Outside 46

[Mee]

Grace's Lake (Don't Know Why I Called It A Pool)

Jonas retracts the hand, there's that creak again. When was the last time he had himself oiled? Getting off topic, Jonas thinks. So, this your spot?

Grace's Lake

"Uhh. Y-yeah." Grace looks around a bit, and scratches at the back of her neck a bit, almost abashedly.
Of course, that has the added effect of her looking down.
"Oh. Right. Uh. I should get dressed. Would you turn around for a moment please?"

[Celticbear]

Grace's Lake


For Jonas's credit, he hadn't been staring. Wasn't really any for that since specific unnamed organs had burned away on that fateful night. Jonas's head spins around 180 perfect degrees, though his body doesn't follow suit.

Immediately realizing how creepy that was, Jonas quickly says: Um, it's way easier to just spin around my head. This body isn't that... dexterous.

[Rebonack]

[Galleon Rock]

"But you have two bodies?" the completely normal bi- Wait. No. That's still a lamb. Draped across the woman's shoulders. Okay, that's probably a little bit odd, at least. "The large pink one and the small flying one. Isn't that typical? To have more than one body?"

Ah, see.

That's a perfectly normal misunderstanding.

How was she supposed to know that Jace and Zebes are two different creatures that share a mental link rather than the same creature?

You've gone and confused her, Jace.

You should have been more considerate.

"Where does one get clothes?"

[Mee]

Grace's Lake


For Jonas's credit, he hadn't been staring. Wasn't really any for that since specific unnamed organs had burned away on that fateful night. Jonas's head spins around 180 perfect degrees, though his body doesn't follow suit.

Immediately realizing how creepy that was, Jonas quickly says: Um, it's way easier to just spin around my head. This body isn't that... dexterous.

Grace's Lake

He might not have been staring, but it's the principle of the thing!

"That. Uh. Well then. That's quite a party trick." Grace comments, while pulling her clothing back on. "Sooo. Robot?"

[Deathkeeper]

[Galleon Rock]

Jace groans.
"No, the three of us here are all totally separate entities. Zebes and I are not one person, even though we're bonded magically." he tries to explain calmly.
You don't remember my name? I'm hurt. Well, Jace just said it. I got no idea what it is. But it scares the scales off'a me. mental-whispers Zebes.

[Shadowcaller]

[Galleon Rock]

Pink? Was it talking about her or something else? She was pretty sure she wasn't pink.
...whatever, she had to focus on Zebes now.
I'm not good with names. She admits. So it is something indescribably horrible? I get you.
It's not really acting as one though.

"Yes, I'm certainly not a part of them. I'm Anika. Not magically bonded to anyone." She tries to explain, it didn't seem hostile at the very least?

[Rebonack]

[Galleon Rock]

"Oh," the lamb and woman reply in unison, looking slightly disappointed by this. Obviously she made a mistake, jumping to a conclusion that was incorrect about her observations. Clearly this won't be a common problem in the future and she'll make sure to fully understand situations better.

Okay, no.

That won't happen.

She'll continue to be mostly clueless and it'll continue to be hilarious.

"But now I have already created an anchor? and removing it would result in deportation? I should only make meat-noises from one body at once? Would that make me appear more typical?" the pair ask, which is a completely normal thing for a typical person to ask.

Clearly.

"I am still uncertain where to acquire 'clothes'," she adds. Only the woman this time around.

[Celticbear]

Grace's Lake

He might not have been staring, but it's the principle of the thing!

"That. Uh. Well then. That's quite a party trick." Grace comments, while pulling her clothing back on. "Sooo. Robot?"

Worse: mangled human, retorts Jonas. "Comedy equals tragedy plus time right? Wait, why am I questioning my every statement?" thinks Jonas. if his cheeks weren't burnt to cinders, he'd probably be blushing.

[Deathkeeper]

[Galleon Rock]

"I mean, you should probably just go home. We don't really have much to offer you." Jace tries, going through his bag of holding and finding a loose pair of shorts and a shirt, but really hoping this horrible far-thing just goes away soon.

[Shadowcaller]

[Galleon Rock]

Anchor? Deportation?

Just what kind of inter-dimensional horror was this?

"Yeah, uh, I don't think this place have much to offer you. I wouldn't want to be in your home, so why would you want to be in ours?"

[Mee]

Worse: mangled human, retorts Jonas. "Comedy equals tragedy plus time right? Wait, why am I questioning my every statement?" thinks Jonas. if his cheeks weren't burnt to cinders, he'd probably be blushing.

