Outside 44: Baby it's cold outside

[Lost_Deep]

A Warm Spring

"Some things never change," She says with a sigh. She's not upset, just disappointed."So, given that this place is a 'gutter for all other realms,' I assume that trade between this and other realms is fairly strong? Can you tell me anything about transplanar or transrealital relations?"

[Deathkeeper]

A Warm Spring

"For many people, travel here is one-way. Only the rich and the powerful can frequently get between worlds. And many that can don't want to, for fear of introducing things to worlds that would be...detrimental. So yes, there are a few businesses and mages that go between realities. I don't know much about them." she admits.

[Earl of Purple]

The Tower

Vaylith is eagerly picked up, and hugs Mirai's neck tightly.

"So, to Miller's Praise we go. Let's take the jeep; it'll be faster." That said, Zither walks over to where the elongated purple vehicle is parked, and starts the steam turbine after climbing in.

((PM me what wild rumours you have in mind, or I'll come up with something ludicrous and implausible given its nature.))

[Lost_Deep]

A Warm Spring

"Okay," the cat woman says, not discouraged by this, "What do you know about? What do you do, if you don't mind my asking?"

[Deathkeeper]

A Warm Spring

"I'm an actor. The stage kind. Why?" she asks, wondering what this cat-lady is going for.

[Lost_Deep]

A Warm Spring

"Um, curiosity, mainly. I'm sorry, I've been a little rude. This just isn't what I was expecting at all. I'm Gale, Gale Harkens." she tentatively offers a handshake.

[Deathkeeper]

A Warm Spring

The young woman offers a friendly smile and shakes her hand.
"Clara Bryse. What do you intend to do, with your travel thing needing a few hours? There's not much around here besides the spring here."

[Cyber Punk]

[Outside The Tower]
‎
((Works for me. Unless it involves pieces of tech or spell effects (can do that to lighten Earl's load), don't expect me to contribute much to NPC control when my exams are over, which, according to the timetable, starts next week.))‎

Mirai pecks Vaylith on the head and carries her to the Jeep. "And another adventure begins. Can't wait to sate my wonderlust." She smiles, sitting next to Phil.

"Hey, Phil?" She looks upwards, narrowing her eyes. "What about the respawn rock thing you created back after we left Greater Littlewood?"‎

[Lost_Deep]

A Warm Spring

"...I don't suppose I could get a ride to that city?" She asks hopefully, "If it's not a bother, it would be better than having to wait around..." she looks at the tent. "Unless you were planning to be out here a day or two..."

[Deathkeeper]

A Warm Spring

Clara shakes her head.
"I was only going to be here for an hour or two. But uh, I walked here. I'm not in much of a position to give you a ride, unless I call someone to deliver some horses or a car." she admits.

[Lost_Deep]

A Warm Spring

"Well, I guess it being within walking distance is good. I'm willing to wait a bit to be led to a city," she says.

[Nalix]

Outside The Tower

"It's probably still there. I'll make another one outside Miller's Praise, probably. I hope they work, but I have no idea how they really would work here, and I hope I don't have to find out," says Phil, regarding the respawn point he created. "The best way to sate wonderlust is with you," grins Phil, with slight emphasis on lust.

"Fate is like water," Phil said, mostly to himself as he followed Mirai into the jeep. He sounds like he's quoting something. "Life can't exist without it, it forms rivers, lakes, and oceans, and it can sweep us away if there's too much of it in a single place."

[Deathkeeper]

A Warm Spring

"Well, I was uh, going to take a swim. You can stay there, if you'd prefer, but I would like to change and give it a shot." she admits, pointing at the tent.
She normally would nix her own plans, but it was a long walk to get here! She's not going to just leave.

[Lost_Deep]

A Warm Spring

"Oh, yes, that makes sense. I'm sorry, I'm thinking about too many things. I'll leave you to do that, and I'll go check out some of the native flora," Gale says, "Of course, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me, too."

[Deathkeeper]

A Warm Spring

Clara enters the tent and begins to change. Gale might notice a few things if she looks at it, as it isn't entirely opaque, but Gale doesn't seem the voyeur type.
"what's your home like?" she says idly as she gets changed.

[Lost_Deep]

A Warm Spring

Gale doesn't even notice the opportunity. "Oh, a bit chaotic, personally I'm most engrossed with the mad science subculture, but you're bound to run into superheroes, and even without looking magic comes up on occasion. I mostly work with some others on some mad-science investigations, but of course nothing is ever as simple as it seems."

[Deathkeeper]

A Warm Spring

There's a small laugh.
"All right. So what mad hypothesis are you testing right now?" she asks.

[Lost_Deep]

A Warm Spring

"I wasn't, really. Just wanted to get back here and see what it was like, now that I know it exists and the air isn't made of acid," Gale says, "And now that I know there's civilization here, I expect I'll be making more visits."

[Earl of Purple]

Leaving The Tower

Once everyone is loaded into the Jeep, Zither will drive the party off, towards...

