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

[happyturtle]

Wedding

Darcy notices the tail. If it were anyone else, she'd probably try and rescue them from the snake that's obviously about to strike, but it's Ilpholin who would never be taken surprise by anything that close to her, and who has an affinity to animals.

So she leans over and whispers, "Ilphy, why did you bring a snake to the wedding under your dress?"

[Earl of Purple]

Wedding

Terrowin's here, wearing ornate black robes with red centipedes embroidered on the sleeves which seem to move whenever he moves his arms. He's combed his brown hair, and he is also unarmed. At the moment, he's watching and not doing much. He'll do more later, though.

[Lady Serpentine]

[Time Tower]

After making the descent (presumably), a figure in a black hooded cloak, covered with an elaborate crimson design, steps into the Tower, and looks around.

[Zefir]

[Time Tower]

"Maybe we should check for the text under the bowl."

And he points with his little paw to the bowl.

[Slii Arhem]

Time Tower

It should be noted that the bowl isn't actually attached to the pillar it sits on. In fact if Reinholdt wanted he could lift it up and read what's underneath it as Mr. C. says.

As the fifth and possibly final treasure hunter enters the clock strikes forward another second, the tick audible to human ears this time as it's accompanied by another crack in the bowl's seal. Now the crack is almost enough to threaten the structure of the seal. In fact, one or two more should just about do it.

The glow is harsh and glaring this time, both from the clock and the writing, and lasts a full six seconds.

When it dies down, some of the statues will have moved slightly, arms in a different position, or legs placed a bit apart. The one Tarn was examining looks exactly the same though.

[Halae]

[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?"

[Wedding]

"I haven't. It's what has me worried. Adir is a good man, but... well He and commitment don't seem to go together so well." Harnel's brow furrows as he continues to glance around the wedding area. Where in the nine hells is he?

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.

[Time Tower]

Tarn merely says, "Interesting..." and lets go, looking at the automaton thoughtfully, "Name's Tarn, by the way. Treasure Hunter extraordinaire."

[Reinholdt]

Wedding

Ilpholin blushes a bit and whispers back.
"It's... umm... not a snake."

Time Tower

"Would someone PLEASE close the door and stop people from coming in?"

"I suppose." Reinholdt says to the lizard. "Seeing a lack of other options currently, going to lift the bowl now. Be ready." Reinholdt goes to slowly, cautiously, and carefully... pick up the bowl so they can read what's under it.

[Slii Arhem]

Time Tower

Nothing comes of the bowl being lifted. Even as fragile as it looks it's still holding together fairly well.

The inscription in full reads:

From the wearing of baubles left in the tomb.
To the stepping of flagstones as we enter the room.
Take what you will from this simple rhyme.
For there are many ways to measure time.

[Zefir]

Time Tower


"I think we need something from this bowl then, since this riddle mentions time we should take the watches inside of the bowl?"

And here he starts to fly into the bowl to grap one itself. Poor litle thing forgot to mention himself right now.

[Lord Magtok]

Inside of the Beer Bin

Bleeergh, bearded dwarf woman. Thomas does his very best to hide any sort of feelings of revulsion, assuming that this is probably the girlfriend of that hideous ghoul watching the door as he cautiously orders what he assumes is a weak, non-alcoholic beer he can toss aside later.

"Hey. I'm looking for a pair of low-lifes carrying an unconscious woman in a bag. An ugly, skinny fellow, and a stupid big guy. Lennie and George, I think? They might have dreams of living off the fat of the land someday that they've babbled about, I dunno."

Tom, just because one is dumb and shares the same name as a famous literary figure doesn't mean he was actually from that book before arriving in the Nexus. Jeez, would you leave the poor fourth wall alone?

[Slii Arhem]

Time Tower


"I think we need something from this bowl then, since this riddle mentions time we should take the watches inside of the bowl?"

And here he starts to fly into the bowl to grap one itself. Poor litle thing forgot to mention himself right now.

