Track One, currently winning: "Oh my Yoda, this is so sweet and romantic of Trick, I'll have to find some way to thank her properly."

Track Two: "Why did it have to arrive in front of Tobias?"

However, Track Two is quickly drowned out by a much more rational one, Track Three: "Alright, but why did Tobias react this way? Even for him, that's just paranoid."

After closing the door and staring at the necklace for a while, she puts it on and turns to Tobias.

"It matches my eyes, doesn't it? I suppose that's why it reminded Trick of me."

If he can't come up with a teasing response to that, she'll know something is quite wrong.

[Zefir]

Indeed! A curtain falls around the tub. When it lifts, there's a healthy little baby foal curled up in the tank, cord still attached. And a lot of blood.

Infirmary

Andy is currently using a towel to dry himself. He has taken of the labcoat sine it's just making things more complicated when you got a soaked labcoat on. Should Candace take amoment to look at him she might see something stange. From the armpit to the neck something seems to be under his skin and its on his back as well, likly going around.
After he got some dry hands, he will hand her a scissors to cut the cord.

"Here to cut the cord." he tells her thinking that the father might not appear to do so.

[FireFox]

[Med Lab]

And if it were rose-colored, it would match your glasses. Toby is looking at Sophie, but he is seeing past her, to other doors where knocks came in the middle of the night and the daytime delivery you didn't order was merely a precursor to burly men with hard eyes bundling you into official black sedans. His body may be sitting in his laboratory with a peaceful forest all around, but his mind is far away in both time and space. East Berlin with the Ministerium für Staatssicherheit. Budapest with the Államvédelmi Hatóság. And, of course, his stay in the basement of the Lubyanka building, number 2 Dzerzhinsky Square, hosted by the Комите́т госуда́рственной безопа́сности. Ah... Unwelcome flashbacks, apropos of nothing. Your problem isn't very interesting, but it's better than the seven percent solution, but I might as well help you until something more challenging comes up.

[Morty]

[Med Lab]

Sophie nods, relaxing a little. It's not so bad as to make Tobias unable to make quips at her, then.

"I appreciate it, Tobias. Are you alright?"

[WarKitty]

Infirmary

Andy is currently using a towel to dry himself. He has taken of the labcoat sine it's just making things more complicated when you got a soaked labcoat on. Should Candace take amoment to look at him she might see something stange. From the armpit to the neck something seems to be under his skin and its on his back as well, likly going around.
After he got some dry hands, he will hand her a scissors to cut the cord.

"Here to cut the cord." he tells her thinking that the father might not appear to do so.

Candace is not noticing. Though she accept the scissors, she seems to have gone quite pale. There's still blood forming in the water as well, even with the contractions stopped.

[Morty]

[Infirmary]

Reelshka is waiting around outside the infirmary. She heard that Andy was helping a woman give birth, and she's curious. But she won't enter until the birth is over and the new mothers is ready to receive visitors.

[FireFox]

[Med Lab]

Toby springs to his feet and restlessly paces around, not answering the question for some time. And when he does, he doesn't seem to actually be answering the question. Because when your IQ surpasses 150, you are legally required to answer so many questions with your own questions in a lecturing tone. Look it up. What did you do as a kid, Sophie? Play a sport or sport a play? An instrument, perhaps, something you put a lot of time and energy into? A real beauty like you was probably the first chair... of the tuba. Every child seeks their own identity and many of them get wrapped up in a passionate hobby that they can point to and say, "This is who I am. Athlete, actor, accordionist." So... who were you?

[Morty]

[Med Lab]

Sophie isn't even really surprised for the question; it's a bit like the Q&A sessions they used to have. It's just how Tobias thinks and if it helps her weasel out some honesty from him...

"Me? Oh, I was a busybody. I kept trying something new. I played in my school's volleyball team, wrote for the school newspaper and volunteered at the animal shelter. I wasn't really content with any one thing."

[Zefir]

Candace is not noticing. Though she accept the scissors, she seems to have gone quite pale. There's still blood forming in the water as well, even with the contractions stopped.

