Geneviève's Spoooky Castle Spooktacular!

[Slii Arhem]

Grand Hall

"Well, I'll do a lot of testing on the samples anyway, and if they're not good for mixing, I'll give up on it. But even if I have to, I'd still like to try fixing your wings. Getting some use out of all the stuff I'm researching except for silly costume parties would be great."

[Fenric]

[Grand Hall => SpoOoky Maze]

"Great! I mean, you don't have to come with us, if, uh, nevermind."
She doesn't want to obligate Kat to follow her pokemon, but certainly doesn't want to send the vixen away, and how to politely phrase that has completely escaped her.
Anchor heads across the hall to the garden door and right into the archway of the maze. She holds a hand out to just brush the left wall of leaves.

Katrina and Keiko follow along happily enough, and Keiko is quite excited

We have a maze back home, too, and it can get really confusing 'cause the bushes are all in pots there's this conveyor thingy that you can't really see but it can move them around and the gardeners love moving them so just when you think you have it memorized it will be changed. And the controls are in the gazebo in the middle so if you can beat your friends there you can mess with them by moving the bushes while they're still inside.

[Artemis97]

[Grand Hall]

"I'd really appreciate that." Victoria says. "These wings are good for flying." She spreads her wings, though the left one doesn't fully extend.

"She even used to be able to carry me around." Joel attests.

[Slii Arhem]

[Grand Hall]

"I'd really appreciate that." Victoria says. "These wings are good for flying." She spreads her wings, though the left one doesn't fully extend.

"She even used to be able to carry me around." Joel attests.

Grand Hall

"I expect a lot of the reason for that is Nexus magic. People expect demons and angels and dragons to be able to fly, so it happens. But I don't have any inborn expectations, so it's really hard to make something sensible work. The wings will still look amazing, even if all I get out of them is a glide. Maybe once you're better, though, you can give me a flight lesson?"

[Artemis97]

[Grand Hall]

"Of course!" Victoria says with a smile.

[Recaiden]

"How are you supposed to find your way like that? You'd be so dizzy with walls moving around behind you and all."
They come to the first choice of passages. Continuing straight leads into a dark hedgeway shrouded with cobwebs. Turning to the right leads to an apparently empty path through the greenery, and that's where Anchor is turning already.

[McBish]

[Grand Hall]

Three newcomers enter the castle together. It is unlikely anyone will recognize them as members of a local rock band, Reflex Inside Dysfunction, or RID. Patti Vega leads them, both in the band and through the door. She dressed in a pink dress and a huge realistic pink wig, or she actually has huge pink hair. The large rose gemstone embedded in the star on her belly completes the Rose Quartz costume.

On her arm apparently being dragged is Alex Zullenberg, drummer and technical MacGyver for the band. He has a much less realistic wig/bald cap combo going on, but his white tank top and jean shorts look like he has used them before. He has a old beat up acoustic guitar strapped to his back to complete his Mr. Universe outfit.

Veneelak Seliah breaks the theme. The only non-human of the three she stands shorter than both of them. She is a humanoid with a long neck with small air sacks visible at the base. Her hair is buzzed short, thin and blond. Her eyes are bigger than your average human with an odd mix of green and blue. Her pale green skin is contrasted by the bright red of her dress. The arrowhead shaped insignia pinned on her chest should be familiar to anyone versed in classic earth sci-fi. Her costume looks very well made and fits her like it was tailored for her.

"Alright guys when mingling remember to mention our gig. And Ven try and have some fun."

"I have fun." Ven mumbles like she has heard this too many times before.

[Black Socks]

[Grand Hall]

Three newcomers enter the castle together. It is unlikely anyone will recognize them as members of a local rock band, Reflex Inside Dysfunction, or RID. Patti Vega leads them, both in the band and through the door. She dressed in a pink dress and a huge realistic pink wig, or she actually has huge pink hair. The large rose gemstone embedded in the star on her belly completes the Rose Quartz costume.

On her arm apparently being dragged is Alex Zullenberg, drummer and technical MacGyver for the band. He has a much less realistic wig/bald cap combo going on, but his white tank top and jean shorts look like he has used them before. He has a old beat up acoustic guitar strapped to his back to complete his Mr. Universe outfit.

