[Nexus] Serious Plots 3 - Too srs for my shirt

[Halae]

[Time Tower]

The young man, whom we shall call Tarn for now, as young man is a bit too general, will walk up to one of the obvious automatons and begin examining it. The big thing is looking at exposed gears and the like, trying to determine how it works.

[Slii Arhem]

Time Tower

Tarn will see only a little of the gears, but if he knows anything about gearing it will tell him that if the power source is held in the chest then they are tuned for power and not speed. The outside casing is thick, and mostly humanoid shaped, although the proportions are somewhat off.

If Tarn makes the foolish mistake of getting off the walkway during his inspection, terrible things will happen and he'll be seeing a lot more of that gearing system than he ever wanted to.

But for now, let us assume that doesn't happen.

[Halae]

[Time Tower]

You are correct, Tarn stays on the path. He has a working knowledge of gears and the like, so the understanding that the power source is in the chest is welcome. Assuming he can reach it without leaving the central walkway, Tarn will attempt to see if there's a way to pry off the chestplate. He wants to get a better look at the insides of this beastie.

Wedding - Sakura's Room

"It's okay." Cessie replies with a smile. "I'm going to look for my own husband now anyway, nice to meet you Vorla." She finishes with a short bow before she leaves the room to go searching for Harnel.

[Wedding]

Cessie will likely find Harnel looking a bit uncomfortable as he leans against a wall in the courtyard. it won't be hard to find him, really.

[Shadowcaller]

[Wedding]

"Something wrong dear?" Cessie asks as she walks up to him, taking a look around the wedding site.

[Halae]

[Wedding]

"I don't know," Harnel says, "I feel like something's wrong, but I don't know what. I'm looking out for signs of trouble, but I'm just not seeing anything." His tail is moving back and forth, antsy

[Reinholdt]

[Time Tower]

"Really? You're going to come in here and start touching things? Getting awfully crowded in here. You trying to get us all killed?"

The floating, talking, pink cat with a sniper rifle on its back says, crossing his paws in front of him. It's a wonder Tom didn't see him before.

[The Alexandrian]

[Inside of the Beer Bin]

There are several types of people who habitually swill liquor in the Beer Bin: the soulless posers wearing leather jackets trying to act cool and reserved but failing at it horrifically, the undead bikers who like to think that they still can get plastered but, sadly, cannot, chain-smoking, lowlife scumbuckets who put off more pollutants than a smokestack at a paper mill, idiots who were drunk when they staggered through the door, and preppy, uber-snotty women who lost their figure many, many excruciatingly long years ago. It is a blessing that the interior of the bar is quite dark. The last thing Tom needs is to go blind or be more mentally scarred than he already is.

As Thomas surmised, the thugs that stole his girlfriend are not in this first section of the bar. There is a bartender who might be able help him pin down their location, though. He looks like he is a nice enough bearded fellow…

Wait just a darn second…

I should have said she, not he. My bad. She is wiping out the inside of an already clean shot glass with a white towel.

At least she’s not an elf, right?

[Slii Arhem]

Time Tower

The chest-plate seems anchored to the statue, it doesn't look like it would come off with anything less than a blowtorch. Tarn's tugging reveals another mystery however. All of the statues are secured to the floor by an unknown means. Whatever it is, it means the Tarn's pulling won't topple the statue over onto him.

And thankfully for all three of their hides, it remains a statue for now, as does the others.

The glass bowl also continues to be dormant. It seems some other means is used to activate its continued degradation.

[Halae]

[Time Tower]

Tarn gives Reinholdt a flat look, "Honestly? It's better to know how these things work than leave them here like this. Could spell disaster if we have to fight them"

[Reinholdt]

[Time Tower]

"So don't give them a reason to attack. I presume you read the wall?" Reinholdt counters. "These things are full of traps and trying to find out how they work in a manner such as 'prying them apart' is guaranteed to trigger something horrible down the line. The answer is related to this bowl. That's where we should concentrate our efforts." Reinholdt adds before turning back around to examine the bowl again.

