Zeitgeist Blue

<Your guess is as good as ours,> she says, shaking her head. <It just came out of the jungle one night and now all we can do is hope it goes away before our food runs out. Along with the beast, there have been sightings of a strange woman in the jungle. No one knows who she is but she seems only to keep to herself.> She forms a fist and looks down at it. <We're dealing with real danger. People have died, so I have no time for spirits and daydreams.> Then the door to the hut creacks open and you see an old man peer out, round spectacles perched on his nose and hair grey with age. <Yes, Isa? You know my bones aren't what they used to be.> <Sorry, Uncle Doji.> She clears her throat then gestures to the two of you. <We have guests though from the outside. You could give your approval and give them dinner.> She turns to you. <You haven't had dinner yet?> Uncle Doji just seems to notice the two of you and he startles a bit, spectacles askew, before pushing them back up. <Guests! American guests too. And you did not tell me? Why, they must be cold and hungry. Come in! Come in!> Before Isa could protest, he opens the door wide and gestures for you to come in. <Do you speak Portuguese or Spanish?> Isa sighs and steps inside. It is a simple affair inside, a single room house. A basket-weave mat occupies most of the house but various bits and ends of a living space are on the sides. The whole room is lit by a single light source, a light-and-radio device, which is also where you hear the soft tones of music playing, just soft enough so you can't hear the lyrics. As soon as you are inside, Uncle Doji motions for you to sit down by the room's lone table and he waddles over to a stove and rice cooker. As he cooks, Isa looks you over then speaks in a low voice. <You can eat here. And sleep in the house next door. It is empty now.> She sniffs. <A bath would also be good for you. There are buckets not far from here and perhaps in the morning we could see to your injuries, though it looks like you are starting to heal.> Then dinner is served, a simple beef broth with rice. As you eat, Isa stays within the room, watching you, and at one point she and Uncle Doji both leave the room with her prompting and you hear their hushed voices outside. Neil takes the opportuniy to speak with you alone. "It followed us here." He says, looking up at the ceiling. "Or maybe we freed it by leaving. I don't know but I know enough that you'd be willing to throw yourself back in the jungle if you needed to." The door opens with Isa and Doji returning and Neil leans in closer to whisper. "Don't. You aren't hurting it, not in its territory." Then he stands up, smiling for your hosts, and stretches his arms. You can see bruises there from your last fight. "I'm fine, mostly. Though maybe a day of rest is what I need." "Thank you Uncle for the meal but I think I'd like to retire for the night." Neil walks to the doorway then looks back at you, gauging you and you see the smile falter for an instant before it returns. Then he exits the room.

It landed like a shooting star from the heavens. One minute there was fighting then the next, light and sound to shake the ground, and the combatants became blind and deaf and so disoriented that many fell upon their knees. Others moved around their opponents like drunken men, one or two even attempting a swing. "Found survivors and one of the mutant packs we're looking for, Boss," Salvo radio'ed in as she hovered above the once confused melee. Her helmet painted the mutants and their hounds red, though they were pretty obvious. "You might wanna take a piece of the pie before I take it all for myself." Her side and shoulders hummed with the miniature warheads in storage.

