Quick to Err(IC, closed)

[Cubist]

"Lesson for you, Brandtford: There are times in your life when you'll have to go for 'least bad', because 'good' isn't a live option."

Martin seemed deeply struck by this ... clearly never having even considered the idea before that sometimes there wasn't a 'good' option in a situation.

Jay Xavier was genuinely surprised at the kid's reaction. To Xavier, it was a self-evident axiom: Life was a crapshoot. Sure, you could try to load the dice in your favor, but whenever you finally rolled those dice, there was always a nontrivial chance that you'd end up getting screwed over -- no guarantees. How was it even possible for a human being to reach adulthood without ever running into any situations in which there were no good choices? Xavier couldn't wrap his brain around that notion. Maybe Brandtford had grown up religious? Perhaps he'd been so intensely God-soaked that he didn't recognize bad options as bad options, on the grounds that it's all good 'cuz it's all part of God's plan...

Xavier stifled that train of thought -- he was speculating without evidence, and that was a waste of time at best. However the kid's mind worked, he was getting a cold, hard dose of Reality now.

The feline made a number of upshifted scouting trips in all directions, the better to determine what resources were free for the taking, and what hazards they needed to be aware of in the area. During these forays, he gathered such loose pieces of wood as he could find; they'd want fire at some point (more likely, points) along the way. Food shouldn't be a problem for me -- but I'm not sure an all-meat diet would work for Brandtford, so we'll need to worry about fruit and grains and such, we may have to trade with the locals for food. Joy. While Xavier didn't expect to find much, he also figured the probability of success wasn't low enough to render the exercise a waste of time.

As evening drew near, Xavier pondered a point that hadn't come up yet: Hmm. We know for a fact that this area isn't completely deserted, so it'd be a good idea for us to sleep in shifts... Wait. My built-in weirdo sleep schedule means I'm going to be awake most of the time, and I'm never unconscious for more than a couple minutes of clock-time at a stretch anyway. "Brandtford? I'll handle keeping watch. All I need is a catnap here and there, and I'm fine."

[Ari]

GM

"Got it Mr. Xavier, hope you won't need to frighten anyone off, last thing we need is the island against us even a little" replied Martin, clearly glad to have the chance to think things over without worrying about keeping watch. "First though, I'm assuming we should gather firewood and such to make this place more than a frozen hellhole? The coast can go from blazing to biting when the sun sets in my experience" Martin glanced at the sky, noting the waning day "Also, we'll need some kind of ..a lot of things, really. A place to store food we find around here until we can move out, the necessary disguises to blend in with the populace, a whole lot of information on current events so we can hold a conversation on things without attracting attention due to horrific ignorance, etcetera, etcetera" he sighed gloomily, his glasses reflecting the sunlight dancing on the rolling waves of the cape "and that's not even scratching the surface of what we'll need to get out of here unharmed, a map of the island and-ugh" he sat down wearily on a nearby stone "So much to do, and so little with which to do it" he looked at Jay "Anything you'd like me to help with in setting ourselves up here, sir?" he asked, clearly filled with the desire to be of use somehow,

The beach was at least plentifully supplied with raw materials in wood and stone, the nearby forest smelled strongly of apples, olives and Jay had seen many wild animals, mainly boars and the odd wandering wolf. At the very least, they wouldn't be starved for choice in what to do...

[Cubist]

"Got it Mr. Xavier. Hope you won't need to frighten anyone off; last thing we need is the island against us even a little."

Again, Jay Xavier was mildly boggled by the kid's naivety. "frighten anyone off"? Optimist, he thought, but deliberately did not say. I'm hoping I won't need to maim anyone—or worse...

"I'm assuming we should gather firewood and such to make this place more than a frozen hellhole? The coast can go from blazing to biting when the sun sets, in my experience."

The feline nodded. "Good idea, and I'll get on it. If I can't find anything… well, your wetsuit is designed to insulate you from cold, and my fur might be thick enough to keep me warm. Still, I think we'd both much prefer Plan A, hrrm?" After the kid's list of What They Were Going To Need (a list which the feline approved of), Xavier noted, "Those et ceteras include fresh water -- if we can't find a river or lake or whatever, we'll need to either get water from the locals, or else work up some sort of desalination equipment."

"and that's not even scratching the surface of what we'll need to get out of here unharmed, a map of the island and—ugh!" He sat down wearily on a nearby stone. "So much to do, and so little with which to do it!"

Xavier nodded. "Too damn true. On the plus side, our resources do include our brains and knowledge. In my case, I've had a lot of time on my hands since the fangs and tail were installed, and I've spent a lot of that time reading about pretty much any topic that's caught my eye." Then an idea crossed the feline's mind: "Hrrm… Any chance of your Channeler being to grab useful items from another dimension?" He didn't expect the answer to be 'yes' -- but the question was worth asking, and then some.

"Anything you'd like me to help with in setting ourselves up here, sir?" he asked, clearly filled with the desire to be of use somehow.

Xavier looked off into the middle distance. "Hrrrrrmmm... Our ultimate goal is obvious -- get outta this place -- but how to achieve that goal is a horse of a different f-stop ratio... Work up a list of what tasks we're going to need to complete in order to get home. Include your best guess at the resources that each task will require. Be as detailed as you can manage, and if there's any questions you need answers to before you can nail down a detail, include those questions, too. While you're doing that, I'll get us some food -- there's apples, and more than a few wild animals for meat. Firewood isn't a problem, either. Water... well, worst case, the apples will have some moisture in 'em." Xavier knew that the olives weren't an option; being raw, they'd need to be soaked in water for a month or so (sometimes in fresh water, sometimes in salt) before they were edible.