Miller's Praise

A town built on the banks of a swift-flowing river, with ten single-storey wooden houses and a pair of large water-wheels, one supplying a flour-mill with grinding wheels and complex cogwork, the other a far more extravagant affair of crackling pylons, exposed steel and flashing lights. A stone humpback bridge crosses the river, whilst lights are provided by shockingly modern-looking street lights. Placed at regular intervals about the town are plasma turrets- automated defences consisting of three stubby legs anchoring it to the ground, a round body divided into two hemispheres, the upper moving freely, and an antennae extending from the side of the top hemisphere and occasionally crackling blasts of purple light at incautious birds, drifting trees, and so on; invariably dissolving whatever it hit into green-and-blue ash.

The main road into the village is clear of the plasma turrets, instead defended by a red-and-white striped raising barricade and an old caravan containing two men in steel breastplates and chainmail armed with bulky and industrial laser-rifles of titanium and copper. As they see the Jeep approach, they put down their cards and leave their game of Pokemon to investigate the newcomers. One hunkers down behind a row of sand bags, aiming his weapon at Zither, whilst the other holds his hand out to stop the vehicle. Zither stops a distance away, and the guardsman cries out "Who are you, what do you want?"
Zither mutters that she can't recall such rudeness before, and asks Phil or Mirai to explain their purpose.

[Deathkeeper]

A Warm Spring

"Well, I can give you my address if you need something when you visit." she offers, coming out of the tent in a simple yellow swimsuit. It's a good deal more flattering than what she was wearing before. Or perhaps she bound her chest?

[Lost_Deep]

A Warm Spring

"I'd appreciate that," Gale says, "Ideally it would never be needed, but if nothing else a local guide would be nice. Also, from a less clinical viewpoint, someone to talk to, if you don't mind the occasional visit," she offers with a hopeful smile.

[Deathkeeper]

A Warm Spring

Clara smiles, laying down a towel and sinking into the water with a sigh.
"Sure. Just don't be surprised if things are a bit hectic some days. Rehearsal schedules can get a bit nuts." she says, remembering some choice moments.

[Lost_Deep]

A Warm Spring

"I've heard some theater stories," Gale says, "Even if I've never taken part. I'll leave you to your relaxation, then, I suppose."

[Deathkeeper]

A Warm Spring

Clara nods, and lets Gale leave for a while to do her sampling stuff. She'll wait until the cat-lady returns, however long that takes.

[Lost_Deep]

A Warm Spring

Gale will go out and mainly loiter to give Clara some time. She's been out here a bit, but isn't in any rush; Clara can enjoy the hot spring she walked so far to get to. About 45 minutes later, she'll check back, see if Clara is out of the water yet.

[Rebonack]

[Warm Spring]

Not to be confused with a Sweet Spring.

Those are very different hydrological phenomena.

Which isn't to say that the water might not be sweet, as in it won't poison you if you drink it. But chugging water out in the middle of nowhere that people bath in can be kind of iffy. Just one of those things you want to avoid unless you've got a neat little water purifier on your person. Even if that water is in one of the secret, hidden away places. Places where you would never really expect to find another person.

Except you do.

"You always do."

That comment coming from the little magenta and black pixie drake that just landed near the edge of the pool. The thing is tiny. And vaguely damsel fly-ish. Clara may have spotted similar creatures near the pond before, but they never spoke to her. This one, though, is regarding her with its little pink eyes, giving its gossamer wings a buzz every now and again. Unlike all the times before, the creature isn't alone. Should she look for them, she might notice a dozen or so more of them skipping across the tops of the pools, climbing on rocks, or chasing insects to eat.

"Isn't that weird? You don't always run into people out in the wilderness, but every time you do it feels so..." the teeny drake continues its thought, its equally teeny voice a harmony between all its diverse fellows. "Staged? Contrived? Forced, even? I guess the story wouldn't be very interesting if we were all alone."

What a queer creature.

"I wonder, is this my story, or yours? Or maybe hers?" the little bug-lizard buzzes, gesturing with a tiny wing toward the cat-person. "Or maybe even someone else who isn't here yet."

[Deathkeeper]

A Warm Spring

Clara, who's been enjoying the water, opens one eye.
"Hey there, little fellas. You always so pensive?" she asks with a small laugh. Weird little thing. She vaguely remembers seeing them before. Never talking, though.

[Lost_Deep]

A Warm Spring

"All of the above," Gale says casually, "And this doesn't happen always, it just feels that way because our minds spend more attention on outliers in a pattern, or on unexpected things."

[Rebonack]

[Warm Spring]

"Nah, not usually. I've just never seen more than one person here at a time before," the pixie drakes reply. "And every time I meet people somewhere strange and get a distinct, 'hmm, this feels like narrative' feeling, something weird usually ends up happening."

Like exploding into a swarm of pixie drakes.

That was pretty weird.

Or running into that creepy little girl.

That was also pretty weird.

Several of the drakes buzz over to a rather large cleft in the boulder and go skittering inside. Wonder what they're doing in there? Probably strange fae things. But then again, that's rather redundant. Faeries always do strange things.

"So are you two here for the enchantments?" the swarm asks conversationally.

Wait...

Enchantments?

What enchantments?

[Deathkeeper]

A warm Spring

Clara raises an eyebrow.
"What enchantments? I've been coming here for ages and never heard anything magical about this place." she says with a frown. Are the cute little bug-lizards keeping secrets now?