She burst in the door and looked around frantically for the others. She didn't even realize the pit that had formed in her stomach until she saw Vi, Palisade, and Squeak. Seeing all three caused her doubt to evaporate along with the weight in her stomach. A huge smile lit up her face as she rushed to the others and hugged them each in turn. "You guys came! I'm so happy you guys came!"
”Surprised. Of course we came. Query. Should this one take your words to suggest you wish to see this one and unit Squeak more? This one had believed you objected to us standing guard by your apartment, but if you have reconsidered, Lady d’Deneith, this one is most pleased to watch over you constantly,” Palisade replied hopefully. Indeed, nothing would please the ‘forged more than permission to hover over Bronwyn’s shoulder from dawn to dusk, ensuring that nothing potentially threatening could ever come close to her.
It was easy to forget how tall Palisade was when she wasn't near him. At 6'10", he positively towered over Arleth's average-sized half-elven frame. Still, she reached up to give him a hug, being careful of his pointy bits. "Good to see you, big guy. How goes the ministry?"
”There are challenges, companion Vi Olaro. Junior shift supervisor Helen Bakker forbidden this one from engaging in a crusade against Onatar’s church,” Palisade replied, looking down at the changeling, being careful not to move so the sharp ridges of its armor wouldn’t cut Vi by accident. ”Other than that, the work is progressing steadily. We secured two new believers this month, signifying an improvement of 25 per cent. If the current trend continues, whole Sharn will follow the Creator Goddess in approximately 1050 years. Believer Vorj’s adult tea has proven a great boon during sermons, and people have been coming over to ask for more. Hesitant. Believer Vorj has declined to explain what an “adult tea” is, and junior shirt supervisor Helen Bakker has decreed this one is too young to be told.”
”Observation. It seems the quality of food and beverages provided during sermons positively correlate to the interest of the masses. This one wonders if you and unit Squeak would be available to provide catering to the occasional session, to whet the people’s appetite for the Creator Goddess’ wisdom?” the ‘forged said, its single-eyed gaze shifting from Vi to Squeak.
Seeing Bastion peeking out, she pulled a truffle out her bag and offered it to the little guy. She still wasn't sure what his thing with food was, but it was too cute to question. "Hey, little B! You keeping your baby brother in check?"
Snout covered in cherry jam, the little clockwork rodent considered the offering, sniffing it carefully before gingerly accepting it with a whirring, clicking chittering that sounded eager. He turned the chocolate treat this way and that in his tiny paws, turning his head to consider his new prize with either eye, then chittered excitedly and ran back to his little brother, nimbly climbing up the ‘forged’s leg and vanished into his nest under its armor.
”Observation. Elder brother is pleased with the offering, and extends to you his blessing, companion Vi Olaro,” Palisade translated. ”Explanation. Elder brother does not require sustenance, but he enjoys the act of eating. Your gift, however, was deemed too precious for consumption and is going to he hoarded instead.”
”Surprised. Of course we came. Query. Should this one take your words to suggest you wish to see this one and unit Squeak more? This one had believed you objected to us standing guard by your apartment, but if you have reconsidered, Lady d’Deneith, this one is most pleased to watch over you constantly,”
Bronwyn looks way up in Palisade's one eye, "It's...complicated. Of course I would like to see you all more but you shouldn't have to watch over me constantly. I'll...we'll do better to find a happy medium. But I certainly missed you all."
"I fear not. Her managerial ability is excellent. Her innovation is restricted by her lack of technical knowledge - though I have left a number of recipe ideas behind that she can use should she need to." Squeak paused, stopped outright, then continued "I'm sure she'll be able to deduce which ones are the explosives."
He looked down to his companion "Doubtless business will slow down while we are gone anyway, given it is your skills that lure customers who are prepared to pay enough to recoup costs."
"Potentially." Squeak allowed "I suggest that avant-gard cuisine may not cater to your desired audience. Vi has explained to me how each meal tells a story, in much the same way that theatrical shows tell a story. She continues the metaphor to state that in the same way that stories have a roughly defined structure depending on the genre, there are limitations on the structure of the meal. I understand now that putting porridge between a roast duck dish and a Croquembouche dish is a comedy sufficient to provoke laughter. I do not yet understand why."