[Ari]

GM

Martin began at once with the assigned listing, glad to contribute in some measure to the escape from this dimension. About halfway through he suddenly stopped, placed the PADD-like device he had been using to make the list onto a small shelf of rock and pulled back on the wetsuit, grabbed the SCUBA gear and raced off down the beach, calling back "Mr. Xavier! I'm going to get at the stuff from that chunk of tank that came with us, test your theory about the Channeler!" pulling the mask over his face, he dove into the water nearby where where they two had landed. It didn't take long to find the slab of concrete and wiring on the sea bed, barely covered by several feet of water. However, even that low level made them simply more of a pain to drag out, as he couldn't rely on the water to reduce its weight appreciably. After a moment's attempt he surfaced, took off the flippers and raced for the woods looking for a suitable stick to use as a lever. Grabbing one that looked recently fallen, he dashed back to the water's edge, gulped down air while pulling back on the flippers, and dove back in. Pushing the improvised lever under the pile, he pushed with all his might, which only made the chunk shift a few feet forward before his strength failed him. Getting out of the water, he rested for a minute or so before removing the SCUBA gear again and returning to the cave "Eh, I'll work something out. Make a grass rope or something to tow it" he went back to the stone and resumed the list. In total, the exercise had taken around four minutes.

After a few more he had completed the list which went roughly as follows: Get steady fire going>Get steady supply of food&water>get information about local area>plan performances to be used>plan which towns to go to in what order to make best use of time>figure out where the steam-powered chariots(several lines of garbage symbols)are being made>use engine to provide power to the Channeler>replicate arrival circumstances>get home!

[Cubist]

Within the next hour or so, Jay Xavier scouted out every part of the island of Sicily within a 15-mile radius of the cave he and Brandtford had claimed for a headquarters. Of course, he'd already made a preliminary survey of the area, but looking the place over twice definitely wouldn't hurt. The feline made sure to return to the cave once every few clock-minutes whilst doing so, as he had no confidence in the kid's ability to deal with any life-threatening problems which might have arisen in his absence. Apart from greatly improving his mental map of the area, Xavier also gathered more than a full cord of wood, adding to the neatly-stacked pile in the cave every time he returned there; a couple of dozen apples; and the carcasses of two game animals, a boar and a wolf, neither of which presented any difficulty to the fastest cat alive. Draining the carcasses of their blood was trivial; after his claws opened their veins, he whirled them over/around his head so that centrifugal force could assist gravity.

Sometimes Brandtford wasn't in the cave when Xavier popped by in between scouting runs; as the kid had made noise about going swimming to recover any of the materials that had come along for the ride with them on this temporal excursion, Xavier checked the ocean first, and had there ever been any need -- there hadn't, thank Hermes and Ganesha -- he would have begun a spiral search pattern to locate the missing Brandtford. Later on, Xavier got a fire going (spinning the tip of a branch for friction worked remarkably well at a tempo of 20) and laid the carcasses close by it...

[Ari]

GM

Two Weeks Later...

Martin, now nearly unrecognizable due to a startlingly-long beard, walked with long, slightly exaggerated steps through the muddy roads, the few paving stones having been forcibly uprooted by the torrential storm that had passed through only a couple of days ago. The sky was, for all that, clear and blue with hardly a cloud to be seen. The neat orchards and gardens the had seen only a few days ago were still mostly standing, but most had had their harvest blown clean off by the powerful winds, and more than a few villagers could be seen gathering up the spilled fruits and vegetables.

Martin, after careful coaching from Jay, had constructed a rudimentary(to put it mildly)leash out of a tough grass rope bound about with narrow strips of laboriously-scoured wolf hide. Jay and he had spent their limited time as fruitfully as could be expected. It had been decided to test the waters in the hamlet north of Segesta, the inhabitants of which had been grumbling about how nothing that went to the city ever was seen near their doors, and Martin had seen that as a sign that they would do best to approach the villagers most likely to want see something strange and out of their ordinary experience as a cheetah perform, before trying their luck in one of the more blase and jaded ports.

Villagers who had seen the odd pair approach soon lined the main(i.e. only) street, peering at them in mild surprise. Passing serenely by stone houses, marketstalls and an animal stable, Martin didn't stop until he had reached the formidably-appointed well, rimmed with stone and roofed against errant birds, to announce himself. "Good people!" he cried, "I am an animal tamer from the far and forbidding north, where the snow lies deep and the ice never melts or falters. I have come to you because I have heard your cry, your stultifying boredom, and wish to relieve you of it for a time. This strange being before you is JUBATUS! A cheetah from the deserts far to the south where the rain never comes("Except occasionally" he added under his breath), that you might BEHOLD and MARVEL at his dexterity, speed and skill" as agreed earlier, the opening trick was for Jay to race against someone or something, but as Martin didn't see anything that looked suitably fast enough for Jay to be amazing beside, he improvised. "For our FIRST marvel, good people, Jubatus shall run around your village faster than your eyes can follow him!" and, removing the leash with all speed and courtesy, pointed dramatically at Jay with his entire hand "Go now, Jubatus!" he bellowed, looking more than a little embarressed and glad that the curly beard hid most of his face..

[Cubist]

Time flies when you're having fun. And sometimes even when you're not...

Back in the first couple of days, Jay Xavier's and Brandtford's crying need had been water -- drinkable water. Since they had no way of knowing how long they were going to be in this time period, making sure they wouldn't die of thirst was a high priority. As for the overall meta-goal of getting back to their proper time, they needed a power source to recharge the Dimensional Channeler, and make certain it stayed charged.

The (rather stormy) weather suggested an obvious solution to the water problem; a rain-collector. This ended up an open framework of straight branches from nearby trees, lashed together with thin strips of rawhide (from the game animals Xavier hunted), which had a number of strategically-placed 'panels' of hide to intercept falling water and direct its flow to the fired clay catchbasins on the ground. It wasn't elegant, but it worked. In addition to the rain-collector, they also built a small, hand-cranked generator for proof of concept. The thing absorbed every piece of wire Brandtford had managed to salvage, and every chunk of magnetized rock Xavier could find at the sites of old lightning strikes within a 45-mile radius, but while decidedly crude, it, like the rain-collector, worked.