"Neil Kirkland," he says from beside you, pointing at himself as he does so. There is a flurry of murmuring before it dies again, just as quickly, and the woman speaker steps forward. She does not cross the stream, instead stopping by the foot of the bridge opposite the two of you. You note that while less pistols are pointed at you, they still seem at edge. <You can call me Isa,> she says. <We were not expecting outsiders. And yes, you heard right. There is a monster in this jungle.> She pauses as if unhappy you had managed to overhear them. Then she shakes her head. <But if you are who you say you are then you should not stay outside the village any longer than necessary. Come.> She beckons you to come forward as she tracks your movements, and when you cross the bridge she steps away and walks back behind the barricades and past them to the village proper. She is alone as she escorts you but a pistol rests at her hip easily and so does a machete. She opens her flashlight as she guides you through the village. It is the evening but it is not so late that everyone should already be asleep, but the small huts are all closed. Doors shut, windows shut. You see a few window shutters move as the inhabitants peek out at you. <Yes, a monster,> she says after some time. <A few days ago a monster appeared in the jungle, killing a trapper of ours. At first we thought it was some overambitious jaguar but the hunters we sent out too were killed, almost to a man. The survivors, we did our best to treat, but their wounds were horrific.> She looks at you blandly, and there are dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep. <Those who could still speak told us of a creature that walks on two legs, human skin wrapped around it, and an unholy mixture of jungle creatures. It is lucky you did not come across it.> Finally, you come across a hut, slightly larger than the rest and with what looks to be a signal dish. Isa walks up to the door and raps her knuckles on the wood. <It's Isa.> She calls out. <You won't believe it but I've brought guests.> And she leans back, her foot tapping, clearly expecting a long wait.

"I know how it's done," Neil said, huffing as he pushed forward, parting foliage in his way. "It's not the humans we need to worry about. You hear anything today? Because I haven't and it feels too much like back in the temple for my comfort." "Let's keep our guard up too." It only takes a few minutes to wade your way to the village. The past few meters is a clear field and a small, wooden bridge over a stream, but before you can cross a voice shouts to you in Portuguese. <Stop! Who's there?> Then it repeats the question in Spanish. You look over to where the voice originates and you see a woman behind a barricade. Made from nailed together wood, it doesn't look like it would hold up to much. The light of a fire pit near her puts her face in shadows but you can still see her glaring at you. Looking around, you see several other villagers watching the exchange from behind their own cover. You realize they form a loose semi-circle around the village and against the stream. Like fortifications but hastily made. Several fires are lit along the circumference and these are the ones you had seen at a distance. They flicker in the dark as a breeze brushes past you and the shadows dance. Hushed words are exchange among them but you only catch a few words. Monster. Woman. Names of their fellow villagers. They seem to be baffled as to why you and Neil are here. And scared too. They brandish weapons in their hands. Machetes and old looking pistols. Some of them have bandages wrapped around their limbs, still red with dried blood. They look to have gotten into a fight and left it worse for wear. <Why are you here?> The woman asks again, voice pitched higher. As she says this a few people level their pistols at you.

Nicole sighed, embarrassed on Pan's behalf, and shot the employee an acqueiscing glance. Then when Pan asked her for what was on the list she rattled the contents to him. They moved through the store, looking for items and picking them off from their shelves. Nicole had time to think as they looked, and she was not sure what she should think of Pan. He was optimistic, that was for sure, confident to the point of naivety. She was sure it was a defense mechanism, hiding behind the smile worries that would weigh down the boy otherwise. But his optimism and cheer were infectious and, well, she liked being with him because of those things. They exited the store with three grocery bags worth of goods, ready for the short walk back to the De Leon's home. "You good to go?" Nicole asked Pan, but she already knew the answer. He forever was. For adventure and friends and lands unknown. It was his gift and, for Nicole, his curse.

Slowly raises hand for Salvo... if you can even do a PG-13 Horror with a battlesuit. I'd graciously back out if you don't think it can't.

"Doubt it." Neil shook his head, pushing himself off the ground as soon as you are done. "A thousand years in those jars. All that's left are dust and bones." He looks away from the temple, to the directionnof the nearest village and his intent is clear. Eyes set. *** You begin your trek almost immediately, the moon just beginning its descent from the sky, and soon the trees obscure the temple's stone walls from you. You only stop to rest once dawn is upon you, finding a outcropping of stone to which the two of you are sheltered. The life in the jungle is a relief from the dead silence of the temple and every minute is proof that you are in the living world. You see animals dart to and fro, birds flit above you as they sing their songs. Flowers grow in all colors of the rainbow and trees twist in their slow dance of centuries. But it is during the night when the ring still grows warm and you dream. You dream of the jungle growing, of trees dying and trees rising. Animals are born, grow, and die to be turned into feed. One night, you dream of Neil sneaking up beside you, revolver in hand and a killing intent in his eyes, only for you to wake up from the sound of the revolver going off. And it is during the fifth day of your trek that the sounds die down. You remember the temple in that silence. It oppresses the two of you and Neil only speaks when needed to. Then it is evening and the moon is high in the sky, almost a full moon, when you crest a hill and view fires in the distance. The village, in all its humble glory, is the first sign of living civilization you have seen for almost two weeks. Neil looks at you, lips set into a thin line, and nods. "We made it, Crow."

