Random Plots and Places 11: Still more random than you!

[Fenric]

[Palace of Orochi]

The phone is answered by a somewhat feminine sounding voice speaking the shadow dialect of Draconic.

Hello. You have reached Orochi's Palace, how may I direct your call?

[Deathkeeper]

GCT: Phone

"Hello. I'm with Gilded Caravan Tnc, regarding Lord Orochi's order?" he asks, regardless of his confusion, hoping the voice knows how to respond.

[Fenric]

[Palace of Orochi]

Ah, you'll be wanting the head of staff. One moment, please.

Hugh is treated to canned soft jazz for what seems like forever, then finally (same dialect, male voice)

Hello, Drazlan speaking. I an the Chief Butler for Lord Orochi. I understand you have details regarding the Dragon Pearl order?

[Deathkeeper]

Phone Call

"Yes. We're calling to inform you that due to unavoidable circumstances the arrival of the order will be delayed be a week, possibly up to two. We'd like to apologize for the inconvenience."

Dragon pearls? Sounds expensive.

[Cyber Punk]

Evan looks down at Luna's dead body, not really hearing the doctor until he starts saying that Luna can be saved.

"Then what are you waiting for?!"

[Evan - The Prof's Lab]

"Of course, of course!" The Professor waves his hands about and hurries to Luna's head, then places his hands on the sides of her head. "Ooh, we need sterilization!" He claps his hands twice and a cleansing sort of mist covers the room.

That done, he steps behind a console and starts up the surgical machines next to and above the table, then begins controlling them to work on Luna. First, he injects some blue-ish goo into her blood vessels. "Upgraded nanites, will bond to and increase the power of the ones present, as well as strengthening her body systems, all of them." Including the system that gives her the ability to divert each nanomachine to needed parts of her body. "Also programmed to add that spider upgrade she's been disturbing me about, haha!"

He doesn't seem too worried that she's dead. It's almost like this is a usual occurrence for him. "Red gel to jumpstart her regen factor..." He peers into a screen on his side to survey the state of her brainwaves, and also to keep from getting distracted and telling Evan stories. The young man obviously cares for little else apart from Luna's safety.

The Professor keeps quiet as he keeps operating on Luna, either by injecting fluid-like substances or controlling the machines next to her head. This goes on until Luna gasps and her eyes gain some life.

[Fenric]

Phone Call

"Yes. We're calling to inform you that due to unavoidable circumstances the arrival of the order will be delayed be a week, possibly up to two. We'd like to apologize for the inconvenience."

Dragon pearls? Sounds expensive.

Oh, my. That is unfortunate. May I know why? His Majesty was hoping to start training for the staff the day after tomorrow, and it would be better if I could at least explain why we cannot.

[Deathkeeper]

Phone Call

"I'm sorry sir. I can't go into company details. Please understand." he says sympathetically.

[ThirdEmperor]

[3:10 to Nowhere]

Spako might want to wait on counting his blessings. As he hoists the little goblin girl to the edge, and she hauls herself over on pudgy fingers and knees, almost immediately there is wailing. A long and terrified scream comes back over the top, that has the grandmother elbowing past Spako to scramble up the upturned car. Beyond, where the rear of the segment has been crushed down into the earth, and broken threads of silver cling to the jagged twists of metal, the darkness is uncoiling.

There are human shapes in the wreckage, sprawled out at crooked angles, and over their bodies the thing comes crawling. Oily black segments of armor gleam dull in Spako's lights, more and more pouring through the windows on a thousand scuttling legs. Pincers click. Its head rears up, and turns through the air, to settle upon the goblin girl sitting petrified before it. Her crying stops, and the thing drops its head to come rushing towards her.

--Elsewhere--

The darkness breaks into countless meandering forms as John's light fills the room, flaring brighter and more alive in here, away from the sucking void of darkness. They seem to lose their way in the brilliance, war lines that rippled like static breaking into fuzzy little blobs crawling over the walls. A few stragglers still try to climb their legs, to crawl into the seam of a shoe or the forest of John's fur, or fall from the ceiling and upon their backs, but they do not bite. They only humm, in that horrible way of their's.