It just didn't supply anywhere near the quantity of energy the Channeler would need to send them both back home.

Xavier's unyielding insistence on getting the job done soon made it inevitable that he, himself, would supply most of the physical labor needed for these projects. Brandtford assisted as and when he was able to, but he couldn't squeeze a month's worth of working time into a day; the feline could; and that was that. While working on the generator prototype, it became obvious to Xavier that they'd have to deal with what passed for Civilization hereabouts -- whether they created a sufficiently-reinforced treadmill to exploit his superfast motion (Xavier's preference) or hired one of Archimedes' steam engines (the kid's choice), they simply couldn't do what they needed all by themselves.

Which is why they'd ended up 'taking their act on the road', as the saying went...

---

Just how fast does that kid's hair grow? Xavier mused to himself. It had only been two calendar weeks, and Brandtford had been clean-shaven at the beginning... Whatever; not important. As the kid went through his line of patter, Xavier stood patiently by his side, dutifully playing the role of 'well-trained critter' and giving the locals a slow, thorough, visual scan. No way I'm sitting or lying down -- not 'til we reach a decently dry region, at least. If all went according to plan, he and the kid would put on a show, and said townsfolk would eat it up with a spoon. If all went according to plan. Would all of the locals play their assigned part, or would some moron decide to prove their stupidity by attempting to kidnap the valuable specimen that Xavier was pretending to be? He wasn't going to let any such moron take him by surprise if he could help it...

...okay, showtime.

"Go now, Jubatus!" the kid shouted; Xavier moved, stepping in front of Brandtford to stretch and wriggle, giving the audience a good look at him as he loosened up. Then he circled around Brandtford -- once, twice, thrice, making a larger circle every time, and accelerating continually as he went. By the time he'd completed his third circle, he was doing 70 MPH; he then put on a strong burst of speed to circle around the entire audience, and then a final boost to circumnavigate the entire hamlet at a velocity of well over 90 MPH!

When he returned to Brandtford, the feline skidded gracefully to a halt, ending up exactly by the kid's side, as he'd started.

[Ari]

GM

Martin had been as genially helpful as he could be under the circumstances, even Jay only saw the briefest instances of gloom come over him at any time. He had helped with the more complicated measurements and calculations needed to maximize the output and stability of the rain collecting structure they made, not to mention being instrumental in the finer details of the generator's inner workings. It had been much to his chagrin that every single wire he and Jay could recover seemed to vanish into its fine-tuned mechanisms. He had wanted to try and make a water heater that didn't use up wood. However, the older and more focused cheetah had prevailed upon him to keep a tight rein on what they needed versus what they wanted, and slightly hotter water wouldn't matter much if they never got home.

At the conclusion of Jay's run, the small crowd stared in slack-jawed astonishment then let loose a mighty cheer and roar of joy, surging forward to see more closely this wondrous creature that had suddenly been brought to their village. Chief among them it seemed was a strongly-built man in his late twenties with a long thin black beard and weathered face. "We are deeply honored by this visit stranger" he declared solemnly in a deep gloomy voice to Martin who looked as wise and grave as he knew how to(which wasn't very), "I am Titus, and I am the elected leader of this village, will you accept a small gift of food to fortify your journey into the city?" Martin had discussed this earlier with Jay, if they should accept gifts of food and drink in lieu of money, and upon learning that the ancient rural Greeks didn't have much money, the matter was soon settled. "Gladly, Titus" boomed Martin in the voice he had been practicing since his beard had seriously started to grow so it wouldn't sound so out of place "I and my comrade will be happy to share whatever you can give us" Titus opened his mouth to finalize the transaction, only for Martin to add hurriedly, cutting him off "Ah, also shelter and a place to stay for the night would be good, we have traveled long and far, from the northern coast" the leader of the village looked a bit miffed at being so rudely interrupted, but agreed to the additional gift without argument. For the next few hours or so Jay and Martin were the apple of the village's eye, Jay enjoying the attentions especially of the children, though their idea of 'fun with cats' was a great deal crueler than that of moderns, and several times they had to be chased away or otherwise discouraged to get them out of the games likelier to cause slight blood-loss. While Jay was largely at the mercy of the villagers(despite Martin's best efforts to dissuade them, the Greeks clearly rather little respect for animal rights), the young physicist was practically feted, with a thousand questions asked about where he had found Jay, if he had been shipwrecked, if Jay was a god, if HE was a god, and many more in that vein. All told, once the villagers had become slightly tired of the two and their novelty had rubbed off enough, it was a relief to go to the room on the top floor of the farmhouse and get ready for the night.

Laying on the pile of straw that apparently sufficed for a bed, Martin asked Jay bluntly "Well Mr. Xavier, what do you think, should we keep doing this? Because based on what happened here I think we can accurately judge what will happen at every town, village and city to come. Only thing that will chance I bet is the size of the response"

[Cubist]

Impersonating a mindless animal didn't bother Jay Xavier as much as he'd expected. As a freelancer, he'd often had to present the proverbial 'dog and pony show' to various clients -- and the present activities struck him as being very much in that neighborhood. The worst part of it all was the damn children, after the show was over; only strategic upshifts kept him from suffering a variety of injuries at the brats' hands. And if the little hellions sometimes did themselves a mischief as a result of Xavier's abrupt vanishing, the feline wasn't overly concerned. Better them than me, he thought. And with any luck they'll benefit from the experience...

After dusk, in the farmhouse that served as lodging for the time-lost travelers, Brandtford spoke to Xavier; the latter immediately upshifted to look for eavesdroppers. Thankfully, nobody was trying to overhear them, so Xavier resumed his former posture and dropped back to the normal tempo of 1.

"Well, Mr. Xavier, should we keep doing this? Because based on what happened here, I think we can accurately judge what will happen at every town, village and city to come. Only thing that will change is the size of the response, I bet."

