[Nexus] GLoG 84: Goblins and catgirls and dryads, oh my!

[Gulaghar]

[Infirmary]

"The father? I don't really know much about him. I just met him in Trog's Tavern. His name's Victor. I haven't seen him since." Though she did look a couple times soon after the first meeting. "He has to be the father, since I haven't been with anyone else in a really long time." Kitty doesn't really concern herself with such things very often. There are exceptions, however, and this was one of them.

[Reinholdt]

Originally Posted by happyturtle

"Maybe." Lily says. Then, "I want my mommy."

She definitely seems less emotionally mature than an 8 year old normally should be. Of course, Reinholdt may never have met a normal 8 year old, what with Nexus Rapid Aging Syndrome.

At any case, Lily leaves the room for mommy hugs, but at least she's not actively bawling any more. Success?

Tito tentatively pets the kitty now that Lily isn't here. "Do you want some fish or milk?"

Poplar Cabin

Reinholdt feels the whole situation could have gone better. But if she was mad at her parents before and not now, he probably did something right. Maybe.

"Just a bath..." Reinholdt's got fur to clean up.

[The Bushranger]

[Infirmary]

Originally Posted by Gulaghar

"The father? I don't really know much about him. I just met him in Trog's Tavern. His name's Victor. I haven't seen him since." Though she did look a couple times soon after the first meeting. "He has to be the father, since I haven't been with anyone else in a really long time." Kitty doesn't really concern herself with such things very often. There are exceptions, however, and this was one of them.

"...hm, I can't say I've ever heard of a Victor," Quinn says, frowning. "But, I believe I can help you out, however you need. Also, we may need to take...certain precautions." Because doombaby.

[Gulaghar]

[Infirmary]

Kitty looks (even more) worriedly at Quinn. "Certain precautions?" She assumes it has to do with the mind leeching thing. She's still not sure what to make of that, so she's taking it one thing at a time.

[The Bushranger]

[Infirmary]

"Well, first, based on how the child is drawing on your energies," Quinn explains, before biting her lip. "...also, it has a rather...dark...aura, I'm afraid."

[Gulaghar]

[Infirmary]

"What does that mean? I'm going to be okay, right?" Kitty asks. It doesn't sound good, but nothing Quinn has said has made her think that it's extremely bad. Not yet at least.

[happyturtle]

Originally Posted by Reinholdt

Poplar Cabin

Reinholdt feels the whole situation could have gone better. But if she was mad at her parents before and not now, he probably did something right. Maybe.

"Just a bath..." Reinholdt's got fur to clean up.

Tito looks both uncomfortable and confused. "Can't you take your own bath?"

He's in practice to be a cook, not a butler!

[Reinholdt]

Poplar Cabin

Reinholdt facepaws. "Sorry. I don't mean I need it from you. Just that that's all I need at the moment."

Reinholdt goes to hop up on the windowsill.

"See ya around, I guess."

[Slii Arhem]

Originally Posted by Morty

Sophie shakes her head.
"You're talented, aren't you? And no doubt getting in all sorts of trouble."
Nicholas, meanwhile, nuzzles Prism's hand. The scales feel a little strange on his skin.

Rowan Cabin - Kids' Room

"Only when I can get away with it, sug." Scylla replies before breaking out into giggles in her own voice. She goes back to mauling the kitty with loving pets, stroking Nick's back and giggling whenever she gets to the base of his tail and his back arches way up into the air for seemingly no reason.

Prism quietly pets at his head, staring at his eyes curiously.

Originally Posted by The Bushranger

Rowan Cabin - Kitchen

No doubt succubus milk would fetch a premium in some circles (pun intended). But Patty nods, taking the iced tea. "Tea is good. I prefer it to coffee, but my uncle thinks that's heresy," she says with a laugh as she goes to get glasses.

Rowan Cabin - Kitchen

"There's tea bags if you'd like it hot, and I can heat up a kettle of water for you while I'm doing this. Otherwise, help yourself."

[happyturtle]

Originally Posted by Reinholdt

Poplar Cabin

Reinholdt facepaws. "Sorry. I don't mean I need it from you. Just that that's all I need at the moment."