Time Tower

He made end up bonking his head on the still sealed glass. If he does, he'll find it hard enough to keep together without cracking further. It seems it will take more than physical force to break it open.

[Shadowcaller]

[Wedding]

"I haven't. It's what has me worried. Adir is a good man, but... well He and commitment don't seem to go together so well." Harnel's brow furrows as he continues to glance around the wedding area. Where in the nine hells is he?

[Wedding]

"So why don't you go and talk to him instead of standing around here? I'm sure he needs your support, your friends after all." The solution to the problem was rather obvious after all. Surely Harnel could talk to Adir if he was starting to feel doubt.

[Halae]

[Wedding]

Harnel looks at Cessie oddly, "... This is a cross culture thing I'm not getting, isn't it?"

[Shadowcaller]

[Wedding]

"Aren't people allowed to visit the groom before his wedding in your culture Harnel? I know I had both Sakura and Hope helping me getting ready for our marriage." Cessie asks.

[Halae]

[Wedding]

Harnel blinks, "Ah, actually, where I'm from, the groom is supposed to meditate on what he's losing and gaining by going through with the marriage. It's not supposed to be interrupted."

"I... suppose I could go talk to him. it just feels... wrong to me."

[Shadowcaller]

[Wedding]

Cessie frowns, "If he wouldn't have wanted a marriage he should have backed out long before coming to this point where people have spent energy and effort into making this moment special. Once your getting here your not backing down, that would be extremely selfish."

The mage seems rather strict at this point even if she had doubts herself. She would have gone through it in either case, but still.

"Go and talk to him Harnel, he probably want someone to talk to right now. Doubts are normal but your supposed to look past them. Just ask him if he's okay."

[happyturtle]

Wedding

Ilpholin blushes a bit and whispers back.
"It's... umm... not a snake."

"What is it then?"

[Reinholdt]

Wedding

"It's... errr... my new tail." It unwinds a little and winds again, just a bit.

Time Tower

"Well if we're supposed to get the pocket watches, all we have to do is have people enter the tower and shatter the bowl. Or... wear baubles left in tombs. Necklaces or rings maybe?"

Reinholdt is busy considering the different ways to measure time though, to see how that might apply.

[The Alexandrian]

[Inside of the Beer Bin]

The barmaid openly ogles Thomas for an entire, seemingly unending minute or so with her good eye (Yep! Mrs. Ugly-Lady has a bum eye too! It is very disturbing. Even more so than that.) before braying at him in a low, raspy voice,

"Those two? Yeah. They're upstairs with a few of the girls."

Lord below, Mrs. Ugly-Lady, how many cartons of smokes have to you consumed in your lifetime! You sound like a battery-powered meat grinder being jammed into a ridiculously big pencil-sharpener! And geeze! What the heck is up with these people and their dang halitosis! Dentists. There's an evident lack of those in the Nexus, if the oral hygiene of these creepers is indicative of anything at all.

A micro-brewed imitation beer still in its canister, frosty and unopened, is slammed onto the flat of the bar in front of Tom, causing the fat of the woman's flabby arms to roll like the waves on the beach. Surf's up! There's the Big Kahuna!

"What does a nice fellow like you want with a bindle of filth like those two?"

Oh gods it is smiling at you, Tom.

Run. Just drop everything and run now. You can always pickup another girlfriend. In fact, rumor has it that they're having a special sale on them at MagMart at this very instant! If you hurry, you might be able to arrive there before they've sold out! Don't waste your sanity on this, boy! You only get one!

[Lord Magtok]

Inside the Beer Bin

"Well, the unconscious woman in a bag is my best friend's fiancee, so what I want with those two isn't very pretty." He sips at the beer cautiously, so far out of his scrawny little doctor element here that it's completely ridiculous. He's doing his best to keep his calm and avoid freaking out about how gross and unseemly and horrible that abominably crude and inadequate attempt to make a presentable sentient being, but there's only so much he can take, and he's getting damn close to his breaking point.