Grace's Lake

"Oh no!" Grace exclaims, covering her mouth with one hand, a look of horror on her face. "Nooo. No it doesn't equal out to comedy. And why are you questioning yourself?"

[Celticbear]

Grace's Lil Lake


Jonas's eyes suddenly widen. Could this girl read minds? If so, how? Could it be magic? If it was magic, Jonas thinks, he's running the other way extremely quickly. Only one way for sure to see if she could read minds, Jonas thinks.

I'M THINKING OF A NUMBER, Jonas thinks but doesn't say, THE NUMBER IS FOUR.

[Mee]

Grace's Lil Lake


Jonas's eyes suddenly widen. Could this girl read minds? If so, how? Could it be magic? If it was magic, Jonas thinks, he's running the other way extremely quickly. Only one way for sure to see if she could read minds, Jonas thinks.

I'M THINKING OF A NUMBER, Jonas thinks but doesn't say, THE NUMBER IS FOUR.

Grace's Lake

Uh oh. She hadn't realized that the thoughts she had been reading had been thoughts. She didn't notice that they didn't have text color, and erroneously replied to the wrong stuff.
WHAT TO DO OH NO PANIC MODE ACTIVATE.

"Uhhhh do you eat? I have a picnic basket of stuff if you'd like. I also probably have something we could use as oil, if you want to try to stop the joint creaking."

[Celticbear]

Grace's Lake

I don't eat, and the oil would be great, says Jonas.

[Mee]

Grace's Lake

I don't eat, and the oil would be great, says Jonas.

The Lake Grace Visits A Bunch

"Yeah, of course!" With that, Grace kneels down and opens her picnic basket. She pulls out a bag from one side of it, opens it, and start digging through it. She comes out with a tube of a dark, dark reddish black something. "Thiiiis should do the trick really well. It's not perfect, but I wasn't expecting to have to lubricate joints and hinges today." With that, she offers him the tube of thick paste.

[Celticbear]

Grace's Lake

Jonas grabs the tube, opens his chest, and deposits a few globs inside. Jonas then sits now, except now there isn't a creak.

I apologize if I offset you. Sometimes I think Banshee put me in this thing just so I could star in a horror movie rather than run a business.

[Mee]

Grace's Lake

Jonas grabs the tube, opens his chest, and deposits a few globs inside. Jonas then sits now, except now there isn't a creak.

I apologize if I offset you. Sometimes I think Banshee put me in this thing just so I could star in a horror movie rather than run a business.

Grace's Lake

"Oh. Not at all. You're all fine." Grace replies, and would take the tube back if it were offered to her. "Who's Banshee? And do you run a business?"

[Celticbear]

Grace's Lake

Banshee was... a colleague of mine. Ran the military side of the operation. See I wasn't born in the Nexus, I came here. Back where I'm from Alien invasion is a huge threat. It's a complicated mess of trouble, but the long and short of it is that I run a military organization. I'm currently doing some outsourcing. Been travelling from place to place looking for people who want to join. I'm sorry, I never introduced myself. I'm Jonas Sinclair. I'm the head of Biological R&D in the aforementioned military organization. I make men live longer, heal better, fight better, and above all look good doing it. Who're you? states Jonas.

After talking with Jonas for a while, it seems that he has a slight southern accent but one that has weathered away over the years.

[Mee]

Grace's Lake

Banshee was... a colleague of mine. Ran the military side of the operation. See I wasn't born in the Nexus, I came here. Back where I'm from Alien invasion is a huge threat. It's a complicated mess of trouble, but the long and short of it is that I run a military organization. I'm currently doing some outsourcing. Been travelling from place to place looking for people who want to join. I'm sorry, I never introduced myself. I'm Jonas Sinclair. I'm the head of Biological R&D in the aforementioned military organization. I make men live longer, heal better, fight better, and above all look good doing it. Who're you? states Jonas.

After talking with Jonas for a while, it seems that he has a slight southern accent but one that has weathered away over the years.

Grace's Lake

"I'm sorry to hear that." Grace frowns. Alien invasions didn't sound fun at all. In fact, possibly the exact opposite of fun. "Oh, I'm. I'm Grace. I play with chemicals. What sort of things specifically have you done in your R&D? You mentioned living longer and all, but nothing suuuper specific?"

[Celticbear]

If Jonas could blink, he would. It would be a visible sign of fear. Even still, one could feel him radiating fear. Oh the things he's done indeed.

The closest approximation of the kind of soldiers I make would be... a lesser version of a space marine. I wish I was as organized as they are. back home all we can do is huddle and occasionally shot guns at interlopers. Place is mess.