Veneelak Seliah breaks the theme. The only non-human of the three she stands shorter than both of them. She is a humanoid with a long neck with small air sacks visible at the base. Her hair is buzzed short, thin and blond. Her eyes are bigger than your average human with an odd mix of green and blue. Her pale green skin is contrasted by the bright red of her dress. The arrowhead shaped insignia pinned on her chest should be familiar to anyone versed in classic earth sci-fi. Her costume looks very well made and fits her like it was tailored for her.

"Alright guys when mingling remember to mention our gig. And Ven try and have some fun."

"I have fun." Ven mumbles like she has heard this too many times before.

[Grand Hall]
Sana, now with the hood of her ninja costume pulled up, approaches the trio.
"Hello. Welcome to the party."
She realizes that sounds like she's the hostess or something.
"That wasn't intended to convey any official status I have. I'm just terrible at starting conversations."
....Case in point.

[McBish]

[Grand Hall]

That's OK, Patti gives a huge smile to the hooded ninja. "That is fine, unofficial welcomes are the best. Much better than stuffy official ones. That is a great ninja costume by the way. I'm Patti, Alex here is my Mr. Universe for the night, and that is Ven."

"Hey nice to meet you." Alex says tearing his eyes away from exploring the huge hall. Ven gives a little wave.

[Black Socks]

[Grand Hall]

That's OK, Patti gives a huge smile to the hooded ninja. "That is fine, unofficial welcomes are the best. Much better than stuffy official ones. That is a great ninja costume by the way. I'm Patti, Alex here is my Mr. Universe for the night, and that is Ven."

"Hey nice to meet you." Alex says tearing his eyes away from exploring the huge hall. Ven gives a little wave.

"Thank you. Truth be told, I got it last night, when all the costumes are cheap. I need to save money in case they charge a lot...."
Gaah! Change the subject!
"Aaaaaaaanyways. Patti, Alex, Ven. Are you three a group of some sort?"
Sana paces as she speaks, and one can notice a distinct limp, as if she was suffering from some sort of leg injury.

[McBish]

[Grand Hall]

"See I was lucky, I had Ven make mine she is good at stuff like that." Ven can't blush but if you know her well enough you would know the increased speed her air sacs start to pump at is basically the same thing. "Yeah actually we are all in a band together. RID, Reflex Inside Dysfunction."

[Black Socks]

[Grand Hall]

"See I was lucky, I had Ven make mine she is good at stuff like that." Ven can't blush but if you know her well enough you would know the increased speed her air sacs start to pump at is basically the same thing. "Yeah actually we are all in a band together. RID, Reflex Inside Dysfunction."

"Is there a story behind the name? It sounds like an in-joke or something similar...."
Well, it does!

[McBish]

[Grand Hall]

Alex raises his hand with a grin. "That was mine. I have hundreds of band I have doodled down at some point. We voted on this one."

Ven finally speaks up in Sana's presence. "I always liked it because everyone is a little dysfunctional in their own way."

"And everyone is reflective." Alex says finishing the thought.

[Black Socks]

[Grand Hall]

Alex raises his hand with a grin. "That was mine. I have hundreds of band I have doodled down at some point. We voted on this one."

Ven finally speaks up in Sana's presence. "I always liked it because everyone is a little dysfunctional in their own way."

"And everyone is reflective." Alex says finishing the thought.

"Ah. That makes sense."
Sana pulls back her hood, revealing lavender hair- somewhere along the line the ponytail came undone- and a pale face, along with elven ears.
Gotta think of a conversation topic....
"Are you up for some adventure, or would you prefer I guided you to somewhere more peaceful?"

[McBish]

[Grand Hall]

"Well if you are offering to guide us how about a little tour. We can always have a little adventure later." Patti says letting go of Alex's arm and moving to take Sana's. "It sure looks like there is plenty this party has to offer."

"Yeah like some snacks. I see some food that way." Alex says pointing towards the food.