"I congratulate you on your use of data analysis to help increase the number of converts to the Creator Goddess. Careful recording of data will allow further correlations to be deduced. Careful experimentation will then allow these factors to be combined in such a way as to continually increase the interest of the masses." Squeak's eyes changed colour briefly, and a slight whirring indicated he was trying to use his 'smile' gears and they were once again, inconceivably, broken. "I will assist you with methodology, if you wish. For does not the precepts say 'A continuous improvement plan is a set of activities designed to bring gradual, ongoing improvement to products, services, or processes through constant review, measurement, and action'"
Squeak looked thoughtful. "Green Tea is green. Black Tea is black. White Tea is white. Logically Adult Tea is adult. Perhaps it has been aged for a longer period. I know Bronwyn prefers her fruit juice to be well-aged, even though it leads to toxic byproducts."
"Are you a vampire?" Squeak asked bluntly. "Alternately; are you any other form of undead, a necromancer, an infernalist and/or possessed by an Object of Power?" He hesitated, aware he'd committed a bit of a faux-pas "While these issues are not necessarily insurmountable, I insist that later discovery that you belong to one of these categories dissolves any agreement we make, including as to the disposition of the relics in question."
"Explosives?" Vi's voice was a squeak. Feeling herself start to hyperventilate, she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. "It'll be okay, it'll be okay, she won't blow up the restaurant, nobody will die, it'll be okay." Finding a glass of fruit cider, Vi swallowed it back perhaps a bit faster than was prudent.
Action 2
Vi listened with interest as Squeak repeated her metaphor to Palisade. Shaking her head slightly in wonder, she thought, these walking machines really are amazing. So alien in so many ways, and yet so eager to learn and understand. He'll never understand why that porridge course was hilarious...I have to remember to tell Bronwyn about that.
To Palisade, she said, "I'm sure we can come up with something that would be appropriate for one of your sermons." As for Adult Tea...best trust junior shift supervisor's judgement on when to tell him what it likely was.
”Observation. Elder brother is pleased with the offering, and extends to you his blessing, companion Vi Olaro,” Palisade translated. ”Explanation. Elder brother does not require sustenance, but he enjoys the act of eating. Your gift, however, was deemed too precious for consumption and is going to he hoarded instead.”
Surprised, Vi bowed her head to Palisade. "I'm honoured. But if it starts to smell, I can happily replace it with a fresh one." Come to think of it, where the heck is he hoarding it? And what else is being hoarded in there?
"Are you a vampire?" Squeak asked bluntly. "Alternately; are you any other form of undead, a necromancer, an infernalist and/or possessed by an Object of Power?" He hesitated, aware he'd committed a bit of a faux-pas "While these issues are not necessarily insurmountable, I insist that later discovery that you belong to one of these categories dissolves any agreement we make, including as to the disposition of the relics in question."
Vi's eyes bugged out and she choked on her cider. As she struggled to catch her breath, she tried to watch the man to see his reaction to Squeak's blunt questions. Unfortunately, her eyes were watering too much to catch anything.
Action 3:
Bronwyn leans forward with a polite smile on her face, "Are you able to tell us more about these relics? As well as what kind of danger we would be facing. I'm sure that you can understand that knowing what we're agreeing to is imperative before we agree to anything."
She laughs lightly at Squeak's questions, "As you can see, more information leads to less misunderstandings. But Squeak has a point, if we agree to help you but you misrepresent yourself in any manner then you forfeit any terms we agree to."
Action 1
Squeak looked thoughtful. "Green Tea is green. Black Tea is black. White Tea is white. Logically Adult Tea is adult. Perhaps it has been aged for a longer period. I know Bronwyn prefers her fruit juice to be well-aged, even though it leads to toxic byproducts."
Palisade cocked its head to one side as it considered the concept. ”Unit Squeak, this thought has some definite value. Thoughtful recollection. Your analogue seems to resemble the fondness for the inexactness of expression we noted when analyzing poetry. Black tea, this one has found out, is not actually black, nor white tea white. A more precise expression would have been “tea darker than green tea”, and “tea lighter than green tea”, assuming one accepts a three-grade gradient to the hue of brewed tea.
”The concept of adult tea being aged to infuse it with the essence of fermented fruit products would help explain the atmosphere during one evening’s sermons this one would have to classify as “rowdy”,” Palisade added after a moment. ”This one did not, however, note that enough time had passed between the tea’s creation to its consumption to allow for proper aging or fermentation. Suggestion. Perhaps Believer Vorj has mastered some arcane technique of temporal manipulation to effect such a change in one afternoon’s time. Thoughtful pause. Moderate congratulations may be in order for such an achievement.”