"You are a flatterer, Pan Barrie," Nicole said, swatting at Pan as she did so. "You make me sound like a martyr, but I've got so much going for me too." Put that way, her ills seemed so permanent and encompassing. But she didn't want for anything. She had her inheritance, whatever was left from her parents' estate, and she ate well and could afford luxuries. She had an interesting job in ArcheTech waiting for her. Compared to that, there were quite a lot more who had less though it did not seem like that to her years ago. "A lot of Claremonters go like that. It's a shared trait, I think, to have tragedy and power go hand-in-hand." They turned a corner to a road that was somewhat wide and one could almost imagine the cars that would drive by on a typical day. But now, on the evening of Thanksgiving, it was empty. A long row of stores were still open near them and they began to walk. A botique store, a laundromat, a thrift shop. "You haven't seen it have you? Strength that could make me carry an elephant, armor that could shrug off tank cannons, and sensors that could track everything," She says proudly, head held high. "It was how I was able to keep on your tail that one time before Claremont. But it drives like a rock and it only uses conventional ammunition and delivery cause those're the easiest to make." "Was how you got away if you remember. You exploiting those two things in a city." She shook her head at Pan's questions. "I don't wanna go into detail about those things. Not the time for downer stuff. But they're just like your Lost Heroes and Hooked Man, things I that give me a headache thinking about." They stopped in front of the convenience store and Nicole looked up at Pan. "I'm fine, really. I've had the De Leons to fall back on these past few years. The... same thing can't be said about you and I'm sorry for that." Her face fell at the thought but she quickly recovered then gave Pan a reassuring smile. "But it's sweet that you worry." Then the doors of the store opened as she wheeled inside.

Well, given Masque's role in any party is misdirection, this would be a good start when things kick off. It might mean you won't get surprised, or if you do then you'd get another round as whatever comes takes the bait. Still, Fox's plan is something to do when things start to kick off. You guys still remain undetected inside that room so no one's coming for you. Want to do anything there or will I skip to Inner Forcefield room?

Neil begins to chuckle, but stops as soon as the sewing needle enters his skin and you begin your operation. Still, he smirks, eyes still closed, seemingly unperturbed by the pain. He did not even take alcohol to ease his pain. "I'd turn crazy trapped all alone with that monster for who knows how long." He opens his eyes and you see in there an icy hardness in his eyes. "Eventually, I'd want to stop it if I couldn't think of another way out. She-- ouch-- wants to be sent out properly?" He produces his diary from his pocket and places it on the ground beside you. "We know how to do that from what we know of the native practices now and the carvings around the altar. We've got the equipment, the sacrifice victim, the location. All we need is the mixture for the drug but it's about a week's walk to the nearest tribal village to take the ingredients." For a few minutes he doesn't answer you and you could practically hear the gears turn in his head. Finally, he speak up, looking at the jungle behind you. "I've done a lot of things I'm not proud of. It's in the past but they must have known about it, or sensed it, somehow and used it against me." He shakes his head. "That and maybe the artifacts in my bag made them regard me as the threat." Then his finger stretches out to point at your ring. "But that. That's the real deal here. I've seen it glow sometimes, right before you start acting strange or something crazy happens. Care to tell me why, Crow?"