[Black Socks]

[Grand Hall]

"Well if you are offering to guide us how about a little tour. We can always have a little adventure later." Patti says letting go of Alex's arm and moving to take Sana's. "It sure looks like there is plenty this party has to offer."

"Yeah like some snacks. I see some food that way." Alex says pointing towards the food.

"A tour? Sure...."
After retreating from Cait, Sana wandered for a while, so she has a general knowledge of the party area.
"So, this is the Grand Hall. As Alex mentioned, there's food. Mostly meat and carbohydrates, as well as drinks."
Sana then indicates the throne where Geneviève sits.
"That's the hostess. I don't know her name."
Next is the row of arches.
"In there is the Gallery. It's more peaceful, and I've heard that magic protects it from attacks. Through there, you can get to a couple of outside areas."

[McBish]

"Meat and carbs are right up my alley I am going to skip the tour for that." Alex says heading over to the tables with food with a wave goodbye.

"Oh outside areas sound nice. So tell me more about yourself. I love your hair by the way." Patti says leading towards the gallery. Ven follows a few steps behind obviously used to Patti taking the lead.

[Gullara]

[The Ice Garden - 5 to 6]

Laela barely even pays her mom's warning words any mind. She's a girl on a mission, and that mission is to eat candy until she's sick!

When the group gets to the cauldrons, Cora and Laela waste no time practically falling into them to grab fistfuls of candy. Bastion, however, is more reserved. "What kinds do you like?" He asks Landon. The boy speaks quietly. It's a wonder he's ever heard over the girls.

[The Ice Garden - 3 to 4]

"But I'm a bad guy too!" Jillian tugs on Cern's arm, much more enthusiastic about this than he is. "We c'n be on the same team!"

[The Ice Garden - Adults]

Sakura giggles. "Sounds adorable. I'm sure they'd get along just fine with ours. How many cousins does Tuskfang have?"

Meanwhile, the less independent children aren't just sitting perfectly still. Laerana is starting to make a fuss in the stroller, and her parents know well that she can easily set Cassie off too. Little Lucy, in her racecar jumpsuit, has circled around behind the adults on her hands and knees, still pushing her toy car. She's so intent on her private game that she runs right into Sszinyon's foot! She cranes her head all the way back to look him.

[Artemis97]

[The Ice Garden - 5 to 6]

"I like sour things." Landon answers, edging up to the cauldron to see if the girls have overturned any new varieties. "What do you guys like?"

[The Ice Garden - Adults]

Sszinyon flicks back the edge of his robes and stares down at the child, frowning, all red face paint and spikes. He blinks a bit, before slowly taking a large step back to get out of her way.

[Black Socks]

"Meat and carbs are right up my alley I am going to skip the tour for that." Alex says heading over to the tables with food with a wave goodbye.

"Oh outside areas sound nice. So tell me more about yourself. I love your hair by the way." Patti says leading towards the gallery. Ven follows a few steps behind obviously used to Patti taking the lead.

"Well.... my name is Sana Valtoris. My hair has always been this way; it's an elf thing. I grew up in the Nexus. I used to be an adventurer, then I
took an arrow to the knee
got injured in a fight. Now I can barely run or jump, and I was the group's rogue/illusionist, so that was the end of my career. I settled down Inside with the loot from our quests, and.... let's see, what did the others do after that? Lanjin is in the Hunting Grounds, he says hello to Lanjinbot every once in a while.... Jasper moved to Riverside, last I heard he took up politics... and Tharis & Galeria got married. They have a Home now."
As she speaks, she leads the two through the Grand Hall and Gallery.
"What about you two? I'm sorry I've been talking so much."

[Morty]

[The Ice Garden - 3 to 4]

"Brinika says drooids are nootral. I dunno what that means," Tuskfang says. "Can't we all be good guys? Then we dun have to fight."

[The Ice Garden - Adults]

"He's got five of them on my side," Reelshka explains. "One is Brinika, that I think you know. Then there are my brother's four kids. And two on his father's side, but they're not here. Brinika has a lot of cousins on her dad's side, though. He's got four siblings, and each of them has a few children."