Safe, for now?

[Fenric]

Phone Call

"I'm sorry sir. I can't go into company details. Please understand." he says sympathetically.

I see. Well, I won't take up more of your time then: have a good day.

He sounds fairly unhappy.

[Deathkeeper]

Phone Call

"We apologize again, sir. Have a nice day." says Hugh before hanging up.
Whew. Glad that's over.

[Fenric]

[Phone Call]

Oh, no: it's not over. It's only just beginning.

The phone rings, and the number on the Caller ID ought to look very familiar as Hugh had dialed it himself not very long ago.

[Deathkeeper]

Phone Call

Hugh groans and picks up the phone. It is really not proper for customers to call individual agents. Or even possible, usually. Must've picked up on his extension.
"Hello? Gilded Caravan, Tnr, how can I help you?"

[Fenric]

[Phone Call]

Royalty gets in-depth call tracing as a standard perk. Plus... ya know... nobody else is going to pick it up.

Hello, my name is Smith Peters. I represent his Highness Yamata no Orochi, King of Duskdale. Your company recently contacted his Majesty's Chief Butler with regards to a contracted and guaranteed shipment upon which certain other business processes were dependent.
His Majesty is rather insistent that some accounting be given, as this delay has a very real cost to him in terms of lost productivity, lost opportunity, and nonrefundable training fees.

[Deathkeeper]

Phone Call

Oh, geez. Insistence.
"I don't have any details on your order, sir. Please hold and I'll try to contact someone for you."
He quickly changes the line and tries to call Grissin.
"Ms. Grissin they're being inquisitive what do I tell them?" he asks as politely as his nervousness will allow.

[Lost_Deep]

Phone Call

"How aggrivated do they seem?" Grissin asks. "If you think it would be good customer service to transfer them to me, feel free to do so?"

[Deathkeeper]

Phone Call

"He's not angry, but he is insistent. They're not hanging up without an answer of some kind, and I don't know anything about the order so I couldn't tell if I wanted. I'll patch them through."
Click, line one.
"Thanks for waiting. I'm patching you through to another line." he says, and does so.
Okay, now it's out of his hands.

[Fenric]

[Phone Call]

The purple text from Post 133 is repeated. As Hugh said: polite, but insistent. Clearly a lawyer (solicitor, as the Brits would say - we really ought to have kept the distinction between the varieties of legal professional), though there are no particular implications beyond the legal ability to make and alter contracts to that just yet.

[Lost_Deep]

Phone Call

"I understand you feelings, sir. The disruption is also causing us a large amount of trouble, and I can assure you that we are doing everything we can to resolve the situation. I am not allowed to comment at this point in time, but if so desired I can have it arranged that you will be notified of any and all information as soon as possible," Grissin says, professional.

[Fenric]

[Phone Call]

I do sincerely appreciate that difficulties sometimes arise, but is there no possibility for even a partial shipment so that our expenses are not a complete loss? Will have taken pains to hire an attenuation specialist and a trainer to be here so that we can put the items promptly to use.

Sucks to pay a trip charge and a minimum two-hour fee just for people to surf the web on their smartphones.

[Lost_Deep]

Phone Call

"I will pass that request on, and you will hear an answer concerning its feasibility within a few hours," Grissin replies. She's also writing up this request as she speaks, but you can't tell that over the phone.

[Fenric]

[Phone Call]

I see. Well, thank you for your time, Miss. We look forward to hearing your response.

[Lost_Deep]

Phone Call

After a bit under an hour, they will get called back: The partial shipment will be sent, and rushed for no charge to ensure that it arrives at the scheduled time.

And it will!

It just seems like the top layer is missing.

