Hey Guys, work continues to be 'highly intrusive' so I probably won't have much or any chance to post this week. I hope that doesn't screw up anyone's plots.
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"Very good, Master Vakkler. I'll just keep my nose in the wind and hope to run across... hm... anything unusual." Sinh keeps moving in the same direction as Vakkler, idly swiping fixtures with his rag as he ambles by.
"As 'energetically' as you can risk. He's formidable in both melee confrontations and magic ones, so tread lightly." Sinh nods and drinks his tea with a grimace, the Disco Fever clearly lending it a poor taste. "I'll keep my eyes open, Master. Though it's none of my affair, why exactly is this fellow hanging about? Is it mischief, monkeyshines, or whatnot? I don't mean to pry into your business, Master, but it might help us to figure out where he might be lurking. This school is awful big - hidden steam tunnels aside." Sinh, finding Vakkler's precipitous departure curious, trails the kobold discreetly. "Yes, Master. I should be about my own tasks as well. We seem to be going in the same direction."
Sinh stirs his tea slowly, considering, "Certainly, Master. If I run across the fellow, just how 'energetically' should I be in trying to convince him to leave?"
Sinh scratches his head, trying to stir his memory. "Well, I don't know as I've ever met one... but I've heard of them. Some sort of deep-dwelling, crazy, fey sort o' people, I think. I'm guessing this isn't a hypothetical question, Master?"
Sinh's response to the comment is a slight smile as he sets about making tea in a chipped tea service. When done, he sits down across from the kobold, handing him a cup and saucer. "What can I do for you, Master?"
"Not at all, Master." Sinh leads Vakkler around an adjacent corner, unlocks a small locker and steps sideways into it. Vakkler follows, intrigued. What is a tight squeeze for the human is comfortable for the kobold. Pushing aside the false back of the locker, they step into a narrow and high old stone corridor. Stairs wind downwards. As they roam down the stairs and through the following corridor, Sinh answers the unspoken question. "Near as I can figure out this was once part of the old steam heating system. When it was abandoned, someone decided to turn it into a set of secret passages. I haven't looked too carefully but I'm pretty sure it isn't on the maps. The ones I saw show only that these 'old pipes' were sealed off." After a few more bends and another staircase, they pop out of a broom closet across from a solid door marked "Janitor". Sinh opens the door and gestures for Vakkler to enter. He taps the doorframe as Vakkler passes through. The frame appears to be 5' of solid stone sandwiching a 1" thick sheet of lead. The door is solid metal with hinges that would stymie a giant. Sinh follows quickly after Vakkler and shuts the door with an air compressing WHUMP. The bolt thrown, they are isolated. The 'closet' is probably 500 square feet and contains various cleaning supplies (neatly ordered), a sofa, several plush chairs, and a card table. Sinh indicates Vakkler should sit wherever he'd prefer. "Tea, Master Vakkler?"
Sinh raises an eyebrow at the kobold's use of the word 'contain' in association with 'students', imagining that would be quite a task. "Well, the janitor's closet is.. hm... well-built. I'm thinking that one of my predecessors mixed some wrong chemicals and destroyed a building given it seems bomb-proof now. We can talk there if you like, Master."
Vakkler sees Mr. Sinh. "Ah, you're back. I heard you were sick." Sinh gives a sheepish grin and wipes his forehead again. "Yes, Master. I was jes a bit under the weather, as they say. Sorry to leave you in the lurch." He scans the hallway with a professional eye, "The halls are looking cleaner than I expected. Have I missed the children suddenly becoming less messy or something?"
Mr. Sinh staggers down the hall, a cold compress on his forehead. The squeaking of Lil' Sihn setting his nerves jangling. His fever broke last night and today, Sinh makes a valiant effort to return to his duties - embarrassed at missing a day (or was it two? or three?) of work. Sinh pockets the compress and wipes his head with his red bandana. Must be all the kids around here - walking germ factories. While Sinh was innoculated and often immune to many typical diseases and maladies, in a place like Agartha there was always something that could bring you low. With every muscle in his body aching, Sinh realized he had been assaulted by one of the more debilitating of rare ailments - Disco Fever. It is a rare but highly contagious disorder, he read this morning in Fulcrum's Unusual Diseases, characterized by hallucinations, a love of garish colors, a fascination with hideous music, and the unceasing desire to perform repetitive syncopated body motions, e.g. dancing. From how every muscles in his legs protested, Sinh could only imagine how much syncopated body moving he did over the last day or so. Ach! That Disco Fever it made me boogie til I just couldn't do it any more!" Sinh didn't even realise he was sick until he woke up in flared purple pants, a white belt, a paisley shirt with a collar the size of an airplane wing, and the most damning sign - platform shoes. Despite how poor he felt, Sinh knew he was lucky that there wasn't a full spread epidemic of Disco Fever. Horrible stories persisted of how Disco Fever had once struck the surface world and the pandemic that followed lasted an entire decade! Sinh takes a deep breath, rallies himself, and gets back to work...
