" Dystopian worlds are ~not~ enjoyable to live in Nissa.." refraining from pointing out talking animals in most of his experiences meant monster world invaders.
"Why did you read a book from so long ago, is that a school thing where you're from? Or just that habit from your old movies."
Zellgato seems unlikely to get any reply.
The truck slams into the ditch. Everyone takes worth of no-seatbelt bludgeoning damage, but worse, the truck is now in need of repair before it can be used.
Rex whimpers very much like a dog and jumps out the driver side window and starts running back towards Animal Farm.
You are two miles from Willingdon, the nearest town.
Ow..!" Theo groaned as he climbed out of the truck. "Fuçking dog drivers! Anybody seriously hurt?"
Henri climbs out of the cab. "Rex! Come back!"
Henri chases the dog. "Rex, are you hurt?"
Nissa tries to fly out of the truck to avoid getting hurt.
There’s a crack in the rear window marking the spot where Nissa hit.
“Yeah… dystopian worlds suck.” That’s all Nissa has to say besides “ow.”
Unity grunt, more in surprise than pain, as the truck crashes into the ditch. Once they pick themself up off the ground, they look after Rex.
"Is that what happens to talking animals that try to leave their story?" they muse aloud, frowning.
They shake their head and look at the others. "Everyone okay? Nothing broken?"
Zellgato, mid conversation having foolishly started to stretch out his back. Flings forward, bouncing off the side and falls out the side of the oepning. Lying on his back momentarily, then feels pain in his spine from the odd angle. "Urgh. That's going to be a chiropractical visit." using his rifle but as a temporary cain to stand up, taking a moment to pop a vial into his nerve cluster to stop his muscle spasms and stretch his back back up as the otheres check in and canine chases ensue.
"I'm getting too old for this Unity." brushing himself off and moving to the front of the truck. "Think you two brawnies can push the truck out of the ditch? I've got some tools I can work on it maybe..Assuming its just a combustion engine and doens't run on i don't know animal cult magic
Pulling out a few kits, he also pulls out a few crystals, one of which he crushes and pours the dust over himself, when he steps away the glittery outline remains briefly before solidfying into a more realized version of himself which then begins to help him tinker. The zellgatos mumble to themselves passing their tools back and forth.
While the guys are either pushing the truck or fixing it or both, Nissa offers, “I can hold the flashlight.” Her aura illuminates the engine.
Zellgato, having taken a look under the hood with the help of his additional Zellgato, has determined the truck is, indeed, in need of repair. The job will probably take an hour.
Henri climbs out of the cab. "Rex! Come back!"
Henri chases the dog. "Rex, are you hurt?"
Rex does not come back.
Rex runs far and fast, behaving very much like a frightened dog running from the source of its fright.
Unity glance at the vehicle. "Why bother fixing it? We can probably walk and get where we're going faster," they say.
Henri comes jogging back. "Pretty sure whatever story element allowed him to behave in such a human fashion expired somehow. Maybe we were too far from the farmstead. I don't know the story to be sure."
"Is there anything in the truck we need? I think we could make it to the town pretty quickly."
Unity glance the way Rex went. "*We* may well be part-story. We hope something like that never happens to *us*."
"Well, walking is gonna be faster." wiping his hands ab it. "If it does happen to us, we probably won't know it happend to us."
Theo sighed. "Let's walk."
”Do we know what we are looking for when we get there?”
Nissa wonders if she can help from her knowledge of the story.
Aw, this is nothing like that f@@&ing cartoon the sub showed us…
You start walking. As you near Willingdon, the road becomes pavement, you see some factories in the distance. Chainlink fences and concrete barriers rise on the sides of the road.
This isn’t looking like the little farming community the book referred to.
It smells like industry.
You finally come within sight of Willingdon.
It’s more modern than you expected, bigger than you expected, and grayer than you expected.
A pair of guards watch the gated entrance to the fenced in village.
Over the gate is a sign that says ‘Freedom is Slavery’.
Theo steps up, chest out, standing straight, looking authoritative.