[DoomITP]

Luna Lab

The second Evan sees Luna come back to herself he wraps his arms around her.

"Luna," Evan says, voice twisted with confused emotion, "You're alive."

[Cyber Punk]

[Prof's Lab - Luna]

"Careful!" The Prof says, just as a precaution. Always pays to be careful. "Watch how you hold her, or you'll do more damage!"

Luna's eyes flutter and she looks straight at Evan. "Evan... forgive me... killed you and this time... didn't check..." She squeezes her eyes shut, trying to hold back tears. She fails.

The Professor continues administering treatments and finalizing his operation while she sobs and while Evan answers.

[DoomITP]

Luna Lab

Evan wants to be angry. He wants it so badly but try as he might, the assassin can't muster the feeling.

"It's alright. Nothing has tried to hurt me," Evan says, gently rocking Luna, "It's nothing to worry about."

[Cyber Punk]

[Prof's Lab - Luna]

Luna sniffles as Evan speaks and rocks her, then continues her 'confession'.

"Was a bad girlfriend... should have asked and respected his decision... we broke up and I went on a rampage. Autopilot. Killed a few guys who looked like him... then vaporized one and forgot to check... what if it was him?"

Her sobbing intensifies and she looks away from Evan. It's easier, now that the professor has released the restraint that was preventing her from turning her head. "And I just walked, wanted to see our house again, and then it goes black."

"You died." The Professor simply says. So this man is her boyfriend? He guessed as much. How unfortunate that he got to meet a potential future son-in-law under such circumstances.

"This is the first time in 3 years. You must have been so focused on your feelings that you forgot to be aware of your surroundings. The regenerating factor I've put into you will serve to prevent a repeat occurrence, but you still need to rest, Luna."

Luna simply nods tearfully.

[Recaiden]

[Sandswept Palace]

Has it really been so long already? That who was until very recently Master Scipio's newest student is ready for his last test?

There's a place designated for this, out across the desert. Of course, it falls to the one being tested to arrange a conveyance for them all. And there's a good collection of people coming along for one reason or another. The Master of the palace, he scarcely seems changed. A few more grey hairs, but he smiled once, a few years back, when he was able to stop the spell to purify the sand, as there was nothing more to be done. The major-domo, rather broader around the waist than he once was, in a fancy formal suit. A visiting sorceress, ebon-skin flowing into neon pseudopodia. A tiny kobold who's the newest student here after Zen. Another shaved-head teenager, not nearly so serious as the old journeyman, but the kid who showed Zen the sleds in his first weeks, now out of janitorial work to become a psionic engineer.

[Deathkeeper]

Sandswept Palace

A last test as an apprentice doesn't mean it'll be his last test. Even should he succeed, Zen at fourteen is no match for even who his master was four years ago. He'll still need help, but for now, it's like reaching adulthood. Except not quite, since he's still in the starting stages of his teen years.

And it's rather easy to arrange a conveyance when almost everyone but the sorceress live here.
"Uh, thank you all for coming. It means a lot. Is there...anything you'd like to say first, Master?" he asks, nervous and not really sure what to say. He hasn't been given all the details on the exam itself, merely what he has to do.

[Recaiden]

[Sandswept Palace]

No, like when he first got to do magic. They rode out in a sand-boat. Everyone has gathered at the palace, but the test won't be held here. (Just in case something goes horribly wrong and he devastates the countryside). Getting everyone to a safe testing-ground is the first part of the test. And an opportunity to show off.

Accordingly, the Master just waves a hand, indicating Zen should carry on. He'll speak when he needs to.

[Deathkeeper]

Sandswept Palace

Zen nods.
"Well, if you'll follow me, I'll start the spell to get us to the testing ground." he says, going out into the sandy dunes. With practiced ease he greats a large sand-boat, easily big enough for everyone and then some, though his actually has a little prow, just to look fancy. It should be rather speedy to get there, but Zen is a bit too nervous to start any conversations on the way there.