[Slii Arhem]

Time Tower

After the few chips that have fallen away, there is now a visible crack in the seal on the bowl, although nowhere near deep enough to shatter it. If Reinholdt is looking around the pedastle as well, he should find the edge of an inscription peeking out from underneath the bowl on the flat top of the pillar.

The visible part reads, "-ys to measure time."

[Murkus]

Wedding - Sakura's Room

"Oh, that's lovely. Are you, er, raising her in the Nexus too? Do you have somewhere to stay?" Vorla has a look around. Unless Sakura decided to pick up a little, it's probably still pretty messy. "This doesn't look like a place for a baby."

Wedding - Sarget

I believe we established that they were old friends, so yeah.

"Sarget." Erik says, voice fairly high and rich. He always seems to have an air of superiority about him, but it's dampened among friends. "Never thought we'd meet here again. Let alone at my son's wedding. Your daughter's wedding," Erik adds before anyone has a chance to. "Five hundred years, and he's only my third son to have some sort of ceremony."

Wedding - Dominic

The sisters whirl, eyes widening. They're both dressed in simple green robes, perhaps the fastest thing Adir could find for them. One of them has a pink flower hanging out of her mouth. She starts to swallow, but the other one swats her on the back of the head and it drops from her mouth.

"Sorry! We won't eat any more!" The hungry one says, cowering behind her sister.

Wedding - Outside

"That's the normal kind, where I come from. Things get freaky." The uncle doesn't seem to be flirting. Mostly just paying them a compliment. He offers a hand to Ilpholin, seemingly not deterred by Darcy's shyness. "I'm Yeiun. Adir's uncle. You two are?"

Meanwhile, just nearby, Adir's great-grandfather drops into a chair with a groan. He holds his aching, skinny legs and sighs heavily.

-------------------------------

Time Tower

"Stealing usually requires some touching, yeah." Comes a female voice, flat and low. Lady Legion slips through the main doorway, dressed in trousers and Guidance's breastplate. Her magical beauty has started to grow cold and stale, lacking it's usual luster, but the stone in her chest never ceases to shine. "Who are you guys?"

[Gullara]

Whoo! Murkus post! =D

[Wedding - Sakura's Room]

Sakura glances around the room. Yikes, messy indeed. "That's the plan right now, to raise her here. Well, not right here. Adir is gonna get a cabin built nearby. I kinda already know what he's planning. It's going to be great."

[Wedding - Sarget]

"It is uncommon. Such a public declaration of love may not be necessary, but there is nothing to object to. Sakura was very excited about it. Her friend was married recently as well." Sarget says, his low rumbling voice sounding quite pleased and content.

[Murkus]

Wedding - Sakura's Room

"A cabin? A wooden house? Ooh, that'll be nice. And so close to this tower, too. Wouldn't want to be far from 'work'." Vorla looks at Sakura strangely, still smiling broadly. "You two save the world, isn't that right? It's good for Laela to be away from that."

[Wedding - Sarget]

"I'm not objecting. Just wondering how this tradition ever came about." Erik says, arms still crossed. He looks around, brow furrowed. "Adir can't be taking this well. He was never one for commitment. Gods, let alone responsibility." He frowns. "Not sure how I'm taking it."

[Gullara]

[Wedding - Sakura's Room]

Sakura rubs the back of her head. "I don't really do any of that actually. I mean, I kinda thought I could when I joined, but definitely not anymore." This is where the whole 'joined watch because Adir was there' thing comes into play of course.

[Wedding - Sarget]

"They've been good for each other. Perhaps in her he's found someone he wants to commit to." Sarget says and chuckles. "Your son has grown much since you've seen him last."

Of course, someone should probably check on his. *peers at Harnel*

[Murkus]

Wedding - Sakura's Room

"Oh... well of course not." Vorla says, nodding in agreement. Perfectly normal. "Because of the baby, right?"

