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I am very sorry but I have to withdraw as well. This renovation in the aftermath of the appliance problem has become a full time job. Even now I am heading out to look at flooring. I just don't have the free time anymore and it's likely to be this way for a couple of months at least. Thank you for having me.
"Josh is coming with me, right Josh?" With that, Lydia turns and picks her way through the underbrush and into the goblin encampment. She heads for the nearest weapon and slides it gently into her backpack. Then she moves to the next and adds it to her bag, taking care to move slowly so as not to jostle the various crude blades and clubs against one another.
Best of luck at the new job Lucian. It was good to play with you while it lasted :)
Lydia nods at Lucian. "We'll get everything we can and keep an eye out for a shield while we're at it." "Phillip, if you want to be bait for the goblins, why don't you head over to the right of the camp where we're going to lead them if they wake up? Take my staff with you and, if I need it, I can grab it from you on the go. That's prolly better than me carrying around while I pick up goblin gear, don't you think?"
"I can try to sneak into the camp to get their weapons. So me and Josh or me, Josh and Miya go in. If any of them wake up, we head to the right of the camp and lead the goblins away while the rest of you handle the ogre?" Lydia thinks for a moment, giving her friends time to clarify any details of the plan she has missed and then unshoulders her backpack. Kneeling on the ground, she unpacks her textbooks and binders so that the bag is mostly empty. "For the weapons," she explains, "I can come back for my books later." "I think Miya should be in the ogre group. There's a lot of goblins but they're small and we kind of know what to expect. We have no idea how badass the ogre is. Your swords are the best weapons we have and you are our badass."
"That's not a bad idea. Or, if only a few of them go hunting, maybe we could ambush just those guys out in the forest so we have to fight less of them at a time. If we're lucky, they'll wonder where those guys went and send out a few more for us to beat up, but that's getting ahead of things for now."
When Paul leads the group away from Robyn's homestead, Lydia gives the dog one last hug and pet, then checks to see if the crow is trailing her. She hopes that Neville is benign and not anything like what Phillip suggested, some evil strangers familiar sent to observe them or something. She takes the half-Snickers when Phillip offers, eating it slowly to savour the candy since it seems fairly certain that chocolate will not be common in this world. "It does seem like dirty pool to attack them when they're sleeping," she agrees when her friend expresses his reservations. "But they outnumber us, they are nasty and vicious--that one was trying to kill Derek!--and there's supposed to be an ogre around here somewhere. What if he's in the pit? Maybe we can find a better place to make a trap or a place to lure them where they can only get at us one or two at a time, like they do in the westerns when a posse is chasing them, that kind of thing..."
Shouldering her backpack, Lydia tucks the crossbow into its straps against her left side as she had earlier in the day. It feels less awkward this time around, like something she could get used to. The quarterstaff is something she thinks she could get used to as well. She's capped each end with the hockey tape, extended far enough down the shaft so that she can grip and comfortably swing the weapon two handed. A second pair of tape grips the size of a single hand each equally divides the length of the staff, making for what she believes will be a versatile weapon, especially with no refs around to blow the whistle and call penalties for cross checking or spearing. "Scout then decide," she agrees with Lucian and looks to Miya for confirmation.
Lydia grins widely. She'd been feeling a bit like a fifth wheel, not confident about how to deal with the frenetic little creature or her shots, cute as "Paul" might be but now here was the chance to help out in a way that more suited her abilities. "Of course I'll scout with you Miya!" the shy girl tells her friend.
Upon seeing the faery for the first time, Lydia finds that she is not atonished by the fantastical little creature's existence. Anything is possible, so it would seem, and her well of amazement has run dry. Time to get on with figuring out how to get back home. "Phillip makes a good point about scavenged gear," she says, fiddling with her newly crafted weapon, "Plus, the faery is here to guide us right now so it'd be awfully rude to head to town instead."
Welcome Jessalyn!
"I'd love to go home Adam but don't you see? Those doctors were wrong. The hospital was wrong. You're not sick because this place is real. We're all here and it's real. You're fine and you don't need medicine at all!"