To Palisade, she said, "I'm sure we can come up with something that would be appropriate for one of your sermons." As for Adult Tea...best trust junior shift supervisor's judgement on when to tell him what it likely was.
”Thank you, companion Vi Olaro,” Palisade said, inclining its head. ”On a side note, this one has been thinking about the matter of candy. Rock or hard candy to be specific. Query. Have you ever considered constructing an edible working mechanism of gears and levers formed of hard candy? Perhaps for a party or other special occasion? This one believes some forms of boiled sugar sweets are resilient enough to be formed into rather delicate components without sacrificing critical structural integrity. Such a feat would most assuredly bring much attention to your establishment, much like the Floating Towers of Arcanix cake you once constructed. This one recalls it received much positive user feedback.”
”Addendum. Rock candy is apparently not the same thing as rock. You might not appreciate the fact. This one wasn’t, until it offered a small bag of rock candies to junior shift supervisor Helen Bakker as a reward for a particularly moving oration on the topic of “What is mine is not yours, damnit!” This one might have dropped the bag on the ground and, while gathering the spilled candies, mistakenly put some actual rocks into it. Junior shift supervisor Helen Bakker was most adamant that while some rock-hard things are indeed edible, that fact is not universally applicable. Embarrassed admission. This one made apologies and offered healing to fix junior shift supervisor Helen Bakker’s chipped tooth afterwards.”
FYI, I don't want anyone to feel left out, but I will post the next turn if I at least three of you have posted (and I have time).
My posting time is usually 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm US EST but remember that there are five of us playing in four very different time zones. :)
Questions?
Game on!
Action 2:
Bronwyn's curiosity was piqued so there was no denying what her response was going to be. "Oooooh, is it Captain Morgis d'Lyrandar by chance who is in charge of the vessel you've procured?" Her face falls slightly, "Although he may not be super excited to see us after what happened last time..."
She beamed at Sur'kil, "I can't speak for the others, but you had me at 'relics'. I agree to go on this little errand of yours. So whenever you want to spill the beans with more information, I'm all ears."
Action 2:
Bronwyn's curiosity was piqued so there was no denying what her response was going to be. "Oooooh, is it Captain Morgis d'Lyrandar by chance who is in charge of the vessel you've procured?" Her face falls slightly, "Although he may not be super excited to see us after what happened last time..."
She beamed at Sur'kil, "I can't speak for the others, but you had me at 'relics'. I agree to go on this little errand of yours. So whenever you want to spill the beans with more information, I'm all ears."
Please remind me about Captain Morgis.
Arleth's face wrinkled in consideration. "Hmmm...candy gears....that actually worked? They'd want to stick together, but maybe with some sort of beeswax varnish it could actually work." She suddenly grinned. "This will be a great project for Squeak, and will hopefully require significantly less black powder than some of his current projects. Great idea, Palisade!"
Action 2
"Please do forgive our bluntness," Vi apologized. "It's not you, it's just that we've been tricked more than once. Which I'm sure you're aware of, if you've been following our travels."
Vi wasn't at all surprised by Bronwyn's immediate acceptance of the job. What did surprise her, however, was her own enthusiasm for the adventure. I wonder how much treasure we're actually talking about. Her mind immediately went to vaults and caverns filled with priceless treasures and heaps of ancient coins. After all, Zoë's lifestyle wasn't cheap, and it would be some time before the restaurant was making enough to pay off the initial investment. The changeling didn't even need to admit to herself that she was looking forward to travelling with her friends again.
Stepping towards Sur'kil, she extended a hand to shake. "I accept your offer, and thank you. And if Bronwyn is in, that means the big guys are in too."
Ah yes, re-reading about Captain Morgis, I found these little gems...
Palisade sheathed its weapon and turned to Lady d'Deneith to treat her wounds, its touch once again stemming the flow of blood.
“Why did they have to hit me in the face? Now no one will want to look at me. I'm hideous!”
Palisade cocked its head to one side and took hold of Bronwyn's jaw and gently turned her head from left to right. “Opinion. This one believes your features are still pleasing to members of the opposite sex of your species once the swelling goes down. There should be no lasting damage. Helpful suggestion. In the worst case, you are still an heir to a powerful dragonmark. This one is certain your House will provide you a mate to ensure the continuation of your bloodline in the event you fail to secure one on your own. Also, this one believes the famed wealth of your House would alleviate any minor physical disfigurements your future mate would have issues with.”