"Gentlemen. We are looking for a man called Moore. We've been told he's here in Willingdon. Please let us pass."
Zellgato tries to clock the guard's weapons and anyone else while Theo does his thing.
[ooc]whoops[/dice]
Whispers to no one in particular, ”We’ve changed stories. Same writer…”
Nissa ponders, “Are we in Orwell’s personal notebook? Or maybe they release classics as double features..?”
Nissa is much more familiar with 1984 than Animal Farm..! She wonders if she can use her knowledge advantageously.
Oh, back in the day I’d have told the guards I’m Little Sister, here to inspect the facility. Mother is right that I shouldn’t use lies to do my work… oh, but it was so fun…
Realizing she needs to take the honest approach, she lets dad handle things. She only hovers at his side for a united front.
”WIllingdon? I haven’t heard that name …” the older guard begins.
The younger guard looks at him out of the corner of his eye. The older guard trails off. He seemed like he was about to say “I haven’t heard that name in a while” but left it at “I haven’t heard that name.”
The younger guard finally turns to you and asks if you have a permit for being in a restricted area.
"A story we can already tell we don't like," they whisper back to Henry.
At the guard's question, Unity pat the odd freezing cannon they carry. "Unless you're cleared to know what this is, I don't think you're cleared to know we're here. Best to just let us pass, yes?"
Zellgato tries to clock the guard's weapons and anyone else while Theo does his thing.
[dice=perception]1d20=16
[ooc]whoops
[dice=perception]1d20+16
The weapons aren't a make Zellgato is familiar with, but, based on the tech, he'd put the timeline at 1980ish. Maybe 1984.
Henri says no more, just trying to note anything of interest and being ready if a sudden response is necessary.
The younger guard nods to the older guard who stands aside.
”’ave it your way then,” he says. ”Welcome to Sector 27.”
The gate opens automatically without either guard appearing to press a button or even signal for it to be opened. The younger guard steps into a booth and puts on a pair of headphones with a connected microphone.
You can enter 'Sector 27' formerly known as Willingdon if you wish.
From where you are standing, you can see a bit of Sector 27. You see apartment blocks stamped on top of what was probably once a nice little farm village. Everything is both clean and grey. Anything attractive about Willingdon is diminished, suppressed by the brutalism of Sector 27. The old fire station, a brick building from the 1900s, would have made a nice postcard. It's now in the shadows of two 5 story apartment blocks and has no clear purpose.
You can see this from the gate to Sector 27, where you are being watched by a nervous old guard and a keen-eyed young guard.
Do you enter 1984 or head back to Animal Farm?
"Sir, when did our contact pass through this gate?"
I have a bad feeling about this. I think they will try to pick us up once we are inside.
"ZEUS!" The Olympian laments as he looks around at 'Sector 27'. "Did we step into an uncolored coloring book?!!"
"Sir, when did our contact pass through this gate?"
I have a bad feeling about this. I think they will try to pick us up once we are inside.
When Henri turns to ask the question he sees a poster on the wall behind the guard. The poster reads "Big Brother is Watching". Above the text is a familiar face. Henri only met Dr. Moore once, but he recognizes the face.
”I’m sorry, I just realized that he may not have entered the sector on this side. I guess we will have to hope we haven’t kept him waiting. Shall we proceed?”
Unity are rather suspicious when the guards let them in. They look around carefully, wary of an ambush.
They wait until the group moves out of earshot of the guards to say anything, however.
Unity doesn't see an ambush. He does see a woman come out of one of the buildings with a large basket of loaves of bread. She heads off into town quite quickly, not even looking at the party.
A light goes on in a building on the other side of the street too.
And you hear girls laughing not far away breaking the silence that had been rather ominous a moment before.
The sleepy little street seems to be suddenly waking up.
Nissa says, “I gotta check out the laughter.”
She zips into the air and follows to joyful noise. If the laughing girls are in a building, Nissa will fly to a window and peer inside. If they’re outside, she watch from above at first.