"Well, something's there alright," Nicole said, not clarifying further as they passed by a couple going the other way. When they were out of hearing range she continued. "Maybe not sapience, not even sentience, but it seems to be linked to me, going through life with me. It was always there when I needed it." She pointed to her head. "Photographic memory. I remember the first time it came to me like it was a second ago and I was wreck back then. It provided a distraction from my problems and a motivation to wake up." She looked to Pan, eyeing whether he thought she was talking crazy talk. "My home was burnt down, siblings missing, a criminal empire revealed to me, magic gone, legs uselss. You don't go through that without some serious ignoring." "So yeah," she could practically imagine Pan's lightbulb light up. "It let's me move in ways I can't even with all the normal mundane and magical solutions can't. They never end up working right, always breaking. It's like the universe went up and told me I couldn't, shouldn't stand. Ever." They exited the park, back into the concrete jungle of Emerald City's working-class apartments, and they continued on their way. Her chin jutted out, defiant. "And that's fine. It's been three years I've been like this and you get used to it, you know? You learn to cope but that doesn't mean you dream of doing so again." "My armor -- Bellios -- it let's me fly. It makes me stand so tall and I could go toe-to-toe with anyone in Freedom City. Salvo's so powerful and strong and fearless. Nothing escapes her." She lightly slapped her knee, her lips pursed. "No one would think a girl with no working legs was actually her." "Best superhero disguise ever."

Ah sorry, missed that.

No problem! I was pretty busy during the weekend and at least welcomed the break. But roll me straight Intelligence for the Medicine application.

Hi @Supercape, Need some help starting up? Here's Snakebite's downtime to rest from all the crazy. There are a few suggestions you could go do here. 1. Talk to Neil. Seriously, he's even more confused than you are since he doesn't have your visions. You can just write that Snakebite told Neil and we don't have to do the nitty-gritty of Snakebite backtracking the whole thread if you want. 2. Figure out something about the ring. It sure is an artifact of some kind and that Beast creature hinted about its use. But what has it been doing all this time? Characters: Kayara, Creature, Neil Visions: Kayara, Hakan, the natives Things you have: The ring, a bunch of artifacts, a weird ceremonial dagger Things you know: Kayara's crazy, the creature acts like a starving predator, Kayara's sacrifice went wrong, Hakan deliberately sacrificed her wrong but later on bound things to the ring, people get murdered in the temple, there was a cult that turned Hakan, Kayara's taunts are targetting Neil, the ring becomes warm/hot before a vision, the creature and Kayara have some kind of connection, the Moon and the Beast have some kind of hate relationship

@angrydurf @Fox @Thevshi Hi guys, so hope you had a good holiday but in the spirit of trying to get this swinging again I'll be giving you a few things you could do. 1. Fix the pinions. You've got one pinion completely broke and another also broke but running on someone else's magic. This was Ouroboros' suggestion. 2. Explore where the doorway leads. You've got one doorway which you hadn't gone through yet and the sound of pistons hammering through it. Ouroboros' senses and educated guess would point this as the Inner Forcefield room. 3. Create some distractions as per Masque's idea. I don't know what kind of distractions you'd be doing or how, so tell me in here. 4. Read the engravings. Well, if you want some more fluff and want to stretch those ancient arcane reading skills. Though you need to know how to read multiple magical languages first. Maybe Comprehend Languages could help? 5. Study what the gears in the ceiling are for. What are their purposes and how could you use them? 6. Talk. Well, talking is mostly a free action for me unless it's cooler and/or funnier to interrupt the players. Or if I just want to fast track things. But in a format like this, character interaction is always a great idea. 7. Just go through to the Inner Forcefield place. You can do all these or think of other things to do or do a combination of them. You're four characters so, yeah. But remember, the clock is still ticking (excepr for #6). *** Also, you still up for this thread @Nick? *** Oh, and I have to ask, anyone want to explore anything character-wise here, even if it's just like Masque being out of her depth for example?