Hey KC, if you aren't averse to chatting privately, would you please drop me a line at: remove the spaces: jus tin jlu kas @g mai ldo tcom
Did you guys know that our janitor has his own trope? Sweet! I WIN!
::quivering lip::
Meh. Bah. ;) Harumph!
FYI - I'll be on the road from Thursday (tomorrow) through Tuesday. I may have a chance to read but probably won't be able to post... so please feel free to NPC my character as necessary.
Sinh breathes a small sigh of relief that he hadn't misjudged the man. "Thank you, Headmaster. I'll be about my business then unless you have further need of me?"
Sinh escorts Nala in and sits her down gently. He moves toward the door, fidgeting slightly. He speaks hesitantly, "Beggin' your pardon, Headmaster... but the young Miss seems quite sure she's going to be killed by you or Miss Ephebe's family. She's been frantic about it. I've said that isn't so... I'm not mistaken, am I?"
Sinh keeps a close eye on his charge, not sure if her words were school-girl theatrics, blind panic, or if they contained some element of the truth. While he didn't like Nala, particularly after her attempt to ensorcel him, he wasn't favorably disposed toward seeing the girl die. We'll see what the Headmaster makes of all this.
Sinh keeps Nala marching forward while answering Fei's question, "Well, young sir, your point is fair... But I hain't threatened her and she ain't dead neither. So it looks like my word is still good."
"With your permission, Master Vakkler?" Sinh turns the girl around gently and starts walking towards the Headmaster's office. He keeps her tucked protectively against him. Only the simmering look in his eye speaks to the fact that his grip is more of a restraint than a way to comfort Nala. "Miss, no one gets dead while I'm around - monsters, Headmasters, or no. I got a rule about that."
The janitor gives the girl a quick shake, not unkindly. "Don't be daft, girl. If they wanted you dead, it would have already happened. Now SETTLE DOWN and no more monkeyshines. We are going to see the Headmaster. You aren't going to die. And that is that."
"Oi! Where do you think you are going, girl?" The janitor/monk catches up with her in three easy steps , putting a restraining hand on her shoulder.
Sinh stops in his tracks at the comment from Krays. Clearly things are not quite so cut and dried.
Sinh bobs his head, "Yes, sir." He turns to Spin. "Well, young Spin, you are welcome to come with me if you want... but I think there won't be much in the way of excitement." He heads off to track down Taron - unsure exactly how he's going to 'stop' whatever it is that happened here. But since, as Master Vakkler said, it was nonsense... well... Sinh was just the man to stop it. He never brooked nonsense, shenanigans, or lollygagging. No sir!
Sinh nods politely to the kobold professor. "Yes, Master Vakkler. I saw some part of that." He casts a hard glance at Nala. "Is there anything me or young Spin can help with? We thought to keep an eye open seeing all the strange events that've been happening."
"I can't rightly say, young Spin. Many folks rushed to help her and there's no lack of healers here... so that's good." He nods, "We're going after Nala, yes. I think a beady eye needs to be kept on that girl - a mischief-maker that one." They wind through the corridors quickly, using Spin's keen senses, Sinh's 'nose for trouble', and following the general sound of commotion and argument. They round a corner in time to catch sight of Vakkler leading a deflated Nala away.
"Mr. S.! Mr. S.! Wait up! What's going on?" After three steps he spins into his collie-Spin form, lean legs carrying him in long bounds down the hall after the familiar faculty member. The janitor turns, smiling at the youngster, "Ah, young Spin!" His mood becomes grim as he answers Spin's question while hustling down the corridor, "I think shenanigans are afoot, young sir. Miss Ephebe was poisoned and taken away, others rushed off in all sorts of directions, and Miss Nala disappeared rather abruptly. I've a nose for these sorts of things and I'm tracking down the frosty little maid." His emphasis on the last word suggests he finds her purity a matter of speculation.