Squeak, shaking, stepped away from the edge as the ship lurched into flight. His shaking intensified when he turned and saw the state of Bronwyn. I was too busy staring at the gangplank to even see Objective was injured! he realized, and, when he saw Palisade had it well in hand, checked the others for injuries. With some surprise he saw he himself had taken some damage.
Squeak repaired himself and moved over to assist Palisade. He'd only partially heard Palisade's reply to Bronwyn and jumped in helpfully. “Until that time, perhaps a mask? I could provide you with my own faceplate, if that would be helpful. The adamantine should also help to ensure other blows do not render you more lumpy.”
Bronwyn smiled at the 'forged and then winced from the stiffness in her jaw. “Your concern is touching but I'm not worried about being hideous forever...” She sighed not having the energy to explain herself further, “Nevermind. Squeak, as much as I appreciate your offer you need your face more than I do. I'll take my chances that no one else on the airship wants to hit a lady in the face.”
-------------
And as the airships collide, Bronwyn shrinks Palisade...
Then the wizard finished reading her scroll which crumbled to dust in front of her eyes. But the real change was on Palisade who shrunk to about the size of a halfling, albeit a tall halfling.
Bronwyn turned towards Squeak with a triumphant smile on her face. She bent down in front of Palisade to meet him at eye level so she never saw Squeak reaching for her. “Aren't you a cute little 'forged! Yes, you arRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.”
Squeak smiled, grabbed Bronwyn, and unceremoniously threw her over to the skiff. Arms flapping in the air, she crashed into the sailor and Jorlyn, who made sure the wizard remained on the airskiff.
Bronwyn's sentence was extended into a scream that was part fear and part anger. Her brain tried to process what was happening as she flew towards the skiff with no control over her body. Her dress billowed around her making it difficult to see where she was going. She had no chance to right herself before crashing into Jorlyn. Thankfully her landing also sent the pretend pirate sprawling as well.
She managed to get to her feet and marched to the skiff's railing with her hands on her hips, eyes blazing like fire. “Squeak! You NEVER throw a lady! I am NOT a bomb! Although I have half a mind to give you the explosion anyways.” She clutched the feather fall scroll in her hand just in case he couldn't make the jump. “Now jump already before I really get angry.”
Gold!
Squeak looked up "I have hypothesised it may be possible to use sufficiently hardened dough for construction - I believe this to be the origin of the 'Forged I have seen referred to in Junior shift supervisor Helen Bakker's documents - the one about the gingerbread anthropoid. I believe this creature was constructed using techniques first used to create a house in a previous document." he sighed 'Am I overusing the sigh? I spent so long working out the pneumatics...' "But I am afraid pure sugar lacks the necessary physical characteristics. I can look into mixing it with other materials - glass, for instance, might work if mixed together in the correct proportions."
"But I am afraid pure sugar lacks the necessary physical characteristics. I can look into mixing it with other materials - glass, for instance, might work if mixed together in the correct proportions."
"Disappointed. This one bows to your expertise in the matter of culinary engineering, unit Squeak," Palisade replied. "Thoughtful pause. Perhaps the use of glass could indeed be a viable alternative, assuming an alchemical method of hardening sugar cannot be discovered. The use of non-edible components in a dish does pose some potential health hazards. Suggestion. Perhaps the diners could be supplied with a blueprint of the dish, with the edible and non-edible components differentiated by helpful material codes?"
He looked around, “Have you had experience dealing with lizardfolk?”
"This one does not believe so, but it will look forward to the pleasure to killing something new," Palisade offered. It reasoned that 40lbs of steel delivered with some speed at head-height would work on a lizard just as well as it tended to work on a mammal.
Action 2:
Bronwyn looked slightly disappointed as Sur'kil mentioned that Captain Morgis wouldn't be joining them. However, she wasn't really surprised because of the extent of House Lyrandar. A small smile crossed her face. Now she had the opportunity to get to know another member of the House.
At the mention of jungles the wizard groaned, "Ugh! My hair just returned to normal after our last foray into the jungle. There is nothing worse than humidity, am I right?"
She took a closer look at the map, "I'm assuming we can have this. And of course a map is a step in the right direction but you still haven't told us what we're looking for. As I'm sure you're aware, since you are very well informed, relics can take many different forms. Also, how many relics are there? Are we looking for two or for twenty?"
He looked around, “Have you had experience dealing with lizardfolk?”
Bronwyn held up her hand and counted off her fingers, "Goblins, bugbears, vampires, undead, tribal drow. Nope, Palisade is correct, no lizardfolk. But I, like you, am confident that we can overcome whatever challenge they may present. However, if you have any further information about these lizardfolk then we would gladly hear it."