"Not exactly, no," Nicole said as she started back down the wooded path, her voice taking the tone of a lecturer. "Some say the mystical and the technological can never be together. Others dream of a world where magic can be used by any person living, like it was technology. But they're both wrong in their assumptions, you know." She held out two hands, each holding an imaginary stick. "You can't fuse them together into one branch, Prime laws just don't work like that, but that doesn't mean they can't coexist hand-in-hand, complimenting each other. Bellios is a dear like that, isn't he?" "He was actually one of my family's favorite artifacts, all magic then, and used as a sort of conduit for the wearer's powers. I took that and I added into it modern technology, putting a layer between the two so that interference would be at a minimum but made so I could manipulate it, opening valves at my command to let them through and mix." "Course, it forced me to rewrite Bellios' original magics to adapt to that. He'd work with just one or the other but not as effective if both magic and technology was working in tandem. It's magical and "magical" technology if you put it that way." It was the layman's explanation for she knew that Pan had little knowledge on either matter. Truth be told, she barely understood the underpinnings herself. It's magic was old when her family had purportedly claimed it for themselves centuries ago. She understood more, but still not enough, what she had done to modify it to its current extent. It was the power of fevered inspiration stretched to fill months of labor. "Took me almost a year to make it work and even now I've got to revise it continuously until I get it to really stick, but it helps me go out there." She gestured to her legs. "Not really an option otherwise." Then she wiggled the fingers of her right hand, looking up at Pan as she did so. "And I knew a bit if magic back when I was a kid too, the spellcasting kind. Incant something, focus your thoughts, and perform the gestures."

Nicole nodded. "Just tell me and I could help you get in touch. He only ever called himself Mr. Murk but, you know, we actually met here in this city, back in January." Nicole listened, a hand propping up her chin as she watched the life-sized slideshow. She blinked at his mention of technomagics and looked closer as the ships and their cannonballs played their battle. When the pirates were beating Pan, she couldn't help but wince, seeing the bruises form and the blood flow, cuts on his face and arms. Then as the Crocodile appeared out of the water, Pan's voice dropping low in reverence, Nicole's eyes widened and she leaned forward, enamored by the scene and the story. And then, the image dissappeared. "That's... one hell of a story," Nicole said as Pan drank his coffee. He had a talent in storytelling, that was for sure. And building worlds and getting her hooked into it all. "Neverworld doesn't sound so bad," she admitted. "Except for the Sky Pirates, of course! But they have a different tech base I could look into and creatures, that if are even half as grand as the Crocodile, would be very interesting to look at." She faced Pan, an idea forming in her head, eyes shining brighter with excitement. She looked to the far off distance as her thoughts flew. "The other worlds I visited brought me back to the Middle Ages in technology. No cellphones, no armor, no electricity. Nothing. But if we could find a way to get to your world. Maybe a sample of your powers or-- or-- the location where you first appeared and we track down the confluence. Or maybe--" She looked to Pan again and her face fell. "Or maybe they wouldn't work anyway. Mrs. Summers would have probably have done all that or asked people who knew how to do that when you came to her." She exhaled air through her nose, looking up at the streetlamp in the middle of the roundabout. She wasn't used to doing what she was about to say, but she felt that she should just say it, throw it out in the wind and see if it catches. "You miss them, the Lost Heroes," she said, her voice much more subdued. "You worry for them and you have no idea how to get back, no idea what to do except continue on with your adventure of a life. And all the while you believe because that's all you have right now." She looked to Pan again and hesitantly reached out to give him an awkward pat on the arm. Then she withdrew her hand. "I understand that."