The cheetah frowned and nodded. "Right -- looks like Sicily operates on a barter economy, so no way we're gonna get paid in money. But since it is a barter economy, there's a chance we can get paid in useful stuff, like strong lodestones and copper wire."

The kid looked mildly boggled. "But... do you think anyone on Sicily will have any wire or lodestones in the first place?"

Xavier shrugged. "Maybe they won't, especially in the smaller towns. Me, I'm thinking the odds will be better in larger cities and seaports -- lodestones are useful for navigation, after all. Even so, we'll need more than just wire and magnets. Let's check out that list we made of what-all we're gonna need for the generator, hrmm?"

Brandtford sighed. "Alright, sir... but I still think it would be easier all around if we just made contact with Archimedes."

"Not gonna happen, Brandtford. The man's invented Ares only knows how many military technologies; assuming the Greek honchoes are even halfway intelligent, they're not about to let just any random traveler get within dagger's reach of him." It had occured to Xavier that if Archimedes heard any news of the exotic, super-swift cat that was touring Sicily, there was a chance that the scholar might want to make contact with them on his own account, if only to satisfy his curiosity. However, the feline didn't mention this to his companion; better for them both if the kid was focused on what they could do for themselves, as opposed to waiting for a deus ex machina in the form of this timeline's answer to Dr. Archeville. "Focus, okay? We'll need waterproof insulation for the coils. Wax-impregnated cloth, perhaps? Or how about..."

[Ari]

GM

It didn't take long for Martin to come up with a list of necessary supplies to complement Jay's, and before he had fallen asleep the two had figured out practically the entirety in number and weight of the items they would need for an optimal return. Jay's own rather brief sleeping needs were easily met without him having to sacrifice much in the way of security for the two. Fortunately enough, nobody attempted to disturb either Martin or Jay's slumber or life, and the warm Mediterranean night fled on its peaceful way.

Once the morning came the two displaced personalities took their leave of the village, Martin politely accepting the sack of provisions the town leader had supervised the filling of. The trip to the city of Segesta was significantly different than that to the outlier village. Unlike that trek, they passed dozens of people on their way in or out of town, laden or unladen with heavy goods, on foot, on horseback or even seated on the back of one of a herd of cattle. The city itself wasn't easy to spot from further away than a mile or so from the road, not least due to the low-roofed style of Greek architecture. The familiar white walls and red-tiled roofs were largely obscured also by the bustle of humans about them, raising a cheerful din quite unlike that heard in Freedom City. Lean dogs raced between the legs and wheels that cluttered their world, sniffing curiously around the odd duo before shying at nothing and bolting into alleys to pursue some half-imaginary enemy.

Martin looked about himself and asked quietly, after a deep breath "Where do you think we should begin our next act Mr. Xavier?"

[Cubist]

Martin looked about himself and asked quietly, after a deep breath "Where do you think we should begin our next act Mr. Xavier?"

Jay Xavier noted, and approved of, Brandtford's caution. Good, the kid's learning. Also quietly, the feline replied, "Noticed a couple of candidate sites. Gimme a sec and I'll scout 'em out --" So saying, Xavier upshifted to a tempo of 40 and blurred off to perform super-fast reconnaissance, trusting that his raw speed would, for all practical purposes, render him invisible to any merely human eye. "-- okay, done. Candidate one, a roofless temple a little to the west, about twenty meters by sixty. Doesn't look like anybody's using it for worship; beyond that, who knows. Candidate two, an amphitheatre in the city proper. Including audience seating, it looks to be about the size of the Hollywood Bowl, maybe sixty, sixty-five meters diameter. Good view of the local scenery. I'm thinking the amphitheatre would be better, but the temple is probably an acceptable Plan B.

"For now, let's play tourist in the agora; the more locals get a close look at us, the larger the audience we're likely to attract for the act proper."

[Ari]

"For now, let's play tourist in the agora; the more locals get a close look at us, the larger the audience we're likely to attract for the act proper."

"Good idea, sir!" Martin whispered "Let's look for something to wear, at least. I bet this coat won't hold up forever, and blankets and mattresses that suit you probably won't be in large supply" so saying, he strolled calmly along the way, eying the cloth merchants with casual interest but showing hardly a care in the world. This(as it might be expected) attracted no little interest itself, as the Segestans were proud of their city and thought it a little rude not to be awed by it. Three strapping fellows just done from their work unloading vegetable carts saw the ambling pair and(knowing by sight that neither of them had ever set foot in Segesta before), decided to assist them in showing appropriate awe.

And so it was that Martin and Jay were surrounded by three men in dark and slightly stained tunics with brutally short hair and cheeks scarred from shaving who came about to Martin's nose, all of them built like they were used to practically every use that the strength evident in their bulging arms and legs could be put to. The least threatening-looking of them said "Welcome to Segesta stranger, you happen to be lost?" the other two concurred, looking sideways at Jay with a look Jay might himself have given an unusual animal once upon a time. Martin thankfully kept his head, realizing that you didn't surround someone just to greet them, he replied as pleasantly as he could "Why no, ah, stranger! I know where I'm headed, a little in in the west side of t-your fair city!" this had the effect it would have if a modern told a group of thugs "I'm going to a hotel in the Very Far Away district", as there wasn't an inn at the western side of Segesta. The three grinned almost in unison, but quickly smoothed over it for heir apparent leader to ask "Really then? How about we show you about Segesta a little, we know all the sights, hidden nooks and things that most people never see"

Martin almost activated the Channeler in a panic, but forced himself to stand his ground and say simply "No thank you, I know where I want to go, please step aside so I can get there quicker"

The mood went quickly from casually threatening to simply threatening. The leader reached out a hand and took Martin firmly by the shoulder. "I think, kid" he grated "that you need a lesson in manners if you want to go strolling around Segesta, the second-greatest city in Sicily!" the rest clustered about him, and it was clear from their mien and cold glares that this wouldn't end well if they could help it.