Action 3:
Bronwyn's eyes sparkled in interest, "Which ancient demon? Half-dragons? Seriously? This is going to be epic!"
She flipped her ponytail over her shoulder, "I think we're ready to leave imminently, at least I am. I have my stuff packed and ready to go. I just need a porter to haul it to the ship."
Action 1
Alarmed, Vi said, "No! No glass in food. Not ever. We either find a way to do it with 100% edible components, or we don't do it at all. Period, full stop."
Action 3
Vi/Arleth studied the map with interest. She was a bit disappointed not the be travelling by lightning rail again - that had proved quite comfortable last time. Their airship journey, by comparison, still gave her the occasional nightmare. Can't complain about nightmares anymore, she thought to herself, unconsciously rubbing the scar on her arm where she'd carved the word ICE into it. Her regular nightmares were nothing compared to the murder-fueled dreams the cursed dagger had spawned in her. I sure hope Lucina is faring better with it than I did. Though if anybody had the strength of will to fight off the evil influence of the dagger, it was the grumpy druid.
Shaking herself a little, she focused on the map. Of course, lightning rail was out of the question, since they were heading to Q'barra. "I'll want to stop somewhere and purchase some insect repellant and better waterproofs, but otherwise I'm ready to go." She recalled the torrential rains of Xen'drik with a grimace.
Looking up at the smug-smiling human, Vi frowned. "Five days trek - is there a trail or road of some sort? Will we need to hire a guide, or is it self-evident? How is it that you came by this information? Whom else have you told? If we are going to end up racing a competing group of treasure-seekers, it will increase our rate."
Action 1:
Bronwyn reached for one of the vials, "And what is this? How does it help us deal with the locals?"
Action 2:
Action 3:
Bronwyn blushes prettily as Captain Lorenzo holds her hand and compliments her. She giggles, "I wasn't aware that there were any rumors about little old me. You flatter me, Captain."
Her eyes sparkle as she holds his gaze, "I like your dragonmark. It is very handsome."
You can assume that you each start with 500 gp plus your equipment.
Sur'kil also offered to hire each of you for 4 weeks minimum at 50 gp per week (200 gp each) and is willing to give you half of that upfront (100 gp).
So each PC has 600 gp at their disposal.
Questions?
Game on!
Yeah, I'm not really sure how the economies of 3.5 (adventure) and 5e (rules) compare, but I think they are fairly similar.
In any case, the magic items in 5e are controlled by their rarity (availability) so no 'ye olde magic shoppe' with powerful magic items, but this is Eberron so common magic items are 'common'.
Questions?
Game on!
"I have worked on a chemical to keep the humidity from altering the structure of your hair, Bronwyn. I have tested it on several subjects, and none of them have gone bald, making it a significant improvement on the state of the art." Squeak said, trying for soothing and getting creepy. To be fair, Bronwyn really should have clarified that she wanted the hair to remain attached to her head while being preserved, and it wasn't as if he tested it on her.
"Additionally I strongly support the idea of purchasing insecticides and repellents. The last think I want is to come down with another case of hive." Squeak shuddered "Damn things kept getting stuck in my actuators. Crushed chitin is surprisingly..." he broke off, the lights in his eyes brightening "That's it! We can reinforce the outer shell of the sugar with chitin! We crush it, hit it with an enzyme to cause partial liquefaction, and then let it re-solidify! Completely edible! "
The 'Forged nods knowingly "I'll have to talk to my Weevil guy."
Squeak looked carefully at the Captain, and at Bronwyn. His eyes flickered as he ran through multiple scenarios evaluating many competing objectives. Finally he decided to use an Oracle evaluation to break the deadlock.
"VI'S_FACE'S_NAME_HERE" he whispered thunderously "I am code-wording this situation as The BALL. I am unsure how to proceed. Should I attempt to assist The BALL, stop The BALL, or avoid the BALL?"
"I have worked on a chemical to keep the humidity from altering the structure of your hair, Bronwyn. I have tested it on several subjects, and none of them have gone bald, making it a significant improvement on the state of the art." Squeak said, trying for soothing and getting creepy. To be fair, Bronwyn really should have clarified that she wanted the hair to remain attached to her head while being preserved, and it wasn't as if he tested it on her.