Feeling that Adam is still very tense, Lydia sits back and gives him a little punch in the arm. She scoots about a foot away and and turns to face him, sitting with her hands hands clasped together around her bent knees, still within reach of the staves she is tending. "You know, this place...it's not all that bad. It reminds me of that time we all took the trip up to Lake Chabot. It was really beautiful up there. We didn't catch anything but it was so relaxing and peaceful. The water was so blue...I bet there's some really nice fishing spots like that around here, don't you think?"
"Every brewery around is going to be a micro-brewery, Phillip. Just imagine the pub crawls we could have!" Lydia calls over to the men with a laugh as they discuss the tavern in the nearby town. By the time Miya, Lucian and Adam return, the staves are well on their way to completion but are not quite ready to be used as weapons. She eyes Adam with some concern; he seems particularly downcast as the trio approaches Robyn's little homestead. While Miya describes the events of their afternoon in the forest, Lydia approaches and gently draws him aside to join her at the firepit. Wordlessly, she puts a hand out to rub gently across his back for a few moments before she leans over slightly to rest her head against his, leaving them pressed side to side as they sit before the coalbed. If Adam wants to talk, she'll listen but for now, she'll simply enjoy the comfort of having all her friends close by again.
"That's fantastic!" Lydia enthuses over Phillip's efforts but she does rearrange things slightly. "Some of this wood is too big for just starting a fire though. You gotta start real small or you will smother the flame."
While Phillip and Josh speak with Robyn, she gets the fire going and works on creating a nice bed of hot cinders. She is grateful that Phillip and Josh make the effort to engage their host, leaving her to handle the weapon-making. They are good with people the way she is good with things. And animals. Neville squawks in what can only be agreement from his perch atop the apex of Robyn's thatched roof.
"Oh s$$+! I never even thought of that!" Lydia exclaims with a gasp, causing both Robyn and Derrick to quickly look in her direction. She smiles and gives a small wave of assurance to their host, then continues in a lower voice to Phillip. "There's goblins and ogres so why not evil witches too, right? Anything could be possible. Still though...I kind of like him. He doesn't seem malicious, he's just curious. And he's got a certain, hmmm...dignity.' She laughs a little at the notion but it feels like the right description for the crow.
Once the saplings are stripped and shaped, they need to be dried. The best thing would be to allow them to dry on their own but that would take far too long. The next best thing would be a oven or kiln set to a low temperature, the kind that are used back in the "normal" world but Lydia doubts Robyn has such a thing available so she and Phillip will have to take turns over treating their wood over an open fire. "There's not much else we can do out here in the forest so let's head back to Robyn's place." she says to her friends. "I wonder how Miya and Luc are doing. Those goblins seem like they wouldn't be so tough one on one but a whole gang of them together could be trouble. Like a bunch of grade school bullies too scared to step up when they are alone but all kinds of badass when two or three of them are together." She rolls her eyes at this last sentence.
Making the quarterstaff takes Lydia's mind off of her family and how lost she feels. She's not fretting about anything while she's busy stripping the little sapling of its bark, trimming the branches and smoothing the length of wood into a nicely uniform cylinder about an inch in diameter. When she dries it over a low fire, it will harden and shrink to the perfect girth for her hands. She looks up at the crow, brushing back her dark bangs at the same time, when it squawks at her, Phillip and Josh. Squinting in the brightness of the sunny day, she sits up straight and still for a moment. She grins at the bird. "You look like a Neville. Neville the Crow." she says to it before returning her attention to the weapon she is crafting.
Lydia follows Phillip out the door. "We need to find a couple of good saplings, not just branches off the ground. And we should look for hardwood, like ash or oak. That's what they make hockey sticks out of. We shouldn't go too far into the forest with the, uh, goblins running around so let's see what's close, I guess."