Wedding - Sarget

Erik takes a few moments to look up at Sarget, quirking a brow. After some silence, he says flatly, "He's terrified, isn't he?"

[Gullara]

[Wedding - Sakura's Room]

"Yeah... because of the baby. Well, mostly." Sakura doesn't really want to go on about the real reason she isn't actually helping out in Watch at all really. Even though everyone around her seems to have accepted it just fine, it's still a touchy area.

"But I'll have my hands full with her now anyway. It's... a lot to think about." Oh no, Sakura, don't let your worry about the baby stack on top of the nervousness the wedding is causing you.

[Wedding - Sarget]

Sarget laughs. It shakes the nearby trees just a bit. "I imagine he is, but that's normal from what I understand."

[billtodamax]

Wedding - Dominic

The sisters whirl, eyes widening. They're both dressed in simple green robes, perhaps the fastest thing Adir could find for them. One of them has a pink flower hanging out of her mouth. She starts to swallow, but the other one swats her on the back of the head and it drops from her mouth.

"Sorry! We won't eat any more!" The hungry one says, cowering behind her sister.

Apologies, I didn't mean to shock you. I don't mind if you eat the flowers, although you might want to ask Sakura if that's okay. Dominic says, promising a long and painful death with his tone.

[Murkus]

Wedding - Sakura's Room

"Oh, honey, don't worry about it." Especially not now. Can't break down on the wedding day! Vorla smiles reassuringly, trying to put a hand on her arm. "Adir can, no, will help you. And if you ever need a sitter, well... maybe I can come by." She seems to like that idea. A whole lot.

Wedding - Sarget

"If you say so. How's your Sakura doing?" Erik asks, genuinely interested. This girl sounded awfully sensitive.

Wedding - Dominic

"You're not gonna hurt us, right?" The two girls shrink away from Dominic, perturbed and uneasy. Fey take a lot from tone, and Dominic's isn't exactly friendly.

[billtodamax]

Wedding - Dominic

"You're not gonna hurt us, right?" The two girls shrink away from Dominic, perturbed and uneasy. Fey take a lot from tone, and Dominic's isn't exactly friendly.

Of course not! He protests, artfully lying to the sisters, probably. I'd never try and hurt you. He says, like he's contemplating how to dispose if their bodies.

[Murkus]

Wedding - Dominic

The two sisters stumble over eachother before scampering off in random directions! One dives amidst the flowers. Not actually in to them, thank the gods, but between the rows. Even without the whole Ringwraith look, Dominic is a scary, scary man.

[billtodamax]

Wedding - Dominic

The two sisters stumble over eachother before scampering off in random directions! One dives amidst the flowers. Not actually in to them, thank the gods, but between the rows. Even without the whole Ringwraith look, Dominic is a scary, scary man.

Dominic sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose with his massive, terrifying hand. Great. Nice talking to you too. He mutters to himself, his voice clearly carrying to wherever the girls are. He's getting angry! Careful!

[Zefir]

Time Tower

"Yep it's me." he answers Reinhold a while back.

After all he hasn't any idea what this thing her eis about and just raise up to observe the whole thing from above.

[Shadowcaller]

[Wedding]

"I don't know," Harnel says, "I feel like something's wrong, but I don't know what. I'm looking out for signs of trouble, but I'm just not seeing anything." His tail is moving back and forth, antsy

[Wedding]

"Something's wrong? What makes you think that?" Cessie asks with a raised eyebrow. "Is it because our wedding was involved in so much trouble? Because I don't think that's going to happen again dear." She lightly attempts to take his hand and squeeze it. "I know you are my warrior but maybe you should relax this time? For Sakura's sake, this is her and Adir's moment after all."
As she mentions his name a sudden dread comes over her, what if Adir got cold feet? Was that what Harnel felt? She didn't think the stag ever had been interested in marriage.

"Uh... have you talked to Adir by the way?"