[McBish]

[Gallery]

"Oh don't worry about talking too much. I love a good talker. Though I don't mind the shy ones either, right Ven?" She smiles at the green skin woman who sticks her tongue out in response. "My story is probably pretty boring compared to the life of an adventurer. I grew up around here and have studied music pretty much my whole life. Ven here is the interesting one of the two of us. She is a star hopper for real, not just tonight."

"Bah, I wouldn't say star hopper. I grew up on a different world is all. We were mostly farmers or priests hardly anything interesting." Ven explains leaving off that she was born on a third world. "And Patti is being to modest, I have heard some great stories about her time studying music in college hardly boring."

[Black Socks]

[Gallery]

"Oh don't worry about talking too much. I love a good talker. Though I don't mind the shy ones either, right Ven?" She smiles at the green skin woman who sticks her tongue out in response. "My story is probably pretty boring compared to the life of an adventurer. I grew up around here and have studied music pretty much my whole life. Ven here is the interesting one of the two of us. She is a star hopper for real, not just tonight."

"Bah, I wouldn't say star hopper. I grew up on a different world is all. We were mostly farmers or priests hardly anything interesting." Ven explains leaving off that she was born on a third world. "And Patti is being to modest, I have heard some great stories about her time studying music in college hardly boring."

"Well, I suppose I exaggerated as well. The only adventure we had was helping a dwarf find some lost mine."
((My eternal thumbs-up if you get the reference))
The group exits the Gallery.
"Sooooo. Off to one side we have the Poison Gardens. I wouldn't recommend touching the plants. It appears to have been designed for calm and quietness, as well as for couples seeking.... 'alone time'." Sana smiles.
"On the other side, we have the Ice Garden; the child-friendly portion of the castle.
Finally, we have the Spoooky Maze. That is the adventure I was referring to. It is said that if one can overcome the challenges in the maze, there is treasure in the middle.
So, where would you like to go?"

[McBish]

[Gallery>>Ice Castle]

((I must admit I don't off the top of my head know the reference.))

"Oh you hear that Ven, we need to find you someone to have some 'alone time' with tonight." Patti teases Ven poking her in the side. Ven seems used to this type of abuse and shrugs it off swatting Patti's hands away. "Hm... well I wouldn't want you to get the wrong impression about going to the poison garden, maybe later. And I am not the adventuring type. So let's go check out the Ice Castle."

"It must have been one heck of an adventure if you could retire afterwards." The young green woman says.

[Black Socks]

[Gallery>>Ice Castle]

((I must admit I don't off the top of my head know the reference.))

"Oh you hear that Ven, we need to find you someone to have some 'alone time' with tonight." Patti teases Ven poking her in the side. Ven seems used to this type of abuse and shrugs it off swatting Patti's hands away. "Hm... well I wouldn't want you to get the wrong impression about going to the poison garden, maybe later. And I am not the adventuring type. So let's go check out the Ice Castle."

"It must have been one heck of an adventure if you could retire afterwards." The young green woman says.

"Well, I haven't exactly retired. I took up robotics, and my main robot adventures in the Hunting Grounds. So, what shall we do here?"

((Ah well. It was a reference to the D&D 5e starter set adventure, Lost Mine of Phandelvar.))

[Slii Arhem]

[Grand Hall]

"Of course!" Victoria says with a smile.

Grand Hall

"Come meet me and Riss in the gallery in an hour or so, and we'll get you some directions, or a phone number or a map or something. Ooh, I should go ask Riss if she can spin a map out of silk with her new arms. Toodles!" Without warning, Misha will give the two a wave, mindful of not trying to suddenly hug an involved couple or a half-fiend, and slither off slowly to go find Riss, possibly meeting someone else along the way if anyone's interested in bumping into the bubbly, shiny lamia-looking nereid.

[Artemis97]

[Grand Hall]

"See you, Misha!" Victoria bids her goodbye. Joel waves to her as she goes.

"Well, isn't that exciting, Joel? For a little research, they might be able to fix my wing. I could fly again!"

The half elf smiles. "Yeah, that's pretty awesome, actually. Just... don't get your hopes up too much. I don't want to see you get hurt if this doesn't work out."

Victoria sighs. "You're right. Still, I'm excited."