"Before we can spar, we need to make our weapons." Lydia unshoulders her backpack and rummages through it, producing the roll of athletic tape. "I use this for my hockey sticks. I bet it's be good for a quarterstaff too." She considers her bag, a light but sturdy army-style backpack made of thick canvas and olive drab in colour. The straps are generously padded and can be joined with a buckle at her chest for extra support. As well as the two main compartments, there are a number of smaller pockets and pouches and several strategically located D-rings to provide additional storage. Picking up the crossbow a second time, she tries to decide on a way to carry it on the bag somehow. After trying a few positions, some too tenuous, some too restrictive and others too uncomfortable she finally settles on slinging it through the bottom of her left shourlder strap so the bow of it rests on against the side of her midriff, supported by the bag at one side and the strap at the other. Then she speaks to their host. "Is there a good place in the forest nearby that me and Philip can get wood to make staves, Robin?"
"I've never shot one of these before but I can try if no one else wants to use it. It looks pretty neat." Lydia picks up the crossbow and turns it over in her hands, inspecting the mechanisms thoroughly. She tests the weight of the thing and puts it up to a shoulder to peer down the sights before placing it back on the table. "I think I'd rather be up close, whacking things with a stick though. Playing hockey taught me some nasty tricks in the corners and I learned a few things from Graham too. Me and Phillip could both make staves."
"I can help fight the ogre." Lydia stands and hunches her shoulders forward, tucking her chin and raising her fists in a boxing stance. She looks comfortable, practiced, bobbing her head side to side minutely. Then she stands straigh and her easy athletic confidence drains away. "Then I want to find a way home. Robin has been great, this place is very nice but I don't want to stay here forever. I'll do whatever it takes, fight anyone I have to...I am going to see my family again."
Lydia sits in stunned silence, happy to see Josh but unsure how to deal with the news he bears. Her lower lip trembles as she battles back tears but she manages not to reveal how upset she feels; that knot of homesickness a hot, queasy lump all of the sudden. She strokes Derrick absently while the conversation continues.
Some people get defensive when asked to alter or explain their character in any way but Tsiron did not. Tweaking his backstory is a criticism of his character and so is ensuring that his stats, abilities etc. are within the rules but I did not intend any negative connotation to the word. Constructive criticism is an excellent thing and you both have my utmost respect. As far as another set of eyes on his character, I think Miya covered everything mechanical. There is still a slight mismatch of stats between the profile and the stat block in the spoiler and I don't see any reason to explain why he has only 10HP instead of 14HP. Everything is fantastic. Sorry to give anyone the impression I feel negative in any way or have observed any negative behaviour.
Tsiron is enthusiastic about the game and has created a character that fills our needs quite well. He has answered to all of the concerns expressed and he seems to accept criticism with tact and composure. His writing is fairly strong imho. I think he would make a fine addition.
Gonna look at the apps now. Sorry for my extended absence. My Easter weekend was hectic but wonderful, hope all yours were the same. Looking forward to more adventure with you all!
Derrick remains the centre of Lydia's attention although she does listen as the conversation progresses around her. She is feeling rather overwhelmed by all the strangeness and the familiarity of the animal is comforting. A knot of homesickness had begun to knit slowly in the pit of her stomach; as much as this seems a fantastic adventure, she can't help but think of her family. Quietly, she tries to coax the dog near enough to pet it while thinking on what the others are saying. She remembers reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe when she was in grade school. That was just a kid's story, a good one but...was it just a story? Was this Narnia or something like it? The smell of the food sets her mouth watering and the pop of the wine cork shakes her from her reverie just as Robin asks the favour of them. "Um....ogre? Like Shrek??" Lydia asks hesitantly, her tone polite but tempered with a combination of skepticism and confusion.
Heads up: I got elected to host Easter dinner on Good Friday but no one told me until yesterday so my schedule is jam packed until Saturday. I'll do my best to get something up but I can't make any promises.
Lydia laughs when the dog darts forward to snatch the treat out of her hand where it absently remained as she watched the ugly little creatures scramble away into the forest. She gets down on her knees and holds her arms out to the dog, encouraging it to return to petting range. "What's his name?" she asks the shepherd, smiling brightly and clapping her hands together gently to coax the animal nearer.
Hope all is well Jonas. Glad to have you back!