Reinholdt goes to hop up on the windowsill.

"See ya around, I guess."

"Bye, Reinholdt," Tito says quietly.

[OrchestraHc]

Originally Posted by Earl of Purple

Abandoned Camp

The planes are either in the hangers, or flying around at the time the photographs were taken. Besides which, I don't think an aeroplane has any identifying marks when viewed from above; anti-aircraft guns aren't going to be shooting at the top of a plane, and in a dogfight a pilot presumably knows which models are on whose side.

On the second disc is a genuine computer game- pinball. The three high scores might be a coded message, but I think that's unlikely.

Abandoned Camp

Most likely, but, uh...
<.<
>.>
Why don't you toss those my way anyway?

After fiddling with the pinball game for a bit Justin moves on to disk three!

[Earl of Purple]

Abandoned Camp

They are British airfields; this isn't a British laptop, it's the laptop of a French spy. It was captured by the British, but still intended for France.

Disc three contains a multilayer 3D map of London, annotated in French, covering a total of 700 square miles in very good detail, marking in particular military installations and underground structures, some of which are clearly bunkers, the others being civilian bomb shelters, London Underground routes, sewers, water mains, electrical cables, and so on. Some of the annotations have been annotated with rough translations, and a new one has been added under Tavistock Square- The largest civilian shelter in London is located here, yet it's not marked. Is Vault-Tec's security better than ours?

[Reinholdt]

Originally Posted by happyturtle

"Bye, Reinholdt," Tito says quietly.

Poplar Cabin

"Hey chin up. You're a good brother."

Reinholdt lingers on that thought for a moment, his tail flicking, before he hops out the window.

Probably landing on some poor passer-by's head. Cause Reinholdt.

[The Bushranger]

[Infirmary]

Originally Posted by Gulaghar

"What does that mean? I'm going to be okay, right?" Kitty asks. It doesn't sound good, but nothing Quinn has said has made her think that it's extremely bad. Not yet at least.

"Of course you are," Quinn says, and she means it too. "You'll have to be careful though; are you familiar at all with things you need to avoid during pregnancy?"

Rowan Cabin - Kitchen

Originally Posted by Slii Arhem

"There's tea bags if you'd like it hot, and I can heat up a kettle of water for you while I'm doing this. Otherwise, help yourself."

"Nah, iced tea is good. Hot tea is only good if you're veddy veddy Breetish like Aunt Samantha," Patty declares with a laugh.

[happyturtle]

Poplar Cabin

Tito gives a small smile at Reinholdt. He tries to be a good brother. After all, his little sister can't help being stupid.

[Gulaghar]

[Infirmary]

"I... really don't know anything about it. Whatever you can tell me would be great." Kitty says. Quinn's reassurance helps a bit. Maybe this'll work out fine, even if she has to figure out how to raise a kit.

[Morty]

Originally Posted by Slii Arhem

Rowan Cabin - Kids' Room

"Only when I can get away with it, sug." Scylla replies before breaking out into giggles in her own voice. She goes back to mauling the kitty with loving pets, stroking Nick's back and giggling whenever she gets to the base of his tail and his back arches way up into the air for seemingly no reason.

Prism quietly pets at his head, staring at his eyes curiously.

After some more pets, Nicholas turns around on his back to recieve belly rubs. He likes Scylla and Prism already.
"So how have you two been doing?" Sophie asks.

[OrchestraHc]

Originally Posted by Earl of Purple

Abandoned Camp

They are British airfields; this isn't a British laptop, it's the laptop of a French spy. It was captured by the British, but still intended for France.

Disc three contains a multilayer 3D map of London, annotated in French, covering a total of 700 square miles in very good detail, marking in particular military installations and underground structures, some of which are clearly bunkers, the others being civilian bomb shelters, London Underground routes, sewers, water mains, electrical cables, and so on. Some of the annotations have been annotated with rough translations, and a new one has been added under Tavistock Square- The largest civilian shelter in London is located here, yet it's not marked. Is Vault-Tec's security better than ours?