[Cubist]

Jay Xavier found the city of Segesta no more impressive than Brandtford did. In fact, the feline's opinion of this port city was probably a good bit lower than Marty's; not only was the kid nearly 100% cynicism-free, but he was also distinctly more ignorant of history than Xavier. When they looked at a shiny building, Brandtford responded only to its aesthetics and architectural design; Xavier couldn't help but think of the slaves who'd been conscripted to construct the damn thing... and the culturally-sanctioned bigotry which guaranteed that The Wrong People would never be able to use the building... and any number of other unfortunate facts about the Greek Empire.

Xavier wasn't big on romanticizing the past -- or anything else, for that matter. As far as he was concerned, one ugly truth was better than a thousand beautiful lies.

Speaking of 'ugly truths', three of them had surrounded Brandtford... Cutpurses? Pickpockets? the feline pondered. Let Brandtford handle it -- I may be a friggin' great Plan B, but if he can get us through this without me needing to blow my cover, so much the better. And then one of the trio grabbed Brandtford's shoulder --

"I think, kid, that you need a lesson in manners if you want to go strolling around Segesta, the second-greatest city in Sicily!" the rest clustered about him, and it was clear from their mien and cold glares that this wouldn't end well if they could help it.

Upshift: The agora froze into the stillness of slow-time, with its colors strangely distorted and its ambient noises dopplered down into the deep subsonic. It wasn't quite silent, however, because formerly-ultrasonic noises were now audible. Xavier memorized his body's posture, then got up on his hind legs to stroll around Brandtford and the three thugs: Okay, this is ungood. Maybe even plus ungood. Better shut it down A-S-A-P, preferably right now. No violence yet, so don't want to over-react; 'tearing throats out' isn't on the menu, thanks. Strip 'em naked and let the nudity taboo sort them out? Maybe. Humiliating, not sure about downstream consequences. Push them over to fall on their butts? Possible. Too bad they won't back off just because I ask them to... waaaiit a sec... if I do ask them to back off, it'll be a talking animal who's doing the asking, and we already know the locals are predisposed to think 'deity and/or divine emissary'! Won't even have to make the claim myself -- the religiocultural quirk means they'll make the claim for me. Cool. Just make sure we do the ventriloquism act, that'll give us plausible deniability in case some pantheonbot wants to get cranky about 'impersonating a deity' or whatever. And if they get violent, there's always 'get medieval on their asses'...

Now Xavier resumed his body's memorized posture and downshifted to the mundane tempo of 1. "Excuse me," he said, "but is it really the custom in Segesta to intimidate travelers until they're impressed? Seems like an odd form of hospitality to me; I wouldn't have thought Hestia approved, myself," he noted.

And then the feline waited to see how the natives would react...

[Ari]

GM

There was a pregnant stretch of silence as the three men stopped in their tracks, then looked slowly from Martin to Jay. As this clearly went rather far outside their normal experience, they decided that it would be best to take it at face value.

"Your cat talks?" asked their apparent leader, clearly frightened by Jay's simulacrum of a human voice "That's a neat trick" he added, forcing a grin through surprisingly clean and healthy teeth at the young physicist "Would you tell us how it's done, from one artist to another? I'm sure me and my pals could make it up to you.." the implied threat hung heavily in the air, until Martin, realizing what he could make of this, began in a loud declarative voice "A talking cat?! What an absurdity! My friend, what you have just witnessed is my superlative talent for ventriloquism!" he gave the three(craning his neck to meet the gaze of one of the men who had circled around him) a wide smile that very well disguised his fear of what might happen if Jay's secret became widely known. He had no worries about Jay's safety seeing as the guy could most likely outthink , outfight and outrun anything on the planet, but it would be hard to manipulate the Channeler without opposable(OOC: Shut up Spellcheck it's a real word)thumbs and duplicate the effect that had brought them to the past and another universe.

With that in mind, Martin swallowed his fear, gave the three men(another neck-straining exercise)a broad grin and announced "So, my friends, as you can see it is no small fancy I bring to Segesta! Few creatures built like my friend there can so clearly give the impression of a human voice! Would you like to see more of such things in the future?" At the hasty agreement that they in fact did, the matter was soon settled: in exchange for an impromptu show for the delectation of the trio of one of the many feats the fastest cat ever born, they would inform their friends and families of the marvel they had witnessed, increasing their potential audience.

Recessing into a disused alleyway(even though the other Segestans possessed a disturbingly blithe attitude towards the events unfolding between those five), Martin asked bluntly "Well Mr. Xavier, what do you think would be best for us to do?"

[Cubist]

"Well, Mr. Xavier, what do you think would be best for us to do?"

"Hrrrmmmm…" The feline favored the thugs with a slow visual scan as he considered his options. "I believe it would be best to show our friends a feat of sleight-of-hand -- or in my case, make that 'forepaw'."

So saying, Xavier upshifted to stroll around the thugs again, this time paying close attention to what they were wearing and/or carrying. Clothes: Tunic, belt, and sandals, check. Pouches hanging off of belts, tied by thin leather strips. I smell iron on Thugamus Prime's back, but I don't see any on him… Betcha he's packing a shortsword under his tunic. Thug 1 and Thug 2 each have an explicitly obvious knife at their belt, [sniff] plus hidden iron—daggers, most likely. Intimidating a tourist plus concealed weapons means I'd better put the fear of me into these naughty boys… but nothing overtly hostile, I don't think. A non-violent 'show of force' would be best…

Okay, got it.