"Hm. I find it rather odd how little..attention? Our group gathered. I haven't spent much time in this sort of place though, maybe self regulating." Nissa zips off after random laughter "Why?" but she flutters too fast and away. "People are people... Anyway, You've got an idea of where to go Henri?"
”No, but the poster of Big Brother back there … we are being observed. He will find us. The gate opened without a sign or action from the guards. We are being watched and might want to watch our tongues.”
"You might as well ask me to kiss Hera's hairy ass", grumbled the godling.
Nissa says, “I gotta check out the laughter.”
She zips into the air and follows to joyful noise. If the laughing girls are in a building, Nissa will fly to a window and peer inside. If they’re outside, she watch from above at first.
[dice=Stealth]d20+11
Five teen girls pop out of an alley in front of the party. Each of them wears a sash that says "Junior Anti-Sex League". Each also wears a tight white dress shirt and a skirt that ends just below the knee. Three of them have the word 'Officer' on their anti-sex leagues sashes. The remaining two have the word 'Virgin' on their sashes. One of these two has pulled her skirt up so high her knees show.
They see the party and giggle and head the other way.
blinking a bit at the oddity of the group, he ignores them and instead turns to Theo.
"Why do you know Hera's got a hairy ass Theo?" asking in a droll tone, perhaps simply to annoying whoever may be listening with pointless chatter
By the time Nissa flies down to the anti-sex girls’ level, she’s pretty much where the party is. She hovers close to the girls and expects her appearance alone draws attention.
“Excuse me, young ladies. I’m Nissa van Donk…” Her eyes dart from sash to sash. “…Officer van Donk, if you prefer. I’m looking for a man—“ Turning toward the virgin with the exposed knees, she says, “—not for that! Haha, when it comes to men I am very strongly unwaveringly anti-sex. And besides, the man in question is like a Big Brother to me, y’know?
“I’d describe him, but I’m sure you’ve seen his face on the posters.” She asks plainly, “Do you know where I can find Big Brother?”
Unity nod slightly at Henri. "This is his idea of a fortress. The question is, does he want to see us or not?"
"Why do you know Hera's got a hairy ass Theo?"
"Gut feeling", Theo shrugs.
By the time Nissa flies down to the anti-sex girls’ level, she’s pretty much where the party is. She hovers close to the girls and expects her appearance alone draws attention.
“Excuse me, young ladies. I’m Nissa van Donk…” Her eyes dart from sash to sash. “…Officer van Donk, if you prefer. I’m looking for a man—“ Turning toward the virgin with the exposed knees, she says, “—not for that! Haha, when it comes to men I am very strongly unwaveringly anti-sex. And besides, the man in question is like a Big Brother to me, y’know?
“I’d describe him, but I’m sure you’ve seen his face on the posters.” She asks plainly, “Do you know where I can find Big Brother?”
The girls laugh when she asks where she can find Big Brother, like it's a joke.
"Come on girls," says the primmest of the 'officers'. "Can't you see what kind of girl she is? Just look at who she's with."
The girls turn away from Nissa and resume walking, giggling as they go. Nissa hears the word "Prostitute" and "I bet they're thought criminals!".
Nissa shrugs off the comments. Until the word prostitute is overhead. Why do they look at me as a sex symbol? she wonders, still not quite over the fact that everyone but L.C. can’t fathom her size being a hindrance.
But she keeps this to herself.
Out loud, she suggests, “If Moore is Big Brother, we just need to pose for a camera. He’s watching, so the story goes.”
Unity nod. "As we said, all is in question is if he wishes to see us or not."
The party hears a fairly inoffensive siren. It isn’t too loud, but loud enough to get your attention. It blares and pauses and blares and pauses. It comes from the direction the girls went.
Two people rush out of the apartment buildings as if summoned by the siren. They too rush in the direction the girls went.
"What annoying young folk." gesturing at the noise "So.. sit and wait, or go make noise?"
Unity frown to themself. "Do you see any buildings that look more important than others around here?" they ask, looking around for themself as they do.