Abandoned Camp

That's incredibly intriguing to the vault dweller. Justin had no idea Vault-Tec had dealings in Europe. Were there crazy experiments in English vaults? Looking at the map, he'd bet good money it was under the statue of the old guy. ((The statue of Ghandi. I looked up Tavistock Square on google. )) What were the French and English even fighting over? Wasn't China's threat way more important? Oh what does he even care. He's not even on that planet anymore.

New disc time!

[The Alexandrian]

Originally Posted by OrchestraHc

Alyca and Miriah's Cabin of Secrets and Brainwashing

"What? Me?" Ohoho, this is going to be brilliant! Two people who won't tell each other what they do with their day. There's no way he'll let someone who thinks he's a hero know he's been a scavenger and a thief his whole life, or that up until he started squatting in a bowling alley, he's been sleeping in regular alleys.

Wow, typing it out like that, Justin's a pretty sad case, and his only realization of it is that he thinks it's embarrassing.

"I don't really have a job. My expenses are low and I have a lot saved up," he answers, referring to some buried treasure he split with Julie and hundreds of thousands of dollars of Pre-war hyper-inflated money he passes off as working cash. "I sort of do, I guess people here call them quests and adventures, to top off my savings or to keep my skills sharp. Also," he stumbles as he tries to spit it out, "I don't have a girlfriend." That's question was a bit surprising actually. Most people don't assume he has a Girlfriend. Most are somehow psychically aware he doesn't.

[Alyca and Miriah's Cabin of Unsullied Love Crushes and Merciless Murder]

"Oh, good-"

No Alyca! What series of events are you setting in motion? You're not supposed to endorse Justin's loneliness! Disavow any knowledge of what you are insinuating this instant! Love is folly and a hazard in your line of work! You should have given up on it the day you were instated as a field agent! You can't have a bf impinging on your privacy, texting you every five minutes while your out on top secret missions with planet-wide consequences and repercussions. Flout the normal conventions of love, the virtue that has been touted as one of the most fantastic feelings and experiences (or set of experiences) life has to offer! Don't let a cute boy rally the childish dreams that saved you from self-slaughter! You're not a princess and he's not your Prince Charming. He may be enticing, but he's a lure. A trial to overcome! Your emotions cannot dominate you and dictate your actions, agent. Your life for the good of all of us (except the ones who are dead)! You took an oath of duty! Adam didn't authorize this!

But most critically, you need to be flirty and subtle and a smooth operator if you want to land this catch! Being straightforward, open, and honest will get you nowhere, according to the training manuals. Thus...

Mayday! Mayday! Abort! Abort!

"-ness gracious me! I forgot to melt the butter!"

Alyca has always believed that, as life is short, she should live it to the fullest with no regrets. As such, she chooses to "overlook" procedure and caution entirely as she stands, walks over to the kitchen (her heart racing in her chest), and melts a stick of previously refrigerated butter in a cast iron pot on the gas range.

"Have you any plans for tomorrow night, Justin? 'Cause if you're free, I thought you might be interested in party-going...with me. But if you aren't free, I totally understand!"

This invitation entails much nervousness and mild embarrassment!

[OrchestraHc]

[Alyca and Miriah's Cabin of Nervous Matchmaking (also death)]

Is she... Is this... Is Justin being asked out on a date? "Really?" he asks in disbelief. Wait, that was out loud. That might have come off as rude. Blondie, you've just been asked out on a date! A real one. Answer the lady. "No!" he shouts excitedly. Wrong answer! "I mean No, Yes... and then No again!" How many points did you sink into Speech!? You lied your way into a evil cult house. You are better than that. "I'd love to go to a party with you."

[The Alexandrian]

[Alyca and Miriah's Cabin of Popcorn, Soda, and Cameras]

Alyca is so gonna, like, replay this footage at her wedding with Justin. It'll be fabulous! Depending on the number and size of the screens available onsite, she could showcase the scene from up to 300 different vantage points! Or if they have a holoprojector available, it could be in 3-D!

... Eeeee! He said yes! He said yes!

"Perfect! I'll swing by your place in my Aston Martin around six o'clock and we'll be off!"

Decisions, decisions! Would you like Justin to be in attendance at Slii's Halloween party or would you like Justin to meet James Blond?