"Huh. Well, you do you." Nicole scratched the back of her ear. Guess some people just thought differently and she didn't have a retort to that. Then Pan's voice became different. She couldn't place exactly how but it made her think of the voice of an old man, those kinds you see and hear in the movies. Sad, tired, speaking of all the years that has passed them by. It wasn't like that of a teenager still looking at the world with stars in his eyes. "How long has your adventure been going on?" Nicole asked with raised eyebrows. "You're immortal, aren't you? Barrie got that one right. Maybe he wasn't seeing you and Neverworld in the future when he wrote about you but saw it as it was then, a century ago. Forever a sixteen year old." She smiled, wagging a finger at Pan. "That must suck, never growing up. You and Huang're both in the same boat then. And I know a guy, literally a Neanderthal. He's got this thing going, a code for immortals or whatever. Might be your thing, might not since you plan to leave someday, but I can get you in contact with him." She didn't believe in immortals, true immortals with no way to permanently die, just people and beings with really long lives. All things came to an end, even gods. It just was a matter of when. But she didn't need to say that to Pan. They were moving around a small roundabout for park goers when Pan did his thing with the Pixie dust and she went around the Hooked Man's image as Pan told his story. "Barrie did some things right but got a whole lot of thi gs wrong, huh?" She commented. "Captain Hook, the Lost Boys, the crocodile. Next you'll be telling me there were magical Native Americans all along with magical wisdom." She poked at Hook's sword, feeling cold steel under her finger. "Yeah, I'm with you." She could guess where this story was headed but she didn't want to interrupt Pan now, not when he was this invested.

"Yeah, but you ever tire of it?" Nicole asked, her eyes travelling to where Pan's finger pointed. "Adventure, I mean. Always travelling and discovering new things. Even Magellan had his sights on Portugal when he set to sail the world on a ship that didn't fly. Seems like you do. I don't know. Maybe." It might as well have applied to her, that question, and well, to anyone. When did they get tired? When did they say enough of their life is enough and it was time to turn a new leaf, flip to the next chapter of the book? It was something she hadn't bothered to try to find yet. Take it one step at a time. After Claremont there was always ArcheTech waiting. They passed by a park and Nicole, seeing this, motioned for them to enter it. "C'mon, this way's faster." Wooded, brush, and the streetlamps a farther apart to dim the surroundings a tad, it mimicked what would have been the wilderness had the city never been established here. But it was cleaner and no animals scarier than a raccoon lived here. There was a path that winded down through the faux woods. This late in November and a very thin coating of snow draped over the greenery, and the orange and red leaves of fading Fall. "If you want adventure, you'll find it in Emerald too," Nicole said, giving her sage advice. Sure she'd been around the block more times than Pan had for sure. Their shadows lengthened when they entered the park and the darkness seemed to creep a bit more. "But you've got to be smart about it. Too aggressive and too open and they'll hit you when you'll least expect it or get at you in other ways that doesn't involve duking it out and losing to you. And mystery and magic but it's all hush-hush, even more so than Freedom. No living cartoons here, not like the Toon Gang." She paused. "It's a stupid theme anyway." She drank another mouthful of hot coffee. No, she didn't know how Pan came to be here. She knew enough to know he was from Neverworld, which was close enough to Barrie's Neverland that anyone with half a mind would suspect something was up. Nicole knew of fantastical things, she created the fantastical with her hands, and it wouldn't surprise her to find out that a connection was somehow drawn between the Pan's world and Barrie's work of fiction. "Shoot."

Nicole couldn't help but chuckle as she went down the ramp to the front garden, well-cared if bare save for several flower beds on the side. "You need to get in line first," she told Pan in a volume that wouldn't disturb the neighbors. On the sidewalk, under the light of a streetlamp, Nicole handed Pan a list of groceries they were going to buy. "Turns out they forgot a lot of things. There's a convenience store a couple blocks over so we can do a quick run." And they were off at a leisurely pace. West Valee was a blue-collar district but even then it was clean and orderly, with little trash on the streets and wide, unbroken sidewalks. It helped too that the De Leon's place was close to the middle-class suburbs of Arcadian Peaks. So there was space and streets that rolled with the hills, grass and clean air that only became more pronounced in an evening between Fall and Winter. They walked in silence, passing by other strollers on their way somewhere, or nowhere if they were the type to wander. A family here, a couple there, a lone woman. Many houses and apartment rooms had their lights on, glowing softly, and the streetlamps lit Pan and Nicole's path well. "So," Nicole said, breaking the silence. "You've been in Earth-Prime for several months now. How're you holding up?" She knew of Pan's story. Many Claremonters' stories that were not kept secret tended to spread like wildfire in that small, exclusive school and Pan's was no different. She could have dug deeper if she had wanted to, but she wasn't like that anymore, replacing some of the time and skills honed on a computer with more craftsmanship and human intelligence. Sure, she wasn't as good then but it was worth it. There was the rumor mill and one could never escape that, and what she knew from her run in with Pan before Claremont. A thief and a trickster, much like Peter Pan had been but less legal. She'd watched the Disney movie. "I've been to other dimensions against my will before, you know, and I hated every minute there."