Coming to a halt where Luc is between her and the little bandits, Lydia focuses on the dog. Unlike Miya or Luc, she doesn't pose much of a threat in a fight at this moment but she does have a Ziploc full of Beggin' Strips in her backpack. Smiling at the shepherd, she moves deliberately so the man can she what she is doing as she pulls out the baggie, removes a piece of the simulated bacon and then stows the rest again. "It's ok," she soothes both the shepherd and the dog, 'We are friendly. We don't want to hurt anyone." She breaks off a piece of the dog treat and pops it into her mouth; it tastes awful but should be enough assurance that she is not trying to poison anyone or anything. Then she holds the remainder out to the dog. It might be too excited but she was usually pretty good at getting her business dogs calm and keeping them organized, even Deuce the Great Dane who was a sweetheart but also an enthusiastic jumper.
Now that I've started my new job, all my posting will be reliably between 20:00 and 23:00 MDT. No more leisure time at work, which is actually kind of nice, not nearly as boring. I will do my best to post every day from now on. Enjoy the time with your girls Luc :)
"Miya...wait!" Lydia runs after her friend. She doesn't have a weapon of her own and she's not sure who is threatening the shepherd but she wants to help if she can. As she races down the hill, she scans the area hoping to see the group Miya called out about.
When the transformation is complete, both the room's and Lydia's own, Lydia opens her eyes to survey her new surroundings. Her blood pounds in her veins as if the energy from the mysterious basin still flows within her, filling her with vitality, and she feels more present, more connected with the world--even this strange new world--and the people around her than she ever has. Luc and Miya stand together not too far off, comparing the many small ways in which they had changed too. The scents and sounds of the forest almost overwhleming her, the air itself feeling tangible, Lydia approaches them.
Sorry I am here just distracted by IRL. Didn't get a chance on the weekend to add my level. I will do that tonight for sure. I apologize for my absence but things should settle down here real quick.
I will get Lydia updated soon. Just a little heads up, I'm in the middle of changing jobs right now. Tomorrow is my last day at one place and I start at the new place on Monday so things have been and will continue to be a little hectic here for a bit. Sorry for any inconvenience this causes, I'll do my best to keep up with the game. Stoopid IRL >.< I like your doodles and I am very much enjoying the game so far! Thanks again for having me.
Emboldened by her friends, particularly Miya, Lydia swallows hard and reaches into the liquid regardless of what might be moving around in there. The younger girl's cool confidence has always encouraged her to behave more dauntlessly, yet another thing that makes Lydia feel grateful and fills her with the warm comfort of comraderie whenever their little clique gathers. "You look different!" Lydia marvels but then falls silent before she can elaborate as she is seized by her own transformation.
"My picture's a tree, sort of, and there's something moving in the water." This last thing is not promising. Could it bite her? She shudders a little.
The pedestals, which evoked familiarity but remained so frustratingly mysterious, had captured Lydia's attention so far. At Phillips behest, she turns her gaze upwards and walks slowly from one to the next until the symbol above resolves into sharp focus. "Neat!" she exclaims and looks expectantly to its associated pedestal. The pool of blue liquid contained in the basin atop shimmers gently from within, casting its mellow glow despite the lack of evident power source. Although she itches to investigate, manipulate and dismantle as is her first impulse with most things, some vague sense that meddling might not be wise in this case stays her hand.
"No matches but I've got this." Lydia fishes through her jeans pocket and produces a Zippo lighter wrapped in a Repsol logo. She doesn't smoke but there is always a reason for a good mechanic to have fire close at hand. Igniting the lighter with a flick of her thumb, she verifies that, unlike the electronics, it works normally. She extinguishes the flame and returns the Zippo to her pocket, trying to remember the last time she added fuel as she wanders closer to the pedestals that everyone seems to be gravitating towards. Lucian cautiously extends his hand into the shaft of light emitted by the contraption in front of him as she draws nearer. She grimaces in an expression of combined anticipation and horror. The last time she felt this way was in 9th grade when her shop teacher, Mr. Martinuk, had managed to catch his tie in the drill press during a demonstration. All 26 students had gasped collectively in shock and then simultaneously pressed forward, not to help but to watch with bated breath as their instructor was drawn inexorably closer by the machine until he managed to hit the large red power button on its side with one flailing hand. No one had wished him any harm; the students' collective shock combined with their inexperience in emergency situations had paralyzed them in a state of rapt morbidity. Lydia realizes she is holding her breath. She exhales and then deliberately breathes with measured consistency while Lucian continues to explore the...machine?...If it's a machine it's like none she has ever encountered before. She leans in to have a closer look at another pedestal, the one next to where Lucian is investigating, but touches nothing.