[OrchestraHc]

[Alyca and Miriah's Cabin That May or May Not Have a Garage]

His place? Oh nonono. Justin illegally squats in a bowling alley. Although a hypothetically clean bowling alley if his plans for tomorrow morning pan out. Even so, he is not getting picked up for his first date THERE. "My place is a little out of the way, even for Inside. Maybe it would be best if we met at the place or rendevous..." he stops as if he just realized something. "Wait. You know how to drive? And you have a car? An Aston Martin?" But she's a former slave, from a medieval culture. Does not compute.

[Earl of Purple]

Abandoned Camp

Disc four contains a tactical summery of various nations. The first is the United States of America, and Newly Annexed Canada. It recommends ignoring them for the time being; the American government is too busy defending its own territory from Canadian guerillas in the forests and the Chinese invasion of Washington. Also remarks that America's a superpower, and should be treated with caution; just because they're British allies doesn't mean they should be trusted.

Next is China; also recommends ignoring- the fight between the two has been a long time coming and getting involved on either side will place British citizens at undue risk. So long as China ignores Britain, Britain can ignore China.

Third is France; recently a military coup overthrew the civilian government and they started making overtures to the possession of the Channel Islands. Suggests they should be treated with caution and that Britain should start preparing for a conflict, including approaching other European nations for support. France is known for having large stockpiles of nuclear, biological and chemical weaponry.

Fourth is Germany; recently invaded Denmark over a minor political incident involving the German Ambassador to Denmark's daughter and a senior Danish politician. Known to have the largest stockpile of nuclear weaponry in Europe outside Denmark. Suggests to keep away from possible alliance with either side; involvement offers too large a risk to British citizens.

The rest of the document is long, tedious and mostly corrupted or encrypted or both.

[OrchestraHc]

Abandoned Camp

Oh. So that's what they were doing. History sure is fun. Three separate wars, each over something different. Justin is fairly certain as to how the story ends. America and the US look nasty at each other then one fires nukes then the other fires nukes and maybe some other people too, and then the whole world gets screwed. That's a wrap, roll credits, no Oscar.

Getting depressed. Final disc time.

[Earl of Purple]

Abandoned Camp

A password window pops up, associated with the number '5'.

Also, no mention has been made of Australasia, Africa or Russia. They might be OK. Then again, maybe there's more than four wars with more than four causes.

[OrchestraHc]

Abandoned Camp

The USSR may not have been the primary threat at the time, but they were still commies. They probably got trashed with china, as well as any other members of Communist Asia. Africa and Australia, might be okay though.

What fives have come up so far in the camp? None actually. He'll save that for later. He can hack when he isn't carrying more than his body weight.

[Earl of Purple]

Abandoned Camp

I'd forgotten that. Still, Russia's a large country, and quite a bit in the middle is sparsely populated I believe, so it's likely not as screwed as China or America. Or Europe, for that matter.

Also, if Justin thinks that the five is clue, he's sorely mistaken- it's how many attempts he has left before it automatically wipes everything on it, and releases a virus to delete the computer's hard drive too.

[OrchestraHc]

Abandoned Camp

That was more my mistake then Justin. He still doesn't hack it on account of lack of clues. And even if he had clues, it might be a french CD, so the password might be as well. Unless it's something obvious like "Vive le France"

That's sort of it for the Laptop bag then. He puts away the computer and CD, and checks those colors that were mentioned earlier.

[The Bushranger]

[Infirmary]

Originally Posted by Gulaghar

"I... really don't know anything about it. Whatever you can tell me would be great." Kitty says. Quinn's reassurance helps a bit. Maybe this'll work out fine, even if she has to figure out how to raise a kit.

Quinn smiles, taking a seat next to the bed. Before she starts helping Kitty with Pregnancy for Dummies 101, going into as much detail as necessary!

[Earl of Purple]

Abandoned Camp

The colours are tiny plastic counters and miniatures from various boardgames. This is the room that Bramble entered and found the dice, and the remaining remnants of this cabin's rainy day games. Underneath them, and a layer of dust and disintegrated, rotting cardboard, is a plastic folding box marked with chequered pattern of black and white squares.