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

[Deathkeeper]

Sandswept Oasis

Indeed, this has been a day Zen has been training for for years.
He has not, however, actually trained in using four legs. It's kind of impossible to do that. Chata will likely have quite a laugh at his friend's expense as Zen hobbles embarrassingly back to the boat on with his new shape.

[Recaiden]

Sandswept Oasis

Indeed he does, and the legless sorceress has quite a giggle over it as well.
"Should have gone for taking some off, instead."

But soon enough even an awkward four-legged boy can get back into the sand-boat, and someone else takes charge of moving it back to the palace!

[Deathkeeper]

Sandswept Oasis

"Yeah, but then I'd have to figure out how to not have legs."
Zen would not have wanted to be a giant slug. You run over some loose salt in the sand and you get burned!

But more to the point, he wonders what his party will be like? It's wonderfully exciting.

[Cyber Punk]

Evan finishes off scratching the tally marks and nods to Luna's father.

I'm an assassin. Over the course of us knowing each other, Luna did things that make me question my trust in her. The last straw being that she drugged me without my consent. I took the ring I gave her and told her that if she wanted it back, she'd earn it. By that meaning, earn my trust back. And that brings us here.

[Luna In Da Lab]

The Professor nods, knowingly. "I shall have to chastise her, then. Forgive Luna for her thoughtlessness, this is her first serious relationship in a long time. After her last one ended, she went through a series of flings... including 'flings' posing as someone's girlfriend in order to get to them." He waves a hand in the air dramatically. "Add to that the fact that such things didn't come up in her last relationship and you have a girl who can be rather clueless in regards to serious relationship, I'm afraid."

[DoomITP]

Luna Lab

Evan nods again, his movements slow and deliberate.

Hmm... I can't say I generally use those methods. I prefer to deal with things from farther away.

[Recaiden]

[Sandswept Oasis]

The sorceress flows her way over from one side of the sand-ship to the other.
"It is a bit harder, true."
Zen might have noticed that her chakra topology is really weird. Not the chains and arcs they would normally be. There's rings and stars and all sorts of weirdness thanks to the amoeba body.

As for the party, which is now fully set up after the hours that Zen's test took, it's the biggest celebration the place has seen while he's been here. Strings of lights are hanging around the palace and buildings outside, music is drifting out from where people live, people are playing games, delicious cooking foods can be scented.

It may just be an excuse to have a big party. Even if Zen had failed, it would be a shame to have the preparations go to waste.

[Deathkeeper]

Sandswept Oasis

Would it have been a Sorry! party then?

Zen will bashfully socialize for a while, and snack a lot, since he has a large redundant stomach to fill now. He'll also be making quite a few good-byes. Very sad.

[Cyber Punk]

Evan nods again, his movements slow and deliberate.

Hmm... I can't say I generally use those methods. I prefer to deal with things from farther away.

Luna Lab

"To each his own, young man. You're the sniper type, and she is the type that prefers to strike from the shadows at close range." He scratches his beard. "It makes sense that she'll have a thing for snipers... hmm... Well!"

He claps his hands together and looks at the time. "I suppose it's now time to honor my end and let you have a few minutes to yourselves. Go." He points in the direction. "Go see her. I'd tell you to not be harsh, but a little harshness is needed at times."

[DoomITP]

Luna Lab

Not sure I have any harshness left to give. If she didn't learn from a death then I don't know what anything I can say would do.

Either way, Evan stands up and walks into the area that Luna is training in, rifle over his shoulder.

[Cyber Punk]

Luna Lab

Evan walks in to see Luna running on a giant hamster wheel. She's wearing very little but a series of electrodes pointed at her, getting info from her bionics.

She's so focused on what she's doing that she hasn't noticed Evan yet.

[DoomITP]

Luna Lab

Evan walks over so that he is in Luna's view, not trying to startle her while she does her testing.

[Cyber Punk]

Luna Lab

When Evan comes into her view, she slowly reduces her speed until she comes to a stop, then reaches for her medical patient's gown, which she promptly wears.

"Hi."

[DoomITP]

Luna Lab

Evan has since set his weapon down and is walking up to her.

I wanted to be angry. I wanted it so badly that I can't even begin to describe it.


He finishes walking and goes to hug Luna tightly.

But I can't. I can't be upset. I'm just happy you're alive.

[Cyber Punk]

[Luna Lab]

A description of Luna's new body: she now looks exactly like the newest avatar of her, with redder shorter hair, bangs still covering one side of her face. Her eyes are still the same, but there's something on both sides of her eyes that can help create a visor if needed. The external machine parts of her are gone, but she still has the tron-lines around her body. They're a bit more noticeable, and a lot more noticeable and clustered around her spine.