"Are they going to come back down here soon? I'd go up after, less chance of causing trouble down here, but if the girls are working..."

NO! No goddamit, Tom, what the hell are you talking about?! Stay here just because they're supposedly busy with harlots? Urgh, **** that! They'll sneak out the back! Or force Percilia into their lewd misconduct! Or just up and start a bar brawl and get people to break Tom's neck while they run by with a pair of toothless, disgustingly filthy grins!

"-Nevermind, I'll cover their expenses on my way out or something if I have to. Can you hold onto my drink until I get back? Promise I'll be back in a minute."

Thomas gets back up, eying the stairs as he attempts to head on up. Gods, he is going to have so much to repress when this is all said and done.

[The Alexandrian]

[Inside the Beer Bin]

Tommy, you don't know the half of it. Not yet.

"Don't worry about it. They paid in advance, and your drink is pro bobo."

Pro bobo? What? That's not even how pro bono is meant to be employed in a sentence. The second sentence doesn't make any sense! A senseless sentence, it is! At least Tom might get the gist of what was said and not get all hung up on the atrocious grammar (Which there should is no valid excuse for! Inside is a developed urban center, the largest in the Nexus! I mean, you can just go out for a leisurely stroll and hear so many foreign languages that by the time you return from your walk, you're fluent in Klingon, Mando'a, Draconic, and the complex system of chirps, chitters, and trills which make up the language of crows! Crows for crying out loud! And here this lout can't even use pro bono properly in a sentence! Good grief!). Get back to standing around selling assorted vices wrapped in colorful wax paper you lowlife meathead!

The stairs are wooden and worn-down by years of heavy-duty boots and deadly, spiked heels trudging up and down them. The rails and banister are nowhere near being salvageable. If you take a spill, you're on your own, pal. That's not quite true, actually. I have an inkling do believe am reasonably certain that see a sign on the wall that reads "If you hurt yourself on the premises and try to sue, you're gonna wish you were deed dead."

Ugh! What has the world come to when signs like that are posted inside of pubs?

At the top of the stairs is a smoky, brown hallway lit by sickly urine-yellow, dim lighting. It reeks of nasty things like vomit and molding half-eaten bologna sandwiches. As if that weren't enough torture to put Tom through at any given time, the walls just so happen to be paper thin. Thomas might hear more than his fair share of bickering and snoring coming from every which-way as he proceeds down the hallway, among other noises.

At the end of the hallway Tom might hear silence coming, from behind a cracked oak door without a peephole or a knocker...or a doorknob...

Weird... Weird for this place, I mean.

Didn't so much as hear the voices of Fatty or Skinny yet...

[Murkus]

Wedding - Dominic

While one girl continues to cower, the other scampers off toward grampa Frescot and hides behind him The fey sister gets an odd look. That odd look is subsequently turned on Dominic.

Wedding - Sakura's Room

"Well, honey, you are huge," Vorla says, amused and matter-of-fact. "That's why I don't care for clothes. People change size so easily, it seldom fits like you remember."

Wedding - Outside

Uncle Yeiun grins and returns the bow. "Well it's good to meet you both." Yeiun turns and starts to mingle with some of Erik's other sons, deciding to let Darcy and Ilpholin be.

Wedding - Sarget

"I fear for that child." Erik grunts, only half-joking. He changes subjects, however. "You know, it's awfully rare to see a half-dryad. I have to wonder what she'll look like."

Time Tower

Legion turns and starts to close the door when a hooded figure enters the room. She stops, turning her face up to watch the tower's reaction again, then shuts the door. The Lady looks for some sort of lock. "Having a real party in here, aren't we?" She turns to look at Rein and Mr. C. "Hey, careful there! Looks like breaking the seal makes these things move."

[Gullara]

[Wedding - Sakura's Room]

Sakura laughs. "I wouldn't wear them either, but I think Cessie would make me. It's not all bad though. You can get some very pretty clothes."