Still upshifted, the feline went to each thug in turn, using his claws to sever the thongs which connected each thug's belt-pouches to their belt. He put the free ends of the thongs in his mouth, letting the thugs' pouches hang down from his jaws. Then he returned to Brandtford's side and downshifted, making sure that all three of the thugs had a clear view of what he was carrying in his mouth…

[Ari]

GM

The comparatively confident grins the three men bore when Jay first exited the alley rapidly disintegrated when he downshifted to their tempo, and they saw the belt pouches hanging from his mouth. Glancing at one another with evident sock(and not a little fear), their apparent leader said hurriedly "Amazing! Such an incredible feat he has performed" from the way he stressed the word 'incredible' he clearly meant it both as a superlative and as a simple fact: nobody alive was likely to believe something like that unless they saw it with their own eyes, and then at least twice. Many of the people moving through the market had stopped short at the bizarre scene, glancing uncertainly at each other and at the fastest creature on the planet. Moving quickly, the Putative Leader walked over to Martin just as the younger man was leaving the alley to see what Jay had done. Embracing and kissing Martin with all speed, the other man announced with as much false cheer as he could muster "Sir, I must ask your pardon for any tragic misunderstandings that might have arisen! I am Ector, and these are my comrades Adeipho and Otis" these two worthies made it known that they were "Entirely at your service", which intrigued the coalescing crowd to no end, leading to the inevitable questions. "What was going on here?" asked a burly seller of meat, his heavy bronze cleaver(which had an uncanny similarity to his own skin's sheen) held absently in his hand. This question was repeated by several others in the growing mass, clearly signifying that this was a weighty concern for them, too.

The would-be brutes quickly began the expected flurry of disclaimers about any inkling they had had that Jay was anything other than a 'huge cat, like a mini lion', and that they had never had the least thought of bringing harm to either Martin(who was all too glad to introduce himself properly) or 'his amazing pet', at which Martin was very clear about theirs' being a 'partnership', a source of great amusement to the trickling crowd of Segestans and visitors.

After that was cleared up, Martin was quickly guided to the largest inn the city could offer, an imposing red and white three-story structure that looked exactly like it ought to have, with a vacant arch for a doorway and surprisingly clean walls.

The inside was less clean, drifts of dirt spread over the floor, bits of broken earthenware swept carelessly into the corners, and the walls were stained with streaks of purple wine. The chubby, though by no means jolly, innkeeper listened to the enthusiastic reports of the townspeople with undisguised skepticism, though the fact that Martin and Jubatus were some kind of performing duo went over fairly well with him, to the extent that he permitted the two to room and board at his establishment until they failed to appropriately entertain somebody he knew. With that minor regulation done, he shooed away the literally three dozen people who had crowded around the inn to get a look at the odd pair, with many snickers at Martin's unkempt and immense beard. Most of them needed little encouragement to leave, their curiosity sated by a cursory glance at the pair. As they were shown with polite apathy to their room by Hermes(as the innkeepers' name turned out to be), Jay heard a laughing "Sure I'm going, but I won't see much!" from outside in the streets.

[Cubist]

As Jay Xavier had hoped and planned for, the thugs' demeanor abruptly changed from 'threatening' to 'obsequious'. Jay rather enjoyed the spectacle; the expression on his face was every bit as smug as one might expect of a native-born feline. And if there was some nagging feeling of disquiet in the back of his mind… well, when was Jay ever not irritated about something?

In what was now their customary pattern, Jay stood around watching for trouble as a 'guard cat' while Brandtford handled all the necessary human-type interactions. Fortunately for the native Segestans, Jay didn't see anything that merited opening a 55-gallon drum of Whupass on some deserving target. And Jay had to acknowledge, the kid did okay, for the most part; he even got them housed in four-star accommodations, or at least what passed for such in this one-horse burg. To Jay's sensitive nose, the place stank like month-old vomit-and-cheap-wine—but since most of Segesta stank like week-old vomit-and-cheap-wine, the feline was willing to consider it a win.

Once the time-lost travelers were safely ensconced in their room, Jay spoke up: "Initial-publicity-wise, we're doing okay. We still gotta line up a venue—who owns that amphitheatre? Wherever we perform, the venue's owner will be happier if we ask their permission before the show starts. You should talk to Hermes, he'll probably know who you should get in touch with…"

[Ari]

GM

Martin's enormous false smile had dissipated entirely by the time he had shut the door to their room in the inn. Slumping against a wall, it was easy to tell that he was having deep regrets about coming there. Listening to Jay he nodded quietly "Yeah..I'll talk to Hermes and see what we need to do to use their stadium" he said before departing to do just that.

Hermes was busy sorting the food to get rid of anything already spoiling, and thus was placidly clear and uncomplicated in his instructions: "Hmm? Oh, the amphitheater. All you need to do is talk a man named Philothestes in a house with a green bird on the wall next to his door, near the 'theater to the south. He's the town crier and the general source of news around here for most of us. Just tell him who you are, what you'll do and when, and he'll tell everyone who gives an ear to what he says about it. Then just be at the 'theater at the time you say, perform your act, and if people like you you might get to perform again" smiling humorlessly and speaking in a deep, dry voice, Hermes didn't really inspire much warmth or fond feelings in others. Not hanging about in the hope the innkeeper would soften his attitude, Martin thanked him and retreated to his and Jay's room, repeating the information he had just acquired.

With a resigned shrug the young scientist said at the end "...So, what do you want do with the rest of the day? It's still early, about noon I think. I vote we just go talk to this Philothestes guy and get ready for our act"

[Cubist]

[…Martin thanked him and retreated to his and Jay's room, repeating the information he had just acquired.

With a resigned shrug the young scientist said at the end "...So, what do you want do with the rest of the day? It's still early, about noon I think. I vote we just go talk to this Philothestes guy and get ready for our act"

"Hrrrm… Scout out places to put up placards? Not sure on that, it assumes we're gonna have placards to put up. That task gets low priority at best, then. Talk to Fill-o, definitely, but we should be careful. Since when does a town crier get paid enough to be a major property-owner? There's a lot of unspoken info, and any or all of it could bite us in the ass. For instance, Hermes may have thought it was funny to point us at some jerkwad who likes to set his dogs on random travelers? Anyway. Assuming Fill-o actually does talk to us, see if he's willing to supply us anything we need for our project, and if so, what conditions he'll demand before turning the stuff over to us. I doubt our three newest good buddies are the only… fine citizens in Segesta, so I'll keep an eye out for any other fine citizens while you take care of business. Sound like a plan?"