"Suggestion. Lady d'Deneith, have you considered shaving your head? This one believes hair on a human being is a renewable resource, at least to a point, and lack of head would alleviate the risk of jungle insects burying themselves in it to make a nest. Additional suggestion. Lady d'Deneith, this one believes the shape of your skull would be quite appealing to males of your species in its symmetry. Also, consider the rarity value - most females this one has observed in the city have hair. Baldness might allow you to make use of a previously less tapped niche."
"That's it! We can reinforce the outer shell of the sugar with chitin! We crush it, hit it with an enzyme to cause partial liquefaction, and then let it re-solidify! Completely edible! "
The 'Forged nods knowingly "I'll have to talk to my Weevil guy."
"Unit Squeak, your culinary skills never seize to astonish this one," Palisade said, a hint of quiet awe in its emotionless voice.
"VI'S_FACE'S_NAME_HERE" he whispered thunderously "I am code-wording this situation as The BALL. I am unsure how to proceed. Should I attempt to assist The BALL, stop The BALL, or avoid the BALL?"
Hesitating, Palisade scanned the deck with its single eye. "Unit Squeak. This one requires explanation. This one does not see any people engaged in dancing on the deck, and it also spies a definite lack of balls of the spherical nature, unless you are referring to the practices of some primitive tribes of using the head of a fallen enemy as game piece. Query. If that is the case, should this one attempt to detach some? There seem to be several of which to choose from on the ship, although most of them appear to currently be in use."
Action 1
Vi accepted the stones, and tucked them away. "Will you arrange for transport back from the coast, once we return?"
Action 2
Once they left Kern's, Vi said, "You guys go on ahead. I want to watch Sure-Kill for a bit, make sure there's nothing obviously hinky about him."
Ducking into a quiet corner, Vi changed into an unremarkable looking human. Mid-length dark hair, plain features. She didn't have time to change clothes, so she settled for pulling her plain cloak around her travelling leathers. Taking a quick peek in her mirror, she was confidant that her employer wouldn't recognize her.
She then snuck back, intent on following him for an hour or so.
Action 2.5
Having met up with the others and purchased her supplies, Vi was now faced with a decision. Who would she travel as? She'd originally chosen Arleth because she was capable and independent, but the knowledge that they'd be travelling to the jungle had changed her mind. Arleth was bound to Sharn, and Vi didn't think she'd do well so far from home. Viara had been a complete wash as an adventurer; she still remembered Bronwyn's angry words aboard the last air ship they'd travelled on.
No, she needed somebody new. Somebody who would laugh in the face of danger, who would revel in the adventure ahead. Somebody happy in the jungle, or at least, somebody not miserable.
Vi flipped through her book, looking at various sketches and notes. There were a few obvious contenders, adventurers she'd seen in Sharn, swaggering through markets, or drinking in the public houses. But her eye kept coming back to one, again and again.
Closing her eyes, she focused on the elven face before her. Long dark hair, long pointed ears. Fair skin, dark eyes, and a burn scar on her cheek. It was the burn that had originally caught Vi's eye - the woman had tattooed over it, making it into a swirling work of art. Vi altered the look, made it her own, and finally opened her eyes and checked herself in the mirror. And smiled.
Now for some accoutrements. Dark lipstick and eyeliner. A colourful scarf to tie the mane of hair back. A few earrings, but bigger, flashier than Arleth's. This woman wasn't afraid to be looked at. In fact, she courted it.
Now all she needed was a name. Vi knew that her friends preferred calling her Vi. For some reason they were able to handle her Face changes better than name changes. But for the new Face to work, she needed a new name. But something close enough to her own, something that could reasonably be shortened. Her sister's face came suddenly to mind, and Vi grinned. She'd attach her sister's name to her own. She would be Mei'Vi.
Donning her shiftweave, she shifted it to a dress she'd only worn once before. Of the five garments in her shiftweave, she hadn't really been sure why she'd included this one. But clearly she'd had it in her subconscious that another adventure was possible in her future, and this was the dress for that.
Well, not properly a dress. More like baggy, flowy longsleeved dress that became a sort of harem-pant type garment on the bottom. It was loose, cool, and she could move in it - perfect for the jungle. She put her studded leather vest over top, and felt quite ready to meet the others.
Stepping back into their sight, she adopted an Elvish accent and said, "Well, what do you think? This is Mei'Vi, and she's very excited to head to Q'Barra." She looked at Bronwyn apprehensively, particularly wanting the mage to approve.