You support Neil as you continue backwards to exit the catacombs and all the while the creature watches you. But it doesn't stop you. You climb the stairs slowly, pulling at the rope while you simultaneously keep a hold of Neil, watching where you step. You leave the staircase and your ring grows hot as if it were a fire hurrying to burn its fuel, yet you see nothing but wisps in the tunnels as you leave. They struggle to form into coherent shapes. "Trespassers..." "Despoilers..." You hear the familiar cant together with what seems like pleaing. "Don't leave me... please... don't..." Phantom hands seem to grab on to your clothing but they dissappear as you resist. Then almost half an hour after you pulled Neil out of the staircase you are outside the temple, in the night air of the jungle. Of in the distance, you can hear the sounds of nocturnal birds chirping, insects and frogs. It is alive outside and full of life. The moon shines bright along with thousands and tens of thousands of stars. This far from civilization nothing can hold back the night sky. Neil motions for you to sit him on the ground. "Told you, Crow." There's a pause as he groans in pain and he closes his eyes. After a few seconds je resumes, eyes still closed. "Should have left the moment we saw that crazy ghost. It isn't natural." "Nothing there makes sense. Two of the same ghost, except they were not really ghosts and one could've walked straight out of a zombie movie. Then that thing that was all animal and not human." Neil was rambling now. "Moons and beasts. I didn't want any of these.." He takes a deep breath. "All I needed was a fresh start."

Nicole sighed in relief, mouth still half full, and resumed chewing at a more leisurely pace. "Oh don't worry about it. We're always happy to have Nicole's dates around." "I bet Abby's not happy he's taken," Kate, the middle child, teased from across the table. "Really? You're going there?" Abby said. "Welll, I heard from Mom you just broke up with..." And the dinner continued that way, trading stories and catching up across the table. Nicole shared about Claremont and Pan would recognize some of those people she told her experiences about. Corinne being Corinne's bipolar personality (aka. being more of a b**** and less of a b****). The Intramural squad assignments and Red Team's progress as a team. Leroy choosing Judy over her, with Ashley hovering around the two like a dog over its food. The Fall Dance and Astrid's incredibly horrible song placement. The Dangers' private beach party. The two Dakanan students and Sara's accompanying her Sunday visit to ArcheTech's disaster relief site in Southside. Then when dinner was done they had to clean the dishes and put the leftovers in containers to be put in the fridge. There was a whole evening after that and the De Leon's all gathered on a couch to watch some movies. Popcorn and all. But Pan found himself in the front porch, waiting for Nicole to return. He heard Spanish being spoken inside, muffled, then Nicole opened the front door, speaking to Trisha over her shoulder. <Yeah, I'll get three for you too.> Trisha shut the door behind her. Nicole handed Pan a thermos much like the one she always had on her person, a stainless steel green. "Coffee. With lots of sugar and cream. You look like a sugar and cream person." She popped open her own thermos, a deep purple, and took a swig from it. She was wearing her sweater now and she looked ready for a evening walk out. "I can't believe they thought we were dating. Don't worry, I told them we weren't."