[Ari]

GM

Martin gave a short nod and went for the door, saying as he went "I'm thinking this is just to let people know we exist and will be performing, I dare say we could give all the shows we wanted without doing this. Anyway, I hope we don't end up in any more trouble here than we need" he added glumly, setting off for the general directions people gave when he asked about the 'theater.

"Oh, it's down to the south"

"What? Nah, that thing's to the north, follow that road..."

"You're being lied to, it's back the way you came"

At any rate, after substantially more confusion than was really wanted by either of the two, they wound up a half-hour later in front of a low stucco building with small green bird painted on the wall. What kind it was was utterly impossible to tell due to the large number of dents on and around it from thrown rocks. At Martin's insistent call a beanpole of a man clambered out from under the roof of his home, a scraggly beginning of a beard and mustache lining his jaw and mouth. With a dour glance at the two, he said bluntly to Martin "I bet you want people to know you? Just tell me yer name and what yer pet does, I'll yell about it for today and tomorrow along with the other news I get and, and at the time you tell me people will wander to the 'theater to see you. Deal?" he said the last word with a spit at the ground near the bird.

"Done deal Philothestes" Martin answered smoothly "Do you get anything material in return for this?" at that Philo's eyes lit up, and he looked at Martin with undisguised greed. "A few coins would be good," he said eagerly "for taking care of my mother", his voice gave serious doubt if he had a mother at all.

[Cubist]

The impromptu 'tour' of Segesta did nothing to improve Jay Xavier's opinion of the place. The locals just couldn't seem to provide reliable directions; either they were all morons, or else they thought strangers were fair game for whatever scam. Either way, the locals weren't worthy of consideration or trust. C'm'on, Jay. This is a surprise? You already knew the past sucked, people included. The scumbuckets we're surrounded by here, they don't just think crap like slavery is acceptable; they think it's actively good, and they think their imaginary friends—I mean 'gods'—like it, too! By the Hidden Variables, I will be so friggin' glad to escape from this [bg=black]xxix[/bg]hole time period…

Nevertheless, the 'tour' wasn't completely lacking in beneficial consequences. Xavier's insistence on zipping around to scout out potential hazards within a 4-block radius of Brandtford, plus the convoluted and circuitous (if not downright plane-filling) path they followed, meant that by the time they reached their destination, the feline knew every inch of every street in the whole stinking city. And 'stinking' was not misanthropic hyperbole, but simple, literal truth. With horses supplying bloody near all of the city's transportation needs, how could it be otherwise?

The temporal exiles eventually reached their destination. The feline was mildly surprised; from Brandtford's report on his conversation with Hermes, Xavier had believed that Philothestes was a wealthy property owner. But given the evidence of Fill-o's domicile, it didn't seem like that was true at all. Thinking back, Xavier realized that the kid had never made any explicit statement of Fill-o's financial status…

Oh, well. That'll teach me to jump to a conclusion based on inadequate evidence. Now, let's see how the kid handles this transaction… the feline mused as the kid chatted with Fill-o.

"A few coins would be good," he said eagerly "for taking care of my mother." However, his voice gave serious doubt if he had a mother at all.

Xavier winced. Idiot! Kid, not only did you not tell the man what we'll be doing, you didn't say a damn thing about what we're gonna get for our trouble! He spoke up: "You wanted to know about our act, Philothestes? That's easy: I am the fastest creature on Earth. I can and will race anything, be it bird or beast or man or god, that anybody wants to pit against me. But when I win—and I will win—the loser has to pay the price. We'll take 10 pounds of glass or copper wire, or 20 yards of canvas, or 100 talents." Xavier thought the sheer hubristic arrogance of this claim would be enough to ensure any number of takers among Segesta's upper class, so there was no need to mention what he and the kid would do in the absence of a race. The feline looked at his colleague: "Let's go, Martin." And soon enough, the pair were safely ensconced in their room at Hermes' inn…

[Ari]

GM

As might be imagined, Martin was utterly shocked by Jay's abrupt takeover of the negotiation. He held off on speaking it openly until they were back at the inn, because he didn't want to look like a crazy person who talked to his cat. "Sir, I'm sorry I asked about his compensation rather than just telling him what our act was, but I don't see how interjecting like that would have been better than just nudging me. I would have gotten the message regardless!" sitting down on the bed he watched a cockroach wander out of the straw mattress pensively. "Anyway, seeing as a town functionary doesn't seem to get much support, a couple of performers are unlikely to get much anyway. Digging the ore, making it into wires, weaving the canvas, shelling out the cash. All that's a lot of work to pay a two people to give a show. I assumed we'd want to start with a few wires, maybe enough coin to pay for tonight, and work our way up. That way we wouldn't seem sketchy to people" he stood back up and glanced out the window, over at a trio of children who had climbed onto a roof opposite so they could look in. None of them gave any heed to the bushy-bearded man, instead gazing rapturously at the spotted cat nearby.

[Cubist]

"Sir, I'm sorry I asked about his compensation rather than just telling him what our act was, but I don't see how interjecting like that would have been better than just nudging me. I would have gotten the message regardless!"

The feline looked at the kid with an unreadable expression for an elongated second… then, in a forceful undertone, said, "Brandtford, I dunno about you, but I do not want to spend the rest of my frigging life here, okay? So if I try to move things along a little faster than you're comfortable with, well, ex-cu-uu-use me." And he cut himself off before he could say anything else. The kid's necessary. Don't want to piss him off any more than I absolutely have to. And he did keep a cork in it while we were in public, that's good.