[Mee]

If Jonas could blink, he would. It would be a visible sign of fear. Even still, one could feel him radiating fear. Oh the things he's done indeed.

The closest approximation of the kind of soldiers I make would be... a lesser version of a space marine. I wish I was as organized as they are. back home all we can do is huddle and occasionally shot guns at interlopers. Place is mess.

Grace's Lake

"That . . . oof. Well, good thing you're away from it now?" Is just about all she can think to offer to that.

[Celticbear]

Grace's Lake

"That . . . oof. Well, good thing you're away from it now?" Is just about all she can think to offer to that.

That it is, Jonas retorts.

You said you worked with chemicals, what sort?

[Mee]

That it is, Jonas retorts.

You said you worked with chemicals, what sort?

Grace's Lake

"Basically everything I can get my hands on. Nothing radioactive though. That doesn't sound like anything fun to deal with."

[Rebonack]

[Galleon Rock]

The totally normal female humanoid accepts the clothing and begins puzzling over how to put them on. She isn't making much headway thus far. But there's a good chance she figure it out eventually!

"I'm here to learn things!" the lamb replies. "I've exhausted my ability to learn new things about your world from inways? and so now I'm here walking on the substrate! Learning new things is very important because otherwise I get very hungry? Also; I find interacting with tiny people interesting. It is a useful way to gain new perspectives and thus learn new things. I do that back home, too, with the tiny people who live inside a single layer. But your world does not have layers! I learned that previously from a different world, so this time I fragmented? myself and arrived as a fellow tiny people."

If nothing else, the being isn't overtly malicious.

Though...

It's possible that might be a trick of some kind.

"Also also;" the lamb adds. "Another multi-layer perceptoid finds the composition of your world disagreeable and wishes to repair? it. That process would likely be undesirable for all the tiny people who live here as well as ruining my research. So I will endeavor to prevent that from taking place while I learn things."

Okay, that sounds bad.

[Deathkeeper]

[Galleon Rock]

"Well, uh, you go do that? I don't think you need us for that research, so...." Jace would like to just get his loot and go. Metaphysical things like this are best left alone. Don't think about them too hard.

[Shadowcaller]

[Galleon Rock]

What a coincidence, neither does Anika.

"I be frank, I didn't really get much of that. This must be another of those nexus things that I don't get so I don't think I'll be much of a help with that either. New here myself, you know?" She admits.

[Rebonack]

[Galleon Rock]

"But you've already helped!" the totally normal lamb replies as the woman finally figures out how to apply clothing. "But if you don't want to help anymore, I won't continue making sweaters? with you. I shall find other things to learn about, farewell!"

...

They're gone.

Not like POOF!

Or flash of light.

Or... anything, really.

Just gone.

Not like, gone from reality. More like just suddenly somewhere else. But at least that means Jace and Anika don't have to endure it being odd at them anymore? Though someone else likely does. Maybe letting that thing run off on its own wasn't the best idea?

Regardless!

If our heroes search the main chamber they'll find a large pirate-y looking treasure chest in an alcove behind a tapestry. The top is open, and it is clearly full of loots! Glorious, glorious loots. Aside from the assorted gems, coins, paper bills, strings of shells, and completely immaterial electronic currency, there are several objects of power. A small torc made of bone, a wand made of some strange black stone that oozes thick green slime, an orb sparkling as with starlight, and a left handed leather glove/bracer with an azure stone set in the palm.

Our heroes will get the distinct impression that they should only take ONE of the magical objects each.

[Deathkeeper]

[Galleon Rock]

Jace and Zebes exchange a glance with Anika at the same time, and decide to not even comment on what transpired.
Far Things are very odd.

After stuffing their bottomless bag with their half of the monetary spoils, Jace and Zebes bicker silently for a few minutes (Anika can probably tell, due to them both still gesticulating and moving their heads as they converse).
Eventually Jace settles on the orb, because worst case scenario he can hang it in Khannie's room as a nice nightlight.

[Celticbear]

Grace's Lake

"Basically everything I can get my hands on. Nothing radioactive though. That doesn't sound like anything fun to deal with."

I mean unless you're in a hazmat suit. And you use prongs. And don't mind cancer. Even still it's risky. "jokes" Jonas.

[Mee]

I mean unless you're in a hazmat suit. And you use prongs. And don't mind cancer. Even still it's risky. "jokes" Jonas.

Grace's Lake

"Yeaaaaaah. Yeah I'm good without it. I'll just play with everything else. Seems safer, and just more fun over all."