Add to that reverse-engineered versions of her augs, made more nanomachine-style and you have a lifeform that is a near-perfect harmony of biology and technology.

Luna gasps when she is hugged, and then slowly hugs Evan back. "I..." She can't find the words to say, and settles for stroking his hair and whispering into his ear. "We'll start over, Evan. Take it from the beginning. Communicate more, like in a real relationship."

[DoomITP]

Luna Lab

Evan nods, remaining silent as Luna leans into him.


I'm just glad you're here.

[Cyber Punk]

[Luna Lab]

"I-I'm... I'm glad you're here, too." Luna smiles and starts laughing tearfully. "I'm sorry I cry too much... I'm just so lucky to have you. I might not be your wife anytime soon, but I'll always stand by your side, Evan Armire. I'm just not used to all this..."

[DoomITP]

Luna Lab

Evan nods, privately glad that Luna can't see his expression.

"I saw when they did it. I blew the whole place apart but I don't know where she got off to."

[Cyber Punk]

[Luna Lab]

"Let's not worry about that, right now... what matters is that we'll face them... together." For once, she's glad he can't see her crying face, even though she knows he'll feel the tears. "Together."

The door swings open and the Prof looks in, spots the couple and smiles. He decides to wait until they're finished.

[DoomITP]

Luna Lab

Evan hangs onto Luna silently for a moment longer before he pulls back slightly to look at her.

Let's go home.

[Cyber Punk]

[Luna Lab]

"Good News!" The Professor proclaims as he makes his presence known. "Everything is looking stupendous, dear Luna. It's going better than I expected! Some tests still need to be run, but you could just go and I'll monitor your vitals remotely. I upgraded your infolink, so I should be able to call you should the need arise."

Luna, who was going to just nod, fully pulls away from Evan to give her 'father' a big hug. "Thank you, Doc. I love you."

"I love you too, my dear daughter, but try and contact me more, okay?"

Luna nods, then pulls away. "I want to formally introduce you to Evan Armire. Evan, meet Professor Orion."

[Nalix]

[Airstrip Town]

Gara trotted through the woods as fast as she could without attracting attention. It was frustratingly slow, but she'd rather be slow than suspicious in unknown territory like this. This world showed signs of habitation, maybe even of mid-world tech, which was promising. She still couldn't tell if it was under static or not, making it that much more dangerous for her. A stray demi could shatter her with a thought in her current state. ((I feel like giving Gara a brief internal monologue, as that seems to suit her. Tell me to stop if it becomes annoying.))

As the trees thinned she could see the town she had glimpsed at the last summit. The airfield was clearly visible, and other structures indicated a small but healthy population. She puzzled over the shape of the buildings, wondering what kind of infrastructure their shape implied. Safety first. She slowed to a walk as she reached the outskirts and stepped onto a road (dirt, paved?). Her appearance since entering the woods had been of a dark haired, browned eyed young lady of twenty or so wearing a dirty grey mechanic's jumpsuit.

[Cyber Punk]

[Airstrip Town]

((Nice!))

Agony perks up and looks towards Gara from a distance. The weather had told her someone new was coming to her playground. Something in this one seems interesting.

She grins and moves to flash-step in front of this newcomer. There's a serene smile on her green face as she attempts to scan Gara's mind.

[Nalix]

[Airstrip Town]

I can think of no reason that Gara should be able to hide her mind from Agony. In her universe telepathy is only something machines do to humans, and even then it's considered unreliable.

Depending on Agony's skill with telepathy, she would see pretty much all of Gara's history (highly skilled) or perhaps bits and pieces of it, or at minimum that the short little lady standing in front of her is hiding many layers of deceit. Agony's sudden movement likely provokes a defensive barrier around Gara, just over her skin, invisible unless touched, but sufficient to stop movement. Maybe Agony notices this. If she can just read emotions, she'll likely notice that Gara is genuinely nervous, which she makes no attempt to hide.

"Oh, hi there, I must not have seen you," says Gara, jumping with a start. "I'm looking for a plane or a ship, and I saw the airfield. I'm afraid I'm a bit lost. Could you tell me where I am?"
Maybe she also notices that Gara's jump and surprise are also pre-programmed reactions, though they look quite natural.

Edit: I may as well add this. Skaz, that was fast. I hate relying on my eyes to see. Even demis don't move like that, but that wasn't a teleport. I don't sense the Power in her; wormer? Tall, pale, looks like a voor variant I haven't seen before. Swords - is this a low-world after all? Her nimhak feel like one of the thralls my torturers kept as examples. I feel intimidated, a bit confused and lost, she just appeared out of nowhere, and I must not have noticed her. I don't realize that she's a threat. Those last thoughts are what she wants to portray.