[Wedding - Sarget]

"I've seen one in my days. It doesn't seem to be too much different than it is with other children. She will take traits from them both." Of course, Sarget has very limited experience as he said.

[Slii Arhem]

Time Tower

As the heavy brass doors are shut, whatever magic the governs this room registers that as the sixth and final set of footsteps over the threshold. The clock on the ceiling strikes one last time, and a flash and tick ring out as loudly and brightly as last time.

Only now the flash isn't just from the ceiling and the pillar, but from the doors as well. Should Legion try them, they will resist any casual attempts to open them.

A final chip falls from the center of the seal, and in a cascade the entire seal begins to crumble into dust. By the end Reinholdt is left holding an ordinary bowl full of sand and silver pocket watches.

For Reinholdt:

Spoiler

Show

Considering what he's seen, I'm going to say Reinholdt can guess that the sand in the bowl is made up of bits of tiny, yet sharp, glass and probably should be handled with care. Also, the watch faces themselves are odd, made up of twenty five numerals around a circle, with only one arm.

The statues do move again, putting their hands on the blades resting at their hips, but lock into that position once the flash is done. All except the one Tarn studied. Its gears grind, but now movement comes from it. It may actually be broken.

Now all that remains is to find a way forwards. The wall at the top of the stairs at the other end of the walkway hasn't changed visibly.

[billtodamax]

Wedding - Dominic

While one girl continues to cower, the other scampers off toward grampa Frescot and hides behind him The fey sister gets an odd look. That odd look is subsequently turned on Dominic.

Dominic waves to Frescot, clearly with sinister intentions in mind.

While standing over the other sister.

Hi. He says, in his voice that could drive lesser men to tears of fear.

[Murkus]

Wedding - Sakura's Room

"Well I can see that!" Vorla confirms, grinning at Sakura and her dress. "I suppose Cessie's one of those people who gets offended by, uh, nudity?"

[Wedding - Sarget]

"She'll be a rarity." Erik agrees, looking up at Sarget with some concern in his eyes. "They can support her, can't they?"

Wedding - Dominic

Grampa Frescot eyes Dominic a bit before beginning to speak. Despite his accent, it sounds like he actually knows Common, rather than using a translator like the rest of his family. "...Hello." He tilts his gaze down, appraising the eery fellow. "You have a rather disturbing voice, sir."

[billtodamax]

Wedding - Dominic

Grampa Frescot eyes Dominic a bit before beginning to speak. Despite his accent, it sounds like he actually knows Common, rather than using a translator like the rest of his family. "...Hello." He tilts his gaze down, appraising the eery fellow. "You have a rather disturbing voice, sir."

I'm well aware. Dominic says, probably threatening the fey. There's not a lot I can do about it. Suggesting that while ending Frescot's life won't help, it would certainly be easily achievable with but a thought and a motion.

Apologies for scaring those girls. He adds, implying that he should have gone much further than scaring them.

[happyturtle]

Wedding

"It's... errr... my new tail." It unwinds a little and winds again, just a bit.

Darcy giggles. "You will have to tell me that story sometime." And just to be silly, she grows her own tail, sending it out from under the hem of her skirt and waving it a little at Ilpholin.

[Gullara]

[Wedding - Sakura's Room]

"Yeah, it's pretty silly sometimes. She always has to wear dresses that completely cover her." Sakura giggles. That will always be something that they don't agree on.

[Wedding - Sarget]

Sarget chuckles. "I'm sure they could have managed without it, but they've received a large amount of money recently. They won't have any trouble supporting her."

[Reinholdt]

Wedding

Ilpholin eyes Darcy's tail, watching it intently, before unraveling her own tail and going to catch Darcy's tail with a mischievous grin.

Time Tower

Soon as the flash happens, Reinholdt quickly puts the bowl back down and ducks down in front of the pillar for cover. He half expects that thing to explode when it's done.

But it doesn't, so Reinholdt peeks upwards before floating back up there. He'll carefully try to get a pocket watch that's peeking out without touching the 'sand'.