The De Leon Househould West Vallee, Emerald City, Oregon Thursday, November 22, 2018; 7:30PM "Bless us, O Lord, and these, Thy gifts, which we are to receive from Thy bounty. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen." Around the table, the family performed the sign of the cross, ending the prayer, and with the sound of cutlery they began to serve Thanksgiving dinner. They were a family of five, the parents first-generation immigrants from Mexico. A mother and a father, three girls, the youngest of which was Nicole's age (who couldn't keep from batting her eyelashes at Pan) and the oldest of whom was in her mid-twenties. The wife, Elizabeth or Eli for short, was a matronly woman who had aged well in her late-forties, bronze of skin and her hair dyed a reddish-brown. She was, to hear it told by Nicole, someone who had raised her and saved her and someone the teenager owed a debt to. Rafa, the husband, seemed to have blood leading directly to a Spanish conquistador. Trisha, Kate, and Abby from oldest to youngest, from the most formally dressed to the least, from the one most resembling her father to the mother. They shared a round table just large enough to accommodate the five of them comfortably but with Nicole and Pan visiting, the table was cramp, all jostling elbows and clanging plates. Nicole and Pan were beside each other, Eli to Pan's right and Abby to Nicole's left. A white tablecloth covered the table. There was the traditional turkey dinner, laid out on the center as the main course, but plenty of breadstuffing and a few more homecooked Mexican dishes to go with it. Nicole wore a pink undershirt. She had taken off her sweater, in a white and blue striped pattern, which hung from the back of her wheelchair. Emerald City was a chilly place to be, with snow and clouds concealing the sun. Rain had just fallen a day before, lowering the city's temperature even more. But it was cozy inside the dining room and the house in general. It wasn't the biggest house, or even big, but it was cozy and homey, with old mementos and pictures doting the walls and tables. Well-worn sofas in the living room waited for them just a few feet away as an electric fireplace heated the house. Nicole had come in for the Thanksgiving holidays flying first-class by commercial airplane and by pity or some other mushy feeling invited Pan along. He flew couch. They had briefly met before his time at Claremont, back when he had reverted to his old trickster ways and Nicole in her armor was looking to vent her frustrations on the first opportunity that reared its head. It didn't end well for either of them and it left a bad taste in Nicole's mouth. So maybe this was an apology of sorts to the sophomore who had no family to be with during Thanksgiving. "So, Pan," Eli finally said, putting down her utensils. "Nicole never told us she was anyone. How did you two meet and where did a handsome young man like you come from? You aren't from around here are you?" Nicole, for her part, was in the middle of chewing on turkey as the question was asked. And she blinked in confusion before the realization dawned on her, her cheeks growing red, thinking that Pan had no idea what Eli meant. "N-n-no, no, no," she said with her mouth full, which made what she said sound more like, "M-mm-mhph-mwo." "Whymft." And she began chewing her food vigorously. The others around table meanwhile waited for Pan's answer.

"Yeah, back the way we came. We can collapse the way." You move but as it gets easier for you, Neil seems to get worse. Now it is you carrying him. Thanks to your Lemurian strength the task is not so grueling as it would be carrying the larger man. You're back at the catacombs where the stone has been worked to a smooth finish when you hear Kayara's voice again. So near back to the temple, so of course something would go wrong. "Trespassers..." "Despoilers..." "Murderers..." "Thieves..." And with each accusation Neil only seems to become more incensed. "Get away!" He shouts hoarsely as he brings his revolver to bear against the darkness. "We're leaving! You'll never see us again!" It is at that time that you see a flash of movement in the ceiling. It tries to escape you as you look up but your senses are clear, even taking care of Neil. The creature freezes as you lock eyes with it, mid-climb. Kayara's deformed face looks back at you from an alcove within the ceiling. It hangs there, upside down, as it smells wounded prey. Behind you is the exit to the catacombs, just meters away to the crumbling staircase. Jars and mummies around you. "Crow," Neil said and fumbled to give you his revolver. "Explorers."

Double post