[Cyber Punk]

[Airstrip Town]

Agony sees much of Gara's history and senses the nervousness; the nervousness which causes her to create a barrier around her physical being. How cute, and how so useless.

She licks her lips as she eyes the little lady in front of her up and down. "Hi there, Gara. I am Agony, and you have happened into my latest playground. I see how special you are, the power that you wield, and so I come to you with an exchange."

Her head tilts as she listens in on the internal monologue. "Intimidated, confused and lost. Is that another mask of yours, I wonder? No matter, I'll speak of the exchange: you either stand aside or help me as I 'play' with this town, and I won't enslave you. No, I'll do you one better: I'll spare their airplanes for you to commandeer as you see fit."

She appears serene, but there's something deranged in her eyes, the very eyes that are looking deeply into Gara's as she waits for an answer.

[Deathkeeper]

[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?

3:10 to Nowhere

Spako barks a word and his sword erupts in electricity, arcing up and down the blade with pale blue light. He runs as the thing advances on the girl, and puts a hand before him as it approaches her. A Song erupts in his head.
"Force Hook Charge!"

The girl might find a strong force abruptly pull her towards Spako and out of the grasp of the creature, which should meet the kobold and his flashing scimitar instead of a helpless victim. Three slices at its front, left, right, up.

[Nalix]

[Airstrip Town]

She knows my name? Read my first layer mask... should I go deep? Unnecessary and futile, if she already knows who I am. Offer of a game, toy with the local populace, classic Orange, though a bit contrived. Challenge is curious, enslave me? Test.

"Offer accepted, though you clearly know who I am. Agony. A good name for an Orange. How do I know you won't just enslave me anyway? Tell me a bit about yourself, Agony."

Who are you under, and what territory are we in? Something is off here. If my cover is already gone... no I'm dealing with something else. Something new.

While Gara wouldn't know how to protect herself from telepathy, she probably could protect herself from any attempt at control. Mind control and mind control games are pretty normal among her peers, or something similar to them, at any rate.

[Slii Arhem]

The Aether

In a place which has no form but what its occupants give it, a being made of eyes, given shape by the desires of beings made of minds, lurks furtively. It is unused to this lowered state of being, and after a rippling blink, extricates itself and instead extends a long arm, tipped by a hand who's form was long since decided.

The hand sighs, and dusts off her suit, scattering aetheric particles about as she waits for the nearest being to notice her. Sobek, should he not be totally engrossed in his godly duties, is being called on for a visit by this fragment of an unknown entity. Her literally fiery red hair fades into more normal strands, and the white-hot brand she holds cools into a whippy, flexible sword, which then retracts into a hilt, which then unfolds into... a suitcase?

[Deathkeeper]

The Aether

Something shifts in the aether, and the place around the hand shifts. An invitation to step forward, into the little chunk of the aether cut into a domain, cool as a river in July but not quite as wet if one doesn't wish it to be.
A crocodile sits in his proper place, an eye trained on something unseen as a claw twists a bit of his hair. He waits for the hand to make its introduction.

[Slii Arhem]

The Aether

"Interesting, isn't it?" She assumes so, anyway. The hand gets reports on what the eyes are seeing, but she can only take so much joy out of seeing things come together.

"No need to wonder who I am. Just a meddler, descending in person when indirect pulling of strings isn't enough. There's an offer somewhere in here, for you, but first, would you mind sharing your view? I brought snacks." She opens the case, taking out a wrapped parcel of smoked salmon, and then a second of more standard godly fare. By the look on her angelic face, it's clear she's curious which Sobek would prefer. Ambrosia may be the sublime food of the gods, but one can only eat the condensed adulation of entire populations so long before getting a little adventurous.

And just by smell alone, this is really good smoked salmon. Though if Sobek is of a discerning nature, he might note that the ambrosia's also rather vintage. The last shreds of worship from a dying planet of Greeks, smuggled out just before they turned on their gods and fed them all to a world-eating goat.

[Deathkeeper]

The Aether

Sobek stops fidgeting with his dreadlock and waves a claw, causing the viewport under his eye to stretch into something like a banner for his guest's benefit. Though there is both plenty and not much to see. There are many worshippers who need a watchful eye, and many children. How many crocodiles is she willing to sort through to find the interesting images? Of temples and shrines, the rare battle, and young planeswalkers. There's a sticky note by that one. Can the meddler read shorthand hieroglyphics?

There is a table between them, with plates and glasses.
"Hope you don't mind serving, as the bringer of spoils." he says, in this realm lacking the rumble mortals know him for.