Action 3
Mei'Vi stood stunned for a moment, her dark eyes flicking back and forth between the Warforged, trying to figure out what Squeak had code-named the Ball. Finally realizing his glowing gaze was fixed on Bronwyn, she broke into laughter. "The Ball is harmless, best ignore it."
Stepping in front of the Bronwyn, thus breaking the stare, she bowed low and sweeping to the captain. "Mei'Vi, at your service. Pleased and honoured to make your acquaintance."
Action 2:
"I have worked on a chemical to keep the humidity from altering the structure of your hair, Bronwyn. I have tested it on several subjects, and none of them have gone bald, making it a significant improvement on the state of the art."
Bronwyn gave Squeak a cautious smile, "That's very thoughtful, Squeak. I'm not sure what to say."
"Suggestion. Lady d'Deneith, have you considered shaving your head?
Bronwyn looked truly horrified as Palisade made his suggestion. She instinctively touched her ponytail, reassuring herself that it was still there. "No! Absolutely not! I would rather have a thousand botflies nest in my hair than shave it off." Then her face softened as she reminded herself that the 'forged were just trying to be helpful. "Thank you, Palisade. It was very sweet of you to compliment the shape of my skull. But you need to trust me...males of my species, as well as myself, prefer me with hair."
She placed her hands on her hips and stared at each Palisade and Squeak in turn. "You are never allowed to touch my hair without my permission. Not when I sleep and not if I'm unconscious. Understand?"
"That's it! We can reinforce the outer shell of the sugar with chitin! We crush it, hit it with an enzyme to cause partial liquefaction, and then let it re-solidify! Completely edible! "
The 'Forged nods knowingly "I'll have to talk to my Weevil guy."
Bronwyn was still thinking about her hair but the word 'weevil' caught her attention, "Wait...what? What are you adding bug parts to and when did you get a weevil guy? You haven't been adding weevils to food already, have you?"
She circled back to one of Squeak's initial comments, "I agree about insecticides and repellents. Since I just have to have someone pick up my trunk, how about I go and shop for what I need while the two of you gather your things?"
"Well, what do you think? This is Mei'Vi, and she's very excited to head to Q'Barra." She looked at Bronwyn apprehensively, particularly wanting the mage to approve.
The wizard raised a critical eyebrow and approached Vi. She placed her hands on her elven shoulders and turned her this way and that. She took a few steps backwards and made a twirling motion with her hand, "Turn for me. Slowly."
She placed a hand under her chin and hhmmmm'd. Then she broke out in a grin, "Dashing but with a feminine flare. I like it! The harem-pant is a bold choice but still believable. I'm glad you showed restraint and didn't take the face too far. Had you gone with an eye-patch I would have had to disown you as a friend."
"Oh no! Even the finest cornflour-fed weevils apparently taste disgusting. I just use them to feed the Spiders." Squeak looked to Palisade "Statistically Humans love spiders. Apparently the average human eats eight spiders a night. Given the cost to raise them, this is quite impressive. Even more impressive is that the vast majority of humans seem to dislike the taste of spider. This suggests a small niche of humans obsessed with them." He nods to Bronwyn "Once I locate this niche Vi and I should become enormously successful."
Squeak straightened as 'Dmitrio' came over, his hand moving a little closer to his chemicals. "Please state your qualifications as a food provider."
Squeak carefully stood in the exact middle of the ship, near enough to some structural supports to cling to them if needed.
"Oh no! Even the finest cornflour-fed weevils apparently taste disgusting. I just use them to feed the Spiders." Squeak looked to Palisade "Statistically Humans love spiders. Apparently the average human eats eight spiders a night. Given the cost to raise them, this is quite impressive. Even more impressive is that the vast majority of humans seem to dislike the taste of spider. This suggests a small niche of humans obsessed with them." He nods to Bronwyn "Once I locate this niche Vi and I should become enormously successful."
Bronwyn visibly shudders at the thought of eating spiders, they had soooo many legs. "Good thing I'm anything but average because I've never eaten a spider and never will."
Action 1:
Lorenzo pouted, “I am sorry I do not have more luxurious accommodations for you all, but
we will make it up by our wit and charm.”
He joked, “How about this? You will all dine at the captain’s table every night. Sound fair?”
Bronwyn placed her hand on the Captain's arm, "Nonsense. Your ship is lovely and you've been quite kind in providing so many rooms for us to use. Besides, the company is much more important than where one may sleep. Which is why your offer to have us eat at your table every night puts me in your debt. How could I ever repay your generosity?"