[Morty]

[Wedding]

Wenomir is hanging around, looking pretty bored and observing Adir's family. Strange people.
The demonhunter is actually dressed somewhat representatively - his mail has been polished to a shine and so have his boots. His ponytail is held together by a silver ring rather than the usual leather strap and he's wearing a new surcoat - a pitch black one bearing Watchtower's logo in bright red.

[Gullara]

[Wedding - Sakura's Room]

Sakura smiles back at her and nods. "That would be great. Thank you." She goes to give Vorla another brief hug.

"I know everything's going to be perfect." She looks down at her dress. It's really quite strained around the middle. "I just wish I got this dress a little looser around my stomach." She giggles, though there's a bit of strain to it. "I feel so huge."

[Wedding - Sarget]

"She's doing well. She tries too hard to not worry about the future, but I'm sure they will be fine. The three of them, that is." The treant says. He's curious what Erik thinks of them having a child.

[Slii Arhem]

Time Tower

"Stealing usually requires some touching, yeah." Comes a female voice, flat and low. Lady Legion slips through the main doorway, dressed in trousers and Guidance's breastplate. Her magical beauty has started to grow cold and stale, lacking it's usual luster, but the stone in her chest never ceases to shine. "Who are you guys?"

Time Tower

"Yep it's me." he answers Reinhold a while back.

After all he hasn't any idea what this thing her eis about and just raise up to observe the whole thing from above.

Time Tower

When Legion enters another flash of light covers the ceiling, brighter this time and longer lasting. This one should be bright enough to draw everyone's attention to the rafters, where the massive inlayed clock clicks forward another ponderous second.

Directly below it, the bowl gains another crack.

Legion in particular should be drawn by the luminescence, because as soon as it appears she should be able to feel the presence of an Object high above her.

Then the light fades, the movement is done, and besides the adventurers everything in the tower goes still.

For Harnel:

Spoiler

Show

If Tarn is still holding on to the statue when the light begins he'll feel it shudder under his touch, as if the gears inside are attempting to move but jammed on something. it becomes still after the light has faded however.

For Reinholdt & Mr. C.

Spoiler

Show

The text the bowl is covering also glows in turn with the ingraved clock on the ceiling, and fades when it fades.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Wedding]



A WILD KR appeared!

WILD KR used STAND AROUND AWKWARDLY!

It's super effective!

[Reinholdt]

Wedding - Outside

"That's the normal kind, where I come from. Things get freaky." The uncle doesn't seem to be flirting. Mostly just paying them a compliment. He offers a hand to Ilpholin, seemingly not deterred by Darcy's shyness. "I'm Yeiun. Adir's uncle. You two are?"

Meanwhile, just nearby, Adir's great-grandfather drops into a chair with a groan. He holds his aching, skinny legs and sighs heavily.

Wedding - Outside

Ilpholin doesn't shake his hand, giving a bow instead.
Darcy might notice something unusual wrapped around Ilpholin's leg and trying to stay hidden under her dress when she does this.

"Ilpholin Xar'cha. And this is Darcy. We are friends of Sakura from Watchtower."

Time Tower

"Reinholdt, Treasure Hunter Extraordinaire." He says, giving his flourish, though without turning around. "And I do hope our goal is to crack this bowl in half rather than keep it from cracking, cause we're doing a decent job of the former. There's some text here, y s of keeping time. I think it's something something something ways of keeping time. If I had to guess. So far, from what I can tell, the mechanisms have reacted each time someone entered through the doorway and have gotten progressively more visible and longer." It's why he didn't notice when he came in, cause he was the first in.

[Morty]

[Wedding]

Wenomir is also standing around awkwardly! If only DC was here, then Watchtower's "ruling" triumvirate could all stand around awkwardly together. The warrior is currently looking around for Adir, wondering why he's nowhere to be seen. He's been to several weddings in his life even before coming to the Nexus and he's pretty sure the groom is supposed to mingle with the guests.