Sinh stalks the halls, stunned at the whirlwind events of the last few days... cursed coins, poisons, new lifeforms. What next? He decides to keep a closer eye on all these folks starting with...
1 = Ephebe
Decided, he tracks the duplicitous girl down, watching her from a distance.
Dressed for success in a suitably drab replica of his now-destroyed janitor's uniform, Mr. S takes a break from his duties to munch a sandwich at a corner table while watching the bustling students. Some students, such as Fei attract more attention than others.
Okay, well, he's probably got a lot of remedial learning to catch up on, perhaps there can be some sort of 'nursery' for him? Nala will visit from time to time, he can join the band for rehearsals if he likes...let's him interact without being underfoot all the time. Sound good? Works for me. I was envisioning the odd cameo to spice up the academy... a tentacle popping out of a sink, that sort of thing. :) If folks like him enough after awhile, we can bring to a more active role. The whole EJ concept really started as a kooky one-off.
FWIW - I was thinking EJ would be more of an infrequent walk-on role than a full fledged member of the cast.
"Offense? None taken, Master. No one has thrown a party on my birthday in a very long time, and I don't miss it." Sinh gets a determined set to his jaw, "Excuse me, Master, I gotta satisfy an itch..." He approaches the Eldritch Jello. "Bygones is bygones... but I'd like to know young Master... well, first, you need a name. Do you got one? And, second, I wanna know why you tried eating Betsy." Sinh cast an appraising eye on the area that the slime is cleaning. "You're doing some good work on that grout." Sinh puts on his best 'brooks-no-lip-from-students' pose.
Mr. Sinh laughs. "Maybe so, Master Vakkler. You could be right on that score."
"Oh...ummm...don't worry about it...wasn't your fault..." Sinh nods. "Very kind of you to say so, Miss. But I'll be more careful."
Sinh rejoins Vakkler after being healed, "Well, I can't explain it much... but I think some folks want to feel individually special so they celebrate their own birth day not everyone else's. I can't say one way makes more sense than another... but it does keep things interesting, learning about other people's ways."
Sinh is grateful for the healing. "Thank you very kindly Miss Ephebe. What with everything going on and all, well, I... um... just wanted to apologize for the coin thing the other day. Sorry about that."
Sinh says quietly, "Well, this seems like a pretty successful hatching I'd say... I'd congratulate the new mother but she don't look receptive."
Well now, that certainly could be... :) Who knows WHERE these magical creatures get their abilities?
Sinh nods, "Oh, yeah. Terms are probably a bit different. Where I grew up, new babies were a blessin' so you'd throw the mother a party with gifts for the baby - clothing, nappies, and the like. Don't know why they call it a shower..."
"Master Vakkler, I've a question touching on kobolds as I knows very little of your people..." At a polite nod from the professor, he continues, "Do your folk throw 'baby showers'?"
"He's a tough one to track down, Master. Slithers away like an eel that boy does."
Sinh scratches his head. "Well that is a wonder, certainly. I wonder what traits... um... 'he' got from his mama's side of the family? Er... does it work like that?" Vakkler: It is no coincidence that Nala has ice powers and so does EJ. She was a little bit more than a surface for alchemical interactions.
Just a quick thanks to you guys for your patience and kindness in allowing me to do a little quasi-DMing here.
Sinh turns to Vakkler, biting his lip to prevent himself from grinning, "I'm sorry, Master. You were saying this fits your theory? Something about the alarming rise of teen pregnancies tied to oozes or somesuch?" Almost as an after-thought, Sinh cracks open the storage locker and starts tossing out large towels since nearly everyone's clothing is vanishing.
Mr. Sinh resists the urge to smile, "It's a little late for pre-natal care but I'm sure the school supports unwed mothers. You wouldn't be the first, Miss, to have an unplanned bundle of joy."
Sinh pulls out his red bandana and wipes the slime off his face; he leans against Betsy. Excluding himself from Vakkler's order, he's determined to back up the Professor as needed. He says quietly, "Well, this is a strange situation, no mistaking that."
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