“Dimitrio, find out what the ladies want for dinner tonight and let’s make sure we have it.”
The wizard smiled politely at Dimitrio, "Squeak is most familiar with my likes, but more importantly my dislikes. He can fill you in with what you need to know. Although I really appreciate anything flambéd."
Action 2:
Bronwyn's head oscillated between watching the Captain and the air elemental. She found the magic involved in harnessing such a powerful entity fascinating. She also remembered the explosive release that happened when one was released. Hopefully this trip would go smoother than the last time they had traveled on a vessel piloted by a d'Lyrandar.
When the ship lurched, she squealed and clutched the railing. Although she barely kept her footing given that she wasn't that strong."[/b]
Bronwyn visibly shudders at the thought of eating spiders, they had soooo many legs. "Good thing I'm anything but average because I've never eaten a spider and never will."
"Helpful suggestion. Unless you have done it in your sleep as unit Squeak noted was customary, and thus are unaware of the fact," Palisade replied, pleased to offer a helpful reminder.
Squeak carefully stood in the exact middle of the ship, near enough to some structural supports to cling to them if needed.
Gazing at the majestic display of elemental magics with an utter lack of interest (after it had decided the phenomenon posed no active danger to Lady d'Deneith, of course), Palisade decided to have a quiet word with its old team mate. "Unit Squeak, this one observed Lady d'Deneith expressed distress at the thought of consuming spiders by accident. This one believes we should seek to address the matter."
"This one has identified several possible solutions of various degrees of effect and projected acceptance," it went on. "Most straightforward solution would be to stand guard over Lady d'Deneith as she sleeps and destroy any arachnid that seeks her lips. This one doubts our vigilance would be seen as not conductive to peaceful night's sleep, however."
"Second possibility involves chemical insect repellent, perhaps infused in the lip coating Lady d'Deienth often wears at help her attract males. This would be an unintrusive approach, but this one foresees some difficulties of devising an alchemical solution that is both effective and pleasant of taste."
"Third approach is a mechanical solution. With time and attention to detail, a mechanical contraption could be designed and built that would either entrap or eliminate arachnids and other small insects that sought to crawl into Lady d'Deneith's facial orifices. Perhaps a soft of cage that could be worn over the face?"
"Thoughtful pause. Both the second and third approach, and likely others that you can come up with would require an amount of experimentation to perfect. It would be unoptimal to risk Lady d'Deneith's health with such early versions. Suggestion. Perhaps companion Vi Olaro could be used as a test subject instead? She bears enough physical similarity to Lady d'Deneith that any solution that works on her would most likely work on Lady d'Deneith as well."
"This one would welcome your input, unit Squeak."
Bronwyn visibly shudders at the thought of eating spiders, they had soooo many legs. "Good thing I'm anything but average because I've never eaten a spider and never will.""Helpful suggestion. Unless you have done it in your sleep as unit Squeak noted was customary, and thus are unaware of the fact," Palisade replied, pleased to offer a helpful reminder.
Bronwyn shook her head fervently, "I've never eaten a spider and I never will. The thought of eating one gives me the heebie jeebies. My housekeeper keeps my place clean enough that there are no spiders. At least that's what I'm going to tell myself before going to sleep every night."
Just tidying up things; didn't really move this forward.
Let's try RPing the info gathering one more time.
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
Action 1,
Pleased that she would have her own room, at least for the next week, Mei'Vi smiled graciously at the captain. "These will do more than adequately, Sir. Trust me when I say we have travelled further with less."
Mei'Vi grinned - she hasn't expected that fine dining would be available on the airship. "We love to taste new cuisines, and would be honoured to try some foods from your home culture, or any of the crew. And perhaps Chef Squeak and I can return the favour one night, and cook for you."
Action 2
Mei'Vi whooped with joy as Swiftwind lifted into the air, skimming above the surface of the sea. The wind caught her bandana, nearly tearing it clear of her hair, and she only just managed to snag it before it flew away. Long hair whipping in her face, she laughed for pure delight.
Action 1:
Action 2:
Beaming up at Lorenzo, Bronwyn threaded her arm through the Captain's and fell into step beside him. "It is so refreshing to be in the company of a real gentleman. Rarely is one gifted to be shown around such a remarkable vessel by the charming Captain himself. I look forward to our time together on the way to Q'barra. Tell me Captain, have you made this trek often?"
Action 3:
Have you guys seen this 3D miniature generator?
OMG, only issue is that's in black and white but talk about customizing your PC.