"Anyway, seeing as a town functionary doesn't seem to get much support, a couple of performers are unlikely to get much anyway. Digging the ore, making it into wires, weaving the canvas, shelling out the cash. All that's a lot of work to pay a two people to give a show."

"Yup, it sure is a lot of work. And if we actually do get any wire or whatever, that lot of work has already happened, before we showed up. This is a problem?"

"Well, I assumed we'd want to start with a few wires, maybe enough coin to pay for tonight, and work our way up. That way we wouldn't seem sketchy to people…"

Xavier gave the kid a quizzical look. "'Sketchy' by whose definition—yours, or theirs? It's a way different culture. In fact—" No, he thought as his brain cut in on his impulsive tongue. I may not have correctly identified the relevant Greek religiocultural memes, and even if I have, it's not a sure thing that the locals will react the way I'm hoping. Xavier didn't like any part of this situation, and no small part of his distaste was rooted in his belief that he was going to drop dead of old age sometime within the next two years or so. Natural-born cheetahs in captivity typically didn't live to see their 15th birthday, and they weren't permanently stuck at a tempo of 6…

Xavier hrrumphed an inhuman sigh. Not Brandtford's fault that I'm on a very real deadline; no point in taking out my frustrations on the kid. Apart from the continuing, long-standing irritations inherent in his unwanted body, there was also the fact that the role he was playing pretty well closed off all avenues of human contact with anybody other than the kid, and even then, he really shouldn't talk unless the pair were alone together. And he just couldn't operate with anywhere near the degree of certainty he preferred; too damned many of the relevant variables were unknown to him, or beyond his control, or both!

Xavier's musings were interrupted by a quiet, even diffident, question from the kid: "Ah… are you okay, Mr. Xavier?"

This time, the feline's brain managed to stifle the reflexive snark before any sound left his mouth, so he uttered the innocuous remark, "Yeah. I'm okay." Then a half-sarcastic smile: "Hey, there's one good thing outta this mess: My back's stopped hurting!" As well it should have, since the feline hadn't stood on his hind legs for weeks. You may be a congenital optimist, Brandtford, but even your good cheer can die when you don't have any real data to be happy about… And suddenly his stomach growled. "Oy—I think I'll step outside for a snack. Back in a jiffy."

Xavier hadn't admitted it to Brandtford, but he'd actually acquired a taste for birds during the weeks they'd spent hunkered down in the cave. There were plenty of feathered entrées in, and over, the streets of Segesta; nobody would care if the feline scarfed one down…

[Ari]

GM

Wildlife was plentiful in the city, and most of the clusters of birds hadn't time to stir a feather before their demises. The warm Mediterranean sun warmed the stones making up most of the city to a degree that made it almost a pleasure to lap up whatever blood spilled from their corpses. All in all, the meals Jay hunted down proved a good deal more meaty and tasty than what might have been expected for the day and age. That he was so far removed from the now almost ever-present worry of how they were going to get back right provided that pinch of spice that made the whole thing a joy, even if a(relatively) brief one.

Upon his return, he found Martin sitting on the bed, fiddling carefully with the Channeler, a look of deep incredulity on his face "I'd never believe this if I-" the breeze from Jay's return alerted him to the fastest cat alive's presence, and he tapped a few buttons to deactivate the transdimensional key before standing. "According to this thing's sensors" the young physicist said by way of explanation "We're somehow moving closer to Earth-Prime naturally. Not," he hastened to add "that we're going to cross back without action on our part, but our position in relation to that universe is changing for some reason" he shrugged "I'll be able to figure out what the matter is when we get back to ASTRO Labs, but for now I've got nothing on that" he smiled at Jay, adding apropos of nothing "Hope you got something to your liking on your hunting trip sir"

He soon turned to the topic of the details of what Jay wanted him to do once the act got started so he could avoid any missteps arising from not acting like a showman, which evidently had a hold on his mind in slight excess of its true importance.

[Cubist]

Jay Xavier had discovered that birds were like potato chips: He couldn't eat just one. Some part of him remained firmly opposed to the entire concept of hunting and killing live meat, but honestly, what alternative did he have? Even the part of his mind whose mantra was 'Jay shalt not kill' drew the line at starving to death… which, somehow, didn't stop it from whining about the unavoidable. Stupid. Every day, he found it was a little easier to ignore that part of his mind…

His snacks left very little blood on the feline's fur; he still made sure he was thoroughly cleaned up before rejoining Brandtford. The kid was just too damned squeamish, and anything that kept him from focusing on Job One—getting the hell out of here—was best discarded as a bad idea.

"According to this thing's sensors," the young physicist said by way of explanation, "we're somehow moving closer to Earth-Prime naturally."

Xavier smiled when he heard this information. He wasn't sure how (or even 'if'!) the concept of 'distance' applied in this context, but this was a topic the kid knew about, and Xavier didn't, and that was that. Hopefully, Prime being 'closer' meant the Channeler would need less energy to bring them back home!

"Hope you got something to your liking on your hunting trip, sir?"

The feline's smile turned smug: "Let's just say the stores carried a full range of food-like substances." Like pigeon, and seagull, and… "Any more good news?"

"Well… maybe," the kid said. "I mean, I hope it's good news. I'm, uh—I want to do more to help out while you're wowing the crowd! So I guess I have to be a better Master of Ceremonies, and, um, I'm not really good at that, and, um…"

"And you pretty much suck at showmanship," Xavier concluded for the kid, who nodded with a very red face. "And you want me to give you some tips." Again, a red-faced nod from Brandtford. "Well, I can't say I've done a lot in the way of show biz, but I'm a freelancer. Presentations for clients, pretty much the same ballpark. Basic fundamental need is confidence; if you don't actually have it, appearing to have it is an adequate substitute. Like Fred Astaire said, 'never let them see you sweat'. And what's not to be confident about? I, Jubatus, am the fastest living thing in this timeline, so what possible reason could you have for not being confident in my ability to deliver the goods?"

"Well, yes, but…"

The discussion continued for some time.