[Infirmary]

So something is going to be bad. Andy notice that there is still blood forming underwater, which shouldn't be anymore. He throws the towl away and rush outside, gaping a few meds and runs back to Candance. Reelshka got just a nod from him, every secound counts.

"Is all ok? Do you feel pain?" he asks. in that time he prepares some meds which should slow down her blood to slow down bleedings. If she doesn#t answer or seems to be to weak, he will dife underwater to see if he can spot the cause of the blood.

[FireFox]

[Med Lab]

Toby stares at Sophie, either pissed that she shot down his clever little attempt at putting his experience into terms she could intuitively empathize with before it ever got off the ground or fascinated at her prosaic origin story and wondering how she ever got from the stultifying normalcy of suburban life to hunting monsters with supernatural powers in the axis of the entire multiverse while dating a hardboiled tiefling chick. Okay, well, for the sake of this hypothetical exercise, please pretend you weren't a complete loser. Let's say that you really loved volleyball and found an opportunity to play it every single day. Physically active, mentally engaged, doing something that made your heart race and your spirit soar. But instead of playing in your quiet little hometown, the opportunity led you to travel all across Europe, playing against professional teams. You were having the time of your life, the perfect existence for an ambitious, challenge-driven teenager. Now we throw in some problems. He claps his hands together twice, as if brushing off chalk dust, and continues in a professorial tone. Problem one: You are now half-forced half-lead into playing volleyball 24/7. You do nothing but play the game anymore. Problem two: The professional teams are better than you, a hastily-trained amateur. They play for keeps. You learn from your mistakes and get much better, but at a violent cost that scars you equal parts mentally and physically. Problem three: You literally do not know anyone who doesn't play volleyball. All your friends are your teammates and all you ever talk about anymore is the game. The world for you is divided into the players and the spectators and you could not care less about the latter. Factor these three problems into your imagination and led it lead you to the unavoidable outcome: during your formative years, your entire life and self-image was defined by volleyball. You considered yourself a professional athlete, on competing terms with the world champions. And then it all ended.

At this opportune moment for a dramatic pause, he takes the time to fill his pipe with tobacco and light it with a wooden match. So. You move on. You go to new places and do new things and make new friends and fight new battles for new causes. You grow up. Maybe you play a few pick up games of volleyball, but those are for fun and no longer survival. Your opponents are now amateurs and you allow your finely honed skills to slowly grow dull with disuse. You get married and start a family. Volleyball is the specter of a distant past, the foundation of your entire identity that you somehow managed to escape from. And then, decades down the line, you find yourself in a difficult situation. You have enemies and a goal to accomplish. And the single best way for you to defeat these foes, achieve your objective, and keep your family safe is for you to dust off the old uniform--never mind that your arse no longer looks so good in those short shorts-- and pick up that ball and serve it right over the net. Everything comes rushing back, not just your slick moves but the entire bloody mentality of the game. The rules both written and learned on the streets. The kill or be killed nature of back alley volleyball, where the real professionals play. You have returned to your roots, became the you you once were, and now you are the reigning champion and there is not a single person in this place you call home that can keep up with you. You have become the best volleyball player in a whole world of people who don't even know the gods damned rules! You're fighting the good fight of past glories and nobody else if fighting at all! So you accomplish your goal, ward off your enemies, and make home a safe place for friends and family. But now you can't turn it off. You're stuck in that bloody mentality of watching for threats where there are none and you keep playing volleyball by yourself, serving the ball to the wall and spiking it down into the sand on your own, and you stay up late at night waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the phone to ring and tell you its time to get out, that you had one last foe in the shadows who is a real ace at the game, just waiting for you to drop their guard so they can roll you up and turn you or kill you and then comes a knock on the door and your body knows what to do as surely as you were back in the court, diving for the ball, and you come this close to wasting a ****ing deliveryman!

[Morty]

[Med Lab]

Sophie breathes out, having been subconsciously holding her breath by the end of Tobias's rant. Looks she inadvertently dug into a layer of his sordid past she couldn't quite reach on purpose.

"Oh, my," she says. "It still doesn't let go? And how early did you start getting yourselves involved in... crime? Espionage? Both?"