"Who's got a phone? There's a GPS, it will tell us where we are. Maybe not how we got here but at least where we are." Lydia's voice has that same hopeful yet doubtful tone to it. Her I-pod didn't work. Would a phone?
Gaining her feet, Lydia surveys the strange environment but does not venture into the corridor exiting the room. She pushes some of the debris about with her foot and picks up her backpack to examine its meager contents: the textbook for her Applied Statistics course, a narrow binder full of handouts for the same as well as some loose-leaf, her I-pod, her wallet, a collection of pens, pencils and erasers, a small box of Transformers band-aids, a roll of sports tape and a Ziploc baggie jammed full of Beggin' Strips. The I-pod looks to be in fine shape but does nothing when she tries the power button. "S&+!." she mutters under her breath, dropping it back into her bag. That had been a gift from Graham and she could not afford to replace it although it does seem there may be more pressing things to concern herself with at the moment. She moves to join Miya at Adam's side, noting that his chest rises and falls steadily despite his lack of response. "Think he'll be ok?" she asks, pensively chewing her lower lip as she looks between her friends.
Mountain bike and skateboard crashes. Hard hits from big guys on the ice. That one time Martin hit her in the head with Gramma's umbrella stand, a rendition of a slender greyhound sitting expectantly on its hind quarters with an improbable and disturbing hole through its neck that sprouted Grandpa's canes rather than brollies. Lydia does not panic even as the breath is smacked out of her lungs and darkness consumes her; she knows this, she's been knocked out before but even so, something is still not quite right as her senses return. She smells dank mold rather than the dry, temperature controlled air of the library. Slowly her vision clears. Then the world stops spinning around her so Lydia sits up. She's relieved to hear Phillip call out and Miya shortly thereafter. "I think I'm okay," she calls in return.
Reaching her friends just as Miya comments about the other students in the library, Lydia stops and looks around. It's true, there are a couple less people in here than when they first arrived but those that remain do not seem to hear the strange countdown. No one is looking about, no one seems confused and no one seems to feel the atmosphere in the library sour from jovial and energetic to tense and stifling, as if a storm were brewing. "Maybe it's a fire drill..." Lydia repeats, weakly hopeful that it's true but pretty sure she's not fooling anyone.
Lydia decides she doesn't want a Pepsi after all. She tugs her friend by the arm. "Come on, let's just get back to the others. Maybe there's going to be a fire drill or something."
Lydia cocks her head to one side, frowning. She had not heard the last announcement, the one Phillip and Miya had commented but she definitely just heard someone clearly speak the number 2. The thing is, it did not seem to issue forth from the loudspeaker in the corner as one would expect; it seemed to originate from her own inner voice. "What the heck is that?!" she says to Phillip as he fishes his can of soda out of the receptacle at the bottom of the machine.
"I'll be right there Miya, gonna grab a Pepsi first. Anyone else want something?" Heading toward the vending machines, Lydia body checks Phillip playfully as she comes up behind him. "Hey watch it, buddy," she laughs, almost barreling her slender friend over. Checking out his new shirt, or maybe not new but just one that she hasn't seen before, Lydia nods appreciatively. It's a perfect match to her shirt, a plain black T that reads E=MC2 in white lettering.
"Yes! I'm glad they're back." Lydia knows and is grateful that Miya always puts special effort into making sure she is included. Most of the time, other girls are nothing but mean to her; it always seemed like the prettier and skinnier they were, the meaner they were but Miya, despite being both skinny and very pretty, wasn't like that. In high school, Miya had even gotten some of the girls to lay off a little bit which had really improved things for Lydia in her senior year. "I kinda didn't realize how much I missed them until I saw them again, y'know?"
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