"I know. I'm glad for you. " He stops and thinks for a moment. "Are you hungry? It looks like they've got a ton of food, here."

"Yeah, let's go get something to eat."

The pair set off towards the tables of food and start filling plates with the sundry tasty things on offer.

[McBish]

((Switched to Pathfinder after 3.5))

[Ice Castle]

Ven and Patti both seem to be fascinated by the icy sculptures that fill this space. Ven reaches out and touches one of them to confirm that it is actually ice. Patti seems better at juggling a conversation and admiring the space they are walking through. "Robotics? That sounds fascinating. What should we do? Well I guess we can explore around here. We could keep talking, I could tell you more about myself, you could talk more about yourself. Maybe I could tell you embarrassing secrets about Ven." Ven doesn't seem to catch this last comment staring into the eyes of an icy statue.

[Black Socks]

((Switched to Pathfinder after 3.5))

[Ice Castle]

Ven and Patti both seem to be fascinated by the icy sculptures that fill this space. Ven reaches out and touches one of them to confirm that it is actually ice. Patti seems better at juggling a conversation and admiring the space they are walking through. "Robotics? That sounds fascinating. What should we do? Well I guess we can explore around here. We could keep talking, I could tell you more about myself, you could talk more about yourself. Maybe I could tell you embarrassing secrets about Ven." Ven doesn't seem to catch this last comment staring into the eyes of an icy statue.

(( I see now! You're one of those.... those.... PF switchers! *sniff* I don't even know you anymore.... ))

"Embarrassing stories sounds fun. You go first."
Sana begins walking towards the snack table.

[FireFox]

Carrie blinks. "... Oh, you're a... a future baby? I have one of those, actually---she'd be your niece. Guess she's more of an alternate-future baby, though, given, uh..." She coughs, shifting a little.
Oh wow, she kind of didn't want to think of that.

[Grand Hall]

We have a few nieces that are actually close to our age, but there's weird time... stuff involved. Catgirl Jupiter makes a vaguely wibbly-wobbly hand motion. But does that mean you know Uncle Matthew and Auntie Angela?
Oh, you poor child. Does she ever.
(It should be noted that Matt and Angela are actually older half-siblings, she just calls them uncle and aunt because she doesn't understand the aforementioned weird time stuff.)

[The Gallery]

"If you don't mind doing an equal amount of flashing for all the incorrigible perverts..." Leah mutters rather loudly. That wasn't under her breath at all!

"I do admit, I'm rather glad this party is always different every loop."

[The Gallery]

A voice pipes up behind Leah, female, and amused.

"As long as they don't touch, I don't care if they look. I find it a bit flattering, actually."

If they turn to look, Leah and Rebekah will find a blonde woman lounging in a chair at an otherwise empty table, a half-filled glass of punch in front of her. Her long, platinum blonde hair is pulled back into a ponytail, though a bit of bangs hang down to frame her face on each side. Curiously, her ears seem to be rounded metal domes, with what appear to be blue lenses set into them. What's more eye-catching, though, is the skin tight, two-toned blue bodysuit she's wearing. On her left breast, there's a symbol emblazoned in day-glo pink that seems to be a representation of an eye, while on the back of each hand is a X-shaped mark with a filled-in circle in the center, also embazoned in bright pink. A holster is strapped to her right thigh, where a truly massive pistol rests. Around her wrists are black bands, trimmed in a glowing yellow, and oddly shaped boots, trimmed in more yellow and black, adorn her feet. Electra, dressed as Zero Suit Samus, grins at the catgirls.

"So, is there an entire set of Sailor Scouts wandering around, then?"

[The Gallery]

Rebekah glares at her sister, but the retort dies from her lips when the other woman speaks up. She's about to say something else in response to her, maybe even an agreement, but that too dies off when she gets a closer look. Wow. I mean, what? Sailor Scouts, yeah, two more of them. Hi. Her hand reaches to Leah's back and surreptitiously starts signaling: tap tap tap, rub rub rub, tap tap tap. A nervous SOS, repeated over and over until the other catgirl gets the message. Whether or not she'll help, is...